Back To School Giveaway

Welcome to the Back to School Giveaway hosted by the authors at Darkly Delicious YA.

Add great YA titles to your to be read list on Goodreads and enter to win an Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card so that you can purchase novels from your favorite authors.

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The Giver Movie

DUDE!! Has anyone seen it yet??? 

Conquering Writer's Block

I honestly don’t know a single author who hasn’t had writer’s block at least once in their career. Most of the time it’s a regular occurrence. For me it happens every novel, generally around the same point each time. I wish I had the recipe for some magical writing potion you could brew….wait….coffee anyone? For each author, breaking the block is different. So even if I did tell you to spin around twice and chug a Pepsi while holding your breath, chances are you’d just end up really dizzy and bloated.

What works for me is simple. I sit my butt down in front of the computer and force my fingers to type regardless of whether or not I like what I’m writing. Getting the content out is the hardest part. Like Anne Lamott says:

 

The first draft is the child's draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later. You just let this childlike part of you channel whatever voices and visions come through and onto the page. If one of the characters wants to say, "Well, so what, Mr. Poopy Pants?," you let her. No one is going to see it. 

Now, practically even better news…All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.

If you haven’t read her novel, Bird by Bird, you’re in for a treat (especially if you’re a writer). It’s titled based on a memory she has of her brother who waited until the last second to write an essay about birds when he was a child. Her father, an author, told him to take it bird by bird. This philosophy has helped me in writing every single sentence in my books. Some days I take it sentence by sentence. Others, page by page. Writing 300 pages seems so daunting, but if you take it “bird by bird” ….well, you end up with a book.

What helps you get through the process of writing?

First Lines or Last Lines

A lot of readers look for that first line. I’ve never been one of them. What I look for is the hook at the end of the chapter. So I guess you could say I’m kind of a sucker for last lines.

I think the TV addict in me has gotten sort of used to those cliffhanger endings. Remember LOST? After every episode my jaw would hang open for a solid minute. Are they really going to make me wait a week to find out what happens? Now shows like The Vampire Diaries do the same, which is something (in my opinion) that sets it apart from the book series it’s based on.

These days everyone wants everything to run at a faster pace…their phones, computers, and yes…their books. You have to admit, Wuthering Heights is a bit slow compared to The Hunger Games ;)

My point is (and again, in my opinion…) last lines are far more important than first lines. They make a book page-turning, and that’s what readers want.

Here are some last lines from my books and from two other popular YA books:

“'You’ve been hidden long enough,’ Dr. Nickel interrupted. ‘You have to face your future eventually, and it’s time to let the prophecy unfold. We need you.’”
 -Oppression, Jessica Therrien

“He looked at me, snapped his fingers, and flames shot up the trees. Everything was burning.
            I woke to the feeling of fire all around me.”
 -Uprising, Jessica Therrien

“At some point we folded into each other like flower petals pulling close together to endure a cold night.”
 -Uprising, Jessica Therrien

“Then, with a gasp I can’t contain, I shift my hand forward, and my blood sizzles on the coals.
            I am selfish. I am brave.”
 -Divergent, Veronica Roth

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him—and I didn’t know how potent that part might be—that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”
 -Twilight, Stephenie Meyer

What do you prefer? Suck-you-in first lines or page-turning last lines? 

Book 3 Is Done-ish

Yeah. Yeah....I know. I've been MIA for a while, BUT I have a great excuse. The first draft of Children of the Gods (Book 3) is done! It really has taken me a lot longer to write this book, but it might end up being worth the wait. I'm really excited about how my series ends. As of now it has a working title, but I'm not sure enough about it to share.

Right now I'm reading through what I have, tying things together and nit picking every little detail. After that I'll send it to my critique partners.

I wish I could give you a general idea about the time frame, but honestly, even I don't know when it will be published. With my little munchkin running around, I've been taking things one day at a time.

St. Patty's Day Giveaway Event

Join your favorite YA and NA authors as we celebrate being Irish for a day and play on Pinterest. There will be over 45 e-book giveaways! 

You can join the Facebook party HERE!

You won't want to miss it!

Participating Authors:

Lila Felix   A. W. Exley  Melissa Pearl   

Jessica Gibson  Cindy M. Hogan  Sarah Ashley Jones  

Marie Landry  Rachel Morgan  Jennifer Snyder 

Stacey Marie Brown  Jessica Therrien  D.L. Raver 

Stacey Wallace Benefiel  Marilyn Almodóvar  Angee Taylor 

A.O. Peart  Devyn Dawson  Rick Chiantaretto 

Raine Thomas  L.P. Dover  Tamara Hart Heiner  

Leigh T Moore  Meradeth Houston  Amber Argyle 

Tawdra Kandle  Carlyle Labuschagne  Lisa Collicutt

Christy Dorrity  Stephanie Fowers  Kristina Renee

Faith McKay  Charlotte Abel  Jamie Ayres

A.M. Hargrove  Charli Webb  Amy Harmon  

Alyssa Rose Ivy  Kristie Cook  Lani Woodland

T.M. Franklin  Laura Howard  Sharron Riddle

Eliza Tilton  S. M. Boyce  Bethany Lopez 

Dawn Leigh  L.A. Casey  Emma Adams  

Amber Garr  Liz Long

List of Descendant Bloodlines & Abilities

Hey all! I've noticed a lot of people searching for the list of Descendant bloodlines and/or Descendant abilities from my books. This list can be found in the back of Uprising (Children of the Gods #2), but if you were just searching for reference, here you go. I believe it is alphabetized in the actual book. I took this from my manuscript so it's a little jumbled.

Also, don't forget...only 4 days left to enter the giveaway for a loaded Kindle Fire! See the post prior to this one to enter. Good luck!!

Descendant Bloodlines

Name	Bloodline	Ability
Council
Christoph	Zeus	Ability control for male Descendants
Adrianna	Hera	Ability control for female Descendants
Dimitri	Demeter	The ability to age or grow living things
Antec	Hades	The ability to confine Descendants to the “Underworld” *The Underworld is a void of nothingness where Descendants are trapped in a semi-conscious limbo.
Lilia	Hestia	Ability control for Council Members *Must be in the presence of two Council members for Council abilities to work
Dr. Nickel	Ares	The ability to mimic Descendant powers
Descendants
Elyse	Asclepius	The ability to heal or poison with her blood
Richard Adler (Elyse’s Father)	Hephaestus	The ability to manipulate metals, woods, and stone
Sarah Adler (Elyse’s Mother)	Asclepius	The ability to heal or poison with her blood
William	Aphrodite	The ability to persuade by infatuation
Edith	Ares	Council Heir – Can mimic Descendant powers once her ability is manifested
Sofia (Mrs. Nickel)	Aphrodite	The ability to persuade by infatuation
Mac	Soteria	The ability to create safe havens
Kara	Prometheus	The ability to access to the mind
Alex	Aether	Messenger— The ability to move from place to place using teleportation Call name: Alaximandrios
Florence	Delphic Oracle – Pythia	The ability to see the future
Iosif	Metis	The ability of intuition
Nics	Nix	The ability to manipulate light and create darkness or invisibility
Sam	Dionysus	The ability to change liquid to wine
Paul	Hermes	Messenger—Flight
Rachel	Iris	Messenger—Flight (changes form)
Officer Gomez	Pasithea	The ability to make others feel relaxed
Cearno	Comus	The ability to make food and drink with extraordinary flavor
Christine	Hegemone	The ability to conjure plants and trees from the earth
Mr. Williamson	Helios	The ability to mimic daylight/sunlight
Unnamed	Tethys	The ability to draw water from the ground
Unnamed	Astraeus	The ability to create the illusion of stars
Mr. Gransky	Hecate	The ability to move objects using telekinesis
Helen (Ms. Stanzic)	Chronos	The ability to stop time
Aaron	Clotho	The ability to revive the dead before the spirit transcends
Ian	Homados	The ability to amplify or impair hearing
Hannah	Mnemosyne	The ability to erase memories with her blood
Unnamed	Penthus	The ability to induce extreme sadness
Amber	Aletheia	The ability to decipher the truth of someone’s words
Riley	Kratos	The ability of great bodily strength
Victor	Lelantos	The ability to control the air
Unnamed	Anchiale	The ability to conjure fire
Unnamed	Limos	The ability to cause extreme hunger or starvation
Claudia	Selene	The ability to control the moonlight and hypnotize those who stare into it
Unnamed	Loxo	The ability to manipulate an objects trajectory
Unnamed	Hecaterus	The ability to control objects using the hands
Luther	Hercules	Lead Hunter
Stephan	Sophrosyne	The ability to restrain the body and Descendant abilities
Philip	Aether	Messenger – The ability to move from place to place using teleportation Call name: Philotheos