Kick A** 2011 Debut Author Spotlight

Christina Lee is hosting a 2011Debut Author Spotlight so you'll find a lot of debut author spotlights around the blogsphere today.

I picked Elana Johnson for her awesome novel, POSSESSION.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

Now why did I pick Elana's POSSESSION?

There's a lot of reasons why but I'll be brief and say the top 3.

1. The characters - there are so many wonderful characters that you fall in love with in this book. The MC, Vi, is playful and defiant, and likes to do things her way. In a world where you're controlled, doing things your way is never the easy road, and you can't help but cheer her along as she strives to figure out who she is. And the supporting cast is just as great, especially Jag. I'm big on characters - if I don't care for them, I don't like the book. With POSSESSION - I cared for the characters and loved them and the book.

2. The twists - this book is a roller coaster. So many times you're left breathless and begging for more, especially with the ending! The ending just about killed me! It's definitely worth reading the book just to learn what happens in the end.

3. Greatness - what makes a book great in my mind, when I can't get it out of my mind and think about it long after I've finished reading it. With POSSESSION, that was definitely the case, especially with that ending!


So there you go, my top 3 reasons why POSSESSION is a must-read book and why I choose to spotlight Elana Johnson in my 2011 Debut Author Spotlight. If you aren't following her awesome blog, you should definitely go rectify that right now.

Thank

To check out some other awesome spotlights, visit these blogs:


Rachele raves about IMAGINARY GIRLS
Susan is featuring RIP TIDE
Robyn spotlights ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE
Matt loves SOLSTICE
Nicole wants to tell you about POSSESSION
Janet tells why she loves LIAR SOCIETY
Kate talks about MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
Sheri admires IRON WITCH
Jen would like to tell you about WITHER
Shannon celebrates DARK PARTIES
Jon loves MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE
Michelle tells you about SHIFTING
Susan admires WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE
Natalie gives a shout out to AUDITION, THE FAERIE RING, and MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE
Katie loves THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER
Stina gives you a taste of BAD TASTE IN BOYS
Jessie spotlights SPELLBOUND and BIRTHRIGHT
Willow admires DESTINED
Christine raves about POSSESS
Kristin really really likes CLARITY
Anne features READY PLAYER ONE
Meredith wants to shout about DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
Amy Rose loves THE NEAR WITCH
Theresa talks about DIVERGENT
Kelly focuses in on EARTHLING HERO and A SCARY GOOD BOOK
Christine gears you up for THE LIPSTICK LAWS
Laura  is wild about GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS
Patti tells you about HEREAFTER
Portia admires THE SECRET OF SPRUCE KNOLL
Ali has plenty to say about POSSESSION

Guest blog with Theresa Milstein - Fangtales

Theresa Milstein, a wonderful blogger, is joining us today to talk about Fangtales. If you aren't already following her blog, you should! Take it away, Theresa!

Thank you for hosting me, Nicole.  You’ve been such a supportive blogging buddy.  Your dedication to writing is an inspiration.

When I asked Nicole if I could do a guest post on her blog, she suggested vampires or what inspired me to write the short story that was accepted in the Fangtales anthology. 

Before I saw the call for submissions for the YA vampire anthology, Fangtales, I’d never written a short story before.  That’s not entirely true.  I’d never written a short story from scratch, from beginning to end.  Before I wrote seriously, I made two miserable attempts.  Once I wrote seriously, I thought I could take the first chapter of a manuscript and turn it into a short story.

I had A LOT to learn.

A few years later, after writing a few more manuscripts, I was a better writer and had a better sense of what it took to write a short story.  I liked the rules for Fangtales:

“The editor (Berni Stevens) of Fangtales prefers traditional vampires as in Bram Stoker's Dracula (this means no walking in the sunlight, eating garlic, or laughing at the sign of the cross...the traditional vampire truly is a creature of the night and not a day-walker with sparkly skin). However, she is looking for a fresh new look at an overworked genre and wants to be scared!”

I liked the idea of using the old rules in a modern setting.   Wyvern Publications had already published Dragontales and Mertales (Nicole is one of the authors in Mertales), so I know the stories can vary widely and are well done. 

But I didn’t know much about vampires.  I had seen the old Dracula movie as a teen.  I read the first two Twilight books and Tantalized.  But I haven’t read any other vampire novels.  There were vampires in Hex Hall and Paranormalcy, but they were one of many paranormal creatures. 

I needed to do some research on Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  The original vampires were shut out from society due the limitations of their vampireness.  I wanted my vampire to have constraints, but live with humans.  And I was happy not to keep my vampires sparkle-free.  I wanted them to be monsters, but to humanize them at the same time. (I know that’s an oxymoronic sentence.)

Who was my vampire?

How did s/he become a vampire? 

What did s/he want?  (Blood is an obvious answer, but I wanted to tap the vein of my character - sorry).

My YA vampire short story is called “Allured”.  Shalom is a new student who has been trying to snag the most popular boy in her high school.  A couple of people in her new town have been murdered, one in a graveyard.  She’s trying to convince this popular boy to visit the graveyard with her. 

That’s all I can say… 

This is how it begins:

 

“I twisted a golden curl in my usual alluring way. Guys loved it when I did that. I lowered my voice, so Reid had to lean in to hear me, his elbows propped on his knees.”

It was fun to write.  I loved having license to be mysterious and scary.  When you read it, I hope you’re scared too. 

Fangtales is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Question of the Week

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 Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? And what would your treasure consist of?

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Weekly Progress Report

It's Tuesday so it's time for my weekly progress report.

I proofread almost 400 pages this week.

I wrote two short stories, and wrote and submitted three more flash pieces to Pill Hill Press' Daily Frights anthology.

I also finished editing Elena's Pen! Final word count - 65,574! Woot!

So what's on the agenda for this week? Editing for Muse, attending the online Muse conference (my pitch session is today - wish me luck!). I've been sending chapters of Elena's Pen to a critique partner, so it's not completely finished yet, but it will be soon!

I'm looking for a few beta readers for it. If anyone knows MG, specifically upper MG, and loves fantasy, please let me know if you're interested! I'll gladly reciprocate!

Other than that, I'm going to get back to work on Hidden in Shadows and try to make my assassin more sympathetic.

How's your progress going? Whatcha reading/writing/editing?

Check out some other great progress report this week:


http://www.writersally.blogspot.com/
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com/p/tuesday-wip-status.html
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in/
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://lynneawest.blogspot.com

Creature of the Week - Phoenix

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Last week's creature was the Firebird. Today's is the Phoenix.

The Phoenix is the most well-known mythological creature of the air. It originated in Egypt where it was known as Bennu, which means "rise" or "shine". It was a long-legged gray heron with a two-feathered crest. Some hieroglyphics show Bennu wearing the headdress of Osiris, the god who dies and is reborn.

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In the mythology of Heliopolis (the city of the sun), Bennu was the soul of Ra, the sun god. Bennu was linked to the rising and setting of the sun, the yearly Nile floods, and the cycle of life and death and resurrection.

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In the Middle Ages, it was believed that only one Phoenix lived at a  time. It would live for 500 years and then build a pyre of twigs, face the sun, fan the fire by beating its wings, and is consumed by the flames. From the ashes, a new Phoenix is born.

Next week, I'll talk about the Chinese version of the Phoenix - Feng Huang.