Author Shay Collins

Teen Violence is Real

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:07:00 +0000

Hi everybody.

Shay Collins here, with a very serious post.

My heart hurts to know that there are young girls out there who are involved in relationships with guys who, for lack of a better term, could really care less about them.

The statistics are out. Our teen girls are being threatened, beaten, and even raped by guys who have led these young girls to believe that they love them.

Well, my latest book, a short story called Brad's Girl, paints a very vivid picture of a young girl who falls for the wrong guy, for the wrong reasons, and literally ends up paying for it with her life.

The story centers around Jennifer Duncan, a senior in high school, who falls for the most popular guy in school, Bradley Jennings, who also happens to be a real ladies man.

The son of wealthy parents, 'Brad' can pretty much do whatever he wishes to, and is allowed to get away with it. Even use a young girls face as his own personal punching bag.

It is my hope that this book will open the eyes of all of the 'Brad's Girls' out there.

There are many of them, most of whom are afraid that leaving their version of 'Brad' will either land them in the hospital or the morgue.

My goal is to raise awareness of this problem, which is fast becoming an epidemic, a crisis.

Our young men and women need to not only know what love is, but how to love one another.

They need to know that putting their hands on someone is not love.

That real love does not hurt; real love heals.

Please share this post with anyone you feel can benefit from it.

Thank you,
~Shay Collins~

An Update from Shay Collins (That's Me;)

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

I know it has been ages since I last wrote. The last time I posted on here, was when I got a new website. But that site is under construction and I really have missed blogging.

Quite a few things have happened since my last post.

I have been hard at work on my next two novels, despite a few bouts with writers block. (Ugggghhhh!!)

I have been working on a new t-shirt line and an online magazine.

Saw the cover design for my new book, which I will be sharing.

I'm going to try and stick with a real blogging schedule from here on out because it really helps me connect with people.

And when my website is back up and running again, I will post that here as well so that you can check that out.

So, that's pretty much all. I just wanted to let you know what was going on in my little corner of the world.

What's been going on in yours?

The Lazy Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:52:00 +0000

It was well into the afternoon and I must say, I was tired. It was one of those lazy Sunday afternoons. Irene Metcalf and myself had decided that we would just lay out by the pool and soak in the sweet summer sunshine... that is, until Jeffrey Adams decided to grace us with his presence.
Jeffrey had to be the hottest guy in the tenth grade, and he was at my house, standing by my pool. How cool.
But this day, Jeffrey wasn't alone. He had brought his kid brother Jason with him. Why? We would never know.
Irene was my best friend. The two of us had been through everything together. We got our periods together. Got out our ears pierced together. Heck, we even got our first kisses together.
Irene had a mad crush on Jeffrey and everybody in the school knew it.
Everybody knew this, except for Jeffrey. To him, Irene was just a cool girl that he had the honor of knowing.
That too would change soon.
"Hey Jeff, want some lemonade?" I asked, lowering my sunglasses so that he could see my bright blue eyes.
Jeff nodded. "That'd be cool," he said as he took a seat in a patio chair next to Irene.
I saw her face go red all over.
I told them I'd be back, then headed into the house to get the lemonade.
What I saw standing in the kitchen made me nearly drop the glass.

***Just felt like writing today. Hope you like it. I will add more as I get time.****
Until next time,
~Shay~~

Some Really Cool Authors I Discovered

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Hello all.

I am hard at work on my second and third books. I have so much to talk about. But enough about me, this blog, I wanted to talk about some really cool authors that I discovered.
One of them is Jamie McGuire, whose is the author of 'Beautiful Disaster', and 'Providence', which at last check were climbing the charts on Amazon.com, and 'Providence' was #98 on the Amazon's Top 100 List. That is quite an accomplishment.
Another really cool author that I have discovered so far is Sara Cannon, author of the 'Peachville High Demons' series. Her books are also among the Top 100 on Amazon.
There are many others, and to make my blog a little more interesting (there's only so much about me I want to talk about) I will talk about authors that I think are cool.

Until next time,

~Shay~~

Clueless in Michigan

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:13:00 +0000

Hi Guys,

Shay here. This week I learned an ugly truth: books don't sell themselves. So I would like to pose a question to you readers out there, what are some things that attracts you or entices you to read books by certain authors. Is it the book description? Is it the book cover? Is it 'My friend read it, so I'm going to read it too?' Please share.

And book promotion: How do you truly promote a book?

On another note,

I am hard at work on my second book. I already have the cover designed and I will be releasing sneak peeks to the book soon. Let's just say that this book is the first in a series of books.

Okay, here's what I would like for you to do:
Send me your suggestions on what can be done to get to the readers. What are your tips and tricks of the trade?
Send your suggestions to authorshay@gmail.com.

I will feature your responses on my blog, and on my facebook page as well.

~Shay~

"Twisted Rage" Ultimate Reader Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:10:00 +0000

My First Contest

June is "Twisted Rage" Ultimate Reader Search Month! Throughout the month of June, author Shay Collins will be giving away some really cool prizes to 5 lucky readers. Each purchase of "Twisted Rage" will qualify you for a chance to win:

An autographed copy of the paperback version of "Twisted Rage"
An official "Twisted Rage" t-shirt
And an official "Twisted Rage" Poster, signed by Shay Collins

To enter, you must:

Download a copy of "Twisted Rage" by Shay Collins to your Nook, Kindle, PC or other ebook reading devide between May 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011

Forward confirmation of your paid download to authorshay@gmail.com.

5 lucky winners will be chosen and announced on July 2, 2011

Good luck. Oh, and by the way, contest ends at midnight June 30, 2011. Don't wait. You could be one of the winners.
P.S. The 5 lucky winners will be mentioned on the Shay Collins blog.

It's Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Fri, 27 May 2011 02:55:00 +0000

It's official! My book is now available online! I am so so excited about this and looking forward to this journey.

On another note: I am starting to work on the first book in my mystery series. I'm not letting that cat out of the bag until it's getting close to time to publish. (Don't want to be sharing the title with too many folks;)

Anywhoo, got tons of work to do.

Today I learned that it is virtually impossible not to share your book title with another author in some way, shape or form. You can research until you are blue in the face and someone else can still come out with a title that either exactly matches yours or comes pretty darn close. Sigh.

I am still happy though. My hat's off to authors and those that aspire to be. It takes a lot of work to write and publish a book. I mean, I had no idea about how to format a book, and hire an editor, and a proofreader, or get a cover designed. I thought you just came up with a name, wrote a book, uploaded it, and poof--like magic you became an author. Not so.

The book has to have a certain format. The cover has to be a certain size or the photos will look blurry. Whew! I am sweating again just thinking about all that work.

And the crazy part: now that I have one book under my belt, I am so anxious to write more;)

I hear an evil laugh building up inside of me.

I guess that's all for today. I will probably be up until the wee hours of the morning pounding away at yet another story.

It feels great to be an author.

~Shay~~

To get 'Twisted Rage' on your Nook right now click here:
To get 'Twisted Rage' on your Kindle right now, click here
Shay Collins's Smashwords Author Profile: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/authorshay
Book page to sample or purchase Twisted Rage: http://smashwords.com/b/62196

'Twisted' Sample

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Here it is. The Introduction from 'Twisted Rage'. Let me know your thoughts;)

An Official Shay Collins Preview

Prologue

He stared at the house, thoughts of vengeance racing through his mind. Outrage filled his heart. He was only seventeen, and already he had been hurt more times than he could stand. Hurt too much by girls that made him love them, then left him. He had the red gasoline can in his hands. Had the pack of matches ready. He knew his girlfriend, well, his now ex-girlfriend, was asleep in the house. The big, towering three story house overlooking the New Chisten Bay. It would have been so easy to kill her.

He saw her with that other boy. The star quarterback from Lincoln Academy. Saw her kissing him in the backseat of his sporty little red Corsica. She had lied to him though; said she was sick with the flu. Yet, she was well enough to lock lips with some super jock from Lincoln.

What kind of fool did she take him for? He knew her parents were out of town. Knew her younger sister and older brother were away. She had spilled her guts to him. She trusted him. Trusted him a little too much.

He made his way up the flagstone path to the porch, his eyes burning red with anger. His mouth twitched with excitement. He hated her now. Hated her with all his heart. Hated her with all the strength he once used to love her. He was ruined. Ruined because she had opened her mouth to curse him. Opened her mouth to say how much she hated him. This night he knew, that if he didn’t kill her, he would never be able to love again.

It wasn’t enough for him to call her and say that he was through with her. To tell her that he had caught her red handed, cheating on him. He had to get revenge.

He was on the porch now, his hand resting on the bronze doorknob. The book of matches now lay peacefully on top of the can of gasoline. He knew she never locked the door. Never could remember to. Now, she was going to wish that she had made it a little harder for him to kill her.

Slowly he turned the knob, pushing the door open. No lights were on, except for the light over the staircase. He made his way to the steps, drenching his path with gasoline. Smiling. Pouring. Up the stairs. Pouring. Then he came to her bedroom door. It was closed. That was odd. She never slept with her door closed. He set the can down beside the door and pressed his ear to it. He could hear her laughing. What was she doing in there? He picked up the can, and slowly opened the door.

Her back was facing the door he could see, though there were no lights on in the bedroom. Atleast, someone’s back was to the door.

“Right there,” she said, the bed squeaking as someone started to move around. She wasn’t alone. She really was in bed with another guy! He was really upset now. In fact, he was furious. He frowned and ducked down, drenching the floor around him with gasoline. She was laughing again. He hated her laugh now. He hated the laugh that had once sounded so sweet to him.

Now he listened as the bed squeaked once again. Had someone seen him?

“I love you,” a male voice said, in between long pauses. Obvious kisses.

“I love you, too,” she began, “now make love to me.”

He couldn’t stand it. He hated what his ears were hearing. He had to stop it. And he had to do it now.

Angrily, he made his way back out to the hall. Struck a match. Tossed it into her bedroom. First it got the carpet. Then it got the dresser. Finally, the bed was inflamed.

He cried hysterically as he ran from the house. He didn’t stop running until he was free. Until he was back outside, in the safety of his car. He placed his keys in the ignition. Started the engine. Drove halfway down the block.

He watched through his rear view mirror as the tall house burned, filling the night air with a faint orange glow. He dropped his head and cried again. Just before he burst into laughter. It had been so easy to kill. So easy. And it would only be easier to do it again.

New cover, I think I love you

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Tue, 24 May 2011 16:56:00 +0000

Today I saw my new cover for the first time and I fell so deeply in love with it. It is so amazing how a person can take something you did and not take away from it, but make it look better. Wow. When I opened the email this morning to download the JPEG, I almost wanted to cry.
I know that covers sell books. Good looking covers mean good looking sales, right?

I don't know. I guess only time will tell that one.

I just wanted to pop in and share that.

P.S.,
If you have a blog, let's follow each other.

***Shay***

This road as a new author

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Mon, 23 May 2011 23:35:00 +0000

OMG! That's what I am thinking as I embark on this road a new author. Especially as an ebook author.
While ebook publishing may seem easy, trust me, the same amount of blood, sweat and tears goes into an ebook as does a paperback or hardcover book.

OMG! I wish I had known that I should have been marketing six months ago, in preparation for the release date, which for now has been pushed back a week due to a conflict with my editor's schedule and mine. Darn holidays.

Anyways, I guess I should be happy. In a few days I, Anna 'Shay' Collins, will become a published author. (Yes, that's my full name)

I have so much to learn. Like, how I can tweet from my cell phone. How can I update my status on Facebook when I update my tweets from my cell phone.

I can respond to emails, while updating my Facebook status, while tweeting, all on my cell phone. (Cell phones are AMAZING)

I have learned that I can create an app all about me and my books (Not that I'm that vain....or am I? I don't know)

But I am so truly happy about all the support I am receiving lately. I have found a blog that offers some great help about this whole publishing process. You can read it here.

I am also learning that you can follow people's blogs. You can follow anything these days. ;)

Well, that's enough random thoughts from me today. But if you do have a blog, let's follow each other. I think that would be cool;)

Later,

***Shay***

Ahhh...My first Post

noreply@blogger.com (Author Shay Collins) — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:21:00 +0000

Okay, cool. This is the first post to my new blog, and I have to say, I feel so excited just to be writing it. I write for teens, right, so I want this to be a blog that they can totally relate to. So here's some little tidbits about me that I think are cool:

I have been writing stories since I was eight years old.
I published my first story in the fifth grade.
My favorite colors are hot pink, red, black, brown and grey.
I love computers
I think writing stories and books is the coolest thing ever ;)

Okay, so I don't have a long extensive list here, but hey, I'm just getting started.

Why did I chose to become a writer?

I love to tell stories. When I was younger, I found that they kept me out of lots of trouble. (just kidding;)

I am so excited to be releasing my first book. It's the coolest thing ever.

"Twisted Rage" is the story of a young man who is fed up with cheating girlfriends. So, he takes revenge into his own hands and pecks them off one by one.
I will be posting a sneak peak in a few days.

It will be available as an ebook first, then as a paperback book. It's real twist tale. (no pun intended;)

Okay, that's enough.

Share this post with your friends. And be sure to get your copy of "Twisted Rage" for your Kindle, Nook, Smartphone, whatever you read on, starting May 23, 2011.

My next book, which I won't reveal the title yet, will definitely be a thrill ride. It's about a young psychic. That's all I will let out for now.

Until next time,
****Shay