Writing on the Sunny Side of the street

Guest Post: A Sprinkle of Love with YA

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Most Young Adult novels have a sprinkle of a crush, love and attraction. With a majority female audience, it’s perceived that love and attraction is a strong part of youth. And lets face it – it is.

WHY PUT SOME IN

Because it appeals to both male and female readers as long as it doesn’t consume the type of book when writing a Young Adult book that isn’t specifically a romance. I get many beta readers for my books, both male and female requested a bit of a love interest. It adds another dimension to the plot.

A SPRINKLE without SEX is good too

I personally don’t believe sex is necessary in a Young Adult book to such graphic detail unless it moves the plot. Adding a love interest, sex, physical aspect can turn off young readers. Writers should focus on the story they are trying to tell and not on how they describe sex in a scene for shock value. Readers can pick it up and may be turned off.

HIGH Emotion can LEAD to ATTRACTION

When writing a Young Adult book with a sprinkle of romance, there is no need to throw it in the readers face. Let it develop, do it with style, and make sure that your readers fall in love – as the characters are falling in love.

DON’T Count ON LOVE TO SAVE YOUR NOVEL

If you are not writing a Young Adult Romance, and you are putting in your sprinkle of love, don’t expect that to make your novel appeal to the young adult crowd. These readers want it all. They crave adventure, drama, mystery, love, and great pacing. So when you mix up your recipe to deliver a masterpiece for your willing and eager YA audience, make sure you don’t sell them short on depth and a great plot.

by: LM Preston, author of Bandits, The Pack and Explorer X series, blog: http://lmpreston.blogspot.com , website: www.lmpreston.com

Short Story Review; The exotics: Tigerlilly by De Kenyon

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 723 KB
Publisher: Wonderland Press (December 20, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B006OQUQGM

Product Description

After Rachael’s friend doesn’t return on the first day of second grade, she asks her mother to find her new address so they can be pen pals. But Rachael’s mother can’t find Brenna’s family anywhere: it’s like they were erased. And it’s a lot like what happened to her mother’s friend Lilly in second grade...except that Lilly is dead, and her mother won’t talk about it. Rachael’s mother has secrets...but Rachael’s going to find out.

REVIEW

I was pleasantly surprised to find this short story through Twitter, when I saw the author's tweet about it. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story is told in third person, the main character being a second grader who is probably between 7 and 8 years old.

It's endearing to hear the voice of little Rachael through out the story. Her worry, and her expectations match the reader's perfectly as you begin to root for the girl and a solution to the problem that Brenna's disappearance poses in the girl's life.

One of my favorite passages is when they are playing and Rachael goes around pretending to be a zombie. Her friend Makayla pretends then to be a Ranger.

Six out of Six cookies

Book Review, Hourglass by Myra McEntire

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA (June 14, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1606841440
ISBN-13: 978-1606841440
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.4 x 8.5 inches

Amazon blurb

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Review

I was drawn to the premise of Hourglass like a moth to flame. I'm a sucker for Time Traveling and this book was one of the few books in recent years that dealt with it, in a way that was different and refreshing. Emerson Cole's voice grabs you, and even if sometimes she underestimates herself in the looks department, she's by no means a whinny character.

She's gutsy and unafraid. For crying out loud, she sees things that we can't see. Yes, granted, she's had issues, they are explained once she connects with the mysterious organization to which Michael Weaver belongs, The Hourglass.

I have to admit that twice, I threw the book at the wall. *coughs* But I quickly picked it up and gave it some loving. I didn't care much for the love triangle, even if it didn't really feel like one since it was obvious who had won Em's heart.

Like I told Myra on Twitter, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Thomas. *swoons* I'm an only child, but I totally dug the relationship between Thomas and Em. The love her older brother professed for her, and how he had to switch from brother to parent at a rather young age, just absolutely melted my heart. Dru is also amazing. Another secondary character whom I adored was Lily, Em's BFF.

If you are a Whovian :), or love Science Fiction with a heart, I totally recommend Hourglass for you.

Five out of Six cookies

And the winner is...

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

*throws confetti around*

Happy Valentine's day! Hope you all have a great day and now *drum roll*

The winner of my Valentine's Day contest and proud owner of a signed copy of Michelle Madow's Remembrance is:

Neria!

Please email me your physical address at marilynjeulin (at) yahoo (dot) fr

Congratulations and happy reading!

Book Review; Becoming by Raine Thomas

2012-02-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

Becoming by Raine Thomas

Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Iambe Books (November 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0983831831
ISBN-13: 978-0983831839
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches

The book blurb

Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She's already worked her way through five foster placements, and she's doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She'll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she'll discover that she isn't really without family.

To top it all off, she'll finally find out why she's having the power surges: she isn't entirely human.

Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she's ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.

Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.

Review

I first came into contact with Raine Thomas through another YA writer, Blaire Kensley on Twitter. She introduced me to Raine, and I immediately checked Amazon for her books. I was smitten after having read part of the prologue. The only problem was that back then I didn't have an e-reader and there were no paperbacks, but guess what! You can now order a copy of the book either on paperback or for your e-reader.

Ok that's enough plugging, you want to know what I think about this book. :)

Well, let's start with Amber. She's a girl next door kind of protagonist. She's had a rough past, and ends up at Mrs B's home. I have to say, though I love LOVE love Amber and Gabe, Mrs B is my favorite secondary character ever. Ok, she's taken Sodapop's place and pushed Beth further back. (and if you don't know those two characters... Pick up a copy of the Outsiders and Little Women when you can :))

Thomas paints every scene with vivid colors, which transport you from place to place. From the hair salon where Amber ~~reluctantly~~ gets a make over for her birthday, to the woods where the incident occurs, to Alaska, you feel like you have stepped through the book into the setting.

The relationship between Amber and Gabriel is fun, they are goofy, and supportive of each other, and their love is not rushed. Heck, it's been years since they've known each other. And I think that this is one of those things that really made me fall for the characters.

The love storyline entwines easily with the action in the book. What I liked mostly about this book is that five more minutes of reading, turned to two hours, and I couldn't put it down. Eventually I did, or I wouldn't get any work done on my own book. :)

The Estilorian world is amazingly created and pulls you right in, tickling your imagination.

If you are looking for a great trilogy that mixes love with action, look no further.

Six out of Six cookies

Lost in Austen

2012-02-12T11:26:00.000-05:00

Lost in Austen
Amanda, an ardent Jane Austen fan, lives in present day London with her boyfriend Michael, until she finds she's swapped places with Austen's fictional creation Elizabeth Bennet.

Review

Ok, I know that I usually never review shows, unless there is a Time Traveling Time Lord in them. But this gem of a TV mini-series has made me fall in love with Mr Darcy all over again. I must confess it's not that hard for me to fall in love with Mr Darcy, but this take on Austen's classic will have you giggling, screaming, and pretty much wanting to punch a few characters.

Lost in Austen is a modern take on a classic. Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper, who was on HEX which is like one of the best paranormal shows I've ever watched) has dates with Pride and Prejudice. This means that she blows her boyfriend and best friend off to stay in with a well worn copy of Jane Austen's timeless classic. One night Amanda finds Miss Bennet in her bathroom. She then shows Amanda that the bathroom actually connects with the Bennet household and Amanda is off on an adventure of epic proportions and fails, as she changes the course of most of the characters' lives.

I know that some Austen purists detest the modern take. After watching this adaptation, I spent some time speaking to one of my friends who majored in English Lit when we were at university and she blasted me to heaven telling me I shouldn't have loved the way they totally killed the book.

But did they really kill the book? The answer is no. All of Austen's elements are in the story with a few variations. The ending might not be what you expect, but I'm sure that it'll make you smile.

And if that doesn't, I'm pretty sure that Alex Kingston as Mrs Bennet and Hugh Bonneville as Mr Bennet will have you smiling.

Here's a sneak peek:

If you have Netflix, you can watch it on it.

Guest Post: Romance in YA by Monica Bustamante

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Romance in YA

Hey Marilyn!! First of all, thanks so much for letting me take over your blog today! I feel honored to be here. *waves hello*

My topic was Romance in YA—and I have to admit… I kinda chose February because I’m a sucker for romance!

As some of you guys know, I usually beta read a lot of manuscripts and there are some that make me really feel the romantic tension between characters. So I wanted to let you know what makes me feel that—so much that I just want the protagonists to kiss already!

1) Insta-love doesn’t feel real, even if there’s a HUGE reason behind it. Why? Because the reader wants to be a part of the process of how the characters fall in love. If there’s insta-love then they would feel like they missed something.

2) When I read a romantic scene full of clichés, like “the guy with a broad back and muscular arms pressed his soft lips against hers,” I get really distracted. Mainly because clichés don’t make me imagine the characters well—we’ve all read those kinds of scenes before. And the more unique the character feels the better. So kill the clichés!

3) Have Sexy Banter. Who doesn’t love sexy banter?

4) Visuals and sensory details in a romantic scene help a lot to make the reader feel s/he is right there. Try to find details that are really original about the scene, so that it makes the characters/setting feel real.

5) The pre-kiss is better than the kiss! Have your readers root for that kiss! Have them desire it. That builds sexual tension. Can you come up with a realistic reason why they can’t kiss right now?

6) I love it when the reader is the only one that knows the characters are meant to be together, and it’s awesome to watch how the characters start to figure it out, too. Also you can make their personalities collide, making it tense. Tension is hooking. And making the romance a bumpy road will up the tension, too.

Monica Bustamante Wagner

YA Writer represented by Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency.

http://monibw.blogspot.com/

Official INTERRED blurb

2012-02-08T08:04:00.001-05:00

Wow.... Wow..... Wow....

A few days ago I, ACTUALLY, five days ago, I finally put up the official Interred blurb on Good Reads. I am eternally grateful to fellow YA writer, Raine Thomas for help. Going back and forth between emails, we managed to come up with something that embodies the book.

So without further ado, I give you the blurb for my ebook Interred, which will be published on May 24th, if I don't hit any major road blocks, dragons or time portals. :)

Time has never been an 
issue for Baxter Jacobs, but then she never knew her Time Bending 
ability would put the world's fate in her hands.



When Baxter inherits a pendant from her great-grandmother, it 
connects her to the mysterious Declan Ashdown. Trapped in a time loop 
for the past 122 years, Declan needs Baxter's help to escape so that he 
can die. The problem is that Baxter is now a target by the powerful 
Council of Magical Beings, who want to exploit her unusual skills.



With the help of Declan's descendant, Jack, Baxter has to try to 
master her abilities before the Council makes her an unwilling 
accomplice to their vengeance

Stay tuned for the cover. We shall do something fun to unveil it :) For now you can mark the ebook to read on GoodReads following this link

My Dream Cast

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

A girl can dream, right? *sighs* So in order to ~~procrastinate~~ share with you how I imagine my characters, I have looked through Listal.com and come up with a few images of most of the characters in the book. Or well, the most important ones.

Monika Jagaciak

Ok I know that Jac is actually a model and I'm disappointed that she's not an actress. She looks just like Baxter. :) So for arguments sakes let's say Baxter ~~doesn't~~ look like Lucy Hale


Lucy Hale

Alan Tudyk

He would be perfect to play stepdad Dickie, who is just awesome.

Cameron Diaz

Mara Huxtable is funny and warmth and everything a mom should be. I like Cameron, she's part Cuban and Baxter's mom is part Spanish, so that works out great ;)


Ben Barnes

The mysterious Declan can't look like anyone else but Ben Barnes. Ok? It fuels my obsession I know, but he looks great in period clothes.


Hugh Grant

Cousin Fred arrives from England with the news that the house and Declan's pendant belong to Mara and Baxter respectively. A nice villain with gorgeous blue eyes :)

Shiloh Fernandez

Jack Ashdown, a descendant of Declan, with an equally annoying disposition and good looks, becomes a sort of ally of Baxter's.

Amanda Seyfried

Jack's twin sister and one of Fred's favorite. Another villain. :)

Emma Watson

Ava one of the Interred, and a friend to Baxter and Jack as they search for a way to bring down the Council.

Dame Helen Mirren

Morgan one of the Council of Magical Beings elder. She's sort of shady, so I don't want to say too much about her. :)

And there it is, my dream cast. Have you casted your wip? Leave me a link to the post so I can see how you fared with the casting?

What I've learned in the last three years

2012-02-05T10:05:00.001-05:00

Before 2009 writing and publishing weren't synonyms for me. I wrote because I loved telling stories and it was all I knew. After the surge in self published books, I wondered rather often, if I could ever publish my books this way. Still I was none the wiser about the entire publishing industry.

Sometime in 2009 I stumbled on Absolute Write. I felt like a kid in a candy store. Not sure where to start, I headed for the YA section, because I was penning a YA story and wanted to know about the do's and don'ts. Through this forum I met a group of great writers who pointed me in the direction of Twitter. I have to say that I didn't get Twitter straight away. The problem, I was too used to Facebook. Still, I didn't know how to connect with other writers through Facebook.

Once I started to meet other writers, I learned about editing, querying, and more importantly, about the necessary Beta Readers.

When you are a writer, you create a world, characters and then you edit. Of course, we are still humans so we miss things when we are editing. And this is precisely why, Beta Readers are awesome. You need to, of course, trust your beta reader. And to understand that far from hurting your ego and enjoying it. They are there to help you focus. I have to say many things that were wrong with my writing were kindly pointed out by one of my betas, Karla Nellenbach of The Last Word . (Go check her blog) Karla has been very kind with her time and has read things that aren't even edited :) and has helped me understand show vs tell and other things. I am grateful because though I'm sure she still wear her kid gloves when she emails me, her insight has been invaluable to my writing. Beside Karla, I have found other amazing betas whose comments have helped my current manuscript so much, I can't put into words.

And here's my advice: Don't let your ego keep you from understanding and accepting the constructive criticism that a beta reader offers your book. They are reading your book for free, being kind with their time and more importantly, HELPING you.

Top Five Forbidden Love in YA by Annie McElfresh

2012-02-03T08:16:00.000-05:00

Top Five Forbidden Loves in YA by Annie McElfresh

An epic romance can take your heart and squeeze it until you cry. And in my opinion, no other genre stirs up emotion like YA. There’s just something magical about first love, especially if it’s forbidden, and I fall under its spell whenever a great story unfolds.

As I was thinking about romance in YA for this guest post for my dear friend, Lyn’s blog, it struck me that my top five current YA romances centers around first loves. Then I began to break it down further in my brain and question why I loved these stories so much. What was it about them that made me go gah-gah and turn into a big pile of mush? I figured the best way to figure it out was to break down the romances themselves to see if I could find a common link, which is how I came to the conclusion that the forbidden factor sealed the deal every time.

1. Bella and Edward (Twilight)

Now before you go rolling your eyes at me because it’s suddenly uncool to like Twilight if you are a writer, stop and think. Wasn’t there a time when you were sucked in by its magic? I swear that book has some kind of wicked voo-doo curse on it. Non-reading people fly through the entire series in less than a week. Which makes me wonder what is it about this particular romance that draws people in?

While I can’t speak for everyone, I know that when I read Twilight (way before the media hype) I fell in love with Edward right along with Bella. There wasn’t much of a plot, per say, but the love story was so great. I loved that Bella had never been in love before, and yet she somehow managed to fall completely head over heels with Edward even though he kept trying to push her away. The whole forbidden love thing comes to mind very strongly with this love story.

While some think it’s creepy that Edward watched Bella sleep, I like to think that it was that crazy-intense first love that drove him to always keep an eye on her. I remember being in high school and wanting to be with that special someone twenty-four-seven. Edward just had the capability to do that.

Katniss and Peta (Hunger Games)

Another great YA romance involving first love. Katniss is a strong female character who is quite resistant to opening her heart to love. It’s hard to figure out in the first book, Hunger Games, if Peta is sincere in regards to his feelings for Katniss. The thing I enjoyed most about this romance is that is happened slow. So many times in YA love is instantaneous, which can be a turn off. Peta and Katniss build their relationship very carefully because they know at some point they are probably going to have to kill one another. I love when it finally hits our beloved main character that she’s in love and she’s willing to risk it all for him.

3. Rose and Dimitri (Vampire Academy)

Now this, my friend, is an epic YA romance. Rose is kind of a bad-ass girl and she’s totally smitten with her older trainer, Dimitri. Rose would like nothing more to have a go with Dimitri, but he continusouly brushes her off even though you can tell it’s taken every ounce of restraint he has not o jump her bones. There is something very alluring with someone is off limits—makes them more desirable. Which is probably why this is one of my very favorite YA couples.

4. Rhine and Gabriel (Wither)

Rhine's relationship with Gabriel is risky. They'd be killed if anyone ever found out she liked anyone other than her husband, Liden, and that heightens the stakes tremendously. With stakes like that you can’t but root for their love to succeed.

5. Brittney and Alex (Perfect Chemistry)

Brittney is the classic rich girl with everything she ever wanted, or so it seems, and Alex is the ultimate contemporary bad boy. Two polar opposites destined to have their fates intertwined. This is a total forbidden love story. Neither fit in each others world. One of the most beautiful love stories in YA. It’s real and gritty, and one of the most revisited books on my shelf.

-----Annie

Reading, Writing and Waiting

www.youngadultbookworm.blogspot.com

Declan's Theme

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

I like to write in the peace and quiet of silence's wings. Therefore putting together a music list comes after I'm done with the WIP. There have been exceptions to this rule, especially if a song actually prompts me to write a scene.

A few weeks ago I was watching The Tourist, and as the credits started to roll Starlight by Muse began playing. I must admit that I've stayed away from Muse because I associate it with Twilight since it was on Stephenie Meyer's list of bands. Ok, I admit it, I stay away from most things Twilight related because it's my péché mignon. One that I don't like to admit to, but since we are amongst friends...

Anyway, this song is just perfect for Declan Ashdown the MC's love interest in Interred. So without further ado, here is the song :) Enjoy!

190th post

2012-02-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

Wow, this is my 190th post *throws confetti around*

I'm deep in revisions. Stressing out about the minimal things in the story, and hoping that when I send it to betas, they won't think it totally sucks. I mean ROYALLY sucks.

One thinks this is horrible

Fortunately the Queen won't be reading the Manuscript and making such faces. Though I wouldn't mind another royal reading the manuscript.

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden

Ok, I'm totally taking the mickey right now. Hey, I'm entitled to doing so after crying angry tears over the first eight chapters of #Interred. You might wonder why that is and I could tell you it's because I'm such a perfectionist, that I want it to be great for my betas. I want them to fall in love with Declan. Who coincidentally looks like Ben Barnes in my mind.

Right, so as I was saying before ~~drooling over~~ losing my trail of thought over Ben Barnes picture, the tears aren't over being anal and wanting this manuscript to shine. The tears are over how I hate editing. It's tedious. I hate checking for all those words I over use, because I want to shoot myself in the foot when I find them. I hate revising the text for pacing and readability. I know it's important to do so, otherwise, you the reader will think it's BADLY written and will not fall in love with Declan. Have I mentioned how awesome Declan is? No? Well trust me, it's not only that he looks awesome, but he's awesome.

Sorry Barney, Declan is more awesome than you are :)

So here we are, I've rambled on about #Interred during this 190th post. You probably are none the wiser about this WIP. In order to help you find out a bit more about Baxter who looks something like this:

Monika Jagaciak

I'm going to share with you the initial pitch for it. It hasn't change that much, so here it is:

When Baxter Jacobs inherits a musical box with an onyx inside of it, she is in for more than your average sweet sixteen party. Moving to England, a mysterious protector trapped in a glimmer only she can see and the knowledge that in order to learn to use her powers, she must be interred are doing her head in.

AND by the way to celebrate 100 followers, I organized an impromptu giveaway of Chelsea Fine's Anew and Raine Thomas Becoming, the winner was G Donald Cribbs. Happy Reading!

A blast from the past

2012-01-29T10:41:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we decided to do something fun as a family, since it's the first time the Frenchman has a weekend off since he started this job back in May 2011. Be ware, we think it's fun to go into Museums and to watch re-enactments and stuff that other people consider boring. BUT, I shall not make this boring.

We ended up at Thonotosassa, at the Hillsborough River State Park. I'd been wanting to go here since back in 1998 when I moved to Tampa. Of course, no one wanted to come out this way with me. You see my mom and aunt hate roughing it up and camping. The Frencman is no better. Every time I propose going camping somewhere, he complains. In England, it was too cold. In Normandy, it was too wet. In Florida? Too many ants, spiders, and ALLIGATORS!

Nothing like a friendly warning right?

The day was sunny and not too warm which was great. We arrived sometime around noon, after having stopped at another little park called John B Sargeant Park. It was there that we saw this amazing go in a canoe on the river, BUT AT YOUR OWN PERIL as the gators can eat you, warning.

Once we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by friendly folks. We stepped into the concession area to feed ourselves after haven't forgotten to pack a picnic. (Epic Fail) Then we proceeded to take in our surroundings. The state park is clean and airy. you have so many things to do. Nature trails, bird watching, play ground activities, a pool (though it was closed because apparently it's not good to go in the water when it's below 70 degrees. *clears throat* Someone should say something to all the English folks who use their beaches when it's 68 degrees during the summer :) ) There's also a Rapids and a Suspension Bridge. But to me the pièce de résistance was Fort Foster.

Fort Foster

We were taken to the site on a van with a wagon ;) This brought memories of when me and my cousins would ride on the back of our Uncle Bob's pick up truck, listening to either country music or music from the 50's. You know, back in the day when that wasn't going to get us killed.

After the Ranger drove us the seven miles it takes to get there, we discovered a fort that was built and burned by the Seminoles a few times. Obviously when the first Americans settled here, the Seminoles didn't agree. The current Fort was rebuild in the 80's after it got vandalized and burned. The Ranger pointed out that the first Fort was possibly built in 10 days, because of how necessary it was to the soldiers that settled in the area. In the 80's it took almost two years. Back them it was called Fort Alabama and then renamed Fort Foster sometime during the Second Seminole War, when it was reused and the soldiers had to guard the bridge over the Hillsborough River. This Bridge was important because it connected the Fort King Military Road with the road that led them to Fort Brook in Tampa Bay.

Seeing the way soldiers lived in the 1830's, under crammed spaces, in a very inhospitable weather, where most of them died either at the hands of the Seminoles and/or Malaria made me think how easy we have it nowadays.

Back then if you caught Malaria you would die. If you had gangrene, even if they chopped off the arm, leg, foot, hand, you would possibly die. I can only imagine the suffering the parents felt when their kids as young as 13 ran away and lied to join the army. Most of them thought it would be a great adventure, many of them never had one.

As the ranger explained, 103 soldiers arriving at Fort Foster were ambushed by Seminoles. Out of those 103 only one crawled to the fort, only to die later of the injuries sustained.

If you are ever on the area, I urge you to visit, if only to step back in time for a while and admire the fort, and its history. The perseverance of the English and the bravery of the Seminoles*** who tried to defend their land from those that invaded it.

***Unfortunately we were not told an awful lot about the Seminoles. Yes, they had made a treaty to keep away from this area, but not many of them agreed, hence the constant attacks on the soldiers. But can you really blame them?


Our vehicle for the afternoon a Double Surrey

Watch this space

2012-01-24T09:15:00.001-05:00

Just a heads up, if you still haven't signed up for the Guest Blog posts, please go here. A lot of topics are still available for you to offer your unique take on them.

Also, don't forget I'm hosting a Valentine's give away. Michelle Madow has kindly donated a SIGNED copy of her book Remembrance. To participate please go here.

I'm excited to announce that I shall be publishing Interred in May, if the editing goes well of course. I'm currently in the middle of all that fun *note the sarcasm* and shall be sending it out to betas possibly mid February if not earlier. So watch this space for the final date, sometime in March ;)

If you are interested to beta Interred please email me. (marilynjeulin(at)yahoo(dot)fr The pitch for it can be found here

I want to send a special shout out to Raine Thomas, the author of the Daughters' of Saraqael trilogy, who's been extremely kind with her time answering a lot of questions about self publishing.

Today I shall be emailing Devan of Nimbi Designs with my ideas for the cover. I can't say it enough, I'm so freaking excited!!!! For the book cover I shall do a little blog party, so stay tune.

New Beginings Birth Day

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the official publication date of New Beginnings by Rebecca Emin.

Join us over on Rebecca’s blog Ramblings of a Rusty Writer to find all of the details of how she is planning to celebrate today, or you can read some reviews of the book itself on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

You may like to visit some of the other blogs helping Rebecca to celebrate today too.

About New Beginnings
Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some.

When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive.

With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage?

The Bravest woman I've ever known

2012-01-22T09:07:00.001-05:00


Felipa Estrada June 15 1915 January 22 1990

My "abuela" Felipa is the bravest woman I've ever known. She didn't have a particular easy childhood but she was never hung up on that.

She was the youngest in a big family. Her mom died, like many women did back then, of complications from the birth, a year later. So my grandmother was left to be raised by her eldest sisters and brothers and her dad. At age 9 she was pulled out of school, so she could help with running the household. You wouldn't know this if you ever spoke to her. She was a well read lady. Even though she didn't finish school my grandmother was a voracious reader. She self taught herself about many things including music, politics and literature.

After she married my grandfather who was a chemist with his own pharmacy, they had two children. Uncle Peter and Aunt Lillie. My grandmother couldn't have any more children, so she adopted my mom and later my aunt Joyce. She never treated any differently. Her love for her children and grandchildren was never understated. She was a lady who loved fully, laughed hard, and sung like the angels.

She survived my grandad by eleven years. In those eleven years, she has to see her eldest son fight for his life. After getting the great news that he was still alive, but the bad news that his brain wasn't functioning the same way as it was before, my grandmother did what she always did. She prayed. A woman of faith, she continued to go to mass, and believe that God had a plan. Never once I heard her rebel against what was happening. And when she was diagnosed with throat cancer, after having been a heavy smoker for all her life, my grandmother continued to pray and to be as loving and active as always. She could no longer sing Tangos nor rancheras after the radiotherapy. She couldn't produce saliva and was forever using special aids, but she never complained.

The day she went into hospital, I stayed behind, as she was wheeled to the lift. She stopped the nurse and asked me, Aren't you going to say bendicion? (This is what kids in my family do, you say Bless me, and aunts, uncles, grandparents and your parents reply, God bless you) I approached her, and smiled, asking her to bless me before kissing her cheek. She said good bye to me before going in the lift, and that was that.

The next day, I rushed home from High School to go and see her at the hospital. Unfortunately when I got home, everyone was there, because she'd passed away. Her passing has been one of the hardest things I've faced in my life. I miss her every day. But, at least I have the memory of us saying goodbye, and the example of how to have faith no matter what, and be strong.

Miss you abuela.

Book Giveaway!

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Michelle Madow has very kindly offered me a copy of her amazing love story #Remembrance which was inspired by Taylor Swift's song Love Story.

New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

Now for the fun part. :D If you would like to win this copy all you have to do is follow my blog and RT this contest on Twitter, or share it on facebook and/or on your blog and leave me a link of the post in the comment section. Contest is open to entrants from the US/Canada. The winner of the book to be announced on February 14th :D

Guests Posts starting February 2012

2012-01-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

Hai! You amazing writers out there! Yes you! I would love for you to come and play. Starting in February, every Friday will be dedicated to one special topic for the month and four different perspectives. If you are interested, don't be shy, leave me a comment or contact me at marilynjeulin(at)yahoo(dot)fr

Guest Posts Topics

1. Romance in YA (February)

Annie McElfresh 02/03/2012
Monica Bustamante Wagner 02/10/2012
LM_Preston 02/17/2012
Cindy Voldseth 02/24/2012

2. Writing a specific Genre (March)

Rachel Horwitz Writing about Fantasy 03/02/2012
Janice Foy Writing about Cyberpunk 03/09/2012
Lynne Schmidt 03/16/2012
03/23/2012
Stacy S Jensen Writing about Memoirs 03/30/2012

3. The Anti Hero in YA (April)

Raine Thomas 04/06/2012

4. Strong Female Leads In YA (May)

Krista Ashe 05/04/2012
Writer Cherie 05/11/2012
Lisa Burstein 05/18/2012
Jaye Robin Brown 05/25/2012

5. Why I write YA (June)

Karla Nellenbach 06/01/2012
Chris Ledbetter 06/08/2012
L.G. Kelso 06/15/2012
06/22/2012
Fiona Paul 06/29/2012

6. Inspiration and where to find it (July)

Rebecca A Rogers 07/06/2012
Rebecca Enzor 07/13/2012
07/20/2012
07/27/2012

7. The Paranormal in YA (August)

08/03/2012
08/10/2012
08/17/2012
08/24/2012
08/31/2012

8. The Dystopian in YA (September)

Janice Foy 09/07/2012

9. Contemporary YA(October)
10. Books for Boys (November)
11.Strong boy leads (December)

Karla Nellenbach 12/07/2012

New Releases

2012-01-19T13:39:00.000-05:00

After the black out yesterday, which coincidentally was my 180th post :) I'm happy to announce that Rebecca A Roger's book Black Moon (Silver Moon #2) is out. Here's the blurb.

As the rise in supernatural disturbances continually expands to more obvious locations, Candra’s family and friends are on a never-ending hunt to remove the region’s dark magic.

Greater forces are at work, though, as an accidental link is formed between Candra and Ben, “marking” their souls and coupling them forever. They can now see each other’s thoughts and speak to one another telepathically—bad news for sworn enemies.

Occults spreading across Hartford, along with Candra and Ben’s mishap, are part of a bigger plan, one that neither the Lowells nor the Conways ever saw coming. There is more than one Ancient in their midst, and these primordial beings are lying in wait until Candra inherits her power.

A power which hasn’t been seen in over five hundred years.

A power which balances one of her enemy’s.

These two powers combined can change the course of history. In order to survive a battle with the Ancients and protect their abilities, the Lowell’s and Conway’s will have to work together. Can they rise above their feud, or will they lose everything?

Good Reads

Amazon.com

STOP SOPA

2012-01-18T08:24:00.002-05:00

SOPA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

The Writing Stages

2012-01-17T08:52:00.000-05:00

Since I started writing the Interred series, I've been pushed by mere adrenaline and out of curiosity to finish writing the books. I'm 20% in, into the second book and can't wait as I already have many of the key scenes written including the ending.

Of course, all these fun and games and extremely creative process is going to meet the dreaded editing stage. Why do I say dreaded? Well, as a writer, when you have an idea, you just have to go for it. You think constantly about it, you wonder about the characters, you go up and down a list of things you want the story to include. You might be an organized plotter or a very laid back pantser. I fall somewhere in the middle because dammit, I like gray!

Like many relationships in life, the first days are full of discovery and awe. You are excited about spending time with the person (book) and you can't wait to see what the characters tell you, as you write the book. Then, you hit the middle of the relationship. The stage where many people call it quits. The hard part begins.

Now that you know your characters, the story and the background story, you have to look at it with a critical eye. Well, as critical as you can be, after all this is your baby. You need to mull over sentences, grammar, and then hidden messages that you scribble at three in the morning when you were sleep deprived. Do they work? Or are they just code for you needing more coffee?

This is the part of the job that many writer friends complain about. It's a battle. Think of every great battle fought. War cries and all, though I'm sure that "Ike" Eisenhower didn't spill any tears, a writer will sit in front of its manuscript getting ready to. Why? Because this baby is work.

For now, I'm loving my babies, Interred Book one and two, but I'm sure that in a few weeks time when I start editing, they'll refer to me as Shrek. 'Nuff said.

Interview with Indie Author; Rebecca A. Rogers

2012-01-13T08:21:00.000-05:00

Friday the 13th has nothing on me, because I am about to share with you an interview with one very wonderful and awesome Indie Author, Rebecca A Rogers. I met Rebecca a few years ago on the Absolute Write forum and I'm so happy to be able to share this interview with you.

Author of

Under the stars, Silver Moon

1. Every writer has an "Oh I can so turn this story into a book" moment, when was yours?

Thanks for having me on your blog, Lyn! :) Um, let’s see… I originally came up with the idea to write a book back in 2004. Characters and setting and conversations wouldn’t leave my mind (no matter how hard I told myself I wasn’t losing my sanity). I had always written short fiction and poetry since I was a kid, so I thought, “Okay, I’ll see where this story goes.” But the more I wrote the story, the more I realized it was much longer than I anticipated, and I couldn’t see writing it any other way than book format. After my laptop crashed (oh, the horror!), I cursed writing—until the summer of 2008, when the idea returned. This time the nagging characters were worse than before. I plodded away, and three months later had a full manuscript (which was dreadful). I haven’t stopped writing books since.

2. Was writing a book everything you hoped it would be? Is there anything you would change from the process?

There are moments I absolutely love writing a book, and then there are the moments I absolutely abhor. Writing books is a love/hate relationship for me, although I lean more toward the “love” part. ;) Writing the first draft is always fun because I can’t wait to see where my characters will lead me. But when writer’s block sets in around every 10,000 words, I grumble about how I’ll “never finish the stupid book” or how “nobody’s going to like it, anyway, so why bother?” Since I’m normally an optimistic person, I get over it. Writing is the true love of my life, and I can’t see myself being anything other than a writer.

If I could change anything about the process, I’d vote for faster typing skills. Like, I-can-type-500-words-per-minute skills. Unfortunately, that’s impossible. I’m surprised they haven’t made an app for that. Or a pill. It’s 2012, people! :P

3. Do you have a room where you write, or can you write anywhere your muse strikes you?

My desk in my bedroom, I have a laptop, and I keep a copy of the current WIP on my computer at work so I can write during any downtime. I find I’m more focused at work, oddly enough. I think it’s because I’m on a crunch between workloads and my time is limited. At home, I’m too busy watching TV over the edge of my laptop monitor. lol

4. As an Indie Author, what has been the most daunting thing you have done?

Publishing my book without any aid. I had no clue what I was getting myself into when I started, but I researched formatting and book covers beforehand. I found the formatting portion was fairly simple, and the book covers are a ton of fun to create. Sometimes you just have to take a chance, because you never know how things will turn out. I’m glad I made the leap into the publishing world, even if I’m the publisher.

5. Name your favorite book.

I can’t really say I have a favorite. Awesome new books are published all the time, and I find myself fangirling a lot of them. So, in a nutshell, my favorite book varies depending on what I’ve read.

6. Name your favorite author.

Easy. J.K. Rowling. She’s such an inspiration.

7. If you could hang out with any of your characters for a day, who would it be and why?

Maggie. Her jagged exterior conceals a mushy interior, and I love that she has a backbone.

8. Your new book "Black Moon" is coming out on Friday the 13th, are you superstitious? Did you pick the date especially to coincide with Friday the 13th?(Black Moon's publishing date has been changed, I shall let you know when it's out- LYN)

I thought it would be cool to release a book on Friday the 13th, especially a paranormal novel. I’m not superstitious, but superstitions have always intrigued me.

9. Can we have a sneak peek at "Black Moon?" (You probably have an excerpt I can use to promote the book, so you can just link me to it?)

Sure! I posted a sneak peak recently on my blog.
(http://www.rebeccaarogers.com/2011/12/sneak-peek-black-moon.html)

10. If you could invite 5 authors dead or alive to a dinner party, who would they be and why?

Ooh. Tricky question! I’ll say J.K. because she’s my fav. Toss in Jane Austen for an old-school throwback, Stephen King and R.L. Stine for the scary factor, and Mary Higgins-Clark, because my mom absolutely ADORES her books (and, yes, I’d invite my mom to the shindig). :)

First draft Finished!

2012-01-11T22:59:00.000-05:00

Me looking smug holding my cup of victory after finishing Interred

As you may have guessed by the title of this post, I AM DONE WITH INTERRED! Ok, caps aside, it wasn't really hard to write. I think it only took about two weeks, maybe less, but I'm not counting. I'm just ecstatic. I love this story and the fact that I never felt like I was pulling teeth. I know that I have a lot to do with it. For starters it's only 40600 words long. I was going for 50000 but I'm not going to split hairs. So I think that I shall be able to edit it sometime in February, before I send it out to betas. If you are willing to read something Paranormal, let me know.

I am itching to edit, but I don't think it'll be a good idea as I need fresh eyes. So... Interred will be interred for a few . He he, see what I did there... *coughs*

Now, I'm starting a new WIP tonight, yes, it's almost eleven pm but that has never stopped me before. All I know right now is that my MC's name is Patriot Arce and that she's about to turn sixteen. From the synopsis that I wrote a few hours ago, it looks like it's going to be a Dystopian, but I'm not sure. I just love the name of the MC.

Also, I'm going to outline book two of Interred. Declan, the MC's love interest, is being rather persistent that I need to tell his side of the story. Though it won't be a retelling of the story but a new one. Oh yea!

YA Highway, What's in a name?

2012-01-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

Today's topic is: Pseudonyms

Wow this is my first RTW in a while, and I'm glad I'm joining in this awesome topic.

I use my maiden name as my writer name, Marilyn Almodóvar. I love my last name, especially since there aren't that many of us, and it's linked to Pedro Almodóvar.

Though it pains me to admit it, this was not always the case. Little known fact is that this is not my first nom de plume. No, no, no. Once upon a time when I was very young, I decided that Sundance Moonrise was an awesome pseudonym. Erm, yes, I was in love with all those old stories about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kind. Moonrise... I have no idea where that came from. All I know is that for a long time, since I was twelve until I was probably twenty years old, that's exactly what I was signing my manuscripts with.

When I started to query in 2010, one agent suggested that I kept my name as Marilyn Jeulin, which is my married name. He said Almodóvar was too ethnic, too difficult to spell and even worst, too difficult to say. It reminded me of my years in Theater, when most people couldn't get my name right. But guess what, it's a very unique name and I'm sticking with it.