The Synopsis for Severed

Everyone has been dying to know....

What's Severed about?
What exactly does Severed mean?
How will Megg tie up all the loose ends in the trilogy?
Will Reychel and Mark finally get their happily ever after?

Well, I don't know if the synopsis will answer those questions (except for the first), but here it is:

Reychel knows her gift of prophecy will lead to madness and now she is at her most vulnerable. The enemy army will attempt to sever her from everything she's ever known: her homeland, her friends, Mark, and her gift. Even at her weakest, she refuses to give up on her desire to end the war between the Malborn and the Serenians. Reychel would do anything, even come back from the dead*, to conquer the enemy and reunite with Mark.


Severed will drop this fall.

*I solemnly swear there are no vampires or zombies in this book. I write fantasy, not paranormal. :D

YA Scramble!

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for stopping by for the YA Scramble. :D

Here's all the details:

Instructions for the YA Scramble
1) Visit the first blog (based on list below)
2) Read the guest post
3) Identify the PURPLE word
4) Pick out the 3rd letter from the purple word
5) Go to the next blog.

6) Repeat #3, #4, and #5 until you visited all 14 sites.

7) At the end, take all 14 of the 3rd letters from the PURPLE words and figure out the message near and dear to our hearts.

8) You will enter that unscrambled message ONCE into this form as your official entry for a chance to win some great prizes from fantastic authors and bloggers.

HINT: The Grand Prize phrase is FOUR words. :D

Grand Prize Items:

- ARC of The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (with signed bookmark)

- Ebook of Soltice by PJ Hoover (with trading cards)

- Ebook of The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff

- Paperback copy of Perception by Heather Cashman

- Signed paperback ARC of Anathema by Kathleen Tucker

- Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Gift Set (Trade Paperback of Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad Journal, Minion Bling Buttons and Vlad Tote)

- Signed paperback copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft

- Signed hardcover of Clarity by Kim Harrington

- ARC of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

- Signed ARC of Fury by Elizabeth Miles

- Signed paperback of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

- ARC of Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

- Copy of The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

- Winner's choice of 5 ebooks from a list of indie authors

- Signed paperback of Sleepers by Megg Jensen

- Ebooks of Soul Quest and Guardian of Souls by Amy Jones

- Kindle copy of Winnemucca by Laura Elliott (plus a guest post spot on her blog!)

Participating Blogs - all must be visited:

✯ Kaitlin Simpson 
✯ PJ Hoover
✯ Cary Cummings
✯ Heather Cashman
✯ Kathleen Tucker
✯ Jennifer Morris
✯ Cyndi Tefft
✯ Irish/ Gail
✯ Danielle Bunner
✯ Melissa Layton 
✯ T.R. Graves
✯ Megg Jensen 
✯ Amy Jones
✯ Laura Elliott

Remember, there's a prize on my blog and a grand prize, so make sure you read all of the rules. Now here's a guest post from T.R. Graves!!!!

What makes great YA paranormal heroes/heroines?

This is one of those types of questions where the response is completely subjective. If you polled 100 people, each would provide a different response. I suspect - based on today’s bestselling books - that a large majority of people have slight variations on the same concept. In their version, the hero/heroine is someone who is uncommonly beautiful, SMART (book smart or street smart), unnaturally powerful, and has an absolute propensity for saving others. Based on my experience, a small portion of the 100 people polled would have the exact opposite expectations of the perfect hero/heroine. Their version includes someone with the power to save the world but exhibits personal demons so powerful they are prevented from living up to their potential (at least in the beginning).

In addition to the characteristic listed above by the majority group, I believe a great paranormal heroine is a role-model for teenage girls. Her powers are as good as - if not more powerful than - those given to the male characters of the story. While the heroine may end up in situations where she has to be rescued by the hero-like character, she is strong enough to save him and others when necessary. Continuing my ‘role-model’ theme, a great heroine educates herself (formally or informally) and exercises her body and soul. Finally, she is passionate when it comes to her beliefs.

While I agree with the (imaginary) responses provided above by the majority group, I also believe a great hero is a man who is mentally and physically resilient. He possesses unique characteristics that make his enviable power all the more amazing. Morally/ethically, he has a strong sense of right and wrong. And, without a doubt, he has an absolute desire to save the heroine (if not the world).

With all that being said, I understand the importance of a flaw. The hero/heroine should not be invincible. Without a weakness, there would be no story. Even then, I do not agree with the expectations of the minority who want their heroes/heroines to possess large gaping personal flaws. I’ve had several hundred people review Warriors of the Cross. Of all those reviews, I’ve identified two people who were very upset that the heroine was not fighting with a dark side or overcoming a debilitating defect. After the second comment, my daughter and I discussed the remarks and decided that we disagreed with their opinion. My daughter’s words stuck in my mind and gave me a level of comfort that I had done the right thing. She said, “When I read a book, I like to pretend I’m the heroine. As a teenager, I’m constantly struggling with my self-image. In my fantasy world, I don’t want that to be a constant factor. I read to get away from the real world not to endure more of it.”

Like I said originally, this whole topic is very subjective. The bottom line is that a good book is a good book. As long as the story is interesting, I can read and enjoy anything (flawed or perfect characters). The quality of writing, the development of formidable characters, and the excitement embedded within the storyline will determine the book’s and the author’s success.

Thanks, Megg, for allowing me to do this guest blog.

T. R. Graves, Author
Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/#!/TRGraves.Author?sk=app_129982580378550
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/WARRIORSSERIES
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4699869.T_R_Graves
T. R. Graves Blog - http://www.thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/
Warriors of the Cross- Book One of the Warrior Series (now available on Amazon/B&N/Smashwords/Itunes)
Guardians of the Cross - Book Two of the Warrior Series (December 2011)
Enemies of the Cross - Book Three of the Warrior Series (September 2012)

 



















TR is offering a great giveaway with her blog post!!!! The winner will choose 5 (yes, FIVE!!!) eBooks from this list. To enter, just leave your name and a way I can contact you in the comments section below! Entries close at midnight, September 14th.

❤Pattie Larsen
❤Courtney Cole
❤Wren Emerson
❤Nicole Williams
❤Fisher Amelie
❤P. J. Hoover
❤Laura Elliott
❤Amy Jones Young
❤Rachel Coles
❤Tiffany King
❤Cyndi Tefft
❤Alicia McCalla
❤Heather Cashman
❤T. R. Graves
❤Abbi Glines
❤Cidney Swanson
❤Cheri Schmidt

❤Jayde Scott

❤Addison Moore
❤Autumn Dawn

❤M. Leighton

❤Kyra Gates

❤Megg Jensen

❤Tamara Rose Blodgett

❤K.C. Blake 

Want to win this prize? Then comment below with your name & a way to contact you by midnight September 14th. Remember, if you want to enter the grand prize, fill out this form.

Next, head over to Kaitlin Simpson's blog! Have fun!!!!

How I Find Time to Write

You may wonder why I've been so quiet on my blog lately.

My kids went back to school (yay!) a couple weeks ago and I've been using the so-called free time to get back to work on my novels.

Here's what my day looks like:



6:20 - Wake up, make breakfast, make sure the kids are up, eat breakfast, clean up, make lunches, yell at kids 600 times to keep moving, get dressed, and leave to take the kids to school.

8:30 - back home ... only for a moment because someone left something they need immediately at school. So I get it, curse under my breath, and drive back to their Catholic school with a smile and a sparkle in my eye.

9:10 - back home ... time to write workout. Let the dog out, wait for him to do his business, and let him back. Run down in the basement and remember I had to return Sex and the City back to the library, so watch Regis & Kelly instead. Curse through the whole workout.

9:45 - back upstairs, drink two glasses of water, and time to write check my email. Curse a little more at all the messages I have to reply to and blog posts I have to write.

10:30 - feeling slimy, so I drag my butt upstairs to shower. Ahhhh....no cursing here.

11:00 - dressed and ready to write make my lunch because I'm starving. Then curse because I just realized I could have written for half an hour. See, I have to stop at 11:30 because...

11:30 - time for The Young & the Restless (hey, don't judge - this is a perk of being an at-home mom)

12:30 - time to write read more email. Curse even more, this time in Gaelic.

1:30 - got through the email just in time to write leave to pick up the kids from school.

2:30 - I'm home with the kids. There is no time to write until tomorrow.

Yeah, this is how my first week went.

Today I:

~ Got the kids off to school and checked email while I ate breakfast
~ Worked out & checked email while on the ellipitcal; showered quickly
~ Wrote for two hours
~ Ate lunch while watching my soap and checking email
~ Wrote for an hour
~ Picked up the kids

Nearly 4,000 words down and very little cursing. BAM! Hope to finish Severed before the end of the month.... :D

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Kristina Springer

Up next in my interview series is Kristina Springer. Kristina & I live in the same town and we met in a funny way. The local paper ran an article on her a couple years ago when The Espressologist came out. I showed it to my husband and he urged me to go to her book launch party. I'm generally pretty shy, so I contacted Kristina over Facebook first. I realized how cool she was and we stopped by her book launch. Since then Kristina & I have gotten closer, especially over the last year, and I'm proud to call her a friend. :)

Now, I knew Kristina's books before I knew her well, so I can say with all honesty that if you love contemporary teen romance, you will LOVE her novels!

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, Just Your Average Princess, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

KS: Just Your Average Princess (available 10/11/11) is about a girl named Jamie who has grown up on her family's pumpkin patch in the small town of Average, IL. Jamie's always dreamed of being the town's Pumpkin Princess at the fall festival and this is her year. But when her snobby cousin from Hollywood gets dropped off to live with them during pumpkin season she turns Jamie's world upside down. Not only is she going after the guy Jamie's had a crush on forever, she also wants Pumpkin Princess.

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

KS: For this book I wrote a synopsis and plotted chapter by chapter before writing. But in the early days I would pants it!

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

KS: This is my next release. I'm working on some future projects but have no firm release dates yet.

MJ: Now for the fun stuff! Who is your celebrity crush?

KS: Jeff from Big Brother 13

MJ: What is your favorite color? 

KS: Pink 

MJ: What’s your favorite vacation spot? 

KS: Disney World 

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you. 

KS: Is the vampire/wolves/zombies fad coming to an end? :-) 

M8B: My Sources Say No

MJ: Haha! YAY! You know how much I love me some zombies. Woot! Okay, now I'm actually leaving and will see Kristina in a few minutes. She always makes me laugh and I guarantee you guys will love her novels!!!!!

Website - Kristina Springer

Buy The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours,
and Just Your Average Princess (pre-order) on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Sleepers Giveaway!!!!

I'm giving away 25 KINDLE editions of Sleepers. I'd really like to see some more reviews of it go up on Amazon. I'm not going to check up on anyone to see if you did review it, but it would be nice. Also, please be honest in your review. If you love it, say so. If you hate it, well, lol, I'll just have to deal with that, won't I?

If you're interested, fill it out and you'll get a gifted copy.

Thanks so much to everyone who requested a copy. I hope all of you enjoy it! All 25 copies have been given away. Wow, that was quick!!!!

I do offer giveaways occasionally, so if you're interested in hearing more in the future, please follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: Katie Klein

If you haven't heard of Katie Klein and you're a reader of YA, then I'm pretty sure you must be living under a glacier in the Arctic, nursing wounds from a near-death fight with a polar bear, wondering if you will ever make it back to civilization so you can charge up your Nook.

Katie is blowing up the charts with her novels, CROSS MY HEART and THE GUARDIAN. I met Katie through a mutual friend, Kristina Springer (who will be feature in this series soon), and I think Katie is pretty darn cool.


MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, Cross My Heart, in your own words - not the official synopsis. 

KK: Cross My Heart is the story of a girl, Jaden, who is somewhat of a perfectionist. She's set her sights on Harvard med school and is the all-around "good girl." Good daughter. Good student. Always dependable. Things change when she's paired with Parker, the school "rebel," for an English project. They start spending more time together, and Jaden learns there's more to Parker than she realized. Sparks fly (both literally and figuratively). It's not your typical "good girl meets bad boy" romance, though, and that seems to have pleased many a reader.  

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

KK: I pantsed and plotted. I like to have an idea going into my story what it's going to be about, or what's going to happen, so I do begin with an outline. I'm not afraid to deviate, though. When my characters surprise me by deciding something else is going to happen, I go with it. I don't force anything. You can see the elements of the final version in my original outline, but the story usually takes on a life of its own. The "plot" twist in Cross My Heart was a clearly a "pants" decision, but I'm glad I went with it.

  

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

KK: I actually just released the second book in my Angel/Demon trilogy The Guardian. It's called Vendetta, and continues the story of Seth and Genesis and their struggle to be together, despite the supernatural odds stacked against them. My next project will be the final book, and I'm hoping to have that available in the early part of 2012.

MJ: Who is your celebrity crush?

KK: There is no such thing as "a" celebrity crush for me. I have a thing for tall, dark, mysterious "bad" boys (Parker Whalen, anyone?). This changes from day to day, but I am known to have swooned over Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Robert Downey, Jr., James Franco, Jake Gyllenhaal. . . . As a teen I was partial to guys like Heath Ledger and Leonardo DiCaprio, and since I just watched Wanted the other day, I'm currently nursing a crush on James McAvoy as Assassin.

  

MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies?

KK: Not that I have anything against wolves, but I am clearly Team Vampire.  Zombies are kind of gross.

  

MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else?

  

KK: I have *no idea* where I fit in, actually. I went to a small private school my whole life, and there were "cliques," but not to the extent we see today (I say that like I'm so old, but I'm only 29). I was a band geek at one time, and it didn't go well. I tried to be a cheerleader, but I wasn't coordinated enough. I was smart, but I didn't know it, yet. I wasn't really a "slacker," but I didn't really "try," either. One thing I am proud to classify myself as, though, is a Drama Queen. I was kind of a theater nut. I enjoyed the spotlight.

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

  

KK: I have always dreamed of retiring early in some kind of water-related area. I currently have my sights set on a beautiful house on a river in a charming town not far from where I grew up. Will I make it happen?

M8B: As I see it Yes.

MJ: Okay, I have to be honest. I had to shake up the 8 Ball six times before I got a positive answer. I really wanted that for Katie because it's such a great dream. Let's all help her make that happen!!!! Here's the links:

Website - Katie Klein Writes

Buy Cross My Heart, The Guardian, and Vendetta on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

An Interview, An Author, and a Magic 8 Ball: P.J. Hoover

The next author in my interview series is P.J. Hoover. Up until a few months ago, I didn't know much about P.J. Sure, I'd heard her name over the years, but it wasn't until I connected with her on Facebook that we found out we have a lot of unusual things in common (a love of Star Trek, to name one).

I've also read Solstice and really enjoyed it, so I'm excited to host P.J. on my blog today. I think you'll love reading her answers to my questions!

PJ: Thanks so much for letting me be here! I’m excited to meet your blog readers. :)

MJ: Tell me a bit about your novel, SOLSTICE, in your own words - not the official synopsis.

PJ: SOLSTICE is set at least eighteen years in the future when global warming is basically killing the earth. This girl, Piper, gets a mysterious box as a present for her eighteenth birthday, and her entire world shifts. She discovers that, in addition to her global warming world, there’s this world of mythology, and somehow she’s deeply connected to it. Her mother is psychotic and won’t give her any freedom, so when Piper gets a rare opportunity for freedom, she seizes it. And the next thing she knows, her best friend almost dies, she visits the Underworld, and gods are walking the earth. And that’s only in the first eighty pages. :)

MJ: Did you pants or plot while writing your first draft?

PJ: I’m kind of a half and half person. For SOLSTICE, I plotted out general ideas of what I wanted to have happen in the story, and then, while writing, I totally diverged from this plot. And I love when this happens. In fact, I’ve come to count on it while writing, because I think these inspired breaks from the plan really bring something special.

MJ: What’s your next release going to be?

PJ: I. Don’t. Know.

Okay, that’s not quite fair. Most likely, my next release will be the sequel to SOLSTICE, but I’m still in the revision stage for that, so it won’t be until next year.

MJ: Now for the fun stuff. I sent P.J. eight questions and asked her to answer three. She answered all eight! BONUS!

If you were trapped on a deserted island and you could only bring three books, what would you bring?

PJ: Wait, does the Nook count as one book? Okay, seriously, I’d bring the three longest books I could find on my bookshelf. Probably CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, WAR AND PEACE, and Dante’s INFERNO.

MJ: Who is your celebrity crush?

PJ: Thor. He was the perfect mix of arrogance and humility.

MJ: What is your favorite color?

PJ: Red.

MJ: Wolves or vampires or zombies? 

PJ: I guess vampires, though I’m not much on any of them.

MJ: What do you wear when you write?

PJ: Since I go to Kung Fu most mornings, lots of the time, I am still in my Kung Fu pants and a tank top.

MJ: What’s your favorite vacation spot? 

PJ: DisneyWorld.

MJ: When you were a teen were you a cheerleader, a sporty girl, the smart one, the band geek, or something else? 

PJ: Not only was I a cheerleader, I was the captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. Yes, that was me. No, all cheerleaders are not bimbos and bitches. But I should point out that I was also the smart one and used to have Calculus study groups at my house.

MJ: Do you have any pets? 

PJ: I have a darling Yorkie who sits by me constantly when I write and two Sulcata tortoises, King Tort and Nefertorti, who will grow to 150 pounds and live to be 180. I need to sell lots of books to provide for their future.

MJ: Now, I need YOU to ask ME a question about absolutely anything under the sun. It has to be a yes or no question and will be answered by my 9-year-old’s all-knowing Magic 8 Ball! The question can be serious or silly - it’s up to you.

PJ: Will it ever be back under 100 degrees in Austin, Texas?

M8B: My reply is no.

MJ: oooooh, that sucks....but sooooo appropriate considering the subject matter in Solstice.

Thanks so much to P.J. for hanging out with me on my blog today. You check out her book and her website:

Website - Roots in Myth

Buy Solstice on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is also a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice, takes place in a Global Warming future and explores the parallel world of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade fantasy novels, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, and The Necropolis, chronicle the adventures of a boy who discovers he’s part of two feuding worlds hidden beneath the sea.