Author Interview - C. A. Kunz

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! I’m so excited to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. If you missed any of the past interviews, please go catch up here. I know we’re all hoping to have a ton of people visit us at the con. So, if you don’t have tickets yet, you can get them here. Get on it before the spaces are all full! Let’s get this party started! Everyone grab something to make noise with and welcome authors Carol and Adam Kunz, part of the writing duo C. A. Kunz, to the fun!

Jo: Hey, hey! Welcome to the blog, Carol and Adam. It’s a pleasure to have you both here. Since there are two of you, I’m gonna ask a few questions of you both, then break off and ask you questions individually. I do a lot of digging around, and I hope you aren’t too scared of what’s coming. My readers like the juicy stuff, and I try to feed them on a regular basis. *wink* Ready?
C&A: We’re sooooo ready! Oh, and also super excited to be here. Thanks for having us!

Jo: Yup. That's what they all say (at first). *evil laugh* I’ve read that you guys are in need of a virtual assistant to help you keep up with everything social media wise. Have you thought any more about that? Who have you looked into (and have you considered just making a schedule)?
C&A: Yeah, we could definitely use an assistant with social media. We’re getting a little better at organizing ourselves, but not as much as we’d like to be, hahaha! We’d love to have someone to just help us keep all our ‘selves’ straight. But seriously, we spend so much time on social media. Keeping up with four Facebook Pages (Adam Kunz, C.A. Kunz, Amanda Jason, and our street team), two Twitter accounts (C.A. Kunz and Amanda Jason), three E-mail Accounts (two gmail accounts and one AOL account), a Blog (which we kind of avoid like the plague now), and a website (soon to be two, one for Amanda Jason and one for Adam Kunz). We have trouble keeping track of everything to say the least. Plus, we have to find time to write on top of all this. We feel there are people out there that think we ignore them, but that’s not the case at all. Adam has a full-time job outside of writing (which keeps him busy) and I take care of my parents (which is also a time investment) so it would be awesome to have an assistant so we wouldn’t miss anyone, because everyone is important to us. We have taken a step toward getting help though. We hired a publicist who helps A LOT with promoting our books and he comes up with unique ideas of how to pimp our books and ourselves. Rick Miles from Red Coat PR is an AWESOME publicist, and though not an assistant, he’s the next best thing, seriously!

Jo: I hear a street team can help with your Facebook pages sometimes. You just ask a fan to run the page for you or just keep up with posts and marketing stuff. *shrugs* I dunno. I know of Rick and Red Coat PR. They pop up everywhere! Glad you found some help. Moving on! I poked around and read a lot of your blog entries (as you can probably tell). But your blog went quiet around July 2013. Care to share with my readers why?
C&A: We have Blog? Adam must have forgotten to tell me. Okay so we know we have a blog, but all it has in it are crickets and cobwebs. At first it was a novelty for us to have one, but we found traffic to our blog was spotty at best no matter how we advertised it. Not to mention, keeping up with a blog while writing and doing social media just seemed like too much for us. So, we spent more time on Twitter and Facebook in order to push our brand. When people ask us to post on our blog (like cover reveals or release day posts for them) we tell them the truth, that if they want exposure, our Blog is not the place to post.

Jo: Kudos to you for being honest. It takes a long time to build a following and sometimes it's really not the thing you need. I know you guys live in Florida, and are friends with some of my most favorite people in the world. Would you mind sharing the details of a public event you do with authors from your area (and who they are)?
C&A: OMG, yes, we have so much fun with our author friends here! We love going to schools, local book fairs, and signing events as a group. We hope we don’t leave anyone out, but here’s our list of AWESOME author friends we do things with here in Florida: Raine Thomas, Sarah Ross-Abernathy, Tiffany King, Michelle Madow, Heather Dencker, Tawdra Kandle, Kristina Circelli, Toni Sinns, Rachael Wade, Heather Allen, and Kaitlyn Ballenger. We’re always open to others joining, because the more the merrier.

Jo: I've interviewed a couple of those ladies. They're so awesome (and knowledgeable!). How many conferences do you guys attend in a year and which ones are they?
C&A: This year we’re attending a lot more conventions than we have in the last three years. In January we were in Daytona Beach, FL for Coastal Magic Con and in March we went to Wicked Book Weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

• May: We’re going to the RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans.
• June: We’re going to UtopYA (of course) in Nashville.
• August: We’re going to the Indie Book Fest in Orlando.
• August: We’re going to the Believe, Hope, and Live Con in Maine.
• September: We’re going to Penned Con in St Louis.
• September: We’re going to the Chapter by Chapter con in New York.
• October: We’re going to the Queen’s City Author con in Cincinnati, but only as fans.

Jo: Wow. You guys are busy! UtopYA will be fun. I have a very good friend, Tia Bach, who wrote a book with her mother (and survived… with battle scars). What’s your writing process like? Does it ever cause arguments between the two of you?
C&A: Our first book was tough, but we worked though the trials and tribulations and were finally able to finish up The Childe in about nine months. Our 2nd and 3rd books were easier since we had learned so much from working on the first and were able to avoid making the same mistakes. Before we begin writing a book, we have to make a very strong and detailed outline. Then Adam typically tackles the first two chapters, me the next two, and so on until we have the first rough draft. Then we spend hours in my office editing until we feel it’s ready to go out to beta readers.

Jo: It must be lovely bonding time when editing. Time for the alien question of the interview! Do you ever think about the Bermuda Triangle and wonder if there might actually be something else “out there” for us to discover?
C&A: We both feel that there are so many things in this life that we can’t explain. Carol saw her first ghost at age 8, and has been curious about all aspects of the ‘paranormal’ since then. Adam has had some strange occurrences happen to him as well that he can’t explain. We most definitely don’t believe we’re the only ‘beings’ in this vast universe, and wouldn’t be shocked if proof was found. The Bermuda Triangle is one of Carol’s favorites and she’s read many books and watched many documentaries and believes there’s so much more to discover out there.

Jo: I couldn't agree more. I've always said you must believe in what you can't or haven't seen. Time to break away and ask you individual questions (don’t worry, the other won’t see your answers, so you can be open and honest). *giggles* I’ll start with Carol. I have to have an answer to this, because it cracked me up when I saw it. I read in one of your interviews that Adam was the best stomach flu you ever had. Care to explain that comment?
Carol: Before I knew I was pregnant with Adam, I was working in a neurologist’s office, and everyone in the office was coming down with the stomach flu. I thought when I became ill that I was just getting what was being passed around the office, but little did I know, I was pregnant. After being sick for a while (a lot longer than anyone in the office) my husband Bob decided that maybe it was time we should name my little stomach flu.

Jo: That's hilarious. I've had many bouts of the stomach flu (five kids). *grin* What do you feel was your biggest struggle in writing with your son?
Carol: Getting used to being writing peers, not just mom and son.

Jo: That would be hard. My mom is great, but I don't think I could see her as anything but my mom. Kudos to you guys for making it work! You were born across the pond in New Ferry, England. In your best writer-ly voice, share with us an experience there (and help us visualize where you’re from).
Carol: At the age of 8, I saw my first ghost outside my bedroom. We lived in a little village called Raunds in a house that was part of a new development. I was sitting in our living room with my best friend, Sandra, and we were having a tea party. My American dad, who was in the Air Force, was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper and my younger brother was playing outside. To make a long story short, the door to the living room kept opening by itself, the door handle would go down, then up and fly open. It did it three times. My dad said it was because I hadn’t shut it properly. Then when he left to pick up my English mum at the hairdressers, the door opened again by itself and Sandra and I climbed out the living room window, grabbed my brother, and ran to her house. Her brother laughed at us and led us back to the house. Sandra and my brother stayed outside, while her brother and I searched the house. My bedroom was the only room upstairs and we climbed up and when we turned the corner we saw it. A tall, broad shadowed shape coming our way. We half fell, half slid down the stairs, locked the front door, and ran back to their house. Of course, my parents didn’t believe me, which when I became an adult and heard my English, maternal great-grandmother was a spiritualist and used to chat with spirits constantly, baffled me. My mum now admits that I could have seen it.

Jo: Holy Moly, Batman! I would never have slept again. Super creep factor! Well told. Now, tell me about a book you’ve written alone, why you decided to write it, and how you came up with the idea for it.
Carol: Well, when I decided to write my own novel I wanted it to be a light New Adult romantic comedy that would make the reader smile and laugh while falling in love with the characters. It’s the story of Pandora Phillips and how she finds herself in a pickle with her current living arrangements and ends up reluctantly having to move in with three hot models. Of course my imagination went into overdrive because I never had such luck in real life … I mean experience. I went from my parent’s home to living with my husband. I had to use a pen name since I didn’t want my NA to be associated with our YA books. Amanda and Jason were my twins who only lived for a short while after being born, and I felt it was a perfect way to honor them by making my pen name Amanda Jason.

Jo: I've seen the Facebook buzz surrounding that book. I'm gonna be checking it out. For those readers that don't know about Amanda Jason's book, it's titled Lucky Number Four and is $4.99 on Amazon for Kindle. What an awesome way to honor your babies. I interviewed Ms. Kristina Circelli and asked her for a good interview question (I know, my deviousness knows no bounds!). She told me to ask you what you did with your very first paperback proof of The Childe. I’m seriously intrigued. Mind sharing? *grin*
Carol: Devious you are, my friend. I slept with the proof on my pillow the night I received it.

Jo: Oh my... Totally sounds like something I would do. Haha! I’m gonna move on to Adam now. I read that you’re a Harry Potter fan. Right on! Which book in the series is your favorite and why?
Adam: I’d have to say that my favorite book (and movie) from the series would have to be The Prisoner of Azkaban, simply because it A. had professor Lupin in it who was a werewolf (I love me some paranormal creatures) and B. this book introduced us to one of my favorite characters, Sirius Black. Plus, I just LOVED all the plot twists that J.K. Rowling threw into this one.

Jo: That one was my favorite, too. Though I hated the way they butchered the movie. *frowns* What’s your birthplace of Newport New, Virginia, like?
Adam: Well, considering we left when I was two or three, I don’t really remember what it was like. I haven’t even had a chance to go back and visit, but I do plan on it one day.

Jo: Here's hoping your experience is a great one when you do visit! I’m positive I could never write anything with my mother, so I totally commend those who can. Not that I don’t love my mom, but she has some pretty strong opinions. *grin* What was the hardest thing about working with your mom on a book?
Adam: I have to agree with my mom on her answer of having to remember that though we are Mom and Son, we’re also writing peers, and have to be able to take criticism as such instead of taking it personal.

Jo: *gasp!* You weren't supposed to read her answer! Kidding... Sort of. Moving on! I read somewhere that your book, The Childe, won a gold medal (First Place) in the 2011 Readers Favorite Award Contest - Young Adult Fantasy Category. When you got the news, how did it make you feel?
Adam: It pretty much floored both of to be honest. We were up against some stiff competition, and to see our little book do so well had both of us in tears on the phone with each other and squeeing like little school girls, hahaha!

Jo: Was it anything like the time you landed the four star book review from RT Book Reviews? What was different?
Adam: This actually happened a week or so after we found out that we won the gold medal from Reader’s Favorite, so we were still coming down off of that. It floored us as well, and we were shocked by the news since we had no idea that RT even reviewed independently published books. To say that these two things made out year is a huge understatement.

Jo: I can't imagine. Hurrah for you both! Tell me about a book you’ve written alone. Where did the idea come from, what’s the title, and how long did it take you to write it?
Adam: The first novel I wrote by myself was a crossover mature Young Adult/New Adult thriller entitled One Tiny Secret. I was inspired to write OTS by my love for horror/thriller films and R.L. Stine books. I was a huge fan of the Fear Street series and the Goosebumps series when I was younger, so I knew that my first novel would have to be a book like those. It took me about two and a half months to write the first draft of the novel, but then a month more after that to get all the edits and beta reader feedback incorporated.

Jo: Sounds very King-like. *grin* I adore a good thriller and will have to check that one out. For my readers, you can find it on Amazon for $0.99. It was lovely having you both on the blog. I can’t wait to meet y’all at UtopYA Con in June! It’s right around the corner now. Thanks so much for stopping by and putting up with my questioning. *grins*
C&A: Thank you so much for having us Jo, we can’t wait to meet you too. P.S. we’re HUGGERS, just a little warning :)

Jo: It should be a good time! That’s all the time we have for today. Read on to find out about C. A. Kunz’s featured book of the week!

Title: The Modified
Author: C. A. Kunz
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian/Sci-Fi
Length (print): 303 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  ~  B&N $2.99  ~  Kobo $2.99

Synopsis: What would you sacrifice to save the ones you love? To save the one who holds your heart? To save the world?

Kenley Grayson is all too familiar with these questions.

After Earth is thrust into its first intergalactic war with an unknown race called the Bringers, our military forces begin to suffer heavy losses. Desperate for a solution, the Allied Federation issues a worldwide draft for every able seventeen year old to enlist. As Kenley turns seventeen, she finds herself thrown into the very war that took her older brother's life.

This year's draft is a little different than in the past though. A new program, known as the Magnus Project, has been introduced, and only the best and brightest qualify. Kenley is amongst a select few whom are chosen to join this elite group of soldiers, and as a part of this project, undergoes a modification procedure that leaves her and her peers endowed with powers beyond their wildest dreams.

As Earth continues in its struggle against the Bringers, Kenley is transported to a high-tech training facility, the Magnus Academy, to prepare for the major battle that lies ahead. It's here that she meets the California heartthrob, and son of a legendary war hero, Landon Shaw. As unexpected feelings toward Landon begin to develop, Kenley wonders if this is the right time or place for romance to bloom, especially when those feelings start to interfere with her training.

With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Kenley is constantly reminded of how important she and the rest of the Magnus cadets are to the fate of humanity. She is one of the Modified, Earth's last line of defense against utter destruction.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Mr. and Ms. Kunz a follow on social media?

Facebook: C.A. Kunz
Twitter: @AuthorCAKunz
Blog: C.A. Kunz

I hope you all enjoyed this interview.

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Spotty Blog Posts

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, it's another week and another chance to get things accomplished before the weekend rolls around again. We have five days to go. Hang in there. So, today I'm gonna give you all a heads up about something I know is gonna happen soon. Grab your coffee and let's get going.

Besides the Unofficial Interviews with the Ladies of UtopYA series I have running here on the blog, you all know I strive to bring you excellent writing tips, advice on self-publishing, book reviews, and other awesome tidbits I run across on the web. Well, all but the interviews and guest post might be spotty until after that awesome con.

Why?

Because we're getting ready to move. Not the blog (don't worry!). But physically, in real life, my family is relocating. I'm telling you all this so if my blog posts are spotty around that time (it's just before UtopYA), you'll know it's not because I'm slacking or that I abandoned you.

Speaking of UtopYA: Be sure you're checking out the interviews and guest posts by some of the authors attending that event. You can find the special links page here that has dates the posts will go up. C. A. Kunz will be joining me here on the blog tomorrow for an awesome interview (difficult to interview two people in one).

I dislike having missed posts here on the blog, and strive to keep things running smoothly even when I'm away. I'll do my best to keep the great information flowing seamlessly during this difficult transition.

Bear with me, please.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Scrivener Output to EPub and Mobi

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, I'm back (as promised) with a little more information about Scrivener and one of the cool features that program has. I've run across a number of authors lately that didn't know you could upload your book to KDP and then download the .mobi version from the book publishing page. This really neat tool in Scrivener allows you to skip that step and publish your book right out to a .mobi or .epub file. Let me be perfectly frank with you all: I've never tried it. Why? Well, because the learning curve in that program is one I haven't quite hit yet.

But that's not going to stop me from sharing this awesome little video with you all:

Exporting your e-book with Scrivener

In design school, we were taught there's a specific program a designer uses for creation of different things. For example: Photoshop is an image editing program, Illustrator is for logo creation, and InDesign is for layouts of printed material.

Perhaps it's the same for writers. When you have a tool that's as powerful as Scrivener, it's something you should learn, right?

From the comments on my last post Word Processors for Writers - MS Word vs Scrivener, I gather many people gave up on the complexity of Scrivener because of the learning curve. I'm one of those writers. It's not because I don't see the potential of the program; but because I can't seem to carve out the time in my day to sit down and learn how to use it.

Out of curiosity, I popped over to the blog on literatureandlatte.com to find out what the folks behind the scenes are doing to propel the software forward. I found this post, published in April of 2013. It seems that's the last post published on their blog and promises an iOS version of Scrivener soon.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I love streamlined. If I can open a program on my computer, work on a document, save it, close it, head to the DMV to sit for three hours with my iPad in tow, open the same program, and continue my work with no loss of data (because it's in the cloud) or time, that seems like a no-brainer to me. Productivity is everything in this business.

Is the functionality of a program important to me? Yes. So is convenience.

Since I cut my teeth on MS Word, like many of you, I tend to reach for what I know to accomplish my goals. Is that the right thing to do? Hmmm...

I'm not telling you I hate Scrivener or for you not to use it. Quite the opposite, actually. If you know how to use that program and love it, keep going. It's a powerful writer tool.

But, if you use MS Word, don't feel like you're less than those who've taken the plunge. Some of the comments on that other post give you ways to work within MS Word just like you do with Scrivener.

Just like those who love Scrivener for writing because they know it so well, I have a deep love for InDesign for book layout. Can you do most of the same things in Word? Yup. With every program, there's good and bad, like yin and yang.

What's the answer? Only you can decide what's best for your process. Either or, it's always about producing a great book. That's the bottom line.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope I answered the question my commenter had a while ago about outputting to .epub and .mobi from Scrivener.

Did you know the program could do that?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Back and Playing Catchup

Happy Thursday, everyone! I know it seems like I've been around, but I've been on vacation since last Wednesday. I'm stunned at the response my post on MS Word and Scrivener got last week. I can see how passionate you all are about the topic. As you probably know, I had a guest post slated to go live today, but it never appeared in my inbox so I'm having to skip it.

That being said, since I've been out for a week, my inbox is overflowing. I'm planning to spend today playing catchup and I'll be back with awesomeness for you all tomorrow. There were some great questions raised on that post last week, and I'm gonna do my best to get them answered tomorrow.

Until then, I'm taking a moment to give you all a huge shout out and a thank you for sharing and discussing my post.

You guys rock!

I'll be back tomorrow with that post and responses to the comments that were left on the last one.

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday Morning Musings

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had as fabulous a weekend as I did (though I doubt that's possible). Anyway, moving on! Today, I'd like to talk with you all a little bit about writing; as I so often do here on the blog. It's time for a bit of Monday Morning Musings. What are Monday Morning Musings? Well, it's time to reflect on your weekend and consider new avenues to take your work to the next level of publishing, sales, and other such fun stuff. Ready? Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

As you're all very aware, I'm a meticulous scheduler. I like to plan my writing day down to the minute. This helps me stay focused (and off Facebook), and allows me to know when I need to call upon the most awesome muse in the world (mine). With that being said, I'm considering changing things up a little. I dominate Google searches for my name now, but that's not enough for me. I want to dominate the world.

Okay, that's going a little far, but you see where I'm headed with this, right?

My social media schedule needs tweaking. I need to drop focus on some things and use the time to aim my dastardly glare in another direction. Let's look at where I was putting my time, shall we?

Monday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post. You should have something integrated so your posts are automatically sent to your social networks when you click publish. I have the buffer button and all I have to do is click it after I post. 20 minutes to schedule posts across all media for the next two days. 10 minutes browsing Twitter and re-tweeting things you find interesting.

Tuesday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post. 10 minutes to answer a single question over on Quora. 10 minutes to share interesting things others post on Facebook. 10 minutes to visit and update your GoodReads page. Make sure you're clicking like on any reviews you've gotten.

Wednesday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post. 20 minutes to schedule posts across all media for the next two days and make sure it's all running smoothly. 10 minutes to record a video you'll use later.

Thursday - 10 minutes to upload video to YouTube. 20-30 minutes for a blog post incorporating said video. 15 minutes to create a Squidoo lens (can be about and incorporate your video as well!). 5 minutes to pin a couple of things over on Pinterest.

Friday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post. 30 minutes scheduling everything to update until Monday and coming up with blog post ideas for the next week and make sure everything is running smoothly.

Saturday - 20 minutes sharing on Facebook. 20 minutes re-tweeting on Twitter. 20 minutes to visit other blogs and pop in a comment or two.

Sunday - 30 minutes sharing on Facebook, 30 minutes re-tweeting on Twitter.

I do all of this between the hours of 8 and 9 am.

But it's just not working for me. So, I give you a new schedule that I think will help me reach more readers alongside the authors I try so hard to help:

Monday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post with an author interview. 10 minutes to schedule posts across all media for the rest of the day. 20 minutes browsing Twitter and re-tweeting things I find interesting.

Tuesday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post. 10 minutes to schedule new posts for the rest of the day. 10 minutes to share interesting things others post on Facebook. 10 minutes to visit and update my Goodreads page if needed.

Wednesday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post with a book review. 20 minutes to schedule posts for the day and post the review to relevant sites. 10 minutes to dink around on Facebook and "like" some status updates, answer people, and share stuff.

Thursday -  20-30 minutes for a blog post with something for another author. 10 minutes to schedule posts for the day and include at least one shoutout for one of my books. 20 minutes to pin a couple of book-related things over on Pinterest.

Friday - 20-30 minutes for a blog post. 10 minutes scheduling everything to update until Monday, coming up with blog post ideas for the next week and make sure everything is running smoothly. 20 minutes to update my Book Reviews magazine on Flipboard (I'm finally up to over 1k readers, yay!).

Saturday - Is my day off. I'll use this day to come up with new story ideas and spend time with my family.

Sunday - Is my day off. I'll use this day to connect on Facebook and Twitter if I want to.

So, this is where I think my time will be better spent now that I'm where I want to be regarding a Google search for my name.

If you don't dominate Google, consider using the first social media schedule for a little while before moving on to the second. Trust me, it works.

What do you think? Do you Google yourself often?

I won't be around tomorrow. Lots to do in my personal life and not a lot of time to do it in. See you all on Wednesday!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Absolution

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today, time for another cover reveal. Seems there are a lot of really awesome books coming out soon, eh? Well, pretty ones, anyway. I invite you to strap in and take a gander at this one!

Absolution 

Confessions of a clone

is book one in The Broken Diaries series of novellas.

Can be read as a stand alone or as a companion novella to 

The Broken Novels

Expected release date: October 2014

Genre: Upper YA Science Fiction

(Unedited)

So my secret is out you say? That  would depend witch secret you are referring to. That I am a clone? Everyone knows that by now. Or that I have a dark disease pulsating through my veins,
one I am quite fond of? Big deal. It’s exciting, never to have to hold back, unpredictability is a drug. We all crave it.  So what possible secret could I hold that is worth keeping? Imagine me
giving you a sly smirk right now because I have not the misfortune of compassion that will cause me to spill my secrets. Without them there is no hand to be dealt.

Will my secret keep him close? Perhaps. But here is my confession, I have something better than secrecy. I have absolution. With me, he is not bound, it will be out of choice. With me, he never has to hold back. And I would love him for the good and especially in the bad. When I gave my word that I’d stop my tricks – I lied. That’s the thing with obsession. I does not care. It only wants, and it is so fixated on want, that it becomes need, and it shall have all it wants and needs.  And while I have no time to ponder who I am, clone–what a stupid word, I am already on my way to loving him forever. That’s how I play it, because I just don’t care.  Everyone knows I am nothing like my pathetic prime. That with me, it’s all bad intentions and violent, narcissistic adoration. That is not who I am. I am but one thing - in absolution. 

About The Author 

Carlyle Labuschagne is a South African award wining author working her way into the hearts of international readers with her first two books in the Broken Trilogy. Her first young adult dystopian novel "The Broken Destiny" reached top 3 in its YA debut Category. The Sequel Evanescent won YATR literary award for best Sci-Fi book 2013. 

Carlyle loves to swim, fights for the trees, and is a food lover who is driven by her passion for life. Carlyle also writes for IU e-magazine India, an inspirational non-profit magazine that aims at inspiring the world through words. The drive behind her author career is healing through words. Carlyle is also the founder of the first annual book drive – Help Build A Library in Africa Project. And hopes to launch her very own Indie book festival in Johannesburg March 2015.
“My goal as an author is to touch people’s lives, and help others love their differences and one another.

Other Related books:

Follow the author for regular giveaways and news! 

twitter . Website .  Facebook  . amazon 

 Thank you for stopping by! 

Carlyle's covers are just stunning. I love this one :)

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Word Processors for Writers - MS Word vs Scrivener

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I know you're all super excited to be knee-deep into the last day of the week (I know I am). With the weekend being just around the corner, I know your attention span is probably as limited as mine is. *grin* But, try to keep focused as we discuss these two word processors available for writers on the market today (ones I've personally used). I'm also gonna tell you about something awesome that was on Flipboard this past weekend. Stay with me!

So, let's begin by talking about MS Word (since it's the most popular word processor out there).
The Pros:

• Easy to use WYSIWYG editing program that has some awesome features (like the one I discussed here).
• Easy to switch to print layout with a few minor adjustments (though I still recommend InDesign for this).
• You can get templates for various platforms (discussion on that here).
• Most people are familiar with the functions.
• If you mess up your MS, a quick undo fixes your boo-boo.

The Cons:

• Limited ways to incorporate images in layers for printed version.
• Sometimes difficult to set up for printed version (for novices).
• No bulletin board type feature or note card feature.
• Wasn't designed specifically for writers.

Now, we'll go into Scrivener.
The Pros:

• Built in Character bio sheets.
• Built in novel templates.
• Folders to manage chapters and scenes along with a cool note-card peg-board type thing.
• Separate creation ability for writers.
• Was created specifically for writers.
• Can change a character's name with the click of a button.
• Easily outputs to various digital platforms with the click of a couple of buttons.
• Gives a lovely side by side view of your MS.
• Keeps all research together in one file for easy reference.

The Cons:

• Not easy to use if you've never messed with it.
• Preferences must be set on day 1 and are a PITA to change.
• You must learn a whole new program.
• There's little margin for error when combining things or clicking buttons when you aren't sure what they do.
• It's hard (might even be impossible) to undo big changes when the program auto-saves the way it does.

Now, I've used both of these (I got Scrivener at a discount for winning NaNoWriMo in 2013). I have to admit, I wanted so badly to fall in love with Scrivener, dive in, and use the hell out of it from day one. I'm not an unintelligent person, but to learn how to use a whole new program just hasn't been in my time management ability sheet lately. Yeah, I've had it for over a year and used it maybe twice. I wrote five chapters in it before pulling it all out and moving it to Word. I was hella confused and super frustrated.

Am I gonna make the time to learn how to use it? Maybe. I see the potential there, but I'd rather be writing. Will I ever give up MS Word as a processor? Not likely. I love Word. It's so easy to use! Not to mention the awesome tidbit of information on Flipboard about it this past weekend that makes me want to hug the hell out of Bill Gates.

Are you ready to hear this?

Are you sure?

MS Office now has an app for your iPad! It's called Office 365. Holy smokes! It's not cheap (at $100 a year), but it may be worth the money (for me, at least - an editor on the go). Scrivener has been working on developing one, but they haven't gotten there yet.

Check out Office 365 here and get more information.

Is that gonna make a huge impact on my decision of which one to keep using? It's possible. I have a feeling it's gonna replace Evernote for me. Everything stays in the cloud so you can access it from anywhere, on any device.

You all know I LOVE being synced across my devices and anything that saves me time. You all also know that I refuse to talk about anything I don't love, intend to love, or use myself here. I'm not compensated in ANY way for any of my posts, either (except by the continued love and comments by my readers). So, get on it and check this stuff out. Also, take my opinion with a grain of salt (I'm not a die-hard Scrivener lover yet).

What do you think? Stroke of brilliance on Microsoft's part?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Rachel Harris Author Interview

Happy Monday, everyone! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. So far we’ve had a number of awesome authors give their time and expertise to make us smile. If you missed any of the past interviews, get on over to my page dedicated to these lovely ladies. If you don’t have your tickets for UtopYA yet, what the heck are you waiting for? You’re gonna be the only girl left out of the party! Get yours here. Let’s get our interview on! Get your clicking fingers ready so you can check out author Rachel Harris’s books after the interview. Snug up and let’s go! 

Jo: Hi, Rachel! It’s an absolute honor to have a fellow coonass here on the blog. I don’t like to tease my readers (they’re a wild bunch), so we’re gonna jump right into the questions, okay? Are you ready?
Rachel: Let’s do this thing! :)

Jo: So, during my research of you, I came across a cool tidbit of information: Your first date made you puke. Now, we’ve all had dates we wanted to get out of, I’m sure; but your story was one that cracked me up. Mind sharing it with my readers (and telling us if you’ve ever used that scenario in one of your books)?
Rachel: Dude, I plan to use it one day…just have to find the perfect book and character. I mean, that’s made for fiction, right??? But yes, this happened to me. Settle in for a story, kids…

The guy was older, he was cute, and I was so excited to go out on an actual date that I didn’t care that I woke up feeling ill. Nothing was keeping my butt home. I was thirteen and he was seventeen, but we met in my church’s youth group so my mom knew him. Even though she was cool with me dating him, she refused to let me ride in his car, so she picked him up. He got in the backseat of our minivan and for some reason (maybe it was a move?), he mentioned he’d forgotten to put on his cologne and preceded to take out the bottle and douse himself with it.
Prior to this experience, I loved the smell of Cool Water. After? Not so much.
Anyhoo, my mom smelled how strong it was from the front and subtly opened the back windows (tee hee). We went to my house first to hang out, and I have a picture of us somewhere—I’m as white as a ghost. I was so ill, but I was also one determined chica. He went to the movies next and we sat down in the theater (the film was Look Who’s Talking 2, by the way. Dating myself there), and when the lights went dark, he leaned close.
The smell of the cologne hit my nose, and I leaned away. He thought it was a game. I leaned away, he leaned close, I leaned away, he leaned close again. Finally, I jumped up and screamed I’d be right back…but sadly, I only made it to the trashcan right outside our theatre before tossing my cookies. Right as the neighboring theater let out. Head over the trashcan, my date patting my back, I heard a little boy ask his mom if I’d be okay. It was classic.
The dude was a sweetheart and even asked me out again. But I have a feeling neither of us have ever forgot that day LOL

Jo: That's funny. Poor you. Poor him. How embarrassing! Thanks for sharing though. *grin* I saw one of your books was Historical Romance/Science Fiction (I’m a lover of Historical novels) and was set in 1500 Florence, Italy. Having written a Historical Fiction novel myself, I know the time it takes to get it right. Care to share how much research you did on the era before writing the book, and what you may have learned that’s interesting/cool?
Rachel: I did a TON of research for sure. My favorite resources were the videos on the Renaissance from the kids section (they spoke my language) and a travel book written like a tourist guide to Florence, but it’s set in that time (Renaissance Florence on 5 Florins A Day). I have a huge binder filled with notes and I’d say that part of the pre-plotting took about a month. Strangely enough, it was book two, A Tale of Two Centuries, where it’s a sixteenth century girl who time travels to present day, that took the most research. See, I purposefully wrote book one with the main character super slangy and the characters in the past very proper as a fun way to constantly be showing the fish out of water contrast. Then I get to book two with a very formal first person narrator who could only use words that were in existence then...at least until she learned others in our time. I constantly had to stop and look up the etymology of different words and seeing the world through historic eyes.
Cool? In My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, I researched their dances extensively, watched video instruction, and even got off my butt and did it with them! As for A Tale of Two Centuries, the hero is a surfer, something I knew nothing about, so I spent a few days learning everything I can via YouTube. My favorite reviews are ones that mention how they can tell I love to surf ;)

Jo: I totally get where you're coming from. Yassa was an exercise in patience and research, too. *bows* You’re from New Orleans, eh? I grew up in Lake Charles, myself. I love meeting folks from my home state, but I know I miss certain things about it. What do you miss the most now that you live in Houston? Do you skip over the border often for a visit?
Rachel: I go home as often as I can, as I have many relatives still there. Luckily, most of the food can be found in Houston, so that’s not as big an issue, but there’s nothing like a Danny & Clyde’s shrimp po-boy or a Pat O’Brien’s hurricane.

Jo: Nothing like a Pat O'Brien's hurricane!! *misses boudin* I miss the food most. LOL I read that you’re a meticulous plotter. I’m dying to know if you’ve ever pantsed a novel and how many hours you put into creating your plot lines.
Rachel: ONE time I co-wrote a novella with a friend in eleven days, and we had to pants it. That was the most stressful experience of my life LOL. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again. I am a huge plotter, and because of all the work that I do ahead of time, I don’t have to edit for plot holes or anything like that once I’m done. And I actually edit my chapters as I write, so when I reach the last chapter, it’s usually in my editor’s hands the next week. As for how long it takes to plot my stories, I’d say two weeks is a good estimate. Sometimes it comes together in a week, but between interviewing all my characters, casting them, creating my story soundtracks for inspiration, doing my character arcs, and GMCs, weaving those with story theme and central questions…yeah, two weeks is usually the norm.

Jo: I'm a total pantser. I don't have the patience for an outline. You may be my hero. *smiles* Rapid fire questions! Who’s your favorite Food Network star?
Rachel: Bobby Flay

Jo: Rock on, Bobby Flay! Love him! Favorite kind of cuisine?
Rachel: Mexican

Jo: I love Mexican food, too. Yum! Time for the alien question of the interview! I see you attended the Vegas Valley Book Festival in 2013. Did you go look at the super secret airplane base right outside the city? Were you nervous being so close to Area 51?
Rachel: HA! No, I didn’t… I was only there for a very short time, unfortunately, and saw very little. Thankfully, my girl Lisa Burstein took me on a rapid fire tour of the strip the last night I was there, otherwise the only thing I would’ve seen was the inside of the airport, the local high school I visited, and the book festival LOL.
But next time…. ;)

Jo: When you go back to Vegas, make time to really do a tour. It blew me away with its hugeness. I've never seen anything like it. You should also go to Bobby Flay's restaurant there: Mesa (the food is off the hook awesome). Do you ever wish your kids were in public school so you’d have more time to write, or did you decide to homeschool your two daughters for a specific reason?
Rachel: I know I wouldn’t trade homeschooling them for anything in the world—the memories we form learning together are priceless. But, some days, when the deadlines for new projects are piling up, and I have guest posts to write for releasing books, and other books coming in for edits, I daydream (just for a minute) of a house that is quiet eight full hours a day. Wow…I don’t know what I’d do with myself (tee hee)

Jo: You actually get a lot done. I was nervous about my daughter starting school but I wouldn't trade all that free time for the world now. LOL Good for you for making that a priority in your life. Now, please tell us about your publisher, Entangled. Where did you find them, and what can we expect to see from you via them next? Do you have anything with a different publisher?
Rachel: I’m blessed to have two publishers, Entangled (Bliss and Teen), and Spencer Hill Contemporary. They are both fabulous!! My first agent is actually responsible for both relationships, and I’m so happy with the editors and team I work with at both houses.
In 2014, I have My Not So Super Sweet Life (YA) and Crazy in Love (adult) releasing with Entangled, and The Fine Art of Pretending (YA) releasing with Spencer Hill Contemporary. I then have another YA and a NA project releasing with SHC in 2015.

Jo: Congratulations! I know a ton of people would kill to be in your shoes. That's awesome! I saw you’ve made the leap into Adult Romance with your book Taste the Heat. What made you jump out of YA?
Rachel: Yep! I have two adult books out now, Taste the Heat and Seven Day Fiance, and can’t wait for readers to get book three, Crazy in Love. I actually JUST finished the first draft on Friday (woot!). As for making that jump, my current editor with the teen line is also in charge of the Bliss adult line. Considering that line is often romantic comedies, focus on family and heart and are a bit sweeter in nature, it felt like a natural, easy transition. Plus, I read a lot of new adult and adult in my spare time, so I was eager for the challenge. Also, I really wanted to tell stories based on my experience growing up in New Orleans, and this gave me a great opportunity to do that.

Jo: I'm actually not a huge fan of romance, but because they're set in New Orleans, how can I not check them out? How many cons to you attend each year and which ones are they?
Rachel: It depends, but this year, I’m doing a ton. This year, I’ve already attended Authors are My Rockstars, Montgomery Book Festival, The Houston Author Bash, and Austin Book Fest. Later this year, I’ll be attending RT (Romantic Times), BEA, RWA, UtopYA, Houston Indie, Chapter by Chapter, NOLA DitterCon, the Louisiana Book Festival, and Houston Book Rave.
Yeah, that’s a lot ;)

Jo: Girl, you wore me out just reading that. Good luck this year! *grin* Anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to share?
Rachel: Be on the lookout in April for the hashtag #SuperSweetRead. We’re doing a month-long read along of books 1 and 2 in my YA series before book 3, My Not So Super Sweet Life, releases April 21st. There’s gonna be tons of prizes and silliness. Because, well, I love giving away stuff, and I’m a silly dork.

Jo: Sounds like fun! Awesome insider tip. Thank you, Rachel, for doing this interview! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in June.
Rachel: Can’t wait to meet YOU! Thanks so much for having me <3

Now it’s time to tell you about Rachel’s featured book!

Title: A Tale of Two Centuries
Author: Rachel Harris
Genre: Fantasy Romance with Historical elements
Length (print): 320 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $5.69 B&N $5.69 iTunes $5.69

Synopsis: Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Rachel a follow on social media?
Facebook: Rachel Harris Author
Twitter: @RachelHarrisBks
Blog: Rachel Harris Writes

I hope you all enjoyed meeting the lovely Ms. Harris!

If you have questions you’d like to ask Rachel, drop them in the comments below.

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Chasing Shadows

Happy freaking Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you a cover reveal post for Ms. Tia Silverthorne Bach's new young adult paranormal title Chasing Shadows. It's book two of the Tala Prophecy series and I just know you're gonna love it! Strap in and get ready. As always, we'll start with a little information about the book. How about a blurb?

About Chasing Shadows (Tala Prophecy, Book 2)

Reagan thought one night changed her life forever, but her fate was written long ago.

Merging creature and white blood,

One of flame, one of night,

At eighteen years it will commence,

Spiritual warrior and power,

Will bring an end to the lawless ones.

A war looms: One that pits brother against brother for werewolf supremacy. Angels and demons will each have a say before a victor is chosen.

With her eighteenth birthday only six months away, time is running out. Reagan must find a way to harness the two powerful, ancient bloodlines coursing through her: Werewolf and Wiccan. Then, she has to figure out her role in the century-old prophecy foretold by her  great-grandmother.

However, if Reagan can’t save her family from her most vicious rival, Rafe, the forces of Hell will be unleashed and the war will be over before it starts.

Add Chasing Shadows to GoodReads

Cover design by Jo Michaels

On to the cover! First, the front (be sure you click to view it full-sized so you can get the subtleties):

Isn't it pretty? Now, how about that full wrap?

I hear the oooohs and ahhhhhs now *grin*

About the Author

Tia Silverthorne Bach is an avid reader, sometimes runner, involved wife and mother, and rabid grammar hound in addition to being a multi-genre writer. Her three daughters were born in Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore; and she feels fortunate to have called many places home. She's the award-winning co-author of Depression Cookies, a coming of age story written with her mother. Tia's office is wherever her laptop takes her and any place that's conducive to  allowing a wild imagination like hers to flourish.


Connect with Tia: Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.

Yeah! How much do you love this cover? Are you planning to read it? You should. It's amazing. If you haven't read Chasing Memories yet, you need to get your butts over to Amazon and grab a copy right now.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Cover Reveal - Shady Bay

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I take you on a magical ride to Shady Bay, a novel by author Casey L. Bond! Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Thank you so much for checking out the cover of Shady Bay. This is a short, beachy read but it's not small on emotion.


Shady Bay:

Sometimes the hardest thing for a proud person to do is lean on others.
Since her father went to prison, Mercy Taylor’s life has been crap. With forty dollars in her pocket, and a determined look on her face, Mercy decides to do something about it. She hitch-hikes her way to Myrtle Beach to start fresh.

Never say it can’t get worse, because for Mercy, it does. For her, rock bottom consists of eating out of a trash can. But, once you’ve hit bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Jaxon Harrison left Devil Creek, West Virginia for a new start. He’d fallen in love and had given his heart to a woman who had chewed it up and spit it out. He doesn’t need that kind of heartache again. The problem is, there’s a sweet, stubborn girl who refuses to get out of his head.

The moment when you get your feet firmly set on the ground, life tends to throw something else your way. What will the future hold for Mercy and Jaxon?

Let's take a look at the full cover!

Releasing May 2014!

Now, what did you all think of that little piece of awesome?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Guest Post by Alison Pensy

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I welcome back Ms. Alison Pensy. She's gonna regale you all with a few words about writing what you know (something I talk a lot about here on the blog). This one may jerk some tears out of you, so be prepared. As you may know, Ms. Pensy is one of the authors attending UtopYA Con in June of this year. If you don't know what UtopYA is or don't have tickets to the event yet, go here and pick yours up now. You don't wanna miss out on this one! Without further ado, I give you Ms. Pensy's guest post:

Write What You Know

by Alison Pensy

Firstly, I'd like to thank Jo for inviting me to be a guest on her blog. It's an honor to be here. I hope you enjoy the post.

I'm going to talk today about how drawing upon life's ups and downs can give your writing and your characters more depth.

Something very sad happened to me last Monday. It was inevitable, I knew that, I was just hoping for a little more time. At around 9:30am I put my arms around a very special friend who'd been in my life for twelve years, buried my face in her soft fur as the vet did his thing, and sobbed into her neck as she fell asleep in my arms never again to wake up. It was possibly the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. One of my best friends had just died in my arms. I felt that time momentarily stood still, I wished it would because I didn't want to let her go. My body was racked with sobs, my face would have fit neatly into a zombie movie without the need for stage makeup, and my heart hurt, it literally hurt, and continued to do so for hours after I'd left the vet's office carrying an empty collar, and made my way home.

Experiences like this are tough, but we all go through various things in life that, although being the last thing we are thinking at that moment in time, have the potential to give our writing much more depth. How else would you be able to describe the emotional and physical pain of losing a loved one to any kind of degree without experiencing it? Yes, you could say it was gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, traumatic, or countless other adjectives, but would you know that you actually got pains in your chest from it? I didn't, until I just experienced it the other day. Would you know how to describe it to a degree that the reader could feel it too? Maybe not.

It's not just the sad stuff. Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. When I first started writing, I kept seeing the same quote, time after time…"Write what you know." When I first saw this, I took its meaning literally because the book I happened to be writing was using my adventures backpacking around Australia when I was twenty. I threw in some romance, which wasn't part of my real-life adventure, and ended up with an NA romantic comedy. I am probably the clumsiest person on the face of the earth and I got myself a job as a jillaroo (Aussie cowgirl) working on a sheep station in the outback for six months. How I got out with all my limbs intact is still a mystery. For goodness sakes, they let me loose with a tractor, and a motorbike! Me… on a motorbike…chasing sheep *clutches sides*. I was the quintessential Bridget Jones and all around comic relief for the family who owned the station. Writing what I knew for that novel was not a stretch.

It wasn't until I had the urge to write a fantasy novel that the true meaning behind "write what you know" hit me between the eyes. I didn't know anything about faeries, dragons, red caps, Valkyries etc, other than what I'd read in other fantasy novels or on Wikipedia, let's face it, who does? It was then I realized "write what you know" went much deeper. If I infused my characters with emotions that I had felt throughout various experiences in my life, I could make them more three dimensional. They would come alive on the page and to the reader.

It doesn't stop there, though. Writing who you know can also help develop some very interesting characters and it can be very cathartic to boot *rubs hands together*. I had a lot of fun using an ex-boss, who made my early career life a living hell, as the basis for a slimy toad of a character in one of my books. Someone else I had the misfortune to know was also drawn upon for another less than savory character. Then there's the good guys. Lots of my hero characters portray traits from my real life hero…my husband. The female characters portray traits from my BFF's, the list is endless really, but writing what and who I know has certainly helped me become a better writer.

How about you? Do you draw on situations and/or real people who've impacted your life whether good or bad, to help you develop your characters and give them more depth?

~ Alison Pensy

How was that for a guest post? Pretty awesome, huh? Get your fingers in the clicking mode and go give Alison a follow on Goodreads or give her author page on Amazon a like.

Because I'm playing a bit of catchup here, you'll get to meet Ms. Rachel Harris on Thursday, so be sure and come on back for that!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Blitz - First Impression

First Impression 

A Shadow Maven Paranormal

by Pauline Creeden

Published on March 22, 2014

Goodreads | Amazon

Now on sale for only .99cents for a limited time! Pick up your copy now!

Chira Kelly thought she didn’t
need anyone…until she met Ben.


Because of one ugly rumor, Chira lives as an outcast at her school. Which is fine with her, because she works better alone. Always has, always will. And at least she has her one and only true friend, Tasha. When Tasha insists that they join a group to visit a possibly haunted abandoned old schoolhouse, she's wary, but joins her friend. Because of that decision, their lives are in jeopardy as a malevolent spirit targets the group. Tragedies and accidents pick them off one by one, and Chira finds herself drawn to the one person who can see the truth. But can he protect her?

EXCERPT

 She rips my hall pass from her pad and points it toward the young man sitting across from her desk. “Chira Kelley, meet Ben Oscuro. He’s new here and needs someone to show him around. It just so happens he’s also a member of class 18B.”

I finally lay my eyes on the boy. He doesn’t look up at me, and his disheveled dark hair is just long enough that it hides his eyes. But he pushes himself up from his chair and his slim form towers over me. He’s at least six feet two and his uniform is almost as crumpled as his hair. He swings his backpack onto a strong, square shoulder and nibbles his full bottom lip. His smooth olive skin and dark hair make him look like a foreign rocker, and there’s something about him
that seems vaguely familiar.

“Here’s a copy of his class schedule. When you’re not in the same class, I want you to leave a few minutes early and help him find the next class room. That’s your job for today. Got it?”

I swallow back and resist sniffling again. Taking the hall pass and the copy of the schedule from her, I say, “Um…sure.”

“Excellent. Robin, you’re off the hook.”

The office aide pumps a fist in the air before returning to file more papers in the cabinet. The secretary’s chair squeals a dismissal, and Mrs. Campbell picks up her phone, returning to her duties without another word.

Ben pulls open the office door and stands to the side to allow me to go first. The hallway that was empty only a short while ago is now full of students and their incessant conversations. With a shrug, I eye his class schedule quickly. Except for second and sixth period, we have exactly the same schedule. He’s in all of the advanced classes, too. Only he has gym for second period and Latin for sixth – opposite of my schedule, except I take French.

Piece of cake.

I glance up at him again, and his eyes meet mine. My breath hitches. His intense gaze makes me feel like he’s measuring me. The dark pools of his eyes seem deep and bottomless, but there’s something strange about them. They’re brown, but he has colored contacts. Why would anyone color their eyes brown?

My heart flutters. A sniffle escapes me before I can stop it. Ugh. I clear my throat and start in the direction of first period. “Follow me.”

We elbow our way down the freshman hall toward the second floor, but before we start up I point down the way. “Do you know what your locker number is?”

Ben nods and pushes his backpack up on his shoulder further.

I wait for a second and then smile. “What is it?”

“706.” He has a slight accent and his voice is deeper than I expect. I suppress a shiver at the jolt that the musical timbre of his voice sends through my body. I’m resonating like a tuning fork. II really want him to speak again with every fiber of my being. What’s with me?

“Uh…okay.” I swallow, trying to regain composure. And take him to the general area of the locker. “Here it is.”

He looks at it, nods, and returns his hard gaze to me. Is he always so stiff? Probably just nerves from being new.

“I know you don’t have any books to put in it, but do you want to try out the combination?”

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug and spins the combo quickly through the three numbers. I purposefully avert my eyes so he knows I’m not peeking. He opens the locker wide, nods toward me and then closes it again.

“Great. We have first period over here.”

“You and I have the same first period?”

My body vibrates again, and I blink hard. So glad my back was to him so he couldn’t see the effect his voice has on me. I swallow and face him. “Actually, yeah. Our schedules are very similar. It’s a smallish school so there’re only a few tracks that juniors can be on.”

He nods, and his eyes are half lidded as if he’s bored already.

I lead him toward our class room. “We don’t really have assigned seats, so you can pretty much sit anywhere you want. I’ll show you to the gym at the end of class. I have French next, but it’s not too far from there.”

I lead him to the front of the class, and my friend, Tasha, gives me a wan smile and raises her eyebrows, looking back and forth between me and Ben. She mouths, Who’s that?

I roll my eyes and put up one finger toward her to let her know I’ll tell her in a minute. Then I turn to the teacher. I hand him the schedule from the office. “Hi, Mr. Scott, this is Ben Oscuro, a
transfer.”

Mr. Scott sets down the Mountain Dew he was drinking and offers Ben a wide grin. He puts a hand out for him to shake. Ben hesitates but takes the hand in what looks like a firm grip. Mr. Scott shakes his hand afterward. “That’s some grip you’ve got there.” He laughs and leans down to the bottom drawer of his desk and hands Ben a Geography text book.

With a nod, I return to Tasha and squeeze into the desk next to hers. Because I’m at Jackson Hall partially on scholarship and partially on my father’s insurance money, I’m somewhat of a social pariah. My only real friend is Tasha Brown, a pariah herself, being one of the few African-American kids in the school. Still she tends to be more popular than me, because at least her family has the money they’ve made in the night club and music business. But then there’s that rumor…

“So who is the new hottie?” Tasha hops up and down in her seat.

I shake my head at her. “You are one big hormone, you know that? Sure, he’s cute, but is there any guy in the room you don’t consider a hottie?”

Tasha scans the room, considering for a moment with her hand on her chin and a very serious expression on her face. Her hair is in the typical pigtail braids she usually uses to play up the uniform. She has on no sweater, and her shirt is one size too small, causing the buttons at the front to bow and expose part of her red bra. Finally she returns her gaze to me. “There’s only one guy in here that doesn’t rank hottie.”

“Really? Who?”

She leans in conspiratorially and whispers, “Mr. Scott.”

I nearly choke on a laugh as I eye the middle aged, balding teacher at the front of the room. But I have to admit, Jackson Hall is a prep school. And no one can afford to make their children look their best more than the wealthy. I guess if I take my father’s words to heart, it’s better to be the poor kid in the rich kids’ school…than the other way around. Right?

Tasha’s smile returns and I follow her gaze to figure out why. Ben Oscuro walks down the aisle between us and takes the desk right behind mine. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. He smells like pine and mint, and it reminds me of the outdoors. When I open them again, Tasha’s smile has grown impossibly wider. She leans towards me and whispers, “What was that you said about hormones again?”

I shove my elbow toward her but she dodges me with a giggle.

About the author

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. Her books have hit #1 on the Amazon Bestseller List and Armored Hearts won the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award in Historical Fiction. First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal is her first mystery. It’s a dark urban fantasy and will be released March 31, 2014.

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