Stuff I know this week 2.27.20

It’s such an exciting time, my little mogdocs. My head is rushing with everything currently going on, and I want to share. So I am. I’m sharing like never before.

Expect a new post from me every week (if I forget, give me a nudge). In them, I will share tidbits about stuff I know, my work in progress, books/TV/movies that I’m currently fangirling over, and any other wonderfluff that wants to pour from my keyboard.

In today’s post, I’m gushing over Chris Wood and geeking out about Locke and Key, but first…

Here we go with the stuff I know…

Tomorrow, author Casey Bond will release the trailer for The Omen of Stones, the follow-up to When Wishes Bleed. I got an early peek today and it gave me serious chills. Omen drops March 13th.

Misty Provencher recently dropped paranormal romance Out Cold. Reading it now and completely absorbed. It’s one of those that gets into your head, and you think about it long after you’ve set the book down. Her next book, a middle grade monster novel called, Something Exquisite, is due out March 27th.

Our gal Misty has been super busy. In addition to the above two books, she and daughter, Sydney, collaborated as author and illustrator (respectively) on When I was Weird, a children’s book that helps little ones deal with bullying. So wish I had this for my boys when they were little.

Heather Hildenbrand and Bam Shepherd delighted everyone with the cover reveal for Girl Who Cried War. This is the third book in crazy cool Girl Who Cried Werewolf series. The covers are becoming known for the clever sayings on the protagonist’s t-shirts. This cover’s “Shift Happens” had me rolling. War releases March 3rd.

Kelly Martin‘s giddy video reveal of the What Rachel Did paperback had me doing a giddy dance too. Monster Ivy published the middle grade horror novel with beautiful artwork in the interior. Pick up Rachel at bookstores starting March 3rd.

This week, I quietly released new covers for the Midnight Guardian series. Pleased as punch (yes, I’m bringing that phrase back) with the new covers that better convey that they are clean YA novels suitable for pre-teen readers.

Works in progress update…

Wrong Side of the Song will be the third Mothman Mysteries book. When Eric trips over a corpse in the woods, Bridget guilts him into following a stolen clue that leads them to a siren in the school show choir! It’s young Harry Dresden meets Pitch Perfect in a hilarious, mystery thrill ride.

The sirens in the Mothverse (did I just coin a new word?) are not aliens like Mothman, but native to Earth with powers over water and song. Look for (finally) some serious heat between Eric and Bridget as the siren’s seductive influence brings our favorite book blogger out of her shell. Song is roughly 50% complete with release anticipated later this year.

Simultaneously with Song, I’m also working on a yet-to-be-named project. Super excited about this idea, but I’m only about 4% in, so it’s not far enough along to share too many details yet. I can tell you that it is YA paranormal suspense/romance and will likely be a duology.

Dark fairy academy … changelings … closet monsters.

To quote Forrest Gump, “That is all I’ve got to say about that” for now.

What I’m excited about on screen this week…

Locke and Key. Seriously, how did I not know this existed before? LOVED the first season on Netflix and have the graphic novels by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) on my TBR. Cause you know the book is gonna be even better.

After the murder of their father, the Locke family moves into the father’s ancestral home, Key House. The children, three of them in varying teen years, start discovering magical keys, each with a unique, single power. It isn’t long before something dark, lurking in the creepy well house on the property, plots to steal the keys and unleash very bad things.

I loved it for its creativity. And as crazy as it sounds, I also loved it for the keys. For whatever reason (OCD?), I get really into stories where I have to keep track of a set number of objects/people. With Harry Potter it was horcruxes. With Hunger Games it was tributes. With Umbrella Academy, it was siblings.

And speaking of siblings, it’s time to talk about my favorite evil twin. Since he first stepped on the screen as Kai in Vampire Diaries, I’ve become a total Chris Wood fan. What can I say? The guy knows how to play a villain.

It seems to me that it would be almost impossible to pull off that character. Think about it. You have to have perfect comedic timing in one second and deliver believable, psychopathic lines in the next. But Wood nails it every time with a perfect mix of charm and chaos.

Needless to say, I’ve been thrilled to see him reprise the role on Legacies this month. But, I was absolutely screaming and jumping up and down when he popped up on this week’s SuperGirl in a what-if episode that had him back as Mon-EL. Significant because I believe that his portrayal of this character has been some of the best performances in SG‘s run. Certainly the most dramatic, uplifting, and heart-wrenching. As much as he knows how to play the perfect villain, he has also demonstrated the skills to be the perfect hero. Never too much Chris! Welcome back to these shows. Your CW fans missed you.

That’s all I know for now. 😉 Let me know what you know in the comments.

YA Storytellers

My Fun Friday Top 10 for 10/10

Happy October 10! For the tenth day of the tenth month, the authors of The Society of YA Storytellers are sharing Top 10 lists on just about everything. Part of the fun of Fun Friday is that we get to twist the topic and make it our own. And I plan to do just that.

For this Fun Friday on 10/10, may I present my Top 10 favorite Fun Friday Storytellers posts of all time. Click on the post titles to read them for yourself!

10: “Creepy & Lovin’ It” by Liz Long 10/4/13

This post includes an excerpt from Witch Hearts. THE BEST excerpt, with my very favorite line…”please be paint.”

9. “Cover Love…Envy…Lust?” by LM Preston 10/30/13

LM passes along some great advice for book covers and shares some beautiful examples.

8. “Be Mine” by Melissa Pearl 2/14/14

For Valentine’s Day, Melissa Pearl shared a steamy first kiss from True Colors.

7. “Salute to Our Soldiers” by Quinn Loftis 9/15/13

Quinn’s touching tribute to those who have and still do serve to protect our freedom.

6: “Couples I Want to See Married” by Kasi Blake 6/6/14

Great list of epic love affairs from books and the screen, all early in their romances. Thought it was interesting what she said about Vampire Diaries books vs. show.

5. “YA Storytellers: Stories of Inspiration” by Suzy Turner 12/9/14

Suzy shares with her audience some of the many things that inspire her. From movies to nature, I think you’ll find some of her muses inspire you too.

4. “Top YA Monsters, in my opinion” by Christy Sloat 10/18/13

If you missed this one, now is the perfect time to take a look with Halloween sneaking up. Christy’s list is awesome, and may I point out that she is absolutely on her game. One book she mentioned is just now starting to gain big buzz, but she listed it in this post a year ago. She really knows her stuff.

3. “Are You Ready for Some Football (insert Hank Williams Jr. Voice)” by Quinn Loftis 1/31/14

Just before Superbowl Sunday, Quinn created this very simple and perfect post where she names which of her Grey Wolves would be on a football team and what position they’d play. Hutt, Hutt, Howl!

2. “A Supernatural This or That with Heather Hildenbrand” by Liz Long 5/9/14

Liz’s questions are structured in a way that turns the typical interview on its ear. When a question begins with “Let’s say you’re thrown into the Hunger Games…” you know you’re in for an entertaining read. Heather’s responses are hilarious. Then again, what else would you expect from someone who speaks in hashtags. 😉 Love you, ladies!

1. “Blushes or Yeah, I D-id” by Laura Elliott 3/28/14

Laura shares an embarrassing moment from her own life, then one from one of her characters. We can all relate, but what puts this in the number one spot for me is that her post included some words I’ll never forget. These are some of the most beautiful and insightful words I’ve ever read, “A perfect stranger’s kindness is usually what meets my embarrassment every time. I guess fast friends are formed in the intimacy of being vulnerable, being human. And for every time I’ve wanted to disappear when I’ve been embarrassed, I’ve been given a measure of magic too.”

YA Storytellers

Fun Friday: Best of “Host a Storyteller”

It’s Fun Friday again for The Society of YA Storytellers. This week’s theme is “Host a Storyteller”. I had the privilege of matching up authors this week. Since I stepped out this week to facilitate the matches, I thought I’d showcase them all!

Here’s my Best of “Host a Storyteller”:

Heather Hildenbrand tells Liz Long that she’d pick Stefan over Damon because “…I reallly don’t want to have to worry about whether my boyfriend killed anybody today. Seems kind of exhausting.” >Read full post here

Christy Sloat shares a look at the Visitors Series on K.C. Blake’s blog. >Read full post

K.C. Blake gives a sneak peek at Warrior, Order of the Spirit Realm #3 coming this summer >Read full post

Liz Long admits that given the choice of facing Mordor (Lord of the Rings) or Death Eaters (Harry Potter), she’d chose Death Eaters because “that means I’m not being chased by Orcs.” >Read full post

Catch up on all the Fun Friday posts, even ones from weeks past at http://yastorytellers.com/fun-fridays/

YA Storytellers

Interview with Heather Hildenbrand

Wahoo! Today’s fun is all about getting to know The Society of YA Storytellers authors. My assignment–interview the brilliant and #hashtagaddicted HEATHER HILDENBRAND. After the interview, trek on over to The Society’s site for Heather’s “Whose Dream Girl Are You?” Quiz in the Game Zone.

Me: Can you tell me about your recently released work?

HH: My most recent title is A Risk Worth Taking, which is actually an NA [New Adult, mature audiences] instead of YA. Basically, the difference between it and my past titles is this Continue reading “Interview with Heather Hildenbrand” →

Cover Love, YA Storytellers

Fun Friday: Cover Love

I’ve spent the entire week revealing the cover for the upcoming 5th book in the Midnight Guardian series, Book of the Lost. See Oct. 31 post for full view. How fitting that we end the week with “Cover Love”.

Most of you know by now that I’ve joined a new collaborative called The Society of YA Storytellers. The Society is a group of novelists writing in the young adult genre. The stories are well-written and engrossing, but the covers…wow!

Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order…

Suzy Turner’s Morgan Sisters series are wrapped in spooky chic covers. She even re-released her Raven Saga with new covers featuring the same artist. Love the look.

Patti Larsen’s Haven novels have very consistent covers. This is one of my favorites. I love the font and detail.

I really like the newly released covers for Melissa Pearl’s Elements Trilogy. All three book covers feature this model who looks intense and strong. The color palette is beautiful. Love the harmony between the covers within the trilogy.

The first time I saw the cover for Stacey Rourke’s Sacrifice, my eyes did a double take. A cover that demands a second look is definitely a good one.

Heather Hildenbrand’s Blood Rule cover practically drips with drama.

LM Preston’s Thundering Luv cover is romantically beautiful. I love the scrollwork on this one.

Like the redesigned magical green of Heather Sutherlin’s Seen. She also redesigned her website in this theme and it looks fantastic.

Love the use of tattoo marks (a central part of the story) as watermarks on the covers of the Grey Wolves novels from Quinn Loftis.

The cover for Liz Long’s Witch Hearts is so simple yet so creepy, I just had to read it.

All of Christy Sloat’s covers have mesmerizing color palettes, but I adore this one in particular. I also think the handwritten font adds just the right touch.

I’ve loved this cover from the moment I first saw it. I often see twenty-somethings on the cover of teen books. It was nice to see an early teen model featured.

And last (only because I wanted to give it a shameless plug) is the brand new release by K.C. Blake, HUNTER. Hunter is the follow-up to BAIT. Nick on the cover…whoa, baby! You can get it on Smashwords now. Coming soon to Amazon.

To see more COVER LOVE posts for Fun Friday, go to http://yastorytellers.com/fun-fridays/

Dark fairy academy … changelings … closet monsters.

10: “Creepy & Lovin’ It” by Liz Long 10/4/13

9. “Cover Love…Envy…Lust?” by LM Preston 10/30/13

8. “Be Mine” by Melissa Pearl 2/14/14

7. “Salute to Our Soldiers” by Quinn Loftis 9/15/13

6: “Couples I Want to See Married” by Kasi Blake 6/6/14

5. “YA Storytellers: Stories of Inspiration” by Suzy Turner 12/9/14

4. “Top YA Monsters, in my opinion” by Christy Sloat 10/18/13

3. “Are You Ready for Some Football (insert Hank Williams Jr. Voice)” by Quinn Loftis 1/31/14

2. “A Supernatural This or That with Heather Hildenbrand” by Liz Long 5/9/14

1. “*Blushes* or Yeah, I D-id” by Laura Elliott 3/28/14

1. “Blushes or Yeah, I D-id” by Laura Elliott 3/28/14