Tag: lm preston

YA Storytellers

My Fun Friday Top 10 for 10/10

funfridays

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.”

 

Cover Love, YA Storytellers

Fun Friday: Cover Love

funfridays

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…

daisy_ebookSuzy 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.

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

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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.

sacrificecoverredo

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.

Blood Rule Medium

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

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

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

Prince of Wolves Createspace (4)

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.

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

SnowFlatRightWords (2)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.

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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.

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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/

Guest Posts

Are You Coming to LM’s Party?

LM Preston has released her newest novel, The Pack-Retribution and she’s asked me to join in the excitement. Hope you’ve been following my recent posts about some cool YA authors. That’s all part of the excitement that I’m talking about. And there’s more this weekend…

TWITTER PARTY: Friday, 9/28 at 7pm-9pm EST, use the hashtag #ThePackRetributionParty and @LM_Preston prizes include $10 Amazon Gift cards for 3 winners & books, swag prizes – my (Bryna’s) handle is @mogdocnews

FACEBOOK PARTY on Saturday 9/29 – http://www.facebook.com/events/337549946331607/

Spotlight Authors, trivia games, food, itunes gift cards, list of freebie party favors, interactive chatting, singing, dancing, nonstop games, music, prizes and free stuff!! Author segments each hour that are themed and more giveaways!!!

Prize list:

– itunes gift cards
– free books of course 😀
– Swag galore from multiple authors and so much more

11am – LM Preston Opens Party
12pm – KaSonndra Leigh
1pm – Nicole Olea
2pm – LM Preston
3pm – Emma Michaels
4pm – Nicole Langdan (Tribute-Books)
5pm – Nicole Langdan (Tribute-Books)
6pm – Nagede
7pm – Lindsey Sablowski
8pm – Bryna Butler
9pm – Christina Leigh Pritchard
10pm – LM Preston Closing Party

BIG GIVEAWAY – Go here to Enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bc05447/
Check out LM Preston’s
THE PACK – RETRIBUTION, Revenge has met it’s match, and she has someone worth fighting for….
Guest Posts

Guest Spotlight: Nadege Richards

Author Nadege Richards
[Nah-dej]

Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadège has traveled to five other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the world some day. Her name is of French origin, though she’s never been to France (she’s actually West Indian-American!). Forever a lover of art and all things pertaining to Literature, she hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity or fame. She wrote her first novel about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her biggest inspiration, and the occasional cup of coffee. She enjoys being part of the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.

When not reading, writing, and blogging obsessively, she’s usually found hiking, studying, camping, or at home with her family. She’s been a martial artist for two years, a singer for three, and always seeks a common ground in everything. She considers her writing very personal, as she’s always been a private person. She enjoys writing about what could or should happen, rather than what did happen–she’s a dreamer and a procrastinator.

Her debut novel, Burning Bridges, is her first completed novel. It isn’t her first try in the writing world, but it’s a tale about two lovers she hopes will change the way people view one another. She loves getting email so feel free to stalk her and ask questions!

Excerpt:

I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I was going to die tonight. There was no escaping it or any way around it. I couldn’t run from my destiny this time; I couldn’t hide. No, tonight I faced my fate in the chambers of death. The screams of the crowd in the arena filled my ears, the shouts of excitement and laughter boiling my heart down to nothing but untainted sorrow. I refused to open my eyes, but I could sense where I was by that rusty smell of metal and dried blood Father brought home with him every day. The shackles that bound my ankles and wrists to the wall confirmed it. I was a prisoner in my own home, my own Haven. I couldn’t fathom how in forty-eight hours my life had taken a complete three-sixty spin, but here I was, locked in the dungeon of my father’s kingdom, hidden from the world until it was my time to surface.

Get to know Nadege:

Blog Link: http://www.authornadegerichards.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-bleeding-heart-trilogy.html

About her books: http://www.authornadegerichards.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-bleeding-heart-trilogy.html

This post is part of the LM Preston mini blog tour to celebrate the debut of her newest novel, The Pack-Retribution. Find out more at www.lmpreston.com

Guest Posts

Guest Post by Emma Michaels

Favorite character you have written
The first novel in my new series is being released on October 13th and features my favorite character I have ever written. While you might expect it to be the main character, Iris, it is actually her friend and the woman hired to help her with her health; Diana. Diana has a special place in my heart because she is based off someone I cared about deeply. Growing up I had a best friend who was practically my sister. I stayed at her house more than my own home and we were inseparable.

I was raised by a single dad and she was being raised by a single mother so while there I became very attached to her mother Diana who taught me a lot about kindness, sacrifice and unconditional love. In the end, she sacrificed herself for her children in a tragic accident and while they all could have died, she made sure she was the only one hit saving her three children.

For a long time I didn’t feel like I could talk to anyone about it because she wasn’t my mother and I felt I had no right to feel the way I did. While writing Owlet, at first I named the character Diana, not sure why I was doing it but as it went on I realized that I really did imagine the character in my novel as a younger version of the woman I had known and loved.

While almost all of my characters have no one in my life they are based on, she does and somehow that makes her character even closer to my heart. The character Diana, in Owlet is my way of keeping the woman I had loved alive along with the beliefs she instilled in me.

Thank you for having me on your blog, to everyone reading and to LM Preston for hosting this wonderful tour! Stop by her Facebook page on September 9th for a chance to join in the party for The Pack – Retribution! It is going to be a blast!

Thank you to Emma Michaels for stopping by the blog today. Get to know Emma:

Author Website: www.EmmaMichaels.com
Buy Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Emma-Michaels/e/B004FVEL1E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1313195938&sr=8-1
Owlet – New series – Coming this October 13th!
Blog Link: http://OurBooksOurVoice.Blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/emma.michaels.90
Google +: https://plus.google.com/109620774060183226988#109620774060183226988/posts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EmmaMichaels
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4104941.Emma_Michaels