Tag: Midnight Child

YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: This week’s topic is what?

I’ve mentioned in this blog before that even as a teen, I walked the straight and narrow. I’ve always been a good girl. I guess that’s why I had to ask for clarification when I received this week’s topic “LOL! Yeah, that. 4/20 scenes. They go to 11.”

I had absolutely no idea. My mind was a complete blank.

So, like every normal person in today’s society, I googled it.

Dead end there. The only things that popped up were pages with the date 4/20 in the text. Finally, a fellow carnie made a reply that shined some light on it for me. Ohhhh! Pot…mary jane…they’re talking about marijuana. Right? I felt a little like the oooh cat from Puss in Boots.

Sorry, I don’t have any book excerpts that focus on the wacky weed. However, I did stumble across the following selection from Midnight Child about the absolutely wacky Nedda (no weed required). Nedda is Arden’s former mentor and the official historian of the guardians. She holds every detail of that history in her head and thus has been “driven mad by the details”. Hope you find her madness as delightful as I do. Enjoy.

“I do not intend to stay that long,” he said. He couldn’t stay long. That was the thing about Nedda. The longer you stayed, the crazier she became. “I just need…”

He was at a loss for words. What did he need? He needed answers. That’s why he was here, but before he could say that, Continue reading “YA Indie Carnival: This week’s topic is what?” →

Easter Eggs, Midnight Child

Easter Eggs: Midnight Child

Happy Easter everyone! As has now become tradition, I present the 2nd annual Easter egg post. This year’s post is all about “Easter Eggs” (those little hidden treasures) in my newest book, Midnight Child, Book 3 in the Midnight Guardian series.

So, here are the stories behind the story. Enjoy!

frog princess ornament & decorating gingerbread men on Christmas Eve – Keira mentions to Brun that her favorite Christmas ornament is a frog princess. This is a reference to a new trilogy that I’ve been working on.

Continue reading “Easter Eggs: Midnight Child” →

Midnight Child, Midnight Guardian series, Random Ramblings

Giveaways, Appearances, WIPs, and Books OH MY!!!

Here’s the latest in a nutshell, from the chief nut herself…

Enter the NEW Midnight Child giveaway on Goodreads

Book Signing, 10 p.m. to midnight, Silver Screen VII Gallipolis, before The Hunger Games midnight premiere this Thursday night. Get your pic with Peeta (the cardboard version, but hey, who’s gonna know).

Getting up early the next day to be a judge at the annual Speech Meet hosted by Ohio Valley Christian School.

Mogdoc Drawing Contest for middle and highschoolers, deadline was extended to April 8th. Rules are posted to this blog or you can contact Bossard Library in Gallipolis, Ohio for the details. Winner will be announced during Library Week festivities.

Poetry Slam, University of Rio Grande, on the courts outside the Student Center weather permitting, inside Davis Center if rain, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, April 11th. I’m one of the judges, so bring your best. Event hosted by Rio Friends of the Davis Library and the URG English Honor’s Society as part of  Library Week.

Check out Transfer Student, which goes on sale today, written by fellow indie writer and all around nice person Laura A. H. Elliott.

WIP (Work in Progress): Number 1 question I’ve been asked this week…Is Book 4 the end of the Midnight Guardian series? No, I have six books planned. Book 4, Shadows Rising, is slated for tentative release in Fall 2012. The “shadows” from Ann’s campfire story in Book 1 will be prominently featured. Book 5, currently under the working title of For All Time, has an anticipated Spring 2013 release. The final installment, which I’ve given a working title of House of Gammen, will hopefully release in November/December 2013. That’s the plan. However, my aunt tells me that I’ll never be able to stop at six, so we’ll see. I’ve got some other projects in the works that may help me cope with the loss, but more about that later.

Midnight Child, YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: Kiss & ______

This week’s Indie Carnival is all about Kiss and Tell. No doubt, my fellow indies have posted kissing scenes from their brilliant works. They are a very talented bunch, so be sure to check them out.

I posted my kissing scene excerpt too. This is an excerpt from my newest novel, Midnight Child, which releases TODAY!

But you know what? I’m all about the mystery of romance and I’m just a tiny bit mischievous. Therefore, I’ve strategically placed blanks in the excerpt to leave you guessing. Muwahaha!

If you want to make a game of it, put your guesses for the blanks in the comment section for everyone to see. Keep your mind out of the gutter and remember that these books are appropriate for pre-teens as well as teens (as should be anything posted in the comment section or else it will be trashed). If you want a peek at the answers, read the full excerpt. Enjoy!

Excerpt From Midnight Child (Midnight Guardian Series, Book 3)

“You take me back. Take me back,” she screamed.

She pounded against _____’s chest, while he stood calm and still. Her eyes were _______ and her cries more like _______.

“Take me back,” she repeated over and over yet he remained ______.

She grabbed his hand and tried to mimic the motion of opening a threshold. Without his will behind it, her attempts were useless.

“Take me back,” she demanded again.

He turned her around without a ______ and pointed up to the _____ above. Green and blue _____ danced in the sky above the water. It resembled the ________ _______.

Keira wiped a ______ hand across her eyes as her breathing slowed back to normal. The sky was magical and ________ and beautiful. ______ brushed his warm hands over her shoulders and down the _______ of her arms.

He leaned to her ear and whispered, “_____ _____ with me.”

Keira closed her ______ and ________ed.

Brun softly kissed her _______.

She _____ slowly to face him as he put a _______ on the side of her ______. It was ______ and flushed from anger. He closed his eyes and lowered his _____. He could feel the _______ of her breath on his lips. Then, for the second time in her young life, Keira ______ed Brun Gammen, high prince of the Mogdoc Empire.

Wow, that was fun. Now for the rest of the carnival…

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series 2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self 4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog 8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series 10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews 12. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping 14. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls 16. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter 18. TG Ayer
19. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy 20. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21. Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover 22. Courtney Cole Writes
Trailers, YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: To Trailer or Not To Trailer

YA Trailer ParkThere’s a clear choice…To Trailer, duh! Not only do readers love them, but indie authors love making them. It lets us dream a little, gives us a visual image of what our work might look like on the screen.

Fellow YA Indie Carnival Author Suzy Turner has a great book trailer site…the YA Trailer Park (love the name). I highly recommend it for readers and authors alike.

In my experience, there are a few things to consider when creating a professional book trailer.

Cost

Set a budget and stick with it. You don’t have to sacrifice quality. There are plenty of online resources Continue reading “YA Indie Carnival: To Trailer or Not To Trailer” →