new young adult book – Author Bryna Butler

Kirkus Reviews Wrong Side of the Grave

WRONG SIDE OF THE GRAVE
Butler, Bryna
CreateSpace (264 pp.)
$11.99 paperback, $1.99 e-book
ISBN: 978-1507898079; February 21, 2015

BOOK REVIEW BY KIRKUS REVIEWS

An alien who feeds on vampires is stumped when the recently dead in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, are apparently no
longer dead in Butler’s (Book of the Lost, 2013, etc.) YA supernatural thriller.

Eric Jansen is just your typical teenager and drummer for a rock band. Except, when not in human form, he’s a red-eyed,
centuries-old alien who has spurred the local Mothman legend. His food source on Earth is vampires, allowing him to
work in cooperation with a secret government agency. But he becomes the men in black’s first suspect when bodies at
the funeral home start sitting up, walking, and talking. He and his human bestie, Bridget, initiate their own investigation,
while the city folk crowd the cemetery, convinced that subterranean loved ones will soon awaken. Eric, however, fears
that someone may be on to him when Bridget suddenly disappears. This entertaining novel navigates well-trod ground
with style. The vampires, for instance, seem like typical bloodsuckers but are actually aliens that Eric’s kind has
followed to Earth. Both Eric and Bridget are cynical but charmingly so, and endless alien-related puns never get old, like
Eric’s suggestion that “people who live in invisible spaceships shouldn’t throw stones.” Along with a grand plot and
vibrant characters, including the enigmatic Agent Hisato Ikeda whom Eric thinks might be an alien, Butler delivers a
notable mystery/thriller. Dramatic tension is wielded expertly; Eric and Bridget, for example, distrust a funeral director
and news reporter, who may have their own agendas. Butler dabbles into Eric’s background but doesn’t overdo the
flashbacks. The same is true for aliens in general; readers only glimpse the interior of Eric’s concealed spacecraft (and
hear what can only be presumed is alien profanity: “Slux!”). Romance between Eric and Bridget is wonderfully
understated, as everyone but the couple appears to recognize that they’re more than just friends. Limitless possibilities to
explore their relationship, as well as a lingering unconquered foe, give the next book of the proposed series a smashing
head start.

Butler revives the moribund with his fresh take on aliens, vampires, and the undead.

You can also check out the review on the Kirkus website, here.

Mothman Mysteries

The Music behind Mothman Mysteries

Stay with me on this one…

In developing the character of Eric Jansen, an ancient alien masquerading as a teenager, a love of music seemed like a natural fit for him.

So this is how my warped mind works. On Earth, music is one of most loved and oldest forms of communication. Math, which in itself is referred to as a universal language, is at its core. Beat by beat. Measure by measure. Though music has changed over time, some form of it is always in fashion, and we will likely never live in a world without music. Why wouldn’t a long-lived alien latch onto it?

Eric’s love for music led him to learn how to play. He likes simple things, so he plays the drums. Not because it’s a simple instrument to play; it’s not. It’s just that he finds comfort in the simplicity of the beat. It’s true. Genuine. Music at it’s simplest form.

As for his preference to rock, well, that was just me. Though my hubby takes great pleasure in leaving the radio in my car set to the country station, I change it back to rock every time.

As I wrote Wrong Side of the Grave, I listened to a lot of music which is something I don’t typically do while writing. And as I listened, an idea formed on how to take this book to the next level.

I decided to make a playlist for the book. I’ve seen authors post playlists with music that inspired them to write the story, but I wanted this to be something different. What I wanted was a playlist that would enhance the experience of the story. One track for each chapter to convey the emotion behind the story.

I started with classic rock bands because I knew Eric would love that (yes, in my mind he’s real). Some chapters feature songs from U2, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Who, The Eagles, Metallica, and The Rolling Stones. I then sprinkled in some of my favorite songs from the soundtracks of movies that were created from YA books such as Vampire Academy and City of Bones. I added Lenny Kravitz because–let’s face it–the guy practically drips cool. And Lindsey Stirling because her music has this eerie quality where you can practically hear the emotion behind it. Finally, I finished it off with some modern rock favorites like Paramore, Coldplay, and Nickelback.

You’ll find the finished playlist at Spotify where you can listen for free: Wrong Side of the Grave

If you share this post or the playlist, be sure to use the hashtag #mothmanrocks

Take a listen and let me know what you think. Once you get the book start with track number one when you start chapter one and move to track two with chapter two and so on. Succumb to the experience.

Only one legendary creature ROCKS out LOUD!

MM Behind the Scenes, Mothman Mysteries

The Art Behind the Mothman Mysteries: the Cover

In my last “Art Behind” post, we took an in-depth look at the BRAND and the development of Eric’s alien tattoo in the series. In this post, we’ll look at the icing on the cake, the book cover.

As I mentioned before, I’ve used stock photography in the past for my covers, but I wanted something special for this new series. Fortunately, Joshua Labello of Envy Ink was up for the task. I remember having the initial conversation with Josh. I didn’t have an exact idea for the cover, and even if I did, I’m not sure if I would have shared it with him. I hated the idea of limiting his artistic process.

So, instead, I told him about the book and its characters. We talked about genre and YA covers that I liked. He also asked me about marketing and what items from the book might stand out. I told him about Bridget’s red umbrella and how I thought that the red would be a nice splash of color for the cover.

From the initial discussion, Josh started sketching and came up with these two images.

Loved the idea of setting it in the graveyard. The book is about the dead rising and much of it takes place in the cemetery so it only seemed fitting. Also, loved the idea of Eric and Bridget together and Bridget behind Eric. I thought that was important symbolically as she always backs him up.

I looked these two over for a long time before responding. Then, I decided that the first one looked a little too much like a Fabio cover to me. Not that that’s a bad thing, just not what I was looking for in a cover for a clean YA. The second image, however, seemed right on the money, except for one thing.

I had described Eric’s hair as long. Which I realized right away was way too vague. I see how a rocker with long hair would look like this; however, Eric Jansen in my mind looked more like Chace Crawford and less like Bret Michaels. I asked Josh to think more surfer and less 80s hair band.

So, the next round of sketches looked like this.

Eric was shaping up nicely, but Bridget seemed off. Eric often refers to her as a “tiny thing”. I had pictured her as the petite, flat-chested girl next door. I think I described her to Josh as average, but pretty. She’s a good foot shorter than Eric. In this version of the cover, Bridget seemed much younger than Eric. I knew they should appear to be around the same age.

So Josh went to work on Bridget. He needed some reference, so I sent him a pic of Bella Thorne in her Disney days.

And then I didn’t hear back about Bridget for a while. Instead, he kept her under wraps and went to work finalizing the tattoo and “dressing” Eric.

Then one day I got this, and I couldn’t believe how close Bridget looked to how I had pictured her.

Painting time! What color are his eyes again?

Finally, Josh called me into his studio where we had a two-hour session to finalize the cover. He had already sketched the wooded cemetery background.

I watched as he blurred in fog around the tombstones and put in the finishing touches like adjusting the shade of Bridget’s shirt.

Can you spot the differences? Josh couldn’t get it out of his head. So, a little while later, I received a new version that had a few more tweaks: white reflection in the eyes, a little more fog at Eric’s chest, rain bouncing off the umbrella and texture on the black clothing.

Finally, I set the text and we had a cover!

Next time, we’ll look at the music behind the Mothman Mysteries. If you missed my post on the development of the artwork for Eric’s tattoo, you’ll find it here. There’s also a post on Mothman here. Stay up to the minute on Mothman Mysteries news. Now available for ebook preorder at all major online bookstores. Wrong Side of the Grave lands March 3, 2015.

Indie Author Spotlight

Dark Moon by Jeannie Gerber

Love, love, love meeting new authors. I met Jeannie Gerber at this year’s Mothman Festival and learned about her passion for writing. She has now published her first novel, Dark Moon (Full Moon Series #1). Here’s a look…

A dark seeded teen fights her way through the perils of high school, the everyday hassles of authority, social pressures, depression, crash dieting, disgusting acne and repulsive roaming-hand dates. Surviving all of that, Allessandra soon finds out she has an identity that has been hidden from her for nearly seventeen years. Her life will be turned upside-down when a hypnotic state of euphoria leads her on a journey she would rather not take.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Raised in the small community of Jones’ Creek on the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, MD, Jeannie has always dreamed of being a writer. She began seeking any information she could find available from short stories, journalism references and various motivational speakers. The majority of her learning materials were library “How To” books and works of popular authors, such as Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and Dr. Seuss. Writing is her passion, and her creative juices are on a roll! So enjoy her first novel Dark Moon and stay tuned in to Amazon.com for future books of the Full Moon Series.

Visit blog at: jeanniegyanovels.wordpress.com

YA Storytellers

Villain Takeover!

Bryna Butler is well…let’s just say she’s “tied up” at the moment. This Fun Friday the villains are in control as they take over the blogs of the novelists of The Society of YA Storytellers. So don’t panic. Grab up your rock salt, garlic, wooden stakes, iron, silver bullets, and keep reading!

The first day of school was very strange for me. I’d never gone to school. I’d never needed to. My sister and I learned everything we needed from our parents. Mostly our mother. Witchcraft was something they didn’t teach in school. Continue reading “Villain Takeover!” →

Book of the Lost, Midnight Guardian series, Trailers

Midnight Guardian No. 5 Trailer

It’s almost here! Book of the Lost (Book 5, Midnight Guardian Series) is coming November 30th. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer and don’t forget to follow my channel on YouTube, www.youtube.com/thebutlerwroteit