A Love For Lit

Indie Book of the Day: Feb. 29

Today's Indie Book of the Day is: Open Minds by @SusanKayeQuinnSynopsis: When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden u

Indie Interview: Harper Jayne

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?That's too difficult to answer with a single volume. I've read a lot, and much of what I have read has influenced me. I draw a great deal of inspiration from other writers, but mainly in the taste of their words as opposed to their ideas or styles.Some of the books I can point to as having been major influences on me include Tad William's Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy and Otherworld series; Weis and Hickman's first two Dragonlance trilogies; David Weber's Honor Harrington books; Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics and American God

Today's Indie Book of the Day is: Parallel by @ClaudiaLefeve Synopsis: Destiny has a way of catching up. Saddled with powers she doesn't understand, Etta Fleming's world is turned upside-down the day she meets Cooper Everett, the man who transports her to an alternate reality. A reality she was meant to be a part of. One minute, she's an orphan living at Dominion House for Girls, an institution for delinquent foster kids, then finds herself attending the exclusive Dominion Hall Academy. Plucked from the only world she's ever known, Etta now has to deal wit

Excerpt from Blood Oath, Book 2 in the Gabby Girls Adventure Series - to be released March 6, 2012Excerpt Chapter 2His eyes softened slightly. His finger gently trailed along my cheek. “I see traces of her, but this is a path that I cannot stray from.” With malice-laced eyes, he reached expertly across his shoulders and pulled out two wicked-looking swords from the leather sheaths attached on his back by the slings. The swords, combusted into flames, making him look like an avenging angel, all glowing and shining, with soulless eyes.A feeling of anxiousness knotted deep in the pit of my stoma

ALIGNED features two minor characters from EXILED (book 1 in the Immortal Essence series). It's about Ith and Aetha, the "God's" of the planet Kelari. The story is told in first person from Ith's (the dude) point of view. Here's a SNEAK PEAK of the first few paragraphs in ALIGNED (.5 in the Immortal Essence series): I am someone. But, I have no idea who. There is a planet called Earth, with one sun and one moon. That isn’t where I live. How am I sure? Two suns and two moons rotate across my sky. The name of this planet is Kelari. My home is in a cave at the base of a mountain peak. From

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?A Wrinkle In Time was the book that made me really want to be a writer. I loved how original and creative it was and how while reading it I was able to get swept away from reality for a time.2. First book you ever remember reading?Ramona Quimby Books, by Beverly Cleary3. How do you pick your character's names?The Romanian names I picked according to their meanings. The others honestly there was non rhyme or reason. I just thought about names that sounded good together and tried them out til I found some that I felt fit.4 Name

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?Anne of Green Gables2. First book you ever remember reading?Harriet the Spy3. How do you pick your character's names?Online baby name sites4. Name an excellent indie book that you think needs more recognition.Eden by Keary Taylor5. Share some quotes you love! Either from your book or someone else's!“Everyone has something they can’t live without. I’ll find out what it is for you, never you fear.” She meant to speak lightly, but at the look on his face, her voice trailed off into uncertainty. He was looking at her with an odd s

Indie Interview: Dawn Rae Miller

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?When I was in high school I went on a F. Scott Fitzgerald bender, followed by a JD Salinger mania. Both Bernice Bobs Her Hair by Fitzgerald and For Esme - with Love and Squalor made me want to write.2. First book you ever remember reading?Danny and the Dinosaur, but the only reason I remember reading it is because I got in trouble for refusing to show my dad I could do it.3. How do you pick your character's names?I like off-beat names that don't sound too "out there." Mostly, I use names leftover from when I named my kids.4. N

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?I'd like to say something wonderfully classic and high-brow to try and sound intelligent, but the reality is that after four years of academic English Literature at university it was JK Rowling and Harry Potter in 2003 that got me interested in story telling again.2. First book you ever remember reading?Cosmo the Conjurer3. How do you pick your character's names?My most regular resource is baby names websites - I like the characters names to have some meaning that relates to their role in a story or their personality.4. Name a

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?Most definitely Jonathan Stroud's 'The Amulet of Samarkand'. I reference Amanda Hocking a lot for admiring her determination, but it was Jonathan's writing that completely made me want to be even more of a writer than I already was!2. First book you ever remember reading?Probably an Amelia Bedelia book, or Clifford!Unless you mean one of my first YA books? That would probably be Cate Tiernan's SWEEP series.3. How do you pick your character's names?I rarely 'pick' a name for a character. More often than not they come in my head

Coming soon: Interview with Hunter Feenie from "Enchantment" and "Taken"Howdy there, I'd love to do a guest post to entertain all y'all lovely ladies but I gotta get ready for a book launch. Seems Ms. Abel done waited too dang long to git all her stuff together.She's still trying to decide on a cover for "Taken" for gosh sake and the dang book's supposed to be published this coming Friday! Can you believe that? Me neither!If you ain't had a chance to read "Enchantment" yet, ya might wanna git on it. I play a much bigger part in "Taken" so you'll want to be sure you're all set to go.Once we ge

The last thing Callie Alexander expected to receive for her sixteenth birthday was the power to freeze time, but that’s exactly what she gets, whether she wants it or not. With no time to adjust to her new talent, she discovers both her worst enemy and her best friend, along with several other girls are each descendants of the nine Greek Muses, now blessed with various magic abilities.Between visions of the future and ghosts of the past they come to realize not everything is as it appears and something wicked is pursuing them. Can they learn to put aside their childhood jealousies and fears i

Indie Sneak Peek w/ Alivia Anders

The second book to The Illumine Series By @AliviaAnders.Book 1 in the SeriesSynopsis: Essallie Hanley just wishes her life could go back to normal. But what's normal when you carry the burden of knowing you're a half-angel created for war, that the only person who can help you is a demon still waiting to kill you, and that your only chance for salvation lied in a boy who died in front of you?If Essallie had turned her back on everything she'd learned, she could have made the most of her fractured life. That is, until Kayden told her that she's a ticking time-bomb; that at any given moment her

Indie Interview: Charlotte Abel

1. How do you pick your character's names?I don't pick them, they tell me. They also tell me what sort of sports they play, where they live and who they want to fall in love with.I wanted Josh to be a male cheerleader but he flat out refused ... said he was a BMX racer and didn't care one bit that I didn't know anything about the sport and had to do a ton of research before writing his story. Stubborn boy!2. Name an excellent indie book that you think needs more recognition.There's so many! "Beg for Mercy" by Shannon Dermott "The Destiny Series" by Nancy Straight "The Premonition Series" by A

Guest Post: How do authors approach their writing? w/ Amy Maurer Jones

Contributed by @AmyJonesSQWhat does the author of a story do first in her writing adventure? Does she draw up the plot or create her characters? Stephanie Meyer once said that her idea for Twilight blossomed from a dream. She dreamt about a beautiful, magical boy who fell in love with a lovely mortal teenage girl. She envisioned the two star crossed lovers in a quiet meadow. In the same interview she mentioned that the famous meadow scene from Twilight was the first scene written even though we all know it didn’t take place until close to the middle of the story. If this is true one could mak

Indie Interview: Riana Lucas

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?The popularity of Twilight brought me back to reading as a hobby. After spending years and years avoiding reading at all costs, I picked up an US magazine on the 2008 Winter Olympics and a gymnast said this was the book she was reading right now. I had no idea at the time that I would be picking up a young adult book, much less a vampire romance. The way that Twilight caused me to be nervous, giddy at times and happy for a character inspired me to not only read more, but write more. If you can cause a reader to "feel" somethin

First Look w/ Keary Taylor

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor to be released in April 2012.Synopsis: Getting drunk Homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat. His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again. When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute.

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself? When I was in sixth grade, I was obsessed with Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. We had to read it for class. At that point I had been writing a lot of poetry for a couple of years, but I began writing short stories shortly thereafter. I can't say that it was one book exclusively that got me into writing because I loved so many. But there is something in the message of the book - that we should pursue our passions to the fullest extent of our abilities - that has stuck with me. And I feel like that is exactly wha

Indie Author Month: Week 4

Week 4 - February 22 (Wed.) to 29 (Wed.):Guest Posts: Susan Kaye Quinn 2/22, Amy Maurer Jones 2/24, Charlotte Abel 2/27.Interviews: Martha Bourke 2/22, Riana Lucas 2/23, Charlotte Abel 2/24, Mel Cusick-Jones 2/25, Dawn Rae Miller 2/25, Nikki Jefford 2/26, Alivia Anders 2/27, Quinn Loftis 2/27, Haper Jayne 2/28.Sneak Peak: Mel Cusick-Jones 2/22, Keary Taylor 2/22, RaShelle Workman 2/27, T.L. Clarke 2/27.

Contributed by Susan Kaye QuinnAre you considering self-publishing? If so, that means you are the publisher, so you need to think like a publisher. If you're considering going indie, ask yourself these questions to see if this path is right for you and your book(s):1) Is your craft ready?Have you written more than one or two books? Do you have a writing group or a stable of critique partners who you can call on for feedback? Do you feel confident in your storytelling and your writing craft? You are more likely to find success as an indie writer if you have hit your stride as a writer, rather

Addison Moore author of the Celestra Series optioned for film by 20th Century Fox.1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself? For sure this is easy, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Loved her writing style! I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t had a chance to pick it up yet.2. First book you ever remember reading?I used to read the Romona novel series by Beverly Cleary. I loved those!3. How do you pick your character's names? Gah! I agonize over names. In fact, nothing stumps the process more than naming my characters. It’s like naming children you have to

DESCRIPTION of The Kiss Off:When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global.A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped.Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock

1. What book inspired you most before you became a writer yourself?The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley2. First book you ever remember reading?By myself? Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by O'Brien3. How do you pick your character's names?I actually hold a lot of contests for this. It's hard! :D4. Name an excellent indie book that you think needs more recognition.Beautiful Demons by Sarra CannonKindle | Nook

Indie Sneak Peek: Mel Cusick-Jones

Check out the Excerpt below for Outlanders by Melanie Cusick-Jones:Kindle | Nook

Contributed by Hope CollierWorld building is one of the most important factors of a good story. It puts the reader in a place they've never been otherwise, so it's imperative they grasp the full concept laid down by the author. Unique details make this place its own universe filled with distinct (and oftentimes inhuman) characters, a government with unusual politics, and an unfamiliar social structure. The author has to take into consideration factors like the weather, varying laws, architecture, landscape, history, settings, biological factors such as animals and plants, mythology and so on.

Indie First Look w/ Brea Essex

I'm currently working on the first book of another series, which should be out later this year. The book is called "Ouroboros". It will be there first book of The Zayin Chronicles.Here's the blurb:Imagine waking up in the hospital to find someone in your room that only you could see.When eighteen-year-old Rhiannon wakes from a coma after a rock-climbing accident, she finds a strange guy in her room. He seems to be invisible to everyone—and he needs her help.Zac is a Zayin, one of an elite fighting team. The problem is: he’s dead. He needs Rhiannon’s help to find his body so he can stop the se

****GIVEAWAY: Anybody who comments on this post AND tweets: I just read an #excerpt of TRANSFER STUDENT by @Laurawriting and can’t wait for the Blog Tour 2/29-3/20 #teenreads #kindle #ya And also FOLLOWS @Laurawriting will get a free signed Transfer Student bookmark and will be entered to win an ebook ARC! [Laura will follow you back so you can DM her your address]****Synopsis:Two Worlds––Two Teens––One WishGeek Rhoe and Surfer Ashley would never be friends. Even if they lived on the same planet. But, they’ll become so much more. They’ll transfer.Earthling Ashley’s world revolves around winni