The End of Chapter 2012

12/31/2012 0 Comments

2012 is just about done, the end of another chapter. Tomorrow we’ll be starting chapter 2013. Too bad we can’t skim through it to see what’s going to happen. :)

2012 was a year of growth and education for me, which makes me wonder what 2013 has in store. Here are some of the things that happened to me in 2012:

1.) I got my editor, and he’s awesome. I’m grateful to have him in my life.

2.) I got a day job. I had taken over a year off to write, but then felt bad because Kevin was working and I wasn’t. Besides, I figured the extra income would help us out a lot and allow us to reach our future goals faster. I was right, and I have one of the best jobs in town for a girl–I think.

3.) I learned how to publish my book.

4.) I got a wonderful cover artist who is now doing the cover to Dark Spirits. She’s great.

5.) I learned how to do a book trailer, and despite being illiterate in technology, I did it. Yay, me.

6.) I learned a lot about the mechanics in publishing, which includes ISBN, copyrighting, etc.

7.) I published Beyond the Eyes.

8.) I faced some of my fears, which is a BIG one. The following are the fears I had to face.

     A.) Nobody liking my book and getting nothing but bad reviews.

     B.) Doing a podcast. I was so scared about being interviewed on internet radio, but come to find out we had the highest rating, outranking their affiliates that same night. Not bad for my first time doing something like that.

     C.) Doing a book signing. I was so scared nobody would show up, but they did!

     D.) Doing a TV interview. Ohmygod! I was scared to death! The day before the interview, I found out I had pneumonia, but I did it anyway. :)

9.) I joined Goodreads, which I love. I also joined Pinterest, Twitter, and finally created an author page on Facebook. I joined other sites as well, but those are the main ones.

10.) I met and became friends with some awesome authors. They’re all great!

11.) I’ve learned, and I’m still learning this whole marketing thing. However, things are clicking, and I think by the end of 2013, I’ll have a formula down that will work. If so, I’ll share it with you guys. :)

There are other things, but those are the ones I can recall at the moment. I think 2013 could be an interesting chapter. Dark Spirits will be published in February (hopefully), and I’m aiming to publish The Devil’s Third at the end of 2013. I still have a lot to learn, but that’s okay. That’s one of the main reasons why we’re here, right? To learn and grow.

I hope you guys have a safe and Happy New Year! :)

0 comments:

Book Review-Time’s Twisted Arrow by Rysa Walker

12/28/2012 2 Comments

The genre this book falls under is young adult with a sci-fi, historical flair to it. However, it can be enjoyed by adults as well. There is no doubt about that. I’m an adult, although I don’t feel like one, and I totally got into this book.

I give this book five stars *****

Seventeen-year-old Kate is the main character in this imaginative tale. When Kate’s grandmother tells her she has inherited designer DNA from the time-traveling historians of CHRONOS (Chrono-Historical Research Organization and Natural Observation Society), Kate is taken aback by this information. However, she can’t deny how she can see a blaring blue light cast by an odd looking medallion her grandmother carries with her. Nobody can see its brilliance, but Kate and the people who carry this gene. And when Kate holds it, she can feel an intense pulse of energy.
 
Kate’s grandmother was born in 2282, and she’s a historian who used to work for CHRONOS. When she worked for them, she specialized in women’s political movements and would travel to the sites where history was being made. The key or medallion is a portable unit that allowed Kate’s grandmother and other people who worked for CHRONOS to return to headquarters when their research was complete. Because Kate has the gene, it gives her the ability to activate the medallion, and she can set the coordinates to where she wants to be transported to.

Each continent has a certain number of destination points, which are called stable points, where you can transport to, like for example a barn in Chicago. Kate’s grandfather Saul had sabotaged CHRONOS for his own personal agenda, which stranded the teams at their various locations. Kate’s grandmother was stranded in 1969, and unbeknownst to Saul, she was pregnant with twins. One of the twins was Kate’s mother. But the kicker is this, Katherine (grandmother) was murdered at the age of twenty-two on a research trip, which means she never gave birth, and therefore Kate doesn’t exist. Of course she does because of the medallion. But one night, a rogue time-traveler takes it from her grandmother, and she blinks out of existence. Now it’s up to Kate to go back to 1893 and restore the time line.

It seems like a piece-of-cake, right? Go back in time, change a few things, and jump back to your time line. It’s not though. Kate’s grandfather Saul has people working for him. His objective is to change the world by tweaking history and becoming its leader through a religious group he invented called Cyrist. He fashions himself as a Messiah, making predictions that obviously come true because he knows about them ahead of time, and the people working for him aims to thwart Kate’s plans in saving her grandmother’s life.

And then there’s Kiernan. He’s not only good-looking, but Kate’s ally and somebody she had a love affair with when she was in a different time line but doesn’t remember it. Kiernan remembers, though, and does what he can to help her.

Now throw Trey into the mix. Trey is another hot guy Kate falls in love with, and he knows about her lot in life. She meets him after a temporal aberration in the time line occurs, where now her mom doesn’t exist, and her dad doesn’t know her.

I have to say this story is a mind *BLEEP*. It reminds me of the movie The Butterfly Effect. I think Rysa is brilliant for creating a tale that makes you wonder if there’s some truth to this.

Are there time-travelers that can alter the time line to bend history a bit?

Who the *BLEEP* knows?

This is the first book in a series, and I can’t wait to read the second one. I definitely recommend this book, and I have to say, this story would make a cool movie.
 
 

2 comments:

Thank You

12/27/2012 0 Comments

I want to thank everybody for participating in this blog hop. This was my first time doing one, and I had fun. I already picked and contacted the winner. I do think I’m a day ahead of myself, but if you remember, I had problems with that Rafflecopter. For some reason it wouldn’t allow me to set the time or add more than two options.

Oh, well.

I will be doing more awesome giveaways in the near future. My second book to my YA paranormal series will be out sometime in February, and I have really cool prizes planned for it.

I can’t wait!

You guys will love it.

I also want to thank you for your holiday wishes and support. It means a lot to me. I wish all of you the same and to have a Happy New Year! :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a book review.

Until then, sweet dreams. <3

0 comments:

Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop December 21st -27th

12/20/2012 133 Comments




The Mid-Winters Eve Blog hop is hosted by Kathy at ‘I Am A Reader, Not A Writer’ and is Co-hosted by ‘Oasis for YA.’ Here is how it works: A bunch of blogs sign up to host a giveaway and then we link up together (using the linky list below) which enables everyone who’s participating in the hop, as well as all of our collective followers, to visit each giveaway blog. This allows blogs to get new followers and followers to find new blogs. Not to mention it’s fun to enter the giveaways.

The Mid-Winters Eve Blog Hop begins December 21st at 12:00 a.m. and ends December 27th at 11:59 p.m.

THE PRIZE

One lucky follow will win a $15.00 gift card to Amazon

THE RULES

This prize will be delivered by email, typically within 24 hours of responding to my notification email. Everyone who enters must be legally able to do so. Please follow all the rules for the hop entries. I do check them, so don’t cheat. The winner will have 48 hours to respond after I send out the notification email, if I do not hear from you, I’ll choose an alternate winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

F.Y.I.

This is the first time I've used this Rafflecopter and for some reason it's only allowing me to give two options in this giveaway. So, if you like my Facebook page: http://www.Facebook.com/RebekkahFord2012 and tweet about the giveaway, I'll add two more points each to your entry, which will then give you 4 extra points. However, you need to let me know so I can add them to your entry.


Don’t forget to hop down the line and enter ALL the giveaways!


List of blogs

133 comments:

Book Review on Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade/Young Adult

Hardcover: 496 pages

Blurb:

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath–someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s somewhere she does belong, and that staying with her family will put her in grave danger. In a blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come "home." There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory–secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans–that other people desperately want. Would even kill her.

I give this story 4 stars


I’ve been following Shannon Messenger for a while now and remember when she was going through edits with this book and how hard she worked on it. I think her hard work has paid off, and she’s a delightful author to follow.

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster is a wonderful character. When she was five, she had hit her head which somehow triggered her telepathic abilities. She now can hear people’s thoughts; however, she never tells anybody about it, and she silently suffers through all the noises in her head and the migraines it produces.

Sophie is a prodigy, and although she’s only twelve, she has advanced to the twelfth grade to the dismay of some of her senior classmates.

The story begins with Sophie on a class field trip at a museum. She notices a strikingly good-looking boy with dark hair and startling blue eyes, staring at her. His name is Fitz. He’s a Telepath like Sophie, and he tells her she’s not human–she’s an elf like him. Of course she laughs in his face, and she says, "Fine. I’m an elf. Am I supposed to help Frodo destroy the ring and save Middle-earth? Or do I have to make toys in the North Pole?" Shannon made me chuckle when I read that line.

Anyway, Fitz pulls out his pathfinder–a silver wand with a small, round crystal on its tip–and convinces her to go with him. Sophie is whisked away to another realm. Shannon did a marvelous job creating a world with crystal castles, snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys and people with abilities us as humans would consider magic.

Sophie and Fitz land in Lumenari, which is one of the lost cities. It’s where all the worlds come together: gnomes, dwarves, ogres, goblins, trolls. Fitz explains to her about the government structure, cast system, and generally how everything works in the lost cities. I thought the whole set-up was awesome, and it made me want to live there. Maybe because money has nothing to do with social rank. Everybody has a fine house. Their world is based on talent, and there’s a city designed for the type of work they do.

I thought this was a good book, but what bothered me about it was I thought Shannon was channeling Harry Potter’s world a bit. For example, Sophie is taken to a working-class city called Mysterium, to get some medicine. The town reminded me of Diagon Alley. Especially, when Sophie enters a shop called "SLURPS AND BURPS: YOUR MERRY APOTHECARY." However, she did meet Dex there, and he’s one of my favorite characters.

Another example is when Sophie had to lick a silver strip on her locker which uses her DNA to open it. The strip has a flavor that each faculty member choices, and it reminded me of Bertie Botts. And honestly, if this story had continued mirroring Harry Potter’s world, I would have stopped reading it.

Thank god it didn’t.

So to sum the story up before this review becomes a book itself, Sophie is a prodigy. She has gifts that were stored into her memory but nobody knows by whom. This tale shows how she’s adjusting to her new world and discovering who she really is. It doesn’t answer who her real parents are or who created her and why? I guess we’ll have to wait for the next book to find out, which I’ll definitely be reading when it comes out.

0 comments:

Author Feature

I’m doing an author feature on Amelia Mah. Check out what she sent me. 





FANGS RULE

A self help guide by Amy Mah (vampire) for teenage vampire girls, the guide is fully illustrated by manga Artist Heby and is written in an easy to follow A - Z format explaining everything a teenage vampire girl would need to know about living life as a modern vampire. What is fashionable to wear when eating out? Fang maintenance & how to keep your claws sharp. Should you let a boy bite you on the first date? Easy to understand clear advice is given to every day problems. Example: When you get an urge to bite: We all get those normal urges to bite things, and I must point out it is very normal. Claws are all well and good in a fight but a bite gives the extra advantage of getting a refreshing drink at the same time. Lots of girls worry about showing their fangs in public believing that to show your fangs is rude, but don't be shy, they can be a girls greatest asset (ok second greatest asset). If a boy is being rude to you, don't just snarl at him, bite him! You are a vampire, why do you think you have sharp teeth, if not for sinking them into a boy that is being rude to you. Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMhjAR4nDg 
 
VAMPIRE


Today's world is difficult for everyone, especially teenagers. They face the stresses of school, deciding whom to date, and the biggie of sex, just to name a few. Imagine all of those things ten times worse, and you might get an idea of what it's like being a living, breathing teenage vampire. At last, the world can read about the life of a girl with good teeth, her problems with strong sunlight that gave her spots, and the sunblock that made her hair go yucky and produced more spots. Yes, sunlight was dangerous, as she could be the first teenager in history to die from terminal acne! In her everyday life, older vampires expected her to walk about at night in the traditional female uniform, a see-through, 18th-century nightdress, without undies! Well, this female vampire knew why the cold winds blowing along the corridors were called, "male winds," so she wore her see-through nightdress over jeans and a very thick jumper. To be sure that people would still know she was a vampire, the jumper had a very large, pink bat on it. And as to guys, well, it was normal for a girl to dream about guys; she just wished the dreams could have involved chocolates and holding hands, not leaping out at someone, ripping off his shirt, and demanding to know what blood type he was (at least not on the first date).

About the Author

The Author Amelia Mah is a 20 something snarky, sarcastic and cynical author who has a very popular blog of how she sees the world from the point of view of a modern teenage vampire. Following the success of her first book "FANGS RULE A girls guide to being a vampire" she had now expanded the idea of life as a teenage vampire into a full novel. Amelia has given her avatar her own name so you can see the world first hand from a very bored teenage vampire that has been forced to remain a teenager for far too long. She may have very good teeth and the ability to hang from ceilings, but life is far from easy. Today's world is difficult for everyone, especially teenagers. They face the stresses of school, deciding whom to date, and the biggie of sex, just to name a few. Imagine all of those things ten times worse, and you might get an idea of what it's like being a living, breathing teenage vampire. At last, the world can read about the life of a girl with good teeth, her problems with strong sunlight that gave her spots, and the sunblock that made her hair go yucky and produced more spots. Yes, sunlight was dangerous, as she could be the first teenager in history to die from terminal acne!

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiAPGb2PPnw 
Email: amymahvampire@aol.com

Website: www.fangsrule.com

Amazon links:

http://www.amazon.com/Fangs-Rule-Girls-Guide-Vampire/dp/1874192480/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1351539992&sr=8-5&keywords=amy+mah+vampire 
http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Night-Life-Amy-Mah/dp/1874192626/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351540030&sr=1-4&keywords=amy+mah+vampire 
goodread links

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9676513-fangs-rulehttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15751638-amy-mah-vampire 

0 comments:

Rough Draft

12/10/2012 , 0 Comments

I did something I’m not suppose to do with my rough draft: I reread what I have written so far in my third book to my YA paranormal series. However, I have a good excuse. I haven’t touched it in months and need to finish writing it. Honestly, I forgot some of the things I wrote. So yeah, I broke one of the rules to writing a novel, but I had to. I finished rereading it on Saturday morning, so now I can complete the rest of the story.

Yay!

I do see revisions in my future, but that’s okay. Every book goes through revisions, and once I’m done with THE DEVIL’S THIRD it’ll kickass.

Anyway, I enjoy writing the rough draft to all my stories. I generally make it a rule not to go over the book or try to edit it until the draft is complete. There are writers who will write a chapter and afterwards they’ll review it for errors. If you’re one of them don’t do that. It slows the process and takes longer to churn out your novel. You’ll have plenty of time to go over it afterwards.


Believe me.

Of course, I’d love to have my first draft be perfect. Who wouldn’t? But in reality that doesn’t happen, and take it from Ernest Hemingway who said, "The first draft is always shit." So park the critic in you and write your story.

0 comments:

Quick Update

12/07/2012 , , 0 Comments

I’ve been crazy busy this week at work which has put me behind in my writing stuff. But here’s a quick update on where I am on my continuous writing and publishing journey . . .

1.) My editor finished editing DARK SPIRITS and now the manuscript is resting until I decide to read it one more time before I get it formatted. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my work and want my manuscript to sparkle--like Edward Cullens does on a sunny day--before I publish it. I think I’ll start reading it sometime next week.

2.) This week I’ve been reading over what I have written in my third book to my YA paranormal series. The rough draft is only halfway done; however, I wanted to read what I have so far before I finish drafting it. Because frankly, it’s been months since I’ve worked on it, and I need to get reacquainted with the story. I’ve forgotten some of the things I’ve written, and I’m having fun reading it.

3.) I’m still trying to figure out this whole marketing thing. Did you know you’re only suppose to spend 30% of your time marketing and 70% of your time writing? I’ll have to work on that.

4.) Last weekend I finally did a Facebook author page, thanks to an author friend of mine who gave me the push to do so. I was afraid it would eat up more of my time, which I have very little of, but it hasn’t. Honestly, I have to admit, I really like it. I’ve been meeting other authors through liking their Facebook author pages.

If you’re an author, I strongly suggest doing a Facebook author page. After you do it, go to World Literary Caf
é. Here’s the link: http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/
Join their site and click on Facebook Likes. There’s a huge list of authors you can click on and like their Facebook page, and if you’re lucky they’ll return the favor. Once you like their pages, you get their posts and that’s how you connect with them. I think. It’s fun, and I love connecting with other authors. Here’s my Facebook author page link: http://www.facebook.com/RebekkahFord2012
I’d appreciate it if you would check it out and click the like button. As of this moment, I’m almost to 100 likes, which rocks. :)

5.) I’m doing a giveaway on Goodreads, as you can see on the side of this post. I’m giving away two signed paperback copies of BEYOND THE EYES with a cool bookmark to go with it. It’s free to enter and really easy to do. In fact, if you go to Goodreads and click on their giveaways, it’s like being in a candy store–at least for me it is. There are tons and tons of book giveaways you can enter. It’s awesome.

6.) I’ve been working with my cover artist, and I’m hoping it’ll be done when I’m ready to format DARK SPIRITS.

7.) I met an author who is totally cool. Her name is Rysa Walker. I just bought her book TIME’S TWISTED ARROW and will be doing a book review for her. You can check out her book here:

http://www.amazon.com/Times-Twisted-Arrow-CHRONOS-ebook/dp/B009Z6BGJY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354759897&sr=1-1&keywords=rysa+walker+in+kindle

She bought my book as well and will be reviewing it.

Authors helping authors. Isn’t it great?
 

0 comments:

Interview With YA Author Felicia Tatum

12/03/2012 , , 0 Comments

Author Felicia Tatum is here today to talk about her YA book ‘The White Aura.’ I’m happy to have her here, and I’m looking forward to reading her book.
Hi, Felicia. Thanks for stopping by. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Heya, Rebekkah! Let’s see…I’m 25 and a single mommy to a 4 year old girl and a cat. I love reading, writing, and cooking. Not all at the same time though, I’d burn the house down. I dance while I drive. I’m a really random person, if you can’t tell. Did I mention I love writing? J

Tell us about your debut novel ‘The White Aura’ and how you came up with the concept for this book.

Here is the info about the book: How do you live with the gut clenching truth that the one you love will die if you meet them? Twenty year old sorcerer Scott Tabors is learning how. After seeing seventeen year old Olivia Whitehead outside of a coffee shop, his heart will never be the same. He longs for her, he wants her, and he knows she will be his. They are heart mates. …but due to a curse on his family, he can’t meet her. Not yet. So for now, he visits her in her dreams. Her dreams where he can tell her everything but his name.

Olivia Whitehead is a typical junior in high school. She and her best friend are having the time of their lives, but she can’t help but notice the changes happening to her. Especially the changes in her heart after she begins dreaming about a mysterious dark haired young man. But what will happen when the school heartthrob decides he wants Olivia? Will she realize the dream man is real or will she move on?


The idea came to me after two months of me dreaming I became an author. I didn’t know the book or any information, just that I was an author. So I started writing…another story. That night, I dreamed of this one and the words just flowed after that.



Did you do an outline of this story before you wrote it?

Nope. I didn’t know anything about writing a novel and had no clue people even outlined at that point.

What character do you identify the most with?

I think I’m most like Olivia, one of my main characters. She’s really insecure about herself at times, which is so me, and she’s in the process of finding herself. I’m still finding myself, so I can realllllly relate to that. Luckily, writing helps me. I can’t tell you what ends up helping her ;)

Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

Sadie! She is so sassy and I love it. She’s blunt and loves to put everyone in their place. She’s a bit like me, too.

Do you have plans to write another book after this series?

Oh, yes! I literally dream up my book ideas. I’ve got a notebook full of dreams I’ve had that are going to be wonderful books.

What is your writing schedule like?

Lately, it’s been crazy. I never have enough time to write. But I try to do writing and related things Friday-Sunday, and worry about my grad school classes Monday-Thursday. When classes end, I hope to write A LOT.

Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, what do you do to overcome it?

I actually haven’t experienced this yet…fingers crossed I don’t.

When is your next book in this series coming out? Do you have a title for it yet?

I’m aiming for early spring, but I make no promises. I have a maybe title in my head, but I’m not ready to release it yet. The White Aura actually came to me about half way through writing, so I want to wait and make sure this one is right.

If you can give any advice to an aspiring writer, what would it be?

Read, research, write. Connect with other authors, they have much to teach you.

Before we end this interview, is there anything you’d like to tell your readers?

If I have any readers, I just want to say, THANK YOU! I seriously appreciate it if you’ve taken time out of your life, schedule, and time to read words that I’ve written. I truly hope you enjoyed it and know that it makes me smile. And hey, connect with me! I love talking to people who enjoy reading.


Thank you Felicia for stopping by. I enjoyed chatting with you, and I’m looking forward to reading your book.

Thank you for having me! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did J And I hope you enjoy The White Aura!



Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/The-White-Aura-Felicia-Tatum/dp/1481023012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354326126&sr=8-1&keywords=the+white+aura+felicia+tatum
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFP3AXO
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260220
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-white-aura-felicia-tatum/1113871339?ean=2940015808216



0 comments: