Category: Books (Page 58 of 82)

The Liebster Award Take Two

April 1, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

When I saw that my writing buddy Meradeth Houston had nominated me for the Liebster Award, I had a rush of deja vu. Sure enough I went back in my archives and saw that I had been given this award before…by none other than Meradeth! (She must really like my blog. 🙂 ) But that was like a year and a half ago and the questions were different, so I’ll take another crack at it (although, I’ll admit I stole some of 11 facts from last time). And I have been retroactively nominated by Mary Waibel and J.Q. Rose, so make sure to check out Mary’s blog and J.Q.’s blog.

Here’s how the award works. The Liebster Blog Award translates to “the beloved” or “the dearest.” The award is given as a way to celebrate smaller blogs. (Only blogs with under 200 followers can be awarded.) Before you accept the award, there are a certain set of tasks you must complete. The first is to reveal 11 facts about you, answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you, and then create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer.

So my 11 facts are:

My favorite Harry Potter book is Goblet of Fire.
I used to be a puzzle magazine editor and now edit books.
When I was three years old, I told everyone I was a boy because I wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees.
My elbows are double-jointed.
I once pierced my own belly button.
The last book I read is Jennifer A. Nielsen’s The Shadow Throne.
I have really weird dreams all the time, some of them lucid.
My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh.
I could eat pizza every day.
I totally have a crush on Hook from Once Upon a Time.
Many of the characters in Elixir Bound were based on real people (including myself!).

And here are the questions Meradeth asked me to answer:

1. What do you like best about your personality?

My stubbornness is both a blessing and a curse (it’s probably the main reason why I haven’t quit writing), but I have learned “not to cut off my nose to spite my face” (as my mother used to say I always did).

2. What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Dare to get excited, even when you might get let down. We could all get hit by a marshmallow truck tomorrow. ~Laurie Halse Anderson

3. What does it take for a book to stay with you long after reading it?

A book that manages to surprise me in some way.

4. If you could tell an author that you admire one thing, what would it be?

“I wish I had written that.”

5. Who is one person who always makes you happy?

The Boy…even when he makes me angry, sad, or so frustrated I want to punch something (not him!), he brings so much joy to my life it makes me happy.

6. What was the best birthday you ever had?

My 30th birthday was pretty perfect. My family and a few close friends took a boat ride through the Thimble Island in Long Island Sound that ended with the sunset. It was summer, the breeze was cool, good food and drinks, I had my favorite people with me, and I didn’t have to do a single thing other than enjoy myself.

7. What drives you to share your thoughts about books on social media?

I hope that by sharing books I enjoy, other people will find books they, too, enjoy.

8. What’s the best thing an author ever said to you?

Never give up because you might be on the one yard line, and you just don’t know it. ~Donna Gephart

9. What do you consider the ideal length for a book in terms of the number of pages?

No ideal number. Enough pages to tell the story that needs to be told.

10. What fictional character do you most resemble?

Well, I guess that would be the one in Elixir Bound that I based on myself. 🙂

11. If you could give the person reading this an uplifting message, what would it be?

“Find you magic!”

So now I must make my nominations…and I nominate you, dear reader. Any blogger out there who would like to participate, just leave a comment here and I’ll include a link to your blog here. You can just answer the same questions posed above.

I’ve got fabulous bloggers Christopher Mannino, Suzanne de Montigny, and Marie Laval to take up my offer of being nominated for the Liebster Award. And I’ll be happy to add any other bloggers who would like to play (instructions in the comments)…just let me know in the comments. 🙂

Event Announcements and Updates

March 28, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

I have my first book signing coming up in just over a week. If you live in Connecticut or southern New England, I’d love for you to come by. I’ll be at Bank Square Books in beautiful downtown Mystic, CT on April 5 from 2-4 pm. I’ll be signing copies of Elixir Bound, talking writing and books (or whatever topics may come up), and giving away my shiny new bookmarks.

Mystic is awesome and I recommend making a day trip out of it (we vacationed there for a week last September). There’s a bunch of great shops and restaurants, the Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium, and Olde Mystick Village.

Also, I’ve been invited to participate in the Milford Author Day at the Milford, CT Public Library on June 11 from 5-8 pm. This is incredibly close to my due date, so I’m a maybe, but there will be other great authors there and exciting presentations as well. I’ll have more details on this event as it approaches (and fingers crossed that I’ll be able to attend).

And finally, Amazon has been dropping the price of Elixir Bound in paperback. Currently it’s $6.83 ($4.12 off the cover price and only $1.33 more than the ebook). I’d be happy to send anyone who purchases (or has purchased) it a signed bookplate. Just use my contact me page to send me an email.

Okay, that’s all for my announcements. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Confessions of an Author: Writing Process

March 25, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Confession #8: No matter how long I write and how many stories I complete, I have yet to master my own writing process.

Ask a dozen authors about how they write their books and you’ll probably get twelve different processes. You might hear some similar terms (plotter vs. pantser) and techniques (setting certain daily word goals, for example), but ultimately how an author writes (and by writes, I’m mostly talking about writing first drafts here) is a highly personal endeavor.

Me, well, I’m never quite sure how to answer that question. Because every manuscript I have written has ended up entailing a different process. For some reason, the projects I have tackled have each required their own approach to drafting.

Elixir Bound, my published YA fantasy, started with journal entries of character sketches and world building. I drafted this novel over a period of several years, writing in spurts and putting it away for months at a time. It was my first attempt at writing a full-length novel and it was somewhat blissful being so ignorant about the writing process and the business of publishing. I wrote this with high expectations but without any real pressure. It presented itself in very chronological order, I think because it’s essentially a quest novel, and I just wrote it with little outside forces involved.

The second manuscript I completed is a middle grade mystery with a first-person male point of view. I wanted to write something very different from Elixir Bound. I did a lot of research before and during the drafting process. I read entire non-fiction books; attended a lecture on local history; and created maps, calendars, charts, and pages and pages of supplemental materials.

And the process for my current WIP (currently titled Black Butterfly) is, well, a hot mess. I’m writing it in scenes, but not necessarily in any kind of chronological order. And there’s an element to the story in which the main character can only know certain information at certain points in the story, and I haven’t quite nailed down the timeline for that (or for the main plot in general). So, yeah, this one is going to require a lot of rewriting and editing.

But writing this way has been incredibly freeing. I normally (for the most part) write a story from beginning to end in order. To be able to jump around in the story and to not have to worry about transitioning from scene to scene means I can just write the good stuff, the stuff that’s being persistent about being written. It means I’m writing this story faster than I’ve ever done before. I look forward to my writing sessions, even as I approach the dreaded middle of drafting (which is usually the point where I start to burn out and need a break).

I think it’s important to be flexible as a writer. Set goals but realize that it may take some experimentation to get there, and the way you envision achieving those goals may have to change over time. Have a commitment to writing, but realize that the creative process is not a set step-by-step process. No one can tell you how to best write the book you are writing (maybe you can’t even tell yourself that). Like in life, in writing be open to new ways of discovering things (like your own drafting process), and you may find the perfect fit for your manuscript.

Writers and non-writers, what kinds of projects are you currently working on? Is your process working for you?

Author J.Q. Rose and Character Lacey on Coda to Murder

March 21, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s always nice to have a returning guest poster on the blog. And today we get a bonus, not only is J.Q. Rose back, but she’s brought along Lacey from J.Q.’s cozy mystery Coda to Murder. Welcome, J.Q. and Lacey!

Hello, Katie. Hello, readers. Lacey and I are so glad to be guests on Katie’s blog. Lacey is Pastor Christine’s closest friend in the cozy mystery/sweet romance, Coda to Murder. Because we know our dear pastor so well, we wanted to stop by so you could learn about her. She doesn’t like to “toot her own horn,” so we thought we’d do it for her.

JQ, there you go again with those clichés.

Oh, sorry, Lacey. Sorry readers, but you know they often say exactly what I mean “in a nutshell.”

Uh, JQ, never mind. Let’s tell the folks about Christine.

Thanks, Lacey. Take a peek at an excerpt from Chapter 3.

Christine jumped when she heard the doorbell buzz followed by a loud, “Yoo, hoo!” The cat hopped off her lap, and Christine climbed out of the recliner. She rushed to unlock and open the kitchen door. Lacey marched in with a bouquet of flowers and a brown paper bag.

“Hey, Chris. How ya’ doin’?” Lacey placed the vase of red and yellow tulips on the kitchen counter. “I heard about William. I am so sorry.” Lacey wrapped her arms around Christine and hugged hard.

The tall pastor and the petite florist couldn’t have been more different in appearance. Lacey’s blunt cut strawberry blonde hair and bright floral shirt and jeans contrasted with the minister’s black suit and shoulder length brown hair.

Because they were so alike in their life experiences, they became fast friends. They were nearly the same age, both single, both uncommitted,and both had marriages that ended badly.

She held out the brown bag. “Here, I brought us some light beers. I figured you needed some company.” She smiled big, making Christine realize how much she loved her friend.

# # # #

Lacey, you were such a wonderful support for Christine throughout this story. I have to give you credit for pushing Christine to notice the handsome Detective Cole Stephens.

“Well, I did point out he was hot. Take a look at this excerpt:

“I heard Cole Stephens is the investigator on William’s case,” said Lacey.

“He’s gorgeous.” She grinned a silly face at Christine and then sucked down more beer.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I was so worried about Dutch, I didn’t even notice.”

“Well, I’m sure you had your mind on a lot more than Cole Stephens. Take my word for it, he’s a cutie,” Lacey said with a wink.

Christine tried to picture Cole Stephens. He was a tall, muscular man and handsome in his tie and sport coat. She remembered his short-cropped hair. Was it a flat-top, or was there some spiky hair sticking out? Did he wear glasses or not? Her memory of him was just too fuzzy.

“I didn’t exactly have my man radar out this morning.” She tried to brush off more of the cat hair, dust, and food particles on her suit coat and slacks.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll be talking to you some more if this investigation turns up foul play.”

Christine sat straight up on the couch and faced her friend. “Why would you even say something like that? You know William probably just tripped down the steps. Gosh, Lacey. What a thing to say!”

“I’m just sayin’…just wondering…I mean, really, Chris, nobody knows anything about William. He may have had too much wine and fell down the steps, or he discovered a burglar in the church, or any of a dozen things. Just sayin’…” Lacey quickly took another swig of the cold beer.

Focusing intently on Christine’s eyes, she said, “Cole Stephens has a reputation for digging for the truth. He won’t settle for any old explanation of William’s death. You have to be prepared for the worst.”

# # # #

“No truer words were ever spoken,” Lacey. Oh, there I go again. I thought I’d point out the cliché before you did.

Right, JQ. The readers will be taken along on a story that involves a murder mystery, but also a love story. Getting Chris and Cole together was difficult. So many obstacles to overcome, the main one being the darling detective wanted to nail Christine with the murder of the church’s music director, William.

As if that wasn’t enough, Christine was skittish about getting into another relationship with a man after being hurt so badly by her ex-husband.

Readers, there’s plenty of action, humor, and mystery in this book, Coda to Murder. If you want to download an excerpt or purchase the ebook, you can find it at MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major online booksellers.

Coda to Murder blurb:

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Detective Cole Stephens doesn’t want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

About the Author:

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction writing with her first published novella, Sunshine Boulevard, and her latest mystery, Coda to Murder. Both ebooks were released by MuseItUp Publishing. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. Spending winters in Florida with her husband allows Janet the opportunity to enjoy the life of a snowbird. Summer finds her camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

Connect with J.Q. Rose online at:

J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Girls Succeed blog http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/

Author website http://jqrose.webs.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

J. Q. Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/janetglaser/

Cover Reveal Surrender the Sky by Meradeth Houston

March 14, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

I love all of the books in Meradeth Houston’s Sary Society series and it’s a special thrill to share the cover of the most recent one, Surrender the Sky (see my 5-star Goodreads review here). Be sure to enter the giveaway and check out all of Meradeth’s books. If you pre-order Surrender the Sky, you’ll get The Chemistry of Fate free! Oh, and click on over to Meradeth’s blog to see my guest post today about Sary in the real world.

The third book in the Sary Society series, SURRENDER THE SKY, has a shiny new cover! (But you’re gonna have to read about what it’s about before I let you see it!)

Release Date: May 2014

Synopsis:

Gabby lives by two unbreakable rules: don’t expose her kind, the Sary, and don’t fall in love—too bad some rules are made to be broken.

When Gabby’s most difficult charge accidentally shoots her in front of a class full of students, the event exposes her carefully hidden identity. She shifts from looking like a normal teen to her secret Sary form, revealing her wings and the existence of her kind—immortals who try to keep people from committing suicide. Her incident attracts the attention of the next leader of the Sary, Jassen, who offers her an impossible bargain: she can keep her wings if she makes amends with those who know the truth. Things get more complicated when a rebel Sary, intent on exposing them to the world, starts interfering with Gabby’s work. And there’s no denying her attraction to Jassen, who is torn between his duties and his heart. With threats at every turn and her immortality on the line, Gabby has to find a way to save the Sary or surrender the sky forever.

Surrender the Sky is a stand alone title that follows COLORS LIKE MEMORIES and THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE, with cameos from several of the characters in the first books! It will be available in May wherever ebooks are sold!