Young adult

Book Blitz and GIVEAWAY: Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner @tianawarner

Ice_Massacre_bannerNot only can you enter a rafflecopter giveaway for a signed copy here, but during this week Ice Massacre is FREE on Amazon. Major cheering over here.
Ice_Massacre(Instead of giving the official synopsis, I thought I’d give this instead 🙂 )

Give us the tweet-sized version of what Ice Massacre is about.

A teenage girl is sent to battle the hostile mermaids that are driving her people into poverty. A story of love, secrets, and ass-kicking.

What makes Ice Massacre unique?

First, I haven’t seen a lot out there that portrays mermaids for what they really are: flesh-eating sea demons. But I think what also sets it apart is its almost entirely female cast. This island decides to send female warriors to kill the mermaids that plague them, because women don’t fall victim to a mermaid’s supernatural allure. We end up with an all-female war on a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Meela, an aboriginal girl who’s never been away from the tiny island she calls home, also has a pretty unique journey of self-discovery. I don’t want to reveal too much. But I think a lot of aspects make this story unconventional.

What’s your favorite thing about the book?

I love Meela’s antagonists. Meela’s a tough chick and she has a lot coming at her from all directions. Writing those opposing forces was so much fun.

 What’s next for you as a writer?

The sequel! This is the first in a trilogy, and I’m hard at work on book two: Ice Crypt.

Doesn’t this sound awesome? I love fantastic mermaid books, but I love how it’s not-your-average beauty with a tail. Warner also gave us some creativity-boosting tips:

Have you ever sat up in the middle of the night to write down a sudden stroke of inspiration? Or made a quick voice memo to yourself? Maybe jotted down a plot twist idea while you’re supposed to be working or studying?

For a lot of writers, creativity comes in waves. This is great if those waves are thrashing around like stormy seas, but at some point a writer is bound to hit a flat spot. And not the kind of flat spot that’s great for water skiing. This is the kind that leaves you stuck in the middle of the lake wondering how the heck you’re ever going to get back to shore.

Here are three tips to keep those creativity waves coming:

Read More

Blog Tour and Guest Post: The Girl and the Clockwork Cat by Nikki McCormack @author_nikkimc @entangledteen

I love steampunk and anything clockwork–you should see some of the clocks in my apartment–So I knew I had to sign up for this tour!

Want to win a free $50 Amazon gift card so you can buy the book? Enter the rafflecopter form here! You can buy the book on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, or on Kobo Books.
The_Girl_and_the_Clockwork_CatFeisty teenage thief Maeko and her maybe-more-than-friend Chaff have scraped out an existence in Victorian London’s gritty streets, but after a near-disastrous heist leads her to a mysterious clockwork cat and two dead bodies, she’s thrust into a murder mystery that may cost her everything she holds dear.

Her only allies are Chaff, the cat, and Ash, the son of the only murder suspect, who offers her enough money to finally get off the streets if she’ll help him find the real killer.

What starts as a simple search ultimately reveals a conspiracy stretching across the entire city. And as Maeko and Chaff discover feelings for each other neither was prepared to admit, she’s forced to choose whether she’ll stay with him or finally escape the life of a street rat. But with danger closing in around them, the only way any of them will get out of this alive is if all of them work together.

And Nikki was kind enough to write up a character profile for us!

Name: Maeko (Sometimes answers to Pigeon, but only if your name happens to be Chaff.)

Age: 16 as best she can figure

Birthplace: A brothel in London

Read More

An Interview with a Young Adult Reader

During the A to Z Challenge, I read a post by Elsie Elmore in which she interviewed a young adult reader. I thought the idea brilliant, especially since I’m querying my own young adult novel right now. I asked Elsie’s questions of a thirteen year-old young, whose love of reading is only surpassed by her excitement to start high school.Girl_Reading

What ‘s your favorite type of YA book to read?
I like historical fiction and fantasy. I’m annoyed with dystopian stuff that everyone in school is reading.

Why those genres?
I like historical fiction because I can relate to them more because they are more believable. They are more meaningful to me because they are a symbol of the past. I like fantasy because who doesn’t? It’s a whole new world and there are no rules. You can do whatever you want.

In dystopian, it’s all the same. It doesn’t expand my thinking or my vocabulary so I feel like I’m wasting my time on the same thing.

What type of characteristics have your favorite female protagonists had?
Curiosity, humor. They are normal in some way—relatable. They are like me. They are loyal and honest.

What do you mean “normal in some way?”
Meaning they are not some prodigy. I hate that. They find their own way. They are not born with some special talent. Though, sometimes I like those books if I look up to them and if they are super cool. As long as if they are somehow believable.

Read More
Back To Top