Launch of A Dash of YA

Hi everyone,

If you follow my facebook (see sidebar) or twitter (@mflick729) you have been seeing all my comments about "dash", "dashers", and "dashing".  It so happens my good friends: Erica, Komal, and Molli have joined up to fight the forces of darkness - er, no, wait. I mean we have joined up and are starting a group blog featuring a dash of just about everything YA.

This week is the launch week. Head on over to A Dash of YA and become a follower.  We are going to be doing polls, interviews, giveaways, discussions, recommendations, writing tips, tricks, and knowledge. So why should you follow us? Why are we special? Well, I could list all kinds of different reasons but the answer that i think summarizes it best is: we are eclectic. We are going to offer you a wide variety.

So head on over

BlogFest 2012

BlogFest 2012!

This a great giveaway hop that showcases some of the best blogs in the business. I have up for grabs is an e-copy of my novel The Owens Legacy: Revelations. I self-pubbed last year and I would say that the genre is paranormal YA. Below is a summary of my two favorite twins.

When telepathic twins, Piper and Ryder Owens are dumped at Evermore Academy, they thought that the only thing they’d have to worry about was Piper staying out of trouble long enough for them to graduate. They will not, for any reason, be separated. But someone at Evermore knows about their secret and wants to separate them permanently.

But then Piper’s Achilles Heel shows up: a good looking guy. Victor Mira is everything Piper is supposed to avoid, yet she feels drawn to him in a way she never imagined. But Victor is hiding a dangerous secret too, and what he knows could be the one thing that could divide the sisters. Forever.


Just fill out the rafflecopter. After that I have posted the next five sites for you to hop along to and discover! Thanks for stopping by!


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The next five stops!
Coffee, books, and Me
Kay Dee Royal Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings
Wicked Readings By Tawania
For Those About To Read
Booksnob

Unwholly by Neal Shusterman

I haven't been blogging much - my apologies! I started back to school with the kiddos and then went on a few interviews and got a new job at a new school. It's been a bit crazy here.

Anyway - I have been doing some reading. I tackled Unwholly this past week. I heart Neal Shusterman. I mean, I heart him. Truly.

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.

Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.

Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.
Why? His ability to create a story, a story that is like a labyrinth that at the end all roads lead to David Bowie as the Goblin King. Based on the summary - I thought that we really wouldn't be seeing Connor, Lev, and Risa, that we would be dealing a lot with Cam. I was happily surprised that Cam became one of the main characters.

Cam is the modern Frankenstein. Shusterman stays really close to the plot line of Mary Shelley. The monsters, awakening, his realization of what Victor has done, his desire for a mate, his struggle in a world that understand him and does not want to accept him.  Cam's struggle was the one that I gravitated the most to. This surprises me because Connor and Risa were just so powerful to me in the first one.

Connor - as the new leader of the graveyard - is stressed and struggling and hurting his relationship with Risa. These two didn't get to as close as I wanted them to in this novel, but I'm hoping for more in the next installment, because they do love each other.

Risa - still bull-headed

Lev - goes on a very different path than I had anticipated him. His ex-clapper reputation and tithe background really catapulted him into a political leaderish role, one that is not for Lev. The world makes him out to be something he's not, and Lev rebels.

In a true number two installment - the ending left me frustrated, with no resolution, just all four main characters thrown in a whirlwind.

Stuck in a good book giveaway

Hey - I'm part of the Stuck in a Good Book Hop.  If you scroll on down you'll see a list of awesome bloggers who are also offering up some books that they got stuck in. I am a Reader, not a Writer and Valerie are putting on this lovely hop. I hope you take full advantage of it, because I fully plan too!


The Owens Legacy: Revelations is what I am suggesting to you dear friends! When telepathic twins, Piper and Ryder Owens are dumped at Evermore Academy, they thought that the only thing they’d have to worry about was Piper staying out of trouble long enough for them to graduate. They will not, for any reason, be separated. But someone at Evermore knows about their secret and wants to separate them permanently. But then Piper’s Achilles Heel shows up: a good looking guy. Victor Mira is everything Piper is supposed to avoid, yet she feels drawn to him in a way she never imagined. But Victor is hiding a dangerous secret too, and what he knows could be the one thing that could divide the sisters. Forever. 


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Looking for writers for a panel.

Hey fellow writers! I'm looking fora writer or two, who would like to answer a series of questions about the writing process. I'm going to get your email, send you a list of questions, you answer, and then I post. You won't have to answer all the questions unless you want to. For a few weeks, I will post all the responses. It's a great way to get your name out there and I would really appreciate it. Shoot me an email mf060784 at gmail or leave me a comment!

DIrty Girl Run

I recently participated in the Dirty Girl Run held at Kissingbridge Ski Resort. IT WAS AWESOME and muddy. I wanted to share with you some hilarious pictures.

I thought I was awesome. 

I thought I was awesome. My team's name WTF. AKA Witness the Fitness :) You should have seen the looks people were giving us because of our names and then we would turn around and people would laugh.

See those three white shirts in the front? That's us charging up the hill! Mind you the "hill" was a mile and a half of ski mountain. I was not impressed at this point. It's so blurry because it was also down pouring at this time. It made it muddier!






That's us, sliding in the final mud pit!

Some people were relatively clean when they finished the course. Clearly, we are not those types of people. 

This event was so awesome because there were over 8,000 women climbing this mountain. There were fairies, tutus, wigs, and a slew of team names that would have you laughing.

Goals by thirty

Goals, goals, goals!

There was a study done at one of those Ivy League school where they interviewed 100 people who were graduating. I know for sure they asked them this question: Do you write down your goals? Out of the 100 people, 10 said yes. 

Ten years later, the same 100 people were interviewed. They asked how much they were making. As individuals, each of those ten people, were making more than the other 90 COMBINED. 

I ask you this: Does writing down your goals have an impact on your life? 

My answer is yes. 

I have a bunch of goals I want to accomplish by the time I am thirty and I am going to write them down and share them with people. If I share my goals with all of you, that will definitely put the pressure on me to do my goals. 

All this is by the time I am thirty on June 7, 2014

Writing goals: 

I will have finished editing and will have published The Owens Legacy: Redemption. 

I have have finished writing, editing, and will have published The Owens Legacy: R-something.

I will have finished writing and editing the dream walking novel and start to Q. 

Blogging goals:

A Dash of YA will be up and going, running smoothly.

My blog will have transitioned into a writer's blog

Personal goals: 

I will have competed in a triathlon 

I will have participated in another Dirty Girl Run 

I will have pursued opening my own bed and breakfast - as long as it doesn't break my bank

Each year I will do the five dollar savings plan (Found this on pintrest. You never spend your five dollar bills, you only save them. Ends of being a boat load at the end of each year.)

What are your goals?

Back on the horse giveaway

Hey everyone!

I have been caught up in work and going back to work that I haven't done much with reading or writing. I need to change this. So in honor of me getting myself back on book train I'm going to do a giveaway for writers and readers.

So up for grabs is a twenty page critique of your manuscript and an e-copy of my book The Owens Legacy: Revelations. So why these prizes? One I'm an English teacher's job is to critique and fix writing. It's my job and I'm good at it. Plus, I have that teacher thing where I want everyone to be successful. So that includes you. My book's summary is:

When telepathic twins, Piper and Ryder Owens are dumped at Evermore Academy, they thought that the only thing they’d have to worry about was Piper staying out of trouble long enough for them to graduate. They will not, for any reason, be separated. But someone at Evermore knows about their secret and wants to separate them permanently.

But then Piper’s Achilles Heel shows up: a good looking guy. Victor Mira is everything Piper is supposed to avoid, yet she feels drawn to him in a way she never imagined. But Victor is hiding a dangerous secret too, and what he knows could be the one thing that could divide the sisters. Forever.

So fill out the rafflecopter. 


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Dearly, Belove by Lia Habel

Can the living coexist with the living dead? 

That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites.

Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety.

Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target.

As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.


I read Dearly, Departed when it was first released and had the great opportunity to meet Lia Habel in May at a Reading Association Banquet. I got a copy of Dearly, Beloved through netgalley and devoured it immediately, and then I had to sit on my review for a few months.

Finally I get to tell you about it.

The story picks up a little after the dust has settled from volume 1. Everyone is holed up together and Nora is struggling with the fact that she is confined and that she is not out there helping. She sees her father and Bram (swoon) helping the zombie movement. I agree with her on this. Nora is the perfect spokeswoman for the good zombies. But, Dr. Dearly and Bram love Nora and the world, the laz, some rogue thinkers are out there and Nora could easily end up dead, and not coming back as a zombie.

I'm a sucker for lost causes. I love a story that has more of a tragic ending then sunshine and butterflies and Nora and Bram's relationship, fits both for me. I mean - they are in love - but yeah - he's a zombie with only a few years left. You can tell that Bram is more aware of the ticking clock of their relationship, and while Nora says she is, I don't believe her. She's in love for the first time and with the first time, you never think it's going to end. I find that really relateable.

There were a lot of POV's in this volume again and by the end they all tie together. I had to be on my toes to make sure I kept track of all the different paths. But what's that saying? All roads lead to Rome. This is how the plot moves. Don't skip. Don't think any character's opinion is irrelevant.

Lia Habel again creates a thrilling, captivating steampunk story, one where I would be willing to brave the Laz.

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped—and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible.

Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way.

Books that are linked to hell in some way are very fascinating to me, whether its the hot, firey place, a place for lost souls, Hades's underworld, Lucifer's playground, whatever the case may be. Did you ever notice that not many people touch on Heaven and what it's like in YA. If you know of a book - send it my way. 

Anyway - Daphne is a character that just doesn't fit in with Lilith and Daphne's soul sucking sisters. She's not a temptress and the only person who gets this about her is Obie. And while she doesn't understand the women of her family, Obie's ways and feelings are very strange to her. She doesn't understand how he could turn his back on the underworld to stay above ground with a human. 

But then Obie disappears, Lilith freaks, and Daphne finally goes above in search of Truman, a guy who has dreamed of Daphne. Truman is Daphne's ticket to Obie. 

Truman is my favorite character in this. He's not your typical leading male protagonist. In fact, he's kind of broken. He's a fixer upper and Daphne can't stay away from his problems which side track her from her mission. 

That-itis

Hello. My name is Michelle Flick. I have had That-itis since I was about 20 years old. It all started when I decided to put the word "that" in as a filler in every sentence that I could. Sadly, it didn't stop there, eventually my that-itis leaked into my writing. I am assuming that the texting didn't help. But as my writing grew and developed, sadly I could never get over my addiction with the word 'that'.

So why am I pouring my heart out about this? I just got my first draft back from Nadine. I insert the word that ALL the time. I think one third of my edits are taking out the word 'that'. So I am acknowledging my problem publicly.

So this is my vow bloggers and writers. I will go through my next manuscript, circle every 'that' that appears, and I will delete them (obviously if they serve no purpose other than to fill). This is my pledge.

OK - so what are you guilty of?