Cover Reveal - Impossible by Komal Lewis

I am so very excited to par-taking in this cover reveal today! My dear friend Komal Lewis is revealing her cover for her debut novel Impossible. I was super lucky to read Komal's novel and I loved it. I am going to posting a review here later this week and up on Dash to.

So here it is!!!

Ashton Summers is on her way to becoming the most popular girl in school and nothing—or no one—is going to stand in her way. Especially not Luca Byron, her freak neighbor, with his tattoos, loud music, and distracting green eyes.

Luca Byron has three goals in life: get through high school with a low profile, make sure his garage band becomes something more than a hobby, and try to forget about his insufferable ex-best friend, Ashton, who he can’t get out of his mind.

The last thing Ashton and Luca want to do is rekindle their friendship, but when Ashton takes a tumble down the social ladder, Luca—with his new makeover—is the only one who can help her rise up again by pretending to be her boyfriend. At first, being together is unbearable and annoying, but things start to change as Ashton and Luca discover the real reasons they drifted apart seven years ago.

Now, keeping their hands off each other seems impossible.

I know, amazing right? Keep watching our sites for chances to win a copy!

KOMAL I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!

Spooktacular Book Giveaway Hop

Yay Halloween Season. Yay Free books. Yay book hops!  Today I have hopped on to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. It runs from the 24th to the 31st! That I think that would be a great Halloween surprise. Free books! I am giving away a few copies of my debut novel The Owens Legacy: Revelations. There are a whopping 400 people on this hop. Your odds are good. I say enter as many as you can! You're bound to get lucky!





Here's a synopsis of my book:
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.

I'm a paranormal junkee :) 

So fill out the rafflecopter: 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writer's Panel! Section 2! Now You're Writing!

Carrie Butler: Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Komal Lewis: Komal Lewis is a full-time author who lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, and one too many cats and dogs. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, comic books, Spiderman, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles and pretty shoes.

Komal is currently working on her debut novel, Impossible, a YA Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become popular, and the rocker boy-next-door. Find her blog here.

Joe Lantz: Joe works as a substitute teacher for Ripley Central School in WNY while he works on his YA novel and waits for a permanent position as an English Language Arts teacher. He had the great fortune of being Michelle’s student teacher and the even greater fortune of developing an enduring friendship with her, which includes time spent writing in a local library.  He is an avid reader and writer. He also enjoys collecting and reading comic books and graphic novels. He can also be found on  blog – the one Michelle encouraged me to start – Avid Reading, Constant Writing.

Bonnie Rae: Bonnie spent her early childhood in the sunny state of California. At the time, she was an only child with a very large imagination. Thanks to her Grandmother, the love of reading books started at a very young age. Every walk to the grocery store meant an ice cream cone and a new Little Golden Book. Through books, Bonnie learned you could be transported into other worlds. The addiction was instant. At age eleven, her grandparents gave her E.B. White's Charlotte's Web for her birthday. Even though she was completely grossed out when it came to spiders (and still is), Charlotte's Web fascinated her. A spider that was able to weave words and befriend a pig? Bonnie then realized not only could books provide imaginary worlds, they confirmed anything was possible. She might have only been eleven, but she knew writing was what she wanted to do. She started her first set of novels at the age of sixteen and has been writing ever since. Bonnie currently lives in California with her wonderful husband and two very spoiled cats. Find her blog here.

Last week my wonderful writers focused on the pre-writing phase. Check that post out here. Today they are talking about their actual writing of their first draft.

Where do you find it easiest to write? 

Carrie: At my desk. Have you seen my writing cave? The sacrifice was worth it!

Komal: Like Sheldon Cooper, I have my spot on the sofa. I work there for optimum results because it’s the best angle for the TV, close to the door if there’s a fire and I need to escape, and in viewing distance of the kitchen so I can keep an eye on my dogs. There is nowhere else in the house that I can focus, except there. Beware if you take my spot.

Joe: When I first started work on the manuscript, I found my bedroom was easiest to write in, but I quickly learned that I was wrong. Oh so wrong. My room is the worst place I can write. There are just way too many distractions there.

Thanks to Michelle, I find I write easiest in the library. I do very well there, typically cranking out two hours worth of solid writing during our Saturday writing meets. The summer was most productive as we met Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to write.

When not at the library, I find that I write my easiest at home in the dining room. By far, the dining room has way fewer distractions than my room. I think it also helps that the dining room chairs are not the most comfortable to sit in for long periods of time which motivates me to focus on my writing so I can crank out two hours or more and then get the hell off those seats.

Bonnie: In my office, always. I am most comfortable there and can really get into my element.

How do you schedule yourself and then stick to that schedule?

Carrie: If I want to make a career out of writing, I need to treat it like any other job. I pick a time that works best, and I hold myself accountable.

Komal: I wake up at 6 am every day, except for when it’s my husband’s day off. After I get all the housework done, I go on the Internet and then work on my story at around 11 am. If I am writing, then I aim to write 1000-3000 words a day. If I am editing, then I try and edit 20-30 pages, and allow myself breaks when I need them. If I want a day off, then that’s okay. I’m a workaholic, though, so I am constantly thinking about my work-in-progress.

Joe: Aside from writing with Michelle on Saturday mornings, I don’t really have a set schedule. I write whenever I have free time. And honestly, writing whenever I have free time is the easiest schedule to stick to.

However, I recently set a November deadline for the first draft of my manuscript, so I most likely will attempt to set myself a more regular schedule for writing to help me reach the November goal. I foresee the schedule being something like this: Writing during all available free time and for two dedicated hours every night on top of the Saturday writing time with Michelle.

Bonnie: I don't schedule times, I schedule word counts. I set a daily goal that I need to write a day in order to finish in thirty days (first draft). So sometimes I do a morning and afternoon session.  Or sometimes, depending on the muse, I will pull a whole morning or a whole afternoon. All of it really depends on when the muse flows best. But regardless, I push for my word count even if I hate everything I am writing that day. First drafts can suck, that's what they are for. I call them my learning curve drafts. But trust me there are days when nothing flows, so I take the day off. I read or blog and usually at some point get inspired and can dabble something down.

While you are writing, who, if anyone, do you include in the writing process and why? But if not, why not?

Carrie:  I run first draft chapters past my sister. She’s an avid reader and is great about spotting early plot-holes.

Komal: When my husband gets home from work, I always give him a summary of what I did that day. If I am stuck on a certain part of the story, we talk through it until it’s resolved. I also have two amazing critique partners, Michelle and Erica, who give me constant help and feedback if I need it.

How do you know your first draft is complete?

Carrie: When it feels right. There’s no other way to describe it. Use those writing Spidey-senses!

Komal: I set a word count goal and aim for that. Also, I have several “main events” that I know I have to hit during the story. Once that’s done, I try to wrap it up.

Any organization strategies, apps, etc. that help you write?

Carrie: I keep a master binder of everything. Notes, maps, research, etc. (And I’m saving up to try Scrivener!)

Komal: Don’t over prepare for it. Don’t edit as you go. Let the first draft be as organic as possible. If you are stuck, try and work through it. Keep going and just get it done!

Any advice for writers about the first draft part of writing that you wish to share?

Carrie: Remember when I said not to censor your pre-writing? I’m going to add to that now. Don’t edit your first draft until it’s finished. Just plow through it.

Losing It by Cora Carmack

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

I was fortunate enough to get on this blog hop, thanks to the sister of YA-Sisterhood. I've been in a it or a reading slump - and I think it is because I needed something new, something, I hadn't read before.

Cora delivers. I wanted to just write that but thought maybe Cora wanted more. So here's more.

I thought the premise was hilarious. I mean - your first time with sex is awkward and then to be Bliss and see Garrick so fast and in such a way, it's even more awkward when you read it. It had me laughing which was awesome for me, because literature hasn't been making me laugh.

Bliss, isn't someone I say is like me, but she's one of my friends. I found myself laughing at all of her nervous moments, because she gets awkward, and she just can't help it. I love the fact that she stayed a virgin for so long. I think it is incredibly hard to do in this day and age, and I thought Cora/Bliss sent out a message to avoid teenage sex. Should she just throw it away? No - but then there is Garrick. You know, the foreign, charming, god that had me drooling. I may have thrown it away on him, in my fictional dreams.

Garrick - I want Cora to write a few passages from his point of view when he's interacting with Bliss. I asked my boyfriend what he would do if I had done a few of her antics, and he told me, do my best not to laugh and make awkward faces back at her.

My overall opinion was it was a great New Age It was cute. It was lovey. It is a great debut novel. She delivered.

So - fill out the rafflecopter to win and hope you do! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writer's Panel! First Section!

I have picked my four of my favorite authors/writers. They are going to be talking about their writing process.  So stop by the next couple of weeks on Thursdays to see what they have to say!  Now on to the introductions!

Carrie Butler: Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Komal Lewis: Komal Lewis is a full-time author who lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, and one too many cats and dogs. She is overly enthusiastic about video games, comic books, Spiderman, Byronic heroes, baking, reptiles and pretty shoes.

Komal is currently working on her debut novel, WITH ME, a YA Contemporary Romance about a girl who will do anything to become popular, and the rocker boy-next-door.

Joe Lantz: Joe works as a substitute teacher for Ripley Central School in WNY while he works on his YA novel and waits for a permanent position as an English Language Arts teacher. He had the great fortune of being Michelle’s student teacher and the even greater fortune of developing an enduring friendship with her, which includes time spent writing in a local library.  He is an avid reader and writer. He also enjoys collecting and reading comic books and graphic novels. He can also be found on  blog – the one Michelle encouraged me to start – Avid Reading, Constant Writing.

Bonnie Rae: Bonnie spent her early childhood in the sunny state of California. At the time, she was an only child with a very large imagination. Thanks to her Grandmother, the love of reading books started at a very young age. Every walk to the grocery store meant an ice cream cone and a new Little Golden Book. Through books, Bonnie learned you could be transported into other worlds. The addiction was instant. At age eleven, her grandparents gave her E.B. White's Charlotte's Web for her birthday. Even though she was completely grossed out when it came to spiders (and still is), Charlotte's Web fascinated her. A spider that was able to weave words and befriend a pig? Bonnie then realized not only could books provide imaginary worlds, they confirmed anything was possible. She might have only been eleven, but she knew writing was what she wanted to do. She started her first set of novels at the age of sixteen and has been writing ever since. Bonnie currently lives in California with her wonderful husband and two very spoiled cats.

This week we are going to be talking about the Pre-writing process. You know that moment when the idea is rolling around and is dying to bust out of your thoughts.

Pre-writing

How has a story idea come to you?

Carrie: I’ll use Strength, my debut novel, as an example. For years, I'd been toying with the idea of writing a story with a unique, supernatural race (or three). One night, for whatever reason, I couldn't stop thinking about the concept of balance—specifically, the balance of power. I started jotting down notes while listening to music, and "All I Know" (the 2005 Five for Fighting cover) came on. As soon as I heard the first few sentences, the romance element fell into place. :) It snowballed from there.

Komal: Lots of different ways. Movies, songs, dreams, other books, and sometimes from nowhere at all.

Joe: I think most of my story ideas come to me from the variety of experiences I’ve had reading, collecting comics, and occasionally from TV shows and movies. Does that mean I’m copying others? I don’t think so as I always try to find a new angle or approach to the idea that inspired my own idea. For example, reading about vampires has recently sparked a new YA story idea for vampires. While the main character is the blood sucking undead, he’s not the nicest of guys – he enjoys feasting on blood and pushing people’s buttons making no apologies for doing both. The inspirations for my idea: The Vampire Diaries TV show, The Twilight Saga novels, and a few other vampire-centric novels, shows, and movies. When a story idea comes to you, you have to be able to put your own spin on the idea.I will confess that a few story ideas have come to me in dreams, which is why I keep pen and paper near my bed.

Bonnie: I think the one that stands out the most was while I was attending a writing conference. All of a sudden in the middle of a really wonderful workshop this vision of two teenagers on swings, in a park, in the wee hours of the morning popped into my head. The park had an eerie setting and the boy and girl were so vivid to me, so alive, that I just started writing the scene down right then and there. Needless to say I missed the rest of the workshop because I was so caught up in the muse. After that my first book, Nether Bound, started to take shape.

Once you have an idea, how do you brainstorm?

Carrie: It’s chaotic. I cover my desk with papers. Fragmented thoughts, drawings, lines pointing every which way—it’s a wonder I ever manage to decipher them! LOL

Joe: Once a story idea takes root in my brain, I instantly brainstorm by writing down anything and everything that develops on a notepad, usually the legal pad style. There is no formality about the brainstorming – ideas get written down in no particular order, barely count as sentences, often are accompanied by a doodle or five, arrows are used to show connection, and so on. At present, I have a hefty stack of notepads filled with story idea brainstorms. Alas, so many ideas and not enough time in the day to work on them all.

Bonnie: If it is a scene that comes to me, I just write it out right then and there. Of course, that is provided I am in a place where I can do that. But I always carry a notebook with me wherever I go and my friends have gotten pretty used to me pulling it out and penning away.

For a whole story I pretty much brainstorm by outlining. I usually outline and write the first five chapters. I let myself just go with it and see where the story takes me in those first few chapters. The first five introduce me to my characters and gives me a chance to really get to know them and also lets me see exactly how the story develops and the direction I will go with it. . After the first five chapters are written is when I will actually finish outlining the rest of the story and do all of my character bios/summaries. 

Do you do a lot of pre-planning or do you dive right in and write?

Carrie: I used to dive right in, but I’m more organized these days. I bust out character profiles, spreadsheets, timelines, etc.

Komal: It depends on the kind of story I’m writing. If it’s something that requires world-building then I pre-plan, otherwise I just let the story take me wherever it’s headed.

Why do you think you do it that way or what does this say about you?

Carrie: It says I’m turning into a plotter! Or I’m losing my mind…

Komal: I think it says that I’m an unorganized control freak.

How do you develop your characters?

Carrie: I’m going to go all ‘creepy author’ on you for a second and say they develop themselves. Sure, I’ll start with a notion or two—shaped by a variety of influences—but after that? I’m lucky to keep up!

Komal: I think about them a lot! They have conversations in my head, and when I’m listening to music, I try and relate it to my characters.

Joe: I like this question because it relates to the other two pre-writing questions I selected. I think my characters are a mix of my own ideas and inspiration from other characters – again with my own approach/angle. Right now I’d say my biggest inspiration for the characters in the manuscript I’m currently enveloped in are the comic book characters I read. The characters are my own creation but fit into the archetypes of comic book characters.

As for development, I brainstorm just like I do for story ideas. However, I also allow the characters to grow, change, and adapt as the story develops, as writing takes me in new directions I hadn’t considered during brainstorming.

Bonnie: I do it this way, because it works for me. Trust me; I've tried plotting it all out, outlining, full character bios and chapter summaries before I write anything.  And what I learned is that stories change, so all that hard work that I put in during the beginning, most of it doesn't fit anymore. By writing out the first five chapters I get a great feel for all the characters and the story, as well as the solid direction everything will go in.

Anything you think another writer should know about for the pre-writing session? 

Carrie: Don’t censor yourself at this point. Let anything and everything come out on the paper. You can always weed the story later.

Wow! That's so much for me to think about and this is only the first post! Thanks for stopping by everyone. I hope this was as inspiring for you as it was for me!

Leave some love!

What's your book club like?

Several of my friends and I started a book club. It is something I have been meaning to do. I love the blogging world and twitter world, and how I have some awesome conversations with people. I also love the freedom that comes with having space between you and the person. You don't have that concern how people will react to you.

But at the same time, it does lack the personal touch - the face to face contact time - and that's what I wanted to gain through my book club. 

There are six of us - Nikki, Bre, Jen, Linda, Michelle, and me 

We picked Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn - something a little out of every one's comfort box

We meet at someone's house - mine was the first - Nikki's is next 

We said that if you don't want to have the group at your house - we can have it at a place - like a winery (lots of wineries by us)
The person "hosting" that week has to provide food, the others have to bring their own drinks

We picked Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock for our next book.
We are meeting the first Thursday of every month

We need - a name (bc lets be honest - I like to make shirts) and "rules" about the books (like size, who selects, genre)

What about your book club? What are your rules? What are the things you know work for you? Got any ideas of a name?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around

I picked up this book because it is part of the brand new book club my friend Nikki and I started. I got the recommendation from my friend Angela who said she loved it. My friend Cody read it and thought it was good. So why not? I typically stick to New Age and YA - with a vampire thrown in there. But I can step out of my box every now and then.

Gone Girl is definitely that book that makes you think the author is slightly off her rocker, but in a completely good way. It took me about 50 pages to get into the book. Then she started dropping kill chapter cliffhangers and then she would switch POV and I would have to wait to see what happened. She sucked me in. Right in.

The story is about a marriage, a broken one, and the disappearance of the wife. You get to read Amy's POV before she was kidnapped. You get to read Nick's POV after the murder. It's kind of like that phrase "all roads lead to Rome."

A driving force in this books is - what actually happened to Amy? Well you find out and you're reaction will be: Huh? Are you kidding?

It's twisted and true and well thought. There is a character in the book that is psychologically damaged and one who is an idiot. There's a lot to be said about this book - a lot of great things but I can't give anything away because there is a domino effect in the works if I spill any beans. It was a great book.