Cover Reveal: Blood of Isis, by Elizabeth Otto

Today I'm exited to be part of the cover reveal for Elizabeth Otto's, BLOOD OF ISIS. I was lucky to beta read this paranormal romance, and believe me, you'll love the chemistry between Ben and Jayda. 

When a designer drug rocks the small town of New Brighton and makes junkies spontaneously combust, Paramedic Jayda Swenson suspects the super-methamphetamine her husband created before his death has resurfaced. She’s worked hard to create a safe, tidy life and put her meth-ravaged past behind her. Jayda has a secret to keep and her new life is the perfect cover. But when tourists start disappearing and charred body remains crop up, Jayda learns the hard way that this drug doesn’t just fry people’s minds—it also fuels demons.

Luckily, the sexy new medic, Ben Tierney, is a demon-hunter in disguise, except his demon-busting powers don’t work so well anymore. Until he realizes Jayda’s touch can refuel the energy he’s lost—a touch she’s not so willing to dish out. Now Jayda finds herself wedged between an ancient demon that knows her past and her secret, and Ben, who has plenty of secrets of his own. Fighting to hold onto her carefully controlled life, Jayda must decide if she’ll let Ben help her defeat the demons who threaten to infect the town by the 4^th of July—even if it means exposing her true self and losing everything. Again.

Be sure to visit Elizabeth's website for 

an excerpt and a contest for a give-away copy of the book on Friday!

You can also follow her on Twitter.

Blood of Isis is now on Goodreads!

Favorite First Lines

I started writing a new manuscript this week, but not before suffering from a bit of writer's block over the first sentence.

It went something like this...

Yes, that sounds great.

No, that's awful.

What was I thinking?

How have I wasted three hours on twenty syllables?

I suck.

How about a prologue?

Is excessive backstory really that terrible?

Could I BE anymore incompetent?

Did I just quote Chandler Bing?

One stinking sentence!

You get the point. Last summer, I was fortunate to attend a seminar on the first fifty pages, given by literary agent, Andrea Hurst at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference. Although she offered great insight into those crucial first chapters, a lot of the focus was on the first sentence, the first paragraph, the first page. How many of us have continued reading a book because the first sentence or paragraph was so amazing that we couldn't put it down? I know I certainly have.

"I was born beautiful." Emily Giffin, Something Blue

"This is a story about a man named Eddie and it begins at the end, with Eddie dying in the sun. It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time." Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven

"I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick." A.G Howard, Splintered

"Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death." John Green, The Fault In Our Stars

"When I think of my wife, I always think of her head. The shape of it, to begin with. The very first time I saw her, it was the back of the head I saw, and there was something lovely about it, the angles of it. Like a shiny, hard corn kernel or a riverbed fossil. She had what the Victorians would call a finely shaped head. you could imagine the skilly quite easily. I'd know her head anywhere." Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Those are just a few of my favorites. How about yours?

2012. The Year In Which I Proved Myself To Be A Liar

1. Never reread anything from high school.

2. Never read the Harry Potter series.

3. Never use LOL in correspondence. Ever.

Okay, so these are just a few of the decisions I've made over the past several years.

I made a choice years ago to never read anything I read in my high school English class. It's not that we didn't read great works of literature. True, I enjoyed Lord of the Flies more than The Scarlet Letter. I also thought Julius Caesar was a darn good play, in fact, I still remember some of Brutus' speech.

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen. Lend me your ear. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."

The thing is... Why would I reread anything we picked apart in high school when there are so many other great works of literature (ahem, contemporary  novels) to read now?

Therefore I decided, no matter how amazing the work was, I'd never look at it again.

Until I saw a trailer for Les Miserables...and changed my mind.

If you've seen the trailer, I think you'll understand why I had to break that promise.

On to the Harry Potter issue...

I know it's somewhat ridiculous that I'd never read any of the seven Harry Potter books. My oldest read them all in the third grade. We have the books, the movies, the Scene It board game, the posters, the calendars, the wands, the Gryffindor halloween costume, the fake glasses, the collective disdain for Dolores Umbridge.

What I didn't have was the time. Until I realized the library had the books on CD. *light bulb moment*. I also made the connection that we're driving multiple hours a week to school, gymnastics, swimming...

You see where I'm going with this?

That's right. My kids and I listened to all seven Harry Potter books, in ten months. I'll admit, there were times I circled the neighborhood more than once to finish a chapter. It was an experience, and a long one at that. Some of the books had over twenty discs.

Yes, I lied. I also admittedly regret not reading them soon. I now know in-depth about horcruxes and Snape's secrets. Try me.

Lastly, the LOL. I must confess I've still never used this acronym of immense joy. But I promise you, I might LOL someday...when something is really, really funny.

Cover Reveal for THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD by Lea Rae Miller

Today I'm excited to be part of the cover reveal for Lea Rae Miller's THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD, to be released May 7, 2013, by Entangled. This book sounds so amazing, and honestly, she had me at the title alone.   

 On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.                            

   

Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like.

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I'm so excited to read this book! Be sure to check out Leah's blog for details on a Marked-to-Read contest on Goodreads.

Preorder THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Congratulations, Leah!

Giving Thanks

I'm a bit late with the Thanksgiving post. With my self-imposed revision deadline and hosting fifteen people for Thanksgiving, I'm a little behind on...well, everything. Aside from giving thanks for the enormous blessings in my life- my husband and children, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and other family and friends I cherish, I want to express my gratitude for all things writing and book related.

I'm thankful to have a husband who not only encourages me to write but treats my writing as a job. Not a lot of people are lucky enough to be married to someone who'd say, "I don't care if you're not getting paid right now. You're a writer. So go write."

I'm thankful that my children don't think twice when I tell them I have to finish another revision or line edit my manuscript. I love when they tell their friends and teachers that their mom is a writer. A couple of weeks ago, I helped my oldest edit her book blog and she said, "I'm so lucky that you're a writer, Mom." My heart was like the Grinch's and grew three sizes that day.

I'm grateful for the writers I've met online and at the PNWA Conference. Being around others who share this passion is amazingly reassuring, not to mention helpful on those days when I have to force myself to open my word document.

Thank you to those who've read/beta'd/critiqued my manuscript (Kristin, Mom, Clancy, Hannah, Kaitlin, Amy, Angela, Melissa, Carrie and Taryn). Your suggestions were all unique, further demonstrating how subjective our tastes are. Thanks also to those who've let me beta and critique their manuscripts (Lisa, Melissa, Angela and Carrie). I'm honored that you'd share your work with me.

Thank you to the organizers of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference. I learned so much in just a few short days. I'm grateful to the literary agents and editors who requested my manuscript and made me feel comfortable during our short pitch sessions. I'm thankful to Donald Maass for his words of wisdom, "I'm not quitting. In fact I can't wait for what's coming. Let's change the world." To Debbie Macomber: not only are you an amazing writer, you're a classy lady. Thank you for reminding me to never underestimate the power of a dream and to celebrate the small successes along the way. Most importantly, thank you for encouraging me to let go of my guilt for taking time away from my children to write. Your words, "by teaching my children that I'm pursuing my dreams, I gave them permission to pursue their own," meant so much. Lastly, thank you to the writer who gave an elevator pitch to an agent in the actual elevator while I was two feet away. Your tenacity brought a smile to my face.

Thank you to the YA authors whose books have inspired and entertained me this year. A few of my favorites:

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lastly, thank you to everyone who reads my blog. Happy Belated Thanksgiving! Here's to a safe holiday season.