Guest Post by Katherine Easer Author of Vicious Little Darlings

DISCOVERING SARAH

By Katherine Easer

Before I began writing Vicious Little Darlings, I thought I had a pretty good idea of who my narrator was. Her name was Sarah Weaver, and she was a brown-eyed, raven-haired seventeen-year-old from California. I knew Sarah’s religious beliefs, past experiences, fears, weaknesses, and talents. I even knew her thoughts on Justin Timberlake. Feeling fairly prepared, I began to write.

Thirty pages into my first draft, I realized I didn’t know Sarah at all. The pages were lifeless; her voice was flat. Sarah said what I wanted her to say, and she did what the plot required her to do, but she didn’t feel like a real person. She existed solely in the left hemisphere of my brain—though I didn’t know that at the time—and hadn’t yet come to life. I threw away my pages and spent the rest of the day trying to get to know her. Frantic brainstorming ensued. I interviewed Sarah, free wrote, drank a lot of coffee, free wrote some more. Still, she eluded me. Maybe what I needed was to relax, I thought, and to let my mind wander. I ran a bath. I lit candles and waited for inspiration to strike. Nothing happened. Frustrated, I decided to sit at my desk and try writing again, but three dull paragraphs and an hour later, I was exhausted. It was midnight, and I needed sleep.

When my head hit the pillow, a strange and magical thing occurred. I heard a voice in my head. It was a voice I didn’t recognize, but I knew that it belonged to Sarah. Though I had heard about this kind of thing from other writers, I’d never experienced it firsthand. My subconscious was now engaged, and Sarah, in her own words, was telling me about her life. She was sassy, snarky, and a little bit angry, and she wouldn’t stop talking. I turned on the light and wrote down everything she said.

Writing didn’t exactly become easy after that, but it became easier. I realized that it was when I stopped trying to define, control, judge, or even think about Sarah that she sprang to life. I learned that I didn’t have to force the writing; I just had to let go and trust my narrator. And when I did that, interesting things began to happen. --Katherine Easer

Katherine Easer is the author of Vicious Little Darlings. You can visit her at: www.katherineeaser.com



THANK YOU Katherine for a brilliant guest post. Those are exactly the kinds of stories readers want to know. I wish you much success on the books release!

Be Sure and check out Katherine's novel VICIOUS LITTLE DARLINGS (Hits shelves June 21st 2011). It's one of my favorite novels this year! Put this one down on your to be read list IMMEDIATELY. You can read my review ->HERE<- and see how I gushed away about it even before I knew how awesome the author was.  ;)

Detour 2 Death Offical Guest Post and Giveaway by J.R. Turner!

Hey Guys!! Today I have a very special guest poster. Her name is J.R. Turner and she is the acquiring editor for Quake Publishing and is here to tell us about her new novel, DETOUR 2 DEATH. This YA paranormal story has all the elements to be a real page turner (see blurb below) and I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Make sure you read the post, because at the end Jenny has been kind enough to put on a little giveaway!! Thank you Jenny!!! 
~~~Annie~~~

Detour 2 Death back cover blurb:


There are worse things than death, but not at Marsden Memorial hospital.

Kaylee Hensler knows her best friend Davey is on the brink of death. She knows this because she’s a psychic. When she flees the girl’s reformatory to get to him, she has no idea the special sort of hell waiting for her.

Reapers are collectors and they come in many forms. In Feverland, the world created by Davey’s sickness, the red reaper goes by the name of Molok, an ancient evil with deep roots. In Shadowland, the dark side of the hospital, a black reaper promises torture and torment to lost souls. The white reaper is the most fearsome, giving Kaylee three days before he collects both her and Davey’s souls.

Kaylee has one secret weapon, one she doesn’t fully understand. Her abilities will be tested, her loyalty betrayed, and her love misplaced. No one escapes Death.

J.R. Turner Bio:

Award-winning author J.R. Turner lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband and three children. She began writing in high school, and after a decade working as a commercial artist, started her first novel in 1999. Aside from crafts, camping and cooking, she loves holidays. A favorite is Halloween, a combination of spooky supernatural fun and chocolate. Visit her at http://www.jennifer-turner.com/ to learn more!

Without further ado, I turn over the floor to our guest speaker, J.R. Turner.

Hi Annie, thanks so much for hosting me on my blog tour! :)

I guess the biggest thing my readers all want to know about is the love triangle between Kaylee, her childhood friend Davey, and the archangel Raphael.

At first I didn’t expect Raphael to be anywhere near a love interest for Kaylee, but as time wore on and he showed her more and more love and interest, he became exactly that—a love interest! Seriously though, it was not planned at all. Characters have a way of feeling the way they do—despite the best laid plans. They’re sort of like us in that regard.

Years ago I saw a wonderfully horrible movie called City of Angels with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan. I won’t say why it was horrible (if you’ve seen it, you know) but I will say what was wonderful—the way Cage acted toward Meg throughout most of the movie was breathtaking. That sort of love is something we all crave. I guess as an author, I was feeling pretty guilty about putting Kaylee through so much and over time, Raphael began to exhibit much more love than anticipated.

On the other hand, I totally meant for Davey to be the hot guy who gets the girl in the end. He begins the series in a wheelchair, suffering from Transverse Myelitis (an infection in his spinal column.) He spends all of the first three books very ill. Something happened during the writing of Detour 2 Death though. Because I was channeling his subconscious as Kaylee interacted with him in the dreamscape of his coma, I realized that Davey—though a mild mannered and optimistic guy on the outside—had some serious anger issues on the inside. I mean, wouldn’t anyone have some resentment and bitterness about spending the last two years of school in a wheelchair?

Not only didn’t I expect him to be so angry, I didn’t expect him to be so violent. While in his real world he cherishes Kaylee, in his coma, his subconscious self is paranoid she’s going to leave him. This does not bode well for her when she needs to confront the reaper trying to kill him outside of his coma.

As the series continues, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen with Raphael and Davey and who she’ll end up with at the end. Right now she has them both, but for how long?

Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog, Annie! I’m looking forward to reading the comments and answering any questions anyone has. I’ll also be happy to choose a name from those who leave a comment and send them a free, handmade and beautifully beaded book thong!

Warmly,

Jenny:)

Here are the links if you would like to contact Jenny or submit to Quake Publishing!

Quake: Shaking up Young Readers


Submissions: http://quakeme.com/submissions/

Official Website of J.R. Turner: http://www.jennifer-turner.com/

On Writing Without Eyeglasses…Guest Post by Holly Schindler

Okay, guys. Today I have a very special guest poster, Holly Schindler, who has been kind enough to stop by and give us some pointers about self-editing. This is couldn't come at a better time, being NaNo month and all. Be sure to check out Holly's debut novel A BLUE SO DARK that's out now and her forthcoming novel PLAYING HURT. Now without further ado, take it away Holly.

On Writing Without Eyeglasses…

I graduated with my master’s degree in the spring of 2001, and decided to nix the idea of a full-time job in order to pursue a writing career—my lifelong dream. This was possible, of course, only because of the incredible—INCREDIBLE—financial support I received from my family. I know—very ROOM OF ONE’S OWN. That support allowed me the freedom to spend my time drafting enough manuscripts to form a pile that stretches from the floor to the ceiling in my office! A mere (ahem) seven and a half years after grad school, I snagged my first publishing deal…A BLUE SO DARK, my debut novel, was released in May 2010.

…After all that time spent writing project after project, if I could give writers just one piece of drafting advice? Take off your glasses.


Yup, take ‘em off completely…


I drafted the entirety of A BLUE SO DARK in late 2006…only took about two months. The reason I was able to write at such an incredible pace was because I took my glasses off as I wrote—I’m so nearsighted, the print COMPLETELY disappeared from my screen. The beautiful part was, if I couldn’t SEE what I’d just written, I couldn’t second-guess it. So my internal editor was silenced. Completely. And it really didn’t take any effort to silence her. She was just…gone.


Sure, the book was revised globally about four different times in the next two years. But revising for me is always far easier than drafting. I’d much prefer to be reworking something that’s already down in draft form than trying to come up with something from scratch.


…And one thing I’ve heard repeatedly from bloggers about BLUE is that it’s honest… But I think the reason I GOT that honesty is because of the blind first draft. That stark truthfulness was there from the get-go.  

So, all you drafters out there (even those of you currently in the midst of NaNoWriMo), put those glasses down—or turn off or cover your screen…Remove the temptation to read that last sentence. Not only will your internal editor fade away, but you’ll actually forget about the potential audience, too…It’ll just be you and your words flowing as naturally as the thoughts in your own head…Which will make YOUR book brutally honest, and your main character seem flesh-and-blood real!

--Holly Schindler

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Thanks to Holly for giving us all some helpful writing tips. I think I just might give this a try myself. For more helpful hints follow Holly on Twitter. Don't forget to put PLAYING HURT on your to be read (TBR) list! It hits shelves March 1,  2011!

Plot:
Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had a full ride to college—and everyone's admiration back home. Then she took a horrible fall during senior year. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.




That summer, Chelsea's dad hires Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player and "boot camp" trainer, to work with her at a northern Minnesota lake resort. As they grow close, Chelsea finds that Clint's haunted by his own tragedy. Will their romance end up hurting them all over again—or finally heal their heartbreak?