Adios 2012; 2013... Bring it!

Here we are at the dawn of a new year. Since my son got me up at the ungodly hour of 5am (and then again at 7am), I've had some time to reflect on the last year. Sorry, but Johnny Test marathons can only hold my attention for so long. Heh

The last 365 days have been such an enormous roller-coaster for me on a personal note, as well as a writerly note. I'm not going to focus on the family stuff in this here post, as that was filled with too many negative and conflicting emotions. If you really want to know, we shall share a bottle of wine and chat. 

Instead, I'm going to give my ode to the wonderful people I've met this year who have been so beyond pivotal in my growth as a writer, and a person... 

If you have not had the pleasure, I insist you track down the awesomely sparkly C. Issy. We sort of Twitter-befriended and chatted lots before finally meeting face-to-face at SCBWI in NYC last January. We fangirled, we cried, and we shared mush-brains after an incredible virgin SCBWI conference. Since then, Carli has become an awesome friend and wonderful critique partner. Carli keeps my 'teen voice' in check and inspires me to write super swoony kissy scenes. You can't have her, she's mine. So there.

The fab Cassandra Clare talking love triangles

TOTALLY geeked out when I passed S&S!

Henry Winkler's speech was beyond inspirational to the budding writer.

After a fate-sealing CP request post on AgentQuery Connect, I met the hysterical and insanely talented Alisha Marie Klapheke. As fate would have it, Ish lives literally like a half hour from me. Super weird, I know! It was awkward at first, but soon we realized we had so much in common we might have been sisters in another life. Kinda sappy? Yeah, but I heart my friends. Alisha loves a good edit and has taken the figurative red pen to my work more times than should be legal, but always has great advice and brainstorming. Passive voice be gone! And if you ever need a hot date for some tandoori chicken and naan bread, she's your gal!

Alisha and I often meet here (YUM!) to talk books, fictional boys, and everything else.

Inkpop may no longer be a place for young writers to connect and share, but it's the reason Michelle Warren is on my "awesome people of 2012" list. Michelle is a self-published author who I met through the HarperTeen sub-site. Her books, Wander Dust and Protecting Truth, I reviewed right here on this blog!! We traded a few emails and soon Michelle not only became a fantastic friend, but also an incredible beta reader/critique partner/inspiration/cover artist/ and all around awesome person to have in your arsenal. Michelle pushes me to question everything in my writing (the good/probing kind of questioning) and pointed out my horrible 'was' affliction. Awful. Really.

Last July, I met a budding YA/NA author at utopYA Con right here in Nashville. M.R. Polish came all the way from Nevada to take part in a fledgling Con for paranormal writers. We chatted, laughed, and absorbed all the amazeballs info at utopYA. Ms. Polish has recently debuted her novel WOLF SPELL and I had the pleasure of being a beta. It's a wonderfully magical story full of awesome visuals and imagination. M.R. has helped me as well. She has read for me and, like Ish, is a big fan of the figurative red pen. But her insight and questions, like Michelle, have pushed me to question things myself. 

Abbi Glines, Tiffany King, C.A. Kunz (Adam and Carol), and Michelle Leighton at utopYA 2012

Raine Thomas, L.M. Davis and Willow Cross at utopYA 2012

Linda Foster, K.C. Neal and Myra McEntire at utopYA 2012

Laskey Hall at Scarritt-Bennett where it all went down

Scarritt Hall at Scarritt-Bennett Center

I am so very thankful to have these ladies in my life. In the last two years that I've been actually writing, I have heard many times that finding good people to be part of your writing life is crucial to success. These ladies are my people. They are intelligent, witty, creative, crafty, funny, serious, practical, genius, supportive, encouraging, grounding, and by golly I heart them! Because of their insight, advice, and honesty, I would never be the writer I am today. I'm no where near where I want to be, but these fab ladies have helped me find a starting place. And with a little luck, we will all find that place of awesomeness together!

My Thoughts: PROTECTING TRUTH

Seraphina’s keeping a secret from her Wandering team: she’s perfecting her fighting skills. But telling Sam and Bishop the truth would only alert them to her plan: to go back in time, save her mom, and finish what she started. With the help of Turner, Bishop’s handsome twin, she progresses toward her goal but plummets deeper into dangerous territory where the lines of friendship and romance are blurred. One passionate kiss changes everything, leading Sera to unravel a shocking web of family secrets, heartbreaking ulterior motives, and sinister agendas. Love and lies collide in a haunting climax, where the truest souls may not survive.

Miss Michelle has done it again. I had the distinct pleasure of reading PROTECTING TRUTH recently, and I have to say… It’s AWESOME! I just love Michelle Warren and her stories. If you missed the first installment to the SERAPHINA PARRISH TRILOGY, WANDER DUST, you seriously need to go catch up. You can get this delish piece of reading at a crazy reasonable price for your eReader. Just DO IT! 

WANDER DUST laid the perfect groundwork for PROTECTING TRUTH. In WD, we are introduced to our characters and this underground world of Wandering, a type of time-traveler. Miss Michelle took us on this wild journey of discovery and wicked action scenes that still have me foaming at the mouth. We met Sera, who totally needs to be my friend, and her uber wonderful Protector, Bishop. ‘Scuse me whilst I swoon a bit….

PROTECTING TRUTH had all that….and then some. We come into the story with the yummilishious Bishop overseas visiting his family and Sera is up to her blue-violet eyes in defense training. Side note: There are few things in this world that I love more than a butt-kicking heroine (literally). Our girl is beating herself silly to be a better fighter. Why? ‘Cause she has a date with Cece, the evil B that’s holding her mom prisoner. The I’m-taking-you-down kind of date. And Sera is getting seriously good at this fighting stuff. Problem is, Bishop doesn't know, and Sera really doesn't want him to find out.

There’s also this little problem with Bishop’s elusive fraternal twin, Turner, who we didn't really get to meet in WD. ‘Scuse me whilst I swoon again… Boy do I love me some Turner. He’s intelligent, good with his hands (Erm…for inventing/creating trinkets and hologram machinery of course so get your mind out of the gutter), and has this dark side to him that is holy-mother-of-time-travels HAWT. But something doesn't seem right with Turner. Bishop hinted at some ‘sibling rivalry’ but it goes waaaay deeper than that.

PROTECTING TRUTH still had some action to die for, wonderfully descriptive holographic circuses that left me breathless, and swoon-worthy dates in London, but it was the deeper aspect that really drew me in. Miss Michelle brings us deeper into the Wandering world and we finally see how corrupted it is. Traitors are welcomed back into the halls of Washington Square Academy, Terease, or The Lady in Black, still terrorizes but there is much she’s not sharing, Sera believes the students are being bribed into the Wandering life, Bishop is holding devastating secrets, and Sera can’t fight the infuriating attraction she holds for Turner. The Academy is breached, the Underground holds too many cards, and we meet new people only to lose them. Tears, yes there are tears. PROTECTING TRUTH was truly non-stop and I loved every page.

The best part of PROTECTING TRUTH is the truth of the characters and their journey. Sera is wonderfully conflicted and I fell in love with her even more. She wants to do right, but somehow doesn’t quite make it. She battles with some major life-changing events and her growth through them are spot on. Sera’s far from perfect, but yet she is.

I've been a fan of this series from the very beginning and I cannot wait to see what’s next for Sera, Bishop and Sam. More please, Michelle!

In closing’ I’d like to share a snip-it to leave y’all salivating, much like I was reading it… Enjoy!

“To touch him would release his secrets. To kiss him would set him free.” 

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Protecting Truth

As you all know, Breaking the Spine hosts this here meme and I am soooo excited to participate for the very first time. That's right, lil ole me has her first "Waiting on" meme.



And what has drug me tooth and nail from the depths of non-bookish bore? Well, let me tell you...

If you have not had the pleasure, please let me introduce you to the lovely Michelle Warren!

She is the beautiful genius behind Wander Dust, the first installment to The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy. If you missed it, you can catch my rave and a half about Wander Dust here. I LOOOOOVED this book. To make things even sweeter, Michelle is quite possibly the coolest chica out there. Like Myra McEntire and Jeri Smith-Ready cool. Yeah, I know, that's a whole lot of cool.

This special meme day for me is to announce that the second installment is finally....FINALLY...coming to itchy fingers like mine very, very soon. So hold on to your hats y'all 'cause Protecting Truth, Book Two of The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy, is something worth 'waiting on.'

                             And check out this beautiful cover!!!!

           Yum. Did I mention Miss Michelle is a fantastic artist too? She is.

To make sure I bite my nails to nubs (kidding...sort of), Michelle has not released the summary for Protecting Truth, but I wouldn't need it. I am so on board anyway. Wander Dust was a fantastic read and the characters were fun and heartbreaking at the same time. I need to know what happens to Sera! I need to know more about Bishop! Okay, let me just have a moment here...Bishop...mmmm. Alright, I'm back. I need to know about the uber mysterious brother! Sera's mom! The Grungy Gang! The Academy! Oi, the list goes on!

To get you all caught up in time for the next awesomesauce installment, you can get Wander Dust over at our friends at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. If you order the super convenient e-book from Amazon by May 31st, you can get it for a STEAL of a price!

                        How much more awesome do you need?

Seriously, y'all, do yourself a favor and get your copy of Wander Dust now so you can get the delish dish before Protecting Truth's book birthday. If you love adventure, if you love magic, if you love hook-line-sinker plots of non-stop action, if you love courageous gals, if you love loyal guys (swoon!), you will want to be a Wanderer too!

To hook up with Michelle Warren directly, please check out the official website. You can also catch the lovely Michelle cruising the Twittersphere as well as Goodreads. Michelle is also an active Facebook-er so be sure to Like her page so you can get up-to-date info on releases, all things bookish, or just some juicy gossip. *grin*

As a farewell, I will leave you with the mouthwateringly awesome book trailer for Wander Dust. Enjoy!

I wanna be a Wanderer!!!!

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish.

The Lady in Black… burns Sera’s memories.

Unexplainable Premonitions… catapult her to other cities.

The Grungy Gang… wants to kill her.

And a beautiful, mysterious boy… stalks her.

But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.

Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.

I initially came across Michelle Warren through Inkpop (a division of Harper Teen for young writers/readers). She posted the first chapter of Wander Dust on the site and offered 'free reads' to others. I thought she was crazy, but I was also intrigued. So I read her snip-it and was instantly hooked!

Michelle takes us on a wild and mysterious ride, right from the first page. Each chapter brings more questions you just have to know the answers to. Who is this Lady in Black? Why is she sent to Chicago to go live with her aunt? Who are these creepy goons that seem to follow her after popping up out of thin air? Who? What? Why? Ahhhh!

The world Michelle creates is fantastic! Forgive my geek out moment, but I TOTALLY want to go to a school like the Academy! It's like a mish-mash of Hogwarts and House of Night with fantastically embellished rooms, crazy instructors, and out of this world that-so-should-not-be-real type of ambiance. Michelle describes everything so flawlessly it was like being there with Sera and Bishop.

The story behind Wander Dust is also incredible. I love a good time travel book and this one does not disappoint. The twist to the norm with the teams (Seer, Wanderer, and Protector) is fantastic and I love the chemistry required with the teams. Michelle weaves through a great plot full of intrigue, history, unexpected twists (which I LOVE), adventure and non-stop action. There was not a moment I got bored! It just keeps on a comin!

Sera, Bishop, Sam, Stu, Macey... I just loved Michelle's characters. They each had a great voice and true personality. Even Mona, Sera's aunt, is someone who I could totally have tea with. She is like that quirky relative you can't help but adore. Sera is a great lead character. She is strong, but doesn't know it. And it's not that cliche sort of quiet strengths, but a realistic holy-crap-who-am-I-to-think-I-can-actually-do-this-crap kind of chick. Bishop is a great guy and I so look forward to seeing more from him. Michelle kind of back-played him a bit so I have my questions. Don't get me wrong, he is totally swoon worthy. Hell, green eyes and a British accent... SWOON Bishop certainly has some background and I am anxious to learn more and see how the relationship between him and Sera plays out.

The romance was not as pronounced as you see in other YA reads, but that is not necessarily a bad thing! There were definitely those moments where you scream "JUST KISS HER ALREADY" at the printed words in front of your face. Moments that were incredibly sweet and made me giddy, and others where you could totally feel the fierce blush on Sera's face. It was awesome!

Overall, Wander Dust was a GREAT read and I am so glad I found another fantastic debut author! Do yourself a favor and pick this puppy up and READ IT! Michelle is working on book #2 as we speak and I am definitely looking forward to it.