Natalie Wright, Author

Friday, January 25, 2013

Vortex Series Blog Tour with Janine Caldwell

Please welcome my guest, Janine Caldwell, to my blog today as she stops by on her January book tour!

Author Janine Caldwell

Since I’m relatively new to the publishing scene, I thought I’d let you know a little more about me and my books. I’ve alway been a literature fanatic and have a degree in English to prove it. But pesty jobs and paying bills got in the way of my creative time, so it wasn’t until my thirties before I really could sit down and write seriously. I tried my hand at screenwriting and loved it, but when I began to discover the world of young adult fiction, I knew I found my calling to write novels.

About six years ago, I was involved with a local youth group. We were studying Diary of a Teenage Girl by Melody Carlson. The girls in the group also introduced me to the Twilight series. They were pretty early to jump on the twi-hard bandwagon since Stephenie Meyer is practically our neighbor. I know YA fans have varying opinions on this series, but hate it or love it, she pushed me to get going on my own series. Something about her living only miles away from me was truly inspirational.

I’m first to admit I’m a sucker for fantasy and romance. I knew my books would have to incorporate these elements because that’s what I like to read. I’m also currently obsessed with the idea of alternate worlds. Like what would happen if you could change your life to what you think you want it to be. And then, finally, there’s Sedona. A place so unique and amazing, it’s hard to describe. Lucky for me I only live 45 minutes away from this special place.

Sedona is known for its vortexes. I mean, come on. Vortexes? Mysterious supernatural energy? This place was just begging to be the center of a fantasy series. So, The Vortex Series (Rematch and Double Fault with Deuce still to come), is the accumulation of all the above things. I really hope readers will enjoy reading them as much as I loved writing them.

As far as my dream cast for The Vortex Series, an eighteen-year-old Johnny Depp would be the perfect specimen. That dark, wavy hair, depthless brown eyes, and that jaw line! I can’t think of one teenage actor today who could do Trent justice like a young Depp.

For Cassie, it would be Mary Ashleigh Green. She needs to be athletic, physically strong, have caramel-colored long hair and unforgettable, piercing green eyes.

Here's a bit more about Rematch:

In REMATCH, Cassie and Trent's worlds are about to collide, but not in the way you might expect. After a rocky start to their senior year, Trent is determined to hide from Cassie how their lives are supernaturally linked. But when Cassie's past continues to torment her, she's soon looking to Trent for answers. Trent must choose between admitting what he is and his role in her past, or running aware from her forever.

DOUBLE FAULT is the 2nd book in the Vortex Series and Cassie and Trent's problems have only just begun as they navigate through a parallel world filled with mind-blowing complexity. With Cassie's tennis career hanging in the balance, she continues to watch her world crumble while fiercely hiding a secret hat might cause her to lose what's most dear to her heart.

Author Bio:

Janine was raised in the Bay Area and has a B.A. in English from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After 30 years in California, she and her husband moved to Arizona and are currently raising their two sons in Anthem. Janine has always had a passionate love for literature—anything from the classics to the hottest YA series. Inspired by her visits to Sedona, she wrote her first YA series (The Vortex Series) based on the romance and mystery of the red rock formations. She is also grateful for the students in her life who remind her what the teenage years are like, good and bad. When Janine is not writing, she’s practicing yoga, spending time with friends, and taking care of her family.

You can contact Janine at the following links:

www.janinecaldwell.com

www.twitter.com/J9fiction

www.facebook.com/AuthorJanineCaldwell

www.goodreads.com/author/show/5804836.Janine_Caldwell/blog

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13574626-rematch

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13600930-double-fault

http://www.amazon.com/Rematch-The-Vortex-Series-ebook/dp/B007JLRY7A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334152543&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Fault-Vortex-Series-ebook/dp/B007JLS01O/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334152614&sr=1-2

You can purchase Rematch and Double Fault at Amazon by clicking the link below*

Amazon.com Widgets

As an Amazon "Affiliate", I receive a small commission if you purchase through this link ;-)

Monday, January 7, 2013

Coaxing the Muse: A Day in the Life of a Novel

Once upon a time, I worked as a divorce litigator. I spent my days in a courtroom, witness to people who once swore undying love battle each other over money and children. I chugged Mylanta straight from the bottle while I drove to the battle arena, fantasizing about spending my days writing instead.

Ah, blissful days writing. I pictured myself grabbing a cup of coffee or tea, sitting down to the computer, and spinning out page-turning stories with ease. It would be blissful. Just me, my thoughts, and the pliant keys under my nimble fingers.

While any writing day is better than a day as a litigation warrior in the divorce court, my writing days are far from what I dreamt they would be. It turns out that being alone with yourself all day – well, you’re alone – with yourself! And it also turns out that that sly minx of a muse doesn’t just appear on command like a pimp’s bitch, eager to obey and please. At least not my muse. No, mine is more like an irritable, temperamental child that I have to coax and bribe.

Here, then, is a peek into my writing day:

8:30 a.m.: Each writing day starts with the blank page (to some extent or another). Ah, the promise of the page. Anything can happen. Everything can happen. The empty, white screen that contains the potential for genius.

9:00 a.m.: The blank page still there. Better check Twitter and see what’s going on in my Facebook world. Hey, that’s a great article on writing. This is just the thing I need to get me going today. Wonder what’s new on Wattpad?

10:30 a.m.: Laptop ready. Tunes going. Waiting for inspiration.

I know what I need – coffee. A strong cup of jo will get that blasted muse to work!

11:00 a.m.: You know what goes great with a cup of coffee? How about some of this -

12:00 p.m.: All that net surfing, coffee slurping and chocolate nibbling sure did work up a hunger. Better go grab some lunch. That’s what I need – food. That’s sure to spark an idea.

1:00 p.m.: Wow, lunch sure was exhausting. I need a nap. Maybe I’ll dream the next plot step. Okay characters, tell me what’s next for you while I sleep.

2:00 p.m.: Yawn! Great nap. Back to work. Okay, muse. I’m listening. Really. Come on. I’m waiting. Where’s that *#%@ muse?!

3:00 p.m.: Crap – it’s time to pick up my offspring. I didn’t get much writing done today. (Looks at blank computer screen.) Okay, I didn’t get any writing done today. I’ll get some words banged out later.

8:30 p.m.: Best time of the day – dinner and T.V. and laughing with the fam. Got the kiddo tucked in. Hubby’s watching football (or insert game with a ball that’s in season). Dog is napping. It’s dark outside, quiet inside. Maybe I’ll try this –

11:00 p.m.: Apparently that’s what my cranky muse needed. Quiet. Relaxation. Who knew? I got two chapters written. I’m not sure I’ll stick with where the plot’s going, and I need to add more details about the setting – oh, and some inner dialogue. But words were written. That page is no longer blank. If I do this about fifty more times, I’ll have the first draft of a novel written ;-)

Monday, December 10, 2012

Dreamer Release Tour

I welcome Monique Morgan as my guest today. Monique has just launched her book Dreamer. Check it out and make sure to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for some really cool swag and prizes!

Don't you LOVE that cover!

When her plane crashes into
the ocean, Zanas is dropped into a brutal world of survival. She soon learns that this is no ordinary
place, as the land mutates all that live within its borders. Her sister is kidnapped and taken beneath, thrusting Zanas into the middle
of a primitive society, where she will find her death, or her destiny.

Amazon / BN / Sony / iTunes

Read the first six chapters now!

She was nothing like her sister. Zanas had always
been the courageous and dedicated one. Asenya was arrogant, selfish, and
demanding. All of the qualities that Dreamers have…

Kidnapped and taken beneath, Asenya fights to find
out who she really is, discovering that her potential is far greater than she
ever could have imagined. But that destiny may finally be the end of her, and what she once was.

May she make the right choices.

Excerpt:

There was one thing that bothered her after Zanas had left, something that nagged at the back of her mind, until finally she could not dismiss it any longer.

Everywhere she looked, she saw the strong belief that all were allowed to choose. She had been taken below by force, and there was that part of her that wondered if she had been placed in the right clan. She knew that she had received the marks of the Dreamer, and that should be sign enough, but still there was that feeling.

Asenya snuck out in the middle of the night, following the path that she traveled down her first night below. She had been learning enough in antiquities to understand the concept of the pledge temple ,and Falon had already confided in her that he had removed the barrier spells around the hold. She could come and go as she pleased.

Usually anyone wishing to pledge a clan, did so when they believed that they were old enough to leave their families, and venture into the lives of their destinies. This was always done in the pledge temple, by those that were city born, or born within the clan.

There was a rumor that there was a spell on the temple that only allowed the pledger to speak the truth, sometimes to the speaker’s surprise. But the people of the beneath believed in nothing stronger than the tenant that Alwahi knew everyone’s path.

It was chilly in the dark shadows of the tunnel, making it seem as though she really were in the underworld. When she came to the diverging tunnels, she paused, looking up at the circling staircase that led to the temple.

For some reason, she was starting to feel afraid, the quiet of the shadows making her uneasy. Perhaps it had not been the best idea to run here in the middle of the night, when no one knew she was gone.

Shaking herself, Asenya closed her hands into fists, narrowing her eyes as she took one deep breath. She had come here for a reason, and she wasn’t going to give up when she was this close. Asenya began walking up the stairs, higher and higher, until she was pushing open the door that led into the temple.

Three throne chairs greeted her as she ventured inside, the steps of her feet echoing across the long hall. She felt immediately an overwhelming sence of reverence, the building speaking to her very soul.

It spoke of history and awe. I told whispers of the countless feet that had walked the very stone floor that she stepped across. And finally, it hinted at destiny yet to be fulfilled.

Asenya walked into the center of the magnificent building, closing her eyes and inhaling deep once again. She flung her arms outward, letting her head fall back as her eyes opened wide.

“I pledge,” her voice came out on its own. “Dreamer…”

It was like a wind that escaped her lips, traveling past her face and to the room, swirling like a mighty wind around her body, lifting her hair and the hem of her dress from the ground. The air that swirled around her brightened, turning to a shimmering trail, like the loving embrace of some spirit.

Dreamer…

A word spoken, but not, simply a melody on the wind. And then she knew, she knew that she had been placed in exactly the clan that she had belonged to, and deep down inside, she realized that she had always known.

From the Eyes of a Dreamer, by Monique Morgan

The second book in the Alwahi series, Dreamer, takes place from the viewpoint of an entirely different character. Pursuer was through the eyes of the brave hero Zanas, and her experiences as she followed her destiny as a Pursuer.

Dreamer is from the perspective of her twin sister Asenya, and will tell the story from her point of view, and what it is like to experience life as a Dreamer pledge. The clans are as unlike as the sisters, one honorable and brave the other arrogant and prideful.

But although they differ, they offer both the girls something, a trip to the core of the destiny that they never knew existed. Forcing them both to make decisions that will not only affect them, but the people of Alwahi as well.

THEY ARE THE DESTINY

Author Bio

Monique Morgan lives in Utah with her husband and her three children. She writes Action Adventure YA with a sprinkle of "whatever". Her books cross the genres between Scifi, Horror, and Fantasy, with one main element, a main character who kicks butt in any situation.

Author Website / Facebook / Twitter

Giveaway:

Signed copies of both books (US)

E-copy (Int)

Swag (Magnets, and Bookmarks) (US)

Alwahi Shirts (US)

Alwahi Totes (US)