Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Cave In to a Good Read w/ Author Amber Dawn Bell

The Author




Amber’s love of romance and medieval history led her to pursue her dream of writing. She is a stay-at-home mom and now that her kids are older, she is able to spend a little time making her dream come true. She loves stories about Vikings, pirates, Scotland, and just about anything of the paranormal nature, especially vampires. Amber lives in central Texas with her own knight in shining armor, her high school sweetheart and husband of 23 years, along with their two teenage kids, two dogs, and a cat. Amber believes that everyone should have a happily-ever-after. She currently has 5 short stories in 5 different anthologies and a full length young adult paranormal novel, Cave of Terror (1st in the Vânător Diaries Series).

Take the time to learn more about Amber at the following outlets:



The Book




Gymnast Cheyenne Wilde finds out on her 16th birthday that not only is she a vampire but a hunter of evil as well. She must balance her two lives while dealing with a cheerleader who makes her life miserable, an evil entity that stalks her, a coach that wants to see her make nationals, and the stirrings of first love.


Do you believe in vampires?

I sure didn’t. Not until I found out on my 16th birthday I’m anything but human. And to add the cherry on the freak sundae called my life, I’m the first Vânător born in over 500 years. You see, I’m destined to be a hunter of evil. That’s right; I’m a real life Buffy.

To make matters worse, I’m falling for Ryan—this new guy at school. I never thought I’d be this love struck, hair tossing, dorky teenager. It’s enough to make me want to hurl.

And on top of all this, I have an entity stalking me that wants to use my rare blood for his own evil deeds, a girl at school who lives to make my life miserable, and a gymnastics coach who is determined to see I make it to Nationals.

Yep, things are really looking up for me. Welcome to the never boring, anything but normal, you-never-know-what’s-going-to-happen life of Cheyenne Wilde.




Click the cover above to purchase YOUR copy of Cave of Terror today!




The Interview


Talk to us about your journey into publication.
From an early age, I had an interest in reading and writing and have dabbled in it ever since. About 6 years ago, I decided to try my hand at professional writing.

I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones. The first story I ever submitted was accepted. I made the choice to go with a small publisher where I could have more control over my career. It’s been a very positive experience. I’ve learned so much and feel I’ve grown as a person and a writer through the process.

This year, I had my first ever struggle with writing. I started a story that never really felt right to me, but I refused to admit it to myself. Up to this point, everything had been relatively easy for me. When the deadline rolled around and I still had no clue where I was going and didn’t really like my characters, my publisher asked to read it. In a nice way, she basically said it was crap, which I already knew. So, I ditched it and started all over. I had one week to finish a new story. It was rough, but I made it through. The lesson I learned was one I won’t soon forget. If you don’t love your characters and your story, no one else will either. Stop and reevaluate. If you can’t find the problem, put it away and start something new.


Today, authors are marketers, promoters. What have you done to promote your work?
Now days, authors don’t have the luxury of just writing. We are forced to play a very active role in marketing and promoting, which cuts deep into our writing time and sometimes into our pockets. You can’t sit idle and expect your publisher to do the work for you. They don’t have the man power or the money. And in reality, if you don’t have a good buy through for your first book or two, there are many other authors waiting to take your place. You must do the best you can to help out sales.

Some ways I have promoted my work include reviews, interviews, web site, blogs, social media sites, printed material, and web advertisements like banners.

Reviews are a great way to get your story and name out there. Interviews such as this one help as well. A website is a must. For those that can’t afford to hire someone to do one for them, there are places that will host a web site for free. Blogs when done right are very effective, although I have fallen horribly behind in this department (one of my New Year resolutions). Social media sites like Facebook are great for reaching many people for free. Bookmarks, pens, and other printed materials are good to hand out for advertisement purposes. This can be costly, and I haven’t decided yet if it’s been worthwhile. Web banners can also be a good tool to reach certain people. Many book sites offer good deals that make it more affordable to do.


How important is social media in the marketing, promoting of your works?
Social media sites are very important, especially with today’s economy. You can’t beat free! It allows you to reach a lot of people at one time. Most sites allow pictures and videos, so book covers and book trailers can be uploaded. Visual is very important.


What, in your experience, are some of the best social media sites to join as an author? Why?
Facebook—it’s the most popular social media site at this time, reaching tons of people.

I will admit that I have an account with just about every social media site out there; however, I’ve stopped maintaining most of them due to lack of interaction. I still like MySpace because you can make a professional looking page that matches your website. But over the last two years I’ve seen the interaction fade while Facebook continues to grow. Twitter is very hot now, but to be honest, I don’t exactly get it.


I'm a writer wanting to be published; what three pieces of advice would you give me?
Learn your craft—read, take classes. You can never know too much. The market changes all the time. Keep up with it.

Join writers’ groups. Listen to the mistakes and successes of other authors and learn from it.

Never give up. If you’ve learned your craft and applied your skills to the best of your abilities and still get rejected, maybe you haven’t hit the right person with the right story at the right time. Even the best authors don’t get published without a little luck and persistence. Timing is everything.


What three web sites would you recommend to those interested in learning more about writing and the publishing world?
Romance Writers of America - [LINK] - Although this focuses on romance, if you have a genre you’re interested in, do a web search and see what organizations are out there for that particular genre.

Margie Lawson web site - [LINK] - She is an awesome person and an awesome instructor. I’ve learned so much from her. I highly recommend her to anyone writing any genre.

Debra Dixon, Goal, Motivation, and Conflict - [LINK] - If you don’t have this book, it’s a must have!



The Excerpt


From Cave of Terror...


The Beginning
A Blood Sucking Discovery


My sixteenth birthday totally sucked.

Instead of having a rockin’ party, I was initiated into a vampire clică.

Nothing like finding out your parents are blood suckers on the most important day of your life. I mean, how had they hid it for all those years? And why the heck hadn’t they told me until now?

I’ve always considered myself to be a logical person living in the real world where Dracula existed only in the minds of wacko writers. Sure, the movies are good for a laugh and an occasional scare, but they aren’t factual.

Vampires don’t really exist.

Well, apparently they do and I’m one of them. Nice. Somehow, the excitement over getting my driver’s license faded in light of this new development.

Instead, I fixated on more life-altering thoughts like would I be able to walk in the sun or would I have to actually drink blood? Or would I have to sleep in a coffin? I’m claustrophobic, so that wouldn’t be the greatest sleeping arrangement for me.

After thinking about it, I realized both my mom and dad go out in the daylight hours. They have normal jobs, after all. My dad owns a computer software company, and my mom is a psychologist. Yet, we never really spent extended hours in the sun, and we’ve never had a family vacation that included the beach.

I think I’d know if they slept in a coffin or drank blood. Wouldn’t I? Every night they had wine or at least a liquid that appeared to be wine. It’s not like I ever took a drink or anything. Surely, they wouldn’t be gulping down the DNA of another human right in front of me. That’s just plain nasty.

Can you imagine all the crazy thoughts going through my head? One minute I’m a normal teenager turning sixteen, and the next I’m being led into some kind of ritualistic coming-of-age gathering full of vampires congratulating me on reaching maturation. So much for thinking my parents had planned a sweet sixteen party all my friends would envy. Guess I wouldn’t be starring in the reality show, My Super Sweet 16.

My mom and dad had promised to answer all my questions after the induction. And questions they answered. I don’t think they knew what hit them.

One thing was for sure, everything I thought I knew about vampires went straight out the window. Well, almost everything.
Sunlight won’t burst vampires into flames, reducing them to a pile of dust. Thank goodness for small favors. There’s no such thing as the living dead. Vampires are very much alive with a beating heart and everything. Sunday morning church congregations include vampires. Holy water is just blessed water. Vampires put on their make-up in front of a mirror like everyone else. Garlic is a tasty addition to many dishes. Crosses make nice fashion accessories. Coffins aren’t part of a vampire’s bedroom set. And wooden stakes aren’t any more deadly than other weapons, which brings me to a rather disturbing and disappointing fact.

Vampires aren’t immortal.

Sure, they live longer than the average human—a lot longer, heal abnormally fast, and aren’t plagued by most human diseases and ailments, but they don’t live forever. Talk about a bummer. Immortality was the one bright spot in the whole situation.

I’d saved the one big question for last. Was I expected to go around biting people and sucking their blood? I mean, wasn’t that what vampires were supposed to do? My mom laughed and my dad shook his head and grinned. I didn’t get what was so funny.

My mom explained that centuries ago, before the convenience of modern technology, vampires didn’t have a choice and had to take nourishment directly from humans. I shuddered. I mean, how gross is that? But, over hundreds of years, they had evolved. They no longer needed long fangs to pierce skin. Eye teeth shortened and now only extend when threatened or angry. Or when a vampire doesn’t feed regularly and goes into a full bloodlust. I didn’t even want to go there. Bloodlust? No, thank you. I was quite happy to find out I’d be able to continue eating the same foods I’ve always eaten. I’d just have to start supplementing my diet with, you guessed it, blood. Yick!

I did find out something rather cool. Every female vampire acquires a special ability unique to her physical make-up on her sixteenth birthday when she reaches maturation. I couldn’t wait to find out what special power I had. I just hoped it wasn’t something too weird or too noticeable.
Since I’m a gymnast, I spend five hours a day in the gym training. It’s hard enough to fit in without being a freak. I don’t have much time for a social life, so that makes me a big enough freak as it is.

I’ve never had a boyfriend to speak of. Not unless you count the cute boy in kindergarten who rubbed sun block on my back on water day. I don’t know if boys are afraid to ask me out because I don’t have the time to devote to them or if it’s because I could quite probably kick their butts with little or no problem. That’s what five hours in the gym gets you.

What can I say? Gymnastics is my life. I’ve been doing the sport since I could walk. I don’t plan on quitting now so some silly boy can drool all over me. Ain’t gonna happen.

Anyway, I spent the rest of my birthday waiting for my special ability to show itself. It never did. I went to bed very disappointed and frustrated, thinking I must not have any powers. Figures.
I was a powerless vampire. And I still had to drink blood.

Where was the silver lining? Where was the something good to go along with the whole bunch of bad? It just didn’t seem fair.
The next day at school, during a biology fieldtrip, everything changed. This is where my story begins.

Before you turn the page, I think it’s only right to caution you. If you are faint of heart, stop now before it’s too late. This is no Cinderella story. It’s a true account of my life and will forever change how you see the world and the creatures that live on it.

You have been warned.





Thursday, December 17, 2009

In Need of a Joshua Man by Teresa D. Patterson



In Need of a Joshua Man by Teresa D. Patterson


When Audrey Peterson walks into church feeling the need to purge past sins, she sees Pastor Raymond Dickerson and is immediately put off by his striking good looks. She unfairly assumes that he must be one of those hypocritical preachers, the kind that praises the Lord on Sunday and raises hell the rest of the week.

As Audrey opens her heart and listens to Pastor Dickerson’s sermon, she decides that her preconceived views may be wrong. There’s more to the pastor than a handsome face. She feels something that she can’t explain when she briefly shakes his hand upon leaving the church, and that “something” is returned by the pastor. He senses something different about Audrey from first glance. He sweats at the altar and has to brace himself before he can carry on with his sermon. He feels a connection, just like her, and finds himself turning to God for answers.

At first, Raymond is unsure of what role he’s to play in Audrey’s life. Once he receives confirmation from God that she is to be his “help meet,” he sets out to teach her about loving God and herself. He ends up being the “Joshua Man” who leads her out of the wilderness into a land of promise.




Order your copy of In Need of a Joshua Man through [PayPal] today!



About the Author


Teresa D. Patterson, who also writes under the pseudonym, Diane Diamond and Sheisty, is the author of Its Your World, Black Girl, Project Queen, Uncrossing Her Legs, and Ex-boyfriend. She has a degree in business, and resides in Florida with her two sons.

You can learn more about Teresa at her website.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Bourne to Write: Interview with Author Phyllis Bourne

The Author




A native of Chicago’s Southside, Phyllis Bourne began her writing career as a newspaper crime reporter. After years of writing about misdeeds, she left reporting to pen her own tales. Nowadays her stories are filled with heart-stopping heroes and happy endings. When she’s not writing, Phyllis can usually be found at a make-up counter feeding her lipstick addiction. Look for her upcoming release Operation Prince Charming in summer 2010.

Check out Phyllis at her website and on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.



The Book




“By New Years Day” in The Holiday Inn


Fed up with their demanding adult children driving his exhausted wife into the ground, Devon Masters whisks her off for a romantic New Year’s weekend.

Eva is furious with her husband for dragging her a thousand miles away from their Miami home. Holidays should be spent surrounded by family.

The couple’s grudges have stacked up over the past year, and their marriage is crumbling under the strain. But as temperatures drop, the Masters’ passion heats up melting both their resentments and the sheets. Will a sexy weekend at the Holiday Inn be enough to revive their marriage before the clock strikes midnight?


Click the cover above to purchase YOUR copy of The Holiday Inn today!




The Interview


Talk to us about your journey into publication.
Sigh. I wish I had a great “the call” story to tell. My road to publication was pretty uneventful. I got published by NOT winning a contest.

Before, I wasted a lot of time thinking, dreaming and talking about writing, but not much actual writing. Finally, I sat my behind down in a chair and got serious. I also began entering my books-in-progress in contests sponsored by local chapters of Romance Writer’s of America. The contests were good practice at meeting deadlines. They also provided me with objective feedback. Soon I began to reach finalist status in these competitions, and that put my manuscript in front of editors judging the final rounds.

A Dorchester editor judged the final round of Rose City Romance Writer’s (Portland, Oregon) Golden Rose contest. She read my first three chapters and requested the full manuscript. Again, I didn’t win the contest. However, she bought my book!

Looking back, I regret all the time I wasted dreaming instead of doing.


Today, authors are marketers, promoters. What have you done to promote your work?
Here’s a list of things I did promowise for my first novel, A Moment on the Lips:
- Full-page ad in RWA’s Romance Writer’s Report

- Ad in Romance Sells (a RWA booklet distributed to thousands of librarians and booksellers)

- Profile and book except in SORMAG online magazine

- Bought 11,000 bookmarks

- Distributed over 7,000 bookmarks to romance-friendly bookstores through RT Bookclub’s Bookstores That Care program

- Bought and distributed over 500 pens

- Booksignings (solo and with other authors)

- Monthly website contests

With my novella "By New Year’s Day” in The Holiday Inn, I did much of the same.

Between releases, I started my own blog. However, instead of writing about me-me-me and mybooks-mybooks-mybooks I decided to blog about my second love (next to romance novels) make-up and beauty products.

Folks who stopped by said they not only loved my honest beauty product reviews, but also enjoyed my writing style. Some went on to give my books a try!

Nobody really knows for sure, but I believe my blog has been my most effective marketing tool. It gives readers a taste of my writing in a no pressure to buy atmosphere.


How important is social media (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) in the marketing, promoting of your works?
I have no idea. I don’t think any author does. We just try everything and hope something works. There are no guarantees in this business.

However, I’ve been a romance reader for over twenty-five years. I gobble up books like chocolate. As a newspaper reporter, I even took a romance novel along to cover a riot (to read when things got slow).

So I am my own target market.

As an author, I’d love to believe social media is a magic bullet and a barrage of notes on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace will send everyone running to the bookstore to grab my latest.

Readerwise, I know better. I’ve never bought a book because of something I’ve read on social media. I’m influenced by reviews, back cover copy and the first few pages.

Also, the more popular the social media outlet, the more people are on it trying to sell things. It comes to a point when it’s just a lot of noise.


What, in your experience, the best social media sites to join as an author? Why?
I think the best social media site is the one you actually enjoy - the one you’d participate in regardless of book promotion. Your reader-attracting personality will shine through naturally because you’re having fun.

For me, it’s Twitter. It’s brief, concise and totally addictive!


I'm a writer wanting to be published; what three pieces of advice would you give me?
1- Develop good writing habits NOW. Set up writing hours and stick to them. Don’t wait until you sign a book contract.

2- Don’t get too attached to your words or even your title. More than likely your editor will request changes. Like you, she wants to help make your book the best it can be. Unlike you, she’s objective.

3- Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write.


What three web sites would you recommend to those interested in learning more about writing and the publishing world?

1- Blogging in Black

2- Novel Spaces

3- Boxing the Octopus


The above are all multi-author blogs that provide a daily dose of reality about the writing life.



The Excerpt


From "By New Year's Day" from the anthology The Holiday Inn...


Chapter One

Devon Masters glanced sideways at his wife as he steered the SUV along the winding stretch of New Hampshire highway. She still wasn’t speaking to him, and the stoic expression she’d worn since their flight left Miami this morning was firmly in place.

“You can’t stay mad all weekend,” he said, breaking the silence. “This is supposed to be a vacation, remember?”

Eva turned to him, her impassive façade giving way to a full-fledged frown. “A trip you sprung on me at the last minute, when you knew darn well we had plans for New Year’s weekend.”

Plans? Devon nearly laughed aloud. Their so-called plans were the same every weekend and the majority of evenings, he thought. Babysitting. Their daughter would drop by unannounced with her two kids in tow and make a hasty exit without them. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Their oldest wasn’t the only one taking them for granted. Her sister and brother were just as bad.

Devon swallowed hard, forcing the anger threatening to surface back down his throat. He hadn’t whisked Eva fifteen hundred miles away from their home and family to get into the same old argument.

After thirty-years, four kids and two grandchildren together, their relationship should be solid. Instead, they squabbled constantly over their children, and even worse, they hadn’t make love in months.

Now Devon was on a mission. He’d booked the weekend at the Snow Splendor Ski Lodge with one thing in mind - getting his marriage back on track. It didn’t matter that neither of them skied, it was the seclusion they needed.

What better time than New Year’s to resolve their disagreements and start fresh, he thought, looking through the windshield at the snow-covered landscape.

He flicked on the wipers to brush away the falling snowflakes. It was only flurries now, but the weather forecast promised more of the white stuff over the weekend.

“Snow’s a big change of pace for us, huh?” Devon offered a not-so-smooth segue to a safer topic. He held his breath hoping his wife would bite. The sound of his watch ticking off the seconds was deafening inside the vehicle’s quiet cabin.

“It’s beautiful all right,” she finally said. “Our grands would love it.”

Devon chuckled imagining the kick their three and one-year old grandchildren would get out of seeing snow for the first time. “Yeah, they would. Thomas actually asked me to bring some back,” he said, referring to the oldest.

“I imagine the baby would just want to eat it.”

“There isn’t much that girl won’t put in her mouth,” Devon laughed.

“Maybe we should have brought them along.”

He reached across the armrest for Eva’s gloved hand. “Next time,” he said, squeezing it. “This weekend is ours.”

She squeezed back. The tiny gesture infused him with hope for both the trip and the future of their marriage. For two people as much in love as them, there had to be a middle ground.

All he had to do was find it.

“Eva, I want this weekend to be a new start…,”

A cell phone belted out a tune, cutting him off mid-sentence. Eva’s, he thought, once again swallowing his frustration. Devon hadn’t switched on his mobile, because for the next few days he was unavailable to everyone except Eva.

He glanced at his wife who was busy clawing through her purse. The woman seated next to him, while still beautiful, looked older than her forty-nine years. Her brow was furrowed, and he noticed fine lines prematurely creasing her make-up free, mocha skin. Though her shoulder-length hair was tucked beneath a hat, he knew it was pulled back into a bun or slapdash ponytail.

Devon wasn’t sure when the feminine touches of lipstick and perfume had ceased being part of Eva’s daily routine or when she’d stopped going to the beauty salon.
In the year since he’d sold his successful construction business and began spending more time at home, he’d become aware of many things he’d missed that were going on under his own roof.

“Hi honey,” Eva said into the phone. “Is everything okay? Are the kids all right?”

It was their oldest daughter. Devon tightened his already firm grip on the steering wheel. What did Mallory want now, he wondered, silently cursing modern technology?
In the close confines of the SUV, it was impossible not to overhear Eva as well as their daughter on the other end of the line. Devon rubbed the knot forming at the base of his neck. Over a thousand miles away, and Mallory’s demanding voice came through like she was sitting right next to them.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Eva said. “I know our leaving unexpectedly left you in a bind.”

His wife listened calmly as their daughter continued to belabor the same point.

“Yes, I’m sure it’s not easy locating a sitter at the last minute.”

Eva’s voice seemed to get smaller as Mallory heaped on the guilt. “But I didn’t know we were leaving until yesterday. I was shocked too. I’m really sorry, honey.”

Devon placed both hands on the wheel, resisting the urge to snatch the cell phone from his wife and chuck it into a passing snow bank.

Eva flipped the phone closed. She sighed wearily as she sunk back into the leather passenger seat.

“I told you we should have rescheduled this trip. Poor Mallory is beside herself,” she said. “Her boss is having his annual New Year’s party this weekend, you know?”

Devon frowned. How could he not know? Mallory had been whining about it since they’d told her they wouldn’t be available to baby-sit. Not that she’d bothered asking them to look after the kids, as usual, she’d just assumed they would.

“Maybe she should skip it this year,” he suggested. “It’ll be good for the kids to spend a little time with their mother.”

“But this party is critical to her career. The senior partners from her law firm will be there, and there’s bound to be shop talk.”

“Hmmm.” Devon pressed his lips together to keep from saying something that would surely lead to an argument. Their kids had Eva wrapped so tightly around their collective finger; nothing he could say would make a difference anyway.

If only he had spent more time at home instead of on his construction business, he thought. He would have figured out his wife had never really gotten over the fire that swept through their house years ago and nearly killed their young children. The passage of time had done little to move her beyond her guilt for not being at home.

In hindsight, he wished he had focused more on Eva instead of work and rebuilding their house. He should have helped her deal with things before fear and guilt drove her to spoil and overprotect their kids.

Devon stole another peek at his wife. He was here now, and over the next few days he’d find a way to make her realize she had to let them go. For their sakes as well as hers.
He also intended to show her that in addition to being a wonderful mother and grandmother, she was a woman. A remarkable and still very desirable woman.


Sunday, December 13, 2009

Victorian Dreams by Empress LaBlaQue



Victorian Dreams by Empress LaBlaQue


Allie Beset is employed by Sullivan Realtors. When asked to photograph an old mansion for their Internet site, she opens a door and finds herself back in the Victorian era. Although it’s the 1800’s, Allie discovers she was never a slave, wealthy, and married to a refined blue-eyed lawyer. Edward Coe is about to run for Governor, but people are not about to accept his Black wife. How far will people go to destroy this mixed-matched pair and their undying affections?

Keywords: BW/WM, Interracial, Fantasy, Historical, Time Travel, Empress LaBlaQue


Take a taste of Victorian Dreams with the following excerpt...


Excerpt

By the time I reached downstairs, I photographed the kitchen where I found When the door swung opened, I marveled that the room was totally furnished. Elegant Victorian style furnishings filled the room. Busy wallpaper adhered to the wall and heavy velvet curtains were draped impressively about the large windows.


Three people turned toward the door when it opened. A heavy-set black woman, wearing a white blouse with puffy sleeves acknowledged my presence. With her legs tucked beneath, her long black skirt flowed neatly about the sofa. Her collar was stiff and high; around her neck laid a lovely cameo pin. Sitting on either side of her were two men in padded back minuet chairs.


The older black male had a heavy build, and graying temples. Although, the other male was a younger Caucasian, he was quite pleasing to the eye. Both were wearing white shirts with dark-green brocade vests. Around their necks were oddly shaped neckties. I didn’t recognize these people at all. “What tha . . .” Feeling as though I had interrupted a rehearsal for a Victorian stage play, I stepped backwards, then turned to walk away.


“Ali,” the woman said affectionately, “we were just discussing you, Dear.”


“What’s going on?” I asked, feeling slightly nauseated. “What’s the occasion?”


The woman spoke up with a cheerful tone. “We’re having afternoon tea.” She nervously preened her tightly curled hair. “I’ll bet you’ve had a difficult day. Are you hungry?”


Suddenly, I felt faint. I reached out my hand, held the door facing, and leaned against it. My head slumped toward the floor. “I’m feeling kinda strange,” I managed.


The younger man rushed over. “Are you feeling okay? That was quite a ghastly fall.” He supported my elbow with his hand. “Really, Ali--you must be careful.”


Raising my face toward his, I repeated, “A fall?” Gasping for breath, I acknowledged, “I don’t recall- any- fall.”



Want more? Order your copy of Victorian Dreams at [Amira Press] today!



About the Author

Empress LaBlaque is a connoisseur of fine romance. She has the ability to find romance in any situation. Her subject, character, and plot are never boring which creates a hard-hitting and interesting read. Whether writing a good romantic mystery or a breathtaking time travel, Empress will not disappoint her reading audience.

You can learn more about Empress at MySpace and her blog.

Need Your Book Edited in 2010?




http://clg-entertainment.com





Starting January 1, 2010, the number of edits I do a month will change indefinitely. One or two edits will be done per month (and no books over 100,000 words). I will not be doing edits in May, September, or December 2010. If you are interested in my services and wish to reserve a spot for 2010, spaces are available; however, they do go quickly because I have many repeat clients, and new clients crop up weekly.



You will need to reserve a space at least a month in advance. When you reserve a spot, you will be required to put down a $50.00 deposit on editorial services (paid through PayPal ~ will be applied to overall editorial fee); the remainder balance will be paid according to a fee schedule you and I set up.



I will contact all scheduled clients at least two weeks before an edit to insure you are still interested in the services. If for any reason you wish to cancel or postpone editorial services, the deposit will not be refunded.



Vacant spots not filled within two weeks before an upcoming month will be deleted from the editing queue.



Be sure to check out the Editorial Services page at CLG Entertainment and contact me at the e-mail address provided on there. The page also contains the type of information you should send in the e-mail, such as project name, genre, and word count.




Thanks ~ looking forward to hearing from you!

Writing Your Synopsis ~ Latest The Write Life for You Article






One of the biggest things writers moan about, at least to me they do, is the synopsis.

They absolutely hate to write it. How am I supposed to take my 90,000-word manuscript and condense it to a few mere pages?

With a lot of rewriting and revising, that’s how.

To read my latest The Write Life for You article on writing synopsis, head to APOOO Books [link].




Leave comments!

Friday, December 04, 2009

The Boogie Down Clique Series: The Kids at Latimar High

Have you gotten a taste of that eastcoast flavor?—Well, maybe that’s because you haven’t met the teens from the Boogie Down Bronx yet!


Meet Lauren, Rosalyn, Kevin, Trinny, and the rest of the teens at Latimar High.



The Boogie Down Clique Series




The Kids at Latimar High


Going to Lewis Latimar High used to be easy for Lauren O’ Neil. As long as she stayed on the honor roll, got the juiciest stories for the school paper, and made sure her silky thick flip reigned amongst all the other girls at Latimar High, things stayed as smooth as a White Castle’s vanilla shake until the day she got the assignment of a lifetime: to interview Kevin Johnson, Latimar’s star quarterback, the finest boy in the Bronx, who was up for grabs by every girl in the school, including her best friend Rosalyn, who makes a move for Kevin. And in doing so, violates just about all of Lauren and her “Girlfriends’ do’s and don’t codes to live by.” In fact, as the competition heats up, Lauren breaks a few friendship codes herself. With a sudden bitter twist, life at Latimar High isn’t as easy as it used to be...


Check out snippet of The Kids at Latimar High Cartoon!





Excerpt


Chapter 1
Lauren


Boom-boom-boom-da-boom-boom-boom-da went the drums. All the students jumped to their feet. The bleachers felt as if they were about to cave in. The band struck up a hip-hop beat just for him. The hottest song in the nation, “Lights, camera, action!” by Mr. Cheeks exploded on the field. Trumpets and trombones were swaying. The band was shaking.

Screams and roars held me captive on an overcrowded bench as I clutched my writing pad. I couldn’t tell if he or the hysteria of the crowd was making me tremble. Lewis Latimar High School colors, blue and white, collided on the field with the opposition, The Lincoln Bears’ red and black padded uniforms. With percussions and brass swaying behind him, he ripped through the field, clutching the football, stiff-arming any player trying to stop him. The bench shook and pounded as he raced for the touchdown. I stood on my feet, dropping my pad, watching him juke and knock the opposition out of the way. He was like a sculpted piece of art in motion. Strong, tight muscles bulged through his uniform as if the uniform had been painted on him. Only sixteen-years-old, and our star quarterback, Kevin Johnson, had it going on. I was so engrossed in his victory that I didn’t see Darren Medford with his camera wave at me to come and join him on the field. I was too busy watching Kevin take his helmet off. As he victoriously swung his helmet in the air, I envisioned myself corn-rowing that six-inch Afro of his. The boy could stand a good brushing and braiding by the hands of a female—me. Jolted from my fantasy, I felt the vibration of a herd of elephants charging down the bleachers. In a near panic, I swung around at the crowd. Students were leaping over each other, madly dashing down the bleachers, rushing into the field. Latimar’s Panthers had won three games in a row!

“Lauren, come down here!” Some psycho pushed his way towards the descending crowd. I looked down and spotted Darren, mister-school-photographer-of-the-year, and the year before that. He was the school’s newspaper, the Latimar Defender most talented photojournalist, and he let everyone know that.

“You got to come down here and interview Kevin. Jody is in the bathroom crapping in his pants!” Darren’s narrow face was just inches from my face. I blinked uncontrollably at what I had heard, or thought I had heard.

“What?” I could hardly get the words out.

“Jody told me to tell you to take the Panthers story. I told him to stop eating Pop Rocks for breakfast,” said Darren.

“Take Kevin,” I said weakly. Darren smirked at me. His unibrow wiggled behind his square gold-rimmed glasses.

“Look, I took some dope pictures of him, so I need one bad-ass story to go with it…Can you handle that, Lauren?”

Darren had the nerve to ask me that. I mimicked the cocky look he was giving me. He had the nerve to doubt my competence. I had been writing for the school paper since my freshman year, had been on the honor roll all through junior high, and now, as a sophomore at Latimar High, I ranked in the top fifty out of the entire school. Mr. Camera boy couldn’t edit a paper with a tutorial. I stood up straight and squinted at him. Darren’s face flushed a deep reddish brown. He glared at me insulted. He assumed I was making fun of him. Darren was half Chinese. But I wasn’t making fun of him. It was his eyebrows. They connected like a fuzzy piece of brown yarn on his face. I was trying to make my eyebrows meet like his, hoping he would crack a smile. Darren was too serious. He would actually be kind of cute if he learned how to relax a bit. And maybe get rid of that gooey stuff he puts in his hair in a vain attempt to create dreadlocks. Not that I was knocking dreads–dreads were way cool on people with the right hair texture. Darren looked like a brown Dragon Ball Z character that had dumped his head in molding mud. I guess that was his way of claiming his black side.

“Of course I can handle it,” I said, putting my attention back on the football field.

“Well, get down there before he hits the showers,” Darren said. I tried to act cool and confident, but the thought of me standing in front of Kevin Johnson and looking into those deep eyes of his made my knees go weak. Get it together, girl, I told myself, following Darren down the bleachers. Then I realized that I didn’t even have my notebook! I scrambled back up the stairs looking for it. I saw it all crushed and dirty underneath the bench. I swiped it up, trying to flatten the pad out.

“Lauren!” Darren’s impatient voice made me cringe. Ah! I wanted to scream. Where was Rosalyn when I needed her? I retracted that thought. She was probably down there with the rest of those “hoochie momma’s” shaking their pom-poms and everything else in Kevin’s face. True, Rosalyn was my best friend. But we were both after Kevin! How could I ever get Kevin with Rosalyn looking the way she looked. We were complete opposites. I took a deep breath, reminding myself on what I did have: brains for one, and long thick hair that every girl at Latimar High would die for. I wasn’t tiny and curvaceous like Rosalyn, but I had something too, now. I was thinking really hard. Yeah, I had C-cups and...I caught myself. What on earth was I doing? I was violating our “Girlfriends’ Do’s and Don’t codes” number one.


RULE #1
Never size yourself up with your best friend. Remember, you don’t get a boyfriend based on looks alone.

Glimpsing down at Kevin, I took a deep breath and stood up straight. After all, I was the one who made up that rule. You didn’t get a boyfriend based on looks alone, but character, intelligence, and charisma—if you had it! Rosalyn lacked at least two out of the three. I slapped my forehead, realizing I was doing it again. This wasn’t a competition. For goodness sakes, I had to get a story! I did, however, smooth out my silky black flip before I bravely tapped Kevin on those broad shoulders of his. He was talking to Coach Jay. He turned his head slightly to see who had touched him.

I fought my insides from turning to Jello and bolted out in an aggressive Cheryl Miller voice, “Can I get a few minutes with you for the press, Kevin?” He peeped at me from the side before turning his full frame to my attention. Although I was five feet seven, he towered over me by at least four inches. His deep-set brown eyes looked me over.

“I’m Lauren with the Latimar Defender. Can we go somewhere less distracting?” I asked him, keeping my professional pitch. All the while I was trying not to let his manly attributes affect me, especially those lips which had curled into a little pout like a little boy who just had been scolded by his momma.

“Uh, yeah, one second,” he said, gesturing his index finger at me. As he turned back to talk to the Coach, I spotted Rosalyn’s honey brown face and blue and white pom-poms heading my way. I cringed when I saw her, wishing a steel iron gate would come charging down to stop her from messing up my—my what? I checked myself. This wasn’t about me. It was about the Latimar Defender.

“Hey, girl!” Rosalyn chirped, flashing that soft, dimpled smile of hers. She was right up on me now. Her mischievous hazel brown eyes focused in on Kevin.

“What cha’ doing?” Rosalyn asked, giving me a quick hug.

“An interview,” I said tightly.

“What!” she almost screamed. Her mouth flew open, and she flashed a finger at Kevin.

“No, way!” she tried to whisper. I nodded at her, shooing her away. She ignored me.

Kevin turned around.

“Ready?” I said loudly. I knew Rosalyn’s angelic little frame took Kevin by surprise. A crooked smile reshaped his lips. He stood there staring at Rosalyn, who beamed back at him. I couldn’t stand it! I didn’t know if I should introduce them, or pretend there was no “cutesy putesy” Rosalyn Brown standing there. Quickly, Kevin wiped the sweat that had been running down the sides of his temples with his towel. I took in his body language. He stepped back a half of a foot as if he was suddenly aware that he might have a body odor.

“How about the gym?” I blurted out, breaking up the silent attraction waves emitting between those two.

“Yeah, sure,” Kevin said, still looking at Rosalyn. Rosalyn shot me one of those looks that said: “What are you waiting for? Introduce us!” I did something I’d never done in the six years that I’ve known Rosalyn. I violated rule number two of our “Girlfriends’ Do’s and Don’t codes.”



The Author




Deborah J. Copeland is a native New Yorker from the Boogie Down Bronx. She captures her memories and experiences coming of age in her North Bronx neighborhood in her YA books, The Kids at Latimar High and Spring Fever, Pink Snowballs, and a Splash of Haterade. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science from UMA and a MFA in Creative Writing from UCLA.

When Debbie was a child, she started writing plays. She took it so far that she hand-picked her childhood friends to play the actors. They rehearsed on the stoops and in their backyards, taking turns with the meeting spots. One summer they performed a play that she had written, “Little Miss Broadway,” in her parent’s backyard. They made tickets: $.50 cents for the adults and $.25 cents for the kids. Parents donated chairs and before they knew it, neighbors filled Debbie’s backyard, and they had a show going on!

Debbie and her childhood friends made about $45 dollars that summer. She recalled what a great feeling it was! She remembers her friends’ parents shaking her hand and calling her Miss writer/producer. After that, Debbie fell in love with writing. Not to mention that every summer she and her friends put a show on and made money every time! They performed everything from variety shows, beauty pageants, puppet shows, and original plays. By the time Debbie graduated from high school, she knew she wanted to be a writer.

Debbie also has her own radio show on Blog Talk Radio called [The Teen Zone] where she interviews and spotlights Indie and self published books. She believes there are a lot of self-published gems that are flying under the radar and readers don’t know anything about the author or their books. In addition to promoting self-published books, she looks for multi-culutral books written by Latino authors and authors of color that need more exposure to the market.

Debbie just recently launched a new blog called [The Teen Zone Book Club], which will feature exclusive author interviews, guest bloggers, giveaways, book and movie news, fashion tips, fun surveys, and much more.

She currently resides in Southern, California, where she is happily anticipating an animated film of The Kids at Latimar High, optioned by an independent film company in New York. Currently she is busy writing the third book in the Latimar High series, 4ever and 4always, 4real, and a YA fantasy novel yet to be titled. She is also a foster-mother of three tenacious teens, and has worked as a social worker and a library technican.