Emotion in Books

I write thrillers. Which, contrary to popular belief, is not ONLY about scaring people. In order to induce fear in my readers, I have to make them deeply care about the characters first.

This is a problem I have with some of the horror movies released in recent years. They are more about the blood and making the audience jump than anything else. The worst of them do no more character building than putting the girl about to die in mind-bendingly short shorts.

NOT characterization, people. Really NOT.

So, back on topic. Yes, I scare people. And I really, REALLY enjoy doing that. I totally embrace the frantic panicked emails I get from my beta readers and...hopefully soon my readers. It's so fun and I've pretty much perfected my evil laugh.

See watch: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHahahaha...

Good, no?

But here's the thing, my most recent WIP, while being my scariest book to date...is also my most emotional. I was doing a read-through and it made me cry.

Dude. This doesn't happen to me. I'm used to making myself afraid of the dark. Not making me all weepy. I'm not a cryer. I was SHOCKED. But, I figure this is probably a good sign. So, I decided to ask. What's the most recent book you've read that made you cry. Did you love it? And have a GREAT weekend!

My Revamped Website--No, It Doesn't Sparkle

I spent the last couple of days reworking my website and so now I'm tired. Instead of making the effort to pull together a post that isn't nonsensical, I'll save the logic for Friday and just give you the link to check out my new website today. I'm really excited about it. And if you're a book blogger, bookstore manager/owner or librarian/etc. I now have a form both on the blog and the website where you can request an ARC. Which freaks me out more than a little bit and is also incredibly exciting. :) 


Anyway, check it out. Let me know what you think! And have a great day!

Say Cheese! - Author Pics!

I had some new author photos taken recently, so I thought I'd post them here and see what you guys thought since you're all geniuses and oh so pretty. :)

I should add a disclaimer: any & all beauty in forthcoming photos is due in it's entirety to the genius that is Michelle Davidson Argyle. She somehow manages to both take lovely pictures and instruct me where to look, to put down my chin, stop blinking, smile correctly, stop drooling and all those other things that tend to create poor photos. I'd be lost without her. 

So, here are my three faves: 

This is my mysterious-sleepy pose. Am I happy? Am I tired? Am I just that confident and self-assured that I have nothing better to do than lean against nearby walls and smile? You may never know...

This is my watch-me-create-and-plot-out-entire-worlds-pose. Either that or my that-ice-cream-cone-looks-like-it-would-make-my-taste-buds-explode-pose...meh, those two poses look pretty much the same.

And finally, you may have noticed this one over on the side of my blog. It's my I-could-easily-write-you-into-my-book-and-kill-you-without-batting-an-eyelash-pose. Because, well...I could.








What do you think? Any particular pose you like more than the others? Why is that? Also, feel free to rename my poses if you feel so inclined. I'm flexible. ;-)

I Love You, My Pretties! - Awesome New Covers

I'm on this awesome blog called Friday the Thirteeners, you may have heard of it. If you have, you probably know I can't fake an accent to save my life and should be put out of my misery before attempting anything like this ever again.

Anyway, the other Thirteeners have been spewing founts of gorgeous goodness in the form of covers lately and I want some of that pretty on my blog. I'll be including a link in each of the titles so you can add them on Goodreads...because you know you want to. Now, without further ado:

Some lovely covers!

PROPHECY by Ellen Oh (release date: Jan 2, 2013)
Dude, I love so much about this cover. I love the extended P & Y that kind of frame Ellen's name. And...I have two words: smoky dragon. I adore the dragon. I'm sure it's dangerous and would probably kill me, but I still want to wrap it around me--how is that for twisted love? ;)

THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by Megan Shepherd (release date: Jan 29, 2013)
Oh, the beautiful creeptasticness of it! I love the way the red of the title and the bow pop and the ripples in the water. I love the fancy gown with the bare feet and the tumbled curls down her back. I can't even figure out exactly what is creepy about it, but it definitely has that feel. I <3 creepy.

DUALED by Elsie Chapman (release date: Feb 26, 2013)
Does anyone else feel like her shadow is stalking her? Love that! And dude, any girl walking through the streets with a gun and a knife is a girl after my own heart. I'm all about the kick-butt heroines. I adore how well the story is reflected in this cover. Fantastic!

LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger (release date: Mar 5, 2013)
The girl, and the hair, and the clouds--oh my! This cover is so stormy and lovely and as a person who is afraid of heights...down right terrifying. But I love it. Especially the way the blue of his shirt draws your eye is very cool. Love. Love. Love. :)

TAKEN by Erin Bowman (release date: Apr 16, 2013)
Oh...how I love thee. The frawesome tree and the emotion of the characters. I love the vulnerability of Gray and the strength and independence of the girl. I love how the K is being lifted away. Most excellent!

~~~ 

Seriously, how cool are these covers? I'm drowning in cover envy over here.

And... *drumroll please* there is another new reveal TODAY! The lovely Kasie West has her cover reveal for PIVOT POINT over on YABC today. Go over and check it out right now!

OR...you could leave a comment first on these lovelies...and then go over there...yeah, do that instead. :)

Happy Friday!

Personal Trainer A.K.A. Bringer of the Pain

I've been seeing a personal trainer the last couple of weeks. Her name is Melanie. She's adorable -- cute, sweet, smiley -- and it's stunning the amount of pain she can induce in my body.

I am no longer able to do even the simplest things without help. Reaching over my head, scratching my nose, putting on earrings, even typing is difficult. I can only hold my arms at this angle for a few seconds at a time.

So this is going to be a very short post. Blame Melanie the trainer...and pray I survive.

Happy Father's Day

Today, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all the good dads out there. The world needs you. Your kids need you. And your wives need you. So, to my husband, my dad, my step-dad and all the other amazing men in the world: Thank you! Thank you for every day being a little more like Arthur Weasley, and a little less like Lucius Malfoy. ;-) Hope you had a wonderful day!

Summer Writing Schedule

A couple of weeks ago, I had you ask me questions/topics you wanted me to post about. The lovely, Nichole Giles asked me to post about how I adjust to a summer writing schedule.

I think this is very different from person to person. For myself, I have two boys that are 7 and 10. They are good at playing by themselves for a couple of hours at a time, but I value the time I have with them during the summer, too. I don't want to miss out on that.

It ends up being a fine balance, but to start, I have them help with chores (giving me more time for both writing and family), then I play a card game/play outside/jump on the trampoline with them for 1 - 2 hours, then I have them play without me for that long while I write. I've also found ways to schedule time for them to have friends over & reading time in a way to open up time for me to write, also.

For us, it's all about having a good schedule. They know they're my priority, but they're also very up to date on my career and are proud of me for what I'm doing, so they don't mind me taking the time to do work.

Having all that said...if I had more (or less) than two, younger kids, etc... it would all be out the window. Still, I think if it's a priority for you, you'll figure it out.

What about you? How do you find time to write in the summer?