Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The Writer's Voice Entry - THE SEMI-UNFORTUNATE LIFE OF EMERSON WINTERS

Query


It’s true that homeschooled senior Emerson Winters has always had a thing for her childhood friend, but when the taller, more muscular, Finnegan Greene moves back into her life - their easy friendship becomes a thing of the past. Now his mere presence turns her previously endearing and inherent clumsiness into a full on doplick freak-show.

But when an embarrassing video - complete with her best impersonation of an inept human windmill accompanied by a bloody nose and an echoing bootie belch - go viral, Emme finds an unlikely partner in Finn when he volunteers to help plan a revenge scheme of epic proportions to teach the douchenozzles responsible a lesson.

Armed with nothing but her quirky tees, two of the world’s best friends, and her cherished journal, Emme’s forced to wade through the sticky, muddled void of almost-but-not-quite-kisses, heart-wrenching misunderstandings, and eye-opening senior trips. But most importantly, will the sweet victory of revenge finally give her the confidence to forge her ‘what if’ with Finn into reality?

THE SEMI-UNFORTUNATE LIFE OF EMERSON WINTERS is a YA Contemporary complete at 81,000 words. 
I am an active member of WrAHM, a write-at-home mother's group, and also belong to an online critique group.

Thank you for your time and consideration.



First 250 Words

Son of a motherless goat.
I sip my coffee slowly, trying to find caffeinated courage as I stare out the windshield at the ugly brick facing of the bowling alley. “I’ve changed my mind. Take me home.”
Lainey shrugs. “Too late now, you’ve been spotted.”
My gaze strays to the entrance of the building and lands on Finn. With his chestnut brown hair hidden by a slouchy blue beanie, and teamed with the gray sweater and dark washed jeans - he’s devastating. He lifts a hand and waves with a smile. We both wave back, even as my eyes are drawn to his free hand. The one resting against his thigh. Every time I see those fingers tapping absentmindedly against whatever surface is available, I want to hear the music playing inside his head.
“Remind me again. Why do I keep torturing myself over someone who already has a girlfriend?” I groan and slump back against the passenger seat.
“Because the heart wants what the heart wants.” Lainey rolls her eyes. “And he’s been one of your best friends for the entirety of your life, so you’re kinda stuck with him.”
I lean my face into my cupped hand. “Now if I could only pretend to be a normal functioning human in his presence.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad if you’d actually talk to him instead of running in the opposite direction.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t think I’d suddenly developed multiple personalities.”

Thursday, May 1, 2014

When It All Went Away - The Writer's Voice 2014


I'm so excited that I made it into the first round of The Writer's Voice, a multi-blog, multi-agent writing contest based on NBC's singing reality show! A huge thank you to Brenda Drake, Monica Bustamante Wagner, Kimberly P. Chase, and Elizabeth Briggs for hosting this.

My entry is below

__________________________


Query:


It’s been twenty-seven days since Grayson broke seventeen-year-old Quinn Bishop’s heart. Twenty-seven days since the night of the party, where she caught him kissing one of her closest friends. And despite his claims that it was “just a drunken kiss”, the emails from her former friend - the girl he kissed - prove otherwise.

With her loyal best friend Harper by her side, Quinn sets out on the daunting path of getting over Grayson - crazy colored hair, first dates and open mic nights included. 

But Grayson’s plans to win her back threaten her resolve to forget him, and remind her of the epic love they shared. And as the news of their breakup spreads, the most popular boy in school declares his crush on Quinn.

It seems like an easy enough choice, until Quinn discovers she’s been lied to more than once. 

WHEN IT ALL WENT AWAY is a YA Contemporary complete at 60,000 words


First 250 Words:

When I started my senior year, I had a long list of unfathomable wishes. Now that I’m more than halfway through the year, I’ve narrowed them down to one. One pulsing wish.

To forget him.

Right now, it seems an impossible task, especially considering the object of my wishing stands three lockers away from me. But such are the calamities of sharing last names in the same branch of the alphabet. I can’t even escape him in homeroom.

“Avert your eyes, stat,” a voice hisses over my shoulder.

With a sigh, I turn to face my best friend. “I’m trying my best. It might be easier if he weren’t so hot.”

Harper rolls her eyes. “Please, his hotness is overrated. Who really wants tall, dark, and handsome anyway?”

“You’re not helping,” I answer, refusing to let my eyes caress his face one last time.

“Ok, then just imagine Sydney every time you look at him.”

My heart constricts painfully in my chest. “Yeah, because that visual doesn’t haunt my every waking moment.”

She bumps me with her hip. “But it works, doesn’t it?”

“It’s cruel.”

“So is torturing yourself over someone who proved that he’s not worth your time.”

“My mind knows that. Now if we could find a way to convince my heart, we’d be golden.”

Harper slings an arm around my shoulder. “It’s only been a few weeks, Quinn. Give it time.”

“I’m trying.”

“I know.” Harper’s green eyes are sad. “Are you going to be ok until lunch? We could totally skip.”


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Fangirl Thursday....

So this morning I woke up to this....

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones



Click on the link below to watch...

'The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones'
: Trailer 1


::flails and runs around the house:: How am I going to wait until August????!!!

And then to make things even more awesome today,  I snagged tickets to an early showing of Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2. Yeah, that's right. I get to go see it at 10pm!!!

Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2



Baby girl is kicking up a storm, because her Momma is so excited! Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm having a GIRL!!!! Yup, just another thing to be happy for this wonderful Fangirling Thursday!

Is there anything that you're super excited about too? Well, if there is, let me know in the comments below!

::Added for Awesome:: Just when this day couldn't get any better...

The Host



Oz The Great and Powerful (new trailer)



Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters



and last but certainly not least...

The Hobbit





Monday, November 5, 2012

Winner of Ember and Echoes...

And the winner of Ember and Echoes by Karsten Knight is Sierra!!! Congratulations Sierra (you should have received an email from me) and happy reading!!







Please stop by later in the week for a special announcement, (it just might be the reveal about what I'm having) and another giveaway!! 




Monday, October 22, 2012

Embers and Echoes Giveaway....

Yay, it's giveaway time again!  And what is more appropriate, to mark the occasion,  than having another Karsten Knight giveaway?  It's no secret that I think that Karsten is pretty special, and that he knows how to write a great attention-grabbing-can't-put-this-down type of book!  So I'm really excited to be giving away a copy of WILDEFIRE's sequel EMBERS AND ECHOES.

A teenage Polynesian volcano goddess fires up her search for love and family in this sequel to Wildefire.

Every flame casts a shadow.

Ashline Wilde is about to discover that when you're the reincarnation of a Polynesian volcano goddess, "new beginnings" are just a myth.

Leaving the fiery ruins of her sophomore year behind her, Ash travels to the sizzling beaches of Miami, hot on the trail of the little sister she's only seen in visions. But her happy family reunion isn't all palm trees and paradise. A cult of evil gods-on-earth, known as the Four Seasons, has kidnapped her sister to use in its terrifying new religion. Soon, the streets of Miami erupt in chaos and violence...and Ash gets caught right in the tropical crossfire.

Ash isn't without help, however. Unexpected romance arrives in the form of Wes, an Aztec god of night with his own vendetta against the Four Seasons. As memories of Ash's previous life begin to flicker into her dreams, the boundaries between ally and enemy, life and death, and love and hate all bleed together. And when a mysterious trickster from her past reappears to derail her new quest, Ash must choose between the echoes of a once-forgotten yesterday and the embers of an uncertain future.

Because when old flames return from the dead, even a volcano goddess can get burned.


You can also peruse some more of Karsten's awesomeness at http://www.karstenknight.com/  or follow him on twitter at https://twitter.com/KarstenKnight.  Also keep an eye open for AFTERGLOW hitting shelves next November.


This contest is going to run for a two week cycle, and the same rules apply.  You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Ways to Enter

+1 for agreeing to the terms and agreements
+5 for leaving a blog comment
+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can also earn additional entries by tweeting every day.)
+5 for following me on twitter @amberafterglow
+10 for following my blog (or for already following)
+25 for linking this giveaways to your blog


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Winner of The Disenchantments, Write On Con, and An Announcement...

Congratulations Emily Rencich (you should have received an email from me) for winning the copy of The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour!  Happy Reading!!

There will be no new giveaway over the next two weeks, because I am so busy this week and then the week of Aug 18th-25th I'm on vacation (FINALLY!) 

Not only am I participating in Write On Con on Monday, Aug 13th & Tuesday, Aug 14th, but my niece is also getting married and I am making her wedding cake!


Her theme is seasons, so I'm making a cake similar to this cake that I made for my brother and sister-in-law, only each layer will represent a different season. Fingers crossed that it comes out great!

And now the announcement and the reason I've been so behind on blogging….I'm pregnant!!! Yes, I will be welcoming baby number 3 in April, and I have been deathly sick with nausea ALL DAY LONG!  This has affected my final revision, and I'm hoping I can at least get it finished by the end of vacation. Again Fingers Crossed!

But if you'd like to come out and support me on Write On Con, I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on my QUERY - FIRST 250 WORDS - FIRST 5 PAGES

Hope you all have a great two weeks!




Monday, July 30, 2012

Shattered Souls Winner and New Giveaway...

Congratulations Daniela (you should have received an email from me) for winning the copy of  Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey!  I hope you love the book!!!

For my newest Giveaway (which will run for 2 weeks again this cycle) we have The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour.  I really loved this book, and I hope you do too!


You can find Nina LaCour at http://ninalacour.com/ or on twitter at https://twitter.com/nina_lacour.


Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev’s band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she’s abandoning their plans—and Colby—to go her own way in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie-Colby struggles to deal with Bev’s already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what’s next? 
Morris Award–finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.  


You can read the first eighty pages of The Disenchantments here.

Same rules apply, You must be at least 18 to enter (13+ with parental permission) and have a U.S. shipping address.

Ways to Enter

+1 for agreeing to the terms and agreements

+5 for leaving a blog comment

+5 for tweeting about the giveaway (you can also earn additional entries by tweeting every day.)
+5 for following me on twitter @amberafterglow
+10 for following my blog (or for already following)
+25 for linking this giveaway to your blog

a Rafflecopter giveaway