Scrivener~What I Think Part II

The act of writing is a process. So is developing our ideas and placing those ideas in a format that helps us organize our storytelling. I began exploring the world of Scrivener in PART I of my series, highlighting my first impressions with the program like the ability to collect all my Research in one place and the Outline view Scrivener offers as I write, review, edit, and rewrite.

Today, I'm concentrating on the folder aspect of Scrivener. For a reminder and explanation of what Binders, Folders, and Note Cards are, see PART I. To begin in Scrivener:

1. Start a new Project by opening a Binder. 
2. Then add a Folder of whatever info you'd like to keep close together like Scenes or Characters. I create a new folder for each Chapter and then I can add Note Cards (individual documents) to it such as scenes or different POV character segments. Again, for a more indepth explanation of what Binders, Folders, and Note Cards are, see PART I. 

Before I continue with the Folder explanation, let me show you the three different ways you can view a folder within your Binder/Project.

These three buttons appear at the top of your Scrivener screen. In each image you can see one is highlighted in yellow. That shows you which View you are working in. (And yes, there is value to working in all three views. I asked the same question before I started using the program.)

The folder I'll share with you today is a Character Folder I created, which is found inside my Binder for project XXX. (It's actually my Binder for the sequel to Marked Beauty, but for this post I'll call it XXX.)

Character Cards with images & character basics

This is what the character folder looks like in Corkboard. Look at the top of this image. See the illuminated yellow square with a brown box? That's how I access the Corkboard--one of the three views I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Scrivener's corkboard simplifies my information for me, just like the physical corkboards I'm accustomed of using in my office. Only difference is that ALL the information I've collected in directly in front of me. I don't have to move, scatter scraps of paper, index cards, or sticky notes on the floor. And each of these cards can be easily moved to a different location on the corkboard by clicking on the card and dragging it to wherever I want it. THIS is extremely helpful when writing separate scenes using the note cards, but I'll concentrate on that next time.

As you can see, each note card has an image on it representing what I image the character to look like. If I click on the left sidebar where there is an open blue folder titled Characters, all the characters on these cards appear individually below the blue folder as sub-folders. (For the sake of not having to take another picture, I already opened the blue folder entitled Characters.)

Now, in the left sidebar under the opened Character Folder, I can click on any character's name to open their note card. Beneath each card, I've created that character's basics or personal what-makes-the-character-who-they-are facts. 

If you could scroll on the right scroll bar, you'd see more info in my character interview with Ana, such as Internal Conflicts & External Conflicts.

This setup is invaluable. All my characters are in one place instead of notebooks or scrapes of paper strewed all over the place. All my characters' characteristics are attached to each. And any connection(s) I want to make between any of these characters are there, too. Right at my fingertips.

Another example of my use of folders is my Plot Sketch folder and Outline folder, both of which are within my Binder for project XXX. The Plot Sketch folder is a series of major plot points I set up, using Karen S. Wiesner's book First Draft in 30 Days. Creating a separate folder links it to the entire story as it continues to develop and unfold. (I can change whatever I want as the story develops, using this as my 'Home Base' of Plot Points.)

Breaking this method down even further, I created an Outline folder with Note Cards (sub documents), labeling them Beginning-Act I, Middle-Act II, & Ending-Act III--contains Climax, Resolution, & Extended Resolution or Epilogue.

Clicking on my Outline folder, this is what I see in corkboard view:

Clicking on my first Note Card (Beginning-Act I) in my Outline folder, will show me the guts of information I've entered on that card alone. This is the text I see when I switch from Corkboard to document view:

The specifics I've created for Act I of the story are separate from other clutter, making it easy for me to focus and build on the outline/synopsis for Act I. Plus, as I write, I can return here, adding more details to summarize what's happening in Act I. Taking this a step further, when I add specifics to each Note Card that appears on the Outline folder corkboard (Remember, there are three note cards in the outline folder: Act I, Act II, & Act III), in text view I can now see all three note cards' specifics all together - only separated by a dotted line. Hmmm...can you see a story synopsis forming? Yes you can.

Every detail I separately jotted down on each of the three note cards in my Outline folder has now been automatically linked together in a single formed document. If you could scroll the right scroll bar down in this picture, you'd see another dotted line and then my summary/outline for Act III. And remember, this Outline folder is directly linked to my Plot Sketch folder, keeping me inline as I write.

This goes along with one of my parenting methods: Given in a lump sum, a task looks like a mountain; broken down into smaller nuggets makes any task seem doable and completion attainable. 

As I continue to use this program I will share any new insight I gain from it with you!! I have at least one more post about Scrivener for you. After reading my two segments, what do you think? A fan of Scrivener or not a fan or a maybe?

UPDATE 05/29/13: I found another wonderful post about another author's experience using Scrivener. It might help you, too. 

SPLAT ALERT!! There is less than a week until the amazing A to Z Challenge begins, and I have a bit of information to share with you. You already know that I'm a minion. But I'd like to share with you my fabulous teammates: Jay Noel, Schwa Michaels, Deniz Bevan, Melanie Schulz, and, of course, Matt MacNish!!

I'd also like to share with you my theme for the challenge. I've decided to go with "What I've learned on Pinterest!" That place is a cornucopia of info, and I'd like to share all sorts of quirky, bright, creative, and even spooky finds with you. Go #atozchallenge!!

MGMM ~ Keeper of the Lost Cities

MMGM aka Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday was created by Shannon Messenger to give middle grade reads the attention they deserve. I'm joining in, today. If you'd like to see more MG books, Click HERE to follow other participants.

And guess what?? I'm giving you some deets on Shannon and her very awesomesaucesome debut MG novel!!! Seriously Alleywalkers, read on...

Title: KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES
Author: Shannon Messenger
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Publisher: Aladdin
Released: October 2012
Pages: 496

Favorite Line/Passage: The whirlpool formed a tunnel of air, dipping and weaving through the dark water like the craziest waterslide ever. She was actually starting to enjoy the ride when she launched out of the vortex onto an enormous sponge. It felt like being licked from head to toe by a pack of kittens--minus the kitten breath--and then the sponge sprang back, leaving her standing on a giant cushion.  (Page 73) 

Description: Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.

In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

COVETED! A MUST READ!!

My Splats: An addictive journey of fun, middle grade flavor, and twists that will keep even the most reluctant MG reader reading!!

The cover reeks (in a good way) of middle grade adventure, swirling in mist from the two characters' expressions to the vintage-looking lamp sprinkling them in light. Just, love LUV this illustration. Kudos to the artist. Here, have some chocolate...seriously.

Sophie is one of the most likable middle grade characters I've ever read. She's wholesome, but real, and holds a sense of adventure just waiting to burst from the pages. But saying that, she also shows a keen aptitude to do what is right and good. Fitz was the same: caring and wanting to do right by Sophie. They're developing relationship is sweet, yet filled with enough spark to give you a chuckle or two or three...

The writing is alive on the page. From a sea scorpion that carriages Sophie around to Fitz teaching her how to travel on a beam of light, this world is the ultimate middle grade playland. It's almost as if Messenger peeked into the head of the average MGer. There were moments, while reading, that I couldn't help but think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Messenger created inventive scenes and stumbling blocks for both characters and story. So creative. 

At every turn, the closer Sophie moves to finding her true purpose, her past, and where her future should lead, new obstacles lie in wait. Scenes play out in full view, like sitting in a movie theater. The more I read the more my mind's eye saw and wanted to see more. 

Although MG in nature, a few characters have distinct maturity that, I believe, gives this tale a broader audience, appealing to kids and adults alike.  Morals such as family values, and the virtue of honesty verses cheating and compassion verses stubbornness thread throughout this book. Initially, I thought the idea of a middle schooler having to come to terms with never seeing her family again by choice would be too heavy for a tween reader. But the more I read and delved into the truth of Messager's message, I realized she was exploring the theme of family and its importance to a middle grader. 

Read any good middle grade books? What was your favorite as an MGer?

[Claiming my blog for this Bloglovin' thing]  Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Scrivener~What I Think Part I

I rarely write long posts, but some of you wanted the deets I've collected while utilizing my trial issue of Scrivener. So this is lengthy and even written over the span of three separate posts, but I think it's necessary. Although Scrivener offers MAC users a version--a version, from what I hear, which is a tad more advanced then the one offered to Microsoft users--I'll be highlighting the MS version, because that is the version I own.

Some writers have mentioned they prefer the word processing of Microsoft Word to Scrivener's. Initially, I felt the same way. But then I bent to the program and decided to give it a fair shot, seeing how I liked other aspects of its character like the Corkboard and Research Binder(s).

Let me begin this series by giving you a skeletal map of Scrivener's workings at the opening of a new project.

1. Binder - step 1: the word Binder is just another word for Project. So in MS Word, when you begin a new novel, article, or screenplay, you open a new Document. In Scrivener, it's a Binder. Your Binder holds everything you have collected from research to chapters to notes to imagery for that Project. The Binder is the head of your new work.
2. Folders - step 2: folders can be considered the body of your new work within the head, the Binder. They can be used to separate chapters, scenes, research, and numerous other things such as character sketches and plot points.
3. Note Cards - step 3: if Binder is the head of your new work and Folders are the body, then note cards are the guts. Note cards are merely a deeper breakdown of information within the folders.

A. One of my favorite features of Word is the ability to click on a word and instantly see a handful of synonyms. Of course, I can click onto the internet and head on over to Thesaurus.com. But that takes me out of the scene or article I'm writing. In Scrivener, I have the same access except clicking on a word gives me different options. In the case of synonyms, it takes me directly to Thesaurus.com without me having to leave the document and surf the web.

B. Scrivener also automatically saves my document with each line I type. I don't know about you, but if you're like me, I waste more time pulling myself out of my document, directing my cursor to the upper left corner of Word, and saving my document--again and again and again. I'm totally necrotic about that. Lost too much work in the past, I guess. So this feature totally rocks for me.

C. Some writers like to write with the Ruler visible, while others do not. In Scrivener, as in Word, that option is available to you. When you initially open a new document there will be no ruler visible. Simply go to Format at the top of the screen and scroll down to Show Ruler. Poof!

D. It's rather easy to send off a document or share it with someone. Simply click on Export in the top toolbar, choose the format you want and the destination, and Voila!! My first time was with a short freelance article. I found Export then chose to format the document as a Word doc. and directed it to my Document folder on my laptop. Seriously. It worked. Like that easy. So easy, I couldn't find the document at first. :)

E. One of my absolute FAVORITE aspects of Scrivener is the easy access I have to any research I do.

Example: In my Binder (Project), I've created Folders containing anything from scenes to chapters to character sketches. If you opened my character folder for the novel I'm currently working on, you'd find several Note Cards - each named for a single character. This particular project contains a complex cast, so I created a sub-folder in my character folder for a separate cast of characters just to make it easier for me to develop them. (More on creating folders in Part II of my Scrivener Series.)

The exciting part and the reason I'm sharing this brief information on Folders, Sub-folders, and Note Cards is because Scrivener allowed me to import the webpages I've been using as research to develop this separate group of characters - right there on each card. THE ENTIRE ARTICLE from the research. That. Is. Awesome! It's right at my fingertips instead of having to go clicking on links and such when I want to refer to it. Hee... I got a bit giddy at this finding.

A side note to the above paragraph: I also discovered I could use the same process if I wanted to save a video for research on a note card. It's really sweet.

F. THE OUTLINER

Taken From Scrivener Site.

This is a great feature of Scrivener because you have the option of creating the outline before you write or letting it create itself as you write. It keeps track of your structure and word count of each scene and/or chapter, your current status on that specific scene/chapter, and gives you the option to use labels. I LOVE the labels. Let's say you have three separate sub-plot lines and your main plotline. You can label each with a name like Plotline A, Plotline, B and Plotline C, and color code each as well. At a simple glance, you can see where you are in your story. This really helps during revisions, giving you easy eyes to catch those plot holes. There's other great features about The Outliner like Synopsis, but I'll explain those later.

G. Snapshots is also a cool aspect of Scrivener. It allows you to take a snapshot of the folder (which could be a scene, chapter, character bio...whatever - basically its part of a document that will eventually become your completed Binder/Project), you're currently working on.

For instance: you've just written the meat of a scene and a new idea hits you. But you're not sure it will work. No problem. Simple take a snapshot of the doc as is - you can title it and all - and continue working, editing in this new idea. If the idea doesn't work and you want the info you had previously, just click on your Snapshot file and it's right there. For a more thorough explanation of Snapshots, click HERE - this writer has it down pack!

Would I recommend Scrivener? So far, sure. But you'll have to adopt an open mindset to learn the program. It's not hard, just different and new to you. Stay tuned next week for more information from my trial use of Scrivener.

Wistful YA Wednesday ~ Summer Day

GRAFFITI PROMOTIONS is a regular feature on Writer's Alley, where authors and aspiring writers, editors, publishers, and anyone from the publishing world, to share their journeys, valuable wisdom, and to promote their work along a road of humor, encouragement, and inspiration. Features include Author Interviews, Book Promos, and Character Introductions.

Today's feature hosts Summer Day, the author of Pride & Princesses, Wuthering Nights and Anne Eyre - modern YA novels inspired by classics.

OMGosh!!! If you know me you know that I am a major FANGIRL for those classics, especially P&P.

Welcome Summer, it's a pleasure to have you and your books here. What inspired you to write these stories?

Oh, high school drama and the novels of Jane Austen! Boring answer, but true.
Thus far, you've written these three novels as well as newly released novelas. Tantalize us with a peek at your characters and world from the first novel Pride & Princesses.

Pride & Princesses is about two teen girls who live in the fictional town of Sunrise (near Beverly Hills and Bel Air). Phoebe and Mouche invent a dating game to impress the hot new boys in town, Mark and Jet. I really like Phoebe and Mouche. They are best friends forever and most of us relate to their search for high school happiness!

This is not a retelling of Pride and Prejudice but a few scenes in the novel were inspired by that classic story! Pride & Princesses is an original novel for young adults.

Description: When handsome Mark Knightly arrives at Sunrise High School, Phoebe and Mouche (Best Friends Forever), invent a dating game to impress him with surprising results. Inspired by 'Pride and Prejudice' with a dash of 'Emma', Pride & Princesses is a story about family, friendship and first love.

Care to share a quirk about Summer the writer?

I'm a cupcake maker. :-D

Yum!!

Any method to your process of developing ideas? 


Imagination, inspiration, hard work, fab music - generally movie soundtracks, good tea & excellent coffee!

Let me now share the other two books in this collection:

Purchase Link                                                                                                               Purchase Link

And here's a few other works Summer has recently released: 

Teenage Fairy Tales: A collection includes Bella Cinderella, Snow Bright and The Magic Mermaid. The individual stories are inspired by classic fairy tales. Inter-connected in one volume they form the wider story of the high school Tournament of Skills between Sloane Select and Venice Beach High Schools. 

Purchase Link

When Julissa (Jewel) Bella goes to stay with her wicked, vampirical stepfamily she meets an Italian aristocrat named Marco and a shy guy named Riff, but which one is the Prince? In this non-traditional fairy tale inspired by Cinderella, not everything is as we expect.

Purchase Link

What would you do if the love of your life left then returned years later? Parted as teenagers and reconnecting as young adults in the tiny seaside town of Wentworth, Ben and Jane must decide if true love really waits. TRULY is a modern, teen romance inspired by the classic novel, Persuasion.

Purchase Link

Feel free to visit Summer on her Blog and Twitter. She'd love to chat with you!

Do you have a favorite classic? How has it inspired your life or writing?

Interested in being featured? Just click on one of the three links under Graffiti Promotions Submissions in my left sidebar.

Movie-FEST with Ninja Captain ALEX!

Films are ageless, encapsulating moments in time. Capturing a life, a dilemma  or a theme, movie makers grant their audience a slanted lens to see the world.

As I've mentioned a few times before, as a junior high and high school student I was a MAJOR movie buff. I loved exploring the facets of a film, taking it apart, and seeing if it could be put back together another way to give an altered view. Of course, I'm speaking figuratively. I took about the story, not the physical movie, scenes and such. I'm a writer, not a film editor.

But there were always those films that struck me so deeply I could never pull them apart, because it seemed like a violation. My list for this TOP TEN MOVIE Blogfest was so huge when I began to write it out that I added an additional list of films I just had to mention.

So here goes. Movies that influenced my life (on whatever level) during whatever period ... You can try to guess what age I was at when I felt moved by each film. LOL





When Victor Geddes (Campbell Scott) discovers that he is suffering from leukemia, his wealthy family hires pretty, young Hillary O'Neil (Julia Roberts) to help nurse him through his chemotherapy treatment. As the two struggle through the debilitating effects of Victor's treatment, they fall in love and attempt to make the most of their time together.

When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

After being killed during a botched mugging, a man's love for his partner enables him to remain on earth as a ghost.

American classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Epic tale of three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of 1900s USA and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love. 










Film version of the musical stage play, presenting the last few weeks of Christ's life, told in an anachronistic manner. 

A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.

A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.





A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.

Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma's marriage, Aurora shows how difficult and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of their lives as each finds different reasons to go on living and find joy. Aurora's interludes with Garrett Breedlove, retired astronaut and next door neighbor are quite striking. In the end, different people show their love in very different ways.

More Awesomes: The Breakfast Club, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Notebook, Immortals, Gladiator, Law Abiding Citizen, Iron Eagle, Pride & Prejudice, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful, Rain Man, The Secret of Nimh, Black Hawk Down, The Neverending Story, Underworld (love them!), The Ten Commandments, Dirty Dancing, Wuthering Heights.

For more awesome movie lists today, check out the list over on Alex's site!! What do you think of my list? Ecclectic? Sound? Original? Have you seen any of these films?

MMGM~The Age of Miracles

MMGM aka Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday was created by Shannon Messenger to give middle grade reads the attention they deserve. I'm joining in, today. If you'd like to see more MG books, Click HERE to follow other participants.

What would happen if the time slowed down? Think about this question as you continue reading.

Title: THE AGE OF MIRACLES
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Genre: dystopian
Publisher: Random House
Released: June 2012
Pages: 269

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this story for an unbiased review.

Favorite Line/Passage: Maybe it had begun to happen before the slowing, but it was only afterward that I realized it: My friendships were disintegrating. Things were coming apart. It was a rough crossing, the one from childhood to the next life. And as with any other harsh journey, not everything survived.

Description: “It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It’s possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.”

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life--the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.

BRING ALONG + 1

My Splats: A cautionary tale of time, how we use it, and what would happen if time as we know it changed.

Julia is the average eleven-year-old middle grader--awkward, questioning, and searching. Her voice is age appropriate, but her character is different from what I'm used of reading for this age. She's somewhat reserved for a tween, cautious, and has moments where I'd almost describe her as a loner. She has a best friend and, yes, meets an intriguing boy with plenty of tween baggage of his own. But as you might guess, it gets complicated.   

At one point, I found myself thinking about Judy Blume and the way she described those middle grade years and the horrors that can accompany them. 

The opening scene was powerful, presenting the reader with a world of yesterday--our present--and ponderings of what our future could gravitate to if the Earth ever slowed on its axis. There were moments of prolific wisdom and warnings throughout the story.

As the story evolved, real timers verses clock watchers emerges, segregating society and creating prejudice and discontent. With the passing of time, people become more and more divided. This is where the story really got me thinking. I could see people reacting like this, picketing and getting on their soapboxes in the public square. 

I found the idea of the Earth slowing on its axis or more time being added to our 24 hour clock fascinating. The possible changes to life as we know it are endless. I imagined what I would do within this scenario, how my family and the world would react. Fear and curiosity plagued me as I continued reading.

One hesitation I had with this story was, despite the Julia being age appropriate for a middle grade tale, I felt some of the topic incorporated within the world building seemed too mature to follow, the growth of a middle schooler seemed too heavy. This melds with my only other issue with the story which was the science of it all. Some facts felt plausible, while others weren't all that believable. But overall, I'd recommend this story for older, more mature MG readers.

Now, can you answer my question from above? What do you think could happen if time slowed?

Wistful YA Wednesday~INEVITABLE

Announcing the release of Inevitable, the newest young adult suspense novel by Tamara Hart Heiner & a peek into her MC's brain! (Not literally, 'cause that would be gross.)

Visions of death plague Jayne, who thinks watching her boyfriend die is the worst that could happen to her. But when she witnesses a murder, Jayne finds herself caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue and suspense.

As it turns out, she is not the only one doing the stalking. The killer is on to her, and all of her visions of the dying don't reveal how her life will end. Somehow, she must stop the murderer before he arranges Jayne's own inevitable death.

First page

Available on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and Kobo.com!

Okay, now are you ready to meet the character?? Well, read on!

Hey, Jayne with a Y. I used to have a friend who spelled Janye with a Y. So, as original as I am, I used to call her that. Anyway, give us some deets on yourself.

Sure. I'm a junior in high school and live at home with my mom and dad and sister. I always kind of dreamed of being a journalist, but then I started smelling lemons. Not that lemons are bad. I didn't used to think so, anyway. But for me, the lemon smells means someone is going to die. Now I have a horrible phobia of meeting new people.

It must be kind of strange, you know, with the whole visions of the dying thing. What's your world really like?

Haha...funny. Well, I write for the sports column of my local high school in New Jersey. I'm still trying to get over my break-up with my boyfriend Stephen, though the hot boy who just moved in from England is helping me with that. Too bad he smells like lemons! So does my sister, which makes sharing a bathroom really awkward. Oh, and there's a serial killer in town, and I got to experience one of his murders in action, which was simply horrifying. And I don't know how, but I think he knows I saw him. Either I'm really paranoid, or someone is following me around.

Hmmm...I'm thinking you're probably not simply paranoid, but moving on. Care to share something secretive with us. Alleywalkers are great secret keepers. *wink*

I get a bit aggravated with my best friend, Dana, sometimes. She's super smart and going on scholarship to one of the best colleges in the nation, and yet sometimes she acts like such an idiot. I'm going to miss her like crazy, but I get really tired of always having to bail her out of trouble. I shouldn't say that about her. I only have one year left with her, and she's the best, really. I don't know what I'm going to do without her.

Gives us one thing that makes you different or, um...

Strange?

Ah...yeah.

Besides the above-mentioned death visions? Um... I stare at people's shoes?

Ooh, a shoe fanatic. Girl after my own heart! As long as you don't envision my death anytime soon. 

It was great having Jayne here, don't you think? Let's show her creator some support, eh? After an awesome ebook launch on Facebook, Tamara's trying hard to top that with the paperback. So here's the plan:

1) For the entire month of March, every comment on Tamara's blog gets entered into a drawing to win a HARD COPY of one of her books. (You get to choose which one!)

2) Leave a comment on THIS BLOG for a chance to win ALL of her young adult ebooks!

3) Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for another chance to win Inevitable.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Inevitable

by Tamara Hart Heiner

Giveaway ends April 02, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

4) If you SPREAD THE NEWS, whether it's on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or just plain word of mouth, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble gift card. Email Tamara at tamarahartheiner dot com and tell her how many times you did it, and you'll be entered into the drawing that many times!

Are we ready??? Get set! Go!

About the author: I live in Arkansas with my husband and three children, two crazy boys and one pretty little princess. I used to spend a lot of time writing until I had a baby and discovered Facebook. Now you'll often find me on there pretending to have a social life.

I am the author of three young adult suspense novels, PERILOUS, ALTERCATION, and INEVITABLE. You can find out more about what I'm writing and catch deleted scenes from my books on my blog at http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com.

PASSING TIME Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Book Blurb

Nine dark fiction stories that may just give you nightmares.

A man lives to regret Passing Time. A father will do anything to save his son in Expiration Date. An author finds out her worst nightmare is back in The Devil’s Song. A woman gets more than the claim fee when she takes out vampire insurance in Luna Black.

In Dining in Hell, the Death Valley Diner becomes the wrong place to stop.

A serial killer wants to add another file to his collection in The Vegas Screamer. In Eating Mr. Bone, an undertaker could meet an unfortunate end. A con man meets his first ghost in Land of the Free. And will truth finally be set free in The Letter?

Excerpt from Luna Black

I can remember the conversation we had word for word.

“Wow. Tessa Darksky. You’re quite the hot Goth today,” he told me as I placed the red berry smoothie on the table and took a seat. Café Nervosa was located in a converted church and the old pews provided a cost-effective solution for seating. They seemed rather inappropriate for our meeting.

“Thanks, Dead.”

Tessa Darksky was my vampire name–everyone in our circle of friends had them. Guy’s vampire name was Glory Bloodrayne, and Victory Dead’s real name was, well you can guess the first. It’s not hard.

 “So, I’m all aquiver,” Dead said. “Why are you here? Is there some dark twisted enterprise you need Dead’s help with? Or have you finally tired of Master Bloodrayne and want to try some fresh blood?”

Dead was his usual understated self. I’d always known he had a soft spot for me and I planned to use it to my advantage.

“I want to meet a vampire.”

Dead laughed. And then he laughed some more.

“I’m serious, Dead. There’s money in it for you if you can introduce me to one.”

“How much?”

Funny how the dollar sign gets people every time. I’d learnt as much from my time at the bank.

“A thousand dollars. Cash.”

He leaned in closer. “Does Guy know about this?”

“No. And he’s not going to.”

“Why?”

“I want to organise a surprise for him.”

Dead’s ochre eyes lit up–despite competing with heavy sky-black eyeliner. “For his birthday?”

“Yes.”

“Well, well. A surprise birthday party with an actual vampire as the surprise–you are a strange one. Give me a week, and I may just fulfil your wish.” He stood to leave and patted my hand for reassurance. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

Book Links: Amazon | Amazon.co.uk | Goodreads | Facebook

About The Author

A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time is her first eBook collection and contains nine previously published stories. Her science fiction collection Taking Time will be published later in the year.

Author Links: Website | Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Your chance to win!!
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MOONSET Giveaway!!!

I am thrilled to be a part of this BOOK BLAST for YA Author Scott Tracey!! With only one month to go until MOONEST hits the shelves, the anticipation is really starting to mount. But to ease the tension, check out this awesome giveaway!!

Title: Moonset Legacy of Moonset #1        

Author: Scott Tracey
Release Date: April 8th 2013
Publisher: Flux

Justin Daggett, his trouble-making sister, and their three orphan-witch friends have gotten themselves kicked out of high school. Again. Now they’ve ended up in Carrow Mills, New York, the town where their parents—members of the terrorist witch organization known as Moonset—began their evil experiments with the dark arts one generation ago.
When the siblings are accused of unleashing black magic on the town, Justin fights to prove their innocence. But tracking down the true culprit leads him to a terrifying discovery about Moonset’s past . . . and its deadly future

Excited? Then add it to your TBR pile or PRE-ORDER NOW FOR ONLY $5.55 AMAZON | B&N

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The Prizes! 1- $25.00 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
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THE AUTHOR


Scott Tracey is a YA author who lived on a Greyhound for a month, wrote his illustrated autobiography at the age of six, and barely survived Catholic school (and definitely not for the reasons you might think).
He is the author of WITCH EYES, chosen as one of Amazon’s Best LGBT Books of 2011, as well as an ALA Popular Paperback in the Forbidden Romance category.  The final book in the WITCH EYES trilogy, PHANTOM EYES, will be released in the fall of 2013.
He is also the author of MOONSET, a new series which will be released April 8, 2013, as well as a contributor to the SHADOWHUNTERS & DOWNWORLDERS anthology, edited by Cassandra Clare.
His career highlights include: accidentally tripping a panic alarm which led to nearly being shot by the police; attacked in a drive-thru window by a woman wielding a baked potato, and once moving cross country for a job only to quit on the second day.
His gifts can be used for good or evil, but rather than picking a side, he strives for BOTH (in alternating capacity) for his own amusement.

STALK SCOTT
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SPLATTER ALERT!! I'm not blogging today, desperate to finish my detailed outline for my sequel, but I wanted to share Scott's awesome book with you anyway!! Have a fabulous weekend!