Notes from writing class - POV


Disclaimer: This is a recurring and random series of posts. I'm currently enrolled in a basic writing/editing class and felt that my notes might be helpful to others. Please note, I am not an editor. I'm just an author trying to learn more about the craft to improve my own work, while sharing the things I learn along the way.   Enjoy.

In writing, there are three main POV choices. 1st Person (You are the Main Character), Third person omniscient (Godlike view of all characters), and Third person limited (Narrative view of one character at a time).


In first person, the reader should only see and hear what the MC see's and hears. The MC can only know what they know, and can only speculate on the intentions of other characters. The problem with this POV is that actions happening away from the POV character are not known. It can be hard to show what else is going on to contribute to the plot. Writers in this POV have to figure out natural ways for the POV character to learn these other outside events.


Example 1


George burned with desire for me.


The MC can't know for sure that George is burning with desire. She may be herself, but unless she can read his mind, she can't be sure.


Example 2

George pulled me into his arms. His hot breath blew across my ear as he spoke, "I need you."


Here, the MC tells us, through George's actions and words, that he does, in fact want her.



In limited 3rd, the reader should only know the thoughts and feelings of one character (at a time. POV switching is allowed but beware of head hopping. I'll touch on that in a minute). The narrator can delve into the MC mind to tell us the characters internal thoughts and motivations, but not the secondary characters.

This is the most widely used form of POV for fiction writing as it gives authors the flexibility to move around the characters.


Example 3

George pulled Madeline into his arms, enjoying the feel of her soft body against against his own. "I need you," he whispered in her ear. Madeline sighed with contentment as she wrapped her arms around his waist.


Here, there is a minor POV change from George to Madeline. If the Narrator is in Georges head, they cannot know for sure that Madeline is content. A sigh could mean anything.


Example 4

George pulled Madeline into his arms, enjoying the the feel of her soft body against his own. "I need you," he whispered in her ear. Madeline responded with a sigh and wrapped her arms around his waist.



In 3rd Omni, the reader should know all characters thoughts and feelings at all times. The narrator can delve into each person's mind and know their intentions and motivations.It should be known that 3rd Omni is the least popular method of POV. It's very hard to execute correctly and often ends with more of a "head hopping feel."


No example here. I never write in this POV.


POV Shifts or Head Hopping.

Head hopping is NOT the use of multiple characters’ points of view in a book. Head hopping IS the use of multiple characters’ POVs used very quickly in a book. It would, in effect, be hopping between George and Madeline's POV within the same scene like a tennis match.

A general rule of thumb, is to pick only one character's head to be in per scene.


However, if you really feel you need to show more than one characters thoughts and feelings in a particular scene, (if it is long enough to do this) is to pick specific spots to swap. Figure out what characters inner thoughts and feelings are most important, for the part of the scene you're in, and stick with that character for at least 1k or so words. The larger the gap between POV changes, the more willing readers are to accept it.


Also, each POV shift should be clearly marked with either a noticeable gap in paragraphs. Try to avoid using asterisks as your indicator for POV switches as they are more commonly used for scene breaks within a chapter. And you don't want to confuse your readers.

For those who missed the show!

Live Chat and Giveaway too. Due to some minor difficulties, this show was rescheduled from 1/24.

Listen to internet radio with Bk Walker on Blog Talk Radio

Link... just in case the player doesn't work here.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bkwalker/2011/01/31/talking-immortalis-with-katie-salidas

Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything. Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan. Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and The Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers. If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.

The Precog by Daryl Sedore - Chapter Excerpt

Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Daryl Sedore (September 5, 2010)


Kindle US - http://www.amazon.com/Precog-Visions-Fury-ebook/dp/B00422LGMI/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1295891265&sr=8-2

Kindle UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Precog-Visions-of-Fury/dp/B00422LGMI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1295891438&sr=8-2

Product Description (From Amazon)

Sarah Roberts has been thwarting kidnappings and saving lives against her will. She'd rather be a normal eighteen year old, but messages of death and crime are foretold to her. When a warning comes that she will be next, Sarah misinterprets it, not realizing until it's too late that she is the victim.

During her kidnapping, one of Sarah's captors is killed. Witnesses place Sarah at the scene. The police have her notebook which reveals all of her precognitions. They're curious how Sarah could know so much about "accidents" and "crimes". The kind of information only the perpetrators would be privy to. The police are looking for Sarah for all the wrong reasons as she struggles to get their attention and escape with her life.
 Thank you Daryl for allowing us this preview of your novel!

 
Chapter 1


Life and death was the difference of a choice, a moment of indecision, an expensive thought that cast a silky web around her. The snare was always set, gripping and pulling, but would she be strong enough when the time came? Would she be able to save whomever it is she’s supposed to save?

Sarah Roberts looked at her watch again.

10:15am.

Three minutes until the precognition came true.

She reached back and found a few stray hairs above the nape of her neck. She massaged them until they were firmly in the grip of her fingers. Then tugged them out. Her eyes closed, she leaned back on the dirty cement. The sharp pain that crawled over her skin soothed her, calming her nerves.

She could hear vehicles crossing the bridge above her. Next time she had to wait under a bridge for whatever was supposed to happen she would bring a pillow to sit on. The piece of cement angled toward a small river at forty-five degrees. The grass on either side looked more comfortable, but the message had been specific. If there was anything Sarah knew, it was to follow it with absolute precision.

Sit directly in the middle, under the St. Elizabeth Bridge. 10:18 Am. Bring hammer.
Bring hammer.

She had no idea why, but she’d brought it. The hammer sat beside her on the cement.
She lifted her wrist and checked the time.

10:17am.

Some of the remaining hair on her forearm stood. Within a minute something was going to happen. This heightened state always made her hair rise in the anticipation of what was to come. It also showed Sarah the location of more hair to be pulled at a later time.

She lowered her right hand and picked up the hammer.

Her pulse quickened. She looked down at her feet where a pile of cigarette butts were scattered from previous occupants who had loitered under the bridge too. Her focus was on her breathing. Keep it regular.

Wait and see.

A dead fish smell wafted up from the river.

The water made a soft curling, whooshing sound. Any other time it would have been soothing.

Cars cruised by above her. Something louder came and went.

10:18am.

A tire screeched. A horn blared. The sound of metal hitting metal was surreal. It made her jump.
Tires squealed again.

A vehicle came into view at an impossible angle. It fell towards the river, along with pieces of the guardrail. The car’s roof took the impact in the water. It was upside down, angled at a slight degree on the passenger side.

Sarah hustled and reached the car in seconds. She kneeled close and glanced in the window on the driver’s side. A woman who looked to be in her twenties was trapped in the seat belt. She was inverted, her arms dangling toward the water that was slipping in where it could. A small line of blood was on her forehead. She appeared to be unconscious. There were no passengers.

The river was quite shallow in this area. The water rushed by just below Sarah’s knees. But it was high enough to cover the head of the woman. An odd thought struck her. How come the precognition didn’t say anything about proper footwear for wading through water? Mom’s going to be pissed that I soaked my new shoes.

Sarah grabbed the handle and tried to open the door. It didn’t move. She reached over and tried the back door. It was also stuck, or locked. She glanced in the window and looked across to the other side of the car. The doors on that side were bent inward. That was the side that hit the river first, buckling it a little.

Her stomach churned when she looked at the woman. The water had risen to her hair line and was swirling around the top of her head.

She could hear people yelling from the bridge behind her. Someone was asking if everyone was all right.

Water was touching the woman’s eyebrows. Sarah had to act and she had to do it now.
The hammer.

She looked at the hammer in her right hand. If she bashed the driver’s side window it would shatter and could hurt the woman. It would have to be the back door window.

She raised the hammer and whacked the pane.

Nothing happened.

She looked back at the woman. Her eyes were submerged now. Sarah guessed she had less than a minute before the woman’s nose started taking water on.

She brought everything she could muster to the next blow. The back window shattered and blew inward. She used the hammer to remove stray pieces of glass still attached to the door frame.
The water was tolerable when she stood in it, but it was cold on her arms and stomach when she dropped down on all fours. She went as fast as she could while being careful to maneuver around the shards of glass.

She was completely inside the back, lying down in the water that rushed in faster now. A book that must have been in the back seat floated by. She brushed it aside while reaching for the woman.

From the back, she angled herself between the front seats. She reached out and lifted the woman’s head just as water flirted with her nostrils.

That was where she stopped.

Sarah reasoned it would be difficult to undo the seatbelt that suspended the driver. How could she push or drag her from the car? Impossible for Sarah alone. Especially since she couldn’t go through the driver’s side door.

She would have to stay here leaning on her side, holding the woman’s head up against her shoulder. She used her free hand to cling to the steering wheel.

The water level inside the car matched the outside now.

Until help arrived, she had done all she could do. It was over.

Another unknown reality had become known.

Minutes later, she could hear sirens. And not soon enough, she thought. The adrenaline rush was ebbing and the shivering had started. With her strength diminishing, Sarah held the woman’s head above the water until firemen showed up. The firemen went to work on the driver’s side door. They cut the seatbelt and then lifted the driver out.

Another fireman reached in and helped Sarah out and up to the bridge. A Paramedic provided a blanket for her. She sat on the bumper of an ambulance. They asked her if she’d been a passenger. Did she see the accident? How was she involved? As before, in situations like these, she was evasive. She hated cops. Even the sight of them. She told a police officer she would answer his questions after she warmed up.

Paramedics were attending to a minivan where a man in the driver’s seat was being fitted in a neck brace. A garbage truck had lost one of its wheels, which looked to be the cause of the accident.

In the confusion of people, some hurt, some helping, Sarah dropped the blanket and disappeared behind the ambulance. She removed the red bandana she wore to cover her missing hair. She never wanted to be identified as the girl with no eyebrows and hardly any hair on her head. She knew without the bandana she would stand out a lot more.

She started to run a little. She had to get home before her mother began asking questions of her whereabouts.

She hated it when she had to lie to her.

Author Spotlight with Daryl Sedore



Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Daryl Sedore (September 5, 2010)

Kindle US - http://www.amazon.com/Precog-Visions-Fury-ebook/dp/B00422LGMI/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1295891265&sr=8-2

Kindle UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Precog-Visions-of-Fury/dp/B00422LGMI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1295891438&sr=8-2

Product Description (From Amazon)

Sarah Roberts has been thwarting kidnappings and saving lives against her will. She'd rather be a normal eighteen year old, but messages of death and crime are foretold to her. When a warning comes that she will be next, Sarah misinterprets it, not realizing until it's too late that she is the victim.

During her kidnapping, one of Sarah's captors is killed. Witnesses place Sarah at the scene. The police have her notebook which reveals all of her precognitions. They're curious how Sarah could know so much about "accidents" and "crimes". The kind of information only the perpetrators would be privy to. The police are looking for Sarah for all the wrong reasons as she struggles to get their attention and escape with her life.

K.S.  Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

D.S. I’m a drinker with a writing problem. No seriously, I do write with red wine, but more writing gets done than drinking. Sometimes. Other than that, I write full time, day in day out. My wife and I will take in a movie randomly, but otherwise our house is one of books, reading and writing.

K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

D.S. Sure; I write action scenes to heavy metal blasting from my stereo. Groups like Slipknot and Machinehead. Their screaming and relentless drumming and guitars energize me and fire up my scenes.
Slower, emotional scenes where one would find love or reflection are written to Diana Krall and soft jazz.
I rarely write in silence.

K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

D.S. I first realized I wanted to be a writer by the time I was ten years old and I wrote my first short story, long hand in pencil on foolscap white paper in 1980.
I yearned to write my first novel in the late 1990’s because I couldn’t find the exact kind of book I wanted to read on the book shelves in the stores I shopped. There are a great number of fabulous authors writing awesome books, yet I found it a daunting task to find a book that all the elements I craved in one book. So, I set out to write fast paced, high octane thrillers with a slight paranormal edge to them.

K.S.  What genre do you write?

D.S. I write paranormal thrillers. Sometimes, I will just write a thriller without the paranormal added in and other times I will write horror. These would be my main areas I travel in.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

D.S.  Inspiration? That would be my wife. Favorite author: Stephen King. I love a multitude of authors like Clive Barker, Jack Ketchum, Charlie Huston and so on, but Stephen King has been my rock since I was in grade six.

K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

D.S.  Interesting question. I have no idea. Next! Next question! But seriously, my family is strewn askew across North America and I’m only in contact with a few members of them. The people who are most excited about my writing is my wife Brenda and my two daughters.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?

D.S.  How easy it was. I don’t mean to sound crass here, but once I sat down and started building the scenes and making things harder for my main character and adding…well, you get the idea, I found it fun, exhilarating and easy. I write over 10,000 words a week, creating mayhem and death with the twist of a keyboard dipped in an inkwell.

K.S.  What inspires you?

D.S.  Love. The love of my wife, the love of my daughters and the love of the written word. When I complete a novel or short story and watch my wife reading it while whooping in the air for the main characters triumphs or cringing as a scene has disturbed her, I am in love. I do it for many unknown reasons, but love is one of the known ones.

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?

D.S.  Sure, The Precog is my main novel. Part two is coming out March 1, 2011. I will include a snippet after this interview.

See tomorrow’s post for a preview of Chapter 1!

K.S.  Where can we buy your novel?

D.S.  My novel is available in e-book format at Amazon.com. It is also available in print there too. I have ten other titles at Amazon that can be easily found by searching their site with my name.

K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

D.S.  I have Publisher page that features my titles at:

http://amebooks.com/August_Moon_Publishing/Books.html

Also a blog at www.darylsedore.com


K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

D.S.  Write. That’s it. Sit down at the empty page and just start typing. Honestly, there’s nothing else to it.

Author Spotlight with Shanda Sharlow



Shanda Sharlow Bio:
Shanda Sharlow began writing short stories from the time she could hold a pencil. Through the years, she's scribbled down thousands of pages of random stories and unfinished novels that were eventually abandoned or forgotten about. In 2005, she set down to finish a full fantasy novel in the form of the Psyonic, which she managed in a few months. For awhile, she shelved the book without any way to get it realistically published. After Amazon Kindle came out, she found the opportunity to release the Psyonic to the public, and is now working on another full novel. Currently, she lives in Vancouver WA with her father and brother, and edits novels for other people when she's not writing.
The Psyonic:
Hale lived his entire life in hiding, traveling through slums and nondescript villages, never staying anywhere long enough for the people there to recognize his face. Never staying long enough for anyone to ferret out his secret.

When he comes across a woman who recognizes him, he becomes the confidante of a Princess. Yet the halls of the palace hold far more danger than that of the streets, for within its shadows lurk dark mysteries and murderous intent. Desperate to remain hidden from those who hunt him, Hale must unravel the hidden machinations of the gathered royal families before it's too late, or it will be more than his life that he loses.

Notes from writing class - Adverbs


Disclaimer: This is a recurring and random series of posts. I'm currently enrolled in a basic writing/editing class and felt that my notes might be helpful to others. Please note, I am not an editor. I'm just an author trying to learn more about the craft to improve my own work, and sharing the things I learn along the way.   Enjoy.

What is an adverb?

They are a very necessary part of writing and communication; they modify other words and give us information about how, when, or where.

Though they are often scorned by critiquing groups, adverbs are not always the enemy, but that doesn’t mean you need to use them as a crutch.

Adverbs are so easy to overuse because they are a quick “go to” word. The problem is they don’t deliver a unique, vivid or comprehensive description to the reader and, because of their ease of use, they can be culprits in telling instead of showing.

Fallon glanced around the room anxiously.

In this example, I’m telling you what Fallon did and why but it’s not really as strong as it could be. When you get rid of the adverb, you have to find a stronger way to “show” what’s happening. That often means you’ll have to rewrite the sentence or look for stronger words.  By doing this, you’ll make the imagery more vivid.

Fallon shifted her weight from one foot to the other as her eyes flitted to each of the clan members faces.

Now, you can clearly see her nervous actions as well as her eye movements.

Some of the biggest culprits of adverb abuse (overuse) are Slowly & Quickly. The problem with these two is they are easy to use and they don’t really define anything. Speed is a relative thing and each person will perceive it differently. For safety sake, add those to your no-no list and "Seek and Destroy" them whenever possible. You can always come up with a better way to explain time in your manuscript.

Now, adverbs are not always words that end in –ly. Remember that above I said an adverb gives is the how, when or where?

In the first sentence, the word around is technically an adverb. It modifies the word glanced.

See how tricky those adverbs can be? They aren’t always the bad guys.  For writing purposes, just focus on the –ly’s and use them sparingly. Don’t go around trying to remove all of them; you’ll end up with something completely unreadable.

Notes from writing class - Proofing Tips


Disclaimer: This is a recurring and random series of posts. I'm currently enrolled in a basic writing/editing class and felt that my notes might be helpful to others. Please note, I am not an editor. I'm just an author trying to learn more about the craft to improve my own work, and sharing the things I learn along the way.   Enjoy.


All manuscripts need to be edited before they are published, but before you send it off to an editor, make sure you've done your best to prepare it.

Proof your work first. Here are three ways to do this.

1) Print it! I can't explain why, but seeing something in print somehow makes you look more closely at it. I can spend hours staring at a computer screen, reading my work, and still miss things. As soon as I see it on paper, I find more errors.

The problem with doing it this way though, is cost and waste. If your printing a full-length manuscript, that can be hundreds of pages. Try to print double-sided where you can but don't try to go single spaced. Trust me, your eyes will thank you for that.

2) Read out loud! When we read silently, especially our own work, our brain plays tricks on us. We know what we "meant" to say and our brain substitutes the correct sentence or words in for the ones we might have goofed on. Reading out loud, stops your brain from this sort of "auto correct" function. You'll find lots more errors this way.

Quick tip: Try having the computer read to you. Sounds kind of silly, but will definitely help you pick out any problems. Look for free software to help you do this like Natural Reader.

3) Have someone else read it! Hey, sometimes we're just blind to our own mistakes. A fresh set of eyes works wonders. When you have agonized enough over your own words, toss your work to a friend and let them read. I bet they still find things for you to fix.

Birthday 3.0 "I don't wanna grow up."



I guess It's time I left the Youth of my Adulthood and became a "grown up."

Today I turn 30.

I don't know about the rest of you out there in blogger land but 30 has always been a big "SCARY" milestone age for me.

When you're 18, you are "officially" considered an adult, but you're still very much a child. Think of it as adult with training wheels. You still have limitations on what you can do but you're now 100% responsible for your actions. It's a time of learning how to live on your own and decide what you want to be when you're done "growing up."

When you're 21 the training wheels come off. You've graduated to being a full fledged adult, and as a bonus, you're now trusted with alcohol. LoL. Though you're considered an adult with all rights and privileges, you still have a lot to learn. You're still very much a kid.You're still figuring things out and making lots of mistakes on the way. And that's OK... you're supposed to at this age. It's called life experience.

When you're 25 "they" decide you've learned enough to get some adult type bonuses... Lower car insurance!!! Now people start to look at you a little more seriously. You're supposed to know more and have a little more direction in your life, but hey, you're still 20-something so you get a little bit of slack.

30, on the other hand, at least in my view, is where you're looked at as, "real adult." You've had time to gain some real life experience and direction. The college years are usually behind you, you've made plenty of mistakes and hopefully learned from them. You're not a kid anymore. Welcome to real adulthood. (dun dun dunnnnnn)

So yeah, this year is a big one for me. But even though I'm an adult adult now, I still feel like a little kid. I don't wanna grow up!

Can I still be a kid? Can I... Pretty Please with a cherry on top?

And because no birthday is complete without a trip down memory lane, here are some of my favorite Childish "Adult" Moments from the last 12 years.















Author Spotlight with Jacquitta McManus




K.S.  Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

JM Thank you for having me. I’m very excited to be here. Well, I recently published my first book … a MagBook, titled Labyrinth’s Door – Anyia “Dream of a Warrior” and I’m currently finishing up my first fantasy/adventure coloring book Talee and the Fallen Object which I’m really excited about. 

K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

JM Um … I like to write in my head. I like to sit and think about the story, play around with it in my head and if it works I will begin the task of putting it on paper. I don’t know if everyone does that but it seems to work for me.

K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

JM I don’t know if I do consider myself a writer … not a conventional writer anyway. I see myself as a storyteller that writes. And I think I realized that a couple of years ago when a desire to have stories to read to my daughter collided with a desire to direct fantasy/adventure movies.

K.S.  What genre do you write?

JM I write fantasy/adventure stories. Right now I’m focused on stories for children but looking to also publish some YA (young adult) novels in the near future. I have a couple of story ideas I’ve started working on.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

JM Disney at a very early age, although I didn’t realize it until I had the desire to start writing. I would also have to say, the cartoon version of Avatar – The Last Airbender, Avatar the movie by James Cameron and of course the Harry Potter Series all have some impact on me in some form. And oh, don’t let me forget to mention Star Trek. I love to watch Star Trek, which I think also, has some influence on my desire to write fantasy/adventure stories.


K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

JM They love it. I think my kids are my biggest fans.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book?

JM I didn’t expect that the story and characters would take on a life of their own, and that I would be so curious about what’s going to happen next.

When I finished Anyia “Dream of a Warrior” I sent the book out to a couple of friends to see what they thought and one of my friends phoned to talk to me about the book after she had read it. I remember talking to her about the characters and story and she was telling me how she really liked it and then she asked me what was going to happen next… I sat on the phone in pause for a moment and said I don’t’ know … I’m curious to know as well.

So, although I think I know where the stories are going, my outlines are just rough points to hit, the stories really develop as I go. I just make sure I know the theme and the arcs and go from there.

K.S.  What inspired you to write? 

JM One of the reasons I started to write came from a desire to read fantasy/adventure stories to my daughter when she was younger. When my daughter was younger I use to read to her every night and I was looking for a fantasy/adventure story to read to her and got frustrated when I didn’t find what I was looking for. It was during that time that I realized I had them in my head.

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about Labyrinth’s Door – Anyia “Dream of a Warrior”?

In the first edition of Labyrinth’s Door, Anyia, a young Nagoran girl, whose dream of becoming a Nagoran Warrior is infused with adventure and danger. Running from her duties as a Yora, she dares to break tradition to follow her own dream, during a time when Empress Zarina threatens the magic treaty that protects her village.

(Excerpt)
Labyrinth's Door No.1
Anyia – “Dream of a Warrior”
Giggling, Anyia walked down the worn path in her red and gold royal dress as Pepo bugs, ancient animals of the Nagoran Forest, flew around her.
“Doesn’t it feel like a day for great things to happen?” said Anyia. 
It wasn’t her usual morning walk, but today was the day she had been waiting for.
For months, through the land of Ethonia down to the Nagoran Village, there had been gossip about Amoonda, a female warrior—the only female to ever be named a warrior for the courage she showed as she helped to forge the treaty of lands. The rumors said she would be passing through the forest to meet with the Treelins on this day.
Anyia was excited. Her dream was to become a warrior like Amoonda and bring honor to her village. It didn’t matter to her that females were forbidden to fight in battle. Anyia thought that following old traditions was mindless. If females were allowed to become warriors, they could help protect and bring honor to the Nagoran Village just like the males.
Anyia followed the Pepo bugs through the forest until she saw the tree she was looking for—tall, with lush golden-leaved branches that reached up to the sky. 
“There it is,” she said, excited. “An Erow tree.” Eyes wide, she ran up to the lean tree and rubbed its trunk, the bark smooth under her hands. The soft scent of the leaves filled her nose and she smiled, looking up, softly tapping the tree trunk with the palm of her hand.
“Hummmmm,” she said, her voice musical as she pressed her right ear against the tree. “I can hear it.” She giggled. “I can hear it humming.”
The Pepo bugs flew into the canopy. Anyia smiled.
“The rumor is true. This is the tree,” Anyia said. “Amoonda is coming to meet with the Treelins.”
Looking up at the canopy, Anyia watched the Pepo bugs fly through the many layers of golden leaves, bouncing along, sending up puffs of dust.
A loud screech made her turn quickly.
The Pepo bugs flew down from the canopy and, one at a time, their purple glows turned bright red.
“It’ll be all right,” said Anyia. She knew that Pepo bugs turning red meant danger was near; being outside the boundaries of the village could be perilous, but she had to find Amoonda.
When the loud screech sounded again, she ran toward it, her curiosity piqued.
The Pepo bugs followed as she ran off the worn path, up the hill toward the edge of the forest. At first all she could see was tall grass, but when she reached the top, she gasped.

K.S.  Where can we find your novel?

JM
It’s on my website http://www.WorldsToDiscover.com as well as Amazon.com.

K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

JM
I have them all. My website is: http://www.WorldsToDiscover.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and my blog The Journey of a Storyteller.

K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers? Yes, write what inspires you. It will get you through the tough times.

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - The Book Connection

The Book Connection...: Author Spotlight: Katie Salidas and Immortalis: H...:

Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.

Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.

Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and The Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers.

If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.




The Book Connection is featuring Hunters & Prey today. Stop by and leave me a comment. =) Let me know what you think.

http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2011/01/author-spotlight-katie-salidas-and.html

All around the Interwebs with Hunters & Prey!! (Contest and Coupons inside)

Have you heard the buzz about Hunters & Prey? It's all over the internet today!




Check out my friend JC Phelps blog, my book's being featured today!!
http://jcphelps.blogspot.com/2011/01/feature-hunters-prey.html




Or you could check out Spalding's Racket... he's got it too!!
http://spaldings-racket.blogspot.com/2011/01/immortalis-hunters-and-prey-by-katie.html




For those of you in the UK, have no fear. Hunters & Prey is available for you too.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=books-uk&field-author=Katie%20Salidas




Maybe you'd like to read an excerpt?
http://rebeccasnotebook.blogspot.com/2011/01/immortalis-hunters-and-prey-by-katie.html
Stop by Writing Daze where Rebecca Camarena has it as a feature post today!
For more Hunters & Prey blog tour info, check HERE.



Or... maybe you'd like a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself?

Check out Rhodes Reviews

http://rhodesreview.com/?p=2169
He's also written up a short review about the book too.
http://rhodesreview.com/?p=2146




And finally, for those of you looking to catch up on the series, why not read the first book for FREE!


For a limited time, I'm offering up a coupon to download a copy of the first Immortalis book free, from Smashwords.com. To obtain the code please join the Goodreads Immortalis group here, and check the discussions.

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/42430.IMMORTALIS_BOOK_SERIES?utm_medium=api&utm_source=group_widget


Please feel free to ReTweet or share this blog post via Twitter, Facebook, or any other Social Networking site.
Thanks!!

SyFy- Being Human - Carbon Copy or Not?



Ok, so I said I would watch the American Being Human. I can’t hate on it until I know exactly why, right?

Hate is probably a strong word here.  Disappointed is still the best way to describe how I feel about the blatant Americanized remake.

SyFy’s version starts us off where the BBC pilot did. Not sure how many of you out there actually saw the pilot but it tells you how the trio got together. 

In the original BBC version, Annie does an awesome voiceover telling you about death and what should happen and what happens when it doesn’t. 

In this version, Aiden (formerly Mitchell) has some cute things to say, but they don’t have the same effect as the original. He’s immediately played as bit of a pretentious twit. Who quotes Byron and talks about death on a first date? Really!! Playing it up a bit too hard there!

Ok so we move on and see Aiden snacking on his date which is exactly in line with the original.

Some changes from the BBC version include: No eating food at all (Mitchell could eat and drink), he drinks blood from the hospital blood bank (Mitchell was “on the wagon” meaning no blood at all), and it appears vampires can compel people (Mitchell had no compulsion powers at all).

The other important vampire in this is the vampire Bishop. He’s a doppelganger for the Herrick character in the BBC version.  I don’t really see a change there. They did make him very “mommy dearest” with the “Don’t call, don’t write” quote.  I have a feeling this character will be carbon-copy as the series progresses.
 
Moving on to the George character, now called Josh.  Unlike the BBC version, he doesn’t have that nerdy, quirky, charm. He comes right out and states he has OCD rather than letting us see it. Points for the BBC for letting us figure it out instead of spoon-feeding it to us like SyFy felt was necessary.  In actuality the Josh character does not seem fully formed yet. The acting felt very forced as if the actor had not quite figured out how to play the character yet and was just following direction. In one speech he gave, chatting with Aiden, he paused so many times I was wondering if he had trouble reading cue cards. I think they need to define what’s going on with him.

A few changes from the BBC pilot. Instead of Josh (George)seeing his ex-girlfriend in the hospital, he sees his sister. I guess that was part of them trying to be “original.” The action still plays out the same as it did in the pilot. She follows him into the locked cellar right before his “change” was going to happen.

And Finally, Sally, formerly Annie. This is the one I felt was trying too hard. Which could have been avoided if they gave her any screen time. The few moments she got were info dumps. She goes from stating she can’t remember her death, to saying “Let’s call my fiancée.,” In the space of a few minutes. The rest of the time was spent on the boys.  If they had taken a little longer to give us a chance to ‘know” her it would have given us a chance to see if she is anything like the original or somehow unique from the original Annie character. 

Character inconsistency… One second the landlord (Sally’s former fiancée) is standing outside, not wanted to go in. He explains his fiancée died in there and that’s why he wants to remain outside. He won’t go in now but a few moments after saying that,  he says he’ll be around on weekends to fix the plumbing. Uh ok.

Overall, I see no real “originality” in this series. The characters and situations are almost carbon-copy to the BBC version with a few Americanisms added in. The actors don't have a "feel" for their characters yet, and I am not sure if they ever will. It's hard to be original with a character someone else is already playing perfectly.

Is it a series I’ll follow? Probably not. It's not an improvement on the original. I have Being Human on DVD, I can watch the BBC version to my heart’s content until BBC America starts playing series three.


I’d love to hear what you thought of it. Leave me a comment. 

Author Spotlight with Tommy Batchelor


K.S.  Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.

T.B. Growing up in central Georgia gave me many outdoor adventures either in the woods or along the banks of the Flint River stories to tell my Grandchildren. “Lost on Spirit River”, is Book 1 of the Spirit River Trilogy and My first Middle grade fiction for ages 10 and older. My first book was a picture book, “Sunday’s with Papa T, A River Adventure. I still reside today in Middle Georgia with greatest supporter, my wife, Cathy.

K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

T.B. Yes, one night my friend and I took off for the river to campout and fish the next morning. There were only six spots along the bank where we camped, we left in the early evening, and the weather was still warm. When we arrived at the river, nobody was there; we had our choice of spots. Of course, we took the best spot. My friend setup his tent, he also had a sleeping bag, and I had none. It was a nice warm day! I set out to catch some fish, I caught one! I place the fish in the cooler filled with water. In our hurry to get to the river, we forgot food, cleaning kit, and no cookware and me without a coat. I paid the price as the night fell, the temperature fell very fast. My friend also brought his lantern; we hooked it to the top of the tent. I had to stand up all night, the heat from the lantern kept the top of the tent warm. When leaving I grabbed the cooler with the fish, I opened it up to check on the fish. The fish and water was frozen solid.

K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?
T.B. I don’t think I ever wanted to be a writer, my Grandchildren sparked my interested in writing Lost on Spirit River, I was able to use what I know about the river and event’s like the snowstorm, and I wanted this book to spark interest back into the real founders of America, the Native Americans.

K.S.  What genre do you write?
T.B. My first book, a picture book, “Sunday’s with Papa T, A River Adventure for ages 5 – 9 was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. “ Lost on Spirit River” is a middle grade novel for ages 8 – 14 and will enjoy this easy chapter read.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career?
T.B. That would be Mom, she was a big reader of books and told me after I published my first book, she had always wanted to write a children’s book.

K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?
T.B. My family are my biggest supporters in my writing, without them “Lost on Spirit River would never had got publishes.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book?
 T.B. All the self-publishing companies out there that try to get you to publish with them. You really have to do your homework and research these, as I have come across several that wanted nothing more than your money.

K.S.  What inspired you to write your novel?
T.B. It was the love of the great outdoors and my Grandchildren! I wanted to leave something other than money and photos to my grandchildren. This is something they can past down to their children’s.

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about your novel?
T.B. Synopsis - Thirteen-year-old Tony’s parents are in the middle of divorce, his mother sends him to his Grandpa’s along the banks of the Flint River in Southwestern Georgia. With his younger cousin Kathryn, they set out to look for a Christmas tree for the holidays, along with Grandpa’s aging beagle, Sally. The three become lost in a snowstorm, Finding shelter in a hidden cave, stumbling upon Native American wall art. Now the adventure really begins…
Snippet of First Chapter –
 Smoke from the village fires lifted though the trees, and light winds steered it to the river. Fog then intertwined with the smoke, pushing it up out of the valley. The sun was rising out of the east; a new day was dawning, and villagers were up early, packing the last of their personal belongings, planning to leave their land.
Chitto “the brave,” at thirteen summers old, and his cousin, Miakoda “power of the moon,” at eleven
summers, were the last to leave the cold waters, their clay pots flowing to the brim with red river clay while their dog “Wolf” followed close behind on their heels. As the two children rushed to the edge of the opening to the “Spirit River Cave,” the Panther Clan warriors labored to set huge stones into place, securing them with red river clay; once dried, it would seal the stones in place for a very long time.


K.S.  Where can we find your novel?

T.B.
Personal website at www.tommybatchelor.com
Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Spirit-River-Trilogy-Book/dp/1936352990/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289948923&sr=1-2
Barnes and Noble at http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Lost-on-Spirit-River/Tommy-Batchelor/e/9781936352999/?itm=1&USRI=lost+on+spirit+river%3a+spirit+river+trilogy%3a+book+1


K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?
T.B.
www.tommybatchelor.com
twitter at @tombatch50
Look for me on Face book

K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?
T.B.  Patience, it takes time to publish a book. Don’t rush if self-publishing your book, if it looks bad it hurts all authors who self-publish. Just remember, that book you take out of the box is your baby and you want that baby to shine and grow!

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Immortyl Revolution (Ebook Giveaway)

Immortyl Revolution: Guest Blogger Katie Salidas, author of Hunters and...:

I'm visiting with fellow vampire author Denise Verrico today, talking about the origins of my vampires and giving away a copy of the newest release, Hunters & Prey.

Denise also shares her thoughts on my new book as well!!

Check it out.

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Margaret West

I'm guest posting today at Margaret West's Paranormal Romance blog, talking about the writing process and my newest release Hunters & Prey!



http://margaret-paranormalromanceauthor.blogspot.com/2011/01/katie-saladis.html

Author & Book Spotlight - David Nelson Bradher




The Vampire Sonnets:
The story of Tristan Grey, a 19th Century Londoner, who is seduced and turned by Lady Nina, leader of the Chelsea Clan. But things aren't always what they seem through the eyes of a fledgling immortal. What sets this project apart from the countless other vampire tales in the marketplace currently is that these are written in sequential Shakespearean sonnets (200+ as revisions draw to a close). Publication date, 10/22/10.


K.S.  Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself.


D.N.B.Thank you.  It’s great to be here.  Well, I’m a native and resident of Raleigh, NC, and a ’89 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill (B.A. in English).  I’m a former tennis pro, and I’m the middle son of three.  Athletics has always been a passion in my family, so I grew up playing tennis, football, baseball and basketball.  I think writing sort of swooped in and took the place of those sports when my competitive playing days were over, and I’m lucky to come from a family of athletes and artists.  My dad was a creative writer, but he was also a newspaper columnist.  My mom’s family was rife with artists and writers, as well.  


K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?


D.N.B.Probably the strangest quirk is how The Vampire Sonnets came to be.  I wrote a single sonnet that, based on the image of the sun being a “portal to flame”, became a vampire poem.  I framed it such that the character, an anonymous vampire, is so immersed in his activities with a serving wench that he’s foolishly oblivious to the arriving dawn.  Because of that sonnet, a friend suggested that it would make a good story.  So, not liking to do things the easy way, I set out—unintentionally—to finish the episode.  Writing in verse takes a little while longer to say things sometimes, so the story is finally finished…in a mere 193 sequential Shakespearean sonnets.       


K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

D.N.B. I think part of me always knew.  I hated school, but whenever I had a write a short story, I relished the opportunity to delve into the creative aspects of designing a plot, giving depth and breadth to characters, and knitting every aspect into one cohesive (hopefully) story.  Reading my dad’s short stories always prompted me to write my own, but it wasn’t until he fell ill in 2001 that I actually set out to express myself in the cathartic medium of poetry.  As I said before, the birth of The Vampire Sonnets was more or less an accident, but if it hadn’t happened with this one, I think my readings of Don Juan, by Lord Byron, has struck a match in my mind that was bound to burn through at some point in time.   


K.S.  What genre do you write?


D.N.B.I write primarily in poetry, and in traditional forms, to be exact.  There’s no one topic I gravitate to, and The Vampire Sonnets was my first foray into the paranormal genre.  A lot of my earlier writings dealt with grief and the conflicts we all wage internally, though, so I shouldn’t be surprised that I ended up creating a monster with identity and guilt issues.  It makes for rich writing when you have a protagonist who is more gray than black and white, and when you throw in the element of the supernatural, it truly raises the stakes…so to speak.  I mean, writing about an immortal slipping out at dusk is a hell of a lot more visual than a character walking around the mall, buying jeans at The Gap, and then stopping for a Dr. Pepper and a soft pretzel at Auntie Annie’s kiosk.     


K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?


D.N.B.I think I’d have to pull in several sources for the credit, or the blame.  Early on, my dad’s stories got the wheels turning, but the engine probably came from the Romantic era poets, like Lord Byron, and also from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edgar Allen Poe, and Lord Alfred Tennyson.  J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In the Rye had an indelible effect on me at an impressionable age, as did Herman Raucher’s Summer of ’42.  It seem that anyone who effectively wrote a good coming of age story had my ears and eyes fixed appreciably on their work. 


K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

D.N.B.They love it, and it’s been nice to sort of take the journey with them.  I know my dad is proud that I’ve taken after him a bit, and with his background, he can appreciate the nuances a bit more than most.  My older brother, Charles, dabbles in writing, as well, and my younger brother, Scott, is a voracious reader and serious film aficionado. 


K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book/s?


D.N.B. I think the biggest surprise was how well traditional poetry, or rhyme and meter, lends itself to a vampire story.  There’s a certain formality, or elegance, to the traditional vampire, and using formal poetry to tell the story really enlivens the tale, I believe.  Take an instance in a vampire’s hunt, complete with alleys, shadows, and a comely lady in a bodice, sprinkle in some metrical verse, and you can create a quotable passage for anyone who enjoys poetry OR vampires.  If they enjoy both, well, that’s a bonus.   


K.S.  What inspires you?

D.N.B. People inspire me.  A lot of my characters are gleaned directly, or indirectly, from loved ones.  The reality of my relationships helps me to paint a picture in my mind of how I want a character to react in a certain situation.  For instance, Supriya, who is based on the great love of my life, Carol, has a sweetness and a wisdom that allows her to look at life, and situations, completely different.  I drew on her qualities when writing about her relationship with Tristan Grey, the protagonist.  I’m also drawn by conflict, specifically internal conflict, and writing characters of depth is very satisfying, and cathartic, to me.  



K.S.  Can you tell us a little about any of your novels?



D.N.B. The Vampire Sonnets is the tale of Tristan Grey, a 19th Century Londoner, who is targeted, seduced and turned by Nina, a beautiful raven-haired vampire, and integrated into the Chelsea clan.  But things aren’t as simple as they seem to a fledgling who vies to retain his humanity against the force of the needs of a vampire.  What sets this apart from other vampire stories in the marketplace is that it’s told in 193 sequential Shakespearean sonnets.  Here is an excerpt, a three-sonnet set, from near the beginning of the book:



Chelsea was lovely in the summertime,

Mild and romantic to the ones who sought

The brightness of a light and airy clime

Where love was oft pursued (and often caught).

It caught me, too, but not as I intended.

In fact, fair love meant less to me than lust,

And love affairs, as they began, were ended.

My distance grew with each and every thrust

Until the night I chanced upon a tart

Whose parch could not be sated from a glass.

She craved the rhythm of a waning heart

Where death, and so much more, would come to pass.



She held me with the fierceness of her eyes,

And told the first, and worst, of many lies.



She said, “Intriguing men, like you, arouse

Crude urges and impressions in this harlot,

Whose needs eschew the white of wedding vows

For something of a different color—scarlet.”

I studied her, and said, “I hold correct

Your apt assumption that I’m less than pure.

My saving grace is wit and intellect;

My virtues, I’m afraid, are less secure.”

She laughed, and countered, “My criteria

Does not include your assets, or their worth.

I keep no notes, no adversaria,

On those I’ve found, and loved, and lost on earth.



My plans for you, dear man, span far and wide,

Shared best in privacy.  Let’s step outside.”



The alley was secluded, dark and damp,

A perfect spot, I thought, for privacy.

No passersby, no radiating lamp;

Only seclusion for the tart and me.

She was aggressive, kissing with a force

That forced her teeth to scrape across my lips.

I slurred, “You want me?” “Yes,” she hissed. “Of course,

Proved by the moisture on your fingertips.”

She pulled me close, and whispered in my ear,

“This bond is one I doubt you’ll wish to sever.

Soon, you’ll be mine…eternally, my dear,

And I’ll be yours, a part of you forever.”



The sting was sharp.  I fought, but soon gave in.

When she looked up, blood trickled down her chin.



  

K.S.  Beautiful!!! Where can we buy your novel?



D.N.B. The best place to buy it right now is at www.nelsonpearlpublishers.com.  It is available at selected independent stores, and will be soon at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Borders.


K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?


D.N.B. Yes, I’m just now getting everything up and running, but the blog will be available at www.nelsonpearlpublishers , and I’m on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/davidnelsonbradsher.  My Facebook group page for The Vampire Sonnets is  http://www.facebook.com/the+vampire+sonnets#!/group.php?gid=47383438565, and I’m on Twitter, at http://twitter.com/#!/David_Bradsher.


K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?



The best advice I could give an aspiring writer is to find your niche.  Write what you know, don’t be afraid to experiment, and believe in your product.  While it’s very important to listen to those who know the business, know what sells, and how to sell it, stay true to yourself and to your vision.  Above all, be persistent.

Book Review - One Final Attempt by Emma Hillman

One Final Attempt
Emma Hillman

Format: Ebook
Publisher: Excessica Publishing (December 21, 2010)

Simon said some really hurtful things to his wife, and now she won’t forgive him. She’s even asking for a divorce. A divorce! She won’t talk to him, so he can’t even apologize properly. So, what’s a husband to do?

Reese wakes up the next day to find herself handcuffed to the bed. She has no choice but to listen to him.

Intent on proving to her that he really does love her and her curves, Simon pulls out all the stops. But will it be enough to capture his wife’s heart yet again?


My Thoughts:

I won this book on a comment contest at Coffee Fueled Erotica, but it's not the first I've read from this talented author! I love Emma Hillman's Curve Happy series. It's so refreshing to read about voluptuous women having great sex.

Of course, that's not how things start out.

Let's face it, marriage is never a walk in the park. Once the romance is gone, life becomes very ordinary and routine, we tend to take our partners for granted. That's exactly what Simon does. When a little fight between him and his wife Reese blows up out of proportion, things are said that may never be taken back.

Just like in real life, it's the small thing that become the straw that breaks the camels back. Now Reese wants a divorce!

Simon's not letting go without a fight and he plans to use every weapon in his arsenal to win her back. He'll prove to his wife that he not only loves every inch of her curvaceous body, but he also adores her for all she's done in their relationship.

She handles their fight and resolution beautifully, mixing steamy sex with tender romantic gestures. I love Emma's use of flashbacks as well to show us the important progression in their relationship and why Simon calls on specific knowledge of his wife's "likes" as he quests to win back his her affection.

This story is a perfect "warm up" before bed. It will make you want to grab your significant other and have a little makeup sex of your own.

I can't wait to read more from Emma Hillman!

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Hot Gossip Reviews

Today I'm chatting with Ami Blackwelder at Hot Gossip Reviews about my new book, Hunters & Prey. I'm also doing a giveaway! Stop by Hot Gossip Reviews and leave me a comment. Thanks for Following! Good Luck!

http://hotgossiphotreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/kaite-salidas-and-immortalis-hunters.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Hunters & Prey Blog Tour - Authors By Authors

Today I'm chatting with Kiki Howell at Authors by Authors, about my new book, Hunters & Prey. I'm also giving away one ebook copy (readers choice) to one lucky person. Stop by Authors By Authors and leave a comment with your choice of book. Thanks for Following! Good Luck!

http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-interview-with-katie-salidas.html

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.