Trading Insecurities for Determination

Hi everyone! 

Welcome to Insecure Writer's Support Group. We are a group writers who share our doubts and encouragements. I'd like to thank Alex Cavanaugh and this month's hosts. Learn more about the group here.

I’ve been too busy figuring out the plot to my new project to be insecure. Maybe keeping busy is the key to mastering insecurity.

Okay, I know it’s not that simple, but my determination to write this story has kept me busy. I took time off from worrying about my word count. I spent that time getting to know my characters. Sebastian’s the new guy on the block, so having to hash out his back story in order to know what’s important to him was expected. But the more I got to know Sebastian, the more I realize I never really new Nikki, and she’s the reason I’m writing this story. Nikki turned out to be a tricky character. She’s dealing with some difficult emotions—grief and guilt being the top two. But I don’t want her to be this depressed character that stops living because of it. Life moves on no matter what lies in a person’s past. Nikki’s trying her best to move on with her life. I like this about her, and I’m determined to show the good side of her right along with the bad.

This isn’t an easy story to write, but it’s an important one. It’s a story I’ve wanted to write for a long time. Determination is what’s going to get me through the first draft.  

How are you keeping your insecurities at bay?

Thanks for stopping by.  

Book Tour: BLOOD OF A MERMAID by Katie O'Sullivan

Splash Into Summer Reading!

Blood of a Mermaid, Book 2 in the Mermaids of Cape Cod series, is available now! Shea MacNamara is back, still trying to navigate his newfound abilities and the world under the waves. To celebrate, we’re giving away a bunch of goodies from a fantastic group of YA authors, with ebooks, swag and signed paperbacks! There’s also a Goodreads Giveaway for another signed copy of Blood of a Mermaid, and a sale price for the first book in the series, Son of a Mermaid – only $2.99 on Amazon through the end of May!

So what are you waiting for? Splash into Summer, mermaid style!

About the Book:
Mermaid blood.
When Shea MacNamara fell into the ocean for the first time, he found he could breathe underwater. The son of a mermaid, the sea is in his blood. Literally. The best part of Shea’s new life? His girlfriend Kae, who also happens to be a beautiful mermaid.
But darkness lurks under the sea. When evil mermen kidnap Kae, the king reminds Shea that having royal blood means making tough choices. 
An Arctic dungeon, a fiery plane crash, the legendary halls of Atlantis…and narwhals?
Having mermaid blood just got a lot more complicated.

~ * ~ * ~

  
Excerpt:

Shea grimaced. He knew firsthand the damage wind could cause. He’d witnessed tornado destruction back in Oklahoma, when he’d lost his dad and their farm. Wind could be devastating. And deadly. He needed to focus on something else. Maybe curtains and wallpaper weren’t such a bad thing to talk about after all. “Tell me again about this lady who hired your mom to decorate? Why is it she can’t pick out her own curtains?”

Hailey laughed. “Decorating is about more than curtains, you troglodyte. It’s about creating a whole look and feel for a home.”

A deep male voice crackled through the overhead speakers in rapid Greek, followed by English. “Attention, passengers. This is your captain. Please keep seatbelts fastened as we try to steer clear of this turbulence and find a pocket of better air.”

“A pocket of better air?” Hailey shook her head. “What does that even mean?”

Chip leaned back across the aisle and grinned. “Maybe this air is broken?” The light streaming through Hailey’s window shifted as the plane changed direction and Chip’s grin faded. “It looks like he made a ninety degree turn. That seems kind of drastic.”

“I’m sure the pilot’s done this a million times,” Hailey snapped, looking out her window again. “Ooh, look at that lightning over there! It’s like a fireworks display!”

Shea resisted the temptation to look out the window. His stomach already felt queasy enough, and now a storm? A slow tingling sensation engulfed his toes. “How close?”

“Oh, look out there now,” Hailey interrupted. “Water spouts!”

Shea felt the blood drain from his face. “Water spouts? Like, tornadoes on the ocean?”

Hailey glanced back at him and gently patted his knee. “This isn’t Oklahoma. I’m sure everything’s going to be fine,” she said as she pulled the plane’s information card out of the seat pocket in front of her. “But I guess it never hurts to review a plane’s emergency procedures.”

As she removed her hand from his knee to point at the diagram, Shea felt the tingling course through his legs, zinging from his toes up into his stomach. It was as if some switch in his body had flipped into high gear. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down his back. The air inside the airplane cabin suddenly felt like it was clinging heavily around him, as if it were charged with electricity and Shea was the only magnet on board. He’d felt this exact sensation before, back at Plainville High School.

On the day of the tornado.

Buy links: 

Son of a Mermaid, available through the end of May for $2.99 on Amazon!

Blood of a Mermaid, available on AMAZON and Barnes&Noble

Add BLOOD OF A MERMAID on Goodreads, and enter the Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Katie O’Sullivan lives with her family and big dogs next to the ocean on Cape Cod, drinking way too much coffee and inventing new excuses not to dust. A recovering English major, she earned her degree at Colgate University and writes romance and adventure for young adults and the young at heart.

Living next to the Atlantic influences everything she writes. Her YA mermaid series begins in Nantucket Sound with SON OF A MERMAID, and continues the undersea adventures with BLOOD OF A MERMAID, coming from Crescent Moon Press in May 2014. Her latest contemporary romance from The Wild Rose Press is MY KIND OF CRAZY, a Cape Cod story of second chances and starting over.

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon Author Page

What I Do and Why I Write

Nicki Elson, an amazing and talented writer, my pub sister, and a very sweet gal, tagged me to answer the following four writerly questions. She's the lovely lady in the photo above. Nicki recently sold her latest novel to Swoon Romance, and it has the potential to be a two book deal, so be sure to hop over to her blog and congratulate her and to see her answers to these same questions.

And now please allow me to interview myself…

What am I working on?

I’ve been playing around with an edgy contemporary YA novel that is very different from anything I’ve written thus far. There are no witches or demons or faeries. Hell, there’s nothing paranormal in this one. That makes this new territory for me. I haven’t decided on a title, yet. I do know this one will be told in alternating points-of-view. I met Nikki—my seventeen-year-old protagonist—three or four years ago and I know the metaphorical demons she’s dealing with. I just recently met Sebastian. He was kind enough to pop into my thoughts to let me know what had been missing in Nikki’s story. Him. And well I’m still getting to know Bash—that’s what his friends call him—I’m excited about the book and I’m hoping to get in a good writing flow so that I can get the first draft done by the end of summer. Since I have approximately 6,000 words written to date, that might prove to be an ambitious goal.

How does my writing differ from others of its genre? 

Apparently, I have an unique writing style that draws readers into the story and keeps them turning the pages. Katie O’Sullivan called it breezy. I’m thrilled readers enjoy it.

Another thing that makes my writing differ from others of its genre is that I don’t have love triangles. I do have romance. I’m a sucker for a good kissing scene, and I love to write them. But you won’t find my protagonist torn between two guys throughout two-thirds of the book.

Why do I write what I do?

I write paranormal novels because the unknown fascinates me. The possibility that there can be people who possess powers intrigues me. I enjoy reading up on different myths and lore and then putting my own twist on them to come up with unique characters and worlds. And I love being able to share my stories with readers.

How does my writing process work?

It starts with a snippet of a scene that invades my thoughts and stays with me. For Embrace it was a girl running through the halls at school. For Challenging Destiny is was a teen boy sitting in a parked car staring at a cold white building as he figured out how to rescue someone inside. I’ll keep seeing the scene until I ask myself who is this person and what the heck is he or she doing. The scene grows. I meet their friends. Usually, by the time I sit down to write the book, I have a good idea of what’s going to happen. I push my way through the first draft to get the story on paper. Once I’m in a good writing flow, I share chapters with my critique partners. Usually, these are the pages that need the most work. During my second pass, I add the detail needed to bring the scenes alive. My third and fourth passes are for flow and then grammar. Then I send my baby to my trusted readers; make additional tweaks based on their feedback. Whew! This is a long process, but we are almost there. One last read through and I’m ready to send it to my agent or editor. To keep myself from checking my inbox every few hours for a reply, I repeat the process.

Now I get to tag four writers to answer these same questions and give us insight into what they do and why they do it.  

Kym Brunner is not only a talented writer; she’s a good friend, one of my amazing critique partners, and a fellow DDYA member. She also has TWO novels coming out this summer.

Carol Oates is celebrating the release of Shades of Avalon, the second book in her Shades series. Carol's not only my pub sister, she's a fellow DDYA member, and the author of several books for teens and adults. 

My pub sister, Feather Stone, whose book, The Guardian's Wildchild, is getting great reviews.

Katie O'Sullivan, fellow DDYA memeber and my agency sister. Katie's celebrating the release of two books this year: Blood of a Mermaid, book two in her YA series, and My Kind of Crazy, I great NA romance.

Feature Friday: Amber from Me, My Shelf and I

Hi everyone, and welcome to Feature Friday!

Today, I have Amber from Me, My Shelf and I with me. After the interview, be sure to check out her blog.

Please help me welcome Amber.

Cherie: How did you get started in blogging about books? 

Amber: In 2010 my good friend Jen (who co-runs Fictitious Delicious Book Blog now) bet me I couldn't read 104 books in 2011. I started blogging to track my books, because I wanted something more fun and personalized than Goodreads. After a few months I realized that not only were people coming to the blog and reading what I had to say (WHAT!?) but also that there was a huge community of book bloggers out there. So I gave the blog a face lift, and changed the name from The 104 in 365 (speak the numbers) to Me, My Shelf and I and the rest is history!

Cherie: For those of you who are curious, Amber read 116 books that year, I asked. =) How did you come up with the name for your blog? 

Amber: Oh man, I must have spent 3 weeks trying to come up with something catchy and clever whose URL wasn't already taken. Me, My Shelf and I came to me just as I was about to give up for good and stick with my old name. Just POOF and there it was. 

Cherie: I like Me, My Shelf and I better than the other. It’s catchy. What’s your favorite part about blogging? 

Amber: The relationships I have built with authors and bloggers. I found my very best friends because of blogging!

Cherie: Do you have any pet peeves that make you want to put down the book your reading? 

Amber: I'm not a fan of info dumping first thing in a book. Also, when a book tends to feel like several others I read all mashed into one. 

Cherie: What type of books do you enjoy? 

Amber: New Adult and Young Adult. Specifically if they have a horror or thriller theme to them. That's my favorite!

Cherie: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other books? Similar concepts, backgrounds, or retellings?

Amber: As long as they have their own elements brought in to make it their own, then I don't mind them. 

Cherie: Do you like when your favorite books are made into movies, and why? 

Amber: As long as the team producing tries to keep it as true to the book as possible. When something already has such a large fan base, like a book series, it's main source of viewers will be the readers and if they don't take that into account, they are setting them self up to fail from the first day. 

Cherie: That’s so true! If you could choose to be any character from a book, who would it be and why?

Amber: I would just like the magical ability to flit between being different characters at my leisure. There's so many amazing ones, I could never pick just one. 

Cherie: That’s a great answer! I want to steal it, but I won’t. Okay, try to answer the following questions in five words or less:

If you start a book that isn’t grabbing your attention, how far into the book will you read before you put it down? 

Amber: 50 Pages.

Cherie: Who’s your favorite book mom? 

Amber: Travis Maddox's mom in the Beautiful Disaster Series by Jamie McGuire

Cherie: Who’s your favorite  book dad? 

Amber: Charlie Swan from Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Cherie: Secret crush? (It can be anyone real or fictional.)

Amber: Not so secret: Dylan O'Brien and Jackson Rathbone

Cherie: Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Amber: You bet I do!

Cherie: Have you ever experienced that head-over-heels, tingly, have-to-get-to-know-someone feeling yourself? 

Amber: YES!!!

Cherie: Are you drawn to the good guy or the bad guy? 

Amber: A little of both, depends on the book.

Cherie: If you had all the money and time in the world, where would your dream vacation be? 

Amber: Tour Europe with my family. 

Cherie: Are you a morning person or an evening person? 

Amber: Evening!

Cherie: Favorite author?

Amber: Impossible to answer!

Cherie: Favorite place to read? 

Amber: Deck chair at my cabin

Cherie: What book are you the most excited to read? 

Amber: GET EVEN by Gretchen McNeil

Cherie: Are there any types of books you don’t read? 

Amber: Historical Fiction. Steampunk. Mermaids.

Cherie: Do you have any hobbies? 

Amber: Concerts. I love live music!

Cherie: What movie would make a great book? 

Amber: Titanic

Cherie: It’s your birthday, and your friends got you a giant cake. What character do you hope pops out of your cake and what book is he/her from?

Amber: Travis Maddox from Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
      AND
  Lucas from Easy by Tammara Webber

Thanks, Amber, for taking the time out of your busy day to be on my blog. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the blogger behind the blog.

Click here to visit Me, My Shelf, and I

Follow the links below to connect with Amber

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: The Devil Made Me Do It by Shawna Romkey

Today I have the pleasure of sharing the eerily beautiful cover of The Devil Made Me Do It by Shawna Romkey. Enjoy!

The Devil Made Me Do It

Book Two: Speak of the Devil series

By Shawna Romkey

Coming July 1 - Go to hell!

Lily is working with the angels to stifle the last of the demon outbreaks and to figure out how to stop the Silence of God, so life can get back to boring normality. But all hell breaks loose when she’s stolen from school and brought face to face with the devil himself. Lily has to find her way back home to Luc, crack the prophecy that breaks the curse silencing God, and figure out how she and Luc can ever really be together; but Lucifer has other plans for her that don’t include her ever getting out of Hell in tact.

About the author:

Shawna Romkey, teacher by day, writer by night (or day or whenever anyone leaves her alone long enough to get some work done). Bestselling YA / NA paranormal author of Speak of the Devil. The second in the series, The Devil Made Me Do It, will release July 1.

Shawna is from Kansas City, Missouri, but resides in Nova Scotia in a house by the sea with her husband, two sons, and currently two dogs but that’s subject to change depending on the local homeless dog population.

For more info, check out her website at www.shawnaromkey.com.