A Word Please

Do you love your ereader? If so, then we need to wrap it up with a cool cover and fill it with ebooks!

My BestsellerBound author friends and I have a total of 12 ebooks to give away, as well as 2 ebook covers!

The prizes are split into two packages, with two winners each receiving 6 ebooks and an ereader cover. Here are the prize packages: (For more information on any of the titles, click the cover.)

Package 1:

Package 2:

This giveaway is international, open to everyone 16 and older anywhere in the world. Enter between Friday, April 12 and midnight EST Friday, April 26. Please use the below Rafflecopter form for entries. The winners will be announced here, and also notified via email.

* Each author is solely responsible for sending their title to the winner. *
** Winner will be able to choose preferred format. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Thank you to all my author friends for your participation and support!

Thanks for reading.

literature blog

BestsellerBound is a incredible community of indie authors. I created the message board in the late summer of 2010 with the help of resident authors Maria Savva and Stacy Juba. We wanted to celebrate one thing that has kept us all going over the past two years: friendship. Many friendships have been formed on the board. In fact, one of the most common things our members say is that BestsellerBound is the friendliest group of writers they have found. We pride ourselves on that.

To celebrate not only a successful 2 years as a popular indie writer forum, but also the friendships we have made on the board, a few of us organized this blog hop. The theme is, of course, Friendship. You can read blog posts based on the theme of friendship by each of the participating authors. We are sure it will be an interesting and varied blog hop. We are also offering a big prize package to one lucky winner! This is a tour-wide giveaway. Details are at the bottom of this post. First, my thoughts on friendship…

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For my part in this friendship blog hop, I’d planned to write about the impact my BestsellerBound friends have made in my life. At some point in the future, I will return to that topic. Today, though, in the spirit of friendship, I have to talk about my best friend. I lost him recently and my heart still aches from the loss.

This was Sidney, my best friend, in happier days:

Yes, Sid was a dog. But he was never just a dog.

If you’re not an animal person, no words I say could express the impact this little guy had on my life. I’ve always had dogs, and I’ve loved them all. But this one, he tugged at my heartstrings in a way no other could; in a way no other ever will again.

We adopted Sid in July 2000. He was about 8 months old at the time. I could tell you about his early days, before he came to live with us. They were difficult months for him, including abuse for the crime of not being 100% Chihuahua. But Sid would tell you those days didn’t matter once he came to live with us. He showed me that each and every day. What mattered was his family. What mattered was that he woke up with us each morning and went to sleep with us each night. What mattered was that we loved him unconditionally, and he returned that love a million times over.

In July of 2000, my health was in serious decline. Less than a year after Sid came to live with us, I had to stop working. A year after that, I had to stop driving. My life became one of relative isolation. My best friend, the one that never left my side, was Sidney. He had the most expressive eyes. They truly sparkled with delight. He’d just look at me and I’d have to smile. He was a little dog with a huge personality. My world was so much better with him in it.

Sid could be difficult for others, but never for me. He feared men, and quick movements could cause him to lunge at someone out of instinct. We worked on those issues. As he learned to trust me, he also learned to trust that I’d never let anyone hurt him.

He loved to walk. My mother often compared him to a Clydesdale. He pranced. His eyes would sparkle with absolute euphoria. I didn’t get to walk him as often as I would have liked. My health goes through long periods of total crap. During those spells, it’s difficult for me to get past the pain and the fatigue. My one regret with Sid is that I didn’t force myself to take him walking more often. But I know without question that he forgives me.

We lost Sid on October 27. He had an extremely rare liver disease called Hepatocutaneous Syndrome. It destroys the liver, causes skin lesions that can be incredibly painful, and, eventually, causes the organs to shut down. There is no cure; there isn’t even a treatment. Life expectancy after diagnosis is typically five to six months.

We were fortunate, in that Sid didn’t suffer for a long time. I had him on a high protein diet, fed him at least twice the normal amount, and also gave him one egg per day. (The disease causes them to burn an extreme amount of calories.) That seemed to work well. Until one day, it just didn’t.

The end was quick. Very early on Friday morning, October 26, he woke up vomiting. I couldn’t get him to eat anything. He was lethargic. The decline was so fast. He couldn’t even hold down water, but was so very thirsty. By late Friday night, I knew he wouldn’t rebound. I stayed up with him all night. I talked. He listened. I told him I had to let him go. He moaned, because he knew it too. I promised him, as I had all along, that I would be with him right to the end. I would not let him die alone. Saturday morning, we took him to the vet. I held him and said my final good bye. It was quick. And, suddenly, my best friend was gone.

What struck me when we returned home was how incredibly empty the house felt. You see, we have two other dogs and a cat. Yet, the house felt so wrong. Sid was never a dominant dog. He loved his little sisters and brother. They could eat out of his plate, step on top of him, and even steal his treats. He never snapped at them, never snarled. Still, despite his complete lack of dominance, he was their leader. He was like the glue that held us all together. And we were all a little lost without him.

My other dogs and my cat are finally starting to come out of their funk. They’re finding their way in this new world without their big brother. We’re reconnecting in a different way.

I miss Sid every moment of every day. But I remind myself that he had an infectious joy. He loved his life, and he loved me. He wouldn’t want me to spend my days crying over his loss. He’d want me to remember that sparkle in his eyes and smile.

***

Enough of my melancholy mood. Now on to the giveaway! One lucky winner will win the following prizes:

Secrets by Darcia Helle (Print)
Haunted by Maria (Print)
Harmony’s Passing by Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick (Print)
Belkin Mod Standing Cover for Kindle Fire
Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba (ebook)
Alaskan Healing by Lana Voynich (ebook)
Nexus Point by Jaleta Clegg (ebook)

This is a tour-wide giveaway, so you can enter from any one of the blogs. Use the Rafflecopter form and follow the instructions for multiple entries. Each author has included a simple question as a way for you to earn bonus entries. The answers can be found within that author’s friendship blog post. You can answer all the questions on one form, or answer from the form on each author’s blog.

This giveaway is open to everyone 16 and older, everywhere in the world. Enter between Monday, November 12 and midnight, EST on Monday, November 26.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Visit the following blogs, for some great stories about friendship!

BestsellerBound Blog: BestsellerBound Recommends
Jaleta Clegg’s The Far Edge of Normal
Maria Savva’s Goodreads Blog
Stacy Juba’s One Stop Reading
Lana Voynich: Scribblings From My Mind
Joel Blaine Kirkpatrick: The Tale’s The Thing

Thanks for reading.

Today I’m happy to present author Donna Crow, another guest from ourr 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back blog tour. If you’ve missed the earlier posts, this project began as a tie-in to Stacy Juba’s mystery book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today. Stacy invited her author colleagues to answer the question “What were you doing 25 years ago?” The series of essays appeared on her blog, and is now all together in one ebook! Donna has written a fun piece to share with us, so I’m going to step aside and allow her to entertain you.

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Darcia, thank you so much for having me as a guest on your great blog as part of our 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror, 52 Authors Look Back, tour. If your readers enjoy magazine columns and Chicken Soup for the Soul books, then they’re sure to enjoy our collection of essays, designed to warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. Read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick. Readers can get a full listing of authors, essay titles and retailers here: http://ning.it/OknwVR

My essay in the 25 years ago collection tells how life can come full circle as the research trips that I had begun taking regularly to England at that time changed my daughter’s life and set the course for me to write my current series The Monastery Murders. All of the backgrounds of my nearly 40 books draw on my fascination with British history and all have required onsite research trips— for which I took our daughter Elizabeth along with me.

That resulted in her eventually studying at Oxford, teaching in London, and going off to study theology at a monastery on a green hillside in Yorkshire— funnily enough exactly what my heroine Felicity Howard does. Elizabeth fell in love and married an Anglican priest. Well, the jury is still out on Felicity and Antony’s relationship, but I’m hoping it will end as happily as Elizabeth and Lee’s.

Of course, real life can take you only so far. Since I was using Elizabeth’s background, I started using her personality. Now, Elizabeth is an ideal daughter— if I do say so myself. She is sweet and obedient and devout. Lovely qualities, to be sure, but absolutely flat on the pages of a novel. So I made Felicity rash, headstrong and outspoken. I still smile at the scene in the first book A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE where Felicity races up the hill to  the dining hall after discovering her flat has been turned upside down. She believes it’s an anti-women priest demonstration or an anti-American demonstration. Whatever it is, she isn’t having any:

Felicity charged up the hill at twice the speed her long legs usually carried her, her long blond braid thumping her back and her mind seething. If those self-righteous prigs who posed as her fellow students thought they could put her off with some sophomoric trick—

She approached the college building, practicing the speech she would deliver to the cassock-clad, mostly male ordinands assembled for dinner in the refectory: “Now listen up, you lot! If you think you can push me around just because your skirts are longer than mine. . .”

Sadly, Felicity never gets to deliver that speech because she discovers the body of Father Dominic, her favorite monk, brutally murdered and Father Antony, her church history professor, standing over him with blood on his hands. That launches Felicity and Antony on a flight across England and Scotland, searching for clues as they chase and are chased by murderers seeking the fabled treasure of St. Cuthbert.

Well, you would think Felicity might have learned her lesson after all that. And, indeed, she’s had enough. That’s why she’s going to become a nun. Never mind that Antony needs her help to find a valuable icon that has gone missing from the Community, never mind that her impossible mother turns up unexpectedly, never mind that the body of a dear friend turns up in a watery grave. Felicity seeks the truth of ancient holy women, but what good will that do if she can’t save Antony’s life?

***

 In A Darkly Hidden Truth, Donna Fletcher Crow creates a world in which the events of past centuries echo down present-day hallways— a world in which saintliness and devotion compete with the noise of traffic, a world in which a thoroughly 21th-century young woman can be drawn to the timeless and luminous peace of the convent — and then, on the surface of this world, she engraves murder, violence, and theft. I came away from the book feeling as though I’d been someplace both ancient and new, and had learned a great deal there. Donna Fletcher Crow gives us, in three extremely persuasive dimensions, the world that Dan Brown merely sketches. Timothy Hallinan, The Queen of Patpong, Edgar nominated Best Novel, 2011

*** Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 40 books, mostly novels dealing with British history. The award-winning Glastonbury, A Novel of the Holy Grail, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work. She is also the author of The Monastery Murders: A Very Private Grave and A Darkly Hidden Truth, as well as the Lord Danvers series of Victorian true-crime novels and the romantic suspense series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries. Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho.

They have 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to: www.donnafletchercrow.com

You can follow her on Facebook at: http://ning.it/OHi0MY

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Here’s a look at a variety of Donna’s books. You can find them all on Amazon:

 

 

Also on Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble.

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Here’s a look at book that brought us all together:

This collection of poignant and uplifting essays is the perfect book to enjoy over your morning coffee. The stories will warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. As a tie-in to her mystery book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, novelist and award-winning journalist Stacy Juba invited her author colleagues to answer the question “What were you doing 25 years ago?” Read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick. This 30,000-word book will help readers to discover new authors for their to-read list, and inspire them to reflect upon the small defining moments that have shaped their own lives. As a bonus, readers are invited to interact with the authors and discuss the past and the future in an online forum, with details in the Appendix.

***

This is only available in ebook format. You can find it on Amazon and Amazon UK for Kindle, Barnes and Noble for Nook, and Smashwords in any format you choose.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Donna, and that you’ll read her essay in 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back.

Thanks for reading.

Author Maria Savva has tagged me in this blogging event. And all this time I thought she was my friend! Actually, I won’t blame her too much. I do enjoy these. With this one, I get to show off my work-in-progress. Maybe this will also give me a nudge to hurry up and finish writing it.

Maria’s blog post for this event is here: www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3105007-i-ve-been-tagged-u-got-the-look

These are my instructions:

The Look is a writing prompt, a game, another tagging event. This is how U Got “The Look” works: you take your current manuscript, search for the word “look”, and post the surrounding paragraphs. Lastly, you tag 5 blogging authors who you think will be a good choice for the game.

Easy, right? Not quite. I always make things harder than they seem. I opened my Word file and searched for the word ‘look’. The word happens to be in my first sentence. I thought, No, I can’t go with the first paragraph. So I went further in, found another pargraph. Then I thought, That one gives too much away already. I can’t share that today. I searched some more. Wasn’t happy with any of what I found. Then I realized I was making this far more work than it needed to be. You see, the real problem wasn’t figuring out which part to share. The problem is having to share any of it. I’m only about halfway through the first draft. I’ve never shared part of such a rough piece of work. The thought of it sends me into anxiety mode.  Stop whining, right? I put on my big girl panties and went back to the beginning. Here you are, the opening of Killing Instinct:

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Sean Riley looked down at the woman he’d been hired to kill. Even before he’d partnered with Michael Sykora and tamed his deadly skills, he’d disliked killing women. Back then, he’d probably have turned down this job. Not that he’d have altered the outcome. Someone else always stood next in line, wanting the money and willing to kill for it.

Even sleeping, with her jet black hair scattered across the pillow and a drop of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth, her beauty took his breath away. This woman whose name was Maria Milan should be dead by now. Jake, the man who’d paid for her murder, wanted her to die slowly. To suffer. Jake had specified the use of a knife, keeping the plunges slow and only deep enough to shatter her nervous system. Keep her alive until the last possible moment.

***

Now, as I fight off the urge to delete all that and hide under my covers, I get to tag 5 friends who will curse me:

Stacy Juba
Marty Beaudet
Jennifer Lane
Sylvia Massara
Lana Voynich

There. I’ve passed the baton to the next 5 in line. Bare your souls, my friends. We’re waiting!

Thanks for reading.

literature blog

Today I’m honored to present Bonnie Hearn Hill and Christopher Allan Poe, fellow authors from the brand new e-book 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back. Bonnie and Christopher are stopping by as part of the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Blog Tour. If you enjoy magazine columns and Chicken Soup for the Soul books, then we’re sure you’ll enjoy our collection of essays, designed to warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. Get a full listing of authors, essay titles and retailers here: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/25-years-in-the-rearview-mirror-52-authors-look-back

Bonnie and Christopher are going to talk about one of my favorite genres – Thrillers. First, let’s meet the authors behind the words:

Bonnie Hearn Hill is the author of six thrillers for MIRA Books, four young adult novels, and numerous nonfiction and coauthored titles. A former newspaper editor, she leads online and real time workshops. She is a community correspondent with a monthly segment on KMPH TV’s “Great Day,” Central California’s highest rated morning television show.

Christopher Allan Poe is an author and touring musician based in Los Angeles. He writes paranormal fiction, with an emphasis on social issues involving women and children. A member of International Thriller Writers, he has been accepted into the ITW Debut Author Program for his paranormal thriller, THE PORTAL. He and Bonnie speak at writing conferences throughout the country.

Bonnie Hearn Hill and Christopher Allan Poe arrived at their thriller-writing careers by way of different paths, Bonnie as a newspaper editor who secretly wrote novels at night, Christopher as a touring musician and descendent of that other Poe. They are the co-authors of Digital Ink: Writing Killer Fiction in the e-Book Age.

Connect with Bonnie in Christopher in the following places:

Websites:
www.bonniehearnhill.com
www.christopherallanpoe.com
www.digitalinkbooks.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/bonnie.h.hill
www.facebook.com/christopherallanpoe
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/bonniehearnhill or @BonnieHearnHill
https://twitter.com/CAllanPoe or @CAllanPoe

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Now on to our chat:

Why did you choose the thriller genre?

Bonnie: I wrote a novel (Intern) about a Sacramento, California, political intern who disappears. My goal was to examine the price of lies and denial once a situation becomes a national news story. It was published as a political thriller, and my agent negotiated a contract for five more. Yikes. Once I began reading the genre, I was in awe of the talent and craft. I fell in love.

Christopher: If anything, the genre selected me. With a name like Poe, you don’t have much of a choice. Paranormal thriller, horror, or science fiction. Pick your poison and drink it down. Crazy thing was, I’d always been drawn to those genres anyway. Was it genetic? The kids in elementary school seemed to think so. They would tease me endlessly, calling me Edgar. For many years I hid from the name, but as an adult, I realized that they were right all along. They knew way before I did that I was supposed to be a paranormal thriller writer.

How do you define a thriller?

Bonnie: Some say that a mystery is a riddle, and the thriller is about the struggle. That’s OK, but I think it’s too limiting. Many mysteries are about the struggle, and many thrillers involve a riddle and an unknown bad guy. I think it comes down to scope and stakes. How big a story is this? How much is at risk?

Christopher: For me, a true thriller doesn’t begin until there’s a compelling character. All the thrills and chills in the world won’t make the reader care about a dull protagonist. One of Bonnie’s best characters is a hearing impaired reporter, Geri LaRue, from the novel Cutline. She’s not completely deaf, so she doesn’t belong in the world of the hearing or the deaf. Everyone can relate to her story on some level of not belonging, and I think that’s what gives the book such a thrilling edge. The reader cares whether she lives or dies. No need for a spoiler alert. I’ll shut my mouth there.

How do you plot your thrillers?

Christopher: I usually start with my protagonist and a life-altering problem that presents itself in the first chapter. After that, I write a sheet of twenty things that might happen during the course of the story. Then I stay out of my character’s way and let her do her thing. By the time I’m finished, usually none of the original twenty plot points is in the book, but it was a good tool to get started.

Bonnie: Character is plot. I spend almost all of my planning time working on the characters. Trying to dream up a fresh plot for a thriller has taken us to some crazy places. Chris’s novel, The Portal, has a mother on the run trying to save her son from his father, who is not quite human. Is that a fair description of him, Chris?

Christopher: I could probably think up some bleep-worthy descriptions to throw in there as well. Bonnie’s absolutely right though. If I take the time to properly develop my characters, my plot will take care of itself.

Why do you think thrillers are so popular?

Bonnie: For one reason, there are so many different ways you can go with them. You might have a romantic thriller, a paranormal thriller, as Chris writes. Also—and this brings us back to what we were talking about in regard to plot—so many of them have well developed protagonists. Think of The Hunger Games. Katniss is no James Bond. She is a real person who has put herself in a terrible situation in order to save her sister. We root for her, and we care.

Christopher: I absolutely agree. For marketing purposes, some people want to put The Hunger Games in the YA category or even Silence of the Lambs in the horror category, but they’re actually well-written thrillers. The diversity of the genre, I think, is what really appeals to such a wide audience.

How has the digital age changed the type of thrillers that are being written?

Bonnie: If anything, the digital age has forced all authors to re-focus on craft. With so much virtual material on Kindle and Nook, readers aren’t as patient to wait for a novel to get to the point.

Christopher: In the music business, we have a saying: Don’t bore us, get to the chorus. In order to compete today, we authors need to get to that chorus to hook the modern reader.

Who are some of your favorite thriller writers?

Bonnie: Christopher Allan Poe, and that famous great-great uncle of his.

Christopher: Bonnie Hearn Hill, every time.

Okay, now that we’ve gotten the love fest out of the way, we’re fans of all great writing. In the thriller genre, Stephen King, Thomas Harris, Suzanne Collins, Gayle Lynds, M.J. Rose, John Lescroart and William Gibson are among our favorites.

Thank you, Bonnie and Christopher, for sharing your thoughts with us today!

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You can find these 2 fabulous authors on Amazon – Bonnie’s author page and Christopher’s author page. Here’s a look at their titles:

 

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And let’s not forget why we’re all gathered together. Author Stacy Juba’s project, 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back:

 This collection of poignant and uplifting essays is the perfect book to enjoy over your morning coffee. The stories will warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. As a tie-in to her mystery book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, novelist and award-winning journalist Stacy Juba invited her author colleagues to answer the question ”What were you doing 25 years ago?” Read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick. This 30,000-word book will help readers to discover new authors for their to-read list, and inspire them to reflect upon the small defining moments that have shaped their own lives. As a bonus, readers are invited to interact with the authors and discuss the past and the future in an online forum, with details in the Appendix.

Includes a foreword by Elaine Raco Chase, award-winning author of seventeen paperback novels with over 3 million books in print. Publishing credits of the contributing writers include New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling and Amazon bestselling. They also include recipients of the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, Mississippi Author Award, Benjamin Franklin Award and Eppie Award, as well as nominees of the Pushcart Prize, Agatha and Shamus Awards, to name a few of the many honors.

The following sections are included in the book: School Days: Literary Friends by Stacy Juba, The Red Man by Maria Savva, Rocking in the ’80s by Susan Helene Gottfried, Seniors are Wimps by Matthew Dicks, Prom Night by A.W. Hartoin, Friend in Need by Alina Adams, A Life-Changing Decision by CJ Lyons, Oldest Campus Editor Looks Back by Sharon Love Cook.

The Jobs That Shape Us: Lieutenant Pink Shoes by Laura DiSilverio, Training the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers by Gwen Mayo, The Biggest Job Shift Ever by Ann Littlewood, Long Live Rock by Loni Emmert, The Cost of Doing Business by Stephen D. Rogers, Life as a Singing Telegram by Monica M. Brinkman, The Pipe Bomb by Kenneth Weene, School for Sleuths byCarole Shmurak, Driven Bats by Sarah E. Glenn, Can One Beer Change Your Life? by Mike Bove.
Remembering the Romance: A Special Anniversary by Steve Liskow, California Magic by Mike Angley, Drummer and Dumber by Cara Lopez Lee, Paving the Road to Conscious Living byLillian Brummet.
The Ups and Downs of Family Life: The Elephant in the Living Room by Mary Anna Evans, Baby Steps by Tracy Krauss, Finding the Right Balance by Barbara Ross, Climbing the Mountain of Single Parenthood by J. R. Lindermuth, The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same by Donna Fletcher Crow, A Busy Mom’s Dream by Deanna Jewel, Family Fun at the Dinner Table by Maryann Miller.
Hard Times: Finding the Right Direction by Michele Drier, The Scent of Lives Changed Forever by Beth Kanell, Surviving the Killer Tsunami by Cherish D’Angelo (Cheryl Kaye Tardif), Christa’s Legacy by Jaleta Clegg, Weathering the Storm by Red Tash.
The Writing Journey: Unit-Lessons in Composition by Stacy Juba, Traveling Down the Writing Path by Patricia Gulley, Sticking With It by J.E. Seymour, Detecting the Humor by Marja McGraw, Never Give Up by Karen McCullough, An Early Computer by Velda Brotherton, Choosing My Destiny by Peggy Ehrhart, The Tuesdays by Bonnie Hearn Hill, Cropdusting the Way to a Series by R.P. Dahlke.
Characters Have Pasts, Too: Diana’s Promise by Stacy Juba, The Sandbox by Darcia Helle, An Empty Nest by Suzanne Young, Misfortune’s Daughter by Mary Deal, The White Widow byNorma Huss, The Policeman by Vicki Delany, Miranda’s History by Leslie Wheeler, Meeting Sam Fullerton by Ellis Vidler, The Gas Chamber by Douglas Corleone, Storm Shadow Eyes by Caitlyn Hunter.
Further Back in Time: A Long Look Back by Norma Huss, The Ghost of Mr. Stetson by Darcia Helle, Finding My Voice by Stacy Juba.

***

I’m honored to be part of a project author Stacy Juba has been working on for quite some time – 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back. I mentioned this unique essay collection in an earlier blog post, and also sent the information out in my newsletter last month. Two of my own essays are included, which, of course, makes this collection extra special.

Stacy Juba, editor and mastermind of the anthology, is here today to kick off the Rearview Mirror Blog Tour. The ebook is $1.99 for Kindle, Nook, and other retailers, but if you leave your email address in the comments by September 16 and tell her what you were doing twenty-five years ago, Stacy will send you a code for a free Smashwords download! Also be sure to visit her website for two fun contests: you can win a free download of My Memories Suite scrapbooking software; and mystery authors can enter for a free ad from All Mystery E-Newsletter. Visit: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/25-years-in-the-rearview-mirror-blog-tour to follow the blog tour schedule, and scroll down for the Rafflecopter entry forms.

Now over to Stacy:

For two years, I was working on a book and didn’t even know it. Seriously. My new anthology, 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back, evolved like this: after my mystery/romantic suspense novel Twenty-Five Years Ago Today was released, I invited my author colleagues to write a guest post for my blog reflecting on what they, or their characters, were doing 25 years ago. I published several over the span of a couple years, and then stopped the blog feature because few readers were leaving comments and I felt as if the posts were disappearing into Internet limbo. I even questioned whether I had spent too much time on my blog and not enough time working on my books.

Then out of the clear blue sky, I went to sleep one night this past April. When I woke up, I had an idea – to compile the 25 years essays and some of my own essays into an e-book anthology, a format that would allow me to showcase the stories in a much better way and help them to gain the attention that they deserved.

Actually, it was more than an idea. It quickly became a “drop-everything-and-do-this now” goal to accomplish by the end of the summer. As a publisher and longtime journalist, I knew that this was a book that people would enjoy reading and that the concept of looking back 25 years was fresh and unique. The personal essays were a mix of humorous, touching and inspiring, and the character sketches were creative and fun.

As a longtime publicist, I knew that publishing an anthology inspired by my book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today would help new readers to discover this mystery novel. As an author, I knew that my fellow writers traversing the publishing highways are always looking for new and easy ways to get their names and books out to readers. I had a winning project. All I needed to do was put it together.

I started by e-mailing the authors who had written posts for my blog and asking for permission to reprint the articles in exchange for lots of publicity and exposure for their books. Most were very interested and supportive of the project, and were even agreeable to making a few revisions. Since I wanted the number of authors to equal 52 (the reverse of 25), I put out one last call for submissions to round out the book. Once I had my fifty-two authors, I organized the essays into categories: School Days; The Jobs That Shape Us; Remembering the Romance; The Ups and Downs of Family Life; Hard Times; The Writing Journey; Characters Have Pasts, Too; and Further Back in Time.

Then, I finished the editing. The hardest part was editing the commas. Ugh. When you put 52 authors together, half of them use a comma before the “and” in a list and the other half don’t. Even worse, some, (like myself,) did it both ways. After some headaches, I was able to make the punctuation style more consistent. Next, I collaborated on a cover with my talented graphic designer husband, and distributed the book to several retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Smashwords. I also put together a marketing tool kit made up of sample blog posts, a list of tweets, and other tools for the participating authors to help promote the book, and set up a couple of contests for the book launch.

In addition, I created the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Yahoo group, a forum where readers can connect with the authors, share their memories from the past, and be inspired to create a positive future. Many of the authors have been uploading stories, excerpts, and articles to the Authors Corner section of the Yahoo group, so that readers can get to know them better. Lastly, this amazing group of authors put together a fall Blog and Radio Tour that boasts over 65 stops between September and December. The blog tour would not have been possible without their enthusiasm and willingness to host one another. (Thanks, Darcia!!)

Since writing is such a solitary business, it has been a pleasure to work so closely with these talented authors and I’m grateful for how supportive they have been of my project. I’m proud of how the book came out, as it allowed me to use my creative juices in a different way. Writing fiction is my first love, however, I come from a journalism background and this project gave me a chance to put my organizing and editing skills to use.

Here are a couple excerpts from the book:

From my essay Literary Friends:
Twenty-five years ago, I was an introverted young girl approaching sixth grade. Suddenly, girls started “going out” with boys, bullies grew bigger and gym class got rougher. Even though I had dedicated teachers and a few good friends, school often felt uncomfortable to me. One particularly bad day, my eyes filling, I scribbled all over my paper bag book covers, “I hate sixth grade.”

From Darcia’s character sketch looking back twenty-five years, from the point of view of Nick Donovan from Miami Snow.
Twenty-five years ago today, I was sitting in my backyard sandbox with Sara from next door. She was a year older and far more worldly than I. She had these long blonde ringlets that fascinated me. I’d yank them down and they’d spring right back up, sort of like the Slinky toys we played with.

For a list of participating authors and essay titles, visit http://stacyjuba.com/blog/25-years-in-the-rearview-mirror-52-authors-look-back. Don’t forget to leave your email address and what you were doing 25 years ago in the comments for a free Smashwords download of the book!

And if you’d like to chat with more of the authors and read some of their stories and excerpts, then head over to the 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/25YearsRearviewMirror/?yguid=403568634

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Thank you, Stacy, for all the work you’ve put into this project, and for being here today to share it with us!

Here’s a look at the book:

This collection of poignant and uplifting essays is the perfect book to enjoy over your morning coffee. The stories will warm your heart, raise your spirits and compel you to examine your own life. As a tie-in to her mystery book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, novelist and award-winning journalist Stacy Juba invited her author colleagues to answer the question “What were you doing 25 years ago?” Read about school days, quirky jobs, romance, raising a family, hard times, the writing journey, and find out what makes your favorite characters tick. This 30,000-word book will help readers to discover new authors for their to-read list, and inspire them to reflect upon the small defining moments that have shaped their own lives. As a bonus, readers are invited to interact with the authors and discuss the past and the future in an online forum, with details in the Appendix.

Includes a foreword by Elaine Raco Chase, award-winning author of seventeen paperback novels with over 3 million books in print. Publishing credits of the contributing writers include New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling and Amazon bestselling. They also include recipients of the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award, Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award, Mississippi Author Award, Benjamin Franklin Award and Eppie Award, as well as nominees of the Pushcart Prize, Agatha and Shamus Awards, to name a few of the many honors.

The following sections are included in the book:

School Days: Literary Friends by Stacy Juba, The Red Man by Maria Savva, Rocking in the ’80s by Susan Helene Gottfried, Seniors are Wimps by Matthew Dicks, Prom Night by A.W. Hartoin, Friend in Need by Alina Adams, A Life-Changing Decision by CJ Lyons, Oldest Campus Editor Looks Back by Sharon Love Cook.

The Jobs That Shape Us: Lieutenant Pink Shoes by Laura DiSilverio, Training the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers by Gwen Mayo, The Biggest Job Shift Ever by Ann Littlewood, Long Live Rock by Loni Emmert, The Cost of Doing Business by Stephen D. Rogers, Life as a Singing Telegram by Monica M. Brinkman, The Pipe Bomb by Kenneth Weene, School for Sleuths by Carole Shmurak, Driven Bats by Sarah E. Glenn, Can One Beer Change Your Life? by Mike Bove.

Remembering the Romance: A Special Anniversary by Steve Liskow, California Magic by Mike Angley, Drummer and Dumber by Cara Lopez Lee, Paving the Road to Conscious Living by Lillian Brummet.

The Ups and Downs of Family Life: The Elephant in the Living Room by Mary Anna Evans, Baby Steps by Tracy Krauss, Finding the Right Balance by Barbara Ross, Climbing the Mountain of Single Parenthood by J. R. Lindermuth, The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same by Donna Fletcher Crow, A Busy Mom’s Dream by Deanna Jewel, Family Fun at the Dinner Table by Maryann Miller.

Hard Times: Finding the Right Direction by Michele Drier, The Scent of Lives Changed Forever by Beth Kanell, Surviving the Killer Tsunami by Cherish D’Angelo (Cheryl Kaye Tardif), Christa’s Legacy by Jaleta Clegg, Weathering the Storm by Red Tash.

The Writing Journey: Unit-Lessons in Composition by Stacy Juba, Traveling Down the Writing Path by Patricia Gulley, Sticking With It by J.E. Seymour, Detecting the Humor by Marja McGraw, Never Give Up by Karen McCullough, An Early Computer by Velda Brotherton, Choosing My Destiny by Peggy Ehrhart, The Tuesdays by Bonnie Hearn Hill, Cropdusting the Way to a Series by R.P. Dahlke.

Characters Have Pasts, Too: Diana’s Promise by Stacy Juba, The Sandbox by Darcia Helle, An Empty Nest by Suzanne Young, Misfortune’s Daughter by Mary Deal, The White Widow by Norma Huss, The Policeman by Vicki Delany, Miranda’s History by Leslie Wheeler, Meeting Sam Fullerton by Ellis Vidler, The Gas Chamber by Douglas Corleone, Storm Shadow Eyes by Caitlyn Hunter.

Further Back in Time: A Long Look Back by Norma Huss, The Ghost of Mr. Stetson by Darcia Helle, Finding My Voice by Stacy Juba.

Readers, I hope you’ll all take advantage of Stacy’s offer. This is a unique collection that I think will give hours of pleasure! Now, go ahead and tell us, what were you doing 25 years ago today?

Thanks for reading.

literature blog

August has been a busy month, and I have lots of news to share.

Fitting of my scattered personality, I’ve launched two new blogs.

First, my personal blog – Life With Lyme. Some of you know I have chronic, late-stage Lyme disease. I’ve decided to bring this, and the whole issue of living with chronic illness, out for public discussion. I’ll be sharing tidbits from my life and how the illness effects me. I hope you’ll join me there!

Next, authors Maria Savva, J. Michael Radcliffe and I have launched a blog called BestsellerBound Recommends. Unlike this blog, where I regularly feature indie authors whose books I’ve read, the authors featured on the new blog will be a mixture of authors whose work I have and have not read. There will be a variety of guest posts written by these authors. Some will talk about their lives and their books, others will offer us a fictional story. We’ll also be featuring reviews written by readers and writers. These won’t be traditional reviews you find on Amazon. Instead, these will be personal observations from people who loved a certain indie book and want to share it with everyone. Oh, and there will be giveaways! In fact, we’re currently having a launch party! Maria, Michael and I are offering 3 winners each ebook copies of any one title by each of us.

I have one more exciting piece of news to share. Author Stacy Juba has put together an ebook called 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back. This collection of essays is on the idea of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. It’s truly a fun and unique read. I’m honored to have two of my essays included in this collection! One is about my experience growing up with a ghost, and the other is from the perspective of Nick Donovan, a character in my novel Miami Snow. Throughout September and October, I’ll be featuring a variety of authors whose essays are also included in this collection. Stacy has worked hard putting this together, and I’m excited to share it with you all!

Here’s a look at the book on Amazon:

I hope you’ll join me in my two new blog homes. But don’t forget to stop in here, as well! I know, I’m asking a lot.

Thanks for reading.

Today marks the start of Read Me Week. This is an event highlighting the importance of reading to kids. While I don’t write children’s books and my sons are now grown men, I do have vivid memories of the joy of cuddling with my boys and a pile of books. I wanted to acknowledge this important event and, to help me with that, I asked Stacy Juba to join us today. Stacy is a mom, and also an author of three excellent children’s books. Who better to kick off Read Me Week! Now I’ll stop talking (okay, typing) and let Stacy take over:

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Last year, I saw something on a television news program about a father who read to his daughter until her first day of college. How wonderful is that! Reading aloud isn’t just beneficial for babies and toddlers. It’s a practice that parents can keep up even when their child reads on his or her own. Back in seventh grade, my teacher used to read books to us such as Jane Eyre and the Newbery winning novel Dicey’s Song. I always enjoyed sitting back at my desk and listening to these captivating stories.

Although my main focus as an author is adult novels, I’ve also published a few children’s books. I valued books as a child, and in fact, still have most of my middle grade and young adult collection in my office. I loved the idea of writing books that children could enjoy.

My most recent book is The Teddy Bear Town Children’s E-book Bundle, exclusively available as an e-book from Amazon Kindle and a perfect book for reading aloud to children 3-8. It consists of three picture books, all featuring gentle illustrations of teddy bears. The Flag Keeper is about Elizabeth, a bear determined to prove to her dad that she is capable of raising the U.S. flag by herself while following all the rules of flag etiquette. Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise is about a bear who has to learn to overcome her fear of loud noises like the vacuum and blender, and Sticker Shoes is a fun story about a bear who tries to create beautiful shoes using stickers, but runs into a few problems along the way.

My titles for older readers include the young adult novel Face-Off. Twin brothers Brad and T.J. McKendrick, high school hockey stars, compete on and off the ice in this family sports novel. It’s written at about a seventh grade reading level, and is ideal for reading aloud to a 9-or-10 year old who might not be at that reading level yet but would still enjoy a story about sibling rivalry and hockey.

Here are a few of my other reading aloud favorites for different age levels.

For ages 3-6:
Goodnight Goodnight Sleepyhead, written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Jane Dyer. Before a young child settles down for a peaceful sleep, she must bid her surroundings — bear nose and dinosaur toes alike — an affectionate goodnight.

Tell Me Something Happy Before I go to Sleep, written by Debi Gliori. Willa was tired, so she went to bed, but she couldn’t sleep. So Willa appeals to her older brother to help her. He suggests that Willa thinks of all the wonderful things which will be waiting for her in the morning. With her mind full of all the fun tomorrow will bring, Willa feels a lot better.

For age 6-9:
The Junie B Jones series by Barbara Park – follows the kindergarten and first grade adventures of the energetic and mischievous Junie B.

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne – Travel back in time with Jack and his little sister Annie in their mysterious tree house. Whether it’s watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure, readers won’t want to miss a single story.

For 9-12:
Nancy Drew Clue Crew series by Carolyn Keene – Being a lifelong Nancy Drew fan, I love this series about Nancy, Bess and George in elementary school solving age-appropriate mysteries.

The World Almanac for Kids – This isn’t necessarily a cover-to-cover read, but it’s fun to pick out a couple of interesting facts every night to share with your child – or perhaps your child might want to choose the facts and share them with you. You may be surprised how popular this non-fiction book is with children!

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You can learn more about Stacy and her writing on her website: www.StacyJuba.com/blog

Here’s a look at Stacy’s books on Amazon:

I hope you’ll all grab a book, grab a child (preferably your own or one you’re borrowing with permission), and make some memories.

Thanks for reading.

Did you get a new Kindle for Christmas? I got the Kindle Fire and love it! (Yes, I’m spoiled. ) If you’ve got a new reader – or an old one – and you’re looking to fill it up, here are some of my favorite ebooks from this year:

This is geared toward the YA market but can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Our heroine is a teenager, struggling through all the things we all deal with in high school, while also trying to understand her powerful psychic powers. There is much to love about this book and Stacy’s writing.

At some point in our life, we all wonder what it would happen if we could go back in time and change one detail, one decision, one thing about our past. Maria Savva explores this and more in this fun and insightful story.

A perfect mix of historical fiction with a paranormal twist, this is a beautiful story of love and hope.

This is a thriller with substance. Not only did this book keep me on edge (I couldn’t turn pages fast enough!), but it also has an incredibly thought-provoking issues throughout.

This novella is part horror, part paranormal. James knows how to weave a tale and he sucked me right into this one.

Do you like short stories? How about edgy, dark fiction that holds nothing back when showing the not-so-pretty side of life? If you said yes to these questions, you’ll love Joe Schwartz.

This is the third and most gripping book in RJ’s Rock & Roll Mystery Series. You don’t have to read the first two in order to enjoy this one, though you might want to read them just because they’re good.

A powerful story told from the viewpoint of a young woman who’d been sold into the sex slave. This is fiction that reads like nonfiction – and, sadly, stories just like this one are truly taking place all over the world, right this minute. Sibel tells this important tale with talent and grace.

An Urban Fantasy, this vampire tale has a different spin than the typical story. Vampires and werewolves are at war. Can love cross boundaries, conquer prejudices? Gareth explores this and more, while keeping readers on edge.

Charlie Courtland’s mind is twisted and it shows in this book! This one has some graphic scenes, though they belong in the story and aren’t there for shock value. Mixed in with the creepiness is a great amount of humor. If you want to laugh and gasp, this one’s for you.

I am a sucker for characters that make me forget they aren’t real and Marty Beaudet creates them with flare. This is a psychological thriller, a mystery, and a suspense story, with a multi-layered plot and aspects that will leave you thinking about things long after you’ve read the last page.

One old man, a park bench, and revenge. The end made me cringe – but I live for that twisted stuff.

Reading anything by Joel is an unforgettable experience. In this book, we’re taken back to 18th century Italy, where we meet a young woman who teaches us what it means to truly follow your passion.

Meet Trevor Wolff, rock star with a bad boy image and a spirit struggling to soar. Susan knows about the rock world and that knowledge shows in her writing.

I could not stop reading. This is a thriller with nonstop action and characters that make you want to jump into the book to save them. Blake Crouch is phenomenal talent.

And if you still have room, you can always check out my books. You’ll find them all in the carousel to the left.

To discover more indie authors and their books, check out the ‘BsB Kindle Store‘ The link is always to the right, under the ‘Blogroll’ heading. And we add to it continually, so check back often!

Whatever your reading preferences, I hope lots of books fill your new year.

Thanks for reading.

My guest today is the talented author Stacy Juba. You might know Stacy from her two mystery novels, Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim. Recently Stacy released two equally entertaining young adult novels – Face-Off and Dark Before Dawn. While these two books are in the young adult genre, they easily cross over and can be enjoyed by adults of any age. Here’s a look:

Head-to-Head, Skate-to-Skate, It’s Winner Takes All! What might have been a dream come true has turned into a nightmare. Brad’s twin brother T.J. has gotten himself out of the fancy prep school his father picked for him and into the public high school Brad attends. Now T.J., the bright light in his father’s eyes, is a shining new star on the hockey team where Brad once held the spotlight. And he’s testing his popularity with Brad’s friends, eyeing Brad’s girl and competing to be captain of the team. The whole school is rooting for a big double-strength win…not knowing that their twin hockey stars are heating up the ice for a winner takes all face-off.

When teen psychic Dawn Christian gets involved with a fortuneteller mentor and two girls who share her mysterious talents, she finally belongs after years of being a misfit. When she learns her new friends may be tied to freak “accidents” in town, Dawn has an important choice to make – continue developing the talent that makes her special or challenge the only people who have ever accepted her.

***

Stacy is here to answer my questions but first, for those of you who have yet to meet her, here’s a brief introduction:

Thousands of readers have been captivated by the books of Stacy Juba. Stacy published her first book, a young adult novel, at age 18 and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Her recent mystery novels for adults include Twenty-Five Years Ago Today and Sink or Swim. She is also the author of the patriotic children’s picture book The Flag Keeper, which teaches children about U.S. flag etiquette, the children’s picture book Victoria Rose and the Big Bad Noise, the paranormal young adult thriller Dark Before Dawn, and the young adult family hockey novel Face-Off.

Learn more about Stacy and her writing on her website: www.StacyJuba.com/blog

***

Now to get Stacy to spill all her secrets:

You wrote the first draft of Face-Off when you were still in high school. What inspired you to write a book at such a young age?

I wrote my first story in third grade, and by fifth grade, I was writing my own mystery series. I was very introverted growing up, and writing was a way for me to express myself. My elementary school teachers really encouraged the talent. I was inspired to write a full-length book after reading about a novel-writing competition for teenagers in Tiger Beat magazine. The magazine had a short article on the most recent winner and indicated that the contest was held every two years. I decided to try my hand at writing a book to enter in the next competition. I had recently gotten interested in ice hockey and started getting the glimmer of an idea. Face-Off wound up winning the competition and was published in 1992. Since the book was long out of print, I released a new paperback and e-book versions this fall.

Face-Off is about four brothers who all play hockey. I was struck by how well you handled the point of view of your male characters. What gave you such good insight into the minds of teenage boys and how brothers interact?

Honestly, I don’t know! I didn’t grow up with brothers, and I was very shy, so I certainly didn’t date any teenage boys! My friend down the street had three brothers and she read the book and offered feedback while I was writing it. I watched lots of TV shows like The Brady Bunch and movies about siblings. I just used my imagination and observed boys at school to see how they acted. I wanted the two main characters, twins Brad and T.J., to be cool jocks on the outside, but with a lot more depth on the inside. It was a lot of fun writing about the McKendrick family. One of the themes in the book is jealousy – T.J. and Brad envy one another and have a competitive relationship. I was pretty competitive in school as far as wanting to get good grades and be at the top of my class, so I imagined what it would be like to be competitive with a sibling in the same grade, who plays the same sports, and who has the same friends.

I have to ask about the hockey thing. I’ve been a huge Boston Bruins fan since about the age of twelve, even though no one else in my family has ever watched the sport. I could tell by your writing that you know the sport well. What drew you to hockey back then and do you still watch?

I got into hockey during the 1988 Olympics, watching guys like Brian Leetch and Craig Janney. That was back before pro hockey players filled the U.S. roster and I just found the whole thing exciting. After the Olympics ended, I went into withdrawal, but luckily a lot of those players went pro. I started following the Boston Bruins, and keeping up with those former Olympians in the NHL. The Bruins were stellar at that time and went head-to-head with the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. I got swept away by Bruins fever. I was a diehard hockey fan for several years, but stopped following it as avidly in my twenties due to time constraints. I got back into it again last spring, with the Bruins’ outstanding playoff victory!

You left Face-Off with an opening for a sequel. Had you written a second book and/or do you have a sequel planned?

I wrote a sequel called Offsides when I was about 20 years old, but the original publisher had a lot of turnover in personnel and they weren’t interested in it, so there wasn’t much I could do with it. My fifth grade teacher read the sequel to his class, and the kids loved it even more than Face-Off, so I knew the book was good. It’s been in my drawer for years and years, and I’m currently giving it a rewrite. I need to do some research into college hockey scholarships as that issue is a lot more complex than it used to be, so the book needs some work, but I hope to release it in the next year or two.

Dark Before Dawn is another book you wrote at a young age. This story focuses on a teenage girl with psychic powers. Do you remember what first inspired you to write this one?

I started the original draft in my early twenties, at the suggestion of an editor from Random House who had read another paranormal YA book that I’d written. She thought my style was similar to bestselling YA author Lois Duncan and advised me to write another paranormal YA. The editor soon left publishing, but not before telling me that my early draft of Dark Before Dawn (then titled Deadly Thoughts) had potential. Over the years, editors at four different publishing houses brought the book before their publishing committees, and the manuscript went through many changes, but the timing was never right for publication until now. There was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but in hindsight, I think this book is being published at just the right time.

From the details about crystals and various techniques, I could tell that you either had a passion for the topic or had done a lot of research – or both! So I have to ask. Do you have any psychic abilities of your own? If not, would you want them?

I definitely don’t have psychic abilities, but I’m very interested in metaphysical topics. I’m trained in Reiki, a form of hands-on energy healing, and am a Reiki Master. I use angel cards to get insight into different situations and have had uncanny results, though it’s only something I do for myself, not for other people. I’ve shown a couple of friends how they can do readings for themselves. I think anyone can be trained to develop their intuition – not to become psychic, but to become more intuitive. I went through a crystal phase, where I bought all kinds of crystals like rose quartz and amethyst and put them in different spots throughout the house, but never noticed anything “unusual” about the crystals like in the book. I think developing your intuition is a definite asset in life. Doing so has given me the confidence to make quicker and more assertive decisions. For the past couple of years, I’ve been building my whole writing and publishing career based on my gut feelings and running with writing and promotion ideas that felt right. I don’t think I’d want to be psychic, though, and to have premonitions like Dawn unless there was a way I could change negative outcomes. I’ve been told by a few people who earn their livings as psychics or intuitive counselors that I’m very intuitive and could develop these skills even more if I took classes and went down that path, but like Dawn’s mother in the book, my comfort level only goes so far!

I could relate to Dawn in many ways. While I am many years out of high school, the difficulties remain strong memories. You’ve mentioned gym class being an issue for you, as it was for me and, I’m sure, countless other teens. Was writing this book in part a kind of catharsis for you in releasing those lingering feelings?

I had a lot of buried resentments about being picked last in gym class from elementary school through high school. I hated gym class, hated it with a passion. I resented teachers who assigned captains to pick teams and who didn’t bat an eye when the same kids were always picked last day after day. My mother and I even sent a Dear Abby clipping about this very subject, the unfairness of picking teams, to my gym teacher and nothing changed. I resented kids who made fun of me or got angry with me for hitting the volleyball into the net or striking out. Ironically, I majored in exercise science in college and had to take physical education classes. Although I am a big believer in the importance of exercise, that wasn’t the right path for me – I think it was more an act of defiance to prove to myself that even though I wasn’t a good athlete, I was just as physically strong as the other kids were. Writing those scenes in Dark Before Dawn was a bit of catharsis for me. I guess in hindsight, all that gym class misery was something I had to go through to find the drive and stubbornness to make it in the tough business of publishing. For years, I cried on the school bus or in the locker room after gym class, but there came a point where I said I don’t care what they think anymore and developed a strong backbone against the criticism. The ultimate irony is that the non-athletic girl who was always picked last wrote a book about hockey that was even on the recommended reading list of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Junior Education Program! And maybe that’s why I wrote Face-Off as a teenager, to show that even though I wasn’t good at playing sports, I could write about a sport.

I was right there with you in that gym class misery!

The ending of Dark Before Dawn brought us closure but also left an intriguing opening for a sequel. Do you have one planned?

I don’t have one planned at this time as I’m working on other books, but I did deliberately leave the door open in case Dark Before Dawn takes off – which I think it will!

Both of these titles are in the YA genre. (Though they easily appeal to adults of all ages.) You’ve also written two excellent adult mysteries, as well as two adorable children’s stories. Do you enjoy writing within one genre more than the others?

I started both of my young adult books when I was basically a young adult myself, so those were easier for me to write at the time. Now, adult novels are easier for me to write as I relate more to adult characters. However, I vividly recall what it was like to be a teenager, so drawing upon those experiences does help me to write YA, and I’ll watch young adult TV shows to get a feel for what today’s teenagers are interested in and their slang.

I know that you are working on another adult novel, though this new one is different from your two previous mysteries. Can you tell us a little about that?

In all of my novels except Face-Off, there is a dead body. This is my first adult book without any mystery or suspense aspect to it. It’s a blend of contemporary fiction, sweet romance, and romantic comedy and it draws upon the Cinderella tale in a very original way. I’m four chapters into the book and hope to finish it next year.

I can’t wait to read it!

***

You can find all of Stacy’s books on Amazon:

You can also find them on Smashwords, in formats for all ereaders and computers, and on Barnes and Noble, in both print and Nook format.

I hope you’ll take the time to read some of Stacy’s books. You’ll be hooked from the start!

Stacy and I would love to hear from you. Please share your comments and questions here.

Thanks for reading.