YA EBook Tour: Christine Verstraete

Today I'll be at Rebecca Ryals Russell's blog talking books and other stuff and a fave topic, "When Writing and Collecting Collide." Stop by!

Miniatures Thursday: In Miniature Style II - What else to do with those tote bags...

Another idea for what else to do with those tote bags from In Miniature Style II....

Ebook Tour: Welcome to Marva Dasef, author of the paranormal book, Bad Spelling. What's this about witches and werewolves?

Today I welcome Marva Dasef, author of the spooky-sounding BAD SPELLING, Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim - A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time?
** Coming October 14 from MuseItUp Publishing. **

About the Book:
If you’re a witch living on a remote arctic island, and the entire island runs on magic, lacking magical skills is not just an inconvenience, it can be a matter of life and death–or, at least, a darn good reason to run away from home.

Katrina’s spells don’t just fizzle; they backfire with spectacular results, oftentimes involving green goo. A failure as a witch, Kat decides to run away and find her dead father’s non-magical family. But before she can, she stumbles onto why her magic is out of whack: a curse from a Siberian shaman.

The young witch, accompanied by her warlock brother, must travel to the Hall of the Mountain King and the farthest reaches of Siberia to regain her magic, dodging attacks by the shaman along the way. At the Troll Kingdom, a young troll, Andy, joins the siblings in their quest to find the shaman and kill the curse.

(** Check out the book trailer!)


In keeping with the book topic, read on for what Marva has to say about... werewolves! And be sure to comment to be entered in the contest, see details at the end!

WEREWOLVES: Alternative Transportion

The most well-known werecritter is the werewolf. At this time in the cycle of what’s hot, what’s not, werewolves are getting great press via the Twilight books and movies by Stephanie Meyer.

I have to admit it. Werewolves can be totally sexy guys (gals) in human form. Meyer finally got one legendary being right. Well, she agrees with my concept, which I used before I read any of the Meyer saga. To tell the truth, I still haven’t read any of the books, because the first movie put such a bad taste in my mouth. OMG, Edward loves Bella because she SMELLS good?!?!? Gimme a break.

As we all know, werewolves are shape-shifters. When the full moon rises, your normal guy (or gal) changes into a werewolf. Sometimes, they are portrayed as mindless beasts who’ll rip the throat out of anybody they come upon. Other portrayals show that the maintain their human intelligence when shifted. Since the legends vary so wildly, I decided to not only have my werewolves remain intelligent, but also able to shift from human to wolf form at will.

How do I justify this turning away from the legend? I don’t need to. Some folks will howl in disgust with my tampering with the myths. Let ‛em whine or even bark. I’ve seen authors do just about everything with the tropes: weres, vampires, demons, fairies, angels, ancient gods. That, I believe, is perfectly okay. You want a half-vampire, half-demon? I’ve seen that in paranormal more than once. Gods less than god-like? Yup, been done.

Anyway, I have a six-pack of werewolves in BAD SPELLING. Here’s a taste (ha ha, get it?) of my werewolf mashup.


Excerpt from BAD SPELLING:

Rune joined them. “Are we going to stand around here all day? Where’s the alternative transportation you told us about?”

Andy tore his gaze from Kat and scanned the slope. “There it is.”

Kat looked where Andy pointed and gasped. “What—?”

“Don’t worry. They won’t hurt us,” Andy said with a confidence Kat didn’t quite trust.

“But werewolves?” There was no mistaking them for regular wolves. Besides being twice the size of the largest of the wolves, the eyes gave them away. Even from a distance, Kat could see them gleaming with intelligence.

“Look behind them,” Andy said.

The big wolves loped along easily; they were harnessed to a sled, bouncing along behind them. The speed with which they approached told her they would have no problem pulling a heavy load.

The wolves came up the slope and stopped in front of them. The lead werewolf looked at each of them with some interest. Kat felt like an item on a menu, like when they faced the polar bear.

The lead wolf said, “Good morning. Hmm. Humans, not trolls. Interesting.” The wolf looked over his shoulder at the others. “Remember, King Olaf hired us to deliver these people to where they want to go. You are not to eat them.” The other wolves nodded, but their long tongues hanging over gleaming, razor-sharp teeth was not a reassuring sight; their mouths dripped saliva in a most disconcerting manner.

The lead werewolf turned his pale yellow eyes back to Andy. “So, where are we going?”

Andy briefly explained what they wanted. The werewolf nodded and said, “If I understand correctly, we are looking for the Sami tribe. Do you realize they’re nomadic?”

“Sort of. All I know for certain is they spend much of their time on the northern coast.” Andy glanced at Kat. “Anything else?” She shook her head.

The wolf stared at Andy for a moment and then said, “Well, come closer so I can smell you. The girl, too.”

Kat hung back. “Why do you want to—? Oh, I understand. You can find the Samis through our scent.”

“Very good, young lady,” the werewolf answered and sniffed at her outstretched hand. He licked it once. Kat jerked her hand back. “Taste helps, too,” the werewolf answered, with a hint of humor in his gruff voice.

“What’s your name?” Kat asked.

“I call myself Mazi in my wolf form. I try to keep my human life separate.” The werewolf raised his head and howled. The other wolves joined in the chorus. Goose pimples rose on Kat’s arms. Then, they all fell silent and pricked their ears, turning their heads this way and that. From off in the distance, Kat heard a faint answering howl.

“Hop on the sled. It’s time to go,” Mazi said.

* Want more? Check out Marva's blog.

** CONTEST: ** Win a free ebook drawn from comments. Select either MG fantasy BAD SPELLING or adult mystery MISSING, ASSUMED DEAD.

* Marva, thanks for stopping by. Can't wait to read the book!

** Next YA Ebook Tour: Shellie Neumeier, "Driven"

Ebook Tour: Meet Meradeth Houston, author of YA Paranormal: Colors Like Memories

If you like eBooks, then stay tuned for a selection of great reads!

Today I welcome Meradeth Houston, author of the upcoming young adult paranormal book, COLORS LIKE MEMORIES (MuseItUp Publishing May 2012). * Cover coming! Be sure to comment to be eligible to win a copy!

About the Book:
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this "breath of life," she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

New school arrival Edison knows too much about her past. Now after revealing herself to her assignment, she'll have to trust that past, and learn to trust Edison, and herself to help her friend heal and face the true color of her memories.

Interview with Meradeth Houston:

How did you start writing?
Reading a lot is what really got me started. I remember thinking that I really enjoyed a particular book and didn’t want it to end. The concept that if I wanted to see something different occur in a story I could write it myself just kind of came to me when I was a kid, and that led me down the path to being a writer.

What inspires you to write? What inspired this book?
Music is what really gets the writing juices flowing for me. My book, Colors Like Memories, really came from listening to “Shadow of the Day” by Linkin Park (yeah, I know it’s an old song, but it was very recent when I wrote the first draft!).

When I'm not writing, I ...
...spend most of my time in the lab, and I also run when I can. I guess, in many ways, writing is my hobby (though using the word ‘hobby’ doesn’t really encompass the word well). Anyhow, I’m an anthropologist, and I work with the DNA of ancient peoples, which is pretty cool . I’ve always wanted to study people, so that fits in pretty well with both writing and anthropology!

How does writing influences your life - and how does your life influence your writing?
Writing is a big part of my life, mainly because it keeps my imagination under control—or maybe just gives it a focus. I’m always reading and studying the world around me for a new story idea, or some fun line of dialogue to fit into my stories.

What element do you try to use in your work?
I think a lot of my stories are about understanding why certain things (both good and bad—mostly bad because those make for more interesting stories) happen to people. I don’t always start out with this concept, but it works its way into almost everything I write.

About the author:
Born and raised in California, Houston left for college and moved back eight miles from her hometown. While finishing her doctorate, she works as a lab researcher and instructor at my university. A great job, she says, because "it allows for a lot of day-dreaming."

Contest: Leave a comment (with an email or link to contact you) to be eligible to win a copy of Colors Like Memories when it's released. Winners will be announced on Meradeth's blog at the end of the month.

** Next: YA Ebook Tour Post 3: Marva Dasef, "Bad Spelling"

This Week's Upcoming Blog Guests

Stop back this week for several authors coming by for the MG/YA (Middle Grade-Young Adult) Ebook and Blog Tour.

Tuesday: Meradeth (Snow) Houston, author of the upcoming fantasy/paranormal COLORS LIKE MEMORIES

Wednesday: Marva Dasef, author of BAD SPELLING, talks werewolves

** Friday: I'll be at Rebecca Ryals Russell's blog talking about the real "big boom" - When Writing and Collecting Collide.

Saturday: Shellie Neumeier, author of the paranormal-Christian book DRIVEN lets her character do the talking.

Remembering the Human, and Canine, Heroes of 9-11

Today we remember the brave men and women, the firefighters, police and rescue personnel, who answered the call for help during the horrendous attacks on the NY World Trade Center on 9-11.

Not to be forgotten are the hard-working rescue dogs who helped in search and rescue at the site, many suffering injuries in the process.

The American Kennel Club continues to offer funds and ongoing support to make sure that these working animals will be there to help and will also get the care they need.

* See 9-11 Memorial
See the video....

YA Blog Tour: Welcome to Barb Ehrentreu, author of "If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor"

Today I welcome YA author Barbara Ehrentreu, author of the intriguing-sounding, IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR. Keep reading for the contest at the end.

About the Book:

Carolyn Samuels is obsessed with the idea of being popular. She is convinced that the only thing keeping her from happiness is her too-heavy-for-fashion body and not being a cheerleader. When she's paired for a math project with her middle school tormenter, Jennifer Taylor, Carolyn's sure it's going to be another pain-filled year.

Homework blackmail, lies and a chance to be made over make for an uneasy friendship, especially when Carolyn uncovers Jennifer's secret. Can she keep a secret and become one of the popular crowd - the cheerleaders - or will she be a mean girl target again? EBook available 9/16, MuseItUp Publishing.

Interview with Barbara Ehrentreu, author of IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR.

What was the inspiration for IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR?
I wrote this book, because my daughter had the beginnings of an eating disorder and she also felt bad about her body. I needed three chapters for this children’s workshop led by Paula Danziger, so I wrote them. In the story, the main character is being bullied by a girl named Jennifer Taylor, whom she both hates and wants to be like. She actually says, “If only I could be like Jennifer Taylor.”

Which authors have most influenced your own writing?
Lewis Carroll, Jane Austin, Paula Danziger, John Irving and too many others to list.

What's your ideal writing spot? Have any special writing rewards?
I can write almost anywhere, but right now I’m happy writing at my desk on my laptop. When I’m writing I like to have chocolate cookies available and caffeine free diet Coke.

Describe your writing style.
I just start out writing and have no idea where it's going. When I have a good sentence I write that and usually the story moves along by itself. Dialogue writes itself if I have fleshed out the character enough before I write.

What's next for you?
I'm working on an adult novel, as well as two other YA novels. WHEN MY LIFE CHANGED is almost ready to send out. This is also a YA novel about a 15-year-old girl whose life changes when her father has a heart attack and bypass surgery.

** CONTEST!!
Comment about your experiences as a freshman in high school to be entered in a drawing for a copy.

Excerpt from IF I COULD BE LIKE JENNIFER TAYLOR:

I spot him walking toward my locker with a small box in one hand and a plastic fork in the other. My Crush! He hands me the box, and I open it. Inside is a piece of luscious chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

I look up into his blue eyes and give him the box so I can touch his cheek as I smooth his dark hair. “You always know just what I like.”

He smiles and feeds me a forkful of cake. I don’t have to worry about eating it because I can eat anything I want and not gain weight. He places the cake box in my locker so he can put his arms around me. The first bell rings in my ears. I ignore it because I’m thin and blonde and floating in the arms of my dark-haired crush. The other cheerleaders run up to us laughing and kidding around, and I’m about to speak. The ringing gets louder.

The dream evaporates, and I realize it’s the darn alarm piercing my sleep. Slamming my fist onto the snooze button, I get this nagging feeling. Then I remember. I have something to do. Worse luck, I have to do it, not as the slender blonde beauty in my dream, but as the real Carolyn Samuels with my brown curly hair hanging like shriveled spaghetti, mud brown eyes, and a body too large for fashion.

** TO Post 2 on YA Blog tour: Meradeth Houston, "Colors Like Memories"

Miniature Art by Anna Hardman - DOTY Winner

The October issue of Doll Reader Magazine includes the January winners of the Doll of the Year Awards for 2011.

Congrats to miniature doll maker Anna Hardman for her People's Choice award for Miniature Artist Dolls. This is her second win. She's getting miniature dolls the attention they deserve! And her doll - hand-sculpted and an original design - is indeed a work of art! Simply beautiful!

Miniatures Monday: New AIM for Sept - Fantastic Food and Make a Coat

The fantastic Sept. issue of Artisans in Miniature (AIM) Magazine is now out. Wow, dine in style with all kinds of wonderful food!

And... Kathy Mendenhall of Mini Patterns (who made and contributed the pattern and how-to for the wonderful yellow dress on the cover of In Miniature Style II) has a great coat pattern and how-to in the issue.

Download here free.

It's Alive!! New website, new minis, etc.

Finally! It works. yay! My new website is up! My worrying is over!

Well a few things have to be added yet, but I can do it at my leisure now. Do let me know if anything does not go to the right page or something.

** Got In Miniature Style II? -- I added a pdf for the Halloween printies to make the screen in my book. See miniatures page at site. Btw, if you have the book linked, the page has changed.... to www.cverstraete.com/in-miniature-style-ii.html. Stop by!