Friday, August 31, 2012

Day #4

Today I'm guest blogging on YA Beyond.  This is an awesome blog, filled with great YA stuff and the best YA authors out there.  Fridays are devoted to healthy teen tips, and today I'm talking about addiction.  Stop by and check it out.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Blog Tour Day #3 - Three Stops

Day three and three stops.  Check out reviews at All Things WritingPrincess of Pages and my guest post on Simply Infatuated.  Thanks again for joining me on tour. Have a great day!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Blog Tour Day #2 - Amy's Book World

Come on over to Amy's Book World where today she posts a review of the book, interviews me and sponsors a giveaway!




Monday, August 27, 2012

Blog Tour: Day #1

Today I begin my first blog tour for Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye!  For the next three weeks, I'll be featured on twenty-three blogs and lots of fun things are happening.  I'll be guest blogging, you'll be able to read a review of the book, and some blogs will be posting an interview with me.  So not only will you be my very first blog tour guests, you'll be getting to know more about me and my writing and winning some cool stuff too.

And there's more:  I'm giving away one FREE PRINT book to whoever posts the most comments at the end of the blog tour.  I'm also throwing in a surprise best commenter--ever award (because who doesn't love surprises)!

The best part:  If you click the button on the right and sign up to follow me via e-mail, you won't miss any stops on the blog tour and you'll get my posts in your in-box.  Wha-la.

Today, I'm guest blogging on The Bunny's Review, the first chapter is posted as well, and (wait for it) there's a Giveaway!  So please stop by, leave a comment, enter a chance to win and have fun.

Thanks for joining me on tour and subscribing to my blog.

Happy Monday!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Susan Kaye Quinn Interview

Today I'm excited to interview another awesome young adult author from the Chicago area, Susan Kaye Quinn. Her series the Mindjack Triology is a must read. The characters are true and compelling and the theme of the book is extremely timely (I won't say more, you just have to read it for yourself!).

The second book in the series was released last spring, shortly before her first book, Open Minds was chosen as a finalist in the Kindle Book Reviews Best of Indie Books, 2012.  And, in the next weeks or two she's releasing two novellas, The Handler and The Scribe.

Here's a little bit about the first book in the triology, Open Minds and my interview with her:

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can't read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can't be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf's mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she's dragged deep into a hidden underworld of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.



What inspired you to write the Mindjack Triology?
The idea for the story came to me as I was dozing off to sleep, thinking up an idea for a 1st paragraph contest. The image of a girl sitting in a classroom filled with mindreaders popped into my head, only the girl couldn’t read minds and was painfully isolated. I was compelled to write her story.
How did you decide to write a series?
Once Open Minds was finished, I knew that it had to be a series – Kira’s story wasn’t finished. By the time she gets through Closed Hearts and Free Souls, however, I believe that most of her story will have been told.

Who or what inspired the main character and theme of the series?
My very first image (the girl in the classroom) was Kira (the main character) and her theme of isolation carries through the entire trilogy.

What advice can you give to young aspiring writers?
The most important thing is to write. A LOT. (Thinking about writing, talking about writing, attending classes on writing – these don’t count. You have to do the actual writing itself.) The second most important thing is to network with other writers so that you can be continually seeking out new critique partners to give you feedback on your work. Offer to critique in exchange – that will teach you as much as critiques of your own work, and help you improve. Most of all, remember this is a long journey, and you have to take it one step at a time.

You grew up in California and now live in the Chicago area.  I must ask, do you miss the beach?
Yes. J I was a serious beach bunny as a teen, probably caught way too may UVA/UVB rays. But I love living in the Midwest – it’s the friendliest place I’ve ever put down roots.

Next California question (got to ask):  Do you surf?
Unless you count body surfing and doing face-plants into the sand, the answer to that would be “no.” J

It is so cool you are a Rocket Scientist.  Do you love saying to people, "It's not rocket science, you know."
It kinda cracks me up. Because there are many things that are just as complicated as rocket science, maybe even more so today, with advancements in science and technology: the study of genetics, the origin of the universe, dark matter, multi-dimensional string theory. I think we should start a new-for-the-times saying: “It’s not string theory, you know.” Except no one would know what you’re talking about. J

One last question:  What do you love the most about your main character, Kira?
That she has an almost unconscious goodness about her. She instinctively chooses the right thing, even when she’s not sure what she should do (and she has a lot of hard choices).

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.


You can find Susan on her blog, facebook, and twitter and if you'd like to know about any future releases of hers, subscribe to her newsletter.

Where to find Susan's Books: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and iTunes.




Saturday, August 11, 2012

Celebrate the Olympics - Win a Freebie

As I watch the Olympians compete, my writer's mind goes crazy.  I keep thinking about the stories behind each competitor, and the force of passion and motivation that runs deep through their veins. Who are they as people?  What is their backstory? What would their character arch look like if they sat and told me their life story? And what would Mello and Anna be doing if they were watching the games?  Anna, the total jock would be rooting for the US Women's Volleyball team big time.  I can hear her yelling at the TV every night the US volleys balls across the net.  Mello would probably be a little more like me, thinking about the stories behind the athetes and doing some philosphizing.

But seriously, are we not all completely blown away by it all? These people are truly are an illustration of how to follow your passion, pursue your dreams and push yourself to the limit each and every day. And to be honest, I will never complain about having a bad day at the computer, not able to pound out my 2000 words for whatever reason ever again, thanks to Oscar Pistorius inspiring me with his accomplishment of running in the Olympics with two prosthetic legs. So as we come into the final days of the games, I'd like to pay tribute to Oscar and all the athletes by giving away a print copy of my book.  All you have to do is enter below and wha-lah.  One lucky person will get a signed printed copy of my book in the mail.  Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway