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Showing posts from January, 2012

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

Hooray for YA! Thank you to Kathy from I Am a Reader Not a Writer BLOG and Amber from Down the Rabbit Hole BLOG for hosting this giveaway. I'm uber-excited for the release of my first YA novel in March, titled Streamline . (We're still working on the cover, so instead, this is Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer!) Here's a blurb about Streamline : Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone. Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter—her father—is in prison for murder. Part murder mystery, part tale of youn

Dialectics in Writing

Today I want to discuss dialectics. No, not dianetics , ha ha. I first heard about dialectics when I learned skills from Marsha Linehan's "Dialectical Behavior Therapy" to use as a psychologist, but I think dialectics also apply to writing. A dialectic is a union of opposites . You have a dialectic when you have two opposing statements that are both true, joined by an AND (not a BUT!) For example, here's my dialectic for writing this blog post right before bedtime: I want to go to bed (waah) AND I want to connect with my readers by writing a great post. Both are true. In therapy we use dialectics to acknowledge both sides of the coin -- to see the whole picture. Dialectics help increase empathy and decrease defensiveness. * Alcohol helps you relax and alcohol gives you scary beer goggles. * You love your mother and you are positively furious at your mother. * You hate feeling dependent and you're scared about him leaving. Here are some dialectic

Dance Hall Days at Nicki Elson's Blog

Today I'm hanging out at Nicki Elson's blog , where she interviews me and gives a 4 star review of With Good Behavior ! It was great to read this quote from Nicki's review: The author’s experience as a psychologist shows, because background plays an important role in shaping each of the characters, and we also see how the choices they’ve made along the way have had a profound impact on their lives. Definitely no shallow characters here. Thanks, Nicki! Nicki Elson is the author of the fun and sexy 80's romp Three Daves , which I loved. Check out my review HERE . I'm joining Nicki's " I'll Tumble 4 Ya " Blogfest on February 10th to talk about my 80's celebrity crush. Here's a hint: Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash!

2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

At first I wasn't that into Young Adult fiction. But releasing my debut adult novel exposed me to goodreads.com and book bloggers, which in turn drew me to the world of YA. The Twilight and Hunger Games series also made me a YA fan. Now I find myself ready to launch my first YA novel, Streamline , in March. To celebrate, I'm joining over 100 bloggers for the 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge, hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf ! My first YA read of the year is a novel I've heard great things about, and the story certainly didn't disappoint. Here's my review of Anna and the French Kiss . One Mignonne Story What an adorable book! Characterization is so important to my enjoyment of a novel, and I loved these characters. The main character Anna is a 17 year-old whose parents have divorced. Her father writes sappy novels that have become wildly successful, and he decides to uproot Anna from Atlanta to give her the cultural experience of attending a Pari

CONduct Series Merchandise!

Omnific Publishing continues to amaze me with their creative ideas and support for authors. The latest is the development of t-shirts, hats, mugs, and tote bags with our book covers! Check out merchandise featuring With Good Behavior (The Con duct Series #1): With Good Behavior T-Shirt $19.49 With Good Behavior Travel Mug $18.49 With Good Behavior Women's T-Shirt $19.49

Sights and Sounds from The CONduct Series

Happy New Year! I spent New Year's Eve in Hilton Head with my sister Susan, who just adopted THE CUTEST PUPPY IN THE WORLD. (I'm not biased -- judge for yourself): His name is Auggie because they got him near St. Augustine. I already miss my fur nephew. And I have some more images to share with you today from The Con duct Series, romantic suspense novels. With Good Behavior and Bad Behavior feature Grant Madsen and Sophie Taylor, parolees who fall in love and battle bad guys.  Thanks to Julie from A Tale of Many Reviews for framing these photos! When Grant gets tipsy as the docent for a Chicago architectural cruise, he has fun describing this architectural wonder, the Chicago Spire: *giggles* Can you guess the gender of the architect for that project? Grant and Sophie's boss, architectural cruise ship captain Roger Eaton, has no tolerance for sadness or whining on his ship. He posts this plaque in the bridge: Ah, Rog. Later in the sto