Blog Tour: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry @NereydaG1003 @katiemcgarry @harlequinteen

Welcome to The Cover Contessa's stop on the Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #2) blog tour hosted by YA Bound.

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3)

by Katie McGarry

Release Date: 11/26/13

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Hardcover/e-book

474 pages

Summary from Godreads:

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Katie's Other books in the series:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194514-pushing-the-limits

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16069024-crossing-the-line

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13561164-dare-you-to

The Cover Contessa's Review:

I want to thank Harlequinn Teen for providing me with an early ecopy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or review.

So, having read the first and second books in this series, you can imagine I was anxious to get to the next story. But I can honestly say that I wasn't thinking I was going to love it as much as the others. Reason being: I wasn't a huge Isaiah fan. His appearance in Dare You To kind of left a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn't sure why. But, because I know that Katie can write, I wasn't going to give up the chance to read this and see if she changed my mind about him. And guess what? SHE DID! I'm not sure who I like more now, Isaiah or Ryan!

Isaiah is the boy you don't bring home to mom. At least he's the boy you look at and think, this one is trouble and my parents would not approve. But deep down, he's so much more than you think he is. Sure, he's got the tats and the earrings and the attitude. But underneath this gruff exterior is a boy who is craving love, but scared to go to it. A boy who's seeking acceptance, but doesn't really want anyone to know. And, above all, there's a boy who has a true heart, one that once you've gotten into it, wraps you in warmth and never lets you go. Did I mention he's also swoon worthy? So, cast aside all the thoughts you might have about Isaiah because once you read this, you'll see he really is not what you think he is. He's much more complicated and deep, and really quite amazing. And he's passionate: passionate about cars, passionate about being who is without barriers, and passionate about keeping those he loves safe.
Now Rachel, she's also not quite what you expect. At first, she's this girl who can't handle pressure, who runs from things. She's gives off this innocent vibe and I felt like perhaps she might be one of the angst ridden teens I just cannot stand in YA books. But there is much more to her than meets the eye. Sure, she's rich and has everything she could ever want, but the one thing she really wants seems to be out of her reach: love. The love of her family, especially her mother. And she's boxed in by her four brothers who guard and shield her and go above and beyond to be over-protective. So much so that she has no friends, I mean zero, and seems to have no idea how to even be someone's friend. And she walks in the shadow of her deceased sister and can't seem to break free. But all this pressure to be perfect and do as her family wants leads her in the other direction. A direction where she craves speed, and takes chances she shouldn't. She's also sure that it won't ever be possible for someone to love her the way she wants to be loved: for herself and not for someone she was molded to be.
The secondary characters in this book are really great. I think my favorite is Abby. She is this gruff, unexpected twist in Rachel's life. She becomes this critically important piece to helping Rachel break free of her mold. I love how their friendship evolves. It's not all all what I think it would have been. And Rachel's, man, I spent most of the book wanting to smack them upside their heads. For each of them everything was about them and, while on the surface it looked as if they were trying to protect her, really they were just smothering her as they worried about themselves. I hated watching them constantly make her feel as if it were her duty to keep their family together. That's so much pressure for a girl who just wanted to be loved. And we also get to see so many of the characters we've grown to love from the previous books: Beth, Ryan, Logan, Echo, Noah. I especially loved watching a bit about Logan. He's a risk taker, and becomes an essential part of Isaiah's life when I never thought he would!

I will say that there was a bit of insta-love from the start of this book. And this worried me a bit, as it did with the first two books. Not surprising since this seems to be a theme in this series. But, while this usually really bothers me, it doesn't have the same feeling for me in these books. I am actually happy to jump right into a relationship with these characters. And the underlying plot is realistic, and a bit scary! It involves topics that many teens would possibly run into: drugs, drag racing, owing money. There are no slow areas in this book. You just keep wanting to push through to see how the action unfolds. And, yes, there is action, but there are also romance scenes that will make your toes curl.

And gosh darn can McGarry write. I mean her words just fly right off the page. Her pacing is spot on. And her characters are realistic and so easy to love, or hate depending on which ones you're reading about. They are well developed and you really care about them, sometimes too easily! McGarry writes these intense scenes that sometimes rip you to shreds, but she also have the ability to build you back up and make you fly. There's nothing sedate or boring about her writing. It's just amazing. You can see where she has done her research, especially in the area of car racing which I can't imagine is easy to write! I know nothing of racing, but with each description I can picture the races in my head so easily.

So, did I like this book? NO! I LOVED this book. It's right up there with the second one for me, which says a lot since I rarely like contemporary reads. But I think McGarry has totally changed my mind about what is good contemporary writing. With each of these books she takes things to a higher level, making the next one better than the last. How she does this, I have no idea, but I can't wait to keep reading these books and see where she goes next!

5 stars!

See my other review of Katie's books here:
Pushing the Limits
Crossing the Line
Dare You To

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

***Author Links***

http://www.katielmcgarry.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4575371.Katie_McGarry

http://www.twitter.com/katiemcgarry

https://www.facebook.com/katielmcgarry

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Blog Tour: One More Day by L.S. Murphy, Erika BeeBe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley, and Anna Simpson @JTaylorPub

Welcome to the One More Day blog tour hosted by J. Taylor Publishing!

Blurb from Goodreads:
What if today never ends?
What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?
Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying ... that's where you’d be ... forever.
Unless ...
In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.
How do we restart time?
How do we make everything go back to normal?
The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.
Right now.
What would you do if this happened ... to you?

ONE MORE DAY

By L.S. Murphy, Erika BeeBe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay,

J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley, and Anna Simpson

Barnes and Noble

Today The Cover Contessa welcome author Kimberly Kay answering our burning question: If you have 24 hours to live, what would you do?

Guest Post by Kimberly Kay

If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do?

If given only twenty-four more hours to live, I’d head to the store, and by gifts for my friends as well as an enormous stack of note cards. Then, after writing kind notes and signing them  anonymously, I’d doorbell ditch everyone the note and the gift before settling down somewhere, huddled in my favorite jacket, to watch the stars come out. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today Kimberly. And now, read on to see what I thought of this anthology and scroll down to enter a giveaway!

The Cover Contessa's Review:

I want to thank J. Taylor Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or review.

I really love reading short stories. Especially in an anthology where the stories focus on time or some type of time travel Time travel makes me giddy! I love sic-fi. So given the opportunity to read this anthology you can bet I jumped right in to read it. I thought perhaps I would do a few stories a day. Nope, I sat down and read it cover to cover without putting it down. So, I will review the stories in the order I read them!

Time Piece by Anna Simpson
This short story was interesting. The repetitiveness of the scene and it's slight changes was really quite great. Think Ground Hogs Day, but with slight differences each time. It certainly reminded me a bit of Back To The Future, as well. I'm a huge fan of Back to the Future, so this story really drew me in!

Dark Rose by Marissa Halvorson
This story didn't draw me in as much as I would have liked. I felt it was a bit slow going. The world intersects were interesting: to see the three girls who are basically the same person but in parallel universes. The concept was interesting but it didn't quite jive for me.

Dragon Flight by J Keller Ford
I really enjoyed this one. A girl who wants to do whatever she needs to to win the boy's heart. But then she learns that her world is not exactly as it seems. And for her to try and figure out exactly why time suddenly stops for her, well, it's not what you think it will be.

The 13th Month by LS Murphy
This one, well, I really liked this one. But I will say that the introduction of the angels was a bit of a surprise for me. I wasn't expecting them at all. Once again we have time stopping. But the world becomes sort of a apocalyptic mess in the main character's eyes. You have to read this to really understand it! And the outcome of this one, well, the consequences will surprise you!

Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay
This one, well, while predictable, I really enjoyed it. I love any kind of fairy tale retelling and this was no exception. I wanted to see more and I could see this as a full length book for sure. The characters were endearing and interesting and each was totally unique.

Stage Fright by Erika Beebe
This was a different read for me. I am not too familiar with theater, but I do understand the idea of stage fright! However, while the main character is nervous about acting the main part, I didn't really understand where the fear came from. I needed more background. I did enjoy how her love interest literally jumped off the pages.

A Morrow More by Danielle E Shipley
This story has a definite fantasy twist to it. For me, I really have to be into a fantasy to get through it. The idea of it was interesting for sure and I would love to see the characters expanded more. It was actually a bit short for me and this made it hard for me to really get into it. The ending was a bit predictable but I sometimes like knowing it will end the way I want it to!
Guest Post

As you can see, I really enjoyed these stories for the most part. I think I have a hard time with short stories that I want more from. They may come to the end, but then I feel like I need to know more about the characters. So it would be great to see some of these turned into full length books!

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Review: Crossing the Line (Pushing the Limits #1.5) By Katie McGarry @KatieMcGarry @HarlequinTeen

Lila McCormick, Echo's best friend from Pushing the Limits, first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most.

Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves

Title: Crossing the Line
Author: Katie McGarry
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

The Cover Contessa's Review:

So I just love reading novellas. They give me insight into so much about the author as well as how the author builds characters. A novella must move fast because in a short time you must complete the story ARC. I have no idea how authors even do it, but I have to give them credit. And McGarry is no exception. I truly love this side story of Lila Lincoln.

We do meet Lila in Pushing the Limits as she is one of Echo's friends. But we don't get a ton from her during that book as it's truly Echo and Noah's story. In this short we get to see a bit of Lila and her overcoming her fear of being alone and taking chances And we meet Lincoln, Lila's pen-pal and confidant. They share a tragic past that linked them together two years ago and chose to use each other as sounding boards for their life events. I love that she and Lincoln form this relationship via the mail. It's romantic and so different from what we see with teens today (internet, email, Twitter, texting). I can remember having a pen pal as a teen and it was so much fun. But Lila and Lincoln form more than just a friendship through their letters. They allow each other into their private worlds through words where no one else knows the things the talk about. They express themselves to each other, telling their deepest darkest secrets. They have an ease communicating through their letters.
But when they meet face to face, things are not as easy as they were through the written word. Both Lincoln and Lila become so much more vulnerable and real to each other. And, while they both feel deeply towards each other, they no longer have that distance between them to make things easy. They are forced to face their feelings and show each other exactly what has grown between them.

Overall I truly loved this novella. You knew the outcome it would have, but you still wanted to go through the motions of watching Lila and Lincoln figure each other out. And, despite the shortness of the story, you do see some growth, although more from Lila than Lincoln, in my opinion. Lila embraces her fear and decides to face it head on. Lincoln, on the other hand, lopes along a bit before he comes to the realization that he has to take control of his life back show Lila he means to honor their bond.

I highly recommend this great snip it by McGarry. She has truly changed my thoughts on contemporary YA books!

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter/Website

Cover Reveal: Salt by Danielle Ellison @DanielleEWrites @arnoldjaime13 @fiktshun

Today Danielle Ellison and Entangled Teen are revealing the cover for SALT, releasing in early 2014! Check out the gorgeous cover, exclusive excerpt, and enter to win an eARC!

On to the reveal!

About the Book

SALT

Author: Danielle Ellison

Release Date: January 7, 2014

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iTunes

Penelope is a witch, part of a secret society protecting humans from demon attacks. But when she was a child, a demon killed her parents—and stole her magic. Since then, she’s been pretending to be something she’s not, using her sister’s magic to hide her own loss, to prevent being sent away.

When she’s finally given the chance to join the elite demon-hunting force, Penelope thinks that will finally change. With her sister’s help, she can squeeze through the tests and get access to the information she needs to find "her" demon. To take back what was stolen.

Then she meets Carter. He’s cute, smart, and she can borrow his magic, too. He knows her secret—but he also has one of his own.

Suddenly, Penelope’s impossible quest becomes far more complicated. Because Carter’s not telling her everything, and it’s starting to seem like the demons have their own agenda…and they’re far too interested in her.

Exclusive Excerpt!

 “Jealousy is cute on you, Pen.”

“Don't call me that,” I snap, pushing my coffee away from me. “And I'm not jealous.”

He leans back on the chair. "Sure. And I don’t think you’re adorable." I jerk my eyes up. He’s smiling. Screw this—this is so frustrating. I tap my foot under the table.

"We're stating the facts, right?" he says.

“Right,” I say.

I don’t have time for this. And what is wrong with this coffee? I feel like I swallowed a fire and it’s all just burning at my stomach.

“You look sick again,” he says.

The poorly—or perfectly—timed waitress comes back with Carter's coffee and a whole tray of drinks. Carter, obviously, flirts again. I don’t know if he’s doing it to get a reaction out of me, but I’m not going to give him one. I watch him and say nothing, but the whole time it feels darker inside my head and my stomach whirs. It’s more empty, and more full, and unsettled at once. The waitress turns to leave a when it happens.

The waitress coughs, as if she suddenly can’t breathe, and trips. She flies across the air. The tray spills all over a table of four. I gasp, horrified. Another waitress grabs her by the waist, trying to give her the Heimlich. The waitress coughs out the gum. She’s crying hysterically, apologizing to the customers dripping with water.

The weirdest part? As soon it happens, all the fury that was building up inside of me disappears. It’s calm again, normal. The change is so sudden that my fingernails dig into the table. All I can hear is the waitress’s cry. 

"I don't know what happened," she sobs over and over again. I close my eyes. Everything inside me is completely still. No storm, no clawing, no emptiness or fullness. In fact, I’m suddenly starving.

Carter's looking at me when I open my eyes. There's something unsettling in his gaze, something suspicious.

“I gotta go,” I say. He starts to say something. I don't stay long enough to find out what it is.

Somehow I just did magic.

About Danielle:

Danielle Ellison is from a small town in West Virginia. She spent her childhood pretending to fly and talking to imaginary friends. When she grew up, she finally flew away (in an airplane) and started traveling the world. She hasn’t stopped yet, but someday she may decide to settle in one place. Her real life friends would definitely like that; they would probably also like if she stopped talking to her characters out loud.

SALT comes out in January 2013, and then it's sequel. In October 2014, FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS (book one of the BOUNDLESS Trilogy) comes out. She's got a busy few years! 

Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads


Giveaway Details:

1 eARC of SALT International

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Author Interview Thursday: Welcome Gretchen de la O @GretchendelaO

Welcome to Author Interview Thursday hosted by the Never Too Old for Y.A. & N.A. Books group on Goodreads.

Today we welcome author Gretchen De La O to the blog and group for an interview!

So, without further ado, let's see what Gretchen has to say!
Welcome Gretchen!

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?  I never really thought about being a writer, I always thought I was going to be an actress. But, when I got older, the dream of becoming an actress became nothing more than a childish thought. I jumped into adulthood with both feet. Right into the role of perfect wife, doting mother, and basically everything else anyone needed. It wasn’t until many years later (December of 2009 to be exact), that I got the urge to write a Thriller Romance. It was then I realized I wanted to be a writer.

2. How long does it take you to write a book?  It takes me anywhere from 6 months to a year to write my books. It truly depends on what’s going on in my life. I was able to write Wilson Mooney Almost Eighteen in roughly 6 months, but that was me writing every minute I could steal. I’m just not one of those authors that can hammer out several books in 6 months. My creative process doesn’t work that way. My life isn’t conducive to that. I still have a job, 3 kids, a husband, and friends that all need a part of me. So, when I am on and the creative process is in motion…I am prolific. But otherwise, writing a quality story people love…for me, takes time.

3. What do you think makes a great story? A great story needs impeccable character development. The story must have the ability to transport the reader into another world. When I wrote The Wilson Mooney Series, I had 2 goals in mind. The first goal was to give people the opportunity to escape their realities. I didn’t want my readers to worry about their bills, house, bank account or problems. I wanted them to be entertained for those few days or the handful of hours they read the story. The second goal was to get the readers to “dog-ear” the good pages. I wanted to give them a story that didn’t fade to black when the characters became intimate. However; it was extremely important to me to keep the descriptive actions, tasteful and without vulgarity.

4. What is your work schedule like when you're writing? Fortunately I work for an elementary school, so when schools out, I’m writing. Unfortunately, when schools out so are my kids. So writing becomes a time and space filled with stolen moments. Sometimes I have long stretches of time to write, and other times I’m working to snatch moments of inspiration between carpooling and classes.

5. How do you balance family and writing? Honestly, not as well as I should. I have a calendar and even then I miss things. And, you bet I have the mommy guilt for it. Most of the time, when they are watching TV, I write. They get home from school, and do homework, I write. Any time they are preoccupied I find moments to write. I know I need to step back and balance my life better. Sure my house suffers the wrath of my lack of cleaning, and some nights my kids will come in complaining they are hungry, but in the huge scheme of things, I am teaching them to follow their passion and if you get hungry…find something to eat. Balancing family and writing is one area I could improve for sure, but I think my boys understand how important writing is to me, and how much it has changed our lives for the better.

6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? Most of the time stories are just coming through me. Sometimes I can be looking at something and it will ignite a thought in my head and I will take off with it. Others can be a flicker of a moment when I closed my eyes and visions came to me. Now when I was writing Prototype (the first novel I wrote in 2009) there was technical terminology and advanced computer devices I wasn’t educated about so I had to go on the internet and research it. But a lot of Prototype along with its companion Hindsight’s 20/20, was spent closing my eyes and visualizing what I see happening to the characters.

7. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? I think one of the most surprising things I’ve learned in creating my books is the tremendous amount of work I have to do marketing them. When I first started writing, my thought was, I’ll write it, everyone will love it and we’ll all sing love songs about the characters and the world will fall in love with my books! Every day, there is work to be done, not just writing, but marketing, producing, and social networking. Nobody will know about my books, if I’m held up in my writing cave and not out talking about them. But with that being said, I have to balance the whole ebb and flow of self promotion. Too much and people stop listening, not enough, and people won’t find you. But fortunately, I am surrounded by amazing readers, bloggers and authors whom support me, and I support them. I have to say, belonging to the self-pub/indie community is such a gift. Most of my experience with people in my industry has been nothing but completely amazing; so supportive, cooperative, and creative.

8. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? I have completed 4 books, and have roughly 10 started and waiting for my attention. Asking me my favorite is like making me choose between my kids...But if you’re twisting my arm and making me choose…I’d have to say the one I haven’t finished yet called, Ophelia’s Promise. I am really excited about getting back to working on that book. It’s a young adult novel about a 16 year old boy, Nash and his 8 year old sister, Ophelia, and their journey through the trials and tribulations of growing up submersed in dysfunction. They get a second chance at normalcy when they are sent to spend the summer with their paternal grandparents in California. Nash and Ophelia discover through love and loss, they have the ability within themselves to recover their hope. It’s a story scribed from self discovery; etched with pain, loss, and defeat; and yet, it is imbibed with hope, love, and redemption.

9. Are your characters based on anyone you know? Yeah, Cindy! Well, Cindy actually represents a mixture of several people that I’ve known in my life. The thing about Cindy is everyone has one. That’s what makes her such a good antagonist. The girl we love to hate. As far as other characters, well, certain personalities or traits I admire or struggle with find their way into my characters.

10. Do you have a favorite place you love to write? I usually write while sitting in bed at night. I have this rolling bedside table from the fifties that slides right over my lap and a chair pillow a friend of mine gave me. It works well, and doesn’t take up a whole room. Not to say that I wouldn’t love to have an office some day, but for now, I write where ever electricity and a flat surface is available.

11. Tell us one thing we wouldn’t already know about you. I rarely carry a purse, unless I’m going somewhere fancy and the outfit I am wearing doesn’t have pockets. I hate having things dangle from my shoulder and I don’t like how cumbersome a purse feels to me. Besides, I’ve always feared I’d forget it somewhere. Let’s face it; I’ve just always been a pocket girl. It drives my girlfriends crazy.

12. What do your family and friends think about your books? My family and friends are very supportive of my writing career. A lot of my close friends have read and re-read all of my work. Of course my 3 boys haven’t read my books. And to be honest, The Wilson Mooney Series is geared toward women. So even though my husband is supportive of my writing career, and started to read the first book; I’ve found after being together over 23 years, if it doesn’t have anything to do with sports, player stats, drafts, or acquisitions…he losses interest pretty fast. That’s okay, because he’s supportive of me traveling, and taking the time to write. My parents have read the books….I try and not think about that, but they loved them and support me. Actually, everyone around me is extremely supportive; I am a very fortunate person.

13. What do you like to do when you are not writing? When I’m not writing I busy being mom. I love to hang out with my family, growing my spirituality, and spend time with friends. I love to see and support my boys doing things that are their passions. All three of them are so different; it’s fun to watch them thrive in such diverse areas of their lives. You know, over all, writing can be all consuming and I am still learning how to balance my life.

14. Do you have any suggestions to help aspiring writers better themselves and their craft? If so, what are they? Ha, well, considering I’m still learning so much about the process and how personal it is to each writer; I can only suggest tools that work for me. 1. Always follow your gut. That inner voice is your intuition and it will never steer you wrong. Even when life appears like it’s moving in slow motion, or in the wrong direction, it isn’t. Allow the creative process to unfold. Remember, your life is a journey, not a race. 2. Find your own way and don’t rely on others to hold your hand. You are the only one who can truly write what is in your soul. 3. Try not to get caught up in your critical mind. Sometimes I hear writers talk about how they can’t get past the fear of judgment; whether it is self judgment or judgment of others. One thing you have to remember is that there will always be someone judging your work. Not everyone is going to fall in love with your books. It’s how you choose to react to judgment that defuses the power it holds. Don’t allow praise or criticism to define who you are. 4. Write what the characters tell you to, or the words that come through you. You have to allow the characters their life, even when you don’t like where it is going. 5. Don’t worry about grammar at first; just get the story down on paper or screen. You can always go back and fix issues. Don’t get stopped up with mechanics; if the story is flowing prolifically through you…go with it, you can always fix it later in revisions. 6. Lastly, enjoy the ride. If writing becomes a struggle, forced or no fun, stop, go about life and come back to it when that spark ignites again. (Wow, I didn’t realize I had so much advice. LOL)

15. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? Oh my God, I always wanted to be an actress. (still do) I loved acting; I majored in drama in college. It was my passion. I wasn’t ever good enough to take it past the small stages of the college’s little theatre or even the ski slopes of Tahoe(a story for another time. LOL). I think the training I had in San Francisco’s Jean Shelton’s Acting Academy in the 90’s was invaluable as writer. When I first started writing, I would worry because I didn’t have a degree in literature. I used to stress on the idea of having to tell people I wasn’t trained the traditional way, a lot of writers were. It took the words of a couple of dear close friends, convincing me that I didn’t need to be ashamed of not being a formally trained writer. They were the ones that pointed out that the experience I had as a drama major and actress was what gave me the ability to write stories people could fall in love with and relate to. That’s when I embraced my past and let it support my future.

16. What are your favorite books and which authors inspire you? This question has always plagued me in interviews, because it depends on where I am in my life. My answer is never glamorous as people want it to be. My favorite book of all time, is not one in my genre, as a matter of fact it is a non-fiction book called, This Thing Called You, by Dr. Ernest Holmes. It is my go to book that I read every day. It is the type of book you can open to any page and find the inspiration you are looking for. If I had to choose someone in fiction, early on in my career it would have to be Charlaine Harris author of the Sookie Stackhouse Series. Back in early 2000 when I read her books, I was drawn to her ability to make me want to “dog-ear” the steamy pages. Her books ignited my desire to write. As of right now, I’ve been really interested in indie/self-pubbed books. So my list isn’t huge but it is eclectic as far as what authors I’ve been reading lately. I’ve recently read books from Cassie Mae, CJ Roberts, Nyrae Dawn, AL Jackson and Gail McHugh just to name a few. I have to admit, I wish I’d make more time to read.

17. For an aspiring writer what do you feel are certain do's and don’ts for writing a successful book? First never, ever write for anyone but yourself (trust me on that one). You’ll find a niche and people who love your work, will find you! Never sacrifice your time and talent for fleeting advancement. Compromise, is one thing, but if it doesn’t feel right…then it probably isn’t. Write a kick-ass story, make sure you invest in a really good editor, and no matter what anyone says, a book is always judged by its cover, so make sure your cover is the bomb!

18. What are you working on now? Well, right at this moment I am working on a novel close to my heart, Ophelia’s Promise, a NA that deals with family issues, bonds between siblings, and the ability to grow from life’s experiences, even when they are really bad. I am also reworking a novel I wrote a couple years ago called Prototype and its companion novel, Hindsight. That series is an Adult Thriller Romance.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Gretchen! It's been really great having you with us! Come back soon and good luck with your new writing adventures!

By day Gretchen teaches computers, by night she dawns the cloak of motherhood, wifehood, and authorship. She is finding her way through self-publishing and is truly learning to let go with every curve and bump in the creative process. Gretchen enjoys writing about first loves and first times, in the first person. She is a firm believer that anything is possible if you set your mind to it; and what you expect out of life, always finds a way of showing up.

She happily lives in Northern California with her amazing husband, their three terrific boys, her talented mother, one goofy black lab, one crazy kitty, and eight happy chickens. Even though it sounds like it, she doesn't live on a farm.

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Guest Review By Crystal: Child of Stone (Shardwell #3) by Amanda Gerry and Christy Hall

I was engineered for war.

As an elite soldier of the Blended Coalition, I go where they tell me. I don’t ask questions. The mission. That’s all there is.

But somethin’s changing’. Gods and magic? That skrit makes my head hurt. Things aren’t what I fraggin’ thought they were—or was told. 

Turns out the Coalition is rotten from the inside. Orders don’t make sense. I feel doubt in my gut. Now I’m stuck, tryin’ to decide what to do.

But somehow, I got the feelin’ that I ain't gonna get a choice anyway

Title: Child of Stone (Shardwell #)

Author: A. Gerry and C. Hall

Publication Date: August 2nd, 2013

Crystal's Review:

On Goodreads and Amazon
5 stars

After reading (and loving!) the first two books in the Shardwell Series, I was dying to get my hands on Child of Stone. Gerry and Hall didn't disappoint.

The first book is set in present day Earth, the second is set some time earlier in a fantastical "shard" of princes and princesses, Child of Stone is based sometime in between in galactic setting, which I'm not usually a fan of, but Gerry and Hall are a couple of geniuses. This is where we finally get Kyle's story. 

Lance Kyleren is a "blended" - which means that he was basically created to be the elite of the elite soldiers. The Coalition is at war and Lt. Lance Kyleren is part of the mission sent to cripple the enemy when impossibly a woman materializes on his ship. This beautiful, feisty woman, turns out to none other than Margariete, who was somehow separated from Raelyn when entering the shard in search of Esilwen. True to their story, Margariete and Kyleren hate each other... at first (you gotta love a love/hate story). The mission gets derailed, Esilwen and Kirion turn out to both be in this shard, there's fighting, magic, gods and goddesses, and elves, and all set in the galactic world - I never would have thought that could work, but it does! 

Once again, I don't want to ruin the book for anyone that hasn't read it because truly it's an amazing series. So without giving away too many details I'll say this: Gerry and Hall have an uncanny ability to create amazing worlds and take you into them. What started out as seemingly slightly different/talented teenage kids have turned out to be so much more. The world they have unfolded, the elements they're able to bring together, the characters they have created is all just ... I mean... it's... they're awesome. 

Ladies - please hurry with the 4th book! I'm dying over here!

Crystal
a contributing reviewer for www.thecovercontessa.com 

A. Gerry developed an interest in fantasy at a young age. In middle school, she fell in love with writing short stories and was thrilled when her sister proposed creating a series of novels together. Her fondness of writing comes from many sources, but the most prominent is her avid devotion to video games. Some of her favorites include Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls series, and anything that lets her shoot zombies. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Southern Utah University and teaches at a local charter school.




C. Hall has been addicted to the many realms of fantasy and science fiction all her life. She joined her first peer writers’ group in the sixth grade, joyfully sharing world building at a young age. A graduate of Southern Utah University, she now teaches at a local charter school. When she isn’t busy designing activities for her Mythology class or going on field trips with the Star Wars Club, she is spending time with her sister, A Gerry. C. Hall’s favorite authors include J.R.R Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Tracy Hickman.

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