YA Squad

Monday, February 22, 2016

Guest post with Katherine Fleet






Hi, everyone. I’m Katherine Fleet, debut author of  “The Secret to Letting Go” and I’m so excited to be here today. My book is a YA contemporary set in a fictional town on the Gulf Coast of Florida during that magical summer after high school graduation where the whole world is out there waiting for you. It’s the story of two teens, Clover and Daniel, who are both dealing with tragedies from their past and discovering what it means to forgive themselves and truly move on. But while life keeps throwing them together, their secrets keep them apart.

Guilt and regret are main themes of the story. Both Daniel and Clover are dealing with major “what if” moments. What if they’d just said or done something differently? Their lives could have gone on a much different track. It’s also about learning to trust someone enough to open up about your secrets, which is easy for some and really difficult for others.

The idea of regret was something I really wanted to write about. Personally, I’ve always struggled with it. I am the type of person to stew over past decisions and actions. I think about what could have happened if I’d made a different choice, and these thoughts and doubts often take away from my enjoyment of the present. 

I have three kids, and I see that at least one of them is like me. They also tend to get bogged down in regrets. It’s funny, because I always assumed that everyone did this. Then I met and married my husband, and he wastes very little time on regret. He learns from mistakes, but then he moves on. He is definitely much better at living in the moment than I was. When he sees me stewing about things, he always says the same thing: “Kate, you just have to let it go.”

So like Clover and Daniel, I’ve gradually learned that there is no silver bullet when it comes to regret and guilt. You just have to work on it one day at a time, until eventually it’s not such an overpowering urge. Over time, I’ve gotten better at living in the moment and this has made me a happier person. Sometimes I cheat. I think about all the extremely negative things that could have happened if I’d done something differently, which makes me more content with the choice I made. Hopefully my husband doesn’t read this, or he might think I am crazy!

When I see my son stewing about things, I see how draining and futile this emotion is, but I also understand how hard it is to put aside. So this has become one of my goals as a parent – to teach my kids to live in the moment, to make peace with their past decisions and choices.

In the end, the secret is to just let it go…Thanks for reading!




Meet Katherine


Originally from Newfoundland, Katherine Fleet gave up the cold winters of Eastern Canada for the year round warmth of the Caribbean. The slower pace of island life has given her time to pursue a long-time goal—becoming an author. When she’s not writing, she spends her time baking, chauffeuring her three amazing, talented kids around, and having sun-filled adventures with her husband and wonderful friends in CuraƧao. She is also a very thankful breast cancer survivor. In 2007, she joined RWA and has enjoyed the support and camaraderie of the YARWA and OIRWA writing communities. She’s participated in NaNoWriMo since 2012 and is an active supporter of the associated Young Writers Program. She is represented by super-agent Carrie Pestritto of Prospect Agency. The Secret to Letting Go is her debut novel. You can connect with her at www.KatherineFleet.com.

Connect with Katherine...



  One summer can change everything...

Haunted with guilt after his girlfriend’s death, Daniel Hudson has no interest in committing to anyone. At the end of the summer, he’ll be leaving Florida for a new start in college. If only he could avoid the mysterious new girl in town, who seems every bit as naive and eccentric as she looks. Trouble is, she’s hard to ignore, with her beautiful piercing eyes, pitiful-looking dog, and unsettling tendency of finding trouble.


Clover Scott lived her whole life off the grid and arrives on the Gulf coast in search of her grandparents. She never expected to nearly drown, or get caught in a hurricane, or fall in love with the boy who rescues her. Now, she has a chance to rewrite her life’s story, to finally fit in somewhere, but Daniel wants answers about her past. When the police start asking questions about the disappearance of her parents, she must make a choice: go to jail or confess her secrets—even if they might destroy her chance at a happily-ever-after.
 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Morning Or Night…..

What’s your preference?

I’m an absolute morning person. I get up early (usually by 5.45 – but I’ve been awake longer) and I’m bright and cheerful and drive all my night time (don’t talk to me until at least 10am) friends crazy.
And it dawned on me the other day, while talking to someone on the other side of the world who was working through the night, that I’ve never pulled an all nighter (not counting partying, obviously).
Even when studying for exams at Uni, I would get up and start at 7am, work through until 7pm (with lots of breaks) and then relax. Whereas, some of my friends wouldn’t get up and start work until 2pm and work until 2 the following morning. Arrggh, the thought of it sends shivers up and down my spine.
I guess it helps that I don’t need a lot of sleep. I probably average about 5 hours a night (unfortunately not all in one go, as I never sleep right through).

So, what about you – what’s your best time of day?


PS The jelly beans are here because they look so pretty!!!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Cover reveal - Amid Wind & Stone by Nicole Luiken



Meet Nicole Luiken, Author of the Otherselves series!





Nicole Luiken wrote her first book at age 13 and never stopped.

She is the author of nine published books for young adults, including Violet Eyes and its sequels Silver Eyes and Angels Eyes, Frost, Unlocking the Doors, The Catalyst, Escape to the Overworld, Dreamfire and the sequel Dreamline. Through Fire & Sea, book one of Otherselves, and Amid Wind & Stone, book two of Otherselves, are her most recent releases. She also has an adult thriller, Running on Instinct, under the name N.M. Luiken and a fantasy romance series, Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith.

Nicole lives with her family in Edmonton, AB. It is physically impossible for her to go more than three days in a row without writing.

Website
Twitter: @NicoleLuiken


Amid Wind & Stone (Otherselves, #2)

Releasing Mar. 7, 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy


((Isn't is awesome!??))

There is one True World, and then there are the four Mirror Worlds: Fire, Water, Air, and Stone. Audrey and Dorotea are “otherselves”—twin copies of each other who live on different Mirror Worlds.

On Air, Audrey has the ability to communicate with wind spirits. As war looms, she’s torn between loyalty to her country and her feelings for a roguish phantom who may be a dangerous spy. 

Blackouts and earthquakes threaten the few remaining humans on Stone, who have been forced to live underground. To save her injured sister, Dorotea breaks taboo and releases an imprisoned gargoyle. Brooding, sensitive Jasper makes her wonder if gargoyles aretruly traitors, as she’s always been told. 

Unbeknownst to them, they both face the same enemy—an evil sorceress bent on shattering all the Mirror Worlds.


Add Amid Wind & Stone to your Goodreads TBR! 

Find Amid Wind & Stone 

And just in case you missed the first book in the series (and its beautiful cover)...
Through Fire & Sea (Otherselves, #1)



There is one True World, and then there are the four mirror worlds: fire, water, air, and stone. And each has a magic of its own…

In the Fire World, seventeen-year-old Leah is the illegitimate daughter of one of the realm’s most powerful lords. She’s hot-blooded—able to communicate with the tempestuous volcano gods. But she has another gift…the ability to Call her twin “Otherselves” on other worlds.

Holly resides in the Water World—our world. When she’s called by Leah from the Fire World, she nearly drowns. Suddenly the world Holly thought she knew is filled with secrets, magic…and deadly peril. 

For a malevolent force seeks to destroy the mirror worlds. And as Leah and Holly are swept up in the tides of chaos and danger, they have only one choice to save the mirror worlds—to shatter every rule they’ve ever known…




Add Through Fire and Sea to your Goodreads TBR! 

Find Through Fire and Sea
Amazon.com  

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Book-iversary Wisdom from a Newbie Author

In which I write a much-too-long blog that may or may not be helpful to new authors...


Tomorrow is the one year book-iversary of my debut YA novel, HOW (NOT) TO FALL IN LOVE, published by Entangled Teen. In some ways it feels like it was much longer than a year ago, and in other ways it feels like yesterday.


Finished book and some (not all) of the drafts...


Before I was published, I was always hungry for inside deets from authors who were further along their publishing journeys than me, so today I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned in the two years since I contracted my first book. One caveat: in the ginorumous wild west playground that is currently the publishing biz, please note that I’m still a newbie, not quite crawling like a baby but definitely not an advanced marathoner- yet.


Since my first book debuted one year ago, my publisher has also released my second novel, a YA rom-com titled PLAYING THE PLAYER and will release my third book, a YA romance titled THE REPLACEMENT CRUSH, in September, 2016. Additionally, I’ve contracted with Entangled Teen for three more contemporary YA romances to be published by their “Crush” imprint.


I don’t tell you all of that to sound like a braggy-pants (as my son used to say), but instead to share the "why" behind my most important “to do” for new writers:


KEEP WRITING!! 


Once that first novel is polished and making the rounds to agents and editors, start a new book! And once you finish that one, start another. Keep notes for all of your brilliant book ideas because there will come a time when your editor and/or agent will ask, “What else have you got?” And you want to be ready when that happens.


CELEBRATE EVERYTHING!


Seriously- don’t skip this step. Writing is a hard, lonely, ego-killing, soul-eating business. But we do it anyway because it’s also amazing, joyous, transportive, addicting...and we pretty much have no choice if we’ve been bitten by the writing bug. Celebrate finishing that first ugly draft because it’s the hardest one. Then celebrate again when you finish your first round of revisions and it’s not so ugly anymore. Passed it off to your critique partners and beta readers? More celebrating. Came up with a great list of potential titles? Woo hoo! (and can I borrow your title brain?). Did a reader tweet you their five-star review of your book? Air hug them- and celebrate. Did you get one of those amazingly rare specimens- actual fan mail written on paper sent with actual postage? Wow! Hang that baby on the wall!


COMMUNITY


You really need friends in this business- other writers who get the crazy. This is one I’m still working on. I’m very shy, and introverted is my middle name, but I do have long-time writer friends and critique partners who I can lean on, whine to, and cry with in a pinch. One of my goals for this year is to expand my network, to put on my extrovert hat when attending conferences and reader events, to not be so stinking shy all the time and show more of the real me online. I envy those rare birds who are extroverted writers, and if you are one- good for you! You’ll find the whole social and marketing side of the business much to your liking. (And maybe you can say hi to me if you see me hiding in a corner at a conference.)


I have blabbed way too long (which would hardly shock my editor) so I’ll wrap it up:


KEEP WRITING!
CELEBRATE!
FIND COMMUNITY!


And finally- don’t give up. If you really, really want this, don’t stop. I did stop, for way too long, and I’ll always regret it. Life’s too short to add "giving up on a dream" to that sack of regrets we all carry around, so keep going!




I look forward to hearing about your book-iversaries some day!