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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Push yourself

When you begin writing, usually it's in a very simple way and everything you write within the first few years of writing is the same. This is alright if you don't ever plan on going anywhere with your writing, but if you want to write for the New York Times or write a best-seller, then you need to try something new.

Now, there are about a billion ways of writing and if you read a lot, you've probably read so many different ways that it makes your head spin. All of these ways of writing probably didn't just magically happen when the writer put pen to paper. I'll bet you that it took them years of trying out new ways to write before they came up with the best for them.

Maybe you write first person and use very simple, common, everyday words. Well, why not push yourself and try something new? How about third person, using synonyms for some of your favorite words and stretching your vocabulary. Try not to use the words 'that' and 'it' so often. Maybe even write a genre that you've never even thought about writing  before.

All of these things can help you grow as a writer. Even if you decide to stick with first person narrative, your writing style will not be the same as it was before. By exploring new ways of writing and thinking, you're expanding your creativity and improving the way that you write.

Just try pushing yourself and trying something new, because if you just continue writing the same way, how are you bettering yourself?

- Kailyn

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Cover Reveal - Vision of Shadows by Vincent Marrone

 

December 30, 2013


Is Bristol Blackburn about to meet the love of her life...or her killer? 

After the death of her parents, Bristol Blackburn's life is thrown into chaos and she's forced to move to Spirit, a small town where shadows are stirring. As she learns to navigate her new school and figures out how to keep her psychic abilities secret from her family, Bristol comes face to face with the boy who makes a regular appearance in her dreams: the gorgeous, possibly deadly, Payne McKnight. Soon she’ll find out if Payne will be the love of her life, or the end of it — and she has no idea which possibility scares her more.

And that's not even the worst of it. Strange shadows are haunting her dreams, and they're up to something that could put Bristol and the lives of everyone she loves in jeopardy.
 
You can add Vision of Shadows to your to-read list on Goodreads:

Want a taste? 

 
Journal of Bristol Blackburn
Sunday, March 17th

There are times when being psychic really bites and this is one of them. Here it is, three in the morning and all I can think about is the boy who will eventually have his hands on me.

I have no idea what his name is. We’ve never met, but I feel like we’ve grown up together. I’ve had visions of him since I was six years old. Now, eleven years later, I know we’re getting closer and closer to finally meeting. I think it’s going to happen any day now.

And the thought scares the hell out of me. 
 
I know what Dream Boy will look like. In a word: hot. Dark hair that falls loosely over his deep blue eyes. He has an angel’s face and the devil’s grin. 
 
I know he’s got a bad boy attitude. Half the time, I get flashes of him getting hurt. Sometimes he’s playing the hero. Other times, he’s just being an idiot. Many times, it seems like there’s someone who enjoys hurting him.

What I don’t know is what he’ll be to me. 
 
There are times when he seems to love me. Don’t ask me why. But he’ll look at me with nothing but love and contentment in his eyes. Earlier tonight, I had one of those dreams. One where he couldn’t keep his hands off of me. Weird that I know every inch of his body, yet I have no idea what his name is, huh.

Then there’s the other vision. It was the first one I had of him and the one I have most often. It’s the one I woke from tonight, the feeling of his hands still on my skin.

In that vision, he doesn’t look at me with love, but hatred. He has his hands wrapped around my neck as he slowly squeezes the life out of me.

So any day now, I’m about to meet the boy of my dreams—literally. Then I get to see if he’s going to be the love of my life, or the end of it.

Funny thing is, I’m not sure which idea scares the crap out of me more.

  
 About the Author. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, Vincent Morrone now resides in Upstate NY with his wife. (Although he can still speak fluent Brooklynese.) His twin daughters remain not only his biggest fans, but usually are the first to read all of his work. Their home is run and operated for the comfort and convenience of their dogs.
Vincent has been writing fiction, poetry and song lyrics for as long as he can remember, most of which involve magical misfits, paranormal prodigies and even on occasion superheroes and their sidekicks.

As they say in Brooklyn: Yo, you got something to say to Vincent?
Check out http://vincentmorrone.com/ where you can learn about Vincent and leave him a comment. You can also connect with Vincent on Twitter https://twitter.com/Vince524 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Morrrone.


Wow, what a stunning cover! I don't know about you, but I can't wait to read this book.

-Kailyn