Hunger Games: DISTRICT INDIE

This week’s YA Indie Carnival hot topic is The Hunger Games. Carnival writers and reviewers were asked to reap a boy and girl “tribute” to compete. Thinking on the Midnight Guardian Series, Brun and Broo Gammen immediately come to mind.

I know what you’re thinking. Yes, brother and sister against each other means big drama. However, these two have never been chummy. They despise each other and only work together when it’s of mutual benefit. They’ve squared off before.

Broo strikes me as more of a Career. She has charisma, strength, and no remorse. Plus, she can shapeshift which would be the ultimate secret weapon in the arena.

Brun would be more of an independent in the games. His fighting skill and speed would make him a fierce competitor, but his acute strategical prowess would put him over the top. He’d play more of a Haymitch thinking game and that smile would be bound to attract many sponsors.

By the way, I was among the insane masses who went to a midnight showing and it was AWESOME. It differs from the book several times. Some things are glaring like Buttercup is black and white. Really? His name is buttercup…a yellow cat named for a yellow flower. What were they thinking? Are there no yellow cats with a SAG card?

So, I still proclaim that the book was better; but the movie doesn’t disappoint. It’s definitely a must see. Violence is toned down greatly, the worst, in my opinion, being at the run for the cornicopia.

See what characters these participating authors would have in the games. And, as always, may the odds be EVER in your favor…

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	8.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	10.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	12.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	14.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls	16.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	18.	TG Ayer
19.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	20.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.	Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover	22.	Courtney Cole Writes
23.	Four Seasons of Writing: Variable like the Employment

Giveaways, Appearances, WIPs, and Books OH MY!!!

Here’s the latest in a nutshell, from the chief nut herself…

Enter the NEW Midnight Child giveaway on Goodreads

Book Signing, 10 p.m. to midnight, Silver Screen VII Gallipolis, before The Hunger Games midnight premiere this Thursday night. Get your pic with Peeta (the cardboard version, but hey, who’s gonna know).

Getting up early the next day to be a judge at the annual Speech Meet hosted by Ohio Valley Christian School.

Mogdoc Drawing Contest for middle and highschoolers, deadline was extended to April 8th. Rules are posted to this blog or you can contact Bossard Library in Gallipolis, Ohio for the details. Winner will be announced during Library Week festivities.

Poetry Slam, University of Rio Grande, on the courts outside the Student Center weather permitting, inside Davis Center if rain, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, April 11th. I’m one of the judges, so bring your best. Event hosted by Rio Friends of the Davis Library and the URG English Honor’s Society as part of  Library Week.

Check out Transfer Student, which goes on sale today, written by fellow indie writer and all around nice person Laura A. H. Elliott.

WIP (Work in Progress): Number 1 question I’ve been asked this week…Is Book 4 the end of the Midnight Guardian series? No, I have six books planned. Book 4, Shadows Rising, is slated for tentative release in Fall 2012. The “shadows” from Ann’s campfire story in Book 1 will be prominently featured. Book 5, currently under the working title of For All Time, has an anticipated Spring 2013 release. The final installment, which I’ve given a working title of House of Gammen, will hopefully release in November/December 2013. That’s the plan. However, my aunt tells me that I’ll never be able to stop at six, so we’ll see. I’ve got some other projects in the works that may help me cope with the loss, but more about that later.

The Embarrassing Side Effects of Having Recently Read "The Hunger Games"

Reblogged from Holley Maher | Official Website:

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Yes. I did it. I finally read the first Hunger Games book, in exactly one day. I had an 8 am flight from Pittsburgh to Memphis to Nashville, so around 6:30 or so after making my way through security in Pittsburgh, I wandered into one of the airport bookstores. About 20 hours later, I’d finished reading it. Actually, I don’t think what I did was “read” that book, it was something more akin to ravenously devouring it, only stopping occasionally to eat, drink, and pee.

Read more… 706 more words

Love this Hunger Games post. Don't forget that I'll be on site signing copies of the Midnight Guardian Series, just before the midnight premiere of The Hunger Games at Silver Screen VII this Thursday night.

YA Indie Carnival: Luck ‘O the Irish

Top ‘o the mornin’ to ye Carnival goers and welcome to the topic of the week from the Young Adult Indie Carnival. With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, this week’s topic is LUCK.

“Hey, that looks like the good luck charm that your Mom gave me before the showdown with Bov.” He examined it, “But this one’s a little different.”

“It’s called an Atlantis token.”

“Oh, so it’s magically lucky?”

In Of Sun & Moon, Colby’s first impression of an Atlantis token was that it was a lucky charm. We know it to be otherwise, but I have to admit that I do have a certain fondness for stories attached to lucky coins. One of my faves is

YA Indie Carnival: Do You Spring Forward or Fall Back?

Do you fall for Fall? Are you a Winter wannabe? This week at the YA Indie Carnival, we’re talkin’ about our fave seasons to write.

Before I get started, just a brief report. I’d like to thank my fellow indie writers who allowed me a brief delay on this week’s post due to the Midnight Child Launch Party held last night. This was my first official, public book launch party and it was

YA Indie Carnival: Busting Blocks

This week at the YA Indie Carnival we’re talking about solutions for what every author dreads…writer’s block.

We all experience it from time to time. I’m sure, for the most part, I handle it like many others with freewriting and brainstorming. However, I have to admit that I do have a secret weapon when it comes to writer’s block. It’s called “The Make Up  Story Game”.

Allow me to explain. I live on a 1,000 plus acre farm along the Ohio River, the inspiration for the Hayes farm in my books. Part of my daily life is a 30 minute commute to the nearest town. The drive is very boring; the road is poker straight with little traffic and the same speed limit the entire way. My kids, Justin (10) and Reece (7), early on created games to make the drive more bearable. One of Justin’s contributions was The Make Up Story Game.

It’s a round robin where each person adds to a story. Justin will start with a line like, “Once upon a time there was a magic cow.” Then Reece adds another line or two; then it’s my turn. We keep taking turns until we come to the end of the story. Justin and Reece are complete opposites, not only in what they like, but also in how they think and approach problems. This helps to create some very neat twists and turns in a very unpredictable story.

So, back to our writer’s block problem. When I am hopelessly blocked, the boys will allow me to start my scene in The Make Up Story Game. Now, keep in mind, they’re 10 and 7 and pretty mischievous. I never actually use their ideas as they typically involve dragons that burp lightning or mogdocs that play XBox. Their ideas raised to a whole new level of craziness after they accompanied me on a book research mission to the Great Serpent Mound last fall (pictured). However, what does happen is that they approach the scene in a whole different way. They get me thinking about it differently too. It gets me out of the box that I set myself in. Life is nice outside the box.

Take a look at how these other YA Indie Authors step out of the box and overcome their writer’s block:

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	8.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	10.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	12.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	14.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls	16.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	18.	TG Ayer
19.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	20.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.	Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover	22.	Courtney Cole Writes

Lovin’ the Name of this New Girl

Check out Dead Radiance from my fellow YA Indie Carnival author T.G. Ayer!

For as long as she can recall Bryn Halbrook (Bryn, great name, right?) has seen a golden aura around certain people, and it is only when her new best friend Joshua dies that she understands the glow means death. Bryn struggles to adapt to a new town and a new foster home while trying to deal with the guilt of being unable to save her friend. Until mysterious biker-boy, Aidan Lee arrives.

When Aidan unexpectedly takes off he leaves behind a shattered heart, a tonne of unanswered questions and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn is a Valkyrie. Bryn is faced with questions about Aidan’s real identity, the real reason he came to Craven, and that Odin, Freya and Valhalla just might be real.

As if accepting her new wings, new life and new home in Asgard isn’t difficult enough, Bryn is forced to find and return the precious necklace of the Goddess Freya. The only problem is – if she fails, Aidan will die.

The mystery of a Mythology is easy to enjoy. The reality is much harder to accept.

Get your copy at: http://amzn.to/yqRmMa

Read more about T.G. Ayer at: https://tgayer.wordpress.com/

If you’ve already read it, let me know what you think below.

YA Indie Carnival: Name that Tune

We’re cranking up the calliope for this week’s YA Indie Carnival while we talk about the music that inspires us. But first, a disclaimer…

I was a mass communications major in college. Part of my course study was a stint in the university’s tiny radio studio where the radio waves were all mine for one hour every Thursday night. It was the best. I played whatever I wanted. I love music, but I’m really not choosy. There’s a format type called “middle of the road” which is typically top 40 stuff that everyone likes. Well, my fellow classmates teased me that my style was more “all over the road”. I’d play country and hip-hop, showtunes and metal. I loved it all.

So that’s the reasoning behind my wild list below. Some are old favorites while others are newly discovered. These are the songs that have inspired me over the past months when I lock myself in the office and write…

Faith, Hope and Love – Beckah Shae (from the Midnight Child book trailer)

Wicked soundtrack – Original Broadway cast

Haunted – Taylor Swift

Hard to Handle – The Black Crowes

Sexy and I Know It – LMFAO

Bella’s Lullaby – Taliesin Orchestra

Dirty Little Secret – The All-American Rejects

Somebody’s Heartbreak – Hunter Hayes

Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard

We Found Love – Rihanna

Beautiful Liar – Beyonce & Shakira

Evacuate the Dance Floor – Cascada

Set Fire to the Rain – Adele

Proof that I’m a creative person. Who else would put Adele and Def Leppard on the same list?

What do you think a mogdoc looks like?

To mark the release of Midnight Child, book 3 in the Midnight Guardian series, Swancrest Publishing and the Dr. Samuel L. Bossard Memorial Library are holding a drawing contest for high and middle school students in the U.S.

–> Click for Rules

Deadline to Enter is March 5, 2012

YA Indie Carnival: Kiss & ______

This week’s Indie Carnival is all about Kiss and Tell. No doubt, my fellow indies have posted kissing scenes from their brilliant works. They are a very talented bunch, so be sure to check them out.

I posted my kissing scene excerpt too. This is an excerpt from my newest novel, Midnight Child, which releases TODAY!

But you know what? I’m all about the mystery of romance and I’m just a tiny bit mischievous. Therefore, I’ve strategically placed blanks in the excerpt to leave you guessing. Muwahaha!

If you want to make a game of it, put your guesses for the blanks in the comment section for everyone to see. Keep your mind out of the gutter and remember that these books are appropriate for pre-teens as well as teens (as should be anything posted in the comment section or else it will be trashed). If you want a peek at the answers, read the full excerpt. Enjoy!

Excerpt From Midnight Child (Midnight Guardian Series, Book 3)

“You take me back. Take me back,” she screamed.

She pounded against _____’s chest, while he stood calm and still. Her eyes were _______ and her cries more like _______.

“Take me back,” she repeated over and over yet he remained ______.

She grabbed his hand and tried to mimic the motion of opening a threshold. Without his will behind it, her attempts were useless.

“Take me back,” she demanded again.

He turned her around without a ______ and pointed up to the _____ above. Green and blue _____ danced in the sky above the water. It resembled the ________ _______.

Keira wiped a ______ hand across her eyes as her breathing slowed back to normal. The sky was magical and ________ and beautiful. ______ brushed his warm hands over her shoulders and down the _______ of her arms.

He leaned to her ear and whispered, “_____ _____ with me.”

Keira closed her ______ and ________ed.

Brun softly kissed her _______.

She _____ slowly to face him as he put a _______ on the side of her ______. It was ______ and flushed from anger. He closed his eyes and lowered his _____. He could feel the _______ of her breath on his lips. Then, for the second time in her young life, Keira ______ed Brun Gammen, high prince of the Mogdoc Empire.

Wow, that was fun. Now for the rest of the carnival…

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	Heather Self	4.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga	6.	Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	8.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9.	Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series	10.	Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11.	Dani Snell’s Refracted Light Reviews	12.	Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
13.	M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping	14.	Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
15.	Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls	16.	Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
17.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	18.	TG Ayer
19.	Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy	20.	Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
21.	Roots in Myth, PJ Hoover	22.	Courtney Cole Writes