Archive for the ‘Author Feature’ Category

Yesterday I shared my review of Detention of the Living Dead with you and I am so completely excited to share an exclusive deleted scene that Rusty Fischer wrote just for Words at Home featuring yours truly!

Ditching Detention: A Deleted Scene from Detention of the Living Dead

By Rusty Fischer, author of Detention of the Living Dead

There are moments in life that are determined by the choices we make. Turn one corner and you run into the love of your life; turn another direction, and you run into the soda machine! Life is like that.

So in this deleted scene from my new YA paranormal novel, Detention of the Living Dead, I give “Bonnie” a new lease on life by having her ditch detention. But will she survive when the rest of the school is being swarmed by zombies?

You be the judge as you read this “deleted scene” from Detention of the Living Dead:

          Bonnie looked at the detention slip in her hand and made a small, slight, “tssking” sound with her tongue. She hated detention with a passion, but she just couldn’t stay out of trouble. Maybe it was because she was bored with school, or just Catfish Cove High school, or maybe just plain Catfish Cove.

          The detention slip was crinkled and worn, no surprise there since she got it all the way back in homeroom when Jeremy Chippendale kept tapping her on the shoulder. Was it her fault she turned around and smacked him in the ear? Wouldn’t you?

          Of course, her teacher Mrs. Whiffle yanked off another pink detention form, scribbled in her name and handed it to her. “I should just get a rubber stamp made, Bonnie,” she joked to the enjoyment of the entire class, “save me the strain of having to fill so many of these out.”
          At the time, Bonnie’s face had flared red; she blushed now, just thinking about it.

          The Detention Room was up the hall and to the left, but she lingered in the hallway as other students grabbed their backpacks and folders and headed for the bus loop or student parking lot.

          She was hungry and tired and there were about a bazillion better things she could be doing rather than listening to Dean Winters rattle on for 20 minutes about the rules for Detention.

          She shivered just thinking about it, leaning down to grab a sip of water from the fountain at the end of C-Wing. She was just standing there, taking a drink, when someone bumped into her from behind. She nearly chipped her front tooth on the faucet and turned, cursing, to find a tall, skinny dude shuffling away.

          “Hey,” she cried out, touching her lip gingerly with her fingers. Already she could tell it was getting puffy and, when she pulled her finger back, there was blood.

          The dude kept walking but she followed, a few steps behind. “Hey, creep!” she shouted. “Look where you’re going.”

          He stopped, cocked his head, and gradually turned. Bonnie froze in place. His skin was gray and there was a smear on his chin that could have been blood. His eyes were hooded and yellow and his nostrils flared as he sniffed her from three feet away.

          The fight went out of her, quickly, all those recent headlines about zombie infestations at schools all over the country filling her head. She fumbled in her purse, backing up step by step as he stood there, tall and gray and sniffing.

          She found a ballpoint pen, pink and glittery, and held it up like a weapon. “Back off,” she growled, feeling a little silly now that she’d calmed down. After all, the dude could have just been sick, and eaten some chocolate pudding, or had a cold or something.

           He wasn’t walking toward her, wasn’t growling or begging for her “brains!” Fact is, he wasn’t doing much of anything at all!

          “Hey,” she said, waving the pen but staying put. “Dude, can you hear me?”

          He inched forward, grunting. Bonnie took a step back. “Okay, okay, chill dude, you can hear me. What… what’s your name?”
          He didn’t look familiar, and she made it a habit to know all the guys in school. Not “know” them, know them, but just to be aware of potential boyfriend material, that’s all. Particularly the tall ones; she liked the tall ones.

          But this guy? Nope; never seen him before. He stood there, blankly, looking at her. His hair was shoulder length, blond and greasy. He wore black jeans and a gray tank top that was almost the color of his skin. He was thin, but wiry.

          Finally, he spoke: “Gary, I think that’s my name.”

          She took another step back without even realizing it. His voice was cold; it sounded cold, it felt cold. Deep and hoarse, like he’d been screaming for days – or smoking for years. And he looked too young for that.

          “Okay, Gary, well… watch where you’re going.”

          She’d almost forgotten why she stopped him in the first place, but the taste of fresh blood from her lip suddenly reminded her. She rubbed it, again, finding less blood this time.

          When she looked back at Gary, he had crept up to her; he was looking at her finger, too. But differently than she was; he was staring at it… hungrily. Licking his lips. Flaring his nostrils appreciatively.

          She gulped and turned around, but realized she was at the end of the hall. The only way out was through the cafeteria, and those doors were already locked. She tried them anyway, but they jingled and jangled with the sounds of the chains double bolted on the other side.

          She turned to find Gary inching forward, his legs awkward and jangly, like he couldn’t quite remember how they worked. Bonnie stood, her back to the cafeteria doors, trapped, rummaging through her purse. The pen wouldn’t work; he was too big and she was too scared to use it.

Her lipstick? No.

Mirror? No.

          Then she found the tin of breath mints she used whenever a cute guy sat in front of her in class. It didn’t happen often, apparently, as there were plenty left in the tin!

          As he shuffled forward she threw them at his feet. They were red and white, cinnamon and round, and though he didn’t move very fast he kept moving. He stepped on one, then two, arms reaching out to steady himself as his feet flew out from beneath him. He fell on his back with a sickening “thud” as his head hit the linoleum floor.

          She sprinted past, his hands flailing for her sneakers but she beat them back with her backpack. She didn’t turn until she was at the end of the hall, watching him squirm on his back like a beetle who couldn’t figure out how to turn over.

          She leaned against the wall, watching from afar, still clutching the empty breath mint tin in her hand. She heard footsteps down the hall, turned to the right and saw Dean Winters standing in front of the Detention Room.

          Her first instinct was to scream out, to warn him, but to her left was the school’s main entrance, open and inviting, begging her to run, run away and leave Gary and his bloody chin and gray skin behind.

          She chose left, and was home before the first news bulletin broke into her mother’s favorite soap opera. When she saw it, saw the school in the background, the reporter standing there, she didn’t even have to hear what he was saying to start screaming.

          It took hours for her mother to get her to stop…      

So there you have it, a scene that never made it into the book and that you can only find here, on the Words at Home blog! Thanks to Bonnie for graciously hosting me and thanks to all of you for reading this. And I hope it will add to your enjoyment of the book if you ever get to read Detention of the Living Dead, out this month from Decadent Books!

Yours in YA,
Rusty

About the Author

          Rusty Fischer is the author of Zombies Don’t Cry, as well as several other popular zombie books, including Panty Raid at Zombie High, Detention of the Living Dead and the Reanimated Readz series of 99-cent living dead shorts.

          Rusty runs the popular website Zombies Don’t Blog @ www.zombiesdontblog.blogspot.com. At Zombies Don’t Blog you can read more about Rusty’s work, view his upcoming book covers and read – or download – completely FREE books & stories about… zombies!

I really enjoyed Witch Song last year and am so excited that Witch Born is almost here! I'm super excited to share the cover reveal of Witch Born with you – isn't it awesome! Don't forget to leave Amber some love in the comments!

Brusenna thought it was finished.

 She defeated the Dark Witch, saving the Haven Witches from imprisonment and death. She found love and a place to belong.

She was wrong.

 Haven is not the sanctuary it appears to be. Even love is in danger of slipping away like water through cupped hands.

Some things can't be saved.

A new threat merges with the old as the Witches’ dark history begins to catch up with them. Only Brusenna knows the extent of the danger and how to stop it, though doing so might cost her everything.

Including her life. 
      
Will Brusenna be required to make the ultimate sacrifice?

A.L. Jackson is here today to celebrate Contemporary Fiction month with us. I will be sharing my review of her novel Pulled soon!

A. L. Jackson Author of Pulled and Take This Regret

A huge thanks to Bonnie for asking me to share with all of you on Words at Home today. It’s exciting to be a part of May’s Celebration of Contemporary Fiction.

Bonnie asked me to share with you all about my favorite contemporary fiction authors or books. And oh my goodness, how difficult is that to narrow down? It seems as if my favorites change with each book I read. I’m definitely the type of reader who turns the last page of the book, sighs, and thinks that was the best thing I’ve ever read. Anyone else with me?

Since I really couldn’t narrow it down, I figured I’d talk a little bit about my favorite contemporary fiction genre, paranormal romance. No, we’re not talking literary fiction here. We’re talking about no boundaries or rules. The author can take us on an impossible adventure where we lose ourselves completely in unknown worlds and meet even more unlikely characters. It’s a place that never fails to both stimulate my imagination and relax me after a long day of work at the very same time.  Top it off with sizzling Heros and feisty Heroines, and I’m sold!

So what is your favorite contemporary fiction genre, author, or book? Or is it too difficult for you to narrow down too?

This guest post is being shared as a part of the Contemporary Month event being hosted by Evie at Bookish, Bonnie at Words at Home and Asheley at Into The Hall of Books. Click the banner below for full Words at Home schedule.

Marie, thank you so much for taking the time to visit us at Words at Home. I am so excited to be able to share this space with you and your work this week! Can you start us off by introducing yourself and telling us a few things that we wouldn’t think to ask you about?

Answer: Thanks so much for having me, Bonnie! A few things you might not think to ask, hmm…well, I’m 28, and I live in Ontario, Canada. Blue Sky Days was my first published book, but not the first book I wrote. I wrote the first draft when I was 20 and put it away, and wrote several other novels in the next few years, but it’s not likely any of them will ever see the light of day. Besides writing, I love reading, photography, music, and graphic design. 

I’m so excited to be able to share this space with a Canadian author. Do you yourself have a favourite Canadian author or work of fiction?

Answer: Yay for Canadians! My favourite Canadian author is definitely Lucy Maud Montgomery and her Anne of Green Gables series. Those books are so iconic, and they resonated with me very deeply when I read them as a young girl. I’m actually planning to reread them soon and showcase them in the Canadian Spotlight Month I’m hosting in July on my blog.

Since we are celebrating contemporary fiction this month can you tell us who your favourite contemporary fiction authors are and your top contemporary fiction book recommendations?

Answer: My favorite contemporary adult writer is hands-down Nora Roberts. She has this way of weaving beautiful writing with characters that are relatable and memorable, and plotlines that are full of romance, friendship, suspense, humour, and everything else that makes a book a star in my eyes.

These days, I read mostly YA books, and I adore contemporary YA. A few of my recent favourites are Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard, The Princesses of Iowa by M Molly Backes, Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell, and Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski.  

Marie, can you talk a little about your decision to self-publish?

Answer: It wasn’t an easy decision. About three years ago a friend and I wrote a book together and we looked into self-publishing while we queried agents. We quickly decided self-pubbing wasn’t for us – the general consensus seemed to be that self-publishing was for hacks and wannabes, and that all self-published books were poorly written with no editing whatsoever.

Jump ahead two years to the beginning of 2011 when I pulled Blue Sky Days out after several years and decided I wanted to publish it. I spent months researching self-publishing, and saw that although some of the stigma remained, there were a lot of successful self-published authors out there who were excellent writers and just wanted the freedom and control that self-publishing allows. I struggled with the decision for quite awhile, going back and forth, but in the end I decided it would be worth the risk, and I haven’t regretted it for a moment.

What did you find to be the most difficult part of the writing or publishing process? What was the most rewarding part?

Answer: The most difficult part of the writing process for me is revisions. I have a love/hate relationship with revisions – a lot of the real meat of the story comes out during that time, but it’s also time-consuming and exhausting. I also had a few issues with beta readers and my editor, so that added to the stress. The most rewarding part is having people read my work and tell me they loved it and that it really hit home with them for whatever reason. People say you need to develop a thick skin in this business – which is true – and not to take negative reviews personally, but Blue Sky Days is an intensely personal story for me, so it can be hard not to be hurt by some of the negative reviews. That’s why I try to focus on the good ones, and the people who email me or visit my blog or message me on Facebook or Twitter and tell me how much the story meant to them.

Are you plotter or a write-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type author?

Answer: A bit of both. I always start out with a rough idea, and I write down every single idea that comes into my head, whether it’s about the characters, the plot, the setting, snippets of dialogue, whatever. Then I start writing, and things usually take a different direction than I’d originally intended. I always refer to my notes to see if there’s something I’ve forgotten that should be added in, but my stories tend to take on a life of their own. 

What is your favourite line from Blue Sky Days?

Answer: I don’t know about a favourite line, but I have a favourite scene – Emma and Nicholas’s first kiss. I have no idea why it’s my favourite, but it’s always stuck out in my mind. The whole scene is kind of long, but I particularly like this part:

“Nicholas pushed a few strands of wet hair away from my face. Droplets of rain clung to his eyelashes and dripped from his hair. His mouth was curved into a hint of a smile, his eyes locked on mine. When his body shifted to lean toward me, my knees began to shake and I worried that I would melt into a puddle and wash away with the rain. He paused, his lips lingering close to mine, barely touching, but just enough to have my lips tingling in anticipation. This was it; I was about to have my first kiss, and it just happened to be with the most beautiful boy in the world.”

Are you working on anything else right now? Can you tell us about it?

Answer: I actually just finished writing my second novel a couple weeks ago. I took a short break from writing young adult, and this second book is women’s fiction/chick lit. It’s about friendship, family, change, and there’s a little bit of romance thrown in because I’m a romance junkie and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write a story that doesn’t have at least some romance! It’s called The Game Changer, and I’m hoping to have it ready for the world by the end of summer.

Marie, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. I’m so glad you could be a part of this awesome contemporary fiction event!

This feature is being shared as a part of the Contemporary Month event being hosted by Evie at Bookish, Bonnie at Words at Home and Asheley at Into The Hall of Books. Click the banner below for full Words at Home schedule.

Contemporary Month is almost over but we still have lots of celebrating to do this week (including a giveaway for Blue Sky Days coming up). Maria Landry was awesome enough to prepare this guest post for us today – actually it is written by Emma from her book Blue Sky Days.

A guest post written by Emma Ward from Blue Sky Days

Aunt Daisy and I were talking today, and she asked an interesting question: “If you could go back and tell your younger self something, what would it be?”

My mind raced with possibilities. I spent so long being what I thought was the perfect daughter – I studied hard, never got into trouble, planned my future, and always did what I thought was right. I was so busy doing all those things that I never really lived.

So what would I tell my younger self if I could? Go out and have fun. Have a life. Make friends. Date boys. Go to school functions – all the things that seemed so stupid at the time – football games and pep rallies and dances. Make mistakes, get in trouble, take road trips, do something daring and adventurous. Live.

But then I realized something…if I had done all those things then, I probably wouldn’t have felt so desperately stuck and lost, which means I wouldn’t have come to live with Daisy. And if I hadn’t come to live with Daisy, I never would have met Nicholas – beautiful, sweet Nicholas, who I love so much – or Maggie, or Vince, or Sam, who have become my family. I wouldn’t feel this sense of belonging that I never felt before.

I wouldn’t have needed Nicholas to show me the world and open up my eyes. I wouldn’t have needed him to draw me out of my shell and teach me to laugh and dance and be silly and have fun. Fun: such a strange concept to me not all that long ago. But I would have already known how to do those things – the things that most normal teenagers do naturally.

So I decided that if I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be that everything would turn out okay. Don’t do anything differently, because everything you did led you to where you were meant to be. Stick with the plan – it will fail spectacularly, but sometimes you need to fail, and in this case, it’ll be the best thing that could ever have happened.

Yesterday I was able to introduce you to Nadine Rose Larter via. her wonderful guest post on contemporary fiction. Today I'm thrilled to share a little more of Nadine with you, and on the weekend I will be posting my review of her lovely book Coffee at Little Angels.
 

Nadine thank you so much for taking the time to visit us at Words at Home. I have been pining for Coffee at Little Angels for what feels like ages!

Can you start us off by introducing yourself and telling us a few things that we wouldn’t think to ask you about?

Hmmm…. Like the part where I am a Gemini and I like long walks on the beach and candle lit dinners? Or more of a “Hi, my name is Nadine and I’m a closet Joffrey fan…”

 Sure… 

I must admit there is not very much to tell. I’m just your standard square book-ish chick. I have 1 husband, 1 son (who hates books – go figure!) and 2 step children. I also have 1 dog, 13 birds, 12 fish and 2 hamsters.  Though I do have a very sociable and approachable side, I have a very reclusive side as well. I am happiest locked away from life somewhere with a good book. I love crime fiction even though I know I will never ever write it. Most YA fiction baffles me. I am addicted to all the usuals: coffee, chocolate, cupcakes, Harry Potter (the only unbaffling YA fiction I have come across so far). I relax by crocheting large blankets that no one ever uses. And I can only do one kind of stitch so they all look the same. I once took an aptitude test that indicated that my strengths are Math and Science. I would very much like to trade those talents in for something useful like being able to paint or play the guitar.

Since we are celebrating contemporary fiction this month can you tell us who your favourite contemporary fiction authors are and your top contemporary fiction book recommendations?

Hands down anything written by Nick Hornby. I think I would like to marry him in my next life. Unfortunately we’re both taken in this life so it will have to wait for the next one. I actually sat down and started writing Coffee at Little Angels after reading A Long Way Down.  And another of my ideas in progress is mildly influenced by my favourite of his books, How to be Good.

Otherwise I love Toni Parsons, Anne Tyler and Mike Gayle as well. These are people who I would love to write like. They’re just…people. They write about ordinary everyday people doing everyday things and their work is so very special.

My favourite contemporary reads:

How to be Good – Nick Hornby

The Accidental Tourist – Anne Tyler

One for my Baby – Toni Parsons

Brand New Friend – Mike Gayle

Your novel opens with an extremely vivid picture of small town life, can you talk about your setting a little bit?

Well I grew up in a small South African town called Molteno so painting that particular picture wasn’t too hard. The setting in the book isn’t based on a real place though and the descriptions don’t match Molteno. I wanted it to be kind of generic so that it would be as relatable as possible, that is why I never mentioned any town names in Angels. I am thinking about using Molteno as the setting for one of my other books though. It’s a very special place.

Coffee at Little Angels tackles a pretty big cast. How did you keep all of these characters straight as you were developing your story?

I must admit there were times when I questioned my sanity. Writing from eight different viewpoints was challenging but I think I managed it in the end. I didn’t want to resort to using different fonts for each character as a way of distinguishing them. Some people struggled with the eight different first person accounts but many also loved it. I’m glad I chose to do it that way as I think the heart of Coffee at Little Angels would have been lost if I had chosen to do it differently. The story wasn’t about the story as much as it was about the people in it, and they needed to each be given the chance to speak.

Are you plotter or a write-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type author?

I think I’m a bit of a combination of both. I generally know how something starts and how it finishes. And sometimes there is a vague idea of what is supposed to happen in the middle. For the rest I pretty much just sit down and see what happens. I’m a pantser in the writing process, but I do tend to think about and make notes on certain stories for a long time – sometimes years  – before I am ready to start writing so I guess that makes me a bit of a plotter too.

If you had to pick a favorite character from Coffee at Little Angels who would it be and why?

Maxine. She’s just so unflappable and is my complete opposite. If I could exchange my talent for panic for a more graceful ability to just deal with things as they come I would do so in a heartbeat. And of course Phil just has a beautiful soul so I have a very deep affection for him.

What is your all-time favorite quote from your book?

Goodness what an impossible question to answer! You know sometimes I read through my stuff and think “wow what a fantastic line” but right now I can’t come up with a single answer for you. My favourite scene in the book is definitely in the bar when Grant is mocking Charl. I don’t think your own writing is supposed to make you laugh but whenever I got to that scene in the editing process it always made me giggle. I think I must have been in a feisty mood when I wrote it.

Are you working on anything else right now? Can you tell us about it?

I’m busy working on a book called The Tequila Thursday Writing Club. A rather daft undertaking I must admit. It’s about a blocked writer whose best friend tricks him into starting a writing group and how their lives all start to change after learning about the concept of synchronicity.

Nadine, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. I’m so glad you could be a part of this awesome contemporary fiction event!

I'm thrilled to share this awesome guest post from Nadine Rose Larter wrote for us today. Tomorow I will be sharing and interview with Nadine and on Friday my review of her book Coffee at Little Angels.

Reading is like being in love
by Nadine Rose Larter

You know, until someone asks you to write a guest blog post on Contemporary Fiction you kind of view it as one of those things that you instinctively understand but can’t explain. Sort of like The X Factor – it’s a you-know-it-when-you-see-it kind of thing. Of course, according to Einstein, this means that you do not understand it at all…

And you know what? Google searching doesn’t help much…

My theory is this: When you write a book and you can’t quite figure out which genre it fits into, you tick the Contemporary Fiction box. It is definitely the one that sounds the coolest, isn’t it? It’s like a box with no sides, so absolutely anything can fit inside of it.

To me, good contemporary fiction takes all those scrambled thoughts in your head and shows them to you in a comforting and digestible manner. It helps you to pull yourself towards yourself. Good contemporary fiction makes you understand yourself better and it makes you understand others better. It makes you feel enlightened, and happy, even if the topic isn’t always happy. And I think that is what I strive towards in my own writing. When I look at my favourite contemporary writers I notice that there is one element that is never missing: whenever I read their work I am always nodding. My mind is always going yes yes yes that is exactly how it is! Suddenly I understand people that I have nothing in common with on an intensely deep level. I understand their fears and their motivations. Books like Man and Boy by Toni Parsons and How to be Good by Nick Hornby have actually become a big part of my person. That sounds insane perhaps but those books did so much for my life. And they had nothing to do with mushy love stories. They were just about regular people living regular lives, but somehow Hornby and Parsons are especially good at showing you the exquisite beauty of the ordinary life and I will always be grateful to them for that. From them I also learnt the importance of “honest writing”. There is absolutely nothing better than reading something and feeling as if you are being told the truth. And by “truth” I don’t mean things that are possible – in my opinion every line in every Harry Potter book comes off as truthful too – but things that feel real to your soul.  Reading a good book should be like lying in the arms of someone that you trust. It should feel safe, even when it is scary, even when it is sad. And when you are done, your heart should break just a little bit at the idea that it is all over, because if you only feel relieved when you get to the end of a story, then something is surely very wrong… Come to think of it…reading is a lot like being in love…which is kind of why it is so addictive…

It is no secret that I am a huge Amish Fiction fan and I think it goes without saying that I am a huge Beth Wiseman fan. So imagine my complete excitement to see that she has written a contemporary fiction novel and what a perfect time to celebrate it than now! Beth was gracious enough to share her thoughts on contemporary fiction with us today. I will be sharing my review of Need You Now on Wednesday when I will also be hosting an international giveaway for a finished copy of the book. *Hint leaving some comment love for Beth today will gain you a few extra entries! Enjoy pumpkins!

Contemporary Fiction; Amish and non-Amish
By Beth Wiseman

Lately, I’ve had so many people come up to me and say, “So cool that you’re doing your first contemporary novel.”  I usually don’t tackle this in casual conversation…but actually, my latest release—Need You Now—isn’t my first contemporary fiction book…but it is my first non-Amish contemporary. 

What does that say about contemporary fiction?  It seems to me that if you write Amish stories, you are in a genre all your own.  Same thing with mysteries, romances, thrillers, and supernatural stories that are contemporary in nature.  So, is everything outside of those categories considered straight contemporary fiction?  And what distinguishes contemporary fiction and women’s fiction? 

These are questions I’ve been pondering as I alternate between Amish fiction and contemporary fiction that isn’t Amish.  How do I hold onto my Amish fiction readers, gain new readers for my straight contemporaries, and also introduce new readers to my Amish series?  Is there a commonality throughout all the stories that will be the deciding factor, something I’ll draw on to continue to try to spread God’s messages to a wider audience?  I think so.

 Let’s start with setting.  Whether the locale is an Amish district, Texas ranch, Europe, the North Pole, or Mars—the setting establishes a contemporary feel set to modern times.  Then you drop well-rounded characters into a current-time situation surrounded by good story-telling, realistic dialogue, and large doses of conflict.  Throughout the pages, a strong spiritual arc needs to show real Christians acting in very human ways, setting a path for redemption and renewal without coming across as preachy to the reader.    

An author’s voice.  They are so individual, and I think that many readers follow an author because of his or her voice.  So, I ask myself—what is unique enough about my voice that I can draw both Amish and non-Amish fans into my contemporary world, both men and women?  I think the answer to that is that I am as flawed as my characters, and there is no sense trying to hide it.  I love God, my husband, my kids, and my friends—but I still mess up all the time.  I think that writing these stories is God’s way of ministering to my own soul just as much as He is breathing His messages into each plot.  I think readers can feel that.  I hope so. 

Now here’s a biggie.  What draws male readers into a contemporary story that is told in a woman’s point of view?  Lots of women read books told in a man’s point of view, but the reverse doesn’t seem as popular.  Are men pickier readers?  I don’t think so.  For me, the answer for this is to write in multiple points of view, often showing how men and women just don’t think alike sometimes, lol.  Same thing for the older children.  So many times, we can’t fathom what might be going on in our kids’ heads, especially teenagers.  I like to give my teen characters a POV as well. 

All in all, whether writing Amish or non-Amish contemporaries, my goal is always to glorify God through story and bring people one step closer to Him.  So, I’ll continue to write in both genres, hoping to draw in readers that seek real-life stories about flawed human beings seeking to better themselves by finding the path God has laid out for them.  We all get lost.  It’s getting found that brings us home…to Him.         

This guest post is being shared as a part of the Contemporary Month event being hosted by Evie at Bookish, Bonnie at Words at Home and Asheley at Into The Hall of Books. Click the banner below for full Words at Home schedule.

Last week I shared my review of the beautiful and heartbreaking love story Ghosts of Our Pasts and today I am thrilled the Sophia Duane had the time to answer a few questions for us. I had so much fun learning more about her and I hope you do too!

Sophia I’m so excited that you are participating in Contemporary Fiction Month. In my opinion a whole month dedicated to the genre is just fantastic!

1. Could you start off by telling us a few things about yourself that we might not think to ask?

That’s a difficult question because I dislike telling people about myself, but I’ll do my best. You might not ask if I believe in the supernatural, so here’s the answer. I believe in ghosts and the afterlife. In fact, I lived in an apartment with a ghost. It might make me sound crazy, but there was a guy in a hat who would chill out in a vacant chair. I’m pretty sure he died at the top of the stairs and liked to pet my cats, and play hide and seek with my step-kids.

2. Since we are celebrating contemporary fiction this month, who is your favourite contemporary author?

I have many actually. A couple are Melina Marchetta,Suzanne Collins,and Philippa Gregory.

3. Do you prefer to read series or standalone novels?

I enjoy both, but I think if an author can tell me everything I want to know about his/her characters in one book, it shows real skill.

4. Can you tell us a little about your writing process? Do you plan or are you more of a stream of conscious writer?  

I’m a little of both. I do plan, but it’s a more fluid planning. Lots of jots on paper, skeletal chapter outlines, that sort of thing. But then I’m also a fan of letting the characters take me where they need me to go, which sometimes isn’t anything close to what I put down on paper.

5. I don’t want to give anything away in the story for readers who haven’t yet been lucky enough to read Ghosts of Our Pasts but can you talk a little about what inspired you to create Will and Emma?

I had a real need to process the events in my past in a meaningful way. I think there’s a scar that everyone shares, and Will and Emily were born out of a necessity to help myself deal with the things that happened.

6. Will and Emma’s romance was definitely more of a slow smoulder, when it seems that insta-love is so popular what made you decide to let your characters take their time?

I believe in realistic portrayals of love. I think “insta-love” is possible, but mainly it’s hormones. Also, these are deeply wounded people, so they wouldn’t just open up because of something as vague as “love at first sight.”

7. After spending so much time getting to know Will and Emma I don’t want their story to end. Do you think you will be revisiting them in a sequel? Or a series?  

There will be no sequel or series. As much as I love all the characters I create, I don’t think revisiting them would serve any purpose.

8. Can you tell us a little about what you are working on next?

Right now I’m in the editing stage of a historical novel set in WWII and directly after. It’s a whole different genre and will most likely be published under a different name.

Guess what pumpkins? As if the huge Cat Girl's Day Off Giveaway wasn't enough Kimberly Pauley also took the time to prepare this awesome guest post for all of us! Yay! Don't forget to enter the giveaway and leave Kimberly some love in the comments!

I was a middle child. Well, kind of. My older sister is ten years older than I am and my younger sister is seven years younger, so we really weren’t all ever in the house at the same time. In some ways, I guess you could say that I feel like I’ve been a younger sister, a middle sister, and an older sister all in one.

Natalie, the main character in Cat Girl’s Day Off, is definitely a classic middle child. She feels invisible in her family. Her sisters (and her parents) are all super Talented (i.e. they have pretty cool super powers, like levitation or lie detection). All Nat can do is talk to cats. As you can imagine, that makes her feel pretty inadequate (though I think it would be pretty cool…but, hey, I live in a world without super powers. sigh).

Even though there’s a lot of madcap mayhem going on in the story (a pink cat. kidnapping(s). celebrity bloggers. Ferris Bueller. crashing movie sets…), the underlying stuff is all about Nat and how she feels about herself and how she fits in with her family and friends. Like all of us, she’s got to learn that who SHE is…is good enough. She has to learn that she doesn’t need to hide and she shouldn’t…and, of course, that things are not always what they seem.

I think that’s a relatable thing to lots of people. Even if you were the super popular, always-invited-to-all-the-parties older sister, you’ve still got insecurities. It’s just human nature. We’re all wired that way. Well, maybe not sociopaths…but Nat isn’t a sociopath.

I also think that’s an important thing for a fantasy book to have…something grounded in reality. All of my favorite stories, no matter how fantastic (and I was a serious fantasy and science fiction fiend), had something that I could relate to personally. I hope Nat’s story will resonate with people of all ages out there. I’d love to hear from people if it does!

This guest post is being shared as a part of the Contemporary Month event being hosted by Evie at Bookish, Bonnie at Words at Home and Asheley at Into The Hall of Books. Click the banner below for full Words at Home schedule.