The Next Big Thing Meme!

Hello everyone! I was tagged by awesome NA author Marion Croslydon AND stellar writer/ blogger Samantha May in The Next Big Thing Meme. In this meme, we have to talk about what project we've been working on, and with the release of The Crimson Hunt within days of publication, I decided to cheat and talk about that. Enjoy! And thanks for the tag, ladies :D

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea for The Crimson Hunt actually came from a gap I saw in the fiction market. I wanted to write a book about college students, something I hadn’t seen in the market at the time. So that was the foundation, then I started thinking about all the things I loved seeing in movies. I wasn’t a big reader and movies were all I had to go by. I wanted a snarky, Bridget Jones-type character, thrown into a situation with a lot of action. I wanted heavy romance, but I wanted fight scenes and a suspense/ thriller setting. Once I drafted all the things I wanted to see, I put it all together and The Crimson Hunt was born.

Vanessa Marano

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Well, I haven’t given too much thought into this. When I “cast” my characters, I usually use models, but there are a few actors I stumbled upon that would be a pretty good fit. To play my snarky heroine, Ariel, I’d cast Vanessa Marano from the television show Switched at Birth. She looks the part, and her attitude is so Ariel.

Robert Adamson

For my mysterious hero, Luca, I’d cast an actor I saw on the television show Lincoln Heights, named Robert Adamson. He’s got the look and the swagger for my leading man.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I will be self-publishing all of the books in the Eldaen Light Chronicles as well as all future works as of now. This is gives me more freedom, and is the best fit for me as an author.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It took me three weeks to write the first draft of The Crimson Hunt. I bought, of all things, a how to write fiction book. It was my first novel and I wanted to do it right. I followed the format and three weeks later I had a book!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

This is a hard question because what I’ve written (from what I’ve seen) is the first. The Crimson Hunt is a new adult science fiction romance. Not only are science fiction romances hard to find, but finding one set in college just doesn’t happen. If I had pick a comparison, I would say Violet Midnight by Lynn Rush, and the upcoming release of STRENGTH by Carrie Butler, which I beta read for. Both of these are paranormal, but they are set in college with speculative elements just like my book.



Now, I get to pass along the torch to three fantastic writers, but I’m going to do my ladies from NA Alley so that makes six. (Yes, I’m a cheater). Go for it ladies!

• Jaycee Delorenzo 
• Carrie Butler 
• LG Kelso 
• Bailey Kelsey 
• Juliana Haygert 
• Summer Lane

Cover Reveal: STRENGTH by Carrie Butler

I have an oh-so-special cover reveal for you today, my friends.  My dear friend and fellow NA Sister from NA Alley, Carrie Butler, has a book coming out!  I'm so very excited for her and I love her lots.  I have also had the pressure of reading this wonderful book of hers and I know you will all enjoy it as much as I did :D

The book is a new adult paranormal romance and set in college!!!!  Eep!  Her cover is stellar and her trailer is amazing.  So enjoy!  And add this title to your Goodreads TBR pile, peeps!  Congratz, Carrie, my dear!!!!

STRENGTH (Mark of Nexus: Book 1) by: Carrie Butler
Release Date: March 7, 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation—and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few minor setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do—even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

About the Author:

Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Where to find Carrie:

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  SSP  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS  |  GOOGLE+ 

Where to find Strength:

BOOK PAGE  |  GOODREADS  |  FACEBOOK (New!)

Blog Me MAYbe: The NA Alley Sisters!

Hey, all!  So today for Blog Me MAYbe we get to share something about someone else!  I made the announcement a couple of weeks ago that myself and a few of my writer friends created a group blog known as NA Alley, which strives to promote New Adult fiction (fiction featuring 18 - 25 protagonists generally).  Well today I'm going to feature the ladies behind the madness...my NA Sisters!  Here are their pictures and their links to their blogs.  Check them out everyone they're a great group of women and for those of you who haven't checked out the blog check it out today!  We're having a crazy giveaway!

Jaycee DeLorenzo

I’m a wife, mom, writer, Romance Diva, voracious reader, blogger, web designer, and cover artist. I write YA, Upper YA (or New Adult as the term has been coined) and Adult romances whenever I have a free moment.  Why NA?  Because it's a fascinating age where my characters are trying to find that balance between being a teenager and being an adult, experiencing new freedoms, trying new things, struggling to figure out who they are and who they want to be, all while trying to balance the responsibilities that come with being an adult.  Connect:  jc[at]jayceedelorenzo[dot]com |  Website |  Blog  |  Facebook  | Twitter  |  Goodreads

 

Carrie Butler

I daydreamed my way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into my hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted me out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, I used my Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point my life in the direction I really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.  Connect:  soyoureawriter[at]gmail[dot]com |  Website |  Blog  |  Twitter

Summer Lane

I am a novelist, blogger and freelance writer. I love cats, American history and of course, reading. I adore reviewing books and discovering new authors. I am happiest when I am at home in the farming valley of California, writing about impossible adventures, hanging with felines, eating apples and listening to music. In that order. I write in many genres, but NA is one of my favorites because it focuses on an entirely different aspect of a character’s life. The jump from teenager to adult is really a fun period to focus on. Happy reading!  Connect:  writingbelle18[at]gmail[dot]com  |  Blog  |  Twitter

Juliana Haygert

I’m a Brazilian girl who lives in Connecticut.I would love to be Wonder Woman, Cheetara, Elektra, Buffy, Phoebe, She- ra, Rose, a blood elf shadow priest, and other various kick-ass female from comics, TV series, movies, books and games, but I settle for—the less exciting but equally gratifying life as—a wife, mother, friend and a writer. My heroines are like the ones cited above and I also writes about the heroes who drive them crazy—and occasionally hot. Since my first stories, I wrote about 20-something year old protagonists without knowing it wouldn’t fit in today’s traditional publishing market. Nowadays, besides writing full time, I battle for the recognition of New Adult as a category.  Connect:  juliana.haygert[at]gmail[dot]com  |  Website |  Blog  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter

L.G. Kelso

I'm a writer who loves to write (obviously), read, ride horses and dirt-bike.  Connect:  porschechic28[at]gmail[dot]com |  Blog  |  Twitter

Bailey Kelsey

There are things you can definitely assume: I'm a writer, I'm a reader, and I'm a blogger. There are some things you'd probably figure out: I'm also a grad student, a soccer player, and a ballet dancer. Then there are the interesting tidbits: I write ghost stories, I'm terrified of butterflies, and I love Southwestern heat. While I've always been a writer, in the last year writing has become about serious craft and story-telling. I've been working on a novel with a twenty-something narrator, and only recently discovered that she and I had our own place in the world of fiction with new adult. It's nice to know neither her story nor my writing are floating along in the abyss, which is definitely how being new to adulthood can feel.  Connect:  baileyiswriting[at]gmail[dot]com |  Blog  |  Twitter