Guest Post and Giveaway with A.M. Hargrove, author of The Guardians of Vesturan Series

Hi, everyone!

I am pleased to participate in A.M. Hargrove's Survival Blog Tour hosted by What's Your Story Book Tours.

About A.M.:

One day on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.
 

“Hello.”
 

“Boss, is that you?”
 

“Why yes A. M., who else would be answering my phone?”
 

“Er… right. Well, I’m calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate because I quit.”
 

A. M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.
 

“Hi yummy hubby, can you pick me up at Starbucks?”
 

“Sure honey bunny… having some car trouble?”
 

“Not at all. I need a ride because I just quit my job.”
 

“You WHAT?!”
 

“It’s time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist.”
 

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a young adult paranormal romance author of self-published ebooks.

Well, it didn’t happen exactly like that. The real story is that after years as a successful sales manager in the world of pharmaceuticals, her company was gobbled up by a larger one and her career came to a screeching halt. Always one to look at the glass as being half full, she took the job loss as an opportunity to forge down the path of her life-long dream– that of becoming a writer. Her series, The Guardians of Vesturon, centers around a family of six siblings and is a mix of humor, mystery, suspense and of course, love. Survival is her first book in the series and her second, Resurrection was released in January 2012.

CONNECT WITH A.M. ONLINE:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads


Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, A.M.! 

A.M. has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to her.

The Best Moment In My Career As An Author
by A.M. Hargrove

When I was invited to do this blog post, I decided to let someone else come up with a topic. I didn’t want to blather on about something in which no one had any interest. So it was suggested I write about the above, and I quickly thought, “Yeah, that’s a great idea!” What I didn’t count on was how difficult that simple question was.

My initial thoughts were, well of course it would have to be when I finished writing my very first novel. But then I thought that maybe it was when I got the first book cover back from my graphic artist and I realized my dream of self-publishing was truly about to happen. As my thoughts delved deeper into the question, I wondered if perhaps it could have been when I received the first book back from my editor.

The truth of it is there have been SOOOOO many best moments that it’s impossible to nail down one. So, after thinking about this for hours, I have come to the conclusion that it boils down to a couple of moments. The one that sticks in my mind is my decision to actually give this author thing a go.

I had worked as a district sales manager for years and believed that I would stay in that position until the ripe old age of retirement—whenever that would be. I was fortunate to work for an awesome pharmaceutical company filled with talented people and the sales reps on my team were the best. We consistently won awards and I literally had no turnover for years. In other words, we were a well-oiled machine. That plan, however, came to a screeching halt when my former company was taken over by a larger one, which chewed us up and spit us out in tiny, unrecognizable pieces.

I was suddenly forced into a game change. I spent hours thinking about what I wanted to do. Working for another big pharma company was an option, but I honestly didn’t think any company could compare to the one I had been employed with for so long.

Then it hit me. I had minored in journalism in college (and actually was one class short of a double major in it) and had always dreamed of writing romantic fiction. Why not take this forced change and make it into something I have always wanted to do, but never thought I could? So I was off and running but I didn’t really think in the back of my mind that it would ever happen. When I finished writing Survival, I had enlisted friends as beta readers and they encouraged me to publish it. And so it happened and here I am!

But, the greatest thing about making that decision has been the incredible support of readers everywhere. So to get back to the original question, the best moments in my career as a writer have been hearing from fans via Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, my website, and my blog about how much they love my series and begging to know when my next book will be out. I’ve received awesome emails from fans all over the world and it has been quite humbling to know how much they enjoy The Guardians of Vesturon. They are the ones making it truly happen for me!

Thanks so much for joining us today, A.M.! 

Freebie alert! Everyone can download Survival, which is Book #1 of The Guardians of Vesturan Series.

Synopsis: A normal backpacking trip turns deadly for nineteen-year-old- Maddie. Her boring life suddenly takes a turn down a dark and twisted path. Will it lead her to her dream come true, or end up in tragedy? Follow Maddie as she discovers places unknown and a love that will defy all odds.

FREE at: Amazon Nook Kobo Apple Sony Smashwords

And there's more! Another freebie! Everyone can download Beginnings, which is the Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturan Series.

Synopsis: You met the Guardians of Vesturon in Survival and Resurrection. Now read about how their parents, Rowan and Annalise met in Beginnings, the novella prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon. Learn more about Rowan and how Annalise unwittingly captured his heart and how his chance meeting of her took him on a journey of forbidden love. 

FREE at Smashwords

Now, after you download the freebies, you can enter to win Resurrection, which is Book #2 of The Guardians of Vesturan Series.

"Maddie knew she was dying. Her life started to flash before her. She had visions of running down the soccer field, scoring a goal, eating her mother’s yummy, homemade, sticky cinnamon rolls, standing in her foyer listening to the police tell her father that her mother had been killed in a car accident. Each vision was disturbingly clear—as if it was happening again."


Rayn Yarrister, the first-born son and Leader of The Guardians, has been imprisoned on Vesturon for breaking their most sacred of covenants. He is suddenly jolted by Maddie's telepathic pleas for help, as her life hangs in the balance. Can he alert The Guardians in time to save his soulmate? Or will he face his trial alone and broken without his one true love?

In Resurrection (Book 2), The Guardians of Vesturon are facing their biggest challenges as Earth is threatened by an invading species from a distant planet intent on destroying it for its resources. The Guardians, as protectors of the universe, have been assembled to defend not only Earth, but other vulnerable worlds as well. The Yarrister family is threatened by an unknown entity intent on discrediting them. Will they uncover this plot in time to save themselves from ruin? Will The Guardians succeed in stopping the Xanthians, or will Earth be invaded and ravaged by this marauding species?

To enter the giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below.

This giveaway is open worldwide until 12:01 AM EST on May 4, 2012.

Author Interview and Giveaway with Aubrey Coletti, author of Altered

Hi, everyone!

I am pleased to participate in Aubrey Coletti's Altered Blog Tour hosted by What's Your Story Book Tours. 


About Aubrey:

Aubrey Coletti is a nineteen year old author, choreographer, and singer-songwriter originally from Milton, Massachusetts.

She began working on Altered when she was fifteen, and completed it at seventeen, during the summer before her senior year of high school.

She currently attends Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, and is working on the sequel to Altered.

CONNECT WITH AUBREY ONLINE:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, Aubrey! Please tell us a little about yourself.

I'm an enormous geek: X-Men, Joss Whedon, TimeLords, superpowers, sci-fi... my biggest dream for myself (apart from a movie version of "Altered") is to have a panel at Comic Con!

Do you have a specific writing style? Do you write an outline, or do you write more “by-the-seat-of-your-pants”?

My writing style is a bit of both. Sometimes I'll have an idea for what should happen in a chapter, or in the foreseeable future of the story, but I'll have to "write my way" towards it, and oftentimes things will change as I go alone. When I am writing my X-Men TV show fanfiction (RE: Massive Geek) I plot out what is going to happen in advance, because it's meant to be a TV show, and fill it in later, because I have a definite story arc for the whole season. But with "Altered" I very much went piece by piece, and often had no idea how things would end!

Do you discipline yourself to write a certain number of words daily? Or do you ever have dry periods where you do not write? 

I definitely have to discipline myself, but it's not by a set number of words. I have dry periods, but I find the best way to overcome them is to force myself to write a little, and I'll either get back into the swing of things and it will start flowing, or I'll have done enough and then pause, but the ideas will germinate and I can go back to work sooner.

What is your ideal writing environment? Do you prefer music or solitude? Is there a time of day (or night) that you prefer?

Oh, I definitely like to have my music on whilst writing! A lot of scenes were written with very specific music, a good deal of them to different musical tracks from the Star Wars prequels (See, you CAN put at least one thing in those movies to good use besides cheap fuel!). I'm generally a night owl, but I've written well during the day too.

Are there any authors that influence your writing?

The single most influential author for me was Anne Lamott. Her book "Bird By Bird" was what enabled me to start and keep writing. Just the basic tenets of that book, like focusing on your characters and letting the plot come up around them, or not worrying about editing until the basic draft is done, and accepting that as a writer you will have mini-breakdowns, all of that was incredibly useful to me. "The Mists of Avalon" is my favorite book, but probably my favorite author, just beating out Toni Morrison, is Tamora Pierce. Her characters are just so vivid, and she has a lot of very sophisticated story lines and themes in her books which nevertheless are done in such a way that they are easily understandable for young adults.  Her Alanna the Lioness series is probably my all time favorite. I was actually reading over and over her book "Trickster's Queen" many times during the early writing, and later editing, of "Altered."

Where did you come up with the idea for Altered?

"Altered" arose out of the characters, but the idea for  J. Alter Academy came when I discovered the existence of behavior modification centers, camps, and 'boarding schools' designed to 'deal' with children and teens who have behavioral, mental, and/or emotional problems-or who are perceived as having them. Most of the tactics used in "Altered" by the Academy are actually utilized by many of these centers and camps, which is a terrifying thought, especially when one examines the number of deaths attributed to many of these institutions, or the fact that their tactics often do not line up with what is considered medically safe and sound. Basically, I was looking for a place in which to "put" my characters, and once I started researching these centers I had the template for J. Alter right there.

Are any of the characters based on someone you know?

Oh yes, yes, yes! Almost all of the characters are composites: mixes of two or more people I knew, with a hefty dose of my own imagination. Realism is very important to me, which is why so much of the character's dialogue is made up of real life quotes from real live people! I can say with (minimal!) fear of a lawsuit that Toni was partially inspired by one of my oldest and best friends, though she would be quick to remind people that Toni differs from her in many crucial ways! For me, in writing you simply have to make your characters and situations as rooted in real emotions and emotional situations as possible, even if they are on a spaceship fighting a race of magical geckos, because that is how you get people to truly care, how you reach that heart of the narrative and get that powerful, bittersweet reaction that makes it something people will remember and love even after they put it down.

Can you tell us about your current or upcoming writing projects?

Upcoming is the next book in The Academy Series! I have a tentative title, and a general idea of what will happen. It will definitely raise the stakes for a lot of the characters, as they will find out more about why they were brought to the school, and just what exactly is being done to them and why!

What book(s) are you reading now?

I'm actually reading a book called "How to Hepburn" which my friend lent to me, by Karen Karbo!

Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers?

For me, the most important thing about "Altered" is how free I wanted anyone reading it to make their own choices. I always hated books or shows where a writer was 'guiding' you to like a certain character or agree with a specific position. All my favorite TV characters (Xena from 'Xena Warrior Princess', Jayne from 'Firefly', Omar from 'The Wire', Spike from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', Gambit from 'X-Men' ) were not intended to live long and/or be so beloved by fans, but low and behold they were. To choose to love or hate (or both!) any character within it, to choose what they believe is right or wrong about what the characters do and have done to them, without feeling I am guiding them one way or the other; this is the freedom I want my readers to have. I wrote "Altered" in such a way that the reader can step into the shoes of different characters and feel free to choose who they love, who they hate, and what they take away from the book.

*Fun Facts*

Favourite music?  Christina Aguilera, Stevie Nicks, Emilie Autumn, Barenaked Ladies, Loreena McKennitt, Medieval Baebes.

Dog-lover or cat-lover? I love dogs, but I am SUCH a cat person. I adore cats, I've had three over the course of my life. Love the way they move, how they sleep all the time, how they are such total divas...love 'em!

Vanilla ice cream or chocolate? Vanilla, but couldn't I have pumpkin please?

 

If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Gah! Just one! Christina Aguilera.

I can't live without my... Anti-Anxiety Medication. Wish it were a cuter/funnier answer but...c'est vrai! 

The craziest thing I ever did was... Uh...I can haz the Fifth Amendment, pleaz?

If I could take an all-expenses paid trip anywhere in the world, I would go to... Comic Con! Over and over and over again!

 

 Thanks so much for joining us today, Aubrey! It was a lot of fun getting to know you better!!

One lucky winner will win an e-book copy of Altered.

When Toni, Joseph and Charlie arrive at their new boarding school, they are glad to leave their families — and respective problems — behind. Isolated as boarders, they meet a handsome senior with a personality like iced snake’s blood, teachers with a penchant for physical punishment, and four other outcasts who reveal that their being brought to the Academy wasn’t random at all. When the arrivals discover that their new school is engaged in “behavior modification” through electric shocks, isolation, restraints, and an ever-evolving set of methods to “fix” them, they declare war on their Academy. During their campaign of sabotage, they fight, hate, scorn, love, and begin to uncover the reasons why they were brought to the school. But as their war against the school escalates beyond their control, will they become the very things the Academy believes they are: dangerous, delinquent — and mad?

To enter the giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below.

This giveaway is open to entrants worldwide until 12:01 AM EST on April 10, 2012.