Sorry I’ve been away, but real life has had me uber busy. It’s been crazy for the last month. 🙂

I don’t know about you guys but I’m tired of hearing about the upcoming royal wedding! I don’t care! What is so special about it? Because it involves British royalty? Whatever. No offense to the folks who want to hear about it, but the media has been saturated with it. It’s annoying.

Sorry for the long absence. I don’t know if you guys have read THE HUNGER GAMES or not, but I cannot wait for the movie, which is slated for release sometime in 2012. I also read the rest of the trilogy, with CATCHING FIRE being the second, and MOCKINGJAY being the third installment.

When I first heard about the plot, I thought it would be something terrible and disturbing, but instead it taught me once again to never judge a book by the premise alone. If you haven’t read it yet, do it!! You won’t be sorry.

I thought of something important last night after my hubby and I couldn’t remember if we’d seen a certain movie or not. It wasn’t a good movie at all, and that’s why we couldn’t remember if we saw it or not until about five minutes in, when we turned it off in disgust.

Which made me think of longevity for authors, and, as equally important–memorability. What makes an author’s career last and what makes their work memorable–in a good way? This goes for all artists, not just authors. This goes for musicians, sculpters, painters, actors, etc. What makes them stand out and what makes people recognize them or their brand?

Of course my focus is on authors, since I’m a writer. What makes you remember a certain book and love it! What makes you remember it years down the road and still appreciate it? Please share in the comments.

Notice: I will continue to conduct interviews and giveaways as I see fit, but I will NO LONGER review books on any level. This blog started as a writing blog only, and now the requests for reviews has it leaning towards a review blog and that was never my intent. So, to keep it as my own personal writing blog, there will be no more book reviews. Thank you. I’m Tyhitia Green and I approve this message.

Hi guys. You can win signed copies of five different books by five wonderful YA authors. The link is here.

Here’s a quick blurb of each book copied from Beth’s blog.

•THE ETERNAL ONES by Kiersten Miller is a fast-paced, adventurious love story that involves reincarnation, secret societies, and fire.

•THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff is a hauntingly beautiful book that scares the pants off me.

•NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer is not about werewolves–it’s about true wolves that can shapeshift into people written by a brilliant scholar who incorporate history into the tale.

•MATCHED by Allie Condie shows us that love can break through any barrier, and the most important thing is to not go gently…

•ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (description from Goodreads) by Beth is about Seventeen-year-old Amy who joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Go on over and enter if you’d like a chance to win some awesome books!

NIGHT AND CHAOS is the first novella in the Deva Chronicles series by my friend Naomi Clark. It was self-published in e-format in January 2011 by Naomi.

The description per Naomi and Goodreads.com:

Ryan McCarthy fled Applied Paranormal Theory and Tactics, her father, and her lover six years ago, desperate to build life away from the weird science and supernatural experiments of her childhood. But everything she hoped to escape comes back with a vengeance when she’s kidnapped and tortured by a possessed APTT employee out for revenge on the man responsible for his possession: Ryan’s father.

Now, reunited with the lover she abandoned, Ryan is forced back into a world of danger and darkness she no longer understands, pursued by enemies with powers she can’t fathom. But Ryan’s not entirely powerless herself. She’ll have to use every trick she knows – as well as the mystic gift she hates – to stay ahead of those enemies. And that will be easier said than done.

Here’s my interview with Naomi, followed by a contest:

1.) What made you decide to write gay/lesbian fantasy? And is that the only category you write in?

It was one of those happy coincidences. I’d never written any before, but a friend emailed me the call for submissions for the Queer Wolf anthology because they knew I love werewolves and shapeshifters. I wrote WOLF STRAP, reviews really liked it, and the publisher took a chance on me and invited me to write a novel for them. The Urban Wolf series was born that way! I’ve been amazed at the reaction to WOLF STRAP and SILVER KISS – it’s so much more than I could have imagined.

I also write straight urban fantasy, for want of a better term, as well as general “dark” fiction and some romance when the mood takes me.

2.) Do you think there’s enough diversity in fantasy?

I think it’s growing, thanks to ebooks, which allow more niche books to find audiences. M/M romance is huge, but I think F/F is still catching up. I’ll be working on some GBLT anthologies in the near future, and I’m really hoping to get some great lesbian stories for those.

3.) What made you decide to self-publish rather than go the “traditional” route?

I’ve had two agents since 2006, and it didn’t work out with either of them for various reasons. Having had some success with small presses, I felt confident that my writing was strong and that with dedication and care, I could have some success self-publishing. That said, I danced around it for a long time. I spent most of 2010 just reading up on it, learning the pros and cons, figuring out a strategy. This year I decided I was ready to take the plunge.

But I don’t see this as an either/or situation – there’s no reason I see that authors can’t pursue self-publishing and traditional publishing. I love my small press editors and hope to work with them for a long time to come.

4.) Do you think publishing will change in the next few years? If so, how?

It’s already changing! The rise of ebooks and ereaders means there are a lot more options for readers, which means there are a lot more options for writers. The best thing writers can do right now is educate themselves on all the changes taking place, both the positive and the negative. I think we’re going to see a big rise in the indie movement, heralded by people like Amanda Hocking and JA Konrath, but I do hope that traditional publishing stays with us. A lot of people are speculating about the end of the industry, the end of bookshops, etc, and I find that quite depressing. I don’t see why there isn’t room for both sides of the publishing game.

5.) What advice do you have for aspiring/unpublished writers?

Read a lot and write a lot. It sounds obvious, but it’s so true. And write something your passionate about – there’s no point trying to jump on bandwagons or follow the latest trends, because those things will have changed by the time you’re ready for publication. So write the kind of book you want to read, not what you think other people want to read. And do your research! Before you submit to an agent, a publisher, self-publish, or even join a critique group, research them. Being informed is so easy these days – there’s information all over the internet, so there are no excuses for not being informed!

And now for the contest!

Giveaway: For a chance to win a PDF copy of NIGHT AND CHAOS by Naomi Clark, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. Also, please list your e-mail address as follows: your e-mail (AT) wherever (DOT) com, so you won’t get junk mail. The contest is open to everyone in the world. The contest will end on March 7, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Good luck. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on March 8, 2011.

To find out more about Naomi, go here, and there.

FORCE OF HABIT is the debut novel by my friend Alice Loweecey.

Below is a blurb of the novel per Alice’s website:

After ten years in the convent, Giulia Falcone now works as an investigator for the foul-mouthed former police detective Frank Driscoll, for whom she harbors some romantic feelings. The duo are hired to find the person who is stalking and threatening a local wealthy businessman and his fiancée, but Giulia soon attracts the stalker’s attention. This debut mystery by a former nun contrasts a humorous narration with the realities of Giulia’s adjustment to her new life outside the convent walls and her low self-esteem.

Alice took time out of her busy schedule for an interview with me:

1.) Did you loosely base your MC on your own life as a former nun?

Very, very loosely. The similarities are: She was a Franciscan nun, and so was I. Giulia is much more uptight and repressed than I ever was. However, some nun traits are universal and enduring. For instance, about fifteen years after I left the convent, a priest told me I still “stood” like a nun.

2.) What genres do you prefer to write in? (I’ve read some of your horror, which was excellent, btw)

Thank you! I’m a horror writer in my heart of hearts. I didn’t know that I had a knack for mysteries until I started to write one. I’m also a huge post-nuke dystopian fan—I’ve read just about everything in that sub-genre. My next project (besides more Falcone & Driscoll books) is a Young Adult dystopian.

3.) Is this book the first in a series or is it a standalone? Do you have other series planned or just stand alone novels?

I have a contract for three books in this series, with potential for more. Giulia, Frank, and Sidney (their perky admin) are easy and fun to write. I can imagine several more books about them. Then there’s the paranormal and the horror and the dark fantasy and… My “to Write” file keeps growing!

4.) Do you have any writing rituals or habits?

I’m a confirmed outliner. I wrote my first book as a pantser and it took forever. When I decided to try mysteries, I knew I’d be lost without an outline to plant clues and remember suspects. Now I won’t start a book without one. I’m also an anal-retentive researcher. I can get lost for hours looking up details and scenes and floor plans and all the things that help me to visualize a scene.

5.) What is your best piece of advice for aspiring or unpublished writers? ( I ask this question quite often)

Never give up! Never surrender! (With thanks to the movie Galaxy Quest.) I had some brain-melting setbacks in my drive to see my name on a shelf in a brick-and-mortar bookstore. There’s a file folder on my desktop with approximately 185 rejections in it for three different books. It was a long, hard road—but if it was easy, then seeing my book on those shelves wouldn’t be as sweet.

 Also, find some fellow writers, online or in meatspace. No one understands writers like other writers. I’m part of the Absolute Write Water Cooler, and they’re some of the best people I’ve never met (in person). This business is like the roller coaster from Hell sometimes, and fellow screaming coaster passengers make it easier.

I’d like to thank Alice for taking time for the interview. You can find out more about Alice and her work here. FORCE OF HABIT is now available in stores and online. 

Giveaway: For a chance to win a signed copy of FORCE OF HABIT by Alice Loweecey, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. Also, please list your e-mail address as follows: your e-mail (AT) wherever (DOT) com, so you won’t get junk mail. The contest is open to everyone in the U.S. only please. The contest will end on February 24, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Good luck. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on February 25, 2011.

There were 5 official entries. I randomly chose a winner, and the winner is Kara, who was commenter #1. Kara, send me an e-mail that includes your mailing address and you will receive a copy of A Discovery of Witches.

Title: A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Hardcover: 592 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult
Release Date: February 8, 2011

A summary from the author’s website:

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well.

My review:

Diana Bishop is a professor and a witch at Yale whose life spins out of control after she puts her hands on the alchemical manuscript, referred to as Ashmole 782. There are four groups of beings in this novel: humans, witches, vampires, and daemons. Diana becomes fast, but reluctant friends with Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist and 1500 year old vampire.

A group comprised of three witches, three vampires, and three daemons, known as the Congregation, want to question Diana as to how she was able to find the bewitched Ashmole 782. With the help of Matthew and the Knights of Lazarus, she travels from Oxford to New York on an unexpected adventure. Lots of research and detail went into this novel–and it shows. A Discovery of Witches will appeal to fans of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

To find out more about Deborah Harkness and her work, click here.

Giveaway: For a chance to win a copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. You do not have to be a follower. Also, please list your e-mail address as follows: your e-mail (AT) wherever (DOT) com, so you won’t get junk mail. The contest is open to everyone in the world. The contest will end on February 14, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Good luck. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on February 15, 2011.

Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received a review copy of A Discovery of Witches from Penguin/Viking. I did not receive any endorsements of any kind, whether that be monetary, gifts, etc.

THE HOUSE EATERS by my blogging pal, Aaron Polson, is now available at Virtual Tales and Amazon, in either e-book form or paperback. Aaron is a fantastic writer! And if you haven’t read any of his work, then you need to click on his name above and order some of it–right now. 😉

THE HOUSE EATERS is a YA horror novel about high school senior, Nick Gillingham, who suspects sinister forces in his house may be the cause of all of his problems as of late.

To find out more, click here. Or to get a signed copy from Aaron, you can email him at: aaron.polson@gmail.com.

There were 12 official entries–plus one extra for each follower of the blog. I randomly choose a winner, and the winner is donnas, who was commenter #1. Donnas, send me an e-mail that includes your mailing address and Jess will send you a signed copy of Taken by the Others!

Thanks to all who entered. With this being a writing blog, I never planned on having so many giveaways, but it seems to be happening anyway–stay tuned for all kinds of things. 😀

Also, my officially blogoversary was January 26, 2011–one week ago. Four years going strong! I hope to have many more to come.