Debut Author Heather McCorkle!!!

We are so honored and proud to be the first of many blogs who will help a fabulous debut author launch her blog tour and contest this month: our very own Heather McCorkle. Whoo Hoo!!!! I wanted balloons and champagne and, especially, noisemakers, but Heather is a dignified author, with an excellent plan. So here we go, into the Tour of Secrets for The Secret of Spruce Knoll. (We'll get to the noisemakers later, never fear.) First, a bit about the book:

Following the death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with her aunt. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with "channelers"—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands.


Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Now, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad.

Wow, Heather. I, of course, am one of the privileged few who've seen parts of this wonderful book. I love this story. And I understand that the tour encompasses a number of blogs, all of which will run the contest, with great prizes, that's outlined below. On each blog you will answer one question about one of your very own secrets! So, knowing how you loooove secrets, here's your question from CSC:  What is your secret obsession? 

HM: Oh, that's a fun one to start off the tour with! My secret obsession would have to be traveling. I LOVE it, almost as much as writing and reading. Something about going to new places and meeting new people is so exciting for me. I've been to several states in the US, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Canada, and Japan. Here's a picture of one of my favorite places in the world: Hawaii! I must admit, I love it there so much in part because it's where I first met the Critique Sisters.

Awww, shucks. I know I speak for Karlene as well as myself when I say, right back atcha. That was one great workshop. Nice picture of you, btw. But before we get too goopy, lets talk about the fabulous contest you're running in conjunction with your blog tour. Can you tell us about it?

HM: Absolutely. Here are the rules for the giveaway:

Heather's young adult urban fantasy, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, is releasing this month! To celebrate its birthday she's doing a blog tour and contest followed by a live chat on YA Bound  August 30th with a separate giveaway. The blog tour and contest begins today and ends August 31st. Here's what you can win:

1st place: 

*$50 gift certificate to B&N (or the Book Depository if you're over seas). 

*Autographed copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll 

*Special swag bag

2nd place: 

*Swag bag filled with:

*Autographed copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll 

*Spoiled by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

*Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan 

*Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 

*A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young 

3rd place: 

*Autographed copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll 

*Swag bag

You can earn extra points, but if you don’t want to, you don't have to. You can just be a follower of Heather's Odyssey and leave a comment saying you'd like to enter to win. But if you want extra points/entries here's how you can get them:

+1 for being a follower of Heather's Odyssey and commenting (+1 for each blog participating in the giveaway that you follow and comment on. Winners must follow Heather's Odyssey but aren't required to follow each blog participating, you just get more points if you do!).

+2 for adding The Secret Of Spruce Knoll to your To-Read shelf on Goodreads or Shelfari.
+3 for tweeting or posting on Facebook about the giveway.
+4 for Blogging about The Secret Of Spruce Knoll giveaway.
+5 for placing a link on the sidebar of your blog about the giveaway.

For the stops along the blog tour where you can earn extra entries click on Heather's News/Events page. Don't forget to list in your comment what (if anything) you are doing for extra points. You're welcome to come back at the end of the blog tour and leave your comment then if you'd like so you can hit all the stops and rack up the points.

This is amazing, Heather. Thank you so much for sharing your debut with us. May you get tons of participants in your wonderful contest and launch, and even more readers of The Secret of Spruce Knoll. They will be so happy they got the book. Wishing you the very best of luck. You deserve it!

~Linda

Debut Author Eisley Jacobs

It's time to celebrate a wonderful debut author, Eisley Jacobs. Eisley's Middle Grade book, BORN TO BE A DRAGON, releases July 20. Two days from now! Before we talk with Eisley, here's a snippet about this delightful book:

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup...

This is what Lord Edric wants you to believe. He will do anything in his power to see that humans never come in contact with dragons again. However, he doesn't plan for Meia, the foster child who dreams of dragons, believing they are real. Or Deglan, the ten-year-old dragon who bears the ancient mark that threatens everything Lord Edric has worked for.

Join these two unlikely friends as they discover the truth behind a legend so extraordinary it will alter each of their lives... forever.

Welcome to Critique Sisters Corner, Eisley. I can just imagine how much my son (and I) would have loved this story when he was a young reader.  It's got everything from a child longing for magical friendship, to a friendly dragon, to a big bad villain trying to keep people and dragons apart. Tell us what inspired you to write BORN TO BE A DRAGON.

EJ: My inspirations come in many forms, but the main three take the shape of my children (ages 8, 10, and 11). When I first began writing BORN TO BE A DRAGON it was to try and spur my boys to get the love-bug of reading (which worked). But as I wrote, inspirations seemed to come from everywhere I looked. Meia's inspirations actually came from a foster child here in Denver, one who I hope can have a family some day.

What a perfect combination of desires, Eisley. Hoping that a child will have a home, and wanting children to love reading. I love that. No wonder the book flowed for you! And developing that 'love-bug' for reading early is so important. It opens a world of lifelong opportunity.

I've got to ask, when you finish your first draft and your edits, do you read your books to your children? Are they betas for you?

EJ: I actually read each chapter as I completed it because they were begging for more! So yes, they were my first beta readers. Even at one point when I hadn't figured out a small plot twist, my middle child gasped and said, "Oh my gosh, I know who he is!" I stared at him blankly, wondering who he thought it might be, then it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I knew exactly who he meant and it worked perfectly in my plot. It was awesome!"

That was awesome! Do you think you could loan me your middle child for a while—I've got some problems with a saggy middle in my WIP right now that maybe he could help me with?  Kidding, but wow, how great to get that kind of feedback.

One of the questions I always look for in debut author interviews is, what was your favorite part of writing the book? Can you tell us what that was for you with BORN TO BE A DRAGON?

EJ: Absolutely. My favorite part of writing this book was completing it and then sharing it with a child who was not my own. The look on her face when she finished was PRICELESS!!! It really made me realize that THIS was the reason I wrote.

That must have been a fabulous feeling. And how perfect for giving you the confidence to know this book is ready to present to the world.

Okay, Eisley, it's time to talk about the exciting news we've all been reading about on blogs, that you're giving away a NOOK as part of a scavenger hunt. Wow, an e-reader is an outstanding prize. We're excited here at CSC to be part of your scavenger hunt. Can you tell us more about that, and about what readers can do that will let them enter to win the prize?

EJ: Well, the Scavenger Hunt is pretty simple. You read each day's blogs (linked on my website), and then find the answer to each day's question. You simply comment on my blog when you know the answer (for the day) and that enters you into the daily prize AND a chance to win a NOOK! Each blog says something different, so each question is exclusive to each site. It should be a lot of fun!

Terrific! Easy and fun and great prizes. We like that. And, we like the sound of BORN TO BE A DRAGON, a lot. Is there anything you can tell us about this book that we can't read about on your website or blog?

EJ: I can tell you that of all the manuscripts I've ever completed, this one will hold a very special place in my heart. Not only because it's my debut novel, but because the characters really encompassed a lot of who I hope my children will become. Dreamers. Believers. Children who put hope in things unseen, hold onto the faith for their futures and not dwell in the past. Actually, that is my hope for all kids . . . that they don't let their pasts define who they become, but they use it as a spring board into something amazing!

Well, on that beautiful note, I will say thank you so much for visiting us here at CSC, and for sharing BORN TO BE A DRAGON with us, Eisley. We wish you the very best of luck.

And the best of luck to all readers who enter the contest, as well!

~Linda

Debut Author Denise Grover Swank

I'm thrilled to be celebrating the debut of a good friend and fantastic author, Denise Grover Swank. Her paranormal mystery, Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes, released yesterday. Before we meet Denise though here is a bit about her novel:

"It all started when I saw myself dead." 

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She's had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone's toilet's overflowed, but she's never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Welcome to the Critique Sisters Corner Denise! Your novel is being described as Medium meets The Bucket List. I love that! Already I want to pick it up based solely on that description. What inspired you to write this novel?

DGS: Last summer, I took my son to the DMV to get license plates for his new car. I stood at the counter, looked around the dingy waiting room, and said "You could get a really interesting story about a woman who works in a DMV." My son rolled his eyes, but the idea was firmly planted. That was a Thursday.

On Saturday, I got a rejection from an agent who read the paranormal thriller I was querying, Chosen. She said she'd loved it but didn't think she could sell it. I let myself wallow in self-pity for one day, then told myself on Sunday it was time to start a new project. All I had was the sequel to the rejected manuscript (which I was in the process of writing) and the DMV idea. I let the DMV idea roll around in my head and by the afternoon I had a VERY short synopsis, kind of like a query letter. A woman who usually sees boring visions sees a vision of herself dead thru a customer at the DMV. She's lived with her overbearing mother for twenty-four years and makes a list of things she wants to do before she dies. It grew from there. It sounds heavy but throw in a quirky southern town, a feisty heroine, a hot guy next door, and an ugly dog and (hopefully) you get a fun summer read.

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes is a hybrid: part mystery, part romance, part chick-lit. And I love that. It's the first book in the Rose Gardner Mystery series.

I love that your idea was sparked from a mundane task! While writing what is the one thing you can't do without?

DGS: Music. I HAVE to have music. I can't listen to silence and I have to drown out the screaming children in the background, err...I mean exuberant children in the background. (I have five children living at home.)

LOL! Wow, five?! Writing a novel with a house full like that had to be tough. What was your favorite part of writing this novel?

DGS: I loved how Rose took control of the story and wouldn't let me go. It was pure magic. The first draft was 102,000 words and I wrote it in 30 days. The story literally fell out of my fingertips. (It's currently at 93K) She was so much fun that it was a total whirlwind.

Also, the story is in first person. I heard Rose's voice in my head as I wrote and I started talking with a southern accent. I'd lived in the south for almost ten years before moving back to the midwest and one of my biggest regrets was that I didn't pick up a southern accent. An added benefit was that I drove my children CRAZY. See? Win/Win. Late August I did a fun vlog with my children and my accent so they could air their complaints. ;)

I'd love to see that video! LOL! Is there anything you can tell us about Twenty-Eight And A Half Wishes that we may not know from your website? Something juicy perhaps?

DGS: Juicy? hmmm... Rose is completely inexperienced with men so her encounters with Joe and her reactions to what she experiences with him were a lot of fun to write. Especially the closer Rose gets to marking off number fifteen: Do more with a man.

Something fun that's not mentioned on my website is a secondary character--a dog named Muffy. Muffy was supposed to be a plot tool and ended up becoming a character all on her own. I've had readers tell me that some of their favorite humorous parts of the book include Muffy. One even told me that Muffy was her favorite literary dog ever.

That sounds like too much fun and now I can hardly wait to meet Muffy! From your website I see that your next novel, Chosen, is releasing this fall. Is it a sequel to Twenty-Eight And A Half Wishes or a stand-alone?

DGS: Chosen is the first book of a paranormal thriller trilogy. Hunted, the second book of the series will be available in late fall. The Chosen series is much darker and edgier the Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes. I have two sides, a light-hearted funny side and a darker side. I love that I'm able to explore both with my writing.

I'm glad we won't have to wait too long for Chosen, it sounds right up my alley! Exploring is definitely one of the best perks of writing. Any closing thoughts to leave us with?
DGS: Right now I'm working on the second book of the Rose Gardner Mystery series, currently titled Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons. The story picks up about a month after Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes. Rose has been called for Fenton County jury duty. Soon after she's been picked, she has a vision in the courthouse men's restroom that the defendant didn't commit the crime. Rose has to figure out what to do with the information while trying to maintain a long distance relationship with Joe, watching her sister begin to question her marriage, and dealing with the five mischievous boys who moved into Joe's old house next door. Oh, and throw in stuffy new assistant district attorney. A typical Rose mess.

I love that there is going to be more than one novel with Rose! Thank you so much for joining us Denise. My copy of Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes is on it's way and I can hardly wait! To get your own click here.

And here's great news: Denise is giving away one paperback copy of Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes to one lucky reader of this blog post. Just leave a comment to be entered. The winner will be announced two weeks from today. Good luck, everyone!

~Heather

Featured Debut Author~Emma Newman

For our first author feature we're bringing you a fantastic story of self-made success. My good friend Emma Newman podcasted her YA novel 20 Years Later (yes podcasting is self-publishing) and it grabbed the attention of a traditional publisher. This is happening more and more lately and it's bringing new life and purpose to self-publishing.


Emma's work will soon be available through that traditional publisher and I couldn't be happier because people, you are going to LOVE her writing! Her novel 20 Years Later will be available July 5th but you don't have to wait that long. Her anthology, From Dark Places released April 5th! Emma originally self-published 11 short stories as an e-book, before securing a contract with eMergent Publishing for a new edition in e-book and paperback formats. 


Before we meet Emma here is a bit about From Dark Places: 

E.J. Newman’s debut anthology is a dark and twisting journey across the urban landscape, mining the rich seam of human frailties with insight and humour. The stories traverse the magical and the mundane, where supernatural beings are indistinguishable from their mortal counterparts in their complexity and complicity.

Now that you have a good case of the chills please welcome Emma Newman to the Critique Sisters Corner! I love dystopian so you had a built in fan in me the moment I read about your work. What inspired you to write an anthology?  

Emma: Hello! Funnily enough, I didn't set out to write an anthology, it happened accidentally as I fell back in love with short stories after over 15 years of avoiding them. When I was 17 I wrote a short story that got me into Oxford University to study Experimental Psychology. Whilst that was wonderful, it also triggered a ten year long writing block. Even when I started to write again ten years later, I avoided short stories for a long time until there was a competition online that a friend triple-dared me into entering. It was the first short story I had written in over 15 years, and would you believe it, I won! That's why my website looks so pretty - the prize was a website design! 

Anyway, once I caught the bug again, I wanted to write more, and found that I like to write short stories inspired by prompts. I hit upon the idea of my Short Story Club as a way to beat procrastination and get lots of prompts to choose from. It's free to join and members receive a short story written by me in their inbox every month, inspired by a winning prompt submitted to the blog. The winning commenter has the opportunity to read the story prior to its release to the club. There are almost 300 members now.

Anyway, between that and writing stories for the Friday Flash community, I had enough to make an e-anthology and experiment with self-publishing. How I came to get a book deal, well, that's another story! 


Those of us who bought From Dark Places in its first incarnation know all the secrets and twists but is there anything different we might see in this new version from the publisher? Or if not, could you tell us something we may not know from your website for those who haven't read it.  
Emma: Well, the first edition only had 11 stories. The new edition has 25, and one was written especially for the anthology. It hasn't been read by anyone other than my editor. Oh, and my husband, but he gets to read everything first! All of the stories have been lovingly edited by Jodi at eMergent Publishing, and I am feeling so much more proud of it as a result! 


I'm so excited that there are more stories! Which character in your anthology was the most fun, interesting, or challenging to write and why? 
Emma: The most fun character was definitely the wife in "The Letter" written as a parting shot as she is leaving her husband. The first line of the letter: "The dog is in the oven. Don’t open it, it’s too late. I’m sorry." just popped into my head and the rest of the letter just flowed out. She is so angry and vicious, it was great fun to just hear what she had to say. As for the most interesting character, I think that is Harry from "Everything in its Place" who has crippling OCD. That was my editor's favourite story, and I really enjoyed thinking about how his disorder informed all of his actions.  


That is some first line! We know that 20 Years Later will be releasing this July but what do you have planned after that? A sequel perhaps?
Emma: 20 Years Later is the first of a trilogy. The second book is 20 Years Later: Legacy and is currently with my beta readers. Book 3 (20 Years Later: Revelation) is still being written, I have about 30,000 or so words left to write for the first draft. 

After that, I'll be off to the Split Worlds, which is a quirky urban fantasy setting that I have already started to explore, but had to pause to finish the 20 Years Later trilogy. If you want a sneaky peek, you can read the stories I've already written here. I plan to write 53 flash stories in total, and then three novels set in that world.  And I am already building a collection of short stories for From Dark Places: volume 2! 


Any closing thoughts to leave us with?
Emma: Only to say that I hope you enjoy the stories, and thank you for having me! Oh, and if people buy the book, in either print or e-editions, they get access to a super secret area on my website where they can find out how each story came to be written. Signed copies of the print edition are available to buy at my website, by the way.

I'm off to get myself one of those signed copies! Join me here peeps! To follow Emma on Twitter click here. Congratulations Emma. I can think of few more deserving than you. And thank you for joining us to share your inspiring story!