Wednesday story day already and we are knee-deep in the story of Charlotte and Bob. Last week Charlotte got a taste of Bob’s story telling ability when she asked for a little more to be added to the first chapter. Bob gave some detail off the top of his head and she was amazed. He told her he had a lot more he could share. When she asked to see it he told her it was still in his head. We got a sense Charlotte was ready to go over the edge. Rejoining them now.
“Why is your story still in your head Bob?”
“To be honest Charlotte I didn’t want to lose it or have anyone steal it.”
“Who’s going to steal it?”
“Oh come on. There are so many TV shows that would love to get their hands on my story.”
“Okay, Bob if that’s what you believe why write down the rest of the chapters?”
“ The rest is useless without the beginning.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Go ahead read the first line of the second chapter.”
“Why don’t you read it to me? It’s yours after all.”
“Yeah, good. It won’t make a bit of sense without the first chapter.”
“Try it.”
“Okay. Ahem. Here goes. There doesn’t seem to be any reason I’m sitting in this funeral home listening to my family discussing how to bury me.”
“I think you may have a point. The reader needs to understand the guy walked off the building.”
“Told ya.”
“So let’s get the story written and then work on the publication.”
“How do I guard against theft?”
“Let me worry about that problem. No one is going to see the manuscript until I show it to them.”
I am very pleased to have Olga Núñez Miret join Fiction Favorites to help publicise the launch of three books in her Angelic Business series. So Olga the spot is yours.
Hi all:
First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters. Reader, don’t worry, I’m not here forever, just twisting John’s arm and borrowing a bit of space.
Author Olga Núñez Miret
My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, psychiatrist, I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and recently have taken up meditation (mindfulness). (I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time). I’ll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but hey…do your worst!).
I’ve been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller…and a few unfinished works.
Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time, I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I’ve published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).
I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shades of Greg. (No, nothing to do with…)
And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?
As I had written the three, I thought I’d publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).
The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they’ll go up shortly after publication.
Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.
And here, the series:
Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course!
It seems you’re in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.
Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17-year-old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can’t help but ask: Why me?
And a snippet:
“Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia.
“Oh no, not again,” I said.
“Hi, Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…”
“Let me guess…You’re an angel.”
I could say he smiled, but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority.
“Yes. I am.”
“O…K….And…to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort…I could have done with some notice.”
The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier.
“It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know…G…”
“Yes?”
“I know he told you he’s an angel.”
I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering.
“Yes. I also “know” things…In my case, it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”
Pink Matters is currently available for pre-order and will be published on the 26th of June 2015 (Amazon time). So, if you’re reading this post after the 26th of June, you’re in luck and can get the book straight away! (I’m also publishing it in other platforms although as their processing speed is different the dates might vary. Do check there or in my website, that I regularly update).
In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:
Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg
Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg
What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn’t lose gracefully.
One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn’t know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?
Shapes of Greg is available for pre-order and will be published on the 15th of July.
OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but.
However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She’ll sort her friends out, she’ll help her family and, she’ll live a bit. And then, she’ll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy.
Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you’re gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.
Pink, Angel or Demon? is available for pre-order and will be published on the 30th July.
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs! Ah, and thanks to Lourdes Vidal for her covers.
As those of you who often visit know, I sometimes come across things on the beach that strike a prompt chord in my writing head. This yellow bottle was no exception. I have never seen any trash wash up on the beach with anything but English or Spanish labels and directions. When I came across this Asian labelled bottle, I had to come up with a story to explain how it got to Texas. So here goes.
“Yes, your appointment is confirmed for Friday.”
“Thank you. It’s important that I am not delayed. I have a critical engagement right after.”
“Yes, ma’am. We will see you at nine o-clock, and you will be ready to go by noon.”
“Oh, that’s great. One more thing. Can I bring my shampoo?”
“Well we have a number of brands and they are complementary.”
“This is a special shampoo I got while I was in Japan. They say it’s magic the way it works.”
“You can bring your own. You say you got it in Japan?”
“Yes and right after my appointment I am catching a flight back to Japan so I will take it with me as well.”
The inspiration for this list is a lifetime of observation of the behavior of people who finally let down their defenses. The lowering of defenses may have been as a result of being over-served or just a decision of not wanting to hold back any longer. Although becoming open and honest without pretense can be a right thing more often that not the consequences of id liberation make such a move the source of regret. I hope you enjoy the list.
Ten Things Not to Do if Your Inhibitions Have Been Set Free.
10 If you feel uninhibited, do not free your body from clothes to match your mind. If you do, at best you will be all alone in the woods. At worst, you will become aware of your condition as the mall cops wrestle you to the floor and try to hide your parts.
9 If you feel uninhibited, do not ignore the speed laws. If you do, at best you’ll get home in one piece. At worst, you will find it hard to explain to the justice system that you no longer think the laws of the land apply to you since you feel free. You will also risk having a mandatory psych evaluation before your trial.
8 If you feel inhibited do not walk out of a store with unpaid merchandise. If you do, at best you can explain you forgot to check out, and no harm done. At worst, you will be escorted to the rear of the store by a guy with SECURITY on his shirt past the fifth grade class of your kid’s school on their annual retail field trip.
7 If you feel uninhibited, do not overestimate the value of the truth. If you do, at best your truthful comments will be limited to the weather. At worst, your truth-telling on some subjects will lead you to being asked to leave the country for good by some somber looking people.
6 If you feel uninhibited, do not blow your horn to encourage the pack of Hells Angles to get out of your way. If you do at best, they might move over to let you pass. At worst, you will find yourself on the back of a Harley Softail hanging on to Moose for dear life with a next stop in Sturgis. Oh and your car is in several members saddlebags. They promise they will put it back together after the rally.
5 If you feel uninhibited, do not tell the checkout person about all the things you couldn’t find today. (Even if asked) If you do, at best you will realize no one cares about what you couldn’t find. At worst, the checkout person will call the manager with the words “whining customer on register four.” Those behind you will be calling for a horse and rope.
4 If you feel uninhibited, do not take the survey you are offered during your call to customer service of the electric company to report that your power has been off for four hours. If you do, at best you will not see your power for three days. At worst, your survey will be handed to the uncooperative employee and includes your home address, phone number and hours when your electricity usage is lowest. You will wonder what that black car is doing across the street every night. (Hint, leave town)
3 If you feel uninhibited do not answer the question “where would you like to go for dinner?” If you do, at best you will resent the fact you had to decide the rest of the night. At worst, you will go into a rant about why you always have to decide everything. You will ask “why just this once can’t you make a $#@*&% decision.” The result will be carry out and silence at dinner.
2 If you feel uninhibited and someone from management asks what you think should be done to improve the workplace, do not follow your instinct to tell everyone what you think. If you do, at best your coworkers will endeavor to move away from you. At worst, you will in the course of two minutes of meaningful suggestions render yourself a pariah and perfect candidate for that assignment in Iraq.
1 If you feel uninhibited, do not visit any store with merchandise priced any higher than a dollar. If you do, At best you will snap out of it in time. At worst, you will finally be stopped by the credit card security group who honestly believe your card has been stolen since you limit was reached in only two stops and one was a diamond store.
Today’s view of the Gulf has a bit more optimism in it as opposed to previous photos. The sun is out, and a camper has spent the night without getting drenched.
Compare to last week (below) the weather is fine indeed. Also, there is a couple of morning glories, who have decided to brave the sun and make an appearance. The camper is not supposed to be there since the rules require them to be in an area that has portable toilets. I don’t want to tell anyone since I do not wish a portable toilet at the bottom of the dune walkover.
Always nice that Friday has made it. (or I should say we made it to Friday) Eight hours and the weekend will be upon us. Hope everyone had a good work week. Mine was very productive. I finished some painting (no not artwork) that was needed. Having a house by the Gulf is like being on a boat. There are always little repairs that need attention. I noticed this week the UPS guy was punching our door bell and nothing was happening. It is time for the semi-annual de crusting of the button and a touch up of the contact points. The nice part is I know what to do to make it right. The house is always in need of paint. As you can imagine the salt spray makes Sherwin Williams uncover the house. (Their slogan is Cover the Earth). This week’s JohnKu (A term coined by Words4jp) is all about having a little bitter with the sweet. Hope you like it.
Last week Dan Antion on his blog No Facilities ran a lovely post where he pictured and described the Enfield Connecticut Town Hall. You can visit the post here. I commented on how nice the town hall was and Dan asked to see a picture of the city hall here in Port Aransas Texas. I thought that was an excellent idea even though our city hall looks nothing like his. Still the idea is a good one and maybe could start a movement where we all post a picture of our town hall.
So Dan, here is our city hall. It does look like something you would see on an island.
I decided while I was out in the sun (Man the sun felt good )taking pictures of the town hall I would go ahead and take one of the Civic Center. Notice that fish. It is a Tarpon, and the statue commemorates the Port Aransas Centennial in 1986.
As long as I had a photo of the Civic Center I decided to let you see the police station and courthouse. The police station and courthouse are not places you want to visit. ( Let’s just say there is always plenty of parking around these two.)
The Civic Center sign pretty much sums up what the people think about visitors, Welcome to Port Aransas
As some of you may know Rave Reviews Book Club is a place where authors and readers commit to helping each other. The idea is to help spread the word about available books. One of our members, Bethany Turner, gave us the idea of paying it forward, and because of her thoughtful and giving nature, we’re naming this program after her. Every 4th week of each month is Bethany Turner “PAY IT FORWARD” Week at Rave Reviews Book Club! During this week, members agree to give up ALL self-promotion and promote on their blog and their social media forums an author member.
It is my pleasure to Support Suzanne McKenna Link author of Saving Toby
Click to Visit Amazon
Loving someone through their hard fall from grace takes a lot of grit. In school, Toby Faye was a moody kid who sat in the back of the class and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Claudia might have forgotten him if it weren’t for the two fatal circumstances surrounding his family. In their small town, the Faye name was infamous.
Saving Toby, Suzanne McKenna Link’s debut novel, is the first book of a two-part story that follows the emotional and gritty tale of a young couple’s journey to find themselves and the love they never dreamed existed. The literary love story follows the moving journey of a damaged young man and his love for a girl who might just save him. An avid interest in psychology has Suzanne digging deep into the reasons for her characters’ behaviors. The native Long Islander is fascinated by the how and why of people’s actions. As a result, her characters come to life on the pages.
Suzanne McKenna Link works for a family of newspapers that cover events in and around the South Shore of Long Island, New York. She lives in the town of Sayville with her husband and two children.
Wednesday Story Day is here again. Last week we left Charlotte having as she has for some time a moment of concern about what Bob has written. She reads his first chapter that is “He stepped off the ledge and could see the end was near.” We can rejoin the two and see what happens next.
“Why do you say ‘Oh my gosh.’ Is it that good?”
“Well Bob; let me put it this way. Your first chapter pretty much tells the reader that the character described is going to die.”
“Yes that’s correct. He was on top of a building and he decided to end it all.”
“So we need to move to the second chapter to see what happens.”
“Yes. This is what I call a hook.”
“I can understand that Bob but a hook needs to be a little more than an ending of life. There has to be a little more about the character so the reader will care about moving to chapter two.”
“Well the rest of the book is a flashback and the story comes out there.”
“That can be effective. It does smack of a screenplay though.”
“You think so. I hope to sell this to a producer.”
“Well, maybe you could put a little more in the first chapter.”
“Like what?”
“Well, how does the character feel? Did he arrive by car? Does he live in the building? You know some points of interest.”
“I see what you’re saying. So I should put in something to build up to the jump?”
“I think so.”
“How about this? With shaking hands he cupped the lighter against the wind and took a long pull at the cigarette. Filling his lungs with smoke his head got a click lighter than where the three drinks he gulped down before leaving his apartment left him. On unsteady legs he ambled toward the edge of the roof. Looking out over the city his eyes overflowed at the thought of never seeing this view again. Blinking to clear his vision he stepped over the low protection and stood near the edge of the roof shaking with fear. Another deep drag of the cigarette provided reason to double think his decision to jump. Of course, it was too late to go back, and he is to honor the commitment . Today it is necessary to be the last day of his life, and there was no turning back.”
