Author Heather McCorkle

A portion of the proceeds from all three novels in the channeler series (The Secret of Spruce Knoll, Channeler’s Choice, Rise of the Rector) will go toward a new, fantastic charity. Some of you may have heard of it (say maybe the Vampire Diaries fans among you). It is the IS Foundation which stands for Ian Somerhalder Foundation (yep, the very one from Vampire Diaries)! I’m incredibly excited to be giving to this amazing charity because they do so much for not only animals, but the youth and the environment. Since you, my friends and fans, will in essence be helping me help this charity by purchasing my books I will start giving you quarterly updates here on the blog that report how much we’ve raised together. The beauty of the Channeler’s Cause is that it is open-ended, meaning there is no deadline or cutoff. Compass Press plans to donate a portion of the profits indefinitely, reassessing the success rate of the cause each year, and likely continuing for years to come. Su

The holidays still have me in their grip today so sorry peeps, no creature feature. I promise I’ll be coming back strong with them next month though so be ready for some fantastic shorts. It isn’t Christmas or New Year’s that has me in its clutches today though. Today I celebrate having survived another full year on this lovely planet of ours. I have much to be thankful for and reflect upon this year. One of the greatest of which, is all of you. With that in mind, I’d like to celebrate my birthday by doing a giveaway to thank you for being part of what has made this year so wonderful. I’ll give away a paperback copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll to one commenter (being a follower is not required but I’d love it if you followed). The contest will be open for one week and the winner will be announced on February second. If you’d like extra points you can get three by adding The Secret Of Spruce Knoll , Channeler’s Choice , and In His Eyes (anthology) to your Goodreads to-read list. I

I have so many this week I'm not sure where to start. I am editing the short, Born Of Fire, which I hope to release at the beginning of January for all of you (for free, yay!). And my goal is to have the editing and formatting completed this week. A bit of steep goal, but I'm determined to get it done. Then I'm beta reading for two people and my goal is to have their manuscripts done by the end of the week too. I have definitely taken on too much, but what the heck I figure go big for the end of the year. How about you, any big writing goals you'd like to accomplish before the end of the year?

Today's teaser is from The Secret Of Spruce Knoll: A Channeler Novel . A staggering relief bubbled through Eren. She launched to her feet and straight into his arms. False hope held no hooks in her heart, though. As much as she wanted to hear it, she knew he wasn't going to tell her it had all been a mistake or a joke. The blue energy that had leaked out of her and threatened to make her explode had not been a hallucination. Okay, your turn. Leave me an excerpt of something you're working on, something from a book you've wrote, or are reading. Don't have an excerpt? Then just let me know what you thought of mine.

My muse last week was a big one with a big announcement. The second book in the channeler series, Channeler's Choice, has a release date with Compass Press : February 27th! *throws streamers and breaks out party hats.* Okay, maybe it's a bit early for party hats, but I'm excited! And here is the lovely cover that I've been dying to share with you: From the moment I saw the picture for the cover I knew it was perfect. This captured not only the essence of Eren and Aiden perfectly, but also that of the novel. It blew me away. And after design, it was even more amazing and perfect. I hope you love it as much as I do! Check back soon for a big contest to celebrate. Here it is on Goodreads if you'd like to put it on your 'to-read' shelf. 

For those waiting on my creature feature, I'm sorry to disappoint, but the craziness of the holidays and other exciting projects has kept me from being able to write one this week. By the echo of few voices across the net, I know most of you have been busy as well. So I will bid you a very happy holidays and let you be on your way. I'll see you next week after the fun and festivities. Many great things await us in 2012 and I for one can hardly wait. Be safe and happy!

Since my manuscript has been off to my editor this month I've been working on a very special writing goal, and I finally finished it! Well, almost finished. Now it's in the editing process. What's special about it though is that it will be my holiday gift to all of you as it will be free. It's a short channeler story, Born Of Fire, that gives you insight into Aiden's history and character that you won't find anywhere else. I was hoping to have it out by the holiday but it looks like I won't quite make it. I want it to be perfect for you all so I'm working very hard on it. I'm shooting for a January upload onto Smashwords and Wattpad, and of course I'll have a PDF file available for those who don't have ereader and just want to read on their computer. While it will be a late gift, hopefully it will be perfect for all of you who have ereaders hiding under your tree! The cover is by CP Design , hope you love it as much as I do!

Today's writing tip is about editing. With more and more authors choosing the independent path, the importance of editing and not getting in a hurry are more vital than ever. You are the last line of defense between your novel and the world. Don't let it go out into such a cruel place without making it into a lean, mean, fighting machine. Once you hit publish it's out there for the world to see, agents, publishing house editors, everyone. It can make or break you even more so than querying. Tip: Put your manuscript through the ringer; critique partners and/or beta readers, and if you are going indie, use a good freelance editor after you've put it through the paces. Golden bonus tip #2: Don't be in a hurry to put it out there until it is polished to perfection.

Today I'd like to wish a happy release day to Vampire's Trill , a novel by author Lorelei Bell . She's been gracious enough to give us an excerpt but here is about about Lorelei to start us off: Lorelei: When not at my day job, I work on my novels, inventing new characters and places/worlds where they dwell. My writing has been compared to Anne Rice's more gritty novels, but with a humorous twist in the tradition of Charlaine Harris. My interest in vampires came in my teens watching the old horror classics of “Dracula” on TV late at night. As a result, I was considered odd because of my interests in the macabre, horror/vampire movies—way before it was 'cool'. I wanted to create a heroine who has to learn who and what she was from the beginning and throughout the series, rather than plopping my readers in the middle of things and doing a lot of back story. Here is the excerpt: I landed on something solid, yet it wasn't flat. It had form. I clearl

The Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour has come to an end but the journey is far from over. I can’t thank you all enough for your amazing support and excitement for both my book and my cause. The journey has only begun as I plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from this novel until 12-12-2012. I’m honored to have taken the first steps of the journey with all of you though. I wish I could award each entrant and supporter, but alas, I must pick only two for now. Winner #1: Theresa Milstein 1st place Theresa you’ve won a signed hardback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, a swag bag, and an endangered species adoption of your choice from this list ($50 donation by myself to the charity and a certificate of adoption and symbolic stuffed animal). Winner #2: Vickie Reljin 2nd place Vickie you’ve won a signed paperback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll and a swag bag (I don't have any contact info for you so be sure to leave me a comment with a way to contact you, no worrie

Today is the last stop on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour. I'm kind of sad because it has been a lot of fun and the support shown to both my book and my cause has been so amazing that it has left me speechless at times. But the giving doesn't end with the tour. I'll be donating a portion of the proceeds of all sales of the Compass Press edition of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll until 12-12-2012. I hope you'll drop in on my author friend Lisa Nowak as I chat with her about prairie dogs, then come back and enter the contest on this link (or you can click on the sidebar picture for the contest). Entries will be closed at midnight (Pacific Time) tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow. First place prize is a signed hardback of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, a copy of The Gift by Cecelia Ahern, some fun Spruce Knoll swag, and a symbolic endangered species adoption of the winner's choice (a $50 donation to the charity by myself, and a stuffed critter

For today's stop along the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at author Erica Chapman's place with some new info on white tigers. We're nearing the end of the tour so be sure to check back in after you visit me at Erica's and click on the link on my right sidebar to enter the contest! In other great news, the winner for LK Gardner-Griffie's new release celebration is: Tanya Congratulations to Tanya, you've won a paperback copy of Misfit McCabe and a paperback copy of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll! LK should be emailing you shortly.

Before I get to the writing goals, today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species Tour, I'm over at author  Christine Bryant's blog  chatting about giraffes. I hope you'll stop by! We're getting close to the end of the tour so don't forget to come back here and click on the button on the right sidebar to enter. This last week while on vacation I was working on a special writing project that I hope to have finished very soon. It falls somewhere between a short story and a novella and I plan on releasing it for free hopefully before the holiday as a gift to all of you. If you've ever wondered what really happened to Aiden's parents then you are really going to want to read this! My goal was to get at least 2,000 new words written on it by the end of the week and I'm thrilled to say I did! My goal for this next week is to finish the first draft, put it through my editing process, then send it off to my beta. How about you? Are your writing goals surv

Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at Talli's Roland's place and at Carolina Valdez Miller's place. Hope to see you at both! Two stops means two chances for more entries/points for the contest! And now to the fun gift ideas! My good friend, and author of Between , Cyndi Tefft has put together some fun gift ideas for fans of her novels. That means you Aiden's Angels! I'm not just featuring this because her main character shares a name with my main character (and hotness traits) but because she is a fabulous lady who deserves my support! For starters, you can get a signed copy of Between right from Cyndi's blog. Signed books are always great gift ideas and many authors, including myself, offer them on their sites. But if you're already a fan, or know a fan, then you'll definitely want to check out what Cyndi has put together on  Cafe Press for Aiden's Angels . The items on there are definitely going on

My Seattle trip to visit my Critique Sisters and meet new friends was fantastic! Though the weather was wet it wasn't nearly as wet as I expected, and I had a wonderful time. Celebrating the holidays with friends makes all the craziness worth it and all the hardships of the year melt away. I wish I could celebrate with each and every one of you in person, but for most of us, we'll have to settle for social networking celebrations! I'm so thankful for all of you though, I hope you know that. As for what's feeding my muse on the literary front, I'm reading a signed copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft. Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour you can find me over at The Fiction Enthusiast with my friend Christie chatting about cougars. You know you can't resist that!

Today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my good friend Saba's blog talking about the polar bear, one of my favorite creatures! I hope you'll drop in. And now for my author friend Lisa Nowak's fabulous new release. If you need a gift for a guy this season, look no further! Getting Sideways: Book 2 in the Full Throttle Series Getting shipped off to live with his uncle Race was the best thing that ever happened to fifteen-year-old Cody. Then a wreck at the speedway nearly ruined everything. Cody’s making every effort to get his life back on track—writing for the school paper, searching for the perfect girlfriend, and counting the days until he gets his drivers’ license—but there’s no escaping the nightmares that haunt him. A chance to build his own car seems like the perfect distraction. Until Cody realizes he’ll have to live up to Race’s legendary status. But that’s the least of his worries, considering he doesn’t have his dad’s permissi

Today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my good friend Christy's (of Erica and Christy) blog  chatting about the breathtaking emerald hummingbird (yay two people picked it!). You have to see this amazing creature to believe it! I hope you'll stop by to say hi, and of cAourse to get another point in the contest! Don't forget, if you're in the Seattle area, today I'm appearing at Tully's coffee shop (the one on Western Avenue) at 3:00pm for a meet and greet . Of course I'm happy to sign for anyone who brings their books along! I'll be armed with swag!

Today there are two stops along the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour, which means two more chances for another entry/point in the contest! First I'm over at my author friend LK Gardner-Griffie's blog talking about the arctic fox. For the second stop I'm over at my book blogger friend's blog, Melanie McCullough , talking about the emerald hummingbird, which is a breathtaking creature you have to see to believe. I'll be dropping in on both to stops to chat with peeps so I hope to see you in both places! To see what's up for grabs, and to enter the contest, click on the button on the right sidebar for the tour.

For those checking in on my stop for the Spruce Knoll for endangered species tour, I'm over at Simon Larter's blog today. Come on over to learn about hellbender salamanders and to get an extra point/entry in the contest. On to my feature! If you don't know who bestselling author Talli Roland is, then you're in for a treat because she is one of the most supportive, fun people I know. First a bit about her new release, How To Build A Man: Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients' liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- giving Serenity a story no editor could resist. With London's biggest tabloid on board and her ve

Today for the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my good friend and author Roland Yeomans blog. Roland's blog is always a fun place to drop in, not to mention, you'll have a chance to gain another entry/point for the contest! Now for the teaser. This is from page 52 of the Compass Press special edition: Aiden went very still. After a painfully long silence, Eren reached over and touched his arm. He turned to her, revealing eyes that were filled with regret. "What is it? What do you know?" she asked. "I want to tell you everything but it isn't my place. It kills me not to talk to you about it, you have to believe me, please," he said.

There is so much wonderful stuff going on this week that I hardly know where to start. For those looking for my Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour stops, I'm over at my author buddy Danyelle Leafy's blog chatting about snow leopard, and on my critique sisters blog with Linda chatting about ring-tailed lemurs. Remember, both tour stops are an opportunity to gain another point/entry so I hope you'll stop by! Then don't forget to come back here and click on the tour/giveaway button on the right sidebar to enter. The books and coffee photo is my inspiration as I'm doing my first unofficial author appearance and signing this coming weekend! I'm attending the Women's National Book Association ( Seattle chapter ) Christmas party this coming Saturday with my critique sisters, then I'll be off to Tully's coffee shop for a meet and great (the unofficial appearance and signing) with a few friends in Seattle. If you are in the Seattle area this coming

For those wondering where I'm at on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered species tour today, I'm over at my friend Jessie Harrell's place. I hope you'll stop by to learn more about dolphins and get an extra entry in the contest! Today please welcome my friend and fabulous author, LK Gardner-Griffie. She has a new release out in the outstanding Misfit McCabe series. LK and her main character Katie are her today to tell us all about her new novel Tattered. Take it away LK! LK: First of all, I'd like to thank Heather McCorkle for hosting the Tattered tour today. Heather and I met on Twitter, but got to know one another better through another blog tour to help a mutual friend celebrate signing with an agent. As writers we learn to celebrate every single success! Heather recently launched her debut novel, The Secret of Spruce Knoll and right now is doing a blog tour of her own with a special edition of her novel and some of the proceeds will go toward helping endanger

I'm sorry to say that I don't have a Friday Creature Feature for you today. I had planned on a great one as I'm going to be featuring endangered species (real critters!) this month. But I'm sick and my head is so fuzzy I can't form sentences very well. You don't want to know how long it took to write this short post. But I won't let you go completely emptied-handed. Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour I'm over at my friend Theresa's blog, Tales of Teaching Tribulations and Typing Teen Texts . Whew, I'm exhausted just typing that. We're featuring the panda so come on over to learn more about it, and to get an extra entry/point for the contest! Then, to enter, come back and click on the sidebar button for the contest.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered to win a copy of Spruce Knoll through the New Author Blog Hop giveaway. I was blown away by the amount of people who entered. You peeps made my month. :) I won't keep you in suspense. The winner of the first copy of the Compass Press edition of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll: A Channeler Novel is: Persephone But if you didn't win don't worry, there is another great giveaway going on right now during my tour, Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species! To enter click here . Then I hope you'll join me over at my good friend Elle Strauss's place for the first stop along the tour.

To read my entry for the last day of the I Love Dark YA blogfest (which is the dark YA novel I'm most looking forward to) go here !

To celebrate the release of the special edition of The Secret of Spruce Knoll: A Channeler Novel from Compass Press, I'm doing a special giveaway. Tomorrow the mini-tour for this novel begins and so do your changes for winning a prize. From December 1st~17th:  The Spruce Knoll For Endangered Species tour and giveaway is occurring! Between it's publication date and 12-12-12, a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of each Compass Press edition of this novel (all formats) will go toward my favorite charity that specializes in saving endangered species. My goal is to raise at least $10,000. Together we can make a difference. To see a list of the tour stops, click on the News/Events page. 1st place:  *A symbolic adoption of an endangered species ($50 donation by me. Symbolic stuffed animal and adoption papers sent to the winner). You get to choose the species  here .  *A signed hardback of the Compass Press special edition of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll: A Channeler

Teaser Tuesday is postponed to celebrate the book birthday of my friend Shelli (S.R.) Johannes's Untraceable . This is one book you don't want to miss, trust me (and I LOVE this cover)! Here's a bit about it to show you why: 16 year old Grace was reared in the wilderness. Her first pet was a bear named Simon. Her first potty, an oak tree. And, her first swing, a forest vine. Grace has lived in the Smokies all her life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her everything he knew about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. When Grace's dad goes missing on a routine patrol, unlike everyone in her sleepy mountain town, she refuses to believe he’s dead. After finding a Cheetos bag and stolen government file, Grace is convinced she’s one step closer to proving all the non-believers wrong. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for t

I'm happy to be participating in a great giveaway in support of four debut authors. There are many ways to win so be sure to read through all the details. Here they are: Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!  On November 28 and/or 29, purchase 1 or all 4 of the debut author’s books listed here. Then forward proof of purchase (the receipt Amazon sends you will do just fine) to: motionsrider@yahoo.ca and get up to 4 entries into a draw for a $100 Amazon gift card ! It’s that easy, no reviews, no hoops to jump through. Just a great .99 book or two. Or three or four. AND, if the person who wins the $100 Amazon Gift Card has purchased all 4 books, an additional $25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner! On top of that, 2 random commenter’s picked from 2 of our participating blogs will receive $5 gift Amazon gift cards . So, be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think of the promo, the books, or the authors. Winners will be chosen randomly, one entry p

Today’s Friday Creature Feature is special because it is in celebration of the release of Tangled Tides, by Karen Hooper. There is a war going on amidst the sea creatures and those of us participating in Karen’s tour are taking sides. Take a look at this amazing cover. Doesn’t it make you just want to pick it up?! Here is a bit about the book: Yara Jones doesn’t   believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one. When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.  Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as

Today is sadly the last post for the I Love Dark YA blogfest. I've been having so much fun and have met so many amazing people. For today's post we have to choose a dark YA book to feature that has touched our lives. I've chosen the very first dark YA book that I read as a teen. The only reason I read it was because it was required reading, and I'm so glad it was because it opened my eyes and changed something inside me. Friendship, love, hardship, tragedy, and learning to accept people as they are, The Outsiders has it all. It was a classic then and still holds the title today. What dark YA novel has touched your life? Scroll down to see my entry for the New Author Blog Hop, and enter the giveaway!

I'm honored to be participating in Saba's~from Of Thoughts and Words~New Author Blog Hop. I'm to provide details about my book and links where it can be found, and as the special edition from Compass Press has just released, the timing couldn't be better. Here is a bit about my YA urban fantasy, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll : Following the death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with an aunt she’s never met. Little does Eren know, the entire population are channelers—magical people who immigrated there when they were driven out of their homelands. Channelers are tied to the fate of the world, and as it slowly dies, they are going extinct—and they alone have the power to save the earth. Soon, 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 though. As Eren and Aiden’s relationship develops, so too does a mystery in Spruce Knoll. The tow

Last week was a rough one for me and my writing for many reasons. My friends helped pull me through it though (yes you!) and I emerged on the other side, perhaps not unscathed, but I emerged! As writers we all go through rough patches where something is challenging us, rejections, editing, outlining, that first draft, or outside forces. This tip~and you wonderful people~got me through it. The most important writing tip ever: Never give up. The moment you do, that's the moment you fail. But if you never give up, then you can never fail. Friends will be there to pull you through. Don't be afraid to talk about it or even ask for help.  One of the helping hands that lifted me up and made me smile last week was Christie from The Ficiton Enthusiast who wrote this sweet review of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll and blogged about my upcoming giveaway. How about you, any writing tips of your own to share? 

This beautiful snowy view out my window with the bald eagle kept me going and inspired me despite the fact that I felt like I was stuck in an eternally burning pit with demons snapping at my heals (formatting will do that to you). It was a rough week to put it lightly. But all is well, and I’m back on track. Whew! For anyone who has every had one of those days (weeks, months, years), I’m raising a glass of wine to you tonight during the #WritersRoad chat on Writing Helping Hands. I hope you’ll join us. It’s a half hour chat followed by a half hour word war (writing sprint). Click here to join us at 6pm PT. These last few weeks I’ve been reading Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. I had trouble in the beginning. The writing just didn’t pull me in and the striking (and numerous) similarities between this and a friend of mine’s book ( Across The Universe by Beth Revis, which I loved by the way) were too hard to ignore. The deeper I got into the book though, the more I realized how different

Today for the I Love Dark YA Blogfest we're picking one of our favorite dark YA novels, casting it, and giving it a soundtrack. There are a ton of YA novels I love, but because I'm strapped for time~and because I thought you might like to know who I'd cast~I'm going to pick The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. Vanessa Hudgens are Eren Donovan. Her hair is a bit light since Eren has truly black hair, but that can be fixed. Otherwise, she has the same slightly exotic look, and despite some cheesy roles, she can act (no seriously!). Taylor Kisch as Aiden Moldovan. Need I say why? *sigh* Those hazel eyes are just perfect and his ability to play a lost, slightly sullen teen is unparalleled. Okay, maybe not, but I'm smitten, what can I say? Sure, he'll be too old by the time the movie is ever made, but a girl can dream. I've always thought Michelle Rodrigues would make the perfect Aunt Sylvia. It's time someone gave the lady a role besides a bada**

This week's writing tip is one that I didn't always embrace. It can be hard for us writers to share our babies with others. There is a lot of fear in handing over your work to someone else for their critique. However, it is essential to having a truly polished novel. Your critique partners, beta readers, or editor will catch things you can't. Tip: Find someone whose opinion you trust and have them read your novel, or at least key chapters of your novel, to help you with it. If you don't know anyone then it might be time to join a writer's forum, find other writers on Twitter (the weekly #WritersRoad chat on Twitter every Monday night is a great place), blogger, or even on Facebook. Reach out, there are always people who are willing to help.

Last week I was deeply inspired by the amount of friends who wanted to be part of my mini-tour for the release of the special edition of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. Thank you so much to all of you, I'm touched. The tour will be from December 1st through the 17th. This tour is dear to me as it is the launch of the novel that will help save endangered species. Between it's publication date and 12-12-12, a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of each Compass Press edition of this novel (all formats) will go toward my favorite charity that specializes in saving endangered species. My goal is to raise at least $10,000. It's a lofty goal, I know. But I figured why not reach for the stars? Of course there will be prizes on this tour! Entrants must be followers of this blog. Winners will be drawn December 18th and announced December 19th. An extra point/entry will be given to those who follow the blogs that are stops along the tour (one extra entry/point for each that you

We're interrupting Friday Creature Feature to bring you the fabulous Dark C.A.R.M.A. tour ! Three of my friends are having a book birthday today and you don't won't to miss these amazing books. Be sure to stop by the link above to enter the giveaway. But first, a bit about their books: Become, by Ali Cross: Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared. When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend. Bound, by C.K. Bryant:  When a photo shoot ends in tragedy, Kira discovers her best friend, Lydia, has been keeping a secret. Knowing the truth, and

This week during the I Love Dark YA blogfest we're supposed to write a 500 word short on this photo. Here goes: The hatch protests with a horrible screech as it opens for the first time in ten years. Pale sunlight pours into the tiny opening to the surface world, blinding even it's softness. But it's beautiful, warm on my skin. I have forgotten how it looked, how it felt. But it isn't the bright, beautiful yellow I remember. It's white and muted, like it used to look on cloudy days. With limbs that shake from anticipation, I climb the hatch ladder. The natural light hurts my eyes, forcing me to shade them as I take my first steps onto the surface. Peeking through my hands, I see that the world is now washed out shades of gray. Where is all the green? Gone, all gone. My eyes sting with tears. A twig snaps, a hollow, dead sound. I am not alone. Now I'm off to visit the other blogfesters ! I hope you'll join me. 

Before we get to Teaser Tuesday, I need to announce the winner of Kristie Cook's Soul Saver swag pack from her Genesis tour giveaway! And the winner is: Anonymous: christina.irelan@gmil.com (I'm not sure if that's your complete email address so be sure to leave a comment so Kristie can get a hold of you). Congratulations to Christina! Now for Teaser Tuesday. Today's teaser is from The Secret Of Spruce Knoll page 14: Eren's knee hurt and her elbow stung, but she forgot about them both in an instant. Above her hovered the most amazing hazel eyes framed by a shock of tousled brown hair streaked through with black highlights. It was a boy, and he was lying on top of her. She fought a flush of embarrassment and lost. Okay your turn! Leave me a teaser from your work in progress, or from what your reading if you would like!

Last week the snow was my inspiration. The way it blew in and blanketed the world around me, heralding the arrival of winter, seemed to reflect what is going on in my writing life (for those who are wondering, this view is out my back door. I know, I'm so lucky!). Things are a whirlwind of activity with my special edition of Spruce Knoll coming out at the end of this month, but in a good way. I'm starting to get ready for preparing my mini blog tour in December so if you'd like me to stop by your blog leave me a comment! The focus of the mini tour will be Spruce Knoll For Endangered Species. I'm reading Glow by Amy Ryan. The writing style reminds me of the way sci-fi used to be written, with a bit of detachment. While tons of people love this style, I'm not one of them so it hasn't exactly pulled me in yet. I'm hoping it will grow on me though. It has kept me reading after 50 pages so I have hope! What inspired you last week? Reading anything good, or hav

Every Wednesday this month I'm joining my co-hosts  Christa , Kelly , E.R. ,  YAtopia and many other blogger friends in celebrating my love of dark young adult novels. So you won't see my Wednesday Writing Goal posts for a month. But the timing is great since I know many of you are busy with NaNo. Each week we have a different theme. You don't want to miss all the stops because it will be a ton of fun and we'll be doing a giveaway at the end of the month. To see what the themes are, and who is participating, click here . This week we're blogging about our favorite dark YA novel (s). There are so many great ones that I had a lot of trouble choosing so I'm featuring three. The first is Crank by Ellen Hopkins. It is the epitome of dark. In fact, it's a subject most people don't want to touch and Ellen tackled it beautifully. Any and all of Ellen's books fall under this beautifully dark category. She isn't afraid to go where others won't