“Wow, who are you, really?”

Today, the lovely and talented, Erika Beebe, author of the short story, Stage Fright, which appears in the ONE MORE DAY anthology, is guest hosting on my blog today. Please give her a round of applause as she discusses the Mind of A Writer, Character Development, and Who Are We Really?

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The mind of a writer is a funny thing. I can invent the most twisted story, shake it off to make dinner, at least mostly, and then I catch my husband leaning over a printed copy of my latest and greatest chapter as the words escape his lips, “Wow, who are you, really?”

Growing up, I didn’t like creepy. I remember being eight-years-old and watching A Nightmare on Elm Street at a slumber party … further back at five when I’d caught Jaws on the television and was unable to walk across the basement floor without dreading the image of a great white beast living a hidden existence under the couch. I’d leap from furniture to furniture in the basement until I made it to the stairs. Now here I am. I write YA creepy. :o)

And then I dream how to tame it.

So how do we go to sleep at night with all of these creepy plots and words floating through our thoughts?

Writing is a profession. When you love it, you know when to turn it on, and sometimes, when you absolutely need to turn it off. Sure, I’ll have ideas slip into my head in the middle of the night, or while I’m going about my day, but that’s why I always carry a notebook. I can scratch down a really great thought, tuck it back in my purse and finish wherever I am in the moment. But just like a counselor, or an architect, or a doctor, you know you could work all the time, every minute of your life if you let it consume you. So you learn how to stop, make a few notes if they absolutely won’t let you move on, and you go back to what you were doing in the present moment.

How do we write about fictional characters and plots we don’t actually live?

Research. For me as a writer, solving a character is much like solving an algebra equation or creating a chemical reaction in a laboratory. I read everything. I look at pictures and study people. I document facts and details with pictures and words, journaling down what I feel and think in a moment. Recently I wrote a chapter where my two main characters were boogie boarding in the ocean. I’ve been to the ocean many times, but the past doesn’t always help an immediate physical moment. Especially if I need to feel, taste or sense a particular detail in a scene. So what did I do? Today, writers are lucky. We have YouTube, Google Maps, and the ability to type in and search for anything. I can watch a how-to video and be in someone’s moment on the beach. I can’t always smell what I need to smell, but that’s where memory helps. If I’m setting my book in a particular physical location, I go to that location. I need to see the community, feel the ground, and smell the air. Last point to make, lots of what I’ve lived slips into my words. If you know a writer, there’s never a guarantee you won’t be somewhere in a plot or a character. My ideas come from my life. My creativity takes them in new and strange directions.

So who I am?

Am I the girl you see when you meet me? Am I character in my book? Am I a mother, a wife, a career woman, a yoga instructor? My answer is yes. Life is a complicated mess, and no matter what profession we choose, parts of us come out in everything we do.

How to Make a Character Sympathetic in 15 Seconds (insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com)
Look Ma – no writer’s block! (anaspoke.com)

“Life is a complicated mess.”

Today, I have the lovely and talented Erika Beebe guest hosting my blog. Erika is the author of Stage Fright, one of seven short stories in the ONE MORE DAY anthology. She’s going to chat with you about the mind of a writer, character development and the great question, who are we, really? Be sure to ask questions and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for your chance to win a copy of ONE MORE DAY.

Please give it up for one of the loveliest ladies I’ve ever encountered.

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And then I dream how to tame it.

So how do we go to sleep at night with all of these creepy plots and words floating through our thoughts?

How do we write about fictional characters and plots we don’t actually live?

So who I am?

***

If you have to have your copy of ONE MORE DAY right now, please click on any of the links below.

AMAZON – PAPERBACK AMAZON – KINDLE BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

One Publisher; One Author’s Life Changed Forever

Today is Day 2 of the One More Day Anthology blog tour and the 7 authors are as busy as mall Santas, making their rounds in cyberspace, introducing themselves, making connections and spreading cheer. Today, I have the lovely Erika Beebe, author of Stage Fright, with me to answer one question:

If you could freeze one moment of your life and put it on display for all to see, what would that moment be?

Erika, the stage is all yours.

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The one happy moment I wish I could re-share with the world? The moment where I did so many happy dances and celebrated until my cheeks were flushed and bright red? The moment J. Taylor contacted me about my story Stage Fright, in One More Day. I’d had so many closed doors for so many years and that one moment changed me. It gave me confidence, faith, and a true belief in turning the impossible into possible. I’ll always be grateful for that email.

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That’s lovely, Erika, and what great words of encouragement to other authors out there. Goes to show, all it takes is one leap of faith for a door to open. And for your reading pleasure, here is a little excerpt from Stage Fright:

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They warned me about the stage.

It stretched out, long, black and ice-hard with a curve around the edge, and Mean Girl, one of the cast members, stood at the perfect angle, a little behind me off to the left, but where I couldn’t escape her sneer. “Do you remember the last time you danced on the lake, right before the blizzard in the spring?” my best friend Jess had asked the night before, in a long overdue FaceTime chat—the closest we’d come to seeing each other in months. “Feel the ice, and dance.”

I sucked in a huge breath of air and pictured that day in my hometown, instead of the stage; the sky overhead had darkened, the rolling clouds pushed by a wind so strong, it whipped my long dark hair around my face. I remembered braiding my hair quickly and pulling my green stocking hat down over my ears and forehead. After grabbing my skates, I’d slung them over my shoulder and walked to the edge of the frozen lake. I can do this.

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Want to read more? Click one of the links below to grab your copy in e-book or paperback, or, if you’re really daring, enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway for your chance to win a copy of ONE MORE DAY.

Don’t forget to stop by Erika’s homes on the web and say hello. She’d love to talk to you and share her journey to publication.

Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads

“Anthology” or “So Many Stories, So Little Time to Wait!” (everonword.wordpress.com)
ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy + Others (bookarooju.wordpress.com)

ONE MORE DAY Kickoff

December is a very busy month. There’s food to be bought, baking to be done, lights to put up and…a book to promote?

Yep, in the middle of all the fixings and trimmings, the strands of tangled Christmas lights, ensuring the dragon is well-fed, seven YA authors (myself included) are preparing for a whirlwind internet tour of the new anthology by J. Taylor Publishing, ONE MORE DAY. There will be virtual parties, giveaways, games, virtual cakes and good eats throughout the month of December, and everyone is invited to travel with us and join in the celebrations.

Not sure what ONE MORE DAY is about? From the back cover…

What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying … that’s where you’d be … forever.

Unless …

In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened … to you?

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Sounds great, doesn’t it? The book releases December 2, 2013, and to kick off the blog tour, I asked each of the authors a simple question: If there was one moment in time you could freeze for eternity, a moment you’d love for everyone to see, what would that moment be? From December 1 – 7th, you will find each of the authors’ answers right here, so I hope you drop by to experience those moments. Sprinkled throughout the month, you will also find various guest posts and/or interviews by some of the authors so you’ll have more than one opportunity to get up close and personal with them.

In the middle of all the ONE MORE DAY posts here, I will also bring you a few interviews and blog posts for other authors who have their own books they’re proud of and want to show off. After all, the spirit of the holidays and Christmas is not about tooting our own horns. It’s about helping others and giving them boosts, applause and accolades whenever we can.

J. Taylor Publishing has a list of many of the blog stops and the dates which you can find here. There is a virtual Facebook party on December 6, 2013, beginning at 7 PM CST. There will be giveaways, fun contests, and a lot of fun to be had, so sign up and I hope to see you there. I am also in the process of setting up a Goodreads giveaway, so stay tuned for more details.

Whatever you do, please make sure you visit each one of the ONE MORE DAY authors’ websites, take a look around and leave a message or several messages throughout the month. Don’t forget to like their Facebook and Twitter pages. We would all love to hear from you because without you, our words, our stories would be homeless. We bow to our readers’ stupendousness. You guys completely rock my world. On behalf of Linda, Erika, Anna, Marissa, Danielle, Kimberly and myself, thank you for your support, and have a wonderful holiday season. Hope to see you around the internet and don’t forget to bring your friends! The more the merrier!

Author Websites:

ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy + Others (bookarooju.wordpress.com)
“Anthology” or “So Many Stories, So Little Time to Wait!” (everonword.wordpress.com)
ARC Review: One More Day by L.S. Murphy and Various Authors (kookiekrysp.com)

“Dragon Flight” Exposed!

Squeeel!! My publisher, J. Taylor Publishing, gave the green light to the authors of the soon-to-be-released YA anthology, ONE MORE DAY, to share the first 500 glorious words of their short stories. That means I get to share Dragon Flight!!!! Are you ready? A few words of caution…keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times and don’t look down.

I grip the handles of the harness and squeeze my eyes tight as the coaster tops the three-hundred foot lift.

Oh, geez. What was I thinking? I hate heights. I hate things that go fast. Not a great combo for rollercoaster riding.

My pulse thumps in my throat as the metal beast curves to the left. I squeeze my eyes so tight they hurt. Oh, no. Here we go. Here we go. The scream hangs in my throat, waiting for the drop.

It doesn’t come. The steel dragon jerks to a halt, with me in the front row and nowhere to look but out and down.

What? No, no, no. We’re not supposed to stop! I’ve watched this ride a gazillion times. It never stops. I picture the track in my mind. Up, around, down, flip, corkscrew, insanity, heart attack. One and a half minutes of terrifying scream time. No. This can’t be happening! Why? Why now? Why did I get on this ride?

The answer sits in the seat next to me. Dean McCall. Damn his tall, dark-haired good looks and jewel-blue eyes. I’ve crushed on him since sophomore year, ever since he showed up in Mr. Wilkins’ history class wearing a pair of oh-my-God-nice-butt jeans and a Halo game T-shirt. I tried then not to salivate like Pavlov’s dog, but it was useless. Not much has changed since, as I’m pretty sure I just about melted out of my skin when he cornered me by the popcorn stand and asked if I wanted to ride Dragon Flight with him. Me! Book nerd extraordinaire.

So what if he waited for Grad night to notice me ? No one’s perfect, right? I gulped, mesmerized by his hypnotic eyes and charming, spearmint smile, and uttered something intelligent like, “Uh-huh.” Of course, my insides turned all gooey, and my heart struck up a crazy fast Congo beat because I’m such a feet-on-the-ground kind of gal. My brain shouted, Speak, you dolt! Tell him no. Tell him you’re afraid of heights. He’ll understand. Instead, I shook my head and said, “I-I … okay.”

Major face palm, but really, I had no choice. It was Dean McCall, and if I turned him down, I’d look like a moron in front of everyone who was anyone. Besides, who better to face my fears with than the cutest guy to ever walk the halls of Newbury High? Now, as I sit stranded at the top of this freaking ride, I’m beginning to question that logic.

I press my head back against the coaster’s seat. Get a grip, Amber. Breathe deep. You’re okay. You’re strapped in. You’re not going anywhere.

Clunk. Clunk.

My eyes spring open.

What was that?

I fight back the urge to scream.

The harness releases and lifts off my shoulders, its movement stopped by the belt latched to the seat. I squeak like a frightened mouse and clutch the restraint tight to my chest, my knuckles as white as the moon staring down at me. Oh, God, I’m gonna die.