Snatched In Gullybrook (and a giveaway)

SNATCHED IN GULLYBROOK

Three of Gullybrook's own are targeted by a group of men and women who know exactly how to get what they want. What they want are teenage girls. Where they find them is the local mall. Megan's been taking care of herself since her parents split. She feels abandoned and confused, especially at the crush she's developed on one of her new girlfriends. Normally, Megan steers clear of the mall, but her girlfriend has been eyeing a particular piece of jewelry, and it is her birthday. When Megan's plan to steal the present backfires, she's escorted by bogus mall security to a van that transports her to a new life. Candace knows nothing will ever come of the crush she has on her older first cousin. But it's looking distinctly possible that he could become her stepbrother at the rate things are going between her daddy and her aunt. When she's approached for a job at the mall, she's thrilled at the attention, and the chance to show everyone she's growing up. But her secret interview turns into her abduction. Sissy is Daddy's little princess, a romantic who's saving herself for marriage. Shopping is her safe place, especially when Mom and Daddy are fighting. Until the day a solicitous female shopper befriends her and turns her refuge into her downfall. Told through interconnecting viewpoints, Snatched in Gullybrook follows these girls as they are kidnapped, assigned new identities, and navigate the brutal world of sex trafficking. Despite the horrors of what they see and endure, they form a bond with one another. A bond that gives them strength to persevere, even when all looks lost.

My review:

Snatched in Gullybrook is written exceptionally well. It's about a topic most of us don't want to think about. The human trafficking or the sex trade really exists and needs to be brought out into the open. This book brings it to the forefront.

You feel the horror the girls feel when they are snatched. Your writhe with disgust as they are introduced into their new world. Your heart breaks for them over and over again and then you see a glimmer of hope for them. But then you crash as they fail, but you start hoping again...(I'm not going to say anymore. I don't want to be a spoiler. You'll have to read the book. I will warn you that it is very explicit.)

Kim Van Sickler is a former prosecuting attorney who prefers to use her research skills to inform her fiction rather than arguing law in a courtroom. She lives in Willoughby Hills, Ohio, with her family and rescue dog, Peter. Snatched in Gullybrook is her debut novel and is endorsed by human trafficking experts for its vivid and realistic portrayal of domestic minor sex trafficking.

Kim and I met through my blog in April. She is a delightful lady. She asked me to do a book review and sent me a PDF of her book. I thought it was such an amazing (but hard topic) book that I agreed to do the post and then decided I would buy a copy to give away.  If you would like to win a copy (from me), a signed business card and some special candy (from Kim) please tell me in the comments. To be eligible you need to follow my blog and follow Kim's blog.

If you'd like to read a sample of Kim's writing and help her win a contest you can read her awesome article about grief on the Midlife Collage Blog. If you like it and/or leave a comment it will help her win. (Be a pal...)

Here are some important links:

Kim's Blog
Kim's Website
Kim on Twitter
Snatched in Gullybrook on Goodreads (there's a giveaway here too)
Snatched in Gullybrook on Amazon (and if you can't wait to see if you win it...)

The winner will be announced on September 29th and I'm going to share some cool news on October 3rd.

OPEN MINDS...Do you have one?

I was lucky enough to score a signed copy of Susan Kaye Quinn's newest book on her blog last week!  I'm so excited about this book.  I don't get up early to do anything and I've been getting up early to read it before I start my day.  Yep, it's that good!  I'm going to give away a copy of Susan's book and a book mark to help celebrate the release of Open Minds.  All you have to do is follow Susan and me and leave a comment on this post.  I'll post the winner on my November 17th post.  Random.org will chose the winner.  

Susan is an amazing person! She has engineering degrees (B.S. Aerospace Engineering, M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering) and has worked everywhere from NASA to NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) to a little Venice Beach restaurant called The Green Bean (I was the bookkeeper). I've designed aircraft engines, studied global warming, and held elected office (as a school board member). Now she writes novels and has the coolest business card that say "Rocket Scientist and Author." 

Here's the summary and links where you can buy Open Minds...

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy) by Susan Kaye Quinn is available in e-book (Amazon US (also UK,France and Germany), Barnes & Noble, Smashwords) and print (Amazon, Createspace, also autographed copiesavailable from the author).

 If you don't know Susan you need to hop over and check her out!  Not only does she write young adult books, but also women's fiction and  YA Romance....

So  I'd like to introduce you to Susan...


Me:  I'd like to thank you for dropping in for a little chat.   

Susan Kaye Quinn: Thanks for having me! Talking about writing is second only to actual writing in the fun department. Especially when chatting with my friends! J

Me: A few months ago you self published a book for your son, Adam.  Was that a practice run for Open Minds?

Adam’s book is free for the e-version on smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/64737

SKQ: I didn’t intend it that way. At the time, I was querying Open Minds and getting lots of interest from agents. I figured I had a good chance of getting representation and still intended to pursue that route. At the same time, my son had spent the whole school year working on his novel (and editing after I critiqued it). When he was done, I promised we would print up copies for his teacher and friends. Being well aware of the rise of self-publishing, I figured e-books would be a great way to give copies to his friends without going broke at the copy shop. Turns out that printing a POD book costs LESS than getting a manuscript printed at the copy shop. I was stunned! So, I dove in, figured out how to format it for print, and we made a cute book for him. I’m very proud of him (and he’s proud of the final product, which is even better!).

ME: Can you tell us a little about the process of self publishing Open Minds? 

SKQ: Over the summer, my thinking shifted about traditionally publishing Open Minds. Editor (and thus agent) interest was waning in paranormal, even though people were still buying it like crazy. Self-publishing was becoming more and more respectable. Authors I respected were pursuing both traditional and self-publishing at the same time. Having published through a small press, I did a careful weighing of the costs (professional cover and editing) vs. the potential payoff. If I was going to self-publish, I wanted a product that could proudly sit on the same virtual shelf with traditionally published books. I decided I could do that, and pulled Open Minds from the agents that still had it, so I could self-publish in time for Christmas.

Me: How did you come up with the storyline for Open Minds?

SKQ: It started as an entry to a first paragraph contest on Nathan Bransford’s blog! I wanted a catchy first paragraph, and none of my current stories had one. So I decide to write one for a story that didn’t exist. As I mulled some story ideas that had been floating in my head, the image of a girl sitting in a classroom full of mindreaders popped into my head. Everyone read minds, except for her, and her isolation in that world was utter and complete. The rest of the story grew out of that first picture. (I didn’t win the paragraph contest, though. J)

Me: I think I heard a rumor that you were going to write a sequel.  Is that true?

SKQ: Absolutely! In fact, I’ve already outlined Books 2 and 3 of the Mindjack trilogy. I have a very detailed outline of Closed Hearts(Book 2) and plan to draft it during National Novel Writing Month, which is either a brilliant idea or completely crazy. I haven’t decided which. Ask me at the end of November. J

Me: When I sit down to write I have to have a thermos of coffee. Do you have any writing rituals?

SKQ: I almost always have tea on hand. It’s not so much a ritual as a continuous drip of caffeine. Because apparently I need it.

Me: I have Jolly Rancher (Lenny sends them to me) on my desk.  Do you have a writing vice?

SKQ: How lucky are you, getting candy from Lenny?? My writing vice is that I spend too much time doing it. I have to pry myself away from the keyboard. #addicted

Me: Finally, any words of advice for aspiring writers?

SKQ: Write, write some more, keep writing. Seriously, the most important thing you can do is a large volume of work. The second most important is to continually strive to improve your craft: study bestsellers, swap critiques, read books on writing. Finally, give yourself room to breathe and discover who you are as a writer. Writing is a process of self-discovery as much as it is about storytelling. The two are intertwined. Only you can tell the stories you have! Allow yourself the freedom to be yourself in your writing.

Me: Thanks so much for stopping in for a visit and I wish you the best of luck with Open Minds.

Susan Kay Quinn: Thanks so much for having me! The support of my blogosphere friends during the launch of Open Minds has just been overwhelmingly awesome. I am so lucky and grateful to be a part of this writing community!


You can find Susan on:

 Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Please stop back on November 17th to see if you are the lucky winner of a copy of Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn and her bookmark.  (Ya'll know I love bookmarks...)

Monsters, Chickens and a Contest...

First, let me say Tammi Sauer is one of the funniest, charming people I've ever met!  If you have the opportunity to see her present at a conference or at a workshop....sign up for it and take a pen and paper and...be prepared to laugh and perhaps participate in some role playing. 

Tammi has 8 picture books on the market!  MOSTLY MONSTERLY is one of her newest and has a great story arc!  It is full of emotion, great characters, plot that moves the story forward, words that "sing," great pacing, and humor.  It definitely makes you want to turn to page to see what is going to happen next...

Something Tammi asked in one of her sessions was to ask yourself  "Is this a picture book or is this a magazine story?"  This was a great point...They are two very different, but worthy kinds of stories...Does the story rely on pictures to tell it?  If the answer is yes, then it's a picture book...

Does your story have a universal theme?  Like bravery, honesty, perseverance...

Is there a conflict or a problem?  A BIG ONE????

Do you have a story arc? Obstacles the main character must overcome to solve the big problem...

Are your words fun on the tongue? 

Don't forget to use humor.  (Tammi uses a lot of humor in her books and it seems to be working well for her!)

Remember you, the writer, are half of the book....the illustrator is the other half.  Your words must make way for great illustrations...

Choose a great title! (This week, I had a rejection because the publisher had a similar story under contract...followed by another email saying they really liked my title...so the lesson here is...Titles really do matter!)

You can find Tammi's Live journal on my sidebar.  (smile...cause we're buddies now...)  She has a great website that is kid friendly (cause she loves kids).  She also has a CHICKEN DANCE website with illustrator Dan Santat.

*******

If you are not following Dear Editor.com now would be the perfect time to start!  They are holding a contest to celebrate being up and running for six months!  It's a great place to go for advice and if you have advice it's nice to be able to share, too...  So hop over and perhaps you could win a picture book critique!

LAUNCH WEEK CHALLENGE AND SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY...

Elizabeth Lynn Casey (Laura Bradford), author of DEATH THREADS stopped by yesterday to chat.  If you didn't get a chance to read it and enter my signed book give-away, please click over and enter.  Laura's having a cool  Launch Week Challenge (contest) of her own, so hop on over and read the rules, then run to your local bookstore with your camera and don't forget to buy her newest book, DEATH THREADS.  (There are only four copies left at the Waterloo B & N, thanks to me...)

Good luck to all!

COMING SOON...INTERVIEWS & SIGNED BOOKS

I’m going to disappear for a few days…(Maybe a whole week) I’m working on a couple projects: one for you and one for me. I’ve lined up six wonderful successful authors to interview and they’ve been gracious enough to sign a few books for me to give away. I hope you’re excited…I am! I’m going to leave you guessing who they are. (Hint…They've written some of the books in the above photograph.)

FYI: Sarah is having a contest to celebrate the sale of her book ALL THESE LIVES.  Prizes include lunch with Suzie Townsend and Janet Reid...

FYI: Stephanie Bowe  Teenager of the Year is hosting an awesome contest....check it out!

Daily Distractions… (in random order)

1. Landscaping…The snow finally melted, the grass is turning green, and the beds all need to be reshaped and mulched.

2. Dust…I swear a dust fairy lives in my house. I can dust one day and the next day there is another layer of dust sprinkled over my tables and shelves.

3. Social Networking…We’re supposed to blog, tweet, fb etc…to build a platform, but it takes time to do all of those things.

4. Friends…Yes, I do actually have a few friends. Oddly enough they all seem to want to go out for lunch on the same week.

5. Dog…Macy’s trying to lose the weight she put on this winter and wants to go for a walk every day.

6. Query Quandary…Who should I send my work to next? What should I send them? This leads to another distraction…mailbox/email checking.

7. Weather…It’s so nice you work outside, then it storms and BAM you’re out of the mood.

8. TV…I’m a reality TV junkie. Seriously, it’s a problem.

9. Food…You’ve got to buy it or grown it, you’ve got to plan meals, then you’ve got to cook meals and my least favorite chore…clean up afterwards.

10. Gym and Post Gym Naps…I’ve reduced my gym time to two hours a day which reduced my post work out nap, drastically.

What are your distractions? What are your goals for this week?

My good friend Susan is celebrating her 100th follower. Hop over to her blog and get in on her awesome (gift cards…) contest!

First Four Sentence of Your WIP Contest...(Deadline 1 pm CST Friday)

Do you follow the Authoress at Miss Snark’s First Victim?  She’s having a contest that runs all day today!

I thought I would follow her lead and do a First Four Sentences of Your WIP Contest. Email your: Title, Genre, and the first four sentences of your WIP…To me at skmayh(at)q. com by 1 pm CST on FRIDAY. (I just updated the deadline, as I will not be home until then, so you guys get a few more hours to enter.  You can enter more than once!!!) 

I’ll post them on Friday. Everyone who enters their first four sentences will get one entry and everyone who makes a comment on the submissions will get an entry (so you could get two entries). The prize is…a school days scrapbooking ensemble.

A side note here…Jane Yolen is one of my literary heroes…If you get a chance to hop over to her blog/site you won’t be disappointed. She’s an amazing person!

SCARED AWAKE....BY BAD GIRLS

I was about half way through BAD GIRLS DON’T DIE by Katie Alender when I went to bed last night. I thought I would read a chapter or two and then fall asleep. Well, let me tell you… when I finished the book at 3:30a.m. I was freaked out! I went to sleep, but woke up three times in my three hours sleep. That was one scary book. (I almost wrote movie.)

Do you read scary YA? What’s the scariest book you’ve ever read? Did it give you nightmares?

Do you write scary YA? I tried writing a scary story once…I had to stop…it was freaking me out.

Life tip of the day: Don’t read really scary stories late at night!

Writing tip of the day: Keep a sticky note and a pen handy when you are reading. Study the books you read. Take notes…

My blog friends over at Shooting Star are two people away from being able to celebrate their 500th follower, so if you are so inclinded, hop over and join their blog.  They are having a great contest!