E.J. Wesley, Author

Fate, IWSG, & Indie Life - The Chemistry of Community

Hey gang! Hope everyone is doing great. Sorry about my Debbie Downer post on Monday, but it really drove a point home for me, and also inspired today's ramblings. :)

I didn't get to post my IWSG post last week due to prior blog obligations. (Did I mention I'm the world's worst administrative assistant? Don't ask me to look at a calendar and schedule things in a reasonable manner--ever.), and today is the day for the monthly Indie Life bloghop. So I figured I'd knock them both out AND put my words into action.

In regards to the latter, first up, I'd like to share the cover of an upcoming book by one of our fellow authors, Meradeth Houston.

The Chemistry of Fate

(Available April 2013)

The chemistry between Ari and Tom is reactive, but a deadly secret in a family journal will tear them apart if they can’t avoid fate.

“They are everywhere, can be anyone, and are always the last person you’d expect.” When Tom stumbles across his grandfather’s journal, he’s convinced the old man was crazier than he thought. The book contains references to beings called the Sary, immortals who are assigned to save humans on the verge of suicide. They certainly aren’t allowed to fall in love with mortals. Which the journal claims Tom’s grandfather did, resulting in his expulsion from the Sary. As strange as the journal seems, Tom can’t get the stories out of his head; especially when he finds the photo of his grandfather’s wings.

Tom’s only distraction is Ari, the girl he studies with for their chemistry class.

Ari has one goal when she arrives in town: see how much Tom knows about the Sary and neutralize the situation. This isn’t a normal job, but protecting the secrecy of the Sary is vital. If Tom is a threat to exposing the Sary to the public, fate has a way of taking care of the situation, usually ending with the mortal’s death. While Ari spends time with Tom, he becomes more than just an assignment, but how far can a relationship go when she can’t tell him who she really is? When she finds out just how much Tom actually knows about the Sary, Ari is forced to choose between her wings, and her heart.

THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE is a companion to COLORS LIKE MEMORIES and is set before the latter takes place.

~ About Meradeth ~

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

>She’s a Northern California girl, but now lives and teaches anthropology in Montana.

>When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!

>She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work!

>If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

www.MeradethHouston.com

meradethhouston.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/MeradethHouston

http://www.facebook.com/MeradethHouston

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17452243-the-chemistry-of-fate

http://youtu.be/HFRNJ-Yn7So (trailer)

IWSG & Indie Life -

The Chemistry of Community

A little about the bloghops first:

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG)?

Click the pic to join IWSG!

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer.

What is Indie Life?

Click the pic to join Indie Life!

Purpose: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.

Posting: Post on the second Wednesday of the month. Then visit others in the group and connect with your fellow indie writers.

FINALLY, onto the post!

So I mentioned my post from Monday. To summarize, it was about a young author who died before her debut novel was published. It's out now, and her friends, agent, and the writing community at large are trying give her book--and her memory--the proper debut experience they deserve. You can read about it HERE.

One of my biggest insecurities as a writer is this nagging fear of being alone. Don't get me wrong, I embrace the isolation writing requires. I love the hours I get to play inside my own head. But there's something about not 'officially' being attached to a group or tribe that unsettles me a little.

Sure, I'm a member of IWSG and Indie Life. I host a Twitter chat for fans and authors of New Adult literature. I'm involved in various other writing communities online. But most of those are things I've elected to do. I'm included by choice, not necessarily because I belong. None of them would cease to exist if I wasn't around.

Which brings me to my point: On the surface, all of these groups are just skeletons--things formed to give structure to our little writing community. They are constructs created to give us some semblance of belonging. They don't seem all that substantial.

But when I read comments like I received on my previous post, and see how the writing community can really work together for someone, I'm reminded of how much deeper all of this goes.

A community that seems like a simple mixture of separate individuals on the surface, is really a complex solution of people who are so fundamentally connected and intertwined they become a uniquely cohesive substance.

In particular, I think the indie group of writers really embody that concept of togetherness. I've seen indies band together to do amazing things--literally change an entire industry. They've worked to get each other noticed by readers and onto bestseller lists that refused to acknowledge their existence just a few years ago.

That kind of cohesion requires a special bond. One that I'm extremely grateful to be a part of, and to support.

~EJW~

Cancer and Firsts

Before I get started, I'd like to clear the air so as not to mislead anyone: I do not have cancer, nor does anyone specifically close to me have cancer. This isn't THAT kind of post. But it does have a lot to do with cancer.

About Bridget Zinn

A couple of years ago, I blogged about a writer who'd died of cancer. Her name is Bridget, and her passing touched me very deeply. You can read that post HERE.

To be clear, I didn't know Bridget at all. I just read about her story on a blog I followed and was compelled to write about her. I think that's because Bridget was all of us--a writer yearning to share her stories with the world, a person with dreams and ambitions, and a hard worker in the way that successful writers must be hard workers.

Sadly, she never had the chance to see her efforts pay off or her dreams realized. And that crushed me--is still crushing me--because there was nothing I wanted so much as to be published, and I knew that desire had burned in her heart as well. It was a cosmic injustice of unimaginable proportion--which is exactly what cancer is to everyone who gets it: A random, cosmic F-U.

About Cancer

I have a special hatred for cancer, and a somewhat unique relationship with it. Like almost everyone, it has taken people dear to me--I'd lost two grandparents to the disease by the age of 10--but that's not really why I hate it.

I don't think I've shared this with most of my writing friends, but my wife is an oncologist. Treating patients with cancer is her business, and it's a horribly bustling one.

There's not a day that goes by in my life that I'm not aware of some travesty cancer has caused. I'm far too familiar with the struggles families face watching a loved one die in slow motion, the tragedy of a life cut short, and the hardships of treatments designed to kill cancer, but have the unfortunate side effect of killing the rest of the body, too.

Our lives are like that movie Groundhog Day--with cancer being the reoccurring main theme. I'm the equivalent of a front row spectator at the Roman Coliseum, my wife is the Gladiator I'm cheering for, and the battles are just as grim and gutwrenching as you could possibly imagine.

Sounds like a blast, right?

Here's the thing: I'll gladly take all of that awareness, plus all of the 100 hour work weeks my wife and best friend spends away from me, and all of the tears, frustrations, and burdens she places with me because she can't share them with her patients (as you can imagine, it's not really a job that ends when the 5 o'clock whistle sounds ... especially psychologically). I'll take it all because HAVING cancer is worse.

It is a brutal, bullshit disease that doesn't give a damn about your age, race, religion, tax bracket, or societal value. Cancer is the boss from hell. It isn't concerned about your upcoming honeymoon, your retirement plans, your first prom, or if your kids need you--if you get 'chosen' for the task, you'll put in your time first, and if you've anything left over, you can dole it out however you'd like. And there is no promise of more time.

And that isn't a unique relationship. No, in an odd bit of fairness from such an arbitrary and cruel affliction, cancer hates us all equally. That's why I hate cancer in return.

More About Bridget ... And Firsts

At the time of her death, Bridget's debut novel was still with her agent, and still trying to navigate through the various doors to publication. Fast forward a couple of years later, and her book, Poison, is finally finding it's way into the world.

To memorialize Bridget, her agent and publisher are asking for the writers of the world to help share her story (both the make believe and real one), because Bridget never got to revel in the joy of getting a story into the hands of readers.

They've asked author-bloggers to blog about their 'first time' being published, which seems fair and also like something Bridget would enjoy reading about. (See her video below...) However, I'd simply like to share Bridget's story. This is her day, after all. :)

I like to think that Bridget's legacy enduring, and her dream coming to reality, is our own F-U to cancer. It can strip away our health and number our days, but it cannot touch our spirit, nor can it dust away the fingerprints we leave behind on this life.

Poison by Bridget Zinn

About the novel

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king's army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she's not alone. She's armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can't stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she's certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Where you can purchase Poison

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
iTunes Bookstore
Powell's Books

About Bridget Zinn

Bridget grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the county fair where she met the love of her life, Barrett Dowell. They got married right before she went in for exploratory surgery which revealed she had colon cancer. They christened that summer the "summer of love" and the two celebrated with several more weddings. Bridget continued to read and write until the day she died.

Her last tweet was "Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect."

Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers' copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads.

More about Bridget

A remembrance of Bridget written by her agent (with a video of Bridget that shows how vibrant and funny she was)

Bridget's path to publication - in her own words.

A post in which Bridget shares her Sneaky Tips for writing (which also has an audio file of her reading this post)

If you'd like to help with sharing Bridget's story, follow the link below. You'll find lots of information about the release, and ways you can help.

http://bridgetzinn.com/help/index.php

Character Closeups: The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 3

Hey gang! It's almost the weekend!! *takes off shirt and whirls it around his head*

To send us out of the week in style, today is the final installment of the inagural Character Closeups series. We get a look at our first villain, and learn a little more about Cindy Borgne's Vallar Series. If you missed the first two closeups, you can find them here and here.

I hope you've enjoyed these as much as I have. I've already arranged to do another closeup in a couple of weeks (next week will be more of a normal blog week around here--with a bevy of exciting new book announcements thrown in for good measure).

Which brings me to the point: Do you have a book or series you'd like to share in a future Character Closeup? If so, shoot me an eMail (EJWesleyAuthor <AT> gmail <DOT> com) and we can discuss the details. :)

The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 3

(Author Note: These interviews take place between books 1 and 2)

Character Name: Admiral William Kodet

Hero or Villain: Villain

Who are you? I’m Admiral William Kodet, leader of Marscorp.

Where do you live? I live at Marscorp, of course, the most powerful organization on Mars. Our base is located in the Aonia Terra region. And by the way, Marscorp is running the southern hemisphere of Mars. If it wasn’t for the Vallar alliance, we’d be running the whole red planet.

What is it like to be the leader of Marscorp? It’s a demanding job, and I’m expected to get results. I’m under constant pressure to insure the progress of my organization. Sometimes I’m required to do things I don’t necessary like to do, but this is, after all, Mars.

What is it like taking over in the shadow of the former Admiral Beacon? *shakes head* I don’t consider myself to be in anyone’s shadow. However, I often feel that the council tries to compare me to him. Of course, this is annoying, and I’m going to prove to them that I’m better than Beacon ever was.

What is your problem in the story? First, I’m not allowed to discuss everything, but the main goal of Marscorp is to get our people back to Earth. The big problem is that, thanks to the Vallar Alliance, we are no longer able to shall we say, take advantage of smaller organizations. So I’m looking for new ways to enable our progress. We need vital technology, and sorry to say, we need the use of psychics. In other words, we need Ian Connors. Unfortunately, he betrayed us and killed Admiral Beacon. Not to mention he’s living at Gentech helping the Vallar alliance – most likely spying on me right now with his visions. If he thinks he is safe there, he’s so wrong…so very wrong.

What do you regret? *grumbles* In book one we had Gentech spies working right in one of our repair hangars. This led to us losing the battle of the mine, not to mention hundreds of Marc lives – including some very close to me. I regret my inability to discover those spies, and one day I’m going to bring them to justice.

What kind of justice do you mean? They’re going to be executed. Just give me time.

What are you afraid of? Normally, I would have to say “nothing” because that’s what I was trained to say. However, since the Marc council isn’t going to see this I will admit I’m afraid that if I don’t manage to get Connors back on our side it’s going to be the end of Marscorp.

Read more about the Admiral in The Seer of Mars and Visionary of Peace, Vallar books 1 & 2!

Seer of Mars is available here:

Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

Visionary of Peace is available here:

Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

About the Author:

Cindy Borgne lives in the Detroit, Michigan area with her two kids and one stubborn, yet somehow lovable basset hound. She has worked a freelance editor, web-designer and computer instructor.

Prior to Vallar being published, Cindy won an honorable mention for short fiction from Writer's Digest. Her short story "ThunderSnow" was chosen as an editor's pick at Eloquent Stories. In 2011, Seer of Mars was a finalist in the Readers' Favorite contest.

Connect with Cindy Borgne: Blog/Facebook/Twitter

Want to check out some of Cindy's work for free?

Two shape shifters compete with each other by imitating humans in difficult situations. This time they become soldiers and face combat. The loser is the first to give up and convert back into shifter form. Adelya impersonates a male soldier and grows tired of the game, but she does not want to lose again. When her platoon is attacked, a soldier's courage shows her there is more to being human than she realized. Soon she falls in love with him and is faced with a choice between an immortal existence or being with the man she loves.

TransShifter is a fantasy light romance.
This novelette is 11,500 words long. (52 pages in paperback)

TransShifter is available for free:

Amazon/Nook/Smashwords

Strength

Hey gang! Hope you've been enjoying the character closeups so far. :)

I'm supremely honored to share the book launch of a very talented author-lady today. The cover alone will make swooners swoon and the soft-stomached insecure! I present to you, Strength by Carrie Butler:

Title: Strength

Series: Mark of Nexus – Book 1

Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing Category: New Adult (NA) Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR) Release Date: March 07, 2013

Available at: Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and Nook. More retailers will be added in the coming weeks, i.e. Sony Reader Store, iBookstore, Kobo, etc. Be sure to keep an eye on Carrie's Pinterest "Retailers" board. She updates it whenever STRENGTH pops up somewhere. :)

STRENGTH

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation—and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few minor setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do—even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

Book Trailer

About the Author

Carrie daydreamed her way through college—until they thrust a marketing degree into her hands, slapped a summa cum laude seal on the corner, and booted her out into a less-than-stellar job market. Instead of panicking at the prospect of unemployment, she used her Midwestern logic to steer into the skid and point her life in the direction she really wanted to go: writing out those daydreams.

Where to find Carrie:

Where to find Strength:

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Character Closeups: The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 2

**Note: If you're looking for my IWSG post, please check back next week. I had some scheduling conflicts and decided to move it. :)**

As promised gang, here is part two of the inaugural Character Closeup blog feature where we take a look at three characters, on three different days, from one fabulous author/story.

We continue with author Cindy Borgne's Vallar series. You can check the interview with character, Kayla, here. And stop back by Friday for the final character closeup of the series--our first villain. :-)

The Heroes & Villains of Vallar, Pt 1

(Author Note: These interviews take place between books 1 and 2)

Character Name: Ian Connors

Hero or Villain: Hero

Who are you? I’m Ian Connors, and I’m studying to be a ship mechanic. I’m also a psychic, but please keep that to yourself.

Where do you live? I live on Mars in a contained biosphere that is built below the surface. This post, known as Gentech, was made out from a series of large craters.

What is it like to be psychic? It’s frustrating. Not only can I inconsistently see the future, but I can also sense emotions. The worst part is that I have a hard time blocking out all those emotions too. If a bunch of people are mad at me, I will get a terrible headache. If I’m around people who are panicking, it can make me want to panic as well. However, the ability to sense emotions has also allowed me to find and save people.

Seeing the future causes me a lot of stress because I often see bad things happening. Then I don’t know exactly how to prevent the disaster. I’ve seen people being seriously wounded and even dying. Some I have saved, but I feel like it takes years off my own life.

My mind is very busy, especially when I’m trying to have visions. I continue to work in my dreams, so usually I wake up feeling like I’ve been up most of the night.

What are you afraid of? Only a few trusted friends know I’m psychic, and I don’t want anyone else finding out. If the wrong people find out, it could lead to me being kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder.

What is your problem in the story? One night, I have a disturbing vision of the entire Gentech post being destroyed. Then I see my father and girlfriend dead, crashed in a ship. It’s up to me to find a way to stop a war with the Marcs.

How do your enemies, these Marcs, see you? They want me dead. I killed their Admiral. He left me no choice, but they don’t understand that. In a vision, I saw their new Admiral saying that he will have me brought to justice and executed.

What do you regret? In the first book, my best friend, Nate, is seriously wounded. He ends up with a brain injury, and still has not fully recovered. I didn’t want him to come with me out into a battle, but he threatened to stop me if he couldn’t come. Still, I can’t shake the guilt. I should’ve tied him up in the hangar and left without him, but I didn’t think of that at the time.

What makes you happy? Being with Kayla. She was my girlfriend for awhile, but she decided we needed to take a break from each other because we were getting too serious, and that I was too young. You see, she’s two years older than me. So now she’s working at the mine while I’m still at Gentech. I sense there is some other problem though and she won’t tell me what it is.

Do you have a hero? I look up to a lot of people, but mostly Sonny Nelson who became my best friend in the first book. I think of him as a father. He lost his daughter and one leg below the knee in battles. He’s a medic and has saved a lot of lives. I also admiral Captain Bret Yargar. He’s a tough military type. You would never know by looking at him that he’s also a physicist working on wormhole technology. He’s made some amazing things.

Do you ever wish you didn’t have psychic ability? I used to, but I’ve come to accept that I was meant to because I’m able to manage it all without falling apart – at least not completely. The truth is, I wouldn’t give it up. It would make me feel too helpless when it comes to protecting my friends. My world – Mars – is simply too dangerous not to have an edge.

Read more about Ian in Visionary of Peace, Vallar book 2!

Ian Connors had planned to use his visions to spy on Marscorp in order to maintain peace, but flashbacks and nightmares make it impossible. Since two years of peace have passed due to a stalemate, Ian decides to try and live a normal life, until one day he has a vision so horrifying he has no choice but to become the seer he once was or Vallar will have no future. While he struggles to regain his ability, the Marcs plot to capture him alive in order to complete a deal for their return to Earth.

Visionary of Peace is available here: Amazon/Amazon UK/Paperback

About the Author:

Want to check out some of Cindy's work for free?