Friday Favourites - Eye Candy

I think I speak for many authors when the idea of seeing their book turned into a movie would be a total dream come true.

For me that would be the ultimate. I see my stories as movies in my head all the time. I love watching the action sequences play out and I love finding actors that look a little like my characters do.

So today I thought I'd do a tribute to all the male leads out there and talk about eye candy. Who do you like to watch on screen? And if you're a writer, who do imagine playing the roles of your, oh so dreamy, male love interests.

I'm going to start with Eli, Mica's love interest in Forbidden Territory. To me he looks like a young version of Tom Welling - you know when he first hit the scene as Superman. Ahhhhh :)

Another actor that I love watching on screen and am hoping to write into a story eventually is Taylor Lautner. I really loved him in Abduction. He was so athletic and gorgeous.

Now - I could go on forever on this post, there is a lot of beauty out there, but I'm going to finish with Penn Badgley. I just watched Easy A the other night (LOVE that movie) and the more I work on Betwixt, the more I picture this guy as my Dale :)


So - who do you like watching on screen? Who do you like writing into your stories, just so you can see them move around your imaginary world?

Forbidden Territory Trailer

I am very excited to share the new book trailer for Forbidden Territory! I love book trailers. I think they are so much fun to make and even more fun to view.

I really hope you guys enjoy it :)

Friday Favourites - Facebook and a Competition

Has facebook taken over our lives or what? A few years ago if someone had said to me I'd have a social media page that I check constantly - all day long - with little notes from my friends on it, I would have laughed.. Yeah right!

As it is, I have several pages that I look after (as Admin) as well as my personal page. I've even got my mum to set up a FB account!!

Have you read any books that mention facebook yet? I'm sure the books will be coming before long. As an author it is definitely something that you can't not think about, as everyone seems to be on facebook these days.

Some of the pages out there are amazing. Others I find overwhelming with constant posts that clog up my feed. In saying that, I think these pages are a powerful marketing tool and I really enjoy using them.

Do you have a favourite Facebook Page? What do you like about it?

Today Melissa and I are thrilled to announce the Facebook page for our new book series about Mica and Lexy!! To celebrate the announcement of our new page we are running a little competition over the weekend: When we get to 30 likes we will randomly select a LIKER to win something from our prize box. Then another prize when we get 40 likes and so on, every 10 likes until we run out of prizes. This is an international competition so everyone is welcome to play!

Our prize box contains: ARC (advanced release copies) of our ebook Forbidden Territory, Melissa Pearl's Time Spirit Trilogy (one copy of each ebook) and bone carving necklaces like the ones Mica and Lexy wear in the book.

We will be using our FB page to let you know about book releases, new books that we are writing and other writing bits and pieces here and there. Spread the word, the more the merrier!

Here it is: http://www.facebook.com/MicaLexySeries
Good luck!!!

Book Review #2 - The Kiss off by Sarah Billington

When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global. 


A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped. 


Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.

Sarah Billington has a unique voice in her writing, which I loved. Her main protagonist, Poppy, was dynamic and interesting and fun. She told you everything she was thinking and feeling. This story is full of detail! I loved the way the teens spoke to each other, it sounded very real. My only little concern was the amount of alcohol in the story the 16 year olds drank.

The love triangle definitely kept the tension. I wasn't sure who Poppy was going to end up with (if either of the boys) but she ended up with the guy I wanted her to. YAY. I had a tiny crush on him myself :-)

A fun story, with lots of dialogue, teen angst, awesome music stuff and did I mention fun? If you like romantic teen comedies, this book is for you. 4 out of 5 stars from me.


If you'd like the check out the current blog tour that's happening, you can find the schedule here:
THE KISS OFF BLOG TOUR

You can find THE KISS OFF on Amazon, Smashwords and Goodreads.

And you can connect with SARAH BILLINGTON here:
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Blog

Book Review - The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington

When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global. 

A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped. 

Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the main character, Poppy, right from the start. She was engaging and I love the way she spoke and acted around her friends.

The story had me laughing quite a bit, which I think is great. It's so fun to read a light, playful novel with likeable characters. I think the novel is written for this day and age. The author captured the essence of teens beautifully - the way they talk and dress, the things they are into. I know I am generalizing here - obviously teens are different in lots of way - but you know what I mean. She really nailed it for me. I felt like I was reading a teen novel about realistic teens. It was cool.

The love triangle had me guessing right up til the last page and I've gotta say, Poppy didn't end up with the guy I thought she would. At first I was really disappointed, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized she ended up with the right guy for her.

I think Ms. Billington did a wonderful job with this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes an easy, entertaining read that will make you laugh.

4 stars from me!

If you'd like the check out the current blog tour that's happening, you can find the schedule here:
THE KISS OFF BLOG TOUR

You can find THE KISS OFF on Amazon, Smashwords and Goodreads.

And you can connect with SARAH BILLINGTON here:
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Blog

Friday Favourites - Characters You've Created

This one is for all the writers out there, whether you're published or not. Actually - it really is for anyone with a good imagination :)

One of the coolest things about writing is getting to create these people and bring them to life on the page. I was asked at one of my school visits last week how close I got to my characters. Was I sad when the book finished because it was like saying goodbye to a friend?

The answer was a very quick, YES!

Although imaginary, these characters become real people. We get to know them so well. You think for them, move for them, react for them... in some ways you leave a small piece of yourself inside each one of them.

So - my question for you today is: who is the best character you've created? Why do you like them so much?

For me - the first one that pops to mind is Gabe Hunter from the Time Spirit Trilogy. I love him so much. He is like the ultimate father figure. He's cool, he's relaxed, yet strong and decisive when he needs to be. I can picture him so clearly in my head - the way he moves, the sound of his laughter - he just... rocks!

Another character I really love is Mica Latham from Forbidden Territory. I find her really funny. She's say things and does things that I would never dream of. I think that's why I like her so much - she is the me I was never brave enough to be at high school.

Now it's your turn - who do you love?

Love scenes in YA Novels

When I was at school there was one book that was read more than any other in the library. It was 'Forever' by Judy Blume. And there were a couple of pages in particular that were quite worn... you guessed it, the pages about sex. 

Personally I don't actually love graphic sex scenes in novels. I prefer the author to leave it up to the readers' imagination as to what's happening, but when it comes to kissing I prefer full emotional and physical details! Do I have double standards? I don't think so. I actually think that making love is a very personal and emotional experience that gets thrown into too many books, just because. I like it to be there for a reason, not just a page filler. 

I also think movies have too much sex without enough of the responsibility. Do the characters ever use contraception? I think we, as authors, have to promote safe sex at least. Unless getting pregnant or a STD is part of your story. 

Anyway what are your thoughts?