Transfer Student Blog Tour & EBOOK | SWAG Giveaway goes to Australia and stops at a Drive In in California!

I thought it would be a great way to welcome my Australian friends to the tour today by stopping by an American Icon, the Drive-In. A Drive-In inspired one of the scenes in TRANSFER STUDENT. So get in the car…let’s go check out some of the real places that inspired the scene. Check out DeeScribeWriting to for the inspirations/challenges of TRANSFER STUDENT & for the EBOOK/SWAG GVAWAY!  CONGRATS TO @red_tigergirl2 today’s winner of a TRANSFER STUDENT EBOOK!

What's playing tonight

The line waiting to get in

Tickets!

Interview & Review with Kate’s Reads on the Transfer Student Tour Today!

CONGRATS TO TO EBOOK WINNER @MacDibble! GOOD LUCK TO TODAY’S TWEETERS! [read on for tweet deets ]

Today on the tour I’m excited to be interviewed by Kate’s Reads. She’s a great book blogger and she’s one of my go-to blogs to find out what’s next on my TBR list! Kate asked for an interview and I really enjoyed her questions. It’s kind of funny how some stories just happen. This story is like that. One experience led to another and another and before I knew it, I had a story. TRANSFER STUDENT needed about six years to “cook.” My personal life during the years 2006-2009 played a huge part in informing my characters and the plot. Kate was nice enough to do a book review too, you can read it here! 

I hope you’ll check out the interview Thanks for stopping by the tour here and, as always to win today’s EBOOK of TRANSFER STUDENT Tweet [& post ur tweet link here or at Kate's interview]:

Can’t wait to read Transfer Student by @Laurawriting Check out the Blog Tour & Giveaway! #teenreads #scifi #romance #ya http://wp.me/P1J9jx-bs

Image via Wikipedia

Here’s a little excerpt from Kate’s Interview with me.

Q) How did you come up with the Rethan words and where did you get the ideas for the landscape of Retha?

 

I travel and live away from home sometimes because my husband renovates hotels. At the time I revised Transfer Student, we had the good fortune to live in Big Sur, CA, a very remote part of the central California coast that remains largely undisturbed by man. The landscape is so wild that the missionaries who settled California did not enter and instead just referred to it as El Sur Grande, The Big South…Big Sur. The first road was built on the only horse path to “town” [Monterey] in the 1930s––a road that flirts with the Pacific Ocean winding into cliffs and over waves and sand dunes. Big Sur inspired planet Retha––a place where there are no roads because Rethans fly and while Rethan’s are innovative, they aren’t extremely technological. Because Big Sur is so remote,

Diary of debut authors: Nichole and I have our TV Debut in beautiful Savannah

Last night I landed in Savannah. The landing was my first scare on The Paranormal Plumes Society Haunted Book Tour. We were literally about to touch down, leaning back in our seats waiting for the wheels to hit the tarmac when, the plane all of a sudden took to the air again. Quickly. All of us shot glances at each other. There were nervous laughs and looks of Rlly? This guy sitting next to me had a huge grin on his face. Sometimes the strange things that don’t kill you make you smile. We’re like, what was it? The wrong airport? The pilot comes on and let’s us know that two planes were landing on two bisecting landing strips at the same time and we were the plane that got called off. He was super calm. Like this happens all the time? Wow. At the beginning of the flight we were held up so that a man could make it to his baby’s birth in Jacksonville.

So the trip to Savannah for The Haunted Book Tour has all the makings of a good story. Lots of drama! And the unexpected. And while I didn’t bump into any ghosts last night as I walked this beautiful city for a super late-night dinner, I did make some great friends.

And to add to the drama, I met the marvelous Nichole Chase for the very first time, although we’ve known each other online for months now, and the day we first meet we go on The WTOC Mid-Morning Show in Savannah to talk about The Paranormal Plumes Society & our tour here which starts tomorrow.

Nicole is a joy:) She and I had fun touring the town today and will never forget the day we first met!  YAY! Thank you to everyone at WTOC for being so kind and helping to spread the word about our books. Here’s the interview!

Interview with Courtney Cole author of My Tattered Bonds

I’m thrilled to have fellow YA Indie Carnival author Courtney Cole here on Laurasmagicday. Welcome Courtney! I was excited to hear that you completed The Bloodstone Saga and couldn’t wait to have you here to talk about My Tattered Bonds! Here’s what I’m dying to know:

Me: What was your favorite scene to write from My Tattered Bonds or from the entire Bloodstone Saga?

Courtney: Oh, wow.  This one is a hard one, Laura.  There were lots of really fun scenes to write.  Yikes.  I think I would have to say the end of My Tattered Bonds.  My main character, Harmonia, had to overcome quite a lot throughout the four books of the series and it was really gratifying to pull everything together for her at the end.  She deserved it.

Me: When did you know you were writing a series? Did you map it out from the beginning or did it just evolve?

Courtney: I knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t just be one book.  I just didn’t know how many there would be.  It kind of evolved as I continued writing…

Me: Tell us a little bit about My Tattered Bonds and The Bloodstone Saga? Can you share an excerpt?

Courtney: The Bloodstone Saga revolves around a girl who happens to be a goddess.  Although, in the beginning, during the first book, Every Last Kiss, she doesn’t realize that. She thinks that she is a normal girl from Pasadena, CA.  Her memories were stolen by the Fates and she was led to believe that she was something that she wasn’t— a keeper of Fate.  As the other books continue, her true memories return and the importance of who she is in the entire scheme of things becomes apparent and the fate of the world literally sits on her shoulders.

My Tattered Bonds is the final leg of her adventure.  Her daughter was stolen in the third book, With My Last Breath and so in the final book, she must travel to the Underworld to get her back.  And I would love to share an excerpt of when she discovers that she must go to the Underworld.

In this excerpt, Harmonia has gone to seek out the advice of the Oracle of the Dead. 

Teaser Tuesday: Perfecting Perfection by Teen Author McKenzie McCann

I had the pleasure of meeting McKenzie McCann at WordStock in Portland. Fellow Rain Boots Required author Lisa Nowak introduced me to McKenzie and she was such a blast to hang-out with that I want to introduce her to you all and let you know about her debut YA contemporary novel, Perfecting Perfection! McKenzie just received her contract a few days ago! Squeeeee! Follow her journey to publication on her entertaining/awesome blog The Ubiquitous Perspective. Take it away McKenzie!

Me: If you had to choose a color to describe your book, which one would you pick? Why?

McKenzie: That’s a good one. Hmm, I think I would pick a sparkly gray. A major theme in my book is how the glitz and glam of fame is only enjoyable until it stalks you in the streets, so to speak. It’s a bleak trap masquerading as luxury and elitist, but Riley doesn’t completely realize it until we meet our love interest: Giselle.

Me: What was your favorite scene to write from your book?

McKenzie: Oh, all of them! Every scene was fun to write. It was my first book. But if I really had to pick one, I’d say the climax. See, I had a terrible case of the flu when I wrote Perfecting Perfection, and a combination of febrile delirium and excitement made me so engrossed in the story, I felt like a part of it. I felt every emotion I wrote about and could see the scene playing in my head so fast my fingers could barely keep up.

Me: Tell us a about your book? Can you share an excerpt?

McKenzie: Perfecting Perfection, a tale of the lead singer in the acclaimed Remington Heights with a terrible case of infatuation for a normal girl.

This is the scene in which Riley and Giselle meet:

Interview with Frederick Lee Brooke Author Of Doing Max Vinyl

Here is a quote from Frederick’s blog that says it all: “A couple of months ago I bumped into Laura on Twitter.  Not only is Laura the author of acclaimed YA book Winnemucca and 13 on Halloween, she is also an old friend from high school I had completely lost touch with.  In this picture you can see Laura and me more than thirty years ago at a restaurant in Chicago with a group of friends.  Thirty years later, she lives in California with her family, and I live in Switzerland with mine, and we both write books.  Isn’t it cool that we found each other again on Twitter?  Yeah, Fred. It is. Very. Cool. You can read my interview with Fred here.

L.A.H.E. : What book did you fall in love with as a teenager?

F.L.B: I woke up as a reader during high school and then college, and discovered how whole worlds could be created with words.  One Hundred Years of Solitude was probably the book that made the deepest impression on me, early on.  But I loved the language of Samuel Beckett, I loved reading Proust, I loved Tolstoy and Turgenev, and many others as well.

L.A.H.E. : What’s your favorite scene from Doing Max Vinyl?

F.L.B: There is a scene in which Max’s ex-wife Ginger brings him a gooey chocolate cake to help him celebrate something.  When she walks in to his office he has several pairs of his own Calvin Klein briefs spread out over his desk, for reasons I won’t give away here.  He quickly collects all the briefs and stuffs them in a drawer, but he misses one.  This leads to some good almost slapstick comedy afterwards.  There are quite a few comic situations in the book, but I’ve always enjoyed this one.

YA Indie Carnival Q & A & GIVEAWAY! With YA Authors Heather Cashman and Amy Maurer Jones

I host two amazing YA authors today. Heather Cashman’s book Perception, part of the Tiger’s Eye Trilogy, has received amazing reviews and Amy Maurer Jones, author of the Soul Quest Trilogy, keeps confounding us with a powerful message in her fantastical world. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have fun learning a little more about these wonderful YA authors.

The wonderful writers Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey and Heather Cashman interview me today here [where you'll read about my most sensational moment] and here. [where you'll find out what I'll eat when the world runs out of chocolate!]

I’m thrilled to let you know about our GIVEAWAY! [for people over 13, internationally]: Winners will be announced Sept. 16 at the next YA Indie Carnival. Just comment [incl. your email address] on any Q & A post ALL DAY TODAY and tweet the carnival [#yaindiecarnival] to enter to win ebooks from the carnival authors plus a special surprise! Full list of 21 books available for giveaway is here. [including Winnemucca, of course:)]

L.A.H.E. : What was the biggest struggle you had to overcome while you were writing Perception?

H.C. : I suppose it was myself, my belief that I could write something that people would enjoy or relate to. I wrote it completely for myself, so I figured everyone else would think it was cheesy. I can see now that it’s not cheesy, or lame. But I still get criticism and am thinking of adding small tidbits here and there without changing the storyline that would make people like it even more. Which proves that my real problem is that I am a perfectionist and want it to be flawless. I doubt that’s actually possible.

L.A.H.E. : What was your most agonizing moment [you’d like to share] in high school?

H.C. : I was a freshman, new to campus, and much prettier than I thought at the time. The Captain of the football team (and a senior) was talking about how he wanted to date me with all his friends. I could hear everything. I was terrified and ran away because I thought he was making fun of me. He wasn’t. I found out later that I had hurt his feelings. He never spoke to me again.

Kerry Cohen Dishes Dirty Little Secrets, An Excerpt & More!

Kerry continues to amaze me with her honest, bold and riveting memoirs. It’s simple. You can’t put Kerry’s books down. I fell in love with her writing style when I read Easy. Her books Seeing Ezra and Loose Girl have been runaway hits. Dirty Little Secrets is being released tomorrow and I am happy to have Kerry here on Laurasmagicday to celebrate!

L.A.H.E : What book did you fall in love with as a teenager?

Carson McCuller’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Simply put, it was the first book I’d ever read in which I could deeply identify with the feelings of the protagonist. I found myself inside it. It was when I knew I wanted to do the same for people someday.

L.A.H.E. : What’s one of your favorite scenes from Dirty Little Secrets?

Well, as you know, Dirty Little Secrets isn’t really a story – rather, a series of girls’ stories. I think one of the more moving scenes for me is about the young woman who was raped during Hurricane Katrina. I often think of her.

YA Fantasy Author Suzy Turner dishes Raven, December Moon, Ghosts & YA Trailer Park!

L.A.H.E : You have a wonderful site called YA Trailer Park. Do you have any book trailer tips?

ST : Thank you! Try and match the trailer to your book as well as you possibly can. For example, my book, Raven, is a bit dark and mysterious and I think my trailer reflects that. Also be sure to include links to your website at the end of each trailer.

Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Guardians of Souls and The Soul Quest Trilogy Dishes Excerpts, Oracles & Green Hair

L.A.H.E. : What was the first book you fell in love with?

A.M.J. : Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawl

I read this book when I was twelve years old and it made me cry. It was the first book I’d ever read that made me feel something so deeply. It was this beautiful story about a boy and his loyal furry friends that allowed me to discover the true magic inside stories. I’m really glad you asked me this question, Laura. My daughter is ten years old and it just dawned on me that this would be the perfect book for her to read. I’ll have to head over to Amazon.com and buy her a copy.

L.A.H.E. : What’s your favorite scene from your book?

A.M.J. : My favorite scene from The Guardians of Souls takes place in Arcadia. I don’t want to give away too much but it involves Paul bringing two children to Hala who are in dire need of being saved. It is probably the shortest scene in the entire book but it warms my heart each time I re – read it. 

L.A.H.E. : Who/what provided your greatest inspiration in writing your book?

A.M.J. : Wow, that isn’t an easy question to answer. I think The Soul Quest Trilogy is the sum of many of my inspirations and influences including my family, my own personal spirituality, and my career as a teacher and the interactions I have with my students. I think books, whether directly or indirectly, are inspired by life, all of it! That’s why books are so powerfully impacting on readers. They’re the pieces of our souls we share with those who dare to explore them.