Last week was one of the best and worst timespans in respect to publishing ELECTED.  It's literally been a roller coaster of ups and downs.  There's so much to explain, but let me start by saying that the story has a happy ending.  A positively, absolutely wonderful pinnacle. The sordid part of the tale began a few weeks ago when all of the authors at my original publisher, Entranced, received an email that the company was being sold to a new owner.  We were thrown but quickly became energized, listing questions for the new owner and waiting with baited-breath for more information.  ...

I have the pleasure of interviewing author Heather Smith today.  She's from my same publisher, Entranced, and writes contemporary young adult fiction.  I love her writing tip for us today.  "Don't expect everything you write to be pure gold."  I think us writers hold ourselves to such high standards and often expect every line to come out like honey.  And when it doesn't, we chastise ourselves.  But I like what Heather says about keeping it all in perspective. 1.  What do you write? A:  I write YA fiction. My published work has been contemporary so far, but I also dabble in other genres. 2. ...

If you like the Once Upon a Time tv show, you will love The Lunar Chronicles! These are the latest novels I've been devouring--a four-book series by Marissa Meyer.  I've sped through the first three:  Cinder, Scarlett, and Cress.  The next and final book in the series, Winter, isn't set for release until 2015, and it's not out for pre-sale yet.  But if it were, I'd have already saved a copy onto my kindle to read as soon as it came out. What I like about each of these books is that the story is a twisted version of a fairy tale:  Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White,...

My friends know that I love throwing parties, especially ones with themes.  So for the ELECTED book launch party, I've delved deep into the theme of hemlock.  Hemlock is the plant and liquid that Socrates' government forced him to drink  to kill himself when he wouldn't denounce his scientific theories. In ELECTED, there are four strict Eco-Accords designed by world leaders to bring Earth back from environmental extinction.  One of the Accords states that no technology shall be used or created.  If people violate the accord, they are forced to drink hemlock as the futuristic "capital punishment".  ...