Six Sentence Sunday: 7/29/12... Such a tease! Running From Shadows

Hooray for Six Sentence Sunday!

Thank you for stopping by. I'm excited to participate with such a fantastic group of writers!

Today I'm sharing from my (unpublished) young adult paranormal romance Running From Shadows, currently being read by a lovely agent!!

In this snippet Greta Shore (a 17-year-old, black-haired wiccan beauty) and Paxton "Pax" Craig (an 18-year-old, blond-haired college student with a dark secret) are drawn into a moment of passion...

She knows it's wrong... Forbidden. He shouldn't be here... Dangerous. But he can't stay away...

Cover Art by Danielle Fine

As his kisses deepened, he slipped his tongue between my lips, and I followed his lead. The movement was slower now, and I reached my boiling point. I hadn’t realized my breathing had gone ragged until he no longer moved his lips against mine. He was panting too.

My hands apparently worked independently of my mind because they’d somehow found their way underneath Pax’s shirt and now pressed flat against his smooth, hard chest. Our gazes locked...both of us sweating, despite the chill in the air.

What happens next? Wouldn't you like to know!? teeheehee Tune in next week! Okay, so pardon the author intrusion but this is how I picture Pax... (NOMNOMNOM)

Why hello, Mr. Efron... Muah!

Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated! Get a sneak peek for more awesome authors at SSS.

Happy reading!


*Omigosh... Witch Way to Turn (e-book) releases NEXT week on August 6!!!! Soooo excited!!! Can you tell??? ;D

*If you'd like more information on having a custom book cover designed for your next publication or WIP inspiration, check out Danielle Fine's Website!

Winner Announcement: No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop!

And the winner of the $25 Starbucks Gift Card and awesome Witch Way to Turn swag is...  

 

Drum roll, please . . .

Stephanie Osborn!!!!

Congratulations, Stephanie!!

*throws confetti and lifts a coffee mug high*

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by to participate! Your support is greatly appreciated :)

BIG shout out to my virtual assistant, Florence Price for organizing the Blog Hop and drawing the winner. You rock, Flo!

Six Sentence Sunday 7/22/12: Such a tease! Running From Shadows…

Hooray for Six Sentence Sunday!

Thank you for stopping by. I'm excited to participate with such a fantastic group of writers!

Today I'm sharing from my (unpublished) young adult paranormal romance Running From Shadows, currently being read by a lovely agent!!

In this snippet Greta Shore (a 17-year-old, black-haired wiccan beauty) has discovered the tribunal she is about to attend is actually an engagement party...hers. There will be no justice for Jill's death. And now, she's forcibly engaged to her stalker! What's wrong with this picture? This. Is. America. Confused and angry, she takes off blazing a trail to the Red Forest...

Cover Art by Danielle Fine

Instead, my coven had sold me to the one person I had good reason to fear. And my mother, my Benedict Arnold of a mother, had betrayed me. I was abandoned to the dark sky splattered with stars. The vastness of it suffocated me.

Through the stillness of the night I heard a shriek, as if hell had been slit open. The sound of every witch’s worst nightmare, coming to devour her.

As she spins around, searching for the source of the hideous sound, a biting breeze sends a shiver down her spine and a scream catches in her throat. Will there finally be justice for Jill's death after all? 

Tune in next week and meet Paxton Craig (he likes to be called Pax), a unicorn shifter with golden locks, eyes the dark blue of the deep sea and the kind of body that gets you a billboard in Times Square. Okay, so pardon the author intrusion but this is how I picture Pax... (NOMNOMNOM)

Why hello, Mr. Efron... Muah!

Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated! Get a sneak peek for more awesome authors at SSS.

Happy reading!

*I'll be at the Romance Writers of America National Conference all this week, so there may not be as many posts... Keep up with what's happening with me on Twitter @karenYbynum and wish me luck cos I'll be pitching to two agents and an editor!

*If you'd like more information on having a custom book cover designed for your next publication or WIP inspiration, check out Danielle Fine's Website.

My Midweek Mayhem, Updated Pitch and BIG News for 7/18/12...

Hi y'all! This week's Mayhem is brief as I prep for RWA Nationals...next week!!!
 
Working it out…

• BIG news for Witch Way to Turn... My publisher Lyrical Press has re-opened their print line and chose to print Witch Way!!! *throws hands in air and spins around saying Hey-O, Hey-O* Release date for print is October 1st!! Super excited :o)
• Great comments on my unicorn-demon slaying story (Running From Shadows) during Six Sentence Sunday! There will be more Greta coming to you on this Sunday!



Cover Art by Danielle Fine

• After much feedback (thank you) on my pitch line for Running From Shadows, I'm feeling this... Whaddya think? A unicorn shifter must choose to kill the boy she loves to save her coven from the shadow demon who lusts after her soul.

Hearing voices…

• Am pluggin' away on the sequel to Witch Way to Turn. Current word count is a little over 40,000 words!
• Here's a little teaser from book #2 I'm super happy with (as always, no spoilers to book #1 or #2)...my girl is learning to control the crazy-fast, blue-light-power she shoots out of her hands! Without giving it a second thought, Breena flung the door open. Palms held high. Ready to blast the bitch to hell and back for hurting her boyfriend.

Waiting game…

• On week #7 of waiting to hear back from a lovely agent who is reading Running From Shadows.*continues to keep fingers and toes crossed and keeps querying*

Getting personal...

• Hooray for vacation!! Friday I'm working a half day at city hall and then heading to Augusta, Georgia for my cousin's wedding. Hey, I'm not actually in this wedding, so I can sit back and enjoy. Yay!
• Then it's California time on July 23 for Romance Writers of America Nationals conference. I'll be attending workshops, sightseeing and stalking--uh, pitching--to two agents and an editor on Friday, July 27. Wish me luck!!

*Since I'll be on vacation next week, there will be no Midweek Mayhem post...don't fret my pet, I'll totally have a "conference afterglow" post once I return ;)
*Tune back in for SSS on Sunday...
*Follow me on Twitter for wedding and conference updates.
*Beautiful Cover Art for Running From Shadows by Danielle Fine... Check her website for cover art, editing and book trailer services.

Random Alert! Random. Alert. Alert. Alert...


Use the Force, Luke!



No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop

From July 17th through July 22nd, I'm participating in the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. And to one lucky Follower, I'll be giving away a $25 Starbucks Gift Card and some awesome Witch Way to Turn swag!

Details: 
One (1) $25 Starbucks Gift Card, a Witch Way to Turn pen, Bookmark and Trading Card to the winner of the Giveaway - Open to International Entries.
Drawing for the Giveaway will be held on 
July 22, 2012, and the winner will be announced on 
July 22, 2012.  

To be eligible to enter the Giveaway, you must enter the Giveaway with this FORM. One entry per person please!

Here's a list of all the stops on the Hop!

Help! Am pitching at RWA Nationals... Feedback, please :)

Hi y'all! I'm pitching to two agents and an editor at RWA (Romance Writers of America) Nationals Conference in less than two  weeks! Ahhhh. *throws hands in air and runs around writing cave* If you don't know this about me...pitching (even though I did this last year) scares the crap-o-la outta me! lol So, I want to make sure my pitch is spot on and ready to roll...

Just look at that face...

Here comes my request :) I'm posting my pitch line (in bold) and query letter for reference...also my cover art for visualization. Please let me know what you think of the pitch. Does it work? Are you drawn in? Interested? What would you change?

 
Or if ya just wanna write one for me (20-30 words)... That is most welcome too!!! teeheehee Write, minions, write!! Bwahaha ;) *hugs*

Feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated!!

Query:

Cover Art by Danielle Fine

I am seeking representation for my YA paranormal romance, RUNNING FROM SHADOWS, complete at 77,000 words. It is a standalone novel with potential to be a trilogy.

In this RAMPANT meets FALLEN novel of destiny versus free will, a girl fated with killing the boy she loves must do so in order to save her coven from the shadow demon that lusts after her soul.
 
Seventeen-year-old Greta Shore is dealing with a lot of crap. Her dad leaves. Her magick is MIA. Her best friend is dead, and Greta believes it's all her fault. Oh, and let’s not forget she's forcibly engaged to her stalker thanks to her Benedict Arnold of a mother.

At the engagement party, fed up and angry, Greta impulsively takes off, blazing a trail straight for the protection of the Red Forest. But before she reaches safety, the bloodcurdling screech of a witch's worst nightmare heralds the impending attack of a shadow demon. Seconds from destruction, she's rescued, scooped into the arms of the hottest guy she's ever seen… Paxton Craig, a unicorn shifter. She knows him—his name caught like a promise on her teeth and tongue—but she’s never met him. Greta’s whole life changes the night Pax saves her.
 
However, salvation comes with a price… A hefty one. Greta discovers she’s a unicorn shifter with a dark fortune. As she remembers her past life with Pax her love grows, along with the risks. Their passion is forbidden. Dangerous. While Greta struggles to understand her inner beast, find her magick and break the marriage contract, she faces an impossible choice. Kill Pax to keep all shadow demons from feasting on her coven, or sacrifice herself to save him.

Happy helping! :o)

*Really appreciate any comments or feedback you may have! Thanks :D

Six Sentence Sunday 7/15/12: Such a tease! Running From Shadows…

Hooray for Six Sentence Sunday!

Thank you for stopping by. I'm excited to participate with such a fantastic group of writers!

Today I'm sharing from my (unpublished) young adult paranormal romance Running From Shadows, currently being read by a lovely agent!!

In this snippet Greta Shore (a 17-year-old, black-haired wiccan beauty) is sitting on the edge of her bed, writing one of her best friend's names on bay leaf number eighteen. She plans to burn them later, even though she knows wishes don't come true. If they did, things would be different.

It's her fault Jill is dead...

Cover Art by Danielle Fine

Today was Jill’s birthday. At least…it would’ve been. Goddess. It felt like only yesterday we’d been teasing Haven about her latest trend and giggling over something a boy had done at school.

If I could piece together that shattered moment, I would tell Jill how special she was instead of just thinking it. Appreciate what I had...stop searching and live.

Lost in her guilt, Greta hasn't got a clue who is lurking outside of her bedroom...her stalker. Eep!

Tune in next week for another snippet from Running From Shadows.

And, yes, I torture my characters--only because it's illegal to torture real people... Bwahaha (An awesome author friend told me that.) Poor Greta, her dad bails, her magick is MIA and she thinks she killed her BFF.

Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated! Get a sneak peek for more awesome authors at SSS.

Happy reading!

*Starting on Tuesday, July 17th I'll be participating in the No Strings Attached Giveway... Stop back by for another opportunity to win a prize!

*If you'd like more information on having a custom book cover designed for your next publication or WIP inspiration, check out Danielle Fine's Website.

Totally random blog post: At today's writers group meeting...

Thought y'all might enjoy ;) So today at my Chesapeake Romance Writers group meeting we started things off with a little word teaser exercise. The president went around the room and held out pieces of paper that had the start of a sentence and then we had five minutes to come up with a paragraph story that weaved in Goal, Motivation and Conflict... Kinda like writing a back-cover book blurb. Gotta draw 'em in!

Well, the sentence I randomly picked was definitely out of my comfort zone because it geared itself more to adult fiction, which I don't really write. Eep! But I decided to put my paranormal spin on it...wouldn't expect anything less, right? teeheehee Oh, and the hero was a cop. Yup, definitely different for me. Really fun though! 

Um... Enjoy ;)

The bold line is the sentence I was given.

The policeman pulled over the woman in the red convertible and was startled to find she was... Dead. Okay, so they liked to be called living-challenged. Damn them. Her skin was milky and smooth. When the blood-suckers had gained daylight rights it was the beginning of the end for humanity. If only Zane didn't have the hots for one. His lover was back at headquarters. What would the other guys on the force think of him when they found out he was banging the boss? But more importantly what would they think when they discovered she was a vampire?

Whaddya think? ;) Anyone got a good title for my paragraph? Maybe I could turn it into a short story? Hm... *thinks*

Really enjoyed the mental workout!! Hope you liked the eye-candy! Found him on Pinterest...

Happy writing!

*Tune back in tomorrow for Six Sentence Sunday! Will be introducing you to my demon-slaying unicorn story. Hooray!! AND you'll get to see the rockin' cover art!!! Squee!!!

Giveaway Winner and Midweek Mayhem for 7/11/12...

Working it out…

• The past few days have been all about lining things up for Witch Way to Turn promotion...cos the release is only 25 days away!! Squee!
• I've signed up with Bewitching Book Tours to handle publicity for the release. So excited! There will be a live Twitter party and radio interviews and a blog tour... Oh my!
• I've entered my demon-slaying unicorn story (Running From Shadows) into two contests...super pumped! They are: Heart of the West and Heartland Romance Authors.
• For Six Sentence Sunday I'll be introducing you to Running From Shadows... Excited!! There will even be cover art! Prepare yourselves cos it's freakin' sa-weet!

Hearing voices…

• Am pluggin' away on the sequel to Witch Way to Turn. Current word count is a little over 33,000 words!
• Things are going from complicated to completely and utterly messed up for Breena...she just learned something this week that truly *is* a matter of life or death. Eep!
• Here's a little teaser from book #2 I'm super happy with (don't worry, no spoilers to book #1 or #2)... Seconds clicked by, but this time instead of the feel of shattering like an ice sculpture...it was as if Breena was watching a kaleidoscope of light and brilliant color reflect off herself onto Orin and break apart. She orchestrated this chaos and could easily mend it.

Waiting game…

• On week #6 of waiting to hear back from an amazing agent who is reading Running From Shadows.*continues to keep fingers and toes crossed* 
• The owner of the amazing literary agency started following me on Twitter last week...not sure what that means, but--omigosh--I nearly fell out with excitement! :D

Reading update…

• 58% into Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris
• 38% into Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate
• 21% into Quitter: Turning Your Job into a Dream and Your Dream into a Job by Jon Acuff 
• Note: I don't devour books... I savor them. *does slow motion - nomnomnom* Sooo it takes me a hot few minutes to finish a book. Plus, the 40-hour a week job, writing passion and family do keep me a little sidetracked ;)



Drum Roll, Please...

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

Thank you ALL so much for participating in the Summer Reads Blog Hop!! Now...the moment you've been waiting for...the winner is... Katheryn Rodzianko!!! :D


Congratulations, Katheryn!!! So excited for you!!


Big shout out to my virtual assistant, Florence Price, for organizing the Blog Hop and drawing the winner! She rocks :)

That’s all for now y’all!

Happy Writing!

Six Sentence Sunday 7/8/12: Such a tease! Witch Way to Turn…

Hooray for Six Sentence Sunday!

Thank you for stopping by. I'm excited to participate with such a fantastic group of writers!

Today I'm sharing from my young adult paranormal romance Witch Way to Turn, releasing on August 6!!

In this snippet Breena has just learned that sexy, soul-hungry assassin Orin Heider has disobeyed a direct order to be with her. He doesn't kill her. How can he? She's his soul mate. And to complicate matters, he kisses her. A frantic, ravenous kiss that turns his eyes bright with desire. She hopes he wants to keep her for always in some dark pocket of his heart. Now that the kiss is over, her mind races with hot thoughts...

Breena turned her face to the screen as they ate in companionable silence, but couldn’t focus; instead, she was fully occupied by a slow motion, blow-by-blow--so to speak--playback of The Kiss.

She’d kissed boys before, of course, but oh Lord, it hadn’t been like that. In that instant, she would’ve given Orin anything...everything.

Her lips felt bruised and tender and she was shaken to the core; she rolled onto her side for a better look at him. He had long, dark eyelashes and a strong jaw framing soft, full lips. And the way he wore a t-shirt…flawless.

NOMNOMNOM (Pardon my author intrusion there...LOL) As she watches him in silence, the silence is broken by the shrill ring of Orin's phone. Followed by him telling the caller that Breena is dead and the assignment is complete.
 
Who is Orin talking to? Why did he say Breena was dead? Is he gonna kill her after all? Only 28 more days until you can find out! ;) *evil laughter*

Tune in next week for a glimpse of my demon-slaying unicorn story titled Running From Shadows...you'll meet Greta Shore a 17-year-old, black-haired wiccan beauty who is quite the snark and has it bad for the beautiful boy who scoops her into his arms and saves her ass from the demon who's been feasting on her life-force. He's familiar in a way that makes her think she's losing her mind... PTSD much?
 
Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated! Get a sneak peek for more awesome authors at SSS.

Happy reading!

*Winner of the $25 Amazon giftcard and Witch Way to Turn swag will be announced here on my blog on Wednesday, July 11* Thank you for participating in the Summer Reads Blog Hop!! :o)

Summer Reads Giveaway Hop!

From July 6th through July 11th, I'm participating in the Summer Reads Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Rex Robot Reviews. And to one lucky Follower, I'll be giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card and some awesome Witch Way to Turn swag!

Details: 
One (1) $25 Amazon Gift Card, a Witch Way to Turn pen and a Witch Way to Turn Trading Card to the winner of the Giveaway - Open to International Entries.
Drawing for the Giveaway will be held on 
July 11, 2012, and the winner will be announced on 
July 11, 2012.  

To be eligible to enter the Giveaway, you must "Follow" this site then enter with this FORM. One entry per person please. For extra chances to win (optional) Follow me on Twitter, Like me on Facebook and/or Friend me on Goodreads. Leave a comment and your URL and I'll follow you back!

Here's a list of all the stops on the Hop!

Let the Midweek Mayhem begin for 7/4/12...

Working it out…

• The trailer for Witch Way to Turn was a BIG success! Squee! So thankful for all your comments :)
• I've decided to make Six Sentence Sunday a regular blog post. It's awesome to see other writers work and to get feedback on your own! Check it out: SSS.
• Am working on my pitch of Running From Shadows (demon-slaying unicorn story) for RWA Nationals in July. More to come.
• My website is finished!!! Thanks to my cousin's hubsy...A.K.A the IT Guru! Take a peek: www.karenbynum.com

Hearing voices…

• The sequel to Witch Way to Turn is coming along nicely. Current word count is a little over 26,000 words! Right now Breena is in a world of trouble... Poor girl! 
• Here's a little teaser line I'm super pleased with... (It has nothing to do with the trouble Breena's in tho. Just a little smoochy action. teeehee) His kisses were as gentle as a butterfly's wing fluttering against her neck. (Now don't ya wanna know which guy? The vampire or the preternatural? *sing-song voice* I'll never tell.)
• WWTT #2 is gettin' pretty heated! LOL I can't help it... Breena wants what she wants ;) 
• Today I'll be writing at my fave local coffee shop! Le sigh.

Waiting game…

• On week #5 of waiting to hear back from an amazing agent who is reading Running from Shadows.*continues to keep fingers and toes crossed*
• In the meantime, I'm querying other agencies for RFS and will have two pitch sessions at RWA Nationals in July.

Reading update…

• 58% into Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris
• 33% into Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate
• 21% into Quitter: Turning Your Job into a Dream and Your Dream into a Job by Jon Acuff 

Getting personal...

• Happy 4th of July for my US readers!! *shoots off fireworks from the writing cave*
• The surprise b-day getaway for the hubs was awesome! He was totally surprised. We toured Red Oak Brewery in Whitsett, NC...his fave beer! Then we stayed in a beautiful historic Bed & Breakfast.

Pix from the getaway...

Hey, you can add captions to these pix...that's freakin' sweet!

Honestly can't remember which one of us took this pic. Hm.

The balcony in the middle was ours!

I thought taking the picture at an angle would be all artistic. Whaddya think?

Contest alert... Friday I'll be participating in another Giveaway Blog Hop!! Stop by and enter for a chance to win!!


That’s all for now y’all!

Happy Writing!

$50 Amazon Gift Card Winner Is...

THANK YOU for your participation!

Wow, the feedback on the Witch Way to Turn book trailer has been incredible! I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and am so happy you loved it as much as I do!!!

*announcer voice*

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the WINNER of the $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway is…wait for it…keep waiting…

drum roll please…

Christy Lyn

*throws confetti in the air*

This is your moment, Christy, get your Amazon on!

Big thank you to my virtual assistant, Florence Price, for picking the Mystery Number winner for the giveaway and for organizing the event so that it went smoothly! Click here for a list of her services.

Big thank you to my editor, Danielle Fine, for an amazing job on the Witch Way to Turn book trailer!! Click here to contact her for your next book trailer.

Take a look at today's Six Sentence Sunday post for a snippet of vampire convict, Myles Young! (One of the two hot supernatural boys vying for Breena's attention.)

Check back on Wednesday, July 4th, for another installment of my Midweek Mayhem.

And on Friday, July 6th, for another chance to win a prize! I'll be participating in the Summer Reads Giveaway Blog Hop!!

As always, thank you for your support!! I truly appreciate it :)

Six Sentence Sunday 7/1/12: Such a tease! Witch Way to Turn…

Hooray for Six Sentence Sunday!

Thank you for stopping by. I'm excited to participate with such a fantastic group of writers!

Today I'm sharing from my soon-to-be released young adult paranormal romance Witch Way to Turn.

In this snippet Myles Young, vampire convict and Breena's coworker at the pharm, has just learned something unspeakable has happened to the girl he is fang-over-lip for...

The piercing sound came and went quickly but the aftershock of pain coursing through Myles’s head left him crouched on the stockroom floor, hands pressed against his temples…Breena.

Something wasn’t right. He grabbed his cell and dialed her number, no answer. He tried a couple more times as he raced out to his car but to no avail; moments later, his tires squealed as he blazed out of the pharmacy’s parking lot.

All the time he’d spent watching her, waiting, and it had happened when he wasn’t with her. Breena’s ability had awakened. 

What's happening to Breena? Will Myles get there in time to save her? Or will he discover that Breena isn't as fragile as he once thought?

Tune in next week for a glimpse of Orin Heider, the mesmerizing soul-hungry assassin sent to kill Breena...but one look into her eyes, dark like African violets, and he knew he couldn't snuff out the fire blazing behind them :)

Thanks again for stopping by! Your support and feedback is greatly appreciated! Get a sneak peek for more awesome authors at SSS.

Happy reading!

*Winner of the $50 Amazon giftcard will be announced here on my blog tonight by 8:00pm (EST)* Thank you for the wonderful comments!! :o)