ONCE UPON A DARKNESS

Who can pass up a book with a title like this? 

If you like re-tellings with a unique plot and zombies, you'll love this adult novella. It's an entertaining quick read that delivers! Check out an excerpt below.

 

Aria Kane's ONCE UPON A DARKNESS launched last week at a charming coffee bar in Winter Park. Many local writers were there, including mùa. It was a great launch. Congrats again Aria Kane!

Title: Once Upon a Darkness

Author: Aria Kane

Publisher and Imprint: Entranced Publishing, Kissed

Genre: Paranormal romance/post-apocalyptic

Release Date: June 17 2013

Length: 61 pages

Blurb:

Gretchen and her twin brother, Hank, were abandoned to a zombie horde when they were five years old. Intended to be a sacrifice by their zealot parents, they were instead rescued by The Company. Raised to become soldiers in the war against zombies, they now provide safe passage through danger zones, one contract at a time.
Clint's only skill is war, but he's weary of killing other men. When his contract with the Marines runs out, he takes a job on Gretchen's team, hoping that the search-and-rescue life will suit him better.
On Clint's second day, their four-man team is attacked, drugged, and taken to a prison full of frightened civilians. The only way in or out is by helicopter and, here, their enemies are human. One by one, the captives are culled from the holding area. Rumors say the facility director uses the prisoners as experimental subjects for the testing of a zombie cure.
When Hank is culled, Clint and Gretchen must put aside their personal feelings and find a way out of the prison, surrounded by thousands of starving zombies, before Hank becomes just one more disposable guinea pig in the hands of a twisted mad woman.

Buy Links: http://www.entrancedpublishing.com/imprints/kissed/once-upon-a-darkness/

Add to Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17791187-once-upon-a-darkness

Excerpt:

It was late morning before Clint and Gretchen woke up. They had even somehow slept through the daily drop helicopter. Clint smiled at the sleeping Gretchen, thinking he could get used to waking up with her legs and arms draped across him.

"Contrary to popular belief," Gretchen grumbled. "It's creepy to watch a girl while she sleeps."

Clint shrugged and smiled. "Sorry, I guess I should've just woken you up."

"Like hell. You're better off being creepy." She pulled the pillow from underneath her head and smacked him with it.

INSPIRATION

Last week, I received some valuable advice about keeping your focus on your goal. He suggested keeping what you dream to achieve, no matter how out of touch it might seem, in front of you for inspiration.  If you have a daily reminder of what you want to achieve—dream to achieve—you will gravitate toward that goal. 

Since my novel Club Neverland is no longer sellable in the market due to multiple Peter Pan retellings being tossed around and sold at this time, I've made a book cover to inspire me to keep going with the novel, whether it be through a small publishing house or by self-publishing.

Today I encourage you to create, buy, or find a focus for inspiration so you keep following the dreams in your heart.

My cover:  I'm quite proud of myself for this. (No, it's not the official book cover, just an inspiration photo for the time being)

PS. I had a super fun dinner at the Melting Pot with a bunch of writers last Sunday—some local, some in for work. Friends and fellow writers are also great inspiration. Here's the pics from that delicious night.

From left to right: Larissa Hardesty, Christy Farley, Amy Parker, Lisa Iriarte. Across from her Joe Iriarte, Heather Burch, Krystalyn Drown, Lucienne Diver, and Me.

STEAMY ROMANCE IN YA NOVELS? SAY WHAT?

If you know me, you know I like to write my ya novels with steamy romance.  I don't force it, but it often fits with my characters and I want to be true to them.  Emotions and hormones run high in teenagers.  Pretending they don't isn't realistic.  It's a time for experimenting, taking risks, and pushing the limits.

For a while I thought I was alone in this, until I came across the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles. I'd always seen it in the bookstores but never read the series.  I'm so glad I did, because it was hot, hot, HOT! I loved it!

Then I read everything else she's published, and I wanted more.  I found Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry, and Jennifer Echols Forget You and Going Too Far.  It opened my eyes to a whole new world in young adult novels.

I realize these books might not be for everyone, since they have some really steamy scenes and, yes, sex!  Which is why I'm adding this post today.  I found a blog from Shelly Watters--IS IT HOT IN HERE, OR IS IT THIS BOOK?--about this very thing.  As I read it, I thought, This is exactly how I feel.  So, of course, I had to share it with you.

Check it out in the link below and please leave your thoughts on this subject for me.  I love hearing them!

http://shelleywatters.blogspot.com/2011/05/you-wrote-what-ie-writing-sex-scenes.html

The Importance of Writing Believable Characters

How badly do you struggle with this?  For some people it comes naturally.  For others it's a challenge.  I understand that making a character real and flawed adds to believability, but I also find my mood effects how well I write them.

My goal is to write characters that make you . . . 

Cry                    

Laugh          

Gasp with fear      

Fall in love        

While searching the internet for helpful ways to accomplish this, I found a list from Melissa Donovan and thought I'd post it below.

12 Character Writing Tips To Help You Develop Characters That Feel Like Real People:

1.    Backstory: we are born a certain way, but our life experiences continually mold and shape us. Each character has a life before the story. What is it?

2.    Dialogue: the way we talk depends on the language we speak and where we live (or grew up) but there’s also something unique to each person’s style of speaking. We repeat certain words and phrases, inflect certain syllables, and make certain gestures while we speak.

3.    Physical Description: our primary method of identifying each other is the way we look; hair and eye color, height and weight, scars and tattoos, and the style of clothing we wear are all part of our physical descriptions.

4.    Name: Esmerelda doesn’t sound like a soccer mom, and Joe doesn’t sound like an evil sorcerer. Make sure the names you choose for your characters match their personalities and the role they play in the story.

5.    Goals: Some say that a character’s goals drive the entire story. He wants to slay the dragon. She wants to find love. Goals can be small (the character is shopping for a new car) or big (the character is trying to take over the world). Come up with a mix of small and large goals for each character.

6.    Strengths and Weaknesses: Villains sometimes do nice things and heroes occasionally take the low road. What are your character’s most positive and negative behaviors and personality traits?

7.    Friends and Family: these are the people in our inner circles, and they have played important roles in shaping our personalities and our lives. Who are your characters’ friends and family before the story starts? What new friends will they meet once the story begins?

8.    Nemesis: a nemesis is someone with whom we are at odds. This character doesn’t have to be a villain, but the goals of the nemesis definitely interfere with your character’s goals.

9.    Position in the World: what do your characters do for a living? What are their daily lives like? Where do they live? What is a character’s role or position among his or her friends, family, or coworkers?

10.  Skills and Abilities: a character’s skills and abilities can get him out of a tight spot or prevent him from being able to get out of a tight spot. Skills can be useless or they can come in handy. Does your character have an education or special training? What can he do?

11.  Gestures, Mannerisms, and Quirks: One character chews her nails while watching movies. Another runs his hand through his hair when he’s trying to figure something out. Give your characters identifiable quirks and behaviors, like real people.

12.  Fears: An old fiction writing trick is to figure out what your character is most afraid of, then make the character face it. We all have fears. Characters should, too.

Although some of these techniques seem long, I've heard them mentioned at SCWBI conferences by many published authors. 

One thing I like to do to get in the mood is listen to music that fits the scene or chapter I'm about to write.  I once read that to create a real character you have to go deep and reveal secrets and traits that show fault and vulnerability.  It can be embarrassing and uncomfortable to do this, because we usually hide these things in ourselves—keep them private.  But showing the dirt is what makes us real and is what will make your character/s relatable on a profound level.  Isn't that what we strive for as writers and what we love as readers?

If you have helpful tricks or techniques you use to create believable characters, please share them below in a comment.  As a writer, you can never get enough advice. 

Thanks and have a creative day!

Pinterest. How Did I Ever Live Without You?

Finally started my Pinterest page.  At first, I wasn't interested in making one, but now I find it addicting.  As in, I could spend all day doing that and nothing else.  So not helpful.

Anywho, photos that relate to each of my three completed novels, including Club Neverland, are up for your curiosity.

If you have a Pinterest page and find it addicting, too, tell me about it in a comment below so I can check it out.


 Checkout my Pinterest page.  Hope you enjoy it!
https://pinterest.com/taragallina/

You Might Pee A Little

This weekend I googled Funny Animal Pics. I don't know why or where the idea came from, but I had some seriously good laughs over what I found.  In the hope of starting your week off with a smile and maybe a few hard chuckles, I've posted my favorites for you.  Beware I favored  A LOT.  lol.  There are some that were just too cute to pass up, too.  Enjoy!

BAD BOY REHAB HOP!!!!

Bad Boy Rehab Hop!!!!!!

Announcing the Bad Boy Rehab Hop

January 10 – January 17, 2013

Hosted by 

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, http://www.iamareader.com/  and 

The Book Hookup http://thebookhookup.com/

We tried giving up Bad Boys for our New Year’s Resolution…..
but try to make me go to rehab and I said no no no.

Bad Boy (n.) person

1. A guy who has many characteristics of a naughty, naughty boy. 

2. A heartbreaker with a five o’clock shadow. 

3. Independent and willful. Does what he wants when he wants. Never follow trends, they follow him.

4. Someone that’s not looking for trouble, but there’s a serious sense of danger about him. 

Usable Note: A bad boy is a gorgeous man with MANY layers and is INSANELY irresistible to women.

 My bad boy pick for this year's blog hop is Daemon Black from The Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout.  I don't think you get any badder (or hotter) than Daemon. 

Need I say more!

In honor of the blog I'm giving away a $25.00 gift card to The Book Depository so you can buy all three of these amazing novels and get your bad boy on!

I love the book blurp to Obsidian the first of the series and will leave you with that.

Starting Over Sucks

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And Then He Opened His Mouth

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The Hot Alien Living Next Door Marks Me

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I Don’t Kill Him First, That Is

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