Author Archives

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Sunday Giveaway – A Dawn Most Wicked (closed)

Sunday Giveaway

Hello gentle reader,

this summer I give away ONE KINDLE E-BOOK every Sunday.

Today I’m giving away A Dawn Most Wicked (Something Strange And Deadly 0.5) by Susan Dennard. It’s the companion novella to her SSAD trilogy and it tells the story of Eleanor’s suitor Daniel. I read it this week and it’s awesome! You can even read it if you haven’t read Something Strange And Deadly, because the story is set before the events of Book 1.

Dennard - A Dawn Most WickedFrom Goodreads:

Daniel Sheridan is an engineer’s apprentice on a haunted Mississippi steamer known as the Sadie Queen. His best friend–the apprentice pilot, Cassidy Cochran–also happens to be the girl he’s pining for…and the captain’s daughter. But when it looks like the Sadie Queen might get taken off the river, Daniel and Cassidy have to do whatever they can to stop the ghosts that plague the ship.
Fortunately, there happens to be a Creole gentleman on board by the name of Joseph Boyer-–and he just might be able to help them…

Giveaway information:

The giveaway is open until Wednesday 19th June 2013 at 9am (BST time).

To enter please fill in the contact form below with your name and email. If you follow my blog by email or WordPress , if you are a Twitter follower , if you like my page on Facebook or if you tweet about the giveaway, this will grant you an extra entry. Mention it below.

Entrants must be at least 13 years of age.

This giveaway is open Internationally.

The winner will be chosen randomly, notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

I am only giving away one Kindle e-book per giveaway. No other format, sorry!

I hold the right to end the giveaway before its original deadline without any prior notice.

I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.

Privacy information: no information given for this giveaway will be used for other purpose than this giveaway. All information provided (names, emails and mail addresses) will be deleted after the giveaway.

Good luck and feel free to leave me a comment below!

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What’s Up Wednesday & Ready. Set. Write! Check-In 1

Hello gentle reader,

as promised this is my first What’s Up Wednesday post as well as my goal-setting post for the Ready. Set. Write! challenge. If you wish to find out what this writing challenge is about and join in the fun, click on the button below:

ready-set-write-button

What’s Up Wednesday was created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk.  It’s a way to share what we are up to each week.

What's Up Wednesday Button

What I´m reading

The Quietness

This week I read The Quietness by Alison Rattle (YA Historical fiction). It’s the story of two girls in 19th Century London, who have nothing in common but whose paths are about to cross. The voice is brilliant, I loved it!

What I’m Writing

My goal for Ready. Set. Write! is to edit and query my YA Historical Fantasy Lily In The Shadows.

This week I’m editing, following my beta readers’ advice.

What else I´ve been up to

I won a giveaway! Editor Cassandra Marshall organised a contest to win a full MS critique and incredibly, I won! I’m looking forward to her feedback on Lily…

What inspires me right now

Knowing that I’m very close to finishing my WIP. So. Close.

What are you up to this week? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

And if you’d like to join in this blog hop, click here!

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Blog Update and ROW80 Check-In 10

Hello gentle reader,

I hope you had a lovely week!

If you’re here to enter my Best Book Ever Giveaway and have a chance to win The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo, click on the image below (giveaway ends tomorrow):

Best Book Ever Giveaway

If you’re here for my ROW80 Check-In, know that I spent my week running like a headless chicken for my crazy day job. Therefore I didn’t do any writing, I barely did any editing and I only did a bit of reading.

ROW80 LogoPlease note this is my last check-in for this round (although this round won’t be over until 20th June).

Indeed I have decided to join a summer challenge called Ready. Set. Write!

ready-set-write-button

Hosted by Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow and Elodie Nowodazkij, it’s a summer writing intensive that starts Tuesday 11th June and will go on for 2 months. The idea is to update weekly on Wednesdays on what we’ve been writing and on our new goals for the week.

Sunday Giveaway

Finally and starting this week as well, I’ll be hosting a giveaway each Sunday. I will give you the opportunity to win one e-copy of a YA book I’ve read this year or will be reading this summer. I borrowed this idea from the wonderful Amy Plum whom I met in Paris at the SCBWI Conference in March.

So that’s what will happen on my blog until 15th August!

I wish you all a great summer and hope to read your comments below.

Let me know how your week was and what you have planned for the summer!

In the meantime, happy reading, and happy writing!

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The Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop! (closed)

Hello gentle reader,

Somehow my blog has gained a lot of new followers lately. To thank you all for your support, I am taking part in the Best Book Ever Giveaway Hop hosted by The Best Books Ever & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

Best Book Ever Giveaway

The giveaway runs from today until Monday 10th June 2013. It is a chance for you to win:

A paperback copy of The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo (UK edition)

Leigh-Bardugo-The-Gathering-Dark-UK

You may know this New York Times Best Seller by its US title, Shadow and Bone.

Same book, but here I’m giving away the gorgeous UK edition!

This giveaway is, as always, international.

*GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

The winner will be contacted by email.*

Giveaway information:

The giveaway is open until Monday 10th June 2013 at midnight (BST time).

To enter please fill in the contact form below with your name and email. If you follow my blog by email or WordPress , if you are a Twitter follower , if you like my page on Facebook or if you tweet about the giveaway, this will grant you an extra entry. Mention it below.

Entrants must be at least 13 years of age.

This giveaway is open Internationally.

The winner will be chosen randomly, notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

I am not responsible for items lost in the mail.

I hold the right to end the giveaway before its original deadline without any prior notice.

I hold the right to disqualify any entry as I see fit.

Privacy information: no information given for this giveaway will be used for other purpose than this giveaway. All information provided (names, emails and mail addresses) will be deleted after the giveaway.

Good luck and feel free to leave me a comment below…

This is a blog hop! Visit the other giveaways here.

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 9

Hello gentle reader,

june is here and it’s time for another weekly check-in! I hope you had a great and productive week. Mine had its ups and downs…

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to write every day.

This week however I… didn’t write. At all. I was waiting to hear back from my beta readers, and instead of writing, I read books and helped my CPs with their query letter/manuscript/blogs.

TV Show of the Week

Supernatural-Season 8

Supernatural – Season 8 (CW)

This week I’ve been catching up on the last season of Supernatural. This show isn’t what it used to be, but I still love Dean and Sam. And Castiel when he shows up.

Good News of the Week

This week, Rachel O’Laughlin launched her Street Team for the release of her Epic Fantasy novel. You can sign up and join the fun here!

Links of the Week

On my blog I posted about the Versatile Blogger Award here and shared the ups and downs of my week here (with GIFs!).

On There And Draft Again I posted about the writing device known as Deus Ex Machina.

And JuNoWriMo has started! If you need a writing challenge to help you write a book in a month, do consider joining, it’s not too late!

Next week

Next week on my blog I will host a book giveaway. I have recently gained a lot of new followers and I want to say thank you!

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below!

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The Writer, the Writing Community and Dean Winchester

Hello gentle reader,

thurschilbadgejpg

this week again I’m taking part in the Thursday’s Children meme hosted by Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez. It is “a weekly blog hop where writers come together to talk about whatever inspires them.”

Today’s post is a bit personal. I very seldom indulge in sharing my personal feelings on this blog, but my hope is that other writers will recognize themselves in what I describe below, and maybe find their motivation renewed by the knowledge they’re not alone in this.

So I haven’t had the best week. Lots of rejections and disappointments.

–          One of my short stories I was hoping to publish in an anthology was rejected

–          A query for my YA Epic Fantasy (which I have stopped querying since December) was rejected this week by an agent

–          I’ve started to get feedback on my WIP Lily In The Shadows and some beta readers are, well, less enthusiastic than others.

–          And no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to be able to write a catchy query for Lily In The Shadows

So yeah.

Now, I always try to stay positive. I know this publishing thing doesn’t happen overnight. I’m aware the key here is to keep reading, keep writing, keep submitting, and never give up. I don’t rant on Twitter or Facebook at the first disappointment.

But still. What a week. So I wrote an email to my CP Jessy Montgomery, who is amazing and who always knows what to say.

I was like this:

She was like this:

Supernatural - CastielAnd then like this:

Supernatural - Hug

Then I got on Twitter and this happened:

EM Castellan-Tweet1EM Castellan-Tweet2

And then I realised something. I’ve had a lot of rejections and disappointments this week. But I’ve also helped Jessy with her query. I’ve helped Allie with her WIP. I’ve helped Rachel with her street team building. I’ve helped Kate with her Twitter issues. I’ve had awesome online conversations with Lauren, Juliana, Laura, Joanna, Em, Lena, Rebekah, Emmie and Serena.

I’m part of the writing community. And I believe in paying it forward.

This week wasn’t about me and my writing. It was about everybody else’s writing and success.

Next time it might be my turn. Next time it might be yours.

But for now I have all of you and I’m so incredibly grateful for that.

Thank you.

Have a great writing week!

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Waiting On Wednesday – 26

Hello gentle reader,

this week I’m waiting on Shadowlark (Skylark #2) by Meagan Spooner (expected publication: October 1st 2013 by Carolrhoda Lab).

Shadowlark

Shadowlark will be the second book in the Skylark trilogy. I posted about Skylark in May 2012 (Waiting On Wednesday – 10) and interviewed Meagan Spooner in October 2012 (read the interview here). Now I’m really looking forward to Shadowlark, because Skylark was definitely the most original YA book I read in 2012 and because I really want to know how the story can go on after Book One’s surprising ending.

Below is the blurb for Skylark. If you want to read the blurb for Shadowlark, it’s here, but beware of spoilers if you haven’t read Book One.

Skylark

Vis in magia, in vita vi. In magic there is power, and in power, life. 

For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley waited for the day when her Resource would be harvested and she would finally be an adult. After the harvest she expected a small role in the regular, orderly operation of the City within the Wall. She expected to do her part to maintain the refuge for the last survivors of the Wars. She expected to be a tiny cog in the larger clockwork of the city. 

Lark did not expect to become the City’s power supply. 

For fifteen years, Lark Ainsley believed in a lie. Now she must escape the only world she’s ever known…or face a fate more unimaginable than death.

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

What are you waiting on this week? Is Shadowlark on your TBR list? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

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Versatile Blogger Award!

Hello gentle reader,

in the past couple of weeks, I have been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award no less than four times. Thus I felt compelled to post about it.

versatile-blogger

The rules for The Versatile Blogger Award are as follows:

1.Thank and link to the person who gave you the award.
2.Tell seven facts about yourself.
3.Pass it on to seven other bloggers.
4.Link to specific posts on their blogs so they’ll be notified by pingback.

So thank you to the lovely people who have passed this award on to me: Rhiann Wynn-Nolet, ReGi McClain, Patrick O’Scheen and Elaine Jeremiah.

Seven things about me… at this stage, there’s not much I can say about myself you don’t already know, and the rest… is a secret.

As a result, I’m directly passing this award on to awesome people you should know about and follow:

– Raewyn Hewitt : fellow Fantasy writer, interesting blogger and wonderful person.

– Jessica Montgomery : my lovely CP, currently in the query trenches.

– Jani Grey, Serena Lawless, Bridget Shepherd : they’ve all accepted to be my first beta-readers for Lily In The Shadows. They’re awesome.

– Lauren Garafalo : leader of ROW80 Twitter sprints and best Cheerleader For Writers in the world. I wouldn’t have written Lily In The Shadows in 5 months if it weren’t for her.

– Rachel O’Laughlin : her Epic Fantasy Coldness of Marek is coming out in August! Are you excited? I am!

That’s it for the Versatile Blogger Award. I hope you’re having a good Holiday Monday if you’re in the US or the UK. If you’re reading this from another country, I hope you’re having a great day too!

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 8

Hello gentle reader,

It is time for another weekly check-in! This week I’m happy to be back to my normal routine, and I can offer you a proper Week In Review post…

Quote and Film of the Week

the-great-gatsby-leonaro-dicaprio_1

“I was within and without. Simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Film by Baz Luhrmann.

To me, The Great Gatsby is a masterpiece because of its writing, not because of its story. Thus turning the book into a film is incredibly hard. I enjoyed Baz Luhrmann’s interpretation because that’s what it is: a vision of the book.

TV Show of the Week

World Without End

World Without End (Channel 4)

I missed this show when it aired in September. I played catch-up this week because I love The Pillars of the Earth and this is the sequel. However I was a bit disappointed: the plot is exactly the same and therefore very predictable.

Good News of the Week

I bought my first Kindle! I resisted peer pressure for a long time, because I love reading paper books. But I travel all the time and my bookshelf space isn’t unlimited, so I finally gave in and got the Kindle Fire. Any tips welcome!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to write every day. This week again I managed to write

2 days out of 7.

With my WIP in the hands of beta-readers, I basically took the week off writing…

Links of the Week

I was interviewed by the ever awesome Serena Lawless about my Work In Progress. You can read it here.

On my blog I posted my reasons for writing Lily In The Shadows.

On There And Draft Again this week, it’s giveaway time! Our group blog has reached 100 followers and we’re giving away Fantasy books to celebrate. Make sure to enter here.

The Like a Virgin Contest has been announced! It will be held in July 2013. It is co-organized by Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez, the ladies behind the weekly Thursday’s Children blog hop. It will be open only to manuscripts that have yet to go through the online contest trenches. They want your fresh, sparkly and new manuscripts. How exciting is that?!

Next week

Next week on my blog I will be sharing my latest readings…

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below!

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I’ve been interviewed! Future Shelves with Serena Lawless

Hello gentle reader,

the ever awesome Serena Lawless has interviewed me on her blog as part of her Future Shelves feature. I couldn’t be more proud to find myself among so many talented writers. In this interview, I talk about LILY IN THE SHADOWS and what inspired me to write this story. You can read the interview here.