"If the Silver Slippers Fit..." coming soon to Amazon!

If The Silver Slipper Fits…

Two feisty witches. 

Two wickedly impossible dilemmas. 

Two modern day realms infused with a little mischievous magic. 

One pair of totally awesome and very sassy shoes.

 

If The Silver Slipper Fits begins with a story about Glinda, a teenage witch, who, like any other teenager in the modern world, is envious of another woman’s pair of shoes.  However, these shoes belong to her sister.  After stealing the shoes for her hot date, she trips on a crack in the Yellow Brick Road, falls through a portal and lands smack in the middle of New York City.  Of course, she lost her grip on the shoes when she fell and now Glinda not only has to find her sister’s Silver Slippers in a city of 8 million people, but she has to find another portal to get herself back home in time for her date.  Unfortunately, a subway train full of degenerates, a Naked Cowboy and herd of anorexic fashion models stand in her way.  And to top it all off, the shoes change their look as the owner’s personality changes.

The second story takes place many years later, and centers around Glinda’s youngest daughter Giselle, who already has way too much baggage for a normal teenager.  She has been banished to Las Vegas because she set her high school on fire, and to make matters worse, she supposedly is the recipient of a Goblin Curse.  To top off her really crummy year in exile, a Blood Moon shows up at the wrong time, making her powers go out of control.  She steals her Aunt’s Silver Slippers (sound familiar?) and suddenly her luck, and the shoes, begins to change…for the worse.  Can Giselle’s Lightning Power save the ones she loves most?  Or is it really all just about the shoes?

About the Authors

Thirteen years and nine states apart, Stephanie Greenhalgh and Jennifer Paquette met at a mutual family party over a bag of tortilla scoopers and homemade bean dip. Besides a spooky amount of things in common, they also realized their overflowing creativity complemented each other and within mere months their vault of stories began to grow.   If The Silver Slipper Fits is the first sneak peak into the 2Muses vault, and is the first in The Precious Gems series, where a pair of shoes can be either very naughty or very nice. 

 

"If the Silver Slippers Fit..." will be available on Amazon January 5, 2014!

 

 

 

Tagged for a Blog Hop by Tianna Holley!

I am thrilled to be on a very short sabbatical from work, known to teachers around the world as WINTER BREAK! It is so nice having some down time even amidst a wicked winter cold and a hectic holiday season! But thankfully, I found a bit of time to participate in a Blog Hop (my first by the way). I was very happy to be tagged by the talented Tainna Holley!

Here’s how a blog hop works. She tagged me, so I answer the four blog hop questions in my blog, which I will link to Tianna’s answers to the same questions on her blog. Then I will reach out to five random authors to continue the hop! (Be sure to check out Tianna on Twitter as @holley_tianna  or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authortiannaholley.)  

Read on to find my answers to the blog hop questions.

What are You Writing?

I am trying to finish up my first self publishing venture, “If the Silver Slippers Fit…” co-authored with the talented Jennifer Paquette. This is a novella in the form of two short stories that intertwine. In the first story, Glinda, we follow a young Good Witch of the North after she stumbles through a portal and lands in NYC in the middle of fashion week. She has lost her sister’s ‘Silver Slippers’ and must navigate her way through the city to retrieve the shoes AND get back home. In the second story, Giselle, we follow Glinda’s youngest daughter and the ‘Silver Slippers’ into exile in Las Vegas. As her exile draws to a close, Giselle is tested with a Blood Moon, a Goblin Curse and the infamous Lightning Power. It has been a fun little project and I am excited to see how it all turns out!

 How Does This Differ From Your Last Work?

This is VERY different from my last piece, The Twistedly True Tale of Ruby Hood! Ruby Hood is my debut novel, which was released in October 2013. Ruby Hood is young high school senior living in Woodsville. After suffering extreme loss, Ruby learns her true calling and must find the strength to prevail and embrace her new role. This is very loosely based on the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Yes, it has certain parallels: a grandmother, a red cloak, wolves, and huntsmen, but I like to think I’ve put my own original twist on it.

Why Do You Write?

Honestly, it’s my zen, my outlet, my release, my hobby. It keeps me sane. One day, I would love to make it a career, but until then, I will write because I love it. I write for the same reason I run, read and hang out with my pups…it makes me happy and brings me peace.

What is Your Process?

I have to develop my character first. They HAVE TO have names, faces, and personalities. After that, it’s sort of a free for all and I really don’t have a specific process as each story follows a different path. But in general, the characters play out their story and I write. Once a story is written I revise, edit and rewrite until it is the way I want it!

This all usually takes place in my writing room. It is the perfect little rabbit hole, complete with good lighting, a sound bar connected to Pandora, a scentsy wafting my favorite smells, and usually a cup of coffee or tea…sometimes wine (only when I’m writing, though). I ALWAYS edit sober! J

Thank you so much for being a part of my first Blog Hop! I intend (I hope) to have the December edition of ‘Latest Reads’ out on time this month!

It will feature:

Solstice by Damian Stevenson,

The Magicians’ Assistant by Ann Patchett (yes, finally finished this one!)

The Wishing Spell  by Chris Colfer

And maybe a few others, depending on whether or not I can get them finished!

 

 

Eclectic randomness with a review! (Late November Latest Reads)

 

 

               Alright…I have to start with: I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THE 4^TH GAME OF THRONES BOOK…and it only took me FIVE MONTHS!!!!

I know Latest Reads is late, but we’ve all heard this song and dance for the past several editions…I’m a busy slacker! And I checked my goals for November…epic fail! My self-publishing debut did NOT happen NOR did I finish a WIP. Now, failure is something I seek out from time to time…maybe I’m sadistic…maybe I’m just a realist and I know the road to success is littered with failures. So according to my warped way of thinking: the more failures, the greater the success! Plus, I like that failures build character…something the world is sorely lacking these days. And personally, I like being filled with character…it keeps things interesting;-)

OK, onto other things: This busy holiday weekend was loaded with tons of Ruby Hood promo! A feature on the Stephanie Meyer fanpage via Facebook, a Ruby Hood Blog Tour hosted by the up and coming BBTour Services, AND a $.99 black Friday sale on Ruby Hood on amazon. My lil vixen has been ALL over the place this weekend! And just to fluff my feathers a bit…she made it down to a sales rank of 23,000 at one point…it was fleeting, but she was there!

In between, promos, movies, and errands, I pushed my grading and report cards aside so I could finish “A Feast for Crows”…finally! Here is it goes…the only entry in the LATE Latest Reads for November!

 

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin:

In this installment of the ‘The Song of Ice and Fire’, Martin leads the reader on a rather interesting path. First, we follow some of our favorites: Jamie, Cersei, Sansa, Arya, Sam, and Brienne. We see what has transpired in their worlds after the Red Wedding and the intense killing of many characters from the third book. However, what happens when you kill a bunch of characters??? Well, one must introduce some new ones to fill the void. And that is exactly what George R.R. Martin did! There are pages upon pages from the perspective of new characters in this book. Personally, I did not care for this aspect, especially since so many of my favorites were left out of this edition: John, Daenerys, Bran, Tyrion, and Ayra (yes, she was in the 4^th, but VERY briefly). And we don’t hear a lick about the Wall or the direwolves. Why you ask? Well, Martin told their story as well, but they are in the fifth book, which runs parallel with the fourth (of course, Martin waits until the last chapter to fill the reader in). This is brilliant from an author standpoint, but fairly brutal for the faithful reader, especially, after the book-gasim of the third book! I did quite enjoy the addition of Lady Stoneheart, she is one creepy character! And the book certainly moved forward. Jamie has grown and changed as a character now that he’s lost his sword hand. He happens to be one of my favorites now. Cersei’s scheming has finally begun to backfire on her. Sansa has transformed from highborn Sansa Stark into bastard born Alayne. Arya has taken a new and interesting path, which I hope we learn more about in the next one. And the honorable Brienne and Samwell have found themselves in some rather sticky situations even thought they are only trying to fulfill oaths to others. But it just wasn’t enough! I am a Stark fan through and through…I’m still pretty pissed Eddard Stark was killed in the first book. I thought for sure he would be the hero of the whole series, but now his family is split apart or dead. One can only hope, the remaining Starks can find each other again and seek vengeance for the fallen!

Final thought: I can’t wait to read ‘Dances with Dragons’! It’s the whole reason I pushed through the doorstop of four!

What’s next, aside from hoping to be on time???

·         The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett (Yes, I know this one has been on my list for months…it’s so far out of my wheelhouse, it’s taking longer than I thought).

·         The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (Apparently, the author is from Glee. I’m reading it along with several students of mine.)

·         Solstice by Damian Stevenson

Total Randomness

As I sit here in front of my computer, I must ask myself what on earth I am doing. I have a pile of essays to grade, progress reports to finish and a quarter marathon in five hours. I really didn’t have time for the Facebook nonsense I indulged in earlier, so I most definitely, don’t have time for a new blog post, yet what am I doing??? Writing a new blog post. To go with the randomness of the day, I decided to share 10 random thoughts. Read on, then go and have some randomness of your own!

 

 

10 Things about Me…

1.      I have no regrets…not one. I have made a plethora of poor choices and dumbass decisions throughout my life, but they have all been quite fun or come with valuable lessons that have shaped me as a person. I wouldn’t change a single one!

2.      I have tinnitus and can hear my heartbeat in my left ear. It’s from loud music when I was younger. I drowned out the rhythmic hum by chewing gum, listening to loud music or getting lost in a book.

3.      If I had it all to do over again, I would be an archeologist. Ancient civilizations and cultures fascinate me.

4.      I talk to myself as my characters rattle about in my head. I justify what may be insanity, as a writer’s overly creative and chaotic mind.

5.      I have an incessant innate need for things to make sense and when they don’t, I am VERY stressed out.

6.      Every night I sleep with a 90 pound Labrador snuggled up next to me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

7.      I quit smoking 973 days ago. I didn’t want to be a smoker anymore, so I stopped. Yes, it really is mind over matter and just that easy…if you want it bad enough.

8.      I’ve had the same best friend for 24 years and I love her more and more the longer we are friends.

9.      I overthink things to the nth degree.ALL.THE.TIME.

10.  Up until age 25, I thought I would become a rich and powerful attorney (then I failed the LSAT miserably).  I decided to become a teacher and have a positive impact on our future. I am neither rich nor powerful, but I change kids’ lives every day and I’m good with that.

                                                                                                          

LATE Latest Reads: October 2013

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

Yes, this is October’s ‘Latest Reads’. I need to just accept ‘Latest Reads’ as a double meaning title and get over it. I thoroughly enjoy writing this blog and it is great writing practice, but I seem to be late more often than I’m on time these days.  And of course, my excuse never changes: I’m busy. But it’s so true…I always forget how hectic this time of year is as a teacher, so many holidays, special trainings, meetings, tasks, etc. Then of course, November is National Writing Month, so I have been inspired to set a goal that I would finish ONE (just one) Work In Progress AND get out my first attempt at self-publication (considering how busy this month is and how quickly it will fly by, I have set a rather lofty goal for myself).

Thankfully, I am closer than ever before to my first self-publication. For over a year, I have been working on a dual story publication with fellow author and friend, Jennifer Paquette. Of course, she is so insanely talented that her story is ready and fantastic. However, for my part of the collaboration, I’m still up in the air with the title. What started as a ‘good witch gone bad’ story has become a story about a magical pair of shoes with the land of Oz undertones.

In the beginning, I tried to develop a plot first and THEN develop the characters. Um, yeah…that so does NOT work for me! I am a character driven writer. Period. End of story.  My characters need to be fully formed with names, physical characteristics and personalities first. Then their tales play out like scenes in my head and I write what I see and hear (yes, I totally talk to myself when my characters are having conversations amongst themselves in my head). ANYWAY, many months later after multiple character/setting/storyline overhauls, I FINALLY like these characters and this story! Once it has a title and a few more tweaks, I should be able to check off self-publishing portion of my November goal. As for the other part, I’m still trying to decide which WIP to finish I intend to finish…

BACK TO THE TASK AT HAND...the October Latest Reads features two very cool characters: Aurora Teagarden and Mel Chaser. Read on to find out more about these two heroines!

JHappy ReadingJ

 

Last Scene Alive by Charlaine Harris: In this installment of the Aurora Teagarden series, Aurora has lost her husband as is trying to find a sense of peace. It’s much harder than she imagined when an ex boyfriend and a film crew show up in her town, filming the movie, which was based on the gruesome serial killings in her hometown many years ago. When her ex left shortly after the murders, things between the two were very unsettled. Once he left he wrote the ‘Real Murders’ book, which chronicled the murders. Now he’s back with his Hollywood girlfriend in tow, who just happens to be playing Aurora’s character in the movie. The very movie, Aurora wants nothing to do with and neither does her step-son, who coincidentally hates her and has a part in the movie. As with all of Mrs. Harris’ books, there is much more to this story, not to mention her well thought-out subplots!

Final thought: I enjoyed this one as much as the others and look forward to the next one!

The Reaper Within by Stephanie Jackson: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this story and the main character, Mel Chaser. She is a modern day ghost hunter (so to speak). Technically, she is a Reaper, and she must find lost souls to cross them over into the Light (or wherever they are going). I enjoyed the plot of the story, and most of the story was told through dialogue. Ms. Jackson intertwined two separate story lines together.  Not only was I surprised by the ending and the nice twists, I also found them quite entertaining. 

Final Thought: Personally, I would prefer a few more descriptions woven into the story, but that isn’t stopping me from reading the second one!

The Reaper Within by Stephanie Jackson: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This a continuation of The Reaper Within and this story picks up immediately after the first one. Again, we follow Reaper, Mel Chaser in her quest to cross-over souls. In this story, we meet ‘the Light’. Mel teams up with an angel to rid the world of seven dark souls that have come to bring about the reign of evil. We spend more time with Mel’s business partner, Betty, and her husband, Jack. We even meet a few Archangels! Again, Ms. Jackson wove an interesting tale, including more descriptions within the text. I enjoyed this book as much as the first. All in all, a great read.  

Final Thought: I hope there are more Reaper books coming!

 

COMING NEXT

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (I really am close to finishing this one!)

The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchet

 

 

Destined Oracle Blog Tour

Happy Halloween! I know this isn’t ‘Latest Reads’ for October, but something better came up! SO ‘Latest Reads’ will be late (I know that’s a shocker…insert sarcasm…)! BACK TO THE TASK AT HAND: I am pleased to have secured this prime stop on the Destined Oracle Blog Tour!

Destined Oracle, a young adult suspense novel published by Write More Publications, is the first release from new YA author J.G. Martinez. Not only is she a lovely lady, but she has quite a knack for spinning a good tale! Peruse below to learn a little more about her, but first take a sneak peek at this fantastic book and my review. Plus, there are some pretty cool prizes, so don’t forget to click on the rafflecopter link at the bottom. Enjoy this stop on the Destined Oracle Blog Tour!

Synopsis

With evil corrupting even the ranks of angels, the one to save the world doesn't know of what she is capable. At three years old, her Mother hid her in the human world from the realm of magic and from those who wished to thwart her destiny. After her last remaining relative on her father's side passes away, her mother decided to return her daughter to the magic world where she belongs. With the forces of evil building an army, will Savina find the power and strength to do what she was born to do? Or will the forces of evil finish what it began years before and destroy her?

Destined Oracle takes us on a fast paced ride through the world of fallen angels and magic. This sweet romantic tale will draw you in and captivate you. With its take on what it means to come into your own in the world, and still be true to yourself, everyone will find something to relate to.

 

My Review

Destined Oracle by J. G. Martinez

This debut YA novel by J.G. Martinez has everything: good, evil, tragedy, love, twist, turns and (my favorite) magic! Right away we meet Savina, an oracle. After living in the city her entire life, she finds out that there is an entire mystical world out there, complete with angels, oracles, werewolves, witches, vampires and more. In this new life, Savina plays a very important role. Not only does Savina graciously and humbly accept the role, she also rises to every challenge thrown at her. Martinez creates new twist on timeless magic, and leads the reader into a whole new world in this enticing story.

Final thought: Looking forward to what comes next for Savina and the others!

About the Author

J.G. Martinez has been writing since she was nine years old, having completed her first novel at the age of ten. Her passion for fantasy and everything supernatural is just a natural part of who she is. J.G. loves reading anything that grabs her attention and loves writing. She loves God, her family and friends and holds each close to her heart. She is also a major animal lover. She was born in Georgia, but raised in Texas where she currently resides. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys drawing and painting. Her poem “Heart Aches” was published in the 2006, International Library of Poetry titled “Timeless Voices.” In 2007, she graduated with an Associate degree from San Joaquin Valley College, California in Science. She hopes to bring her imagination to life in those that read her stories.

You can find J.G Martinez on the Write More Publications Web site, Amazon, and her Facebook page.

THANKS SO MUCH! I hope you enjoyed this stop on the DESTINED ORACLE BLOG TOUR!

Be sure to register on the rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/837bcf8/ 

****AND to increase your chances of snagging a prize, check out the other stops on the DESTINED ORACLE BLOG TOUR!

November 1^st    Elaine White       Vampires, Crime and Angels…..Eclectic Me          http://ellelainey.wordpress.com

November 4^th    Jessica Baldwin                    Write From The Heart                

http://2writefromtheheart.blospot.com

November 6^th Gail Lindsey           Guest post  

http://beccab8.blogspot.com

November 7^th      Kay Lalone

http://kaylalone.blogspot.com

J.S. Wilsoncroft Interview

Holy Moly! Things sure have been busy in my neck of the woods lately! My novel, “The Twistedly True Tale of Ruby Hood”, was recently released! YEAH! While this is an amazing accomplishment and I hope to make it a career one day, bills MUST be paid today, so I have a day job. I teach fourth grade writing, which I absolutely LOVE, but grading 93 essays every three weeks takes a good chunk of my evenings. AND, I have been VERY busy watching the Cardinals make their way to the World Series, which incidentally starts tomorrow, so I HAD to get this post up today!

In all of the insanity, I was lucky enough to have an interview exchange with, J.S. Wilsoncroft! It’s been a few months since her latest book, My Haunting Love, was released. AND she recently made the kindle bestselling list! Congrats, JS! Read on to find out more about this talented author!

 

Stephanie: First off, thank you so much for taking the time for this interview! Please start by telling us a little bit about your latest novel.

JS: My Haunting Love is a YA paranormal romance story about a sixteen year old deaf girl name Calista Rose who falls in love with a ghost. Calista moves from Delaware to her new home in Pennsylvania and she is not happy about it. Not only is she bitter and sad about leaving the only home she’s ever known, but she was leaving her deaf school and friends to attend a public school, which scared the living crap out of her.

The first day Calista and her family moved into the house, right away she sensed something strange about it. Weird smells, unexplainable cold breezes and when she found her American Sign Language book opened and marked, she knew something wasn’t right.

Soon Calista discovered there was another occupant living in the house, a ghost named John Lansberry. The more she communicated with the handsome ghost the more she found herself falling in love with him. But little did she know, John wasn’t the only ghost living in the house. Something evil lived there as well and it would do anything to keep John away from her.

Stephanie: I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed it! What was your inspiration for this story?

JS: My Haunting Love was inspired by my two children, James and Kimberly. It was two years ago, on a warm summer night, when my kids asked me to tell them a scary story. I turned off all the lights and held a flashlight to my face as the three of us sat on the couch. I started telling them a ghost story about a young girl walking through a house with blood dripping on the walls and something was chasing her. Two hours later I was still telling them the story. My daughter said to me, “Mom, I think you gotcha yourself another book.” And so a few days later, I sat down at my computer and My Haunting Love was born.

Stephanie: My Haunting Love is only the tip of the iceberg! You have several published stories, tell us about some (or all) of them.

JS: At the moment I have 4 books published through Write More Publications. They are Remembering Zane, Fat Chances, The Unfaithful Widow and My Haunting Love. I also have two ebooks that I self-published; Like Father Like Daughter and an erotica (pen name Randee Stevens) Scratch-n-Sniff. I also have a few short stories published in anthologies, “Fat Chance My Love” in the anthology called Novel Hearts and a story called “Dorothy” in the anthology called A Cuppa and An Armchair. I generally write romance, but occasionally I have been known to step outside my usual genre, just to spice things up a bit. Hehehe

Stephanie: I bet it keeps things interesting! And Remembering Zane recently made the top 100 bestselling kindle list! CONGRATULATIONS, again! Now, please tell us a bit about your current WIP, Rollercoaster of Love.

JS: EEEEPS!! I’m really excited for the release of Roller Coaster Luv. I originally wrote this story about six years ago. It was the first story I ever wrote and believe me…it was a train wreck. The grammar sucked big time! I’m glad to say I have learned a lot over the last six years, grammar wise. Hehehe I changed it a bit but the main story is still there and dang, I’m having fun writing it. I am in the middle of editing it at the moment and then I will start rewriting the second book, Roller Coaster Luv, the Ride Continues.

Stephanie: Do you have a day job? If so, what do you do?

JS: My day job is shaving dog’s asses. Haha…I have been a dog groomer for over seventeen years and I love it. Although, I love writing more. Sorry puppies, I still love you all. J Someday I would love to write full time and groom part-time. So help me out readers, start buying and reading my books. Help me make my dream come true.

Stephanie: It seems like you are well on your way, JS! Now onto the tough question: What are some of your favorite books?

JS: Hmmm…..this is a tough one. I love a lot of books, but the one that sticks out the most is…..drum rolls……..The Twilight Saga. Hehehe  I also love some gore with Stephen King, and romance with Danielle Steele and Nicholas Sparks. I recently read Jasinda Wilder’s Falling Into You and loved it. I read Fifty Shades of Grey books this summer and had mixed feeling about them. Being a romance writer, sure I love hot sex and tight asses, but come on. There was so much sex in those books I don’t know how poor Anastasia could even walk. She has to be bow-legged by now. Oye!!

Stephanie: That’s quite a list! When I’m writing I have to have music (loud good music) and coffee in the morning, water in the afternoon and wine at night…I always edit sober thoughJ What is one thing you MUST have during writing time?

JS: The things I have sitting beside me when I am writing is a bottle of diet Pepsi, my Ipad to check Facebook every half hour or so. Yeah, I admit it, I am addicted to Facebook. *hangs head down in shame*

Stephanie: Facebook can be quite the distraction! So tell me, what else can we expect from you?

JS: What to expect from J.S.Wilsoncroft??? Hmmmm….well I hope to have Roller Coaster Luv series out in 2014, along with a vampire story that I started a while back called Forever Sixteen and I hope to self-publish a few short stories.

Stephanie: Sounds GREAT! Now, JS, please tell us some interesting tidbits about yourself that you don’t mind sharing with all our readers! J

JS: Tidbits about me??? When I’m nervous or bored, I twist my hair and yes, I have gotten my hair in knots more times than I care to count and had to cut them out. Honestly, I’m surprised I don’t have a bald spot in the front of my head. Hehehe  Also, don’t laugh…I talk to my fish. Yes, they listen too. We have four of them, their names are…can you guess?? Twilight Saga…Edward, Bella and Jacob. And the fourth one my daughter named it Harry after Harry Styles from the band One Direction.         

Thank so much, J.S. Wilsoncroft! Wishing you the best of luck with all of your future writing endeavors! I know I can’t wait to read your up and coming work!

 

You can find J.S. Wilsoncroft on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=J.S.%20Wilsoncroft

OR Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/loveisdeaf72

Jennifer Paquette and Nicholas Perrotti Interview

I had the pleasure of meeting this mother and son writing duo several years ago. They are simply fantastic people, but they are also an incredibly talented writing team. Their first novel is a unique twist on timeless mythology, and their creativity is endless! Read on to find out a little more about this amazing team!

 

JHappy ReadingJ

 

 

1.      First off, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Please start by telling us a little bit about your novel.

 

Jennifer:  In “The Awakening of Agnostos” the Greek Gods take part in the creation of an unexplained phenomenon, The Bermuda Triangle.  We crafted a story that included a scorned Goddess of Magic, bickering Olympians, and a battle of wits and power between the 12 gods and goddesses and an unknown God.   It is the first in the Myths of The Olympians series, and you will see a running theme throughout these books that make them educational as well as entertaining.

 

2.      As a mother/son writing team, tell us what it was like co-authoring this book.

 

Jennifer:  It was great fun.  I enjoyed “arguing” with Nick about things like grammar, dialogue and character development instead of cleaning his room and doing homework.

Nicholas:  Overall it was fun, but at times it was a little difficult because as we got going we kept sending drafts back and forth to each other by email and had to make sure we were always working off the latest one.

 

3.      How many books are in this series? What can we expect next in this series?

 

Jennifer:  The Myths of the Olympians series, as of now, will be four books.  The next book, will be centered on The Drake Passage, the turbulent water passage that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the southernmost tip of South America.

 

4.      What was your inspiration for this story?

 

Jennifer:    To be truly inspired, you need to have a passion for a topic.  Ever since I was young the Greek gods have fascinated me, so it was very easy to write about them.  Also, the ocean plays an important part in our lives, as we visit it often and it spurns great story ideas and inspiration.

Nicholas:  I always had a passion for mythology and my mother entering a fantasy-writing contest happened at the same time I was reading the latest edition in a very popular mythology series. I then encouraged her to write a mythology story for her fantasy submission.

 

5.      Tell us a bit about your regular daily lives.

 

Jennifer:  I live in Manhattan with my husband John and two fantastic sons, John and Nicholas.  Work and everything that goes with raising teenage boys takes up most of my time, but I try to write whenever possible, which is usually after hours!  Reading has been a lifelong passion of mine, and one that I am proud to have handed down to my boys.  When I’m not at the beach, you’ll find me at either a zumba or a belly dance class!

Nicholas:  I will be entering my junior year at Stuyvesant High School.  I enjoy good books, swimming and art.

 

6.      What are some of your favorite books/authors?

 

Jennifer:  Anything by Stephen King, Nelson DeMille and Ken Follett.

Nicholas:  To Kill A Mockingbird, The Outsiders, Catcher In The Rye, and The Hunger Games series!

 

7.      What is the best writing advice you ever received? What is one piece of advice to aspiring authors?

 

Jennifer:  I took a writing class many years ago and the comment “First throw up, then clean up” really hit home.  Just get it all out on paper first, then shape and mold later.  Also, edit, edit, edit!  Typos make me cringe.

Nicholas:  As of now, all I’ve gotten are comments from my English teachers on essays!

 

8.      When I’m writing I have to have while writing, I must have coffee and music! What is one thing you MUST have during writing time?

 

Jennifer:  Coffee in the morning, wine in the evening.  And always edit sober.

Nicholas:  Silence.

 

9.      Aside from this series, what else can we expect from you?

 

Jennifer:  We are working on the next book in the series now, which has been greatly inspired by many summer walks on the beach.  I am also writing a memoir with my mother – think David Sedaris – and have a completed full-length novel that is a medical thriller.  I have a vault of ideas and other novels started…and am confident they will get finished!

Nicholas:  I have the SATs coming up…ugh! 

 

10.  Now, please share one last tidbit about you!

 

Jennifer:  It gives me great joy when someone enjoys something I have written.  Nicholas and I have received so many kind words of encouragement and support and we personally respond to each one. 

Nicholas:  I’m a passionate person and always believe that you should never give up on anything.

 

Thanks so much, Jennifer and Nicholas!

                              

Click here to get their book from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Agnostos-Myths-Olympians-Volume/dp/0615845681/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381678855&sr=8-1&keywords=the+awakening+of+agnostos

 

 

 

Want more??? Check out these great sites!

http://www.facebook.com/JenniferPaquetteAuthor

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http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=268282222&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile