Tag: Kay Lalone

FAMILY SECRETS with Author Kay LaLone

October 2, 2015 / Katie L. Carroll

Another fellow MuseItUp author is stopping by today. Let’s welcome Kay LaLone as she dishes on her YA paranormal mystery FAMILY SECRET. Hi, Kay!

Where did the idea for FAMILY SECRET come from?

Family Secret is not based on a secret from my past or from my family. The idea for Family Secret came from a picture I saw for a writing class. We had to look at a picture and develop a story from it. I asked the question, What if? What if this boy was running away from something? What if he felt like he wasn’t wanted? What if a secret was being kept from him? Asking what if gets the imagination flowing. Over the years (it took fifteen years before Family Secret became published) I just let my imagination run wild and soon it developed into the book it is today.

FAMILY SECRET blurb:

On the road to solving his mother’s murder, sixteen-year-old Thomas Patrick Henry discovers a secret his father has kept from him for years. Tom thought Dad’s secret put him in danger, Mom’s secret is far worse. Magic. Witches. Ancient Book of Spells. Magical Amulet. Ghosts. Demons. Tom never thought these things existed until he is face to face with them. There is nothing else to do but destroy the demons before someone else Tom love dies. He already lost his mom and a close friend because this secret was kept from him. No one else will die. No one else will be possessed. Tom faces his demons. A mother’s love gives Tom the strength to slay his demons.

Find FAMILY SECRET at Amazon and the MuseItUp Publishing bookstore.

Excerpt:

“Ow.” Tom yanked the chain and dragged the burning amulet from under his shirt. Even the chain was warm, but there was no way he was going to take the stupid thing off. He let it drop to his chest and rest warmly on the top of his shirt as he stared at the demon.

“It’s not your grandfather,” Tom whispered. Anger rolled around inside him because of what this thing did to Sarah.

The dark figure stepped out of the shadows causing the boys to take two steps back. The demon looked like a man dressed in thunderous storm-like clouds from head to toe. Even his face was black and the eyes a dimly puke-yellow that churned Tom’s stomach. He felt Rob’s heavy breathing just inches behind him, but it didn’t stop a chill from shimmering up his spine like fingernails on a chalkboard.

“I know who you are.” Tom tried to sound confident even though his voice shook with fear. He swallowed hard. “What do you want?”

The demon raised a shadowy arm and then his stormy cloud-like body started to swirl like a mini tornado. In a gust of black smoke, the demon shot up into the air and zipped right over Tom and Rob’s heads. The boys ducked and laid flat on the wet grass, afraid the demon would consume them.

Tom turned his head to see the black smoke head toward Mr. Watson’s house. Tom got to his feet while Rob remained on the ground. The black smoke swarmed over the house and then drifted back down. It slithered around the house like a snake looking for a place to sneak in, circling several times before seeping through the crack in the window and disappearing inside.

Rob scrambled to his feet. “That thing is inside my grandfather’s house.” His voice was high-pitched in fear. “My…” He glanced toward the empty driveway. Then he sighed. “Mom must still be at the hospital.”

Tom touched Rob’s arm to prevent him from doing something crazy. He didn’t want another one of his friends to get hurt by this thing.

“We need to do something, but I don’t know what.” Tom glanced over to the tents in Granddad’s backyard, hoping Matt or Granddad would come running to save the day. But there was no movement over there.

Inside the house, Jake growled and then started to bark wildly. Before Tom could stop him, Rob dashed upon the back porch and flung the backdoor open. Jake continued his wild barking as if protecting Rob and the house. If only the dog could save the day, but Tom feared nothing would save them.

A cracking noise caught Tom’s attention, and he turned his head toward what he assumed was Mr. Watson’s bedroom window. The glass appeared pitch black at first, and then a face appeared. The same puke-yellow eyes stared at Tom and gave him an evil grin.

About the Author:

I’m Kay LaLone author of Ghostly Clues, my first MG novel. Family Secret is my first YA novel. Both published by MuseItUp. I live in Michigan with my husband and teenage son (two older sons and a daughter-in-law and my first grandbaby live nearby) and two dogs. I love to get up every morning and write about ghosts, the paranormal, and things that go bump in the night. I write PB, MG and YA novels. No matter the books I write, I want my readers to feel like they have met a new friend. I’m an avid reader of just about any type of book (mystery, paranormal, and ghost stories are my favorites). I do reviews and post them on my website and blog. I love to collect old books, antiques, and collectibles. You can find many of my antiques and collectibles selling on ebay and at fleamarkets.

Find Kay on Facebook, Amazon, her blog and website, Twitter, or Goodreads.

The Liebster Award

December 7, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

Thanks to Meradeth Houston over at the Write Stuff for passing on the Liebster Award to me.

What is The Liebster Award you ask?
Well, it’s an award given to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Think of it as a virtual pat on the back. A bit of recognition for doing a good job and encouragement to keep going.
And let’s not forget the bloggers that have been blogging for a while and have great blogs.

In the spirit of the award, let me just take a minute to plug my blog. I’ve added a bunch of sharing buttons all over the Observation Desk, so I encourage you to click on those. Also, note the sidebar where you can subscribe to the blog. All you have to do is type in your email address and you’ll receive an email when a post goes live. I promise I do not use your email address for anything else. Finally, you can click on the RSS feed in the coffee cup up in the right-hand corner to add the Observation Desk to any reader. Okay, on to the questions!

1. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would purchase?

Definitely a Ferrari…a red one, like Magnum P.I. drove.

2. Is there something unique about you that you’d like to share with the readers?

I used to be quite the jock. I earned 12 varsity letters in high school for soccer, basketball, and track.

3. Where is your dream place to live and why?

Well, I actually like the small city I live in now (corny, right!). There’s a nice green downtown, lots of beaches, and most importantly my family is nearby. But if I bought a second home, I think it would be in London.

4. What do you find is the most difficult part of the writing process?

For me the hardest part right now is breaking through all the fear and self-doubt and just getting the story written. Writing for publication is a tough, tough business to get into, and it’s hard not to let the fear paralyze you.

5. Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.

I get very, very nervous about showing my emotions in public.

6. Do you have any pet peeves?

When you smile at a stranger to be polite, and they don’t smile back. So rude!

7. Do you have any special habits you do when you write?

Unlike with sports, I really don’t have any special habits for superstitions when it comes to writing. I do like to have tea while I’m writing, but I don’t absolutely need it.

8. Did you ever write your friends or family members in your books?

Yes. 🙂 *evil laughter*

9. What is your favorite drink?

Well, tea I’ve already mentioned, so I’ll say that Riesling is my favorite wine.

10. Who gives you the best encouragement to keep writing?

My 13-year-old nephew, who is also a writer (and his mom, my twin-not-twin sister).

11. Do you have a critique group or a special author circle?

Yes! I have a local critique group I meet with once a month and a few writer friends online as well.

Okay, the last part of this award is to list 11 random things about myself.

My favorite Harry Potter book is Goblet of Fire. I used to be a puzzle magazine editor. When I was three years old, I told everyone I was a boy because I wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees. My elbows are double-jointed. I once pierced my own belly button. The last book I read is Kimberly Sabatini’s Touching the Surface. I have really weird dreams all the time, some of them lucid. My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh. I could eat pizza every day. I publish under my maiden name. How many is that? Apparently I’m not very good at counting…okay one more. My favorite person in the world is The Boy, of course!

I now have the pleasure of passing this award to two fabulous bloggers and authors: Kay Lalone, author of “Ghostly Clues” (who you met earlier this week on the blog) and Tonja Drecker, author of “In the Shadow of the Eagle’s Eye” in the upcoming anthology “Real Girls Don’t Rust.”

I’ve asked them both to answer the above questions, and instead of giving 11 random things about themselves, share their 11 favorite books!

Meet Kay Lalone Author of “Ghostly Clues”

December 5, 2012 / Katie L. Carroll

Today on the Observation Desk I have fellow Muse author Kay Lalone talking about her writing life and her new middle grade mystery “Ghostly Clues.” Welcome, Kay!

Tell us about “Ghostly Clues”.

The sweet scent of lilacs permeates the air around Grandma’s gravesite. Only Sarah Kay can smell Grandma’s favorite flower, and they’re not even in bloom. Sarah Kay and her best friend, Mary Jane, believe the lilacs are a sign from Grandma’s ghost. The girls follow one ghostly clue after another to discover if Dad is alive or not. Grandma makes sure Sarah Kay gets the message even from the grave.

What made you want to become a writer?

I always liked to read and write. I remember as a kid writing stories in school, my mom helping me spell, but my first memory of wanting to become a writer was when I was a teenager and read Halloween Party by Agatha Christie. After reading that book was when I decided I wanted to be a writer. So reading good books inspired me to become a writer.

What inspired you to write this book?

I would have to say my grandma Tufts. I was about the same age as Sarah Kay, the main character in Ghostly Clues, maybe a little younger when I had my first encounter with a ghost. One night shortly after my grandma passed away, I saw a ghost hand. The hand moved across my bed and then was gone. The next morning my doll I had slept with was gone and was found way under the bed. I believe it was my grandma telling me I was too old to sleep with dolls. So from that memory I just asked what if questions and those answers developed into Ghostly Clues.

What one book do you wish you had written?

I can’t think of one book I wish I had written. I have a lot of stories running through my head and a lot of stories that are half done. So I have many more books to write.

At what moment did you truly begin to feel like an author?

I would have to say the moment I got the email from MuseItUp, saying that Ghostly Clues was accepted. My first book would be published. That was very exciting. I had finally become a published author.

What is your favorite part of the writing process? What is your least favorite part?

My favorite part of the writing process is when the story just flows out of me (which doesn’t happen as often as I would like) and everything just comes together. When I get that ‘ah, that’s it’ moment. My least favorite part is staring at a blank screen and I can’t think of anything to type. When nothing comes to together. When I can’t figure out the scene or the ending.

What is the single best piece of advice you have for aspiring authors?

I would have to say the best advice I ever received and that is to write and read. You can’t call yourself a writer unless you sit down to write. Sometimes that is the hardest thing to do is find the time to write. Life happens and things get in the way of your writing time, but unless you have the discipline to write, knowledge of how to write a good story is useless.

What is next for you in your writing career?

I am currently finishing up two YA novels that I’ll be sending to MuseItUp and hopefully they will enjoy those stories as much as they enjoyed Ghostly Clues. So look for more books by Kay LaLone.

What is something funny/weird/exceptional about yourself that you don’t normally share with others in an interview?

I like weird things. I think it would be cool to be able to see ghosts and the spirits that are all around us. This is reflected in my stories when my characters can see things that normal people can’t.

And here’s the fun part…select words from the magnetic refrigerator poetry set. Please write up a little piece of poetry or prose from these words.

A ghost can be mean

Not when they find

My future dream

“Ghostly Clues” can be purchased from the MuseItUp bookstore and Amazon. For more about Kay visit her website or blog.