Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

Tag: mystery (Page 1 of 2)

Cover Reveal SOMEONE ELSE’S SOUL by Meradeth Houston

Someone Else’s Soul
Meradeth Houston
Published by: Bleeding Ink Publishing
Publication date: May 7th 2019
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Suspense

There are 14 strangers who share her face, and one company is determined to erase them all.

Everyone has secrets, and it’s Diana Kane’s job to know them. It’s a talent–being able to see into someone’s life from the scuffs on their shoes to the way their hold their hands–a talent that sets her apart from everyone. When a mysterious stranger drops into her life dangling the possibility of something she’s longed for, a real connection with someone who might actually understand her, she’s too intrigued to refuse.

But when David Addington shows up to their date knowing too much about her, and the top secret agency she works for, Diana realizes their meeting was anything but coincidence. David has more than his share of surprises, including an impossible claim about Diana’s past and photos of an inexplicable woman who shares her face.

When her life begins to unravel around her, Diana has no choice but to put her faith in the mysterious David and the man he claims is his father. As she struggles to piece together the truth about where she came from, she’s forced to face the reality that her entire life has been manufactured, along with fourteen other women who share her exact same DNA. Confronted with the troubling reality that she’s nothing more than a research experiment that’s pushed the boundaries of science and ethics, Diana must rescue the others like her before the company can erase them as mistakes. She will have to put all her skills to the test in the ultimate game of survival…

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Author Bio:

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

>She’s a Northern California girl. This generally means she talks too fast and use “like” a lot.
>When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
>She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It’s her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work!
>If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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Sign Up for the PIRATE ISLAND Cover Reveal

Sign ups are ready for the cover reveal of my middle grade adventure PIRATE ISLAND. It was created by Susan Tait Porcaro and is awesome! I’m so excited about sharing it with the world soon. The big reveal will take place on April 17, 2017, and you can share it on that date or anytime after.

To sign up, simply fill out the PIRATE ISLAND cover reveal form. Thanks so much for helping to spread the word about my latest novel! Here’s a little teaser for you.

February #InkRipples: Tackling Common Misconceptions About Genre

In February, join the conversation as Mary Waibel, Kai Strand, and Katie L. Carroll talk genres for this month’s #InkRipples posts.

There are lots of ways to define genre in literature (see the dictionary definition of “genre” or the Wikipedia entry on “literary genre”). For our intents and purposes of today’s discussion, let me specify by saying that when I’m talking about genre, I mean as they are defined in modern publishing, not necessarily limited to genre fiction (which contains certain popular genres) but sticking to fiction.

Specifically, I want to address common misconceptions about genre. If you’ve ever done any research on genre yourself, you’ll see it can be quite contentious, so I don’t expect everyone to agree with me here. Let’s dig right in…

Misconception 1 – Age Categories Are Genres

One key to understanding genre is to know what it’s not. I often see people refer to YA (young adult) as a genre. It’s not, no more than adult fiction is a genre. YA is a category that designates a target age range for its readers and will center around characters of that age group. That’s not to say that readers out of the target age range won’t enjoy those books (you all know I mostly read YA, and I’m in my 30s). The same goes for middle grade–it’s not a genre but an age category.

Misconception 2 – Genre Is Easy To Define

So what is a genre? So-called “popular genres” or “genre fiction” include fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, romance, and thriller, among others. A story in one of these genres will follow the conventions of its genre and comes with certain expectations from readers. For example, you can expect a fantasy story to include fantastical elements that don’t exist in our world. Each popular genre has its own conventions, though there certainly can be overlap.

What about literary fiction? Is that a genre in and of itself? You certainly wouldn’t call literary fiction a popular genre as it cannot be defined by the genre conventions of those popular genres. Literary fiction tends to focus on the human condition and themes rather than plot. It’s more an absence of popular genre, but in publishing, I would say it’s considered its own genre. There are still expectations from a reader about what they will get with literary fiction, and you’ll find it as a category in book stores.

Are contemporary and historical genres? There’s some debate here. They denote whether a story takes place in a historical time period or in contemporary times, but you also have to take into consideration when the book was written. A story written in the 1980s about stuff that happened in the 1980s was contemporary then, but a YA story written today about stuff that happened in the 1980s is historical. You can have a contemporary romance or a historical one, but there’s also just historical fiction that deals with a historical time period or event but with fictional elements. Historical doesn’t necessarily have elements of mystery or romance or thriller, but a reader would have certain expectations from an historical novel. Contemporary is tricky because it usually fits into one of the popular genres, and if it doesn’t, it’s probably considered literary fiction.

Complicating the issue of genres even more is sub-genres and novels that can fit into more than one genre. Paranormal is a sub-genre of fantasy that specifically includes a heavy focus on paranormal elements, often in the form of mythical or magical creatures (i.e. TWILIGHT). A fantasy story can have paranormal elements but can also be categorized as fantasy and not necessarily paranormal. What about a story set in a futuristic world with science-fiction elements that also has heavy romance elements? Is it science fiction or romance? It may be categorized as both (a science-fiction romance) or may be categorized with the more dominant one, and people may not agree on which one is more prevalent.

Misconception 3 – Literary Fiction Is More Serious Than Genre Fiction

It’s been said that literary fiction is about confronting reality while genre fiction is about escaping reality. Literary fiction is often said to deal deeper with character and uses plot as a secondary device, but I’ve read plenty of genre fiction that gets deep into character while also having a riveting plot. Writing quality of literary fiction is also often lauded as superior to genre fiction, but I think the quality of writing largely depends on who’s doing the writing and not so much on genre (read Laini Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE for a lyrical and beautifully written fantasy story). So while it might be true that you’re more likely to study literary fiction in school and read genre fiction on your own time (though school’s are delving into popular fiction more than ever), that doesn’t necessarily make literary fiction more serious.

In fact, as a writer of fantasy, mystery, and thrillers, I would fight you to the death (strictly in a fantastical world, of course!) to argue that genre fiction can be, and often is, as serious as literary fiction. In fact, I think genre fiction can be very effective at commenting on reality and providing a deeper understanding of our own world, but it also gives that reality a more palatable context by using the conventions of genre fiction. The lens of genre fiction can almost make it easier to comment on and gain perspective of current issues of our world.

This discussion of genre has gotten longer than I intended, so I’m going to stop with these three misconceptions. Do you think I totally missed the mark on genre? Or maybe I missed something big that you’d like to see discussed in a future post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on literary genres.

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (February is all about genres), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

Cover Reveal HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE by Kellye Garrett

It’s week of cover reveals on the blog. Today we’ve got HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE by Kellye Garrett, coming summer 2017. Welcome, Kellye!

hollywood-homicide

Title: Hollywood Homicide

Book 1 in the Detective By Day Series

Publisher: Midnight Ink

Release Date: August 8, 2017

Book Blurb:

Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn’t the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash.

But what starts as simply trying to remember a speeding car soon blossoms into a full-on investigation. As Dayna digs deeper into the victim’s life, she wants more than just reward money. She’s determined to find the poor woman’s killer too. When she connects the accident to a notorious Hollywood crime spree, Dayna chases down leads at paparazzi hot spots, celeb homes and movie premieres. She loves every second—until someone tries to kill her.

And there are no second takes in real life.

About the Author:

kellye-garrettKellye Garrett spent 8 years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for the CBS drama Cold Case. People were always surprised to learn what she did for a living—probably because she seemed way too happy to be brainstorming ways to murder people. A former magazine editor, Kellye holds a B.S. in magazine writing from Florida A&M and an MFA in screenwriting from USC’s famed film school. Having moved back to her native New Jersey, she spends her mornings commuting to Manhattan for her job at a leading media company—while still happily brainstorming ways to commit murder. Her first novel, Hollywood Homicide, will be released by Midnight Ink in August 2017. It’s the first book in the Detective by Day series.

Connect with Kellye

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

You can pre-order the e-book and print edition on Amazon.

Meet Kira from A TOWN BEWITCHED by Suzanne de Montigny

I have a very special guest on the Observation Desk today: Kira, from Suzanne de Montigny’s latest middle grade novel A TOWN BEWITCHED. Let’s all give Kira a big welcome!

A Town BewitchedHi. My name’s Kira. I’m fourteen and I have a frightful tale to tell about the strangest woman I’ve ever met. She showed up at Dad’s funeral wearing a scarf and boots even though it was August and carrying an old beat-up violin case. No one knows who she is in our small town and that’s weird ‘cause I’m a violinist and we know everyone who plays since it’s such a nerdy thing to do. Speaking of nerdy, did I mention I’m a child prodigy in classical violin? Makes it tough to fit in. My BFF Charlotte is a misfit too. She was adopted from China and is the only Asian kid in town. The In-Girls and their creepy friend Travis have a hey day with us.

Anyway, so this Kate McDonough whose eyes are the same piercing blue as a wild animal, takes over the town. Within a few days, Uncle Jack’s tavern is filled every night listening to her play this mysterious Celtic music. Then everyone starts taking fiddling and step dancing lessons, even the In-Girls and their nasty friend Travis. Like what’s going on? Why does Kate McDonough have this effect on a rock-n-roll town?

Then someone starts vandalizing the town leaving scary messages and a dead bird as a calling card. The authorities notice human teeth marks in a piece of organ left behind. I know who it is – it’s Kate McDonough! It has to be because it all started when she came to town, yet no one else can see it. They’re all under her spell. But not me. I’m going to get to the bottom of this before something really bad happens…

A Town Bewitched – now available on Amazon.


About the Author:

Award winning author, Suzanne de Montigny, wrote her first novella when she was twelve. Years later, she discovered it in an old box in the basement, thus reigniting her love affair with writing. A teacher for twenty years, she enjoys creating fantasy and paranormal for tweens and teens. She lives in Burnaby, B.C., Canada with the four loves of her life – her husband, two boys, and Buddy the dog. Find Suzanne at:

www.suzannedemontigny.com
https://www.facebook.com/unicorngirl52?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/sfierymountain
http://suzannesthoughtsfortheday/blogspot.com

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