Guest Post: Author Kelley York

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

Writing, as a general rule, is an isolated profession/hobby/passion, one that requires concentration and quiet. For me, anyway. When I'm in the writing groove, I don't want to be social or interact. I want to focus.

 

...Well, okay, I'm never social. But that's beside the point.

 

Not to mention I'm horrible when it comes to talking to people about my writing! Online is easier, but

in person I'm sort of a staring, stuttering mess because I never know what to say. It gets easier over

time...and this is in part due to the fact I often get the same questions over and over. They're all legit

questions (uh, I guess) but some of them never fail to amuse me.

 

What kind of books do you write?

 

Most readers—unless they read young adult or new adult—don't know the term, so I often say, "I write dark books, sometimes mysteries or thrillers, for teens." Easy enough.

 

So, like Twilight?

 

I've seen many writers get this, oh my goodness. "No. Not like Twilight at all."

 

If you've been published, aren't you rich?

 

Yes. I've been asked this. To which I want to sink to the ground and sob because oh, friend, I wish that were the case. "Unless you're a big-name author like Stephen King, writing doesn't bring in as much money as you would think."

 

What do you think about those books like 50 Shades of Grey?

 

This is where I smile, very strained, and keep my mouth shut so I don't offend anyone.

 

Why don't you write stuff with vampires or witches or something, like Harry Potter? Make a big series and get the big bucks!

 

These are questions that are hard to explain to people. The market, trends, how things work. Especially since replying with, "It's not that simple," gets me a response of, "Why not?" Sometimes I forget how foreign the publishing industry is to your average, everyday person, even someone who actively reads a lot. Unless you work in the industry, it's hard to pay attention to the inner workings of it.

 

Don't get me wrong. These are never "dumb" questions, because—like I mentioned above—people

simply don't know. And frankly, I find it endearing when anyone cares enough to question me about my books, even if they're questions I've heard a lot.

 

Maybe someday, I'll even stop being nervous and feeling unworthy when someone asks.

 

If you're a writer, what questions do you get asked a lot? If you're a reader, what questions do you

always want to ask, but are afraid to?

 

About the Author:

 

 

 

Once upon a time, Kelley York was born in central California. And it's there she she still resides with her wife, step-daughter, and way too many pets. Kelley is a sucker for dark fiction. She loves writing twisted characters, tragic happenings, and bittersweet endings that leave you wondering and crying. Character development takes center stage in her books because the bounds of a person's character and the workings of their mind are limitless.

 

Author's Website

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In My Mailbox (113)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

 

 

 

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire (Thanks to Simon & Schuster)

 

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

Made of Stars by Kelley York (Thanks to Entangled Teen)

 

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

Engines of the Broken World by Jason Vanhee (Thanks to Henry Holt and Co.)

 

Merciful Truth and her brother, Gospel, have just pulled their dead mother into the kitchen and stowed her under the table. It was a long illness, and they wanted to bury her—they did—but it’s far too cold outside, and they know they won’t be able to dig into the frozen ground. The Minister who lives with them, who preaches through his animal form, doesn’t make them feel any better about what they’ve done. Merciful calms her guilty feelings but only until, from the other room, she hears a voice she thought she’d never hear again. It’s her mother’s voice, and it’s singing a lullaby. . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy, #1) by Laura Howard (Thanks to Indie Inked)

 

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.



Countdown: October 2013

I've been excited to feature this month for countdowns for some time now.  October is my birthday month, so I always look forward to seeing what books are going to be hitting the shelves throughout the thirty-one days that make up this calendar month.  It's never a bad idea to have my birthday wish list ready for friends and family to draw from right?  I've also always been a big fan of Halloween and getting dressed up and celebrating and marking the day with all the good fun that comes with it...and don't even get me started on pumpkin carving.  The competition is pretty steep in my family and I've yet to come out on top, but it is a whole new year, and I'll have plenty of time to try and create a very impressive looking jack-o-lantern that will hopefully put my dad's to shame.

Countdown Pick #1:  The Beautiful and the Damned by Jessica Verday (10/01/2013)

Cyn’s blackouts have deadly consequences in this sexy, suspenseful spinoff to the New York Times bestselling Hollow series.Cyn and Avian are far from a perfect match. She’s a witch who casts spells on men so she can steal their cars. He spends his time being judge, jury, and executioner to the truly evil in the supernatural realm.

When the blackouts Cyn’s been having ever since her time in Sleepy Hollow start escalating, she finds herself unable to remember where she’s been or what she’s been doing. Frightened, she seeks guidance at a local church, and it’s there she meets Avian.

The unlikely pair soon discovers that her blackouts are a side effect of what she truly is—an Echo—a conduit for souls of the dead. The only way to prevent Cyn from losing complete control is to return to Sleepy Hollow and vanquish the source of her power—but she may not survive the process. And if she does? She won’t ever be the same…

I haven't read Verday's Hollow series, but if I enjoy this spin off, than I'm sure I'll be excited to backtrack and check it all out from the beginning.

Countdown Pick #2:  Blackout (Blackout, #1) by Robison Wells (10/01/2013)

Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all.
Goodreads has a giveaway going on right now that doesn't end until the 9th of this month for your chance to win one of 15 copies that they've got up for grabs.  This is a title that I couldn't resist adding to my countdown and if you're in the same boat as me than it can't hurt to sign up for the contest and cross your fingers you'll turn out to be one of the lucky winners!

Countdown Pick #3:  Endless Knight (The Arcana Chronicles, #2) by Kresley Cole (10/01/2013)


In the second book of the Arcana Chronicles Evie has now fully come into her powers as the tarot Empress. And Jackson was there to see it all. In the aftermath of killing Arthur, the tarot Alchemist, Evie realizes that a war is brewing between the other teens that, following the apocalypse, have been given powers and its kill or be killed.

Things get even more complicated when Evie meets Death, the mysterious, sexy Endless Knight. Somehow the Empress and Death share a romantic history - one that Evie can't remember, but Death can't forget. She is drawn to the Endless Knight, but is in love with Jack. Determined to discover why she's been granted these powers, Evie struggles to accept her place in a prophecy that will either save the world, or completely destroy it.

As a big fan of Cole's adult series, I was so excited to hear she'd be making her way into the YA scene, and after reading her series opener, Poison Princess I was convinced that she made the right move.  The opener left me wanting more and I am on the edge of my seat to read this future release so that I can see what happens next for Evie and the rest of the crew.

Countdown Pick #4:  Entangled by Amy Rose Cappetta (10/01/2013)

Alone was the note Cade knew best. It was the root of all her chords.

Seventeen-year-old Cade is a fierce survivor, solo in the universe with her cherry-red guitar. Or so she thought. Her world shakes apart when a hologram named Mr. Niven tells her she was created in a lab in the year 3112, then entangled at a subatomic level with a boy named Xan.
Cade’s quest to locate Xan joins her with an array of outlaws—her first friends—on a galaxy-spanning adventure. And once Cade discovers the wild joy of real connection, there’s no turning back.

I'm all about outer space and a potential futuristic scenario every once in a while, and this future release sounds like it will promise just that.  Plus who doesn't love to read an action packed adventure every so often, right?  Cade's quest is one I have complete confidence I'll enjoy and I look forward to discovering a new author in the process.

Countdown Pick #5:  Made of Stars by Kelley York (10/01/2013)

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?

We've got a mystery on our hands!  I tend to read mysteries few and far between, because they usually go hand in hand with scary scenarios, and I don't do well with getting scared.  But every once in a while a title like this comes along and it strikes me as more of a problem solving mystery, than the other kind and I can't help but add it to my list and change things up a bit in the process.