Friday, August 29, 2014

Friday Freakout!

Well I woke up to something pretty awesome this morning. The book trailer for Heart on a String is featured on the USA Today.com site!!! Yes my jaw hit the floor. Here's the link
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2014/08/27/recommended-book-video-quarles-soares-scott/14716089/?hootPostID=0c6f551712afdde39c1c298479c66b0e
so you can check it out! And be sure to check out the book!

Happy Friday everyone!!! :)

Friday, August 22, 2014

Feature Friday- Author Spotlight- Mary Cope!

Today's spotlight is on author Mary Cope!



Blurb:

Transformation, empowerment, love and music come together in the book, Beautiful One. 
Elizabeth Ryan is a beautiful, shy, naïve high school senior. Having never dated she meets the boy of her dreams, Aidan Mitchell. Despite his history of womanizing Liz is drawn to him. Soon Liz becomes the envy of all the girls on campus, when they become a couple and her dream boyfriend sweeps her off her feet and into the dating world that is all too new and strange for her. When other guys start to take notice of Liz, Aidan is troubled with fits of jealousy.
Elizabeth then meets the ruggedly handsome, Spencer Hayes and they quickly bond over their passion for music. Liz begins to struggle with the feelings that spark between them. 
In the end Elizabeth finds herself torn between helping Aidan overcome his jealousy and anger and giving into what her heart truly wants. 

Bio:
Mary Cope is a freelance writer of romance. Her book, Beautiful One, is the first in a planned trilogy. She is currently writing, Beautiful Mess and Beautiful Life will follow.  
Mary enjoys spending time with her family, baking gourmet cookies, listening to music and taking long walks with her yellow Labrador, Maggie.

Website:

Twitter:

Facebook:

Goodreads: 

Buy Links:

Amazon:

Barnes & Nobel:


Smashwords:

Kobo:


Excerpt from Beautiful One

Chapter One

    The faint sounds of a guitar drifted through the walls of my bathroom as I savored the last of the hot water before it became lukewarm. Stepping away from the spray, I turned the shower knob and watched the droplets trickle down the drain. Inhaling a deep breath my mind focused on one thing. Aidan Mitchell. 
    Hearing Mason’s band practicing meant he would be here. I was ninety-nine percent sure Aidan wouldn’t blow off their practice. He knew how serious my brother was about the band, but he also had been avoiding me for days. 
    The past week had been awful. I was determined to talk to him. All I wanted was a few answers. My emotions had run the gamut from confusion, frustration, regret, and sadness… sadness consumed me most of all, at night usually, and I was exhausted from it. But at this moment all I felt was anger. Anger was good. It was certainly better than pain. 
    As I rushed down the hallway, the floorboards creaked beneath my feet and the walls began to vibrate with the beat of Derek pounding on the drums. When I entered my room the music was deafening, but today I didn’t mind. I untwisted the blue-and-white-polka-dot towel from my head and tossed it to the floor. 
    The deep conditioner I used helped my fingers glide through my long damp curls. If I was going to confront Aidan, I wanted to look my best. No Frizzy Lizzie for me. That nickname, coupled with my big butt, had tormented me, growing up in a beach town surrounded by beautiful people. I had longed to look like a typical California girl: tall, blond, perfect. But, with dark hair and bordering on five feet three inches, that was never going to be me. 
    After I blow-dried and flat-ironed my hair, I took off my purple robe and draped it over my desk chair. I slipped on a pair of jeans… yes, slipped them on. I didn’t have to tug, pull, or jiggle my butt to get in my pants anymore. When I easily pushed the button through the top of my jeans, it still made me smile. I couldn’t even count how many times I had to lie on my bed and suck in my stomach so I could zip up a pair of pants. Every time I slipped them on, I never took it for granted. I had worked my butt off… literally. I put on my bra and a green sweater before I pulled on my boots. 
    I rushed downstairs to the door that led to the garage. Thinking about confronting Aidan and having to stare into those piercing blue eyes started to intimidate me. But this was my chance. I knew he was a few feet behind the door, and I needed to deal with him. Before I completely lost my nerve, I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled then pushed open the door. 
    The stream of sunlight coming in through the open garage door blinded me for a moment. With squinted eyes, I made a beeline to the old brown sofa in the corner. My heart was beating so fast it almost seemed in tempo with Derek pounding the drums. I scooted over our yellow Labrador, Maggie, and wedged myself between her and the arm of the couch. Finally, I looked up to focus my attention on Aidan. 
    He didn’t show. 
    I sunk my head back into the cushions, exhaling a deep, long sigh, trying to rid the tension from my body. The guys were practicing their newest song. Indie-Alternative was their style, and they called themselves Random Plan. I glanced at Mason and could tell he was angry. I mouthed the word “Aidan?” 
Mason just shook his head. 
    “Derek!” The tone in my brother’s voice made me sit up straight. “Derek!” Mason snapped again. 
    Finally Derek stopped and silenced his cymbals. 
    “What?” He lifted the front of his black t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, exposing his six-pack. His brown eyes bored into Mason’s. “Hey! Just ‘cuz you’re ticked off at the pretty boy, don’t take it out on me.” 
    Derek reached back and grabbed a water from an old bookcase that held a few water bottles, electrical cords, an old CD player, and a collection of CDs. “Hey, Kyle, ya want one?” 
    Kyle nodded and Derek tossed one across the garage to where he stood behind the keyboard. 
    “Mason?” 
    “Yeah, I’ll take one… Sorry, Derek.” 
    Derek gave Mason a head nod and tossed him a bottle. He took a sip while Derek chugged his down. 
    “Okay, start again.” Mason commanded. 
    Derek picked up his sticks and began tapping. 
    I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and listened to the music. Funny, I’d come into the garage so fearless it almost made me laugh. Who would have thought the once-overweight Elizabeth Ryan would stand up to the likes of Aidan Mitchell? I smiled to myself, allowing my mind to drift back to the time when I’d found it hard to even look at him.


Thank you to Mary for being part of our feature this week!
If you're a YA author and would like to be featured on the blog please contact me! susansoaresbooks@gmail.com
I'd appreciate a blog post for a blog post. Thank you for reading. 

Friday, August 15, 2014

Feature Friday! Author Brenda Maxfield

Author Spotlight-   Brenda Maxfield



Blurb-
Cornered (Ocean Mist Book Two):

Seventeen-year-old Courtney Phillips is striving to earn an internship to escape from her unhappy home. But when her mother becomes ill, Courtney is stuck caring for her rebellious sister, Tiffany, and her little brother—until Tiffany runs off to live with their dead-beat dad.

Track star Keegan Hank’s current girlfriend is cheating on him, but having fallen for him herself, Courtney is afraid to tell her best friend the truth. When Keegan discovers that Courtney withheld the facts about his girlfriend, he rejects her apologies.

Courtney finally lands an interview for her dream internship, but mysterious calls from Tiffany spell trouble. Courtney must now find a way to win Keegan’s love and rescue her sister without jeopardizing her own future.


Excerpt-
The phone rang in Mrs. Johnson’s calculus class, and I sank into my chair with dread. She scuffled to answer it, clucked a few times into the receiver, and pressed it to her chest. Peering at us over her glasses, she zoned in on me.
“Courtney, please report to the office.”
A few of the kids snickered, probably with relief. I stood to leave and glanced over at Keegan.
He brushed a few strands of hair away from his deep brown eyes and offered me his sympathy face. I grimaced, shrugged, and pushed through the door into the empty hallway. My flats clacked out my progress with a hollow echo.
The secretary, Mrs. Pellan, waited for me in the office, perched behind the counter like a judgmental owl. “Courtney Phillips, this is getting to be a habit.”
“My mom again?” I asked, already knowing her answer.
“Yes, and we simply can’t have you interrupted at all hours with these calls. Mr. Anderson is not a happy camper, young lady.”
I sighed and held out my hand for the phone.
“Court? Are you there?” Mom’s whiny voice trembled through the line.
“I’m here, Mom. What’d she do this time?”
“The middle school just called, and Tiffy didn’t show up for school again. You know I count on you to get the kids off in the morning.” She paused for a huge gasping breath. “Didn’t you take her to school? She didn’t walk, did she? You and I both know…”
I held the phone away from my ear, letting her ramble into the air. Nosy Mrs. Pellan left her chair and inched closer, her eyebrows raised in a thin V across her forehead. I knew from experience Mrs. Pellan loved any hint of gossip. I pressed the phone back to my ear.
“…since she can’t do it alone.” Mom had finished her tirade.
“Yes, Mother,” I said.
“So you’ll do it then?”
“Give me a replay.”
Mom’s voice quacked an octave higher. “Courtney Phillips, have you listened to one word I’ve said? Now get over there to the middle school and find your sister.”
I handed the phone to Mrs. Pellan. “I have to go. Mom will explain. I’ll sign out, but I’m not sure I’ll be back.”
I scribbled my name and the time on the clipboard lying on the counter. I dashed out before Mrs. Pellan could return to lecture mode.
It wasn’t my fault.
But then it never was.


Author Bio-
My passion is writing! What could be more delicious than inventing new characters and seeing where they take you?
I'm a teacher so I spend most of my waking hours with young people. I love chatting with them and hearing their views on love and life. My students are magical, and I am honored to be part of their lives.
I've lived in Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Costa Rica. Presently, I live in Indiana with my husband, Paul. We have two grown children and three precious grandchildren, special delivery from Africa.
When not teaching, I love to hole up in our lake cabin and write -- often with a batch of popcorn nearby. (Oh, and did I mention dark chocolate?)
I enjoy getting to know my readers, so feel free to write me at: contact@brendamaxfield.com. Join my Newsletter Gang and get the latest news, contests, releases: http://mad.ly/signups/85744/join.  Visit me to learn about all my books and some smart and sassy, clean teen reads: www.brendamaxfield.com  Happy Reading!


Buy links-
     Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kdlxjya
     Barnes and Noble:  http://tinyurl.com/lfvnbzt


Social Media links-

Amazon author Page: http://tinyurl.com/psj82bj

 If you're a YA author and like to be featured on Feature Friday and can provide a blog post for a blog post, please contact me at susansoaresbooks@gmail.com

Monday, August 11, 2014

Meet My Character Blog Hop

Welcome to the Meet My Character Blog Tour! I was invited to this tour by Krysten Lindsay Hager.
Krysten is an author and book addict. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in South Dakota, Portugal, and currently resides in Southern Ohio. She's worked as a journalist and humor writer, and also writes middle grade, YA and adult fiction. She is the best selling author of, TRUE COLORS, released by Astrea Press.
Thank you, Krysten for inviting me on this tour!

As part of the tour we introduce a character to you. I'm going to introduce Victoria to you. She is the main character in my new young adult book, My Rebellion Checklist, which is being shopped around to publishers as we speak.

What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

My character is Victoria (Tori) Matherson. She is a fictional eighteen year old.

When and where is the story set?

The story is set in current times and they live in a fictional town in Vermont.

What should we know about him/her?

Victoria is a type A personality all the way. She loves nothing more than organization and lists. Lots of lists! A trip to Staples could get her high!

What is the main conflict? What messes up him/her life?

Victoria's life starts to spiral out of control--something she's not at all accustomed too--when three major  life events happen all at once. Her boyfriend breaks up with her, she gets into a near fatal car crash and her parents announce they're getting a divorce. BAM! Victoria's neat, planned, organized life is now a mash up of heartache, disorder and rehabilitation.

What is the personal goal of the character?

Victoria's personal goal--which she's blatantly unaware of--is to learn to let go. There are things in life you can't change. You also can't change yourself into something you're not. Your authentic self is always going to win out over any facade you try to put out to the world. Life is not about what happens to you so much as how you react to it.

Is there a working title for this book and can we read more about it?

The title is My Rebellion Checklist. If you follow me on my wattpad account you should be able to find some chapters to read for free!

When can we expect to see this book?

Well, that's up in the air! My agent is currently querying this to major publishers. Five large publishing houses have requested full reads. Hopefully I should know something by next month!

Thanks so much for joining me on the character blog hop!
If you want to find out more about me and my books please see my Amazon author page!

And be sure to check out the book trailer for Heart on a String!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Feature Friday! Author Ariella Moon

Todays Feature Friday is on YA author Ariella Moon


Blurb-
A dragon wants to be her new BFF.
There is something her boyfriend isn’t telling her.
And no one will explain the hissing spell book.

Second worst Christmas EVER!

High school sophomore Ainslie Avalon-Bennett works hard to hide her Crazy Girl past. But as long as her best friend’s disappearance remains unsolved, she can’t shake the depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder that once landed her in a mental ward. Then she meets Thor Grael, a teen dragon shaman who spikes her pulse and calms her OCD.  But will Ainslie lose him once he discovers her past? Or will Thor’s deadly secret be their undoing?


Excerpt-
"Jett's a jerk!" I mumbled as soon as I was out of earshot of Spiral Journeys. The light breeze and traffic sounds barely registered in my brain. I glanced back twice; unable to shake the feeling someone or something was following me. Although the only footfalls I heard were the slap of my own flip-flops, I was surprised to find the sidewalk empty. I stalked past the consignment store and the gas station with its petrol fumes. By the time I'd reached the artists' collective I felt an inner glow and a definite nudge between my shoulder blades.
The dragon. Good. Maybe it will teach me how to breathe fire.
It shadowed me, silently nudging, teasing to life a pair of heavy, invisible wings. My face warmed. I radiated. All my anger and frustration dissolved into the white light. I rolled my shoulders, delighting in the novel tug of muscles, the heft of massive wings.
I sensed the dragon peering over my head as we traipsed the last few steps to Coyote Crossroads' orchid door. A fit-looking middle-aged couple emerged as I reached for the driftwood handle. They both did a double take when they saw me. The wife pressed her palms together in prayer position. The husband removed his outback hat and pressed it to his heart, bowing his head as he held the door open for me. I nodded and glided past them.
My body elongated, and I swore I grew six inches. Inside the cafe, there was no line. Another miracle. I paused beneath the fernpainted ceiling fan and scanned the wall menu. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but a weird craving fueled my search.
The dragon exerted pressure between my shoulder blades, prompting me. "A Scorpion's Nest smoothie."
Morningstar leaned over the high counter and gave me a onceover. "You feeling okay?"
I licked my lips. "Absolutely." I had never tasted an orange juice, vanilla ice cream, and peanut butter combo, but I slapped the countertop and said, "I'm fine. Hit me."
Morningstar tilted her head to one side and studied

Author Bio-
Ariella Moon is the author of the Teen Wytche Saga, a sweet Young Adult paranormal series. Ariella writes about magic, friendship, high school, secrets, and love in Spell Check, Spell Struck, and Spell Fire from Astraea Press.
Ariella spent her childhood searching for a magical wardrobe that would transport her to Narnia. Extreme math anxiety, and taller students who mistook her for a leaning post, marred her youth. Despite these horrors, she graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Davis. Ariella is a Reiki Master, author, and shaman. She lives a nearly normal life with her extraordinary daughter, two shamelessly spoiled dogs, and an enormous dragon.


Buy links-


Social Media links-
Connect with Ariella Moon


If you're a YA author and would like to be part of Feature Friday please email at susansoaresbooks@gmail.com for more information! I'd appreciate a blog post for a blog post. Thanks for reading! Comment, subscribe, share! 




Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Wattpad Wednesday!

It's Wednesday! That means I've posted a new piece to my Wattpad account!
Wattpad is a great site for writers and readers. If you haven't already checked it out and created an account you should.

Today's piece is a very short story I wrote. If I get enough positive comments on it I'll consider making it a full length piece. It's a bit intense as well.

Click here to read!

Have a Wattpad account? List your username in the comments!
Check out my author page here- 

Book Trailer for Heart on a String

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

The doubts that come with writing.

Happy Tuesday everyone! In today's Tidbit Tuesday post I'm going to talk about one thing all writers have and may not want to admit- DOUBT.

The past two weeks have been a bit rough for me. I was doubting everything that has to do with my writing. I mean everything. The process of writing, whether I'd ever write another word, whether I'd ever enjoying writing again, if I wanted to continue to have my agent pursue the large publishing houses with my third book, if any of my publishing decisions thus far were the right ones, if I'd ever become successful as an author. EVERYTHING.

I have a close friend who is also a writer. I expressed the fact that I felt I'd never write again and that was when he very promptly told me that was not possible. I am a writer. It's part of who I am. It's part of my DNA. I've been writing poems and short stories since I was seven years old. I'd spend my summers not splashing around in my in-ground pool, but sitting at my parent's dining room table plucking away on my smith-corona word processor! I mean if that's not a kid who loves to write I don't know what is.

Somewhere along the way I lost the love for it. I lost the joy that came with creating a story. Why? Because of the questions that bogged down my mind.

Is this what a large publisher would find publishable?
Will this story line really hook me the big six?
Is this going to go viral?
Is this going to be the book that gets me noticed?
Is this what the market is buying?
Is this my ticket to being a full time money making author?

So I decided I wasn't going to write anymore. Why? It wasn't making me happy. It didn't feel the same. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was sit and write.

This lasted for all of two weeks. The first creative spark came when my agent suggested I have a book trailer made for Heart on a String. Well I didn't have the money to pay forr one, but after seeing a bunch of examples online I was pretty confident I could do it myself. So I did. And I enjoyed it.

After playing around and searching different stock photos to use in my project I began to get inspired by the pictures. I found a lot of photos that in my mind would work as great covers for some projects I had in the works or had been working on.  Then I came up with an idea for a series. I've always wanted to do a series but since I write mostly contemporary YA that's not a big genre for series. Then I learned more about ways to create a series that can also exist as stand alone novels. Well that was it. I had the idea, then I found the photos that would be the covers for the three book series I came up with.

Now, I don't even have plot lines written for this new series. What I started with was the idea of the series title, then I found photos that inspired me for the covers, then I jotted down the most skeletal outline I've ever written.

I plan on working on this new series this week. I also plan on taking on a new adventure and self-publishing this series. Why self publish? Well, for this project I don't want to feel any of the constraints I've felt when writing books that I know will be put out to the publishing world. I don't want to worry about "will the big 6 like this?" mentality that comes with writing at times.

I want the freedom of word count. Subject. Idea. Creativity. This story in my mind might be a NA- New Adult- piece as well which is something new for me. I might make it more of a novella than a full length piece. I'm not sure yet. But what I do know is that I WANT to write it. That's what's most important right now.

Even if it never leaves the safety of my MacBook Pro files I don't care. I want to write it. Hopefully I'll be able to share it with you soon.

Doubt is normal- your creativity is not. Write without expectations.

What's your biggest doubt about your writing? Please comment below. Please share this post so all the other writers out there know they're not alone!

Here is the link to the book trailer that helped spark me back on track :)

My books


Friday, August 1, 2014

Feature Friday! Krysten Lindsay Hager





True Colors by Krysten Lindsay Hager
Tagline: A little competition can really bring out people’s true colors.
Back Cover Blurb: Every day I walked down the sidewalk to school and wished I were one of the interesting popular girls who ran up with exciting news. Just once I’d like to be one of those girls instead of the being the one who didn’t get invited to things because people “forgot” about me.
Landry gets pushed into trying out for the American Ingénue reality show modeling competition with her two best friends. She doesn’t think she stands a chance, but she advances to the next level in the competition and her friends ignore her when they get cut. 
Enter the gorgeous Devon, who also makes the first cut and includes Landry in her clique. Devon becomes the perfect best friend, but can their friendship survive the competition?
Landry hopes her big break could come at any moment, but soon sees there’s much more to modeling than getting your hair done and looking pretty. She begins missing out on being with new friends like Ashanti, a girl who truly has Landry’s back. Landry also has the chance to have a boyfriend when she meets a boy named Vladi from another school.
Part of Landry wants to be famous (and have her hair look good for once), but part of her just wants to be accepted. She learns about friendships, being true to yourself, and that a good hair conditioner doesn’t hurt.
Excerpt:
The competition was for girls between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, but it felt like Ericka, Tori, and I were the youngest ones there. I only saw a couple of girls from school, and the lineup looked more like something you’d see on a music video set. All the girls were gorgeous, and they had these curvy womanly bodies. I looked like a skinny little kid next to them. The first girl walked out, and I heard the judges say she “owned the runway,” and, “walked like a gazelle.” I was starting to feel ill. I wasn’t sure which way it was going to come, but I knew I had to find a bathroom — fast. I started to get out of line when Ericka grabbed my wrist.
“It’s almost time,” she said. A tiny bit of spit flew out of her mouth and hit my cheek.
I wasn’t sure why she was so intent on me going through with it, but she had a death grip on my arm, so I didn’t have much of a choice. Her number was called and she walked out to the stage. One of the other girls said she walked like a kid with sand bucket stilts on her feet, but she came back with a smirk on her face like she knew she’d get chosen.
“They said they had never seen such long legs,” she said.
Tori was next.
“She walks like a gorilla at feeding time,” said the girl behind me. I went next, and I tried to focus on not tripping over my feet. My mom’s pumps had a rubber sole on the bottom, which probably wasn’t the brightest idea seeing as my shoes were making squeaking noises as I walked. I was so nervous I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked. I looked like the plastic clown who blows up balloons with its mouth at the Pizza Palace. When I got to the end of the runway, I tried to cross my feet to turn like the other girls had, but I over rotated and ended up doing a full spin which made my kilt fan out and gave the mall walkers a view of my blue underpants. I tried to act like it was intentional and did an extra turn. One of the judges put her hand up to stop me, and I held my breath as she started to speak.
Author bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is an author and book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and also writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. TRUE COLORS is her bestselling debut novel from Astraea Press. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in South Dakota, Portugal, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing. She received her master’s in American Culture from the University of Michigan-Flint.
Buy Links:
Connect with Krysten:


If you're a YA author and would like to be featured on my blog please contact me at susansoaresbooks@gmail.com. If you could do a blog post for a blog post that would be ideal. Thanks for reading!