Tuesday, December 29, 2015

RP Channing: How Writing Comes to Be


 
It’s my pleasure today to welcome author RP Channing to Thoughts in Progress to talk about writing and his release, THIRST: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD.

This fascinating story fits under a number of genres such as young adult romance; paranormal romance; high school; vampires, demons, witches; dark fantasy; and horror.  

Here’s a synopsis of THIRST:

~ Kira Sutherland ~
       After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:
      1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)
      Or
      2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)
She chooses the latter...

~ Cory Rand ~
      Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.
      Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:
      1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)
      Or
      2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.
      He chooses the latter...

      It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.
      Things he's always ignored.
      Until now.

THIRST: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD is available at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Please join me in giving RP a warm welcome to Thoughts as he talks about writing. Welcome, RP.

About Moi
I have written over a million words of fiction in the last three years - and not published any of it. 

Writing YA was embarked upon after a personal hiatus from writing which lasted nearly seven months. In those months I did a lot of thinking and re-evaluating about what I was writing, and why I wasn’t taking the jump to publish.

The answer was simple: I was unhappy with what I had written, and unhappy with the genre I was writing in.

After much research and thinking, I settled upon YA.

YA is a beautiful genre. It’s filled with characters that have hope and promise, characters which look at a problem and don’t fall into miserable despair, giving up and blathering on about “Oh woe is me, my life is so horrible, everything is terrible, nothing can be done about it...”

YA characters have spunk and guts and like to take the bull (or the demon) by the horns. (At least the cool ones do.)

I also adore fantasy. I like magic and the unknown and sorcery and the idea that there might be more to this world than meets the eye.

So I started writing YA. And when my fingers hit the keyboard, they wouldn’t stop. I fell in love with the genre, and I’ll be sticking with it for a very long time.

How THIRST Came About

THIRST was actually called Starkfield Academy right up to the last minute. I wanted to write a story about High School, but as it grew, it soon extended beyond the walls of Starkfield (a school for “Crazies and Convicts,” where most of the story takes place.)

I felt the name Starkfield Academy was not only too limiting based off how the story had grown, but also that it didn’t have a nice ring to it.

The concept of “thirst” is deeply embedded into the storyline, as is the phrase “Blood of my Blood.” They have deep meanings interwoven into the tale which become clearer as one goes through the book. 

The story as it exists now is quite different to what I had originally outlined. But that’s how it goes with me: I plan a story out, and then I start writing it. When I’m done, I wonder why I bothered planning it out in the first place.

My fingers seem to have a mind of their own. 

New Projects

I am currently working on a second book to THIRST: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD.
THIRST is a complete story in its own right with no cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers.

So, book two will have a BEGINNING, a MIDDLE and an END, just as Book One does. It worked for the Golden Age of Hollywood, so why change a good thing?

I’m also working on another YA novel that gets my heart pumping hard every time I think about it. It’s a dystopian story that’s so exciting I can’t believe I haven’t written it yet. (Actually, I’ve picked it up and dropped it three or four times. I just want it to be perfect when it finally goes out.) I’m not sure when that one will come out. 

I have no date set for Thirst #2 yet, but it will be out soon.

RP, thanks for visiting with us today and sharing how THIRST came to be. I understand about cliffhangers from one book to the next, it does make it difficult for new readers to know what’s going on.

Now for those who aren’t familiar with RP, here’s a bit of background on him.

Author RP Channing
RP Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.”

When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy. If it has words in it, I’ll take it.

For more on R.P. and his writing, visit his website and connect with him on Twitter and Amazon.


SPECIAL GIVEAWAY:

If you enjoy reading books and posting reviews on Amazon, R.P. has a special giveaway for you.

At the back of his book there is a giveaway link. Once the book hits fifty reviews on Amazon, one of those reviewers will win a $20 (US Dollars) Amazon Gift Voucher! Be sure to check it out.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during R.P.’s visit. Do you enjoy books that fit under more than one genre? Had you rather read a book that is strictly labeled under only one genre?

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas To All


Just a quick note to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!! I hope you are having a safe and joyous holiday this week my friends. If you don't or aren't celebrating the holiday, I hope you're having a wonderful time just the same.

I so appreciate everyone for stopping by. This has been a busy season (as I'm sure it has been for you too) and I'll be back visiting and more online after the first of the year.

Today as we celebrate, I wish for you and your family a wonderful time filled with good health, prosperity, happiness and peace with yourself.

Have a blessed day and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

A Chance of a Lifetime {+ Giveaways}



It’s a pleasure to be participating in the launch day blitz for author Marilyn Pappano’s A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, the fifth installment in her Tallgrass series.

As part of the blitz, Marilyn is sharing an excerpt from the book and a teaser graphics. In addition, there are two giveaways being offered during this tour-wide blitz.

The Grand Prize is the complete Tallgrass Series by Marilyn Pappano including:

*A Hero to Come Home To
*A Man to Hold on To
*A Love to Call Her Own
*A Promise of Forever
*A Chance of a Lifetime 

The second giveaway is for one of 10 copies of A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. Please see the end of the post for additional information on the giveaway.
 

Here’s a brief synopsis of A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (December 22, 2015; Forever Mass Market; Tallgrass #5): 

Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it . ....
        To Benita Ford, Tallgrass, Oklahoma, will always be home. It's where her beloved grandmother raised her and where she rode bikes with her two best friends-the man who became her husband and Calvin. And Tallgrass is where she stayed, even after her husband died while serving his country. Now Calvin is home from that same war, and the sensitive, mischievous boy she once knew is today a man scarred by wounds no one else can see. Falling in love with him is something Bennie never imagined.
        Tallgrass still haunts Captain Calvin Sweet. Yet it's where he must go to see Bennie-the one woman he always loved but could never have. Calvin regrets so much about what happened years ago. Still he can't deny being with Bennie makes his future feel bright, like anything is possible. But the demons of his past won't be quieted that easily. As old hurts linger, threatening to pull them apart, Calvin and Bennie must take the ultimate risk for the love of a lifetime . . . 


A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME is available at Amazon, B&N, iBooks, GooglePlay, Kobo, and BAM. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Known for her intensely emotional stories, Marilyn Pappano is the USA Today bestselling author of nearly eighty books. She has made regular appearances on bestseller lists and has received recognition for her work in the form of numerous awards.

Though her husband's Navy career took them across the United States, he and Ms. Pappano now live in Oklahoma high on a hill that overlooks her hometown. They have one son and daughter-in-law, an adorable grandson, and a pack of mischievous dogs.

For more on Marilyn and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.



Read an excerpt from A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME: 

       The tires crunched a few acorns that had fallen onto the pavement, then Calvin was turning into her driveway. Mama had left two porch lights on, plus the lamp beside her recliner in the living room and probably the light over the kitchen sink. She wasn't scared of the dark, but she sure didn't want her granddaughter walking into an unwelcoming house.

"Want to come in? Mama has an amazing collection of gourmet coffees from around the world."

Calvin shifted into park, the dash lights casting shadows across his face.

"Mama, who couldn't start her day without two cups of Maxwell House coffee?"

"What can I say? The Internet has expanded her horizons." Bennie waited, her breath caught just a little in her chest. She wasn't quite ready to say goodnight to him. She didn't even know why. He wasn't home on leave. This wasn't a quick visit on his way to someplace else. The Army had assigned him here, and he would be here tomorrow and next week and next year. She could thank him for dinner tonight and spend more time with him tomorrow.

Or lure him inside tonight. Or both.

"Does she still sleep like a rock?"

"It's like all switches are off. She doesn't hear anything, see anything, feel anything."

"Then coffee sounds good."

Whew. Relief. Bennie climbed out and closed the door as carefully as she had at the restaurant. She half expected parts to fall of it the moment she exerted any real force on it, and Calvin would never let her forget that she'd damaged his ride.

Just like she would never let him forget that it was a public health nuisance and should be put out of its misery immediately.

They went inside quietly. She kicked off her shoes and went barefooted into the kitchen, flipping on the overhead light and taking three large metal baskets from the countertop. "They're divided by continent," she said quietly. "Central and South America are what we typically associate with coffee, the African beans are a little more exotic, and the Asian beans are the most complex flavors."

"I'll try something Asian." Calvin stepped back to glance around the room.

"Nothing's changed in here."

Bennie selected an African blend for herself, then measured water from a bottle in the fridge to pour into the machine. "Uh, yeah, one thing has. She traded her black dishwasher for a stainless one."

His brow wrinkled. "I don't remember her having a black dishwasher—" At the appearance of her grin, he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that old model used to whine a lot."

After a moment, a heavenly rich flavor began rising from the coffeemaker.

"'The best part of waking up,'" Calvin sang off-tune.

"That's Gran's Folgers. And Maxwell House was always—"

"'Good to the last drop,'" they said in unison before laughing, then abruptly shushing themselves.

Bennie didn't know what prompted her. Maybe it was all the memories she and Calvin shared. Maybe it was something about the complications between them that wanted to be made simple. Maybe it was nothing more than the fact that it was Friday and she was on a date and the hunger in her belly had been satisfied and she was feeling more like her old self than she had in a very long while.

Whatever the reason, when she turned to get the sugar and found herself standing only a few tiny inches from Calvin, she just naturally closed that distance and lifted her mouth to his.

She kissed him. Oh, God, she was kissing him, and he was kissing her back. Never in her whole life had she even imagined locking lips with her best old bud. Never in her whole life could she have imagined it would feel so incredibly right. Perfect. As if nothing stood between them—no past, no disagreements, no J'Myel. As if they existed, had always existed, only for this moment.




GIVEAWAY DETAILS: 

This tour-wide giveaway has two chances for you to win. To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during this launch day blitz. Do you enjoy stories that have a military tie-in? Have you read any of Marilyn’s books?

a Rafflecopter giveaway