YA Indie Carnival ~ Writer Resolution

Mine is super simple... I resolve to just keep writing! Here is a list of the books I have planned for the coming year:

Forever is my next finished work. This book completes Danielle and Ethan's story. (And here are two preview shots of the cover! I haven't decided which one I like best yet. The center solar flare or the side solar flare. Which one do you prefer? And can you find the pixies?)

Danielle and Ethan may have solved their problem with vampires, but other magical beings have taken interest in the ones who discovered the cure. On the run trying to escape a gaggle of evil pixies, a clan of creepy werewolves, a coven or two of wicked witches, and a school of lovely but naughty mermaids, they fight to have a normal life with the aid of slightly dishonest fairies and flirtatious vampire bodyguards. The end of Celeste and Lucas will be revealed, as well as how Ethan and Danielle recognized each other...and how they finally get their happily forever after.

I know you'll miss these two characters. However, two novellas will come out to supplement the Fateful series. Max and Nadia, and Beon and Sophia will get their stories... One will take place in a historical setting, the other will start out historical and move into modern times. Richard will likely get his own novella as well, and if  you keep asking for more...I'll probably keep going....

Before those novellas, though, I'll release Sophia’s Cookbook for Mortals ~ A fun recipe book featuring recipes Sophia likes to mess up her apron with.

Christian and Tessa from Fair Maiden will get a novella about their wedding since many of you asked for that.

Following that, will be The Trapping club (A sequel to Fair Maiden) ~ Beginning with a magical masquerade and a kidnapping, The Trapping club is the tale of second sons as they struggle for survival in a society that leaves such forgotten. Those who’ve read the first book will be surprised to find that the hero of this next enchanting tale is the brother of the villain in Fair Maiden, and the heroine will be a grown-up Emma...

Book 3 in the Fair Maiden series, is titled The Mistaken Reformer. Peter, Christian’s brother, will be the hero and the heroine is still a mystery as of yet...

And somewhere in the middle of all of this, I'll release The Fairy Ring Enchantment ~ This is the first story I dreamed about, thinking it would be a short picture book. But when I started writing, it was turning into a novel. With no plans of becoming a writer, I was extremely confused by that. I never thought I'd have a novel in me. This is a story about fair rings and why you shouldn’t step inside them...

Thanks for visiting my blog and don't forget to enter my New Year Giveaway Hop in the post right below this one. And if you'd like to check out more awesome books from my fellow carnis please go here.

YA Indie Carnival ~ On The Rise ~ Why do you love YA Fantasy?

Of course I have my own ideas as to why this genre is growing like mad. I feel YA Fantasy gives us a mental break from daily life. I feel it crosses over well because there seems to be a gap in the market for clean, or mostly clean romance. I know not all YA is clean, but it does tend to be cleaner than most adult. I think the popular YA movies are part of this too, it seems like people want movies they can take the whole family to, and maybe it's the same way with books? Anyway, that's just my opinion, but I'm curious about what your reasons are for reading YA fantasy/romance. So post a comment and tell me!!! Especially if you're not technically a young adult any longer, like me. :D

Why do you love YA Fantasy so much?
Is it because you're still young at heart?
Or is it because you feel YA tends to be cleaner with just enough romance to satisfy the sappy side of you?
Or is it for a completely different reason all together?
Tell me! Tell me! ;D

Don't forget the Gratitude Giveaway Hop in the post below...Win Danielle's pearl necklace as mentioned in Fateful.

Until next time, my friends! But before you leave, check out my other amazing YA Carnival friends:

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7. Lexus Luke
8. PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
10. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
12. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13. Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga
14. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15. Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
16. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
18. Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
20. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
22. Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

YA Indie Carnival ~11 Reason's Why I Love My Readers

Our theme this week is anything to do with the number 11, for obvious reasons...

Since it's November, and I'm feeling very grateful to my readers for their support, I'd like to list 11 reasons why I would like to say thank you!!!!

11~ Thank you for taking a chance on a new writer by purchasing my books.

10~ Thank you for following my blog and/or my Facebook Fan Page.

9 ~ Thank you OnyxHikari for the nice reviews you posted on your blog and MyVampFiction.com.

8 ~ I especially thank those of you who found Danielle's Facebook page and asked to be her friend.

7 ~ Thank you Wrathsqueen for posting a great review of Fateful on your blog for me.

6 ~ Thank you for posting positive reviews for me on your blogs.

5 ~ Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to post a positive review on Goodreads for me.

4 ~ I send a cyber hug your way for tweeting about me.

3 ~ Thank you for posting positive reviews for me on your blogs.

2 ~ I love and admire you for taking the time to post a positive review on Amazon for me.

1 ~ I adore you for sharing my stories with your friends.

Until next time, my friends! But before you leave, check out my other amazing YA Carnival friends:

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7. Lexus Luke
8. PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
10. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
12. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13. Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga
14. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15. Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
16. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
18. Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
20. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
22. Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

YA Indie Carnival ~ Blast From The Past and Forever Excerpt

I have the children off to school...so now I can do my post. :)

Our theme this week is about sharing our high school writings with you. Sorry, folks, I don't have any of that because I was more into art and photography back then. My past writings just don't exist any longer. But, art is still very important to me, and it's a huge reflection of who I was in high school. So today, I would like to share some of that with you.

In Fateful, a drawing like this is described:

      "Creating another sad painting, she decided it made her feel a little better. But only a little. This time a distraught fairy emerged from her pencil. The little sprite sat curled up under a brown mushroom, her arms wrapped around her bent legs, her cheek resting on her knees, and desperate tears trickled down her tiny cheeks. Even her little wings drooped sadly. Danielle understood how she felt as she filled the fairy in with the wash of soft watercolors."

As you can see, the description was based on a real piece I'd created. This was a very sad time for me. Obviously, I didn't have the same reason Danielle did for creating it, but I had been betrayed by a very close friend. I'm pretty sure I was crying as I drew and then painted it. I do feel very close to this sad little fairy because of that, and she will be framed and hung in my new home.

Here is another just for your viewing pleasure. This one hasn't been painted yet:

If you hadn't noticed, I love fairies and they have made their way into all of my finished writings so far. I don't expect that they will be in everything I write.... If you don't like fairies, then don't read the Fateful Trilogy.

In the very near future, just in time for Christmas, I plan on opening an Etsy store where you can purchase handmade items that relate to my books. These things will include: replica art, like the one above, replica jewelry, like Danielle wears in the story, bookmarks, and even an apron like Sophia's.

Of course my top priority is finishing Forever...so to treat my readers who are waiting patiently, here is another excerpt:

Chapter Two

The Things of Nightmares

“What do they eat?” Danielle asked tucking her feet beneath her and setting her untouched plate of cake on the nightstand next to the bed. She couldn’t stomach even chocolate right now. Werewolves were creepy enough and now Lucas was one of them? If they were like wolves it might not be so bad, but these things were nightmarishly frightening with distorted human faces semi-cloaked beneath a wicked-looking mask of a beast. A shudder rolled up her spine and she looked at Ethan to see if he’d noticed.

Apparently he hadn’t. He seemed really distracted, like he had the weight of dark and wicked things on his shoulders. A little sigh blew past her lips, because he probably did. Staring straight ahead like he was, she could see his profile perfectly. His golden eyebrows were drawn low over his straight nose. Wire-rimmed glasses were perched there and Danielle’s mouth wanted to smile at how handsomely adorable he was with them on. She preferred him this way, slightly blind, and completely normal.... But her smile never made it to her lips because his mouth was pursed with deep thoughts—thoughts that were likely tormenting his peace of mind. His usually calm, blue-eyed gaze reflected the distress within. Again she wondered if he regretted the return to weak-mortal-ness, even though he’d been the one to first partake of the candy before prompting her to follow. He dragged a hand through his blond hair which needed a trim and hung into his eyes until he pushed it back. After a long pause, Ethan finally answered her question. “During a full moon? Flesh ... probably.”

“You don’t know for sure?” she asked, trying not to let what he just said totally freak her out.

His eyes shifted to hers. “No. Their kind is even more reclusive than fairies are.”

Danielle turned away from the upsetting things she could see within his expression, and nudged the plate of cake out of the way as she reached for her tea. Maybe that would help settle her stomach, because it was churning at the idea of Lucas with a whole mouthful of pointy teeth instead of just a pair of fangs. He’d been scary enough as a vampire, and now he was something she knew very little about. A sip of creamy peach liquid filled her mouth and then slid down her throat as she swallowed. “Then how can we fight them?” she asked. Danielle decided the tea was helping a little and took another sip, watching the little rosebud painted inside it disappear as she rocked the cup level again.

“It doesn’t seem like they can do anything to vampires. We’ve fought them before, as you know, and none of us were affected adversely. I suppose it could be due to the fact that the curses were placed by different sorceresses.”

“Hmm,” she murmured as she drank, again watching for the pink rosebud with green leaves inside her cup.

“I love watching you do that.”

Startled by the sudden change in topic she looked at Ethan, who was smiling. “Do what?”

“Watch for the flower.” When she wrinkled her brow at him, confused, he added, “The one inside your teacup.”

While rounding, her eyes swung back as the flower in question disappeared halfway below the liquid line. “You noticed I do that?” Had she even noticed she did that?

He popped a few pieces of popcorn in his mouth and said around it, “I noticed that, and the fact that you’re not really paying any attention to the picture.”

With eyes returning to the television, she figured it had been playing for a while and she had no idea what was going on. Is that what he’d been so focused on earlier? Somehow she doubted it. On a sigh she said, “I need to know more about them, more about what to expect from Lucas now.”

Until next time, my friends! But before you leave, check out my other amazing YA Carnival friends:

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Darby Karchut, author of GRIFFIN RISING
7. Lexus Luke
8. PJ Hoover, Author of SOLSTICE, Blogging at ROOTS IN MYTH
9. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
10. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
11. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
12. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
13. Courtney Cole, author of The Bloodstone Saga
14. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
15. Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
16. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
17. M. Leighton, Blood Like Poison Series, Madly, The Reaping
18. Abbi Glines, author of Breathe and The Vincent Boys
19. Kimberly Kinrade, Bits of You & Pieces of Me, Forbidden Mind
20. Madeline Smoot, Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
21. Cidney Swanson, author of Rippler
22. Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden, Falling Eden
23. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter

Library Drive & Giveaway ~ Win signed copies of the Fateful Trilogy. YES, this includes Forever!!!

This giveaway will run from October 20th-November 20th.

To Enter:
Like my Facebook fan page and be entered in a giveaway for me to donate books to your local library! Just so I know you're entering, please post a comment on my Facebook page and share it with your friends. Together we can make my books available to thousands who don't have a budget for buying books.

Note:
This giveaway is open to my international readers too! Also, I don't know if all libraries will accept my book, even as donations. I don't really know how the process works, but we'll try it anyway...and learn as we go!

Prizes:
The grand prize is for signed copies of all three books in the Fateful Trilogy, and unsigned copies of the same three books sent to your local library. (You'll be one of the first to get Forever in print when it's available! But Fateful and Fractured will arrive first, because Forever isn't quite finished yet.)

Plus I'll award two runner-up prizes where I'll donate a paperback copy of Fateful or Fair Maiden to your local library. You'll need to get the mailing address and phone number of your library to me for this.

Obviously I can't afford to donate my books to every library in existence...I need your help! To get printed copies of any of my books in your library, you must go in and request they carry books by Cheri Schmidt. Give them the link  for my Createspace Estore if they can't find the books through their usual channels. I'll give discounts on books to Libraries from my estore, or from The Book Depository for international libraries.

On Createspace:
Fair Maiden~ https://www.createspace.com/3620048
Fateful~ https://www.createspace.com/3598687
Fractured~  https://www.createspace.com/3675647

On The Book Depository:
Fair Maiden~ http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fair-Maiden-Cheri-Schmidt/9781463531980
Fateful~ http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fateful-Cheri-Schmidt/9781461103998
Fractured~ Soon


And...help me get my EBOOKS into libraries too! Many libraries have ebook lending capability now through www.overdrive.com. Check with your local library to see if they have it. Sadly, my ebooks are not yet listed on Overdrive. So go to your local library and request that they carry ebooks by Cheri Schmidt. They'll need to contact Overdrive on their own per your request.

My ebooks and printed books are available via the web from Barnes & Noble, Amazon USA, UK, France, and Germany. Printed copies are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Createspace. Availability will soon be at: Kobo, The Book Depository and other places soon to be announced. As soon as I have those worked out, I'll update this post... (Update: Two of my books are available from The Book Depository at discounted rates and with free shipping. If you'd like to purchase, or have your library purchase them for you, go to this link or share it with your library: http://www.bookdepository.com/search/advanced?searchAuthor=Cheri+Schmidt )

YA Indie Carnival ~ My Best Fan Experience...And a Forever Update.

My best fan experience would probably have to be getting to know my first blind reader when she requested my third book, which wasn't available on Smashwords yet. Here is what she said on my Facebook Fan page:

"Hi Cheri! I just wanted to tell you I really like your books! Are you going to put Fair Maiden on Smashwords? I really think you should. I like them because I'm blind and I can read your books in several different formats, even on my computer in braille. Thanks very much! I can't wait to read your next books!" ~Heather

In truth, I consider EVERY positive review one of the best experiences from my readers. Each one comes at at time when I really need to be uplifted. THANK YOU  for taking the time to post your good reviews for me on Amazon, Goodreads, and B&N!!!! It means a lot to me.... Anyway, I just have to share some of my favorites with you:

One of my all time favorites from Santiago Chile:
"I REALLY enjoyed this book. I loved it! It was very well written. I am constantly on the look out for a really good story, with great characters, well developed plot and of course a melt your heart romance. Believe me it doesn't happen often. But I was soooo happy to find Fateful met and exceeded all of my criteria. I'm still smiling about it :). O.k as for the comments that it is a Twilight copy. Please. Yes there are some similarities. There is a vampire who is good, who falls in love with a human and there are some bad vampires. And that's about it. Everything else (which there is a lot more) is not only unique to Fateful but makes it so much more and different than anything else out there. Lastly, for all of us thousands of readers who were searching for something as good (if not better) to read after Twilight. This is IT!" ~Malomia

From my blog:
I love both of the books. I am so glad youre continuing this series with a third book. I can't wait by the way! I have re-read both of the books twice and loved them just as much as I did the first time. Any ideas when the third one might be out? Also, I would love to see your books into a movie. And I dont see why not since Amanda Hocking got her Trylle Trilogy in the works. I feel Fateful is just as good if not better. ~Ryadne24

A new one that I loved:
"I was a little skeptical at first that this would be a Twilight knock-off. But I enjoyed the twists and differences. The way I see it I will read all types of romantic books that all have the same plot just with different twists. This is what this book is. The writing is well done. I could not put the book down. I was on vacation at the time of reading and I was desperately looking for internet to download the next book "Fractured" to my kindle. If you like vampire romance, this is definitely an excellent book for you." ~Jc22

Another new one:
This book is a phenomenal paranormal young adult read. The reader will love Ethan and Danielle's developing relationship, it's actually believable-a rarity in teen novels. Danielle is sweet and caring, though she can be a tad impulsive. Ethan is protective, strong, and charismatic. The two balance each other out perfectly and the reader will be rooting for them throughout the novel. There is a part, towards the beginning, that will remind the reader of Twilight; however, that notion is quickly dispelled. The events are fast-paced and range from detailed to fast-paced, the plot was certainly fun to read, and the characters are very likable. ~Chels

From a book blogger who reviewed both Fateful and Fractured, so I'm sharing part of each:
This book had that old-time romance feel in a modern world. It is saccharine with a little bit of danger lurking around each corner. I did like the story and the writing and the first romance aspect of it all and the, oh so rare chivalrous beau we all hoped to find. I would like to have known more about Lucas, Lilith & Benjamin but then again, maybe that will come up later, the vampire curse still holds some mystery to it and there is a lot of possibility to where Ethan and Danielle’s relationship will go. Anyway, it was an entertaining read and I really felt like drinking tea for some reason while reading this. I mean I downed tea like crazy.

Wow! I just finished Fractured and am impressed.... The attacks on the two just escalate and their future together is rushed as they plan on being married. Then just one thing after another happens and everything seems so dire. Anyway, I like this story, it has that old-fashioned air to it that gave a wonderful tone to the world of Ethan and Danielle. I love mortal Ethan, he takes full advantage of life and loves every aspect of it, even his flaws are endearing and he continues his unwavering affection for Danielle. With immortals and creatures constantly after them they had some difficult decisions to make, some of them may have been made to rashly but that always makes the story more interesting. I like the writing style of the author and I can’t wait for the final book in this trilogy! ~Ramblings of a Semi-Housewife

Again, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to post a positive review for me! It's always the highlight of my day, or week, and sometimes even my month! Nothing inspires me to write faster more than good reviews, so keep them coming!

Now for updates: Forever is nearing completion, although I don't have an exact date for it's release yet. Part of the holdup is the move into a new house. As I write, I'm sitting in an office while surrounded by boxes that still need to be unpacked, but they're just sitting there because I'm too busy writing! I've been interrupted a lot by things like phone and internet installation, and it's kind of driving me a little crazy. Plus my editors have busy lives and are doing this for me on the side....I wish I could do it faster, but I strive to write the best book possible for you, and that takes time.

At the beginning of this post I mentioned that a reader had requested I get all of my books on Smashwords. Well, I just had to remove them from Smashwords. They're not responding to email quires and all of the copies of my books that have been pirated, are only the copies from Smashwords! Over six months, I've only sold 33 books there so I don't see it as worth it to have my books listed with them anymore. I am doing my best to make my books available to my international readers through: Kobo, Amazon UK, France and Germany. Printed books will soon be available internationally from www.bookdepository.co.uk/ where they offer free shipping worldwide! If you live outside of the US, please let me know of places you like to purchase your books so I can make them even more widely available. Soon, I will have a Library-Drive Giveaway to help get my books into libraries across the world for those of you who don't have a book budget. But to help me with this, contact your local library and request that they carry my books!

PS: I just had to add this...Did you know it was National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2011? As I just noted, my books from Smashwords have been illegally pirated, and while I was looking at what I could do about it, I found this. Report websites that conduct illegal ebook sharing here.

Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in the Glassheart Chronicles
Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca as well as 13 on Halloween, book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross
P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free
Heather Cashman Author of Perception
Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
K. C. Blake Author of Vampire Rules
Gwenn Wright Author of Filter
Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden Mind
Darby Karchut Author of Griffin Rising and the upcoming Griffin's Fire
Madeline Smoot Author of Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls
Heather self
M. Leighton Author of Blood Like Poison and many more.

Welcome again to YA Indie Carnival ~ Interview and Giveaway

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Dani Snell. She reviews YA books on her cool-looking blog with the equally cool name of Refracted Light. I suggest heading on over to her blog--after you read this interview first!--and clicking on "About Us" to learn about her. You'll discover why she named her blog Refracted Light in question number 5. I personally loved that part....

First the questions:

1.What first draws you to a book you’d like to read, the cover or the description?

I'd have to say probably a combination of both. The covers tend to draw me in, but if the blurb doesn't sound that interesting, I move on. But the opposite can also be true, in that the cover might not seem like anything special, but the blurb will catch a hold of me. I like to think I'm an equal opportunity book lover, and that I'll pick up a book despite it's cover, because when it all comes down to it, it's the blurb that seals the deal.

2.How many books do you, or can you, read at one time?

I cheat on my books horribly. <shhh...don't tell them.> I'll usually have a book going on Kindle, an audiobook I'm listening to, and an actual paper book that I'm reading all at once. I like being in the middle of several different stories at one time, but typically one of those will stand out and I won't be able to put it down. If that happens, I usually finish that one before continuing on with the others.

3.Who was your favorite character from the books you’ve read so far and why?

Oh boy. That's a really tough one. I can't say I have a one & only when it comes to favorite characters, there are so many that I love and for different reasons. But I'll list two....

I loved the title character of Greyfriar from Clay & Susan Griffith's The Greyfriar. I can't fully explain why I loved him because that would ruin the story, and you should definitely pick it up if you haven't read it. But in short, he's a bit of a steampunk superhero who fights to free humans from the vampire menace that plagues them. He's honorable, courageous, committed, selfless and yet also has a wonderfully vulnerable side. He's a character with a lot of depth....and goggles. Which is awesome.

My second character would be Elisa from Rae Carson's upcoming Girl of Fire and Thorns. I just really connected with Elisa's character for many reasons, her self-doubt, her ordinary appearance, her fears, and her hopes. I haven't connected with a character like that in a really long time and Carson does an amazing job of developing Elisa throughout the story and transforming her into this amazing, strong, confident woman. I just loved her journey and she was just a character that really resonated with me.

4.Within YA, what kinds of stories or genres really draw you in?

I mostly read paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi – anything that's “other.” I find when I read, I'm wanting to escape the mundane and the typical human problems that plague us all. I'd rather read about impossible odds and impossible abilities, fantastic lands and amazing and terrifying creatures, unlikely heroes and the age old struggle of good vs. evil. Recently, I've really gotten into Steampunk which is kind of Victorian-era sci-fi that runs on steam and is more mechanical in nature. Typically these worlds feature alternate histories, corsets, dirigibles (say that five times fast) and – of course – goggles. Do I own a pair of leather and brass goggles? No. Do I want to? Absolutely. Would I wear them? All. The. Time.

5.I love the title of your blog, Refracted Light. What inspired it?

Refracted Light. That was first inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's poem Mythopoeia, and I particularly loved this passage:

Man, Sub-creator, the refracted light

through whom is splintered from a single White

to many hues, and endlessly combined

in living shapes that move from mind to mind.

Though all the crannies of the world we filled

with Elves and Goblins, though we dared to build

Gods and their houses out of dark and light,

and sowed the seed of dragons, 'twas our right

(used or misused). The right has not decayed.

We make still by the law in which we're made.

I know that talking about God is not everyone's cup of tea. But I've always loved these lines as they infer God as ultimate Creator and that we as humans, follow in His example using our imaginations to create entire worlds, peoples, creatures, languages, histories and legends. We have been given an amazing gift – the ability to create. We are ourselves refractions of the brightest light and we continue to refract that light – reshape it and redirect it – as we create art in all forms, but specifically in this case, literature. So yeah, short answer: a love of reading inspired it. However, it also does double duty and combines my love of books and photography quite nicely I thought!

Now on to the giveaway! If you missed the Back to The Books giveaway, you have another chance. But I'm only giving away the eBook of Fractured in this one, so if you haven't tried Fateful, I suggest you snatch it up now. Plus, when Forever comes out sometime this month, Fateful will no longer be on sale for 99 cents.

TODAY'S GIVEAWAY: Just comment on a Q & A post ALL DAY TODAY and tweet the carnival [#yaindiecarnival] to win these ebooks from the carnival authors:

Kindle copy of The Understorey by Fisher Amelie
Kindle digitally-signed edition of Winnemucca by Laura A. H. Elliott and a Winnemucca signed Coffee Mug.
Kindle copy of Breathe by Abbi Glines along with an autographed canvas Breathe tote.
Kindle copy of Solstice by PJ Hoover
Kindle copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft
Kindle copy of PineLight by Jillian Peery
Kindle copy of Filter by Gwenn Wright.
Kindle copy of Eternal Eden by Nicole Williams
Kindle copy of Fallen Eden by Nicole Williams
Kindle copy of Soul Quest by Amy Maurer Jones
Kindle copy of Run and Hide by Patti Larsen (YA thrillers, 1 and 2 in a series of 4)
Kindle copy of Fractured by Cheri Schmidt
Kindle copy of Warriors of the Cross by T.R. Graves
Kindle copy of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Bees of St. John, Mushrooms, Whistles, and Beergarden by Rachel Coles

There's a special surprise too. Open to all 13 and over internationally. Winners will be announced September 16. Thanks for helping to celebrate two months together! See you at the carnival next Friday and good luck!

PS: The wonderful Abbi Glines interviewed me. If you'd like to see that check it out here.

Come to the carnival every Friday! (Heh...now I'm craving cotton candy....)

And the winners are...

Again, thank you to everyone who entered! Getting such a huge response kind of drove me a little crazy, because I really wanted to give everyone a prize. I'm a softy like that... But, alas, I had to narrow it down to 6 winners. I know I said just three before. It's my blog, so I can change my mind if I want! :D

One person will get their choice of book for the signed copy with the bookmark. Two or three will get an eBook, and then two or three will get a beaded bookmark.

(I'll email each winner to let them know which prize they won.) In no particular order, the winners are:

Nyaaso
Laurie
Juanna
Amy(ArtsyBookishGal)
Kimyunalesca
Lori

Sweet Saturday Samples ~ Forever, Book 3

Welcome to Sweet Saturday Samples! Please enjoy this clip from Forever, Book 3 in the Fateful series.

Told from Danielle's point of view...

She saw why as they backed toward the bed again. Pieces of wood dug into her bare feet with each painful step. Spinning away, they both dove onto the bed as a werewolf flew at the glass and crashed through it. Worse than hearing a car crash, the sound of breaking glass was followed by vicious snarls and shouts. Driven by a crazy need to see what was going on, Danielle lowered the hands she’d tossed over her face, and craned another look over her shoulder. Even obscured by the hair that had fallen over her face,  she could see the beast had landed in their bedroom, its knees bending with the impact before straightening, its spine uncurling as it rose upright. It shook like a dog trying to dry itself. Danielle threw an arm over her face again. Shards of glass showered the room like droplets of rock-solid water, clinking against anything hard it hit. Danielle felt a few pieces hit her, but it seemed they didn’t hit hard enough to do more damage than a few minor abrasions.

(If you haven't read the Fateful series yet, get them by clicking on the pictures below. Or enter my giveawy in the previous post)






For more Sweet Saturday Samples go here or click on one of the links below. (Please note that all of these samples are copyrighted by the authors and can't be copied or distributed without the author's written permission.)

Another Sample of Forever, Book3 in the Fateful Trilogy

Welcome to Sweet Saturday Samples! The last excerpt of Forever was so popular, I decided to gift you with another. If I gain a lot of blog followers from this, then I'll likely post a few more clips...maybe....

Told from Danielle's point of view:

A pleased smile captured his lips as he braced his hands on the trees at either side of her and leaned toward her for a kiss. She could see her reflection in his glasses as well as the flirtatious twinkle in his eyes. But instead of matching his mouth with hers, he shoved her backward into the leaves and bluebells and landed on top of her. “What—?” was all she managed as the air whooshed out of her lungs before one of the guards shouted, “Pixies!”

That’s when she realized Ethan hadn’t intentionally knocked her down; he’d fallen into her when Merrick shoved him down. Looking just as surprised as she was, Ethan shifted so he wasn’t squashing her with his weight but maintained a protective position above her. He also looked for his glasses which had slid off as they fell and then bounced off her cheek before tumbling into the thick undergrowth.

“Do you have salt?” Danielle asked as the little creatures entered her line of vision and their rotten-apple smell assaulted her nose.

When he jammed his hand into his pocket and tossed what looked like white particles of granular snow at a swarm of sharp-toothed and snapping pixies, she took that as a yes.

Ethan lifted his arms and came back down on top of her shielding her from another shower of salt thrown by the guards this time. Danielle closed her eyes as it pelted her skin not covered by Ethan.

When Ethan lowered his left hand to the ground to brace himself, lifted his head, and looked over his shoulder, she could see the guards battling against what looked like hundreds of pixies. The men tossed salt and smacked away the creatures attacking them. Merrick, who was the closest to her and Ethan, backhanded three at once as they tried to fly past him. The pixies went sailing like thin, snarling toys.

A huge crowd of them got past Merrick though. While the vampires swatted and tossed salt at the pixies, Danielle got a better view of what was attacking them. In truth, she’d never actually seen them this close up before. With their skinny bodies they looked something like stick bugs but they had little faces sort of like fairies, except a wicked twist of their lips made what could be smiles evil-looking. Instead of having brown skin, however, they were actually a pretty shade of pale-blue mixed with brown. That was the only appealing thing about pixies though. Miniature beasts closed in on them with claw-tipped hands raised and needle-sharp teeth exposed. Their smell became overpowering enough to make her sneeze. When her eyes blinked open again the pixies grabbed hold of Ethan’s backpack and pulled. Ethan let it slide free of his arms before he was dragged along with it. Danielle kicked out and managed to impact two of them, sending them flipping head over heel away from them. Ethan swung out with a fist too but they’d gone for his clothes this time and hauled him right off her.

“Ethan!” she screamed reaching for him. Danielle had no idea those things were so strong until then.

He swore and fought to get them off his clothes as his feet actually left the ground.

(If you haven't read the Fateful series yet, get them by clicking on the pictures below. Ebooks are priced at .99 and 2.99. Printed copies are around $10. Printed copies of Fractured will be availabe within the next week.)






For more Sweet Saturday Samples go here. (Please note that all of these samples are copyrighted by the authors and can't be copied or distributed without the author's written permission.)

Preview Sample of Forever, Book 3, in the Fateful Series.

Welcome to Sweet Saturday Samples! I have a treat for you if you've already read Fateful and Fractured. Please enjoy this preview of Forever, Book 3 in the Fateful series.

Told from Ethan's point of view. Hope this wets your appetite... :D

Chapter One
Full Moon

I’ll do anything to wipe that pout off her face, Ethan thought to himself as he watched Danielle wash the paint out of her paintbrush while he leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest.

Her shoulders lifted and then drooped with the troubled sigh she expelled. Moonlight filtered in through the skylight above her art studio and bathed her in silver. The lamp painted the rest of the room in gold. With her eyebrows drawn together, her thick lashes shadowing her cheeks with her downcast gaze, her soft hair caught up in a messy bun at the back of her head, and the earrings he’d given her dangling from her earlobes, she presented a portrait for Ethan that was prettier to him then the painting she’d just finished. And it was one of her better pieces. In shades of brown, cream and pale blue she’d captured another fairy in a soft wash of watercolors.

When Danielle was finished cleaning up her work, he gathered her under his arm. A little pressure on her shoulder and he had her facing him. Catching her chin on the edge of his finger, he said, “I like the fairy trapped in a jar, but she doesn’t look very happy.”

Those lashes swept up along with her chin when she looked at him. “Would you be happy if you were confined like that?”

Ethan noted the guards in his peripheral, knowing Danielle was talking about herself with that query and not the displeased little sprite in her painting. “I see your point.” He brushed the hair from her forehead. “Let’s watch that picture we rented,” he offered, hoping to distract her from the guards posted at each door and window inside their home as he steered her toward the sofa.

The pout deepened and those pretty brown eyes of hers darted to the guard near the window where the full moon was just visible beyond the sheer curtain and the man’s hulking shoulder. A twinge of jealously jabbed him in the gut even though he was fairly certain she was looking at the moon and not the handsome French bodyguard who said his name was Casanova ... Casanova, really?

Forget them, he mentally commanded and refocused on the lines of distress on Danielle’s face. He really needed to fix that. Drawing her down onto the seat next to him, he lowered his voice and muttered right next to her ear, “Forget we live in a fishbowl for an hour and a half and I’ll make popcorn.” Leaning out to make eye contact with her, he wagged his eyebrows and a shout of triumph echoed through his thoughts when she giggled at him. Her whole face lit up with the sound and he decided he’d not only do anything to wipe the pout off her face, he’d do even more to hear her laugh again, to hear her laugh more often.

Things had gone back to normal after they’d returned to being mortal. Sort of ... mostly.... Secretly he missed her need to feed from only him. The way she clung to him when she sank her little fangs into his flesh, the way she needed him, the way she still feared insects even being as dangerous as she was then. It was back to mortality for both of them, however, and he didn’t, no he couldn’t regret that. He still planned to care for her despite that modern streak of independence she had. Danielle was an intriguing bundle of contradictions. He found her fascination with all things Jane Austen charming. It was part of what drew him to her because she reminded him of his Victorian past, even in a modern world. But the fact that she could sweep his feet right out from under him in one smooth move ... well, that brought a smirk to his mouth when he thought about it. That violent side of her also drew him. Of course more than any of that was what he saw when he looked into her eyes. Their forgotten past together and the personality quirks she tried to hide from everyone else.

(If you haven't read the Fateful series yet, get them by clicking on the pictures below.)







For more Sweet Saturday Samples go here or click on one of the links below. (Please note that all of these samples are copyrighted by the authors and can't be copied or distributed without the author's written permission.)