Oh, Hello!

I live! Yes, I live! :)

Recently, I received word that there has been some concern about my welfare. And in turn, whether or not Walking in Shadow would ever be published. I have surfaced to let everyone know that YES, I am well...and YES, Walking in Shadow will be published. Unfortunately, as you know, I'm far behind schedule with it...and unfortunately, it will be a while longer before it's ready to hit the airwaves and go live. There are a myriad of reasons, but I won't offer any excuses. I'm struggling with it. Alas, the good news is that I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I can't tell you how excited I am for everyone to read it. I won't make any promises about a release date (boy did I learn my lesson about that the last time), but I wanted to let all of you know that it's coming, albeit slowly -- It's COMING. I apologize for the wait; I know it sucks. I've been there as a reader and I would want to throttle an author for missing a promised publication date.

Again, I'm sorry.

I really hope y'all can hang in there with me.

For now, here's a teeny tiny snip -- It may or may not end up in the actual book, but that's yet to be seen. :)

Enjoy!

WALKING IN SHADOW

Ty’s window appeared dark from a distance, but as I drew near, I made out a weak light coming from behind his curtains.

There wasn’t much cover in his yard. I settled for a spot just inside the tree line and hunched down beside the trunk of a maple. The sky held only the faintest light from the setting sun, and the encroaching darkness would provide more than enough cover.

I settled into the spot and closed my eyes, focusing hard on the house before me—trying to pluck out the various sounds from within. To decipher and catalog them. Silly as it was, I imagined a periscope in my mind. One I could use to locate and focus on different things.

I did a sweep of the house, first locating Ty’s mother in the kitchen. There came with her the clatter of cutlery and dishes. I quickly decided she was cleaning up after their evening meal. No real guess work in that since I could see her pass by the kitchen windows.

Score zero for me.

Using her location, I focused on other parts of the house.

A sheen of perspiration broke out across my forehead. I wiped it away with the sleeve of my coat. This was harder than I anticipated, and it was only after several minutes of fierce concentration that I was able to push past the noises Mrs. O’Neill was making to other parts of their house. At last, I picked up what sounded like the slow crackle of pages being turned. The faint creak of…

Just then, Mrs. O’Neill dropped something in the kitchen and my concentration broke.

Swearing under my breath, I dug my fingernails into my palms and once again tried to push past her. This time I was able to focus again on the turning pages and stay there. Along with that, I heard the deep breathing of a male and the minute shifting of…leather. Someone was sitting in a leather chair. That was the creaking I heard.

Mr. O’Neill, likely working from home.

I exhaled and pulled back, surprised by how exhausted this one small feat had left me. A headache pounded at my temples; I took a few even breaths before beginning the next leg of my experiment.

Glancing up at Ty’s window, I grimaced. To say I felt shitty about spying on his parents would be putting it mildly. Spying on Ty himself was pushing past my moral limit. I reminded myself that this would be for his own good. A mild reassurance at best.

Before I could back out, I closed my eyes and concentrated on his room.

Please God, don’t let him being doing anything I can’t handle knowing about.

It was easier to focus without other people between us, their sounds bleeding into his. There was a soft thumping noise coming from his room. Evenly spaced, cushioned. I glanced up at his window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him as he paced back and forth. No such luck. The curtains shielded him from view.

He was agitated about something. He always paced when he had things on his mind. Unfortunately, I had a sinking feeling that I was the source of said agitation.

I don’t know what I hoped to discover by listening to him, but I found the sounds of him moving around up there soothing. If I expected him to phone Melanie, or vice versa—which, honestly, I had sort of hoped he would so I could listen in, even if it was only a one-sided conversation—I was disappointed. His phone didn’t ring and he made no move to call anyone.

The only thing that showed promise was when he suddenly stomped over to the window and drew back his curtains with a soft rustle. From where I sat I had a clear view of him. I crouched low to the ground and held my breath. There was no way he wouldn't be able to see me from that vantage point.

After no sirens went off, I dared to look up.

Ty stood staring toward my bedroom window, his lips turned down in a frown. After a moment, the curtains dropped back into place and he resumed pacing, his steps quicker now.

Just before I turned to move back towards my house, I heard him mutter two small words under his breath.

“Dammit, Mac.”

By the Pale Moonlight Is Now Available!

It's here! It's here! :)

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

If you don't have an eReader and would like to purchase a copy, never fear. All of these sites have free eReaders that you can download to your PC or smart phone. If you have any trouble, just let me know. Thanks!

I'll be announcing other distributors as they come available. And soon, very soon..the paperback editions will be available!

Go forth and spread the word. :)

And it's not too late to enter into the CONTEST to win one of two free digital copies. You have until 6PM TONIGHT. At that time, I'll announce the winners... Never fear, though. All entries roll over into the next leg--winners to be announced on Halloween night. At that time, I'll be giving away two copies of the paperback edition. So JOIN NOW. Enter as many times as you can. :)

WHOOT!!! :)

Have I Mentioned...

....I've got my BY THE PALE MOONLIGHT cap on right now?

I do. I love it. I've missed it. I'm so glad to be back with Ty and Mac for a while.

I’m Buggin’

So, I provided that great link to Courtney Summer's post, in which she debunked several myths about writing YA. The comments have taken an interesting turn, and I really just need to vent for a moment.

When I first started BTPM, I have to admit that I was a little…rusty when it came to young adult novels. Mostly, I moved forward by following my gut and relying on what dim recollections I had of the YA's I read as a teen. It probably wasn't until 3-4 months later that I really started diving into reading many, many YA's. (I have to say, I became a bit hooked! LOL. I probably buy YA's 2 to 1 over adult novels. The stacks I have waiting to be read are out of control.)

Along the way, I discovered tons of great authors, many of whom really push the boundaries of what some people perceive as "acceptable" reading material for teens. They cover a great range of topics—from incest, sexual/physical abuse, rape, sex in general, cutting, eating disorders, to racism and peer pressure—the list goes on. And I have to tell you, they didn't cut corners. If their stories called for harsh language or explicit details, they went for it. They didn't bow down to "convention" that says you can't use the word Fuck in a young adult novel, and they didn't shy away from writing about topics that a lot of freaked out parents would like to sweep under the carpet.

Psst! *waves you over* Did you know that if you don't write about sex, teens won't have it?! I'm totally serious.

I mean…COME ON, PEOPLE. Pull your heads out of the sand.

And whatever some people might think, I am NOT endorsing going hog wild and writing the next hardcore porn for teens. What I am endorsing are books that provide teenagers with a realistic view of the world. If you're going to go there, let your story dictate what devices you need to employ in order to tell it. The reality of life is this: teenagers have sex. They use drugs, they deal with tough issues that come along and smack them in the faces. It isn't all rainbows and unicorns. (And no, I'm in no way trying to discount stories that involve a touch of fairy dust and magic. I write about werewolves for pete's sake.) All I'm saying is that teens are a lot sharper than we give them credit for. And in this world, the more knowledge they have, the better prepared they will be to make the right choices for themselves when—NOT IF—they face one of the aforementioned situations.

Since I wrote BTPM, the YA projects I've contemplated and/or started have gotten darker. The latest, STOLEN is extremely dark, and I just can't shy away from writing it. I think it's an important book. I really hope others see the merit in it, even if it includes things none of us really want to think about.

Books do not endorse a way of life. They portray one. And unless we want to completely do a disservice to teens around the world, we have to trust that they're more than just mere automatons that become what they read.

Good grief.

*steps off her soapbox*

Go, Courtney!

A great post by Courtney Summers about Four Myths of Writing YA.

Glad someone said it aloud. :)

High School Confidential

If you write YA, you NEED to watch this show. Anyone who constantly asks YA authors to dumb down their books -- who claim teenagers are unable to relate to mature themes -- ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to watch this show.

In case you don't know what it's all about, it's a reality show, following 12 girls through all four years of high school. You literally get to see them grow up on screen. (Didn't they do this where they followed several adults every five years or something?) Anyway -- I thought it was a brilliant concept.

I'm completely disappointed that I've missed the first two episodes -- only catching the third tonight by chance. I remember seeing the advertising and thinking I needed to watch it. But life got in the way and I completely forgot. SO glad I stumbled upon an episode tonight.

Tonight's episode dealt with a young girl who was diagnosed with ADD, suffered from depression, and was eventually forced to go to an alternative school that could better fit her needs. She became sexually active, had a pregnancy scare, an actual pregnancy followed by a miscarriage...the list goes on.

One thing that struck me about her was that she had to be one of the most articulate teens I've ever seen. I sat there listening to her, and wanted to shout to all the naysayers of "advanced vocabulary" in YA's that THIS GIRL...THIS GIRL would get it. THIS GIRL speaks like my characters do.

It totally reinforced why I love YA. Her passion for life...wow, it was just amazing. And despite everything she'd gone through--all of the mistakes she had made--all of the hurtles she'd had to get past--she just kept bouncing back. It all serves to remind me how little credit is given to the experiences teens face today.

Inspiring. Truly.