I’m it!
One of my new favorite authors, A.G. Henley, tagged me in a game of blog hop. What is blog hop, you ask? (Okay, maybe you didn't ask, but let’s just pretend you did). Author Shel Delisle, describes the idea as “ a lot of authors getting together to share their readers and to help them to find other great authors to read.” So below are ten questions about my book The Breeders. Enjoy!

What is the working title of your book?
The Breeders, obviously, but I’ll tell you my book didn't always go by that title. For many months is was... wait for it... Not if you were the Last Girl on Earth. It’s a mouthful I know, but I thought myself rather witty and cute. However, the tone of my book is neither witty, nor cute and when Michael Neff of the Algonkian Pitch Conference said it had to go, I knew he was right. That night, in a strange apartment in New York City with my new friend A.B. Riddle by my side, I came up with The Breeders and it stuck. (Consequently, Michael didn't like that one either. He wanted Girl Farm. Really? Girl Farm?)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I love this story in the way it illustrates how the best ideas come to you when you aren't looking for them. I was in my car alone (which doesn't happen all that often) and the Rihanna song came on the radio. She sang, “Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world.” I got to thinking, “Wow. The only girl in the world? I don’t think that would be as romantic or sexy as Rihanna’s song makes it out to be.” My mind unraveled from there.

What genre does your book fall under?
It’s a YA Dystopian Adventure. Also, kind of a western, but don’t let that scare you.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is exciting to think about. However, I am terrible with young actor/actresses names, so bear with me.

Riley- How about Vanessa Hudgens with a pixie cut and baggy clothes. It would have to be an actress with a really beautiful face, because she’d have to spend a lot of her time dressed like a boy.

Clay - This is a hard one. Sexy, rugged cowboy with dark hair and blue eyes. Hmm. How about Liam Hemsworth? He’s nice on the eyes. 











What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
In a post-apocalyptic America that resembles a New Wild West, sixteen year old Riley must save herself and her family from The Breeders, a group of doctors who use horrific science experiments to bolster the dwindling female population. 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-pubbed and proud of it. 

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first draft? Three months. The revisions? Fifteen more. 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Blood Red Road by Moira Young. My good friend and writing buddy, emailed me one day to say she read a book that was very similar to mine. When I bought it, I was a little freaked out. Strong female protagonist set in a dusty, barren, dystopian society and a family member is taken that she must rescue. Yikes. Luckily that is where the similarities end and I really enjoyed the book once I got over the tough dialect. (I know, mine has dialect, too. Maybe one more similarity.)

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I was finishing up my one and only attempt at a Adult novel and I had just read and loved the heck out of the first Hunger Games book. Good books inspire me to write. It’s something that I hope my work can do for people someday. 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
This review from an unsolicited top reviewer on Amazon. When I saw she gave me five stars and said I should be published, I nearly did a back-flip. Good thing I didn't or I would still be in a cast. 

And now, to tag several more awesome YA authors to join the blog hop – you’re it!

Karen Amanda Hooper
Amy Grossklaus
Crystalla Thoma

Highly successful indie author Rebecca Hamilton joins me today to talk about the occult, "New Adult" literature and bullying. Please welcome Rebecca Hamilton!

Katie: The Forever Girl focuses on the occult, something I haven't seen lately in young adult literature. What made you pick that as your subject material? 

Rebecca: Well, occult is one of those words I think are off-putting for some, as it sounds like "cult" (especially when you have a character who practices Wicca). Mind you, I don't think Wicca is a cult, I just realize that's a common misconception. 

However, Occult and cult have two different meanings. In fact, occult is really just another word for "supernatural". So when you think of it that way, there are a lot of young adult novels that are written about the occult. As for books written with Wiccan characters, there may be fewer of those in young adult fiction because we live in a society that is mostly Christian's who don't approve of "witchcraft" of which they include Wicca. (It's important to note that many Wiccans see Wicca and Witchcraft after separate practices, while others see the terms as inter-changable).

All that said, my novel isn't intended for young adults. It's intended for new adults (20-something-year-olds). This has more to do with content and character than to do with the Wiccan elements.


Katie: Your novel flirts the line between young adult and adult, using a twenty-two year old protagonist and some strong language. What are the benefits from straddling age groups? Any drawbacks? 

Rebecca: Yes, the novel does flirt the line between young adult and adult, which is what I intended for the new adults audience. The benefits have been that I have reached an age group that is in need. There's a lot of fiction for YA's out there and a lot of fiction for the 30+ crowd. This leads some 20-something-year-olds to read young adult books as adults, or to find it difficult to find adult books that interest them. In this way, The Forever Girl meets a demand. The other benefit is that some of the more mature young adults have read my book and that some older adults who are young at heart have enjoyed my book as well.

As for drawbacks, yes, a few. I get the people who assume the book is young adult and therefore inappropriate as well as those who assume the book is adult and therefore immature. In the end, however, I wanted to stay true to my main character. She's twenty-two and going through some twenty-two-year-old things. Of course, she's also going through some things most people will never go through as well.


Katie: We hear all the time that paranormal romance is dead. Do you find that readers are still seeking out books in that genre? 

Rebecca: I have heard that, but from what I can see, it's still alive. I think when they say a genre is dead, what they really mean is, "It WAS the top fad, but it's not anymore." Which doesn't really mean it's dead. It just means it's no longer the hottest genre on the market.


Katie:  You seem to be quite successful in marketing. Tell us your secrets. Which marketing techniques were the most successful? Which, in retrospect, weren't? 

Rebecca: I wish I knew. My book did really well early on, but over the summer, things died down a great deal. Maybe that is because I started homeschooling my kids, and so I had less time to be available to my fans and run promotions. Marketing seems to be about being everywhere at once, about being able to do the work of ten people for one product. Mostly, though, when I was marketing, what worked best for me was giveaways. Lots and lots of giveaways. I also tweet and Facebook about my book, and that includes having some games to keep people entertained.

Cheryl Abbott’s debut, REM, is an interesting take on dreams and the ability to enter dreams of others. Bradalynn Collier is haunted by nighttime visions and disturbing images in other people’s dreams. Each night she finds herself thrust into the unconscious minds of those around her. Obviously, this wreaks havoc on her psyche, making her restless, tired and afraid to go to sleep. Then she meets the mysterious Alexander, an Edward Cullen archetype without the fangs and pasty skin. Drawn to Alex, Brady finds herself seeking him out and wondering about his enigmatic and seemingly absent parents. When Brady starts wandering into Alex’s dreams and sees the darkness lurking there, she realizes there is more to this boy than meets the eye. The two embark on a relationship that strains the bonds of friendship she has built with her friend, Doug. Brady is then put to the test to see if she has what it takes to control her abilities and protect those she loves. 

The concept for REM is an interesting one. What if you could enter people’s dreams, know their inner-most secrets? Yet, Brady seems a reluctant hero for quite a while. She is sympathetic and likable. She clearly cares about her brothers and mother and is drawn (aren’t we all?) to the mysteriously handsome new boy at school. The plot moved solidly along, and though there were times where I longed for the pace to pick up a bit, I never stopped reading. Alex is appropriately sexy and cloaked in mystery. Doug, the valiant friend, plays his role well, too. And I found the ending to be intriguing, making me wonder what Abbott might have in store next for our characters.

I hope that in upcoming sequels that Brady really explores the depth and breadth of her power. There are vast dream worlds to explore and I would have loved to see more of that in this novel. I have a feeling, Abbott is keeping that rabbit under her sleeve for the next installment. I also longed for an antagonist to appear sooner in the story. I’ve always heard the fifty page rule for the major conflict to appear and REM stretches that a bit. Overall, REM is a solid, enjoyable story, that brings some fresh air to a tired genre and is worth the three dollar price tag.

You can find REM here. 
You can find Cheryl Abbott here. 

When I saw the cover art for The Scourge at the bottom of my own novel's “Customers who bought this item also bought...” page, I knew I wanted to read it. The haunting description of Fennel, a sightless girl who must be the water bearer for her people during the time of the scourge drew me in. The scourge are basically zombies-- humans turned flesh-eaters who attack the healthy, turning them sick as well. For some reason the scourge do not attack the sightless, so Fennel is tapped to take an agonizing walk down to the water through the throng of fleshies everyday. 

Then enter Peree, a tree-dwelling hunter, who has been given the task of being her keeper. Peree is her eyes while she slips through the masses of sick ones. Fennel's people and Peree's people live in an uneasy alliance. Yet, somehow these two find an instant connection, one that worries both of them. Groundies and Lofties do not mix. Fennel agonizes over the bond that grows between her and Peree. 

When the scourge doesn't leave after a few days as expected, Fennel's people get desperate. Fennel volunteers to search for the Hidden Waters supposedly buried deep within the safety of their  caves. Peree slips away to guide her. The two embark on a nail-biting journey through pitch-black caves where they are tested to the core of their being. 

I was instantly jealous of the premise of this novel. What can be more terrifying than walking into a mob of flesh-eating monsters with no sight? Henley is a master of upping the terror, bringing us in to Fennel's haunting journey to the water hole. And here's the amazing thing, Henley cannot employ any visual imagery. No visual imagery! It's amazing. I was expecting the book to flounder and die in a sightless world, but no. As a reader, I got used to wandering around a world without vision. Somehow Henley uses surrounding sounds, smells and touch to make a world as vivid as any with sight. I was in awe of how easily she accomplished something that even master writers would not attempt. 

I went online to look for a publisher for the novel. I was sure because of the quality that it had been picked up by one of the big six. However, I was surprised to learn it is self-published. There are gems out there in the self-published arena and this is one of them. I highly recommend this book to fans of speculative Young Adult fiction. You won't be disappointed. 

You can find The Scourge here. 
You can find A.G. Henley here.  


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Reviews have caused quite a stink in the writing community lately. In the span of a few weeks there were two scandals. The first involved Todd Rutherford of the former GettingBookReviews.com and his paid reviews system. The article in the New York Times  went on to claim that one third of all reviews on Amazon were fake, bought and paid for, leaving everyone to wonder if any customer review should be trusted ever again. 

The backlash to this caused many customers to believe only the lowest reviews, surmising that because it is a bad review it has to be correct. However, the next scandal put that theory to test when E.J. Elroy was exposed for using “sock puppets” or pseudonyms on Amazon and other reviews sites to bash his opponents and praise his own work. Elroy, a bestselling British author, admitted the act and apologized, but the backlash to this dishonesty has just dumped more doubt on Amazon reviews across the board. How many authors used this tactic and just haven’t been caught? How can we believe any review we read ever again? 

Amazon is reacting, clamping down on its policies-- advertising when someone uses their real name, letting us know that they have a confirmed purchase of a book. However, those will not stop someone determined to trick the system. So, what can a book buying fanatic like myself do? How can we deal with the rampant lies slathered across our Amazon review pages? How will we ever know if a book is good enough to purchase?  My personal opinion is we do absolutely nothing.

I’ve spend a lot of time perusing Amazon books in the genre in which I write. Almost all of them carry a rating of around 4 to 4.5 star rating. All of them. So the star ratings don’t sway me. The number of reviews may peek my interest, letting me know that many have purchased this book instead of few, but usually that means little as well. I may read a few of the top reviews (even though I have no idea if they were written by the author’s mother or an honest reviewer) or I may not. What I mainly consider is if I like the cover and the blurb, if the story calls to me in some deep down, gut wrenching way, if the characters seem to pop off the page and if the setting is spellbinding. If those things are there, then I’ll buy it, reviews be damned. 

There will always be rule breakers. There will always be those who try to cheat the system. I don’t think Amazon can create a filter that will stop the pin heads of the world. But in the end, giving yourself good reviews can’t make you write. That takes grit, determination and thousands of hours at the keyboard. No sock puppet will get you there.