CARRIED HOME IS PUBLISHED

Hey everyone!!! Just a quick, friendly blog post to let you know that:

CARRIED HOME IS PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm SO EXCITED, GUYS!!!!!


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WRJO0JY/


Doesn't it look so pretty on Amazon??

CARRIED HOME COVER REVEAL

I am pleased to say that I have revealed the cover art for Carried Home, sequel to Swept to Sea, which will be released and ready for you to read APRIL 28TH! I am so excited!

Here it is!

About the book: 

   The Caribbean is no place for a society lady of London, yet after a daring quest to save a friend, Lady Ivy Shaw finds herself trapped far from home.  Now, driven with worry for her young brother, she is determined to return to England in all haste. So, when a new acquaintance offers to sail her to her brother’s side, she jumps at the offer, scarcely caring that the man is a privateer.

   Captain Gage Thompson is just learning how to be a captain.  He sailed for years under the command of his longtime friend, Caspian Archer, but serving a captain and being a captain are, as he soon discovers, two very different roles. While struggling to gain the respect of his newfound crew, he now faces the distraction of beautiful Lady Shaw.  He finds himself entranced by her and promises to give her passage home.

   After a brief stop in Port Royal, Ivy and Gage discover an abandoned child. They both decide to bring her with them on their voyage to England. But problems soon arise in the form of hurricanes and enemy pirates, and Ivy and Gage find themselves scrambling to not only care for a lonely child, but also gain command of a motley crew.  

   Will love bud between Ivy and Gage as they journey home?

Here's my two babies side by side. Eden and Ivy!

Book Monday: Notes on Swept to Sea

I didn't get a chance to write a review for you today because all of last week I was reading my own Swept to Sea.


Now, I know that could sound weird. Why would I be reading my own book? Well, I was reading it to take notes. See, I don't want to mess anything up in the sequel! So, I went through the entire book and took notes on the characteristics and traits and statements of the main characters in the next book, Ivy and Gage.

Today I will give you some of the notes I took! I thought it would be fun for you to see how I'm doing this.

Ivy

• cares about Rutger's status as earl.
• is the "mother" of the trio
• likes to weigh possibilities before acting
• face turns red when she lies
• very prone to seasickness
• has reoccurring nightmares

Gage

• uses slang like "cap'n."
• always has something to be joyful for
• reliable
• likes to joke
• likes to talk
• sometimes feels like an idiot around women

These are just some notes I took. If you have read Swept to Sea, what did you think of these characters?

Catch-Up Friday: A Week of Writing

Hello, everyone!
Sorry about not having a post up yesterday.
What have I been doing this week?

On Sunday I went to a Tony Awards viewing party at a local theatre and had a lot of fun. (Except for when I missed the opening number because somebody very rudely changed the channel to The Simpsons. Yes, The Simpsons. Note to whoever did that: I don't like you. At all. Okay? Okay)

Anyway, I have been writing. A lot. I hit 70 thousand words the other day in Carried Home, Swept to Sea's sequel and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That book is almost done! If I have time to write, I am hoping that my first draft will be done within a week or so. Then, I will take a break (no matter how much I don't want to!) from that project, do some reading, maybe start on the third book (yikes! That's scary but exciting to think about!) but then after a few weeks I will start up on the editing. Believe it or not, editing is one of my favorite parts of the writing process.

What else have I been doing? Well, yesterday I found out that I won tickets to see the new movie Jersey Boys. If you aren't familiar with the movie, it was directed by Clint Eastwood. It was a film adaptation of the musical Jersey Boys, and it follows the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. It shows how they formed, their success, their breakup, and after their breakup. 

I went to the special pre-screening viewing last night, and I really loved the show! I didn't to expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but it was really good.

So, what have you been up to? What do you think of a movie being made of the musical Jersey Boys? 

Writing Friday: Character Quotes

Lady Aimee Dawson from Swept to Sea

Matthew Emery from Swept to Sea

Hello, everyone!

So, some of you told me that on these weekly writing posts, you would like to hear about my own novel, Swept to Sea.

That's what I'll do today!

Some of my writer friends in the Go Teen Writers group have been doing character quotes using a quote from their character and a photo.

I loved that and did it for my own characters, so I will share the ones I came up with with you all today. :)

Lady Eden Trenton from Swept to Sea

Captain Caspian Archer from Swept to Sea

Lady Ivy Shaw from Swept to Sea

Captain Gage Thompson from Carried Home

What do you think of these quotes? Do you like them?

Writing Friday

Hi everyone!
Last week's post was about my character Lady Ivy Shaw. If you missed it, you can read it here.
My readers very kindly gave me questions to ask Ivy in a character interview, so I will get to those right away.
1.What is your favorite food? (from Cortney)

Hmm...I like anything sweet, really. Apple pies have always been one of my favorite foods.

2. And do you enjoy sailing? (from Cortney)

I'm afraid that although sailing seems quite pleasant and adventurous, I cannot seem to enjoy it. I am seasick most of the time so I find it awful, but I am happy to do it to help find Eden before she finds herself stranded somewhere in the Caribbean with nowhere to go and no friends to turn to. 

3. What is your favorite hobby? (from Nathan)

I really enjoy knitting. It is something that my mother and I always used to do together and I find it very soothing. I also enjoy that it is something that I can do that is actually productive; I can make blankets and hats for my younger brother.

4. Are you bringing your younger brother with you and your friend to look for Eden? (from Nathan)

Sadly, I am not bringing my brother along. I fear the voyage would be too stressful for him and I don't want him to be harmed should anything happen, especially if we cross paths with Lord Rutger, the man to whom Eden is engaged. I think he wouldn't think twice about hurting a child. I can only pray my brother is safe back home and I can return as soon as possible.

5. Will/does Ivy keep in touch with her mother while away? Does she know how her mother is doing? (from Kedzie)

I have not been able to keep in touch with my mother as of yet. I am considering sending off a letter home as soon as we stop at a port somewhere to let her know how I am doing and I will pray it gets home before I do so my family doesn't worry about me. That won't stop me from worrying about them, though. It is hard for me to be away from my family, but I need to find my friend, Eden. I trust that my mother will be well, however, because although she has been sick, lately she has been stable and hasn't been declining so far. It is my hope that she will remain the same and even return to good health.

6. How do you view your father now, after he took up drinking? (from Ali)

I love my father, and always have, but I wish that he had never taken up drinking. Drinking can really change a person. I am sorry that I wasn't able to do something to prevent this from happening, but I only feel sorry for him; I am not angry at him. I just wish he would stop and take care of us, his family, once again.

7. What's your favorite color? (from Bethany)

I have always liked a pale green color. I think it is soothing.

8. Who is the most important person to you? (from Bethany)

The most important person to me right now is my little brother. Lately my entire life has revolved around him for the last four years and I wouldn't want it any other way. I would do anything to protect him and he just brightens up my every day. I don't know what I would do without him.

Those are Ivy's answers! Thank you so very much, everyone, for asking her questions!

I really appreciate each an every one of my readers, followers, and commenters. 

Have a great weekend and stop by on Monday for my weekly book review!

Writing Friday

Happy March! Today is Writing Friday which means I will introduce you to another one of my characters from my work-in-progress novel, Swept to Sea.

Today you will meet Lady Ivy Shaw, who I intend to be the female main character of the sequel to Swept to Sea.
Ivy grew up with Eden and they have been friends practically since they were born. She has wavy golden-orange hair that she typically wears in a tight bun. She gets annoyed when her hair comes out of its confinement. She has pale ivory skin and her face is dotted with freckles that multiply every time she steps out in the sun. Dark, stormy blue eyes the color of the sky before a storm display her emotions. She is nineteen years old.

I imagine her looking like actress Molly Quinn in this photograph.

Ivy is self-sacrificing, generous, and loves to take care of others.

She lives in England with her mother,  father, and younger brother Christopher. Once a wealthy family, they lost nearly everything when her father made a poor business investment. Her mother has been sick for the last couple of years and her father took to drinking after their loss of wealth, so Ivy has found herself taking care of her brother as if he were her own child. During Swept to Sea, she sets out on an expedition with her close friend Aimee to find Eden because they fear for her safety, running off alone to the Caribbean.

So, now you have been introduced to Ivy Shaw!

What do you think of her? I need you to please ask her whatever questions you want, and she will answer them in an interview next Friday! So, feel free to ask her any question you would like. Thanks, and have a great weekend!