Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Beacon by Angela Brown VNBtM (Guest post and excerpt) GFT

And Happy St. Patrick's Day to the rest of you!




I am happy to have a guest post by the Angela Brown today (and sincerely apologize for my tardiness in posting it!)


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Define Your Realistic

by Angela Brown




I loved reading from the time I was introduced to C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in early elementary school. The idea of discovering new worlds and new paths was just so mind blowing. I even enjoyed doing a little bit of writing, though I didn’t think I could be a writer when I grew up. Stephen King was a writer. Judy Blume was a writer. Maya Angelou was a writer. Whoever those authors were that kept pumping out those Harlequin books my mom read, they were writers. I was just a nerdy kid from the ‘housing projects’ who had to think about getting good grades and getting accepted into college.

I had to be realistic, not a dreamer.

When my mother passed away, I fell into a sort of abyss, floating in more of a state of survival than any considerations of dreams. After leaving the abyss behind, finding love, and becoming a mother, I realized I’d boxed the ‘writing dreamer’ in me away because I didn’t think I could publish. I didn’t think anyone would ever be interested in something I wrote. I couldn’t be Omar Tyree, J.K. Rowling, or Tamora Pierce.

When I thought realistically, I’d deemed myself unworthy of being a writer and became my own worst obstacle in taking on the publishing path.

It took a few things to help me move out of my own way:

- I opened up to select friends and family about my dream of being a published author. They didn’t ridicule me but rather encouraged me to give writing a try. This may not work for everyone, but it was speaking my dreams aloud that gave them a breath of life.

- Getting online and discovering the writing community was very helpful. I saw there were lots of people interested in sharing their stories with the world, people who were unsure if anyone would care in the slightest bit. Knowing I wasn’t alone in my uncertainty helped me grapple with it.

- Attending a writer’s conference was a huge step but a very necessary one for me. It put me face to face with other dreamers. We were each other’s rocks for agent round tables and I learned a lot from various workshops. I finally felt I was worth risking the energy, time, and effort in making my writing dream come true.

I’m glad I removed myself as my worst stumbling block. It has given me a chance to ‘show’ and not just ‘tell’ my daughter about the importance of making your dreams come true, and to define your own realistic.



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Beacon  by Angela Brown


BLURB:


Tsunamis reduced the USA into a shell of itself, called The Fold. Surviving humans and vampires joined forces to form The Colony, where registered citizens do as they're told.

They donate blood quarterly and dream of being chosen as Attendees for the Jubilee celebrations, that is, everyone except Macie Breen. With high school graduation near, she’s anxious to ditch the rules in hopes of starting a new life with Thane, an unregistered and also her best friend.

Her hopes fizzle when Macie is selected as an Attendee, forever registered. Any future with Thane…impossible. Being chosen comes with another unexpected price.

Truths about The Colony blaze into ashes and lies when she discovers the vampires haven't kept their part of the bargain. Worst still, Macie’s life unravels as her stint in the city of Bliss forces her to face daunting truths about who, and what, she really is.







EXCERPT


The corner of Thane’s lips curved in his infamous smirk. “I’m here to protect you from you, silly.”

The elevator dinged our arrival to our floor. Thankfully, floors for the Attendees were guarded by other Surreption agents, to prevent citizens from accessing them by surprise––and to keep out the expected rebel against Bliss.

I fell silent, thinking about Thane’s answer. Any other day, it would have been a joke. We’d ha, ha, ha, laugh it off as Thane being the smartass he was. I’d punch him in the shoulder. He’d feign pain and we’d move on. But now, what if he was right? Not just keeping me from taking my anger out on some pink-haired guy making fun of me. But from whomever—or whatever—I really am. What if it was the world that needed protection from me?




Buy links
Amazon
Evernight


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Born and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas home. She's a lover of Wild Cherry Pepsi and chocolate/chocolate covered delicious-ness. Steampunk, fantasy and paranormal to contemporary - mostly young adult - fill her growing library of books. Mother to a rambunctious darling girl aptly nicknamed Chipmunk, life stays busy. Her favorite quote keeps her moving: "You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result." ~ Mahatma Gandhi




Goodreads author page
Angela Brown in the Pursuit of Publishness blog
Amazon Author page 
Facebook author page
Twitter


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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway



My review is at this link.

31 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to your husband and Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all.

    Thanks so much for having me here today :-)

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    1. Thanks, Angela, I will pass your greetings on. Thank you for sharing your path and giving us inspiration to follow our dreams. Very happy that you realized your talents as a writer!

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  2. Loved the excerpt. This really sounds like an exciting book.

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    1. It is very imaginative and exciting, Jane. Hope you get a chance to read it. Thank you for visiting!

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  3. Thank you for opening up about how you started writing. They say the first step is the hardest and I'm glad that you took it. Really enjoyed the excerpt.

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    1. Glad you liked it, angieia. Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

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  4. Angela is burning up the blogosphere at the moment!
    I'm also a realist... but an optimistic one!
    The book sounds fabulous! Thane- that's quite an unusual name.

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    1. Optimism is very important! It allows us to reach for our dreams. The word thane has a couple of meanings as well as being a name so I think that gives an interesting dimension to him. Thank you for visiting, Michelle...

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  5. Replies
    1. Happy you liked it, Rita. Thanks for visiting!

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  6. I'm so glad things worked out for you!

    Trix, vitajex(at)Aol(Dot)com

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    1. It's great for us readers that she was able to share the worlds in her imagination as well, Trix. Thank you for taking the time to visit!

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  7. Thanks for sharing about your journey to follow your dream. I liked the practical aspects that you took, such as taking workshops.

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    1. Yes, that is great advice, isn't it? Thank you for visiting, Jess!

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  8. Happy Birthday to your hubby! And happy St Patrick's day to you too. Loved the post thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks, Mary, I will pass along the greeting. Glad you liked the post and always happy to share! Thanks for dropping by!

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  9. I loved the story of how you felt about writing. I think there's thousands of people out there that feel exactly the same way. I think it can only help even those that are currently writing to see that other people have doubts. you have to try to succeed to succeed. I'm glad to see you have become successful. I am glad you no longer doubt your writing ability as I never did.
    John

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    1. I think that everyone has doubts, John. It is only those who find a way to get past their fears who can achieve more. Thank you for taking the time to visit and comment!

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    1. Glad you like it, Mai T. Thanks for dropping by!

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  11. CONGRATS on the book. Loved your story and excerpt.

    happy belated birthday to your husband---Rae

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    1. Thanks, Rae! Glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for taking the time to visit and comment!

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    1. I love the picture, Mary, it makes me smile whenever I look at it! Thank you for popping in!

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  13. Thanks to everyone for coming by. This was something I was glad to share from the heart. And E.L.F., all your replies are so on point with my own thoughts. Thank you again, so very much, for everything.

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    1. You are quite welcome, Angela, I hope you have been enjoying the tour and the chance to chat with readers!

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  14. Happy Belated Birthday to your husband! Thank you for a great post and excerpt!

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    1. Thank you so much, Ree Dee. You are very welcome and I hope you come by and visit again some day!

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