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!)
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 BrownBLURB:
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:
Goodreads author page
Angela Brown in the Pursuit of Publishness blog
Amazon Author page
Facebook author page
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GIVEAWAY
GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My review is at this link.
