Small CAGED MOON Excerpt - updated

“Charlotte, please?”

He sounded closer. What a surprise. Stalker. I quickened my pace, when he stepped in front of me, making me jump.

“What are you doing, Liam?” I tried to catch my breath. “How did you? You know what? I don’t care.” I started to walk around him, but he moved in front of me. “Move out of my way, Liam.”

“Charlotte, please,” he said. “Just give me one minute. We need to talk.”

“We did that already. I know where that led me. You made yourself pretty clear.”

Liam ran his hand roughly through his ashen hair. “I’m sorry about what happened. It’s not what you think.”

“How do you know what I think? You didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”

I saw my words sting him, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t. He had his chance.

“I shouldn’t have left like that, Charlotte. I’m sorry. Something didn’t make sense. I freaked and ran. It was a mistake. At the time I didn’t know what else to do. I’m sorry. Please.”

I turned and started past him.

“Please give me another chance. I’m sorry.”

I spun around on my heels, and my words whipped off my tongue. “Why did you leave?”

Two students walked by, staring, and Liam fidgeted. “Can I give you a ride? We can talk in the car. Please? This is kind of private.” The classmates whispered to each other, giggling as they continued on their way.

“I like taking the bus.”

Liam arched an eyebrow. “Have you been eating the school food?”

“Not funny, Liam.”

He smirked tightly at his failed joke. “All right, all right. But come on, Charlotte. Please? Give me a chance to at least explain myself.” He fidgeted and lowered his voice. “You know I can’t talk here.”

“How am I supposed to trust you?” I whispered, but for whose benefit I didn’t know. “You don’t tell me anything. Everything with you is a secret. Now you want me to get in your car? Put yourself in my shoes, Liam.”

“All right. I know.” He groaned and rubbed his forehead. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for putting you in this situation, but I don’t know what to do. I’m crazy about you, Charlotte. My leaving had nothing to do with that. You have to believe me.”

“Then tell me why you did it.”

“Charlotte, I…I can’t. You don’t understand.”

It hurt. I wanted so much for it not to, but it did.

“Then I’m not getting in your car.”

“Charlotte…Please…”

“Goodbye, Liam.” My lip trembled and I bit it as I started to walk away.

Pg. 68-69, Caged Moon

Blog Tour Information Is Up!

Blog Tour kicks off on Valentine's Day after the CAGED MOON GIVEAWAY!! Insights, giveaways, reviews, and more. :)

Dates:

YA-Aholics - Februrary 15th (book review/interview)

Paranormal Reads Reviews - February 16th  (book review)

Reviewing Shelf - February 17th (Giveaway/interview)

Moonlight Book Reviews - February 18th (interview)

Read Between The Lines - February 19th (book review)

 

Penny's Tales - February 20th (interview)

In Between Reading And Writing - February 21st (book review)


YA Books: Beyond The Cover - February 22 (tentative date) (book review)

A Tale Of Many Reviews - February 23rd (short excerpt)

*If you are interested in becoming a part of the tour, please email me at shiverfae1@yahoo.com

My Secret Life - A World of RPGs and Fanfic

Every writer has their own secret to what keeps their creative juices flowing, and what has brought them to where they are today. Today, I’m going to share a secret of mine with you. I love role playing games (rpgs), and fanfic. It’s where I got my start, my first real taste in fleshing out characters, and beginning that wonderful inner dialogue with them. ‘Course half the time I can’t get them to shut up now, but I’ll deal. :P

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, role playing games are writing games in which several writers in the ‘game’ each take on a particular character or characters. Together they interact by email or post while in character to weave through plots, subplots, etc. The idea, is that although the basic structure of the plot is laid out, each player/character will not know how the other players are going to react, thus making the writing experience more ‘life like’.

For me, it’s a wonderful way to keep my creative juices not only flowing, but my writing challenged. There are some amazing writers out there. Having to work with them in an active writing forum pushes me to not only do my best, but ‘wow’ the other writers involved. How can you be subpar when other writers are going to be reading your work, reactions, and talking about your characterizations? Okay, maybe I’m slightly competitive. <.<

Albeit, there are some poorly run games out there, I’ve seen them, but I’m lucky enough to have found a group of roleplaying friends that I’ve been writing with for over 15 years. Wow, I just aged myself! o.O

Most of the games I’ve been in are fan based off of tv shows and since I’m a YA Paranormal Author, most of my writing experience stems from rpgs such as Buffy, Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and Paranormal Universes. Some of my favorite characters that I’ve taken on are, Nick – a made up character of mine who was a genetically altered chameleon boy, Jacob Black – an all-time favorite of mine to write. Logan, a runaway teen werewolf with an attitude and a guitar (made up), and one I’m enjoying playing right now, Nick – a badass fallen angel who stumbled into the Buffy verse. Yes, for some reason I usually play guys, which is strange because CAGED MOON is written from the girl’s point of view. Although - I think you’ll like meeting Liam. He’s….well….I’ll let you decide ;)

Right now, I’m studying up Jake from The Secret Circle. I plan on playing him soon. I can’t help it. I have a love for writing bad boys. :D

Role playing games have definitely helped improve my writing, and continue to challenge me to this day. My creative energy stays flowing and moving forward. It has also given me the wonderful opportunity to meet some amazing people.

So what’s your secret? ;)

YA Paranormal Romance - CAGED MOON now on Sale!!

CAGED MOON'S grand debut is here!!

Now available on paperback and e-versions.
Paperback

Kindle

Nook

Keep your eyes open for Caged Moon's February Blog Tour!
Dates and Specifics coming soon.

Tomorrow's the day!! Caged Moon will be available in paperback and ebook on Amazon, Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords. Look for full links tomorrow!!

Haunted by an animal attack, seventeen year old Charlotte feels she is being followed. When she runs into a mysterious boy while camping, she’s afraid. Nothing seems right about him. Despite trying to stay away, there is an unmistakable draw to be near him. Even his scent smells familiar. But the closer she gets, the faster the secrets begin to unravel. Not only is he not human, he may have a link to her past. When Charlotte finds out someone wants her dead, she is torn between love and fear. Can she trust him to keep her safe?

Free Valentine's Day Giveaway - Caged Moon!!

UPDATE: CLOSED

We have a WINNER!!!!

Congratulations to Priya!!! :)

 (please email me your shipping information to collect your copy)

Thank you, everyone, for your participation. I hope you check back often for more updates and future promotions. :)

Enter now to win a free paperback copy of Caged Moon just in time for Valentine's Day! What's a better way to celebrate the day, then with an enticing YA Paranormal Romance. :)

Details:

It's Simple!

To enter the contest, please post a comment below. Each comment will be tallied as a "ticket" that will be drawn, in lottery fashion, on February 14, 2012. Winner will be contacted and posted on the site.


(Please spread the word, repost etc.)

An Interview with YA Paranormal Author,

Rachel Deagan

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1.      Did you always want to be a writer?

No. I wanted to be an actress and an Olympic Equestrian Rider first. Funny thing is, in fourth grade I wrote my first ‘book’. It was about horses. Although, the equestrian dream has fizzled over the years, I do think my love of acting helps greatly in developing and feeling out the characters I write.

2.      What inspired you to write Caged Moon?

I always wanted to write a book about werewolves. Werewolves, lycanthropy, shifters, have all intrigued me since I was pretty young. Even as a kid, I remember daydreaming about running into some mysterious guy who actually was a werewolf. Yes, I was a strange kid. (laughs)

The premise of the book was inevitable, but I wouldn’t have written the book if I hadn’t met a wonderful friend of mine. She was my true inspiration to follow through with my dream to write.

3.      What kind of advice or inspiration would you offer to those wishing to write?

Just do it. I always say, the hardest thing about writing a book, is just making yourself write it. I know so many people who are awesome writers and write all the time in various writing role playing games who tinker with the idea, but never do it. It’s amazing to think how many books they could have written with the amount of wonderful writing they just ‘play’ with. Just do it. Go for it. The only way you can fail, is not to try.

4.      What kinds of books are on your bookshelf? What are you reading now?

My bookshelf is pretty vast, mostly YA Paranormal Fiction. To name several: The Mortal Instruments Series, The Wicked Lovely Series, Shiver Trilogy, Twilight Series, Fallen Series, Hush Hush Series, and the Hunger Games Trilogy. I guess I like series. (laughs) Right now, I am in the middle of reading, “The Iron King,” by Julie Kagawa. Great read. J

5.      Are you working on anything now?

Yes! I have another YA novel in the works under the working title, “The Star Children.” This one has a hint of Sci-Fi in it, although mostly falls into the category of urban paranormal. It revolves around three teenagers who discover they bear unusual ‘gifts’ while staying in a psychiatric hospital. Unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones who discover this, and soon learn that not only is the government after them, but something much darker and greater is too. I love the character chemistry in this book. Despite the fast paced, supernatural thriller storyline, the characterization is what carries it most. So, stay tuned. J

Updates and News

This week has been very busy fine tuning and getting things ready for Caged Moon's release date, but things are going great! The video's out, the book has been formatted to go.

Be sure to check out http://bluesunstudio-inc.com/ on January 24th, where Caged Moon will be featured in the studio's cover critique. Book description and author bio will be up and featured as well. :)

I've also finally had a moment to start working on my next up and coming YA novel, "The Star Children", which is it's working title for now. I do plan on changing it as soon as I can come up with a better name. I know I want 'star' in it, but am afraid using 'children' in the title might sway young readers. We shall see. Any good suggestions, ring me a line. :P

Have a great day, everyone! Be sure to check back for more updates. :)

When Help Isn't Help

Everyone has an opinion, and as writer, I know I am guilty of wanting to make everything perfect. So, I find myself asking for a lot of opinions from others to validate my feelings on a subject. The problem is, a lot of times, instead of lifting my confidence about something I’ve created - that I’m actually secretly proud of, it makes me feel more sub-par, and thus in need of more self-validation from others.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Now don’t get me wrong, some good solid criticism is extremely beneficial and appreciated, but should we, as writers, throw away our own sense of art for the thoughts and opinions of others? What if Van Gough agreed with people that his art was too abstract and that no one would ever buy it, and then he formed to that conformity? I think we/I need to put things in perspective. Every single person out there likes and appreciates difference things, and certain things set them off.  We are all from different backgrounds and have varying preferences of taste. No one person views things the same way.

I am a true believer in honest criticism, (let’s face it, it is needed) especially in the writing world, but NOT at the expense of one’s own sense of art. If I’m looking for everyone’s personal ‘okay’ on something, it’s time to re-evaluate what I’m doing here. ‘Cause let’s face it, THAT is NEVER going to happen. What is important, is MY okay, because when it comes down to it, that’s all that matters.

~Rachel