Happy Thanksgiving!

The first Thanksgiving was held in the fall of 1621, sometime between September 21 and November 11, and it was a feast held over three days. The Pilgrims were joined by about 90 members of the local Wampanoag tribe including their Chief Massasoit, to celebrate a successful harvest season, something that was a matter of life or death to them.

While most of us ply the aisles of a grocery store with a shopping cart to collect the makings for our feast these days, the idea of taking time to sit down with family and friends to share our joy has stuck with us through the centuries. Mostly.

There were gaps in the celebration of Thanksgiving, even though George Washington declared it a national holiday in 1789. The woman who wrote the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb" spent four decades of her life trying to get Thanksgiving to become an annual national celebration. Her name was Sarah Josepha Hale. She and Abraham Lincoln connected on the idea of bringing the nation together for healing during the Civil War. In 1863, Lincoln proclaimed that the last Thursday in November was to be a day of "thanksgiving and praise."

While you have feasting on your mind, you might want to think about those who are hungry this and every day, and do something about it. 

When you go around the table saying what you're thankful for, you might want to add Abraham Lincoln and Sara Josepha Hale. It wouldn't hurt to lift up your voices and sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" too. Make the feasting and the giving thanks last three days, as in 1621.

My Thanksgiving Wishes to you!
(Click above)

 

It would be wonderful if you'd share a high point from this Thanksgiving or one in your memory with me and other readers of Supernatural Underground.

Sex and Violence in my Office

I enjoyed Nicole's post about writing a lesbian love scene on board a plane filled with families, wondering if any of the parents were catching a glimpse of what was on her computer screen as they paraded toddlers to the restroom. I feel her pain, though I'm not writing on an airplane. I'm writing in my own office, and the potentially disapproving "parents" are in my own brain.

Okay, that needs a little explanation. I write the Mortal Path books featuring Maliha Crayne that are R-rated in terms of violence, sex, and language. I've just started working on book 4 of the series, Bloodletting, a meaningful title. We're talking heads flying, other S&S body parts (severed & significant), love scenes between inexhaustible immortals, the gates of Hell, and the list goes on.

But I've just spent the last few months working on Aftermath, a YA proposal, and publishing Honor's Journey, a middle grade historical novel, under the pen name of DB Ayers. Because I was new at writing for young people, I had to grow a censor in my brain - what, no f-words?? Now it's lodged in there quite firmly. When I started work on Bloodletting, I felt like I had an entire PTA hovering over my shoulder gasping at word choices, stages of undress, and the blood dripping down off my monitor. 

It was slowing me down, honestly, and messing with my head. Until I made a discovery one day.

Honor's Journey has a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 4.0, meaning that according to a popular way of measuring such things, it's at a 4th grade reading level. Just where it should be. Bloodletting will test substantially higher than that, at least if I'm doing my job properly to appeal to my adult audience with vocabulary, etc.

A curious thing, though, that allows me to get around my internal censor: individual sentences from the adult book might still be at the 4th grade reading level or even lower, if you ignore the topic. For example, "He sucked her nipples while she stroked his hard, hot erection," (Uh, I can say that here, right?) tests out at grade 3.7. Seriously. Not that I would ever write such tacky stuff....

Kind of sets the mind free.

Speaking of free, how about a free review copy of Honor's Journey? This isn't a contest! Everyone who requests a free copy will get one, in Kindle, ePub (Nook & other e-readers), PDF, or print format. Print format is only USA, please. Just visit http://bit.ly/1dN3gIp and let me know the format you want.

If you have kids, know someone with kids, or were once a kid, you'll enjoy this exciting adventure. C'mon, you can't pass up this freebie. Promise, no f-words, although the word breasts appears once in the book and it doesn't refer to chicken. Don't you want to know the context? :-)

Take a break! Who, me?

We're writing this month about things we use or need to free the creative writing spirit. For me, that's taking a break from one type of writing and switching to another. Doesn't seem like that would work - it's still writing - but it's refreshing to work with different concepts, different time periods, and different word choices.

Lately I've been focusing on stretching my writer's wings with Young Adult and Middle Grade books. It's such a different mindset, yet the core of it is the same as writing for adults: tell the absolute best story you can in the absolute best way you can. The quality of available YA and MG books out there is awesome! It's a challenge to write for these ages after years of writing for adults (as Dakota Banks and Shirley Kennett), and that's what's so exciting about it. :-) A new frontier.

As a writer, I get a special kick out of knowing that I'm doing something to enhance literacy and spread the love of reading to young people. After all, I'm helping to develop the reading audience of the future for my urban fantasies, and for the books of all the other Supernatural Underground authors!

My YA sci-fi trilogy is with my agent, awaiting placement with a publisher. Catch that note of confidence? Think only positive thoughts!! (www.dbayers.com)

In the meantime, I just published a Middle Grade adventure, Honor's Journey, (www.livingthenbooks.com), and I'm giving away FREE review copies. Just follow the link to request yours, free for Kindle, Nook, PDF, or trade paperback format! I'm proofing the print version now. It'll be hot off the presses in about a week. I'm eager for feedback on this book. Really. Eager.

And I haven't forgotten about the fourth book in the Mortal Path series - I've been contacted by so many wonderful fans wanting to know when it will come out! Thanks for your interest, everybody. My crystal ball says early next year for Mortal Path Book 4, Bloodletting.

Everyone out there, writer or not: what do you do to recharge your batteries? Music? Vacation? Read? Dance naked on the bar? <g> Please share in a comment below.

Hugs,
DB ♥

The Three of Me

$50 Amazon or B&N gift certificate Giveaway!

Lately I've been more than torn in half, I've been torn in three parts. I write under three names, each with her own type of work and her own reading audience, with some overlap. When I go to sign a book or even a personal check, I really have to think about who I am! I'm in various degrees of denial when asked, "But aren't you really so-and-so?" Time to reveal the three of me, and what "they" have all been doing.


1. Shirley Kennett (my real name) wrote the PJ Gray series of thrillers about a female psychologist who uses virtual reality to recreate homicide scenes. The whole series has been given new life as ebooks (Open Road Media) and audiobooks (Audible). One of the ebooks, Time of Death, is on sale for $1.99 on Amazon and elsewhere until July 31st. It's been exciting seeing this book climb in the top 100 ebooks of Crime Fiction. I'm hearing from PJ Gray fans, old and new, who are thrilled to have these new formats available to enjoy the books.

There's a $50 Amazon or B&N gift certificate up for grabs. Last day to enter is July 31st.

2. Dakota Banks writes the Mortal Path series of urban fantasies about Maliha Crayne, a 300-year-old former demon's assassin now working to preserve life instead of taking it. She needs to balance the scales carved on her body by the Sumerian demon she served - save as many lives as she's taken at his direction - to redeem her soul. My publisher wanted to take this series ebook only, and though I loved Maliha, I wasn't thrilled about the idea or the terms. Since then, I've gotten so much feedback from readers and requests for more Mortal Path, I just can't leave this series without wrapping it up. So Dakota is becoming an indie author and will self-publish Mortal Path #4, Bloodletting. No projected release date yet. My third part is kinda busy (see below). The ebooks of the first three in the series are on sale for $4.74 each at Amazon, $14.22 for all three.

3. DB Ayers is my latest split personality, and hopefully my last! I've been keeping this connection a secret, but you won't tell, will you? As DB, I'm launching a YA science fiction trilogy, Aftermath, set in the future on a human colony planet. Silva was once green with plentiful water, but a brush with a wandering planet nudged it into an orbit closer to its sun. Now it's a desert-like environment where a lucky few live in cool, safe domes. Sixteen-year-old Anna Hart flees a deadly situation. Using her skills with an ancient weapon and her empathic ability, she struggles through danger and betrayal, searching for a place where love and hope can thrive. Aftermath is tremendously exciting to me. The proposal's being reviewed by 10 top NY editors and 2 Hollywood producers. I'm going crazy waiting to hear something!

Have you had times in your life when you've had to function as more than one "person"? Maybe not with different names, but with different roles? Tell me about it! Leave a comment below.


Hugs ♥,

Intro & Drawing for a Tablet

***** Winner of the HP Slate 7 Tablet is Tiffany! *****

Hi, everyone! I'm DB Ayers, an award-winning, internationally multi-published fantasy and thriller author using a pseudonym for my first effort in the Young Adult genre. That's my clever disguise, to the left. I've joined the Supernatural Underground team and the first thing I want to say is that I'm in terrific company here!

I'm trying something new and thrilling with my YA venture. I'm inviting you in from the beginning, when the Aftermath trilogy is still a gleam in the eye of the author. Share my journey through submission via my agent to NY publishers, the contract I'm hoping for, and publication to put the first book of the trilogy, Yesterday, in your hands!

Learn a little about the characters, story, and world ahead of time, and share my ups and downs during this exciting/stressful time. Follow along with the progress of this series from its birth to bestsellerdom (a girl can dream, right?) with the inside scoop! I'm really excited about this concept. I hope you'll get to know me and Aftermath!

Here's the pitch for Aftermath:
Sixteen-year-old Anna Hart flees a deadly situation in a failing human colony on the planet Silva. Using her empathic ability and her skills with an ancient weapon, she struggles through danger and betrayal, searching for a place where love and hope can thrive.

I'll be offering prizes at milestones as a way for me to involve you in my intermediate celebrations. I've already shared with followers of the Hart Beat Blog revising the proposal with my agent and getting the go ahead from her for submission to editors, and actual submission day. Now I'm in a waiting game, sharing my thoughts and some writing tips on the blog.

My current giveaway is an HP Slate 7 tablet. Entries end June 30, 2013. Don't wait! You can enter at the Prize tab on my blog.

Kindly leave a comment below - What do you think of the concept of Aftermath? Are you a fan of YA science fiction?

Please help me spread the word!
Website: http://dbayers.com
Blog: http://dbayershartbeat.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dbayers01
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AyersDB
Hugs ♥,

Up Close and Personal

$50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Getting to know the author behind the book has always helped me appreciate the book more as a reader. That's one of the things we do on Supernatural Underground - invite you to get up close and personal with us. We'll let you in on how we feel about our characters and our stories, and why we love the genres we write in: urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy, and sci-fi for adults and teens. I really feel strongly about this because that writer-reader bond is what keeps me going. When Deliverance won an award, I could hardly wait until my posting date, the 28th of the month, came around so I could share it with you.

When my cat Snickers photobombed a promo shoot, it was a fun example of what we do besides tuck our noses into the computer and write. I had a series of backlist books written as Shirley Kennett that were made available as audio and ebooks, and let all of you know how happy I was to see these books get a new life.

When my character Maliha sent me a signed postcard, I thought it would be perfect for SU, and here it is.

It's good to know my character "has my back!" If nothing else, I can count on her. :-)

I've come across an author writing a YA sci-fi trilogy who is taking this concept of creating bonds with readers a step further by starting way before the book hits the shelves. DB Ayers is currently polishing her book proposal, after which her agent will submit it to NY publishers. Her blog will be like a diary of birthing the books, including information about the characters and the stories as they're being written. Look for excerpts, the ups and downs of the process, and prizes! OMG, prizes! At every milestone or just for no reason at all, she'll be giving away the goodies. Launching the blog is a milestone; a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate is up for grabs. Click on the graphic to the right and then on the PRIZES tab to enter.

You may wonder why DB Ayers is getting a mention here, other than the fact that I like to promote other authors. I'll leave that to your imagination. *wink, wink* But if you figure it out, it's our little secret, okay? Hop over and help this "new" author get her social media engines revved and maybe win some $$.

So, are you a fan of YA sci-fi? What are you reading now, or what's you're favorite book?

Until next time,
Dakota Banks