FAERY MARKED by MARY WAIBEL

A special treat today! I'd like to welcome Mary Waibel, author of the fantastical Princess of Valendria series, novella THE MYSTERY PRINCE, and now her newest novel, FAERY MARKED!

I had the personal delight to read an ARC addition of FAERY MARKED in return for an honest review and guest spot on my blog. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll say FAERY MARKED makes for a quick, light read you'll fly through - in a good way - to find out what happens in the end. And the end is one of the best I've read in a while - an ominous cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more and not knowing what will happen next. The light tone quickly gets a dose of dark, which I'm personally a huge fan of. You'll be begging Mary for the second book - I was! The characters are fun and the guys swoon-worthy. Reece is definitely easy to fall for! Great for younger and older teens. Without giving away anymore, I welcome Mary to the proverbial floor, and invite all to continue reading below.

ENJOY!

K.S.

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Katie, for this musical day of the Faery Marked blog tour.

I love listening to music when I write. Most times, it’s just playing quietly in the background as white noise, but other times, it really inspires me. So, what music was inspirational to Faery Marked? Here are the top ten songs from my playlist (in no particular order)

1. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
2. Broken by Seether (with Amy Lee)
3. Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin
4. Iris by the GooGoo Dolls
5. Haunted by Evanescence
6. I Remain by Alanis Morissette
7. Someday by Nickelback
8. Hanging by a Moment By Lifehouse
9. Nothing by The Script
10. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

As you can see, the list is quite varied. Now out of these songs, and some others I listened to, I found a few that seemed to define my characters. So, here is the cast of Faery Marked in song: [All lyrics taken from azlyrics.com]

Callie: Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol

I love this song.

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

This section sums up Callie so perfectly. She knows that with Reece by her side, she can do anything, even save the world.

Reece: Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
Ah, Reece. He'd give his life for Callie if he had to, but he's never told her how he feels. But, I know he thinks the words of this song when he looks at Callie.

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters


Ryan: Dance with the Devil, Breaking Benjamin
I'm not sure anything from this list could be more fitting for Ryan than this song. He's a wildcard. Not to be trusted. Yet he believes in Callie, no matter what.

Here I stand, helpless and left for dead.
Close your eyes, so many days go by.
Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right.

I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

Gwen: Everybody’s Fool, EvanescenceThe Fae love double entendres, and to me that's what these lyrics are for Gwen.

Perfect by nature.
Icons of self-indulgence.
Just what we all need,
More lies about a world that...
...never was and never will be.
Have you no shame? Don't you see me?
You know you've got everybody fooled.

Look, here she comes now.
Bow down and stare in wonder.
Oh, how we love you.
No flaws when you're pretending.

She's supposed to be the perfect Fae, and to humans her world doesn't exist, so she really has everyone fooled.

What do you think? Do these songs fit the characters from Faery Marked? If not, what song do you think would be better?

Book Blurb:

When Callie Rycroft wakes to find purple flames flickering on the ceiling, she believes she’s still dreaming. But soon she’s forced to accept that she has magic―a special magic that grants her entrance into the Faery Realm.

For centuries humans have been banned from Faery, but dangerous times call for dangerous measures. Declared Champion by the Faery Queen, Callie is assigned a Guardian, and tasked with finding the Cordial―a magical elixir needed to keep the portal to the Faery realm a secret from humans.

The upside? Reece Michaels, the boy she's been crushing on for years, is her Guardian. Callie hopes that, by spending time with Reece, he'll start to see her as more than just his best friend's sister.

The downside? She's in a race not only against time, but against another Champion, and a rogue Guardian―a Guardian who stands to threaten her developing relationship with Reece.

Magic, mistaken identities, and hidden agendas are the least of Callie's worries when she learns that the Cordial requires a sacrifice. Will Callie be willing to risk everything―even Reece―to complete her task as Champion? Or will she let the portal open, and doom both realms?

Available at AMAZON

Win a signed copy of Faery Marked and other swag. Details HERE. Don’t miss out on this LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!

About the Author:
YA author Mary Waibel’s love for fairytales and happy-ever fill the pages of her works. Whether penning stories in a medieval setting or a modern day school, magic and romance weave their way inside every tale.

Strong female characters use both brain and brawn to save the day and win the heart of their men. Mary enjoys connecting with her readers through her website: marywaibel.blogspot.com

DANCING DEMONS Update

It's been longer than I intended since my last post. However, I've had more important matters to work on - say, DANCING DEMONS. Quite frankly, I'm impressed with myself, and I'll explain why.

The very ORIGINAL draft (then titled Hunted) was an eye-bulging 180,000 words. Since then I've cut and honed it and, while the essence is the same, the writing is tighter, story-line improved, AND the word count is now down to 85,000.

Whoo-hoo-hoo - big difference!

I say again: once 180K is now 85K.

I never thought THAT would be possible - ever. But I pushed myself and made the cuts I never thought I'd be able to. Lo and behold, it reads so much smoother and tighter! So everyone, never be afraid to cut (as well as rewrite). Yes, every word is an extension of your soul, I know, but... sometimes your soul is a little too clingy and you have to learn to let go. Burn those bridges. You'll be better off.

And now after all that, I've prepped it to the point that I've started the querying process up. Going to have to double up on my happy meds for sure; life's anxious enough without querying agents about your manuscript you've slaved over. Yes, that was purposely melodramatic. ;) One thing is definitely for sure, though - you absolutely must love what you do because this is not the right business to coddle your self-esteem lol.

I'll leave it at that. Just wanted a quick update on my recent endeavors.

Until next time!

Katie S. Taylor

Celebrate the Milestones!

Today's post is less of a mood-downer. No worries. Actually I'm quite pleased with myself. I'm down to 89K in Dancing Demons. Not a big deal to some, but considering the original draft started out at 180K, and I NEVER thought I'd be able to lower it to a decent word count, it's a great milestone for me. I feel like it has a better chance at reaching readers too, because let's face it, anything over 100K is scary in the YA universe, and I can completely understand why.

With each revision, my writing gets tighter and the overall story has improved as well. I'm actually quite grateful for any rejections I received on it in the past. Comparing this version to the old drafts, I shudder to think of it in the hands of readers. So to any CP's who read the old version, I'm so sorry.

My characters have developed even more - namely Kaleb. His background was always a bit of a mystery, but he's finally whispered his secrets to me. And I gotta say, I'm pumped. He's one kick-butt dude, if I do say so myself. He's definitely not a white knight or prince charming. Then again, Dancing Demons isn't exactly a fairy-tale.

I just wonder how Amberlyn will react when everything comes to the light.

Until next time!

Stay Tuned for More

Over the next few weeks, I'll be interviewing different writers about the works and the journey to get them where they are now. Personally, I'm psyched to have this opportunity. It helps get their name out there and gives everyone a chance to discover them, and I'm all about helping other writers out. Do unto others and all that jazz =).

I'll probably do two a week. Once I get the schedule lined up a bit better, I'll let everyone know so you can stay updated. If you're a writer and interested, feel free to drop me a line.

Now, about my recent endeavors. Still waiting to hear something back about Dancing Demons. I'm about to send a few  more queries out, see if I get any bites. In the meantime, I'm working on a YA dystopian fantasy titled DEADLOCKED. I had started it a couple years ago, but for one reason or another let it dwindle away. Then I forgot about it. One night I dreamt about it out of the blue, and to make a short story even shorter, decided to pop it open and start on again.

Must say, I have a pretty good feeling about it too. I'm almost to the half-way mark, so I'm pretty pumped. As I mentioned in another post, I'm trying a new writing style. So far it's working fabulously! Instead of getting every detail the first go around, I'm more focused on getting the actual story down. It's increasing my productivity and speed. Not to mention, I'm not falling victim to writer's block as much. Always a great day when writer's block isn't involved! For anyone who hasn't suffered writer's block, it's the devil. Period.

But I'm off to do some more writing before the hubby gets home. The Soul Eaters have just attacked, and Helena has a choice to make. Save Maddy, or find the person who could save the world. It's a toughie!!

Until next time =)

Katie

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop - DANCING DEMONS. Check it!

I've been chosen, by the wonderful T.C. McKee for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.  Seriously, you should check her out - go, now (or wait until after you read this, =}) . 

So, without further ado, welcome to the freaky and fantastical world of Amberlyn Winters and one very hunky Kaleb Dantes. ;P

THE NEXT BIG THING

1. What is the working title of your book?
Dancing Demons

2. Where did the idea come from?
Imagination =).  I wanted to write something where the damsel didn't want rescued by the knight and could take care of herself.

3. What genre does your WIP fall under?
Either YA or New Adult Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Mystery

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oo, it was some close calls, but I think these are the best choices.  Drum roll, please!
 
Amberlyn Winters - Allison Miller

Kaleb Dantes - Henry Cavill

Special Agent Riggs - Clark Gregg

Colin - Paul Bettany

Noah Lowell - Tyler Blackburn

Micah Hollis - Taylor Kitsch

Lindsey Hollis - Jessica Lowndes

Ava Harbinger - Aubrey Anderson Emmons

Sebastian - Dijmon Hounsou

Felix - Jonathan Rhys Meyers

My main characters and important minors - yeah, I got carried away *blushes.*

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Oo, that's a toughie.  Let me think...

Protecting the people I love from the Nosferatu has been my lifelong goal, one that is even more important to me now when one more person is taken away, and the one person I thought I could trust most in the world may just want me as dead as I want the monsters. (A big thank you to Mary for this one!)

There's nothing I loathe more than the Nosferatu, so when they take one more person from me, I'm determined to stop them this time - no matter the risk, no matter the cost - because if I don't, more people will die, and the guy I was falling for might just be behind it; all I know is nothing is as it seems, and the person I thought I could trust, he might just want me dead.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
When I know, you'll know.  Promise.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The very, very, very first draft - I'll say 3 or 4 months.  I've revised and rewritten it a couple different times, though.  Trying to get it perfect.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within its genre?
Ehh... I hate this question.  Um, I would say as far as the UF and Paranormal thing goes - Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton (before it was riddled with raunchy sex) but minus the language; or the Sookie Stackhouse series.  Without the sex.  Perhaps even the Victoria Gardella books by Colleen Gleason (minus the Regency, enter the modern).  YA - maybe THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead, or DEMON KISSED by H.M. Ward

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Girl power.

10. What else about your book might pique reader's interest?
There's new mythology - a new twist to something old.  Let's just say that.  Also, the main character - you won't see her falling down and needing caught; she'll catch herself.  Woman power - hear her roar.  Also, the characters are flawed - not sugar and sweetness.  There's time, like in real life, you won't like them.  That they come across as real arses or supreme witches, and make you think "What's wrong with her/him - ugh."  Then, other times, you'll love them.

Now, on to tag more awesome people: 

Christina Rice 
Erica Hart
Randi Lee
Troy Jackson
Jadie Jones
K.E. Skedgell


Also, check out these other awesome writer's who've also been tagged (and who happen to follow me; it could be you ;P):
Mary Waibel
T.C. McKee
Crystal Collier

~Katie S. Pendergrass