Book Release

Today is the day! Sketches of My Soul launches today.

I'm excited for you to meet Tegan and Andrew.  This story took me awhile to write and I had many eyes on the story to help me. I want to thank Harmony Kent for working with me on the first set of edits. Also,  thanks to Mary at Ascend Editing who did an in-depth evaluation. Her knowledge is invaluable.

Here is an excerpt from the story:


Sketches of My Soul

   I reached the mailbox at the end of my driveway and sifted through the mail. Maybe I’d find a notice that I’d won a trip to another country, like Italy. I’d meet a hot Italian boy with a love of culture and music … stay there and study art …    The sound of spraying water pulled me out of my thoughts of Italian boys. My jaw dropped at the sight next door. Holy hotness! A shirtless guy that looked a little older than me, sprayed suds off a black jeep in my sixty-eight-year-old neighbor’s driveway. His muscles on full display. A tattoo flexed on his bicep with the flick of the hose. His dark hair curled at the ends and dipped into his face. Where did he come from and why was he at Mrs. White’s house?  I swiped a palm over my mouth to make sure I didn’t have drool dripping down my chin.

Just then Mrs. White zoomed up to check her mail on a hot-pink scooter with helmet to match. The sight of her sparked a grin. “Hi, Mrs. White. I like your new wheels.”

 “Hello, Tegan. She’s pretty, ain’t she?” Mrs. White rubbed her hand over the scooter. Bits of her white hair peeked out from under her helmet. Dark circles framed her emerald eyes.

 “Yes, she sure is.” I nodded. Mrs. White was like a grandma to me. I didn’t have grandparents growing up, and she’d taken me in like one of her own. She said that she saw a lot of herself in me. My eyes slipped from her to the shirtless wonder washing his jeep in her driveway. Mrs. White’s eyes followed mine and she let out a squeal, causing me to jump and fling my mail. “Do you remember Drewy? He decided to pay his grandma a visit. About time.”  She waved a hand in the air and called out, “Drewy come over here and say hello to Tegan.”

I dropped down to gather my scattered mail. Drewy. A fuzzy image a curly brown haired boy formed in my mind. We used to play together when we were little. He and his mom spent a lot of time at Mrs. White’s. One day, they up and moved to Michigan. I hadn’t seen him since. It never crossed my mind that it could be him next door. I rose and nearly tossed the mail all over again. Drewy McHottie was Andy!  


Kindle        
https://www.amazon.com/Sketches-My-Soul-TC-Booth-ebook/dp/B07176T3V8

Paperback
https://www.amazon.com/Sketches-My-Soul-Tc-Booth/dp/0999032100/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Powerful Scene

 

   I can't believe it's been a year since I introduced the world to Starla and Chase. I want to share a small scene from the story that I think is also powerful. Starla's right hand is missing three fingers... something that she's self-conscious about. The tiny excerpt below shows the character of Chase and is one of my favorite parts.


   Chase glanced down and hooked his pinky finger with mine. I shot my eyes at him, surprised. Jared never tried to hold my right hand in any way. He was weirded out by touching it or something. Chase focused straight ahead like it was a normal thing. He opened the door for me. The wind took my breath, so Chase tugged me to his side, sending a ripple of warmth through me. We both chuckled at a girl chasing a paper across the lot.



To celebrate the year anniversary, To Be Honest is for sale on Kindle for $0.99 until July 24.  If you haven't met Starla and Chase, now would be a good time. :)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday 

Character Interview: Featuring Chase from To Be Honest

Character Interview: Featuring Chase from To Be Honest

  I’m excited to share an interview with Chase McFall, a seventeen year old boy who works his way into Starla Emerson’s heart from my new young adult novel, To Be Honest.

Where do you go to school and what is your favorite subject?

  I’m a junior at Centerville High School in Indiana. My favorite subject is English because I sit with Star in that class.  She rocks at figuring out the meaning behind the book quotes our teacher gives us. She’s smart and pretty.

What hobbies or interests do you have?

 I compete in extreme sports. BMX competitions are my favorite. My brother is my biggest fan and coach. He has cerebral palsy so he can’t compete himself. I ride for him. He’s my hero.

Who do you most admire?

 That’s hard. I admire three people really. My mom. She raised my brother and me on her own. My dad couldn’t handle having a handicapped son so he took off when we were younger.

 My brother. He doesn’t let his condition stop him from lovin’ life. He smiles more than anyone I know. He’s pretty awesome.

 Starla. She’s the prettiest and sweetest girl I’ve ever met. She doesn’t hide her hand anymore. Even after being bullied about it, she’s not ashamed of being different. I admire that in her. She’s my brave girl.

Do you believe in God?

Yes, I do. He brought Starla into my life and gave me the best mom and brother anyone could’ve asked for.

Do you have a motto?

 No Fear. I have it tattooed here on my arm. That’s our motto, my brother and me. We face life head on with no fear. We won’t be cowards like my dad.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit about Chase. I think he’s a pretty cool guy and I had fun creating his character. He’s perfect for Starla.

Too Be Honest Playlist

Steal My Girl by One Direction

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

Heroes by Alesso and Tove Lo

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

 Learn more about To Be Honest

http://cleanreads.com/index.php/young-adult/romance/to-be-honest.html

To Be Honest Book Release

 Today is the day! I'm so excited about the release of my first teen/ya adult novel, To Be Honest. You finally get to meet Star and Chase.  To celebrate the release, Lola Blog Tours organized a week long Book Blitz and Giveaway.  You may enter below to win a signed digital copy of the story or an Amazon gift card. The full blitz schedule can be found on Lola's Website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Five Things I Learned From my Character Part II



Tomorrow is the cover reveal for my debut young adult novel, To Be Honest. To say I'm excited is an understatement.  I've been bursting inside to introduce to you Starla and Chase.  You learned a little about Chase in my first post of Five Things I Learned From my Character. Now I'd like to tell you what I learned through the main character, Starla.




Starla lacks self-confidence due to a deformity in her hand. Teens in general fear embarrassment in front of their peers, so the physical difference compounds this fear for Starla. She suffers from anxiety at a level that exceeds the norm and has had to learn ways to cope. The list below is what I learned through Star's character.




1. Tapping is a technique to lower anxiety. This method operates much like Chinese acupuncture without the needles. You use your fingers to locate tapping points on your body that trigger emotional balance along with focusing on words to bring you back in balance. I found it interesting and much more involved than my brief little snip of information here. Starla uses this technique in the story when her anxiety rises.




2. Photography is another outlet for Star that she enjoys. I learned about different types of lenses used in photography. The coolest thing I found out was that night vision lenses use infared light not visible to the naked eye in order to illuminate an area.




3. Starla loves to quote classic literature and apply it to her life. I added some classic literature titles to my 'want to read' list as a result of the quotes. I admit to never having read "Little Women". After reading some quotes from this classic, my interest is piqued.




4. Internet bullying is a means to target a victim in today's technology world. I've posted on this topic while writing the book. The information I learned was too valuable not to share. You can read my posts on this topic by clicking the titles: Big Hair and Bullies  & Her Hair is Full of Secrets


5. I learned to let Starla lead the story. Of course I started this story with an outline of where I wanted it to go. As Starla's character developed and she experienced things in the story, I allowed her to take over and lead. She turned into a much stronger girl than the one from the beginning of the story. I hope you enjoy her journey!

• Cover Reveal is July 7th with Lola's Blog Tours.
• Book Trailer Reveal is July 14th with Double Decker Books.
• Book Release is July 21st with a Book Blitz event through Lola's Blog Tours.
• Fire Side Mocha Book Blast starts on July 30 with Double Decker Books.

YA Boyfriend List

  

  What makes the perfect boyfriend?  My teen girls often discuss this topic and end up referring to fictional characters from YA books they read.  With some input from my girls as well as my own additions, I've compiled a short list of YA  characters that may make the perfect boyfriend. I have to say,  this post was a lot of fun to write. Here it goes...

* Augustus Waters-The Fault in Our Stars character by John Green won the number one spot. His name has been mentioned as the perfect boyfriend a billion times in our house!

The rest are listed in no particular order....

Landon Carter-this character from A Walk to Remember  by Nicholas Sparks won our hearts over when he made the decision to marry Jamie in spite of her sickness.

Kent McFuller-from the story Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Kent is a good guy who stays faithful to his friend and first kiss, Sam.  He believes her to be a good person even when she doesn't believe it herself.

Tim Dorscher-Tim is a super nice guy from the story Will the Real Prince Charming Please Stand Up by Ella Martin.   He always has Bianca's back.

Dean Holder - the misunderstood bad boy from Collen Hoover's Hopeless is not only a hottie, he loves Sky with all of his heart.

Brody Patterson-I have to put in a plug for Brody. I know he is perfect boyfriend material because I created him. From my story Beyond Vica, Brody is Gabby's center during a time that threatens to break her and her first real kiss.

That's all for now. There are many more that I could add to the list and will again in the future. What are your perfect YA fiction boyfriends?