Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Motley Education by S.A. Larsen

Today is an especially exciting day because I get to share with you the cover reveal for my critique partner's debut MG novel, MOTLEY EDUCATION! Not only is Sheri a fantastic writer, but she's a wonderful friend as well. I can't tell you how many times I've emailed Sheri with a question and she's always super quick to respond and help me figure things out. If you don't know Sheri (aka S.A. Larsen), you should! And now, on to her reveal! But first, this really cool banner!

AND NOW FOR THE REVEAL!!! DRUMROLL, PLEASE!

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Title: Motley Education (Book One: The URD Saga)

Author: S.A. Larsen

Release Date: October 10, 2016

Forget having a lively after school social life, Ebony Charmed is fighting to keep the entire Afterlife alive.

Ebony’s less-than-average spirit tracking abilities are ruining more than sixth grade at Motley Junior High: School for the Psychically & Celestially gifted. Her parents argue so much her dad moved out. And, even though he’s scared of his own shadow and insists on bringing his slimy, legless lizard everywhere they go, Ebony wouldn’t survive without her best friend, Fleishman.

When Ebony’s Deadly Creatures & Relics’ project goes missing, she learns her missing project is one of the keys to saving the spirit world. Now Ebony and Fleishman must battle beasts from Norse Mythology to retrieve her project before spirits are lost, the Well of Urd dries up, and Ebony loses all hope of reuniting her family. But someone lies in wait, and he has other plans...including creating a new world of spirits without them in it.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Motley Education has been aligned with Core Standards for grades 4-7. A guide will be available on the author’s website to download for FREE after the book’s release date.

About S.A. Larsen

S.A. LARSEN is the author of Motley Education, the first book in a middle grade fantasy-adventure series. Her work has appeared in numerous local publications and young adult anthologies Gears of Brass and Under A Brass Moon by Curiosity Quills Press. Look for her debut young adult novel, Marked Beauty, set for release in 2017. Find her in the land of lobsters, snowy winters, and the occasional Eh’ya with her husband of over twenty years, four children, a playful pooch, and two kittens.

You can visit her online at www.salarsenbooks.com.

Follow her on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram and connect with her on her Website & Blog.

Rafflecopter Giveaway Code

Five lucky winners will each receive a signed bookmark and assorted swag! Contest runs from 09/15/16 to 09/23/16. Winners will be chosen by random.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Direct link to giveaway: http://bit.ly/2bZyLVj


SUPER BIG CONGRATS TO SHERI!! I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE COVER!

IWSG and Tagged: My Writing Process

I decided to cheat a little and combine the IWSG post and My Writing Process tag in one long post, so please, bear with me!

IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group posts the first Wednesday of every month. It is an opportunity to air our concerns, insecurities, triumphs, and failures as a writer. It has been a wonderful support group for me so far as a new member. You can find other member's posts here.

Tagged: My Writing Process

YA author, Sheri Larsen tagged me in this blog tour where I'm to share my method for generating ideas, mapping out those ideas, and eventually writing those ideas down.

Represented by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary, Sheri's vineyard-set YA novel is currently on submission to publishers and she's working on a middle grade novel titled Motley Education:The Urd Saga. To find out more about Sheri, you can visit her blog here.


My Writing Process:

Source

What am I working on now?

Where to begin...I am all over the place right now. I'm working on getting my first novel, a contemporary romance novel titled Letting Go, published. I'm also in the process of revising my second contemporary romance novel tentatively titled, Jaunt in Jasper. In addition, I have a YA novel set partly in South Africa that I'm finishing/revising/editing, and another YA novel I am rewriting with the hopes of making it into a trilogy. I decided to go a completely different direction with this novel and while I am excited about doing something totally different, it will be a bit of a challenge for me, but a welcome one at the same time.



How does my book differ from others within its genre?

I'll talk mostly about my completed manuscript, Letting Go. It is a sweet romance with inspirational undertones, elements of suspense, bits of humor, tear-jerker moments, and themes of hope and forgiveness. It is a story of a young mother struggling to raise her four small children after the death of her husband. Hope comes in the form of a handsome stranger who takes a keen interest in her and her children. As he weaves his way into her heart and life, this young mother dreams about a new future filled with love and possibilities. Problem is, the man she's fallen for harbors a past and a shameful secret that will tear them apart.




Why do I write what I do?

I think I'm drawn to writing romance because I love being in love. I love the feeling, the thoughts, the emotions, and I LOVE to hear others romantic stories. There's nothing better than the onset of a sweet, tender romance or the battle for an unattainable love. As the mother of five boys, I'm surrounded by all things boy related: swords (plastic, of course), frogs, Matchbox cars, trucks, dirt, and messes. In this world of boys, I'm drawn to the feminine part of me that wants to read and write about sweet romance. I think that's why I lean towards contemporary romance or YA with romantic elements. There will probably ALWAYS be some sort of romance somewhere in my books. Gotta have it! :)




How does my writing process work?

An idea forms in my mind, sometimes in the most random places. I can be inspired by a movie, a song, a conversation, a dream. Then I see scenes in my mind like a movie reel. When I see the scenes, I run to my computer and begin typing. I don't always go in order while writing the book. If a scene or dialogue pops in my brain and it's nowhere near where I left off in my writing, I'll just write it and save it until I get to that part of the book. I don't usually outline. I love that sometimes I start writing a book and think it will go in one direction and the next thing I know, it is heading down a completely different path. I let the ideas flow and see where it takes me. Sometimes it evolves and takes on a life of its own and I'm just the tool to get it on paper.


With this latest YA novel I'm working on, it's pretty intense so I'm trying to do an outline. The problem is I have two different versions of the same book going on, one on paper and the other in my brain. Still trying to figure out how to mesh the two...



What's your writing process like?


Continue following the Process of Writing Tour and see how others hammer out their stories.


NEXT UP ON TOUR:

Stephanie Faris, Liz Blocker, Melanie Crouse