Sensational Scribe

        BOOK BLAST!

My close writer friend - Kriston Johnson - has just released her first young adult novel: Awakened. In honor of her debut novel I am participating in her book blast...including a grand giveaway of one e-copy of Awakened for Kindle, Nook, or even your laptop to one lucky winner who leaves a comment. In addition to the book, the one lucky participant will receive a $25.00 Amazon gift card, as well as an Awakened bookmark - which Kriston will sign!

But first, the excerpt from Awakened, by Kriston Johnson:
    
Jade was an expert at ignoring everything and everyone around her - except when there was a demon hovering at the doorway. It was supposed to be the time of her life, but so  far junior year sucked. Day after day she spent her lunch in the school library, sitting at the same table in the back corner. The farther away she was from everybody else, the better. It was the easiest place to escape the scrutinizing stares and smart remarks she received from the wonderful students she was supposed to consider her peers. Jade's clammy hands gripped armrests on her chair until her fingers turned white, her chest frozen mid-breath while other students moved around the room with careless ease.

Why don't they see him? He's right there. She moved only her eyes and scanned the room. If anyone else acknowledged it, she would know she was not as crazy as everyone accused. She just needed one other person to see him. Just one. The demon stood upright like a human, hunched over with a slight hump on its back. She didn't worry about fighting back tears; those had dried up a long time ago.

After watching it for what felt like an eternity, she saw Sadie Baker strut through the doorway; followed by her boyfriend Seth. For half a second, Jade wasn't sure what surprised her more:  the demon or that Sadie even knew where the library was. She breezed past the demon as if he weren't there, because to  her he wasn't.

Sadie caught the demon's attention, and he watched as she sauntered across the room. His face was partially hidden beneath his draped hood, but Jade could see it was barely more  than a skeleton. His cheeks were sunk in, his skin was practically white, and his eyes were nothing more than solid black orbs. He slithered from side to side like a serpent as he glided across the tile floor, following her as the tattered shreds of his charcoal gray cloak  rippled behind  him. Mr. and Mrs. Perfect plopped down one table over from Jade and dropped their backpacks on the floor. Sadie wore Seth's class ring on a chain around her neck, and she played with it often to make sure everyone could see it. She loosely held the ring in her fingers and slid it back and forth along the delicate silver link chain. The demon honed in on the ring, his head swaying to and fro like a cobra, saliva dripping from its mouth.

Jade wished the demon would get bored and move on, but something about the ring had him mesmerized. More than anything, she just wanted to grab her things and pretend none of it was happening. Despite the fact that Sadie was cold-hearted, thought she was better than everyone else, and had made Jade's life a living hell every school day for the last five years, Jade didn't want her to suffer the unholy wrath a demon could inflict on a person.

Cautiously, Jade stood. The demon hissed, exposing blackened, jagged teeth, and reached out with gnarled hands toward the unsuspecting Sadie. Jade rushed over and grabbed the ring out of Sadie's hand. She yanked down hard on the chain, breaking it free from Sadie's neck.

     "What the hell?" Sadie screeched, rubbing the back of her neck.

The demon jerked his head and lunged for the ring. Jade threw it across the room. Clinking across the tile, the ring slid in front of the window and down into a grated vent in the floor, the chain trailing behind it. The demon gave chase and hovered over the ring's resting place. Before dematerializing into vapor, he faced Jade, a sadistic smile spreading across his pale face.

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Be sure and leave a comment if you'd like to have a chance at winning the grand giveaway. If you'd rather just go ahead and purchase Awakened, here are the links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords.

I'll be back on Writ of Whimsy on Saturday, May 11th to announce the name of the grand giveaway winner!

Sensational Scribe

           COVER REVEAL!

Today marks the first time I have revealed a book cover on Writ of Whimsy; it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, since Awakened is the debut YA novel for my writing partner and good friend - Kriston Johnson!

Here is a summary of the fast-paced and fascinating story that was a pleasure for me to see come to life over the past few years:

Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do?

Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy.

The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all costs, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down.

An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace.

When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea that she has read an incantation awaking her inherited power; she learns she has descended from an enchanted realm and is a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction.

Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice:
assassinate their sworn enemy...

Or sacrifice her soul.

                                           *   *   *   *   *   *   *

And now, it is my pleasure to welcome Kriston Johnson to
Writ of Whimsy! Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed, Kriston.

"Thank you for having me on Writ of Whimsy, Victoria."

Kriston, where did the idea for "Awakened - The Legends of Elyndia" originate?

"A few years back my husband was given a family heirloom passed down to him from his father. It was an antique knife with a curved blade and tattered copper sheath. When the knife was handed to my husband he held it with great respect, as it was obvious that it was very old. Not long after he held it, my husband carefully pulled the sheath from the blade and held the knife out in front of him for everyone to in the room to see. As he was holding the knife I pictured a wave of powerful magic wash across the room as if the beholder just awakened an ability they never knew they had. Thus, my story was born."

I've heard that story before, but I still find it so amazing. Could you tell me a little bit about your journey in creating your debut novel?

"I literally started at ground zero. It had been twenty years since I had been in school and I had not written anything longer than a grocery list since. The first thing I did was enroll in a few classes at the community college. When I started taking my writing more seriously I started blogging, attended a conference, joined the Willamette Writers and SCBWI. I wanted to be fully immersed in the writing community."

Do you have any tips about self-publishing that you'd like to share?

"Yes, hiring a professional editor is a must. Awakened had two rounds with an editor and one with a proofreader. Beta readers are extremely helpful, but an editor will always catch more, and force you to dig deeper. Self-published authors should also hire a professional cover designer. I know we are told not to judge a book by its cover, but let's face it, a lot of people do. If a cover looks like it was thrown together at the last minute, a reader may think the book was too."

What does your life outside of your literary pursuits look like?

Gets husband
Me - "Honey, what does she mean by this question?"
Husband - "She wants to know what you like to do when you're not writing."
Me - "Are you telling me...there is a life beyond my book?" tilts head and blinks
Husband - cautiously walks backward out of the room
Me - total Kermit flail

Now there's the Kriston I know, folks! Last question, Kriston:
What advice would you share with aspiring authors?

"Be in the moment. Balancing my precious free time is always a delicate task. Working full time and spending quality time with the family leaves a very limited time to squeeze in a decent writing session. I spent the first three years of my writing life in constant turmoil. When I was with my family I was irritated that I was not writing, when I was writing I was ridden with guilt that I was not with my family, so time with either was full of distractions and never as rich and fulfilling as it could have been.

Take the time - make a schedule so neither is neglected. That way you are sure to get the most out of each moment."

Thanks again, Kriston. Good luck with "Awakened!"

Kriston Johnson

Kriston Johnson lives in Southwest Washington with her husband, teenage son, and miniature Australian Shepherd. Her home rests at the fringe of an old growth forest that she insists is the home of Jason Voorhees. Her husband thinks that that's a ridiculous assumption, because everyone knows it's really Bigfoot. Every summer Kriston participates in the annual pilgrimage to Faerieworlds, a real life faerie realm here on Earth; she has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars, The Vampire Diaries, and Iron Man. Awakened is her first novel.
You can visit her online http://kristonjohnson.blogspot.com/

Hope you all enjoyed meeting the author of "Awakened."
I'll be a host for Kriston's book blast in April that will feature giveaways!