About Me:
I write so I have something to think about on my daily commute other than murdering the other drivers. I can spend my half-hour daydreaming instead of screeching at strangers. So far, I've written two novels and am working on a third.
SAVAGE LIGHT was my first, a YA fantasy about an abused girl who has a debilitating stutter. She is a timid mouse of a creature, but then discovers a violent little voice in her head accompanied by hugely destructive magical powers. She lacks all self-esteem, is terrified of her abilities, but then her first and only friend gets kidnapped by people after her and she tries to find the courage to save him. It's set in a fantastical world, but it is a character-driven story as it is mostly about the protag's journey for self-esteem and confidence. A more thorough summary and the first chapter are located under the Savage Light tab.
CRACKED is my second, and it is the exact opposite. It's a modern, YA urban fantasy with an anti-hero protag. She's wicked and funny (in a very off-beat, dark kind of way), and she makes reluctant friends with the most delinquent group of actual heroes on the planet--a dense but heroic boy, a brilliant but bitter crippled girl, and a tag-along who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While it's fast-paced and humorous, the really story is the relationships between the characters--which is told through the lens of the unreliable protag, who we learn is a lot more human than she likes to think.
My latest is SOLVING SOPHIE, a near-future, lite sci-fi, romantic-comedy about a socially awkward boy genius who wants to gain entrance into the super-elite, super-powerful society known as the Kingmakers (like what everyone thought the Masons were at the peak). Unfortunately, he has to pass a series of exams to gain entrance--and one is to befriend and convince social queen Sophie Golde so sign over her father's invention. Erik blackmails a popular-but-dumb guy to teach him how to win her over--and hilarity ensues. I'm only about 6k in and still working on getting Erik's voice just right.
I hope you like reading them at least half as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Oh, and you can follow me @SwiftScribbler.
Most of the pictures I've used on this blog aren't mine, but if you click on them, I've hyper-linked them to their source.
SAVAGE LIGHT was my first, a YA fantasy about an abused girl who has a debilitating stutter. She is a timid mouse of a creature, but then discovers a violent little voice in her head accompanied by hugely destructive magical powers. She lacks all self-esteem, is terrified of her abilities, but then her first and only friend gets kidnapped by people after her and she tries to find the courage to save him. It's set in a fantastical world, but it is a character-driven story as it is mostly about the protag's journey for self-esteem and confidence. A more thorough summary and the first chapter are located under the Savage Light tab.
CRACKED is my second, and it is the exact opposite. It's a modern, YA urban fantasy with an anti-hero protag. She's wicked and funny (in a very off-beat, dark kind of way), and she makes reluctant friends with the most delinquent group of actual heroes on the planet--a dense but heroic boy, a brilliant but bitter crippled girl, and a tag-along who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While it's fast-paced and humorous, the really story is the relationships between the characters--which is told through the lens of the unreliable protag, who we learn is a lot more human than she likes to think.
My latest is SOLVING SOPHIE, a near-future, lite sci-fi, romantic-comedy about a socially awkward boy genius who wants to gain entrance into the super-elite, super-powerful society known as the Kingmakers (like what everyone thought the Masons were at the peak). Unfortunately, he has to pass a series of exams to gain entrance--and one is to befriend and convince social queen Sophie Golde so sign over her father's invention. Erik blackmails a popular-but-dumb guy to teach him how to win her over--and hilarity ensues. I'm only about 6k in and still working on getting Erik's voice just right.
I hope you like reading them at least half as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Oh, and you can follow me @SwiftScribbler.
Most of the pictures I've used on this blog aren't mine, but if you click on them, I've hyper-linked them to their source.
Books I've read
2012
- Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan
- Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children
- Purgatory Chasm - Steve Ulfelder
- The Mighty Miss Malone - Christopher Paul Curtis
- Fire - Kristen Cashore
- The Gray Wolf Throne - Cinda Williams Chima
- Graceling - Kristen Cashore
- Bloodlines - Richelle Mead
- Succubus Revealed - Richelle Mead
- The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things - Carolyn Mackler
- Only the Good Spy Young - Ally Carter
- Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
- If I Stay - Gayle Forman
- Where She Went - Gayle Forman
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Liani Taylor
- Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris
- This Dark Endeavor - Kenneth Oppel
- The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
- Don't judge a girl by her Cover - Ally Carter
- Paranormalcy - Kiersten White
- Supernaturally - Kiersten White
- Gone - Michael Grant
- Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
- Bloody Jack - L.A. Meyer (actually book on tape--my first and it was fabulous!)
- Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
Small things that make me big-time happy
Two Full Requests, Pitch Madness 3/12/2012
Partial Bid, Cupid's Literary Connection Love Triangle Contest 1/24/2012
Bid-to-Full, Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen Auction 12/6/2011
Was Chosen as a Finalist, Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen Auction 11/21/2011
Finalist, Janet Reid's Something Amazing You'll Want to See 11/6/2011
Finalist, Janet Reid's Most Terrifying Contest Ever 10/26/2011
Finalist, Brenda Drake's Can You Leave Us Breathless? Contest 10/24/2011
Hooked both teens, Brenda Drake's Can you hook a Teen? Contest 9/26/2011
First Cut, Janet Reid's Sounds Like Panic to Me Contest 9/3/2011
Winner, Miss Snark’s First Victims’ August Secret Agent Contest 8 /22/2011
Partial Bid, Cupid's Literary Connection Love Triangle Contest 1/24/2012
Bid-to-Full, Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen Auction 12/6/2011
Was Chosen as a Finalist, Miss Snark's First Victim's Baker's Dozen Auction 11/21/2011
Finalist, Janet Reid's Something Amazing You'll Want to See 11/6/2011
Finalist, Janet Reid's Most Terrifying Contest Ever 10/26/2011
Finalist, Brenda Drake's Can You Leave Us Breathless? Contest 10/24/2011
Hooked both teens, Brenda Drake's Can you hook a Teen? Contest 9/26/2011
First Cut, Janet Reid's Sounds Like Panic to Me Contest 9/3/2011
Winner, Miss Snark’s First Victims’ August Secret Agent Contest 8 /22/2011
