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The blog of YA author Shana Norris
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Hi, guys! I’m SO excited to announce that my 10th book THE TRUTH ABOUT BOYS is available today! Check out the details about it and where to buy it below. Plus, check out details on how to get a FREE ebook copy of THE BOYFRIEND THIEF!
6 guitar strings. 2 boys. 1 summer to let it all go.
The summer before college, Kate Watts wants to do three things: make music, hang out with her best friend Ashton, and scoop ice cream. With an ailing grandfather, a flaky mom who shows up once every who-knows-when, and a looming tuition bill to pay, Kate doesn’t need any more complications
But “complications” have a way of finding her.
Like when an infuriating new boy named Rory humiliates her at a party.
Or when her wild cousin Paisley shows up unexpectedly at her doorstep to stay.
And then when she’s offered the chance of a lifetime–if she throws away the dream she’s been working for.
Soon, straight-shooting Kate gets swept up in a whirlwind of parties with Paisley, all while falling for hot-and-cold Rory…until she begins to suspect that Rory and Paisley might be keeping a huge secret together. Will Kate have to leave everything behind to untangle the truth—including herself?
The Truth About Boys is a companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief and The Secrets Between You and Me, and the third book in Shana Norris’s Stolen Kiss collection.
Check out the first two books in the Stolen Kiss series below and the companion short story. And for a limited time, you can get The Boyfriend Thief for FREE!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
I like to think I’m a pretty simple girl–I enjoy knitting, sewing, cross stitch, growing my own food, raising chickens for eggs and meat, canning and preserving food. But one thing I have always loved beyond that is fashion. I grew up reading the teen fashion magazines and then moved on to InStyle and fashion blogs as they popped up all over the internet. (Never got into Vogue though. I tried, but it was just not my taste at all.) I get compliments a lot from friends about the clothes I wear. Just the other night a friend told me that I always look so fashionable whenever she sees me, which I love to hear. 
This isn’t a fashion blog, but I do love to talk about fashion and so I wanted to talk a bit about how I handle my clothes and fashion.
Being a simple kind of person, I think I’m pretty simple about my fashion. I define my style and colors, and use a capsule wardrobe to keep it simple and easy. It wasn’t always this way. Like most people, I used to have tons of clothes and still looked at my closet complaining that I had nothing to wear. But a few years ago I ran across the concept of a capsule wardrobe and it changed my fashion life.
What is a capsule wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe a collection of clothing that all work together and that you love to wear. It’s not just random clothes you buy because you feel like going shopping, it’s a defined wardrobe that is interchangeable. It can be a set number of pieces, as in Courtney Carver’s Project 333. I don’t use a defined number of pieces, but I do still try to keep my collection as low as I possibly can.
How do you set up a capsule wardrobe?
My first suggestion is to use a site like Pinterest to collect looks that you love. This is my Winter inspiration board and as I look at it I see things that define the style I like: lace, layers, scarves, cardigans, skirts with tights and boots, stripes. I also see colors I’m drawn to, and so I used this to decide on a color palette for my winter wardrobe:
Colors: Plum, berry, mustard, mint, with a little soft pink thrown in.
Neutrals: Gray, brown, navy, white. Just a couple of black pieces, but I don’t wear a lot of black anyway.
When you have your style and colors settled, it’s time to start building your wardrobe. I used Polyvore to put together my wardrobe from pieces I already had and to help me see how many of each item I was using. These aren’t exactly the pieces I have, but they’re similar.
Sweaters:
From left to right, starting at the top: Brown sweater, berry sweater (thrifted), white cowl neck sweater (thrifted), gray sweater (thrifted), mustard sweater (thrifted), navy floral print cardigan, pink cardigan with black lace (thrifted), mustard cardigan, white lace cardigan (thrifted), mint cardigan (thrifted), camel argyle cardigan, camel argyle sweater (thrifted), plum sweater (hand knitted by me).
Tops:
From left to right, starting at top row: mint blouse (thrifted), black and white polka dot blouse (thrifted), off white tee, gray graphic print shirt (thrifted), pink tee, pink lace blouse (thrifted), berry blouse with bird print (thrifted), navy and white striped tee (thrifted), black and white striped tee, white lace blouse (thrifted).
Skirts and dresses:
From left to right, starting at top row: Dark gray wool skirt (thrifted), pink skirt (thrifted), navy and white striped skirt (thrifted), gray skirt, pink plaid skirt (thrifted), brown and white floral skirt (thrifted), purple dress, navy and mint dress, black and white polka dot dress, gray sweater dress (thrifted), brown cat print dress, navy and white striped dress (thrifted), gray dress.
Pants and shoes:
From left to right, starting at top row: Brown knee boots, skinny jeans, brown pants (thrifted), gray pants (thrifted), black booties, brown loafers, plum flats (thrifted), gray sneakers, gray slouch boots.
Accessories:
From left to right, starting at top row: printed gray tights, dark gray leggings, gray cable knit tights, brown tights, plum tights, white cowl (hand knitted by me), white scarf, plum scarf, mint scarf.
Currently, my wardrobe is composed of:
- 23 tops
- 6 skirts
- 7 dresses
- 3 pants
- 6 pairs of shoes
- 5 tights/leggings
- 4 scarves
My capsule is currently made up of 54 pieces. A higher number than most other blogs tell you to do, but this was as much as I could cut it down. Maybe after this winter I can determine what pieces I didn’t wear to cut it down some more. I didn’t include jewelry, socks, tank tops, or outerwear in this. I also don’t include sleep/lounge clothes or workout clothes. Also you can see, a lot of my pieces are thrifted. I love shopping Goodwill, but I don’t do it randomly. I go with an idea in mind of pieces that I’m looking for. This is my current wish list:
From left to right, starting at top row: white shirt with polka dots, mint green printed skirt, plum pants, brown printed skirt, gingham shirt, and mustard skirt.
Having a capsule wardrobe makes getting dressed so much easier. I know that I have clothes that actually work together rather than a bunch of stuff I bought randomly just because I felt like shopping. I’m also spending a lot less on clothes. I buy things because I really love them and know they’ll work in my wardrobe.
You may be wondering if these are all the clothes that I own. No, definitely not! I have my warmer weather clothes too, but they’re in storage at the moment. In the spring, I’ll transition some pieces out and move to lighter clothes in my spring colors. I didn’t go out and buy new (to me) pieces just to create my winter wardrobe. Most of the items I already had and so I only purchased a few new things this year. As far as brands go, I can tell you that a lot of my clothes are from LOFT, Banana Republic, and JCrew, but most of them are also thrifted so I paid about $3-$4 per piece. The most expensive item on here would be my black booties, which I just bought in October for $65 from the shoe sale at the hospital where I work. They’re Clarks brand. I’ve found that I can no longer wear heels because they hurt my left foot and ankle too much, so I’ve gone all flats now. I’m using Clarks brand for the black booties and also the brown loafers and they feel SO good on my feet.
Having a capsule wardrobe has changed the way I shop.
Now when I’m considering buying pieces I ask myself two questions:
- Do I LOVE it?
- Does it work with my wardrobe?
If the answer to either one of those is no or a hesitation, I don’t buy it. Simple as that. When building your capsule wardrobe, determine what styles you’re drawn to either through Pinterest, magazines, or fashion blogs. Then determine what colors you like best and create your color palette for the season. You don’t have to be stuck with the same colors all year. In the warmer months, I change from mustard to a light yellow and from plum to a light purple. I also change from pink to coral during the summer. You can use different color palettes for different seasons, so don’t feel that you’re stuck with one look all the time. Once you have your style and colors, create a list of the pieces you’d like to have in your capsule wardrobe and then go through the clothes you already own to find pieces that match your list. From there, you can fill in the holes by creating your wish list that you’ll take with you when shopping. Don’t rush and don’t buy something just because it kind of fits what you’re looking for. Take the time to really consider whether it works and whether you love it.
For a long time, people had small wardrobes with few pieces of clothing. Their clothes actually worked together and were interchangeable. They had defined pieces that suited their lives and their needs. They spent time making pieces they loved or else invested the money in pieces they loved. Our society now buys randomly and shops without thinking about what role the clothes we buy are filling in our wardrobe. Most people don’t have an actual wardrobe, they just have piles of clothes. Big piles–and yet still complain that they have nothing to wear. Creating a capsule wardrobe will save you time, money, and space, and it makes getting dressed each morning so much easier!
Here are some other blog posts where you can read more about capsule wardrobes:
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Hey, guys! It’s been a long time since I posted here. I’m not great at keeping up a blog, but I’d like to try again.
I do have some things to update you about. For the last two and a half years, I’ve been dealing with panic attacks and anxiety. It started suddenly, with no warning and no explanation as to what was causing it. So I had to work through living with that while also keeping up my freelance work, then my part time job as secretary at my church, and writing my books.
I learned to live with it. I was taking medicine when I needed to and I had seen a therapist to talk through some things that might have been causing my anxiety. It had gotten a lot better. I was rarely having anxiety or the panic attacks. I had even gotten a new full-time job working as a graphic designer for my local hospital, a job that I really enjoy. Things looked great.
And then on November 10, I woke up at 2:30am to find my husband and two EMTs standing over me as I lay in bed. B, my husband, said, “You’ve been having seizures for the last 15 minutes. We’re going to the hospital.”
Um, what? I couldn’t talk yet and I was confused about what he was saying, but my first thought was, “No, I haven’t. I’ve been sleeping!”
But we went to the hospital–the same hospital that I now work at and had just spent eight hours working in the day before–and they put me in the emergency room. I realized my tongue really hurt and a doctor determined I had bitten it hard, a sign of a seizure. I was already coming out of the seizures by the time the EMTs got to my house, so they couldn’t verify that I was having them. The hospital put me in observation and kept me overnight. Sometime that next night, I woke up to go to the bathroom and thought, “Why do I have this oxygen tube in my nose?” The bed started squealing, waking my husband up from his bed in the uncomfortable chair in the corner. I asked, “Why is the bed making all that noise?”
“You had another seizure,” B told me. As far as I knew, I had been sleeping all night without any issues. I don’t remember anything at all about the seizures and never had any warning that they were coming on.
I also don’t have any explanations as to why I’m having seizures. I am now on anti-seizure medication and I’m seeing a neurologist. My MRI and CT scans were both clear, so there are no tumors, thank God! My EEG did show seizure activity, so we just need to figure out why. I’ve been diagnosed with epilepsy, which is basically seizures with no known cause. I haven’t had a seizure since that night at the hospital, not that I know of anyway. I slept through the other seizures, so I probably wouldn’t know if I was having more in my sleep. B hasn’t woken up to find me in one since then though. On December 10, I wrote this on my personal Facebook page:
One month ago today, B woke up to find me in a grand mal seizure. I haven’t had one since that night when I had another grand mal seizure while in the hospital, but it’s still been a frustrating month! I can’t drive for another 5 months–as long as I don’t have anymore seizures. We still have no idea why this happened. I find myself forgetting things a lot–forgetting to do things or forgetting simple words or forgetting what I was saying while speaking. I don’t know if it’s the epilepsy, the medication, or just the fact that I’m in my mid-30s now, ha. I’ve had several episodes of my brain just not processing words I’m hearing. Someone will be speaking to me and suddenly I can hear the words, but I don’t understand them. It only lasts a few seconds and then my brain is working like it should again. I go back to the neurologist in a month and hopefully he’s gotten the EEG results from the hospital so he can see what is going on. In the meantime, I am reading about epilepsy and memory problems: http://www.epilepsy.com/…/thinking-an…/types-memory-problems
There are good things, though. My sweet babies, Cheddar and Taffy, two of the kittens we found in our backyard this summer and have nursed and raised:
And I have a new book coming out in February! The Truth About Boys, the third book in the Stolen Kiss series.
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you’ve probably seen the news already. But if not, here it is:
The Boyfriend Thief is being re-published by The Studio, a brand new digital publishing imprint created by Paper Lantern Lit!
If you’re not mixed up in the YA publishing world, you may not know what Paper Lantern Lit is. It was created by editor Lexa Hillyer and bestselling author Lauren Oliver. It’s what’s known as a “book packager.” They create ideas for books, hire writers to write them, and then sell the books to publishers. With The Studio though, Paper Lantern Lit is becoming a publisher for the ebooks. The Studio is debuting this year with four books, and The Boyfriend Thief is the first of those titles. I’ve been working with my editor over the last few months to revamp TBT. It has gotten a new cover and has some new scenes added in! I’ve been really excited about this re-release and it’s been so hard to keep quiet about it. But we wanted it to be a surprise and to have the new version of TBT debut along with the launch of The Studio. You can read more about The Studio here at Publishers Weekly and check out their website here!
So, I’m excited to present the new cover and blurb for The Boyfriend Thief!
1 ill-fated hot dog costume • 2 former BFFs • 11 days to seduce a boy.
Avery James doesn’t believe in romance—she’s studied enough biology to know that love is nothing more than hormones and chemicals. Besides, she has more practical goals in mind, namely saving up for a summer humanitarian program in Costa Rica. But when her Diggity Dog House supervisor denies her a raise and Avery finds herself $500 dollars short for the trip of a lifetime, Avery has no choice but to accept an unexpected offer. The deal? She must steal her arch nemesis Hannah’s boyfriend before prom, giving Avery eleven days to seduce Zac Greeley.
Avery is sure the job will be easy. But a few midnight comedy shows and spontaneous dance parties (not to mention one particularly intimate carwash) later, Avery finds herself questioning everything she’s ever thought about love. Could Zac’s signature cherry-lime Slurpees be causing brain freeze, or is Avery actually starting to fall for him?
Will Avery be able to steal Zac away from Hannah before he steals Avery’s heart?
Download The Boyfriend Thief at iBooks.
Or purchase it at Amazon.
You can also add it to your Goodreads list here.
And I’m excited to give you a peek at the other three books coming from The Studio this year!
Dollhouse by Anya Allyn
Dress Up Turns Deadly…
When Cassie’s best friend, Aisha, disappears during a school hike, Cassie sets off with Aisha’s boyfriend Ethan and their best friend Lacey, determined to find her. But the mist-enshrouded mountains hold many secrets, and what the three teens discover is far more disturbing than any of them imagined: beneath a rundown mansion in the woods lies an underground cavern full of life-size toys and kidnapped girls forced to dress as dolls.
Even as Cassie desperately tries to escape the Dollhouse, she finds herself torn between her forbidden feelings for Ethan, and her intense, instinctive attraction to The Provider, a man Cassie swears she has known before…
Because Cassie’s capture wasn’t accidental, and the Dollhouse is more than just a prison where her deepest fears come true—it’s a portal for the powers of darkness. And Cassie may be the only one who can stop it.
Available May 20, 2014
Eternal Night by Carina Adly Mackenzie
There are gods among us
Six young gods are hiding in plain sight among mortals, living secretly in cities across the world. From lavish penthouse soirees to pulsing underground clubs, for them, the party literally never ends. Until now.
On a hot June morning, the body of a beautiful girl is found floating in the rooftop pool of the Jefferson Hotel, her white-ink tattoos revealing the story of a life much longer than seems possible. Only the immortals know the truth: Nadia was the goddess of hope. Now she’s gone, and the world as they know it is ending. The Hudson River has turned blood red. Storms rage overhead. Mania is rapidly spreading across the globe.
It is up to the remaining gods—Lola, Dean, Weston, Mark, Nike and Peitha—to put aside centuries of betrayal and heartbreak, and stop the mysterious source of darkness that is taking over… before the sun sets forever.
Carina Adly MacKenzie, blogger and television critic, has penned a steamy, romantic, and ultimately redemptive story of forgotten gods, the persistence of hope, and the power of love to save us.
Available August 26, 2014
Beautiful Girl by Lida James
Darkness has a way of catching up
Sophomore year at Dutchess College has just begun, and Nicole is still haunted by memories of her first love, Zach. As the changing leaves fall on the stately Hudson Valley campus, she takes solace in running—pushing herself to go harder, faster, to be the best. With the wind blowing through her hair, she can almost convince herself that she is beautiful, that she will find love again.
So when Nico runs, quite literally, into the maddeningly elusive Justin, she’s convinced she’s found the guy to make her forget her ex—despite the warnings of her friends and her straight-edged running partner, Luke.
But when Nico is attacked in the woods after a wild night of partying, everything changes. Suddenly, Nico begins receiving anonymous threats, and she no longer knows where to turn for help—or whether even her close friends can be trusted.
All she wants is to be one of the beautiful girls—the ones who never have to chase perfection. But in order to uncover the truth, she’ll have to face a past she had hoped to leave behind forever. She thought she could outrun the darkness, but darkness has a way of catching up…and only one boy can save her.
Available October 28, 2014
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Got some questions you’ve always wanted to ask me? About my books, my writing, or myself? I’m doing a live chat tonight with Rachel from Reading in Twilight. It starts at 7:00pm Central Time/8:00pm Eastern over here. You can send in your questions for me by using the hashtag #ShanaLiveChat on Twitter.
Hope you’ll join us there!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Have Spring Break on the brain? Need a new bikini or some dough for sunscreen? How about a $500 gift card from the retailer of your choice? You’re just in luck. The authors of Text Me are offering a deal you don’t want to miss. Help Text Me hit the bestsellers lists and earn a chance to win BIG! As of now, we will give away a $50 gift card aftermidnight on March 25th.
If Text Me hits the top 1000 on Amazon the prize jumps to $100!
If Text Me hits the top 500 on Amazon the prize jumps to $250!
If Text Me hits the top 100 of Amazon the prize jumps to $500!
What do you have to do to get in on the money? Blog, tweet, post… Get the word out, and keep track on the rafflecopter entry below! One lucky winner will have a wonderful Spring!
AMAZON– NOOK–ITUNES – KOBO
From Curses to Crushes, Angels to Witches, Mysteries to Puberty ; Traveling through Time to Swimming Under the Sea— Text Me: 8 Novels of First Love brings 8 teens in awkward situations who are about to find out more about themselves. These 8 authors bring novels that will make you laugh out loud.
Special sale price of only $0.99
Regular price for all these stories is $21.92 — you save $20.93!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Text Me: 8 Novels of First Love just got a brand new makeover to help chase away the winter blues!
Remember, you can get EIGHT full-length young adult books in this one package, which is still just $0.99! It would cost you over $20 to buy each one separately.
Like Mermaids? SURFACING by Shana Norris
Mara Westray has just lost her mother, and being shipped off to live with the father she doesn’t know is not how she imagined grieving. But from the moment she steps off the ferry, nothing is as ordinary as it looks. As she tries to unravel the events that led to her mom fleeing the island sixteen years ago, Mara finds that the biggest secret of all is only the beginning.
Like Mysteries? CODENAME: DANCER by Amanda Brice
Bombs, poisoning, arson… Will aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak’s 15 minutes of fame on the hit TV show Teen Celebrity Dance-Off be over before she reaches age 15? Dani and her friends are suddenly at the center of some serious sabotage. And if she doesn’t find out who is behind it, her next pirouette could be her last.
Like Angels? WINGING IT! by Shel Delisle
Angel in Training Grace Lightbourne wants to earn her wings fast, so she skips school in Heaven, heading straight to Earth on a Mission as an apprentice Guardian Angel. But, she’d better watch out — she’s flying by the seat of her pants.
Like Time Travel? LIKE CLOCKWORK by Elle Strauss
When Adeline travels back in time to 1955′s Hollywood, she meets a James Dean-esque type hottie.
But can bad boys from the past be trusted?
Like Witches? STIRRING UP TROUBLE by Juli Alexander
Zoe Miller is a 15-year-old witch with a talent for potions. Then there’s all the so-called normal stuff. Like high school, her annoyingly selfish “friend” Anya, and her crush on Anya’s ex-boyfriend Jake. Now, Zoe’s dad is dating Jake’s mom, and things are getting more and more complicated. Zoe’s tired of fate interfering so cruelly in her life. Can you really blame her for putting her potions to not-so-good use and stirring up trouble?
Like Sweet Entertainment? CONFESSIONS OF A 16-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN LIPS by Cindy M. Hogan
VL. Virgin Lips. You may not have heard of it, but where I live, it’s a thing with a card, even if it is a figurative card. Maybe that’s a bit strange. I mean, what teenage girl isn’t interested in kissing? Locking lips definitely interested me, but the drama that came with it didn’t. No kissing, no drama. Simple.
Like Fairy Tales? THE CURSE GIRL by Kate Avery Ellison
When Bee is imprisoned in a magical, cursed house because of her father’s selfish choices, she has just one plan … escape! But she must solve a riddle and help her fellow prisoners break the curse that binds them all before she can leave, and that is proving more difficult than she originally thought thanks to the bitter young master of the house, Will.
Will wants nothing to do with Bee or her help (and he certainly isn’t planning on falling in love with her), but he might have underestimated just how determined and clever – and irresistible – she can be.
Like Cute Crushes? CHASING PUBERTY by Kat Brookes
Puberty has left high school freshman Logan Stanley behind. Join her on her journey as she discovers that being a true ‘It’ girl is only a state of mind — you just have to believe!
What do you think of the new cover?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Hey, guys! Today I’m excited to feature Initiate by Tara Maya on my blog! Read on for more information about this book and an excerpt.
The Unfinished Song (Book 1): Initiate by Tara Maya
DEADLY INITIATION
A DETERMINED GIRL…
Dindi can’t do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi’s clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.
AN EXILED WARRIOR…
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn’t commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don’t kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father’s wars and his mother’s curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her… assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.
EXCERPT
Blue-skinned rusalki grappled Dindi under the churning surface of the river. She could feel their claws dig into her arms. Their riverweed-like hair entangled her legs when she tried to kick back to the surface. She only managed to gulp a few breaths of air before they pulled her under again.
She hadn’t appreciated how fast and deep the river was. On her second gasp for air, she saw that the current was already dragging her out of sight of the screaming girls on the bank. A whirlpool of froth and fae roiled between two large rocks in the middle of the river. The rusalka and her sisters tugged Dindi toward it. Other water fae joined the rusalki. Long snouted pookas, turtle-like kappas and hairy-armed gwyllions all swam around her, leading her to the whirlpool, where even more fae swirled in the whitewater.
“Join our circle, Dindi!” the fae voices gurgled under the water. “Dance with us forever!”
“No!” She kicked and swam and stole another gasp for air before they snagged her again. There were so many of them now, all pulling her down, all singing to the tune of the rushing river. She tried to shout, “Dispel!” but swallowed water instead. Her head hit a rock, disorienting her. She sank, this time sure she wouldn’t be coming up again.
“Dispel!” It was a man’s voice.
Strong arms encircled her and lifted her until her arms and head broke the surface. Her rescuer swam with her toward the shore. He overpowered the current, he shrugged aside the hands of the water faeries stroking his hair and arms. When he reached the shallows, he scooped Dindi into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the grassy bank. He set her down gently.
She coughed out some water while he supported her back.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded. He was young–only a few years older than she. The aura of confidence and competence he radiated made him seem older. Without knowing quite why, she was certain he was a Tavaedi.
“Good.” He had a gorgeous smile. A wisp of his dark bangs dangled over one eye. He brushed his dripping hair back over his head.
Dindi’s hand touched skin–he was not wearing any shirt. Both of them were sopping wet. On him, that meant trickles of water coursed over a bedrock of muscle. As for her, the thin white wrap clung transparently to her body like a wet leaf. She blushed.
“It might have been easier to swim if you had let go of that,” he teased. He touched her hand, which was closed around something. “What were you holding onto so tightly that it mattered more than drowning?”
LINKS
Tara’s blog http://bit.ly/MtlSRJ
Tara’s Twitter http://bit.ly/162sCtE
The Unfinished Song on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1400mMq
Amazon http://amzn.to/15ciwYc
Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/13yM5Dr
Kobo http://bit.ly/1aFhg1P
iTunes http://bit.ly/1baddhN
Smashwords http://bit.ly/17zK8Xn
Initiate is free everywhere except on Barnes and Noble (where it’s $0.99). You can download a free .epub version via Smashwords.
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
I love pink and hearts and romance. So of course I love Valentine’s Day. Here are some of my must-haves for this pink hearted love day.
- Cinnamon hearts. Of course I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but cinnamon hearts have always been a favorite Valentine’s Day treat for me.
- Pink lipgloss. I love Jordana’s Lip Out Loud! gloss in LOL-110. It’s a bright pink, shiny color. Other faves: Jordana Stay Glossy 3D in Lights, Camera, Action; Jordana Twist & Shine in Candied Coral; and Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Coral Shimmer.
- Pink nail polish. My picks are all Wet N Wild Megalast polishes because I think WNW makes great nail polish at a very affordable price. My fave colors for Valentine’s Day are Sugar Coat, Club Havana, and Candy-licious.
- Romantic YA books. I love a good connection between characters. I like the ones where the characters can’t get along, but also can’t stay away from each other. I like the ones where the characters instantly connect even though the rest of the world is trying to keep them apart. As long as I fall in love with the characters, I’ll cheer for them to be together. Some favorite YA love stories:
- Romantic movies. It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a romantic movie, would it?
What are your Valentine’s Day must haves?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Meet the authors and books included in this awesome set of
8 Novels of First Love.Just in time for Valentines Day!
Only .99 cents for a limited time.
If you bought each book separately, you would pay over $20.00.
Where did you get the idea for this book?
Right before my daughter went to college, we were feeling a bit nostalgic about her high school years and we started talking about all her first kisses. It was fascinating and I thought her story would make a great book. And it really did!
 |
| Cindy M. Hogan |
Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
I’d have to say I love Ali. She’s the sassy best friend we all need.
What is something about yourself that others might not know?
I’ve spoken German to my children since they were born. It’s fun to have a bilingual family. And my husband doesn’t know it so it’s like I have a secret language with my daughters.
Do you wear socks to bed?
Definitely in the winter. I’m cold-blooded for sure. Only occasionally in the summer.
The Curse Girl by Kate Avery Ellison
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Where did you get the idea for this book? – I got the first sliver of an idea when the power had gone out one night and my husband and I were eating pizza by candlelight. The whole house was dark and flickering with firelight, and I’d put a mirror under some of the candles to better reflect the light, and I had this idea of a girl all alone in a huge, dark ballroom with walls of mirrors, holding a candle.
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| Kate Avery Ellison |
What was the hardest thing about writing this book? – Finishing it. I love to start projects and I hate finishing them. The ending is always the most difficult part.
Do you wear socks to bed? – In the winter, yes. I particularly like stealing my husband’s warm wooly ones.
What is something about yourself that others might not know? – I have a lot of reoccurring dreams. In one of my most common ones, I’ve just purchased a new house only to discover that it has an entire extra wing hidden away in a basement or through a secret door, and it’s haunted.
Winging it! by Shel Delisle
Who is your favorite character in your book? While Grace, the main character, is near and dear to my heart, Aisha, the angel assigned as Grace’s guardian, is my favorite character. Aisha is kind and spunky. Plus, She provides just the right amount of antagonism to offset Grace’s bravado.
Where did you get the idea for this book?
The main character Grace just showed up one day and she wouldn’t leave me alone until I started putting words on paper. Still, there are times I wonder if episodes of “The Flying Nun” from my childhood stayed buried deep in my sub-conscious and if this book is just a more modern version of those characters.
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| Shel Delisle |
Do you wear socks to bed?
I rarely wear socks during the day! Living in Florida, I almost always wear sandals.
That said, when the temperature drops here I’ve been known to keep my toes bundled up.
What is something about yourself that others might not know?
I can inflate a pair of jeans while treading water and make it into a life preserver. Fortunately, that’s one life skill I haven’t ever used!
Like Clockwork by Elle Strauss
Where did you get the idea for this book?Like Clockwork is a companion book to Clockwise. Clockwise takes place on the east coast and the main character travels back in time to the civil war era. I wanted to write a story from a character living on the west coast and the most interesting historical time for me in that locale was 1950s Hollywood. Thus, Adeline was created!
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
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| Lee Strauss |
It wasn’t exactly hard, but it took work to research the details of the school and neighborhood. I’d been to Hollywood a few years before writing Like Clockwork, but didn’t know I was going to write a book based there at that time. Google Earth was a life saver!
Do you wear socks to bed?
Yes.
What is something about yourself that others might not know?
My very first book was published in 2000 in Germany, in German. I don’t speak German.
Surfacing by Shana Norris
Who is your favorite character in your book and why?I think that would be Josh Canavan. He’s been through a lot in his young life and he’s built up a tough exterior, but then his vulnerability comes out at times too. And when he cares about someone, he becomes extremely loyal to them.
Where did you get the idea for this book?
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| Shana Norris |
The idea came from my love of the Outer Banks along North Carolina’s coast. Swans Landing was based on the island of Ocracoke, which you have to take a ferry to get to. The small island has so much history and I thought it was the perfect place for a race of mermaid people to live unnoticed by the rest of the world.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
Figuring out all the secrets everyone was hiding. Some of them I knew early on, but others I didn’t figure out what was really underneath their actions until later on.
Do you wear socks to bed?
No, they would annoy me too much! My feet get too hot while I sleep.
Stirring Up Trouble by Juli Alexander
Who is your favorite character in your book and why? My fave is Zoe because she is smart, ambitious, and nice. She’s also a witch but more than anything, she’s a typical teen. She has lots of self doubt and a crush on her friend’s boyfriend.
Where did you get the idea for this book?
I started thinking about potions and magic. I thought it would be cool to have some side effects or punishment for performing magic. So I decided that witches get punished if they perform selfish spells. That’s why witches in history have green skin, ugly noses, etc. They’ve been using their magic selfishly.
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| Juli Alexander |
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?
I had a blast writing this book. The hardest part was making sure that Zoe didn’t put up with too much from Jake even though she had a crush. I didn’t want her to be a wimp.
Do you wear socks to bed?
No. In fact, I stick my feet out from the covers. I’m weird that way.
If you could change the color of one thing in the world, what would it be and why?
I’d change the color of ugly buildings to something bright and pretty.
Codename: Dancer by Amanda Brice</p>
What is something about yourself that others might not know?
If they follow me on twitter, they know everything. Hmmm. I always wanted to write, but never had a story to tell. It was after law school when I finally took a chance on my writing. I’m so glad that I did!
Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
You’d think it would be Dani Spevak, the heroine, but you’d be wrong. Don’t get me wrong — I do love Dani (or I wouldn’t have written her!), but I have a soft spot for her best friend Maya Sapp. Maya is gutsy, outgoing, and really speaks her mind. She’s a lot of fun to write and one day maybe I’ll give her her own book.
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| Amanda Brice |
Where did you get the idea for this book?Growing up I was a dancer. It was my life for about 30 hours a week. But other than non-fiction about the great ballets, there weren’t any books for teens about dance. All the fiction was for toddlers and young elementary students. I’d always loved mysteries, so I decided to write the book I would have wanted to read when I was a teen.
What was the hardest thing about writing this book?Plotting, which is weird since I’m a plotter! I’m one of those writers who CANNOT write from the seat of my pants. Everything must be plotted out — in full detail — before I can sit down to write. I know some writers say that takes the fun out of it for them, but if I’m presented with a blank canvas I tense up and panic. But because I require a full, detailed outline in order to write, that requires a LOT of prep work. I love coming up with premises and I love writing, but getting all the details right is hard — and yet so necessary in a mystery!
Who is your favorite character in your book?
Ryan – the ‘angelboy’ – because despite the emotionally painful life he’d had growing up, he’s still got goodness inside him. And I love his snarky sense of humor.
Where did you get the idea for this book? My oldest daughter is special needs and there were a few occasions where she was ‘bullied’ in school. I wondered how those bullies might feel if they were in her shoes. Instead, I decided to write about life Through the Eyes of a Geek, hoping that if even one bully changes for the better from reading this story I’ve succeeded.
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| Kat Brookes |
What was the hardest thing about writing this book? The scene at the end when Ryan goes to his parents’ house. Other than that, the book was fun to write.
Do you wear socks to bed? Nope.
If you could change the color of anything what would it be and why? My eyes. Mine are hazel. Boring. Blah. I’d love to have blue eyes.
What do you love about YA/teen books?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Sorry to anyone who has been trying to access my website for the past week. My webhost (or I should say, FORMER webhost) killed my website Monday night. Their server died and they worked to get everything fixed, but for some reason, my website never worked again. I put in multiple support tickets, got multiple responses to change to multiple different nameservers, but it never worked.
So I’ve now moved my domain to a new host and will have to rebuild my site since I could never get into the old site again to export my WordPress entries.
I’ve had a fantastic week. How about you?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Something Beautiful, the anthology my short story “Invisible” is included in, just got a new cover. Check it out!
What do you think? I love it! You can buy Something Beautiful now at Amazon.
A collection of stories and poems that will pull you in and take you away….
Silence by Carmen Tudor
Invisible by Shana Norris
She and I by Sarah Meira Rosenberg
The Poser by David Andrews
Being There for Jason by Susan Sundwall
Open Window by David Andrews
A Little Light by Keshia Swaim
From some of today’s most talented young adult authors comes this beautifully written anthology of short stories and poems that will touch your heart and make you realize you are not alone…
God is doing Something Beautiful through you.
Also, this ebook bundle Text Me: 8 Novels of First Love is back down to $0.99! You get EIGHT young adult books for that price!
TEXT ME is a fun, fresh bundle collection featuring light-hearted teen novels from eight bestselling authors with more than 300 combined reviews and an average 4.3 star rating on Amazon!
Discover a new favorite or a new series with this box set of contemporary and paranormal first love stories with sassy heroines that will have you crushing, swooning, or laughing out loud.
Purchased separately these eight novels would cost more than $20.00, so you can get a whole bundle of great reads for a great price!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Sorry to anyone who has been trying to access my website for the past week. My webhost (or I should say, FORMER webhost) killed my website Monday night. Their server died and they worked to get everything fixed, but for some reason, my website never worked again. I put in multiple support tickets, got multiple responses to change to multiple different nameservers, but it never worked.
So I’ve now moved my domain to a new host and will have to rebuild my site since I could never get into the old site again to export my WordPress entries.
I’ve had a fantastic week. How about you?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
My So-Called Life on Hulu Plus. Jared Leto will always be Jordan Catalano to me! <3
The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman and Shucked by Megg Jensen
I have been eating way too much junk food lately and it’s making my teeth hurt, so I’m trying to be good by eating more fruit. So I’ve got tangerines and clementines, my favorite fruits for this time of year! (But I did still eat some chocolate I found in a cabinet…)
Chopping off my hair! By myself! I’m really lazy about getting haircuts because…I hate the small talk. My mind can’t come up with small talk! I feel so pressured to think of things to chat about with this hairdresser I barely even know. So I tend to let my hair grow and grow until I can’t stand it anymore, then finally I go get it cut. This time though I decided just to cut it myself. So I watched some YouTube videos, decided I was now and expert it hair cutting, and went into the bathroom with some scissors. It’s a mid-length angled bob, so it’s slightly longer in front than in back.
(The nice thing about angled bobs being in style is that if you accidentally cut it that way, you can just pretend you meant to do that!)
This was the first time I’ve ever cut my own hair and I was super nervous. But my sister cuts her own hair (she took cosmetology classes years ago) and so I told myself if I messed it up, I’d just get her to fix it and no one would ever know. I think it turned out okay though!
So anyone else out there cut their own hair?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
(There’s a road under that snow somewhere.)
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday revolves around worlds that we would NEVER want to live in, or characters you’d never want to trade places with. Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish.
Here are my picks:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – This is probably the first one to pop into most people’s minds since the movie franchise is so big right now. I’d never want to have to deal with the reapings and worry each year about being chosen or see my friends and family get chosen.
- Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer – This world felt like something that could potentially happen one day and it’s frightening.
- Feed by M.T. Anderson – Another one that feels really possible one day. I don’t like the idea of having information fed directly into my brain and how reliant everyone was on that.
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver – Love considered a disease? No thanks!
- Matched by Ally Condie – I don’t want to live in a world where marriages are arranged either.
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan – I’d rather have my world free of zombies, thank you.
- Divergent by Veronica Roth – Let’s just say that in general, I don’t want to live in a dystopian world. I wouldn’t want to have to leave my family and join a faction.
- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – I also don’t want to live in a world with bad witches trying to destroy everything.
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer – I’ve never read Twilight. Or seen the movies. But I know enough to know that I don’t care at all for vampires or werewolves, so no, I’d never want to live in this world.
- Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce – Werewolves again. Nope. Not happening.
What worlds would you never want to live in?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
I’ve always really loved to read about other writers’ writing process. I still devour books where authors tell you how to write a book because I like to see what they do. Sometimes I’ll try some of their tips, and maybe they’ll work or maybe they won’t. But I still love hearing what works for other people and why.
I’ve been using Scrivener for over a year now and I have to say that I absolutely love it. I love reading how other writers use Scrivener and so I wanted to share some screenshots on how I use it. My writing process in general is a combination of tips I’ve learned from other writers and things I’ve figured out on my own. I used to do it all on paper and had these big three ring binders with my story notes and outlines, etc. But a few years ago, I turned my process into an almost entirely digital format with Liquid Story Binder. LSB is still a really great program and definitely worth looking into, but when I switched to a Mac I had to get a different writing software because LSB is Windows only. So I decided to switch to Scrivener and have been very happy with it.
These screenshots are from my project file for The Rules of You and Me. I write on a Macbook Air, so I do use the Mac version of Scrivener. The Windows version doesn’t have all of the options that the Mac version has, so keep that in mind in case you see something that I do that you can’t do on yours if you’re using Windows.
(Click on the picture for a closer look)
This is how I typically lay out my project. I like to have a “Summary” document (sometimes I call it plot or synopsis, just whichever word pops into my head first when I create a new project). I’ll also have an “Additions” document which is where I add things that pop into my head as I’m writing. For example, say I’m working on a scene toward the end of the book, but I think of a detail to add into a scene at the beginning of the book. Instead of stopping and going back to that previous chapter, I just open the Additions text and type it in there, then deal with it later. I do this also for ideas I have for later in the book when I’m working on the beginning. I don’t have one in this project, but I’ll usually also have a “Cuts” document where I stash things I cut out of a scene that I think I might want to use somewhere else.
The document labeled “Rules” between Summary and Additions is unique to this book. I needed a place to keep track of the rules for life that Hannah has and the ones she and Jude make up in the book.
If you’ll notice, the book is divided into chapters and also parts. I want to point out here that I do not write in chapters and parts when I write the first draft! I concentrate only on scenes, not chapters. After I have the first draft done, then I go back and structure the book by adding in chapter breaks and arranging the book into four parts: beginning/set up, first half of the middle up to major midpoint, second half of the middle up to the climax, and ending/wrap up.
Another thing I do after writing the first draft is to change all of my icons for each scene to a certain flag color. The flag color represents the major plot line that runs through each scene. For this book, green flags are the family plot line, purple is personal development, red is romance, and orange is friendship. That doesn’t mean that each scene only deals with that particular plot line, it just means this is the plot line that this scene touches on most. There may be a scene that’s labeled personal development, but it also includes a little bit of romance. However, I color code it to the plot line that is mostly dealt with in that scene.
Why do I do this? Besides the fact that I like looking at the rainbow of colors it also helps me at a glance to see how the story lines are weaving together. If I have too many red flags in a row, I know to work in some of the other plot lines a little more.
In the right column, I store a short synopsis of that scene. I also label it according to the story line the scene is mostly about (the label matches the color of the flag I used on the left). Status sometimes changes if I feel like changing them. Sometimes I’ll write document notes in the yellow box, little bits I want to remember or add, but sometimes it’s blank.
One of the things I really love is making character sheets. I used to do this in composition notebooks and I still have some from stories I wrote as a teen. Now I create them in Scrivener. Yes, that is Channing Tatum. That’s what I imagine Jude Westmore to look like. (With longer hair.) The character notes are just some basic info I want to be able to pull up easily. Mostly when I can’t remember what color eyes a character has. Sometimes the character sheets are very detailed, sometimes they only have a couple of notes on them.
(Click the picture for a close up.)
Now this. This is one of my favorite parts of Scrivener: my inspiration board. To do this, I make a new collection called “Inspiration” and I use the cork board view to pin pictures and song lyrics as inspiration. I also include bits of dialogue I want to use in the book. This is part of my beginning process for creating a new book, when I’m just throwing a bunch of random things together from the ideas in my head. On the right, I start writing down notes and ideas for the book. Don’t read that if you don’t want to be spoiled about some things that happen in The Rules of You and Me! And yes, those notes do say Jackson instead of Jude. I changed his name after I started working on the book. He turned out to be more of a Jude than a Jackson.
Sorry to whoever that girl is. I don’t remember where I found the picture. I was searching online for an inspiration picture for Hannah and found that one. I don’t use it for anything except my own personal use in my inspiration board.
So this was a basic overview of how I set up Scrivener and how I like to use it. I love this software and rely on it for most of my writing now. I write articles for different clients as a freelance writer, and so I have an “Articles” project file in Scrivener. That one is simply divided into the following sections: Written, Submitted, and Published. I create a new document for each article and it gets first placed into the Written folder in Scrivener. Once I’m done with it and have sent it off to my client, I move it to Submitted. If it’s good and is accepted, it gets stored into Published. If it’s rejected, it gets moved back to Written. This is so I can know at a glance which articles are available to be sent out, which are currently waiting for a reply, and which articles I could try to sell reprint rights or develop a new idea off of. I also have another project file for short stories and each story gets its own folder and documents. Since they’re such small projects, I just don’t see the need to set up tons of new project files for each individual article or short story, so I group them together.
If any of you have questions about how I use part of Scrivener, or want some more detail on a certain feature, let me know in the comments! I have no affiliation with Scrivener or Literature and Latte, and I don’t receive any reward if you guys start using it. I’m just a writer sharing one of the major tools of her writing process.
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
(Okay, a few words: Snow! In eastern North Carolina! That’s not something that you see every year.)
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Several family members have been posting some old family pictures lately on Facebook and it’s been fun seeing ones I’ve never seen before. This is one that I had never seen and I don’t even remember taking it.
This was taken in Knoxville, Tennessee, back in 1989, at our big family reunion. The woman in the middle is my great-grandmother, my dad’s dad’s mom. She’s passed away now, and this trip is the only time that I remember having met her. I’m the third kid from the right, the biggest one, lol. I was 9 years old in this picture. My brothers are next to me and my sister is between me and our great-grandmother. On the other side are three of my cousins. These aren’t all of my cousins though–just on my dad’s side, I have 15 first cousins. And then another 14 first cousins on my mom’s side. That’s what happens when your dad is one of seven kids and your mom is one of six! 
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
I love making things. I’m definitely creative at heart. In December, I made the Christmas wreath for our front door from $3 worth of Dollar Tree finds, so for Valentine’s Day, I headed to Dollar Tree again to find ideas.
I present you with the Easy Peasy $2 Valentine Door Decor that is so simple ANYONE can do it. Ready?
Go to Dollar Tree and find these sets of glitter hearts, one red and one pink. If you don’t have a Dollar Tree in your area, check around other stores for something like these.
Arrange your hearts in any format you want. You cannot mess this up! You arrange the hearts the way YOU want. Then hot glue them together. (I have a cheap glue gun I bought at Walmart. No need to spend a lot of money on one, the cheap ones work great.)
Then punch a hole in the top heart where you want to thread a ribbon to hang them from. This scary looking device is called a Crop-a-dile. It punches holes and sets eyelets in place. But you can use just a regular hole puncher.
Thread your ribbon and then hang it from your door. Ta-da!
Okay, if you’re not like me and don’t have a big cookie tin full of random ribbon, you might need to spend another $1 on some to hang your hearts. But don’t worry, Dollar Tree also has some cute Valentine’s themed ribbons right by the glitter hearts.
A word of advice: These hearts are made of cardboard, so I would not recommend putting them on a door where you don’t have a storm door or a porch roof to protect them from rain. If you have a laminating machine, you can try laminating them before hanging them up to make them a little more water resistant.
You’ll also have a few hearts leftover. I made a red-pink-red combo for the front door, and pink-red-pink combo for the back, and I still have a few hearts left. You can add them to the craft project if you want, or save them for future projects!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
I never really like to call my plans “resolutions.” I mean, does anyone actually keep their resolutions? But I do have some things I hope to do in 2014.
- Keep a journal again through the Documented Life Project.
- Learn Spanish. Really this time!
- Learn to play the flute again. I was in the school band from sixth grade through tenth grade, but I haven’t picked up my flute in over 10 years, so I’ve forgotten fingerings and how to read music.
- Write 3 books. At least.
- Get the rest of the Swans Landing series in print.
- Read 30 books. At least.
- Read children’s books I never read as a child. I’ve done this for the last few years. In 2013, my choice was the Little House on the Prairie books (loved them!) and in 2012, it was the Chronicles of Narnia books (loved them too!). I’ve been thinking either Roald Dahl’s books or else the entire Ramona series. Now, I have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, but I haven’t read any of Roald Dahl’s other books. I have also read a couple of the Ramona books and I have my old childhood copy of Beezus and Ramona, but I never read all of them.
- Hit a bestseller list. Hey, I’m just throwing it out there so the universe hears it!
What are you doing in 2014?
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
From my messy current work-in-progress, which is still untitled. It’s a first draft, really rough, and will most definitely change before this book gets published. All writing Copyright 2013 by Shana Norris and may not be reprinted without permission.
“You’re not going to sing?” I asked, gesturing back toward the cafe.
Tucker sneered. “Karaoke isn’t really my thing. I was just bored and saw a bunch of people here, so I thought I’d check it out.”
I wondered if he had seen me on stage, but then his next words settled that question.
“You were pretty good though,” he said. “Your friends too. Think you can hook me up with the blonde?”
I tried to picture Ivy and Tucker together, but it was impossible. My teeth clenched at the idea.
Tucker laughed. “I’m joking. She doesn’t really look like my type anyway.”
“What’s your type then?” I asked, before I could stop myself.
“Why? You interested in the job?” he asked.
My face flushed hot at the wink he gave me, though I tried to look cool. “Just making conversation. What are you doing here anyway, if you don’t like karaoke?”
“Couldn’t deal with being at home tonight,” Tucker said. “Thought I’d get to know the nightlife around here.”
“How exciting,” I said.
“Very,” he agreed with a grin.
Some people came out of The Coffee Patch and passed by us, laughing and talking. He waited until they were a few feet away before he spoke again.
“Shouldn’t you get back to your friends?” Tucker asked, nodding toward the door. “Your boyfriend probably wouldn’t like it if he found you out here talking to some strange guy.”
I looked him up and down. He still wore grungy, wrinkled clothes, but not anything much worse than what most guys wore. He didn’t look like a psychopath or anything.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I said. “And you don’t look so strange to me.”
“But maybe I haven’t shown you my dangerous side yet,” he said, winking again.
Something tickled in my stomach as he smiled at me. “You haven’t seen mine either,” I said.
Tucker laughed. “I can’t imagine you having a dangerous side, princess.”
I shot him a scowl. “I told you to cut it out with that princess thing.”
He stepped closer to me, leaning down a bit so that we were eye to eye. “What’s wrong with being a princess, princess?” he asked.
All I could see were his lips, just inches away from my face. So close if I shifted slightly, I could kiss him. The thought of those pink lips on mine made me shiver deep inside.
“Sadie? You out here?”
I side stepped away from Tucker, pushing my hair back as I looked at Lina, who watched me with an intrigued expression.
“Yeah,” I said, my voice sounding breathless. “I’m here.”
———————————-
Now for the giveaway!
I’m giving away 3 signed copies of my young adult mermaid series Surfacing (Swans Landing #1) in paperback through Goodreads. Click the widget below to enter!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
My mom said she wanted peanut butter balls for Christmas.
This is what happens when I try to make peanut butter balls.
I followed everything the recipe said to do, but it was a complete disaster.
At least they still tasted good!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
The Broke and the Bookish is asking what books we hope Santa brings?
- Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth – I’ve read Divergent already, but haven’t gotten around to reading the rest of the trilogy yet!
- Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – I loved Attachments and I’ve heard so many good things about this one.
- The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen – I’m a big Sarah Dessen fan, but I haven’t had a chance to grab her latest book yet.
- The Fault In Our Stars by John Green – Can you believe I haven’t read this yet???
- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys – Between Shades of Gray captured me and I loved Ruta’s writing, so I’m eager to read this one too.
- Collateral Damage by Katie Klein – Okay, I actually already have this one on my Kindle, but I have not had a chance to read it yet. Ugh!! I loved Cross My Heart and can’t wait to read Parker’s POV.
- My Wishful Thinking by Shel Delisle – If you haven’t read Shel’s books yet, I recommend them! Dolphin Girl was great and My Wishful Thinking looks like it’ll be just as good.
- The Frost Chronicles by Kate Avery Ellison – These sound very intriguing. I love fantasy books and want to get back into reading more of them.
- Wide Awake by Shelly Crane – I’ve heard so many great things about Shelly’s writing, but I haven’t had a chance to read any of it yet. I definitely want to change that for 2014.
- Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey – Another one I’ve heard good things about, but haven’t read yet.
I didn’t read as much in 2013 as I wanted to, so I hope to change that in the new year. So many good books, not enough time!
Originally published at ShanaNorris.com. You can comment here or there.
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