Spotlight : The X Factor: Confessions of a Naive Model

Guest post : author Andrew Joyce talks about his newest novel, Molly Lee

My name is Andrew Joyce, and I write books for a living. Amanda has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new book, MOLLY LEE. The story is a female-driven account of a young naive girl’s journey into an independent, strong woman and all the trouble she gets into along the way.

Now you may possibly be asking yourself, What is a guy doing writing in a woman’s voice? And that’s a good question. I can only say that I did not start out to write about Molly; she just came to me one day and asked that I tell her story.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning.

My first book was a 164,000-word historical novel. And in the publishing world, anything over 80,000 words for a first-time author is heresy. Or so I was told time and time again when I approached an agent for representation. After two years of research and writing, and a year of trying to secure the services of an agent, I got angry. To be told that my efforts were meaningless was somewhat demoralizing to say the least. I mean, those rejections were coming from people who had never even read my book.

“So you want an 80,000-word novel?” I said to no one in particular, unless you count my dog, because he was the only one around at the time. Consequently, I decided to show them City Slickers that I could write an 80,000-word novel!

I had just finished reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn for the third time, and I started thinking about what ever happened to those boys, Tom and Huck. They must have grown up, but then what? So I sat down at my computer and banged out REDEMPTION:The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer in two months; then sent out query letters to agents.

Less than a month later, the chairman of one of the biggest agencies in New York City emailed me that he loved the story. We signed a contract and it was off to the races, or so I thought. But then the real fun began: the serious editing. Seven months later, I gave birth to Huck and Tom as adults. And just for the record, the final word count is 79,914. The book went on to reach #1 status on Amazon twice, and the rest, as they say, is history.

But not quite.

Manga Classics!

A couple of months ago I stumbled across a manga classic on Netgalley, an adaptation of Les Miserables. Les Mis is one of my favorite movies of all time and I knew I had to pick it up the moment I saw the Manga adaptation of the story. I then realized there was more of these adaptations and now that I've read all of them I want to share them with you guys!
In case you haven't realized by now; Manga Classics is the classics in manga format - and it's fantastic!

It's not like I've read all of the original classics, of these I've actually only read Pride and Prejudice and Emma but I know the general story of The Scarlet Letter and Les Mis. I had no idea what Great Expectations is about so that might be why it's my least favorite of them all.
Emma and Pride and Prejudice is definitely my favorites but Les Mis is also up there!

Having read 2 of the original classics and all 5 of the manga classics I can easily say that you definitely have to have a general idea of the story, at least. It just happens that my 2 favorite manga classics is the ones where I've read the original classic beforehand.

I absolutely love the illustrations in them, it's such a fun way to read, or reread, the classics. I feel like they stay true to the classics and even though you can't include everything in a graphic novel they included every thing they could - which is why they're about 300 pages each!

So, if you're looking for something new to read and want to change things up a bit, then try the Manga Classics. They're definitely worth it!

Manga Classics may be one of my favorite discoveries of the year! And I wish everybody knew about them!

Spotlight: Contract of Defiance by Tammy Salyer + get a free copy!

Greetings, Little Miss Reader Visitors! The final novel in the Spectras Arise Trilogy, Contract of War, is nearly ready for prime time, and in the next couple of months I’ll be hosting a number of first-look events, including cover art opinion polls, advanced reader copies, and giveaways. I would love to have you participate! The Salyer’s General Semantics newsletter will keep you up to date, and all subscribers in May will receive a free ebook download of the trilogy’s first book, Contract of Defiance. Be part of the crew of this epic interstellar adventure and enjoy the ride! Sign up at http://eepurl.com/Trzh1.

Please share this event with anyone who enjoys a thrill-a-minute science fiction. Thank you!

Series: Spectras Arise Trilogy #1

Publication date: April 11, 2012

Publisher: Self-published

Genres: YA Sci-fi

Pages: 245 

Goodreads | Amazon 

Winner of the 2010 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Contest for best action/thriller. 

Finalist in the Kindle Book Review 2012 Best Indie Book Contest for science fiction/fantasy.

When all other options run out, never let go of your gun.

In a few hundred years, the Algol system becomes humanity’s new home. The question is: is it a better one? When a crew of arms smugglers botches their latest job, Corps-deserter and crewmember, Aly Erikson, is separated from her brother, the only person she can trust, and left behind to fight for her life. In the aftermath, as she tries to piece together what happened, a crew of roughneck settlers pressgang her into a dangerous mission in the heart of Corps territory. Time is running out to get back everything she’s lost: her crew, her brother, her options. But no one is taking her gun.

Praise for Contract of Defiance:

“Arm yourself for a riveting quest on the galactic fringe in Contract of Defiance.” ~Motley Chronicles

“With Contract of Defiance you feel every punch, every bullet.” ~Radiant Attack

“Salyer’s writing is tight; she knows how to write and she knows how to soldier. I just bought the second book.” ~Amazon Review

“AN EXHILARATING TOUR DE FORCE!!” ~Goodreads Review

“In Contract of Defiance you hit the ground running, thrust straight into the action, and it never really lets up.” ~Goodreads Review

“One of the most well written books I’ve read this year.…Grab a copy of this great read and dig in.” ~Author Ron McCabe

“Fast-paced and fun sci-fi space adventure with a great protagonist, Contract of Defiance by Tammy Salyer starts with a running gun fight and doesn’t let up until the explosive conclusion.” ~Author Scott Whitmore

“Contract of Defiance is a top-notch addition to the Sci-Fi action/thriller genre. It contains the kind of action that makes it hard to turn off the light and go to sleep.” ~Amazon Review

“I was completely impressed by this book. From the first page you are sucked into an action-filled science fiction adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat, just dying to find out what happens next.…I cannot recommend it enough.” ~It is a Bookish Kind of Life

Website | Goodreads 

Tammy is an inveterate verbarian, who spends her day surrounded by the written word, both hers and others’. As an ex-paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, her stories are often as gritty as a grunt’s pile of three-week-old field gear. Her military science fiction novel Contract of Defiance is the first book in the Spectras Arise Trilogy and debuted to acclaim in Spring 2012. Contract of Betrayal is the second in the trilogy, and the final book, Contract of War, completes it (out in July 2014). When not hunched like a Morlock over her writing desk, Tammy runs and bikes silly miles in the playground of Southern California and spends an inappropriate amount of time watching Henry Rollins videos on YouTube. Feel free to visit her blog and sign up for her newsletter {http://eepurl.com/Trzh1} to be the first to know of contests, new releases, and special events you might enjoy at {www.tammysalyer.com}, or stop by and say hi on Twitter {@TammySalyer}.