Amber

I am thinking of doing a non-fiction book, answering questions about writing and publshing. I will get other writers, agents, editors etc to answer some of the most asked questions on the subject. So what are your questions? Or what do you think some good questions to include are?

The vampire stood in the shadows and stared up at the farmhouse he used to call home. No longer the bright sunny yellow his mom had chosen, the exterior had been covered with a muted olive tone. This small difference knocked Jack off-balance. For a fraction of a second he thought he might be at the wrong address.

Had his brother sold the farm?

His gaze skimmed over the dark windows, two on the bottom floor and four on the top, searching for signs of life. The porch light glowed with an eerie, almost palpable presence that warned Jack to stay hidden, but he had to know if his brother was gone. Focused on the task, he walked into the light and crept up the porch steps. He slowly crossed to the huge bay window. He leaned in to peer through the dirty glass.

A wild drum solo broke out in Jack’s pocket. He jumped backwards and tripped, almost falling off the porch before realizing it was only his stupid cell phone. An electric guitar joined in, adding to the ear-splitting racket. He patted his pockets, frantically searching for the thing while he scanned the yard for movement. This wasn’t exactly the covert operation he’d planned. His fingers closed around cold metal, and he answered without checking Caller ID. It could only be one of three people; his vampire friends were the only ones with the number.

“You’re going to die!” Lily shouted.

Jack flinched. With a jerk of his hand, he put a few inches between the cell and his traumatized ear. Lily’s warning barely registered; his mind was on other matters. He was about to break into his childhood home, ten times in ten years. Although no one was around and the house was in a sparsely populated rural area, Jack tried to keep the noise to a minimum. He glanced around again to make sure Lily’s high-pitched freak-out hadn’t stirred up trouble. No telling what creatures lurked nearby.

“Hello?” Lily yelled, “This is serious! According to the cards, you’re going to die within the next three hours.”

“Well, I already died once. What’s the big deal about doing it twice?”

Jack went to the front door and considered it from every angle. Under normal circumstances a vampire couldn’t enter a house uninvited, but as long as Billy kept something belonging to him and didn’t sell the place, Jack could enter anytime he wanted. He waved his hand over the doorknob and heard the lock click. Billy hadn’t moved. Relief and excitement flooded his system as the door swung open, silently inviting him inside. Cool. No matter how many times he used his powers, the same tiny thrill rocked his senses. A short-lived laugh escaped his dry throat.

“This isn’t funny, Jackpot!”

A scowl replaced the smile and he warned her, “If you don’t stop yelling at me, I’m hanging up.”

“You have to stay away from her.”

“Away from who?”

“That girl in the fuzzy pink sweater. She’s the reason you die tonight.”

Jack looked around the empty porch, confused.

Lily babbled on. “She has long hair, but the color is kind of hard to pinpoint. I’d say it’s either dark blond or light brown. Doesn’t matter, I guess. Um, she’s short and thin but not skinny, and her eyes are deep blue. She’s not classically pretty, not to me anyway, and she’s definitely not your type. Just stay clear of her. She’s trouble.”

“The cards told you all that?” Dry amusement altered his tone.

“Don’t be a smartass. After I did the cards, I had a vision. This is serious. When you see the girl—and you will—walk the other way.” There was a short pause. Sometimes Lily hesitated on purpose for dramatic effect. It made his skin itch. “No. When you see her, I want you to run the other way.”

“Whatever.”

“Promise me.”

He shrugged. “I promise.”

“Say it like you mean it.”

He rubbed his tired eyes. The house called to him. More than anything he wanted to go inside and take his annual trip through the rooms, mentally relive better days, but Lily had ruined everything with her kooky vision crap. His brother might show at any second, spoiling his return visit. Time slipped through his fingers like tiny grains of sand. Every muscle in Jack’s body tightened.

“I promise,” he said. “I swear on my grave. Okay? Do you need it in blood?”

“You don’t have to get snippy. I’m only trying to help.”

“You caught me in the middle of something important.”

Vampires Rule is being released in June. Don't be fooled by the title. It isn't another Twilight knock-off. I have been trying to promote this series. I know not everyone is going to want to read it, but I desperately want to let teens know about it so they can make their own decision on whether they want to read it or not. I hate the idea of people who would love it not reading it just because they've never heard about it. Any ideas of where I can promote it online?

If you are interested in reading a sample chapter, you can do that here:

http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com/

Please tell your friends and help spread the word. Thank you.

It's being released in June as an ebook. Check out the cover here: http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com/

And please tell your friends. I can't do this without you, the reader. You can also check out a sample chapter of the book here.

I am trying to market my new book (being released soon) and I was told that word of mouth is what makes or breaks a novel. I was also told that I need to get people to read a sample chapter and tell their friends about it, but how do you get people to do that? It's frustrating. Everyone who has read it so far has told me they love it and want to buy it when it is released, but if other people don't know about it, if they've never heard about my book how will they get a chance to read it? I wish there was an easier way to do this.

Anyway, please click on this link. http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com/

You can choose to read a sample of Vampires Rule (it's not what you think. this book has an interesting hook) or a sample of Crushed (which won't be released until later this year. If you like them, please save the page as a Fav or Follow my blog so you can return later and find out where to get the books. They will only be available online. And please, please, please tell your friends about it. Even if you don't want to read these types of books, someone you know might be glad for the information. Thank you!!!!

I do not want to pay tons of money to have someone make a cover than I may or may not like. I'm not sure if I should buy photoshop or not. Has anyone made a cover before? Can you tell me how to do it? I am computer illiterate.

I have had so much trouble with the blog since I started it. No one could leave comments, but I fixed it. Now I wonder what the next problem will be. So far I've learned how to add pages, change my format, and fix issues with posts. Should I write an article on blogging for people like me who know nothing about computers? Seriously.

http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com/

I asked this question before and got an unexpected response, but I didn't have samples of either book to offer, just a summary of each. Perhaps if samples were available the answers would be different. I now have sample chapters of each available on my website:

http://kasi-kcblake.blogspot.com/

If you like Urban Fantasy (think Twilight, City of Bones, Vampire Academy) then please click on this link and select Vampires Rule-- sample and Crushed-- sample. Tell me which book, if either, you would want to continue reading. Thank you in advance.

I have no idea how to draw people to my blog. I've been writing for over twenty years, published twice with a book coming out this summer. I have a couple sample chapters available on this blog, but I have no idea how to find people who might want to read it. Does anyone here have a blog or know someone with one? I am blogging about writing, trying to give good general advice on the subject. I'd appreciate any good advice about finding followers for the blog. Thank you in advance.

I know most people are so sick of hearing and reading about vampires that they won't even consider looking at a book with a vampire in it. My book (which will be published soon) has a vampire, but he is only a vampire for two chapters. Then he regains his mortality but has to fight off the big bad still. One problem is that he has to fight werewolves. Should I change the werewolves into shape shifters? Would that make the book more popular, do you think?

I have had two books published before, but they were romance novels. Now I write young adult urban fantasy (think City of Bones, Vampire Academy, Twilight). I have an opportunity to publish one as an ebook. It will only be available on Kindle at first, but then it will be in print later. So I would like to know which book the majority of people would rather read.

One is about a seventeen year old boy who has been a vampire for ten years, but something happens that makes him mortal. Now he can live a normal life, he thinks, but others won't let him. His English teacher is the head werewolf; the girl he's crushing on is a hunter; his brother can't make up his mind if he should welcome Jack home or stake him through the heart to be on the safe side. On top of all this, Jack's powers seem to be returning. He's still mortal, but he has vampire speed and invisible werewolf claws that come out when he fights.

The other book is about three sisters playing a game at school. They are witches, and the game uses their powers. They each blow dust into a boy's face. The boy falls in love with them, follows them around, and does whatever they ask, but they have to be careful not to push them to do anything really hard at first or the spell will break. With each accomplished task, the spells grow stronger. Kristen blows dust into the wrong boy's face when she's upset. It doesn't seem to have worked. Sometimes he carries her books, does what she wants, but the rest of the time he glares at her. She doesn't know that he has powers too. Worse yet, his sister is unstable and Kristen is sure the girl wants to kill her. Against all odds, Kristen and Zach fall in love. But her sisters and his will do anything to break them up, even use their powers against them.

Okay, if you are not interested in these kinds of books, please don't answer the question. If you loved City of Bones, Twilight, and the rest of the urban fantasy books available, please tell me which of these you would be interested in reading. Thank you.

Ruby said she was human and going to hell turned her into a demon. Demons lose compassion and that seems to be what is happening to Sam. When he got together with Dean, he drank 'salt' water but it could have been sugar. We don't know for sure. Castiel would not answer him and was looking at him funny. Whatever his secret is, it's big and this was all I could come up with. Does anyone else have a better explanation for what is going on with Sam?

Did you see Epiphany's face when Sonny announced that he is Dante's father? That was hillarious. She is usually so calm and unflappable like nothing surprises her. She dropped the metal tray on the floor when Sonny said, "I'm his father." That was so funny.

1. Sonny has scruples and they don't deal drugs.

2. Jason is supposed to be the best hitman in the business, but we never see him shoot anyone except in self-defense.

3. People disrespect Sonny all the time, and he doesn't kill them right then and there.

I know GH wants us to love Sonny and Jason, so they don't want to make them look bad... but come on. Sometimes I find it very hard to believe they're real mobsters. What about you?

I have used Frontline time and time again because vets say it's the best. I have bought expensive sprays for the carpets and furniture. Days after I put the flea med on the cat, it is covered with fleas again... or still, I don't know. HELP!!!

If I (a Christian) die and I'm wrong, I won't have any regrets of living a good life and loving people. I won't regret not sleeping around or killing somebody. But if you're wrong and you die and have to stand before the throne of Jesus and you are sentenced to eternity in the lake of fire with Satan and a third of the angels, what then? Will you have any regrets? Just wondering.

I am writing a book and the character reads a lot of classics including Beowulf. Would someone please tell me if a dragon kills Beowulf. Could I say his pride was his downfall or would that be wrong? I can buy it and read it if I have to, but I'd rather not.

I am in the process of publishing a YA Urban Fantasy along the lines of Twilight. Please read the first scene and give me some feedback so I can fix it if there's a problem. Mainly I need to know if the first scene grabs you or leaves you cold and why.

“You’re going to die tonight!”

Jack flinched. With a jerk of his hand he put a few inches between the cell phone and his ear. Lily’s frantic warning barely registered; his mind was on other matters. He was about to break into his childhood home. Ten times in ten years. Although no one was around and the house was located in a sparsely populated rural area, Jack was trying to keep the noise to a minimum. He glanced around to make sure Lily’s high-pitched words hadn’t stirred up trouble. No telling what creatures were lurking nearby.

It was a farm without animals. There wasn’t a living thing on it. No cows or horses or chickens. His father had talked non-stop about farming, but he hadn’t planted anything. Now the place belonged to Jack’s brother. It remained the same year after year, the land untouched, going to waste. It always surprised him to find Billy hadn’t moved somewhere else. If it had been Jack, he would have sold out long ago.

Maybe Billy was stuck in the past like Jack, unable to move on no matter how hard he tried.

“Hello?” Lily shouted, “This is serious! According to the cards you’re going to die soon.”

“I already died.” He shouldn’t have to remind her of that; she’d been there. A seventeen year old boy with a wild streak his mother blamed on his father, he had gone against her explicit orders, got himself killed. Now he was stuck at seventeen forever.

There was a rumor vampires couldn’t enter a house without being invited first. Lucky for Jack, that wasn’t true. He waved a hand over the doorknob and it unlocked automatically. The door swung inward as if an invisible person was there to greet him. Cool. No matter how many times he used his powers, the same tiny thrill rocked his senses.

Being a vampire had some perks.

“This isn’t funny, Jackpot!”

He glanced at the phone in his hand. He’d forgotten Lily was on the other end. Sighing, he brought it back to his ear and said, “If you don’t stop yelling at me, I’m hanging up.”

“You have to stay away from her.”

“Away from who?”

“That girl. She’s the reason you die.”

What girl? Jack looked around again, half-expecting to see someone next to him on the porch.

Lily babbled, “She has long hair, but the color is hard to pinpoint. She either has dark blond or light brown hair. Doesn’t matter, I guess. Her eyes are deep blue. She’s got kind of a sweet, pretty face, but she’s trouble. Big trouble.”

“The cards told you all that?” Usually they weren’t so detailed.

“Don’t be a moron. After I did the cards, I went into a trance and had a vision. This is serious. When you see the girl—and you will—walk the other way.” There was a short pause. Sometimes Lily hesitated on purpose for dramatic effect. “No. Scratch that. When you see her, I want you to run the other way.”

“Whatever.”

“Promise me.”

He shrugged. “I promise.”

“Say it like you mean it.”

He rubbed his tired eyes. The house was calling to him. More than anything he wanted to go inside and take his annual trip through the rooms, relive better days. Lily was ruining everything with her kooky vision crap. His brother could come home at any second. There never seemed to be enough time for him to truly enjoy his visit.

Like that story he’d read in school about all summer happening in one day. He couldn’t remember who wrote it, but he’d read it again and again, feeling sorry for the kid locked in the closet. The kids in the story had lived in a world of rain with just a day of sun to look forward to. A single day to cram in everything they desperately wanted to do. Time had moved like a runaway train. Before they knew it, it was over. The rain returned, and the poor kid locked in the closet had missed out entirely.

Every muscle in Jack’s body tightened with the fear of knowing how the kid felt. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“I promise,” he said. “I swear on my grave. Okay? Do you need it in blood?”

“You don’t have to get snippy. I’m only trying to help.”

“Sorry. I need to go now. You caught me in the middle of something important.”

“What?” He could practically see her twirling strands of curly blond hair. “Where are you? What are you doing?”

He disconnected the call and slipped the cell into his pocket. For a moment he stayed where he was and tried to picture the girl Lily described. His mind could only produce a vague rendition of a fairly pretty girl. Lily shouldn’t worry. He had no intention of taking a stroll in the sunlight or getting into a fight with a hunter. He especially wouldn’t get himself killed over some girl.

He took a deep breath before entering the house. Each bittersweet step he took reminded hi