Crossed Out Book Trailer

The Kind of Review That Makes My Day!

When Mike Kissed Emma has been out for almost a year now, but I still stumble upon reviews. This week, this one at Novel Reactions really made my day.

My favorite line is: "I loved reading this book and never wanted to put it down!"

Now, that's a great endorsement!

Head on over to Novel Reactions to read the whole review!

Introduction - Gloria Oliver

Greetings ya'll!

Good to see you. *wave* Figured as this is my first time here at 'YA Authors You've Never Heard Of' I'd introduce myself and give you a little info about my books.

I'm a speculative fiction author (this means I write fantasy, science fiction, horror), though all my novels so far are in the fantasy genre. I live in Texas (and is it so HOT here this week. Over 100 degrees! Wooowhee!) and I am top slave of my feline masters - Mr. Boots, Mythril, and Subaki. When I am not writing or petting the fur off the cats, I work in accounting for a small oil and gas company.

Now for some little teasers about my books currently in print.

Cross-eyed Dragon Troubles
(2007) Young Adult - Fantasy - "Harry Potter meets Dragon Riders of Pern"

Sample Chapters

Excerpt:"Do you need any help?" she asked. "Just tell me what you want me to do. If you prefer, I'm sure I can round up at least a few people to come over and give you a hand."

Kel slowly shook his head. "It's all right. Thanks anyway." His voice lowered to where she almost couldn't hear it. "This is all part of my punishment.'

She frowned, not understanding what he meant. "Punishment?"

Kel cocked his head in Clarence's direction. In a flash, she understood. None of this was an accident. Clarence had landed there deliberately, hoping to make Kel pay for all he went through in the past month. She shook her head, not wanting to believe this, but what the dragon said next took any doubts right out of her head.


Willing Sacrifice
(2008) Young Adult - Fantasy - "The End of the World, warped prophecies, choices to be made and unmade"

Sample Chapters

Excerpt:Panic and fear filled with utter helplessness made her dizzy. She knew what would be done with her, she knew what they planned. But there was nothing she could do to stop any of it.
Sharp gasps echoed in her ears as she felt the room's cold air caress the Eye.
"You were right. She is the one."


In the Service of Samurai
(2002) Adult/YA - Japanese Fantasy Adventure -"The Last Samurai meets Pirates of the Caribbean"

Sample Chapters

Excerpt: Laying the blade on the floor before him, Toshi parted his kimono until his stomach lay exposed. He tucked his sleeves beneath his legs to hold him upright if he should falter. Ignoring Asano, he took up the blade. His shoulder flared with pain and he tried not to flinch, as he grabbed the blade with both hands. He turned the wakazashi until its sharp point was aimed at his belly, the residence of his soul.


Vassal of El
(2004) Adult/YA - Fantasy Mystery - "Winged men, murder, a past that comes back to haunt him"

Sample Chapters

Excerpt: Torren took a step back a sudden shudder racking through him. It was as if he'd never left, as if the boy he'd been would be coming back-though the one who'd loved this room and all these things was long, long dead. That boy died when he'd watched his father's blood pour forth from his mouth, the end of a sword protruding from his abdomen. That boy died when he survived while everyone else lay dead.

Hope you'll come visit me at www.gloriaoliver.com

See you next time!

Gloria Oliver
Unveiling the Fantastic
www.gloriaoliver.com

Imagination

As I tell people, I've been writing since the dark ages. Those were the times of typewriters and carbon paper for copies. I've often been asked where I get my ideas. It's all in the imagination. As a child, I drove my parents, grandparents and just about everyone crazy with a question. "What if." My mind would take a simple situation like, and remember I was a child during WWII. What if the Germans come? My mind didn't stop there but I created a dozen different scenarios. My friends loved these little stories and I'm afraid we took them to heart, learning Morse Code and planting traps in the woods.

"What if? I think this is a writer's jumping off point for writing their stories. What if X happens instead of T. Incidents read in the newspaper, seen on TV, events around the house are turned into stories by asking "What if?"

During the writing of my YA fantasies, this is often the case. "What if Jewe;s enabled a person to do magical things. Thus the Jewels of Earda trilogy was born. The first two books went easily and then I came to the last book and a question popped into my head. "What is the secret of the Jewels? What if they aren't what they were thought to be during the first two books. I was off and running.

The question "What if" also figures in the Henge Betrayed series. What if someone could control the elements as water, fire, earth and air. I was off and running.

Asking yourself "What if?" can add twists and turns to your stories that even you as the writer don't even suspect will happen. Triggering the imagination. Isn't that what fiction writing is all about?

Me, An Author?

Hello, Everyone,

I'm in the middle of my Virtual Book Tour for my latest young adult historical novel and having a blast. Who would have thought it? If anyone had told me I'd be a writer one day, I'd have thought they were crazy. When I was younger, I didn't even like to read. Even though my eighth-grade teacher sent my poem "Stars" to a high anthology and it was published in Young America Sings,  I hated to write.

In spite of my rocky relationship with books, I graduated from high school and even gasp attended the university. Guess what I became? Yes, of all things, a teacher. Kids grow up and change. Even I did. An even greater miracle occurred. Reading great stories to my students and to my sons made me realize what I'd been missing. Reading was fun.

Now I read everything I can get my hands on. I also write. And I love every minute I'm lost in another world, time, and place. For the first time in ... um ... many years, I'm revealing the poem that started my writing career, although I had no idea it would when I wrote it, way back in junior high.

STARS

By Beverly Jean Stowe

Zundelowitz Jr. High

I often lie awake at night,

Watching stars that are so bright.

They sparkle and twinkle in the cool night air,

And look like ladies with lovely golden hair.

You see the little dipper and the big dipper too,

Away up in the deep dark blue.

But then come the morning rays of light

And all the stars are gone until tonight.

I'm enjoying reading and writing, and have been fortunate in having five books for children and teens published, with more under contract. I love this group and hearing about everyone else's work. And readers, leave your comments. Tell us about your reading or writing, hopes or dreams.

YA Books Central Giveaway!

This month YA Books Central will be giving away 5 copies of Crossed Out:



Enter to Win one of 5 copies of Crossed Out!



Following the light can't be that hard, right? So why don't the dead just do it and leave Stephanie Stewart alone? However nothing is ever as simple as it should be, as Stephanie learns when her hidden 'gift' becomes more than a nuisance, quickly turning into a liability. If she can't learn to trust someone with her secret, the world as she knows it will go to hell. Literally. But if she doesn't choose wisely, she might just end up learning firsthand how hard it is to follow that light. Because she's next on the list to be crossed out.


It's easy to enter, just answer this:



If you could see the dead, would you tell anyone?

Go to YA Books Central for a chance to win!



http://www.yabookscentral.com/

Being a Writer is Glamourous and Exciting (and other lies about publishing)

So now it's my turn. My first official post at the YA Authors You've Never Heard Of. I've been watching the statcounter, and it seems this place is beginning to take off. Welcome everyone!!!

I've been thinking what I should blog about, and the ladies who've already posted are a hard act to follow. Part of being one of the obscure kid lit authors of the world is that it's really a lot of hard work. I mean, being a writer of ANY kind is a lot of hard work, but if your name isn't Meyer or Rowling or (insert Famous YA Author here), you not only have to work hard at writing, but at telling people about your book while you write the NEXT book. The amount of work doubles when you are with a small press.

I've been writing for nine years come September. Nearly a decade. I have five contracted books. Unlike people who Play Writers on TV, I do not write for a living. I wish that I could, sort of (and other days am glad that I do not), and know very few writers, even with big publishers, that do. Long ago and faraway, in the land of Big Advances, writer were writers. They got advances against projected royalties and that was supposed to fund their lives while they wrote the next book.

Today there are still advances, but they are growing smaller by the minute. Personally I have gotten advances for two of the five books I have contracted, but they were small (very small). I earned them both out, which means that the publisher sends me money now!

It's still not enough to live on.

Once in awhile I get a nice manicure, though. Maybe a pedi too. That's about as glamorous as it gets for me. I'm a mom, a wife, a Graduate Student (all that stuff I talked about last time when I was looking for Time to Write). No book tours, wine and cheese parties, or meetings with editors in NYC restaurants. Instead I blog in my jammies while fielding questions about why the cat doesn't need to take a bath from Boy, do local events at the library, and meet with my editor online over a PB&J. I drive my son to football practice and clean my own bathroom. I know, such a rock star.

My publishers do not have a huge marketing budget, and you won't find my books on any bookstore shelf (if you do, PLEASE let me know.), or a review in the NY Times book section. I know being with a small press starts me off with a bit of a handicap, but I refuse to languish in obscurity. This is why I started the YAAYNHO. Because together we are louder than we are separately.

Just like the rest of our group, I am here, an I am proud of my books. If you've read one, THANKS! If you haven't - what the heck are you waiting for???

So what's gonna happen once everyone knows about us? Will I have to change the name to YA Authors You HAVE Heard Of????