Confessions of a Writer Tag

This tag is brilliant. Thank you for coming up with this, Nicolette Elzie of A Little Bookish, A Little Writerly!! 

So what is it, you ask? A fantastic 20-question tag to help us get to know more about other writers in the blogdom! Woot. You can check out her post and the guidelines here. 

Breeanna Pierce kindly nominated/tagged me (thank you ^^!), and I'm excited to share with everyone! :)

1) When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always aspired to be?

I started writing when I was really young, but it wasn't prose—it was poetry! Looking back now, it doesn't really surprise me; I love poetry. Sadly, I don't think I'm going to go the publication route with it. Poetry is a difficult market to break into! :sulks in corner: 

In a way, I did always want to be a writer, but I wasn't sure what kind: singer/songwriter? Author? Poet? At the time I was only certain I wanted to change the world. When I received an award for creative writing in fifth grade and was acknowledged again by my L.A. teacher in sixth grade I realized hey, maybe creative writing is my thing. Of course I still dreamed of being a singer/songwriter (I mean, hey, who doesn't?! >.>). 

Another shift in my thinking occurred in ninth grade, when I suddenly decided that I wanted to write Fantasy. Awkward truth: I have NO IDEA where I got this idea from. Yeah, I liked reading—a lot. Maybe it was Harry Potter (*_*), or Eragon (pssh, I could've written this!) that spurred me on, but I don't have a specific, piercing—or, apparently, memorable—experience that awoke the desire to write a novel. I was kind of like Luffy from One Piece: I've decided! And that was that. 

Luffy: We're going to be nakama! Zoro: It doesn't work that way! Luffy: Nakama, nakama~

So I started penning what is now SPHERES...except, as you likely suspected, it SUCKED. (SO. BAD.) I went through a phase where I questioned whether or not it was worth reviving after I trashed it, and a couple years later, I started re-envisioning the series. Pretty much the only thing that survived was the characters and the world, and even those have evolved drastically since that time.  

2) What genre do you write?

I still pen lyrics and poetry (check out my stuff from April's Poem a Day challenge here! Yes, this is a shameless plug ;-), but as a novelist I spend most of my time in YA Fantasy. I intend to branch into MG Fantasy after making some headway. I also hope to write some children's books....and I have an idea for a NA book...yeah, I'm pretty much all over the place haha.

3) Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?

Oh boy. And you thought I was verbose with the first question....Ehh, I'm really sorry lol ^_^' 

It's called SPHERES, and it's an 8-book YA SF/F series that features a GoT-style POV shift in each book. If that hurts your brain or just fails to compute: there are 8 main characters in the series, and each of the main characters is featured as a protagonist in their own installment of the series. 

I'm currently working on the first book, Whispers and Murmurs, which is Nikaiya's story.  

Whispers and Murmurs is written in a stream-of-consciousness style similar to Mafi's Shatter Me series. (If you must know, it's really more of a combination of Shatter Me, Atlantia, and Chime....) 

Protagonist: newly-17-yr-old Nikaiya, a clever, selfish girl fated to become Kiran (queen) of a small island country known as Erevfaüna–a role she's loathe to play because she has no interest in politics and considers herself unworthy of the honor. Add the fact that she's taller than every man around, has reflective eyes (kind of like Riddick) that tend to leave people either starstruck or anxious, and possesses all the grace of a dead starfish, and she concludes everyone else must share her sentiments: she is unfit to be Kiran. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a choice; she's sole heir to the Light of Stars. She can't remain Karun forever.

To complicate matters, Nikaiya isn't "normal"; she can breathe underwater, hear things ordinary people can't, and has no trouble seeing in the dark–a secret she's kept hidden from everyone around her (or so she thinks) because, let's face it, she's already odd enough and would prefer to avoid drawing any more attention to herself…but because the pull toward the sea has become much stronger lately, she fears her secret will be exposed. As if that isn't worrisome enough, on the day the story opens, she experiences three separate, yet clearly connected, mfirenar (dreams that are like visions)–all of which feature a creature of myth: a monstrous irekarn (sea dragon). 

Later that same day, her parents reveal the truth: she's adopted (which she figured) and is a Seabreather like her birth parents (which she, well, didn't, because she had no idea such a thing existed). According to the Arken (king) and Kiran, Nikaiya was placed in their care to protect and hide her from those seeking to destroy her; apparently she's the supposed catalyst of the Prophecy of the Spheres, which makes her the prime target of a particular group of Seabreathers. 

RIPPER The Morphid Chronicles #2 BY Ingrid Seymour *Cover Reveal*

I am honored (and very, very excited!) to show you the cover of the sequel to KEEPER, my first taste of Ingrid Seymour's phenomenal writing and world-building. I've been waiting--eh, somewhat patiently lol--for the second installment, and it's almost here....!

Ok, ok. Enough gushing. But before I reveal the **gorgeous** cover, here are some deets about the book:

BOOK TITLE: Ripper (The Morphid Chronicles #2)
AUTHOR: Ingrid Seymour
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy

SYNOPSIS

Against all odds, Greg and Samantha seemed to have cheated Fate when they escaped Regent Danata. Miraculously, the two Morphids remain bound together, attempting to lead a normal, "human" life, even as fear of the evil woman's revenge clouds their days.

As Sam and Greg struggle to grow their relationship, she is haunted by memories of Ashby, her Morphid soul mate, and burning questions of the identity of her real parents. As if that wasn't enough, her untried Morphid instincts fill her with doubt and indecision, taking her once simple life in directions she never could have imagined.

When Greg's Keeper sense foretells danger, however, they abandon all dreams of normalcy and find no other choice but to flee. Armed with nothing but their Morphid skills, Sam sets their course toward New York City, a place that calls to her deeper instincts. As her Keeper, Greg must follow but knows danger awaits.

Thus begins a quest that will test their bond and may spell the end of all they hold dear. It's only a matter of time before Regent Danata and chaos storm into their lives again.

If this synopsis doesn't call out to you, that's ok; but I still highly recommend you read Ripper when it becomes available!! Once you read Keeper, you'll understand why I'm so adamant :)

Are you ready for the Reveal???!!

...

...

So pretteh *_*

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Ingrid Seymour is the author of IGNITE THE SHADOWS (Harper Voyager, April 23rd, 2015). When she’s not writing books, she spends her time working as a software engineer, cooking exotic recipes, hanging out with her family and working out. She writes young adult and new adult fiction in a variety of genres, including Sci-Fi, urban fantasy, romance, paranormal and horror.

Her favorite outings involve a trip to the library or bookstore where she immediately gravitates toward the YA section. She’s an avid reader and fangirl of many amazing books. She is a dreamer and a fighter who believes perseverance and hard work can make dreams come true.

Keeper:

| Goodreads | Amazon | 

Ignite The Shadows:

| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |

YASH Fall 2015 *Young Adult Scavenger Hunt*

It's the most wonderful time of the fall~~! 

YASH is back! 

Yes, I am that excited...and if you love YA books, you will be too (if you aren't already)! 

The main questions: What is this epic Hunt all about? How can I jump into the fray?

Well, dear reader, the Hunt is all about books, books, sweet giveaways, books, juicy never-before-seen exclusive content, books, more books, and fantastic authors. (And MOAR books :D!) There are 8 stellar teams participating this fall: blue, gold, green, orange, pink, purple, red, and teal. I've included the graphics below from the official scavenger blog so you can check out which authors are on each team and what books are up for grabs.

And how is easy: just hop through the author blogs! 

All the authors on a team share their favorite number on their posts; you simply add all those numbers together and enter it into that team's rafflecopter. If the number is correct, you'll be entered for a chance to win every, yes, EVERY, book pictured for that team. You can enter for as many or as few teams as your book-loving heart desires (:

Of course you can also hunt down specific authors and enter various giveaways (some authors will feature their own), check out the exclusive content, and express your gratitude by commenting on their blogs. This is one of my favorite parts of the Hunt.

**Please let them know how much you love them and how much you love YASH!** 

To get started--and for more information--visit the official YA Scavenger Hunt page.  You can allow follow the Hunt on Twitter (#YASH) @YAScavengerHunt. Spread the word!!

The Teams:

Massive fangirling happening now. I'm stoked that two of my absolute favorite authors, Jessica Khoury and A.G. Howard, are participating this fall!! *squeals*

It's a tough choice, but if I had to pick just one team to enter, I think I'd enter Green. And if I had to choose one book, I'd pick The Forbidden Wish. 

What about you? What Team(s) will you enter? And if you had to choose just one book from this delicious collection, what would it be??