Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Curse Girl--A Review





Book Description: 

When her father tries to steal magic from the mysterious, beastly master of the "Curse House" outside her home town, seventeen-year-old Beauty is the one who becomes a prisoner of the Beast in reparation. Will isn't anything like she expected. He's the same age as she is, for one thing. He's also really handsome, contrary to local legend. Well, maybe the whole "beast" thing is meant to be metaphorical, because he's a total jerk.

Between the house's weird magic and Will's snobby attitude, the situation is nearly unbearable, and Beauty only wants to escape. But there are ... complications. The witch who cursed Will left him a riddle to solve and four years to figure it out. And now that Beauty's become a part of this messed up fairy tale, she'd better help Will figure out the riddle so they can break the curse, or she's going to remain a prisoner in the curse house too.

Because the four years are almost up.

What I liked:

I really don't know how to put into words what I liked about this book.  A few that come to mind are sweet, charming, and awww-inducing, but I find I'm at a loss to really put all those words into a coherent paragraph that will convince you to buy this book. 

The Curse Girl is essentially a cool glass of water on a very hot day.  It's refreshing.  And simple.  And really, very lovely. 

By the end of the book, you don't feel ready to tear one character's hair out or curse the MC for his/her all around foolishness.  There's none of that angsty drama that's so prevalent in so many YA books these days.  In fact, this is the kind of book you can put down after clicking to the last page and breathe a steady sigh.

So, what am I telling you?  I'm telling you I loved this book!  It's not like every other book out there where it's drama here!  Drama there!  Drama everywhere!  I mean, sure, it's a book, so there's some drama, but it's not drama for the sake of drama.  It works, and it's nice.  And Bee (Beauty) and Will are two characters you can really fall in love with.

What I didn't like:

Okay, you should know by now that I do this because I'm trying to be fair when reviewing books.  I rarely post a review of a book where this section is really very substantial, but I still like to add it so that you know I'm being honest with you. 

There were some very minor typo and inconsistency issues.  VERY minor.  They certainly weren't anything that should keep a person from purchasing and loving this book.  In fact, I'm very picky when it comes to stuff like that, so if I'm telling you it's okay, trust me.  It's okay.

What I would rate it:

4 stars!  (aka--go ahead and buy it!  You'll like it!)

And for your purchasing convenience, you can buy the kindle version here, the nook version here, and all other formats here.  To read the interview with the author, Kate Ellison, click here.

Have any of you read it yet?  If so, what did you think?

Monday, May 30, 2011

I'm Back, But I'm Not

Hey, everyone!!! I hope you're having a great long weekend!  I just got back from my camping trip (where internet was sadly lacking (seriously, I think I went through withdrawal)), so today I'm getting caught up with all my emails! 

So I'm not really back to blogging.

I'm just back to tell you I'm not back.  Savvy? 

Finally!  I've found a way to include a Jack Sparrowism!

So have a great Memorial Day!  And read a copy of the Bill of Rights.  The best way to honor those who died is to know exactly what they died for. 

Friday, May 27, 2011

Winner of The Curse Girl!!!






Drum roll please!

bruuuuummmm... bruuuummmmmmm...

And the winner of an ebook copy of The Curse Girl is Laura M. Campbell!!!

Congratulations!!! 

All right, dear readers, I'm minutes away from leaving for a camping trip, so I hope you all have a great holiday weekend!  I'll see you next week!  :)  And do be sure to drop by because I'll be reviewing The Curse Girl on Tuesday!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Announcement!!!

You may remember my rather exciting news from last week!!  But just in case you don't remember, or you didn't see the post, or you didn't just click on the link, let me do a recap:

A publishing company offered to publish ELEMENTAL!

And today I'm going to tell you that I accepted the offer!!!  I am so excited to be working with Spencer Hill Press!!


It feels like it all happened so very fast.  One minute I'm answering interview questions for my blog tour and the next, I'm clicking on an email that contains an offer of publication.  Honestly, I was a little flustered.  I didn't know what to do!  I was already so deep into self-publishing, both mentally and physically, that a part of me just couldn't bear to step away from that.  Plus, along with the offer came a very clear warning that my book wouldn't come out for another year or so. 

So I had to ask myself, did I want to be published now without all the wonderful perks that come with working with a publishing company (professional editing, more options for review sites, being a part of a team, etc.)?  Or did I want to take advantage of all the wonderful perks, but put off the publication date?

I called my mom.  And then I called Vic

My mom basically accused me of being a pompous idiot for even considering not accepting the offer (okay, it wasn't really that mean, but I like to tease my mom :) ).

But let's be perfectly clear here before anyone accuses me of the same thing:  I was always leaning heavily toward accepting the offer.  Kate Kaynak, the one who sent me the offer, had already been extremely supportive and helpful since I announced I was self-publishing.  I knew that not only COULD I work with her, I'd love, love, LOVE it.  The only thing keeping me from shouting my acceptance the moment the offer was made was this little bug in the back of my mind that was really addicted to the idea of self-publishing.  I kept going online and seeing all this overwhelming support.  The amount of people putting my book in their "to read" folder on goodreads was climbing steadily.  And even ELEMENTAL's facebook fan page was seeing a steady growth of fans.

But in the end, it was Vic who convinced me to ignore the bug and take advantage of this great opportunity.

So after a very nice phone conversation with Kate, and another day or two to think about it, I woke up one morning with something Vic had said in my head and my mind perfectly made up; I wanted to accept the offer.  So I replied to Kate and everything pushed forward.

I am soooo happy with the decision I made and I can't wait to start working with Spencer Hill Press to make ELEMENTAL the absolute best it can be.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------

I interviewed Kate Ellison on Monday!  Check it out and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of The Curse Girl!

Monday, May 23, 2011

An Interview With Katherine Camp! And a Giveaway!

I am so excited about this interview today because it's always been one of my goals to use this blog to showcase other writers.  So when Kate asked me if I'd help her spread the word about her book, I was almost giddy with excitement at saying yes.  Plus, she's adorable.  Just look at that picture.  You can't say no to that.

So, without further adieu (and yes, I am saying that in a VERY drawn out French accenty type way), I give you Kate Ellison*, a blogger who may be found at Southern Scrawl and the author of the recently released novel, The Curse Girl.

(Her answers will be in blue, and any responses I might have will be in pink)

Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself.  How long have you been writing?  What's your favorite genre?  What's your favorite thing to do when you're not writing? I've been making up stories since I can remember--at least since I was 5 or 6 years old. I penned my first story at age 8. I've been writing ever since. My favorite genre is probably a tie between science fiction and fantasy (I read more sci fi and write more fantasy). When I'm not writing, I am usually reading, playing with my cats, or surfing the internet. I know, such a party girl ;-)


If you only had 150 characters to describe your book, what would you say? A 17-year-old girl must solve a witch's riddle and break the curse that keeps her and a boy she despises captive inside a magical house before time runs out. (confession, I went over by 7 characters... )


Unacceptable!  :P  But I love that description!  It makes me want to buy the book right now!


How did you come up with the concept for your book? I actually remember quite clearly how the idea came to me. The power had gone out in our house, and my husband and I eating pizza by candlelight in our kitchen. I'd grabbed a mirror to put under the candle to enhance the light, and I had this vivid, fully-formed image suddenly fill my imagination--a girl holding a candle, walking all alone in a pitch-dark ballroom and stumbling upon her own reflection in a giant mirror. She thinks she catches sight of someone behind her, but when she turns, they're gone. I started exploring that image, trying to find the story behind it, and it morphed into a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a modern, spunky flavor. I love rewriting fairy tales. There's so much creativity unleashed through structure (for me), like writing a sonnet.


Who's your favorite character from your book, and why? My favorite character is Will (the "beast" according to legend). He's sort of the typical handsome, spoiled rich boy, and he's initially very snarky. He and Beauty (the main female character) don't get along at all in the beginning. It's a tempestuous attraction. I cracked up writing a lot of his dialogue. 


When will your book be available and where? The Curse Girl is available now on Amazon for the Kindle, Barnes and Noble for the Nook, and Smashwords for all formats. I am planning to make it available in print at a later date. Soon, if all goes well. 


Yay!  How exciting!  I'll have to check it out on Amazon today.  :)


What's your favorite part of writing? Definitely coming up with the idea, and then being finished with the whole book (edits and all)


Least favorite? My least favorite part of writing is when I've run into a plot snag or character motivation problem, and I feel like I'm butting my head against a brick wall. It's very frustrating. 


What does your workspace look like? I write on my laptop, which I move all over the house. I usually write on my couch, or on my bed. The general area surrounding me usually includes a lot of dirty dishes, books, my Kindle, and one or two cats curled up on my feet or lap or in a nearby chair (they insist on being with me at all times).


What's your kryptonite?  I.e. what's the thing that mosts tempts you away from working on your writing? Twitter orYoutube, usually. But a word on Twitter--it has been one of the best tools of my career so far, so I can't complain about it too much. I've meet so many marvelous people through it.


It's the zombie apocalypse, so what one thing do you save?  Oh, and how on earth did you manage to survive?! My laptop. Is there still internet access!? Seriously though, that thing has a lot of important information on it. And pictures. And stories. And a calculator. But this is only if I can continue to charge it, naturally. Otherwise it's useless except for wacking the undead. On the survival bit, I'm actually writing a zombie novel that explores that very question. Personally, I think I'd need to get my hands on non-perishable food and guns, a car with good mileage or maybe a motorcycle (gas is probably scarce at this point), and then I need to get out of the city and into the country as soon as possible. The best place to be is somewhere big and open so I can see the zombies coming for miles. (How's that for an in-depth answer? Yes, I totally think about these things at night when I'm trying to sleep ...) 


Don't forget the grenade launcher.  Everybody always forgets the grenade launcher. :)  Oh, and a tank.  That's the best way to beat the undead--staying safe in an armored vehicle while you blast them to smithereens (or run them over).  


Is there anything else you'd like us to know?  If you like love stories with a bit of sass, or if you like mysteries, quirky magic, or snarky humor, definitely check The Curse Girl out! Also, THANK YOU Emily for having me, it's been fun!


And thank you, Kate, for coming by!!!  


Now for all you, dear readers, Katherine has kindly offered to give away a book (ebook only at this point) to one very lucky winner!  Just leave a comment some time between now and Wednesday and I'll pick a name out of the great and amazing contest bowl!


Good luck!  And stop by Katherine's blog today!  


*Edit: Katie has started going by Kate Ellison, so yeah, sorry for the confusion.  :(  By the way, I just love that name!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Amazing News!

Yesterday I announced the winners of the ARC giveaway!  Yay!  But what you don't know is that I had to tell those winners that they might not get an ARC right now.  I didn't go into details with them then for certain reasons, but after getting permission, I can give a few more details away today.

A publishing company has recently offered to publish ELEMENTAL.


Exciting, right?  

Absolutely!

I've been taking a few days to really make my decision, and I'll admit I haven't quite made up my mind yet.  Obviously, this is a huge decision to make.  It's flattering!  And amazing!  And so many other good and awesome things!  But it's still a big decision, especially when I've had my mind centered on self-publishing for so long now.

I just wanted to give all you, dear readers, a heads-up on what is going on.  Anyone who has offered to have me on their blog for the blog tour should expect an email some time today.  Obviously, if I accept the offer the blog tour will be cancelled and the publication date of June 21, 2011 no longer valid.  My mind is really scrambled right now with all the things I've had to consider, so yeah.  Yay!  Options are nice!  :)  But also very, very hard.  

Wish me luck as I decide what to do!  :)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

ARC Giveaway Winners!

It's been over a month since this giveaway started and you, dear readers, have been so supportive and patient!  Thank you so much to everyone who has asked me to come on their blog for my blog tour.  I wish I could give ARCs to all of you, but sadly, I can't.  :(

So!  The five winners are...

Joss!

Lindsay Scott!

Jaleh!

Jen Daiker!

Lisa Potts!

Congratulations to all of you!  Look for an email from me some time today.  And thanks again to everyone for being so supportive!

Monday, May 16, 2011

It's Monday Morning Movie Time! Brought to you by THE BODY FINDER

*rubs sleep crusties from eyes*  Wow, is that you?  It's been so long!  I thought for sure blogger had just decided to give up.  :)

So last week was pretty much a bust for blogging.  I'm sorry about that.  Funny story:  On Wednesday, I was in the middle of writing a blog post titled Battling the Lazies (it was all about how to ignore those pesky little urgings to do something OTHER than writing) when my sister showed up asking if I wanted to go shopping.  So, I...uh...went shopping.

#fail

On a lighter note, I had a great time!  I bought some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G tea from Teavana.  If you like tea, or you don't like tea, or you think you don't like tea, you must go there.  You haven't had tea until you've had real, loose leaf or rolled tea.  You know that bitterness you can taste with grocery store tea?  Yeah, apparently that's not supposed to be there. (and yes, I swear they aren't paying me to say this)  :)

So, now that I've procrastinated enough on this post, I bring you today's book trailer!!  Enjoy!




Back of the book blurb:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers. 

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. 

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself. 

My thoughts on the book trailer:


I'm actually not a huge fan of trailers that show still-life pictures with flashes of video of someone running.  There are a lot of trailers that do that, too.  They seem to think they MUST actually show someone running, and through the woods, too.  Or a school hallway.  The problem I see with it is this: you can usually tell when a cheaper camera is being used.  There's a different quality to the image.  And when you detect that cheap camera image, it's easy to start thinking the rest of the trailer is cheap.

I actually really liked it up until they started using video footage.  I loved the image of a girl crouched over the dirt.  I just wish they'd left it like that--with images.  Of course, mine isn't the only opinion out there, and it certainly isn't law, so what did you, dear readers, think?  Did this trailer intrigue you?  Are you going to pick up this book?

Discuss!  :)

Monday, May 9, 2011

A Little Change and a Video

I've been doing the Saturday Morning Movie for a while now, but it wasn't really generating a whole lot of interest.  Plus, I've always wanted to keep this blog mostly writing related.  But I personally loved combing through YouTube for great videos.  So I've decided to move Saturday Morning Movie to Monday and keep it a tad more focused.  Instead of posting any old video I happen to like, I'm going to post a book trailer, the book's description (if I can find it), and my impressions.

So here's my first:


The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Tenth Grade Bleeds





Book description:

It’s another sucky year at Bathory High for Vladimir Tod. The evil vampire D’Ablo is hunting for the ritual that could steal Vlad’s powers. His best friend Henry doesn’t want to be his drudge anymore. And as if all that weren’t enough, it’s getting harder for Vlad to resist feeding on the people around him. When months go by with no word from Uncle Otis and D’Ablo shows up demanding Vlad’s father’s journal, Vlad realizes that having a normal high school year is the least of his concerns. Vlad needs to act fast, and even his status as the Pravus won’t save him this time . . .


My Impressions:


First of all, this is the third book in the series.  I chose to post this one because 1. I liked it better and 2. It was the only one I could find that I was sure was the official trailer.


So, I have to admit that I'm not all that into vampires anymore, but a book about a teen named Vladimir instantly piques my interest.  I just have to wonder how anyone could NOT know he's a vampire with a name like that.  Also, I think the trailer was done well.  It does a good job of letting us know the plot while also making it exciting enough to interest potential readers.  I think this can be hard with book trailers.  You certainly don't want a trailer to come off as nothing more than a query letter or back-0f-the-book blurb, but you also don't want to make it too much like a movie trailer, which are often left a tad too mysterious in order to get you to the theater.


So what do you guys think?  Would you look into this series based on this trailer?



Friday, May 6, 2011

ARCs are Almost Ready

Well, the ebook versions.

You may have noticed I've been a bit sporadic in my postings and comments this month.  Well, there's a reason. For the past couple months, I've been working and working and working on my ebook.  There was a LOT of trial and error going on.  I've always been very open about how illiterate I am when it comes to anything computer related, so building an ebook was quite an undertaking.  But I've learned a lot and it's almost done!!!

But with one completed project comes about a dozen more new ones.  I think you'll like these new ones, though.  I've already told you that some swag has arrived at my door, but I'm working on getting more!  Bookmarks!  Magnets!!  And so much more!!!  And they'll all be free.  Some of the bigger items will be given away during the blog tour, but as soon as the others are available, I'll let you guys know!

Now, because the ARCs are almost done, I'm hankering to give some away.  I've already got a contest going on where you can win one of five available ARCs, but if you have a book review blog, send me an email (emilywhite_1112 (at) yahoo (dot) com) and I'll get an ARC to you as soon as I can.  And if you, dear readers, know any reviewers, please send them my way.

ALSO!!!!

I've noticed more and more people talking about self-publishing lately.  If you need any help whatsoever getting started or building an ebook, feel free to email me!!  I love helping any way I can.  Or if you just haven't decided yet, but you're really thinking about it, go ahead and email me if you need someone to weigh the pros and cons.

Hopefully next week I can get back into my regular blogging schedule (MWF) with some real posts!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

ELEMENTAL Snippet

You guys, I am soooo excited about posting this sneak peek!  I've been waiting and waiting and waiting until it was closer to the publication date!  So here it is: Ch. 1 of my soon-to-be-published YA Space Opera!  Enjoy!


Chapter One:
Escape From Hell

            I wondered what a blue sky looked like.  Okay sure, I remembered it was blue, but considering I’d long ago forgotten what blue was, that didn’t help me much.  You see, I lived in a world of nothing but darkness and stale, sour air.  A place where not only could I forget simple things like colors, but I couldn’t even remember the details of my own hand.
            Or how I got in that cell, or why.
            I knew breathing hurt because the air was so dry it sucked the moisture straight out of my lungs, and that I could go one hundred and seven atmosphere cycles—about four days—without food before passing out.
            Most times, though, I chose not to dwell on my circumstances, as long as I could help it.  Sho’ful, the prison ship that floated around space, carrying untold numbers of souls and sucking the life out of each and every one of them, failed to torment me in one place alone—my dreams.  And that’s because I didn’t have them.  Ever.
            So I closed my eyes again and hovered in that empty world between sleeping and waking.  The world where I could ignore the silence and pretend it felt right, the world where darkness released me rather than tortured me.  Alone because I wanted to be and not because it had been forced on me.
            A sleep like a drug to the soul.
“Get up.”  A voice in the darkness ripped me from the edge of slumber and pierced my ears with its sudden harshness.  I gasped, clawing at my ears as the itch of newness burned at the base of my jaw.  “Open the door and leave.”
The voice seeped away like a dream, or a memory of a dream. 
And I burst out laughing for a precious split second before I clamped my mouth shut.
No one left Sho’ful, and only fools thought so.  No light at the end of this tunnel.  I lay there, refusing to get up.  The voice had been nothing but my imagination.  It could be nothing more than that.
A creaking sound broke the silence.  And then something large, cold and hard pushed against me, sliding me across the rusted floor.  When I stopped moving, I grabbed hold of the thing that had pushed me and ran my fingers along its exterior.  Parts of it were rough and chipping away and all of it was ice cold.
I lay there running the probability that what I held in my hands was the open door over and over in my mind.  Impossible.  Yet…maybe.  Something had pushed me.  It could have been the door.
I reached my arms up and grasped the thing I was growing fairly certain was indeed the door, and pulled myself up.  I moved my feet to find some purchase on the floor.  They slid along its smooth surface, throbbing with pain.  I groaned in frustration.
With my teeth clenched, I laid my feet flat against the floor and forced my shaking legs to lift me.  I leaned my weight against the door and let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding in.  Sweat poured from every pore. 
It was time to walk out of there and leave Sho’ful, so I clenched my right leg and prepared for my first step out of my cell.  
And froze. 
The hounds.
            The guards’ precious little pets kept watch over the halls to instill terror in the prisoners and dare us to come out.  A chill ran up my spine as I thought about all the times I’d pressed myself against the back corner of my cell, as far away from a hound that had come sniffing at my door as I could get.  With perfect clarity, I could still recall the sound of his claws scraping against metal, sharp enough to gouge the hard exterior. 
No one in their right mind would leave their cell, even if they could.  That didn’t stop the guards from dragging inmates out once in a while to feed to the beasts.
            I shuddered.  They’d done that to the man in the cell next to mine just a few feeding sessions ago.  I could still hear his screams, the sound of his flesh being ripped from bone, and the crunch of the hounds’ teeth gnawing him apart.
            No. 
I shook my head in part to get the memory out and part in answer to my stupid plan.  I couldn’t go out there.  My heart hammered against my chest in warning.  The smartest, the safest thing to do would be to close the door and go on living my life the way I’d been living it for the past ten or so years.  A beating heart, safe inside my chest and drowning in depressive nothingness trumped a beating heart spilling my blood on the floor to be lapped up by those monsters. 
Minutes passed slowly as I struggled to make up my mind.  This glimmer, this phantom hope that warmed my chest was the first in living memory.  I couldn’t just disregard it and lock it away to die like everything else in my life.
The cold truth of what I needed to do hit me then.  I’d been dying long enough. 
That’s when I took my first step.


Several hours and a few bone-bruising falls later, I’d crept through six levels and at least twenty corridors.  My efforts had not been rewarded.  I was no closer to getting out of this hell than when I’d taken my first step.  I started to think I was an idiot for listening to a voice in my head.  No, I knew I was an idiot.
            I pressed the heels of my palms against my eyes and smacked my head against the wall.  Things weren’t going so great.  I needed to get out.  The weight of the black nothingness crashed in around me, suffocating me.  I needed to get out.  I needed to get out!        
Breathe, Ella.  Breathe. 
I couldn’t breathe.  What had I done?  An interstellar ship didn’t have a way off.  Why did I ever think it did? 
I took a deep breath and let it wash through me.  My heartbeat slowed until I could barely feel it at all.  The cold metal soothed my forehead.  I just needed to stand there for a moment with my head pressed against the wall and my arms dangling at my sides.  Things would work out.  I’d be all right.  Too bad telling myself that over and over didn’t actually help.
I turned my back against the wall and slid down to the floor, resting my head against my knees.  Every cell in my body wanted to break down and cry.  If I hadn’t been so terrified of making the littlest noise, I would have.  I’d never felt so lost in my life.  The hope I’d felt earlier had all but disappeared.  If the hounds didn’t find me, the guards would, and they’d feed me to the hounds anyway.  I was such a fool for leaving my cell.  A tear burned its way down my cheek.  I clamped my hands over my eyes to stop the rest from gushing out.
Okay, I needed to think through this.  I lifted my head from my knees and wiped my tear-soaked hands onto the ragged shreds of my muslin prison uniform.  I needed to make a plan, if only to keep my mind busy.
If I kept finding the stairs and followed them down, I’d get to the bottom.  What then?  Would there be a door to outside?  Is that how space ships worked?  Of course, even if that was how space ships worked, outside was nothing but vacuum space.  I groaned.  My plan sucked.
I rubbed the blood back into my legs and pulled myself up.  A sucky plan beat no plan any day.
One, two, three.  One, two, three.  Step, step, step.  Step, step, step.  After my first initial steps, I found it easier to work in patterns and small groupings to keep track of distances.  So far, I’d gone about thirty-eight sets of step, step, steps and most corridors were forty-three sets long before I hit the stairwell.
Step, step, holy crap! 
My face collided with the floor in a sickening crunch.  I clutched my head and moaned.  Sho’ful shook and groaned as my body slammed into one wall and then the other.  I tried to grab onto something to keep from rolling around and lose my place in the hallway.  The smooth walls offered no handhold.
This had never happened before.  Something was definitely different.  During my whole ten years on the ship, it had been nothing but a smooth ride.  Now, Sho’ful was shaking to pieces.  The grinding and booming ripped through my skull and reverberated through my whole body.
Then the floor fell away from me.  Or rather, we dropped so suddenly my body went airborne for a few seconds before crashing back down.  Blood pooled in my mouth.
Oh no, not blood.  Anything but blood.  Please.  I whipped my head around and strained my ears for any noise other than the rattling metal and booming gears.  Though I didn’t have any way to know for sure, I suspected the hounds could pick up the smell of blood really well.
My pounding heart probably didn’t helping anything either.  Even above all the mind-numbing noise, I could hear it racing away in my ears. I tried to breathe deeply to calm myself down.
The ship leveled out and settled.  We had landed, somehow I knew.  Unfortunately, now that all the shaking had stopped, my heartbeat thundered in the heavy silence.
            I swallowed, waiting and listening.  A leaky pipe drip, drip, dripped off somewhere in the distance.  Even farther out, I heard the muffled voices of guards.  In the vast and empty hallway where I sat, it was silent.  I didn’t move.  Something felt off—like it was too silent.
            I strained my ears, forcing myself to hear more.  Silence and the drip, drip, drip of the leaky pipe.  Drip…drip…drip…
            I pulled a breath down to my toes and moved to my knees to stand up.  That’s when I heard it: a puff of exhaled breath.  Blood chilled in my veins.
            There wasn’t much I could do—I was just as blind in the dark corridor as I had always been—but now a hound stood somewhere close behind me.  I rose to my feet, agonizingly cautious in my slow but steady movements.  If the hound was blind too, then silence would be key.
            I prayed the hound was blind too.
            I straightened with my hands on the wall.  Something scraped against the metal floor—a claw.  I took one step forward.  A muffled noise like bristling fur filled the silence.  I bit back my terror.
            Way, way off in the distant end of the hall, something caught my eye, which was odd because I hadn’t used my eyes in a very long time.  I welcomed the strange sense.  I needed all the help I could get.  The thing that caught my eye wasn’t all that special, and yet to me, it meant everything.  The end of the hall glowed with a weak light that threatened to be snuffed any moment it was so pale.  But it was light. 
            The furry, bristling sound moved closer.  I could imagine the hound’s maw spread wide to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth.  My mind moved ridiculously slow while my body screamed at me to run.  My muscles actually prickled with the need while my brain refused to give the order.  And so I was trapped there waiting for the reality of the situation to settle in, my spastic body having already figured everything out light years ago.
            It’s too far away, I kept telling myself.  Even if there is something around the corner, you’ll never make it.  But my body had enough, and I ran.
            The hound’s reaction was immediate.  The air rushed past me as he made his first lunge.  I cringed, waiting for the blow.  It didn’t come.  I heard the increasing staccato of his claws on the floor as his feet padded toward me.  He’d been farther away than I’d thought.
            Not far enough, though.
            Hot, musky breath blew across my head, whipping my thick and crinkly hair into my face.  I spit the strands out of my mouth and ran harder.  A razor sharp fang cut through my shoulder, snagging my shirt.  I stumbled back and screamed.  The hound’s breath moistened my cheeks, and so did my tears.
            I twisted away and the sleeve ripped away from my shirt just as the hound’s jaws shut with an audible snap.  Foamy slobber hit my arm and neck.
            I don’t know what I was thinking—maybe I wasn’t—but my fist swung out and collided with the hound’s jaw, somehow making him stumble back.  I took advantage of the opportunity and ran for the end of the hall and the glowing light.
            The light, which I had at first thought a miracle, burned my eyes.  Each lunge I took brought me closer to its warm promises, but my ill-used sense of sight protested.  Actually, it flat out said no.  My eyes and nose burned, tears and snot pouring down my face.  To make matters worse, the hound had recovered and started chasing me again, and gaining.  The light didn’t seem to phase him at all.
            A room opened up at the end of the hall.  I could tell because the light suddenly brightened in the corner of my left eye.  I turned, slipping on the floor, but kept my balance.  I felt the hound’s moist jaws hover just inches from my head.  His claws scraped against the floor.
            Hot, sticky warmth oozed from somewhere in the room.  The cold, ship air battled valiantly with it, but lost.  Somehow, I knew I wanted to go toward the warmth, just like I knew I needed to go toward the light.  The light and the warmth were connected and they were the lifesavers I’d been looking for.  I just had to get closer to them.  Whatever the light was it was good and protective.  It was life.  I knew that, I just didn’t know how I knew that. 
            Something like a memory flitted across my mind and for a second I imagined sunshine breezes and wispy grass, and lying next to a boy.  A boy with green eyes.
            Then three things happened: I heard the hound’s wet chops open wide and felt his steamy breath closing the distance.  A claw grazed my back, slicing my shirt and skin open.  And I fell through a hole, screaming all the way down.

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So there it is!!  Don't forget to check out ELEMENTAL's fan page and goodreads page!  

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

WINNER!

It's here!  And Captain Kirk is here to tell you what you've won!



Captain's Log:

Emily White--had a--terrific contest--going--on--some might even have called it--awesome.

The prizes!  Were:

Across the Universe--by Beth Revis


(Oh boy--could I tell you--some of my own tales--about that)

The Adoration of Jenna Fox--by Mary E. Pearson

And finally!

A--fifty dollar gift card--from--Amazon.com!

After much deliberation--and by that I mean--putting the names into--a--bowl:


A winner--was chosen:


JEFFREY BEESLER!!!

*tosses balloons*

Thanks, Captain Kirk, for adding an extra dash of awesomeness, but I'll take over now!

Congratulations, Jeffrey!  Please email me at emilywhite_1112(at)yahoo(dot)com with your home address so I can get your prizes to you!

And thanks to everyone else!  There's another contest going on and more to come, so don't be too sad if you didn't win.  In fact, a package of swag may have showed up on my doorstep...  :)