Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Team Snow for 2017



It's that time! 

I hope everyone had a good time and learned something. Contests are for fun and meeting new friends after all!

As I said on twitter this might have been the best group of slush ever, but I only had room for sixteen. With 200+ entries that means a lot left behind. I went back and forth a dozen times before deciding. Be sure to check the Team Sun picks over at Amy's blog, and remember that contests aren't the only means to get in front of agents. 

I never made it in to any large contests, so I know exactly how you feel. I got my agent from a query. And everyone's journey is different. Keep on keeping on!






The following entries will be on Team Snow:

Middle Grade:

The Baker Beach Detective- Mystery
Seeing My Sister- Contemporary
The Last Doubloon- Contemporary (Ownvoices)
The Mojave Failures- Contemporary (Ownvoices)
I Am Becoming Annabelle, Fantasy



Young Adult:

The Lone Earth Girl- Science Fiction
Hide Me Away- Thriller (Ownvoices)
Prompocalypse- Disaster Thriller
The Art of Insanity- Contemporary (Ownvoices)
Pangea- Futuristic Thriller
The Witch and the Demon- Fantasy


Adult:

To Live- Science Fiction
Dog's Breakfast- Upmarket
Notorious- Historical Mystery
Corporate Gunslinger- Science Fiction
Love Interrupted- Romance (Ownvoices)



Mentors should be contacting you soon, but give them until Tuesday night.  

Get your revised entry back to me no later than Sunday, February 5th at 3:00 pm EST. That’s so I have time to format the entries and have them ready to post for the agent round on Wednesday, February 8th. Mail your revised entry to the contest email Sunversussnow (at) yahoo (dot) com. Please use the exact same format and don't forget the Sun versus Snow question.

And do find me on twitter (@Michelle4Laughs) so I can add you to my list before the agent round! I hope everyone sticks around to party and see if Sun or Snow gets the most requests. 

Team Snow will be ready to kick it to the sun!



Monday, January 30, 2017

Release Blitz for Mary Ann Marlowe and SOME KIND OF MAGIC

Some Kind of Magic by Mary Ann Marlowe



I'm thrilled to be taking part in Mary Ann Marlowe's Release Blitz for her debut, SOME KIND OF MAGIC! Check out the teaser excerpt, and be sure to enter the giveaway below.





Some Kind of Magic by Mary Ann Marlowe | JenHalliganPR.com 




by Mary Ann Marlowe Publisher: Kensington Publication Date: January 31, 2017

"An amazing first novel." —Sydney Landon, New York Times bestselling author In this sparkling debut novel, Mary Ann Marlowe introduces a hapless scientist who's swept off her feet by a rock star—but is it love or just a chemical reaction?... Biochemist Eden Sinclair has no idea that the scent she spritzed on herself before leaving the lab is designed to enhance pheromones. Or that the cute, grungy-looking guy she meets at a gig that evening is Adam Copeland. As in the Adam Copelandinternational rock god and object of lust for a million women. Make that a million and one. By the time she learns the truth, she s already spent the (amazing, incredible) night in his bed. Suddenly Eden, who's more accustomed to being set up on disastrous dates by her mom, is going out with a gorgeous celebrity who loves how down-to-earth and honest she is. But for once, Eden isn't being honest. She can't bear to reveal that this overpowering attraction could be nothing more than seduction by science. And theonly way to know how Adam truly feels is to ditch the perfume—and risk being ditched in turn. Smart, witty, and sexy, Some Kind of Magic is an irresistibly engaging look at modern relationships why we fall, how we connect, and the courage it takes to trust in something as mysterious and unpredictable as love.



Excerpt from SOME KIND OF MAGIC

I scanned the rest of the room. I wasn’t surprised to see he had a turntable. Micah had been buying vinyl for years. An entertainment unit held a wide-screen TV and a stack of DVDs. I walked over to check out his movie collection. A Netflix envelope sat on top, and I read the address. The name rang a bell.

“Adam Copeland?”

Then I remembered. Stacy and Kelly had crushed on a rock singer with the same name for a few weeks last summer, another impossibly hot guy with red hair. No, wait, that was a different band. I could never keep their celebrity crushes straight.

My eyes went wide. What if this was that same guy? They would die. He was a musician, after all. A wave of nausea crested as I took in my surroundings. The guy certainly had money.

Adam glanced up from a stack of records and caught me staring at him. “What?”

“Your name is Adam Copeland?” My mind raced. The apartment was his parents’, so the money was probably his parents’, too. If he was a rock star, wouldn’t he have some lavish penthouse overlooking Central Park?

He went back to flipping through albums, nonplussed. “Oh, yeah.”

I narrowed my eyes. If I asked him straight up, he’d think I was crazy, so I casually sauntered over to the side of his bed and leaned back, facing him. I picked at the hem o f my shirt, and then, as though I was teasing, I tested the waters. “So, does everyone ask you if you’re any relation to that guy from that band?”

“Huh?” He pulled out a Van Morrison album and then dropped it back down, still on the search for whatever he was looking for.

Then it hit me. “Oh, God. I’ m sorry. It must be an incredibly common name.”

He froze in place like a deer caught in the headlights, like he had no idea what I was talking about.

This was embarrassing. Awkwardly, I fumbled for an explanation, rambling. “You know that band? They have a song that gets played about a million times an hour.” On the spot, I couldn’t even remember the band’ s name. I scraped my brain, tapping my fingers on the bed post. It came to me out of nowhere. “Walking Disaster!”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Riiiight.” He settled on an album and slid the vinyl record from the sleeve. I hoped I hadn’t offended him somehow. Maybe it was an irritating comparison. If someone famous had my name, I’d find it annoying.What was I thinking? As if some famous musician would just hang out at a club and buy me beers. And flirt. He’ d definitely been flirting with me. Guys within my limited reach rarely bought me beers and flirted. How much chance would I have with a freaking rock star? I laughed at myself for losing my head temporarily.

Unfazed, Adam dropped an album onto the turntable. I smiled as a dead sexy Arctic Monkeys song started. “I love this song!”

He sidled up next to me and bumped me with his shoulder. “So you like that band, Walking Disaster?”

Was this a litmus-test question? Like asking someone if they like Nickelback? What if he had a checklist, too? What if he only liked girls who listened to the “right” music and immediately disdained girls who listened to whatever he found uncool? And why did I suddenly care what kind of girls he might like? I shrugged, reaching for a safe nonchalant answer. “I don’t normally listen to them unless they come on the radio. I don’t intentionally listen to much current rock music, except for Micah’s. But my coworkers gush about that band. They tried to drag me out to see them just recently.”

“But you didn’t want to go?”

“No, I would’ve gone. But it was at the Meadowlands, and it was a weeknight. I had to get up early the next day.”

“To make perfume, right?” He leaned closer and breathed in. “What’s the name of this one?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“Mmm. You should call it ‘ Irresistible.’  It smells nice.” He lifted my hand and laid a kiss against my wrist. My brain told me I should leave. I barely knew him.

But I didn’t want to leave. Adam’ s lips felt so good against my skin. His dark eyes sought mine, looking for permission, maybe. The naked desire etched on his face sent a tingle through me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, but he held back, so I bent toward him. He kissed me soft, and I tasted the hint of Jamaican spiced rum.

He broke away and drew back, so close but too far away. His eyes pierced mine, and his breathing hitched, but he hesitated. I felt tethered there, unable to move back, wanting to move forward. I reached up to touch the stubble on his cheek, then that cord on his neck I’d wanted to touch earlier. Without another thought, I twisted my fingers in his hair and pulled him back to me.





Some Kind of Magic by Mary Ann Marlowe | JenHalliganPR.com



Mary Ann Marlowe


About Mary Ann Marlowe

Website | Facebook | Twitter
Some Kind of Magic is Mary Ann Marloweǯs first novel. When not writing, she works by day as a computer programmer/DBA. She spent ten years as a university-level French professor, and her resume includes stints as an au pair in Calais, a hotel intern in Paris, a German tutor, a college radio disc jockey, and a webmaster for several online musician fandoms, plus she has a second-degree black belt. She has lived in twelve states and three countries and loves to travel. She now lives in central Virginia where she is hard at work on her second novel. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.maryannmarlowe.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Giveaway

One winner will receive a $50 Amazon OR Book Depository Gift Card (International). Three winners will win a signed copy of SOME KIND OF MAGIC (US only). a Rafflecopter giveaway





Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Getting the Call with Mia Celeste

More proof that our writing journey sometimes takes crazy twists and turns. Enjoy this success story from Mia Celeste. 





The Call: A Tale of Second and Third Chances

In 2011, Other Than took first place in the paranormal division of the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest. Lill Farrell, an editor from the Wild Rose Press (TWRP) requested the full.  She followed up with an e-mail urging me to hurry and send her the manuscript. I did. She liked it, but at that time TWRP wasn’t accepting manuscripts with romantic elements. The publishing house sought strong romantic arcs. I was disappointed and I set about rewriting, but based on friends’ feedback and my own gut reactions, it wasn’t working. I was in a funk.  

If you’re a writer, you’ve probably experienced this. Most of us as authors fail and fail until we succeed. It takes lots of practice to create a story worthy of publication. As Hallie Ephron said at a writing conference I attended, “For a long time your taste will outrun your talent.” But if you keep writing, you’ll get better.

Well, even though I believed I’d improve, and that my writing skills were good and getting better, I put Other Than aside. I wrote a futuristic novel, and tried lots of different projects, but I kept coming back to Other Than, hoping I’d learned enough to make it marketable. I worked on it with critique partners and took classes about manuscript makeovers. One of the best was Jodi Henley’s Story Doctoring. She gave me suggestions that I not only understood, but that when I applied them, they immediately improved my story telling. Other Than seemed to click into place, but that was just when many publishers weren’t looking for paranormal romances.

So again, Other Than, ended up in as an unvisited file on my computer.  My spirits were low. Low enough that I planned to forget about publishing anything ever. I wrote an Urban Fantasy simply to amuse myself. I was surprised when my critique partners loved it. Then on a dare, I entered its blurb and first words in Query Kombat where I met Michelle Hauck and her wonderful team of encouraging writers. My piece, which was nicknamed BingBamBoomBFFs, received the ginormous Atta girl--that I needed to press on.

I dusted off Other Than, polished it up and wrote to Lill Farrell, asking if she’d look at it again. Graciously, she agreed and, sure enough, she and her reading staff approved it for publication. It’ll be released on January 27, 2017.

____________________________________________________________




It only takes one drink from the Water of Immortality to kill Evie Woods—halfway. Trapped in undead flesh, the world’s last skin-slider wakens on an island purgatory where a cursed spring bubbles with immortality, and zombie cannibals crave living flesh. Her only hope of escape rests in the hands of the one man who would see her fail. Lord Victor Lowell, the man of her dreams and darkest nightmares. Contrary and intractable, Victor preys on others to maintain his angelic charisma and preternatural prowess.

Trapped in an ever escalating war they can’t stop, Victor and Evie fight time for a cure, but as the long days pass, blackness tears at Evie, ripping her thoughts from her one memory at a time. Victor will do whatever it takes to prevent her from deteriorating into a rotting husk, even if it means dooming himself, but Evie won’t surrender his soul without a fight.

__________________________________________________________________

Now, I’m visiting Michelle4Laughs to thank her and all the Query Kombat friends for their kindness. In addition, I’d like to encourage the many writers yet to published to keep trying and to seek out writing communities like the one Michelle’s built, where you can find support and inspiration. Even if you’re like me and it takes multiple tries, don’t quit.  If you keep at it, you’ll succeed.


Hi, I’m Mia Celeste.  I’m from a family of English teachers and authors.  After 15 years as an English (for Language Learners) teacher, I’m trying my hand at writing.  I’ve completed four fantasy novels.  I’m currently submitting the third and fourth to agents and editors. 

I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my husband and sons.

You’re welcome to contact me at http://miaceleste.com or on twitter at https://twitter.com/MiajoCeleste




Monday, January 23, 2017

Submission Day for Sun versus Snow!



Hooray! Hooray! The submission window for Sun versus Snow opens today at 4:00 pm EST!




Act fast. We will only be taking the first 200 entries. Please do not enter early or your entry will be deleted. You can resend at the proper time if this happens accidentally. Confirmation emails will be sent. If you don’t receive one, don’t resend. We don’t want duplicate entries. Please check with us on Twitter first to confirm your entry did or did not arrive, then you may resend. There is only ONE, yes that’s right, ONE entry per person allowed. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries being thrown out. This contest is only for finished and polished stories.


Important note: The story can’t have been in the agent round of any other contest in the last three months. This doesn't mean twitter pitch events with hashtags, but multiple agent blog contests. 


Also, Michelle and I have decided not to accept picture books for this contest. Though we love picture books, Michelle holds special contests just for them. We do accept all MG, YA, NA and Adult genres, excluding erotica. To enter you must be followers of our blogs. Click the “follow” button on my blog. You can find Amy's blog here. If following our blogs doesn't work, follow us on twitter or sign up for our newsletters instead. 



The Format:

Send submission to Sunversussnow (at) yahoo (dot) com. Only one submission per person is allowed. It doesn’t matter if you write under different names or are submitting different manuscripts. You are still one person and get one entry.

Here’s how it should be formatted (yes, include the bolded!) Please use Times New Roman (or equivalent), 12 pt font, and put spaces between paragraphs. No indents or tabs are needed. No worries if your gmail doesn’t have Times New Roman. No worries if the email messes up your format. Yes, we will still read it! :-)  

(Here’s a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing.)

Subject Line: SVS: TITLE, Age Category + Genre
(example: SVS: GRUDGING, Adult Epic Fantasy)


In The Email:

Title: MY FANTASTIC BOOK (yes, caps!)
Genre: YA dystopian Ownvoices (Age category and genre. New this year! Add "Ownvoices" here if it applies)
Word Count: XX,XXX (round to the nearest thousand)
Twitter Handle: (Optional so we can contact you. Will not be public.)


Is Your Main Character hot or cold: 

Describe whether your character is hot or cold. Personalities differ. Is your character a person of volatile emotions or are they calm under pressure?

(Can be in your MC’s POV, but doesn’t have to be. 100 words or less.)


Query:

Query goes here! Include greeting and main paragraphs. Please leave out bio, closing, and word count + genre sentence. You may include comps if you’d like. There is no word count limit on the query but please aim for 250 – 300 words.

New this year! You may include if your story is OwnVoices up in the genre line. We really want diverse and talented writers and striping out the bios sometimes leaves us in the dark. Ownvoices means the author is from the same marginalized group as the mc in the story. 

Remember a query has several paragraphs. Don't send us a pitch.  


First 250 words:

Here are the first 250 words of my manuscript, and I will not end in the middle of a sentence. But I will not go over 257 words. Be reasonable and don’t make us count. Don’t forget to space between paragraphs! No indents!


And now that the rules are out of the way, how about the fun stuff!








TWITTER PARTY!!!



Here are the suggested daily topics. But if you want to make up your own fun games on the hashtag #SunvsSnow then go right ahead! Just keep it clean and inclusive for all.

Jan 23rd- Submission day! What genre and age category will you/did you enter? Show us a sun or snow picture from your neighborhood.

Jan 24th- It’s very important to read new books in your genre to get a sense of pacing and timing as well as style. What book in your genre have you read recently?

Jan 25th- Do you get more writing done when there’s sun (summer) or snow (winter)? When are you most productive?

Jan 26th- Do you have a writing goal for each day? How do you carve out time to write?

Jan 27th- Pantser or plotter or somewhere in between?

Jan 28th- Shout out a favorite line from the ms you entered.

Jan 29th- If you had to choose one goal for your writing career this year, what would it be?

Jan 30th- Beta readers and Critique Partners are important in the writing world. Where did you meet yours so others can check out those places?

Jan 31st- Final advice as before picks are announced on how you manage nerves during contests/querying?

Have fun! Mix and mingle! Make friends! Be active!





Friday, January 20, 2017

Getting the Call with Hannah Holt and Agent Laura Biagi

Okay. This is a most unusual call story! Not only is it for a picture book (WAHOO!), but Hannah's agent, Laura Biagi, joins the fun to give her side of the process! Enjoy!

Read all the way to the end for some bonus news.




Diamond|Man: a PbParty Success Story

Hannah Holt: In March 2015, I heard about Michelle’s PbParty contest through a writer’s group on Facebook. I researched the participating agents and—wow! It looked like a great opportunity.

On the day of the deadline, my finger hovered over the send key. Then, BLOOP. My computer crashed. I logged in again as soon I could, but the contest was already full. I could only cheer from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, I kept researching and querying—researching and querying. A few nibbles surfaced over the next few months but nothing substantial came along. When Michelle announced the next PbParty, I jumped at the chance.

This time I came prepared with better technology AND more story knowledge. In the months between the first PbParty and the second, I had queried my original story pretty widely. After weighing the responses, I decided it was time to try something new. My new lead manuscript, Diamond|Man, was a picture book biography of my inventor grandfather, Tracy Hall.

As for technology, I set up an account with LetterMeLater.com and scheduled my email in advance. That way no computer glitches, work issues, or kids calling would make me miss the deadline.

It worked! My entry arrived before the contest filled. Next, I waited to see if my manuscript would make the top twenty. 

When the day of the announcement came, I scanned the list anxiously, like a kid waiting for the parts in the school musical to be announced and…

Wahoo! I made it into PbParty the Musical! Okay, not a musical but still. My critique partners and I celebrated over email.

Then came the next round of waiting. Would I get any requests? I hadn’t queried Diamond|Man very widely, so I wasn’t sure what reaction it would get. My story had an unusual format. Would it be too strange?

Laura Biagi, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency: As an agent, I love online contests because there are so many intriguing projects all in one place. I was particularly looking forward to PbParty because of its focus on picture books. As I perused the entries, there were a lot of great projects that impressed me, but I remember opening Hannah's and just thinking, Wow, this is different and unique and could be really, really cool. I requested it immediately and couldn't wait to read the full picture book manuscript!

HH: Miracle of miracles, I ended up with four fabulous requests: three agents and one publisher.

I only submitted to the agents because I knew I wanted an agent before approaching publishers. Contract negotiations were/are definitely not in my wheelhouse.

Five days after I sent off my manuscript, I received a request for more material. Four weeks later came a phone call and an offer of representation. WOOHOO! At that point I nudged all the remaining agents, and shortly afterwards I received an additional offer from Laura Biagi.

LB: When I opened up Hannah's manuscript, I flew through it and got more and more excited each time I returned to it. It completely lived up to the snippet I'd read on PbParty, and more! I hadn't seen anything quite like this dual biography, on the one hand telling the story of how a diamond is formed in the earth, and on the other telling the story of Tracy Hall who invented a revolutionary diamond-making machine. And tucked into the Author's Note was the revelation that Tracy Hall was actually Hannah's grandfather—what an incredible connection!

There were a number of editors who I knew would love this book and who were looking for nonfiction and biography picture books. The manuscript engagingly and beautifully got at Common Core and STEM concepts that I knew the market was hungry for. Plus, this was so well told, bold, and fresh that I was certain it was a book that kids as well as parents, librarians, teachers, and booksellers would all get excited about and want to read again and again, lingering over the words.

So I called Hannah up one evening, told her everything I loved about the book, and offered representation!

HH: Now I had a choice. The first agent thought my manuscript was ready to send as it was. Laura wanted a revision. I asked both agents for a few weeks to think things over.

As time went on, I found myself revisiting Laura’s comments over and over again. Her feedback really resonated with me. So even though it required additional work, I knew it was the better path. I went with Laura.

LB: Hannah had done an incredible job with Diamond|Man, but I thought the manuscript would be even stronger with a bit more emotional connection brought into the Tracy Hall half. Editors usually want to feel an emotional connection to a submission right off the bat, and they are so used to seeing polished manuscripts that, if a project can benefit from it, an extra bit of tweaking can go a long way.

Hannah was stellar at revision. We went back and forth a couple of times before settling on something I was thrilled to get into editors' hands. I called up the editors I felt were perfect for it, pitched it with all my enthusiasm, and people started reading!

HH: The revising was worth it! Diamond|Man received a lot of initial interest from publishers once it went on submission. It seemed like a book offer could be coming in at any moment!!! But I still had normal chores to do, like fixing meals, cleaning toilets, and teaching piano lessons. Life continued rotating like a Jack-in-the Box handle until...

One day, Laura called to say she was setting up phone calls with the interested editors so they could share their artistic vision of the story with me. Note, this was still before any official offers.

And I was like, “Um, yes. That sounds like a smart thing to do. Um, hold on while I check my calendar.” And then I hung up and had a panic attack.

One of my critique partners calmed me down and convinced me that talking to an editor wouldn’t kill me and would probably be the healthy, grown-up writer thing to do.

LB: It definitely won't kill you! When editors want to speak with an author about a book, it's a very good sign. These editors wanted to know more about the unique formatting of Hannah's book and talk about their vision. When there's serious editor interest, it can be very helpful for authors to talk with the interested editors to get a sense of their plans for the book and what it would be like to work with them. 

HH: So I came up with a list of questions for the phone calls. I ran my questions by Laura, and she assured me she would stay on the phone during the calls. Agents are helpful in oh-so-many ways. In my opinion, every writer needs a great agent and a few good critique partners.

And guess what? The calls went great! It turns out editors are normal, wonderful book-loving people!

One of the editors, Kristin Daly Rens, had a clever idea for how to handle my book’s unusual format, and I liked her bold artistic vision for the illustrations. When her house, Balzer+Bray, swooped in with a pre-empt, it was a joy to accept.

Diamond|Man, the story of my grandfather and his revolutionary diamond-making machine, is tentatively scheduled for their Fall 2018 list!

LB: Kristin and the Balzer+Bray team have been amazing and have found an awesome illustrator for Diamond|Man, Jay Fleck, who is working away! We cannot wait to see how he marries Hannah's text with his art. It's going to be such a phenomenal book!

HH: In retrospect, it was good I failed at the first PbParty. It gave me extra time to switch the story I was submitting. I’m pretty sure Laura wouldn’t have requested my original story...because we’re still working on it. :)

I’m so glad my publishing path led to Laura. Even before our first book deal I thought, this is a person I would be happy working with for a long time. And really, working with great people to make beautiful books—is there anything better?!

LB: I feel so lucky that Hannah and I were brought together too! She is a dream client and I adore working with her.

HH: My parting advice is this: don’t let failures ground you—let them grow you.

LB: I second that! I would also add to keep pushing yourself to learn from every experience.

HH: Thanks again Michelle for having me (us), and thanks Michelle and Sharon for keeping the PbParty going! Happy writing trails everyone and good luck!


LB: Thank you, too, Michelle and Sharon—and best of luck to all the writers out there!

Hannah Holt participated in the September 2015 Picture Book Party (#PbParty). Her debut picture book Diamond/Man is forthcoming from Balzer + Bray. Hannah's engineering background and love of science inspire many of her books, including her SCBWI WIP Award winning picture book text: A Father's Love about the animal kingdom's best dads. You can find Hannah chatting on Twitter and occasionally posting on her ill kept blog.


Laura Biagi joined JVNLA in 2009. She is actively building her client list, seeking adult literary fiction, young readers' books, and nonfiction. She also handles the sale of UK and Australian/New Zealand rights, as well as audio rights. In the past, she has worked closely with Jean Naggar and Jennifer Weltz on their titles, as well as the submission of JVNLA's titles internationally.

Laura's writing background has honed her editorial eye and has driven her enthusiasm for discovering and developing literary talent. She studied creative writing and anthropology at Northwestern University. As a writer, she has participated in workshops at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the Juniper Summer Writing Institute, and the New York State Summer Writers Institute. She is the recipient of a Kentucky Emerging Artist Award for fiction writing.

Laura grew up in a small town in Kentucky and maintains a fondness for Southern biscuits and unobstructed views of the stars.


As of now, no promises mind, but as of now, I hope to have another Picture Book Party in March! Sharon and I should both have the sort of schedules in the spring to allow us to arrange the agents and the rest of the organizing. 

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Cover reveal for V.E. Lemp

I'm always happy to open up the blog to other writers, especially when they are friends and mentors and give so much back to the writing community. Welcome to V.E. Lemp on her cover reveal!








Artist Karen Foster draws while dreaming. Scientists label her a valuable commodity. Aliens call her their perfect messenger.

Seeking money for art supplies, Karen is thrilled when charming researcher Alex Wythe recruits her for a dream study called the Morpheus Project. But the Morpheus Project is not what it seems, and neither are the detailed technical illustrations Karen draws in her sleep.

Warned off by government agent Mark Hallam, Karen refuses to leave the project, even after her fellow subjects suffer breakdowns. Like the sun, her love for Alex blinds her.

Karen believes their love is forever, until a tragic accident blasts both their lives.

Aided by Mark—as well as a UFO investigator, his psychic daughter, and the dark-eyed strangers who haunt her dreams—Karen must fight to uncover the truth.

A truth that includes humans trading lives for profits—and a powerful cabal that will kill to keep such secrets from the world.

A truth that unveils the ultimate, terrifying, reality –

We have never been alone.


LIGHT: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Other-Suns-Others-Book-ebook








Older than our recorded history, and far superior in knowledge and technology, the Oneiroi are too alien to ever step foot on Earth.
Yet, aided by powerful human collaborators, they invaded Karen's dreams, stole her art, and shattered her life.
Now Karen must prevent them from destroying her planet.
The Oneiroi, extraterrestrials who’ve studied Earth for centuries, consider humans their lab rats. But a contingent of this ancient race—seeking to halt all experimentation—has launched a rebellion. Their mission, while just, is poised to ignite a battle that could blast Earth to a cinder.
With the planet tossed like a ball between fearsome forces, hope lies with a small band of humans and sympathetic aliens. Pursued by ruthless collaborators happy to sacrifice millions to silence the truth, Karen and her allies discover that only evidence bought with blood can expose those trading Earth’s autonomy for wealth and power.
It's time the world knew --
We are not alone.

DARK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5MLCX8




If there’s one word to describe Vicki it’s “eclectic.” Equally enchanted by classical music and current chart-toppers, and appreciative of pop culture as well as high art, Vicki loves good writing in all genres. A lifelong fan of fantasy and science fiction, Vicki also enjoys a twisty mystery or mind-expanding literary fiction. Although her focus is on novel-length works, a few of Vicki’s short stories and poems have appeared in print and online literary magazines.
Coffee, cats, and chocolate are basic essentials in Vicki’s life. A library director for a performing and visual arts university, Vicki loves foreign films, but will defend the merit of television shows like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, FRINGE, and TWELVE MONKEYS against all naysayers. She’d be happy to travel the world, if someone would just provide the ticket.
Vicki is represented by Frances Black at Literary Counsel, NY, NY. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and some very spoiled cats.