IN THE REARVIEW Came Out Today...and There's a Giveaway!

Today's the day! Maria Ann Green's new book, In the Rearview is finally for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I wish I could convey to you how excited I am about this. I had the pleasure of reading it in one of its earlier stages and I was blown away with Ms. Green's language and imagery. If you're interested in learning about the real-life struggles associated with cutting, then this book is for you!

What's especially cool about this release is that there's a GIVEAWAY PACKAGE! And it's not your typical run-of-the-mill giveaway. Maria Ann Green is giving you the opportunity to be named as a character in her next book if you buy In the Rearview by August 26th! Here are the details.

LILA'S CHOICE Relaunch!

Join me in my excitement about the relaunch of Laura Brown's book, Lila's Choice! There's a fancy new cover, which I love, and (just as exciting) the ebook will be on sale this week for 99¢! Head on over to Amazon or Barnes and Noble to get your copy! OR, if you're willing to take a chance, check out the rafflecopter on the Giveaway tab of Laura Brown's Facebook page for the chance to win a free copy and other cool prizes; the giveaway will run through August 18th.

And now, the beautiful cover:

Never let your friends get involved in your personal life.

Lila and Nate learn this the hard way. They are the star-crossed lovers of Glendale High. For three years the students have waited for the two to get together. They begged Nate to put his past relationship behind him, and cringed when Lila started dating Bryce. Just your typical teenage romance, except they’re the teachers.

Lila, a guidance counselor with a sweet demeanor, has an answer for every problem, every problem but her own. A visit from childhood friend Bryce thrusts her calm world into turmoil, as emotions buried deep inside are dragged to the surface. He soon realizes what only a friend can notice and a lover regret, that Lila, unbeknownst to herself, is in love with Nate.

Nate has seen better days. He is a history teacher stuck living in the past. Depression has kept his love for Lila unspoken, his ego frail after being cheated on.

Now Lila and Nate’s coworkers must unleash a scheme and uncover Lila’s true feelings. In a school this nosey what better way to get fast results than to involve the student population? The students are all too eager to get involved.

If everything goes as planned Lila will have to choose between two men. If her friends fail they might destroy these three and ruin their friendship. No wonder the scheme is called Project Torture.

Bio:

Laura Brown lives in Massachusetts with her quirky abnormal family. Laura and her three cats are “differently abled.” Laura is hard of hearing, her oldest cat is deaf and partially blind, and the other two cats have cerebellar hyplasia (they shake, and they don’t find it endearing). The “normal” members of her family include her husband, who has put up with her since high school, and her young son who enjoys “typing” on Mommy’s laptop and has agreed to take full blame for all spelling errors.

You can find Laura Brown on Twitter (@AuthorLBrown), Goodreads, Facebook, and her blog!

Cover Reveal for IN THE REARVIEW

Good morning all! Today I'm excited to post the cover for the upcoming novel In the Rearview by Maria Ann Green. I had the pleasure of reading this work at one of its earlier stages and I am unbelievably thrilled that it will be published by Astraea Press on August 19th.

So check out the info below and join me in my enthusiasm!

Title: In the Rearview

Author: Maria Ann Green

Genre: YA Contemporary 

Release date: August 19th

Meagan's problems aren't like every other adolescent's no matter how much she wishes they could be. Hers are worse. They've pulled her down into the depths of a depression that is anything but normal. She begins her pattern of self-harm as her depression threatens to drown her. She starts with one cut that leads to the next, and the next. After starting, it's apparent that there's no stopping, and Meagan spirals into a dark and cruel world she doesn't understand. Meagan cuts to feel better, but that comfort doesn't last long enough, and soon life is worse than it ever was before.

While learning to quit cutting Meagan faces life-altering obstacles and grows up in the process. IN THE REARVIEW is a story of pain, loss, confusion, and hope told through Meagan’s poems, journal entries, and a splash of narrative.

*Maria Green currently lives in Minnesota, despite its bitter winters, with her husband. She graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in English. When she isn’t writing, Maria loves to read with a cup of strong coffee or a glass of sweet wine, craft, and spend time with her family. This is her first published novel. Check out her website (www.mariaanngreen.com and blog (www.mariaanngreen.com/blog)! And here's a photo of the lovely Miss Green herself:

 

And DON'T FORGET: A Giveaway Package for In the Rearview will be announced on August 15th with instructions on how to be entered (and what you could win)!

I've Emerged!

Five months ago I hid myself in the dark writing cave that authors often find themselves in. I had an idea for a new manuscript and I ran with it, determined to keep going until I was finished and could emerge from the cave.

And I did it. I now have a shiny new manuscript waiting to be picked apart by my beta readers and critique partners. It's an NA LGBT contemporary set in Appalachia, and I'm confident that it's my best manuscript yet!

As always, my husband is my first reader. After writing and editing I passed it off to him and awaited the onslaught of super picky yet constructive commentary. His feedback has been invaluable so far, but he still has a ways to go on the critiquing journey. I'm grateful that even though he's found many flaws, he has also remarked that his job is difficult because of my improved writing. I hope future critiquers see it that way as well!

It was a relief to finish my first and second drafts, but the work hasn't stopped. I'm incorporating edits, working on my query letter (yikes!), reading other peoples' manuscripts, and (God help me) working through the ideas of a NEW manuscript (anyone up for a historical fiction?).

There's still some time before I'll be ready to start querying this manuscript. The prospect of starting the query process all over again is both exhilarating and frightening. I'm simultaneously eager to get my new work out there and terrified that the daunting task will be waste of time.

Wish me luck!

**Over the next couple of weeks I'll post some exciting news about my friends' book releases! Giveaways to come!