Guest Post: Confessions by Shanae Branham

Confessions 

by Shanae Branham,author of the young adult techno-thriller novel, DiSemblance

I once heard it said that as fiction writers on some subconscious level we write the truth as we perceive it. If it were not so, then no one could relate to our prose. If this is true, then why is my supporting female character, Boston, so vulnerable?

I guess I would have to say that I felt very vulnerable as a teenager. On more than one occasion, I had to “physically” fight off a boyfriend’s unwanted advances. Instead of feeling triumphant and victorious with my efforts to successfully free myself, I felt alone and dejected. I wondered why no one would fight for me. Where was my white knight in shining armor? This subconscious yearning to have someone protect me found its voice in DiSemblance.

            Jason swung around hard, striking Todd in the shoulder. The boy cried out and sank to his knees in the wet grass. Jason’s next swing passed within a hair’s breadth of Raoul’s right ear.

The moment Ricky was off her, Boston scooted to the center of the merry-go-round. Suddenly, the rain stopped and the clouds parted. Jason bounded onto the vibrating device and positioned himself between her and her assailants. “Leave her alone!” he commanded.

About the author:

I am a professional writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a minor in grammar. I have also attended several years of classes and workshops in screenplay writing at the Los Angeles Screenplay writer’s Expo. 

I love suspense thrillers and am a master at plot and character development. I enjoy stories with happy endings. I promise all my readers that when they put one of my books down or walk away from one of my movies, they will be enthused with excitement and joy. This does not mean there will not be some sad parts, because you have to feel the bitter in order to understand the sweet.

About the book:

DiSemblance
Published August 20, 2012 by CreateSpace

Jason Tanner lives between two worlds. Problem is, only one is real.

As a computer prodigy, Jason has spent his life with limited social contact due to his father’s secretive work on a hologram machine that can create digital immortality. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, Jason is targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. Having spent much of his youth living in the virtual world his father created, he must now go on the run if he is going to save himself, his brother, and the beautiful girl next door.

"…DiSemblance was a very different kind of read for me - I haven’t really read anything quite like it before (and I mean that in the best possible way)! It’s almost as if the author took a futuristic-thriller movie and put it into words - making it a great choice for both the guys and the gals!"  

-The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger

“The characters of Jason and Isaac are … cool enough to rise to the occasion … making readers feel like they are rooting for real young men.” 

   -Jill Allen, Clarion Review     

Guest Post with Stephanie Wardrop--Advice Column for Characters

The Alt

LONGBOURNE HIGH SCHOOL’S ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER

Mainstream newspapers had their advice-dispensing twins, Dear Abby and Ann Landers.  We’ve got the Tell-Me-Your-Troubles Twins, freshmen Cassie and Leigh Barrett, here to answer all of your questions about life, love, and everything in between.

Dear Trouble Twins:

My boyfriend is great but he sticks to the “bros before ho’s” code too much.  Any time one of his boys calls, he’s off for a night of football, beer, and farting – even if we’ve already made plans!  Help!

--Lovelorn in Longbourne

Leigh:  I don’t want to be harsh, but no guy who calls a girl a “ho” is worth dating.  Jesus loved Mary Magdalene but your boyfriend is not treating with you the same respect.  You should look for a nicer, more polite boy, maybe at a church youth event.  That’s where I found mine! J

Cassie:  Ugh.  Assuming you don’t want to date a total dweeb like my sister suggests, you might want to see what you can do to keep your man focused on you and not on beer pong.  There’s a sale at Victoria’s Secret.  That’s a good start.

Dear Trouble Twins:

I follow lots of celebs on Twitter and tweet them all the time.  How can I get them to tweet me back?

--Tweety Bird

Leigh:  I’m not even sure what you’re talking about, but if it’s an internet thing you’re referring to, you’d be better off picking up a good book.  Or the Good Book.

Cassie:  As with all things boy-related (and I assume this is), the key to success is persistence.  And cleavage.  Why not post a pic of you in a yummy bikini?

EDITORS’ NOTE:  The advice offered in this column in no way reflects the views of The Alt staff and in some cases is downright opposed to it. Take it at your own risk.

About the author:
Stephanie Wardrop grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania where she started writing stories when she ran out of books to read.  She’s always wanted to be a writer, except during the brief period of her childhood in which piracy seemed like the most enticing career option -- and if she had known then that there actually were “girl” pirates way back when, things might have turned out very differently.  She currently teaches writing and literature at Western New England University  and lives in a town not unlike the setting of Snark and Circumstance with her husband, two kids, and five cats.  With a book out – finally – she might be hitting the high seas any day now.


About the book:

Title: Snark and Circumstance
Publication date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Swoon Romance

One superior smirk from Michael Endicott convinces sixteen-year-old Georgia Barrett that the Devil wears Polo. His family may have founded the postcard-perfect New England town they live in, but Georgia’s not impressed. Even if he is smart, good looking, and can return Georgia’s barbs as deftly as he returns serves on his family’s tennis courts. After all, if Michael actually thinks she refuses to participate in lab dissections just to mess with his grade, he’s a little too sure that he’s the center of the universe. Could there be more to Michael Endicott than smirks and sarcasm? If Georgia can cut the snark long enough, she just might find out.

Switching from Paranormal to Romance- Guest Post with Kelly Hashway

The first two book series I ever sold were paranormal. I love that genre. I grew up reading paranormal and horror. I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural is one of my favorite shows. So when I told my agent I had an idea for a YA contemporary romance, she was a little surprised, but she encouraged me to go with it. I knew I was in good hands because I’ve read my agent’s romance novels and they’re amazing. What better person to help me?When I sat down to draft, I knew I could write romances between characters. All my YA books have them. But I learned that when you focus on the romance instead of using it as a subplot, it’s very different. I had to become sixteen again. I had to relive my first heartbreak, my first break up, the first time I was cheated on (yes, unfortunately it happened to me more than once), and my first love. Needless to say, I shed a lot of tears at my laptop. I felt like I was bleeding emotions. It was an experience like none other. It took so much out of me to write the story from start to finish, but when I was finished, I knew it was a story I needed to tell for the sixteen-year-old still inside me.
I was hooked. I wanted to write another romance, but my agent warned me that because I had two paranormal series under contract, I’d branded myself as a paranormal author. I was a little devastated. I wanted my YA romance out there. Luckily, I have an amazing agent, and she sold my story, which was reworked into a novella series for Swoon Romance. I was ecstatic. So much so that I wrote another YA romance and I’m working on another novella, too.
Writing in two genres has been great. It keeps things fresh for me and opens up more ideas to write about. I also think writing romance is helping me write paranormal novels because emotion is a great thing to get in touch with when you’re writing in any genre.

Thank you, Kelly for your wonderful guest post, and don't forget to check out her new YA release, Love All.

Title: Love All
Publication date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan wasn’t very lucky at love. In sophomore year, her idiotic boyfriend dumped her by making out with another girl in front of her locker. Ouch! Now a senior, and with a little more self-confidence, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two guys at school. Lucky! Both attend her tennis matches, vie for her attention, and are each gorgeous in their own way. So what’s the problem? Meg has already chosen one of them, and the one waiting in the sidelines will do anything to change her mind. She’s enjoys the attention right up until it’s her heart that’s caught in the middle, and she risks losing both. Can Meg Love All, or will choosing be her undoing?