My Favorite Waterfall

This week we're celebrating the release of Fins Are Forever, the highly anticipated sequel to Tera Lynn Child's Forgive My Fins. Its official book birthday is one week from today! Yay!

And to help celebrate this momentous occasion, we're talking about our favorite water memories.

There are three ways to get to my house, but we usually take a road that goes up Ogden Canyon, and in this canyon is a waterfall. It's one that can be turned off and on, so on any given day it might be going full blast or just a trickle, and in the winter it is usually frozen (so pretty!). People stop and take photos, get engaged, etc. in front of this lovely feature. What I love most is how excited my boys get to see it each time we pass. They make bets on how much it's turned on and through the years it's become a tradition.

I've been to Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Alaska--all famous for their waterfalls. And yes, those are spectacular. But this one will always mean the most to me because it reminds me of home.

What is your favorite water feature, either natural or man-made? Please do share! Three lucky commenters this week will win a Fins pack from Tera Lynn Childs. Click HERE for all the exciting details. And congrat's, TLC! I can't wait to read Fins Are Forever!

A Continued Celebration of GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY

We are so excited to be celebrating the release of Marley Gibson's Ghost Huntress: The Discovery this week, and in doing so, each of the Buzz Girls is writing about discoveries. As for me, I like discovering new things about where I live: new things to do, new sights to see, new people to meet. I have a good friend named Meredith who lives in AZ but has a second home about 10 minutes away from where I live, here in UT. So every time she's here, we go to fun places for dinner, hit the lake in the summer or go skiing in the winter. As you can see in the photo, we accidentally showed up at Snowbasin with the same ski clothes. (People wondered if we were on the Swiss Ski Team!) She likes to go snow mobiling, but as you can read HERE I am banned from that particular sport so I have yet to join her. I really love it when she's in town because I get to vacation right here at home!

This summer marks the second time my family is having a big reunion in my town. We rent out a B&B and in addition to boating, hiking, biking, and fishing, we go to a petting farm and a crazy store called Smith & Edward's (where we took this photo), explore the a couple of hot pots at the base of the canyon, dip our toes in the Great Salt Lake, and do other random/silly/cool things together. I'm really excited to discover new things to do when they're all here come July.

For a chance to win Marley's fabulous prize package: a signed copy of THE DISCOVERY (Yay!), a dowsing pendulum, incense and an incense burner, and two awesome bracelets, leave a comment telling something you've discovered about where you live.

Good luck!

Book Launch of GHOST HUNTRESS: THE COUNSELING

Well...it's here! The big week of promo for my new book, GHOST HUNTRESS: THE COUNSELING. This is the fourth book in the Ghost Huntress series and I'm very excited that the time is finally here to talk about the book.



Kendall has just discovered who Emily really is, lost her boyfriend, and nearly died doing the thing she loves most–ghost hunting. It’s time to take a break and try to reconcile all the changes she’s going through. So Kendall heads to the Sierra Mountains, where there’s a camp especially for young people with gifts such as hers. It’s a time for reflection and self-discovery. But when she gets to California, she once again finds restless spirits–and the boy in her last vision. It may be the end of one chapter of her life and the beginning of a new one.

This week, we'll be talking about finding your own way in the world and making the best decisions for you. Each day, you'll be eligible to win not only copies of THE COUNSELING here on Books, Boys, Buzz, but I'll be offering a GRAND PRIZE on my website to be given away on September 15th. There's an awesome prize package on my website, so please be sure to check that out and spread the word.



To win a copy of THE COUNSELING, leave a comment in the trail about a huge decision you had to make that had a huge affect on you and your life. Again, those who leave a message (as many as you'd like), will be eligible to win a book.

Thanks for reading!

Hugs,
Marley = )

Two Releases in One!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late post, but I'm at Dragon*Con in Atlanta and, boy, has it been insane!

I'm soooooooooo excited about the release of not just one new book from yours truly...but TWO releases this week! Yep...that's right! I have two books out this week.

The first book is the follow up to GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING -- book 2 in my series, entitled GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE. I sold a lot of copies of it here at the convention in Atlanta and people seem excited about the book.

Oooo...pretty cover! LOL!!



AND...the non-fiction companion book to my GHOST HUNTRESS series is the second book that is out. It's called THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL.



The book was written with my good friends, Patrick Burns of TruTV's Haunting Evidence, and Dave Schrader of KTLM FM's Darkness Radio. We felt it was necessary with so many TV shows about ghost hunting that teens be given responsible advice about investigating.

Here we are at Dragon*Con where we premiered the book and sold fifty copies! (And yes...we're all wearing sunglasses on our head. Don't ask! LOL!)



Hope you'll pick up the books and let me know what you think! I'm thrilled to have these books out in the wild for people. I've gotten some amazing reader feedback already and each e-mail just makes my day.

Do you have any questions about ghost hunting? Comments? Thoughts? Leave your question or comment in the trail to be entered to win a copy of BOTH books. I'll be giving away a copy of each book every day this week (Monday-Friday).

Thanks and hugs!
Marley = )

Happy Launch Day for Ghost Huntress!

You'll have to forgive my wicked excitement today because the first book in my GHOST HUNRESS series, THE AWAKENING, is available!!!!!! I've been waiting for this day for a long time and I can't begin to put into words how I feel. The reviews on Amazon are really favorable and the feedback has been amazing!



Thanks to my fellow Buzz Girls, we're going to be celebrating ghosts, inevitably, this week, with lots of giveaways, so be sure to spread the word and come back all week to visit us.

So many people have asked me, leading up to this release, if I believe in ghosts. I have to say that I never really thought about it. I definitely believe in angels, as I've had three experiences in my life with angels (another post for another day), but as far as running into a ghost, I just never thought about it...

...until I did think about it.

Through my research for the GHOST HUNTRESS, I have witnessed shadow people, full bodied apparitions, been touched, heard voices on digital recorders when no one was speaking, and I captured some amazing footage of a ball moving around on it's own. These things have made a believer out of me!

However, I think the most poignant touch with the other side occurred on my 12th birthday. My beloved border collie, Candy, was hit by a car and died on my 12th birthday. I remember Dad taking me out on the back steps and telling me...

"Mar, you're 12 years old now and that's really mature...so you can handle anything."

He then proceeded to tell me that Candy had passed away. It was the most heartbroken I had ever felt in my life. I went to bed that night, crying myself to sleep over the loss of my beautiful three year old puppy-girl.



(Sorry for the bad quality...the picture is 30 years old! But isn't she precious???)

Sometime during the night--I thought I was dreaming, but I know I was awake--I sat up in bed and looked to the door of my room. There, I saw Candy walk in. She crossed the room and sat at the edge of my bed. She didn't bark or anything, but somehow I knew that she was...okay. She jumped up on the bed, curled up at my feet and watched as I fell back asleep.

Okay, so maybe this sounds like no big deal. However...Candy NEVER had been in our house. She lived at our farm, which was about five miles away from our house. She had been in the back yard, but never actually inside the house.

I believe to this day that she came to me to say goodbye and to make sure I was okay. Call me crazy, but it's such a strong memory and so real to me that I just can't think of it any other way.

My heroine, Kendall Moorehead, experiences all sorts of paranormal activities in the GHOST HUNTRESS series that are based on other people's experiences. It's my hope that in reading the series, it will help people question what's next for us and give us comfort that we'll always be with the ones we love...even our pets...for'evah.

So...I ask you...do YOU believe in ghosts?

Leave a comment for me and you'll be entered in the first giveaway for GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING. You may enter as many times as you'd like!!

Hugs,
Marley = )

College Dos and Don'ts

To celebrate the launch of Marley's fabulous college-set Sorority 101 series, I'd like to share a few Dos and Don'ts that I learned during my time in college.


DO Be prepared to try new things and meet new people. At any college, you're going to find people from different states, different countries, different cultures. Learning about and understanding the diversity on the planet is more important than any academic learning you'll do. However...

DON'T Get so caught up in your freedom that you start neglecting your classes. Yes, you have many new experiences to try and no curfew or parental check-ins, and it may be tempting to skip a few classes. After all, no one's taking roll, right? But, trust me, when midterms and finals come around, you'll wish you'd been at every lecture.

DO Try out different majors and classes you never thought you'd take. During my four years, I majored in architecture, biology, and (finally) theatre. You'll note that I'm not pursuing any of those careers, but things I learned in each area have helped me grow as a writer. You never know what class is going to click until you try it. Similarly...

DON'T Think that you have to declare you major freshman year and that deviating from that plan will mean your future ruin. Plans change, majors change (see above), and you'll figure it out. If you take a lot of core classes in your first two years, that will free you to focus on your major later--and give you a little more time to make your decision.

DO Join a group. Whether it's Model United Nations, Future Business Leaders of America, Amnesty International, or a sorority (like the characters in Marley's books) you'll meet new people with similar interests and make connections that might help you build a career after graduation.

DON'T Stress too much. I was a big time stresser-outer (sorry for all the tearful phone calls, Dad). I still enjoyed my time in college, but if I had just gone with the flow maybe I would have found my future in writing that much sooner.

To any graduating seniors out there, good luck with your plans and remember, "College is what you make of it." So make it worth your while!

Hugs,
TLC
OH. MY. GODS. -- Dutton, available like NOW!
teralynnchilds.com

PS--Don't forget to pick up copies of the Sorority 101 books Zeta or Omega? and The New Sisters to get an inside track on campus Greek life!

Pics from the Book Launch Party!

Last night was the launch party for my SORORITY 101 books!



We had an amazing crowd of almost 100 people at The Lenox Hotel in Boston. What a great turnout! The room was decorated in pinks and greens to match the book covers.



And there were balloons!



Check out the food...passed appetizers, cheese, fruit, veggies...



And petit fours with the Greek alphabet on them...



Here's my awesome hubby, best friend, webmaster and party co-host, Mike...



So many wonderful friends, colleagues, fellow writers, and family members attended.

Here I am with my friends Jen, Kristin, Penny, and Rebecca...



And here I am with my brother, Jeff, and cousin, Donna Lee...



We had a great turn out from the lovely ladies of the New England RWA chapter...



My agent, Deidre Knight, introduces me...



And I address the crowd, thanking everyone for coming and buying the books...



Check out the room! The Lenox rocked! Amazing staff, great service and so much hospitality!



Of course, there was book signing! I used the gorgeous new Cross pen that my writing friends and agency sistahs Mel, Maria, Louisa, and Kristen gave me...





It was a phenomenal night and I can't thank everyone enough for coming out! What a thrill. Thanks to everyone who picked up the book and I hope you love it.

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? - Now Available!
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters - Now Available!
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Begins May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

Book Launch Week! How it all started...

Happy Monday and welcome to another Buzz Girl book launch week! OMG...and this time, it's me! LOL!!

Can I just tell you that I've been waiting for this moment nearly all of my life, I think? At least since I sold on March 17, 2006. It's been a long wait, but I'm super-psyched to say that my first two books, and the first two of the SORORITY 101 series from Puffin Speak Books launches THIS THURSDAY, May 1st!!!

More on that later...

I've had a lot of people asking me lately about how I got started...when did I know I wanted to write...and how did I know what genre to write? It's a real easy answer: I think I was born to write.

When I was five or six years old, I used to write "stories" (okay, they were like three sentences long) and would "illustrate" them and then I would hold auctions for my family to see who would buy the stories. Little did I know that this is very much like the publishing industry is for real. Seriously! But, I wrote all the time. And then, when I was about fifteen, I fell in love with the First Love by Silhouette books that came out each month.



I loved these books. They were about teenagers finding their first love and they totally spoke to me. So much, that I wrote one of my own. Yes. The first "full" manuscript I wrote was entitled CHEER FOR LOVE and it was loosely based on my best friend and her boyfriend. It's a total of 58 pages and there's not a whole heck of a lot of tension or conflict...but it's not the worst thing ever written. I still have it. In a box. A very dusty box.



I typed it on my brother's Royal typewriter, so there are a lot of mistakes and a lot of X'd out words. But, for the most part, the grammar's not bad, the format is good (with the exception of it being single-spaced), and the POV is clear. Well...as embarrassing as it may be, why don't you take a look?

CHAPTER ONE

The sun snuck into Melissa Lewis’s room as she was awakening from a sound sleep. She squinted, and began to come to the reality that Christmas vacation had actually started. She glanced over at the clock that read 9:43. Stepping out from the warm covers, Melissa quickly jerked her cover-up over her University of Alabama night shirt. Her blond hair was cut in laers around her slim face. Her green eyes, big and beautiful, were her best feature, not to mention her dazzeling smile, which you never saw her without.

Slipping out into the carpet-covered hall, she felt a draft of cold Decelber morning approaching her.

“Is that you sweetheart?” the voice of Sue Lewis said to her daughter. Sue was a medium-sized woman with short ultra blonde hair.

“Yes, Momma. It sure is cold for the south!”

“Your father is going to build a fire as soon as he gets some wood,” her mother announced.

“Good.” Melissa though all of a sudden about the day that was ahead of her. “Momma, you know that we have a basketball tournament tonight in AAllensville. We’ve got to be at the school to catch the bus at 5:30.”

“Oh, really. How do you plan to get up there? Your father and I have been invited to a party at the Ferguson’s house tonight and we can’t be late,” Mrs. Lewis said with concern.

“Don’t worry Momma, Jessica got her license the other day and her mother is letting her take her car up to the school and park it until we get back.”

“Jessie got her license?” The voice of John Lewis interrupted. “Well I’m oroud of her!” John Lewis, a sturdy man in his early 40’s, carried in wood that would soon have the house warming up.

The buzzing of the telephone interrupted Melissa’s thoughts. She reached over the counter and snatched the phone off the wall.

“Hiya!” The voice was that of Jessica Kellee. She and Melissa had been friends ever since kindergarten.

“Hi yourself, what happening?” Melissa inquired.

“Well, I was just making sure that we are wearing the red, white, and blue sweater outfit tonight.” Jessica, Melissa, and their other best friend, Leigh Henderson, wer all cheerleaders at Homewood High School, and tonight was their first basketball game. “I wasn’t sure it it was that one or the all red one,” Jessica continues.

“It is the sweater,” Melissa said, very sure of herself.

“Okay,” Jessica said. “I’ll see ya then.”

Melissa hung the phone on the wall to rest once again. She walked back to her room and turned on the radio. She got her uniform out and laid it out on the bed. She really admired the sharp looking Patriot uniform that she and the other 7 girls that won the title of cheerleader had picked out. It was a V-neck short sleeved knit sweater with a red skirt that had pleats of white and blue. On the right side of the uniform, the initials “HHS” were printed clearly.

Melissa traveled down the hall to the bathroom. She once again picked up the brush and stroked it through her shoulder length hair. Leaning over the sink, she splashed the refreshingly cold water on her face. She towel dried her face and dabbed on some mascara on her black lashes.

After she got dress and had put her shoes on, she leaned back on the couch and stared at the television. There, she saw an advertisement for a men’s colone. The man in the ad was very nice looking. Melissa found herself thinking of all the handsome basketball players that would be riding the bus. There was James Finnigan, a junior, and Richard Simpson, also a junior. Melissa had gone to the movies with him a couple of times. But the best-looking of all had to be, without a doubt, Robbie Barrington, a senior, and also the “star” player of the whole Patriot team. Melissa had admired him from afar since she started Homewood as a freshman. Now as a sophomore and also a Varsity cheerleader, maybe he would notice her. She decided to herself, “This is the year that I’m going to have a boyfriend!”

Okay...aside from the really bad sexual innuendos about Mr. Lewis and the wood, it's not half bad, eh? I was fifteen...you've got to cut me some slack. LOL! But what I find really cool about this is the first thing I wrote seriously was a young adult book. I spent five years writing chick lit and romance manuscripts (which I loved doing), when I should have been writing young adult.

Around March 2005, a fellow writer friend, Liz Maverick, said to me, "Why don't you try writing a YA book?" I listened to her and not only wrote one, but two. And one of them landed me my fabulous literary agent. Because of her great reputation in the industry, the editors from Puffin Speak Books approached her to see if she had an author who could write a proposal for a sorority series for them. They really wanted a positive take on sororities and sisterhood. My agent knew I had it in me. And on March 17, 2006, we sold my proposal to the SORORITY 101 series.

And those books will be available on May 1st! Only three more days! This week!!!!! I never thought it would get here. But I'm totally jazzed!

BOTH of my books will be available on May 1st: SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA? and SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS, both under the name Kate Harmon. I can tell you, without a doubt, that they're both a LOT better than CHEER FOR LOVE. = )



I hope you'll pick up the books and enjoy reading them! I'd love to hear what you think. And, if you would be so kind, I would be ever so appreciative if you leave a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

This has been quite a journey to this point and I couldn't have done it without the support of so many amazing people...especially the fantastic Buzz Girls!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Out May 1, 2008, Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Out May 1, 2008, Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS Series (Begins May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)