Author: Emma Right
Published: September
2013
Word Count: approx.
50,000
Genre: YA Psychological Mystery
Recommended Age: 11+
Synopsis: Eighteen-year-old Brie O’Mara has so much going
for her: a loving family in the sidelines, an heiress for a
roommate, and dreams that might just come true. Big dreams—of going to acting
school, finishing college and making a name for herself. She is about to be the
envy of everyone she knew. What more could she hope for? Except her
dreams are about to lead her down the road to nightmares. Nightmares that could
turn into a deadly reality.
Book Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkcU1jBMMZc
Dead Dreams Plumb
Music Trailer: http://youtu.be/uM7MI_3vqyo
Prologue from Dead Dreams by Emma Right:
They say each dead body, a human corpse, has a scent all of
its own, a sweet-sour smell. A cadaver dog picks up the scent as clearly as a
mother would recognize the photo of her child. Of course, I wouldn’t know, for
I am no dog. I might as well have been, the way I’d stooped to yield to my
basic instincts. My mind wandered to her, what her unique smell would be when,
and if, they ever were to find her.
After what happened, I decided to write out the events that
led to that day and details that might help, in case I’d missed something, or
might need it for defense, or in case they found me dead. My relatives might
need to piece together the things that had spiraled out of control, if they
wanted closure to put me to rest, to forget me altogether. That would be least
painful for them. I nodded to myself as I sat in the car. I thought of my most
favorite girl in the world: Lilly. At least Lilly’d have my dog, Holly, to
remember me by.
My friends used to call me Brie, short for Brianna. But, I
could hardly count anyone a friend any more. I’d have to resort to
back-watching if I wanted to survive.
Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after too many pets, she also writes stories for her children. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one.
Right worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for her ads, before having children.
Visit Emma Right at her home site and sign for her blog feed and newsletter @ http://www.emmaright.com and blog for tips and ideas about books, homeschooling, bible devotions, and author helps from self-publishing to book marketing. Follow Emma Right on Facebook and "like" her Facebook Fan Page for the latest events. Follow Google Plus emmarightbooks, and Twitter @emmbeliever. She'd love to hear from her readers.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
Interview between Keira Kroft and Emma Right.
Welcome to Keira’s Corner, where there is always chocolate,
and lots and lots of coffee.
Keira: You have a
story out entitled Dead Dreams. What is that about?
Eighteen-year-old Brie O’Mara has so much going for her: a
loving family on the sidelines, an heiress for a roommate, and
dreams that might just come true. Big dreams—of going to acting school,
finishing college and making a name for herself.
What more could a girl want? Except her dreams are
about to lead her down the road to nightmares. Nightmares that could turn into
a deadly reality.
Dead Dreams, Book 1, a young
adult psychological thriller and contemporary mystery.
Keira: What made you choose that title?
The story deals with the real dreams Brie O'Mara has and the
dreams she hoped to achieve for herself. Hence the "Dreams" in the
title. The "Dead" comes from the fact that …well, if I told you here,
it'd be a dead giveaway, let's put it that way!
Keira: Where did
the idea for your story come from?
We've all been there—at least those of us who are over 21—revving
to grow up, the world at our feet, the stars reachable. Wonderful ,wondrous
future. But in wanting to get there, we forget to smell the roses, we trample
on thorns and we get sorely poked and pricked, and alas, some of the barbs
could be poisonous. Except for the Grace that watches over me, over you,
(whatever you believe in, call it LUCK if you wish), all it might have taken
for any of us was that wrong turn, that grabbing of something that looked too
good to pass up on, and coupled with a strong desire to make it in life, we
might be blinded and grab the adder's tail. That is the story of Dead Dreams;
of Brie O'Mara, a good girl, someone who'd never even gotten a traffic ticket,
even a Miss Goodie Two-shoes. But, let's face it we can all be tempted, just a
tiny bit. And sometimes that's all it takes to have things spin out of control.
Keira: What is
your preferred genre to write in?
I like the Young Adult and Middle Grade Age range. Maybe it's
because I've done so many read-alouds with my kids throughout our seventeen
years of homeschooling. I remember I sometimes read to them till I was hoarse.
As for genre, I enjoy anything from mysteries to fantasy to thrillers to
historical sagas.
Keira: Please
tell us about any future projects that you are planning.
I am currently
writing Keeper of Reign Book 2, a Middle grade/YA adventure fantasy, hopefully
out early 2014. Some readers have asked me to write a prequel for Keeper of
Reign. I might. Time is my enemy these days. Once I am done with this I will be
working on Dead Dreams 2 and hope to finish this by middle of 2014.
Keira: Do you
have a special writing method?
I am more of an organic writer since I always have a story
in my head, an idea I'd like to grow, and once I start with the character and
the conflict the story blossoms on its own. I just keep writing until the end.
Then I wait a few weeks and work on other stuff--cover design, arrange for ads
or blog tours, write guest posts--while I let the story settle, sort of like
waiting for wine to age, in its barrel--
you can't rush it. After this, I go back to the piece (about six-seven weeks
later) to rearrange scenes and plots so that it has the traditional structure
that is recognized as the basic architecture of what a good story should
be—the 1/4-1/4/1/4/-1/4 structure.
Keira: How many
hours a day do you dedicate to writing?
It varies from day to day, week to week. Sometimes I only
manage a couple of hours a week! Some weeks I am be able to get ten hours in. I
am also a homeschooling mom, and this takes up a lot of hours, and I always
have my kids around which can make it hard to write with all the interruptions.
Keira: Do you use a
particular writing method?
I try to follow a plot outline but it never works. I am more
of an organic writer, so I just move along and then at the end I do the
cleaning up, the pruning, the re-arranging.
Keira: What time
of day, do you write best?
Anytime I can grab, anywhere.
Keira: Do you use
one or more pen names?
It's Emma Right! Too many names and I might end up
schizophrenic!
Keira: Are you
currently running any contests? What are they?
I am having several blog tours going on from October till
December 3rd. And yes, some will have giveaways, so please visit my site
http://www.emmaright.com to get more details. I have the blog tours listed
under one of my blogs.
Keira: What
advice would you give to an unpublished writer?
Write a million words, then, read, read, read, and write a
great story that's been trying to bust out of you. Read as many books as you
can on crafting great fiction that deals with all the elements of a great book.
Writer's Digest has plenty and I practically spent thousands of dollars trying
to educate myself and soak in as much as
I could when I had to re-revise Keeper of Reign—about 17 times.
And never give up on your dream no matter how many problems
life throws at you! If a person is called to write she will know this in her
bones, even if it's something she has been pushing aside due to life's
commitments. Don't give up. You'll eventually get published if you keep trying.
Let’s get personal…
Keira: Are you
married?
Yes.
Keira: Do you have
children?
Yes—five.
Keira: What’s your
favorite thing to do?
Writing, and reading.
Keira: Are you a
reader?
Most of the time.
Keira: Tell us
something special about you.
I love horse-back riding but can't stand the smell of
horses.
If I told you it wouldn't be a secret, but most of my
characters have plenty of secrets which you will find out eventually…at the
end.
Keira: Do you judge a
book by its cover?
Not usually. I judge a book by it's back blurb.
Where there's life there's hope.
Keira: What do you
think you will be doing five years from now?
Keira: What is your
Ideal vacation spot?
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
- If US winner is selected,
they will receive a print copy of Dead
Dreams and a $15 Amazon gift card. If INT winner is selected, they
will receive an eBook copy of Dead
Dreams and a $15 Amazon gift card.
Thank you so much for joining us today!
Hugs,
Keira
Good morning Emma,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for being on today.
Hugs,
Keira
really enjoyed reading this article
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