The Next Big Thing!

So, I’ve been tagged. Twice. Once by the energetic and always beautiful Debbie Davis, and once by the fantastic Rachelle Christensen. So I figured that even though it’s been a super long time since I played along with games like this, I probably ought to jump in and answer lest I break my string of good luck or something else dreadful.

So here you go. The answers to your most curious questions about the book I just sold to Rhemalda Publishing. (To be released May 1^st, 2013.)

What is the working title of your book?

Descendant

Where did the idea for the story come from?

A long time ago (like, 7 years or longer) I attended a workshop about holistic and energetic healing that involved chakras and crystals, and I thought, “What would it be like for a teenager who had healing powers to live in today’s world?” And then, I drew from memories of my own teen years, how big and huge and heavy everything felt back then. Also, I added in a lot of romance, because I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff, and I think kissing scenes make every story better.

What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult Contemporary Paranormal.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Okay seriously, I should pay better attention to the actors who are this age, but I just don’t have any idea. That’s why I’m not a casting director. But I’ll tell you what they’ll look like, okay?

Abby, the main character, is really small, about a hundred pounds, with long-ish auburn hair and blue-green eyes.

Kye, Abby’s love interest, is tall, just over six feet, wiry with well-defined muscles, wavy dark-blond hair with sapphire blue eyes and a heart stopping smile.

Is that good enough?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson never suspected her Gifts of Healing and Sight came from an ancestor who was killed by a demon, and she especially didn’t understand that the same demon army might someday try to kill her.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Descendant is represented by Brittany Howard of Corvisiero Agency, and will be published by Rhemalda Publishing, May 1^st, 2013.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This is a really hard question, because the drafts have been so drastically different, that a few times, I pretty much dumped the whole thing and started over completely. The very first, 000 draft, took me a month (NaNo anyone?) but being that it was a complete train wreck, it took me another 18 months or so to rewrite and recompile into a semi-quazi real first draft. (3 ½ more years of editing, too, BTW. And now I will edit even more. Oi.)

What other books within your genre would you compare to your story?

I’m thinking it’s a little like The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, a little like the TV show heroes, and a little like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My aunt, and good friend Tova Heaton taught the class (mentioned above) so she played a big part in inspiring me. Also my own unending need to try to help people, try to fix the things wrong in the world, whether it’s within my power or not.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

How about the most recent blurb? (Probably not the cover blurb, but it’s something!) No cover yet, but soon, my pretties. Very soon.  *rubs hands together*

Descendant:

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.

Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.

I think I'm now supposed to tag other people. I'm not sure how many, but I'm going to guess five, because, well, that sounds like a good number. So I hereby tag Elana Johnson, Jenn Johansson, Karen Hoover, Windy Aphyrath, and Heather Moore because I can't wait to hear about their next big things.

Rachel Morgan Tagged Me!

It’s been a long time since someone tagged me, but last week, Rachel Morgan did just that. And since it’s my birthday this week, I figured there’s no better time for a fun party game. So I hope you’ll forgive me for indulging myself.

1. Do you think you’re hot?

Of course. Someone should call 911, because I’m on fire, peeps, FIRE! (Okay, seriously, it’s like 95 degrees outside, it’s Independence Day week, so there are fireworks happening all over the place, and since it’s summer, we’re firing up the grill for some serious BBQ. How much hotter does it get?)

2. Upload a picture or wallpaper you are using at the moment.
Hawaii, January 2010 (This was the view from our hotel Lanai/balcony.)

 Washington DC in December 2010, and yes, that is my family all bundled up in all those layers of clothes.

3. When was the last time you ate chicken?

Last Friday night at a Chinese restaurant. It was mixed with zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms, topping a bed of fresh noodles, and topped with spicy brown sauce. Delish! (And actually, mine had shrimp, but my husband’s had chicken, so I stole a piece of the chicken off his plate. It counts, right?)

4. The song (s) you listened to lately.

Oh man, what a question. You all know how much I love music, right? But, considering Independence Day celebrations, I have listened to The Star Spangled Banner a few times, Garth Brooks’s We Shall Be Free, and Toby Keith’s Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.

But aside from the patriotic songs I’ve had in my head (and also because I posted one on Monday) this is my new current favorite.

Linkin Park, Iridescent


5. What were you thinking while doing this?

Black Forest juicy oozers are quite delicious, and make very tasty blog-writing treats. I should stock up. Also I should get some Dr. Pepper to keep in the fridge in my garage.



6. Do you have nicknames? What are they?

Nicki, Nick, Mom, babe, and Fab #3 (but only people who know what that means get to use it!)

7. Tag 8 blogger friends

Okay, I’m going to pick some people I’ve never tagged before, or whose blogs I have recently started to follow. (No offense to my regular, long-time friends—you can be tagged too if you want!)

Jemi Frasier
Donna K. Weaver
Heather Cashman
Matthew MacNish
Michelle Davidson Argyle
Jeff King
Christine Fonseca
Theresa Milstein

Can't wait to see your answers!

Awards of Randomness

Okay, this is so totally appropriate, because these awards are kind of random, and since that goes right along with my blog title (see above) well, it just works. My friend Christine Fonseca awarded these to me, which means I get to pass them on to fifteen other bloggers.

In case you're wondering, winning a blog award is sort of like a game of tag. Someone will "award" you with a picture and post your name and link, and then  you have to share the same "award" with so many other bloggers. So it's not really an award you win for, like, accomplishing anything. It's just more of a fun way to get to know other bloggers and spread the linkage far and wide. Therefore, this is a fun activity for us.

You should totally check out the blogs of the authors linked in these posts, because bloggers love readers. Really. Like, serious love. Just sayin.

The Rules for The Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Pass the award to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it.

4. Lastly, contact all the bloggers that you’ve picked for the award.

One Lovely Blog Award Rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Seven things about myself, in no particular order:

1. I recently discovered that Red Vines are also made in grape flavor, which are appropriately called Grape Vines. I love these things. They're so hard to find that I bought five packs (which was all they had) from WinCo, just to keep a supply that is now almost gone.

2. I love to travel. And while I travel, I enjoy trying new foods. So, as I'm on my road trip this week, I'm sure I'll find some odd new thing to try. Totally excited about it. (Suggestions anyone?)

3. I always sleep with a fan on. A little bit of white noise goes a long way to helping me sleep sound.

4. The people at my local convenience stores know me by sight, and some even by name. And not only that, when I show up at the drive thru, they even know exactly what I want in my refill mug. "A Dr. Pepper with lots of ice, please."

5. I've never been to Canada, climbed a light house, or seen Niagra Falls. But I intend to do at least two of those things very soon. We'll see.

6. Whenever I go to the library or a bookstore and see teens browsing the YA section looking lost, I have this insane urge to take them by the hand, lead them to the greatest books, and say, "Here. Let me show you what you want to read."

7. One of my kids loaded an iPod that was playing in my car, and I became attached and addicted to the music of Avril Lavigne. She's Awesome! Also, my friend Elana turned me onto The Script, a group who is also awesome. Oh, AND Maroon 5 has a new album coming out on Tuesday. SO TOTALLY buying that along the way. ~music love!~

Okay, now I'm passing these awards onto the following bloggers:

1. Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton at Shooting Stars.
2. Windy Aphayrath at Like the Weather
3. L.T. Elliott at Dreams of Quill and Ink
4. Christine Bryant at Daydreamer
5. Angie Lofthouse at Notes from the Writing Chair
6. Keith Fisher at The Writers Eyes
7. Elizabeth Mueller
8. Jenn Wilks at Lifelong Book Worm
9. Tristi Pinkston
10. Heather Justesen
11. Karlene Browning at Inksplasher
12. Darvell Hunt at LDS Writer's Blogck
13. Cindy Beck at Write Up My Alley
14. Mary at Writers Butt Does Not Apply to Me
15. Elana Johnson

Can't wait to see all your posts!

**PS I won't be notifying nominees until I get home on Sunday. But if you see your name listed here, feel free to consider yourself notified and blog away at your leisure.

Tagged--and Things I Love, Day 3: Music and Words

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I mentioned this last year. I love, love, love music. I'm totally the kind of person who hears music in the background pretty much 24 / 7. Even in my dreams. So it goes without saying that I often write to music. I do almost everything to music. Because music is a part of me.

And here's a funny. I don't usually read to music, but when I've been reading a book, then leave and go somewhere (having music playing in the car) I totally attribute certain songs to whatever scene I've just read, or that is on my mind, and the music sticks for me. Ta da! Instant soundtrack creator.

I admit to sometimes having dorkish tendencies. Whatdayado?

Part of what I love about music is the way the songwriters have of telling a story in just a few lines. They're able to do this through word choice. And I love that! I love that people can create such powerful feelings out of something as simple as a few well chosen words. (I also love harmony, melody, and the power of music itself, but am not going to focus on it just now.) There is something so comforting in knowing that words, when used wisely, can have an impact.

So, today, I love music. And I'm running around my house singing--just like a certain friend of mine tends to do when she's feeling especially happy. (You know who you are!)

On that note, my good friend David West totally tagged me last week, and I've been neglecting the game all this time. Sorry, David! So here it is, everything you ever wanted to know about me:


Rules: Answer the following questions with Single Word answers then pass this along to 5 other bloggers. Make sure you let them know about it though.

Your Cell Phone? Awesome
Your Hair? Red
Your Mother? Mom
Your Father? Dad
Your Favorite Food? (Snow)Crab
Your Dream Last Night? secret
Your Favorite Drink? Dr. Pepper
Your Dream/Goal? Bestseller
What Room Are You In? Bedroom
Your Hobby? Traveling
Your Fear? Snakes
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Tropical
Where Were You Last Night? Home
Something That You Aren't? Mean
Muffins? Raspberry
Wish List Item? Furniture
Where Did You Grow Up? Arizona
Last Thing You Did? Laughed
What Are You Wearing? Jammies
Your TV? On
Your Pets? Dogs
Friends? Incredible
Your Life? #amwriting (I’m stealing David’s answer here!)
Your Mood? Smiling
Missing Someone? Always
Vehicle? Mustang
Something You Aren't Wearing? Jewelry
Your Favorite Store? Mall
Your Favorite Color? Rainbow
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Now
Last Time You Cried? Days
Your Best Friend? Gary
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Hearts
Facebook? Yep!
Favorite Place To Eat? Hawaii

I pass this award to:

C.L. Beck because she’s my coauthor and so great to work with.

Rachelle Christensen because she has a book coming out next month and I’m so excited about it.

Christine Bryant because she always has awesome blogging ideas and is such a great friend.

L.T. Elliot because she is my most faithful blog commenter, ever.

Elana Johnson because she is the rockin-est query queen ever.

And one last note to David, who tagged me. I may be nice, but…please don’t make me feed your cats. I’d probably start sneezing like crazy and break out in hives. Okay, that’s a lie. But my son would!

Crazy Eights Tag

By Nichole Giles

My wacky friend Ali has caught me—she was it in another game of blogger-tag. Apparently, no matter how fast I run, someone always catches up with me. Or maybe I just get tired too quickly. Either way, I’m now “it.”

So…

In Ali’s exact words:

Here be Da Rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged you.

2. Complete the list of 8's.

3. Tag 8 other bloggers.

4. Tell them they have been tagged.

And here are my answers:

Eight Things I Look Forward To:

1. Getting a big book deal
2. Visiting my sister next week
3. Sightseeing in Texas while we’re there
4. Summer sunshine
5. Paying off our debt—someday
6. The Nickelback concert in August
7. A weekend with my “home-girls”
8. Hanging out at the pool all summer

Eight Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Took my husband to have surgery
2. Finished “Wings” by Aprilynne Pike (So good!)
3. Checked my email
4. Drove the carpool
5. Picked up prescriptions
6. Drove my kids to piano and guitar lessons
7. Dishes
8. Laundry

Eight Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Go to Hawaii
2. Live by the ocean
3. Finish a book more quickly
4. Find an agent
5. Get a book contract
6. Get rid of my headaches (Forever!)
7. Play the guitar
8. Hire a housekeeper

Eight Shows I Watch:

1. 24
2. Prison Break (except now it’s done forever! Boo hoo.)
3. Heroes
4. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
5. The food network
6. The news (boring, huh?)
7. Seinfeld reruns
8. Um, I don’t watch much TV because I’d rather read or write. Sorry, I could only think of seven.

Eight Friends I’m Tagging:

1. Cindy Beck
2. Connie Hall
3. Darvell Hunt
4. Rebecca Talley
5. Rebecca Shelley
6. Keith Fisher
7. Kim Thompson
8. Tristi Pinkston

There you have it, folks! Crazy eights. See you in a couple of days for a review of "Wings."

Twenty-Five Random Things You Didn't Know About Me--TAG!

Okay fine! I played this game on facebook a couple of weeks ago, and now I’ve been tagged on Blogger. And because I adore the people who keep tagging me, I can’t ignore the game. But I hope no one minds if I cheat a bit and use some of the same answers.

And I’m not sure who of my friends have been tagged so…I’m going to take a chance and tag Ashley Harward, Molly Bailey, Carolyn Vawdrey, L.T. Elliot, Heather Justesen, Keith Fisher, Kim Thompson, Tristi Pinkston, and Rebecca Talley. Not anywhere near twenty-five, but that’s about everyone I can imagine MIGHT not have already been tagged.

For those of you who don’t know, here are the rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose some other people to tag. Make sure you let those people know they’ve been tagged so they can’t pretend they didn’t see it. =)

1. I went to my very first Jazz game last month. It was actually fun. Since my kids started playing, I’ve grown to enjoy basketball.

2. While I was there, I realized that though a few years ago I would have thought to bring my boys to watch basketball and my girls to see cheerleaders, the roles have now reversed. My girls would care much more about the game, and my boys would be much more interested in the cheerleaders.

3. When I was in sixth grade I read cheaper by the dozen and decided I was going to have twelve kids when I became a mom. I have since changed my mind in that department.

4. I have every intention of living in a beach house someday, though I haven’t yet decided on which island it will be located.

5. My first New York Times Bestseller is already in the works...in one form or another.

6. I spent my entire high school career planning to be an actress when I grew up.

7. I believe in love at first sight.

8. I sang in Carnegie Hall when I was sixteen.

9. The beauty and diversity of our earth fascinates me, which is probably why I want to see all of it.

10. I have 11 siblings (though not all biological.) five parents and three living grandparents, six brothers-in-law, five sisters-in-law, eighteen nieces and nephews, one great-nephew (crazy, huh?) and two more on the way. How’s that for family connections?

11. I can't even count my cousins, on either side. Seriously. (But my cousin Kelly claims on her list of 25 that we have 140 cousins on my dad’s side…and counting.)

12. I sleep with a fan or white noise maker. Too much quiet keeps me awake. (Ocean waves hitting a beach or ship also work extremely well.)

13. Music is best when playing full blast.

14. I don't have a favorite type of music--I love it all, and choose it according to my mood.

15. I believe we create our own karma--what goes around comes around, and we reap what we sow. (How totally cliché' is that?) And in this same vein, I think positive thinking will get you farther than anything else in life.

16. I'd rather read than sleep. I'd also rather write than sleep.

17. My girlfriends save my life every month. (Partly by keeping me sane.) And I have a handful of friends for whom I would do anything.

18. My favorite food is snow crab--but I'm not picky. I'll try almost anything once. Almost.

19. I've spent my entire life studying (and working) the art of retail sales, fashion merchandising, esthetics, and makeup artistry only to discover I'm really a writer. Oh, and I also studied health when I was a manager for HealthRider, and have stayed in good shape ever since.

20. I also meant to be a rock star someday, but that was before the days of American Idol. Now I'm too old. But I do a mean impression of one in the bathroom and on my kids’ karaoke machine.

21. I have a Utah State license in Massage Therapy and Esthetics--but have never actually worked as either a massage therapist or an esthetician. I did work as a makeup artist for a while, and it was fun. But as I mentioned earlier, I'm really a writer at heart.

22. I’m a sucker for a good romance—real life, movie, book—you name it, I’ll take it. Right now I’m watching “Nights in Rodanthe” for the first time. I hear it’s phenomenal.

23. Jewelry sucks me in like a vacuum. I can't resist, and so I usually don't. Sparkly things make me happy. =) (But flowers never hurt either.)

24. Broadway musicals make me cry. My heart thumps, and I'm incredibly moved by the beauty and wonder of what's happening in front of my eyes. It's amazing.

25. My first book, a humor anthology, will be published this October, and I hope to have a second one accepted this year as well. The question is, which one?

Picture Tag

By Nichole Giles

I've been tagged. My friend Heather Justesen tagged me in a game where I have to post the sixth picture in my sixth folder. Here it is:

This is the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas. We took our kids on a three day Baja cruise in 2005, and that happens to be my sixth folder. This would have been taken in July (I think the 7th or 8th) 2005.

Now, since I'm not sure how many people I'm supposed to tag, I'm going to tag Cindy Beck, Connie Hall, and Rachelle Christensen.

A Rotten Game of Tag

by Nichole Giles

Okay, so, I was really hoping I wasn't going to have to play this game. I've seen it going around the blogs belonging to some of my friends. But really, I wasn't planning on playing. Thanks a lot, Heather! But, being the good sport that I am, I'm going to play along. I guess.

1) My Kitchen Sink: Yes, that is zucchini you see on the sideboards. Our plants are already producing faster than we can eat them. YUM! I love fresh, garden grown veggies.

2) The inside of my fridge:

Yes, it is usually this empty. I live with teenagers, the food I buy is practically gone before it even gets in there!

3)My favorite Shoes:

Seriously, you didn't expect me to pick one pair, did you? How can you even ask me to play favorites? The rest of my shoes might get their feelings hurt. I didn't include them all--that would take too much space--but these are the ones I wear the most these days. What can I say, it's summer. If it was winter, you'd be looking at boots and slippers.

4)My Closet: Um, yeah. That's my half, and yes, I do require a stool to reach those shelves. (See the stool covered in shoes above?) Don't you wish you knew what was under those bags? Fine, they're my really nice dresses. But I'm not taking them out to take more pictures. This is already a big enough pain in the...

5) My Laundry Pile:
Is it cheating if I didn't get the laundry out of all the kids' bedrooms? That's too much work for a Sunday afternoon.

6)What my kids are doing right now:

Left to right, Brayden, Gary, behind Gary is Madison, Brittany, some neighbors, and a few of our seven Golden Retriever puppies. (Who also count as my kids these days.) I had to search for Mckay, who was in his room and by the time I found him, so was Madison.

7)My Favorite Room:

It depends on the day. Today, my favorite room is my back porch, and my favorite seat is on that swing. Those vines you see smell fantastic, and it's just the right amount of sun and shade. I even write out there sometimes. Evening is the best.

8)My Most Recent Purchase:

It's Sunday, so this is what I bought to take with me to critique group last night. Because we met so late on a Saturday evening, we had dinner, and I brought the drinks. By the way, I've been looking all over the place for that cherry limeade and finally, FINALLY, I found it yesterday. Woo hoo! It came highly recommended, and is so, so good.

9)My Fantasy Vacation:

It just doesn't get any better than that! A beach, a swimsuit, crystal clear, blue water, an enormous bed, and possibly some time on a cruise ship jumping from island to island or port to port. Is it really so much to ask? Oh, and can't forget the most important ingredient. SUNSHINE.

10) Self Portrait:

Yeah, well, I've been driving around in my topless car. I'm a bit windblown, what can I say?

So there is your glimpse into my crazy life. One of these days I'm going to make up one of my own games of tag and make people post pictures of their bookshelves, their strangest gift ever, their unmade beds and...hm, that isn't a bad thought actually. I should probably keep my ideas to myself before someone tags me again!

Here is the best part. I get to tag three other people. I tag...

Rachelle Christensen

Keith Fisher

Cindy Beck

Ha ha, you're all next!