by Jamie | Oct 1, 2013 | Blog, Personal, Writing |
It’s getting to be Fall finally – the leaves are changing, the temperatures have cooled. Pumpkin spice EVERYTHING has shown up. And of course that caramel apple I had yesterday got me thinking about Halloween. It’s totally one of my favorite holidays. And it’s the one time of year I can handle scary movies. Let me tell you a secret: I’m the world’s biggest wuss when it comes to being scared. I HATE it. Will go out of my way to avoid those kinds of movies and books. But some how, around October 1st, all of that changes. I want dark and creepy and spine tingling. I want to sit in the dark, with a blanket clutched to me and try not to scream. But the thing is, violent scary movies don’t do it for me. I want something that makes me hold my breath, makes my heart race, makes me look over my shoulder. Give me something unseen, unknown, unexpected and I’ll be yours forever. There’s just something about that unknowing, the monster you can’t see, the thing you don’t expect that gets to me. Jason, Freddy, chainsaws and horrible deaths can be scary, don’t get me wrong – but sometimes they rely on cheap gimmicks to get at that scare. But done well, atmosphere and suspense can be terrifying. Think of the Blair Witch Project, or The Ring, or Psycho. Anything by Alfred Hitchcock. And don’t forget Stephen King’s brand of creepy – The Shining gave me nightmares for weeks when I was a kid. Hmmm. Guess I know what I’ll be watching this weekend. Scary books...
by Jamie | Jul 16, 2013 | Blog, Jamie's Books, Personal, Writing |
So you guys know that Leigh Ann Kopans’ ONE came out last month, right?! You’ve all picked up a copy, yes? Well I’m not sure if you noticed, but she was amazing enough to include the first chapters of my book, ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE as a sample in back! I mean how awesome is that? I was so excited to be included. Of course, you should run out right now and pick yourself up a copy, because its an amazing book. But… in honor of getting my copy edits back from my amazing editor, I wanted to share a teaser from the first chapter of ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE here on the blog too! If it sounds like something you’d like, you can add it on Goodreads here. Hope you enjoy! CHAPTER ONE You know your life is never going to be the same when your mom pulls a gun at the shopping mall. It started out as just another boring Saturday in August. Mom was tired of me moping around the house, so she dragged me out to spend the day shopping in the air-conditioned mall. About half of Columbus, Ohio, had the same idea. We pushed through the crowds gathered around the Cinnabon and I paused to inhale, but Mom tugged me away from the sweet, cinnamony goodness. “Let’s get some school shopping done,” she suggested, pointing at one of the anchor stores. “I know we have a few more weeks, but you need some new clothes.” I smoothed the front of my faded t-shirt and frowned. “What’s wrong with my clothes?” Mom shook her head and grabbed my...
by Jamie | Jun 11, 2013 | Blog, Personal, YA Misfits |
A year and a half ago, I entered a contest. And while I got a few requests from agents, nothing really came of that. Except I met this fantastic writer who’s entry was just below mine. After chatting on Twitter for a while, she finally convinced me to exchange manuscripts. And I got to read this AMAZING story about a girl with only one super power, and her search to become more than she thought she was. (I also got to meet a guy name Elias Van Dyne, who was basically just yummy). It was pretty much the best thing that had ever happened to me 🙂 Today, one of my favorite books in the entire world has been published and is out there for you all to read too. It’s been an amazing journey, and I am SO SO happy for Leigh Ann and all her success!!! I hope you guys enjoy ONE as much as I did. And let me tell you, the ride that continues in TWO is even more amazing! You’re going to love it! CONGRATULATIONS LEIGH ANN!!!!! You can pick up a copy of ONE at any of these links! Amazon Kindle Paperback (from Amazon) Special Edition Paperback with comics (from Amazon) Barnes and Noble Nook iBookstore Signed (from my site) Createspace Blog this! Recommend on Facebook Share on Google+ share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Share on technorati Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Bookmark in Browser Tell a...
by Jamie | Jun 10, 2013 | Blog, Personal, Writing, YA Misfits |
ITS ALMOST HERE!!! ONE comes out TOMORROW! I’m SO excited!!! And almost as good, I get to share the last panel of the ONE comic with you guys today. I hope you’ve checked out the other panels in the series (Chessie Zappia is such an amazing artist and did a fantastic job!) and it whetted your appetite for the full book! I know I’ll be buying my copy first thing in the morning! So here we go! Time for the final installment! Find a full list with links to the other installments of this series on the author’s blog: www.leighannkopans.blogspot.com Or follow the author on Twitter @LeighAnnKopans for daily updates! About ONE (a novel by Leigh Ann Kopans🙂 Release date: June 11, 2013 When having two powers makes you a Super and having none makes you a Normal, having only one makes you a sad half-superpowered freak. It makes you a One. Sixteen-year-old Merrin Grey would love to be able to fly – too bad all she can do is hover. If she could just land an internship at the Biotech Hub, she might finally figure out how to fix herself. She busts her butt in AP Chem and salivates over the Hub’s research on the manifestation of superpowers, all in hopes of boosting her chances. Then she meets Elias VanDyne, another One, and all her carefully crafted plans fly out the window. Literally. When the two of them touch, their Ones combine to make them fly, and when they’re not soaring over the Nebraska cornfields, they’re busy falling for each other. Merrin’s mad chemistry skills land...
by Jamie | May 16, 2013 | Blog, Personal, Writing |
So I got my hair done last night. I’d wanted to lighten up for the summer and was planning on getting highlights. But I also wanted to do something fun and different. Problem is, I took a new assignment at work (focusing on Very Important People) and I was worried that they’d be very unhappy if I showed up with purple streaks. And then my stylist told me her story. She was at a job in sales making 100k a year. And she hated every minute. She wanted to do something she loved, and that meant being creative. So she quit her job, went back to school, and became a stylist. She took a huge paycut but she loves going to work every day. (and yes, I could turn this into a story about following your dreams, but that’s a topic for another day!) Then she said – “You don’t want to be a fifty year old woman who always regrets not doing this. Have fun, go for it!” And I realized she was right. There are so many things I don’t do because I’m afraid of what other people might think. And I didn’t want that regret, so in a tiny act of rebellion, I did it. And I love it. And the people I work with so far have thought it cute and fun and daring. And then I realized, I’d told myself a story about how I “should” be behaving as Jamie the Day Job Worker. I also had a story about how I think other people are going to react, which may or may not...
by Jamie | Feb 26, 2013 | Blog, Personal, Writing |
Ever have one of those days where you really want to write a blog post, and yet have NO IDEA what to write about? Yeah? Welcome to my Tuesday. So….since I have no brilliant words of wisdom, or funny stories or an awesome first chapter to post, I guess I’ll leave you with puppy pictures. And of course if you’re ever looking for a fix, there’s The Daily Puppy. And Emergency Puppy. Both good options for all your puppy needs! ENJOY 🙂 Blog this! Recommend on Facebook Share on Google+ share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Share on technorati Tumblr it Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Bookmark in Browser Tell a...
