And the Tour Comes to an End

I can't believe it's already time to wrap up the Speak Out Against book tour. It has been an amazing adventure, touring around the blogosphere and speaking out against bullying and dating abuse. 

I couldn't have done it without Susan Oloier. She is absolutely amazing, extremely creative, talented, and energetic. It has been such an honor to tour with her. And I am so excited to continue writing with Susan over at Moxie Writers. Head on over and follow us, so you don't miss out on all the fun!

And we couldn't have done the tour without the wonderful bloggers and friends who hosted us along the way. I'm honored to know and to have met such wonderful people. I am so grateful that everyone was so willing to stand up and speak out against bullying and dating violence. It can be hard to start a conversation about such tough topics, but it is so important to bring awareness to these issues. 

I also want to thank everyone who followed us on the tour, left comments, and joined in on the conversation.

My Hope is that everyone will continue to Speak Out Against...

 

Thank you!

  Amanda Fanger

   Angela Brown

Samantha Veránt

  Sharon Mayhew

Theresa Milstein

   Kendra Merritt

Linda Jackson

Julie Flanders

  C. Lee McKenzie
   Robyn Campbell

  Tammy Brewer

  Michael Di Gesu

   Corinne O'Flynn

  J.L. Campbell

 

One Last Tour Visit

Speak Out Against

Today, Susan and I are over at J.L. Campbell's blog for our final visit of the Speak Out Against book tour. Head on over and say "Hi!" and join her in speaking out against bullying and dating abuse.

Thank you, J.L. Campbell for hosting the tour!

J.L. Campbell is an award-winning writer who lives is sunny Jamaica. She's always on the lookout for story-making material and can be found lollygagging on this blog most days.

Now and Then

The Speak Out Against...book tour continues at Corinne OFlynn's site. We are talking about the now and then of dating abuse and bullying.

Somethings change...some don't.

Join us and speak out against bullying and dating abuse.

Corinne OFlynn writes novels and short fiction.  She also write essays. As a reader, she have always been able to get lost in books. They whisk her away to this other place where everything is exciting and nothing else matters.  As a writer, she hopes to be able to take you on a journey where you feel completely transported by my stories for a while.

Bullying Youth with Disabilities and Special Needs

Kids with disabilities or special health needs are at higher risk of being bullied.

The Speak Out Against...Book Tour continues

Join Susan Oloier over at her son's blog My Life With Zane.
She is talking about bullying and disabilities.

Stand up and Speak Out Against...bullying youth with disabilities and special needs.

Thank you, Zane for hosting the tour today! And thank you, Susan!

Speak Out Against Teen Dating Abuse and VOTE

1 in 3 teens have been in an abusive relationship.

Dating abuse might be one of the most common forms of violence among young adults, but it isn't common for people to talk about it. Now is our chance. Love is Respect/Break the Cycle has been nominated for the Chase Community Giving Award. There are 25 amazing charities nominated for the award and it's sad we have to pick just one, but I urge you to vote for Break the Cycle. It could mean $1 million to help raise awareness and end dating abuse. And most importantly, it could help start the conversation about dating abuse on millions of couches. Let's stand up and speak out against dating abuse.

Break the Cycle (loveisrespect.org) believes everyone--no matter who they are, where they’re from or who they love--has the right to safe and healthy relationships.

VOTE NOW    

and watch the awards on Dec. 8, Saturday 8/7c on NBC!

Through Chase Community Giving, Chase has donated over $28 million in grants to thousands of charities across all 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The American Giving Awards showcases the important work of many of these charities.

Join me in standing up and speaking out against dating abuse

and bullying

 

The Speak Out Against...Book Tour Continues

Head on over to C. Lee McKenzie's blog The Write Game where she is featuring the tour and our books. After spending some time there, make sure you continue on to Robyn Campbell's blog, Putting Pen to Paper. Robyn is interviewing Susan and me on bullying, dating abuse, and our books.

Thank you, C. Lee McKenzie and Robyn Cambell for standing with us and Speaking out against bullying and dating abuse!

Putting Pen to Paper, The Journey of Picture Book and Middle Grade Author, Robyn Campbell.

The Write Game by C. Lee McKenzie is a writer who captures the pulse of adolescent confusion in her Young Adult fiction, Sliding on the Edge and The Princess of Las Pulgas. She just published her first Middle Grade fantasy titled Alligators Overhead.

Sharing Words Through Music

The Speak Out Against...Book Tour 

Continues at Julie Flander's site. 

The characters for Outcast and Break From You are sharing their playlists of songs that inspire them.


 

Julie Flanders is a librarian by day and a writer all the rest of the time. Her debut novel Polar Night will be published by Ink Smith Publishing in 2013. When not writing fiction, she loves to write about animal-related issues and she write several columns about animal news for the Examiner.com.

Thank you Julie for hosting us today!

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. 

 Victor Hugo

 

 

Set Free by Eddy J. Free

The Trevor Project

 

 The Trevor Project is a non-profit organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. (LGBTQ)

The Speak Out Against...tour is over at Moxie Writers today where we are talking about bullying LGBTQ youth and individuals. Get the facts, know what you can do, join the cause, and stand up, speak out against bullying.

Regardless of your beliefs...no one deserves to be bullied...EVER!

Speak Out Against...bullying!

Speak Out Against...bullying and

 self-harm

1 in 4 kids are bullied. Bullying can lead to depression. Depression can lead to self-harm and suicide. It is said that 1 in 20 teens self-harm. Over 630,000 visits to the ER every year is due to self-injury.

Give love to The Butterfly Project, a blog style, open forum that deals specifically with bullying, self-harm, and suicide and has given cutters and those that self-harm a way to change themselves and the world.

The Butterfly Project

THE RULES: 1. when you feel like you want to cut, take a marker or pen and draw a butterfly on wherever the self-harm occurs.
2. name the butterfly after a loved one, or someone that really wants you to get better.
3. NO scrubbing the butterfly off.
4. if you cut before the butterfly is gone, it dies. if you don't cut, it lives.
5. if you have more than one, cutting kills them all.
6. another person may draw them on you. these butterflies are extra special. take good care of them.
7. even if you don’t cut, feel free to draw a butterfly anyways, to show your support. if you do this, name it after someone you know that is suffering right now, and tell them. it could help.

The butterfly project on facebook. 


Supporting The Butterfly Project is a way to spread awareness and create change. Join me and draw a  butterfly on your wrist for those who are bullied, who self-harm, who debate suicide. Stand up, speak out.

And the tour continues...as Linda Jackson

Speaks Out Against...bullying

The Speak Out Against...Book Tour continues over at Linda Jackson's blog Writers Do Laundry, Too. Join her as she shares with us her experiences with bullying. Thank you, Linda for hosting us today!


Linda Jackson is the author of the middle grade novels The Lie That Binds and When Lambs Cry, the sequel to The Lie That Binds. In addition to her own books, she published What's The Matter, Mr. Giraffe? (2003) by Gloria Menifield, There Are No Blankets On The Moon (2004) by Angela Gill and Blynda Kellner, Keys (2004) by Jennifer Goodwin, and Field Trip Around the World (2009) by Chloe Jackson and Blynda Kellner. She is a frequent contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul, with stories in Just for Teenagers, Here Comes the Bride, and The Power of Positive. She has worked as an independent contractor, developing stories for reading assessment for educational publishers.

Welcome, Kendra Merritt

Today the Speak Out Against...book tour is over at my good friend and writing buddy, Kendra Merritt's site. Susan and I are over there, talking about our writing process and how we came up with the ideas for our books, Outcast and Break From You.

But before you go...

I would like to welcome my good friend and writing buddy, Kendra Merritt to my blog today.

 

Hello Kendra, How are you?
I'm good. 

What inspired you to write your first book?
I read a lot as a child and started getting stories in my head. I was affected by all the books I read and wanted to see if I could write the same stories that I loved. 

What inspired you to write about characters with disabilities?
I didn’t start writing about people with disabilities until I was twenty-one. That was when I had a second scoliosis surgery and a bad reaction to an epidural which resulted in partial paraplegia. While I was in rehab learning to walk again, I realized that all the heroic characters I read about could run and jump and swing a sword. I never saw any that looked and walked like I do now. And then it occurred to me: why didn’t I write some? Maybe if I wanted to read about fantasy heroes who live with disabilities, other people might too.

Do you have a specific writing style?
I try to blend in humor with adventure and heavy emotional themes.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
You can be who ever you want to be.

What books have most influenced your life most?
Pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce because they were the books I grew up with. They taught me what is meant to tell a story.

What are your current projects?
Catching Cinders, a retelling of Cinderella. Cindy must decide to accept the way the world sees her or to prove she's someone worth fighting for.
By Winged Chair, a retelling of Robin Hood where Maid Marion gets to kick butt from a wheelchair

Skin Deep, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Working Title- The Robber Bridegroom, a retelling of the Robber Bridegroom about a 17 year-old cop with OCD who has to reconnect with her vigilante father.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The editing process.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just write. Stop thinking about writing and write.

Thank you, Kendra for joining us today!
  
Make sure you head on over to Kendra Merritt's site.

About Kendra
Kendra is an author and avid reader living in Denver with her very tall husband, about 1300 books, and a goofy black monster masquerading as a service dog. She likes to talk about writing, reading and life with a disability - and how those three mix. You can find Kendra at her blog, www.kendramerritt.com 

Speak Out Against Tour...and Wish You Were Where? Wednesdays

The Speak Out Against...book tour is over at Theresa Milstein's blog today. Theresa is featuring our books, so head on over there and check out her blog.

About Theresa Milstein- 

"I write children's books. Most of my manuscripts are YA, but I've written for middle grade as well. My manuscripts have a paranormal twist. I have several small pieces published in anthologies and journals. My short story "Daisy" is included in the 100 Stories for Queensland anthology and my story "Allured" is included in the YA vampire anthology, Fangtales. 100RPM published my flash fiction piece "Violet's Hill". My vignette "Left Behind" and poem "Catty-Corner" were in the April and July 2012 issues of Vine Leaves Literary Journal. I'll also have a short story "My Moment" in From Stage Door Shadows, released on September 29, 2012. I'm a member of SCBWI and active in the New England SCBWI branch."

 

 

 

And now for...

Wish You Were Where? Wednesdays

 

 

 

Wish You Were Where? Wednesdays is a weekly meme over at Moxie Writers. In order to participate, answer the following questions, either in the comments section or on your blog and link back to Moxie Writers.

1. What is your most current read?

2. What is the setting?

3. Tell why you wish you were there...or not.

1. My current read is a travel memoir by a dear friend and writing buddy. Four Points in Time and Place by Shirley D. Meier

2. The book is memoir about her travels to Mexico, Germany, South Dakota, and China.

3. I think it would be great to see all those places, although I'm not a big traveler- I don't like it very much. Instead, I like to read stories about other people's travels, living vicariously through them instead.

 

 

 

An Interview...at Susan's Blog

Today I am over at Susan Oloier's Blog. Susan is my "Moxie" writing partner over at Moxiewriters. She's the author of Outcast, a story that takes you deep into the world of bullying. A must read. Susan is an amazing writer and extremely inspirational. I am so glad to have met her and teamed up with her. Make sure you head on over to Susan's site and check out the interview.

Speak Out Against...Book Tour Continues at Susan Oloier's blog.

Stand with us and Speak Out Against...bullying and teen dating abuse.

Speak Out Against...Tour Continues

 Teen dating violence and bullying is on the raise. We need to stand together and speak out.


The wonderful Sharon Meyhew is hosting us on our tour at her site, Random Thoughts.

Make sure you head on over to her sites and leave a comment. See you there.

Thank you Sharon for Speaking Out Against dating abuse and bullying with us!

Sharon Meyhew

Iowa, United States

I'm a mother, wife, former elementary teacher and writer. I'm an alumnus of the Highlights Foundation Summer Workshop and a SCBWI member. I usually post on Thursday. I read blogs most night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. instead of watching TV (unless a reality show is on).

Day 3 of the Speak Out Against Tour

Today we are over at The Frog and the Princess with Samantha Verant.

Samantha Verant is speaking out with us against bullying and dating abuse. The statistics are shocking. The consequences are grave. Samantha gives us a look into bullying and teen dating abuse and shares with us the story of Amanda Todd.

Make sure you head over to Samantha's site and join her in speaking out against teen violence.

Thank you Samantha for hosting us and for speaking out against bullying and teen dating abuse! 

About Samantha-  Self-proclaimed princess. Love adventuress. Aspiring authoress. Super-powered step-mom. Mildly neurotic, but not dangerous. Unless you touch my frog. Wait. That sounds weird. If I haven't scared you off... stick around! There's something for everybody!

Speak Out Against...Tour- Day Two

Today, Angela Brown is joining us in speaking out against bullying and dating abuse.

She also is sharing with us a touching and emotional story of loss and love in her segment on unhappy endings. 

Head on over to her site. She's having a giveaway. You don't want to miss it!

Thank you Angela, for hosting us!

 

 

Don’t forget about our Moxie Writer's GIVEAWAY for a free e-book copy of Break from You and Outcast, as well as some fabulous bookmarks!

Angela Brown is the author of Neverlove




Angela's NEVERLOVE explores the path where heartache and secrets abound for a pair of teens fated for forbidden love.  It has a Gothic appeal with heaven and hell agents reminiscent of Constantine

Speak Out Against...Book Tour Begins

1 in 3 teens are victims of dating abuse.
1 in 4 kids are bullied.

Today marks the start of our Speak Out Against...Book Tour.

Stand with us and Speak Out Against...
Teen dating violence and
Bullying

 

I'm excited to be traveling around the blogosphere with Susan Oloier, chatting about our new releases, Outcast (YA contemporary fiction on bullying) and Break From You (YA contemporary fiction on dating abuse.)  Hop on the tour and join us in speaking out against the devastating issues of teen violence.

Today, we are over at Amanda Fanger's site, talking about ways to speak out against bullying and dating abuse. Please head on over and join us.

And make sure you check out Amanda's blog while you're there. She's an amazing and talented writer. 

Thank you, Amanda for hosting us.

To celebrate the release of our books, Outcast, and  Break From You, we are holding a giveaway. 

For the giveaway, updates, and a complete schedule of the tour, go to www.moxiewriters.blogspot.com

Exciting Announcements

November is almost here! And with it brings exciting and fun things!

Introducing...

The amazing and talented Susan Oloier and I have started a new blog called Moxie Writers, a reader-centered blog for Indie-published works. It will offer everything needed to feed your inner reader: activities, memes, interviews, and giveaways—to name a few. Each post will remain relevant to our latest releases.

Speaking of releases, November brings the release of Break from You and Outcast, two YA contemporary novels with tough, but socially relevant issues. As part of the launch for the books, Susan and I are planning a blog tour, and we’d love for you to be a part of it. We hope to bring awareness to the issues of teen dating violence (Break from You) and bullying (Outcast). If you’re interested in hosting us and helping to speak out about these topics, there’s a linky below. The blog tour will happen from mid- to end November. Sign up, and leave the work and planning to us. 

Outcast, by Susan Oloier, delves into the world of bullying.

Always the compliant, Catholic school girl, Noelle grows tired of people’s hypocrisy. Her pious mother belittles her, and the popular group at school bullies her. With the help of her black-sheep aunt and a defiant, new classmate, Noelle seeks revenge. But vengeance comes with a price: Noelle risks friendship, her first love, and herself to get back at those who have wronged her.

Break from You by me, is a novel about teen dating violence.

Brooke Myers wants to believe she has it all: the perfect guy, the perfect relationship, the perfect life. She wants to believe it so much that she's willing to overlook the fear, the isolation, and the pain her boyfriend has caused her. She knows it isn't right but tells herself that love isn't always easy. However, when a fire destroys the restaurant during homecoming dinner, she forms an instant bond with the boy who saves her, one her boyfriend wouldn’t like. With the pain of a concussion reminding her of how bad things can get, she is forced to re-evaluate the relationship she has with her boyfriend and face the ghosts that haunt her. Brooke once believed love was all it took…but is it enough? Is it truly love when you've lost yourself in it?

If you'd like to help with the blog tour and bring awareness to teen dating violence and bullying, please sign up using the linky tool below. We truly appreciate all of you! And don't forget to visit our new blog, Moxie Writers.

1. Susan Oloier 2. Rebecca Green Gasper 3. Moxie Writers 4. Angela Brown in the Pursuit of Publishness 5. The Character Depot 6. Jamaican Kid Lit 7. My Life as Lynn Proctor You are next... Click here to enter This list will close in 11 days, 14 hrs, 49 min (11/2/2012 11:59 PM North America - Mountain Standard Time) Powered by Linky Tools