I'm a Giver...for World Book Night US (@wbnamerica)!

I had heard about World Book Night (WBN) after seeing literary agent Ayesha Pande's exclamation about it on her Twitter feed last year. So I delved into it further and found it to be an awesome cause! I made sure to be on the alert when it came time to apply and huzzah last week I found out I was accepted to be a WBN Giver on World Book Night (April 23rd) in the United States.

You get to choose three books from the list of titles available on WBN's site and are then given one of your choices. I chose two I read: Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones (two fave reads from 2012). I also chose a book I haven't read Bossypants by Tina Fey.

What I will be distributing on April 23rd is:

I'm particularly psyched about this because in my neighborhood I think the tale of Esch and her family will resonate with the urban community I live in and near in Queens.

There will be numerous other givers throughout New York City and the nation on April 23rd. And it doesn't stop in the US, it'll be happening in the UK and Ireland too. Givers may be in front of libraries, bookstores, on random streets, working with non-profit communities and so forth to encourage you to read! I've already seen tweets from people in NYC, editors, agents, writers, and readers alike excited to help spread the written word.

You can keep updated with World Book Night on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, tumblr, and YouTube.

My New Addiction: Red Jacket Orchards Juices (@redjacketny) & Giveaway!

Red Jacket Orchards apple juice is a staple at farmer's markets in New York City and at Whole Foods (their juices can also be found at fine outlets in Pennsylvania & Ohio). The familiar logo and font calls out to those who know the brand and others who may be interested. Apple juice/cider is one of those drinks that is healthy, tasty, and when warmed over the colder fall/winter months can leave you feeling calm and aching for a mug of steaming juice/cider while laying on your couch watching items from your Netflix queue. Red Jacket Orchards has a long history stemming from 1917, but it's true start as the orchard we know now began in 1980. It expanded in the early 90s where the first apple fruit juice combos were developed and has continued to do so expanding in New York and having a warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

So what differentiates Red Jacket Orchards juices from others? First off, they're all natural. I know, I know. What isn't 'all natural' or 'organic' these days? Well this really and truly is. It's not "natural" (with items from concentrate). It's not proclaiming to be 100% juice (with additives). It's natural juice in the form that we should have and continue to experience it. Each of Red Jacket Orchards juices I've tried has ingredients I know. Their juices are not loaded down with additional items and flavors to capture what you think you should be tasting when it comes to fruit.

I had the opportunity to try several juices from Red Jacket Orchards and was really happy with the flavor combinations that they are offering. I even shared some with my co-workers, making the slump of 3pm "juice hour!"

The Juices!

Blackcurrant Apple Juice: Blackcurrant may be more known to the eastern European palate. I was first introduced to blackcurrant when I went to Dublin, Ireland for a study abroad years ago. Blackcurrant tends to be bitter, reminding one of a cherry to an extent but different. I did not taste the bitterness of blackcurrant but the apple comes through all the way. This juice isn't overly sweet but crisp and satisfying. I'd recommend this for people who want a bit of diversion from their apple juice, yet still that hint of flavor.

Tart Cherry Stomp: A tad tart but not too much so. As my co-worker John said, "the slight apple taste dovetails into cherry." He's good. There's a hint of apple as it hits your lips that goes full blast cherry tartness that won't make your lips pucker. A nice treat for fans of cherry and my co-workers are. In this one the cherry is very evident, more so than in the black currant. This was the fave amongst my co-workers. They LOVED the tartness the cherry brought to the table. Loved it!

Fuji Apple Juice: This one is solid apple juice. It is sweeter than the combo juices tasted thus far (cherry & blackcurrant). The ingredients list reads: apple, fuji apple, and vitamin C. So there's a mixture of apples in this juice and fuji, being on the sweeter side in general, ups the ante! The color looks more like concentrate ones or a bit orangey so you may think of an orange/apple hybrid but it is all apple and delicious. If you're a fan of apple juice having an additional bit of sweetness than this one is for you.

Strawberry Apple Juice: This tasted like a strawberry/apple juice hybrid. I repeat, it tastes like strawberry! Real strawberries, not the syrupy sweet fake 'flavor' of strawberries, but strawberries in the raw from the market! It's a tad sweet, especially compared to the tarter flavors but not overly so. This is my favorite of the bunch for the more natural strawberry taste that has apple right up on its tail when you take a sip. If you like strawberries this is the juice for you. Raspberry Apple Juice: Like many of the juice combos the raspberry hits your tastebuds initially. And similar to the strawberry apple this one has a real raspberry taste so it's light. The organic aspect of the strawberry and raspberry juices work well together in their lightness being a good combination for the apple juice and nothing overtaking the other in terms of flavor. A great coupling if you ask me. Refreshing. Grape Apple Juice: Solid taste that is all grape, very little apple. So in essence it's like a lighter grape juice. I would choose this over any of the ridiculously saccharine grape juices on the market (especially from concentrate, which it seems most are). Nice and light and doesn't leave my mouth feeling sickly sweet and no after taste like with other brands I recall drinking from my youth. I'd recommend this to you grape lovers out here.

In summary, Red Jacket Orchards is the real deal, my friends. The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette calls them a "fresh find," I call it them New York gem.

The Giveaway!

For the next two weeks you can enter for a nice giveaway of your own six-pack (12 oz/each) of juices! You can mix and match or just have one juice. I'll send them to you via the Red Jacket Orchards' site. (Limited to US residents only)

You can enter by leaving a comment and submitting to the Rafflecopter below. You can gain extra entries by following/liking Red Jacket Orchards on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest (please note this in comments).

The contest runs for two weeks exactly. So last day to enter is 11:59pm on March 7th and I'll announce the winner on Monday, March 11th. Should I not hear from the winner once I contact him/her within 24 hours I'll have Rafflecopter choose another entrant.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trust me, these juices are delicious! And the 12 ounce bottles are good for travel and especially to pack with kids' lunches. So take advantage and also look for Red Jacket Orchards brand in your nearby store or request that they purchase them!

Thanks a ton to Danielle Raymo with Red Jacket Orchards for allowing me to sample their juices.

Apparently I'm a #VIB

My writer buddy Megan gave me the honor of the VIB. Purty no? My duties as VIB are as follows:

• Display the award on le blog.
• Link back to the person who nominated me.
• State 7 things about moi.
• Nominate 15 other bloggers for said award. (No pressure to pass the torch or fulfill the reqs. Just enjoy the praise!)
• Notify said bloggers of the award and such.

These blog awards are a nice virtual fist bump that someone out there finds what you write and post to the interwebz inspiring. Yay! All for spreading the love.

Seven Things About Me:

1. I am currently transitioning to natural hair after having it chemically altered for more than half my life. What a change! Lots of work and brush up and info to catch up on, but I'm glad there's a lot available via the web.
2. I am a complete 'fan girl' when I meet authors. I seize up and start gushing, my shoulders become earrings and I can't stop smiling. I think my voice even raises an octave or so.
3. On the flip side when it comes to film/media celebs I just halt and stare like a weirdo. Cannot. Move. Weird.
4. I'm an only child. There's a lot of stereotypes about only children. We're spoiled. We need attention, blah, blah, blah. Admittedly I was spoiled in a 'working class' way but I think that just made me appreciate things more now.
5. My goal as a writer when I was a pre-adolescent/adolescent was to be the Black, female Stephen King. Not that that still isn't a cool goal but I just cannot hack the horror. Life is scary enough, right?
6. I am an old lady and I just turned 32 last month! College students moved into my building, right above me, and they are loud! Not rowdy but just loud in terms of speaking. I like quiet and go to bed at like 10pm during the week. Talking to my friends my age they concur so I don't feel so bad. But damn, 10pm?
7. I'm reading the Holy Bible. Reading it as text not so much as a religious reference per se. Besides I think it's about time I did to see what everyone's been talking about. It's like Avatar but HOLY. My grandma will be proud.

I won't be nominated 15 blogs because unfortunately I don't keep up as many as I'd like. But, I did want to post shout outs to writers I admire that I met via #nycmidnight. Super cool peeps if I do say so myself.

So I nominate Yvette and Kristen (no pressure ladies)! Both their blogs have a cool honesty I appreciate whether it be about writing or just life (or sports) in general. We've cheered each other on during NYCMidnight short story challenges which were a kick in the arse lemme tell you.

Thanks again, Megan, for the nomination!

Interview with Fiction Femme Fatale's Krystalyn Drown (Two Debuts in One Year!)

Writer, entertainer, and all-around cool lady (all Joss Whedon fans are cool by default), Krystalyn Drown just pubbed her first book this year (Legasea) with Curiosity Quills. Legasea is about a young girl, Aileen, who uncovers mysteries in her town, about her family, and her connection to the sea after a dead body shows up during a party at the bay. Krystalyn will be doing giveaways on her blog & Fiction Femme Fatale in honor of Legasea's publication so check both sites for more info. Krystalyn's next book, Spirit World (due out in April from Entranced Publishing's Blush imprint) is a paranormal romance where Riesa has the power to communicate with spirits yet she keeps this hidden due to a trip to a mental institution and a general discomfort to the truth of her abilities.

I was introduced to Krystalyn when I joined Fiction Femme Fatale last summer. I've thoroughly enjoyed Krystalyn's work on Fiction Femme Fatale. Her short fiction has heart and drive. She's great with developing her world and giving her characters motivation for a larger desire. Really good stuff. So I'm especially excited for her full length novels and am particularly psyched to have had an interview with Krystalyn in honor of her first publication of 2013.

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In your reflections on 2012 (on your blog) you noted that you had two completed manuscripts (Legesea and Spirit World) you weren’t submitting the traditional publishing route, were you thinking of self publishing? And if so, why?

I have researched self-publishing, but decided that it wasn't for me. Not yet, anyway. I wanted the experience of working with an editor, and to tell the truth, I'm quite an introvert. I just don't have the gumption required to promote myself in the way that would be required for self-publishing.

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This may be a daunting question, but what’s your writing schedule like? Is it pretty free wheeling or scheduled? In speaking to other writers, especially emerging ones, this is one of the hardest parts. When you have kids, have a full-time or part-time job, have various commitments it can be really hard to find that notch of time to focus on your creative pursuits. How do you find you’ve done with this balance?

My writing schedule is this: squeeze it in when I can. =) I am a terrible procrastinator, but I do manage to find some down time every now and then to get some new words in. I use mornings when my son is eating or playing by himself to do the business side of things like blogs and responding to publishers, but I have to have quiet if I want to draft or revise anything. I do have at least one dedicated hour a week (8-9 on Mondays). A bunch of us meet here http://tinalaurellee2.blogspot.com/ to write, then chat about it afterwards. Anyone is welcome to join us. I also have my sister. We do writing challenges that last days or weeks. We text and bug each other. "What's your word count?" "Are you writing?"

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Much of your work that I’ve seen on Fiction Femme Fatale and your upcoming book Spirit World have paranormal elements in it. What attracts you to writing paranormal stories or ones with fantastical elements?

I've always been a fan. When I was little, I watched a lot of Nickelodeon (you know, back when it was sci-fi). My afternoons were filled with the Tomorow People and this series they had called The Third Eye. That one showed British and Australian serials like The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, Children of the Stones, and Under the Mountain. I read a lot of Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators books, but I always changed Bob's name to Beth, because I wanted to feel like I was part of the story. I'm also a huge fan of Star Trek: TNG, Doctor Who, and anything by Joss Whedon.

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Whether one’s work does have fantastical, sci-fi, or other elements within it many times readers consider whether there are autobiographical elements in a writer’s work. Are there traces of you or others you know in your characters or your experiences in the stories you’ve written?

Always. In Spirit World, Riesa loves watching bad sci-fi. So do I. Give me a giant something vs. a mega something, a coke, and some jelly beans, and I've got an afternoon of fun. Might I also recommend Titanic 2 and 2010: Moby Dick. In Legasea, I draw from my experiences boating with my family.

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When you look at a blank page, whether it be on screen or in a notebook, do you feel excitement? Trepidation? Inspiration? Or a multitude of these feelings?

It really depends on the mood I'm in at that particular moment. If I'm in a productive mood and have a vague idea of what I'm going to write, then I'm excited. But there are also times it can be very daunting.

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You have not one but two books coming out this year! Major congrats! How are you feeling about having your debuts come out in the same year and what would be your ideal way of connecting with readers for these stories?

I'm very excited about having two books come out this year. Last year at this time, I was a pool of mushy goo, because I had started to think this publishing thing would never happen for me. Now, I'm a pool of mushy nervousness. I have multiple ways of connecting with readers. I have a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads accounts, and I try to update them all equally.

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In terms of the industry do you think the increase of e-book only imprints and the popularity of self-publishing seem like a boom for writers, especially new ones, and getting more books out to the public?

I think it definitely provides more opportunity. Previously, if you had good work, but agents or publishers deemed the market flooded with that genre, you were out of luck. Now, with the option of going with a small press or self-publishing, people still have a chance to get their work out there. But I still think that people need to go through all of the steps, revising, getting good feedback, and polishing before seeking out publication. I can read my manuscript a thousand times, but there will always be an "it's" or a "doesn't" in there that I haven't caught. And commas, oh they are the bane of my existence.

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Congrats on Legasea, Krystalyn. And (virtual) cheers to continued success!

February Double (Book) Features! (#DBF Month)

The TBR (to be read) pile continues to grow. And many of us tend to keep purchasing even when we have books to read. Which means we're doing our patriotic duty to keep the publishing industry afloat and the economy. So give yourselves a hand. But, there are books you want to read and acquire in some way, and there are books you may have on your shelves, or in a stack, that you've been meaning to get to.

For me I have a bunch from Book Expo (last year and the year before) and others I have purchased. Upon organizing my bookshelves in December I noticed I had two books from three separate authors that I had yet to read. And so, I proclaim February Double (Book) Features Month!

This month I will read Story of a Girl and How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. Which leaves me time to get excited about her upcoming book, Lucy Variations, due out in May.

I will read Jeff Hirsch's The Eleventh Plague and Magisterium.

And I'll read Cheryl Strayed's Torched and Wild.

So that's six books in one month and I'm sure I can do it because I'm confident I will enjoy each of these author's books. Just as I've enjoyed their previous work and they're super cool people in general.

If you have books by authors you'd like to do a Double Feature on feel free to join me in this endeavor for the month. I'll do a hashtag of #DoubleBookFeature or #DBF on Twitter. Either way, happy reading!