Putting My Big Girl Panties On

by Kimber An

I just pottytrained my fourth and last child.  It was easy because she has three older siblings to look up to and desperately wants to be a ‘big girl.’  Soon afterwards she had an accident.  The poor little drama princess smacked hands over her eyes and wailed, “I can’t do it!”  Of course, I said she could because Elmo said so and Elmo is her bestest hero after Daddy.  And she did. 

http://www.sesamestreet.org/muppets/elmo

The point is…um…   Okay, I got it.  The point is learning to be a big girl can be easy, but, seriously, there’s no hurry and you can always go back.

‘Cause Elmo said so.

Yeah, yeah, that’s it.  I’m a Young Adult author, coming off my first Noble YA book, Sweet Bytes, released October 2011.  Doesn't Noble Publishing have the most awesome cover artists?

But, I’m here today to tell you all about putting my big girl panties on with the release of my first adult story this Monday, February 6^th, Drive-By Valentine.

It’s a Sweet Romance, so I’m sharing it with my younger friends too.  The heroine, Eve, is thirty, but she’s still struggling with an issue which hits teens hard as soon as they get out of school.  They usually nail it by college graduation though.  Eve is trying to find her own path in life, but without the usual support of family and friends.  She’s been bullied most of her life.  She's determined to find her self-confidence and live Happily Ever After though, and it helps her take a big risk. 

Here’s the blurb-

Pushing thirty on Valentine’s Day, Eve realizes her desperate search for love has led to nothing but misery.  Then, she takes a chance on a little old lady who’s famous for finding the perfect guy for every girl just by looking at his truck. 

So, there you have it, my very first growed-up story.  Will there be more?  Oh, yes, it seems most of the adult stories I have logged away in my imagination are Short Stories.  But, I gotta tell you, I have a lot more Young Adult stories, as well as a few Middle Grade.  So, you'll probably still have better luck finding me hanging out at Fabulously Young ePubs

There’s no hurry growing up.

Elmo said so.

http://www.kimberan.com/

New Blood

Good morning, Most Noble of Readers and Authors!  I’m brand new here, but the title has other meanings.  I write Young Adult.  Get it?  New Adult.  New Blood.  And also the baddies in my Ophelia Dawson stories are the Newbloods.  Everyone thinks they’re vampires, except the Heroine.  Being a geek, she’s very scientific about these creatures who find her sweet diabetic blood some yummy.  After much research and some semi-conscious blood-letting, she’s convinced they’re alien/human hybrids.  So, how’d that work out?
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Well, back in that evil, dreaded purgatory known as Queryland I became convinced I would not achieve publication unless I wrote a vampire story.  (Thank you, Stephanie Meyer.)  So, I did.  Kind of.  I come from a multi-generational Trekkie family, you know, and I never really got into blood-sucking dead guys.  Heck, I just started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer at my teenage daughter’s insistence.  I figure, she’s a professional Young Adult, so she knows best.  Anyway, I just couldn’t do the whole Dracula thing, so my guys came out part aliens instead.

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Long story short, I achieved publication!  Crushed Sugar and Sugar Rush were released and I got right on Sweet Bytes.  Soon after it was complete, I had to go searching for a new publisher.  I figured self-publication was my only choice, but my buddies at Fabulously Young ePubs encouraged me to ask around.  Noble YA was my pick of those who said they’d take a look and, well, here I am!

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Sweet Bytes is the third book in the Ophelia Dawson stories and I really enjoyed my heroine hitting her curve and finally kicking butt on her own.  That’s the thing about Young Adult.  Not only does the heroine learn a lesson in love, she also does some growing up.  I’m sure Xena Warrior Princess knocked herself out with her wooden practice sword when she was a teenager just starting out too, but you don’t see that when you plug those old DVDs into the player.  You just see her thrashing baddies.  In my stories, you get to see the heroine knock herself out.  (Don’t worry, her love interest is there to kiss her and make it feel better.)  Then, you get to cheer when she finally bags her first vamp too. (Same love interest, he pissed her off.)  Like a mommy, I just love when my little heroines grow up and blast blood-suckin’ boy-toys into the trees with souped-up leaf-blowers!  Or does she do that in the next book?  Maybe it was the hot-wired salad shooter full of garlic this time.  Can’t remember.  She's a very busy girl, you know.  Anyway…

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Here’s the blurb-

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Ophelia’s escape from Martin, an Addicted Newblood, came at a terrible sacrifice.  Adrian, the boy she loves, is now infected and hunted like vermin.

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As her new Protector, Tristan Li represents the Oldblood determination to destroy Adrian, along with all the Newbloods, addicted or not.

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In her grief, Ophelia hates everything about Tristan, until his subtle strength empowers her to resist being turned into a vampire by the High Prefect. 

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As Tristan helps Ophelia harness her empathic ability, his need for redemption rings in her heart.  Her own strength grows, along with her passion for freedom.

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The veil of mourning lifts.

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The evil of Martin returns.

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Ophelia seizes ownership of her destiny.

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The Release Date is October 17^th.  If any of you got any great promo ideas, I’m game.  Meanwhile, I’m just so glad to be here!  Pop over to my main site if you want to learn more about me, my stories, and all that jazz.  Kimber An