WOOT! A COVER REVEAL of Margo Kelly's YA novel, WHO R U REALLY?

To celebrate the cover reveal for Who R U Really? Margo Kelly is giving away TWO Advance Reader Copies of the book! Visit www.margokelly.net to enter by Sunday, May 11, 2014!

WHO R U REALLY?

by Margo Kelly

Merit Press -- September 18, 2014

Description:

Thea's overprotective parents are driving her insane. They invade her privacy, ask too many questions, and restrict her online time so severely that Thea feels she has no life at all. When she discovers a new role-playing game online, Thea breaks the rules by staying up late to play. She's living a double life: on one hand, the obedient daughter; on the other, a girl slipping deeper into darkness. In the world of the game, Thea falls under the spell of Kit, an older boy whose smarts and savvy can't defeat his loneliness and near-suicidal despair. As Kit draws soft-hearted Thea into his drama, she creates a full plate of cover stories for her parents and then even her friends.

Soon, Thea is all alone in the dark world with Kit, who worries her more and more, but also seems to be the only person who really "gets" her. Is he frightening, the way he seems sometimes, or only terribly sad? Should Thea fear Kit, or pity him? And now, Kit wants to come out of the screen and bring Thea into his real-life world. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit's allure, and hurtles toward the same dark fate her parents feared most. Ripped from a real-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea's life spins out of control.

And now...for the beautiful new cover or WHO R U REALLY?

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....TA DA!

 

About the Author:

Margo Kelly is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. A veteran public speaker, Margo is now actively pursuing her love of writing. Who R U Really? is her debut novel and will be published by Merit Press in September 2014. Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs.

Links:

Website: www.margokelly.net

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21444891-who-r-u-really

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoWKelly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargoKelly.author

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/who-r-u-really-margo-kelly/1118847853?ean=9781440572760

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Who-R-Really-Margo-Kelly/dp/1440572763/ref=la_B00JY4LYZS_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398971448&sr=1-1

REJECTION SUCKS AND OTHER BIG FAT WRITER WOES

Rejection sucks – no matter if you’re talking romance, job offers, or novels. No one who wants something badly enough wants another someone to say, “No, thanks."

Unfortunately, rejection doesn’t stop after you’ve been published. Here are my latest letdowns: 

****To see the full article at Darkly Delicious YA, click on the link BELOW:

DEALING WITH REJECTION by Kym Brunner

How the Barefoot Bandit Helped Sell my YA novel

Did you know that a famous news story gave me the idea for WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE?

Click the newspaper boy and "Read All About It!"

My Writing Process - Blog Tour Stop

Thanks so much to my friend, Kelly Hashway for inviting me to participate in this blog tour! Be sure to check out her website HERE where she talks about her writing process. So interesting to see all the different ways we work. :) 

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

So you want to know about my writing process? Toot! Toot! First stop on the crazy train... 

FIRST OFF, when I'm not at work or out watching movies, you'll usually find me in my home office (read: LaZ Boy chair in living room even though I have a lovely home office.)


1) What am I working on?

Two books actually! (I'm sort of jumping between them) When I get stuck on one, I switch to the other. First time I've done this, but it's working to unlock my story issues that I seem to get hung up on. They're very different, but both suspenseful and have (what I think are) cool, unique topics. Hope you do, too!


2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Hmm...good question. I *think* it differs because I'm all about coming up with a great PLOT first, characters second. I know. I'm not supposed to say that aloud, but the truth is, the premise has to grab me around the throat and threaten to kill me before I'll spend a year writing the story down.

Here are the topics in some of my novels:

*I NEED MY SPACE: space camp, Mars exploration, twins, crushes

*FLIP THE BIRD: falconry, animal rights protestors, first love, loyalty

*INSOMNIAC: sleep disorders, online bullying, court case



WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE (June, 2014, Merit Press): Bonnie & Clyde, falling for bad boys, deadlines, criminal records (*AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE)

ONE SMART COOKIE (July, 2014 Omnific Press): Polish bakery goods/legends/ falling for two boys at same time, family business

 *The first three are not yet published, but if you're an editor and you're interested in seeing one of the first three, email me or my agent, Eric Myers of The Spieler Agency. :)

3) Why do I write what I do? BECAUSE....

I love exploring all the changes/challenges/heartbreaks/triumphs teenagers go through. 

I love researching unfamiliar topics and putting teens in places they might want to go...and places they don't...and seeing how they'd react. 

I love when books make me think about them long after I've stopped reading them. 

I love when a book is soooo good, I want to tell everyone I know to read them.

I love when I can't wait to get back into the story when I'm in the middle of reading it.

I love when books make me think about my own life and how it can be different or better or makes me realize I already have lots of things to be thankful for.

 
I want to write those kinds of books––heart-stoppers, page turners, make you want to be there or try something new books.



4) How does my writing process work?

Not quite sure I can call what I do a "process" or claim that it "works," but it sort of happens like this for me:

• See interesting news articles/life events/ social media blurbs that makes me say "Whoa! What if..." with a twist.
• Add thoughts to the file called "Cool Story Ideas" that is on my laptop.
• When ready for new story, visit the file and let ideas percolate - brainstorm lots of storylines, usually based on multiple cool things in the file.
• Research s the topics involved in new story.
• Keep thinking, plotting, coming up with more twists, characters, and conflicts. Have a decent idea of beginning, middle, and climax.
• After one month, start writing.
• Bring chapters to critique groups and keep twisting, revising, rethinking.
• Viola! After approximately 9 months, I'll have a (crappy) first draft that I'll hope to revise into something I really love (and hope readers will too).

UP NEXT WEEK:

Beth Fehlbaum: A longtime English teacher, speaker, advocate for abuse survivors, and founder of the gritty YA fiction website UncommonYA,  Beth is the author of Hope in Patience, a 2011 Young Adult Library Services Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Big Fat Disaster grew out of her own struggle with an eating disorder. Visit her on the web at www.bethfehlbaumbooks.com, www.uncommonya.com, and the Merit Press Facebook page. She lives in Texas.

Beth will be posting her writing process here: http://bethfehlbaumbooks.com/bloggity-blog.html

I Want To Name A Character in My Next Book....AFTER YOU!

I'm running a new giveaway on my Author Page. 

Not only will you win a signed copy of WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE . . . but you'll also be a character in my next book! 

You'll decide if the fictional version of you will be:

• good or evil 
• eccentric or hero
• nut job or normal 

LIVE OUT out your wildest dream version of YOU. 
ENTER HERE: http://tinyurl.com/muj48k5

Reeling in a Literary Agent

Want to find out how I "landed" my agent, Eric Myers of The Spieler Agency? 

(Actually, I've had three agents, but hopefully, the third one's a KEEPER!)

 

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/big-fish-eat-little-fish-photo-p246686

Find out all about it HERE: 

 http://darklydeliciousya.blogspot.com/2014/04/behind-scenes-working-with-agents.html

Literary Agent Eric Myers Q & A

Want to know what an agent looks for in a query and what makes him keep turning pages? 

Then check out this interview of my fabulous agent, Eric Myers HERE.