Thursday 31 October 2013

6 poems for Halloween :)

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are some of my poems about aliens, haunted houses, ghosts, murder and all those spooky things... and the last one really happened. Have a fun night :)


UFO

A strange glow through my bedroom window
Woke me from my twilight dreaming
Rubbing my eyes I heaved on my slippers
Stumbling across the floor to glance outside

A yellow-green glow chased across the lawn
Dark shapes dotted all the lit spaces
Little green men with melon-shaped heads
Staggering with six arms and four stumpy legs

Heading towards me they wiggled as they walked
Tripping on stones and bobbing their faces
A dark green glow swimming among their heads
Carrying strange pointed objects I’ve never seen

Gripping the curtain I tried not to fall over
With laughter or fright, I’m really not sure
Not believing my eyes, I lay down to sleep
Swearing never to eat cheese before bed again


Nightmares


If I scream
Will it drown everything
That frightens me
In the silent dark?

Amputated limbs
Red scrawls of blood
Eight-legged freaks
Impenetrable mists

Running into infinity
With darkness chasing
Fast behind me, it
Comes closer, enveloping

Feet lose their grip
Bridges just give way
Falling in slow motion
Nothing passes through

My mind goes blank
Sinking through the air
The ground draws near
And I wake


Horror


Darkness stands behind me
Raging above in a bright
Inferno – let it fall,
Drown me in this sea
Of wrath, draining
In screams of muteness
Red blood dancing in streams
Smother me in this warmth
A passion that knows no end
But in the blackness of the dark
Words are silent


Footsteps in the rain


She walked into the path of oncoming traffic
Lights flashed her blind in the pitch darkness
Heading her way they swerved to the side
Their horns screeched like cats, radios blared
The night ached a thousand lived memories

She walked barefoot, her feet cut but soundless
Like a dreamer who had long ceased to dream
The stars glistened high above like fairy lights
Dazzling in the night sky, so quiet their beauty
Unravished by life, uncorrupted, so pure, fine

Her eyes squinted to improve their clarity
They shone so brilliantly, like ice against black
She had wandered far, not knowing the distance
Far, far, a long way from home and her people
Seated around a wooden table, food cooking

Amid warm smells of crisp, burning wintry heat
She could imagine them laughing and grinning
Their teeth glinting in the lights as they spoke
Blood dripping on their plates, their eyes red
Clawed fingernails gripping the edges so taut

Their wild hair flicked as they wailed and groaned
Enough! This she did not miss, could never miss
So now her escape was final, desolation dismissed
The blood could stay chilled and frozen like ice
Away from her, hidden in those dark, darkest eyes

Closing her eyelids, she flicked away the memory
The road was cold, the rain was starting again
Tap, tap, tap, the lights danced in the water
Her toes flicked little glistening drips into the air
She grinned at such a simple, honest thing

Memories of a life forgotten, once lived before
In the time long ago, in a time she lived once
The horns continued to sound, high-pitched wines
Too high, shattering the quiet of the still night
She turned her head to scowl, unseen in the dark

Determined, she walked on, oblivious to the cold
Heading towards the noisy, bustling flow of cars
She had no fear of them or their terrifying roar
They sounded their horns but they could not see her
Blinded as they were to the dead thing walking.


The dark wood

In the deepest depths of the dark wood
See the spectre trees stand and stare
Stretching out their bony fingers
To trip up weary wanderers who dare
Go freely into the unknown air.

In the deepest depths of the dark wood
Catch the ghostly moonlight crossings
Of the languid shapes that sink and shift
Floating endlessly in the speckled frosting
That lies in sheets on the muddy ground.

In the deepest depths of the dark wood
Hear the plaintiff wails of the ever lost
Stuck in time along the virgin paths
Caught in the lair of the unseen host
Who travels alone with his silent scream.

In the deepest depths of the dark wood
Keep your wits about you in the night shade
Lest you wander too far from the spectre trees
And find yourself far from the grassy glade
Beneath the ever-present smiling moon.


The haunted house (from a child's perspective)

At the end of the street
Where the road curves round
It sits and frowns
Seems to stare out loud

It’s the haunted house
But nobody knows
Except me

There’s a thing inside
But nobody knows
Except me

I don’t know what it looks like
As it’s never appeared
It just breathes
When no-one else is around

A dark, brooding sound
Unlike anything living
A deep breathing sound
That makes me still

I cannot move
When it appears
I cannot leave
When I want to run

It’s in the haunted house
But nobody knows
Except me

Sometimes I walk upstairs
And it stops me
Breathing silently
A shiver down my spine

Sometimes it waits for me
In my room at night
Behind the curtains bright
Waiting to scare me

I check under the bed
In the dark cupboard
That can hold three men
If it needed to

But I never see anything
And never find anything
It doesn’t want to show
Itself to anyone

It’s in the haunted house
But nobody knows
Except me

I tried to tell my mum
She didn’t want to believe
As she’s seen figures
Heard ghostly things

But there’s nothing here
She said to calm me down
There’s no-one here
Except you and me

One day it waited
Behind the front door
For me to come home
Waited so patiently

As I put my key in the lock
I could hear it breathe
From behind the door
Welcoming me

‘Happy to see you home’
It seemed to say
‘Come inside and play
With the unseen one’

So I stayed outside
Scared out of my wits
Playing with my keys
Til my mum came home

It’s the haunted house
But nobody knows
Except me.


Copyright Vickie Johnstone

These poems and others are contained in two of my poetry books, Travelling Light (free) and Kaleidoscope ($2.99/£1.99) 

Wednesday 30 October 2013

#WW WOW Wednesday: Kim Emerson - happy birthday!

Hi guys and girls! Welcome to WOW Wednesday. My 10th guest is K.D. Emerson
author of roller-coaster ride Digitus 233, which you can grab right now for 99c/75p! 
She is also the beauty and brains behind Master Koda Publishing! Without any further ado, 
here is K.D. Emerson, who is also celebrating her birthday today. Hip, hip...

First of all, my guest has this to say to her readers:

"Thanks to all the readers of my work and for your precious input. I don’t think you realise how much it means to me. Each one of you has given me a gift with your kind words. May God bless you in every step you take and may your life be filled with that glorious peace that passes all understanding."


A group of teens are caught in a web of deceit. Will they break free of the world’s controlling power 
or are they doomed to die trying?

Links

What are people saying about Digitus 233? Review snippets from Amazon

"When I got to the end, I kept trying to flip to the next page before I realised it was a cliffhanger. 
No! I MUST know what happens next!"
Laurie Boris

"Looking for fantastic characters and a breath-holding, heart-pounding, hair-raising edge-of-your-seat good time? Then look no further - Digitus 233 has it all." 
Maria

"This knocked The Hunger Games right out of the running for me (and that's one of my favorites!)"
Dominique

Here is a list of possible facts about K.D. Emerson. What three things do you think are false? Then scroll down to the interview...

Ridden a wild horse
Ridden an unicycle
Worked at a bank
Worked at a carnival
Got expelled a week before high school graduation
Never got expelled 
Sold her first story at age eight
Was in a moving traffic accident with a truck that had no driver
Won a dance contest in high school
Lived at the top of a mountain with a pack of wolves
Her first published work was three lines long
Received a 5-star review from her ex-husband after they were divorced
Loves cotton candy
Acted in and directed live theatre
Tore the finger board off a grand piano while performing on stage

Interview with K.D. Emerson

If you could go back in time to when you were seven, what wisdom would you pass on to herself?

Don’t you dare put that pen down! No matter what anyone says, no matter how impractical it might seem, don’t put the pen down because when you get older there will be people that love your style and your writing will make a difference in their lives.

What inspired your characters in Digitus 233?

All my characters are created from the dark corners of my mind with a little snippet of their personality inspired by a real person. So no matter who your favourite character is in one of my books, you will know there is someone real hidden in there somewhere. It’s up to the reader to figure out what that snippet is.

Why did you end Digitus 233 with such a horrifying cliffhanger? Did you want the reader to scream? 

Well, you just hit the answer to your own question right on the head. I wanted my readers to scream out and then I wanted them to use their own imagination to come up with their own possible ending. In book two, I will share my conclusion with them and then we can compare how close we came to having the same resolution.

What brings you the deepest sense of happiness?

Knowing that I have made a difference in someone’s life. I have an ability to feel deep joy when I watch others succeed.

You are the owner of Master Koda Select Publishing, LLC. Is it the first business you have ever owned?

*Laughter* Nooo! I was just a kid of six or seven when I first ventured into the land of entrepreneurial adventures. I was always hunting around for something to sell. One summer it was candy out of the back of a little red wagon (my venture into door-to-door sales and another time it was a carnival in my back yard. One summer I gathered all the neighbourhood kids, and made them memorise lines and dress in ridiculous costumes, and we charged all the adults to suffer through our off-off-off-Broadway plays. The one ongoing business I had was selling my stories on the playground at school, so I guess I was an indie publisher way back before it was popular.

What is your favourite genre to read on a rainy day?

No matter the weather or genre, three important aspects must be present:
1. It can be a romance, thriller, fantasy or sci-fi, but the author has to make me believe it’s possible;
2. The plot must be intriguing and tightly written; 
3. The characters have to be three-dimensional. No cardboard cut-outs for this girl.

What is the meaning of life?

To leave the earth a better place for having been here


All about K.D. Emerson

K.D. Emerson loves writing thought provoking and action-filled stories that bring her readers back for more. Although her writing deals with the evils of the world, she dishes out healthy doses of laughter and fun along the way. K.D. spends her free time wrangling wild horses, rafting down the Amazon and hang gliding on a toothpick, and when she's awake you will find her working on her next adventure or assisting other authors in creating their dreams.
Links

Twitter: @MstrKoda

Thanks for reading - look out for another WOW writer next Wednesday!
Happy reading & writing! :) 



Saturday 19 October 2013

Inspiring Teens Blog Hop - last day! Thank you!



Today is the last day of the week-long Inspiring Teens Blog Hop, organised by Greta Burroughs and me. I'd like to say a big thank you to all the authors and bloggers who took part in this. It has been great! :)

If you've missed the days so far, you can still visit all of the blogs and enter the various competitions to win some wonderful books.

We hope you've been inspired to read - Teen Read Week rocks! :)

Main page for the hop - www.tinyurl.com/kq4f3lv

It coincides with Teen Read Week 2013, which aims to get our teenagers reading! We hope to bring you a fun week in which you can meet writers and win their books, and enter a competition to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

- Check the schedule below for dates and author appearances plus giveaways.

- There are 35 authors of middle-grade and YA books and 27 bloggers taking part, so that's 35 fantastic giveaways! Most of the bloggers are also writers. 

- There is a writing contest on Wendy's blog on the Tuesday with a prize to win.

- You can win a $10 Amazon gift card - there will be two winners - on the main hop site: www.tinyurl.com/kq4f3lv


Good luck with winning prizes and we hope you have fun!


Schedule

Monday, October 14
Blogger – Kate Bainbridge - http://read2review.com/2013/10/14/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-vickie-johnstone/
Author - Vickie Johnstone

Blogger - Sharon Ledwith - http://sharonledwith.blogspot.com/
Author - Jennifer Loiske

Blogger - Armen Pogharian - https://armenpogharian.wordpress.com/
Author - Ey Wade

Blogger – Candice Conway Simpson - http://booksforboysreviewsandfun.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-sharon-rose.html
Author - Sharon Rose Mayes


Blogger - Cedar Sanderson - http://cedarwrites.com/
Author - Kim Mutch Emerson

Blogger – Maria Savva – https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5020446-inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-giveaway-with-author-ed-drury/
Author – Ed Drury


Tuesday, October 15 


Blogger - Kate Bainbridge - 
http://read2review.com/2013/10/15/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-greta-burroughs/
Author - Greta Burroughs

Blogger - Jennifer Loiske - http://jenniferloiske.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-meet-author-cedar-sanderson
Author - Cedar Sanderson

Blogger – Lisa Cresswell - http://www.lisatcresswell.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/october-15-teen-blog-hop-week.html
Author - Tim Flanagan

Blogger - Debra J Jameson Smith - 

https://www.facebook.com/Creationsbydjamesonsmith
http://creationsbydjamesonsmith.com/blog/2013/10/14/inspiring-teens-blog-hop/
Author - Sharon Ledwith

Blogger - David Lowbridge -  
http://indieebookreview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/an-authors-tale-why-i-write-teen.html
Author - Amanda Haulk Taylor

Writing Contest at 7.45-8.45pm CST / 12.30am GMT


Blogger - Wendy Strain - http://www.writeonwendy.com/5minutefiction-week-171-guest-judge/
Starring author Greta Burroughs
This is a five-minute fiction contest open to everyone. Please join in. The task is to write a short story using a prompt provided by Greta. A prize will be awarded to the winner. It's a lot of fun and an exciting way to show off your skills at writing.
 

Wednesday, October 16 


Blogger - Kate Bainbridge - http://read2review.com/2013/10/16/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-debbie-manber-kupfer/
Author - Debbie Manber Kupfer

Blogger – Maria Savva - http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerboundrecommends/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-linda-deane/
Author - Linda Deane

Blogger – Debbie Manber Kupfer - http://debbiemanberkupfer.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/interview-with-lisa-cresswell/
Author - Lisa Cresswell

Blogger - Debney Nichole Armstrong - http://dna-bloodtiesandlies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/armen-pogharian-is-inspiring-teens-to.html
Author - Armen Pogharian

Blogger – David Lowbridge - 
http://indieebookreview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/book-excerpt-deception-peak-by-dianne.html
Author - Dianne Gardner

Blogger - Robert DeBurgh - http://robertdeburgh.weebly.com/2/post/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-christine-hughes.html
Author - Christine Hughes


Thursday, October 17 


Blogger - Kate Bainbridge - http://read2review.com/2013/10/17/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-hugo-jackson/

Blogger - Vickie Johnstone - http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-paul-plunkett.html
Author  - Paul Plunkett

Blogger - Kim Mutch Emerson - http://masterkoda.com/teen-reads-week-donna-dillon
Author - Donna Dillon

Blogger - Karen Pokraz Toz - http://kptoz.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/author-spotlight-jr-simmons-teen-read.html

Blogger - David Lowbridge - http://indieebookreview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/cover-spotlight-pirates-pirates.html
Author - Saoirse O'Mara

Blogger - Brenda Perlin - http://homewreckerthebook.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-welcomes.html


Friday, October 18

Blogger - Kate Bainbridge - http://read2review.com/2013/10/18/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-tianna-scott/
Author - Tianna Scott

Blogger – Tim Flanagan - http://timflanaganauthor.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/teen-reading-week-meet-catherine-stovall/
Author - Catherine Stovall

Blogger – Sharon Rose Mayes – http://www.notyourmomblog.com/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-wendy-and-charles-siefken
Author - Wendy Siefken

Blogger – Cassie McCown -http://gatheringleavesreviews.blogspot.com/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-author.html
Author - Alan Tucker

Blogger – David Lowbridge - http://indieebookreview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/authors-tale-michael-chulsky-part-of.html
Author - Michael Chulsky

Blogger – Wendy Siefken - http://siefkenpublications.info/teen-blog-hop-juli-caldwell
Author - Juli Caldwell


Saturday, October 19 


Blogger – Robbie Cox - http://www.themessthatisme.com/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-with-debra.html
Author - Debra J. Smith

Blogger – Jonathan Gould - http://daglit.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with.html
Author – Sibel Hodge

Blogger - Greta Burroughs - http://booksbygretaburroughs.weebly.com/8/post/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-chris-baker.html
Author - Chris Baker

Blogger – Cassy Wood & Alex Harrington http://reviewmetwice.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/blog-hop.html - special posts all week for Vicki Kinnaird

Author - Vicki Kinnaird 








Thursday 17 October 2013

Inspiring Teens Blog Hop: Paul Plunkett

Hi everyone! Welcome to one of today's stops on the Inspiring Teens Blog Hop. My guest today is the sports journalist and author, Paul Plunkett. Here he talks about Teen Read Week, his writing experience and the books he loves. I'm sure I won't be the only one who wants to read Timmy the Cat now! You can also win a paperback copy of Teen Idol Terror, book one in the Jenny Johnson Mystery series. Good luck! 



Reading

Why do you think Teen Read Week is important?

There are so many distractions for youngsters today – most of them really cool – but it’s important to let children know they have something much more powerful than the internet or the latest computer game: their own imagination. I used to read three books a week when I was younger, and that really set me up for a career in journalism and as a children’s author. Words are powerful tools; they can take you on a journey, they can inspire you, make you laugh or cry, and conjure emotions you never knew you had. I feel I have a responsibility to help open up this whole new world to young readers.

How do you think we could encourage youngsters to read more?

We need to make reading books exciting and accessible. Kindles are fantastic and books are affordable. We must make sure their print equivalents remain cheap enough to compete with all the other distractions out there.

When you were a teenager what books did you like to read and did you have an all-time favourite character?

I was brought up with Enid Blyton when I was younger. I loved the adventures of the Famous Five and Secret Seven – great, traditional mysteries where I felt part of the gang. That’s why I wrote my Jenny Johnson Mystery series. It’s kind of Famous Five brought into the 21st century. During my teenage years I became addicted to Dr Who books – I think I had every one ever written. They had short chapters that always ended on a cliffhanger and I couldn’t put them down. I still remember reading way into the early hours.

Writing

Were you writing as a teenager? If so, what were you writing and what inspired you? Did a person inspire you to write?

I wrote my first book aged nine. It was called the Nine Lives of Timmy the Cat and was about a cat who travelled the country helping others. He unselfishly sacrificed a life on each adventure to save others. It was the mid-1970s so there was no such thing as self-publishing. I decided not to send it to a publisher because I thought they wouldn’t believe I was only nine. How arrogant was that? During my teenage years I was determined to become a journalist and wrote articles for the local newspaper. That sort of put novel writing on the backburner… for about 30 years!

Do you think today’s teens are in a better position if they want to be a writer than you were all those years ago (hee hee)?

Most definitely. It’s so easy to publish your own book now. And teenagers are so switched on to social media nowadays that it’s easy to promote it. That, of course, brings its own problems – the competition out there is bigger than it has ever been.

What advice would you give a youngster who enjoys writing?

To keep on writing and not think about the commercial side. If you love what you are doing that will shine through.

Your books

What is your latest book about?

It’s the second in the Jenny Johnson Mystery series, called Game Over. Jenny and her four friends solve crimes involving the world’s biggest celebrities. This one involves the star striker at one of the world’s biggest football clubs and his girlfriend, who is a Hollywood actress. The footballer is arrested for the attempted murder of the club manager, but as Jenny investigates she finds there’s more to the case than meets the eye. She is thrown into a world of intrigue and danger the closer she gets to solving the mystery.

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

Not at the moment as Game Over has only just been released. But I’ve got a sketch in my mind for the third in the series. Watch this space.

What do you love about being an author?

Inspiring others. You can’t beat getting a review from a young person saying my book is the best they’ve read. 

About Paul Plunkett

I’m living proof that it’s never too late to write your first book. At the age of nine, way back in 1975, I wrote my first short story called The Nine Lives of Timmy the Cat. I never sent it to a publisher, but vowed from that day to write a series that would be published. So, 36 years on, the Jenny Johnson Mystery series was born.

So, who am I? I was born and educated in Liverpool, and all I ever wanted to do from the age of eight was to become a sports journalist. After university, I joined my first newspaper in 1989, and went on to work for several newspapers before returning to Liverpool as assistant sports editor on the Liverpool Echo, and then sports editor for the Lancashire Telegraph. I’m now assistant editor at BBC Sport. 

Links


Book giveaway!!

There are 3 paperback copies of Teen Idol Terror up for grabs! All you need to do is enter the competition via the Rafflecopter - good luck!

Book description

Jenny Johnson, daughter of a top newspaper investigator, is a young detective who solves celebrity crimes. The lead singer of Flame – the world’s biggest boy band – mysteriously disappears on the eve of a special homecoming concert in Eversham, but his millionaire agent, TV talent spotter Steve Kinghorn, is desperate to cover it up. Jenny investigates and as she solves a series of clues that leads her closer to finding Josh Jones, she discovers a dark secret about the teen idol that catapults her – and her four friends – into a world of danger.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Thanks for reading - don't forget to check the main hop page for all the fabulous authors with amazing giveaways this week - www.tinyurl.com/kq4f3lv 

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Inspiring Teens Blog Hop - today's schedule!



Hi everyone, here are the fantastic authors and bloggers scheduled for today on the Inspiring Teens Blog Hop during Teen Read Week 2013, encouraging youngsters to pick up a book and discover some magic.

We hope to see you all week. To check what you've missed see the tabs on my blog for the hop. Thanks :)

You can win a $10 Amazon gift card - there will be two winners - on the main site: www.tinyurl.com/kq4f3lv

Thanks from me and Greta Burroughs! :)







Wednesday, October 16 

Blogger - Kate Bainbridge - http://read2review.com/2013/10/16/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-interview-with-debbie-manber-kupfer/
Author - Debbie Manber Kupfer

Blogger – Maria Savva - http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerboundrecommends/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-linda-deane/
Author - Linda Deane

Blogger – Debbie Manber Kupfer - http://debbiemanberkupfer.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/interview-with-lisa-cresswell/
Author - Lisa Cresswell

Blogger - Debney Nichole Armstrong - http://dna-bloodtiesandlies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/armen-pogharian-is-inspiring-teens-to.html
Author - Armen Pogharian

Blogger – David Lowbridge - http://tinyurl.com/q5h6dwy
Author - Dianne Gardner

Blogger - Robert DeBurgh - http://robertdeburgh.weebly.com/2/post/2013/10/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-christine-hughes.html
Author - Christine Hughes

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Inspiring Teens Blog Hop - today's schedule!


Hi everyone, here are the fantastic authors and bloggers scheduled for today on the Inspiring Teens Blog Hop during Teen Read Week 2013, encouraging youngsters to pick up a book and discover some magic.

We hope to see you all week. To check what you've missed see the tabs on my blog for the hop. Thanks :)

You can win a $10 Amazon gift card - there will be two winners - on the main site: www.tinyurl.com/kq4f3lv

Thanks from me and Greta Burroughs! :)








Tuesday, October 15 

Blogger - Kate Bainbridge - http://read2review.com/
Author - Greta Burroughs

Blogger - Jennifer Loiske - http://jenniferloiske.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/inspiring-teens-blog-hop-meet-author-cedar-sanderson
Author - Cedar Sanderson

Blogger – Lisa Cresswell - http://www.lisatcresswell.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/october-15-teen-blog-hop-week.html
Author - Tim Flanagan

Blogger - Debra J Jameson Smith -
https://www.facebook.com/Creationsbydjamesonsmith
http://creationsbydjamesonsmith.com/blog/2013/10/14/inspiring-teens-blog-hop/
Author - Sharon Ledwith

Blogger - David Lowbridge -  http://tinyurl.com/kdqs5dr
Author - Amanda Haulk Taylor

Writing Contest at 7.45-8.45pm CST / 12.30am GMT

Blogger - Wendy Strain - 

This is a five-minute fiction contest open to everyone. Please join in. The task is to write a short story using a prompt provided by Greta. A prize will be awarded to the winner. It's a lot of fun and an exciting way to show off your skills at writing.