Always there - Norah and Charlie

For any book or series that I write, there will always be two characters with the names Norah and Charlie.

The reason is bittersweet; I do this as a memorial to two adorable little children that we lost too soon. Charlie was my nephew, who died at age 4. Norah was the daughter of a friend. She passed away at age 6.

This didn't start out as a conscious decision. I wanted them both to be remembered--and simply wrote them into my first book. Once I'd discovered this way to remember them, I knew that I'd want to include them again.

Since I Wish was the first YA book that I wrote (although it was the fourth to be published), Norah and Charlie made their first appearance in it. They are two ice-skaters in "genie-land."

They play a bigger role in the Whisper Falls series. Mark (the hero) has a strong relationship with his grandparents, Norah and Charlie. They appear in all three books of the series.

In The Possibility of Somewhere (writing as Julia Day), Eden once held a job at Charlie's Diner, working with a waitress named Norah. A small presence--but I know they're there, and now you do too.

For Fade To Us, there are three main characters: Brooke, her stepsister Natalie, and the guy they both like (in different ways) Micah.  Micah's father is Charlie. Natalie has a camp counselor named Norah. Both Norah and Charlie have small roles in this book--but they are great and memorable people, just like their namesakes!

For Norah and Charlie--

We have not forgotten.

Always there - military

When authors write young adult novels, there are many aspects that we're all trying to achieve: a well-written story with a good plot, sympathetic characters who struggle with relatable problems, and interesting settings.

I have other elements that will always be there. Some appeared without me really thinking about. Others--I decided to include in every book or series. And one of those is military service. There will always be a military character in my books.

I served 8 years in the military. My father, brother, and sister are all military retirees. I'm proud to have served--and that spills over into my stories.

All of my books/series have at least one secondary character who has served. In the Whisper Falls series, it was Mark's aunt, an Army major who lost her life in Afghanistan. In the I Wish series, Lacey's dad was a Marine who died in a training accident. In The Possibility of Somewhere, Mundy's father was a Navy helicopter pilot.

In future books, military characters will be more prominent. In my next Julia Day release, the heroine's stepfather is a recently retired Army sergeant. And I've already outlined another book where the hero will be an active-duty military member.

There are a lot of books that feature SEALs, fighter pilots, or military lawyers / investigators. I won't be writing more of those books. Instead, I'll focus on servicemembers with jobs that are less well-known: mechanics, military police, engineers, Signal Corps (telecommunications).  I'm not as familiar with those career fields, but I'm having a lot of fun with the research.

I'm also open for suggestions. So if you are in the military or have a military family member with an interesting job or story that needs to be heard, please let me know.


 

Whisper Falls sale ends Tues

Whisper Falls e-book will remain on sale through Tuesday-- 99 cents USD (and 0.99 euro / GBP / AUD / CAD).

I have a large stock of the Whisper Falls series paperbacks (old covers) in my living room. If you're interested in having a signed set of the trilogy (US addresses only), contact me through my website. They're $15 for the trilogy ($10 for the books and $5 for the shipping.)

If you're looking for a great book for the holidays...

If you have a few days off for the final week of the year, grab a book and read!

There are a lot of great books on sale. Most e-book retailer sites make it easy to find inexpensive books, so take a chance on an author you've never read before. And you don't have to have an e-book reader; Amazon, B&N, Apple, Kobo, and other retailers have e-book apps for your laptop or mobile phone.

I'd like to recommend Whisper Falls, the first book in my Whisper Falls series. It's on sale for 0.99 everywhere-- 0.99 dollars in US / AUS / CA, 0.99 Euros in Europe, and 0.99 GBP in the UK.

This book is set in two centuries--18th and 21st. It tells the story of a modern teen mountain bike racer and the mysterious girl he meets through a magical and temperamental waterfall. Mark and Susanna build a friendship across 200 years. When Mark sees how hard her life is as an indentured servant in the household of a brutal man, he uses modern technology to uncover Susanna's fate...and has to decide whether to let history play out or intervene to save Susanna.


This book will appeal to readers of all ages (14 and up). It has history, adventure, suspense, and romance.

Have a great holiday season--and enjoy the gift of stories!


Praise for Whisper Falls:

• "... a fun, action-packed story" - School Library Journal 
• "I am an avid reader, and this book ranks among the top. It is fantastic - I couldn't put it down. I was told that it was a book for young adults, but I am 61 years old and I found it fascinating ... I HIGHLY recommend this - it is beautifully written, as well as being historic, and thrilling. An absolutely GREAT read! I am planning to recommend it to my library and my own kids."
• "The research the writer put into the book is apparent everywhere you look."
• "[the author] delivers with this time travel historical and current day romance. She effortlessly switches the narrative between Mark, the present day character, and Susanna, the indentured slave who is living in 1796. I have read few other books that switch the voice so well."
• "I usually don't enjoy historical books at all, but Whisper Falls was fantastic. I could barely put it down. It's beautifully written, great editing and a unique story."

 

Gifts to give your favorite author

It's the holiday season, a time when many of us look for ways to give to those we love or admire.

So, just in case you're wondering how to show your favorite authors how much they're appreciated, I have a few suggestions--and they are (almost) all free!

Leave a review.  Please, if you've enjoyed a book, leave a review! Especially for authors with a smaller following, reviews really do help us. You don't have to write much. A few words work. You can say what appealed to you most about the book--or why you'd recommend it.  Even something as simple as "I enjoyed this book. Recommended." And if you have to choose just one review site, pick Amazon; reviews there carry more weight for promotions and visibility.

Make a suggestion to your local library. Most library systems have a form for submitting suggestions for books. Authors love to have their books carried in libraries!

Tell your friends. Word-of-mouth is the number one way that readers learn about new books. Whether it's during a book club, over coffee, or online through social media, sharing your recommendations helps authors--and you'll be giving your friends the gift of beautiful stories.

Give books to the people on your holiday shopping list: Okay, so here is the one suggestion that will cost something. Books are a great gift. If you want to wrap a package and leave it under the tree, books come in paperback, hardback, or ebook (which you can give via a paper or plastic giftcard). If you watch for sales¹ or great deals², books don't have to be that expensive.

Happy holidays and may your new year be filled with great stories, magical places, and characters that you can love!

~~~

¹ Whisper Falls is on sale for 0.99 USD, through January 3.
² You can buy paperback copies of my books directly from me through my website, and I'll sign and ship them to you (US only.)

Holiday cookie exchange and giveaway

I'm in a group of 16 romance authors who are hosting a holiday cookie exchange and hop. Each author has posted a cookie recipe on their blog, FB page, or website. If you visit each site--and "collect" the names of all 16 recipes--you can enter to win a chance at the grand prize--a $150 gift card.
 

Also, along the way, you may find other bonus giveaways. So join us on the hop for cookie recipes and holiday fun!

To get you started, my cookie recipe is for Orange No-bake Cookies.

For more details, visit our blog - Ruby Cookie Exchange.

Parent opting out of standardized testing

I've just read an article in Slate about a parent who opted her two daughters out of standardized testing. The bottom line is that the schools strongly resisted her decision with oddly unconvincing reasons. She had to contact the state board of education to get the real scoop.  It didn't change her mind.

When my daughters were in school, I sought ways to get them out of standardized tests. It wasn't that easy in my state (North Carolina.) As I began to consider home-schooling (for that reason as well as others), I learned that, during the month of May, I could not form a homeschool--just to prevent me from skipping end-of-grade (EOG) tests.

Clearly, my husband I were not the only parents who hated high-stakes testing. Not only are the tests nerve-wracking and high pressure for the kids, but they also became the main focus of the entire school year. Teachers taught the subjects that would be tested, and ignored the subjects that were not.

I didn't want grades/ scores/ numbers to be what defined my children. We homeschooled both of them for high school. Mastery of material and enjoying the process of learning were our focus.

The girls took their SAT / ACT with their age-peers--with zero preparation. None. No SAT classes. No ACT prep manuals. No looking online for practice questions. I work them up the morning of the examination, handed them a pencil, and drove them the testing center. That was all. My daughters did very well on those exams, proving that the missing of state EOG tests had no negative impact. Both girls got into the colleges of their choice without any problems.

I know that this decision isn't possible for all parents. Top-tier colleges may look askance at students without a transcript from a bricks-n-mortar high school. Homeschool was a huge time commitment from me and my husband to homeschool our daughters. It wasn't cheap either. But they've thrived since--and haven't missed out on a single goal because they skipped standardized EOG testing.