Mundie Moms

Friday, October 11, 2013

ALLURE by Lea Nolan, Blog Tour; Guest Post & Giveaway



Welcome to today's ALLUE blog tour. I'm so thrilled to have author Lea Nolan on Mundie Moms today.

Thanks so much for having me here at Mundie Moms! It’s a true pleasure to be here.


My latest book, Allure, the second installment in The Hoodoo Apprentice series was released earlier this month. I didn’t start writing until I was in my late thirties. Now, five years into this venture, I’ve written four complete books, three of which are young adult novels; the last is an adult contemporary category romance that should be released in 2014 from Entangled Publishing.


Sometimes I wonder what might have happened if I’d started writing fiction earlier. Maybe I’d have a few more books on the shelf, maybe not. But either way, it can’t hurt to go back in time and sow some seeds that might make this writing gig a little bit easier. So with that in mind, I’d like to share a bit of…


Advice to my Teenage Writing Self

I know you think you’ve got your life all worked out—you plan to be the next Barbra Streisand and star on Broadway and make fabulous albums and be known for that golden, classically trained voice of yours—but I’ve got some news for you. It’s not going to happen.

Oh, you’ll start college in New York City just like you expect, but for the first time in your life, you’re going to enjoy exercising your brain more than your vocal cords. And that’s going to take you on a very academic, and very different route than you ever considered. Eventually, after you’ve had an interesting, high-powered career and a few babies—and after you’ve read a book about a sparkly, “vegetarian” vampire—that creative, artistic bug is going to bite you again.

You’ll grab your laptop and start typing a story (don’t ask, it’s too hard to explain, especially to someone who doesn’t even own a VCR). And even though your grown-up self will sometimes feel like you’re losing your mind, what with juggling three kids, a husband, a house, part-time work, a graduate program, volunteer responsibilities, and this story that’s living in your head, you won’t be able to stop writing, even when you try.

Now, now, don’t cry. I promise you’re going to love being a writer. Really, you will, especially if you keep of few of these things in mind:

Read everything you can get your hands on. You know how you love to read? Keep at it. Don’t stop, ever. It’ll teach you a lot about writing and what goes into a great book, plus you’ll get an extensive education on literature and learn lots of cool new words.

Keep a journal. Not the stupid one your English teacher wants you to write and hand in at the end of the quarter. I mean a real, honest to goodness journal that you hide under your mattress at night. It’s not just a place to vent and scribble the daily dramas of life, it’s a place to write, free form and long hand, and get used to putting words to the page. And when you’ve got an idea for a story, hammer it out. Because the funny thing about writers is that they write. And you need to get used to doing it. A lot.

Embrace your emotions. You know that horrible sensation you get when you walk into the school cafeteria and can’t find anyone to sit with? That sinking, I-wish-I-could-crawl-under-a-rock feeling because you can’t possibly imagine sitting by yourself for a whole half hour? Yeah. Remember that. Also, commit to memory the giddy, goosebumpy, stomach flip-flopping that happens when a guy asks you out. And every other extreme, intense, and absolutely essential emotion throbbing through you right now. Because that stuff is YA-writing gold.

Stand up for yourself and what you want. Trust me, once you figure this out, it’ll improve every aspect of your life, but since we’re focusing on your future writing career, I want you to remember that when people try to knock you down—and make no mistake, they will—you’ve got to tuck your chin and ball those tiny fists of yours, and decide that no one’s going to stop you. So when your tenth grade English teacher kicks you out of honors English because you don’t have an A average, don’t let that be a reflection on your ability. And when that arrogant jerkhole in your college creative writing class tosses your story across the table and says, “What can I say? It’s trite,” do not, I repeat, DO NOT internalize that remark. Don’t let him make you believe you can’t because I’m here to tell you that YOU CAN! It’s going to take a lot of work, some writing classes, a ton of practice, and a boat-load of hard critiques, but you will figure this out. And guess what, you’ll be good at it.

Do some field work. Every time you kiss a guy for the first time, try to remember exactly what his lips feel like as they graze yours, what the lingering scent of his shaving cream smells like, and how his fingers feel as they rake the nape of your neck. And for the love of all that’s holy, allow yourself a little more nookie. I’m not saying you should go all Judy Blume’s Forever on us, because let’s face it, that is so not you. But a few more smootchy times won’t kill you. At the very least, you can call it research.

Thanks so much for having me! This was tremendous fun to write and share.

~Lea


Thank you Lea for being on MM's today!

About the Book


Worst. Summer. Ever.

Emma Guthrie races to learn the hoodoo magic needed to break The Beaumont Curse before her marked boyfriend Cooper's sixteenth birthday. But deep in the South Carolina Lowcountry, dark, mysterious forces encroach, conspiring to separate Emma and Cooper forever. When Cooper starts to change, turning cold and indifferent, Emma discovers that both his heart and body are marked for possession by competing but equally powerful adversaries.

Desperate to save him, Emma and her twin brother, Jack, risk their lives to uncover the source of the black magic that has allured Cooper and holds him in its grip. Face with the horror of a soul-eating boohag, Emma and Jack must fight to resist its fiendish power to free Cooper long enough to join their strengths and face it together, before it destroys them all.


About Lea


Lea Nolan writes the kinds of stories she sought as a teen—smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. She holds degrees in history and women’s studies concentrating in public policy and has spent nearly twenty years as a health policy analyst and researcher. She lives in Maryland with her heroically supportive husband and three clever children. You can learn more about Lea on her website, on Facebook, Twitter and on Goodreads


The Giveaway


Grand Prize- A Hoodoo Apprentice Prize Pack US Only
2nd and 3rd prizes of $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift cards International.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
9/30/2013- Cuddlebuggery - Guest Post
9/30/2013- Step Into Fiction- Review- Allure
10/1/2013- I am a Reader- Interview
10/1/2013- Just a Booklover- Review Conjure
10/2/2013- Candace's Book Blog- Guest Post
10/2/2013- Endless Reading-Review- Conjure and Allure
10/3/2013- Fantasy Book Addict- Interview
10/3/2013- Bookworm in Boots- Review- Allure
10/4/2013- Fiktshun- Guest Post
10/4/2013- A Dream Within A Dream- Review- Conjure or Allure

Week Two:
10/7/2013- URBAN FANTASY LAND - Guest Post
10/7/2013- Fade Into Fantasy- Interview
10/8/2013- Jenuine Cupcakes- Interview
10/8/2013- Reading Rainblog- Review- Conjure or Allure
10/9/2013- The Cover Contessa- Interview
10/9/2013- Faerie Tale Books- Review Conjure or Allure
10/10/2013- Fangirlish- Guest Post
10/10/2013- BookHounds YA-  Interview
10/11/2013- Mundie Moms- Guest Post
10/11/2013- vvb32 reads- Review- Conjure and Allure

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