Stephanie Lawton

Ohhhh, I just got these from my publisher! Below are free, printable Want bookmarks–gorgeous, yeah? In a couple weeks, I’ll have actual bookmarks to give away, too. Click on the images below to get the full-sized ones.

You know just before a rip-roaring storm arrives how the air gets all weird, and sometimes the sky turns yellow? That’s where I am right now as we get ready to launch Want. I can smell the storm coming, I can even hear a rumble in the distance, but the torrential rains are still a few minutes away.

I wanted to share a few things you might not know about.

• Blog tour: The blog tour for Want is currently being scheduled. (It may already be filled, not sure.) But if you’re a book blogger and you want to sign up, click here.
• ARCs: If even you don’t get a spot, you can request an ARC for review (only if you have a review site). Just go to Inkspell Publishing and sign up on the bottom right.
• Pre-order deal: Barnes & Noble currently has the paperback of Want listed at $10.11. That’s probably the cheapest it will ever be, and they’re not sure how long that price will last. (It may go up after the June 7 release.)
• Giveaway: Inkspell is giving away three paperback copies on Goodreads! You can sign up for that here. If 1,000 people request the book, I might have to hold my own giveaway. Swag? Query critique? Handwritten love letter? Hmmm …

Questions or comments? Leave ‘em below!

Hey everyone! I took last Sunday off for Easter, but this week I’m picking up shortly after my last #sixsunday. I’m currently querying this story (the name keeps changing, ugh. Surrender? Shrapnel?). Dylan–a teen with psychic abilities–has just broken the rules by going outside at night, where she hears someone calling her name.

Despite the shadows, I know a slow smile of approval spreads across his face and it makes my breathing ragged. I see him with my eyes, but also in my head. I can’t look away. I can’t shut him out. I can’t even move or speak.

“Dylanie,” he drawls, “let me in.”

I’d love to know your reaction! As always, thanks for stopping by and please be sure to check out some of the other Six Sunday participants. Some of my favorites are Angela Quarles and J.M. Blackman.

Happy #SixSunday!

Below, the main female protagonist of my ghost story SURRENDER (which I started querying this week–eeep!) is meeting one of the spirits that still haunts Oakleigh Mansion (a real antebellum house in Mobile, Alabama). She’s breaking the rules by going outside at night.

I’d love to know your reactions to the setting and sensory details:

On the balcony, heavy night air carries the sounds of crickets and frogs. The ancient railing is solid beneath my fingers but slick from humidity. The wet dog/rotting fish stench of a nearby swamp blows past and rustles the live oaks in the front yard. The leaves are so loud that I almost don’t hear it.

My name—soft, slow and deep.

“Dylanie.”

*shivers* I’ll have more of Dylan and that spirit in the coming weeks. He’s one of my favorite characters!

As always, be sure to check out the other Six Sentence Sunday participants–it’s so great to see what everyone’s working on, and how much some of them pack into six little sentences. Have a great week!

I don’t know about you, but this was a trying week! I love reading all these #sixsunday posts and losing myself for a bit.

Today’s six are from my current WIP (the name has changed so many times), which is almost ready for querying. It’s a strange YA mutt of horror, paranormal romance, historical fiction and a tiny thread of LGBT.

Here, two of the characters meet for the first time:

When your parents split up because your dad caught your mom with another woman and the boy you’ve been crushing on since kindergarten suddenly nicknames you “lezzy,” identity crisis is a given. Mom’s even asked me more than once if I want to talk about the possibility. Appreciated, but not necessary. Jake—and the heat creeping into my cheeks—is proof.

Jake lifts his chin but doesn’t get up from the piano bench he’s claimed. Neither of us says a word, but the charged air between us snaps me in the face like a bull whip.

Thanks so much for reading and (hopefully!) commenting! Be sure to check out the complete list of participants here. Have a great week!

This evening I was tagged by fellow Inkspell author Rebecca Hart. There have been a few of these tagging blog posts going around, but this one seems pretty simple, so what the heck — I’m game.

The rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post them as they’re written. No cheating.
4. Tag 7 other victims …er, authors.

The following is from the MS I’m just finishing up. Some final revisions and it’ll be ready to send out. The working title was Surrender, but then I changed it to Do and Die, but that probably won’t stick either. *sigh*

Lynn asks, “Is there something you want to tell us about?”

Ashley twists her hands and nods. The cameraman moves closer. “When I was little, my parents took me to our minister. He was an old man, real scary. I remember he had all these broken blood vessels under his nose. He told my parents he could drive the devil out of me.”

Kinda heavy, but thems the rules. Sounds like Ashley’s been a bad, bad girl!

Now, to select seven other lucky writers…

Okay, here they are. You have been tagged, my darlings!

1. Carrie Cox
2. Joyce Scarbrough
3. Lee Ann Ward
4. Tiffany Truitt
5. Lena Roy
6. Brooke Moss
7. Jalisa Blackman

I am so excited, y’all!

This week, Inkspell Publishing has been offering free short stories from five of its authors.

Today, mine is available! It’s called “Aftertaste” and dovetails with a scene from the book.

While the novel is told from 17-year-old Julianne’s point of view, this is told from a different (adult) character’s. Because the character is a bit older and more educated, it’s style is different from the novel’s, but the tone is similar. The short story also explains some of the symbolism/imagery on the cover of the book.

If (WHEN?) you do read Want, I promise you’ll squeal when you get to that scene and know what the other character is actually thinking. *wink, wink*

And please, check out the other authors’ stories, too!