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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Guest Post and Giveaway: The Making of Nebraska Brown by Louise Caiola

Published: February 6th, 2014

Description:

The last thing eighteen-year-old Ann Leigh remembers is running from her boyfriend in a thick Nebraska cornfield. This morning she’s staring down a cool Italian sunrise, an entire continent from the life she once knew. The events of the eighteen months in between have inexplicably gone missing from her memory. 

All at once she’s living with Tommy, an attractive, young foreigner asking for her continued love. Though he’s vaguely familiar, she recalls a boy named Shane in America who she reluctantly agreed to marry. Juggling a new world while her old one is still M.I.A is difficult enough without the terrifying movie scenes spinning a dizzy loop in her mind: glimpses of a devastating house fire, a romance gone wrong, an unplanned pregnancy, and a fractured family – each claiming to be part of who she once was – a girl and a past somehow discarded. 

Ann Leigh must collect the pieces of herself to become whole again, but she doesn’t know who to trust especially when Tommy’s lies become too obvious to ignore. And above all, her heart aches to discover what became of the child she may or may not have given birth to. 

The Making of Nebraska Brown tells the story of one girl’s coming apart from the inside and the great lengths she’ll go to reclaim herself and find her way home.

Ana Lisa Carcossi’s DNA. Because that’s who I was. At least that’s what Tommy said. My breathing steadied. I kept my eyes shut. A strumming started, like the plucking of a fiddle chord. The same chord, over and over. And then I was gone.

GUEST POST
Five Things All Writers Should Know

About six years ago, this girl I know, I’ll call her Naïve Girl – NG for short – decided to write a book. A dear friend of hers wished her well and handed her a dog-eared copy of The Writer’s Book of Hope by Ralph Keyes. NG smiled, sure that SHE wouldn’t need to refer to that at all. Surely SHE would have a blessed and easy journey. NOT. And, yes. I’ll admit it. I am NG. Correction: I was once. Now I am Writer Girl. WG’s goal is to shake the sense and reality into NG. As such, I’m here to divulge the straight dope. No hold-barred. It’s like that Band-Aid. Yank it off quickly. Here goes:

You will be rejected. Many times. It will hurt. You will quit writing. You will take up golf/knitting/floral arrangements/yoga. You will fight the urge to get back at it. Don’t bother. Which brings me to my second truth –

Writing OWNS you. Any attempts to control or contain it will be met with failure.

Reading is mandatory. Do not think for half a second of writing more than a birthday card without reading at least ten novels first. By doing so you will recognize the rhythm every story must have to be properly constructed. Pay attention to this ebb and flow and learn from it.

Don’t quit your day job. Unless you happen to happen upon that ginormous advance, which is first cousin of that infamous needle in the haystack.

Practice patience. Time moves at the speed of sloth in the publishing world. Good things can and do occur, but if you don’t like waiting, you may not be fit for this game.

NG is far behind me now, and thankfully I’m none the worse for wear. I hope these tips don’t discourage the WGs out there. A healthy dose of fact among the fiction is all I’m after. Now carry on and keep the faith – and a couple bottles of aspirin might help, too. 

About the author:
As a young girl who spent her allowance on Nancy Drew mysteries, Louise realized that one day, she might have a story of her own to tell. Maybe even more than one story. After years focused on raising her children she eventually reconnected with her passion for creative writing. She soon began to craft a large collection of short stories which were published in the inspirational online magazine, Faithhopeandfiction.com. Shortly thereafter, she authored her first novel, Wishless, a contemporary YA, released in 2011. 

Louise devotes a portion of each day to honing her skills. She has several other novels currently in various stages of development. A confirmed bibliophile, Louise enjoys reading outdoors on a warm spring day and watching her pup chase leaves on a breeze. She looks forward to meeting others who share her love of the written word and invites you to visit her blog, her website and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Author's Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

26 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm intrigued to learn whether this novel will be a basic amnesia tale, or if the author will dive into the emotional potential of the book blurb and drag us into the MC's heart and soul. I can see what this book "could be," and I sincerely hope that it is!

Unknown said...

I'm intrigued by the memory loss of the character and how that might have happened, it sounds really good! :)

ilookfamous said...

I have to say, after reading the blurb and the Amazon reviews, I was hoping for an extended excerpt: all the information availabe about this book is so damn vague! I *had* to put The Making of Nebraska Brown on my TBR as I can't stand a locked door :)

ilookfamous at yahoo dot com

Louise said...

Thank you so much for featuring my novel here today! For those who may want an extended look, here is the link to Chapter One on Wattpad:http://www.wattpad.com/story/13339630-the-making-of-nebraska-brown
Also, I would be happy to offer a complimentary review copy to someone who might be interested in sharing their thoughts with other readers :)Just comment here or visit my website to contact me directly. Hope you all have a GREAT weekend.

nurmawati djuhawan said...

i like the book's blurbs..
thx u for hosting ^^

Unknown said...

Wow!!! This book sounds amazing! The description and the cover both intrigue me!

Unknown said...

This book is NOT just another amnesia tale <3 One of the reasons I love it is because of it's honest emotional complexity. These characters became real people to me <3 Louise has a beautiful writing style and captures characters so well. I read this book three times and still I miss them every time I finish reading <3

Zed said...

The book sounds rather different from what I've been reading recently so it would be nice to have a change

Natasha said...

I like that it has to do with amnesia and seeing what happens.
Thanks for the chance to win!

Unknown said...

The cover intrigues me.

rounder9834 @yahoo.com

Kai said...

It's the storyline that 18 months is missing from her memory. I want to know what happen and how she ended in Italy.

Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction said...

I'm always intrigued by books about memory loss!

Anonymous said...

I love that its a story about finding yourself. Although its interesting that means different things to different people, I feel like I can relate on some level.

collenga said...

Wow, this sounds like an amazing book that one would not want to put down. Lots of mystery and suspense. The reader will feel intrigued by the questions surrounding the main character's amnesia and former life. Seems to have a somewhat of a V.C. Andrews feel to it yet still having its own unique style. Thanks for sharing

Unknown said...

the cover

Anonymous said...

I'm intrigued by the memory loss of the character.

Catalina Mihaela said...

This book seems interesting.I'd like to read it

ionutzk said...

The description and the cover both intrigue me

Joseph Hawkshaw said...

Ti be honest the book cover attracted me to the book looks so awesome.

Lis said...

The mystery. It sounds really great. Plus the cover is intriguin!

Elena said...

the main character intrigues me

Anonymous said...

The past of Ann and her pregnancy intrigue me.
Would love to discover what happened with her.

Unknown said...

This sounds very emotional, something I love reading :)

Louise said...

Such awesome comments! I've provided a couple of review copies and still have two more available to anyone wiling to share their thoughts about the story. Just wave if you would like a free copy. Thanks :)

Louise said...

Lori, I was careful to expose as much of Ann's heart and emotions as I could. I love it when I am reading a book and I can peek right into a character's soul.

From Head To Tale said...

Congrats to Louise Caiola on the release of The Making of Nebraska Brown.

I found the cover most intriguing. So much so, I had to enlarge it for a better view.

Thanks for hosting the giveaway. Fingers crossed to win.