Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Guest Post + Giveaway: Break My Bones by Shawn McGuire (The Wish Makers #2)





Break My Bones
by Shawn McGuire
(The Wish Makers #2)
Publication date: September 1st 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Everyone makes mistakes. Crissy’s just might kill her.

Seventeen-year-old Crissy Sheets was so sure Brad was the one, she believed him when he swore the first bruise was an accident. She believed him when he told her he loved her after the second. Now trapped in an abusive relationship with no idea of how to get out, she’s all but given up on ever having the life she dreams of. With little to lose, Crissy wishes for a better future.

She’s told her wish has been granted, but nothing has changed. Her house is still a dump, her mother is still drinking, and Brad still wants to control her every move. Then Lance moves into the house across the yard. He’s hot, chivalrous, and wants to help Crissy break free. Will standing up for herself push Brad too far?



My Favorite Scene to Write in my book.

Every book needs that scene that is the defining moment for the character. Either everything falls together and they get what they want or everything falls apart and they have to accept and move on. Sometimes that scene is around the three-quarter mark and leads to the final act - if you follow a three or four act structure. Other times it’s even closer to the end, the climax that leaves the reader with the final lasting impression of the book. That defining moment is my favorite scene to write.

In STICKS AND STONES (book 1 in The Wish Makers series) it’s the scene when Mandy finally acknowledges the secret she’d kept buried deepest and has been carrying around in her soul for twelve years. In BREAK MY BONES (book 2 in the series) it’s when Crissy finally stands up for herself and fights back. For many reasons, Crissy’s defining moment is the most supremely satisfying scene I’ve ever written. I get chills remembering back to the emotion of it.

I’m not a pantser (letting the story lead me) but I’m not fully a plotter either. I consider myself to be a plotser. I create a rough outline so I have an idea of where the story is going, but I let the characters take over if their path is better. Either way, I always know how the story is going to end. I save that scene, that penultimate moment that I’ve known from the start, until the rest is written. I’m a chronological writer – starting with chapter 1 and ending with the final chapter. As I get closer to that scene, my motivation skyrockets. I start writing faster and faster, getting closer and closer to that complete, although somewhat ugly, first draft. That’s usually my highest word count day too. Then I coast through the final pages until I reach the end.




Shawn McGuire is the author of young adult, coming-of-age novels that blend contemporary settings with a touch of fantasy and magic. She started writing after seeing the first Star Wars movie (that’s episode IV) as a kid: she couldn’t wait for the next one so wrote her own episodes. Sadly, those notebooks are long lost, but her desire to write is as strong now as it was then. She grew up in the beautiful Mississippi River town of Winona, Minnesota, the small town that inspired the setting for Sticks and Stones and the upcoming Break My Bones. After graduating college she moved to the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin (Go Pack Go!) where she lived for many years. She and her family now call Colorado home and when not writing or reading, Shawn enjoys cooking and baking, crafts, interior decorating, and spending time hiking and camping in the spectacular Rocky Mountains.





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2 comments:

Giselle said...

Thanks for being on the tour, Michelle! And I always wonder what kind of writer I would be - go with the flow or a plotter. I doubt we'll ever find out though that's def not my calling haha. >.<

Unknown said...

great guest review, I can't wait to read this book. Thank you for the chance to win.