The Next Together

by Lauren James

This past Friday, January 8, 2016, Marcy and I posted our answers to Lauren’s debut novel The Next Together. Today, you get to read Lauren’s favorites.

Great in depth answers and insight in to your characters, Lauren! We can’t wait for our readers to read the novel. And hopefully to give us a few of their favorites, too.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character's development and/or growth?

Beware, there are lots of spoilers in my answers!

Her thoughts kept flickering through thousands of memories; she couldn’t focus or process any of the scenes flooding her mind. She couldn’t place any of the moments, just had to let the snapshots of their lives together flow over her: images of Matthew smiling at her, snatches of conversation, kisses. They were on a boat, and then they were in a candlelit garden and now they were in a science lab.

This is the big pay-off for me, when Kate finally admits that she and Matthew had past lives together. It’s what the whole book was building up to.

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

I prefer this over some other cliffhangers, which are more plot based and dramatic, because this was the first kind of ‘cliffhanger’ I ever wrote, back when I was 18 and first starting to write, and I was just so impressed with myself for it.

He shrugged her off, turning his back to her and beginning to slowly, carefully, dress. There was a flush of angry pink spreading down between his shoulder blades. She watched him, not knowing what to say. When he had finished buttoning his shirt, he walked away without turning

back to look at her.

For a long moment, Katy stared after him. There was a lump in her throat that wouldn’t go away however much she swallowed.

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

Tom Galloway, Matt’s brother in 2039. He’s a main character in the sequel, and I really loved exploring his personality more and developing him as a person.

Tom smiled seductively. “Like a feel?” He flexed his bicep. Kate gave an overdramatic sigh. She could almost feel the force of Matt’s annoyed glare.

4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?

Kate’s gaze was focused absolutely on the cardigan on the back of the desk chair. It had faded to a pale cream from the force of twenty years of sunlight, but the knitted pattern was still obvious in the fabric. She brushed her hand over it, feeling the threads beneath her fingertips. Her breath caught. This was Katherine’s.

This is a small but poignant moment that I really love.

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?

Just because I laughed a lot when I wrote this (I write books primarily to entertain myself. If anyone else enjoys them too, that’s just a bonus. In this case, I really, really had fun.)

“I thought you were cool,” she said accusingly, sadly. “You misled me. All this time. With the retro haircut and the mismatched clothes, I thought you were being ironically hipster, but really you are just an old man! I can’t date someone who listens to farming radio shows. It will utterly ruin my street cred!”

Congratulations to Lauren on her debut novel, The Next Together!

To read more about Lauren James and her debut novel The Next Together, please go to:

Blog:  https://laurenejames.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/the-next-together-is-a-real-book/

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/lauren_e_james

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/laurenelizjames/

Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/The-Next-Together-Lauren-James/dp/1406358053

Good Reads:   http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23266378-the-next-together

Tumblr:   http://lauren-e-james.tumblr.com/book

First Friday - Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day

by Dave Amaditz and
Marcy Collier

Welcome to January’s version of - First Friday - Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author's writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author's answers in a follow-up post.

This month we're pleased to highlight debut novelist, Lauren James and her novel, The Next Together. Katherine and Matthew are lovers who are separated by time. They travel through four different dimensions, find each other and rekindle their love, only to find themselves separated again while hoping that one day they can solve the mystery of what is keeping them apart.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character's development and/or growth?

Dave - There were quite a few sections that captured well Katy’s\Katherine’s\Kate’s growth as a character. Many, however, would give too much of the story away, so I settled on this particular section after Kate, in the year 2039 has just told Matt that she loves him.

She realized then that she always had. She couldn’t remember falling in love with Matt. She hadn’t had the butterflies in the stomach, the giddy absorption of falling in love. It hadn’t been like that. She’d just seen him, suddenly it had all clicked into place.

She’d always been in love with him, and had been quietly, patiently, waiting for him to turn up. Perhaps once there had been a time when she wasn’t tied to him with every molecule of her being, but it was so long ago it was impossible to remember.

Marcy –  As Dave said above, there are many choices for the development of the main character. This comes earlier in the novel when Katherine has a hint of jealously about Matthew.

She spotted Matthew leading a horse back to the stables, and quickly slipped outside to follow him, eager for a distraction.

He was talking to a maid when she reached the stables. The servants’ heads were close together, their conversation serious and intense, while the horse idly plucked at a patch of cow parsley.

Something turned over in the pit of Katherine’s stomach, but she shook the feeling away, annoyed with herself. Matthew could talk to whomever he wanted.

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

Dave - I chose this particular chapter ending from timeline 1745 because of the tension and of the way Katherine addresses the individual who has taken the place of her lover, Matthew.

It didn’t reply, just looked at her. She knew what the look meant, though. He’d gone. Her Matthew wasn’t coming back, and she was left with this thing that appeared to be him but wasn’t. She turned and ran. The tears were streaming down her face. She dropped onto the bed and the guest bedchamber, barely able to stop herself screaming into the pillow.

Marcy –  I’m not going into any details here so I won’t spoil it.

“When she woke up, he was dead.”

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

Dave - My favorite secondary character is Tom, Matthew’s brother, because… well… he’s… mysterious.

Marcy – I’m with Dave on this one, Tom is quite unique and interesting.

4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?

Dave - There were so many great passages of description that made me feel like I was living and breathing the scenes, but I chose this particular passage because I felt that it could also have doubled as a passage for character growth. This is another scene with Kate, from 2039, as she is setting out to discover more about her past.

They picked their way cautiously through the empty, weed-covered car park towards the building beyond. The complex looked untouched, it’s huge windows unbroken, though green with mould. It didn’t look anything like Kate had imagined, and it was more like a library than the quarantined sight of the outbreak of dangerous bacteria. She couldn’t believe they were risking everything to chase down a long-forgotten mystery that had happened a lifetime ago. But she felt like this was her whole reason for being - her whole reason for living. She couldn’t stop. She had to do this for herself, for Katherine.

Marcy – This paragraph captures Matthew’s raw feelings toward Katherine.

He hadn’t noticed her silent fury, and continued, “I thought you were beautiful, and funny, and knowledgeable. You were so sad, but you still took the time to speak to me as if I was a person, not just a servant. I have never met anyone like you. You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever known. You thought you’d found a Jacobite spy, and so you decided to spy on them. I don’t understand you at all. If you’d been a serving maid, I still wouldn’t have been able to stay away from you.

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?

Dave - I really liked a lot of lines of dialogue and I couldn’t settle on just one. The first I chose is from the beginning of the book and is a little lighthearted. For it to make sense you have to understand that Katy is posing as a boy. The second line of dialogue comes from later in the book and resonated with me on many levels.

“Kit! What are you doing?” Matthew asked. “Don’t be ridiculous - just take off your clothes. Does it look like anybody cares?”

“I don’t think there are any true heroes. Just people who ignore their survival instincts long enough to do something incredibly foolhardy.”

Marcy – Loved this playful interaction between Matt and Kate.

She couldn’t help shaking her head at him. “I thought you were cool,” she said accusingly, sadly. “You misled me. All this time. With the retro haircut and the mismatched clothes, I thought you were being ironically hipster, but really you are just an old man! I can’t date someone who listens to this. It will utterly ruin my street cred!”

To read more about Lauren James and her debut novel The Next Together, please go to:

Blog:  https://laurenejames.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/the-next-together-is-a-real-book/

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/lauren_e_james

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/laurenelizjames/

Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/The-Next-Together-Lauren-James/dp/1406358053

Good Reads:   http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23266378-the-next-together

Tumblr:   http://lauren-e-james.tumblr.com/book

Time-Travel ebooks for MG/YA (Todd A. Fonseca, Kelly Grant, J.Y. Harris, Sarah Woodbury)

SC POE'S INDIE E-BOOK SAMPLER, #22

THE TIME CAVERN

The Time Cavern Series

By Todd A. Fonseca

Ridan Publishing, 2009

Poe thinks this is younger MG time travel

First sentence: Aaron felt certain he was being watched.

The creepy opening sets up immediate expectations: mystery, danger. Poe applauds the high-caliber writing and the unusual setting in Amish farm country. Aaron is ten—old enough to camp on his lonesome in the farm field; young enough to bring his oldest stuffed toy along.

The sample on Poe's reading device ends just as Aaron realizes most of the neighbors use horse-drawn buggies instead of cars. But the online sample skips some pages, allowing the introduction of the neighbor kid, Jake (obviously slated to be the best friend and cohort in exploring the mystery in the old barn).

p.s. Jake's a girl.

If your younger middle grader likes mysteries, histories, and a quick read, then don't overlook this title.

TIMEKEEPERS: A REVOLUTIONARY TALE

By J. Y. Harris

Self-published in 2012

Poe thinks this is MG time-travel/historical

First sentence: The dull murmur of voices could vaguely be heard as they drifted up from the floor below.

The hook is promising. But the sample flouts several of the conventions that tend to draw readers in. The opening scene stars a woman (20 years married), and the teenaged protagonists don't appear until Chapter 2. The teens appear to be high schoolers (one takes Physics), but the simplicity and tameness of the plot (at least in the sample) make the book feel much younger. (Harris' own age range suggestion is young adult or teen.) Finally, the MCs have no plot trajectory in the contemporary world--no goals or situations interrupted by this jump through time; they're on their way to a school-required historical re-enactment, and wander into the past, where all the story will evidently take place.

Fantasy does have rules. Time travel, since it involves history, has more rules than other kinds of fantasy. Poe found this transport through time less than convincing—a sudden fog; a clearing in the woods that keeps its recognizable triangular shape from the 1770's to the present day; the teens' too-quick realization that they've changed time zones. And could two strangers stand on the edge of an Army camp for half a chapter without being challenged?

Still, a young reader's curiosity might be roused by the hint of a spy plot, and the sparkle in the details of place and time.

If your MG reader likes historicals, then give this book the once-over.

FOOTSTEPS IN TIME

The After Cilmeri Series

By Sarah Woodbury

Self-published in 2011

Poe thinks this is YA/crossover alternate history (cum time travel)

First sentences: "How can you leave Gwynedd undefended, my lord? Without you, we can't hold back the English."

The first scene will tell you whether to buy this book. It's dense with exposition, set-up, and Welsh names. Poe judges this more of a crossover book; the only reason it can be called YA is that the time traveling sibs are 17 and 14 years old.

For the most part, the narrative flows smoothly. But Poe's suspension of disbelief was seriously challenged. In a coincidence that beats anything in Dickens, the author gives us two contemporary American teens who happen to be conversant in Welsh and familiar with its history—and who crash back in time and place to a 13th century battlefield in Wales. Poe felt everything comes too easily to the teen travelers, from figuring out where/when they are to being accepted and cared for by the warriors. This is another book in which the teens' contemporary lives seem mere bookends; Poe didn't feel anything except Mom's imagined distress pulling the kids back to their former lives.

Will you be hooked by the plot, the local color, or the characters? The generous sample gives you 160 pages to decide; Poe stayed aboard for only the first 33.

If you love alternate history, and if can suspend your disbelief far enough, then you may get into this series.

THE TIME-TRAVELER'S APPRENTICE

By Kelly Grant

Self-published in 2011

Poe thinks this is YA historical mystery (cum time travel)

First sentence: "Do you think he's dead?" Baldwin asked in a quavering whisper.

Mystery, history, and time travel—Poe is eager to read more.

The sample's too short to tell us exactly how MC Simon breaks the time barrier, but long enough to tell us that this is not his first ride around the centuries. We also learn that the third-person narration is flippant, full of surprises, and perfectly edited. That the girl Simon meets is smart. And that there's plenty of humor.

It would be even better if we got a hint of the danger, crime, or mystery to come.

The author's been an archaeologist, museum director, and history teacher, and (docent-like) includes the historical end-note as part of the sample. That's how we know that the setting is the England of Henry II.

A note to the author: Poe recommends deleting the interesting but convoluted set-up info from the book's Amazon sales page. To hook readers, the sales page blurb should zero in on the story's main hooks (time travel, era of destination, mystery)—think elevator pitch, or jacket flap. Ideally, the blurb will be short, sharp, and written in the same tone of voice as the book itself.

Queued for reading by Poe's phony fire this winter.

THE CLOCKWISE SERIES

By Elle Strauss

Poe sampled this light YA time-travel series a few issues back. Read the review here.