Thursday, October 24, 2013

The War Inside




The War Inside: Book One of the Horizons Trilogy 
By M. Kircher, 
YA Dystopian/Paranormal 
available in September 2013.



Giveaway!!!
The author will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. So, comment here and follow the tour for even more chances to comment!  Tour schedule here



The War Inside
The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone; eking out her miserable life on the sunless, cloud-covered Earth she inhabits. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of an injured girl, and despite her misgivings, Thea decides to rescue sixteen-year-old Viviana. She soon learns that gentle Viv has a life-threatening infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.

Buy Link:



We get to hear from the beautiful M. Kircher herself!!! (YAY!!)


Managing Your Time as a Writer
M. Kircher

To be a writer you need one main thing: time to write. Finding that time in the midst of other work, daily responsibilities, family time, and the busy lives that we all lead can be a bit of a challenge.

Most of us non full-time writers are desperately trying to squeeze our passion for writing in as a part-time job or something that we spend every spare moment on. As a new mom (with a two-year-old boy adopted in July and baby girl born in June – instant family!) I’m finding this balance between work and family relationships incredibly difficult. However, I’ve realized that I’m both a better writer and a better mother, when I make time for each. This is no easy task. It has meant figuring out two days of childcare per week so that I can write. It has meant hastily busting out my laptop while the kiddos are napping and letting the house be a bit dirtier than I would like. It means skipping out on some family time to go work at Barnes & Noble while my husband watches the kids.

It has also meant not wigging out when the children don’t nap and I can’t get any writing done. I’ve had to learn that sometimes my family needs to come first and so I put down the phone, say no to my To-Do list, and spend some time playing. My writing is important, but so are the people in my life.

In terms of workload management I’ve found that breaking things down into small chunks of accomplishable goals is far better than telling myself, “I’m going to write half a novel this week.” I try to write one chapter a day or the equivalent, such as 1,000 – 2,000 words. If I’m in the editing stage, I’ll go through three or four chapters a day. For marketing, I write out what I want to accom
plish in a week and then break those goals down into hour-long tasks, assigning two or three of those tasks to each day. Reaching a smaller goal every day helps me feel less overwhelmed, and when I feel less overwhelmed I’m able to focus and get a fair amount done.

Another tip for writers that are trying to find ways to balance work and life is to let yourself be bored. Don’t fill every spare moment with Twitter, Facebook, errands, and so forth. Wash the dishes and let your mind wander. Take a long shower. Turn off the radio in the car. It’s amazing how much “writing” you can do when your brain is occupied with mundane tasks. Boredom sparks creative thought and it also gives your mind the time it needs to work through plot problems, a tricky bit of dialogue, or character development. Writers need both actual writing time and time to let their imaginations run free.

Balance is never easy. However, I’ve learned that if I make the effort to balance my life – both my relationships and my writing benefit.

Thank you so much for having me! – M. Kircher


Love having you here! 

About the Author
M. KIRCHER graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Gordon College and is currently an author and artist. "The War Inside" is her first novel, but there are more to come including the second book in The Horizons Trilogy, "The Gray Horizon" and "Dreamcatchers", a futuristic twist on the legend of Rip Van Winkle. She devours YA, science fiction, fantasy, and romance on a regular basis and is immensely happy to pour her time and energy into creating stories for other people to enjoy. Bob Ross and J.R.R. Tolkien tie for her two favorite people of all time.
She and her husband write regularly for Relevant Magazine (www.relevantmagazine.com) and Simply Youth Ministry (www.youthministry.com). They also just had their first book published called "99 Thoughts on Marriage and Ministry", by Group Publishing.
M. Kircher lives in Connecticut with her husband, one energetic son, and a new baby girl.

Author Links



Review

The War Inside is so diverse. I don't even know what I'd compare it to. It has bits and pieces of books I have read before, but nothing that I can pin point and say "yes that is what it reminds me of" M. Kircher has written an amazing book. I could just tell there was more waiting for me after each page. On the first page when I meet Thea I could tell this was going to be a good book, then I keep reading and it got better and better.

My favorite character would be Thea she helped Viv, a girl she didn't even know for whatever reason,. In a world of people who only fend for them selves. If your reading this and thinking about buying this book, stop thinking about it and do it already.


12 comments:

  1. I am in admiration of writers. Such dedication. You sound so organized, but I guess you need to be.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Mary! Yeah, the kiddos don't leave much wiggle room. They are creators of chaos! Thanks for stopping by!

      -Melissa

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  2. Thank you for having me today! It's a pleasure to be here and chat with your awesome readers!
    -Melissa

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  3. Nice review, thank you. Sounds like a great read.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Rita, wonderful to see you again :)
      -Melissa

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  4. Thanks for sharing your review and the giveaway. This book sounds like a good book. evamillien at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Eva, glad you liked the post today!

      -Melissa

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  5. Great review. I really enjoyed your comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Great too se you again Mom Jane!

      -Melissa

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  6. Great review!
    The War Inside sounds like a great read!!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Urgh...I have THE hardest time managing my writing time. I work a full 45 hour week, and then I'm in the process of a move AND my parents are moving so I'm helping them out...writing is like a fleeting dream at this point! :/

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete