As of last night, and with a BIG thanks to Nigel Blackwell for helping, Football Sweetheart‘s video book trailer is now live on YouTube!
Friday FabOoolousness: Celebrating 2012 and Football Sweetheart
The year is rapidly coming to an end… in just a few days we’ll say goodbye to 2012 and welcome in 2013.
These past twelve months have been special—one of the best years of my life.
Every January 1st, I set New Year’s Resolutions like most people I know. Usually, I fail those resolutions before my birthday rolls around in February. Pathetic, I know.
But not this year. While I didn’t accomplish my goal in its entirety, I got closer than I’ve ever been before…
I published my first novel!!
To celebrate, I feel like giving…
Leave a comment below and you could win an e-book copy of my YA mystery Football Sweetheart!
Everyone has the rest of the year to enter! I will assign numbers to every comment (one entry per person) and select a winner via Random.org on Tuesday, January 1, 2013. Be sure to include an email address so I can contact the winner directly.
Now, being that January 1st is New Year’s Day and I will undoubtedly be cooking a big lunch/dinner and watching a ton of football, please be patient with me. I will log in and give away a copy of my book before the end of the day.
I truly hope that everyone had a wonderful 2012 and I wish you the absolute best in the New Year. Until then… Happy Commenting!
*****
Congratulations to….
Lucky #002!
That would be you, Lysa Lessieur!
Please email me directly at tiffanyannewhite (at) yahoo (dot) com for your winnings!
Tele-Tuesday: Merry Christmas from Football Sweetheart
For the first time since The Ooo Factor launched back in 2011, today’s Tele-Tuesday post is not about television. Why?
Because it’s December 25th!
Today, I feel like giving…
Leave a comment below and you could win an e-book copy of my YA mystery Football Sweetheart!
Everyone has all day to enter! I will assign numbers to every comment (one entry per person) and select a winner via Random.org tomorrow, December 26th. Be sure to include an email address so I can contact the winner directly.
Merry Christmas from Football Sweetheart and Happy Commenting!
The Reveal of Amber West’s The Ruth Valley Missing
On my first ever Monday blog post, I am pleased to participate in the big REVEAL event for my Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday partner-in-crime, Amber West. Shortly, the multi-talented author will publish her debut mystery novel, The Ruth Valley Missing.
Take a look!
*****
Jameson Quinn is sick of trying to find herself in the big city. After a gallery opening ends in a trip to the ER and an argument with her self-involved boyfriend, she decides to take off for the peace and quiet of a small town — Ruth Valley.
The small town has everything Brooklyn lacked: simple people, peaceful surroundings, and a feeling of safety. Jameson even finds the perfect house to rent from the town’s most eligible bachelor, Sheriff Jack. Life is finally headed in a promising direction.
But something isn’t right. A young man is mysteriously injured, then disappears — and Jameson finds he isn’t the only person to suddenly vanish. The suspicious behavior of an abrasive nun and a creepy priest set her off on an investigation of what’s really happening. Will she figure out the secrets of Ruth Valley before she’s the next to go missing?
*****
Did she hook you? She sure as heck hooked me!
Please join us in celebrating Amber’s BIG news! Share on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media outlet you desire. And, Goodreads users… we can add it to our bookshelves here!
Congratulations, Amber!!
Friday FabOoolousness – Football Sweetheart Now Available for the Nook!
My YA mystery, Football Sweetheart, is now also available for the Nook!
*****
Aimee Freeman is looking forward to the start of her senior year. She knows her best friend Ella has been keeping secrets from her all summer long, but with football season right around the corner, the student trainer decides not to worry about it—they’ll have plenty of time to catch up on the field.
Then Ella goes missing, and Aimee realizes those secrets might be the key to finding her. As the case unfolds, Aimee discovers more than one person may have wanted to harm Ella. Was it Ella’s current boyfriend, a social outcast the entire city seems intent on blaming for her disappearance? Or her ex-boyfriend, the beloved star quarterback who has harassed Ella since their breakup? The list of potential suspects continues to grow after Aimee reads Ella’s journal, but she must first break her best friend’s secret code to reveal their identities.
Unbeknownst to Aimee, her investigation has not gone unnoticed. Ella’s abductor is watching and waiting. Will he decide Aimee needs to be silenced—making her the next target?
*****
Check out the most recent review!
High School football season in a small west Texas town serves as the backdrop for this gripping mystery. Senior Aimee Freeman, like the rest of her classmates at Lee High, is eagerly awaiting the start of another winning Rebel football season. But when Aimee’s best friend and fellow team trainer, Ella, is abducted from her home, Aimee and her friends are left with more to worry about than a Homecoming game against the cross-town rival team. Who would want to harm Ella, and why? And does Aimee really know her friend as well as she thinks? Ella’s diary may have the answers…if Aimee can break her friend’s secret code.
Football Sweetheart is a fun, engaging story, giving readers a realistic glimpse into both the highlights and the struggles of being a teenager in a small town–from the excitement of preparing for school dances to dangerous conflicts that arise between social groups. With likable characters and a solid storyline that keeps you guessing “whodunit,” this book would be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes a good mystery. ~ Jennifer A.
*****
Thanks to everyone for making my first two weeks as a published author absolutely fabOoolous!
Friday FabOoolousness: Football Sweetheart – Available on Kindle
My YA mystery, Football Sweetheart, is now available on Kindle!
*****
Aimee Freeman is looking forward to the start of her senior year. She knows her best friend Ella has been keeping secrets from her all summer long, but with football season right around the corner, the student trainer decides not to worry about it—they’ll have plenty of time to catch up on the field.
Then Ella goes missing, and Aimee realizes those secrets might be the key to finding her. As the case unfolds, Aimee discovers more than one person may have wanted to harm Ella. Was it Ella’s current boyfriend, a social outcast the entire city seems intent on blaming for her disappearance? Or her ex-boyfriend, the beloved star quarterback who has harassed Ella since their breakup? The list of potential suspects continues to grow after Aimee reads Ella’s journal, but she must first break her best friend’s secret code to reveal their identities.
Unbeknownst to Aimee, her investigation has not gone unnoticed. Ella’s abductor is watching and waiting. Will he decide Aimee needs to be silenced—making her the next target?
*****
Check out some of the early reviews!
In Football Sweetheart, Tiffany A. White takes the reader into the world of high school football in West Texas. Aimee Freeman is looking forward to her senior year of high school. She knows her best friend, Ella, has changed over the summer; but it’s only after Ella disappears, that Aimee begins to understand how much.
Once I started reading Football Sweetheart, I immediately became engrossed in the story. I enjoyed getting to know Aimee and her friends, along with the football team, students, coaches, teachers from Lee High. As the book progressed, I could not wait to find out who was responsible for Ella’s disappearance; but at the same time, I did not want to leave the world of Lee High.
If you enjoy a good mystery, you will enjoy Football Sweetheart. ~ Latisha S.
This is an excellent read. You feel like you know the characters. I was spellbound from the start. You really get to know the people and football as it is in some Texas towns. ~ Ann A.
The glory days of west Texas high school football lives on in this book. High school friendships, crushes, breakups, and mysterious disasters evolve in this story.
It was an easy read that kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the details of the city Midland and the instilled love of football for the young teens.
The characters seemed real, and the mysterious plot was believable.
I am excited to hear the author will be coming out with more for this series. I look forward to getting to venture with Aimee, one of the lead characters, and her dear high school friends.
High school kids will enjoy this series along with adults who want to be taken down memory lane with some mysterious suspense. ~ Brandy C.
*****
Somebody pinch me! As excited as I am, I look forward to kicking back and relaxing for a few days… after I upload to Nook. 🙂
Have a fabOoolous Friday and a great weekend!
Tele-Tuesday: Topnotch Teen TV, the Mysteries
With the upcoming release of my debut YA mystery novel, Football Sweetheart, I thought it would be fun to use last week’s and this week’s Tele-Tuesday posts to showcase a few of my favorite YA and teen television series on TV today. I may be past my teen years, but these programs have what it takes to keep this thirty-something tuning in week after week.
Last week, we discussed the supernatural—The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf. Personally, I don’t think we’ll ever tire of vampires and werewolves and we’ll always have a place for them on the television screen. But what do these shows have besides the supernatural that keeps us coming back for more? The pretty people…
This week, we have ABC Family’s mysteries. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—these stories are both compelling and are filled with twists and turns week in and week out. Pretty Little Liars is perhaps one of the best whodunits on television today, and The Lying Game keeps us guessing as to what Sutton is really trying to accomplish with her games.
And like the supernatural, these shows have plenty of pretty people, but we also have the fashion…
Pretty Little Liars
First, we have the earrings…
Next, we have the hats…
And what about the clothes?
Then there’s the guys…
The Lying Game
We all know Sutton/Emma has the closet most girls dream about…
And she puts together the cutest outfits…
But her friends are no slouches either…
Now, the boys are a different story. They may be lacking in fashion sense, but I’ll take a guy who looks like this any day!
So, what do you think?
Which show has the better fashion?
Do you watch Pretty Little Liars or The Lying Game? What keeps you coming back for more? The story? The people? The fashion? Which show on television do you think has the best fashion? I’d love to hear from you!
And overall, which is your favorite Topnotch Teen TV program?
While Football Sweetheart doesn’t have any of the supernatural, it does have the mystery. Watch for it coming soon…
Tele-Tuesday: Renew Ringer, Seriously
In January of this year, I blogged about the first half of the first season of the CW’s mysterious new series Ringer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as twin sisters Bridget Kelly and Siobhan Martin. I not only blogged about it not once, but twice — once on Tele-Tuesday and again a bit later on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday.
Even after the first half of the season, I felt that Ringer was one of the best new shows added to the 2011-2012 TV schedule. Recently, I watched the second half of the season in marathon style. The season finale aired just a few weeks ago and now the news is circling that Ringer is one of the CW’s programs “on the bubble.”
How can that be?
I love the CW and DVR most of the network’s series: Gossip Girl, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, and Supernatural. So I guess it’s technically a shorter list to mention the CW programs that I don’t watch: Hart of Dixie and Nikita.
I’m not going to say one way or another whether or not Hart of Dixie and Nikita deserve to be picked up for a season two and season three respectively because I don’t watch those programs. I will say, however, that the revamped 90210 has nothing on the original and I’m shocked that it is still on the air. Yes, I record it; and yes, I watch it (well I fast forward through the entire episode like I do soap operas, and still understand enough to move on to the next week) — but it’s really subpar TV. And then there’s Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl is leaps and bounds better than 90210, but still the most recent seasons are nowhere near as intriguing and twisted as the earlier years (when the kids were in high school).
Over the next few weeks, the CW is introducing two new shows to the schedule: a fictionalized series based on the young and beautiful trying to make it in Hollywood, The L.A. Complex (sounds like another stab at the Melrose Place years); and a reality series based out of a Miami hotel, The Catalina (I shudder to think that this looks like a hotel-style based Jersey Shore).
So I’m back to my original question, how is it possible that Ringer is on the bubble?
It’s been no secret around The Ooo Factor regarding my feeling towards ABC’s new hit, Revenge. Revenge is currently my favorite program of all series airing today and I would be shocked if ABC didn’t renew it, considering the following it has and the ratings.
Ringer and Revenge share many similarities – they’re both mysterious and full of twists and turns; both shows have creative and believable writing in otherwise over-the-top situations; both shows have likeable lead female characters despite their actions (Ringer’s Sarah Michelle Gellar and Revenge’s Emily VanCamp); both shows have good-looking male love interests (Ioan Gruffudd and Kristoffer Polaha from Ringer, and Joshua Bowman and Nick Wechler from Revenge); and most importantly to this mystery lover, both shows actually answer the question “why” and wrap up open storylines cleanly and meticulously.
From my earlier posts featuring Ringer, there were a few specific questions I hoped would be answered in the second half of the season: Why does Siobhan hate her sister so much? When will Andrew discover the truth? How long will Siobhan and Bridget keep up this charade? And what is Mr. Carpenter’s secret?
Each and every one of these questions was answered. That doesn’t happen often, trust me — I watch a LOT of TV. Additionally, the first season was wrapped up very nicely with only the slightest cliff-hanger leaving us wanting more. Perhaps the series was written this way because the staff didn’t know at the time whether or not the show would be picked up for a season two; or maybe this storyline was the plan all along. Regardless, I applaud the writers and creators of Ringer. Really, I do.
But I’m still left wondering how in the world Ringer can be on the bubble when Revenge is practically a shoe-in for pick up (it should be, anyway). How can Ringer be on the bubble when it’s, in my opinion anyway, the fourth best show on the network?
I’m completely dumbfounded…
What do you think? Did you watch Ringer? What did you think about all of the outcomes surrounding all of Bridget’s, Siobhan’s, and Andrew’s twists and turns? Is one of your favorite shows this TV season facing a questionable return? I’d love to hear from you!
For those interested, follow @SaveRinger and use the #SaveRinger hashtag on Twitter… spread the word. I’d like to see a season two, especially since the creators have already announced a season two will be all about the consequences…
Friday FabOoolousness – Living with a Wicked Stepfather
It’s time again for Catie Rhodes and I to break down another cinematic original and its remake – this month, we discuss The Stepfather.
First, I must applaud Catie’s homemade summary for the 1987 thriller:
Jerry Blake is in search of the American Dream. Somewhere out there is a house surrounded by a white picket fence and a family who will live up to his expectations. And if Jerry’s family doesn’t live up to his expectations, he’ll murder them and start over again.
And in keeping with Catie’s style, here’s a taste of the most recent, The Stepfather (2009):
When I first watched the trailer, I had no idea this film was a remake. I saw the stars of the movie (each from past and current day television programs that I highly enjoy) and the premise of the movie, and I was hooked! Not to mention, you know you’re aging when you have just as much of a crush on the dads of the film as you do the young actor playing the teenage son…
Now for a few differences between the original and the remake:
Jerry Blake is now Grady Edwards, or David Harris (played by Dylan Walsh, Nip/Tuck). We can’t be sure of his real name because he has changed it each time he has murdered his family and attempted to move on with his life.
David meets Susan (Sela Ward, CSI: NY) in a grocery store where he discovers his next opportunity — his next American Dream — a single mother with two young children, a boy and a girl. He introduces himself, she invites him to dinner, and the happiness commences.
That is until Susan’s oldest son, Michael (Penn Badgley, Gossip Girl), returns home from military school. Apparently, Michael didn’t respond well to his mother and father’s (Jon Tenney, The Closer) divorce, so Mama sent him away to give Michael time to contemplate whether or not his acting out was the best way for him to deal with his life changes.
Michael is ecstatic to be home, but he’s not thrilled about David — he doesn’t like the speed with which David has courted his mother; and David makes him uncomfortable when he invites Michael down to the now padlocked basement for a shot of tequila for the two to bond over. But Michael’s girlfriend (Amber Heard, Playboy Club) convinces him to give David a chance — after all, his mother has been so happy since David came into her life, and she doesn’t want Michael shipped back to military school.
Everything in David’s new world is perfect — Susan’s sister (Paige Turco, Person of Interest) hires him at her lucrative real estate agency; he and Susan will soon marry; and it seems he has successfully escaped his life as Grady Edwards.
That is until the neighbor sees a man resembling David on America’s Most Wanted. Of course this neighbor loves to gossip, so Susan laughs her off. But not David. No, he can’t have a nosy old woman sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. So he does what he does best — he murders her.
It’s also about this time that Michael and Michael’s father begin questioning the new man in Susan’s life. And they aren’t the only ones…
Why is the basement padlocked now that David lives in the house?
And since the basement door is already padlocked, why are the brand new shelving units that David built down there also padlocked?
Why does David call his deceased daughter by two different names?
Why doesn’t he have any form of identification to provide to his boss for his required government tax documents?
Catie mentions in her post that including the POV of the brother of Jerry’s dead wife saves the predictability of the 1987 film. The same can’t be said for the 2009 remake.
What’s not predictable? The fact that David escapes at the end… I honestly didn’t see that one coming. Of course, had I known at the time that there was an original and subsequent sequels as I watched The Stepfather (2009) for the first time, perhaps the ending would not have surprised me the way that it did.
But here’s the best part — The Stepfather movies are loosely inspired by actual events. Has anyone ever heard of John List? John List murdered his entire family and then walked away — vanished into thin air. For more on List, click over to Catie’s blog today and read all about him on her Freaky Friday post.
What do you think? Have you seen either the original or the remake of The Stepfather? If you’ve seen both, which do you prefer and why? If you haven’t, do you want to? I’d love to hear from you!
Remember to stop by Catie’s blog discussing the original if you haven’t already.
Friday FaBOOolousness – March’s MarvelOoous Mashups, Awards, and a Tag Meme
We skipped February so it’s time for The Ooo Factor’s next installment of MarvelOoous Mashups. This month I’m including a few awards that my fellow bloggers so generously awarded me, as well as participating in the widely spread Lucky 7 Meme.
First up, a big HUGE thanks to Marcy Kennedy for awarding me the Liebster Award!
Liebster is the German word for beloved person. If anything, I have definitely developed a close friendship with Marcy, even though we’ve never met in real life. She is one of the most supportive writing friends a girl could have, and I look forward daily to her tweets, emails, posts, and smiles.
In turn, I award these great blogging friends with the Liebster Award: Amber West and Jen L. Kirchner. They’re my liebsters and excellent bloggers.
Jen has previously written a few great Vote Your Own Adventure blog series, but she’s now venturing out into the Sci-Fi world and provides great Gaming Reviews for Girls as well as Sci-Fi Pin Ups each month.
Amber, in addition to all of her blogging greatness, has started a new series of her own where she takes inspiration from her blog commenters to build the next portion of her story. Her tale has just begun, so be sure and stop by her blog to contribute to her Tell Me a Story series.
I’d also like to express a big HUGE thanks to Martine Svanevik for awarding me the Kreativ Blogger Award and Fallon Brown for the Versatile Blogger Award.
I’ve done this a few times, but still feel like I should share the love and award a few new bloggers with the same honor.
Let’s see….who’s Kreativ? Definitely Myndi Shafer. Myndi blogs about anything and everything, but my favorite series is her I am Beautiful posts where she features women’s beauty from the inside out.
Who’s deserving of the Versatile Blogger Award? Lydia Sharp of The Sharp Angle. Lydia blogs about everything from vivacious spring colors, to the writing craft, and in one of my favorite segments, she promotes other writers and their books out in the market today in Fresh Baked Books.
THANK YOU, everyone! Winning these awards for my posts means so very much to me, AND congratulations to the new recipients.
*****
In addition to these fabOoolous bloggers deserving of the awards, be sure to click on these sites featured in the March edition of MarvelOoous Mashups!
PART I: FabOoolous Writerly Posts
When writing, we’ve all heard to be careful with our use of flashbacks. Luckily, Lydia Sharp helps us along with her post: Good Flashbacks, Bad Flashbacks.
All writers waffle back and forth as to whether or not they should travel down the traditional publishing route, the indie publishing route, or the self-publishing route. These next two posts explore two of the three roads: The Ins and Outs of Indie Publishing, a guest post by PJ Sharon courtesy of Catie Rhodes, and Publishing with Small Press, a guest post by Laura Kaye courtesy of Stacy Green. These are fabOoolous reads for all writers considering their publishing options.
Show Don’t Tell – one of the most popular phrases a writer hears when attending self-editing workshops. Thanks to the great Angela R. Wallace, I found this wonderful example of how to show and not tell by Ilona Andrews. Thanks for sharing, Angela!
What do we do when we want to talk about a controversial topic on our blog? Taking a side in any controversy can be controversial in itself. Thanks to August McLaughlin, she offers up a wonderful summation of just what to do in her post: Controversial Blog Posts – How to Make them Work.
We all know that Targeting Advertising is the Key to Success, right? If not, check out this fabOoolous post and list of resources by Emlyn Chand.
PART II: FabOoolous Recipes
It’s Martini O’clock! When in need of a fancy cocktail to get us through the night (or day in some circumstances), Jillian Dodd has just what we need: the Thin Mint Martini and the Salted Caramel Chocolate Martini. YUM!!!
Part III: FabOoolous True Crime Stories
Jeffrey Dahmer didn’t corner the market on homosexual oriented serial killings. Kansas City had its own monster: Robert Berdella, a.k.a. the Butcher. While Dahmer killed his victims fairly quickly, Berdella liked to torture the young men he seduced for days and sometimes weeks. He kept a “torture book” detailing his sadistic activities.
Ooo, Stacy really grabbed my attention with this one! When I see an introduction like this, I’m interested. For more about Bob’s Bazaar Bizarre, check out Stacy Green’s thrilling post.
What ‘s better than True Crime? Throwing ghosts into the mix. The Devil’s Weekend by Catie Rhodes does not disappoint. To quote Catie quoting Joseph Conrad: “The horror! the horror!”
Part IV: Just Because They’re fabOoolous
Anyone who knows me, knows I love scary movies. Especially slashers. Which is why it should come as no surprise that one of my favorite links these past few months is Sonia G. Medeiros’ Creepiest Movie Quotes.
Can anyone name a few Songs that Became Movies? It’s a lot harder than it seems. Check out a few of the lyrical sensations that took Hollywood by storm, courtesy of Catie Rhodes.
Ever wonder what in the world the kids are talking about today? Take a trip down memory lane with these Excellent Generational Phrases by Erin Brambilla.
Who is a Larger than Life Character? Check out this very interesting blog post by Julie Glover where she explores theconcoctions of an author’s mind who take on their own identity and become conversational touchpoints…
Ever wonder what a logline would be like if we combined two movies together? To be honest, I hadn’t either. Not until I read Loglines from the Edge of Ridiculousness by Myndi Shafer. This post is brilliant and very entertaining.
We can never be too safe in today’s digital world, which is why I absolutely recommend this fabOoolous Tech Safety and Security blog with Ian Thompson courtesy of Amber West. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like the hackers are growing exponentially today?
*****
And now for the last part of today’s special blog celebration — my participation in The Lucky 7 Meme tag game. Thank you to Angela R. Wallace, Marcy Kennedy, Lisa Hall Wilson, Shannyn Schroeder, and Jillian Dodd for the big slap on the back (that’s how you play tag, right?).
Of course with any tagging game, there are rules…
1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 lines (sentences or paragraphs) and post them as they’re written.
4. Tag 7 writers and let them know.
Everyone knows that I’m working on my first YA mystery novel, but very few know anything about it. I’ve kept pretty mum on my title and storyline, but considering I’m almost done with my cover and am in the final editing stage, it’s time.
So here’s an excerpt from the rough draft of my first book… drumroll please…
Football Sweetheart
Whew! That’s the first time I’ve publically announced the name of my book!!
I’ve been editing for the past few months and I’m really not sure if this scene will actually end up on page 77, but it’s there now. So here goes…
Aimee glanced up while singing along to Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” only to notice Jeanie wasn’t standing in the circle any longer. She slowed her swaying, and started looking around. Jeanie was new to the school, new to the group, and had never been out to Uncle Marty’s — not with the girls anyway. Just as she started to panic, Aimee spotted Jeanie across the dark street talking to Bobby.
“The nerve!” Aimee spewed spit with the exclamation, luckily keeping her tone low enough to only grab the attention of her friends.
Okay, so it’s not much… but I did play by the rules – page 77, 7 lines down, 7 lines of my novel.
I’ve read some great excerpts of those participating in the Lucky 7 Meme tag game these past few weeks, and I’m looking forward to more. Here are my Lucky 7 that I’d like to return the favor and slap on the back — TAG, YOU’RE IT!
- Jen L. Kirchner
- Amber West
- Angela R. Wallace
- Nichole Chase
- Stephanie Nelson
- Liz Schulte
- Claudia Lefeve
This was really out of my comfort zone to announce the name of my book as well as include a small excerpt. But why not? I sure hope my Lucky 7 take the plunge with me, but I also understand if they don’t.
What blogs have you read lately that have really stood out among the rest? Have any good blog posts for writers regarding self-publishing or e-books that you’d like to share? Recipes? How about a favorite true crime story that sends chills down your spine? We’d love to hear from you!
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 