Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Guest Post w/ Emi Gayle + Giveaway (open INT)!


Well Happy Wednesday Yall & welcome to day 5!

Please help me welcome Young Adult author Emi Gayle to the blog today :)

She's got a great guest post today about writing for teens when you aren't so much a teen anymore plus there's an excellent giveaway for yall down at the bottom. 

Emi will be back as her alter ego Aimee Laine (who I adore!) later on this month so be sure to keep a look out for her!


Writing for teens ... how when I'm not a teen?

What’s it like being a teenager? I mean ... you know ... what with the school and all that homework? And acne and braces and life that’s full of drama?



Life that’s really full of simplicity when you think about it. No, not when you think as a teenager, but as an adult. Life was ... simpler. But it wasn’t. Not to the teenage me. Life was tough.

As a YA author, I have to try and remember what life was like—get into the heads of people who don’t really know everything yet—and create characters that are relatable.

To do that, I have to be a part of their moment, in with their issues. I have to return to the me that was 15, 16 and 17, who wanted everything in life and didn’t fully grasp that I had to work to get it. That my parents wouldn’t always pay for stuff. That my best friend had feelings and stealing her boyfriend was not an option. That cheating really will get you kicked out of the National Honor Society. That none of that matters in the long run ... but what does matter is how we treat people and how we want them to treat us.

Is any of that clear as a teenager? Some of it, surely. Teens today are far more advanced (mature - not so sure, but mentally advanced) than those of 20 years ago.

But I have to remember. I have to dig deep into the soul of the younger me, and remember what I did know vs. what I thought I knew vs. what I never in a million years would have been able to know.

That is what let’s me write YA novels. That’s what lets me connect with a younger generation even though I’m at least 18 years older than them.

Luckily for me, I have a teenage son who reminds me every day just how awesome life was in the teen years ... and just how hard. That is where I start when writing for the young adult audience. Right there. In the mind of an actual teenager and infusing my own experiences, wishes, wants and needs overtop of that.

                                                                                      ~Emi Gayle



In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists—which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

Get Your Copy of Emi's newest Release!  
Amazon   B&N


Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.

Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.

Web  |  Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads



Ahhh awesomeness! 
Emi is giving one lucky follower an ecopy of her book After Dark & a SIGNED bookmark! Score! 

Just fill out that Rafflecopter!
She may even stop by so leave her some nice comments & questions :)
How do you keep your inner kid alive and well?

53 comments:

  1. My inner teen is alive and well mostly because my oldest daughter is close to becoming a teen herself. She keeps me on my toes and reminds me what it was like to be a teenager :-)

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  2. My inner teen is immortal...what would be the fun without it!
    ivegotmail8889(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  3. Mine it's not that far away... and anyway, I always act however I want when I want to...

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    1. Good for you Aly! Love that you're just who you want to be :)

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  4. I have a teenage daughter at home and I relive so much of my teenage years through her again. I SO get a lot of what she's going through, what she's trying to pull, and how she feels. I DO let her go through it on her own and think to myself how I remember that or feeling like that!

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  5. ^^ hum for my inner teen: candy and plush and of course books ! i was already too nice and wise for my age so no clubbing etc for me

    does this ebook is also available in pdf?

    thank you a lot

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    1. Oooh. Really don't know if it'll be pdf Miki but the book mark at least is sendable :)


      And mmmm candy! I skipped the clubbing scene too. Never really caught my interest. Not sure what plush is but I'd be willing to try :) LOL

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    2. plush= stuffed animal ( i prefer the one for baby so soft and washable)

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    3. Ahh I like that :) I've got a few of them at the house that are hidden away from my pup. She likes to pull their insides out from their eyes and it's just too awful to watch. LOL. So they're nice and safe in my closet :)

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  6. Watching animated movies, for one. :) Getting together with your best friend, which automatically turns both of you into giggling children again! lol. And let's not forget reading--when I really want to revist my childhood memories, I pick up Harry Potter! I'll always be a devoted fan, no matter how old I get. And I'll always be waiting, dreaming, hoping for my Hogwarts letter. Perhaps the owl simply got lost on his way to UT.... :D

    Enjoy!
    TBQ

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    1. Awww getting together with the best friends is always awesome. Love that! I always have such a good time just visiting with the girls :)

      I've still got to read all of the Harry Potter books. *hangs my head in shame* ;)

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  7. Love this, =) i keep mine alive by reading YA now and again, can´t all be erotic and smut, you know LOL and i still think i´m 15, sneaking outside in the summer night to sneak a smoke and look at boys.

    best wishes, Linda

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    1. LOL Linda that's too funny. I'm with ya on that. I pick up a YA now and again too. You just gotta change it up sometimes :) Good luck!

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  8. I keep my inner teen alive by watching animated movies.

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    1. Ooo a lot of yall movie watchers. I should really watch more of them!

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  9. I have 3 teens that help keep my inner teen alive however that age sure was frustrating. I have more empathy for my mom now :)
    I also watch a lot of Disney with my other 3 children which helps too.
    However nothing brings out the inner teen more than having a night out with your best friend....

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    1. Oh my word. Three teens in the house must be a bit insane!

      Ahhh a night out with your friends is always great. I'm getting to see two of my favorites tonight and can't wait. We always end up having the most "mature" conversations and breaking down laughing. :)

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    1. LOL. That's an awesome way Heather! I think that may be my I need Chocolate! excuse from now on ;)

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  11. Well... I still read YA novels! :)

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  12. By reading books and watch comedi er action movie. LOL!!!

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  13. I've suddenly become a stepmother to two teenaged girls, which is not always easy. One of the fun things though, is researching young adult books for them to read, as they both enjoy reading.

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    1. What a great way to connect with your young ladies Aurian! That's great that yall've found something you can enjoy together!

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  14. How do I keep my inner kid alive and well? It's like the saying,"I refuse to grow up" LOL! I still embarrass my kids and they're 22 and 28.

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    1. LOL. Leah you'd probably get along famously with my mom :) She's just like that and still gets me from time to time :)

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  15. Keep the inner kid alive by lots of music, reading books and a dancing silly.

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    1. Ahhh silly dancing!!! Music and books here too :)

      Dance on DivaVixenQueen!

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  16. Most of the time I actually can't believe how old I am! I think enjoying things & laughing can keep you feeling younger.

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    1. LOL. That's awesome Di!! Always great to have such a good time with things :)

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  17. I keep my inner well feed with YA books! I also work with teens and have plenty of exposure to their angst!

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    1. Oooo yeah I've been reading more and more YA books recently and they definitely do get you in touch with your inner teen :)

      That's great you work with teens! Bet that's quite the experience!

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  18. I keep my inner kid alive by talking a lot with my younger sister.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  19. My boys are there to keep my warm with their sunshine- that's what I always tell them- so if not for them I would be lost to my own inner kid. sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com

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  20. I keep my inner teen alive by doing things with my dad. That makes me feel young again spending the day with him. We do all sorts of things, shopping, going to lunch and breakfast, going to scrapbooking shows, botanical gardens, zoos, just hanging out in the front yard.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    1. Aaaaawwww Julianne I love that! How awesome that you do that with your dad! You're so getting a giftie! I added you to my "surprise" giveaway list :) Not sure what the goodies will be but at the end of the event you'll get to pick from an extra stash! Yay!!!

      ~Anna

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  21. I text my teenage daughter in her lingo...

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    1. Aw :) I'm still working on texting. I'm terrible at it! LOL :)

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  22. I keep my inner teen alive by doing fun things like visiting theme parks and riding the roller coasters. :D

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    1. Oh that's definitely a good way. I'm so a wuss though and always end up squealing on those rides :)

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  23. I think my inner teen will always be alive in me. Well, most of my inner teen. The part that likes to join "fandoms" and squeal with delight when my newest crush is doing an interview.

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  24. My inner teen is alive in me due to my teenage son. He reminds me everyday about how they worry over the weirdest stuff and doesn't have to worry about a lot. Although he has more responsibilities than most teenagers his age..for a reason, I am hoping that it will provide him and his future family stability one day. I am still looking towards his future and reminding him everyday how the real world will be. I am also glad that he can be just a plain teenager at times. He is a remarkable kid..but I swear, the hormones take over and stun their brain cells sometimes. Lol!
    Nicole.nobles@aol.com

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  25. reading book, eating chocolate and listening music all the day :)

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  26. Well, my inner 5 year old comes out all the time- "I don't have to go to bed, cause I don't work outside the home, na na! I don't wanta don't the dishes now, no one will see them before morning...(it's a good thing we don't have kids, lol)" and so on.
    As for my inner teen--I have started getting acne again!! And I mean zits like when I was 16! My Dr wanted to put me back on meds for it even. I already take enough pills, thank you very much. And we are not even going to talk about the crazy food cravings around certain times of the month like when I was 16, much less the weight changes...
    No, I thought I was done with this when I left my teens. No one warned me about the second time around before I ever hit the 'life change' that will be coming. Then I will have the mood swings that all teens have to go with everything else, lol.
    vickykerr(at)sbcglobal.net

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  27. Sometimes i feel like i never grew past 15 *sigh* i´m the same as i´ve always been, reading books, listening to music and prefering to stay at home with a great book instead of going out and meeting people.. =) now, at least, i can blame my age and say i´m too tired to go out >.<

    Happy new Year!
    Linda

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  28. I make sure I giggle as often as I can. :)

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I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

Bloggers don't forget to leave your links!
~Anna

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