Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Pushed Blog Tour: Remy Looks Like Who? - The Cast of Pushed


I am happy to be participating in the official blog tour for my fellow 2k12er and  all around great gal, Corrine Jackson and her novel Pushed, book two in the Sense Thieves trilogy. There is just over a week left of the tour, so if you want to hop on, you'll find the full tour here.

Today we're going to talk about Pushed character Remy, and who Corrine may have had in mind when developing her physical attributes, but first, let's give you a little taste of Pushed...here's an excerpt from the novel.


Gabe Blackwell never saw me coming.
In the tick of a hummingbird’s wings, I had launched myself at his back, taking him down in a tangle of arms and legs. Our bodies hit the blue mat in the middle of the Blackwells’ gym with a thud that shivered from my teeth to my backbone.
Gabe’s breath hissed out when Asher, leaning against a rack of weights, laughed at his older brother’s defeat at the hands of a gangly girl half his size. I took advantage of Gabe’s distraction to wrap an arm around his neck, putting the whole of my weight into pinning him. My height rivaled his, with me close to six feet and him just over, but he had a good sixty pounds of muscle on me. Unwilling to loosen my hold for even a second, I considered biting him in retribution for the thousand times he’d insulted me. And then I wondered if I might have given away my abnormal speed. I really hoped not.
“What is it you’re always yelling at me?” I pretended to think about it, enjoying my little victory over my boyfriend’s brother. With his sculpted features, Gabe never lacked for company, and he never let anyone forget it. I savored any opportunity I had to take his ego down a notch. “Oh right. I remember now. Never turn your back on the enemy, Protector.”
Gabe cursed and cut my amusement short when his muscles tightened and gathered under me. He might look twenty to my eighteen, but Gabe had lived more than a century, and his experience with our powers surpassed mine. Too late, I tried to strengthen my grip. The thought had scarcely occurred to me when I found my face planted in the mat with his knee bending my spine like a bow.
“I also told you to concentrate instead of getting cocky.” The cheer in Gabe’s proper British voice grated on my nerves. “Now, be a good little mortal, and say it.”
His humiliating version of saying “uncle,” he meant. Ten minutes ago I’d bet him that I could take him down in a fair fight, and he’d agreed with terms of his own if I lost.
“Come on, Healer. Say it. Tell me I’m the greatest Protector who ever lived.”
His knee pressed harder, as he settled in with more of his weight. Grunting, I tested my range of motion and felt an electric storm of agony gathering inside my body. Powerful energy, but not enough to turn the tables. Almost there, you smug jackass.
“All right.” Defeat colored my tone, and my body went limp. “You win. I’ll say it.”
I could picture the smirk on his carved, handsome face, and I used the anger to steel myself against the coming pain. In an explosion of movement, my body jerked backward, forcing his knee to dig in that little bit more I needed. A disk popped in my spine and slid sideways. The tempest exploded out of me, firing my pain into Gabe. Another pop and he collapsed with a thump next to me, his back now screwed up, too. Poetic justice. In the quiet that followed, I pressed my cheek into the cushioned mat and studied my nemesis, curled up in the fetal position next to me.
My voice came out weaker than I intended when I declared, “I am the greatest Protector who ever lived.” 
 
Now, let see what Corrine has to say about Remy...

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 “Remy looks like WHO?” -  The Cast of PUSHED” 

Remy doesn't look like any actress you know because I didn't base her appearance on a star. When I started writing the Sense Thieves series, I didn't use reference photos. That was a mistake because the longer I worked on TOUCHED, the more lost I got in what Remy and Asher were supposed to look like. Finally, I had to give in and find photos to reference. I happened to be flipping through a magazine when I saw this photo:


The model is tall, long-limbed, and she has the wavy hair that borders on curly. I wouldn't exactly describe her as typically beautiful. But there's something so striking about her features. She became the Remy I pictured in my head, except Remy was more blond than brunette. 

Asher was a different story. I had a more difficult time imagining what he looked like until I came across this photo.

 A young Orlando Bloom. He has the chocolate brown hair, high cheekbones, jawline, and lanky build that I pictured for Asher, except Asher had greener eyes. Add some muscle, a couple of years, and broader shoulders to Orlando and you'll have how I pictured Gabe.

These pictures now how you saw the characters? The great thing about knowing how an author pictures their characters is that you can entirely dismiss it. I do this all the time with covers, preferring to imagine characters as I see them in my head. Who did you imagine playing Remy, Asher and Gabe?

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Well, if Asher looks like Orlando Bloom I know I for one will need to get my hands on these books, and here's one way to do it...



Corrine is having an AWESOME giveaway. She's giving away 2 signed copies of her upcoming release, Ignited, and 20 (yes, I said 20) signed copies of Pushed. Enter right here!! *points down*



 Don't worry, if you don't win, you can always buy the book (and all her books of course).



Buy the Book: 
Add to Your Shelf: 


About Corrine:

Young adult author Corrine Jackson lives in Sand Francisco and has over ten years experience in marketing. She has bachelor and master degrees in English, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. Her novels include If I Lie (Simon Pulse) and the Sense Thieves trilogy (KTeen), comprised of Touched, Pushed, and Ignited (5/27/14). Visit her at CorrineJackson.com or on Twitter @Cory_Jackson.







Monday, February 10, 2014

Time to make some changes

I've been thinking about this for a while now, and it's time to set aside Creative Chaos. I know I just started using that a couple years ago, (has it been that long already?) but that's more who I am, not what I write or do. Plus, I'm going to be using that name for my publishing and indie author services business with my friend Rachel. Check it out (website is a work in progress, not completely done).

With a new brand, I need a new design, so my blog, my website is getting an overhaul. I'm just running through ideas in my head right now, but I think it will be fantastic (hope, wish, pray).

I also want to use my site as a platform to raise awareness for teen depression. You may wonder, why do we need to do that? Everyone knows about depression, right? Here's my take as someone who has suffered and probably has since high school...

I truly think teens may not know what depression looks like or feels like, therefore they may not know they're suffering. When I think back to my high school days, even my junior high days, I truly believe I suffered depression and had no idea until I was the ripe old age of 39 and having a nervous breakdown.

 They need to know where the outlets are for them to get help and have them at their fingertips so that they have a place to turn instead of harming themselves,  turning to drugs and/or alcohol, or worst case scenario, suicide.

Realizing that something is wrong and telling someone is key, but I think one of the hardest things to do.

And I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet, but I'm going to start an awareness project myself and get the right people involved to help those who struggle. I know there are a couple others out there, but I'm not sure they fit with what I want to do. If you've got ideas, let me have them.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

I am but a speck...

This morning I went to the funeral of one of my best friend's fathers. I remember him back when we were in high school and college as a commanding presence.  Boisterous, he would fill up a room when he walked in. I knew he was a Teamster.but other then that, I didn't know him at all.

As I listened to people talk about him, I learned more about the man behind the dad I met a few times. The boss that fought for employee rights, benefits and pay as a member, as secretary/treasurer, as vice president and president of a variety of Teamster committees, organizations, unions.

I learned about the philanthropist who donated his time as a board member of the Boys and Girls Club and the United Way.

I learned about the uncle, friend, father and brother who played football and baseball liked to fish and shoot guns by listening to stores, looking at pictures and seeing how many people were there to honor his life in the church this morning.

On my way home I received a text informing me that my father had been in a car accident and was at Tacoma General Hospital. Someone had ran a stop sign and plowed into the driver's side of his car at 40 miles per hour.

When I arrived at the hospital, my family was awaiting the CT scan results. My dad was in pain, he wore a neck brace and had a hematoma on his arm, but things could have been so much worse.

If things had been different, I don't think my dad would regret leaving this place as is, much like my friend's father. He has, in many ways, built a dynasty. His law practice has been up and running for over 25 years and he is one of the most respected attorneys in Washington State.

He went into this kind of law to defend the defenseless. His clients mean something to him. Many of his cases have helped make roads safer, the government more accountable, and helped numerous families put their lives back together after serious accidents.

He is the most generous man I know, willing to give to others, even to his own detriment, even if it means in the long run, he will receive less. He not only gives his money to numerous charities, but has helped many kids go to college, and has donated his time and energy to charities and organizations, politics and justice.

He worked numerous jobs to be able to get through college and law school, he was in the seminary, has traveled every state in America and all over the world, and wrote a novel. He is a lover of football and baseball, has supported just about every local sports team at one time or another including the Mariners, Seahawks, Rockets, Sabercats, Rainiers, and more.

He worked hard but still made us breakfast in the morning and didn't miss our soccer games, baseball games, and school concerts. He's been to his grandchildren's soccer games, football games, choir concerts, school auctions, band gigs, and plays.

He is kind and funny and intelligent and you don't have to take my word for it. Anyone who knows him will tell you in the legal world, his family, the community and his friends. He has kept the same group of friends since he was a child and made many more along the way.

These kinds of events, funerals, close calls, they make you think about life, mortality, your place in the universe...

Compared to these two men, I am but a speck. I look at their lives and I say to What have I done? In comparison, not much. I complain because I don't have time. Maybe time is subjective. Maybe I don't have time because I'm spending it unwisely. Because what I've thought is important, is in a word, not. I've  thought about doing some of the things these great men have done, but I've never actually done them.
myself:

I don't want to be a speck. I want to make a mark.

Less think, more do.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Dissected free for you Kindle tomorrow!

Man, it's been a crazy busy couple weeks. Again.

I had my first school visit in conjunction with my book Dissected. I went to Tacoma's School of the Arts and talked to an English class about traditional and indie publishing, as well as the book itself. They had some great questions for me. I think it was a successful visit.

To celebrate, the Kindle version will be free on Amazon all day tomorrow, February 7th. If you've not read it, go get your copy.

If you read it, I would urge you to leave a review. Reviews truly help us small, tiny, miniscule authors get noticed. Really they do.

Also, if you are a Tacoma/Seattle area school librarian or English teacher I would love to visit your school. It's one of my favorite things about being an author. Feel free to send me an email.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Wins and losses


You know what I'm going to talk about first. That's right, my Hawks. My dad has had season tickets since the beginning, 1976. I've been going to games since he deemed me old enough, probably since I was about 10 or eleven. I've never been a fair weather fan. I've always been die hard.

When they opened the new field, I bought my own season tickets. Kept them 3 years, I was there when they won the 2005 NFC championship game against the Panthers, but a single income household just couldn't keep up with the rising ticket prices.

It was so exciting to see the Hawks get back to the big game again. I had the Super Bowl score pegged at somewhere around 26-24. Never in my wild imagination did I think the Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense were going to fall apart like that. Never.

The Legion of Boom brought it. A sack, fumble recoveries, interceptions, one of those for a touchdown. There was Percy Harvin's kickoff run for a touch down, and the offense was on fire, especially Kearse and Baldwin. Ouch.

We were sitting around contemplating who they would choose for MVP and really were baffled. That's the thing about the Seahawks. They truly are a team and last night they all did their part to win. I thought maybe Avril, Kearse...but Smith with his interception for a touchdown and fumble recovery was very deserving.


I loved how when they interviewed the players after the game they all thanked the 12th man for being part of the reason they were there. Other fans may hate us, but we are loyal and passionate about our team.

I think this may be the beginning of a dynasty. It's a very young team with a lot of heart and talent. There are only a couple of free agents this year, the rest stay. I hope to see them get back to the show in the next few years.

Go Hawks!!

Photo by Justin Hoch.  Click here for license
Of course a dark cloud cast a shadow over the day. That was the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I remember him way back when from Scent of a Woman in 1992. He has done so many great films since then. He was so diverse an actor, he could play anything, intense, funny, creepy, manipulative, a total douchebag...Truly, I think he was one of the greatest actors of our time.


How sad that his stellar career wasn't enough for him to be happy in life and made him turn to heroin to escape whatever demons he faced. I've heard heroin is one of the hardest drugs to kick. It sounded like he'd been clean for a couple decades before going back to the drug.

How terribbly depressed do you have to be to leave behind that kind of career and three children? 

It was a great day in Seattle, but a Sad day in the movie world yesterday.




My Dad. He's awesome.

John Messina, Personal Injury Attorney

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