Unpinned by Mila A. Ballentine Cover Reveal

 

 

 

 

Unpinned

A Paranormal Sequel

 

Release Date: February 11, 2014

 

Cover Artist: Mila A. Ballentine

 

BLURB

 

Her life was filled with constant loss and upheaval, but Marie Tousant was eager to put it all behind her. She leaves Hapville, Louisiana, hoping to find inner peace on a tropical isle. With Louisiana in her rear view mirror, Marie attempts to create a path to a normal life, but she soon realizes how inconsistent a sense of normalcy can be. Haunted by her past in every conceivable way, Marie recognizes that she can’t run from herself.

Marie’s only ally, Libby Townsend, is thousands of miles away when unsettling emotions surface and a sense of dread takes hold. A welcome surprise eases her worries, but it doesn’t last and her world begins to unravel. Evil forces take hold and tighten their grip; Marie and a sinister being summoned by practitioners of the Dark Arts clash. In the face of a heroic battle, Marie Tousant can’t help but wonder if there’s anyone left willing to protect her, even in the face of death.

 

 PROLOGUE

Marie took one last look around her home. White sheets covered all of the furniture and the walls were bare. The taxi driver honked the horn and it echoed inside. She looked at her suitcase and sighed. The memories of her parents and Granma Tilde tiptoed into her subconscious. They were all gone. She was all that was left of them and she had to go out into the world alone. Hopefully the world would be kind and not devour her. Marie opened the front door, put her suitcases outside, and closed the door behind her.

The night sky illuminated with a constellation of stars. Marie rolled her suitcases down to the curb; the cab driver stepped out and put her suitcases in the trunk. They entered the cab and drove away. Marie lost everything that was dear to her; Libby Townsend was the closest thing to family that she had left. She said her goodbyes earlier in the day. Marie didn’t want any erratic emotions to hinder her departure when the time came.

Libby looked out of her living room window. Marie made her promise that she wouldn’t come over when she was about to leave for the airport, but she never said she couldn’t watch. Libby tried to hold back her tears, but it was inevitable. She looked at the cab drive away until the rear lights faded. Libby slouched to the floor and cried silently.

^^^

The bayou was abuzz with lights. The reflection of a fire reflected on their masked faces. They knelt in a large circle around the fire, with their heads bowed to the ground. A man huddled against a red oak tree with a Congo drum clenched between his thighs. His fist struck the drum and rhythmic sounds flowed through the air.

“Rah!” They responded, repeating the word every time the drummer hit a specific beat. Their bodies waved in a serpentine motion, sending their spines into a bell curve.

“Rah!”

The beat changed and they rose to their feet, pranced, bucked and stomped. Clouds of dust rose to their waistline and the drummer changed the beat yet again. A figure with a horned white mask broke through the circle. The fluidity of their movements trickled out to the bog people who began thrusting their right foot backward, as if they were about to charge.

The figure was stacked in hundreds of layers of tree roots that stopped below where a knee should be and another layer that ended just above the feet came to the forefront. It stomped and gyrated its body to the Congo beat. The more it moved, the wider the circle became. Suddenly the figure jumped into the fire and sent flames ten feet into the air. A face animated within the flames.

The circle closed and the bog people knelt, and bowed, resting their foreheads to the ground. The drummer’s beat lowered. A young woman in the group stood up and walked over to where two cages sat, one with a crow and the other with a dove. She removed them from the cage, pressed their breasts together, and bound them with barbwire. Their blood flowed until it became one.

She removed a vial from a satchel, and drank its contents. The bonded crow and dove fell to the floor. It didn’t take long for the black mamba’s venom to send her body into violent twitches as the venom coursed through her veins. She collapsed. A man in the circle emerged with an ivory handled knife. He knelt beside her, made an incision just below her navel, and inserted the crow and dove inside her womb.

Death loomed above her and the full moon faded when her eyes went black. She had offered herself as a sacrifice to summon a creature more powerful than the Soucouna. Once the creature was summoned, it would be nearly impossible to kill it and it possessed the ability to smell a Silken thousands of miles away.

The drummer’s beat became erratic and the bog people stomped, jumped, and spun their bodies, until the last beat hit the drum.

“Rah!”

 

UNPINNED QUOTES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNPINNED PURCHASE LINKS

Unpinned/Kindle 

Unpinned/Nook

 

THE PREQUEL

 

 

 

 

BLURB

 

Marie Tousant was an adventurous child, living a happy life until she had an untimely encounter with an entity in her back yard. From then on, she was no longer the same child, but even so, her parents were determined to maintain some sense of normalcy in her life. Although, they soon realized that, that notion did not apply. 

Years later, hunting season begins, but Marie is the prey, pursued by practitioners of the dark arts, and they do not intend to let her slip away this time. However, a conflicting power emerges and shares secrets that may save Marie from the grasp of evil. Regardless of the dangers they face, Marie’s allies are willing to protect her; it becomes clear that Marie is in for the fight of her life, and there is no telling if she will come out of this ordeal alive.

 

PURCHACE  LINKS:

AMAZON/Kindle

Barnes & Nobles/Nook

 

The Purple Pen Unpinned

  

I've written about the editing process before and it's always an interesting topic to explore, after all it's a part of the writing process that is inescapable.

For the past few months, I've been working on the sequel of Thin Skin Soul Pinned and now the editing process has begun. I often wonder, why can't a manuscript be written perfectly the first time? Well, that would be too easy. The writer would have less bruises from the journey. Simply put, the trials of editing gives us personality like the remnants left to remind us of a brawl, scars. We can find and sometimes lose our creativity or build confidence in our craft. Writing  is a chore and editing can arguably be compared to taming a wild boar. A lot goes into the process, but it takes more than creativity, a distinct voice, good penmanship, and discipline to make a story work.

It's important to unleash your inner fierce, explore different art forms to help you fine tune your own. Write. Don't restrict yourself to topics your comfortable with. Arguably, some of the best music came out of the 60s through the 70s and there's a reason for that. They sang of joy, pain, and love like they were drowning in it and made the listener feel whatever they were musing about.

 

There are many tools out there that can make the editing process easier, but  I'd like to highlight one in particular, www.paperrater.com.

It's a free program that may improve  the quality of your work. For example, if you are writing for a certain age group, you can select that option before submitting the text for analysis. It  can also help to  highlight the incorrect usage of words.

 

  Cons: They screen for robot usage. Pardon the static interference while R2D2 stares blankly at the screen on my behalf.

"Editing can be grueling, but it can also be rewarding, especially when you're able to make something that's potentially good better."~ Mila A. Ballentine

Dear 2013 There's Something I'd Like To Say Before You Go

On this 31^st day of December, I sit here gazing momentarily at the New York skyline. The pen swerves coiling on the page as I pen this emotional open letter. It’s been a momentous year; I’d vowed to slow down, write less and enjoy the day-to-day beauty that I tend to miss out on while I’m hunkered down in my writing cave. Needless to say I failed miserably at this task, my creativity and the anxious minions in my head wouldn't allow it. In the end, I released more books than I had the year before, six. In light of this, I've decided not to limit myself or stifle my creativity. Doing so would only fill me with dread; I’d drown in myself. So in 2014, I've decided to write as much as I want to, whether I share it with a reading audience or not. As I've said before, “Writing is my oxygen; it’s my therapy, the very thing that saves me from being lost in the abyss of myself.”

As we say goodbye to 2013, I’d like to thank each and every person who’s played a part in my journey; you've made this past year bearable: Tonya Kappes, thank you for contacting me at a critical moment that gave me hope when mine was in short supply; your gesture saved me that day. You encouraged me in the very moment when I was unsure of what worth I’d have in the industry.

Barbara B., my beloved sister, I've looked up to her throughout my life. She went beyond being supportive, investing time and money despite her hectic schedule to read and give me feedback, even with the children’s books. Thank you for being the closest thing to a twin that I’ll ever have, for making me laugh and for loving me. Then, there’s my best friend of twenty three years Evelyn, who’s been no less than a sister to me and has made the low points high ones and has been the wind in my sail when I feel I've reached my limit. Thank you for encouraging me, supporting me and telling me what I need to hear and not what I want to hear. I thank you and appreciate you. 

Summarized, it’s been said, “What hasn't been revealed to the wise and the prudent has been revealed to the babes and the suckling,” and it’s true. My sidekick, unofficial twin, critique partner S.J. Dennery has played an instrumental part in my evolution as an author. She was fifteen years old when she started working with me and it’s been an epic journey. S.J. Dennery pushed me beyond my limits and when I thought that she was through with me, she pushed me further. There’s been times when she was arguably hard on me and I’d go into my writing cave and bury my head in the folds of my arms. I was discouraged but anyone who knows me knows that I have a determined spirit, even when I feel as though I’m ready to wave a white flag, my personality won’t allow it. I put my big girl pants on and revisited whatever the issue was and I came back to her admittingly nervous. Thankfully, I rebounded every time impressing her more I had on the last project. There is always room for improvement, I’m a work in progress and I will continue to strive to improve my craft. S.J. Dennery, I’d like to thank you for being at my side during my journey in the publishing world. I can’t imagine being on this excursion without you. I love you with all that I am or ever will be.

Ilia Smith

Her best friend and partner in mischief, Ilia Smith has been influential from the start. She’s an avid fan, the kind that would wear team colors if I had one, she’d stand in line for tickets in the rain if I played on an athletic team…I am flattered. In a past life, she was probably my daughter, but I’d adopt her in this life in a heartbeat. Thank you for being a friend, neighbor and a rebel with a cause.

Mostly, I’d like to thank The Pump Mila A. Ballentine Up, PR Team. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel. With the exception of a few of you who I know outside of cyber space, your support and encouragement baffles me. Honestly, I get teary-eyed when I reflect on it. You've shared my links, written book reports for school about my books, bought, read and reviewed my books. I’m writing this open letter and can’t help but cry. I’m not sure how you've all heard of or found me online but I’m grateful. I’m honored and blessed that I've gotten encouraging feedback but it didn't end there. In one of my books Thin Skin Soul Pinned there were names inconsistencies and you saw beyond it, saw the story for what it was, a good story that could be great with a re-edit. She encouraged me to find the lost file and revisit the story. Like S.J. Dennery, Cristina Gutierrez gave me a push in the right direction. It’s amazing what constructive criticism can do, although I wouldn't say in this case that it was criticism; it was 100% loving encouragement. Thank you for believing in the story and its message, for sharing my links and for being someone that I look forward to hearing from no matter the occasion. I hope the sequel lives up to all of your expectations.

Benjamin Yon Floyd, I must thank you for reminding me that visuals are equally important. You’re awe-inspiring. I hope you keep writing, the group as a whole enjoyed reading your stories and we anxiously await your novel. Also, the character that you helped to mold in The Legend Of Turtle Pond lent a special quality to the story. I look forward to reading one of your novels.

Michelle Kinsley, it’s been a pleasure to know you. Thank you for making me laugh, sharing my links and supporting my craft. You have a spirit that transcends the computer screen. I wish I could read as much as you and Cristina do. You two are true die hard book worms and I love you both for it. When I’m searching for the next book to read, I look at what you and Cristina are reading; I’m never disappointed.

Jill David, thank you for sharing my links and your love of photography, family photos, and allowing me to use your husband as a character in the sequel of Thin Skin Soul Pinned.  I truly wanted to capture his true personality and I hope I have done him justice.

Genevieve Scholl, you've inspired me to learn more about photo manipulation and I smile when I reflect on the countless times that I've read a food scene of yours and had to stop because you made me hungry. I’d like to thank you for featuring me on your website, for the creative advice and for sharing my links. I wish you continued success in all that you do.

Special thanks go out to Authors To Watch, The fabulous: Ava Lenoir and Tonya Kappes for featuring me on their websites and all of the bloggers who participated in the On The Isles of Mozambique Spotlight Blitz Tour.

So as I leave 2013 behind I am thankful and baffled that friends, family and strangers who have become friends has taken this journey with me. I am emotional and even though this letter is penned in ink, it is truly written in tears, happy tears. I am overwhelmed that I've been able to share the plots blooming in my head with an audience. My initial goal was to have my book included on the shelf alongside famous authors that I've shelved for years during my employment as a library assistant. I've been on the shelf for a few years now, but I never imagined that anyone would want my autograph…I pause to wipe a trail of tears, …want an autograph of a girl who grew up in a country setting catching butterflies for fun before moving on to the big apple, the youngest in the family, a day dreamer, a survivor of a natural disaster and a survivor in general. As I say goodbye to 2013, I pledge to live more, pause to smell the flowers, watch a stream flow, and take it one day at a time. It’s been quite a journey but I’m ready to say goodbye to 2013; hello 2014.

Does The Trailer Make My Book Look Fat?

Book trailers are an essential marking tool for your novel. They are no different from the movie trailers that interrupt your favorite television programs.  Within one hundred and twenty seconds, plot points are presented that can gain or lose an audience. The viewer laughs, or contorts and it can stir enough interest to get them into the theaters. The same is true for book trailers. If you create a book trailer that captures the essence of the story without giving away too much, the viewer may buy your book.

Book trailers are worth the investment. When you are creating a book trailer, it is important that the font, pictures and the music compliment the mood of the book. Here are the specifics…

Ø  The font must be easy to read. The sentence should stay on the screen long enough for the viewer to read.

Ø   Choose pictures that highlight important points in the story. The pictures should compliment the script that accompanies the picture.

Ø  When choosing music, if it is a horror story apply eerie music, romance employ tender music and drama utilize suspenseful music.

  

Ø  The audience’s focus should be on the pictures and script not the words of a song. Avoid music with lyrics and use instrumentals instead.

  

So where do you go from here? There are many choices out there and some can be costly. When I decided to use book trailers as a marketing tool, I put the task in capable hands and paid a reasonable price.  Everyone loves a bargain especially when the product is worth more than the cost.  

>>My Book Trailers<<

BACK AWAY FROM THE SHOES

WHILE REBELS SLEEP

THIN SKIN SOUL PINNED

DESOLATE TERRAIN

THE MYSTERIOUS MUSINGS OF A PRECARIOUS HEART