Don't forget to leave a comment (and an email address) in order to register for my Year of Comments Kindle Fire Giveaway. The more you comment on my site this year, the more chances you will have to win a Kindle Fire just in time for Christmas 2013. As a bonus, I'm giving away one ebook copy each week there is a Indie Author Spotlight. You must pick from one of the books written by the spotlighted author. Good luck & enjoy!
Bryna Butler Author Bio
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After
graduating with the honor of Outstanding Communications Student from the
University of Rio Grande, Bryna Butler settled down with her high school
sweetheart on their family farm along the banks of the Ohio River. She put her
bachelor’s degree in mass communication to use, working in radio and for civic
groups before starting her career as an accomplished financial public relations
and corporate communications professional. Over the years, she has authored
hundreds of publications and press releases.
Butler's
young adult paranormal novels feature strong female leads and are woven from
elements of horror, suspense, comedy, and mystery, all in a modern, small town
setting.
Butler is
inspired by authors like Rachel Caine, Charlaine Harris, Lauren Kate, Cassandra
Clare, Stephenie Meyer, and MaryJanice Davidson. Her work contains no profanity
or explicit scenes, making it appropriate for pre-teen as well as teen readers.
Spotlight Interview Questions:
What is your all-time favorite book and why?
I adore
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Its style is like nothing else I’ve ever
read. I found it to be almost hypnotic with its imagery and near poetic
cadence.
Is there an author you could be compared to or
popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?
Because I
tend to write about strong female characters, I think that one could draw a
comparison with Charlaine Harris. I had
the opportunity to meet her this summer and, to my surprise, she is a
down-to-earth hillbilly just like me.
Can you give us your favorite quote from one of
your books and explain it?
One of my
favorite quotes comes from my newest book, Shadows Rising. In this scene, Keira
faces off against the leader of a group of extremists that believe her charge
is keeping her from her destiny. I think this quote is a great mix of Keira’s
courage and her youth.
“You keep
yapping about my charge being a distraction, but here I am dealing with you
again. Leave us and my charge alone or die tonight at my hand. I mean it, jerk
wad.”
What types of things/people/music inspires you
and makes you want to keep writing?
I’m very
inspired by my favorite authors. I often name characters, places and things in
my stories in homage to these authors and their work. For instance, in the
Midnight Guardian series there is a goth girl named Mikayla Collins whom
everyone calls Mikey. Mikey is clearly named in honor of Michael Glass and
Shane Collins, two of my favorite characters from Rachel Caine’s Morganville
series. Her goth look comes from another beloved character in that series.
Also, I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan (who isn’t?). If you look hard enough, you
will find several subtle references to Buffy and Firefly sprinkled throughout
my books.
Describe your typical writing day or week.
Just call
me the “Night Writer”, not because it sounds like an insanely cool superhero,
but because it is true. For me, writing typically begins after the kids are
tucked into bed somewhere around 9 p.m. I grab a soda from the fridge and
settle in with my laptop. Typically, I first re-read and edit the last thing I
wrote before I start writing anything new. That refreshes it in my mind and
allows me to move forward.
Is there a food or drink do you have to have
when you're writing?
I can’t
eat while I write. Sounds good in theory, but it never works in practical
application. BBQ sauce on the keys…melted cheese on the screen...a whole
chapter about brownies.
Can you tell us what you're working on right now
(& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?
Shadows
Rising was released on January 18th. In this 4th installment in the Midnight
Guardian series, Keira and her friends race to rescue her charge before The
Harvest and the rise of a new form of evil, the shadows.
Book 5 is
well underway with the working title of Book of the Lost and an anticipated
late spring release. I’ve also begun work on a young adult werewolf trilogy set
in Alaska. The story centers on a girl that walks the line between two feuding
werewolf packs.
OF SUN & MOON (Midnight Guardian #1)
Teens are
disappearing in a small river town in southern Ohio as Keira Ryan begins her
freshman year. Kidnappings aside, her worries mount as she crushes on an older
guy, her best friend starts dating a spoiled cheerleader, and the parents that
abandoned her at birth arrive at her doorstep. And, oh yeah, she’s a tooth
fairy destined to kick some butt and bring about the end of a royal line of
vicious, blood-sucking tyrants. Over the years, humans have pieced together
sightings and assumptions to create the myth of the tooth fairy. As it turns
out, they were pretty much wrong.
WHISPERING EVIL (Midnight Guardian #2)
Keira Ryan
has moved on. It’s the start of her sophomore year at Valley View High School.
This means big changes like a new guardian mentor, taking (and passing) her
driver’s test, dating her best friend, and figuring out how to stop the new
Empress Gammen and her reign of terror. Will she survive it all or will she
fall victim to the whispering evil that surrounds her?
MIDNIGHT CHILD (Midnight Guardian #3)
Join Keira
Ryan as she chases her destiny in this exciting third installment in the Midnight
Guardian Series. While Keira searches, her enemies draw closer. A history of
trust is tested. A promise of passion turns deadly. A surviving evil creates
doubt and there’s only one way to stop it…Find the Gift. Just what do you get
the spoiled gremlin queen that has everything?
SHADOWS RISING (Midnight Guardian #4)
Senior
year has begun. Keira Ryan should be worrying about the two boys that are vying
for her heart. She should be worrying about Prom. She should be worrying about
graduation. But instead of a dress, she’s choosing which dagger to carry. In
this fourth installment in the series, Keira and her friends race against time
to rescue her charge before The Harvest. They must hurry. Their enemies are
bringing forth a new evil to sway the balance. The shadows are rising.
Excerpt: Exclusive
Shadows Rising Excerpt that you will only see on YA Indie Carnival author
sites…
The night
was warm, even though a slight breeze stirred. Keira made her way through the
soybean field. She knew the way over the uneven path, even if she couldn’t see.
That was nearly the case as clouds worked to block out the moon and stars. The
air was thick; the kind that always preceded the summer rain.
As the
dirt started to dimple here and there, her steps came quicker. Cool drops
chilled her shoulders left bare by her tank top. Steps turned into a jog as the
two-story farmhouse came into sight. If she ran hard enough, she could reach
his porch before the downpour.
In
seconds, she covered the yard. Just a few strides more would land her on the
steps where she could wait out the rain on the porch.
Maybe
that’s why it happened. Keira was so focused on escaping the rain. Her sneaker
slid on the wet grass. Arms circled wildly over her head, eager to find balance
or support. They landed on clean, soft cloth. Her feet skittered beneath her as
the man under the white robe grabbed her hair and pulled her head back.
“The
guardian,” a whisper rose and echoed among the small group. “The guardian,”
their murmurs above the tumbles of the strengthening rain. “The guardian.”
Hands flew
to her sides and held her arms out. She pulled against them, but there were too
many. “Let me go,” she screamed.
Immediately,
they let go. She hadn’t expected it and fell on her knees.
“We wish
you no harm, guardian. We have come for the midnight child. Trust that this is
for the best,” a tall man said. His mouth barely moved, unmarked by expression
or emotion of any kind.
Rain began
to pour over them. Keira scanned the group to etch every face into her memory;
two eager young men, perhaps twins, with strong chins and light coloring; a
plump, young woman with red curls falling out of her hooded cloak; a buxom
brunette with a permanent sneer; and a mustached brute with a nasty scar
through his left eyebrow.
Then, her
eyes flickered back to the leader, a bald man with soulless black eyes. Him she
knew. It had taken her only a moment to realize he was the one that crashed
Jumper’s last Halloween party. He had come for her charge that night too.
“You know
that I will never allow you to take him.”
“Your
loyalty is misplaced with the Hayes family,” the bald man answered with a voice
that chilled her to the bone. “Allow us to remove the distraction so that you
may fulfill your true destiny.”
“He is not
a midnight child. He is my charge.”
“He is of
no consequence.”
A crack
sounded, causing everyone to look up. A dark figure stood on the edge of the
roof. He stepped forward and landed softly on the ground. He stood tall beside
Keira.
Brun’s
voice was heavy with anger. “You heard her. The child is not to be touched.”
“But…” the
leader of the group started.
His
dispute was not heard because Brun was behind him in the next second. The shine
of Brun’s short sword glistened at the man’s ear.
“If you
will not listen, perhaps you do not need this ear,” Brun growled. “From this
day forward, let it be known that the guardian and I both protect this child.
Whoever dares to approach him will succumb to the full wrath of the Empire and
Elsted. You will leave now…ahhh!”
The leader
wrenched his dagger out of Brun’s side. Blood dripped from the dagger’s edge.
Brun stumbled back, his face a mixture of disbelief and horror.
