Beyond Words

Hey there, can't remember the last I time I parked my butt in a chair and wrote a good ole blog post. I thought it was time, not that I have a lot to say. This post will be woefully short. However, I do have a question that I would love answers to. First, a little background. About a month ago, I signed a movie option agreement for my YA novel, Invisible . My question is, anyone else out there have any advice for me? I don't know what to expect (if anything). Do these things drag on for years ultimately leaving authors broken hearted with disappointment? I feel like I'm in limbo. Living in the land of dreams and what might be. Hope to hear from a few of my writer pals who have some experience with movie option agreements.

For a short time, Invisible will be available for 99 cents Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that... For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose. Not only is she freakishly tall,  Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a  camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new  “ability”. Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Yet power can be abused, too… Then, when tragedy strikes, Lola must summon her inner  strength, both at ho...

After receiving plenty of great reviews and ratings for Invisible , yesterday, I went through a rite of passage, I got my first ever one-star review from a reviewer on Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/278254425 . It's okay, really, I'm fine with it. After all, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But what really got to me was the reason why! There is a gay character in my novel. Her name is Charlie and I love her. I think she adds dimension and depth to my novel, but the reviewer hated her. The reviewer's stated "I don't do gay." So I ask, is this really a review or an opportunity for the reviewer to tout her so-called Christian values? All I ask is for a fair review. Review the book as a whole. A one-star review is fine by me, especially when it comes from a narrowminded individual. I would have thought in this day and age that such prejudice and hatred would not be so prevalent.

I'd like to share my Kirkus review of Invisible by yours truly. Sorry for the self-indulgence. I don't do this often but the review means a lot to me. INVISIBLE          A young girl just shy of graduating high school acquires a new gift and a way to literally hide from the world. “Sometimes I disappear,” she explains. Lola, self-described as “fat” and “freakishly tall,” lives a lowly existence. Her parents, desperately clinging to their youth, barely acknowledge her; her sister belittles her; and she’s a target for bullies. She finds solace in her love of writing, her BFF Charlie (short for Charlene) and her maternal grandmother, affectionately called Gran. Any wish she had to become invisible in the eyes of cruel teenagers is suddenly a reality, as she vanishes from others’ sight and is neither seen nor heard. Lola soon realizes that she disappears during emotionally intense moments. Bannon’s debut novel adequately captures the life o...

I'm departing from my usual routine of posting author interviews to share with you some of what I've learned so far about publishing. I've got one book published. A coming of age story titled Invisible . Invisible only took four months to write. I was very lucky. I wrote it while on a break from writing my paranormal thriller, Dark Angel , which I am still working on (big sigh). After finishing Invisible , I tried for a time to find an agent and though I came close, was ultimately unsuccessful. Lesson number one, it is extremely hard to land an agent. My advice to new authors is to skip the agent. Go directly to an indie publisher. Invisible was rejected by only one indie publisher before finding a home. Now here comes lesson number two - don't expect to make a lot of money. I can hear hearts breaking from here, but the sooner you realize this, the better. Having t hat first book published by an actual publisher (indie or not) will bring you credibi...

Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that... For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose.   Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”.   Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Yet power can be abused, too…   Then, when tragedy strikes, Lola must summon her inner strength, both at home and at school. She has to stand up for herself, despite the temptations and possibiliti...

In celebration of the release of my novel, Invisible , I'm going to give away five kindle editions to the first five people to leave a comment. Please leave your email address with your comment. Here's the blurb - Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that... For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose. Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”. Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endl...

Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that... For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose. Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”. Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Yet power can be abused, too… Then, when tragedy strikes, Lola must summon her inner strength, both at home and at school. She has to stand up for herself, despite the temptations and possibilities of her newfound super power. ...