Assault Rifles Need to Go
Posted on February 17, 2018 Leave a Comment
I’m rarely one to post anything like this on my author page, but I have kids. I have a teenager in high school. And MY READERS are teens and parents. And yes, I fully believe in the right to bear REASONABLE arms, but not assault rifles. And I know what it’s like to see the police, with dogs and riot gear, swarming the area of my daughter’s school because there was a kid hiding nearby with a gun.
So, don’t tell me I don’t know. I KNOW – we were just lucky on that day several years ago that the rifle turned out to be a pellet gun. Because of the way this country’s gun laws are set-up, it could’ve easily been an AR-15. After all, in the good ol’ USA, you can shoot before you can drink.
This blog post is from a Army Veteran and I think it’s the best op-ed to date I’ve seen regarding the AR-15s. God bless those who lost their lives in Parkland this week. Let their murders not go in vain.
F*CK YOU, I LIKE GUNS by Anna
America, can we talk? Let’s just cut the shit for once and actually talk about what’s going on without blustering and pretending we’re actually doing a good job at adulting as a country right now. We’re not. We’re really screwing this whole society thing up, and we have to do better. We don’t have a choice. People are dying. At this rate, it’s not if your kids, or mine, are involved in a school shooting, it’s when. One of these happens every 60 hours on average in the US. If you think it can’t affect you, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. So let’s talk.
I’ll start. I’m an Army veteran. I like M-4’s, which are, for all practical purposes, an AR-15, just with a few extra features that people almost never use anyway. I’d say at least 70% of my formal weapons training is on that exact rifle, with the other 30% being split between various and sundry machineguns and grenade launchers. My experience is pretty representative of soldiers of my era. Most of us are really good with an M-4, and most of us like it at least reasonably well, because it is an objectively good rifle. I was good with an M-4, really good. I earned the Expert badge every time I went to the range, starting in Basic Training. This isn’t uncommon. I can name dozens of other soldiers/veterans I know personally who can say the exact same thing. This rifle is surprisingly easy to use, completely idiot-proof really, has next to no recoil, comes apart and cleans up like a dream, and is light to carry around. I’m probably more accurate with it than I would be with pretty much any other weapon in existence. I like this rifle a lot. I like marksmanship as a sport. When I was in the military, I enjoyed combining these two things as often as they’d let me . . . READ MORE via “Fuck you, I like guns.”
Daybreaker is Coming!
Posted on January 31, 2018 Leave a Comment
DAYBREAKER UPDATE:
While I had hoped to get Daybreaker out in January, life got in the way.
The book (which includes character art, a four-chapter epilogue, and a 5,000 word bonus scene as well as a 20 page glossary) will be coming out in late February, early March (I am simply waiting on a date from Titcombs Bookshop, which ALWAYS carries signed stock on the shelves).
So, hang in there – I’ve been told by my Beta team that this particular book is worth the wait and a few are calling it their favorite installment of the entire series. I’m crossing my fingers that you will love it just as much as they do.
It’s time to bid Eila and her crew a fond farewell in one wild, final ride.
Wanna get on the list to snag a signed copy the day the books come out? Call Titcombs and get on their waitlist! The store is here: http://www.titcombsbookshop.com
Teen Writing Class for February
Posted on January 13, 2018 Leave a Comment
This free winter program is open to all talented writers ages 12-18 at the Cape Cod Writers Center’s Young Writers Workshop.
Held from February 19-23 at the Osterville Public Library for five mornings, writers from grades 7-12 from Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts will have a fun and exciting opportunity to improve their writing. Popular author K.R. Conway* and teacher Jeff Carter* will help students advance their literary skills in fiction and nonfiction.
During the sessions, students will form friendships with writers from other schools, receive individual help for their work and learn what it takes to be published today
The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 12, 2018.
The Cape Cod Writers Center will notify students of their acceptance soon after their application is received. they have submitted their application.
To get your application:
Visit our website at http://www.capecodwriterscenter.org and download our application OR email us at writers@capcodwriterscenter.org for an application.
*Students may request an instructor based on writing needs and storytelling style.
Daybreaker cover is here!
Posted on December 11, 2017 Leave a Comment
Undertow, Book 5, is the final book in the Undertow series. It will debut in January 2018 and include a full glossary of characters, creatures, places, etc.
To hold you over, here is the Daybreaker cover :)
Cover Reveal! Any Way You Slice It
Posted on October 15, 2017 Leave a Comment
I am BEYOND excited to announce our newest author in the Wicked Whale line-up: Kristine Carlson Asselin. Her book, Any Way You Slice It comes out November 15, 2017!
Check out the details below!
Add her to your GOODREADS List by clicking HERE.
Penelope Spaulding just can’t catch a break. Between long hours at the family restaurant, homework, and her parents’ plans for her future, it’s hard to find a spare moment to breathe. But when she laces up her skates and steps on the ice, everything slips away…
Racing around the rink allows her to blow off steam after yet another fight with her dad about going to culinary school. So when Jake Gomes, the bad boy who lives down the street, dares her to join the Rink Rats, the local misfit hockey team, she surprises herself and joins in silent defiance of her father and his expectations.
The more she plays, the easier it is to keep lying, and soon Pen finds it impossible to come clean. She’s sneaking out to practice—and loving every minute of it. It doesn’t take long for her to fall in love with hockey…and Jake’s not half bad either. But she knows it can’t last. As soon as her dad finds out, she’ll be benched. For good.
She’s absolutely not going to tell her parents until she’s sure it will be worth the inevitable fight. Not only is she skipping shifts at Slice Pizza while a foodie reality show is on the horizon, but her lies are starting to take their toll on her game. It’s only a matter of time before everything falls apart.
With the team counting on her and with her relationship with Jake on the line, will she have to sacrifice the thing she wants most for the people she loves? Or can she step up and take her best shot?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kristine Carlson Asselin’s debut YA novel ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT (Wicked Whale Publishing) will debut November 15, 2017.
THE ART OF THE SWAP (Simon and Schuster), co-authored with Jen Malone, is scheduled to come out in spring 2018.
She has also published sixteen nonfiction books with both Capstone Press and Abdo Publishing for the school library market. She tweets at @KristineAsselin as well as her alter ego @QueryGodmother, where she tweets query tips and suggestions.
She is represented by Kathleen Rushall of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
Find out more about Kristine at www.kristineasselin.com or www.krisasselin.blogspot.com.