Color Blind
Color Blind # 1
Genre- YA paranormal
By- Penny Miller
All her life Harmony Phillips has felt defective. Growing up in a paranormal community where magikal abilities come from the wavelengths of color, a color blind girl is worthless, and they haven't let her forget it. No one but her adoptive parents, Charlie a Were-Lion and Sarah a Witch, along with her best friend Tesch, a Siren, have ever given her an ounce of esteem. When a fit of outrage unlocks the color yellow to her eyes, Harmony passes out cold with shock over her eggs and accidentally glamours her nemesis Challen Parks into a cowardly golden retriever. As other colors unfold before her eyes, so do new abilities. Love and friendship get turned upside down as Harmony struggles to have faith in people, discovering they are not always as they seem. The misfit becomes the outlaw as she is once again different from everyone else. What began as joy turns to peril when the paranormal Council finds out she is more than a Witch, or a Were or a Fae... oh my.
For lots of fun games, q & a with the author and prizes head to the Facebook Party Event!
About the Author-
Penny Miller is a born and bred Oklahoman. She has a nursing degree from Eastern Penny Miller Oklahoma State College and is a Registered Nurse in addition to being an author. Penny wrote her first short story complete with illustrations when she was seven-years-old and has been writing ideas and bits of dialogue ever since. As a child, her mother regularly read to her classic faery tales. It was those stories that ignited her imagination and attraction to the magical and whimsical. With her three children Robert, Amy and Cheyenne, she carried on the tradition of introducing them to fantasy and other worlds through stories. Three years ago, she co-authored erotic romance e-books under the pseudonym Jp Archer. At that time her daughters asked her when she was going to write stories they could read. Penny went to her keyboard and dug in and her debut solo novel, Color Blind, was born. Most importantly, creating a story in the Young
Adult/Paranormal genre is where she found her true voice as a writer. She hopes readers will become fans of her heroine Harmony Phillips and follow her story through the next phases; Colorful and Colorless.
Social media links-
Twitter- https://twitter.com/a1e48445b522480
Publisher- http://www.indiegypsy.com/
Tumblr- http://pennymiller70.tumblr.com/
Excerpt Three from Chapter 6: Harmony and Tesch are in the den
of her home studying together. Now that the school is aware that Harmony has
the yellow magik of the Fae it has been deemed appropriate that she take the
courses she has been kept out of when she
had no powers. As usual, the pair are verbally sparring in a way that often
leads to playful rough housing. This excerpt is a bit longer than the previous
two but one I was quite proud of.
“You are so going to pay for that one.” I warned. My sorcery
book launched itself at his head of its own accord, honest.
“Bring it, little girl, if you got the juice.” He laughed as
he dodged another free-flying school text.
Friends, you can’t live with ’em and can’t knock ’em upside
the head with your History and Anatomy of Were Beings book either. But that
didn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
My Coke can hit Tesch in the chest and bounced off. He
looked surprised for all of two seconds and then smiled evilly. Suddenly on the
defensive, I did what I do best. I ran.
Tesch chased me around the sofa and chair group. I shrieked
as he launched himself over the back of the couch to tackle me. We rolled
across the rug, coming to rest behind the furniture on the floor by Charlie’s
big desk. His long body spread over mine, dwarfing me by comparison.
“Get off me!” I groaned.
“No. Not until you say you’re sorry for hitting me with the
can.”
“No. You called me princess.”
“You threw a book at
me.” He answered back.
“Not until you called me princess.”
“True. But you said I had fleas.”
“I did not! Now get off!” I struggled beneath him, feeling
smothered. “You’re squishing me, you dumb jerk! I can’t breathe.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” Tesch pinned my arms to the
floor with his hands and raised his body up to straddle my waist. “There, that
better?”
He’d worn a bright yellow T-shirt with Scooby Doo on it. In
my honor, he’d said when he arrived bright and peppy before lunch. The shirt
fit snuggly and showed off the muscles in his arms and chest.
Though he’d ceased mashing me into the floor, it didn’t feel
any easier to breathe. “You’re still too heavy, Tesch.” I panted.
“No, I’m not.”
He stared at my face in a way I didn’t recognize. Tesch
looked like I felt when I watched a Monarch butterfly emerge from its cocoon,
as if he’d seen something miraculous and wonderful.
“Tesch?” My voice pleaded. For exactly what, I couldn’t say.
I felt confused. What was happening here?
Tesch, my safe harbor, the one I shared all the best and worst of my
days with. Sarah and Charlie were wonderful parents, but they’re parents, not
my confidants. Some things were not the same telling them.
I’d have been a liar though if I said I hadn’t noticed Tesch
was a guy, a handsome guy. I’d seen the way girls in school stared at him. Like
the way I stared at him from my position on the floor.
My heart beat fast. I felt short of breath as if I’d run
miles without stopping. Did I want this? Did I want things to change? Was the
decision even mine?
His lips lowered toward me. I closed my eyes. Here it came,
my first kiss.
Starbursts exploded behind my lids before his mouth touched
mine. A jolt of something I had no name for coursed through my body. Pain
speared me.
“Tesch!” I screamed his name as my spine bowed, ready for an
arrow. My eyes came open for a staggering minute.
A blast of power threw him back against the heavy oak desk,
rattling the drawers and toppling the lamp. I heard the distinct pop of the
bulb as my eyes sealed shut again in opposition to the tempest raging in my
chest, threatening to crack it open.
I felt as if I’d swallowed an animal of some type. One with
teeth and claws and fur, definitely fur because it rubbed in my throat, itchy
and dry. The animal wanted out! It was set to come through my ribs and stomach!
Oh stars, it hurt. It burned! I was dying. I knew it. No one
could survive this kind of torture. I fought just to breathe, to last another
minute.
I heard Tesch calling my name, but I was unable to answer
him. He shouted for help from Charlie.
Charlie came running. I heard the pounding footsteps against
the hardwood. Sarah came too. Her tread lighter, but no less quick. My eyes
were still tightly closed against the agony, but I felt their presence, smelled
their scents.
“Oh my, Goddess!” Sarah’s horrified whisper reached me.
“Charlie, is she…?”
Am I what?
I wanted to shriek, but it came out a growl that grew to a
scream. The kind of scream heard on a dark night in the middle of the wild, a
screech to make small animals shiver and run for cover.
“I don’t know, but I think so.” Charlie agreed. The stress
in his voice reverberated down my back bone. I convulsed against the floor
boards.
“But how is that
possible?” Sarah’s voice was etched with worry.
“Harmony! Harmony! Kitten? Can you hear me?”
Another wave of pain hit me, and a mournful cry escaped my
throat. The best I could manage under the circumstances.
“Kitten, don’t fight it. Fighting only makes it worse.”
Charlie coaxed me. How the hell would he
know? He couldn’t know how badly I hurt? Couldn’t he see I’d been poisoned or
something. Call an ambulance for cripe’s sakes!
As I writhed on the floor praying for an end to my
existence, Charlie barked orders. “Tesch, close all the doors and windows. Seal
up any way
she could
escape. Sarah, honey, I think it’s time some of those chickens of yours served
a higher purpose. Get a few and bring them in here.”
“Should I wring their necks?”
“No. This first time we need to let instinct take its
course.”
The individual scents of water and rosemary drifted away as
Tesch and Sarah went to follow Charlie’s weird instructions. I might have
understood under different circumstances, but I’d become a little preoccupied
with getting ripped apart from the inside out.
My neck arched with another inhuman cry. My adoptive father
knelt beside me. He took my hand in his. I gripped the lifeline to sanity.
“Kitten, listen to me. Listen to my voice. I don’t know how,
but you are shifting; shape changing.”
He had to be mistaken or crazy! I couldn’t be a Were-anything. I showed
freaking Faery power. I saw yellow and accidentally cast illusions. That’s it!
That’s all!
Charlie spoke to me again. “I know it hurts. The first time
is hell. If you fight it, it hurts more and takes longer. When the next wave
comes, don’t try to get over it, ride it. Let the tide carry you where it wants
to go.”
His voice stayed calm and controlled, but I could smell his
fear. The pain liked the scent. I rolled onto all fours, still gripping his
hand in mine. My eyes opened to a new world.
Everything appeared sharper and more defined, at least up
close. I saw shades of gold in Charlie’s hair and a deeper color in his beard;
like each individual strand had been outlined in light. I could have grabbed a
single strand easily, getting the one I meant to snatch.
Dust motes in the air were vivid, a sunbeam coming through
the window highlighting their dance. I’d like to pounce on them, but the idea
was abruptly cut short as another spasm waylaid me.
I curled into a protective ball, still grasping Charlie’s
hand. When would this torment end?
“Breathe, Kitten. Don’t fight. Take deep, even
breaths.”
I looked up at him from my misery. Tears leaked down my
cheeks. It would have been a waste of energy to try to stop them. I focused on Charlie. He took breaths with
me, coaching me in some bizarre version of Lamaze. The ache in my center peaked
again. I breathed.
Time split into short parcels of pain and breathing. My skin
moved on its own, in ways I hadn’t known it could. I breathed.
Sharp, lethal claws erupted from my fingertips with searing
torture. I punctured Charlie’s skin with my grip and breathed. Life became reduced to nanoseconds of hell
and sucking wind.
Sarah and Tesch returned together. She carried a couple of
clucking hostages. They watched me with looks of wonder and dismay. I
breathed.
Heat built in my core. I started panting. I couldn’t help
it. Something came, changed, and grew inside me! No human could achieve the
shriek that tore from my throat as my body shivered violently and broke apart.
Some residual affection for the beings in the room had me
slinking away from them. Instinct said hide. The predator observed for signs of
weakness.
“She’s beautiful.” The young male’s voice startled me. I
hissed in his direction.
“Yes, she is.” The older, bleeding man agreed.
Please share a brief history/bio on each of the main characters
from ‘Color Blind’ with us. This can include a physical description,
likes/dislikes, personality traits, etc.
Harmony Phillips:
5’2” tall. Hazel eyes that are blue, green, with a hint of violet in them.
Hair: has been described as “living wood polished to a high shine” ~ ash, oak,
cherry and mahogany. Her birthday is June 1st.
Harmony was adopted as a baby. She has never really considered
who her birth parents are because her adoptive parents are so wonderful and
loving. Sadly, Harmony was born totally colorblind in society where magik is
based on colored wavelengths of light. She can’t see or do any of it. Because
of her disability she has been bullied, picked on and left out of a lot in
school, but it hasn’t stopped her from still looking for the best in people.
Harmony fully expects to join the “Normal” world someday
because she can’t see magik. So when something happens and she starts to see
color and do magik, she accepts it as a miracle and is grateful. She just wants
to enjoy the change with her family and best friend/boyfriend Tesch. She never
dreamed of the danger it could bring to her life and certainly never wanted anyone
to be hurt by it. She is loving and honest to a fault. Expecting people to be
the same, she never anticipates cruelty or lies from others. It makes her
naive, her biggest downfall. .
Tesch (Teschandarian)
Wight: 6’0” tall, Eyes: Jade Green, Hair: Black
Tesch is a Siren, he has Fae magik which is in the yellow
spectrum. He is also an orphan who lives with his guardian, Mr. Wight. He has
been Harmony’s best friend and self appointed protector since first grade. He’s
been in love with her for years even if Harmony doesn’t realize it. Tesch feels
like he has been ‘on his own’ all his life and is not as forgiving or innocent
as Harmony. He knows people are not always what they pretend to be. While he
has powers and can do magik, he deliberately refrains from doing very much
magik around Harmony. He doesn’t want her to feel bad that he can when she
can’t. Tesch doesn’t like anyone who picks on Harmony and has come to think of
Harmony’s home and parents as his own. He’d do anything to keep the Phillips
family safe and sound.
Sarah Phillips: 5’0”
tall, Eyes: Warm Brown, Hair: Red (long)
Sarah is a former witch of the green spectrum. When she married
her husband Charlie, she had to give up her powers. Intermarriage between color
powers is not allowed. as Harmony says “You can take the magik out of the
witch, but you can’t take the witch out of the woman.”
Sarah has her own business, raising farm fresh vegetables and
selling them to ‘green’ grocers. She loves her husband, her daughter and her
plants, in that order. She prayed to Gaia for a miracle to restore Harmony’s
color vision, hoping that she might share her craft and potion skills with the
next generation. Very practical, she is the calm center of this family group
and handles the changes in Harmony’s life with the optimism of discovery.
Charlie Phillips: 6’4”
tall, Hair:Blond, Eyes:Blue
Charlie gave up being a were-lion for love. He has all the red
magik he needs when he runs his fingers through his wife’s hair. By profession,
Charlie is a college professor of American History. He is quite content with
his life, wife and daughter and doesn’t need or want things to change. When
changes do happen he is more cautious about the new events. His love of history
has taught him that while change is not necessarily bad or evil, it can be
painful for those going through it. He feels his role is to guide his family
through change as wisely as he can.
Challen Parks: 6’1”
tall, Hair: Blond, Eyes: Blue Grey
Challen Parks has been the bane of Harmony’s life since she was
a little girl. An alpha were-wolf, he was always the first to bully and make
fun of her. Only when Harmony stands up to him, (and accidentally glamours him)
is he forced to face his true feelings about her.
Being confused and conflicted have made Challen a real jerk,
but he will have a chance to redeem himself.
Joliet Combs: 5’8”
tall, Eyes: Dark Brown, Hair: Dark Brown
Joliet is the social scene Queen. The girl everyone wants to
know or be. She is one of two djinni’s at McLoud High School and the only
daughter of the Mayor. Spoiled, pampered and powerful she befriends Harmony
when she first manifests Fae magik. Harmony describes Joliet as “vain at times,
even narcissistic, but with the mind of a born prosecuting attorney.” Joliet is
only being a friend so she can spy on Harmony for her parents. When Harmony
learns this, she realizes how lonely Joliet is, trapped by the circumstances of
her birth and gives her a second chance on the condition of complete honesty
between them. It remains to be seen if Joliet can live up to Harmony’s terms of
friendship.
Mr. Bellfwigg 4’11” tall, Hair: balding Eyes: Brown
Mr. Bellfwigg is Harmony’s vice principal. He also takes on the
role of Fae magik tutor and mentor when Harmony’s powers begin to develop.
Harmony thinks he is a gifted teacher in the way he uses visualization to help
her learn magik. She is a bit disturbed when she also learns that Mr. Bellfwigg
belongs to a secret political group called the Wizened This group is dedicated
to bringing all paranormals back into the fold of their society, including
mixed blood and half-breeds. The Wizened strongly opposes the Paranormal Council’s
ban on intermarriage and mixing of color powers and has been waiting for
centuries for a champion to take on the Grey Cloaks.
Madame Osza: Height:
unknown (she is in a wheelchair), Eyes: One dark brown, one serpentine, Hair:
Silver
Madame Osza is the first mixed blood paranormal Harmony
knowingly encounters. She is the fortune teller for a carnival, part lamia
*seer) and a very wise woman. She tells Harmony’s future with her deck of tarot
cards. It is not a future Harmony is sure she wants. The question is, can she
escape her fate or is she destined to be more than just a small town paranormal
girl.
.
Grey Cloaks: Height, hair and eyes varies
These are the paranormal world’s ‘boogeymen’. Soldiers and
henchmen for the Paranormal Council, they enforce the strict laws on racial
mixing and keeping the paranormal world a secret from “Normals”. There is only one punishment. Death.
Interview:
1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a
writer?
I wrote my first short story when I
was in the first grade. It was about a paranormal story too. I think my mom
still has it in a trunk of momentos. I wrote poems and short stories all
through school. My sixth grade English teacher was the first person to ever say
to me “You should be a writer.” But I didn’t actually get serious about writing
until I turned forty. Nothing like a milestone birthday to light a fire under
the butt.
2. How long does it take you to write a book?
It took me nine months to write Color Blind. I
started July 22, 2012, I finished April 9, 2013. Just a few days after my
daughter, Amy’s thirteenth birthday. Which incidentally, it’s her photo on the
cover of the book. A lot about Harmony is like her. She was my inspiration.
It’s taking me longer to write the
next book Color Full, partly because there is a lot more of the story
happening. Harmony is going through some pretty big issues and milestones to
become what she was meant to be, just like most young people at that age. And partly
because of my work schedule. While I’m a writer, I’m also a full time working
mom. My other job is being a RN and hospital supervisor. These days finding the
time to write is challenging, but I am dedicated to it.
3. What is your work schedule like when you're
writing?
LOL. In a word, HECTIC!. I would
love for the day to come when I could devote most of my time to writing. Not
only for the Color Blind trilogy, but for the other stories I have waiting in
my hard drive.
I work a “real” job close to 50 hours a week.
So my days off are split between family activities, chores and writing. Thank
goodness, I’m a blitz writer. I know some people try to write something
everyday, but I am more like a sprinter. I sit down and pound out five to six
thousands words at a whack. I write in pivotal increments moving Harmony (or
other characters) through one crisis until the the next.
4. What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
Cliff Hangers.
I don’t do it on purpose but I have this habit
of using them often. But that is what make a page turner. It’s the reason for a
reader to not want to put a book down. They just have to know what happens
next.
5. How do books get published?
Well, my first ‘books’ were ebooks
for an erotic romance company called Sizzler Intoxications. I had a partner
that I wrote with under the pseudonym Jp Archer. That was my first foray into
the publishing world. Honestly, my partner on those books, Lani Rhea had
already established the contract and premises for the stories. She asked me to
co-write for my English skills and dialogue. I give great dialogue.
Anyway, Color Blind was my solo debut and I
was such a novice it was sad. I wrote the story, Polished and edited the book
to the best of my abilities, then listened to all the discussions and advice of
indie authors I have had the pleasure of meeting.
Then I queried. And queried and queried. I had
a list of publishers and editors accepting unsolicited manuscripts from
Publisher’s Weekly. I queried five to ten of them every month for a year. About
half sent me very polite ‘no thank you’ and ‘not at this time’ letters. The
other half didn’t even respond. It was very disheartening. I shelved the book
for six months and worked on other things.
Then a friend of mine, Author Elizabeth
Kolodziej contacted me asking if I had contracted to anyone for Color Blind.
She told me that Indie Gypsy Publishing was opening a YA branch to their house
and looking for stories/authors.I submitted my query to them and they liked my
work and offered me a contract. One of the happiest days of my life. It was so
validating to be accepted and published.
6. Where do you get your information or ideas
for your books?
Color Blind is set in the real
world. And most of my “research” is real world experience. The fantasy part is
just that, fantasy, my own creation. That’s the beauty of writing fantasy and
paranormal, the world is whatever I want it be. And a lot of useless trivia
that is stuck in my brain. I have years or reading good books, textbooks and
articles for reference. And the godz blessed me with excellent recall of most
anything I read.
7. When did you write your first book and how
old were you?
I was forty-one when I co-authored
my first story, Before the Dawn with Lani Rhea. We cranked out Under Bonded
Contract that same year and I helped to write the first seventeen chapters of
the next book, Pass or Play before deciding to pursue my own interests, Color
Blind.
8. What do you like to do when you're not
writing?
I like to read. Not exciting, I
know, but I am a voracious reader. I can read a book in a day, sometimes less.
My nirvana is going to Barnes and Noble, Hastings or the library.
I enjoy bowling. I used to bowl on a league
and I have a trophy for a high game of 289. For those who don’t bowl, that’s
eleven pins short of a perfect game. I like movies and music. And I like stand
up comedy. There is a comedy club in Oklahoma City called Looney Bin that my
best friend and I go to once in awhile.
9. What does your family think of your writing?
My first books were in the erotic
romance genre, so I think they were a little embarrassed. But now that I have
written Color Blind they are very supportive. It’s something my momma can talk
about with her church group, lol.
My daughters thought it was a cool
hobby, until some of their friends from school read my book and LOVED it. Now
there is a small celebrity status involved, at least locally LOL. They are more
on board with it now. But… I do find it funny that whenever I sit down to write
or blog or do writing stuff is exactly when they need my attention.
10.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
The most surprising thing I learned
was about myself. That I could do it! LOL.
One of my biggest flaws I think is
that I am a procrastinator. The other is that I sometimes don’t finish what I
start. (I know, it a serious character flaw, but being flawed is what makes a
good character, right?) But finishing the book was an achievement. I proved
something to myself. That may not be the answer you were looking for, but it is
the best one I have.
11.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Completed books… four if I include the ones I co-authored. And of
course, Color Blind is my favorite. But ask me again in a few years. I think
the answer may be different. I am planning another paranormal trilogy about
Thunderbirds with a set of fraternal twins as the heroine/hero. And while
Harmony is a wonderful character, Crimson and Royal are promising to be very
interesting and diverse.
12.
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are
they?
A very big question. And I think the
best advice I can give is WTFS. Write the Freaking Story. If you have a great
story to tell, that only YOU can tell, then the editing, the polishing and the
publishing will come.
But some of the little tips that I
have learned
1)
Any time you find the word “was” in your manuscript, go back and
try to find an action verb to replace it. Be very conscious of the “passive
voice”.
2)
Keep the pace going. Don’t get too bogged down in detailed
description, allow the reader to fill in some of the gaps. Yes, it is your
story to tell, but it is their story to read and they will appreciate some
wiggle room to invent for their mental movie screen.
3)
Get a thick hide. Not everyone will LOVE what you write and not
everyone’s criticism will be constructive.
4)
Be willing to listen. If you find yourself in a situation where
a publisher is interested in your manuscript but has some suggestions for
rewrites, unless it completely changes the tenor of your “voice” listen to
them. They know their business and are trying to help you both be successful.
13.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
So far so good. The readers I have
heard from has been mainly in the form of reviews. I think I had one four star
and that was the lowest one. I also have some beta readers of various age
groups. The main thing I hear from anyone them is “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO FINISH
THE NEXT BOOK?!” I’ve had death threats from my daughter if I don’t get it done
soon.
14.
Do you like to create books for adults?
I think my books is for adults. Just
as much as it is for young adults. More than a few of my reviews have been from
adults my age or more and they love it just as much as the younger crowd.
15.
What do you think makes a good story?
That ties in with your previous
question. I think what makes a good story is that it can appeal to a wide group
of people. That there is something in it they can identify with. One friend,
author and reader who is older than I am told me that I nailed the feel of
being in high school for her, that I took her back to her youthful feelings of
uncertainty and excitement of what was to come. Another reader, a grown man
loved that I gave him a dose of adventure and wonder without drenching him in
romance.
But my own thought is.. a good story
is one that entertains. The bottom line is fiction writers are entertainers.
And we should put on a good show.
16. As a child, what did you want to do when you
grew up?
Don’t laugh, I wanted to be an FBI
agent. I took a school trip to Washington DC when I was 13. One of the places
we visited was Quantico. I was fascinated with the Behavioral Sciences Division
and wanted to eventually become and doctor and agent. Do you remember Scully
from X-Files? I wanted Scully’s job, before there ever was an X-Files.
17.
What would you like my readers to know?
That Color Blind is a great book for
anyone who loves a little paranormal, adventure romance and fantasy all rolled
into one. That I would enjoy hearing their thoughts on the book also. Do they
see themselves in the pages? If they had to chose a color magik, which would
they be? They can email me at pennymiller70@gmail.com or come by my website
at https://pennymillerbooks.wordpress.com/ I love to talk about
my books and I will write back.
And
I wanted to say thank you so much for having me and for giving me a chance to
talk to your readers. You asked some good questions. I hope I did just as good
of a job of answering them. #whatcolorisyourmagik
Had a great time! Thanks for having me.
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