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The Raven's Song Saga #1
Emo Boy
Violet knows she is different from the other kids at her new high school. It isn't just her goth clothes, purple-streaked hair, or black nails. She has special psychic gifts she never reveals to others. But as she glimpses into the auras of her classmates, one boy in particular falls under her radar. His name is Dane, an emo boy who's become the pariah for the school bully, Buffalo. He is quiet and reserved but seems to hold a dark secret behind his solid black eyes. Aside from just being able to shield himself from Violet's psychic gaze, he also has special powers of his own. She witnesses his abilities of mind-reading, telepathy, and eventually telekinesis. But his darkness and aloofness leave her questioning his motives, wanting to learn more about this strange, mysterious boy.
180 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2012
2 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 29, 2012
While working to promote Emo Boy, I've been thinking a lot about why someone would want to buy it and the rest of The Raven's Song Saga. And it's something that I really haven't thought about or communicated before. For me, it was a given that the story is beautiful and that anyone who reads it will fall in love with it. The challenge, then, comes in encouraging others to read.
So while I await reviews from other readers, I'll provide my own review and hopefully in it convey the message I want to send out to the world. I will toot my own horn, because I play a song on it that you've never heard before. A song first uttered by a little black bird.
Emo Boy, like the rest of The Raven's Song Saga, is a paranormal fantasy novella that borders on the young adult and adult categories. It is written from the point of view of Violet, a sensitive, intelligent girl who as a teenager meets an alluring but enigmatic emo boy named Dane. It could be said that the story is geared more toward teenage and young adult girls because of the romance and drama, but guys could get into it as well. Humor and action help to break up the otherwise stale romantic tone of the first book. The interaction between Violet and Dane, which is the main focus of Emo Boy, is convoluted and even a little infuriating at times. Readers will want to continue through the story just to see if they ever do get together or not.
The story revolves around not just the challenges of adolescence - school bullies, over-bearing parents, the thrills and heartache of a first crush - but also those that arise from having special abilities. Both Violet and Dane possess different psychic powers, and those powers leave them vulnerable to dangers many people might have never heard of. In Emo Boy, the main threat is a psychic vampire. And don't worry - they don't sparkle. ;)
I chose to write this story because I've always been intrigued by psychic abilities. I myself am an empath and a medium, though like my characters, my talents are raw and untrained. I also find other stories about the subject to be unimaginative and exaggerated. While this series has plenty of the "Hollywood effects" action, much of how the characters' psychic abilities are addressed is subtle and true to life. I also wanted to include the goth and emo subcultures in it because I grew up in a time when those groups had a negative stigma attached to them. Though they might be a little more popular now than back then, I could see them becoming even more alluring with the release of this series. I've been into the goth scene since high school, and it has been with the writing of these books that I have rediscovered my love for it.
I think anyone who has shown interest in the Harry Potter or Twilight series would jump on this series. The difference is that I feel the characters are more believable, and readers could relate to them better. There is no alternate world, no fantastic monsters or creatures. The characters without their powers would be no different from anyone on the street. And for the most part, they are treated as such by those around them. The fact that they have such abilities could lead readers to question their own innate powers and search to discover the Dane or Violet within themselves.
In speaking about characters, I worked hard through the words of Violet to paint a picture of each character – their physical attributes, the sounds of their voices, their attitudes and feelings as only an empathy could see, even the minutest little quirks that help to make each one unforgettable. Dane in particular makes up for his dull, deadpan nature by having more quirks and oddities than could even be mentioned. And just for the record, I’m proud to say that I am the original Dane fangirl.
This book is short, I won’t lie to you. But it’s made that way almost intentionally. I don’t read long books, so I’m not going to write a long book. Making Emo Boy as brief as it is (170 pages and 37,000 words, to be specific) ensures that more people have the ability to read it. It also makes it much cheaper than titles of the same genre, just $7.99 for paperback and $2.99 for the Kindle edition. And it is a story that’s meant to be read over and over again. In writing and proofreading it, I’ve probably read Emo Boy ten times, twice aloud, and I’m still eager to read it again just because of the good feeling it gives me as a reader. And as each installment of the series is released, I hope that those who have the previous titles will be able to revisit them, to refresh their memories and be reminded of why they want to continue reading the series. Each story of the saga plays upon the ones before it.
So because of all that, I wrote the story to be brief but extremely potent. Much of the detail is shrouded in mystery. I want readers to think, to speculate. I want book clubs everywhere to discuss all of the literary devices, the references, every little intricacy that’s crammed into those few pages. I want to be a role model for future writers to know that they don’t have to write a massive doorstop of a novel or get a contract with a big publishing company to become successful. But I don’t do it just for the wealth or popularity that this series may offer me. If I were able to, I’d make the story free just so that everyone could read it. The profit is meant to get me to a position where I can devote myself full-time to writing this story.
If I had to sum up everything, I’d say that it is simply a story that has to be told and is meant to be shared with all humanity. It isn’t just that it’s a good story. It’s filled a gap in me that I didn’t even know existed before. I believe that by reading this saga, you become a part of something that is greater than all of us. I’ve felt it, Mike and Kaysi have felt it. Everyone who reads it can sense an intangible power associated with this story. I could go into more detail about some of the odd occurrences associated with my writing Emo Boy and working on the future installments. But I think it’s best left for the reader to discover. How will you know that you’ve found it? As Dane says, "You just will."
So while I await reviews from other readers, I'll provide my own review and hopefully in it convey the message I want to send out to the world. I will toot my own horn, because I play a song on it that you've never heard before. A song first uttered by a little black bird.
Emo Boy, like the rest of The Raven's Song Saga, is a paranormal fantasy novella that borders on the young adult and adult categories. It is written from the point of view of Violet, a sensitive, intelligent girl who as a teenager meets an alluring but enigmatic emo boy named Dane. It could be said that the story is geared more toward teenage and young adult girls because of the romance and drama, but guys could get into it as well. Humor and action help to break up the otherwise stale romantic tone of the first book. The interaction between Violet and Dane, which is the main focus of Emo Boy, is convoluted and even a little infuriating at times. Readers will want to continue through the story just to see if they ever do get together or not.
The story revolves around not just the challenges of adolescence - school bullies, over-bearing parents, the thrills and heartache of a first crush - but also those that arise from having special abilities. Both Violet and Dane possess different psychic powers, and those powers leave them vulnerable to dangers many people might have never heard of. In Emo Boy, the main threat is a psychic vampire. And don't worry - they don't sparkle. ;)
I chose to write this story because I've always been intrigued by psychic abilities. I myself am an empath and a medium, though like my characters, my talents are raw and untrained. I also find other stories about the subject to be unimaginative and exaggerated. While this series has plenty of the "Hollywood effects" action, much of how the characters' psychic abilities are addressed is subtle and true to life. I also wanted to include the goth and emo subcultures in it because I grew up in a time when those groups had a negative stigma attached to them. Though they might be a little more popular now than back then, I could see them becoming even more alluring with the release of this series. I've been into the goth scene since high school, and it has been with the writing of these books that I have rediscovered my love for it.
I think anyone who has shown interest in the Harry Potter or Twilight series would jump on this series. The difference is that I feel the characters are more believable, and readers could relate to them better. There is no alternate world, no fantastic monsters or creatures. The characters without their powers would be no different from anyone on the street. And for the most part, they are treated as such by those around them. The fact that they have such abilities could lead readers to question their own innate powers and search to discover the Dane or Violet within themselves.
In speaking about characters, I worked hard through the words of Violet to paint a picture of each character – their physical attributes, the sounds of their voices, their attitudes and feelings as only an empathy could see, even the minutest little quirks that help to make each one unforgettable. Dane in particular makes up for his dull, deadpan nature by having more quirks and oddities than could even be mentioned. And just for the record, I’m proud to say that I am the original Dane fangirl.
This book is short, I won’t lie to you. But it’s made that way almost intentionally. I don’t read long books, so I’m not going to write a long book. Making Emo Boy as brief as it is (170 pages and 37,000 words, to be specific) ensures that more people have the ability to read it. It also makes it much cheaper than titles of the same genre, just $7.99 for paperback and $2.99 for the Kindle edition. And it is a story that’s meant to be read over and over again. In writing and proofreading it, I’ve probably read Emo Boy ten times, twice aloud, and I’m still eager to read it again just because of the good feeling it gives me as a reader. And as each installment of the series is released, I hope that those who have the previous titles will be able to revisit them, to refresh their memories and be reminded of why they want to continue reading the series. Each story of the saga plays upon the ones before it.
So because of all that, I wrote the story to be brief but extremely potent. Much of the detail is shrouded in mystery. I want readers to think, to speculate. I want book clubs everywhere to discuss all of the literary devices, the references, every little intricacy that’s crammed into those few pages. I want to be a role model for future writers to know that they don’t have to write a massive doorstop of a novel or get a contract with a big publishing company to become successful. But I don’t do it just for the wealth or popularity that this series may offer me. If I were able to, I’d make the story free just so that everyone could read it. The profit is meant to get me to a position where I can devote myself full-time to writing this story.
If I had to sum up everything, I’d say that it is simply a story that has to be told and is meant to be shared with all humanity. It isn’t just that it’s a good story. It’s filled a gap in me that I didn’t even know existed before. I believe that by reading this saga, you become a part of something that is greater than all of us. I’ve felt it, Mike and Kaysi have felt it. Everyone who reads it can sense an intangible power associated with this story. I could go into more detail about some of the odd occurrences associated with my writing Emo Boy and working on the future installments. But I think it’s best left for the reader to discover. How will you know that you’ve found it? As Dane says, "You just will."
January 12, 2016
Is a great book to read forever
September 27, 2014
It was wonderful there's nothing else to say. It was deep and touching. It's very creative.
Read
January 24, 2015Amazing
It was equally mysterious and happy. So many twists and turns. Can't wait to read the second book. Truly amazing.
It was equally mysterious and happy. So many twists and turns. Can't wait to read the second book. Truly amazing.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews