The Rebellion - Spotlight Book Tour

Something is brewing. Like the far off rumble of a train in the distance, a rebellion is stirring. A cry for change arises in the midst of a traditional monarchy, where King Addison has inherited the throne. Who are the underground troublemakers? What is stirring their defiant banner and demand for change? Find out in The Rebellion! (The Tales of Tarsurella #2) 

Vanessa Bennett lands her dream job working at the Palace in Tarsurella. She struggles to balance everything on her plate: life in a new country, stressful deadlines, crabby co-workers, college classes at the local University, and blossoming feelings of romantic adoration toward her boss–King Addison. Keeping up with her To-Do list, while trying to earn respect in Addison’s male-dominated administration, presents its challenges. Nevertheless, she can’t help but fight a reoccurring thought and the excitement rising with it: is Addison interested in her?

Addison is adjusting to his new role as King. Rumors of a rebellious uprising among the youth in Tarsurella intensifies, as acts of violence and protest break out across the city. Addison is determined to uncover the hidden instigator who fearlessly blogs democracy-driven ideals with a secretive pen name. Will Addison discover and expose the fiery rebellion leader? Or will his efforts fail to stop the rebellious thoughts spreading like wildfire, causing a heartbreaking rift in his divided nation? 

Livy Jarmusch is a dreamer, singer, songwriter and orphan advocate. As the founder of Crown of Beauty Magazine, she strives to reach young women and inspire them to realize their true worth in Christ. She loves fairy-tales, the smell just after it rains, golden retriever puppies and peppermint ice-cream cones. 

If you really want to get to know her, follow her on Pinterest, and if you find yourself repinning everything, you're sure to be the best of friends! To join this princess on her pilgrimage through life, follow her on her website, www.livylynnblog.com, and through her social media sites:  Instagram @livylynnglittergirl, Pinterest @livyglittergirl, Twitter @lyvylynnmusic, and YouTube www.youtube.com/user/LivyJarmusch

1. What was your inspiration behind writing this story? 

Anyone who knows me in real life (or follows along on the internet!) knows that I'm a HUGE fan of all things Royalty and GIRLY. I love castles, glitter, ball-gowns...just take a look at my Pintrest page! Haha. I've always loved Cinderella, and Pride and Prejudice, and sugar-sweet, Christ-honoring love stories. Sadly, I've never been able to find the books and movies containing the sort of content I'd love to consume. It's like, you either have Hallmark, or Disney, and while both of those companies have some gems here and there, for the most part, the content can still feel kinda cheesy, or just doesn't have much depth to it. Anyway, one of my favorite quotes is, "If you don't see the book that you want to read on the shelf, then WRITE IT!" 

So, that's what I did. I started writing The Coronation, really just for my own enjoyment, to include all the things I love! Castles, ball-gowns, boy bands...all kinds of fun stuff! As the story progressed, I realized there was a deeper purpose to the tale, and other teens and young women needed to hear this story. It wasn't just a fun, fluffy book about life in a faraway European nation. As I gave my pen to God, and let go of all my preconceived ideas about what this was supposed to be, God oh-so-beautifully used my pen to turn this into a story of surrender, sacrifice, and trust.

2. What advice would you give regarding the writing process?

I love this question! One of my favorite things to do when I'm not writing, is to TALK about writing, haha! I actually have a ton of blog posts crammed full with writing advice, over at http://www.livylynnblog.com, so feel free to take a peak at those! There are a lot of things I could say concerning this topic, but a few quick things that come to mind are: 

-Turn Off Your Inner Critic 

It's so hard to write and let your creativity flow, when negative self-talk is telling you that you're horrible. You HAVE to shut that voice down in order to move forward. If you feel like a terrible writer, the only way to get better is to practice. Writing is just like anything else in life, you have to use and exercise your skills, in order to become excellent at it. And guess what? You're not the worst writer on the planet. Truly, you're not! Just ask any author to show them the first story they ever wrote...annnddddd it's probably going to be pretty terrible! We all have to start somewhere. So rejoice in the fact that you're actually STARTING! So many people dream of writing, but they never take the time to sit down and actually do it. So kuddos to you for writing once a day, or even just once a week. At least you're doing it! Celebrate each small milestone you reach. Every sentence is a wonderful accomplishment, even if you feel like it needs work. Which brings me to my second point...

-Don't Edit During Your Rough Draft 

Your rough draft is going to be exactly that: rough. I love what my friend Bella says about rough drafts. "Your first draft is you telling your story to you. Your second draft is you telling your story to the world." Your initial goal with your first draft is to get your story down on paper! Don't worry about typo's, sentence structure, or goofy editors notes such as (she's really mad here, add something to show more emotion, or IDK what kind of car he's driving, will decide later...) Don't worry about polishing and perfecting until after you finish recording your entire story. Every writer is different, but for me, self-editing while I'm writing my first draft, just doesn't work for me. It's distracting, and discouraging, because instead of thinking about how my character is truly feeling in that moment, I'm thinking about how badly I need to pull out a thesaurus, hang out at more coffee shops, meet some super hip friends with extensive vocabularies, and work on sounding more trendy haha! 

3. What advice would you give to new writers who want to have their books published one day? 

For starters, keep writing! Write every single day, if you can, and if not, figure out a writing schedule that works for you. The more you write, the better you become, the more books you finish, and the more options you have for publishing! 

Also find some great writing resources that will really encourage you in your journey, and help challenge you as an author to keep growing. If you're a hardcore pantser (meaning you love to write while flying by the seat of your pants!), consider picking up a book on plotting, and experimenting with a different method. If you always use a certain story structure, consider branching out and give a few pantsing exercises a try! Listen to Podcasts. Attend writers conferences. Befriend other authors and work on encouraging one another! There are so many ways to fan that tiny flicker of desire into a stronger flame, so find resources and people who will keep you encouraged and challenged. Keep growing! 

If you're interested in learning about self-publishing, my friend Bella and I actually offer Coaching Sessions for aspiring authors! We've both self-published many books and we know the entire process can seem really overwhelming! We wanted to simplify and make things easier, and give other girls and women the advice and encouragement we wish we would've had when we first self-published. We also offer coaching sessions for established authors who desire to grow their platform, sell more books, relaunch their blog, etc. It's such a blessing and a joy to be able to encourage other authors in whatever ways we can! <3 If this sounds like something you'd benefit from, all the details are here. :) https://www.livylynnblog.com/2018/01/15/cheerleader-sessions/

4. Who are some of your favorite authors? 

My favorite fiction author is Jane Austen! I read more non-fiction than I do fiction, though, so I'd have to say the majority of my favorite authors are those who write Christian devotionals and books of spiritual encouragement. I love Lisa Bevere! 

5. Who or what Inspired you to be a writer?

I've always loved books. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew somewhere deep inside that I wanted to tell stories, be creative, and share books with others. There was a point in my life (around five-years-old) where I really wanted to be a librarian, haha! I love every aspect of storytelling. Through media, movies, music, song-writing: my heart is in all of these things! Writing both fiction and nonfiction is yet another beautiful way to share truth with others. I believe the Lord planted this dream inside my heart and the desire to share stories with others. He is the Master Storyteller, and I know my desire to create comes from the One who created me. I was made in His image, so it only makes sense that this would be woven into my very DNA. My Heavenly Father is my inspiration, and I know He's the reason why I write what I do. <3

Welcome to The Tales of Tarsurella Treasure Hunt! Location #1

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card 

How it works: Follow along with The Rebellion Tour and collect clues at various blog posts throughout the Tour. The clues collected at each assigned stop will be hidden as Pin-able images. After pinning all the images to the Pinterest board of your choosing (we recommend starting a new board!), submit your board to livylynnauthor@yahoo.com for a chance to win the treasure: a $25 Amazon gift card!

To purchase a copy of The Coronation, click on this Amazon link. 

If your board includes all the needed clues, your name will be entered into the random drawing.

The deadline to submit your Pinterest board is Friday June 1^st, and the winner will be announced on June 2^nd!   

Are you ready to start searching for treasure?! Let's go!  

                               

“Hi there. The name’s Jackson. Head of Royal Security. I would like to welcome you on behalf of everyone here at the Place, we are pleased to have you in attendance for today’s Security Training. That is why you’re here, right? I’ve been training new Security Personal for the last thirty-nine years, and I take my job very seriously. Which is why, before you step any further into the Palace, I need to have you sign a Security Agreement and review our contract – uh excuse me, I’m getting a quick call in my In-Ears, pardon the interruption.

Yes, Deborah? Yes. Mmm hmm. Yes, she’s right here in my sights. Oh. You mean she’s not one of the new recruits?

Very well. I’ll send her up to meet with you right away. Thank you, Deborah.

Well, I guess you’re not here to swear your allegiance to the King and sign your life away, after all!
I understand now that you’re here to meet with the Royal’s. You’re on some sort of promotional, tourist outing, to search for ‘hidden treasure’, right? I’ll send you upstairs to meet with Deborah, and she’ll give you the official tour. But first, I’d highly recommend going to the Front Desk and requesting a map.

Enjoy your day, Madam.”

Your adventure is about to begin! But first, you need a map. Go here to grab your Treasure Map! Link: https://spoonfulofsurprises.com (A full list of all the Blog Stops participating in the Treasure Hunt ;)) The Treasure Map will become avilable on May 2nd!)

This Blog Tour is hosted by Livy Lynn link: www.livylynnblog.com. Check out The Coronation, and her new release The Rebellion, coming May 8th! 

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