Thursday, October 24, 2013

Wonderland by Jude Ouvrard FALL FIRES BLOG TOUR




Summary:
Lucas Colton is far too young to go through all this pain but meeting poetry teacher, Preston Davidson, changed everything. His life went from heartbreak to joyful and then, from friendship to love. The impact Preston had on Lucas’ life was mesmerising.  What would you do if you knew you may not have a tomorrow?

Fall Fires (full anthology) on Goodreads

Excerpt from Wonderland:

When I arrived at Central Park, Preston was sitting by the statue of Alice in Wonderland with two steaming cups of coffee in hand. He wore a canary yellow sweatshirt with a pair of dark blue jeans and black leather converse.
“You’re on time,” I teased, taking one of the cups from him.
“I figure I shouldn’t waste any more time.” Preston took a sip of his coffee. “Life is too important right now. I don’t want to miss anything.”
“I can see that you’ve thought about my situation thoroughly.” I couldn’t help but be flattered. It was obvious now that he cared about me, even if just as a friend.
“I have a few questions for you. If you don’t mind, of course.” 
Curious, I wanted to know what was going on inside his brain. Looking through his glasses, I saw how tired his eyes were, how the rims were red. He hadn’t slept all night, I would bet. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to answer all of them, but I’m willing to try.” 
Preston made me nervous, and I hoped he wasn’t going to ask for a medical explanation. I had asked to be told what was necessary. The details weren’t important to me. All I knew was that I had kidney cancer, and that it had started to spread to my other organs. My lungs were affected, but they were giving me enough medication to keep me out of pain.
“I want you to name three things you can’t live without,” he said. That seemed pretty simple, nothing to be worried about.
“Coffee, a good movie, and cheesecake.” I laughed. “You took me off guard. I don’t know, but those are things that I enjoy, I guess.”
“It’s perfect. Now tell me: what would you do if bacteria were killing all the coffee beans in the world, and you foresaw that thirty days from now, you wouldn’t be able to find a single coffee bean in the world?”
Was Preston serious? What kind of question was that? I shook my head and smiled. “I’d drink as much as I could, and I’d try to freeze some to keep for special occasions.”
“Good answer. Now tell me: what would you do if the film industry decided that it was no longer profit-earning to produce movies and that thirty days from now, there wouldn’t be any movies anywhere for sale or rent?”
“I would buy as many movies as I could afford, and go to the movie theater one last time.”
“Another great answer. Last, but not least: what would you do if the Cheesecake Factory was going bankrupt, and thirty days from now, you couldn’t find a single piece of cheesecake in the entire world?”
“I would eat cheesecake for every meal, gain weight, and die of heart failure,” I joked.
Preston laughed. “I’m asking you all these questions because I’ve come up with a plan. You said you might have weeks to live. Let’s hope you have a month. You have to make the most out of it. You have to enjoy and do everything you’ve ever dreamed of doing. Are you ready to have the best time of your life?”
A smile spread over my lips. “Okay, I see where you’re going with this.”
“I’ll spend that month with you. I want to be with you every time you smile or cry, when you feel good, or when you’re in pain. You can’t do this alone, Lucas. So tell me: what is it that you’ve always dreamed of doing?”
“I’m a pretty simple guy; don’t need much to be happy, so forgive me if we aren’t going to Australia. I think we’ll stay here in New York.”

“Sounds good to me — and my wallet.” Preston looked at me, waiting for me to tell him everything I wanted to do before the end came.


Jude has visited before, so this time I asked her: 
What do you think it takes to be a successful author?

Nicholas Sparks is an author that I appreciate. I’ve also learned a lot from him. There are three things he believes can help any author: Research, Read and Write.
I’ve also learned a lot from Stephen King. I’m not a big fan of his books but everything he says makes sense. I love the way he thinks. He is very inspiring and real. Here is a quote from Stephen King; it also confirms what Nicholas Sparks mentions.
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
I’ve read A LOT of books in the past few years. Every book I read teaches me something. It can be words; it can be in spiritual way or how to create a storyline. There is always something new to learn. Reading helps you build your own story, your own creativity. You learn the mechanics or patterns and it makes your story much stronger and believable.
When you are ready to work on your story, some people like to have a very detailed plan while some others would rather be free to write as it comes. You build your own method. Get your ideas together, write and never stop believing. Write for yourself and have fun doing it. The love you give to your work is contagious. If you believe in what you do, your story will reflect it. Put your heart into it and the reader will feel it.
Don’t write in hopes of making money because this is where most authors fails. Write because it is your passion. Last year, out of thousand books, only a small amount was successful. Here are two quotes from Stephen King:
“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”
“I’ve written because it fulfilled me. Maybe it paid off the mortgage on the house and got the kids through college, but those things were on the side–I did it for the buzz. I did it for the pure joy of the thing. And if you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.”
Make friends with other authors, help them, and pay it forward. Don’t judge anyone in the industry because it’s a small world. I’ve seen enough horror stories in the past months. Be respectful. Do it because you love it, not because you have to.  Most importantly, never give up because winners never quit and quitters never win.

A successful author is not someone who sells 500 000 books in twelve months. A successful author is someone who works hard, writes with a passion, works on his book until its perfect, gets a kick ass cover and is proud to show the world how good his book is. This, in my eyes, is what a successful writer means. All it takes is desire and you can achieve greatness.

About the Author:


Jude was born and raised in a small village named Lacolle. She now lives in Montreal, Canada. She is the proud mother of a beautiful four year old son, and has spent the last twelve years with her partner, Cedric.

French is her native language, but she prefers to write in her second language, English.
Besides working full time for a Title Insurance Company and being a mother, Jude has a passion for books, both reading and writing them.

She is currently working on a novel called Body, Ink, and Soul. Coming soon!

Also by Jude Ouvrard:
Under the Sun, Heat Wave: Volume Two



Jude's Tour Schedule:


10/22: Lily G. Blunt – Guest Post
10/23: N. Wood -- Interview
10/24: R.E. Hargrave – Guest Post
10/25: Jennifer Garcia – Promo/Excerpt
10/26: Elizabeth M. Lawrence – Guest Post
10/27: C.W. Stevens – Promo/Excerpt
10/28: Lorenz – Promo/Excerpt
10/29: Layne Faire – Guest Post
10/30: S.A. Jones – Promo/excerpts
10/31: Mich's Book Reviews – Guest Post
11/1: K.L. Pratt – Promo/Excerpt
         Sam – Promo/Excerpt
11/2: The Hive Book Reviews – Review/Promo/Excerpt
11/3:
11/4: M.C. Rayne -- Review

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