Guest Post and Giveaway: Celia on the Run by Sarah Mandell

Celia on the Run Blurb

Nick Novaczek is a cautious soul, a 17-year old with a quiet thirst for danger. On the eve of his grandmother’s funeral, danger finds him by the motel swimming pool. Her name is Celia and she’s everything he’s not. This foul-mouthed beauty is hitchhiking across the country to make amends with her estranged father and doesn’t carry an ounce of fear or hesitation in her tattered suitcase. 
Hours after meeting Celia, Nick is hopelessly hooked and “borrows” his parents’ car to join her mission, even though her story is full of holes. It’s the mistake he’s been waiting his whole life to make. After weeks of detours, with hundreds of miles left to go, their wild adventure unravels, but she won’t turn back, no matter how desperate things get. Celia’s got a charming smile to pay her way, a willing accomplice, and an endless supply of lies. Not to mention a gun.

I am pleased to host author Sarah Mandell on my blog today. Her debut novel Celia on the Run sounds exactly like the type of book I would want to read. Since I am unable to offer a review right now, Sarah offered to provide a guest post and giveaway. Please welcome Sarah as she describes writing and recycling her characters and then enter the giveaway below.

Character Recycling

I have two dirty secrets. Sometimes I forget to recycle bottles and cans, and sometimes I recycle characters from past stories I’ve written. There’s no excuse for the bottles and cans, but I believe recycling a character can be a good thing. 

It’s almost like an in-depth character study, a trial run. I’ve created a person, compiled quirks, traits, and preferences, then tried them out in a setting or scenario. I’ve had practice with that particular character and really liked them, but the story was sub par, and I hate to lose a good character just because I couldn’t come through on the manuscript. I’ve written about 10 manuscripts over the last 4 years, most of them unfinished junk, a few keepers, and so far, just one that’s made it through publication (with Untreed Reads), but I feel no shame in sharing with you that Nick Noveczek, the main character from my debut novel, Celia on the Run, was a shy but admirable kid that was originally from a novel I’ve since abandoned, which was called The Trampoline. The original story didn’t quite work, but the character did. 

Armed with a great character, one I knew very very well from writing him all the way through a previous manuscript, I tried him out in a new setting, cast him opposite a wild and reckless beauty named Celia, and put them in a sorta stolen car on their way across the country for completely different reasons. Bingo! Nick was made to hopelessly crush on an ungrateful girl like Celia, he was meant to overcome his fears and jump off a bridge (among other things), and he was ready to come-of-age on the road trip of a lifetime. 

Now that Nick Noveczek is out in the world in my first published novel, that’s it, I would never dream of recycling him. As for the countless other characters in my unfinished / unpublished work, they’re likely to get revamped, re-matched, and probably renamed before I’m done with them! 

Sarah Mandell is a professionally trained artist with a background in interior design. She's also the brains and busy hands behind a thriving indie craft business called Once Again Sam, where she sells handmade leather jewelry and quirky fiber art creations online and in local shops. Even with an ever-expanding collection of creative outlets, she's truly the happiest when she's writing. Her debut novel, Celia on the Run, was published in 2012 by Untreed Reads. For more, please visit www.celiaontherun.com

Giveaway

Untreed Reads has generously offered an e-book for giveaway to one lucky reader. To enter for a chance for your own e-book of Celia on the Run, just fill out the form below. 
 

Giveaway Rules:
Must be at least 16 yrs or older
Open to US and Int'l
Following is NOT required
To Enter fill out the form below

Contest ends August 2nd 2012 11:59 EST

One Winner will be selected using random.org

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER