Meradeth Houston: Christmas for Authors

Every once in a while I receive comments on my book about how it has such a great “message.” These always give me pause: I totally didn’t set out to write a message-oriented book, and in my head that’s not what I was going for. But apparently there’s one in there :-). After thinking about it a while, I’ve decided I kind of like the thought. Here’s why:

My main characters belong to the Sary (I made them up, so don’t worry if you’ve never heard of them before!), who are charged with helping people out when they’re in need. Usually this is to try to keep people from taking their own lives, but other times it can be as simple as lending a helping hand when it’s needed—giving someone a pen in the grocery line, or even offering a smile, finding a way to make a day a little brighter. I think we’ve all had an experience or two when someone’s been there to help out when we’ve been in a jam.



My personal story of someone coming to my rescue was after being in a serious car accident. A beamer blew a stop sign going about 60mph and rammed into my car, spinning us through an intersection, into another car, and eventually into a ditch. My husband and I were supremely lucky we weren’t seriously injured (we got away with a broken leg and broken ribs). After being whisked to the ER—separate ones, as hubby looked really bad at the scene—I had no way to contact anyone to help. My family was out-of-town, I’d lost my cell, and obviously had no car. Stuck doesn’t even begin to cover it.

That’s when I received a major helping hand in the form of an old friend who was a nurse in the ER. She happened to recognize my name, and completely took care of me. She helped me find pants (mine had to be cut off—can I just say embarrassing?), get me home, then track down my husband and help him home. I have no idea what I would have done without her. That night, she was totally my Sary.

So, if in any small way through my books I point to ways to help one another out, I’m definitely happy. I also love hearing other’s stories of times they’ve received a helping hand—I’d love it if you chimed in with one in the comments! I share stories on Friday’s on my blog, too, and am always looking for new voices and tales to share J.

And because I love this (even if it is an ad), I have to share:


A bit about the Colors Like Memories:

Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of. Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

Now available in print and ebook format!

Trailer:


Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Colors-Like-Memories-ebook/dp/B0083ODXSG

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/colors-like-memories-meradeth-houston/1112133529?ean=2940044687257

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/176295

Publisher: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=492&category_id=60&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

A bit about The Chemistry of Fate:

“They are everywhere, can be anyone, and are always the last person you’d expect.” When Tom stumbles across his grandfather’s journal, he’s convinced the old man was crazier than he thought. The book contains references to beings called the Sary, immortals who are assigned to save humans on the verge of suicide. They certainly aren’t allowed to fall in love with mortals. Which the journal claims Tom’s grandfather did, resulting in his expulsion from the Sary. As strange as the journal seems, Tom can’t get the stories out of his head; especially when he finds the photo of his grandfather’s wings. Tom’s only distraction is Ari, the girl he studies with for their chemistry class. Ari has one goal when she arrives in town: see how much Tom knows about the Sary and neutralize the situation. This isn’t a normal job, but protecting the secrecy of the Sary is vital. If Tom is a threat to exposing the Sary to the public, fate has a way of taking care of the situation, usually ending with the mortal’s death. While Ari spends time with Tom, he becomes more than just an assignment, but how far can a relationship go when she can’t tell him who she really is? When she finds out just how much Tom actually knows about the Sary, Ari is forced to choose between her wings, and her heart. THE CHEMISTRY OF FATE is a companion to COLORS LIKE MEMORIES and is set before the latter takes place. It is geared toward an upper YA, or New Adult audience.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Fate-Society-Series-ebook/dp/B00CJEUL18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367099879&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chemistry+of+fate iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id640800133

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chemistry-of-fate-meradeth-houston/1115195062?ean=2940016492834

Publisher: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=716&category_id=311&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

About Me:

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:
She’s a Northern California girl, but now lives and teaches anthropology in Montana.
When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work!
If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

My Links:

http://www.meradethhouston.com/

http://meradethhouston.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17452243-the-chemistry-of-fate

https://twitter.com/MeradethHouston

https://www.facebook.com/MeradethHouston

http://pinterest.com/merbear95695/ a Rafflecopter giveaway