Welcome to Day 8 of The HYPE Blog Tour @YvetteMCalleiro #Hype #NewRelease #BookPromo #YAFiction @YvetteMCalleiro

Published on by Jan Sikes

I am thrilled to welcome my friend and fellow author, Yvette Calleiro, to my blog today. She has a brand new YA book out that deals with some pretty tough social issues. But I’ll let her tell you about it.

GIVEAWAY:  3 e-book copies of HYPE!

Leave a comment below for your chance to win! 

Yvette Calleiro

On Writing a Foreword

I first wrote Hype about ten years ago. It was the second book I had ever written, and it needed major revising (not that I knew it at the time). I tried to get it traditionally published and was not successful, but one publisher did provide me with a few suggestions on ways to improve the story. Hype took a spot on the forgotten shelf for the next decade as I wrote my Diasodz series. Ignored but not forgotten. I knew Cici’s story had to be shared, but I wanted to make sure it was well-received when I gave it to the world.

When I finally decided to revise the story, I felt it was missing an introduction of sorts. When the reader first meets Cici, she has quite an intense personality. She’s quite sure of herself and doesn’t hold anything back. Her voice is strong with a splash of attitude (maybe more than a splash). Some readers may be turned off by such a strong character, and I didn’t want a reader to put the book down before they got to know the real her.

Nowadays, readers want the action to happen on page one, but this story builds up to horrors a bit more slowly. So, a foreword made sense to me. I chose to introduce Cici as a grown adult through an introductory letter. Here it is:

Dear reader,

Time is constantly progressing. It stops for no one. It doesn’t slow for one to further enjoy a moment, nor does it quicken to allow one to forget a difficult time. It treks along on its own constant path, oblivious to our requests.

As with time, our lives are always moving forward. And with time comes experiences that forever shape the people who we are. Every moment, every minute, and every second carries with it a choice that affects which path we will follow. It molds the person we become.

People do not stand before you now without being a collection of their past experiences and the choices they made as a result of those moments. To truly understand someone, you must open yourself up to understand the particles of time that have formed a person’s soul.

It is with these words I find the courage to share with you my story. I am whole today, but there was a time when I was broken. To truly understand, you must understand my story from the girl I once was before my path was forever changed.

Do not ridicule my innocence. Do not mock my naivety. Try not to judge me, like I judged others. Allow my voice to integrate into your mind without prejudice so you can truly hear my story. Then maybe you will understand.

Sincerely,

Cecilia M. Gonzalez

My hope is that this will allow the readers to accept Cici as she is in her teen years, flaws and all. The voice in this letter does not match the voice in chapter one. Cici is living a great life when the story opens. As her life falls apart, her voice will change because tragedy changes all parts of a person, including her voice.

This is my first book with a foreword. My other works do not have one. I’m not sure I’d write one again, but for this story, it doesn’t feel complete without it. I’d love to hear your thoughts on using a foreword to introduce a story. Do you appreciate them or do you tend to skip right over them?

To follow along with the rest of the Hype tour, please visit the author’s blog. Thanks for supporting Yvette M Calleiro and her work!

Yvette Calleiro

Author Bio:

Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.

Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

Amazon Links:

Hype – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7BFNXG

The One Discovered (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 1) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I4L2Q40

The One Enlightened (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 2) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R0QI51I

The One Betrayed (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 3) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191O1892

The One Revealed (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 4) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBKJHIO

The One Awakened (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 5) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0781WT73J

The One Chosen – A Diasodz Short Story – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0986Q6P1D

Breathless – A Short Story – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLVDHQX

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/Yvette-M-Calleiro/e/B00I4RJMUU

Social Media Links:

Author Blog: http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YvetteMCalleiro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yvettemcalleiro

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7800735.Yvette_M_Calleiro

56 thoughts on “Welcome to Day 8 of The HYPE Blog Tour @YvetteMCalleiro #Hype #NewRelease #BookPromo #YAFiction @YvetteMCalleiro”

  3. Hi Yvette, Hi Jan,
    Yvette, sometimes it takes a story years to mature and then we know when the time is ripe. It’s a tingling feeling within us letting us know, the story has to come out now. I look forward to reading HYPE. It sounds so much like the kind of book I would love to read because it builds up slowly and will draw me in.
    All the best.
    And thank you Jan for hosting Yvette.
    Shalom aleichem

    Liked by 2 people

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    2. Thank you for saying that, Pat. So many people are all about the story starting with action, but I actually love the slow build up. I enjoy falling in love with the characters before chaos happens. I’m happy I’m not the only one. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. Hi, Yvette. Your foreword was the perfect beginning to Cici’s story. It hints that the proud, judgmental, and somewhat shallow teenager in the first few chapters is going to radically change by the end of the story. And it shows that she will survive the trauma that’s about to happen. Thanks for hosting Yvette today, Jan!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Spot on, Patty! I know if I’d picked up this book as an adult and had read the first chapter or two, I’d roll my eyes at her personality, so I wanted the reader to know that she does grow and mature. I want them to realize it’s worth sticking around to read her journey. I appreciate you pointing that out. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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    1. Thank you, Jacquie. I thought it was important to let the reader know that despite the horrific act that Cici experiences, she doesn’t let it define her. I also wanted them to hear her mature voice before they dive into her teen voice. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me today. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

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  9. Jan, thank you so much for showcasing Yvette today. I really enjoyed reading your foreword, Yvette, and I think it’s a great idea and fits with what you’re wanting to accomplish.

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. When a book includes a foreward, I always read it because it may offer a context that enriches the story. Being the counselor type, that’s attractive to me. Thank you, Jan, for hosting Day 8, and congratulations, Yvette, for your successful tour and incredible book. Bravo! ✨🎉✨

    Liked by 3 people

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  13. I think it’s a creative choice, and I always read them. I’m a big Rod Serling fan and his programs wouldn’t be the same without his introductions. I always wanted to write a book of shorts with my narrator introducing each one, and might do it some day.

    Liked by 3 people

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    2. That is a great example, Craig! I agree. His programs wouldn’t be the same without his introductions. I hope you do write a book of shorts with a narrator introducing each. I would definitely read it! Thank you for your comment!

      Liked by 2 people

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  14. I never had a problem with forewards or prologues, but many editors tell authors not to use them because readers skip over them. I think that’s nuts. It’s part of the story; why would you skip it?

    I can see what you mean by the story needing it. Given what you’ve said about the book, it seems like the perfect entrance into the tale. Wishing you all the best with it.

    Liked by 2 people

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  16. Great foreword. I take each story on its own merit as regards to writing forewords. It sounds like this one will benefit from this intro. Best of luck with everything, Yvi. I’ll be reading Hype soon! Thanks for sharing, Jan 💕🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  17. My compliments to Yvette for finishing what she started. It takes a lot of heart to stick with a manuscript that long and tell a story that needs to be told.

    Liked by 3 people

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  18. This was a great forward for the story, Yvette. It’s a story where I needed to know she’d be okay at some point. Glad you decided to get this out there!
    Thanks for hosting, Jan 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

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