Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Tyrean Martinson & Liftoff!

 My blog buddy Tyrean Martinson has a book releasing today!!

Liftoff is Book 1 of the Rayatana Series. 



Groovy…Wake up and smell the 90s…And I oop… and other Hazards of Slang in Teen Dialogue


The danger of using slang in teen dialogue is that it is timely and not timeless. Add in the factor that most YA authors are actually adults who no longer speak the common slang of the day, and it can be downright unfriendly territory, especially given the current prevalence of the phrase, “Okay, Boomer.” 

So, what do we do? 

Use slang sparingly so our work is timeless instead of timely.

We research. Forms of research can include: films, show episodes, Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, and Urban Dictionary. But, more importantly for modern dialogue, listen to the teens around you. Get feedback from teens on current slang. Slang can be a matter of culture, style, and region, so, next…

We consider our characters. Our characters’ personality and culture will inform their dialogue. This is true for teens, adults, small children, and the elderly. It doesn’t matter how old your character is, what matters is who they are. You might write a seventeen-year-old who says, “Groovy.” You might write a 90-year-old who says, “And I oop,” and maybe even uses it at the right time and place. 

And always, we find beta readers who are either teens or parents of teens. I changed sections of dialogue in Liftoff at the behest of my nineteen-year-old daughter. Feedback helps.




Title: Liftoff

Subtitle: The Rayatana Series, Book 1

A spaceship in disguise,

An Earth girl searching for a sense of home,

And a Thousand Years’ War between alien races,

All collide on a summer afternoon.

An old movie theater welcomes Amaya in and wraps her up in the smell of popcorn and licorice. But one sunny afternoon during a matinee, the movie screen goes dark. The theater rumbles.

Amaya gets trapped in the middle of an ancient alien conflict. Angry and frightened, Amaya entangles herself in a life-changing cultural misunderstanding with Sol, a young alien who keeps omitting key information, even while they’re on the run from his enemies.

What will it take to survive a battle between alien races involved in an ancient war?

Liftoff is a fast-paced read for fans of Code 8, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cobra Kai. 


Release Date: November 10, 2020

Paperback ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-9889933-8-9 

Ebook ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-9889933-9-6

Copyright Tyrean Martinson November 2020

Publisher: Wings of Light Publishing, Gig Harbor, WA, USA

Professionally Edited by Chrys Fey

Cover Art and Interior Design by Carrie Butler

LINKS: Kindle Barnes and Noble Kobo Smashwords Goodreads



About the Author: Tyrean Martinson is an author and teacher from Washington State. As a former fencer and kickboxer, she enjoys writing fight scenes in fast-paced novels and novellas. As a teacher and writing tutor, she loves to get students writing and reading comfortably by any means: talk-to-text, short writing assignments, short stories, novellas, and adventures. She wrote her latest novella, Liftoff, for herself during COVID, but realized it also fits a dream she’s had for a while: to create a short, fast-paced read for teen/YA readers who love popcorn movies, adventure, and sweet romance. 

Author Links: Blog Newsletter Instagram Twitter Facebook


My Review:

So much fun! Liftoff is a fabulous introduction to a new world and series. Amaya's life is completely disrupted when she heads to a movie with her friends. Instead of enjoying the film, she finds herself on an alien spaceship flying to a different solar system. And things only get more complicated from there! Alien species, new technologies, a heap of expectations, family drama and a cute alien who will do anything for her change everything for Amaya. Fascinating story and I'm looking forward to more!

Hope about you? Anyone using Groovy out there? What's your favourite slang term? Anyone else read LiftOff yet?

11 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Big congratulations to Tyrean!

Jemi Fraser said...

Agreed! It's a great story & I'm looking forward to more!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thank you, Alex! And, thank you, Jemi, for all of your encouragement! Your review is awesome! :)

Elephant's Child said...

Huge congratulations to Tyrean. And thanks to you for highlighting her work.

nashvillecats2 said...

Congrats and good luck to Tyrean. A great post to read Jemi.
Take care.
Yvonne.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thank you!

Jemi Fraser said...

You're very welcome - such a great story!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Best of luck, Tyrean!

Mason Canyon said...

Congrats to Tyrean on the new release. Sounds intriguing.

Deniz Bevan said...

Congratulations, Tyrean!

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