Indie Spyglass: Becca Ritchie and Giveaway

Posted 30 August, 2011 by Danny in / 16 Comments

Welcome to another Indie Spyglass edition!

Today we have a fantastic guest post from Becca Ritchie, 
Author of the YA paranormal “Wynter Chelsea” series. 

Becca Ritchie
(website, twitter, goodreads) 

Becca Michelle Ritchie grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia where she began writing at an early age. When she was 14, she completed Wynter Chelsea: The Legacy and published the novel at 17. Currently she attends the University of Georgia where she’s minoring in English and studying Telecommunication Arts. Her second novel (the sequel), Wynter Chelsea: The Sublimity was just released in late December of 2010. She is currently working on promoting her series as well as writing the third installment.

Wynter Chelsea – The Legacy 
Book I 
synopsis from goodreads:

Four hundred years ago a creature descended upon the Earth. The supernatural hunted innocent lives wanting blood and vengeance. Two families, the Wynters and the Chelseas, knew of the darkness that reigned over the world. For thousands of years they hunted and killed to protect those who knew nothing of the dangers.

Amanda Chelsea vies to be a part of the Wynter Chelsea legacy, constantly craving the thrill of a lifetime that her older brother, Jack, and the two Wynter boys experience. At seventeen, Amanda’s passion to fight is overwhelming, and she cannot come to grips with why the boys are protecting her. Abilities are cast upon the new generation of Wynters and Chelseas, only in hopes of guiding them to vanquish the impenetrable creature. Even as Amanda Chelsea receives the power of empathy, feeling other people’s emotions, it brings more harm than a vital potency. Through the turmoil in New Jersey, Dustin Wynter is the only one able to relate to Amanda with a similar gift. As Jack’s rage boils over the edge, Dustin must put the pieces back together and hold the legacy up with a shaking arm and a quirky brother by his side.

When the world couldn’t seem to become anymore dangerous, both parents of each family go missing. Now with no choice but to bring Amanda along, she finally is able to fight without hassle, but is it worth it? Is the disappearance of the ones she loved a price that she has to pay for her dream to join the legacy? Traveling across the United States, the four young adults must confront their hidden emotions and ultimate reason for living.

Wynter Chelsea is a novel about finding truth in oneself and truth in the world amid the darkness that follows. Readers of the young adult genre will connect with Amanda’s coming of age story, where life seems to be at the tip of her fingers but she can’t hold on to it. Wynter Chelsea has a spark of comedy with Trevor Wynter and love with the bubbling young romance of Amanda and Dustin. With a strong sense of love, loss, and sacrifice, Wynter Chelsea connects the sentiment of the reader to the page. When the reader closes the novel, their heart will surely be left within the lines.

And now, Becca will talk about her recent favorite movies! 
Stay tuned for the giveaway at the end! 
My Top 5 Superhero Movies
By Becca Ritchie

In honor of the final close of the Superhero Summer, I’ve decided to rank my top 5 favorite superhero movies. My novel, Wynter Chelsea: The Legacy, deals with supernatural creatures and demons, but the heart of the story comes from the four hunters fighting these evils. The best fighter is comic book and superhero lover, Trevor Wynter, who constantly irritates 17-year-old Amanda Chelsea on long road trips across America. I have always been attracted to the idea of a scrawny, unassuming kid with a semi-dark past rising up and becoming a superhero. Like Peter Parker in Spider-Man, I shaped Trevor Wynter around this idea that the weakest and least appealing boy on the playground can become the absolute strongest. So here’s my list. And I must put a disclaimer before I begin the countdown. I am extremely biased. You’ll quickly find out which superheroes I love.
5. Thor (2011): I went into the movie with extremely (extremely!) low expectations because the trailer was absolutely awful. I cringed every time it came on television. If Thor wasn’t a Marvel comic, I’m almost positive I would have never even gone to the theater (let alone at midnight!). But I did go to the midnight showing. And I did fall in love with it. Thor was a great mixture of comedy and action. The first comic I ever read was the first issue of The Avengers, and I always found Thor corny on paper. But on the screen, the cast, writers, and creators did an excellent job to make Thor funny rather than a giant cheese fest. Loki, the villain in the film, was absent from all trailers. Big mistake! His relationship with Thor was one of the most interesting parts of the movie. I’m counting down for The Avengers movie where both Loki and Thor will grace the big screen once again.
4. Spider-Man (2002): Most people prefer the second film, but I love the first. I’m not sure if it’s because the origin story has a special place in my heart or because I saw the second movie at a drive-in theater. Anyone who’s been to a drive-in theater knows how uncomfortable it is to watch a movie in your trunk. Let’s just say, I didn’t bring lawn chairs. Not smart. Anyway, this movie may have been higher on the list if I didn’t despise Mary Jane Watson. It’s not Kirsten Dunst. I love Bring it On, and when “it’s cold outside,” I constantly start cheering like a wannabe cheerleader. It’s just that MJ is my least favorite female lead in any superhero film. I love the premise of Spider-Man, as already described, but MJ comes off weak in a place where I crave a strong female lead. That being said, I’ve already started bouncing up and down for The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.
3. The Dark Knight (2008): Epic. Beautiful. The Joker as Heath Ledger. What else can I say? Oh yeah, Christopher Nolan, you rock. Why is it third? Like I said, I’m biased. What does Batman tell people? You have to be rich to be a superhero in order to buy your weapons, cool lair, and awesome car. That aside, The Dark Knight is a masterpiece of storytelling that just cannot be denied. I’m not sure how the third, The Dark Knight Rises, will fair, but I have high hopes for it.
2. X2: X-Men United (2003): This has been my all time favorite movie FOREVER! Well, only since 2003, but that seems like forever. You can only imagine what beat it. The plot of X2 did not stick with the comics. Even though I’ve read ton of X-Men comic books, I have never cared about the authenticity between the replication of the comic to screen. I just want to watch a great movie. And that’s what X2 gave us. It’s hard to explain how amazing X-Men truly is unless you’ve seen the movies on a firsthand account. All I can possibly do is gush over them. I do admit that the X-Men franchise took a bit of a nose dive after X2. Until…
1. X-Men: First Class (2011): I waited in anticipation, counting down the days and trying to shield my eyes from any spoilers floating around the internet. And then it happened. I saw something spectacular. Why? First Class turned out to be a movie not wholly targeted for superhero fans like me. It turned out to be just a flat out great movie for any type of person out there. It was more worthwhile than just drooling over McAvoy and Fassbender. I truly fell in love with each mutant, whether bad or good. Each possessed dynamic personalities that it was hard to pick a side, which is exactly how the comics are. Michael Vaughn, the director, claimed he wasn’t going to follow the comics, but I felt like he captured the spirit of X-Men the best. The most poignant line in the movie was “Tomorrow, mankind will know that mutants exist. They will fear us, and that fear will turn to hatred.” It’s the theme of the series. A group of people are being persecuted for just being born different. 
Even if you don’t have a superhero power, people today can still relate to that premise. And hopefully the Wynter Chelsea series does the same. I tried to create a book where, regardless of the supernatural elements, the characters’ struggles are relatable in some way to the readers. If that happens, well then, I’ve done my job.
——–
Thank you so much Becca for sharing! 
After reading your post I most definitely need to see Thor and X-Men First Class, right now!!!
And now we have a wonderful giveaway for you! 
One lucky winner 
can win 
an eBook set of “Wynter Chelsea” 
The Legacy and The Sublimity 
 
Simply leave a comment with your email address and 
answer the following question: 
“Which is your favorite Superhero / Paranormal Movie?”
Much love! 

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Danny

Obsessive Reader by Night - Scientist at Day! You can also find me on goodreads. I'd love to get to know you so, don't be shy and say Hello!

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16 Responses to “Indie Spyglass: Becca Ritchie and Giveaway”

  2. Bwyatt

    Oh, we just saw CAPTAIN AMERICA, and I really liked it. But I liked IRON MAN and the new BATMAN movies too. Ok, I don't think I can pick just one. (bites bottom lip) Maybe I should start listing the one's I don't like. BUt that would be a long list too. (sigh)
    Thanks for the giveaway! I love finding new indie authors. And I plan on reviewing a lot on our new blog that will launch at the end of the week. I'm very excited!
    britneywyatt[at]gmail[dot]com

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  13. Denise Z

    I love a good superhero and have to choose Batman, but my favorite movie is Lady in the Water, such a wonderful tale that I enjoy watching it over and over. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway opportunity.

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

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    Reply
  16. Shae Carcar

    Transformers… I'm sorry Shia Labeuf is awesome in those movies, and even though I don't COMPLETELY understand em, robots crushing other robots is just entertaining i dont care what you say hehe
    shae_carcar (at) yahoo (dot) com

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