Two Ends of the Pen

Review: VIRTUE OF A GOVERNESS by Anne Brear

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

4 of 5 stars

With the death of her parents, English governess Nicola Douglas finds herself alone with no prospects. She makes the decision to start anew in the distant of Australia, but what she finds is that there are far too many young women with the same dream for the scant few jobs available. Her life takes a unexpected turn when she meets wealthy benefactor, Mr. Belfroy. He offers her safe haven and eventually a job managing the women's shelter for those in need. Determined to be the master of her own destiny, she puts all of her efforts into making The Governess Home a success. To complicate her life further, she meets wealthy Nathaniel West and as much as she would like to ignore the arrogant and frustrating young man, her attraction to him grows, but will she abandon her the much needed work for her own happiness?

The character of Nicola Douglas is well-developed and speaks to the plight of young women of the 1860s without family or benefactors to protect them. It was a cruel world and I could feel her desperation and dogged determination to make a life for herself in spite of all odds against her. My favorite character was her friend Meg, a carefree spirit, who adds worry and unexpected joy to Nicola's life. I am a fan of Ms. Brear who does a great job of spinning a story that is captivating that will keep readers intrigued and turning the pages to find out the fate of Miss Nicola Douglas. Fans of historical romance will find this a delightful story of duty, compassion, joy and love. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Review: DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

3 of 5 stars

I've heard a lot of hype about this book and I was excited to finally read it. It starts out very well. I liked that Diana Bishop was a strong independent woman with a stellar academic career. Preferring to live her life without using her magic, Diana is confident that all her accomplishments have been achieved on her own. She's in Oxford doing research when she crosses paths with vampire Matthew Clairmont and that's when she starts to change. Her long repressed magic starts to show itself and not in a good way.

This book meanders for 600 pages and that's the problem. It could easily be half that length and it would have been a page-turner. As it is, there are so many paragraphs devoted to her eating and drinking tea. I get it, she likes to eat and drink tea. I don't need to be told endless times. I was very disappointed to see Diana go from a strong independent woman to a weak-willed simpering witch who follows Matthew's every command. Beside that, my biggest complaint is that there is NO conclusion to any of the issues raised in the book. It ends on a cliff-hanger and if you want to know what happens next, you'll have to buy book 2. I understand ending books on a cliff hanger, but that's usually after the author has resolved some of the issues in the book. Ms. Harkness chose not to do that.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Interview with V.R. Janis

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

The most recent published book is Hidden Conflicts which is the final book in the Hidden Magic Trilogy. The trilogy is about a young elf maiden who lives in the world as it is right now and she is fighting for the people and beliefs she has. It is a unique blend of Ojibwe culture/language and fantasy.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I love listening to instrumental music such as flute, Lindsey Stirling (violin), classical and movie film scores. Sometimes the songs can help the scenes come alive.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I outline what I want to happen in each chapter and then I let my characters create their own world. Sometimes it goes the way I want it to and sometimes it goes off in a whole other direction. When a scene is developing and I leave it, sometimes I will have a dream or a flash of inspiration and then the scene explodes.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?

I have learned that you have to have courage and motivation. I also have learned the benefit to research (google) and that no feat is too small to celebrate.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

My books can be found on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and www.etsy.com/shop/OjibweWonders

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

I do twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, Goodreads, I am part of Yahoo groups, forums, I have a blog www.janisvr.blogspot.com and never underestimate the power of word of mouth, I pass out business cards, I do presentations, book signings and talks to classes. I look for new experiences and connections on a daily basis.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

I do find it difficult to juggle marketing and writing, however I have created a schedule for myself and that has helped greatly. I do a little of everything, everyday and then I do not get stressed that something did not get accomplished.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Research everything before agreeing to anything, remember Google is your friend. Try - because your failure will be in giving up. One last thing - take the criticism and use it to make your writing better, but take it to your heart.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

I am a Fine Art Photographer, a Conservation Biologist, and I am passionate about my Native American culture and language.

What’s next for you?

I am in the process of editing an entire series and I am writing a dystopia. I have at least twenty new book ideas and do not plan on slowing down any time soon.

I just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity to do the interview and I enjoyed answering the questions.

Book Tour Blast: SPRING'S SURPRISE by Cynthia Gail

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Spring's Surprise

Sara Michaels is single again. And she’s celebrating her thirtieth birthday with a complete spa makeover and a day of boutique shopping with her two best friends. After a ten-month battle for freedom, a long weekend in Nashville, Tennessee is just what she needs to erase the memories of a broken heart. Jack Tanner is the soon-to-be new partner at Chester & Dorsey Development Firm. Jack’s love life has been on the back burner for years as he’s built a successful career. But the moment he meets Sara, he takes a hard look at his life and his priorities. Sara steps out of her comfort zone and spends an unforgettable weekend with Jack. She’s never felt so carefree. Until she realizes too late that three days can change everything

On Sale May 15, 2013 http://amzn.to/14s5pRx

Winter's Magic Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world. After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda. Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women he’s dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick’s past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.

Available Now Through: Amazon Barnes & Noble Soul Mate Publishing

Read an Excerpt

Follow Cynthia Gail on her Blog / Facebook / Twitter

Cynthia Gail is giving away a $25 Amazon Giftcard, a $10 Amazon Gift Card, and a $5 Starbucks' Gift Card.

Fill out the form below to Enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

World of Symbols: The Magical Cat by Michelle Snyder

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Michelle Snyder, M. Phil, Symbolist

www.whiteknightstudio.com

http://whiteknightstudio.blogspot.com/

Cats are a constant source of amusement, humor, affection, comfort, fear, and suspicion. The domestic cat, Felis Catus, is found in the most comfortable location in any house, and has a passionate approach to napping. The fairy tale Puss 'n Boots was originally a story about how wonderful it was for a little girl to have a cat to take care of her. Domestication of cats is an ancient practice most likely begun during the warm Atlantic era, ca. 5000 BC. Royal and sacred cats are evident in the cultures of Egypt from 2000 BC.

The history of cats and symbolism is shared by the owl and the snake. What do cats, snakes, and owls have in common? The answer to that is pivotal in the history and symbolism of all three, cats especially. They all eat rodents; one rat can ruin an entire cache of grain. All three animals were encouraged to frequent farms in northern Europe; milk was left by farmers for them so they would return - this became a practice of leaving "gifts" for their animal friends, then "offerings" to the animal spirits. In European legend the Corn Cat cared for corn crops; when harvested it retired to a special sheaf, set aside for it, until the next growing season.

During the Dark Ages, in an effort to subvert Pagan culture, the Church demonized all three animals and it became illegal to even own one as a pet. This effectively destroyed the agricultural commerce of those outside the Church, crushing their independence. From this slander came the modern demonic associations in symbolism to all three (Duncan-Enzmann).

Prior to their deconstruction cats, snakes, and owls held places of honor in the myths and traditions of many cultures. Cats and snakes, or serpents, are sometimes adversaries, sometimes colleagues. All three animals are sacred in various religions, but the cat holds a special place in the homes of the gods, not to mention the homes of humans. Indeed, during the first century BC it was illegal to kill a cat, and after an eclipse, the killer might be torn apart by a mob.

Egyptian temples dedicated to the sun had images of cats in them. A symbol for sun god Ra is a cat, and they are sacred to Isis. Egyptian goddess Bast, or Bastet was imaged with a cat's head; earlier depictions were with a lioness's head. Linked to protective forces, cats were known to defeat snakes and were worshiped for their ability to defeat the enemy Serpent.

Greek goddess Hecate can turn into a cat; she is a goddess of witchcraft. This perhaps was influential in the belief that witches keep cats. The furry feline is also sacred to Diana (Artemis); her brother Apollo, the sun god, is imaged with or as a lion. In Indian religious iconography, the vehicle of sage Vidali is a cat. For two hundred years the Siamese cat resided only with monarchs; Burmese and Siamese believe that cats enshrine spirits of the dead. Scandinavian goddess Freya has a chariot pulled by two cats. The goddess Virgo, who holds a sheaf of grain, or corn stalk, has a cat guardian. Indeed, the Virgin is linked to the cat; Helen, Frigga, Pasht, Artemis, Diana, Maya, and Mary, all, like Virgo the Virgin Mother, have the same attributes. They are linked to the moon, and to the cat.

When the Christian church demonized cats with monstrous conceptions to a superstitious world, every black cat became a devil, and every old woman who kept cats became a witch. Indeed, a woman was hanged in Exeter because a neighbor saw a gat jump into her cottage window one evening. No further proof was needed. Demons and sorcerers of many traditions are priests and gods of older religions cruelly misrepresented by intolerance and efforts by the church to subvert them. A common belief was that souls too corrupt to inhabit human bodies were in beasts like cats, lions, and monkeys. Since that time cats have become associated with demons, ghosts, omens, vampires, geniis, corpses, and witchcraft. They are both charms and talismans.

Cats are representatives of Hecate, goddess of death, and there are many recorded instances of cats appearing right before someone died. In Egypt, cats were credited with considerable powers of clairvoyance. Cats feel beforehand and react to magnetic and meteorological changes.

According to physicist Duncan-Enzmann cats, and many animals, can smell water, different types of land and vegetation, and navigate by the stars and sun. This explains their uncanny ability to travel great distances over unknown terrain and return home. Cats were watched in olden time to forecast natures varying moods. Almost universal is the belief that a cat cleaning behind its ears with wet forepaws foretells rain. Some cats even display telepathic ability to know when their master returns.

Cats, and other felines, are prevalent in symbolism. They are the fourth sign of the Chinese zodiac, corresponding to Cancer. Cats represent the Great Hunter - they most present while seeming most absent, relentless in purpose, unerring aim, and able to see in the dark. Hercules was given a lion. Goddess Liberty is often imaged with a cat at her feet. In Heraldic iconography cats have been used companies of soldiers as they symbolize liberty. Romans often used cats on banners, most likely to symbolize the goddess Liberty. After the fall of the Republic, a cat at the feet of a Pope symbolized treason and hypocrisy.

There are many common expressions about cats:

Cat and Mouse

Puss and Boots

Cats have become symbols of life and death, day and night, sun and moon, good luck and bad, deity and devil. Whatever has befell them, today they are mostly ignored, like an old toy we would be embarrassed to play with.

Review: BONE WITCH by Thea Atkinson

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

5 of 5 stars

"Bone Witch" is the 3rd book in the Elementary Magic series. I absolutely love this series and flew through books 2 and 3 in only a few days. In "Bone Witch" Alaysha is on the run from the powerful fire witch, Aislin. Aislin has invaded her father Yuri's city and is on a deadly rampage to kill all those who oppose her. She desperately wants to find her son Yenic who has been kidnapped by Yuri's warrior Bodicca and will stop at nothing to find him. Alaysha loves Yenic and together with Gael, Theron, Edulph and Aedus, they travel through the burnt lands to the only place Yenic could be--the Enyalian female warrior lands. When the group is captured and brought to the village, Alaysha finds Yenic, but the Enyalian custom to kill the men once their usefulness ends, shocks her. She plans their escape, but getting them all out alive is far harder than she could ever imagine.

As with any excellent fantasy series, the more things that are explained and resolved, the more questions arise. The character of water witch Alaysha is a complex one and Ms. Atkinson continues her masterful storytelling revealing bits and pieces of the witch's heritage keeping the reader riveted to the story. With each new piece of the puzzle Alaysha understands, forces her to make even more difficult decisions. She now understands why her father had all caring beaten out of her in her youth. The more she loves, the more agonizing living becomes. No spoilers here, but suffice it to say, there are twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I can't wait for the next book to find out what the author has in store for us. Highly Recommended.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Interview with Craig Brummer

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

A New Beginning is set in an era where man has just begun colonizing space stations and a few planets. Earth is controlled by mega-corporations that rule the political bodies and economies of Earth, much as ancient kings ruled their realms. The story centers on how a young indentured worker, Kristin Hayes, gains her freedom and happiness, and how her actions intertwine with the policies of Earth and the Federation. The story shows how spacers rise to the challenges that face them, and how a young woman from Earth finds happiness in space.

This is my debut novel, but my next several books will all be set in the same universe. Various characters overlap from one story to another, but each story has its own protagonists.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

I tried the tradition route about 15 years ago with a very different story. My daughter, now a H.S. school teacher, spent 8 or 9 years as a literary agent at one of the NY firms. This time I decided on going the indie route for several reasons, mainly more control over my own work, and I believe it will prove to be more rewarding as I find the business side of publishing very interesting.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

Today, new authors really get no support from publishers. So a writer must give up a lot of control, and a large amount of income, simply to have a major publisher print their work. By going the indie route I have more freedom about what I write, my writing style, and how best to market my novel. Being able to tell the story the way I want is important to me as a writer. Also, getting an agent frequently takes a year or so, then they have to find a publisher who likes the story, and then you have to get worked into their production schedule. All of that takes a few years. As an indie author, my story goes to market about three months after I finish it. That time is used for the editing process, beta readers, book formatting, etc.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

My cover art was done by a young German artist, Djamila Knopf. She and I connected through a website, DeviantArt.com. I loved some covers she had for other authors, as well as some of her public art. She was great to work with. I told her exactly how I envisioned the cover and character (Kristin Hayes). Djamila did a few sketches, then a couple revisions before doing the final work in color. The final work was exactly as I envisioned the character and setting. The book design was done by SGWdesign.com; that included the cover design, back cover and text formatting. SGWdesign.com also did a fantastic job, exactly what I wanted, including some modifications, and all done very timely.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?

Interesting question. I did belong to the DFW Writers Workshop for a number of years when I lived in Dallas. They are a great group, and I encourage any writers in that area to contact with them. My writing certainly did improve during my time there. I now live in Atlanta and participate with an online group, Critters.com, that is also a great group to work with.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

Absolutely. In my opinion, a book edited solely by the writer is a book that hasn’t been edited. As a writer, you’ve read each paragraph many times so you’re too close to it to catch errors; your mind sees what it knows should be there. Lack of good editing is a problem with a number of indie books I’ve come across myself, but I have to add that recently I’ve been seeing some very poorly edited books from the mainstream publishers. Let me also say, I’ve read a lot of outstanding, well-edited indie books over the last few years. Indie books now account for half of all my own reading.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

The Kindle version should be on Amazon by April 22^nd and all other major retailers (iBooks, Nook, etc.) shortly after. The trade paperback will be available by April 29^that Amazon, B&N, etc. I am also having an audio book version done, but that will not be out until sometime in June. When it comes out it will be available at Amazon, iTunes and audible.com.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

I am very active on Twitter, @craigbrummer, so I will of course be making announcements on it. I have a blog on my website at www.craigbrummer.com where there is also additional information on my writing and me. On Facebook my page is http://www.facebook.com/authorcraigbrummer . I will be running ads on Goodreads.com, and possibly some other sites depending on the results I see at Goodreads.com.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Juggling time between my day job--something most authors must have, including those who go the traditional route--and my writing is difficult as I travel a great deal. More accurately, it of course limits my time for both writing and marketing my writing, but that simply requires me to be better organized. With this novel I did learn that it takes about two months for the editing, beta readers and formatting processes to get completed. Though I was familiar with the processes, they were still new experiences for me and did delay the start of my second novel. However, the outline is completed and I have started the writing.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

I’ve been writing for 20 years, and during that period have explored the traditional process and self-publishing. Kindle was a huge innovation and has really changed the industry. I believe most authors today are better served by going the indie route; that was not true 20 years ago. New authors should avoid vanity presses. They need to research, study and learn all about the self-publishing process and industry. Have their book professionally edited and professionally formatted. Work to hone their writing skills. As an indie author, you have to market your own book; but the big six publishers, with rare exceptions, don’t market new authors either.

Review: WATER WITCH by Thea Atkinson

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

5 of 5 Stars

Alaysha has been used and abused as a killing machine by her father, Yuri the Conqueror. She has undergone brutal training sessions to strip her of any emotional response to the destruction and death she causes with her magic. She's a pawn in a grand scheme, but when she meets Yenic, a survivor from one of the villages she decimated, her worldview begins to change. Alaysha starts down the dangerous path to find out who she really is and to know her heritage, but who can she trust--her father whose love she craves or a stranger who seems to know her?

From the opening sentence: The call of the vulture is what brought Alaysha back, I was hooked. Brought her back from what? The more I read, the more gripping and all-consuming this book became. I didn't want to stop reading. Alaysha had latched onto my psyche and wouldn't release me until I knew her suffering--the continual pain of rejection she felt at the hands of her father, the utter contempt by everyone in her village and her abject loneliness. A loneliness ingrained so deep within her that it hurts to breathe. This is the masterful storytelling of Ms. Atkinson as she guides you through the story. The secondary characters, Yuri, Yenic and Aedus are just as engrossing and will keep you turning the pages until the final word. This is one of the best fantasy series I've read in a long time. If you're looking to get lost in a world full of magic, angst, deception, love and betrayal, this book is the one to buy. Highly Recommended.

Interview with Kathleen S. Allen

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

It’s called, HOW TO BE ALMOST FAMOUS IN TEN DAYS-Young Adult Contemporary.

17-year-old plus-sized Cassie wants to be “seen” so when she finds a book of rules on how to be famous in ten days she devises a plan---with the help of her BFF---to do just that. She has hilarious and sometimes serious, almost disastrous consequences. Cyrano de Bergerac meets Comedy of Errors with a teen girl.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

I’m still querying. My latest book is published by a small press, but I’ve done the Kindle/Nook publishing too. In fact one of my self-pubbed books, FITZROY: THE BOY WHO WOULD BE KING, a YA historical fiction, has been in the top paid 100 for children’s eBooks/Historical fiction since December, 2012 in the UK.

Are you currently under a traditional publishing contract for future books or do you have manuscripts that you will self-publish?

I have a YA Dystopian that most agents have told me is a “dead” genre for editors right now so I’ll probably put it up on Kindle at some point. I have one agent looking at it right now and if she passes I’ll put it up. I also have a middle grade zombie book that I’m querying and if that one doesn’t catch the eye of an agent, I’ll consider putting it up too. I’m not under a traditional publishing contract at the moment.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

The first book I self-published is AINE, a YA faerie novel. It wasn’t as long as most agents wanted a YA book to be so I stopped querying it and self-published it. Up until FITZROY, it was my top seller. I heard about eBooks and wanted to try it myself. I think that both eBooks and print books are good to have. I like self-publishing but I’m also looking for a traditional publisher. At this point in my writing career I need an agent to take me to the next level, so to speak. I promote my books as much as I can but I feel like I’ve hit a plateau.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

I’ve used a cover designer and did my own covers. For small presses you have more input than you do in traditional publishing, or so I’ve been told. I was able to work with the cover designer on AINE, LORE OF FEI, WAR OF FEI and my two murder mysteries. I also chose the cover for FAMOUS but the designer did the font.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?

I have an online critique group, a couple of beta readers and two CP’s. Yes, they improve my writing. I usually want more of the big picture, what works, what doesn’t, what’s confusing, timeline or plot holes, that sort of thing. I encourage any writer to have someone other than your family, an objective person to read your writing before you publish it or start querying. Polish, revise, polish, revise…

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I am a total pantser. I let the characters take me on their journey. Sometimes I plot things out, especially in the YA faerie books and murder mysteries but usually I don’t. I do storyboarding after the novel is done, it’s a screenwriter’s technique that helps to visualize your scenes to see if they’re working or not.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

I have in the past but now I am more confident in my editing skills, I rely on my own editing and my CP/Beta readers to help me catch things. If you feel insecure about editing, I’d say hire a good one but they can be expensive. Some of them will do a sample edit for you so you can see if you like them first before committing.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Nook/Smashwords anywhere you can buy either eBooks or print books.

What’s next for you?

I am writing a science fiction novel based on a short story I published in my short story collection, INTERLUDE. I love science fiction and the first book I remember reading at a young age was a science fiction novel. I also have a pirate YA book that is a historical fiction I hope to finish soon. I have a novella about a girl who finds a box filled with secrets. That one is YA too. That one will go up on Kindle as soon as I format it. I already have the cover for it. After that? Finish the pirate book and go from there.

I write every day, usually in the morning and that’s the best advice I can give anyone who writes. Write every day, no matter what. Get a CP/beta readers, revise as needed, don’t be “married” to your words and stay positive. Writing is filled with rejection after rejection but you can’t let it define you. If you’ve put out the best story you can and it’s been polished and revised and still getting rejections, “trunk” it and start your next project. I always have another project “in the wings” in case my current one isn’t going well or it’s getting rejections. KEEP GOING and write every day. Don’t give up. Persistence is the key factor in getting published.

BOOK TRAILER:

http://youtu.be/IIGB1EoXnLA

Buy Link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Almost-Famous-Days-ebook/dp/B00BUX4FEI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363433820&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+be+almost+famous

Buy Link on Nook:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-be-almost-famous-in-ten-days-kathleen-s-allen/1114845002?ean=2940016184265

Buy Link on Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296104

Buy Link on Gypsy Shadow Publishing website:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/KathleenAllen.html#Famous

FIND KATHLEEN HERE:

Websites:

www.kathleensallen.weebly.com

www.gaelicfairie.webs.com with blog

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kathleea/

On Twitter: @kathleea

On Facebook: Witch Hunter http://ow.ly/cWMFB

Author Central page: amazon.com/author/kallen

Book Trailers on You Tube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/gaelicfaerie1?feature=mhee

Thanks for hosting me!

Stories My Mother Told Me by Rebecca Forster

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

My parents made a pact to stand on every continent in the world. When my dad passed away, my mother went to the Antarctic for both of them. That’s when I figured there was a lot I didn’t know about mom.

When she returned with a bright orange jacket that she got ‘for free’ (don’t count the cost of the cruise), she had lots of stories to tell. Yet, when the excitement of the trip wore off, we both had the sense that we were still standing on a pitching deck with no way to sail to calm seas. A big piece of the puzzle – my dad – was missing.

“Write your memoir,” I said.

“My life wasn’t interesting,” she answered.

But the idea must have taken hold. Not long after this conversation, she called. She was done with her memoir.

“Impressive,” I mused.

It takes me months to write one novel and she finished hers in a week. When I saw her manuscript, I understood why. It was five pages long and she was eighty-five years old. There had to be more.

So began a year of weekend sleep-overs as we poured over photographs for inspiration. She had twenty beautifully documented photo albums, a box filled with pictures taken when cameras were still new fangled things.

There was mom in waist-length braids and Mary Jane shoes standing in the German village she called home.

She was a teenager in the U.S. while war raged in Europe, threatening the grandmother she had lived with, cousins and friends.

Here was mom, posing in a swimsuit she bought with the dollar she found on the street.

Mom in her twenty-five dollar bridal gown perched in the back of a hay wagon beside my father, a skinny, wide-eyed farm boy who would become a doctor.

Mom with one child. Two. Three. Five. Six of us all together. Dark haired and big eyed, we were her clones dressed in beautiful, homemade clothes. I remember going to sleep to the sound of her sewing machine.

And there were words! I bribed my mother with promises of Taco Bell feasts if she gave me details. Funny, what came to her mind.

To keep body and soul together when my father was in med school, he was a professional mourner and bussed tables for a wealthy fraternity. My mom worked in a medical lab where the unchecked radiation caused her to lose her first baby. They ate lab rabbits that had given their all for pregnancy tests. They were in love and happy and didn’t know they were poor. But St. Louis was cold, she remembered, and they couldn’t afford winter coats. Still, she insisted, they weren’t poor.

She typed, I edited; I typed, she talked. My youngest brother almost died when he was 10. She didn’t cry for a long while; not until she knew he would live. The captain of the ship that took her back to Germany was kind. She dreamed of becoming a missionary doctor. In 1954, she had two toddlers (me and my brother) and another baby on the way when she and dad drove to Fairbanks, Alaska where he would serve his residency at the pleasure of the U.S. Air Force. Her favorite outfit was a suit with a white collar. She loved her long hair rolled at her neck in the forties. In the fifties she made a black dress with rhinestone straps and her hair was bobbed. In the sixties she made palazzo pants and sported a short bouffant. She looked like a movie star in her homemade clothes. I wanted to grow up to be as glamorous as she was. She still thought she wasn’t interesting.

Mom wrote the forward to her memoir herself. It began:

A great sense of loneliness fills the house as twilight approaches. In the silence, I can almost hear the voices of my grown children as they recall their childhood years, the laughter of grandchildren and the quiet conversations of friends who have gathered here in years past, echoing through the empty rooms.

You see, she really had no need of my help as a writer.

We had seven copies printed. On the cover was a beautiful picture of a sunset. She called her book In The Twilight of My Life and would not be swayed to change it. Mom thought it perfect and not the least depressing. It was, she laughed, the truth. It was her laugh that made it right. She gave my brothers and sisters a copy for Christmas. My older brother had tears in his eyes. Everyone exclaimed: “I never knew that”.

Now I have a book more treasured than any I have written. I learned a lot about my mom and I realized why I create fictional women of courage and conviction, strength and curiosity, intelligence and, most of all, spirit. It’s because, all this time, I’ve been writing about my mother.

Interview with Jordanna East

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

My upcoming prelude novella, Blood in the Past, introduces my Blood for Blood Series. Jillian Atford falls for an older man, a handsome Philadelphia cop, whose mystery is that he’s married—a reality Jillian refuses to accept. Lyla Kyle finds her mother dead on the floor from an apparent suicide. She blames her philandering father and wastes no time taking her revenge. Detective Jason Brighthouse Sr. is in the wrong place at the right time to attempt to save a colleague from his burning home. When neither of them make it out alive, his teenage son can only harp on their last argument. He shoots himself in the head… with his father’s gun. Basically, all of these actions have consequences—consequences that eventually cause their lives to intersect ten years later, which is when the main series takes place.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Actually, yes. The original opening scene to Blood in the Past involved Jillian’s roommate, Mel, getting mugged. Mel’s only role was to get mugged so that Jillian could meet one of the cops that arrived to take her statement. But I thought since she was in the entire opening scene, and a few others, she deserved a promotion of sorts. So, I changed the opening to have both girls mugged and I showed the contrast of their personalities and how they each handled the aftermath. Additionally, I had Jillian turn to Mel later on, following a crucial event (that I won’t ruin for everyone here). Jillian was a foster child. She has no family. The mugging brought her and Mel only slightly closer, but she’s all Jillian has.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

I had every intention of going the traditional route…until I did some research. I knew what kind of person I am. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle sweating and bleeding into a manuscript and then handing it off to someone else to choose a cover, rearrange the content, and be in charge of the advertising and distribution. I want to be in charge of all of it, dammit! I’m a perfectionist, so I know I can do it. And what I can’t do, I’ll hire someone to do. Like my lovely cover, done by Kit Foster. Because I couldn’t navigate Photoshop if the air I breathed depended on it.

If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

Extremely involved. Poor Kit Foster. We must have traded a dozen emails, fine tuning the tiniest of details. But I came to him with a basic idea and we worked to get the right face and the right font, etc. I’m very pleased with the result and would highly recommend Kit to anyone, as he was highly recommended to me.

Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped improve your writing?

Not a critique group, per se. But I did find and request the help of several beta readers, who were invaluable. Mostly I learned that I assume a lot. I assume that the reader knows things I know, has researched things I’ve researched, etc. And you know what happens when you assume… Let’s just say, I had a lot of scenes to add when they were done.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I’m sure if I had outlined the entire story at once, I wouldn’t have skipped important details! With Blood in the Past (and Blood in the Paint, the first full-length novel in the series, due out at the end of the year), I was clearly a “pantser.” This led me to a lot of heartache when revisions and subsequent drafts rolled around. Therefore, as exhilarating as it was to have characters do something unexpected as I was writing, I’m already outlining the second and third books in the series.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

Oh my god, YES! I don’t think anyone should publish without an editor, unless maybe they themselves are an editor. I did a lot of research in this area as well, but in the end I went with someone recommended to me (obviously word of mouth carries a lot of weight with me), Red Adept Publishing. They are a small publishing company that offers a la carte services to self-publishers.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

Blood in the Past will be available exclusively through Amazon’s KDP program for the first 90 days. After that, I’m confident I’ll expand distribution to all venues. It will, however, remain only in e-book form, as I plan to offer a special print edition of Blood in the Paint that includes Blood in the Past. Obviously that’s something that won’t happen until next year or so.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

I love sports. Obsessed is probably a more accurate representation, actually. My husband and I are both sports nuts. We wear jerseys, watch games, go to games, etc. ESPN is the home page on our computer for heaven’s sake! In addition to pinstripes (Yankees), pigskin, and playoffs, I love art, cooking, and, of course, READING. (You can’t be a writer if you don’t read, right?)

What’s next for you?

Well, after Blood in the Past is released mid-June, I’m going to start revisions on the first draft of its follow-up, Blood in the Paint. I’m also going to split time between that and a serialized novel I’ve outlined (that’s right, outlined. See how I’ve learned?). It’s about a spate of murders within one of those fanatical religious cult. No idea when that will be ready for publication, but when it is, it will be released one segment at a time, every month or so.

Review: A BARON IN HER BED by Maggi Andersen

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

3.5 out of 5 stars

Horatia Cavendish has vowed never to marry. She wants to pursue a literary career like her aunt, that is, until she meets sexy Frenchman Guy Fortescue. Except she doesn't exactly meet him under ideal circumstances. She dresses like a boy and goes out riding her father's spirited stallion (something that a proper young lady should not be doing), when she discovers Guy unconscious in the road after being attacked by ruffians. She can't abandon him so she does the next best thing and helps him to an abandoned cottage. With a raging snowstorm outside, she's forced to spend the night with him. That is the just the beginning of their secrets. Her literary career doesn't look so ideal the more she gets to know Guy. He's handsome, but has secrets of his own.

I enjoyed the antics of Horatia and her habit of making things worse when she's only trying to help. The author does a great job in describing the growing chemistry between Horatia and Guy. While I enjoyed the storyline quite a lot, I was jolted out of the story too many times by the abrupt POV changes, often within the same chapter. There were no section breaks to alert me to a new POV and it took a few moments to figure out who's head we were in. I would have also liked to see a section break or even *** when the story moved from one day to another. All of the text just ran together and it was annoying. Despite this criticism, this is a fun and engaging story, but it could use some editing to give the reader the ultimate reading experience.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Interview with S.M. Blooding

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

When Synn El’Asim is captured, his Mark is brutally awakened. He finds himself the most powerful Mark, and quickly becomes a coveted weapon in the war between the Great Families and the Hands of Tarot. However, only he can decide how he will be used to shape the lives of all the tribes.

This is book 1 of the Devices of War trilogy.

Do you have a favorite character?

Synn. Though, Joshua’s a close runner up as is Queen Nix, our villain.

Synn is just so…real. From the outside looking in, he knows what he’s doing, he’s very decisive. He’s confident, capable, strong, powerful. However, inside his head, we get all these little nuggets. One of my favorite lines is when Varik corners him in Egolda City. Varik’s going to blow the entire town, destroy the lethara, kill countless people. He’s taunting Synn when he says, “Are you scared, little boy?”

What was Synn’s internal response? Why, yes. Yes I was. But he doesn’t act on that. He stands up to Varik and he helps to save as many Egoldan lives as he can. I just love how courageous he is. There are times when he’s like, I had no clue what to do, but everyone was looking to me. I just had to hope I did the right thing. He’s just very human.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

These guys…for all that they’re invisible people inside my head, they can really derail a story!

Like Joshua. I came up with Keeley’s character first. I knew what she needed to do for Synn’s plot-line. However, when I delved into how she became who she was and what her decisions were based on, I discovered she had an older brother.

When I introduced Joshua’s character into the mix, so many things happened! Real chemistry was thrown into the mix. He became the glue that held the whole group together. He has this quick wit, and he’s the one with the brains to develop all the gadgets we’re playing with. He knows how to get the group to understand Yvette who’s hard to read, and how to cool Synn’s temper, and how to build Keeley’s courage. He’s even able to pull the best out of Haji, and the two barely know one another. You’ll be seeing a lot more of Joshua in the coming books. He plays a really major role in the development of the war.

He has so many great, great lines, but my favorite of his is when Yotaka-san is teaching them all how to use their Marks. He pairs Yvette (water) up with Joshua (plants) and tells them to prepare to fight using only their power. Joshua replied with, “What are we going to do? Make things grow to the detriment of others?”

He makes me laugh all the time. You should see what does in Knight of Wands, book 2. Ooooohhhh my word!

Are there more books in this series?

Book 2, Knight of Wands is already written and is currently in edits. It should be out around Christmas. Book 3, Menagerie is in brainstorming mode and will be written this fall.

I’m planning more trilogies though, with other characters. You’ll meet the main character for the next trilogy in Knight of Wands, but you’ll really get to know her in Menagerie. Oh, I’m excited! I think you’re going to like some of the ideas running through my head! There are just so many!

If you used a graphic designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

I used Ravven Glass for the cover. I told her about my world, and about our ships, our cities, our ways of life. I told her a little bit about Synn and his Mark.

She came back with her initial cover ideas and I was blown away! It was like she’d reached into my head and pulled what I’d been picturing. It was amazing. She had me choose from several models she’d already picked out. Then she wanted to know what needed to be tweaked in the background. Then it was on to the title. It was an excellent experience.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I outline. I start out with my basic outline. I line out what needs to happen plot-wise and character arc-wise in quarters. This way, I get a feel for the pace. Do I have too much plot in there? Is there enough room for the character arc? (This is a common problem of mine, so I know to look for it. *grin*)

Then I start with the first quarter and break that out into chapters. I try to keep my outlines fairly loose. Sometimes, even though I think my outline/pace is good, my characters sometimes disagree. Also, there are times when they completely change their minds and do something else. Synn did that to me really early in book 2. I had the book mapped out and then all of a sudden he said, “No! I can’t do this!” and it completely changed everything!

The key to outlining is to not allow the outline to rule your muse or to back you into a corner.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

Oh, good grief yes! I’ve learned that lesson by the skin of my face. I still, to this day, feel the road rash. Oh my word! That hurt! When I first started out, I enlisted my friends. We hit my books hard, or at least I thought so. When they hit the market, though, almost every single review came back with “grammar, grammar, grammar”.

The grammar wasn’t even that bad, but it was the fact that in every chapter, there was at least something. A sentence that could have been stronger. Two repeat words in the same paragraph. A misuse of a word.

So now I hire a few editors and BETA readers who go through it, looking for anything! I still use my small army of friends, too! Every single eye finds something! If I have a gut feeling that my book needs another set of eyes, I hire another proofreader. There are many great editors and proofreaders out there. A “good story” won’t cut it in this market. It has to shine – as grammar free as possible.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?

Soooo many things! I think the biggest one was with this book. I didn’t have a marketing plan when I launched this the first time. I said to myself, “Self, you have this great book. Slap a cover on there, a title that’s Google friendly, and people will swarm to your book!”

Not so much. The cover, title and blurb that I had originally didn’t give a clear indication of what the book was about and people were getting seriously confused. You wouldn’t believe how many people picked up this book thinking it was a romance. They were offended by some of the scenes in here! And it’s not because they’re graphic because they’re not. They are serious, I will say that, but they’re the kinds of scenes that are absolutely taboo in the romance market.

I’ve already started getting reviews in from this latest re-launch (new cover, new title, new blurb, new plan) and they’re right on the money. People are picking up the book, knowing right away what the book’s about, what kind of adventure they’re in for. Yeah. Having the right marketing plan in mind before you pick a title is KEY!

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

STOP!

PAUSE!

THINK!

Repeat!

There are a lot of books out there that are just…there. They aren’t going anywhere, aren’t drawing any attention. I’m also very active on the review/promotion side, helping other authors. So I see this all the time. Take your proof copy of your book an ask random strangers (book stores and coffee shops):

Does this cover appeal to you? What does it say? Do you want to pick it up?

Does this blurb tell you what you need to know? Do you want to pick up this book?

Does this title catch your attention? Does it make you think of the chosen genre?

Does this excerpt make you interested in the book? If not, why?

Then be really, really honest with yourself. Is your book edited? I mean, is it EDITED? If I were to pick it up, open it to some random page, would I be inundated with poor sentence structure? Bad punctuation? Mis-used words? When I’m approached for reviews by SP’d authors, I usually turn them away for A) poor cover, B) poor blurb and most of all C) it needs to be edited.

What’s next for you?

Right now, we’re editing Knight of Wands, book 2. We’re in the first stages of editing, but it looks like it should be ready to launch around Christmas. It’s just such an awesome book! It’s so visual! They all are, really, but some of my favorite scenes (visually speaking) are in this book. I love where all of my characters are branching out, and we get to meet new people. I will say, I bawled like a baby when I wrote the final chapter. My sister walked in on me and thought someone in the Real World had died. No. I was just writing the final scene and it ripped my heart out. Oh my word! You’re going to love it and hate me at the same time.

I’m also brainstorming and researching Menagerie, book 3. There’s a lot going on that I need to prep for in that book. We’re reshaping our world, rebuilding it after what happens in Knight of Wands. I need to work out a lot of the science before I start working on writing the book because I really don’t want the reader to have to suffer through my learning curve. It’s so neat though! I’m digging into bio-engineering right now and micro-biology. There’s a lot of this stuff that’s going over my head. I’m not going to lie, but it’s going to be amazing if I can just get a small portion of all this information to sink into my brainpan. I will start writing that book this summer to be published in 2014. Get excited! It’s going to be a wild ride!

Thank you so much for allowing me to be on your blog!

Review: BEYOND: TWO SUNS by Maureen A Miller

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

5 of 5 stars

Aimee and Zak - two people from different worlds, but with a love that spans the galaxy. It's been five long years since Aimee last saw Zak. He'd insisted that she go back to Earth and explain to her parents where she had been and, only then, would he return for her. She did as he asked and waited in the woods looking for the beam to lift her to the space ship Horus. Finally, it appeared, but Aimee got the shock of her young life. Zak wasn't on board and he was feared dead. Not believing that Zak was dead, she began to plan his rescue with a ragtag band of rejects aboard the Horus.

I've eagerly awaited this sequel and it was well worth it! Two Suns is a captivating and engrossing story of two people who would do anything to find each other including risking their own lives. They were incomplete shells alone. The author does a fantastic job of letting the reader feel Aimee and Zak's most inner thoughts and their determination not only to survive, but to heal their fractured hearts. The secondary characters add much to the story. I loved JOH--his declarations made me laugh. If you've ever suffered the pain and joy of a love so all-consuming that you could hardly breathe, you'll absolutely love the story of Aimee and Zak. Highly recommended.

Interview with Larry Enright

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

My latest book is “A Cape May Diamond,” published October, 2012. It is the sequel to “Four Years from Home,” though reading “Four Years” first is not required to appreciate the book. It picks up the story of Tom Ryan after his release from jail in 1975. He is a convicted draft dodger, alienated from his family and friends, who winds up in the town of Cape May. At that time in history, Cape May was like Tom, down on its luck and sinking fast. It was a rundown shore town that had never recovered from the devastation of a storm some years before, and was struggling like Tom against a tide of desperation and hopelessness. In this book, both Tom and Cape May are seeking renewal and redemption, and the plot is a weave of the two stories into one theme. I would classify it as a mystery/romance, though I don’t think there is such a category on Amazon.

Do you have a favorite character?

Tom Ryan has always been my favorite character. He appears in four of my five novels, though not always as the main character. He is not a person you would find easy to like if you met him in real life, but if you can get through his often obnoxious and sarcastic exterior, you might come to love him as I do. I guess that’s the result of my drawing him in a way that is sometimes how I view myself — someone trying to do the right thing and very rarely seeming to succeed.

Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

I have not tried this route since the 1980s. I actually wrote three novels before self-publishing “Four Years from Home” in 2010. The first of them was in the early 1980s. I queried agents and publishers when it was done and got nowhere. It was very ego bruising. The second and third novels, I wrote and simply put on a shelf, chalking them up as efforts to get better at the craft. When I finished “Four Years from Home,” I decided to self-publish mainly to avoid the anguish involved in the drawn-out process of trying to get an agent or a publisher. Yes, I am a chicken at heart. I later found out, though, that there are many advantages in self-publishing. But that does not make me any less the chicken.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I write in silence because I think best in silence. I cannot listen to music and do anything else, probably because I am a musician and am too easily drawn into it to detach the writing part of my brain from it. I work best in a room by myself because I often will read my writing out loud. It’s kind of like singing in the shower for writers. It may sound funny, but it’s very important that it sound right to me. I think that makes for better dialogue, in particular, but it also gives me a better sense of the flow of the story to hear it read.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

I work with an editor and a separate proofreader. I’m not sure it’s possible to do without either and still come out of it with a good finished product. I know nothing I do will ever be perfect, but a good editor and proofreader will get me a lot closer.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

All of my books are available in paperback and for Nook and Kindle. They’re all listed on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Books, Books-a-Million, and Alibris.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

I have a Facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/LarryEnrightAuthor .

I tweet from @LarryEnright .

I am on Google Plus as https://plus.google.com/109464665691570099700/ .

I am somewhat active on the Kindle Boards www.kboards.com .

I am on Goodreads in several groups http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4496550.Larry_Enright .

I have a blog at http://fouryearsfromhome.blogspot.com/ .

I have a website at http://www.larryenright.net/ .

I post fairly regularly on my Facebook page, though I only have 300+ followers. Generally the posts are not to sell my books but just things I have found either funny or appropriate or newsworthy. On Twitter, I try to support other authors as much as I can by retweeting them and I tweet one or two sales-type things a day. Google Plus is a similar place for me. I try to share other authors’ posts and do one of my own. Kindle Boards and Goodreads are spottier for me, mostly because of time. I blog once a month or so, and my website is fairly static unless I have a new book out.

Not a very imaginative marketing plan, is it? I have found that the problem with this style of marketing is that it connects writers to writers, not writers to readers. They’re a great bunch of people, don’t get me wrong, but the whole point of marketing should be to connect to the customer, not the competition. (I use this term loosely because the other writers I am connected to are friends and not really competitors, but you get the idea, I hope.) But, I plug along and enjoy writing, and thank God I don’t rely on my writer’s income for my total support, or I’d be a starving old artist for sure.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Absolutely yes! I’m finding it harder and harder to keep up with it and my writing. It is a part of the business that I have never liked and am not very good at. But in the position I am in, it is necessary, so I keep at it and try to do my best without driving myself crazy. (It may be too late for that, but don’t tell anyone.)

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

Music is my other passion. I have played guitar since 1964, making it the longest running endeavor of my life. I used to be better at it when I was younger and more agile, but I can still pick a little. I’ve recorded a few things for Youtube over the past few years that I collected onto one page of my blog http://fouryearsfromhome.blogspot.com/p/music.html. In the late 1970s I played professionally and I still do the occasional open mike night, but I guess you would call me a semi-retired musician.

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on another novel that is in its fourth draft now. It is the story of a young man’s search for his place in life, an old man’s search for closure in his, and the woman who brings them together. I started it back in October 2012, so it’s been a long haul. I like the story, but it’s been difficult in the telling. I want to get this one right, just as I want to get them all right.

Book Tour Blast: FALL OF SKY CITY by S.M. Blooding

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Fall of Sky City

Genre: New Adult Fantasy, Steampunk Adventure In a world governed by the opposing forces of the mystical House of Tarot and the tribal Great Families, Synn is caught in the crossfire. He witnesses the slaughter of innocent people, and the devastating murder of his father. This act awakens his Mark of power, a Mark greater than any the world has seen in a very long time. Queen Nix thought she won a great prize when she destroyed Synn’s father, the leader of the strongest Great Families. She had no idea she’d be doubly blessed by capturing his son.

However, before Synn can become her treasured weapon, before she can use him to bring the rest of the world to its knees, she must break him and bind his soul to hers. She does her job with brutal brilliance. Synn’s mind is broken and his soul is seared to hers in an unbreakable bond. That doesn’t stop him from wanting to be free. She may have broken his mind and claimed his soul, but he will find a way to destroy her. Experience a world of ships that sail the clouds and cites buried beneath the ocean, and survive the fiery battle brought forth by those who control the forces of nature!

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Fantasy-Adventure-Devices-ebook/dp/B00CK4Q9PY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367270124&sr=8-1&keywords=fall+of+sky+city+sm+blooding

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Sky-City-Devices-Volume/dp/1484052293/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367270768&sr=8-1&keywords=fall+of+sky+city

About Author SM Blooding

SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, Ms. Bird, the Chicken and SistaPITA. It's quite the zoo. She’s taken a break from the piano, which Ms, Bird is quite happy about, and now knows more than one word in Arabic. Basically, she can say hello, good-bye, give it to me, and hurry up! She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

Follow SM Blooding: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Follow the Tour! The Author is giving away a $50 Amazon GC. Fill out the form below to Enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Newly Expanded: LOVE BY SECRETS (A Regency Romance)

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

LOVE BY SECRETS has been expanded to a full-length novel and will be
on sale at Amazon for .99 on Friday, May 3, 2013.

LOOKING FOR REVIEWERS: If you would care to review this book, leave your contact information and the preferred file format (.epub or .mobi) in the comments section.

Book blurb:
Eighteen-year-old Emily Stanton is excited to attend this Season's balls and begin her search for a husband. She is thrilled when the dashing and handsome Connor Preston begins to court her. After each ball, Emily finds a love note in her drawstring reticule, and she expects a marriage proposal from Connor any day.

When her father objects and forces Emily to accept the proposal from Lady Tisbury's shy nephew, Ethan Richardson instead, her heart is broken. How can she love her new husband when her heart belongs to the man who wrote her such beautiful love letters?

Love by Secrets is ~50,000 words (228 pages).

Buy link:

Review: HUNGRY HUNGRY HOODOO by Liz Schulte

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Easy Bake Coven series and it doesn't disappoint. Selene Warren has found love in the arms of her elf husband, Cheney, but the problem is she doesn't remember her former life with him. Who was she and why won't anyone tell her anything? When she tries to force the memories, she is assaulted with unimaginable head pain. Throw in a sexy former lover, a murder and kidnapping and this book is full of exciting twists and turns.

The more I read about Selene, the more I liked her. The author has done a great job letting the reader into the mind of Selene as she tries to figure out who is friend or enemy. Cheney is stoic, but underneath that cool exterior, is a smoldering love for Selene. He's one sexy elf. The action is this book never stops and just when you think you've got the mystery figured out, there's another twist in the story. This is a quick and easy read and it wraps up most of the problems, but there is a cliff hanger that will have you clamoring for book 3. Recommended.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

New #YA Release: BEYOND: TWO SUNS by Maureen A Miller

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

BOOK BLURB:

They were coming. It wasn't so much the sound that revealed them. It was the subtle vibration of the ground beneath his feet, like the percussion of a distant explosion. It was their march. The dead tread of stone against sand. A ghostly gait of menace.

Alone in a desert world...a world he once called home, Zak is now a damaged man. Reckless in his battle against the creatures that destroyed his family, he roams under the glare of the two suns, seeing phantoms--seeing Aimee.

Five years had passed since Aimee Patterson left the man she loved. For five long years she traveled the path of life, always waiting--always looking to the stars, knowing, hoping, that one day he would return for her.

And today was that day...

Buy Links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/BEYOND-TWO-SUNS-Series-ebook/dp/B00CHRANTC

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-two-suns-maureen-a-miller/1115183155?ean=2940016405254

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/309248

Author bio:

Maureen's illustrious writing career began in the fourth grade with the blockbuster hit, Super Watermelon Man. Many years later, she evolved into a full-fledged Romantic Suspense author with her first novel, WIDOW'S TALE, which was nominated for a Golden Heart by the Romance Writers of America. A fan of the old Gothic romances, Maureen enjoys the formula of danger, romance, dark cliffs, and sinister houses. All these elements can be found in her romantic thriller, ENDLESS NIGHT.

Recently, Maureen broadened her horizons, literally, by venturing into young adult science fiction with the BEYOND series, featuring BEYOND and the soon to be released, BEYOND: TWO SUNS.

Find Maureen at www.maureenamiller.com

EXCERPT:

PROLOGUE

Less than two days after her high school graduation, Aimee Patterson walked her Cocker Spaniel along the pond on her parent’s farm. When Ziggy charged into the woods on the other side, Aimee was paralyzed with indecision. The forest was scary, a dark lair she had avoided since childhood. But she was not a child anymore, and something had caught the dog’s attention. Trailing after him into that bleak stockade...Aimee disappeared from this planet.

She woke up on a spaceship so grand and so far from Earth, never imagining that her adventure in space would last five years. In that time she learned new technology, visited a foreign planet, battled aliens, encountered disease—and cured it. Most importantly, though, she fell in love.

When the adventure was over, Aimee was twenty-two years old and confronted with a monumental decision. Should she remain in the stars with Zak and start their life together, or should she return to Earth to lead a normal existence and comfort the parents who never knew the fate of their missing daughter?

Aimee’s heart yearned for one future, but the burden of responsibility argued for another. The truth was that in order for her and Zak to spend a life together without regrets, they both needed to evolve—to mature.

For half a decade, Aimee walked the routine journey of life—always waiting—always looking to the stars—knowing, hoping, that one day he would return for her.

Today was that day…

***

Five years.

Five long years.

Aimee stared through her hands at the pine needles blanketing the ground below. Beneath her loafers, the packed earth altered, transitioning from brown, to gray, to obsidian−until finally the turf was gone and her leather shoes reformed atop a marble floor.

For a moment she was afraid to look up.

Five years.

Five years ago today she had stood in this exact same spot, saying goodbye to the man she loved. It was a moment filled with anguish barely diminished over time. In that period, doubt grew into a behemoth monster that warned daily that she would never see him again. To protect her heart she had tried to move on, but no man could connect with her as he did. And, every night the pendant around her neck burned his memory into her dreams…

Five years.

Only moments ago, she stood in the woods behind her pond as her heart drilled with the fear that he would not come back for her—and yet, the beam had appeared from above. A sign of faith. A sign of love. He was back. He wanted her. She bled happiness at the thought of being with him.

Zak.

Yes, time had passed, but in space the hands of the clock grew fuzzy. Here she was, once again aboard the Guardian Ship, Horus, about to be reunited with the man of her dreams.

At last, Aimee lifted her head.

Interview with Lola James

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

Bound to You is the third book in the Spellbound Series. The book picks up right where Unbound (book two) left off. Toni has a decision to make between a Greek god and a vampire and believe me that it’s not an easy choice to make both are kind of hot.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Yes, actually Dawn was a minor character in Bound to Remember (book one) and she has turn into a major player in this book, in fact she is getting a chance to tell her story in the next book in the series.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

Well I do both. I listen to music because the words sometimes move me. I definitely need music to write love scenes.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I start out with an outline but I don’t always stick to it. I try to think outside of the box to make the story interesting so I just happen the way it does. This may sound silly but my muse depends on my mood. If I am happy the story is happy but if I am sad or stressed a war can start in the book with lots of casualties.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?

Edit and edit a lot. I know that big six published book tend to have typos, but as a self-published author we get crucified for a bad edit jobs. So I have learned to use an editor or three in my books. It may cost more but at the end of the day the reviews that don’t mention edits get more sales.

Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?

I hope everywhere. Let’s see Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, iTunes, Kobo, All Romance eBooks, Sony bookstore, and other sites that Smashword distributes too.

What kinds of marketing [twitter, Facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

All of the above. I have a Facebook page that I use daily. Fans can friend me or like me. I tweet and I have a blog. I plan on getting active in some book clubs and circle on Google+ as well.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Yes, I still strive for a happy balance. I work full-time as well so, I have more to balance. I can look up some days and find that I have been on Facebook chatting all day with fans and friends. So I am planning to schedule times to go on Facebook/Twitter and I plan to blog more. Hopefully that will help with the juggling.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

Traveling is my other passion. I wish I could live somewhere different every month of the year. I could take my MacBook and just go to see the sites and write from every location. I do believe my stories would get a tad more interesting.

What’s next for you?

I plan to write my first Mystery and also a Contemporary romance both of which I hope to release later this year.

Thank you for having me!

Bound to You (Book 3 of the Spellbound Series)

Toni’s life is just one complication after another. First, her past comes back to her, then she has to deal with a psycho, and now it’s the biggest of them all. A choice that could destroy one life and be the bright future to the other. How is a girl supposed to choose between two men that she loves? On one hand, she has the Greek god Hades, the love from her past and the other, Ben the hot Vampire nurse that she met just over a week ago. Both have captured her heart in their own individual ways but whose love is the greatest? Who does she ultimately love the most? In the end, a decision is made in Bound to you…

**This Book Includes Sexual Content**

Bound to Remember, a Paranormal Romance (Book 1 of the Spellbound Series) FREE

Unbound, a Paranormal Romance (Book 2 of the Spellbound Series) $2.99

Bound to You (Book 3 of the Spellbound Series)

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About Lola

Lola James has been reading romance novels since her teens, and fell in love with the paranormal after discovering Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Her love of the dark worlds of vampires and witches, as well as her fascination with Greek mythology led her to create the Spellbound Series, an ongoing Paranormal Romance combining all of the above into tales of suspense with a little bit of humor in an Urban Fantasy setting. A long time lover of reading and writing with a passion for a great story, James became discouraged by the complicated and arbitrary publishing process, James had initially set down her laptop and her hopes of being a writer. However, with the purchase of her first e-reader, James became re-energized by the new possibilities for an undiscovered author to reach the masses. Dusting off her keyboard she finally finished Bound to Remember, the first book of the Spellbound Series and self-published it. Energized and ambitious, James is now hard at work on both the Spellbound Series as well as the Fate Series, a paranormal romance about dreams and what happens if they come true.

Follow on Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Website / Literary Addicts

Follow the Tour!

Interview with Ryan Schneider

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

Eye Candy is a science fiction novel set in Los Angeles 2047. I feel it will be accessible by male and female readers alike. Please note that it does contain some adult content.

The beauty of the SF genre is its ability to take us to new places where serious matters can be discussed and explored.

We can explore themes such as humanity and technology and how the two intertwine.

We can discuss philosophy and the nature of our own existence while discovering a vision of a possible future, one in which air pollution is a thing of the past, cheap renewable energy is commonplace, and robotics is a daily reality as ubiquitous as mobile phones are to us today.

Against such a backdrop, Los Angeles in 2047, people still go to work and to the gym and to the sports bar to watch Monday Night Football. They still take the kids to school and pick them up in the afternoon and have to figure out what's for dinner. And they still fall in love and dream of living happily ever after.

Eye Candy was conceived as a stand-alone novel. But… I have already had an idea about what could happen next. And it’s intriguing…

Do you have a favorite character?

Tough question. This book has an ensemble cast, and it was challenging at times to not only keep track of who said what, but to also be certain that all the characters had equal opportunity with their dialogue and involvement in the story. It’s quite a colorful bunch, and I had a ball spending time with and getting to know each of them.

If I had to choose, I might say Les Grossman or Poo Raw.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

Back in 2009, when my SciFi series The Go-Kids was ready, I began researching agents, crafting about a dozen different query letters, and querying agents I thought would enjoy my manuscript.

This went on for almost a year, with a handful of rejection emails.

Shortly thereafter, the self-publishing engine was really getting warmed up, and I began to investigate. In a very short time, I decided I wanted to retain the rights to my books and publish them myself. I wanted to retain control of them and bring them into the world on my terms. I wrote The Pillow Book as a project with a relatively short length (180pp), and began figuring out the self-publishing ropes. That’s how it all began.

If you used a graphic designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?

I decided that for Eye Candy I wanted a really, really great cover. Something that was an original piece of art, which was beyond my capabilities. I wanted something more than simply a collection of stock images and a loud font.

I placed an ad on Elance and had more than 50 responses. Many from people who were clearly quite talented. I ultimately chose to work with an artist named Scott who goes by the name Rahzzah.

Scott had just finished a three-year long collaborative project on a comic book titled Moon Girl. And it just so happened he was actively seeking new projects. We chatted a bit via the Elance interface and decided to work together.

We tossed some ideas around after I gave him a rundown of the plot and characters.

Scott whipped up about 5 sketches so I could visualize the concept. The fifth concept was Scott’s original idea based on a small story detail I had mentioned. It was a digital electronic newspaper which emits holographic 3D imagery. Scott was most intrigued by that idea, and I liked his interpretation of it. He roughed it up to about 80% completion and showed it to me to make sure I approved.

I was astounded.

Scott went ahead and completed the design and sent it to me and I was blown away. Honestly. I think the cover speaks for itself. It was so good that I was able to go back and fine-tune the scene in the book, incorporating the many details of the artwork. I hope readers will reach that scene in the book and will turn back to the cover to study it and enjoy it all over again with a new understanding of the context. Plus, there are some Easter eggs in there. I get a kick out of doing stuff like that. I hope readers do as well.

What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?

I typically write in silence. Years ago, I used to listen to music, back when CDs were mainstream. I found that I would press Play and 45 minutes later I would hear the CD player’s laser head tracking back to the beginning, and the music had ended. I hadn’t heard a thing. So somewhere along the line I stopped listening to music.

Instrumental music can be nice sometimes. But the language centers of the brain can really only focus on one source of verbal input at a time. So music lyrics can distract from the words on the screen.

I’ve known many writers who listen to movie soundtracks while they write. I’ve tried that a few times, but the music typically reminds me of the scene in the movie, which distracts me from my own story.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I typically outline because I have to. When I decide to write a story, my mind seems to automatically race to the end, trying to piece it all together, and it comes at me so fast that an outline is the only way I can get it all down on paper.

But when the actual in-scene writing begins, the real stuff, I follow the outline insofar as it makes sense. Things develop and sometimes the story takes a turn and what I had outlined no longer works.

So it’s okay to let the muse take over.

When I was writing Eye Candy, I got to chapter 12, and the story began going in a strange direction. As I was writing, I was questioning what I was doing. This went on for a few days. I considered deleting it all and trying again. But ultimately I decided to forge ahead and see if perhaps there was a reason why I had written that chapter.

As it turned out, the events of that chapter came full circle to inform the climax of the story. I only had to wait about two months to get there so I could see it.

I truly have no clue where ideas come from. The whole writing process often feels ethereal and magical. I usually feel like a translator. Like C.S. Lewis once said, ‘I never made a book. I was given things to say.’

That’s how I feel.

Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Yes. The marketing can get a little overwhelming sometimes because it involves a lot of time-intensive research online, trying to learn about new websites and promotional opportunities. If you’re not careful, it can turn into a time suck and the next thing you know, you’ve not written anything that day. Today, for example, I only managed about two hours of writing because of this very issue.

The marketing is fun, too, though. It’s its own thing.

Sometimes I’ll feel myself getting a bit too worked up over it all, and I have to remind myself to take a step back and focus on the creative aspects of the business, which is the writing and the storytelling, entertaining readers with a good book that hopefully makes them think and makes them feel, whatever thoughts and emotions it may be.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Write a lot. Because we only learn to write through practice. And because ultimately you will succeed or fail based upon the quality of your work, and nothing else.

Know that it’s a long journey, and be prepared to look at it like a marathon.

But if you’re doing it for the right reasons, namely because you love to write, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Try to be as professional as you possibly can. Make sure your book has a good cover, a good description, and is properly edited and proofread. Self publishing is fighting the uphill battle known as amateurism. A lot of readers, myself included, don’t want to read a book with typos on every few pages. I’m reading such a book now, by the way, written by a VERY established science fiction writer. Whoever made the conversion to the ebook was a freakin’ idiot.

I had a college English and film professor from West Berlin named Reinhardt Lutz. He explained it this way: It is a matter of form versus content. If your form is bad, sloppy, amateurish, I can’t even get to your content (what you’re trying to say).

But also remember that this whole process should be a joy. I love going to work every day. There’s nothing else I’d rather do. And believe me, I’ve tried not writing. I tried really hard. Several times. Couldn’t do it.

For me, the creative process is simply too much fun. Conceiving an idea, researching it to get the details right, writing it (putting fingers to keyboard), designing the cover, and seeing it all come to fruition with a book for sale in places like Amazon is simply wonderful.

Then, when people buy, read, enjoy, and comment on the book, it’s astounding. The feeling of getting lost in a good book is a feeling I believe we all seek. We long for it each time we click ‘Buy Now’ on Amazon. So when I hear that I was able to deliver that experience to a person I’ve never met but who decided to take a chance on my book… it’s all worth it.

Besides writing, do you have any other passions?

I am a fitness buff. I love exercise, working out, running.

I also love airplanes and aviation. I have a pilot’s license, too, and very nearly became an airline pilot. Alas, the calling to simply write was too powerful to resist.

I love movies. Though I don’t seem to watch nearly as many as I would like.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention being with my wife Taliya. We have great fun together, traveling, going out to dinner, to a movie, whatever.

What’s next for you?

I’m in the beginning stages of a new science fiction novel titled Hard Space. It’s about a luxurious space liner that gets hijacked on its voyage from Earth to Mars. I’m doing research (I love research) and plotting it out.

The goal with this book is to see if I can write it and publish it in a couple of months. One of the fundamental tenets of publishing is to have a deep backlist, with plenty of titles. Also, once you’ve managed to garner some readers and establish a fan base, it’s important to continue to produce books on a regular basis, in order to keep those fans reading.

Unless you’re a huge brand-name author like Stephen King or James Patterson, you can’t afford to wait a year or two between books. And perhaps not even then.

So, somewhat akin to the NaNoWriMo challenge in which every November people try to write a rough draft in 30 days, I’m trying to write a book in about 60 days. I think I can do it. I’m looking forward to the challenge. And now that I’ve blabbed about the book, its title, and its plot, I simply must do it. Right? But it’s okay. It’s a labor of love.

Spotlight: #Contemporary #Romance LOVE ON THE BEACH

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:13:00 +0000

Caroline Fleming had a perfect life -- a loving husband, 2 great kids, a lovely home -- or so she thought. When her husband of 23 years announces he wants a divorce, Caroline's perfect world crumbles in an instant.

She retreats to the beach house to clear her head and heal her broken heart. She swears off men, that is, until she meets a sexy stranger running on the beach with his 2 dogs. Will Matt Sylvan be her second chance at love?

LOVE ON THE BEACH is a novella of ~21,000 words (95 pages)

Buy links:
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-by-moonlight-debra-elizabeth/1109518044

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Love-Beach-Contemporary-Romance-Novella/book-Sr61yELudkq-lSHJUO9gVA/page1.html?s=MDzTcbyIHkefylrR-VCxPw&r=2

Amazon:

Interview with Stacy Green

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?

TIN GOD is about a woman (Jaymee) who believes she and her child were victims of an illegal adoption. When Jaymee connects the recent murder of her employer to the slaying of her best friend four years earlier, she realizes that she herself is the connection between the two. She believes the killings are related to the cover up of a black market adoption ring.

Do you have a favorite character?

In this book, it’s got to be Jaymee. She has had a very hard life and is bitter at times, but also vulnerable and loyal to those she loves. She tries hard to do the right thing, and I am really proud of her character arc in TIN GOD.

Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all?

Yes. Cage is a secondary character in TIN GOD, but I liked him so much he is the hero for the second book in the series, SKELETON’S KEY (October).

How long before you got your offer of representation/your first contract? Was it for your first novel?

I had decided to query small presses because I knew breaking into the big houses was next to impossible. I queried with my first novel, INTO THE DARK, and had four offers within a few months.

What factors influenced your decision to self-publish your book(s)?

I decided to self publish TIN GOD because I realized I wanted control of my work, and that I was capable of putting together a team who would help me put out a quality product. I hired a freelance editor (formerly) from Penguin NAL and learned an immense amount from working with her.

I was able to have final say over the cover design, price, marketing–everything. With the state of traditional publishing and the vast opportunities for indie authors, deciding to self-publish was easy for me.

That said, I didn’t cut corners. I look at my books as a business I have to invest in to see any real success. My main goal is putting out a quality product that can stand up against a traditionally published novel, and I think I’ve done that with TIN GOD.

Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?

I used to be a panster, but as I’ve learned craft, I have become a pretty strong outliner. I don’t have to have my outline complete before I start, but I like to have the first act, midpoint, and turning points all figured out. Once I write the first act, I have a better feel for the story and where it needs to go. Then I’ll go back over my plans and make adjustments accordingly.

I also have a fantastic critique partner to bounce ideas off of, and I can’t tell you how much that helps. We are very like-minded, but she is the first one to tell me if something isn’t working.

Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?

Yes, yes, yes! I honestly believe we can’t chinze out on this. I have a developmental editor, a line editor, and a proofer, as well as two beta readers. The development and line editors were investments but well worth it.

What have you’ve learned during your self-publishing journey?

Patience is a virtue I need to work on. I’ve done everything I can in terms of putting out the best book possible. But I have to remember it’s only my second novel, and very few writers are discovered overnight. I have to keep my nose to the grindstone (to use a terrible cliché) and keep writing and not chase sales. That’s something I have to tell myself every single day.

What advice would you give a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Do your research. Figure out what your strengths are, set a budget, and stick to it. Make sure your budget has a good amount set aside for editing and cover art, because they are vital. Join indie publishing groups on Facebook, network with other authors. And realize that there is a lot to learn, and most of the time, there is no right answer. You have to figure out what work best for YOU.

What’s next for you?

Skeleton’s Key, the second book in the Delta Crossroads Series, is with the editor right now and is due out in October. I’ve just started plotting the third book (as yet untitled) and hope for a spring 2014 release.

Thank you so much for having me today!

Review: KEEP ME GHOSTED by Karen Cantwell

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

5 of 5 stars

I'm a fan Ms. Cantwell and absolutely love her Barbara Marr series so I was excited to read this book. What a treat! KEEP ME GHOSTED is a delightful ghost story. Sophie is desperate for a job so when she is hired by Dr. Callahan, an Developmental Optometry & Vision Therapy doctor, she is thrilled. It seemed like a great fit until she finds out that Cal has an unhappy ghost shadowing him. Moonflower has attached herself to the good doctor and doesn't like other women. Ghosts don't bother Sophie because her best friend is Marmaduke Dodsworth, a British ghost who is hilarious. I loved his British sayings. Things seem perfect, that is, until a jealous Moonflower wreaks havoc in the office scaring away the patients.

If you love ghost stories, you'll not go wrong with this one. This book is such an entertaining read. The author has a great flair for storytelling, letting the reader understand and feel the character's emotions. I couldn't stop laughing while I read this story. Sophie and Cal were adorable, but for me, it was Marmi who stole the spotlight. I want more of this British ghost and can't wait to see what adventures await in the next book! If you're looking to escape everything for a bit, rush out and buy this book. You won't be disappointed. Highly Recommended.

Book Tour Blast: TIN GOD by Stacy Green

noreply@blogger.com (Debra L Martin) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Tin God

Getting pregnant as a teenager and being coerced into giving her baby up for adoption left a festering scar on Jaymee Ballard’s life. Trapped by poverty and without many allies, Jaymee nearly gives up hope of getting her daughter back after her best friend is murdered. Now, four years later, a wealthy woman with legal connections hires her as a housekeeper, and Jaymee gathers the courage to seek her help. But Jaymee’s last chance ends up in a puddle of blood in one of the historic antebellum mansions in Roselea, Mississippi.

I just murdered your wife…again.

An unsigned letter consisting of six horrifying words turns Nick Samuels stagnant life upside down. Stuck in emotional purgatory since his wife’s unsolved murder four years ago, Nick is about to self-destruct. The arrival of the letter claiming credit for his wife’s murder and boasting of a new kill sends Nick to Roselea, where he and Jaymee’s worlds collide.

Jaymee and Nick realize exposing the truth about her daughter’s adoption is the only way to solve the murders. Up against years of deception, they rush to identify the killer before the evidence–and Jaymee’s daughter–are lost.

But the truth doesn’t always set the guilt-ridden free. Sometimes, it destroys them.

About the author

Born in Indiana and raised in Iowa, Stacy Green earned degrees in journalism and sociology from Drake University. After a successful advertising career, Stacy became a proud stay-at-home mom to her miracle child. Now a full-time author, Stacy juggles her time between her demanding characters and supportive family. She loves reading, cooking, and the occasional gardening excursion. Stacy lives in Marion, Iowa with her husband Rob, their daughter Grace, and the family’s three obnoxious but lovable canine children.

You can find her debut novel, INTO THE DARK as well as TIN GOD in both digital and print.

Website / Amazon Author Page / Facebook / Twitter / Literary Addicts

Purchase Tin God on Amazon

Purchase Stacy Green's other books Welcome to Las Vegas and Into the Dark

Follow the Tour Stacy Green is giving away a swag pack for her tour. Open to US Addresses. 2 Winners

Fill out the Form Below to Enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway