Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Author Spotlight : Megan Johns!
By Megan Johns
Blurb:
‘Italia! Oh Italia! Thou who hast the fatal gift of beauty.’ Byron
And Venice is exquisite. Nor is the beauty confined
to the place. Hotelier Giovanni Renaldi is tall, dark and devilishly
handsome. Yet holiday representative Abi seems immune. Crossed in
love, she is in no hurry to fall again. Plus his arrogance is so infuriating.
Surely the discomforting
feelings he evokes can only be guilt at covering for his naive sister’s
secret lover?
When passion
finally wins through, the thrill of their lovemaking is soon wrecked. And
Giovanni, proud and fierce defender of his family since inheriting the role of
patriarch, is enraged to learn Abi has colluded with his sister.
But Abi quickly
discovers her secrecy is nothing compared to Giovanni’s. As the family’s
closely guarded secrets begin to unfold, she is sucked into their internal
wrangling.
Is nothing what it seems in this clandestine
community?
And can love
triumph over the turmoil of scarred lives?
Grab your copy today:
SHORT EXCERPT: The
piazza hummed with activity. A huddle of guests outside the hotel seemed in
good spirits, despite their various states of undress. From beyond them,
however, the shadowy image of a stretcher emerged. Abi’s stomach clenched.
Pushing a path through the crowd of onlookers, she rushed toward it.
“What’s going on?” she protested as the tall, imposing figure of
Giovanni Renaldi appeared from nowhere to block her way.
“Nothing to worry about,” he informed her in a manner so crisp it verged
on brusque.
A needle of pique worked its way through her veins and she regarded him
head-on. He might be the epitome of Italian suave and sophistication, but any
appeal was annihilated by his infuriating manner.
“So, why the
ambulance?”
“There’s been a minor incident, that’s all. It’s just a routine
check-up.”
“Routine? At this time of night?” Her voice rose in sharp protest.
Something about his demeanour struck a chord.
“If it’s one of my clients, I need to know
what’s going on!”
He regarded the shoes still dangling from the crook of her fingers and
pitched her a severe look, as if addressing a child. Uncomfortable under the
weight of his gaze, she wriggled her shoulders and looked away.
AUTHOR BIO: I live in
a pretty village in the UK countryside complete with a duck pond and stocks on
the village green. With our daughter now grown up, my husband and I are empty
nesters apart from an adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and some
neighbouring alpacas.
I always enjoyed writing, but juggling family life and a
lecturing career left little time. Only when life began to slow down did I
start writing in earnest.
My reading tastes are eclectic. I enjoy Joanna Trollope
because of the pithy way in which she deals with contemporary issues, also
Rosamunde Pilcher and the late Maeve Binchy are firm favourites. I like to
explore most genres, however.
In my own writing, I aim to focus on writing contemporary
romance novels ‘with teeth’.
Find her online!
Happy Writing!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Guest Author Lia Davis with a Giveaway!!
The
Divinities Series by Lia Davis
Over
three hundred years ago children were born to an elite group of witches that
were unlike any of the other magical children. These children were born with a
mark, a living tattoo of a single rose on the inside of the left forearm. They
possess natural divine powers. The magical communities, called Covens, believed
the children were gifts from the gods and called them The Divinities.
For
decades the war between witches and demons seemed to diminish. Until recently.
Two Divinities are missing. Three are dead, along with their spouses. The victims were among the Divinities
appointed by Hecate to watch over the Sinew–the source of all magic.
Now
it is up to the Divinities to keep the Sinew from the demons and protect magickin
and the world from a fate far worse than anyone can imagine.
~~
Book One ~~
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Forgotten
Visions
Released
July 2012
About
62,000 words
Blurb:
Kalissa Bradenton isn’t your average coffee shop
owner. Born to an elite witch bloodline with a rare genetic mutation, she’s a
Divinity on a mission. The death of her parents sends her away from her
Maxville, Florida, home and into an ancient war between witches and demons.
When childhood friend Ayden Daniels comes to her aid after an almost fatal
accident, visions of a past she doesn’t remember sparks an old flame and new
desires. With the past slowly becoming clearer, she eagerly sets her sights on
mending Ayden’s heart and gaining his trust–until a ghost from her past returns
to claim her as his demonic mate.
Ayden, the new Sheriff of Maxville and grandson
of the oldest living Divinity, is investigating a series of Divinity killings.
When he comes face-to-face with the one woman he hopes to have little to no
contact with, old pain rises, quickly followed by anger and resentment. Through
his rare power of adaptability, he learns actions from the past may not be what
they seem. Hope fills his broken heart and determination pushes him to do
whatever it takes to win Kalissa’s heart once more before he loses her forever.
Together they must find the strength to mend
their tormented souls, while fighting an evil out to destroy the world.
Get it in eBook at Soul Mate Publishing | Amazon
| Barnes
& Noble | ARe
~~
Book Two ~~
Death’s
Storm
Released
November 2012
About
42,000 words
Blurb:
Technical genius and demi-goddess--aka Divinity--Khloe
Bradenton relies on no one for help, and she definitely doesn’t need comfort
from anyone other than her twin. After her parents died by the demons’ hands
over two years ago, she has graciously stepped up to her place in the war
between demons and witches. When a creature far more dangerous than the ones
responsible for killing her parents claims he is her guardian, she is torn
between her desires for the dark predator and the painful loss she has endured
at the hands of her enemies.
One of the last death demons still in existence, Jagger has
pledged his life to the Goddess Hecate. Charged with the guardianship over the
Divinities, he is never to approach them, but to aid them from a distance. When
the firestorm, Khloe, sacrifices herself to save her twin and best friend and
becomes the prey, he has no choice but to reveal himself to her. He is taken by
surprise when the need to claim her as his own emerges. A desire he has never
felt before could be more dangerous than the demons out to destroy them.
Get it is paperback at Amazon | CreateSpace
GIVEAWAY!
Two
lucky commenters will be chosen to receive a print copy of each book plus a
swag pack. Follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.
~~
About the Author ~~
Lia Davis is a mother to two young adults and two very
special kitties, a wife to her soul mate, a paranormal romance author, graphic
designer, and co-owner to Fated Desires Publishing, LLC. She and her family
live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers. But it’s
her home and she loves it!
An accounting major, Lia has always been a dreamer with a
very activity imagination. The wheels in her head never stop. She ventured into
the world of writing and publishing in 2008 and loves it more than she
imagined. Writing and designing are stress relievers that allow her to go off
in her corner of the house and enter into another world that she created,
leaving real life where it belongs.
Her favorite things are spending time with family,
traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her
kitties.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Guest Post - The Soundtrack of our lives by Casea Major
Thanks for having me on the blog today, Virginia.
For
a limited time you can buy Night with a Dom for only $1.00 and when you do you
are registered to WIN a brand new Nook HD!
I was asked once would you rather become blind or
deaf. It's or horrible thought either way, but in that moment I knew I really
didn't want to live without music.
I don't know about you, but music is an integral
part of my life. I mark life-changing events by the songs that were popular on
the radio. My first date, prom, wedding, births of my children, even the deaths
of people close to me are marked in my memory with song.
All it takes is for a particular tune to play on the
radio and my memory immediately transports me. More than any other sense—except
maybe smell—hearing can take me to another time and place.
So is it any wonder that I get my chief inspiration
from music. There are times when a song captures my attention and a whole story
forms in my mind.
All my stories have extensive playlists. Generally,
the songs I select capture an emotion I want to convey in a particular
character or scene. But they always have one theme song.
The theme song for Night with a Dom, my current
release with Decadent Publishing is
So tell me – What songs inspire you?
|
Blurb:
Melody Manning’s
workaholic ambition, coupled with a slave-driving former boss, has made her the
youngest market analyst in her firm. It’s also killed her personal life,
including losing her fiancé. When she receives a message from him on New Year’s
Eve announcing his engagement to another woman, Mel loses it. Her new, more
compassionate boss has the perfect solution for her—get laid. Good and laid.
At his suggestion, she signs up with the 1Night Stand
service, listing her deepest sexual desires on the application. A speedy response from Madame Eve has Melody
on her way to Sonoma Valley wine country and a one-night stand with a
mysterious Dom.
The sexy, masked Master promises to get to the bottom of her
guilt and provide ultimate satisfaction under the safety of his stern hand.
After an emotional night of submission and uninhibited passion, will her
lover’s unmasking lead to the end of their encounter or give Mel another chance
at love?
Major
Love ~~~ Major Romance
Prior to becoming a writer of romantic fiction, Casea Major
worked in the legal field for a non-profit dispute resolution company for ten
years. She is now a full-time mom to
three preschool children with whom she and her husband live happily...most of
the time. When she isn't chained to her
laptop, she enjoys Cary Grant movies and crocheting.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
WINNER!!!
I pondered, I thought, I scratched my head...
Then I listed everyone out, assigned them a number and let Random.Org do the work.
LAURIE SORENSON!!
Big congrats. Laurie, if you could email or fb msg me your addy, I'll get this sent out with some author swag.
Again, thanks so much to everyone for entering and I hope to have another contest soon so there will be more chances to win in the future :)
Happy Writing!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Interview with debut author, Graeme Brown!
Today we have a guest on the blog! Graeme Brown is joining us to talk about writing, inspiration and his new release, The Pact. Thanks so much for joining us, Graeme, and happy book birthday!
Tell me about yourself and the books you write.
I would call myself an adventurous soul.
Very artistic, but also a designer at heart. This has led me to study math and
computer programming, and has led to several years making a living as a
free-lance web designer. All of these things, though, feel auxiliary and add to
my desire to express; writing is my heart.
I have been a story-teller since I was old
enough to talk. I have a very active imagination. All it took for me was the
discovery of Tolkien, then some of the other masters after him, to realize what
I wanted to do with that imagination.
I write because I have a world full of
stories, and I want to share it with people. But I quickly learned that this
“writing” isn’t just about sitting down and putting pen to page (or phosphors
to screen). It’s an active process of development, refinement, and it takes
commitment. So, I guess you could say I write because I know if I want to get
those stories out, I need to get myself in shape. For example, The Pact was my
first story, something small where I could learn how to hold a tale together;
my current work, a novel, is a little more complex, but I have intentionally
grounded it in one POV so that I can learn how to succeed with a story about
one character before moving onto the next novel, which will have many.
·
Describe your hero in three words.
Naïve, frightened, betrayed
·
·
Do you have any Works in Progress?
A Thousand Roads, the above-mentioned
novel, has been in progress since November. I began it as a longer novella for
NaNoWriMo, but quickly discovered it was a different sort of beast. I am moving
into the last quarter and expect, after it has gone through beta readers and
some polishing, to have it submitted by the fall.
I attended a workshop on outlining which
really struck home. I had never understood outlining before this. Usually, I
just started at the beginning, and this was always the beginning of a very long
story that I was hopelessly lost in by page 100. One of the topics stressed at
this workshop was the prudence of starting with a short story and getting some
credit before moving to something ambitious.
The following morning, while walking to
work, I tried to think of the one-sentence premise we learned is the main
container for a good outline. Several came to me, but one really stuck. I met
two boys, both brothers, who lived next to the mountains, a place full of
goblins and trolls and wicked creatures who were going to come and destroy
their home. As I followed the steps for expanding the outline, I stayed
grounded in one of them, the frightened, cowardly one, and soon the rest of the
tale started taking shape around him.
·
What is the most challenging part of
storytelling for you?
Doubting myself. I am by far my worst
critic, and I’m very sensitive to criticism. If it wasn’t for the encouragement
of a good friend, who is a fan of George R. R. Martin, I would have put ThePact away. Taking the risk and submitting – having to believe in myself – was a
big step and it helps me even now while I am writing The Pact’s sequel as I
deal with a story that’s ten times more complex. But I’ve learned that, when it
comes to writing, I’m not bad at it, and, more importantly, because I love it
so much and I do it every day, I’m always getting better. I’ve learned to have
good beta readers, and my partner, Craig, is a great support by giving me fresh
feedback on each chapter as I finish.
·
When did you know you were a storyteller?
Very recently. It was the follow-up to
becoming an author and getting into a daily writing routine that I realized,
amidst full-time studies and ambition to be a mathematician, that writing is
the thing I would choose, if I could only choose one. Basically, I’m in the
position now that, given every opportunity I can, financially speaking, I would
like to invest more in the writing life. I am extremely disciplined, and like
to have structure in how I work, and, being a lover of organization, there
would be nothing neater than starting the “Office for the epic.” That would be
cool, and a life dream realized.
·
Who is your favorite author? Who inspired you?
That changes with time. Usually, I
encounter a new author every couple of years and am profoundly altered. The
first was Tolkien, who created a yearning that led to the fantasy world I’ve
been developing for the last seventeen years. Next it was Robert Jordan, who
showed me how to deepen the narrative landscape of an epic. Lastly, and most
recently, George R. R. Martin came along and, though studying his prose, I
discovered a tone very similar to mine; in the process of reading him, I had
that epiphany every writer hopes to have, where I finally figured out how to
connect to my voice, so that, when I sit down and write, it’s not just words coming
out on the page – it’s a drama unfolding that’s as real as anything else.
· Quick Questions:
Coffee or Tea? Coffee, and LOTS of it!
Plotter or Pantser? A bit of both. I like to plot the best way
to pull the pants down
Traveler or Writing Cave Dweller? Traveler (seeking out a good cave-tour for
places to write in)
Ebook or Paper? Paper
Favorite color? Green
Favorite movie? The King’s Speech
Cats or Dogs? Cats
Night or Day? Hmm...depends on my mood
·
What is your daily writing routine? What do you
do when writer’s block strikes?
I write every day. The exception is
sometimes on weekends, when it my self-imposed rule to take a break (I am a
recovering work-a-holic). Usually, I write in the earlier part of the day, or
else I find, with my many blog and school commitments, writing gets shoved
aside.
When writer’s block strikes, I strike back.
I find that having a good outlining strategy presents many ways to overcome
writing block. When I can’t think of what to write next, I will look at my
notes, ask questions about what I’ve just written. Sometimes this means the
cursor goes back several pages. Other times I might pop ahead to the frames for
scenes to come. Something always jogs me and several dozen new words come out.
Usually it’s more than that, but on rough days, this process means that, if I
don’t turn out a lot of new words, at least I have spent time developing the
draft.
·
Is there anything else you’d like to say to the
readers?
I’m grateful for your love of reading. One
of the biggest struggles I face when I think about the time spent as a writer
is the feeling that it’s irrelevant. I have to quiet that little voice that
tells me I should get a real job and contribute something useful. Why should
someone get paid to write stories? It’s impractical.
Readers are the evidence against this. You
never know what impact a book is going to have on someone, how it might shape
their world. It could be the comfort needed during a hard time, it could be the
insight that helps someone get out of a slump. It might be just plain fun, in
which case, poo-poo to those who think there are better things to do in life
than enjoy it.
Thank you, readers, for being the cheer
that’s helped me to be who I really am, that’s given me the courage to give
this passion me all. All the hard work I do, I do for you.
Thanks, Virg, for this opportunity to share.
It’s been great working with you, and I look forward to our next project
together.
Thank you for stopping by the blog!!
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