Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year!


I'm just posting to wish everyone a happy New Year. I haven't posted much here lately, but I will try and do better with it next year! Do you have any New Years resolutions?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Blogging Tips




Today I thought I’d share a few tips for my blogger friends. I’ve been blogging for almost two years now and I’ve learned a lot since I first started. Here are a few tips I've picked up on!

  1. Register your blog with google. If you blog long enough, eventually Google does this on its own. But if you are just starting out, it can help drive traffic your way more quickly. Here’s the link to submit. You can also submit to other search engines as well.
  2. Give your blog a title that’s at the beginning of the alphabet. This pushes your blog to the top of everyone’s readers and gives you a little more visibility. You can also add *** in front of your title-this also pushes you to the top.
  3. Title blog posts in the form of a question. When people search for something, they often type things in the form of a question-this will lead them directly to you.
  4. Turn off captchas. Blogger sets them automatically. Turning them off will lead to more comments. My phone can’t read them, so I frequently find myself wanting to comment on blogs I’ve read and not being able to do so. No captchas=more comments.
  5. Don’t forget to be yourself. If you come off too formal or spend a lot of time talking about things that don’t really interest you, people will be able to tell.

Do you have any good blogging tips? I'm always looking to learn something new!

Monday, August 27, 2012

I'm not dead! :)


Just wanted to write a quick post here so you don't think I fell off the face of the Earth. I've been busy working on my latest WIP and also trying to schedule a book signing (which is apparently harder than it sounds.) I've also been brainstorming for a NANO book. I've never attempted one, and am thinking about trying it out.

What's been going on in all your lifes?

Friday, August 3, 2012

A Bit of Photography

One of my hobbies is photography, so I thought I'd share a few recent shots on here. I may start doing this on a semi-regular basis. These are photos I took while house sitting at my friends farm. The place has a warm, country atmosphere that I think is pretty easy to see.






Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Freedom

I haven't posted a poem for awhile. I'm thinking about adding a poetry tab to this blog so all the poems can hang out together in one place. Anyways, this poem is titled 'Freedom.'



Let’s go to the edge of the world

Rest on the end of the universe

Where we can be together

This world can’t hold us

Once we break free

Together

Together

We shall be together.



We’ll sit on a star together

Watch the world crumble beneath our feet

And fall from the sky

To freedom

Monday, July 23, 2012

And the winners are..

First, I'd like to thank everyone who entered. You guys are all great. If you didn't win, you can still enter the contest on Goodreads for another chance.

Here's the bowl with all the entries.





I picked two names out at random.

The winners are:

David P. King

Dusty Crabtree

I'll be sending both of you e-mails to get shipping info.

Congratulations to both of you!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Book Giveaway!

Friday I finally received some print copies of Nightfire (yay!) Which means it's time for another contest. This time I'm giving away two signed print copies of my paranormal romance, Nightfire.




These are limited edition print copies and are not available in stores. If you want to learn more about the book you can click on the Nightfire tab above- you can even sample the first chapter there.

On to the contest rules

If you would like to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail info (or some other way of contacting you in case you win.) Winners will have to send me a physical address so I can ship the books to them.

If you want to enter additional times, all you have to do is share this contest somewhere online. I will give one additional entry for everytime you share,tweet or repost this blog somewhere. Just let me know in your comment where you have shared.

I will be putting all the names into a bowl and drawing to winners at random on Monday, July 23. (12PM Eastern time.) Winners will be announced on this blog and notified by e-mail.

I appreciate your help in spreading the word about the contest! Oh and I'm also running a giveaway for a print copy on Goodreads here, if you want another chance to win a copy.

Good luck to all who enter!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Movie Time

I've been watching a lot of movies lately, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on a cup pile of them. The first one was the new Spiderman movies. I really wasn't excited about this one, even though I love comic boom movies. It's just so soon from the last one. However, I ended up really enjoying it. The actors in it really added to the story and everything worked really well for me.

The other movie was John Carter. This one I was really excited to see. Unfortunately it was a huge let down. The story jumped all over the place, the actors had very little chemistry and the special effects just didn't live up to my expectations.

What did you guys think of these movies? Any reccomendations?

Friday, July 6, 2012

Nightfire Review

I got my first review from a book review site yesterday. Yougottaread.com gave Nightfire 5 stars! They were even nice enough to e-mail me this little badge to use. :)




Here's a link to the review if you want to check it out. Yougottaread (It does contain some spoilers.)

Here's a snippet from the review

"I give this story 5 stars. It is well developed story with good action, and dialogue. Some funny moments, believable insecurity for new, old or existing relationships. A hunger un-foretold by humans. A thirst for life and warmth. All wrapped up in a book."

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Friday, June 29, 2012

My Publishing Story



This weekend, many of the authors at Musa Publishing are blogging about their publishing experiences. I thought I would share a little of my story about how I ended up there.

When I first wrote Nightfire, I had absolutely zero knowledge of the publishing industry. Everything I knew was based on what I had seen in movies (feel free to laugh here.) I thought I’d just print it off and mail it somewhere. I didn’t even know literary agents existed. Publishing was this huge, strange foreign world.

I wanted to do something with the book I worked so hard on, so I started researching things. Google became my new best friend. I learned about agents and query letters and all the different types of publishing. (I’m still learning new things about it every day.)

With a tiny little bit of knowledge, I started querying agents. I sent out less than ten letters. All were rejections, though one agent was nice enough to write out a long, personal explanation. Pretty soon, agents started to seem a little less thrilling to me.

So I started looking for places that took submissions without agents. To my surprise, there were options available. Even some big house imprints will look at unagented submissions, but the waiting times are unreal. I just didn’t want to wait two years for a tiny chance at a contract. Which meant, for me, small publishers were a great option.

I had just started looking into them when I stumbled on a thread about Musa Publishing. When I saw it, I got a kind-of gut feeling about it. I really wanted to submit there and I couldn’t really explain why.

Musa posts their contract on the site so anyone can read it. I went over it carefully and liked what I saw. The royalty rates were higher than anything I’d heard of and there were clauses built in designed to protect the authors.

I also liked how the director interacted with writers online. It was clear to me that she actually cared about other people and wanted the best for authors.

So, with a good feeling and a lot of hope, I sent off my query letter. I couldn’t believe it when I got a request for the full manuscript the next day. Three weeks later, there was a contract in my email box. (Which is lightening speed in the publishing world.)

Now I’ve been through the full process with Musa and couldn’t be happier. My editor was great to work with, I love how much input I got on cover art, and Musa has all kinds of amazing programs going for their authors. There are classes, promotional opportunities, and lots of other helpful authors available through the network they’ve built.

Musa has worked hard at building not just a publishing house, but a family. I’m so privileged to be a part of it.





If you want to know more about Musa Publishing, here’s a link to their story.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Nightfire Print Proof

Yesterday I got to see photos of a print proof of Nightfire, as well as photos of other print books from my publisher. One thing I really like about Musa is how transparent they are with their authors. They share what's happening every step of the way. Here are the photos in case you want to see them. Hopefully I'll have some print copies to give away in a few weeks.

Limited edition print proof of Nightfire!


All the print proofs hanging out together!

Look at all the pretty books!
Back covers!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Another Chance to Win

I have another (yes another!) contest running for a free digital copy of Nightfire over at Authors Promoting Authors. If you want a chance to win hop over-all you have to do is leave a comment.

Nightfire giveaway

Monday, June 25, 2012

A Chance to Win an Ecopy of Nightfire

I'm over at Bitten by Paranormal Romance today. Stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of Nightfire!

Giveaway link

Monday, June 18, 2012

A Few Random Things


Someone mentioned to me that I don’t talk much about myself on mu blog (which is true, I don’t really like talking about myself) and that I should share more personal stuff. So today I’m sharing some random facts about myself so you can get to know me better.



Here are 10 random facts about me (in no particular order.)


1.I love animals. I have two cats and a ferret (see pics below.) I would love to have a farm with lots and lots of animals.
Riku
Zoe
Ava

2. My favorite color is blue. I’m kind of obsessive about it, really.
3. I work for a pharmacy that works just with long term care facilities (basically nursing homes.) It’s not what I consider a ‘real’ job but it’s better than being unemployed.
4. I’m incredibly clumsy. My friends and family are pretty much accustomed to seeing me in braces, casts, on crutches etc….
Ouch!

5. I love to dance. I’ve taken a fair share of classes over the years but ballet is my favorite. I really want to write a horror story set in a ballet studio. It’s on my to-do list, once I get all the other projects on my plate handled.
6. I get really, really excited over small things sometimes. If a song I like comes on the radio, or I find a food a like, I usually squeal with delight. Once me and a friend got super excited over a TV show and yelled so loud that a stranger asked us if everything was okay.
7. I’m terrible at sports. It’s actually a little embarrassing.
8. I’m really shy around new people and can be pretty quiet.
9. I’m kind of into cars, although I don’t often admit it.
10. I’m a hopeless romantic. I sometimes wish I was more practical but that would be way less fun.

Now that you know a little more about me, why don’t you all share some random facts about yourselves?

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Nightfire Announcement!

Sometime in the next few weeks, I'm going to be getting some promotional print copies of Nightfire! Which means I'll probably be giving away a copy or two on here (and maybe on Goodreads.) I may even sign them.

These are limited edition copies and not available in bookstores. So please keep an eye out for a contest in the near future. I'm really excited to get to see Nightfire in print and to get to share it with more people!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Author Spotlight: Paul Stansfield

Today I have a guest post by author Paul Stansfield. Paul is the author of Dead Reckoning. You can find out more about Paul at his blog http://paulstansfield.blogspot.com. Please give him a warm welcome!





                                               Guidelines



     Whether you’re old at heart like me, and go into the reference section of the library every year to check the latest edition of “The Writer’s Market,” or whether you’re a normal person and find sources online, an important part of the writing process is figuring out appropriate places to submit your work.  Which means you have to look at a magazine’s or publisher’s submission guidelines.  I’d say at least 90% of the time the guidelines are detailed enough and fine; everybody wins.  You don’t end up submitting your Satanic erotica to “Highlights For Children,” or your vegan recipes to “Soldier of Fortune.”

     Occasionally though, over the many years I’ve been checking guidelines, I’ve found a few that stood out, because they were, I thought, too limiting, weird, not helpful, or simple funny.  Therefore, I’d like to list some of these, and then (gently) mock them.  Bear in mind that I write mostly horror/dark fantasy/suspense/erotica, so most of the magazines/publishers printed these types of material.



                                               Limiting



1)      “No discrimination against race, age, or gender.”  From a magazine that publishes horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.  I get that some magazine’s readership include children.  Also, there’s several kinds of horror, from 19th century-set ghost stories, to H.P. Lovecraft style, barely seen, mostly suggested terrors, to late 20th century splatterpunk and torture porn, and all things in between.  And I can see that the magazine doesn’t want, say, Aryan skinhead manifestos, or the like.  But seriously, no discrimination against race, gender and age?!  So your vampire can kill people, but she can’t deny a person employment because they’re over 60?

2)       Along the same lines, the general guidelines of horror magazines/publishers, sometimes listed as being “edgy,” and “terrifying,” horror, that say no to any graphic language, violence, sex, or gore.  Kind of like the previous one, I understand that not every story has to be “R” rated, or even “PG,” but come on!  No gratuitous profanity, sex, violence, etc., seems like a reasonable request, but having absolutely none of these elements ever must leave some awfully watered-down, tame horror stories.

3)       A magazine which published largely erotica said, “No ‘cute’ or ‘sweet,’ or crude, or sex fantasies.”  So a writer had to hit that narrow medium every time, I guess.

4)       Regional limitations.  I can acknowledge that certain publications want to cater to their area, and maybe even solely feature authors from that area.  If it’s say, Canada, okay, but I saw one magazine that only accepted authors from one California city.  So why even advertise in nationally seen books like “The Writer’s Market?”  Kind of a tease.

5)       “Synopsis of not more than 25 words.”  For novellas, novels, etc.  Asking this as an exercise might have merit, if it’s combined with a normal length synopsis, but just this alone?  Can they really tell much about the book from this?

6)      A magazine with “Mormon” in its subtitle, put out by a Mormon literary society, said it was “Mormon-based, but not religious.”  This seems a little disingenuous, since they can’t stop mentioning their religion.

                                   

                                                        Weird



1)      “Not looking for stories with emphasis on drugs, murder, rape, and body piercing.”  Seems like one of these words is not like the others—can you tell which one?

2)      “No religion, anti-religion, or evolutionary,” for a horror and suspense publication.  Seems oddly precise—talk about not wanting to discuss a sometimes inflammatory political issue.

3)       Like many erotica publications, this one said while they welcomed graphic sexuality, they drew the line (as most do) at “rape, pedophilia, and necrophilia.”  Reasonable so far, but then, “No knives in vaginas.”(!)  The fact that the publication put this in their guidelines is kind of disturbing, and weirdly specific.  Apparently they’ve received many stories with this occurrence.

4)       Another erotica publication specifies, “No excessive profanity, golden showers, scat, ….and felching.”  If you don’t know what the last one is, don’t google it at work, or while you’re eating.

5)       A sci-fi and horror magazine says “no porn or advert gore.”  Advert?  Did they mean “overt”?  “Advertising” gore?  Maybe it’s a typo, or if not it’s an expression I’m not familiar with.

6)       “Things that are shocking, dark, lewd, comic, or even insane are okay as long as the fiction is controlled and purposeful.”  So fiction by a crazy person is fine, as long as their stories are spelled and punctuated correctly, are grammatically correct, have a beginning, middle, and end, and the main character has an arc, etc.

7)      “Audience is anyone concerned with the moral fiber of our country,” and the magazine will publish anything of “Relevance to the growing psychic problem in America today.  Be honest and urgent.”  I submitted to these folks, and they were actually cool to deal with, but to this day I have no idea what those quoted guidelines mean.

8)      “Taboos include rape, except in prison, where it’s a reality.”  Rape isn’t realistic anywhere else?



                                                     Not Helpful



1)      “Well plotted, memorable characters.”  I know that all publications are looking for these things, but is this going to benefit anyone?  Doesn’t pretty much everyone think that stories are well plotted with interesting characters?

2)       “No boredom.”  Similar to the last one, or worse.  Maybe some will acknowledge that their plotting, say, is weak, but does any writer think that their story is boring?  Will this discourage anyone?

3)       “Send your best.”  In theory, again, I see why they say this, but how many authors can overcome their biases toward their own stories?

4)       “No stories that are not well written.”  Same as above.



                                                       Funny



1)      Stories with “Profound terror and sexual delirium.”  I find this strangely poetic.

2)      Stories which “hurt you, and hurt you to read.”  Again, I like the way this sounds.

3)      From a defunct (?) magazine, “Graffiti Off the Asylum Walls” (great name).  “Send us stuff you’re afraid to show your mother, priest, and shrink.”

4)      “Keep the blood and slime to a minimum.”  So in your stories featuring snails or “Slimer” from “Ghostbusters,” put these characters more in the background.

5)      The magazine wants stories with, “blood, sex and tentacles.”  Perfect for all your S&M octopus orgy tales!  Actually, this referred to the “Cthulhu” character that Lovecraft created, as the magazine was named, “Cthulhu Sex Magazine” (sadly closed now).  You didn’t have to have all three elements in every submission, though—the story of mine that they published just had necrophilia (between humans, not squid) as its main theme.



     To defend these publishers a little, I recognize that I have no experience putting out a magazine or book, and that they have to slog through thousands of submissions, of varying quality, with authors that are often rude, unprofessional, and possibly sociopathic.  I’m just saying that maybe in some cases they might have wanted to edit their guidelines a tad.  I’m sure any writer who read this can think of other examples of these types of things—I’d be interested in hearing them.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Hitting the Delete Button

Today I had to delete a scene out of a story I'm working on. The scene wasn't interesting, didn't move the plot forward and added nothing to the story. I knew it had to go, but somehow, it was still hard hitting that delete button. The scene is gone now and I'm glad because I know it made things better. So why is it so hard to say goodbye to scenes that aren't working? I know it's part of being a writer, but I'm not sure I'll ever enjoy wiping out scenes, or sentences. For the writers out there, do you have a hard time getting rid of things that aren't working?S

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Author Interview

I'm being interview over at Jeanzbookreadnreview today if anyone wants to check it out.

Here's the link

Thanks! :)

Monday, June 4, 2012

Author Spotlight: June Kramin

Today I'm hosting author June Kramin. Be sure to stop by and welcome her! :)


Thanks for having me, Alyson!

My latest release, Come and Talk to Me, was released May 29th with Writer’s Amuse Me Publishing. This is my first “cry-your-eyes-out” romance.



  
I have to give a tissue warning with this one. It was a favorite of my beta readers, but they also said they had the best cry of their lives. I have never been a fan of certain movies where someone finally find happiness and then dies. *cough*Nicolas Sparks*cough*, so I was really surprised when this book took that twist. (Yes, I am one of those writers that let my characters walk all over me. I only do as I’m told.)

People that know me will think they see me and my hubby in the characters and to extent, they are right. Regina grew up in Hawaii, she met a guy in the Coast Guard, they move to Florida before settling in Minnesota. I will be the 1st to admit I stole a lot of little life experiences in this one. Everyone says they have a book in them. With all the crazy things I’ve done, all the jobs I’ve had, and everywhere we’ve moved, I still have quite a few brewing. Someone will always see me in a character to some extent.

I’ve said on many occasions that all I read are friend’s books. I love thinking that as I read these books, my friends are doing that, too, and I get to know them a little more. I have discovered chess fanatics, fencers, amateur magicians, gemologists and so much more.  We’re writers – it’s what we do. Write what you know… and embellish the hell out of it.

Secondary characters are where I draw the line. I would never want anyone to think they see themselves in a character that is less desirable. Every quirky friend is not you. Family and in-laws that do not get along are definitely not my own. How much fun would books be without the conflicts? Without my bitchy MCs? Okay… those are me. ;)

Pull up a tissue box and get settled in. I hope you enjoy reading Come and Talk to Me as much as I enjoyed writing it and revisiting a few places of my past – just not my past story. 

Blurb:  Regina was determined to keep the secrets from her past buried. She had her reasons for keeping her distance from men, but Donovan refused to play by her rules.

Giving in to her heart and marrying him, Regina finally began to feel whole again. When an injury ultimately claims his life, she moves a few states away to a small town where she couldn’t be reminded of him everywhere she turned.

Trying to live her life in isolation, she wasn’t prepared for what the humble cabin next door would bring. Reggie is not sure she will be able to overcome the horrible twist fate has thrown her way.

Available through Writer’s Amuse Me in all e-formats and trade paperback. http://www.writersamuseme.com/junekramin.htm

Also at Barnes & Noble & Amazon

~*~*~*

If a rugged FBI agent is more your thing, check out Hunter’s Find.



Blurb: Hunt is a small town Sheriff who finds himself in for more than he bargained for when he discovers Mandy beaten and unconscious. After repeated attempts of escaping him, he finds himself now her captive instead. Mandy convinces him she’s after her husband who has kidnapped their daughter and will stop at nothing to find her.

Although his instincts tell him differently, Hunt becomes involved with her and agrees to help. What he doesn’t know is there is no child. Mandy is hiding her involvement with the FBI and the mob, and after revenge. Hunt is in over his head tracking her husband to the isolated cabin and the backlash it causes a year later.

Its Sequel, Amanda’s Return, is due shortly with Musa Publishing.

~*~*~*

Looking for romantic suspense or a time travel romance? Check out my published novels page: http://www.junekramin.com/published-books and see what else is coming soon! http://www.junekramin.com/coming-soon

Women’s Fiction Website: http://www.junekramin.com

Middle Grade Fantasy Series: http://www.beforehappilyeverafter.com/

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/JuneKramin or /AuntyTBugg

Happy Reading!

June

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Author Spotlight: Dominique Eastwick

Today I'm hosting Dominique Eastwick. I hope you will all give her a warm welcome! :)





HI I am Dominique Eastwick and I write Erotic Romance. Though I have some sweeter ones in the works as well as some historicals this is my genre for the moment.  Over the last two years I have published three works and have another one slotted to come out with Musa Publishing in October.



So I am no longer a One Hit wonder so to speak, I have my second and third books published and now I feel like I might be able to do this thing called writing, it wasn’t a fluke.  J



So here is my top ten list of things I learned since publishing my first book….



1. Just because you think your book is amazing and ready for print, it's not there is always more to edit.



2. Other Authors are always willing to help out, especially if you are willing to help them out.



3. Seasoned Published Authors are a font of information tap into it.



4. It's all about POV and staying away from passive voice.




5. Nothing can make your stomach clinch more then the email notice saying your book has been reviewed.  To open the email or not that is the question.



6. Writing the Sequel is far easier, all the Characters are already formed and most of the research is done.



7 Writing the Sequel is far harder, the characters are already formed and readers will remember if you changed their eye color.



8. Nothing is more nail biting then having your best friends and family read your book. (Sorry Dad)



9. Having the Sequel picked up is affirming, yet nerve racking, you are no longer writing just for you, you are writing for the publisher, the reviewers, the readers, so many more what ifs come into play.



10. Nothing makes you feel more like an author then going onto facebook and see the "go to the page of the book you are reading and type the first sentence" game being played and having two people quote your book.



Sure I have learned more for good and for bad but that’s what life is about a fun learning Journey. It’s the people you meet and the books you read or write along this crazy road that makes it so much fun.



Blurb



Sometimes Love comes in a package we least expect to find it in.

Tony Sherman may be a modern day Adonis and a well-known ladies' man, but hiding beneath his carefree, playboy persona is a man who knows how to be discreet. He keeps his desire to protect all those he loves from being seen by anyone, particularly his family. Fate intervenes when he uses his charm to beg a favor from a co-worker, a women as unaffected by his charisma as she is by his looks.

Haven Pelletier is anything but the kind of woman usually found on Tony's arm or in his bed. She's mousy and rubenesque, unmoved by his Adonis appearance. But when circumstances bring them together, she sees right through his tarnished armor—to the true man underneath.

As Haven learns more about Tony, she discovers a man who might just steal her heart if she lets him. Can Tony be the knight in shining armor Haven needs? Or will the secrets in his past keep them both from finding happiness?








Twitter @dominieastwick


Monday, May 21, 2012

Navigating The Publishing World

Since I don’t have an author spotlight lined up for today, you are stuck listening to my rant about publishing.

I’ve run into some interesting hurdles while trying to market my book. My book is through an independent publishing company, which means I’m an indie author. However, a lot of self-published authors have also started calling themselves indie authors. (For the record, I love self-published books but didn’t feel it was the right path for me.)

A lot of review and book sites don’t want anything to do with self-published authors or independent ones. I’m finding because my book isn’t published through a big-six publisher, I’m getting a cold shoulder from some book sites. They don’t bother to respond to me e-mails even though I follow their directions carefully when I try and set up guest spots. I’m not really surprised by it, because I’ve always known about the bias in publishing. Independent authors don’t get to sign their books in the same room as the ‘real’ authors at conventions and certainly don’t get the same respect by anyone in the legacy publishing business.

There are also a lot of sites for self-published authors but they usually don’t consider books published by small, independent publishers. They want stories from authors who shrugged off the publishing world and went it alone to become a best-seller. Everyone loves those kind of stories.  

I’m also limited on how I can promote my book because a lot of what I do has to go through my publisher first. They aren’t going to loose hundreds of potential sales by offering my book for free on kindle (and they shouldn’t have to.)  So how do I get the word out about my book?

I feel like I’m sort of stuck on some weird middle ground. There just aren’t many sites focused on books by small publishers. Maybe they are out there, and I just haven’t found them yet.


How do you feel about the whole Big Six vs. Indie vs. Self-published debate? Do you think there are equal opportunities on all sides?

On a side note- I'm being interviewd over at Dawn's Reading Nook. You can see the interview here.  :)

Friday, May 18, 2012

I'm being interviewed!

I'm being interviewed over at The Book Queen's Blog today. I hope you will stop by and say'hi'!

Here's the link

The Book Queen's Blog

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Nightfire Giveaway Winner

Time to announce the winner of my contests for a free copy of Nightfire

the winner is...

Gale Nelson

Congratulations!

I'm e-mailing Gale now to work out details. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest! I hope you will check back in the future because I may have more contests and fun stuff in the coming months.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Author Spotlight: Sara Daniel

Please give a warm welcome to author Sara Daniel today!


Alyson, thanks so much for having me on your blog today.



I’m Sara Daniel. I write contemporary romance fiction—irresistible romance with captivating family drama.  Not only do I aim to entertain, I also want to give people hope and a belief that everything can and will turn out happily ever after.  So, I really hope my readers have that wonderful, warm fuzzy feeling and come away a little less cynical about the world around them.



I decided to publish with Musa Publishing because they were so author-friendly, completely transparent with sales data and had a great royalty rate.  Since then, I’ve found a great community of authors and warm, professional staff that make the entire publishing process a treat.



The Wiccan Haus intrigued me from the moment I heard Musa was developing a magical world that was open to submissions. I saw the cover for the first book in the series, and I couldn’t look away from the intense, rugged hero. I bought my copy of Shifting Hearts by Dominique Eastwick as soon as it was available and read it that night. I fell in love with the quirky cast of characters that inhabited the island, and I knew I wanted to create a story in that world.



I’d never written paranormal before, and I’d never written for a shared world. I had reservations about both. They were both immediately put to rest. Incorporating magic and paranormal elements gave me so much story depth that wouldn’t have been possible in a straight contemporary.






A Man Worth Fighting For

He has nothing left to offer. She's determined to show him just how much he's worth.



Shot by a member of his military team, Justin Lawson retreats to the Wiccan Haus. Holly Walters refuses to accept her boyfriend's out-of-the-blue rejection without an explanation, even if getting the answers forces her to be trapped on a bizarre island for an entire week. She's going to use every minute to work Justin out of her system once and for all. Justin's body and spirit begin to heal under Holly's loving ministrations. As she talks about never seeing each other again, he realizes he never wants to let her go. But the rogue assassin who had gone after Justin before is after him again. Before he can fight to make Holly believe in their love, he'll have to fight for both their lives.



Excerpt:



“How did you hurt your knee?” Holly asked.


“Occupational hazard,” Justin muttered.


That wasn’t very comforting, considering he was in the military and always going off on missions that he couldn’t give her any details about. “Did you fall and break it?”


“Bullet shattered it.” His words were clipped.


She flinched, wanting desperately to reach for him, hating to think of the pain he’d been in, the pain she’d known nothing about. “And how long before or after this happened did you send me an eight word break-up text?”


“About seventy-two hours after.”


She immediately knew she’d been right not to take his text at face value. The self-destruction of a client and the week of lost work were worth it. She’d needed this explanation. More than that, it proved there was still hope for them. “So you conceivably could have still been under the effects of anesthesia.”


“I wasn’t.”


“But you were on pain medication for sure.”


“Don’t make excuses for me. I was an ass. I broke up with you, and you deserve better.”





The Wiccan Haus: A Man Worth Fighting For





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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Nightfire Giveaway!

Today I'm running a contest- If you want a chance to win a free digital copy of Nightfire, all you have to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address below. Reposts are appreciated, but not neccesary. I'll be using random.org to choose the winner. The winner will be announcened next Wednesday. Good luck!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Blog Tour Day 3!

I'm being interview by E.J. Wesley on his blog today. I hope you will stop by and say hello!

E.J. Wesley's blog

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Blog Tour Day 2!

Today is day two of my blog tour! I'm over at Michael Offutt's blog. I hope you will stop over and check it out!

Michael's blog

Monday, May 7, 2012

I'm kicking off my blog tour today! I'm over on June Kramin's blog. I hope you will stop by!

June Kramin's Blog

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Author Spotlight: E. H. James

Show some love for author E.H. James, my spotlight guest for today ! :)



Laura - Blurb

George had seen some pretty strange things over his lifetime, travelling those roads. But if he had thought he’d seen it all, he was sadly mistaken. For if he thought finding Laura alone, along some deserted roadside, in the middle of the night, was strange, then he had no idea that what was to follow would challenge the very boundaries of everything he’d ever known.
Laura– Excerpt
The road was long and black before him, stretching out into the night. He hated these rural roads with no street lights, no homes, nothing but blackness pressing in around him. He strained to see the lines in the road, swallowed as they were by a heavy black haze.
But the rain had stopped now, and the wipers screeched in complaint as rubber drew across the dry windshield. He turned them off. The remaining water formed rivulets that ran together, making their way slowly up the glass.
At times like these, he wished he had gotten the radio fixed. He reached for the dial as though it would work this time, but all he got was a faint popping sound and some static. He turned it off and leaned back into his seat. “Damn.”
His annoyance wasn’t so much at the dead radio as at himself. He should have started sooner. He'd had one—no, two—drinks for the road. Now, here he was with two more hours of driving ahead and already it was well past midnight. He couldn't refuse a free drink, though. After all, he was retiring next week, and this was the last time he’d have to make a trip like this—all the way out here, into the middle of nowhere, holding the hand of one more client.
He drew his hand across his face as if to pull the weariness from his mind. Straining against the darkness, he thought he saw something in the headlights, a movement perhaps, maybe a reflection. He slowed down, staring out into the blackness. It was then that he saw her, standing on the side of the road. She turned toward him, staring into the headlights.

*********************************************************************************************

The Visitor’s Room - Blurb:
If Amy thought this day on the psych ward would be just like any other she would be sadly mistaken.

For although everything seemed normal, well as normal as a place like that could be, there was something that was not quite right. That she couldn’t put her finger on it only made it all the more perplexing.
Don’t go asking questions you don’t want to know the answer to, especially when you're on a psych ward, and even you begin to question your sanity.
The Visitor’s Room - Excerpt:
“Today’s as good as any to get a shock treatment.”
Amy lifted her head from the pillow to see Larry standing at the foot of her bed.
She waited as he turned and shuffled out the door, then laid her head back down and closed her eyes. Sleep began to return.
And then he was back, the rhythmic swish of slippers on tile as he approached.“Today’s as good as any to get a shock treatment.”
She sighed and waited a moment. Silence. Melanie was sound asleep in the next bed, unaware of the intrusion.
“Today’s as good as any to get a shock treatment.”
“Larry!”she said, her eyes snapping open. “Shut up and get the hell out of here!”
Larry smiled half-heartedly, turned, and wandered again from the room. This time, his shadow disappeared out of the doorway completely.
That had done it. She was definitely awake now.

She looked at Melanie and frowned.
Dead to the world. Like I should be. That girl could sleep if a freight train came roaring through here. Then again, who knows what meds they have her on this week?
She climbed out of bed and pulled on her slippers — blue terry cloth, just like her bathrobe, so cheap, her toe poked through the seam.
She padded over to the window.
The sun was rising over the horizon, but the building directly across the street was still buried in darkness. She wasn’t normally awake this early — though someone did knock promptly at seven every morning to inform her breakfast was ready.
It was quiet though. Peaceful as a grave. She could get used to this.
And then she heard it: the sound of water dripping.
Stepping away from the window, she walked — as she had yesterday and the day before, and every day for the past three weeks — to the bathroom. The sound wasn’t louder there, but she couldn’t imagine where else it might be coming from. It wasn’t muffled, as it would have been inside the wall. No water came through the collapsible ceiling. It wasn’t raining. No drain pipes ran outside her window.
The sound was like Larry: it came and went and was irritating.
And now it was gone.
The Visitor’s Room – Buy Links:







Author Bio:

E. H. James is an author writing novels, short stories, and poetry in the science fiction, horror, thriller and fantasy genres.
Contact Links for E. H. James