Chris Redding's Blog, page 9
February 26, 2015
Unleash Your Passion in Your Writing
“Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.” ― C.S. Lewis
I love this quote by one of my favorite authors, C. S. Lewis, because it clarifies what it takes to be an excellent writer. Passion about something, real or imagined, is the key to a “can’t put down” book. You can’t fake passion and you know immediately if a writer/author is passionate about what they are writing about.
Think about some of your favorite books and ask yourself, why do I love these books? Passion.
For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about two things: love and spiritual warfare. Both are the backbone to my faith and both are very much alive. Love is the foundation of many spiritual beliefs and it is love that propels ordinary people to do extraordinary things! Spiritual warfare is basically the eternal battle between good and evil. It has been around since time began and continues to this very day.
I wanted to write a book about both love and spiritual warfare but how? I could write a non-fiction book sharing my personal experiences. I even started to write a non-fiction book but the words didn’t flow. The more I tried, the more I knew I was meant to write a fictional book. I could tell my story, draw people into the world I created and inspire them all at the same time.
Thus, Princess of the Light was born. The more I dug deeper into the story, the more passionate I became. It didn’t matter that parts of my book were real or imagined. The reader would love my story. They would relate to the characters and hopefully be inspired.
I have to be honest here, writing a faith based novel is hard. You have to create the right balance of romance, intrigue, action, inspiration and conflict. It has to appear real for the reader or they will reject it. You have to be inspiring without being preachy. You have to show romance without being graphic. You have to show conflict without being obvious. It’s a balancing act and if you are successful, it will be addicting to the reader. Princess of the Light blends all of these in an intoxicating book.
A final thought... no matter what you write, be passionate about it! Your passion will fly off of the page and will hold the reader captive.
Title: Princess of the LightAuthor: N. N. Light
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance, Christian Fantasy, Inspirational Fiction
Blurb:
Gabriel, the Archangel and Messenger of God - yeah that Gabriel, visited Mary Miller. He told her, as the key she is destined to spread the Light and vanquish the Darkness. Her first assignment is to restore the soul of the Walking Man. Sounds simple enough until she’s thrown in the face of evil, and then Joe Deacons enters her heart. This battle just got a lot more complicated. She must complete her mission without losing all she loves.
Buy Links:Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/469480
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/princess-of-the-light-nn-light/1120170709?ean=9781502438454
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Light-N/dp/1502438453
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Light-N-ebook/dp/B00N19FDKO
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/eboo...
Indigo: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/princess-of-the-light/9781310880230-item.html?ikwid=princess+of+the+light&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0
iTunes/ iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/princess-of-the-light/id913013798?mt=11
Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/5008419
Author Bio:
N. N. Light was born in Minnesota, lived in Southern California only to move to chilly Ontario, Canada to marry her beloved husband MR N. She is blissfully happy and loves all things chocolate, books, music, movies, art, sports and baking. She has been telling stories since the age of five and her mantra is to spread the Light. Most of the time you can find her on Twitter or getting new ideas on how to spread the Light on Pinterest. She is a proud member of ASMSG, Independent Author Network and Marketing for Romance Writers.
Part of the proceeds of Princess of the Light will go directly to food banks in order to feed the hungry and help those in need. With only 7,500 books sold, N. N. Light will be able to set up a monthly endowment for the local food bank.
I’d love to connect with you either via email or via these various social media sites:
Website: http://princessofthelight.comBlog: http://princessofthelight.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/nnlight
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NNP_W_Light
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/nnlight
Email: nnlight@outlook.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PrincessOTLight
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/n-n-light/90/1a7/902
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/118060034268079734144/posts
Triberr:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/nnlight
Independent Author Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/n-n-light.html
iAuthor: http://www.iauthor.uk.com/princess-of-the-light:10294
February 25, 2015
In the Rancher’s Care
Sharing an excerpt from Honorable Rancher by Barbara White Daille, which is available as a standalone book but has also just been re-released in the 2-in1 anthology In the Rancher’s Care.
From Honorable Rancher:Ben felt tempted to toss a coin into the fountain for a wish of his own—that for once, she'd let him make things easier for her. "There's such a thing as working too hard, you know."
"Ben, please." She gathered up her dress and stood. "I have to go inside. Tess will be tossing her bouquet soon. I wouldn't want to lose out on that."
A tear sparkled at the corner of her eye.
Missing the chance to catch a handful of flowers couldn't upset her that much. He knew what she really missed—having a husband by her side. Her husband.
His best friend.
But neither of them would have Paul back in their lives.
Before he could get to his feet, she left, running away like that princess in the fairytale his niece asked him to read to her over and over again.
No, not a princess. The one who took off without her glass slipper—Cinderella.
Dana was no Cinderella. She hadn't left a shoe behind. Hadn't even dropped a button from that pink dress as something for him to remember her by. As if he could ever forget her.
She'd been the heroine of a story he'd once created long ago, a story he'd had to write in his head because he hadn't yet known how to spell all the words.
How did it go? Like in his niece's storybook...
Once upon a time, that was it.
Once upon a time, in the Land of Enchantment—otherwise known as the state of New Mexico—Benjamin Franklin Sawyer had high hopes and a huge crush on the girl who sat one desk over from him in their classroom every day.
No other girl in town, Ben felt sure, could beat Dana Smith, and most likely no other woman in the world could compare to her, either. In any case, without a doubt, she was the cutest of all his female friends in their kindergarten classroom.
Unfortunately, when the teacher moved his best friend, Paul Wright, to the desk on the other side of Dana's, Ben saw his hopes dashed.
The crush, however, continued. For a good long while.
As for Benjamin Franklin Sawyer's hopes...
Well, not every story had a happy ending.
HONORABLE RANCHERDana Wright has to shut Ben Sawyer out. She wants him—so much—but if she gives in, she might spill her secret, and the betrayal will hurt everyone she cares about—including her children and Ben. She'll do anything to protect them from knowing the truth about her late husband—even give up her second chance at happiness.
Author BioBarbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom.
When she was very young, Barbara learned from her mom about the storytelling magic in books—and she’s been hooked ever since. She hopes you will enjoy reading her books and will find your own magic in them!
In the Rancher’s Care is a 2-in-1 anthology reissue that includes her full-length Flagman’s Folly novel, Honorable Rancher. Upcoming is a brand-new series, The Hitching Post Hotel, about a matchmaking grandpa determined to see his three granddaughters wed. The series debuts in April 2015 with The Cowboy’s Little Surprise, followed by A Rancher of Her Own in July and a third as-yet-untitled book in December.
Find Barbara at the following locations:
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Newsletter ~ Blog ~ Amazon ~ Harlequin ~ Goodreads
In the Rancher’s Care anthology: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Harlequin
February 15, 2015
Endless as the Rain
When Adriane Graham discovers a city councilman is part of an embezzlement ring, she doesn't realize her life is in danger until Alec Kadan, the son of a mobster, kidnaps her—not to kill but to protect her. But why? And how does he know so much about her, right down to her favorite books? In order to find out, Adriane must get past Alec's anger and secrecy to unravel his past and find the key to her own.
To be released 2/13/15Author Bio:M.S. Kaye has several published books under her black belt. A transplant from Ohio, she resides with her husband Corey in Jacksonville, Florida, where she tries not to melt in the sun. Find suspense and the unusual at www.BooksByMSK.com.
To receive news on upcoming releases, sign up for email updates on her website.
Contact M. S. Kaye at:Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Google+ ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ TSU ~ Pinterest ~ LinkedIn
Excerpt:
The thought that was still eating at me was the possibility of rejection. I’d heard women talk about how almost any woman can get a man’s attention once, that men generally have a strong drive and will usually take most opportunities. But Alec was strong-minded. If he truly didn’t want a woman, I was certain he’d reject her.
It was a risk.
One I was willing to take.
I peeked into the hall to be certain no one was around, and then walked silently through the shadows. I turned the corner toward his room.
My mind couldn’t help but to wander. I began to see images—at first his surprise, and then understanding, and hopefully his arousal. I saw kissing and removal of clothes before lying down. I hoped he wouldn’t feel the need to talk or to ask why. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hide my true motivations.
My feet stopped.
I couldn’t do it.
I wouldn’t trick him like that—hide the truth from him just to have what I wanted.
Only a couple feet from his door, I turned, somehow feeling pride, shame, and disappointment all in that one turn.
The click of a door opening—his door.
I managed not to jump.
“Adriane?”
I turned half way to look at him over my shoulder. “I’m sorry I woke you. I was just feeling restless.” It wasn’t a complete lie.
As I looked at him, my resolve wavered for a second. His expression was beyond kind but with a little concern—for my sanity, no doubt. He still wore his slacks and dress shirt but barefoot, and his shirt was untucked and unbuttoned. His hair was a little disheveled, and what absolutely killed me was the slight sheen of his skin, as if I’d woken him from an intense dream. His skin seemed to glow in the faint light, and his eyes took on that deep shadowed effect. Why did he have to look like that? He was perfect in every other way. Why this too?
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
So as not to seem rude, I turned to face him properly. “No. I was just restless. Please go back to sleep.” And please don’t look at me too closely.
He took a step closer. At least it was dark. I ran my fingers through my hair to casually pull it back.
He took a breath.
“Are you sure?” he said.
I crossed my arms, pretending I was cold, but really trying to hide my chest. I worried, though, that I only succeeded in creating more cleavage.
Did his eyes just flicker? No, it was too dark to see his eyes clearly.
“I’m fine,” I said, “just a little cold.” I turned to leave.
He didn’t respond, and I continued my escape. Once my door closed, I pressed my back against it, head leaned and eyes closed. My heart pounded. It shouldn’t be legal to look like that.
Faintly, I heard his door close. Then I jumped at a loud pounding sound, like someone punching a wall, and his voice, though muffled from distance. “Dammit.”
It was only maybe ten minutes later that I heard his footsteps. The sound of his shoes, no longer bare feet, quickly moved down the stairs. It was only three in the morning.
February 11, 2015
February 9, 2015
Cover Reveal
Title: Fallen Idol Series: Love and Music in TexasBook number: 4Genre: Contemporary romantic suspense Release Date: March 31, 2015
Blurb:
What goes up must come down...
Kyra Sanders had a promising career in country music in her teen years. She gained popularity and fame, riding high atop the the charts. Then one deadly accident changed things, sending her spiraling downward to the point she went into a hiatus from music.
Six years later, Kyra's making her return to the music scene. With an album in the works and a new song on the radio, her career is back on track, until a call from Texas with news of an accident forces her to halt her plans.
Matt Greer is working through the aftermath of his ex-wife's abandonment when she chose to leave him and their fourteen year old son to pursue her own musical dreams. He's had enough of troubled musicians and the havoc they bring to his life Kyra surprises him in a good way, but it doesn't mean he wants anything to do with a singer who comes to town with trouble on her trail.
It's hard to avoid each other in a small town, especially when their families are close. Matt should stay away from the woman who could lead danger right to their town, and it's possible she already has, but he can't help how drawn he becomes to her.
The sparks ignite, but danger lurks in the distance, only getting closer as time goes on. For two people who want different things out of life, it's possible to find healing together...
This is the fourth book in the Love and Music in Texas series, but each book can be read as a stand alone.
Preorder on Amazon for a special Intro price of 99 cents. Fallen Idol will go up to regular price of $3.99 one week after release.
http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Idol-Love-Music-Texas-ebook/dp/B00T6TC27U
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21405402-fallen-idol
Fallen Idol stands on its on, but you can get can begin the series with Baby Stetson. It's currently free on all outlets.
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Stetson-Music-Texas-ebook/dp/B00BWIE1GI
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baby-stetson-nikki-lynn-barrett/1121029972?ean=2940151680325
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/baby-stetson
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id957161714
About the Author:
I'm an avid lover of books. I've been writing as far back as I can remember, completing my first "book" by fifth grade in one of those one subject spiral notebooks. I have a passion for music, photography, jewelry and all things creative. I live in Arizona with my husband and son, but dream of being somewhere much colder and stormier. For now, I'll have to live that life through my characters and stick it out with the summer heat.Places to find me on the web:
wwww.nikkilynnbarrett.com
https://www.facebook.com/NikkiLynnBarrettauthor?ref_type=bookmark
Facebook Chat group: Nikki's Book Nook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NikkisBookNook/
Nikki's Book Stormers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NikkisBookStormers/
Twitter: @Stormgoddess925
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6583655.Nikki_Lynn_Barrett
Email: nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com
I love to hear from readers!
February 1, 2015
Becoming Somebody
What happens when everything you thought you knew suddenly changes with a few simple words?
When Samantha Connelly fell hard for the one person that could rip her world apart she wasn’t prepared for the bomb he would later drop on her. With a few words, Brian completely turned her world upside down and sent her into an emotional spiral.
Forced to leave town once again, she begged him to come with her…pleaded with him to choose her…to love her, but Brian had his own agenda that he couldn’t deviate from.
What happens when two people who are meant for each other are forced apart with no reunion in sight? How do you recover from the reality that you may never see one another again? How do you go back to being a nobody when all you want in life is to be somebody to someone?
Goodreads
This is a PRE-ORDER LINK
January 28, 2015
January 15, 2015
Love in the Time of Zombies
Guess you never know. Who would have thought something as terrible as the zombie apocalypse would bring me something as wonderful as Seth Ripley?
Of course, the zombies got my mother and my father, and my husband, Carl. Pretty much, they got my whole family. Okay, my husband Carl had been an asshole so he was no great loss. Never could keep it in his pants, if I may be so crude. If he could’ve kept it in his pants, he may have kept that appendage altogether. But, it was the early days of the Z virus mutation and how could he know the hooker he took to the cheap by-the-hour motel had the sickness? I’m sure he didn’t realize anything until the woman chewed it off, to be honestly blunt. He never was a great one for paying attention during sex as it was. Oh, maybe in the early days of our marriage, but he’d changed in the last few years, just before the end of the world.
Five years of him spreading it far and wide to prove his virility and all I was left with was a one-sheet police report and a blurred photo of Carl with one between the opaque, dead eyes. The police had stopped trying to take sickies to the hospital a couple of weeks before. By the time Carl was attacked it was kill ‘em, identify ‘em, and burn ‘em in a pile. KIB was the order of the day. A few weeks after that and they skipped the identify part of the acronym too. A few weeks more and there weren’t enough police or bullets for the killing part either.
Six months had passed and the police were all gone, along with the military. Now it was survival of the fittest. Never in a million years would I have pictured myself; neglected society, trophy-wife, Emily Gray, in that category. Guess you never know. /
Jill James Bio
ill has been a member of Romance Writers of America since 2004. She started her work career as an accountant but soon realized that books and writing were her passion. Her first published book, Tempting Adam with The Wild Rose Press was a combination of her love of romance novels and the golden era of Hollywood movies.
Her hobbies are writing and reading, not necessarily in that order.
Book Blurb:Influenza swept the planet. In months, two billion were dead. In the decimated United States, President Andrew Thomas signed an Executive Order to spray the national food and water supply with a flu vaccine. It spread and mutated up the food chain. The infected craved the flesh of the living and the undead walked the earth.
Overnight, Emily Gray’s privileged world was ripped away. From pampered trophy wife to sharpshooter zombie hunter. From an elite address in San Francisco to the outskirts of an East Bay farm town. You never know what event will define you. The apocalypse showed Emily what she was truly capable of doing to survive.
Seth Ripley was a truck driver with simple dreams. Pay off his mortgage, not live paycheck to paycheck, and take care of his mom. The end of the world as he knew it stole all that away. His home and livelihood are gone and the only dream he has left is for his mother to awake from her diabetic coma brought on from the trials and tribulations of getting out of Oakland ahead of the horde of undead.
When surviving day to day is all you ask of life, love seems an unrealistic dream. Who would ever think that something as terrible as the zombie apocalypse could bring Seth and Emily something as wonderful as their other half, their soul mate, their true love?
Now all they have to do is survive death, destruction, and a madman who wants to control what is left of the world they knew.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.jilljameswrites.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/Jill.James.author
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jill_james
email: jill@jilljameswrites.com
Book Links:
http://amzn.com/B00RHGTYUC
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-...
January 11, 2015
Author Rock Star Roundup
It's been awhile so here's another listing of what my Author Rock Stars are posting.
Hugh Howey is talking about his new digital reading habits and has highlighted what others are doing.
I recently posted a video describing my new digital reading lifestyle and why what I’ve learned signals a very strong future for digital books. I’m very curious about people’s reading habits, as a book lover, a book seller, and a writer. This week, two other avid readers chimed in. I’m loving these accounts.
Joanna Penn has also taken up the discussion.
I love reading and I love books, plus I believe writers are usually great readers. We spend our lives immersed with our minds elsewhere, in someone else’s world or one of our own creation. Happy times indeed!
That's about it. Everyone else must have had a busy Christmas season.
January 7, 2015
New Release– End of Lonely Street by Alicia Dean
I’m excited to share my latest release from The Wild Rose Press on what would have been Elvis’ eightieth birthday. ‘End of Lonely Street’ is a Vintage Romance Short Story set in 1957, in the era when Elvis first burst on the scene. Like my heroine in the story, I am a diehard Elvis fan. (As you probably figured out, I took the title from a line in Heartbreak Hotel, which was Elvis’ first million selling record).
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Check out End of Lonely Street and enter to win GREAT prizes…
GIVEAWAY: - Entries accepted from January 8, 2015 through noon on January 22, 2015
Three prizes –
Elvis Gift Basket including DVD, CD, plus more
$25 Amazon Gift Card
$10 Amazon Gift Card
First place winner has first choice, second place winner has second choice, third place winner receives remaining prize.
Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B00QQO3BK0
Blurb:
Can she let go of the past, before it destroys her future?
All Toby Lawson wanted was to go to college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and to be free of her alcoholic mother and the painful memories of finding her and the guy Toby loved kissing. But when her mother nearly burns the house down, Toby must put her dreams on hold and return home to care for her. The only time she isn’t lonely and miserable is when she’s listening to her heartthrob, Elvis Presley. His music takes her away, helps her escape from everything wrong in her life.
Noah Rivers has always loved Toby, but no matter what he says, and even though she knows her mother initiated the kiss, and that he didn’t kiss her back, she can‘t seem to get past what happened. He soon realizes that the true problem lies in Toby’s belief that she’s not good enough for him and in her fear that she will be just like her mother.
What will it take to prove to her that she deserves to be happy, and that he would give anything to be the man to make her dreams come true?
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Mapleton, Tennessee, November, 1957
Toby Lawson closed her eyes and shut out all sounds of the diner, except for Elvis Presley’s voice. He was crooning about how she was the only one for him…no matter where he went or what he did… he’d spend his whole life loving her…
Rough hands landed on her waist and shattered the fantasy. She caught a whiff of hair tonic and too much cologne, and she snapped her eyes open. Wes Markham’s hateful face replaced the image of Elvis’ beautiful, crooked smile and smoldering blue eyes.
“Let me go.” She gritted her teeth, keeping her voice low. If her boss, Mr. Winstead, knew there was trouble on account of her, he’d explode. He’d barely let her have the job in the first place. Everyone in Mapleton knew the Lawson women were trouble.
“Come on, honey. If you like that hip swivel, Presley ain’t the only one who’s got it. I got it too.” He released her with his left hand so he could run it over his slicked down hair and gave her a big-toothed, wolfish smile. “Only we’d be naked.” He shot a cocky grin over to his two companions—Chuck Stenson and Billy Garfield—who were leaning against the jukebox making kissing and whooping sounds.
Toby gripped his right wrist with one hand, tightening her hold on the utensils she held in the other. “I said let me go. Now!”
“Aw, be a sport, Green-Eyes.”
The bulge of his pelvis pressed into her abdomen, and she gasped in shock. Nausea tightened in her esophagus. “Wes Markham, I’m warning you…”
She shoved against him, but he didn’t budge.
He pulled her tighter. “Your momma’s a whole lot friendlier than you are. They say the apple don’t fall far from the tree, so how’s about you cut the pretense and we go someplace quiet? Winstead won’t miss you for a few minutes.”
Her cheeks heated. She didn’t dare look around. No doubt the customers were watching, listening. Elvis had stopped singing and everyone in the place could hear what he’d said about her mother. It wasn’t like they didn’t all know, though. Constance Lawson hadn’t exactly kept her escapades a secret.
Toby clenched her teeth and brandished the utensils. She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Release me this instant, or I swear, you’ll be pulling this steak knife out of your eyeball.”
***10% of all of Alicia Dean’s net royalties for End of Lonely Street will go to The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation (http://www.elvis.com/about-epe/giving...) ***.jpg)
Bio:
Alicia Dean lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, The Mindy Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Find Alicia here:
Website: http://aliciadean.com/
Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
