Maria Savva's Blog, page 35

Interview with musician, Chris Wyse, of OWL & The Cult!

Today I am thrilled to be featuring one of my favourite musicians. Chris Wyse plays bass for The Cult, and has toured and played with many famous musicians and bands, including Ozzy Osbourne, and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains.

A few years ago, Chris started up his own band, OWL. Their excellent debut album, also called Owl, was released in 2009. You can listen to that on their website: http://www.owltheband.net/music/

This year on 9th April, they released a follow up album, The Right Thing. It's available via their website, or on iTunes and Amazon

OWL features two other musicians, Jason Achilles Mezilis of Black Belt Karate, who I interviewed on the blog last year, and Dan Dinsmore, of The Clay People


INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS WYSE:

OWL is a progressive rock band and you are creating some very original music. Which musicians/bands have influenced the type of sound you create with the OWL albums?

Thanks. Initially Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Iron Maiden of course because of my love for Steve Harris and his bass playing. I think these bands had a "no boundaries" mentality, and opened me up to music in super creative new way. I like being different and sometimes that comes with a lot of criticism. I always heard stuff like "you can't do that on bass!"

I like things that are "different" :)

Having read a few of the recent interviews, I understand that the new album is much more of a joint project between yourself and the other band members, whereas the first album was mainly your creation. Has that changed the sound of the music in any way, and if so how?

Our debut album, I had written beforehand. It was like the flood gates opening and I had much to get out of me. Our new release "The Right Thing" was done with a more open canvas. I would maybe have a song close to done but missing something, and be happy to let Jason and Dan to fill in the blanks. We have grown immensely and know what works and how to maximize each other's talents. I don't think I had much to say to Dan ever. We just played and I was like, "I can't believe the drum stuff he is coming up with". One day Jason was just playing his acoustic guitar and I said, "Man that's really beautiful. What song is that?" and he said, "Chris, that's ours." We had worked on it one day previous and he happened to record it on his phone. It's been organic and has developed in a great way.

One of the most original things about your band, OWL, is that you play the upright bass (or double bass). To many people that wouldn’t seem like a very “rock” instrument; at least it’s not a common instrument to find in a modern day rock band. What made you decide to use the upright bass for OWL?



Its funny how it all has flipped. The original Rock and Roll was Elvis and bass guitar didn't even exist yet. The only option was upright bass. So it is really cool to bring awareness in our times. I really was getting extreme on bass guitar and upright just seemed like the next step. Playing with a bow and using effects seemed so amazing to me so on I went on a new and challenging journey studying classical double bass in college.



Another original thing about OWL is that there are only 3 members. Most bands tend to have 5 or more members. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having less band members?

I just always like trios. It allows each member to be fully expressive and cover their ground. If we are missing something we can always have a guest.

You’ve been promoting the first single from the album, ‘The Right Thing’. The video is great. I like it when bands make videos that are like short films for their songs. Not many bands are making videos anymore. How important do you think it is for bands to have a good video for a song?

I think the visual part is imperative.

Who designed the cover for the new album, and was it based on any ideas that came from the band?

Dan did all the art. Cool stuff.



When you write songs, is there any structure to how the songs come together, do you think of the lyrics first then add music, or does the music come first?

I write mostly from choruses. I usually hear the music and basic lyric in my head. Otherwise it's jamming and improvisation.

What inspires your music?

Emotions

Do you keep up with the music scene, and if so, are there any new bands that you’ve heard lately that you’d recommend?

I go see bands all the time. I watched "Vintage Trouble" come up here in Hollywood and think they are killer.

I've never heard of them; will have to check them out!

You have played with many famous musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne, Jerry Cantrell, and Ace Frehley, as well as now being a member of The Cult. Are there any musicians that you haven’t had the opportunity to play with that you would like to?

I'd like to play with Jack White and Dave Grohl. I'd like to play upright with Snoop.

I understand that you were a fan of The Cult long before you started playing with them. What did it feel like when you first started playing bass in a band that you’d long admired?

It’s interesting because as a pro you just go in and bring your best energy and let it flow. Bob Rock called me and I just jumped in and recorded "Beyond Good and Evil". (This is in 2000 when I first met them). They wanted some new energy and I didn't worry about anything. I was very comfortable. Ian's voice made a big impression on me in person. He is very loud and strong. I've learned how to project more singing with him. Billy has such a distinct style and sound and I really respect that attention to detail. I've really been blessed because it all feels very natural. I'll go on a limb and try or suggest things.  Some fly, some don't. I really try and honor their history while also bringing in the new stuff when it's called for.



If you were putting together a “supergroup” of the best musicians (living or dead), who would be in the band, and what song would the band cover?

David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, John Bonham, and Geezer Butler.
"I did it my Way"

Wow! Great choices. That would be an amazing version of the song!

I know that you were into music from a very young age, having seen a YouTube video showing you as proficient on the bass at the age of sixteen! When did you decide you wanted to be a musician?

At 8 years old when I saw "Kiss Alive 2" in stores. At 14 I picked up bass because of Iron Maiden.



You recently played bass on a version of "I Love Rock’n’Roll" for the Music is Hope Foundation, tell us more about that and how you got involved.

I'm friends with producer John Jones and I love the cause. John and I just spoke recently about me doing another track.

As a successful independent musician, do you have any tips for bands that might be starting out?

Play out. Don't be afraid to be different.

As I’m interviewing you on a website full of book lovers, can you tell us whether you like to read, and if so, who are your favourite authors?

I read anything self-help and factual. I like Eckhart Tolle and just got Ace Frehley's bio on my Nook.

With The Cult, you have toured worldwide. What are some of your favourite places to play?

South America has the best crowds. Hands down.

Who were your favourite musicians when you were growing up?

Steve Harris, Eddie Van Halen, Jim Morrison, Ozzy

What are the tour plans for promoting the new OWL album?

We have been performing NY and LA based shows around our record release. And we have been opening for some national bands including In This Moment and 10 Years.  We have another west-coast run in June, and will be performing with our good friends in Killcode at the Viper Room on June 22nd. We also have a video out for the title track "The Right Thing" and a new video on the way for "Destroyer"

What are the best places for people to connect with OWL online and keep up with the latest news?

Social sites. FB, Twitter, Owl's website

Apart from The Cult and OWL, are you involved in any other projects at the moment?

Lately I've been popping up as a guest with bands. I love that I can do some bow stuff on top of the band. It is great to change it up and experience other bands and learn from people all the time. 



Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to answer my questions!

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If you're in the area, you should check out OWL's upcoming shows:

Fri June 21
Whiskey Richards, Santa Barbara
9pm


Sat June 22
The Viper Room, Hollywood
8:45 - KILLCODE
9:45 - OWL

I'd also highly recommend both their albums if you're a rock fan!

Guest Post: When Indie met the establishment! by Laxmi Hariharan

**Today, I'm featuring a guest post from a fellow author, Laxmi Hariharan, about the The Literary Consultancy's upcoming conference: 'Writing in a Digital Age', which takes place next weekend in London.**


When Indie met the establishment!

Cut to twelve months ago—as a just born Indie, I listened to Kate Mosse (author Labyrinth) talk about how she was not on Facebook, Twitter or any of those necessary evils, which help Indie authors like myself build a platform. On a panel discussion she made it very clear that she preferred not to have her peace of mind destroyed by social media chatter, in order to really focus inwards and write. A fellow author confessed how she was beyond the point of being a social media junkie—she stayed connected even when she took her dog for a walk. It was clear to me that as a writer and a marketer I needed to find the sweet spot somewhere between the two. I needed to become a spider—a black widow?— an arachnid who sat square in the entre of a 720 degree social network web, and controlled everything that went around me, not the other way around.

It was about choice. I absolutely had the right to decide when I wanted to dip in and went I wanted to unplug. Isn’t that being an Indie author was all about.

Exercising your right to be read, to be seen and heard unadulterated by veils. Just one of the many insights I gained from attending the writing in a digital age conference, held by TLC. I will be back at the 2013 instalment of the same, as part of the storytime sessions, talking about where I am twelve months on—wiser, more confident, and in the throes of completing Return to 7 Islands (#2, Bombay Chronicles.) If you are wondering whether to go Indie or if you are Indie and pondering what next, then this is where you want to be. You will get the chance to meet fellow Indies as well as published authors, publishers, and agents too (some of them are really nice too, I promise.)



Writing in a Digital Age, June 7-8, London. Tickets on sale till June 6th.




Laxmi Hariharan is a content branding strategist and award winning author of epic fantasy. Find her at LAXMIwrites

Delusion and Dreams - Blog Tour!

I've arranged a blog tour to promote my latest book, Delusion and Dreams.

The tour will run from 31st May to 21st June, and there will be a Rafflecopter giveaway. You could win a signed copy of the book. There are also runner up prizes of an e-book version of Delusion and Dreams and e-books from Darcia Helle, J. Michael Radcliffe, Wendy Laharnar, and Helle Gade!



Here's a list of the dates for the tour as well as details as to what you can expect on each stop. I'll be updating this blog with links to each stop on the tour.

I hope to see you all there!

31st May: First stop, Darcia Helle's blog! My guest post there is all about why some of the stories in “Delusion and Dreams” are told from different characters’ viewpoints: http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2013/0...

1st June: Interview on J. Michael Radcliffe's blog. Michael was one of my beta-readers, so he asked me lots of questions about "Delusion and Dreams": http://michaelradcliffe.wordpress.com...

2nd June: I'll be stopping at Seumas Gallacher's blog. There'll be an excerpt from one of the stories from "Delusion and Dreams": http://seumasgallacher.com/2013/06/02...

3rd June: There will be a New Release Spotlight for the book on the BestsellerBound Recommends blog! http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerb...

4th June: I'll be at Savannah Rayne's blog, telling you all about the book trailer for "Delusion and Dreams": http://savannahrayne.blogspot.co.uk/2...

5th June: I'll be at The Secret Writer's blog, where my guest post will feature a few sentences about each of the stories included in my new collection: http://thesecretwriterblog.blogspot.c...

6th June: I'll be K.B. Walker's blog, telling you how I chose the cover for the book: http://nutsandcrisps.wordpress.com/20...

7th June: I'll be at Pinky Pollock's blog with another interview: pinkypollock.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/m...

8th June: I'm featured on Kathleen Valentine's blog, with a behind the scenes look at how I put the collection of stories together: http://www.kathleenvalentineblog.com/...

9th June: One of my short stories from a previous collection will be featured on Ben Ditmars's blog: niceoldspice.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/d...

10th June: My guest post on Helle Gade's blog will be all about what writing is like for me: http://hellegade.wordpress.com/2013/0...

11th June: I'll be at Bitsy Bling Books with a post about the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthologies: http://bitsybling.blogspot.co.uk/2013...

12th June: I'm at Jaime McDougall's blog with another excerpt from "Delusion and Dreams": http://inkyblots.com/guest-author-mar...

13th June: I'm at author Merita King's blog talking about my novels: http://meritaking.com/2013/06/12/delu...

14th June: I'll be featured on Jenny Hilborne's blog. My guest post there is about why I like short stories:
http://jfhilborne.wordpress.com/2013/...

15th June: I'll be on Wendy Laharnar's blog, talking about the recurring theme of 'dreams' in my books. Or should that be 'recurring dreams'? LOL: http://wendylaharnar.blogspot.com.au/...

16th June: I'll be on Claire Voet's blog recommending some of my favourite short stories by independent authors: http://clairevoetauthor.blogspot.com....

17th June: I'll be at Orchard Book Club's blog with a guest post about the importance of reviews: http://orchardbookclub.wordpress.com/...

18th June: Back here at the Goodreads blog, with a short piece about how each of the stories came to be in the collection: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...

19th June: I'll be at author Geoffrey D. West's blog, with a guest post about my other short story collections: http://geoffreywestdotcom.wordpress.c...

20th June: I will be at Angela Turpin's blog where I will be telling you what I'm working on now... http://angelalamturpin.com/?p=970

21st June: The final stop in the tour. I'll be at Mark Rice's blog with another excerpt from Delusion and Dreams: http://metallicdreams.wordpress.com/2...

I think this tour is going to be a lot of fun. If you bookmark this blog post you can come back daily and find links to each of the stops on the tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for your chance to win a signed paperback of Delusion and Dreams, as well as some fabulous e-books by some of my favourite authors.



Here's a link to the Rafflecopter Giveaway, which will go live when the tour begins: a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Music Recommendation: Interview with Evilyn Strange

If you're a fan of rock music, I have a treat for you today. I recently discovered this band on my wanderings around the Internet, and they are now one of my favourites. Evilyn Strange have released quite a few singles recently, all of which have been well received by radio stations, and are doing well in rock charts. You can download a few free mp3s from Reverbnation to sample their music, and they are currently working on a new album, Mourning Phoebe, which is to be released in a couple of months.







I recently interviewed 2 of the band members, Phillip Strange and Al Strange.

The Interview:



How did you come up with the name for your band?

Phillip: Credit for that has to go to Al as it was 100% his idea so I'll let him explain...

Al: A couple of buddies of ours, Edgar and Alan Frog, suggested it...Apparently Keith Moon came to them in a dream and said that our band was "evil and strange" and would probably go down like a lead balloon at a rave...it kinda stuck...

Have you always been musicians? Tell us a bit about your musical background.

Al: No, before I became a musician I played the drums...

Phillip: I didn't pick up an instrument until I was 16 years of age although I've always been a singer. As kids Al and I used to write songs together just for the hell of it and he's always been a natural on the keyboard prior to drums regardless of what he just said, LOL! :)

Evilyn Strange includes members from the UK and Sweden. How did you all meet and how does it work in terms of getting together to record/write the songs?

Al: I believe Mikael came over to London, England (not to be confused with London Bridge, USA) with the intention of plundering and doing all that cool Viking stuff, kinda like the band Europe have been doing for the last 30 years or so. We hooked up through a music paper and
the rest is toilet roll...sorry, rock n roll. Thanks to the interweb, the world is a very small place...

Phillip: We can meet when we want really but obviously it needs a bit of planning, so we can't just decide to go and do a gig for example. That's the main disadvantage for us.

Who writes the songs for Evilyn Strange?

Phillip: Al and myself wrote all the songs this time out although we have written with Mikael previously.

What type of music did you listen to growing up?

Al: My first love was The Police, mainly down to Stewart Copeland's drumming, but I was brought up on a diet of great singers (Noddy Holder, Lou Gramm, and The Nolan Sisters) so it was no surprise that I got into singers' singer John Farnham, Whitesnake, Badlands, and A-ha. After 1987 I didn't look back...Phill also made me listen to his Yngwie records which left a lasting impression on my haircut for many years.



Phillip: LOL, I think The Nolan Sisters is a typo (surely they were known as The Nolans?). I was a massive Adam and The Ants fan as a small child but I have to say the biggest influence from my youth are Whitesnake and Badlands. All the music Al mentions is still in my CD collection alongside The Beatles, The Cult, Thin Lizzy, Megadeth and Aussie art rockers Icehouse. Has to be said that we were not afraid to like something because of its 'genre' and what Al says about Yngwie Malmsteen is true - I love his work from the 80's and 90's. I just picked up his autobiography in actual fact... :)

I saw Yngwie Malmsteen last year at the Marshall concert at Wembley. He is great! My sister was always a big fan of his, so she was happy to finally see him play live

If Evilyn Strange could support any band on tour, who would you
choose, and why?

Al: I'd love to support Europe, Shinedown, or Whitesnake now Tommy's back on the drums cos' they all seem like great guys to hang out with!

Phillip: I think a tour with any of those guys would be an absolute pleasure!

I think Evilyn Strange would be the perfect support band for Whitesnake!

You're quite active on social media. Do you have any tips for indie bands as to which sites are good for promotion?

Al: I have no idea what social media is...Phill did it!

Ha, ha!

Phillip: Al barely uses email let alone the social sites. I'm no expert but it's a great place to meet like -minded people. It has also been a great source of inspiration, having met many musicians who are in the same boat as us. My tip would be to connect with other musicians and music lovers as they can inspire and support your band in equal measure. Also, there are some awesome indie Radio stations that will play your music too.

On Reverbnation, when people buy some of your songs, there is a donation to charity. Tell us a bit more about that and how you got involved.

Phillip: One of the bands I was following put me on to that. I'd never even heard of ReverbNation at that point so it comes back to my previous point. The songs on ReverbNation are pretty old and some were recorded back in 1997. Rather than just take all the money it
seemed like a good idea to give back, particularly as it's a music based charity that we're helping. Al used to play drums for the school band on a 'kit' held together with sticky tape so he's seen the bad side of not having good equipment.

You've given away quite a few free songs. What do you think about the current trend of artists giving away free downloads?

Phillip: Again, if it helps people listen to us it's worth it. For bands like us who can't easily go out on the road it's not wise to give away too many songs as it's our only source of revenue. If someone downloads our songs and would like to hear more then it makes
sense for them to buy our music too. Without financial support our band will ultimately cease to exist.

Does Evilyn Strange have any tour plans?

Al: Wait and see...

Phillip: If the interest is there for the 'Mourning Phoebe' album...

As you're relatively new on the scene, what can fans do to help with promoting the band?

Al: Just enjoy the music and give us a heads up...

Phillip: Yep, tell your friends about that great new band you're listening to and point them in our direction! :)

I understand that you have a new album coming out. Is this the first album? Tell us a bit more about your plans for the release.



Al: We plan to unleash the record on an unsuspecting world and inspire peace, love and tolerance...

Phillip: 'Mourning Phoebe' will be the first album released under the Evilyn Strange name. It will be available on both digital and CD formats. The first 50 CD's will have an exclusive limited addition Evilyn Strange guitar pick. Al wanted to give away drumsticks but they would cost more than the CD to produce, LOL! :)

As I'm interviewing you on a website that is full of book lovers, it makes sense to ask: do you like to read? If so, who are some of your favourite authors?

Al: I believe 100% of everything I read. My current favourite is Jim Chapin's not so modern syncopation drum bible...other than music I'm a big Robert Ludlum and Eric Van Lustbader fan!

Phillip: I'm a major fan of autobiographical, historical, and factual books - which is strange as I like to watch fiction. I have a soft spot for Lustbader's 'Ninja' series and I love the work of Steig Larsson and Stephen King. Everyone should own at least one Maria Savva book too - look her up on Amazon, she's awesome! :)

I've heard of that author... she has some great books. I think people should own at least ten of them ;)

Do you listen to much new music? If so, are there any emerging bands that have interested you lately?

Al: Shinedown was probably the last modernish band that I really got into...I find a lot of the modern rock stuff dull, uninspiring and lyrically tired/ignorant. Where are the poets like Pal Waaktaar?! I still play the first Badlands CD to death...it's so honest, soulful and refreshing even after nearly 25 years.

Phillip: I just got hold of the 'Calling All Astronauts' CD which I'm enjoying immensely. The US brothers 'Aranda' have also just come to my attention as well as 'Firegod Mountain', a Swedish group formed from the ashes of 'Hellfuelled'. I'm also a big fan of a singer songwriter called Michael Hennessy who is worth a moment of anybody's
time...

If you could play any venue in the world, which would you choose
and why?

Al: My house, it's easy to get to and the toilets are in great shape!

Phillip: I've played the smallest places and the Bradford Rio's of the world so the only logical thing would be a step up to City Hall sized venues. An Arena sized venue would be a cool challenge for me as a front man and it'd be nice to find out what it's like without going on some awful TV talent show.

If you had the chance to play with a famous musician (alive or dead) who would you pick?

Al: I'd play triangle as an accompaniment to Rod Morgenstein (Winger, Dixie Dregs). He is a drum genius, and even more than that he seems like a great guy!

Phillip: I'm in a band with my two favourite musicians already but I'd loved to have stood on a stage next to Ronnie James Dio just to witness the power of his voice first hand.



Where are the best places for fans to keep up with Evilyn Strange's news?

Phillip: I would say twitter (http://twitter.com/evilynstrange) is a good starting point. Links to reviews and music can also be found over on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Evilyn...

Where can people buy your music?

From 13th July, 2013, the CD will be exclusively available from our
website via PayPal:

http://www.evilynstrange.co.uk

Digital versions of the album will be available on iTunes, Amazon, and
Spotify:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mourning-Phoe...

Do you have any other news for Evilyn Strange fans?

Al: UUrrrgggh! I just exploded and turned into a green gooey mess!!
Hair today, goo tomorrow!!

Phillip: LOL, looks like we may have just lost our drummer!

LOL Thanks for the very entertaining interview, Phillip and Al. I'm looking forward to the new album!

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I hope you all enjoyed the interview. Don't forget to go to Reverbnation to get your free music downloads, and make sure you're following @EvilynStrange on Twitter to keep up with all the news!

The Dream - on sale for 99 cents

I'm doing a special promotion for my fantasy novel, The Dream. Today, you can get a copy for just 99 cents/77p for Kindle.

Here's a link to Ereader News Today's website where you can find other bargain and free books: http://ereadernewstoday.com/kindle-da...



Lynne cannot shake her feelings of dread; her dreams tell her she is making a terrible mistake, she must not marry Adam. But, how can she believe the dream? Lynne and Adam have shared their lives for three years now. She is certain she loves him.

It is not that love, which her dream warns against.

It doesn't matter that she loves this man she will soon marry. If she marries him, the voice in her dream says her soul mate will die. Her true love will perish.

Delusion and Dreams is now available on Kindle!

I am pleased to confirm that my new book, Delusion and Dreams, has now been published!

You can get a Kindle copy from Amazon worldwide.

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Delusion-and-Dr...

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delusion-and-...



Twelve stories of betrayal, greed, revenge, deception, dreams, and courage.

We all struggle to find our way. What you see isn't necessarily all there is. This collection takes you into the grey area, because the world is never just black and white.

Life is all about perspective. One person's delusion is another person's dream.

Includes five bonus stories.

********


I'm sure you'll be reading the book, and thinking, 'Wow, the formatting is fabulous,' (the stories too I hope!!)
I wanted to mention EBook Builders, who did the formatting. I am very happy with the results, and would highly recommend them if you're an author looking for someone who can help you publish on Kindle, ePub, or even Smashwords.
Here's a link to the website: http://www.e-bookbuilders.com/

My blog tour will start on 31st May. There will be a giveaway, including the chance to win a signed paperback copy.
I'll be keeping you updated with the blog posts on the tour. Hope to see you all there :)

Little Nani Revisited - Blog Tour

You may remember my interview with author Cinta García de la Rosa, after I read her wonderful children's book, The Funny Adventures of Little Nani.

I am thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for the re-launch of this book. Now I'm going to hand over to Cinta, so she can tell you more about it!


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Thank you for visiting this wonderful blog today so you can know a bit more about Little Nani, her stories, her world, and her author. OK, her author is not as interesting as Little Nani, but what can we do? They go hand in hand, so please bear with her.

Why are we here today? Because Little Nani is suffering a series of changes. “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani” was published for the first time last September 2012, both in print and in ebook form, on Amazon and Createspace. However, along the months, I started feeling less enthusiastic about my book, thinking that the cover was dull and boring, and also thinking that the stories could be improved, maybe going through some extra editing and proofing. So that’s what I did, and now I am much happier about the result and I trust that I will start getting many more sales. Why? Because I will make the books available not only on Amazon and Createspace, but also on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Feed-A-Read.

There will be also many different options to buy the books. Do you want to buy the whole set of stories? You can do it. Do you want to buy just some stories, the ones you think you would like? You can do it too, since I will publish the stories individually on Smashwords. So you see, different options to match different customers, different readers.

Once all this is settled and the books are republished on all those retailers, I will start to do the same process with the second book in the Little Nani series, which will be available next Fall.

Follow the whole blog tour since I will be announcing all the news in the different blogs!




BLURB

Little Nani is a little girl who likes helping people. However, when she helps people the results can be a bit unexpected. Why is that? Little Nani is a witch! Or at least she wants to be a witch. With her magic wand, she will try to cast different spells to help her friends, but she won't be successful all the time.

Follow Little Nani in her funny adventures and meet her extraordinary friends. Funny ostriches, horses that love reading, super-fast turtles, grumpy zombies... Little Nani has lots of friends! You can also draw your own characters!

Little Nani is willing to become a good witch. Will she manage to do it? Who knows? Read the stories and discover what happens next!



Why my book is different?

“I have written a children’s book and I have published it.” You say that and people would tell you, “Oh yeah, congratulations! But there are millions of children’s books out there.” Yes, that’s true. There are indeed a lot of fantastic books for children available everywhere. That’s why we need to try to make our books be as much original as they can be. You must make your book outstand over the others. You have to write a unique book.

But how do you do that? Writing a memorable story? It can be done but there are lots of amazing stories that every child remembers quite well. Adding stickers? That has been done so many times that children don’t get excited about them anymore. Oh, that’s right! Writing a character that children will never forget! Oh wait... That has been already done too.

So, one day, while talking to a friend, I knew what I could do. That friend suggested providing some space for children to draw. And I thought that it was a great suggestion. I started thinking that sometimes, when we were little, we would have loved to be able to draw or scribble in the books we used to read. So I am giving my readers the chance to do that. Apart from the amazing illustrations drawn by Almudena Romero, I am including some empty boxes with prompts for them to write different scenes from the stories. In that way, the child feels more involved with the book than if they just read it.

My book is different, yes. Just because the reader can both read and draw in my book. Sounds funny, right? Why don’t you check it out?

GIVEAWAY!

Don’t forget to leave a comment, so you can enter the giveaway for the opportunity to win a signed copy of “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani”. If you leave comments in several blogs during the tour, you will get an entry for each comment. So don’t hesitate to comment!




Cinta Garcia de la Rosa is a Spanish writer who has loved the written word since he discovered she was able to read books at age 5. Since then, she has become a bookworm and reads around 100 books every year. She also writes, every day, compulsively, even in the middle of the night. You cannot control when inspiration hits you, can you? She writes in English because she is convinced that in a previous life she was British, so writing in English feels more natural to her than writing in her native language. Yes, she is crazy like that. Cinta Garcia is the author of “The Funny Adventures of Little Nani”, a collection of short stories for children, and “A Foreigner in London”, a short story published on Smashwords. She is a member of Independent Authors International (iAi).



LINKS TO THE BOOKS.

Createspace

Amazon (US)

Amazon (UK)

Smashwords

MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads: Cinta García de la Rosa

Amazon Author Page

Smashwords Author

Website

Blogs:



I Can't Stop Reading

Authors You Want To Read



Pinterest

Tumblr

About.me

Authorsdb

Askdavid.com

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Thanks, Cinta!

Remember, you can enter to win a signed copy of the book by leaving a comment below! Good luck!

Bargain price for Fusion!

I just wanted to let you all know that I have reduced the price of my most recent short story collection, Fusion, to just 99 cents for Kindle.



"Crime, passion, ghosts, obsession, hope, faith, and new beginnings-you will find all these things, and more, within these pages. A mixed collection of short fiction, by the prolific writer, Maria Savva, who has been praised for her story telling abilities by fellow authors as well as her fans. Sit back, relax, and begin your journey with a story of deep love, and follow through to read insightful tales reflecting our world today, but
at the same time taking you away to a world of fantasy. Thought provoking and eventful stories written to entertain and inspire. Maria Savva's latest collection is sure to please, with haunting and psychological tales, blended with romantic and humourous ones. A diverse assortment, brought together by 'fusion'."


Remember, you don't have to own a Kindle to read Kindle books, you can read them on your smartphone, PC, Mac, iPad etc., by downloading the free apps from Amazon.

The price will stay at 99 cents until my new book, Delusion and Dreams, is published. I expect to be able to send that to be formatted for Kindle in the next couple of days. After that, it may be a week or so before it's available in the Amazon stores. I'm looking forward to publishing that one!

So, while you're waiting for the new book, you can pick up Fusion for a bargain price.

I hope you enjoy the stories.

Here are the links you need:

Amazon.com (includes India): http://www.amazon.com/Fusion-ebook/dp...

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fusion-ebook/...

Amazon.ca: http://www.amazon.ca/Fusion-ebook/dp/...

Amazon FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Fusion-ebook/dp/...

Amazon Germany: http://www.amazon.de/Fusion-ebook/dp/...

Amazon Japan: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Fusion-ebook/...

Amazon Spain: http://www.amazon.es/Fusion-ebook/dp/...

Amazon Italy: http://www.amazon.it/Fusion-ebook/dp/...

Amazon Brazil: http://www.amazon.com.br/Fusion-ebook...

Update on Delusion and Dreams!

I am hoping to send my new collection of short stories, Delusion and Dreams, to ebookbuilders to be formatted, by the end of this week.

That means the book will soon be available on Kindle! It will take a little longer for me to finalise the paperback.

I am very excited about publishing this new collection.










I now have a blurb/description for you:


Twelve stories of betrayal, greed, revenge, deception, dreams, and courage.

We all struggle to find our way. What you see isn't necessarily all there is. This collection takes you into the grey area, because the world is never just black and white.

Life is all about perspective. One person's delusion is another person's dream.


(Thank you to Darcia Helle for helping me write the blurb!)

With this book, I'll be doing a blog tour, which I'm currently organising. I'll be visiting many of my fellow indie authors' blogs and chatting about the stories in Delusion and Dreams. I hope you'll follow the blog tour and spread the word about the new release.

Thank you to all my readers for your continued support.

eFestival of Words - Best of the Independent eBook Awards

I am thrilled and excited that Coincidences has been nominated in the Best Mystery/Suspense category in the "eFestival of Words - Best of the Independent eBook Awards."

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This was completely unexpected as I have never heard of this website, but I am so happy to have been nominated. The best thing about it is that I have read quite a few of the books that have been nominated in the various categories and they are among my favourite indie books! That makes me even more honoured to be a part of this event.

Among the nominees are the following books that I have read and enjoyed, You Wish... by Terry Tyler, Rock'n'Roll Suicide by Geoffrey D. West, The Dating Game by Susan Buchanan, The Shelter by James Everington, Oblivious by Neil Schiller, The Blues Detective by Andrew Peters, The Funny Adventures of Little Nani, by Cinta Garcia de la Rosa, Shadows of the Realm by Dionne Lister, 33 Days: Touring In A Van. Sleeping On Floors. Chasing A Dream. by Bill See, Adventures in Mother-Sitting by Doreen Cox, Metallic Dreams by Mark Rice, A Poet's Journey: Emotions by Marta Moran Bishop.


All of those books are fabulous, and I'd recommend them, so it's lovely to see "Coincidences" in amongst them.

You can see a full list of the nominated books here: http://bardsandsages.com/juliedawson/...

Or, if you prefer to see a list on a video, you can watch it on YouTube, here: http://youtu.be/R5Iarf4QgYo

The finalists will be announced on July 1, 2013. Winners will be selected through public vote at the festival site and announced during this year’s festival, scheduled for August 23-25th.

If any of your favourite independent books are listed in the Awards, make sure you support the authors by joining in with the public vote when that is announced on the site.

Congratulations to all my fellow nominees, and a big THANK YOU to the organisers of the event for showing some love to hard working independent authors!