Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 536

Interview with TK Rayford Author of Abstrus

What is it about the paranormal, in particular aliens, that fascinates you so much?  
Space and the idea of people living somewhere out there can easily consume anyone who gives it deep thought.  We only know of a tiny fraction of what's out there.  In my opinion, it would be silly to think that it's impossible for anything or anyone else to be living somewhere other than Earth.  I guess it's just the unknown in general that fascinates me and the possibilities within. 
What inspired you to write this book? 
Abstrus wasn't really something I came up with on my own. It kinda found me in the form of a dream, and for the longest time it only lived as blue sharpie written on the back of sheet of paper that I had beside my bed.  The funny thing is, at the time, I was in the middle of writing a completely different book.  But when I dreamt of Abstrusand Lexi, the protagonist, I couldn't rest until I told her story.




Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another? 
Lexi was the most difficult for me to write, which is strange because the story is about her.  But, in the beginning, she was so reserved and timid that I had a challenging time getting to know her so that my readers could come to know her too.  Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?  
I almost feel bad for admitting this, like a parent choosing a favorite child, but I adore Gem.  She is tough, mysterious, and somewhat unpredictable and I really have fun when she's a part of a scene.

What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course? 
There are alien colonies on Earth that are hidden away from alien hunters.  There is a pretty intense scene between the two Abstrian girls, Lexi and Gem and the Sionian girl, Liza.  I can't say too much more without giving it away, but I will say that it was one of my favorite scenes to write.
Can you tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does this world differ from our normal world?
In the Planet Abstrus Series, Earth is just as it is in real life, or at least it seems that way.  The naïve humans go about life as usual in the series as we do with no knowledge of the existence of other life forms and the governing systems in place for those other worlds that endanger them all.

Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?Do you ever suffer from writer's block? How do you deal with it? 
Not often, but there are those rare occasions when the words just won't come.  I deal with it like a normal person; I flip over tables, break things, and there's a lot of yelling. But seriously, if I take a break from writing and do something else for a while, I usually can come back to it with a renewed outlook on things and write with no problems.


When did you consider yourself a writer?  
I didn't regularly refer to myself as a writer until after Abstrus had been published for a while and Sion was close to being finished.  Some days I still forget that I'm allowed to call myself that.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life? 
I'm a pretty crafty girl, or at least I'd like to think I am.  I love to do pretty much any craft I come in contact with.  A ton of my free time is spent in Hobby Lobby. 
What was the last amazing book you read?
Half-Blood Jennifer L. Armentrout was wonderful.  I'm impatiently awaiting Pure, the next book. The Hunger Games series has also become an obsession of mine.

Do you have a cozy corner or special reading spot?  
My favorite place to read is… well, everywhere.  I rarely am able to read at home, because I'm usually writing there, so whenever I'm out and I'm sitting still for more than 5 minutes, I'm probably reading.
What can readers expect next from you?  
I'm planning four books total in the Planet Abstrus series. I'm currently working on book #3 which is called Galaos. I hope to have the entire series completed this year.
Where can readers find you on the web? 
They can find me at: tkrayford.com, facebook.com/tkrayford, twitter.com/tkrayford, goodreads.com/author/show/5222212.TK_...
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?  
Absolutely! Here is an excerpt from Abstrus:
I could barely make out their shapes in the dark and without the weak glint of a light hanging on the side of one of the buildings; I probably would have walked right by them without ever noticing that they had stopped. I could make out two of them kneeling in front of something, their heads hung low in concentration, while the other, which I could tell was Ferdinand because of his big frame, stood behind them as if he was protecting them. But what would he be protecting them from—me? I felt a shiver slither its way from the nape of my neck and rest in the bottom of my spine. I was convinced that the hairs on the back of my neck would have been standing on end were they not slicked to my skin by the rain. Nervously, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other while I tried to gather my wits. I stood and watched Farah and Liza kneeling and Ferdinand standing over them like a mother hawk protecting her young for what seemed like forever. There was no real reason for me to be frightened except for maybe the lack of light in the alley way between the buildings, but I couldn't shake the quiet terror that was building in my throat and threatened to explode in a scream. It would have been an irrational scream. Wouldn't it?
I fought back the panic and the urge to turn and get out of the alley as fast as I could. I squeezed the fabric of my jacket between my fists and worked up the courage to find my voice. It wasn't enough courage to take a step forward though.
"Guys," I almost whispered.
Liza lifted her head, which was the only indication they gave that they had even heard me speak. It seemed as if they had completely forgotten that I was following them from the theater. They were frozen in place like statues and I felt the unease creeping back. I began to pick my foot up to step back—but then Ferdinand was there. I had not seen him move but there he was, standing directly in front of me. And in the same way, his hand materialized on my shoulder, preventing me from moving backward at all.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from Farah and Liza to even look at Ferdinand. He probably would think that I hadn't noticed his ability to materialize at my side without taking a step. Liza glanced over at Farah, who gave a short nod of her head that I would have missed had I not been completely engrossed by the pair. She rose to her feet, as if Farah had just given her permission to do so, and much in the same way that Ferdinand did, appeared at my side. She didn't do it as effortlessly as he had and that was only apparent in the fact that a tendril of her strawberry blonde hair fluttered in the breeze that her movement had created. Unlike Ferdinand she didn't touch me, didn't attempt to make eye contact or even assist him in restraining me… not that he wasn't doing a good job of it himself. His grasp on my shoulder wasn't hard or tight. He didn't seem to be holding me in place with any sort of super-human strength at all. It was more as if his hand was a huge magnet and not just to my shoulder. But the very fiber of my being had all of a sudden become the magnet with the opposite pole. He held me in place not by forcing me to stand there but by making my will bend to his. I stood there because I all of a sudden wanted to. Taking that step backward had become the furthest thing from my mind.
But there was something else there too. It seemed that somewhere in me there was a strange curiosity quickly arising and that hadn't come from Ferdinand. That was mine alone. I wanted to know what was happening around me more than I wanted to be able to break free of Ferdinand's hold and flee the way I had come. Even more so, I wanted to know what would happen next, and I couldn't even logically explain why.
Liza stood in front of me, eyes closed. Strange sounds began to emanate from her. It sounded like humming from a bird, but as if the bird was speaking in a foreign language. Her mouth never moved at all. It became clear that I was hearing a conversation in a strange language when the same humming, but a deeper baritone version, began to bubble up from Ferdinand. It lasted only a few seconds before silence once again fell in the little alley way. We stood in this way, Ferdinand with his hand on my shoulder and Liza eyes closed in front of me, for what seemed to be hours rather than minutes. Ferdinand's hold on me didn't lessen with the passing time. I was stuck in that spot as if my feet had been cemented to the wet pavement. The rain had all but stopped by now but I was beginning to experience a feeling that chilled me and not just because my jacket and jeans had finally soaked completely through. Ferdinand's control over my want to flee and my budding curiosity had no effect on the fear that was simmering in my throat and chest and threatening to strangle me. I could feel my body struggle between my instinct to flee and the complete mesmerizing effect that he and the situation had over me.



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Abstrus
By TK Rayford

When 17 year old Lexi Lee's mother disappeared six months ago, her world was turned upside down. Just when she is coming to terms with her new, motherless life, she meets Farah, Ferdinand, and Liza, a strange group of teenagers. She quickly finds out that they are not at all what they seem.

Lexi finds that although she is human, that is only one part of what she is and people are after her for it. She has to figure out who she can trust... and fast. She learns that her mother has known the truth all along, but disappeared before she could explain things to her. She believes that she has no hope of survival if she doesn't find her mother, and trusting the wrong person to help her could prove fatal.

Book trailer: hhttp://youtu.be/l9gz0lNKV1A

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About the Author:

TK Rayford was born in Chicago, IL with her four siblings. She later moved to Memphis, TN. She fell in love with writing in the second grade and has been writing ever since. Her teachers would always say that she would become a great writer, but she would insist that she would be a neurosurgeon. She proved herself wrong and her teachers right when she decided to pursue her passion, which has always been writing.

Blog: http://www.tkrayford.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tkrayford

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tkrayford

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5222212.TK_Rayford

Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/TK-Rayford/e/B005M5QZNY/

Winner Wednesday

PR Mason's winner isKristen Heyl 



Mayra Calvinia's winner is
Tore 



The Curse of Gremdom winner is
Tanya1224



The Apocalypse Gene winner is
 Debby

Pride's Run Guest Blog and Giveaway

Hanging out with the guys.By Cat KalenWhen I was younger my father once told me that guys and girls couldn't be friends, because eventually deeper feelings would develop—either the guy would fall for the girl or vice versa.  I didn't believe him, of course.  After all, I was a teen and knew my parents had no idea what they were talking about.  But in my later teen years, I did notice that when guys and girls started hanging out for any length of time relationships eventually did evolve.    
Thinking back to my high school years, I had a lot of great girlfriends that I hung out with on a regular basis, but I really, really loved hanging out with the guys, too.  They were so much fun to be with and they didn't talk about each other behind their backs the way girls sometimes do.  No one worried about hair or makeup or clothes and we all just had good old fashioned fun, whether we were tossing a ball around on the basketball court, hanging out at the lake, or playing video games at the mall.  (My favourite was the pin ball machine.  I'd toss a quarter in and play for hours!)
I loved those guys, and all was great until one decided the he liked me and wanted to be more than just friends.  But the real problems began when his best friend decided he liked me, too.  The dynamics of our relationship quickly changed, and I soon found myself in a sticky situation because I simply wanted to remain friends with both.  And the last thing I wanted to do was come between two friends.  I eventually pulled away, but I have to say I sure do miss those guys. 
In Pride's Run, seventeen year old Pride finds herself in a similar situation, except the two alpha males who want her and are fighting to claim her as their mate hate each other.  Pride cares deeply for these two boys, and knows she can only have one mate, which begs the question, can she have a relationships with one without alienating the other.  Can these two feuding wolves ever become friends, or at least come to an understanding? 
I just finished writing Pride Unleashed, (Late February 2012 release) the second story in this series and by the end of the book Pride must make a decision.  Who will she pick?  What will happen when she chooses?In the third book that I'm working on now, Pride's Pursuit, (coming winter 2012) these three wolves are in for some rough times, because they must learn to work together to save a world.  What I want to know is will Pride's choice in her mate put an end to the war on wolves or will it endanger the very existence of her kind?
So tell me have you ever found yourself coming between two friends?  If so how did you handle it?           Pride's Run
By Cat Kalen
Genre: Paranormal YA

Blurb:

Seventeen year old Pride is a tracker—a werewolf with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine.

Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price.

When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run.

But Pride soon learns that if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt.

With life and death hanging in the balance the two find themselves on the run from the Paranormal Task Force—officers who shoot first and ask questions later—as well as her master's handlers.

Can Pride flee the man who has held her captive since birth and find sanctuary in the arms of a boy who has captured her heart? Or will her master find her first?

Buy Links
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Prides-Run-ebook/dp/B0062O0B3E/


Author Bio:
Cat Kalen is a multi published author in the romance genre under two pen names, Cat is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and watermelon. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cat can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
A maritime native and former financial officer, Cat has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.

Links
www.catkalen.com
www.yabeyond.com
Twitter: @catkalen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002600082432
Cat is offering a giveaway of an ebook copy of Pride's Run 

Want to win?
Leave a comment on this post

We are also doing a tour wide giveaway of 2 print copies of Pride's Run- 2 winners will be chosen
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Guest Blog with J.E. Hopkins

Thanks so much for having me guest blog on your site.

One of the themes I love to explore in my novels is the struggle characters face overcoming past mistakes and moving forward. In my latest book in the Misfits of the Lore Series, We Shall Rise, the hero, Kaden's entire life has been defined by the ills of the past that continue to haunt him in the present. Because of his inability to move on and move forward he continues the pattern of making mistake after mistake hurting those he loves most. As an immortal vampire, he has nearly 174 years of wreaking havoc on himself and too many others.
Kaden's biggest problem is that he allows the past to paralyze him the present. He hasn't dealt with the demons that continue to haunt him. He can't outrun those forces, but he evades them day after day.

Unfortunately, as in the real world, there's no escape. At some point, you have to face your fears. You can't run forever.

That's what I love about the heroine Reysa, Kaden's mate. She sees beyond his brash exterior and forgives him even when he cannot forgive himself. At the same time, she refuses to be his doormat. She will not allow him to take out his anger on her as he has so often done to others. Reysa forces him to deal with the harsh realities that he wants to escape. She uses her strength to lift him when he's at his weakest. There are certainly many times throughout We Shall Rise where Reysa is justifiably tempted to strangle Kaden, but she is patient with him and loves him despite him. That's what makes their bond so special.

In the end, Kaden will continue to battle this issue as will many other characters in my series. I think it's a theme that is not unique to this story. It's an issue that many of us struggle with on a daily basis. For me, I always try to keep in mind that the past is who you were, the present is who you are and future is who you want to be. None of those people have to be the same. We can always redefine ourselves.

Thanks again for allowing me to guest blog. I hope you enjoy We Shall Rise.



We Shall Rise
By J.E. Hopkins

Book Blurb:

War surrounds him, yet for vampire Kaden Gaspard, there is no greater battle than the one his mind has waged against his heart. He knows he should stay away from her. Reysa. The half-breed vampire warrior who had risked her life to prove his innocence for the seven murders for which he was accused, but had not committed. This stubbornly loyal woman who dedicated her life to her family of misfits - immortals shunned and abandoned by their clans for their impurity of blood and genetic mutations. This courageous and valiant African warrior who Kaden fears could never love the monster that he is destined to be.

As Kaden and Reysa struggle to accept the undeniable bond between them, they must come together to stop the emerging terror that threatens to destroy all immortals. The lesser immortals – witches, sages, shifters, demons, hybrids, charmers and foreseers – have declared war against the pureblood vampires and lycans who have used their purity of blood and greater strength to enslave the weaker races. No immortal is safe. This is a fight for freedom and a fight against genocide. There can be no true victor as death looms for them all.


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Author Bio:

J.E. Hopkins is a practicing attorney in New York and an avid fiction writer. Hopkins holds a Juris Doctor from St. John's University and a Bachelor of Arts from New York
University.

J.E. Hopkins published her first novel, The Broken, in 2007. She subsequently published her first paranormal romance of the Misfits of the Lore Series, Lover's Betrayal, in 2011.

For more information about this author and upcoming works, please visit www.jehopkinsauthor.com

Interview with PR Mason

Let's get to know Pat better...  Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes. One of my earliest memories is of regaling a group of my childhood friends with a story I'd created. I believe it featured an excessive number of dragons. My love of story telling continued through my teens. However, my teenage writings were much too angsty and featured characters who whined a lot. I finished my first novel about five years ago, A GIRL, A GUY and a GHOST. That book does not feature any dragons, but does have a somewhat whiny, discrimination-obsessed, vampire.


How has living in Savannah influenced your writing?
For one thing, Savannah is beautiful and has an enormous amount of character. As the 13th colony, it was established in 1733 and therefore has a historic downtown that is architecturally rich and a delight to the conscious senses. But Savannah has strangely wonderful layers underneath the surface that appeal to my love of the unusual. This town is home to a plethora of quirky characters, odd places and weird historic happenings that provide fodder for fictionalization. Even after eleven years here, every day in Savannah feeds my artistic core. 
Savannah, for instance, was voted the most haunted city in America by a parapsychology group. Ghosts, as evidenced by orbs, EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon), moving objects and full apparitions, are as plentiful as the Spanish moss here. My sister and I once owned an antique shop built over one of the old burial grounds. We regularly allowed paranormal investigations with fascinating results such as an EVP of a panting ghost dog and a child's voice saying, "he likes you".
But there is more to Savannah than just the hauntings. For example, we have a "magic" square in the historic downtown that reportedly grants wishes to those who visit it and use the correct wish-making technique. Vortexes are also plentiful here, allegedly. One of my friends swears he observed a figure pop up out of the ground in the middle of a square. And since my friend isn't mentally ill, I have to give his personal experience some credence. Another historic oddity is the reported hidden Masonic treasure, which continues to interest hunters. This is just to name a few of the oddities I love around here.
What gave you the idea for Entanglements?
Like many people no doubt, my life has been touched by a moment in time I would give anything to change. For me an ordinary day could have continued in its infinite ordinariness if not for the convergence of some relatively innocuous happenings that conspired to create a tragedy. As a result I've been fascinated by the idea of multiple universes and alternate history. What might have been if but one thread in the tapestry of time had been different? A yellow thread rather than a blue one. A coffee break not taken. A stop sign repaired rather than fallen. So many little things that could have changed what happened.
So when I read about the quantum physics theory of entanglements, I was fascinated. Scientists had discovered that a particle could be tweaked miles away from another and still cause the second particle to react even though there was no discernable connection between them. The scientists theorized that the two were "entangled" in an alternate dimension or universe of which they believed there are at least seven. Interestingly also, in the world of quantum physics, effect does not always follow cause. Sometimes they are reversed. I began to wonder what would happen if people or beings were entangled in alternate universes? What if a tragic fate could be avoided after it had already happened. And from those ideas, ENTANGLEMENTS was born.
How long did it take to write Entanglements?
The first 30 pages were written and re-written about five times. From idea to completion was probably about twelve months. But once I had drafted a first chapter that I knew set the story properly in motion, it took about four months to write.
What was the strangest thing you learned about your hero/heroine from writing their story?The heroine of Entanglements, Kizzy, started out with brown hair but she didn't fully form into a real person for me until I decided she had extremely curly red hair, which she straightened when trying to conform to societal expectations. Her personality soon followed and became as fiery as her hair.

What's next? A sequel or a stand-alone novel?
I have just released a novella entitled FATED HEARTS, which explores the question of predestination. Here's the blurb:
EVE has always played by the rules, afraid to take chances. HOLDEN wants to change that. She's certain they've never met before...or have they? Holden seems so familiar, but who is he? What is he? Yesterday her biggest challenge was trying not to bomb on her SATs. Today, paranormal forces have transformed an ordinary high school dance into a test of fate vs. free will and loving Holden could be Eve's end.
A sequel to Entanglements is also in the works. RESISTANCE takes up the story of a fighter in the human resistance who, along with her alchemist/vampire hero, must defeat an army of soul sucking golems.  I expect to release the sequel in March of 2012.
What is your writing day like?
My daily writing routine usually begins in a local coffee shop. If I can get out of the house and away from the temptation to sit and read (or do household chores...although that's more like a nagging impulse rather than a temptation), I find it much easier to concentrate on the story I'm writing. Plus, I have to contend with a couple of demanding feline taskmasters at home. One in particular loves to sit on the computer keyboard and demand treats. So getting out of the house to write is critical.
What are your favorite books on the craft of writing?
The book "The Fire in Fiction" by Donald Maass is amazing. And I love Michael Hague's books. But I think the most helpful book I've ever read on fiction writing is "Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder. Although it's about screenwriting, the principles are just as applicable to novel writing.
Thank you, Demi for having me as a guest on your wonderful blog. I appreciate the opportunity to connect with your readers and let them know a bit about me and about my work.

Entanglements
By P.R. Mason

Blurb:

Teen KIZZY TAYLOR is just hoping for an evening of fun when she joins her friends in a spelunking expedition through an under-city tunnel. But fun turns bizarre when Kizzy accidentally opens a vortex and her stepsister is swept through to an evil alternate dimension. The only way to rescue her stepsister is to reopen the vortex and go in after her. But is her new boyfriend, ROM CALIXO, going to help Kizzy or try to stop her? And if she can get past Rom, will she be able to get back home?

Amazon Paperback
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BN

About the Author:
P.R. Mason writes steamy contemporary and paranormal romance under the name Patricia Mason and young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy as P.R. Mason. She escaped from the snowy Midwest winters of her youth by moving in 2001 to the strange and wonderful city of Savannah, Georgia to pursue her dream of being a novelist. Pat's background is eclectic. She was an Assistant District Attorney and for a number of years was the owner of an antique shop which was home to a number of ghosts. Her home is ruled by two black cats, one of whom was rescued from the most haunted cemetery in the southeast.

Please visit www.prmason.net
You can also follow the author @prmason on Twitter.

Love at Absolute Zero Valentine Giveaway

The tour kicks off next week but you can enter to win a signed copy of Love at Absolute Zero that you could have in your hands by Valentine's Day


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February 18 Guest PostLisa's world of bookswww.lisasworldofbooks.net
Feb 20 review and interviewUrban Girl Reader – http://www.urbangirlreader.com
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Feb 24 Promo and InterviewJeanzBookReadNReview http://jeanzbookreadnreview.blogspot.com/
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Feb 29 Review ¡Miraculous!thestephanieloves.blogspot.com



Love at Absolute Zero
By Christopher MeeksPublisher: White Whisker Books
Date: September 17, 2011
Genre: Literary Fiction with a Romantic Twist from a male POV
Format: Paper & Kindle, 311 Pages

Love At Absolute Zero is the story of Gunnar Gunderson, a 32-year-old physicist at the University of Wisconsin. The moment he's given tenure at the university, he can only think of one thing: finding a wife. This causes his research to falter. With his two partners, Gunnar is in a race against MIT to create new forms of matter called Bose-Einstein condensates, which exist only near absolute zero. To meet his soul mate within three days--that's what he wants and all time he can carve out--he and his team are using the scientific method, to riotous results.


Available at:   Amazon Kindle  Amazon Paperback  Smashwords  BN Nook

About the Author:

Christopher Meeks writes short fiction and novels. His book of short stories, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea earned great reviews including the Los Angeles Times ("poignant and wise") and a blurb inEntertainment Weekly that said, "A collection so stunning that I could not help but move onto the next story." His second collection of short stories, Months and Seasons was published in 2009, and his first novel,The Brightest Moon of the Century appeared in 2009. He has published short fiction in a number of literary journals, including Rosebud, The Clackamas Literary Review, The Southern California Anthology, The Santa Barbara Review, Midday Moon, and Writers' Forum. He now focuses mainly on writing novels..

He teaches English and children's literature at Santa Monica College, children's literature at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and fiction writing at UCLA Extension.

Web site: http://www.chrismeeks.com
Blog: http://www.redroom.com/author/christopher-meeks
Publisher site: http://WhiteWhiskerBooks.com

Bandit Creek Books Spotlight on Siren's Song by DL Snow

Today's spotlight on Bandit Creek Books is Siren's Song by D.L Snow


Siren's Song
By D.L. Snow
A Bandit Creek Time Travel Romance

Get it at Amazon


Blurb

After giving up fame, Joss Jones just wants a normal life. Maybe she'll find it in Bandit Creek. Or…maybe not. From the moment she moves into the old mansion she inherited, she's stalked by a ghost who torments her before dragging her back in time to Bandit Creek, 1899.


Has she gone crazy or is this old mining town, full of saloons, gambling, whoring and fortune seekers her new reality? 

 It feels real enough as does the ghost who brought her here. His name is Morgan Hawes and he is very much alive. Is Morgan the key to Joss finding her way home or is Joss stuck for the rest of her life as the Siren of Bandit Creek?


About the Author:
DL Snow spent her youth living by trial and error. From touring with an international performing group, backpacking through northern Africa to living bohemian style in Berlin, she pursued adventure and passion from one place to the next, never really knowing where she'd end up. 
She's been a wildlife technician, a rock climbing instructor, a tailor's assistant (measuring men's inseams – someone's gotta do it!) and a high school social studies teacher.
It wasn't until she met the love of her life, the son of a Nakoda chief, and started a family, that DL found her true calling – writing. Now, she writes about passion and adventure and is happy to say her characters never know where they are going to end up. Find out more at www.dlsnow.ca

SIREN'S SONG by D.L. Snow
Chapter One
The first time I saw him was at my grandmother's funeral. He was at the internment, standing just beyond the periphery of the mourners, looking out of place and familiar all at the same time. I didn't realize what he was probably because my eyes were blurred with tears. I hadn't seen my grandmother since I was seven years old – there was some feud between her and my mother that I'd never understood – yet I wept, not because we were close but because we weren't close and she was the last living relation I had.
It was strange that I'd noticed him at all because there were so many people at the funeral, none of whom I knew. Some of them were probably long time friends of the family, but by the way people whispered and stared at me, I was willing to bet many of them were there simply to see me, Joss Jones.
The next time I saw him was later that night.
My grandmother had left me everything; her house, an old 1983 Firebird, and whatever money remained after her hospital bills were paid. Five years ago I would have scoffed at such a measly inheritance; a run down old house and car in Bandit Creek, Montana. But I wasn't scoffing now. In the last five years I'd given away almost everything I had so now the house and car seemed like a small undeserved fortune.
After the funeral, the lawyer dropped me off in front of the house, The Old Hawes Place, he'd called it. I don't know why he called it that, my grandmother's last name was Jones, like mine.
It didn't feel right to sleep in her room and, after accidentally opening the door to my mother's old room, I quickly shut it, planning to never step foot inside again. So that night I slept in the guest room.
Sometime between one and two in the morning I woke up. I sat straight up in bed and rubbed my eyes, trying to remember where I was. That's when I saw him standing in the corner of the room, watching me sleep.
I screamed.
He just kept standing there. I flew out of bed, ran down the stairs, grabbed the keys to the old Firebird – which started on the third try – and booked it out of there. I drove through the night, following I-90 towards Missoula where I nearly ran out of gas. He was at the gas station, waiting for me beside the pump.
I don't know how long I sat there but – holy shit – did I jump when someone knocked on my window. It wasn't the ghost, it was someone else, a man with tattooed forearms and spiky orange hair.
I rolled down the window.
"Are you going to sit there all night or are you planning on buying gas?"
I blinked at him.
"You okay, Lady?"
"Can I use your phone?" I asked. "I need to call someone and I don't have my mobile."
"Yeah, sure. C'mon inside."
I stood at the counter of the station while he passed me a phone. Habit dictated the one person I could turn to at a moment like this. My old agent, Amber Kincaid.
"Hello?" She picked up on the third ring. I knew she would answer because she had too many neurotic clients who needed her at all hours of the day and night not to answer.
"Amber? It's me, Joss."
"Joss? What the hell? What time is it?" I heard her fumbling on the other end. "It's four in the goddamned a.m. Joss? What the fuck?"
"I need your help-"
"Hey!" the attendant interrupted. "I know you. You're that singer. That teen idol chick who was in that accident, aren't you?"
I turned my back on the guy and covered the mouth piece as I listened to Amber rant, "You need my help? I don't hear from you in years and suddenly you need me?"
I cringed. "Yeah, I know. I should have called before, but I got busy with school and-"
"School?"
"Yeah." I squeezed my temples. "You know, college? That thing normal people do."
"Joss-"
I sighed. "Look, I just needed some time to sort out my shit, you know?"
She was so quiet I thought maybe she'd hung up. Finally she said, "What do you want?" She sounded tired and cranky, nothing like the woman who, at one time, would have dropped everything to accommodate my needs.
I cleared my throat and tried my best to explain how I'd run out of gas after leaving my house without my purse or mobile phone. My story sounded crazy to my own ears, I could only imagine how I must have sounded to Amber.
With a heavy sigh, she asked to speak to the attendant and managed to convince him to put the gas charge on her credit card.
"She wants to talk to you," he said as he passed me the phone before heading out to fill up my tank.
I pressed the phone against my ear while hunching over the counter. "Yeah?"
"What the hell is going on, Joss?"
Pinching the bridge of my nose did not stop the tears from squeezing past. It felt like I had a nest of spiders camped on top of my head, each one taking a turn sliding down my spine and then scrambling back up again. I was pretty sure that meant the apparition was standing right behind me but I was too afraid to turn around and look. "Amber," I whispered. "I'm losing it, big time."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm seeing shit, is what I mean." I slowly glanced behind me. He was standing right there, shaking his head as if to disagree with me.
I made some weird whimpering sound and Amber said, "Okay, just calm down. I'm going to give you a number for someone in Seattle. Can you get to Seattle?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Her name is Dr. Phyllis Smith. She's a friend. She's good and she's discreet."
"Is she a shrink?"
"No. She's a medical doctor who specializes in addiction."
"Addiction? Jesus, Amber, I don't need rehab, I need…" Hell, what did I need? A shrink? A priest? An exorcist? What?
"Joss, take the number, okay? Then you call me when you have your shit together and we'll work something out. I'm thinking we can set you up for a comeback – maybe a new album. Joss Jones, Older and Wiser."
The bell over the door rang and the attendant returned.
"Okay, I gotta go," I mumbled into the receiver.
"Wait, let me give you that number."
I hung up before she finished and then peeked fearfully over my shoulder but the ghost was gone.
He appeared three days later while I was on the phone with a real estate agent. He didn't speak but he did do that sad little head shake he'd done in the gas station, then he vanished. By the time I realized I was still on the phone, the line was dead.
Two days later, I found him in the kitchen reading the newspaper. I let out a yelp and he looked up before fading away. Once I got my erratic heart beat under control, curiosity got the better of me and I gingerly sat in the chair where he'd just been sitting. The paper was open to the career section and right at the top was a position for a music teacher at James Ellis School in Bandit Creek.
The ghost didn't make another appearance until three weeks later when I woke up to find him standing at the end of my bed. This time I didn't scream because it seemed like screaming made no difference.
I scrambled out of bed, threw on a sweatshirt and ran downstairs. It was five a.m., two hours earlier than I normally got up, but there was no point going back to sleep. It would be impossible with an apparition watching me. Besides, I'd been having the strangest dream about swimming deep underwater…like a mermaid, and I was chasing a song, like it was a school of fish. It probably harkened back to my childhood when, according to my mother, I'd watched The Little Mermaid ad nauseum.
Though the details of the dream were sketchy, I'd woken up with the song running on 'repeat' through my brain; Meet me in the Promised Land, where all our dreams come true, meet me in the Promised Land, I'll go first and wait for you… It'd been so long since I written a song that, ghost or no ghost, sane or insane, I had to get it down before I lost it.
I sat at my grandmother's piano amid the rest of the furniture which still had dustcovers draped over them. I guess I hadn't taken the covers off because I still felt like the house didn't belong to me, but now, in the dim light, the whole room appeared as if it was some crazy set for a horror movie.
I turned on all the lights and had the cloths stripped within minutes, leaving a pile of dusty linens in the middle of the room. Although the room looked more lived-in, the furniture was old and still had a creepy vibe. Maybe it had something to do with the apparition who sat down in one of the old chairs.
I don't know if it was the hour, the lure of the song or the fact that I was starting to get used to having a ghost as a companion, but somehow I managed to ignore his presence as I played the tune that had materialized in my sleep. Within seconds a familiar transformation came over me and I suddenly felt like I was doing something deliciously naughty. For me, writing music was an aphrodisiac and I played until I'd completely forgotten about the eerie old furniture and the presence of a ghost in the house. I was so engrossed in working out the wonderfully haunting melody, it took a grumbling stomach for me to realize it was fully light outside.
I checked my watch. Seven o'clock. Dammit! I had to be at the school in an hour and I still had to shower, eat and dress.
Forty-five minutes later I was tearing out the door, grabbing an apple to eat on the way. I was too rushed to be nervous about my first day on the job. Even though it was on the other side of town, it only took me ten minutes to drive to the James Ellis School. When I arrived I was greeted by a grinning Paul Pettigrew, the Principal. "Joss Jones! I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have you join our team."
With a receding hairline and the physique of an ex-football player, tall, broad, with a little extra around the middle, Mr. Pettigrew looked like he was in his mid-forties.
"Mr. Pettigrew," I smiled, turning on the old Joss Jones charm, "the pleasure is mine."
He led me back into the office, past two secretaries who stopped what they were doing to watch me pass. Once I was seated in his office, he perched himself on his desk and continued to grin like a lunatic. "I have to confess, when I heard you were looking for work, I was floored. The Joss Jones, teaching music at James Ellis School – it's a little surreal."
I smiled in response because, honestly, there was no other response to give.
Suddenly, Mr. Pettigrew frowned as he stared over my shoulder. I glanced behind me to see my ghost standing there.
"Er, Ms. Jones…" he paused, looking uncomfortable.
Was it possible he saw the apparition standing behind me? Was it possible I wasn't crazy?
He pulled something out from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and unfolded it. "I wonder if you'd sign this. It's for my daughter." He handed me a photo of a girl with long, silver blond hair wearing a silver, sequined dress, singing onstage. It was a promotional picture of me from my Just Be Tour seven years ago.
"My daughter was such a fan." He cleared his throat and chanted hoarsely, "Just be you, I'll be me, be yourself, it'll set you free…" He chuckled. "She used to play that song over and over again."
I kept my smile plastered to my face. "What's her name?"
"Kaylee." He spelled her name and then added, "She started college this year." He shook his head. "They sure grow up fast."
It'd been years since I'd performed, yet wherever I went it was the same thing. In fact, the only way I'd managed to attend college was by keeping to myself and encouraging my reputation as stuck up and aloof. I'd hoped things would be different here in Bandit Creek. What was the point of living a normal life if you weren't treated normally?
Mr. Pettigrew stood. "Here's your schedule, why don't I give you a tour of the school, let you get settled in. Tomorrow you can start classes."
For the rest of the morning Mr. Pettigrew, or Paul as he insisted I call him, showed me around the school, starting with the music room, the gymnasium, the lunch and staff room. We finished the tour back at the office in front of the trophy case. He pointed to a picture of a football team from the 1980s. "Can you believe that was me? I was a freshman the year we won our state division." He glanced at me and added, "Your mother was a senior that year. She was on the cheerleading squad." He pointed to another picture and sure enough, there was my mom, with pompoms raised high and a huge smile lighting up her face.
A fist tightened around my throat.
"I was shocked by her tragic passing."
I couldn't look at him. Instead I simply nodded.
"I understand you haven't performed since…"
Suddenly the hair on the crown of my head stood on end.
My vision clouded and I felt like I'd been sucked into a tunnel where Paul's voice echoed from far, far away.
"Are you okay?
I blinked.
"Joss?"
I pointed to the picture of a too familiar face standing tall and proud in a basketball team photo. "Wh-who is that?"
"Who? Him? That's Kyle Copeland. One of Bandit Creek's biggest mysteries."
"What do you mean?" I asked quietly, never taking my eyes from the image of the smiling boy in the picture.
"He disappeared, I don't know, nine or ten years ago. It was his senior year."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't know. Some think he ran away to Seattle. His parents think he was abducted, or worse. Either way, no one's seen him since."
My eyes wandered to where my apparition stood beside Paul. I quickly turned back to the photo, then slowly back to the ghost.
I gulped.
Paul was wrong. Someone had seen Kyle Copeland.
Me.
I was looking right at him.

Name That Character Contest with Boone Brux

Kiss of the Betrayer is book two in Boone's Bringer and the Bane series. 


This story revolves around Luc and Jade, two secondary characters from book one, Shield of Fire  Their relationship is tumultuous at best and they get in a lot of trouble when they decide to keep secrets from the rest of the Bringers.

Contest Details:


You can be part of Boone's next book, Kiss of the Betrayer , by entering the Name the Character Contest.

Rules: Read the character description and come up with a clever name. You can submit just a first name, just a last name, or both.


How to Enter: You may enter five ways.Email your name choice to boonebrux@gmail.com. Put Name Contest in the subject line.Tweet Boone at www.twitter.com/boonebruxGo to Boone's Facebook Author Page at www.facebook.com/BooneBrux/Author 
At the left side of the page, click on the Contact Boone button and put your answer in the Message section. On Boone's website, www.boonebrux.com you can enter by sending her a message from  Contact Boone page. Last, but not least, you may enter from her blog,www.boonebrux.blogspot.com
Just click on Contact Me at the upper right corner of the sidebar and send Boone your entry.
How will the name be chosen?Every entry will be considered and chosen through a process of elimination by Boone and other Entangled Publishing editors. In case of a tie, the winner will be randomly drawn.
What will I win? The character in Kiss of the Betrayer will be given your contest entry name and you will receive a glowing acknowledgment in the book, praising your brilliance and creativity. Your contribution will be heralded throughout the land on several blogs, including Boone's personal blog, website, Facebook and the Entangled Publishing blog.You will receive a signed copy of Shield of Fire and Kiss of the Betrayer when released. $50 gift card to Amazon
So let your creativity flow and name this character.Female, approximately 29 years of ageSturdy and curvaceous, medium height, long brown hair and hazel eyesProfession: Prostitute, works the docks.Private Life: Poor, Single mother with three children, 12, 4, and five months.Redeeming Qualities: Strong, resourceful, has a good heart, would rather sell her body than accept charity, a good mother, fearless, smart, streetwise, rolls with the punches.Less Redeeming Qualities: Stubborn, too curious for her own good, has associations with a lot of unsavory people. Significance in the book: This character is slated to become a major secondary character, appearing throughout the rest of the series.Okay people, name that character. We can't wait to see the entries start rolling in.



Boone has lived in the beautiful state of Alaska for nearly two decades. She spent many of those years in the bush, where the internet and flush toilets were a luxury. Boone's motto? "Have laptop, will travel." It's not uncommon to see her pounding away at her computer during camping trips, fishing expeditions, or in their family plane as they fly over the open tundra.

www.boonebrux.com 
www.twitter.com/boonebrux 
www.facebook.com/#!/BooneBruxAuthor 
www.boonebrux.blogspot.com 

Giveaway: 50 Custom Printed Brochures from Uprinting

Here's a great giveaway from Uprinting. 50 folded brochures- perfect for small businesses or authors who would like to create a brochure that features a couple of their books.

This would be great for authors with a series that has a couple books out- a page for each book.

Include book covers, descriptions, etc- then an author bio on another page.

I am going to create custom brochures for Bewitching Book Tours.

What would you use the brochures for?

Answer below to enter the giveaway.

Giveaway Info:
50 Custom Brochure Prints for One (1) Winner
8.5" x 11"
100lb Paper Gloss
With Folding (Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold)
Front and Back Printing
2 Business Days Turnaround
*Free shipping
Restrictions: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above onlyThis giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 years old and above.No prize substitutions allowed.Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period.Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize.

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Disclaimer 
"You should assume that the owner of this blog will receive free print product in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions."

Guest Blog and Banshee Charmer Giveaway with Tiffany Allee

The Importance of Secondary Characters

When I first started writing, my entire focus was on my main characters. Secondary characters only showed up when they were needed to give information to the main character or to cause a ruckus. When I figured out my character's backgrounds and motivations, I focused solely on the main ones.

Silly me.

The best secondary characters out there do more than act as stooges for the main characters. Would we enjoy Kim Harrison's The Hollows series as much without Jenks? Would The Princess Bride be as compelling if we didn't have Inigo Montoya and his hunt for the six-fingered man who killed his father? Would Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels series be as compelling without Andrea?

I don't think so.

Strong secondary characters fill out the author's world. They make it more real and they give readers all the more reason to care.

The world of Banshee Charmer is full of all kinds of different creatures. Banshees, succubi, vampires, witches, and others occupy it. And while the focus of this story is on a half-banshee named Mac, I do hope that the secondary characters I've created evoke some interest as well.

What secondary characters have captured your heart over the years?



Title: Banshee Charmer (From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #1)
Author: Tiffany Allee
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 159 pages
Release Date: January 2012
ISBN: 978-1-937044-99-2

From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency - Book One

When she's sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera "Mac" McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose.

Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department's back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she's running this one "hot" as well.

But Aidan knows more than he's letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer's growing body count…

Available at Barnes & Noble for $2.99:

Available at Amazon after January 24th, 2012About the Author:

Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days
working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books,
of course).

Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

Tiffany's Website: http://tiffanyallee.com/
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/authortiffanyallee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TiffanyAllee


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