Cate Masters's Blog, page 13

Casting Call: The Griffin's Secret

It feels like I haven't done a Casting Call in forever. I couldn't wait to show you this one! I love this story. It's a contemporary retelling of the Grimm fairy tale, The Griffin. I hadn't been familiar with this particular fairy tale, but it was fun to put a modern spin on it, with wizards and witches in a rock and roll setting.


Jackson Grant, the hero, is on the run from trouble. But no matter where he goes, trouble always finds him. With a helpful push from Grundy, a gnome who's a wiz at tattoos, Jackson heads in a new direction. And new trouble.

Jensen Ackles would make a perfect Jackson. And not just because I could look at him all day. Those eyes! *sigh*


Layla has been with the band Malcontent for years, but not as a musical member, and not by choice. Her magic is bound to the band, and she's forced to help them succeed. The granddaughter of Jimi Hendrix has stellar talent of her own, and is ready to break loose.

From the first, I had Zoey Saldana in mind as Layla.



Mal was a fun villain to write. He's a rock star, so of course he's a bad boy. He's also a wizard, but wastes his powers on trifles. He's blinded by success, and may or may not know (or care) the grueling pain he puts Layla through so his band can stay at the top of the charts.

Mal was always Tom Hiddleston.


There are other characters, but those are the main players in the story.

I hope you enjoyed this Casting Call. And I hope you enjoy The Griffin's Secret!

Adrift in fantasy land

I'm really excited that in one week from today, Kensington's Lyrical Press will release The Griffin's Secret. It's a very cool fantasy, a spin on the Brothers Grimm story called The Griffin, but set in the present with a rock and roll, magical twist.

After that, I have no releases set. I have one sub out, but expect I'll end up self-publishing that one.

For about a year, I've been a bit lost. For awhile, I couldn't even write, but that can only last so long before my head implodes from too many characters and story premises and scenes and... you get the idea.

As I mentioned earlier, I've been revisiting my old short stories. Mostly mainstream, some speculative, some defy categorization.

Not that I haven't been writing. A story that's been in my head for years finally came to the forefront and demanded to be written. Last weekend, I topped 45k, and that *might* be halfway. It's going to be a long one.

But once it's finished, I'm not going to sub it under this pen name. I need to try something new, and this story's very different from others I've written. A different pen name gives me more freedom to experiment.

Another novel I've been working on for years, on and off, I'll sub under my first pen name of C.A. Masterson.

And I have a really cool idea for a steampunk story. I've been wanting to play with that genre for a long time too, and have started that one. But, like the others, I will use a different pen name for that one as well.

Depending on many factors, such as a) whether I actually finish all these stories, and b) I find a publisher who loves them too, and c) readers love them also, then eventually I may reveal these new pen names. Or not. We'll see.

It's all part of being adrift in fantasy land. I love it here.

The long and short of it

I've started dozens of short stories. I mean, years ago. When I subbed my first story to an online publisher in 2008, I drew from this great big well of stories. Then I subbed about thirteen more, and ended up with 14 acceptances my first year.

Eventually, as computers died and went to PC Nirvana, I lost track of those stories. I'd backed up my files onto floppies and discs, but basically forgot about them. But many of them have been calling to me lately, beckoning me to come back and finish them, already.

Out of curiosity, I searched for one that had been begging louder than the others. I thought I had copies of them all on my laptop, which is years old (knock wood! Please don't die on me, laptop).

But none were there except the ones that had gone on to publication. Arrggh! So I rifled through all the old floppies and CDs. I found a bunch of floppies that looked promising, but after the last PC died, I disconnected the external floppy drive. After more digging in the closet, I found it *whew* and it still worked! *double whew*

Needless to say, I copied all those stories onto my desktop and onto my old but trusty flash drive that's currently holding way more than I thought it could (knock wood again! Please don't die on me, flash drive).

So I polished up the one story that had been nagging me most, and posted it on Wattpad. If you'd like to read it, you can find it here. And as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And you don't need an account to read stories there - just bypass the screen that pops up.

Maybe it's because May is Short Story Month, though I didn't learn that until yesterday. I do love a good short story, don't you?

Sealed in Sin by Juliette Cross

 
Title:SEALED IN SIN Series:The Vessel Trilogy, Book Two File Size: 605 KB Print Length: 276 pages Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Release Date: April 21, 2015
 Sometimes sin looks an awful lot like heaven.
One demon prince may be festering in the bowels of the soul eater Cocytus, but Genevieve’s troubles are far from over. Prince Bamal, demon lord of New York City, still wants her. But this time, he wants her alive, to control her inherent power as a Vessel of Light.  With Jude Delacroix off searching for the prophecy, Thomas—a guardian angel with sea-green eyes and an aura of winter woods—steps into the gap, offering her the power to protect herself. Yet she hesitates, for the transfer of that power comes through a kiss. While Gen’s love for Jude is true, Thomas stirs a desire where there should be none. Thomas also knows Jude’s darkest secret and plans to use it, if necessary, to win Gen for his own. While her Vessel power grows and more demon spawn creep from every dark corner of the world, one thing is certain—the Great War between the angels and demons is quickly approaching. And Gen is in a race against time to awaken her full power before the storm breaks. Warning: Contains a demon hunter with dark secrets, a sexy angel with ulterior motives, and demonic creatures running amok.
Buy Links Amazon   Barnes and Noble Kobo Samhain
Author Bio Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.

Author Links Website Facebook Twitter Pinterest Goodreads Newsletter
EXCERPT “Hiiii, Juuude.” Mindy actually cooed his name as she crossed into the living room right before the man himself waltzed into my kitchen.
“Hello, Mindy.” As always, he sounded dark and rough, which did strange things to my insides.
Apparently, Dave let him in. Not that a door could or would stop Jude Delacroix from going wherever he damn well pleased. Still, it was nice when he pretended to be human, knocking and stuff, rather than appearing out of nowhere and scaring the bejeezus out of me. He had to put on the whole I’m-normal-and-walk-through-doors routine at my apartment when Mindy was home.
The moment he entered the room, all my senses rose to full alert. The man packed enough heat and power in his aura to melt a girl into jelly. A mere glance from his dark eyes or slight touch from rough hands, and I was lost.
I focused on flipping the pancakes on the stove, still trying to figure out how to tell him about our trip to the House of Hades, the near-miss with Gorham, and the brief and strange meeting with my guardian angel. Kat preferred asking forgiveness rather than permission, or just omitting the admission of any sins altogether. But I had trouble lying, though I seemed to do it often as of late. I especially had trouble lying to Jude.
“Want some brinner?” I asked, plopping another dollop of butter in the pan.
“Brinner? What might that be?” He leaned with his back against the counter next to the stove, splaying one huge hand on the countertop, watching me pour the batter into the pan. How did this man make watching me cook a sexy thing?
“You’ve never heard of brinner?” I glanced at the door to make sure Mindy was out of earshot. “For someone who’s been alive nearly two thousand years, you don’t know a whole lot.”
He slid a finger down my forearm. I nearly dropped the spatula. He leaned closer, his chest brushing my shoulder, voice dropping several decibels. “Educate me.” And just like that, my heart slammed into my rib cage, my thoughts scattering to the wind. I stared at him, knowing my eyes were no longer hungry for pancakes. He pressed warm lips, a feather-soft kiss, to the slope between my neck and shoulder. “Genevieve?” Another press of lips higher up my neck, melting me into goo.
“Hm?” Eyes closed, I welcomed a third kiss just under my jaw.
“Your brinner is burning.”
“Oh, dammit!”
I snapped open my eyes, grabbed the smoking pan and thrust it under the water faucet in the sink. A hissing crackle spit up more smoke.
“There goes brinner.”
“You’ve made more than enough already.”
He motioned to the ten-high stack with a smirk. I couldn’t even think about eating now. Not after that kiss. And not with this guilt weighing me down.
Something registered in his gaze. He reached out his hand.
“Come here.”
From his expression, I wasn’t sure if he planned to give me a hug or a spanking. I wouldn’t mind either. Taking his hand, I let him pull me into his arms.

Just two weeks away

On Saturday, April 25, I'm joining a group of local authors at the York Emporium for A Day of Romance. Whether you're a reader or a writer, it promises to be a day you won't want to miss!



Here's the tentative schedule:

11 a.m. - Author Q&A

12:00 noon - Signing books and mingling with readers

1:00 p.m. - A presentation from Demi Stevens, a local writing coach and former library director, geared toward aspiring writers

2:00 p.m. - Games! Book cover bingo and more


Hope to see you there!

Vina Arno spills the beans

Hi Vina! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book.Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? I’m easy. I drink any coffee that’s not decaf.
Fur or feathers, pet-wise? I’m allergic to animals, so I’ve never had a pet.
Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits? In the workplace—slackers.
Ugh, I hear you. Tell us something about yourself that’s not in your bio. My pen name, Vina Arno, comes from my husband’s first name, Vincent, and our daughter’s name, Nina. Arno comes from the famous river in Florence. We were visiting the city when I decided to write In His Corner, my debut romance book.
Congrats on your debut! What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Take long walks, read, and watch films.
If you had to choose another profession besides writer, what would it be and why? In my next life, I would like to be a scientist. I want to be able to either solve a serious problem or invent something important.
Very cool. Are you a night owl or early bird? Early bird.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be? The power to get what I want.
So clever! I love it. How would your muse describe you? Tenacious.
If you could live out any fantasy, what would you do? It’s probably the same fantasy for all novelists—quit my day job and earn a living writing fiction.
Ah, yes. Living the dream. If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, fictional or real, who would it be and why? I’m very much intrigued by Virginia Woolf. I would like to know what story she would write today if given a chance.
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done? I’m originally from Manila. I left the country at 23 to work for a newspaper in Taipei even though I didn’t speak or understand a word of Chinese.
Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what type(s) of music makes you rock out)? I listen to the latest hits—Fall Out Boy, Macklemore, Ellie Goulding, and Sia.
Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book? In His Corner mentions five songs in different chapters. I was listening to those songs while I was writing the book.
While creating your book, what was one of the most surprising things you learned? I’ve written and published nonfiction books before. They required rigorous editing and fact checking. I was surprised that the editing process for fiction is just as rigorous.
Where can readers find out more about you? They can read this article I wrote for Forbes about my journey to publication: 3 Career Reinvention Tips From A Reporter Turned Romance Writer  http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetnovack/2015/03/12/3-career-reinvention-tips-from-a-reporter-turned-romance-writer/
They can catch me here: Web site: www.cindyfazzi.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cindy-Fazzi/779654065440439 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9800535.Vina_Arno Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+CindyFazzi/about
Please tell us a bit about your book. In His Corner is about an Olympic gold-medalist boxer known as the Juggernaut who falls head over heels for the beautiful doctor, Siena Carr, who stitches up his cut. They are opposites, but they can’t resist each other. She’s a well-heeled, well-versed Ivy League graduate. He’s a college dropout who becomes San Francisco’s favorite homeboy after his Olympic victory. She heals people, while he knocks them out. She’s four years older than him. All of these make for a hot, tension-filled romance.
The book, published by Lyrical Press, will be released on April 14. You can order it at: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Kobo Books Kensington Books iTunes Google
What inspired you to write it? It’s a combination of things, but my heroine, Siena, was inspired by the Italian city of the same name. My family and I visited it in 2013.
Thanks for spilling the beans today, Vina! Best of luck with your release.

Coming out of hibernation to party!

Yes, there may be snow on the ground, but it's temporary. The crocuses are pushing their stalks up through the ground, getting ready to bloom, so that's something to celebrate.

Today, I'm joining the Fool for Romance party on Facebook from noon on. I'll be sharing fun stuff throughout the afternoon and evening, so I hope you'll pop over and say hi. While you're there, check out the offerings from other authors - some may have giveaways open till tomorrow.



Then on Wednesday, watch for yet another Facebook party. I'm one of five Kensington Lyrical authors partying from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. EST. We have great news to share, so don't miss out!

Krysten Lindsay Hager Spills the Beans

Hi Krysten! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book. Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?
How about a glass of chocolate almond milk? I love this stuff—it’s like drinking pudding.

Mm, that does sound delicious. I’ll join you. So, more about you. Fur or feathers, pet-wise?
Fur. I never had a pet growing up…wait, would you count a little sister? No? I wanted a dog like the one Cathy had in the comic strip.

Aw, so sad! Every girl should have a dog for a sidekick. Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits?
I really hate rude people. Especially condescending people. I have a scene in Best Friends…Forever? with a rude cosmetics counter salesperson who makes Landry feel insecure about her looks. We always think it’s us when they act that way and don’t take into account that some people do that just to push the products, so I have Landry’s mother talk to her about that.

Love it. Tell us something about yourself that’s not in your bio.
I lived on a Portuguese island for three years. I came back to the United States and everyone was talking about reality show “stars” I had never heard of and it was surreal to see the covers of magazines at supermarkets and not recognize the faces on them.

I live here, and I don’t recognize them! What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love to read, watch TV (American Dad is my favorite show), and I have a weird laundry obsession. I get antsy if the dirty clothes pile gets to full. There’s something relaxing about doing laundry.

You can come relax at my house anytime, lol. If you had to choose another profession besides writer, what would it be and why?
I worked as a journalist for years and I’m really curious (okay, fine, I’m snoopy) by nature, so that was a great job for me.

Are you a night owl or early bird?
Night owl. Unless you’re referring to 4 am.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d like to be able to teleport places. Think of all the time that I’d save on packing, having to deal with airport security, jet lag, ticket prices. Forget the space program, let’s get going on this!

That, or get the Skycar out to car sales lots. How would your muse describe you?
Oh, I’m sure they’d say pain in tush, hard to get moving.

If you could live out any fantasy, what would you do?
Mine would involve traveling back in time and spending the day hanging out with F. Scott Fitzgerald. That movie Midnight in Paris is the ultimate fantasy of mine. Can you imagine having literary greats critique your work and getting to hang out with your heroes??

Oh, exciting and scary at the same time, lol. If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, fictional or real, who would it be and why?
I would love to have dinner with the author, Lois Lowry to talk about writing and her inspirations. She’s written such a wide range of books from those great Anastasia books to The Giver, Number the Stars, and one of my favorites, Autumn Street. I think she’d just be fascinating to talk to and to learn more about her. And if there’s room for someone else at the table then maybe soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo could come, too….

There’s always room for one more. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
It’s moments like these I regret not being a bigger risk taker so I’d have something interesting to put down. I entered a talent show with a friend and danced to Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” when I was in the sixth grade. The reason I would consider that crazy is because it was in front of a group of middle schoolers and I was wearing jean shorts.

I’ll bet they were all envious! Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what type(s) of music makes you rock out)?
I love Pixie Lott, Christina Aguilera, Johnny Gill, Jon Connor, Shakira, Whitney Houston, Eminem, The Bangles, and my favorite since I was a kid, George Michael.
Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book?
It definitely does. The Bangles were a big influence for me with this series—in fact the four women were my models for four of my characters because I saw an album cover when I was in grade school and wondered what they would have been like in middle school. I like to put on empowering music for those scenes when Landry has to deal with tough situations. “The Voice Within” by Christina Aguilera is the perfect song when you feel alone and in need of confidence. I feel like “Shake It Off” from Taylor Swift could be an anthem for Landry as she gets ready to do her modeling  competition stuff while worried about what people at school will say about her. I also listened to “Change Your Mind” by Boyce Avenue when writing the break up scene with her and Vladi. I have a full playlist on my website:  http://www.krystenlindsay.com/true-colors-book-trailer-facts-inspiration-board--playlist.html



Very cool. While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
One thing that surprised me was the response I got from a few dads who were beta readers for me. One said that it made him realize why his daughters acted the way they did at their age. He said he often blew off their behavior as, “teenage hormones,” but he said reading what teen girls go through with friend drama and insecurities really opened his eyes. A few other dads made similar comments about not realizing the extent that those sorts of insecurities really impacted and shaped girls.

An odd thing that surprised me was how much life imitated art. I would write things and then they would happen to me. One odd thing was me giving Ashanti mono in the first book and then I got it. I should have had her parents win the lottery. Also, I had someone point out that I also mentioned ebola in the first book and at that time no one was even talking about ebola, so that was a little strange.

Where can readers find out more about you?
You can see what I’m up to on my website at: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/

Please tell us a bit about your latest book. 
Best Friends…Forever? is about Landry Albright, an over thinker who hopes the new year will start off in an amazing way—instead she has to deal with more frenemy issues, boy drama, and having most of her best friends make the cheerleading squad without her. Suddenly, it seems like all anyone can talk about is starting high school next year—something she finds terrifying.

Landry gets her first boyfriend, but then gets dumped just as things come to a head with her friends. She feels lost and left out, but finds good advice about dealing with frenemies from what she considers an unlikely source. Landry learns to speak up for what’s right, tell the truth (even when it hurts), and how to get past the fear of failure as she gets another shot at competing in the American Ingénue modeling competition.

The book is a sequel to the first book in the Landry’s True Colorsseries, but can be read as a stand alone book.




Buy links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Friends-Forever-Landrys-Colors-ebook/dp/B00UIP1N5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426663576&sr=8-1&keywords=krystenAmazon international: http://authl.it/B00UIP1N5SBarnesandnoble.com: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-friends-forever-krysten-lindsay-hager/1121504612?ean=2940151347204itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/best-friends...-forever/id979714114?mt=11Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/best-friends-forever-19


What inspired you to write it?
I wanted to write the book I wanted to read when I was in school. I always felt like everyone else had it all together and had these picture perfect lives and I was just trying to find my place. What I didn’t realize is that everyone feels that way and I think that’s only increased with people posting pics of their “amazing” lives on Instagram and Facebook. If you compare your everyday life to someone’s highlight reel then you’re always going to feel you’re coming up short. So I created a character in Landry who is an “over thinker” who shows her internal feelings and her anxious side in a funny way.


Thanks for spilling the beans today, Kristen!
Thanks for having me on and making me reminisce about my whole Paula Abdul performance in jean shorts…what was I thinking???

The prodigal muse

It's usually a good bet that when the blog is quiet, I am busy writing.

I haven't been posting much lately because after an extended absence, my muse has returned, recharged and raring to go. During most of last year, she was a lazy layabout, refusing to stop lollygagging and get to work.

For whatever reason, she's baa-a-ack. Hurrying me along to finish a story I started long ago, and draft a brand new one I've had in my head too long. I'm at about 25k on the older one, and I'm guessing it will top about at 35k or so.

The second one is a different matter. In fact, it's the proverbial horse of a different color. I once described it on Facebook as a cross between Firefly and Little Women, and that still fits as well as anything. It's one of those stories that is so different, I wonder if anyone but me will be interested. But you can only take notes for so long before scenes start to take shape, and from there, the story flows. I'm about 33k into it, with no end in sight.

Not only that, but she's come up with a fantastic idea for another novel. Still in planning stages, but she has my attention. 

So, sorry I can't visit longer. I've gotta stay with the muse as long as I can.

Oh, and I will have a special guest for my Spilling the Beans feature on Thursday, so please stop back and make her feel welcome.



More parties!

I've joined more of them. Today kicks off the Fool for Romance party on Facebook. My day's not till next Monday, but it runs all week long, with authors offering goodies and giveaways. Our grand prize giveaway is a $100 Amazon gift card, so don't miss out - sign up and join in now!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Now that I've put that earworm in your head.... 

Sad to see Musa Publishing close its doors recently. Musa was well-run and the people were easy to work with. I wish the founders well in their future endeavors.

Their departure left Meilin and The Challenger homeless, so I decided to self-pub it. Yesterday, I created this new cover. Not as pretty as Musa's cover, but I like it, don't you?

The ebook is now available on Smashwords. I've made it free for now. That may change in the future, so if you're interested in a futuristic re-imagining of Grimm's 12 Dancing Princesses, you might want to grab a copy.



Here's the blurb... Meilin has never believed in fairy tales. Happy ever afters might have happened in the old days – before zombies. But this is 2089. When her father promises riches to the one who can rid their city of zombies, Meilin and her sisters rush to develop a solution that won’t bankrupt Dad. The war overseas left Will disillusioned, but fighting zombies at home is a cause he can embrace. Meilin’s another. Tough but sweet, she might make him believe in life again, and maybe even love, if she doesn’t kick his ass first. When zombies kidnap her family, Meilin must rescue them. But can she and Will save them from the worst fate of all?
Parties, parties, partiesI've joined a few and am throwing one, too. And you're invited!  *blows noisemaker*
Tomorrow, to celebrate St. Pat's Day, I'm joining the St. Pat's Book Party on Facebook. My hour's from 11 to 12 noon - I hope you'll pop in and say hi! Bring your leprechauns. But no banshees, please.
Today, I set up an event for April 1 on Facebook too. No fooling! It will be lots of fun, me and four other Kensington/Lyrical authors from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
I'm awaiting details on the third, but will share them when I have them.