Krista Ames's Blog, page 139

Author, Author Sunday April 15th

...read all about it!!


                     Please help me welcome...

               Carrie Ann Ryan


Hi Carrie, thanks for being here with us today, can you start off by telling us a little about yourself?
 Hi! Well, I’m a chemist by day, and a paranormal romance author, wife, and kitten mommy by night. I’m an avid reader of romance and spend way too much time thinking about, as my hubby would say, “dirty things” LOL.


 What or who initially inspired you to become a writer? Well, I’m a reader first sometimes. But Rebecca Royce was the one who told me to try out writing and see if I liked it. I LOVED it. Still do.
What kind of research do you do for a novel and how extensive do you get?
For each hobby, destination, type of wolf characteristics, and just human characteristics, I look things up. I like to make sure that I’m not just “winging it”. So for Reed’s painting, I talked to my friend who paints about the different mediums. And if there was such a thing as edible paint. *cough* I talked to my grandmother about gardening and my father about the military. If I can’t find someone to talk to, then I go to my dear friend Google.
Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?I wrote the entire of Trinity Bound on the couch since we don’t have an office. However, since then, I’ve moved to the kitchen table because there isn’t a TV with Netflix in the room LOL.


As a reader, what types of works do you like to read and do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?
I’m a crazy reader. I can read a 350 page book in an hour so I read tons of genres in romance to make sure I don’t get tired of it. I read paranormal, contemporary, western, gay, ménage, historical, sci-fi…everything!

 I don’t think it affected the fact that I write paranormal now. I had a werewolf idea first, so I went with it. But I will be writing contemporary in the future.

What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, Ipad or the old fashioned pencil and paper??  And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?
I’m a laptop girl. I carry this sucker around with me everywhere LOL. I’d like to use the desktop, but since I teach online and in the classroom during the day, I need to stay mobile.

I’m also a plotter. By far. I have series, character, book, and chapter outlines. However, if something needs to change, then I let it. I don’t force myself in a corner.

When you need a break or some time off from the trials of being a writer, what can you be found doing?Reading! No seriously. I also cook or go out for a beer at the local brewery with my friend. But usually it’s just reading.


Is there anything about yourself nobody knows that you would like to share with our readers??

 Hmm…I have gold-brown eyes, instead of normal brown, after  a car accident. Does that count? LOL

For fun, I have a few personal questions,  
Your Favorite 5
1) Favorite color - Pink
2) Favorite dessert - Cheesecake3) Favorite Season - Spring
4) Favorite sad song- Gravity by Sara Barriales
5) Favorite Romantic movie – The Notebook

And a bonus, what is your ideal romantic vacation??
Going to a small town in the mountains in Europe with my hubby. We’d tour the town in the day, taking in the culture…then go to a local inn at night…


Carrie Ann loves hearing from readers. You can find her at:

 Website              Blog
             Facebook Author Page
             Facebook Friend
            Goodreads
Twitter: @CarrieAnnRyanTumblr

Is there an upcoming or current release  you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Trinity Bound  
Hannah Lewis, a rare earth witch, is taken from the only life she’s ever known. Held at her will by a sadistic wolf, she almost gives up hope that she’d ever see her real life again. But as her fellow captive, a werewolf named Reed, tries to calm her fears, she begins to feel a spark of something she never thought she’d feel – love. But is Reed, alone, enough to get her out of this dark basement so she can move on with her life?
Reed Jamenson, the artist of a werewolf Pack of Alpha males, knows instinctually that Hannah is his mate. Thus, despite their imprisonment, he will do all to protect her and then worry about their hearts. But is he strong enough to find a way for both of them to escape? And why does he feel as though something else is missing?
Josh Kolb, an ex-military human, stumbles upon Reed and Hannah and finds he must trust this new world of supernatural beings to survive. But that desire will lead the three to a triangle of attraction that will test the boundaries they all possess and its consequences in defeating the enemy. Can they all trust one another to save themselves and life as they know it? Even at the cost of their own hearts?
Excerpt: Reed planted his feet, his fists clenched. Josh did the same on the other side of her, yet with a gun in one hand and a blade in another. As a human, he would need all the protection he could get. A gun wouldn’t necessarily kill the beasts, but it would slow them down. And frankly, he looked damn sexy all armored up. Reed too, with his natural charisma. And, totally not the time again to let her thoughts wonder. But what a place they would go. Hannah gave a nod to both men and closed her eyes, calling to the Earth. She may be a Healer, but she could still go on the offensive with the Earth and kick ass if she had too. Well, at least she hoped he could. She’d trained with her mother – Hannah held back that sharp pain of loss – but she really hadn’t used it, and tiredness ached her bones. Another wolf’s howl echoed in the not too far distance. Hannah concentrated and moved her arms like an orchestra conductor to take a large pile of soil, rocks and roots in her hold. The resulting mass looked like a crested wave and slammed into the wolves trying to come from behind in a sneak attack. Stupid wolves. Didn’t they know she could feel them when they trampled heavy-footed on her Earth?Josh and Reed each granted her a look of pleasant surprise, then a sexy smile. They’d underestimated her. They wouldn’t do it again. Available now: Trinity Bound Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Bound-Redwood-Pack-ebook/dp/B007PH8GU2/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1332971961&sr=8-3-fkmr0 Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trinity-bound-carrie-ann-ryan/1109757830?ean=2940014145107&itm=1&usri=trinity+bound ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-trinitybound-751681-139.html Make sure you also hunt down the other 2 stories in the Redwood Pack Series: An Alpha’s Path Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alphas-Path-Redwood-Pack-ebook/dp/B006GHBSA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326396851&sr=8-1Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-alphas-path-carrie-ann-ryan/1107828923 ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-analpha039spath-737818-139.html A Taste for a Mate  Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Mate-Redwood-Pack-ebook/dp/B0073WA12K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328133523&sr=8-1
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1108508709?ean=2940014077125&itm=1&usri=a+taste+for+a+mate ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-atasteforamate-737822-139.htmlAbout our author:
Carrie Ann Ryan is a bestselling paranormal and contemporary romance author. After spending too much time behind a lab bench, she decided to dive into the romance world and find her werewolf mate - even if its just in her books. Happy endings are always near - even if you have to get over the challenges of falling in love first.
Her first book, An Alpha's Path, is the first in her Redwood Pack series. She's also an avid reader and lover of romance and fiction novels. She loves meeting new authors and new worlds. Any recommendations you have are appreciated. Carrie Ann lives in New England with her husband and two kittens.
Thanks so much for having me here today!!
 Carrie, thank you so much for being here.  It was great getting to know you better. 
Readers, make sure to run out and grab Trinity Bound today !!

Author, Author Saturday April 14th

...read all about it!!

                                       Saturday April 14th

 
Thanks for joining us today and please welcome a great author,


            Lynna Banning       



Welcome Lynna, can you tell us a little about yourself?
           
            I’m an Oregonian, raised in California, and I write westerns mostly (except for two medieval a couple of years back) and one memoir, just recently published (Gauchos & Gumption).  I’m older.  Widowed.  I started writing fiction when I retired from an editing job in 1993 and was published in 1995 (Western Rose was my first book). 

            I live in Northern California, within sound of the Roaring Camp Railroad train whistle.

 
  
What or who initially inspired you to become a writer?

            A friend challenged me: “why don’t you write a book” she said when I wondered what I’d do in retirement.  So I did.

 
What kind of research do you do for a novel and how extensive do you get?

            I do mostly book research and I get very extensive.  I have one whole wall of books pertaining to the Old West, and another wall of books about medieval Spain and England.  I also have bulging file cabinets full of information on horses, guns, medieval castles, maps, etc.

 
Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?

            I write longhand on a yellow tablet (and later type the pages into the computer).  Most often I write in bed at night, with a clipboard propped up on my knees; my second favorite place to write is a coffee shop where I can feel “not alone” and screen out the noise.  This works well.

 
As a reader, what types of works do you like to read and do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?

            I read LOTS of nonfiction (history/culture mostly), literary fiction, and some genre fiction—mostly westerns (Elmore Leonard is a favorite) and some romance—preferably historical and preferably well-written.  Favorite periods are medieval and the Old West.

 
What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, Ipad or the old fashioned pencil and paper??  And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?
           
            Method of writing is old-fashioned pen/paper.  I’m a “pantser”; I don’t plot the story in advance but try to let the characters take me where they’re going.

 
When you need a break or some time off from the trials of being a writer, what can you be found doing?

            I play with a medieval music ensemble on harp, psaltery, recorder, etc.  I also play the piano (classical) and harpsichord.

 
Is there anything about yourself nobody knows that you would like to share with our readers??

            Nobody knows (yet) how tired I am getting of social media!

 

For fun, I have a few personal questions, 

Your Favorite 5

1) Favorite color -     Blue
2) Favorite dessert -     Carrot cake
3) Favorite Season -     Fall
4) Favorite sad song-      September Song
5) Favorite Romantic movie -  Casablanca

 
And a bonus, what is your ideal romantic vacation??

            My ideal vacation (romantic or otherwise) is within sound of the surf, alone (or with significant other), with nothing I “have” to do.

 
Where can our readers find you??
            I’m on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Turquoise Morning Press (www.turquoisemorningpress.com).
            My books are also listed on Goodreads.
   Links: webpage is www.lynnabanning.com. www.amazon.com. www.montereybayrwa.org. www.historyhoydens.com.

 
Is there an upcoming or current release          
 you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?

            My most recent release is “Gauchos & Gumption”, a fictionalized memoir about my grandmother’s 1910 trip to Argentina to raise cattle.  This is available through Turquoise Morning Press.  In 2013 I will have a new western historical out, “Smoke River Bride,” about a young Chinese mail-order bride on an Oregon ranch.

                       Book blurb:  In 1910 new bride Marie Banning sails to Argentina to join her husband on his cattle ranch.  Far from Civilization Marie learns to make ostrich egg omelets, converse with the gauchos in Spanish, and wear “bombaches,” the baggy, calf-length pants worn by the Argentine cowhands.  Then, camped on the pampas a thousand miles from Buenos Aires, Marie discovers she is pregnant.  Photographs included in the printed book are those Marie herself took during her Argentine honeymoon.  The author’s mother was born in Buenos Aires at the end of a 1000-mile cattle drive.

            

It's been wonderful having you with us today but before we let you leave us, do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share?  I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.

            CB’s Hors d’Oeuvre:  Top a block of cream cheese with chopped red onion and top the red onion with chopped olives.  Spread on Triscuits.


Thanks again for sharing with us today and we hope you'll come back and visit again.

Readers, make sure you grab Gauchos & Gumption.



Happy Reading,

Krista

Finally Friday April 13th

Good day, back again for another fabulous back list book from Turquoise Morning Press.  Today we are sharing ....

Texas Iron


by
JadeMorgan

War veteran Mack Harding has little experience with men, but it’s hard to miss the signals the new blacksmith is sending him. Rebuilding his family ranch takes up all of his time, and he honestly doesn’t think anybody would want to be with him, what with the scars on his face and the flashbacks that plague him. But Caleb leads him into a night of sensuality he’s never felt before.

Caleb Lucas isn’t really looking for a relationship, but he’s always ready for a tumble. And the sexy new client is certainly ringing all his bells. When an interlude in the barn leaves him wanting more, can he convince Mack to take a chance on his own brand of Texas Iron?



Review:

What a good story! Fans of cowboys and well-written M/M will love this one. The characters were vivid and the love scenes extremely sensual. The connection between the two men was excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to read this author again!  ~ a customer


Meet our Author:

  Jade Morgan is an Ohio native who grew up reading her mother’s romance novels, then re-reading the sex scenes (although there wasn’t much to read twenty years ago). Romance has always been in her heart, fed by the fact she’s been married to the love of her life for seventeen years. Jade has two kids and too many animals to list. She’s an average stay-at-home mom writing contemporary erotica and urban fantasy.

Jade loves to hear from readers and you can contact her at www.jademorgan.webs.com or authorjademorgan@gmail.com.

Texas Iron is available at Amazon, make sure you get your copy today !!!




Author, Author

...read all about it!!  

                     Thursday April 12th
Thanks for joining us and please welcome a wonderful author and a really great person,



                    Judy Alter

Hi Judy, so glad to have you here today, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Although I wrote about Texas and the American West for years, I am not a native Texan. I was born in Chicago. Came to Texas in 1965, got a Ph.D. in English at TCU, and worked at TCU Press, the book publishing division of the university, for almost 30 years, over 20 of them as director. I was the single parent of four for much of that time and wrote fiction at night. A longtime member of Western Writers of America, I wrote what are now considered western historical romances—Libbie, about Elizabeth Bacon Custer, Jessie, about Jessie Benton Frémont, and Sundance, Butch, and Me, about Etta Place and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. I retired from TCU in 2009 but didn’t really retire—I just changed jobs. Now I write full time and am busier than ever. But I’ve switched to cozy mysteries.

What or who initially inspired you to become a writer?
I think I always wanted to write. I wrote my first short stories at ten, submitted to Seventeen Magazine in high school (promptly rejected), and have done public relation and publishing ever since which is, to me, a form of writing. I kept going to graduate school and majoring in English because I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I read all the usual things—Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Frances Parkinson Keyes, but I can’t say there was any one inspiration. Reading and writing have been my life, and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself now if I weren’t writing.

What kind of research do you do for a novel and how extensive do you get?
For western historical I did a lot of research because I wanted to get the history straight. I read all of Libbie Custer’s memoirs and lots of book about George Armstrong Custer; for Etta Place, I read a lot of books but no one knows the true story and I ended up interpreting history my own way.
For my current mysteries, I don’t do much research—they’re set in the neighborhood adjacent to mine that I know well—including the restaurants, schools, etc.,, and they’re not police procedurals where I have to get things down right. The most research I’ve done is on Craftsman houses, because my heroine, Kelly, is a real estate agent specializing in renovating older homes and her neighborhood has lots of Craftsman. That kind of research can be mostly done on the Web.


Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?
I have a wonderful office, made from a small bedroom off my living room. It’s where I spend my life—if I’m eating alone, I eat there; when I read late at night, I do so at my desk. I have book shelves all over the house, but keep the books I refer to most often in my office. It has French doors that open up to the living room and wonderful windows, so it’s a cheery space.

As a reader, what types of works do you like to read and do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?
I’ve read cozy mysteries all my life, and I’m sure that influenced my writing today. I thought if others can write these, so can I. I like Diane Mott Davidson’s culinary mysteries. Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef and curator of an old mansion books (because cooking and old houses are two of my passions), along with some more complex mysteries like Deborah Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James books and the work of Julia Spencer-Fleming. But I’m always delighted to find a new cozy author whose work I enjoy.

What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, Ipad or the old fashioned pencil and paper?? And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?
I write on a laptop at my desk—but it has a remote monitor and wireless remote keyboard and mouse. I’m spoiled. I don’t do well with the laptop keyboard—really slows me down. I am definitely a pantser—I start with a rough idea of what’s going to happen, get that first sentence, and go from there, though the first sentence changes often during the process. When I wrote young-adult westerns, I used to sort of plot—I’d number from one to ten and roughly figure out what was going to happen in each of ten chapters. But as I neared the end of a current mystery, I still had no idea who done it or why. Then inspiration struck. Of course I had to go back and rewrite to stick in parts that made it plausible.

When you need a break or some time off from the trials of being a writer, what can you be found doing?
Taking care of a kindergarten grandchild (every afternoon after school), eating out with friends or entertaining at home, cooking and reading, plus caring for my two dogs. I have a full and active life and don’t devote nearly as much time as I’d like to writing.

Is there anything about yourself nobody knows that you would like to share with our readers??
My mother once said to me, “Do you have to tell everything you know?” I’m afraid I’m an open book, and there’s not much people don’t know about me, especially if they read my blog. I’m the besotted grandmother of seven, but I drive a VW bug convertible because I didn’t want to be a stodgy grandmother—and because I love VWs; I sort of always wanted to be a chef, but now my feet and back wouldn’t take all that standing. I’m addicted to Redstone’s milk chocolate with jalapenos and crushed peanuts, and I’m perpetually trying to shed 15 lbs. I’m a vocal liberal in politics and an active member of my church.

Where can our readers find you??
http://www.judyalter.com
http://www.judys-stew.blogspot.com
http://potluckwithjudy.blogspot.com
Pinterest and Facebook - I spend way too much time on those sites, but I learn a lot and enjoy them.

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?
Yes, definitely. My newest Kelly O’Connell Mystery, No Neighborhood for Old Women, http://www.amazon.com/Neighborhood-Women-OConnell-Mystery-ebook/dp/B007SH90OA/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334089214&sr=1-2 went up on Kindle and Nook on Monday, April 9. It will be in print by May 1 and on other e-readers soon.



 In addition I’ve just put my 1990s novels, Libbie http://www.amazon.com/Libbie-Historical-Western-Romance-ebook/dp/B007Q3EJ74/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1334089097&sr=1-2)

  and Butch, Sundance, and Me http://www.amazon.com/Sundance-Historical-Western-Romance-ebook/dp/B007Q3LUGM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334089155&sr=1-1 with ePublishing Works, so they’re available on Kindle, Nook, and other platforms. Pretty exciting times for me.



It's been wonderful having you here with us today.  Before we let you leave, do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share with others.
When I had a signing luncheon at TCU, they served this dish.
Doris’ Casserole
One of my family’s favorites is Doris’ Casserole. A friend served this years and years ago. I think it came from a Mrs. America contest winner and was simply called Beef Casserole, but since the hostess was Doris, we call it Doris’ Casserole to this day. Doris was the wife of a radiology resident who was in training while my ex-husband was in surgical residency—we were all poor, and our entertaining featured frugal recipes. I almost never see Doris these days but once when I did I told her how important her recipe was in our family, and she barely remembered the dish. I also found out that another friend at that party still serves it to her family and calls it American lasagna.
First layer:
1 lb. ground beef1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes1 8 oz. can tomato sauce2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press
2 tsp each sugar and salt (I cut back on those but sugar is important in tomato-based sauces—my mom taught me years ago it sort of rounds it off.)
Pepper to taste
Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain grease and return to skillet. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, until it thickens a little, while you fix the noodle layer.
Noodle layer:
5 oz. (approximately—they don’t come in this size pkg.) egg noodles3 oz. pkg. cream cheese1 c. sour cream6 green onions chopped, with some of the tops included
Cook egg noodles and drain. While the noodles are hot, stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
Layer meat mixture in a 9x13 pan. Spread noodles over meat mixture.
Topping:
2 c. grated cheddar
Sprinkle cheddar over casserole, bake 35 minutes at 350 or until bubbly and cheese is slightly browned.
Supposed to serve 8, but you’ll be lucky if you can feed six with it. Freezes well.
I have a recipe for something called Hill Country Casserole, which is basically the same thing, using ground venison. Haven’t tried it, but I bet it would be good. I sometimes use ground bison in this and nobody can tell the difference—but it’s cheaper and much better for you.
From Cooking My Way Through Life with Books and Kids
By Judy Alter
Judy thank you so much for being with us today and please come back and join us again.


Readers, make sure not to miss these great books by Judy Alter!


Happy reading,


Krista