Melissa Bowersock's Blog, page 19

Upcoming Appearances

Next I'll be appearing at the 2014 Author's Forum in Cottonwood.  The event is being held on Saturday, August 23 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Cottonwood Parks and Recreation Department, 150 South 6th St, Cottonwood, Arizona 86326.

In October, I'll be at the Sedona Book Festival. This will take place on Saturday, October 4, at the Sedona Elks Lodge from 9am to 5pm. The Elks Lodge is at 110 Airport Road, Sedona, Arizona.



Fleischerhaus: a Novel of Reincarnation
Julia Martin, newly-divorced but still reeling from her husband's infidelity, takes a much needed vacation to visit old college friends in Germany. While touring a little-known concentration camp and museum, she spontaneously experiences a violent past life memory of being murdered in this very camp during the Holocaust. Efforts to understand her memories only lead to more questions, the largest being: is her killer still alive? Supported by her friends and comforted in the arms of a handsome doctor, Julia attempts to uncover the mysteries of her past life and find justice for the person she used to be.

Available in both paperback and e-book.

Author Interview - K.S. Brooks

Today I am sitting down with my best bud K.S. Brooks. In case you don’t know, Kat is the queen worker bee behind Indies Unlimited, that premiere writing community and blog founded by her and Stephen Hise (the Evil Mastermind). Although she works something like 52-hour days, I convinced her to take a short break, put her feet up and have a cup as we chat for a bit.

First let’s talk about our favorite thing in the whole world, writing. As I recall, you’ve written something like 17 books. Give us a short rundown on them.
Oh my. I did not know math would be involved here. Or semantics. Books, titles… Amazon lists 25. But some of those may not technically be considered books. I’ve got educational children’s books, suspense novels, comedy, action-adventure thriller, chicklit, hold on, let me check my Author Central page. You know it’s not easy keeping all this stuff straight. Oops, almost forgot non-fiction, picture books, and short stories.
   

We should all the problem of not being able to keep up with all the titles and genres! What genre have you enjoyed writing the most?
It has to be humor. For the most part, it’s less work, and I write most of it now with the Evil Mastermind. Okay, he writes most of it. I watch. Hence, less work for me.
Guess we better not tell the EM that little fact. What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I’m a control freak. I like to be able to control everything about my projects – covers, pricing, etc. However, what might have prompted the move to self-publishing was when my short story collection was rejected by my publisher. That may have had something to do with it, but I will neither confirm nor deny that.
I’m with you on that. I think the best thing about being indie is the control. The book comes out being exactly what I want it to be, not what some faceless bean-counter thinks it should be.
Are there any new books planned for Mr. Pish?
I have quite a few books still in Mr. Pish’s warehouse. I also have two apps remaining on a contract with a developer that I need to work on. It’s been tough since losing Mr. Pish, but I’m hoping to get back on these soon to keep his fans happy.
  

Pass those chocolate-covered coffee beans, would you? We’re going to be switching gears now, and talk about Indies Unlimited. Where did the spark of inspiration come from to create IU? How did that process unfold?
The Evil Mastermind founded IU back in October 2011, right about the same time he started stalking…um, I mean contacting me. I was tricked…um, I mean invited to join him as his partner at the blog shortly thereafter. Not sure there was actually a process – it was more instinctive. Although the EM didn’t know it at the time (or so he says), in my previous life back in Boston, I was on the ground floor of numerous high-tech start-up companies, so I might know just a little bit about getting a company up and running. Bwa ha ha…ha ha!
Describe your typical work day for us.
Wake up at 5 am. Check the blog, Facebook, and email. Reply to queries throughout the day, do initial book vetting, moderate blog comments. Take a break to roll in the piles of money I’ve made as an author. Back to work writing blog posts, scheduling blog posts, and corresponding with authors. Take another break to frolic in money I drop from buckets tied to the ceiling while singing “It’s Raining Money.” Back to work doing more blog stuff, taking pictures of woodland creatures in my yard, pitching article ideas to the IU staff, brainstorming features ideas with the EM, dusting my grenade collection. Take a break to play catch with my cougar. Answer fan mail. Do more blog stuff. Turn down interviews. I’m a very private person, you know. Look at clock. See it’s 10 pm. Wonder why I didn’t get any writing done.
Well, it’s a good thing the EM pays you the big bucks for all this work! What part of all this do you like the most? The least?
I really enjoy it when an author is enthusiastic about being featured on the site. When I can help an author improve their book description and they get excited over it clicking for them – that is a great feeling. Of course, being named as one of Six Blogs for Authors in Publishers Weekly was pretty awesome, too. I hate telling authors that their books have been rejected. We always make an effort to tell them why, but that is pretty thankless. For the most part, authors are gracious, but there are the few who can really ruin my day.
Ok, it’s dealing the dirt time. How is it working with Hise?
Uh oh, I hear the duct tape. Honestly? The guy is a frikkin genius. Some of the stuff he comes up with is so good it makes me want to hate him. On top of that, he is probably the most altruistic person I know. And, despite what he says, he’s one hell of a writer. Like all geniuses, though, he does have his kryptonite – I know, one day, his quest for the perfect Hobo Stew is going to do him in. And you know it’s all fun and games until he puts someone’s eye out with the laser death ray.
What have you got coming up? Working on?
I’m always working on at least 5 projects simultaneously. I’m going to have to get the 2015 Mr. Pish calendar out by the end of September. I’m also hoping to have the Mr. Pish’s Woodland Adventure app out to the developers. For books, I’m in rewrite stage for the sequel to Lust for Danger. My brain is trying to finesse the storyline for the sequel to Night Undone. Hise and I are working on an action-adventure thriller which I’m hoping will be out this year, but 2015 is creeping up fast. I’ve got a chicklit project about to go to rewrite, a mystery in the works, and a horror novel which I will publish under a pseudonym. I’ve got two different short story collections started – one for Special Agent Night and one for Mr. Pish. Sort of like fan fiction but by the author – if that makes ANY sense. Oh, and I have a comic book written for which I just have to nail down the art and that should be good to go. (That makes it sound much simpler than it is, of course.) Then there are about 10 more Mr. Pish books to be written, and the last app to fulfill my contract which will be traveling terrier related. I’m trying to pay more attention to my gluten-free blogging, which I’ve grossly neglected over the past year. I have plenty of material ready to go for it, I’ve just got to get the photos and the articles in the same place at the same time and hopefully I can help people who suffer from this allergy. So, I don’t really have that much going on.
Now it’s time for those dreaded personal questions. We’ll start off with the SPEED ROUND, a new way of plowing through the usual subjects.
Plotter or pantser? Both.Music or silence? Silence when writing. Music when cooking.Organized or Bohemian? African or European?Coffee or tea? BothDog or cat? MISTER PISH!!!!Disciplined or impetuous? Both
And just for fun, if you were given an open credit card and told to take a vacation, where would you go? Whom would you take?
I would fly all the IU minions here to my awesome house in the wilderness for a “staff meeting.”
That would truly be awesome. I think we would all gladly go for some writing brainstorming, some photographic hikes into the wilderness, then maybe a soak in the hot tub under the stars.
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to chat with us. Where can readers connect with you?
Blog: website is http://www.ksbrooks.comOf course IU: http://www.IndiesUnlimited.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KSBrooksAuthorhttps://www.facebook.com/MrPishTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorKSBrooksGoodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/KSBrooks
Gluten-Free Gusto blog: http://glutenfreegusto.wordpress.comAmazon's Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/K.-S.-Brooks/e/B002WKAOVG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

A Novel Idea - First Chapters

Publishing my 12th novel earlier this year felt like a real milestone. I actually never dreamed that I would write this many books. Oh, sure, I always had several manuscripts lying about in various states of completion, but I guess I just never thought consciously about how many books I might complete and release to the world. The number just snuck up on me, and to tell you the truth, surprised me. Pleasantly so.

Now I know that we all value our time and our money and buying books can get expensive. And like most readers, I hate wasting my time on a book that sounded good but ... isn't. I considered that many of you, my friends, fans and readers, may have looked at a few of my books and thought they looked interesting, but weren't quite sure, at least not sure enough to spring for them. That's when a new idea hatched in my brain. 



Inspired by the Indies Unlimited collection First Chapters, I decided to create a book of the first chapters of all twelve of my novels. This way, you can read the full first chapters and get a good idea of the style of the book as well as how the story begins to unfold. As many of you know, I write across multiple genres and use different styles, so one of my books might be vastly different from another. If you read one of my books and liked or disliked it, you might be surprised by some of my other books. 

But the best part of this--it's free. My book of first chapters, titled A Novel Idea, is an absolutely free e-book, available in all formats. Amazon still has it for 99 cents, but they will catch up with other book sites and price-match eventually, but you don't have to wait for them. You can download it now from Smashwords. I would love it if you would grab that puppy, take a look, browse through the selections, and let me know what you think. Because I do write across many genres, I always say there's something there for everyone: action, fantasy, romance, paranormal, satire and spiritual. And there will be more coming where that all came from. I'm working on novel #13 as we speak. 

Finally, I want to thank you, all my readers, friends, fans and supporters. You make this all worthwhile. I would write regardless, but knowing my stories touch people, that you might glean some pleasure, insight and enjoyment from my words, is hugely satisfying. I hope we continue this wonderful relationship for a long, long time. 

P.S. A slight disclaimer: I have designated A Novel Idea with adult content because of my romance satire, The Pits of Passion, which is graphic in an over-the-top way. Other than that, none of my other books are as raunchy!

Agents: Have One? Need One?

In a lot of the book forums I frequent, I often see posts by newbies asking plaintively how one goes about getting an agent. The traditional publishing segment, of course, continues to bleat out its timeworn advice to writers: get an agent, get validated by being traditionally published. It's interesting, isn't it, that the only way to get "validated" is by doing things their way, playing by their rules? But that's another post.


A much more interesting note is the fact that recently traditional publishers have found that combing through the growing ranks of indie writers is yielding a double bonus for them: these writers have already gambled on putting their voices out there and for some the public has responded positively. The traditional publishers are now taking a new look at the indie boom, since they’re finding (1) good books, already vetted by the public, with (2) a built-in following. The publishers are definitely seeing—and jumping on—the opportunities of the growing indie movement.
But the ones who are still dead-set against it? You got it. The agents, the very ones who are being marginalized by this new tete-a-tete. After all, if you can put your book out there, gather a following and possibly, eventually, get picked up by a traditional publisher, who needs an agent?


I had one once, through sheer serendipity. Eons ago, back in the middle Paleolithic, I used to write my books in longhand on blue line. By the time I got done with one, I was pretty well sick of it and I had no interest in typing it up (on a typewriter [electric, not manual. It wasn't THAT far back!]). Luckily my mom was a good typist and volunteered to do it for me, so I shipped my 15-pound manuscript off to her.
Unbeknownst to me, she not only typed up my book but liked it well enough to shop it around to a literary agent she knew. He liked it, as well, and agreed to represent me. 
All of a sudden **bam** I had an agent!
Initially things went well. He dutifully made copies of my ms and mailed it out to various publishers. He would let me know when he received a response of note, usually a rejection letter with nice encouragement, i.e., "Doesn't fit our program at the current time, but has promise and we hope you will keep us in mind on future projects," or something of that nature. As he was pitching the first book, I was writing the second. When he notified me that he had negotiated a contract for the first book, I was, understandably, over the moon.
Unfortunately my book took a little longer to make it through the process to publication than it should have. The company that originally bought my book went under; it was bought out by another. In the aftermath, the second company had to go through the backlog of contracts and decide which ones it wanted to keep and which ones it didn't. I was lucky; it kept mine.
But it took four years before the book came out. In the meantime, of course, I was writing and figured my agent was earning his keep by sending out my second book. It was a jolt when I got a letter from my publisher asking if I had any other books they could see. Well, yes, of course I have other books. I promptly sent them my second book. They liked it and bought it. So now I'm thinking: what the heck is my agent doing? 
Come to find out he was busy looking for properties for movie projects. He told me to quit writing westerns (both my first two books were western romances) because they didn't translate well to the big screen. He had many ideas for what I should have been doing, but no interest in promoting what I was doing.
Needless to say, it was time to go our separate ways. That was back in, um, 1987. Since then, I've published 9 other books by various means, both traditional publishing and self-publishing. And I haven't had an agent for any of them. 
Do you need an agent? Only you can answer that question. The answer for me has been a resounding NO.

Originally published on Indies Unlimited on January 30, 2014.

Author Interview: Kari Thomas

Today I'm sitting down with fellow Arizonan, Kari Thomas. Kari describes herself as a paranormal romance author but also adds the caveat that she writes in various fiction and non fiction genres dealing with the preternatural-supernatural world, romance, publishing, research, children's literature, and book reviews. Whew! There's a lot going on here. Let's see if we can break it down a little.

Just this month, Kari released her latest book titled Her Demon, His Angel. Tell us a bit about the book.

K: Sara Winters is a rare-antique book collector. For years she has been obsessed with finding a mythical book called "Knights of the Night". She doesn't understand her obsession but won't give up, even if there is the possibility the book doesn't really exist. While searching in France, her father is murdered and she rushes back to the States. There is an immediate mystery to his death and Sara starts looking for the clues. This puts her in danger and one night she is almost attacked by an unseen threat of evil. She is rescued by Drake --who is a rare Being that shouldn't exist. He informs Sara that she's the "Huntress" and the world's safety depends on her finding that fabled book. Now it's a rush against time as Drake and Sara fight an encroaching evil that is determined to destroy our world as we know it.  Well, obviously there's a lot going on there, too! What’s your writing process? Do you plan extensively, or just go for it?

K: It takes me awhile to come up with plots that I can thoroughly "see" that it will carry through an entire book. I get ALL kinds of great ideas, but won't proceed until I can mentally flesh it out. I don't do physical outlines, just mental. THEN, once I'm comfortable with the stability of the story I let the characters take over.
That sounds very familiar. I think many more of us are "pantsters" than detailed "planners." How long did it take you to write the book?

K: Her Demon, His Angel took me about four months. Another month for editing and fleshing it out.

That's a pretty quick turnaround. You must have been inspired! Now, I noticed you have several paranormal romances out. Do they all contain the same paranormal aspects, or are they different? What sorts of paranormal situations do you write about?

K: I love researching the paranormal so I'm always getting great ideas. Most of my books, at present, have shapeshifters, and witches. Wicca fascinates me and I love incorporating it into several of my books. My last book, before Her Demon, His Angel, was titled Surrender Her Touch and it was about a Dragon Clan in contemporary Colorado. So, actually, it's lots of shapeshifters, Wiccans, Dragons, and now Demons and Angels.

So in other words, a lot going on. Hmm, I'm seeing a theme here. 
Do any of your characters appear in more than one book?

K: No and yes. I did do two sequels to my first book Temptation Unleashed about the sister and brother of the hero. Both shorts are available for FREE if readers send me a request. And my Spell Kissed has a short about the hero's brother: Sloan's Witch is available on Amazon.com, Smashwords, Kindle, etc. for only 99 cents. I've had a lot of readers requesting stories about the secondary characters from Surrender Her Touch but I haven't written anything....yet. :-)

Where did your interest in the paranormal come from? What’s your inspiration for the out-of-the-ordinary stories?

K: I come from a long line of psychics on both sides of my family. Growing up with paranormal experiences was common. By the time I was old enough to understand, nothing scared me much. Telling a family member, "My house is haunted by this little old woman," never seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, right now, I'm living in a haunted house!  :-)

Must have been an interesting childhood, not to mention your current situation! Do you also read a lot of paranormal? What books are your favorites?

K: I devour them! I have so many fave authors in this genre, so I wouldn't know where to begin to list them! Christine Feehan is a top favorite of mine. An author friend, Mary Corrales, wrote one of my favorites: Dhampir Passions. It was a unique twist on the vampire legend. 

I'm sure our readers here will be checking those out. 
I noticed that the covers of your books are all very different styles. Who does your covers? 

K: I have been so lucky with all my great covers! I have several publishers, so there are different cover artists. Dawn Dominique did Her Demon, His Angel. 

I've seen some authors who, once they get a good number of books out there, re-design all their covers in a similar theme in order to create a recognizable brand for themselves. Have you ever thought about doing that?

K: As long as they are with publishers and under contract I can't change any of them. But, kewl idea!

Earlier we mentioned that you also write non-fiction. Have you published any?

K: A lot of non-fiction articles over the years. I'm working on a book now that is partially non-fiction, mixed with a little fiction, about my great-great grandfather who was a pirate. His history is online (Google search Juan Gomez associated with the Gaspirrila. He died at age 119!). 

Now that sounds like it would be hugely interesting and a lot of fun. I think it might be hard to write only one book about him; might need two, one non-fiction of the real story and one fiction when you could let your imagination take over. That could definitely keep you busy for a while.

What's next in your writing career? 

K: Right now I'm working on that pirate story and also another paranormal romance.

What would you like readers to know about you?

K: I'm shy! It's really hard for me to promote my books as I always feel like I'm pushing and it sounds like begging: "Please buy my book!" Because of being so reluctant to do that, a lot of readers probably have never heard of me.

I think that's a very common issue. So many of us writers are basically introverts, it's hard to get out there and toot our own horns. Luckily *wink wink* there are plenty of places where we can help each other out in that regard. 

Anything else you want to add?


K: I have several FREE reads listed on my site (www.authorkari.com). Readers can send me a request for copies. They are: The Christmas Chapter (related to Temptation Unleashed)Soul's Choice (related to Temptation Unleashed)
Hold Onto the Night (an anthology through All Romance eBooks)

And finally, how can readers connect with you?

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/kari.thomas.50
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1425816.Kari_Thomas
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kari-Thomas/e/B001JOVOLA/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0Web Page:  www.authorkari.com
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kari-thomas/32/36a/81b
Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/AuthorKari
Blog: http://www.authorkari.com/bloglatest-release-excepts.html

Thanks, Kari, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. Good luck with the new book; I'm sure it'll be your latest and greatest success.

Let's Talk About Reincarnation

Reincarnation. Is it real? There are, of course, many schools of thought. The truth is, though, that more people believe in reincarnation in the world than don't. 

I certainly do. I've had quite a bit of experience with it, being a certified hypnotherapist and having performed and been the subject of many past-life regressions. I find the concept of past lives to be fascinating, and it has provided me with plenty of good ideas for novels.
My latest is Fleischerhaus . Here's a brief description of the story:

A young woman tours a little-known German concentration camp and experiences a violent past life memory of being murdered in this very camp during the Holocaust. Haunted by the fragmented memories, she struggles to uncover the mysteries of her past life and find justice for the person she used to be. 

Recently I was fortunate enough to talk about the book on Prescott's AZTV Channel 7 on The Morning Scramble with Sandy Moss. Sandy is a fellow author and has been kind enough to invite me onto her show several times. We had quite a discussion about past lives and the hypnotic process, as you can see in the video linked below.


Morning Scramble video
Next up is a book signing on July 12, 2014, at the Crystal Lattice Gift Shop in Camp Verde, Arizona. I hope anyone in the area will stop by between 10:00am and 12:30pm. We'll have a couple of raffles, freebies, and of course many books to browse. I'd love to have you stop by and say hello.

Crystal Lattice Gift Shop545 South Main StreetCamp Verde, Arizona

Author Interview: Lorraine Reguly on Reaching a Milestone

Today I’m sitting down to chat with my buddy, Lorraine Reguly, since she just recently published her very first book, a collection of short stories about identity, drugs, abuse, death and friendship. It’s called Risky Issues, and deals with many tough issues faced by children, teens and adults. Sound heavy-duty? It is.

Lorraine, tell us what this book means to you. Why was it important to get it out there into the world?
 This book is not merely a book of short stories; it is so much more. It is proof that "you can do it if you set your mind to it." In my case, I set my mind toward self-publishing a book.  It was important for me to see this venture through to the end because, even though I'll be the first to admit that this was my "practice" book, I wanted to find out what was involved in self-publishing firsthand. Boy, what a process it is - for first-timers like me! There is so much to learn and do!  Doing things in the correct order is important. The fact that you can only learn by actually "doing" was a bit tough on me, too, as I had tried to "research" the "how-to" aspect of self-publishing and garner as much knowledge as I could while simultaneously trying to complete each step of the way. (Finding beta readers, waiting for feedback, editing the stories, finding a cover designer, formatting the book, etc. are all steps that need to be completed, as you know.)
What was the first thing that compelled you to start writing? How old were you?
 I've always enjoyed putting pen to paper. By age 6, I was reading everything I could get my hands on, and writing cursive, thanks to the teachings of my mother, a former elementary school teacher.  I can remember getting in trouble in Grade One for writing within one line (on lined paper) when my classmates were learning to print within TWO! I can also remember reading by the illumination of the streetlight outside my bedroom window when I was a child, at night, after my parents ordered, "Lights out!" I've always enjoyed reading, have a love for words, have a superb grasp of the English language (I guess that's why I make such a good freelance editor!), and kept journals (diaries) for most of my life. Writing is just something I love doing, and I think I love writing because I love reading so much. 
We know you had some tragic and abusive experiences in your own life; how does writing help you to process and heal?
 Writing has always helped me to organize my thoughts and emotions. Dealing with the complete and utter devastation I experienced as a teenager was not easy for me. Many years passed before I told anyone that I was raped. When I sought counselling, I learned a few coping methods - including writing - but somehow writing was always the thing that comforted me the most, as I had been writing all along. The fact that I can create beautiful things from mere words - like the poem that's included in Risky Issues - provides me with a sense of accomplishment and worthiness that I didn't have as a teenager. Plus, knowing that my words can touch and help others offers me a sense of happiness and peace.

Give us a brief rundown of your self-publishing process. What steps did you take? Who helped you to reach this milestone?
Wow. I don't know that I can be brief here, Melissa! First of all, my "process" involved learning about the existence of self-publishing - mainly from you, when you revealed all!Once I found out about it, I then:
*asked my blog readers if they would like to read some short stories ("Yes, bring them on!")
*bought Word 2013 for my laptop
*typed in my short stories
*found beta readers (including you)
*edited my stories using their feedback
*sought guidance from Sue and Joel Caulfield about where and how to publish my book (not that I didn't trust you, but I wanted to be sure that the information I was receiving was sound)
*kept doing my research and read a ton of blog posts about self-publishing until I was convinced it was something I'd like to try
*tried to get a cover created - and went through a few designers
*finally found one to create one for a reasonable fee
*applied for an ISBN (free for me, because I live in Canada and am Canadian)
*tried to format my manuscript for Amazon 
*sought help in an indie author Facebook group
*received formatting assistance from Rich Meyer, who put the finishing touches on it
*uploaded it to Amazon
*realized there was one tiny error, tried to fix it and did, then uploaded a new file *wondered if I needed a new ISBN number because it was a new file (YES)
*added my poem to the ebook in such a way that I didn't have to mess around with more formatting
*obtained a new ISBN for it, added it to the file, and then uploaded it to Amazon for the third and final time I also added it to Goodreads and have plans to add it to Smashwords once it's formatted for them (the formatting is different there).
Now that you've been through this process, what advice would you give other writers who are looking to self-publish?
*Join indie author groups and interact with as many indies as possible!
*Follow my blog(s) because I will be relating my experiences so that I can help others!
*Don't be afraid to ask questions. Indies are helpful and share their knowledge quite freely!
*Do your research.
*Find beta readers you can trust to be honest and critical of your writing.
*Realize that this will take a ton of time. Don't expect things to happen quickly.
*Start a blog if you don't have one already. 
*Get on social media. Engage, engage, engage! You will need them to help you spread the word about your books when they're published!
*Make sure your book is perfect before uploading to Amazon. It's a pain to change things after the fact.
*Don't get discouraged. Believe in yourself. Hire someone to help you if you need it.
*Realize that all good things take time. (Yes, I know I said this already. I want to make sure others realize I'm not kidding.)
*Use one of my secrets to kick-starting your writing success! (Both are free.) 
What's next in your writing career? 
A vacation! (I wish.)Seriously? Promoting my book - which will also take many people and a ton of time.I'm also working on two other writing projects: an autobiographical memoir and a collection of letters written to my son. Letters to Julian  is scheduled to be released in December. I also have plans to write and publish different works of fiction, including a suspense novel and an erotica novella or two. Who knows how long that will take, though?!
Anything else you want to add?
 Yes! Thank you so much for being a mentor to me for the last twelve months or so. You've been a huge support, a wonderful friend, a fountain of information, and a shiny guiding light who has helped inspire me to go after my dreams. I want you to know that I appreciate ALL you've done and shared with me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you very much. Also, I'd love it if readers visited my new author site, Lorraine Reguly: Laying It Out There or subscribed to my Author Newsletter, gave my author page a "Like" on Facebook (and did the same thing with my writing and editing services page!), followed me on Twitter, connected with me on Google+ (on either my regular profile or my author page), became a fan on Goodreads, followed some of my Pinterest boards, or told me to take a "chill pill" because I sound like I'm begging to connect with others. ;) Oh yeah, one last thing. Buy Risky Issues today! 
Thanks, Lorraine, both for stopping by and for sharing your hard-won experience and perspective with us. We hope the book becomes a best-seller and carries your important message out into the world. 

Upcoming Appearances

I'm excited about taking my new book, Fleischerhaus, out into the world, and in July I will be doing just that. 

On July 2, 2014, I will be appearing (again!) on The Morning Scramble, Prescott AZTV Channel 7, at 8:30am to talk about my book. My host, Sandy Moss, always asks the best questions and we have a great time chatting. If you're in the broadcast area, I'd love to have you tune in.

Then on July 12, 2014, I will be holding a book signing at the Crystal Lattice Gift Shop at 545 S. Main, Camp Verde, AZ, from 10am to 12:30pm.I will be discussing the new book and will have all my books available for sale and signing. There will be raffles, prizes and snacks, so I hope you'll stop by and join in the fun. 

Lucky 13!

So Friday the 13th is coming up and I thought this was a perfect time to launch my new book, Fleischerhaus , which is my 13th book. This is my 12th novel, plus I have that 1 non-fiction that keeps rising to the top of the heap, but I will always be, first and foremost, a novelist. The stories just keep knocking on my brain and the only way to deal with them is to write them down.



Fleischerhaus is a story based on reincarnation and past lives (like Queen's Gold) but instead of involving ancient history, it revolves around very recent history: the Holocaust. Here's the blurb:

Julia Martin, newly-divorced but still reeling from her husband’s infidelity, takes a much needed vacation to visit old college friends in Germany. While touring a little-known concentration camp and museum, she spontaneously experiences a violent past life memory of being murdered in this very camp during the Holocaust. Efforts to understand her memories only lead to more questions, the largest being: is her killer still alive? Supported by her friends and comforted in the arms of a handsome doctor, Julia attempts to uncover the mysteries of her past life and find justice for the person she used to be.

As with most of my books, I have a hard time pigeon-holing them in the typical genre classifications. This one seems to range over multiple genres, from paranormal to mystery to romance to suspense. It certainly has elements of all of those. And it's already getting some great reviews:

Thoroughly enjoyed this book...immediately caught my interest, and I couldn't put it down!! -- TRB

This is a just another one of Melissa's great writings. ...One can feel the reality in it. She never gives any clue to the way it will end right up to that end, making it an excellent read. -- LP

I hope if it sounds interesting that you'll take a look. I'm happy to have my lucky # 13 take its place beside all my other books!

Memorial Day - Time to Remember Fallen Heroes

Memorial Day is coming up, a day set aside specifically to remember those who served our country and gave of themselves in ways we often cannot even imagine. It's a day to remember the worst of times our nation has faced and the best actions of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. These days we have an entire generation growing up thinking that a dropped call is a tragedy, that waiting five seconds for a web page to load is pure anguish. Memorial Day is a day to remember what real challenge, real tragedy, real heroism and real inspiration are. 

In honor of this day, I'm discounting my book Marcia Gates: Angel of Bataan to 99 cents today through Memorial Day. This is the award-winning true story of a courageous Army nurse and prisoner-of-war, captured on Corregidor by the Japanese. It's a little-known story of the nurses who served and suffered alongside the soldiers they vowed to support. It's a surprising story of struggle, perseverance and hope, all the more inspiring because it's all true. 

The book is also available as an audio book, which brings a whole  new dimension to the story. If you spend a lot of time commuting or if you're going to be headed out for a summer vacation road trip soon, this audio book is the perfect companion for the road. 
And finally, if you're in Arizona, I will be talking about the book on May 22 on the Morning Scramble on AZTV-Prescott (channel 7) at 8:30am. If you're within the broadcast area, I hope you'll tune in.