Jennifer Malone Wright's Blog, page 20

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Author Interview with Paul Lewis

Meet Paul Lewis, author of the Immortal Series...
Paul lives in Hazard, Kentucky.Lewis currently has the first two novels in the immortal series published through Blackwrym publishing. Lewis's books weave a story or vikings,vampires, and werewolves. He is currently working on the final book in the triology. He also is currently working on a new novel titled "Whispering Falls, he hopes to have it completed by winter." Currently he is a full time student only a few classes away from obtaining his IT degree. He spends the remainder of his time with his family. His wife of tweleve years whom without her his books would have never saw the light the of day. She pushed him to continue writing. He has two beautiful daughters, they are still young but are already showing signs of loving the horror genre as thier father does. For more info you can go to his website www.immortalbookseries.com The site is still under construction.

Now on the to the big question, where you can find Lewis's books. They are located at any bookstore and online on such sites as www.amazon.com, www.booksamillion.com and many more also through the publisher site www.blackwrym.com . There is also the ebook versions through amazon and smashwords, ready to download Now onto the interview...

1. When did you start writing?

I have been writing on and off since I was eleven. Writing helped me to deal with the overwhelming emotions of losing a parent at a young age.

2. What inspired you to do it?

There are so many things that inspire me but the love of all things horror pushed me to continue. Reading and watching tons of horror, the 80s horror genre is one of my guilty pleasures. Most movies and books of today many of the characters have no origins, they just show up and start terrorizing the locals. This is one my main reason for my writings and having something to say.

3. Do you find that it is hard to get people excited about what you do?

I find that once people find out about my work they are excited to get their hands on it. I know it is due to the passion I have for what I write. It comes through when I speak about it.

4. What projects have you done?

Currently I have two books published through Blackwyrm Publishing. They are titled Immortal Betrayal and Immortal Burden. They are the first two books in the trilogy series.

5. Any new projects coming up?

Yes, I have Immortal Vengeance, which is close to being completed and new book titled Whispering Falls that will dive into a small town with an old curse on a unlucky family.

6. What is your opinion on people who post bad reviews?

My thoughts on bad reviews vary. It depends on if it constructive or just someone with nothing better to do than slam someone's work. One of the first things a writer needs to figure out is they cannot please everyone. All you can do is take what was said and use it to try harder and make your work that much better.

7. What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?

Lots of research and do not be afraid to ask for help from another author because more than likely they have been where you are. Most authors I have come into contact with are more than willing to try to help another author.

8. Have you made any mistakes along the way...for example, do you want to share anything be it a publishing company/agency that people should avoid?

Let's just say be careful before signing a contract. Do not be afraid to shop around if your work is good enough to be picked up by one publisher it will catch the eye of another and don't be afraid to ask questions all they can say is no.

9. What are your habits when you sit down to create? Do you have to be in a certain room? outside?

I grab the laptop put in my ear buds and let the world melt away. Music helps me pull emotion. I prefer heavier sounds, everything from Disturbed, Incubus to even yes country.

10. What steps have you taken to succeed?

Talk to anyone who will listen. Don't be discouraged if you publish your work and the next day you're not a bestseller. It takes time to build a fan base with many ups and downs along the way.

11. Anything exciting coming up in the near future?

Gearing up for the spring getting ready to do signing tours, not certain where all I will be visiting but you can keep a check on my site for details. If you want me to come to your area leave a message on the site.

12. What has been the hardest thing during the process of creating your art?

Believe it or not the hardest thing in the process for me is talking to large groups of people. I am shy by nature the first couple times I spoke in public it was hard for me to speak without stuttering.

13. Give us a sample of your work.

I will give my favorite quote from my books.

"Being an immortal does not change who you are only what you are capable of."

14. How do you build your character world?

I sometimes base them on real places but more often I remember it is my universe so everything does not have to based in reality.

15. Do you like vampires who sparkle or bite?

I prefer vampires that bite, how much of a vampire can they be with no fangs.

16. Favorite book.

Anything by Jack Ketchum and John Gideon.
Thank you for joining us on the blog today, Paul!

Find Paul on his website, or on Amazon.

Author Interview with Rue Volley

I'm pleased to have Rue Volley as the first of many author interviews on this blog.

Rue Volley is the author of several books and one of the biggest supporters of the art's that I know. I can honestly say she is one lady I'm very proud to know.

Now let's get to the interview to see what she's all about.
Also, there is an excerpt from one of her books....
*When did you start writing?

I started writing two years ago. I guess I was a late bloomer, seeing that I had just turned 40. Since then I have written 13 books, 7 novels and 6 shorts. I also am a literary coach, a photographer and  the proud ring leader of a magazine, a radio program and the Volley View circus on facebook. Writing is my passion and art is my muse.

*What projects have you done?

I have written 6 novels in the "Blood & Light Vampire series" 3 books in the "Razor Saga", book one in the "vampire fetish series" called "One Bite",  book one in the "witches tale" series titled "Stuff & Things and what boredom brings", and a short called "Birth of a vampire" that is in an anthology called "Red Wine" on Vamptasy Publishing. I have also edited and coached Sydney Nichols as she wrote "War Inside me" which just released and I am currently writing three books, one is a short erotic called "Double gun dealer" which will be part of an anthology this summer, book two in "witches tale" series called "This & That and what killed the cat" and  the 2nd book in the "vampire fetish series" and follow up to "One Bite". Other than that I have done many photo-shoots not only with my models for my book series, but for book trailers for other authors such as S.J. Davis for her book "Invisible Sun".  I also build and host websites; run a magazine online called Rue View and a radio station called RV Radio, both of which are dedicated to art in all mediums. I also design all of my book covers and have shot and edited photos for other covers, such as Elizabeth White Lance's book "Soul Mates Scent", which can also be found on amazon.com. If that is not enough…I  also shoot all the jewelry for a jewelry company by the name of "Resinating you" and I am trying to make my own but do not ever expect to make any as cool as Shannon Morgan , the owner of Resinating You, does now.

* Any new projects coming up?

Currently I am writing three books that I mentioned and I am finalizing schedules and a screen play for my live action commercial for the "Blood & Light Vampire Series". Shooting starts March 18th and continues periodically until we have everything needed to edit down into a minute spot for Television. My hopes with this is to create a beautiful visual for fans of the series and hopefully gain more, as well as shop the series to the networks and hopefully get it on air either in series form on cable or a regular network. My vision was never small with that series of books and I have every intention of getting it to the next level.

*What is your opinion on people who post bad reviews?

People do what they do. Karma always finds them. lol

 *Are you an independent artist or are you represented by an agency?

I am signed to Vamptasy Publishing in the U.K. I was self-published in 2010 and got signed to Vamptasy in 2011. I am grateful and the owner of Vamptasy…Nicola Ormerod is an angel from heaven and has done amazing things for me. You can check out me and  my publishing family on Vamptasy at vamptasypublishing.co.uk

* Anything you would like to share with readers on a personal note that would allow them to get to know you better?

I am a lover of art in all forms, I have a drive that scares even me some days. I also love making furniture and Sunday dinner. I am addicted to movies, mainly sci fi and anime and I have 6 Katana's by my bed and know how to use them.

* What are your habits when you sit down to create? Do you have to be in a certain room? outside? Are you naked? Lol

I am naked as often as I can be. My habits include listening to music and sitting on my couch when I write. My dogs curl up next to me and I write my heart out. I write anytime of the day when my muse calls out to me, sometimes churning out 30 pages in a day.

 *Do movies inspire you and if so, which ones?

I am a movie junkie. Inspiration has come from Lord of the Rings, Constantine, Blade, Warriors Way, Harry Potter, Sunshine, Event Horizon, The Shining, a mass amount of martial arts films, The Hunger, 300 (for a cold shower lol), and many, many more that could fill up the page.

* 5 words that perfectly describe you.

Love with an open heart.

* Give us a sample of your work.

This is the first few pages of my newest book "Stuff & Things and what boredom brings" a witches tale. Chapter one "The Pack" It can be found at amazon.com, vamptasypublishing.co.uk and smashwords.com, hope you enjoy it as I enjoyed writing it…

For a hundred years no one talked about it…all the people, mainly women, who had mysteriously disappeared in this picture perfect town nestled in between lush rolling hills and a lake that stretched out like the sea itself. No one wanted to remember that at one time the ignorance of not knowing was what fueled the mob, and a mob it was, when provoked by bible thumpers and boredom. In the 1700's, witches were an endangered species, hunted and feared and secretly loved by men, unbeknownst to their plump wives who baked bread in the oven and babies in their belly's. Witches often came up missing. This town never stooped to the level of the eastern villages, who just scooped them up out of bed, kicking and screaming and drug them to their inevitable doom. Nope, not here. This town liked to just make them go "poof", almost as if they had conjured up a spell of their own, oddly enough making themselves more the true witch than the women who suffered their wrath.

 This all may sound spooky, but it is my history. You see my name, although it may seem normal to you, is far from it. I was named after my Great, great…and yet another great Grandmother, by the name of Alexandria Elizabeth Carvelle and that is my curse…you see she was a witch, as were the women before her in my family and all after…except when it came to me. I fail in such a majorly historic way that it annoys me, but perhaps that is a good thing….who knows. My Grandmother escaped the wrath of all the paranoia, and in turn my bloodline survived, the only one that I know of, and that is where I have to say that I wished I had known her…because she obviously rocked, or better yet, rocked the founder of this town…as he loved her more than his wife or all the

spooktastic rhetoric. So thanks go out to the cheater, and my GGG-ma. She knew how to work it, and there again I fail. Big freakin' surprise. So because I am so not like her, I don't go by Alexandria…I go by Alexi, and I am okay with that I guess. I wanted to be called Alex, cause I am so not girlie, but my Mother refused to let me and called me Alexi for short, unless I made her mad, in that case she called me by my full name…the whole long and heavy one but hey, "Alexi" saves space on the paper….and

was a breeze to learn how to spell in grade school, making me look like the genius that I am not.

My Mom just moved on. When I say "moved on" I mean up and died. She was sick, not really something that we talked about, but ya know, we just rolled along not talking about it, like if we didn't do that, maybe…just maybe, it would go away. But the sickness did not and it finally took her with it in the spring, right when all the flowers were blooming and the inevitable change happened in the world. I know some people would be freaking out and yet I have not…not yet anyway. I feel her, I really do…I'm not going to tell anyone though. It's not a supernatural ghosty thing, it's a comfort, but I know someday, someplace I will feel the weight of it all and that is the thing that I dread mostly I guess. It's not how quiet my Dad is, or all the sorrowful looks I get from people that I really don't know here…it's the internal hoopty that haunts me now. I am a ticking time bomb, a failure on the witch front and I can't seem to get interested in much of anything, well…except for leaving. I really want to, leave that is. Just pack my bags and leave this small town behind, but I can't. I am tied to this place, like someone wrapped me up in a blanket and decided to spook the devil out of me, like those freaks                                                                                                                                                                                   

that think that really works…killing kids in the process. Thank God, or whoever looks over everything, my parents don't prescribe to that kind of crap. I think some here in this town do though, and that is the underlying current of uneasy that I have always felt. But…I come from a long line of the witchy kind, and just like the Alexandria before me, I tend to give the finger to stupidity….and so, I stay and for that I continue my family's legacy for just being a pain in the ass.

                            ********************

I stopped in the street and looked up at the sign. It read "Stuff & Things" and I shook my head, feeling a little aggravated that even to this day, the sign company had not fixed it and added the rest of the title that my Mom had wanted. The sign was supposed to read…

"Stuff & Things and what boredom brings…"

That is what Mom wanted when she opened the store up, but the idiots at the sign company had mucked it up and added "and what you want."

I mean…really? How the hell can you get that wrong? "And what you want" is just stupid, on such a deep level…I have nothing to say about it.

        I stepped in, as I do every morning on my way to school and looked around, that made me feel better. Although the sign idiots had mucked up my Mom's storefront, they could not muck up the store itself. I grinned as I smelled the incense burning and whatever candles my Dad had decided to lure people in with today and scanned the room. This store looks like my Mom. She was kind of eclectic; me, not so much…but I loved it just the same. I mean, I should. I have been in this store since I                                                                                                                                   

was 2. And now that I am rounding 16 I still feel the same about it. We carry everything in here…well; by "everything" I mean antiques, books, candles, incense, crystals, homemade candies and pretty much anything else that would make you feel cool. Witchy stuff. The store has never been brightly lit, my Mom hated that…so do I. Florescent lighting makes me feel like the life is being sucked out of me. I told my Mom that when I started Kindergarten and tried to make a case against going to school altogether…didn't work. She said that I needed to meet new people, and learn. I really haven't done either though. I have learned more from books and listening to both my Mom and Dad, then anything the school here in "Ravenswood" could teach me.

        "Ravenswood"…yep. That is the name of this off the map town, I like it…I think the towns council has fought about it for years though, wanting to change it to "Bunnyhop" or "Smileytown" or something just as ridiculous, but nope…we are and will forever be Ravenswood, and it's fitting because we are surrounded not only by hills, but lush forests that house all the blackbirds in the world. Probably a left over F you from all the witches they killed here…who knows.

"Why hello Alexi…you decide to get up finally?"

I looked up at my Dad, after I stopped petting our stuffed blackbird by the front door and smiled.

"Didn't really want too."

"I feel you, I ran a little behind too." My Dad said as he looked back at his morning paper and glanced through yet another non news filled page.                                                                                           

"Oh!" My Dad said and I walked towards him and placed my black bag on the counter. I popped up onto it and scooted back to see what he was actually "oh'ing" about.

"Well, it looks as if the town council is calling a meeting…to decide if we should put a fountain in the middle of the square here."

"Mmm…that is just earthshattering." I said.

My Dad looked up and grinned at me.

"Now Alexi, we should pay attention to what these people are doing, we do live here." He said to me as he tapped me on the head with the edge of the newspaper.

"Well…then I am super stoked that we may get a fountain, but I would assume that it will take them 5 years just to decide when to vote on it." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"Optimism is a virtue." He said as he laughed.

"Then I am devoid of virtue I would guess." I said as I popped down and grabbed a licorice stick. I took a big bite of it and chewed, smiling as I did it with an open mouth.

"Gross." My Dad said.

"Just practicing to land me a boy." I said.

"Uh huh." He said as he snapped the paper and continued to read.

The bell went off at the door and I looked up at it. That bell. I remember when Mom had found it while we travelled to look for new goodies to fill the store with and I will never forget the smirk that came across her face when she did. That was a good day, one of her best before sickness started to keep her in bed more days than not. The reason that day was so                                                                                                                                         

funny is because she also had found that stuffed black bird. My Dad laughed when she came running out with it and I had too.

"I am putting this at the front door in the store." She had said. Neither one of us fought her on it, there was no fighting to be had. My Mom was the type who did what she wanted and even if we had any opinion on it she would have come up with a big elaborate reason as to why we were

wrong…so we drove home that sunny day, them in the front seat and me holding that damn dead bird that smelled like…for a lack of a better word…ass. I looked at it and it looked at me and it was then that I decided that it was probably the only pet I would have, since they had fought me on having one that actually poo'd and had to eat.

        Ms. Lilah Hatcher stepped into the store…a woman who had flirted with my Dad for years and she stopped and mumbled something as she looked at the blackbird and then recomposed herself and a smile came across her face. I glanced at her and took another big bite of my licorice stick and continued to eat like a cow.

"Oh! Hello Christopher!" she said as she walked towards the counter and I raised my eyebrows. My Dad laid his paper down and smiled at her. His fake one, not the one that I knew was the real one. Why he tolerates her, I do not know.

"Lilah…and how are we doing today?" he asked her.

I wish that he would just call her Miss. Hatcher, and not "Lilah"…makes it sound like they are friends, and they are not.

"Good…" she glanced back at the door and looked at the blackbird.

"Christopher…is that beast always going to be at the door to greet me?"

My Dad laughed and looked up at the bird.                                                                                                                                       

"I will tell you that he feels happy when you visit us Lilah, I wish that you could hear what he says about you when you leave."

I laughed and started to open my mouth and my Dad glanced at me, I closed my mouth and bit into my licorice…deciding that what I had to say may not be as nice.

"Well, perhaps someday you will put it away." She said as she looked around the shop.

"Doubt it." I said.

She ignored me as usual. She doesn't like me I am sure. I know at the age of 4 I called her "fat" when she tried to pinch my cheeks and although my Mom laughed and my Dad did too, that was the lasting impression that Lilah Hatcher had of me, and she would never forget it. I found myself staring at her slightly chunky legs and my Dad cleared his throat and I looked up at him.

"School?" he asked me.

I picked up my bag and ran around the counter. I kissed him quickly on the cheek and shot a "screw you chunky monkey" at Lilah and headed towards the door. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the plumper kind, just Lilah. She has always bothered me and now that Mom is gone the thought of her catching my Dad on a bad day and getting a "date" just makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

"Have a wonderful day Alexandria." She said.

I stopped and hunched my shoulders and turned back on one foot.

"It's "Alexi"." I said.

"Oh okay." She said as she laughed and turned back to my Dad, leaning towards him on the counter.                                                                                                                                        

I sighed and ran out…no need to battle. I mean, she wouldn't get it anyway…I would probably run circles around her in the debate ring and then I would just get bored and my Dad would laugh…with his inside voice. Oh well…

        I walked down the sidewalk and glanced up at a sign that read "Future site of the Ravenswood Community Fountain" and I shook my head and kept going. This town loves to announce things that will probably never happen, but it makes them feel like they are being productive. Guess they can have their fun. I kept walking and then he came out of nowhere…my best friend of sorts, or no…Logan Stewart is my best friend. He has been forever. I guess you could call him a girls best friend. Logan likes to shop, or so he says. He likes movies and books and he likes me. Why, I have no idea. I slapped him so hard when we were three, in the sandbox… I knocked his loose tooth out and then he just wouldn't go away. I don't even remember why I hit him…oh wait! It was because he tried to hug me. I still feel kind of bad about that one, so I guess that left over "I'm an asshole" feeling just kept me talking to him, well…that and the fact that he is awesome. He is smart, cute as cute gets and he is as sarcastic as me, which makes me laugh and like him more. I know some people in town think that we have a "thing", but we don't. I never got that from him and he never gets it from me.

"Alexi…you have to see this." Logan said as he pulled the paper out and flipped it open, walking backwards in front of me and making me focus in on an article that my Dad didn't even mention.

"And what do we have here?" I said as I snatched it from his hands and looked at it.                                                                                         

"New people." Logan said as he glanced around and I laughed, lowering the paper and tilting my head.

"Oh My GOD." I said, in a half whisper to add to the ridiculous nature of his excitement.

"I know…right?" he said all stealthy, looking around like a kitty with a bird in his mouth.

"Well…look here." He said as he grabbed the paper from me and I smiled at him. I really do not remember the last time he looked this excited about something…except maybe when we finally got an actual Theater here and got to "go" to the movies.

"The Huntington Family decided to move to a slower pace town, partly due to the fact that they had lived in the large city of New York for most of the family's history." Logan looked up at me, like that was something.

"Oh boy." I said, not knowing what else to say.

He looked back at the paper and kept going, I must have sounded convincing in my interest.

"Mr. Huntington owns many saw mills, in fact the family holds the largest amount of sawing companies across the United States."

I nodded and he bumped my shoulder.

"Yes…wood…fascinating." I said.

"Oh please." Logan said as he laughed and continued to read.

"The Huntington's have purchased The Grubers old property, all 150 acres of it as well as the house and plan on renovating it, adding a garden and other things that will surely beautify our already visually appealing surroundings."

"The Gruber house huh? That is a test of will."

"No doubt! That place needs like major help in the pretty department." Logan said as he looked back at the paper.

"It's also haunted." I said as I pulled out more licorice and handed him one. Logan placed it in his mouth and let it hang out as he looked at me.

"True…very spooky." He said.

I laughed, had too. He was so into this and the look on his face made me.

"Mr. Charles Huntington has brought along his family…that of his wife Camille and their only son….Kyle."

"Oh…new boy, huh?" I asked him.

Logan looked at me and smiled.

"Look." he said as he placed the paper to close to my face and I pushed it back as I laughed and looked at the grainy black and white photo. I focused in on the boy and then looked at Logan.

"He looks human." I said as I smiled.

Logan laughed.

"He is 16…that means we will be in class together." Logan said.

"Fantastic…a rich 16 year old boy who…" I looked back at the picture. "Cannot smile, he looks like he is sad."

"You think so?" Logan asked as he looked at the picture too.

"I don't know, and I don't plan on knowing." I said.

"Oh! Come on!...this is an opportunity, a new kid…we could snatch him up and make him part of our pack."

I laughed and looked at Logan as I shook my head.

"Pack? You make us sound like animals."

"Well…we all are an animal that is…we come from monkeys."                                                                                          

"Oh that…okay." I said as I started to walk a little faster. I know the bell is going to ring and once again we are going to be late. This whole "slow me down" with useless chatter happens every single morning between us and it makes us late, which I am sure just pisses Mr. Klepky off as we run in giggling, looking for our seats. I stopped at the steps of school and looked up at it. I really cannot wait until I no longer have to go here. It is so boring and filled with clone copies of all the non-creative people that live here. In fact it is filled with kids who think they have to worry about what shoes they wear and what the new trend should be. You would think that out here, away from city stuff, we would not have that…but no. The worry of what other people think is pretty much running ramped in every town I

would think by now. All thanks to cable and non-music channels that call themselves the "music" hub. Anyway I looked at Logan and smiled.

"Can we be on time…just once?" I asked him.

"That is no fun." He said as I ran from him and tried my best to cross the line as the bell once again went off over my head and I sighed.

 *Any websites you would like to share?

Ruevolley.com My website.

Vamptasypublishing.co.uk My Publishing Company.

Rueview.moonfruit.com The Online Magazine.

* Are you a dirty or clean writer?

I am "dirty" in a few ways. One , I also write very erotic stories as well as just adult and I write free style and use conversation and do not over describe anything because it is just not my style although I appreciate it in others. I am not perfect and never expect to be in my writing, but what you will see with me is that I write as I talk and from my heart and if you appreciate feeling like you are sitting in the room with me and my characters, then I am your girl.

* First kiss....passionate or awkward?

My first kiss was at church camp with a girl and it rocked my world.

* Do you like vampires who sparkle or bite?

If that vamp is not biting me in all the right places I am stabbing him or her in the heart with a stake…just sayin'.

Find Rue Volley

Website
Facebook
Vamptasy
Her books on Amazon

The Importance of Leaving a Review

Today I want to talk about the importance of leaving a review. This actually applies to everything, not just books. You can leave a review for the new coffee maker you just bought and love or the movie you watched and it totally sucked. You can review the shampoo that turned your hair orange after one use or the shoes that helped relieve your back pain.

See, it doesn't always have to be books that are reviewed, but...well, as an author, of course I'm focusing on books. My point here is that people do read reviews and do base their purchases on them. I looked up reviews before we bought our new television and I always look up reviews on anything electronic that we purchase.

People read these reviews to see if people like the product or if they don't. A review does not always have to be a good review. Now, that being said... if you are going to leave a bad review just remember, with books, that you can leave a bad review without totally bashing the author. The point of reviews is to let them know what you think and that can be done with tact, a lot of the bad reviews I've seen that were bashing only made the reviewer look bad, not the book.

Now! If you are an author and you get a bad review do not respond to it, unless it is to kindly thank the reviewer for reading your book.

As a reader, I try to review everything I read. I have a really hard time leaving any kind of review if it isn't a good one, but I make myself write up a little something. If I know I can't say anything positive about the book I normally just don't leave a review. But, I've been learning that I can say positive things to encourage the author even if the review isn't great.

I really think that if you don't like a book, you need to leave a review stating why. If the book could have used some editing, write that down, if the book needs to be re formatted, then write that, if the story just didn't grab your attention, then write that. Sometimes an author is not aware of any issues with their book and won't know unless someone says something. Just remember...be tactful. Authors are people, and almost every one of them has poured their heart and soul into their writing. This is the biggest difference between leaving a review for a book and a review for a coffee maker. Ya know.

On that same note, if you liked anything about it then write that! Even just a short sentence saying something like. "I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book, but I did, and I'm so glad I picked it up." Seriously, it only takes a few minutes and will really help other readers, as well as the author.

Reviews are important.

This post was brought on by me realizing that most of your average readers probably don't know how important is is to leave reviews. Also, I think when authors ask people to leave a review that readers think we are asking for good ones. Noooooo, we want any reviews, as long as they are reviews! (Except the bashing ones...and we all get those eventually)

So, bottom line is, leave reviews, be tactful and let us know what you think.

PS. The pic above is Storytime Book Reviews. It is linked to my book blog. I started it because I wanted a place to compile all of my book reviews.

Live~Work~Write

I know, I know... I'm a horrible blog updater!  I keep saying I'm going to try and update it more often, but I think I'm just going to quit saying that because I'm terrible at it.

Well, I've been up to a lot lately. First of all, I've pulled my oldest daughter out of school and am home schooling her, this means less time to work and write. But, the long term effects of her being home schooled are going to be worth it.

Second, I've been working on what you see to the left there, it's a guide to self-publishing and Marketing. I am hoping this will be available as an ebook very soon, so keep your eyes peeled. If you're a writer you are going to want this helpful guide.

I'm finishing up The Vampire Hunter's Daughter Part Five right now. Ok, fans, this one looks like it's going to be twice as long as part four so you will get more for your money out of it! I'm hoping for that to be available by late next month, but it will depend on a lot of factors.

Notes from the home front: My husband and I just celebrated our eleventh anniversary! I cannot believe I've been married that long! That was yesterday, this morning my hubby is leaving for a work thing for several weeks, so I'll be on my own with the kids again. Because I'll be by myself with five kids it might hinder my writing time even more. So, please have patience with me about TVHD  part five coming out.

If you hadn't heard, The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: part one is FREE!! on Kindle, Smash and B&N. So if you haven't read that you can now download it for free.

Also, The Birth of Jaiden has been lowered to 99 cents on Kindle and Smashwords, while I work on revisions in the manuscript.

Don't forget about The Vampire Hunter's Daughter Collector's Edition, which is your best deal for purchasing. Part one is free, but if you get the Collector's Edition it is still cheaper than buying part one and two separately. It is $1.75.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day last week...

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part IV is now available!

Well, it's finally here. The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part IV is now available on Kindle and Smashwords.

Get a Free Copy of The Vampire Hunter's Daughter! Merry Christmas!

From now until December 31st I'm going to continue to give out The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part I for FREE, via smashwords coupon.

Go to this link, and use code UW56N when you check out!

Don't forget that The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part III is available now and I'm hoping that very shortly, part IV will be available. I got to see a sneak peek at the cover last night and I think you are all really going to like it!

So, go get your free copy if you don't already have it and spread the word!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part III is Available!

It's finally here! The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Part III
You can pick it up on Amazon or Smashwords and be sure to add it on Good Reads.

Here is the description:
In the third installment of The Vampire Hunter's Daughter, Chloe Kallistrate's first Christmas without her mother is difficult. As part of the grieving process she visits her mother's grave for the first time and there, she is visited by Sostrate, the immortal demi-god from whom she is descended.

As she comes of age, Chloe is changing and developing the gifts unique to her heritage. She discovers a new power she must learn to use and control, as if being a teenager wasn't difficult enough. During this emotionally chaotic time in her life, the community is attacked, her grandfather injured and hunters are killed. After almost losing her only remaining family, Chloe questions whether her continued presence in the community will sacrifice everyone she has come to care about.

Also, visit the Facebook page and give it a like for a chance to win all three stories in the series when the fan page hits 650 likes!

Thanksgiving/Black Friday Special on My Books

So, for Thanksgiving/Black Friday I'm going to have a special on my books. It will start today Wed the 23rd and end on Friday night at 11:59pm.

The Special is this...Purchase a copy of The Birth of Jaiden in any format (2.99 ebook and 13.50 print) you will get parts 1 and 2 of my short story series The Vampire Hunter's Daughter for free. These short stories are available in ebook versions only and will be delivered via Smashwords coupon. You will also be entered to win a signed print copy at the end of the month.

All you have to do is make your purchase and forward your receipt to jennichad217 AT gmail Dot com
Easy right! And not a bad deal either!

Spread the word!
Here are the links for purchasing The Birth of Jaiden
Amazon
Smashwords
B&N

Have a happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

NaNoWriMo Day 13 and Other Stuff

My progress for NaNoWriMo is not so good. It's not terrible, but not very good either. I was doing ok until I got sick for a couple of days, resulting in my falling behind. Right now I'm sitting at 15,474 words. By the end of today I'm supposed to be at 21,667. Catching up is doable and I will continue to write.

I have read a few facebook posts recently of people who have finished their 50,000 words already. Congrats to you all!

Other stuff:
A lot of people are asking about my progress for The Vampire Hunter's Daughter series and the release of Part 3. I will have part 3 released as soon as the editing is perfect. My editor is in the hospital with health issues so we all must be patient. I am currently about a quarter of the way done with the rough draft of part 5, so hopefully the next parts will come quicker after the release of part 3.

I have also been doing articles again here and there. If you want to check out my Yahoo Contributor Profile then click the link.

Also, if you didn't know...I have a book review blog and there are several good books on there you should check out. Click here Storytime Book Reviews.