Meredith Allard's Blog, page 43
March 16, 2012
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop
Welcome to the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway! This hop runs from March 17 to March 22. Thanks to I Am a Reader, Not a Writer, Books Complete Me, and Author Cindy Thomas for hosting.
I have three e-copies of Her Dear & Loving Husband to give away as well as three paperback copies. If you're not familiar with the story, check here. There's also a $10 gift certificate to either Amazon.com or BN.com (your choice) for one lucky winner.
You must be a follower of this blog to enter. You can gain extra entries with the following:
Following this blog +1
Follow me on Twitter +1
Like The Copperfield Review on Facebook +1
Friend me on Goodreads +1
The extra entry options are available on the right sidebar of this page. Then fill out the form below and you're entered!
[contact-form]
There are over 200 great websites involved in this hop. Check here to see what other wonderful items you can win.
Filed under: Giveaways Tagged: Author Cindy Thomas, Books Complete Me, Giveaways, Her Dear & Loving Husband, I am a Reader Not a Writer
March 15, 2012
An Interview With Author Dawne Dominique
Thank you so much for hosting me today, Meredith. It's such a pleasure to be here.
What books did you love as a child? Why?
Pippi Longstocking in the South Seas. It was a very old book, and I have no idea where I got it from. She was so adventurous…and STRONG! But more importantly, she didn't care what other people thought…and I loved those pigtails! I had about twenty hard cover Nancy Drews. Oh, to still have them today. *sigh*
Who are your favorite authors? How did they influence your writing?
My favorite authors are J.R. Tolkien and Anne Rice. Need I say more? : ) My husband turned me on to fantasy when I was about 16. It was a genre I'd never read before. To say the least, I was instantly hooked.
In the early 1980′s, I purchased an Anne Rice book—it was on sale and the title intrigued me: The Feast of All Saints. Anne's writing style mesmerized me.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why did you decide to write?
In grade school, I always wrote silly stories, but they were just for me, a way to escape reality. In high school, I wrote poetry for basically the same reason. My grade 12 teacher found some of the pieces I'd written in my notebook and suggested I submit them to the yearbook committee. She was amazed at how my mind worked, how vivid and real my writing was. And here I thought I was just an odd duck. She pushed me to continue.
When do you find time to write?
*chuckles* I work three days a week as a paralegal. My days off are spent creating cover art for several publishers and authors, but the night…the night is my time to write.
What are the joys of writing for you?
I'm not a conventional writer, nor have I been one to "follow the crowd". My writing is an extension of who I am. I write for me and it makes me happy. To share a part of myself with people who enjoy what I write is pure bliss. I can die tomorrow be totally content.
What are the obstacles of writing? How do you overcome them?
I think I speak for a great many authors, but it's writer's block. I've suffered through a few bad bouts, but I believe everything happens for a reason. When I get past the wall, I produce some of my best writing. If I can make it to the week before a full moon without driving myself completely insane, the moon usually crumples the barrier and my muse goes wild.
What is your favorite genre to read in? Write in? Why?
I read a lot of fantasy. I try not to read vampire/werewolf books, as I don't want any outside influences affecting my writing, but I attempt to incorporate a little bit of fantasy in all my novels. Once this series is done, I have a LOT of catching up to do.
How would you describe your writing style? How did you develop it?
I can't really answer that because my style is my own. I have been compared to Anne Rice, but I write as Dawné Dominique. There's no purple prose with this gal. Each character I write is different. They have to be.
What was the inspiration for your book?
I wanted to write a "unique" vampire series. Heaven knows the genre has been written and rewritten a hundred different ways. By blending religious undertones and fiction together, I'd hoped to create a series in which readers could relate and understand…and perhaps believe it was possible.
What were the challenges of writing your story? The joys?
Dark Diary was originally the originating novel to this series. It was my first submission to a publisher too, who picked it up immediately. I was floored and tickled pink and blue. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Just before my release date, things started happening. I immediately withdrew my submissions of Kindred and Crimson, but had to wait for my contract to expire before I could get Dark Diary back home. In the interim, I shelved the entire series for three years. I couldn't even look at it without crying, so I began writing another paranormal novel—one that was supposed to be a stand-alone. Halfway through the writing process, I realized it had to begin The First series. The challenges were trying to rewrite four full-length novels to coincide with Eden's Hell. Even though the experience left me scarred and still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, I learned so much from it. In that I'm very grateful for the experience and very glad it happened.
Do you do research for your writing? If so, how do you go about it (Internet, travel, etc.)?
I researched a lot for this series (and still do). I use the internet and libraries. Eden's Hell is based on the premises of Adam and Lillith, who was his first wife. I was raised Catholic and had no idea Adam had a mate before Eve. The research was a fascinating process. When I write, I want to ensure my facts are concise. Dark Diary was a little easier because it's situated here in my own Canadian city. Being a paralegal, research is second nature to me. I love it!
Tell us about your books.
How do I summarize five novels? Well, it's about how and why vampires came to be. It centralizes around characters who are the First of their race, and the forever battle between good and evil.
What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?
That patience is a virtue. Not everyone is going to like what I write, and I'm okay with that. As an author, I've had to grow thick skin. In this business it's a must.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Grow thicker skin…and never give up. Whatever obstacle is in your way, time and patience will alleviate it. Forge ahead and follow your dreams, your heart and your soul. It'll never steer you wrong.
What do you wish someone had told you about writing that you learned the hard way?
That sometimes less is more. Edits can hurt, but sometimes it must be done. : (
What is your next project?
I'm really trying to find time to write Hellhound Bound. It's about a paralegal who gets caught up in a murder trial she's working on. Hanna travels to a small town to interview an important witness in the case, who in turn tries to kill her. A hellhound shows up to take his target to hell, which coincidentally is the witness. When Hanna sees the monster, she realizes that the nightmares she'd suffered as a child were real.
Rhune has the worst job ever. He lives at his outdated gas station about 30 miles from anywhere during the day, but at night he delivers souls to hell. He's seen Hanna for years in her dreams…then she disappeared. Now he finds her all grown up and witnessing him devouring a human. Where the story goes from there, Hanna and Rhune will let me know. ☺
What are you reading now?
I'm not reading anything as I'm in full edits with Crimson Cries. When I'm editing my novels, I can't read.
Anything else you'd like your readers to know?
I find it so difficult to talk about myself. : ) For all you readers out there, if you're looking for a unique vampire series, take The First journey. You won't be disappointed.
Thank you again for having me here today, Meredith.
About the Books:
Eden's Hell, I: The First
In the beginning…
God created man and called him Adam, a fine specimen replicated in his own image. He then created woman to ease Adam's loneliness and named her Lillith. Unfortunately, God realized his mistake too late in giving woman free will, for she would rule her domain—not man.
When Lillith left Adam, God created another for his first-born son and gave her the name Eve and a kingdom called Eden, but by then it was too late, for he'd unleashed Hell into the world of man.
Dark Diary, II: The First
Daniella Rolfe, a seven-century old First vampire is unwittingly drawn together with a City of Winnipeg detective, who happens to be investigating a string of some rather bizarre serial murders. It doesn't take long for her to discover that this mere mortal man holds more power over her than any she's ever known.
And Aiden…he's only dreamed about women like Daniella.
Blood battles and broken vows are just the beginning of Daniella Rolfe's woes.
Kindred Blood, III: The First
There is nothing thicker—or stronger—than kindred blood.
Being married in Scotland sounds like the perfect romantic getaway, doesn't it? For Daniella Rolfe and Aiden Blackmore, the nightmare they'd left behind was just the beginning. When Aiden is kidnapped, Daniella will go to any lengths to ensure he's brought safely back to her, no matter the amount of blood to be shed. Together with Spencer Dalton, a private investigator she hired to help find Aiden, they begin to unravel more than they bargained for.
Broken vows are the least of Daniella's worries now.
*These books are erotic romance novels with strong sexual content*
About the Author:
Dawné Dominique is a multi-published author of paranormal romance and fantasy. Weaving tales of intrigue that include riveting characters and spellbinding plots, she takes great pleasure in immersing an unsuspecting reader into the worlds she created, refusing to let them go until that last page is read.
She embraces life with one simple rule:
"Everything in life happens for a reason, be it good or bad, and
it's because of this we learn to never take anything for granted."
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000501135339
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Bewitching Book Tours, Dawne Dominique, interviews, The First Series
March 8, 2012
An Interview With Author Joseph Devon
What books did you love as a child? Why?
I grew up with Doctor Seuss; those were the first books I ever read for myself. I think the draw there is self-evident if you're a fan. The fun rhymes and whimsical characters were, and still are, just a perfect match for kids. My first chapter books, I believe, were the original Hardy Boys adventures. They were hand-me-downs; they've been in my family for decades now and will be passed along to my nephews. They're great adventures and they do some major wish-fulfillment for young boys. I can see it now looking back. I mean these teenagers had access to helicopters, the ear of the chief of police, always got into adventures, and never had any parents around unless things really got dangerous, then they were always scooped out of trouble by their father. Sounds pretty perfect to me.
Do you do research for your writing? If so, how do you go about it (Internet, travel, etc.)?
I do a lot of research for my writing. For one, I'm constantly listening and looking around whenever I'm out. I try to train myself to treat everything as a chance for research, so I'll listen in on conversations around me or study faces or if possible I'll ask people how their job works or what they're day to day is like. I get a lot of good flavor that way for my writing. And then, if I have a large topic that I know I need to learn about, I'll just buy the biggest book about it I can and choke that down. I read a biography of Isaac Newton for Probability Angels that was probably the most boring thing I've ever read. But that's how I like my research, unfortunately. I just want dry, dusty facts, and then I'll take them and add color and spin. I don't want anyone else's spin on them before I get to them. Oh, and of course there's the Internet. I was writing a scene in a street in Frankfurt, and I've never been there, so I went to Google Maps and looked up Frankfurt and zoomed into street level and took a walking tour digitally. I mean that's an amazing tool.
What do you wish someone had told you about writing that you learned the hard way?
Nobody ever really talks about the second third of writing a book. Or maybe they do and I wasn't listening. Anyway, the first third of a book is pure lovely excitement. You're meeting new characters and discovering new settings and you have free reign because these are your starting decisions that you're making and nothing is guiding them. The last third of a book is exciting, though not as much, but you get a lift from seeing the ending coming at you and knowing that soon you'll be able to show it to people as a completed project. The middle third? The middle third is horrible. It's just an annoying, grueling, march through a bog. The excitement drains off and you don't have your freedom anymore because you have to make sure things line up with your early choices. And you're too far from the ending to think about that. So you just have to sit down, type, push yourself to get your word count, day after day and week after week. Nobody really told me about how a book turns into boring old desk work in that middle third. That was a bit of a shock when I learned that one the hard way.
When do you find time to write?
It depends on what I'm working on. For shorter things I'll wing it or write when I get a rush. For books, though, I take a good look at my schedule and I make time to write. And I stick to that. Even when it gets sloggish. And I keep in mind that it is always always always better to write 200 words a day for 10 days straight than to plan on writing 1000 words at some day in the future. Take the little bit of sure-thing writing time and stick to it one day at a time. Next thing you know you have a book done. Well…it's not exactly that easy but still…
Tell us about your book.
Probability Angels is an Urban Fantasy novel about a group of beings, call them ghosts, call them angels, call them phantoms, it doesn't matter, they've been called worse. But they're all former humans who died under specific circumstances. They didn't die together, mind you, but the moment of their deaths all contained a moment of self-sacrifice. So because of this, they were given a choice: they could either pass on to whatever comes next, or they could stick around on this world and become a tester, a near immortal being that pushes humans to ensure that they live up to their full potential. The book mostly follows Matthew, who is new to all of this, and Epp, his mentor, who is a two-thousand year old tester. We learn about the world of testers along with Matthew and, just as he starts to feel comfortable in his role…well there's a bit of an uprising. But I don't want to give too much away.
What is your next project?
Probability Angels is the first book of a trilogy. The second book, Persistent Illusions, will be going on tour in about a month. So my next project is to write the third book in the series and finish off the trilogy. I'm doing research right now for that by reading a lot of not very exciting history books.
How would you describe your writing style? How did you develop it?
My writing style came about in a pretty odd way. Looking back at the classes and teachers I had in high-school, the biggest influence on my writing turns out to have been my Latin class with Miss Alexander. I didn't learn…well any Latin, sadly (although I can still quote the first few lines of the Aenead). But we read the great poets and orators of ancient Rome in Latin and that was where I really started to learn about how each and every word counts. Ovid, Catullus, Cicero, Virgil, they made every word work double-time for them. They also were happy to break their laws of grammar if they felt a word could have more impact placed incorrectly in a sentence. That was a huge impact on me. I tend not to focus on proper grammar and wind up sculpting sentences however I feel they work best instead. I mean I don't write gibberish, but sometimes new readers take a few pages to adjust.
Who are your favorite authors? How did they influence your writing?
I love a lot of different favorites, but the ones that have had the largest influence are Joyce, Hemingway, Salinger, and Fitzgerald. Joyce ties in with what I was saying before about my Latin influence. The man has zero regard for grammar and frankly reinvented English every time he put a sentence to paper. And he made every little detail mean something. Hemingway taught me to get out of my own way. His stark style is a favorite of mine and I always try to take words away during my rewrites instead of adding. Less is always more for me. Salinger I don't read that much anymore, but his style is so chatty that he gave me the courage to relax and find my own voice. Also his dialogue is still second to none for me. And Fitzgerald? I don't know, I just love The Great Gatsby and can read it over and over so I probably learned something from him. How I went from those influences to writing zombie books is beyond me, though.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why did you decide to write?
I think it was eighth grade English class. We were assigned a creative writing project to write a short story. So I did. It was a science fiction story about some monster attacking…a planet? I can't even remember. At any rate there was a pure joy that came with writing the opening of that story. I remember it opened with the mayor of the planet (yes the mayor) closing out a press conference about the monster attacks and I slipped in and out of his head and recapped a bit because I had started in media res and, basically, it was the best feeling ever. That was why I decided to write. There's something intoxicating about being the teller of tales.
What was the inspiration for your book?
A few years ago I was not very happy with the work I was putting out. It was too formulaic and overly planned. So I decided that I was going to start a writing project where I would write a short story every two weeks for a year. I figured that would shake things up for me for certain. So after I had written two stories for that project I was totally out of ideas and I started kicking around the notion of doing a Twilight Zone sort of story, one where the main character makes a deal with the devil and things turn out all ironic for him at the end. Only this immediately seemed boring to me because I'd written something like that before, so I kept noodling with it. Eventually I started asking myself if it would be possible for the "devil" character to actually be the good guy in the story. That got me thinking about how sometimes the bad things that have come my way have actually turned out to be the best things to come my way because of how I grew from them and learned from them. So wouldn't it be interesting if that "devil" character was actually misunderstood because the bad things he caused made us grow and learn? And that, in a very oversimplified way, is what the world of Probability Angels is all about.
Anything else you'd like your readers to know?
I'd love to tell your readers about the two contests I'm currently running.
The first is The Great Typo Hunt. I encourage readers to email me if they find a typo and if it checks out they can win a signed copy of one of my books:
http :// josephdevon . com / contest / the - great - typo - hunt /
The second is my Annual Fan Art Contest. There's a lot of great prizes to choose from for simply submitting art based on my books:
http :// josephdevon . com / contest / the - third - annual - joseph - devon - art - contest /
Probability Angels
By Joseph Devon
About the Book:
Matthew knows that he died twenty years ago. He has, after all, been bouncing around New York city ever since, causing mischief and having fun as a supernatural being. But recently some problems have been cropping up: not only is he hallucinating things in garbage cans, but his mentor doesn't think he's working up to his full potential, his best friend can't offer any solace but drunken confusion, and his wife is dying in Central Park.
See, the past twenty years haven't meant a thing because now it's time for Matthew to make his second choice and become a tester of humanity.
And that's all before the zombies show up.
Come explore the world of Matthew and Epp and see what a samurai from Feudal Japan has to do with the course of modern physics, what a two-thousand year old Roman slave has to do with the summit of Mount Everest, and what a dead man from Brooklyn has to do with the fate of the world.
About the Author:
Joseph Devon was born in New Jersey and currently lives in New York. He's been a student, a nanny, worked at the Ground Zero recovery project after 9/11, and of all the things he's created he is probably most proud of the character Kyo. He writes a blog, enjoys photography and he's also at flickr, and tumblr, and twitter — sometimes he thinks that he might have one too many social networking outlets. Joseph's Annual Fan Art Contest has a lot of great prizes to choose from for simply submitting art based on his books — check it out at: http://josephdevon.com/contest/the-third-annual-joseph-devon-art-contest/.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: interviews, Joseph Devon, Nurture Virtual Book Tourz, Probability Angels
March 6, 2012
Leap Into Books Giveaway Contest Winners
Here are the winners for the Leap into Books Giveaway:
E-Books
Barbara Butler
Sarah Lehan
Shirley
Paperbacks
Lilian Cheng
Cindy Macbeth
Cassandra Martino
$10 Amazon Gift Certificate
Barbara Ryan
Thank you to everyone who entered. I'll be back on March 17 for the Lucky Leprechaun giveaway. See you then!
Filed under: Giveaways Tagged: Giveaways, Leap Into Books Giveaway
March 5, 2012
Her Dear & Loving Husband is FREE this week!
To celebrate "Read an E-Book Week" Smashwords is holding a site-wide sale and Her Dear & Loving Husband is FREE until March 10, 2012. If you're not familiar with the story, check here. Use code RE100 when you check out: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49588.
Filed under: Her Dear & Loving Husband, News Tagged: Her Dear & Loving Husband, Read an E-Book Week, Smashwords
March 2, 2012
Some Thoughts on Sketches by Boz
This is my most recent piece for the Dickens special edition of The Copperfield Review. I'll be adding my thoughts about The Pickwick Papers next week.
* * * * *
Even the most die-hard Dickens fans are not so well acquainted with his first published pieces, short works of fiction and rides of imaginary fancy alongside observations of 1830s London life. The individual sketches were compiled into the book Sketches by Boz, first in 1836 and then in subsequent editions. Literary critics have largely dismissed the sketches, and, as Dennis Walder states in his Introduction to Sketches by Boz for the Penguin Classics edition (1995), Dickens himself didn't do much to improve public perception of those early works.
With the retrospect that comes with the passing of time (and greater literary successes), Dickens looked back his early sketches with skeptical eyes. He said (at the ripe old age of thirty-eight) that the sketches were written when "I was a very young man, and sent into the world with all their imperfections (a good many) on their heads. They comprise my first attempts at authorship—with the exception of certain tragedies achieved at the mature age of eight or ten, and represented with great appplause to overflowing nurseries" (Preface to the first Cheap Edition, Sketches by Boz, 1850).
This is where I differ from the stodgy, humorless critics, and even from Boz himself, since I admit (without the slightest hint of sarcasm or embarrassment) that I love the sketches. I'm not saying they stand equal to Great Expectations or A Tale of Two Cities. I'm saying that for what they are, Dickens' earliest published pieces, they're gems—well-written, insightful, bursting with energy, and, most importantly, absolutely hilarious. I've always said I can forgive anyone anything if they can make me laugh. I will forgive Dickens whatever needs forgiving (which can be a lot) because no other writer makes me laugh out loud (I mean milk-spurting-through-the-nose laugh out loud) the way he can. Even in these earliest works his sarcastic observational humor is spot-on. The sketches are exactly what the young Dickens wrote them to be—individual pieces that were either short stories or come-as-you-are journalism. That's all. If we take them at face value then we can appreciate the first glimmers of literary genius in a man who was so very young when he started.
His first sketch, "A Dinner at Poplar Walk," appeared in December 1833 when Dickens was twenty-one years old. Dickens himself told the story of how he had surreptitiously dropped the manuscript off at the publisher, and how, when he found out the piece was going to be published, he was so overwhelmed with emotion he wasn't fit to be seen in the street. Published the first time he submits his work? Well, he was Dickens. And even in that very first piece (later known as "Mr. Minns and His Cousin") we can see the beginning of Dickens' preoccupation with class relationships. The story is a comedy of manners as the Buddins family tries ever so hard to ingratiate themselves into the will of Mr. Minns, their wealthier cousin. Other, more journalistic-type sketches such as "London Recreations," "Vauxhall Gardens by Day," and "The Pawnbroker's Shop" are notes on his thoughts as he rambles through London and notices everything everywhere around him. That was a talent Dickens displayed throughout his career–his ability to see what was right in front of him and reflect it back while everyone else simply scurried past in their rush from here to there and back again. For those of us reading the sketches in the twenty-first century, it's a time traveling experience to see 19th century London, with its odd cast of characters, come to life before our eyes. I'm willing to bet that "Making a Night of It," about young men out to have an alcohol-infused good time, is based on an actual experience of Dickens'. (Did I read that somewhere?) And then, in "A Visit to Newgate," he imagines what it might be like for a prisoner awaiting his execution with all the emotional intensity we've come to expect from the older, more seasoned Dickens.
Don't pay any attention to Dickens' own criticism against the sketches (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!) since most writers tend to look back on their earliest works as silly. In fact, Dickens did rearrange and revise the sketches for subsequent editions in later years, so he took more care with them than he wanted us to believe. Whatever criticisms about the sketches I've read (they're too haphazard, there are no recurring themes, there's no depth to the descriptions) may even be true, but to focus on the weaknesses is to miss the point of Sketches by Boz. Through the process of writing these pieces, Dickens was able to begin to lay a path through which he could nurture his genius.
Every Dickens fan should be required to read Sketches by Boz since 1. The pieces are a sneak peek into the workings of the mind of a young man on the road to literary greatness, and 2. They stand just fine on their own as short stories and journalistic impressions. And besides, they're damn funny.
* * * * *
Addendum: Since this piece appeared in Copperfield, I've had a few e-mails asking, to paraphrase slightly, "Who the hell is Boz?"
Boz was Dickens' nickname, and some of his earliest works were published under that pseudonym. Dickens said that Boz was "the nickname of a pet child, a younger brother, whom I had dubbed Moses, in honour of Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield." Moses, being pronounced "facetiously through the nose" (Dickens' words) became Bozes, which was shortened to Boz. Dickens adopted the name for himself when he began publishing his writing, and most of the sketches were attributed to "Boz."
Filed under: Charles Dickens Tagged: Charles Dickens, Copperfield Review, Sketches by Boz
February 29, 2012
An Interview With Author Morgan Hannah MacDonald
What books did you love as a child?
I really didn't read much as a child. I've always been a late bloomer. The first book that I can say I really remember was Stephen King's Carrie. I read that in high school.
Who are your favorite authors?
I have several. Tess Gerritson, Lisa Gardener, Lisa Jackson, Erica Spindler, Beverly Barton, Karin Slaughter, Patricia Cornwell. Their stories are suspenseful. They know how to keep a reader interested.
How did they influence your writing?
Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs is definitely a favorite. Up until I read that book, back in the late 1980s, I had not read anything that delved into the mind of a serial killer and I found it fascinating. I adopted his style of putting you into the mind of the killer through his memories of childhood for my book Sandman.
Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series was a big influence on me. I enjoy how real her characters and stories are.
Karin Slaughter. Her books have grit and suspense. I think I identify mostly with her work.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I had fantasized about it for years. I am an avid reader, of course. Then I found out I had dated a serial killer and just knew there was a book in there somewhere. But it wasn't until two years later that I actually did something about it.
I was visiting my parents for the weekend and my father asked me what I would do if I ever won the lottery? I told him I would buy a cabin in the mountains and be a writer. He went and got his old laptop computer, handed it to me and told me not to wait. I started the minute I got home.
When do you find time to write?
I'm a full-time writer, but I must admit I still need to find time to write while promoting and taking care of my mother.
What is your favorite genre to read in? Write in? Why?
Romantic Suspense. I love the thrill of sitting on the edge of your seat, with a little romance on the side.
How would you describe your writing style?
I'm a pantster. I write by the seat of my pants. I have no idea where the characters will take me when I begin.
What was the inspiration for your book?
The idea for Sandman was inspired by my own realization that I had dated a serial killer. When I found out I was shocked, of course, but at the time I didn't know just how fortunate I was to have survived. I just thought, Wow, I'm lucky he wasn't crazy when I dated him! In denial much? So while I was getting ready for this blog tour, I googled his name to check on the date he was apprehended. I was right, it was my birthday 1998. There was an extensive article about him and as I read it, I was blown away. He did have a troubled past. He was discharged from the Marines in the 1980s for mental problems. Eight years prior to our brief relationship he had been arrested for the brutal rape and beating of a prostitute. The case was dropped due to lack of evidence. And his killing spree began three short years after we broke up.
Do you do research for your writing? If so, how do you go about it (Internet, travel, etc.)?
I use the internet and read nonfiction books about serial killers.
Tell us about your book.
Beware the Sandman. He'll put you to sleep. . .forever.
A serial killer on the loose, a woman being stalked, and a homicide detective who must find the connection between the two before she becomes his next victim.
He collects women. He imprisons them, plays with them, tortures them. Until they bore him. Then he removes a souvenir. They call him the Sandman.
Meagan McInnis is being plagued with late night calls, yet when she answers, no one is there. Then one night she makes a grisly discovery in her own backyard.
The caller is silent no more.
Homicide Detective J.J. Thomas realizes Meagan is the key to finding the Sandman. Now not only must he protect her, but he must find the connection between Meagan and the killer before she becomes his next victim.
What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?
That I could write. That I actually had stories in me to tell.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Join Romance Writers of American-RWA. You don't have to write romance. Join a chapter either online or in your nearest city. They have wonderful online classes to improve your writing, as well as everything you need to know to be an author in this day and age. They will help you with every step of your writing career.
What do you wish someone had told you about writing that you learned the hard way?
To join RWA. If I had joined them years ago, I would have been published much sooner.
What is your next project?
My next book, Spirits in the Trees, will be released June 2012. This one has a serial killer as well, but I've added ghosts to the mix. It's book one in The Spirits Trilogy.
What are you reading now?
Beverly Barton's Dead by Nightfall.
Anything else you'd like your readers to know?
I just want to thank my readers for their wonderful reviews and letters. My readers are the best!
About the Author:
Morgan Hannah MacDonald writes Romantic Thrillers–not for the faint of heart. She has always been interested in writing and serial killers, but it wasn't until she found she had dated one herself that a true writer was born. She belongs to Romance Writers of America's San Diego Chapter, as well as the Kiss of Death Chapter. She resides in San Diego, California where she is busy working on her next novel.
Email: morganwrites@yahoo.com
Website: www.morganhannahmacdonald.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorganHannahMacDonald.Author
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Bewitching Book Tours, interviews, Morgan Hannah MacDonald, Sandman
February 28, 2012
Leap Into Books Giveaway
Welcome to the Leap into Books Giveaway! This hop runs from February 29 to March 5, 2012. Thanks to I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Jinky is Reading for hosting.
I have three e-copies of Her Dear & Loving Husband to give away as well as three paperback copies. If you're not familiar with the story, check here. There's also a $10 gift certificate to either Amazon.com or BN.com (your choice) for one lucky winner.
You must be a follower of this blog to enter. You can gain extra entries with the following:
Following this blog +1
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The extra entry options are available on the right sidebar of this page. Then fill out the form below and you're entered!
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There are over 200 great websites involved in this hop. Check here to see what other wonderful items you can win.
Thanks for stopping by!
Filed under: Giveaways Tagged: Giveaways, Her Dear & Loving Husband, I am a Reader Not a Writer, Jinky is Reading
February 27, 2012
An Interview With Author Ann Gimpel
What books did you love as a child? Why?
I'm going to use the term child to include my teenage years. I've always been a voracious reader. I discovered C.S. Lewis when I was in about sixth grade. There was something incredibly alluring about an old English manor house with a hidden door in the back of a wardrobe that opened onto a magical land. I polished off the remaining books in the Narnia series and moved on to Tolkien. From there I discovered Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. I've always liked stories that transport me to places that require imagination. Gone With the Wind was another favorite, as was Daphne de Maurier's Rebecca. Well drawn mysteries, where you really don't know "who done it" till close to the end, have always been favorites as well.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why did you decide to write?
I don't know that it was an active decision. I've rambled through the backcountry for years as a backpacker and a mountaineer. What that translates to is lots of time alone. Stories have always run around in my head during my time in the wilderness. Round about the fall of 2008, I came back from a Labor Day trip and sat down at my keyboard. Three months later, I had a 550 page novel. It wasn't particularly good, but it was a start. And a good learning experience. Somewhere along the way, I discovered I also like writing short stories.
I'm fortunate in that writing has always come easily to me. It feels like a natural extension of how my mind works. I'm also lucky that magazines and webzines started buying my short stories and that a small press picked up my third, fourth and fifth novels.
When do you find time to write?
I'm recently retired. (Think about thirty seconds ago!) Prior to that, I sandwiched writing in evenings and weekends. I'd either get up early, or stay up late. No one was more surprised than me when I'd actually finish 100,000 word novels.
What are the joys of writing for you?
When I'm in writer-mode, it's like I drop into a parallel universe. The story world is so real to me that I'm there in it, living it along with my characters. They let me know what they're going to do next. Often it's far better than the storyline I'd come up with.
What are the obstacles of writing? How do you overcome them?
Writing is an odd pursuit in that it's made up of two distinct phases. The creative one noted in the above question and another that focuses on editing the product I've created. Different parts of my brain are involved in each phase. While I wouldn't call editing an obstacle, I'm always amazed at the, uh, mistakes I find going back through my first drafts. There are always loose plot threads and way too many passive constructions to clean up.
What is your favorite genre to read in? Write in? Why?
I love contemporary fantasy, for both reading and writing. By that I mean books set in our world, but with fantasy elements that just sort of creep in. I want my books to feel real, like the things in them could actually happen to you! It's easier to do that when I set my stories in Seattle or San Francisco, than if I set them in Middle Earth. Charles de Lint is a master in that genre. Moonheart was one of my favorite books of his.
What was the inspiration for your book?
The protagonist in both Psyche's Prophecy and Psyche's Search is a psychologist. Because that's what I've done to earn a living in the real world, Lara was an easy character for me to relate to. I've been drawn to psychology since I was a very young woman. It was my college major because I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I suppose the inspiration for Psyche's Prophecy, which was really my third novel, was to write something salable. I thought if I wrote about something I knew intimately, inside and out, I'd have a better chance of someone else being interested in my story and characters. Aside from that, it was fun to create a character who was a psychologist, but ever so much more, too. Lara has the gift of sight. As the story has unfolded through the last two volumes of the series, her use of her gift has intrigued me.
Do you do research for your writing? If so, how do you go about it (Internet, travel, etc.)?
Oh, yes. I absolutely research everything. Even though I'm writing fiction, I want it to be accurate. The internet is a wonderful tool. It has geography, history, Celtic myth and legends and just about anything else I could ever need. Since the Psyche books are set in Seattle, I didn't need to travel. I was born there. I did, however, make a trek out to Garland Mineral Springs. It took me three tries, since the first two times there was too much snow to make it up and over Jack's Pass. Interestingly, the cover of Psyche's Prophecy is one of my photographs. It was taken just outside the town of Index where the Index Galena Road is washed out. That was my first attempt to reach Garland. I didn't understand I'd have to go all the way round—an extra twenty-one miles—to get there until I saw that washed out road.
What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?
I learned that I have patience and perseverance. That I can visualize a coherent plot and that I can sort through minutiae to figure out what's important and what moves a story forward. Since I've never had any formal training in writing, aside from enough English classes in college to qualify for a minor in the subject, this has been a steep learning curve. Being a writer is nothing like I thought it would be. I spend way more time editing than I do writing. But it's the polish that makes a book. When I'm on my twelfth or fifteenth run through of a novel and the final pdf is in front of me, I know the manuscript so well, I've memorized sections of it. I have never, never said, "This is good enough," until I'm certain I can't do anything else to improve what I've written.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Develop a thick skin. The way I've learned is through a critique process. It's good to have beta readers who tell you the truth, not some sugar-coated fantasy to salve your ego. Sure it hurts when someone shreds your darling, but you can't write without some sort of ongoing feedback from outside yourself. Psyche's Prophecy began as a project for my online writing group. It was totally trashed by two other group members. But you know what? Nearly everything they said was right. I made lots of alterations and voila, I had a salable manuscript. Likewise, I workshopped Psyche's Promise, due out in July 2012. Two group members made lots of suggestions. I'm currently in the process of reworking that manuscript.
I got a short story rejection last week. It was the nicest rejection letter I've ever gotten because it included a critique of my story and a heartfelt plea for me to send them more stories. I wrote back to thank the editor and he wrote back to tell me that most of the authors who write to him after he's rejected their manuscripts—generally with form letters—call him every name in the book.
Writing is a process. I think I will be improving my style and ability for years. Take what others say to heart. It will only make your writing better.
What is your next project?
As noted above, I'm finishing polishing Psyche's Promise. It's due to my publisher on May 1st. In between, I wrote another novel, Fortune's Scion, a YA contemporary fantasy featuring different characters and a different setting. I entered it into Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award competition. I'm hoping to at least make it to the second of four rounds so I can get a Publisher's Weekly review. Other than that, I'm continuing to write short stories.
What are you reading now?
Rainwild Chronicles by Robin Hobb. Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whittaker. The Hangman's Daughter by Potzsch.
Psyche's Prophecy
Book One of the Transformation Series
By Ann Gimpel
What if your psychotherapist could really see into your soul? Picture all those secrets lying hidden, perhaps squirming a bit, just out of view. Would you invite your analyst to take a peek behind that gossamer curtain? Read your aura?
Classically trained at the Jung Institute in Zurich, Doctor Lara McInnis has a special gift that helps her with her patients. Born with "the sight" she can read auras, while flirting with a somewhat elusive ability to foretell the future. Lara becomes alarmed when several of her patients—and a student or two—tell her about the same cataclysmic dream.
Reaching out to the Institute for answers, Lara's paranormal ability sounds a sharp warning and she runs up hard against a dead end. Her search for assistance leads her to a Sidhe and ancient Celtic rituals blaze their way into her life. Complicating the picture is a deranged patient who's been hell bent on destroying Lara ever since she tried to help his abused wife, a boyfriend with a long-buried secret and a society that's crumbling to dust as shortages of everything from electricity to food escalate.
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Psyche's Search
Book Two of the Transformation Series
Born with the sight, Laura McInnis is ambivalent about her paranormal ability. Oh it's useful enough some of the time with her psychotherapy patients. But mostly it's an embarrassment and an inconvenience—especially when her visions drag her to other worlds. Or into Goblin dens. In spite of escalating violence, incipient food shortages and frequent power blackouts, Lara is still far too attached to the comfortable life she shares with her boyfriend, Trevor, a flight attendant who lost his job when aviation fuel got so expensive—and so scarce—his airline went out of business. Forced to seek assistance to hone her unusual abilities in Psyche's Prophecy, Book I of this series, Lara is still quite the neophyte in terms of either summoning or bending her magic to do much of anything.
Reluctantly roped into channeling her unpredictable psychic talents to help a detective who saved her from a psychopathic killer, Lara soon finds herself stranded in the murky underbelly of a world inhabited by demons. The Sidhe offer hope, but they are so high-handed Lara stubbornly resists their suggestions. Riots, death on all sides, a mysterious accident and one particular demon targeting her, push Lara to make some hard decisions. When all seems lost, the Dreaming, nestled in the heart of Celtic magic, calls out to her.
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About the Author:
Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Two novels, Psyche's Prophecy, and its sequel, Psyche's Search, have been published by Gypsy Shadow Publishing, a small press. A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.
http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel
http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Ann Gimpel, Bewitching Book Tours, interviews, Psyche's Prophecy, Psyche's Search
February 25, 2012
An Interview With Author A.D. Williams
What books did you love as a child? Why?
I didn't read much of anything as a child. I have learning disabilities that led to being held back in school because I couldn't read, so by the time I got the hang of it I hated reading. It wasn't until adulthood that I found my passion for the written word. I think it was a blessing in disguise though, because it led to me spending all my time outside having adventures and nurturing my creativity in ways I wouldn't have otherwise.
I do remember being a fan of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss though. The more upside down, backwards, or odd something was the more I liked it.
Who are your favorite authors? How did they influence your writing?
I really don't have a favorite author, or a favorite anything for that matter. I love variety. Most of the work I read is unpublished by unknown or little known authors. Some of the most amazing writers are yet to be discovered. One that comes to mind and stands out as influencing or inspiring at the moment is Hollie Bolster. He is a Canadian writer and friend of mine whose sci-fi stories are worlds apart from what I write but the feel of his poetry is something like my own. It drags me down into dark places where I can then find words to express what I'm trying to get out onto paper but can't quite reach on my own.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why did you decide to write?
I started writing poetry when I was about eleven or twelve as a way to cope with things going on in my life and never thought of it as more than that. Even later, when I started writing my first novel it wasn't something I aspired to do or dreamed would become anything real. I thought it would be cool to leave my name on something someday but didn't think beyond that.
I quit my job a few weeks before publishing Rain's Fairy Tale. It wasn't paying well enough to bother with and so there I was puttering around the house thinking what am I going to do now? I could get another job or go back to school, but what do I want to do? What do I enjoy enough to commit to spending the next 30-40 years doing? I'm nearly thirty, it's about time I figure out what I want to do when I grow up! Writing was all I could come up with. Aside from my family, there's nothing I love more.
What are the joys of writing for you?
I love words. I love painting pictures with them and finding new ways of making people feel things and see things in ways they hadn't before. I wrote a poem in the midst of struggling with something very painful once and posted it for review on a website. I checked my e-mail the next day and found half a dozen letters from people thanking me for giving them a window into something their loved ones were experiencing. They had said they saw it from the outside and wanted to understand but couldn't until then. Others thanked me for giving them hope in knowing they weren't alone. It was incredible.
What are the obstacles of writing? How do you overcome them?
I would have to say my biggest obstacles are sporadic inspiration and lack of time. I have all the time I need from 9-5 when the house is quiet but inspiration never seems to come then. I'm not the kind who can just sit down and write. I wait. Sometimes it'll be months before words or ideas to come. When they do it's a frenzy. Everything rushes at me at once, usually complete which is great but while standing in line at the grocery store with no paper or pen in hand, kids starving to death, and not a moment of me time in sight there's little hope of retaining it.
I do my best with what I have to work with. I'll punch a few lines into my phone and hope they jog my memory later or make up a song or rhyme for the girls to remember for me until we get home and I can scribble down some notes while throwing dinner together.
What is your favorite genre to read in? Write in? Why?
Again, I don't have a favorite. I'll read just about anything but westerns and the kind of books that would feature Fabio on the cover. I pretty much stick with fiction and poetry in reading and writing. I read what I write and write what I read because it's what I like.
What was the inspiration for your book?
It was bits and pieces of things I had heard and seen through the years that came together and intermingled with imagination. Once it took shape, it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it.
What were the challenges of writing your story? The joys?
I think the biggest challenge was overcoming the fear failure. I was afraid I would pour my soul into writing this story that had been sculpting itself from nothing within me for so long that it had become part of me and when I finished it, I would be told it was crap. So I would work on it a little, give up, work on it a little, and give up again. There was always some excuse to procrastinate finishing it.
The greatest part was the day it was published. I checked it off my list with such pride. The actual writing of it was the easy part since it was just sitting there in my head waiting but the conquering of that fear was incredible.
Do you do research for your writing? If so, how do you go about it (Internet, travel, etc.)?
I grew up in the areas where my first book was based and knew someone who had survived some similar things so there wasn't much research needed. What I did need to look up was found on Google so I got really lucky there.
I have a future project that is going to need a lot of research though, which is part of the reason why I have been putting it off. It's going to involve traveling and probably staying in some really nasty conditions. I am a strong advocate for writing what you know and what you've lived rather than just about something you have seen somewhere or just imagined. So, for anything that I haven't experienced personally I plan to go and dig in and get some real perspective first.
Tell us about your book.
Rain's Fairy Tale is difficult to describe because the story and its main character are so complex. It takes you through years in the life of Angel aka Rain as she struggles to find a ways to cope with the loss of loved ones, a long distance forbidden relationship, and a gamut of other very difficult things that pop up while living a double life and being torn between two worlds she can't seem to find a way to fit into.
Ultimately, this modern day fairy tale is a tragic teen love story, but is not intended for young adult readers.
What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?
In the writing of this book I had to spend a lot of time looking back at myself as a child and teen to remember how I felt about things, reacted to things, what my perspectives, priorities, and reactions to things were. Neither the story or its characters are based on me but in the creation of her character I pulled some traits from my adolescent self and found I had been more sensitive and naïve than I had realized back then. When you're young, you think you are invincible and know everything and then you grow up, look back, and are amazed at what you survived.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Prepare yourself, be patient, and don't take things personally. When we start out, we have these hopes and dreams of instant success. As writers, we are prone to overactive imaginations that bring about this delusion that the day we finish we are going to send it in to the best publishing house and they are going to magically be drawn to our manuscript, pick it up, and by the third line fall in love with it. From there of course we will launch overnight into stardom and be best sellers within a month.
The reality is it doesn't work that way for even the luckiest of us. It's hard and rejection sucks, but it's no reason to give up.
What is your next project?
I've got outlines and notes for a few more novels and a screenplay in a book somewhere that I need to take a look at again but they'll have to wait for inspiration to hit again. Pretty much anything that doesn't get written right away gets set aside and procrastinated.
At the moment I do have a children's book demanding my attention. It's a cute story about a little girl whose parents are in a twelve step recovery program and what the changes in her family's lives means to her.
I don't think there is enough of this kind of thing out there for kids who are struggling in situations like that, which is strange and sad since there are so many families in recovery. Anyway, it's a fun, quirky story that I think both kids and parents will enjoy, and it's for a good cause because we've decided a portion of the profit will be donated to a recovery program here in Lincoln.
What are you reading now?
I'm reading Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock. I'm only about 82 pages in but it's pretty good so far.
Anything else you'd like your readers to know?
Yes. I would like to stress again that while Rain's Fairy Tale is about a teen and carries many elements of a teen love story, it was not written for young adults.
Rain's Fairy Tale
By A.D. Williams
About the Book:
All little Angel Morgan ever wanted was to grow up and live the fairy tale life she'd always dreamed of, but when a series of tragic events make life too real, she's forced to face an ugly truth – not all ever afters are happy.
Buy Rain's Fairy Tale on Amazon.
Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: A.D. Williams, interviews, Rain's Fairy Tale
