Katheryn Lane's Blog, page 11

Love In Bloom Triple Romance Giveaway

Summer is just around the corner (I’m already counting down the days until the holidays!), so how about grabbing
some great summer romance reads! I’m offering everyone the chance to win three
or possibly even four FREE ebooks!
[image error] The first one is the 5-star novel, Waiting for Mary Elizabeth , by the highly talented author, Regina Puckett. It’s “an
ever-lasting romance that you will not want to miss” (Amazon review).



"This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. The very
descriptive beginning starts a journey through a couple of young peoples early
understanding of caring respect for another human being they did not even know.
A promise was made between a 4 year old girl and a 12 year old boy.



Skip
ahead a few years and they see each other a couple of more times. Skip
ahead about 20 years and they see each other again. This is when the beauty
begins.



Well I don't want to ruin this story by giving too much away,
just let me say it had me cheering for both of these young people and their
families who always stuck with them.



If you want a very encouraging story
to consume a few hours of your time that will leave you feeling pretty good,
this is the story for you. My only problem with this book, which
unfortunately is a big one, it is over too soon!" (Amazon 5 star review)





The second novel is Stay Close, Novac! by
the acclaimed romance writer, Jan Romes, a “wonderful blend of romance and
suspense” (Amazon review).



"Neither Ian nor Jessi were looking for love, but when Ian falls off of a ladder
outside her beach house at six in the morning, sparks fly! Jessi is keeping a
low profile while the police look for a stalker that has been terrorizing her,
and Ian just happens to be working on the beach house next door...or does he? A
wonderful blend of romance and suspense, Stay Close, Novac is a fun, witty read
that I couldn't put down until the end. " (Amazon 5 star review)






The third is another summer beach-read,
my very own contemporary romance, The Royal Sheikh , “a romantic treasure”
(Amazon review).
"The Royal Sheikh is a page turner that I read in one evening. I love romance and
this book will warm your heart. Clare is an architect in training and meets
Rafiq one evening while out with her friend, Louise. Rafiq and Clare meet in the
most unromantic way, although he quickly becomes entranced by her. They are both
intrigued by each other and secretly hope to see each other again.



When
they run into each other again, Rafiq asks her to come up with designs for his
new house. As they spend more time together, they slowly fall for one another.
Through misinformation, misunderstanding and disagreements, they encounter a few
bumps in their relationship. Rafiq and Clare must learn to communicate to make
their love work.



Every girl wants to be loved, spoiled (just a bit) and
wanted. Rafiq certainly fits the mold as a great guy. He treats Clare with love
and affection and he genuinely cares about her. When Clare discovers his secret,
she reacts as I would have if I were in her shoes. She wants to put distance
between and Rafiq and try to move on and start over.



The Royal Sheikh
will keep you on edge wanting to get to the end. What will Clare do? What will
Rafiq say? How will they overcome this? You will cry, your heart will melt, and
you will want to root for Rafiq and Clare. Grab your tissues and some tea and
settle in for this romance roller coaster!" (Amazon 5 star review)





In addition, if I get enough comments below, I might just throw in a copy of my second
novel, Her Latin Lover !



"Her Latin Lover will capture your attention from the beginning. Meet Mary
Delaney, a 20-something on vacation with her boyfriend. They are in South
America, a long way from home. She wakes up to discover her boyfriend is gone.
She realizes she is stranded and her boyfriend took all of their cash. She also
finds out more details of what lead her boyfriend to abandon her when she meets
Paolo.

Even though she is stranded in South America with little money,
she makes the best out of her situation. She must depend on a complete stranger
named Paulo. Paulo is mysterious and caring. Mary is drawn to him.

I read
Her Latin Lover in two nights. Mary's adventures of trying to find out what
happened to her boyfriend, learning more about Paulo and making it work in South
America was an exciting read. She was forced to grow up, find her way, and along
the way follow her heart."  (Amazon 5 star review) 


So how can you win not just one, but  three or even FOUR free romance novels this month?




As always on this blog, it’s simple.
Just leave a comment below with your email address before May 24th (alternatively leave a comment below, but email me separately). You can increase your chances of winning by following
this blog, if you aren’t already. Out of the people that comment, one lucky
person will be selected to receive all three (possibly four!) books. How simple is that?
If you would like to win even more
great prizes, visit some of the other blogs taking part in the Love In
Bloom Giveaway Hop! See below for the complete list.



Good luck everyone and remember: the more blog competitions you enter,
the greater your chances of winning something on this amazing blog hop!

Need a Job or a Career Change? Meet Paul Rega!

It’s great to
welcome a great non-fiction author for a change, especially when this author
can provide so many people with so much good advice! First of all, Paul, you have recently published How To Find A Job: When There Are NoJobs. What is the one top tip that you could give my readers if they are
job-hunting at the moment?



The most
important advice I can give to any job seeker especially in today’s weak job
market is to plan and map out exactly the type of work you want to do. Develop
a target list of companies you want to work for and then take action towards
achieving your goals by directly contacting the key decision makers in each of
these companies. As simple as all that may sound, most people do not take the
necessary amount of time to first plan ahead. Be prepared!





What is the
biggest mistake that people make when they are job hunting?
The biggest mistake
most people make when looking for a job is that they fail to prepare for their
search. It’s vitally important in today’s hyper competitive job market to know
exactly what direction you want to go and what type of position you want before
starting any type of search. It’s akin to an airplane pilot not plotting out their
course prior to taking off. I have developed a unique 12 step career
self-assessment plan in my book called “Intuitive Personal Assessment” that
helps the reader discover their unique career path. The plan also incorporates
a goal setting program that is the vehicle used to turn your desired career
path into reality.  The program was
developed over a period of 25 years and has had a tremendous amount of success.




What do you
think will happen to the job market in the near future? Will it get better or
worse?



I can’t
accurately answer that question as there are a so many factors that control the
direction of the job market today. My hope is that over time it will get better
as seems to be the case of late. However, it makes it even more imperative that
the job seeker properly plan ahead and be armed with the best job search
knowledge available.




What led you to
write this book?
This is my
first book and I started writing it over 14 years ago while on a sort of
sabbatical from my executive search business. I have always enjoyed writing and
thought it would be wise to write about a subject I really knew something
about. 




What are you
currently working on at the moment?
I am currently
writing a novel about the true story of 32 Boy Scouts that road their bicycles
from Wood Dale Illinois to Florida in 1972. It’s a coming of age story that
speaks of the value systems that were a large part of our culture at that time
that were directly responsible for our success. The story spans over several
decades beginning in the early 1900’s when the scouting movement fist began in
England. 



What kind of
job did you want to have when you were growing up?



From a very
early age I wanted to be a veterinarian and in fact worked at two separate
animal hospitals when I was in high school and college. I have always had a
love for the animals.



If you could
have any job in the world, what would it be?



There are
really two things I love to do and I am doing both of them. I have a deep
passion for my writing that goes all the way back to my high school days. I am also
very involved in the martial arts and have had my own school in the past. I am
currently in the early planning stages of opening up another dojo.  



Do you have any
final parting comments or advice?



In terms of
someone currently job searching; I will pass on to your readers a bit of advice
that I had personally received from a gentleman who was a career counselor
employed by the state of Illinois unemployment office in 1984. I had just been
laid off from my first job out of college and was being interviewed by this
particular counselor. As we were coming to the conclusion of my interview, the
older man said to me, “Son, push on, no matter how disgusting.” Those simple
but sage words have stayed with me my entire career. This man had been where I
was and understood my feelings of despair.




Thank you so
much Paul for sharing that and for taking the time to chat with me here.
To find out
more about Paul Rega visit:



Web: www.paulrega.com



Web: www.howtofindajobwhentherearenojobs.com



Author: www.amazon.com/author/paulrega



Twitter: http://twitter.com/paulrega




Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Paul-Rega




If you’re job
hunting, or thinking of changing careers, click HERE to grab yourself a copy of
Paul Rega’s bestselling book, How To Find A Job: When There Are No Jobs, from
Amazon.  

Meet Darcie Chan! An interview with the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Mill River Recluse

Darcie Chan

Today I am thrilled to welcome the amazing New York Times
and USA Today bestselling author, Darcie Chan! First of all Darcie,
congratulations on the huge success of your novel, The Mill River Recluse!  For people who haven’t read it
yet, could you tell us a bit about it without giving too much away?






Thanks very much, Katheryn. 
The Mill River Recluse is the
story of Mary McAllister, a woman who has suffered from severe social anxiety
disorder her entire life.  As a result of
certain events that occur in her youth, Mary’s condition worsens until she
becomes a virtual prisoner in her marble mansion that overlooks the tiny town
of Mill River, Vermont.  The townspeople
are completely unaware that she keeps a secret, one which will change all of
their lives.










What do you think have been the biggest factors in the
success of The Mill River Recluse?


As of the date of this interview, more than 600,000 copies
of The Mill River Recluse have been
sold, which is still shocking to me.  I
think several factors contributed to result in that level of sales, but in
particular, I think having a very low price (to encourage readers to take a
chance on a completely unknown author), running features on large ebook-related
websites and blogs (to introduce the story to readers), and being a story that
resonates with readers (to an extent that I never anticipated or imagined) are
the three things that really served to get my novel on an upward trajectory.



Many authors use social networking sites such as
Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads to promote themselves and their work. However,
you don’t appear to have used these sites as much as other writers. Can I ask
why this is? 



I’ve definitely used these sites – I have a Facebook author
page, a Twitter account, and a Goodreads account – but I’m still a relatively
unknown writer, and I don’t have the huge followings that many other authors
have.  Those followings take time to
build, and since The Mill River Recluse
is my first novel and hasn’t even been out there for a year yet, I see myself
as being at the beginning of this process. 
Also, until very recently, I had very limited free time, which I devoted
mostly to writing and not social networking. 
Happily, that has changed.



How has the massive success of your novel changed your
life?



Until very recently, I worked full-time as an attorney.  I never expected to change careers – I always
thought that I’d spend my entire working life in the legal profession, and that
writing fiction was something I’d continue to do in what little spare time I
had.  However, the success of The Mill River Recluse has resulted in
an extraordinary opportunity being extended to me – a chance to write
full-time, as my career, which is something I’ve dreamed about being able to do
since I was a little girl – and to succeed with that opportunity, I believe I
must absolutely give writing the best effort I can.  I made the extremely difficult decision to
give up my “day job” and focus on writing full-time because later on in my
life, I did not want to be in a position of looking back at the writing path I
might have taken and asking myself “what if?”



I believe you are working on a second novel at the moment.
Could you tell us something about it? 



Both my second novel (currently in progress) as well as my
third novel will be set in the fictional world of Mill River, Vermont, and
published by Ballantine Books (a division of Random House).  The second novel introduces a new story and
some new characters, but many of the characters from The Mill River Recluse are involved in the story as well.



When you are not writing, what do you like doing in your
free time (if you have any!)? 



In no particular order – I love to cook, play piano, read,
garden, and travel.  I also have a
toddler son, and I love spending time with him – which is also something I’m
able to do more of these days!



What advice do you have for other authors out there? 



Write the best story you can . . . revise and edit it until
it shines . . . and never, never give up.



Finally, do you have any parting comments that you would
like to share with us?



My favourite quote is by Henry David Thoreau, who said “Go
confidently in the direction of your dreams.” Life is fleeting and precious,
and I think that’s good advice, especially for writers.



And lastly, I’d just like to thank you, Katheryn, for the
opportunity to have an interview on your lovely blog. J



You are most welcome!  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions and for telling us about your amazing book. I can’t wait for the next two to come out!



You can find out more about Darcie Chan at the following sites:



On the web: http://www.darciechan.com



On Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/Darcie.Chan



On Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarcieChan

Romance and Magic: Meet Author Jacqueline Sanders

It is great to welcome Jacqueline Tyrene Sanders, author
of PearlS, which reached number #32 in a recent promotion on Amazon! First,
could you tell us what your book is about?




PearlS is about a young woman named Pearl Sinclair, who as
a child was mildly disfigured in a car accident. Her attempts at living a
“normal” life were stunted by relentless bullying, as well as the rejection of
her father.  Her lifelong goal of
becoming an actress (and to work with Steven Spielberg), was an added struggle
in her life because she was shunned by the Hollywood community simply because
she didn’t fit their ideas of what a leading lady should look like. After
Pearl’s father dies, she falls into a deep depression. After adopting two pugs,
and inadvertently finding a magical tree, her life begins to take the shape of
a fairy tale. There are no magic birds or spells in this fairy tale, but rather
a demonstration that through hard work, believing in herself and taking in the
beauty that surrounds her, Pearl is able to transform her life into one that
she never thought was possible.



What inspired you to write it?

 

I was told about this
magic tree (The Sacred Oak) that grew near my house, and after having visited
and experienced this special tree, I was flooded with ideas. I already had
certain ideas for a story, but the tree really brought everything together.



I love the book cover! Who designed it?

 

My sister Lois designed
the cover. I am not as techno savvy as she is, so she gladly (with the help of
a chocolate bribe) took on that role of designer. 

 

If PearlS was made into a movie, who would you like
to star in it?

 

I am a strong advocate of
using unknown actors. I know what it feels like to be that person who never
gets their “break,” so by giving someone a chance to shine is what I would
prefer. Besides, PearlS is about giving that unexpected and underappreciated
person a life-changing opportunity that they wouldn’t normally have.

 

What are you working on at the moment?

 

I always have a few
stories and characters who are vying for my attention, but I am in the process
of redecorating my house.

 

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

 

I love to read, cook,
watch movies and spend time with my family.

 

Do you have any parting comments or advice for
other authors?

 

The only advice I would
give is to never give up. That sounds like a generic answer, but it’s true.
There are so many reasons and opportunities to stop trying, and to cave into
the pressures or opinions of other people, but really, it’s all about being
true to yourself and going for that brass ring.

 

Where can we buy your book?

 

http://www.amazon.com/PearlS-ebook/dp/B006VPN686/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

 

Where can readers find out more about you?

 

https://www.facebook.com/JSanders12

 

https://twitter.com/#!/JTSanders12


Thank you very
much Jacqueline for taking to time to talk to me about your beautiful book.

 

NEXT WEEK I’m
interviewing Darcie Chan, the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author
of The Mill River Recluse.

Spring Giveaway! Win Two Romance Novels!

You could win a free copy of both my contemporary romance novels, Her Latin Lover, normally $2.99, and The Royal Sheikh, normally $4.99 (but currently on sale for only 99c!), a total saving of almost $8.00!




Just click HERE and head over to Ritesh Kala's Book Reviews before 5th May to take part in this great giveaway!



As part of this giveaway, I am being interviewed by the wonderful Ritesh Kala and talking about my life as a writer, my favourite characters in my books (and my least favourite!) and what I'm working on now. Click HERE to come and take a look. Hope to see you there!  

Is Twitter a Waste of Time?

How does an indie writer like Dracie Chan become a best-selling author? According to the Wall Street Journal, her only book, 'The Mill River Recluse’ has sold over 400,000 copies since it was first published on Amazon in May 2011 (less than a year ago!)



Hoping to pick up a few tips, I thought I would look at what Ms. Chan has done to promote her book. When I found her on Twitter @DarcieChan (easy to find), I was amazed to see that as of 14 April 2012, she had only 307 followers, was following 11 people and had made just 189 tweets! Obviously Twitter has not been a factor in her success. However, does this mean that I’ve been wasting my time tweeting and following on Twitter?



Admittedly, I have probably wasted some time on Twitter, probably quite a lot of time if I’m honest and I’m going to try and be more self-disciplined in future. However, everything I’ve read about book promotion has said that social networking sites such as Twitter are a vital tool. Personally I would agree, but not because I have made a lot of direct sales as a result of it (and there are quite a few authors out there who are always tweeting, but have extremely low book sales). There are many best-selling authors like Catherine Bybee and John Locke who are very active Twitter users. However, they don’t use twitter to sell their books, they use it to share news and connect with readers and other writers. 



For me Twitter is a great way to:

Meet other writers
Talk to readers
Find out what other people are doing e.g. what they’re reading and what they’re writing at the moment
Share ideas with other people
Tell people about my latest news, such as great book reviews
Let people know about interesting blog posts from my blog and others (I always notice an increase in page views on my blog after a tweet about a post)
Let people know about great books written by other authors. One way to do this is to go to their book’s Amazon page, click the ‘Like’ button under the title and then click on the Twitter icon in the pop-up box that appears.
Do I also tweet about my own books? Yes, especially to get word out about a promotion, such as the promotional price I currently have for The Royal Sheikh (75% off!) and I do it in the hope that one of my followers might retweet my book tweet to their followers and perhaps one of those followers will decide to buy it.



What do other people think? Is Twitter a useful tool for authors? Why? Why not? (And by the way, I'm at @KatherynLane)

Seven Sentences from Her Latin Lover

K.E. Saxon, author of Diamonds and Toads (check out the great cover!) has challenged me to play Seven Sentences! Here are the rules:



Go to page 77 of your current book

Go to line 7

Copy down the next 7 sentences (no cheating)

Tag 7 other authors and let them know



Here goes!



From Her Latin Lover :



Why hadn't Paulo told her? What else hadn't he told her about, and who was he really? She was furious about the fact that she had almost let him, a comparative stranger, seduce her.

She had to get up and get out of his house. However, when she tried to stand up, the pain in her ankle prevented her from getting very far. It didn't seem to be broken: it was more like a very bad sprain. It must have happened when she fell down, just before she shot Leon.



If you'd like to read more,  Her Latin Lover  is currently FREE on Amazon, but only for 2 days, so grab a copy while you can!



And now I'm going to tag:



Michelle Hughes

Regina Puckett

Lenore Wolfe

Philip Catshill

Jan Romes

Natalie Hancock

Michael Rivers



Have fun!

Meet Wayne Zurl, Author of the Sam Jenkins Mysteries

Today I'm welcoming Wayne Zurl, but first who is he?



Wayne Zurl grew up on Long Island and retired after twenty years with the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. For thirteen of those years he served as a section commander supervising investigators. He is a graduate of SUNY, Empire State College and served on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam War and later in the reserves. Zurl left New York to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara.



Thirteen (13) of his Sam Jenkins mysteries have been produced as audio books and simultaneously published as eBooks. His first full-length novel, A NEW PROSPECT, was named best mystery at the 2011 Indie Book Awards, is currently a finalist in the 2012 Eric Hoffer Book Awards and was nominated for a Montaigne Medal. A new novel, A LEPRECHAUN'S LAMENT, debuts on St. Patrick's Day, 2012 in hardcover with eBooks coming soon.



For more information on Wayne's Sam Jenkins mystery series see www.waynezurlbooks.net. You can read excerpts, reviews and endorsements, interviews, coming events, and see photos of the area where the stories take place.



Could you tell me something about your books?They all feature Sam Jenkins, a retired New York detective who finds a second career as police chief in the small East Tennessee city of Prospect. I market these novels and novelettes as mysteries, but they're really more about people than crimes. Each gets their share of police procedural elements and oodles of technically correct details, but all the storyworthy (is that a word?) problems and nuances go back to people.



A burglary is just a burglary. In New York the simple definition of that felony is, "To unlawfully enter or remain in a building to commit a crime therein." Rather cut and dry. What makes a burglary interesting is (either or both) the victim or the burglar. And it's fun to put quirky characters on paper.



Cops are in the people business and so are my books. The subjects and suspects Sam Jenkins encounters stick in his mind—in some cases forever. In these stories he doesn't only investigate and solve the crimes that come across his desk at Prospect PD, but like it or not, they affect him. He doesn't lapse into bouts of brooding over a particularly brutal murder of a likable person, but he may only get three hours sleep the night after an event like that. Sam says, "A cop cares as much about a victim as a mason cares about a broken cement block." He has to. All cops have to or they would shop for straight jackets rather than suits with two pair of pants. But watch their behavior. What do they dream? How much do they drink? You'll learn a lot about my protagonist that way. It's all people business between those pages.



You have published a lot of books. What inspires them? What is the secret to being able to write so much?



These two questions should be handled together because the answer is simple and interconnected. The inspiration and prolific crop of stories come from memory. I really can't say what sparks an inspiration, but sometimes at 2 a.m. or when I'm doing 70 MPH on an Interstate, an idea pops out of the past that I think it will translate well to paper. You don't work at a busy police department for twenty years without amassing a trove of war stories. Occasionally cops sit around and say, "Hey, that one would make a good Movie of the Week." Or, "Man, that was real TV stuff."

I worked a case back in the late '70s they talked about making into a movie. I wanted Burt Reynolds to play me. Unfortunately Hollywood never followed through.



My point is, my stories come from experience rather than imagination. Each book's frontispiece gives the copyright date and says, "The incident and characters in this book are fictional. Any similarity to actual events or people living or dead is purely coincidental." In my case, that's fiction. I change the names to protect the guilty and keep me out of civil court. I fictionalize and embellish everything because publishers, editors, and readers demand certain criterion to make a story interesting or even thrilling. In reality someone may have shot at me, but that would be boring—a "so what?" moment—unless I jazzed it up before and after the event to make it worth reading.



Do you ever suffer from writer's block?



My bouts with writer's block come when those necessary embellishments don't appear in my mind naturally after the recollection of an actual incident does. I may remember a case where husband shoots wife. The reason: He no longer liked her, much less loved her. Another "so what?" moment. But let's toss in his being a TV writer and her a soap opera star. I worked just outside NY City where major networks created much of the entertainment watched by the rest of the country. Crimes involving celebrities happened all the time. It's now my job to dream up something to make this fairly boring incident fascinating. Sometimes it's not easy. Then I ask my wife.



What are you working on at the moment?



I just finished submitting a novelette about Romani con artists that involves a murder. I called it GYPSIES, TRAMPS & THIEVES. Now I can go back and continue to edit and spruce up another full-length novel called GROUND HOG'S DAY. It's about Sam Jenkins guarding a country & western star who comes home to Prospect and receives death threats based on her alternative lifestyle.



What are you currently reading?



I just finished VINEYARD DECEIT by Philip R. Craig and started ELEVEN ON TOP by Janet Evanovich. I've read other books by Craig and like them. This is my first Evanovich / Stephanie Plum novel. A friend gave me a copy, so I'm going to see how I like a chick-lit mystery.



What do you like to do in your free time?



Free time? What's that? I do so much post-publication promotion and marketing every spare minute is at a premium. But my wife and I like to travel, and we don't do the traditional stuff. If we take a cruise, it's not on a big "love boat," it's on a small craft along Alaska's Inside Passage or the European rivers. We don't lie on the beach. We like to get into the middle of a buffalo herd. With travel comes scenic and nature photography.



Do you have advice for other authors?



Whether you're traditionally or self-published, find someone who can advise you how to best use the electronic media to promote your book. You can write the next great American novel, but if no one knows you, it won't sell. Don't get eclipsed by people who write tripe, but know the ins and outs of Twitter. Market your book intelligently. I hope I'm learning.



To those in the process of writing or selling their first novel: NEVER GIVE UP. Query those agents. If you run out of possibilities there, write to any publisher who will accept submissions directly from an author. This route worked for me. If you want to go it alone, learn everything about ePublishing and/or self-publishing you can.



If you have a good story to tell, there are people who will want to read it. But if you self-publish, find an editor. Everyone needs an editor. Two heads are not only better than one, they're essential.



Do you have any parting comments?



Sure. Walk softly but carry a big stick. Don't tell the world you're the greatest thing since 3-D and the Hula Hoop. Talk is cheap. Like any good writer—show don't tell. Show them your stuff is special.



Thanks, Katheryn, for allowing me to meet and chat with your fans.



You're welcome! Where can readers buy your books and find out more about you?



People can learn more about me, Sam Jenkins, and all our imaginary friends from Prospect, Tennessee at http://www.waynezurlbooks.net

They can buy print copies, eBooks and audio books of Sam's adventures from:



Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/waynezurl



Barnes & Noble: http://barnesandnoble.com/s/wayne-zurl



And all the usual dot-com sellers.



You Tube videos: A LEPRECHAUN'S LAMENT http://youtu.be/7K8FWsh7-sg



A NEW PROSPECT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI63_29n9KQThank you so much Wayne for taking the time to be here today!

Katheryn Lane Uncovered (a little bit)

I've been tagged by romance author Paula Martin to answer the following questions, so here goes:



What is the one book you couldn't live without?

Is it too cliché to say the Bible?



What can you see out of your window at the moment?Desert, desert and more desert! I live in the Middle East and there's a lot of desert! It can either be very bleak, or very romantic depending on what mood I'm in and the weather.



What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

Fried pigs ears and not by choice! I was in Spain and ordered it by accident. It's the inspiration behind the scene in Her Latin Lover when the heroine, Mary, finds herself alone in South America, and not speaking any Spanish, she orders randomly off the menu in a cafe. However, when the food arrives, she discovers that she's ordered pigs ears! What fictional character would you most like to marry?

Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind, but only if he looked like Clark Gable - so sexy!



If ever a fictional villain was going to win, who would you want it to be?

Probably the money lender, Shylock, from The Merchant of Venice. If he was around today, he'd work for an investment bank and instead of being punished, he'd be given a six-figure bonus and promotion.



How many types of cheese can you name off the top of your head?

Not sure, maybe a dozen? I love cheese, but I try not to eat too much as it's not very slimming. My favourite would have to be mature English cheddar on fresh bread with a glass of wine.



If you didn't want to be a writer, what would you want to be?

I'd love to have been a ballet dancer! I know I've mentioned this before, but I love ballet.



Can you play a musical instrument?

I tried to learn how to play the piano as a child, but sadly I never got he hang of it.



Do you own a Kindle or any sort of e-reader?

I have an ereader, which I think is essential nowadays as many books are only available as ebooks, such as mine! However, I still buy paperback books as well and love going to second-hand book shops.



If so, how many books do you have on it?

A lot, especially ebooks that have been recommended by friends and other authors, though I haven't read all of them yet!



You just got published. In a glowing review, someone calls you the next (insert name of famous author). Which author has to watch their back now you're on the scene?

That's a tricky question! I think the best compliment would be 'the next Nora Roberts' as she is a great romance writer! There - answered them all!



And now I'm tagging the following bloggers with the challenge to answer the same questions:

Michelle Hughes

Jan Romes

Hearts and Vampires: Meet Author Ash Krafton

Today it's great to welcome Ash Krafton, author of Bleeding Hearts. First, could you tell us what your book is about?



In BLEEDING HEARTS: BOOK ONE OF THE DEMIMONDE, Sophie Galen is saving the world...one damned person at a time.

Sophie is an advice columnist who falls for a man who seems to be dancing with damnation. Then again, Marek is Demivampire...so the threat of damnation is never far behind. Good thing Sophie has an unmanifested oracle lurking in her brain. Things like that come in handy when dealing with demivamps who want to avoid evolving into darker things.



What inspired you to write it?

It literally started as a dream: I woke up with the words of the tagline echoing in my head and the fleeting image of the hero and heroine. I've been trying to capture the dream ever since.



I love vampire stories...but always wished the vampire wasn't such a dead-end (no pun intended.) I mean, once you are vampire, you stay that way. I am a firm believer in second chances, which is why I created a world of demivamps who have the potential to evolve.



Good demivampires don't evolve...but bad ones will. It's their final judgment. If you lead a righteous life, you'll be safe. Of course, there's always the handful of reckless people to are on a fast track to Hell and proud of it.

It creates a conflict that's easy to understand—we all know someone who thinks they will be damned and we'll do anything to change their belief in themselves.





If it was made into a movie, who would you like to star in it?

Zooey Deschanel, without a second thought. Have you seen her in New Girl? I love her vulnerability yet she's tough enough to give Sophie the perfect amount of snark.. (Plus, I adore her weirdness and I'd do anything to hang out on the set with her.) Marek would be harder to cast because I've come to know exactly who that character is—and I have yet to see the guy to do him justice.



It's listed as being Book One. Can we expect more in the series?



Books Two and Three are being penned more or less simultaneously...and it helps to keep the continuity of the demivampire lore. It also helps plant seeds of ideas earlier in the stories, which really helps with world-building. I don't like surprises unless they're meant to be surprises.

Book Two expands on the role of the Weres and the mythology of the Sophias, the oracles of the demivampires. A Sophia is a spiritual healer who helps to undo the soul-damage that cause demivamps to evolve into vampire. Sophie is a loner with no one to teach her what to do with her power so you can imagine what a relief it is when a mentor shows up. (And by "relief" I sarcastically mean "disaster")

Book Three is my baby and all I will say is...I love to get lost in that book. *happy sigh* You'll have to wait and see what happens when the king comes to town.





Have you always known that you were going to be a writer?

Yes...although I didn't intend for it to become such a big part of my life. My mom has a collection of things I wrote when I was younger and always had my nose in a book and a notebook nearby. I studied pharmacy in college but spent all my free time in the Humanities Department, where I worked as a writing tutor and ESL coach. My favorite internships were the ones I got to write in—I did medical advertising and drug information stints that almost made me change my decision to work in retail. I always loved writing. I just never thought I'd make it a career.

Then, a few years ago, I decided to write a story. I picked up a notebook and started writing passages and scenes of a fantasy story while my kids splashed in the pool. After a few months, I had the fated dream and began to write obsessively, in every bit of spare time. I did it in secret because I didn't want anyone to know. When my husband discovered the files on my computer, I was horrified...and completely amazed by his support. He wanted me to pursue it and encouraged me every step of the way.



It started as a hobby...but now it's totally a job. I don't even need to add *uck work* to that because I love every agonizing moment of it.



What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to travel with my family—lots of day trips and overnight stays in our favorite cities: Philadelphia and Baltimore. We've become foodies so I cook a lot of ethnic foods. (I also hit the treadmill to undo the caloric damage. Balance is key.) I like to make jewelry, too. Right now I'm working on a silver-pearled bridal set for one of my close friends.



Unfortunately, I'm the Household Deity of our family, so I've got to squeeze everything in around the glorious tasks of laundry and vacuuming.





Do you have any parting comments?

Yes—thank you so much for having me! I'd also like to share my favorite word with everyone today: persevere. Whatever your dream might be, chase it down and hang onto it with both hands. You must persevere in all things because it's the only way to go forward.



Where can we buy your book?

http://pinknarc.com/books

http://www.amazon.com/Bleeding-Hearts-Ash-Krafton/dp/0982991363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332030556&sr=8-1



http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bleeding-hearts-ash-krafton/1037633251?ean=9780982991367&r=1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1&



Where can readers find out more about you?

I'm on ...

http://twitter.com/ashkrafton



http://ashkrafton.com



http://facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/ash_krafton



http://amazon.com/author/ashkrafton



Thank you so much Ash for taking the time to chat with me and tell me about your great book!