Jean Murray's Blog, page 19
February 4, 2012
Soul Reborn Give Away at the Reading with the Bakin Goddesses
I wanted to share this great opportunity to win e-copies of the first book in the Key to the Cursed Series, Soul Reborn. Plus, the goddesses are giving away some of my signed cover flats. This is a great time to get introduced to a unique paranormal romance read. These ladies have been so supportive, I would love to have you stop by for a visit on their blog.
Filed under: Events, Giveaway, Key to the Cursed Tagged: contest, ebook, egyptian mythos, fiction, giveaway, goddesses, Jean Murray, key to the cursed, kindle, paranormal, paranormal fiction, paranormal romance, promotion, romance, soul awakened, soul reborn, soul reborn cover feature booktrailer
January 29, 2012
Key to the Cursed Series Trailer ~ featured in online newspaper
Close blogger friends of mine, Readin with the Bakin Goddesses, emailed to let me know that my new Key to the Cursed trailer was featured in an online newspaper. I want to thank Joan Swan for including my video in the Media section of her paper. Come check it out.
http://paper.li/joanswan/1307236469 – ONE WORD AT A TIME "NEWSPAPER" BY JOAN SWAN!!!
Filed under: Uncategorized
January 27, 2012
Is this ROMANCE or LOVE STORY? You be the judge…
Read 2 Review invited me over and gave me the reins to their blog. With Valentine's Day not that far away, I decided to weigh in on Romance versus Love Stories… Are they the same or different?
You weigh in…. HERE!
Filed under: Events, Guest Author, PROMO Tagged: Jean Murray, key to the cursed, love story, paranormal romance, Read2Review, romance, romance vs love, soul awakened, soul reborn
5 Star Review of SOUL REBORN
It has been awhile so I had to share. The fabulous Elena over at Samsawesomness has given Soul Reborn a 
review. It made my week. I would be forever grateful, if you help me spread the word. Thanks again! Elena rocks!!
Teaser: "Talk about a load of Suspense! This novel was quick paced and engaging. Who would've known one story could carry so much depth. The paranormal aspect of the story was over the top A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!…."
Filed under: Book Review, Soul Reborn Tagged: & rhonda's awesomeness, best seller, book review, egyptian gods, egyptian mythos, elena, five star review, key to the cursed series, paranormal reads, paranormal romance, romance, sam, soul reborn, underworld gods
January 23, 2012
Author Open Mic ~ Welcomes Rachel Firasek to the Mic
Host Jean: Okay, before I hand the mic over to Rachel let me tell you a little bit about her. I ran into Rachel at the Fantasy, Fiction and Paranormal RWA chapter loop. We pitched together during an online pitch session and became fellow Crescent Moon Press authors. You may have heard of Piper's Fury and if you haven't you probably will down the road. The book is great.
Well, she didn't let sleeping dogs lie, because she has charged full steam ahead and released another three book series, The Curse of the Phoenix from Entangled Publishing (which has amazing covers, by the way). You can find her collection of books on her Amazon Author Page. In addition, Rachel owns several blogs, Romance Cafe & Sassy Street Sirens, and has a web presence out there to rival any of the best selling authors. I get tired just watching her. I don't know how she does it all. Please note, she hasn't even hit her anniversary date for Piper's Fury. We're talking less than a year. I wanted to preface her post to let you know this girl knows what she is talking about when it comes to time management.
Bio:
Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.
Today you'll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80's dance moves.
She's intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or at www.rachelfirasek.com .
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/RachelFirasek
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Firasek/175543929127527
Please stay tune, as Rachel has answered some questions about her upcoming release, The Last Beginning (Feb2012).
Rachel. I pass you the mic.
Rachel: So, when Jean so sweetly asked me to come on here, I worried over what I'd blog about. Hmmm….when I was on my last two blog tours I ran out of things to say and then it came to me. Write about what you know really well. Well, I know how to time manage—sort of. 
I'm going to share with you how I made it through simultaneous drafts/revisions/edits/and blog tours without losing my sanity. Whew. Looking back, I'm not sure how I did it—or even if I did.
If you find yourself in a similar position, no matter what you're working on in your life, here are the steps to stay sane.
Prioritize every aspect of your life—even the kids and hubby. Seriously, there were days when I'd look at my kids and ask, "Is this something we have to do/handle/discuss today?" They learned really fast that they had to give me a rating of importance. And, it taught them how to handle some of their own problems without running to me for everything. My kids are older, so this worked for them.
Let your extended family/friends/random strangers that you play games with on FB know that you're not intentionally ignoring them, but you're super busy and when things settle you'll be back in touch. It's very important that you do this when you see the tornado heading your way and not while you're in the midst of the wind. I did it backwards and what ends up happening is you alienate yourself because you've forgotten to take a moment and explain your situation.
Learn your limits. I had to stumble through this one too. I thought I could hang all nighters for my deadlines and still go in to the day job. Uh, no, I'm not 20 anymore. So, I had to learn to let others know when I'm sinking. It's a hard thing to do, but it's better to reach out and let your editor/boss/etc…know when you aren't coping than it is to totally fail. Many times they can help you find solutions.
Time manage. This is another one that I just totally failed at. See the trend here? Learn that yes, social media is important, but not if you don't finish your X on time. So, make the few moments you tweet/post/blog more impactful. And, instead of talking to 25 people…limit yourself to 5 for the day. When you hit your quota, say farewell and move along. Or use these as a reward for hitting a goal.
As far as the work….well, the truth is…if you're going to work on multiple projects at one time with a deadline for each, you will have no life. None. Be ready for it. J If you go in expecting to never see the mall until you're finish, that Starbucks was only a dream, and your bestie will only be allowed a two minute phone convo on a commute, then you'll be ready for anything. Expectations can make a world of difference in this life.
Jean, sweetie, I hope this helps. I know it's probably not what you were looking for, but looking back at this year, it's all a blur of sweat and tears. J But, I wouldn't trade this life for anything in the world. Best wishes and thank you so much for having me on.
Host Jean: Rachel thank you so much. I admire your ability to accomplish so much and now you have shared that secret with readers and fellow authors. So, Rachel isn't out of the hot seat yet. Let's talk about your upcoming release, The Last Beginning.
Though she's always hated being a phoenix, Sadie has to admit immortality has its advantages. She's seen and done more in the last 150 years than she'd ever dreamed of, but she can't get past the fact that Osiris has done nothing but manipulate her and her fellow phoenixes.
Or that, when her last incarnation as a phoenix comes to a fiery end, the fire slowly begins to consume her body.
Sun god Osiris is ashamed of his role as ruler of the Underworld, but he unless he can figure out how to save Sadie, that's exactly where she's going to end up. Permanently. Terrified he's going to lose her, he takes her on a hunt for The Book of the Dead, which is the only way he knows he can save her—even if it means she'll hate him forever.
What challenges are there when writing a novella versus a novel? How do you overcome these challenges?
Rachel: Oh, good question. Well, I think the biggest challenge is getting the character right in half the space and not having the reader feel cheated. The way I do this, is to keep the plot very simple. I keep my leads together as much as possible and I make sure that the story always comes full circle. Shhhh…don't spread my secret.
Host Jean: Okay, you've hit one of my favorite areas of Egyptian Mythology. I love this theme of phoenixes. Tell us a little about the myth of the phoenix, as it relates to your book.
Rachel: Oh, geez…share my research. I took the phoenix mythology from a Tarot flip, then did my research backwards. : P Osiris was a sun god, the phoenix was made of fire. "The Bennu was also considered a manifestation of the resurrected Osiris and the bird was often shown perched in his sacred willow tree." http://www.egyptianmyths.net/phoenix.htm
This single line is really what sparked my interest and fantasizing about the bird. Check out the site and if you've read any of the books, you'll truly know how weird I am and how far I can stray from an idea.
Host Jean: Tell us a little about your heroine, Sadie… Who was she before she became a phoenix? How does that affect her as an immortal and how she sees the world today?
Ah, Sadie, my little American. Sadie is from the 1850's originally and she did some not so nice things to make her way out to California. She's a devout believer in the Man upstairs and struggles with her perceived sins throughout the book. She's worried she'll burn in Hell, even after Osiris promises that she won't. These two make me smile.
Host Jean: What phoenix is next?
This is the end of the line for my Phoenixes. I'm going to miss these ladies and maybe Osiris most of all. I hope you all enjoy the stories.
The Last Rising Book Trailer
"Firasek's heroine will seize your heart and enchant your soul."
~ Caridad Piñeiro, NYT and USA TODAY Bestselling author of the Sin Hunters series
And has been awarded a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick
Piper's Fury earned 4 stars from RT, 5 Stars from Bitten By Book, The Romance Reviews and many others. Piper's Fury is an Eppie Finalist.
Let's open the MIC to the audience. Throw some questions out there for Rachel!! What are your time management strategies?? What has worked? What has failed?
Filed under: Author Open Mic, Craft, Guest Author Tagged: author open mic, best seller, cover art, crescent moon press, curse of the phoenix, ebook, egyptian mythos, entangled publishing, fiction, guest author, guest blog, interview, novella, paranormal, paranormal fiction, pipers fury, rachel, Rachel Firasek, romance, time management, time management strategies, writing
January 22, 2012
Have you ever said to yourself or others, "I don't have enough time to write or promote my book."
Wicked Romance welcomes Author Rachel Firasek to Author Open Mic tomorrow, Monday- 23 January.
Ms. Firasek has authored five books in the last year, as well as launching, promoting, and managing ownership of two blogs.
She has found the time and wants to share her experience with you. Don't miss it!!
Filed under: Author Open Mic, Events, Guest Author Tagged: author, author open mic, best seller, blogger, blogging, book release, ebook, Editing; editor; novel, egyptian mythos, fiction, guest blog, interview, Jean Murray, kindle, on air, open mic, paranormal, paranormal fiction, promotion, Rachel Firasek, romance, time management, time management strategies, writing
January 18, 2012
Paranormal Reads ~ Key to the Cursed Series: Teasers, Interview, and All Around Fun
Hey, everyone. The gracious folks over at Paranormal Reads are revealing some Soul Reborn's secrets and teasers. Find out more about the Key to the Cursed series here.
Filed under: Events, Key to the Cursed, PROMO, Soul Reborn Tagged: best seller, book of the dead, book secrets, ebook, egyptian mythos, facebook, fantasy romance, feature, fiction, guest blog, interview, Jean Murray, key to the cursed, kindle, paranormal, paranormal fiction, paranormal reads, promotion, romance, secrets, soul reborn, teasers
January 13, 2012
Listen to this playlist: Key to the Cursed Series Playlist
[image error]The authors at Crescent Moon Press have been having a great discussion about the music that inspires us. I decided to share mine. Now keep in mind that the Key to the Cursed series is a dark paranormal, so my music tends to be a bit edgy. I absolutely love these two bands in particular. They really get down to the heart of the soul in their song writing. What do you think?
Filed under: Events, Soul Reborn Tagged: best selling, breaking benjamin, inspiration, key to the cursed, music, playlist, skillet, songs, soul, soul awakened, soul reborn, soul unleashed
January 10, 2012
Author Open Mic ~ Please Welcome Author P.K. Brent
I am trying something new for 2012. Twice a month I am hosting "Author Open Mic." The days will spotlight the author's work or any topic that they want to cover. It can be off the cuff or customized based on the author's needs. The goal is to get readers and authors together, throw some questions out there that need to be asked and answered, and most importantly, have fun. There are no requirements or restrictions. And yes, this is for mature audiences 
Author Open Mic welcomes P.K. Brent
Author of Starfire: Kingdom on the Edge of Forever.
Before we get started with the interview questions, I'd like to introduce PK Brent. I love her biography, because she is multi-talented and has such a variety of interests that I'm sure each one of us can identify with. So, let's get to it shall we?
Biography:
P.K. Brent was raised in upstate NY, next to farms, a cemetery, and an abandoned WWII munitions factory. She writes fantasy, horror and paranormal romance fiction.
Jean: Tell us 10 interesting things about yourself…
10 things about me…
1.) I have an M.S. in Information Management.
2.) I worked for many years in the Information Technology field.
3.) I once helped to train horses and taught dog obedience.
4.) I rescue Jack Russell terriers, the craziest funniest dogs.
5.) I still feel bad about Laika, the dog sent into space, and I dedicated my space romance to her.
6.) I play World of Warcraft.
7.) I like Oblivion and Skyrim — metafiction in action.
8.) I'm a voracious reader in many genres.
9.) I split my time between northern FL and upstate NY.
10.) I study Hermeticism.
Jean: PK, can you tell us a little about Hermeticism because I'm sure there are some out there that are not familiar with this belief system? I assuming it plays a big role in your writing. Can you share with us how your belief system influences your writing and how you draw some of those beliefs into your writing?
PK: Hermeticism is the western mystery tradition. It's not a belief system or a religion. It goes back to antiquity, though there have always been groups that study and practice it. It's a western Yoga and focuses on raising awareness. In regard to my writing, the main influence of Hermeticism has to do with my study of mythology, meditation, magick, and mysticism.
Jean: You mentioned in your biography that you rescue Jack Russell terriers. How many do you have? What qualities does a Jack Russell have that draws you to them? Do you want to share one important fact for future Jack Russell owners?
PK: I have two Jack Russell rescues, plus my son's bichon frisee, a dwarf rabbit, a hamster and a beta fish. I'm not taking in any more Jack Russells now, but I am a volunteer to transport rescue dogs. Jack Russell's are extremely active, funny, persistent, and intelligent. They are not AKC dogs, so they vary somewhat in appearance, and Jacks have more natural canine instincts than other dogs. They avidly look for opportunities to hunt, kill vermin, and protect the home. They are definitely not for everyone. You need a fenced yard. Plus they frequently will try to kill smaller animals. Some are same sex aggressive (toward other dogs) and some dislike children. My oldest one is Little Louie, who weighs 14 pds. and is mixed with Pomeranian (or something). He was returned twice to the SPCA for being "too active." I've had him for 10 years and he still has a very high energy level. My other dog, Delilah, was kept in a cat carrier her first year, unable to stand up, soiling herself all day. She was starved down to 8 pds. and now weighs 17 pds. She was so weak and confused when I got her, that it took a solid year to housebreak her. But she is fine now and a very good dog. Jacks are hugely affectionate and loyal to their owner, but you have to earn their trust.
Jean: Do you have any New Year resolutions you would like to share?
PK: No. Sorry! I didn't make any. I'm in the process of moving to Northern Florida so I've been focusing all my energies on that.
Jean: Okay, I am fascinated with your novel, Starfire: Kingdom on the Edge of Forever. I love storylines that bring two races together to fight a common enemy. Can you tell us a little about the book and its characters?
Back Cover Blurb: Danizar is a young, halfbreed beauty, — illegitimate daughter of the late Roran King and the Valent woman Eluna. She has the self-discipline of a Roran and the unique gifts of the Valent, an ancient wisdom race. Because of her mixed heritage, Danizar is an outsider to both the Valent and Roran cultures, which are distant and strange to each other. Yet it falls to her, to convince the Roran that the threat of the Zunit insect race is real, and to convince the Valent that they must work with the Roran if they are to win against the Zunit. If Danizar fails, the galaxy will be lost.
PK: Danizar is the main character. She has always been an outsider, due to her mixed racial background. Neither of her birth races accept her, so she has had to make her way alone in a hostile world. Facing adversity has shaped her and made her into a strong, capable woman.
Jean: Are there any romantic interests for Danizar? If so, who?
PK: Eventually Danizar and the Roran Tenaegon fall in love. That will be a main theme in book 2.
Jean: Can you tell us a little more about the three races? Roran, Valent and Zunit.
PK: The Valent are an ancient wisdom race that seeded the galaxy. All other humanoid in the galaxy evolved from Valent seed, but they are all far more primitive. The Roran are very conservative, factual, and rigid. Danizar is half Roran and half Valent. Both look down on her and consider her to be improper and inferior. The Zunit are the evil insect people. They look like large preying mantises and talk in a high pitched squeak.
Jean: What was the hardest thing about writing this book/series? Research, character or world development? Cover? What was the easiest?
PK: It was really easy to write this book. I wrote 14,000 words in one day. I wrote it while my son was playing chess tournaments. I drove him, so had several hours at a time to write, while he was playing. The cover was tricky, because after the fact I realized that I should have bought rights to the medium size image, not the large. So the font is smaller than it should be. I'll redo it eventually. I'm an indie author, so I don't have a copy editior, storyline editor, publicist, or graphic arts department. I'm working to improve in all these areas. I think the marketing is really the hardest part for me. Putting myself "out there" is unnatural for me.
Jean: Now Kingdom on the Edge of Forever is the first book in the Starfire series. What can we look forward to next?
PK: The next book is tentatively titled, Starfire: When Worlds Collide. This will show Danizar on the Planet Roran, where she was raised and treated like a slave. Now she comes back successful. Plus the battle with the Zunit insect race will become serious. There are a few people from her past who make an appearance. Also, she starts to fall in love, but there are complications of course.
Jean: Where can readers find out more about you and your series?
PK: They can visit my website at pkbrent.com, and my books are available on Amazon.
Website: www.pkbrent.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/pkbrent
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pkbrent
Jean: Where can readers purchase your book?
PK: On Amazon.com
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Starfire-Kingdom-Edge-Forever-ebook/dp/B006AUN1DM/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2
Jean: Are there other novels you would like to share?
PK: Yes, I also have a young adult paranormal series titled The Witch of the Western Gate. This is full of action and paranormal characters.
Open Mic can't work without some shot from the hip questions or comments, so don't delay…. Post your question below!
I want to thank P.K. Brent for taking the Open Mic and sharing her book, Starfire: Kingdom on the Edge of Forever. Look for more on this author.
Have a Happy New Year!!
Your humble host ~ Jean Murray
Filed under: Author Open Mic, Events, Guest Author Tagged: ebook, egyptian mythos, fantasy romance, fiction, guest blog, interview, kindle, Kingdom on the Edge of Forever, paranormal, paranormal fiction, PK Brent, promotion, romance, Space fantasy, Starfire seriies
January 9, 2012
2012 Author Open Mic
I am trying something a little different for 2012.
Twice a month I am hosting "Author Open Mic." The days will spotlight an author, their work or any topic that they want to cover. It can be off the cuff or customized based on the author's needs. The goal is to get readers and authors together, throw some questions out there that need to be asked and answered, and most importantly, have fun. There are no requirements or restrictions. And yes, this is for mature audiences
If anyone is interested in taking the mic for the day at Wicked Romance to promote their next book, book event, or topic of your choice just drop me an email a t murray(dot)jeanm(at)gmail(dot)com
Filed under: Author Open Mic, Events, PROMO, Uncategorized Tagged: advertising, best seller, blog hop, book release, book review, contest, cover art, craft, ebook, Editing; editor; novel, fantasy romance, fiction, giveaway, guest blog, interview, Jean Murray, paranormal, paranormal fiction, promotion, romance
