Lori Devoti's Blog, page 19
June 1, 2011
Writer Wednesday: Interview with Scottish Historical and Vampire Romance Author, Jackie Ivie
I "met" Jackie Ivie at the very beginning of my career as a published author. She and I both had our start as part of Kensington Zebra books' debut author line. (Love is All Around, in case you are interested.) I read that first book by Jackie (Lady Of The Knight
) and I was blown away! It broke a number of rules–one being we never got inside the hero's head–but it was a helluva read. I highly recommend that book and all of Jackie's books.
Now, here's Jackie…. (and yes, that is Fabio in the picture with her.)
Where should a reader who is new to your books start?
Anywhere they want. All my works are stand-alone reads. I'm not a plotter, and I think it's essential to a well-worked sequel. Only two of my historical books are actually linked: The Knight Before Christmas
and Once Upon a Knight
.
—-
What do you most hope readers get from reading one of your books?
A huge feeling of satisfaction – because it all came right in the end. Somehow, despite the incredible odds, the heroine and hero will be together and true love really does conquer everything.
—-
Which of your stories are you excited about right now?
For historicals, I'd have to say, my upcoming October release Knight Everlasting
. It just got a review from LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS that deserves a copy/paste:
*********
"Jackie Ivie is a fantastic story teller. Her descriptions of extreme emotion, whether it is a fight to the death or love making that transports to heavenly ecstasy, give the reader a vicarious experience in the thirteenth century Highlands where life was hard and the people who survived lived only by embracing extreme measures. Ms. Ivie weaves superstitions, humor of the time, unique customs of the Highlanders, and the unending struggle to hold on to power into KNIGHT EVERLASTING, as she assails the reader's senses and revs up the heartbeat with sensational love scenes. WOW!"
***********
In Paranormals, I have to say Be Still My Heart 
, (Book #2 in my Vampire Assassin League
series). It was a hoot to write a beta-male with a alpha-female siren. I've rarely had such fun. I can't wait to start the next one.
You are so well known for Scottish Historicals, and so loved by your fans, why vampire romance?
I absolutely LOVE historicals – and Scots historicals are at the top of my favorites things to dream and write about…but when my editor called me with an opportunity to write a short story featuring a Scot historical featuring a vampire, I couldn't resist. It was a chance to really stretch my imagination – and write a completely different hero and heroine. And setting. And plot-line. And…well…just about everything!
That explains A KNIGHT BEYOND BLACK. It's a 35,000 word anthology that'll be out in the trade paperback HIGHLAND HUNGER this September. But I found out something. I had such fun writing it that I was hooked. Not only on writing short stories, but on the paranormal angle! Wow. So…I wrote an Old World Scot vampire (KNIGHT AFTER NIGHT) with a young contemporary heroine, and I followed it up with a really hot female vampire and a Beta-male hero (BE STILL MY HEART).
I used to think I couldn't write two different genres. I didn't think my imagination could keep up with it. Well…I was wrong.
But, I'll never change my first love: Historical Romance. And there's lots more in the works – coming out with Kensington. After KNIGHT EVERLASTING, I've got A PERFECT KNIGHT FOR LOVE in 2012 another one in 2013 that I'm titling A KNIGHT LIKE NO OTHER. Because there's not much better than a Hunky Highlander.
To buy Jackie's Books Visit:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
May 27, 2011
TryDay! Bargain ebook to try! Paranormal Young Adult
Today's TryDay pick is by an author (Tess Oliver) that I've never met–a paranormal young adult novel set in Victorian England. I really liked the premise of this book. The heroine is a sixteen year-old girl being trained to hunt werewolves. So, the wolves are not good guys in this book. However, while out on a hunt Camille witnesses a young man get bitten. She knows what is to come, but still can't keep herself from coming to care for him.
I found Camille to be a fresh take on this type of book and really enjoyed it. Here's the official copy…
At a time when society conforms to the strictest rules and most proper etiquette, sixteen-year-old Camille Kennecott and her guardian, Dr. Bennett, live a most unconventional life. They hunt werewolves.
When unwitting victim, Nathaniel Strider, wanders into one of their full moon pursuits, Camille and Dr. Bennett believe they have found a specimen for their study. Finding a scientific key to unlocking the mystery of lycanthropy would end their late night excursions. Yet beneath the irresistible exterior, Nathaniel is transforming into a flesh-tearing monster, and as each experiment fails, Camille's loses another inch of her soul to him. She knows that in a month's time she must face the prospect of destroying the boy who has stolen her heart.
Camille is a young adult, paranormal romance set in Victorian England.
AND Camille is also $.99! (It really is insane how many great books you can get for this price.)
Buy Camille at:
Amazon
Kindle
Barnes & Noble Nook
Smashwords (warning priced higher at Smashwords–$2.99)
May 25, 2011
Writer Wednesday, Interview with Paranormal Romance Author, Felicity Heaton
Which of your books is your favorite? Why?
I think it's hard to pinpoint which book is my favourite as I've written so many and they're all quite different. My favourite series is by far my Vampires Realm series I write as F E Heaton. There are nine books in that series, and I'm currently writing the tenth, and I have ideas for at least another 10 books.
If I had to choose just one book, I would say that my favourite is Love Immortal. It's an epic vampire romance novel and the longest single story I've written at 160,000 words. It has everything I love in it–vampires, immortals, gods and goddesses, werewolves, mythology, and people with supernatural powers. It's a really epic story and I loved writing it.
How long have you been writing?
I've been writing since 2003, and was e-published back in 2005. In 2006 I decided to go indie and haven't looked back since.
How long did it take you to write your most recent release?
My latest novel is Ascension
, the first book in my new series, the Shadow and Light Trilogy. It's a 92000 word novel, and in total it probably took me around ten weeks to get it from idea to final product. That includes writing up notes, an outline, and character bios, and then the first draft, a second draft, a polish draft and then a couple of proofing rounds.
What do you most hope readers get from reading one of your books?
A chance to escape the world for a while, and characters they can fall in love with and care about. I write books for readers, to give them warm fuzzies at the end and leave them with a smile, and hopefully a sense of relaxation and happiness.
May 20, 2011
TryDay, another bargain ebook for you to Try!
Today, I'm recommending another historical romance. I don't know about you, but twenty years ago when I discovered romance, I was a major glommer of historicals. And maybe it is just me, but historicals then had something special in them that is different from what you get today–which isn't to say that today's are great…they have just changed. And, quite honestly, I get a bit nostalgic for that something that isn't there anymore.
If you do too, Spring Blossom by Jill Metcalf is for you.
Here's the back cover:
A Heart-warming Romance from the Heart of America
For every flowering blossom of spring, a heart discovers true love…
Maggie… As a spirited girl of fifteen, she fell head over heels in love with a handsome stranger…a love she was too young to understand.
Hunter… Part Indian, and all gentleman, he was touched by young Maggie's charms and secretly vowed to ask for her hand when she was of marrying age.
He did return to her years later – only to find the shattering truth that had scarred her heart… For Maggie had turned her back on love and not even the caring embrace of her sisters and father could ease the dark secret that tarnished her spirit. Until Hunter's gentle touch turned the future into a promise of love fulfilled, turned her sorrow into the sunshine warmth of home and hearth…and a love that would flourish with the passing of the seasons.
And once again this TryDay bargain is just $.99. I think the price is going up soon though, so don't waste time hunting it down.
May 18, 2011
Writer Wednesday: Interview w/ Young Adult and historical romance author, Kelly McClymer
Today, my guest is young adult and historical romance author, Kelly McClymer. Kelly is another of the many New York published authors who is releasing her out of print backlist books as ebooks.
First her "official" bio:
Kelly McClymer was born in South Carolina, but crossed the Mason-Dixon line to live in Delaware at age six. After one short stint living in South Carolina during junior high, she has remained above the line, and now lives in Maine with her husband and three children.
Writing has been Kelly's passion since her sixth grade essay on how to not bake bread earned her an A plus. After cleaning up the bread dough that oozed on to the floor, she gave up bread making for good and turned to writing as a creative outlet. A graduate of the University of Delaware (English major, of course) she spends her days writing and teaching writing.
Which of your books is your favorite? Why?
Whatever book I'm working on is always my favorite, because the possibilities are endless and the laces haven't all been neatly tied off, as they are when the book is finally published. But each book brings a special thrill when I think of it (my first published novel, The Fairy Tale Bride (Once Upon a Wedding)
, for instance, reminds me of getting "the call"). Recently, when I reissued the ebook version, I had an opportunity to "retie the laces"as it were — to revise. That was great.
Where should a reader who is new to your books start?
Since 2006, I have been writing YA, and that is where I plan to continue (I have two YA novels in revisions as we speak). Starting with The Salem Witch Tryouts
, the first in a trilogy about a cheerleading witch, is a good place to start.
I am also releasing my out-of-print historical romance novels in ebook form. For readers who like a more sweet than steamy romance read, try The Fairy Tale Bride , (Only $.99 at Amazon and Smashwords–Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Smashwords) the first of seven loosely connected books about a family looking for their happily ever afters in the Once Upon A Wedding series.
What do you most hope readers get from reading one of your books?
All of my books celebrate the power of love, family, friendship, and never giving up or in. Some do it with carriages and Victorian estates and others do it with magic, but at heart, that's the one truth I hope to explore in as many ways as possible for the rest of my life.
Is there anything else you would like to add either for readers or writers?
Readers: Go forth and read with an open heart and mind.
Writers: What are you doing reading this interview?!? Get back to writing.
May 13, 2011
TryDay, a bargain ebook for you to try! Pirates! Free!
Free Book Alert!!
Wednesday, I interviewed romance author, Marsha Canham, so it only seemed logical to feature one of her fabulous pirate romances as today's TryDay bargain ebook pick!
In this swashbuckling adventure Captain Morgan Wade, a notorious privateer and blockade-runner, rescues, then kidnaps the daughter of the British governor of Barbados after she and her brother are shipwrecked. Summer Cambridge is betrothed to Wade's arch-enemy, Commodore Bennett Winfield, who will go to any lengths, even start a war between two countries to get her back.
From Marsha: This is the first book I wrote that explores my love of sea-faring swashbucklers. My first Hollywood crush was on Errol Flynn and I kept thinking of him as I was writing my Morgan Wade *s*
Buy Bound by the Heart for only $.99!!
Amazon
for Kindle
Barnes and Noble for Nook
Or get it for FREE at Smashwords!
All this talk of pirates is making me long for one of my favorite old school romance novel sub-genres…Vikings! Who has a great viking romance to tell me about?
May 11, 2011
Writer Wednesday: Interview with Historical Romance Author, Marsha Canham
I want to welcome Marsha Canham to my blog! I met Marsha recently on the new road of publishing–digital self-publishing. Her previously out-of-print pirate romances have found new life in ebooks and readers are gobbling them up!
Here is her "official" bio from her web site:
Marsha is the author of sixteen Historical Romances and one Contemporary Romance.
She has won multiple awards for swashbuckling romance, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly touting the sizzling pirate adventure The Iron Rose as one of the six best mass market books for the year.
A USA Today Bestselling author with a loyal readership, many appreciate her use of history, action, and adventure to place the reader right into the heart of the story.
Which of your books is your favorite? Why?
I have always had a total soft spot in my heart for The Wind and the Sea
, mainly because it was my first real big swashbuckling adventure. I had Errol Flynn swinging across every page, the dagger clutching my teeth, the sword in my hand. It was great fun, and to cap it off, won me my first three awards. One was from Romantic Times, who didn't have a catagory at the time to place it in, so they came up with "Swashbuckler of the Year". Then there was Affaire de Coeur, who awarded me a Silver Pen for Excellence. The third award was presented for being the best selling romance across Canada. I was crushed, absolutely crushed when the publisher went bankrupt and TWATS vanished into oblivion. If this ebook revolution has done nothing else, it has allowed me to breathe new life into The Wind and the Sea.
Where should a reader who is new to your books start?
Well…page one is always a good place to start. LOL I hope they have fun. I hope they can let themselves go and escape into another world and another time period. I hope they can feel the wind on their face and smell the gunpowder from the cannons. I hope they can feel that same thrill I do when I close my eyes and see the hero silhouetted against the sunset.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing when my son was four and kindergarten was looming. I had no desire to back out into my nine-to-five job; I wanted to be a stay at home mom. A neighbor challenged me to try my hand at writing, and voila. I found my niche.
How long did it take you to write your most recent release?
My books usually take a minimum of a year to write. I tend to use the historical aspect of "historical romance" as a character in itself, so I'm very big on finding some obscure event in history and using it as more than just a colorful backdrop for a love story.
About The Wind and The Sea:
This action-packed swashbuckling adventure is a classic tale of romance, revenge, and breathtaking exploits on the high seas. The time is 1804 and the U.S. Navy is attacking and destroying pirate strongholds on North Africa's infamous Barbary Coast. Courtney Farrow, daughter of one of the most feared and successful corsairs, is captured by Lt. Adrian Ballantine, proud, handsome, and determined to tame her spirit. Constantly battling their attraction, they must become reluctant allies in order to discover who is selling secrets to the corsairs, and who has sold out the Farrow stronghold. Says Publishers Weekly: "Packed with well-drawn characters, fiery sea battles… this book is a good read."
Buy for only $2.99!!
May 6, 2011
TryDay! Another bargain ebook for you to try!
Today, I'm featuring a book by fellow Nocturne author, Doranna Durgin. In addition to our Nocturne connection, Doranna and I share a love of both dogs and fantasy, and we have both written books that play on those loves!
A Feral Darkness is such a book.
Here's the description….
As a child, dog-loving Brenna Fallon naívely invokes an ancient Celtic deity to save her beloved hound–and inadvertently anchors the new-found power at a spring on her family's farm.
She doesn't know she's also left an opening for a far more malevolent force.
Years later, thanks to the actions of several angry young men, Brenna discovers the terrible potential of that gateway. With a devastating plague unfolding abruptly around her, she must depend on her wits, a stranger she doesn't trust, and a mysterious stray dog who becomes more than just a faithful companion as she struggles to drive back the threat of a modern Black Death.
Welded by a desperate sacrifice, woman, man, and dog face the feral darkness together.
Sounds great, doesn't it? I've already bought my copy and can't wait for some free time to get reading.
Oh, and best of all? Doranna has the digital version of A Feral Darkness at that special $.99 price we all love.
Buy at:
Amazon
May 1, 2011
Sample Love is All Around & a Contest!
Love is All Around is the featured pick at Marsha Canham's blog today for Sample Sunday!
If you haven't read Love is All Around, stop by for a sample deeper inside the book than you can get with the normal ebook previews.
Also, I've decided to do a little digital download contest for Kindle owners (because Amazon so nicely lets me "gift" books). Comment either her or at Marsha's Sample Sunday blog post and be entered to win a Kindle version of my last TryDay pick, Loose Screw–PLUS one other mystery book of my choosing. (title will be a mystery/surprise, but the genre will also be mystery, to go with Loose Screw)
So, if you are a mystery lover who owns a Kindle–enter!! Or if you know a mystery lover who owns a Kindle. (All I need is an email address to send the gift.)
There will be multiple winners. So enter!!
Contest ends next Sunday, May 8th.
April 29, 2011
TryDay!! A new bargain eBook to try every Friday.
I'm starting a new weekly thing this week—TryDay. Every Friday, or Tryday, I'll post links to a new ebook that either I have read and enjoyed or that one of my friends has recommended. They will all be $5 or less, but I'll give special attention to even bigger bargains, because I love a bargain. 
This week, I have an amateur sleuth mystery for you—Loose Screw.
Here's the blurb:
Lucy Mathews, crime reporter turned antiques dealer, avoids confrontation like a home perm. She even lets a cat shove her around.
When Lucy trips over the body of a buckskin-clad relics trader, her ex-boss asks her to cover the story. She tries to tell him no, but old habits die hard and soon she finds herself directly in the path of a killer and the exasperating, if attractive, detective in charge.
Can Lucy catch a killer or is this the last confrontation for her—period?
As you can probably tell from the description, Loose Screw is a funny chick litty type of mystery, but it is set in one of my favorite states—Montana—and features one of my favorite dogs—malamutes.
And right now it is only $.99!
Buy at Smashwords Use Coupon Code LM78F to get the $.99 price
