J.C. Martin's Blog, page 13
February 20, 2013
Squee-Worthy News!
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
Between the busy-busy-ness of caring for Mini Martin ( 
), and the rather distressing news that he’ll be needing (minor) surgery for a congenital hernia ( 
), I got some awesome, squee-worthy writerly news.
It transpires that I have been invited to join a couple of panels at this year’s Crimefest!
[image error] [image error] [image error]
For the non-crime fans out there, Crimefest is only the international convention for crime and thriller fiction, where I met a certain writerly superstar last year…
LEE CHILD! *swoon*
How awesome is that?? I can’t stop staring at my name on the draft programme, alongside the big names in crime fiction: Jeffrey Deaver, Peter James, Zoë Sharp, and Colin Cotterill, to name but a few!
Of course, I’m nervous, too — I’ve never been on a panel before! But how exciting is that?
Anybody out there with experience in a panel? Any advice for a newbie panellist?
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 15, 2013
THE BIG EXIT Blog Tour: Interview with Author David Carnoy
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
David Carnoy is here to talk about his new book, legal thriller The Big Exit. Here’s a quick introduction:
About the Author
David Carnoy
While David Carnoy lives in New York City with his wife and children, his novels take place in Silicon Valley, where he grew up and went to high school (Palo Alto). His debut novel, Knife Music (2010), was a Top-10 bestseller on the Kindle and also a bestseller on the Nook. More medical thriller than high-tech thriller, to research the novel Carnoy spent a lot of time talking with doctors, visiting trauma centers, and trailed a surgeon at a hospital in Northern California to help create the book’s protagonist, Dr. Ted Cogan.
The Big Exit (2012) isn’t a sequel to Knife Music per se. However, a few of the characters from Knife Music figure prominently in the story. His second novel has more of a high-tech slant and reflects Carnoy’s experiences as an executive editor at CNET.com, where he currently works and is trying to resolve his obsession with consumer electronics products. He went to college at Wesleyan University and has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University.
Contact: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Let the interview commence!
—
Go on, hook us: tell us about The Big Exit in one sentence.
A Sinatra impersonator with a troubled past is accused of murdering the Silicon Valley entrepreneur who married his ex-fiancée.
What kind of readers would enjoy your book?
It’s suitable for a general audience, but if you want me to get more specific, I’d say readers who are looking for an “intelligent” crime novel with a touch of humor.
Who has influenced your writing, and how?
My books are tweeners — they’re somewhere between commercial and literary. I like everyone from Truman Capote to Mario Vargas Llosa to George Orwell, Philip Roth, Milan Kundera, and Kurt Vonnegut — just to name a few. And then I read a lot of Harlan Coben, Dennis Lehane, and Michael Connelly. Throw some Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock into the mix and that’s where I’m coming from.
When did you know you wanted to become an author? When did you realise it could actually become a reality?
Very early on. Maybe at 9 or 10. After I read the Phantom Tollbooth I wanted to write a book.
Can you share with us one mistake you made along the journey towards publication? If you could, how would you have done things differently?
No real mistakes other than not writing more books faster. I should have finished my first book (Knife Music) a few years earlier. Alas, I also have a pretty good journalism career that got in the way, plus four kids under the age of 10.
QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS
Plotter or pantser? Pantser. Have a beginning, something of an end and middle, but little else in between. The characters are the most important. I start with good characters, an interesting crime, and go from there.
Print book or e-book? Both.
Best writing snack? Yogurt.
Favourite holiday? New Year’s Eve.
Most dreaded household chore? I don’t mind anything too much, but if I had to name something, it’s be washing doshes. My first job at 16 was a dishwasher in a cafe in Palo Alto, CA. Not a great job. The sad part was my Dad was one of the owners of the cafe. I should have had a better job, but he liked the idea of having me start at the bottom. It very much was so.
—
Thank you, David! Now here’s a bit more information about The Big Exit, and how you could grab a copy:
The Big Exit
[image error]
The Big Exit
By the acclaimed author of the remarkable debut novel, Knife Music, The Big Exit is a suspenseful crime novel that keeps the surprises coming right up to the end. Richie Forman is freshly out of prison. By night, he makes a living impersonating Frank Sinatra in San Franciscoâs lounges and corporate parties. But then his ex-best friend â the man who stole his fiancée while he was in prison â is found hacked to death in his garage, and Richie is the prime suspect. In a murder mystery with the twists and turns of a microchip, Carnoy weaves his characters like a master. He has written an authentic, unputdownable thriller that is sure to chill and delight.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 11, 2013
Likeable Characters: Important or Not? by Adrienne Clark
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
***Read on to find out how you could win an e-reader of your choice, or a $100 gift card!***
Likeable Characters: Important or Not?
by Adrienne Clark
Iâve been doing a lot of author interviews lately, and a recurring question Iâve been asked is what I think is the most important element in writing a novel. My answer always comes back to characters. A passionate and devoted reader as much as a writer, I think characters are the most important aspect of any novel because without compelling characters why should the reader want to invest their time? When I put down a book without finishing it the reason is almost always that I just didnât like the characters. The worst thing Iâve ever said about any book, and the thing I fear most about people saying about mine is: âI just didnât care.â
If people donât care about the characters then the author has clearly done something wrong. So what is it that makes us care? Do the characters need to be likeable? My first answer to this was of course the characters need to be likeable. My favourite books introduced me to characters that I grew to love, and was sad to leave behind when the book ended. Authors often say that they love their characters so much they feel protective of them. For some, it causes them real pain to make their characters suffer. But as it often happens, as soon as I decide something must be true I immediately start to question it. Could I think of any examples of books I loved where the characters werenât particularly likeable? Of course I could. One striking exception to the likeable character rule is Heathcliff from Emily Bronteâs Wuthering Heights, which also happens to be one of my favorite novels of all time.
Heathcliff is a difficult, often brutal character, but the author deftly draws us into his bitter, lonely world and somehow manages to make him one of fictionâs most compelling romantic heroes. Even when I didnât like Heathcliff I was invested in his story. I wanted to understand what made him the way he was. The talent of great writers like Bronte is such that they can make you care even when you feel you shouldnât. I think thatâs what weâre searching for as readers, something to make us care enough to invest our hearts and minds in the life of someone else. The answer to the question of what makes us care is much more complicated than likeableness. Maybe itâs more like physical attraction, difficult to define but we know it when we feel it.
Whatâs the most important element for you in reading a novel? Iâd love to know what you think.
About the Author
Adrienne Clark
Adrienne has previously published short stories in The Storyteller, Beginnings Magazine, New Plains Review, and in the e-zines A Fly in Amber, Grim Graffiti, Les Bonnes Fees, The Altruist, The Devilfish Review, and Rose Red Review. Her short story, Falling was awarded second place in the 2008 Alice Munro short fiction contest. To Dance in Liradon is her first published novel.
An avid reader of fairy tales and other magical stories, a thread of the mysterious or unexpected runs through all of her work. When sheâs not writing Adrienne can be found searching for faeries along with her daughters Callista and Juliet.
Contact: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
To Dance in Liradon
To Dance In Liradon
Seventeen-year-old Brigid O’Flynn is an outcast. A chance encounter with the Faerie Queen left her tainted in the eyes of the villagers, who blame the Faerie for the villageâs missing women and children. Desperate to win the villageâs acceptance, Brigid agrees to marry her childhood friend: serious, hardworking, Connell Mackenna. But when Connell disappears before their wedding, Brigid’s hopes are shattered. Blamed for her fiancéâs death, Brigid fears she will suffer the same fate as the other village outcasts, the mysterious Willow Women. Lured into Faerie by their inhuman lovers, and cast out weak and broken, the Willow Women spend their lives searching for the way back into Faerie. When Connell suddenly reappears, Brigid is overjoyed, but everything is not as it seems. Consumed by his desire for beauty and celebration, Connell abandons his responsibilities, and Brigid soon finds herself drawn into a passionate, dangerous world of two.
When Brigid discovers the truth behind Connell’s transformation sheâs forced to choose between two men and two worlds. Brigidâs struggle leads her into glittering, ruthless Faerie, where she must rescue her true love from a terrible sacrifice or lose him forever.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Excerpt
Brigid allowed herself to be dragged to the edge of the circle before she raised her right foot and kicked backwards as hard as she could. Midir released his hold long enough for her to remove the horseshoe from her bodice. When he tried to seize her again, she shoved him away, the object gripped firmly in her hand.
Midir stumbled backwards, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. A desperate, keening sound rose up from the circle before it broke apart and every Faerie man and woman rushed towards her. Long slender arms grabbed hold of each of her limbs, and Brigid felt certain they intended to tear her to pieces. A violet-eyed woman sat on top of Brigidâs chest, crushing the air from her lungs. Brigid watched the beauty leak from her face until it was a hollow masque of rage.
âRelease her!â the Faerie Queen screamed.
Whining like disappointed children, the Faerie reluctantly retreated, and Brigid rose shakily to her feet.
The Faerie Queenâs eyes flashed cruelly. âIf you want him, come and claim him!â
Giveaway!
Adrienne will be awarding winner’s choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card, and one crystal Faerie necklace similar to what Brigid wore to the Faerie ball to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below.
Why not visit the other tour stops? The more you comment, the higher your chance of winning!
Good luck!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 5, 2013
Book Shout-Out & G1veaway: WIND’S ARIA by Tessa Stockton
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
Aria falls into the hands of the dreaded angel who seems to have stolen more than her voice…
***Read on to find out how you could win a $50 Amazon gift card!***
Wind’s Aria
Elected as the Songstress, Aria takes her place on the sacred platform to sing before every dawn. As long as she does so, peace and abundant life belong to her people. One morning, amidst a strange wind that brings with it a curse in its eerie howl, Aria loses her ability to make music. But the encroaching death that transpires isnât her biggest tragedy. Itâs that she adores the cause of her blunder, for heâs a magnificent winged creature whoâs stolen more than her voice.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Soul Mate Publishing
Excerpt
âWho are you?â
He pushed further back into the shadows as she strode closer. âSomeone you need not know.â
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â
When he didnât answer, she sighed.
âWhat a strange, terrible day,â she mumbled. âWell, at least tell me your name…â
He stood, speechless, knowing he shouldnât be there at all â conversing with a Meleyan â especially not their musical deliverer that he was set to doom the day after tomorrow.
A peculiar grumbling interrupted her insistence, to his relief.
âSorry.â She patted her stomach. He could see, even in the blackened night, how her face turned a deeper shade of red than her hair. âIâve forgotten to eat. I guess Iâm hungrier than I realized.â
He plucked an apple from the tree heâd nearly become a part of and held it out to her. The girl approached tentatively. She reached for the fruit but recoiled when her fingers brushed his.
âIs touching me so horrible?â he asked.
Her jaw dropped open and her delicate brow furrowed. She inclined her head. âIt … hurt.â
âHow?â he asked, for her fingers felt good to him, soothing. Warm. He wanted to try again.
âI donât know how to explain…â
âHum.â Unsatisfied with the answer, he tossed the apple to her and watched as she crunched her teeth into it.
 About the Author
Tessa Stockton
A veteran of the performing arts and worldwide missions, Tessa Stockton also contributed as a writer/editor for ministry publications, ghostwriter for political content, and she headed a column on the topic of forgiveness. Today she writes romance and intrigue novels in a variety of genres. In addition to her fantasy romance, Wind’s Aria, sheâs the author of suspense/thriller, The Unspeakable, political intrigue/romance, The Unforgivable, and a literary short story, Love and Lull, with more in the works.
Contact: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Giveaway!
Tessa is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour.
All you have to do to be in the running is to leave a comment below.
Remember, the more you comment, the better your chances of winning, so don’t forget to drop by the other tour stops to say hi!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 4, 2013
Book Shout-Out: BROKEN FERNS by Toby Neal
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
I am so excited! The next book in crime diva Toby Neal’s Lei Crime series has been released! If you have read any of Toby’s other titles, then you know you’re in for a real treat!
The island of Oahu is warm breezes, skyscrapers and green mountains â but a daring young thief is out to make a statement, and Special Agent Lei Texeiraâs new career is already on the line.
Broken Ferns
Lei Texeira has made a difficult transition from detective on Maui to the FBI on Oahu â and her first big case as an agent draws national media attention. With her typical jump-first, look-later style, she pursues her quarry from Oahu to the outer islands, rousing old conflicts and new heartbreak.
Purchase Links: Amazon
 About the Author
Toby Neal
Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age 5 and has been published in magazines and won several writing contests. After initially majoring in Journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, âIâm endlessly fascinated with peopleâs stories.â
She enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, scuba diving, beach walking, gardening and hiking. She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs.
Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters â from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.
Contact: Website/Blog | Twitter
Broken Ferns is out now, so why not grab a copy? I’ve got mine! 
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
February 1, 2013
Book Shout-Out: THE DIARY OF A SEVENTH GRADE HYBRID by Lee J. Mavin
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
The Diary of a Seventh Grade Hybrid[image error]Ziggy Zhou is not your ordinary Chinese boy, he has a big secret hiding in his hat and there is no way he’s letting anybody at his new school (Fuqian High) know about it. He also has a bigger problem, he can’t remember yesterday!
This is the first novel of a six part series set in Shanghai, China. This new series will have you too wondering why you feel so sad when you look at trees.
Purchase Link: Createspace
About the Author
Lee J. Mavin previously published a collection of poetry titled Reverse the Universe: Collected Poems and Unused Lyrics earlier this year. He is busy at work on a series of novels that are also due out this year. He is currently teaching English in Shanghai and is even busier looking after his baby daughter.
Contact: LinkedIn
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
January 30, 2013
PROOF OF GUILT Blog Tour: Review & G1veaway
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
[image error]Proof of Guilt is the latest installment of Charles Todd’s Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries.
***Read on to find out how you could win a paperback copy of another one of Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge mysteries, The Confession! (US only)***
Here is the book blurb:
Proof of Guilt
Proof of Guilt
An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While signs point to murder, vital questions remain. Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?
One small clue leads the Inspector to a firm built by two families, famous for producing and selling the world’s best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the English enterprise is missing. But is he the dead man? And do either his fiancée or his jilted former lover have anything to do with his disappearance â or possible death? What about his sister? Or the London office clerk? Is Matthew Traynor, Frenchâs cousin and partner who heads the Madeira office, somehow involved?
The experienced Rutledge knows that suspicion and circumstantial evidence are not proof of guilt, and he’s going to keep digging for answers. But that perseverance will pit him against his supervisor, the new Acting Chief Superintendent. When Rutledge discovers a link to an incident in the familyâs past, the superintendent dismisses it, claiming the information isn’t vital. Heâs determined to place blame on one of Frenchâs women despite Rutledge’s objections. Alone in a no man’s land rife with mystery and danger, Rutledge must tread very carefully, for someone has decided that he, too, must die so that cruel justice can take its course.
Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Charles Todd
Charles Todd is the author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, the Bess Crawford mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother and son writing team, they live in Delaware and North Carolina, respectively.
Review
Proof of Guilt is an installment of Charles Todd’s Inspector Rutledge Mysteries, but it reads fine as a standalone.
In post-WWI London, Inspector Rutledge is called to the scene of an apparent hit-and-run. Efforts to identify the victim leads Rutledge to a firm famous for manufacturing an selling Madeira wine. The head of the English enterprise is missing, but is he the dead man? And who is responsible for his disappearance? As Rutledge delves deeper, the list of suspects grow, and he soon finds himself a target as his investigation takes him closer to the killer, and the truth.
Todd set up the mystery well, and the descriptions and dialogue were well-written, placing me right in 1920s London. Rutledge is a likeable, sympathetic protagonist scarred by his experiences in the trenches, and I found myself rooting for him (and Hamish — you’ll have to read the book to find out about him!) early on. To be honest, I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half. Whilst there is no lack of mystery or suspects to keep the reader guessing, the large cast of characters that only appear sporadically, means that I sometimes find myself losing track of who’s who. About three quarters of the way through the book, it was clear who the culprit was, and Rutledge’s attempts to prove their guilt dragged on a bit. Despite some interesting and exciting turns of events, it got a bit predictable towards the end, and after all that, we never really found out what happened to Lewis French, one of the partners in the Madeira wine firm.
One additional bug bear is the first chapter. Set in Madeira during the War, it succeeded in drawing me into the story, but in the end it appeared that was the only point of the chapter: to grab attention. Apart from introducing one bit character, it added nothing to the rest of the plot or story. I felt slightly cheated by the fact that this engaging first chapter was merely a ploy to get a reader to read on.
All in all, though, this is a decent little mystery. I enjoyed reading about the era, I enjoyed the setting, and I liked the main character, and would not say no to reading another Inspector Rutledge mystery.
4 stars
I understand reviews can be very subjective, so donât just take my word for it. Check out what others are saying about Proof of Guilt by visiting the other stops in this blog tour.
Giveaway! (US only)
The Confession by Charles Todd
Intrigued by the premise of Proof of Guilt? Then perhaps you’d like a chance to win a paperback copy of The Confession, a prequel to Proof of Guilt:
The Confession
Declaring he needs to clear his conscience, a dying man walks into Scotland Yard and confesses that he killed his cousin five years earlier during the Great War. When Inspector Ian Rutledge presses for details, the man reveals little else, only that he hails from a village somewhere east of London. With scant information to go on and no corpse, Rutledge cannot launch an official inquiry, but he is intrigued enough to look into the case on his own. Everything changes when the body of the confessed killer is found floating in the Thames, a bullet in the back of his head, and Rutledge discovers that the guilt-stricken alleged murderer was not who he claimed to be.
With but one clue to go on, a gold locket found around the dead man’s neck, Rutledge finds himself drawn to an insular village in Essex, where the residents will do anything to keep out of the public eye. For notoriety could bring attention to a centuries-old act of evil that, even now, could damn them all.
All you have to do to enter, is leave a comment below. A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday 4th February.
Good luck!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
January 21, 2013
REAPER Blog Tour: Review
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
Reaper was high on my to-read list ever since I read the blurb, so I was thrilled that as a fellow J. Taylor Publishing author, I got the opportunity to review the e-ARC for L.S.’s blog tour!
Here’s the intriguing blurb for Reaper:
Reaper
Reaper
There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.
Sheâs supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.
It doesnât take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.
Like when sheâs reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, whoâs returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.
Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincyâs goes down like the Titanic.
Maybe … just maybe … thatâs okay.
It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isnât just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincyâs priorities â from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.
Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | BooksOnBoard | eBookPie
Review
Quincy Amarante seems to have it all: she’s rich, got a brand new car for her birthday, and is one of the most popular girls in school. All that seems unimportant when Death comes knocking — literally. Apparently, reaping runs in her family, she is destined to be the next Grim Reaper, and her induction has begun.
In a YA book world filled with vampires, werewolves, faeries, and mermaids, I found Reaper refreshingly different. Quincy is a likeable character, one who grew as the story unfolded, from a girl who hides her true self in order to be accepted into the “in crowd”, to one who realises the shallowness of her actions, as the varied deaths she encounters on her reaping excursions teaches her just what’s really important in life.
I love the idea of Destiny wearing Bermuda shorts and sandals under his quintessential flowing robe. Forsyth, Quincy’s reaper mentor and great-great-grandfather, is another interesting character, and I would have liked to have found out more about his past. Quincy’s romance with childhood best friend Ben Moorland, despite his reputation as a “scrub”, is sweet, and without spoiling the ending, I must say that their final encounter nearly brought a tear to my eye.
The only thing that bothered me was the seemingly petty and pointless bickering between Destiny and Fate, and the vagueness of how a reaper is chosen. Perhaps it was meant to be something enigmatic and mysterious, but considering the story is about reaping, I would expect a bit more detail with the world-building. Also, perhaps I’m an old fuddy-duddy. but I found some of Quincy’s similes and metaphors a tad on the weird side.
All in all, Reaper is a brilliant debut novel, and a touching coming-of-age tale about a girl who discovers just what’s really important in life — and in death.
4½ stars!
½
And here’s a short excerpt from Reaper for your reading pleasure, taken from the opening chapter:
A spitball stops in mid-air less than an inch from my nose.
It hangs there. I assume everyone else notices the wet wad of paper too, but when I turn to my bestie Jordan, her mouth is stuck open with her eyes half closed.
She was just laughing. Now sheâs … frozen?
The sudden silence is louder than a room full of gossiping teenagers.
Mini-quakes creep up my spine like a centipede hurrying toward my hair.
Iâm not entirely sure my heart is beating. I wave my shaking hand in front of Jordan, hoping this will break her free of whatever happened.
No reaction.
Why am I moving?
So many times, I wished Jordan would stop talking. Now is the one time I need her high-pitched voice to pierce my ears.
Quin, relax. Itâs okay. No way this is real. I pinch my arm hard, but it doesnât change anything.
A loud pop makes me spin around in my seat. A man stands in front of the chalkboard in a bluish-white robe staring at me through blizzard white eyes. He holds a staff in front of him that looks like melting glass.
âHello, Quincy,â he says in a deep velvet voice. âHow would you like to see your future?â
I stand and stumble toward the back of the room. âWho are you supposed to be? Gandalf?â Iâm unable to keep the tremor out of my voice.
âOne person dresses up like me in a movie, and thatâs all I hear.â He leans back on Mr. Spraggâs desk. âIâm far more attractive than him and so much more fun.â He winks and lifts his robe, revealing a pair of yellow and red striped Bermuda shorts and orange flip-flops.
My eyes pop wider at the mismatched mess, but I keep my thoughts about his sense of fashion to myself. âWho are you?â
His sigh echoes off the walls. âIâm Destiny.â
âWho?â
Rolling his eyes, he raises the staff high to his left. Like a swordsman, he stabs and swooshes it down in an arch. The air ripples as a dark slit opens. A man in a deep brown pinstripe suit steps through. His cheap sneakers donât match the formality of the tan fedora and horn-rimmed glasses.
A pony-sized white German shepherd saunters in behind him, and I take an automatic step back. The dog turns his head, black orbs where its eyes should be.
Pinstripe man glances my way before turning toward the person who calls himself Destiny. His features contort and a maroon tint creeps over his face.
âWhat the fââ
Destiny flips his finger and the new guy shuts up. After a moment, he does another finger move.
âWe said when she was eighteen, Des.â
âIâm aware of that, Forsyth.â
âSheâs not eighteen.â
âReally? I never would have guessed.â Sarcasm fills each word as Destiny raises his eyebrows like a flag on the Fourth of July.
Forsyth glares. âThen why am I here?â
âI let you pick the date, but I never agreed to honor it.â Destiny pats the dog on the head with sneer and wipes his hands on his robe. âNow is the time. Teach her.â
About the Author
L.S. Murphy
L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for young adults and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to her menagerie of pets as well as her daughter and husband.
Contact: Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
Cover Reveal: CAGED by J.A. Belfield
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
It’s almost here, the 3rd novel in the Holloway Pack series! Today marks the official cover reveal day for J.A. Belfield’s urban fantasy Caged:
Here is more information about Caged:
Caged
If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak.
For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.
Not this time.
Ethanâs reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, heâs about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.
What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one.
If he survives.
Because even Ethanâs not sure heâs strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.
Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.
Caged will be released on August 5th, 2013.
About the Author
J.A. Belfield
One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if…? How would they react if…? Who would they meet if…? Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.
One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.
J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, three cats, and a dog. She writes paranormal romance with a second love for urban fantasy.
Contact: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
What do YOU think of the cover? Is the Holloway Pack series something you’d like to add to your to-read list?
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
January 18, 2013
Writing for Work & Pleasure: Guest Post by Nicole Singer
%Úte%% | J.C. Martin
Today’s guest is fantasy author Nicole Singer, who is here to talk about the similarities between writing fiction and writing for her job.
Take it away, Nicole!
Writing for Work & Pleasure
by Nicole Singer
Thanks so much for having me, J.C.!
We were brainstorming topics for this guest post, and J.C. thought itâd be fun to talk about differences between my âwork writingâ and my âfiction writing.â See, my day job is in PR, so I write for a living in more ways than one.
(image source: Free Digital Photos)
When I started my blog, a friend asked, âHow did you jump from marketing to fiction writing?â I chuckled and told her it was the other way around. Fiction has always been the constant, since I was little. PR seemed like a way to make money and still write every day.
Itâs amazing how often my two worlds overlap. Iâve helped clients publish books, one of which is award-winning, and I advised another client against a questionable POD company. I even wrote a year-long comic strip for a hospital. Iâm also blessed to interview so many amazing people for the newsletters and magazines I work onâa woman honoring her son who was killed in action; a man who suffered a stroke and had to re-learn everything, including how to talk. I love it!
Iâve learned so much from my job:
Telling stories: At the end of the day, Iâm a storytellerâwhether Iâm writing my novel or a clientâs press release. The plot (facts), conflict (intrigue), and stakes (why people should care) need to be there in an eloquent, understandable way.
Openings matter: Writing for PR, you need to nail your hook. With attention spans what they are these days, people donât read past the headline and first couple sentences of any given news story. You’ve got to grab them and bring them into the story, just like we do with the opening of a WIP.
Being succinct: In PR, you get really good at turning 1,500-word articles into 350-word articles to fit space limits and client requirements. You learn to pick up on common trouble areas that add words without actually adding meaning: had, that, passive voice, etc.
Finding awesome characters: Remember those cool interviews I mentioned earlier? Well, thatâs the kind of material readers love and identify with. It doesnât matter if youâre doing sidebars for an annual report or writing a fantasy trilogy, great characters always work!
(Image source: Free Digital Photos)
Knowing your reader/audience: This is huge in PR! On any given day, we might be writing for a dozen different audiences, from the public to internal stakeholders, to the media or industry experts. Everyone has their individual backgrounds and preferences, and itâs my job to play to those while still stand out, just like what works for crime fiction, doesnât always work for YA paranormal or literary. You must know your readers.
Editing: Iâve built up such a buffer working in PR that I never worry about getting critiqued on my own writing. Clients usually have different opinions about whatâs important and how something should be written. Everything we write gets changed multiple times before we send it out. This provides a great perspective for fiction, because it teaches you to listen to the edits and then balance them with what you know the client (or, you, the author) is actually trying to accomplish.
Deadlines: In PR, we pretty much live on deadlines. On the downside, it means my own writing time outside of work can get squeezed; on the other hand, itâs an excellent teaching tool for being disciplined and cranking out what you need in a flash.
Mindset: I sort of have to separate my brain into âwork writingâ and âfun writing.â The energy and passion I put into them are different kinds. There are times I have to be careful not to get exhausted or burned out on âAll writing, all the time,â because when I leave work and come home to do what I love ⦠itâs more writing. But my fiction is forever my first love! Despite writing for work, I still need that escape that only fiction can bring. My happiest times are when Iâm outlining a new world or discovering new characters.
About the Author
Nicole Singer
In her younger days, Nicole snuck out of bed far too often to read by the glow of her nightlight. Not much has changed in 20 years, except she’s learned to keep the light on, and her late nights now consist of reading AND writing. Though her short pieces often focus on snapshots of contemporary life, her first love is fantasy.
Contact: Blog
And here’s some information about Nicole’s latest book:
Running in the Dark
Running in the Dark
Running in the Dark is a collection of two short stories: the title story, which is a thriller told in second person, and a bonus tale called Being Batman, which tells of a little boy’s struggle to believe in love, family and superheroes again.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Smashwords
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
