J.C. Martin's Blog, page 19
October 13, 2012
Updates & Publicity Opportunity for YA Authors
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[image error]VEUX Issue 8. Check out the lovely review of ORACLE on page 44!
I got a lovely review of Oracle from the editor at Toronto-based fashion lifestyle magazine VEUX Magazine! Check it out on page 44 of Issue 8!
VEUX has an edgy, urban voice with international flair. Great for anyone who enjoys keeping up with the latest trends! Click here if you would like to purchase a paper copy of the magazine.
For those of you who write young adult, I thought some of you may be interested in this opportunity for exposure:
Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways are currently seeking Young Adult authors for interviews and giveaways.
If you’re a YA author and are interested, give me a shout and I will forward you the details.
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
October 11, 2012
SHADOWBORN Blog Tour: The Path of a Story by Jocelyn Adams
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Jocelyn Adams visits the Fighter Writer as part of her blog tour for her latest novel, Shadowborn, sequel to The Glass Man and the second book in her Lila Gray urban fantasy series. Today, Joce is going to share with us how she wrote her story:
The Path of a Story
by Jocelyn Adams
Thanks for letting me take over your blog today, J.C.Iâve had many people ask me lately how Iâm able to write novels.It isnât a simple thing, yet ⦠it is.Sort of.Sometimes.
Iâve been thinking for a while about how I can explain how my mind works.Here it goes.
Lots of writers plot for months, sometimes longer, before they sit down at the keyboard.They have a title, characters, names, and details.Some have everything worked out for each chapter and plot point until THE END.
Yeah, Iâm not one of those.When I wrote The Glass Man, I had a random thought that it would be cool to write a trilogy without an idea of where I intended to take the series.Probably not my brightest idea ever, but hey, I was a total rookie, so what did I know?
So, I polished and submitted The Glass Man to a publisher, hoping, but not really expecting, to have it accepted.
They liked it.Seriously?Yes!
After the excitement wore off, I realized I wasnât done yet.Far from it, since I left book one open at the end to set up for book two.Yikes!
Okay, now what?
I still had no idea where I was going in book two or three.I had to know the end of the series if I was going to write the middle, right?But I just couldnât think that far ahead.
I set my mind free to wander the endless possibilities.Because I write stuff that can be quite dark, I knew I needed a good bad guy.While walking my daughter to school one morning, I watched my shadow sliding along the ground in front of me.
Eureka!I had my perfect, creepy villain.He wouldnât just live in shadow, he would BE the shadow.I had my title, Shadowborn, and a couple of scenes in my head by the end of that day.That was all I needed to start.I simply opened up a word document the following morning, typed Chapter 1, and zoned out.
No, I didnât lose consciousness.*snort* Though, I did look up at the clock later and wonder how four hours had passed by.Iâd written two chapters that day.Iâm not sure where my mind goes or how it works, it just does.
I continued like that in bits and spurts over the next six months or so, often racing off in a direction I never anticipated.The story just ⦠comes.It follows its own path.I just step onto the literary road and wait for that feeling, that drive to go this way or that.Characters tell me who they are, how they speak, their loves and hates, their greatest fears.I simply write it down as it plays out like movies in my imagination.
Voila!A novel is born.
Clear as mud? 
About the Author
Jocelyn Adams
Jocelyn Adams grew up on a cattle farm in Lakefield and has remained a resident of Southern Ontario her entire life, most recently in Muskoka. She has worked as a computer geek, a stable hand, a secretary, and spent most of her childhood buried up to the waist in an old car or tractor engine with her mechanically inclined dad. But mostly, she’s a dreamer with a vivid imagination and a love for fantasy (and a closet romantic â shhh!). When she isn’t shooting her compound bow in competition or writing, she hangs out with her husband and young daughter at their little house in the woods.
Contact: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Shadowborn
Shadowborn
Why me?
Thatâs the question Lila Gray asks every time yet another bad guy tries to destroy the earth, and she learns sheâs the only one who can stop it. Once again, somethingâs on the prowl, leaving hundreds of comatose, soulless victims in its wake.
Couldnât the deadliest assassins of the Otherworld go after someone else instead of the brand new Queen of the Seelie? One who still hasnât adapted to her new role.
Lila would ask Liam Kane, King of the Unseelie, for advice, but somethingâs off with him, too. Heâs holding back. In some way. About some thing. In fact, he refuses to tell her whatâs going on.
The truth holds Lila back from the greatness of her role â the people she was born to lead â the man who she desperately loves â and the solution to the latest war raging around her.
To find the answers, sheâll need to fight through her own darkness and embark on a journey through her psyche.
If she doesnât succeed, the Shadowborn will claim not only her world, but her soul.
Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
October 10, 2012
No Place Like Home: My Guest Post
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If you ever wondered what my hometown of Ipoh in Malaysia is like, check out my guest post today on expat Duncan Horne’s blog Our Home Called Kuantan on the three main attractions in Ipoh. It might inspire a holiday. It sure inspired some homesickness for me!
*EDIT: I’ve also found a lovely review for Oracle on Romancing the Book. Very flattered that a romance review site decided to review my quite unromantic crime thriller!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
SECRETS OF A DANGEROUS WOMAN BLOG TOUR: Interview with p.m. terrell & W1n an Amazon Gift Card!
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Pull up a seat! Today we chat with author p.m. terrell about her new suspense/thriller, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman!
***Read on to find out how you could win a $25 Amazon gift card!***
First, a quick introduction:
About the Author
p.m. terrell
p.m. terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 16 books, including Vicki’s Key, a 2012 International Book Awards finalist, and River Passage, 2010 Best Fiction & Drama winner. She is the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation whose slogan is “Buy a Book and Stop a Crook” and the co-chair of Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference & Book Fair.
Contact: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Now, on with the interview:
What kind of readers would enjoy your books?
My fans are about equally divided between male and female and range in age from high school to people in their 90âs. They are people who enjoy losing themselves in another world, learning something that really exists in our world (such as psychic spy programs run by the United States and Russia) and who enjoy fast-paced thrillers that feel like a roller coaster from start to finish.
Describe your style of writing in three words.
Action, International, Romantic.
Describe your typical writing day. How do you balance your writing with marketing, editing, plotting, your day job, and all other commitments?
My writing day varies depending on whether I am in my office or on the road promoting my books. When Iâm in my office, my day typically begins before 8am. I spend the morning answering emails and working on promotional and marketing efforts. By late morning, Iâve begun any research needed for my next chapter.
I take a break for lunch and when I return, I begin writing. I donât stop until 5:00 at the earliest and usually much later. This schedule continues six days a week and often seven.
When I am on the road, I typically have three or four appearances scheduled in a day. In between, I try to get back to my hotel to work on my writing. If it isnât logistically possible, I might sit in a parking lot or a library and catch up on emails from my iPhone.
I have been very fortunate to be a full-time writer for the past ten years so I no longer have to balance a day job with writing. The result has been the ability to write three books this year for publication over the next 18 months, where I previously worked hard to finish one book a year.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the writing zone?
I canât afford a ritual anymore; when deadlines loom itâs a great motivator for buckling down and writing. However, before I go to bed each night I think about the next dayâs scenes, particularly if I am stumped on how to address a particular issue or scene. Then I let my subconscious take over. When I awaken in the morning, I remember my dreams â and I write what I dreamed.
What do you enjoy most about writing thrillers?
They are fast-paced. Every scene must have action; thereâs no time for a characterâs thoughts and I only weave in their back story in a paragraph here and there so the action doesnât slow down. Readers often tell me once they read that first sentence they canât put the book down until theyâve reached the end. I think thatâs a direct result of the genre Iâve chosen; it doesnât meander.
Quick-Fire Questions:
Early bird or night owl? Early bird
Red or white wine? White
Coke or Pepsi? Coke
Bath or shower? Shower
Mac or PC? PC
Secrets of a Dangerous Woman
Secrets of a Dangerous Woman
In Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan Maguire is back in his first assignment with the CIA: to interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. But when she escapes again, it’s obvious she’s had help from within the CIA’s own ranks. With Vicki Boyd’s assistance, Brenda is back in Dylan’s custody. And now he must find out why some in the highest levels of our government want her dead while others are willing to risk everything to help her. And when he discovers Brenda’s real identity, his mission has just become very personal.
Purchase Links:
Giveaway!
During her blog tour, p.m. is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter.
All you have to do to be in the running is to leave a comment/question below.
Why not visit the other tour stops as well? The more you comment, the better you chances of winning!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
October 4, 2012
Book Review: PERMANENT DAMAGE by Michael Montoure
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Permanent Damage
Permanent Damage
A dead woman’s offspring must face the legacy she left them. A child who can raise the dead unlocks a secret world of others just like him, and a man who finds blood coming through his ceiling learns that not all problems go away by themselves. The dead have their unfinished business â but can they be trusted?
Ten more unsettling stories to be read in the dark from Michael Montoure, author of Slices.
Purchase Links
Paperback: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review
I received the e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Permanent Damage is a collection of ten short stories that will send a chill down your spine. Mr. Montoure’s writing makes darkness lurk behind the everyday and the benign: a speed-dating event, the neighbourhood safe house, a comic book collection, a leaking ceiling. While some of the stories are quite predictable, Montoure’s incisive writing style makes reading the expected endings enjoyable nonetheless. My favourite story by far is A Sudden Loss of Cabin Pressure, where Montoure weaves a morbid story set in a morbid world, yet manages to end it all on a sweet and touching note. Special mention also goes to Melt the Bullet, Blunt the Knife. I’m not much into werewolf stories, but in this story Montoure managed to put a refreshing and intriguing spin on the overdone werewolf myth.
If you enjoy short stories and speculative fiction, then PERMANENT DAMAGE will make a quick, enjoyable, and thought-provoking read.
About the Author
Michael Montoure
An unreliable narrator, Michael Montoure is an indie writer of horror and dark urban fantasy. His obsessions include hidden truths, secret dealings, and the changing and fragile nature of our own pasts. He is known as much for his spoken-word performances of his fiction at Seattle coffeehouses and conventions as for the stories themselves. Currently working as a writer and producer of the webseries “Causality”, he lives alone with a gray cat by the edge of Echo Lake, Washington. He is standing right behind you.
Contact: Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
October 2, 2012
Blogfest 2012 Results, Updates & Some Interesting Announcements
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Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for the recently concluded Blogfest 2012 organised by Cinnamon Brown @ A Journey of Books. Rafflecopter, with the help of Random.org, has picked the winner!
The winner of my international giveaway of an e-book copy of Oracle is…
Cassandra Hicks
Congratulations! [image error]
And the winner of my UK only giveaway of an Oracle key chain is…
No one.
Yup, no one. Wonder what that says about my UK blog readership?
Ah well, I’ll hang on to it and leave it for another giveaway then. 
Teaching martial arts when nearly 25 weeks pregnant isn’t easy, especially since I now struggle to touch my toes! The plan is to keep it up till the end of this month before starting maternity leave, when (hopefully) I can then turn my attention fully to some writing, which I am ashamed to say I’ve been neglecting lately in favour of baby stuff shopping and baby name research!
Anyway, here are some news which may be of interest to some of my readers:
Harper Voyager, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Harper Collins, is now open for submissions for digital publication. All adult and YA speculative fiction will be considered, particularly epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural stories. For more information and submission guidelines, click here.
PICT
Partners in Crime Tours, a company offering virtual book tour services for crime and thriller titles, are on the lookout for new tour hosts. If you’re a fan of the genre, then this is an awesome opportunity to review some up and coming mystery and thriller titles before everyone else — there are even some titles from big-name publisher Harper Collins! So if you’re a crime buff, and have at least 100 blog followers, then you can sign up to be a tour host here.
Review blog A Knife And A Quill are looking for authors a Halloween feature: share your top five favourite Halloween reads, and get some free exposure in the process! They are also accepting short stories to be posted on the week of Halloween. For more information and submission information, click here.
Have a good week!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
Updates & Some Interesting Announcements
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Teaching martial arts when nearly 25 weeks pregnant isn’t easy, especially since I now struggle to touch my toes! The plan is to keep it up till the end of this month before starting maternity leave, when (hopefully) I can then turn my attention fully to some writing, which I am ashamed to say I’ve been neglecting lately in favour of baby stuff shopping and baby name research!
Anyway, here are some news which may be of interest to some of my readers:
Harper Voyager, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Harper Collins, is now open for submissions for digital publication. All adult and YA speculative fiction will be considered, particularly epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, dystopia and supernatural stories. For more information and submission guidelines, click here.
PICT
Partners in Crime Tours, a company offering virtual book tour services for crime and thriller titles, are on the lookout for new tour hosts. If you’re a fan of the genre, then this is an awesome opportunity to review some up and coming mystery and thriller titles before everyone else — there are even some titles from big-name publisher Harper Collins! So if you’re a crime buff, and have at least 100 blog followers, then you can sign up to be a tour host here.
Review blog A Knife And A Quill are looking for authors a Halloween feature: share your top five favourite Halloween reads, and get some free exposure in the process! They are also accepting short stories to be posted on the week of Halloween. For more information and submission information, click here.
Have a good week!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
September 30, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday: PR Nightmare
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This week’s Oracle excerpt continues on from the past couple of weeks’. Remember the lovely Hackney Empire? Well, the scene of crime is set:
 —
Oracle
Despite falling into disuse with the advent of television, the local community had rallied to its aid, refurbishing the theatre to its former glory. The coming Olympics had played a major role in the variety hall’s revival. With all the money pumped into the development of the city, particularly the East End, the Empire had regained its status as a centre for arts and culture.
In its one hundred eleven years in existence, the Empire had faced its fair share of challenges — closures, lack of funding, even the indignity of being turned into a bingo hall.
It faced yet another public relations nightmare.
My feet padded on the carpet as I walked down the aisle towards the stage where the buzz of activity appeared centred around two body bags, and what looked like an oversized fish tank.
—
Don’t forget, you can enter to win an e-copy of Oracle in my Blogfest 2012 post!
To check out other SSS entrants, click here.
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
September 28, 2012
Blogfest 2012: Pr1zes Galore!
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Blogfest 2012 is on! [image error] There are over 150 — yes, 150! — blogs participating this year, each with its own giveaway! That’s hundreds of prizes up for grabs, plus a GRAND PRIZE for one lucky participant! So, the more blogs you visit, the higher your chances of winning something, and the higher your chances of winning the grand prize!
So what am I offering on my humble little blog? Well, I’ve got two — yes, two — prizes for you to win!
International Giveaway
Oracle
An e-book copy of my crime thriller Oracle! (in your choice of Kindle or EPUB format)
UK Only Giveaway
ORACLE Key Chain
An Oracle key chain!
Entering is easy-peasy. All you have to do is to fill in as much or as little of the Rafflecopter form below, and please make sure you specify which of the giveaways you are entering by commenting below with either INTERNATIONAL, UK ONLY, or BOTH.
Good luck!
And when you’re done, why not check out the other giveaways happening in Blogfest 2012 here, including:
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
September 26, 2012
ORACLE Featured in CRA Case Files Issue 3
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Oracle is featured in Issue 3 of the Crime Readers’ Association (CRA) newsletter, Case Files, under their Your New Favourite Crime Books feature, alongside eminent crime writers like Adrian Magson, Chris Simms, and Martin Edwards! Find a new favourite crime book here!
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
