Rachelle Ayala's Blog, page 59

#AuthorInterview Rachelle Ayala on writing mystery, naming characters, and SF Bay Area setting

My January 18, 2013 interview disappeared on Nancy's blog, so here it is:


========================================= Hi, I used to be a software engineer writing code in Java. Now I’m an author telling stories. I’ve written three novels: Michal’s Window, Broken Build, and Hidden Under Her Heart. They are of different genres, but the common theme deals with being a woman, whether as a princess in ancient Israel, a female engineer, or a nurse caught between pro-life and pro-choice ideologies. Than...

#AuthorInterview Tellulah Darling tells why she wants a hatchet and a box of sharpies #YA

Hello darlings,

When Rachelle kindly invited me to share the dark recesses of my brain in an author interview, I was thrilled because Sudoku was getting boring and being deep in rewrites I needed another way to procrastinate refresh myself during the creative process.
Make yourselves comfy…
1)    Why do you like writing YA?
Because I am emotionally stuck at sixteen. J Storytelling is drama and conflict and making crazy intense emotional connections and for me, all those things are...

Five Things I Like Most in Fiction and Five Pitfalls

1.      I like overly emotional characters who have strong convictions.
Danger: Characters who are strange or different are not always likeable. They may have a one-track mind, are overly sensitive, paranoid, or critical. Readers may have a hard time sympathizing with a character who is on a mission.
2.      I like loads of drama in the plot line filled with difficult or impossible situations.
Danger: Readers may not believe the situations or tha...

#BookChat SINK OR SWIM by Stacy Juba #mystery

Synopsis: Personal trainer Cassidy Novak has gained fame for starring on a hit reality show. Not only does she lose and have to walk the plank, but upon returning home, Cassidy discovers she is being stalked. As her former competitors get killed off, Cassidy refuses to play by the stalker’s bizarre rules. She’s also being shadowed by photographer Zach Gallagher, who has been assigned to capture her personal moments for the local newspaper. She wants to trust Zach, but fears he may not be as...

#GuestPost Writing from Corsets to Bustiers by Christina McKnight

Thank you for having me on your blog, Rachelle!
One of the first questions I’m asked is the story behind the name of my blog, ‘Writing from Corsets to Bustiers…Romance so Good, it’s Hard to Breathe!’. As a multi-genre writing author, it was important that I discover a name that captured the true and complete essence of my writing. With the help of a friend, Urban Fantasy author Lauren Stewart, we crafted the perfect blog name.
Corsets refer to my love of all things historical! After devouring...

#AuthorInterview Paulette Harper Johnson on Completely Whole #Christian

Completely Whole takes you on a journey of Wholeness by identifying areas that hinder us from becoming whole— spirit, soul and body. Trauma (stress, shock, suffering, pain, hurts) impacts everyone at one point or another. It has the ability to leave scars imbedded in our hearts.  We know we hurt don’t know how deep the pain goes until we find ourselves trying to hide behind the pain through temporary remedies that leave us still not healed. Oftentimes, many people try to seek fulfillment...

#BookChat APPROACHING HUMANITY by Luke Wood #poetry

Synopsis of BookApproaching Humanity is my sixth book of poetry (eighth book overall). The book is about how we are all human, we are flawed, imperfect, and we make mistakes. But at the end of the day we have to pick ourselves up, help others when needed, and keep moving on
Why I wrote itI had originally intended my sixth book of poetry to be a book of poems I had written between 2010 and 2013 that did not go in my previous books because they did not fit the theme to said books. As I was putti...

#BookChat SALACIOUS MARNY OTTWILER by Bridget Straub

After several years of living life in the fast lane, bestselling novelist Marny Ottwiler vows to take control of the chaos that has invaded her everyday existence. This proves to be easier said than done. Over the next year she rides a roller coaster of experiences that she chronicles in hilarious detail. Follow along as she navigates through fame, family, friendships, and the writing of her next blockbuster series of books. Oh yeah, and the choice she has to make between two loves.
From the A...

#BookReview PLAYED BY YOU by H.C. Elliston #romanticsuspense #novella

PLAYED BY YOU by H.C. Elliston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A rollicking fun story that will keep your head turning.

I love Misty's self-deprecating and snarky voice. Add that she's clumsy, prone to accidents and a little ditzy makes this book a Singapore sling load of fun.

Misty thinks she's investigating her sister's boyfriend, also her boss, for signs of infidelity. She stumbles around with her camera hoping to catch him and another woman in her telephoto lens. What she doesn't realize is that she'...

#BookChat Concealed in the Shadows by Gabrielle Arrowsmith #YA

Sydney Harter has long awaited September 12th, 2033, her eighteenth birthday. She can finally apply for guardianship of her sister Evvie, her only family and entire world. Sydney holds a sliver of hope that they will be lawfully reunited, and that light will return to her desolate life, but she is prepared to defy authority and risk everything to escape Miles County so that she and Evvie can live full lives together.
Escaping will be difficult and dangerous. Citizens are bound to their county...