A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 120
January 30, 2018
Book Spotlight – Finding Angel – Romance/ Suspense/Erotica
Out Now!—Finding Angel by Jan Graham (@jan_graham) #romance #suspense #romanticsuspense
Finding Angel release date: January 30th, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Blurb:
It’s time to participate in a dangerous dance of murder, trust, love, and intrigue.
Trouble isn’t Angel’s middle name, so why does it follow her wherever she goes? Her life should be less complicated after the death of her ex, but his actions continue to haunt her. While trying to gain some distance from a crime boss who has a contract out on her, and a cop who believes she’s the key to taking said bad guy down, Angel runs straight into the arms of two dominant brothers with an unexpected interest in making her theirs.
Faced with a difficult choice, Angel must decide who she can trust. Two kinky brothers that she just met? A cop she has more in common with than she realizes? Or a crime boss adept at murder? Trusting them all may end up saving her life.
Finding Angel is more than a love story between one woman and two men, it’s a romantic suspense with a whole lot of trouble.
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This book contains erotic sex scenes, BDSM elements, a Ménage a Trois romantic pairing (M/F/M) and non-graphic descriptions of past sexual and physical abuse suffered by the female protagonist. Note: There is no sexual relationship between siblings .
Buy Links
Kindle US – http://amzn.to/2FjpUHY
Kindle AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B077XFD747
Kindle UK – http://amzn.to/2FlpDo1
*****
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Excerpt One
Angel felt dirty, which probably had less to do with cleaning and more to do with the fact she’d just finished texting a crime lord. Adrian always had that effect on her. He may have been a good-looking, well-dressed, and very suave man, but the way he looked at her—like a predatory animal eyeing its prey—always made her nervous.
As she stood in the shower letting the warm water run over her body, Angel imagined the last five years of fear and turmoil washing away. She hadn’t sought out anything that she encountered in her life leading to this point. However, thinking back, she knew she had made some very bad choices. That had to change. If the last five years had taught Angel one thing, it was this. She was worth more than she had encountered in her life thus far. She was a good woman, caring and kind, and someone of that nature deserved better.
Angel remembered the day she’d arrived home to find Samuel gone. She shivered as she recalled the sight that met her when she entered the house. It was a mess. Everything thrown on the floor, cupboards open, books and CDs strewn across the living area, the stereo speakers kicked in and pillows from the sofa ripped open. Samuel’s computer was still on his desk, the side ripped open and a gaping hole where the hard drive used to be. If her life had been anything like normal, then she’d have been on the phone to the police within minutes. But, there was nothing normal about her life. And in this house, police were the enemy.
Angel recollected walking into the kitchen to place the bags of groceries on the counter as a knock sounded on the door. One of Samuel’s associates greeted her, only to become annoyed when he discovered Sam wasn’t home. Angel sent him away, telling him to ring Samuel if he needed to see him. After he’d left, Angel heard the faint ring of Samuel’s phone. She knew he wouldn’t have left it behind. It was like a third arm for him, he was never without it. She’d walked toward the back of the house, reaching for the back door just as the phone stopped ringing.
It was then she noticed the garage door was ajar. They only used the garage for storage. It was a single old building away from the house, built during a time when cars were smaller and detached garages popular because people didn’t mind walking to get what they needed. Angel recalled the crunch of the gravel drive under her feet and the creak of the rickety wooden door.
The air was cool around her as she stared at Samuel’s Harley Davidson belt buckle. She lowered her eyes, scanning down his legs to his feet. He wasn’t wearing shoes. His feet looked pale, she’d thought, as her eyes scanned back up his body to his chest. His shoulders relaxed, his hands by his sides. She smiled at him when her eyes reached his face, his head slanted to the side, the securely tied noose around his neck attached firmly to the middle rafter of the roof.
Angel drifted back to the present. As the water from the shower tumbled over her body, she smiled. She couldn’t have dreamed of a better end for that shit of a man.
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About the Author
Jan Graham is an author of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. Her stories contain erotic elements, with some including elements of BDSM. She has numerous published titles to her credit, with more to come once she overcomes her current bout of procrastination. Jan lives in Newcastle, Australia where she writes, reads, feeds her Netflix addiction and drinks coffee with friends.
For those who enjoy labels and tags, as well as being an author, Jan is a submissive, an aunt, dyslexic, a lover of all things tempting and naughty (including chocolate), a participant in the BDSM community, a widow, an orphan, and sometimes, a wild child.
In short, she is generally a bit of an eccentric who lives her life slightly left of center. You can find out more about Jan and her work by stalking her on the various social media sites where she occasionally hangs out.
Social Media Hangouts
Release blitz organized by Writer Marketing Services .
January 26, 2018
Review – Schotts Miscellany
Schotts Miscellany is one of those ‘dip in and out of’ books. It’s a collection of the interesting, the weird and the varied – from Morse Code signs, to collective nouns, to country flag colours, to cricketing terms – there is something of interest to everyone.
It’s not the sort of book to read in one sitting, largely because there aren’t really any links between the facts and thus can be a little confusing. That said, it a lot of fun and if you’re the sort of person who likes to toss in weird knowledge or be the smart arse in a conversation (like me), then this is the book for you.
You can never have too many odd, weird and possibly useless facts.
5 stars. (Although the print is VERY small so get your specs out….)
Blurb
Schott’s Miscellany” makes few claims to be exhaustive or even practical. It does, however, claim to be essential. It will afford you great wisdom in the morning, several conversational bons mots for the afternoon, and many an enlightened smile after dark. Where else can you find, packed on to one page, the thirteen principles of witchcraft, the structure of military hierarchy, all of the clothing care symbols, a list of the countries where you drive on the left, and a nursery rhyme about sneezing? Where else, but “Schott’s Miscellany”, will you stumble across John Lennon’s cat, the supplier of bagpipes to the Queen, and the brutal methods of murder encountered by Miss Marple? An encyclopaedia? A dictionary? An almanac? An anthology? A treasury? An amphigouri? A commonplace? A vade-mecum? Well – yes. “Schott’s Original Miscellany” is all these, and, of course, more. A book like no other, “Schott’s Original Miscellany” is entertaining, informative, unpredictable and utterly addictive.
January 23, 2018
Swift Six Character Interview – Oeliana #Fantasy #ImmortalsBundle
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Tell us about yourself: (Name, race/species, etc.)
Oeliana, Nymph of the Shimmering Forest, Guardian of the Maiden’s Grove, Keeper of the Sacred Pools. I am a nymph – what you would call a forest spirit. I am born of the forest, and it cannot die whilst I live… but creatures of magic like myself are hunted and destroyed, so I live in seclusion.
I have skin the colour of polish oak, and hair as green as ivy. To you I’d look like a tall humanoid, to an elf I appear more Elvish, I can be the wind in the trees, or the bubbling springs.
Which book/world do you live in?
My home is the Shimmering Forest, which is located in the land of Erana. Once the Great Forest covered all the land but then the gods, in their wisdom, gave life to the elves and trolls – who honour the forest, and the humans and fae – who do not. The Shimmering Forest is not live your forests, it is the Primal Forest, the Mother of All. It is magical; primal, raw and wild magic, like the days when the land was young, and the gods still walked here. My Glade is a Sacred Glade, of the old times, now the magic is fading, dying.
My story? My legend is told in The Legend of Oeliana, a short tale (I wanted more – one cannot recount a life of centuries in a few pages) and this, in turn, features in larger works, so I am told. I also feature in The Shining Citadel, when I assist the Lady of the Light, and the Lord of the Storm, with their quest to find the Shining Citadel of Lor’Arthinis. For when the Blood that Flows with Light again walks among us the magic will rise again! It will either save us or curse us to oblivion.
The Legend of Oeliana – Single https://bundlerabbit.com/products/detail/legend-oeliana
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How do you see your world?
My world is dying. Magic sustains it and once it was everywhere and in all things to some extent. But the races warred, and the Plague came, and the magic began to die or hide. Some say magic is alive, and yes if the wind is alive, or fire, or water. It does not think as you or I think; it knows, it senses and it gives sentience when it chooses. It wants to live, and to replicate. It wants to flow through the land, circle in the sky and pour through the rivers. But the Plague fed on magic, sometimes corrupting, sometimes destroying after the Plague hit the Elven Kingdoms worst of all, and their civilisation fell to dust the Civilisation of Men arose on the ashes. And they blamed the elves for the Plague and the wars, and as the elves wielded the greatest magic all who were magical were hunted. The land wept, and is weeping still.
What part do you play in this tale?
I am the Keeper of the Heart of the Maiden – one of the Items of Power needed to unlock the spell on the Citadel. But in my own tale I saved an elven prince from the mighty Indis the Fierce – the lord of the forest. I see you think him a man of some sort? Humans are weak, their lives are fleeting like a summer breeze in the trees. No Indis was and is a Dire Boar and even the Great Cats walk in fear of the Tusked Lord. People, generally, are more foolish than beasts and thus this prince, Rii’Athellan – the Morning Star, took into his head to hunt the great Indis.
Perhaps I should have let Indis have his victory, I should not have interfered. This prince was handsome, and I was lonely, you see. Even a creature of magic craves a mate, and offspring.
I knew not that this prince had a wife-in-waiting and for the outcome to that dilemma you must read.
Do you consider yourself a good person/creature?
What are good and evil? That depends on one’s point of view. I do not kill without necessity, but I often do not save when I could. I have taken life and preserved it. I do not abide by the laws of men or elves, for they are not my laws and mean nothing to me. I do not think myself cruel – for cruelty serves no purpose except for its own sake.
The destruction of the forest, and the ruination of magic are wicked, and I will protect both my forest and my magic how best I may.
Do you follow any religion?
I have seen the gods, long ago, and I have consulted with the Lady of the Skies when the drought, or the snow comes. But I am not ‘religious’. I do not have to ‘believe’ in what I know to be real. Things either are or they aren’t. If they are then respect them, if they aren’t then there is no bother. The gods are not evil, nor are they good. They are the gods and do as they please.
What is your favourite colour/food/music (pick one)?
My favourite colour is green, my favourite food is the wild mushrooms which grow near to my cottage, and my favourite music is the bubbling of my pool in the full moon.
Excerpt
When the world was young, and the wild magic flowed like the Great River, there lived a nymph, a spirit of the forest. Such beings once walked beneath the sun and moon; they were creatures of magic, incarnation of tree, of water, and the very essence of life itself. Oeliana was the nymph’s name, for this was also the name of the pool, deep, still and silver, from which she had been born when first the sun caressed the land. Fish swam among bright green fronds, scales of silver and azure, frogs and toads rested on dark grey rocks, long tongues feeding on the hovering flies and dragon-flies which darted above, seeking even smaller creatures for their dinner. Deer, wild goats and boar fed upon fallen apples and the widespread fungi; the Shimmering Forest was bountiful to its inhabitants, animal and person alike. Herbs grew there, thick and tall, even in winter. The herbs of the forest provided medicine for those who knew their power. Wild-goats, now tamed, provided both milk and a substitute for the companionship she lacked.
Hers was a life of duty, she was custodian of the trees, the forest creatures and pools, and so her time passed, timeless as she was. Even the common elves visited Oeliana, seeking guidance and the wisdom of the forest, and occasionally healing when their own healers had failed. They would bring gifts of food and polished stones or shells and the pool slowly filled with the gifts, for what use were trinkets to a nymph? Yet she was lonely for those who came and did not stay, they came for their own ends, and left with no further thought of the nymph. The spirit of the forest craved the touch of another, for she had seen the lovers who sometimes came to her glade and heard their words of love and their cries of pleasure. Never had she been loved nor experienced the passion which fascinated her as the lovers moved together on beds of moss and leaves. Magic demanded a high price and Oeliana was a creature of magic, and loneliness was the price she paid. So she watched, longing for a companion, and she prayed to the ancient gods, for even immortals need the favour of higher beings on occasion.
Rii’Athellan, the Morning Star, was a hunter, magic showed itself in many ways and the elven princeling was graced with a goodly portion. This day he had given his entourage the slip. The forest contained many dangers, even for one of his bloodline, but he preferred to hunt alone; the larger and fiercer the beast the more it pleased the elven prince. As silent as the grey fox and confident as an eagle, Rii’Athellan crept towards the clearing on the trail of a huge dire-boar. His father thought him reckless, but the young man craved danger, bored as he was from the politics of court and wishing he was allowed a little more excitement. He was not the heir, and he had not yet found his place in the world; he cared not for diplomacy and was jealous of his brother. He knew the Grove of the Maiden; oft before had he brought the girls whom he also liked to hunt and capture, although they were more willing prey and his favoured weapon was not a bow. These passions were conducted, if not in secret then with discretion, for this lord of the elves had been promised long since to Almethea, the daughter of the house of Il’thricken, a house both powerful and magical. This bride he cared not for, but duty-bound he would suffer the marriage. Such a one had little choice; alliances were all when elves made war.
This particular beast was Indis the Fierce, large, ill-tempered and canny; even the Great Cats walked in fear of Indis and the boar himself feared nothing, for he had never yet met his match. As tall as the elf at the shoulder, the hooked tusks of the boar were as long as his forearm. The elf murmured a prayer to his gods and nocked his bow as the boar snuffled among the trees, gobbling orange fungus and fallen apples. Occupied with filling his mighty jaws, the boar did not hear the elf, nor perceive the threat.
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Links to book etc.
And as part of
Immortals Bundle
Monsters, Myth and Mayhem Vol 2
Universal Link https://books2read.com/Immortalsbundle
Bundle Rabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/immortals
Also features in Tales of Erana: Myths and Legends
Universal Link https://www.books2read.com/talesoferanaMyths
And The Shining Citadel
Universal Link https://www.books2read.com/ShiningCitadel
January 22, 2018
Dirty Dozen Author Interview – Sherry D Ramsey #fantasy #scifi #Immortalsbundle
[image error]Author name: Sherry D. Ramsey
*Please tell us about your publications. I enjoy writing both short fiction and novels. I have a series of science fiction novels published by Tyche Books (Alberta, Canada) (The Nearspace series: One’s Aspect to the Sun, Dark Beneath the Moon, and Beyond the Sentinel Stars); a middle-grade fantasy from Dreaming Robot Press (New Mexico, USA) (The Seventh Crow); and a self-published urban fantasy/mystery (The Murder Prophet). I also have two collections of previously-published short stories, To Unimagined Shores and The Cache and Other Stories.
What have you found the most challenging part of the process? I feel somewhat frustrated that I don’t write faster—in the current publishing climate there’s a certain pressure to publish consistently and often for greatest success. I see many authors publishing three or more books a year, and I just don’t seem to work at those speeds. Last year I had a short story collection, a new novel, and a couple of short stories come out, and that seems like a lot for me. I know it’s usually not a good idea to compare oneself to other writers, but I would like to be able to work a little faster. I’m not a perfectionist—but I am a bit of a procrastinator. Maybe I need to work on that!
Are you a ‘pantser’ or a ‘plotter’? I’ve always been a pantser, for sure. A long time ago I tried outlining a novel, and then found that I was no longer interested in writing it; the fun of “discovery” seemed to have disappeared during the outlining process. Lately, though, I’ve begun to find a middle ground—I’ve discovered that minimal outlining actually helps my writing process and reduces the chance that I’ll run out of steam/ideas on a project. So now I guess I’m a hybrid between pantser and plotter. Plantser?
If you could have dinner with any literary character who would you choose, and what would you eat. I think I’d have to choose Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe to have dinner with. No doubt he’d wax forth on some fascinating topic for dinner conversation, and of course the meal would be superbly prepared by his chef, Fritz. We might have corn, “roasted in the husk in the hottest possible oven for forty minutes, shucked at the table, and buttered and salted,” since Wolfe considered that to be ambrosia. It’s probably cheating, but I expect Archie Goodwin would also be there for dinner, so I’d get two characters for the price of one. If I were particularly fortunate, Wolfe would show me his orchid collection after dinner. The perfect literary character interaction!
What are your views on authors offering free books? Do you believe, as some do, that it demeans an author and his or her work? I think that offering some work for free can be a valuable promotional tool for writers who would like to find new readers. Many readers are wary of taking a chance on a new-to-them writer, and most of us watch how we spend our hard-earned dollars these days. It’s also a way to introduce a new reader to a series or character. I don’t think it’s demeaning to authors or their work when it’s done sensibly, professionally, and as a promotional choice.
Sort these into order of importance: Good plot, Great characters, Awesome world-building, Technically perfect. For me, the characters come first. Sometimes a character arrives on the doorstep of your mind with a suitcase in hand and not even a name, but they have a story they want you to tell. You can’t turn them away. I think most of the time, we keep reading a book or put it down forever because of the characters. If you love the characters, you can forgive a lot of other sins in a book. Plot comes next—the smooth, flowing experience of reading a well-plotted book is such a rewarding experience for a reader, I think we should always strive to create that as writers. World-building is important, of course, and sometimes the world can even be like another character in a book—but the most fabulously-imagined world can’t carry a book if the characters and story are not strong. Technical perfection—I’m not convinced it exists. I do some work as an editor, with two co-editors, and even working as a team I don’t think we’ve ever ended up with a technically perfect work. It’s important to create the best work you can, but striving for perfection might mean no-one else ever gets to read it. I think we have to learn when our work is “close enough” to perfection, and let it go.
How much research do you do for your work? What’s the wildest subject you’ve looked at? I write many flavours of both science fiction and fantasy, so I’ve done research on topics from medical nanomachines to particle accelerators to how magic might be fueled by different minerals. One of the most interesting things I researched lately was the question of how two machines/computers, each created by a different alien species, might learn to communicate. I learned a lot of fascinating things about both computing and language acquisition!
Which authors have influenced you the most? I read a LOT, and over the years I think there have been many authors who’ve influenced me in my writing. I love to write humour and humorously convoluted situations, so the influences of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Connie Willis are there. I love science and the future, so Nancy Kress, Jack McDevitt, and classics like Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl have left their mark. And I love to work with the wide reaches of imagination in fantasy, so Dave Duncan, Maggie Stiefvater, and Elizabeth Bear have made an impression. So many more I could name!
What is your writing space like? I’m very fortunate to have a small but wonderful office at home. I have a normal sitting desk and also a treadmill desk, where I try to spend at least part of each writing day. Too much sitting is not good for me! The walls of my office are covered with overflowing bookshelves and inspiring artwork, and I have a large southwest-facing window that gets lots of light and houses many plants. There’s one extra chair so a friend or family member can come in and visit. This sounds idyllic, but now add in lots of notes, maps, knickknacks, filing cabinets, binders—and some folks might find it too cluttery! For me, it’s inspiring and comfortable, though, and although I might sometimes write elsewhere in the house with a laptop, I always come back to my office as my main creative space.
Tell us about your latest piece? Coincidentally, one of the projects I’m currently working on is another Olympia Investigations story, featuring Acacia Sheridan, the main character from “The Goddess Problem.” Acacia is a private detective with a special gift – she can communicate and interact with supernatural creatures of all sorts. Her clientele includes ghosts, demons, fae, and many more denizens of the otherworld…which makes for some interesting cases. In the new story, her client—who is also a suspect in a series of murders—is a vampire, so I’m having some fun playing with traditional vampire-story tropes.
What’s your next writing adventure? I have another Nearspace book underway, and several other partially-finished projects trying to get my attention. I’ve also seen a few interesting calls for short story submissions in the past few weeks, so ideas are percolating for those as well. I may write slowly, but there’s never a lack of things to write!
What is the last book you’ve read? I just finished listening to the audiobook of Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick. Although of course I shouldn’t have been surprised, I was struck by how much deeper the book is than the movie (although I’ve always loved the movie) and what themes and ideas did not make it into the movie, despite being central to the book. I never expect movie adaptations to be particularly true to a book—the demands of the media are completely different, after all—but the book gave me a lot to think about in terms of choices made at the time concerning what to include and what to leave out. How do we decide what’s vital to a story? Can you separate out certain themes and still have a complete tale? Lots to ponder.
Links
Website: http://www.sherrydramsey.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sdramsey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdramsey/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SherryDRamseyWritingNews/
Bio
Sherry D. Ramsey is a speculative fiction writer, editor, publisher, creativity addict and self-confessed Internet geek. When she’s not writing, she makes jewelry, gardens, hones her creative procrastination skills on social media, and consumes far more coffee and chocolate than is likely good for her.
Her books include the Nearspace series from Tyche Books, One’s Aspect to the Sun, Dark Beneath the Moon, and Beyond the Sentinel Stars; the middle grade fantasy The Seventh Crow; The Murder Prophet; and two collections of short stories. With her partners at Third Person Press, she has co-edited six anthologies of regional short fiction and a novel. A member of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia Writer’s Council, Sherry is also a past Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer of SF Canada.
Sherry lives in Nova Scotia with her husband, children, and dogs. You can visit her online at www.sherrydramsey.com, find her on Facebook, and keep up with her much more pithy musings and visual life on Twitter and Instagram @sdramsey.
Sherry’s book The Goddess Problem features in Immortals
Universal Link https://books2read.com/Immortalsbundle
Bundle Rabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/immortals
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-immortals-bundle
Amazon http://amzn.to/2BiYsIh
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-immortals-bundle-a-l-butcher/1127826108
I Tunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1335201648
January 21, 2018
Swift Six Character Interview – Kaylyn – #Immortals Bundle #Vampires
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Character Name
Katherine de Gand, but everybody calls me Kaylyn
Which book/world do you live in?
Tell us about yourself:
I was born in born in AD1130 and I had just married Baldwin de Gant (brother of Gilbert de Gand, Earl of Lincolnshire) when he went on pilgrimage and died at the siege of Damascus, (1148) and was reborn as child-of-darkness. I was 20 when I was turned (2/11/1150) since he came back with his maker who also made me. I’ve been a daughter-of-darkness since. I was 150 when I meet a handsome warrior of the Kingdom of Mewar, Rajveer, who became my brother-in-darkness…
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
As an Anglo-Norman lady I was used to relying on the men of the house, be it my father or my husband. I’ll admit it took me centuries to become independent and then I was taken prisoner and lost my independence again. So I guess my weakness is still my lack of independence. My strength might be the power to mesmerize mortals into giving me their blood willingly. I never abuse that power and I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t want to die. But I did bring merciful death to old or sick people who had enough of their lives.
Name three important people/creatures/institutions in your world (such as lovers, pets, government institutions, leaders, gods etc).
One is my maker, Bran the Raven. He took care of me after Baldwin got himself killed by his own stupidity. I consider him a father and never tire of his presence. Two, my brother-in-darkness, Rajveer. Let’s just say I don’t really see him like a brother. Three, his fledgling, Shashank, who has taken care of me during the imprisonment years… as you can see I’m still pretty much dependent on men in my non-life.
What does ‘heroism’ mean to you?
Considering how many men I’ve seen destroy themselves in the name of heroism, I’m against those forms of warring heroism, but I admire people who have the strength to live through the centuries and change accordingly. Like Bran says, it takes stamina to live for centuries, and I think that’s a form of heroism that I aspire to.
What do you think of your ‘creator’?
I’m happy she’s writing down our stories.
Give us your favourite piece of advice:
Go with the flow. Be fluid and you can live forever. As long as you don’t crave being the centre of everybody’s attention. Being discreet is the best way to survive the passing of time.
Links to book
universal E-book links (geolocated, just pick your favourite distributor)
Paperback on Amazon, Barnes&Noble and other retailers.
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January 20, 2018
Audiobook Narrator Interview – JD Kelly and Spotlight for Cubby and the Beanstalk
*Name: JD Kelly
*Tell us a bit about yourself: This is always a tough question to answer. I am a full-time voice actor, however, I’m also the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for a rock and blues band, as well as well as writing and recording my own solo music.
When I’m not using my voice for singing or acting, I try to share as much as possible on my YouTube channel, where I play Video Games and go to conventions across the country. See my answer to the ‘silly fact’ question below for one of my achievements!
Having my own YouTube channel also gives me the opportunity to film and edit video, as well as photography. I love meeting people in cosplay at conventions to create montage videos, I’ve also filmed music videos for bands and solo artists too.
One of my more recent interests is running, I’d never considered myself a runner before but now I’ve completed two half marathons (one was at Disneyland Paris) I think it’s safe to call myself a runner. In all honesty, I use it as a great way to get out into the countryside, a change from my recording studio!
How did you become involved with audiobook narration and production? Before becoming a full-time voice actor, I worked in the industry part-time working on radio productions and audio plays. A friend of mine actually runs a production company so after working with them on a couple of small projects and really enjoying it I discovered ACX/Audible. I started to complete short projects in my spare time and immediately loved it, I quickly realised I wanted this to be my full-time career.
Tell us about some of the titles you’ve narrated. Do you have a favourite amongst these? I really enjoyed ‘Norse Mythology by Matt Clayton’ it was fun finding out about the myths and legends. ‘Summary of “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor’ was great too as Shawn Achors TED Talk was a huge influence on me, his book on positive psychology is fascinating!
But I am really looking forward to the next chapter of ‘The Fall Of Centuria by James A. Harris’ it was great to do the first book in this fantasy series!
Do you have a preferred genre? Do you have a genre you do not produce? Why is this? I love narrating Fantasy novels, it’s a genre I read often. Sci-Fi is great too but I guess because the first book I really got into was The Hobbit, fantasy novels have kind of stuck with me.
I don’t produce erotic fiction, I don’t mind some raunchy romance tales but, when it gets too explicit, I can’t keep a straight face.
What are you working on at present/Just finished? I’m currently working on Alice In Wonderland and the third book in a series called 101 SNES Facts!
I have just completed Cubby and the Beanstalk an adorable kids book! (see links below)
*Tell us about your process for narrating? (Be as elaborate as you like.) I’m very lucky that I have a recording studio set up home so it makes it really easy for me to get stuck into a project. The process begins with my audition, I look for roles that interest me, books about a subject I’m interested in and other projects in genres I’ve perhaps not worked in before, I love to challenge myself.
The audition is usually a few lines or the first 5 minutes of a longer project – this is usually enough to give me some insight into the writing style so I can adapt my tone as needed. I sometimes record a couple of versions so the end producer or author has some choice.
Once hired, I then like to get some direction from the client, writers often have a tone of voice in mind for a character and it’s important to me that I stay true to that. This is also a great time to confirm any unusual pronunciations or dialects – which happens quite often in fantasy books!
Once I’ve recorded everything, I then use various programmes to edit my takes and upload them as a final audio file.
What aspects do you find most enjoyable? The thing I find most enjoyable is becoming the character, it keeps my job diverse and interesting. One day I can be playing the role of a Military Commander, and the next a Welsh Polar Bear cub! I enjoy portraying these different characters, knowing that the end listener will use this to help paint the images in their mind while they listen to the books.
Do you consider royalty share when looking for books to narrate? If not why is this? This really depends on the project and the length of time involved. Royalty shares mean I get paid after the work is completed, when the project makes money. This can work well for shorter projects where I can complete the work fairly quickly, but for longer projects, I do charge a ‘per finished hour’ rate.
Do you listen to audiobooks? Sometimes for non-fiction I’ll listen to an audiobook, but I can’t quit the written word when it comes to fiction. I suppose I like to hear the voices in my head using my imagination.
*With many people owning MP3 players do you think this is the future of storytelling? I think it is a storytelling media that will continue to become more popular as time goes on.
However, do I think that physical books (Digital too) will become extinct? Not really, I think we will find some kind of equilibrium.
Why do you think audiobooks are becoming so popular? With media/work taking up so much of people’s time these days, and people looking for ways to continue learning and being told stories I think it allows people escapism and learning on the move. During travel, in the bath and at night before bed seem to be good moments for most people.
Can you remember the first audiobook you owned? The first audiobook I owned was The Hobbit, I had it on cassette tape when I was about 8 years old, I remember getting it when I was living in America and I listened to it countless times. I’m not sure where the cassette is now, however, I recently went on holiday to stay in some hobbit huts in the UK and downloaded The Hobbit on iTunes – listening to it while sitting next to the fire brought back some great memories from my childhood.
If you are an author, do you produce your own audiobooks or do you prefer to look for an independent narrator? Why have you made this choice? I am not an author…yet. But I think in the future it would depend on the project, and if my voice would be suitable. I hope that I have enough humility to keep perspective and make a good casting call on whether my voice is right or not.
Has ACX/Audible fulfilled your expectations? (such as earnings, ease of use, workload etc.?) Oh definitely, it’s a system that has allowed me to forge a career out of a hobby!
Have you ever had a negative experience producing a book? Only one I can think of, the script I had received was not that well suited to audio production, so I just did the best I could with it. It is extremely rare that this happens but sometimes you just have to make the best of a script you are given.
Each difficult project you get teaches you something new, lets you know what your strengths and weaknesses are and allows you to get better!
Please tell us a silly fact about yourself. I have held a Guiness World Record for the Longest Marathon Time Playing Minecraft, I live-streamed it on my YouTube Channel raising over £2500 for Cancer Research UK!
Where can we learn more about you?
Social Media links:
https://www.facebook.com/JDKellyVA/
https://www.youtube.com/themajikelone/
Cubby and the Beanstalk is available at the following retailers.
Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Children/Cubby-and-the-Beanstalk-Audiobook/B078THHWBL/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/459061
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cubby-and-the-beanstalk-victoria-zigler/1120001996
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cubby-and-the-beanstalk
Chapters-Indigo:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/cubby-and-the-beanstalk/9781310906428-item.html
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cubby-and-the-beanstalk/id902823470
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/audiobook/cubby-and-the-beanstalk-unabridged/id1333112178
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Cubby-Beanstalk-Victoria-Zigler/1512360104/
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/d/Books/Cubby-Beanstalk-Victoria-Zigler/1512360104
Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/d/Books/Cubby-Beanstalk-Victoria-Zigler/1512360104/
The Book Depository:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Cubby-Beanstalk-Victoria-Zigler/9781512360103
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22798929-cubby-and-the-beanstalk
Cover art atatched.
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Review – Brighton Crime and Vice #Truecrime #British History
3 stars.
I tend to like this local, more specific true crime books. The general true crime anthologies often cover the same cases/criminals so these localised ones reveal the activities of the more obscure criminals.
The book covers 200 years and features murder, manslaughter, abortion (which was illegal until 1967), wife beating, husband slaughter, theft (often of minor items) and more. Most of the accounts are presented well-enough with a bit of history around the case, and the outcomes (most of which were execution, transportation, or imprisonment). Many of the cases are tragic – unmarried mothers trying to dispose of unwanted babies in a time when single-motherhood could ruin a girl and occupations for women were extremely limited. Some of the perpetrators of these crimes were insane, or of diminished responsibility, but until the late 19th Century such matters were barely recognised.
It’s a good account of crime in the area. Although some of the accounts are a little short, and get a bit tedious.
So why the relatively low rating? Now I don’t often mark down a book for typos – but this book had a lot. All the way through. There was a repeated paragraph and mistakes on every other page.
January 18, 2018
The Immortals Bundle #Fantasy – Preorder now!
Monsters, Myth and Mayhem Vol 2
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Universal Link https://books2read.com/Immortalsbundle
Bundle Rabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/immortals
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-immortals-bundle
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-immortals-bundle-a-l-butcher/1127826108
I Tunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1335201648
Gods, nymphs, vampires, deathless clones, cursed mages and those who serve them face perils where immortality acts as either curse or blessing or…both. Souls and selves lie at stake in this eclectic bundle.
Featuring:
The Goddess Problem by Sherry D. Ramsey
Glamour of the God-Touched by Ron Collins
A Man and His God by Janet Morris
Unnatural Immortal by Russ Crossley
First Chosen by M. Todd Gallowglas
Walking Gods by Leah Cutter
Rainbow’s Lodestone by J.M. Ney-Grimm
Brainjob by David Sloma
Silver Dust by Leslie Claire Walker
Vale of Semūin by Eric Kent Edstrom
Fate’s Door by J.M. Ney-Grimm
Kaylyn the Sister-in-Darkness by Barbara G. Tarn
The Legend of Oeliana by A. L. Butcher
Jamal & the Skeleton’s Heart by Ezekiel James Boston
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January 17, 2018
Sale Blitz/Spotlight – Shopping for a Billionaire’s Honeymoon – romcom
Shopping for A Billionaire’s Honeymoon—Just 99c Until 19th January!
Shopping for A Billionaire’s Honeymoon (Book 11 in the Shopping series)
Author: Julia Kent
Release date: January 31, 2017
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance
Description:
He is addicted to his phone and his new role as CEO. I’m addicted to getting some on my own honeymoon.
One of these things is not like the other.
I am pretty sure a serial killer’s lair is the only place in the world where I could stash my new husband so he can’t manage the acquisition of our new company.
And that seems a little drastic.
But only a little…
All I want is one week alone with him. Hours in bed, legs tangled together in ecstasy, room service and long walks on the beach in Hawaii.
Not vying for his kisses around a Bluetooth microphone. The Borg aren’t sexy in real life.
So I’m taking matters into my own hands and hitting “reboot” on our honeymoon.
We’re going to a place so remote that no one can find us.
Not even my mother.
Shopping for a Billionaire’s Honeymoon is now a full-length book of 150+ pages, with both Shannon and Declan’s points of view. Originally published with only Shannon’s viewpoint, this expanded edition is a result of reader feedback. People wanted to know what Declan was up to – so here you go. This book is meant to be read after Shopping for a Billionaire’s Wife and/or Shopping for a CEO’s Fiancée, but if you read it out of order (or even as a standalone), that’s fine. Shannon and Declan forgive you. 
January 13, 2018
Frisky February – Bundle
Now on preorder!
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February is the sexiest and most romantic month of the year. Grab something hot and sensual and settle down to enjoy it slowly…This collection of steamy reads should keep you simmering for the whole month. From aliens to elves; from romance to red-hot; from ladies enjoying ladies; from sexy vampires to sex-starved superheroes.
Fantasy, romance, erotica, LGBT fiction, science fiction, and more in this 19-book collection.
ADULTS ONLY *
1. “The Overall Effect of Them” by Harvey Stanbrough
2. “Tales of the Golden Mask” by Alexa Lynsey & Belle De Ver
3. “Rescue from Planet Pleasure” by Mario Acevedo
4. “Kiss of the Acolyte” by Robert Jeschonek
5. “Flying High” by Gail Roarke
6. “Broken Women” by Anne Hagan
7. “Siren’s Garter: Issue One” by Miriam F. Martin
8. “Alpha’s Heir:” by AJ Tipton
9. “Star Sex” by Robert Jeschonek
10. “Midnight Show & Other Erotic Stories” by Miriam F. Martin
11. “In Flight” by Andrea Dale
12. “Hotel Siren & Other Erotic Lesbian Stories” by Miriam F. Martin
13. “Hidden Treasure” by Little Kisses Press
14. “Remember the Past” by Grace Scheufler
15. “Breaking the Curse” by AJ Tipton
16. “Laundry Day & Other Erotic College Stories” by Miriam F. Martin
17. “New Day, New Life” by Andrea Dale
18. “Sexy With the Supernatural” by Little Kisses Press
19. “Kiss Me Again” by Andrea Dale
Bundle Rabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/frisky-february
Kobo Adult https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/frisky-february
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078XP4SY6/
I-tunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1333409326
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