Ally Shields's Blog, page 79

Coffee Chat with Author Travis Sharpe

    Welcome!  Pull up a chair and join us for coffee & book talk!

Author Travis Sharpe has agreed to answer a few questions so we can get to know him and to show us his medical thriller, Tunneling for Revenge.

Just like his wife Heather, who visited the Coffee Chat last week with her paranormal book Purr-fect Love (see interview here), Travis doesn't drink coffee, which leaves all the more for the rest of us. :)

So let's move straight to your bio, Travis.
Travis Sharpe has been practicing optometry since 2006.  Through his wife’s love of literature, he stumbled onto creative writing, and he has really enjoyed it.  Travis still practices optometry full-time.  His favorite hobby is being outdoors with his wife and little boy.  When Travis’ little boy finally decides to sleep, he pulls out the laptop and enjoys this relatively new passion.

www.facebook.com/travisksharpe

www.travisksharpe.webstarts.com

Ally: When Travis was asked to share a fact he would never include in his official bio, he confessed he "hated to read in high school." That makes it all the more amazing that he became a writer!




Ally: Since the book that was just released is a medical thriller, where did you acquire the detailed information to write it?

TRAVIS:  My day job is as an optometrist.  I have seven years of college in health care studies under my belt in addition to another seven years of practice with continued study in all areas of health care.

Ally: Since you're at the office all day, when and where do you find time to write?

TRAVIS:  With my two year-old son to play with, my wife to be with, and my busy optometric practice, in which I both see patients and work with my partner to manage the office, I have to wake up before 5:00 on weekends and my days off to find time to write.  My writing usually takes place on my couch or in a hotel room hours before the sun comes up.

Ally: With that kind of schedule do you find time to for other activities or just relaxing?

TRAVIS:  I enjoy playing with my son and spending time with my wife, two activities which are generally simultaneous.  I also enjoy exercising, water sports, and target shooting.  We live on a small farm, and I enjoy puttering around on my tractor and finding things to do with it.

Ally:  All in your spare time, of course! :) I assume you've gotten over your hatred for reading and manage to squeeze in a book now and then. What author, living or dead, do you most admire?

TRAVIS:  I don’t really have one favorite.  I most enjoy Robin Cook, James Patterson, James Rollins, and Dean Koontz.  They all incorporate science and fiction into their thrillers with twists that you wouldn’t expect.  I enjoy reading their books every time.  I hope to be able to eventually deliver the same pleasure to my readers.

Ally: I think that's a goal most writers share with you. Let's try a few Quick Answer Questions:

           1) One item on your bucket list – going on a deep sea fishing trip with my wife and son
           2)  type of car you own – my wife and I share a 2005 Cadillac CTS and a 2012 Harley Davidson Edition Ford F-150 4x4
           3)  type of car you'd like to own – a Dodge Viper
           4)  favorite TV shows – Duck Dynasty, Married With Children, Americans
           5)  favorite after 5:00 drink – pretty boring - water

Ally: You've been a great guest, Travis. Thank you for talking with us, but now comes that all important moment...the unveiling of your book.
Blurb:

Fueled by revenge, guided by an intense hatred for any type of elected or appointed authority, and driven by an inherent need to worship a strong male leader, Alex sets out on a killing spree that will satisfy all three of his psychological crutches. Alex seeks to avenge and free his captured leader. He planned to do this on his own, but prior to embarking on his journey he is approached by a mysterious organization that offers to finance his entire operation. The specialized weapon system that they offer him for the job proves too much to pass up.

The CIA agents who caused the downfall of his beloved anarchist cult become aware of his murderous plot, and they engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse with Alex’s ability to defy physics as a wild card. Thanks to his newfound weapon, Alex avoids capture while paralyzing his enemies with fear. Alex’s mysterious helpers employ the assistance of a local gang whose mission is to assist Alex in finding one of his targets. In so doing, the local gang, Alex, the CIA agents, and the local police find themselves mixed up in an international gang war for control of the illegal drugs and firearms market in the United States. A colossal betrayal finds Alex working on the side of law enforcement with him as a tool to help thwart the influx of foreign gangsters, and them as a tool to help Alex exact revenge on the very man he would have stopped at nothing to protect.

 Buy Links:   Amazon US        Other titles on Amazon         Other titles available for Nook

                                               Good luck with your books, Travis.
                                  Thanks for stopping, everyone. Come back soon!

Veterans Day 2013

                                A Tribute

November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, and I found a few pictures and two videos that seemed appropriate to the occasion.

In honor of those who fought for freedom and to the families of those who didn't come home...
                                    Thank You.
                        This is Still the Land of the Free: http://youtu.be/NcTj7uM-dJA                                  God Bless the U.S.A. : http://youtu.be/Q65KZIqay4E

Heather Sharpe Author Interview & Coffee Chat

Welcome, everyone!

I believe we have a unique first for this blog coming up the next two weeks: two writers, husband and wife, who write very different novels. I think you'll enjoy meeting them both.

This week Heather Sharpe joins us with her paranormal book Purr-fect Love. Nice to have you here, Heather!

HEATHER:  Thank you so much for hosting Purr-fect Love. This book is especially dear to me, as I didn’t have to make up any of Morgan’s antics when in his cat form—they are all tricks straight from the playbook of my very own fat, black housecat.

Ally: I'd love to hear more, but first tell me how you take your coffee.

HEATHER: In my neighbor’s cup.  I LOVE the smell of coffee, but have never acquired a taste for it. In college, though, I’d often get a cup for the girl who sat beside me just so I could smell it during class. So, nothing for me, thanks. I'll just smell yours. :)

Ally: That's okay. I can drink enough for two! :) So why don't you tell us about yourself, including something you would never include in a bio.
Bio:  Heather M. Sharpe lives on 6 acres in Central Kansas with her husband, perfect baby boy, and mother-in-law. In case the house isn’t full enough, it also includes four noisy dogs, one cat who inspired For the love of a Sphynx, another who torments him, and a lizard.  At night, all of them think they need room on the bed (except the lizard, thankfully). 

Up until the birth of her son, Heather taught elementary school.  Now she chases around her toddler and writes whenever he naps long enough to turn on the laptop.  When not writing or chasing the baby, Heather enjoys hanging at the lake, waking up early to tear up the water on the wakeboard or wakesurf board, and making s’mores.

And that extra not in my bio: I’m afraid of the dark. Seriously, run-at-the-littlest-sound scared of the dark. I’m okay (mostly) in my house, but if I’m outside in the dark I need to have my big dog, husband, a spotlight, and/or my .45 XDS with me to feel safe. And I still don’t dawdle.

Author contact links:
www.facebook.com/heathermsharpe
http://heathermsharpe.webstarts.com/

Ally: Thanks for sharing that nice introduction. Now, I'd love to hear more about your writing. Is Purr-fect Love your first book?

HEATHER:  Purr-fect Love is my second book, but my first novella. I have written one contemporary and two paranormal romances. I much prefer the paranormal, and really prefer to write full length novels. Although slipping a novella in between longer projects is refreshing for a change of pace.

Ally: Somewhere along the way most published authors make a conscious decision to move from casual writer to author. How did that happen for you?

HEATHER:  I have always loved writing, but five years ago I started working on my first book. My husband really encouraged me to sit down and start writing my own.

Ally:  What will be your next writing project?

HEATHER: I’m currently about 1/3 of the way through Trusting Flight, a full-length paranormal romance that is the sequel to Finding Flight (currently available through Etopia Press).

Ally:  Was there an inspiration for Purr-fect Love?

HEATHER: The fat black cat we adopted from the animal shelter eight years ago. My husband and I always joked that his odd behavior was like a man from the Middle Ages trapped in the body of a cat. When I learned about a contest for a sweet romance under 25,000 words long, I decided to write his story. It was the easiest story I’ve ever written since all the antics that Pita pulls, and more, were directly from Marbles’s playbook. It’s also the dearest to my heart since he’s my big baby.

Ally: Let's finish up with a few quick answer questions:
favorite dessert:  Anything full of creamy chocolate. If you were going to go skiing, would it be water or snow?  Water. Snow skiing seems too much like controlled falling. how many pairs of shoes did you buy during the last year? Only 4! main dish of last meal you ate: A chicken/rice salad from Santa Cruz Burritos favorite actor or actress:  Heath Ledger Ally: Thanks so much, Heather, for chatting with us. Now for the really fun part...let's see your book!
Blurb:

With time running out, there’s no pussyfooting around…

After her fiancé’s last betrayal, Mahri Lassler decides she’d rather become a crazy cat lady than live with another man. Yet when her sister drags her to the animal shelter to make that dream a reality, Mahri just isn’t ready to commit. Not even to a litter of cuddly kittens. But when an odd black and white tomcat reaches through the bars, it’s almost as if he’s choosing her…

Cursed by a scorned lover for all eternity, Scottish clansman Morgan Felix resigns himself to living eleven months each year as a cat. Now, nearly a millennium later, he’s trapped in a cage at the animal shelter with no hope in sight. He has to escape before the first day of spring, when he’ll change back into his human form and find himself in a very tight squeeze. So when the pixie-like woman stops just outside the cage, he takes the situation into his own paws and reaches out to touch her hand…

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Purr-fect-Love-ebook/dp/B00EKK7G62/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1116466228?ean=2940148435389

All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Purr-fect-Love/book--efrzxNniEqsMTrSf9WABA/page1.html?s=YPzAFf7TWk-hfyTt62uTyw&r=3

                  Thank for stopping by the blog today. I hope to see you again soon!

Do You Suffer from Writer's Oppositional Disorder?

  Do you suffer from Writer's Oppositional Disorder?

    Has "NO WAY" become your favorite theme--at least in your head?

Check out the following symptoms:

Stage 1. Do you have too much to do? Writing, editing, marketing, family, holidays coming?

Stage 2. Does it just keep piling on?

Stage 3. Have you gone past the stage of seeing each task as a challenge into temporary paralysis or writer's funk?

Stage 4. Have you even passed stage 3 to procrastination or even open defiance? Where ANYTHING is preferable to writing that next book, chapter or word? Where the final edits loom like an insurmountable gulf?

      Then you just might be suffering from WOD: Writer's Oppositional Disorder, an urge to indulge yourself in inaction or finding excuses to avoid whatever you're supposed to be doing.

      Not a good place for a writer to be, but it doesn't need to be fatal. I admit to suffering from WOD every now and then, especially when there are multiple tasks from multiple sources demanding my attention. By trial and error, I have found a few sure cures that work for me. Sometimes one is enough; sometimes it takes several.

      I would probably come out of writer's funk on my own—because I can't imagine not writing—but I think these seven WOD-busters speed the process.
A. Take a deliberate break, especially if your guilt tells you not to. If you're up against a deadline, keep the break short, but take a few minutes to step away from anything connected with writing. Get your hair cut, visit friends, or try out the new manicurist. Hit a few balls at the putting green or go shopping for something you don't need.

B.  Read a good book. Sometimes I get inspiration from the great writing of others or even thinking how I would have written that dialogue or that scene differently.

C. Skip to a new scene in your WIP or switch to a different manuscript that interests you.

D. Write that query letter for a manuscript that's been sitting on your shelf. If your manuscript is polished, then send your query. It will give you a sense of accomplishment, and waiting for a response will give you something else to think about.

E. Commiserate with another writer. No one understands those moments of doubt like another writer. We've all wondered if it's worth it. It is, but you have to get past the WOD first.

F. You might try writing with pen and paper--or at a different spot: your deck, the library, the local coffee shop.
NaNoWriMo 2013 G. If you're not under a deadline, committing to a writing challenge with other writer friends or doing NaNoWriMo, the month-long writing challenge just might be the spark you need. (NaNo began November 1. I'm there again this year as Iowagal. It's not too late to join us!)

      When you're ready to return to the keyboard, take the time to prioritize the tasks that have been overwhelming you. I almost never write from an outline, but I love lists.  I make a priority list and try to put one or two easy items at the top. Checking them off gives me a great feeling of success—the perfect mood for a great writing session.

      These are a few of the methods I've tried—the successful ones. Of course, there are temporary fixes that are fun and often indispensable...like chocolate, ice cream or wine, but they rarely do the job long term. :)

     When you get overwhelmed with life, whether you're a writer or not, what gets you focused again?


                                       Have a great and productive week! Thanks for stopping!

Interview and Coffee Chat with Author DL Richardson

Ready for coffee and book talk?

I'm so pleased to welcome back a former guest. D L Richardson was here in May to discuss Young Adult fiction (link to article), but today we have something even more unique. She's showing us how she incorporated music into her latest release, Little Red Gem.

Welcome, Debbie! I think you had an announcement before we get started.

DL:  I do.
"One lucky reader who comments on this blog post will be randomly selected to win an ebook copy of Little Red Gem. Good luck!"

Ally:  That's terrific! So let's get started by taking a look at your bio for our new readers...
BIO: Music first captured the creative interest of D L Richardson. She got her first acoustic guitar at age ten, and in high school she sang with the school band. When she left school she helped form her own rock band where she sang lead vocals, played bass guitar, and wrote all the lyrics. At age 26 she realized she wanted to write novels for the rest of her life, or die trying, so she sold her equipment, quit pursuing a music career and began writing instead. She’s had two young adult novels published and is currently pitching a third and writing a fourth. She lives in Australia on the NSW South Coast with her husband and dog. When she’s not writing or reading she can be found practicing her piano, playing the guitar or walking the dog.

Author contact links:

website:  www.dlrichardson.com
email:  dlrichardsonbooks@bigpond.com  
blog: dlrichardsonwrites.blogspot.com  
facebook:  facebook.com/dlrichardsonbooks
twitter:   twitter.com/#!/DLRichardson1

Ally:  In Little Red Gem, you appear to have found a way to pursue both of your creative careers, writing and music. Explain the part that music plays in this novel. Is it merely background, a catalyst or even a minor character?

DL:  Music is a major part of Little Red Gem. The main character, Ruby, sings in an all-girl band and her boyfriend, Leo, also sings and plays in a band. That in itself isn’t enough to make the music a major component, but the way in which the music is used to communicate makes it a major player. Music is also the trigger for Ruby driving off into the night and to her death. Although Ruby dies after an argument with Leo, when she finds a way to come back from the dead, there is a catch - she can’t return in her body. So she possesses the body of her half-sister, Audrey. When she realizes that she isn’t getting through to Leo she decides to use the auditions for the national TV talent show as her way of communicating. She believes that Leo will be able to hear that it’s her beneath this façade if he listens to her voice. She believes that souls connect on a level that doesn’t rely on a familiar face. Unfortunately she gets this bit wrong.

Ally:  I know these are your own songs and lyrics. Did you write them specifically for this book? Tell us how you chose the music to include.

DL:  I wrote all the songs specifically for Little Red Gem except one. Side of the Road is a song I wrote in 1991. I was 21 at the time and still singing and playing in my band. This wasn’t the type of song we’d ever play in our band, and that also gave me the idea to have Ruby and Leo in a secret competition with each other to perform songs for the national TV talent show that they wouldn’t normally perform. Most musicians explore songs that are not for the band.

Anyway, the idea for the song came to me in the same way that I portray it in the book, minus the near death experience. I was on a trip and I saw crosses at the side of the road with flowers, in memoriam of the people who had died in car accidents. And I got to thinking how awful it would be if you were a ghost who watched people come to your gravesite to replace the flowers and you couldn’t communicate with them to tell them you were okay.

Ally:  Have you recorded any of these songs? Is there anywhere we can hear them?

DL:  I recorded Side Of The Road using my phone and put it on You Tube. It’s raw, but it’s also honest and I suppose that’s why I’m happy to share it with everyone. It could sound better, and if I had spare cash I would love to professionally record these songs even if it was just for my own pleasure.
                                                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7rYl_Oj0XI&feature=youtu.be
I am in the process of creating a second You Tube video featuring the song that Ruby performs for Leo titled A Million Miles. When this is done I’ll post the link to YouTube on my blog, website and Facebook so please make sure you follow me if you want to hear more songs from the novel.

Ally:  What's next on your writing agenda?

DL:  My current WIP is a sci-fi/dystopian novel. I wish I could give more away but I am at the first draft stage, however I can state that I have just finished reading Robocalyse and I can see that I have more work to do to build up this world I’m creating. It’s been put on hold while I publish and promote Little Red Gem. I am also considering writing the sequel to Feedback. It has an open ending, and I could leave it at that, but I feel as if I’ve left the characters dangling and they’re screaming out for a conclusion. And then I want to write a novella about what happens to Audrey who is trapped in limbo while Ruby possesses her body as part of my marketing strategy. Yes, I struggle with the same thing most writers do – so many things to write and so little time.

Ally:  A few quick answer questions:     

favorite breakfast item: coffee. If I have nothing else, I must have my coffee.          last vacation destination: USA – Los Angeles, Colorado, Alaska, Las Vegas.          favorite sport: To do – nothing if it is classified as a sport. I am a klutz and every time I get involved in sports I break something – i.e my bones and it hurts. To watch – I love to watch motor sports live. Speedway, car racing, rally cars, motor bikes, dirt bikes, speed boats. I have just returned, covered in dust, from watching a rally race in the nearby bush – awesome!!!          favorite type of jewelry: I adore rings, though I am hopeless at wearing them. I buy them and they end up sitting in the jewelry box because I actually find that wearing rings becomes annoying after about ten minutes.         spike heels or sneakers: Sneakers. I live in sneakers and jeans whenever I can. And t-shirts. If I could I’d live in jeans, sneakers and t-shirts.
Book blurb:

Love can make you do crazy things as Ruby Parker discovers when she dies and returns from the grave to unearth how much Leo Culver loved her. With the aid of bad advice from a ghost who is trapped by a curse, a little bit of magic courtesy of her unsuspecting half-sister, and a televised music talent show coming to town to hold auditions, Ruby Parker makes more of a mess in death than she ever did in life. Can she fix everything before it’s too late? Or will she spend eternity as a ghost, haunted by the unknown depths of love? Either way, one thing Ruby learns is that while love can make you do crazy things, it can make you do amazing things too. But at what cost?

eBook

Smashwords:   https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/365185
Kobo:    http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/little-red-gem
Barnes and Noble:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-red-gem-d-l-richardson/1117076354?ean=2940045315517
Amazon:    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FUMQDUO
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Red-Gem-D-Richardson-ebook/dp/B00FUMQDUO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1382054810&sr=1-1&keywords=little red gem

Print

Create Space:    https://www.createspace.com/4465741
Amazon:      http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Gem-D-Richardson/dp/1492939927/

            Thanks so much, Debbie, for visiting us and sharing your books and music!
                         Readers, don't forget to comment to enter her drawing!

The Witch's Halloween Surprise

Even witches, vampires and werewolves have to do something on Halloween...

          The Witch's Halloween Surprise

"You know what tonight is, don't you?"

Ari Calin, fire witch and supernatural cop, looked up from the couch where she'd sat with her feet curled under her reading a book in front of the fireplace. It had been a quiet week in Olde Town. She'd been home early from patrol the last three nights. When all the human witches and goblins were out, the real ones tended to stay hidden. She'd actually been kind of bored.

Andreas stood in the doorway—tall, dark, ever mysterious with a faint smile on his aristocratic face. The vampire held one hand behind his back.

"It's Halloween. Why?" She smiled at him. "Don't tell me you want to go trick-or-treating?"

"Hmm, no. I think two hundred years is a little old for that."

She cocked her head. "Are you hiding something?"

He nodded. "Guess."

"Only one of us likes surprises, and it isn't me."

His smile grew. "It is this time. Think Halloween, crisp fall nights, and farm fields."

She put down her book and walked toward him. "A pumpkin."

"No. Try again."

"Indian corn. Squash." With each shake of his head, she tried another guess, close enough now to try to peek around him. He moved to avoid her. "Apples or apple cider." She raised her hands in resignation. "Okay, I give up."

"Get your coat." He revealed his hand, holding two tickets. "We're going to a Halloween party, complete with haunted house and a corn maze."

Ari squealed and ran for the closet. Her fondest memories of childhood were a trip to a haunted house with her parents and siblings when she was five, the year before her parents died. She hadn't been to a real Halloween party for years. She grabbed her leather jacket and hoped that Olde Town would stay quiet for just a few more hours. This was going to be great fun!

* * *

 The Haunted Farmhouse was in full swing when they arrived, full of children and adults, laughing and screaming. Ari enjoyed watching the tween-age kids more than anything else. The only tense moment occurred when an overenthusiastic reveler grabbed her arm, and Ari automatically turned to punch him. Andreas caught her wrist before anyone noticed her overreaction.

Once they made their way through the house and laughed at all the creatures jumping out from the dark, they found the main party in the back yard: Jack-o-lanterns; black and orange streamers; a water trough where you could dunk for apples—even Andreas got wet; a campfire where Ari cooked marshmallows for a S'more; pin the hat on the witch—Andreas pinned it on the figure's chest, but Ari thought it was on purpose. A long table held glasses of apple cider, stacks of popcorn balls, and bowls of nuts and candy. Ari had to sample it all, and Andreas seemed more than content to watch her relive her childhood. Ari took a deep breath drinking in the sights and the smells--burning applewood, pumpkin, the sugary scent of molasses.


She finally grabbed his hand. "Let's get lost in the corn maze. Here." She grabbed a cloth from a table next to the entrance. "You get the blindfold. I'll lead you to the center, and you can be the explorer who gets us out. I wish we had earplugs too. With your spidey senses, we need every advantage to fool you."

Andreas laughed. "It will not work, but you can try."

Ari couldn't stop grinning as she lead him on the most convoluted path she could find to the center. She couldn't remember a night she'd had so much fun. Maybe she just loved holding his hand and acting like any normal couple.

When they finally reached the middle after a fifteen minute walk, she stopped him when he started to remove the blindfold. "No, change of plans. You stay here for five minutes before removing the blindfold. And then try to find me." She dropped his hand and backed away. "I'll be waiting at the entrance when you find your way out."

"I'll catch you before then," he said.

"You think."

"I do."

"Bye." She crept quickly out of the center area, trying not to reveal which direction she had taken. She sped along the path, using a combination of her memory and her witch senses to steer her in the right direction. She was chuckling to herself when she heard a scream, suddenly cut off. She stopped and listened, not sure whether it was part of the entertainment or a customer enjoying a good scare or someone in trouble. When she didn't hear anything else, she started forward again but slowly now, listening for unusual sounds.

She stopped again at the sound of quiet sobbing and moved swiftly in that direction. She turned the corner, expecting to see a lost child, but no one was there. She checked the other path. Still no one. Witch senses prickling, she kept close to the side of the corn row and turned down a third path. A sound to her left. She could smell werewolf and the child's crying started again.

This time she dove through the corn, ignoring the path, bursting into an adjoining row where she thought the sound had been. Again it was empty. Maybe one more row over.

She shoved the stalks aside and climbed through to see a figuring running down the path and turning the corner. She sprinted after him, one hand on her dagger, turning corners. But where was the victim? Just as she thought she should turn back and locate the child, who might be injured, even dying, she leaped aside just in time to avoid an assailant. She snatched her dagger but was knocked down, landing on her stomach and held from behind. She had just recognized his familiar magic when she heard the laughter. Several voices laughing. He let her go, leaping to his feet. She looked up, wiping dirt from her chin, and Andreas offered her a hand.

"Happy Halloween." His eyes twinkled with mischief.

She accepted his hand with a quizzical look. "What's going on?" She turned to frown at their friends: Steffan, the local werewolf leader; Lilith, a werelion, and her husband Russell; Gabriel, Andreas's second-in-command of the local vampire court, and the unknown werewolf she'd been chasing. "Where's the child?"

"There is no child." Andreas waved a hand at Steffan.

"We heard you'd been bored this week. Not wanting you to have a dud of a Halloween, we dreamed up a little excitement for your maze trip." Steffan held up a recorder and replayed the sounds of screaming and crying.

"And I stole your capsuled cloaking and masking spells for us to use, so you wouldn't recognize our scents." Lilith grinned, clearly enjoying having fooled her friend.

Gabriel threw his arm around the unknown werewolf. "Boyd here is new in town, so we recruited him to play the bad guy. And I just came along to laugh my ass off." He chuckled. "Gotcha!"

She put her hands on her hips, jutted her chin out and glared at them. "I might have stabbed someone." Her lips trembled, and she couldn't contained the laughter any longer. She shook her head as they all joined in. "I got suckered but good."

She put her arm around Andreas, and he kissed the top of her hair. "That was our intention, cara mia."

Ari sighed. "It was a wonderful end to one of the best Halloweens ever!"

                                                          Happy Halloween! Booooo!

By Force (Forever Fae) Cover Reveal

Getting kidnapped would set her free…

Isame doesn’t want to marry the man her parents chose for her. She wants more: the freedom to travel, the freedom to explore, but most of all, the freedom to choose the life she wants instead of the one her parents expect. When Isame leaves her home to accept a man's proposal, she encounters five fierce, handsome warriors. She wonders why they’ve travelled so far from home. She never imagines their purpose might have something to do with her, not even after they’ve kidnapped her.

Remmie is a fiercely loyal man who is true to his word. When his king commands him to find a young woman on the island of Copaxa, he doesn’t expect the puny woman to hold his attention or to make him consider turning his back on his brothers in arms and his king. But Isame is special and he can see it from the start. Soon he must decide if she is worth losing all he knows and loves for the girl that's worked her way under his skin and into his heart.

Coming January 3, 2014!!

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18306385-by-force
About the Author : Sara Hubbard is an author of young adult fiction who visited us last November and is scheduled to return to the Coffee Chat on January 22, 2014. Maybe we can talk her out of an excerpt by then or if there is to be a sequel. :) To learn more about Sara and her other YA book, Murder She Read, click on this link to her previous chat: Sara Hubbard.

You can contact the author through any of these links:

www.sara-hubbard.com
http://twitter.com/SaraLouHubbard/
http://pinterest.com/saralouhubbard/ 
http://www.facebook.com/sarahubbardauthor



                           Thanks for stopping by. Mark your calendar for the January 3 release!

Interview with the Vampire Gabriel

In book 3 of the Guardian Witch series I introduced the vampire Gabriel as a continuing character but have not yet added him to our list of character interviews. When the request came from the Riverdale High School News to interview the new Second-in-Command of Andreas's vampire court, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share it with you.

Here is how the interview went . . .

Ari walked into Andreas's office at Club Dintero with a teenage girl with curly red hair, wearing  blue jeans and carrying a notebook and pen. Gabriel, Andreas's second-in-command, was waiting for them as prearranged. Andreas had made himself scarce so Gabriel could use the office to be interviewed for the Riverdale High School paper as the new vampire in town.

Ari introduced them and hid a smile at Molly's reaction to her first sight of the gorgeous blond hunk that Gabriel was. It looked like Molly was doomed to have a crush. As soon as the young woman was settled, Ari left, promising she be back in a while to see how the interview had progressed. Gabriel was totally trustworthy, but she left the office door standing wide open for his peace of mind as much as anyone else's.

Gabriel: It's very nice to meet you, Molly. I didn't know I was going to be interviewed by such a charming young woman. We can start whenever you're ready.

 Molly (shyly smiling): Thanks. (She takes a deep breath.) I know you're a vampire, but who were you before you were Gabriel?

Gabriel: Edmund Fitzhugh. I was considered somewhat of a dandy in my era—the Regency Period in England, early 1800s—a little particular about my dress and grooming but rarely serious about anything. I spent a lot of my youth attending hunting parties and going to balls.

Molly: Wow, do you miss all that?

Gabriel (smiling at her): Sometimes, but not that often anymore.

Molly: Do you think the author portrayed you accurately in the Guardian Witch books?

Gabriel: I think there are things about me she doesn't know yet, but yes, she's figured out my basic personality.

Molly: What makes you happy?

Gabriel: Well, love, I'm happy when I'm free to do as I please without too much responsibility. I love to play hooky.

Molly (giggles): Other than becoming a vampire, which I guess was pretty important, what's the second most important thing that ever happened to you?

Gabriel: Finding Prince Andreas. He's like the brother I never had. He values our friendship but never expects more of me than I'm willing to do. He accepts me as I am. That's a rare thing to find.

Molly: Are you afraid of anything?

Gabriel: Of course. Everybody's afraid of something. There are seven really bad vampires in Germany who scare me. Sometimes girls scare me too. (He winks at her.)

Molly (blushes): Do you have any hobbies?

Gabriel: I don't, but I have a cat that I named Edmund. As a boy I collected frogs and put them in the decorative fish pond at my grandfathers. As a young man, I guess you could say I collected horses.

Molly: Name five items in your pockets.

Gabriel: I'm not sure I have five things on me. Let's look. (He reached in a jeans' pocket and pulls out a cell phone and lays it on the table, digs through his other pockets and finds a credit card, a handful of change and a small comb.) That's it. Nothing very exciting.

Ari (stopping in the doorway): Don't mind me. I just wanted to see how you were doing.

Molly: We're doing good. I only have a few more questions. Maybe you can help with a couple of them. (She looks at Gabriel) What one word best describes you?

Gabriel: Friendly

Ari (chucking): From whose perspective? Women describe him as charming! The men not so much.

Molly (blushes again): How do your enemies see you?

Gabriel (wide-eyed with mock innocence): Moi? What enemies? I'm not sure anyone takes me seriously.

Molly: How private of a person are you?

Gabriel: Not very. I'm pretty outgoing, although I never kiss and tell, love. (He grins.)

(Ari rolls her eyes at his outrageously flirting.)

Molly (ducks her head and blushes yet again:) One last question, how do you envision your future?

Gabriel: Well, it looks like I'm going to be around for a while, being a vampire and all, so I plan to fully enjoy myself. And stay out of trouble—if that's possible hanging around with Andreas and Ari. Trouble seems to find these two.

Ari ushered the teenager back to her mother. From the look on Molly's face, the smart, witty, blond Adonis, who masqueraded as a vampire playboy, had made another conquest. Luckily for everyone, her mother would return her safely to the suburbs, far away from the vampire world in Olde Town.

Blood & Fire (Guardian Witch #4) Available Now

I am sooo excited!

Blood and Fire (Guardian Witch Book Four) has been released! Life keeps changing for Ari, and I think you'll find that book four brings new challenges and tough decisions from beginning to end!

Book Blurb:

A dead body, black magic, and a vampire enforcer...

Ari thought her biggest problem was deciding if she should move in with her vampire boyfriend, Andreas. That was before they found the dead body at the bottom of the Riverdale cliffs. And before she realized he'd been cursed by black magic.

Just as she begins the murder investigation, the vampire rulers in Europe send an enforcer to make inquiries into the recent defeat of the Toronto vampire prince. While Andreas has taken responsibility for the brutal dictator’s death, there is much about the incident that he and Ari must keep to themselves—secrets the vampire elders would stop at nothing to learn.

With threats of retaliation hanging over their heads, Ari moves into Andreas’s Victorian mansion—for safety’s sake—while the enforcer begins a campaign of terror. Ari is caught between competing dangers and challenges: black magic, a ghost, a missing Native American artifact…not to mention a new roommate…all while trying to stay alive…

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fire-Guardian-Witch-Shields-ebook/dp/B00FYZ6XRA/
All Amazons: viewBook.at/BloodandFire
B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-and-fire-ally-shields/1117164910?ean=2940148523987
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodandfire-1324569-140.html Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/blood-and-fire-7

 

Book Trailer link: http://youtu.be/lEDY7tPBoDY Excerpt: Beginning of Chapter One

      Ari’s long hair whipped in the wind, the pale strands stinging her cheek as she looked down from the cliff top at the scene below. Three cops, two in tan uniforms, huddled around a sprawled figure. She recognized her human partner from his tall frame and fair, curly hair. As usual, Lt. Ryan Foster wore casual jeans. His position as head of the Inter-Community Division (IDC) of the Riverdale Police Department gave him latitude in his attire. His khaki windbreaker jacket, optional on a late March day, was tightly zipped, indicating he’d been there since before the sun came out. Four uniformed officers appeared to be searching the Mississippi River bank, poking among the rocks and sparse weeds.

      Ari turned her attention to the dead body lying face up, one masculine hand out flung as if he had sought to grab something to break the downward plunge. The body lay too far out from the bluff for an accidental fall. Had he jumped? Been thrown? From this distance, she couldn’t identify his injuries. Ari sniffed the air. No unusual scents. And yet her witch senses told her something wasn’t normal even for a death scene.

      Ryan looked up and waved at her. Ari started down the rocky path, feeling a vague disquiet. The closer she got to the body, the more her magic reacted. Her unease grew to an eerie foreboding, sending quivers across her neck and shoulders by the time she reached the huddled cops. At her nod, the officers stepped aside to give her access. Ari’s nostrils flared.

      Black magic. Negative vibes swirled around her. Had the victim been an illicit practitioner, or the target of one?

      “Hope I didn’t get you out of bed.” Ryan glanced at her face and handed her a steaming Styrofoam cup. “You look like you could use a pick-me-up.”

      After working together several times over the past two years, Ryan knew her habits well. She functioned a whole lot better when running on caffeine. Ari quashed her reaction to the dark vibes, reached for the cup with a steady hand, and mumbled an inattentive “Thanks.” Her green eyes never left the corpse.

      Ryan watched in silence as she did her initial assessment.

      Human. White male, early forties, full head of sandy brown hair. Tanned, sun-weathered face. Jeans, heavy flannel shirt over a T-shirt, wool socks peeking out of laced hiking boots. No unusual injuries, only the abrasions on his hands and head that were consistent with a fall. “What do we know?”

      Ryan’s jacket tightened across his broad shoulders as he shrugged. “Not much. The body was found like this about six o’clock by an early-morning fisherman. Medical examiner says rigor’s set in, so he estimates death occurred sometime around midnight, probably a little before. As usual, Doc’s refused to give a cause of death until he can do the autopsy, but a fall is the obvious conclusion.”

      Knowing Ryan couldn’t sense the magic, she threw him a questioning look. “So why did you call me?”

      “Olde Town district. Unknown cause of death. My gut, maybe. The cause of death might be too obvious.”

      “Smart call.”

      “How so?” He frowned at the body. “Did you notice something I missed?”

      “Sorcery. Black magic is rolling off him in waves.”

      “You don’t say?” Ryan looked at the victim with renewed interest but backed up a half step, as if tainted magic might be contagious. “I thought he was human.”

      “He is human. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t attacked by a rogue magic user. Or that he didn’t dabble in things he couldn’t control. Do you know who he is?”

      “No. Although his face seems familiar, like I might have seen him somewhere. No wallet or ID on him. I know,” he added, when she made a small sound in her throat, “that’s suspicious by itself. Unless some petty thief found him and relieved him of his identification before our good Samaritan came along.” Ryan waved a hand toward the searchers. “We’re looking for the wallet. If somebody wanted the money and cards, they might have tossed the rest.”

      “Did he leave a parked car or truck in the area?”

      “A cruiser is looking. So far, nothing. What do you think he was doing out here? Don’t see any fishing or rappelling gear.”

      “A trail hiker, maybe. I’d think a tourist would have a camera, although he might have dropped it during…whatever happened. He’s dressed pretty warmly.” She pointed to the wool socks, then looked back up at the cliffs. “More like a caver, but again, we’re missing equipment. He’d need at least a flashlight. I’ll take a look up there. See what I can find.”

      Ryan shifted his feet and followed her gaze to the cliff tops. “Let’s hope he wasn’t in the caves. The vampires would raise hell with anyone nosing around, maybe guarantee he didn’t return. They’re damned territorial.”

      She shot him an appraising look. “Are you suggesting they threw him off the cliff? More likely, they’d scare him, chase him back to town.”

      “Maybe they chased him right off the edge.”

      Ari held back a retort. Ryan had come a long way in his thinking about Otherworlders, especially in the time he’d been partnered part-time with a fire witch, but he still had lapses into old thinking. Most humans, out of fear or bias, had ignored supernaturals until they were brought back into the limelight by the McFarland treaties in the 1990s and the Civil Rights Acts, which had set up protections for both communities. Pockets of humanity still clung to the old superstitions. Nevertheless, murder and bloodletting had been outlawed and the practices abandoned by Otherworlders. If a vampire did this, it was a rogue.

      But black witchcraft wasn’t a vampire thing.

      Ari crouched beside the body. Not as much blood as there should be, raising the question of whether he’d been dead before he went over the edge. This might be a dumpsite. She reached out a hand to touch his face. The instant she made contact, she snatched her hand back. “Bad mojo,” she muttered, rising to stand.

      “Don’t go all spooky on me.” Ryan scowled, exhibiting typical human discomfort with the unknown.

      “OK, but this death isn’t going to fit into human medical experience.” And for that reason, she intended to confer on the case with her friend Gillian at the Otherworld forensics lab. “Your ME is going to find something internal he can’t explain.”

      “Like what?” the cop demanded, his baby blues growing suspicious.

      “Oh, crushed organs. Curdled blood.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. “I don’t know the exact form of the attack, but I think our victim was killed by a curse.”


                                           Thanks for taking a look at my new release!
                                               If you choose to read it, I hope you'll tell me what you think! :)

Release Day: Blood & Fire (Guardian Witch #4)

I am sooo excited!

Blood and Fire (Guardian Witch Book Four) has now been released! Life keeps changing for Ari, and I think you'll find that book four brings new challenges and tough decisions from beginning to end!

Book Blurb:

A dead body, black magic, and a vampire enforcer...

Ari thought her biggest problem was deciding if she should move in with her vampire boyfriend, Andreas. That was before they found the dead body at the bottom of the Riverdale cliffs. And before she realized he'd been cursed by black magic.

Just as she begins the murder investigation, the vampire rulers in Europe send an enforcer to make inquiries into the recent defeat of the Toronto vampire prince. While Andreas has taken responsibility for the brutal dictator’s death, there is much about the incident that he and Ari must keep to themselves—secrets the vampire elders would stop at nothing to learn.

With threats of retaliation hanging over their heads, Ari moves into Andreas’s Victorian mansion—for safety’s sake—while the enforcer begins a campaign of terror. Ari is caught between competing dangers and challenges: black magic, a ghost, a missing Native American artifact…not to mention a new roommate…all while trying to stay alive…

Buy Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Fire-Guardian-Witch-Shields-ebook/dp/B00FYZ6XRA/
All Amazons: viewBook.at/BloodandFire
B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-and-fire-ally-shields/1117164910?ean=2940148523987

Book Trailer link: http://youtu.be/lEDY7tPBoDY

...

Excerpt: Beginning of Chapter One

      Ari’s long hair whipped in the wind, the pale strands stinging her cheek as she looked down from the cliff top at the scene below. Three cops, two in tan uniforms, huddled around a sprawled figure. She recognized her human partner from his tall frame and fair, curly hair. As usual, Lt. Ryan Foster wore casual jeans. His position as head of the Inter-Community Division (IDC) of the Riverdale Police Department gave him latitude in his attire. His khaki windbreaker jacket, optional on a late March day, was tightly zipped, indicating he’d been there since before the sun came out. Four uniformed officers appeared to be searching the Mississippi River bank, poking among the rocks and sparse weeds.

      Ari turned her attention to the dead body lying face up, one masculine hand out flung as if he had sought to grab something to break the downward plunge. The body lay too far out from the bluff for an accidental fall. Had he jumped? Been thrown? From this distance, she couldn’t identify his injuries. Ari sniffed the air. No unusual scents. And yet her witch senses told her something wasn’t normal even for a death scene.

      Ryan looked up and waved at her. Ari started down the rocky path, feeling a vague disquiet. The closer she got to the body, the more her magic reacted. Her unease grew to an eerie foreboding, sending quivers across her neck and shoulders by the time she reached the huddled cops. At her nod, the officers stepped aside to give her access. Ari’s nostrils flared.

      Black magic. Negative vibes swirled around her. Had the victim been an illicit practitioner, or the target of one?

      “Hope I didn’t get you out of bed.” Ryan glanced at her face and handed her a steaming Styrofoam cup. “You look like you could use a pick-me-up.”

      After working together several times over the past two years, Ryan knew her habits well. She functioned a whole lot better when running on caffeine. Ari quashed her reaction to the dark vibes, reached for the cup with a steady hand, and mumbled an inattentive “Thanks.” Her green eyes never left the corpse.

      Ryan watched in silence as she did her initial assessment.

      Human. White male, early forties, full head of sandy brown hair. Tanned, sun-weathered face. Jeans, heavy flannel shirt over a T-shirt, wool socks peeking out of laced hiking boots. No unusual injuries, only the abrasions on his hands and head that were consistent with a fall. “What do we know?”

      Ryan’s jacket tightened across his broad shoulders as he shrugged. “Not much. The body was found like this about six o’clock by an early-morning fisherman. Medical examiner says rigor’s set in, so he estimates death occurred sometime around midnight, probably a little before. As usual, Doc’s refused to give a cause of death until he can do the autopsy, but a fall is the obvious conclusion.”

      Knowing Ryan couldn’t sense the magic, she threw him a questioning look. “So why did you call me?”

      “Olde Town district. Unknown cause of death. My gut, maybe. The cause of death might be too obvious.”

      “Smart call.”

      “How so?” He frowned at the body. “Did you notice something I missed?”

      “Sorcery. Black magic is rolling off him in waves.”

      “You don’t say?” Ryan looked at the victim with renewed interest but backed up a half step, as if tainted magic might be contagious. “I thought he was human.”

      “He is human. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t attacked by a rogue magic user. Or that he didn’t dabble in things he couldn’t control. Do you know who he is?”

      “No. Although his face seems familiar, like I might have seen him somewhere. No wallet or ID on him. I know,” he added, when she made a small sound in her throat, “that’s suspicious by itself. Unless some petty thief found him and relieved him of his identification before our good Samaritan came along.” Ryan waved a hand toward the searchers. “We’re looking for the wallet. If somebody wanted the money and cards, they might have tossed the rest.”

      “Did he leave a parked car or truck in the area?”

      “A cruiser is looking. So far, nothing. What do you think he was doing out here? Don’t see any fishing or rappelling gear.”

      “A trail hiker, maybe. I’d think a tourist would have a camera, although he might have dropped it during…whatever happened. He’s dressed pretty warmly.” She pointed to the wool socks, then looked back up at the cliffs. “More like a caver, but again, we’re missing equipment. He’d need at least a flashlight. I’ll take a look up there. See what I can find.”

      Ryan shifted his feet and followed her gaze to the cliff tops. “Let’s hope he wasn’t in the caves. The vampires would raise hell with anyone nosing around, maybe guarantee he didn’t return. They’re damned territorial.”

      She shot him an appraising look. “Are you suggesting they threw him off the cliff? More likely, they’d scare him, chase him back to town.”

      “Maybe they chased him right off the edge.”

      Ari held back a retort. Ryan had come a long way in his thinking about Otherworlders, especially in the time he’d been partnered part-time with a fire witch, but he still had lapses into old thinking. Most humans, out of fear or bias, had ignored supernaturals until they were brought back into the limelight by the McFarland treaties in the 1990s and the Civil Rights Acts, which had set up protections for both communities. Pockets of humanity still clung to the old superstitions. Nevertheless, murder and bloodletting had been outlawed and the practices abandoned by Otherworlders. If a vampire did this, it was a rogue.

      But black witchcraft wasn’t a vampire thing.

      Ari crouched beside the body. Not as much blood as there should be, raising the question of whether he’d been dead before he went over the edge. This might be a dumpsite. She reached out a hand to touch his face. The instant she made contact, she snatched her hand back. “Bad mojo,” she muttered, rising to stand.

      “Don’t go all spooky on me.” Ryan scowled, exhibiting typical human discomfort with the unknown.

      “OK, but this death isn’t going to fit into human medical experience.” And for that reason, she intended to confer on the case with her friend Gillian at the Otherworld forensics lab. “Your ME is going to find something internal he can’t explain.”

      “Like what?” the cop demanded, his baby blues growing suspicious.

      “Oh, crushed organs. Curdled blood.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. “I don’t know the exact form of the attack, but I think our victim was killed by a curse.”


                               Thanks for taking a look at my new release!
                                       If you choose to read it, I hope you'll tell me what you think! :)