L.A. Sartor's Blog, page 12

Take Five With Author L.A. Starks

*Breaking news--I’ve just learned The Second Law won a Texas Authors’ award for best international thriller.
Welcome back to An Indie Adventure, L. A. Starks. Your news is thrilling. Congratulations!!

Tell us, what inspired you to write your book, The Second Law, Lynn Dayton Thriller #3?

The energy business is—unknown to most—massive, global, and high-stakes. Economies of entire countries rise or fall on their production revenue or their energy costs, so it attracts powerful players worldwide whose motivations and desires inevitably conflict.

Thus, the global energy business provides a rich vein of plot possibilities.
And in a bonus for a fiction author, I can write in vivid, terrible explosions at any time.

How do you use setting to further your story?

I find the use of settings magical in propelling the plot forward. International scenes in The Second Law, like those in Poland, Curaçao, and Vienna, immediately set up language/communication difficulties and cultural/behavioral conflicts.

You’re having a dinner party. What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up? Why?

Comrade Mei Jin. She’s a bitter, unpleasant buzzkill of a character. She smokes, is fault-finding, and although a senior government official, is untrustworthy in the extreme. And those teeth! So unappetizing.

If you were not a writer, what vocation would you pursue?

I actually have a second vocation that involves writing: energy investment analysis. It progressed from my engineering work to talking about the energy background of my books at various events, to my own financial analysis, to a website, and now at the request of the editors, writing articles on two different platforms at the crowdsourced investor site, Seeking Alpha.

Do you prefer to read in the same genre you write in, or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

There are few authors who write in precisely the same genre (international thrillers with a business/science thriller aspect—Michael Crichton is the closest) but I enjoy reading many, many authors across the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres.

What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?

I take two approaches that are at odds with one another. When I wrote the first book in the series, I wrote scenes as I saw and heard them in my head, out of order, and then patched everything together. This is an inspired but ultimately very inefficient way to write—too much has to be removed that doesn’t serve the plot, and too much has to be rewritten or added. So now I preserve the initial inspiration of hearing and seeing scenes, but outline with plot progression, settings, characters, and narrative arc in mind. Indeed, I’m about to test this approach again with my fourth book.


Give us a brief summary of The Second Law, Lynn Dayton Thriller #3:

TriCoast Energy executive Lynn Dayton is visiting the company's San Francisco refinery when it comes under attack. Saddened by the fiery deaths of several workers, she traces the explosion to software malfunctions and contacts cybersecurity chief Kanak Singh to track it back to the source. The second law refers to the second law of thermodynamics: it means that in an isolated system everything tends towards chaos.

Lynn is still reeling when a TriCoast lease bidding manager is killed in New Orleans. The seeming motive is the theft of his computer containing billion-dollar secret offshore bid plans. Then her long-time mentor and good friend is gunned down in front of her in a Louisiana swamp. What terrible plan lies behind all these crimes? Lynn races against time to uncover a complex plot that stretches from murder in Vienna to a natural gas terminal attack in the Baltic to a major Caribbean oil installation off U.S. shores. Lynn is baffled as she learns of a high-stakes takeover bid by a mysterious group called the Second Law.

Who are these people? Worse, who is the mole inside TriCoast that is feeding them so much deadly information? Unless she can find out, thousands more are scheduled to die.

Buy:
Barnes & Noble | Amazon (Print and Kindle) | IndieBound (for independent bookstores)

Bio:
L. A. Starks was born in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in northern Oklahoma, and now lives in Texas. Awarded a full-tuition college scholarship, she earned a chemical engineering bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from New Orleans' Tulane University, followed by a finance MBA from the University of Chicago.

On energy investing and related topics she's multi-published at two Seeking Alpha platforms and in several print publications. Her engineering research was recognized when she was included as a co-inventor of a US patent for lithium alumina.

Working for well-known energy companies in engineering, marketing, and finance from refineries to corporate offices prepared her to write accessible, award-winning, and reviewer-praised global energy thrillers 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy, Strike Price, and The Second Law. Strike Price won a first place award as the best mystery/thriller from the Texas Association of Authors.*

In addition to her books, two of her short stories have been published in Amazon Shorts, a third in an anthology, and a fourth independently at KDP. Altogether she's appeared at over 150 book marketing events. Additionally, she served as development co-chair, investment oversight chair, and treasurer of the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. She's run sixteen half-marathons and--similarly--looks forward to working on her fourth Lynn Dayton thriller.

Find L.A.:
Twitter | LinkedIn |Facebook | Goodreads | Website



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R&R: Raves and Rants with Amanda Cabot

A Case of Pronouns Challenge We’re not going to have a rant or even a rave this month. Instead, for a change of pace I’m giving you a quiz or – to make it seem less like we’re in school – a challenge. The challenge is two-fold. First, identify the sentence that uses pronouns correctly. Secondly, find and correct the errors in the others.
HINT: If you need a prompt, check out last month's post on pronouns here. 
Leslie loves comments, so I suggest leaving your responses as comments. I’ll stop in occasionally to see how you’re doing.
1. He filled the golden cup for he and his wife to share.

2. Thanks to whomever had brought it from the cellar we have a good supply of wine.

3. This is the usual time for your father and I to take a walk.

4. Some of he and Uncle Sam’s friends came to visit him.

5. Before anyone realized whom she was, she’d left the party.

6. The employees who planned the conference hadn’t been prepared for our reluctance to attend early morning events.

7. Their granddaughter who they were raising had the curliest hair I’d ever seen.

8. He smiled when he thought about the future with he and Maggie growing old together.

9. She stared at the clock, amazed when she saw that it’s hands had stopped.

10. The agreement between he and James wouldn’t be affected by the merger.


Next month I’ll have another rant for you, this one about the much-maligned passive tense.
~ Amanda
A lifetime of reading and writing, not to mention a host of teachers who believed that good grammar was one of the essentials of life, have given Amanda Cabot such firm opinions about the printed word that I asked her to share some with us in her Raves and Rants posts.  
Although her working career was in Information Technology, Amanda achieved her dream of selling her first novel before her thirtieth birthday and is now the author of more than thirty novels as well as a number of books and articles for Information Technology professionals.  
Her most recent book, A Tender Hope, is the final book of the Cimarron Creek trilogy.
Find all of Amanda's books, newsletter info and social media links here.



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Author Spotlight With Mageela Troche

Please Welcome Mageela Troche
Hi L.A., thanks for hosting me on your blog.
Back in the 90s, I watched Braveheart and was enraptured by Scotland. I went off and read everything I could grab about Scotland, its history and William Wallace. So, when I returned to writing, I, of course, decided that a Scottish romance was the story I had to tell. But instead of writing about Scotland’s War of Independence, I decided to write about the time before the turmoil—a time considered as Scotland’s Golden Age.
My hero, Lachlan Gordon, who is first introduced in my debut novel, The Marriage Alliance, came to me fully formed along with the woman he loved—Rowen MacKenzie. When I was writing Highland Scandal, the words and love poured from me. I was so pleased to give Lachlan and Rowen their happy ending. I swear I was so giddy writing this one. I too fell in love with Lachlan and so wanted to be Rowen.
I hope since I am a romantic but not hopeless (at least not that much) that I can one day find a love like that.
After all, isn’t that just what we want to love and be love? That’s why we go on blind dates, sign up for online dating, risk our tender hearts to find someone to love and be loved by. 
 Excerpt:Lachlan lingered in the courtyard. He refused to step inside. No doubt, he could find a widow to warm the night with. He just had to stay away from the Great Hall and Rowen. Damn, she was so beautiful sitting upon her horse. She was so near to him. He could have snatched her up and run away. He couldn’t go near her. He kicked at a rock. Why did MacLean have to permit the marriage here? MacKenzie Castle was fitting enough. But the lairdess had to be pregnant. Murray’s lands were just as fitting, but lacked a female touch. Och, weren’t there women in the clan? Such ruminations failed to matter. She was here.He peered up at the tower. She was in there and tonight he would be also…unless there was an attack or a raid. He prayed for a raid.Lachlan leaned against the wall. He straightened as Caelen took his spot beside him, as he had countless times before. They watched the castle people stroll by them.“All is good?” Caelen asked.“Aye. Your wife?”“Fat with child again. She wishes for a daughter.” He crossed his bare arms.“You wish for a son.”“I know what men do with women.” Castle folk hurried on at Caelen’s scowl.“This marriage should happen soon.”“Aye, Father Murray is here. I heard about Father Sullivan.”Lachlan chuckled. “A skeleton of a man. Why they sent that man—I do not know. He had been here for two days. He stuttered whenever Duncan laid his gaze on him. When he saw me, he looked like he smelled something most foul.”“Women?”“Sin, so I guess the daughters of Eve left a certain smell only priest can catch whiff of. He fled in the morning.”“Did you really chase after him?”“Aye, he said, ‘you are the devil’. Me and Duncan were standing like this, so I had to find out which one of us he spoke of.” Lachlan chuckled. “I ran beside his animal. He kicked his heels harder, but I stayed alongside him. When I asked him, that poor holy man paled and then reddened. He proclaimed we were both devils. I thanked him and told him I wouldn’t want to lose my reputation.”Caelen laughed. Lachlan felt a lightness that had been missing since the wedding negotiations began. It was the damn hardest thing to make Caelen laugh.His laughter cut off at the approaching riders. The Murrays arrived. Lachlan stared at Eacharn riding among his father’s men. Bile rose in his throat and its foul taste filled his mouth. He gulped back the burning spew.He should hate that man. He was getting to spend the rest of his days with the woman Lachlan loved. But Eacharn, the plump bastard, was a good man. He was always in the center of a fight. He was sharp-minded and loved Lachlan’s humor. Hell, Lachlan admitted it—he liked him. Not that he’d say it to him.One more thing denied Lachlan. Nay, he was not feeling pity for himself. Never. His temper roared like a hundred Highlanders on a charge. He pushed away from the wall, only realizing Caelen had left him. Halfway out of the courtyard, he turned back. His duty was to stand with MacLean.
Buy:  Amazon
Blurb:How long does happily ever after take?
They call her banshee. The taunt has pursued strong-willed Rowen Mackenzie through the glorious Scottish Highlands. One man sees beyond the superstition—Lachlan Gordon. This brave highlander is the man she loves but duty requires her to wed another.
Wickedly charming, Lachlan Gordon has loved Rowen Mackenzie since his first glimpse of the ethereal beauty. As bastard of Chief Gordon, Lachlan can never claim her as his own. When his father, Laird Gordon, is murdered, Lachlan becomes the clan chief…too late to marry the woman he loves.
Years later, Rowen is now a widow and mother and her son is in danger. She jeopardizes her life and most importantly, her heart to protect her son. Lachlan is the only man who can help her. For a second chance at love, he must risk all—his clan, his life, and his love to win even as secrets threaten their happiness and their very lives.
Will Rowen and Lachlan have their own happily ever after?
Bio: An Air Force brat, Mageela Troche has lived throughout the world then landed in New York City. She wanted to leave the same day she arrived. Yet, with her stubbornness, Mageela learned to like the place and the libraries were the main reason. Since she was a little girl, Mageela wanted to be an author and an actress, however, once in college, she changed her life plan in the pursuit of money. After all, college loans must be repaid.
With life’s twists and turns, she returned to writing and focused on the romance genre. Mageela Troche’s first break came when she sold a short story to a magazine. She sold two more before the publication of her historical romance novel, The Marriage Alliance. She has gone on to write four more novels and a novella.
Mageela is currently writing in the cramped corner of her Big Apple apartment. She is the proud owner of a Black-masked lovebird named Boobula. She loves to hear from her readers and can be found online at MageelaTroche.com
Find Mageela:
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Author Spotlight With Magella Troche

Please Welcome Mageela Troche
Hi L.A., thanks for hosting me on your blog.
Back in the 90s, I watched Braveheart and was enraptured by Scotland. I went off and read everything I could grab about Scotland, its history and William Wallace. So, when I returned to writing, I, of course, decided that a Scottish romance was the story I had to tell. But instead of writing about Scotland’s War of Independence, I decided to write about the time before the turmoil—a time considered as Scotland’s Golden Age.
My hero, Lachlan Gordon, who is first introduced in my debut novel, The Marriage Alliance, came to me fully formed along with the woman he loved—Rowen MacKenzie. When I was writing Highland Scandal, the words and love poured from me. I was so pleased to give Lachlan and Rowen their happy ending. I swear I was so giddy writing this one. I too fell in love with Lachlan and so wanted to be Rowen.
I hope since I am a romantic but not hopeless (at least not that much) that I can one day find a love like that.
After all, isn’t that just what we want to love and be love? That’s why we go on blind dates, sign up for online dating, risk our tender hearts to find someone to love and be loved by. 
 Excerpt:Lachlan lingered in the courtyard. He refused to step inside. No doubt, he could find a widow to warm the night with. He just had to stay away from the Great Hall and Rowen. Damn, she was so beautiful sitting upon her horse. She was so near to him. He could have snatched her up and run away. He couldn’t go near her. He kicked at a rock. Why did MacLean have to permit the marriage here? MacKenzie Castle was fitting enough. But the lairdess had to be pregnant. Murray’s lands were just as fitting, but lacked a female touch. Och, weren’t there women in the clan? Such ruminations failed to matter. She was here.He peered up at the tower. She was in there and tonight he would be also…unless there was an attack or a raid. He prayed for a raid.Lachlan leaned against the wall. He straightened as Caelen took his spot beside him, as he had countless times before. They watched the castle people stroll by them.“All is good?” Caelen asked.“Aye. Your wife?”“Fat with child again. She wishes for a daughter.” He crossed his bare arms.“You wish for a son.”“I know what men do with women.” Castle folk hurried on at Caelen’s scowl.“This marriage should happen soon.”“Aye, Father Murray is here. I heard about Father Sullivan.”Lachlan chuckled. “A skeleton of a man. Why they sent that man—I do not know. He had been here for two days. He stuttered whenever Duncan laid his gaze on him. When he saw me, he looked like he smelled something most foul.”“Women?”“Sin, so I guess the daughters of Eve left a certain smell only priest can catch whiff of. He fled in the morning.”“Did you really chase after him?”“Aye, he said, ‘you are the devil’. Me and Duncan were standing like this, so I had to find out which one of us he spoke of.” Lachlan chuckled. “I ran beside his animal. He kicked his heels harder, but I stayed alongside him. When I asked him, that poor holy man paled and then reddened. He proclaimed we were both devils. I thanked him and told him I wouldn’t want to lose my reputation.”Caelen laughed. Lachlan felt a lightness that had been missing since the wedding negotiations began. It was the damn hardest thing to make Caelen laugh.His laughter cut off at the approaching riders. The Murrays arrived. Lachlan stared at Eacharn riding among his father’s men. Bile rose in his throat and its foul taste filled his mouth. He gulped back the burning spew.He should hate that man. He was getting to spend the rest of his days with the woman Lachlan loved. But Eacharn, the plump bastard, was a good man. He was always in the center of a fight. He was sharp-minded and loved Lachlan’s humor. Hell, Lachlan admitted it—he liked him. Not that he’d say it to him.One more thing denied Lachlan. Nay, he was not feeling pity for himself. Never. His temper roared like a hundred Highlanders on a charge. He pushed away from the wall, only realizing Caelen had left him. Halfway out of the courtyard, he turned back. His duty was to stand with MacLean.
Buy:  Amazon
Blurb:How long does happily ever after take?
They call her banshee. The taunt has pursued strong-willed Rowen Mackenzie through the glorious Scottish Highlands. One man sees beyond the superstition—Lachlan Gordon. This brave highlander is the man she loves but duty requires her to wed another.
Wickedly charming, Lachlan Gordon has loved Rowen Mackenzie since his first glimpse of the ethereal beauty. As bastard of Chief Gordon, Lachlan can never claim her as his own. When his father, Laird Gordon, is murdered, Lachlan becomes the clan chief…too late to marry the woman he loves.
Years later, Rowen is now a widow and mother and her son is in danger. She jeopardizes her life and most importantly, her heart to protect her son. Lachlan is the only man who can help her. For a second chance at love, he must risk all—his clan, his life, and his love to win even as secrets threaten their happiness and their very lives.
Will Rowen and Lachlan have their own happily ever after?
Bio: An Air Force brat, Mageela Troche has lived throughout the world then landed in New York City. She wanted to leave the same day she arrived. Yet, with her stubbornness, Mageela learned to like the place and the libraries were the main reason. Since she was a little girl, Mageela wanted to be an author and an actress, however, once in college, she changed her life plan in the pursuit of money. After all, college loans must be repaid.
With life’s twists and turns, she returned to writing and focused on the romance genre. Mageela Troche’s first break came when she sold a short story to a magazine. She sold two more before the publication of her historical romance novel, The Marriage Alliance. She has gone on to write four more novels and a novella.
Mageela is currently writing in the cramped corner of her Big Apple apartment. She is the proud owner of a Black-masked lovebird named Boobula. She loves to hear from her readers and can be found online at MageelaTroche.com
Find Mageela:
Facebook |  Twitter





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Take Five And Meet Author Addison Brae

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Addison Brae. Tell us, what inspired you to write your book, Becker Circle?
Thanks for allowing me to be your guest, Leslie. 
A conversation with another author inspired Becker Circle. We were cleaning up after a writing workshop, and I mentioned being in a hurry to make it to my friend’s bachelorette party. “Why someone our age would go to a bachelorette party?” she asked. The response was simple. “My friend’s getting married.” I was at the beginning of a fresh start, and our conversation made me realize how stuck in social norms and expectations we are. The next day, I started a blog that led to this book, which is very much about starting over on your own terms.
How do you use setting to further your story?
Becker Circle is almost an actual character in the story. It’s an urban neighborhood where mostly single people live, work, and play. But it creates a vortex that sucks people into a life of excesses—alcohol, drugs, and sex—and makes them who they are. The neighborhood attracts an eclectic mix of people who walk between their apartments, area office buildings, and neighborhood bars. When Gillian walks through the neighborhood, she sees people she knows. They’ve made her feel welcomed, but how much should she trust her neighbors?
What are some the first books you remember reading?
As a kid, I had piles of books and constantly swiped my older sister’s books. The Anne of Green Gables series was one my first loves because spunky Anne Shirley always overstepped boundaries and questioned the rules. These books inspired me to write contemporary young adult. In my young adult and adult romantic suspense, you’ll always find strong female characters that mess up, learn, and become the hero.
What do you do to rev your creative juices?
Jogging is for recharging. It’s when I tune out the real world, plug in my favorite tunes (on an old iPod, not my phone that’s full of distractions), and mentally step into my characters’ world. I jog in a park underneath 100-year-old pecan and live oak trees with the Dallas skyline as the backdrop. I often think through a chapter or scene while I’m running and write it down later. Recently a dog bit me while I was running, so whenever a dog approaches, it interrupts my Zen place. Hopefully, this will pass soon.
How do you create internal and external conflict in your characters?  I find conflict often the hardest to create when I start planning a book.Conflict stems from flawed characters—characters that are much like real people. The hero or heroine has goals and makes mistakes achieving them. They face fears, make bad choices, and then have to face the consequences. They interact with evil people (the villains), who also have their own agendas. My favorite part of writing is when the heroine and the villain face off. Both will do anything to achieve their goal. It’s conflict that goes beyond 11 that hopefully will keep readers turning pages.What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?
I think about the characters for an eternity before I write anything down. The first thing I type is a short synopsis so I know there’s an interesting plot the cast of characters in my head can play out. Then I start writing.

Give us a brief summary of Becker Circle: My first and only boyfriend believed I was too gutless to leave. He was dead wrong. My name’s Gillian, and I graduated Harvard early and left his hot temper and everyone else behind for Dallas. Determined to make it on my own, I land a second job bartending at the neighborhood pub smack in drama central where most every jerk in the neighborhood hits on me—at a huge price.
A week into the job, the neighborhood’s very popular drug dealer falls to his death a few feet from the table I’m serving. The cops say suicide, but the hot guitar player in the house band and I suspect foul play, and I intend to prove it. We dig deeper, grow closer, and make a shocking discovery. We know the murderer. Watch the trailer. Buy:
Amazon| B&N | Smashwords

Bio:
Addison Brae lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. As a child, she was constantly in trouble for hiding under the bed to read when she was supposed to be napping. She has been writing since childhood starting with diaries, letters, and short stories. She continues today with articles, video scripts, and other content as an independent marketing consultant.

When she’s not writing, Addison spends her time traveling the world, collecting interesting cocktail recipes and hosting parties. She’s still addicted to reading and enjoys jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.Find Addison:
Website, Tirgearr Publishing, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube






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Prism Book Tour ~ Sing A New Song by Candee Fick

On Tour with Prism Book ToursPaperback & ebook, 275 PagesMay 1st 2019 by Bling! Romance
The pampered diva is about to meet her match
Songbird Gloria Houghton has always needed to be the center of attention, but the spotlight has shifted. Seeking fame and a fresh start, she finds a new stage in Branson, Missouri…only to risk being replaced by a manipulative rival. If Gloria can’t be the star, who is she?
Jack-of-all-trades Nick Sherwood is just one leaf on a vast family tree that includes a restaurant chef, hotel owners, and even the headline act at a family-owned theater. He’s seen how fame can blind a person with jealousy and is more than content to stay in the background thank you very much. If only he wasn’t so fascinated--and irritated--by the newest addition to the staff.
After a disaster of a first impression and financial difficulties land Gloria in the humblest of jobs—with Nick as her boss—it might be time for her to learn to sing a new song.
Goodreads │ Amazon │ Barnes & Noble │ Book Depository FREE from KindleUnlimited

EXCERPT:
Friday, Mid-February

Gloria Houghton turned away from the list and faked a smile as her castmates congratulated her on another supporting role. She forced herself to take a deep breath, and then one more, as she squeezed through the crowd of actors outside the dressing rooms at The Wardrobe Dinner Theatre.
Yet the light-headed feeling remained. What would it take to regain her status as the leading lady? Then again, who was she kidding? She’d hoped for a bigger part this time, but she also knew that her surgically repaired knee couldn’t take the beating. Oh, she could keep living on pain pills and ice packs and try not to limp through the season. The only other alternative was to tell the owners that she needed to take more time off—for what, physical therapy? Another surgery?She should probably start with getting a second opinion from a medical professional before doing anything rash.
Near the back of the crowd, Dani stopped her progress. “Are you okay?”
A nod and another fake smile seemed to appease the actress. The same actress whose sparkling engagement ring only served as a glittering reminder that Gloria’s grasp on love was as fleeting as her hold on the spotlight.
Gloria’s stomach churned. It wasn’t fair. She’d been part of the cast here first, but her position as the director’s favorite had cracked and then crumbled. Former friends no longer followed her direction. And her on-again, off-again boyfriend seemed to want a new leading lady.
It was no wonder. Even she didn’t like the bitter woman she had become.And still Dani continued to be kind. Not to mention—as hard as it was to admit the truth—the other actress really had more talent, especially when it came to dancing.
Even Liz, the star of their current show, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, had exceptional talent with a camera.
The only thing Gloria excelled at was singing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Candee Fick is a multipublished, award-winning author. She is also the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy writing, editing, or coaching other authors, she can be found cheering on the home team at sporting events, exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book.
In addition to writing clean faith-based romance novels and inspirational non-fiction, Candee coaches other authors with their marketing plans and offers content editing to aspiring novelists. She is a member of both American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. Her fiction has semi-finaled, finaled, and won the ACFW Genesis Contest and Selah Awards.
Website │ Goodreads │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Pinterest │ Instagram
Tour Schedule

 Tour Giveaway

- One 1st prize winner will receive: the complete set of The Wardrobe Series (ebook only if international winner, otherwise print copies) plus a $25 Amazon gift card- One 2nd prize winner will receive: Copy of Sing a New Song (ebook only if international winner, US winner can choose ebook or print) plus a $10 Amazon gift card- Ends May 15, 2019
a Rafflecopter giveaway



  

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$7 Bundle From The Hungry Jpeg!!

A $7 Bundle!  Yes, but act fast.  

LOOK AT IT
BUY $7 NOW





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Five Secrets Shared By Author Kate McKeever

From Kate McKeeverThanks, L.A, for hosting me today. 
One of the options for L.A. Sartor’s blog is to let readers into five secrets of your book. Here are mine for my books in the Elle James’ Brotherhood Protectors’ World.
Secret One- I LOVE military heroes, but not the typical kind. The military heroes for me are the guys that walk down the street and get a turn around from me and my friends, but not from his physique, though, in my books they are always buff, but his assurance. He walks with confidence, not bravado. He doesn’t need to be a tough guy all the time to show he’s strong, but can cry too. My hero in Sinner’s Redemption, Cole, is that kind of man. Oh, and my heroes typically are men that joined the military to get away from something.
Secret Two- My heroes all are wounded warriors. All right, it’s not necessarily a secret in my upcoming book, Saint’s Fall. Saint has an amputation from an injury on a mission. But my heroes in Sinner’s Redemption and Saving Sidewinder are also wounded. For every man who has to take a life, there is a wound inside that he has to deal with. And my heroes never take their histories as warriors as something easy.
Secret Three- My heroines are also strong. While the heroines may be wounded or scared, they are also willing to take risks for the ones they love, whether it’s a child, a wounded man or the man she loves.
Secret Four- All of my books have secondary characters who will have stories of their own. For instance, Cole was a secondary character in my first book, Saving Sidewinder. He was the hero for my second Brotherhood book, Sinner’s Redemption. And Saint, the hero of my upcoming book, was introduced in Sinner’s book. So, look for more stories to come!
Secret Five- I have a young man, Kid, whose story is going to be threaded throughout all of my books. While I don’t write young adult, Kid is a young man on the rehab ranch that is just hitting twenty years of age. While he may not have a book, he’ll still have a happily ever after!
I hope you’ve been entertained by and maybe even intrigued by my Five Secrets. I’ve totally loved writing the books in the Brotherhood Protectors Series and look forward to writing more. Look for Saint’s Fall in June. Here are links to my other Brotherhood Protector Books:
Saving Sidewinder:Amazon















Sinner’s Redemption: Amazon
Bio:Kate McKeever was born and raised in the south and spent her childhood rambling in the woods and reading, often at the same time. She spent a lot of time in libraries as a volunteer and reader, then as a perennial student, so her mother thought. She tried several careers before settling down on her current one. Writing is a passion and joy. Kate loves to write small town and paranormal romances.
Find Kate: Website | Facebook | Amazon




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99¢ SALE ~ Stone Of Heaven and Viking Gold by L.A. Sartor

April is my birthday month and I decided you all should receive the benefit of my aging one more year!  
And no, I'm not dropping hints to how many years. 


Stone Of Heaven

(Started out as a screenplay and won a top 100 spot in Scriptapalooza, an International Screenwriting contest.)
                 

Viking Gold

(Book 2 in the Carswell Adventure Series and is set in Norway.)

                 
This is a limited time sale, so get your copy while you can.
~ L.A.






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Take Five With Author Pamela Turner

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Pamela Turner.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book  WATCHERS CHRONICLES BOOK 1: ROGUE ANGEL?
Thanks for hosting me, L.A.
I’ve been fascinated by angels for years, including the Grigori (or Watcher Angels), who were said to come to Earth to teach mankind. Only the subjects they taught, including weapons making, cosmetics, even writing, were considered “evil,” and they were punished. I decided to update the Grigori’s roles, putting them in modern settings, such as teaching in a university or owning a gun shop.
Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!
Back in the late 90s, I took a few flying lessons in a Cessna 152. Executed several go-arounds, but never got to solo. My depth perception was too bad. But I still have my books on general aviation. One of these days, I’ll have to create a character who’s a pilot.
Have you been a lifelong reader of mysteries, thrillers, suspense, and horror?  What are some of the first books you remember reading?
Even in elementary school, I loved reading mysteries and horror. I read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, but my favorite series was The Three Investigators. I also read Phyllis A. Whitney’s young adult mysteries. My elementary school library had anthologies such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Supernatural Tales, and one of my favorite stories was by Robert Arthur, although it’s not in the aforementioned book. Anyway, the line (and I’m probably paraphrasing) “She had been beautiful. She was no longer beautiful” is one that has stayed with me all these years.
If you were not a writer, what vocation would you pursue?
Since investigative work fascinates me, I would probably work as a homicide detective, an NTSB investigator, or a postal inspector. Another possibility would be working in cybersecurity. 
What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions?  Why?
Emotion. I’ve been told I don’t have enough emotion in my stories. I’m a pretty pragmatic person, so I have to make a conscious effort to layer in emotion. Now, if I’m writing a situation that is emotionally charged – such as a main character being shot at – I will, of course, have that character react. The Emotion Thesaurus has been quite helpful in that regard.   What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?
It’s a multi-step process, and probably overkill, but the first thing I do is input information about my story and characters into a program called Dramatica Pro. It’s a story engineer software that asks questions about your story, then gets it down to one story-form. You identify your main character and impact character and how the story is seen from their eyes, and the inevitable conflict that will occur based on their decisions. Dramatica Pro also helps me tighten my story so I’m not dealing with the dreaded sagging middle that can plague writers.
Next, I go into Scrivener and set up my outline and the major plot points: inciting incident, plot point 1, black moment, etc. I create brief character dossiers and write GMC (goals, motivation, and conflict) sheets for my main characters. Then I start writing the story.
Give us a brief summary of Watchers Chronicles Book 1: Rogue Angel:
Archangel Raguel investigates crimes involving angels. When he inadvertently kills a young woman and her son while trying to apprehend a malevolent angel, he quits his job, unable to justify his actions. But his self-imposed retirement is interrupted when Semyaza, leader of the Watcher Angels, also known as the Grigori, asks him to find Penemuel, the Watcher who taught humans to write, and who has disappeared. Meanwhile, fellow Watchers Azazel and Gadreel, who taught mankind how to make weapons, learn someone is interfering with their gun-running operation on the Dark Net.

As Raguel investigates first Penemuel’s disappearance, then his murder, he finds himself drawn into the world of the Grigori. Semyaza seems to have an agenda, but is it related to Azazel’s and Gadreel’s operation? And what about the mysterious and reclusive Sariel who’s come out of exile for one reason: vengeance. But will his desire for revenge destroy humanity?
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Bio:Pamela Turner drinks too much coffee and wishes she could write perfect first drafts. Publications include Death Sword (a Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Paranormal Awards 2013 Finalist), Exterminating Angel, and The Ripper’s Daughter. 
Her short dark suspense story “Family Tradition” was a finalist in the EPIC 2014 EBook Awards. She’s also an award-winning screenplay writer. A member of the national chapter of Sisters in Crime, she’s currently vice-president of the Louisville Chapter. Besides coffee, she likes cats, cemeteries, and old abandoned buildings.
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