Katie Hamstead's Blog, page 92

From Australia With Love - Lauren McKellar: Set it in Australia

When it comes to story setting, I feel like I'm pretty luck to be an Aussie writer. Having a distinctive setting, and sense of place in your story, can really make or break it--and I think being an Aussie writer helps me to do that.
We have a lot of unique but relatable locales in our wide brown land. The first of these is the beach. Whether you're talking a small town on the beach, a California-style surfing break, or a more seedy beach district vibe, Australia has seaside that can compare, meaning if you're in the States, you won't be struggling to envision the location being described.
Secondly, we have some totally unique locations that foreign readers may not have been to, but which they could visit, or Google if they really wanted to. Think the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Twelve Apostles, Uluru ... All places that evoke a feel of Australia without the writer really even having to do anything. Well, except describe it.Think; people create other worlds when writing Sci-Fi. Here in Australia, with our evil creatures that can kill you, from Redback spiders through to Box Jellyfish through to oversized stingrays, and our giant Devil's Marbles, baby-eating dingoes and man-eating crocodiles, we pretty much are the setting for a good spec fic story. Little to no world-building required.
Finally, I think stories in Australia work well because, let's face it, the borders are getting weaker between countries worldwide. With the advent of the Internet, we now know more about people in foreign places, more so than ever before. Whereas ten years ago, some people might have asked you if the Sound of Music was set here, now they're focused on much more intelligent questions, such as if the guy who created Wikileaks really did come from the land down under, and if Miranda Kerr has a single sister.
Yes, I love writing about Aussie locations; and I hope you enjoy reading about them, too.

Lauren K. McKellar’s first self-published novel, The Problem With Crazy, is released this week. It is a NA Contemporary.
About The Problem With CrazyThe problem with crazy is that crazy, by itself, has no context. It can be good crazy, bad crazy … or crazy crazy—like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio.Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn’t be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend’s band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot—and that’s before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death.A mystery illness she could inherit.Kate has to convince everyone that her father is sick, not crazy. But who will be harder to convince? Her friends? Or herself?The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.
Author LinksGoodreads  Amazon author page  Facebook  Twitter   Website

Guest Post: Randy Attwood and Heart Chants

 Early on, I became enthraled with John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series, from The Deep Blue Good-byethrough The Lonely Silver Rain. I liked the books, not for the mysteries they contained, but because I wanted to spend more time with Travis. That's the kind of character I tried to create in Phillip McGuire and his mystery/suspense series. But Phil is no repeat of Travis. He's his own person with his own broken background, a burnt-out, foreign correspondent who leaves journalism to return to KU to own and run a bar. Intrigues come his way. Love comes his way.
First in the series Tortured Truths tells Phil's background and gets him settled into Lawrence, Kansas. The second, Heart Chants, finds Phil involved in protecting a Navajo student from Haskell, the American Indian, college in town where two other Navajo female students are missing.
I'm a pantser, not an outliner and when I realized I wanted the novel to begin with two missing Haskell student I researched the college and learned that the most represented nation was Navajo, or the Dinè as the call themselves, the People. So I started researching the Navajo and, wow, what I encountered. They have an amazing creation story. Not just one Great Flood, but four. I traveled to the Southwest. I spent a lot of time learning before I created a half-Navajo, half-white character who believes he is a witch and can reopen the Gates to the Holy People to gain new gifts that will help the Dinè deal with the White Man.
Reviews coming in show the research was well worth the years it took me to do and the years it took me to write Heart Chants.
The amount of research and knowledge of the Navajo poured into this story is incredible. Randy Attwood spared no expense, so to speak, as he lavishly and with great respect brings forth the mystical Navajo legends and thought. Attwood brilliantly entwines mystery and suspense with a twist of Native American history, which is truly the humble beginnings of American history unknown to most. Lisa, Amazon reviewer
We are involved in the richness of the Navajo. Randy honors the voices of his characters and their culture in a way few can match. The result is a mini education of the Navajo people from disparate viewpoints. Sean Bennick, Seattle author
Heart Chants is an intricately woven tale around the life, tradition, and wonders of the Diné people. It leaves you wanting to unravel more stories behind the people, place and creation of it all. I think for many (Navajo), it will be their first time reading the creation story. Bernina Gray, Navajo artist
Randy Attwood has done a gutsy thing. He has gone up against the legacy of Tony Hillerman in the second novel of his Philip McGuire crime series. Even better he wins the bet, not because his crime novel is better than any of Hillerman’s, although it might be and probably is, but because he has the good sense to play off Hillerman in a totally novel way. Steve Glassman, Florida author
Like all of Attwood's stories, this one is absolutely amazing. I kept having goose bumps from reading it. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a good story, especially if you are interested in Native American stories and culture. Katy Sozaeva, top 1000 Amazon reviewer
Master storyteller Randy Attwood scores again. This time, he’s traced an unexpected, jarring intersection of cultures and bruised mental states that leads the reader into the deepest shadows. Beliefs can sustain a people when all else fails. Sometimes, belief must be tempered with understanding. When that is lacking, evil seeps in. Heart Chants illustrates how even evil done for reasons of restoring harmony is simply, evil. His evocative descriptions of Southwestern vistas and his detail rich research into the Navajo culture, pay back in an absorbing reading experience. Richard Sutton, Direct reservation trader since 1985 in authentic Navajo art and fine crafts.
Amazon

Author BioRandy Attwood grew up on the grounds of a Kansas insane asylum where his father was a dentist and the State provided housing. He attended The University of Kansas during the troubled 1960s, getting a degree in art history. After stints writing and teaching in Italy and Japan, he had a 16-year career in newspapers as reporter, editor, and column writer, winning major awards in all categories. He turned to health care public relations and served as director of University Relations at The University of Kansas Medical Center. Attwood finished his career as media relations officer of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Now retired, he lives in Kansas City and pursues publishing his works of fiction and creating new ones. His Goodreads stats: 21 works with 107 star ratings averaging 4.36 and 56 text reviews. 488 users have placed at least one item on their to-read lists.

An Experiment - Papina

So, I've wanted to self-pub something for a while, but never decided which manuscript I wanted to do this with... but now I've picked one! I thought it would be fun, low risk, and simply be something for my fans to enjoy. My "big" books I'm going to keep working through publishers and querying with agents.

At this point, I'm waiting for dates for The Cadence Anderson books before I publish this baby, but I am formatting/proofing/editing etc while I wait. I've been thinking and planning this for a while, and yes, I have a cover for it! Want to see?

Well....

Here you go!

Forrest and Braydon Miller moved to the small town of Papina to follow their dreams and start a family. Braydon loves her new life in the quiet town, kept alive by the prestigious boarding school overlooking the valley. She is so proud of her husband's work, helping the teens on the reservation.
Until one day, Forrest doesn't come home.
Scandal spreads when one of the teenagers is found missing, too. But Braydon refuses to believe her husband would leave her. When the teen is found, she isn't talking—literally.

While Braydon's heart is breaking, she needs to hold her crumbling life together, raise her son, and find a way to love the teenager enough to find the truth of what happened to her husband.
Goodreads

Aussie Owned Book Trailers: Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash

As you probably know, I'm part of a blogger group called Aussie Owned and Read. You may not know, though, that most of us are signed with publishers, if not already published. So, I wanted to feature my girls by showing off their trailers.

So here is Stacey Nash's trailer for her book Forget Me Not being released this month! I CP'ed this one, and highly recommend it!

Branded Release Day!

Today is the release of my Romantic Suspense novel, Branded. For the next few weeks follow the blog tour and show some love to the wonderful people who stepped in to help me out. A special thanks to J.R.Richardson for making the tour banner and book trailer.

I will be running a tour giveaway, which you can find on the rafflecopter below. Also, add Branded to your Goodreads list here. Or buy it here.



I am excited and nervous about this book. Being set in my hometown, it holds a special place in my heart. But it touches on controversial issues. Don't worry, Nick makes them all better!

I hope you enjoy this book like you did the Kiya Trilogy. It's very different in many ways, but still has sexy male leads! I can't live without them ha ha!



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Guest Post: Dream Jobs, Rachel Sharpe

Dream Jobs
Everyone has a dream job. A job that would make a person perennially happy. A job that is both fun and rewarding. While everyone has a dream job, that dream does not always come true. Life happens and sometimes that dream job is replace by a more practical, realistic one. While everyone wants to take a chance on their dream, few ever do.
For both me and the main character in my debut novel, Jordan James, our dreams have come true. I have been writing since graduating college and while I had to take on a traditional "9-to-5er," I never gave up on my dream. After two years of actively searching, I was fortunate enough to stumble across Soul Mate Publishing and am happy to report that my debut novel, Cold Ambition, will be released from Soul Mate this summer. While I watch my dream come to fruition, readers will soon do the same with Jordan as she, through diligence and perseverance, becomes a private eye tackling one of Boston's oldest and most sensational unsolved murders.  
While dream jobs are not always practical, you should never give up on your dream. Dreams are what make life worth living. And you never know. Life has a way of taking unexpected twists and turns. It has a way of surprising you. And, as the great dreamer Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." I wish you well and that this year, all your dreams come true.
COLD AMBITION BLURB
"It was my life-long dream to become a private eye. Little did I know that with my very first case, that dream would become a life-threatening nightmare..."

When Jordan James decided to embark on a career as a private investigator, she never could have imagined that a chance encounter would lead to her staring down the barrel of a gun on the roof’s edge of a high-rise building.  As she begins to investigate her first case, the puzzling murder of a prominent businessman that has left Boston’s finest mystified for more than two decades, she finds herself suddenly immersed in a treacherous underworld brimming with betrayal, raw greed, and political subterfuge of international proportions.  In the midst of this, she discovers she is falling for her mysterious client despite the hints of his dark past.  Can this feisty Southern girl with a penchant for trouble solve this baffling case or is she doomed to become another tragic chapter in an international conspiracy?
COMING SUMMER 2014 FROM SOUL MATE PUBLISHING!!!
AUTHOR BIO
Rachel Sharpe is the author of Cold Ambition, the first novel in the Jordan James, PI series. Although born and raised in the South, "Yankee" relatives first led Rachel to historic New England, which she has come to consider her second home and is the setting for the series. 
After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English, Rachel began dedicating her free time to her childhood passion, writing, and in the fall of 2013, she signed with Soul Mate Publishing. An active member of Sisters In Crime, Rachel currently resides with her husband in the Greater New Orleans area.
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photo credit: Navy Blue Stripes via photopin cc

Release Day Blitz: I See London by Chanel Cleeton

I See London by Chanel Cleeton
“I See London is fun, sexy, and kept me completely absorbed.” – Katie McGarry, author of Crash Into You
BOOK SUMMARY:
Maggie Carpenter is ready for a change— and to leave her ordinary life in South Carolina behind. But when she accepts a scholarship to the International School in London, a university attended by the privileged offspring of diplomats and world leaders, Maggie might get more than she bargained for.
When Maggie meets Hugh, a twentysomething British guy, she finds herself living the life she always wanted. Suddenly she’s riding around the city in a Ferrari, wearing borrowed designer clothes and going to the hottest clubs. The only problem? Another guy, the one she can’t seem to keep her hands off of.
Half French, half Lebanese, and ridiculously wealthy, Samir Khouri has made it clear he doesn’t do relationships. He’s the opposite of everything Maggie thought she wanted…and he’s everything she can’t resist. Torn between her dream guy and the boy haunting her dreams, Maggie has to fight for her own happy ending. In a city like London, you never know where you stand, and everything can change in the blink of an eye.
This is a New Adult romance recommended for readers 17 and up.Goodreads



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Originally a Florida girl, at seventeen Chanel moved to London to attend an international university.  In the four years that followed, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, learned how to dance, travelled through Europe, and made lifelong friendships.  Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever.  But fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise, when an American fighter pilot with smooth dance moves, swept her off her feet.  Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure in South Korea.  An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she is happiest curled up with a book.  She has a weakness for handbags, puppy cuddles, and her fighter pilot husband.  Harlequin (HQN) will release Chanel’s New Adult debut, I SEE LONDON, on February 3, 2014, followed by a sequel, LONDON FALLING, later in the year.
Author Links:Website:   www.chanelcleeton.comFacebook:   www.facebook.com/authorchanelcleetonTwitter:   www.twitter.com/chanelcleetonGoodreads:   www.goodreads.com/chanelcleeton

Book Blitz: Immagica by K.A Last

Title: ImmagicaAuthor: K. A. LastCover Illustration: Lawrence MannCover Designer: KILA DesignsMap Illustration: Lawrence Mann
Book blurb:Immagica…Where anything is possible.Enter at your own risk.
The night before her fifteenth birthday, Rosaline Clayton uncovers a deep family secret. She receives an amulet from her deranged father, and he tells her she must find the book in order to save him. Rosaline is used to her dad not making any sense, so she dismisses their conversation as another of his crazy rants.
When Rosaline’s brother, Elliot, drags her to their nana’s attic to explore, they find the old leather-bound book tucked away in a chest. It sucks them into its pages, transporting them to a magical world. Along the way, Rosaline and Elliot are separated, and the only thing she wants is to find her brother and go home.
The creatures of Immagica have other ideas. After years of war, their land lies in ruin. Using the amulet’s power, they want Rosaline to defeat the dragon and restore Immagica to its former glory. But Rosaline is bound to Immagica in ways she doesn’t understand, and when she discovers the truth about her family, she must follow her heart to save them all.


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Book Trailer

The Magic of Immagica Explained
When we think about magic, we often visualise witches and wizards with wands, casting spells and striking people down with lightening. But the magic within Immagica is very different, and works in a non-traditional, magical way.
The concept of Immagica is based on the power of imagination. Within our imagination, anything is possible. We can create whatever we want, and see it however we like, all inside our own mind. No wand or spell necessary.
The land of Immagica is very organic. It can be shaped and tailored for whoever is there at any given time. There are, of course, certain things that remain the same, but everything else is open to interpretation, and governed by the imagination of the person experiencing the adventure.
Like anything, there are certain rules, but some rules are made to be bent or broken. The magic of Immagica can be unpredictable, because Immagica itself is alive. It actually has a say in everything that is created, and the events that happen. It’s like having someone looking over your shoulder, nudging you in a certain—but not always right—direction. Imagination plays a major part in shaping Immagica, but the subconscious of the person visiting is also at play.
There are two main sections of Immagica. If you have a look at the map above, you’ll see there’s the Barren Lands, which encompasses all the not so nice places, and there’s the Go-Between, which is a friendlier place, but not always. In the Barren Lands, the weather changes depending on your mood. Get angry and a thunderstorm can brew in a matter of seconds. In the Go-Between you have more control over things, but your emotions, subconscious and mind are all working either with or against each other.
Although the concept of magic by imagination is a relatively simple one, it can sometimes get confusing in the way it works. This is mainly because nothing is set in stone, and something that happens one way for someone can work in a completely different way for someone else. Read these excerpts where Brynn attempts to explain to Rosaline the way Immagica works, and see if you can make sense of it. I think Rosaline had a hard time grasping the concept.
About the author:K. A. Last was born in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney with her parents and older brother when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, she began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. K. A. Last is currently studying her Bachelor of Arts at Charles Sturt University, with a major in English, and minors in Children’s Literature, Art History, and Visual Culture. She resides in a peaceful, leafy suburb north of Sydney with her husband, their two children, a rabbit named Twitch, and a guinea pig called Squeak.
Author web links:Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads Amazon Author Page

Cover Reveal: Because of Luke by F.X. Scully

We join Grapevine Book Tours in presenting the new cover for:

Cover designed by Scorched Design Because of Luke
by F.X. Scully
Lewiston Blues #1
Publication: February 28th, 2014
New Adult Contemporary Romance


The Carlson sisters have been best friends for life. Shannon's had her days of rebellion and is ready to settle down and get serious. But Sheila is just getting started. They'd do anything for each other. Until the Spring of 1991 rolls around and they both fall for the same guy.

Luke Black is a closeted musician, ripped from his boring life as a college student and thrown into the rocker lifestyle by his older brother, Roscoe. Before he knows it, their band is on the fast track to becoming an international sensation. Studious, withdrawn Luke doesn’t want any part of it, until he meets a groupie who proves to be much more. Luke soon finds he can’t resist her, but not until after he’s unknowingly fallen for her sister.

Between these two women, he feels complete. They both satisfy a piece of him but eventually he'll have to choose one--and not without some hearts breaking along the way.

Because of Luke is a bittersweet New Adult romance, topped with music, love and sibling rivalry...

** This book contains explicit sex scenes, profanity, and drug use and is intended for individuals 18+ **


F.X. Scully

Her Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Goodreads
F.X. Scully loves romance, but she doesn't write your typical Happily Ever After. Because let's face it, in the real world, it can sometimes take a lot of angst and pain before you get there. And some of us never do. But since most of us pick up books to escape the real world, her stories don't lack hot boyfriends and sexy encounters. Neither will she leave you completely heart broken, sobbing into a tub of ice cream. Rest assured you'll be on a roller coaster, but you'll be glad you went along for the ride.

F.X. is the author of TWO THOUSAND 3 (November 2013) and BECAUSE OF LUKE (February 2014).$10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card {INT}a Rafflecopter giveawayCover reveal organized by

Release Day Blitz: Never Let You Go by Michele G Miller

Title: Never Let You Go, Prophecy of Tyalbrook series, book twoGenre: YA Fantasy RomanceAuthor: Michele G MillerPublisher: Enchanted Ink Press (Self Published)Release Date: Janury 30, 2014Available on: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Blurb: 
Two souls desperate to discover the truth about the past and determined to save their future…

SKYE
The usual warmth I felt deep in my soul when Xander was near me was beginning to dull. Yet I still remembered the warning: “Be careful, my Princess…you will lose all you love before you can win what you want.”

XANDER
I could feel it; she hadn’t been here. Two days of hell, riding as fast as we could and only taking small breaks, and yet she had outrun us. How?

A PRINCESS set on regaining her Kingdom and protecting those she loves…
A GUARDIAN who will stop at nothing to find the woman who stole his heart…
An EVIL FORCE who will destroy everything they know in order to have power over all…

The journey continues in Never Let You Go, book two in The Prophecy of Tyalbrook Series.
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 Excerpt:


Nickoli’s arms were laden with weapons when he came back into view. He stepped in, uninvited, and opened his arms; allowing each deadly piece to drop to the ground with an ear-splitting clang. I jumped back as the items ricocheted across the floor, and a club rolled to a stop by my feet. Nickoli bent over and picked up a sword. He approached me, a menacing look on his face, and a flash of terror tore through me. The temptation to scream was strong, however I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. If his intention was to kill me, the deed would be long done before my cries for help would be answered. If they wereever answered. I kept my focus on the sharp tip of the sword as he advanced on me.“If you choose not to trust me, you will have to protect yourself.” He raised the sword, gripped the hilt in his fist, and hurled it into the floor at my feet. The tip embedded into the wood with a thud. I yelped in surprise and jumped back. With an angry glare, he turned to storm out of the room; leaving the pile of weapons scattered about the floor.“I don’t know how to fight with a sword,” I called out, my voice void of the angry bluster it carried earlier.He didn’t stop, but instead replied over his shoulder as his long strides carried him out the door. “Then Princess, you best learn how.”
The slam of his door signaled the end to our conversation.


Never Let You Fall, book one Only $0.99 available on Amazon (E-book & paperback)Barnes & Noble

About the Author:



Michele is the author of the Coming of Age Fantasy Series The Prophecy of Tyalbrook - Never Let You Fall, book one (May 2013) and Never Let You Go, book two (Jan 2014) as well as the New Adult Romantic Suspense, Last Call (Oct 2013). She is currently working on the third book in The Prophecy of Tyalbrook Series, a Last Call novel and a YA Realistic Fiction that has her super excited!
Having grown up in both the cold, quiet town of Topsham, Maine and the steamy, southern hospitality of Mobile, Alabama, Michele is something of a enigma.  She is an avid Yankees fan, loves New England, being outdoors and misses snow.  However she thinks southern boys are hotter, Alabama football is the only REAL football out there and sweet tea is the best thing this side of heaven and her children’s laughter! 
Her family, an amazing husband and three awesome kids, have planted their roots in the middle of Michele’s two childhood homes in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
Email: authormichelegmiller@gmail.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleGMiller Twitter:  https://twitter.com/chelemybelles Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/chelemybelles/ Website:  http://michelegmiller.blogspot.com/ Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Michele-G-Miller/e/B00CLRE0B0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/miche...
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6975382.Michele_G_Miller