Amanda Meuwissen's Blog, page 19
November 25, 2014
Paladin Pawn by Michael Young - New Release this Friday!
Fitting that today is my 70th blog post here, as I'm happily part of one of my fellow BWN author's blog tours with Silverbow Promotions.
Michael Young has been one of our dream authors; always on time, always with something new, and with a very fun variety of stories, from historical fantasy, religious supernatural, and even sci-fi end of the world.
Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Western Governor’s University with degrees in German Teaching, Music, and Instructional Design. He puts his German to good use teaching online German courses for High School students. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and his two sons. Michael enjoys acting in community theater, playing and writing music and spending time with his family. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
He is the author of the novels The Canticle Kingdom Series, The Last Archangel Series, and the Chess Quest Series. His also authors several web serials through BigWorldNetwork.com. He publishes anthologies for charity in his Advent Anthologies series. He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Bards and Sages Quarterly, Mindflights, Meridian, The New Era, Allegory, and Ensign.
Follow Michael...
Facebook
Twitter
Blog
Pinterest
Today's featured book for Michael is his upcoming middle grade fantasy release with Trifecta Books, Paladin Pawn, which comes out this week on Black Friday.
Book Synopsis:
When nerdy Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a Paladin, a white knight, in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change the course of history and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.
Rich’s grandmother leaves him with one thing before disappearing for good: a white chess pawn with his initials engraved on it. The pawn marks him as the next in an ancient line of white knights. He must prove himself in a life or death contest against his Nemesis, a dark knight in training, all while dealing with math homework and English projects. With the ghost of an ancestor for his guide, he has seven days to complete four tasks of valor before his Nemesis does, or join his guide in the realm of the dead.
As Rich rushes to complete the tasks, he realizes the chilling truth: his Nemesis is masquerading as someone at school and will stop at nothing to make him fail. As the tasks grow ever harder, the other knights reveal to him that his failure will break a centuries-old chain and bring the Paladin order to ruin. If he fails, the dark knights win the right to control the fate of the world, a world without hope or the possibility of a new dawn. So this is one exam Rich has to ace, with no curve and no extra credit.
And finally, here is a teaser to get you hooked on wanting to pick this up this weekend!
On the way to the door, something caught Rich’s eye, two boxes about the size of harmonicas sat on his dresser. One was wrapped in shiny silver paper and the other in black paper. His mother’s calls momentarily forgotten, Rich reached for the package and fumbled to find a place to tear the paper.
And it’s not even my birthday.
Working rapidly, he peeled back the paper and lifted the lid on the first box, ready for either surprise or disappointment.
What he felt next was a mixture of both. Inside the box in a black velvet casing, lay a hand-carved chess piece, a white pawn. He turned it over in his hands and found that the letters HWW had been etched into the surface.
“My initials,” he muttered, turning the piece over in his hands. He knew right away that he wasn’t going to put this piece where anyone could see it. They might ask him about his name.
As he had lifted the lid, a slip of paper had fluttered out. He replaced the pawn in its case and picked up the paper. Squinting in the low light, he made out the words written in his grandmother’s familiar script.
“For Heinrich—you will know when to use it.”
Rich laughed out loud. He already had a chessboard, and all of its pawns were working great. The last thing his social life needed was for him to join the chess club.
“With a monogrammed piece. That takes me from nerd to über-nerd.” He shook his head and replaced first the paper and then the lid. His curiosity piqued, he turned to the second box, picked it up, and shook it as he might a mysterious Christmas present. It did not make a sound. He thought his grandmother might have gotten him a black pawn to match, but the box didn’t feel heavy enough for anything like that.
He unwrapped the black paper, and the instant he slid off the lid, a fine black powder exploded from within and hung in the air. Rich jumped back, at first wondering if this was some kind of prank. It wouldn’t have been the first.
The sparkling black dust swirled in the air, forming into the form of another chess piece: a black pawn as long as his forearm. The lights in the room dimmed, giving it the feel of night though it was still the late afternoon.
Feeling his skin prickle, Rich stepped forward, thinking that if this were a prank, he’d have to ask how they pulled it off.
“You have been challenged,” came a deep voice from within the cloud of particles. “Do you accept?”
Rich glanced around the room, trying to see if someone had managed to hide in his room, or plant some kind of speaker. This was one committed prankster.
“Uh, who’s challenging me?” asked Rich. “Are we playing chess? ‘Cause I just got a lucky new piece.”
“Answer yes or no,” came the voice again.
Rich rolled his eyes, and played along. “Sure. Why not?”
“Answer yes or no,” insisted the voice.
He checked around his room to see if he could see the light of a camera somewhere filming him. Even if he couldn’t see it, he decided to give whoever was watching a good show. He bowed theatrically and said in a dramatic voice.
“Yes.”
The dust swirled back into the box and the lid snapped shut of its own accord. The lights returned to normal, and not a speck of the blackness remained in the air.
Michael Young has been one of our dream authors; always on time, always with something new, and with a very fun variety of stories, from historical fantasy, religious supernatural, and even sci-fi end of the world.
Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Western Governor’s University with degrees in German Teaching, Music, and Instructional Design. He puts his German to good use teaching online German courses for High School students. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and his two sons. Michael enjoys acting in community theater, playing and writing music and spending time with his family. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
He is the author of the novels The Canticle Kingdom Series, The Last Archangel Series, and the Chess Quest Series. His also authors several web serials through BigWorldNetwork.com. He publishes anthologies for charity in his Advent Anthologies series. He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Bards and Sages Quarterly, Mindflights, Meridian, The New Era, Allegory, and Ensign.
Follow Michael...
Blog
Today's featured book for Michael is his upcoming middle grade fantasy release with Trifecta Books, Paladin Pawn, which comes out this week on Black Friday.
Book Synopsis:
When nerdy Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a Paladin, a white knight, in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change the course of history and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.
Rich’s grandmother leaves him with one thing before disappearing for good: a white chess pawn with his initials engraved on it. The pawn marks him as the next in an ancient line of white knights. He must prove himself in a life or death contest against his Nemesis, a dark knight in training, all while dealing with math homework and English projects. With the ghost of an ancestor for his guide, he has seven days to complete four tasks of valor before his Nemesis does, or join his guide in the realm of the dead.
As Rich rushes to complete the tasks, he realizes the chilling truth: his Nemesis is masquerading as someone at school and will stop at nothing to make him fail. As the tasks grow ever harder, the other knights reveal to him that his failure will break a centuries-old chain and bring the Paladin order to ruin. If he fails, the dark knights win the right to control the fate of the world, a world without hope or the possibility of a new dawn. So this is one exam Rich has to ace, with no curve and no extra credit.
And finally, here is a teaser to get you hooked on wanting to pick this up this weekend!
On the way to the door, something caught Rich’s eye, two boxes about the size of harmonicas sat on his dresser. One was wrapped in shiny silver paper and the other in black paper. His mother’s calls momentarily forgotten, Rich reached for the package and fumbled to find a place to tear the paper.
And it’s not even my birthday.
Working rapidly, he peeled back the paper and lifted the lid on the first box, ready for either surprise or disappointment.
What he felt next was a mixture of both. Inside the box in a black velvet casing, lay a hand-carved chess piece, a white pawn. He turned it over in his hands and found that the letters HWW had been etched into the surface.
“My initials,” he muttered, turning the piece over in his hands. He knew right away that he wasn’t going to put this piece where anyone could see it. They might ask him about his name.
As he had lifted the lid, a slip of paper had fluttered out. He replaced the pawn in its case and picked up the paper. Squinting in the low light, he made out the words written in his grandmother’s familiar script.
“For Heinrich—you will know when to use it.”
Rich laughed out loud. He already had a chessboard, and all of its pawns were working great. The last thing his social life needed was for him to join the chess club.
“With a monogrammed piece. That takes me from nerd to über-nerd.” He shook his head and replaced first the paper and then the lid. His curiosity piqued, he turned to the second box, picked it up, and shook it as he might a mysterious Christmas present. It did not make a sound. He thought his grandmother might have gotten him a black pawn to match, but the box didn’t feel heavy enough for anything like that.
He unwrapped the black paper, and the instant he slid off the lid, a fine black powder exploded from within and hung in the air. Rich jumped back, at first wondering if this was some kind of prank. It wouldn’t have been the first.
The sparkling black dust swirled in the air, forming into the form of another chess piece: a black pawn as long as his forearm. The lights in the room dimmed, giving it the feel of night though it was still the late afternoon.
Feeling his skin prickle, Rich stepped forward, thinking that if this were a prank, he’d have to ask how they pulled it off.
“You have been challenged,” came a deep voice from within the cloud of particles. “Do you accept?”
Rich glanced around the room, trying to see if someone had managed to hide in his room, or plant some kind of speaker. This was one committed prankster.
“Uh, who’s challenging me?” asked Rich. “Are we playing chess? ‘Cause I just got a lucky new piece.”
“Answer yes or no,” came the voice again.
Rich rolled his eyes, and played along. “Sure. Why not?”
“Answer yes or no,” insisted the voice.
He checked around his room to see if he could see the light of a camera somewhere filming him. Even if he couldn’t see it, he decided to give whoever was watching a good show. He bowed theatrically and said in a dramatic voice.
“Yes.”
The dust swirled back into the box and the lid snapped shut of its own accord. The lights returned to normal, and not a speck of the blackness remained in the air.
November 24, 2014
Sasha Kelly w/Tattoos Photo Manip!
This is one of my favorite photo manipulations of Sasha of all time, by the lovely Luna. This is Chace Crawford, who has always been my choice for Sasha's actor, though he's not quite tall enough. After seeing "What to Expect When You're Expecting" yeah...that was basically Sasha's personality he was pulling off there, and it was magical.
I'd love to know if you have your own ideas of who should play Sasha, or the other characters. I had Tyler Hoechlin for Nathan initially, but have since very much changed my mind. I just don't know who I'd like instead...
Thoughts?
I hope everyone celebrating this week has a great Thanksgiving!
I'd love to know if you have your own ideas of who should play Sasha, or the other characters. I had Tyler Hoechlin for Nathan initially, but have since very much changed my mind. I just don't know who I'd like instead...
Thoughts?
I hope everyone celebrating this week has a great Thanksgiving!
November 11, 2014
First pages of my next book!
Not Sidhe, the final book in The Incubus Saga (though I am hard at work completing the final section), but the first few pages of the book I'll be working on after Incubus ends, a YA/Gay Paranormal Romance about vampires, my first love.
Here's the sneak peek of the first few pages.
-----
We watched in anticipation, expecting the teddy bear to explode, but it didn’t rise up into the air so much as hop slightly and then fizzle as it caught on fire.
“Shit!” Connor cried.
I scrambled for the hose. “I thought you got the recipe from your dad!”
“I did! Do you know how many things he’s set on fire?”
Connor ran to turn the hose on as I aimed it, holding steady once the first burst of pressure poured through. At least we’d been prepared—mostly.
“What are you two doing out there?” Connor’s mom called from inside the house. “You’re going to be late for school!”
“Coming, Mom!” Connor turned panicked eyes on me but soon choked out a laugh. He turned the hose off again. “That bear never looked better. Maybe if you’d blown it up before giving it to Liz, she wouldn’t have had to dump you.”
I rolled my eyes as I let the hose drop back to the grass. The overlarge teddy bear’s now blackened fur was only slightly smoldering. Plus it looked like rain soon. We’d just finished Easter Break, so having no snow on the ground was a blessing in rural Minnesota.
“I think Liz did me a favor,” I said. “Why am I always the target for the crazy ones?”
“Ah, so blowing up the bear finally made you realize that, huh? I’m a genius.” Connor came over and gave my shoulder a firm smack with his left hand. He was wearing his dark teal prosthetic today, one of the lighter designs he’d come up with recently, so it didn’t hurt as much as some of the metal ones.
“I’ll never doubt your methods again, man,” I muttered.
We shared a meaningful grin.
Connor always knew how to make me feel better after a break up. Usually it involved building something, like a new prototype for his robotics course, or a new design for his left arm that his mom would never actually let him wear to school, but today had been chemistry. Connor wasn’t nearly as adept in chemistry.
It wasn’t as if Liz had been anything special though, I was just tired of starting over—especially with only a few months left of senior year.
“What are we going to do with that?” I pointed at the charred bear.
Connor thought for a moment then grabbed the empty recycling bin from next to their garbage can and carefully set it on top of the bear. It didn’t completely cover it—it was a large bear. I’d won it at the spring indoor carnival for Liz only a few weeks back, but she’d told me to hang onto it for her. I should have taken the hint then.
“It’ll be fine ‘til after school,” Connor said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks. I have work right after.”
“Mr. Leonard is making you go?” Connor gaped at me as we grabbed our bags and headed out the back gate to his car. His mom waved at us as she pulled out of the driveway in her Subaru.
“Arm?” she called out her open window.
Connor held up his prosthetic.
She nodded and headed off down the street.
“Geesh, they raise me on Japanese video games and wonder why I want a gun arm someday. She keeps threatening to homeschool me if I wear the Rocket-Punch one out of the house.”
I laughed. We climbed into Connor’s white Thunderbird that had been passed down to him, which was in pretty good shape for its age despite the one headlight that didn’t pop up. He was a better driver than me even when he wasn’t wearing his arm.
Connor was born without his left arm from just below the elbow. He and his dad had been building their own prosthetics for years, though Connor had surpassed his dad’s skill level at about age twelve.
“Anyway, Mom said I should go. Maybe some company and distraction will be good for Mr. Leonard. He’s a good guy; I want to go. I can’t imagine staying in that big house alone.”
“Especially after someone was murdered in it,” Connor added.
We both shuddered.
Mrs. Leonard’s murder had been big news for such a small town. I’d worked for the Leonards since I was fifteen. They were both good people, and paid me way too much for the little yard work and landscaping I did. It was still hard to believe that Mr. Leonard had found his wife with a hole in her chest only a week ago. Not even a bullet hole—bigger.
-----
Stay tuned! As soon as I'm finished with Incubus, I am diving right into this new story. I'm so excited. A lot of it is going to be based off of real high school events that I and others I know experienced, so should be a fun ride.
Here's the sneak peek of the first few pages.
-----
We watched in anticipation, expecting the teddy bear to explode, but it didn’t rise up into the air so much as hop slightly and then fizzle as it caught on fire.
“Shit!” Connor cried.
I scrambled for the hose. “I thought you got the recipe from your dad!”
“I did! Do you know how many things he’s set on fire?”
Connor ran to turn the hose on as I aimed it, holding steady once the first burst of pressure poured through. At least we’d been prepared—mostly.
“What are you two doing out there?” Connor’s mom called from inside the house. “You’re going to be late for school!”
“Coming, Mom!” Connor turned panicked eyes on me but soon choked out a laugh. He turned the hose off again. “That bear never looked better. Maybe if you’d blown it up before giving it to Liz, she wouldn’t have had to dump you.”
I rolled my eyes as I let the hose drop back to the grass. The overlarge teddy bear’s now blackened fur was only slightly smoldering. Plus it looked like rain soon. We’d just finished Easter Break, so having no snow on the ground was a blessing in rural Minnesota.
“I think Liz did me a favor,” I said. “Why am I always the target for the crazy ones?”
“Ah, so blowing up the bear finally made you realize that, huh? I’m a genius.” Connor came over and gave my shoulder a firm smack with his left hand. He was wearing his dark teal prosthetic today, one of the lighter designs he’d come up with recently, so it didn’t hurt as much as some of the metal ones.
“I’ll never doubt your methods again, man,” I muttered.
We shared a meaningful grin.
Connor always knew how to make me feel better after a break up. Usually it involved building something, like a new prototype for his robotics course, or a new design for his left arm that his mom would never actually let him wear to school, but today had been chemistry. Connor wasn’t nearly as adept in chemistry.
It wasn’t as if Liz had been anything special though, I was just tired of starting over—especially with only a few months left of senior year.
“What are we going to do with that?” I pointed at the charred bear.
Connor thought for a moment then grabbed the empty recycling bin from next to their garbage can and carefully set it on top of the bear. It didn’t completely cover it—it was a large bear. I’d won it at the spring indoor carnival for Liz only a few weeks back, but she’d told me to hang onto it for her. I should have taken the hint then.
“It’ll be fine ‘til after school,” Connor said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks. I have work right after.”
“Mr. Leonard is making you go?” Connor gaped at me as we grabbed our bags and headed out the back gate to his car. His mom waved at us as she pulled out of the driveway in her Subaru.
“Arm?” she called out her open window.
Connor held up his prosthetic.
She nodded and headed off down the street.
“Geesh, they raise me on Japanese video games and wonder why I want a gun arm someday. She keeps threatening to homeschool me if I wear the Rocket-Punch one out of the house.”
I laughed. We climbed into Connor’s white Thunderbird that had been passed down to him, which was in pretty good shape for its age despite the one headlight that didn’t pop up. He was a better driver than me even when he wasn’t wearing his arm.
Connor was born without his left arm from just below the elbow. He and his dad had been building their own prosthetics for years, though Connor had surpassed his dad’s skill level at about age twelve.
“Anyway, Mom said I should go. Maybe some company and distraction will be good for Mr. Leonard. He’s a good guy; I want to go. I can’t imagine staying in that big house alone.”
“Especially after someone was murdered in it,” Connor added.
We both shuddered.
Mrs. Leonard’s murder had been big news for such a small town. I’d worked for the Leonards since I was fifteen. They were both good people, and paid me way too much for the little yard work and landscaping I did. It was still hard to believe that Mr. Leonard had found his wife with a hole in her chest only a week ago. Not even a bullet hole—bigger.
-----
Stay tuned! As soon as I'm finished with Incubus, I am diving right into this new story. I'm so excited. A lot of it is going to be based off of real high school events that I and others I know experienced, so should be a fun ride.
October 27, 2014
Get Changeling FREE, More Reviews, and Honey Badger Love!
It's that time again! Loved Incubus but haven't gotten to read Changeling yet? You can get the eBook FREE today (10.27) thru Friday (10.31) as a special Halloween treat!
Get the eBook FREE now!
Also, while you're there, check out the reviews. I have a new one for Changeling, as well as Incubus, by the same very satisfied reader. Some highlights:
Incubus: "I really enjoyed the fact that the main character cared so much about his brother, and that so much of the book revolved around their dedication to and willingness to sacrifice for each other. You don't see that done well in fantasy fiction all the often."
Changeling: "Oh my god this book was so good I can't wait until Summer of 2015 to read the next one. Such amazing character development and a really well paced plot."
Halloween is my favorite holiday, and this has already made my week. :-)
Wondering what I'm dressing up as? Here's a hint:
Get the eBook FREE now!
Also, while you're there, check out the reviews. I have a new one for Changeling, as well as Incubus, by the same very satisfied reader. Some highlights:
Incubus: "I really enjoyed the fact that the main character cared so much about his brother, and that so much of the book revolved around their dedication to and willingness to sacrifice for each other. You don't see that done well in fantasy fiction all the often."
Changeling: "Oh my god this book was so good I can't wait until Summer of 2015 to read the next one. Such amazing character development and a really well paced plot."
Halloween is my favorite holiday, and this has already made my week. :-)
Wondering what I'm dressing up as? Here's a hint:
October 17, 2014
Impact Readers with Real Locations in Fiction
There are as many locations in fiction as the mind can think up, because fiction never needs to be based in reality. If you’re writing about colonization on the moon, chances are it’s not going to be based off of any real place. Even when writing contemporary fiction, there are no rules that say you HAVE to write about a real city; you can make one up, and many authors do.
But there is something to be said about taking real places, places that the author knows well or researches thoroughly, that can have even more personal impact for readers.
My series, The Incubus Saga, has many real life locations mentioned, particularly one of the main settings, my home of Minneapolis, MN, and its surrounding suburbs.
When I describe the apartment complex in St. Louis Park where the brothers in the story first meet Sasha Kelly, that’s a real location I passed on the bus many times.
When I describe what’s around Loring Park, those are real details.
Schuester’s high-rise apartment by Lake Calhoun? You better believe I salivate over those awesome lofts, and that I even looked up the apartment layouts to give an accurate description of that building’s accommodations.
Obviously, there is some liberty taken with specifics, interior design, and the view a certain Irish Pub might have of the city it overlooks, but I always strive to capture a real location and give details someone who lives there might recognize. If someone happens to live in Chicago, Pittsburgh, or even Rushville, MO, it may not be as detailed as I can make my own hometown, but it will be as close as I can get it.
How do you use real locations in your fiction? Do you prefer to always make locations up instead? If you do use real places, feel free to share pictures or details of the town/city/location that inspired the setting of your story and why it was included.
But there is something to be said about taking real places, places that the author knows well or researches thoroughly, that can have even more personal impact for readers.
My series, The Incubus Saga, has many real life locations mentioned, particularly one of the main settings, my home of Minneapolis, MN, and its surrounding suburbs.
When I describe the apartment complex in St. Louis Park where the brothers in the story first meet Sasha Kelly, that’s a real location I passed on the bus many times.
When I describe what’s around Loring Park, those are real details.
Schuester’s high-rise apartment by Lake Calhoun? You better believe I salivate over those awesome lofts, and that I even looked up the apartment layouts to give an accurate description of that building’s accommodations.
Obviously, there is some liberty taken with specifics, interior design, and the view a certain Irish Pub might have of the city it overlooks, but I always strive to capture a real location and give details someone who lives there might recognize. If someone happens to live in Chicago, Pittsburgh, or even Rushville, MO, it may not be as detailed as I can make my own hometown, but it will be as close as I can get it.
How do you use real locations in your fiction? Do you prefer to always make locations up instead? If you do use real places, feel free to share pictures or details of the town/city/location that inspired the setting of your story and why it was included.
October 6, 2014
Blog Tour, MCBA Fall Con Recap, and more!
First of all, wow, thank you so much for the amazing tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. I had 110 people enter the raffle during the tour for a free eBook copy of both books. The winner was a dear and now has her prize, but I want to thank all of you for participating.
This past Saturday was the Midwest Comic Book Association (or MCBA)'s Fall Con, a yearly, one day event for comic book creators, authors, and artists to peddle their wares for fans. It was a blast. You can read more about the experience at the BigWorldNetwork blog, which also has links to more photos.
Lastly, I wanted to share some comments from the BWN site, where currently what will be book 3 of The Incubus Saga is being serialized. The commenter first had some great questions and suggestions for continuity fixes when I return to revise the episodes for the book - a huge help, as always! And then they had this to say:
"I downloaded book two from Amazon, and binge read it in a day. Now I can’t wait for Thursdays. I like that I don’t need to wait for the next book to be released. I’ve looked up other supernatural, gay, adventure, love stories. They are out there, but 99.9% of them are wolf and/or vampire. I don’t want to read gay Twilight. :( You using other supernatural legends makes for interesting reading. Thank you for continuing your series."
My pleasure! And there is plenty more to come. Stay tuned!
This past Saturday was the Midwest Comic Book Association (or MCBA)'s Fall Con, a yearly, one day event for comic book creators, authors, and artists to peddle their wares for fans. It was a blast. You can read more about the experience at the BigWorldNetwork blog, which also has links to more photos.
Lastly, I wanted to share some comments from the BWN site, where currently what will be book 3 of The Incubus Saga is being serialized. The commenter first had some great questions and suggestions for continuity fixes when I return to revise the episodes for the book - a huge help, as always! And then they had this to say:
"I downloaded book two from Amazon, and binge read it in a day. Now I can’t wait for Thursdays. I like that I don’t need to wait for the next book to be released. I’ve looked up other supernatural, gay, adventure, love stories. They are out there, but 99.9% of them are wolf and/or vampire. I don’t want to read gay Twilight. :( You using other supernatural legends makes for interesting reading. Thank you for continuing your series."
My pleasure! And there is plenty more to come. Stay tuned!
September 23, 2014
Kinky Vanilla - For Fans of Romance in All It's Flavors
Today's final blog tour stop for my Goddess Fish Promotions tour is with Kinky Vanilla. Both a review of Incubus (and one of Changeling to come) and an author interview, I can't think of a better way to end this amazing tour!
"What I enjoyed most about Incubus was the world-building. It is a complex set-up, but laid out in way that was easy for me to follow. [sighs in appreciation] Jim, Nathan, and Sasha each have their own unique issues and approaches to handling them. The secondary characters are well-written and engaging. The story is full of suspense, romance, and adventure so I think that it has appeal across genres. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook episodes on the Big Network website."
Read more at Kinky Vanilla!
Don't forget to comment and share for your chance to win copies of my books! This is the last opportunity before the drawing. There are over 100 entries now but you still have a chance!
"What I enjoyed most about Incubus was the world-building. It is a complex set-up, but laid out in way that was easy for me to follow. [sighs in appreciation] Jim, Nathan, and Sasha each have their own unique issues and approaches to handling them. The secondary characters are well-written and engaging. The story is full of suspense, romance, and adventure so I think that it has appeal across genres. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook episodes on the Big Network website."
Read more at Kinky Vanilla!
Don't forget to comment and share for your chance to win copies of my books! This is the last opportunity before the drawing. There are over 100 entries now but you still have a chance!
September 16, 2014
BookLover Sue - Author Interview!
This week's tour stop was with BookLover Sue, and another great interview with some really fun questions. Here was one of my favorites:
Who is your perfect hero and why?
Captain America. Don’t get me wrong, Spider-Man is my favorite hero, but Cap…you can’t beat him. If you asked me to name the top 5 people I would follow into Hell if they asked, Cap would always be at the top (after my husband) because he just exudes good guy without being a boy scout like Superman, and is a solid leader. He respects everyone, believes in what’s right over what’s popular or accepted, and always gets the job done. You just gotta love him.
Hard to believe there is only one more stop next week before this tour is over. It's been an awesome ride. Don't forget to comment on the different blog stops for your chance to win copies of my books!
Who is your perfect hero and why?
Captain America. Don’t get me wrong, Spider-Man is my favorite hero, but Cap…you can’t beat him. If you asked me to name the top 5 people I would follow into Hell if they asked, Cap would always be at the top (after my husband) because he just exudes good guy without being a boy scout like Superman, and is a solid leader. He respects everyone, believes in what’s right over what’s popular or accepted, and always gets the job done. You just gotta love him.
Hard to believe there is only one more stop next week before this tour is over. It's been an awesome ride. Don't forget to comment on the different blog stops for your chance to win copies of my books!
September 9, 2014
Bunny's Book Reviews - Author Interview!
This week's tour stop was with Bunny's Book Reviews, and one of my favorite interviews to date. I answer some fun ones like favorite actor, movie versions I preferred from their book counterparts, and even my most embarrassing story. Check it out!
I've had another slew of new reviews and ratings here, some also on Amazon, and want to thank all of you who are enjoying the ride. If you like Incubus, I assure you, there are other great stories at BigWorldNetwork.com, including a new gay romance series A Prince From Another World.
Stay tuned for next week! And don't forget to comment on the different blog stops for your chance to win copies of my books!
I've had another slew of new reviews and ratings here, some also on Amazon, and want to thank all of you who are enjoying the ride. If you like Incubus, I assure you, there are other great stories at BigWorldNetwork.com, including a new gay romance series A Prince From Another World.
Stay tuned for next week! And don't forget to comment on the different blog stops for your chance to win copies of my books!
September 2, 2014
I’m a Writer Because I Want to Change Lives
This week's blog tour stop is with Tory Richards at Romance with an Attitude, where she gave me the prompt for a guest blog on why I became a writer. Well, it's not a story I tell often, a very personal event that changed my perspective on writing and life forever.
Read it HERE to find out what the catalyst was, but here's a sneak peek:
"Finally, Junior year of high school when I was trying to decide where to attend college and what I wanted to major in, I realized that my two greatest loves were writing and acting. What finally made the choice between the two for me was a comment on one of my fanfics at the time."
The reviews and ratings have really been amazing lately. Seeing how much people enjoy Changeling especially, even more than Incubus, really makes it all worthwhile, and I hope that the final installment in the trilogy is everything my readers hope for.
Stay tuned for next week! And don't forget to comment on the different blog stops for your chance to win copies of these books!
Read it HERE to find out what the catalyst was, but here's a sneak peek:
"Finally, Junior year of high school when I was trying to decide where to attend college and what I wanted to major in, I realized that my two greatest loves were writing and acting. What finally made the choice between the two for me was a comment on one of my fanfics at the time."
The reviews and ratings have really been amazing lately. Seeing how much people enjoy Changeling especially, even more than Incubus, really makes it all worthwhile, and I hope that the final installment in the trilogy is everything my readers hope for.
Stay tuned for next week! And don't forget to comment on the different blog stops for your chance to win copies of these books!
