Kyra Halland's Blog, page 23

Author Spotlight: J.L. McFadden

Today I'm happy to welcome author J.L. McFadden back to the blog, here on his tour with Saskia Book Tours. You can read my previous interview with him here; now he's going to tell us a little more about himself and his books. And don't forget to enter the giveaway for an Amazon gift card and a copy of Choices down at the bottom!

1. What is your full name? Is there anything significant about your name?
Jamie Lee McFadden. I was named this, because my Dad did not want a junior. Mom wanted to call me David after him. McFadden is an old Scots/Irish name and our family has a long history in Sctotland and Ireland.

2. How old are you?
36

3. Tell us about your family. What do you like and not like about them?
My youngest brother I am very proud of. He is a great father and husband, a man of few words and his family comes first. My wife Lenka and I are waiting for our first child. [Kyra sez: Congratulations!] Lenka is full of fire and compassion for people. I love that she and I have the same ideals about family and friends.

4. Who was your first kiss, and what did you think of it?
Grade K and she was a 4th grader. She taught me to kiss and was so proud to show her friends in the hallway one day.

5. What is your occupation?
I think I am a writer.

6. What are your best and worst qualities?
That would be for those who know me to answer. I don't think any person can really give an honest answer here. I have a lot of patience when teaching people and I am very loyal to those who are good to me. I am usually refered to as big brother by a lot of people.

7. What quality do you value most in a romantic partner?
Loyalty and them trusting me.

8. What is your favorite thing to do?
Aikido

9. What is your greatest fear?
That people will not learn to stop fearing the unknown or actually learning from history instead of just reading it on the dead pages it is written on.

10. What is your most treasured possession?
My guitar that my father bought me. He bought it when he did not really have enough money to spare and I have kept it all of these years.
Choices:
This book is written in such a way that it can be read as a stand alone or after the first book of the series- The Guardian. After so much more loss Adela finds herself in the middle of a love triangle and the fight for the head of Covens.

Adela and John both have their fair share of choices to make. Adela must think of her coven, but at the same time she feels a burning desire for her great, great niece's Guardian John. She is torn because though fate has blessed her great, great niece with a Guardian that is connected to her by Mother Earth to protect her from anything, she keeps rejecting him. John is torn between the woman he is fated to and Adela. He fears that it is Adela's powers of seduction that is tempting him. He feels a desire to protect Gala, but also feels a yearning for Adela. At the same time Adela must search for the secret journal known as the Guardian journal and protect those she loves from the dangers that lurk in the shadows.
Choices is available at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

About the author:
J.L Mc Fadden is  the author of the Guardian Series: Guardian, released; Adela, release in September; Choices, released in May 2014; Adela’s Lost Guardian, March; more to be named at a later date. McFadden spins tragedy and romance into all of his stories with picturesque descriptions that vividly paints and melts the scenes into your pleasure cortex that is a valid and important part of every readers mind. ;) Jamie Lee was born in a mixed Celtic and Slavic family in the river valleys of Pennsylvania. In his earlier years he played in bands in New York and ended up working his way into H.Q of the largest musical retailer in the world, Guitar Center; while working at the store level he managed multiple departments at once and handled all the stores merchandising logistics. He has explored the world and became the first American to be accepted into the Interregional Federation of Aikido Aikikai of Crimea & Sevastopol, where he enjoys learning from great masters from around the world, where he has developed his himself. He explains that the people rich and colorfully different people he has met spawned a lot of his characters.

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The Rancher's Daughter Progress Report

*Phew* Was buried all week last week in the last large-scale revision of The Rancher's Daughter, cleaning up the last messy plot points, fixing descriptions and dialogue, and making sure everything flows well. The big battle scene took a while; in that scene, Lainie has three different enemies and one unreliable ally (not Silas; he's temporarily indisposed), and the battle is happening on both the physical and the metaphysical planes. I could only do a few paragraphs at a time, then I had to go rest my poor tired brain. *sigh* Lainie keeps getting herself into these situations, and then I have to figure out how to get her out of them.

Anyway, it's on to the final edits and proofreading. If everything continues to go as it has been, The Rancher's Daughter will be out by the end of April. In the meantime, here's a snippet from the book:

A rustling in the forest undergrowth several measures away drew her attention. From the shadows, a narrow pair of glowing, dark orange eyes stared at her. Below them, Lainie could make out a long, furry snout with sharp fangs poking up and down out of the sides of the mouth. Behind the head stretched a body the length of a man, covered in gray fur and set close to the ground on short, thick legs. Even in the dim light, Lainie could see the curving claws, longer than her fingers, that tipped each enormous paw. Two long ears stood straight up atop the head and twitched towards her as a thick tail, the length of the creature's body, swished back and forth through the litter on the forest floor.

Lainie bit back a scream and fought to keep from making the slightest movement or sound as her heart thundered in her chest. This was the first time she had ever seen a grovik as anything more than a shadow in the distance. Now, as she stared at this one only measures away, all the terrifying stories about the beasts, how one grovik could strip a man -- or a tied-up woman -- down to the bones in a matter of minutes, came rushing back into her mind.

The grovik took a step towards her. Cold sweat broke out all over her body. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears of terror leaking down her cheeks, and prayed as hard as she could. If nothing else, she hoped it would be over with quick. She braced herself for the tearing of enormous, razor-sharp teeth and claws into her flesh.

Book Review: One Crazy Night

One Crazy Night, an anthology by Nightshade Reads

Eight paranormal, fantasy, and urban fantasy authors have put their heads together and come up with this anthology of stories on the theme of how lives and even worlds can change in a single crazy night. Some of the stories are standalones; others are more like prologues or teasers for the authors' longer works, but all are exciting and enjoyable. They range from the lighthearted YA humor of "Love Magic" by Louise Nicks, where two teenage sisters wreak havoc on a high school dance with an ill-made love spell, to the reflective "The Recruit," by Sara Furlong Burr, in which an alcoholic firefighter, broken by his brother's death, tries to find the wherewithal to move on and do something about it, to the horror of "Bellona," Aoife Marie Sheridan's look at the backstory of the villainess from her Saskia trilogy. And lots of other great stories - the undersea paranormal "Elements" by M.H. Soars; the poignant dystopian paranormal "The Keymaker" by Teshelle Combs; frightening YA nightmare "The Lady in Black" by R. Holland; Emma Faragher's chilling legend "Necromancer Lineage"; and Sharon Stevenson's engaging and slightly creepy urban fantasy "Reanimator." (Though the anthology contains some YA selections, some graphic violence and horror content and minimally graphic sexual content makes it more suitable for older teens and adults.)

A highly recommended sampling of some fresh and exciting new voices in these genres - and the proceeds go to a very worthy cause, leukemia and lymphoma research. Definitely worth reading!

Find out more about the authors of Nightshade Reads and this anthology in this post.

"One Crazy Night" and One Good Cause

Today I'm pleased to feature a special book for a good cause:

Nightshade Reads presents their debut fantasy anthology, featuring eight of the genre’s freshest up-and-coming independent authors. Get ready for One Crazy Night, packed full of magical encounters, dark secrets and shocking revelations.

Get a glimpse into a powerful queen’s dark and brutal backstory in Aoife Marie Sheridan’s Bellona.

In Louise Nick’s Love Magic, a homemade love spell goes disastrously wrong for two amateur teen witches.

A young woman is captured by beautiful, dangerous creatures in M.H. Soars Elements:
A teenage boy falls in love, but things quickly become complicated in R. Holland’s Lady in Black.

Sara Furlong Burr brings a broken man’s troubles to light as he is offered a solution by a mysterious stranger in The Recruit: Emma Faragher spins a dark origin tale of sisterhood and magic in Necromancer Lineage.

The kindness of a stranger takes a homeless young man by surprise in The Keymaker by Teshelle Combs.

Sharon Stevenson’s Reanimator brings death and magic together to change the fate of one young man’s life: All proceeds from sales of this anthology will go to The Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Organisation.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00THX82YM
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00THX82YM
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1121346571?ean=2940046614855
Nook UK: http://www.nook.com/gb/ebooks/one-crazy-night-by-m-h-soars/2940046614855
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/518865

Other Important Links:
You can add this book to your TBR pile on Goodreads here:  
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24822007-one-crazy-night

You can like our facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/NightshadeReads

You can find out more about the charity this anthology supports here:
https://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/

 Author Links:

Sara Furlong Burr: http://sarafurlongburr.blogspot.co.uk/
Teshelle Combs: http://teshellecombs.com/
Emma Faragher: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Faragher-author/140453732798952
R. Holland: http://www.rhollandbooks.com/ 
Louise Nicks: http://www.sorensaga.com/
Aoife Marie Sheridan: http://www.aoifemariesheridan.com/
M.H. Soars: http://www.mhsoars.com/
Sharon Stevenson: http://sharonstevensonauthor.com/

About the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Charity:

This charity was chosen as it is one that is close to all of the Nightshade Reads author’s hearts.  Researching blood cancers and the prevention of these illnesses, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research believes that everyone should be able to live their lives to the full.  They have been working for over 50 years to beat blood cancers and donations really do make all the difference to their research. 

You can find out more about this charity and the wonderful work that they do here: https://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/
About Nightshade Reads:

Nightshade Reads is an independent author collective and One Crazy Night is their debut short story anthology.  Eight authors who write YA & NA novels in the fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian genres make up this collective.  These authors have worked hard to bring together a collection of exclusive stories that are all set on One Crazy Night, and they decided that all proceeds from sales of this book will go to the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Charity.

You can keep up with the works of this collective here:
https://www.facebook.com/NightshadeReads
Kyra sez: This is a cause that is close to my heart, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to help get the word out about this anthology. Nineteen years ago in April, my good writing friend Shiori lost her battle with leukemia. We met in a science fiction/fantasy workshop at our local community college, and eventually split off into a smaller workshop/critique group with one other person. We would meet at Coffee Etc. one night a week (where, since I don't drink coffee, I would indulge in the yummy German chocolate cake and raspberry lemonade) and talk about writing and other things, laugh, and support each other in our writing and our lives. Shiori was a talented and dedicated writer of Star Trek fanfic, even though everyone in the workshop laughed at her and pointed out that she couldn't publish it. Sadly, she died just before or right at the dawn of the great age of Internet fanfiction. She was 42 years old and left an 8-year-old son.

I was pregnant with my younger son during the last months of her illness. It was a difficult pregnancy and I didn't touch base with her for several months until shortly after my son was born. I was shocked when she died a few weeks later, and at that point I learned from our other writing friend that Shiori had refrained from telling me just how sick she was, because she knew I was already stressed out with my pregnancy. It was her gift to me, the only gift she was able to give me in the end stage of her illness - that and a card, which she bought during her last expedition out of the house and sent to me. I still treasure it.

One of the books I workshopped with Shiori and our other friend is the book that eventually became Sarya's Song. A big turning point with that book came when they laughed at the love scene in the original version. Not to my face, of course, but while they were reading at home, and they were very apologetic when they told me about it, but it had to be said. It stung at first, then I realized they were right to laugh. Not only was the scene all wrong, but so were Sarya and Adan's entire characters. It's because of Shiori that Sarya's Song is the book it is today, and it's dedicated to her. I wish she could have read the final version, and it's my hope that proceeds from the sale of One Crazy Night will help more cancer patients enjoy more books, more cake, more laughter, and more years with their friends and families.

Watch for my upcoming review of One Crazy Night; so far it's lots of fun!

Living in a Pokémon World

I really should post more often so I don't fall off the face of the Earth, so I thought I'd do some posts about what I do when I'm not writing. Yes, sometimes *cough* I do things that aren't writing. My brain gets tired, or I get stuck, or sometimes I just need to get away from the words for a while.

For Christmas, our two young adult sons (who do this great video game/anime/manga/nerdstuff podcast) put their heads together and gave me and my husband his-and-hers Nintendo 2DS's (like the 3DS except it's in 2D instead of 3D and it's a flat device instead of clamshell, but it plays 3DS games) loaded with some Pokémon games and MarioKart. My husband likes the MarioKart game because of the cool race cars, but I'm a Pokémon fan from way back, so I dove right into Pokémon Y.

One of the cool things about the DS is it has a camera that can take in-game pictures, so I can share some of my adventure here. This is me (or my Pokémon me) early in the game, in front of the Battle Chateau, which is a great place for level-grinding and winning lots of Poké money. (We call them Pokébucks.) Back in 1998, when Pokémon first hit North America, my boys were ages 2 and 9 - in other words, the ideal target audience. We watched the show religiously (which is what launched me into anime fandom, which is what got me writing fanfic, which is what got me writing again after a long dry spell with my original fiction, so in a sense all those books over on the sidebar owe their existence to Pokémon), bought the cards when we could find them - back then, Pokémon cards were like gold, and about as expensive - and when my older son got his first job that summer, taking care of the neighbors' dog while they were RVing across the country, he spent his earnings on a GameBoy Pocket, a GameBoy Color, and the first Pokémon games released over here, Red, Blue, and Yellow (featuring a Pikachu that follows you around). We bought the toys and went to Burger King for their Pokémon promotional toys and saw the movies and bought the collectors' magazines. Over time we added about every Pokémon game ever made, a complete set of VHS tapes of the first season, Pokémon manga and novelizations, and about eleventy billion Pokémon cards. I played and beat Pokémon Red a few times, but after that the games started getting more complicated. I didn't play again for a long time, but of course I had to try out my shiny new Christmas gift.

Me at Geosenge town, before makeover:
They have night and day, and different weather, and you can grow Berries with different properties (some more useful than others) and leave a Pokémon or two at the daycare and when you come back for them sometimes they've produced an egg (I think there's a shortage of chaperoning at the Pokémon daycare!). And you can buy different outfits and even get a whole new hairstyle!

Me at Geosenge town, after makeover:
So anyway, after way too many hours spent playing when I probably should have been doing other things, I made it to the Pokémon League and beat the game:
Since there are way too many cool Pokémon and I tend to get emotionally attached to every one I catch but you can only have six on your team at a time, what I do after this point is take more teams back to the Pokémon League to challenge the champions and beat the game again. My goal is to get every Pokémon I have into the Pokémon League Hall of Fame. Because, you know, you gotta have a purpose in life.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Pokémon games notwithstanding, edits on The Rancher's Daughter are proceeding apace, and I'm still on schedule for a release in May (possibly sooner, but I don't want to make any promises at this point).

Character Interview: Arbrey Carden

Time for another character interview! Here's Arbrey Carden, the man of mystery from Beneath the Canyons, Book 1 of Daughter of the Wildings. I don't have a picture of Carden to display, so here's his first appearance in the book, as a bit of introduction:

All at once the shooting stopped. “What’s all this, boys?” a deep, resonant voice called out from nearby.

Now Silas raised his head. Three men lay sprawled in the street. One was writhing in pain, the other two were still. The combatants who were still standing had all lowered their guns and were looking at the Rusty Widow. Silas turned his head to follow their gaze. A tall man with a hearty build, handsome, pale face, and luxuriant black mustache was standing in front of the saloon. He wore a finely-fashioned black suit and black flat-brimmed hat, and had a lace-and-ruffle-bedecked house lady clinging to each arm.

Silas stood up, making sure his hat was still in place, and brushed dust from his long brown coat. He kept close to the wall, in the shadow of the overhang, curious about this man who had the power to stop a gunfight just by appearing.

“Dinsin an’ Winnard threatened me, Mr. Carden, sir,” Gobby said. “Me an’ the fellas was just defending ourselves.”

“Go back inside, my dears,” the black-suited man said to the house ladies. “No need to worry yourselves.” The ladies retreated into the saloon, and Carden stepped down from the wooden walkway into the street. He stopped in front of Gobby, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me you went into the Bootjack again, Gobby,” he said. “You know damn well that’s rancher territory. You’re stupid enough to keep going in there, you deserve whatever you get.” Though the words were harsh, the deep voice was genial. The crispness of a Granadaian accent underlaid his informal Wildings speech.

And now here's Carden to tell us a little about himself:

1. What is your full name? Is there anything significant about your name?
My name is Arbrey Carden. It's a highly respected name among those who are privy to such knowledge.

2. How old are you?
I am 34, in the very prime of my life. I enjoy both the wisdom, experience, and sophistication of years, and the good looks and vigor of youth.

3. Tell us about your family. What do you like and not like about them?
They're quite prominent, of course, and quite respected among certain exclusive circles. I'm sure you probably wouldn't have heard of them.

4. Who was your first kiss, and what did you think of it?
I believe it was Lorinda... Something. Her family had a townhouse and a seaside estate next to ours while I was growing up. She's long been married to someone else, but she did give me quite the taste for feminine companionship.

5. What is your occupation?
At present I am involved in overseeing the acquisition of a certain ore of unusual and interesting properties. I'm sure you'll understand if I say that my employers require the greatest discretion and I am not presently at liberty to reveal their identities.

6. What are your best and worst qualities?
Among other talents, I am a bold and savvy businessman, skilled in the management of money and labor. The fruits of my labors are of great benefit to whatever locale I'm presently working in. I'm also quite good at persuading people to do things that are in their best interests though they may not realize it at the time.

My worst qualities, well *fake self-deprecating laughter* I'm afraid I'm an adamantly confirmed bachelor. Although I suppose it's arguable as to whether that's bad or good.

7. What quality do you value most in a romantic partner?
I like a woman who is elegant in appearance and manners and can pass as well-bred (though she might not be in reality), but who is also free of silly, over-nice inhibitions in matters of pleasure.

8. What is your favorite thing to do?
Well, aside from keeping company with the sort of women I described above, I enjoy making money, whether it's through an exciting new business venture or a well-played game of Dragon's Threes.

9. What is your greatest fear?
What could someone in my position, with my abilities and resources, possibly have to be afraid of?

10. What is your most treasured possession?
I value having the money, freedom, and position to make my way in the world independently, as well as belonging to that elevated circle of people who have the means and intelligence to enjoy the more refined and sophisticated pleasures of life.

Beneath the Canyons is available in ebook and paperback at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | OmniLit | Smashwords | CreateSpace | DriveThruFiction

Read the first chapter here.

February 2015 Look Back; What's Ahead in March

Time for another monthly review and look ahead. The main thing in February was the release of Bad Hunting, Book 2 of Daughter of the Wildings. It had a great launch, and the series has picked up new readers! Which I'm really happy about. I also wrote a guest post on fantasy-westerns for The Speculative Fiction Showcase, a blog that promotes science fiction, fantasy, and related genres by independent authors.

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been tough, but I'm managing to establish more or less regular work hours and also to stick with an exercise routine that's within my capabilities. Both of these seem to be helping my productivity quite a bit, especially the regular work hours.

On the A-Z reading challenge, I got sidetracked on H, reading the entire Tormay Trilogy, by Christopher Bunn, that started with The Hawk and His Boy . Highly recommended. Now I'm on I. The only "I" book on my Kindle that I already owned is a contemporary political thriller, which sounded pretty good but it turned out to be a lot more political than I'm in the mood for. So I bought a book I had a sample of, Iron Flower , by Billy Wong, book 2 of the Legend of the Iron Flower series.

In March, the main thing I'm working on, of course, is revisions and edits on The Rancher's Daughter, Daughter of the Wildings Book 3. This one doesn't seem to need as much work as some of the others, but it seems like I say that about every book. :P It does seem to be true this time, though. I'm saying a release date in May, though I'd love to be able to release it in April. We'll see how things go.

There are a lot of other projects waiting in the wings for me to get to them. Preparing Tales of Azara for release, revision of The Source-Fixer, writing The Healing Tree (working title), planning the sequel to Urdaisunia, looking at my very first novel and its sequel to see if they can be revised to release-able quality (I think so, but it'll take some work), planning a follow-up series to Daughter of the Wildings... Right now I'm totally focused on Daughter of the Wildings, but I'm hoping that as I get more into the routine of the work hours I set and find other ways to be more productive, I can choose a secondary project to work on.

There are some publisher chores I need to get to, as well. Reworking the Books page on my site to make it more streamlined and comprehensive now that I have eight titles out and more on the way; looking at some additional sales platforms; redoing the promotional matter in my books. The to-do list never ends!

So, that's what's keeping me out of trouble this month.

In the meantime, through March 7, all my books are 50% off (except A Cure For Nel, which is free!) during Read an eBook Week on Smashwords! Use the coupon code on the book page to get the sale price at checkout.

Author Spotlight: Vanessa Kings

Introducing fantasy author Vanessa Kings:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born on March 14th of 1985, in Rosario, Argentina. I lived with my mom and 2 sisters until I was 19 when I moved in with my boyfriend (now husband), we lived in several cities until we decided to have a baby. Then, in 2012 we moved to Capilla del Monte, Cordoba, Argentina, and our baby boy was born on October of 2013.

2. When did you start writing, and why?
At the age of 10 I wrote my first fairy tale as a way to deal with a very painful earache. My 5th grade teacher had told us to write a short fantasy story as summer homework. I sat on the backyard to write and I couldn’t stop. That short story is the one I recently published as a bed time story: “The princess of the Enchanted Forest”.

That day, I found writing comforting and distracting, so I continued writing every time I felt the need of leaving realty behind. By the age of 18 I had around 120 pieces written of fairy tales, poems, life’s reflections and other stories.

I always wanted to publish my stories but never had the confidence to do it. After my son was born, my husband and my best friend gave me the confidence that I needed to start writing my first book.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I write fantasy stories, mostly involving fairies, goblins, princesses, dragons and knights. I always say that I am trying to bring the old-fashioned fairy tale kind of books, that’s what I loved to read when I was a kid.
What I enjoy most about writing is leaving the real world for a little while; when I write I submerge into my fantasy world and everything else disappear for a moment. It is almost like reading, but writing gives the opportunity to live your own adventure and create your own characters.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
I have two series that I am writing simultaneously. My main series is “Stories of the fairy of my dreams”, the first book, “Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest”, was published on December, and it is the first of three. It takes place on a magical island called The Kingdom of Astebeth. The second book of the series, “The diary of Amanda”, is expected to be published on October of this year.

My secondary series, “The Dream Fairy’s Bed Time Stories”, is a collection of ten short stories, based on secondary characters of The Kingdom of Astebeth that didn’t have their own stories on the main three books. The first book, “The Princess of the Enchanted Forest”, is available on paperback now, and the e-book will be released on February 28th. The second short story will be published on May.

I am also planning to write a book called “Spells of the Dream Fairy” or something like that, I haven’t decided the name yet, it would be an anthology of poems.

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
The Kingdom of Astebeth is a small Island, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. It has a small town and a big castle. On the left and north shore there are mountains, on the right and south shore there is a beach. Besides the town, the Island has an extensive forest. No one dares to venture themselves into the forest because they say it is haunted, but the truth is, the forest is the home of magical creatures, fairies, gnomes, talking animals and even dragons. The forest has a queen, Nasha, which is the mother of all the fairies of the forest and the protector of its dwellers.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
The main character of “Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest” is Melanie. She is sixteen and has a boring, regular life. She goes to school, doesn’t have any friends, is a victim of bullying and doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents. She often gets in trouble for drawing during class, and it’s very close of being expelled or transferred to a different school, which, along with her low grades, won’t help with her college applications. The only things that help her to get through all that are her books and her dreams. She loves to read fantasy stories and often dreams that she is a part of them. One night, on her dream, she sees herself sitting next to a fairy. The fairy starts telling her the story of Sarah and Thomas, two young inhabitants of Astebeth. Melanie starts dreaming of this magical Island almost every night, always hearing the stories that the fairy tells her.

I like Melanie because she is strong. She has to deal with a lot of bad things, but she doesn’t lose her innocence and her dreams. She stands for what she believes, she knows what she wants and she will do anything to accomplish it. She is sweet and kind, but she won’t let anyone stand on her way and stop her. During the first book of the series she goes from a disoriented teenager to a very mature college freshman, her journey and adventures in Astebeth were a big part of her life and helped her during the hard path of becoming a woman.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
I don’t know if readers will find this fun or disturbing, but, I am a crazy cat lady. Not exactly like the one from The Simpsons because I still have all my teeth, and I am missing about 20 cats hanging from my hair, but I have like a cat-magnet. I have two “official” cats, two more that come every day to visit us (and eat), and another one from the neighbourhood that always meows at us when he walks in front of my house. When I go out for a walk, cats come to me, you know, like dogs usually do, sniffing and moving their tales? Well, cats come to me purring and I would take them all home with me but some have owners and I don’t have the room for all of them. I love cats, I would have a tiger if I could. Of course, some of my Bed Time Stories, have cats. 8. Where to find Vanessa:
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+ | Goodreads | Amazon

Exclusive excerpt from Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest (Stories of the Fairy of my Dreams, #1):

"We continued walking until we exited the forest. A few steps away, I saw a small wooden house and ran straight towards it, hoping that they could be hiding inside. I wanted to warn them about Arthur’s knights. I had to let them know what was going on and help them escape. I entered the house in a rush, shouting that they had to leave, the knights were coming, and they were not going to let them escape. Sarah and Thomas were sitting in front of the fireplace, holding their hands and looking into each other’s eyes. I told them to leave once, twice, three times, but they could not see me or hear me.

In previous dreams, I could always control what was happening when I needed, and when I found myself in a situation like this, I reminded myself that it was a dream, and so from that moment on, I could do anything. I could fly, fight dragons, and swim in the depths of the ocean without needing to breathe.
Somehow, I could not control this dream; I could not make them listen to me.

It seemed that the fairy noticed my confusion and explained that for many days, they were hunted by Arthur’s knights, who eventually found them, living in the small house made of wood. It was their fate and nothing would change that.

I could not witness what was going to happen next; I knew what Arthur had sent them to do, so, with tears in my eyes, I asked the fairy to take me away from that place. She did, and soon afterwards, we were sitting under a tree in the forest as she continued telling me what had become of Sarah and Thomas."

Chronicles of the Nocturnal Forest (Stories of the Fairy of My Dreams #1) is available at:
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Meet My Character: Lainie Banfrey

Welcome to the Speculative Fiction Showcase Meet My Character blog hop! Last week's stop was at Aurora Springer's site. Aurora Springer is a scientist morphing into a novelist. Whimsical stories in weird worlds. Science fiction and fantasy, love and war with a spice of humor. Aliens and outer space! Check out her blog to meet her alien character Sa Kamizan Veedak.
Mominur Rahman illuminatedimages.co.uk Last time I did a Meet My Character blog hop (that one was with one of my Goodreads groups), we got to know Silas Vendine, hero of Daughter of the Wildings. This time it's leading lady Lainie Banfrey's turn.

1) What is the name of your character? Is he or she fictional or a historic person?
Her name is Lainie Banfrey. She's fictional (but don't tell her that!).

2) When and where is the story set?
The story is set in the Wildings, a fantasy world inspired by the American West of the 1880s. Non-magical people have fled from persecution in the mage-ruled civilized land of Granadaia to settle in the wide-open Wildings.

3) What should we know about him or her?
Lainie is the 19-year-old daughter of a moderately prosperous (though far from wealthy) cattle rancher in Bitterbush Springs. It's just her and her father; her mother died when Lainie was 6 years old, and her older brother was killed in a shootout between feuding miners and ranch men. She's a hard worker, tending to both ranch chores and housekeeping, and she's an excellent cook. She's proud of her full 6-year education at the Bitterbush Springs Town School, and she loves to read all the penny-thriller novels she can get her hands on.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his or her life?
Lainie was born in the Wildings to Plain (non-magical) parents, but she inherited magical power from a grandmother who was a mage. Mages are hated and feared by the Plain settlers, so Lainie has to hide her power. She's torn over her power: she wants to be able to use it to do good, but she's been taught all her life that wizards are monsters with no heart and no soul.

When a dangerous renegade mage comes to Bitterbush Springs and stirs up a feud, Lainie meets Silas Vendine, a bounty hunter on the renegade's trail. To her, he seems like the man of her dreams, even though he's a mage. Lainie's power is discovered by Silas, who is legally required to either Strip her of her power, which would leave her a helpless, mindless shell, or to take her to Granadaia to be trained in magic, a process that would probably destroy the young woman she is and turn her into the monster she's afraid of becoming. Lainie refuses to go along with either option, and Silas can't bring himself to force her.

Lainie teams up with Silas to stop the renegade mage. The renegade discovers her power, and then the whole town finds out about it, with the result that her whole life is uprooted and sent in a direction she never imagined.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?
She wants to learn to use her power while remaining herself and not becoming a monster like she's always been taught mages are, and to use her power to protect the peace and freedom of the people of the Wildings. At the same time, she wants to convince the settlers that not all mages are evil, and eventually make it so that mages and Plain folk can live together peacefully.

6) What is the title of the book(s), and where can find out more?
The series is Daughter of the Wildings (click to go to the series page for book extras, buy links, and more information).
Book 1: Beneath the Canyons (now available)
Book 2: Bad Hunting (now available)
Book 3: The Rancher's Daughter (coming soon)
Book 4: To the Gap
Book 5: City of Mages
Book 6: For the Wildings

7) When was the book published?
Beneath the Canyons was published November 2014, and Bad Hunting was published just a few days ago, Feb. 20. Anticipated release for The Rancher's Daughter is May 2015.

The next stop on the Meet My Character blog hop is yet to be determined; I'll update when that's set up.

Bad Hunting Now Available

I'm pleased to announce that Bad Hunting, Daughter of the Wildings Book 2, is now available at the following ebook retailers: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | OmniLit | Smashwords | DriveThruFiction. It'll also be on iTunes, which for some reason is being really slow. The regular price is $3.99, but through Feb. 24, 2015, you can get it for the special introductory price of $0.99! (or the international equivalent)

If you haven't read Book 1, Beneath the Canyons yet, now's your chance; it's also on special for only 99 cents through Feb. 24!

The paperback edition of Bad Hunting will be coming in a few weeks.

And now, on to book 3, The Rancher's Daughter! I can't say yet when the release date will be; I would love to publish it in April, but May might be more realistic. I'll keep you posted on the progress! And in the meantime, watch for Lainie to be featured on the Speculative Fiction Showcase Meet My Character blog tour this weekend, right here.