Tera Shanley's Blog, page 9
September 25, 2013
...Secondary Character Profile - Lego Edition...
Jarren LandryBrother to Love in the Time of the Dead heroine, Laney Landry, and captain of general bad-assery.
Occupation: Zombie Slayer
Secondary Occupation: Keeping Laney safe from the grabby sexypaws of teammate Derek Mitchell
Favorite Weapons: Anything'll do
Favorite foods: Apples and revenge
"You know I have to test you sometimes.
It's for your own good."
Look for Jarren's story October 22, 2013 from Omnific Publishing.The apocalypse is coming.- Love in the Time of the Dead -
September 24, 2013
...Author Spotlight - Darden North...
I'm ecstatic to be hosting four time author, Darden North, today to talk about his new release, Wiggle Room. He's a phenomenal writer with high praise for his work and is deeply involved in the writing community. He's managed to take the medical thriller and murder mystery genres by storm and is on my authors to watch list!
Wiggle Room
By: Darden North
A contemporary thriller set against the backdrop of the Iraqi war and the Deep South. In Wiggle Room, Dr. Brad Cummins saves a man’s life. Now that man wants him dead.
Brad Cummins is an Air Force surgeon who returns from overseas deployment after serving four months at the height of the Iraq War, during which he fails to save an injured soldier but mends the GI's attacker. He endures rigid criticism from his peers, yet survives the medical tribunal's investigation.
Back in Jackson, Mississippi, still blaming himself for returning the insurgent to the killing fields, Cummins discovers his look-alike brother shot to death and is certain that he was the intended target.
Both the police and Brad's fiancee discount his fears as paranoia, forcing Brad to consult a psychiatrist. Then his fiancee is found murdered in his apartment. There is no doubt in his mind that he is marked for murder.
High praise for Darden North’s Wiggle Room:
“North’s visually acute, action-packed style … is likely headed for the silver screen.” –New York Journal of Books “A rollercoaster ride of murder, intrigue, and plot twists. Wiggle Room keeps you turning the pages to the final, climactic finish.” — Robert Dugoni, New York Times best-selling author of The Conviction “…cleverly plotted, strongly written, [Wiggle Room] will pull you into a story world filled with danger, excitement, and conflict at every turn.” —D.P. Lyle, Macavity award-winning author of Run to Ground
About the Author
A native of the Mississippi Delta, Dr. Darden North is a practicing board-certified physician in obstetrics and gynecology and an award-winning author. His most recent thriller is Wiggle Room. North has written three previous novels: Fresh Frozen, House Call, and Points of Origin, which received the national IPPY Award, Southern Fiction category. North presented at the 2013 Killer Nashville writing conference discussing medical thrillers and mysteries and served on the faculty of the 2010 Southern Expressions Authors Conference. He has been a panelist at Murder in the Magic City, Author! Author! Celebration of the Written Word, Murder on the Menu, and Thriller Author Panel – 2008 SIBA Trade Show. North lives with his wife Sally in Jackson, Mississippi. Visit Darden North online at: www.dardennorth.com.
Connect with Darden
Goodreads
TwitterYouTube
Buy on Amazon
Wiggle RoomBy: Darden North
A contemporary thriller set against the backdrop of the Iraqi war and the Deep South. In Wiggle Room, Dr. Brad Cummins saves a man’s life. Now that man wants him dead.
Brad Cummins is an Air Force surgeon who returns from overseas deployment after serving four months at the height of the Iraq War, during which he fails to save an injured soldier but mends the GI's attacker. He endures rigid criticism from his peers, yet survives the medical tribunal's investigation.
Back in Jackson, Mississippi, still blaming himself for returning the insurgent to the killing fields, Cummins discovers his look-alike brother shot to death and is certain that he was the intended target.
Both the police and Brad's fiancee discount his fears as paranoia, forcing Brad to consult a psychiatrist. Then his fiancee is found murdered in his apartment. There is no doubt in his mind that he is marked for murder.
High praise for Darden North’s Wiggle Room:
“North’s visually acute, action-packed style … is likely headed for the silver screen.” –New York Journal of Books “A rollercoaster ride of murder, intrigue, and plot twists. Wiggle Room keeps you turning the pages to the final, climactic finish.” — Robert Dugoni, New York Times best-selling author of The Conviction “…cleverly plotted, strongly written, [Wiggle Room] will pull you into a story world filled with danger, excitement, and conflict at every turn.” —D.P. Lyle, Macavity award-winning author of Run to Ground
About the Author
A native of the Mississippi Delta, Dr. Darden North is a practicing board-certified physician in obstetrics and gynecology and an award-winning author. His most recent thriller is Wiggle Room. North has written three previous novels: Fresh Frozen, House Call, and Points of Origin, which received the national IPPY Award, Southern Fiction category. North presented at the 2013 Killer Nashville writing conference discussing medical thrillers and mysteries and served on the faculty of the 2010 Southern Expressions Authors Conference. He has been a panelist at Murder in the Magic City, Author! Author! Celebration of the Written Word, Murder on the Menu, and Thriller Author Panel – 2008 SIBA Trade Show. North lives with his wife Sally in Jackson, Mississippi. Visit Darden North online at: www.dardennorth.com.Connect with Darden
Goodreads
TwitterYouTube
Buy on Amazon
September 21, 2013
...Sneak Peek of Love in the Time of the Dead - Lego Edition...
To celebrate exactly one month until the official release of Love in the Time of the Dead, today I have a little treaty for you guys - an epic, masterfully photographed and superbly acted showdown between Jarren-the-Baad-Mama-Jamma-Landry and Monroe-the-Dead. Jarren is Laney's brother and the only family she has left, while Monroe was part of their elite team of fighters up until one week before when he fell to the horde in a fight. This scene lego-splains the team's promise."When the zompocalypse is upon you, all you have left is your word." - Somebody Really Smart
-----ooooo-----
Ten minutes of bone-chilling silence later, a lone Dead shuffled slowly through the woods below them.
The sheer mass of him said he was the hunter from the gas station, but he was alone. Odd. The Dead stopped and swiveled his head, scenting the air before he moved in the direction of their trees.
She froze. The last thing she wanted was to attract the thing. The Dead was one big son-of-a-gun, and she eyed the thin branches above for an escape. If she could add another fifteen feet to their distance from the monster, she would.Jarren smirked and made a calming gesture with his hand.
How was he always so unruffled by zombies?Laney took a deep breath as the Dead shuffled closer to their trees. Bad idea. She nearly gagged. The stench of a Dead at that proximity was overwhelming. She needed to settle down. Deads never look up for danger. She was safe in the tree. Safe, safe, safe.The monster shuffled ever closer and stopped just at the base of the pine tree they were frozen into.
He swiveled his head back and forth, back and forth, snuffling the air noisily.
What did it tell him? Could he smell them from down below? He turned his head slowly toward the trunk of the tree and snapped his head upward to look directly at her.
She stifled a shriek. His filmy, searching eye scoured the moonlight-soaked branches and she dared not even breathe. Her heart hammered like a stampede of horses with the fear that he would see her move and come scurrying up the tree as best he could.The Dead shifted his weight and the moon-deprived shadows compensated. His face was cut and bitten, and strips of decaying flesh hung loosely around his neck. His clothes were shredded and the tatters of camouflage garb that were visible were covered with stains in various stages of drying.Monroe.Jarren gave her a wide-eyed glance as recognition lit his face.
It quickly dissipated to subdued acceptance. They would have to kill him. It was their promise.Monroe had fallen the week before, on the same day she was bitten. Undermanned and outnumbered, he hadn’t made it out of the fight.She strained her eyes in the dark. Somethinghad to be left after humans were turned. Shades of memories, perhaps. Time and time again she had witnessed Deads instinctively stay close to friends, family, old homes, and haunts. Most would argue that when they were turned, they became something entirely different, forsaking anything that had ever made them human. She couldn’t help but question that line of thinking. If there was no human mental capacity left, then why had Monroe been following them for a week? Alone. And how had he known to look for them up in the tree when no other Dead had figured it out?Not seeing his quarry, Monroe the Dead shuffled off toward Mitchell and Guist’s tree.
Jarren motioned for her to stay put. He pulled a machete out of the front strings of his pack, as slowly and quietly as a sigh of wind.
A gun would be much easier, but too loud. It would draw other Deads.
Monroe turned as Jarren hit the ground.
A loud and inhuman bellow belched forth from his decaying vocal cords as he charged her brother.
Laney gripped the tree bark until the pads of her fingers screamed. It would have been easier if they were battling together, as a team. Fighting for her own life left no time to panic over his safety.The Dead tried to encircle Jarren with his arms, but he easily ducked and hit Monroe hard from behind.
Decayed muscle tone made Deads clumsy. They didn’t possess superhuman strength or speed, but what they did have were very few kill zones, making them extremely difficult to put down. They were also completely unaffected by pain. Their nerve endings died with their humanity.Monroe stumbled from the blow but righted himself and turned just in time to watch Jarren’s machete make its final arc toward his face.
“Sorry, old friend,” he murmured as Monroe crumpled in on himself and fell like a sack of stones to the pine needle blanketed earth.
(End Scene)-----ooooo-----
Note: No actual zombies were slain in the making of this blog. Love in the Time of the Dead secondary characters, Jarren Landry and Monroe-the-Dead, were portrayed by professional lego actors.
-----ooooo-----
Ten minutes of bone-chilling silence later, a lone Dead shuffled slowly through the woods below them.
The sheer mass of him said he was the hunter from the gas station, but he was alone. Odd. The Dead stopped and swiveled his head, scenting the air before he moved in the direction of their trees.
She froze. The last thing she wanted was to attract the thing. The Dead was one big son-of-a-gun, and she eyed the thin branches above for an escape. If she could add another fifteen feet to their distance from the monster, she would.Jarren smirked and made a calming gesture with his hand.
How was he always so unruffled by zombies?Laney took a deep breath as the Dead shuffled closer to their trees. Bad idea. She nearly gagged. The stench of a Dead at that proximity was overwhelming. She needed to settle down. Deads never look up for danger. She was safe in the tree. Safe, safe, safe.The monster shuffled ever closer and stopped just at the base of the pine tree they were frozen into.
He swiveled his head back and forth, back and forth, snuffling the air noisily.
What did it tell him? Could he smell them from down below? He turned his head slowly toward the trunk of the tree and snapped his head upward to look directly at her.
She stifled a shriek. His filmy, searching eye scoured the moonlight-soaked branches and she dared not even breathe. Her heart hammered like a stampede of horses with the fear that he would see her move and come scurrying up the tree as best he could.The Dead shifted his weight and the moon-deprived shadows compensated. His face was cut and bitten, and strips of decaying flesh hung loosely around his neck. His clothes were shredded and the tatters of camouflage garb that were visible were covered with stains in various stages of drying.Monroe.Jarren gave her a wide-eyed glance as recognition lit his face.
It quickly dissipated to subdued acceptance. They would have to kill him. It was their promise.Monroe had fallen the week before, on the same day she was bitten. Undermanned and outnumbered, he hadn’t made it out of the fight.She strained her eyes in the dark. Somethinghad to be left after humans were turned. Shades of memories, perhaps. Time and time again she had witnessed Deads instinctively stay close to friends, family, old homes, and haunts. Most would argue that when they were turned, they became something entirely different, forsaking anything that had ever made them human. She couldn’t help but question that line of thinking. If there was no human mental capacity left, then why had Monroe been following them for a week? Alone. And how had he known to look for them up in the tree when no other Dead had figured it out?Not seeing his quarry, Monroe the Dead shuffled off toward Mitchell and Guist’s tree.
Jarren motioned for her to stay put. He pulled a machete out of the front strings of his pack, as slowly and quietly as a sigh of wind.
A gun would be much easier, but too loud. It would draw other Deads.
Monroe turned as Jarren hit the ground.
A loud and inhuman bellow belched forth from his decaying vocal cords as he charged her brother.
Laney gripped the tree bark until the pads of her fingers screamed. It would have been easier if they were battling together, as a team. Fighting for her own life left no time to panic over his safety.The Dead tried to encircle Jarren with his arms, but he easily ducked and hit Monroe hard from behind.
Decayed muscle tone made Deads clumsy. They didn’t possess superhuman strength or speed, but what they did have were very few kill zones, making them extremely difficult to put down. They were also completely unaffected by pain. Their nerve endings died with their humanity.Monroe stumbled from the blow but righted himself and turned just in time to watch Jarren’s machete make its final arc toward his face.
“Sorry, old friend,” he murmured as Monroe crumpled in on himself and fell like a sack of stones to the pine needle blanketed earth.
(End Scene)-----ooooo-----
Note: No actual zombies were slain in the making of this blog. Love in the Time of the Dead secondary characters, Jarren Landry and Monroe-the-Dead, were portrayed by professional lego actors.
...Official Back Copy has Arrived...
I just got the official back copy for An Unwilling Husband, my Historic Western set to release in May of 2014 and wooo did it give me chills to read it again! That smoldering book cover has looked miiiighty lonley on Goodreads without a blurb to accompany it but not anymore! Now that sexy cowboy has a little back story.
So, without further ado....
For adventurous Margaret Flemming, arrived from Boston to be with her father, the Old West town of her childhood is a far cry from the drawing rooms and balls of the high society life she’s used to. Her fancy gowns and proper manners have no place in the dusty, cruel land inhabited by Indians and rough cowboys. And her fiercely independent streak constantly gets her in trouble. When tragedy strikes, there’s only one person she can turn to--her childhood friend, Garret Shaw--but he’s disgusted with her Society ways.
With his ranch under attack from the land-grabbing Jennings, the last thing Garret needs is to be saddled with a high-falutin’ lady. Even if she is his friend’s daughter and her kind ways tug at his hardened heart. Duty to her father forces them to wed, but he knows sure as anything, when the chance comes along, she’ll go back to Boston. No matter how much he wants her, loving her is not a risk he can take.
Will Maggie choose a life of luxury and ease over struggle and hardship with an ill-mannered cowboy? Only her heart can answer.
CONTENT WARNING: A potty-mouthed proper lady, a reluctant bridegroom and all kinds of trouble.
So, without further ado....
For adventurous Margaret Flemming, arrived from Boston to be with her father, the Old West town of her childhood is a far cry from the drawing rooms and balls of the high society life she’s used to. Her fancy gowns and proper manners have no place in the dusty, cruel land inhabited by Indians and rough cowboys. And her fiercely independent streak constantly gets her in trouble. When tragedy strikes, there’s only one person she can turn to--her childhood friend, Garret Shaw--but he’s disgusted with her Society ways.
With his ranch under attack from the land-grabbing Jennings, the last thing Garret needs is to be saddled with a high-falutin’ lady. Even if she is his friend’s daughter and her kind ways tug at his hardened heart. Duty to her father forces them to wed, but he knows sure as anything, when the chance comes along, she’ll go back to Boston. No matter how much he wants her, loving her is not a risk he can take.
Will Maggie choose a life of luxury and ease over struggle and hardship with an ill-mannered cowboy? Only her heart can answer.
CONTENT WARNING: A potty-mouthed proper lady, a reluctant bridegroom and all kinds of trouble.
September 17, 2013
...Call for Bloggers...
Bloggers! Sign-ups are posted for the cover reveal of Love in the Time of the Dead :D I've seen the mock-up and it's going to be GORGEOUS. Think...eerie, ghostly, whimsical, paranormal, romantic :) If you have a spot available on your lovely blog for Thursday, September 26, you can sign up here:
http://form.jotformpro.com/form/32488548648976
many thanks, bloggers!
ninemoredaysWOO!
http://form.jotformpro.com/form/32488548648976
many thanks, bloggers!
ninemoredaysWOO!
September 15, 2013
...It's Coming...
weapons: check go bag: check slow-running friend: check Are you ready? The apocalypse is coming...
September 11, 2013
...Readers, Check your Weapons...
Readers: check your weapons, pack your survival bag, and grab a (slow-running) friend...
the apocalypse is coming...
the apocalypse is coming...
September 7, 2013
...Calm Before the Storm...
Lately I haven't known what to do with myself! First off,
Release day for my zombie romance is fast approaching, and while I've been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest lately, a few days ago I found myself done with prep work for the chaos that will be October.
My lovely publisher has set up not one, but TWO blog tours for this bad book boy. Which meant doubling up on prizes, which also meant, getting to shop for more awesome zombie swag. We're doing something a little different with the prizes for these tours and I think you guys are really going to dig it. I'll be touring the week of release on a fun Halloween tour, and then the week of October 31st through November 6th. Will post the schedule when we get closer :) I'll let you in on a secret...lots of e-books of Love in the Time of the Dead will be given away on that tour for lucky commenters. So get your type tappin' digits ready and getchu some!
The major edits are finished and the next time I see my zombie fighting amigos will be as a lovely ARC, all beautified and ready to send to reviewers. Next on the list is the cover reveal *fireworks, roman candles, confetti, boom* - Omnific Publishing likes to do the cover reveal a month before release so we're looking at possibly having that gorgeous cover out to the public in a couple of weeks! I'm ridiculously excited for it :D I can't wait to share what Omnific's team has worked out for the cover. I feel like i'm bursting with this secret, but I want it to be a good surprise for you guys, so my lips are zipped.
So here I am - Zombie Street Team newsletter is ready to go live, zombie swag packs are ready and waiting, zombie survival kits are built, edits are sosoSO close to being completely finished (I just have to look over that lovely galley file!), and suddenly, I have nothing immediate to do on the writing front. What? This never happens. I'm juggling six contracted books, and a trilogy contracted with an agent, so it's a rare thing to find myself at a lull between edits. But here it is and just in time to figure out car lines and soccer schedules and the mysteries of the lunchable.
Hope you guys are having a great week!
Release day for my zombie romance is fast approaching, and while I've been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest lately, a few days ago I found myself done with prep work for the chaos that will be October.
My lovely publisher has set up not one, but TWO blog tours for this bad book boy. Which meant doubling up on prizes, which also meant, getting to shop for more awesome zombie swag. We're doing something a little different with the prizes for these tours and I think you guys are really going to dig it. I'll be touring the week of release on a fun Halloween tour, and then the week of October 31st through November 6th. Will post the schedule when we get closer :) I'll let you in on a secret...lots of e-books of Love in the Time of the Dead will be given away on that tour for lucky commenters. So get your type tappin' digits ready and getchu some!
The major edits are finished and the next time I see my zombie fighting amigos will be as a lovely ARC, all beautified and ready to send to reviewers. Next on the list is the cover reveal *fireworks, roman candles, confetti, boom* - Omnific Publishing likes to do the cover reveal a month before release so we're looking at possibly having that gorgeous cover out to the public in a couple of weeks! I'm ridiculously excited for it :D I can't wait to share what Omnific's team has worked out for the cover. I feel like i'm bursting with this secret, but I want it to be a good surprise for you guys, so my lips are zipped.
So here I am - Zombie Street Team newsletter is ready to go live, zombie swag packs are ready and waiting, zombie survival kits are built, edits are sosoSO close to being completely finished (I just have to look over that lovely galley file!), and suddenly, I have nothing immediate to do on the writing front. What? This never happens. I'm juggling six contracted books, and a trilogy contracted with an agent, so it's a rare thing to find myself at a lull between edits. But here it is and just in time to figure out car lines and soccer schedules and the mysteries of the lunchable.
Hope you guys are having a great week!
September 2, 2013
...Liza O'Connor and Oh Stupid Heart...
Today we continue our recap of Worst Week Ever.
Day 4: Purple chair theft results in NYC being shut down.I know, sounds implausible, but the world is highly entangled. The purple chair is Carrie’s flap of a wing. Tired of having her chairs taken by someone in the office, she buys a purple chair and has her name engraved into the bottom of the seat and a GPS marker embedded.
So yesterday when she saw her purple chair hanging with a street vendor, she proved it was hers. A policeman arrived, and an employee, Miss Schnell, who sold it to the vendor was given the choice of arrest or resignation. She resigned-twice.
On Day 4 a bitter Miss Schnell and her five strong nephews arrive early in the morning to renovate Trent’s office space by upturning desks, ripping apart his office, and tossing large metal file cabinets out the windows.
When the System’s guy texts Carrie that he’s barred himself in the basement and to call police, she rushes to the office where she sees a filing cabinets peeking out the window five stories above.She yells at the people on the sidewalk to move, but they ignore her, leaving her no choice but to yell, “Bomb!”
Seconds later a large metal file cabinet explodes on the sidewalk spewing metal and concrete shrapnel…And there’s more to come.
Thus begins a series of misunderstandings that results in the entire Soho district of NYC being shut down and bomb specialists from all over the country being flown in.
Trent comes to Carrie’s rescue, wearing a gangster hat, a trench coat, sunglasses to hide his bandaged nose. Seeing a file cabinet being pushed from the window, he rushes forth, grabs her by the waist and slams her into a car, saving her life but getting them both arrested as bomb terrorist.
Yes, Wednesday was a very crazy day.
Day 5 begins well, until Trent opens his mouth and digs his way to China. (It’s Trent—he can maul metaphors if he wants.)
Trent doesn’t understand why he (who saved a person’s life) is only released on a million dollar bail, while Carrie, who actually did something illegal (yelling “ bomb”) isn’t charged at all. Upon listening to her long and horrible day of interrogation he concludes she exchanged sexual favors with the police force so they’d drop the charges.
She not only denies it, but becomes furious that he’d even think such a thing.
With no money to go home, she sends Trent off to get his broken nose fixed, again, while she makes a batch of chocolate caramel turtles to bribe employee Jack to work.
Only she uses these dark chocolate bars imported from Russia that she finds in the pantry.
Seriously, how was she to know that Chef Ivan worked for a Russian Drug Mafia and the chocolate contained a new longer lasting version of the Narcotic Europa. She had never even heard of the drug Europa.
She certainly would not have fed her turtles to anyone.
But she did and two ended up in the hospital.
As does she, where she is questioned by Officer Pascal about those turtles
Yes, these were two very bad days in her worst week ever….
Hope those who have read Worst Week Ever enjoyed the recap and those who haven’t read Worst Week Ever will want to do so right away.
And now I am happy to present:
Oh Stupid HeartBook Two of: A Long Road To LoveHumorous Contemporary Disaster Romance By Liza O’Connor
Blurb:Carrie Hanson is in love with a different species: Trent, a pampered, uber-rich socialite who’s also her boss. Everyone keeps telling her it’s a train wreck looking to happen, but her heart wants what it wants. So despite the billion and one reasons not to, Carrie commits to this inter-species relationship. But while she's off being trained for her new job responsibilities, a beautiful ex fiancée is working hard to get Trent back and Carrie fired.
Excerpt:
As the train filled with lesser quality people all talking on their cell phones, the noise and cacophony of smells began to irritate Trent. If not for the pleasure of holding Carrie, he would have demanded the conductor stop the train and let them off so he could have his driver rescue them. The train barely picked up speed before it slowed down, stopped, and allowed more people on. They just kept coming and coming. His glare discouraged a few people from sitting on the other side of Carrie, but eventually an old, heavyset black woman collapsed in the seat with a sigh.“Don’t normally get to sit,” she muttered, and released a heavy sigh of exhaustion. Her faded, crumpled, threadbare clothes looked as tired as she did. The conductor stopped and demanded five dollars. She pulled out a coin purse and tried to pay him in quarters. “No coins.”The woman put a calloused hand to her forehead and shook her head. “It’s all I got.”“Not my problem,” the conductor said.“Take her fee out of the change you owe me,” Trent snapped. Why did the guy have to be such a jerk?The guy clicked more paper then thrust a ticket into her coin-filled hand. Finally, he handed Trent three twenties.“And a five,” Trent growled. The conductor muttered softly and thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a five. He glared at Trent. “You’re only getting this, because of her.” He nodded at Carrie. “Otherwise, you’d pay a second service fee.” He handed Trent the bills and stormed off.The old woman flashed Trent a weary smile, displaying brown and yellow teeth, which made him slightly nauseous.His grandmother had always said “Never engage with the common people. Perform all charity at a distance.” “Thank you for the ticket. They’re so expensive, especially since I got sick last month and needed medicine. I didn’t have any money left to buy a monthly ticket.”“How much is a monthly ticket?” he asked.“$125.00. But I don’t have it, so I’m paying ten dollars a day. And I only make sixty a night, forty once they take out taxes.”“What do you do?”“I clean an office building. Job starts at 8 p.m. and I have to be done by 5 a.m. with no excuses. If I don’t show, or I don’t finish, I get fired.”He retrieved his wallet, culled two hundred, and added it to the change the conductor had returned. He passed it to the woman. “Here’s enough to buy the monthly ticket and a bit extra to put aside to buy medicine the next time you get sick.”The woman studied the hundred dollar bills. “Are these real?”“I assume so. I got them from the bank.”The woman’s brow furrowed and handed them back to him, keeping the twenties and five. “I can’t afford to get arrested. I’ll lose my job.”Never had a person refused his money before. It hurt his feelings and frustrated him. Damn it, I wanted to be charitable. Why can’t the damn woman just do her part?****
A Long Road to LoveBook TwoOh Stupid Heart Coming Mid-September
Book OneWorst Week EverAmazon
Liza O’ConnorAuthor Bio:
Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIZA O'CONNOR &SAVING CASEY:
Liza's Blog and Website Facebook Twitter
Worst Week Ever Trailer
Other Books by Liza O’ConnorSaving CaseyWorst Week EverComing Soon:Oh Stupid HeartComing To ReasonGhost Lover
Here is the Rafflecopter info for the $25 Amazon Gift Card.h
a Rafflecopter giveaway
To follow the rest of Liza's blog tour, go to http://www.lizaoconnor.com/p/oh-stupid-heart.html.
August 25, 2013
...Title Reveal...
I always wondered how I'd feel if ever a publisher asked me to change the title to one of my books. I'd heard of other authors being upset by it, but couldn't tell which way I'd sway. Well, now I know. My apocalyptic zombie love story was called Dead Run River...until a few days ago.
My book has gone through a growth spurt and I was approached by my lovely marketing team at Omnific Publishing about changing the title to something that encompassed the guts of the story a little better. Maybe I would have minded more if it wasn't something I was already concerned about. I'd never want a straight horror fan to pick up my zombie book and think it a shoot-em-up read from beginning to end because of the title or cover. I didn't shy away from zombie mayhem, but most important in this book is this love story about a woman learning to trust her heart in the middle of chaos and choose the man who won't stifle her.
I was floored when the marketing team presented me with a name they wanted me to consider because it was an 'aha' moment and I could just imagine it on the cover of the book. I wasn't upset, not even a little. I trust the Omnific team to help market my book in a way that gets it into the hands of the readers who will appreciate it for what it is and never once have they brought something to me that I didn't feel was a good idea. They have been awesome and so respectful throughout the entire process that more than anything, I was just excited. My book plopped out of it's little cocoon and spread it's wings overnight and it was a natural and exhilarating change.
I'd poured over the name before submission - just agonized on the right words that would fit and just never really got one that I was 100% about. As soon as I said the suggested title out loud to my husband, he was like, 'that's it!' And I had to admit I liked the way it rolled off of my tongue like it was meant to be there. So, no more Dead Run River. My debut release is now called...
I have to tell you, I'm ecstatic about it and can't wait until I get to share the cover with you guys. With the title all wrapped up, it feels so close now :) October can't get here soon enough!
My book has gone through a growth spurt and I was approached by my lovely marketing team at Omnific Publishing about changing the title to something that encompassed the guts of the story a little better. Maybe I would have minded more if it wasn't something I was already concerned about. I'd never want a straight horror fan to pick up my zombie book and think it a shoot-em-up read from beginning to end because of the title or cover. I didn't shy away from zombie mayhem, but most important in this book is this love story about a woman learning to trust her heart in the middle of chaos and choose the man who won't stifle her.
I was floored when the marketing team presented me with a name they wanted me to consider because it was an 'aha' moment and I could just imagine it on the cover of the book. I wasn't upset, not even a little. I trust the Omnific team to help market my book in a way that gets it into the hands of the readers who will appreciate it for what it is and never once have they brought something to me that I didn't feel was a good idea. They have been awesome and so respectful throughout the entire process that more than anything, I was just excited. My book plopped out of it's little cocoon and spread it's wings overnight and it was a natural and exhilarating change.
I'd poured over the name before submission - just agonized on the right words that would fit and just never really got one that I was 100% about. As soon as I said the suggested title out loud to my husband, he was like, 'that's it!' And I had to admit I liked the way it rolled off of my tongue like it was meant to be there. So, no more Dead Run River. My debut release is now called...
I have to tell you, I'm ecstatic about it and can't wait until I get to share the cover with you guys. With the title all wrapped up, it feels so close now :) October can't get here soon enough!
