Aimee Easterling's Blog, page 27
January 22, 2016
Interview with a werewolf
Author’s note: I wrote this interview to remind readers who everyone was since I dilly-dallied around between writing book one and book two. So please read Shiftless first if you don’t want any spoilers!
Me: I’m here today with the cast of Pack Princess. We thought you might need a bit of a reminder about who’s who before diving into book two of the Wolf Rampant series. Terra, do you want to start us off?
Terra Wilder: Okay, if you really want me to. I’m Terra, and I’m pack leader of clan Wilder at the moment. And, um, I guess I’m the heroine too.
Wolf Young: You are the heroine. [Takes Terra’s hand.] I’m her mate, Wolf Young, although everyone who knows me calls me Wolfie. I run my own pack of slightly damaged werewolves.
Justin Young: Slightly damaged—that’s a joke! Halfies, meat, and misfits is what you have in that so-called pack of yours.
Me: Do I need to separate you two? [Justin gets up and stalks to the other end of the room, taking his folding chair with him.] Ooookay, I guess I do. Anyway, that was Justin, who’s Wolfie’s sibling and the leader of the pack that both brothers grew up in. How about we move on to Cricket next?
Cricket Wilder: It was so kind of you to invite us all here today, Aimee. Do you want some tea?
Me: [Mumbling under my breath] It’s always the nice ones that I lose control of. [Raising my voice so I can speak to the whole room.] No tea for me, thanks, Cricket, but do you mind introducing yourself?
Cricket Wilder: How silly of me! I’m Terra’s stepmother, and this great big wolf by my side is my husband, Chief Wilder, Terra’s father. He used to be in charge of clan Wilder. Now he just…um…consults.
Unnamed Uncle Wilder #1: Consults! Ha! I don’t see why we can’t go back to the good old days when men were men and….
Hawk: What my brother-in-law is trying to say is that some of us aren’t so keen on our new alpha. But we don’t all feel that way. I’m another one of Terra’s uncles, but I’m her mother’s brother, which makes me a bit less…um….[throwing a glance in his brother-in-law’s direction, then lowering his voice]…never mind….
Bev: Well, I’m Hawk’s sister, and the young man looking all doe-eyed beside me is my son David.
David: I…
Drew Walker: [Nudging his cousin sharply in the side.] Shut up, your mommy already introduced you. I’m Drew, Terra’s cousin. And you can see one of her other cousins, Milo, guarding the door. There are a slew of us running around…but I’m the best!
Wade: Right. So, that’s all of the Walkers that you’ll hear from for the moment, since we couldn’t cram any more of them into this room. I’m part of Wolfie’s pack, but I’ve been living here with Terra for a while to help keep things on more of an even keel during the transition of power. Wolfie calls me and my friends the yahoos. That includes [pointing to the next three shifters down the row] Glen, Blaze, and the delicate flower Fen.
Fen: Don’t make me hit you.
Me: Okay, see, this is supposed to be a cordial introduction, not a pitched battle. Sarah, how about you tell us who you are next?
Sarah: You know, I really don’t think I should tell you who I am. But you can call me Trouble if you want to.
Dr. Dale Baker: You’re not really as much trouble as you think you are, Sarah. But since I can tell that Aimee wants us to stay on track, I’ll introduce myself next. I’m Dale, Terra’s brother-in-law and the only human in the room….
Keith Baker: Well, except for Aimee, of course. Unless she’s a closet werewolf. Dum dum dum dum!
Me: Thanks, Keith. Way to get rumors started. That was Dale’s son and Terra’s nephew, for those of you who are keeping track at home. And, since we’re running out of time, I’ll just name the other pack leaders present quickly and then let you go. The tall, older man is Thomas Bell, the youngster beside him is Gavin Griffin, and then Chad Walker is the third pack leader down the row. Beside Chad is his mate Camilla, who is also the daughter of the Reed pack leader and a distant cousin to Terra. And, on that note, I’ll let you get back to your regularly scheduled reading. Thanks for dropping by!
Cricket: Now, who wants cookies?
Keith: Oooh, I do! Unless they’re oatmeal. I hate oatmeal.
Wade: This would be a good time to fade to black….
[Fade to black]
January 19, 2016
Best Kindle Unlimited fantasy of 2015
My brother told me recently that he was thinking of gifting a Kindle Unlimited subscription to his wife, but he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to find good books. “That’s easy,” I answered. “Here are my favorite kindle unlimited reads of 2015.” Then I coughed up a massive email that probably bogged down his internet connection as the file glopped over the phone lines.
I decided to break my list up into categories and provide it to my readers as well. After all, if you enjoy the blend of fantasy and light romance in my books, you’re bound to love these other authors as well. So here goes — fantasy first:
Boundary Crossed by Melissa F. Olson is full of unique worldbuilding, follows a flawed by lovable heroine, and left me wanting more (without ending on a cliffhanger). Perfect!
Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron begs the question — why aren’t there more dragon shifter novels outside the romance umbrella? The series features the aforementioned dragons, a spunky female lead, and cat ghosts.
Followed by Frost by Charlie N. Holmberg is a beautifully written fairy-tale fantasy. And, in case you’re worried (like I was) — the author is a woman.
Twiceborn by Marina Finlayson grabbed me from the first page. How could you not be intrigued by an opening scene in which our heroine vaguely remembers blood-soaked hands…but has no other memory of the previous few hours? (Spoiler — dragon shifters!)
Thrill of the Chase by Layla Nash is a purely fun shifter romance that begins a series of five can-be-read-alone books. I particularly like the fact that the author doesn’t add a lot of padding to bring these to novel-length — I think the story is perfect the way it is.
Shifting Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter introduces a fascinating new shifter universe with a light love story and a strong mystery.
Night Shade by Helen Harper is an intriguingly different fantasy novel with a delightfully broken heroine who enters an alternative world through her dreams. Sounds trite, but the execution is top notch.
Just a Little Nudge by Jesi Lea Ryan follows a psychic working as a stripper so she can pay her mother’s nursing-home bills. It sure comes in handy that she can nudge those clients to pass up the ones and stick twenties in her g-string…. (This one isn’t in Kindle Unlimited on its own, but can be borrowed as part of the Happily Ever Alpha box set.)
Wolf Bride is pure fun, a perfect combination of werewolves and the Wild West. Okay, I’ll admit the author’s editor seems to have been on vacation when this book was published. But if you’re not the type who notices typos, you’ll love the ride. I am the sort who notices typos…and yet I’m now on book three of the series. Sometimes, story trumps all.
Stay tuned for next week when I’ll hit you with science fiction, post apocalyptic, and steam punk!
January 18, 2016
A new blog
I'm excited to announce that I have a new website
all my own! I'll be blogging about book recommendations, my
inspirations, and (of course) my own publishing news. I hope you'll go
check it out and let me know what you think.
January 17, 2016
Name that book
I’m itching to see what my amazing cover designer comes up with to illustrate the tough halfie I’ve been writing about all winter. But before I can ask Rebecca to put her talents to work, I need to settle on a title. Maybe you can help?
Here’s a quick poll with my top four choices. Does one of them jump out at you? Or perhaps you hate them all? If you feel particularly moved, feel free to comment here as well. I’m curious to find out what you think!
January 16, 2016
The Girl Who Wanted to Be Liked
Some writers enter the field in adulthood. Not so for me. Both of my parents came out of college with English degrees, and our house was filled with books. I learned to read at four (and did such a good job my kindergarten teacher brought me to read to my brother’s second-grade class — my first triumph!). After that, I spent long hours of my childhood lost in fantasy worlds.
I started writing in elementary school too, so by the time I hit ninth grade and was told to write a children’s book, I was ready to go. I thought you might enjoy this early attempt, which showcases a common thread that remains in my stories to this day — the outsider.
My adult literary analysis — good story arc, but she needs to lose more than her hair at the end and there’s too much wording repetition. Oh well, what can I say — I was only 13!
January 15, 2016
Midnight Prowl: FREE short story
As I transfer over from my old site, there are a few things I don’t want to fall by the wayside. First and foremost, here’s a free short story I published late last year — Midnight Prowl.
This is a bonus happily ever after for Jaguar at the Portal in which Finn takes Ixchel on an after-hours date in an art museum. So be sure to read the novel first if you don’t want to spoil the ending!
Haven’t read the novel? You can preorder it in a box set along with 20 other novels for only 99 cents! The deal ends when the box set goes on sale January 26, so don’t delay.
January 14, 2016
A new year, a new blog
I’m excited to finally be entering the twenty-first century with a spiffy new blog of my very own! Stay tuned to this space for news about my books, of course, but I’ve got other big plans as well.
I read much faster than I write and plan to share the cream of the crop here in the form of book reviews. There are a few free short stories sloshing around in my hard drive that I think you might enjoy. And I also plan to let you creep into my brain and see a bit of what inspires me.
…Or maybe I’ll get sidetracked and just go back to writing on my work in progress. Only time will tell….
January 11, 2016
The Complete Bloodling Serial
The final book in the Bloodling Serial, Hair Apparent,
is now live! Or, for those of you who've been waiting for the series to
end before diving in, you can now read the entire novel-length tale in a single bundle while saving two bucks.
If you've enjoyed Terra's world, I think you'll enjoy this story about a
werewolf who was born in lupine form and never quite got
the hang of his humanity just as much. But don't take my word for it.
Here's what a few reviewers have had to say about the series:
"Tense, sexy, focused" --- Claudia King
"Couldn't be better!" --- CaroChel
"I wanted to know more about Wolfie
and this serial made that happen. My whole understanding of Wolfie has
changed since reading this along with my appreciation for the Wolf
Rampant series." --- Megan
Ready to read? As usual, you can consume either the individual
installments or the entire bundle for free with Kindle Unlimited. Then,
if you enjoy it, I hope you'll consider leaving a review since your kind
words keep me writing (and help other readers decide to take a chance
on an unknown author). Thank you so much for your help!
January 6, 2016
Two new soil books
I'm excited to announce that Personality Tests For Your Soil is now live on:
AmazonBarnes & NobleKoboiBooks
This first volume in my
soil series covers hands-on tests you can use to learn about your own
particular plot of earth. This is the time of year when gardeners start
itching for a way to get their hands dirty, so hopefully the projects in
Personality Tests for Your Soil will fill that gap while also helping to ensure that the 2016 garden year will be your best one yet.
Meanwhile, the second installment --- Small-Scale No-Till Gardening Basics --- delves even deeper into the hands-on tricks we use on our own farm to turn soil black and keep veggies happy. Once again, I'm giving you a chance to nab a copy during the first week of preorder for 99 cents:
AmazonBarnes & Noble
KoboiBooks
I hope you'll consider
giving one or both a shot. And if you try out a copy and like what you
read, I'll be eternally grateful if you leave a review, loan the ebook
to a friend, or otherwise spread the word. Your support makes all the
difference and ensures I have time to keep pushing out homesteading
how-tos to make your projects a little easier and your garden days
brighter. Thank you so much for reading what I write!
December 28, 2015
Wolfie's serial is nearly complete
If
you're like me, you had a great holiday, but you're in serious need of
some good books to decompress after all the friend-and-family
excitement. Wolfie's glad to oblige.
The fourth installment in his serial, Feint of Heart went live today. This winter's tale should keep you on the edge of your seat, and it's FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Meanwhile, the final episode of Wolfie's adventure, Hair Apparent, will be live in two weeks and is up for preorder now. And if you've been waiting on the bundle (save two bucks!), then that title is available for preorder now too.
I hope you enjoy the rest
of Wolfie's adventure. As usual, you'll be doing me a huge favor if you
take the time to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog. Or
just tell a friend --- those word-of-mouth recommendations are pure gold
for the indie author. Thank you so much!
