Blog Tour: An Interview with Reaper’s L.S. Murphy :D

Here I am on my stop for the Reaper Blog Tour, and man, do I have a treat for you.

She’s as quirky as Quincy, as witty as … well, me (ha!), and a whole lotta fun to stalk.

Yep, that’s right, my guest for today iiiiiiiisssssssssssssss

L.S. Murphy: Author of YA novel Reaper.

*Cue the clackers*

Howdy, LS. Lovely to have you here on my blog. Now I’ve read Reaper, so I already know what it’s about, but how about doing a quick tagline for my visitors who haven’t?

Thanks for having me.

Reaper is the story of sixteen-year-old Quincy Amarante who discovers her destiny is to become a grim reaper, and she’s not exactly happy about this.

Yup, that about sums it up in a nutshell.

As mentioned above, Quincy is a pretty quirky character. Did you base her on anyone you know? Or was she plucked straight from the wisps of your mind?

Quin sprung from the depths of my imagination, but some of her more witchy attributes are accumulative of things I saw/witnessed/was the brunt of during my own high school days.

Yeah, love those high school kids, eh?

How about Ben? He’s a cutesy, for sure. Base him on a childhood crush, mebbe?

More like he’s based on my adult crush on Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day.  *sigh*

Hehehe, cute.

So what else can we expect from you in the future? You’ve recently had an adult contemp romance published: A Reason to Stay, but will you be wowing us with more YA fun?

*crosses fingers* I have quite a few things going on. In June I signed with an amazing literary agent , Julia Weber of J. A. Weber Literaturagenturwith a YA contemp about seventeen-year-old Victoria Hudson who joins a boys summer baseball league without her ambitious father’s knowledge. Currently I’m in the rewriting stage for another YA contemp about seventeen-year-old Piper Marks who is forced to move from the big city to a small town in Iowa where she meets a boy with a deeply buried secret. And I’m outlining something else. No rest for the wicked, right?

That’s great to hear. Good luck with the subs.

Now time for a little bit about YOU!

Anyone who reads LS’s Tweets or Blog will know who Bean is. For those who don’t, Bean is Ms Murphy’s wee girl, who comes out with even more wit than her mother. So, LS, how about sharing with us, your absolute favourite ‘Beanism’ to date?

There are too many! Okay, okay, don’t twist my arm.

1)      Bean was sitting on the counter, helping her daddy make mac-n-cheese. She pointed at his belly and asked, “Do you have a baby in there?”

2)      The hubs loves watching home movies. He put in the one from the day we brought Bean home. When he explained what was going on, she smiled and said, “And you let me stay? Thanks, Daddy.”

 Aww, too cute. 

Also, anyone who spies on the public conversations between myself and LS will have no doubt picked up on her love of all things Brit (which is possibly why she loves me—ha!). So, where did this love of the land across the pond come from? A visit … your own imagination …?

It’s the accent. I freakin’ love British accents. True story: One time at a high school marching band event, I pretended I was British. I thought I could fake a good accent. So I flirted with another drummer from a different school in my wonderfully fake accent. A few of my friends from my own drumline, as well as a few of the guys I knew from other schools, laughed at me, but this dude bought it hook, line, and sinker. After the show, as I walked in the parking lot with him, I let the fake accent slip. I turned and walked away without looking back.

LOLOLOLOL

And finally:

Steak or fish or Oh heck, no, pure veggie, baby!?

Frog legs. I’m a country girl at heart.

O_o

O_O

o_O

Cats or raccoons? What? This is L.S. Murphy. No point asking her normal stuff. O_o

Another true story: I grew up on a farm in Northeast Missouri. We had this huge cat named Sally. She was as big as a Tom and as mean as one too. One night, my mother heard a massive cat fight outside. Since we only had one cat, she had to investigate.  Naturally. Well, our old farmhouse was getting a new basement wall at that time so there was a huge hole outside the kitchen door. Mom waved around her maglight until she finally found the source of the noise. Sally sat by the new basement wall licking her paws. Beside her was a opossum. Dead. You didn’t mess with Sally.

So, cats.

Cripes. O_O

Current favourite author?

J.A. Belfield. :)

See? I told you she was cool. Ha! (psst, I’ll drop you the payment later, LS)

Aaaaaaaand favourite flavour ice-cream (very important detail for understanding a personality *nods head*)?

Oh, I am sorry to disappoint, but I like vanilla. Simple and pure. When I was a kid, my grandfather would make homemade ice cream. Always vanilla. It’s one of the few memories I have of him.

I can relate. Mr B is a total vanilla ice cream fan.

Thank you soooooo much for stopping on by. Please check out L.S.’s recently released fun YA title. Here’s what I’ve been blathering on about:

There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

You can go the Reaper’s Goodreads page by clicking on the image. Purchase links for Reaper can be found HERE!

And if you’re cool enough to stalk L.S., you can do so here: Twitter | Facebook | Blog |

Don’t forget to tell her I said ‘Hi!’

L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for teens and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to The Bean (aka her daughter), her husband and a menagerie of pets. “A Reason to Stay”, a contemporary romance novella, is available as of November 2, 2012. Reaper is her debut young adult novel and will be released on January 7th, 2013.

She is a co-rep for the Southern Illinois region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild.

Digging the pink hair.

Author Love: Jennifer M. Eaton

Today is the final day for introducing you to my Make Believe buddies. So last, but by no means least, meet: Jennifer.

Hi, Jennifer. Tell us a little about your story—and how does it relate to the prompt given for the anthology theme? 

My story has everything to do with the writing prompt.  I wrote fresh from staring at that picture for two weeks.  Honestly I’d given up, as nothing was coming to me.  Then I decided to use an old writing trick of mine.  I took the girl in the picture, described her, and had her take a step.  That was all I needed.  Once she stepped into the snow, and her red silk slipper dampened in the thawing slush—I never turned back.  Emily was born, and her story simply flowed from my fingers.

How did you choose the title for the story? 

I actually wrote the last six words of the story on the first day of writing.  I am not really sure where they came from, but from those words, the title “Last Winter Red” was born.

Are you working on another title at the moment?

Can you tell us about it? Oh Yes!  I am currently working on a new novel entitled Fire in the Woods.  It is a far stretch from Last Winter Red.  “Fire” takes place in New Jersey (on the East Coast of the USA) in present day.  My heroine is a seventeen-year-old girl who meets a boy in the woods after a plane crash, and he turns her life upside down forever.  Fire in the Woods is a fast-paced explosive YA story that I can’t wait to put the final finishing touches on.

Sounds awesome. I’m really into YA at the moment.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would really love to go to Egypt.  I find the Pyramids and Egyptian artefacts fascinating.  At one time, it was one of my goals to climb the great pyramids.  Things as they are, though, I’ve backed down on that goal somewhat and have my eyes set on climbing the Mayan pyramids.  I just love ruins of all kinds.  I recently scampered around the ruins of Jamestown, Virginia (of Pocahontas and John Smith fame)  I just eat that stuff up! Oh, am I still answering the right question?  Sorry!

Meh, don’t worry about it. Have you ever read a book more than once? If so, what was it?

I read the first three books of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series multiple times.  I just loved the stories immensely.  The characters, the deep plotlines… it all just drew me in.  Every time a new book came out, I’d read the preceding books just to get the story straight again.  Yes, that means that at one point I basically knew the first book by heart.  I stopped doing it after a while… because those books are REALLY LONG!

 And now for some randomness:

Plotter or panster? 

I used to be a pantser.  I wrote for the simple joy of writing and never knew where the wind would take me.  The first thing I ever outlined was Last Winter Red.  Yeah, that went pretty well for me.  The outline is now my friend.  Fire in the Woods was written from an outline, and the writing is very crisp and tight.  I don’t think I will ever write something (seriously) from the seat of my pants again.

Steak: rare or well-done—how do you like your meat?

Cook it baby!  My husband and I were out at a restaurant the other night, and he got something “pan seared”.  We didn’t realize that meant RAW INSIDE.  He said it was okay, but “got full” quickly.  We bought our meal home, and cooked it— thank you very much.  Nope, we don’t like our meat raw and wiggling.

*Snicker*

Ice cream … or fresh cream? 

What the heck is fresh cream?  I went to a farm and milked a cow once.  The milk was oaky, but it was not cold, which was a bit weird.  Let’s say Ice cream.  I’m American.  No fresh cream for us over the pond.  :)

The bird doesn’t know what fresh cream is? O_O This is a travesty!  

Coastal walks … or extreme sports?

Coastal walks.  I’m not a real extreme sports type of person, although I actually LOVE snorkelling and hiking.  Hiking can get a little extreme sometimes, and I did have a run-in with a school of squid once, but that’s a story for another day.  :)

And finally … in no more than three sentences, tell us why we should read your story? What about it will grip us by the shirt scruffs and drag us along for the ride?

The world as we know it has ended.  Emily stumbles into the woods looking for love, and discovers a secret that will change her life forever.  You can never know how the truth will affect you, until you are forced to confront the unthinkable.

This is very true. Sounds like a great read! Let’s take a look at Jennifer’s blurb for Last Winter Red:

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.

The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Sounds very cool, eh?

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to catch up with Jennifer on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or her Blog, and say Hi! 

A HUGE thanks to all of you who’ve visited us this week. Don’t forget to check out all the Make Believe blog tour posts that will be happening over the next few weeks. Due to there being 6 participating authors, there are quite a few, but more stops means more chances to win an Ebook of Make Believe or other goodies are bound to arise.

Author Love: Kelly Said

MASSIVE welcome to my fellow Make Believe author, Kelly.

I’m a HUGE fan of Kelly’s writing since loving her story Pearl of Pau-maa in the Tidal Whispers anthology so I’m muchero excited that she’s here on my blog.

So, Kelly, can you tell us a little about your story—and how does it relate to the prompt given for the anthology theme?

When I first saw the image of a girl in a red cloak standing in a snow coated field, I studied *every* detail. How the snow was falling, how come there were no footprints in the snow? Why was the girl out in a blizzard with bare arms, as if the weather didn’t bother her? What happened to the trees and animals? Why was she alone out in the middle of nowhere? If she was summoned there, how and why? The cover image is actually a scene in the middle of my story, so once I had those questions answered, I knew how things would start and how they would end, but it had no intrigue yet. So, when I read the publisher’s prompt of “Where illusion can’t hide all the secrets,” I knew that one of the characters in my story would be harbouring some incredibly powerful secret, perhaps using “illusions” to keep people from discovering the fact that – well now, “that’s” a discovery readers will make at the end of the story, hehe! *wink-wink!*

And I’ll bet they can’t wait to find out. So what can you tell us about the book that the blurb doesn’t tell us? Preferably without giving the entire plot away?

Hmm, let’s see… something NOT in the blurb…. *looks up, bites lip, ponders* There’s a catfight scene, well, maybe not a “fight” per se, but rather a “skirmish.”

Ooooh, very intriguing. And how about the title for the story, how did you choose that?

I really like how the word PETRIFIED has different meanings. For instance, it can mean to benumb or paralyze someone with astonishment, horror, or other strong emotion. Or, it implies making something rigid or inert; harden; deaden. It felt to me like both meanings of the word PETRIFIED embodied a major plot element in the story.

 And now for some randomness:

 What book(s) are you reading now?

Divergent by Veronica Roth and After Dark by Emi J. Gayle

LOVED both!

Paranormal or dystopia—which do you prefer?

Can’t we have both? Hehe! Hmm, on a scale of 1-100, I’m 50.5% more paranormal preference to 49.5% dystopian.

You know that’s cheating, right? Okay, how about: Werewolves or vampires (what’d you choose: hot bloodied or blood sucker)?

ah-ooooo! Werewolves! I know a couple of hot ones from The Holloway Pack stories ;D

Ha! Yeah, I’d go with weirdwolves every time.

Cats or dogs?

Dogs

And finally … in no more than three sentences, tell us why we should read your story? What about it will grip us by the shirt scruffs and drag us along for the ride?

I like stories with buried secrets, secrets so huge they rumble and shake the ground until nothing can keep them from being exposed, keee-rack! ultimately shifting a person’s perspective like a tectonic plate. PETRIFIED takes readers to a place where winter has strangely devoured summer, where mysteries are the mortar binding the bricks in castle walls, and where Prince Sterling August and Lochlyn of the North are about to discover that some secrets, no matter how vehemently guarded, will surface and change them both forever.

Dum-dum-duuuuuuum! Sounds awesome! Let’s take a look at Kelly’s blurb for Petrified:

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow. Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.

The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Sounds very cool, eh?

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to catch up with Kelly on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or her Blog, and say Hi! 

Don’t forget to call back tomorrow for a ‘chat’ with Jennifer M. Eaton.

Author Love: Lynda R. Young

MASSIVE welcome to my fellow Make Believe author, Lynda.

Having only know Lynda since she sent in a wee story and had it accepted and then signed a contract that just so happened to land her in the same antho as me, it’s been a lot of fun getting to learn more about her. And I get to share that with you.

So, Lynda, tell us a little about your story—and how does it relate to the prompt given for the anthology theme?

The red against the snow was my main inspiration, though I didn’t want to write a story with a snowy setting. I wasn’t sure how to get around that problem, but I did have a particular character in mind. I ended up just writing based on the character, and the image of blood on snow.  How I turned that image into a hot Florida setting, you’ll have to find out by reading the story.

Love how everyone saw something different in the image. How did you choose the title for the story?

Either titles come to me instantly as if predestined, or I’m doomed and I scramble around in a fluster in search of the title. In the case of Birthright, I had to do some serious brainstorming and mind mapping. I came up with titles ranging from the ridiculous to what-were-you-thinking! For a long while I thought the story would end up titleless or worse. In the end I sent the publisher a choice of two titles after they nixed the first one. I’m glad they pushed me for a better title, because this one fits the story so well. Oh, and no I’m not going to say what the other titles were. I’d like to bury them forever and pretend they didn’t exist

LOL. Where did the idea for your hero come from? Is he based on anyone tangible?

There is a little of my adorable husband in my hero.  I can’t help myself. My hubby is the perfect man.

*Sigh* That’s adorable.

Have you ever read a book more than once? If so, what was it?

It’s rare for me to read a book more than once. There are too many other books I want to read. The only books I’ve read twice or more are fantasy titles: The Lord of the Rings (read four times and I often dip into it and read it from random places), The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (read twice), oh, and Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series for children (read twice).

And now for a little randomness:

Favourite spot to write?

I love to write on the couch with warm sunlight flooding into the room. I also love to write on picnics or at the local coffee shop.

 

Coastal walks … or extreme sports?

I used to be into semi-extreme sports—paragliding, ballooning, eating chocolate (hey, the way I eat chocolate, it could be considered extreme), but I think, deep down, I’m a slow-stroll-in-a-picturesque-setting kinda girl now. It gives me time to dream up new stories.

 Chocolate eating an extreme sport. *snort* I definitely like your way of thinking.

E-book or print?

I’d definitely choose e-book because of its quick access to books, comfort to handle and carry around with me, and fabulous readability (I use a reader with the ink technology rather than one that’s backlit). However, if the book is an absolute favourite then I’ll buy the print version as well so I can flip through the pages, hold it and admire it on my shelves.

 Totally with you on that.

And finally … in no more than three sentences, tell us why we should read your story? What about it will grip us by the shirt scruffs and drag us along for the ride?  

I think you should read Birthright because it includes all the story tasties such as mystery, danger, and romance.  It’s about Christa who has been running from everything–her grief, her destiny, even herself.  When she comes to a small town in Florida and meets a stranger with an unknown agenda, she keeps running from her life when she should be running for her life. 

Destiny and a stranger and romance … *sigh* Let’s take a look at Lynda’s blurb for Birthright:

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.

She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she’s never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Sounds cool, eh?

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to catch up with Lynda on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or her Blog, and say Hi! 

Don’t forget to call back tomorrow for a ‘chat’ with Kelly Said.

Author Love: J. Keller Ford

MASSIVE welcome to my fellow Make Believe author, J. Keller Ford.

I met Jen (virtually) on a writing site quite a few years ago, and have stayed in touch since so I’m very excited to have her on my blog today and for the opportunity to introduce her to you.

So, Jen, tell us a little about your story—and how does it relate to the prompt given for the anthology theme?

The Amulet of Ormisez is a story of love between brothers, love between husband and wife and the sacrifices both spouse and brother must make to save the one they love. 

The first three words that popped into my head when I saw the prompt were blood (the dress), sacrifice and purity (the snow).  As the castle was in shadow yet surrounded by snow, I knew the person inside must be pure of heart as well, but troubled, hurt.  The woman had to be his savior, but not without some sort of sacrifice on her part.  After two months of staring at the prompt, the idea for the story finally came to me.  Within three weeks, The Amulet of Ormisez was born.   

Love how each of us have been inspired in different ways. What can you tell us about the book that the blurb doesn’t tell us? Preferably without giving the entire plot away?

I am a fantasy writer.  As soon as I saw the prompt with a castle, my heart leapt for joy.  Any chance I can bring fantasy elements, including creatures, to a story, I’m happy.

What about the characters? What three words best describe your MC? How about the supporting cast?

My main character, Elton Fletcher, is a warrior, compassionate and committed.

His brother, Cayden, is arrogant, malicious and confused.

Cayden’s wife, Marsalí, is mysterious, resentful, yet merciful.

Marsalí’s handmaiden, Felicity, is temperate, loyal and noble.

Which character from your story would you most like to meet?

Elton Fletcher.  He’s so incredibly kind-hearted, empathetic and would do anything to protect those he loves.

He sounds adorable. 

Have you ever read a book more than once? If so, what was it?

I’ve read lots of books more than once.  I’ve read Great Expectations at least four times.  I recently finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the fifth time (it’s my favorite out of all the entire series).  I recently finished The Fault In Our Stars for the second time.

Now for some randomness:

Paranormal or dystopia—which do you prefer?

That’s a hard one because I like both.  I do have to say that most of the books I’ve read lately are dystopian so I’m going to go with that one.  It is subject to change at any moment, however. 

Coastal walks … or extreme sports?

Coastal walks, hands down.  What’s not to love about the Gulf beaches of Florida?

I’m with you.

Cats or dogs?

I have an assortment of both.  There is no way I could choose between them.

Yep, I’m with you again. 

E-book or print?

PRINT!  PRINT! PRINT!  E-books have their place, but I love the feel of a real book in my hand.  When I stumble upon really old books, I’m elated, as if I’ve just stumbled upon a piece of history.  As an author, I like the idea of signing books. No matter how hard one tries, an author can’t sign an e-book.  In addition, you can gift real books over and over again whereas you can’t do that with e-books.  Finally, as an author, reading my published book on a screen is no different than reading my final, unpublished manuscript on a computer screen.  Digital is digital.  They all look the same whether in draft or final. The only difference is one has a cover and an ISBN# and the other doesn’t.  Call me old fashioned, but this gal plans to cling to the tangible ‘written’ word for as long as I can.  :)

For some reason, your answer doesn’t surprise me, hehehe.

And finally … in no more than three sentences, tell us why we should read your story? What about it will grip us by the shirt scruffs and drag us along for the ride? 

The Amulet of Ormisez is a tragic tale of betrayal entrenched within a story of boundless love, devotion and selfless personal sacrifice.  It’s a story filled with hope and a promise that no matter what evil threatens our lives, true love will see us through and conquer all.  Last, it is a heart-wrenching reminder of what we can achieve if we only take the risks and believe.

Sounds awesome! Let’s take a look at Jen’s blurb for The Amulet of Ormisez:

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.

After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Sounds very cool, eh?

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to catch up with J.Keller Ford on Twitter, Facebook, Website, or her Blog, and say Hi! 

Don’t forget to call back tomorrow for a ‘chat’ with Lynda R. Young.

Author Love: Terri Rochenski

MASSIVE welcome to my fellow Make Believe author, Terri.

Having known Terri (in a virtual sense) for longer than we’ve teamed for the antho, I’m muchero excited to have her on my blog.

So, Terri, what can you tell us about the book that the blurb doesn’t tell us? Preferably without giving the entire plot away?

The basis of this story actually comes from the Bible. I had an idea stewing in my brain and I shared it with my mother. She’s my biggest spring board. When I shared the story, she said it reminded her of a story in the Old Testament. I looked it up & BAM. Muse ran away.

So all that to say this … while not meant in ANY way to be a Bible story or a preaching devise, this story is about your parents, honouring them, and obedience leading to fulfilled dreams.

Love when bouncing off someone helps stir the brainpot.

Where did the idea for your hero come from? Is he based on anyone tangible?

My idea for Alesuela came from the daughter of Jephthah in the book of Judges. After my mother shared his story with me, I thought about what his daughter must have experienced – her emotional turmoil – especially at a time when young women didn’t have the option to rebel against their fathers’ decrees.

Your mother sounds like a great person to collaborate with.

Which do you prefer: daydreams or nightdreams? And what is your most lucid dream to date (please keep it clean—ha!)?

I’m a daydreamer. I do it ALL the time. It’s where my stories come from. I don’t daydream about my life, but in 3^rd person in other worlds. I’m truly a fantasy fan.

Have you ever read a book more than once? If so, what was it?

OH yeah. Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series (the WHOLE thing) at least 5 times. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series a few times more than Goodkind’s.  Sad I know. The Little House on the Prairie collection I read till they fell apart. Literally.

And onto some randomness:

Plotter or panster?

Plotter, big time. Keeps me from actually putting the story on paper more often than not. *shame face* The only stories I don’t plot to death are flash pieces.

Steak: rare or well-done—how do you like your meat?

Medium please. Nice and warm, yet still pink and juicy. Thanks. Now I’m hungry.

Hehehehe. 

Ice cream … or fresh cream?

Two words: Moose Tracks. *drooling*

Here, have a tissue. Ha! *Makes note to Google Moose Tracks*

Pizza toppings: the entire works … or the plainer the better?

What kind of questions are these?!?!?!?!? I’m seriously hungry right now …

*Snicker*

Mushroom and pepperoni in all its greasy gloriousness. Is gloriousness a word??? It should be.

Love pepperoni. Mushrooms, not so much.

Cats or dogs?

Uh … neither. I have 2 cats, though, which I wish I didn’t. There’s cat hair EVERYWHERE. Can’t stand it.  Dogs are too much work. It’s like having a child that never grows up. NO thank you!

And finally … in no more than three sentences, tell us why we should read your story? What about it will grip us by the shirt scruffs and drag us along for the ride?

Imagine being sentenced to death. Now imagine the one who unknowingly did so was your adored father. Obey, or sentence him to death in your stead.

Wow! Sounds pretty intense. Let’s take a look at Terri’s blurb for Sacrificial Oath:

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

Sounds cool, eh?

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to catch up with Terri on Twitter, Facebook, or her Blog, and say Hi! 

Don’t forget to call back tomorrow for a ‘chat’ with J. Keller Ford.

INTERVIEW WITH CHARLIE KENMORE

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author Charlie Kenmore. Before we head on down to the interview, where his amusing wit will be revealed to all, why don’t we take a gander at his debut release, Earth Angel.

There are seven parallel worlds known as the Seven Realms which are separated by a Veil. Six are inhabited by all manner of entities, some natural, some not. That may not be the case for much longer. The first portion of the High Sidhe Prophecy of the Sevens has been fulfilled. The Anarch, who is one with the Veil, has escaped. If she chooses, she can part or drop the Veil or she can lift the Veil in its entirety. The Seven Realms will converge. The laws of physics and magic will collide head on. Unless she is stopped, there will be nothing left.

Queen Amura has called for an assembly of the signatories to the High Sidhe’s Second Accords, a multi-realm peace treaty to consider how to deal with the threat of the Anarch. An Earthside TechnoWitch and other dark forces also are seeking to control the Anarch. Prince Dzhok (Jack) , High Sidhe Ambassador Salash (Jack’s oldest friend and lover), and Valkyrie Brunhilde set out to find and befriend the Anarch before all is lost.

So, Charlie, I understand Earth Angel is your début novel, but the subtitle suggests it will be part of a series. Did you have a vision when you started writing Earth Angel about how many books the series will end up comprising of?

CK: When I envisioned the Seven Realms, I had ideas for several different stories. There are currently four completed stories past Earth Angel. The sequel to Earth Angel is The Flow of Magic. Oceanus seeks to reconstruct the greatest tome on magic ever written to complete his life-long mission to resurrect Old Atlantis. Along the way, he kidnaps three of Jack’s daughters as part of his revenge. Next come two novellas, Que Sarah, Sarah and Play For Me (based on my screenplay).  In Que Sarah, Sarah, a 9,000 year cycle is ending for the Goddess Bastet. She must find a new human vessel, but an old enemy is killing off all of the candidates. Ralph, a huge talking black cat, must escort Sarah, the last candidate, past Inter-Realm bounty hunters, to Bastet’s holy city before the cycle ends. In Play For Me, a young succubus with issues comes to the city for a little grand theft, homicide and sex to take her mind off of the impending death of her mentor. The fourth tale is Arch Enemies. Kellan, a middle daughter of Jack and Salash, and her friends have to help stop the return of Formori (ew!), a misshapen race that hasn’t been heard from in eons. The Formori plan to use the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, as a portal to bring something nasty and huge Earthside. Hopefully, the Muse will share additional tales with me.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? Or was there something in your life that triggered the decision to follow that path?

CK:  I’ve written on and off for years. It is common knowledge that my significant other, D. Alexx Miller a/k/a “Alexx Momcat”, is a paranormal romance fanatic. A couple of years ago, while brainstorming on birthday gift ideas, I had an idea (note the lack of descriptive adjective before the word “idea”). Why don’t I just write her a paranormal romance? How hard can it be? I had written several full length screenplays, and a 20,000 word novella, along with numerous short stories. With a little over three months to go, I figured that I had plenty of time. I barely finished Book One in time for her birthday. Well, I got the paranormal part down. To my credit, there are romantic elements. However, to date, no one has accused me of writing a paranormal romance.

 Hehehehe. Do you have any kind of routine you follow when you’re preparing to write? For example, I have a coffee to hand, my most comfortable trousers on …. What do you do to get into the ‘zone’?

CK: First, I top off my iced tea. Then I make sure some kind of snack is readily available. For serious grind sessions, dark chocolate is snack of choice. Next, I place one or more dictionaries and thesauruses within arm’s reach, aaaaaaaand, I’m off.

Who would you say is your strongest character in Earth Angel? And what characteristics make them as such?

CK: I’d probably have to go with Jack (Prince Dzhok). He gets the most face time. Although the Qpiad are far stronger and faster than humans, he is significantly weaker physically than all of his female companions. So he has to show his strength through compassion and leadership.

Is your writing ever influenced by TV or movies?

CK: All the time. I frequently see shows and movies and think, Wow, that was awful. It serves as a constant reminder that my readers deserve something better including better dialogue, internally consistent plotting and temporal consistency, and believable characters and motivation.

If you could host a twenty minute Q&A session with any author, who would you choose and why?

CK: Tough call, probably James Patterson. I met him at a book signing a few years ago.

Oooh, interesting choice. Okay, exposure time: What are the first three books on your bookshelf—top shelf, left-to-right?

CK: We have bookshelves and books everywhere. I can’t even find the first bookshelf, much less the first three books. At one time, we attempted to sort Alexx’s paranormal authors alphabetically. That shelf has four books by Amanda Ashley. The glass covered case that holds signed editions starts out with Jim Butcher’s Cursor’s Fury, Christine Feehan’s Dark Celebration, and Karen Slaughter’s Indelible.

I have a Jim Butcher on my TBR list. And finally: I’ve been known to run from anything that resembles sci-fi or high fantasy. How would you convince me to stick around and read your book?

CK: First, I’d appeal to your rational side. Earth Angel is sui generis, a singular, one of a kind creation. It incorporates elements of fantasy and science fiction, but does not fall readily into either category. The settings are not so far removed from your experiences that you need to put on 3-D glasses to imagine them.  The science fiction elements focus more on the effects than on the workings of the technologies. Accordingly, you can tell yourself that you are not really reading a fantasy or a sci-fi novel.

Still not convinced? Then next I’d appeal to your romantic nature. Earth Angel may not be a typical paranormal romance, but it has romantic elements. Jack is a Qpiad (commonly misspelled as “cupid” in Earthside English). He is a Realm-class lover, who finds everything he is looking for in the heroines. The story ends at the reception for a double wedding. Seven Hells, the story was written as a birthday present!

If you are still pushing back from the table, I’d try sex next. Haven’t you ever wanted a lover who was a perfect fit every time, in every position, who guaranteed simultaneous orgasms? Haven’t you ever wondered about the consequences of having oral sex with an ice sprite? Honestly?

Okay, still not sold? Let’s try national pride. Some of the scenes take place in London, UK, Earthside. Jack drives a light blue 1973 Austin Marina by British Leyland.

If all of the above fails, then there is always duct tape.

Hehehehehe, okay, okay, you’ve convinced me this may be one to break the mould, LOL.

Many thanks, Charlie, for the interview. It was a lot of fun.

So … what about you guys? Has Charlie convinced you to give his book a go? It has romance …

Just in case, here’s where you can grab yourself a copy:

Damnation Books  (you have to register-free)

Amazon

All Romance Books

Charlie is a 52 year old professional from St. Louis, Missouri with one very significant other (A.K.A. “Alexx Momcat”), two grown kids, and two cats.  He enjoys collecting books, art and cooking.  But with his double and triple stacked bookshelves sagging, he looks forward to the new era of e-publishing.  An avid garage sale hunter, he is still searching for an oil painting by Edouard Leon Cortes (or anything from the Drip and Drool School like Pollack or Rothko that can be sold so he can buy my Cortes).

charliekenmore@gmail.com
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INTERVIEW: AUTHOR M.L. LACY

Today, I get to share my blog with the delightful M.L. Lacy, author of the Chrysalis series. Here’s a quick look at the cover and blurb before you duck downward to see what M.L. has to say for herself:

All families have secrets.  At 32, Bree Campbell discovers her entire life has been a secret.  A mortal born into a family of Magicals, she begins questioning everything and everyone around her.  The prophecy told at her birth speaks of a Chosen One; the last and greatest of a long line of Chosen Ones charged with saving both the Mortal and Magical worlds.  Bree must face this reality and life with her new family; a clan of vampires protecting her.  The sorceress, Esmeralda, will stop at nothing until this Chosen One is dead.  None could then oppose her and she would be free to rid the world of all mortals.  Will Bree awaken the hidden powers and find inner strength needed to save the world?

Currently available as E-Book. Paperback due for release December 2011.

So, M.L.,Chrysalis is your debut novel. What was your writing process for that? How long did it take from seedling idea to seeing it published?

I sat down and wrote what came into my head. I wrote the initial draft in 30 days. It took me another 3 months to massage it…then I sat back and thought “how can I make this different than anything that’s out there” and it took me another 3 months to polish it.

There are a lot of novels out there about vampires right now? What makes your stand out from the rest? How is it different?

I deal with clans, covens, tribes, families, and relationships that are completely different from the human realm. My vampires live in clans, my werewolves live in packs, and my witches live in covens. All my magicals live in families of one type or another, and those not living in a family, I call the homeless.

That was an interesting concept—the vampires, have gatherings on the spring and fall equinox, and if a homeless wants to join a clan, they have to petition the clan for entry. If the clan accepts the petition, then they vet the homeless individual to ensure they will “fit in” with the clan before they accept them.

My magical realm’s views on intimacy differ greatly from the human realm. They live for centuries, their family ties are strong, and they view that intimacy as a special bond.

I have traditional vampires and the ones I call non-conformists (non-coms for short). They decided to break from the true nature of vampires. They get their drink (which is what I call their liquid food) on a daily basis from the blood banks that several vampire morticians operate. They go out in the daylight. They have a day life as well as a night life.

The magical realm and the human realm in my story are here to keep the world in balance, Esmeralda is threatening that balance, and Bree has to stop her.

Cool. So, are you easily inspired?

I am if I have an interest in the subject.

Do ideas for new stories pop into your head at the slightest prompt whilst mingling with the population of the world or do you tend to sit and plot and scheme before you have a basis for a story?

I’m a daydreamer and when my mind travels, the ideas pop. I’ve so many stories that are waiting in my head to get on paper…and soooo little time. I’m currently working 2 series and I have 3 others on the back burner. I always have the beginning and ending of any story ironed out and what happens in the middle is fun…it’s life and I go with it and let it take me on my journeys. I want all my stories different. I don’t want to get into the cookie-cutter mold.

I love, love, love the cover art for Chrysalis: The Awakening. I’m a big believer of cover art being a conveyer of what’s between the covers. How closely does yours relate to the story (other than the obvious butterfly/chrysalis theme)?

Bree is emerging from the protection of her family as she learns of the prophecy that foretold her birth. She’s coming into her own, she still stumbles but she’s blossoming, as she gains her footing, and she has the courage to push forward by herself if need be. She understands that at the end of her journey, death may take her, but she is courageous in her fight to save the realms.

Blurbs so often tell folk very little about the people who walk the pages. How about you toss out five words that describe Bree.

Trusting, loving, forgiving, courageous, and young-minded.

And can the reader expect a little romance for Bree? Or would that be asking for a spoiler?

I don’t think that would be a spoiler at all. Yes, there is more than a little romance in store for her and that’s something she is going to have to come to terms with, because the magical realm’s views on intimacy differ greatly from the human realm, as I said up above. They live for centuries, and so many come into their lives. The clan hierarchy is different from anything she imagined. However…Bree is not as fortunate as everyone else in the magical realm—she is only allowed seven for her eternity. I wanted this series to be different. I didn’t one the plain and simple, but it is written in a way to make you want to live in that realm, to have that much love, and to be that loved…as well as fighting the evil-doers! Let’s not forget the evil-doers!!

Yeah, those pesky evil-doers often get in the way, eh? Okay, let’s wrap up on an easy one: Shower us in five random facts about yourself.

I was born and raised in Indiana. I love vacationing in Yellowstone; I would live there if I could. I believe in ghosts…would love to talk to one. My favorite type of dog is a Dachshund and I love to write.

Thank you so much, M.L., for joining me today.

What about you guys? Does Chrysalis sound like your kind of read?

You can find out more about M L Lacy and her book series’ at:

website: www.mlllacy.com

Goodreads: M.L. Lacy

Facebook: M.L.Lacy (author)

Amazon: Chrysalis – The Awakening

Note from author: Chrysalis – The Awakening is now available on e-Book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all other on-line e-Book sites. I am excited about this saga and I hope you will travel with me as the story unfolds.

Book 2 in the series will be available June 2012.

SEAN HOLLOWAY MEETS … AIMEE LAINE!

Sean Holloway!

Tameable?

I thought so.

Until he went and snuck off to yet another author interview.

And what’s more?

He’s kicked me off the comments section for the rest of the day!

To find out what Darkness & Light’s Sean Holloway gets up to when he’s out of my control, visit Aimee Laine’s Blog!

Join Me at the J. Taylor Publishing Blog!

I’m featured over at J. Taylor Publishing today in an author interview. It would be great if you popped on over to check it out!