Please help me welcome Vonnie Davis to my blog today. Be sure and leave her a comment to be entered into the drawing for a $10 giftcard.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a retired technical writer who has traded her tailored clothes for the feathered boa of a romance author. The change in professions appeals to the romantic in me, that’s why I like to consider myself a Fairy-God Mother to my characters, giving them the HEA ending they deserve. My husband, who is also a published author, and I are both owned by a spoiled tabby cat.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

Paris. We’re returning for two weeks in September before traveling to Berlin to see my step-son. I love the culture, the energy and the architecture of the city. Two of my books are set there.

Do you have other talents? Or is there a talent you don’t have that you wish you did?

I know how to spoil grandchildren. Does that count?

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I love stories of hope. That’s why I write romance. I love the push and pull of it, the yin and yang, the agony and the ecstasy. Oops, was that a cliché? Can I claim senior moment on that one?

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?

In the past three years, I’ve written six books/novellas with two more waiting for a release date. I love them all, but Rain is a Love Song is my favorite because I allowed more of my demented sense of humor to show in this romantic suspense.

Tell us about your current series/WIP.

I’m trying my hand at writing a paranormal. For the last year or more, it’s been my “go-to” story when I’ve hit a wall in whatever book I was working on. I’d write a scene or chapter in this story so unlike what I normally write while my subconscious worked its way through the mess I’d created in my WIP. It’s tentatively titled When Paisley Meets Plaid. I’d still be playing with it if another writer hadn’t read part of the darn thing and insisted I finish it.

What inspired your latest book?

Oh, if I tell you, you’ll entitle this blog “Weird Woman Comes to Talk.” You might be right. You see, two years ago, I had a cancerous cyst removed from my saliva gland. A four-hour surgery that left my left cheek and ear numb. About a month afterward, two golden orbs started glowing in the back of my mind. Cancer, I thought. Despite what the doctors told me, I was convinced that cancer has spread to my brain. I went into major worry mode. I researched online and not once in all my research did I read that brain cancer glowed. Nor did I have any of the symptoms the Mayo Clinic and others listed. I was just about to call the doctor’s office when the golden orbs blinked. Eyes? Those are eyes?

Those golden eyes watched me for months…silently…waiting…and I had no clue what they wanted.

Then one night as I was in that fragile, fluttery state between wakefulness and sleep, the eyes moved from the back of my mind to the foot of the bed and slowly the shape of a huge bear formed.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I whispered to the bear. “You’ve come to the wrong author. I don’t write children’s stories.” He shook his head. “Oh? You’re not a children’s bear?” Slowly the bear shifted to a man in a kilt. “Oh dear, you’re still in the wrong writer’s bedroom. I don’t write paranormal.”

He stalked around the foot of the bed and stood next to me. “Aye, lassie, but ye will.” He lifted the covers and I slid closer to my snoring husband to make room. The Scot settled into our bed and folded his hands over his broad chest. “Let me tell ye how bears came to be extinct in Scotland…” And from that point on Creighton Matheson has played an important role in my life.

This is how my heroes come to me. At bedtime, fully formed and oozing attitude. I’m telling you, the men just won’t leave me alone!!

Do you have critique partners?

Yes, I have three. One is a Harlequin author who lives in England, an ex-editor who self-publishes her fantasy stories and a self-published mystery writer, who claims I have a comma fetish, but we don’t need to go there.

Was your road to publication difficult or a walk in the park?

Once I decided to get serious about my writing, it wasn’t too bad. For nearly fifty years I’d started and stopped many stories. I suppose for me the timing wasn’t right. Plus, self-doubt is a terrible thing.

I’d written a romantic suspense and hired a free-lance editor to give it a good going over. Through the process we became friends. Once we had the manuscript sparkling clean of errors, I started querying agents. I think I made every mistake in the book. One night my friend and I were texting. I was lamenting my twentieth agent rejection and jokingly said if she’d become an agent, I could be her first client.

She emailed me the next day, asking if I really thought she could start her own agency. Emails flew back and forth, both of us getting excited. She researched and read “how-to” books and opened her literary agency. Of course all the “experts” said she couldn’t do it. (Never doubt a woman!) Others claimed editors would have nothing to do with her, running an agency out of her spare bedroom while wearing jeans and t-shirt. (Never challenge a determined woman.) Four years later, my agent now has over 50 clients with several big-six contracts. In fact an editor at Random House is waiting for me to finish this paranormal; she loved the first three chapters.

Two weeks after Dawn started “shopping out” my debut book, I had two contract offers and a lovely rejection from an editor at Harlequin who claimed I had a voice like Linda Lael Miller. I cried. Imagine my name and Ms. Millers in the same sentence! I chose The Wild Rose Press, an awesome publisher to work with.

What I’m trying to say to all of you is…we are living in the Wild West of the publishing industry. Almost anything goes. Heck, if you can’t find an agent, create one. If you can’t find a publisher, self-publish. Just make sure you hire an editor who knows about character development, GMC and zeroing in on plot holes as well as spotting missed words and grammar issues. Make sure your product is pristine. You owe your readers nothing less.

To a lucky commenter, I’m giving away a $10.00 gift card to Amazon. Please leave your email address, so I can contact you should you win.

EXCERPT from RAIN IS A LOVE SONG:
Jean-Luc stared at her for a few beats, his face hard and unreadable. His breathing quickened and his gaze dropped to her lips. The tic in his eye returned. “You think you can handle it, Gingersnap?”

A shudder went through her in response to the tone of his voice. Oh, hell, why did she feel like she just nudged awake some sleeping beast? She swallowed and was sure the sound reverberated in the room. Her police training taught her one thing: never show fear. She tossed her hair back and met him stare for stare. “I can handle whatever you’ve got, big guy.”

He stepped between her legs and splayed his fingers into her hair. “Let’s just see, shall we?” Was he asking her or himself? “You want to play ‘Fanny Flirtatious’ with me? For once and for all, let’s see if you’ve got what it takes to back up your words.”

Her system did its twitchy thing. Was he really going to kiss her? Suddenly her nerves jumped from eager anticipation to dread, hopping from yay, he’s going to kiss me to oh damn, me and my big mouth.

“Look at me.”

As if she could look anywhere else.

His head lowered one fraction of an inch at a time as if to prolong the suspense of the moment. All the while his dark eyes remained locked on hers. Tension coiled in the pit of her stomach. She waited—and waited. Finally, his warm lips made contact.

Oh. My. God.

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Love-Song-Conspiracy-ebook/dp/B00BK9QV3K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370315861&sr=1-1&keywords=rain+is+a+love+song
LINK TO BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE2F3BCp_es
Find me at www.vonniedavis.com
I blog at www.vintagevonnie.blogspot.com

LINK TO BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE2F3BCp_es

Hi Marlie. I’m so happy you could join me today. Readers! Marlie is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commentor, so you better be sure and leave her a comment.

Tell us about yourself.

Since I’ve published my first book, You Belong To Me, I’ve really set a goal to become a fulltime writer. I have a day job that takes an enormous amount of time and energy – I’m a project consultant for large university projects – and I have to really manage my energy to be able to write. So, I’m using my weekends to write and get my next few books out there. I have a wonderful husband who supports my writing and two grown sons who have always cheered me on. My only hindrance is my time.

Tell us about your current release.

You Belong To Me is a story that doesn’t quite follow the romance pattern. Colin and Erin do fall in love quite early in the book, and in fact marry by the mid-point, but their relationship deepens and strengthens over the course of the book as they face several devastating blows from Erin’ ex-husband, a sociopath that is intent on getting her back. The best comment I’ve gotten from a reader about the book is that it made them cry. Well, I’ll tell you, it made me cry several times writing it. I think it delivers a lot of emotion and depth in the telling of Colin and Erin’s story.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Colin is a lawyer – yeah, I know – and has all of the skills and capability you would expect. So he’s strong, smart, and of course, handsome. But inside, he has doubt about himself, mostly in the area of relationships. He isn’t quite sure he’s whole, or that he is able to give love the way he sees others in their relationships. He worries about being good enough – and in the story you’ll find out why he appears to have command of his world, but lives with that deep-seated doubt about himself.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

Erin owns an art gallery – she is smart and witty. She’s been to hell and back, and survived. She’s strong, but she lives with a constant anxiety about her ex-husband, and rightfully so. She gave up some of her power when she was with her ex, and now she doesn’t quite know how to get it back, how to find her own strength again.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write romance, romantic suspense and am currently working on a fantasy/paranormal. I’ve always read a wide variety of romance novels, and I read fast, so two books a week even while working is not unusual for me. There are several authors that inspired me to write paranormal, Christine Feehan

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?

I’ve written about 5 books, but only one is currently published. The others are WIPS waiting for editing or a rewrite.

Tell us about your current WIP.

I have two books I’m working on. One is the sequel to You Belong To Me and is Elizabeth’s story (she is the hero’s sister in You Belong To Me). The second is a paranormal/fantasy that has archeologists as the hero and heroine and is set in Guatemala and Egypt. I am hoping to finish and publish by the end of June!

What inspired your latest WIP?

The as-yet-unnamed fantasy/paranormal came about because of my own background as an anthropology major in college. I spent a summer on a dig in Upstate NY along the St. Lawrence River, and just love all things historical.

All self-pubbed books are rumoured to be shoddily edited. What do you say to that?
Baloney! I’ve read some books from large publishing houses that were shoddily edited, especially when converted to a Kindle version. And I’ve read some fantastic self-published books that were perfection in editing and in writing!

BIO
Marlie Bridges lives in the rolling hills of upstate New York. She began writing because a character jumped into her head and she had to find a way to make him come alive. She loves writing about the wounded hero or heroine, their challenges in moving forward and their victory in overcoming life’s hurts, often through the power of love.

EXCERPT

Noticing movement through the gallery window, he rapped on the door. Erin opened it with a smile and invited him in. “I’m just hanging a painting. There’s some coffee in the little kitchen back there to your right. Help yourself while I finish this up.”

Colin couldn’t help but notice her curves – in all the right places. To distract himself, he said, “I brought the donuts,” holding up the bakery box.

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I do this all the time. I’ll be done in a minute. Go on, get some coffee.” She eyed the bakery box he carried. “Dinkel’s?” she asked. When he nodded, she added, “My favorite.”

“Mine, too,” he said, glad he’d taken the extra time to drive there on his way. Through the gallery to the back, he turned into the little kitchen, spotted the coffee center and poured two cups.

“There,” she said, walking into the kitchen, brushing off her sleeve, “I’ve just been putting up some things to replace what I sold last night.” She took the cup of coffee he offered her and set it on the counter, dropped two lumps of sugar into it and topped it off with some milk from the tiny refrigerator. “How about we raid the goody box first, then do the tour?” she asked.

They sat at the little table in the corner of the kitchen. Erin untied the string on the bakery box and opened the lid. “Cinnamon sugar,” she said and laughed.

The expression on her face – one of pure delight – stopped his heart and he knew he was here for more than the paintings, more than the investment opportunity. He’d convinced himself on the drive over that she wasn’t his type. But now he wanted to get to know her.

She brought out some paper plates and napkins and took one of the donuts. “Do you want one of these or some of this…” she asked, pointing into the box.

“Apple Cheese Stollen. It’s my weakness.”

“Let me cut you a piece.” Using a knife from the drawer in the counter she cut him a large wedge, set it on the paper plate and sat down across from him.

When she bit into her doughnut, she closed her eyes and seemed to savor it. Crumbles of cinnamon and sugar on her lips caught his attention and when she caught them with her tongue, he imagined licking them off himself. Breaking into his fantasy, she said, “You’re a Harvard grad, aren’t you?” Was there a hint of disdain in her tone?

“Does it show?” he said.

She smiled. “Not so most people would notice, but you can’t fool a Boston College girl. You guys were always easy pickups.”

Colin laughed. It had been a long time since someone made him laugh. Erin’s intelligence and wit surprised him.
“What do you do, Colin?” she said.

“I’m a lawyer,” he said.

She hesitated before she said, “You mean divorces, stuff like that?”

He laughed. “God, no! I’m in mergers and acquisitions. Pretty boring stuff, really.”

“So why do you do it?”

“Well, it’s not boring to me. Only to the poor sucker who has to listen to me talk about it when I get on a roll. So, I’m not going to talk about it, now. The last thing on my mind is business. So tell me what brought you to Chicago.”

It was as though a cloud passed in front of the sun the way her expression changed. She reached for her coffee cup – her hand trembling – gripping the cup with both hands. All the laughter disappeared from her eyes.

“I needed a change of scenery,” she said and took a sip of her coffee.

Waiting to see if she would say more, he didn’t respond. Her eyes darkened and sadness filled them, but she recovered her composure and said, “It’s not a big deal, it was just time to move on to new territory.”

Please help me welcome Loreen Augeri to my blog today.

Are you a full time writer or do you have a “day job”?

I have a part-time job. I work as a librarian in the local library.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?

I was a social worker in a nursing home and a computer programmer. As I mentioned above, I am now a librarian.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write historical romance because I love reading and writing about various time periods in history. Life was simpler and slower. Since historical romances take place before World War II, the plot can be set in the fifteenth century for one book and the eighteenth century for the next. While researching, I enjoy learning about the customs, food, dress, and way of life of the people that came before us.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

When I am walking, taking a shower, or supposed to be sleeping my mind wanders and a situation or character pops into my head. Once I have a hero and heroine I give them a goal, motivation, and conflict. I am a pantser, so the story develops as I write.

What is your favorite part of writing?

Creating lives for the characters in my books and hopefully giving readers a few hours of pleasure.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Editing. Some authors tell me they like editing because that is when the story comes together for them. I love the creating part of writing. I find editing tedious.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?

My view is of my back yard. I have an office where I keep all my writing materials and research books equipped with a desk, computer, and bookshelves, but I usually write on the sofa in my living room.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A pantser. I don’t want to know what is going to happen. I like the story to unfold as if I am watching a movie.

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?

Never give up. I wrote for ten years before I had a story published. If you don’t continue to write and send your manuscripts to publishers, it will never happen.

Where can readers find you?

I can be found on Facebook facebook.com/loreenaugeri
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4094757.Loreen_Augeri.
My website www.loreenaugeri.com

Where can readers find your books? Print/Ebook?

I have two books published in e-book and paperback. Tormented Hearts and Lost Honor can be found at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance. Buy links can be found on my website www.loreenaugeri.com

Blurb for Lost Honor

Captain Morgan Danvers sets sail to rescue his brother, kidnapped by pirates. Fearing he will become like his father who abandoned him, he has cut himself off from his emotions. Then a willful stowaway crashes into his life, awakening dormant feelings and firing his lust. Soon he finds his all-important honor threatened, for even though he is betrothed to another, he is drawn to her against his will.

Arianna Pemberton hides in a barrel she thinks will be loaded on her brother’s ship but lands on Morgan’s brig. Her father has forbidden her to sail, and this is her only course of action. Unwilling to allow a man to control her, she is determined to make her way as a seaman, a profession she knows and loves. But when Captain Danvers discovers her deception, he refuses to permit her to prove herself. As she struggles to convince him, unwanted passion emerges, jeopardizing her plans for independence.

Excerpt

Shoved by powerful hands, she fell to her knees before booted feet. “Found her in the hold, Cap’n. Thought she was a boy at first, her wearin’ pants and a cap, but she has tits.”

“I can see that, Jurgens.”

Arianna followed the shiny boots up to tight-fitting, brown breeches hugging muscular thighs, and slim hips. A loose, white shirt covering broad shoulders next met her gaze, then a corded neck, square jaw, stern lips, crooked nose, and cold, dark eyes that stared down at her. “Where’s my brother? Who are you?”

“I will be asking the questions. Who are you, and why are you on my ship?” The deep voice thundered through the cabin.

Her stomach flip-flopped. Dizziness swamped her. Swallowing convulsively, she battled to contain the contents of her queasy stomach. Hiding in that empty molasses barrel hadn’t been the brightest idea of her twenty-one years. “I’m not talking to anyone but my brother.”

Jurgens’s forceful hands yanked her to a standing position. “You answer the cap’n.”

The abrupt movement snapped the fragile control she clung to. Spasms seized her throat. Arianna struggled to turn away, but the fingers digging into her arms held her in place. The contents of her stomach erupted.

All over Captain Danvers’s boots.

Her captor released her and jumped back in horror.

Buy links for Lost Honor:

Amazon e-book
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Honor-ebook/dp/B00AD99TSM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362433938&sr=1-1&keywords=lost+honor

Amazon paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Honor-Loreen-Augeri/dp/1612177298/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362434027&sr=1-1&keywords=lost+honor

The Wild Rose Press e-book
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5133

The Wild Rose Press paperback
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=5144

Barnes and Noble e-book
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-honor-loreen-augeri/1114793304?ean=2940016266534

Bio:
I started reading historical romances when my children were babies. When my youngest daughter started school, I decided I wanted to write a novel. At first, to see if I could, later as a hobby, and then seeking publication. Becoming a member of Romance Writers of America, Hearts Through History, and my local chapter, New England Chapter helped in the process. I live in Massachusetts with my husband of thirty-one years and my two adult daughters. When I am not reading or writing, I enjoy walking, dancing, and spending time at the beach.

Please help me welcome B. L. Bates to my blog today. Barbara is giving away a $5 Starbucks gift card to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave her a comment.

Tell us about yourself.
I’m a mother, step-mother, and grandmother. In the late 70s I received a BS in electrical engineering and worked in the semiconductor industry for several years. I got married just after my college graduation to a man with three children from a previous marriage. Then, due to a head injury I became totally blind. I then gave birth to two children, did odd part-time jobs, and got involved in disability issues. I ran a recreational activities organization and hosted a cable TV show, both concerned with the disabled. I helped design the house we live in now, though to be honest, I took an existing design and rearranged some of the rooms. I began writing soon after becoming blind, mostly as a way to vent. I started to pursue publication when my youngest child entered college. I’ve had some short stories and my first novel published so far. I’m currently working on a sequel to my first novel and shopping around two dark fantasy novels, both with romantic elements.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?
It would have to be near the ocean. I was born in New Bedford, MA (you know the one mentioned in Moby Dick). I love the ocean, walking along the beach, and other water activities.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?
I worked for over 5 years in the semi-conductor industry. First as a product engineer, taking ICs from design to production. Then as a programming engineer, writing the programs to test boards with ICs on them (basically a circuit board).

Are you a full time writer or do you have a “day job”?
I write full-time. Though being blind makes doing some “normal” tasks longer, and I have to plan things around when other people can give me rides, writing is my main activity.

Do you have other talents? Or is there a talent you don’t have that you wish you did?
Before I lost my sight, I was an amateur artist. I did water color and ink drawings, charcoal sketches, and loved doing crafts. I still do some crafts, but I’ve focused my creativity mostly on cooking.

How did you get started writing?
Like I mentioned above I first started writing to vent. But I’ve always been a voracious reader. I still read several books a week, though now, if you’re going to be picky, I listen to the books I “read”. I read many genres, except for war and westerns.

I started thinking about getting published while my children were still in middle and high school, but living in a rural area, and having children interested in sports, scouts, and other activities, kept me busy enough, then.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?
Most of the books I write can be categorized as speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror); I often include facets of other genres: romance, detective, mystery, etc.

You can’t divide life into specific little packets. You don’t wake up in the morning saying, “I’ll have a romantic day today.” Or “This is going to be a day of adventure.” So, I try to make my books like life, a piece of this, a slice of that….

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?
I’ve completed four novels so far. One has been published. Another has gone through several revisions and remains unsold. I’m shopping the other two right now. Both are dark fantasy with romantic elements.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
I have several files on my computer with different ideas in them. Some ideas come from other books I’ve read. But some come from the news, movies, or TV programs. These are pieces of things I like, not a whole story line or plot. Then I take several ideas and put them together. For one of the books I’m currently shopping around, I combined: a guide dog school, a circus traveling cross country by railroad, and an idea from an article in a science mag about metabolic rate changes in hibernating bears.

What is your favorite part of writing?
Putting the ideas together and coming up with the first draft. I try to put together seemingly unrelated items and manipulate them until they work as a whole.

What is your least favorite part of writing?
I would have to say the editing part. It’s not that I don’t like editing; it’s more that I can never seem to consider the book “done”. Maybe after just one more edit. And I could add that short section in chapter…

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
I don’t include other people per say, but I give my characters interesting characteristics I find in real people. Or if someone has an annoying saying they use all the time, it can migrate into something I’m writing.

What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
Emotions, especially those concerning relationships. I was a shy child, and some of that stayed with me. Going through college as a female engineer, and learning to advocate for myself after going blind, I learned to speak up. But there are still times, I would rather stay inside and either cook or read, and still try to avoid situations that have lots of emotion.

Where can readers find you?
I have two connected blogs: BarbaraLBates.com and BarbaraLBates.com/polad. I’m not good about keeping them up-to-date, though.

Where can readers find your books? Print/Ebook?
I’m published with Eternal Press and the books available on Amazon.
Eternal Press site:
http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615728503

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/AsterIce-ebook/dp/B00BA1O2ES/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359924999&sr=1-1&keywords=B+L+Bates

Bio:
Growing up reading speculative fiction, B. L. Bates received a BS in electrical engineering and worked for several years in the computer industry. When a head injury left her totally blind, she turned to writing speculative fiction to stay sane. With her youngest child in college, she lives with her husband in Massachusetts and plots ways to spend more time with her grandchildren.

She’s had short stories published online, and some like “GreenWorld” published in print. Now trying her hand at novels, she can be found online at BarbaraLBates.com or BarbaraLBates.com/polad

Excerpt:
“It’s worse than that.” Tanya rubbed her temples. The mother of all headaches waited in the wings, ready to pounce.

“How so?” Colonel Frade said.

“A computer simulation indicates AsterIce has spread to every known water source on the planet through drainage, evaporation and condensation. Using some process we don’t yet understand, the additions to AsterIce multiply when added to normal water, even sea water.”

“All of Earth’s waters are now…polluted by the virus?” Richard stared at Tanya.

She met his eyes, closed hers, and nodded.

“What percentage of the population will be affected by it?” Virginia asked.

Tina, seeing her mother’s agitation, brought her a glass of water.

“One hundred percent.”Tanya gulped the water Tina handed her.

“All this scientific jargon has me muddled. In English, please. What does this all mean?” Colonel Frade asked.

“In addition to the vitamins and minerals in AsterIce, there is what we originally thought to be inert organic matter. It turns out we were wrong.”

“How so?” Watts asked.

“The inert matter is actually a shell containing an alien virus.

“Tests show the AsterIce virus is originally passed to its subjects through the digestive system. The virus is then released in the stomach, where the outer shell is removed by our digestive acids. The virus spreads into every cell in the human body. This leads to a build-up in the lungs.”

“So, now the virus can become airborne.” Richard’s visage looked grim.

“Not quite. By the time symptoms begin to occur, the lungs are filled to capacity with the virus. The question is not when will it begin, but how long has it been going on? Also, how many of us are infected?”

Please help me welcome Lynette Sofras to my blog today. She’s offering any one of her titles, winner’s choice, as an e-book together with a $5 voucher for Starbucks, to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave her a comment.

Tell us about yourself.

I’m a former Head of English who gave up teaching three years ago to pursue my writing career – something I’d always wanted to do, so you could say I’m now living my dream!

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

My first published title was a contemporary romance but I like to write more general women’s fiction that usually crosses genre boundaries. My latest title (Killing Jenna Crane) is more of a psychological drama or romantic thriller, while my forthcoming novel is both modern women’s fiction and a good old-fashioned ghost story. These are the kind of stories I enjoy reading the most, which is why I prefer to write them.

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?

To date I have five full length novels and a short sci-fi story co-written with my son. My sixth full length novel is due out next month and that’s probably my favourite. It’s quite dear to my heart being based very much on real life (without most of the ghostly elements, of course) and real people. I’m also quite fond of two others: Shopping for Love – because for the first time I created a strong and fairly gritty male character which I found myself enjoying very much and my latest novel, Killing Jenna Crane (also from a male perspective) because that shifts away from the traditional romance genre and delves into psychology and the darker side of the human mind.

Here’s the blurb:
Come with me on a dark journey inside a writer’s mind. Commitment-shy Ellis Crawford, creator of the famous and highly successful Jenna Crane mystery series, finds his comfortable life unravelling when he meets Emily, his perfect woman.

But the more his love for Emily deepens, the more Ellis finds himself haunted by memories of a previous love whose heart he broke. On top of this, Emily wants him to kill off his beloved heroine Jenna Crane – against fierce public opinion.

His reputation as an author now in tatters, Ellis finds his life spiralling out of control. Faced with the growing darkness of his own soul, a secret is revealed that changes everything he thought he once knew…

What is your next project and when will it be released?

Unworkers is due for release in June. It was inspired by a house in which I used to live with my son when he was very young and also one or two ghostly tales I’d heard about in the past. It explores the idea of the past encroaching on the present. The paths of five different women converge because of this house though only three of the women actually live there. Their lives are completely different but some mysterious force is at work to draw them all together in a common cause.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

I’m a great advocate of self-publishing. My first two titles were traditionally published but the second of those took a full year to be released and I found that quite frustrating. I decided to self-publish while waiting for that title to appear and I find the process fascinating and rewarding. I love the idea of being in complete control. It also means that if I think of ways to improve a story (or if a reader mentions something that can be better clarified) I can go back to the book and make changes effortlessly. With my traditionally published books that isn’t possible and I’ve occasionally regretted that.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

Have patience! Don’t rush into the process. You do yourself (and all your fellow self-published authors) no favours at all if you release a book before it is absolutely ready. The most serious complaint levelled against self-publishing seems to be poor editing and this has been enough to make readers and reviewers shun all self-published books. Proper editing is therefore vital to your success and the reputation of your fellow authors.

What was the hardest thing you’ve found in the process of self-publishing? What was the easiest part of self-publishing?

This may make you smile, but the hardest thing for me is choosing the right title. I tend to have a working title in mind as I’m writing and the longer I write, the more that fixes itself in my brain. Unworkers, for example was a rather whimsical working title that just stuck and refused to budge. I tried ousting it with Whispers of the Past but that sounded so ordinary! As for Killing Jenna Crane, I agonised over that for weeks – none of my friends liked it very much and I think some readers find it a little misleading – so may I add here and now that it’s not a murder mystery!

The cover design is the next problem. When you employ a cover artist yourself they expect you to have strong ideas and be able to direct them appropriately. It’s a blessing that my cover artist has infinite patience because I’m horribly changeable and indecisive. Working with a publisher’s design team allows you some input but ultimately the cover is down to them.
The easiest part? The whole process is very quick and easy – so much so that it’s tempting to cut corners, but to reiterate my previous advice – try to resist that temptation 

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

Very likely, I’m afraid. A friend of mine bought me a T-shirt last year saying “Careful or you’ll end up in my next novel”. However, so far no one has actually recognised themselves as I select very carefully from their speech, mannerisms or little idiosyncrasies and use these quite sparingly.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?

I can’t resist this question because my writing space is quite unique. You see I live in a rambling early Victorian cottage with lots of twists and turns in it. My office/study space is a room just off my bedroom and although this is quite large, being an inner room it has no window. This suits me fine when I’m engrossed in my work although I sometimes get a shock when I surface from my computer and find brilliant sunshine, when I’m expecting darkness, or a snow-clad vista when no snow was forecast. I have to confess it’s not the tidiest place in England, being filled with overstuffed bookshelves, work tables and two large desks for my computers.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Ellis Crawford (Killing Jenna Crane) is more of an anti-hero really. He is far from likeable though he does have a dry sense of humour and is an intelligent and successful writer – his heroine Jenna Crane having become a household name and Hollywood franchise. Being something of a commitment-phobe, Ellis treats women shabbily, knowing they will never be in short supply.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

There are two heroines (and that’s not even counting the fictional Jenna, who exerts her own influence over Ellis). They are soft-hearted, loving Chloe and feisty, fun-loving Emily – in other words polar opposites. But neither is quite what she seems and their weaknesses soon become obvious.

Where can readers find you?
My website: http://www.lynettesofras.com/
My blog: http://www.manicscribbler.blogspot.com
Amazon author page: http://amzn.com/e/B0084YQCD8
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ManicScribbler
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lyn.sofras

Are you participating in any reader contests?

This isn’t a contest but it’s a great offer for readers and lasts until June 1st. Buy one summer read at a special 99 cent price and get ten more absolutely free. This includes one of my contemporary romances Shopping for Love at: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/2013/05/04/get-1-beach-read-for-99-get-10-more-ebooks-in-popular-genres-beachreadsos-books/

I’d also like to offer any one my titles of the reader’s choice as an e-book together with a $5 voucher for Starbucks. I’d like to imagine one lovely reader sipping delicious coffee while dipping into one of my stories. All my titles can be found on my website or Amazon page – via the above links.

Please help me welcome Jrinka Jelic to my blog today. Zrinka is giving away a $4 Amazon gift card to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave her a comment.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?
Many, I’ve worked as a waitress, a nanny, I’ve been a day care teacher, in accounting and finance, credit and collection, cosmetic store, and found myself in writing.

Are you a full time writer or do you have a “day job”?
I’ve been a full time writer, but unfortunately had to go out and find a day job. I don’t like not having the energy at the end of the day to work on my wip, but I try to at least get as many words on the page as I can and it’s hard with my eyes closing on me.

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?
I have two that are published, one that is submitted to various publishers and awaiting on its fate. I’m working on the fourth one that’s planned to be a short novella, will see about that, and I have a prequel to my debut novel, “Bonded by Crimson” that I’m about five chapters in, but keep putting it on the back burner as new ideas keep disrupting me. Oh, and I must not forget my “training wheels” novel, where I learned about writing and made all of the beginner’s mistakes. I’m planning to go back to it one day and edit it.

What inspired your latest book?
It was all the ladies I encountered through the various work places. Those single ones, who devoted their lives to corporations and have nothing to show for in the end. I felt their disapproving stares on my back as I dashed out at 5 pm sharp to pick up my kids from day cares or babysitters. I wanted to convey there’s a lot more life out there than working.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Just from everyday life, it does write novels. What is your favorite part of writing? Brainstorming and coming up with new twists, what if I do this or change that character to that. It’s quite interesting and challenging because it doesn’t always work out the way I imagine it.

What is your least favorite part of writing?
Writing a dreaded synopsis, it seems if there’s a limit of words I have to put in, I have nothing to say.

How does your family feel about your writing career?
I hope they’re proud of my achievement, but you know how families are, just as all people they seem to see the value of it through the money not the satisfaction of written story other enjoy.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
Very likely, not necessarily as themselves, but I may “steal” something from the person like a name, or physical appearance or a personality quirk or something that strikes me.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Definitely a punster. But I do try to plot or at least map out the story. I most likely never refer back to it, but at least if I put something down, not in the great detail, just to keep me on track.

How far do you plan ahead?
My next book, as soon as I write THE END of one book, I start working on my next one.

What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
Not even close! I wanted to be many things, and although I always liked to write, I never realized that until recently. It was just easier to express my feelings and thoughts through writing. I kept journals and diaries and jotted things all the time. Writing as a career was far from my mind. But I gave it a shot and what to my surprised I’ve got published.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?
Raving reviews of course. It’s great when a reader really connects with me and understands what I wanted to relay.

BIO
Zrinka Jelic lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children. A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &Paranormal, as well as Savvy Authors, she writes contemporary fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but that’s about the only break they get. “Alas,” Jelic says, with a grin. “Some rain must fall in everyone’s life.”

Links
BOB: http://bookstore.blackopalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=47

Amazon Print & Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Treasured-Chest-Zrinka-Jelic/dp/1937329739/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353819091&sr=8-2&keywords=zrinka+jelic

B&N Print & Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/treasured-chest-zrinka-jelic/1113290927?ean=9781937329730&itm=1&usri=zrinka+jelic

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-treasuredchest-1007195-155.html

KOBO: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Treasured-Chest/book-45GE6CPKpk6bDb5f__Oipg/page1.html?s=LLtSzi-fukO3rl148l_71g&r=2

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/257423

Please help me welcome Kara Ashley Dey to my blog today. She’s given me a great interview which I think you’ll find interesting. She’s also giving away a pair of fabulous ruby colored stone earrings. Here is a picture. Now if you want a chance to win those fabulous earrings, leave her a comment.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?
KARA: I love living in the US, but if I lived outside of the US again, I’d choose Barcelona. I had never even thought to visit Spain until my husband suggested it a few years ago. Since then, a stop in Barcelona is a must whenever we go to Europe. I love the medieval section of the city. I enjoy walking down its narrow streets, observing the artists, taking in the pleasurable scents that come from the many cafes, and I enjoy meandering down to the beach and eating paella and sampling tapas.

Q: Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?
KARA: Yes. I started out as an opera singer–a dramatic or spinto soprano back then–not much demand for this where I lived. And I did Music Theatre, too. Learning how to belt was the bomb. After this I went back to school for animation and worked many years in TV and film as a lighting lead, compositor and texture artist. That career was a pleasure and fulfilling, in its own way. My life has been a lazy Susan, of sorts. I spin the tray and see what treat comes up for me. What’s next? Ah! Writing again. Yay!

Between those careers, I worked as a shoe saleswoman at different stores. I loved that job while I was in school, too! I worked in a cute little Birkenstock store. Laid-back earth-loving people are so kind and appreciate good service and good shoes. I still consider working at that little shoe store one of my favorite jobs ever. Working at Neimans? (Shudder) One of my least favorite…

Q: Do you have other talents? Or is there a talent you don’t have that you wish you did?
KARA: Well, it sure would be awesome to snorkel admirably, but I’m like a rock and panic if I kick coral. Other than that, I got pretty lucky when they handed out talents. I’ve been able to do almost anything I set my heart to do–maybe not perfectly, but I get by. “Jack of all trades, Master of none” can turn into “Master of quite a few” if one lives long enough. But this also depends on sheer stubbornness. A “do or die” mentality.

Q: What is your next project and when will it be released?
KARA: I’m returning to a book I finished a few years ago but put off some final decisions. I needed to distance my mind from some advice that didn’t quite settle with my gut feelings. With the help of my original beta readers and my editor, I’ve gotten back to the original structure of the story. It’s an urban fantasy about a vampire and a psychic. I especially love this one because part of it takes place in Barcelona. After that I will return to Cassie and Skai’s world. Captain Alexxus has a few more things to take care of.

Q: Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
KARA: Almost always from dreams: either from dreams while I am asleep or from daydreams. I have thoroughly entertained and coddled that “character flaw.” Long ago this drove my teachers nuts–thank goodness I didn’t care. It’s my life, and in it, I love to sleep and I love to dream, and when I cannot sleep, I will daydream. That’s all there is to it. I watch a lot of science channels so my brain files everything and creates some pretty intense “what if” nightmares in the process. Those are my favorite. It’s scary fun! I love my brain when it does that. (Brain Hug).

Q: How does your family feel about your writing career?
KARA: Very supportive. Thank goodness! It helps I do all the housework…for now…

Q: How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you?
KARA: Ugh…Too much time! Lol. Don’t we all? I don’t know when to pull away. In a ten hour day, I will spend well over half of it on marketing or working on my web stuff. I have found Twitter indispensable, which is funny since it took me forever to get on board.

Q: How has your experience with self-publishing been?
KARA: Slow but steady.

Q: What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?
KARA: I got really good advice early on. The most important? This is a marathon, not a sprint. With embracing self-publishing and selling ebooks, we just have to remember to keep on “keeping on.” It takes a while to be discovered. And to write our next books as soon as possible. That’s what I am focused on now.

Q: What was the deciding factor in self-publishing your book(s)?
KARA: Control. That’s the easy answer. If I’m brutally honest… It came down to trust. It’s a hard enough journey, without tricksters gnawing away at that feeling in your bones or scoffing at your common sense. I hate to say it, but saboteurs are out there and sometimes they wear the biggest of smiles. I decided to find an excellent editor and trust myself. I can always improve as long as I can trust the instruction/advice given.

Q: Where can readers find you?
KARA: I’m on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/kara.ashley.dey
Twitter as @KaraAshleyDey
And I have a couple websites:
http://karaashleydey.com
http://deyforlove.com
http://karaashleydey.blogspot.com (I especially love my blog, and hang around here most often.)

Q: Where can readers find your books? Print/Ebook?
KARA: Print will be out soon, by the end of next month. My ebook is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Sky-ebook/dp/B00ARQSJLY

Keep checking back on my FB Page as I expand to other retail sites. And I do enjoy the occasional giveaway, like today. One lucky reader who leaves a comment will win a Stealing Sky bracelet. It is inspired by the ruby earrings Cassie’s mother gave to her.

Thank you so much for having me here today, Cynthia! You are a precious jewel.
–Kara

Excerpt

They maneuvered around the red light’s edge. A hulky black shadow stood in the middle of the glowing red. In disbelief, Cassie lifted her eyes to the ominous shadow’s source and nearly lost her footing.

“Mech!” she shouted, pointing. No denying, it was a beauty. On the intramural field, she might have whistled appreciatively, but at that moment, the sight of that perfect machine of sleek metal and recent design made her want to scream in pure terror.

“Go!” Skai pushed her forward. “Run!”

But the top of the water tower shuddered as the Mech landed upon the surface. Cassie fell to her knees from the force. She pushed forward, scrambling on hands and knees, while the sound of hydraulic legs whined above the ricocheting din.

She regained her footing and glanced back over her shoulder to Skai. He was approaching the Mech that stood over twice his size, his hand reaching to a gun holster, which he no longer wore—a military habit. He cursed. For a brief moment, she saw the surprised anger in his eyes, before he glanced back at the machine.

The Mech turned its attention from her to him. Taking two jolting steps forward, it covered Skai in shadow. A long metallic arm swung up, the arm’s mechanism twirling circularly, purring and clicking, while metal tiles smoothly pulled backward. The arm’s inner working pushed forward with a hiss, revealing a gun barrel.

“Oh! For Mau’s sake,” she moaned, terrified, as the arm shot once. Skai jerked backward. Cassie covered her mouth to keep from screaming. A second shot hit him in the stomach, and he doubled over.

Skai fell to his knees, then upon his stomach, and lay still. The Mech stomped toward him and lifted his limp body.

Was he dead? She stood, frozen, staring at his dangling arms and legs. Her stomach twisted painfully. Gran’s heavy meal surged up her throat.

Choking, she staggered away and moved toward the ladder. She was but ten paces to it, when she felt the Mech’s feet stomping, charging toward her. It paused. She calculated the distance. She wouldn’t make it.

Cassie braced for its aim. A thin whistle grew louder and louder, until she felt a sharp prick of pain at her shoulder. The tower pitched, as she fell onto her stomach, losing her breath and her supper. Then all went black.

Please help me welcome Lauri Haley-McNeil to my blog today. Laura is generously giving away a $10 ebook card to one lucky commentor that she will chose. So be sure and leave her a comment to be entered.

As writers, we all know how important it is to capture the emotions of our characters. The question I always ask myself is: How does my character feel?
Writing on the computer is miraculous because when I have a question, I can easily look up the answer on the internet. So how did I find the answer to how my character(s) feel? YouTube.

There are a couple of television shows I like to watch. One is The Good Wife. Two characters from the show intrigue me: Cary and Kalinda. (Never mind that Kalinda is bi.)

I was searching YouTube for facial expressions and typed in Cary’s name. Bumcrackmosh182 and others have compiled excerpts of the scenes with Cary and Kalinda together with background music. Kalinda is cool toward Cary, but Cary is so over the top in love with her it drives me crazy. http://youtu.be/GSmogQQPPyw

Two other characters I like to view on YouTube are Mary and Matthew from Downton Abbey. Lolilie has compiled excerpts of their scenes. http://youtu.be/dGPAYL5MQT4

When I look at these videos, I’m analyzing everything I see: the eyes, the mouth, the tilt of the character’s chin, their posture. Are the characters standing close together? Is there distance emotionally and physically? Is there longing? Have the characters given up? Will they walk away from each other? Have they realized this love was never meant to be but they can still love from afar? As you can see, my questions never stop.

As viewers, we can interpret anything we want in what we view. As actors, it’s important to them that they portray the correct emotion and so they work hard to make sure that we the viewer feel what they project. As writers, we struggle with the precise word that will convey what we want the reader to feel.

If you’re looking for emotions besides love, YouTube has thousands of videos depicting a broad range of emotion from fear to hate to joy to depression.

Have you found others? I’d love to hear about them. I’ll have a drawing and send a $10 ebook gift card to one lucky commenter.

BLURB
Olivia St. Claire accomplishes her dream to become a pianist, but didn’t count on falling in love with the man she can never have.

EXCERPT

“Liam Wallace?” Panic burst through me as I forced confidence into my voice, lifted my chin, and looked at the towering figure filling the doorway. My clammy hands gripped a briefcase weighted with ancient piano books. It knocked against my knees as I stood on his terraced front porch in the fading sunlight of a cool, Denver afternoon.

Though his eyes never left mine, I knew he was making the observations everyone makes about me: small, timid, weak.

“Yes.” His lean physique bore an oxford shirt and soft wool trousers, but my gaze was immediately drawn to the mass of salt and pepper curls.

“I’m Olivia St. Claire. I had called about the piano lessons.”

“Of course.” He opened the door.

I stepped into the tiled foyer paneled in dark wood. Through the arched doorway, I caught a glimpse of cathedral windows overlooking a pristine lawn. Light drifting through leaded glass splashed across a Persian carpet.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His voice carried a sense of authority, yet was gentle. He extended his hand and I started when his cuff lifted to reveal a thin scar that crossed his palm.

Cool strength closed around my fingers and unintelligible words tumbled from my mouth that would have said I was glad to meet him.

“You brought your music, I see.” His hand released mine, which reluctantly floated to the briefcase.

Unwanted sensations rushed through me, but I reminded myself a male piano teacher would have little interest in women.

BIO
Laura Haley-McNeil has studied piano, violin, organ and ballet. She has served on the boards of two community orchestras. She currently lives in Colorado with her husband.

Please help me welcome Jean Murray to my blog today. As a thank you to those who comment, Jean is giving away an ecopy of her book, Soul Reborn, to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave her a comment.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

Living in a palatial mansion on an island with white sandy beaches and warm blue water. I’m not sure where in the world that would be, maybe the Caribbean or Hawaii. One can only dream 

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?

A year and half ago, I retired from the military after twenty years of service, as a Navy Nurse. Retirement is a misnomer. I still work full-time as an Infection Preventionist. Writing is somewhat of a second career for me that I fit in between work-children-life.

What inspired your latest book?

My latest release, Soul Awakened, was a labor of love. The last ten years of my military career, I care for military personnel with all sorts of injuries – both physical and psychological from the war and subsequent deployments. So many had PTSD – acute and chronic. Suicide was at its highest in the last few years, despite the military’s efforts to make services easily accessible. I’ll never forget the desperation and pain. Bakari’s world is very much the same for different reasons of course, but his struggles are a culmination of all the sad stories over the years. I dedicated the book to our American heroes.

What is your next project and when will it be released?

I’m working on the third book in the series, Soul Unbound. At the end of Soul Awakened, Bomani soul is broken. He has lost the woman he loves and his faith in honor, a quality that defined him. He escapes to the human realm under a cloud of shame, leaving everything he knows and loves behind. In exchange for hiding in the human realm, Bomani agrees to track an exiled goddess. He is given strict orders to keep his distance. One look at the Goddess of War and he is doomed. She is his every dream and nightmare.

Soul Unbound is due out in the fall of this year.

What is your favorite part of writing?

Escapism, I guess. I can leave the chaos of my life/work behind and get lost in the characters and plot.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Not having enough time to write. I have too many stories bouncing around in my head and not enough time to write them all down.

How does your family feel about your writing career?

To be honest, I think I shocked everyone, including myself. I didn’t start writing until 2009. I’ve always loved to read, but in my mind’s eye at the time, it didn’t mean that I could write. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had these stories bouncing around in my head. Never once did I think to write them down until 2009. I’m not sure why the change, but I was doing a lot of traveling for work. I woke up one morning with a story fresh on my mind and I just had to write it down. It started with a pen and paper until I could get a hold of my computer. I haven’t stopped since. It was my husband that encouraged me to submit my work. I was buckled down for a hard long journey, but I did not have long to wait. Turns out—I can write. My debut novel, Soul Reborn released in May 2011.

Do you or have you belonged to a writing organization? Which one? Have they helped you with your writing? How?

I belong to RWA, FF&P chapter and ROMVETS. I don’t know what I would have done without these loops, especially FF&P. These organizations provide a forum of authors with an amazing amount of experience and expertise and workshops and networking opportunities that are essential for writers/authors. It is also a support group for when you are down or having trouble with a manuscript. It was during FF&P’s push to PRO that I had venue to pitch to editors. Crescent Moon Press was one of those opportunities that resulted in my contract. If I had not belonged to that chapter, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet my editor and land a contract for my series.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do to combat it?

I did an interview about two months ago and flat out said, “no” to writer’s block. I think I jinxed myself. I’m writing the third book in the series, Soul Unbound. The heroine, Siya, is fabulous. She has an amazing backstory that just sings across the pages. My hero, Bomani, who I love by the way, is coming into the book with a broken heart. He has lost the woman he loves to his brother, someone he despises. Needless to say, he is fighting me, dragging his feet. But, often what I think is trouble ends up being exactly what he is and needs to be, so I continue to push through writing. I can always go back and negotiate with him. LOL.

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?

I think the best advice I can pass on is don’t give up. There are so many publishing options out there. I know small press and indie authors that have been become best sellers. Writing takes time and often times I get impatient, but I have to let things run their course. If you do decide to go the route of self-publishing, I strongly recommend hiring an experienced editor. This is your opportunity to hook future publishers and readers. You want that book to shine.

Lastly, enjoy yourself and write about things you love. It will come across in your writing and translate to the reader or editor. This is a wonderfully supportive community, turn to those you trust for help.

What’s next for you?

I have two more books in the Key to the Cursed series to write and release – Soul Unbound and Soul Unleashed. I’m considering self-publishing my next novel or revising one I have sitting on my shelf.

Where can readers find you?

Web Address: www.jean-murray.com ; www.keytothecursed.com
Blog Address: www.wickedromance.wordpress.com
Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJeanMurray
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wickedromance
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5103113.Jean_Murray
Book Trailers:
Soul Reborn: http://www.youtube.com/user/KeytotheCursed?ob=5#p/u/0/smSJsJp5o74
Soul Awakened: http://youtu.be/S3IlOKhBZoY

Bio: In her pursuit of a nursing degree, Jean Murray aspired to see the world and joined the Navy. At the end of 2011 she said a heart-breaking goodbye to her Navy family and retired after twenty years of military service. Although her dreams of writing full time have yet to come true, she continues her writing journey and draws inspiration from her travels abroad. She enjoys spending time with her family and of course, writing about the “Carrigan sisters and their mates, Gods of the Underworld,” to bring you the next installment of the Key to the Cursed series.

Author Jean Murray brings a wonderful new spin to the paranormal world with her Egyptian Underworld gods. She broke ground in the paranormal romance genre with Soul Reborn and now continues the Key to the Cursed journey with Soul Awakened. See what readers and reviewers are saying about her new book ~ http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16484518-soul-awakened?auto_login_attempted=true

BOOK I: Soul Reborn

Amazon Purchase Links:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004WDYK7A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwjeanmurray-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004WDYK7A
Purchase Print&Nook:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Key-to-the-Cursed/Jean-Murray/e/9780982820063/?itm=1&USRI=soul+reborn
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-soulreborn-546847-140.html

Book Blurb

THE HUMAN REALM, HIS BATTLEFIELD.

Asar, the Egyptian God of the Underworld, has been tortured and left soulless by a malevolent goddess, relegating him to consume the very thing he was commissioned to protect. Human souls. Now an empty shell of hatred, Asar vows to kill the goddess and anyone involved in her release, but fate crosses his path with a beautiful blonde huntress who has a soul too sweet to ignore.

DEADLY SECRETS BETTER LEFT UNEARTHED.”>DEADLY SECRETS BETTER LEFT UNEARTHED.

Lilly, fearless commander of the Nehebkau huntresses, is the only thing standing in the way of the goddess’ undead army unleashing hell on earth. But Lilly has a secret—one she is willing to sell her soul to keep. If the Underworld god discovers her role in the dig that released the goddess, she will lose everything, including his heart.

TAGLINE “Only the strongest love can unlock the souls of the Underworld.”

BOOK II: Soul Awakened

Purchase Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B0I1A9G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwjeanmurray-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00B0I1A9G
Books –A – Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Soul-Awakened/Jean-Murray/9781937254971?id=5602792319200
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/soul-awakened-jean-murray/1114128757?ean=9781937254971

Book Blurb:

LOVE FOR BLOOD OR HONOR

Kendra, an Egyptologist and demi-god in waiting, is the key to unlocking Bakari, the Egyptian God of Death, from his cursed slumber. Desperate to free him, she inadvertently binds herself to the god with a spell that only death will undo. To save Bakari from himself, she may have to sacrifice her innocence, and possibly her soul, before he becomes his family’s worst enemy.

HAUNTED BY SINS OF THE PAST

Bakari awakens to a world at war and a beautiful woman who has tethered his soul to hers. In the wake of his self-destruction Kendra is his only hope of salvation, but another has vowed to keep Bakari from the one thing he craves most– his Parvana. His butterfly.

Please help me welcome Janis Susan May Patterson to my blog today. She’s given me a great interview which I know you’ll enjoy. She’s also giving away a $5 Amazon gift card to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave her a comment.

Tell us about yourself.

Oooh, that’s a dangerous first question! I can talk about myself forever… The short version is, I’m proud to be a seventh generation Texan. In my 50s I married the world’s most wonderful man – a Naval officer several years younger than I. It was my first marriage and he had been single for over twenty years; we were the poster children for middle age romance. We’re both also enthusiastic amateur Egyptologists and I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know that he proposed to me in a moonlit garden in Egypt. I was one of the original 40 or so women who began RWA. I’m also a member of MWA, NINC and Author’s Guild. I published my first novel in 1979. I’ve been a talent agent, an actress and singer, a jewelry designer, Supervisor of Accessioning for a bio-genetic DNA lab (not easy when I’ve never taken a science course in my life), editor in chief of two multi-magazine publishing groups, edited and published the only monthly publication for The American Research Center in Egypt in the world (for nine years at least)… and that’s the short list. Yes, I bore easily. I’ve raced cars, flown planes and am a serious shooting enthusiast. Now I’m a very happy Stepford wife who loves staying home, cooking, gardening and looking after The Husband – best job I ever had. Oh, and I have been writing books since 1979.

How did you get started writing?

Genetically. I’m not kidding. One of my grandfathers was a small town newspaper publisher, back when that was a position of power. Both my grandmothers were English/literature teachers. My mother was a teacher, a play producer, and a magazine columnist, among other, non-literary things. My father started in his father’s newspaper as a printer’s devil when he was nine. He edited and published newspapers in several Texas towns, then taught journalism at Texas A&M. He was instrumental in separating the journalism department from the English department and making it a separate discipline. With my mother, he began an advertising agency that for sixteen of the seventeen years of its existence was rated by AADA in the top three hundred in the country. I started work there when I was nine. You see, I didn’t have a choice but to be a wordsmith of some sort.

Tell us about your current series/WIP.

I never have less than three or four projects underway at any given time. Told you I bore easily! Right now I’m primarily working on a romantic adventure called THE EGYPTIAN FILE, a chase/caper book set in (guess where?) contemporary Egypt about the lost treasure of the Pharaoh Ahmose. Makes me want to pack my bags and go back right now! I’m also working on an English-set gothic called THE WIDOW OF WESTOVER HALL (though that title will have to change), a plain sweet romance called SNOW JOB, a contemporary cozy mystery called A WELL MANNERED MURDER about cold-case murders in a defunct charm school, a cozy mystery set in New Orleans of 1916 called A KILLING ON BASIN STREET and a portion of a scholarly non-fiction college textbook – as yet untitled – about archaeological illustration. My portion is “The History of Archaeological Illustration Before the Napoleonic Paradigm of 1798.” It’s going to be a real page-turner! I’ve also just finished the editing on a traditional Gothic mystery called CURSE OF THE EXILE. It’s set in 1858 Scotland with a remote castle, a brooding laird, a prim and proper female librarian, hidden gold, a ghost called Mad Margaret and a couple of murders. It was great fun to write and is now flying around looking for a home. One most perspicacious reviewer once called me the logical heiress to Phyllis A. Whitney and Virginia Coffman. I hope she’s right!

What inspired your latest book?

Talking about THE EGYPTIAN FILE, it was a graffito in the tomb of Renni in the necropolis of El Kab, which is between Luxor and Aswan. It has been known since the Middle Ages and as soon as I saw it I knew it had to be in a book. Well, as books are organic and grow, it turned out that (with the help of Dr. Dirk Huyge, Director of the Belgian Archaeological Mission to El Kab) I had to invent both a new tomb and a new graffito to fit the needs of my story, but both have archaeological integrity if not physical reality. Most of the story for THE EGYPTIAN FILE came to me while The Husband and I were in Egypt for the month of January in 2010, but I couldn’t really work on it until I cleared the desk of more pressing projects. Our dear friend Dr. Stephen Harvey of Memphis has also been a great help, giving me all kinds of information on the great Pharaoh Ahmose, and in fact changed the direction (for the better!) of the last third of the story.

How does your family feel about your writing career?

I’m blessed to have been supported and encouraged by my family. My parents were both word people and loved the idea that I wrote, even in the years when I was concentrating more on traveling and having fun and adventures. When I married, after they were gone, I didn’t know how The Husband would react. He, like all of his family, are science people and writers are both alien and somewhat suspect beings. It took a while, but all of them have generally come around. The Husband is now an enthusiastic supporter, though occasionally bemused, but he’s behind me and my dreams all the way.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

Costly and unremunerative. I am in the process of bringing out my backlist, but although they have been professionally edited, have dynamite covers and are quite good stories, they are just lying there like dead marmots. Of course, I don’t write sexy (to me sex on the page is a dead bore) so that could be part of the problem. However, as some wise person said, ‘this is a marathon and not a sprint’ so my books will be available for a good long time and who knows what will happen?

What was the deciding factor in self-publishing your book(s)? Did you decide on ebook or print only or both?

Thrift, and to a point, a hate of waste. I had the rights back for my old books; they were good books, edited by major houses, and they were just sitting there, gathering metaphoric dust on my hard drive and various other storage locations. I figured that whatever they earned would be more than I have now, so I put them up. Right now I’m only doing ebooks; someday I would like to go into print, but that is a big learning curve and quite frankly I do not have the time right now. Perhaps when The Husband becomes my assistant. At the moment I have too much to do, both in writing and the real world, and feel what time I do have is better spent writing.

All self-pubbed books are rumoured to be shoddily edited. What do you say to that?

Too many are, unfortunately. To me bad/lack of editing just screams ‘Amateur’! I can live with a typo or two (having had a long and intimate association with the Typo Gremlin myself) but scads of them, many misspelled words, lack of coherence in story form, pathetic characterization and, sadly, much more just says the “author” wasn’t doing his job. It’s sad today that so many people are seeking the cachet of “published author” by putting out unbelievable dreck. It makes all of us look bad and, unfortunately, there’s no way to stop them. They wouldn’t dream of doing brain surgery or replacing brake pads or whatever without any training, but ‘hey – anyone can write a book, right?’ It’s things like these that make me grieve for the days of the gatekeepers. At least then there was a pretence of maintaining standards. Sometimes I am very tempted to do a violence to those clueless ones.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?

View? You’re kidding, right? I believe that writers should be looking at their writing, not a view. As for my writing space – ! Our house is large, but very weird; it was my mother’s dream house and is not like any other house anywhere as she designed every inch to her peculiar desires – very few but huge rooms, no front door, no side door, two back doors and no hallways at all. Most peculiar. The location, however, is top-notch. The Husband’s office is a small room off the sunroom where, before a minor remodeling, the heater used to live. My ‘office’ is a small desk against one wall in the guest room. It’s as far away from his talk radio and TV as I can get – if I moved any further away, my desk would have to be in the driveway!

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do to combat it?

Other than distraction from family tragedies, when all writing and most everything else goes by the board, not often. If it does strike I get up and get a cup of coffee, or go do my exercises in the hot tub, or walk around for a while and do something else. There’s nothing like housework (which I loathe worse than doing publicity) to make writing look attractive! Then I go back to the computer and, inspired or no, put down a word. Then another. Then another. And keep repeating. It might be absolute rubbish, but generally that primes the pump and I can throw the rubbish out later. If that doesn’t work, or if I’ve been doing nothing but rubbish for a day or two, I put that project aside for my subconscious to work on and take up another. It’s always good to have a back-up plan!

Where can readers find you?

The best place to find my books is just about anywhere they choose to look. My books are at 5Star/Gale/Cengage, Carina Press, Amazon, Kobo, B&N, Smashwords, and most any other reputable online retailer… I can be found at either of my websites, www.JanisSusanMay.com and www.JanisPattersonMysteries.com . Come on by and say hello!