Tuesday, May 3, 2016

~ Who Wouldn't Be Interested in a GHOST IN THE RAIN? ~







Please help me welcome Marie Treanor with her exciting release, GHOST IN THE RAIN. Marie brought along her rock star hero--and y'all know how I feel about rock stars. So, without further ado, I give you Dan Stewart!



Tell me about yourself? You're a rockstar. Why? What are your strengths & weaknesses?

My name is Dan Stewart. I used to play keyboards in a rock band called Bad Mouth. Aye, that band. Why? Because I love music and when I was 18 years old I wanted to see if I could be famous. Or infamous. Strengths? I’m a good musician, I think. I’m good at organizing people and business. And I suppose I look after my friends, whatever happens, or whatever they’ve done. Weaknesses? I can be too focused and selfish, lose my sense of proportion. I’ve behaved as badly as most rock musicians and I’ve let my friends do the same – with terrible consequences.


What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?

My family was always hard working, when they had work. They taught me loyalty and to always try as hard as I could. We weren’t well off. I grew up in a housing scheme in Glasgow, but my mum encouraged me to stick in at school, and to go to uni. I got the others – my pals Liam and Ross and Mick - to do the same, so we could all go to Strathclyde University together. That’s where we formed Bad Mouth and met Islay. Once she joined the band, it really took off and we all dropped out of uni. My parents thought we were nuts.

How did you and Kate meet? What was your first impression of her?

She came at me with a pepper spray. I thought she was insane. Beautiful but insane. No, she arrived in the middle of a storm to study some 18th century letters that I’d acquired along with Invershiel House up in the Highlands. I liked what she got out of those letters, how she perceived the people behind them. I liked that she was afraid of the dark, like a kid, and yet wouldn’t give in. I liked her sense of humour, the way I could talk to her about anything, even the weirdest… I just liked her.

What is it that you want out of life?

When I find out, I’ll let you know. I want to make a difference. And I want to play music. Beyond that, Kate’s opening doors to a life I never imagined before.



Has life handed you any major disappointments?

(Glaring) Are you kidding? You do know what happened to Bad Mouth? Liam, Ross, Islay, are all dead. That’s major. Though disappointment doesn’t quite cover it.


Yes, quite tragic! What CD is in your CD player right now?

A new solo album of Mick’s – the bass player from Bad Mouth. Best thing he’s ever done. I played keyboards on a couple of tracks. Sounds good. When it comes out, you should buy it.

I might just do that. Thank you for joining us today! Now let's hear a little bit more about GHOST IN THE RAIN...

Blurb ~

A haunted Highland house, battered by storms and murder... 

Notorious rocker Dan Stewart isn’t anything like Dr. Kate Yorke imagined. Arriving at his remote home in the Scottish Highlands to research some valuable letters - only to discover he’s forgotten their appointment - Kate soaks up the Gothic atmosphere of Invershiel House. But it’s the owner who truly fascinates her.

Reclusive and abrupt, Dan is haunted by the deaths of his fellow band members, especially his one time lover Islay Lamont, whose shade seems to flit around the grounds in the rain. But the ghost is not the only mystery Kate encounters. Light bulbs disappear around her – and only Dan knows she’s scared of the dark. Then she trips over a dead body which inexplicably vanishes.

It becomes a race against time to find the identity of the body and the killer. And to discover if she and Danny have any kind of future together. Or even at all...

A World of Gothic is a Gothic Mystery Romance Series by authors all over the world. For information on other titles, check out A World of Gothic Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1105411939511452&fref=ts

Buy now from:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/242zolj

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/26t6c5R

B&N: http://bit.ly/1qT8WZn

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1TvPiwg

i-Books: http://apple.co/1YTP2sg


Excerpt ~



I had to acknowledge that my peace was churned up by his unexpected presence here. It wasn’t even an unpleasant feeling; in fact it felt rather…exciting. But it was disturbing.


I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. I suspected Dan Stewart carried such disturbance wherever he went. If I thought about it, the whole house felt different now. As if its peace had gone too; as if it had sprung to life, eager, waiting.


Mocking my own silly fantasy, I stood abruptly and paced around the room, trying to recover my lost concentration. I suspected I was just tired and would work much faster and much better after a good night’s sleep.

I paused by the window to watch the storm. Although the thunder had stopped, the wind and rain were still blasting the trees and rattling the window. Close-up, I could feel the draught through my thick sweater. On impulse, I retrieved my phone from my bag and tried to capture the raging storm on its camera. But it looked too tame on the screen, not deep or dark enough, no real movement in those black clouds still scudding and swirling across the sky. I wished I could paint. For a moment, I even wished I could be part of it, to go outside in it again. There was nothing to stop me, except common sense.

I smiled to myself and lowered the phone, just as a movement in the garden below caught my eye. Someone was out in this. Someone not remotely dressed for it either. Through the darkness and the almost opaque mist of rain, I could make out only that it seemed to be a woman wearing only some kind of floating, white, wispy garment, more like the loungewear of wealthy women of past centuries than anything anyone would wear today for any purpose. The odd garment shimmered as the figure glided across the lawn, impossibly graceful.


On impulse, I raised my phone again and snapped.

Perhaps she moved too quickly. Nothing of her showed on the screen except an indistinct blur of light against blackness. Frowning, I looked again out of the window, but the woman had gone. Vanished.

Gone back inside if she’s got any sense whatsoever.

I could tell myself that, and believe it. I just couldn’t quite silence the tiny voice in my head that whispered I might just have seen a ghost…


And then, before I could laugh myself back to sceptical normality, another figure strode into view. Two figures. A man and a large dog. The dog was trotting along at his side, sniffing the grass. Even in darkness, the man was unmistakably Dan Stewart. He seemed to be wearing the same old khaki jacket. I could see the rain running off him in rivulets. It hadn’t seemed to touch the ghostly woman…

He stopped, gazing ahead, and slowly turned as if looking for something, or someone. Just for a moment, I was tempted. I even raised my phone hand. But it felt too wrong to take a picture of him without permission in his own home. He was facing the house now and without warning, he tipped back his head and caught me staring down at him.

I felt frozen in that distant gaze. Forcing myself, I gave a feeble wave and dragged my eyes free towards the black, wooded hills and the furiously scudding sky. Still, I was aware of him striding back towards the house. I even heard his voice calling to the dog which loped after him.

Restlessly, I abandoned the window. I needed to go to bed. My eyes, my mind, were all far too tired.

Ellie had been quite blasé about leaving the letters out of their locked cabinet. “Even if anyone knew about them, who’d steal them round here?” she’d said reasonably. I took her at her word and just stuffed my own notebook into my bag before picking it up and heading for the closed door, where I paused, because I could hear footsteps pounding up the stairs.


My heart drumming, I waited for them to pass before I left the room. They strode closer, along the hall, and I held my breath. He’d go past; he must go past…


The door flew open, and Dan Stewart stood there, scowling at me. Raindrops stood out on his wet hair and clothes.


No, he wasn’t pretty. But there was something devastatingly attractive about that rough, bony face and those big, grey eyes that seemed much darker than before.

“Did you take any pictures?” he asked abruptly.



A rock star and a ghost. Two characters to get your heart racing. 

Author Bio ~



Marie Treanor lives in Scotland, in a chaotic house by the sea, together with her eccentric husband, three much too smart children and a small dog who rules them all. Most days, she avoids both housekeeping and evil day jobs by writing stories of paranormal romance and fantasy.

Marie is the award winning author of over forty paranormal romances - Indie, New York and E-published.

You can find out more about Marie here: 



Subscribe to her New Release Mailing List: http://www.marietreanor.com/marie-treanor-newsletter/ 



Buy GHOST IN THE RAIN here:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/242zolj

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/26t6c5R

B&N: http://bit.ly/1qT8WZn

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1TvPiwg

i-Books: http://apple.co/1YTP2sg



Tuesday, April 26, 2016

~ After This Post You'll Be FALLING FOR PHOENIX! ~




Friend Eryn LaPlant is joining us today for a cover reveal for her latest release, FALLING FOR PHOENIX, the third in her FALLING FOR HEROES SERIES. So, without further ado...








Blurb ~

From the ashes they will arise.

Rhys Hannel is the raucous, playboy brother to movie star Oliver, and Interpol agent Edward Hannel. They were always the good ones, the sons who made their parents proud, the ones who married and settled down. Rhys wasn’t. Dating whomever, drinking top shelf liquors, and living in the lap of luxury from his earnings as a stockbroker was more his style. That is until one slip up left him careerless, penniless, and addicted to whatever made him forget the lifestyle he once had. With his world crashing down at his feet there was only one way to go…back to the beginning and start all over again.

Gracen Phoenix, on the other hand, is forced to be reborn by a mother who wants only for her daughter to accept her place in her late father’s crime organization. Gracen, or Mae Khai as her birth certificate reads, wants nothing to do with her father’s legacy, but knows her mother won’t take no for an answer and does what she must to be free from her control…run away and start all over again.

Two people, two worlds, two paths collide in the hills of Los Angeles, with Rhys recovering and Gracen hiding. Drawn to each other, they find solace with one another despite the secrets of their pasts that threaten to tear them apart. All they need is trust and truth and letting go of the ashes they rose from to start all over again.

COMING MAY 25th, 2016





Author Bio ~



Eryn LaPlant grew up wishing she could have lived in the books she read, living through characters and their romantic adventures. Now she writes romances of her own to share with readers like you. When not writing, she spends her time with her loving husband, their handsome son and fluffy Pomeranian, Marley, in the Land of Lincoln.

For more information on Eryn, please visit her website:

www.novelisterynlaplant.wordpress.com

Other works by Eryn include:

Beneath the Wall

The Blue Lute



Falling for Heroes series:

Falling for Shock

Falling for Freedom

Falling for Phoenix

Coming up next ~ Falling for Hope


You can find Eryn on these social media outlets:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/10fGbYs

Twitter: https://twitter.com/erynalicia

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/IsIkJ0

Tumblr: http://erynalicia.tumblr.com

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ppag5i

Get caught up with the Falling for Heroes series before Phoenix is released. Falling for Heroes Boxset $.99 for a limited time!










Monday, April 18, 2016

~ IN THE EYES of Film Critic/Author Sylv Jenkins! ~









Please help me welcome author and film critic Sylv Jenkins to the blog!


Tell me, Sylv, when did your love for writing start?


I’ve been writing short stories about 20 years now, just for me to escape into. I had three short stories published in a book with some other authors about 9 years ago, which was out for three months as we were raising money for a charity. Now that was a great feeling.

I stopped writing for a few years and then I started it back up again last year where I wrote my first novella. When I finished I put it aside until recently when I had a stern talk with myself about getting it published, so I’m hoping this year will be the year, although after reading the first few chapters I have changed quite a bit of it.



Do you have a job outside of writing? What is it and how does it mesh with your writing?

I’m self employed running Film Festivals around Hampshire, when films are submitted, I will watch and make a decision on whether or not to show at our festivals. I also critique and review as well. My other job is the best, I home educate my 9 year old daughter. We took her out of school May 2015 due to her being ill. She lost so much confidence in herself and she couldn’t catch up with the class. Today she is my bubbly little girl full of life and learning so much.



I'm glad your daughter is better! As a film critic, I'm sure watching all those films adds to your writing. Do you have hobbies that you’d like to share?

Spending time with my family, reading, writing, and watching films.


Where do you live? Where would you love to live?

I live in the UK, but I would love to live somewhere exotic, I can dream :)



Share with us a little about your family. Married? Kids? Pets?

I live with my partner, Joe and my three wonderful kids, Helyn 17, Rhys 14 and Jayne 9. We have 6 guinea pigs (well they are really Helyn’s but they are gorgeous and you will often find me out in the garage talking with them) and we are looking at getting some fish.



That's a lot of guinea pigs! What was your nickname growing up or now?

People could never spell my name right, Sylvia would become Slyvia or Silver at one point. So I was know as Sly until about 10 years ago and people called me Sylv which has stuck with me every since.


Who was your hero when you were a child, and what did you do to be like them?

My dad was my hero, all through my childhood he was very ill, but I can always remember how strong he was and he always kept going no matter what right up until he died just aged 50.


Sounds like quite a guy! Thanks for joining us, Sylv, and best wishes for IN THE EYES!





In The Eyes is about twins who have special powers that ignite when they reach a certain age.




Monday, April 11, 2016

~ Get Yourself in a JAM: Jordan and Mary Cover Reveal ~







Please welcome author T.J. Lyons to the blog today! Here's a bit about T.J.'s latest release, JAM: Jordan and Mary!

Blurb ~
Secrets refuse to remain buried.


Bonds of love are tested.

Horses prove they are loyal creatures.



Jordan Jennings is a successful self-made photographer with a dicey past he refuses to face. He’s had no reason to, happy in his life with his mother and twin brother. That is until he meets a woman strong enough to draw him from his repression.

Running from her own past, Mary Evans has lived in hiding for the last 12 years. Horses became her life when she discovered she had a gift for working with them. When she is brought a fiery cremello mare, a mental bond develops between her and the animal like no other. But it isn’t until a sinfully gorgeous photographer enters her barn that her life takes a drastic turn.


Together, Jordan and Mary find a new lease on life. But before their future can begin, they must return to each of their pasts, two parts of their worlds that collide and threatens to tear them apart. Now the question remains, will they survive the torment? And is it even possible to achieve the perfect happily ever after?


Author Bio ~
T.J. Lyons started writing stories in second grade. She has been writing stories ever since. Many stories later, she shares some of her stories with readers to enjoy. She has a love of the outdoors and animals and kids.

When not writing, TJ spends her time teaching special need high school students and with her three animals: Jules the Red Heeler, Thor the grey tuxedo cat, and American Quarter Horse, Blaze. She lives in North Texas.


Here's where you can find T.J.: 

https://tjlyons2002.wordpress.com


FB: https://t.co/RwJlHrqzdC


Twitter: DDubForever2002



Thanks for sharing your cover with us!






Wednesday, March 30, 2016

~ The Thing That Makes Getting Up On Wednesday Worthwhile ~ An Interview With The Creators of #1lineWed! ~






I am very excited today to be interviewing authors Kathryn Jane and Annelisa Christensen, who are involved in a little nugget called One Line Wednesday, the inspiration for my getting out of bed midweek. Seriously, you can ask my husband, I love One Line Wednesday. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the geniuses behind it!


First off, let me just say I love how the internet makes this a small world. Kathryn resides in Vancouver, Canada and Annelisa is from the UK (Ticehurst, Sussex). I’m from the Midwest, and you all are reading this from all parts of the world. Kinda cool, isn’t it? Some of you could be reading this poolside, and some of you, like me, are doing everything possible to avoid going out in that thing called “mixed precipitation,” something weathermen say to make conditions sound far more fun than they really are.


Before we hop into our discussion of One Line Wednesday, let’s find out a little more about these fine ladies. We’ll start with Kathryn. So you write a little romance, a little suspense...how did you get into this field?


K: I’ve been a Romantic Suspense reader for years, and when my fingers hit the keys, that’s what comes out. I’ve tried to write straight suspense or mystery, but heck even James Bond has a love interest so it’s only natural, right?


True! How long have you been writing and what are you working on next?


K: Writing started many many moons ago but it’s only been about eleven years since I sat down with the intention of writing a book. And this afternoon, when I typed the end for about the tenth time, I was just as thrilled as I was ten years ago.


All She Wanted, book six in the Intrepid Women Series, will be up for pre-order shortly, for an April 2016 release. This one is Angie’s story. She’s been a fun and feisty recurring character in the previous books, but now the single mom and high-tech helicopter pilot must confront both life-threatening and emotional challenges before she and Matthias can have a shot at their happily ever after.


Sounds awesome! And now it's Annelisa's turn. On top of being an author, you are also an editor and literary agent. You sound like a very busy woman! How do you balance all of the demands of a personal life and that of your professional one?


A: Personal life? What personal life?

Ha ha! No really, my personal life comes first, even above writing, the day job (Laboratory Technician in the local secondary school – physics being my specialty) or the more ‘minor’ roles of editor or literary agent. My children, though grown, are my priority, and if they need me, I’m there. Meeting up with friends, unfortunately, has to be squashed in between all the other stuff.

I try to wake up early, and spend an hour or so dealing with anything that needs doing and, hopefully, a bit of writing/editing…depending what demands attention most loudly. Then, in the evening, I’ll do another hour or two. The trick is, as is so often emphasized, to keep on doing it…a little bit every day. (You can imagine, I don’t have either time, or inclination, for such things as housework! :))



Oh, my! Are we soul sisters! What is the most difficult part of being an agent? An editor? A writer? What is the best part?


A: Of being a Writer:


I imagine that just about anyone reading this will know what the difficulties are, and it’s not necessarily the writing! For me, the writing is the fun bit, the bit that substantiates I am a writer. It’s the bit that humanizes me, puts me in touch with my childhood dreams, and extends them into the future and my dying days. It’s the growing of that seed of an idea, an idea that’s mine and nobody else in the World knows about, into a full-blown, hopefully exciting and thought-provoking story to be read by others. And they will ‘get’ the picture you’re trying to paint. If you’ve done it right, they will be privy to, and share in, your dream. That’s kinda cool. The hard bit is the uncertainty…did you achieve what you set out to do? Will anyone ‘get’ your dream? Oh, and time, of course.

Of being an editor/agent:


These play a relatively small part of my life these days, while I’ve been writing The Popish Midwife, but I still keep my hand in. The two roles often go together. First of all, if you find a book you like a lot, and think you could love, your first job is to bring it up to a standard others expect. The hardest bit of editing is sending an author their manuscript riddled with your comments, changes (that you’ve desperately tried to keep in their style) and suggestions…hoping with all your heart it doesn’t put them off writing for life, considering that you liked their writing enough in the first place to work on it! I always tell them, though, that they have three choices: accept or reject each change, or use my highlighting to re-create it in their own way.

Two worst things about being an agent – telling writers that their work simply isn’t good enough (that’s a killer, when you know how much time they’ve put into it ); and having a manuscript you love be rejected by publishers for the most silly of reasons, which you know are likely excuses pulled out of the air because they don’t believe it to be an absolute best-seller. I believe they pass over so many excellent books often because they worrying about that bottom line – money. Of course, we all want a book to be successful, but there must be many books in history that probably weren’t widely read when were first released, but are now seen to be ‘classic’.



Well, it was very nice to get this brief glimpse into your lives. Thank you for sharing that with us.


A: Oops! Was I supposed to be brief? :-D Lol

Yet another indication that we may be sisters as I tend to struggle with that whole brief thing, too. Don't worry.You did great! Now…One Line Wednesday is a Twitter event hosted by the RWA (Romance Writers of America) Kiss of Death Chapter. First, is this a local chapter, or an internet chapter? How did you both get involved with it?

A: RWA is Jane’s area of expertise (I don’t have anything to do with it) so I’ll leave that for her to answer.

But I can tell about how I became involved with my favorite Wednesday game :). I think I came across #1linewed not long after I came on Twitter – when Jane had already been running it about a year – and immediately got hooked into the creativity and energy…many a line being like a micro-story in itself, or a tantalizing glimpse of the whole. Some lines make you laugh, others evoke such sadness or horror. To me, that’s amazing.

To start with, I read every single line posted during the day. Yes, every single one, even if I had to lay awake until 4am to do it! (There were a lot less in those days, before it started trending!)


I soon realized that, though writers and authors were helpful, supportive and friendly (they rock!) many new writers floundered a bit, not knowing what the game was about. And Jane couldn’t reach all of them, especially once there started being so many, so I started letting folk know where to find the guidelines, when Jane was busy with other things. Now, so many writers and authors play, Jane and I can’t possibly reach them all. We can only dip in and out and hope, between us, we’ll eventually greet everyone and explain how the game goes. Luckily, many of the other authors are also ready and willing to answer a newcomer’s questions.



K: KOD is an online chapter of RWA with around 500 members. I signed up as a volunteer to help the VP Communications, and my project was to help members become comfortable using twitter.


So Kiss of Death comes up with a theme each Wednesday and writers can post, within the 140 character limit of Twitter, a passage from their work in progress (no links are to be included). You all are very creative with your themes and I will admit to peeking at the theme well in advance of Wednesday, just to see what you have in store for us. The theme may be first sentences, or action, or dark, or old…they are so fun! So as a writer you pore through your manuscript for these themes and it is interesting to find out what you come up with. It helps you look at each sentence in isolation, which is a valuable tool, and helps to rekindle that fire for your work in progress that may have fizzled out while you have been pulled away from it, out promoting your newest release. You also get to meet new authors, hear some great lines…I could gush all day. Tell us, how did you come up with this idea and what do you, personally, like best about it?

A: This is Jane’s baby, but like many, I quickly fell in love with it and adopted it. I love the camaraderie between the writers, both novice and experienced. I love the diversity of interpretation of a simple word, and the variety of lines for such divergent audiences as children and Young Adult to some pretty x-rated excerpts (although, on the whole, the authors do tend to keep it clean). Offerings of poetry sparkle between lines from any and many genres…none are excluded. Interpretations are as varied as the authors and writers playing…what’s not to love! It’s addictive.


It’s not just the variety, there’s the other side of it too. From the writer’s side, I find that choosing lines makes you think about your writing very carefully, and teaches you to eliminate the unnecessary – an exercise in brevity and being concise :). It also highlights some of your most overused words or ideas…and when you play you start to read around a word and end up editing a whole scene. You read objectively, knowing you’ll be sharing with other players, so it concentrates your attention with that in mind. And you take that with you into new writing too.


Lastly, the support that’s given by other writers is awesome! Writers around the World welcome other writers. They show their love with retweets, faves and comments, all appreciation freely given and gratefully received. Working in isolation much of the time, the weekly connections between players have become bonds of friendship. And that’s something you just can’t beat.



K: I came up with the idea of #1lineWed as a way for us learn about using Twitter, while staying in writer-mode. (Most of us are comfortable with the words we write in fiction, but when it comes to shouting at the rooftops that we’re authors with books to sell, we’d rather crawl under a rock… unless there’s a slithery type creature under there.)

Amen! Is there anything that makes One Line Wednesday difficult? I imagine coming up with themes is hard, but you do an awesome job! It may be a bit irritating for you when people don’t follow the simple guidelines you provide. Personally, it drives me crazy when someone just slaps up what they consider to be their best quote without paying any mind to that week’s theme! The rule-follower in me growls a little when I read these lines.


A: I suppose the things that irritate me are not necessarily what irritates others. I don’t mind if folk don’t always follow the theme, though I tend to only RT them if they do. I don’t mind if someone screenshots a slightly longer line occasionally (but whole paragraphs and longer chunks kinda break from the intention of the game, and doing this too often will make me simply skip over). And first ‘offence’ of posting a buy link is always forgiven, since the player doesn’t yet know the rules, but repeat buy-links are not pleasant for other writers to have to put up with. The point is to have sale-free fun. But my biggest bugbear isn’t to do with any of that. It’s simply the lack of time to read all the wonderful lines!


K: Yes! me too :) so I had to back away from policing #1lineWed. That’s when Annalisa happened along and saved the day. She is amazing at interacting with the players and letting them know about the themes and guidelines in a wonderful friendly way that never offends anyone. Without her help, I probably would have folded my tent and skulked away long before now!


I love choosing themes (I keep lists) and creating the posters. And I’m always impressed by the creativity of the players.


This has been so much fun! Thank you for taking time out of your busy days to share with us. I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday. And the Wednesday after that. And the Wednesday after that…


So, if you are an author wanting to play along with us, search for Kiss of Death on Twitter and find out what the theme of the week is. Find a line, but make sure you leave space for the hashtag, #1lineWed. It’s usually trending. Through the genius of Twitter, all of our One Lines are gathered under this hash tag so you can search it out and read what others have to say. Be sure to retweet and like the ones that resonate with you. And remember, no buy links. I’m telling you, you’ll become an addict! 


Author Bios ~


Kathryn Jane ~

Kathryn Jane writes the popular Intrepid Women Series. Novels filled with mystery, suspense, adventure, psychic abilities, and romance. Think MacGyver, I Love Lucy, Criminal Minds, and the Mentalist… Kickass women and the men who dare to love them.




Most recent release: LIES

http://amzn.com/B014CHM8ZQ




Annelisa Christensen ~

Blog: Script Alchemy
Facebook: Script Alchemy
Twitter: @Alpha_Annelisa
Debut novel to be published June 2016 in the UK by The Conrad Press.
The Popish Midwife is a historical biographical fiction based on the true story of courageous and philanthropic Seventeenth Century Catholic midwife, Elizabeth Cellier, during the English Popish Plot against King Charles II.



Thank you for spending time with us and may all your One Line Wednesdays be pleasant ones!

Monday, March 28, 2016

~ I'm Wild About WildAboutBones, and After You Read this Interview, You Will be, Too! ~









I've got something very special for you today. (As compared to the usual garbage. 
No, just kidding.) As I am blessed in having some pretty terrific author friends, I have great stuff on all the time. But this is something unusual. Today I am interviewing the blogger responsible for the site Cover Reveals! Let's see what they have to say...



To start off with, tell us a little bit about your blog.


The original purpose of Cover Reveals was to showcase upcoming book releases with cover reveals. But we quickly had more requests than calendar days, so Cover Reveals has become a blog featuring/promoting recent and new releases. We even had to put a limit on the age of releases. But we haven’t forgotten about older and upcoming releases. We also offer low-cost, fee-based promotion services for books available for pre-order (Coming Soon service), books on sale (On Sale service), books too old to appear in a spotlight post (Twitter promo service), and new for 2016, books that have already appeared on Cover Reveals but need more promo (Featured Post service).

To make a request to appear on Cover Reveals, visit http://coverreveals.blogspot.com/p/requests.html

To learn more about our services, visit http://coverreveals.blogspot.com/p/author-services.html

Cover Reveals can be found at:

http://CoverReveals.blogspot.com

Twitter: @CoverReveals

http://www.pinterest.com/CoverReveals

http://paper.li/CoverReveals/1382463134

http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6830073

https://plus.google.com/u/0/109406060041363952580


Awesome! I know Cover Reveals is one of the first places I want to be on with a new release. Your support is the best! Your blog is called WildAboutBones Presents Cover Reveals. Can you explain the WildAboutBones part?


A few years ago when I had a lot more time to review books, I was a reviewer for the BittenByParanormalRomance.com (now BittenByRomance.com) blog. I needed an alias, so I turned to one of my favorite characters for inspiration. I am wild about Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series featuring Bones, a sexy British vampire. And WildAboutBones was born. I was a very prolific reviewer and wanted to capitalize on my popularity when I started Cover Reveals. I would review on BittenByParanormalRomance.com and showcase new books without reviews on Cover Reveals.


That is so not what I was thinking. I thought maybe you had been into archaeology at some point! My blog is all about people with a love for words--writers, bloggers, reviewers, and the cover artists that dress up their words with visual images. So, a love of words can draw you to do any of the above. What was it that drew you specifically to blogging/reviewing?


Initially my love of reading. As an editor, I saw so many really good books with little-to-no exposure and low sales. I wanted to do something to help get the word out about good books from little known and/or new authors.



That is wonderful! Getting the word out about your book is one of the hardest things to do. What is the hardest thing about blogging and/or reviewing?


It is so time consuming. I feature a different book every day, 7/365–yes, even on the holidays. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work to blogging: scheduling, shuffling the schedule when release dates change, hunting for missing information an author neglected to provide, reminding authors of their upcoming posts and the need for their info, promoting the posts/books via the different social media channels, etc. Cover Reveals has become so popular, we could easily feature two and three new books a day if I had the time. Too bad blogging doesn’t come with a paycheck so I could quit the day job. *chuckling*


That's what I think about writing! What is the thing you enjoy the most?


Exposure to all the new books and authors. Love reading all the excerpts. Enjoy interacting with readers who say I totally blow their monthly book budgets.



Do you have a job outside of blogging/reviewing? What is it and how does it mesh with your blogging/reviewing?



Yes, a former Acquisitions Manager and editor for several small press publishers, I am currently doing freelance developmental and content editing and frequently do final line editing/proofreading. I also occasionally teach writing classes and workshops. Additionally, I offer book promotion services. Being a book blogger just seemed like a natural fit.



Wow! You are a busy lady. If you have any spare time, do you have hobbies that you’d like to share?


I am an avid reader and audio book listener. I love to dance but don’t get much of an opportunity to any more.


Where do you live? Where would you love to live?


I currently live in the southern US. I would love to live in one of the cold, snowy states like North Dakota, Montana, or even Alaska if the cost of living wasn’t so high.



Wow! Someone who lives south who wants to come north. Amazing! Most of the time people want to go where it is warm. Share with us a little about your family. Married? Kids? Pets?


The perfect tenant: no kids, no pets, no smoking –boring. No husband but lots of book boyfriends. *big grin*



Your life sounds far from boring! Now, let's have some just for fun questions. If you could be any animal, what animal would you choose, and why? (I feel like Barbara Walters!)

Probably one of the large cats. Maybe a snow leopard. Could play in the snow every time it snowed. Or a jungle jaguar. Could race along the jungle canopy highway or along the forest floor, except I wouldn’t like the heat. If we’re including mythical animals, I’d love to be a fire-breathing dragon with a huge wingspan. Flying as a huge beast would be major cool.

When trick-or-treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy that you didn’t like to get?


Anything with nuts or coconut in it. Yuk!

What was one of the best Christmas presents you ever received? (Because I ask the hard questions.)


1) A car and 2) A Kindle



If you owned a CB radio what would your "handle" be?


LOL! WildAboutBones, of course.


Yeah. That's an easy one for you. What CD is in your CD player right now?


Actually my CD jukebox is packed away right now, but one of my most favorite custom stations on IHeartRadio.com is Jason Aldean.


Rock girl here, but I forgive you. ;) Name your favorite children's story.


Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Mine, too! What is your concept of a fruitful day?


Getting all my work and blogging tasks done early enough to curl up with a good book for a couple of hours before bed.


Sounds heavenly! What one thing (modern convenience) could you not live without?

Indoor plumbing—no out houses or public bathhouses for me. LOL!


What are your three favorite smells?

Milk chocolate fondue, freshly cleaned sheets, and Mennen Millionaire Cologne for men.


Three unique answers, and I love the smell and feel of clean sheets! Thank you so much for sharing some of yourself with us today. I sincerely appreciate all you do for readers and writers.

Be sure to check out Cover Reveals. It's the place to be!



Friday, March 25, 2016

~ Another Great #EggcerptExchange by Carmen Stefanescu ~ from SHADOWS OF THE PAST ~




Howdy! Have another wonderful eggcerpt for you, but first, here's what the book's about...



BLURB ~



Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?

A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.


LINKS ~

Wild Child Publishing

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=410


Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-of-the-Past-ebook/dp/B00AK2D9I8/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354874514&sr=1-15&keywords=shadows+of+the+past

All Romance

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadowsofthepast-1013184-140.html


Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-the-past-carmen-stefanescu/1113910162?ean=2940015715026



EGGCERPT ~ 

The peal of the church bells from the abbey tower startled Genevieve. The sound added to her mounting anxiety.

The massive abbey loomed over the stone paved path. All the nuns were at evening mass. With a bit of luck her disappearance would go unnoticed for a few more hours. The Abbess would assume she was cleaning the toilets as ordered.

Fear skittered through Genevieve when she turned away from the abbey towards the path leading to town. Nothing stirred. She hesitated. Evil emanated from the forest surrounding the abbey. With a shiver, she leaned against the solid oak gates that flanked the abbey's main path. They had hidden her from detection for the past couple of hours, but how much longer would she be safe?

The mountain shadows grew thicker and closer.

She moved her weight from one leg to the other. They ached from so much standing, but she lacked the strength to return to the gardener's cottage and wait for Andrew's arrival as planned. Genevieve closed her tired eyes. The image of old Ryan, slumped dead in his chair in his cubicle, caught life in her mind and made her whole body ripple with fear.

She'd rather wait for Andrew here, outside.

Had he forgotten his promise? What if something terrible befell him during the last three days, or he had changed his mind? Why should he risk all for an ordinary nun?

Had his folks talked him into giving her up, made him see reason? Helping her out of her predicament meant a huge risk for him -- losing his family, his friends and his position among his peers. His words echoed in her mind. "I will risk everything for you, even life, if necessary."

* * * *

"Anne, Anne, wake up. Wake up, please," the insistent voice whispered next to her ear. The touch of a hand, on her shoulder, startled Anne.

She opened her eyes, still half between sleep and reality. Her gaze stopped on a stranger, a woman, by her side.

The moon's pale face, the only light, filtered through a small gap in the tent's entrance; yet the stranger's whole body emanated a kind of soft ray, a yellowish halo making her figure and face easy to discern.

A long, dark robe, similar to those worn by nuns in monasteries centuries ago, covered her body. No traditional headdress covered the woman's red hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders in long, heavy tendrils and continued down her chest and back.

Anne stood up and studied the intruder with open curiosity. The stranger’s wax pale face looked corpse like. Anne opened her mouth to ask her who she was. She looked Anne straight in the eyes, placed her forefinger on her lips and whispered, "Hush, come. Follow me."

Anne's eyes widened.

The woman, moving away from the sleeping bag, appeared to glide above the ground. Her bare feet didn't make a sound.

As if hypnotized, Anne followed the illuminated silhouette heading into the forest, without questioning her own actions.

An onrush of sensations unfamiliar to her followed. Dizziness and a malevolent feeling of unreality suffocated her. The presence of evil, creeping up and enveloping her, became almost palpable. Her throat turned dry, and she gasped for air.

/ / / / / / / / / 



INTERVIEW ~

Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable Miss...

"Genevieve. My name is Genevieve, but Sister Clementa, the Abbess, and some of her followers call me The witch."


I see... Ahem. Tell me, Genevieve, where are you living?

Genevieve ( a small sigh escapes her lips. Then she shrugs) "Well, for the moment I reside at St. Mary’s Abbey. On top of a mountain in Britain, in the...cursed forest."


 Is that so? Well, do you have any schooling?

Genevieve (nods and pats and invisible crease of her dress) "Kind Old Bertha, who took care of me after my family perished, taught me to read and write. Not only English but also Latin. And, most important, she taught me how to prepare healing potions from plants and herbs. Perhaps that’s why the Abbess hates me so much. A peasant girl of the 13th century is dangerous if she knows more than her superiors, I think."

Hmm...that may be... What are your worst fears or nightmare?

Genevieve (throws a shy look around her. She shivers and her voice is small) "I fear the cursed forest. This forest is responsible for what happened to my family. My father’s odd behavior, the death of my siblings. All the evil that lurks in it.

My nightmare - the Abbess, sister Clementa, who threatens me all the time with sending me to the stake. I can’t understand why she wants me out of the way."

Sounds quite unpleasant. Is there anything that you secretly desire?

Genevieve (blushes and wrings her hands. Then she looks me directly in the eyes. Her voice is strong now. ) "To become Andrew’s wife and grow a family. If his family agrees....If the Abbess lets me go... If God forgives me for giving up being a nun.....If I escape alive from the forest.... If....”

Nice ending!








AUTHOR BIO ~



Carmen Stefanescu resides in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

Teacher of English and German in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of books.


She has dreamed all her life of becoming a writer, but many of the things she wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989, and the opening of the country to the world, meant a new beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.

Shadows of the Past, paranormal/light romance/light mystery/light horror was released at the end of 2012 by Wild Child publishing, USA.



Carmen Stefanescu's Links:

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts

http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1




Thank you for joining us today, Carmen!