Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours

AWAKENING THE DRAGON by Theresa Chaze

2007-12-16T21:33:00.000-08:00

Awakening the Dragon--Book One of the Dragon Clan Trilogy originally was called Dragon's New Home. A financial issue with an unethical publisher was the deciding factor in my rewriting and renaming it. Looking back, I am grateful to the publisher. Although it was a good book in the beginning, Awakening the Dragon is a stronger and better crafted book. Not only did I add a ghostly presence, but also I established a storyline that would be woven through the sequels--Dragon Domain, which is already available and Return of the Dragon Tribe, which will be released spring 2008. I write about the magic of this world and others. However, the setting doesn’t matter as much as the spiritual and emotional challenges that the characters must grow through.

Most of my work is inspired by life and my ability to not only question, but to listen to the answers. The what-ifs of life are the basis of the best stories every told. Growing up I would create my own characters for my favorite TV shows and fantasize about the how I would make the story different. When it was time to return to reality, the characters and plots were radically different than when I started. One of my English professors once said there hasn't been in a new plot in over two thousand years, but it is the way the writer perceives the plot and creates the characters that make the story unique. There is nothing new about bigotry, romance or betrayal, until you see it through fresh eyes or you lift the mirror and see it in your own. The characters that I have brought through me are magical, but not because they create magic. Instead, they represent the commonness that we all share that in itself makes us unique. We are all capable of making miracles happen if we chose to have the courage to believe and have faith. Each of us contains the Divine spark that makes us exceptional. If we could just remember to look for it in other, most of the pain we cause ourselves and others would be avoided, but so would most of the good stories.

Awakening the Dragon Clan Trilogy is available at Amazon.

To read an excerpt go here: http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/excerptatdebook.pdf

RUE THE DAY: THE UNDERCOVER HEIR, BOOK 1 by Cat Muldoon

2007-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

If you had asked me 3 years ago whether I would write a novel, I most likely would have laughed and said no. You see, I never meant to write a novel. As a matter of fact, when I wrote Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1, I only meant to write a short story.

Here’s what happened. I live in the Ozarks, and we have a lot of misty mornings. So one day I was getting a breath of fresh morning air and talking to the birds. Fog shrouded the trees and put me in mind of Celtic stories about passing through the mists into other realms. The book The Mists of Avalon is one example of a book that taps into these stories.

So a character came to me who had lived as a human but was truly Faerie (old spelling of what we now see most often, fairy). Her mother Neala wandered into the mists that rise at times to allow passage between the worlds while pregnant with her. When she was a tot, Aislinn and her mother Neala became separated on a misty morning. Someone found the child and she lived in one foster home after another. She knew nothing of her Faerie heritage. All this was the “back story” which in a good novel you do not discover right away.

The book begins on a misty morning in the Ozarks, and Aislinn is drawn into the mists by her cat Bree. She then has a peculiar encounter with a man who says he is her kinsman. He attempts to take her “home,” but after a rough life in a skeptical world, she has no intention of wandering off with a strange man, no matter how friendly he appears to be.

I intended to write a short story about Aislinn returning to her homeland. But a Muse stopped by and I offered her a drink, and since humans do not typically notice Muses, much less offer them chocolate liqueur, she must have decided that I should not write a short story, but a novel.
So that is why I say that I accidentally wrote a novel. Some might say that I was aiming for a short story and overshot by 85,000 words, but in truth, situations and characters came to me and would not let me go until they found expression. The whole plot for Rue came to me quickly, and it took me 14 weeks to catch up and write everything down. It never occurred to me at the time that writing an entire novel from first word to final draft in less than four months was remarkable, but over two dozen writers have expressed a stunning degree of awe that I could do such a thing.

My answer? I never told myself I could not write quickly, so I had no bad programming to overcome.

While I wrote Rue, naturally after all that time developing Faerie, the fantastic Celtic knotwork castle, and the nice twisty plot, I had an idea for a couple more novels. I also came to understand first hand why fantasy authors so often do series, aside from commercial considerations. It would take far too much work to invent a new world for each book!

So there you have the story behind the book Rue the Day, The Undercover Heir, Book 1. I encourage you to read excerpts at http://catmuldoon.com/. I will let you in on a special offer…you want to register to receive excerpts of the book and other stories, because I am giving away prizes. You could win a set of 3 music CDs like what I listened to while writing Rue. They have beautiful Celtic music. I am also giving away another prize which I will announce December 14.

I love meeting authors and finding out what inspires you.

Virtual Book Tour: I am SO excited to be on tour this month, thanks to Dorothy Thompson and her crew at Pump Up Your Book Promotions. My tour page can be found here. Comment on the tour page or one of my stops and you could win a copy of Rue the Day.

Ask Me A Question and I'll (probably) Answer: I have a blog post on Communati where you may ask me a question about writing, my book, or whatever and I will most likely answer. Check out http://communati.com/main/ask-author-cat-muldoon-would-you-let-your-book-be-turned-movie

Thank you for your interest, and please drop me a note!

Cat Muldoon http://catmuldoon.com/

Tags: The Story Behind the Books, author promotions, Cat Muldoon, Rue the Day

DEVIL'S ORCHESTRA by Sydney Molare

2007-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

It’s funny how I get ideas for books. I’m a veterinarian by profession and I’d participated in interviews for potential students into the states veterinary medical program. On the way home, one of my students, who happened to be interviewing for a slot, and I began talking about the ridiculous things going on in the world. Now this was just after Janet Jackson showed the world what she was working with and Brittney Spears and Madonna thought lip-locking in front of millions of children was a great idea.

I realized how greedy our society was for the vulgar, the uncouth, the over-the-top dramatical (thanks Flava Flav) actions people were doing. And the worse part was people were actually defending this vulgarity as if were defensible. We’ve white-washed some sins to the point of having a generation believe some things aren’t sins in the first place.

During the four hour ride, the radio was on, and one of my unfavorite radio personalities, Rush Limbaugh, was on spewing his skewed opinions. I have to take him in small sessions since there is his right and the rest of you. Of course, that tune changed when it was his hinny in the sling.

Seeds for the book began sprouting as I had this one thought: What would these same celebrities say if the devil showed up and had them review their lives? Mind you, they had been on the radio, television and magazines defending their positions/actions down to the nth degree, would they have the same viewpoint if they were placed in the ultimate judgment situation?

Of course, the devil couldn’t show up horned, cloven-hooved and smelling of brimstone. I wanted to make him human. Scripture tells us he was beautiful and I wanted people to realize the devil just might show up looking like you and me.

In the end, Devil’s Orchestra is my wake-up call to our society. I use the category title quasi-Christian fiction. That’s because the message is spicy but the undertones are spiritual in nature. I’m hoping that every reader will reassess their lives, see how they are living, and figure out whit’s truly important.

Glad you had me over!

Sydney Molare is the author of DEVIL'S ORCHESTRA. You can visit her website at http://www.sydneymolare.com/.

Tags: virtual book tour, Sydney Molare, Devil's Orchestra, christian fiction

CULOTTA by Dennis N. Griffin

2007-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

I began writing as a hobby in 1994, after moving to Las Vegas following a 20-year career in investigations and law enforcement in upstate New York. My first book – The Morgue – was self-published through 1stBooks (now Author House) in 1996. I was spending the summer back in New York when the book was released and did some signings at local independent book stores. I also appeared as a guest speaker at a library in a nearby town. Through these events I developed a small fan base and was able to generate enough sales to recover the publishing expenses and make a few dollars profit. This limited success encouraged me and I wrote another fiction, and then four more. These were all self/POD published and just above break even financially.

In November 2001, I attended a writers’ conference in Florida that turned out to be a career-altering experience for me. I was chatting with another attendee over coffee and we shared our backgrounds. As luck would have it, she had retired as a civilian employee of the Indiana State Police. As we warmed up to each other, I lamented the fact that my books just weren’t catching on the way I’d like. I told the lady that I enjoyed writing, but felt that after six books and seven years I should be doing better.

She asked me if I’d ever considered writing non-fiction. With my law-enforcement experience she thought I’d be a natural for writing police history or true crime. My new friend said she had written the history of the Indiana State Police and it was selling quite well in the Hoosier State as a local interest story. I purchased a copy of her book that day and read it on the flight back to Las Vegas. I was hooked on trying my hand at non-fiction. Within a short time I decided that my first project would be writing the history of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (Metro).

I knew that in order to produce a quality product I’d need to have Metro’s assistance. I put together a proposal and presented it to them. The sheriff endorsed my plan the same day. Armed with that promise of cooperation, I prepared a book proposal and submitted it to Las Vegas publisher Huntington Press. HP is a small traditional publisher of non-fiction books about gaming and Nevada history. In late January 2002, the proposal was accepted and I immediately began researching Las Vegas’ police history back to its establishment in 1905.

It was quite a project to say the least. Thankfully, Metro more than lived up to its agreement. I was assigned a lieutenant from the Public Information Office as my contact person and given a letter of introduction signed by the sheriff. I had tremendous access to old records, photos and personnel. But even with all that help, gathering the necessary information was a slow process. It was two years before the manuscript was finished.

It is often said that timing is everything. In my case that was certainly true. Although it had been unplanned in the beginning, Policing Las Vegas was released in 2005 — just in time for Vegas’ 100-year birthday bash. The free publicity regarding anything Las Vegas was overwhelming. That book marked a turning point in my writing career in several ways. But most importantly, it gave me name recognition and established my credentials as a credible researcher.

When writing Policing I knew that any book about Sin City police history would have to include something about organized crime. A veteran Metro detective I had become friends with suggested I write about the Tony Spilotro era. He said that Spilotro was the basis for the character that actor Joe Pesci played in the 1995 movie Casino. I followed his advice and put in a section called The Mob’s Man. The piece was relatively short and I knew I had only scratched the surface of what had actually transpired during Spilotro’s reign. I wondered if I did enough digging, if I could come up with sufficient material for a book about the Spilotro days.

Again, my timing was impeccable. I contacted several of the cops and FBI agents who had investigated Spilotro in the 1970s and ‘80s. They were now retired and many of them were willing to share their experiences with me. Convinced that I could put together an informative and entertaining book, I went back to HP with another proposal. The Battle for Las Vegas – The Law vs. the Mob, was released in July 2006. I was very pleased with the book and it was well-received. My only regret was that with most of the Spilotro gang either dead, in prison, or their whereabouts unknown, the story was told almost exclusively from the law’s perspective. I would have preferred to have included some personal insights from the criminal side.

One day while Battle was in the final stages of production, I was chatting with one of my sources, retired FBI agent Dennis Arnoldy. He had been the Las Vegas case agent for the Spilotro investigations. When Spilotro’s chief lieutenant Frank Cullotta had flipped and become a government witness, Dennis had been his handler. I knew that Dennis and Cullotta had become friends and remained in contact over the years. On a whim, I asked Dennis if Cullotta had ever thought about writing his biography. I said that if the former mobster was willing to be candid, he’d probably have quite a story to tell.

About two weeks later Dennis called me. He said Frank Cullotta wanted to meet with me and discuss a book. Under tight security, I met Cullotta in a Las Vegas hotel room in March 2006. It happened that he had been thinking about writing a book and had hundreds of pages of notes already prepared. We talked for a couple of hours and reached an agreement to co-author his biography. He’d supply the details and I’d put them on paper. He committed to being completely open and to provide details never before made public. And he did just that.

CULLOTTA – The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster, and Government Witness, was released through Huntington Press in July 2007. Writing this book was a fascinating experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Dennis N. Griffin is the author of CULOTTA: THE LIFE OF A CHICAGO CRIMINAL, LAS VEGAS MOBSTER, AND GOVERNMENT WITNESS. You can visit his website at www.authorsden.com/dennisngriffin/.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T11:06:00.001-08:00

VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK by Dyan Garris

2007-11-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of day again. Your stomach howls, growls, and grumbles and your mind begins cooking up a tantalizing array of possibilities of what to eat. Many people consider cooking to be a chore or something messy and time consuming, so out of the ethers appear the microwavable dinners and moveable feasts. It doesn’t matter much what’s really in the box or bag as long as it serves the purpose of being fast and easy. This doesn’t necessarily translate into something that’s going to be truly nourishing to your body, mind or spirit.

We live in a time when cooking shows are hugely popular, chefs are big TV stars and yet less and less people really cook. Everyone wants top of the line kitchen appliances in their homes, yet do they really use them or are they just for display, like ghost place settings at a table in a model home?

I’m Greek. We feed people. I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb knowing how to cook. It was a prerequisite for birth. And certainly I needed those skills to be able to work in the family business which was restaurants of course.

I’ve fed a lot of people in my lifetime both with real food and with spiritual food. During the course of this “feeding,” I’ve had a lot of people ask me, “How do you do that?” I reply, “I talk to it.” And I do. Literally. I’m a spiritual teacher, clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient. I’m a psychic. I talk to a lot of people that others may say aren’t even there. But of course they are. My body of work has to do with what is called vibrational attunement. This is simply a balancing of mind, body and spirit.

My goal with “Voice of the Angels Cookbook – Talk To Your Food! – Intuitive Cooking” is to give people easy and healthy alternatives to mystery food loaded with chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients. I also stirred in a little of the spiritual realm into the basic cookie dough because, while cooking and eating is something very “root chakra,” we just can’t ignore all of our other energy centers. Let’s lift up this experience a little bit and bring it through our whole body instead of just through our mouths.

We live in a time when balance seems ever elusive, no matter how hard we strive for it. How can we change this? Take something very basic, such as cooking and eating, and instead of doing it mindlessly and without joy, do it in a way in which we are fully present. This begins to open a pathway for transformation on both physical and spiritual levels. With a little mixing, stirring and gently folding in, we can achieve balance of mind, body, and spirit.

Dyan Garris the author of VOICE OF THE ANGELS COOKBOOK - TALK TO YOUR FOOD: INTUITIVE COOKING. You can visit her website at www.voiceoftheangels.com. If you would like to purchase Dyan's book at Amazon, click here.

Tags: The Story Behind the Books, book promotion, book publicity, Dyan Garris, Voice of the Angels Cookbook

ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS by Sheila Roberts

2007-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

I think the best book ideas come from a real life experiences, and some of the most irritating experiences can provide the best material. If I hadn't been irritated with my husband, I never would have come up with the idea for my new book "On Strike for Christmas" about a group of friends who go on strike for more appreciation over the holidays with near disastrous results.

My husband was grumbling about having to spend yet another holiday with my big, loud, fabulous family and I had just had it.

What was his problem, anyway? He'd been doing this for years? Now that I think about it, maybe that was his problem. The poor man spends more time with his in-laws than his own family. But when I made my threat I wasn't thinking so rationally. "I'm going to put you in a book," I threatened.

He just laughed.

Until I actually did it. And once I got rolling I'd give him regular reports. "Your nickname is now Bob Humbug."

"Ha! I like it."

He wasn't that wild about being the prototype for a naughty husband once he had a chance to actually read the book. We got an advanced reader copy and he started hauling it back and forth from work, and one day he came home looking like the personification of Elvis's "Blue Christmas". "Am I really that bad?" he asked.

Part of me wanted to say, "Yes! That's why you're in a book." But he had obviously learned his lesson, so I assured him that fiction often requires some over the top writing. (And there is
plenty of that in this story.)

Still, he took the underlying message to heart, and now, like Scrooge, he's a changed man. And he's given the story an enthusiastic thumbs up. So there'll be no Christmas strike at our house this year.

Just a lot of fun as we celebrate both the holidays (with my family, of course!) and the release of my first novel with St. Martin's Press.

Sheila Roberts is the author of ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS (St. Martin's Press, Nov. '07). You can visit her website at http://www.sheilasplace.com/.

Tags: virtual book tour, women's fiction, Sheila Roberts, On Strike for Christmas, Christmas books

THE LAST JEW STANDING by Michael Simon

2007-11-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

As a young reader and moviegoer, I had two favorite genres: comedy and crime. My crime reading and viewing was mostly of an earlier era: the novels of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain and Jim Thompson, and films featuring mugs like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and George Raft.

It was later that I was taught a distinction between detective fiction and crime fiction. By my professor’s definition (I’ve heard others since), a detective novel is told strictly from the point of view of a detective. You only know what he knows. A crime novel may be told from the point of view of a criminal, a victim, or a bystander (innocent or otherwise.) It can even be told from multiple points of view, employing a crosscutting technique so often used in film and TV. This can raise the stakes, and often begs the categorization “thriller,” which I use to describe my books.

My main character is a detective, but in three of the books, the reader knows who the killer is long before the detective does, even before the killer kills. The story often begins with a murder and ends with a solution, as all detective stories do. But there are other murders along the way, and plots and schemes, and attacks and counterattacks. There are elements of romance as well as mystery. My goal is to make the reader hunger to find out what happens next, rather than wondering what happened before.

My newest book, The Last Jew Standing, is different from my others in that the entire story is told from the point of view of the detective, Dan Reles. We only see what he sees, and often, by the time he finds out what the criminal is up to, the damage is already done. My goal was to create a story that was just as thrilling as a multiple-POV story, but with only one narrator. To do that, I created a situation where the character found himself, (along with his family and his town) in increasingly desperate danger.

Then I challenged him to get out of it.

Michael Simon is the author of THE LAST JEW STANDING (Viking 2007). You can visit his website at http://www.michaelsimon.info.com/.

Tags: The Story Behind the Books, virtual book tour, online book promotion, author promotions, Michael Simon, The Last Jew Standing, crime thriller, crime novel, mystery detective, Jew, Texas, crime fiction, authors on book tour

MIKE: THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS by L. Diane Wolfe

2007-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been a reader, devouring several books a week. As a kid, I loved The Chronicles of Narnia and Watership Down. However, the desire to write sparked inside of me when I read Anne McCaffrey’s “The White Dragon”. I’d already fallen in love with science fiction, but what I admired most was richness of character. Holding that book in my hands, I could picture my own name on the cover. At the age of just thirteen, I set a goal of becoming an author.

Over the years, I wrote hundreds of short stories. I even started two novels and completed a novelette. A journal sat on my nightstand, ready to capture every idea and dream. I wrote almost constantly! However, despite encouragement from my English teachers, my writing got pushed to the back burner when I became an adult. Funny how all those dreams of youth wither in the harsh light of maturity …

And then it happened …

LORI was inspired by the wisp of a dream. I don’t remember the details surrounding Lori and Jason, but I saw them so vividly in my dream. I began writing Lori’s story of a young woman in search of Olympic Gold and had a complete outline in no time. The characters became so real and alive; their world simply took on a life of its own.

Halfway through LORI, the struggles of the secondary characters began to speak to me. I identified with Sarah’s self-image problems; felt the agony of James’s past; cried at Mike’s inner turmoil; and was intrigued by Heather’s dominating nature. Before completing LORI, I outlined four more books in what was to become The Circle of Friends series.

Along came the challenge…

I knew little of the publishing world, but understood that finding a publishing house or agent would be extremely difficult. Add the fact that LORI needed to coincide with the Summer Olympics and I realized it would be years before my first book became a reality going that route. So I found a publisher to put my book together for me and LORI was released late spring of 2004. SARAH came out the next year, followed by JAMES in 2006. I steadily built a fan base and my sales were even good enough to garner an invite to Book Expo in DC. The fourth book and my current release, MIKE, has benefited tremendously from my experience with the first three books and aggressive Internet promotion. One more book will follow, HEATHER, and after much research into marketing and publishing, I have decided to start my own publishing company for this final book. I intend to take on other authors as well as publish books of my own, too.

Inspired to give …

I always dreamed of making a difference in the world. I participated in a motivational training program that taught success principals, a positive attitude and goal setting, so I poured a lot of that into my books. The theme of my series is overcoming obstacles through friendship and love. So many books out there today, especially those geared towards young adults, are negative and salacious. I wanted my series to uplift and inspire! I wanted people to read my books and realize they could accomplish their dreams, too.

Now encouraging emails and cards from fans motivate me to continue writing. They have become my inspiration. And hopefully along the way I can spark the dream in another future author!

L. Diane Wolfe
Author of MIKE: THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, BOOK IV
http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/

Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, L. Diane Wolfe, young adult fiction

THE DOWRY BRIDE by Shobhan Bantwal

2007-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

I like to call my fledgling writing career a “Menopausal Epiphany.” I had not written a single creative word (other than school and college essays) until I hit 50 — a landmark year that brought home the ravages of menopause and then some. Fighting Mother Nature was a losing battle, so I decided to put those yo-yoing hormones to creative use instead.

My muses came alive along with my menopausal woes, and I started writing articles and short stories for a number of publications. THE DOWRY BRIDE project was born much later, after I had a taste of minor publishing successes.

Growing up in India, the horror stories about dowry-related abuse had always been abundant — a wealth of fodder for a creative mind. But thankfully that kind of violence had never touched my life. I was lucky to be born in an enlightened community that eschewed dowry. Nonetheless the disturbing topic stayed in the back of my mind.

The fact that atrocities like dowry deaths continue unhindered today in India, despite anti-dowry laws, sparked the idea for the novel. Also, as far as my knowledge went, dowry had not been the main theme in any fiction book published in the United States. I wanted to give American readers a rare glimpse into an archaic practice that still persists in the twenty-first century in certain parts of the world.

But in spite of its controversial topic, THE DOWRY BRIDE has all the elements of popular fiction: romance and intrigue, a young bride in jeopardy, a gallant hero, humor and anguish, betrayal and hope. Notwithstanding the drama, adventure, and action essential to a work of fiction, I have tried to paint a realistic portrait of a culture that is simple yet complex in many ways, abundant yet lacking in some areas, progressive yet shockingly primitive.

Please visit my website: www.shobhanbantwal.com for the book cover, an excerpt, information on the book, my Indian recipes, articles, short fiction, and pictures depicting life in India.

Shobhan Bantwal is the author of THE DOWRY BRIDE (Kensington, Oct. '07). You can visit her website at http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/.

Tags: book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Shobhan Bantwal

THE RESURRECTION OF LADY SOMERSET by Nicola Beaumont

2007-10-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Resurrection of Lady Somerset was borne out of some constructive criticism I received on a couple of other manuscripts. I was told that my sentence structure was "too proper." While at the time, I didn't quite understand the problem with that, I did understand that if it was an issue keeping me from being published, I needed to do something about it. I needed to turn my weakness into a strength. My solution was to turn to a genre where "proper" was expected: The jolly old era of Regency England. I picked up a few Regency romances--because, at the time, I had never read one, and one cannot write what they do not read--and I completely fell in love with the time period.

My next step was to devour all the information I could about Regency England, all the while trying to formulate a unique plot that would simultaneously fit the genre, turn my weakness into a strength, and most importantly, entertain readers.

A marriage of convenience--a very common occurrence between 1811 and 1820--seemed the way to go, but it had to include uncommon elements, and it had to have a hint of mystery. Thus was borne my mute heroine, Lark, and my hero, Jonathon, a man who wants no scandal in his life such as would be found by marrying a "deficient" woman, but who is honour-bound to protect Lark, whose life may be in danger.

The only apprehension I had was whether or not I could write a convincing Regency. So, I penned the novel and entered the manuscript into a contest--just to see if I had the execution down properly. To my utter delight and surprise, the entry took second place--and nobody said my sentence structure was too proper!

Placing in a contest and finding publication are two completely different things, however, and it took many submissions and rejections before Resurrection found a home. But, with each rejection I would receive, I would listen to the reasons why it was rejected (except for those form-letter rejections, of course!) and then incorporate the ideas for improvement into the manuscript.

Needless to say, The Resurrection of Lady Somerset holds a special place in my heart. As I said, it's gone through some revisions that have made it better than it was in the "early days," and now it has received rave reviews from such places as Romantic Times Magazine (4-stars) and The Romance Studio (4-hearts). It is available in both electronic and print formats and can be ordered directly from the publisher at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ or from Amazon, or order it from your favourite bookstore. -- And I'd love to hear from you, so visit my website at http://www.inicola.net

If you'd like to see the book trailer for it, it's available at http://previewthebook.com/book.php?id=159 .

Nicola Beaumont
Author of The Resurrection of Lady Somerset
http://www.inicola.net/

Tags: book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Nicola Beaumont, regency romance

DARK LULLABY by Mayra Calvani

2007-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Does the end justify the means? Is the idea of a ‘higher good’ ethical? Can a good man commit murder? These were some of the questions that obsessed me while I wrote Dark Lullaby, a paranormal horror novel just published by Whiskey Creek Press.

Besides these controversial moral questions, which are an essential part of the theme, I had various others sources of inspiration. The protagonist, 26-year old astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz, was inspired by my brother, who also happens to be a scientist. They both share the same physical traits as well. In addition, I lived in Turkey for four years and this was a major influence in choosing the setting and adding an exotic flavor to the story. Many Turkish people believe in fairy-like supernatural beings called jihnn. While living there, I listened to many stories, some intriguing, some plain scary. The folklore was so appealing; I just knew I had to eventually include those supernatural beings in one of my books.

Dark Lullaby is an atmospheric horror story set partly in Baltimore, partly in the Turkish countryside. It is a scary, bizarre story that doesn’t fall into the bloody-gory kind of horror.

To learn more about Dark Lullaby, visit the following links:

Excerpt: http://www.mayracalvani.com/dark_lullaby.html
Synopsis: http://www.mayracalvani.com/index.html#books
Reviews/Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593749074
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZgbg5wk5Ug

Tags: book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Mayra Calvani, paranormal romance

LOVE FROM A TO Z by PG Forte

2007-10-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Love From A to Z is the book I swore I’d never write.

I’ve never been a big fan of Romance cliches. You know the ones I mean, right? The secret babies, the evil twins, the prince or princess in disguise and, perhaps worst of all, the use of amnesia as a plot device. So, imagine my horror when I first came to realize that—gasp!—I’ve actually used most of them already...albeit in my own somewhat twisted fashion.

My ‘evil twin’ was not so much evil as she was misunderstood. Like Jessica Rabbit, she’s not bad, she’s just drawn that way. My ‘secret baby’ turned out to be, well frankly, not that much of a secret after all.

But...amnesia? Oh, hell, no. Never, never, never was I going to write about that! And yet...Oh, yeah. I lied.

Love, From A to Z (book two in the LA Love Lessons series) features a heroine, April Valenzuela, who just happens to be an heiress. Heiress—that’s just one small step removed from princess, right? And while April is, technically, not in disguise, she does spend a good three-quarters of the book hobnobbing with the common folk from whom she learns to appreciate the three Bs—beer, bowling and BBQ.

*

“Here,” I heard Tony say. “On the house. Maybe it’ll help cheer her up.”

A minute later, Zach placed a large glass filled with foamy, amber liquid in front of me. He seated himself on the other side of the table and watched as I sniffed cautiously at the glass. Once again, a little of the fragrance mystery was resolved. Whatever this was, its aroma was heavy in the cool air. “What is this stuff?”

“Ale. Tony’s answer to all life’s problems.” Zach grimaced slightly. “Look, I know it’s early, but just try and drink a little of it, okay? Otherwise, you’ll hurt his feelings.”

I took a sip. It tasted cold, crisp, slightly yeasty. “Not bad. I like it.”

“You like beer?” Looking almost as surprised as he was pleased, Zach leaned back in his seat and smiled at me. “Well, all right then. My kind of woman.”

That smile of his had a way of messing me up, big time. From some hidden, inaccessible corner of my mind came the thought that I was not his kind of woman—not even close. But, ooh, when he smiled at me that way, I so wished I was. “What was I drinking last night?” I asked, partly out of curiosity, partly just to have something to say. But, man, was that ever the wrong question to ask!

My stomach did a funny little flip when his smile powered up another notch or three and turned wicked into the bargain. “Baby, all’s I know is it had a straw. And the way you sucked that thing—damn.”

*

Of course, the common folk are unaware of her real (and so unoriginal) poor-little-rich-girl identity. But, then again, April doesn’t know who she is either because—dum-dum-dum—in an effort to get their hands on her fortune, she’s been drugged (right there in the prologue, too—imagine!) by her evil uncle and cousin.

*
George Venezuela was furious. “You did what?” he bellowed in his most stentorian tones as he paced around his office, eyes bulging, neck veins prominent, causing his only son to wince in pain.

“Papa, please.” Slumped in a chair in front of his father’s desk, Richie clutched his aching head. It wasn’t enough, was it, that he’d had to spend all of last evening bouncing from bar to bar in an effort to establish the premise that April had been drinking heavily--and contracting the Mother of all Hangovers in the process. No, on top of that, he’d also been forced into performing a variety of criminal acts, into consuming too many revolting drinks, and now--Did he really have to endure his father’s yelling at him, as well?

“You lost her?” his father continued, taking no notice of Richie’s distress. “How is this possible? This is your cousin we’re talking about, not some stray Chihuahua that slipped off its leash! How could you lose an entire person, someone you’d taken out for the evening? Explain this to me. From the beginning.”

Richie sighed. “I already told you. It didn’t work. The plan didn’t work. I gave her the scopolamine, just like you said to do, and... nothing happened.” The drug, which one of his father’s friends had procured for him in Ecuador, was supposed to have rendered April temporarily docile and compliant; submissive enough to do whatever was asked of her. Under its influence, she was supposed to have willingly put her signature to whatever papers George needed her to sign--and then retain no memory of any of it ever happening. It had failed to affect her. “Compliant, my ass. I couldn’t even get her to leave the bar.”

*

Hey, c’mon, it could have been worse. I could have given her a stepmother and stepsister to contend with but...oh, wait, never mind, I’ve already done that before, too.

When April wakes up the next morning— smack dab in the middle of Cliche City and in bed with a Greek-god-gorgeous, stunner of a stranger—she has no memory, no ID and no clue.

*

I took a moment to assess the situation. I was naked in a strange bed, under a navy blue sheet whose depressingly low thread count begged the question, what was I thinking?
A fabulous question that, by the way. One I wished I’d had the sense to ask myself the night before.

*

Wow. And what was I thinking? Well, I guess I was thinking that these particular characters would never get together as long as they were both in their right minds. Once that little problem was out of the way, the rest of the book just flowed...

*

He shook his head. “Hey, it’s like I told you at breakfast. This doesn’t have to be so bad. The fact that you can’t remember... well, that just makes things more interesting, doesn’t it?”

“Not really.”

“Then maybe you’re looking at it the wrong way. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, a chance to discover who you really are--not your name or your address, but the important stuff. It’s the perfect time to play, to experiment, to try things.” He leaned in even closer, captured my hand and held it tight. “I want to watch as you experience that; as you learn about yourself. I want to help.”

“How? How can you help? How can I...” How can I even begin to learn... anything about myself.

“Come back home with me,” he urged. “Give me until Monday. I bet, by then, we can find out more about who you really are than you ever knew before.”

*

The weirdest thing about this book is—I ended up loving it. It’s turned out to be one of my very favorite books to date. Go figure.

I think that’s partially because it doesn’t take itself too seriously and the same can be said of the hero of the tale, Zach Harris, who first sprang to life in my previous book, Waiting for the Big One.

Zach doesn’t take anything seriously other than his music, perhaps, and his love of having a good time. I tell ya, if Peter Pan had grown up just a little bit more—just enough to be legal and dangerously enticing—he’d have grown up to be Zach.

By the time the story opens, Zach has pretty much resigned himself to being deemed ‘not commitment material’. Or, as he puts it... it was something he’d heard repeatedly from just about all the women he’d dated: he was nice, good company, sexy, he was a great lay and one helluva guitar player. But no matter how much they liked him, loved him, enjoyed spending time with him; he just wasn’t the kind of guy any one of them would ever choose to settle down with.

Peter Pan had been referenced. Several times, as he recalled. As well as his fondness for games and lack of a steady paycheck.

He couldn’t support a family with his music; that seemed to be the general consensus. And even if he could, even if he found a way to prove them wrong on that count, as the wife of a musician, what kind of life would they lead?

A lonely one, stuck at home with the kids while he was off on the road. An unpredictable one, given the fickleness of fame, the preponderance of drugs, the ubiquity of groupies. A thankless, unfulfilled one, a life lived in his shadow—and, honestly, Zach, who would want that?

It had long since ceased to bother him, however. Life was good, women were plentiful, he had his music and, if honesty was really what they wanted to hear, he’d yet to meet the woman he’d be willing to give that up for.

*

Aww, poor baby. Perhaps this might be a good time to mention that, as an author, I occasionally find myself channeling Cat Woman. I definitely like to play with my characters (for which read: prey) before I dispatch them. Zach and April suffered beautifully (another thing I loved about them) as can be seen from this scene which occurs after April’s identity is finally revealed:

*

“Look around you,” he said spreading his arms. “This is never gonna work out. One of these days you’re gonna regain your memory, and then you’ll figure out that you don’t belong with me. Then what’ll I do, huh? Forget it. It’s better to end it now.”

No, no, no. I stared at him in dismay. No, please... “It’s just a house, Zach.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “You’re right. It’s just a house. And you’re just a girl, I’m just a guy and all this stuff...” He glanced around again. “Is a whole lot bigger than both of us.”

*

Bigger than both of them, huh? Well, I guess that’s the key. Some stories demand a larger-than-life, fantasy backdrop. And that’s where cliches come in. They’re there for a reason, and the reason is: they do the job.

PG Forte is the author of LOVE FROM A TO Z. You can visit her website at http://www.pgforte.com/.

Tags: book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, PG Forte, erotic romance

ENTHRALLED by Nadia Aidan

2007-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Where did I get the inspiration to write my book. Ahhhh! That is a good question, but it is complicated. The first question should be where did you get the inspiration to write? And the second should be where did you get the inspiration to write Enthralled?

To answer the first question, I began writing over a year and a half ago when I was finishing my dissertation, but once I finished my dissertation I didn’t look at the novels again. It wasn’t until my mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer that I began searching for an outlet for the emotional highs and lows of taking care of her. My mom recently lost her battle to cancer, which finally gave me the courage to submit my work. My mother was (and continues to be in spirit) my biggest cheerleader and support system. She was a strong, courageous woman who wasn’t afraid of anything and she raised me to be the same. I know she would have been disappointed in me if I let insecurity and fear stop me from submitting my work. So writing for me has taken on this new dimension because I feel that I HAVE to do this. She was always so proud of my with the other successes I had in my life and my accomplishments. I still want to make her proud so that means I CAN'T give up! My love for my mother and respect for who she was as a woman drives me to continue to send my manuscript to publishers over and over despite the rejection letters! Despite the ups and downs of this entire business, my mother's spirit inspires me to remain dedicated to my passion which is writing erotic romance novels.

Now as to where I got my inspiration to write Enthralled, well that came from several avenues. First, I love interracial erotic romance stories BUT there are very few of these stories that are NOT straight contemporaries or vampire related. I love those too, but I am a fantasy/sci-fi buff and I always felt bereft when searching through new releases on my favorite sites and coming up with nada in the fantasy category. I thought to myself, well hey, if you want to see an interracial fantasy romance then you may just have to write it and hell, that is just what I did!

Enthralled combines my loves for history, mythology, interracial relationships, and of course romance and hot sex! Like I said I love fantasy but I am also am a fanatic when it comes to ancient history. I enjoyed writing Enthralled because I was able to weave in historical elements and still remain true to the fantasy genre. Therefore, you will see many references to ancient battles, cultures, people and places throughout the story. I think it is a wonderful element to bring to a story, especially a fantasy novel. And I enjoyed creating it.

I am just so thrilled and excited about the release of Enthralled. This has truly been a labor of love and I am happy to see that my dream has finally come true. I enjoyed interweaving many people and places into this erotic fantasy world and I hope others will love reading it as much as I loved writing it.

Nadia Aidan
Author of ENTRALLED
http://www.nadiaaidan.com/

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LADY LIGHTKEEPER by Nikki Leigh

2007-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Lady Lightkeeper is dedicated to the strong women of the Cape Ann coast who supported their men and cared for their families and the community. I worked to create a character in Lizbeth Kinsey who reflects this spirit. I should also add that the characters in this story are not based on any specific individuals, but my hope is that they embody the spirit, resilience and determination of the Cape Ann community.

The story reveals several secrets, one was obvious in Widow’s Walk. The other secret is truly a secret and the only person who knew about it was Lizbeth’s husband, William. My evil Mrs. Gardner from Widow’s Walk is back and as mean as ever. There is also a new character, Duncan Jones. He’s from North Carolina and harsh feelings and concerns about trust linger below the surface, as the nation gets closer to the opening shots of the Civil War.

Rebels and Rogues is the third book in the series and will take place in Misty Cove, Massachusetts and Wilmington NC during the Civil War. Aidan has many challenges and adventures ahead of him and he’ll get to know Tristan Jones and Georgette Beaumont. Tristan and Georgette are both going to be a lot of fun to write and I’m working on the planning and research for Rebels and Rogues now.

Nikki Leigh
Author of LADY LIGHTKEEPER
http://www.nikkileigh.com/

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COMING BACK A VIRGIN by CJ Maxx

2007-09-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

This story was originally written to help me write romantic scenes. A little background is needed to explain that first sentence. I’ve always been a writer. I’m probably one of the few people who enjoyed writing term papers in college. And that was back when I used a manual typewriter with whiteout to correct mistakes. I’d written just about everything before I ever tried writing fiction. Although some may argue that some of the personal evaluations I’ve written in the military and civilian life contained bits of fiction. In the military I’d written articles for newspapers, reports for higher headquarters, recommendations for awards, lesson plans and after action reports. As a Quality Manager in the electronics industry I’d written numerous procedures and reports, made countless presentations and was published three times in trade journals. One of those articles was published in two different Chinese trade publications. They were pirated as far as I know, but that’s an offhand compliment, isn’t it?

I started my first novel, a political thriller titled, The Second American Republic, in 2002. In this story I would have an occasional sexual scene. I have to admit, it wasn’t well written, more along the lines of “Slam-bam, thank you ma’am” than anything else. My critics, meaning wife and my multi-published mentor, said it was gratuitous sex, and not even good gratuitous sex. So I edited it all out. That book, incidentally, never went to print because the publishing house went out of business just a few days before it scheduled release date.

After realizing that I couldn’t write romance scenes, I resolved to fix that problem. I’m a romantic, seriously. I love women, actually just one woman now, my wife. So I decided to write a short story to teach myself to write romance in a meaningful and entertaining manner. And I did. It wasn’t difficult. Like I said, I’m a romantic. I would go over the steps to seduction or whatever in my head and translate them onto the page. In the beginning, some of it wasn’t very good, but eventually I got the hang of it.

Once the story was finished I tried to sell it. No luck. No one was interested in this short story about a fictional character coming to life to teach her author about writing.

About this time I began reading romance novels and was surprised how explicit they were. I was just reading mainstream romance at that time, mainly Linda Howard. Then I picked up a Blaze novel by Rhonda Nelson titled, 1-900-LOVER. Wow! She didn’t leave much to the imagination. After that I bought one of the Secrets anthologies by Red Sage Publishing. “Well now,” I told myself, “I want to write this stuff.” And that’s what I did.

And that’s how this story, Coming Back a Virgin, became an erotic romance.

CJ Maxx
Author of COMING BACK A VIRGIN
http://www.cjmaxx.com/

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THREE STEPS TO INVESTMENT SUCCESS: BUYING THE RIGHT ART, ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTIBLES

2007-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am a 'foot soldier' in the appraisal of artwork, antiques, and collectibles and am reviewing markets for those goods on a constant professional basis. I run a very successful corporation for appraisal of personal properties, with famous and high-profile private, corporate, and institutional clients and have for sixteen years.

I think my ideas for the book started to jell about ten years ago, first creeping in from my subconscious, I suppose, as I started to notice recurring patterns in the value of objects which seemed to admit of predictability in their values through time.

I just assumed that all experienced appraisers had the same ideas that I did about the recurrence of certain factors pertaining to quality and importance with a subsequent tie-in to predictable value and hence investibility, but I turned out to be wrong...they didn't.

So eventually I decided to write it all down in a logical, informative, easy to read, and highly entertaining format so that others could tie in to the key factors which favor investment success, factors which do not inhibit but on the contrary enhance individual tastes and the overarching joys of the collecting experience.

The issues which I describe in my book are patently obvious to me and will be to anyone reading my book!

Why do I see things that others don't?

I think one factor has to do with the breadth, depth, and intensity of my professional appraisal experience, assisted by my in- depth and extensive academic and theoretical background and retailing experiences. Others in the art, antique, and collectibles appraisal profession often are too sporadic, too specialty focused, or too limited in their professional practice to see the 'big picture' pertaing to valuation of objects and the larger patterns that define the marketplace. Also, I feel that many academics and retailers have their professional limitations and biases that prevent their objective understanding of the ongoing relationships between objects and the market for and investibility in those objects.

Readers of my book will be introduced to a detailed discussion of the marketplaces for appraised goods and how valuable properties proceed from manufacture to sale in secondary market venues. Understanding of the markets is critical to assessing investment value!

Incredibly, I can find NO previous or existing attempt in print that addresses this subject!

Not only private buyers and collectors but also retailers, academics (and even appraisers!)
should have a 'satori' type experience with the ideas presented in my book which should cause them to reevaluate their relationship to and ideas about the marketplace and investibility of valuable personal properties. This is truly a revolutionary work!

Scott Zema
Author of THREE STEPS TO INVESTMENT SUCCESS: BUYING THE RIGHT ART, ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTIBLES
http://www.arklimitedpublishing.com/

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RIGHT TO RECOVER: WINNING THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS WARS OVER STEM CELL RESEARCH IN AMERICA by Yvonne Perry

2007-09-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Reverend Dan Bloodworth came to me in 2005 seeking a ghostwriter for his son’s story. Dan’s All-American athlete son, Brian, suffered a spinal cord injury when he was hit by lightning in 1987. Motivated by his desire to find a treatment that would allow his son to communicate and become mobile again, Dan has devoted 16 years of his life to learn everything he could about stem cell research and share that information with anyone willing to listen. I was immediately intrigued by his enthusiasm regarding stem cell research. Dan decided he was not ready to write about his son at the time since his job was taking too many of his hours, but our interview left an impression upon me.

In 2006, while working with Michael Davis on his book, FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH: A Personal Story about Living with Quadriplegia, I was reminded of the healing potential that blastocystic (also known as embryonic) stem cell research offers victims of spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, renal failure, paralysis, heart disease, and many other illnesses. H.R. 810 (the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005) was passed by Congress and quickly vetoed by President Bush. I felt furious. I could not understand why people were saying that an embryo was being killed by research. It just didn’t feel right in my spirit so I began researching to find out more. I went back to Dan Bloodworth and asked him to let me use his research material to write a book, not about his son, but FOR his son and all those who might benefit from therapies resulting from the research.

When I started my research I was sure that a publisher would want this book. I asked for higher guidance and met Valerie Connelly of Nightengale Press one week later. I pitched my book idea to her and she accepted it immediately. The next week I signed a contract and went to work in earnest to get the book finished by a deadline we both thought was realistic. What I had not expected to encounter was having the field of stem cell research change so rapidly. I kept finding new material and meeting new people in the field. It was hard to find a stopping place! My deadline was approaching and I was still digging through the material. I had to call the book finished to meet the printing date for the book to go to BEA.

After the galley copy was printed, I still made 24 pages of changes to the text for the final version. The final version has gone to print this month.

Yvonne Perry
Author of RIGHT TO RECOVER: WINNING THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS WARS OVER STEM CELL RESEARCH IN AMERICA
http://www.right2recover.com/

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DOMINIC by Hazel Statham

2007-09-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

'Dominic' came into being after I had written 'My Dearest Friend'. I wanted to write something 'lighter' and decided on a younger hero and heroine. It is written in the Georgian era and once Dominic strode onto the page all I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride. He is a man of his time and is no better or worse than his contemporaries but his relationship with Sophie is unique. They share humour as well as a genuine affection and when danger and misunderstandings threaten, the resolution is quite unexpected.

I have always been fascinated by history. Even when I started writing at fifteen, my books were historical romances. I adored 'Jane Eyre' and the enigmatic hero, Edward Fairfax Rochester and I think you will find a little bit of him in all my heroes. For some reason, I find it easier to write my stories from the hero's point of view. I have never even considered writing from the heroine's. I find it so much easier to get inside my hero's head. Dominic was no different. I was about a third of the way through his story when we flew out to Orlando. The ten-hour flight seemed interminable as I had all this dialogue running through my head and no way of writing it down. As soon as we arrived at the hotel I dragged my husband out to buy something to write on. During that holiday, the trees were horizontal in hurricane conditions, my husband slept and I wrote. I can't remember enjoying myself more!

Dominic was a delight and will always remain one of my favourite characters. I just hope my readers enjoy reading about him half as much as I enjoyed writing his story.

Hazel Statham
Author of DOMINIC

http://www.hazel-statham.co.uk/

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PARTIALLY HUMAN by Dwayne G. Anderson

2007-09-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

"Partially Human" was based on my own experiences with being difference, ignorance, and prejudice.

At age 16, I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. Not long afterwards, my younger brother Jeff started to crack jokes about me, like this one, himself and a friend recording themselves with a computer microphone.

Jeff: Welcome to Asburger, home of the Asburger. May I take your order please?
Joel: I'd like an Asburger with some fries and a medium coke please!

It wasn't just my brother who gave me a hard time. The family never gave me a break. I never allowed to make my own decisions, have a say in anything that went on in my life, or even do something with life. Jeff even claimed that I should spend the rest of my life in a mental institution and dad actually believed that I should go into a group home.

I couldn't believe these people! Just because I'm different doesn't mean I have to be treated differently! Yet these people took Asperger Syndrome for granted. Whenever they told me about a new article or television program, bought me a book, or tried to introduce me to someone new, it was always something on Asperger Syndrome, nothing more, nothing less. I'm perfectly capable of making new friends and getting my own books, yet the family had incredible difficulty believing me because of Asperger Syndrome. They never made me feel any better about it. I was always picked on in school all my life, nobody ever wanted anything to do with me, and I had no friends.

When I wrote Partially Human, I decided to make the protagonist different from others and have him suffer the way I did, only in a much worse situation. However, he had friends to support him and be there for him always.

The theme of the story was "being different", along with "prejudice", and "ignorance", and I decided to tackle these serious controversial issues in the story.

After three months, the rough draft was finished. I spent the next three years doing serious editing, rewriting, and proofreading. When I was finally finished, I began the search for a publisher. Everyone I submitted it to rejected it. One company did accept it for publication, but they went out of business before the process was completed. Then I found Infinity Publishing, and at long last, my most ambitious work to date had finally taken book form!

My family is very proud of the book and I feel that I have finally proven that even despite having Asperger Syndrome, I am still a normal human being, but also unique!

Partially Human can be purchased from Infinity Publishing's online book store at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-3990-5 which is where the cover can also be found, and the book can be rated and reviewed. The same can be said at where it is found on Amazon at http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-3990-5.

Dwayne G. Anderson
Author of PARTIALLY HUMAN
www.geocities.com/andersondwayne/dwaynegand.html

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EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA by Kim Baccellia

2007-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

The main inspiration behind writing Earrings of Ixtumea goes back to the first day of school in my bilingual classroom. I taught first graders and one of the assignments was for each child to draw a picture of himself. Imagine my surprise when I saw some of my students color themselves white, blonde, and blue eyed. I found out that my student’s idols included Britney Spears and Xuxa, a Brazilian children’s television host, who was blonde, blue eyed, and very fair. Also a number of the telenovelas actresses were blonde too.

But it wasn’t until I attended the bilingual/bicultural graduate program at Cal State Fullerton in the early 90’s that I learned more about the culture which I ended up finding was mine too.
My own grandfather was the child of an Italian immigrant and the daughter of Mexican migrants. My grandfather was ashamed of his background and refused to speak of it. After my great grandmother’s death a number of people even changed her maiden name thinking that would erase who she was.

I remember going to Olvera Street in Los Angles to find out more about my great grandmother. I found the reconstruction of the same church where they were married. And I even found their marriage written in Spanish verifying who she was and the names of her parents.

It was a long journey for me finding the truth about my Mexican background. No one wanted to admit it but I refused to give up. More than once I felt her spirit guide me to the truth.

In Earrings I wanted to have a teen find out about her rich culture and heritage. I also wanted her to see how beautiful her people were. I hope others see this in my story.

I feel that TV and the movies have made some progress in showing Latinos in a more positive light. I love America Ferrera. I pictured her as the original Lupe when I started writing this story. Also Salma Hayek has been great with her shows, one of which was Frida, one of my favorite Latina artists. I hope more will come out. Especially more on the history of Latinos in this county. For example the civil marches for migrant rights lead by Cesar Chavez. I was surprised how many people don’t know who he is.

If I do write a sequel to Earrings, it would take place in our world as Lupe goes in search of causes for her people. Of course she’ll have to go back to Ixtumea. I’d love to expand the relationship between her and her warrior Teancum. When she’s older, of course!

Kim Baccellia
Author of EARRINGS OF IXTUMEA
http://www.kimbaccellia.com/

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JUDGMENT FIRE

2007-08-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Judgment Fire is the sixth in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series. Tempe was inspired by three women. The first, a resident deputy in the mountain area where I live who I interviewed for the newspaper. She told me about the difficulties she experienced as a female deputy.

On a ride-along with a female police officer, from three a.m. to six a.m. she received no calls. During this time, as we were patrolling the dark streets, she poured her heart out to me about the difficulties of being the only female officer in that department, and the problems she faced being a single mother of a young son.

When I met a young Native American artist who grew up on our local reservation, I knew she was going to be the model for my Tempe and she is who I see when I’m writing. And yes, she has read my books. I’ve only used this young woman’s looks, nothing else.

Tempe didn’t grow up on the reservation and in the first book doesn’t know much about her heritage. In each of the following novels, she learns more and more about her ancestry, including the spiritual side. Her husband, Hutch, is a Christian preacher, and believes she’s jeopardizing her soul when she participates in anything supernatural.

In Judgment Fire, I wanted Tempe to recognize why she hasn’t embraced the fact that she’s an Indian during her younger years. Of course there’s a murder, and it’s during the investigation that repressed memories of her high school years come to the forefront.

Over the years, in the area where I live, the creation of a casino has drastically changed the lives of the Indians who live on and off the reservation. Of course, prejudice rears its ugly head at times, but the atmosphere has definitely improved.

Though many of the books in the series refer to or have scenes on a reservation, though there is resemblance to the reservation near my home, the one in my novels is not real nor is the tribe I’m writing about. I do research, of course, but I want all my readers to realize I’m writing fiction. Even so, one of my most treasured compliments from a reader who is an Indian who called me to tell me he’d read one of the Tempe books, Deadly Omen, which centers on a murder at a Pow Wow. He said, "I wanted to let you know you got it right."

Marilyn Meredith
http://www.fictionforyou.com/
http://www.marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Marilyn Meredith

IN THE ARMS OF A WARRIOR

2007-08-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

When I first started writing I went to an all-day writing seminar presented by Bob Mayer. During the course he mentioned that the Romance Writers of America were the best organized and most supportive group of writers in the country.

A few months later I realized that I needed to be around writers. There were no writers that I knew of in the rural part of Alabama where I live. Remembering what Mayer said, I went to the Internet and the Romance Writers of America website. None of the chapters identified an area or a city. I clicked on the Heart of Dixie Chapter, and, lo and behold, they met about ten miles from my home. Later I found out that they chose Cullman because of its central location in northern Alabama.

I went to my first meeting. I wanted to see what they were about and how welcome I would be, they had no other males in the chapter. Being a male wasn’t a problem, I was quite welcome.

They were well organized and helpful. The group had many published authors with several big names. After the first meeting I joined RWA and became an official romance writer wannabee. But they’re too nice to use that term, I became an unpublished romance writer.

Right after I joined I sold my first novel, a political thriller titled The Second American Republic and began work on writing an action-thriller war novel titled The Red Dragon. When I finished that book I told myself it was time to work on my unmet requirement for joining RWA, the desire to write a romance novel.

As it turned out, my romance novel was the first to be published. The publisher for The Second American Republic went out of business shortly before it was to be released and The Red Dragon sold after In the Arms of a Warrior. The war novel will be released in April 2008. I want to make major revisions on my first novel before I attempt to sell it again.

I consider myself a romantic and a warrior. Both come into play in my romance novel. The reader will get some understanding of the dynamics of a warrior family, something few in the country understand, along with the romance story. My female character is strong because of her family environment. The male character strength doesn’t show up until later in the story, also because of his family background. It’s an interesting story with a background of our current unpleasantness with the Islamists.

Oh yes, one other thing everyone should know. I’ve read a lot of romance novels and the romance scenes in many of these books are explicit. I consider my romance scenes to be highly sensual, another way of saying explicit. I wouldn’t consider the book erotic, as some booksellers do, but it’s not something that underage readers should be reading.

C.J. Maxx
Author of IN THE ARMS OF A WARRIOR
http://www.cjmaxx.net/

Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, CJ Maxx

THE TRUTH: I'M TEN, I'M SMART AND I KNOW EVERYTHING

2007-08-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

How did I come to write my first fiction? This is my fourth book and the first one to divert to an entirely new path, yet with the same objective: To help women and girls lead happier lives, lives of meaning and purpose, while staying totally truth to the unique passions and potential of each woman or girl. I have been teaching the value of understanding one's uniqueness for 15 years. But how to give the lesson a new simple twist that would captivate and at the same time leave the woman or girl who read the book on fire to be truer to herself?

Well, like all journeys, this one has a beginning. The beginning was another non-fiction book for women that I had titled, You Don't Have to Be A Princess to Live an Enchanted Life. Seven Gateways to Happier Living. (My trademark is THE ENCHANTED SELF, hence the word Enchanted in the title. You can find out all about THE ENCHANTED SELF concept on my website and blog, www.enchantedself.com. For now, let me just say it is a both a way of living that enhances happiness and a way of perceiving yourself that augments your sense of well-being.)

Getting back to THE TRUTH, I'm Ten, I'm Smart and I Know Everything!-this book was to some extent embedded in the princess book. In that book I used discussions with myself as a Positive Psychologist, and a girl of 10 or so, who was me. We talked to each other about how we viewed each of the Seven Gateways of Happiness that we all need to walk through again and again to make progress in life. For example, the first Gateway is centered around self-esteem. My little girl inside of me felt very sure of herself and was actually, as it turned out, much to my surprise, angry at me-the adult, for not having more courage to do the things I claimed to be passionate about. I learned so much writing the rough draft of that book about myself and women in general, as I merged my thoughts with my client's narratives.

I realized above all else, that we don't harness the powers that we really have as adults to live empassioned lives that relfect what we really care about. We are in our own ways timid and afraid and bogged down by life's pressures.

Once You Don't Have to Be A Princess... didn't get beyond a rough draft it came to me that the real gem in that book was the voice of the girl. If I could merge her voice with was a lot my voice as a kid, with my client's girls inside of them and other women's girl's inside of them, then I could make a composite 'girl' who speaks for all of us.

And that is what happened. I started to write and as I think all fictional authors say, the character starts to direct what will be said and what will happen. And she did. She has a bit of me mixed in, but quickly became her own person. And boy did she tell us like it is!

I thing the 'girl' in THE TRUTH is a great character. She is funny and tragic, filled with wisdom and yet yearning for the wisdom and acknowledgement that she needs from grown-ups. She sees a lot and knows what is right. She is smart and proud of it. She has secrets and discovers a wonderful solution for a very painful problem she is dealing with. She is great. I hope you enjoy reading her diary as much as I enjoyed helping her write it. As she said, "Grown-ups say they know so much about live but I know more..." She does and we can learn from her!

What happened to the Princess book? It sits waiting for a kiss of somesort from the prince or a frog to get going again. Meanwhile, I'm satisfied with THE TRUTH, I'm Ten, I'm Smart and I Know Everything!

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Author, THE TRUTH: I'M TEN, I'M SMART AND I KNOW EVERYTHING
http://www.enchantedself.com/

Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

WAITING FOR THE BIG ONE by PG Forte

2007-08-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

It’s not always easy to pin-point the exact moment a story idea springs to mind, especially not if you’re someone (like me) who plots her stories in detail beforehand. Developing a story idea is usually a long, somewhat convoluted process; a matter of many little pieces coming together in a synchronistic, serendipitous fashion.

But the lightning bolt of Inspiration can hit you at the weirdest times—like when you’re driving, or when you’re stuck in traffic. And, not surprisingly perhaps, that’s exactly where I was and what I was doing when I was struck with the initial idea for Waiting for the Big One. I was sitting in traffic one beautiful Sunday morning when...

But, why don’t I let Gabby, my main character, describe it to you?
“It was one of those perfect mornings, the kind that only ever seems to happen on a Sunday. You know the ones I mean, don’t you? Just before noon, all lazy and warm.

The city of Los Angeles was steeped in sunshine, snuggled about as deep into the weekend as it could get. It seemed like everyone was laid back and happy, except for me and the dozens of other drivers who were trying to move west along Hollywood Blvd, headed toward Fairfax, going nowhere fast.

They’ll tell you Pisces is a patient sign, but you can’t really label the fish. We’re complex people. We combine the best and worst of all the other signs. And the truth is, I hate to wait.
So, there I was, stuck at yet another red light, when it hit me. It wasn’t just me who was waiting and it wasn’t just now. All of Los Angeles was in the same boat, all of us, all the time, waiting for the big one.

For most of us, that means our big break, our shot at seeing our name in a star on the Walk of Fame. It’s the role that’ll lift us out of obscurity. It’s the hit that’ll soar to the top of the charts. We’re all hopeful romantics--like Kathleen Turner, in Romancing the Stone. We’re always certain it’ll happen with the next deal we make, the next audition we go out on, the next person we meet.

Take me, for instance. Any day now, with just a little bit of luck, I could go from being plain old Gabby Browne, aspiring actress and dog walker, to Academy Award Winner, Gabriella Giacomo.
And if fame doesn’t get us, no doubt the earthquake will. That’s the other thing everybody’s waiting for, the big eight point, nine point, ten point shaker that scientists say is bound to occur. The one that’ll rock this town to its knees. Even hopeful romantics have to admit it seems inevitable. How could any place with this much surface glamour not be doomed?”

In actuality, it was November, in my world, not February, I was on La Brea heading north, clucking my tongue at the brown haze that obscured my view of the hills. But other than that...pretty damn close.

I’d like to say I rushed right home and began to plot the rest of the story but that’s not the way it happened. At that point of my life, fiction writing had been temporarily re-located to the back burner of my mind. I was busy writing and editing documentaries, special interest videos and a monthly magazine column, my husband and I had just moved to Los Angeles from New York City, I was six months pregnant with our first child and my dog had been diagnosed with a serious spinal condition.

Suffice it to say I was otherwise occupied.

In addition to that, my stories tend to be very much rooted in their surroundings (which usually mirror my own surroundings, to be honest). Or, as any good realtor could tell you, location, location, location—that’s what matters. And, speaking just for myself, the proper setting can be every bit as important to a story as fully-realized characters or a tightly woven plot.

As a result, most of my fiction, up to that point, had been based either in and around Manhattan, or in the Caribbean. I hadn’t yet spent enough time in California for my muse to find her feet there. So despite the promising opening—and the kick-ass, Peter Gabriel inspired title—it would be quite a while before the rest of the story came into focus for me.

Not that the idea ever quite went away. I played with it off and on during the intervening years. I even turned it into a rather epic poem. But it never really jelled for me, partially because I was still ‘otherwise occupied’ with two children now and a house full of pets.

So, let’s fast forward a few years...and, okay, maybe a few more...

When we next see our heroine (that would be me) she’s relocated to NorCal, having also spent some time along the Central Coast. The kids have gotten older and more self-sufficient. Her husband’s business no longer needs her full-time assistance. Her muse has finally given in and made herself at home on the West Coast (we suspect the abundance of wineries may have had something to do with that) and she is once again writing fiction.

Very long fiction, actually. In fact, I’d just finished book number eight in a nine-part series of novels (paranormal romantic-suspense) set in the fictional town of Oberon, California, and I was searching around for my next writing project. Much as I loved Oberon, and even though I was anxious to write that final volume, I needed a break.

Book eight was a whopper—250k words in length—and dark, suspenseful and somewhat tragic into the bargain. I needed something completely different. I needed to spend a little time working on something light-weight and light-hearted before I could go on to tackle book nine.

One of my critique partners, who happens to write for Liquid Silver Books, had been pestering me for some time (oh, I’m sorry, did I say pestering? I guess I meant to say that she’d been encouraging me, don’t I?) to try my hand at writing erotic romance. Now, she approached me with an idea that even I had trouble turning down: the Zodiac contest. I’m a sucker for Astrology (as more than one reviewer has noted). The Pisces spot was still open. I’m a Pisces married to a Scorpio.

How could I resist?

There was only one catch, however. The maximum length for stories in this collection was 15k. I’d never written light, short, sexy fiction and, despite all the encouragement from my author friends, I wasn’t at all certain I could pull it off. But there’s a kind of magic that sometimes occurs when you’re writing. It’s capricious and uncertain—definitely not the kind of thing you can count on. But, every once in a while, if you’re very, very lucky, there will be a book, or a character...or maybe just a single scene, or a single sentence...that seems to write itself.

That was the case with the character of Gabby Browne. I’d never planned on writing this book in first person point of view, but as soon as she started talking to me, I knew I’d have to. I fell in love with her voice. Plus, the chick just wouldn’t shut up! I don’t think the story would have ever come together in third person. Certainly not in the same way. Maybe that’s why it had taken me so long to reach the point where I could write it?

Ironically, once Gabby began ‘talking’ to me, the actual writing, took very little time. I wrote the first nine chapters in a month, hit my 15k mark square on the nose, and thought, “that’s it. I’m done.”

But I hadn’t counted on the title working against me.

“It’s called Waiting for the Big One, isn’t it? After all that build-up, how can you leave off there? We’re still waiting! Where’s the final chapter? Where’s the big finale? Where’s ‘the big one’?” For once all my critique partners were in agreement and ganging up against me.

I didn’t want to write more. I thought the story was done. I thought what happened next was obvious and clear. HEAs don’t always need to be spelled out in detail. Do they?

Yes, apparently, they do—if the reaction of reviewers is anything to go by.

Those last two chapters—which made the book, in some readers opinions—took another entire month to write and put me firmly over the word limit. In the end, my story wasn’t the one chosen for the contest. Maybe it was the length, maybe it was the point of view, maybe it was any of a dozen other things. Perhaps the timing was wrong or it just wasn’t meant to be.

Or, maybe, this book was meant to launch its own series, in its own time, which it now has done. Finally. At long last. For this story, for me, for Gabby, the waiting is over.

As Gabby would have put it: “It’s Destiny...It’s Kismet. It’s a miracle. It’s about freakin’ time...”

PG Forte
Author of WAITING FOR THE BIG ONE
http://www.pgforte.com/

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Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, PG Forte

THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO SHORT MEDITATIONS by Susan Gregg

2007-07-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

What made you want to write this book?

The short answer is my agent got a request from the publisher and they asked me to write it.

The long answer is I wrote it because I love meditation. I have been meditating since the 70’s and that practice has changed my life. I love sharing guided meditation with people because they are fun and when I ask people for their experience it is always so different. So writing this book was a labor of love.

What are the most common fears that keep people from finding their purpose?

I think everyone has a different reason for not allowing themselves to be happy. In my work I talk about our filter system – our beliefs, agreements and assumptions about life. Our filter system colors the way we see life and at times stops us from seeing all of life’s possibilities.

Happiness is always just a thought away yet we suffer because our filter system won’t allow us to think that thought. Happiness is always available if we are willing to see life differently.

Living a life that is alignment with our purpose is a gift we can give ourselves and so often we don’t believe we deserve it or can achieve it or even know what it is. All of our answers lie within.

What fear did you have to overcome to get to where you are today?

I received hundreds of rejection letters before I became a published author so I had to overcome my fear of failure, rejection and believing I wasn’t good enough.

What's the one piece of advice you hope readers of your book take away with them?

Life simply is and then we tell ourselves a story. We have a reaction based on our story and not the events in our life.

If we want to be happy tell ourselves a happy story. It really is that simply although letting go of our beliefs so we can tell ourselves a different story often isn’t very easy.

Thanks for having me!!

Susan Gregg
Author of THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO SHORT MEDITATIONS
http://www.susangregg.com/

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Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Susan Gregg

THE GHOST MIRROR by Jamieson Wolf

2007-07-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

I wrote my favourite novel when I was unemployed.

I was working for a temp company doing office work and for three horrendous weeks, they had no work for me. I was going crazy, climbing the walls with anxiety. Would I be able to pay my share of the rent? Would they have work for me soon? What is the square root of six hundred and twenty four?

In short, I was going slowly crazy.

Deciding to do something productive with my time, I decided to write. I had been playing with the idea of writing a children’s novel featuring my tortoiseshell calico cat Mave. The trouble was, every time I tried something, it didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t get something that I liked on paper. Most writers will tell you that almost everything they write is crap. I believe this has something to do with what I call the Tragic Artists Clause: Artists are their own worst critics.
So how did I come to write what I think is my favourite novel? Simple, I stopped trying.

That’s not to say I didn’t write. Hell, for the first week, I wrote more than I had in a long time. But the trouble was, I didn’t like anything. So I stopped pushing myself so hard and picked up something I had put away. It was an idea for a very dark children’s story, something along the lines of The Brothers Grimm, but with a darker twist; if such a thing is possible.

I had put the notes and jottings away because I thought it was too dark, too scary. I had written a simple prologue that I thought was the beginning of a short story, but it had other ideas. The prologue featured the horrible Mr. Lavender, a man with pale gray skin who wore a lavender coloured coat. Having no soul of his own, he fed off the souls of children to survive, to live, and took their magic.

Looking back now, I know that I put the notes away because I was afraid. I knew that this story, this novel, would be one of the best things I had written. I also knew that if I started it, I would not be able to stop. I had mentioned this to my step father who surprised me. He gave me the best piece of advice that I had ever heard. It also happened to be the only good piece of advice that he’d ever give me, but that’s beside the point.

“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “A beginning should be an adventure, not a fear.”
I mumbled that he was probably right and he laughed. “Of course I am. Things happen for a reason. You’re unemployed now because someone wants you to finish your novel. This novel is important. You were meant to write it and now you have the time.” He paused. “Do you have a title for it?”

“The Ghost Mirror.” I whispered.

“Then write it. Just sit down to it and write it. It’s waiting for you to let it out.”
And what do you know? For the first time in his life, my step father was right. When I sat down at my computer later that afternoon, the story came pouring out of me. I had never had this happen for me. Normally writing is like pulling teeth; the story takes forever for me to shape it, to get it the way I want on the page.

With The Ghost Mirror, it was the first time I saw a story clearly from the beginning to the middle through to the end. And that’s not all. I also saw the next two books, The Silver Glass and The Last Witch and prayed that my little heroine, a red haired Witch called Mave Mallory, would be strong enough to survive them.

By the end of the three weeks, I had finished The Ghost Mirror and drawn out the outlines for the next two novels. I read the novel again and again wondering how a story like this could have come out of me. It was as if someone else had written it, as if my words were a gift from someone else.

I am still in awe over The Ghost Mirror. It still gives me chills when I read it, when I look at the cover, when I think of what Mave still has in store for herself. It’s going to be a long road but I’m glad fate stepped in when it did so that I could start her journey with her.

But you’re probably wondering about my getting a job? Did the temp company call me back? You bet’cha. The day after I had finished the last of the outlines for The Silver Glass and The Last Witch, my temp company called.

They had work for me again.

Jamieson Wolf
Author, The Ghost Mirror
http://www.jamiesonwolf.com/

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Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Jamieson Wolf

THE WOMEN OF CAMP SOBINGO by Marilyn Celeste Morris

2007-07-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

A number of people have asked me what was behind this book – the “real” story. I have no ready answer. I was only an 8-9 year old kid in 1946 in that military compound so far away from the country of my birth. It was while I was writing Once a Brat, about my experiences as an army brat accompanying my army officer father all over the world in the days following the end of WWII, that the image of my mother telling me that one of the women in the compound had died, sprang into my mind. And not only had she died, she chose to end her life there. I often wondered why a woman would destroy herself, what kind of dark forces in her childhood would convince a person that death was the only way out of the terrible pain?

So, being the incurable writer (story-teller) that I am, I made it all up.

The four women in the story are composites of women I have known throughout the years, some stories are true, others appear quite by accident as I sat at my keyboard and allowed the characters free reign to do as they pleased. And often the results were a complete surprise to me. I began wondering why the beautiful Leah Damon would want to kill herself, and imagined a troubled childhood, a feeling of being “different” from the others in school (no doubt a mirror image to my own childhood where I was always the new kid in class, and do girls here wear Peter Pan collars or sweaters?)

My mother is portrayed most nearly true to form. She is the West Texas farm girl who marries a soldier and becomes an army wife, following him to the literal ends of the earth.
Maggie is probably my alter-ego, if I would let it out to play. She is a brassy, bossy, fun-loving woman who takes all the challenges life throws at her and almost literally spits in fortune’s eye.
And Trudy. Ah, yes, Trudy is the shy girl who marries into wealth and power and yet she follows her husband to make a home for themselves in a distant country, where she can be herself instead of one of the Cavanaugh Women of fame and fortune. Years later, she finds her own hidden strength, and a weakness that led her to believe events that were not true.

Perhaps the following will describe more in detail the process I undertook getting this story from my imagination to the publisher’s website.

A Note to the Reader

There really was/is a Camp Sobingo, located outside the capitol city of Seoul, South Korea at the end of WWII. This military compound’s cookie-cutter “quarters” was home to the women and children who joined their Army officer husbands during the US Occupation. The camp had a school, a post exchange, a dispensary, a commissary, and even a movie theatre (think “MASH”). Ever-present, however, was the military presence, both Korean and our own US forces, and the tyranny of the Russians located across the 38th parallel, who merely annoyed the dependents with their random denial of electricity to the American contingent.

Most of the Americans had deployed to other assignments before June 25th, 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. Those remaining escaped safely, but “The Land of the Morning Calm” would never be the same. In 1954, my father was ordered back to Korea as part of the Military Advisory Group. He took a short drive to what remained of Camp Sobingo, and sent snapshots of our former quarters, (Hq.G-27) which had been pock-marked by aerial strafing, and natives were stripping the floorboards for fuel.

The window, where I had sat and dreamed a 9 year old’s dreams and played with my homemade doll-house populated by models cut from the Sears, Roebuck catalog, was boarded up. More pockmarks surrounded the framework.

An unusual childhood, one might correctly assume, yet I was not alone in this kind of adventure. There are vast numbers of military brats and wives of servicemen who carry the same experiences from different countries. Thanks to the power of the Internet, we are finding each other. Two such sites that assist in this process are:
www.military-brats.com where you may register so that others may find you, and www.Overseas-Brats.com. Another organization of interest is the American Overseas Schools Historical Society, which recently broke ground for a museum to be built in Wichita, Kansas, housing such “sacred artifacts” as my 4th grade report card from Seoul Dependents Elementary School. Many of the schools currently in operation overseas are being closed as our military presence is no longer required.

Researchers and historians will be astounded by such a treasure trove detailing one small but important part of our nation’s history.

Marilyn Celeste Morris
Author of The Women of Camp Sobingo
www.thewomenofcampsobingo.blogspot.com

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YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH: EVERY WOMAN'S GUIDE TO PURPOSE, PASSION, AND POWER by Judi Moreo

2007-07-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am a motivational speaker. As I traveled around the USA speaking at Women’s Leadership Conferences, I asked the question, “How many of you feel you were created for something more?” Over 75% of the audience raised their hands every time the question was asked. This led me to ask many more questions.

As a result of this informal survey, I thought perhaps I should write a book about my areas of expertise. .. self esteem, communication, image, dealing with difficult people, being assertive, standing up for one’s rights, setting goals, and becoming successful. Many people will never get the opportunity to hear me speak, so why not get the information that I have to them in another form.

A few weeks later, I saw an ad in our local newspaper that said the Henderson Writers Group was going to be holding a four day conference in Las Vegas where I live. It was really inexpensive and sounded quite interesting. When I had wanted to become a speaker, I attended a speakers’ conference to meet and learn from other speakers, so I decided now that I wanted to write this book, I should go meet and learn from other writers. The conference was quite exciting.

My most exciting discovery was that I already was a writer. I had six books to my credit, plus many articles and columns, but I had never written a query letter. So I attended the workshop on “How to Write A Query Letter that Sells.” I wrote and rewrote my letter and the instructor showed me how to make changes. That evening was a meet the publishers and agents event and I was given the opportunity to meet with three of these people. One of the publishers that was on my list had a personal emergency that day and sent a sales rep from her company in her place. I showed him my idea and he said that he thought his publisher would love my idea. Then he asked if he could take my query letter to show her. At that point, I didn’t even have an outline.

He did take my letter to his publisher and she loved my idea and asked to meet me. I was quite startled when I showed up for the meeting to have her open a file and say, “Here’s what we are going to do for you,” as she went over the contract and showed me the publicity campaign as well. I had been published before and no one had ever offered to assist with the publicity. Thus, “You Are More Than Enough: Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion, and Power” was born and I still didn’t have an outline. This was in March. She asked if I could have it written by September 1st. I said, “Yes, of course.”

I tried to act real casual about the whole contract, but after I left her office and drove a couple of blocks, I pulled over to the side of the road and screamed. Then I called everyone I knew and told them my book was going to be published by Stephens Press. At that point, Stephen’s Press didn’t even publish self-help books.

My publisher, Carolyn Hayes Uber, of Stephens Press, is every writer’s dream. She’s knowledgeable, smart, industry savvy, supportive, and professional . She’s written books herself so she has been on my side of the desk.

I turned in my manuscript one week late and the book was published the following April. It is now the beginning of June and the book has gone into its second printing. In addition, I have just completed the companion Achievement Journal and received the galley for proofing this week.

The audio book is in the final stages of editing.

What do you think? Should I do the outline?

All joking aside, my journey would have been a lot easier if I had completed a detailed outline before I started.

Judi Moreo
Author of You Are More Than Enough: Every Woman’s Guide to Purpose, Passion, and Power
www.judimoreo.com

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WEEKENDS by Lindy S. Hudis

2007-07-05T01:14:00.000-07:00

What can I say? I grew up reading. Books were, and will always be, one of the great loves of my life. As a child, a read Dr. Seuss, then grew up to read Judy Blume. I loved how she would put a story together. Then, as I got older, something amazing happened to me: I discovered Jackie Collins! I think that she was truly an inspiration to me. As I got lost in her characters, and their incredible situations, that is when I knew that I wanted to write fiction. I wanted to do what Jackie did: to take the reader away. I wanted to reader to feel that they are in some kind of exotic place, doing wonderful and crazy things. The only question was: what do I write about?

Back when I was an aspiring actress, I met a man named Joe in Los Angeles. He was an actor, and did commercials and soap opera work. We got to be friends, but I liked him as more than a friend. He just never knew. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes, and delicious blonde hair (he was the typical California pretty boy, but I didn’t care.) I guess I am a sucker for a handsome face. All of my male characters are sexy and beautiful. I do get inspired by men, because I feel that they are fascinating. A writer friend of mine once told me that I “hit the nail on the head” when it comes to writing about male sexuality. That was one of the best compliments that I could ever have! Yes, it is true. I love men. The do inspire me, captivate me, and intrigue me…but I digress!

One day, Joe just disappeared from my life. I guess he went to New York or something. Whatever, I just never saw him again. So, I sat down at my typewriter (I had no computer then.) and began to write about this beautiful man named Joe. I wanted to describe him in a way so that the reader could see what I saw, what I was seeing in my mind’s eye. I threw in a little bit of my personal fantasy, a bit of the California setting, and just let Joe take me where he wanted to go. I just sat and typed out 22 pages, just for therapeutic purposes. Then, I took the pages, stuffed them in a drawer, and forgot all about them. I never thought….

Cut to eight years later. I am married (yes, to a sexy blonde hunk with gorgeous blue eyes) and I am pregnant with our first child. We were “nesting” (the instinct that moms-to-be have when you clean out your home like crazy to get ready for the new arrival). In the process of discarding old junk, I ran across those 22 pages about Joe. My husband asked what it was, and I told him “Oh, just some writing I did a few years ago.” Well, that night, I read over them. Then, I read over them again. Then, I put them in a folder and put them next to the computer (I have a computer this time, lol!). I didn’t look at them again for another six months.

Veronica came into the world on December 9, 2002. My husband went back to work, and I was a home with our new daughter. When she was sleeping, I needed something to do to come back down to Earth, to have some “me” time. So, I ran across those pages, again. I broke them out, and just for the heck of it, decided to type them into the computer. So, I typed, and typed, and typed. “Hello Joe.” It was almost like seeing an old friend. I added characters, and introduced them to my Joe. Then, I let them take me on an unforgettable journey.

One a side note: As I am sure you are all aware of the tragic events that occurred in Santa Monica at the Farmer’s Market on July 16th, 2003. A man lost control of his car and plowed through the Farmer’s Market, killing several people. We were living three blocks away from that accident at the time, and my daughter and I would go to that very place every Wednesday to buy fresh vegetables. That particular day, however, my characters were literally saying to me “No, stay home and write…we are on a roll here!” and I did. I didn’t realize that something terrible had happened until I heard helicopters and received frantic phone calls from friends and family members. It was strange: One of the people killed, sadly, was a four month old baby that was born on Veronica’s due date. I think that my characters saved us that tragic day.

It was on a Friday that, I realized that I had 250 pages. I thought “I have a book here, what the heck” Then, I did the unthinkable : I showed my manuscript to my father-in-law. My father-in-law is Norman Hudis, the television writer of M*A*S* H* and other successful television shows. This is a man who pulls no punches. If you stink, he will tell you so! He makes Simon from American Idol look like Mother Theresa! So, I took a deep breath and showed it to him. He read it. He liked it. He told me I had potential. I almost fainted! He told me, in his sophisticated British accent “Lindy, I feel that you could have success as a commercial writer.” So, I took his advice, and I went for it!

So, after rejection and rejection, I finally got that coveted publishing deal. Now, my work and my Joe are out there for the world to see. I hope that I can entertain my readers. I know that I am not going to win a Pulitzer with my work, and I don’t wish to! I just want to let the reader have some fun! I want to take my readers away to an exotic and relaxing place somewhere. I want the reader to feel the sand, to hear the ocean, and to smell the salt air. I want the reader to use their imagination. I want reading to be fun, like I have always thought that it was.

Lindy S. Hudis
Author of Weekends
http://directorbabe.tripod.com/

Tags: Be My Guest!, the writer's life, book deals, book promotion, book publicity, author interview, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, Lindy S. Hudis, Weekends, romantic suspense

SECOND CHANCE by Jane Green

2007-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

My books have always reflected the stages of my life. Straight Talking, my first novel, was written when I was a single late-twenty-something, struggling with finding a happy relationship, Babyville catalogued my struggles with new motherhood, and The Other Woman was written about the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a relationship I found to be particularly emotive and difficult amongst my friends.

This latest book, Second Chance, started off as a book about grief. On December 26th, 2004, when the Tsunami hit, I, along with the rest of the world, sighed at the tragedy and went on with my life.

Until two days later, when I was sitting at my computer idly reading stories about the Tsunami, and came upon an article entitled 'Brits still missing.' I wonder if I know anyone, I thought, doubting I would.

But I did. It was someone I adored. Someone I had seen a few weeks earlier. Piers was my garden designer - had designed a beautiful English garden in my old house in Connecticut. He would fly over every few weeks, sometimes staying with us, and quickly became a friend. He was handsome, funny, and sweet, and when I first saw his name on the list, I shook my head to try and dislodge the fuzz. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be that Piers Simon.

But it was.

I was blindsided by the grief, a grief I hadn't expected given that he wasn't a husband, a lover, a best friend. A grief I didn't feel entitled to, and I sat down to start writing Second Chance, a book about grief.

But as so often happens during the course of writing, the events of your life overtake, and with them come changes in the book. My marriage started unravelling just as I sat down to write, and I put the book on hold to try and figure out what it meant, what my future might be.

The greatest thing about being a writer is that you are able to process how you feel through the words on the page. Second Chance became, not a book about my marriage, but a book about seizing happiness. It became a book about a group of friends reuniting after one of them - Tom - dies, each of whom is going through their own version of a mid-life crisis, each of whom is looking for an answer.

For Paul, it means a second chance at a family, even though he and his wife are beyond hope. For Saffron, it means a chance to conquer her addictions and really learn how to love. For Olivia, it means a one-night stand with a friend of Tom's that leaves her pregnant—with a big decision to make.

And for Holly it means another chance to escape her unhappy marriage and meet the dashing man who might be the key to changing it.

From midlife crises, adultery, divorce, infertility and pregnancy, Tom binds them all together, encouraging them to make difficult decisions about living their lives every day. The result is a second chance at happiness for all of the characters, if they are brave enough to take the next step.

I found my own answer during the course of the writing. I came to realise just what had been wrong in my life, and was lucky enough to find a different path before it became too late.

Jane Green
Author of Second Chance
http://www.janegreen.com/

Tags: the story behind the books, book promotion, book publicity, author interviews, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Jane Green, Second Chance, chick lit

Why I Wrote the Legacy Series by Elena Dorothy Bowman

2007-07-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

What prompted me to write The Legacy Series? Years ago my father used to take us kids to Good Harbor in Gloucester, Massachusetts. During the summer months, this was an every other weekend Sunday Special. At the time Good Harbor was not the most famous or sought after beach to go to — Wingaersheek was. Good Harbor didn't have paved roads leading up to it, but rough, unpaved, crunchy, dirt, roads that made an awful sound as rocks, disturbed by the wheels rolling over them, spun up and hit the side of the car when my father slowly drove across it to park. In fact all it had at the time was what one would consider an outhouse, and not a great one at that. Parking was free, and entrance to Good Harbor was come as you please and stay as long as you want. There were no lifeguards or concession stands on the beach. You were on your own. You ate what you brought with you or you went hungry. But, as Mom would have it, our picnic basket was one that was quite unusual. We didn't have sandwiches, hotdogs or hamburgers; Mom made a large pan of macaroni with fried zucchini, hard boiled eggs, mixed in and of course her great meatballs.

As it happens some people did venture onto Good Harbor, and in the course of the day my oldest brother, Bob, who was probably in his late teens at the time, would tell all the young girls he met that he lived in that house sitting on the cliff. When they asked if he would take them through it, he would say his parents were entertaining and wouldn't appreciate his bringing anyone in to visit. And his reason for being on the beach was to get away from his parents' friends. He would tell them, maybe the next time he could take them through the house, but not now. I, of course, was warned by my brother not to say a word. Naturally, he being the oldest, I didn't dare even though I wanted to, even threatened to, but knew better.

But I digress. The reason for the novel was that very house sitting on top of the rocks at Good Harbor overlooking the ocean. The house fascinated me. I can't recall ever seeing anyone in or around it. And it didn’t matter what time of the day or night, yes we stayed long after the sun went down and watched as the glow of the moon shone over the ocean, or what week it was. There were no visible signs of activity whatsoever. I began to fantasize about the house and who may have lived in it, and what mystery the house had hidden behind its walls.

From my vantage point there didn't appear to be any one going up to the house or coming away from it. And on some visits to the beach as I watched the clouds passing over this magnificent home, I began to wonder about it. Questions would form in my mind. Who actually owned the
house?Who were the people who lived, or may have lived there? What did they
do? Did something bad happen there and that's why it looks so lonely? I would make up all sorts of tales. I often wondered if they went away in the wintertime, like some people do, only to return later in the spring. Did anyone really live there now? Or is it an empty scary house and as mysterious inside as it appeared to be on the outside?

Throughout the years I continued to wonder about this magnificent home sitting on top of the rocks. It had been there as long as I could remember, but what about before that time? Why did it seem so majestic?

Were people actually living there now, or is it as empty as it looks? It certainly appeared so. If people are living there, where did they come from, and why is it that no one has seen them?

Well, that was the beginning of the reasons why I wrote this series; and even though the house itself is real, the location has been changed, but most of all my novel, The House On The Bluff, Book One in the Legacy Series, is really a figment of my imagination, which I carried on into
books two and three, The Gatekeeper's Realm and Adam's Point, respectively. I hope you are interested enough to buy the books and enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Thank you.

Elena Dorothy Bowman

Author of THE GATEKEEPER'S REALM

http://elenadb.home.comcast.net/

Tags: the story behind the books, book promotion, book publicity, author interviews, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tour, Elena Dorothy Bowman, The Lightkeeper's Realm, romantic suspense

REAL WOMEN WEAR RED by Kathy Holmes

2007-06-20T13:41:00.001-07:00

I was watching another episode of the “Bachelor” and noticed that these women were so comfortable calling themselves “girls” and wearing pink. When Trista married Ryan from “The Bachelorette, everything in her wedding was pink—the table coverings, the bridesmaid dresses, the cake. Everything imaginable was pink. And then I realized that the latest genre in women’s fiction—chick lit—was targeted for this same age group and all of the covers were pink. What was up with these “girls” today and what was with all the pink?

Anyway, as an antithesis to all of that, I started writing about 3 women from 3 different generations: 20-something, 40-something, and 60-something and these women wore red because that was a woman’s color—not pink. And it didn’t matter their age—they all wanted the same things. And that’s how “Real Women Wear Red” came to be.

While writing this manuscript, I was originally uncomfortable putting myself out there so strongly on the page. My husband kept saying, “Let her out.” And I did. He loved it, my critique partners loved it, and test readers loved it. When an agent loved it and offered to represent me, I loved her. But my timing was all wrong. The chick lit boom began to slow down and publishers and agents noticed sales began to slow.

So what next? Well, no matter what genre you call it, I believe there’s the forgotten woman in fiction. It’s the woman (she could be any age) who has never married or recently divorced and without kids. She’s asking, “Where’s fiction written for me? I don’t want to read the chick lit for 20-somethings and I don’t want to read hen lit for 50-somethings. Where’s fiction about women who reflect my lifestyle, my choices, my circumstances?

No matter our age, we want to read contemporary women’s fiction that has the same tone, the same attitude, the same search for the inner woman and what she’s looking for that she thinks will make her life happy. I want to write about the questions that we, as women, ask ourselves, and you can ask these questions at any age. Questions such as, “My life isn’t working and I desperately need to change something, but what?” “Is it time to get married, will I ever get married, will I ever have kids, do I even want kids?” “Should I buy a house, settle down, move to Paris , change careers?” “What is it I’m supposed to be doing with my life?”

I’ve been called a “trendsetter” and that I’m ahead of my time. And maybe I was when I began writing Real Women Wear Red as a twist on the whole pink cover, chick lit trend. But I feel the time is right, the attitude is right, and all I have to do is persevere. I chose to self-publish Real Women Wear Red, even turning down contracts with e-publishers. I hope that you will not only enjoy my attitude through my writing on my blog, but that you will also enjoy it through my fiction. And that I’m one step closer to getting my “women’s fiction with attitude” out there.

###

Kathy Holmes is on a mission to write women’s fiction in a way that inspires women of all ages to follow their dreams. As part of her journey, she turned her life around when she realized it wasn’t working any more, including searching for the father she had never met. And once she met him, she was motivated to raise an awareness of fatherless daughters through novel writing. In support of that, she also posts on blogs and writes online articles.

From all facets of the publishing world (from journalism to printing to technical writing to fiction writing), to all corners of the US (from Los Angeles to San Francisco to the Pacific Northwest to the Midwest/Northeast, and Southeast), she has used all of her experiences to spread her wings. Myths of the Fatherless and Real Women Wear Red are just the beginning of Kathy living outloud and pursuing her dreams.

Kathy Holmes
Author of Real Women Wear Red and Myths of the Fatherless
http://www.kathyholmes.net/

Tags: the story behind the books, book promotion, book publicity, author interviews, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, virtual book tours, Kathy Holmes, Real Women Wear Red, chick lit

LOVE, LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION by Lois Winston

2007-06-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Many authors mention in their bios that they always wanted to be a writer. Not me. I wanted to be an astronaut. Didn't happen due to a right brain that quakes at the sight of anything requiring math skills, not to mention a body prone to motion sickness. Obviously, some dreams just aren't meant to be.

However, how I became a published author is all about a dream that did come true. Only it wasn't a dream to become a published author. Twelve years ago I was on a business trip. One night I had a dream. The fact that I remembered the dream when I woke up the next morning was unusual in itself. I generally don't remember my dreams. What was even more unusual was that I hadn't dreamed about anyone I knew. The people in the dream were all strangers to me.

Then something REALLY strange happened. The next night the dream continued. And it kept continuing -- every night for several weeks. I was dreaming the chapters of a book! But it wasn't a book I'd ever read. Finally, one day I decided to put the dream down on paper, more to get it out of my system than anything because by this time I was DAYdreaming about these people,
too.

The next thing I knew, I had a 50,000 word romance that spanned 35 years. And I thought I'd written the great American love story. Needless to say, Nora Roberts didn't have to worry about losing her Queen of Romance title to me. I quickly learned from a slew of rejection letters that my opus was a waste of the trees that had sacrificed their lives for the paper it was
printed on. Call me clueless!

But while all this was going on I'd thought up the idea for another book, and it was itching to move from my brain to my computer screen. I'd been bitten by the Writing Bug. So I figured I'd better get a clue because if I was going to spend the time to commit these stories to paper, it would be nice to know how to do so in a way that I could sell them. I soon discovered that there were many published books offering advice on the subject. Thanks to my trusty VISA card I became the proud owner of several hundred dollars worth of how-to-write-a-romance books.

In one of those books I learned about Romance Writers of America. I joined RWA and several of its chapters and eventually lost my cluelessness. In fact, after awhile I was full of clues. Eventually, I found an agent who liked my writing, and I sold my first book. TALK GERTIE TO ME, a story about a 26 year old who resurrects her childhood imaginary friend to help her cope with her mother's menopausal meltdown, was released in April of 2006 from Dorchester Publishing.

But this story is about another book, my current release. LOVE, LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION is a romantic suspense about secrets and revenge and the lengths some people will go in order to bury the former and achieve the latter. It's also that very first book that came about as a result of my dream.

As I learned about the craft of writing, I quickly realized that my plot had no chance of ever being resuscitated into something publishable. However, the characters I'd created had become a part of me. I liked them, and I wanted others to know and like them. I didn't want them condemned to an eternity under the bed with no one but the dust bunnies to keep them
company. So over the years I occasionally tinkered with Emma's and Logan's story. Eventually I got them to a point where I thought they were ready for the scary world of submissions. By this time their story was no longer a 50,000 word romance that spanned 35 years. It was now a 95,000 word romantic suspense that spanned a few months. And lo and behold, my editor
liked Emma and Logan and their story and bought the book!

LOVE, LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION was released on May 29, 2007 and is available at bookstores and online.

If you'd like to read an excerpt of LOVE, LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION, click over to http://www.loiswinston.com/. Stay awhile and check out the various articles I have posted and read what reviewers are saying about my books. You can also read an excerpt from TALK GERTIE TO ME. And while you're there, I hope you'll sign up for my newsletter.

Award-winning author Lois Winston writes humorous, cross-genre, contemporary novels. She often draws upon her extensive experience as a crafts designer for much of her source material. Her first book, TALK GERTIE TO ME, a combination chick lit/hen lit/romantic comedy with a touch of the paranormal, was an April 2006 release from Dorchester Publishing and has to date won a Readers and Bookbuyers Best award and racked up nominations for a Reviewers Choice Award, a Golden Leaf Award, and a Beacon Award. LOVE, LIES & A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION, a mom-lit romantic suspense, is a June 2007 release from Dorchester. Lois also contributed to DREAMS & DESIRES, a charity anthology of 19 romances by 19 authors which was released in February from Freya's Bower. All proceeds from this anthology go to a shelter for battered women. In addition, Lois is a contributor to HOUSE UNAUTHORIZED, a November 2007 release from BenBella Books. When not writing or designing, you can find Lois trudging through stacks of manuscripts as she hunts for diamonds in the slush piles for the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. Visit Lois at http://www.loiswinston.com/.

Tags: the story behind the books, book promotion, book publicity, author interviews, blogging authors, guest blog, guest bloggers, book blog, online book promotion, Lois Winston

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY BEHIND THE BOOKS

2007-06-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOKS!

As tour coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, I found out firsthand how important blogs are since we deal primarily with them. In my hunt to find the best blogs for my authors to appear on, I was disillusioned to find not too many blogs that dealt primarily with posting the stories behind the books that my authors had created.

So, I created one!

However, this blog is open to any authors who would like to tell the stories behind their books in the hopes that this free book promotion will benefit them in more ways than one; but not only that, to give the world a glimpse into just what it is that created the right moment for the book to be written and how it became published.

If you would like to tell us how you got the inspiration to write your book and/or how it came to be published, send us your story to thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. There is no real word limit as I don't want to put that restriction on you. Have fun with it and don't forget to send us a link to where we can "pick up" the cover of your book and include your website link.

Thank you!

Dorothy Thompson
CEO/Founder Pump Up Your Book Promotion
www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com