Category Archives: Authors
Make Believe Blog Tour: An Interview with Contributing Author, Lynda R. Young
Welcome back for another posting for the MAKE BELIEVE (J. Taylor Publishing) Blog Tour. Today, we have Lynda R. Young with us for a little interview. Her story, < is part of the anthology. You can see my review of Lynda’s story, as well as the rest of the stories included in the anthology HERE.
First off, a big thank you to Lynda for taking the time to stop in and visit with us today.
Now, on to the hard hitting interview questions… (not really)
Rebecca: Are you a pantser or a plotter?
Lynda: When I first started writing I fell in love with the romance of pantsing. I discovered the story and the characters as I wrote them. The romance faded when I realized how much I’d have to delete and edit and rewrite to get the stories even close to publishable. I’m now a plotter through and through.
Rebecca: Do you have any writing rituals or special processes you complete before sitting down to write?
Lynda: I didn’t think I had any rituals, but now that I’m thinking about it, I tend to get a glass of water first, pat the cat, read my emails, then I’m set. I’ll go through the same ritual a number of times during the day.
Rebecca: If you could only write in one genre for the rest of your career, what genre would you choose? Why?
Lynda: If I said the speculative genre, would that be cheating? Hehehe, I’m such a rebel. The reason I’d pick speculative is that it has so many sub-genres I’d never get bored! I love fantasy and science fiction equally as much, along with the majority of their sub-genres. There is such scope for stories there.
Rebecca: I hear you there. I have a hard time pinning myself into a specific genre as well. Are any of your characters modeled after real people? If so, which ones?
Lynda: My characters are never modeled after real people. Real people might inspire my work, but my characters tend to be a mish-mash created from real life, other stories, news reports, anywhere and everywhere.
Rebecca: I’m one of those writers who needs music to really get myself set to write. What music is on your playlist while writing your stories?
Lynda: The Dark Knight Soundtrack has been one of my favorites for a while now. It’s wonderfully emotive and keeps my fingers dancing across the keyboard. If I’m after something less robust, then I’ll listen to something from Enya or I’ll listen to Bali, an album by Jalan Jalan. It’s all instrumental so there aren’t any words to distract me from my writing.
Rebecca: Morning person or grumpy bear?
Lynda: I’m definitely not a morning person. Maybe that’s why I write best in the mornings. Leave me alone to my writing in the mornings, and the day is a good one—for everyone 😉
Rebecca: Sounds a bit familiar *grins* What is the one thing about the book publishing process that has surprised you the most?
Lynda: The amount of work required to get it right. I think being an author is one of the hardest jobs in the world. We might not get filthy, we might not get physically exhausted, but writing requires a level of mental endurance and persistence that’s close to herculean. It’s not a job that can be done in a half-hearted way.
Rebecca: So very true!! I’m curious. What group were you a part of in High School? Jocks? Nerds? Metal heads?
Lynda: I was a nerd. I loved my books and I loved my video games before they became cool to play.
Rebecca: As a reformed gaming addict, I completely understand. Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what?
Lynda: I can be both really observant, yet completely oblivious. My friends tease me by saying they could drive a truck through the house and I wouldn’t notice. I call that a talent.
Rebecca: Coke or Pepsi?
Lynda: Neither, but it used to be coke. Put two teaspoons of sugar in coke and it tastes exactly like Pepsi. Shudder…
Rebecca: Nobody drinks soda nowadays. I’m starting to wonder how Coke and Pepsi stay in business. Let’s move to clothing…If I were to look in your closet right now, would I find frills and lace or demin and tees?
Lynda: You’d find both, but I’m mainly a denim and tee girl. I love to keep it simple.
A lady after my own heart, there. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping in and chatting with us Lynda.
Here is the Back of the Book description of Lynda’s story, BIRTHRIGHT
BLURB: Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.
She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she’s never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.
Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.
Author Bio:
Lynda lives in Sydney, Australia, with her sweetheart of a husband who is her rock, and a cat who believes world domination starts in the home. Lynda has an adventurous spirit and has traveled the world. As a chaser of dreams, she found success as a digital artist and an animator, and now as a writer of speculative short stories. She is currently writing novels for young adults. In her spare time she also dabbles in photography and all things creative.
Stalking Links:
Blog: http://lyndaryoung.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LyndaRYoungAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LyndaRYoung
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832201.Lynda_R_Young
Make Believe Blog Tour: A Interview with Contributing Author, J.A. Belfield
Continuing with my Blog Tour posts for the MAKE BELIEVE Blog Tour, today I have managed to snag an interview with author, J.A. Belfield. Her story, Escort to Insanity is the featured tale in the anthology.
To see my full review of the anthology, go HERE.
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by, Ms. Belfield. I’ll try not to ply you with too many questions (yeah, right).
Which of the characters in your current release is your favorite? Why?
Ack. I dunno. I mean, I love Benjamin and Cole. Love how they gel and that they kind of get thrust together through circumstance beyond their control. But, if I were to look at the characters on a long term potential basis, I’d have to say I also love Cole’s best friend and housemate Kellie, for the light relief I know she’ll bring to intense aftermaths, and Rufus King, for the trouble I suspect he’d be capable of causing for the duo. 😉
Are any of your characters modeled after real people? If so, which ones?
Never. I sometimes study relationship dynamics and translate those to the page, but I never totally base a character on someone I know. It wouldn’t be fair. Though I did get pretty close in Blue Moon, my novel that just released, when a friend’s daughter asked me for a part in the book, so I made a character look like her and stole her name—but I’d never do that for a big part character who’s personality needs portraying to the max.
Morning person or grumpy bear?
Grumpy bear. Just ask my kids if you don’t believe me. And never expect conversation pre-caffeine.
Actually, the worst times are when Mr B decides we’re going to wake up at stupid o’clock to go on holiday so we’ll miss the traffic, and he wakes up all bubbly and excited and hyper and so damn annoying to someone who can only just about manage grunts and scowls and a whole lotta lip curling.
What is the one thing about the book publishing process that has surprised you the most?
I think the biggest surprise (and most likely not just to me) is discovering just how hard it is to gain a ‘reach’, to get that ball rolling so that folk are taking enough notice of your work to start spreading the word, and those folk start spreading the word, and so on and so on. It’s a domino run you need to make bigger, but getting hold of the dominos you need is the tricky bit. Once that starts happening, though, it’s pretty awesome. So persevere. No matter how big this obstacle seems.
What is next for you?
Well, I’m mostly known for writing the Holloway Pack series, and my short story for the Make Believe anthology was more of a side project for a change of scenery. However, although I still have a few Holloway Pack titles to write, I will admit I’m intrigued enough about Benjamin and Cole from Escort to Insanity that the early drip feed of ideas has started trickling through for a trilogy for the two of them. And it’s no secret, I’m also itching to try my hand at some YA. 🙂
Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what?
I can still do cartwheels at age 40. Does that count?
What is the oddest question you’ve been asked with respect to your story?
I haven’t had anything wonky for Escort to Insanity, but I have been asked a few times by peeps I know who’ve read Darkness & Light if I’ve based all of the intimate scenes on personal experience. They ask Mr B, too. His answer: Yep. My answer: 
Tell us something about your story in Make Believe we won’t find in the back cover blurb?
Um … it has way more paranormal elements than the blurb leads you to believe. But, hey, this is one of my stories we’re talking about. 😉
Here is the skinny on Ms. Belfield’s story, ESCORT TO INSANITY
Blurb: From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.
Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.
Author Bio: One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination, as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …? Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.
One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop.
J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, three cats and a dog. She writes paranormal romance, with a second love for urban fantasy.
Stalking Links:
J.A. Belfield Blog | Bookaroo-Ju Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Make Believe Blog Tour: An Interview with Contributing Author, Terri Rochenski #fantasy #anthology
Welcome back to the Blog. Always nice to see you 🙂
This week and part of next I will be helping to promote the release of J.Taylor Publishing’s MAKE BELIEVE Anthology. As part of the tour events, I will have interviews from as many of the authors as I could grab, and I will be posting a complete review of the anthology (by each individual story) in my post tomorrow, so be sure to check back again then.
To kick things off, I nabbed an interview with Terri Rochenski, the author of SACRIFICIAL OATH, the first of the stories featured in the anthology.
** Oh! And two lucky commentors will win a Make Believe bookmark signed by Terri 🙂 So be sure to leave a comment below! **
I met Terri a few years ago in the Writer’s Digest forums, and I knew back then she would be an author to watch. I’m quite excited she agreed to stop in today to promote her most recent publication. Besides, I love picking an author’s brain about their work and their writing process.
Rebecca: Thanks for coming in and sitting with us today, Terri. I’ll start off with a nice, easy, author related question…What music was on your playlist while writing your novel?
Terri: Nothing. I’m a silence kinda gal seeing as how I rarely get it as a stay-at-home mom!
Rebecca: Morning person or grumpy bear?
Terri: Morning person. Most of the time I open my eyes rearin’ & ready to go. I DO need caffeine though.
Rebecca: What group were you a part of in High School? Jocks? Nerds? Metal heads?
Terri: I was a choir nerd. Other than that I was pretty much a loner – too poor to be popular, too straight-laced to be much else.
Rebecca: Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what?
Terri: I sing, or rather I used to. A LOT. Even gave lessons for a short time. Once I moved, married, & had children I pretty much gave up that hobby.
Rebecca: Coke or Pepsi?
Terri: COKE!!!
Rebecca: If I were to look in your closet right now, would I find frills and lace or demin and tees?
Terri: Mommy-like sweat pants & tees. I need a major makeover!
Rebecca: If you were only allowed to eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Terri: Only one?? Yeah right. Bryer’s Cherry Vanilla ice cream, pumpkin pie, blueberry custard pie…
Rebecca: What scares you the most?
Terri: If anything happened to my children I think I’d flip. Watching parents of abducted kids pleading for their release – their lives – chokes me up every time.
I am completely with you there… of course I also get choked up by sad cartoons, so I’m not the best one to measure normalcy with. I have to think most parents would feel that way as well.
Now that we have learned a bit about Terri, let’s take a look at her story, SACRIFICIAL OATH — the opening story in the anthology.
BLURB: An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.
With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.
Author Bio: Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre.
Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow. When not potty training or kissing boo-boos, she can be found on her back patio in the boondocks of New Hampshire, book or pencil in hand.
Staking Links:
Next Big Thing Blog Hop: I’ve Been Nominated :) #WIP #writing
So, I was recently tagged by fellow author, Terri Rochenski in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop of sorts. This one is for your current WIP, so I thought it would be fun to try and answer the questions posed. On that note, you should stop by her blog and check out her post on Pool of Souls, a story I am lucky to be a beta reader for — You will love it!
So anyway, without any further ado and delay… here we go…
What is the working title of your book?
Destiny’s Trial and Legend of the Mist
Author Interview: Aubrie Dionne, Author of HAVEN 6
As a special treat today, I have managed to score an interview with the author of the Haven series, Aubrie Dionne. Not familiar with the series? Here is the info on the newest Haven release, HAVEN 6.
Back of the Book:
A product of an illegal pairing, Eridani is the only woman without a lifemate aboard the colonization ship, the Heritage, and she is determined her less than perfect DNA will not get in the way of finding love. As the ship nears it’s final destination of Haven 6 after five hundred years of travel, images of the surface show evidence of intelligent life on a planet that’s supposed to be uninhabited. Commander Grier assigns Eri to the exploratory team to spy on the alien society and return with information on how to defeat them.
When Eri’s team lands, tribes of humans attack and Eri is saved by Striver, the descendant of a colonist and a pirate from Old Earth’s colonization efforts in other parts of the galaxy. Striver helps Eri rescue her team and they are drawn to each other despite their different allegiances. While Striver battles with trusting Eri, Eri must decide whether to warn him and his people about the commander’s intentions, or follow orders and complete her mission.
My Interview with Aubrie Dionne:
Rebecca: When did you first start writing? What made you want to be a writer?
Aubrie: I’d always wanted to be a professional flutist, and when I started teaching, I made up stories to go along with the music and make it come alive for my students. My students liked the stories so much they used to urge me to write them down. I finally listened and here I am today!
Rebecca: What inspired you to write your novel, Haven 6?
Aubrie: This is the final book in the series, so I wanted it to be epic and tie in all the loose threads from the prequel and the first two books, which is not an easy task! I also wanted it to take place on a jungle planet, following the way Star Wars moved from a desert planet, to an ice world, to a jungle planet.
Rebecca: Are you a pantser or a plotter?
Aubrie: I used to be a panster, but now I have to turn in a synopsis to my agent and my publisher before I get too far into the story if I want it to get read in a decent amount of time. This has made me a plotter. I do find that I get less blocked if the whole story is already planned.
Rebecca: Do you have any writing rituals or special processes you complete before sitting down to write?
Aubrie: Sometimes when my mind gets blocked, I’ll do the laundry or go for a walk with my dog, and that usually frees it up again. Sometimes even Spider solitaire is a good way to help writer’s block, until I get blocked with that!
Rebecca: What music was on your playlist while writing your novel?
Aubrie: I listen to Radio Gaia when I write. New age music is easy listening with no words to distract me!
Rebecca: Morning person or grumpy bear?
Aubrie: Grumpy bear. I need coffee and time to wake up! LOL
Rebecca: What is the one thing about the book publishing process that has surprised you the most?
Aubrie: How snarky people can be in reviews. I can’t believe the things they write about books. Don’t they know we’re real people?
Rebecca: What group were you a part of in High School? Jocks? Nerds? Metal heads?
Aubrie: Definitely band geeks. I spent a lot of time practicing my flute and going to marching band games. All of my friends were in the band!
Rebecca: What is next for you?
Aubrie: Well, funny you should ask that! The YA tie in series to the New Dawn trilogy comes out November 7th with the book titled Colonization: Paradise Reclaimed published by Inkspell Publishing. After that, I have a contemporary romance coming out with Entangled Publishing’s Bliss line called My Maestro about a flutist that has fallen in love with her conductor.
Rebecca: Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what?
Aubrie: I play the flute! Does that count?
Rebecca: Coke or Pepsi?
Aubrie: Neither! I drink coffee and Mountain Dew!
Rebecca: If I were to look in your closet right now, would I find frills and lace or denim and tees?
Aubrie: Frills and lace! I love wearing fancy clothes in concerts! I don’t think I’ve worn a T-shirt in years.
Thanks so much for stopping in today, Aubrie, it’s been a pleasure having you. For those of you out there who want more info on Ms Dionne, or her books, her bio and links are below.
Audrie’s BIO:
Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf.
Her books are published by Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She recently signed her YA sci fi novel with Inkspell Publishing titled: Colonization: Paradise Reclaimed, which will release in November 2012.
When she’s not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras. She’s a big Star Trek TNG fan, as well as Star Wars and Serenity.
I’ve Been Tagged: Lucky Seven #blogging #writers
So today I arrived home to learn I have been tagged by a fellow author. There have been a few of these tagging blog posts going about. This one looked like fun, so what the heck — I’m game for a little fun.
The rules for this one are quite simple (hooray!)
- Go to page 77 of your current ms.
- Go to line 7.
- Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post them as they’re written. No cheating.
- Tag 7 other victims, …er, authors.
I have a few current WIPs, so I picked the one I worked on most recently with more than the requisite 77 pages. These are the seven lines from THE MACHENWOOD CHRONICLES (I got lucky on the content, I think)
Ric knelt down, met her eyes. His face so close, a breath away, glowing warm in the lantern light; his eyes sparkled like a star laden sky.
Her breath caught. She searched his face.
With mesmerizing slowness and eyes locked with hers, Ric reached up, pushed a blonde lock from her face, and tucked it behind her ear. Knuckles brushed against her neck, a chill radiated from the point of contact. He devoured her with his gaze.
Not bad, right? A little steamy, but innocent at the same time. I can live with it 🙂
Since the rules stated I couldn’t make any changes to the text, I didn’t name the “Her” in the story, but for those who are morbidly curious, her name is Ana.
Now… *rubs chin* to select seven other luck writers…
Okay, here they are. You have been tagged, my darlings!
Stephanie Lawton
Jocelyn Adams
Kelly Said
Julie Reece
Amaleen Ison
Julie Belfield
Candice Bundy
Free Reads Week Is Coming…March 12th -16th #free #ebook #promotion
I just got the info on this event from my publisher, so wanted to pass the good news on to all of you.
From March 12th – 16th, Inkspell Publishing will be offering Free Reads on their website. These stories come from their soon to be released authors, and will give everyone a great opportunity to get a sneak peek at some of the amazing stories and authors debuting and writing for Inkspell.
Be sure to mark the date and stop by to pick up some fantastic freebies! Clicking the banner at the top of this post will take you right to the publishers Free Reads page.
Happy Sunday, Everyone!
From Fellow Inkspell Author: Stephanie Lawton (A Chance to Get to Know Her Better)
From Fellow Inkspell Author: Stephanie Lawton (A Chance to Get to Know Her Better)
After following some fellow writer friends’ blogs, I’ve come to realize I must come across as kinda serious on here, which is hilarious since I’m one of the goofiest people I know. I have the mouth of a sailor and the sense of humor of a sixteen-year-old boy, but I guess in an effort to be “professional,” I may have sacrificed personality.
So. Here’s a totally self-indulgent post to prove I am not a robot, no matter what CAPTCHA says. (Completely stolen from fellow Inkspell author Brooke Moss.)
A. Age: Really? We have to start with age? Okay, fine. I’m 32. But I look older (thanks for those genes, Dad). It was cool when I was in high school and got mistaken for a college student or hit on by my boyfriends’ dads, but now? Not so much. Especially when people assume my mother and I are sisters. (Stop dying…
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Bex Book Nook 