Release of EXILES FROM CHRISTMAS

November 17, 2009

It’s finally here. My Christmas short, Exiles from Christmas, is out! Presented by Lyrical Press, Inc.

Here’s a blurb and excerpt:

Blurb: Santa’s nephews have come to Crystal Falls to run a cookie business. If they fail, they’ll have to go back to the North Pole and fill their uncle’s black boots when he retires. But sick of toys, elves, and the North Pole’s influence, that’s the last thing Landon and Aaron want. They’re looking for love.

Jayne isn’t much for sentimental family holidays and she certainly doesn’t believe in magic. Working in the Crystal Falls post office, she is mystified when she handles mail bearing a North Pole postal mark.

When Landon and Jayne meet, their attraction for each other is undeniable, but will the truth about Landon’s life make Jayne a believer, or will it be his love that finally melts her heart?

Excerpt #4:

Landon was glad when Peg finally walked away. “Tell me why you hate Christmas.” Pleasure snaked through his gut when Jayne’s cheeks infused with a rosy stain. He had the insane desire to see her smile. He wondered if the back of her wrist was ticklish. “Or is it just the commercialism of the holiday that turns you into Scrooge?”

Her lips twitched but she didn’t follow through with a full grin. “Why don’t you tell me why I should like this holiday?” She dipped a triangle of her golden sandwich into her orange-red soup then took a delicate bite.

“Everyone likes Christmas.” He floundered for words. “It’s… It’s…magical.” He broke open the flaky crust of his chicken pot pie to let the steam escape.

“What’s so magical about the whole population of the world succumbing to avarice and greed?” She pointed her spoon at him. “And don’t get me started about that jolly old fat man in the red suit.”

“How do you know Santa is old or fat? Have you seen him?” Her abhorrence to Christmas fascinated him, but the information he was about to tell her would make or break the new friendship.

“Have you?”

It was now or never. For some reason, he trusted her. “Actually, yes. In fact, I know him pretty well.” He kept his gaze glued to her face, alert for any outward signs of derision or ridicule. Prior relationships usually broke down at this point. Some had even ended with drinks to his face or upended dinners in his lap. When Jayne did nothing more dramatic than blink, he released his held breath. Maybe it’d be different this time.

“How can you possibly know him? He’s a make-believe character from story books.” She narrowed her eyes. “Unless he’s an invisible friend of yours.”

Very witty, Jayne. Funny and sexy. A great combination. He fought a smile. “He’s definitely not invisible.” No longer hungry, Landon pushed his mostly untouched plate away. “You never believed in Santa when you were a kid?” He watched as hope briefly flitted across her face but that moment of vulnerability vanished as quickly as it had come.

“No.”

“Why?” He wasn’t about to give up. He felt a tiny seed of belief buried beneath her protests and he wanted to draw it out. He needed to draw it out, if only to justify his own determination to remove himself from his own issues.

Jayne busied herself by crumbling little bits of her sandwich into her soup bowl. “Santa has always been a disappointment to me.” She captured her bottom lip between her teeth. “When I was eleven, I desperately wanted a microscope. I loved science and thought it would be fun to look inside living things.”

“And you didn’t get it, I assume?” He wrenched his gaze from her invitingly wet lips to focus on her face.

“Of course not.” Bitterness crept into the confirmation. “Not only that, a few months after that, I found all the letters I’d written to Santa in my mom’s underwear drawer. She never mailed them. I understood why later—there was nowhere to mail them to. Santa’s a fake.” She shrugged. “I found all but one letter. She must have lost it.”

“I’m sorry you had a bad childhood. What about now? You’re older and wiser. Do you believe in Santa now?”

“Are you kidding me?” She gaped at him as if he were a car wreck. “Why should I believe now? What’s the point?”

“Because.” Landon cleared his throat. “Santa Claus is my uncle.”

Book video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LskHJWnRb0

Promo video for Crystal Falls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpABxT0D9iA

Buy link: http://www.lyricalpress.com/exiles_from_christmas
Or visit my website for more information:
http://www.sandrasookoo.com

I hope you will consider picking up your very own copy. For 2.50, you can afford to treat yourself to some holiday cheer!

CRR Blog Tour with LK Hunsaker continues with Metaphorical Reality

November 15, 2009

SS: Please help me welcome author LK Hunsaker to the Believing is Seeing blog.

Hi Sandra! Thanks for having me on your blog today. In honor of your “seeing is believing” theme, I thought I’d talk about metaphor and reality.LKH-Nov09-2689-cp1in

“The moon had no light of its own, and no warmth. Like the window, it could only throw back an imitation of what it saw. It made people believe there was a man within, that it had illuminating powers, when there were nothing but craters. Scars from being knocked around. Disguised by false light.”
– from Off The Moon, ch.12

I love metaphor. It reminds me of impressionist paintings and Seurat’s pointillism. It’s making one thing become something else, or it’s a hint of something. It’s poetic and active. Nearly breathing. Sometimes it’s so transparent you can’t help but see it; other times it’s subtle and missed unless you pay close attention. Either way, it’s one of the basic tools of writing and highly effective when done well.

Our characters are often metaphors themselves. They stand for something we want to say. Consider Edmund in The Count of Monte Cristo. Edmund is a very real character, full and complete. He is also a metaphor for rightful vengeance. Or Anna in Anna Karenina; a metaphor for social entrapment.

In the short excerpt above, and often throughout Off The Moon, the moon is a metaphor. I won’t say much about it at this point, for fear of giving the story away, but Ryan tends to think in metaphor. It could be from his songwriting experience, or maybe he was a born poet. But just as things begin to appear differently within his own life, the moon and what it means to be “off” changes, as well. It is both a real object that draws conversation between Ryan and Kaitlyn and an enigma, sometimes like Kaitlyn herself. Other times like Ryan. It becomes a character instead of only a symbol.

Any of you who read or write poetry knows the beauty of metaphor. We can say something that sounds very simple and easy to understand and yet actually mean something much deeper. For instance, these are two lines of a poem I wrote recently (I’m not a poet. I play in it at times.)

Nature’s palette adds its own paint
shifting greens to golds

Simple. The poem is called September Whispers so it’s easy to see it refers to leaves changing in the fall. However, the leaves are only a cover, so to speak. Underneath, it refers to the aging process, with hair turning silver and newness becoming experience. Green often refers to inexperience. Gold to quality and richness.

There is much metaphor through Off The Moon, as well. Don’t worry, though, it’s much easier to understand than my poetry.

——–

Buy Link for Off the Moon preorders:
http://www.elucidatepublishing.net/books.html
free US shipping through Nov. 27, discounted outside US

Off The Moon website:
http://www.lkhunsaker.com/OffTheMoon/main.html

Also, be sure to check my blog for novel-related interviews.
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

OffTheMoon-frontcover-400hOff The Moon
LK Hunsaker

“Riveting” Ryan Reynauld is immersed in a world of music, parties, and temporary companionship. Having risen to the top of the pop charts, his biggest concern is objecting to the way his music is produced. That is, until he finds a young woman standing on a window ledge. Against the advice of family and friends, and through media attacks and fan protests, Ryan determines to care for her himself, making a promise that threatens to destroy his career.

Convincing the skittish girl she can learn to trust again comes with a steep price. Sometimes the path to recovery begins by allowing your world to implode.

Elucidate Publishing
November 2009
Print ISBN 978-0-9825299-0-4
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9825299-1-1

SS: Thanks for the interesting information! Good luck with sales and the rest of the blog tour!

Thanks again, Sandra! And best of luck on your releases next month!

———
Next up: An interview with Ned (Ryan’s drummer), hosted by Lainey Bancroft, Nov. 17
http://www.elaineforlife.com/LaineysBlog/tabid/463/Default.aspx

The full tour itinerary is available at http://www.classicromancerevival.com

Don’t forget to leave your comments! One person from each blog will be drawn to receive a signed, mailed copy of the short story LK has written as a bit of a prequel to Off The Moon, called Toward The Sky, plus there will be a signed print book drawing for anyone who comments on at least 8 blogs! Winners will be posted at http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=1520

Interview with P.I. Barrington!

November 14, 2009

Please welcome Desert Breeze author PI Barrington!

SS: Tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

PIB: Like pretty much all writers, I’ve written since I figured out you could string letters together to make words and then words into sentences. And, like every writer, I was a voracious reader. I won awards for writing in elementary school. Unlike most writers, however, I didn’t want to write. I wanted to do other things. I wanted to work in the music industry, which I did (met Paul and Linda McCartney too!), I worked in radio (on-air talent after starting out as a News Director-what else?) but I should have known, because even my first “real” job before all of that was as a newspaper reporter at 20! But, writing for me is more like an urge—sometimes I just have to do it—just get it down on paper somehow either on a desktop or with an actual (gasp!) pen and paper. I still love writing longhand and I know a lot of other authors do too.

SS: What genre do you like to write best in and why?

PIB: I like to call it “near-future” rather than sci-fi. I don’t write hard sci-fi with a lot of serious tech stuff. I think it’s more relatable to have some technology that is a logical progression of what we have now though, again, I don’t get into too much technical correctness and I make a lot of stuff up that seems logical to me at least. Also, that way, the technology is there but it doesn’t intrude on the conflicts of my characters and plot. Again, I always seem to end up writing sci-fi whether I want to or not. So far, everything I’ve had published has been sci-fi type stuff. I do love other genres too. I love ancient historical, Tom Clancy type stuff, Michener, Colleen McCullough is a favorite. I’ve read everything from the Greek playwrights to Shakespeare to MAD Magazine. MAD is still my favorite.

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

PIB: They can come from anything. Sometimes I’ll overhear part of a conversation in a restaurant or coffee shop. They can come from an issue I feel passionate about. It can be sparked from a past experience that hopefully other people have had too. Lately, I’ve been looking at pictures from magazines that really can help create if not a plot, then at least a setting or atmosphere or “world”; photos of people that I make up stories about; shots of gorgeous natural settings that help world building too.

SS: How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

PIB: It used to be agonizing to try to get into mode. I’m a night person but I can’t do that with family members who have day jobs. So in the last year I’ve kind of taught myself to just sit down and make myself write when I do have available time, usually in the morning when I’m by myself or when I really hit my stride between 4 and 7 p.m. It’s a tremendous help if you’re really excited about a book and love your characters. I’ve had stories that meandered about not really going anywhere and those are the creative killers for me. I have to love a book to easily get into mode schedule. Then, like everybody else, I have days and weeks where I can’t get a word onto a page. Not because of time but because I’m stuck or it just won’t come out right. Some people use music, but for me, just sitting down and writing it out is my method.

SS: Tell me a little about your new book.

PIB: Crucifying Angel, the first book in the Future Imperfect series, is my first published novel. It’s set in Las Vegas 32 years in the future amidst an ecological and economic breakdown. There’s a big romantic element to it as well, though it is a crime thriller.

SS: How did the inspiration for this work come to you?

PIB: Well, this is going to sound nuts, but after passing on another manuscript I sent her, DBP Editor Gail R. Delaney gave me the seminal premise and then said, “Now, go write it.” No kidding.

SS: Do you identify with the characters you write about?

PIB: Yes and no. I’ll see something I do, a habit, thought process, mannerism or reaction that is definitely me, but most of the time, the characters spring to life of their own accord. In Crucifying Angel, the hero and heroine have survived traumas that I’ve never even come close to and they have their own ways of dealing with things.

SS: You’ve recently signed with a new publisher. Can you tell me about that?

PIB: I’m extremely happy signing with Desert Breeze Publishing. I don’t think I could have asked for a better first publisher for my first novel. The support is incredible both from the staff and from other writers. And they’re all high caliber professionals. Every single one of them.

SS: You’re working on a new project. Is there a favorite among between the two books?

PIB: I’m working on Book Two of Future Imperfect now and I think this one will be the favorite. My hero, Gavin, is definitely showing some flaws and “bad judgments” and all the characters are interacting with each other with more depth and conflict and hopefully, a surprise or two. I like it when my characters screw up. It makes me love them even more.

SS: What do you love about your publisher/editor?

PIB: I love the fact that Gail, Jenifer and everyone else involved are such consummate professionals. I love that Gail also writes in the sci-fi romance genre’ as well. It really gives her the ability to communicate and understand the problems and solutions to that particular setting. Also, she is so supportive even though she’s so busy all the time. We have a stellar group of authors and she gives extreme care to each of us. It’s just a total win-win situation for an author.

SS: Do you have a “day” job? How do you balance both “worlds”?

PIB: Thank God, I’m able to concentrate on writing full time! I do help out my mother when she needs me but it all just kind of worked out. (See? I have no choice but to write!) I did write a film script during one year that I worked in entertainment, but really until the last few years I never wrote seriously. While I was writing Crucifying Angel, my mother nearly died from a sepsis infection and I had to deal with that for about two months. It put me behind in the writing, but I would take notebooks and any writing tools with me when I sat in the rehab hospital with her, for hours on end sometimes. It can be a struggle when you have to take care of someone so fully, but it also allowed me to learn to use my time better both to accomplish the writing and to attain some sort of release from all the pressure.

SS: What piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers that you wished someone told you when you started?

PIB: Two things: Be your own worst critic and jump on opportunities. Too many writers don’t look critically enough at their own work and then they wonder why they get passed on their submissions. If you’re honestly hard enough on yourself then you’ll create something that’s good. Don’t be insecure but don’t inflate your ego either.
And jump on opportunities. Writing is like learning any other instrument of creativity: practice makes perfect. You can’t understand how editing works and how to self-edit where you can, if you’ve never worked with an editor before. Most editors want to help you to be better—it’s good for both of you—and they’ll be extra supportive of you if you’re willing to learn and willing to be edited. The only way to learn that is to submit your work, your best work, when there’s a call for submissions. Join online groups that not only discuss writing but post submission calls. The opportunities are there, you just have to literally, sometimes, jump on them.
When I was a cub reporter, I did an interview with an author who had an ill child. She was so happy with the article, that she told me, “Any time you want to submit to my publisher (a biggie too!), just let me know and I’ll refer you.”
I was too stupid at the time to take her up on it. Now I look back and kick myself. Don’t just write something, submit it.
Oh, and one last thing: don’t use the word “Strode”.

SS: I’ll bear that in mind LOL What is your next project?

PIB: Besides finishing the next two Future Imperfect books, I have several novels brewing. I have one ‘cougar’ tale I’d like to work on seriously now, since I’ve taken a break from it, the plot changed and I see an even better ending for it; I have another science fiction/fantasy series that I started before FI, and one odd sci-fi story that’s just…strange. And then there’s that danged crime thriller that Gail passed on, I’ve been working on that for about 8 years off and on and I want to get it published before the technology in it becomes obsolete!

SS: One last question. If you had the opportunity to ask one question to one figure in literary history (either author or a character from a book), what would you ask and to whom?

PIB: Julius Caesar. I’d ask him how he did all that he did! I’ve been fascinated with him since I was a kid. Of course, any ancient history is a big love for me, but Caesar was just so…driven. I mean this guy cleaned up the calendar mankind had created, perfecting it so that we use the Julian calendar to this day! He created roads, shaped up the Roman military and made sure he took care of them, and most of all the people loved him. That was the whole tragedy of his assassination—that he was dangerous because he was beloved by the common people, and just about everyone else, except the politicians! Alexander the Great was like that too. And both of them accomplished astounding things before they were middle aged. It’s a pity we don’t have people who can do that today, especially since we have so much more technology than they did back then. They didn’t have cars; they rode horseback, camel litters, walked. And yet they covered more physical territory than most people who are alive today!

SS: Thank you so much for being here! I always learn so much about other authors.

CrucifyingAngelCoverArt72dpiCrucifying Angel blurb:

In the desolate remains of Las Vegas, Detective Payce Halligan and her new partner Gavin McAllister must stop a serial killer who may be hiding an even greater evil.

Buy link:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-44/%3Ci%3EFuture-Imperfect-Book-One-cln-%3C-fdsh-i%3E/Detail.bok

Reviewer links:

http://yvonnemason.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/p-i-barringtons-soon-to-be-released-crucifying-angel-is-a-five-star-read/

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=4939

Interview with Liena Ferror!

November 7, 2009

Today, please welcome to the blog fellow Eirelander author Liena Ferror.

SS: Tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

LF: Thank you for having me here today, Sandi. I was born and bred in South Central Pennsylvania. I have a wonderful husband and two great kids one in school and the other serving our country in the Navy.
As for writing, I have been doing it for two years. The event that brought me to writing was actually my husband and a comment he made. He said my nose was buried into a book so often that I could probably write one. It’s amazing what the power of suggestion can do.

SS: What genre do you like to write best in and why?

LF: I write paranormal erotic romance because it is the genre I read most. It seemed natural to write in that style. I would like to try a contemporary/suspense in the future.

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

LF: Anything from the Discovery Channel to pieces of art work. I watch a lot of documentaries and they seem to be the biggest fuel for my imagination. My love of the paranormal supplies the rest. Inspiration can strike at anytime and I have a notebook where I jot down ideas as they pop in my head.

SS: Isn’t that the truth? How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

LF: Some days are easier than others to be honest with you. Some days I’m on my A-game and can pound out the words then other days I’m lucky to get through a small part of a chapter. I take each type of day as they come and accept them for what they are. The life of a writer.

SS: Do you have a specific place where you write?

LF: I can work anywhere. Right now I’m working off our desktop computer but use a flash drive so I can work off a laptop should I choose to do so. I can write anywhere. When the light and weather permits, I love to write outside. I did a good part of my edits for Queen of the Ghost Drakon outside. It felt wonderful to sit in the spring sunshine at the time and work.

SS: Do you have a “day” job? How do you balance both “worlds”?

LF: No, no day job. I’m a stay-at-home mom and homemaker. It’s easy to balance the two during the school year but the summer can get interesting at times. My family is very understanding of my writing career and give me the time I need.

SS: Tell me a little about your new book.

Queen ofthe Ghost Drakon finalLF: Queen of the Ghost Drakon is the first in The Risen Series. The Risen are females who are born as drakon and either lycan, vampire, fae, or demon hybrids. Here is the blurb for Queen of the Ghost Drakon.

A vampire’s ultimate fatal attraction is the essence of a ghost…

Innocent to the paranormal world and innocent to the world of men, Keara McCabe finds herself caught in a century’s old battle between renegade vampires and lycans after witnessing the murder of her friend at the fangs of an immortal bloodsucker. On the other hand, the vampire barely sips her blood and dies. From that moment forward, she becomes wanted dead or alive. The vampires want her destroyed for the danger she is, the lycans want her as a weapon against all vampires.

Lycan Gannon Langon vows to protect her from both her enemies. But its in her arms that he finds innocence and fire, tentativeness and passion. As their desire ignites, the enemy implements a deadly plan.

Will Keara and Gannon survive to explore their new love together or will that love be destroyed?

SS: Interesting! How did the inspiration for this work come to you?

LF: Queen of the Ghost Drakon was inspired by a show on the Discovery Channel and my love of all things paranormal. The show was about blood disorders and my imagination produced the rest.

SS: Do you identify with the characters you write about?

LF: I try to create characters that everybody can identify with, not just myself. If the reader can’t identify with the character, then the story will not be successful. I try to make my characters believable. My heroines strong, my heroes alpha and still lovable. Without believable characters, I think the plot, no matter how interesting, doesn’t get conveyed properly.

SS: You’ve recently signed with a new publisher. Can you tell me about that?

LF: I signed with Eirelander Publishing for the first two stories from The Risen series. Queen of the Ghost Drakon will be followed by Frost at Dusk. Queen of the Ghost Drakon is set to release November 20, 2009 and Frost at Dusk on April 16, 2010.

SS: Congratulations! You’ve just sold your first, second, twentieth book. Tell me more!

LF: I just sold the third book in The Risen series, Tears Upon the Battle. It is Nico Smythe and Terra Bennington’s story. Nico is an Alliance warrior whose job it is to destroy enemy renegade vampires and lycans. Terra is a peace loving Lumerian demon and earth drakon hybrid. Nico is shocked and unsure on how to handle the fact that Terra is his intended or mate and vice versa. They can’t deny their physical need of one another but together they must overcome their differences if they plan on making their mating work.

SS: What do you love about your editor?

LF: My editor is amazing. She took the time to make me a better writer by pointing out my weak points and working with me to strengthen them. She also always makes sure to point out the strong points as well. Without her, there would be no Queen of the Ghost Drakon. I owe a great deal to her.

SS: What piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers that you wished someone told you when you started?

LF: Find a good critique partner or group who can be honest with you and about your work. Someone to tell you when you are on track and when you’ve left the tracks. My critique partner has been invaluable to me.

SS: What else would you like to share?

LF: Thanks for having me here today, Sandi.

SS: Thanks for the fascinating interview! If you would like to learn more about Liena, please visit the following links:
http://www.lienaferror.webs.com
http://www.lienaferror.blogspot.com
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Interview with Laura Hogg!

November 4, 2009

Please join me in welcoming fellow Eirelander Publishing author to my blog.

SS: Tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

LH: Hello, thanks for having me here. As a little girl I wrote poetry, as a teenager and in my twenties, it was songs. In college, I wrote novels then in my thirties tried for the first time to get published. After many rejections, I came across an editor who gave me the best advice yet: join a critique group. I’ve been a musician since I played the piano as a little girl, but around the time I entered high school, I had the goal of getting published someday as well as doing something with music.

SS: Do you have a “day” job? How do you balance both “worlds”?

LH: Yes, I work in a school. Well, my daughter is grown and out of the house. She’s a writer as well, and in college. My husband likes an online game, so when I write at night, he’s busy with his friends. I can peek over my shoulder and say hi to him any time.

SS: What genre do you like to write best in and why?

LH: Historical and paranormal. I love history and am constantly reading to learn more about it. And as for paranormal, that has a lot to do with my childhood. My mom was an interesting person and taught me a lot about the paranormal.

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

LH: Sometimes I dream a story, wake up and write a synopsis then go from there. Other times one line from a song or story will trigger something. Occasionally, my ideas come from real life experience.

SS: Tell me a little about your new book.

LH: In my Western story Emma the Outlaw out with Eirelander Publishing, Emma is led to the hanging platform to be put to death. Her father was framed for a serious crime, and she does this to save him from execution.
She looks around and sees her husband on a horse, guns blazing. In a whirlwind rescue, she hops on the back of his horse, and they’re off. Racing for the hills, she realizes that they will spend the rest of their lives as outlaws, but doing good deeds.
They capture a wanted man and leave him at the doorstep of the sheriff’s office. The true villain approaches Emma but is killed before she can prove her innocence. The sheriff finds Emma and her husband and orders them at gunpoint to raise their hands. He says he’s going to take them in. Instead they offer him a deal: they will capture the bad guys behind the scenes and allow him to take all the credit. He agrees.
Emma and her husband walk away happily and plan their next adventure, how to capture the guy on the picture the sheriff handed them. Ahead for them lies a life of excitement and passionate love.

SS: How did the inspiration for this work come to you?

LH: Well, I live in Colorado, the West, of course. I’ve been exposed to Western living; though I live in the city. The Stock Show, for example, and rodeos are educational. To be honest though, I’m a rock and roller, but living here, one cannot go without appreciating such a wonderful Western culture. Colorado is a mountain state, very outdoorsy, and I’ve often visited the gorgeous mountain towns, which are filled with history…all the old mining towns. I’ve done a lot of research on Colorado history, and it’s filled with miners, Indians, pioneers, cowboys, trains, and everything you think of when you think “Western.”

But for my story Emma the Outlaw, I actually took a part out of a non-published Western romance novel I wrote, based in Colorado, and made it into its own story.

SS: You’ve recently signed with a new publisher. Can you tell me about that?

LH: I’ve worked with the owners before. They critiqued my work so thoroughly that my head was spinning. I learned a lot from them and just had to be a part of their company, so I submitted my work.

SS: You have several books in print/e-print. Is there a favorite among them? Why?

LH: Well, I like all my work for different reasons, but if I had to pick one, I suppose it’s my time travel novel Romeo vs. Juliet out with The Wild Rose Press. The hero is from Elizabethan England, and the heroine is a modern-day American. She chases her husband through different eras in history on a wild adventure. It was great to research the different time periods. Some of the time travel escapades came out quite funny, but my heroine has to face a darkness in herself that I haven’t written in other characters. The possibilities with time travel are wild indeed. It was so fun writing this book, and I took a couple of years and worked with many critique partners to write version after version of this book to get it right. I’m writing more in the series. I guess I was inspired by that show Highlander. The hero in that series lived through many eras in history, and the effects each time period had on him were interesting.

SS: You’ve just sold your first, second, twentieth book. Tell me more!

LH: Currently, I have three novels published, a novella, and a few short stories. I’m under contract with several publishers awaiting release of more of my work. My work is mostly historical, ranging from medieval to Vintage 1920s, but some modern-day as well. And I love the paranormal. I don’t write about vampires or werewolves, but different types of paranormal, more supernatural, and I touch upon sci-fi. My work ranges from sweet to spicy, short to full-length.

SS: What piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers that you wished someone told you when you started?

LH: Don’t let the rude, hurtful, insensitive people steer you away from improving your craft. Find better critique partners to deal with. Some people honestly forget the effect callous words have on newer writers. Listen to the good advice, even if strict, but find partners who can deliver it without crushing your dreams.

SS: Now for the fun stuff. What’s the most quirky name you’ve given a character and why?

LH: Probably Relief. It’s an old American name. My novel, The 12th Kiss, is set in the year 1820, and the name could be found then. Also, I liked the nickname derived from it: Leafy.

SS: Who was the most entertaining character you’ve written?

LH: Maybe Ambrose from Romeo vs. Juliet because his dialect is unusual. I studied 16th century dialect to write for him; however, he’s been all over time, and so a funny mixture of the eras pops out of his mouth. The combination of his experience living in different centuries, gives him a unique, quirky personality.

SS: What else would you like to share?

LH: Thanks for the interview. I appreciate your time.

I can be found at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/editpicture.php#/profile.php?id=626483435&ref=profile
And if anyone would like to be interviewed at my paranormal blog, which specializes in time travel fiction, please let me know. http://traveltheages.blogspot.com

emma the outlaw by laura hogg250Blurb: Emma looks down at the crowd from a hanging platform. Her father was framed, and she took the blame for the crime to save him from execution. Where is her beloved husband, Nate? She looks around and sees her husband on a horse, guns blazing. In a whirlwind rescue, she hops on the back of his horse, and they’re off, realizing that they will spend the rest of their lives as outlaws.

They capture a wanted man and leave him at the doorstep of the sheriff’s office. The sheriff finds Emma and Nate and makes an interesting deal with them: they will capture the bad guys behind the scenes and allow him to take all the credit…this in turn for not being run in. For this couple, ahead lies a life of excitement and passionate love.

To purchase Emma the Outlaw, please go to: http://www.eirelander-publishing.com/emmatheoutlaw.htm

Intervew with Gem Judson!

November 1, 2009

Join me in welcoming fellow Eirelander author Gemini Judson.

SS: Tell me a little about yourself.

GJ: I’m a forty-something mom in Minnesota, supplementing my income by writing. I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a writer, although ironically, it was my first choice when I was a little girl. My evil sister told me I couldn’t because I wasn’t a good reader (true – I wasn’t). I went down another path and became a biologist. I started writing a few years ago as sort of therapy. I still find it eases my mind and takes away the wrinkles. (Not literally—I wish!)

SS: What genre do you like to write best in and why?

GJ: I like to write contemporary romance, and seem to have a flare for the hot stuff. At present I’m staying within a comfort zone of stories about real people—primarily people I’d probably hang out with if I met them. Why? I’ll draw a parallel to art. I’m a painter and I paint realism—landscapes and portraits. To capture a totally believable scene or make a perfect likeness feels wonderful. When I create a character, I like to make them as real as possible and place them in a setting that the reader can relate to. Give them an “I’ve been there!” moment. For now that’s my goal.

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

GJ: They’re everywhere! I’d say all my work so far has little snippets of me, and I might draw on an experience I’ve had. Then I turn that experience on its head and go wild. I often start with a title—I’ve been told that’s backwards. Hey, whatever works! Sometimes I’ll hear a name and a light bulb comes on. My next character begins to step out of the ethers. The challenge for me is giving that character a story to walk around in.

SS: Do you have a “day” job? How do you balance both “worlds”?

GJ: I do have a 9-5 gig, and it is very difficult to sneak in a few emails and some “author” stuff during the day. And of course the evenings are supper, 6th grade homework, feed the horse. . . I do most of my writing at 9:30 at night and beyond.

SS: How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

GJ: Very difficult. The unfolding of a story can be so painful, and it takes a long time to get to know the heroine and hero. I feel like I write and write, and things don’t really click until we’ve truly become “friends.” A fellow writer told me she hated every story she’d ever written until after about the first 20,000 words. I’m that way too. I need to get over a hump.

SS: Tell me a little about your new book.

GJ: I have two bursting on the scene, back to back. Animals, currently available from Loose Id, is an erotic suspense. This one is for the adventurous reader and begins with three friends abducted at gunpoint. Their captors are vile characters, intent on producing pornographic videos to sell on the Internet. When the friends escape and resume their normal lives, they find their animal passion is not so easily forgotten. The love story is woven throughout, when two of the friends finally admit their true feelings.

Ring Around the Sun is out in November from Eirelander Publishing. It is a wintery romp in the north woods of Minnesota. Teal Marin is escaping an abusive relationship and goes to hide out in her recently deceased brother’s cabin. A city girl, she’s clueless at cabin life, and Darren Kennedy arrives to warm her heart, heal her wounds, and keep her fire going. Unfortunately her ex-lover is not ready to let her go so easily.

SS: You’ve just sold your third book. Tell me more!

GJ: In Her Dreams. It is a prequel to Animals and will come out from Loose Id.

Animals features a despicable character named Red. In Her Dreams details more of his evil deeds before arriving in New Hampshire. Jasmine Bly is a recovering heroin addict, chilling out and getting her life together at a recovery lodge in the Adirondacks. She’s fallen in love with the lodge manager, Adam Vianetti, but feels she is a street rat and not good enough for him. Adam, on the other hand, has vowed not to interfere with her recovery and keeps a cool distance between them, even though he’s attracted to her as well. When Red abducts them and forces them together, their barriers come crashing down and the heat rises.

SS: If you could interview any of the characters in your books, which one would it be, and why? What shocking thing might that character say?

GJ: Well, like most romance writers, I give my heroes every yummy quality I like in a man. I’d like to spend some quality time with all of them. We don’t even need to talk!

There’s Darren Kennedy (Ring Around the Sun), tall, dark and kind. I could pretend I don’t know how to build a fire. He’d show me. Conrad Manzey (Animals), the blonde powerhouse. He could talk about fish while I gaze into his baby blues. And Adam Vianetti (In Her Dreams), my Italian weight lifter. I’d just watch him flex his muscles.

Ring Around the Sun2ndBlurb for Ring Around the Sun

A ring around the sun foretells new beginnings. That’s exactly what Teal Marin needs. When she inherits a cabin in the woods of northern Minnesota, she sees an opportunity to escape her physically abusive lover and disappear. From the moment she steps off the bus, she realizes it won’t be easy—these weren’t the streets of Chicago.

As she battles against a new wintery enemy, a tall dark stranger emerges from the darkness. Darren Kennedy is a sports writer, nursing an old football injury and a broken heart in his cabin in the woods. He plucks Teal out the snow and teaches her the basics of cabin life. Together they ignite an unexpected passion that keeps them toasty warm.

Now Teal bathes in snowy, frigid sunshine with her new hero. Did she make a clean break? Not at all. Her former abuser wants his beautiful girl home.

SS: Thanks for being here today! If you’d like to learn more about Gem, please click on the following links:

Ring Around the Sun. November 20, 2009 from http://www.Eirelander-Publishing.com
Animals. Currently available from http://www.Loose-Id.com
In Her Dreams. Coming soon from http://www.Loose-Id.com!
Website: http://www.gemjudson.com
Contact: gemini@gemjudson.com

Happy Halloween

November 1, 2009

42-15584316Hope you’re all having an awesome day! Here, it’s blustery and cold–the perfect day for haunting and mayhem.

If you’re not, then just cuddle up indoors and gorge on sweets.

And if you’re looking for something to read, may I recommend my ghost story The Haunting of Amelia Pritchart? TheHauntingOfAmeliaPritchart_w3520_300Available now from The Wild Rose Press. Buy Link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/the-haunting-of-amelia-pritchart-p-3684.html

HTR052Be safe when you’re out tonight. There are ghosties and ghoulies on the prowl!

Interview with Zaynah Monodee writing as Aasiyah Qamar

October 19, 2009

Please welcome my friend and fellow author Zaynah Monodee to my blog.

ZM: Hi Sandra! First I wanted to say thanks for hosting me here. I have been by your blog a few times, though a bit shy to comment (but guess that’s about to change!) and it’s definitely a pleasure to be here today.

SS: Looks like we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

ZM: Well, I’m in my mid-twenties, technically still a kid as some would say, lol, but I’m married and mom to a six year old terror who’s also the sunshine of my life (I know, that’s an oxymoron. But does sanity exist with kids in the equation?). In my ‘real’ life, I’m a SAHM and a part-time university student in communications science and media management, and in my fantasy life, I’m just a woman who pens the kinds of stories she’d want to read.

I’ve been ‘seriously’ writing for a little more than 4 years now, with the aim of publication. Before that I would pen short stories or craft some fan fiction that would however be restricted to my eyes only! I actually started story-writing per se in school, penning essays and little compositions that closely resembled what we writers call synopses (yeah, that dreaded thing!).

So in this way, I’ve always had the writing bug biting and itching. Reading books when I was a kid, I dreamt up my own little stories and always wanted to put them down. At the time, the only outlet was play dates with a cast of Barbies. So my writing endeavors thus moved from ‘screenplay’ for play dates to essays for school, until it became full blown novels!

SS: What genre do you like to write best in and why?

ZM: I seem to have found my footing with contemporaries. There’s something about this world, maybe because I inherently know what it’s about, that makes it flow easily for me. It’s like, I get into the character’s psyche but his or her world/universe is the same as mine so I don’t need that much of a switch or I’m not in unknown territory or uncharted waters then. I also love the quirks and other things that take place in our world today. It may all look simple on the surface, but behind the screen is a remarkably complex world that teems with life force and vigor.

The culture-based set-up I write about is one that is part and parcel of me. I grew up in it, know practically all the aspects and nooks and crannies of it. So maybe that’s why it feels so ‘familiar’. I’ve also dealt with issues I personally have experienced, so that too has contributed to the comfort zone. My heroines in a way have some part of me sketched into them, an aspect I empathize and connect with on some level.
But this same culture setup was different a generation ago, and though I have toyed with the idea of writing historicals or even featuring two or more time periods in a story, I find that connecting with the past aspects is much, much harder, because you are then in a world that may feel similar but which is inherently more complex and at times completely different under the surface.

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

ZM: I write about modern women who have some sort of connection/lineage to India’s culture, so this itself is a hotbed of ideas and inspiration as there is the clash of modernity with that of culture’s traditions, customs and values. This leads to lots of conflicts and issues that pertain specifically to these women in today’s world.

This is for the general idea though. So far I’ve worked mostly character-driven stories. What happens is I get this character in mind and she says, this is who I am, tell my story. With my first book, The Other Side, the heroine Lara came to me as a divorcee who didn’t have her footing at all in cultural society after she spent most of her life in cosmopolitan London. Digging into her story, I then met her two sisters, Diya and Neha. Little by little, both of these women too have come out of the shadows and have ascertained their personalities. The ideas to write their stories came from who they were – their mindset, aspirations, and their particular struggle with today’s modern world on the backdrop of a society trying hard to hold on to its roots and identity.

In the same way, other characters have come to me, whispering their name and then a little one-liner of introduction. From this I get into a Q&A with them, where I find their background, backstory, and also ideas how to move them forward especially after identifying what their particular issue is.

SS: How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

ZM: I need to know the characters, at least the main two protagonists, almost as well as I know myself. If I don’t have this connection, I find it very hard to figure out the story or the character’s path. It’s like, by knowing them so intimately, I know almost immediately and instinctively how they’d react in a situation, what they’d do, what they’d say, and thus what can and will happen.

Once I have this grasp of who they are, their triggers, insecurities, secrets, their psyche basically, then I find it’s not so difficult to ‘switch’ to writing mode. However, I need some sort of isolation to be able to write. Not necessarily physical, but I need to get into some sort of bubble where I won’t be interrupted, where no one is going to hamper my concentration. I need to be left alone, as in, no one asking me where their socks are, or when the next meal is gonna be, or if they can have cookies even if it’s the middle of the day. I can work around noise (and believe me that happens with kids around!); I learned to work around the Transformer action figure fights, the Disney and Dreamworks loud, mind-numbing dialogue and music, the Playstation game battles, the fight for GameBoy cartridges. Basically, unless the boys (my son and stepson) are killing each other, and I really mean they’re killing each other, I work around the noise!

SS: Wow, that’s quite a challenge! Tell me a little about your new book.

ZM: My second novel, Light My World, came out on October 2 as the debut release of a new publisher by the name of Eirelander Publishing. It’s a story about a young, modern and trendy girl named Diya Hemant. Diya lives on the island of Mauritius, my home land, and is, like me, of Indian descent. Her mother wants her to go down the route of tradition and culture and get married as soon as possible because at close to twenty-five, she is pretty much on the brink of being tagged ‘an old maid’ by society’s standards. But Diya doesn’t bother with those ‘antiquated morals’, as she puts it. She’s responsible for her fate, her life, her destiny, and for landing her very own Mr. Right. When she meets Trent Garrison, a surly and forlorn British widower, albeit devastatingly handsome, who is raising his 2 young sons single-handedly, he is definitely not her idea of Mr. Right. Trent too has vowed never to get married or try to find love again. But Fate has other plans for them. Neither can renege on their goals and ideals, but they cannot dodge this curve destiny and life throws at them either.

SS: How did the inspiration for this work come to you?

ZM: Well, I actually needed to write Diya’s story when I first met her when penning The Other Side, which is the story of her eldest sister Lara. So there I was with this spunky teenager on hand, one who already showed she never did anything by her mother’s rules and was determined to live her life as she wanted. I asked myself, what would it be like for her to find love? The timeline moved five years forward, and Diya is thus a young woman in her early twenties. She’s reached a good many of her goals – completed her degree, set up her own interior design firm – and life is smiling at her. The next goal on her list – find Mr. Right, even if marriage is not in her plans for the short-term. Mr. Right will suffice for now.

So there she goes armed with her list of attributes that Mr. Right needs to have. This bit came to me since most young women when looking for Prince Charming have a certain idea and ideal as to what he is supposed to be like. Now what happens when you have two sets of rules competing for attention where propriety and goals are concerned? One which is the modern, no limits world where everything is possible, and the other which is driven by specific parameters of tradition and customs and morals?

Diya seemed to me the perfect embodiment of this plight, that of modern girls who have grown up knowing the world has no limit restricting them, yet who find that suddenly at such an important juncture like looking for love and Mr. Right, this same world suddenly constricts and stifles them, with practically no way out.
Pitched to her then, I needed a strong man who would be able to stand his ground against her. The idea of a single father came to me when it became obvious that more and more men come with children in a relationship. Thus I knew Trent had to have kids, the more rambunctious, the better! Light My World is thus as much about today’s Indo-Mauritian society as it is the story of two people who never thought they’d find love in the circumstances that Fate thrusts upon them.

SS: You’ve recently signed with a new publisher. Can you tell me about that?

ZM: Of course! This new publisher is named Eirelander Publishing. It is a small press with focus on quality, where tradition meets innovation. What appealed to me was the non-nonsense and no-fuss-and-drama outset and manner of its owner, Lee Morris. She knows her stuff and thus plans her endeavors with good business and industry acumen.

I also appreciated that they are a publisher that don’t tell you to write for the market or follow trends and the likes. They leave you free to work on what appeals to you, but the bottom line remains – it has to be quality work. You’ve got to invest your all in a story with them, and then they too invest their all in you and your work.

I signed with them because of all this, but also because I wanted to take a chance on a publisher who was invested in quality more than in reaping tons of work just to turn out tons of work. I’d heard that they were starting up, and I sent a query. This got accepted, and then my following ms too was accepted. Having seen how they treat a story with respect and consideration, I knew I wanted to continue with them.

SS: You have some books in print/e-print. Is there a favorite among them?

ZM: So far I have 2 books out, and another 2 releases scheduled for 2010 under a different pen name. There’s The Other Side and Light My World, which I already told a bit about (okay, a lot, lol!) and the other 2 upcoming releases are under the name of Nolwynn Ardennes. The first is Storms in a Shot Glass, which is a contemporary romance with comedic elements set in the world of the London rich and famous, and the second is Walking on the Edge, which is a suspense/mystery with romantic elements set in the French Provence, in the town of Marseille.

I cannot tell you that I have a favorite. Each story holds something dear to my heart, a part of me that got invested in it and characters that I have come to know and appreciate each in their own right.
I do, however, have a soft spot for Storms in a Shot Glass. I had lots of fun when writing this, pitching an unlikely, pregnant heroine with the most eligible (and most overbearing and stubborn too) bachelor of London society amidst a gaggle of really over-the-top characters that people this girl’s life. At the same time, it is also a story of hope and of love that just happens without anyone ever betting on it and especially in such crazy circumstances.

SS: You’ve just sold your first, second, twentieth book. Tell me more!

ZM: Lol. I’ve just sold my fourth book actually, which is Walking on the Edge. It is a suspense/mystery with romantic elements. It features a woman with amnesia, who questions the world in which she wakes up, feeling no connection to this pampered existence of a rich housewife in posh London. In her dreams, she starts to see a man other than her ‘husband’, one who seems to have been her lover. But is this man real, or is her blank mind conjuring him out of thin air?

When on an impulse, she goes to find this man who inhabits her imagination, she is definitely not prepared for what awaits her. He doesn’t recognize her, but as events unfold, wisps of a painful past he had buried very deep start to come to light and enmeshes this ‘strange’ woman with no memory in their web. But danger the likes none of them had ever imagined is threatening to close on them, and in a race to find her identity and what happened to her, an unlikely, almost forbidden, love starts to kindle between the two. Will they live to see tomorrow, or will their next step be the last, literally?

I wrote this story on a roll, penning the full 52K ms in 2 weeks, Friday to Friday. It was a crazy challenge, one I never thought I’d be able to do, but there it was, a story that almost seemed to write itself whenever I sat down with the laptop. Of course, everything else kinda fell off the wayside in those 2 weeks, and the blokes started to complain. But the fire of this story kept me going, and it’s still burning bright today because it was accepted for publication very soon after I submitted it to Eirelander Publishing.

The elation of selling this piled on top of completing the ms in such a short span of time, yet this joy was comparable to the same one I felt when I sold my first. I guess that never changes, the thrill of making a sale and knowing that you have another story to add to your portfolio.

SS: What do you love about your editor (or publisher)?

ZM: That my editor, Lee Morris, doesn’t beat around the bush and puts it all bluntly. She’ll tell me where I’m going wrong without any qualms and the best thing is, she will be right in her assessment. There is simply no bs with her, no drama either. I like this strong persona, and how she also retains her humanity and strikes up a rapport with those she works with.

About the publisher, I said it in another reply but I’ll say it again here – I love that they seek quality work that is outside the box and that they don’t chase trends blindly or want you to do it. They respect you as a writer, they respect your work, and they value your efforts. I like it that they make you feel like you exist with them, that you’re not simply there because they are granting you a ‘favor’ by accepting to take on your ms even if you’re a virtual newcomer/unknown in the business.

SS: Do you have a specific place where you write?

ZM: I usually write in my sun-filled living room. It’s very much like a conservatory, one wall nearly completely consists of windows and French doors that open onto a wide terrace. We live on the second floor (or third floor I think you call it in the US, since you don’t use the term ground floor, right?) so at this height there aren’t many buildings to block the light and it’s almost always a bright, sun-drenched room. I have a bad back courtesy of a car accident I was in during my youth, and the comfy sofas in the living room give me the kind of support I need to not feel like I’ve got a stiff broom stick in the place of my spine! Basically, I can write anywhere that provides me with a good sitting position, so other than that, I’m not picky. I try to give rooms a specific function though, like the bedroom is for sleeping or at worst, a place to read just before I go to bed. Thus the living room is the ‘heart’ of our house, where we do every other activity. I’m lucky to have it all to myself when I write though as I do so when the hubby is at work and the kid is in school.

SS: I know you said you’re a SAHM. How do you balance domestic trials and writing?

ZM: I’m also a university student, so even if those two are not exactly jobs in the sense that I do work and get paid, they do take up a significant portion of my time.

Balancing is a difficult task. It’s very difficult to find the equilibrium and very easy to lose it all over again when you do happen to find it. I find that having a schedule with clearly marked and delineated time and days help me to cope. In this way, each aspect gets its own share of dedication and attention, and thus, hopefully, nothing is neglected. These allotted slots vary, like if I’m close to exam time, I’ll have more study slots fitted into the schedule than say, cooking time. I’ll also maybe do a basic cleaning in those days too. Or if I’m on a writing deadline, I will allot more time to writing and leave off a little of the rest. It’s a question of juggling, but the real issue is – how well can you juggle, and do you manage to catch all the balls before they fall!

SS: What piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers that you wished someone told you when you started?

ZM: Learn all you can about the art of crafting a good, solid story. Then attempt to write! Believe me, it’s much easier trying to pen something slowly but surely than writing something quickly and then find out there’s lots of technical and artistic issues with it.

Resources abound on the Net; read what you can, but also remember, nothing is set in stone. Something should inherently make sense. You don’t go, oh this one says this so I’ll do this as from now, and next week someone else says the complete opposite and you go, oh this other one said something else so from now I’ll listen to the something else! Read without committing yourself, take them all and find what works for you and your writing style and voice, once you find this out, hone your skills. Then you’ll be on the road to writing a story that won’t end up in the form rejection wire basket.

SS: For something fun and different, if you could interview any of the characters in your books, which one would it be, and why? What shocking thing might that character say?

ZM: I would love to interview Gerard Besson, who is the hero in Walking on the Edge. He is a French cop, recently made police commissaire (police chief) in the city of Marseille. Ruthless and gifted with terrific precision and acuity in his job, he takes on the hardest cases and always wins. He stops at nothing to put the bad guys behind bars. He isn’t a machine, because he functions with emotions too, even in a calculating way, but no one would credit him with a heart. A very handsome and sexy man, he has his pick of women but none manages to touch his heart, because he knows he doesn’t have one.

I’d want to talk to him just to know why he thinks he doesn’t have a heart, just to know what made him this way. He grew up in the almost dirt-poor cités (that’s almost like a ghetto, council areas usually in France) and crime, both petty and the bigger variety, rule this kind of neighborhood. How did he come out of the clutches of the gangs and rise to become one of the most efficient and respected police chiefs is a story I’d like to know. Where, along the way, did he lose his heart despite holding on to his humanity?
A shocking thing? I figure he may show a soft spot for his mother. But mind you, it’s not his own, biological mother he refers to, but the Moroccan neighbor who took him under her wing when her own daughter brought her almost feral six-year-old classmate home for a plate of food. Even though she was dirt-poor too and brought up her three daughters single-handedly, she always had time and a place at her table, in her home, and in her heart, for the ‘golden-look’ child who never seemed to have had anyone care for him in his entire life. This strong and intense love for his ‘adoptive’ mother would be shocking coming from a swift and competent, cold cop like he is.

SS: And one more, if you had the opportunity to ask one question to one figure in literary history (either author or a character from a book), what would you ask and to whom?

ZM: I would ask Jane Austen how she started writing and how she built her stories. Hers are some of the best, strongest books I know and I’d love to know how she approached it all.

SS: We’re wrapping up this fascinating look into your writing persona. What else would you like to share?

ZM: That it was a pleasure to be here today! I loved the questions; they were really thought-provoking and made me uncover facets of my stories and writing that had hovered just beneath the surface.

One more thing I’d like to add is that it’s a writer’s biggest joy and privilege to be able to share stories with readers. In this manner, readers’ feedback is almost a lifeline for us. So I’d encourage readers to share their impressions and opinions with writers, to let them know what they think and what they want too. A vital component of our dimension is the readers – without them, we’re next to nothing.

Thanks Sandra for this wonderful opportunity! It was truly an honor to be able to share some more about me and my works with you and all your blog readers today!

Blurb for Light My World: Life’s good until it throws you the one curve you never wanted or expected.

At twenty-four, Diya Hemant faces the prospect dreaded by every modern Indo-Mauritian girl – an arranged marriage to not end up an old maid. But for vivacious and live-life-in-the-fast-track Diya, giving in to her mother’s antiquated morals was never an option. Hearth, home and children weren’t part of her plan for the short-term, even if she’d love to find her Mr. Right.

Widower Trent Garrison has already been there and done that, and has no plan to go down that road again. He has to ride the straight and steady for the sake of his sons, and nothing will divert him. Marriage, attachment, and love are not in the cards for him, not ever.
Neither can afford a U-turn. But they can’t dodge it either.

Genre – Multicultural Romance/AngloIndian
Length – Novel
Heat Level – Sweet

If you’d like to find out more about Zaynah Monodee and her writing personas, checks out these links:
Buy link: http://eirelander.webs.com/lightmyworld.htm
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002PHMNRY Kindle edition

Website:lightmyworld for blog http://www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com/

Interview with Deb Kinnard!

October 5, 2009

Today, I’m delighted to share my blog with fellow Desert Breeze author Deb Kinnard. Welcome!

CoverSS: Tell me a little about yourself. How long have you been writing? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

DK: I started writing when I was ten. It irked me that Bonanza had no preteen girl character with her own pony on the Ponderosa. So I invented Vanessa, and she had all sorts of adventures. I grew up wanting to write, but never saw myself actually publishing, LOL.

SS: What genre do you like to write best in?

DK: I write Christian romance because that’s how I’m wired together. I’ve tried to write in the general market and my characters always come out sounding Christian anyway, so if you can’t beat ‘em…

SS: How do you find ideas for your books?

DK: They’re around every corner. I got the idea for ANGEL WITH A RAY GUN from a conversation around the dinner table. ANGEL WITH A BACK HOE came from thinking about my nieces and what cool careers they’ve had. My time-travel romance came from a nonfiction piece I read about ancient holy wells in Britain. Ideas lurk everywhere!

SS: How difficult is it for you to get into “writer’s mode”?

DK: Not difficult at all. Turn the TV down and give me a little space, and I’m writing. I also do the mental prep work in the car, while grocery shopping—tons of other places.

SS: Do you have a specific place where you write?

DK: Yes, in a corner of the living room, trying to block out the TV. I’m afraid my family consists of couch-potatoes. I tried to set up an office for myself, but it’s sort of languishing. Maybe this winter I’ll get it set up the way I want.

SS: Tell me a little about your new book.

DK: ANGEL WITH A BACK HOE (Desert Breeze, October ’09) tells the tale of Diane Marshall, construction manager for a busy Chicago contractor, who reluctantly travels to a small Illinois town to renovate a church. She inadvertently ends up rehabbing lives—hers included.

Here’s the blurb: Diane Marshall knows loads—live loads, dynamic loads, dead loads, all part of life as a construction manager. She’s used to carrying hers, as a woman in a man’s career. After her boyfriend fell hard for someone else, can her private load get any heavier?

In DeBrett, Illinois, Paul Cameron funds the church renovation, so he’s assigned to co-manage. Diane is stuck with adjusting to small town life and dealing with a widower who apparently wants a memorial to his lost wife. Paul is stuck working with a person who attracts him—the last thing he wants.

Somehow this project will teach them to trust God in a whole new way. Now if only they can figure out how…

SS: How did the inspiration for this work come to you?

DK: Though my training and career are in health care, I spent a couple of years doing special projects work for a general contractor. All the project managers there were men. My mind started playing with how a woman manager would manage with all this testosterone, the image of my niece came to mind, and Diane Marshall was born.

SS: Do you identify with the characters you write about?

DK: Sometimes. They’re usually better people than I am.

SS: You’ve recently signed with a new publisher. Please share!

DK: Desert Breeze and Sheaf House are both relative newcomers to the Christian fiction market. I signed with DBP because I was excited about reissuing both “Angel” books. They will also be releasing a brand-new title, DAMAGES, next spring. Sheaf House is already getting much notice in my market. They were one of the few publishers who would consider a medieval time-travel romance, so SEASONS IN THE MIST will release next April also. I’m thrilled to be part of both these fine publishers.

SS: What piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers that you wished someone told you when you started?

DK: That you learn to write by WRITING. In high school, my senior year, I finally got the chance to take a creative writing class. It was the “summer of love,” 1969, and my teacher wanted psychedelic, angst-ridden poetry and deep essays about connecting with your mind. I turned in sweet teenage love stories. He gave me a C- on everything and told me I’d never amount to anything. But these are the things that spur us on!

SS: What is your next project?

DK: I’m working on another medieval time-travel. THE PEDDLER’S PACK is a sequel to SEASONS IN THE MIST, of sorts. Sheaf House has expressed interest, so we’ll see how it goes. It’s totally in the time-traveler’s point of view, and this time it’s a guy, so it reads quite differently than its predecessor. It’s fun to write.

SS: What’s the most quirky name you’ve given a character and why?

DK: I think that’s gotta be AJ Mercer, who doesn’t use her given name ‘cause it embarrasses her. Her mother is a crystal-power ex-hippie who gave her a “significant” name. Instead, she’s known by her initials. There aren’t more than two or three people on the planet who know what the initials stand for. At the end of ANGEL WITH A RAY GUN, her brand-new fiancé insists she tell him, just a whisper in his ear, c’mon honey, baby, you can trust ME…she relents and tells him her given name is Astral Joy, and he teases her by deliberately calling her Astro, like the Jetsons’ dog. It was fun to set her up this way.

SS: Thanks for joining me, Deb. I’ve picked up some interesting info about you :-)

If you’d like to learn more about Deb and her books, please visit her website: http://www.debkinnard.com

To pick up your own copy of ANGEL WITH A BACKHOE, please drop by Desert Breeze’s website: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com

Changes in the wind

October 2, 2009

It’s October. It’s fall. My favorite time of the year.

The air is crisp and smells of wood burning stoves and leaves. The moon seems brighter, especially once the full Hunter’s Moon shows itself. The leaves are coloring and the atmosphere just feels “creepy” and calls for story telling.

I love writing during autumn. It inspires my creativity.

Lots of news to impart in a short time. I just released my third book THE HAUNTING OF AMELIA PRITCHART yesterday. As of today, it’s sitting at #8 on the bestselling list of The Wild Rose Press website.

Rock on!

Also, I just signed and returned a contract for a full length historical/paranormal blended genre novel. Very excited about that.

I have two Christmas books that will release in November/December so stayed tuned to the web for announcements.

That’s all for now! Make it a good one!