Month: June 2019

King’s Envoy by Cas Peace

Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: http://www.caspeace.com 
See the video of her performing live at the King’s Envoy book launch here: http://www.caspeace.com/cas-peace/the-wheel-will-turn

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Taran Elijah’s quest for knowledge
uncovers a plot that threatens the world…

 

 
 

 

In Albia, the fourth realm, the precious Artesan gift is dying. Although born
to the craft, Taran is struggling to achieve his potential. Against his
friends’ advice, he embarks on a foolhardy plan to acquire the teaching he
craves. Alone, he crosses into Andaryon, the fifth realm, but instead of finding
a mentor, he stumbles upon a treacherous plot.


 


 

 

In the wake of Taran’s actions, Albia suffers a series of vicious raids. Major
Sullyan of the High King’s forces is sent to oppose them. But a dark and
treacherous force is moving through the realms and both Taran and Sullyan will
feel its power.

 

 
 
 
 

 


  
~ Universal Amazon Link

 
Q&A With the Author:
1.       When did you start writing, and was
there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?
 I
have always loved writing and used to write poems and short stories when I was
a child. But my serious writing didn’t start until the late 90s, after my
husband and I returned from a few years living in Italy. I didn’t have a job
and found myself bored one cold, wet December afternoon. I began writing out a
small scene I’d had in my head since watching a kid’s TV program in the 70s
(called Tarot, Ace of Wands), and that seemed to open floodgates I didn’t know
existed. It turned into my triple-trilogy fantasy series, Artesans of Albia,
and in case anyone’s interested, the actual scene became Taran’s first meeting
with Major Sullyan.
2.     Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can
you tell us anything about it
? I’m currently working on a prequel to my Artesans series that will
relate Sullyan’s early life and how she became the powerful Artesan she is. It
will be aimed at the YA market and is around halfway complete at this stage.
3.       What is your favorite writing snack? Has
to be chocolate, I’m afraid. Milk, not dark (too bitter for me), and I really
love Belgian chocolates, especially the red Lindt balls!
4.       If you could have dinner with any of
your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? What food would you serve?
 Well,
it’s no secret that only one of my characters is based on a real person, and
that is King Elias Rovannon, who is based on UK actor Sean Bean’s portrayal of
the Bernard Cornwell soldier, Richard Sharpe. So I would love to have dinner
with Sean Bean, primarily to ask hm f he would do the voice of Elias in the
audiobook versions of my novels! I have no idea what kind of food Sean likes,
but I love Italian, so I’d most likely cook something pasta-based. I also do a
mean lime cheesecake for dessert! 
5.       Did you learn anything from writing
your book and what was it?
 I learned a huge amount from writing my
books as I started from the bottom with only my High School English education
to call on. I learned about POV (Point of View), how to structure a story, and
also about rejection once I started sending my first book out. But I also
learned how supportive and helpful people in the writing industry can be if
approached in the right way. I also learned things about myself – most
worryingly that I seem to have quite a dark side! One of the reviews of my
final trilogy, Master of Malice, says that I go places that George R R Martin
(Game of Thrones) didn’t dare go!
6.       How do you relax, or what do you enjoy
doing when you are not writing
? I’m a singer/songwriter as well as a
novelist and have written and recorded songs to accompany five of my fantasy
novels, so singing is a wonderful way to switch off. I’m a member of a Shanty
group, http://www.shantyhounds.co.uk/ and enjoy performing and raising money
for charity. I have two rescue dogs that I love walking, and I also grow a
large amount of cacti. My husband and I own a powerboat, a Nelson 38 called Sea
Hound, and we love taking off round the Solent for day trips or longer.

 

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Death at the Dakota by Marni Graff

 

Marni Graff writes two award-winning mystery series: The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. She teaches writing workshops and mentors the Writers Read program, and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. 
 
 
 
Graff also writes the crime review blog Auntie M Writes, http://www.auntiemwrites.com.

 

Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to
take her relationship to NYPD detective Ned O’Malley to the next level, when
she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota
apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star
Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy
might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the
victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to
the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she
can’t even survive?
Readers of Death Unscripted, the first
book in the Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery series, will find the same pleasures
in this sequel: fast pacing, engaging characters, twists and turns on the way
to a satisfying close. From the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney
English Mysteries, this second series is a winner. Once again M.K. Graff
reveals her talents in crafting this delightful mix of amateur sleuth and
police procedural.
Part procedural, part cozy, Death at
the Dakota is a well-crafted and highly entertaining mystery
.- Bruce Robert
Coffin, #1 bestselling author of the Detective Byron mysteries.  
I fell in love — not only with
co-protagonists, Trudy and Ned, the richly detailed and historic setting of The
Dakota, and the unique cast of characters, but with the unusual plot of Death
at the Dakota.
Sherry Harris, Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah
Winston Garage Sale Mysteries

 


  
~ Universal Amazon Link
  
Q&A With the Author:
1.  What do you like to do
when you’re not writing?
I read and read and read, three books
a week for my crime review blog. I love old movies, too, when I’m not watching
Masterpiece Mystery. And playing outside with my two Aussie Doodle pups, Seamus
and Fiona, in nice weather is always fun. We live along a river in rural
northeastern NC and walks this time of year always end with two wet dogs!

2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My desk is one half of
a vintage partner’s desk so I’m facing the back of my husband’s monitor, and
our library space is at the end of our living room. I’ve learned to write with
the television on or his own computer noises, putting myself in the zone, using
the house noises are white noise. It works most of the time. The ringing of a
telephone I find jarring though, and if I’m in that zone, will ignore it.


3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers?
If so, what are they?
I have four main ones: 1. Read and read and read, in your
chosen genre and almost anything. You learn from reading what you like and good
literature as well as what doesn’t work. Read classics to see why their stories
have endured even if the language use seems outdates. You are searching to
develop your own writer voice. 2. Also, a good usage book on your desk is key.
Many modern writers today use their computers for dictionary-thesaurus searches
but I prefer the break looking things up in a book gives me. It clears my head.
And a usage book that’s well indexed is a great companion. Right now I’m
recommending Benjamin Dreyer’s DREYER’S ENGLISH to everyone. It’s compact and
filled with delightful footnotes, so it’s a pleasure to read and to consult. 3.
Find a writing critique buddy or join a writing group. You can find one online
if you can’t find anyone near you. It’s helpful to have a good critique partner
who knows the bones of writing and can provide honest feedback. If you are
truly a beginner, take a course first to get the basics down. 4. Write. it
doesn’t matter what, it doesn’t matter how long. Write about waht you see out
the window. Write a character study you envision and may work into a future
story. Write a setting that pleases you, and use all your senses in its
description. Write when you can and don’t dismiss even ten snatched minutes as
worthwhile. The idea of writing soon becomes ingrained and more natural. Don’t
look at a large project at first; it’s too daunting. Start small and work your
way up and you will use all of that early writing at some point. And don’t
forget to always carry a small notebook around with you. It’s useful for
jotting down ideas that hit you in the grocery story or when you’re out
driving. If you hear a snatch of great conversation, write it down. Writers are
sponges; soak up what is realistic in order to create your own world.


4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books?

I write two mystery series, one set in Manhattan
and one in England, so setting is always a starting point for me. The place
where a murder is set becomes its own character and lends itself to where my
characters will go and what they do. Since I have recurring characters, why is
Nora or Trudy in this place? Then I go to the end and figure out who will be
murdered and why. I work my back from that point and fill in the characters,
subplots, motives. I do some research before I start out but only have a vague
idea of the ‘muddled middle’ when I do and do other research as it comes up.
The idea for the actual murder usually comes from some human emotion in
overdrive: jealousy, revenge, greed, even twisted love. I do keep a file with
interesting news articles or things torn from magazines to spur ideas. The best
ones come from reality.

5. What do you think makes a good
story?
Readers are drawn to characters they
can become invested in or understand, even if they are far different from
themselves or their lives. Once they want to follow that character, that
journey becomes the bulk of the story, whether it’s Trudy figuring out a
murderer or Nora wanting to prove what’s being termed a suicide is actually a
murder someone’s getting away with. I’m a firm believer in a sense of questions
answered at the end in terms of this story; that doesn’t mean there won’t be
hint of a story to come, but most readers want to feel a sense of justice
served, in a mystery particularly, and that the puzzle has been solved and the
questions raised answered. 
6. Tell us about your favorite summer
vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer?
Every other year I visit the
UK to do setting research, so those are clearly my favorites. Sometimes my
husband accompanies me, and we will build in side trips to France or Belgium,
as we did one year. Last summer we spent a week in Cornwall and a week in
Cambridge for the next two Nora books. I was writing the new Trudy, Death at the
Dakota, at that time, but this is for the next two Nora Tierney’s to follow. We
had a few days in London visiting friends but with a week in each place, were
able to really soak up the feel, meet locals, tour the area, and take lots of
photos. Each summer my own writing group meets for a week, too, so there is
that to look forward to. We usually travel to each other’s homes as we are
spread out throughout the US, but this year is our fifteenth year working
together, so we are treating ourselves to meeting in Old City Quebec and will
have time to workshop manuscripts and visit the sites. I’m looking forward to
that!

 

 

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Healing Hards by J.S. Jaeger

 

 

Parents to four wonderful children, Jerry and Stephanie Jaeger enjoy working together as J.S. Jaeger to write uplifting, entertaining stories. 

Jerry overcame bullying to earn his black belt in Kempo Karate. He served as a special agent for the FBI and currently works as a prosecutor. 

Stephanie ran her own accounting practice for several years before turning her focus to writing Scrolls of Zndaria with Jerry. 

Together, they are excited to bring readers of all ages into the magical world of Zndaria.

Denya’s excited to attend the Healing Hands Academy. It’s her chance to become a handmaiden, help others, and live a life of adventure.
 
But studying at the Academy isn’t everything she’d
hoped. The headmistress and many of the students still look down on human
handmaidens. It seems as quickly as she makes friends, she has to say goodbye.
And just as she starts gaining acceptance, she puts the other students in
danger.
 
Is Denya’s determination enough to see her through,
or will she be sent home, back to the peasant life she’s trying to escape?
The second Short Scroll of Zndaria, Healing Hands
parallels The Golden Wizard and allows readers to see the magical world of
Zndaria through Denya’s eyes. Readers will be reunited with favorite characters
from the main series as well as experience life in the Redwood Forest.
Buy this book today to get a glimpse into the world
of Zndaria or delve deeper into the journey that began in The Golden Wizard!

 


  
~ Universal Amazon Link
  
Q&A With the Author:
1.
What do you like to do
when you’re not writing? In addition to our day jobs, Jerry trains for events
such as the Ironman and Ironman 70.3. Stephanie loves being a mom and playing
Candy Crush.
2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? Stephanie rarely gets
any writing done when she’s at home, because she’s easily distracted. She does
a lot of writing in the car while she’s waiting for the kids to finish their
activities.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers?
If so, what are they? Start writing. The only guarantee in writing is that if
you don’t start, you won’t finish. Your first draft will probably sound awful
and not even resemble what’s in your head. That’s perfectly normal. We call
this our vomit draft. You have to get it on paper so you can rework it.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books? Jerry develops the story
as he runs, bikes, and drives. He first started developing the idea when he was
finishing the last book of the Harry Potter series.

 
5. What do you think makes a good story? A great
story needs compelling characters who are pushed outside their comfort zones.
 
6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or
what do you like to do in the summer? Our best summer vacations include time to
relax and remove ourselves from stressful situations.
 

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Stevie-Girl and the Phantom Pilot – Book One of Series by Ann Swann

Ann has been a writer since junior high, but to
pay the bills she has waited tables, delivered newspapers, cleaned other
people’s houses, taught school, and had a stint as a secretary in a rock-n-roll
radio station. She also worked as a 911 operator and a police dispatcher. 


Her fiction began to win awards during her college days. Since then she’s
published several short stories, novels, and novellas. She’s always reading and
always writing, but even if she never sold another story, Ann would not stop
writing. For her it’s a necessity, like breathing. Most of the time, it even
keeps her sane.

 

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No matter who dares you, no matter what lures
you, do not go in the spooky old house…
 


When a small planes crashes behind Jase’s rural home, the ghost of the pilot
begins to haunt him. Jase can’t figure out what to do until the day he sees his
classmate, Stevie-girl, enter the legendary haunted house. That’s when he
decides if anyone can help him solve the mystery, she’s the one. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Q&A With the Author:
1.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I care for my invalid
father. I also read a lot, and watch movies with my husband.
2. What would you say is your
interesting writing quirk?
  I like to get
up around 4 a.m. so I can write in the quiet darkness before dawn.
3. Do you have any suggestions to help
budding authors become better writers?
If so, what are they? I think in order
to write, one must be a reader … I love to read OUTSIDE the genre in which I
write. My other tip–one I have trouble following–is to let your first draft
be a first draft. Don’t worry about edits until the second draft.
4. Where do you get information and
ideas for your books?
  Ideas come from
everywhere. Some of my books are autobiographical, but some are total fiction.
One of my best sellers (Stutter Creek), began with an idea from a news article
in our local paper.
5. What do you think makes a good
story?
  I think a story is only as good
as the characters. If I don’t care about them, I won’t keep reading (or writing).
 
6. Tell us about your favorite summer
vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer?
Summer vacations when I was
a kid meant going to visit my dear grandparents for a week. Now, for summer
vacations, I like to visit places I’ve never been before. One of the best trips
was to a haunted hotel in Savannah, Georgia!

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

The Immundus by Christina Enquist

 

 

Christina Enquist is a YA author and aspiring bookstore owner. She lives with her boyfriend and several pets in Visalia, Ca.

 

Would you sacrifice your humanity to save mankind?
 
IT’S THE YEAR 2828, and Domus is the last remaining country. Divided into twelve walled cities known as genuses, Domus spans what’s known as the purist lands—lands unaffected by the genetic modifications that killed all other species of mammals. But outside the walls of each genus the Immundus threaten the welfare of those within. From a young age, all citizens of Domus are trained for combat against these intruders.
 

 

At sixteen, Nia Luna knows little of the Immundus, except for the citywide alarms that ring any time an Immundus nears the genus walls. What she does know is that her own species is dying—their numbers dwindling as a mysterious disease called allagine kills many before their eleventh birthday. The same disease that ravaged her family when it took her sister.
 
When Nia is recruited into Genesis, a research company pioneering the path to a cure, she knows that her dream to find a cure for allagine is finally within her grasp. But within weeks of starting at Genesis, Nia witnesses something she shouldn’t have—something that changes everything. As she sets down a dangerous path that uncovers national secrets, Nia will have to decide not only what kind of person she wants to be but also how far she’s willing to go to save humanity.
Q&A With the Author:
1.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? I am currently in rehearsals
for a play called The Humans. We open June 7, 2019.
2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? I don’t know if I have
a quirk.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers?
If so, what are they? Read, Read, Read. Especially in the genre in which you
write.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books? I find that my best
source of inspiration is through meditation.

5. What do you think makes a good story? When the reader is
taken through various emotions. 

 

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you
like to do in the summer? My favorite Summer vacation was in Yosemite National
Park. My family and I stayed in these tent cabins and hiked and enjoyed nature.

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Daisies in the Driveway by Lauraine Henderson

Lauraine Henderson began writing as a child,
poems and journaling, until babies, building houses, and bookkeeping jobs
usurped her world. Now, well established in Oregon and with the children grown,
she devotes her time to writing her favorite genre, clean romance. 



Years of
life experience translate into plots, calamities, and happily-ever-afters as
she writes her inspirational and romantic stories about fictional people who
seem so real, you’ll want to know what happens after the book ends!

~ Blog ~ Website ~
~ Amazon ~
Allison Lockwood and Gavin Hunt have
been offered the chance to take over the Lazy Daisy Inn and Campground so their
respective grandparents, the current owners, can retire and marry. It seems all
too easy for Ally and Gavin to prove themselves during the six-month probationary
period until they’re fighting disasters at the campground and failing at
over-optimistic baking expectations.

As Ally and Gavin slowly explore their growing attraction, they help each other
fight fires, endure raging storms, and share a few passionate kisses. But
there’s more than fires to fight when Ally’s grandfather disapproves of their
budding romance and Ally is convinced Gavin has a girlfriend in the wings…a
girlfriend expecting his baby!

Ride along as the two unlikely innkeepers figure out how they fit in their new
life and learn the lesson taught by the Daisies in the Driveway.

  
~ Universal Amazon Link
  
Q&A With the Author:
1. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing, I’m doing
schoolwork. For the last two years, I’ve been taking two online classes each
semester and I’m loving it. I also make time every evening to read. There’s a
saying that to be a better writer, you need to read a lot. I know that’s true
and I especially love it when one of my favorite authors comes out with a new
book or series.
2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I think my most interesting writing
quirk is this: when I’m writing a scene, I will often close my eyes and type,
while I envision the scene playing out in my mind, like a movie. I can see the
setting, while I write the description. I hear the characters’ dialog and feel
as though I’m transcribing it rather than inventing it. I love it when scenes
like that come together.
3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better
writers?
 

Suggestions for budding authors:
•          Write
a lot; read a lot.
•          You
can’t edit what you haven’t written. Keep writing and go back later to edit.
•          Understand
that the revision process is the hard part; be ready and willing to make
changes.
•          Leave
your ego at the door when you ask someone for a critique. Be willing to take
the advice of others.
•          Don’t
delete pieces and parts in your revision process; put those snippets in an
“outtakes” file. It makes it easier to let the words go.
4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books?
Most of the time my story ideas
come to me as inspiration. My characters introduce themselves to me and ask me
to tell their story. Sometimes, they even tell me their names. The details of
their story I frequently take from my own personal experiences or experiences
of people in my family.
5. What do you think makes a good story?
Since I write about romance, what
makes a good story for me is the discovery process of two people as they fall
in love. A good story includes good character development with believable
situations and genuine emotions. I don’t need an extreme heartache or
insurmountable obstacles to be miraculously overcome. I like a good story with
reasonable problems, quirky sidekicks, and confident characters. I especially
love it when humor is included and people can laugh at themselves.

 

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you like to do
in the summer?
My favorite summer vacation was in
the winter of 2000. Our family flew from Salt Lake City to Orlando and spent
six wonderful days at Disneyworld. Halfway through our trip, Tomoko, our friend
from Japan, joined us. We spent one day in each ‘kingdom’ and after Tomoko
arrived, we returned to our favorite rides and shows with her. Our children
were old enough to ride on all the rides and young enough to still enjoy being
with their parents. Disneyworld’s ability to put people from all walks of life
on the same playing field, as it were, gave us the opportunity to mix with
numerous cultures and find commonality in Disney-fun. I still listen to the
music from the Millennial celebration and remember the good times we had there
that winter.
 
 

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret