Cover Reveal - 400 LB Gorilla

Matt Danmor thinks he’s lucky. Not many people survive a near death accident with nothing more than a bout of amnesia, a touch of clumsiness and the conviction that the technician who did the MRI had grey skin and hooves.

Still, it takes time to recover from trauma like that, especially when the girl who was in the accident with you disappears into thin air. Especially when the shrinks keep telling you she’s just a figment of your imagination.

So when the girl turns up months later looking ravishing, and wanting to carry on where they left off, Matt’s troubled life starts looking up. But he hasn’t bargained for the baggage that comes with Silvy, like the fact she isn’t really an English language student, or even a girl.

Underneath her traffic stopping exterior is something else altogether, something involving raving fanatics bent on human sacrifice, dimensionally challenged baked bean tins, a vulture with a penchant for profanity, and a security agent for the Dept of Fimmigration (that’s Fae immigration for those of you not in the know) called Kylah with the most amazing gold-flecked eyes…

The 400 Lb Gorilla is caustic, (vampire-free) introduction to the Hipposync Archives: Contemporary fantasy at its sparkling best.

Interview with Marcie Kremer, Author of Torch In The Forest

Nicole, thank you so much for inviting me to respond to your questions.  They were fun to answer!

What inspired you to write Torch in the Forest?

Most important to my inspiration for TORCH's premise is that I've always had a love for alpha males who have a hidden, soft side (you can't begin to imagine why, right? J) and I was really taken by the idea of an equally-strong female character who would be able to convince him that not only was she right, she was the "real deal," and that she is willing to challenge him, to love him, and that she wants to be passionately loved by him. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the scenes where Eleanor was tempted and tried to stifle her growing passion for Hugh, just as Hugh tried to fight his strong desire for Eleanor, because he's so sure she's not right for him.  I loved the idea of a challenge – and the idea of an exceptionally-intelligent young woman defying an alpha male on his own turf, but in her own unique way, and then winning that conflict because of her special individual qualities really appealed to me, just as I hoped it would appeal to readers who also appreciate, enjoy, and understand alpha males, those rascals who can drive us crazy!  I have a friend who also loves alpha males because "You can tame them," she says, with a wink! Blush!  Sigh!  Pulses race!

How did you come up with the title? I love it!

Because the main plot involves poaching in a forest and the complexity of the rules of the Law of the Forest and what they meant to power-hungry nobles, I knew that "forest" would have to be in the title.  The idea that Eleanor and Hugh are on fire for each other, and that a conflagration will rage in their hearts when they finally get together, brought the image of a torch to mind!

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I'm writing a young adult romance about a girl on a soccer team, her friendships, and the complications of knowing a terrible secret about a forbidden relationship that threaten to spiral out of control and force her to make a decision.  It's not exactly medieval romance, but there are bits of Eleanor in the main character, and there are aspects of Hugh in the baseball catcher.

Sounds great! What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?

I wanted to be an archaeologist.  Yes, I was/am that geeky!  Now, I indulge my passion for the past in my writing, and digging into my characters' feelings, instead of into an archeological site.

What makes you laugh?

Quirky, unexpected, whimsical events and wordplay make me laugh.  I am an unrepentant punner, much to my dear husband's and family's chagrin.

What makes you angry?

            What makes me angry is injustice and people taking advantage of others, which is why I wrote the character of William of Litchfield, Eleanor's liege lord, in such an unfavorable light.  My editor said, "He is despicable!"  In fiction, it is rewarding to have the last word with that kind of a character.  If only real life were like that, right? J  That's just one of the many really fun things about being an author.  There's a t-shirt that reads, "Be careful, or you'll find yourself in my next novel!" *giggles*

Thank you so much, Nicole, for having me on your blog! *curtseys*

Historical Romance

"How long can sworn enemies Eleanor and Hugh fight their powerful attraction to each other?" 

Blurb:

Eighteen-year-old widow Eleanor of Strathcombe is stunned to realize she has a powerful attraction to Hugh of Wykeham, the arrogant, neighboring lord returned from the Crusade, who not only asks for the hand of her younger sister in marriage – but feuds with her over the control of their forest boundaries, because poachers are running rampant.  

As she struggles to keep control of her forests and find the poachers, unsettling feelings confront her when she deals with Hugh, feelings she never felt in her brief, loveless marriage -- feelings she tries to fight, because she knows Hugh to be a cold, harsh man who may have murdered his faithless wife in revenge -- and who trusts no woman.  When she finds herself in the midst of a net of intrigue and lies, how can she find the conspirators, save herself and her sister, and battle her feelings for Hugh?

About the Author:

Growing up in Europe and seeing castles on a daily basis made me sure I wanted to live back in the Middle Ages. Since that wasn’t likely to happen, being a child of the 20th century, the next best thing I could try to do was to write about this enthralling period in history. Having studied medieval history in college, I loved doing the research about how people really lived and spoke and dreamed and loved, and so TORCH IN THE FOREST came to be, thanks to my dear husband, who encouraged me to write about Eleanor and Hugh.

When I’m not writing, I’m reading, or traveling. I love hearing from readers and am happy to do book club conference calls!

Cover Reveal - Addicted to You by Colina Brennan

When twenty-one-year-old Leah Carter's latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she isn't a sex addict; she just doesn't do relationships. After all, sooner or later, everyone lets you down.

At first, the group sessions are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts relapse.

Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with his assignment.

As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can't kick.

Add to Goodreads

Author bio:

Colina Brennan is a new adult writer with a love for the fantastical and the romantic. When she isn’t writing, she’s attached at the hip to her kids or chasing her dog or daydreaming about what she wants to write next.

Links:

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Blog

Goodreads

Cover Reveal - One More Day

One More Day

by Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, L.S. Murphy, Danielle E. Shipley, Anna Simpson

Release Date: December 2, 2013

Target Reader: Young Adult

Keywords: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Romantic, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

 

Back of the Book

What if today never ends?

What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying ... that's where you’d be ... forever.

Unless ...

In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.

How do we restart time?

How do we make everything go back to normal?

The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could, maybe, happen today.

Right now.

What would you do if this happened ... to you?

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/36

Adverbs and Clichés in a Nutshell

Too many adverbs and clichés in your writing? I've got just the fix for you.
by Jessica Bell

Writers constantly have rules thrown at them left, right, and center. Show, don’t tell! Stop using so many dialogue tags! More sensory detail! More tension! Speed up the pace! Yada yada yada ... it can become overwhelming, yes? I used to feel overwhelmed by it all too. In fact, I still do sometimes. It’s hard enough to get the words on the page, let alone consider how to put them there.

In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, she says that in order not to be overwhelmed, a writer needs to focus on short assignments. She refers to the one-inch picture frame on her desk and how that little picture frame reminds her to focus on bite-sized pieces of the whole story. Basically, if you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole. I believe the same applies to learning the craft of writing. If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, the process will seem less daunting and piece by piece it will come together.

My name’s Jessica Bell, and my own struggles with feeling overwhelmed inspired me to write the Writing in a Nutshell Series of pocket-sized writing guides. So you can learn to hone your craft in bite-sized, manageable pieces. In the first book of the series, I focused on demonstrating how to transition “telling” into “showing.” In Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery, I deal with another of the most common criticisms aspiring writers face: to absolutely avoid adverbs and clichés like the plague. But see, right now, I just used one of each. I also used a couple in the first two paragraphs of this post because they come naturally, and we utilize them frequently in everyday speech. But in fiction, too many adverbs and clichés weaken your prose. It’s considered “lazy writing,” because it means we don’t have to show what’s happening.

If your manuscript has too many adverbs and clichés, it most likely means that the emotion you felt while writing it is not going to translate to the reader in the same way. So how exactly can we approach the subversion of adverbs and clichés? For starters, play around with simile and metaphor when you’re trying to convey emotion, and for action, use strong verbs to show it happening in real time.

The key? Think smaller details rather than the bigger picture.

Need some help and inspiration?

In Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery, you will find thirty-four examples of prose which clearly demonstrate how to turn those pesky adverbs and clichés into vivid and unique imagery. Dispersed throughout are blank pages to craft your own unique examples. Extra writing prompts are also provided at the back of the book.

“Jessica Bell's latest pocket guide, Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell, will inspire you to leave bland behind and pursue your creative best. With force and clarity, she demonstrates how adverbs and clichés hobble vibrant writing. She then marks a course toward unique expression and provides workouts that will help writers at every level develop a distinctive voice.” ~Laurel Garver, freelance editor, author of Never Gone and Muddy-Fingered Midnights

Purchase links:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Ca | Kobo

Bio: The Australian-native contemporary fiction author and poet, Jessica Bell, also makes a living as an editor and writer for global ELT publishers (English Language Teaching), such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, Macmillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.

She is the co-publishing editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and the director of the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca.

For more information about Jessica please visit:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook