Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Interview with Sara Walsh, Author of The Dark Light and Giveaway

Hi, Nicole! Thanks for inviting me over.

You're more than welcome, Sara! Please, share with us your latest news.

At the moment, news is all about The Dark Light and the build-up for release. Lots of interviews and guest posts and talking with lovely people. I’m having a blast!

That's great! When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’m still not sure I do consider myself a writer! I’ve always written stories, but I still think of myself as more of a reader than a writer. Maybe that will change. I’m not sure. I’d definitely have a book blog if I wasn’t writing!

Ah, I'm sure you'll consider yourself a writer soon. :) What inspired you to write The Dark Light?

I was on a road trip from Kansas City to Wyoming and was discussing a news events about a young boy who’d suddenly reappeared almost a decade after mysteriously vanishing. We were out on the plains, and the story got me thinking about all the ways a person could vanish in such wide open spaces. What might really be out there? That’s when I came up with the basic idea behind The Dark Light.

Oh, now that sounds intriguing! Do you have a specific writing style?

My style changes story to story.  Sometimes a story will pour out and I’m scrambling to get it down on the page. Other times, a story needs a little more care to ensure it stays on the right track. I do try to write every day, even if it’s just a little.

That sounds like me! How did you come up with the title? I love it!

The title The Dark Light evolved with the story. I was getting close to a finished draft when I started to think about what I could call it. There were lots of references in the story to dark and light, so I brainstormed a few combinations and decided on The Dark Light.

You mentioned your love of reading. What book are you reading now?

At the time of writing this, I was reading Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris, one of my fellow debut authors in the Apocalypsies. By the time you’re reading this, I’ll almost certainly have read several other books!

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

So many. It’s such a privilege to be a part of a debut group like the Apocalypsies, because you’re exposed to so many fantastic new writers. I haven’t yet read a novel from one of the group that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. You should check them out. All of them!

What are your current projects?

I’m always writing, so I do have a couple of projects on the go. Can’t give away too many details, though. Sorry!

We understand. :) Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

It’s all a challenge, but in a really good way. Writing a novel is a long process and there are lots of times when doubts creep in and you wonder if a story is worth pursuing. Writing through that and coming out on the other side with a completed novel is an essential part of being a writer.

Great answer! Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I’ve loved Stephen King ever since I was a teenager. His characters are always amazing and his writing appears so effortless, you can’t help but be carried away by his stories. What strikes me most about his work is how he’s been able to consistently write fantastic stories over such a long period of time. Awe inspiring.

He is definitely one of the greats. How long does it take you to write a book?

It depends. The Dark Light took about five months to complete a full draft. I then let it sit for a while before working on revisions, so six or seven months all in. I do have stories that I’ve been working on for years, but stubbornly refuse to give up on!

And some "fun" questions: What paranormal creature would you be and why?

I think I’d like to be a mermaid, because then I could hang out at the beach and read all day!

Wouldn't that be awesome? What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?

A Jedi warrior. It’s true.

Now that made me laugh! That's awesome. What makes you laugh?

General lighthearted silliness. I love goofing off with friends.

Friends are awesome. :) If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?

Luna Lovegood!

Great choice! If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

I’d want to be telepathic, because I’m really nosy.

LOL! If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with the time?

I’d write, but on the QE2.

Nice. If you were a Star Wars character, which one would you be?

Chewbacca! Though at 5’2”, I’m more Ewok than Wookie!

At least you're taller than 5 foot. I'm 4'11 3/4.

Thanks for dropping by, Sara! What a fun interview!

The Dark Light Blurb

Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she's concerned, that's about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town.

That is, until Sol arrives. Mia's not one to fall for just any guy, but she can't get Sol--or the brilliant tattoo on his back--out of her mind.

Then Mia's brother goes missing, and Mia's convinced that Sol knows more than he's sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol's not who Mia thought he was--and neither is she.

Bio

Sara Walsh is British, but happily lives in Annapolis, Maryland. She graduated college with a degree in psychology, but soon decided that telling stories was much more fun. When not writing, Sara is usually reading, drowning in tea, or frolicking around town with the world's cutest St. Bernard. The Dark Light is her first novel.

Links


Contest

Want to win a signed hardcopy (North America only) or an ebook of The Dark Light? Just leave a comment on this blog. For an extra entry, follow Sara on twitter, add The Dark Light to your Goodreads shelf, or like Sara's facebook page. Good luck!


Monday, July 30, 2012

Cover Reveal - Colonization by Aubrie Dionne with Keychain G*veaway

Finding a new home has never been so dangerous.


Andromeda has spent all seventeen years of her life aboard a deep space transport vessel destined for a paradise planet. Her safe cocoon is about to break open as Paradise 21 looms only one month away, and she must take the aptitude tests to determine her role on the new world and her computer assigned lifemate. As a great-granddaughter of the Commander of the ship, she wants to live up to her family name. But, her forbidden love for her childhood friend, Sirius, distracts her and she fails the tests. The results place her in a menial role in the new colony and pair her with Corvus, “the oaf”.


But when Andromeda steps foot on Paradise 21, her predestined future is the least of her worries. Alien ghosts from a failed colonization warn her of a deadly threat to her colony. And when Sirius's ship crashes on the far ridge in an attempt to investigate, she journeys to rescue him with Corvus.


Andromeda now must convince the authorities of the imminent danger to protect her new home. What she didn't expect was a battle of her own feelings for Sirius and Corvus.


Can she save the colony and discover her true love?

Author Bio:


Aubrie Dionne writes science fiction fantasy with romantic elements. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Inkspell Publishing, Entangled Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. She’s also a professional flutist in New England.


Please visit her website: www.authoraubrie.com
Twitter: @authoraubrie

Giveaway! – Open for US and UK only.
We have a very cool keyring as a giveaway. J

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Guest Blog with Donna Fletcher - Deadline Insanity - Plus G*veaway of Untamed Fire


Deadline insanity... is there a cure?

Writers worry endlessly about meeting deadlines and what writer hasn’t written the very last line with barely time to spare. So is there a cure for deadline insanity or is it just part of being a writer? Before we see if we can find a cure let’s examine the other parts of being a writer.

Characters can drive you nuts. They never do what you want them to. They go off on their own tangents until you wonder if the story is even yours anymore.

Storyline lets you know basically what your book is going to be about. I guess you could also call it the theme. You know exactly what it is and where you’re going with it. Yeah, right. Curve balls coming your way here, watch out.

Plot is getting your storyline from point A to B to C and tying it all up at the end. Suddenly, OMG, your character takes a wrong turn or so you think and you can’t get to point B. Once that’s figured out you can glide to point C—but wait—you forgot an essential part that ties the book all together. More rewrites.

Marketing is something you have to do but really don’t want to do or have time to do. There are guest blogs, interviews, appearances, your website to maintain, and a whole bunch more. Talk about insanity!

Social Networking is part of marketing but a whole section on its own. Facebook, Twitter. Pinterest. Etc. Oh, and whatever new social networking site pops up tomorrow. My head’s spinning just thinking about it.

After seeing all that the conclusion seems obvious... you’re insane if you want to be a writer. The one problem is that if writing is in your blood you don’t have a choice. There’s no magic in successfully meeting deadlines. If you’re compulsive about finishing things on time you’ll meet your deadline no matter what (which describes me). If you’re usually or always late in finishing things up than you’ll probably have difficulty meeting a deadline. And then there’s always life itself throwing you a curve ball and tossing your deadline right out the window.

Deadline insanity or deadline hell is part of being a writer and all writers have to deal with it no matter what. However there is a terrific benefit to deadlines. It is that overwhelming sensation of pure relief and joy you get when you finally finish your book—whether on time or late—that no one can take away from you. And that in itself is a reward or perhaps a cure for deadline insanity.




Donna Fletcher is a USA Today bestselling author of adventurous historical romances. She is also a past President of New Jersey Romance Writers and Novelists, Inc.

Links to Buy 




Gaby Alvardo borrows the powerful ranchero’s horse to rush and help her injured brother.



Raphael Cabrillo doesn’t see it that way to him... she stole his horse. And so she is to be punished for her crime. She will serve a term of six months as companion to his ailing mother.

Raphael intends to tame the spirited woman who refuses to wear shoes, dances under the moonlight, takes his ill mother on picnics and stirs his passion like no other woman.

But when an attempt is made on Gaby’s life there isn’t anything he won’t do to protect her.
Will Raphael tame the willful woman or love the untamed fire that burns within her?



Review to be posted shortly


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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Covers Reveal for Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity by Cherie Reich


Three alien couples in three space fantasy novelettes fall in love in the Gravity trilogy. After a couple months, Cherie Reich decided that her novelettes needed a new cover. She spoke with her cover artist, Aubrie Dionne, and the new covers for Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity are now ready to be revealed.

Homesick upon the SS Perseid, Linia, a young linguist, thinks she signed up for a mission of peace, but her crew members have another plan: attack the planet Medusa.

Bored with his dying planet, Alezandros, a space cruiser pilot, joins the Medusan Army in his quest for adventure.

When the SS Perseid clashes with the Medusans’ space cruisers, Alezandros and Linia’s lives intertwine. Sucked through a wormhole, they crash upon a post-apocalyptic Earth and are captured by cannibals. In adjacent cells, Alezandros and Linia cast their differences aside for a common bond: escape. But when romantic feelings emerge between them, they might do the unthinkable because for a Medusan and a Persean to fall in love, it would defy gravity.


Forced into executing Aresia’s people, Phoebus escapes the Aresian Guard by flying his spaceship through a wormhole.

The only single woman of marrying age, Marissa flees town instead of becoming a third wife.

When Phoebus’s spacecraft crashes upon an asteroid-ravaged Earth, he is captured by a rogue Earthling youth and thrown into a cellar. Marissa stumbles upon the spacecraft, but it explodes before she can find any sign of the alien. When she awakens, she discovers the alien’s whereabouts and vows to help him. But Phoebus’s Aresians have landed and are searching for him. Phoebus and Marissa must battle against their despair and their peoples in a quest for their freedom. And through it all, an Earthling and an Aresian will find it easier to fight gravity than their love for each other.



A no-nonsense Earthling corporal, Nike accepts a mission to destroy the winged-people of Cupidis to give her race a chance at a new life.

A spoiled Cupidian prince, Edonys gets whatever he wants until his dying father tells him he must choose a mate and take his rightful place as king.

When Nike’s space cruiser lands upon Cupidis, she’s taken to the royal palace where she crosses paths with Prince Edonys. His arrogance leads her to believe her mission of domination will be easy. Edonys refuses his father’s last request to fall in love, but Nike isn’t anyone. She’s bold and different than any Cupidian female. When he shows her his planet’s delights, Nike and Edonys realize they must discover another way to save their loved ones because it will be easier for an Earthling and a Cupidian to ignore the pull of gravity than the pull of love.

Forthcoming end of July/early August!

Cherie is also giving away the complete trilogy to one lucky winner. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment. It would be great if you could also follow Cherie's blog and on twitter too, but that's not required. Good luck! And congrats, Cherie!