Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Sisterhood of the Traveling Blog Week 1 – Patricia Laffoon


Patricia is visiting my blog today, I'm so grateful she agreed to all us ladies in our little blog hop. She and her writing partner Aaron do a fantastic job. Sit back and relax, enjoy this great interview by Patricia!!!

1. What made you start writing and which subject matter do you enjoy the most?

I was encouraged by a teacher in high school to take a creative writing class. I have dyslexia it's a learning disability, and she thought it would help. I wrote poems and such as a young girl you know romantic angst nothing earth shattering. When I joined Facebook I met a role player who was and still is involved with the Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. We conversed for six months before he encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try. And one day I decided what's the worst that could happen and I took a huge leap of faith that I wouldn't be laughed at. So started my writing. As for subject matter I have always been drawn to the story of The Little Mermaid, and not the Disney story but the one by Hans Christian Anderson, the story of a mermaid princess who gives up her title, her voice, and ultimately her life, for the love of a human prince.  So when I took on the role of Trish of course she would have to be a Mermaid with a slightly different take on the original story. 
 
2. Is there anything that you write about that can be controversial? 

I don't believe so other than I take liberties with Trish and her story but hey who's to say what can be written about a mermaid...she's a work of fiction to begin with.

3. What inspires you to write and how often do you do it?

My writing partner Aaron/Rudy. We try to write at least every night in Role play and the group page that another put together Otherworlds: Pirates, that's where we got the idea for our Story to begin with.

4. If you could only take one book with you for the next year what would it be and why?

One book!? Gosh that's going to be a hard one... Hmm I think it would be the Bible. Not only would it give me plenty to read, it has it all life, death, love, intrigue, battles.  But also would nourish my spirit.

5. Is there a particular character of yours that you like more than the rest?

Well this is a simple one I only have one character, and I like her pretty well *grins*

6. Who is your favorite fictional character and why?  Josephine March from Little Women. She struck a chord in me being a tomboy myself and wanting to be a writer. She's a strong resourceful female who makes her way no matter what conventional  times call for. 

7. What age did you start reading, did you have a favorite children’s book?

You know with dyslexia I never read for enjoyment as a child, but my grandmother gave me a book when I was a young teen - Two Little Women on a Holiday by Carolyn Wells. It touched my heart that she was trying so hard to spark my imagination. I read it cover to cover with much difficulty and a dictionary by my side to look up the words I didn't understand, but I spent that summer reading it  from cover to cover. From there I went on to the Hardy boys...yes I still have the book and the full collection of the Hardy Boys.

8. What's the best part of being an author?

You know I am still so new at this the biggest thrill right now is running into friends and them telling me they Googled me and found my anthology online and bought it...and would I sign their copy...

9. If your current book (published or work in progress) could become a movie who would star in it?

Piper Lisa Perabo

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now, writing wise?

Well I never thought to publish a book in the first place, but I would love to keep doing what I'm doing now and maybe branching out trying something on my own totally different from what I am doing now. I was in the U.S. Army Reserves for 23 years.  I always said I would write about that experience. It would take at least that long to gather and remember all those years.

*********************************************

Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness Volumes 1 and 2, containing the stories “Tears of the Mermaid” and “Heart of the Mermaid” by Aaron Speca and Patricia Laffoon

Volume 1:


Volume 2:


 














You can view my blog for this week by visiting  Amy Kessler's Blog. Don't forget to join her blog and comment for a chance to win a free ebook!

Check out the other ladies in the Sisterhood!
Patricia Laffoon
Johanna Rae
L.S. Broomfield
Sherrie Henry
Stacy Moran
Torie N. James
Tracey Steinbach




Sunday, October 28, 2012

So Close Yet So Far Away....



Have you ever had a dream that was absolutely perfect? I don’t mean like a dream for future or anything like that I mean a story your mind writes for you as you sleep that makes you wake up and 100% feel inspired and think, Ah Ha! That’s it, it’s what I’ve been missing!!!

Well that happened to me this morning. Overnight I had mapped out my entire story for my new series, Maverick Touch. I even woke up and told my husband that I had the perfect dream. But sadly within minutes the memories started to slip and off into the ether it went.

Alas, my poor Nadia’s story wont’ ever be as good as that dream was, mean It will be damn close but I’m so saddened by this. In my half asleep half-awake state he’s over here telling me get my phone speak the dream into my phone. Silly me I’m thinking, what the hell is telling my  phone going to do? Duh he meant record the ideas into the voice recorder.

Well maybe tonight when I lay my head down on my pillow I’ll be able to slip back into a sweet dream state where I can see how this first book of the series will end.

I suppose this is one of the things that typical writers/authors have to deal with, having perfection at the tip of your mind and not being able to remember.

I realize this is kind of a random thought…~sighs~ Alas, that’s what blogs are allowed to be at times, random thoughts.

COMING SOON, BUD'S CHRISTMAS WISH
 


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http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Purple-Series-ebook/dp/B009GBJERY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348572724&sr=1-1
 
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https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodpurple-946725-139.html

Thursday, October 18, 2012

I Write Because I Have To….




Have you ever had this overwhelming urge to do something?
Like your life won’t be complete unless you do it? That’s how I feel most days
when I get a chunk of writing done. I don’t know why I’m like this; I don’t
know that I want to know. I like how I am. But sometimes my fingers just start
burning if I can’t get my thoughts or feelings down on paper (or Word.) The
sounds of the keys typing brings me peace. Like right now, I’m sitting with my
head back against the chair and my eyes closed as I type this, thinking about
how nice it is hearing the keys go up and down. If I could type on a typewriter
and easily import it into Word, I would.

Yes, the sounds of the keys give me peace. It’s the best
kind of therapy. You see, there is no one judging you. The computer screen doesn’t
give you any looks of sadness, sympathy, hatred, agony - nothing. It just is. Sometimes
we have thoughts we are too scared to vocalize, or we are too afraid to hurt a friend's
feelings. So what do we do? Well the lucky ones let it out in some way while; the others
bottle it up.

But this, this is my slice of heaven. Now you might wonder
why I’m talking about this. Well, it’s because of the story I wrote about
Christmas. You see, I don’t deal with grief well. The previous encounters with
death I’ve had in my short life, I didn’t accept or cope, I held onto my pain,
my anger, my sadness, and I let it devour me. It consumed me from the inside
until it had nowhere to go. I couldn’t let that happen again. I didn’t like
being sad and blah. I didn’t want one man’s death to mean that yet again I
would run and hide from the world. So this time I honored him.

My grandpa passed away on May 31st, only 140 days
ago. I can still close my eyes and smell the air in the room the night he died.
I can see his body. I can see everything. I can feel my heart breaking, feel the tears I
wept. But I also remember his life, his voice, his laugh, and his amazing wisdom. He
made me promise on December 29th that I would not let his illness
consume me. That I would be strong for my mom and grandma. That I would be the
fighter and do good. So when he asked me to write a story about someone in
Ireland to represent my Irish roots (to offset my Arabic ones of Blood Purple’s
people) I decided then that instead of being lost in death I would celebrate
life.

A few years back I worked on his Ancestry and I traced his
roots through time. The characters in “Bud’s Christmas Wish” include names
taken from my lineage. This short Christmas story meant more to me because it’s
how I honored my grandfather and how I said goodbye to him. I loved him for all
that he was for me, and I still feel him with me. I know he is here now,
standing behind me, watching and helping me. He’ll always be in my heart,
always with my spirit.

Fathers and Grandfathers mean so much to daughters. I know without
these men in my life I’d be nowhere near what I am today. So, at 140 days from
the saddest moment in my life, I sit here smiling. Because writing has helped me
mourn the loss of a family member and helped me honor him in the same moment.
Without writing I’d be lost.


 COMING SOON.....
Bud's Christmas Wish

subscribe at www.ashleynemer.com for updates on release date.




NEW RELEASE, BLOOD PURPLE
Follow me on Twitter @ashleynemer 
 
XoXo Publishing - PDF
 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Dancing on the Dance Floor


October 13, 2012-This was a Thursday. Not just a normal Thursday, a special one. This was the day that I shed tears of joy for completing my first novel.

The feeling of completion is hard for me to describe because I think everyone has their own way to describe pure and utter happiness. Pressing the final period in my word document ending Zayn’s final scene, powerful, totally powerful. It reminded me of walking down the aisle at my wedding, holding my husband’s hand as he slipped my ring on my finger, the end of an era the start of a new one. That’s what this was, I had finished the first stage of my writing career and the new stage started.

The journey wasn’t very long, April 2012 the idea became a reality, the first key strokes were typed, the first paragraph then the first chapter. Six months later, done. So much has happened in the last year since my first novel was finished. I’ve written one short story, one set of poems for a book, the second book for the Blood Series and have started the third. So much writing yet the ideas and words never seem to stop spinning in my head. That’s prolly a good thing.

Well I’m going to make this blog short and sweet tonight … no need for a thousand words, or pretty little images painted in your minds about my work. ‘Cause the bottom line is, I’m blessed. I’ve had so much support along the way, from my Beta readers (who are a handful of women who have become dear friends and my husband), to my family, to all my writing partners out there on Facebook, to the hundreds of people who liked my page, status’s and posts. To the individuals who bought Blood Purple.

Yes I am blessed. I am fortunate enough to have found a spot to express my inner ideas, thoughts and stories and an audience to share them with.

I remember one evening as a child, we were at The Lake of the Ozarks listening to my mom’s band playing up on stage. I was dancing on the dance floor watching Mom jamming on her keyboards, she looked so happy, like she was finally home, in peace with herself. That’s how I feel every time I sit down to write and for that, I could never be more grateful.




NEW RELEASE, BLOOD PURPLE 
 
 
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XoXo Publishing - PDF
 

Friday, October 12, 2012

Kelly Whitley's Into the Red - Virtual Tour, 3rd Stop




Hello and welcome to the 3rd stop in Sensuous Promos Book Blog Tour for Kelly Whitley’s, Into The Red. Throughout this blog hop – which runs October 1st through October 28th – there will be 5 stops. At the end of which all commentators (from all the blog stops) will be eligible to win a free eBook copy of Into The Red. The winner will be announced on October 29th in the evening and posted in the comments sections of all the stops. Please remember to leave your email address so we can contact the winner and get you your prize!

Bio:

Once upon a time, Kelly dreamed of becoming an entomologist, then a gymnast, and then an architect. Instead, a career in healthcare became the chosen path. After years of devouring other people's books, she decided to give writing a try. An arduous journey and many hot fudge sundaes later, her first paranormal romantic suspense debuted in July 2012.
Now she writes a variety of fiction, spanning the genres from humor to paranormal, and flash fiction to full-fledged novels. A career in the medical field and interests like painting and home restoration provide plenty of inspiration for the characters who find themselves populating her stories.
An ideal day consists of coffee, no phone, and writing quirky characters for her fans to fall in love with. Stop by www.kellywhitley.com, where the paranormal is an everyday occurrence and get your fix for vampires, werewolves, shifters and more. Kelly loves visitors, human and otherwise.
Kelly lives in the Rocky Mountain Midwest. Contact her at kelly_book_maven@yahoo.com.



Blurb:
Human blood is an illicit and highly addictive drug--if you're a vampire. Known as Red, its side effects are insanity, and eventual death. A group of Red-addicted vampires known as Poisoners are killing women as part of an extortion plot involving a lost ancient vampiric tome, and they’re leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The discovery of each new victim risks exposure of the entire vampire race to humans. Then one victim survives…
Dr. Evan Nichols, oncologist and vampire, lives a monk-like existence, by his own choice, focusing on patient care and research to benefit his vampire brethren. It’s been twenty-five years since his world turned upside down—the night he lost his fiancee and discovered his hidden vampire heritage. Now his government has ordered him to take a mate—or they’ll choose one for him. It’s a horrible prospect, and one that might push him over the edge—until Fate throws him together with a human female.
Wary of relationships, Tara West has poured her energies into work and inventing cutting edge climbing equipment. She doesn’t like the gorgeous Dr. Nichols, yet finds herself unaccountably drawn to him.
When a crazed vampire attacks and poisons Tara, Evan rescues her. With time running out, he has to create an antidote to the poison before he loses his chance at love.
In order to make the vaccine which might cure her, he has to find the bastards who poisoned her and take their venom—before they die of their addiction. If he doesn’t reach them in time, saving her will be impossible.
Thus the journey begins—into the Red!

Excerpt:
Her eyes closed half way, the dilated pupils darkening the hazel. The bedroom expression from his drawing. She shifted toward him. “Win?”
He moved close enough to whisper in her ear. “Win.”
He bent his head to the hollow of her neck and inhaled, pulling her scent inside him. God, she smelled good. Clean, floral, and female. He had to know what her lips felt like. One kiss. Just one, and he’d go.
The atmosphere charged—equal parts anticipation and need.
Not a good idea, no matter how much he wanted it.
He should leave now.
Evan drew back and caught a glimpse of her tongue moistening her lips. Control slipped away, and he buried his hand in her hair and pulled her in for a kiss.
The first brush of his lips on hers, an electrifying sweep, shrank his world down to the two of them.
Her mouth had the perfect balance of heat and tenderness, fitting perfectly with his. Jesus, he hadn’t experienced this for so long, and it felt so good. He pressed his lips more firmly against hers. Slender fingers wove into his hair, and pleasure cascaded down his back and set off pressure in his groin. God, he should stop.
He pulled her into his embrace.
Damn good to hold a woman, warm and vital, after all these years of a cold and solitary existence. Tara had awakened a hunger, and he hadn’t realized the degree of his starvation until now. He had to get a taste of her.
He teased her lips with his tongue, and groaned in delight when she sighed and allowed him access. A flavor explosion—orange juice and chocolate chip cookies and steamy human woman, hot and vital. He stroked her tongue, penetrating, probing, shifting his mouth over hers to deepen the dance.
Tara gripped his shoulders, each one of her fingernails triggering tiny sparks of pleasure that flashed down to the small of his back.
Her enthusiasm was unmistakable. She wanted him too.
What would she feel like under him, his body buried in hers? Blood pulsed through him headed for destinations south, and his erection throbbed in readiness, shoving against his zipper.
Too fast, needed to slow down before his libido went off the rails.
As if sensing his thoughts, Tara broke the kiss but didn’t pull back. The heat of her breath warmed his jaw. At least one of them had sense.
Nope. He hadn’t gotten enough.
He captured her lips and mated his tongue with hers, and electric anticipation spread out across his skin. The fragrance of arousal poured off him, smelling of smoky bergamot, the unique signature of claiming and possession.
A mating scent. A whiff of answering desire hit his nostrils.
Had to get her closer, get his essence on her skin. He wrapped an arm around her waist. Soft breasts pressed against his chest, moving in concert with his breathing, and pushed desire to need.
So. Damn. Good.

~*~*~
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