What Are You Reading Monday? #33

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)



What Do Penguins Want for Christmas? By Casey Crayne (ebook)
Carrot Cake's Chistmas Book by MK Bashlor (ebook)
Summer Island by Kristin Hannah (Audio)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)


Flowerbed of State ( A White House Gardener Mystery #1) by Dorothy St. James





Up Next:


Mary & Penny’s Christmas Wish (ebook)
A Camp Edison Christmas by Cynthia Davis (ebook)
Snowed Under: A Christmas Short Story by Jude Ryan (ebook)
The North Pole Challenge by Kevin George (ebook)
The Path to Christmas by Ruth Ann Nordin (ebook)
The Santa Diaries: A New Fangles Christmas Book One by Betsy Haynes (ebook)

Reviews posted this week:


What Do Penguins Want for Christmas? By Casey Crayne (ebook)
Carrot Cake's Chistmas Book by MK Bashlor (ebook)
Summer Island by Kristin Hannah (Audio)


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:



December is Author Month – Interview/Guest Blog A Day


Author Guest Blog/Giveaway – Dark Chocolate for the Journaler’s Soul by Mari McCarthy (December 20)




Special Blog Hop Giveaways



Gift Card Giveaway Hop (December 9 – 13, 2011) Winner -
Midwinters Eve (December 21 – 29, 2011)
Dreaming of Books Hop (January 13 – 18, 2012)
Follower Love Hop (February 7 – 13, 2012)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):




Giveaways on the blog this week and in coming weeks:





Texas Statehood Giveaway - Texasville by Larry McMurtry (Dec 29)

Book Review - Summer Island by Kristin Hannah

Title: Summer Island
Author: Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author), Joyce Bean (Reader)
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
ISBN: 1441841865
Release Date: February 28th 2010
Pages: 416
Genre: Romance
Format: CD (9)
Source: Library

GoodReads:
Thirty-four year old Ruby Bridge is a not-too-successful comedienne who uses her mother, a nationally-syndicated "moral and spiritual counselor" as the main fodder for her cynical, rather bitter humor. Her mother Nora, long divorced from Ruby's father, is a woman whose past is just about to catch up with her - in the form of blackmail by a former lover.

After an accident (an attempted suicide?) Ruby returns to care for her stricken mother - bitterly resenting the fact that once again her mother's life has colonized hers. When she is approached by a publisher to write a biography of her mother, Ruby is desperate for the princely sum offered. Yet her research into her mother's past reveals a woman very different from the one Ruby expected. And what began as "mommy dearest" ends as a love story - not only between mother and daughter, but involving two very different men who play a key role in linking the past to the present.

Mine:
I really enjoyed this book had not read anything from this author before ( I will definitely being checking on other books now). I like the strong characters – Ruby (the youngest daughter) and Nora (the mother). Ruby must finally learn how to forgive her mother for leaving when she was younger. She learns some hard facts about her parents and realizes that maybe her mother wasn’t all that bad.

Ruby also learns to love again – her childhood sweetheart. The past intertwines with the present and it’s not all bad. I would have to say the ending was a little disappointing, since it seem that there is still a little of the story left to tell. But any good writer will leave you wanting more.

Author Guest Blog/Giveaway - Radiant Desire By Inara Scott (Entangled Publishing)

About the Book

The object of every man’s fantasy just lost her wings…
Kaia Verde is one of the four Faerie Handmaids of Zafira, Queen of the Fey. To redress an
ancient wrong done to Zafira by a human king, the Handmaids make sport of mortal men,
seducing and humiliating them. When Kaia sets out to seduce Garrett Jameson, but ends up
being the one surrendering to pleasure, Zafira is furious. Kaia’s punishment is simple: make
Garrett fall in love with her by the summer solstice, then break his heart, or face eternity without
her wings—or her soul. To make the task harder, Zafira tells Kaia she cannot use her faerie
magic or charm to lure Garrett into her bed.

…and now she’s losing her heart…
Kaia thinks her task will be relatively easy—as a faerie, she understands lust, and can love be
much different? But once she is living among the humans, Kaia discovers the race she once
disparaged is far more complex and beautiful than she imagined. She learns before she can
break Garrett’s heart, she must find a way to heal it. And eventually, discovers that losing her
wings may be a far easier price to pay than losing her heart.



Do Clothes Make the Man (or Woman?

by Inara Scott

I recently got a dramatic new look: I cut my hair from shoulder-length to a pixie, and let me tell you, it’s short. And totally different. The strangest thing about my transformation is that I now feel obliged to wear earrings, necklaces, and hip outfits. I’m not kidding. I feel like I have to live up to my hair!

Generally, though, this is a good thing. I’ve been living a little too long in my stay-at-home-mom-bob, yoga pants, and sweatshirts. I don’t mean to criticize this look (that would be like criticizing my second skin!). But sometimes you get too comfortable. The routine becomes a way of checking out. And while I don’t want to obsess about my appearance, I do want to continue to feel like a sexy, beautiful woman.

The haircut is helping me do this.

Clothes, hair, accessories…they have an incredible power to change our mood, our thoughts, even our personality. When I put on my lawyer suits, I take myself more seriously. When I wear big dangly earrings, I feel younger. More artistic. More, well, interesting.

As a writer, I am constantly learning about my characters through the lens of my own experiences. And this experience has renewed my fascination with makeovers. New hair, clothes, jewelery—it’s incredible how this can affect our characters.

Take Kaia, the heroine in my faerie romance, Radiant Desire. When she is forced to change from faerie to human, she goes from wearing six-hundred dollar evening gowns and staying in boutique five-star hotels, to picking her clothes out of a bin at a homeless shelter. This changes her. It must. She becomes less sure of herself, but also more aware of other people. She learns more about who she really is, while gaining an appreciation for her flawed, imperfect exterior.

The wonderful thing is, by become flawed, Kaia becomes even more attractive to Garrett, the object of her desire. (Though, of course, she doesn’t know that!) Here’s Garrett’s reaction to seeing her for the first time after her transformation:

He couldn’t say that she’d somehow become plain, or even that she looked entirely comfortable in Rachel’s house. She was too tall, too striking, her eyes too exotic, her features too captivating. Looking at her was like finding a single rose in a garden filled with daisies.

Yet this was not the same woman he had known.

As he continued to stare, her chin jutted nervously forward, and he realized the true difference between the Kaia he’d known and this new Kaia: her air of vulnerability. The woman he met just two weeks ago had been supremely self-assured, wearing an air of confidence in everything she did and every move she made. This woman was vulnerable. This woman did not know how she would be received.

This woman, amazingly enough, did not know how beautiful she was.

Yet somehow, now that she’d lost that air of otherworldly perfection and confidence and her flaws had been revealed, she had become even more attractive.

Have you ever had a makeover, or even just a dramatic hair cut? How did you feel afterward? Did you change?

Tell me your favorite makeover stories – there’s a free copy of Radiant Desire in it for one comment.

Book Review: Carrot Cake's Chistmas Book by MK Bashlor (ebook)

Title: Carrot Cake’s Christmas Book
Author: M K Bashlor
Publisher: Smashwords
ISBN:
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Pages: 13
Genre: Children’s pictorial
Format: ebook
Source: Smashwords

Description: Carrot Cake is trying to say “Merry Christmas” in a special way. Find out how he finally does it. Short and sweet, a quick bedtime story for Children ages 1 and up.

Review: This is a short mostly pictorial book of how Carrot Cake a guinea pig wishes all a Merry Christmas. Very cute to see how this cutie poses.

Author Interview/Giveaway - Night Series #2 by Lisa Kessler

Describe your book in five words or less.
Dark, Passionate, Eternal Love & Redemption.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
For my Night Series, I started with wanting to write a vampire series that originated in the Americas. After researching the oldest building in San Diego (The Mission de Alcala) and the oldest cultures in the Americas (The Mayans) my Night Walkers started to take shape.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Night Walker really questions whether or not true love can transcend time. Could love at first sight be your heart remembering someone you've known in a previous lifetime? It was a really interesting concept to explore when I wrote the book.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
The hardest part about writing for me is the editing... And the easiest is the actual writing! I love starting a new book. It feels like anything could happen and it's a thrill for me to get to know the new cast of characters.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future
projects?
I just finished the first round of edit for Night Demon. (Book 2 in the Night Series) I'm really excited to share this book with everyone. The Night Walker world gets much larger and the stakes have been raised to a global level, but in the end only love can save the Night Walker race.

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I've always written paranormal fiction. I started out selling horror short stories, and my heart is really with the "monsters". :)

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
So. Amazingly. Cool. Really! It's the best! And it makes me hungry to finish the next book. I never want to let anyone down... Hearing from readers really does help me keep moving forward and stay focused.

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Wow! That's a tough one... Let's see... I don't think anyone has ever asked me why the Evil Queen from Disney's Snow White is the best villain ever. If they did ask, my answer would be... She's a villain who is not afraid to get her own hands dirty to get the job done. She always had a plan B. Love her! She really kept the story moving...


What was your road to publications like?
My road to publication sounds like it came out of a paranormal novel, but I swear it's true! LOL

My publcation road started with a palm reader... About 10 years ago I took my first trip to New Orleans. I’d never had a palm reading before and I thought it would be cool, so I went inside. She gave me a spot on reading, and shared a few thoughts on the future ahead which puzzled me and then walked me out.

When we got to the door she said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

She asked, “Are you a writer?”

I shrugged and said, “I write every night, but just for fun.”

She smiled and her eyes sparkled. “You’re going to be a famous writer one day.”

I left in a daze and within a few months I had published my first short story, Immortal Beloved, and it went on to be a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

Now years later, my first novel has been published and the second book in the series will be out next year. I keep pinching myself to be sure it's real! LOL I’m not famous yet, but I think she nudged me toward my calling. I’d love to be a full-time novelist…

Author Bio

Lisa Kessler is an avid reader and writer of dark fiction. Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.
Lisa recently signed a 4 book deal with Entangled Publishing to release her Night Series. The first book, Night Walker, is scheduled to be released August 5th.
When she's not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego. You can learn more at http://Lisa-Kessler.com


Lisa lives in southern California with her incredibly fun husband and two amazing kids.
http://lisaslair.com/
http://lisakessler.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/LdyDisney
http://facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter




Please leave a comment or questions on this post in appreciation of the author

Author Interview/Giveaway - Touch by Jus Accardo (Entangled Publishing)

Describe your book in five words or less.
Action-packed, surprising, sweet, and sexy.
How did the ideas for your books come to you?
I get my ideas from anywhere and everywhere. Watching paint dry to walking my dogs. If you pay attention, inspiration really is everywhere. The idea for TOUCH came to me while sitting on line waiting for coffee!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Stand up for what you believe is right. Sure, Kale is hot and Dez is drawn to him, but really, she starts out helping him because it's the right thing to do.
What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
There aren't many parts of writing that I'd really consider hard. If I had to pick one though, I'd say writing the blurbs. I've always sucked at summarizing an entire book in several short paragraphs. As for the easiest? Probably coming up with the actual ideas. Like I said, inspiration is everywhere if you pay attention--and my brain is like a random idea generator. I've got files of ideas just waiting for attention.
What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I'm about to start work on the third book in the Denazen series. I also signed a contract with Entangled for a new YA series set for 2013. It's very exciting!
Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I think it's mostly because I love it. Give me dark creepy crawlies and strong characters with jaded pasts and major issues set in a paranormal world, and I'm a happy puppy.
What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
it's actually pretty surreal--and totally a dream come true. The response to TOUCH (and people awaiting TOXIC) gives me warm fuzzies!
What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Hmm... Not sure. Something quirky, though. Different. I'm a huge Warcraft junkie, so maybe something like, if you were stuck in Azaroth for 24 hours, what would you do? The answer? I'd wanna smack Jaina Proudmoore around. For some reason, she's always irritated me!


What was your road to publication like?
When I really stop to think about it, I'd have to say, quick. I hear about people who work for years, querying book after book, trying to get someone's attention. Really, for me, it only took a little over a year. That's insane when you think about it.
Before TOUCH, I queried another book and got no where. No bites, no interest. Only form reject after form reject. I decided to try again, wrote TOUCH, and snagged an agent two months after starting to send it out. It was only seven months after that, that I signed a contract with Entangled. It was luck. I just happened to get it in front of the right people at the right time.

Author Bio

Jus 
Accardo 
is
 the 
author 
of
 YA
 paranormal 
romance
 and 
urban
 fantasy 
fiction. 
A
 native 
New
 Yorker,
she
 lives
 in
 the 
middle
of 
nowhere 
with 
her
 husband,
three
 dogs,
and 
sometimes
 guard
 bear,
Oswald.
Her 
first 
book,
Touch,
is
 due
 out 
in
 November 
2011
from
 Entangled
 Publishing.


She
is
represented
by
Kevan
Lyon
of
Marsal
Lyon
Literary
Agency.


Here are Purchase links for Touch:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-A-Denazen-Novel-ebook/dp/B005U6ZC3Y
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/touch-jus-accardo/1105812249
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Touch-Jus-Accardo/9781937044459


Please leave a comment or questions on this post in appreciation of the author

What Are You Reading Monday? #32

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)





Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)


Summer Island by Kristin Hannah (Audio)
Flowerbed of State ( A White House Gardener Mystery #1) by Dorothy St. James





Up Next:


Mary & Penny’s Christmas Wish (ebook)
A Camp Edison Christmas by Cynthia Davis (ebook)
Snowed Under: A Christmas Short Story by Jude Ryan (ebook)
The North Pole Challenge by Kevin George (ebook)
The Path to Christmas by Ruth Ann Nordin (ebook)
The Santa Diaries: A New Fangles Christmas Book One by Betsy Haynes (ebook)
What Do Penguins Want for Christmas? By Casey Crayne (ebook)

Reviews posted this week:




Author Guest Posts/Interviews:



December is Author Month – Interview/Guest Blog A Day



Author Interview/Giveaway - Under the Moon by Natalie Damschroder (Entangled Publishing) (December 4)


Author Interview/Giveaway - The Last Beginning by Rachel Firasek (Entangled Publishing) (December 7)


Author Interview/Giveaway - Hellsbane by Paige Cuccaro (Entangled Publishing) (December 10)


Author Interview/Giveaway - Busted in Bollywood by Nichola March (Entangled Publishing) (December 11)


Author Interview/Giveaway - Touch by Jus Accardo (Entangled Publishing) (December 12)


Author Interview/Giveaway - Night Series #2 by Lisa Kessler (Entangled Publishing) (December 13)


Author Interview/Giveaway – Radiant Desire by Inara Scott (Entangled Publishing) (December 14)


Author Guest Blog/Giveaway – Dark Chocolate for the Journaler’s Soul by Mari McCarthy (December 20)




Special Blog Hop Giveaways



Gift Card Giveaway Hop (December 9 – 13, 2011)
Midwinters Eve (December 21 – 29, 2011)
Dreaming of Books Hop (January 13 – 18, 2012)
Follower Love Hop (February 7 – 13, 2012)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):




Giveaways on the blog this week and in coming weeks:





Texas Statehood Giveaway - Texasville by Larry McMurtry (Dec 29)

An Illustrated Year: 2012 Picture Book Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

A few of us participated in my picture book reading challenge during 2011. I had a fun time with it and wanted to give it another try. I love picture books, and was collecting them long before I became an elementary librarian. Sometimes it's the story, sometimes the illustrations, and a lot of the time it's the fun of reading them out loud to kids that makes picture books so enjoyable. I thought it would be fun to create a reading challenge for this shorter, though just as entertaining, genre. Picture books are a great way to share stories and the experience of reading with children. If you're reading the books with kids, I encourage you to add their opinion of the books as well! I love the way the family at Bookie Woogie reviews books. That being said, not all picture books are for children. Picture books for older audiences are also welcome.


I will be using the thumbnail inLinkz form for participants to link their monthly reviews to. This way we can see the books you've reviewed!


To Sign Up


IF YOU BLOG: Please make a post on your blog about participating in the challenge. Then use the URL for your CHALLENGE POST when signing up using the inLinkz below. IF YOU DO NOT BLOG: Please link to your GoodReads, Library Thing, or similar profile.
You must add the button to your sidebar - make sure that it links back to this post so others can join the challenge if they wish. Just copy and past the code displayed below!

The Details

Timeline: January 1, 2012- December 31, 2012
Select your level:
Level 1 - Read 12 picture books
Level 2 - Read 16 picture books
Level 3 - Read 24 picture books

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. If you do list your books in the beginning, you can always change them later on.

Crossovers with other challenges count.

Digital books count

Re-reads count as long as you read them in 2012 and you post a new review for the book.
You can join anytime

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.


I'm going to try for Level 3 and here is a list of my books. I am hoping to use my iPad for reading this year.

1. Chuff and the Race Cars by Peter Dempster (ebook)
2. All I Got For Christmas by Rebecca Shelley (ebook)
3. Attach of the Sugar Plum Faries by John H Carron (ebook)
4. Shannon and Ally Visit Lake Ontario by Kate Everson (ebook)
5. The Deables (A Merryweather Mystery) by R A Jones (ebook)
6. The North Pole Challenge by Kevin George (ebook)
7. The Santa Diaries: A New Fangles Christmas Book One by Betsy Haynes (ebook)
8. Blinky, The Great Halloween Fish by Melissa L Webb (ebook)
9. Jumpers by E. G. Fabricant (ebook)
10. Quack-A-Doodle-Baaa by Michelle de Villiers (ebook)
11. The Adventures of Marvin Theodore Harvey by Michael Blagiotti (ebook)
12. The Tale of Bernie the Fruit Bat by Chris Carlisle (ebook)

Author Interview/Giveaway - Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh (Entangled Publishing)

Describe your book in five words or less.
Spicy, sassy, sexy, sweet, savvy.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
Most of my story ideas come to me in that hazy, pre-sleep phase…either a title or first line or character or situation will pop into my head and I brainstorm from there.

The idea for BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD was inspired by the magic, mayhem and colour of Bollywood movies. My dad got me hooked on them one summer and I thought…’wouldn’t it be great to write a book with a Bollywood theme?’ So I did!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Must admit, I write fiction for entertainment value so I don’t expect my readers to take away messages. I guess if I channeled the heroine Shari in BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD, the message would be ‘we all make mistakes but secrets can be our ultimate undoing. Trust your gut instincts. They’re usually right.’ Oh, and ‘Indian food rocks!’

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
The hardest part is the waiting: waiting to hear if a proposal has been approved, waiting to hear if the book has been accepted, waiting for the first sale, the first review, the first royalty cheque. And after 31 books, it never gets any easier.

The easiest would have to be hearing from delighted readers. Fan mail is the best!

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I have a Harlequin Romance scheduled for release December 2012. It’s a Christmas story featuring a hot Aussie surfer hero and a passionate Italian online marketing whiz heroine. They had a shared past in Capri so sparks are guaranteed to fly.

I have a Harlequin Romance releasing in January, WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? (The book kicks off with the heroine chained to the hero’s precious housing development display!)

Then in February my next Harlequin Presents Extra, INTERVIEW WITH THE DAREDEVIL is released, with a George Clooney look-a-like hero. Enough said. 

I’m also currently working on a YA novel, from a male POV. I like a challenge!

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I’m a not-so-secret romantic and I love my happily-ever-afters. Love reading them, love writing them. There’s something truly sigh-worthy when the guy gets the girl (see, told you I was a romantic!) so writing guaranteed HEA is satisfying.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
Writing is such a solitary occupation and writers are usually plagued by insecurities, so hearing from readers eagerly awaiting my next book (or talking up my last) is truly inspirational. Most readers don’t realise how uplifting a few simple words of appreciation, either in a review or email, can be to a writer struggling with deadlines and kids and life in general!


What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Who are you walking the red carpet with at the movie premier of Busted in Bollywood?

I’ll have to check with Hugh Jackman, George Clooney, Alex O’Loughlin, Henry Cavill, Simon Baker, Jude Law, Rob Lowe, Gerard Butler, and get back to you.

What was your road to publications like?
I’ve always wanted to write but got sidetracked into the medical field. I worked as a physiotherapist for 13 years before finally putting pen to paper. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop!

I started writing in 2001, sold my first Harlequin novel in 2003. My first book, featuring a speed-dating theme, hit shelves in 2004. I’ve published 30 novels with Harlequin Romance and Presents series, and BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD is my first mainstream contemporary romance/romantic comedy/chicklit/women’s fiction novel.

The blurb best sums it up:

Shari Jones needs to get a life. Preferably someone else’s.

Single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American Shari agrees to her best friend’s whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, and ditch the fiancé her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple. Until she’s mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord, and busted by the blackmailing fiancé.
Life is less complicated in New York.

Or so she thinks, until the entourage of crazies follows her to the Big Apple and that’s when the fun really begins. Shari deals with a blossoming romance, an addiction to Indian food and her first movie role, while secretly craving another trip to the mystical land responsible for sparking her new lease on life. Returning to her Indian birthplace, she has an epiphany. Maybe the happily-ever-after of her dreams isn’t so far away?

About the Author

Nicola Marsh loves the hip, vibrant, cosmopolitan vibe of her home city, Melbourne, where
she's set the bulk of her novels, highligh@ng fabulous cultural and food havens like Acland
Street (St. Kilda), Brunswick Street (Fitzroy) and Lygon Street (Carlton).

She's a Bookscan, USA Today and Waldenbooks bestseller, has finalled in several awards
including the pres@gious HOLT (Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent), Roman@c Times
Reviewers' Choice Award, Booksellers' Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, and More than Magic.
She has won several CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Awards. Nicola has published 30 books
and sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

When she's not wri@ng she's busy raising her two liale heroes, sharing fine food with family and
friends, cheering on her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team and her favourite,
curling up with a good book!


Nicola loves interacting with readers. You can find her at:

Website: http://www.nicolamarsh.com
Blog: http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/NicolaMarshAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NicolaMarsh

To be in the running to win an E-book of BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD, leave a comment answering this question:

If you had to choose a fantasy red carpet date, who would it be?

2012 Reading Challenges

I'm looking for reading challenges for next year. I'm having problems finding them this year.. I got so used to using "A novel challenge" list to find most of my challenges for the past years and now it's not continuing.

Any suggestions or pointing in the right direction is greatly appreciated

Here is what I've signed up for so far:

2012 E-Book Reading Challenge
50 States Challenge (Book Obsessed)
Audiobook Challenge 2012 (Teresa's Reading Corner)

Author Interview/Giveaway - Hellsbane by Paige Cuccaro

Describe your book in five words or less.

Nephilim vs Fallen angels

How did the ideas for your books come to you?

I love theology and the stories about angels and fallen angels both in the bible and in the Book of Enoch have always captivated me. I wanted to know what a nephilim (the offspring of an angel and human) would be like today. What would her life be like? How would her angelic father impact her life? How would Heaven and Hell treat her? So I wrote the story.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Only that there’s no crisp line between good and evil, and that one person’s good intentions can be another person’s evil doings. And sometimes knowing others will see something as wrong, bad, or even evil isn’t always enough to make a person want it any less.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
The hardest part of writing is writing. Ideas come to me all the time. Even plotting out a story is usually quick and painless. But actually sitting my butt in the chair and keeping my fingers on the keyboard can be a real struggle. The easiest part is coming up with story ideas. I’ve got at least two or three full blown story ideas bouncing around in my head at any given time.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future
projects?

Right now I’m working on book 2 in the HELLSBANE series, called HEAVEN AND HELLSBANE. The second it’s done I start on book 3. I’d like to squeeze some short stories in there, but we’ll have to see.

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?

Because I love it! I love all things paranormal. I love the limitless possibilities of paranormal fiction, angels, vampires, werewolves, the supernatural powers and the problems that come with them. It stirs my imagination and transports me in a way that other genres can’t. It’s what I read. It’s what I watch on TV and at the movies. Writing what you love makes writing fun.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?

It’s fantastic. Every writer hopes someone will be out there willing to read their book. But when you hear a reader say they can’t wait to read your book, it makes you want to write all the faster.

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Where do you write? It’s not really a question I “want” to be asked, but I’m surprised that no one is curious. Maybe it’s just me but I’m always wondering what surrounds a writer when they write. I even started a collection of photos on my website of author’s writing areas—where ever they might be. I call it “The Writer’s Cave” since so many of us refer to long stints of writing as crawling into/ or out of our caves. You can check it out here: http://www.paigecuccaro.com/html/the_cave.html Unfortunately, I haven’t added to the collection in a while, but I’m hoping to have my site redone shortly and add lots more authors then.

My answer to that never asked question would be in the kitchen. We moved very recently and my home office isn’t quite ready for me yet. So for the time being I’m doing all my writing at a folding table in the corner of the kitchen. It’s handy at meal time, but the table wobbles and everyone in the free world passes through our kitchen during the day.

What was your road to publications like?
I started writing seriously around 1992. I wrote a kid’s story and then an adult romance and then a paranormal book about angels, (172 thousand words—still herding dust bunnies under my bed.) Then around 1998 I joined RWA and my local chapter in Columbus and began actually learning about the publishing industry. I entered contests and went to workshops and worked hard to improve my writing. Then in 1999 I wrote a paranormal book called The Shaman’s Daughter, based on a story I’d heard at summer camp when I was a kid. I sold it in 2000 to a small e-publisher. After that I was considered “published” and I couldn’t enter contests anymore which meant I didn’t have the great opportunities of getting my work in front of editors and agents that contests offer. I had to cold query.

It took a year or more but I finally sold another story to a larger e-publisher under a penname. I published several books with that publisher until in 2007 I sold my first story to Harliequin. I’ve contracted books and/or novellas with several small publishers and two New York houses.

But last summer I heard all kinds of buzz about this great new publisher that was starting up. Several big names in the industry were jumping on board with them or helping out in some way. Everyone was saying how they were going to set the publishing world on fire. So I submitted this paranormal story I’d been working on about a girl who discovers she’s half angel and her dear old dad wants her dead. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when Heather and Liz at Entangled Publishing called me and told me they loved HELLSBANE. I think they may have lost some of their hearing when I squealed over the phone. But they’ve been amazing and I’m so thankful to have been given this opportunity.

Please leave a comment or questions on this post in appreciation of the author

Gift Card Giveaway Hop (December 9 - 13)

The Gift Card Giveaway Hop will run from Dec. 9th to 13th.
Thanks to Peep from Attack of the Book for co-hosting.


The Gift Card Giveaway Hop is just in time to help with with last minute holiday shopping!!


I will be giving away a $10 Barnes and Noble Giftcard and a mini book - The Night Before Christmas in California

Please check out the other participants sites

Author Interview/Giveaway - The Last Beginning by Rachel Firasek

Describe your book in five words or less.
Heartache healed by magical love.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
I normally will see someone, somthing, someplace, etc... and the stories will just break out in my head. It can be very distracting sometimes. Ari is a character very similar to an old friend of mine, with a little less attitude. :) Grey reminds me of all the stories I hear from my brother and other military families. The two combined bring together a romance that I've always wanted to create. I hope everyone will love it.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
It's okay to make mistakes. Everyone does. The important thing is that we learn from them.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
Hardest: Revisions. LOL! It takes a lot of discipline to go back and layer in all the great elements that bring a story together.

Easiest: Writing. I can throw down 30K words in less than a month, but I wouldn't want anyone to read them.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

I'm actually going to go back in Jan. and finish up another series. Then I have at least one new UF series in the making for next year involving spirit transfers. It'll be fun. And hopefully a top secret YA series too. (I've never written in that genre, so it should be a challenge.)

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I don't. A story will tell me whether it wants to be a Contemporary, paranormal or YA. Sometimes, I'll begin writing in one genre and figure out that the book isn't working with the elements needed. I'll go back and rewrite, either removing the paranormal or adding. Most of the time it's removing. Not all stories need a vampire, ghost or ghoul. But, they sure do make things fun.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
It's the best high ever---not that I'd know what it's like to be high. I'm pretty straight, lol. It's very flattering to hear that they want to read more, but the best thing is when they will interact with me after reading the story. I love to talk about my books *no conceit here* and find out what really touched the reader. It's the best way to learn. I've been very blessed with meeting readers that aren't too shy to step forward and say, "Hey, Rachel, why did you do this?" or "When is this going to happen?" or my fave comment lately regarding TLA, "How could you kill them?"
It's so much fun to interact and I'm more than happy to share.

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
If you could do anything without fear of failing what would it be?

I'd go skydiving. Failing at that has fatal results.

What was your road to publications like?
I began looking for an agent in May of 2010. After a bucket full of rejections, I decided to wet my feet with epubbing. Through a pitch session I met the fab Heather Howland who was with my debut publisher at the time. She snatched my book up and it's been a roller coaster ride since then. :) When she moved to Entangled Publishing, I knew that I wanted to go to. Libby Murphy is my current editor and every book I work on with her, reminds me that the move was well worth it!

Author Bio:
Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam.
Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her
to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales,
before she settled on a blending of the two.

Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and
barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of
humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call
life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or at Rachel Firasek

Please leave a comment or questions on this post in appreciation of the author

Author Interview/Giveaway - Under the Moon by Natalie Damschroder

Describe your book in five words or less.

Paranormal romantic adventure with goddesses.


How did the ideas for your books come to you?


For the first book in the trilogy, Under the Moon, I wanted to write about goddesses in modern society, and I wanted to write about guys similar to a couple of characters on a TV show I love. I also wanted to write a book in a month via National Novel Writing Month. Everything kind of squished together in my head enough to get me to start writing. The ideas for the next two books arose as I wrote the first one, with a lot of "what if" questions about the characters and the villains they face.


Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Nope, the only thing I hope my readers get from my books is entertainment. Anything else is gravy. :)

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?

The hardest part is both finding time to write, and making myself use that time wisely. There are always 150 other things that call for my attention and pull me away from my books. The easiest part is hard to describe. It's being "in the zone," when, for some reason, everything just works and the words fly through my brain.


What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?

Heavy Metal, the second book in the Goddesses Rising trilogy, is completed and with my editor, awaiting her brilliant comments for all the ways I have to change it. LOL Heavy Metal's heroine is a goddess who never knew it. I'm currently working on Sunroper, the third book in the trilogy. I have a non-paranormal romantic adventure, Acceptable Risks, coming out in April. When I can manage it, I hope to finish a paranormal young adult that I've been working on for a while.

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?

I love writing paranormal because it allows for such imagination-stretching. And I don't have to do a lot of research. LOL I love writing romantic adventure because the stakes are so high, and yet so personal. Adventure stories are exciting because the pacing is fast, and the romance makes saving the world (or some part of it) even more important.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?

That is the most gratifying thing I could ever hear. I get giddy knowing someone out there really likes my books. It's the whole reason I write them! :)


What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

It's funny, I was driving home from a meeting yesterday and thought, "I hope no one in an interview asks me what no one ever asks but should, because I won't have an answer!" LOL This is why I don't give interviews from your side of things, and why I'm so bad at small-talk.

Oh, wait, I know! The question would be, "What are your editors like, and what's it like to work with them?" I have fantastic editors at both Entangled Publishing and Carina Press. One of the most difficult things an author can face is an editor who doesn't match well with them. I am so grateful every day that I've been matched perfectly with dream editors. At Entangled, KL Grady and Liz Pelletier have been fantastic at forcing the best book possible out of me, and at the same time supporting my delicate author ego. At Carina, Elizabeth Bass is a steady, brilliant professional who sees all my flaws and suggests fantastic cures for them.

What was your road to publication like?

I started writing seriously in 1992/93 and finished my first book in 1996, getting the second book I finished published in 2000. I've just celebrated the publication of my 10th novel, with more contracted for next year. So it's been slow and steady growth over the last decade, punctuated with lots of highs and lows and struggles and joys. I'm incredibly lucky to be actively publishing with two dynamic, high-quality publishers right now, and am excited for the future.

Again, thank you so much for this wonderful interview!


~~~~~~~~~~


About the Author:

Natalie J. Damschroder came to writing the hard way—by avoiding it. Though she wrote her first book at age six (My Very Own Reading Book) and received accolades for her academic writing (Ruth Davies Award for Excellence in Writing for a paper on deforestation her senior year in college), she hated doing it. Colonial food and the habits of the European Starling just weren’t her thing.

She found her niche—romantic fiction—shortly after college graduation. After an internship with the National Geographic Society, customer service for a phone company just wasn’t that exciting. So she began learning how to write the books she’d loved to read all her life. Now she struggles to balance her frenetic writing life with her family, the most supportive husband in the world and two beautiful, intelligent, stubborn, independent daughters (the oldest of whom has become a writer). She somehow also fits in a day job and various volunteer positions in and out of the writing industry.
Learn more about her at her website, www.nataliedamschroder.com, follow her on Twitter @NJDamschroder, or friend her on Facebook


Please leave a comment or questions on this post in appreciation of the author

The Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop (December 2 - 6)

The Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop will run from Dec. 2nd to 6th.
Thanks to Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy for co-hosting.


The winter holidays are just around the corner. Celebrate by participating in this holiday giveaway hop with prizes just for book lovers.

I giving away a $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Card