New Releases – Page 19

Author Spotlight, Books, New Releases, Solstice Publishing

Author Spotlight: Cozy Mystery Author Lois Crockett

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Debbie

Welcome to the Literary Library Lounge where I interview fellow authors. Today, I am chatting with Lois Crockett from Coconut Creek, Florida.

Thanks for joining us, Lois Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.

I understand you have a new release coming out today, January 27, 2017. Congratulations! Please tell us a bit about it.

Tough Luck Lane is my debut novel from Solstice Publishing. It is a Cozy Mystery, the first in a series about bartender and all-purpose drunk wrangler Stacey Jennifer Longacre and her quirky compadres in the Key West-style Compound where she lives in Pompano Beach, Florida. New to the area from her beginnings in Lake Okeechobee – she was born in a trailer off Tough Luck Lane – she lands a job as a cocktail waitress in a dubious nightclub where unsavory goings-on are happening to some of the young girls working there. They seem a little “too” young and when Stacey stumbles across one of their bodies on the beach she is determined to get to the bottom of things. Likeable, but with a touch of sand, Stacey is an ordinary gal you’ll root for as she untangles webs of deception and puts herself in the middle to do the right thing, in spite of her Tough Luck attitude.

Next in the series is Indigo Hour: there is never a right time for a wrong call and Stacey gets that wrong call at the indigo hour one morning that turns her world upside down and inside out. The indigo hour is that time just before dawn and just after dusk when the sky is a deep, indigo blue and babies are born, old people pass, and anything can, and does, happen.

The Third Persuasion is the third installment in the series. Stacey’s at a Memorial Day Beach Picnic when a shot rings out and all hell breaks loose. Stay tuned…

Wow! Those all sound wonderful. As you know, since you’re a fellow Solstice author, I also write a cozy mystery series, the Cobble Cove mysteries that feature a librarian who is a co-author of a mystery series. I have currently also written three in the series with the first being reprinted soon and the third following shortly after. The second book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was published in October.

Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?

I’m hoping to dovetail a successful writing career with the close of my successful business career in about five years. I’ve been a radio disc jockey and the first female club DJ in the state of Florida. Also did a stint as an evening anchor radio journalist. I held an FCC First Class Radiotelephone License with Radar Endorsement which allowed me to be a Chief Engineer for a Priority I broadcast facility at the end of my radio days. I’ve been a bartender, waitress, secretary, executive secretary and an executive, up to and including a couple of corporate Vice-Presidencies. My favorite job is Customer Service and today I work for a medical company helping to onboard and serve our clientele.

You certainly have a wide variety of interesting work experience. I’ve been a librarian most of my life and have also worked as a secretary. I have experience in journalism, too, when I volunteered as an editor on my college newspaper.

What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?

This is, clearly, a beach read. If you’re not at the beach already, Tough Luck Lane will take you there. I’m hoping for readers who love a good story with lots of action and adventure as well as a quirky, offbeat and funny look at life. The series is not at all formulaic and the sidekicks will change with each story.

Sounds like fun. My cozies are a bit more serious. Although they take place in a small town and also feature quirky characters and a library cat and golden retriever, they border a bit on traditional mysteries especially the first, A Stone’s Throw, that features a bit of romantic suspense.

What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?

Keep going. Enjoy the journey! Sure, the goal is to get published and achieve the recognition you dream your work deserves – but the friends and colleagues you’ll make along the way are amazing!

A goal is a dream with a plan. Keep dreaming. Keep planning. Keep writing. Try everything! Especially when bringing your work to the marketplace. You never know what’s going to work.

Inspiration can strike anywhere so keep an open mind to new experiences and fresh ideas.

I agree completely. It takes time to build an audience and fan base, but meeting other authors and readers is a very worthwhile party of the writing experience. It’s also important to experiment and challenge yourself. I am publishing a romantic comedy novella in February, Jack Trumps Ace, that is very different from my cozy mystery writing. I also enjoy writing other genres and have short stories in Fantasy and Horror anthologies, as well.

What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?

I was sidelined for a couple of years with a chronic illness that is now manageable although a bit of a pain-in-the-butt now and again. The support and encouragement I got from my husband and very dear friends got me through the worst of the struggle and kept me writing or, at least, editing until I was well enough to pick up the reins again.

I’m sure that helped strengthen your writing. I’ve also found that writing can be very therapeutic.

Have you taken any writing or publishing classes? If so, please provide information about them and if you feel they helped you further your professional skills.

I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a kid. I’d make up stories to share in class and took every English and writing class I could get my hands on. To this day, I attend as many workshops and classes as time and money permit on everything from writing, dialog, and conflict, etc. to marketing and developing a brand/presence. Florida is very good to writers and there are workshops galore.

Excellent. I’ve also been writing since childhood. We currently have a writing group at my library that I helped establish that is run by a writing teacher. I’ve also taken many online writing and publishing courses.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

Reading, of course! At the Beach! Or… At home with my husband, stretched out on our recliners with good books, warm blankets and Weeble our calico cat curled up between us.

My husband, John, is the bass guitarist for The Big City Dogs, a well-known local band. It’s fun to be a Rock Wife on weekends. All the band mates and wives are friends so we’re like a little family.

Nature walks in Fern Forest, our local woods, canoeing down the Loxahatchee River and traveling. Our favorite trip was to Muir Woods in Northern California where we enjoyed the beautiful redwoods.

Sounds relaxing. While I’m not a beach person, I do enjoy walking and nature. I also have a cat, two of them in fact. One is Siamese and the other a tabby, but I’ve had cats most of my life but never a Calico. I think they’re beautiful and would love to have one in the future.

What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?

I love it all. Especially telling a good story. I’m all about the story actually, and will do anything it takes to make it entertaining and enjoyable.

The publishing business is new to me and I love the challenge of learning a new industry. Solstice has played a huge part in making it easy and fun.

I love writing, too, as well as being a librarian. Books have always been important to me. I’ve also found the staff and authors at Solstice are very helpful and talented.

Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. so readers can connect with you.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToughLuckLounge?fref=ts

Blog: http://toughlucklounge.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lois.crockett?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com.LoisCrockett @ LoisCrockett

Thanks, Lois. I enjoyed that interview and learning about you and your books very much and am sure the readers of this blog did, too. I wish you the best of luck on the release of Tough Luck Lane (sorry for the pun).

New Releases

New Release: Bound to Their Faete by Sarah Marsh

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Debbie

Bound To Their Faete, Book 3 in the Beyond The Veil Series, now available!
Blurb:
To be given visions of the future is no small gift. But gifts such as these do not come without a burden.
Corrine has spent most of her life on the run, fleeing madmen who would see her gift used for their own evil purposes, leaving behind her entire realm and all those she cared about. When she finally finds sanctuary with a surprising ally, her worst fears come to fruition when the Goddess sends her a vision that threatens to rob her of the only thing she can’t let go—her mate.
In hopes of saving her chance of a future she risks everything, but even her visions can’t warn her of the grave consequences of her decision. When one mate turns into two, Corrine will have to return through the Veil to find the help to reverse what’s she’s done.
Wolf Alpha Gabe Errikson has spent years pining for a woman who was never meant to be his—or at least not according to his wolf. But he would give up anything, including a traditional mating to be with the woman he loves. When he finds out that Corrine has been keeping something from him since the very first day they met, will he be able to forgive her in time to save them all?
As an Alpha of his own cougar pard, Braxas isn’t accustomed to sharing—especially when it comes to his mate, but the first time he’d seen Corrine, he knew. It also hadn’t taken him long to see that his long-time friend and ally, Gabe, was hopelessly in love with her as well.
Can two powerful Alphas come together to save the woman they are fated to from a darkness that is like nothing any of them has ever known? Or will they be bound to their fate?

Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/B01N5SPRMP
Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/bound-to-their-faete-by…/
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/bound-to-their-faete-mfm

New Releases

New Release: Dani’s Return by Ariel Marie

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Debbie

´*•.¸(*•.¸ ♥¸.•*´)¸.•*´
♥«´¨`•°..´*•.¸(*•.¸ ♥¸.•*´)¸.•*´
LIVE NOW
♥«´¨`•°..Ariel Marie..°•´¨`» ♥
.¸.•*(¸.•*´ ♥`*•.¸)`*•.
*´¨✫)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)*´¨
✮ (¸.•´✶ Dani’s Return•*´¨)*´¨

Written by Ariel Marie
Cover by Frina Art with Self Pub Book Covers
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 1/25/17

Blurb:
Ace Levatino was the new alpha wolf in town. He returned to his hometown to challenge for his rightful place as alpha and to finally claim his mate. There has only ever been one woman for him and her disappearance 10 years ago still haunts his every thought. His wolf demands that he find her.

Daniella Harper was tired of running. Ten years ago she left everything that she held dear to get away from her betrothed. She refused to mate with one of the most vicious alphas in the Midwest. With a heavy heart, she ran far away and started a new life but devastating news would send her running back home.

Coming home has Daniella realizing how much she had missed her family and with the new alpha’s attention she’s no longer sure she wants to leave again.

Now Live For $1.99.
Dani’s Return Universal Link→ myBook.to/DanisReturn

ADD TO GOODREADS
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31568842-dani-s-return…

Join FB party
Releasing January 25, 2017
https://www.facebook.com/events/1571372666504463/

Books, New Releases

New Release: Dragon Trap by Sarah Marsh

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Debbie

NEW RELEASE! SARAH MARSH’S SEXY SCI-FI – DRAGON TRAP!

BLURB:

All Marisol Lewis had ever wanted was a family, but her ex-husband back on Earth made sure that would never happen while they were together.

Now? After waking up on an alien planet, she has a plan and she’s more determined than ever to see it through on her own. When the contract comes up that will give her exactly what she’s always dreamed of, she’s eager to sign on the dotted line and begin the journey to her new home planet of Dolovia.

But when things go horribly wrong, she ends up surrounded by mad doctors and Frankenstein space pirates. Luca and Baelion are dragon shifters with a troubled past, shunned by their own people, they now work for the Coalition Council taking rescue jobs that no one else can do.

They manage to find Marisol—but their rescue plans take a wrong turn and they all end up stranded on a dangerous quarantined planet.

Mari finds out the hard way that life often gets in the way of best-laid plans…and dragon shifters most definitely do get in the way of hers.

Good thing for her that dragons are naturally quite stubborn once they decide they want something—and they’ve decided she’s theirs.

Purchase Link:

www.bookstrand.com/book/dragon-trap

Author Bio:

Sarah Marsh was born in British Columbia where she still lives, she has only recently began her writing career finding it the perfect outlet for taking the edge off a nine to five office job. She’s been a science fiction and romance junkie for years and when her imagination started to take the characters she’d read about even further in their adventures she decided to try writing something of her own.

Sarah’s also a former pastry chef and spends a lot of time cooking and baking for friends and family as well as painting and knitting. Her biggest weaknesses are animals of any kind…she even loves the ones that wake you up at four in the morning because they can almost see the bottom of their food dish.

When it comes to life in general she’s a big believer that laughter is the best medicine and that there’s no such thing as too much love, which is why she’s such a sucker for a happy ending.

Author Spotlight, New Releases, Solstice Publishing

Author Spotlight: K.A. Meng Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Author

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Debbie

Welcome to the Literary Library Lounge where I interview fellow authors. Today, I am chatting with K.A. Meng from Grand Forks, North Dakota that she claims is one of the coldest towns in America.

Thanks for joining us, K.A. Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.

How long have you been published? What titles have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details

I was published for the first time at the end of September 2016, a little over three months ago. My only publication right now is Superior Species with Solstice Publishing.

Congratulations.

Tell us a little bit about your books — what genre you write, if you write a series, any upcoming releases or your current work-in-progress. If you have an upcoming release, please specify the release date.

Superior Species is about an eighteen-year-old girl who moves to a new town to start a better life. Ivory Ames has caught the attention of four gorgeous guys. At Los Roshano University this isn’t normal, even when all the upperclassmen have perfect physiques, flawless complexions, and hypnotic looks. That’s not even the weirdest part. The town has a strict sunset curfew because of wild animals attacking. To keep her friends and herself safe, Ivory must figure out the truth behind the town’s mysteries before it’s too late.

That sounds very interesting.

I write Paranormal and Urban Fantasy stories. Superior Species is planned for a series. I am editing the second book now. I don’t have a release date.

Good luck with that.

Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?

My main goal is to finish the Superior Species books which will take the next few years. I need to write them. My plan is to write the books, put it aside for a bit, and then edit it. My goal is to release two a year.

Nice. I write a series, too, although I enjoy writing short stories and standalones. I find it’s always good to put a first draft aside after you finish it and then go back and edit when it’s fresh to you again.

What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?

I hope to attract readers who are interested in the paranormal just like me. I believe those who are tired of monsters not being scary anymore will enjoy my books. My plan is to bring the fear back for them. My characters might be good-looking, but they’re still monsters.

Interesting point. I sometimes enjoy a touch of the paranormal in the books I read. My self-published book, Cloudy Rainbow, was a paranormal romance, and I also have another that I started and hope to finish one day.

What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?

Never give up. If you want to be an author, write the book, find a great writers group or friends to polish it, and then submit it. Keep submitting until you are published. I do recommend going with a publisher the first time. You need help. I’ve learned so much in the last few months. For those self-published and are making it, I applaud you.

I agree. You have to be persistent to get noticed in this competitive field. You’re also right about self-publishing. It’s not for everyone, although some people do well.

What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?

My biggest struggle was trying to find a publisher. I had a lot of rejections, but I never gave up.

It’s very hard to break in; but like the saying goes, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” I’m currently querying agents for another title. No bites yet, but I’m not letting the rejections stop me from continuing to submit.

Have you taken any writing or publishing classes? If so, please provide information about them and if you feel they helped you further your professional skills.

I’ve taken two writing classes in college. I’m also involved in critique groups. They helped me out and shaped me.

I’m involved in my library’s writing group now, and I also took some online writing and publishing courses. In addition, I had journalism experience from the work on my college newspaper.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

My hobbies are reading, watching TV and movies, and playing board games. I’m a homebody and I’m proud of it.

There’s nothing wrong with being a homebody. I think most of us authors are. I like to travel a little but mostly to conferences and with my family in the summer, but I don’t like to spend too much time away especially since I have cats.

What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?

I like being an author because it’s my dream job and I’m slowly building the career to do it. What I dislike is how long it is taking. I want to write every day only, but I like to eat. The toughest job so far is marketing my books. I’m still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Can’t I have a fairy godmother? *Twirls wand* The next day, I’m a best seller.

Lol. I feel very much the same. I work full-time, so I can’t devote much of the day to writing except the early morning. Marketing is tough. It can be frustrating and time consuming without much reward. However, I agree the best marketing tool for authors is to write more books. You have to prioritize all the rest including eating and sleeping, of course.

Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. and include some book cover graphics and author photos if possible.

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/KAMengAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KAMengAuthor

Website: http://www.kamengauthor.com/

Blog: http://www.kamengauthor.com/blog

Superior Species buy link Amazon: getBook.at/SuperiorSpecies

Superior Species trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOzCNL3irmg

Wonderful! Thanks for the interview, K.A. I wish you all the best on your series and future writings.

Blog Tour, New Releases

New Release: Canoples Investigations Exposes Space Dodger Release Tour

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Debbie

Welcome to the Canoples Investigations Exposes Space Dodger release tour. This is the third novel and fourth story in this series. Strap on your restraints and be ready for an exciting ride… oh, once you have the book in hand, you will discover there’s a special added attraction—the first chapter of Secret Society: A Canoples Investigations Novella!

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01N0OBRS6

Blurb

There’s a carnival on the station, with all kinds of “legally” cloned animals, more than a few zero-G acrobats, and miniature clowns. BD’s ever present suspicious mind latches onto one thing when the advance team for Galactic Carnival arrives to begin preparations for a weeklong visit. The ringmaster looks familiar, but the man swears that he has never been to Canoples Station before. Even worse, children five and under are disappearing. A bit of investigating on BD’s part clues him in to the fact this has happened on every station Galactic Carnival has visited so far. He’s determined to uncover the true identity of the ringmaster and solve the mystery of the missing children, but at what cost. Is BD willing to lose his lifelong friends to solve this case? Will they prove Jenna Rock, Wade’s girlfriend, isn’t involved?

About K.C. Sprayberry

Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.

She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.

Excerpt

It feels so good to have Mildred close. I can’t think of her as Jenna, even when she has on her trademark wig and is wearing stage makeup like she is now. Granted, she’s the premier space grunge/rap artist in the whole galaxy. Everywhere she goes, people want to touch and possess her, but here on Canoples Station, I do my best to give her the room she needs to wind down.

That is, until I got a message late last night from her. I still can’t believe what she’s done. That my girl, who has absolutely no investigative training, has stumbled onto and taken control of a situation that is potentially explosive and might endanger her life without consulting Security on any of the stations where she’s performed until now just boggles my mind.

“You know.” She giggles. “I dream about moments like this.”

Her comment startles me. Here we are, stuck near the space dock with so many people around that it’s hard to keep an eye on everyone, and she says that. Sometimes, I think Mildred is a lot like BD.

“What do you mean?” I take my gaze off the crowd to look at her.

Interview with the Author

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?

I read. Of course, I read. I’m an author and reading is vital to what we do, but I also have certain books that draw me back. Action/adventure, science fiction, and fantasy top the list. Also, real life crime books are very intriguing. I’ll also cook—as in I take over the kitchen and without a recipe of really anything more than some ingredients, create new dishes. The most recent one was a pasta salad that was nothing more than tossing the pasta with leftover ham, whatever veggies were in the fridge, and then adding a great natural balsamic/olive oil vinaigrette. Everyone loved that. Or my tacos in pasta shells, which was created one night when I forgot to pick up taco shells. That’s an often requested family favorite. My biggest relax and recharge my batteries is to grab my camera and go out into the country, just taking pictures of whatever I find interesting.

What truly motivates you in general? In your writing?

The story motivates me. I have to hear the characters and be able to visualize the scenes in order to write my books. Often times, I am writing with my eyes closed, thinking about the whole scene as it’s unwinding in my head, and getting down the small details that make the book important.

Where do your ideas come from?

For the Canoples Investigations series, the story began on the afternoon of September 11, 2001. Writing that day had become impossible, just like many people found they couldn’t function after the devastating news struck. My youngest was about two months away from his sixth birthday and once we got home from kindergarten, he asked me why bad people want to hurt so many other people all at one time. This child needed to understand why his nice safe world didn’t feel that any longer. All I could tell him is that was a time when we looked for heroes, for people who stand up against injustice and put the world right again. He sadly said that it was too bad there weren’t any kids around who could do that. That moment was when the characters of BD, Carl, Cassie, and Terry began to fight their way to the surface. It would take another ten years before I could write their tales, but once I started, they have never let me release them for long.

https://youtu.be/eZgtik2flEM

Interview with Wade Bradford

What is your most marked characteristic?

I am devoted to my job, my duty. Nothing stands in the way of ensuring the residents of Canoples Station safe from whatever threatens us. But I don’t rush madly into a situation. I go by the rules, always. That goes back to when my dad, Tom Bradford, disappeared. He is the former Chief of Security. Everyone thought he’d been attacked and killed, but I knew better. Only I couldn’t tell anyone what was only suspected at the time, not even my younger brother. To make matters worse between us, I was thrust into the position of his father, a job he didn’t want me to have and one I took on reluctantly. That has caused more than a few problems between us.

When and where were you the happiest?

I’m happiest when Mildred is around. She’s the love of my life. Most people know of her as Jenna Rock, the space grunge/rap singer, but they don’t realize that’s only a persona she adopts to hide her true feelings. Mildred is a wonderful, loving, caring woman, even though her parents abandoned her on Mistlich when she was little more than a toddler. That she survived and became a galaxy wide success is a miracle.

What is it that you most dislike?

People who break the rules. We have rules for a reason. They are there for the citizens of the space stations to have an orderly, normal life. Lawbreakers, those who think the rules are for others and not themselves, always upset the balance. This is why I take my job as a Security officer so seriously. Our lives would be madness unless people like me are there to ensure order.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/K.C.SprayberryAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcsowriter

Blog: http://outofcontrolcharacters.blogspot.com/

Website: www.kcsprayberry.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5011219.K_C_Sprayberry

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005DI1YOU

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KcSprayberry/posts

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kcsprayberry/boards/

Manic Readers:

http://www.manicreaders.com/KCSprayberry/

AUTHORSdB:

http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/5230-k-c-sprayberry

Anthology, New Releases, Solstice Publishing

New Release: Solstice Publishing’s A Winter Holiday 2016 Anthology

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Debbie

The end of year holidays are filled with joy as decorations go up worldwide. Parades give everyone a chance to join with others in happiness. Families make plans to gather for meals and celebrations.

A season for joy…

A season for celebration…

A season for family…

Solstice Publishing presents eleven talented authors with a dozen stories that portray the winter holiday season in many ways. Each tale will fill you with wonder, joy, and a sense of earned togetherness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm8GCXvEYik&feature=youtu.be

Celebrate with K.C. Sprayberry, Donna Alice Patton, Johnny Gunn, Susan Lynn Solomon, Debbie De Louise, Elle Marlow, Leah Hamrick, Eden S. Clark, E.B. Sullivan, M.A. Cortez, and Rebecca L. Frencl this winter holiday season.

http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01N41UOYH

My story, Christmas with My Characters, is included in this anthology. Here is the blurb:

The characters from Debbie De Louise’s Cobble Cove cozy mysteries gather in the Cobble Cove library to celebrate the holidays. Each character receives a gift from the author; and Alicia, the main character, reads some excerpts from the first book, A Stone’s Throw, and the new release, Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

Author Spotlight, New Releases

Author Spotlight: Andrea Roche

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Debbie

Welcome to the Literary Library Lounge where I interview fellow authors. Today, I am chatting with Andrea Roach who writes under the pen name Andrea Roche. Andrea comes from a “small village called Middle Village in the Big Apple (New York).”

Thanks for joining me, Andrea. Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.

How long have you been published? What titles have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.

Nights Arose is my very first published novel. It is out with Solstice Publishing. I am excited that you and I were discovered by Solstice during the Pit2Pub Twitter Challenge this July. You are like my publishing sister!

Indeed, Andrea. I also live on Long Island which is not very far from you.

Nights Arose is a Historical Paranormal Romance, this is my very favorite genre. I love anything Fantasy really. I am making a second addition for this story which takes place several months after the first book ends. The first book ended with a happily for now kind of feeling. Not quite a cliffhanger but it leaves the reader wishing to learn more. Where does her story go from here? What will happen to the happy couple? I love that in books, and is integral for any series.
Nights Arose is releasing today, November 28, ready for download after the pre-sale which began November 18, 2016. It’s opening on Cyber Monday. I’m hoping readers will discover the story and scoop it up with the flurry of sales that are happening today.

I wish you luck with that, Andrea. Maybe this author spotlight about you will help.

Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?

My goal is really to entertain readers with a great story. I want them to delve into the world I have built within Nights Arose and enjoy the wild ride my MC, Arose, has.
In the next few years, I hope to be wearing sunglasses and a big floppy hat in Tuscany. Lunching in a quaint brocherie next to a cobblestone street.
To make this come true I hope to capture the imaginations of readers who aspire to be like Arose. Strong and capable but at the same time sweet and worthy of such love and admiration.

Sounds like you’ve created an interesting main character.

What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?

My writing is almost lyrical. I hope there are people who enjoy reading a story in prose. Writing fantastical stories, the story will attract people who enjoy stories of spirits, magic, dragons, enchanted stones and the Astral Plane. I hope to appeal to young women who need a hero that is themselves. I want to make them their own hero! Trust in their own strengths, and overcome their own fatal flaws, as my MC does.
I think that story will have wide appeal among today’s young women.

What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?

Read, write, sleep, dream with your eyes open then write some more. Never give up learning, polish your skills. We are in a field where there are no masters, we are constant students always learning, always writing.
That is so very true and why writing is so challenging and yet so rewarding.

What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?

My story from its inception did not fit the mold of the typical romance story. There are some beliefs that there is some kind of formula for a romance story. Most times the POV would be in the male hero’s, mine’s not. The femme fatale. Perfect body, weak and in trouble. My MC is far from the shrinking violet, but she learns how to trust and work together with the man she loves for her happily for now ending. I have been told by so called experts the story line is not what they are used to, didn’t fit the formula. I thought it was time for something fresh, maybe something never seen before can be a new trend.
It’s great to experiment with your writing. I believe authors should follow their own voices and not feel they need to conform to anyone else’s style.

Have you taken any writing or publishing classes? If so, please provide information about them and if you feel they helped you further your professional skills.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration in Marketing and English Literature. Strange combination, I know. But I always needed to write and in college took so many writing classes I qualified for English Lit for my degree minor.

My first creative writing class was in the fourth grade. My teacher suggested to my parents I take a special class. Being old school my parents expected it to be extra help. They were very disappointed in me. I was thrilled! Then I realized my classmates were some of the brightest students I had ever met. They dressed like me, talked about strange subjects like I did, and thought freely, just like me. I realized they were no different than I. It helped to boost my self-esteem greatly, making me brave enough to let my thoughts flow onto the paper. I have been hooked since.

I was an English major myself. Your Marketing courses will serve you well in promoting your books.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

I love to cook. I have been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the kitchen table. Every time my mother started cooking I insisted on being next to her watching everything she did. I actually added some cooking references into Nights Arose. Describing meals with such intense detail it makes your mouth water.
I’m not much of a cook, but people have told me they enjoyed the scenes in my Cobble Cove mysteries in which my characters dine out or eat at home. They also liked the special PB&J sandwich that is one of the character’s secret family recipe. In my recent release, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, one of my readers won a prize for including a tasty PB&J sandwich, but it isn’t the secret recipe from the book.

What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?

I love writing as a whole– writing and having written. My toughest challenge though is dealing with critics that are deconstructive rather than constructive. What do you get out of a critique of “You can’t put two words together to make a sentence,” what is that supposed to do but discourage a writer? I would like to say it gave me the “Thicker skin” as some people tell you to have, now I laugh at myself for letting them get to me and allow myself to think they were better than me.
I will continue to write no matter what happens, even if I never get my lunch at the brocherie by the cobblestones, in my wide brimmed hat and sunglasses I will keep writing and learning.
Good for you. Determination and thick skins are both important qualities for authors to develop.

Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. and include some book cover graphics and author photos if possible.

Available on:

www.Amazon.com/dp/B01N1G9MPC

www.SolsticePublishing

Websites:

www.Facebook.com/NightsArose

www.blogspot.com/AndreaRoachAuthor

See the Video on You Tube:

www.Youtu.be/TXIkkOPaGjY

Thanks so much for the great interview, Andrea, and I wish you lots of luck on your debut release today and your future books.

Author Spotlight, New Releases

Author Spotlight: Heidi Renee Mason

Posted on November 26, 2016 by Debbie

Welcome to the Literary Library Lounge where I interview fellow authors. Today, I am chatting with Heidi Renee Mason from Ridgefield, Washington.

Thanks for joining us, Heidi. Please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.

How long have you been published? What titles have you published and with which publisher? Have you self-published any titles? Please give details.

My first book, Investigating the Heart, was released in 2015 with Solstice Publishing. The second in the Follow Your Heart Series, Goodnight, Sweetheart, was released in 2016. Always Hope, a standalone novel, is being released by Hot Tree Publishing today, November 26, 2016.

Congratulations on the new book. Tell us a little bit about it and your other books.

Investigating the Heart and Goodnight, Sweetheart are part of the Follow Your Heart series. These books are romantic suspense. Always Hope, a standalone, is Romantic Women’s Fiction.

Describe your goals as a writer. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?

My goal as a writer is really to allow my readers to escape, even for a little while, into the worlds I create. I plan to continue to create characters and environments to entertain my readers. My goal is always to make the reader feel something- joy, pain, happiness, or surprise. If I can accomplish this, I’ve met my goal.

That’s a great things for an author to strive for. I hope to do the same for my readers.

What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?

Due to the strong romance element to my work, I generally attract a female readership. However, my Follow Your Heart series has enough suspense that I’ve picked up some male fans as well.

My books are mainly mysteries with some romance in them, but I still feel they are directed at women, although I’ve been told men enjoy them, too.

What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?

My advice is always to follow your dreams. If you are passionate about writing, keep working at it. Keep honing your craft. Never lose your passion, because that comes through in your work.

Excellent advice.

What particular challenges and struggles did you face before first becoming published?

As a home schooling mother of three, my struggle is always time. There never seems to be enough of it to go around. I have to carve out writing time, or it just doesn’t happen.

Yes, it’s important for all authors to make time to write. I work full-time as a librarian and write early before work each morning.

What are your hobbies and interests besides writing?

Besides writing, my main hobby is reading. I think all good writers are readers. I also enjoy hanging out with my husband and kids, and doing genealogy.

I agree. Before I became published, I was an avid reader and still am today.

What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?

The biggest challenge for me as an author is self-promotion. It doesn’t come naturally to me. As an extreme introvert, book signings and speaking events are a stressful, but extremely necessary part of being an author, too.

I think promotion is difficult for most authors. I was very nervous at my first author talk, but it helps to prepare and realize that people are attending because they are supporting you. You get used to it and even begin to enjoy it after a while.

Please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. and include some book cover graphics and author photos if possible.

www.facebook.com/heidireneemason

www.twitter.com/heidireneemason

www.instagram.com/author_heidireneemason

www.heidireneemason.wordpress.com

Thanks for the interview, Heidi, and best of luck on your new release.

Limitless Publishing, New Releases

New Release: Catch and Release by A. L. Vincent

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Debbie

TITLE: Catch And Release

SERIES: Fleur de Lis, Book #.5

AUTHOR: A.L. Vincent

“Thirty days to find Mr. Right…”

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Another Christmas season looms on the horizon, and Carly Devereaux is single. Again…
All Carly wants is to find the right guy, someone to snuggle during those long, chilly winter nights and watch cheesy holiday movies with. But she doesn’t have the best luck with men. She’s already dated every broke, neurotic, emotionally unavailable man in a five-mile radius. However, she’s determined to make this year different. This Christmas, she’s going to find the perfect guy.

The goal—find her true love by Christmas Eve…

Carly has thirty days to sort through mixed signals from her best friend, an unwanted attraction to the wrong guy, and a slew of horrible online dates. If something can go wrong with her love life…it will.

She won’t give up, though. She’s spent her last year trimming the tree alone. Now all she has to do is beat the odds and find Mr. Right.

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON! READ FOR FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED!

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/2gdeheb

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2fuOGeT

AMAZON AU: http://amzn.to/2fCRB2n

AMAZON CA: http://amzn.to/2eCEnpx

MEET THE AUTHOR: A.L. Vincent is a teacher/writer who lives in the heart of Cajun Country. Born in Oklahoma, A.L. became fascinated with South Louisiana after reading Interview With the Vampire. Finally, she became a Cajun transplant in 2001. When not getting lost in a story line, A.L. can be found cooking or enjoying live local music. A.L. has one son, and a furball of a dog aptly named Furby.

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/al-vincent/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALVincentAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soonergirl1975
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12945977-a-l-vincent