Monthly Archives: May 2013

Cassi Carver-Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted on by
26

Cassi Carver-Guest Post and Giveaway-Dark Flight (Shadow Slayers #3)

Guest post-Black and White

Do Readers Matter?

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for visiting me on The Reading Café today!

I’m an author. You probably figured that with the fact that I have a book coming out next week. And as an author, there’s one thing that’s often on my mind. Want to take a guess? Do you think it’s plot? Characters? Story arcs? Conflict? Yes—all of those. But did you know that some writers think about readers almost as much as they think about the elements of writing?

Shadowslayers


Is that weird? I don’t think so. Because readers matter.

And it’s not just because readers are the people who buy our books and with their purchases determine whether an author can make a living at writing or simply pursue it as something fun on the side. They matter because without readers, stories aren’t truly alive.

ReadingI was talking to a friend last week (And her name rhymes with Lisa Kessler. Okay, I’m not fooling you. Her name really is Lisa Kessler.), and she mentioned something that really impacted me. Lisa said, “No matter how much I love a book I’ve written, it doesn’t truly come alive until someone reads it. The readers breathe the life into the book… It’s magic!” And when I heard that, I realized how true it was for me as well.

I love writing. I love telling stories and creating worlds. I know I should want to write even if no one reads my work. But the truth is, sharing my stories with readers, hearing what they think, it’s my greatest honor and my greatest thrill.

Even when it comes to reviews—which some writers insist an author shouldn’t read for her own mental well-being—I can’t help but be invested and want to know what a reader thinks. I try not to let reviews change my future story arcs too much, but if I see a pattern that several people have pointed out, am I willing to fix it? Absolutely! Why, you ask? Because I feel like the readers and I are in this together. We’re both invested. If I cut myself off from caring just to avoid the pain of the occasional bad review, I’m also cutting myself off from one of my greatest sources of joy.

KeyboardThis past month several readers have really encouraged me just by being enthusiastic about my work. I wish there was a way to tell them how much it means without being too cheesy or looking like I was trying to get them to buy the next book. So what I want to say is simply this: Thank you, Readers. You matter. You really, really do.

As an extra thank you, comment below to be entered to win one of two free digital copies of my upcoming release, Dark Flight—Book 3 in the spicy urban fantasy Shadow Slayer series.

Virtual hugs all around, and I hope to connect with you soon on Facebook or Twitter!

Cassi

About The Author Black and White

Cassi Carver

A little about me:

I live in sunny Southern California with two dogs, four kids, five chickens, and one hubby who gives great massages. I get to the Gaslamp for research (okay, happy hour) as often as possible. I’ve never saved the world, but I keep sexy boots on hand just in case the opportunity arises.

When I’m not busy plotting and writing, I enjoy reading, spending time with family and friends, caring for pets, getting outdoors, and trolling makeup counters for that elusive shade of eye shadow and lip gloss that will finally bring me lasting cosmetic fulfillment.

Follow Cassi: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook /

Giveaway Black and Orange

Cassi is offering an ecopy of DARK FLIGHT to two (2) lucky readers at The Reading Cafe.

Dark flight

1.  Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hello to Cassi.

4.  Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.

5.  Giveaway runs from May 17 to May 20, 2013

 

ORDER LINKS: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble/ KOBO

Share

Dark Flight (Shadow Slayers #3) by Cassi Carver-a review

Posted on by
19

DARK FLIGHT (Shadow Slayers #3) by Cassi Carver-a review

Dark flight

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble/ KOBO

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 21, 2013

“In a world of shadows, a pure heart can be the most dangerous weapon of all. “

Kara has been training for months to help take down Brakken-the merciless black-wing who is making life hell for the Demiare. But when Julian discovers a scout has been tracking Kara, he wants her out of the fight-even if it means breaking her heart in the process.

Gavin isn’t much better. He’s already lost so much to Brakken and has no intention of allowing the woman he loves to be the next sacrifice. He and Julian have their hands full trying to fight Brakken’s army and keep Kara safe, especially after her recent visit to the mythical white-wings. Since her return, she’s been acting decidedly…strange.

•••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: DARK FLIGHT is the third full length storyline in Cassi Carver’s SHADOW SLAYERS series. The series follows Kara Reed (the daughter of the late Fallen Demiare king) and the two Fallen Demiare Angels in her life who would do anything to protect the woman that they love. If you haven’t read the series or haven’t yet read book #2- Shadow Rising, this review may be a bit spoilerish although the book blurb does let the reader know.

Some background: Kara is a young woman who once believed she and her BFF Abbey were witches until the day she met Julian and Gavin-two of the most beautiful and fascinating Demiare Fallen Angels- also known as the Silver Wings- reveal to Kara that she is descended from Fallen royalty. What ensues in the first couple of storylines is the relationship between the trio as they endeavor to protect, release from bondage and, circumvent the evil that is trying to prevent Kara from coming into her powers as the rightful queen/princess of the Fallen. But when Kara’s bond mate Julian is killed trying to protect the woman he loves, everything changes. Julian returns as a shadow of his former self and a Dark Wing-a fallen angel who lives in the Shadowland-somewhere between earth and hell; but the man Kara once loved is not the man who had risen from the dead.

DARK FLIGHT continues the storyline as Kara is sent on a journey-a journey that will reveal much more about Kara’s family heritage than anyone had ever known. Julian will discover that more than one evil is hot on the trail of the woman he once loved and unleashes a plan to protect Kara that will break her heart and send her into the arms of the only man Julian calls brother and friend. As Gavin and Kara set out against a common enemy, Gavin will come face to face with his past when the Demiare are thrown into a war against the man Gavin once called father.

The journey is difficult for Kara as she must traverse a different path. When the time comes to go it alone, Kara will meet a power so strong and yet beautiful, it will forever change her life –physically, emotionally and philosophically- and the new Kara will be something the Demiare never knew could exist.

Most of the previous storyline characters play an integral part in Dark Flight and many, it will be discovered, are much more than friends. Jaxon will reunite with the mother he hasn’t seen for over one hundred years; Gavin will discover there are more members to his family tree; a new life will be brought into the world; and Kara will be surprised to discover that perhaps the truth about her Demiare heritage is a lot more complicated and familiar than anyone had known.

DARK FLIGHT is a fascinating and amazingly detailed urban fantasy storyline that furthers the history and background of the Demaire Fallen Angels and their lives. Kara is a heroine who loves with her heart and her soul; fights for what she believes; and is willing to push the limits of her emotions and power to save the people (and Fallen Angels) that she loves. Cassi has woven a story of love and loss; pain and sorrow; revenge and triumph. I have enjoyed the Shadow Slayers series from book one and I am in total agreement with Cassi’s decision about with whom Kara will share her life and her love.

Shadowslayers

READING ORDER
1.   Slayer’s Kiss
2.   Shadow Rising
2.5 The Silverwing’s Sorceress
3.   Dark Flight

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Screaming Snowflakes by Amber Tesia-a review

Posted on by
9

SCREAMING SNOWFLAKES (Screaming Snowflakes #1) by Amber Tesia-a review

Screaming Snowflakes

Amazon.com / Amazon.uk / Amazon.ca

ABOUT THE BOOK: Swirling alcohol around the glass, Lucifer remained silent for a few moments. He continued with a slick smile, ‘Raphael. You have to tell her about yourself. Once she knows, she won’t want to be near you.’

Fresh from a break-up, the thoughtful and witty Eleanor moves half-way across the country to study at King’s College University in London. Staying in her recently deceased great great grandmother’s house, Eleanor knows there is more to the crumbling property when she discovers a mysterious locked room. A century old tragic secret risks being unearthed by Eleanor, who reluctantly settles into her new surroundings.

Eleanor is the antithesis of the rebellious Raphael, whose damned and tainted soul threatens her very existence. Unseen supernatural forces conspire to keep the lovers apart, yet nothing can harm Eleanor as she remains under Raphael’s protection. As the boundaries of good and evil become blurred and transgression becomes inevitable, this gripping, thought provoking tale will engage all who have ever questioned love and humanity.

With an unprecedented alliance between a human and the epitome of darkness can a pure, forbidden love conquer all?

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

REVIEW: SCREAMING SNOWFLAKES is the first storyline in Amber Tesia’s paranormal YA (Young Adult) series of the same name. As the blurb alludes to, Raphael is our hero-the son of Lucifer, exiled to Earth for five hundred years, only to be called back to Hell just as he discovers the one person who can change his view of humanity-Eleanor.

Sentenced to spend five centuries among the human vermin, by his father as punishment for what Lucifer deems a betrayal, Raphael has watched from the sidelines as humanity worked to destroy itself. But the day he discovers Eleanor’s aura, Raphael is pulled towards her free spirit and carefree attitude. Vowing to protect Eleanor from the darkness threatening to claim her, Raphael slowly learns what it means to love and be loved.

But the blurb speaks of more than what is revealed in the first storyline. Part of the focus of the blurb is on the mysterious locked door and the heroine’s great, great grandmother but very little, if any, of that particular premise is brought into the storyline until the very end.

The novel reads like a YA story but a story where the reader sits on the periphery to watch and wait. And we wait a very long time before a small bit of information is revealed. I wanted to be invited in but I felt relegated to the sidelines waiting for something – anything – to happen. The storyline is very slow to build. It is only when Raphael reveals to Eleanor the truth about his father and, the philosophical and theological nature of his own existence does the storyline begin to take shape.

The mysterious locked room and its’ contents are uncovered in the final pages of the novel, and therein used as a cliffhanger towards the second storyline. The locked room was first introduced early in the storyline but was forgotten and dropped by the wayside for all intents and purpose throughout the remainder of the novel until the very end, where it was abruptly brought back into the storyline focus. Eleanor finds a major piece to the puzzle surrounding the room and the former tenant, but there is very little revealed to the reader at this point. But there is obviously a connection to Raphael, Lucifer, Eleanor and her great, great grandmother.

Overall, SCREAMING SNOWFLAKES is an interesting introductory novel with all the earmarks of a YA storyline: the very slow build up of a relationship, the angst of mistaken beliefs and the heartbreak of perceived betrayal and, of newly discovered feelings. There is no sex; no foul language; no violence and only the beginning of a romantic relationship. There is plenty of religious and philosophical speculation between good and evil, heaven and hell, as well as humans and immortals. There is the potential for a love triangle-from two different angles-but let’s hope it never comes to pass.

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Sandy.

Share

An Interview with Erin McCarthy

Posted on by
11

An Interview with Erin McCarthy

erin mccarthy
The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Erin McCarthy  as our guest today. She is here to discuss her new book, True, (our review is below this post), which was just  released last week, and to tell us a little bit about herself.

Let’s welcome Erin.

 

 

Hi Erin and welcome to The Reading Café.  We would like to start with some background information.

TRC: Please tell us something about yourself?

Erin: I’ve been a full time writer for almost ten years now (yay!) and have two almost grown kids, two cats, and a dog.  When I’m not writing, I love live music, martinis, traveling, old houses and taking bellydance classes.

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing? 

Erin: Yes, since the first grade I have wanted to be a writer.  I won a ‘first novel’ contest that year and I was hooked.  But I put it aside in college to get a more practical degree, which I never used. That’s what you call irony, for sure.

TRC: What challenges have you faced getting your novels published? 

Erin: I wrote 9 books before I sold my first manuscript, so that was definitely a challenge.  But with each book, I honed my writing skills and got a lot of great advice from editors, so in the end, it was worth the wait. 

True


TRC: True is your latest release, can you please give us a brief description of this book?  Is this a standalone book, or is this part of a series?

Erin: TRUE is my first new adult story.  Rory is socially awkward and is just looking to have the same sexual experiences as other girls, only she is not prepared for the feelings she winds up having for Tyler.  There will be a second book, out in November 2013 with characters from TRUE. 

 Links to order True:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble  /  Kobo

TRC: In July you have your second book of your Impalers series, Fangs for Nothing.  Can you please tell us the premise of the Impalers series, and a brief description of Fangs for Nothing?  How many books are you planning for this series?

Erin: There’s just the two books in the series.  Kathy and I came up with the idea for the books when talking about how easy it would be to hide as a vampire in New Orleans, a city we both love.  Then I’m not even sure how we leaped from there to the movie the Hangover and blending the two, but it involved wine and lots of laughing.  Basically, the books show ‘the night after’ when a vampire band wakes up with no memory of the night before.  In the second book, the band members again lose their memory after Saxon’s wedding and wake up in a dominatrix dungeon. 

TRC: You also just released in March, Seeing is Believing in your Ohio’s Most Haunted Towns series. Can you please tell our members about the premise of this series, and how many books are you planning?

Erin: These books have a light paranormal element involving ghost’s in a fictional haunted town.  A Date With the Other Side was the first, then Heiress for Hire (which was just reissued with a new cover) and the latest installment, Seeing Is Believing.  This is it for this series, since the third book jumped fifteen years in time.

TRC: You write contemporary and paranormal romance, as well as YA.  Do you have a favorite genre?  Is there any other type of genre that interests you to try?

Erin: I like writing the emotional stuff more than the humor but I definitely like writing all of it or I wouldn’t do it. 😉 

TRC: Your YA book, The Coming Dark was self-published.  Will you continue to do more self-publishing of e-books?  Will there be another book after The Coming Dark?

Erin: I don’t see myself doing a follow up to The Coming Dark because I have no clue how I would cram writing it into my schedule.  This was a book I wrote several years ago and sold to a publisher and due to creative differences, I ended up self-publishing it instead.  So this was a bit of a one-off thing for me.

TRC: Can you please tell us what are you working on now? 

Erin: I am working on a second new adult book, which features the heroine from TRUE’s roommate, Jessica.  Rory and Jessica are total opposites, and while Jessica may have a ton of sexual experience, she has never let a guy into her heart—until now.  It will be released in November of this year.

TRC: Can you please tell us your writing process?  Do you have a favorite spot or specific time to write?

Erin: I write anywhere that isn’t a desk.  The couch, the bed, the coffeeshop… I tend to migrate all over as I’m working.  I write Monday through Friday and basically I get up, check email and social media, then write until lunch.  Work out, write until my son needs to be picked up.  I’m very disciplined and very boring. 

TRC: When you are not writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?

Erin: Oops, I jumped the gun and answered this in the first question.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food– pizza

Favorite Dessert- ice cream

Favorite TV show– At the moment, it’s The Following

Favorite Movie– I never get tired of watching Love, Actually. 

Dark or Milk Chocolate- Neither, I’m allergic to chocolate!

Favorite Literary Character (male & female) not your own: Mr. Darcy.  Dreamy sigh. 

TRC: Erin, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.  The Reading Café wishes you good luck with your books, and we look forward to having you visit us again.

Erin: Thanks for having me!

About The Author Black and BlueErin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres.  The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award.  She lives with her family in Ohio. 

Website: www.erinmccarthy.net/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorerin
Facebook: www.facebook.com/erinmccarthybooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7941.Erin_McCarthy

Share

True by Erin McCarthy – a Review

Posted on by
6

True by Erin McCarthy – a Review

 

True

Links to order True: Amazon / Barnes & Noble  /  Kobo

Description:
When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart,
no matter what the cost.

Review:

True by Erin McCarthy is her first book under the New Adult genre. What is New Adult?  It is the next age group after the early teens in YA, which is usually college age protagonists.  This was my first foray into reading New Adult, and I had mixed feelings about it. 

Erin McCarthy has a nice voice, and I did enjoy her writing.  The start of the book did not grab my attention, as our heroine Rory was almost raped by another student, as they sat around at a party, with everyone else in other rooms having sex.  Not the way I would have liked to start.  Of course, Rory is saved by her roommate’s boyfriend, or perhaps just a sex partner for the night. 

Tyler is our hero, and I really did like Tyler, but after things settled a bit.  Rory made a wonderful heroine, and as the book went further, her and Tyler really did make a great  young couple.  Both with different lifestyles, as she had a great future, and he came from an impoverish family, with a mother who was a drug addict. 

Getting away from the start of rape, losing one’s virginity, the story completely turned around, and I ended up enjoying the story.  The best part of the story was Rory falling in love with Tyler, and his brothers. I loved seeing her help them, and the boys all caring for Rory.  Despite his wanting to make a life for himself, and protect his family from their mother, it was difficult for Tyler.  He loved Rory, but felt she was too good for him.  The last half of the book was very well done, and enjoyable. I will note that the book ended too abruptly and open ended.  I guess we have to wait and see what happens with Rory and Tyler in the next book.  Though this started slowly for me, it turned out to be an excellent book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

Share

Tangled Fates (Six Saviors #5) by Carly Fall-a review

Posted on by
18

TANGLED FATES (Six Saviors #5) by Carly Fall-a review

Tangled Fates

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / KOBO / Barnes and Noble/ Smashwords

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 20, 2013

“SR44 is no more.”

With those words, Cohen of the Six Saviors feels like his whole world is unraveling at the seams. Consumed by sadness, anger, and guilt for breaking his mating vows to his beloved SR44ian mate, Cohen makes a sacrificial oath to honor her in death.

Annis, a female SR44 Warrior, was sent to Earth right before SR44 was destroyed. But her new human body has restrictions—during the day she is blind, but once the sun goes down, her vision returns. As she struggles to find her place among the Six Saviors, she finds herself the target for Cohen’s unwarranted anger. An explosive argument between them ensues, changing their relationship forever.

Blake, a half-human half-Colonist, has finally discovered a place he calls home. As he and Annis grow closer, his feelings for her can’t be ignored, and he must figure out a way to stay true to his heart or risk losing her forever.

As the Six Saviors are forced into the underbelly of humanity to catch a Colonist’s offspring, and danger from The Platoon threatens to rip the Six Saviors apart, Cohen, Annis, and Blake must face the ghosts of their pasts and try to sort out the tangled web of their lives.

••••••••••••••

REVIEW:  The blurb is very explicit and detailed and relays a good portion of the premise but the emotional and heartbreaking guilt that threatens to destroy two of the Six Saviors is anything but simple. And for those who have not read my previous reviews, I will repeat the background information.

Background: 6 saviors warriors from planet SR44: Rayner, Hudson, Noah, Cohen, Jovan & Talin. The warriors were sent to earth over 212 years ago to stop and eradicate the 12 murderers who escaped from one of the moon colonies of planet SR44. The Colonists, as they were soon called, made their way to Earth, took the human body form, mated with the females and populated the earth with Colonist DNA. The savior warriors are part of the elite military from planet SR44, commissioned to remove the Colonists from Earth, but as the Colonists continued to breed, so too did their offspring and the number of inhabitants on earth with Colonist DNA is unknown. The Six Saviors have been unsuccessful in their attempts to locate all of the original Colonists and anyone with Colonist DNA.

Tangled Fates is not only the title but is the psychological and emotional fall out in the aftermath of the destruction of planet SR44 and the ensuing guilt that burdens the survivors-guilt that has been placed upon the warriors by themselves as well as the few who literally fell to earth to keep their species alive. The fate of all those who remain has been threatened by a rogue group of warriors, known as the Platoon, hell-bent on revenge against the original warriors sent to earth over two hundred years ago.

Believing and hoping the Six Saviors had eradicated all threats against the SR44ians, The Platoon make it their mission to destroy anyone with a history of evil, and in doing so may have inadvertently revealed the existence of the SR44 to the human population of Earth. Not only does The Platoon hope to remove all traces of The Colonists but they want the Six Saviors to pay for the destruction of their planet.

Tangled Fates is a darker storyline and one that drew on the reader’s emotions and personal entanglement with the series characters and premise. We watch as two of their own sit on the precipice of self-destruction knowing that in truth one or both may not return. With the death of a mate, sorrow and grief become the survivor’s companion, but when the death of one’s mate destroys the soul and the very essence of the man, the journey will be difficult for those left behind.

Carly has written a storyline where grief and sorrow manifest themselves in different ways and at times it was difficult to accept the behavior of the bereaved. Everyone handles death in a different way and Tangled Fates is a storyline that will touch many readers who have grown to love the Six Saviors of SR44.

Copy supplied by the author,

READING ORDER:
The Light Within Me
Finding My Faith
REBORN
Beverly’s Rebirth
Destiny’s Shift
Tangled Fates

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

Cover Reveals- May 15, 2013

Posted on by
10

Cover Reveals-May 15, 2013

Behind Closed Doors June 2013png

 

TITLE: Behind Closed Doors

AUTHOR: Lisa Renee Jones

SERIES: Inside Out Trilogy Novellas

RELEASE DATE: June 3, 2013

Click HERE for full details

 

 

Shadowed Oct 2013

 

TITLE: Shadowed

AUTHOR: Rebecca Zanetti

SERIES: Dark Protectors

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

Forgotten Sins July 2013

 

TITLE: Forgotten Sins

AUTHOR: Rebecca Zanetti

SERIES: Sins Brother

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

 

 

 

Gravity May 2013

 

 

TITLE: Gravity

AUTHOR: Dannika Dark

SERIES: Mageri #4

RELEASE DATE: May 2013

 

 

OneMoreDay Dec 2013

 

TITLE: One More Day

AUTHOR: L.S. Murphy et al.

SERIES: Anthology

RELEASE DATE: December 2013

 

 

 

Broken-Blade-Jan 2014jpg

 

TITLE: Broken Blade

AUTHOR: J.C. Daniels

SERIES:  Colbana

RELEASE DATE: January 2014

 

 

 

Dark Series Trilogy

Dark Lycan: September 2013

Dark Wolf: January 2014

Dark Blood: September 2014

AUTHOR: Christine Feehan

SERIES: Dark (Carpathian)

 

Flamebound Dec 2013

 

TITLE: Flamebound

AUTHOR: Tessa Adams

SERIES: Lone Star Witch

RELEASE DATE: December 2013

 

 

 

Bachelor's Special June 2013

 

TITLE: Bachelor’s Special

AUTHOR: Christine Warner

SERIES: N/A

RELEASE DATE: June 2013

 

 

 

Hell Bent Nov 2013

 

TITLE: Hell Bent

AUTHOR: Devon Monk

SERIES: Broken Magic #1

RELEASE DATE: November 2103

 

 

 

Desert Tales Oct 13

 

TITLE:  Desert Tales (YA)

AUTHOR:  Melissa Marr

SERIES: Wicked Lovely

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

The Protected.Sept 2013jpeg

 

TITLE:  The Protected

AUTHOR:  Shiloh Walker

SERIES: FBI Psychics #4

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

 

 

 

Cursed Oct 13

 

TITLE: Cursed

AUTHOR: S.J.Harper

SERIES: Fallen Sirens #1

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

Forever Too Far June 2013

 

TITLE: Forever Too Far

AUTHOR: Abbi Glines

SERIES: Too Far #3

RELEASE DATE: June 2013

 

 

 

Casted June 2013

 

TITLE: Casted

AUTHOR: Sonya Loveday

SERIES: N/A

RELEASE DATE: June 2013

 

 

 

The Christmas He Love Her.Oct 2013pg

 

TITLE: The Christmas He Loved Her

AUTHOR: Juliana Stone

SERIES: Bad Boys of Crystal Lake

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

Midnight Lies Sept 13

 

TITLE: Midnight Lies

AUTHOR: Ella Grace

SERIES: Wildefire

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

 

 

 

Shadowlark.Oct 13jpg

 

TITLE: Shadowlark

AUTHOR: Meagan Spooner

SERIES: Skylark (YA)

RELEASE DATE: October 2013

 

 

 

The Devil of Clan Sinclair July 2013

 

TITLE: The Devil of Clan Sinclair

AUTHOR: Karen Ranney

SERIES: Clan Sinclair #1

RELEASE DATE: July 2013

Share

An Interview with Ashley Elston

Posted on by
11

An Interview with Ashley Elston

ashley elstonThe Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Ashley Elston. Ashley recently released her debut novel, The Rules for Disappearing, and she is here to discuss her book, as well as what we may have to look forward to in 2013

Before we start the interview, let’s learn a little about Ashley.

Ashley Elston lives is North Louisiana with her husband, three sons and two cats. She worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years until she decided to pursue writing full time. Ashley is also a certified landscape horticulturist and loves digging in the dirt.

Interview blue:black

Ashley, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

TRC: Please tell us about yourself

Ashley: Hi! Thanks for having me. I live in North Louisiana and I’m a wife and mother to three boys. I spent ten years as a wedding/portrait photographer and now, when not writing, I help my husband with our landscaping business.

TRC: When and how did you first become interested in writing?

Ashley: I know everyone says this but I’ve always loved to write. Honestly, I never thought I would actually publish a book. Writing was always just something I did for me. When I finished THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, my husband encouraged me move on to the next step – try to find a home for it. I’m not sure it would have ever left my desktop computer without his support.

TRC: The Rules for Disappearing is your first book ever published? How did it feel when you found out you were going to be published?

Ashley: Yes, this is my debut. It was incredible when my agent, Sarah Davies, called to tell me about the offer from Disney Hyperion – extreme happiness with a small dose of panic.

the rules for disappearingTRC: Can you please tell us the premise of The Rules for Disappearing, and how you came up with the idea?

Ashley: The Rules for Disappearing is about a family in the Witness Protection Program and they are relocated to Natchitoches, Louisiana. I’ve always found the idea of the Witness Protection Program fascinating and it would be horrible for a teenage girl, who was forced to relocate (a lot), to hide who she really was.

Links to order The Rules for Disappearing:
Amazon / Barnies & Noble / The Book Depository

TRC: Is The Rules for Disappearing a standalone book, or is this part of a series. If it is a series, how many books do you plan on writing?

Ashley: There will be two books, THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, and an untitled sequel.

TRC: If your book becomes a movie, do you have preferences as to whom you would like to play your characters?

Ashley: Oh, wow! I’m not sure I have a preference as far as actors but what would matter to me is that the actors chosen for the Louisiana characters have authentic southern accents. It’s a HUGE pet peeve of mine when it’s done wrong.

TRC: The Rules for Disappearing is considered a YA novel.   How did you become interested in writing YA, and would you like to write other genres?

Ashley: I love YA books! And when I had the idea for this story, it felt right for it to be written for the YA audience. I’m open to the idea of writing for other genres but I don’t have any immediate plans to do so.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Ashley: I’m working on revisions to the sequel of RULES.

TRC: What is your writing process?  Do you have a favorite place or time you like to write?

Ashley: With three kids and a small business, I write in any free moment I can find!

TRC: Is there a book or author that gave you the inspiration to write?

Ashley: I don’t think there is just one book or author that inspired me. I love to read all genres and I think that has influenced me more than anything.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Ashley: Just thanks so much for having me!

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD – Any and all seafood

FAVORITE DESSERT – My mother’s German chocolate cake

MILK OR DARK CHOCOLATE – Milk

FAVORITE AUTHOR – ohhh…so hard. For YA – probably Stephanie Perkins and Kristin Cashore. For adult – Ken Follett and Sidney Sheldon.

FAVORITE BOOK – I couldn’t possibly pick

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW –  I took my youngest to see The Croods. Very cute.

Thank you, Ashley for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with The Rules for Disappearing.

Share