Tag Archives: Author Interview

An Interview with Melissa Foster

Posted on by
28

An Interview with Melissa Foster

Melissa Foster
The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Melissa Foster as our guest today.

Melissa is here today to discuss her first book in her new Love in Bloom series, Sisters In Love, which was released last week.

Let’s meet Melissa.

 

 

 

TRC: Hi, Melissa.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.  We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book, and it is a pleasure to welcome you to The Reading Cafe.

Will you please tell us about yourself?

Melissa:  **Waves** If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you probably know that I’m addicted to optimism. I love to help others see the positive side of life, and I feel like the luckiest person on earth because I get to do what I love on a daily basis. Writing feeds my passion for creativity, and for giving something to others. I’m also a mom to six great kids and I’m married to an incredibly supportive (and really hot) hubby who puts up with me falling in love with fictitious characters.

TRC: When and how did you become interested in writing?  Have you always liked to write?

Melissa:  I have always been interested in writing on one level or another, but about 25 years ago I really got the “bug” and then I waited until all of my kids were in school full time to begin writing as a career.

TRC: How did you come up with the idea of your new The Snow Sisters series?  Can you please tell our readers the premise of this series?

Melissa:  I’m still wondering that, myself! Danica and Blake came to me when I was thinking about writing a happy, light-hearted women’s fiction/romance. I was thinking about the people I would want to write about and knew that Danica’s character had to be a deep thinker, and then Blake appeared, giving her all sorts of wonderful—and different—things to think about. They found me, I didn’t find them.

SISTERS IN LOVE is the story of two sisters; Danica, a practical, even if a bit boring, therapist, who has always been there to bail out her promiscuous, larger than life sister, Kaylie. Both sisters are ready for a change, but they don’t realize it at the onset of the story. Blake Carter is a player—always has been, and thinks he always will be—until he bonks Danica in the nose, and for the first time he’s blown off by a woman he’s attracted to. Then his best friend dies and he begins to reevaluate his life.   When Blake seeks a therapist’s help and unknowingly walks into Danica’s office, sparks fly…

Sisters in LoveTRC:  Sisters in Love is the 1st book in your Snow Sisters.  Can you give us a brief description of the book?

Melissa:  Danica Snow has always been the smart, practical, and appropriate sister.   As a therapist, she prides herself on making reasonable, conservative choices, even if a bit boring, and as part of the Big Sister Program, she has little time for anything more in her life.

Blake Carter is a player. He never gets bored of conquering women, and with his sexy good looks and successful lifestyle, he has no trouble finding willing participants. When his friend and business partner dies in a tragic accident, he suddenly, desperately, wants to change his ways. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to stop doing what he does best.

When Blake walks into Danica’s office, the attraction between them is white hot, but Danica isn’t the type to give into the heat and risk her career. Danica’s desire sets her on a path of self-discovery, where she begins to question every decision she’s ever made. Just this once, Danica wants to indulge in the pleasures of life she’s been so willingly ignoring, but with her Little Sister in turmoil and her biological sister’s promiscuousness weighing heavily on her heart, she isn’t sure it’s the right time to set her desires free.

Links to order Sisters in Love: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

TRC:  Do you have a schedule of when we can anticipate book 2 & 3 of this series?

Melissa:  Yes! There are three books in the Snow Sisters series, and at the end of book three, you meet the Bradens, a family of six hot, wealthy, and lovable characters. Both the SNOW SISTERS and THE BRADENS are in one series umbrella, LOVE IN BLOOM. The publishing schedule is as follows:

LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES:

Sisters in Love, (Snow Sisters) September 9, 2013
Sisters in Bloom, (Snow Sisters) October 10, 2013
Sisters in White, (Snow Sisters) November 9, 2013
Lovers at Heart, (The Bradens), December 9, 2013
Destined to Love, (The Bradens), January 9, 2014
Friendship on Fire, (The Bradens), February 9, 2014
Sea of Love, (The Bradens), March 9, 2014
Bursting with Love, (The Bradens), April 9, 2014
Hearts at Play, (The Bradens), May 9, 2014

TRC:  We see that you have another series upcoming, The Bradens, some of whom we get to meet in the Snow Sisters series.  What can you tell us about this series?

Melissa:  As mentioned above, The Bradens are a family of six hot, wealthy, and lovable characters. Their series is a bit different, as each character has their own book/romance. The Snow sisters appear in many of the Braden books. The two families grew up in neighboring towns, so readers will recognize locations in both books. **PLEASE NOTE** These series are not my typical type of writing. They include sexual content, and The Bradens are a very sexy crew, so be ready!

The Bradens are adult characters that have already established their careers. Their mother passed away when they were young, and their father, a Colorado Rancher, raised them. Each of these sexy character’s stories are about finding their forever love.

TRC:  When you were writing the Snow Sisters, did you come up wit h the idea of The Bradens, or was this already in your planning process before you started either series?

Melissa:  The Bradens was going to be a separate series, but when I was writing the second book in the Snow Sisters I realized that Kaylie Snow had already met Treat Braden, and it became clear that the characters who grew up in neighboring towns had more too much in common to be separated.

TRC:  How many books are you planning for The Bradens?  When can we anticipate the first book being released?

Melissa:  The Bradens will include six books, and the schedule is noted above 🙂

TRC: What are you working on now?

Melissa:  I’m completing the last books in The Bradens series over the next few weeks, and when those are complete, I’m moving onto my next series (working title) Starfish Girls.

TRC:  In your spare time, you are very active in helping others.  You are involved in multiple sites.

* The Women’s Nest is your brainchild for helping women better themselves.  Can you tell us more about this community for woman, and how you became involved in this?

Melissa:  Women who stay home with their children, women who work, women who work from home, disabled women…we all experience the same types of ups and downs in life. Our issues may very with regard to specifics, but the impact on our emotions and lives are very similar. I opened The Women’s Nest as a place where all women can come together, feel like they fit in, and support other women by sharing advice, motivating each other, and celebrating the highs of life, while helping each other through the lows.

* The World Literary Café and Fostering Success are sites to help authors publish and promote their books.  Would you like to tell us more about this?

Melissa:  The World Literary Café (#WLC) is an online community that bridges the gap between readers and authors, with the mission of paying-it-forward in the literary field, promoting great literature, and bringing together the literary community. The WLC offers helpful promotions to authors, reviewers, bloggers, and editors by creating avenues to bring them together under one umbrella in an easily navigable venue.

TRC:  Being a prolific writer, with many books, how do you have time to be able to participate on these other sites?

Melissa:  I’m one of those weird people who does best under pressure. I divide my time between writing, running the sites, and my family. There are never enough hours in the day, and I have an awesome staff at WLC—without them, WLC could not function. Staff: http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/content/meet-staff-wlc

TRC: What is your writing process? Do you have a favorite spot or time? Do you like to outline your stories or just go with the flow?

Melissa:  I’m a real lover of rituals. I write daily from 8:45 until 4pm and then if I haven’t hit my word count, I write into the evening. I adore my office, which has large windows and a view of a field (not very romantic, but it’s better than looking at concrete). My office is filled with colors and textures, and my own quirky decorations of motivational sayings, a writer’s clock, and an enormous painting of a Zebra. My cat is my writing buddy.

I am a terrible outliner. I think I am the definition of “panzer” – and when I try to outline it’s painful and my story takes off in a different direction than what I had plannedJ  I am usually forced to go with the flow. My characters seriously have a mind of their own and I’m only along for the ride.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Melissa:  I really want to say thank you to my readers and the friends, family, and authors who find time and energy to support me. I’m inspired daily by Facebook posts, Tweets, and other ways that people reach out. I’m honored to write for each of them.

LIGHTNINIG ROUND

Favorite Food: Hands down, mint chocolate chip ice cream from Baskin and Robbins

Favorite Dessert: Tiramisu

Favorite Movie: That’s a tough one. Mama Mia and Dirty Dancing (a tie)

Favorite TV Show: I only watch TV out of duress (would rather be writing)

Milk or Dark Chocolate: MILK!!!

Favorite character (male & female) not written by you: I have so many, but tonight I feel like it’s Susie Salmon from The Lovely Bones. I read it years ago and she’s still with me.

TRC: Thank you, Melissa for answering our questions. We look forward to continuing to read your books, and to work with you again in the future.

Melissa:  Thank you for sharing your virtual space with me! I look forward to chatting with your readers and here’s to a long friendship xox

Giveaway

Melissa has graciously offered to give two members of The Reading Café an e-copy of her recent release, Come Back to Me.

TRC Note: For those of you who are not picked as winners, you still have a wonderful opportunity to buy Come Back to Me at a special price of $.99 from September 9 – 14

1.  Please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Giveaway open US only.

4.  Contests runs from august September 9 to September 12, 2013

 

Share

An Interview with Maree Anderson

Posted on by
23

An Interview with Maree Anderson

mariee anderson

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Maree Anderson. Last month, Maree released Liminal,her first book in her new Liminals series.

She is here to discuss her new release, as well as what else we may have to look forward to in 2013/2014

Let’s meet Maree

 

 

TRC: Hi Maree, welcome to The Reading Café. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today. We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book.

Maree: Hey! *waves from New Zealand* Thank you so much for inviting me here. (And I hope the author behind the book isn’t too scary for your readers!)

TRC: Please tell us about yourself.

Maree: I’m a Kiwi — a New Zealander, and I’ve been a full-time writer for a few years… which means that because the room that I’ve taken over as my office is right off my bedroom, I often get to “go to work” in my pjs… and occasionally scare courier drivers needing a signature on their delivery into lifelong therapy. (It’s not a pretty sight when my non-scruffy pjs are in the washing basket.)

I’m an avid reader of romance — paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, historicals, contemporary, YA… you name it. And I generally read around 15-20 books a month. My bookcases are overflowing. My desk has teetering piles of TBRs. I love my Kindle and my iPhone because now I’m never stuck without a book no matter where I happen to be. Bliss! And when I’m not reading or writing, I try to get to a karate or dance class.

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

Maree: I wish I could say writing has always been my passion, but I was a late starter. And I confess to being the teensiest bit envious of people who know what they want to do from an early age and go for it. You guys are really lucky!

I hadn’t a clue what I ultimately wanted to do when I quit work to become a full-time mom. The idea was to go back to part-time work once my youngest started school and about a year out I started to panic; over the years I’d had a series of meh jobs that I’d never enjoyed, and in a year’s time I’d be jumping on that treadmill again? Wasn’t a good feeling. I figured it was my last chance to try something “out there” rather than playing it safe. So I came up with the bright idea of writing a book… as you do. *shakes head in mock despair at her cluelessness*

I was reading a lot of Marian Keyes at the time — Sushi For Beginners remains one of my many all-time favorite books — so I figured I’d try writing something angsty but still with elements of humor. Man. Did those two pages suck the big kumara. (Translation: they were really really bad.) So I brooded for a bit. And then re-read one of my favorite series (The Gap Sequence by Stephen Donaldson), got smacked upside the head with a totally unrelated idea for a story, started dreaming about the darn heroine, and finally gave in and sat down to write it. Nine months (and far too many words!) later, the first book of a fantasy trilogy was born…

…and that might have been that, except for a chance conversation with a guy at a restaurant, who asked what scared me about taking the next step. Which resulted in some Googling that led me to join Romance Writers of New Zealand so I could enter the story in the RWNZ Clendon Award. To my surprise, my story finalled, and I was hooked.

TRC: What are the challenges or difficulties that you found in your writing career?

Maree: (Warning: Painful Honesty Ahoy!) Despite a number of my unpublished manuscripts doing well in the contest circuit, I’ve struggled with believing that me and my stories are “good enough”.

I guess a large part of it stems from the fact I’ve always set writing challenges for myself, and tried new things. Perhaps if I’d stuck with one genre and style of story, I would have been able to track the improvement from manuscript to manuscript and felt proud of my accomplishments. Instead, I’d straight away write something new, enter it in a contest for feedback, query it around for a bit, and get started on the next book/challenge. I never took time out to truly appreciate how far I’d come. (Note to family and friends of writers: please keep reminding the writers in your lives to celebrate each milestone — even if it’s just by prying them away from their computer for a celebratory coffee.)

And even after I was picked up by Red Sage Publishing and started working with editors who really loved my “voice” and believed in my stories, I still struggled with self-belief. (Along with the fact that although I enjoyed writing erotic romance, I didn’t want to only write erotic romance… and it was a bit tiresome being introduced as “This is Maree. She writes porn.” Sheesh. *rolls eyes*)

It’s only recently I’ve finally let go of my need for the validation I thought I’d get by doing things the “proper” way (i.e. write a book, query ‘til the cows come home, get an agent, etc.) I’ve discovered I can just write the stories I love, and readers will somehow find my books. I’m even getting fan-mail, which just blows my mind! So I’m proud that I stuck with it and didn’t toss in the towel no matter how hard it got — not that my DH would have let me. He reckons no way would he let all that suffering and angst I’ve put him through be for nothing 🙂

LiminalTRC: You released a new series in late July, can you please tell us the premise of LIMINAL, which is your first book in this YA series?  Also, how many books are you planning for this series?

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

Maree: The idea for Liminal was conceived while reading Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. I read the word “liminal” and my mind just went into overdrive. Simply put, “liminal” is an intermediate state or phase or condition; a threshold or transitional state. And it got me thinking about how people sometimes feel invisible — you know, like when you’re in the middle of speaking and someone just talks right over you like you aren’t even there?

And next thing I’d come up with Wren, a sixteen-year-old girl who feels like she’s invisible, and then discovers that often she really is invisible. Worse, whenever she reappears, people seem to have forgotten who she is. And then she meets Kade, and finds out she’s a lim — a liminal, who can phase in and out of the real world. Which sounds like a cool trick, but turns out to be really, really complicated.

To answer the dreaded “How many books are you planning?”question: Although I’ve embraced the joy of outlining, I haven’t gotten so far as to plan out how many books I intend to write in a series. I have an end in sight for Wren and Kade, and I’ll work toward that end with however many books it takes. That said, I have the greatest respect for authors who tie up a series and don’t keep it going just for the sake of it. Some of my all-time favorite series have been complete after anywhere between three and six books (Curse Workers series by Holly Black, Dante Valentine series and Jill Kismet series by Lilith Saintcrow, Karen Moning’s Fever series). So at this stage, I’m guessing at least three books? But we’ll see. Wren and Kade might throw me a curve-ball.

The Seers HopeTRC: In March of this year, you released all three books in your Seer’s Hope series.  Please give us a brief description of this series.

Maree: Seer’s Hope is the final incarnation of the very first book I ever wrote. It’s about Hope, a young blind woman who’s snatched from her safe, comfortable life and dumped in a primitive world of capricious gods and magic. Upon arrival she’s transformed—her eyes turn gold. And the people she encounters get one look at her golden eyes and believe she’s a Seer with awesome powers at her command. Of course Hope she doesn’t believe any of this until she comes face to face with undeniable evidence that she’s destined to save an entire race of people from a living death. And she’s terrified she may not learn to harness her powers in time to save those she’s grown to love.

I describe The Seer Trilogy as “fantasy with romantic elements”. The second book, Seer’s Promise, centers around Hope and Blayne’s daughter, Romana. And the third book, Seer’s Choice, around their only surviving son, Ryley. But Hope’s journey spans all three books, so it’s a while before she gets her (well-deserved!) happy ever after. Seer’s Hope is currently free at a bunch of e-tailers, and I’ve also published an eBook bundle of the entire trilogy.

the-crystal-warrior-TRC: Also in March, you release your other series, The Crystal Warriors.  Can you tell us the premise of this series? We also see on your website that you will be writing the 4th book in this series soon.

Maree: I released a eBook bundle of the first three books in the Crystal Warriors series in March, but all three books were published individually prior to that, beginning with The Crystal Warrior and Ruby’s Dream (both released in 2011), and Jade’s Choice (2012).

The Crystal Warriors are men from another world sent to Earth centuries ago, and ordered to bring back women—a desperate attempt by their leaders to repopulate a dying world. Unfortunately the troop encountered Pieter, an old man who had the ear of a goddess and was determined to protect the women of his village. Pieter cursed the warriors to their namesake crystals, but because powerful magic always has a price, he became the Crystal Guardian, forced to watch over the imprisoned men until each warrior is given his chance at redemption. So the crystal warriors aren’t the only ones being punished!

The series can be read out of order as each book stands alone and features a different crystal warrior. But I’d recommend they be read in order for the recurring characters and the little snippets that reveal more about the origins of the crystal warriors as a whole. (The Crystal Warrior is currently free at a bunch of places if anyone would like to check it out.)

Freaks of Greenfield HighTRC: You won a number of awards for your Freaks of Greenfield High series.  We also see on your website that this series has been optioned for TV.  What can you tell us about the premise of this book, and the status of the TV show?

Maree: The heroine of Freaks of Greenfield High is Jay, a cyborg who looks just like a teenage girl. Her creator has been killed and she’s on the run from a covert organization that plans to use her as a weapon. When she hides out at a small-town high school, things don’t go to plan because it turns out she’s evolving and experiencing emotions for the very first time. And then she encounters disgraced ex-jock, Tyler, and her logical brain goes completely haywire. That’s when everything starts to get really complicated.

Freaks was my first YA, and a really fun book to write. Amazingly it’s proven popular with its target audience as well as adults—men and women, alike. In fact I’ve even gotten fan-mail from guys who loved it, and tell me a certain scene makes them cry—doesn’t get better than that for a writer J. It was feedback from those readers that inspired me to write a sequel, Freaks in the City, which I published in August last year.

As for the TV thing: Freaks of Greenfield High was discovered by the executive of a Canadian production company, and they optioned the TV rights last year. The option has just been renewed, so we’re all hopeful they can find funding to take the project to the next stage. I’ve had heaps of readers tell me they’d love to see Jay kick butt on the small screen. She’s described as “funny” – which is entirely unintentional on Jay’s part! – and “badass”. I think Jay would appreciate the last part, at least 😉 And I’d love to see characters I’ve created on TV — that’s total dream-come-true material 🙂

TRC: You write in a number of genres, such as YA, Paranormal, Romance and Fantasy.  Do you have a preference as to which genre you enjoy writing the most?  Do you find it difficult when switching between genres?

Maree: Great question! I don’t have a preference, perhaps because regardless of sub-genre, each of my stories features a romance and an element of the magical. (I once tried to write a straight contemporary story… but it ended up being a humorous erotic romance with a heroine who had no clue she was a part-time cat-shifter, and became Kat On A Hot Tin Roof  in Red Sage’s Secrets Volume 30 anthology. So I give up!)

The only real thing I have to be hyper-aware of is the age-appropriateness of the main character(s) and the heat level of any romantic scenes depending on whether I’m writing for the adult or YA market. Honestly? I adore being able to write about a teen’s first love, and then change it up with an experienced alpha hero determinedly pursuing his bond-mate with seduction on his mind. I couldn’t ask for a better job than this.

TRC: What are you currently working on?

Maree: I’m currently working on the fourth crystal warriors book, Opal’s Wish. It features Danbur, and there’s a bit of a twist because Danbur’s chance at redemption depends on not only the heroine of the story, Opal, but Opal’s young daughter, Sera.

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

Maree: I wave off my husband and kids each morning, and then grab breakfast and a coffee and a book. I read for about an hour, then head into my office. I clear my emails and deal with anything urgent, then I work steadily through the day (with a quick break to grab lunch), until it’s time to do the mom-taxi thing ferrying the kids all over the place for sports activities. I find my slow-cooker is a godsend, because I can chuck something in it at lunchtime, and forget about it until I hear the ominous sound of the garage door opening and realize, oh crap, my husband’s home and it’s gone seven! Lucky for us, he’s a great cook and he’ll pick up the slack if dinner has, uh, slipped my mind because I’m on a roll. J

I also tend to work weekends. It’s hard not to when the computer’s just there, and I have to pass my office to get downstairs….

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

Maree: I’ve already mentioned that Stephen Donaldson’s The Gap Sequence gave me the inspiration for my first ever story, but it was Angela Knight who inspired me to write the erotic romance novella which led to my first publishing contract.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Maree: Nope! I think if your readers have gotten this far they already deserve a gold star *g*

LIGHTNING ROUND:

FAVORITE FOOD:  Anything chocolate

FAVORITE DESSERT: Any dessert I didn’t have to bake or cook

MILK OR DARK CHOCOLATE: Both!

FAVORITE LITERARY CHARACTER (not your own): Raphael from Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series – dark and dangerous and OMG-sexy angel… *fans herself wildly*

FAVORITE TV SHOW:  Supernatural

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW: Loopers (DVD), Fast and Furious 6 (at the movies)

TRC: Thank you, Maree for answering our questions. The Reading Café wishes you the best of luck with Liminal.

Maree: Thank you so much for your thought-provoking questions, and for letting me burble on about writing and my books!

If you want to learn more about Maree, you can find her at the following links:
Maree’s website: www.mareeanderson.com
Maree’s Books: www.mareeanderson.com/books
Liminal: www.liminalbook.com
The Crystal Warrior: www.thecrystalwarrior.com
Freaks of Greenfield High: www.freaksofgreenfieldhigh.com

.

Share

An Interview and Giveaway with Rebecca York

Posted on by
18

An Interview and Giveaway with Rebecca York

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Rebecca York as our guest today.  Rebecca has just released, Bad Nights, the first book in her new, Rockfort Security series.

She is here today to discuss her new book, and to tell us a little bit about  herself.

Let’s meet Rebecca.

 

 

 

Interview

TRC: Hi Rebecca.  Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions today.

We are always looking forward to reading about the author behind the book; it is a pleasure to have you here at The Reading Café.

Rebecca: I’m excited to be here.

TRC: Would you please tell us about yourself?

Rebecca: I had kind of a rocky start in school because I’m dyslexic and couldn’t read or spell very well.  In fifth grade something clicked in my brain, and I finally “got” reading.  Spelling, not so much.  I always loved making up stories, but I thought I couldn’t be a writer because of the spelling problem.  However, my husband encouraged me to give it a try and said he’d proofread my work.  I started writing news and feature stories for a local paper and gradually slopped into books.  I spend most of my day in front of the computer, and I even manage to work when we’re traveling.

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

Rebecca:  I always thought up stories, which I acted out with my doll, but I didn’t start writing until I was a stay-at-home mom with two toddlers.  Writing newspaper articles was something I could do in short spurts between all my other obligations.  I took a seminar at my local community college where people came and read what they were working on.  Sitting and listening to some people read chapters of their novels, made me want to write one of my own.  I had always read fantasy and science fiction as a kid, so I started in that genre.  And I decided to try a children’s book because I knew that would be shorter than an adult novel.  It was Invasion of the Blue Lights, and I sold it to Scholastic.  Recently I reprinted it as an e-book on Amazon.

TRC: You just released your first book in your Rockfort Security Series, Bad Nights.  Can you please tell us the premise of Rockfort Security?  How did you come up with the idea of this series, and how many books are you planning for this series?

Rebecca:  I wanted to do a romantic suspense series focused on the men working for a detective agency and the women who come to love them.  Each hero stars in his own story and appears in the other books to keep the continuity going.  In each novel, the hero of the next book will play a strong secondary role, so that the reader is drawn into the Rockfort community.

All the Rockfort agents are strong, sexy alpha males, formerly in the military or the police.  Each is fighting emotional wounds that only a loving relationship with the right woman can heal.  Each story focuses on how these men learn to let down their guard with a woman who comes to mean more to them than they thought possible.

The agents are:

Jack Brandt, former Navy Seal

Shane Gallagher, former Army MP

Max Lyon, former police detective

The men met when they were swept up in the raid of a Miami nightclub.  They spent the night keeping order among a bunch of tough, dangerous guys in a police holding cell.  When they were released in the morning, they went out for beers and got to talking—and ended up forming the Rockfort Security Agency.

Each book capitalizes on the special talents and background of the hero.  How many books?  Of course I’m hoping that Sourcebooks will want more after the initial three, but we’ll have to see how they do!

Bad NightsTRC: Can you please give us a description about Bad Nights, which was released a couple of days ago? 

Rebecca: This is the story of Jack Brandt and Morgan Rains.  He’s a former Navy SEAL who feels guilty that he was the only man who came back from a mission in Afghanistan.  She’s a widow who can’t imagine falling in love again.  They never would have met if Jack hadn’t escaped from the militia compound where he was being tortured to make him tell who sent him to infiltrate the organization.  He makes it to Morgan’s isolated mountain cabin where she finds him stumbling around naked in the woods.  She takes him in and treats his wounds, but the militia track him to her cabin, and they barely escape with their lives. On the run, they get to know each other a whole lot better.  But can these two people who are so different forge a relationship?  And can Jack and partners save Morgan’s life when the militia leader captures her and gives him twenty-four hours to trade himself for her?

TRC: You also write a series of novellas: A Fantasy & Futuristic Short Story.  Can you tell us a little about this series?

Rebecca: My first passion was science fiction and fantasy, and this series is giving me a chance to write in that genre.  But since I love romance, all of the books are relationship stories.  The first two, Conquest and Hero’s Welcome, deal with men and women from different species falling in love and working out their complicated relationships.

In the third story, I’m having fun writing a guy who’s tough and effective, and also a virgin.  When all-male plague survivors landed on the planet Palomar, no one knew if humans could thrive in the hostile environment. Now it’s twenty years later, and the planetary authority has finally authorized a shipment of brides. Homesteader Caleb Raider has won a wife in the lottery, but he hasn’t seen a woman since childhood—except in a porn vid. His new wife, Beka Gunnarson, knows he’s a virgin. What’s the best way to introduce him to the pleasures of married love, while hiding the secret she thinks will destroy their new relationship? And is she up to living on a nearly lawless planet where savage wildlife roams?  I’m almost finished with this novella and hope to have it out in October.  And I think I will be setting more stories on the planet Palomar.

TRC: You write a few different genres, such as Romance Suspense, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy.  Do you have a preference?  How challenging is it to switch gears when writing another genre?

Rebecca:  I feel sorry for people who are forced by their publishers to write only one kind of book.  I love getting to switch from romantic suspense to paranormal to science fiction.  And I don’t have any trouble doing it.  But I do think the core of my writing is “men and women falling in love against a backdrop of suspense and danger.”

TRC: Would you like to share with us on what else you have planned in 2013/2014?

Rebecca:  I’m currently finishing up the second book in the Rockfort Security Series, Betrayed, which will be out next spring.  It’s Shane Gallagher’s story, and I’m enjoying writing about him and Elena Reyes.  Shane’s working undercover trying to discover who’s stealing company secrets from S&D Systems, and Elena’s his prime suspect; yet at the same time, he’s attracted to her. As I said, I’m also getting Nightfall ready.  And I have two Harlequin Intrigues scheduled for March and April, Bride’s Jeopardy and Urgent.  Both are paranormal romantic suspense, part of my sexually-linked telepaths series, Mindbenders.

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

Rebecca:  I always work on a laptop, and I move around the house frequently.  Right now I’m on the screened porch (or the “catio”) with one of my three cats.  I also like working in the sunroom with my orchids for inspiration and the bedroom, which I’ve decorated like a beach cottage.   I don’t feel comfortable writing a book unless I have a pretty complete outline.  After I know the story, I start writing and get to know the characters better during the first few chapters.  I try to write ten pages a day, and I try to finish a book quickly and put it away while I work on something else.  When I come back to the original project, it’s like someone else wrote it, and I can be very objective about it.  I used to write slowly and then edit a lot.  I figured out I could write fast, then do the same amount of editing.  After I edit on screen, I always have to print out a book so I can see it on paper—where it always looks different.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Rebecca:  I’d like to die at my computer, still working.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food:   Soup (many kinds: Lobster Bisque, Split Pea, Cauliflower and Cheese, Sweet Potato and Peanut).  I often start a pot of soup in the afternoon while I’m working.

Favorite Dessert:  Chocolate soda with vanilla ice cream.  (We always have this on New Year’s Eve.)

Favorite Author: I can’t pick just one.  I like Ken Follett, Clive Cussler, Terry Pratchett

Favorite Movie:  Star Man.  It’s just my kind of thing: paranormal romantic suspense

Favorite TV Show:  The Sopranos

Milk or Dark Chocolate:  Dark

Favorite character (male & female) not written by you:  Michael Gallatin from The Wolf’s Hour, by Robert McCammon.  Women characters don’t stick with me as long as the guys.  I guess a recent woman I’ve liked a lot is Juliette in Hugh Howey’s Wool.

TRC: Thank you, Rebecca, for giving us an update on Bad Nights, as well as what we can look forward to in the future.   It was a pleasure having you visit us, and we hope to do this again in the future.

Rebecca: Thank you for interviewing me.

 

Bad Nights
By Rebecca York
Book #1 – Rockfort Security
Release Date: September 3,.2013

Bad NightsLinks to order Bad Nights: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York’s newest series will keep you on the edge of your seat

When Professor Morgan Rains goes out to investigate a strange sound coming from her backyard, the last thing she expects to see is a naked man covered with burns and bruises. Jack Brandt is a former Navy SEAL on an undercover mission, and he’s barely managed to escape from a terrorist militia’s torture. Jack and Morgan are thrown into a pressure cooker of danger and intrigue, and they soon find themselves falling in love. When Morgan is captured by the terrorists, Jack must rescue the woman whose life now means more to him than his own.

 

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York’s writing has been compared to Dick Francis, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Maggie Shayne. Her books have been translated into twenty-two languages and optioned for film. She lives in Maryland, near Washington, D.C., which is often the setting of her romantic suspense novels. Rebecca’s next romantic suspense novel from Sourcebooks Casablanca, Betrayed, will be in stores in July 2014. For more information, please visit http://rebeccayork.com/, Facebook. Twitter, Goodreads



giveaway

Rebecca and her publisher, Sourcebooks have graciously offered one lucky member of The Reading Cafe a copy of her new release, Bad Nights.

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Giveaway open  US & Canada Only

4.  Contests runs from September 5 to September 8, 2013

Share

Catching Up With Melissa West

Posted on by
10

Catching Up With Melissa West

MelissaWest

 

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome back Melissa West. Melissa is here today to discuss her new release, Hover. She will also tell us what she has in store for us in 2013/2014.

Let’s talk to Melissa.

 

 

 

Interview-REDTRC: Hi, Melissa.  Thank you for taking the time to visit us again at The Reading Cafe, to discuss your new release “Hover”, as well as to talk about what you have planned in 2014.

Melissa: Thank you for having me!

TRC: You have just released Hover, which is the 2nd book in you’re The Taking series.  For those who may not have read this series, would you please give us a brief description of the premise of the series?

Melissa: In the future, an alien race known as the Ancients has helped Earth terraform itself back to health with one condition—they coexistence with humans, sharing the planet. But now that the time has come for coexistence, the humans want out of the treaty, which, of course, has sparked a war.

HoverTRC:  Will you please tell us a bit about Hover, which was released a few days ago?

Melissa:  HOVER is the boiling point of the series. In GRAVITY, the start of the series, the water was just beginning to sizzle. Now in HOVER, everything is coming to a head. Tension is high. Action is high. And in COLLIDE, the water is going to boil over. I think fans of the series will enjoy the rush that is HOVER and will be eager for COLLIDE, which, to me, is the best book of the series.


Links to order Hover:
 Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

TRC: What can you tell us about the 3rd book in the series, Collide?  Is this the last book in this series?

Melissa: We are talking about doing a prequel, which will tell the story of events that led up to GRAVITY. But in a word, COLLIDE is the war.

TRC: You have a new book called Broken Winter.  Can you tell us anything about it, and when do you anticipate the release date?

Melissa:  🙂 I hadn’t realized BROKEN WINTER was known to the world. LOL! I am not able to discuss details of that project just yet, but soon. 🙂

TRC:  Maybe when we like an author we do good research. lol

TRC: What are you currently working on, and what do you have planned for 2014?

Melissa: I am currently working on a lot of projects. I feel a little overwhelmed! 🙂 I am working on COLLIDE, BROKEN WINTER, and another YA series that I am super excited about. 2014 is going to be a fun year!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Melissa: I would like to add that readers are going to feel shocked when they finish HOVER. Hang with me. It will all make sense in the end. 🙂

TRC:  You are right.  As I kept reading, I suspected something would happen, but what an ending.  🙂

TRC: Thank you, Melissa for giving us an update on Hover, as well as what we can look forward to in the future.  It was a pleasure talking with you again.  We hope to catch up again in the future.

Melissa: Thank you so much, Barb! Always a pleasure!

If you would like to learn more about Melissa, you can find her at the following links:

Website: http://www.melissawestauthor.com/
Blog: http://m-b-west.blogspot.com/
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:

 

 

Share

An Interview with Christine O’Neil

Posted on by
30

An Interview with Christine O’Neil

 

Christine Bell
The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Christine O’Neil as our guest today.

Chrstine is here today to discuss her new YA book, Chaos, which will be released tomorrow.  Christine also writes as Christine Bell, whom we have had the pleasure of doing reviews on her wonderful romance books.

But today Christine will talk about her first foray into writing her new YA series, as Christine O’Neil. Let’s meet Christine.

 

 

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

Christine: Hello, and thanks for having me!  

TRC: Please tell us something about yourself.

Christine: Let’s see, I live in Pennsylvania with my husband, kids and two dogs, and I write full time which is excellent, because it means I get to wear yoga pants to work and eat handfuls of goldfish crackers for lunch and no one can judge me. I am a total geek and love to read fantasy and science fiction novels, especially YA. I love playing poker and going to the movies, and I’m obsessed with Game of Thrones, Firefly, Doctor Who (Team Tennant!), Supernatural and Sherlock. My favorite villain of all time is Severus Snape. My favorite hero of all time is also Severus Snape.  

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing?

Christine: I’ve always been interested in reading, and, while I did write some before college, it was something I thought everyone had the ability to do and wasn’t something I ever thought of as a career. It wasn’t until my second time around in college as an adult that I fell in love with it and was encouraged by my professors to do more.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Christine: Keeping up with the ideas. I have a thousand half-baked stories teaming in my brain like wriggly little worms and part of my job is picking out the fattest worm and ignoring all the rest until I get one story on the page. Luckily, I write fast, but it’s always a challenge to focus in and get the job done without allowing myself to be distracted.

TRC: What was your first book published?  Can you tell us your reaction to seeing your first book published?

Christine: My first book was actually a steampunk novella called The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale. I’ve written over twenty novellas and novels since, and that book is still one of my favorites. Seeing your name on the cover of a book is so surreal. Like a dream come true. Totally exhilarating and I will never forget it. It was when I knew I’d found what I was always meant to do.

ChaosTRC: Can you please tell us the premise of your new YA novel, Chaos.  Is Chaos a standalone book, or a series.  If a series, how many books do you anticipate.

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Christine: Well, Chaos is book one of the Kardia Chronicles series, which is anticipated to be three-books. It’s about a girl names Maggie Raynard who has found out that she’s a semi-god (so like a demigod, only more diluted because it’s generations away rather than the child of a god directly) descended from the goddess Aphrodite. She’s having a rough time of it, because her new powers have caused her to do some very bad things. Her mom has written off the semi life all together and won’t help and there’s this new guy at school, Mac Finnegan, who keeps messing with her and she doesn’t know why.
Here’s the blurb:

My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly, when I lose my temper, my fingers become weapons of mass destruction. Turns out I’m a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast.

Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I’m stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this annoying–and super hot—guy all up in my business, I’m about to flip out.

But it gets worse. I just learned there’s this watchdog council of semis who keep an eye out for any bad apples. They think I’m the baddest one in the bunch and want to take me out before I do any more damage. My nemesis Mac might turn out to be my salvation, only he’s got secrets of his own…and they may just kill us both.

TRC: Chaos is your first Young Adult novel.  Can you please tell us how you decided to go from writing mostly Romance, to writing YA?

Christine: It was always part of the plan. The first idea I had for a book was a YA novella, but I shelved it when I realized that I would need an agent to sell YA (at that time, at least. My current publisher, Entangled, accepts unagented YA submissions, but a few years back, pretty much the only houses accepting direct submissions were adult romance publishers). I was in my mid-thirties, and felt that it was better for me to skip the agenting process due to the time involved in landing an agent, and try my hand at smaller, digital publishing houses so I could get things moving as quickly as possible. I had always loved reading adult romance, so it was certainly no hardship. My five year plan was to write adult romance and then, once I’d established myself, I would take the time out to write a YA novel. Life has a way of throwing you curveballs when you least expect it and, three and a half years later, this amazing opportunity came my way to collaborate on this series with my Entangled publisher, Liz Pelletier, I grabbed it with both hands (and feet…and prehensile tail). One thing that made the transition easier for me was the fact that, at the heart of it, Chaos is a love story as well. It just also has fantastical world-building and the extra snark that I always enjoy reading in a YA book and don’t get to do as much of in Contemporary Adult Romance.

TRC: You write Contemporary, Erotic Romance, and now YA.  Do you have a preference?

Christine: I think it depends on the day. Sometimes it depends on the season or what’s happening in my life. I just love writing. I will say that I’ve never felt so at home and comfy in my writing shoes as I did with this book. I have been an avid reader of YA my whole life from the time I was a kid to when I worked at a middle school library a few years back, and I’ve never stopped loving it. There’s a magic to it that appeals to me so much and I feel like a kid myself when I’m writing it. I’m thrilled to be stepping into this new chapter in my career and hope people like reading it even half as much as I’ve loved writing it.

TRC: Can you please tell us what you are currently working on, as well as what you have upcoming in 2013?

Christine: I’m working on book two of the Kardia Chronicles which is slated for later this year, as well as edits for my next Entangled Brazen book. The rest of 2013 is really popping for me with a September release called Dirty Trick, a holiday novella that I co-wrote with author Riley Murphy called Full of Possibilities and then another novella from my Dare Me series called Down the Aisle.

TRC: Being a prolific writer, how do you come up with the ideas for your books?   Does it come to you in a dream, watching a television show or movie, or from real life?

Christine: Mostly real life. If you hang around me, you might as well know it off that bat, SOME part of you is going to end up in my book. I can’t help myself. I love people watching. We’re SOOOO weird and all the weird things we do that are so specific to one person really catch my interest because it’s exactly those things that make for a relatable character rather than cardboard cutouts that feel generic in a book.

For example, one of the secondary characters in Chaos is a sixteen year old named Libby. She’s a classic American beauty and everyone thinks by looking at her that she’s a cheerleader, but she’s actually a drama geek who looks at clothing as an opportunity to play a role for the day. She’s always pairing weird outfits together that are all just a little off for the occasion. She’ll have her hair up in chopsticks and wear a fluttery skirt with ballet flats to school, or a steampunk outfit to prom. Part of that idea came from my future daughter in law, who’s question before every event is “Can I wear THIS?” as she holds up what looks like a dress for a pageant or something from the Victorian era. She loves to dress up so I sorta filched that part of her personality and adapted it to fit my character.  I do it CONSTANTLY.

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

Christine: *snort* The word process is so funny for what I “have”. Mainly, I sit in a room on a recliner with a laptop on my thighs for ten hours a day (except for when I shift it to the side for a while after it gets too hot). To start off my day, I surf the web for all the important things, like “What ever happened to Vanilla Ice?” and then I go on Twitter and see what my tweeps are up to. Usually, there’s talk of food, shooz, and writing (my favorite things), so I stick in for a while and get the scoop. Then I feel guilty for frittering (isn’t that a good word? Frittering. It makes me want to sprinkle powdered sugar on it and eat it) away the first hour of the day, so I guilt myself into writing some words. This is where it gets good. It’s like I get caught up in a weird sort of haze of furious typing and find myself hungry three hours later with no recollection of where I’ve been or any concept of time and voila! Words on the page. I hop up feeling good about myself, clomp into the kitchen, paw through the fridge like a mad bear looking for any food that doesn’t require fire, peeling, chopping or opening, and I shove fistfuls of it into my gaping maw. After that, I pour some coffee and go back to more writing. Then, at about a quarter to four, I jump up in horror when I realize my husband will be home soon, and I quick make dinner, check my shirt for any egregious stains, brush my teeth and sometimes even my hair and pretend that I looked that good all day. Lather, rinse repeat. WARNING: If you become an author someday too, do NOT expect your life to be this glamorous. Not everyone can be as fancy as me and I don’t want you disappointed.

TRC: Do you have a favorite female and male character from your books, if so why?

Christine: ACK! This is like Sophie’s Choice. Um, let’s see. Okay, so for my adult novels, it’s a toss up between Lindy Knight from Wife for Hire and Stormy Gale from the Stormy Gale series. Lindy  was so hilarious and sweet. I loved her like she was a real person, but Stormy is my idol. She’s everything I want to be.  A cool, witty, funny, smart, sexy, tough as nails, fiercely loyal steampunk time pirate. I’ll pick Stormy. For guys, I’m going to have to go with Galen Thomas in Down for the Count. Sexy boxer, loves his woman, smart and funny. Love me some Galen.

For YA, it’s all about my protagonist in Chaos, Maggie Raynard. She’s excellent and if she were real, we would have been besties in high school. She’s dry and sarcastic and funny, but also flawed and confused and afraid because she’s got some serious stuff going on in her life and she is having trouble figuring out how to handle it. She’s juicy and deep and I felt very close to her when I was writing, to the point that there were times where I could almost hear her snort like, “Dude, I would NEVER say that. Delete.”

TRC: Many author bounce ideas and information between each other and their family and spouses.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Christine: Anybody who will listen! No, but seriously, I talk to my husband a LOT, my kids all the time too, especially about world building elements. We have a big family, there are 7 of us in the house, and we are all pretty much geeks (see attached photos for evidence of our celebratory cakes and our CominCon costumes) so I have the benefit of a huge base of fantasy, paranormal and science fiction knowledge at my fingertips. They are so awesome in helping me brainstorm and problem solve. Especially with trickier elements like time travel or the way magic powers work etc. We are also a family of readers, so if I tell my kids an idea, a lot of times they can be like, “Wait, I think I read something similar in XYZ series,” which is priceless to me. I want to be as original as I can and that’s not always easy due to the sheer volume of books out there and the fact that, in fantasy and paranormal, oftentimes we’re all drawing from the same lore, myth, pool of knowledge. I think the key is taking something that everyone is familiar with and then trying to turn it on its ear a little. I can’t re-write mythology, but I can twist it mercilessly until it feels somewhat fresh and new again.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Christine: I’m terrible at adding. Don’t make me do math. That’s why I do words.

TRC:  LOL

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Lobster

Favorite Dessert: Salted Carmel Chocolate Mousse *drools*

Favorite TV show: ACK! Sherlock. Wait! Luther. No…Game of Thrones. NO! Sherlock. *nods* It’s Sherlock.

Favorite Movie: Stardust (based on the Neil Gaiman book). Most of the time. Then Ghosttown some of the time. And Cabin in the Woods. And the new Star Trek movie. And Seven Psychopaths. ACK! I love movies, so this is reallllly hard.

Dark or Milk Chocolate: I KNOW THIS ONE! THE ANSWER IS MILK! Definitely milk.

Favorite Literary Character (male & female) not your own: Severus Snape from Harry Potter and Holly Root from the Artemis Fowl series.

Christine, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.  The Reading Café wishes you good luck with Chaos.

To learn more about Christine, you can find her at the following links:
Christine O’Neil
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads:

Christine Bell
Twitter:
Facebook:
Goodreads

 

Share

Time Changes Everything by Melinda Dozier-A Review and Interview with the Author

Posted on by
9

Time Changes Everything by Melinda Dozier-A Review and Interview with the Author

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

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

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 2013

Amanda Larson is dedicated to her job and doesn’t want to make time for anything else. Until she runs into Jake Edwards. He used to be the cute boy next door; now he’s a sexy, big shot lawyer.

Jake Edwards isn’t interested in commitment. He’s successful, sexy, and single–and that’s how he likes it. When he reconnects with Amanda, Jake realizes he might have to rethink his philosophy on the carefree, bachelor lifestyle.

But, is it too late for them? Or can he convince her that he’s ready to give her his heart?

••••••••••••••

REVIEW:  Times Changes Everything is a great short story.  If you want a romantic story with a happy ending, this is the one for you.  Amanda is an on the rise fashion designer, living her own life and making her own way.  One night, she reunites with Jake, her high school crush.  Jake is a sexy hunk of a man who is a self proclaimed bachelor.  Once reunited, sparks fly and both are swept off their feet.  BUT Amanda is afraid of getting hurt.  Jake kissed her all those years ago then ran off, breaking her heart in the process.  She is scared of getting hurt again.  Plus she wants to focus 100% on her career and getting involved with Jake might derail her plans.   Bachelor Jake is shocked to realize that Amanda is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.  He sets out on a mission to win her heart and her love forever.

Don’t let my comment about the book being a “romantic story with a happy ending” leave you to believe the book is boring.  There is just the right mixture of passion, humor and sweetness to make the story a good one.  Amanda and Jake are the type of characters that we all love to read about.  It seems in real life, happy endings can be few and far between so it’s nice to escape into a book and read about one!

 

Copy supplied by the author
Reviewed by Tricia


Interview

melinda dozierTRC: Hi Melinda and welcome to The Reading Cafe. Congratulations on the release of TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING.

We would like to start with some background information. Please tell us something about yourself?

Melinda: First, thank you so much for hosting me at The Reading Cafe. It’s great to be here.

Being a mom, wife, teacher, blogger, writer and reader keeps me busy. I live in Central America with my family and teach at an American School. I love living overseas and experiencing the life and beauty of another country.

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

 

TRC: TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING is your May 2013 release. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

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

Melinda: Time Changes Everything is a friends to lovers story. Jake and Amanda have known each other their whole lives. But when they run into one another in New York City, their teenage crushes turn into something much steamier and they soon realize time changes everything.

 

TRC: There is a prequel novella THE BOY NEXT DOOR-released April 2013. Would you please tell us something this storyline?

The Boy Next Door

 

Melinda: The Boy Next Door takes place seven years before Time Changes Everything when Amanda is still in high school and Jake a college freshman. They both had crushes on each other and Jake comes to the rescue when Amanda’s  Homecoming date dumps her. Sparks fly throughout their date and there may even be a first kiss. What happens after? You’ll have to read to find out!  It’s free at Smashwords and a short read!

 

 

Click HERE to order your FREE copy of THE BOY NEXT DOOR

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Melinda: I’m currently working on the second in the series called New York Minute and hopefully will have it published next year.

TRC: Are any of the characters or situations based on reality or an amalgamation of ideas and information?

Melinda: I think every writer uses some part of their own experiences in some way. For Time Changes Everything, my characters are from Louisiana. Guess where I’m from? Yep! So, their fictional town, Lake Cooley, takes after a town near where my family lives called Lake Charles. As for the New York City setting, I’ve never been, but I dream about it and that’s why I wrote about NYC. I live vicariously through my characters!

TRC: If you could virtually cast the lead characters for this series, which models or actors would be represent your ideal image of Amanda and Jake?

Melinda: Amanda resembles Alexia Bleidel, the girl next door type with good fashion sense. Jake would take after Colin Egglesfield.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Melinda: My characters are definitely in charge! No matter how much planning, they lead the story!

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (historical, research, logistics) did you encounter writing this particular story/series?

Melinda: For Time Changes Everything I had to do a lot of research about New York City and about the character’s professions as a Buyer at Macy’s and a Sports Attorney. I wouldn’t say it’s a difficulty. I love the research part of writing. If someone could read my Google Search History, I might have to hide for a month from embarrassment.

Breaking The Rules

 

TRC: BREAKING THE RULES is your July 2013 release from Crimson Romance. Would you please tell us something about the storyline?

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

Melinda: This book is closer to home since it’s about a klutzy middle school principal who always follows the rules. Hope Robinson is very much like me in that sense. She meets Doctor Colin Calaway, a widower and father of a student, who pushes her to break the rules and follow her heart.

 

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Melinda: I have an amazing network of writing friends who I’ve found online or through my publishers. I feel tremendously lucky to have them. They often beta read for me or email back and forth to hash out ideas.

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Melinda: I think it has to be a balance of plot and characters. Characters drive a story, so if they are believable, then the overall storyline will be too.

TRC: How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of deadlines while still having time to raise a family?

Melinda: Ha! This is a tricky one! I always have pressure and anxiety, but I’m organized enough to schedule writing time in order to meet deadlines. I’m a stickler on time. I love making calendars, spreadsheets and to-do lists. Being a mother, teacher, wife and writer is hard work, but so worth it!

TRC: What are your thoughts on book reviews-good or bad?

Melinda: I appreciate the good and the bad as long as they are specific enough that I can learn from them. Of course, I’m always grateful for a positive review. My heart swells knowing someone enjoys my words and my creations.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Melinda: I’m happy to announce that I have a new sexy NA novella to be released in October from Swoon Romance. Trouble With Gold is part of a Winter Olympics themed anthology, Love and Other Games. I had the pleasure to work with three other amazing writers: Aria Kane, Ana Blaze and Kara Leigh Miller. Expect my cover reveal on August 23!

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Melinda: I appreciate you having me today! I love to hear from readers. You can find me at: Website/ Goodreads / Blog/ or Twitter (since I’m addicted)

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
New Mexican

Favorite Dessert
Cheesecake

Favorite TV Show
Bachelor (I’m a reality T.V. nerd)

Last Movie You Saw
Despicable Me 2 (or in Spanish, Mi Vilano Favorito)

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate! Yum!

Favorite Flower
Lily

Last Vacation Destination
Portland, Oregon

Pet Peeve
Not picking up after yourself (I’m a mom of two teenagers and a teacher to twelve year olds!)

Famous Secret Crush
Hey Girl, I love Ryan Gosling, but it’s not much of a secret!

TRC: Thank you Melinda for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the new release. We wish you all the best.

Share

Catching Up With Jennifer Estep-Interview and Giveaway

Posted on by
26

Catching Up With Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep

The Reading Cafe is thrilled to welcome back Jennifer Estep. Jennifer is here today to discuss her two new releases, Midnight Frost & Heart of Venom.  She will also tell us what she has in store for us in 2013/2014.

Let’s talk to Jennifer.

 

 

 

InterviewTRC: Hi, Jennifer. Thank you for taking the time to visit us again at The Reading Cafe, to discuss your two new releases, as well as give us an update as to what else you have upcoming for us in 2013.

Jennifer: Thanks for hosting me again. I really appreciate it.

 

Midnight Frost

TRC: Midnight Frost is the 5th book in your Mythos Academy series.  This was released in late July. Can you please give us a brief description of the book?

Jennifer:  Of course. Like the other books in the series, Midnight Frost focuses on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry, or the ability to know an object’s history just by touching it. After a serious freak-out with her magic, Gwen is shipped off to Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more.

In Midnight Frost, a friend of Gwen’s is poisoned, and she’s in a race against the clock and the bad-guy Reapers to try to find a cure in time to save her friend.

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo /The Book Depository

TRC: With 5 books, and 3 novellas completed in Mythos Academy series, do you see an end to this storyline?  If so how many books are you planning?

Jennifer: As of right now, there will be six books in the series. Killer Frost is the title of the sixth book.

Heart-of-Venom Aug 2013
TRC: Heart of Venom is the 9th book in your Elemental Assassin series. Can you give a brief description of this book?

Jennifer: Of course. Like the other books in the series, Heart of Venom focuses on Gin Blanco, an assassin codenamed the Spider who can control the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing people and righting wrongs, Gin runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ashland. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.


In Heart of Venom, two of Gin’s friends are attacked, and one is kidnapped, so it’s up to Gin to track down the bad guys and rescue her friend.

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

 

TRC: When you started this series, did you expect it to be this successful? How many books are you planning for this series?

Jennifer: I had no idea that the series would be as successful as it has been, and it’s been so wonderful to see folks respond to Gin and the other characters. I really, really appreciate all of the nice comments that I’ve gotten about the series. It always makes my day when I get a nice e-mail from someone telling me that they are enjoying my books.

As of right now, there will be at least ten books in the series. I am hoping to write more books in the series beyond that, but we’ll see what happens.

TRC: Being so busy with two series, have you had any thoughts of doing a different series?

Jennifer: I have ideas for a couple of different series that I would like to explore. But right now, I’m pretty busy writing my Elemental Assassin and Mythos Academy series. So we’ll see what happens. But I always have more ideas than I could ever find time to write.

TRC: Can you please tell us what else you have upcoming in 2013 or early 2014?

Jennifer: Spartan Frost, a Mythos Academy e-story, was released in June, and I have Parlor Tricks, an Elemental Assassin short story in the Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology that came out in July. Parlor Tricks is also available as a free e-download. Heart of Venom will be out on Aug. 27.

As of right now, The Spider, the tenth book in the Elemental Assassin series, will be released in late December 2013. Killer Frost, the sixth Mythos Academy book, is tentatively set to be released in March 2014.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Jennifer: Thanks again for hosting me on the blog. Also, folks can check out my website at www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts, free short stories, and more information about my books.
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads:

TRC: Thank you, Jennifer for giving us an update on both your Mythos Academy and Elemental Assassin series. Good luck with Midnight Frost and Heart of Venom. We look forward to visiting us again in the future.

Jennifer: Thanks so much. Happy reading, everyone!

 

Giveaway white and rose

Jennifer has graciously offered to give one member of The Reading Café their choice of a signed copy of either Midnight Frost or Heart of Venom

1.  Please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Giveaway open US only.

4.  Contests runs from august August 14 to August 18, 2013

Share

Quest of the Hart by Mary Waibel-A Review and Interview with the Author

Posted on by
12

Quest of the Hart by Mary Waibel-A Review and Interview with the Author

Quest of the Hart

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

About the Book:  Released  April 19, 2013

“A reverse Sleeping Beauty tale where the princess goes on the quest to save the prince.”

Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon.

Devlin’s own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a
magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee’s blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving more difficult than expected.

To save her betrothed, Kaylee embarks on a quest to find an ancient sword and gather a drop of dragon’s blood, while trying to stay out of Arabella’s traps. But Arabella’s traps aren’t the only danger. Time is everything. For once the last inhabitant of the kingdom falls asleep, the spell will be sealed, and not even true love’s kiss will break it.

REVIEW

4 out of 5 for this reader folks!

What a refreshing spin on a common story many of us grew up with. A reverse Sleeping Beauty indeed. Quest of the Hart by Mary Waibel is a short (just over 150 pgs according to my ereader), action packed, magical, light love story between a prince and princess, and the evil that threatens their future together.

Princess Kaylee (our leading lady) starts this story with her betrothed Prince Devlin as a meek, intelligent and gentle woman falling in love with her handsome prince. One day while the princess and prince are on a ride through the forest, they come across the prince’s sister Princess Arabella. Princess Arabella is the first born twin sister to Prince Devlin and she has a serious bone to pick with her brother. convinced he has stolen the throne from her just by being male, she traps Prince Devlin into a spell by stabbing him with a dagger. Before she is able to stab Princess Kaylee (ensuring her blood is on the same dagger as the Prince’s, intending to kill them both), Princess Kaylee gets away.

Now Princess Arabella is really ticked off. Her spell isn’t complete and she has only a certain amount of time to ensure it gets sealed or she will suffer certain consequences. Princess Kaylee is picked up (she was injured when she fled) by others who possess magic and is shown the way to break the spell. Through dangerous quests and Princess Kaylee’s resolve to free the man she loves, turns her into a kick ass heroine! We encounter blood,swords, misses of death, hunting, dragons, magic and ultimately true love!

This is a fluffy read. Meaning, no grit or dirty, no sex .. it’s very PG. I do prefer a book that has more grit to it, but for those that do not, this is a beautiful fast read! If you love a good fairy tale where the woman is in charge, then for sure pick this book up!

HAPPY READING!

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Rachel T.

Interview beige

TRC: Hi Mary and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information, would you please tell us something about yourself?

Mary Waibel Author Photo

 

Follow Mary: Waibel’s World Blog / Mary Waibel blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

Mary: I live in upstate New York with my husband, son, and our two cats. I taught music for five years before being a stay-at-home mom. Now, I balance my home life, work, and writing.

 

 

TRC: QUEST OF THE HART is your April 2013 release. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

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

Mary: QUEST OF THE HART is a reverse sleeping beauty where the princess goes on the quest to save the prince.

TRC: You call your style of storyline telling-fractured fairytale fantasy. Please explain the meaning of this description?

Mary: To me, a fractured fairy tale takes a well-known fairy tale and twists it in some way. Like the princess saving the prince, or the beast being the princess and the prince is the one who has to break the spell.

Quest of the HartTRC: What do you believe is the appeal of the re-written fairytale for adults?

Mary: I think adults are drawn to fairytales as they allow them to escape into the familiar world of their youth. The well-loved stories are a comfort, like a favorite blanket.

TRC: CHARMED MEMORIES is the companion novel to Quest of the Hart. Would you like to give us a hint as to the premise?

Mary: CHARMED MEMORIES follows Princess Kaylee’s (the heroine from QUEST) brother, Prince Trevor, as he searches to find his missing princess. When clues lead to the Woodland Guide, Bri, he is exstactic, as he’s falling in live her. But she has no memory of her past, and recovering those lost memories may cost more than either is willing to pay.

TRC: If you could virtually cast QUEST OF THE HART which models or actors would be represent your image for the leading characters in the storyline?

Mary:
Kaylee- Britt Robertson

Devlin- Chace Crawford (with longer hair)

Sabrina- Shelley Hennig

Arabella- Phoebe Tonkin (just needs violet eyes and blacker hair)

Thaddeus- Jake Sandvig

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters? Are you a plotter or a ‘pantster’?

Mary: Oh, my characters direct the show. If I get one part of their reactions wrong, they won’t let me go on until I get it fixed. For the most part, I am a pantster. I know where I am starting and where I need to end, but the middle is wide open with paths for me to take and explore with my characters. Needless to say, my first drafts look nothing at all like the final product.

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (historical, research, logistics) did you encounter writing this particular story/series?

Mary: My biggest challenge was determining the POV characters. I knew there would be two, and one would be Princes Kaylee. Usually I alternate between the leading girl and guy, but Prince Devlin would be asleep for most of the book, so that wouldn’t work. I finally decided to write from the POV of Princess Arabella, the villainess.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Mary: I have a great group of CP’s (critique partners) I exchange work with. In addition to grammar and spelling errors and typos, they help check for flow, consistency of characters, and the overall story arcs. When I get stuck, I’ll e-mail, Skype, or IM with them and figure out how to fix whatever problem I’ve gotten myself caught up in. They also keep me writing. There’s nothing like knowing someone is waiting for pages of yours to read (or waiting to return the favor for them!)

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Mary: In the case of QUEST, I thought of the traditional parts of the quest the prince took before he woke the princess, then looked at how a girl, unfamiliar with these skills, would do the same things. In CHARMED, there’s a hint a love triangle twist- there are two princes and one girl. She’s in love with one of them, but may have to marry the other, if they can prove her identity. In the end, it all comes down to staying true to the character and telling their story.

TRC: How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of deadlines while still having time to raise a family?

Mary: This is a constant juggling act. There are lots of time things slide at my house (cleaning, grocery shopping- stuff like that.) Fortunately, my husband and son are very understanding and help me out often.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Mary: I just submitted a third book in the series to my publisher, MuseItUp Publishing. While I wait to hear back on that, I am working on a paranormal romance with faeries and sorceresses and witches.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Mary: Thank you so much for having me here today. I really enjoyed talking with you!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food
Manicotti

Favorite Dessert
Tiramisu

Favorite TV Show
The Vampire Diaries (now)
MacGuyver (when I was younger)

Last Movie You Saw
Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

Dark or Milk Chocolate
Both!

Favorite Flower
Pansies- they always make me smile

Last Vacation Destination
Camping with the family

Pet Peeve
Bad drivers

Famous Secret Crush
Johnny Depp

TRC: Thank you Mary for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the new release and we wish you all the best.

Share