Friday, June 29, 2012

Fiery Pursuit by Jean Hart Stewart -- Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway


Today we're welcoming author Jean Hart Stewart to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for Fiery Pursuit, Book One in her new Passionate Pursuits series, a paranormal erotic historical available from Ellora's Cave.

At every stop, Jean will give one commenter her choice of a book from Jean's backlist which can be found at www.JeanHartStewart.com At the end of the tour, one random commenter will win their pick of Jean's books in print, plus a Fiery Pursuits t-shirt, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win cool prizes!

Jean agreed to answer a few questions for me today. Take it away, Jean!

1. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

This is easy… I can let my imagination roam into realms I’ve always loved. I grew up on tales of King Arthur and Merlin. Now my characters can evidence some of their knightly traits, such as chivalry, honor, and love in a more modern setting. My Druids, Mages and Elves all are yummy handsome heros, with chivalry bred in their bones. Might have made my heroes considerably more passionate, though, although maybe it’s just that in this age we can express physical love more frankly.

2. What research (or world-building – for fantasy/paranormal/Sci-fi) is required?

Each of my series start out with the hero and heroine around 1890. This gives me room to have the children, grandchildren and friends have a book of their own. I’m a stickler for details, so I research each year carefully, events, language, etc. Each book is founded in an actual time. I save my fantasy for my characters and they are mostly normal with a few paranormal traits.

3. Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

That nothing is more important than love, and expressing it. Both in words and in actions. So important to communicate with your loved ones.

4. Any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

Oh, lordy, I have lots of superstitions. I try to ignore them, but my grandmother ground me in them so deeply I can’t get them out of my head. Did you know if you and a friend walk on different sides of an obstruction such as a pole, you’d both better say ‘bread and butter’ so you won’t be split apart? Bet you didn’t. As to superstitions particular to writing, not really. Here determination takes over.

5. Plotter or pantser?

Both. I usually get an idea of how to start the next book, full blown and demanding I write it down. So I start with a rush, get maybe the first chapter done, and then have to sit back and think. About half way through I generally draw up a broad outline so I don’t screw up the timeline of the action.

6. Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Another easy answer. My husband died about two years ago and he’d always been my beta editor and my chief fan and critic. He’s still my first beta editor in my heart.

7. Anything new coming up from you? What?

Stormy Pursuit is the next in the elf series. It’s being edited now so will be out soon. I got the cover today and it’s nice and steamy! Stormy is about the twin daughters of Lars and Sophie, and their difficult romances. After all, if a beautiful girl with pointed ears, how do men react? Dark Pursuit is in my editor’s hands, and Dangerous Pursuit is about 100 pages along and giving me fits. The blasted characters won’t behave.

8. Do you have a question for our readers?

Would love to know if you want me to keep on writing erotica (Fiery Pursuit was my first truly erotic book) or do you prefer the sensual such as my druids and mages?  What do you prefer to read?  Erotic or sensual romance?


When Lars uses his Elfin power to rescue Sophie from a slave market in Constantinople he knows instantly she is meant to be his mate. But the murderer of Sophie’s father still pursues her, and Lars must all his strength to try to save her. And convince Sophie he is what she wants.

The villain who sold her into slavery reappears and Lars needs all his Elfin strength. When his power mysteriously weakens, can Lars get it back? And will it be enough to save them both?


Love living in California, even though I’m a transplant. Love writing and all it entails, crazy characters demanding to be let loose on the page, long hours of research, every bit of it. I raised two children and spent about twenty years in real estate before I summoned the courage to quit and do what I always wanted to do, WRITE! While he was alive my husband was my first-stop editor and biggest fan. Now that my children are accustomed to my writing sexy novels they’re equally supportive.

I’m currently finishing my 24th book, tentatively named Double Pursuit and I have four books coming out this year. My Mage series is finished and I’ve started a new series where the new hero has Elfin blood. He’s fun, as well as tall, lithe and gifted. I think I’m blessed as well as lucky. Do write me with any questions. I love to hear from readers!

LINKS:

jswriter@earthlink.net
Twitter,Facebook and MySpace: jswriter
Ellora’s Cave, http://www.ellorascave.com/
PassioninPrint, http://www.passioninprint.com/
MuseitUp publishing at http://www.mustitup.com/
Blogging at http://www.romancebooksrus.com/  and http://www.sixsexydivas.com/

Into the Web by Shonell Bacon - Virtual Tour and Giveaway


We're welcoming author Shonell Bacon on her tour with Sizzling PR today. She's here to talk about her mystery novel, Into the Web and has been generous enough to offer a PDF copy of the book as a giveaway to one person who comments!  The drawing is open through next Thursday, 7/6/12, so leave a comment to be entered.




The minute twins and mystery novelists Jovan and Cheyenne Parham find their lives settling into a nice rhythm, all hell breaks loose – in their personal lives and in the latest crime they find themselves mixed up in. Jo is trying to build a relationship with Mark Brockman, but the deaths of her husband and Mark’s wife, and the sordid nature of their coming together keeps her from jumping into the relationship with both feet. Cheyenne is head over heels in love with former detective-now P.I. Ian Davenport, but unexpected news and Ian’s involvement in a new case causes Chey to second guess the deepness of their love. Trying to figure out their love lives becomes all the more complicated when Jo and Chey are thrust into a series of kidnappings and murders involving young girls who seem to make the wrong friends online. When a mayoral candidate’s daughter is kidnapped, Ian finds himself on the case, much to the chagrin of Chey considering he spends an awful lot of time holding and caring for the candidate’s wife. Bringing the girl home safely and finding the killer pushes the twins to the limits of their personal and professional lives. Going into a web of infidelity, lies, deception, and murder often leaves all involved in disarray. Will Jovan and Cheyenne find themselves, once again, trying to pick up the remaining fragments of their lives once this is all over?

October 21

Take down.

Those words rang in Jovan Parham’s mind as she danced around the ring, staring into the eyes of Derryck, her kickboxing trainer.

“Come on, Jo,” Derryck said while holding up his padded hands. “Pay attention. Jab left, cross right, jab right.”

“I’m doing it,” she said, her voice nearing a whine.

“You look lazy.” Derryck’s left hand made its way to Jovan’s headgear. She just managed to move, but heard the sound of his fist whizzing by her face. “I haven’t tagged your face in nearly four months.”

Jovan smiled and took two jabs to the side of Derryck’s face; the second one connected.

“And you didn’t get me this time either,” she replied.

The two continued to spar, sharing words and punches and kicks, but Jovan’s mind was still stuck on two words: take down.

She woke up in the middle of the night after a horrific nightmare, one she had almost every month since she moved into her new condo a year ago. The nightmare was always the same: she watching as a host of characters took part in killing her. She lay, shackled to a metal table, dressed in a white loose gown that had been ripped to shreds. Every few minutes, someone would come into the dimly lit room and cut her with a sharp, curved blade. No words were ever exchanged. She screamed with each flick of the blade, begged for her life, but it was all for naught. Cordell came in and took a chunk of her. As did his mother. As did his brother. Alisha took her share as well, as did Sarah, which broke Jovan’s heart more than Cordell wanting to kill her. She had thought Sarah was her best friend. Finding out she had slept with Cordell and carried his child tore at her heart. To know that even in her nightmares Sarah wanted to hurt her more nearly broke her.

The last person to come in was always Linda Hayes. And unlike the others, who were more like automatons, coming to do their robotic bidding, Linda had a sparkle in her eyes, a curl of her lip, an extra dig of her cut when she took her swipe of Jovan. She had hoped that her time at the altar during service that morning, where she begged God, begged him to remove the nightmares, might give her a night of respite, but it wasn’t to be. If she actually took time to think about it, she’d realize that her continuous thinking about the nightmares would only create more of them.

When she woke up last night from the nightmare, Jovan rushed to her office—a place that held warm, soft thoughts for her as it was the place where words took to life. She reached for the small blue bible she kept on the desk and rifled through the pages before landing her finger on Luke 10:19, I have given you authority …to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

The words brought her peace, but she had an even better way of using her authority to overcome her enemies. She took out a pad and pen, and spent a good hour creating a list of people she needed to take down.

Linda Hayes was at the top of that list. For going on two years, the TrĂ©s Chic head reporter-now executive producer had been relentless in her pursuit to find something bad to report about Jovan. Even after everyone else had put the murder of Jovan’s husband and the fallout of it behind them, Linda was determined to continue to bring up Jovan’s painful story: Cordell’s murder. Cordell’s affair with Alisha. Cordell’s affair with Sarah. The baby Sarah carried. The complex scheming and plotting that revealed Cordell’s drugged-out brother was supposed to kill Jovan but instead killed Cordell. Jovan’s reaching out to Mark, Sarah’s husband, in a time of need and the subsequent relationship that continued long after Cordell was buried. The justice (though not peace) that was brought to Jovan and her family.

In all parts of the world, Jovan’s soap opera of a life had come and gone as new, crazier stories unfolded. But in Baltimore, where she and her twin Cheyenne were deemed stars for their bestselling-authors status and their charities, Jovan’s story continued to live—mostly thanks to Linda Hayes.

And somehow, she had managed to overcome her anger at Linda and this ferocious, tenacious need Linda had to break her down.

But then yesterday arrived, and Jovan became undone.

She had tried to go about her day. She went to a speaking engagement for her solo inspirational non-fiction, Picking up the Pieces, a book that detailed the story of her life with Cordell and the aftermath. She met with Cheyenne to work on the outline of their next mystery, Vanishing Keys. She even got ready to meet Mark for a dinner date down at the Inner Harbor. Not once did anyone in her inner circle mention the significance of the day: the second anniversary of Cordell’s death. They knew it wasn’t needed. They knew Jovan would have stayed up the entire night prior, still crying over the loss, still angry over the betrayal, still unsteady on what to do with her life. She was still fragile from the coming and going of Cordell’s birthday nearly three weeks ago. She had spent that day in quiet reflection, wondering why, yet again, she couldn’t find out about Cordell’s lies before anyone had to die. She still felt like an idiot over believing Sarah was her friend. She had spent hours talking to Sarah, telling her about the decline in her marriage—never realizing that her supposed friend was sleeping with her husband.

Any normal person, knowing what she’d been through, would have given Jovan this day to grieve, to feel, to think in her own personal space.

But not Linda Hayes.

Jovan had expected to hear from her. After all, she saw commercials regarding Linda’s anniversary special. Linda had her assistant call her earlier in the month, trying to get her to talk about Cordell on the day of his birthday. Jovan had told her to “Go read Picking up the Pieces if you’re so damn interested in learning what I’m willing to say about Cordell. Other than that, leave me the hell alone, Miss Hayes.”

It was only a matter of time that Linda would call her again, trying to get some comment to use for her latest special.

Linda’s assistant called. Six, seven, eight times. Every time, Jovan would hang up.

On the ninth time, as she slipped her feet into her black stilettos, Jovan finally relented.

She picked up the phone and yelled, “Let me speak to Linda.” She quickly raced into the office and picked up her digital recorder, turning it on and setting her phone on speakerphone. Linda came on to the phone, her voice warm and soft as she said, “I’m so sorry for your loss, Jovan.”

“If you’re so sorry, why are you harassing me? Obviously, I have nothing to say to you.”

Shonell Bacon is an author, doctoral candidate, editor, educator–everywoman. She has published both creatively and academically–novels, short stories, essays, and textbooks.

She has had an essay of hers developed as part of a live theatre documentary production. In addition to her love of writing and what the future holds in her literary life, she is also an editor who loves helping writers hone their literary craft. Since 2001, she has edited for hundreds of writers who have gone on to pursue self-publishing careers and have been published within the traditional publishing arena. Her love for helping writers also moved her to begin writing articles and commentaries regarding the writing life and craft, and she publishes these articles on various websites. She is an educator, having taught English and mass communication courses in addition to fiction writing and other courses related to creative writing. And while taking part in all of those things, Shonell also finds the time to pursue her Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University. Now a doctoral candidate, she is conducting research and writing her dissertation.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

One Wet Summer by Ann Montclair -- Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway


Today we're welcoming author Ann Monclair to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her contemporary romance, "One Wet Summer".

Ann is giving away a $10 Musa Publishing GC to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)!   Folks, I've read eBooks from Musa Publishing -- they're awesome!  So COMMENT!  And follow her tour.  The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC -- you want to win this if you love reading!

Ann was willing to answer my favorite question:  tell us five things about yourself we probably wouldn't guess.  I love the answers I get to this!  Ann... the blog is all yours. Take it away!

1. I always have fresh flowers in the house. Even when I did the mandatory “starving student” stint, I’d buy a bunch of carnations or a small potted mum every couple of weeks and place the blooms on my nightstand. I’d rather skip a meal than go without waking up to flowers. My grandpa gardened, and I think flowers are my way of staying close to his memory.


2. I’m terrified of spiders. Okay, most people are, but I am literally phobic. The only thing worse than seeing a spider is seeing it then NOT seeing it. I’ve kept hubby up half the night hunting a spider I saw scuttle across the floor. Once, I had a garden spider loose in my car. After nearly crashing my Prius, I pulled over, got out, and called for a ride. I didn’t drive the car again until hubby showed me the dead carcass.


3. I read wherever I go. Audio books in the car, paperbacks in my purse, a Kindle App on my iPhone, and a Kindle Fire next to my bed. I am never without a story. Never.


4. I never know what’s in my bank account. Suze Orman is once cool chick, but I can’t follow any of her tips. I spend until hubby says, “STOP!” I’m not extravagant or thrifty. I buy food, clothes, a little something for the house, and somehow it all works out that we have enough. I once read that the attitude of abundance creates abundance. I believe that with my whole heart. Whatever I have, it’s enough. And over the years, enough has become a little more than enough.


5. I once spent a summer following The Grateful Dead. Take from that what you will.


Maura Fields loves her uncomplicated, independent, single life, but things quickly change when a summer vacation opens the door to an unexpected world of passion and desire. Wealthy Savannah hotelier Ben Driscoll had his playboy lifestyle upended when his ex-wife died, entrusting him to care for their daughter—a child he sequesters and vows to protect from future heartache and disappointment. Can the wall Ben has built around his heart withstand the assault from the intriguing, beguiling Maura, or will it crumble, leaving him vulnerable to the undeniable attraction and unbridled need to make her his own?

Maura had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why not? What was she here for? Fun. And escape from the responsibilities of catering to children. This man looked like more fun than she had ever had, and Savannah was certainly an escape from the confines of her seventh grade classroom at Atlanta Mills Middle School. Ms. Fields was just Maura today, and damn, it felt good.

“My name is Maura Fields,” she said, and she giggled as his lips pursed—as if he were tasting her name and found he liked its flavor. “Maura Fields: single woman, no complications. Are you married, encumbered in any way? I hate to be so blunt, Ben, but I am a woman alone on vacation, and I don’t want to find myself taken advantage of, even by someone as beguiling as you.”

He looked taken aback as his blue eyes rounded and one eyebrow arched. “Ms. Fields, I am not married. Does that make you feel more at ease with my invitation?”

“Why, yes, it does!” she couldn’t help but exclaim.

“So, I will see you at four, ready to swim?” he inquired again, but this time it sounded like a statement, a predetermined actuality. Maura liked an assertive man, especially one so dapper. She nodded her head affirmatively, not trusting herself to make a dignified sound.

Ben bowed slightly and slowly raked his brilliant eyes over her body, toe to top. With an appreciative smile playing about his sexy mouth, he said, “Maura, you’re the best thing that has happened around this old place in a very long time.”



I was born in Los Angeles, California, where my parents and grown daughter now reside. I currently live in the Finger Lakes region of New York with my sexy hero, our handsome son, and a pile of lazy dogs and ferocious cats. I enjoy a plethora of hobbies including but not limited to attending concerts, hiking and cycling, cooking, and gardening. I love to dance, to dress up, and I'll go just about anywhere a good time can be had.

I've built a satisfying career as an English professor at a small, rural community college, and now I'm also writing and publishing romance. I've finished and sold a few contemporary titles, and I'm working on perfecting a Tudor historical, and penning a modern day romantic suspense.

I plan to spend the rest of my life reading and writing in my little cabin in the woods. My biggest wish is that each of my readers will be inspired to believe in and find their own happily-ever-after.

LINKS
Web site: http://www.annmontclair.com/
Blog: http://annmontclair.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnnMontclairFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AnnMontclair  

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Jinnie Wishmaker by D. D. Roy


Today we're welcoming author D. D. Roy to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her middle grade contemporary fantasy novel, "Jinnie Wishmaker". My 13 y.o. daughter reviewed it for us, here, and very much enjoyed it.

The author is offering the following prizes to randomly drawn commenters during the tour (this is an international contest):

As a tie in to Jinnie Wishmaker, each blog will have two Magical Mood Rings to give away. Mood rings are a central item in the book as it is how the Troubled Tweens determine if a new member has a magical power or not. Very fun!

For the grand prize, Casey Shay Press is offering their bestselling balloon animal kit. It includes the paperback book Kids Show Kids How to Make Balloon Animals (for the same age group as Jinnie Wishmaker) as well as a professional pump and balloons.

So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a some really fun prizes!

I asked D. D. to share some things about herself we wouldn't guess... and I completely enjoyed her answers.  Check it out... the blog is yours, D. D.!

#5. I hate ice cream. Yes, I know. I’m a freak. My parents were shocked. My kids love it. (They eat my servings.) All I can say is that frozen ice cream gives me the willies and melted ice cream ranks right up there with bamboo in the fingernails in terms of torture. ICK.


#4. I have seen a ghost. I worked in a house that was haunted in college. I didn’t believe it at first but one afternoon I was working by myself, and the doors started slamming. Thinking someone was playing a joke on me, I rushed out of the office just in time to see the woman everyone claimed to have lived there, waiting on the stairs in a long old-fashioned dress. And she was mad! I think she wanted the place to herself, so I skedaddled.


#3. I am afraid of escalators. I’m pretty sure one day I really am going to get flattened like a steam roller and go right under the end just like the stairs do. To combat this, I always, ALWAYS jump the last stair. So do my girls, although they aren’t scared. They just think it’s fun.


#2. I always sneeze three times. When I was a little girl, someone told me it was good luck to sneeze three times in a row. At first I did it on purpose, but now, it happens every time, whether I want it to or not.


And the #1 thing you’d never guess about me: I break rules. Actually, if you knew me, you’d guess this in an instant. I tend to think of rules as guidelines. Possibly suggestions. But real rules—well, most of the time they just seem made to be broken. Seriously. The minute I see a sign that says No Food or Gum, I feel an incredible need for Hubba Bubba. No photography. La la la, I’m holding a camera by my hip, snapping the shutter. Because really, when it’s important, you already know not to do it. You don’t need the rules. I’m not going to dive off cliffs or drive on the wrong side of the road. I got THAT. But if you tell me, No running. Well, I’m probably going to break into a sprint.


You are warned.

D.D. Roy wrote her first story "Blackie and the Garbage Dump Dogs" when she was in elementary school. As a teen, she tried to destroy her little hand-made books, but if you get a chance to meet D.D.'s mom, she will whip out the one surviving copy, still to D.D.'s total embarrassment.

Her first middle grade novel, JINNIE WISHMAKER, became a Hot New Release on the Nook, and was re-released as a hardcover School Library Edition through Casey Shay Press in spring 2012. Her story book app for the iPad, DUST BUNNIES: SECRET AGENTS, just came out in May through Polycot Labs.

http://ddroy.blogspot.com/
http://www.twitter.com/deannaroy

Eleven-year-old Jinnie has a dilemma--she can grant wishes, but she can't control the results.

The school counselor tells Jinnie to join the Troubled Tweens, a group of kids with similar power problems. Maddy’s touch makes anyone explode in anger. Grace can make people like her--as long as they don’t let go of her arm.

But their loose use of magic attracts the attention of the Loki, a group of magic thieves and pranksters. They want to steal an open-ended wish from Jinnie, and it will take all the limited and messed-up magic she and her friends possess to make sure their powers don’t fall into the Loki’s greedy hands.

Jinnie Wishmaker is the first book of the Troubled Tweens series for 9-12 year olds.


Review: Jinnie Wishmaker by D. D. Roy


(Full length, middle grade contemporary/fantasy novel published by Casey Shay Press)




Eleven-year-old Jinnie has a dilemma--she can grant wishes, but she can't control the results.

The school counselor tells Jinnie to join the Troubled Tweens, a group of kids with similar power problems. Maddy’s touch makes anyone explode in anger. Grace can make people like her--as long as they don’t let go of her arm.

But their loose use of magic attracts the attention of the Loki, a group of magic thieves and pranksters. They want to steal an open-ended wish from Jinnie, and it will take all the limited and messed-up magic she and her friends possess to make sure their powers don’t fall into the Loki’s greedy hands.

Jinnie Wishmaker is the first book of the Troubled Tweens series for 9-12 year olds.


A thorougly enjoyable novel for a young girl (I know, because I am one!).

Jinnie and Bryan (her brilliant brother) go to live with their Aunt and Uncle and have no clue what life will be like.  Then Jinnie discovers she can grant a person's one true wish, but doesn't have any control over her power.

She joins a group called The Troubled Tweens and tries to learn how to use her power to help fight evil.  Her brother helps as much as he can to keep the group secret and to keep the evil forces at bay.  But one question remains:  where are Jinnie and Bryan's parents?

I really enjoyed reading about how the different people in Jinnie's school learn to work together to defend Jinnie from the evil forces trying to steal her power.  It really showed how friendship and teamwork should be.  The unique group of people who made up The Troubled Tweens was interesting and I can't wait to see what happens to them next.

I especially liked that Jinnie helped animals in need. She had a caring heart for those who were being hurt.

Really, there wasn't much I didn't like about this book.  It was a little slow for me, without the frantic conflict so many books have, and I would have liked to have seen more fighting against evil or more time searching for their lost parents.  Still, it didn't keep me from enjoying this book.

I'd recommend this for younger girls who like to read, especially to those who love animals!

3.5 / 5 Flowers


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Virtual Book Blitz and Giveaway: No Matter When by Nancy Adams

Today we're welcoming author Nancy Adams to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her erotic time-travel romance, "No Matter When". The premise sounds fascinating -- you'll really want to read the blurb and excerpt for this one, folks. Bet you're hooked!

Nancy is giving away a $20 GC to Total-e-Bound Publishing or Amazon to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!


Standing on the battlements of a 16th century Keep was the last place Gabriel Sutherland should be. Then again, being ‘shifted’ to 1503 seconds before a rocket blew his ass to bits wasn’t something he had envisioned either. Still, he was surviving the only way he knew how, as a soldier. Then Lilly arrived. Sweet, innocent Lilly. For a genetically superior soldier whose life had entailed of nothing but serving King and country, the arrival of Lilly proves too much for Gabe to ignore. For the first time in his life, Gabe can have a woman of his own and Lilly is the one.

Lilly Marten lives alone, her quiet life the result of a highly sensitive photographic memory. That changed when she arrived in the year 1503 seconds before Toronto’s popular C.N Tower came crashing down on top of her. Now she was never alone. Gabe was always near. With his unbelievably perfect features and intense green eyes, he is not a man easily ignored. Yet, uncertainty about her new life leaves Lilly with no choice but to put faith in a man she fears and whose strong physical presence causes her to desire more than just his trust.


“What changed?”

“My perspective.” He looked seriously at her. “It’s you. You’re what’s changed, for me. I haven’t thought about the life I used to have since you arrived.”

Gabe lowered his mouth to the centre of her chest and pressed his lips to the skin above her heart. Lilly was the reason his perspective had changed. She was the reason he wanted to stay here. Her sweet innocence and natural beauty were only two reasons he no longer craved the life he used to have. “If you left…” He had to be careful how he explained what he felt without scaring her. “I’d be very upset.”

“You’d be upset if I went home?”

“You can’t go home, Lilly.”

He sighed when she slid her eyes away from his. She didn’t get what he was saying, or rather trying to say. He tried another tactic. “I came from a time when love was unimportant. People were matched together according to their genetic profiles—the goal was to produce a generation without health-related issues who excelled in all academic and physical tests.”

“The perfect human?” Her lashes lifted like two small wings.

“Yes, the perfect human. There wasn’t any type of attraction or love in my life. I never thought about it, never worried about it—until now. I won’t allow you to get lost, out there”—he nodded to the world beyond the room, then touched her temple—“or in here. And if by some chance it happens, I’ll find you and bring you back.”


Nancy’s addiction for a good trash novel began in her late-teens when her grandmother gave her a bag of Harlequin Romance books. She was hooked and spent the next few years lurking in the dark corners of used bookstores searching for her next fix. Until, one marriage and two kids later, her own ideas had her jumping up at 3 am (much to her husband’s annoyance) and typing them into her laptop. Beside her husband and children, Nancy has three passions, rearranging furniture, buying bed linens and, of course, writing. Nancy lives in Eastern Ontario with her family and two over sized lap dogs.

Total-e-Bound - http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1356

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NancyAdams.scribblingseduction

Monday, June 25, 2012

Virtual Book Spotlight: City of the Gods: The Descendant by S. J. McMillan


Welcome to author S. J. McMillan, here on tour with Sizzling PR with her urban fantasy, "City of the Gods: The Descendant".

700 A.D. Teotihuacan, Mexico – The High Priest believed himself to be as powerful as the Gods and set a plague on the city as a demonstration of his power. The Gods took pity on the few remaining survivors and granted each immortality and an extraordinary ability. Three of these survivors were given a mission of great importance: train the lone human descendant of their civilization to stop the evil priest from damning the rest of humanity.

2012 A.D. San Diego, California – The time has come to make Katalina Deckard aware of her destiny. Her life has been a constant struggle since the loss of her parents when she was young, but has it prepared her to save the world? Can her friends, who have survived so long ,convince her she has what it takes to accept the mantle of Redeemer?


I am an author signed on with Ruby Lioness Press. I am beyond excited that my urban fantasy novel, City of the Gods: The Descendant, has finally found a home.

I play many roles in life, as we all do. I am a wife to a supportive husband, a mother to three young rascals, and an administrative assistant during the week just to name a few. Now I will finally get to add published author to my list.

I started writing poetry in high school. I enjoy poetry and still write a poem whenever inspiration hits me. I love to read, especially paranormal romances and urban fantasies. The love of reading spawned the urge to try writing a novel of my own.

One of my favorite parts of writing a book is creating the characters. I immerse myself into their lives. I laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry. I cheer them on in their triumphs and encourage them in their struggles.

I have also come to enjoy writing fight scenes. Don’t laugh, but my husband (the wonderful man that he is) will act them out with me so I know exactly how I need to show it to the audience. Call us crazy if you want but it is really fun to act out a scene using a broom handle as a spear and a foam baseball bat as an axe.

I hope you enjoy City of the Gods: The Descendant. I am working on the follow up book now. I love to hear from other authors and readers.

You can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/McMillanSJ , on Twitter at www.twitter.com/McMillanSJ , or check out my awesome new website at http://www.mcmillansj.com/ .

Friday, June 22, 2012

Virtual Book tour & Giveaway: The Patriot Girl by Toni Lynn Cloutier


Today we're welcoming author Toni Lynn Cloutier to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her contemporary romance novel, The Patriot Girl.   You can read our review of it here.

The author will be awarding prizes as follows:
1 - $10.00 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour
1 - $10.00 Amazon gift card "Stalker Prize", randomly drawn from those commenters who comment on each Blog stop during the tour.
Note: All WINNERS have the option to have a personalized word search puzzle created by the author! See FREE STUFF at http://www.tonilynncloutier.com/ for sample puzzles.

So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

I asked Toni what things she MUST have in a romance to make it great.  Here's what she said:

1. Suspense – because it keeps the reader wanting to turn the pages. Whether it be a secret or a stalker, there needs to be something the reader looks forward to learning about the character or the plot as well as learning the reaction of the other characters in the story.

2. Easy vocabulary – because you don’t want your reader to stumble over a word and become distracted from the story.

3. Independent Heroine - The hero is there to protect her and satisfy her emotionally. She can handle herself physically when he’s not around.

4. Tension – both emotional and sexual. Emotionally, I want to yell at the heroine/hero and tell them “S/he loves you, stop thinking like that.” And sexually, I look forward to that moment and sigh, thinking “Finally.”

5. Sense of humor – I enjoy characters that can make me laugh. I think laughter in any relationship is SOOO important.

6. Happy Cry – the best cry, for me, is one where tears are flowing as I read while verbally saying.. “Awww…that’s so cute.”

7. HEA – of course, the Happy Ever After. I want the author to give me that excitement knowing after all these characters had gone through, love prevailed and they will be together forever!

What do YOU have to have to make a romance story satisfying?



MaKayla Adams has always been curious about the wild side of life. Making love with her late husband wasn’t exciting, and she never could understand the big deal…until hunky nightclub owner Dustin James hires her as a public relations consultant. His touch arouses feelings she’s never known, and his kiss tempts her to cross the line between business and pleasure.

Dustin doesn’t remember the car accident that put him in a coma three years ago, but since his recovery, he’s pushed his own needs aside to be a single father to his young daughter. When MaKayla offers to help publicize his country nightclub, however, she ignites deeper feelings he can’t ignore.

But there is more than mutual attraction between MaKayla and Dustin—there is a shared past connected to her husband’s death. Will the truth bring them together or tear them apart?

The youngest of five children, Toni was born and raised in Rhode Island. After graduating East Providence High School as a member of the Rhode Island Honor Society, she held several jobs from accounts receivable to billing before attending Rhode Island Associates of Realtors. She has a wonderful husband and is a stay-at-home mom to their teenage son. She is the author of two educational word search puzzle books. Her week is filled with writing romance novels and listening to country music while cleaning house, rearranging furniture, and playing with the cat they adopted from the shelter.

You can learn more about her and her work at:
http://www.tonilynncloutier.com/
on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authortonilynncloutier
or on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/ToniLCloutier

Review: The Patriot Girl by Toni Lynn Cloutier


(Full length, contemporary romance published by The Wild Rose Press)



MaKayla Adams has always been curious about the wild side of life. Making love with her late husband wasn’t exciting, and she never could understand the big deal…until hunky nightclub owner Dustin James hires her as a public relations consultant. His touch arouses feelings she’s never known, and his kiss tempts her to cross the line between business and pleasure.

Dustin doesn’t remember the car accident that put him in a coma three years ago, but since his recovery, he’s pushed his own needs aside to be a single father to his young daughter. When MaKayla offers to help publicize his country nightclub, however, she ignites deeper feelings he can’t ignore.

But there is more than mutual attraction between MaKayla and Dustin—there is a shared past connected to her husband’s death. Will the truth bring them together or tear them apart?


I expected this to be just another romance, but it wasn’t. It starts off with the heroine, after being widowed for three years finally meeting someone who attracted her. However there is a serious problem with their relationship from the very start.

He saves her from a robber’s gun, and becomes equally attracted to her. However, not only is he the first customer in her new PR business, but other facts about them both surface, causing extreme problems with any possible relationship between them.

This is not a typical boy meets girl romance. They are both older and each carry a lot of emotional baggage. There cannot be a HEA until all their secrets are exposed and resolved, which takes a lot of doing. In addition, during this time she is stalked by one of the robbers who got away, but even this has an unusual and interesting twist.

I enjoyed this story very much, and although I knew it would end up okay (it's a romance, after all!), it didn’t ruin the story for me. I think this is a fun and someone different romance that everyone should enjoy.

4/5 Flowers
 

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Virtual Tour and Giveaway: Emerald City Dreamer by Luna Lindsey


We're welcoming author Luna Lindsey on her tour with Bewitching Book Tours today. She's here to talk about her Urban Fantasy novel, Emerald City Dreamer and has been generous enough to offer a PDF copy of the book as a giveaway to one person who comments!  The drawing is open through next Thursday, 6/28/12, so leave a comment to be entered.


Jina and Sandy survived the unthinkable. Now they've set up a secret Order in Seattle to fight the impossible - fairytale creatures born of human nightmares and nourished on dreams. Their tools: iron, lore, science, glamour, and support groups. As beginners, without access to the ancient societies of faerie hunters, they must rediscover how to protect themselves. And in order to fight the fiends of the world, Sandy must take control her inner ghosts.

As a dreamer in a rock band, Jina unknowingly feeds the fae and attracts unseen enemies at every turn. Now, they're finally on the tail of at least one dark monster bent on evil. She is a dreamer, so she must follow her heart - but which way does it lead?

Jett is an elf who only wants to protect her hodge-podge clan of faeries from the encroaching world of science and religion - which have systematically slaughtered her kind and the beliefs that gave birth to her people. True dreamers are rare beings, and when she finds them, she does everything she can to protect them and claim them as her own.

Ezra is a teenager who never feels comfortable in his own skin. Most people like him well enough, but when he looks in the mirror, he sees a demon. He has been taken in by the Garbage Eaters, who expect obedience and purity. Before long, he suffers a crisis of faith that may lead him into real danger.

Delve into this deeply developed, internally consistent world of the fae, and meet beings who are simultaneously alien, elegant, and terrifying, fueled by dreams and the creative energy of artists. Glimpse the secret world of Tir Nan Og through the eyes of fully fledged four-dimensional characters living in a Seattle that is just a bit weirder than you think.

This is a story with psychological depth, a page-turner with unexpected twists and turns.

When prey hunts, who will lead the chase, and who will run?

Buy at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Dreamer-Dreams-Streetlight-ebook/dp/B007L9CTEI

YouTube Video Author Reading of short story Right After Feeding Time: http://youtu.be/0q-ckzF0Jyw


Luna is mostly a Washington native, however she was born in Salt Lake City, UT. She grew up in the Tri-Cities, Washington, spending time between the three cities of Richland, Pasco, Kennewick, and outlying town Benton City.

She grew up reading her father's sci-fi collection, which included many classic authors like Isaac Asimov and Orson Scott Card. She was homeschooled, and as a child was into piano, model rockets, astronomy, physics, 4H, Girl Scouts, writing, giving speeches, computers, and raising rabbits. She started attending cons and playing RPGs in her early 20s.

In 2003, Luna moved to Seattle. She lives a weird life and loves to geek out and delve into many topics. Her interests are many, and sometimes she forgets all the things she knows how to do.

Luna worked for many years in the IT field, mostly in the computer software industries, before quitting to write full time in 2010. She has written over thirty short stories and three novels.

Website and Blog: http://www.lunalindsey.com

Facebook Author Link: http://www.facebook.com/LunaRLindsey

Amazon Author Link: http://amazon.com/author/lunalindsey

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4122401.Luna_Lindsey

Library Thing Author: http://www.librarything.com/author/lindseyluna

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1515028607

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/lunalindsey

YouTube Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/JamGrrlLuna/videos

Virtual Book Tour and Spotlight on Isabella: Protector of the Last Dragon by M. Anthony Phillips

We're pleased to welcome M. Anthony Phillips on his tour with Pump Up Your Book. His book, Isabella: Protector of the Last Dragon is being featured today.

Isabella Treehorn, a lonely 12 year old girl of mixed heritage, befriends a formally frozen celestial dragon by the name of Tianlong, who tells her she's the descendant of a 16th Century Jade Princess, and that she must go on a long journey to help him find its mate in the frozen Mongolian mountains while being sought by the demons that destroyed his kingdom.



About the author: M. Anthony Phillips is a native of St. Louis and studied writing and history at Harris Stowe University. M. Anthony is an avid historian and reader of fine literature of fiction and non-fictional books. This is M. Anthony’s third novel with a sequel to follow with hopes of becoming a full time novelist. M. Anthony resides in St. Louis and Los Angeles where he loves acting as a SAG member, practicing martial arts, writing screenplays, and living the life of a modern day renaissance man.

Find him at his author page on Amazon.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Virtual Tour and Giveaway: Minder by Sandra Cox

Today we're welcoming author Sandra Cox to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her paranormal YA book, Minder.

Sandra will be giving away a digital copy of her novel, "Vampire Bay" at ever stop. Additionally, she's running a contest on her blog as follows:  To enter the contest leave a comment on any posts in June, mention Minder and include your email address, and you're entered to win:

A set of butterfly pins
A Starbucks gift certificate
A book dedication
And a PDF download of Minder

So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) AND visit her blog!  The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win cool prizes!

Among the northern tribes there is a legend passed down from generation to generation about shape-shifting Minders—guardians of the innocents—and how they came to be.

It is said that nowadays only a handful of Minders exist, hunted to near extinction by a fearsome beast. Of the remaining Minders, only one wears a garnet-studded collar, the symbol of protection and royalty.

Even when my aunt told me the story, and handed me an ancient garnet-studded band, I had no idea the tale applied to me.

After all, it’s only a legend…


At the cliff’s edge, I stopped and listened to the steady lap of the waves against the rocks. I sucked cold air deep into my lungs. Night sounds surrounded me. A purr of contentment rose in my throat. I’m getting used to the purr. It’s a great way to express pleasure.

I pivoted toward the house and saw my aunt silhouetted in the window, the light at her back. I lifted my hand. She waved back.

The wind shifted. I smelled a rabbit. My butt twitched as the perfume of warm flesh filled my nostrils. His rapid heartbeat pulsed through my ears. I forgot all about Aunt and went bounding into the forest.

The rabbit saw me. With a frightened squeak, he hopped away, his little powder-puff tail white in the dark. I leapt after him and laughed with exuberance from the sheer joy of being alive.

The rabbit ran deep into the woods. I followed. Fear gave the bunny speed and he stayed just out of my grasp.

It happened gradually. My joints began to stiffen. The hair on the nape of my neck rose. A horrific scent filled my nostrils and made my stomach flop. No longer the hunter, I’d became the prey.


Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes YA fantasy, crossover YA, historic and paranormal romance and metaphysical nonfiction.

Sandra lives with her husband, a menagerie of pets, and an occasional foster cat in sunny North Carolina. She’s a vegetarian, enjoys kickboxing and loves nothing better than good book.

You can find her at:
http://sandracox.blogspot.com
http://www.sandracox1.com
Twitter @Sandra_Cox

Monday, June 18, 2012

Virtual Tour and Giveaway: Project Moses by Robert B. Lowe

Today we're welcoming author Robert B. Lowe to the blog on his tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for his high-tech bioterrorism thriller novel, Project Moses.

The author will award a $10 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So comment today AND follow his tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of his tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

I asked the author to share five things about himself that we might not guess -- I love getting to know something a little different than the norm about authors we feature! Take it away...

1. I started Project Moses more than 15 years before I finished it. I began writing it when I had time between jobs in the mid-90s. Then, I set it aside while I worked as a lawyer and high-tech business consultant. I picked it up again in 2011 and finished it. Talk about being able to look at it with fresh eyes!

2. Including novelist, I’ve had 4 careers. Journalist, lawyer, high-tech entrepreneur and, now, writer.

3. As a reporter, one of my most memorable stories required weeks of research in rural Arizona. It’s no coincidence that in Project Moses some of the genetic and agricultural research takes place there and the main character, Enzo Lee, travels there to investigate what is going on.

The story I worked on there was about a rural county that had been forcing poor women to be sterilized at the county hospital. My partner and I spent two months during the summer there knocking on doors in the poorest neighborhoods – sometimes mere shacks. We were trying to find women who had been victimized by this policy which the local doctors had implemented to save on welfare costs. We found numerous cases, exposed the forced sterilizations, and ended the practice.

4. I have been around a lot of women in my life and am probably more comfortable in a female-dominated environment than a lot of men. I had 3 sisters and no brothers and although I’m close to my father, he was very busy when I was growing up and not a big part of my day-to-day life. I remember having a lot of aunties around. I have two daughters. My wife had 5 sisters, no brothers. Of my nieces and nephews, I have 3 nephews and probably 15 nieces (lost count). When I look back at the characters in Project Moses I can see that the female ones generally are better aside from Enzo Lee, the main protagonist. I’m sure it’s no coincidence.

5. I will eat almost anything once. Generally, it’s worked out pretty well but there are some dishes for which I wouldn’t go back for seconds. Crickets is one.



“A thriller with an ideal fusion of wile and wit.”- Kirkus Reviews

Project Moses is a high-tech bioterrorism thriller in the Grisham mode that has been well received on Good Reads, Library Thing and Kindle (4.8 stars based on 18 reviews as of April 4). It has romance, suspense and humor.

Enzo Lee, 37, a burned out reporter, has forsaken investigative reporting on the East Coast to churn out feature fluff in San Francisco. He likes his North Beach apartment, steps away from his Chinatown roots. Running, tai chi, great food, women who are attracted to his exotic looks. Life is good.

Then, Lee is ordered to cover the unexplained deaths of a local judge and prosecutor. Intrigued by the connection, and the judge’s attractive niece, Sarah Armstrong, Lee begins to uncover a bioterrorism scandal whose perpetrators - including government officials and Silicon Valley titans - will kill to conceal.

When Lee and Sarah become targets, the question becomes whether the pair can evade their hunters and piece together the story before their time runs out. Project Moses is set in San Francisco, New York and Silicon Valley.

Robert B. Lowe is a Pulitzer-prize winning author whose fiction is based in San Francisco, his adopted home.

His past experiences – a 12-year career in investigative journalism and a Harvard Law School degree – enable him to write gripping mystery thrillers in both the legal and journalistic fields. Lowe draws his inspiration from John Grisham, Dick Francis and Lee Childs and adds his own San Francisco twist. Readers will enjoy his references to the city’s landmarks such as Chinatown, North Beach and Pacific Heights and the Bay area’s foodie culture.

When Lowe isn’t writing he enjoys a day at the golf course and spending time with his wife and daughters.

http://www.robertblowe.com/
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RobertBLowe
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5621745.Robert_B_Lowe
https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorRobBLowe

Friday, June 15, 2012

Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Fathoms of Forgiveness by Nadia Scrieva


Today we're welcoming author Nadia Scrieva to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her paranormal romance, Fathoms of Forgiveness.

Nadia is giving away the bracelet Visola wears in "Fathoms of Forgiveness" to one randomly drawn commenter on the tour as well as bookmarks to randomly drawn commenters at every stop. So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a lovely piece of jewelry!

There is no divorce in the undersea kingdom of Adlivun. Marriage is a bond that lasts until death—even if death comes in several centuries, and in that time your spouse happens to become your sworn enemy. This is the conflict that General Visola Ramaris faces when she learns that the mighty Vachlan is behind the attacks on her kingdom. She has sworn to protect Adlivun with her life, but long ago, she also swore to love and honor her husband...

Visola must choose whether she will destroy Vachlan once and for all, or attempt the hardest thing conceivable: communication. After two hundred years of desertion, she has no faith in their feeble bond and knows she can never forgive him. When he threatens the person dearest to her, she must take action. Confronting Vachlan on enemy territory would be nothing short of suicide. She knows that if she falls into his custody, the deranged man would relish breaking her down and making her lose her sanity.

Princess Aazuria forbids Visola from taking matters into her own hands; she will do anything it takes to protect her friend from the man who wants to crush her. Alas, Visola is a crazy, uncontrollable warrior woman with the blood of Vikings in her veins. Why would she ever consider doing the safe and predictable thing?

Meeting the scrutiny of his steel-grey eyes made her feel sweltering hot and bitterly cold at the same time. It was a thousandfold more difficult to tolerate the intensity of his gaze when it was penetrating her skull from the front instead of the rear. She felt like her eyes did not offer as much protection as the dense bones of her skull had. He was already piercing beyond her eyeballs to knead her memories with his knuckles, and to dissect her thoughts with his fingernails. She tried to get past the pain in her skull to objectively observe her enemy. His jet-black hair was pulled back into its classic ponytail at the nape of his neck. Had he not changed his hairstyle in all this time? Had he not grown hideous with all the horrible deeds he had done?

It did not seem possible, but he looked exactly the same. Except for his eyes; those vicious grey-blue eyes would have terrified any lesser woman to tears. Visola could not help seeing the blatant resemblance to her daughter in his face. Although Alcyone’s coloring was closer to Visola’s own, there was still so much of Vachlan in her. Seeing this; seeing the glimpses of Alcyone in this man who was little more than a stranger, drew her spirit to him involuntarily. Visola realized that she had to face the terrible truth.

She was not strong enough to face the father of her child
.

Nadia Scrieva was born in 1988 in Toronto, Canada. She studied English and Anthropology, graduating with an Honors B.A. from the University of Toronto in 2011. She likes knives. Writing has been the most meaningful part of her life since she was a child. Nadia loves receiving feedback from readers, so do not hesitate to contact her with any of your comments, questions, ideas, or just to say hello.

Website: www.NadiaScrieva.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NadiaFans
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/NadiaScrieva
Blog: http://nadiascrieva.blogspot.ca/

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: The King Must Die by N. Gemini Sasson

Today we're welcoming author N. Gemini Sasson to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her historical fiction novel, The King Must Die. Like Braveheart and its time period? Then you MUST pick up the author's books, Isabeau and The King Must Die. I have them on my Nook and can't wait to finish reading them!

The author will award a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

She was gracious enough to let me grill her about writing (and a few other things). Take it away...

What attracts you to this genre?

I can only say that I have this inexplicable attraction to castles. I’m sure it’s a genetic thing. Other than that, travelling to a different time provides an escape from this crazy modern life full of technical gadgets and a sometimes frenzied pace. Times back then were simpler in many ways, more rigid in terms of expectations and choices, but also incredibly tough.

What kind of research have you done to make sure you get the little things right? What do you use to help you?

Since I’ve been writing in the same time period for several books, the research is cumulative. I have a couple dozen biographies of historical figures from the era, and also books on everything from churches and abbeys, to clothing, armor and weapons, castles, daily life, food . . . If I’m not careful, I can fitter away hours looking things up. Whenever I can find authentic details, like what Edward III wore on his coronation day, I incorporate those into a scene. The history books and biographies give me the bones for the story; the other books help flesh out the details, so that the reader has no doubt they’re in the Middle Ages.

Do you have any odd writing habits or superstitions? If so, what?

I can’t write if someone is staring over my shoulder (I was the same way taking tests in school), but I write with a CD of Florence and the Machine playing in a continuous loop, a TV on my desk, a view to my garden, two or more dogs underfoot and a fish tank gurgling behind me.

I can only imagine the copious amounts of notes you must have for this book (and the others in the series). I normally ask "plotter or pantser", but I can't believe you'd be able to "pants" your way through a book like this. Can you? Tell us a bit about how this book went from idea to print.

Ah, but there are parts where I just wing it! History may provide a framework of events, but as a novelist I have to bridge the gaps in between and get inside the characters’ heads. So some days I just sit down and ask myself, “How am I going to get them from here to there?” Those scenes where the character undergoes an internal transformation are only loosely planned. My chapter outlines are sometimes no more than two sentences each. The really detailed ones might be a whole two paragraphs. That way I can allow the characters the freedom to take the story where they will. I’m just the chimpanzee at the keyboard, recording their thoughts for them.

The King Must Die started out as a spin-off of The Bruce Trilogy, in a way. I kept coming across Isabella’s name as I was researching her husband, Edward II, and since her life was so intriguing, I started collecting research material. So while my agent was peddling my other books, I kept working on her story. Over time it grew into two books: Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer (the prequel), and The King Must Die. It took years to complete them both, because in between I kept taking time out to rewrite other books.

Tell us one strange or funny thing about you that we may not believe and wouldn't ever guess.

Hmm, funny or strange, no. Peculiar, maybe. I have recently become a hoarder of tropical fish. I started off by asking on Facebook if anyone had a spare tank they were willing to part with. A friend gave me two and now I have four and it’s only been six months. Every week, I spend hours staring at my fish, taking care of them and reading about fish on the internet. It’s very therapeutic. I got my daughter hooked, too, so now I’m not the only fish-aholic in the family.

What's coming up next for you?

I’m finally leaping ahead to the early 15th century. My next novel will be about the last Welsh prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr. While there are many similarities between his life and that of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots (who features in my Bruce Trilogy books), Glyndwr was initially very reluctant to take the lead in his country’s quest for freedom. I don’t have a title for it yet, but that should be my next book out – that is if I don’t get distracted by a recent morsel I dug up in my family tree: that one of my Scottish ancestors died at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513.

Do you have any questions for our readers?

Yes, what novel left the deepest, most lasting impression on you and why? (Please keep your essays to less than 500 words. You have fifty minutes, starting … now.)



What is done cannot be undone.

England, 1326. Edward II has been dethroned. Queen Isabella and her lover, Sir Roger Mortimer, are at the pinnacle of their power.

Fated to rule, Isabella’s son becomes King Edward III at the callow age of fourteen. Young Edward, however, must bide his time as the loyal son until he can break the shackles of his minority and dissolve the regency council which dictates his every action.

When the former king is found mysteriously dead in his cell, the truth becomes obscured and Isabella can no longer trust her own memory . . . or confide in those closest to her. Meanwhile, she struggles to keep her beloved Mortimer at her side and gain yet another crown—France’s—for the son who no longer trusts her.

Amidst a maelstrom of shifting loyalties, accusations of murder propel England to the brink of civil war.

In the sequel to Isabeau, secrecy and treason, conspiracy and revenge once again overtake England. The future rests in the hands of a mother and son whose bonds have reached a breaking point.


N. Gemini Sasson is also the author of The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy: Book I), Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy: Book II), The Honor Due a King (The Bruce Trilogy: Book III) and Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer (2011 IPPY Silver Medalist for Historical Fiction). She holds a M.S. in Biology from Wright State University where she ran cross country on athletic scholarship. She has worked as an aquatic toxicologist, an environmental engineer, a teacher and a track and cross country coach. A longtime breeder and judge of Australian Shepherds, her articles on bobtail genetics have been translated into seven languages.

Links:
Web site: http://www.ngeminisasson.com
Blog: http://ngeminisasson.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NGeminiSasson
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NGeminiSasson