Sunday, July 6, 2014

Author interview with Barbara Morgenroth - RENTED


The real thing, or just rented for the summer?

Cressida Avery wants to spend the months before her junior year in college healing the wounds from her last disastrous relationship.

Everything changes when Garrison Light comes to town and buys a house. He’s handsome, wealthy and a “weekender” from the city. Weekenders look down on the locals and the resentment is mutual.

Something in him calls out to her. Garrison is not like the others, not by a long shot and, even knowing he’ll be gone by Labor Day, Cress still can’t fight her desire to be with him. But nothing about Garrison is what it appears to be on the surface.

Can Garrison help Cress get over Aaron? And will Cress need to get over Garrison?



5.0 out of 5 stars great New Adult
Format:Kindle Edition
I absolutely loved this book ! While I thought this might be your typical romance between the poor girl and the rich guy.. this book is so not that! Cress is a small town girl who helps in her stepmother real estate office to help pay for her college education. She has to help a wealthy man find a house to buy. Garrison is a handsome wealthy young guy who from the first likes Cress. He goes out of his way to get to know her she just keeps thinking if she gets involved with him he is just going to end up leaving her. Toward the end she tells him a tragic secret and he tries to help her get through it but I'm going to tell you the crazy twist ending! You must read this book to find the shocking ending!




What inspired you to start writing, and when?

I was teaching horseback riding and the owner of the farm wanted to return to dairy farming.  I had always planned on being a writer at some point in the future but that was the push that made me start years earlier.  It was a blessing in disguise.

What is your preferred genre?

I like to write whatever interests me.  Fiction, nonfiction, humor.  It’s just something I need to say.

How many books have you written? I’ve had a long career.  30?

 If more than one, are any a series…or trilogy?

The series I’m working on now is Bittersweet Farms.  It’s YA/NA/Crossover about two sisters, their horses and their romances.
My series Bad Apple is about a young man and a young woman who embark on a career in music.
My two-book series, Flash, is about a teenage girl who becomes a celebrity photographer.

Tell us a little about your book.

RENTED is a New Adult book.  Definitely for 18+ due to content.

Cressida is a young woman who grew up in the country, Garrison Light’s lived a privileged life in the city.  They’ve been hurt in different ways, experienced difficult losses and are able to heal each other during the summer.  Sometimes the past just won’t stay in the past and that’s an unfortunate truth they come to learn.

Do you have plans for a new book?

I’m working on a Bittersweet Farm book right now.  What happens after that, I’m not sure.  Maybe a novella. 

Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover?

I love ebooks.  I didn’t think I would but it’s fantastic for me.  So convenient, so portable.

Are you a self- published (Indie) Author?

I started my career being traditionally published.  Now I’m an Indie and I love it.

Who designed the cover of your book?

I design my covers.  This is a DIY operation.

Do you have any advice for other writers starting out?

Read the classics.  Read books that have stood the test of time, not just what’s popular now.
Anything nonfiction by John Gardner on the craft of writing would help.
Just writing isn’t enough if you’re not learning and growing, too.

Pick one - Wine, Chocolate or shoes?
Chocolate!

Cats or dogs?
Horses.

What is your favorite food and beverage?
Pasta, hands down.  I enjoy peach-mango coconut water.

How many hours per day do you try to devote to research and writing?

At least 6.  Writing isn’t for wimps!

Laptop or desktop for writing?

Desktop.  I like that and a large monitor for creating cover art.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad - 

The good reviews are pleasant, the others are sometimes incomprehensible. You wonder “Did this person read MY book?”

Do you have a bucket list?

Yes and getting a horse is on it and she’s arriving next weekend.
I hope that doesn’t predict my longevity!

One of your favorite quotes –

To escape criticism - say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.
 Elbert Hubbard

List 3 of your favorite movies?

Singin’ In the Rain
Palm Beach Story
Forbidden Planet

Where can your readers stalk you?


Is your book in Print, ebook or both?

Just ebook right now.

Do you give free ebooks away in exchange for honest reviews?
 I love to!

Book links:



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Saturday, July 5, 2014

Author Interview – Mona Ingram – Loving From Afar - Bk 1 currently FREE


Hello, Mona. Welcome to my blog.

Hi Patti. Thanks for inviting me.


Book Description from Amazon:  SEMI-FINALIST IN THE 2014 BEST KINDLE BOOK AWARDS!!

What would you do if your perfect life was shattered by a series of uncontrollable events? 
Allison Ransome loses everything; everything except her love for Cole Slater, the young man she planned to marry after graduation. Gutted by Allison's perceived treachery, Cole moves on with his life. Ten years later, he returns home, telling himself he will avoid the woman who broke his heart.
But nothing goes as planned. Can Allison and Cole forget the past and come to terms with the events that tore them apart?
Loving From Afar is Book One in The Women of Independence series, and is Allison's story. Book Two is titled The Last Goodbye, and is Danielle's story. Book Three is titled Never Look Back, and is mainly Maya's story, with a wrap-up of all the characters of the series you've come to love.

What inspired you to start writing, and when?
I’ve always been a reader, even from a young age. I recall reading some gruesome stuff by an author called Sax Rhomer. They were Fu Manchu-type mysteries. My mother gently tried to divert me toward Ayn Rand or Daphne duMaurier, but to her credit she didn’t forbid me from reading the Rhomer stuff.

What is your preferred genre?
I’m evenly split between romance and action/adventure.

How many books have you written?  If more than one, are any a series…or trilogy?
I’ve written twenty, and yes there is one bona-fide series of three. There’s another ‘series’ of two which I’ve grouped as International Romances, but somehow I haven’t found the time to write Book Three in that series. Ask me this same question in a couple of days and I’ll say twenty-one.

Tell us a little about your book.
 Loving From Afar is Book One in The Women of Independence series.  Independence is a fictional small town in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, where I live. Book One is the story of Allison, and is a stand-alone book. In each subsequent book, I feature a character from the previous book, as they all know each other. And by the way, Loving From Afar is free everywhere.

Do you have plans for a new book?
Funny you should ask, as they say. I am within a day of finishing the first book for a new series. Book One is titled Restless Hearts, and the name of the series is Gold Rush Romances. Here again, the three books in the series will be stand-alones (I don’t care for cliffhangers), and each one will feature a different woman and chronicle her experiences in Gold Rush San Francisco.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?
I’m a bit late, but I wish I could have met Maeve Binchy. I think I’ve read all of her books and loved every one. Especially the ones set in small towns in Ireland. When you read those books, you feel you know the families, the shop owners… even the priest.

Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants?
I don’t plot extensively, no. But I do let my books rattle around in my head for a long time before I write them. For example, for the one I’m working on now, I started collecting research material about eight years ago. Basically, however, I’m a pantser, and I type as fast as I can to keep up with what the characters are thinking, doing, and saying.

Patti: I know exactly what you mean!

Did you have an editor edit your books?
Yes.

Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks or hardcover?
Eighty percent e-books and 20% hardcover. I’m on the go all the time and am never without my Kindle, but when I have time to sit still and read, I still like a nice fat hardcover.

Where do you prefer to buy your books?
Amazon – for both e-books and hard cover.

Are you a self- published (Indie) Author?
Yes. I also have five books owned by Montlake Press, who bought a small New York publisher I used to write for.

What books would you like to read again?
Whitethorn by Bryce Courtenay. I have all his books.

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?
I didn’t read Out of Africa, but I can’t imagine the book being better.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)?
I’m just finishing up The Triumph of the Sun, by Wilbur Smith. It’s paperback, and it’s about the third time I’ve enjoyed it.

Who designed the cover of your book?
Suzie O’Connell, of Wellman Creek Books.

Do you find yourself intrigued by the cover of a book enough to buy it?
I love this question because I subscribe to about 25-30 free and discounted web sites, because I advertise a fair amount and I like to see who’s doing what. I find that as I scroll through the e-mails every day fewer and fewer covers interest me. So yes, it’s the cover that attracts me first.

Do you have any advice for other writers starting out?
Work hard. Make sure you know your basic grammar. Buy two books: Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style, and Stephen King’s On Writing. Grow a thick skin. Keep on writing, and don’t forget this is a business.

Do you write under a pen name?
No

Do you ever write in your PJ’s?
I’ve tried, but I don’t feel ‘right’ until I’ve showered and pulled on some clothes.

You are trapped on a tropical island - who would you like to be stranded with?
Someone who can build a shelter. Or Johnny Depp.

Patti: Watching a Johnny Depp movie right now - Transcendence. Pretty interesting so far. 

Tell us about someone or something that just made your day.
Having my book chosen as a Semi-Finalist in the 2014 Best Kindle Book Awards

What is your favorite food and beverage?
Rib Eye Steak, and super cold water.

How many hours per day do you try to devote to research and writing?
A minimum of five. Then an hour or two on promotion and all that other stuff.

What are 3 things you never leave home without (apart from keys, money and phone)?
My kindle, my binoculars, and my sense of humour.

Sleep in or get up early?
Get up early – especially in the summertime.

Laptop or desktop for writing?
Desktop

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
I’m learning to be flexible, but I prefer the morning. I have a small office that I keep almost dark. It’s like sitting in a movie theatre, watching the plot unfold.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad.
Book reviews are a part of the business. When I get a nasty one, which thankfully isn’t very often, I usually just skim over it the first time. Then, when it doesn’t hurt so much, I go back and see if I can learn anything from it.

Patti: Great thinking.

One of your favorite quotes:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt

List 3 of your favorite movies.
The Shawshank Redemption, Out of Africa, The Notebook

Where can your readers stalk you?
My blog is http://www.monaingram.blogspot.com   I don’t blog as often as I should, but when I have news of a new release or a special, I post it there. Readers can sign up to be on my mailing list on my author facebook page:  http://tiny.cc/h6gfnw

Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
e-book.

Do you give free e-books away in exchange for honest reviews?
For new books with less than 20 reviews, I welcome inquiries from people who’d like to read them. I’m open to requests for my new historical romance right now. I usually wait until it’s published on Amazon and send a gift certificate for the book.


Book links:


Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world.  I hope you share this interview with your friends so we can all get to know you a little better. 

Patti Roberts
Author/Book cover designer and book formatter - ebook and print.


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Professor Tomlinson's Last Experiment - by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith

A blog by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith.

I've always regarded the short story form as a kind of laboratory where one can experiment with different styles and techniques without great commitment or risk. This new story represents my first venture into the uncharted waters of science fiction.

Thanks to Patti Roberts of Paradox Book Cover Designs for the wonderfully evocative cover design, which calls to mind the best and the worst of the 1950s science fiction I devoured by the crateful in my teens. 

I came late to science fiction, encountering it for the first time at fifteen. My mother had brought home, I suppose from a second-hand bookshop, several enormous cartons full of old issues of F&SF and IASFM. I'd never encountered science fiction before, and it was an utter revelation to me. Over the course of a long illness that kept me at home alone for many weeks, I read my way through the lot. I'll never forget my excitement when, hunting through the out-of-order piles, I finally found the last episode of Lord Valentine's Castle. Or the first time I read the creepily recursive All You Zombies. Or my bitter frustration when I realised that in all those volumes, I only had the first two instalments of The Dreaming Jewels. My whole world opened up that year.

In the ensuing years, as I left school and started on adult life, I read my way through the complete oevres of Heinlein, Asimov, Sturgeon and Bradbury. My love of extreme and fantastic tales has never abated. And yet, when I set out to write myself, my own work was solidly set in the real world, in the Melbourne where I've lived for so many years. 

So Professor Tomlinson's Last Experiment is an experiment for me too, but most of all it's a tribute to the great writers of yesteryear, who cheered the days and nights of a lonely, sick child.

Professor Tomlinson's Last Experiment is available in all formats at Smashwords.




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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Primordial Traditions, the recipient of the $10,000 Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence, is finally back in print

Award Winning Book Back in Print



Primordial Traditions, the recipient of the $10,000 Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence, is finally back in print after a long hiatus. Originally a free quarterly periodical dealing with spiritual and metaphysical philosophy, Primordial Traditions was reprinted in book format in 2009, and received the award for its potential to unite the different Traditions of the world by postulating a core under-lying philosophy.

Unfortunately the original plans for the book were waylaid by a year long sequence of large earthquakes in the author’s country of residence. Following this, the original plans for the book became untenable and the author, Gwendolyn Taunton, relocated and the series halted.
In 2014, Primordial Traditions is back in a second edition, with new and revised content. Now writing under her real name instead of the previous non de plume, Gwendolyn Taunton has assembled and impressive book of over four hundred pages with an excellent design and research.

With subject matter as diverse as religious philosophy, Middle Eastern Mysticism, rites of Ancient Greece and Rome, Norse Berserkers, Tantra, and altered states of consciousness in yoga, Primordial Traditions covers an extremely diverse range of topics, some of which are clearly intended to be aimed at an audience of highly educated readers. This is tempered however, by some less intense and more relaxing articles on Celtic & Viking history, Mayan astrology, and even some dealing with law and finance. These articles, though not as hefty, are equally fascinating and add to the quality of the volume by virtue of their unique topics.

After sitting down and reading the book cover to cover, it’s easy to see how such a philosophical approach to religion could benefit humanity by teaching a sensible, moderate, and logical approach to faith that ends religious conflicts and prevents dogma and fundamentalism from damaging spiritual movements. All in all, Gwendolyn Taunton’s greatest achievement here is perhaps a philosophical victory rather than a literary one, because this is a concept I could easily see changing not only the way religion and spirituality are conceived, but also the very nature of the concept itself. By reading and spreading the philosophy of the Primordial Tradition, I already feel secure that this book will make the world a better, happier, and safer place.

Gwendolyn Taunton, Primordial Traditions Volume I, Numen Books, 2014.


Books by Gwendolyn Taunton - HERE 

About the author
Gwendolyn Taunton is a previous recipient of the Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence. She has edited and written a number of works, including Primordial Traditions, Melpomene (an anthology of poetry and prose), Kratos: the Hellenic Tradition, and Mimir: The Journal of North European Tradition. Other works written under the pseudonym 'Gwendolyn Toynton' include Northern Traditions and Mythos: The Myths and Tales of H.P. Lovecraft & Robert E. Howard. Over the years Gwendolyn has also written for other publications, including New Dawn Magazine.

Gwendolyn Taunton also holds a BA (Hons) in Religious Studies and has a strong interest in all spiritual matters and philosophy. Gwendolyn is also a graphic designer and she has a interest in the arts and the humanities. Gwendolyn Taunton is devoted to restoring the cultural values which should be at the core of our civilization and upholds the right for all indigenous peoples to preserve their cultural heritage. She is also firmly committed to the preservation of the natural environment and animal welfare.

Contact Name: John Thorne
Email Address: info@numenbooks.com.au
Company Location: Victoria, Australia


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Friday, June 6, 2014

Book excerpt from Trial Run, by Ella Medler (romance)



Trial Run, available soon.

The sky was beginning to darken, taking on a purple hue topped with an orange layer of whipped clouds, when a sharp trill came from the house.
“Phone,” Jason said and hauled himself out of the pool. “Bit early for Amelie,” he said as he sprinted to the house.
The conversation can’t have lasted more than seconds. In a flash, Jason ran back out and waved his car keys at Rob.
“You wanna come along?”
“Sure.”
“I won’t lie,” Jason said as he unlocked a shiny new SUV parked by the roadside, just outside the green arch formed by the aging banyan trees. “I might need you for the muscle.”
“You’re taking me to a brawl?” Rob chuckled. “Feels like yesterday...”
Jason laughed as he peeled out and drove faster than the legal speed limit toward Boca Raton. “Only that fight had nothing to do with Amelie.”
“I couldn’t close my right fist for two days,” Rob said, flexing his fingers now, as he remembered their last fight together when, aged just eighteen, they’d walked away relatively unscathed from an encounter with the Ramos brothers. Well, apart from the deep gash in Jason’s thigh and Rob’s split eyebrow and grazed knuckles. They were lucky the patrol car arrived when it did, and the fact that there was a warrant already out for the brothers’ arrest didn’t hurt either.
Rob squinted as Jason turned down a less well-cared-for street. Most houses displayed signs of neglect here, and not all street lights functioned. Jason stopped the car in front of a property set back from the road, bordered by tall hedges and with a blinking neon sign over the double door.
Black Tulip Tattoo and Piercings, it read, and there were two black stylized tulips painted straight onto the white wall by the door. An offending odour permeated the space surrounding the house, and Rob sniffed twice, trying to place its origin. Chemical... antiseptic with a slight charring whiff, maybe.
“Watch my back,” Jason ordered and burst through the front door.
The small reception desk hid a girl who couldn’t have been more than fifteen. She took one look at Jason and shrunk back into her chair.
Rob gestured to her to get out, and she didn’t have to be told twice. The door swung shut behind her at the same time as Jason’s shout came from the room at the back. Rob sprinted over and caught the fist that had missed Jason’s face by a hair’s breadth. A quick twist and shove, and the pierced skinhead who’d launched it crumpled to the floor. Rob’s heel to the gut made sure he’d stay there for a while.
To his right, Jason was sinking his fist into the tattooist’s stomach, but that didn’t hold Rob’s attention for long. Because on the cot in the middle of the room the most perfectly shaped woman lay naked on her front, her peachy and flawlessly tanned ass cheeks glowing in the light of the overhead projector.  Two parallel stripes of white powder marred the round contour of her right ass cheek. The projector’s light outlined the word SLUT on her upper back. Only the S and part of the L had been inked, Rob realized with relief.
Relief was not the expression she wore when she turned her head around to see what the commotion was about. The scowl on her face deepened when she saw Jason bent over the tattooist, and then she sat up, scattering the coke, and turned to the door. Her ice blue eyes locked on Rob.

“Amelie?” he whispered, his heart skipping a beat.



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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Author Interview with Kemka Ezinwo "Something New"

A big warm welcome to Kemka Ezinwo to my blog, the author of Something New.

Firstly, a little about the book:
Two women are hauled together by their husbands’ partnership but that’s not all they have in common. 
After five years of being married to Moses without any children to show for it, Athena is at a crossroad which is further exasperated by an obnoxious mother-in-law who brings in another woman to help the process; to top it off her husband is cheating on her.

Temitope has been married to Olamide for ten years. Although she has two daughters she desperately needs to give birth to a male child that will inherit her husband’s empire and secure her marriage. She is worried that a mistake she had made is costing her the opportunity of doing so and will do anything to ensure no other woman takes her place.
One thing is certain they’ll do anything to keep their marriage… but will they succeed?
Meanwhile, Moses starts a liaison with Cynthia who is in a contract marriage with Olamide and now she is pregnant…
Book review:
4.0 out of 5 stars A great find 
Review by V Wiltshire
I hadn't heard of this author before but I'm glad I took a chance. I really enjoyed this. It's an intriguing story of love, marriage, heart-breaking longing for children and betrayal.
Generally well written - lovely use of language. It is a book that is difficult to put down as you want to find out what happens next - I read it all in one go.

What inspired you to start writing, and when?
I’ve always written books in my head too lazy to put it to paper. So I settled for poems and song writing until 2011 when I decided to write short stories, but anything I wrote begged to be a full length novel and I’ll discard it. One day a friend came back from holiday with a book on Creative Writing then I realised that I had been on the right track but holding back.

What is your preferred genre?
I’m still working on that. So far, I read everything except Paranormal and erotic novel because I have an overactive imagination.

Where would you call home?
Well, I call anywhere I have friends and family home. I do like company a lot so long as they aren’t intrusive.

How many books have you written?  If more than one, are any a series…or trilogy?
Three, (if you add the one I’m presently working on). The first one is Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage.

Tell us a little about your book.
It’s about two old fashioned women and what they have to go through to protect their marriage while they try to get pregnant. A story of love, marriage, betrayal and friendship.

Do you have plans for a new book?
Yes, I’m presently working on two novels. I want to join NaNoWriMo this July to see how well I will fare.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
Both. For me, they work hand in hand.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet?
Yes, Maureen Jennings because I love Murdoch Mysteries.

Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover?
Depends on where I am. EBooks are convenient and unconventional. If I have my laptop with me it will be an ebook but I love the feel of flipping through the pages of paperback.

Where do you prefer to buy your books?
Any place so long as it’s easy to access. But I visit Amazon a lot.

Are you a self- published (Indie) Author?
Yes, I don’t think I would have been able to cope with waiting for a response from a traditional publisher.

What books would you like to read again?
The lion and the jewel   Wole Soyinka
The Lord of the Rings   J.R.R.Tolkien
Honor among thieves   Jeffrey Archer
Things fall apart   Chinua Achebe

What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)?
Wedding hell by Jennifer Gilby Roberts in ebook format.

Do you have any advice for other writers starting out? If you dream of it, you can achieve it and by God dream big!

Do you write under a pen name?
No, but I was thinking of using one when I start writing for young adults.

Do you ever write in your PJ’s?
Yes.

If you were asked to get three things from grocery shop what would they be?
Coca-Cola,
Biscuit
Calamari

How did you come up with the title and cover design?
The name: Twerking Cruxes and a Cloaked Visage came only when the book was at its final stage of publishing. But Something New occurred to me with the idea of the story. I didn’t know of premade covers initially and had to change the cover of my first book twice. It took weeks of browsing websites of premade cover to get the one that caught the story.

How many hours per day do you try to devote to research and writing?
A whole day sometimes but an average of four hours, two or three times a week.

What are 3 things you never leave home without (apart from keys, money and phone)?
Paper, pencil and lip balm.

Sleep in or get up early?
Sleep in.

Laptop or desktop for writing?
No, paper and pencil.

Your favorite gadget?
My laptop.

Do you find yourself intrigued by the cover of a book enough to buy it? 
No.
From your experience, what are three important elements to writing a novel and the most important for aspiring authors?
I’m still new in this but I will say:
Consistent point of view (POV);
Have a character or characters that your readers would root for; &
Plot must be realistic

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?
I prefer evenings or early in the morning. I’ll have to take a power nap before starting and wait another hour for my eyes to be fully open.

One of your favorite quotes – There is a reason why your assets are in front of you: it’s so you don’t look back.

List 3 of your favorite movies?
The Mummy;
Avatar;
Fast Five.

An actor you have a crush on -
Benedict Cumberbatch

Where can your readers stalk you? www.facebook.com/kemka.ezinwo

Is your book in Print, ebook or both? Both



Where can your readers stalk you? www.facebook.com/kemka.ezinwo

Is your book in Print, ebook or both? Both

Book links:





I hope you have enjoyed reading Author Kemka Ezinwo. Please show your support to indie authors and share this post with the links below. It is greatly appreciated! Patti
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