Writer Wednesday Archives | Page 15 of 22

Writer Wednesday: Meet Jessica West!

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Margaret — 6 Comments ↓

Writer Wednesday. Say it with me, peeps: it’s WRITER WEDNESDAY! Wahoo! Woo-wie! Whee haw! (Why DO so many expressions of excitement begin with W?)

Today I’m privileged to have Jessica West in the interviewee seat. Jessica is a speculative fiction writer. We met via Flash Friday, where she’s contributed some terrific tiny tales. She joins me now for a short interview (a flash interview, as it were, though not fiction), and then regales us with tidbits about her latest production. So, without further ado, I give you Jess!

Which type of romance do you love most, and why?

I absolutely love a forbidden romance set in Victorian or Renaissance times with a headstrong female lead and a “generous for the times” male lead. There’s something incredibly alluring about a man who is strong enough to let his woman take the lead at least sometimes.

What fellow romance author do you recommend reading, and why?

I recommend reading Meg Collett. All of her characters, not just the primary and secondary ones, are well-rounded and fully developed. Reading her, you almost feel like you’re watching a soap opera unfold, without the clichés. You really feel like you’re getting to know people. I read everything she puts out.

What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?

Don’t write down every idea that pops into your head. Too many times I see people recommending just the opposite, and I always followed that advice, but this year has been a year of focus and discovery. I made myself focus on a collaborative project, to the exclusion of anything else if I still had work to do on it. I learned how to tell the great ideas from all the rest. It’s the ones that stick with you even though you didn’t write them down, the characters you can’t run or hide from because they follow you even into your dreams. If you get an idea and you don’t write it down but you can’t forget about it, even after a week, then you know you’ve got something. Now you can write it down.

Thanks for having me over for Writer Wednesday! If folks want to check out that collaborative project I’ve been doggedly pursuing, they can get the first episode at Amazon, or pre-order the box set. Reviewers can get each episode or the box set, as they become available, free by signing up for ARCs here.

Sin Eater (Episode 1.1): Dark Urban Fantasy Serial

Sin Eater (Complete First Season): Dark Urban Fantasy Serial

From Award-Winning Author Pavarti K. Tyler and Speculative Fiction Author Jessica West, comes a Dark Urban Fantasy serial about evil, and the next step in its evolution.

**This is Episode ONE in a seven part urban fantasy/horror serial**

A Sin Eater who battles demons for souls

A Priest who must protect what he most desires, even from himself,

A rogue Romani mortician with an attitude, a secret, and a powerful weapon,

And a Secret Order of the Church who knows more than they’re saying…

Nikolai Grekh is the last Sin Eater.

Born into a world rampant with demon possession, Nik struggles to keep Hell’s hordes from consuming the world, but he grows weary of the constant battle against sin. Evil grows stronger as more souls are lost. With each new possession growing increasingly violent, Nik fears he may be losing the war.

When Nik confronts a demon he can barely defeat, he reaches out to the only man who can save him. The only man he trusts. The one man he can never have…

Evil has resided alongside humanity since the beginning of time, feeding on our weaknesses, our vices. Our sins. It hungers for our souls, its demonic offspring possessing humans, corrupting, manipulating, using us as unwitting pawns in a supernatural chess match for the ultimate price: life.

The Crucifixion of Christ saved humanity once. What will it take to save us this time?

*contains mature content, offensive themes, and general deviance*

Sin Eater 1.1 is approximately 10,000 words or 45 pages, and is the first of seven episodes in the first season of the Sin Eater serial. If you don’t enjoy reading serials, you can pre-order the full Box Set on Amazon now.

Sin Schedule

Episode 1: 9/25/2015
Episode 2: 9/25/2015
Episode 3: 10/9/2015
Episode 4: 10/23/2015
Episode 5: 11/6/2015
Episode 6: 11/20/2015
Episode 7: 12/4/2015
Box Set: 12/15/2015

Bio:

Jessica West (@West1Jess) is currently pursuing a state of self-induced psychosis, also known as writing. For the record, she’s not lazy, just energy efficient. The Pro Domme at Prose Before Ho Hos, Jess writes and edits freely and publishes independently. (That is to say she’s a Freelance writer and editor and Independent author, but she prefers to avoid to be verbs as often as possible and I’m still sore from our last session.)

She lives in Acadiana with three children still young enough to think she’s cool and a husband who knows better but likes her anyway.

Want to connect further with Jessica? Find her on her website, Facebook, or Twitter!

Thanks so much for visiting, Jessica!
I find this whole serial idea fascinating (I know it’s one of the new, cool things),
and I thank you for sharing your work with us!

Writer Wednesday: Meet Foy Iver!

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Margaret — No Comments ↓

2-4-6-8, what do we appreciate? Wednesday! Wednesday! W-r-r-r-iter Wednesday!

And I doubly appreciate it today, because my good friend and deliciously fabulous writer Foy Iver is with me. Foy’s way with words steals my breath every time, folks – if you haven’t read her flash fiction in the places listed below, go seek it out. You won’t be sorry.

I recently enticed her to come share a little about herself, a quick bite, flash-esque interview, as it were, so I hope you read a little and comment a lot. Let’s show Foy some writerly love!

What inspires you to write?

Writing doesn’t come easily for me. Usually my best stories or poems are born out of painful experiences that I need to process: a miscarriage, the death of a friend, my own failings. Through writing, I pull out those emotions, flip them upside down and around, study them, understand them, and then imprison them on the page.

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.

Research is my enchanted fruit. I could spend years digging up useless gems of information while the meat of my story lies rotting in my brain. Semi-useless fact #19203742893: Comfrey (also known as Knitbone [is that not the coolest name ever]), was used to promote healing in broken bones in the early days of medicine.

Name two things people don’t know about you.

1) I recently left my job to be a full-time writer. This is the first in seven years that I haven’t been employed or seeking employment. Yes, it feels odd.

2) I struggled with reading until about the age of twelve when letters just fell into place. After that you couldn’t get my nose out of a book.

What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?
So your inner editor sees a rhinosaurus? Let others have a peek. They might spy a prize-winning unicorn in the making.

Bio:

Foy S. Iver is a flash fiction author and fantasy writer. Her stories have found homes at several online sites, including Flash! Friday, Micro Bookends, Three Line Thursday, Angry Hourglass, Paragraph Planet, & Visual Verse. She chases after the FlashDogs and has a few pieces in their solstice Light & Dark Anthologies.

Find her on Twitter @fs_iver or drop by her site, www.foyiver.com. In the non-virtual universe, she lives with her husband and Blue Heeler in the mountains of Northern Virgina.

Wahoo! Thanks so much, Foy – such an honor to host you here. 🙂

Writer Wednesday: Meet Tina Glasneck!

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Margaret — No Comments ↓

Whoa, wait? It’s Wednesday? Again? How does this keep happening? Yeah, who cares? We LOVE Wednesdays, because it’s Writer Wednesday!

Today I’ve got fellow Virginia Romance Writer Tina Glasneck in the hot seat (I hope it’s hot – it’s getting darn chilly outside!). Tina took time out of her very busy schedule (mom to very young kids, as well as a writer – need I say more?) to share a bit about herself and her writing. Wahoo! So settle in, drink some hot chocolate for me, and leave Tina some comment love when you’ve finished reading all about her.

What inspires you to write?

I often think that if I didn’t write, I’d go mad. Writing is like standing outside naked and asking people what they think. It is sometimes hard, lonely, difficult and the path isn’t always filled with sunshine and butterflies. Yet, I still couldn’t imagine my life without my being able to put pen to paper or to caress my keyboard keys. Not everyone will understand the art of my stories, but those that do, they help to keep me coming back to sit down and share parts of my soul, which I’ve bled onto the page.

Which type of romance do you love most, and why?

I love paranormal romance, and time travel romance. Simply put, there is something magical about magic, and the ability in such a world to exist. All things are possible, including the bending of time, and space. Additionally, there is something about a dashing Lord, and a heroine who doesn’t feel the need to be subservient to him (due to her modern day disposition and constitution).

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.

I am working on creating my first time-travel romance, and in doing so, I had to dig into Viking mythology, and ascertain how far south in modern day Germany the Vikings made it. One thing that I learned while doing all of this research was about the Brothers Grimm, who lived in Kassel during the 19th century. In fact, they compiled their famous fairy tales in Kassel. This of course led me down the road of recreating fairy tales like they used to be. And, in my latest release, 7 Twisted Fairy Tales, I take flash fiction and look at things from the villain’s point of view.

Name two things people don’t know about you.

Two things that people don’t know about me? Well, that is a hard one. Often I feel like an open book.

The first thing is that I collect castles (fortresses and palaces). I’ve always had an affinity for all things medieval, and everything that has to do with knights in shining armor. I still dream of one day owning my own castle (This is still on my to-be-accomplished list; I’ve already found my knight).

Secondly, I am a romantic; I mean an over-the-top-love-will-conquer-all-and-there-is-nothing-stronger-than-love romantic. So, you probably aren’t surprised by the fact that parts of my life I would actually consider to be part of a fairy tale. I was married in a castle on the outskirts of Kassel, called The Sababurg. It is the Sleeping Beauty Castle, and is surrounded with lovely roses. As you can see, my time travel romance will actually have a little bit of truth. 🙂

7 Twisted Fairy Tales

Do you like fairy tales? Dive into the familiar tales of your youth, but be forewarned — these aren’t your normal fairy tales. They’ve been recreated, fractured, made darker, more sinister. These flash fiction tales are sure to make you look at fairy tales in a new way. Embrace the twisted.

Released specifically for Halloween, and is a collection of flash fiction stories.

Find it on Amazon!

Want to connect further with Tina? You may find her here:

Website: www.TinaGlasneck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TL-Glasneck-Author-of-Romance-and-Fantasy-1429774030592558/ or https://www.facebook.com/TinaGlasneck

Twitter: @TLGlasneck and @TinaGlasneck

Author Bio:

Tina Glasneck is a crime fiction writer, and aspiring romance writer. She believes in the power of love, complicated stories with complex characters and beautiful settings. Inspired by Jude Deveraux and Kathleen Koen, Tina strives to create stories that keep readers engaged, love that sweeps one away, and a love powerful enough to pull you along for the ride. To learn more about Tina and her melange of writings, visit her at www.TinaGlasneck.com

Thanks so much for sharing some of yourself with us today, Tina!
I, for one, am looking forward to that time-travel romance, indeed, so hurry up and finish writing it, will you?

Writer Wednesday: Meet Debra Druzy

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Margaret — 28 Comments ↓

Didja miss us? Didja miss us? Writer Wednesday was on hiatus last week while I worked to meet an editing deadline, but now we’re BACK and we’ve got contemporary romance author Debra Druzy in the interview hot seat (well, really, I hope it’s just a comfortable, relaxing, warm seat, because I want authors to enjoy being here).

I don’t know about YOU, but with a book entitled Sle eping with Santa, Debra’s got me dying to know more about her and her books (if Santa looks like the guy on her cover, I’m so in)! So settle in while Debra takes over the mic and shares a bit about herself, and what’s next for her writing.

Thank you for having me on your Writer Wednesday blog, Margaret. And Hello to your fabulous followers!

I’m Debra Druzy, author of Sleeping With Santa, a contemporary romance. These questions were a nice break from revising my current work in progress. And a helluva lot easier than third grade Common Core math homework.

What inspires you to write?

Everything. Dreams. Conversations. Driving. Grocery shopping. Doing laundry. Watching the news. Music is especially inspirational—I call it songspiration.

Which type of romance do you love most, and why?

Contemporary is my favorite because I relate to the time, place, and language better than some other genres.

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.

I learned that I must plot the story rather than write from the seat of my pants. I can’t drive my car anywhere without my GPS guiding the way, so I don’t what made me think I could write without knowing where the story was going.

Name two things people don’t know about you.

I can’t fall asleep with the television on. [ML says: People can do that? I sure can’t!]
I was born the day the Mets won the World Series, the first time.

What fellow romance author do you recommend reading, and why?

I have the privilege to beta read for two writer-friends. Arla Dahl’s Immoral Virtue Trilogy gives the Salem witch trials an erotic twist. I consider Arla’s style Fifty Shades of Shakespeare. And Stephanie Kepke’s Goddess of Suburbia is a chick-lit romance. I compare reading the story to taking a road trip with a good friend as she recaps a nervous breakdown with heart and humor. I have to mention Cherry Adair—she is a fabulous writer and mentor. If you like action-adventure-romance, check out Cherry’s books.

What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?

Plot first!
It’s fine to sit and free-write to get the juices going and warm up the muse. But like cooking, driving, building a house, sewing a dress—having a recipe, a map, a blueprint, a pattern to follow is a tremendous help. Set up the framework for the story before layering the details.

What’s your favorite romance novel of all time, and why?

Although contemporary is my favorite genre, Thea Devine’s historical romance, Secret Pleasures, is my favorite story. It’s a little bit of everything decadent—murder, mystery, romance, erotica. I bought the book when it first came out to read on my train ride to work, and it proved to be a naughty escape during the long roundtrip commute. The paperback is still in my nightstand drawer.

Thanks again, Margaret. And thanks to your followers for stopping by.

If you haven’t slept with Santa yet, you can get the SLEEPING WITH SANTA
e-book on sale for only 99 cents, until October 29.

When Nick reluctantly accepts the temporary transfer to the Scenic View Fire Department he doesn’t plan on playing Santa Claus for the kiddie Christmas party. Sticking around town for the special assignment will give him a chance to get to know lonely, local sweetheart Lily and find out why she wants nothing to do with him.

Lily is a lifelong fixture in Scenic View, sick of living hand-to-mouth in a place where everyone’s nose is in her personal business. Just when she’s ready to move out of town, she meets the gorgeous newcomer, and it’s lust at first sight. The only thing is she doesn’t date firemen, which is too bad, because charming Nick seems like a real keeper.

With a little Christmas magic and help from the Santa suit, will Nick find a way into Lily’s heart and change her mind?

You’re gonna have to sleep with Santa to find out.

Get SLEEPING WITH SANTA for .99 October 16 – 29.

Find it here:

TWRP store: http://tinyurl.com/n2fqx4x

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1628307374

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/sleeping-with-santa

All Romance EBooks: http://tinyurl.com/owen27w

Bookstrand.com: http://www.bookstrand.com/sleeping-with-santa

iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/ok8vx8b

BN Nook: http://tinyurl.com/ko9rohd

For more information and links for where to buy, please visit http://www.debradruzy.com/

A bit about Debra:

Debra Druzy is a married, stay-at-home mom, writing romance in between running errands and doing household chores. Sleeping with Santa is her first published book, but there are plenty of unfinished stories in the closet and under the bed, which is probably bad for feng shui, but a good lesson in persistence pays off.

Want to connect further? Find Debra here:

Debra Druzy Online: http://www.debradruzy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debradruzyauthor

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/DebraDruzy

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/debradruzy/

Thanks so much for being a part of Writer Wednesday, Debra! It was a pleasure to have you with us!

Writer Wednesday: Meet Katherine Bone

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Margaret — 14 Comments ↓

Ahoy, mateys! It be Writer Wednesday! That most fabulous Writer Wednesday, I say, fer which we ~~capture~~ invite authors ta board ship an’ hoist an ale while sharin’ a tale. I be eyein’ it most pleasurably that romance scribblin’ lassie Katherine Bone done popped by ta ~~mop tha poop deck~~ spill a bit o’ her secrets! (Okay, I’ll go back to my native tongue, though I am an avid participant in International Talk Like A Pirate Day every September 19th. Arrr!)

Katherine writes sweeping adventures on the high seas . . . adventures in love, that is (well, okay, with swell escapades and unexpected events for good measure). Grab yer parrot and a cracker, and settle in for a wee chat wit’ Lady Katherine, lest ye be forced to walk tha plank! (Oops, yeah, hard for me to give it up once I start. Scurvy dog!)

What inspires you to write?

Love, swashbuckling heroes, my favorite movies, books, and tv shows. Writing stories that ARR an anchor of hope to those who read them. Finding that special research nugget that thrills my piratey senses!

Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.

I love researching for the books I write! History draws me in almost as much as the idea that love conquers all. For my new Regent’s Revenge Series, I’ve been spending a lot of time researching Exeter, United Kingdom. Exeter dates back to the reign of Julius Caesar, 54 B.C. The most south-westerly fortified settlement in England, it was surrounded by walls to protect Romans from unsubdued Britons there—think Boadicea. Major cathedrals and castles dating back to the 11^th Century still stand after the Norman Conquest and WWII bombing. Lieutenant Lapenotiere carried the Trafalgar Dispatch and raced his post chaste featured in My Lady Rogue, A Nelson’s Tea Novella #2, through Exeter in 1805. (I discovered Exeter while researching that book. Isn’t that cool?) Exeter has played an important part in history throughout its existence. LOVE that people are still digging up Roman coins there too!

What fellow romance author do you recommend reading, and why?

There are so many great romance authors publishing books today, but I’m particularly jazzed about Author Virginia Taylor‘s South Landers Series. Ms. Taylor’s writing is captivating, sizzling, and unforgettably fresh. Set in Victorian Australia, Starling is the first book in her series. Starling was a FANtastic read I couldn’t put it down! And I’m super jazzed that the second book in her series, Ella, releases October 13th! (I preordered it months ago and have been eagerly awaiting it.) Go out and buy these books now, if you haven’t already, me hearties. Huzzah!!!

What’s your favorite romance novel of all time, and why?

My favorite romance of all time would have to be Kathleen E. Woodiwiss’s Come Love a Stranger. I loved that book so much I named my daughter, Lierin, after the heroine. Come Love a Stranger featured amnesia and twin sisters. But what struck me most was the tortured hero who loved his wife and fought for her even when she couldn’t remember him. (Fell in love with alpha heroes here.) Epic romance at its best!!! My second favorite book would have to be Phantom by Susan Kay. Phantom is a romance that will stay with you forever!

Now available for pre-order:

Once Upon a True Love’s Kiss Anthology, featuring USA Today Best-selling author, Julie Johnstone, who joins best-selling, award-winning authors, Katherine Bone, Collette Cameron, Jillian Chantal, Samantha Grace, Alanna Lucas, Lauren Smith, and Victoria Vane in this delightful limited edition, containing eight tantalizing kiss-and-tell stories. Meet dashing, wildly charming rogues, spies, pirates, rakes and their extraordinary, intrepid heroines as they whisk you along on sweet to sizzling romantic romps in these wickedly entertaining historical romances.

Here’s what you’ll find from Katherine in that fabulous anthology:

THE PIRATE’S DUCHESS by KATHERINE BONE –

Duty forces him to take on the pirate code, but honor brings him back.

Prudence, Duchess of Blackmoor, has one desire—to be happy again. After struggling to overcome the horrifying death of her husband, she accepts an earl’s offer of marriage, confident she’s taking a step in the right direction. But demons, refuse to die, and Prudence finds herself caught in an intricate web of deceit that threatens the very foundations of all she holds dear.

Tobias, the Duke of Blackmoor, crosses the line when an assassination attempt on him fails. To restore the reputations of friends under attack by the same villain, and ensure his wife’s safety, he stages his own death, becoming The Black Regent, a notorious pirate bent on brandishing justice, never thinking he’d survive. But to his amazement, he has, and now the darkest-kept secrets are not worth losing the duchess his wife has become.

Find the pre-order anthology here: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo

National Bestselling Historical Romance Author Katherine Bone has been passionate about history since she had the opportunity to travel to various Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals as an Army brat turned Officer’s Wife. Who knew that an Army wife’s passion for romance novels would lead to pirates? Certainly not her rogue, whose Alma Mater’s adage is “Go Army. Beat Navy!” Now enjoying the best of both worlds, Katherine lives with her rogue in the south where she writes about Rogues, Rebels and Rakes, aka Pirates, Lords, Captains, Duty, Honor, and Country and the happily ever afters every alpha male and damsel deserve.

Want to connect further with Katherine? Find her here:

Website: www.katherinebone.com