Holiday Sale at MuseItUp Publishing

My last guest is a MuseItUp author, so she won't mind if I insert a quick promo for the 25% off sale going on at MuseItUp for the next couple of weeks.

Holiday Special:

Get 25% off any purchase from today until December 10th.

Use code: HC2010D at checkout in the discount code box before going to Paypal.

From all of us at the Muse,

we want to wish you Happy Holidays!

Click here to get to the MuseItUp bookstore. Browse and enter the code on checkout.

Interview - CK Volnek

Hi Charlotte: Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, how about a brief bio so the readers can get to know you. Include links to your blogs and websites please.

Hi Marva, thanks for having me today. My name is C.K. Volnek, wife and mom of three, and author of three middle grade titles coming out in 2011 with MuseItUp Publishing. I live in Nebraska with my hubby and four pint-size Papillon fur-kids. Yes, I did say four. What can I say, they’re like potato chips, I couldn’t stop at one. LOL.

I’ve always loved to write and especially to write for kids. But life got in the way of my novels for a while. But I never gave up my dream and here I am, excited to be published and share my stories with the world.

Friends and readers can e-mail me at ckvolnek@yahoo.com

or visit my web page: http://www.ckvolnek.com/
My blog is http://www.ckvolnek.com/blog.html

I’m also on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/CK-Volnek-Author/155523277795732

They can find more about my published titles at http://museituppublishing.com/musepub/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=128&Itemid=82

Tell everyone a bit about your book.

My first title is Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island  due to be released Fall 2011 through MuseItUp Publishing

In 1587, 117 colonists disappeared from Roanoke Island without a trace, leaving behind not only unanswered questions, but a terrifying evil.

Now it’s up to twelve year-old Jack Dahlgren to unravel the age-old mystery and save his family from the hateful beast that haunts the island.

With the help of newfound friend, Manny, an Indian Shaman, and an elusive Giant Mastiff, Jack must piece together the clues of the Lost Colony to discover what this evil is and where it came from. Shrouded in ancient Native American folklore, Jack must uncover why the evil haunts his island, but can he destroy it ... before it destroys him?

In Winter 2011, A Horse Called Trouble will be released, also by MuseItUp Publishing. In this story, a troubled teen must overcome her abusive past to save the defiant horse that has taught her to love and trust again.

Tara Cummings hasn’t had an easy life. Abandoned by her mother at the young age of seven she’s been passed from foster home to foster home; not wanted anywhere by anyone. At thirteen she finds herself skeptic and suspicious, with no family, no friends, and forced to participate in horse therapy.

Horse therapy “will teach trust, perseverance, respect and the value of teamwork,” or so says the program’s instructor. Tara is unconvinced. Trust only got her heart broken, perseverance only gets her put down, and no one respects or wants to team up with the misfit foster kid.

At the therapy horse farm, Tara meets Trouble, an angry and defiant horse, bent on destroying everything and everyone around him. At first she’s afraid of Trouble, until she realizes he’s as misunderstood and untrusting as she is. She pushes aside her fear and a special relationship is formed as she alone manages to calm him, much to the surprise of everyone at the farm. Trouble trusts Tara, and Tara in turn finds hope and acceptance as well as the will to love and trust again herself.

In Spring 2012, The Secret of the Stones will be released by MuseItUp Publishing. It is the first book in a series called The Lost Diaries of Northumberland.

In this book, a Merlin-loving tween is thrust into magic mayhem when the gift he’s been entrusted to protect turns out to be the enchanted object detailed in a mysterious prophecy.

Trading places with a squirrel outside his window was the last thing twelve year-old Alex Ramsey expected to happen. Could the gift Aunt Norma gave him be magic? The Merlin’s magic he’d read about in the ancient diary? After the magic unexpectedly causes more commotion, Alex realizes he must discover how it works, and fast. How had the trickery transformed him…and better yet… how did it turn him back into himself?

As Alex struggles to understand the how and why of his enchanted gift, he becomes painfully aware there is more to it than he first thought. Within the magic there is a great power, a power to control, a power so strong that another is willing do almost anything to get it. Can Alex protect the gift while solving the secrets to how the magic works? And can he make sense of the riddles in the diary, the riddles surrounding the prophecy of Merlin’s return?
 
Where did the concept for these books come from?
 
My Muse is a funny character. She comes up with the wildest things at the most unexpected of times. Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island came to be after I read an article on the internet about a recent finding on Roanoke Island and how it had stirred the mystery again. I was intrigued and researched the Lost Colony, all the while, my Muse asking, what if this happened, what if that happened. She’s pesky with her questions like that. ;-)
 
A Horse Called Trouble came to be from my love of horses. I grew up with these lovely creatures and have always wanted to write a horse story. After visiting an equine therapy group, the story just fell into place. I’ve met many characters like Tara and hope this story inspires students to find their inner courage and create their own dreams. Life is all about hope and creating your own happiness.

The Secret of the Stones was my first finished novel, though I shelved it for a few years before tweaking and editing it. It actually started as a humorous short story but my muse wouldn’t let it rest. She took over and 45,000 words later the first book was done with at least two more to follow. It’s a fun adventure for anyone who likes magic and Merlin.
 
Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?
 
I take something from almost everything I read. But I love the voices of Jane Yolen, Deb Caletti and Edward Bloor.
 
Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?
 
My Muse is a very active imp. I wish I could write as fast as she comes up with ideas. I think if I were able to write non-stop from here out, I would be writing for years. I love to write to music and usually turn on Yanni or Jim Brickman. I try not to write to anything with words or I find myself singing along, or worse yet, my characters breaking out into song in the middle of their story. :-O
 
As a writer, what is your greatest fear?
 
My greatest fear is my own self-doubt. This is also the reason I write for middle grade and young adult. Too many times, we doubt we are capable of accomplishing our dreams. As a writer, it took me a long time to get over that fear and send my stories out. I never thought they were good enough. But I’m lucky to have my family and friends, especially those at MuseItUp Publishing who are inspiring, encouraging and supportive. I hope to inspire my readers to realize ‘you may not think you are special, but you are in fact everything to someone.’
 
What normally occupies your desk while writing? Pencils? Coffee mugs? Breakfast crumbs?
 
I write where ever I can. But my favorite place and time is late in evening, sitting in my big comfy chair, surrounded by my Papillon fur-kids.
 
Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?
 
I am working on several pieces at this time. Getting my muse to keep on track with one at a time is my major task. But be watching for new titles and sequels to The Secret of the Stones.
 
What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?

My major tip is ‘never give up!’ It’s too easy to throw your hands up and say ‘I’m just not good enough.’ But that’s not true! Keep after your dreams, learn your craft and never give up. You will find happiness in publication, and the longer it takes, the sweeter the victory!
 
Thanks for stopping by. Anything you want to add?
 
Thanks for letting me visit. I’ve enjoyed the interview.


C.K. Volnek

I'm Guest Posting Today

Click over to Ginger Simpson's Dishin' It Out blog to read why I'm thankful.

Happy Birthday, Mom and Hon!

Happy Holidays to you all.

Take 2 of Tales of a Texas Boy Trailer

Tales of a Texas Boy is available in a variety of ebook and print formats. It's a great Christmas gift for the young 'uns, grandma, or grandpa.

Ebook half-price at Smashwords. Use Coupon BC99R at check out to buy for $1.50.

Best buy large print edition at Amazon. $8.99 (check the other markets for good deals)

Best buy regular print trade paperback at Amazon. $7.99

Another book trailer

I figure that I'll learn how to make a good book trailer some day, but only by practicing. So, I'm setting about making trailers for my long-published books just for practice and grins.

This one is a stab at Tales of a Texas Boy. I've had the music, Front Porch Blues, for quite some time. I hope you enjoy the music along with the old-time photos I've used to illustrate the book.

Of course, the book is for sale all over creation and back. Just check my website for buy links in both ebook and print formats.

Interview - Nancy Gaffney

PREY FOR CLOSURE

I'd like to welcome Nancy Gaffney, author of the new release "Prey for Closure" from Eternal Press.

Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, why don't you tell everyone a bit about your book?

Nancy: 'Prey for Closure' is a paranormal urban fantasy. Ellie (the lead character) receives a call from one of the few people she actually owes a favor. A friend of hers from college is caught up with Sam in a bad way. He takes the phrases, 'I want to be with you forever' and, 'I'm never going to leave you', a l-i-t-t-l-e too seriously. She travels to Burlington, Vermont, and 'deals' with Sam. Things are further complicated by the fact that Sam is Ellie's first love and that, while in college together, they had a very unhealthy co-dependent relationship.

Where did the concept for the book come about?

Nancy: There were two motivations behind 'Prey'. One was the fact that I found this latest trend of stories featuring self-loathing women who hem, haw, and ultimately don't do what they're supposed to do a little to prevalent for my liking. Women are awesome. We're flawed. We make bad decisions. We make awesome decisions. We are lovers, fighters, warriors and, yes, insecure. I wanted a story where a woman does what woman has do and she does it.

The second motivation was this: who hasn't wanted to exorcise a former boyfriend (especially one that ended badly) by making him into a narcarssistic vampire with huge abandonment issues and a nasty vindictive streak? (chortles).

How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

Nancy: 'Prey' came to me pretty quickly. I'd say the first four chapters happened in less than two weeks. What was odd was that the last chapter, the climax, where Ellie and Sam confront each other, that was the hardest chapter to write. You'd think it'd be the easiest, right? You've got everything set up (plot wise), all your characters are right where you need them to be. But that final threshold, that dark, emotional place, the place you have to go (as a writer and a reader) in order to make your story read the way it deserves to be read, that was tough for me. Maybe it was because I incorporated more of my own personal emotions into the story or that I parted with more personal emotions as I wrote that last chapter. I really can't say for sure.

Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?

Nancy: Heck, yeah. I love Stephanie Laurens. Her Bastion series is so cool. And it's not because she writes sexy books. It's the way she creates a whole world and all you have to do is read the first paragraph of any of her books and you're instantly transported. Tolkien, CS Lewis, and (sigh) even JK Rowling are authors I admire. I include Rowling - not because she's of the caliber of Tolkien or CS Lewis, because (in my opinion) she isn't - because she accomplished (to a certain degree) what Lewis, Tolkien and Laurens achieved: a whole world where you, as a reader, can believe that what's on the page is that world's reality.

It's that level of believability and creativeness that I strive for.

Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

Nancy: What a fun question! (grinning) I'm a creature of habit. I love to sit at my desk when I write. I have this slightly off-kilter chair. I have my lip balm within reach. There's almost always a cup or glass of some beverage to my right. And yes, I love to listen to music while I write. I'm a child of the Eighties; power ballads, pop, hair-bands - it's all good! Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Bonnie Tyler, Cher (don't be mocking my Cher - she's fabulous!), Lita Ford, soundtracks from 80's movies... Similar music from the 90's through today I also listen to. I also love feisty-female songs. Artists like Pink, Kelly Clarkson, The Donnas, Joan Jett - they all appear on my playlist! I have to admit I don't like rap and I don't find a lot of inspiration when country music plays.

As a writer, what is your greatest fear?

Nancy: Letting my characters down, and by extension, letting my readers down. It's one thing to dream up a fabulous story. It's quite another to translate that idea to 'paper'. It's very easy to take short-cuts, not follow-through on an emotional moment or not deliver a plot-line the way it deserves to be delivered. I've read one too many stories where an author 'bailed' on their story. I'm petrified that I'll do that. I think that's the reason why there was nearly a two-month gap between the four and fifth (final) chapter of 'Prey'. I wrote a couple of endings, but none of them 'delivered' what deserved to be 'delivered'. It wasn't until I told myself that I couldn't hold back and that I had to write what deserved to be written that I actually finished the story.

What normally occupies your desk while writing? Pencils? Coffee mugs? Breakfast crumbs?

Nancy: Fun Question! I have a beverage - tea mostly (English Breakfast, with milk and honey), face-cream (I'm generally not a vain person, but I'm always on the look out for wrinkles). There's Slick; he's always good at keeping me honest. He's a grey-wolf 'beanie-baby', by the way. I have a thesaurus, Barbozoi's Handbook for Writers (an old college text book I can't believe I haven't lost, mangled, or otherwise damaged), a note pad, and intermixed with my pens is a bottle of nail-polish, two different lip balms, an eyeliner and mirror with tweezers and at least three hair ties/elastics. All so that I have things on-hand when I procrastinate! lololol!

Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?

Nancy: I just sent in a contract, again with Eternal Press, for a fabulous, fun, science-fiction adventure story. It's called, Another Way. It's five-hundred pages of space-opera goodness. I'm so excited about that. And, I have a Regency-era series called Valkyrie Park that I'm working on. It's not finished yet, but I have it all mapped out (on paper and in my head). It's not a bodice-ripper. It's definitely an adventure series. It will, though, feature some strong romantic elements. I have to admit, I'm really, really stoked about Valkyrie Park. A very dear friend of mine (who's a very talented digital artist) even created my characters for me.

What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?

Nancy: You know that catch phrase/cliche: just do it? I hate to say it, but it's a cliche/catch phrase for a reason. Write what's in your head/heart. Get it on paper. Send it out to publishers. Yes, you should research 'who' you're sending your story to, but it won't get out there unless you put it out there. Join or create a writing group. Participate in some online groups. Find out what you need in order to help you motivate yourself. *That's* when you'll find yourself celebrating your first - and hopefully - fiftieth by-line.

Please tell our readers where they can find you.

Nancy: Anyone who wishes can e-mail me directly.

I can be found on the Eternal Press website:

http://www.eternalpress.biz/people.php?author=435

I also have a website: http://www.valkyrieromance.com/

If you want to add anything please feel free to do so.

Nancy: Marva - thank you so much! You are a gracious hostess!

Half Off Sale at Smashwords

Half Off (or more) Sale - Meets or beats Amazon discounts til 12/31/10. Use the coupon codes to get the reduced price.


Quest for the Simurgh $1.50, regular $2.99
Coupon code QF84E

Eagle Quest $.99, regular $2.99
Coupon code FQ97G

Tales of a Texas Boy $1.50, regular $2.99
Coupon code BC99R

First Duty $1.50, regular $2.99
Coupon code CX34J

Ultimate Duty Now in Print

Print now available on Amazon, but it's not even dressed up yet with the cover and a cross-link to the Kindle edition.

Sigh, priced at $17.25! I can hardly wait for it to be discounted.

Ultimate Duty - Book Giveaway

Ultimate Duty, my science fiction romance, is spreading its wings and flying off to various on-line stores.

I've had a couple of reviews so far. I invite anybody who has read the book or wants to read the book to review, let me know. I'm sure we can find a way for you to do that.

One way is for you to get a free copy. That's as easy as leaving a comment on this post. No silly treasure hunts or having to provide details about my life. Since I don't hand out many details, that'd be very hard to do unless you're one of my close friends. In that case, you already have a copy and don't need another. HOWEVER, if you already have a copy and want one to give for Christmas, leave a comment.

On Friday, I'll randomly pick a commenter and that person will get a free copy of Ultimate Duty.

Here are some buy links:

PDF - Eternal Press
Kindle Amazon
Mobipocket
Powell's Books Says for Adobe Digital Editions, which means PDF.

Excerpt to entice you to want a copy:

With the protective helmet off, they could now talk. Remy pulled down the rebreather mask. “You guys ready to get the hell off this planet?”


Her mom patted her on the shoulder and her muffled voice answered, “More than ready, sweetheart.”

“Well, hang on. This is definitely going to be a bumpy ride.” Remy replaced her rebreather over her face. Once they got moving, the shuttle’s environment equipment would kick in, and they could take off the masks.

Remy clicked on the communicator and tuned to a close-range channel. She set her infopad near the spare headset and switched it to an electroid number. She could hardly call it music since the robotic instruments reprogrammed themselves at random, making a weird variety of sounds. Remy shrugged. “I guess I just don’t get modern music.” Bill and Ted were monitoring the frequency though and would know that Remy was ready to take off. They’d come in for another diversion run so that she could escape the planet unnoticed. Anybody else who picked up the sound would, hopefully, ignore it.

Her father looked out the passenger side screen and tapped Remy’s arm. “Would three guys holding blasters running in this direction be of interest?”

Remy nodded and goosed the shuttle’s back jets to get them moving across the bleak landscape and into the sky. She boosted out of atmosphere so hard her mom suppressed a squeak. “Slow down!”

“Can’t, Mom. Just try to hang on.” Her mother nodded, her eyes wide with fear. Her dad, on the other hand, was grinning like a kid with a new toy. Remy thought he might not be too old to take pilot training.

Interview - Sally Franklin Christie

IF I SHOULD DIE
by Sallie Franklin Christie
Buy at Eternal Press $5.95
Buy at Amazon $5.95

INTERVIEW

Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, why don't you tell everyone a bit about your book?

Sally: Thank you Marva for having me here. I am not used to being on the author side of the fence. This is my first novel. I've written others and they are in various stages of gathering dust or simmering on a back burner. I've had non fiction published but find fiction to be a much more difficult place to access. This book is about how interconnected lives can be and how one single event can set off a series of reactions that reach so much further than our kitchens. If I Should Die takes us on various rides and like real life those rides can be utterly pointless and unpredictable.

Where did the concept for the book come about?

Sally: In 2007 I was in a writer's chat room and someone brought up a competition called NaNoWriMo. I like a challenge but was also skeptical of my own abilities. NaNo is Nation Novel Writers Month, the point is to start with an empty page on November first and write with wild abandon until you have plunked out 50,000 words. NaNo ends on the last day of November. I am a writer who claims her long suit is brevity and 50,000 words looked unobtainable, so I worried and fretted and talked myself into it.

How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

Sally: If I Should Die was my first NaNo, so the first bad, sloppy and simple draft was over by the 25th of November. 25 days from Peyton Farley finding a bleeding man on her floor till I uploaded the scrambled copy to the official word counter. This went through several edits beginning in March of 2008 and it was still being edited up until the moment of release.

Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?

Sally: I used to sneak read in High School. I would read anything in my path. I went to college and majored in psychology with an accidental major in English Literature. With both stores of knowledge available all I am suited for in the real world is to ask if you'll be having fries with that order. I was influenced by everyone from the Bronte family to Steven King and beyond. With all of that reading I hope I have found my own voice.

Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

Sally: I get my ideas just on the edge of finishing a dream and waking up. Some days the muse takes me and some days I chase the muse. I am a committed eaves dropper and always have a television going in the back ground with the kids, grandkids, animals and my darling husband.

As a writer, what is your greatest fear?

Sally: My greatest fear is that people won't like me. They are going to hate this book. In real life I feel the same, I want everyone to be happy, yet I chose to work as an organizer in a grass roots organization that lead to a lot of angry readers and a gag order on my opinion pieces during a disability rights case. That sounds silly that someone who stirs people up should be so hung up on what others think.

What normally occupies your desk while writing? Pencils? Coffee mugs? Breakfast crumbs?

Sally: I have what I call a Big Bird Nest. I am surrounded by file boxes, a lap-top, near dead computer, remote controls, a box of cords, note books, lots of note books, cell phone, camera to capture the wild life outside the window where I sit and there are a lot of stray candy wrappers. I clean it out when it gets big enough that I can't get to the bathroom or microwave.

Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?

Sally: I am working on another NaNoWriMo project called Arnica, a second book that follows If I Should Die. I am also working on a long time project about Throw Away People and I want to shape up and send my novel Milk Carton People out for rejection. Missing People is a theme for me.

What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?

Sally: I think I'd say what everyone else says, keep submitting. Don't shot gun submit but do keep it out and about. The second thing is more difficult. Sometimes what we write is not meant for everyone to see, I call this Practice and I have stacks of novels, short stories, research notes, none fit for daylight. On my bathroom wall there used to be a index card that said "Practice is the Best Teacher." Why I keep plot lines and lists of 'to be' verbs on the bathroom wall is a story I'll share someday.

Please tell our readers where they can find you.

Sally: You can find me on FaceBook as Sally Franklin Christie and on my blog, Life is a Story - Tell it Big at http://sallyfranklinchristie.com/wp

If you want to add anything please feel free to do so.

Sally: I don't have anything cool to add but you are welcome to ask a follow up question about anything you want.

Thanks, Sally. Good to have you here.

Interview - Kathryn Meyer Griffith

The Heart of the Rose, a Paranormal Romance
Kathryn Meyer Griffith (Author’s Revised Edition…originally published by Leisure Paperbacks in 1985)
Buy at Eternal Press $8.95
Buy at Amazon $8.95

Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, why don't you tell everyone a bit about your book?

Kathryn: THE HEART OF THE ROSE is really the very first book I ever wrote…begun 39 years ago when I was only 21 years old. I set it aside for years as I went through a divorce, remarriage and getting a real job in the real world and then rewrote and finally sold it as my second published novel to Leisure paperbacks 25 years ago in 1985. This is the new revised author’s edition out now from Eternal Press www.eternalpress.biz. Whew, it took a lot of rewriting because I was so young and green when I originally wrote it and had it published. It was before I found my voice and started writing what I was supposed to be writing…horror. This revised version is 2000% better! The book is about a 15th century peasant woman who’s a healer (and thus believed to be a witch by some) who is loved by Edward the Fourth of England as well as his powerful but cruel cousin, Richard, the Earl of Warwick (known as the Kingmaker). The main characters and events are historically correct but Bronwyn is a fictional woman inserted into that time period. In 1985 it was passed off as a bodice ripper (racy generic cover)…now rewritten (with a beautiful new cover by Dawne Dominique that’s more representative of the story) it’s more a romantic paranormal.

Where did the concept for the book come about?

Kathryn: When I was 21, just having had a baby and home bored, not working, I read a really bad historical romance novel and thought: I could do better than this! So I started writing on my letter-sticking old electric typewriter. I’d always loved the time of Edward the Fourth and the story of him and his ambitious cousin Warwick, and decided to set my book during that time…throw in a touch of the supernatural with an alleged fictional witch/healer and ta-da! Now only 39 years later…ta-da!

How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

Kathryn: Ha, ha….39 years! Though the actual writing time and rewriting can’t be more than three to four years condensed.

Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?

Kathryn: For my horror novels I’d say touches of Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz Anne Rice and Stephen King. Lots more because I’ve written murder mysteries and suspense as well. I love any fiction novel (any genre) if well written.

Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

Kathryn: I can’t listen to music at all when I write…but I like the TV on low to keep me company. I write on my recliner couch in my comfy living room with my laptop on my lap.

As a writer, what is your greatest fear?

Kathryn: Now that’s a hard one because I’ve been writing so long, have had 14 books and 7 short stories published, and have actually seen all my worst fears come true one time or another and in one way or another. I’ve had publishers go bankrupt (my first publisher Tower who was later bought out by Leisure Books…who then did publish my first three novels) in the middle of my book editing, had a book pulled (after the final proofing, cover done) six weeks away from going to the bookshelves, agent dumping me, long stretches – 9 years once – when I couldn’t get anything published anywhere and a hundred other fears. Awful covers, awful editors. Cruel reviews. On and on. Too many to list here. Never writer’s block, though. So now nothing scares me….much.

What normally occupies your desk while writing? Pencils? Coffee mugs? Breakfast crumbs?

Kathryn: On the end table by my recliner couch there’s always a cup of my homemade chocolate coffee, maybe a chocolate snack or cookies. The thesaurus combination dictionary. A pad of paper to jot down notes….though I always keep a sort of running list of characters and stuff on each book on my laptop (my Rap Sheets I call them) and keep track of everything that way.

Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?

Kathryn: Yep, still in the process (on book # 5 now…4 have come out already, 2 new novels and 2 old) of bringing out 9 books between June 2010 and July 2012…. 7 of them being my old Leisure and Zebra paperbacks rewritten for the revised author editions for Damnation Books and Eternal Press. They go back 26 years and will all be in new paperbacks, rewritten, new covers and in e-books for the first time ever.

What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?

Kathryn: First, make sure you’ve written your book or short story the best you can. Make sure there’s no misspellings or typos. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite! Then be ready for rejections if they come, the natural ups and downs of the writing world…but don’t be discouraged. Most importantly think of your writing career as a marathon, not an easy sprint. A lifelong journey. A writer writes, lives the life of patience with a thick skin and never gives up. Mingle with other writers if you can. It helps. Get an agent if you can (they’re hard critters to capture, though). Otherwise, be prepared for a wild trip. Love the writing itself and not the promise of fame and fortune (yeah, not many of us get that). And don’t forget to live your life between the pages…don’t just write, but do, experience life everyday. It makes you a better writer in the long run.

Please tell our readers where they can find you.

Kathryn:  www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
See all my new covers and self-made book trailers; some with my singer/songwriter brother Jim Meyer’s original songs!

http://kathrynmeyergriffith.intuitwebsites.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1019954486
http://www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG
http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
http://www.jacketflap.com/K.Griffith
http://www.shoutlife.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
http://www.goodreads.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith
http://www.previewthebook.com/search.php?keyword=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith&x=23&y=12

My e-mail: rdgriff@htc.net

If you want to add anything please feel free to do so.

Kathryn: Not much. I’m still on the journey…even after 39 years. Some days I hate being a writer and other days I love it. It’s just…my life. I do have four new releases out: BEFORE THE END: A Time of Demons and THE LAST VAMPIRE (Author Revised Edition, originally a 1992 Zebra Paperback) from Damnation Books www.damnationbooks.com and THE WOMAN IN CRIMSON and THE HEART OF THE ROSE (Author Revised Edition) from Eternal Press http://www.eternalpress.biz/

Marva, Thank you for having me!

Featured on Cate Masters Spotlight

Spotlight on me at Cate Masters blog. Yea!

Interview - Fiona Law

SAINT ALBA'S JAWBONE

by Fiona Law
Buy at Eternal Press $5.95
Buy at Amazon Kindle $5.95

INTERVIEW

Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, why don't you tell everyone a bit about your book?

Fiona: Hello! Saint Alba's Jawbone is a light-hearted story set in Medieval Britain. Jack has been given the task of escorting Clara to a convent where she will become a novice. Only, she would rather be with him and he wishes she'd stay, but there are so many obstacles and distractions it looks unlikely they'll ever realise that their love is mutual.

Where did the concept for the book come about?

Fiona: Actually, it started as a piece of homework for my writer's group. We had to take a myth and rewrite it in a different time and setting. I chose the Greek myth of Clara the water nymph (who got into trouble with Zeus) and Mercury (the messenger of the Gods.) ... and one thing led to another.

How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

Fiona: A good few months - six at least. I only write when I get a moment. And I write slowly.

Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?

Fiona: In this story, I was deffinately influenced by Georgette Heyer - her characters are highly entertaining. My mum had loads of her books and I used to read them as a teenager. I also aspire to Terry Pratchet with his keen sense of humour and to Geraldine Mclaughlin - her writing is exquisite.

Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

Fiona: I always put music on to write to. Nothing with words, or I'll end up listening to the lyrics. I like stirring music, themes from films and TV shows. I often put on Karl Jenkins, a bit of Enya or Medieval Babes. Sometimes I light a candle and burn an insense stick.

As a writer, what is your greatest fear?

Fiona: I don't associate writing with fear, really. Frustration, yes and despair, but not fear. I guess I worry that I'll never make it and I'll have to pack it in and then the last fifteen years of really trying to become a published writer will be wasted.

What normally occupies your desk while writing? Pencils? Coffee mugs? Breakfast crumbs?

Fiona: My desk is a tip. Course work which I should be getting on with is everywhere, books, unopened post, opened post, ash from my insense and a candle. It's disgusting. I've also got a board where i stick pictures of my characters and bits a pieces about my latest project on. I love that.

Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?

Fiona: I've got two projects on the go, both are fantasy fiction. One is on hold while I am trying to complete a competition entry. I don't think I'm going to make the deadline...

What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?

Fiona: It's a flooded market and it's unfair, so be prepared for a long haul. Don't just keep writing, keep learning how to write - join a writers group (or start one) and take up a writing course, or two. (I like those week away courses - you meet other writers and 'network'.)

Please tell our readers where they can find you.

Fiona: I have a little website: www.fionlaw.webs.com

If you want to add anything please feel free to do so.

Fiona: Thanks for making me feel like a success by interviewing me. ha!

Interview - Steve Lowe

Wolves Dressed as Men
by Steve Lowe
Buy at Eternal Press $4.50
Buy at Amazon Kindle $4.50

INTERVIEW

Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, why don't you tell everyone a bit about your book?

Steve – WOLVES DRESSED AS MEN is a dark werewolf thriller about a man who is hunted through the slums of a crumbling, burning city. From the cover description: Thiess remembers very little of his life before he changed. His only memories now are of frozen mornings, naked and coated in human blood, and of running for his life from a Tracker bent on his destruction. Thiess prays for forgiveness and begs God to cure him of an affliction that turns him into a murderous beast, but as the Tracker closes in, he is losing any hope for salvation. Then he falls in love with Maria, and together, they race through the crumbling slums of a city slowing burning to the ground at the hands of a serial arsonist, setting off a chain of events that will threaten the existence of mankind.

Where did the concept for the book come about?

Steve – My wife brought home a werewolf romance novel given to her by a friend at work. I had not written any fiction in years, but I read the first chapter of this novel and decided I could do better. This was my attempt, and also my re-introduction to writing fiction after spending the previous seven years writing nothing but sports for my hometown newspaper, The South Bend Tribune.

How long did it take you to finish, from concept to final product?

Steve – This began as a short story, which was published online by The Absent Willow Review. Several readers liked it, but wanted more, wanted to know what happened to the characters. So from the initial writing of the short story to the first draft of this novella, it happened in a span of about five months.

Are there any authors that have influenced your own writing?

Steve – Chuck Palahniuk and Christopher Moore, though you wouldn’t be able to tell by reading this book. Cormac McCarthy has probably been my biggest influence.

Do you have any favorite place where you feel your Muse is more apt to come and play while you write? Or perhaps you listen to music? If so, what do you listen to?

Steve - My life is very hectic – I’m married with two sons and a foster child, all around the ages of 11-12, plus I work two jobs. Really, I write when and where I can steal the time to do so. Most often, Pandora plays in the background when I write, and the music I listen to tends to affect my work. I’m currently working on a project where the main character is an old Blues man, so I’ve been listening to quite a bit of Blues lately.

As a writer, what is your greatest fear?

Steve – It used to be that no one would like what I wrote and think less of me, but not anymore. Now, my greatest fear as a writer is snakes. Have you seen some of those damn things? Especially water snakes. I’m getting the willies just typing this.

What normally occupies your desk while writing? Pencils? Coffee mugs? Breakfast crumbs?

Steve – Sales orders, sample requests (at work), bills, Lego Star Wars figures, socks, about eight different cords for various MP3s, iPods, and other electronic devices. And large puddles of sorrow and pain.

Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they?

Steve – The aforementioned story is about an old Blues man who “loses” his blues, or his desire to play music. Around the same time, the world falls apart thanks to a horrible epidemic, and “The Sawdust Man” wanders the Midwest battling the infected while searching for his new purpose in the post-apocalyptic world.

What tip would you offer to a new writer who is just beginning their submission journey?

Steve – PATIENCE! Don’t just fire your story out there as soon as you finish it. Write it, set it aside and wait. Come back to it later and re-read it. Then edit it and share it with someone you trust. Someone who can give you an honest critique and is not afraid of telling you what’s good, what needs fixing, and what kind of sucks. You really need to find someone like that, and you also need to have a thick skin. If you can’t take criticism, you won’t be able to make your work as good as it can possibly be.

New Releases at Eternal Press

Come chat with the authors of the new November releases from Eternal Press. November 7th in the Eternal Press chat room (or start at http://www.eternalpress.biz/ and select Chat from the tabs). Here's the schedule:

The Heart of the Rose by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (11:00AM PST, Noon MST, 2:00PM EST)
Saint Alba's Jawbone by Fiona Law (11:30AM PST, 12:30PM MST, 2:30 EST )
Prey for Closure by Nancy Gaffney (Noon PST, 1:PM MST, 3:00 EST )
Wolves Dressed as Men by Steve Lowe (12:30PM PST, 1:30PM MST, 3:30PM EST)
Tangled Hearts by Cherri Miller (1:00PM PST, 2:PM MST, 4:00PM EST)
Ultimate Duty by Marva Dasef  (1:30PM PST, 2:30PM MST, 4:30PM EST)
Open 1-hour session
Dangerous Seduction by Richard R. Jones (3:00PM PST, 4:00PM MST, 6:00PM EST)
If I Should Die by Sally Franklin Christie (3:30PM PST, 4:30PM MST, 6:30PM EST )
 
 
The final new release is:

If I Should Die
by Sally Franklin Christie


Murder, embezzlement, betrayal, and silence…

Peyton Farley, a southwest Montana newspaper researcher, awakens to find a man bleeding to death on her kitchen floor. The stranger draws one last gurgling breath. As Peyton awaits the arrival of the first responders, the man’s body disappears. Local authorities accuse Peyton of murder. No sooner is she released from custody on charges of murder and illegal disposal of a body, when she is abducted by a cab driver named Tater. If I Should Die is a nonstop page-turner involving murder, embezzlement, and the ultimate betrayal.

Upcoming Release - Dangerous Seduction

Dangerous Seduction
by Richard R. Jones

Chat with the author at Eternal Press on November 7th at 3:00PM, PST, 4:00PM MST, 6:00PM EST

He a devil-may-care lad of the forest, she haughty nobility. Their different worlds soon collide.

A brutal battle ensues in an abandoned monastery where Elizabeth and her father are held prisoner. Galen barely triumphs, ultimately saving them. Then the two young folk, now admitting their love, face the biggest challenge yet. How can commoner Galen expect to wed Elizabeth, an heiress of noble blood?

News Flash!

Ultimate Duty Now Available on Amazon Kindle. That is all for now.

Upcoming Release - Ultimate Duty

Ultimate Duty

by Marva Dasef

Chat with the author at Eternal Press on November 7th at 1:30PM PST, 2:30PM MST, 4:30PM EST

Oath or love…What is her ultimate duty?

Remy Belieux, a woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she’s accepted into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her ultimate duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.

Upcoming Release - Tangled Hearts

Tangled Hearts

by Cherri Miller

Chat with the author on November 7th at 1:00PM PST, 2:PM MST, 4:00PM EST

When Mandy’s beloved Ian falls in love with an American woman touring in London, she sets out on a quest to take Ian all for herself. Between Thetford and London, Ian and her sugar daddy, and all the schemes she’s wrapped around everyone she knows, Mandy must pit all her resources and skills against her unwitting American adversary.

She’s determined, alluring and able to fulfill any man’s desires—but can she manage to take back Ian? Sometimes love starts with an erotic kiss, but is so much more than carnal pleasure.

Mandy is about to learn the lesson of a lifetime.

Upcoming Release - Wolves Dressed as Men

Wolves Dressed as Men

by Steve Lowe

Chat with the author at Eternal Press on November 7th at 12:30PM PST, 1:30PM MST, 3:30PM EST

Thiess remembers very little of his life before he changed. His only memories now are of frozen mornings, naked and coated in human blood, and of running for his life from a Tracker bent on his destruction. Thiess prays for forgiveness and begs God to cure him of an affliction that turns him into a murderous beast, but as the Tracker closes in, he is losing any hope for salvation. Then he falls in love with Maria, and together, they race through the crumbling slums of a city slowing burning to the ground at the hands of a serial arsonist, setting off a chain of events that will threaten the existence of mankind.

Upcoming Release - Prey for Closure

Prey for Closure
by Nancy J. Gaffney

Chat with the author at Eternal Press on November 7th at Noon PST, 1:PM MST, 3:00 EST

Just my luck. The one time I pick up the phone without checking the caller ID, is the one time I can’t say ‘no’ to doing a job. Dan, a man I used to love is up to his usual tricks. Let’s just say he’s the kind of guy who takes the phrases, ‘I never want you to leave me’ and ‘I want to stay with you forever,” a little too literally. But Debbie, his girlfriend, needs my help to make their separation permanent, I owe her a favor. Oh well, so be it. Dan would have showed up on what passes for a work order from Big Mike and Rafe, one of these days.

The question isn’t whether or not I can kill a guy I used to love.The real question has everything to do with whether or not I can kill Dan before I fall in love with him all over again.

Upcoming Release - Saint Alba's Jawbone

Saint Alba's Jawbone

by Fiona Law

Chat with the author at Eternal Press on November 7th at 11:30AM PST, 12:30PM MST, 2:30 EST

After witnessing a violent domestic dispute, Jack is entrusted with the task of escorting Clara to the order of St. Alba’s Jawbone. Their journey comes to a halt when they are coerced into stopping at Godwick, where Jack takes up residence in his old master’s house. In her last days of freedom, while Clara waits to enter the silent order, she befriends the fearful apprentice boy, nurses the ailing but lecherous master Dermot, and coyly avoids the advances of the dashing Sheriff of Godwick, for Clara has eyes only for Jack. But it seems his head is turned by an old flame of his, a woman determined to see that Clara becomes a bride of Christ, rather than Jack’s wife. Thrust into opposing teams as the day of the pilgrim march nears, will Clara and Jack speak of their love for each other, or will they bow to social pressure and let the surging crowds of Godwick sweep them further and further apart?