Penny Ehrenkranz With One, Two Books

Marva, thank you for hosting me on your blog today. I wanted to announce a contest. Everyone who posts a comment on one of the blogs during my tour will be entered into a drawing. There will be two winners picked. I am giving away one copy of Lady-in-Waiting and one copy of Mirror, Mirror.

First the books in brief, followed by a Q and A and excerpts.

Lady in Waiting
Through a series of misunderstandings, Mabriona is forced to live a lie, but when the man she loves awakes from his coma, will she confess her deceit?
Buy link, released November 18th: http://tinyurl.com/6u4keh5

Mabriona is cousin to the beautiful and spoiled Princess Alana. When Alana is forced to marry a man she despises, Mabriona is torn between her loyalty to her cousin and her attraction to the handsome Prince Blayne.

Tragedy befalls the cousins on the way to Prince Blayne’s castle. Servants, believing Mabriona to be Alana, refuse to listen when she tries to explain.

While she waits for Blayne to recover, Mabriona meets his equally handsome younger brother, Madoc, a bard.

When Blayne awakes, will Mabriona choose life with a future king, will she be sent home in disgrace because of her inadvertent lies, or will Madoc win her love with his poetry?

Mirror, Mirror
Lindsay Baker’s purchase of an antique mirror sends her back in time to salvage a love torn apart by class restrictions.

Blurb: Lindsay Baker is intrigued by everything about the middle ages, but when she purchases an antique mirror and a costume to attend a Renaissance Faire, she suddenly finds herself transported back in time. There she finds she’s been called by a witch to right a terrible wrong.

Graham loves Prudence, but he can’t marry her because he’s landed gentry, and she is only the baker’s daughter. Before Lindsay can return to her own time, she must convince Graham to marry against his father’s wishes. Unfortunately, she also finds herself falling for the handsome gentleman.

Can she find her way back to her own time, or will she be stuck in a time when women had no rights?

QUESTION AND ANSWER

(Q) Thank you for joining us today. Before we begin, please tell our readers where they can find you.

My website is: http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com/
My blog is: http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/
My Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/penny.ehrenkranz
My Twitter is: http://twitter.com/pennyehrenkranz
My author page at MuseItUp Publishing is:
https://museituppublishing.com/musepub/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130&Itemid=82

(Q) Tell everyone a bit about your books including buy links.

I’m releasing two books this fall from MuseItUp Publishing. Lady-in-Waiting is scheduled for release around November 20th. Mirror, Mirror is due to be released during December. Both books are novelettes and romances. Lady-in-Waiting is set in medieval times, and Mirror, Mirror is a time travel, which takes the female main character, Lindsey Baker, back to medieval times.

Lady in Waiting released November 18th. Buy link http://tinyurl.com/6u4keh5

Mirror, Mirror will release in December. The Muse bookstore link: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2

(Q) Where did the concept for the book (or books) come about?

I’ve been interested in the medieval period for a long time and thought it would be fun to write a story during that time period. Once I started to think about it, I also wondered what it would be like for a woman who fell in love with a man she couldn’t have. Mabriona wanted her story told, and she was the perfect character. Beautiful in her own right, she’s the lady-in-waiting, not the lovely princess.

I am also intrigued by Renaissance Faires. I live in a small community, and we were treated to one several years ago. As I walked around and observed, I decided it would make a great story if one of the folks who frequented these fairs was actually thrown back in time and had to survive. I’d been doing some research for a story with witchcraft and came across scrying mirrors. It seemed like a perfect conduit for a little time travel.

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

The actual writing of each of the stories took about a week, including revisions. Sending them off as submissions took another couple of months, waiting for responses. Then the actual editing process with the publisher took another couple of months between content and line edits. Waiting for the cover art took another month. Waiting for final galleys took another couple of months.

(Q) Which authors have most influenced your own writing?

I tend to read a lot of fantasy, but I’m not sure if any of the authors influenced my writing. I have my own style. I like to throw in a little bit of romance in my stories. I also am not good at writing long novels, which are what I mostly read. My stories tend to lean more toward short and novelette size. The closest to novel sized books I’ve written are my two middle grade novels, which will be published next year by 4RV Publishing.

(Q) What do you do for fun other than writing?

I am a grandmother now, and I love it when I can spend time with my grandchildren. I also try to keep healthy by going to water aerobics and walking with a friend. When our Oregon weather cooperates, I like to spend time in my garden or playing with my dogs. My husband I also enjoy going out to ethnic restaurants and spending time with friends. When I’m not busy with other things, I’m reading or crocheting.

(Q) 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?

I don’t like to listen to music when I’m writing. I find it distracting. I tend to “see” my stories playing like a movie as I’m writing. When I write, I’m usually in my office with one or both of my dogs lying on the floor beside me. I have a lovely view of my garden outside my window.

(Q)  Do you secretly want to write another genre, but don't think you can do it?

No. I already enjoy writing in several different areas. I write fantasy, soft science fiction, and romance. I also write non-fiction articles in the areas of writing help, parenting help, and teen self-help. In addition, I write for children and have two picture books under contract as well as two middle grade paranormal mysteries.

(Q) Plotter or pantser?

I am definitely a pantser. I have never been able to outline, even in school it was a challenge. I get an idea for a story, or a character begs to have a story told, and I let it go where it wants to go. I will sometimes make a very loose plot line, especially when I’m working on my MG novels. I also will keep track of character descriptions and traits. For short stories, I don’t make notes at all.

(Q) Coffee or tea?

I drink one cup of coffee in the morning with a splash of 1% milk. The rest of the day, I drink tea, chai being my favorite, with peppermint a close second.

(Q) Do you have any new projects that you are working on? If so, what are they? (optional if you don't have a WIP to talk about)

I’ve started a couple of different projects, but am I waffling about which one to concentrate on. I have a teen witch who wants her story told, and I’m working on the next book in my middle grade paranormal series.

(Q) What do you do to market your work? How did you start and where do you learn to market?

I send out press releases to our local newspapers. I contact our local libraries. I send emails to my email contacts and family. I send out tweets with links to excerpts on my author web site. I do virtual book tours when my books are released.

I learned about marketing by taking some classes offered by the MuseOnline Writers Conference, which occurs every October. I have subscriptions to a number of newsletters, including some which offer marketing tips, and I check out blog posts related to marketing. It’s an ongoing learning experience. I know there is still a lot I don’t know about marketing. I tend to ask a similar question to some of my own blog guests, hoping to learn more.

(Q) If you'd like to add anything, please do so.

I write my stories because I enjoy the whole process from the first words to the published book. I hope my readers enjoy what I’ve written. I love to hear from people who have read my stories. Anyone who has questions or comments can reach me at pennylane97053 at yahoo dot com

(Q) How about an excerpt to tantalize the readers?

Definitely.

Lady-in-Waiting excerpt:

“Today’s the day, Mabriona,” Princess Alana said as Mabriona entered the chambers. She wiped tears from her eyes with an embroidered linen. “Prince Blayne will be here, and soon I’ll be his wife. I think the worst part of being father’s daughter is marrying someone I’ve never even met.”

“You’ve always known your marriage would be arranged for the benefit of the kingdom, Princess, but I’m sure he’ll be very nice,” Mabriona replied as she opened the heavy drapes covering the windows. She looked at her cousin and sighed. She wanted to feel sorry for Alana, but they’d had this discussion so many times. Mabriona was tired of it. Alana had known from the time she was a child that she would not wed for love. Why can’t Alana just accept her fate? Outside the day was as wet as the one before and the one before that.

“Nice? Who wants nice? I want someone handsome and dashing. A knight in shining armor who will love me forever. I certainly don’t want someone like my father who will make me do everything I don’t want to do.”

Mirror, Mirror excerpt:

After Stefany left, Lindsey adjusted the water spigots on her tub. A few drops of bubble bath went into the water, and the soothing scent of lavender filled the moist, steamy air. While the tub filled, Lindsey tried on her Renaissance outfit for the upcoming Faire. She couldn’t believe her good luck at finding the perfect pieces. She tested the bath water to be sure it was the right temperature. Then she picked up her antique mirror to get a better view. Was this a scryer’s mirror at some point in time? It slipped from her wet hands into the bathtub.

“Nuts,” she mumbled as she leaned over the tub. She pulled one sleeve up on her blouse and fished around in the bubbles for the mirror. When she pulled the mirror from the water, spots appeared in front of her eyes, and she felt faint. While she watched her reflection in the old mirror, the background changed. She no longer saw the inside of her bathroom. She closed her eyes as the room around her went black.