YA Indie Carnival: my dream cast

30.9.11


A while ago, I sat down and spent an entire morning playing on Google looking at possible cast members for Raven. I put the list up on my blog and got lots of positive comments. But I've since published December Moon, which has a few more characters! So it's time to update my ideal cast list. The newer actors are at the top of list... What do you think?

Ruby Madison, played by Susan Sullivan
The moment Ruby stepped onto the page, I knew exactly who would play her. It just had to be Susan Sullivan, currently known for her role as Richard Castle's mother in Castle. She IS Ruby Madison!

Carmelo, played by Ben Barnes
Carmelo is a vampire, but not your ordinary vampire. He's really quite charming... a real gentleman and I think Ben Barnes looks perfect for the role.

Tabitha, played by Haydn Panetierre
Tabitha is a feisty young woman who just happens to have a certain affinity with cats (you'll have to read the book to understand what I mean!). Haydn looks simply perfect... she's the right build and she just looks right, you know? Tabitha is also madly in love with a werewolf, Zoltan...

Zoltan, played by Trevor Donovan
Need I say more?

Moira, played by Emily Deschanel
Give Emily red hair and she's just perfect as Ruby's daughter and December's mother. Can ya see it?!

Duran, played by Alex Pettyfer
What do you reckon? Can you imagine Alex as the incredibly handsome, but most evil vampire, Olivier Duran? I sure can!

Lilly Taylor, played by Georgie Henley 
You'll recognise Georgie from the Narnia films. In my opinion, she made those films amazing. She was the most adorable little girl. She's grown up a bit since then, of course! But she would be perfect as Lilly with her beautiful eyes and British accent.

December Moon played by Chloe Moretz
I don't know if you've seen the vampire flick Let Me In? It's scary, creepy and a bit disturbing... well, I thought it was, anyway! Chloe played the scary blood sucking vamp girl amazingly well. December is nothing like that but I just thought Chloe looks the part. She has that quirkiness that is completely December. Photo: Angela George, Flickr

Jo played by Alexandra Daddario
Jo is absolutely beautiful, but doesn't really know it. Alexandra has the most stunning huge eyes that are just perfect for Jo. Perfect. You may recognise her from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief!

Oliver played by Colby Paul
Oliver is Lilly's love interest and is the quintessential handsome boy next door. Need I say more? I mean, just look at the picture! Colby has had small roles in lots of TV shows like Supernatural, Pushing Daisies, Ghost Whisperer, etc.

Ben played by Charlie Cox
Ben is Oliver's brother. Okay, so they don't really look alike but then I don't look much like my brother or my sister! I first saw Charlie in Stardust and I just thought he was adorable. Ben is a veterinarian who cares for everyone and so he needs to be played by someone that has that charisma. Charlie easily has that.

Gabriel played by Gabriel Byrne
I've always loved Gabriel Byrne. I had a huge crush on him when we were both younger. Okay, maybe I still do, a bit. He is rather yummy though isn't he? Gabriel is Lilly's grandfather. Yes, he's native Canadian which doesn't quite fit Byrne's natural Irish looks but hey, he's an actor and he's incredibly versatile. I'm sure he could pull it off!

Rose played by Sally Fields
Although Rose is an older lady, she is one of the most beautiful ladies in Powell River. Sally fits the bill, easily. Plus, she needs to bear a slight resemblance to a certain other character and she does! I believe that Sally is one of the classiest and most amazing actresses of our time, which also helps.

Vivian played by Charlize Theron
Vivian is evil personified. But... she is one of the most beautiful creatures you'll ever see. Dye Charlize's hair red et voila! Photo Peadar O Sullivan

Serena played by Famke Janssen
Although Serena's actual role is a small one, it is incredibly important. I need someone with strong, stunning features, dark hair and olive skin. Famke is perfect. As soon as I saw a picture of her I just thought of Serena.

Neleh played by Michelle Ryan
Made famous in the UK for her role in Eastenders, Michelle went on to have a go at playing the Bionic Woman. I've never seen it myself so can't comment, but I was always impressed by her soap opera acting. Neleh's role, again, is a small one, but crucial. Neleh is Lilly's sister and don't you think these two could pass for sisters? Spooky eh?

Sammy Morton played by Jensen Ackles
Sammy is Neleh's love interest and is an important part of the whole story. Anyone who has seen Supernatural knows he's AWESOME and oh, so HANDSOME. He's perfect to play Sammy Morton!


Ready to take another ride? NEED MORE? Swing by these wonderful YA Indie writers and reviewers for more...
The Fuji Mermaid Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Leopard Girl Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
Fire Breather Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Strong Woman Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in the Glassheart Chronicles
Champion Sword Swallower Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Siren Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca and soon to be released 13 on Halloween
Snake Charmer Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Pretzel Woman Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
The Giant T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross
Jungle Woman P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
Shape Shifter Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free
Tarot Card Reader Heather Cashman Author of Perception
Fortune Teller Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Knife Thrower Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
Fire Dancer Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
Fire Breather Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
Dragonslayer K. C. Blake Author of Vampire Rules
Elephant Trainer Gwenn Wright Author of Filter
Ring-Leader Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden 

Mind Prestidigitator J.L. Bryan Author of Paranormals series- Jenny Pox. Tommy Nightmare & Alexander Death
Madeline Smoot Author of Missing, Summer Shorts, and The Girls

Q&A with author Ben Manning

25.9.11

A very warm welcome to author Ben Manning...

Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
I Claudius by Robert Graves
I read it when I was 14 and later saw the BBC adaptation. It is just an incredible account – along with “Claudius the God” - and was both imaginative, dramatic, quiet original and thrilling in its frank portrayal of the worst aspects in human nature. I also think it was and still is a brave piece of work.

Who is your favourite author and why?
Roald Dahl as an author and Samuel Taylor Coleridge as a poet.
Dahl always fascinated me with his short stories for “Tales of the unexpected” on the TV from “someone like you” and “kiss kiss” – but what im most impressed by is that he could write, horror, humour –in a book like “my uncle Oswald” and for children with stories like “Charlie and the chocolate factory”. I think he understood the way people think – in terms of how children feel and react and also the very adult world of intrigue, where there is always a moral twist. A tribute I wrote to both him and Coleridge is at the Roald Dahl museum here in the UK.

Name one of your all-time favourite book covers?
“Marilyn” by Norman Mailer

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
George Orwell – I would like his views on the internet, the political and sociological world in 2011.
ST Coleridge – I would love to know his theories on the universe and life in general, as well as the subconscious and life after death.
Aldous Huxley – I would ask whether he thinks “Brave new World” is anything like how we have become.
Charles Dickens – I would love to ask how he got his idea for “A Christmas Carol”.
Edgar Allen Poe – I would ask where he derived his influences and his writing process- and how his ideas came to him.
Mary Shelley – I’d like to ask her about Coleridge’s influence and her inspiration for Frankenstein.

Who, or what, inspires you?
I am inspired by artists who are different and unique. I like to be gripped by something I feel is different to drive me to write.

Where is your favourite place to write?
I like to write at home in the living room, alone – usually at night.

What is your favourite film that was based on a book?
Blade Runner (Philip K Dick)

What is your your book about?


I have written the first novel to deal with the Nazi's , UFO's and vril Norse mythology – it is called -The Vril Codex. It is the first in a series called “The Vril Chronicles”.








If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters?


Rufus Sewell as Bob.
Bill Nighy as WarwickRomola Garai as Jane



Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I work at the home of the poet Coleridge and have lectured about him.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
The Quantocks was England’s first designated area of outstanding natural beauty – even though the biggest new nuclear power station Hinkley Point C, sadly is going to be built there.

Winter or summer? Summer
Ebook or paperback? Paperback
Favourite food? Italian
Sporty or couch potato? Both!
Cook or be cooked for? Cooked for!
Links to your website, blog, etc:
http://vrilcodex.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Vril-Codex/151342004886833
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Vril-Codex-Fanpage/192024584186066
Twitter - "@TheVrilCodex"

YA Indie Carnival: Indie Idol

23.9.11


I'm absolutely delighted to have one of my favourite indie authors here today. Johanna Frappier is the author of Fairy Circle, a truly fabulous novel. She is my YA Indie Idol....

Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you? 
My 'wow' book is IMAGIKA, by Clive Barker. His images are so powerful I was truly frightened, mesmerized, grossed-out, hopeful, happy/sad - the whole bit!

Who is your favourite author and why? 
I love Clive Barker and Mary Stewart equally, but for two very different reasons: CB takes me to Heaven and Hell, and MS lulls me with such beautiful prose - she's always magic.

What is your all-time favourite book cover? 
I love to see Grimm's Fairy Tales with an Arthur Rackham illustration on the cover.

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why? 
My two faves of course! And how in the world would those two get along? LOL. He seems so modern and horrific and she seems so traditional and beautiful - I'd love to host them!

Who, or what, inspires you? 
My husband, Leo, inspires me - he's a dreamer AND a doer. I haven't come across that very often.

Where is your favourite place to write? 
In any quiet, empty space I can find.

What is your book about? 
The Fairy Circle Series is about recent high school grad, Saffron Keller. In FAIRY CIRCLE, she is afraid to leave her mother's yard and doesn't know why. Fairies take her soul to their realm one night, and thereafter her life gets freaky. She sees creatures in the woods and in her house. She gets stalked by a vampire, and learns that two of the fairies shared past lives with her.

What is your favourite film that was based on a book? 
All of the HARRY POTTER's. I can't begin to describe my depression to you - now that it's all over!

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters?
Steven Straight
LOVE this question! I'd love Steven Strait (the bad boy in Sky High) to be the vampire, Jethin. 

Ethan peck
I need Ethan Peck (the bad boy in the TV series, 10 Things I Hate About You) to be that naughty fairy, Ny. 










Rachelle Lefevre
Love, love, love Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria in the 1st Twilight) to be the fairy, Li. I'd like a new-comer to be Saffron. :D

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I can put my ankles behind my head.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live. 
We have four seasons and I couldn't live happy without them.

Winter or summer? Winter

Ebook or paperback? Yes!

Favourite food? Pastapizzapaninis

Sporty or couch potato? Depends on my fugue state.

Cook or be cooked for? Again, depends on which pesonality is manning my helm.

Link to your blog www.johannafrappier.blogspot.com

Johanna, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed. It was a pleasure having you here. Your answers are fantatsic. (I think you should send us a photo of you putting your ankles behind your head!! he he he )


Ready to take another ride? NEED MORE? Swing by these wonderful YA Indie writers and reviewers for more...
But first... this week sees the release of 13 ON HALLOWEEN by Laura A.H Elliott. Check it out over at http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/13-on-halloween-trailer/The Fuji Mermaid Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Leopard Girl Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
Fire Breather Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Strong Woman Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in the Glassheart Chronicles
Champion Sword Swallower Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Siren Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca and soon to be released 13 on Halloween
Snake Charmer Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Pretzel Woman Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
The Giant T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross
Jungle Woman P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
Shape Shifter Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free
Tarot Card Reader Heather Cashman Author of Perception
Fortune Teller Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Knife Thrower Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
Fire Dancer Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
Fire Breather Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
Dragonslayer K. C. Blake Author of Vampire Rules
Elephant Trainer Gwenn Wright Author of Filter
Ring-Leader Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden 

Mind Prestidigitator J.L. Bryan Author of Paranormals series- Jenny Pox. Tommy Nightmare & Alexander Death
Darby Karchut Author of Griffin Rising

Q&A with author Laura Elliott

21.9.11


Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you? 
I was blown away by a speaker who came to our Co-operative Nursery School in South Pasadena, CA. His name was Jim Trelease, the author of many books, and the one I bought that changed my life was called THE READ ALOUD HANDBOOK. My children were very young, four yrs. old & one yr. old, at the time and I had been reading aloud to them, of course. But Jim talked about reading aloud with your kids for a lifetime, even when they become teenagers. And it was like a lightening bolt. Why not? Right? Why do people sort of stop reading with their kids when they get older? Of course life is busy. Of course they are busy. But, honestly, those books that we read together as my kids got older are so special to me. Fabulous life-long memories. And how old-fashioned is it to all sit in a room and pass a book around for entertainment. Light a candle and we could have been a family from 150 yrs ago. It is such a joy to read aloud with children. And now that I’m fresh out of kids of my own, I volunteer when I can to read aloud. Most recently I volunteered with Monterey Reads, a fabulous program and some of the kids I read to inspired some of the characters in my new book, 13 ON HALLOWEEN.

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
I LOVE this question!
Here’s my guest list: Franz Kafka, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Roald Dahl, Boris Pasternak & Gabriel García Márquez
It’s funny but in high school I was in a math & science track, as I was interested in becoming a Civil Engineer, like my Dad. This didn't require me to read very extensively. It was only when I went to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena that I was exposed to Franz Kafka, Ezra pound and Gertrude Stein and this was yet another lightening bolt moment for me. I ate up their words. I read and read and read. So this is really a party of all the authors that blew my literary mind at one point in life or another. Next up? Roald Dahl. I’ll never forget reading JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH with my girls. I had never read him before and it wasn't long until I dove into the BFG, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and many, many of his other books. Both Boris Pasternak and Gabriel García Márquez tell sweeping stories in a way that wraps the reader in a warm blanket. I have a story I am working on, based on my family’s experience in Indonesia in WWII. It’s epic. A story much larger in scope than I’ve ever written before. And I use them both as touchstones when I get overwhelmed. Gabriel García Márquez was an influence when I wrote WINNEMUCCA. I am sure that if this dinner ever came to pass that great quantities of wine would be required and I’d never want to leave!

Where is your favourite place to write? 
Anywhere I can see the sunset. I had a year of sunsets when we lived in Big Sur and after that, I can’t live where I can’t see the sunset. My favorites have been in our home here in the Monterey area, in a wine barrel where we lived in Big Sur and on camping trips.

What is your book about? 
I’m SUPER excited about 13 ON HALLOWEEN, the first book in the TEEN HALLOWEEN SERIES [http://www.authorlaura.com/#!books/vstc2=thirteen-on-halloween] which will be available on Amazon’s Kindle for 99 cents Sept. 20. And in print in mid-October. It’s a snarky, romp about a girl’s birthday wish that turns into her nightmare.
Twelve-year-old Roxie wants to be like Adrianne, the peacock [popular girl in class] who gets everything she wants––a trampoline, a flock to prowl around the mall with, and most especially invitations to parties despite the fact that Adrianne tarantulas [scares the heck out of people] and hamsters [hops from one thing to the other without really doing anything] and cats [completely annoys Roxie] and owls [knows everything] and eagles [gets all the attention] her way to get it all. But everything changes when Roxie invites all the peacocks in the eighth grade to her birthday party on Halloween and they all come. And a boy, the boy, actually talks to Roxie. Roxie chameleons and eagles until the peacocks decide they want to celebrate Roxie’s birthday in a way Roxie never expected. In her attic with the lights out and a pact to swear to never tell a living soul what happens in that room. Roxie gets everything she’s always wanted, except what she wants most of all––her old life back.
I’m also really excited that WINNEMUCCA is now available in a paperback edition!
https://www.createspace.com/3610611
It’s a story about a teenage girl’s enchanted road trip to her true self. When fear's as blind as love, how far would you go to find your own happily ever after?
One mistake will change Ginny's life forever.
One answer will set her free.
Once upon a time Ginny's road blood ripened, the day she got wise to love. Engaged to the high school quarterback, his quarter-carat ring and enchanting smile should have been enough for her. But, she stands him up and takes a walk where every step questions her happily ever after gone-bad and the fate of the mother she never knew. The mother her father refuses to talk about. Ginny fights to untangle her big, fat, lie-of-a-life on an enchanted road trip to Winnemucca, where she believes all her answers lie. To solve the riddle of her past, she must outrun everyone who wants a piece of her future-including a man determined to see she never has one.
INCLUDES A BONUS SNEAK PEEK: CH 1 -3 of 13 on Halloween about a girl's birthday wish turning into her nightmare.
I’m also super excited that Winnemucca’s trailer just won Books In Sync’s August 2011 book trailer contest: http://www.booksinsync.com/booktrailercontest.html 


Here’s an excerpt: http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/excerpts/

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
My sister broke my nose when I was in middle school and I got in trouble!

Winter or summer?
Summer
Ebook or paperback? Ebook
Favourite food? Popcorn
Sporty or couch potato? Sporty
Cook or be cooked for? Cook, when I can!

My website: http://www.authorlaura.com/
My blog: http://laurasmagicday.wordpress.com/

To celebrate the release of 13 on Halloween, Winnemucca and 13 on Halloween are currently available for just 99 cents each!
Thanks so much for hosting the interview Suzy! I had a blast.
It was an absolute pleasure, Laura! I can't wait to read your books... they sound awesome!

Q&A with author Tammy Gagnon

19.9.11

A very warm welcome to author Tammy Gagnon.

Who, or what, inspires you?
Anyone that has overcome great obstacles and helps people by their own experiences

Where is your favourite place to write?
In my living room with the fountain flowing, the candles lit and my dog Karma at my feet

What is your favourite film that was based on a book?
Not without my child played by Sally Field (this is 1 of many true storys)

What is your your book about?
My true story about overcoming challenges as a child and young adult, now helping others & educating parents on what to do if your child is a victim

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters?
Sandra Bullock

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I am very spiritual and believe in Metaphysics

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
I was born in DC and live right outside of it now so I frequent museums.
I also see the fighter jets and plane shows fly over my home frequently .
I also see the Helicopters that carry the president & important military people fly over, including being just a few miles from where Obama plays golf at Ft Belvoir.

Winter or summer? Virginia enjoys the 4 seasons

Ebook or paperback? Paperback

Favourite food? Anything seafood but I love trying new foods from different cultures

Sporty or couch potato? Im a home body but love working in the garden or playing with my dog Karma outdoors..I love the water so Im normally near a pool, beach or lake whenever possible

Cook or be cooked for? Now that my children are grown, I don't cook as I used to or eat a meal as I used to. Often so busy I forget to eat until evening

Link to your website: http://Tammygagnon.com

One in three women is a victim of sexual abuse before they turn 19. No Longer Silent could be the story of your friend or neighbor, your parent or your lover. No Longer Silent might be your story. No Longer Silent is the life story of Tammy Gagnon.
Tammy left home at 14, fleeing an incestuous childhood. Running from guilt and shame too overwhelming for any little girl, Tammy experienced further betrayal and feelings of worthlessness, suffering from additional sexual assaults on her young body. Turning to alcohol and drugs numbed the pain for short periods. After years of attempting to numb the pain this resulted in more questions than answers. “Why didn’t I tell? Why me? Why can’t I cry? What is wrong with me?” She was out of control and destructive. She ended up in prison.
How does a young woman battle back from the edge to thrive with a new life? How did she stop blaming herself and overcome such a challenging childhood? At great cost, Tammy is finally ready to end the silence and speak her truth, as she never has before. She shares her journey from horror to that of one she is grateful and happier than ever before.
Tammy Gagnon is on a mission to help others claim their voices and speak their truth. In No Longer Silent, Tammy shares her journey and life lessons about forgiveness and rebuilding … of learning to love herself wholly, and to overcome the darkness of her past with a new message of love and light for all. That Tammy made it out alive is a miracle. That her story is inspiring others to find their voices and claim healthier lives is Tammy’s greatest blessing.
Tammy Gagnon is grateful to have survived years of pain and horror. When not writing and helping others find their voice. Tammy thrives in Virginia where she lives happily as a mother and grandmother, treasuring every moment with her family and furry friend, Karma.

YA Indie Carnival

16.9.11


I'm super excited to have become a part of the wonderful YA Indie Carnival - a group of indie authors and reviewers - who post on a special subject every Friday. This week it's a Back to School special.....

December Moon hadn't been back at school very long when something really weird happened.... the school gymnasium began to flood....

'As all the girls and boys panicked and flocked to the exit in one mad rush, December slowly took her time. It was only water, after all, and a little bit of water never hurt anyone. Well, it had never hurt me, she thought. Exactly at that moment, the water that had begun seeping into her black plimsolls and wetting her feet, receded, leaving her feet and ankles entirely, and strangely, dry.
Eyes wide in amazement, December surveyed the scene around her as one last student ran across the large mat in the centre of the room, it squelching beneath her feet. She was the last to leave. Even Miss Finnegan hadn't waited to make sure all her students had escaped unharmed and dry.
The water continued to pour in from each corner of the room, large droplets plopping around her from the ceiling and walls. Bits of green painted plaster broke away from the wall and fell down, bobbing up and down in the ankle high water below. December looked down at the floor and noticed that water was everywhere except within a small circular area surrounding her feet. As she moved, the dry circular area moved with her, like a bouncing bubble.
Before she could work out what was happening, gymnasium equipment began to fall and crash to the floor with the force of the running water.
How can this be? She thought. Then she remembered her silent wish, surely not? No, there had to be a rational explanation to all of this. I couldn't possibly be responsible. But the dry bubble around her told her a very different story.
As much as December wanted to hang around and enjoy watching the gym fill up with water, abruptly putting an end to her least favourite subject, she knew Miss Finnegan would eventually notice she was missing. So she skipped from the flooded room and out into the unusually bright sunlight of the October English afternoon.'
Excerpt of December Moon: Part II of the Raven Saga.
To get your copy, go to Amazon

Ready to take another ride? NEED MORE? Swing by these wonderful YA Indie writers and reviewers for more...
The Fuji Mermaid Dani Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Leopard Girl Patti Larsen Author of The Ghost Boy of MacKenzie House, The Hunted Series and the Hayle Coven Novels
Fire Breather Courtney Cole Author of Every Last Kiss, Fated, Princess, and Guardian. Also a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Strong Woman Nicole Williams Author of Eternal Eden, and Fallen Eden. She is also a contributing author in the Glassheart Chronicles
Champion Sword Swallower Fisher Amelie Author of The Understorey, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Siren Laura A. H. Elliott Author of Winnemucca and soon to be released 13 on Halloween
Snake Charmer Amy Maurer Jones Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles
Pretzel Woman Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer Author of Diary of a Duct Tape Zombie, Whistles, Beergarden, Plagues, Bees of St. John, and Mushrooms
The Giant T. R. Graves T.R. Graves: Author of Warriors of the Cross
Jungle Woman P.J. Hoover Author of Solstice, The Emerald Tablet, The Navel of the World, The Necropolis
Shape Shifter Alicia McCalla Author of the upcoming science-fiction novel Breaking Free
Tarot Card Reader Heather Cashman Author of Perception
Fortune Teller Abbi Glines Author of Breathe, and the upcoming Existence and Vincent Boys
Knife Thrower Cheri Schmidt Author of Fateful, Fractured, and Fair Maiden
Fire Dancer Lexus Luke Author of Manitou, The Sky People Saga
Fire Breather Suzy Turner Author of December Moon and Raven
Dragonslayer K. C. Blake Author of Vampire Rules
Elephant Trainer Gwenn Wright Author of Filter
Ring-Leader Kimberly Kinrade Author of Bits of You, Pieces of Me and Forbidden 
Mind Prestidigitator J.L. Bryan Author of Paranormals series- Jenny Pox. Tommy Nightmare & Alexander Death

Vampires... what's your take?

14.9.11


I'm so excited to be on one of my favourite indie authors' blogs today, Shalini Boland! It's part of my December Moon Virtual Book Tour and I'm talking about vampires... why we love em, why we hate em... so come along and leave a comment, explaining what's your take on vampires!

Click on the link below...

Inspired by the bonkbusters by Carrie Duffy

12.9.11

A huge thank you to Suzy for giving me the opportunity to guest post on here. I’m pretty new to blogging, but couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about my writing and my inspirations...
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. As a child, one of my earliest ambitions was to become a children’s author. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to write for adults – it seemed so limiting and unexciting.
I wrote lots of stories, and even a YA novel about vampires in my teens, but I had no idea how to go about getting published and wrote simply for the love of it.
I would read widely and often – horror, teen fiction, the classics – but when I was sixteen I picked up my first ever ‘bonkbuster’ novel. It was Career Girls by Louise Bagshawe, and was like nothing I’d ever read before – glossy, glam and thoroughly filthy. The heroines were gorgeous, ambitious women; the men sexy and self-assured. I was hooked.
More than that, it made me want to write a bonkbuster of my own. A few years later, while I was at university, I started trying. By now I’d discovered the Writers and Artists Yearbook, and tentatively sent off some sample chapters to agents. But nothing came of it, and I spent the next few years starting novels in various genres, sending them out, getting rejections and starting the whole process again.
But the idea for Idol (which eventually became my debut novel) wouldn’t go away, and as bonkbusters began to make a comeback in recent years, I re-drafted the manuscript and sent it out.
I was lucky enough to get taken on by Madeleine Buston at the Darley Anderson agency, and after that everything came together pretty quickly. It’s thrilling to finally see my own book on the shelves, up there with authors that I love, and if my story proves anything it’s that you should persevere. It’s taken me just over ten years to become a published author, but I’ve learned so much along the way and the end result is definitely worth it!
For more information, visit http://www.carrieduffy.com

Standing out in the YA vampire genre

12.9.11

by Catherine Stovall
When Suzy asked me to be a guest on her blog, it took me a while to decide what to talk about. After all, shameless self-promotion may be part of the job but sometimes it does get old. Luckily, I happen to be at a birthday party earlier today and someone asked me a question that I felt was worthy of a blog post. The nice woman wanted to know, “Do you think your book will do well with so many other vampire books coming out?” My answer, “Of course, I offer something the others don’t. I have believable characters.”
When I started writing my new YA novel, Stolen: Book One of the Requiem of Humanity Series, I knew it would be tough to break into the market. In a world overran with vampire crazed tweens, teens, an even moms, it’s tough to get people to believe that you are giving them something original. Through every step of the process I had to stop and ask myself, “Has this been done before?”
With hundreds of popular vampire series popping up every day, it was a real challenge. I remember reading somewhere that if people couldn’t relate to the villain, even love them a little, then your character isn’t good enough. It became my goal to make my characters so that no one was pure evil or pure good. My solution to the problem would be to blur the line between good and bad.
For instance, we can take a look at Belle. Belle is the antagonist in the first book and we want to hate her. She orchestrates the demise of the main characters Jenda and Soborgne. She abuses her human servants and holds the world around her on puppet strings. She’s one of those women who are just vile. As she tells her story, you realize that the reason she became a murderer in life and a psychopathic vampire in death is because she was so badly treated as a young girl. Yet, the moment she begins to redeem herself and the reader starts feeling a little sorry for her, her dark nature reveals itself once more.
There are no guarantees in the publishing world. No one can write a book and say that it is definitely going to be published or printed. You can’t predict with one hundred percent accuracy what books will fall to the wayside or climb to the top best sellers list. The only thing you can do is try to stand out amongst the crowd. My way of doing so was to create three dimensional characters. I really enjoyed making my villains a little likeable. After all, the villains are the best part of the story. Without them, the good guys have nothing to do.
The Official Catherine Stovall WebPage www.catherinestovall.webs.com
The Official Catherine Stovall Facebook Fanpage http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/133686233308403/?id=278177448859280&notif_t=like
Twitter @CathStovall
To Purchase from Publishers Site: Untreed Reads http://bit.ly/qCgNAS


I'm with my author pal Johanna Frappier

11.9.11

I'm on FABULOUS author Johanna Frappier's blog today, as part of my December Moon Virtual Book Tour and I'm talking about fairies.
Johanna is the author of the amazing Fairy Circle... Check it out!

johanna frappier's blog: Meet my wonderful friend Suzy Turner. We are luck...: Hi everyone, my name is Suzy Turner. :D I don't remember being hugely into the whole fairy thing when I was a little girl. Yes I loved d...

Q&A with author Carol Piner

9.9.11

A very warm welcome to author Carol Piner...


Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
Like many, my heart was taken when I read "Pride and Prejudice". When younger, I saw it as "poor girl does good" material. As I continued to read it and grew in maturity, I found the power of the writing could not be denied. Many women will always be in love with Mr. Darcy and wish they had the strength of will of Lizzie.
I cannot overlook "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt as a book that battles for my favorite. I could not put it down until I finished it. About ten times.

Who is your favourite author and why? 
I have to choose Jane Austen. Although her books had a common theme, the personalities of the women about whom she wrote did not. I also enjoyed her way of making fun of the people she knew by writing them into her books. I do that, but not in her style.

Name one of your all-time favourite book covers? 
How do I choose any cover other than mine? I painted it. I had always had trouble painting white skin with all its variations. However, I put together a composition that I never saw coming of two friends of mine who had hair the color of my Mama. After getting the hair right, I put in the blue highlights. I painted the eyes brown and it was jarring and didn't work. I started working my way into blue, but was very unhappy with it. I finally decided to paint them the color of the highlights. Suddenly, it struck me that I was looking right into my Mama's eyes. She is a powerful character in my book, although the book is not about her. When I saw her eyes, I sat and cried and decided "Raven" would be the cover of the book I hadn't finished. She motivated me to finish the final chapters.

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why? 
I prefer authors of today because I have so many questions I would like to ask them. Brad Metzger, Tim Green, John Katzenbach, Elizabeth George, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg and John Lescroart. They are artists when it comes to writing legal mysteries, my favorite genre. I desperately wanted to become a lawyer because I love to debate and I am able to see both sides of an argument, or so I have been told.

Who, or what, inspires you? 
Without doubt, my Mama inspires me even today. She was a complete hell-cat in a time where women were more inclined to "put up" with their men's doings. This is the dedication I wrote to my Mama in my book, "This book is dedicated to my Mama, also known as the hell-cat. The woman who taught me to laugh and to feel free to "have at it" if I felt the need to. At the same time, she allowed me to be the crazy ass fool I am." Mama faced every adversity that could come her way. Five kids in six years. A husband that took his women to church with him. Kids who deserted her to go to him because he had money; we had roaches.
Yet, she was the funniest woman I ever knew and I have loved and looked up to her every day of my life. Personally, I think it started in the womb when she rammed Daddy's Cadillac at Buff Chapman's Texaco because he had a woman with him. I distinctly remember cheering her on, "Git him, Mama! Git him!" while still in the womb. I knew even then that she was "the home team" and I never forgot it. Me? I came out with a slightly squashed head.

Where is your favourite place to write? 
Oddly enough, my office. A place where I got chapter by chapter editing and support. I would write a chapter, then take it to a lady who worked for me named Pauly Brown. She and I were avid readers and I trusted her to not only wield a nasty pen when it came to my errors, but she had a lively, out loud laugh that I could hear from my office. Once I took a chapter to her, I would return to my office and sit...and wait. Before long I could hear her start to chuckle, then that wonderful out loud laugh she had. I would smile and start another chapter because I knew I was on track.

What is your favourite film that was based on a book? 
I cannot deny that "Pride and Prejudice" with Keira Knightley is my all time favorite movie. Not just because it is my favorite book, but because Ms. Knightley's acting brought Lizzie to life for me in a way none of the other movie versions had. I think Jane Austen would have been thrilled to see her book so well done. I believe she was perfect for the part. I have probably seen it 15 or more times. I have all the different versions I could find, but I return to Keira's time after time. There is a good chance I identified with her in ways. As a female in a fishing village, I was not too excited about having few choices in life. At the time my Daddy refused to put the girls through college. I was fortunate to get two scholarships or my whole life would have been different.

What is your your book about? 
My book is a, as one of my readers said, " a jaw-dropping, full-speed-ahead romp through the life of one girl that took all that life could throw at her." My character has been described to me as enormously funny in seriously heart-warming ways. My Mama was a story-teller and she taught me how to tell funny stories. The stories I chose in my book are those that rose to the top, so to speak. The kitchen, where all hell broke loose often, mostly by Mama, with me cheering her on. Daddy shooting the family ghost in the bathroom. The awesome hurricanes and my unconditional love for them (as long as no one got hurt by the skates). All the stories are true although I embellished the endings for humor and impact. Altogether, it is a hysterically funny book that is very uplifting, or so my readers say. I didn't realize that when I wrote it. By the way, don't expect dialogue.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters? 
Personally, I would love Meg Ryan or any blonde that can sneer real well. The sneer is important. Not a "boo-boopy-doop" kind of girl, though. I was never silly, ever. Funny as hell, yes; silly-no. You have to understand, I have spent my whole life making fun of other people. Mostly those that deserved it. One of my readers very kindly suggeted that I should play the part because no one else could. If I weren't 64 years old, I'd do it.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
What is most interesting about me is my ability to bounce. Bounce back, bounce around...whatever, but bounce. I have gone up twice and come crashing down twice and it doesn't seem to bother me. That's that fighting adversity thing everybody likes so much in the book. Mama taught me to laugh. Two weeks after it has happened, I'll have you rolling on the floor. I have been called a stand-up comic and comedy writer. What I am is Mama's child.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live. 
I live on a beach so far east of North Carolina that the highway actually falls right into the ocean. I loved growing up here and think I grew up in a special time and place. However, I also hated my home town because we were the talk of the town and when I returned here it was against my will. Now, twenty years later, you can't get me out of here. I will die here.

Sporty or couch potato? As a former tom-boy, I love all sports. Actually, I am a recluse. In spite of my funny and friendly ways, I have never been comfortable around people. I can gear myself up and do it, but it is harder for me than most people realize. I meet my commitments but it is unbearably difficult. If there is anything that lingers from my past, this is it.

Also, I love for people to contact me for a copy of my book. That way, I can sign it for them. I love doing that because I always loved getting signed books myself. They only have to email me at sunny@clis.com and it is very easy.
http://www.evidenceofinsanity.com
http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Insanity-carol-piner/product-reviews/0557386934/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
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