Raven reaches TOP 100 in FREE KINDLE CHARTS!!

27.11.11

I'm absolutely thrilled to bits at the moment... I had been trying to get Amazon to make my first book, Raven, free on their site but after several weeks of failed attempts, I all bit gave up and didn't even bother looking at Amazon KDP for a few weeks. And then, tonight I opened up my page and nearly fell over!
A couple of days ago, Raven became free and has since shot to the top of the children's fantasy-sci-fi charts... in at NUMBER TWO!! It's also reached the TOP 100 Free in Kindle Store!!
At first glance, I thought they must have made a mistake but nope... it's correct! Raven is a FREE bestseller (if that makes sense?!). Let's hope it stays up there!
To get your copy of Raven, FREE, visit:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

And now, excuse me a moment as I do a happy dance!!

Pauline Barclay – Re publication of Satchfield Hall

26.11.11

Before I get too carried away with my excitement of what we are celebrating today, I’d like to say a big thank you to Suzy for inviting me to her fabby Blog so that I can talk about the re-publishing of Satchfield Hall.
Satchfield Hall was re-published on Thursday after being beautifully edited by the amazing Jo Field resplendent with its thought provoking new cover, designed by Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics.
In the last two years, I have published three novels and Satchfield Hall was the second novel I published. Writing is a passion and one of the areas I love to write about is situations that change the course of people’s lives. It doesn’t necessarily have to be bad, for instance, my latest book Sometimes It Happens… is about a cleaner who won the lottery, it changed her life, but not in the way she had expected. What happened in Satchfield Hall changed the lives of many, but is unlikely to happen today and because of this I needed to set my story in a time where pregnancy outside of marriage was unthinkable, particularly in the privileges classes. 
Satchfield Hall is an epic saga than spans over four decades. The reader is introduced to the story in 1942 when the world is in flux and fear. Where the fear of not seeing tomorrow is real and where love can be as easily lost as found. Celia Bryant-Smythe’s disgrace sets in motion events that will affect the lives of many people, taking decades to unravel. Lives will be lost and destroyed and it will take until the death of the one man, the Squire of Satchfield Hall, Henry Bryant-Smythe, who had callously started it all before it will be finally over.
Satchfield Hall is not about the war or gentleness nor is it about tranquillity and privilege. Satchfield Hall it is about fear, power, lies and in the end revenge.
The newly edited version of Satchfield Hall with its beautiful cover is available in Kindle at Amazon UK and Amazon com
The newly edited version will be available in paperback in around 10 days.
You can find out more about Pauline Barclay at
www.paulinebarclay.co.uk
http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com
Twitter @paulinembarclay
Its always a pleasure having you on my blog, Pauline! Good luck with your re-launch!!

YA Indie Carnival: A Thanksgiving Story

25.11.11

Okay, so I don't have any Thanksgiving stories of my own (I'm just an English girl who lives in Portugal!), and there aren't really any Thanksgiving stories within my books either so what do I talk about this week?
I'm going to be very predictable, ultra cheesy and just jot down a few things that I am thankful for...
My husband - He has supported me through thick and thin, particularly after I was made redundant and he suggested I work full time on my writing. I love him to bits!
My brother, sister and father - after my mum died when I was just a kid, we became close and even though I haven't lived in the same country as my siblings for many years, we are still so close and I do miss them terribly.
My friends - They're so very supportive and great fun to be around.
My health - I might complain of frequent aches and pains (sitting in front of a computer for hours every day doesn't do your back much good!), but I am healthy and so thankful for that.
My home - I have a modern beautiful house in the country where it's warm and safe.
My cats and dogs - They make my house dirty and cover the floor with their hairs. My little Podengo Luna has a habit of jumping up at me with dirty paws as I'm leaving the house, but they're great company and I love 'em!
Amazon & Smashwords - For making it possible for me to self-publish my books!
My pink laptop
My Timberland boots
My new black leather jacket
My new Fat Face body warmer.....
I'll shut up now!!!


Check out more Thanksgiving stories over with my fellow Indie Carnies....

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self

Q&A with author Scarlett Bailey

21.11.11



Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
Its not a very well known book, but there is a book called The Rose Grower written by Michelle de Krestser that I read a few years ago. It's about post revolutionary France, in the time of The Terror. When I finished it I kissed it, that's how much I loved it. Wonderfully evocative and well written, with a shocking ending that made me cry for days. I don't think I've ever kissed any other book....

Who is your favourite author and why?
I'll stick to contemporary writers and say that I am a huge, HUGE fan of Marion Keyes. She is the master (the mistress?) at balancing humour, romance, reality and darkness with believable characters you care about. I am so pleased that she will have a new book out next years. Hurrah!

Name one of your all-time favourite book covers? 

Is it wrong to say that I LOVE my own cover for the Night Before Christmas, its black and pink and sparkly? It is wrong, okay...um well the the cover for 'Gone with the Wind' the one with Rhett and Scarlett in a clinch on the cover. Classic.
No, Scarlett, it's not wrong, especially considering how GORGEOUS your cover is!

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
Oh, oh, oh. All the Brontes. I am so fascinated with how these little dour yorkshire ladies came up with some of the most imaginative, innovative and exciting fiction in history. Shakespeare, because I'm pretty sure he'd be a terrible flirt, the Poet John Donne, he wrote some of the most sexy poetry ever, lovely, lovely Trisha Ashley, the nicest writer in the world and Charles Dickens who I hear loves to party.

Who, or what, inspires you?
General over excitement about everything, I just love writing, telling stories, hearing stories, writing stories, making stuff up. Its the best fun a girl could hope for.

Where is your favourite place to write?
At my desk, really. I have a nice painting on the wall which I like to look and a fairly serviceable view out of the window which keeps me going when I get a bit stuck.

Check out The Night Before Christmas book trailer:

For more information about Scarlett and her book, Night Before Christmas, visit 

YA Indie Carnival: On the rise - YA Fantasy

18.11.11

YA fantasy certainly seems to be gaining popularity... fast, doesn't it? And who can we thank for this amazing phenomena? Perhaps Stephenie Meyer? JK Rowling (although HP is more children's fiction)? But there must have been YA fantasy before these gals came onto the scene?
To be completely honest, I never even heard of YA until I picked up my very first copy of Twilight! I know, I know, lame, lame... but all I ever used to read was chick lit. I still read that genre too, but in between the copious amounts of YA fantasy I devour whenever I can (which probably isn't often enough!).
I'm still very behind most of my indie writers pals... I haven't even read The Hunger Games yet, for instance and the movie is looming on the horizon. I need to get my ass into gear!
So why is YA fantasy so popular? Well, that's easy! Because it's freaking awesome, that's why! It's the perfect way to completely lose yourself from the real world. Vampires, werewolves, changelings, ghosts, aliens, alternate realities, shape shifters, time shifters, talking animals, beautiful angels. I mean, do we need anything more? I hope YA fantasy will continue to rise in popularity... because I for one, will never get enough of it!

Check out more on the rise of the popularity of YA fantasy over at my fellow Indie Carnies....

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self

Cinderella's Secret Diary by Ron Vitale

14.11.11

This weekend, I spent much of my time reading through many of the blogs that took part in the Blog Tour de Troops... a fabulous and worthy cause wherein a large number of authors very generously gave free copies of their books to whoever commented, as well as free copies to members of the forces! 
I have been given some books that sound truly amazing but there was one that just captivated me (and I haven't even read it yet!). The cover, the description and the author's blog post all combined to make me desperate to read this book about my all time favourite fairy tale character, Cinderella. I asked Ron why he chose to write this story...........

Why I wrote Cinderella's Secret Diary by Ron Vitale
Back on January 12, 2010, I was reading Disney’s Royal Princess Homes book to my then 2-year-old daughter. She sat next to me on the rocking chair and I turned through a page in the book and read how Cinderella was in her bedroom showing off her scarves and shoes. Yet tucked away in the corner was a desk that had a book on it entitled “Cinderella’s Secret Diary.”
A light went off in my head. I do not know how else to describe it. A thought, like lightning, zapped me and I started wondering what would be in that book. I knew at that instant that I had stumbled upon an amazing idea. I kissed my daughter goodnight, tucked her in and then did a search on Google. I stumbled upon an out-of-print Disney book entitled Disney Princess: My Secret Diary by Cinderella but I could find nothing else online. From what I could tell from eBay and reviews, the Disney diary book is about mice costumes and other such things from the Disney movie. Ideas kept flowing through my mind and I jotted down some notes for a short story idea I had. I kept wondering what Cinderella’s secret diary would really be like. Why was it secret? Is she happily married? Does she have children? I could not stop the flood of ideas.
I have read about writers who talk about being a conduit for their work and now I understand: As I wrote this book, I could see the scenes playing out in my head. On my long runs while training for a half-marathon, I’d envision what the characters were doing and when I sat down to write the words just flowed out of me. Often, I’d sit on the back sofa with the laptop and try desperately to type the scenes out as I could see what was happening—like a movie was playing in my head.
As weird as this might sound, I often felt that I channeled the words of Cinderella or the Silver Fox—that I was their personal medium. I told my wife this and she said, “But you wrote the story. You created the characters.” I agreed, but when I wanted Cinderella to go down one path, she’d often go down another. I couldn’t make her do what I wanted her to do. While writing, her personality crystalized for me and I clearly began to know who she was, what she yearned for and why. I listened to her and wrote her story. I know that I’ll be asked many questions about the Silver Fox and I will simply say this: In the first draft, I didn’t discover his character until more than 2/3 of the way through the book. Once I created him, I realized that I had to re-write the book as he was central to it. My first readers really loved him and wanted more and I couldn’t disagree. He makes the book worth reading.
While writing Cinderella’s Secret Diary, I knew that I wanted the central theme to be about female empowerment. My closest friends know that I am not a fan of Disney and the whole Princess thing. I wanted to write a story about a young woman who was a Princess but then had to overcome many challenges to find out who she truly is. With that said I’ve dedicated the book to my daughter.
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing the book and am already planning on writing the next. I hope you choose to read it and, if you like it, share it with friends and family. I believe it’s a story that needed to be told.
Read my new novel:Cinderella's Secret Diary
Website: www.RonVitale.com
Twitter: @ronvitale

A free book for Thanksgiving

13.11.11

My fellow YA Indie Carnies and I received this wonderful email this morning from author T.R Graves (also a YA Indie Carni) and I just had to share with you....

Subject: Thanksgiving Wishes (early)

All,
In the spirit of the season, I’m thankful for lots and lots of things this year. As a mother/wife/friend, the gratitude deeply embedded inside of me specifically carved out for my family and friends will always be first on my lists. As a nurse, I’m thankful to have a job which allows me to give back to the community and make a difference to a cause near and dear to my heart, nonprofit healthcare. As a writer, I’m beyond grateful for every opportunity that I’ve been given during my debut year. The road has been long and arduous, but it has been every bit as rewarding as my healthcare advocacy job. Since the release of Warriors of the Cross, I’ve met dozens of great Indie authors (all phenomenal & special & talented people) and hundreds of friends/fans/followers/commenters/reviewers who are passionate about reading, writing, and blogging. I have learned something from each of them, and their lessons will never be forgotten.
In preparation for December’s release of Guardians of the Cross, I’m sending out aWarriors of the Cross link along with a coupon which will allow the most-recent editionWarriors of the Cross to be downloaded for *FREE*. If you have an older version, please feel free to use the coupon to update your Kindle/Nook/IPAD/etc.
Finally, you are welcome to share this on your blogs…if you like. It will be good until 12/20/11. As with any gift, there are no strings attached. If you download, you are under no obligation to read, review, fan/friend/follow, or comment. All you have to do is sit back andENJOY!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44277 - coupon LY87N
From me to you, have a great Thanksgiving!
T. R. Graves, Author

Warriors of the Cross
Guardians of the Cross
Enemies of the Cross

Another 4 star review!

13.11.11

Another 4 star review of Raven!!
And then a quick interview with yours truly at the end... what a great day!!

B o o k B a b y: Quick Review: Raven by Suzy Turner: RAVEN (THE RAVEN SAGA PART ONE) by SUZY TURNER REVIEWED BY : Ellen Fritz OVERVIEW Her whole life had been based on a lie. Lilly had...

YA Indie Carnival: 11/11/11

11.11.11

YAY... it's 11th November 2011. It sounds exciting doesn't it? Like the kind of big blockbuster disaster movie with big name actors, a huge budget and fantastic special effects?
In that case, the 11 theme I'm going with here is my Top 11 Disaster Movies!
I LOVE disaster movies, not sure why... probably because I love the way people come together and make everything good in the end. No I do not like disaster movies where everyone dies! They just SUCK!
So, here's my list of 11 of my all-time favourite ever disaster movies, in no particular order:

11. Independence Day
Will Smith kicking alien ass. Do we need anything more?

10. Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio when he was adorably cute with the beautiful English lass Kate Winslet. Yes I know I said I don't like movies where people die but, well... it's just so epic not to include.

9. The Day After Tomorrow
New York in the worst snow storm, biggest flood ever and it has the most gorgeous Jake Gyllenhaal in it.

8. Volcano
Tommy Lee Jones. He just rocks, ya know?

7. Dante's Peak
I can't even count how many times this movie is on TV but it doesn't matter, I just HAVE to watch it, EVERY time! I love it. It helps, of course, that it's got Pierce Brosnan in it!

6. Poseidon
A re-make of the original (The Poseidon Adventure, which was out before I was born), this makes my list purely because it's got Josh Lucas in it. Comprende?

5. Twister
Two people who used to be together that should be together but they're not. 
And all that in the face of flying cows and RVs. You just gotta love it!

4. Armageddon
It's all in the song, baby... "I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep, Cause I'd miss you, babe and I don't wanna miss a thing....." That and the' I'm leaving on a jet plane' song scene!

3. Deep Impact
That scene on the beach, where Tea Leoni's character is on the beach with her dad, the massive tsunami appears and she turns to him and goes "daddy". That just gets me, floods of tears... EVERY TIME.

2. The Perfect Storm
Two words: George. Clooney.

1. Deep Blue Sea
Awesomeness of a movie. I'm now terrified of the ocean but I guess it was Jaws and Piranha that did that to me! Oh and another thing... LL Cool J. Swoon.

Have I missed any of your favourites? Leave a comment below and let me know!



To read more about our Number 11 theme today, check out my fellow, fabulous Carnis...

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series

Q&A with author Pam Richter

9.11.11

A very warm welcome to the lovely author, Pam Richter....

Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
Recently I read The Mill River Recluse by Darcy Chan. It was excellent. The effect was the need for several hankys during the last quarter of the novel. It was beautifully written, describing the life of an emotionally hurt woman who was isolated, but compassionate with the people she viewed from her lonely vigil above a town.

Who is your favourite author and why?
I started reading John Sandford's novels about twenty years ago. If offered a book written by him, in his Prey series, I would probably pick it over any other offering by another author. I like Sandford because he doesn't write down. He expects his readers to get his dry wit and understand the plot. I enjoy following the life of his main character, Lucas Davenport, in the novels.

Name one of your all-time favourite book covers?

I hope it's okay to give one of my own. When I found the cover picture for The Necromancer I couldn't believe it. In the first scene of the novel The Necromancer is looking into a magic crystal. The heroine, Michelle, is tall with black hair. Wiccans hold ceremonies under a full moom. It was all there. The tall black haired beautiful Michelle, holding a crystal, under a full moon, going through a doorway, depicting the changes she goes through in the novel.

Pam, I think this is a GORGEOUS cover!!

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
I would sit with my chin in my hand and just listen. Super fun to see the following authors interact: Lee Child, John Sandford, Stephen King, Nelson Demille, Kay Kenyon, Nora Roberts, Robert Heinlein, Christian Cantrel, Darcy Chan, Andre Jute.

Who, or what, inspires you?
Novels of course. But many times a situation I imagine will seem to pop into my mind. Then come the characters, and how they react to something unusual in their life. It tends to be involved, and I envy writers who can put out short stories. Mine always turn into novels.

Where is your favourite place to write?
At home. The computer sits on my round glass dining room table. I'll probably never eat there again.

What is your favourite film that was based on a book?
Gone With The Wind. The film is quite old, but I can't remember any movies that reached the quality of the books I have read.

What is your your book about?
 I've written three novels, in different genres. The Living Image is a thriller. It was published by New Concepts. Then came The Necromancer, a paranormal. Finally, I wrote Midnight Reflections, a romantic suspense. I guess each book has themes that recur. There is romance in each of them. There are friendship bonds that the main character relies upon. So I suspect that although the novels are in different genres, there are similarities that can be found.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters?
I can't even imagine because the characters are so specific in my mind. If they look right, the attitude is all wrong.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I'm an identical twin.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
The biggest Halloween parade in the world is in West Hollywood. 145,000 people attended this year. I live two blocks away. A very wild night last month.

Winter or summer? Summer
Ebook or paperback? Ebook
Favourite food? Ice Cream
Sporty or couch potato? Sporty
Cook or be cooked for? Rather write. Cook for me, please.

Link to your website: http://anauthorsplace.weebly.com/index.html

Time for another giggle...

8.11.11

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com
A friend sent me this email this morning and I was literally giggling to myself so I thought I'd share it with you...

Children Writing About the Ocean...

1) -This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

2) - Oysters' balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

3) - If you are surrounded by ocean, you are an island. If you don't have ocean all round you, you are incontinent. (Melissa, age 7)

4) - Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend anymore. (Kylie, age 6)

5) - A dolphin breathes through an asshole on the top of its head. (Billy, age 8)

6) - My uncle goes out in his boat with 2 other men and a woman and comes back with crabs. (Millie, age 6)

7) - When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother Tom said they would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7)

8) - Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? (Helen, age 6)

9) - I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying. My dad keeps yelling at my mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write. (Amy, age 6)

10) - Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher, age 7)

11) - When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin, age 6)

12) - Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky, age 8)

13) - On vacation my mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast. She says she won't do it again because water fired right up her big fat ass.  (Julie, age 7)

14) - The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know.. (Bobby, age 6)

15) - My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean. What he doesn't know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom.  (James, age 7)

YA Indie Carnival: Blast from the past

4.11.11


I think of Blast from the Past and I think of that awesome movie starring Brendan Frasier... you know, the one here he is born in a bunker, raised on the belief that there was a nuclear war back in the 70s (or was it the 60s?) but when he manages to get out, he has to come to terms with life as it is today. It's a fabulous film, I really ought to watch it again soon!
But the point of this week's YA Indie Carnival is a blast from the past, from high school! Oh dear! Us Carnis were tasked with finding something that we wrote down in high school that we would like to share with our readers. Now, therein lies the problem for me, I never kept anything from school... no school books, no note pads, no stories, nothing, zip, zilch. So, what to do? Well, I could tell you about the notes that I probably wrote down all the time: S hearts M (cheesy, huh?).
S of course stands for Suzy and M stands for Michael... my husband! Yes, I met my husband when I was just a wee lass of 16, still in school, and we stuck together through thick and thin, got engaged on my 21st birthday and married when I was 22 (that was... errrrm, 13 years ago!). He's a fantastic bloke, very supportive and extremely hard working. Yes, he can be a pain in the ass sometimes but then so can I! So, almost 20 years on, and I'm still scribbling down S hearts M. Okay, maybe I'm not physically writing it down but I am mentally!
Now, if you'd like to read about some proper genuine, high school blasts from the past, then check out my fabulous fellow carnis...
1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series

Have a giggle today...

3.11.11

I just received this very funny email from a friend and rather than forward it on... I thought I'd share it with all my readers. Enjoy!

Today is International Very Good Looking, Damn Smart Woman's Day, so please send this message to someone you think fits this description. Please do not send it back to me as I have already received it from a Very Good Looking, Damn Smart Woman!

And remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, totally worn out and screaming 'WOOO HOOOOO what a ride!'

To the Girls !!


Inside every older person is a younger person -- wondering what the hell happened.
~ Cora Harvey Armstrong ~

Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut her up with cookies.
~ Unknown~

The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.
~ Helen Hayes (at 73)~

I refuse to think of them as chin hair. I think of them as stray eyebrows.
~ Janette Barber~

Old age ain't no place for sissies.
~Bette Davis~

Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.
~ Caryn Leschen ~

If you can't be a good example ~ then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.
~Catherine~



If someone is talking behind your back they are in a good position to KISS YOUR A....!!!
~Bev MacNeil~

Send this to five bright women you know and make their day. (Five!!! You've got to be kidding.... Every girl on my email list just got this one....)

And when life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!
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