The Bella's Point Blog Hop Challenge

I'm so excited to be taking part in Elizabeth Seckman's very first blog hop challenge! Elizabeth is one of those totally adorable awesome author bloggers that most people would do anything for. Hence this blog hop challenge ;)
But first, let me tell you about Elizabeth's awesome new book, Bella's Point (with the most gorgeous book cover, I might add!)...

Isabella Troy Stanley is a divorced, slave freeing pariah surviving in the shattered post Civil War south the only way a fallen debutante knows how.
She heads to a Yankee prison and buys herself a husband.
Jack Byron is the former Troy plantation stable boy and object of young Bella's affection. He rejected her then, and he's still not sold on the idea of marrying her now.
It’s complicated.
Though to Bella, it’s simple: make Jack love her, marry her, and live happily ever after. The plan seems to work...at least until her secret is revealed.

Elizabeth is a wife, a mom, and a writer. She has four wonderful boys, one dusty house, and three published books to her credit. Feel free to check them out and buy them HERE! Erm, the books, not the kids or the house...though all things in life are negotiable ;)
You can find her here - Blog // Facebook // Twitter
Cover art by Sprinkles on Top Studios.

The idea of the blog hop challenge is that us bloggers must write something (anything) using the prompt 'The year was 1865'. So here's my piece of flash fiction :)

Don't forget to check out the other participants below!

The year was 1865 when I was fed the blood of a vampire. Little did I know at the time that I would still be alive today. It's July 2014 and I am a vampire. Not the evil blood-sucking kind that kills for the fun of it, no of course not. That's not me at all. I'm a nice vampire. I live in a nice house in a nice neighbourhood with my nice family. Technically, they're not really my family but we've lived together for just over a hundred years so they're as close to a family as I'm ever going to get.
So where was I? Oh yes, a nice vampire with a nice house and a nice neighbourhood and a nice job. I'm an author, you see. Have been for as long as I can remember. I write books about vampires – the gory kind with lots of blood and murder and disgusting stuff. I know, I know... it's a far cry from the real me but, hey, what can I say? It sells!
I've tried my hand at writing more genteel stuff but I can't quite get my head around it. I ought to be good at that, especially the historical kind considering the fact that I've been alive for... erm 169 years. Yes that's right, I've been twenty years old for 169 years. That's a long time to be alive. But I digress, my writing. That's right. I'd like to be able to take complete advantage of my being alive for 169 years but I get so bored of history. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Why would I write about it?
They say write what you know, don't they? But bah... bored, bored, bored. I want to be surrounded by blood and gore... the fictional sense of course. So that's who I am, anyway. So tell me, who might you be?

Want to join the challenge? It'll be open until the 31st. Sign up here.

My Writing Process blog Tour

I was invited to take part in the 'My Writing Process' blog by two different people! The gorgeous Suzie Tullett and Elle Field.

So here's how it goes: I have to answer these questions and then invite three other author bloggers to do the same!

1) What am I working on? 

I'm actually working on a movie! Yes, a movie! Squeal! It's called The Eye of Praxos and is based on my Morgan Sisters novels. Although it's a wonderful experience, it's definitely time consuming and is keeping me from working on my other two projects at the moment, which are: the next book in The Morgan Sisters series and my second Chick Lit book! I have so many ideas going around in my head for more novels but I need to get the movie finished first so I can give them my all :)

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

I pride myself on writing books that are appropriate for any audience, young and old alike. I avoid using explicit words, sex scenes, unnecessary violence. You won't find anything like that in my books! 

3) Why do I write what I do? 

I write YA and chick lit because I LOVE to read them myself. They are two of my absolute favourite genres, taking me away from the real world. I just love them!

4) How does my writing process work?

When I'm working on a novel, I have to give myself daily deadlines, otherwise I would just procrastinate and not get anything done! I'm terrible with distraction - especially the internet! So, I'll work backwards, calculating how many words I need to get done per week and then break it up into five (I don't work on the weekends) and then I don't have a problem :)

I'm inviting three wonderful peeps to take part: 

Elizabeth Seckman 

Shalini Boland 

Patti Roberts
Bio: "For me, talking to readers who love my stories and characters as much as I do is a dream come true. NOTHING is more exhilarating or inspiring. The author writes, yes, but I honestly believe it is the reader, that breathes life and soul into the characters in a book. Without the reader and their wonderful imaginations, stories and characters are words arranged neatly on a page waiting to be born, waiting to be loved. To the reader, my characters and I thank you." Patti Roberts.
PATTI ROBERTS was born in Brisbane Australia but soon moved to Darwin in the Northern Territory. Her son Luke was born in 1980. Patti now lives in Cairns, Queensland where she is writing the Paradox Series of books. Patti is currently working on a new teen novel, Witchwood Estate, which is being published as episodic, short story fiction.
Web: http://www.pattirobertsauthor.com/

Healing Summer Blog Tour

I'm absolutely delighted to be a part of Elizabeth Seckman's Healing Summer Blog Tour. Elizabeth has written a special post using my prompt 'do you believe in ghosts?' So read on and be sure to check out Elizabeth's fabulous new book!

Do I believe in ghosts?

Of course!

There are memory ghosts…you know, those little fragments of our history that turn to full blown remember whens after a little nudge from a subtle clue. A whiff of play dough takes me back to child hood so swiftly and distinctly it’s almost like time travel.

Then there are the ghosty-ghosts with the rattling chains that go boo in the night.

Do I believe in them?

Hmm…

At my brother’s funeral, my cousin, Val, couldn’t be consoled. My brother was a life-long atheist. Val is a devout Christian, and to the devout, there is one way into Heaven…by acceptance of Christ. Poor Val was a mess. I told her not to worry, my brother was baptized at the end (he had cancer, so he had to face death in the eye). But Val kept worrying...did he mean it? In his heart, did he accept Christ? She told us that during her last conversation with him, he told her not to worry, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it’s a duck.

Val wailed, “But what does that mean?”

My sisters and I had no clue. She wanted to know if he was a Christian and he was talking to her about ducks? Was it the heavy pain meds? End of life delirium?

Poor Val was near shaking. She told us if she only had a sign…anything that would assure her he was safe, saved, and in the kingdom. We sat like we were made of stone. What the heck could we say?

Then in the still quiet of the funeral home, my sister’s phone rang. The first ring was a chime, but then as she dug through her purse it started to quack. So we sat there watching this phone ring, “Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack.”

Val let out a guffaw and a “Praise Jesus.”

To this day she swears it was a sign.

I swear there is more to this world that we can see and I won’t ever rule anything out.
Elizabeth will be posting a link to every stop on the blog tour on my blog tour page (link below) be sure to check out the posts throughout the month and vote on your favorite by commenting on the page!

Maybe Love, Not Time, Heals All Wounds
Ditched at the altar…biopsied for cancer…Mollie Hinkle is having a bona fide bitch of a summer. When life sucks so hard it takes your breath away, what's a girl to do? Pack a bag, grab a few friends, and leave the past and the worry in the rear view mirror. What wounds can’t be healed by a drive across the Heartland, where quarter flips at cross roads determine the route and the future? All roads lead to Craig, the second son and bad boy of the haughty Coulter line. Has fate brought her to the miniscule Montana town to find happily ever after or will it just break her heart?
“Healing Summer” is the second book in the Coulter Men Series.

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Author Interview: Elizabeth Seckman

I'm delighted to have author Elizabeth Seckman with me today. Check out the interview and please say hi, I know she'd love to hear from you!

I noticed that you have a new book out soon, can you tell us a little more about Healing Summer?
It’s a spin off from my first book, Past Due…it’s the story of the bad boy of the sexy Coulter brothers and the sweet little lady who will teach him a lesson in humility…and love!

What inspired you to write your current book, Past Due?
My sister requested a story she could read on a beach trip…and it had to be set on the Outer Banks…during the time when they moved the Cape Hatteras Light House…sort of like flash fiction… only in 50,000 words or more!
Check out the trailer below...

If Past Due was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?

Photo credit: yausser via photo pin cc

photo credit: Barbara.Doduk via photo pin cc 

photo credit: Barbara.Doduk via photo pin cc 

Gwyneth Paltrow as Jenna and Hugh Jackman as Tres Coulter…and since Craig Coulter from Healing Summer is the slightly younger brother, he could be played by Gerard Butler…and I’ll gladly meet with them both, just to make sure they have the feel for the characters. Gwyneth is a pro…she’s on her own.

What made you want to become an author?
I like to write. It’s like cheap therapy. Then the talented Dixie Browning, who has hundreds of books under her belt, was nice enough to give me a quick critique and she said it shows promise…that she thought I could do it IF I worked hard…so I did.

Name one of your all-time favourite book covers?
Good question…never thought about it. I’d have to say Heidi. In my copy, Heidi in a pretty dress on a mountain. That book was one of my first loves.

Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl…awesome, humbling book. It changed my life.

Who, or what, inspires you?
I pray before I write…or at least take a moment to clear the clutter from my brain.

Where is your favourite place to write?
I really don’t care…craziest place so far? In a roller coaster line…it was a 90 minute wait and I was bored.
*But I can’t write with someone reading over my shoulder…HATE that!!!

What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
Gone with the Wind…and of course…the book was better.

Who is your favourite author (s) and why?
John Steinbeck. He never wastes a word, even his descriptions are part of the plot.

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
I’d have to go with the writers of the New Testament…imagine the tales they didn’t write down…I want to know about them.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I hate to waste time. It annoys me.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
West Virginia is the birth place of the pepperoni roll…and jokes about marrying your cousin.

Links to your website / facebook / twitter / youtube, etc:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Seckman-Author/361427683923220?ref=hl
http://www.eseckman.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LomhZIAvJTU

Great interview Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping by (and for letting me swoon over Gerard Butler and Hugh Jackman!)