Wendy S. Hales guest post

We're joined today by the talented Wendy S. Hales. She 's going to give us a sneak peak into her head, and an excerpt from her new book Immortal Becoming.


The expendable goons who get killed for an antagonist … what are they thinking?
The bad guy usually gets a POV (point of view) in the story. At least enough to know he’s psycho or someone twisted. You know he/she/they want something or someone for some reason that is totally logical to them... even if the reader is scratching their head thinking, that's nuts buddy, can't wait til my peeps (aka hero/heroine/protagonist) kick your sorry ass!
As an author perhaps doing the muse snuggle with the antagonist is enough. Yet I always find myself questioning why the bad guys goons are going along with his megalomaniac schemes? I have to connect with the idiots who inevitably sacrifice themselves in defense of the antagonists even if their intent doesn't translate to paper. Money? A cause? Brainwashing? Slavery? Threats? I'm never comfortable with the bad guy’s goons heading blindly to the cliff edge and jumping just CUZ! ...Hey Luther run into that sword – WHY? … because you’re a minor character and I am the shit. Just do it! Come on. How realistic is that? Now add this: Bad guy felt a flush of sadistic satisfaction at the flash of fear in Luther’s eyes when the barrel of the shotgun turned on him. A slow smile spread across bad guy’s face, his finger itched to pull the trigger.
I've read many fabulous books with a single antagonist working alone and that might be the easy solution … but there's something about the mob/mafia style antagonist that calls to me. The guy who sits back strategically plotting while his Guido henchmen go out to do the dirty work. The corporate giant that throws his co-conspirator/accountant under the bus when his embezzlement is uncovered. The junkie with a big score idea his other tweeker pals are too wasted to realize is stupid/dangerous.
In Immortal Becoming many of the enemy soldiers were bred in their communities. They don’t know any different. They’ve been raised in a cult-type environment. Part of the reason the heroine Jess makes the sacrifice she does is to reduce the loss of life on both sides of the battle and give those that can be rehabilitated a chance at clemency.
I pose the question to you … why do your goons follow your antagonist?


Such an awesome topic, don't you guys think?? Now, here's an excerpt from the book.

Jess jogged out to the parking lot, not surprised to see him leaning against her Jeep.
He was taller than she had realized at about six foot three, with long, lean, well-defined
muscles beneath his jeans and T-shirt. In the waning sunlight, his hair appeared darker,
with auburn highlights. What captured her attention was the deep forest-green of his eyes,
the color darkening the closer she came. A kaleidoscope of brown specks clustered in the
center.
She studied him. He gave her a cocky grin. She was pretty sure he was reading every
thought in her head, and yes, she thought he was even sexier up close, the bastard. It
didn’t change the fact that he knew her name, what she drove, probably her weight and
favorite color, all without her telling him, and she still didn’t even know his name.
“You can stop shielding me or whatever you are doing now,” she grumbled, knowing
she should feel grateful for his help. Instead she felt uncomfortable with him having so
much knowledge about her. She hated that he was aware of her weakness when it came to
psychic overload.
“I haven’t been shielding you for awhile now.” He shrugged, following her around to
the driver’s side of her car, holding out his had for her keys. She blinked up at him.
“You are not driving my Jeep! Where do you think you are going with me anyway?”
She tossed her bag into the back seat “What do you mean you aren’t shielding me? I
would be in agony if you weren’t.” Turning to face him, she shot one question after
another at him. A dam of curiosity burst through her. Pointing her finger at his chest, she
interrogated him. “What did you do to make it better? Can you teach me how? Why did
you call Jerika your protégé?” Hands on her hips, she had backed him several steps away
from the door of the Jeep. “What is a protégé? Why are you watching her? How come the
officers let you be there at all?” She hoped that last bit didn’t sound quite so jealous and
petty to him as it did to her. Jerika was none of her business.
“Whoa, damn female. The deal was I shield your psyche, and you answer a few
questions. What the hell?” Holding up both hands defensively, he was laughing at her
again, a deep, sexy sound. Her first reaction was to purr and rub up against him like a cat.

She felt the blush rising up her neck to redden her face.
“Sorry. Sorry, I know … I just, wow. Today was such a great day. I don’t hurt, at all.
I can’t remember not being in some sort of psychic pain. At least … not since my mom. I
guess I’m just excited.” She chewed her bottom lip, thinking. Was excited too forward a
term? ”Could you at least tell me your name?”
“If I can drive?” He was grinning at her again.
She was so sick of being his private little joke, his arrogant attitude instantly spiraled
her to pissed-off. Grateful to feel something empowering rather than the awkwardness he
seemed to bring out of her, she pounced. “You seriously expect me to hand over my keys
and get into the car with you? Without even knowing your name? Really?”
His grin only widened. “You, Beauty, can definitely take care of yourself. Don’t
even pretend to be afraid of me. I’ve watched you kick ass all day.” There was admiration
underlying the amusement in his gaze.
“Not being afraid of you does not mean being stupid. If you don’t want to tell me
your name, then we can stand right here … safely and in front of a police academy.
While you ask me whatever it is you seem to think you want to know.” Still irritated
at him, she retraced the few steps back to the side of the Jeep. “Of course, if you really
aren’t shielding me, then maybe the deal is off anyway.” Spinning her keys to make loud
snapping sounds into her palm, she pretended to consider whether she should leave.
“I really was beginning to like being called Bleacher Boy.” He sighed. “My name
is Shanley Einar. You and I both know that we are not going to be able to speak freely
here.” He held his hand out for her keys again. “You already knew my name the same
way I knew yours. Call me Shane.”
She realized she did. When he said his name, she realized she already knew it. She
had known it from the minute he spoke to her. The keys slipped from her hand into
his, and she pivoting to walk back around the Jeep, taking a seat on the passenger side.
Shane stood at the driver’s open door, holding her hard-won keys. He stared at her a few
moments, then climbed into the driver’s seat, adjusting it to fit his long legs.
“Where to?” he asked, starting the motor.

Ok, wow, how awesome does Immortal Becoming look?? I know I'm super excited to read it!

Website – www.wendyshales.com
Email – wendys.hales@yahoo.com
Purchase Links-
Amazon/kindle-http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Becoming-Enlightened-Species-ebook/dp/B0074U5FT0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330036082&sr=1-1
Barnes & Noble/NOOK-http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/immortal-becoming-wendy-s-hales/1108569220?ean=2940014115629&itm=1&usri=immortal+becoming
Smashwords-http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/128981

Beth Aldrich guest post

We're joined today by author Beth Aldrich. She's going to talk about the power of social media




Congratulations, you've garnered a book deal with a major publisher and you've written the book; but that's just half the work. The most challenging work is about to begin. Most writers do just that, they write; but with today's competitive book market, good writing is only half the battle. Nowadays, writers are encouraged to be active in social media and other forms of marketing so they can ramp up their book's presence-to stand out on the bookshelves and increase sales. 

When I began my book journey two years ago, little did I know that I'd be embarking on the ride of my life. With 12-hour work days, writing the book and "getting the word out" about my book in any way I could. Knowing that I would be responsible for my own "tour" expenses, I decided to build my presence in social media as a way to reach my target audience of busy moms, so that the sponsorship money I raised would be best spent traveling to book tour events. Knowing that many moms like to connect online through social media, I began making connections and generating useful and trustworthy content to build my following. Nothing good comes easy and it's been a daily challenge to garner followers (legitimately) who appreciate and value my content. Through my networking and connections I decided to partner with, SocialMoms.com, a popular moms online social media community filled with articles, content and great mom networking. With the power of social media, we created a book launch virtual party and contest with over 100 moms bloggers who participated. I acquired book tour sponsors who donated prizes for our contest so that all participants would have incentive to be a part of the fun and excitement. I love to get involved with contests and communities and I wanted to create that for the moms who took the time to be a part of this special project; within weeks of my book's launch, there were thoughtful blog posts about my book, spanning the internet, from real moms-the demographic I was hoping to tap. Word spread like wildfire and on my book's launch day, and the throughout the month that followed, my book was a best seller in two categories on Amazon. The mom bloggers agreed to Tweet, FB and share their blog posts and in exchange, we offered sponsored goodie boxes of book-inspired products (all garnered from months of product partnering sponsorship deals), exposure on our blog and cross promotion through social media. We had a multi-prize drawing the night before the book launched, and announced winners via a private newsletter designated just for the participating bloggers. All-in-all, it was a successful book launch, thanks primarily, to the hard work and support of the mom bloggers in our book tour contest, social media and my tenacity to get the word out. 

When people ask me, "How did you know what to do to promote your book?" I always tell them that I networked with other authors, researched what other author have done in the past and trusted my judgement. I know that I love prizes, so I spent weeks and weeks, acquiring products that I knew I'd love to receive as a participation gift goodie box. I also understand the power of communication, so I interacted with the registered participants regularly, sharing all of the steps of my book tour publication, along the way. I often connected with the moms on Twitter, through Twitter parties (where we had, yes, more prizes), and on Facebook. I made sure I was following everyone that was following me on social media and I always tried to re-tweet their tweets, etc. With consideration and on-going communication, relationships were built with new mom friends throughout the process. The folks at SocialMoms.com were so supportive, offering advice and ideas, making the launch everything that I hoped it would be. Some of the mom bloggers even agreed to help me host in-person parties in their cities, making my ground tour a huge success. We used the power of social media to get the word out about our on-location book events, which helped raise attendance and bring more awareness to my book's brand. 

Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight and Feel Fabulous (Penguin Books, NAL, January, 2012), had a fantastic launch and I can certainly say that the power of social media helped contribute to it's kick off success. 

To find out more about Beth and her book, visit, RealMomsLovetoEat.com; her book is available where ever books are sold, or online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Sorry I've been so quiet the last week, but I've been writing a ton. I think I may have finished Mark of the Witch last night. I gave it to my favorite beta tester this morning, so we'll see what she says. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the story went. It's a weight off my shoulders to be done with the writing, when you're in it, it feels like it will never end. Once I get the feedback from my beta, I'll fix what needs fixing, and then pass it around to a few other beta's. I want as many eyes on it as I can get before I send it off to the editor. I'm really hoping that everything goes smoothly from here on out. I know that I'm going to have a bunch of things to fix, I just hope it isn't terrible.

Author interview with Emlyn Chand

We are joined today by the talented Emlyn Chand. She has a new book coming out called Farsighted. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us.


What made you decide to make your main character blind?

Everything started with a single image—my face in these tacky oversized sunglasses reflecting out at me from the car’s side mirror. I was daydreaming while my husband drove us across Michigan for my sister’s wedding. Something about my image really struck me in an almost horrific way. I felt the glasses made me look blind but found it so weird that there was still a clear image within them; it seemed so contradictory. At the time, my book club was reading The Odyssey, which features the blind Theban prophet, Tieresias. I started thinking about what it would be like to have non-visual visions of the future and began forming a modern Tieresias in my mind. Lo and behold, Alex Kosmitoras was born. I didn’t want him to be alone in his psychic subculture, so I found other characters with other powers to keep him company. Thank God for my poor fashion sense. 

Your main character has prophetic visions, do you believe in them yourself?

You know that’s a really good question, and I just don’t know how to answer. I often joke that I “have psychic powers, but only in India.” I think a part of me does believe that these elements exist, these capabilities are possible. Who doesn’t want to believe in magic?


Do you have a writing routine? Or do you just write what you can when you can?

Sadly, I don’t get to write every day. Novel Publicity takes up a lot of my time and effort. I spend about 12 hours per day working on it, which leaves little energy for anything else. What I do when I’m in the writing mode and have enough accomplished with the day job to take some time off is this: I go to Panera and stay there for about 8 hours with the pure intention of writing. I keep the WiFi off and eat and drink whatever is needed to fuel my prose. I call this holding myself “writing hostage,” and it really works for me!


Who/what is your favorite author/genre to read?

I LOVE YA—I read it, write it, love it! It all comes down to the enjoyment factor. I like the vulnerability and changeability of the characters. I love the ease of language and the connection that is created by writing in first person point-of-view. Nothing quite compares. As for my favorite author—well, I have so many favorites—but I consider JK Rowling to be “literary God.” She just masters every aspect of the craft, and she nurtured me during my first trek into YA; now I write it for myself. Thank you, JK!


How did you get started as an author?

I was born with a fountain pen grasped firmly in my left hand, at least that’s what my Twitter bio says. But seriously, I do believe writers are born into the craft—we haven’t got much choice, but it’s a great calling to have. As a child, I always had a story to tell. I also loved illustrating my own books and comics. I first became a writer writer when I began doing a book review column for the local paper. That taught me the importance of deadlines and letting the words flow out even when I had no idea what direction they’d take me in.

Do you have any advice for budding authors?

Of course, I do! My advice is this: Have fun with your writing. Don’t put pressure on yourself or your story and don’t try to fit either into some type of mold. Not every work HAS to be published, but every work will teach you something, and it will make you a better writer. Find the joy in writing, and you won’t go wrong.

Thanks so much for giving us a peak into your mind Emlyn! Here is a little teaser for the book

Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival--an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on a journey to change his future and save the woman of his dreams.

Website:
www.emlynchand.com

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

The lore of mermaids and mermen is real. Just wait until you meet Calder White in this addictive debut novel that is destined to make a splash!

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters must prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually they select their victims at random, but this time around the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take the whole White family to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between family and the girl he loves. One thing's for sure, whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

I got an ARC from NetGalley of this book last week. Let me just say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a different story, not your normal YA book. Calder was almost instantly likable, he had the surly attitude I like. It was refreshing to read a book with a male lead character, most books center on the female perspective.
I love Lily, she has such an "I don't care what you think" attitude, she is her own person entirely.

The relationship between Calder and his three sisters is dysfunction at its best. Maris, the matriarch of the family is bossy and horrible, but I didn't feel that her character was one dimensional in that respect. Pavati is what you think of when you think of mermaids, she's truly a siren. Finally, Talullah, she's the shyer one of the group, and she's the sister that Calder has the strongest connection to.

Calder is torn between obligation to his family, and his ever growing feelings for Lily Hancock, the daughter of the man he's vowed to lure to a watery grave. You feel everything right along with him, his indecision and his resolve. Such an amazing book! I couldn't wait to go to bed every night, just so I could stay up late and read.

I'm so dangerously close to reaching my goal of 50k for Mark of the Witch! It's literally like 700 words, I'm thinking the book is going to end up at like 52k or something. The climactic scene needs some more work since I changed some things in the middle. I'm so ready to be done with the writing phase. I want to move on to the editing and beta reader phase. Who knows, I may even be able to release it sooner then I thought. (Watch, I just jinxed myself bu saying that) I spoke with a friend of mine who has a printing company, and I may be getting some swag made a lot sooner then I had originally thought. That would mean doing some fun little giveaways:)

Mommy but Still Me by Mohana Rajakumar

 Indie writers would not survive without bloggers. Pure and simple. You all do what we wouldn't be able to otherwise: help get the word out to readers about our books.
I wrote this book as I wrestled with the idea of becoming a mother my way. I started a firm conviction that I would not disappear into a creature with applesauce in her hair, unable to sustain a conversation about anything other than sleeping schedules and teething remedies. And I ended--- well you'll have to read the book! For those starting the journey, I hope you know you're not alone in the worries and dreams that plague you while contemplating the biggest change of your life. And for those who are second, third, or multiple timers, hope you find aspects of my story that resonate with your own. If these ancedotes, or don't, drop me a note and tell me why.

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar

www.mohanalakshmi.com

Imagine a man volunteering to trade in his game nights for heart burn and back ache. Good thing there are women around to ensure the survival of the species. This hilarious look at the journey from high heels to high blood pressure, as a jet setter turns into a bed wetter, is what your doctor won't tell you and your own mother may have forgotten in the years since she was blessed by your arrival.

At our first meeting my future father-in-law waited until we sat down in the Thai restaurant, the oblong menus placed in our hands and the waiter was a distance away, tending to other diners, before turning towards me, his eyes glowing. This was the first time we were all seeing each other after his son had proposed to me. "When will I get to hold my first grandchild?" 

For my father-in-law and everyone else, I have a question of my own: When will any of you be satisfied?

I'll also be doing a giveaway for Mohana's book!!

Author Spotlight: Andrea DiGiglio

Andrea is one of my favorite people in this world, I had the pleasure of meeting her a few months back. She's witty, snarky, funny, and just all around amazing. Her book Finding Alice is one of those rare books that you'll want to read again and again. I think I've read it 3 times lol. The book comes out February 19th, buy it, read it, love it!
Excerpt from the book:

The air smelled like fruit. I rubbed my eyes, attempting to see. I looked at the sky; it bounced with
shades of purple, red, and dark gray. It was gorgeous and I was obviously dreaming. I walked through
this large, empty field, feeling the warmth of the day on my skin slowly evaporate. I could hear what
sounded like voices coming from the dark woods in front of me on the other side of this amber field.
It’s a dream. It’s safe to check it out. I walked toward the blackness and trees, glancing back at the field
behind me that was well-lit from the sun setting. I stood on the edge of the woods line, debating my
entrance and my sanity at that particular moment. “It’s not real,” I said to reassure myself. I entered the
woods, cautiously at first. The voices grew loud enough that I could almost make out what they were
saying, but there were so many, the words were tangling together. My head began to ache and I turned

to run back, but I couldn’t figure out which way was back any longer. I picked up the pace until the
voices were roaring in my head. I started into a full-on sprint, running through the darkness and barely
able to see a foot in front of me, trusting myself not to run straight into a tree.
“Alice,” a voice called. I stopped dead in my tracks. “Alice.”
That one voice was calming and felt safe. I found the direction the voice was coming from and ran
straight toward it. I felt the warmth on the back of my neck. It was not the same as before. This felt
haunting. Concentrating, I singled in on one voice in particular. “Keep going,” he said. I was moving
so steadfastly, I felt as if I was floating through the air. My feet came to a dead halt when the smell
of sand and freshwater climbed up my nose. I made it. I looked out to the water and saw the most
beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. I stared in amazement as the moon beamed off of his
toned torso, so elegant. In one glorious flex, these incredible charcoal wings escaped his back. I gasped
in complete silence but he didn’t even notice me. They extended at least five feet in each direction.
Each feather twitched as if they were filled with electricity.
“Cole? You’re so beautiful,” I heard myself say. He turned to me, his eyes piercing almost into my
soul. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent deeply.
I opened my eyes and focused in on the ceiling through the darkness. Part of me was relieved it was
a dream. The other part of me was yearning for it to have been real. I rubbed my head in frustration and
reached out in a full body stretch. My arms flopped to my sides; I dragged them back up to my pillow
and felt the softest touch against my skin. My eyes fully adjusted to the darkness and searched the
space around me. My entire bed was now covered in gray-toned feathers.
“Holy shit.” I twirled my hands through them and fell back asleep.



Email - dreadigiglio@gmail.com
Blog - http://andrea-digiglio.blogspot.com/
Twitter @AndreaDiGiglio
Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrea-DiGiglio/158314532770











I'm so excited, I get to do a giveaway for an ebook copy of the book!!!

Some Valentine's steam for you

In honor of Valentine's day, I thought you guys might like a taste of Mark of the Witch. I'll post one of the new love scenes....enjoy:)

William kissed Jilly good night at the door, and she flopped down on her bed feeling supremely happy.
She opened her eyes, and she was in Sabine’s room again. Great, this is just want I need, another peep show. She thought as she got her bearings. She looked down and let out a squeak of surprise to find that she was naked. She grabbed the sheet and tucked it around her body. William emerged from the closet wearing nothing but a smile, a look of pure hunger in his eyes. She tried not to let her gaze venture further south then his chest, but she gave in and let her eyes rake over every inch of his toned body. She definitely liked what she saw, and apparently so did he. He yanked the sheet away from her body and lavished her breasts with kisses. Jilly tried not to let herself be lost in the feelings, but it was getting harder to ignore them. She let her hands slide up the muscles of his back, enjoying the feel of him against her skin. He finally made his way up to her mouth, and crushed his mouth against hers. She moaned into his mouth and wrapped her legs around his waist, letting herself forget that he thought she was Sabine.”William, I can’t wait any longer” She whispered. When their bodies joined together, she felt complete, and she let herself go, enjoying the ride.
They lay entangled in the sheets an hour later, his arm draped over her chest.”William, are you happy?” Jilly asked, wanting him to say no. He looked over at her and smiled. “very much so my love, and I have you to thank for it.” He leaned in to kiss her, but before his lips touched hers, she was shoved back into blackness. “Mine” the voice in the darkness hissed.
Jilly’s eyes popped open and she sat up. Her whole body was tingling from the dream. It had felt so real to her, she could still remember the way his lips felt against her skin.She shook her head, trying to clear away the memories that weren’t hers. She went into the bathroom and splashed some cold water over her face. She lay back down on her bed, and tried to get some sleep.

It's raining today, I love this kind of weather. It's perfect to curl up in bed and read a good book, or in my case curl up in front of the computer and write. There are so many things I should be doing today, but my characters won't shut up lol. I guess that's a good thing right? I'm toying with the idea of rewriting the ending to the book, the new elements I added beg for more action. I think I'm just going to go for it, and let them tell me what they want lol.

The cover for Mark of the Witch is coming along beautifully! I got a preview of it today, Russ is a genius. Everything is moving in the right direction, and a summer release is totally feasible. As soon as I get the final cover, I'll totally post it:)

Jilly has been bugging me for the last few days. She just will not leave me alone lol. Mark of the Witch is going to be amazing you guys. The story has evolved into something I never thought it could. The characters have really taken on a life of their own. I may post a new excerpt at some point today, but I don't know.

Loves of Leopild Singer Book Review

The one who loves him can't have him. The one who has him can't love him.

Leopold Singer is any woman's perfect match - handsome, brilliant, and rich. Lady Delia wants him for his fortune, and Susan Gray wants him for his intellect, but his heart belongs to Marta Schonreden. 

When Leopold and Marta visit London on their move to Massachusetts, Delia is consumed by jealousy and she plots to ruin Marta. Susan has the real power to destroy Leopold's marriage, but to use it she would lose everything she holds dear. Who could guess that one day Susan's secret would be the key to everyone's happiness?

This old-fashioned family saga spans the late Georgian through Regency periods, 1776 to 1832, from Austria to Massachusetts and London to Jamaica.

From the Author

This is the book of my romantic imagination. It's a family saga - a soap opera full of all the things you're not supposed to write about - secret babies, religion, amnesia. It covers two generations (1776 to 1832) and has way too many characters. Think Middlemarch meets Hawaii.

Leopold Singer of the title is modeled on Orpheus of Greek mythology.  The women in Leopold's life are like those who loved Orpheus. He chooses one, but the others love him no less.

Unlike my usual books, LOLS is reality based. No magical or paranormal creatures, though of course with a setting in 19th century England (and Austria and the Caribbean and Massachusetts) there is talk of fairies and loa and mermaids.  LOLS is more "women's fiction" than romance in that the happily ever after doesn't always take the form of a man and woman ending up together forever, but it's definitely chock-a-block with love stories.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting LK Rigel in a writer's group online. She is one of those people you meet and just love instantly. This is the second of her books that I've read, and I've yet to be disaopinted by her.

The Loves of Leopold Singer is a wonderfully written historical romance that takes you across the world and back again. I think LK really captures the feeling of the 1800's brilliantly. You fall in love over and over again with these wonderful characters. Halfway through this book, I was actually sad because I knew it would have to end eventually. I was a little nervous about the size of this book at first, but I literally couldn't wait to read it every night before bed.
Leopold Singer is the main character in this book, and the title makes his sound like some sort of cad, I can assure you he not. I've not met such a likable leading man in a long time. LK has interwoven the lives of her characters beautifully. There are bits of intrigue and of course romance. But, what I really enjoyed were the actual historically accurate parts in the story. It made the charcters seem that much more real This book is well worth your time. I highly recommend it

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Leopold-Singer-ebook/dp/B006YYW51S/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t



                                                     

After yesterday's frustration, I killed it and wrote almost 2k!! I found my muse again, she had been hiding from me for a few weeks. I had been feeling like every sentence was a chore to write, and i could barely grind out a few hundred words. Not anymore!! Jilly is alive and kicking in my head, and she demands to be heard!!

I'm right on track for a summer release still. Let's hope I get the bulk of the writing done by mid March, so then I can start on the edits and getting some beta readers. Wish me luck:) Hope you all have a productive day.

Feeling somewhat frustrated, I'm almost at the 40k mark, and I feel like I can't add anymore to the story. My goal is really 50k. My friend told me that if I add a new character in it can add up to 10k to your ms. Now, my problem is trying to come up with a new character to my already almost complete ms. I want to make each relationship in the book complex and well thought out, so I'm not entirely sure I want to add in a superfluous character. Any ideas for what kind of new character to add in?

Light Under the House by Aaron Drew

For TODAY ONLY, when you purchase Light Under the House by Aaron Drew for just $.99 on Amazon.com, with your proof of purchase, Aaron will gift you another book of your choice valued at the same price of $.99, (exluding Erotica). That's 2 books for the price of 1! So jump on the bandwagon and go get yourself some awesome books!

Send Proof of Purchase to bkwalkerbooks@comcast.net with your Amazon receipt and the book of your choice (title and link) and preferred email. Once it's been verified, Aaron will gift you your book and send you a personal note of thanks.

Cover for Mark of the Witch

I just got the proofs from last night's photo shoot, and I have to say, it's really hard to pick just one. They all look incredibly amazing. I'm so excited for summer to be here, although, I have a ton of work ahead of me. I'm still in the midst of rewrites, it feels like it will never end lol. I have a few big chunks of stuff to still put in, and then a few things that need to be rewritten. Oh well, and author's work is never done. I just wanted to share my exciting news with you guys. As soon as everything's finished I'll hopefully post a pic of what my cover will look like in the novel page on the blog.

Rafflecopter Giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


You can win an Ipad2 or if you refer the winner you could win a Kindle Fire. So cool!!

Everything's new

I decided to delete my website. It doesn't make sense to have 2 things that do the exact same thing. With the new layout I have on here, I'm able to have the different pages that I had with my website. This way, no one gets confused about where to find the information they're looking for.

I have finally decided on the name for my book/series. I wanted something that wasn't already out there, and something that would grab the reader's attention. So, drumroll please.....the new title is, Mark of the Witch (Boston Witches book 1). I hope you guys like it as much as I do:) Take a look at the novels page and you can see when I'm planning on releasing it.