Archive for April 2015 | Monthly archive page
Good morning! I’m pulling myself out of my sick bed to bring you this week’s installment of Writer Wednesday. Monday’s trip to UrgentCare convinced me to take it easy for a couple of days—or maybe it was the fact that I had no energy to do anything BUT take it easy.
I think the antibiotics are starting to kick in, though—and just in time. Allow me to introduce Claudia Shelton. Claudia and I are both members of the greatest, most supportive writer’s group in the world, the LaLaLas. Those ladies are there to celebrate one another’s successes, offer much-needed advice and commiserate when the “Big R” hits the inbox.
You can read more about the divine secrets of the LaLaLa sisterhood. (We were featured on Barbara Vey’s blog.)
Claudia’s debut romantic suspense, RISK OF A LIFETIME, will be a BookBub Featured Deal on May 2.
Here’s Claudia, in her own words:
Award winning romance author Claudia Shelton focuses on happily-ever-after stories featuring alpha males and the women strong enough to love them, plus there’s always a splash of suspense or intrigue. She is a two-time finalist in the Daphne Du Maurier (Unpublished) awards for excellence in mystery and suspense. One of her Daphne finals was for what became her debut romantic suspense RISK OF A LIFETIME, which reached Amazon’s Best Sellers Romance Series Top 100. And was voted one of Ebooks Galore top reads for 2014.
Claudia has been described as “A crisp new voice in romantic suspense” and someone who writes “One part suspense, one part determined female and one part sexy alpha hero…One fast-paced read!”
And, on a personal note, she considers herself a water person and always enjoys a cool drink by warm waters. Of course hot cocoa in the falling snow is always nice, too. But most of all she likes being a writer and giving her readers an exciting read. So she hopes you have time to hop on board and spend some time in one of her hero and heroine’s worlds. Enjoy the read!
About the book:
Three years ago Marcy Bradley realized she couldn’t face JB ‘s dangerous career in law enforcement, so she kicked him out of the house. She sent divorce papers. He signed. She…let him go in her mind. Now, JB’s back in town, and all that stands between her and a grave.
Branded with his badge during the last assignment, JB questions his career choice with the FBI. Returning to wrap up his dad’s estate, JB hopes to be in and out of town before his ex-wife knows he’s around. But, from the moment he arrives unexplained accidents target Marcy. Did vengeance follow JB to her doorstep?
Forced to run for their lives, they escape to a lakeside cabin where their struggle escalates to explosions, gunshots and water. Somewhere along the way they rekindle their love, but will they be able to survive his past and live their future?
Bonus! Claudia included a short excerpt:
JB unbuttoned the sleeves on his white oxford and rolled the cuffs a couple of turns. Tugged them straight. Marcy knew his battle mode. His routine.
Once he took on an assignment, he was tenacious.
Nothing and no one got in his way. He’d get himself shot over her if they weren’t careful. Much as she didn’t want him back in her life, she couldn’t bear to think of him gone forever, either.
He scooped the bullhorn from the pavement and held his arms out to the side at shoulder level as he walked forward. When he stopped a few feet in front of her, his gaze barely scanned her face before he returned his attention to the bank building.
“How bad is it?” he asked.
“Bad. He’s all junked up on something.”
She reached for the horn. “Be careful. Please be careful.”
His fingers brushed against hers as he released the horn. “Almost sounds like you care.”
“You wish!” She forced herself not to blink. If she did, she might grab him and hold on for dear life.
His eyes zeroed in on hers. What passed between them was private and personal and unspoken.
Now, let’s get to “This or That?”
Shopping bags: paper, plastic or reusable? I use plastic bags, but always recycle them in the bin at my grocery store. Plus I’m a big believer in curbside recycling in my community. Once they offered the service, I couldn’t believe how little I have in the regular trash.
Mac or PC? PC or laptop, but never a Mac. That would mean I have to learn something new and working with my new tablet on trips is hard enough.
It’s vacation time. Do you go to the beach or the mountains? Beach! I am a water person, so I love an ocean beach, lake beach and, if there’s not a beach, there needs to be a pool. Now I must say I like to see the mountains because they are so majestic. But anything above 8,000 feet can really throw me for a loop. I also enjoy a nice city vacation with theatres and music, sightseeing and museums, good restaurants and…a fantastic pool! ;D
Do you exercise alone or in group classes? Lately I’ve been using my new treadmill, which is located in my hearth room. I have it facing out the windows which makes it so easy to watch the birds or snow or just the wind through the trees. Sometimes I even open the door to get the sounds inside. The scenery and my music make it easier to exercise.
Where do you write: Home office or favorite coffee shop? The majority of my writing is done at home. However I do like a good writer’s retreat if it concentrates on brainstorming and writing.
Get in touch with Claudia:
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.claudiawriting.com/
Twitter: @ClaudiaShelton1
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ClaudiaSheltonWriter
Claudia’s Chatter (newsletter): http://www.claudiawriting.com/newsletter.html
This week, help me welcome Constance Phillips to Writer Wednesday.
Constance is another of my Turquoise Morning Press sisters, and I visited her blog a couple of weeks ago to talk about Breaking All the Rules.
In her own words:
Constance Phillips lives in Ohio with her husband, daughter, and four canine kids where she writes contemporary romance novels and paranormal romance novels. When not writing stories of finding and rediscovering love, Constance and her husband spend the hours planning a cross-country motorcycle trip for the not-so-distant future…if they can find a sidecar big enough for the pups.
Her newest release (or re-release), Resurrecting Harry, sounds intriguing. The blurb:
In order to save the only woman he’s every loved from self-destruction, Harry puts his afterlife on the line by entering a wager with purgatory’s keeper, Jaden. He gives Harry a younger face and body, and a new name: Erich Welch.
If he wants to keep his new life, he must convince Bess to give up the promise she made to Harry on his death bed and call off the séance she’s scheduled on the anniversary of his death.
Will Erich be able to help Bess over her loss and will any good come from resurrecting Harry?
The book’s buzz is good, too. Some reviews:
“ This was a very fast read for me and kept me guessing to the very end. ” M. E. Wilson
“Theirs was a love story that Ms. Phillips delves into in her novel. ” R. Trogne
“Great story, new idea. All in all. Worth a read.” The Eternal Scribe
I can’t wait to add Resurrecting Harry to my TBR queue.
Now, let’s get to know Constance better with a round of “This or That.”
Coke or Pepsi? Coke, Diet Coke to be specific.
Baseball or football? Honestly, if I’m going to watch sports, it’s hockey. Between the two, I’d say football.
Bacon or sausage? As of late, I’ve been more of a bacon girl.
iPhone or Android? Android. Mac/Apple technology confuses me.
Vacation time: Beach or mountains? Hard choice, but I’m going have to go with the beach!
Night owl or early bird? It used to be the other way around, but lately I’m a early to bed, early to rise girl.
Want to find out more? You can find Constance everywhere: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Tumbler | Google + | Tsu
Resurrecting Harry is available for preorder on Kindle and Smashwords, and will be available again in most formats and in most online retailers April 30.
I spent the weekend in my room in Flagstaff, sorting and packing — and still I barely made a dent. Packing up 15-plus years of accumulated crap is hard, y’all.
Okay, that’s not entirely true. I spent Saturday night and Sunday morning with trash bags and cardboard boxes. I also enjoyed a Saturday-morning gabfest/brainstorming session with my Northern Arizona RWA chapter mates. I’m telling you, knowing what awaited at home wasn’t conducive to getting my butt out of the Denny’s booth we were occupying.
I confess to being a bit of a hoarder, so paring down my stuff won’t be easy.
For example, I didn’t want to part with these …
… My first author business cards, which I designed after finaling in the Golden Heart in 2011.
They don’t take up much room. They also don’t match my redesigned website or brand, so there’s no reason to keep them … but it was so hard to just toss them in the recycling bin. I did hang onto about five of them—purely for archival purposes, of course.
Where else have I been?
I still haven’t seen my Writer Groupie interview in my iTunes podcast feed. Will keep you posted as soon as I get it.
JUST RIGHT was featured in the April Turquoise Morning Press newsletter, along with new releases by Bella Masters and May Williams. May’s “Playing the Piper” is another of the “and they lived Happily Ever After” tales.
That’s it. It’s been a pretty quiet week.
Soon, I’ll be ordering books for the Payson Book Festival. And—fingers crossed—moving into a new place.
Today, April 15, is, of course, a day many people dread. Tax Day.
Whether you’ve A) finished your taxes and spent your refund or B) plan to race to the mailbox at 11:59 p.m., now’s a the perfect time to take a short break and enjoy my first-ever Writer Wednesday post.
I’m kicking off the series with fellow Turquoise Morning Press author Jennifer Anderson, who happens to be well-versed in firsts. Last month, she was the inaugural guest on Maggie Wells/Margaret Etheridge’s Monday Mayhem feature.
That was a lot of fun, and I’m glad to have her here. Let’s kick off Writer Wednesday with a bang, too.
In her own words, Jennifer is a ref, chauffer, master chef and booboo kisser. When she’s not wielding her super mom powers, she likes to weave sentences together and offer a little escape to her readers. You can usually find her sitting in the dark in front of her computer, falling in love with her characters. Send chocolate!
Her most recent release, Finding You, is new adult fiction. The blurb:
Jessica Crispin sets out to find her mom but discovers more than she planned.
A long-lost grandfather dies, leaving Jessica Crispin a sizable inheritance. The only catch? She has to find her mom, whom she hasn’t seen since she was two, and she only has thirty days to do it.
Enlisting her best friend Violet, Jessica sets out on a road trip determined to solve a mystery fed by deceit and misinformation from people she thought she could trust.
On the way, she meets Jackson, whose kindness and sexy pale blue eyes make her wish he would come along for the ride.
Clues from her mother lead her far from home and to a secret Jessica never imagined. And as the deadline looms, Jessica must make peace with the ghosts of her past and risk dreaming of a future pursuing her secret passion with Jackson by her side.
Jennifer took time out to answer a few “This or That”-style questions—and I discovered that in a lot of ways, we’re complete opposites.
Preferred breakfast: Sweet or savory? While I love a good donut, my diabetes keeps me from enjoying these so I settle for eggs. Not my fave.
Big purse or barely there bag? Big purse. I have 3 kids and while only the youngest really needs items when we go out, I am usually the keeper of all electronics and even my husband’s keys. Why fight it!
Your favorite writing spot: Home office or favorite coffee shop? I don’t get to make it out a lot to just write without a horde of kids with me, but I do aspire to do this once a year. Instead, I find comfort in my bedroom sitting in a glider and using a TV tray as my computer base.
Night owl or early bird? Unfortunately, a little bit of both.
Iron Man or Captain America? Ooo, that’s tough. But I think if you held a gun to my head, I’d say Captain America, or at least the current version!
Are you a city dweller or rural gal? More a rural gal. I don’t really like the country, or being in the country, but I like the idea of nature. I’m scared of anything that crawls. But I currently live along a river where I’m sure there is a snake (eek) sitting in my yard waiting for me to find him. I may not participate much in the outdoor stuff, I do enjoy the view!
Another way Jennifer and I are nothing alike? When it comes to promo, she has it all together — she even has a book trailer! You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1ttbkhMGA.
Want to read Finding You? Get it here: IBOOKS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO
You can check out Jennifer’s other Turquoise Morning Press books here: http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/collections/jennifer-anderson
Find her online at http://jenandersonauthor.com/ on Twitter (@JenniA8677) and on Facebook.
Join the discussion: Weigh in with your answer to one of the questions.
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