Welcome Lyrical Press writer, Sara-Jayne Townsend!

Today I have fellow UK writer and Lyrical Press author with me, Sara-Jayne Townsend. For some reason, I assumed Sara-Jayne wrote romance. I could not be more wrong, lol! She is a horror and crime-writer. So much for assumptions! Anyway, happy to have you here, Sara-Jayne, looking forward to reading your post...

THEATRICAL CONNECTIONS

By Sara Jayne Townsend

I love the theatre. The first time I was on stage, I was five years old, appearing in a school production of PETER RABBIT. I was a flower in Mr McGregor’s garden. I had to sit cross-legged on stage wearing a headpiece of construction-paper petals, singing about what a fine garden it was.

That’s when I was bitten by the bug, and I got involved in all the productions I could at school after that. However, I was never all that good at acting. I was, however, a very good reader, and supremely organised. In junior school this meant I was always the narrator, and in high school I was always the stage manager.

Later on I got involved in amateur dramatics. Although this was a lot of fun, and I spent many happy years involved in plays, time was always a factor. It’s bad enough trying to fit the writing around the day job. When involved in a play, I was going straight from work to the theatre, and straight from the theatre to bed, fitting in eating and sleeping whenever I could. Writing got put on the back burner.

When I made a conscious decision to be more disciplined about finding time to write, I decided reluctantly that the amateur dramatics had to go – there just weren’t enough hours in the day to fit it in with everything else.

Occasionally, I miss it. But I think the decision to make my amateur sleuth, Shara Summers, a professional actress was one way of bringing the theatre back into my life again. I am able to transfer that thrill of adrenalin when the curtain goes up on the first night to her. I am able to use my experiences with the theatre as part of her back story. Various anecdotes from theatrical friends have found their way into DEATH SCENE.

I also thought that an actress would possess useful personality traits for an amateur sleuth. Shara is nosy and forceful, and not afraid to poke her nose in where it’s not wanted, in order to solve the crime. She is able to don disguises and take on different personas in order to infiltrate a place to hunt for clues.

And I get to live the acting life by proxy, by writing about my amateur sleuth. This is a comfort whenever I find myself missing the acting life.

Sarah-Jayne's latest release is Death Scene available now from Lyrical Press. Here's the blurb:

Poking around in family closets produces skeletons…

British-born, Toronto-based, actress Shara Summers turns amateur sleuth when her sister is stricken with a mysterious illness. Summoned back to England to be with her family during a time of crisis, Shara discovers doctors are at a loss as to what's causing Astrid’s debilitating sickness.

After her aunt is found dead at the bottom of the stairs the death is deemed an accident. Shara suspects otherwise. Her investigation unearths shocking family secrets and a chilling realization that could have far-reaching and tragic consequences that affect not only her own future, but Astrid’s as well.

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_52&products_id=409

Bio:

Sara-Jayne Townsend writes horror and crime fiction. Whichever genre she writes in, somebody always dies in a horrible way. By day, she works as a Personal Assistant at a medical college. At night, she kills people off in her writing. She admits to basing characters who meet unfortunate ends in her stories on people in real life, but she’s not saying which ones.

She is a UK-based writer, living in Surrey with her guitarist husband and two cats, but spent most of the 1980s living in Canada after her family emigrated there.

She is founder and Chair Person of the T Party Writers’ Group, the longest-running writing group in London specialising in genre fiction.

Website:

http://sarajaynetownsend.weebly.com/

Questions? Comments? Sara-Jayne would love to hear from you! :)

Saturday Promo - Cornelia Amiri!

The Prince of Powys blurb:

In an age of heroes, Branda, a Saxon princess helps Blaise, a Prince of Powys, escape her father’s stronghold. In turn, he vows to escort the princess to her sister in Scotland so she can escape an arranged marriage. Instead, he holds her captive as his hostage in the unbreachable hill fort of Dinas Bran, where she captures his heart. Will Blaise be forced to throw away his honor for love or to tear out his heart for honor?

Excerpt:

After sleeping off the ale, he rose at dawn recommitted to keeping Branda, and prepared for his mission in the old ways.

Scan bore the woad and the limewash Neilyn had mixed. Blaise washed his hair with the powdered limestone and water mix then spiked his mane until it stood as thick as a hedgehog's coat. With the woad dye, Neilyn painted magic symbols of the gods upon Blaise's forehead. Painted tattoos liken to the sacred images engraved on the long stones in the tombs. The swirls began small and curved into larger loops. The gods shielded him with these mystical symbols.

The druid chanted ancient words of power as Scan strummed the harp.

"Before the sky and the earth and the sea,

Before the sun and the moon and the stars,

I place a circle of safekeeping around you.

Oh Blaise, bind yourself to Bran's power,

mighty is its strain, oh Blaise.

Magical energy will enliven,

And empower you on the field of battle.

Thrust the Saesneg with the sword of Nuada.

Around you, I place a circle of protection,

To bind Bran's power to you, oh Blaise."

Scan continued to strum the harp and Neilyn drew blue circles upon Blaise's legs, arms, and chest as he continued the enchantment.

"Win your princess as Bran foretold,

So the two of you shall return to us,

To live a life full of honey,

With peace as ample as the sky.

Be this nine times eternal.

I place a circle of protection around you.

Oh Blaise, bind yourself to Bran's power."

Blaise picked up a bronze mirror adorned with Celtic tracery. The image of a warrior prince painted with the magic of the old gods gazed back at him. Pride and determination filled him with a warm glowing sensation of peace and invincibility.

Before he vaulted onto his steed, Neilyn presented him with Nuada's sheathed sword of power. Blaise drew the blade from the serpent etched sheath. The gleaming bronze hilt, curved in never-ending circles of life, mesmerized him as rays of sunlight danced upon the long, powerful sword, which glistened with an ethereal luster.

Neilyn bent his head down and kissed the gleaming blade. Blaise brandished it high in the air as Brochfael, Elisedd, and all the gathered Cymry praised its power.

Buy Now:

http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615725823

Welcome romantic suspense author, Kat Duncan!

Hi Kat, great to have you here and to be part of your blog tour - wishing you loads of sales and lots of visitors over the coming two days. SO looking forward to finding out more about your new release!

On with the probing questions... ;)

1) Did you set any goals for 2011?

Yes, my goal for 2011 was to learn the ins and outs of self-publishing. It took about 3 months to crest the learning curve of how to format books and produce a great cover, as well as learn where to make books available and how to price and promote the books. As one of my most recent releases, Synapse is one book I can point to as an achievement of this goal.

2) What is the best part of the writing process for you?

The best part of the writing process for me happens when I have the basic idea drafted and I get to really work on and hone the story and the characters. I love finding and developing connections between characters and themes as I hone the story, which to me, is the essence of good prose. In Synapse Bill's father always questioned whether Bill was really his. The conflicts and issues that arose around the issue are resolved in the story, yet Bill is unhappy with how that comes about. I think this tells us that while we may wish for an end to our troubles, we may not always be pleased with the way they resolve themselves.

3) The worst part?

The worst part is definitely the blank page. I can usually dream up lots of good ideas, but for some reason, getting those ideas from my head onto paper is a bit more difficult. That's the part where I feel as if writing is work. I have various carrot and stick techniques I use to force myself to draft. Once the basic idea is down on digital paper I know I can have lots of fun playing with it.

4) What is the book you wish you’d written?

Right now I'd have to say The Host by Stephenie Meyer. In this long, fascinating book she explores the basis of what it means to be human. I really enjoyed the topic because it's one I think about all the time. She took her time uncovering the ways that being human and non-human overlap and the process of how people can change, even if it takes terrible losses and hard-won revelations to achieve.

5) Favourite author/s & book/s?

My all-time top favorite is J.R.R. Tolkien. The worlds and characters he created feel very real to me and his stories and novels are the ones that I have re-read the most.

6) Tell us about your latest release?

Stalked by a killer bent on stealing her laboratory notebook, scientist Molly Augur is desperate to figure out who she can and cannot trust. With the help of co-researcher Bill Banely, she uses DNA technology she invented to prove she can release hidden ancestral memories. In the brain synapses of her mind she finds one person who may know the truth - her long dead ancestor, Mailsi, whose life memories have been recorded in the depths of Molly’s genes.

Ancient passions and betrayals come alive and collide with the present when Molly discovers philanthropist Dr. Philman, with a secret billion dollar need for the technology only she possesses could be the one after her notebook. And Bill, whose wandering heart she has finally won, is working for Philman. In the face of limitless money, what is the value of Bill’s love? Or the value of her life? The answers lie deep within the synapses of her mind.

7) Tease us with a blurb/short except

Excerpt

"Did you dream?"

"Yes." She nodded along with the word, then took a big gulp of milk.

"What did you dream?" He moved closer. Close enough that she felt the warmth of his body. He stared down into her face as she swiped away the mustache of milk with her tongue.

"Uh…It was interesting. And pretty vivid, too."

Bill nodded, keeping his attention on her face. "Was your mother in it?"

"No, it wasn't about my mother at all." she said. "I was Mahlsi, a young Irish girl from Waterford."

"Mel shee. Is that an Irish name?"

"I guess so."

"How young a girl?"

"Ah, seven years old."

"Do you know exactly or is that an estimate?"

"I know exactly. My age was mentioned in the memory sequence."

"You mean her age. Mahlsi's."

"Uh, yeah." Molly broke from his strong gaze to take a careful sip of milk. He must have interviewed hundreds of dreamers in his career.

"Waterford. Are you certain about that, too?"

"Yes."

"And have you any certainty about connections between yourself and Mahlsi?"

Yeah. I am her. "What do you mean?" she asked. That sounded defensive, but he was being clinical.

"I mean do you know of any actual family connections to a person with the name of Mahlsi, or anyone from Waterford in your genealogy?"

"My family came to the United States from County Kerry in southwest Ireland. I don't know of a Mahlsi. But I guess she could be an ancestor."

8) What is your favourite attribute of the hero and heroine?

My favourite attribute for a hero and heroine is honesty. There are times, of course, when complete honesty works against you and can even do harm to the relationship. But I have to really admire and root for a character who tries his or her best to be honest and take whatever consequences may come.

9) What’s next?

Next up is a medieval historical I've been working on. I've gone back and forth with romantic suspense and medieval historicals and it's been fun to try to recreate believable story worlds from centuries ago. This one involves a family feud that ends up involving and endangering hundreds of people until it can finally be resolved.

10) Tell me where you write?

I write anywhere and everywhere, and every chance I get. But I do my best work on a rainy day sitting in my sunroom. I'm not sure what the irony in that implies, but it works for me. If it's a sunny, pleasant day I guess I feel I should be out doing yard work or housework. On a rainy day you can forgive yourself for curling up with a good book whether your reading one or writing one.

11) Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

I am working toward being a prolific writer, so I hope to have more than 2 dozen books available as ebooks and in print in 5 years. I don't think I can ever stop writing, so I can only hope that there are more and more readers out there!

12) Where can we find you?

Web: http://www.katduncan.net

Blog: http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout

Twitter: @write_about

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writeabout

Kat Duncan is a creation extremist who is doing her best to identify human creativity and free it from captivity, one student at a time. As a young child, Kat once tried to confess the telling of her stories to her parish priest because she thought they fit the definition the nuns gave for telling a lie. With her lies fully sanctioned and blessed by church authorities, Kat has been telling her lies ever since and writing stories to entertain and enlighten. After a successful career as a software engineer, Kat decided she needed something different to do. She's now a tutor of adolescents with special needs.

Web: http://www.katduncan.net

Blog: http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout

Twitter: @write_about

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writeabout

Kat will be awarding gift basket worth over $15 of Irish items to one randomly drawn commenter (US/Canada only please) and a $10 Amazon GC to the blog host with the most comments so comment away good people!

Thanks for stopping by with us, Kat :)

Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Victoria Gray!

Hi Victoria! It's so great to have you visit with us today - first and foremost, as a complete book cover addict, I have to say yours is stunning! It has a really oldie romantic feel to it, just beautiful.

Shall we get started with the questions? Yes? Okay then...

Please tell us a little about your story, Surrender to Your Touch.

Will Reed is out to settle a brutal score. The disgraced Rebel officer's own men want him hanged, and an enemy has ordered him killed. Intent on clearing his name and evening the score with those who betrayed him, he begins with the woman he once loved—Union spy Kate Sinclair.

For years, Kate used seduction as a lure. She knew better than to let her heart get involved--until she fell in love with Will. Grieving his death, Kate's joy at discovering him alive shatters when she is confronted by a bitter, vengeful man—a man who'll stop at nothing to learn the truth of her betrayal. As danger pursues them, Kate fights to tear down the barriers Will has erected around his heart, but her most powerful weapon may ultimately destroy her—surrender.

What are your favorite foods?

Chocolate and white wine!

What’s your favorite romance movie?

Wow, that’s a tough one…there are so many great ones! I think it depends on my mood. For a lighthearted romance, Romancing the Stone is a classic …especially since the heroine is a romance novelist, and I adore Bridget Jones’ Diary…there is something super sexy about Colin Firth. If I’m in the mood for a brooding hero, Jane Eyre, is a great choice. Michael Fassbender was wonderfully smoldering in the latest version. The Notebook is a touching romance, and I adored Crazy Stupid Love…wonder if Ryan Gosling had anything to do with those choices?

Who’s your favorite actor?

Again, it’s hard to name just one. Russell Crowe is my absolute favorite…he is simply brilliant and so very hot! Robert Downey, Jr. is another actor at the top of my list these days. His portrayal of Sherlock Holmes is witty and very sexy. Ryan Gosling is terrific, and I adore Edward Norton. Oh, and I certainly can’t leave out Johnny Depp…those dark eyes get me every time!

Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.

I love football! I’m a total football fanatic…unfortunately, my team is now out of the playoffs (I’m a Steeler gal!), but now I can relax and see how it all plays out.

What’s your idea of a romantic evening?

A quiet dinner with my husband, followed by a moonlit walk and time in the hot tub with a glass of wine.

If you were going to cast your hero in a movie, which actor would you cast?

When I wrote Surrender To Your Touch, I had Alex O’Loughlin in the part. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and possesses the emotional intensity to play Will.

Where can readers find you on the web?

I hope readers will stop by my website and my blog, http://www.victoriagrayromance.com/ & http://victoriagrayromance.blogspot.com/

I'd love for you to friend me on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1819636616

and follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VictoriaGray115

What’s your idea of a romantic evening?

A quiet dinner with my husband, followed by a moonlit walk and time in the hot tub with a glass of wine.

Where can readers find your book?

Surrender to Your Touch is available from The Wild Rose Press (print- http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191&products_id=4652 and e-book - http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_135&products_id=4643

Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/6rhtyos

Barnes and Noble - http://tinyurl.com/7l5e73b

And other great retailers!

Thanks for such a fun interview, Victoria! Okay, over to you guys, Victoria would love to answer your questions and comments... :)

Saturday Promo - Annie Seaton

Winter of the Passion Flower

March 19 2012

Tag: Sexy heroine seeks captain for time-traveling submarine.

Blurb

Indigo de Vargas is determined to exhibit her products at the Great Exhibition in Crystal Palace. The evil Duke Lorca and his shape-shifting servants, however, have thwarted her preparation at every turn. Indigo's only hope is the brooding captain who appears on her doorstep in the midst of a fierce snowstorm, offering to navigate her submarine to the Amazon so she can collect passionflowers for her potions and hallucinogenics.

Steam powers more than the submarine on this voyage. Sparks flying between Indigo and her captain may ignite a passion neither can avoid. Ably assisted by quirky servants, brass goggles and inappropriate accoutrements, they must fight those out to foil her mission.

WARNING: Steam and immodest clothing

Excerpt

Indigo turned to leave, but a warm hand descended on her bare shoulder. “Not so fast, my beauty,” said the captain. He pushed her gently back against the velvet-lined wall and strands of her hair caught on the soft nap. Eyes narrowing, she stiffened as firm thighs pressed her legs back against the wall. Strong calloused fingers slid down her bare arms and the captain trapped her hands, raising them above her head. His moist lips trailed up her neck until his soft breath warmed her lips. “I sense there is much that has been left unsaid tonight. We will explore that in due course. But first tell me the significance of our tattoo.” He spoke against her mouth. The vibration of his words on her lips sent delicious shivers shooting downward. She leaned away from him, tossing her head, and black curls surrounded him. Indigo freed her arms, fingers linked behind his head, and snared him in the velvet folds of her skirt. His grip loosened as she moved her mouth back toward his. Their eyes locked, and she moistened her lips in a slow and sensuous movement. Indigo moved in closer and the captain’s eyes darkened.

Buy Link:

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=81&products_id=507

Welcome UK romance author, Elizabeth Kyne!

Today, I am hosting UK romance author Elizabeth Kyne whose latest release is a romantic comedy set in the English town of Aylesbury. Her publisher is Elly Publishing whom I have never heard of so hope Elizabeth will share a little bit more about them! I love discovering new publishers... :)

Welcome, Elizabeth!

A LESSON IN WRITING

Author Elizabeth Kyne reveals how she learnt the hard way

and passes on a few tips to save you the trouble

I was always wanted to write, even as a child. I tell people that I wrote my first novel at the age of twelve, but my Mum says that I was always writing stories when I was younger, so my literary leanings probably go back further than that. It was obviously something deep within me because I didn’t learn any of this from my family. Neither my mother nor my father (who is dyslexic) read books at home and my younger sister, who was born eight years after me, never became a reader either.

So, even though I loved books, the idea that I could grow up to become a ‘writer’ wasn’t articulated until I was much older. By this time – although still writing stories – I was kind of distracted by the more normal occupations of passing exams, going to university and getting a job. While studying for a postgraduate diploma in radio journalism, I started writing articles for magazines. This was great fun because I could go off and interview someone, write it up and someone would pay me. I liked this so much, I spent seven years freelancing in both radio journalism and article writing. I even published half a dozen non-fiction books.

Then the lure of a regular salary and the pressure of household bills got to me and I gave it all up for a ‘proper job’. This may have seemed a good idea at the time, but it didn’t allow me the freedom to write a novel as I had hoped. Too many 4.30am starts and being in a creative environment zapped my fiction-writing brain. I did this job for about five years until the heavy burden of stress finally made me implode. I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to go part time and write a novel.

I knew I had the skills and ability to do it. Over the years I’d written lots of fiction, taken lots of classes and knew what I was doing. Except, now I was older, wiser, more experienced and wouldn’t be interrupted by magazine editors ringing me with deadlines that required me to put the novel aside. I had a publishing background with the books I’d written, so all I had to do was put the words on paper – right?

Wrong!

So desperate was I to prove that I had done the right thing in giving up my full-time salary, that I hadn’t realised I’d forgotten a lot of the writing craft I’d learnt during the years. Here are some of the things I failed to do:

1) Practice. I was very out of practice. It had been some years since I’d sat down at the computer and written a story. The best thing I could have done was to remind myself how to do it by getting my hands dirty. Getting a few short stories under my belt would have been a good idea, thereby allowing me to work out any kinks, make my mistakes and re-learn my craft before attempting to write my 100,000 word novel.

2) Get feedback early on. Now, feedback can be a double-edged sword. It can, of course, be brilliant in encouraging you to improve, spotting the things in your writing that are good and the things that need work. It can also be soul-destroying if you get a harsh critique. There is the additional problem of being caught up in the critiquing cycle of constantly re-writing the same story and not progressing. The best advice I’ve been given on critiquing (and writing workshops in general) is not to stress about re-writing after receiving feedback, but to go on and write a new story, using what you learnt in the earlier critique. I think I could have learnt a lot by following this advice – if only I had been given it two years earlier.

3) Research the basics. By this I mean the ‘rules’ of writing and the techniques that novelists use. Like feedback, this can have its dangers as well as its advantages. A piece of fiction that slavishly adheres to the rules is likely to be as dull as watching a Disney parade in the rain. I’m sure some of the classics we still enjoy today wouldn’t be read if, for example, Emily Bronte had sat down to write Wuthering Heights with a set of ‘rules’ in her head. But it would have been useful for me to re-visit some of the tools in the writer’s toolbox; such as the concept of protagonist versus antagonist, and using all the senses when writing description. Because, as I was writing the novel, the lessons I’d learnt in previous years came back to me in dribs and drabs and made me think a-fresh about what I was doing. If only I had taken time to remind myself of them before I started, I could have had all those useful tools at the back of my mind from the very beginning.

4) Think things through. This may sound obvious, but it was something I didn’t do. Not really. You see, I’d spent a couple of weeks plotting my novel and thinking about what might happen and how the characters would react, but I didn’t fully look at the ideas behind the story and work out the consequences that followed. In other words, I’d worked out a plot, but I hadn’t fully realised the concepts within that plot. For example, a plot might involve a princess that falls asleep for a-thousand years and is woken by a kiss from a prince. To turn it into a story, , I might want to imagine the effect on the kingdom of a sleeping princess and the reasons why the prince goes looking for her.

The result of not following the advice above was a flawed novel. Not that I regret writing it, not for one minute, because I learnt an awful lot from writing it. In fact, I learnt most of what I’ve listed above. But it was a very painful way to learn. Over the course of a year, I’d put all my effort and my hopes into this one project only to realise at the end of it that my hopes were mis-placed. It was devastating. Not least because I’d given up my full-time job to become a novelist and all I had to show for it was a novel I felt I couldn’t send to publishers.

I learnt my lessons in one big fell swoop. They were useful lessons, even if I would have preferred they had been broken to me gently. That particular novel never saw the light of day, but I kept writing and I was really proud of my next novel, and the one that followed it, my current novel If Wishes Were Husbands. I’m just about to start the follow-up to Husbands and I hope I can take the lessons I learnt from all what has come before and craft an even better book. Because a good writer never stops learning. Whether she does it the easy way, or the hard way like I did, the only way to improve is to use your experience. Otherwise, what was the point of experiencing it in the first place?

*****

Rachel re-invents herself when she moves back to her home town of Aylesbury; with a new job, a new house and a new haircut. But people’s eyes glaze over when she tells them about her life as a forty-something singleton who works in accounts. So why not spice things up a bit? Why not tell her new hairdresser and her new friends about her fantastic husband? Everyone wants to hear about Darren, the man who cooks her amazing meals, cleans the house and takes her to bed for orgasmic sex three times a night! What a shame he doesn't exist…

…Until she comes home one night and finds Darren sitting in her lounge. And everything she said becomes true: from his sensuous food to his skill in bed. So real, that she believes it.

Not as if living with a perfect is man is… well, perfect…

She can’t find anything because every time she puts something down, he tidies it away. Then there’s the shock of the credit card bill from buying all that gourmet food. Not to mention the sex! Three times a night is great at first, but sometimes all she wants at the end of the day is a sandwich and some sleep.

Then Rachel decides that Darren has to go - and that’s when her troubles really begin.

Elizabeth Kyne takes the absurdities of the modern woman's quest for love and turns them into an enjoyable romp. She finds the comic in everyday situations, from buying a dress to experimenting with hair dye at home. While, underneath, she comments on the pressure to find the perfect husband and how that quest is doomed for us all.

PAPERBACK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wishes-Were-Husbands-Elizabeth-Kyne/dp/1908340010/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319364974&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Wishes-Were-Husbands-Elizabeth-Kyne/dp/1908340010/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1319365757&sr=1-3

EBOOK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/If-Wishes-Were-Husbands-ebook/dp/B005S66A8M/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319364974&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/If-Wishes-Were-Husbands-ebook/dp/B005S66A8M/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319365757&sr=1-3

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92446

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/if-wishes-were-husbands/id475075856?mt=11

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/if-wishes-were-husbands/id475075856?mt=11

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-wishes-were-husbands-elizabeth-kyne/1106913246

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ifwisheswerehusbands-606059-150.html

*****

Elizabeth Kyne trained to be a radio journalist and spent her early working years reading news bulletins and writing for magazines. Later, after learning the meaning of “mortgage” and “gas bill”, she decided to do the sensible thing and drop the freelance lifestyle to get a proper job. The job, however, all went horribly wrong and she returned to her first love of writing, and worked on several novels before finding success with “If Wishes Were Husbands”.

http://www.elizabethkyne.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.kyne1

Great post, Elizabeth! These are good points for all of us to remember - as per my recent post on Goal, Motivation and Conflict. Nine books in and I'm still learning the basics, lol!

Elizabeth would love to chat!

Welcome fellow Class of '85 author, Kat Henry Doran!

It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Kat Henry Doran who is a talented author and huge support to many writers at The Wild Rose Press, including myself. Funny, talented and a great advocate for The Wild Rose Press, Kat has written two books for the popular Class of '85 series as well as several other titles. Be sure to check out her impressive backlist at:

http://kathenry.com/

Over to you, Kat!

Hi, Rachel

Thanks for asking me to visit your blog today. I hope we can have some fun!

1) Who is your favorite author and why?

I have several favorites: Nora Roberts for her use of dry humor and the men she creates. I like Vince Flynn for the non-stop action of his thrillers and Michael Connolly for his legal-suspense novels featuring Mickey Haller. I like John R. Maxim and David Wiltse for their ability to create multi-layered characters, each of whom draws me into the story immediately. I also like Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone.

2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I realized the 27 page response I’d written to a get well card from an old friend was the beginnings of a book. That was 1987; the book was first released in 2006 from Wings Press and re-released in 2010 by The Wild Rose Press. The title is “Try Just Once More.”

3) Describe your writing space?

I write at a laptop, sitting on a loveseat in front of the TV set with ESPN or the Food Network blasting. Some will say they can’t tolerate distraction of any kind, but it works for me.

4) What are you reading now?

I don’t have much time to read these days so I make use of the time I have by listening to audio books. In the car I’m listening to Sandra Brown’s Chill Factor. In the sewing room [more about that later], I’m listening [again] to her story Envy. I love that book. Adore it. Idolize the hero Parker Evans.

5) How many books have your written?

I’ve written two full length novels and five novellas. Which is your favorite? They’re like my kids. I love them all the same, but each for different reasons.

6) What comes first, plot or characters?

Characters, absolutely, right down to the color and style of their underwear and their choices in food, music and the cars they drive.

7) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Doesn’t everyone? When it hits I just take a nap till it goes away.

8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I design and make tote bags and purses for fun and profit. For anyone who’s interested, you can see a sample on http://www.katskarryalls.blogspot.com/

9) Tell us about your latest book?

Mad Dog and the Archangel is the second to last release in the Class of ’85 series out of The Wild Rose Press. It is about con man Rafael Archangeli who is given a second lease on life when he inherits a mega million dollar trust and meets Grace, Mad Dog, Dunavan, a former nun. It was a lot of fun to write.

10) What’s next for you?

I’m starting a series which features the Wild Things, a group of attorneys, both civil and criminal, who specialize in helping those who make too much money to qualify for a public defender but not enough for a Dream Team defense.

Blurb

Rafael Archangeli returns home to Summerville to bury an old friend, collect his inheritance, and then return to the only life he knows—conning wealthy women out of their money. In Rafe's world, money not only equals success, it goes a long way to obliterate the stigma of his past.

Grace Dunavan, former nun turned community activist, gave up worldly goods a long time ago with no regrets. But she's never known a man with the raw appeal of the Scourge of Summerville: Rafael Archangeli.

Their first meeting is like an errant strike of lightning, fierce and stunning in intensity, and takes both by surprise. Has Grace turned Rafe into a changed man? Or is he using his inheritance to pull off the biggest scam of his life?

Excerpt

Safety First.

A personal motto that served Grace Dunavan well for the past thirty-something years. She never picked up strange men. In fact, she rarely dated men, strange or otherwise. And wasn't she the first to preach the wisdom of obtaining a detailed history—family, medical and sexual before contemplating a walk on the wild side? With any man, including the brother of her best friend.

Especially one whose thick mop of jet colored hair, hooded black eyes and razor-sharp cheekbones, all of which held undeniable appeal for a good girl who always did what the nuns and her parents dictated. With a name like Archangeli he should be a protector, not a walking advertisement that proclaimed: I've Been There, Done That; Let Me Tell You All About It.

As he helped her into her coat, Grace heard Gaby murmur something about an attorney who was trying to track down Rafe. None of it made sense. What woman in her right mind could think straight when faced with a man who redefined potency?

It was a night of firsts for Grace: leaving a party with a man she'd never met before; admitting how and where she'd learned to drive; breaking the land speed record for contemplating her first one night stand.

Bio

Over the years I've had the honor to work at a number of occupations: operating room nurse, malpractice insurance investigator, forensic nurse examiner, victim advocate, wife and mother. Five years ago I became Nana for the first time and, believe me, it’s the best job ever!

Even if I sometimes wish they'd remain in the closet, the years I spent in the OR and labor floor, and later advocating for victims of sexual violence, contribute significantly to the voice of my writing. You don’t spend thirty years playing loyal serving maid and mind reader to egotistical surgeons, then twelve years haunting police stations, Emergency Rooms, and criminal courts without developing an internal alarm system for covert misogyny, rampant apathy, and overwhelming bigotry.

I retired my stethoscope and speculum a few years ago but continue to advocate quietly for marginalized populations through Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders.

I like hearing from readers. You can contact me through my website: http://kathenry.com/ or blog: http://wildwomanauthor.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for being here, Kat - LOVE the sound of your new legal series!! Can't wait for that :)

Kat will be giving away a Funky Bag and a Toiletries Bag from Kats Kustom KarryAlls, filled with author swag to one random commenter on the tour as well as to the host with the most comments (excluding the host's and Kat's). US and Canada only, please.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/11/virtual-book-tour-mad-dog-and-archangel.html

Over to you guys! Kat can't wait to hear from you :)