An Interview with C.K. Bryant

An interview with C.K. Bryant

Author of the Crystor series

1 - What do you love best about writing? 

I love the freedom of being able to write what I want, when I want and to have complete control of the finished product.  I also love seeing the finished product and knowing I did the work myself, and being okay with that. I've discovered, though, that after the second book, I'd like to spend more time writing and hire out the formatting and cover design. It would mean putting out more books a year and meeting goals I've set for myself.

2 - What is your writing process? 

At the moment, it's just plant my fanny in the chair and write. After being sick for nearly a year, it's all I seem to be able to do at this point. I do like to outline and always want to know how the book ends before I begin, but all the between stuff just comes as I create.

3 - How did you come up with your main character? 

In The Crystor Series, the three main characters were in a very vivid dream I had. I was Lydia in the dream and my friend Kris was Kira. Octavion was my guardian in the dream, but as I wrote the book I realized it worked better if he was Lydia's brother, so I changed that. The characters from other projects I'm working on just evolve as the story forms in my head. I don't go looking for them, they find me.

4 - Tell us about your next (or present) project? 

I'm currently working on Aquatara, a young adult paranormal romance.  I hope to release it in March of 2015. Here's the blurb.  

Seventeen, and armed with the clues from a single photograph, TARA sets out on a journey to discover who she is - or rather, what she is. After crashing her motorcycle in the Nevada desert, nineteen-year-old construction worker, QUINTON, comes to her rescue. Together they uncover the startling secrets of Tara's past, and reveal the frightening truths that threaten her very life. But it's not just Tara's past that holds its secrets - Quinton's own heritage puts him at odds with his father, a Hunter, sworn to track down land dwelling water spirits like Tara and return them to the sea.  

Refusing his birthright as a Hunter, Quinton will defy his father and do anything to protect Tara - even if it means risking his life in the frigid waters of the Atlantic.

5 - Who is your favorite author and why? 

To be perfectly honest, I don't have a favorite. I love so many of them, that it's impossible to choose. I can say that I've read a lot of Jude Deveraux and Catherine Anderson throughout the years. I love their stories and I'm always a sucker for a good romance.  

Thanks for letting me hang out on your blog today. It was fun. 

Christine (C.K.) Bryant

             Author of 
The Crystor Series

BOUND
Amazon|B&N|iTunes| Smashwords
BROKEN
Amazon|B&N|iTunes| Smashwords

christine@ckbryant.com

www.ckbryant.com

Stonehill Downs by Sarah Remy

Stonehill Downs

By Sarah Remy

Malachi is the last of his kind—a magus who can communicate with the dead, and who relies on the help of spirits to keep his kingdom safe. When he's sent to investigate brutal murders in the isolated village of Stonehill Downs, he uncovers dangerous sorceries and unleashes a killer who strikes close to home.

Avani is an outsider living on the Downs, one of the few survivors from the Sunken Islands. She has innate magics of her own, and when she discovers the mutilated bodies of the first victims, she enters into a reluctant alliance with Malachi that takes her far from home.

But Mal is distracted by the suspicious death of his mentor and haunted by secrets from his past. And Avani discovers troubling truths about the magus through her visions. She could free Malachi, but first they must work together to save the kingdom from the lethal horror that has arisen.

BUY LINK:

BIO:

I write fiction to keep real life from getting out of hand, I jump pretty horses over pretty fences because it's a distraction from the real and the fantastic, I do Sun Salutations between 6 am and 7 am because I believe in discipline, and I live in an old house because I believe the best things last more than 100 years.

Visit me at sarahremy.wordpress.com

Bound by C.K. Bryant

Bound

The Crystor Series

Book #1

C. K. Bryant

When a photo shoot ends in tragedy, Kira discovers her best friend, Lydia, has been keeping a secret. Knowing the truth, and accepting it, will change Kira’s life forever and thrust her into a world of ancient curses, magical objects, and savage enemies. What happens next will challenge everything Kira knows about her world, herself and the shape-shifting warrior she’s falling in love with. No longer the timid mouse her mother accused her of being, but a woman who finds the mental and physical strength to endure and survive.

BOUND is a heroic tale of true friendship, infinite sacrifice and untamed love.

Christine has always been a writer. Even before she could compose a single word with pen, she scribbled her version of cursive along the open page just to see what it looked like. As a teen, she swiped her dad's old Royal typewriter so her muse could breathe life into what her vivid imagination had created. She's spent the last twenty-five years married to the man of her dreams and raising their two sons. After helping run the family restaurant for most of their marriage, Christine has finally broken away to pursue her dream of being an author. When she's not with her family or tickling the computer keys, she loves camping, reading, scrap-booking, listening to all kinds of music, and making new friends. Christine is currently living in the middle of sage brush and lava rock with a spectacular view of the Snake River Canyon in South Central Idaho.

BUY LINK

Crypt Keeper by K.A. Young

Cryptkeeper

The Molly Maddison series

By K.A. Young

Molly Maddison grew up in a funeral home that unfortunately backed up to the largest insane asylum in the state. Very few understand what happens after death, Molly does. While other children were playing in the park with their living friends, Molly was in the cemetery playing with the dead. To say she is troubled is an understatement.

Now Molly has a new plan, to attempt to lead a normal life, and ban the contact with any of the dead. Realizing that she is madly in love with one of them was never part of that plan. However neither life or death ever go as planned and Molly is called upon to perform her role as the family Crypt Keeper…

Is she up for the task? Only time will tell.

BUY LINK 

Bio:

Subscribe to K.A.'s newsletter here: http://www.kayoungbooks.com/mailing-list/

K.A. Young is a award nominated paranormal, fantasy & contemporary romance author that lives with her family in the South. She began writing because her mind was swimming with incredible stories that were begging to be told. Her love for reading began as a small child when she realized that a good book was an instant escape to a mystical land that could be reached anytime and from anyplace. 

Come over and Fan KA on Goodreads and Facebook.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527572.K_A_Young

https://www.facebook.com/pages/KAYoung/275242202579809  

Dae's Christmas Past by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Dae's Christmas Past
By Joyce and Jim Lavene
www.joyceandjimlavene.com

Dae's Christmas Past

By Joyce and Jim Lavene

Featuring Pet Psychic Mary Catherine Roberts!

When wild horse rescue director Tom Watts is found dead on Duck Road, psychic mayor Dae O’Donnell is determined to find out who killed him. Her friend, Jake Burleson, is accused of killing Tom even though the two men have been good friends for years.

Dae doesn’t believe Jake killed Tom even though he has been acting strangely. He shoved one of the ancient stone horses found on his property into Dae’s hands when he knew she was afraid what she would see if she touched it. He’s obsessed with stopping the excavation—maybe to the point of killing Tom.

 The problem is the excavation of the horse cult that’s been happening on Jake’s property. Tom, and several archaeologists working on the project, argued that Jake should give up his land to widen the search for artifacts. Jake won’t do that.

But Dae thinks there may be more to the story. Jake’s determination to get the horse statue into her hands has shown her what the horse cult was used for a thousand years ago and the destruction the demon horses brought before they were stopped. She’s afraid something of the past may have already returned to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and there may be more deaths to come.

Christmas is coming, but how much of Duck will be left to enjoy it?

Book Six in the Missing Pieces Mysteries set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Mayor Dae O’Donnell of Duck. Dae has a psychic gift for finding lost things and people that has been passed down to her from her grandmother. She runs the Missing Pieces Thrift Store to have a place to keep some of the things she finds, and to give back things that are missing to their rightful owners.

BUY LINK

Other books in the Missing Pieces Mysteries:

Praise for the Missing Pieces Mysteries

A Timely Vision

“Filled with likable (if eccentric) characters and boasts a vividly realized small-town setting. The combination of small-town ambience, a psychic main character, and plenty of antiques should give the authors plenty to work with in subsequent adventures.” ~ Judy Coon for Booklist

A Touch of Gold

“With a quaint coastal setting, a great cast and refreshing dialogue, this was an enjoyable and pleasant read and I look forward to reading the next book in this delightfully charming series.” ~ Dru Ann Love

A Spirited Gift

“This is the third book in the A Missing Pieces series. It's always enjoyable to visit Duck, NC and Mayor Dae and the interesting residents and this was no exception.” ~ Fred Yoder

A Haunting Dream

“I felt like I couldn't read fast enough on this one..<g>but then I love all their missing pieces mysteries - can't wait till the next one. ~ Bookaholic

A Finder’s Fee

“The Lavenes once again take readers into a setting with a remarkable past, filled with legends and history…The characters are vivid and fascinating.” ~ Lesa’s Book Critiques

Dae’s Christmas Past

“Paranormal amateur sleuth fans will enjoy observing Dae use cognitive and ESP mental processes to uncover a murderer…Readers will enjoy.” ~ Midwest Book Review

Wild Fire by Ally Shields - Blog Party and Book Tour

Wild Fire Release Blog Party

and Settings Hunt

by Ally Shields

Book Blurb:

A vision. A lost talisman. A dangerous journey through time...

A month after their bonding, Ari and Andreas are still adjusting to married life when they learn the hard way that the O-Seven, the terrifying and brutal vampire elders, still have them in their sights. A three million dollar bounty hangs over each of their heads, and there’s no lack of assassins eager to collect.

When the local seer has a terrifying vision of the destruction of Riverdale, it’s up to Ari—as usual—to keep everyone safe. Only this time, an enemy from the past has bound her fire powers, and the city’s string of arsons seems connected.

Daron, the vampire prince in Toronto, has information that two of the vampire elders are on their way to Riverdale. Which can’t be good. Only a risky and unprecedented journey through time can provide the help they need. But that will leave Andreas to face the O-Seven alone...

Buy Link:

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fire-Guardian-Witch-Book-ebook/dp/B00NWX6Y7K

Also available at most online booksellers

Book Trailer on Youtube: http://youtu.be/nGO1wudi7xQ

Excerpt:

The tracks in the snow gradually moved up the slope toward the older parts of Riverdale, out of the tourist district, past residential homes, angling toward the cliff area that overlooked the Mississippi River. Then it took a sharp swing north.

Ari looked ahead, her gaze following the tracks through the gate and into the Riverdale Cemetery. "I don't like this." She came to a stop with one hand on the gate. "Don't you think the trail is a bit too obvious? As if he wanted us to follow him?" Her eyes scanned the cemetery grounds for anything unusual, a shadow, a hint of color out of place among the stones and crypts. The only sizable tracks went behind a tall mausoleum.

"A trap?" Ryan drew his pistol. "Do you sense something?"

"Maybe. But there is a lot of magical interference in graveyards." Ari frowned. She sensed a flicker of Otherworld power, but it didn't feel right. Shielded? Would a halfling demon be that good? She eased through the gate; Ryan followed close behind. Her magic stirred, raising the hairs on her arms, and she stopped, extending her witch senses to probe the area around them—tasting, smelling, touching the environment. Her magic roared to life.

"Back!" she shouted. "Power. And lots of it."

Two gigantic figures leaped from the top of the nearest crypt. A howling rent the quiet of the cemetery. By the time the creatures landed—one in front of Ari and Ryan, and the other cutting them off from the gate—both had morphed into fiery red, eight-foot demons, their eyes deep black holes. Each carried a metal shield and swung a five-foot mace.

"Hellsgate warriors!" Ari crouched, raising her fingers to call the witch fire to her command.

Author Bio:

Ally Shields was born and raised in the Midwest, along the Mississippi River, and considers herself a "river rat." The setting and folklore of that area are often incorporated into her Guardian Witch series. After  a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time writing in 2009. She loves writing, reading and traveling. Way too often she can be found on Twitter. @ShieldsAlly

Author Contacts:

Website: http://allyshields.com

Blog: http://allyshields.com/blog.html

Facebook: http://facebook.com/AllyShieldsAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShieldsAlly

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527209.Ally_Shields

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/allyshields

Other books in the series:

Awakening the Fire (#1); Fire Within (#2; Burning Both Ends (#3); Blood and Fire (#4); Fire Storm (#5).

Coming Soon:

Eternal Fires (Guardian Witch #7) (TBA)

Also by Ally Shields:

Cross Keys, an Elvenrude novel (October 2014)

Carmen Stefanescu

Danielle Devor

Dani-Lyn Alexander

DL Richardson

JL Buck

Joyce Laverne

Kath Marsh

Kirstin Pulioff

Lindsey Loucks

Norma Huss

Sue Roebuck

Tina Gayle

Blog Tour GIVEAWAY: Nov. 7-10:  Readers and writers always talk about characters in books, but settings are almost as important, and they play a huge role in the Guardian Witch series. Wild Fire is no exception, and this blog tour is revealing several settings that are the backdrop for major events in the book. In fact, I think they're so important that I'm running a special contest.

If you collect the names and numbers of all ten settings, you could win your choice of three ebooks in the series (including this latest release) or a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate. It's easy to do. Here are the rules.

Visit the blogs on this list -- or enough to collect all ten settings -- then email me at allyshieldsbooks@gmail.com by 9:00 a.m. EST, Monday, November 10, 2014 with your completed list. You will automatically be entered in the random drawing (two winners).

Grim Tidings by Amanda M. Lee

Grim Tidings

Amanda M. Lee

Grim(ace) while you work ...

Aisling Grimlock is having a bad week. Well, actually, she’s having a bad life -- not that she's complaining. Okay, she's totally complaining.

After being laid off from her secretarial position, she has no choice but to join the family business, and now she’s a full-time grim reaper. That’s right. She collects and transfers souls to the hereafter.

Cool, huh? Not quite.

On the second day of her new job, Aisling (literally!) stumbles over a dead body that’s not on her list and the stakes are suddenly raised because, when a name isn’t on the list, that means someone stole it (and that's never a good thing).

Aisling’s family, which consists of a tempestuous father and four overbearing older brothers, are hot on the case – but the answers they’re coming up with aren’t exactly soothing.

It seems a contingent of wraiths have descended on the area, and they’re not just dangerous for unsuspecting souls and the general populace. The Grimlock family is at risk, too.

If that weren’t bad enough, Aisling finds herself inexplicably drawn to Detective Griffin Taylor – the police officer who considers her a murder suspect. Oh, and she's a wraith-magnet -- although, truth be told, she's more interested in Detective Taylor.

Aisling is determined to prove that she has what it takes to be a great reaper – even if it means risking her life and proving her father and brothers wrong when it comes to her competence level.

When things finally become clear, will Aisling survive long enough to make things right? Or, will she fall prey to the wraiths and the individual controlling them?

ASIN: B00MZHKTZM

BUY LINK

Bio:

When I was a kid, I was torn between whether or not I was going to grow up and be the Incredible Hulk or Wonder Woman. I flirted with being a Jedi Knight for awhile, but I wasn't up for the intense travel associated with the gig. In my teens, I settled on being a writer -- although I had no idea the effort that would entail.

Not only am I a writer now, but I'm a writer in several different mediums. I'm a longtime newspaper reporter, an avid reader and a voracious science fiction fanatic. Like me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmandaMLee . Follow me on Twitter at @yodaoneforme. Sign up for my mailing list (no spam allowed -- only for viable updates) at http://eepurl.com/Y6bkf.

Thanks for reading!

Dead Girl Walking (Royal Reaper) by Ruth Silver

Dead Girl walking (Royal Reaper)

By Ruth Silver

Forget everything you know about grim reapers.

Princess Ophelia Dacre sneaks out of the castle to visit her boyfriend in secret. A perfect night cut short when she’s brutally murdered.

Ophelia is given the rare chance to become a grim reaper. She must become Leila Bele, cut ties with her old life, and follow the rules of the reapers. Her greatest adventure begins with death.

BUY LINK

BIO:

Ruth Silver first began writing poetry as a teenager and reading heaps of fan fiction in her free time. She has written under three unique pseudo names and penned well over a hundred stories.

She attended Northern Illinois University in 2001 and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication. While in college she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, “Deuces are Wild”, which she self-published in 2004. Her favorite class was Creative Writing senior year where she often handed in assignments longer than the professor required because she loved to write and always wanted to finish her stories.

Her love of writing, led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading YA novels and sharing her favorite books with other readers. She runs her own book blog and also enjoys photography and traveling.

Dae's Christmas Past by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Dae’s Christmas Past

By Joyce and Jim Lavene

www.joyceandjimlavene.com

Featuring Pet Psychic Mary Catherine Roberts!

When wild horse rescue director Tom Watts is found dead on Duck Road, psychic mayor Dae O’Donnell is determined to find out who killed him. Her friend, Jake Burleson, is accused of killing Tom even though the two men have been good friends for years.

Dae doesn’t believe Jake killed Tom even though he has been acting strangely. He shoved one of the ancient stone horses found on his property into Dae’s hands when he knew she was afraid what she would see if she touched it. He’s obsessed with stopping the excavation—maybe to the point of killing Tom.

The problem is the excavation of the horse cult that’s been happening on Jake’s property. Tom, and several archaeologists working on the project, argued that Jake should give up his land to widen the search for artifacts. Jake won’t do that.

But Dae thinks there may be more to the story. Jake’s determination to get the horse statue into her hands has shown her what the horse cult was used for a thousand years ago and the destruction the demon horses brought before they were stopped. She’s afraid something of the past may have already returned to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and there may be more deaths to come.

Christmas is coming, but how much of Duck will be left to enjoy it?

Book Six in the Missing Pieces Mysteries set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Mayor Dae O’Donnell of Duck. Dae has a psychic gift for finding lost things and people that has been passed down to her from her grandmother. She runs the Missing Pieces Thrift Store to have a place to keep some of the things she finds, and to give back things that are missing to their rightful owners.

BUY LINK

Other books in the Missing Pieces Mysteries:

A Timely Vision (Book 1)

A Touch of Gold (Book 2)

A Spirited Gift (Book 3)

A Haunting Dream (Book 4)

A Finder’s Fee (Book 5)

Trouble with Swords by Richard Hardie

Trouble with Swords

By Richard Hardie

When Arthur's sword Excalibur is stolen, the Temporal Detective Agency is called in to protect not only Arthur and Merlin, but to stop a very clever and cruel person from destroying Camelot.

To make things worse, this time the TDA has no idea who they're fighting. Marlene's plan takes Tertia and Unita to Rome, Egypt and even to a meeting with Shakespeare, before confronting their enemy in the Coliseum.

But first, if the Agency is to succeed, Arthur must die...and Merlin and her King have to agree. If they don't, Camelot will be doomed and History itself could be changed forever.

That's the trouble with swords!

Trouble with Swords is #2 in The Temporal Detective Agency series.

The Temporal Detective Agency series:

Leap of Faith

Trouble with Swords

Buy Link

Bio: 

Born in the UK Richard Hardie is a British author who started writing books for Young Adults of all ages while flying on multiple trips to Asia on business. His best known books "Leap of Faith" and "Trouble With Swords" are the first two novels in the Temporal Detective Agency series, which he maintains he will continue writing as long as his characters have fun and he can come up with plots. Richard was a Scout Leader for 15 years and some of his main characters and certainly his sense of humour were developed during his time with the Troop.

Richard is married, with two kids and a cocker spaniel who loves walking long distances along the beautiful Gower Peninsular while Richard bounces plot ideas off him. One bark for YES and two barks for NO!

The Skeleton Takes a Bow by Leigh Perry

The Skeleton Takes a Bow

By Leigh Perry

After years of hiding in the Thackery family house, Sid the skeleton is delighted to finally have his moment in the spotlight. He’s starring in a high school production of Hamlet. Well, not so much starring in as being a prop. At least part of him has a part—he’s using his head to play Yorick of “Alas, poor Yorick” fame. Every day, Georgia Thackery’s daughter, Madison, who’s also in the play, brings in his skull, and every night, she takes him home...

Until one night when he’s accidentally left at school—and hears the sounds of someone being murdered. But the next day, there’s no body and no one seems to be missing.

Sid is not a numbskull—he knows what he heard. Georgia thinks he imagined it—until a week later when a body is found. Now Georgia and Sid will both need to keep their heads as they stick their necks out and play sleuth to catch the conscience of a killer.

Buy Link

Bio:

I was recently asked why I'd chosen to write a mystery about an ambulatory skeleton. I replied that it was because of the old adage: Write what you know. After all, we're all skeletons under the skin. And flesh, and tendons, and all that other messy stuff. After that, the woman decided not to ask me any more questions.

Seriously, I'm not sure why I decided to write about a walking, talking skeleton named Sid. All I remember for sure is that I can track the idea back to May of 2004. I told my husband about Sid-he was always named Sid-then wrote a few pages and sent to my beta-reading pals to see if they thought there was a book in it. All three of them seemed to think it would work, and I did some initial research and planning, but other projects intervened and I didn't pick it up again until 2011. That's when I was pitching ideas for a new series to my agent and editor, and I put together a packet of eight. Both the agent and editor them zoomed in on Sid's story. I guess they're skeletons under the skin, too.

As you might guess from the idea of a walking, talking skeleton, A Skeleton in the Family is a paranormal mystery. I was inspired by old TV shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir to write about a world that's pretty much like the real one, with one key difference. In this case: Sid.

This is my first mystery, sort of. Under the name Toni L.P. Kelner I've published eleven novels and twenty-somthing short stories, and have co-edited five urban fantasy anthologies with New York Times best seller Charlaine Harris. I've adopted a pen name because this is a new series, and because paranormal novels are a departure for me. But it's still me! So if you like Toni L.P. Kelner's books, you might like the Family Skeleton series, too. If you don't like Kelner's books, forget I said anything-I never even heard of that Kelner woman.

Though I was born in Pensacola, FL and raised in Charlotte, NC, I've been living north of Boston, MA for 26 years or so. I share the house with my husband, two daughters, two guinea pigs, and a ludicrous selection of books. While the population of people and guinea pigs remains constant, the number of books is on an ever-rising curve.

Mateguas Island by Linda Watkins

Mateguas Island

by Linda watkins

On a remote island off the coast of Maine, a troubled family is trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and start over. But unbeknownst to them, the property they have inherited is steeped in ancient magic – magic that could seek to destroy and devour them.

An arcane locked box, a strange and foreboding trail into the woods, a seductive young woman, and tales of a malevolent Indian spirit, are just some of the perils Karen Andersen must face in order to find a way to save her family.

A spine-tingling tale filled with passion, lies, and betrayal, Ms. Watkins debut novel, will have you sleeping with the lights on!

GOLD MEDAL WINNER, 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Competition, Category - Fiction, Supernatural!

PRAISE FOR MATEGUAS ISLAND:

"Native American folklore blends with a tale of suspense and horror in the multifaceted Mateguas Island….Mateguas Island employs a device other authors (most notably Stephen King in his classic novel The Shining) have successfully used in placing danger both outside and within the family structure.... Surprising twists and turns and a powerful old box filled with magic: these are the elements of a fine horror story that slowly builds its plot with believable protagonists and engrossing color...Any who like horror stories and gothic fiction will find Mateguas Island an exceptional read."

~D. Donovan, Senior Ebook Reviewer, MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

Buy Link

Bio:

Born in Norwich, Connecticut, author Linda Watkins moved to Michigan when she was four years old. After graduation from college (Carnegie-Mellon University '70), Ms. Watkins relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lived most of her adult life. A Senior Clinical Financial Analyst at Stanford University School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics, Linda was always writing. At work, she wrote "long forms" and business plans; at home, she penned whimsical stories, poems and songs for the delight of her friends and family. In 2006, retired, she moved to Chebeague Island, Maine and it was there that she wrote MATEGUAS ISLAND.

Today, she resides in Muskegon, Michigan with her three rescue dogs (Splatter, Spudley and Jasper) and is actively working on the sequel to Mateguas as well as two other novels. To take a look at her other works, please visit her personal website, www.lindawatkins.biz. For more information about MATEGUAS ISLAND, please visit www.mateguasisland.com.

An interview with author Judy Teel

An Interview with author Judy Teel

What do you like best about writing?

I love living in that imaginary world in my head and then creating it with words so that other people can experience and enjoy it. It’s magical.

What were your favorite books growing up?

Loved the Narnia series. Also The Hobbit and Wrinkle in Time. When boys turned into something other than playmates for hide-and-seek and football, I started enjoying romances, both contemporary and historical.

Tell us about your new projects.

I’ve just started book 3 in the Shifty Magic series – Savage Magic. Addison makes a discovery that changes her life forever as she battles to stop the extermination of Cooper’s clan.

Who is your favorite character in Shifty Magic and why?

Addison will always be my favorite, I think. She’s so kick ass and smart mouthed and has so many hurts under it all and secrets even she has yet to discover. What’s not to love?

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren't writing?

Spending time with my family comes in first. After that, reading or watching one of my favorite shows (Teen Wolf, Downton Abby, Modern Family, Bones). I also like romantic comedy movies a lot.

Find Judy here:

Webpage: http://judyteel.com

Twitter: @JudyTeelBooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudyTeelBooks?ref=hl

Amazon author’s page: http://amzn.com/e/B008K8WHHI

Shifty Magic by Judy Teel

Shifty Magic

By Judy Teel

A tough teenage girl hunts a serial killer in a paranormal dystopian world.

Abandoned at birth, Addison Kittner's been on her own since she was a kid--ever since the paranormal terrorists attacked cities around the world. Battling creatures that go bump in the night nearly destroyed human society. Good thing not all paranormals were evil and the terrorists were eventually stopped. Bad thing? Nothing would ever be the same again.

Now Addison makes her living as a private investigator and bounty hunter. One night she comes across a girl about to be killed by three rogue vampires. Addison kicks some vamp butt and saves the girl, even when one of the vamps escapes. Just her luck, he turns up dead the next morning, inspiring the vampire leaders to put pressure on her to solve the case or take the rap. As if that wasn't bad enough, her ex-lover, werewolf FBI agent, Cooper Daine, approaches her and gives her an offer she can't refuse...a paycheck. Mixing business with lust is never a good idea, but neither is starving, so she accepts.

But as the body count builds, Addison finds herself embroiled in an ever deepening and dangerous mystery. One that leads her to something frighteningly personal. Her unknown heritage.

BUY LINK

Bio:

I live in North Carolina with my boisterous family--husband, three kids, a dog and a geriatric bunny--and yup, I'm Southern so occasionally I let a "y'all" slip out. Maybe more than occasionally.

I love my job and dedicate as much of my time to writing as I can. When I'm not doing the weaving of the adventurous and romantic tales, I'm running errands, driving people around (or crazy depending on your perspective), cooking, and generally keeping everyone organized.

Tea is a favorite obsession of mine. I also like jazz and swing music, musicals, plays, movies of all kinds, Vampire Diaries, Star Trek, Downton Abbey, as well as camping, vacations, and reading great books.

Dead Sexy by Aleah Barley

Dead Sexy

By Aleah Barley

My Review?A fun, romp of a read!J. 

Mortuary attendant Gemma Sinclair hunts zombies for a living. It's messy work, but it pays the bills... right up until she stun guns the wrong dead man in the ass.

Now to keep her family business going, Gemma's forced into a partnership with federal agent D.S. Thomas Conroy. Zombies are disappearing all over town, and he needs Gemma's help to figure out why.

With a villain on her trail and a gang of zombies ready to attack, Gemma's just glad her backup is dead sexy...

Buy NOW

Bio:

Aleah Barley is a writer of humorous (she hopes) contemporary romance. After living all over the United States, she recently moved to Motor City with a fluffy Maine Coon Cat who is constantly trying to appropriate her computer. She is hard at work on her next book.

The 11th Percent - New Release Coming Halloween! - by T.H. Morris

The 11th Percent

by T.H. Morris

Coming October 31st

The 11^th Percent is a paranormal novel set in the fictional town of Rome, North Carolina and centers on every man Jonah Rowe. Jonah is a discontented corporate employee who simply wants his life to be more than the boring, aimless existence he has been experiencing. His wish came……in the form of discovering he is the focal point in an ongoing spiritual conflict.

The 11^th Percent is full of wild, paranormal phenomena and unbelievable events, yet there is a healthy realism and relatable factor to the stories and characters. In fact, it is where the line between realism and fantasy gets blurred that Jonah realizes his strengths and self-worth, as well as begin to understand the keys to his survival.

The book is the first in a series of seven. Its sequel is currently in the works.

Bio:

T.H. Morris (born Terrick Heckstall) is a lifelong writer who was born in 1984 and raised in Colerain, North Carolina.  He has been living in Greensboro, North Carolina for the past twelve years. He is an avid reader, primarily in the genre of science fiction and fantasy because he enjoys creating people, situations, and worlds. He holds a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and has spent several years as a therapist and mental health clinician. 

He has been writing in some way, shape, or form ever since he was strong enough to hold a pen or pencil, and began writing The 11^th Percent in 2011. He still resides in Greensboro, with his wife of six years. 

Ghost Diaries I by Willow Cross

Ghost Diaries I

By Willow Cross

While rifling through her deceased father’s belongings, a young woman named Taija Ford discovered a maze of files filled with journal entries and old letters that mention various claims of hauntings and alleged demonic possession. The oldest dating back to 1881. This particular file asserts a girl named Sarah Beth Hawkins was attacked by an unseen entity.

In an attempt to piece together her father’s previously secret life, Taija opened her own investigation into these Ghost Diaries. This is Case #1-Sarah Beth Hawkins.

The Ghost Diaries is an episodic series of short stories.

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Bio:

Willow Cross is a self-proclaimed vamp enthusiast, were-hunter, prankster, dreamer, story teller, benevolent dictator of minions, and chocolate lover. She resides in Arkansas with two children still young enough to live at home, an enormous cat named Bitsy, and a neurotic dog named Tank. Her home has been known to host the occasional ghost and several of her friends profess to be witches. Although she dearly loves vampires and werewolves, they are never invited for dinner.

Copper Cauldron by Terri Talley Venters

Copper Cauldron

Elements of Mystery

By Terri Talley Venters

Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. 

Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives, and shrinks them to the size of dolls - Nürnberg dolls. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the Manchester clan fights back with the help of St. Michael, and divine intervention. Armed with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire-breathing dragon, and an arsenal of spells, good battles evil.

Bio:

AUTHOR OF CARBON COPY, TIN ROOF, BODY OF GOLD, AND COPPER CAULDRON

Terri received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and their two sons. Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones which is also available from Wild Child Publishing.

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Interview with author Rebecca Patrick-Howard

What keeps you going as a writer?

Well, it’s not the fame and fortune! Seriously, though, I keep writing because I get a story in my head and it just gnaws at me until I have to write it down. Sometimes it’s a long one, sometimes a short one, but I always feel better once it’s on paper. When I was a kid and didn’t really know how to “write” I’d tell my friends the story I had in my mind. Unfortunately, sometimes I’d forget to tell them I made it up. That was a problem for awhile. Finally, a teacher helped me try to rein that imagination in and put it to better use!

 

How often do you write?

I write every day. Aside from writing for the fun of it, for myself, I’m also a professional ghostwriter so I write for my clients every day. When it comes to working on my own projects, I usually engage in marathon writing sessions. It took me 5 years to write WINDWOOD FARM, but the majority of the book was finally finished in about 2 weeks.

 

Tell us about your next project?

I have two projects coming out this fall. Well, 3 really. The first one is the sequel to my paranormal mystery book, WINDWOOD FARM. It’s called GRIFFTH TAVERN. It follows my protagonist, Taryn, and her awesome camera that sees the past. This time, she’s working at an old stagecoach inn and, of course, it’s haunted. The haunting is a little different in this book, though, and hits closer to home. I’m also releasing an as yet untitled true haunting account about my time in a farm house in New Hampshire. I only lived there for about 6 weeks but it was one heck of a stay. The last project is one I’m working on with my son. He’s 7 and we’re putting together a photography book with pictures from our county. He goes with me on my urban exploring and ghost hunting adventures and takes his own pictures. He’s actually pretty good!

 

What do you like best about your main character?

I love her job. I’d like to have it myself, except for the fact that I can’t paint. Traveling around to old houses, working with historical societies, taking lots of pictures of abandoned places-that sounds awesome. I also like the fact that she gets scared but that doesn’t stop her. She keeps pushing forward.

 

What made you start writing?

 I know a lot of people say they’ve written for as long as they can remember, but that’s true for me. I got my first writing job when I was 8. I wrote articles for our local paper. I did that for several years. Later I became a travel writer and spent the majority of my time traveling around Eastern Europe, doing hotel and restaurant reviews. I wrote a lot of fiction as a teen and into my early 20s, but was just too embarrassed to show anyone. It felt personal. 

BIO:

Rebecca Patrick-Howard is a native of Wolfe County, Kentucky. She grew up on the campus of Hazel Green Academy and later attended Belmont University in Nashville and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. She holds undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Appalachian Studies.

For several years, Rebecca worked as a travel writer; backpacking around Europe (mostly) with a couple of bags, guide books, and maps. During those years, she explored Bosnia, Croatia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy (amongst other places). She once took a train to Lichtenstein and paid to get a stamp on her passport just to say she’d been there.

Her love of the paranormal began as a child when she would listen to her grandmother tell her terrifying tales of witches, ghosts, and goblins before bedtime and during thunderstorms. After living in a few questionable houses, she began writing her own ghost stories at the age of 10 (they’re really bad, by the way).

While studying for her MA in Religious Experience (some of her friends thought she was going to become an exorcist and were sorely disappointed in the truth) in Wales, she met her future husband, Peter. She considers him her finest, and most expensive, souvenir. The two of them live in eastern Kentucky high on a windy ridge with their two living children. (A third passed away from SIDS in 2010.) 

 

www.rebeccaphoward.net

Windwood Farm by Rebecca Patrick-Howard

Windwood Farm

By Rebecca Patrick-Howard

Windwood Farm has a terrible secret–one that’s been buried for more almost 100 years. Taryn Magill aims to uncover it…or die trying.

As a mixed media artist and urban explorer with a love for abandoned houses and a big imagination when it comes to the past, 30 year old Taryn has never really met an old house she didn’t like. In fact, she’s made a career out of painting these sad, often derelict structures, to show them in their former glory for her clients.

With Windwood Farm, though, she might have bitten off more than she can chew!

The locals refer to it as “the devil’s house” and even vandals have stayed away from this once grand stone farmhouse in Vidalia, Kentucky. Hired by the Stokes County Historical Society to paint it before it’s demolished by a land development company, Taryn’s determined to make friends with the house and farm everyone around her seems to be terrified of.

As it turns out, though, their fears may just not be unfounded.

Who is the woman whose cries echo throughout the farm and what does she want? What negative force about the house is so powerful that it won’t even allow the upstairs bedroom to be touched? Does the 93 year old vanishing of the next door neighbor have anything to do with the house’s mysteries?

Taryn wants the answers to these and the house may just be trying to tell her because now, when she looks through her camera, she doesn’t have to use her imagination to see the past–

SHE CAN SEE IT!

Will Taryn be able to figure out what happened here AND escape with her sanity and life before the house comes down? Because now it seems like someone is trying to kill her! Using what her camera reveals to her and her wits, she’ll try to unravel the mysteries of the farm and get out before it’s too late.

The first book in the Taryn’s Camera series.

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Bio:

Rebecca Patrick-Howard is the author of several books including HAUNTED ESTILL COUNTY, MORE TALES FROM HAUNTED ESTILL COUNTY, and COPING WITH GRIEF: THE ANTI-GUIDE TO INFANT LOSS. She lives in eastern Kentucky with her husband and two children.

An interview with author Ann Simas, Loose Ends

An interview with the author of Loose Ends, Ann Simas

1 - Why do you write paranormal fiction?

I don’t know if there’s a single reason that answers why I like to write paranormal fiction. As a kid, I loved reading ghost mysteries. As an adult, I still love reading all kinds of paranormal fiction and nonfiction. I’ve also heard anecdotal stories from family members over the years that intrigue me. Those range from near-death experience to seeing the Blessed Virgin to getting “feelings” about upcoming events. Let’s face it, there are just too many things that happen that are inexplicable. No one can say definitively whether or not they are real—or not real. As a writer, that pretty much gives me free license to explore and to include ghosts, psychic dreams, near-death experiences, mystical Hopi beliefs, and many other paranormal elements in my stories.

2 - Have you ever had a paranormal experience? If so, please tell us about it.

Two things come to mind immediately. One is waking in the middle of the night and seeing the faces of two family members I loved very much who had died. There was also a third face of someone else I didn’t immediately recognize. The next morning, I learned my sister’s father-in-law, who I had known for some time, had died during the night. I think the reason the faces didn’t frighten me was because they were somehow letting me know it was okay. He’d had a long, happy life and had gone peacefully.

The other incident was what I can only describe as an out-of-body experience. I was cognizant of being awake, then being outside my body, moving around, but not going far. Later, thinking about it, analyzing it, I always thought I was so stunned (though not frightened) by what was happening, that I didn’t “go with the flow,” so the experience was short.

3 - Tell us about your next project.

Next up is my first mystery, entitled Dressed to Die. This is the first book in the Grace Gabbiano Mysteries. Don’t be disappointed—this book has no paranormal happenings, which is not to say that there won’t be at some point down the road. The other mystery series I’m working on is the Andi Comstock Paranormal Mysteries. The first book is entitled Holy Smoke. You might glean from the title that the book has a little something holy going on, as well as something smoky, and you’d be right. For a peek at the covers and the back-cover blurbs on both these books, just go to my website, annsimas.com.

I’d also like to mention two other books I had released this summer, both of which have paranormal elements. Blessed Are the Eagles is laced with supernatural happenings related to mystical Hopi beliefs. In Loose Ends, my protagonist has psychic dreams that foretell violent death. Eagles was a Romance Writers of America Finalist a few years ago, but although it has a love story, it is more a mystery/suspense with paranormal aspects. Loose Ends is a sexy thriller with psychic overtones and a love story. What can I say? I like to write cross-genre, paranormal fiction!

4 - How are you like - and unlike - your main character?

I suppose there’s a little bit of me in every female protagonist I write. They are tenacious, industrious, moral, funny, loyal, and smart. Like me, they have other character traits and flaws, because none of us are perfect, are we? I give them adventures and relationships that are not always easy. Again, the road through life is not easy, but the challenges they face are character-building. I live vicariously through them, I suppose. It keeps my mind active, trying to figure out how they’ll get from point A to point B in an exciting way that will keep my readers enthralled. They face hurdles, not always without getting hurt, but they will be stronger for it in the end. Their reward, I admit, is a happily-ever-after ending.

5 - How and where do you work?

I have a home library with a beautiful cherry desk built for me by my husband. I am surrounded by hundreds of mostly reference books, which is convenient when I’m writing. I work on a laptop, which took some getting used to after using a Mac and a PC previously. I love it now. I can take my laptop and my work with me wherever I go, if I need to be on the road.

I also design all my own covers. I have a graphics background, and a good eye for design, so it works out well for me. I do my own PR and maintain my website myself. I also have an Author page on Facebook, and I’d be thrilled if all your blog readers would “like” me.