Author Interview: Stacey Rourke

Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into writing?


Writing has just always been part of who I am. An extension of me I never paid much attention to until I became a stay at home mom. Then I desperately needed a distraction from diapers, formula and middle of the night feedings. What started as a distraction has now become my full time job as a writer and the owner of Anchor Group Publishing.

Can you tell us a little about the first book in the Gryphon Series #1) , The Conduit? 

We've all heard of the creature known as the Gryphon (or griffin is you prefer it that way.) A creature that's half lion and half eagle. In my series we are introduced to three siblings that learn that because of a pact their ancestors made they are bonded to the Gryphon. One gains the ability to shapeshift into a lion, one grows the wings of an eagle, and one is his Conduit--the chosen one he will grant his powers to whenever that person needs them. Because of their link to the Gryphon there is an army of demons hunting the Garrett kids so they can kill them and over power the Gryphon. 

Where did you get the idea for the series?

It started with a dream. There's a scene at the end of the book where a hand shoots up out of an orchestra pit as Celeste Garrett is creeping towards it. The dream was so realistic I formed the entire story around it.

Your series is YA parnormal/fantasy. Is this the genre you prefer to write in. Is there any other genres you would like to explore?

I enjoy fantasy, but I also have a nonfiction book I hope to release next year. It's called "I'm Not Crazy, I'm on Lupron; One Woman's Journey Through Infertility." It chronicles my own experiences on my quest to motherhood and I'm hoping it will provide hope to others out there that are going through the same type of painful journey I did.

The second book in the series Embrace released in May. How many more books do you plan for the series?

Sacrifice, the third book in the series, will be out this fall and there will be one more after that. But I'm toying with the idea of doing a few shorts or novellas about some of the other characters as well.


Why should we read you series in one sentence?

BECAUSE IT'S FUNNY! There are so many dark tales of angst in the YA genre right now, and those are great too. But I want to make readers laugh! To quote the Joker, "Why so serious?"

Find me at www.staceyrourke.com

Twitter @rourkewrites

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

First Frost Blog Tour: Guest Post

Author Liz DeJesus has stopped by today with a guest post for the First Frost Blog Tour!

Hey everyone! Here we are... my very first blog tour! I’m so excited to share my latest book, First Frost with you. I'm going to share a little bit of my book and what helped inspire the writing that came with it.

I remember the day the idea for First Frost hit me. It was like being struck by lightning! I was holding my eldest son, Mason, in my arms. I was giving him a bottle and watching television at the same time. Then a commercial for a local children's museum popped up and I thought it looked like a cool place to visit. I figured it was about time we had some place fun and local for my son to visit. Of course, I didn't stop there. My train of thought just kept on going; I started thinking about themed museums. I thought of how awesome it would be to have a pirate museum, or even a fairy tale themed museum.

And after that it was pretty much over for me. I started wondering a whole series of what ifs.

            What if it's run by a family?

            What if the items in the museum really were magical?

            What if the main character thought all the items were fake?

            What if there was a witch?

            What if she could actually use these items?

The funny thing was that all of these thoughts hit me while I was still holding my son in my arms and I was nowhere near a notebook or pen. So I basically had to repeat the idea to myself over and over again as I fed my baby boy (who was drifting off into a midday nap) and as soon as I was finished feeding him, I put him in his crib and I scrambled towards the closest piece of paper and jotted down the ideas I had.

At first I set out to write the book from Rose's (Bianca's mother) point of view, then I changed my mind and ended up writing the book from Bianca's point of view. I also wondered whether or not I should make it a young adult novel. So in essence, the story went through a lot of changes before I even had a chapter typed up. In all honesty, I'm glad I stuck with Bianca, she is so much fun to write for. She's smart, brave, funny, vulnerable, and she does get her butt kicked a little, which is something I love to see in other people's books, I don't like it when the main character gets by unscathed and unaffected by everything that happened. Otherwise, what's the point of her journey, you know what I mean?

Another thing I had to figure out was what items Rose and Bianca had in the museum. Which ones were on display? Why? And which weren't on display? Why? So I decided to do a little research (if you can call reading fairy tales research, then it was the most fun I ever had) and decided to go with a few well known fairy tales and sprinkle a few of the more obscure ones (I like to make people read...sorry). I did stay true to the original fairy tales (taking a few minor liberties here and there to make the story more interesting) but I didn’t turn Red Riding Hood into the wolf or make Cinderella go crazy cleaning the castle or anything like that.

Once I had the idea in place I had to figure out who my characters were and the setting was important too since the museum is as much a character as the people in the story were. Now, if you’re a writer and you do outlines before you start writing...I envy you. I don’t do outlines, I’ve tried and my characters end up doing whatever they feel like...I’m just going along for the ride. Sometimes I’ll add a little something here and there to make things interesting (or challenging...or just wanna piss them off enough to see what they’ll do) but for the most part, my characters are leading the way.

I kinda like it that way.

Thank you so much for having me here and lettine me rant about my book and writing in general. If you would like to know more about me, my writing and First Frost, please visit my website http://lizdejesus.webs.com/

Official blurb:

For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”

Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.

She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Author's Links:

Website
Facebook
Purchase First Frost

Author Interview: Sarah Wylie

Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into writing?

Sure! I live in Canada. I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on; starting to write (short stories, poems, atrociously long emails) was a natural extension of that. About a year into college, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel. The result was a 50, 000 word first draft that is currently (and thankfully!) collecting dust under my bed somewhere. But I had such a blast writing it that I knew I wanted to write more novels. All These Lives was the first of those to be published.

Can you tell us a little about your novel All These Lives?

If it’s okay, I’m going to cheat a little bit and use the official blurb:

Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.

Where did you get the idea for All These Lives?

It’s hard to remember how all the little parts came together, but I knew wanted to write a book about a girl who was sick and her family’s struggle to deal with that. I also knew I wanted to write about sisters. Those two things formed the foundation of the story. Dani’s belief that she had nine lives came about later.

All These Lives is a YA contempoary. Is the genre you prefer to write in? Do you also enjoy reading this genre?

Contemporary YA is my favorite genre to read, and it definitely comes most naturally to me in writing. I love stories about growing up, figuring out your place in the world, getting lost, and getting found, falling in love. Of course, all those things can and do happen in other genres, but I definitely have a soft spot for contemporary fiction.

The cover is beautiful. The water makes it dream like. Who designed the cover and did you have much say in the designing?

I’m glad you like it; I do too. The jacket was designed by Roberta Pressel. I was able to send my publisher a bunch of ideas (images I liked or thought might work) for the cover and I mentioned that I love underwater covers. A few months later, my editor emailed the cover for All These Lives, and I loved it right away.

Why should we read All These Lives in one sentence?

I’m a little biased, but it’s an emotional (but hopefully) funny read that you might enjoy if you like any of the following: sisters, nerdy boys, camping trips, or toothpaste commercials.

Thanks for the fun interview, Megan!

Website:sarahwyliebooks.com

Twitter: sarah_why

Tumblr:sarahwyliebooks.tumblr.com

The book is available from Amazon and Book Depository.

Author Interview: Scott Prussing

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing?

I grew up in New Jersey and went to college and graduate school in Connecticut. After receiving my Master’s degree in psychology from Yale University, I was smart enough to move to beautiful San Diego, California. In addition to writing, I enjoy riding my bike along the coast, going to the movies (not renting), reading books of all types, hiking, skiing and golf.　


I’m the self-published author of the four book paranormal romance series Blue Fire Saga　(Breathless, Deathless, Helpless and Fearless). I’ve also written two mystery/suspense novels (Unturned Stones and Tangled Webs), a teen romance Mine: A Love Story, whose plot is based on the hit songs of Taylor Swift, and a fantasy adventure novel called Dreams of the Last Born. All my books are available in print and ebook versions.

I remember exactly how my interest in writing started. I was inspired by an article I read in the local newspaper shortly after I got out of grad school. It was about a fourteen-year-old boy who was writing a Lord of the Rings type novel. LOTR is my all-time favorite book, and I thought “I could do that.” So even though I had avoided all courses that required writing in college, I started writing my own book—in ball point pen on a legal pad. I ended up with an eight hundred page Lord of the Rings rip-off. The writing wasn’t very good, but that’s what got me started. That manuscript no longer exists, thank goodness.

Can you tell us a little about your novels The Blue Fire Saga?

The Blue Fire Saga is a modern paranormal romance in the mode of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, but filled with lots of new ideas and creations, such as one-fanged vampires (crippled versions of the real thing) and supernatural vampire hunters called volkaanes. Vampires are the catalyst for the action, but not the lead characters. I’m proud to say that most reviewers and readers so far have remarked on the unique aspects of the series, saying things about Breathless like “breathes new life into the vampire genre,” “is a breath of fresh air,” “is a new twist on things that go bump in the night,” and is a book that “breaks out of the predisposed storyline that tends to follow the vampire romance genre.”

The main character is college freshman Leesa Nyland. She has been fascinated by vampires since she was three years old, because that's when her mom started acting weird, insisting sunlight hurt her skin because she'd been bitten by a one-fanged vampire. But fascinated doesn't mean Leesa believes, any more than she believes in magical blue fire, people who live for centuries, and kisses that can kill. But when her beloved older brother suddenly disappears, she’s forced to consider all these and more. She also has to figure out what to do about her mysterious new boyfriend. She knows Rave likes her a lot—so why won't he kiss her? (Hint: he’s NOT a vampire.)

I don’t want to reveal too much here, but as the series has evolved, I’ve added plenty of new twists and surprises (zombie pit pulls, anyone?). Leesa has grown enormously as a person as she confronts new obstacles to her happiness and safety, and that of her friends and family.

Where did you get the idea for the saga?

This is a difficult question to answer. Perhaps the simplest thing to say is that I started by wanting to write a Twilight type book that was NOT like Twilight, if that makes any sense. I wanted to create supernatural romance with vampires in it, because they are fun and popular. My primary goals were to craft a very passionate romance that was also fast paced and suspenseful.

Because vampire/human romance has been done and overdone, I made my vampires the catalyst for the story, but not one of the two main romantic leads. I invented a new type of vampire hunter that I call volkaanes and also created one-fanged vampires. I set the story in college, rather than high school, so it could be a bit more mature (it’s still suitable for the young adult audience). After that, I just sort of let the story take me where it wanted to go. As the series grew, I added a couple of wizards, some zombies, a Necromancer and witch, all the while keeping the same main characters and keeping vampires an important part. It’s really been quite amazing the way the story has evolved.

The Blue Fire Saga has vampires in it, which I personally love! How does your take on vampires differ to what is already on the market?

My vampires are closer to the traditional than to the sparkly, high school attending vampires with special powers in Twilight. The sun hurts their skin, but does not kill them, so they prefer the night or cloudy days, but they can still venture out on sunny days (with a hoodie and long sleeves, and staying in the shade as much as possible.) They live communally in underground caverns, following certain rules (limiting how often they hunt humans, for example) to keep from drawing too much attention to themselves. They can pass as human when necessary, and some of them mingle with people now and then. I also invented one-fanged vampires, who I call grafhym. They are crippled versions of the real thing, far less powerful, and they are shunned by other vampires. Grafhym play a critical role in book one, Breathless. Indeed, one of the catchphrases for the Blue Fire Saga is “It all started with a one-fanged vampire.”

I like the covers of the series. I like that in each of the book covers for the four books so far there is only a slight change in each the color of the girl’s T-shirt which I like. Who designed　of the covers and did you have much say in the designing of them?

Theresa Jackson of Orchard View Color designed the original cover (Breathless). I was very involved in the design, choosing the base photo from online, insisting on a blue glow on the pair of hands to symbolize Rave’s magic, and I suggested the drop of blood dripping from the “H”.

Lisa Giszcinski, a friend of mine who uses Photoshop, changes the colors of the shirt for each following cover (I give her the color.) I add the drops of blood (with MS Paint), which signify which number book in the series each book is. If the series keeps going, the covers are going to start getting very bloody!

There are currently four books in the series released how many more do you plan on releasing?

I’m not really sure. The series keeps expanding beyond anything I envisioned, with new characters popping up and new storylines unfolding. I have the cover and title (Heartless) of book 5 already done. I never work with an outline or storyboard, so I never know where the books will be heading.

Why should we read your series in one sentence?

People should read The Blue Fire Saga because it’s romantic, fun, fast-paced, suspenseful and original—readers are truly loving it.

Final word from the author.....

I want to thank you for the opportunity to connect with your followers, and I want everyone to know that I am one of the most accessible authors out there. I love to interact with my fans, especially on Facebook, and I have rewarded a number of them by naming characters in the books after them.

To learn about my books and to order signed print copies visit http://www.scottprussing.com.

Ebooks available at Amazon, B&N and Smashwords. Here are the links for Breathless, book one in the series:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U6WM7E 
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/breathless-scott-prussing/1103450265
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87871 
Follow me on Facebook http://wwwfacebook.com/scottprussingauthor and http://facebook.com/BreathlessFampires

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Breathlessbook 

900 Followers Giveaway!

900 Follower Giveaway

Did I ever tell you guys how awesome you are?? I didn't! Well now am telling you! You are all AWESOME! Just last week I hit 900 Followers on the blog! *does a happy dance* Can you beileve it! 900 wonderful, awesome, amazing, super duper fantastic followers! *Breathe* .......

To celebrate I have an awesome giveaway for you! FOUR awesome prizes!

So I bet you want to know what you can win? Yes? Are you sure? We could just talk about how cute the spongebob pic is? Nah OK, so here is what you can win!

I have two copies of Dark Warning by Marie- Louise Fitzpatrick each with a signed postcard from the author! I read this book last month and I loved it! You can check out my review here  It does get you extra entries into the giveaway if you comment he he!

So as I love all my International Followers, one of you will win a copy while the other copy will go to a UK Follower! TY to Orion for the books!

Also we all love Swag don't we! Well I have TWO awesome swag packs, one of which will be won by an International follower and one will be won by a UK follower! So here is what is in each Swag packs:

*Signed Sherry & Narcotics Postcard

*When Dreams Come True by Rebecca Emin Postcar

*Signed Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby Postcard

*Signed Shade/ Shift by Jeri Smith Ready Bookmark

*Signed The Willows: Haven by Hope Collier Bookmark

*The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin Bookmark

*OTOLI by Bryony Allen Bookmarl

*Signed Transfer Studen by Laura A. H Elliott Bookmark

*Signed The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges Bookmark

*Signed The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton Bookmark

*Signed Cicada by Belle Whittington Bookmark

*Signed Small, Medium at Large by Joanne Levy Bookmark

Extra Swag in UK  pack:

*13 on Halloween by Laura A.H Elliott Sticker

*Founder by L. M Long Bookmark

*Signed Angelinas Secret by Lisa Rogers Bookmark

Signed Asylum by K.A.Tucker Bookmark

Extra Swag in the International pack:

*Winnemucca by Laura A. H Elliott Sticker

*The Revenant by Sonia Gensler Bookmark

*Signed Nightspell by Leah Cypess Bookmark

* Signed Allegiance by K.A.Tucker Bookmark

All you have to do to enter is enter the rafflecopter below! Main entry is to follow my blog via GFC with loads of extra entries that you can feel free to do if you like :) Thank you again for following my blog and don't forget to check out my other giveaways by checking the giveaway tab!

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YA Feature: B. Morgenroth

Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into writing?

I suspected I would eventually start writing seriously after all the fun of being a globetrotting photojournalist wore thin. That part of the plan got off to a shaky start when I couldn’t find a job as a photographer and wound up at a stable teaching adorable young girls how to ride. When the owner of the property wanted his barn back, I said “I guess it’s time to start writing.” I was 23. The following year I sold my first book.
　
This talk books:

　
Can you tell us a little about the flash series, Flash and Flash of Light? Where did you get the idea for the series?

I still think of myself as a photographer and one day began to wonder what would happen if a teenage girl moved to Los Angeles and, to earn money, had to become a paparazzo (that’s the singular, paparazzi is plural). One evening while taking photos of celebrities on Robertson Boulevard, Kip Chanin gets a shot of the young actor, Alex Milne. That’s the beginning of their relationship. Any activity with a Milne involved is guaranteed not to go smoothly but the Chanins will give anyone a run for their money.


Do you plan on writing any more in the series?

Most of the ends are tied up by the completion of book 2 but I would like to know what happens next, so maybe yes.

Can you tell us a little about your series Bad Apple?

Someone I knew was murdered and that gave me a sense of how something that happened long ago could have repercussions in the present day. The concatenation of events threads through the three books—Bad Apple, Burning Daylight and Rise.

The series is not entirely about death and violence, although the threat from the killer never diminishes. Neal was taught to play the violin by the victim and the state trooper investigating the case makes it possible for her to meet his son, Truly. Tru might be considered a prodigy; he’s been trying to be musician and perform since he could climb up on the piano bench.

Neal and Tru click. They start a band called Maisie and The Boy’s Night Out. The success they begin to have and the music they create can be seen as nearly as important as the relationship between the two.

There are currently three books released in this series. How many more are planned?

There will be at least one more and if I can tie up all the ends in that one, my fans will be both thrilled and disappointed. I think they would like to follow Neal and Tru forever.

You have a new YA book coming up for release called Unheard. Can you tell us a little about this?

I did a rewrite another of my backlist books titled In Real Life I’m Just Kate, which is now Just Kate, and I saw how my living life improved that book. Nothing changed so very much, she’s still an actress on soap opera, and falls in love with the actor who plays the bad boy on the show. What changed is the depth of their relationship.

Unheard is not unlike Just Kate in that respect. The plot is similar to the original book, Will the Real Renie Lake Please Stand Up, but the troubled young woman and the deaf young man have a much more profound relationship in the rewrite. We come to understand Renie more fully and why she makes some of the boneheaded choices she does. We also can understand Jan and why he’s drawn to her. .

If you could pick which of your books do you think we should pick up first to read, the bad apple series, the flash series or Unheard and why?

Each book has a place close to my heart but I think Flash and Flash of Light are fun, probably a good starting point.

　
Stalk the author:
http://barbaramorgenroth.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bad-Apple/423805770987533

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbara-Morgenroth/372724289453553

http://pinterest.com/bmorgenroth/

Bridgeworld Blog Tour: Book Excerpt

Today the Bridgeworld Blog Tour stops by the blog with an excerpt from the book. Enjoy!


Length:

234 Pages

Date Released: Published July 7th 2011

ISBN: 0615504450 (ISBN13: 9780615504452)

Language: English

Publisher: Hydra Publications

Book Blurb:

William Haynes was the type of guy that every boy dreamed of being. He was an honor roll student and captain of his middle school football team. He was dating the most popular girl in the school and had dozens of friends. Yes, life was perfect for Will…that is until a strange man shows up and forces his parents to reveal a secret they have kept hidden since he was born. He is told that he has been given a scholarship to a prestigious private school that his parents attended, a private school that happens to be in space. Will must choose between a life many would die for and a life none could imagine. A life where he is no longer perfect, where he must make new friends, and where he must survive a school rivalry like no other.

Author bio:

Travis McBee was born and raised just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. He is the younger of two children and enjoys backpacking, playing rugby, and watching football. He is the author of four novels: Bridgeworld, Bridgeworld: Encounter at Atlantis, Triton: Rise of the Fallen, and Triton: The Call of War. As well as a children’s series: The Chronicles of a Second Grade Genius. He currently resides in Georgia.

Website: www.Travismcbee.com

Publishers Page:

www.hydrapublications.com/our-authors/travis-mcbee/

Purchase Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Bridgeworld-Academy-ebook/dp/B005IAZEYO/

Book Excerpt:

He kicked a rock that was laying daringly in front of him on the cracked side walk. It skipped across the side walk and skidded sideways into the road itself. He followed it with his eyes and noticed the man for the first time.

He was a very out of place man, not because of how he was dressed, nor how he looked, there was just something wrong about him, something very wrong indeed. Pleasant Valley was a tiny town and everyone knew everyone, not metaphorically but quite literally, and every resident could identify every other resident. This was a stranger to Will; he had never seen the man in his entire life.

That wasn’t the only odd thing about The Stranger though; the man was just standing in the middle of the side walk on the opposite side of the road from Will. He wasn’t walking on it, or relaxing while leaning against something, he was just standing perfectly still.

The man was dressed in an inky black suit that looked perfectly tailored for him, without so much as an extra puff of fabric at any place. Around his neck was a blood red tie that was placed across the front of the clean white shirt and finally disappeared into the coat. His hair was as black as his suit and his eyes were brown, not the vivid beautiful brown of Jessica’s eyes, just a muddy boring brown. It was when Will noticed his eyes that he noticed perhaps the most important thing. The Stranger was staring right at him.

Will broke eye contact and began to walk up the side walk again. Inside his head was a torrent of thoughts He was staring right at me like he was waiting on me. Maybe he just noticed you staring. No something’s wrong about that guy. You don’t know that. Will glanced to his left and saw to his horror that the man was now mirroring his progress on the side walk on the other side of the street. He’s following me!

Will increased his pace until his feet beat a quick staccato on the concrete of the side walk. He ventured a glance again to his left. The Stranger had quickened his paste and was still directly opposite of him. Okay, yep he’s following me.