Archive for the ‘Interview’ Category

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Sand and Shadow

by Laurisa White Reyes

Genre: SciFi Horror

Winner of the Houston Writer’s House Competition★

Seven Survivors.

One Monster.

Nowhere to hide.

Mission Specialist Adán Fuentes awakes from cryo-hibernation to discover that most of his fellow crewmates are dead and the shuttle Carpathia is not where it’s supposed to be. Surrounded by a vast barren landscape, he and the other survivors wonder how they can accomplish their mission, to establish a home for future colonists.

When an unseen creature attacks them, the Carpathia’s crew must turn their attention to surviving and solving the true purpose behind their mission.

Inspired by the 50’s sci-fi flick FORBIDDEN PLANET, SAND AND SHADOW plumbs the depths of the human psyche and the power of its influence. As the Carpathia’s crew’s secrets and flaws are revealed, readers may find themselves compelled to examine their own dark places.

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Tell us about Sand and Shadow.

Mission Specialist Adán Fuentes awakes from cryo-hybernation and discovers that he is one of seven survivors of the shuttle Carpathia’s crew. The shuttle’s been damaged, and they are on a distant planet, way off course from their intended destination and purpose. When they are attacked by some unseen creature, the crew must race against time to figure out where they are, how they got there, and how to defend themselves – if they can. Think The Martian meets Alien.

 

What inspired you to write Sand and Shadow?

When I was kid, one of my favorite movies was Forbidden Planet, about a scientist on a distant planet who somehow taps into the deepest recesses of his psyche and unleashes a monster. I watched the video over and over for years and have always been fascinated with the plot. I watched it a few months ago. The movie is very hokie by today’s standards, but the premise still holds up. I wanted to create a new story with new characters but based on a similar idea: that humans and the human mind are capable of both great good and profound evil.

 

Most of your books are either fantasy or contemporary young adult. What motivated you to delve into science fiction/horror?

I’m a sucker for horror fiction. Every summer, I read nothing but horror. I’ve read a lot of zombie and haunted house books over the years. Most of the short stories I’ve written are either horror or speculative in nature. Even a couple of my novels have elements of psychological suspense. So, I was destined to eventually write something seriously hard core like Sand and Shadow. I would love to write more in this genre. I’ve got some good ideas.

 

What was the writing process like for this book?

I began writing the first draft in 2012, the year my very first novel was published. By then, I’d already written a dozen other manuscripts, each of which has taken about eight years on average from start to publication. Writing is a long process for me. I muddle over details for years before I ever begin to write. I finished the first draft of Sand and Shadow in about a year, but then it sat on the back burner while I revised and published my other books. Eventually, I came back around to it. I spent all of 2020 revising and polishing it, and most of this year on everything else it takes to publish a book.

 

Besides writing, how do you spend your time?

Writing is on and off, depending on which project I’m working on. I just finished the first draft of a historical novel that I’ve been working on for about five years. So, I’m not writing anything new at the moment. I’m currently focused on promoting and marketing my backlist, which is like a part-time job. I own my own small press, and we’re actually publishing our second contest winner this fall, a memoir called A Sacred Duty: How a whistleblower took on the VA and won by Paula Pedene. So, I’m spending time editing and designing that book as well. When I’m not writing/editing/designing, I spend the rest of my time with my thirteen-year-old son (he’s my youngest of five kids – the others are all adults now). I homeschool him and transport him to his many activities: scouts, horseback riding, theater, piano, voice lessons. I volunteer with scouting and theater as well. Oh, and I also teach college composition part-time, take care of my home and family, and I read. A lot.

 

What sorts of books do you enjoy reading?

I’ve always been an avid reader. As a kid and teenager, my brothers would spend Saturday afternoons outdoors pulling weeds and doing yardwork for my dad. I’d be lying in bed devouring a book. I read between 30-50 books a year in a variety of genres. Summers are devoted to horror fiction, especially zombies and supernatural thrillers. But I also love historical non-fiction, young adult, suspense, and mysteries. The only genre I won’t touch is romance. Blech. I’ll read a book with some romance in it but never a straight up romance novel. Some of the best books I’ve ever read include:

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

 

What do you enjoy most about writing?

Most novelists can tell you that something magical happens while you’re writing a first draft. When you get really into the story, the real world seems to dissolve, and you’re transported into a world of your own making. My husband and kids joke that they can ask me anything while I’m writing, and I’ll just nod my head and have no recollection of what I’ve agreed to. And then somewhere along the line, it’s hard to explain, but the story takes on a life of its own. Like you’re not writing the story but it’s writing itself, and you as the author are the conduit rather than the creator. The characters become, in some sense, real beings, and the writer’s job is to be faithful to those characters and the story. That’s why I love writing first drafts. It’s the creative, magical experience that is so remarkable. But then later, the real work begins with editing and revising. It’s a completely different mental process, and I enjoy that too but in a different way. Editing, to me, is like shaping clay on a potter’s wheel, molding the material that is already there into something really beautiful.

 

What kind of research goes into your writing?

I love research. I’ve spent countless hours researching for each of my novels: reading non-fiction books, newspapers, magazines, online studies and websites, conducting interviews, and even on-location travel. For my novel Sand and Shadow, I had to learn about cryogenics, habitable planets, ESP, light speed calculations, and a bunch of other stuff. My dad was a computer programmer for Jet Propulsion Laboratories working on deep space craft like Voyager and Ulysses. He first introduced me to the idea of planetary colonization and deep space travel. What we’ve always considered science fiction is, in reality, within reach. I didn’t want the book to sound too futuristic but something that could happen within the next few years. The secret to good research for any book is for the information to be so smoothly incorporated into the story that the readers don’t notice it. Like the beams and bolts make up the structure of a building. It should be invisible to the naked eye.

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Laurisa White Reyes is the author of sixteen books. Her middle grade novel THE STORYTELLERS won the 2015 Spark Award from The Society of Children’s Books Authors & Illustrators (SCBWI) and her young adult novel PETALS received the 2017 Spark Honor Award.

In addition to writing, Laurisa also is the founder and Senior Editor of Skyrocket Press, which publishes quality fiction and non-fiction for a variety of readers. She also teaches English composition at College of the Canyons in Southern California. To subscribe to Laurisa’s monthly newsletter, visit her website at www.LaurisaWhiteReyes.com

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Hybrid Magic
by Cristy L. Bowlin
Genre: YA Fantasy
Two nations joined peacefully as one, but a band of assassins lurks in the shadows.
Magic isn’t uncommon in the Deravine Commonwealth, where people can be gifted with the faculties of combat, healing, transformation, or sight. Yet as a hybrid mage, Aaron Ztrong’s abilities aren’t so easily categorized. He managed to save his parents during a dangerous confrontation when he was only a young boy, and now a decade later most people in his life expect him to do remarkable things with his powers. Then there are those who fear what Aaron and others like him can do. When Aaron’s life is threatened by a group calling themselves the Defenders, he takes refuge with two other hybrid mages and the teacher who is training them to enhance their abilities. As the Defenders continue to hunt down hybrid mages, Aaron and his new companions must find a way to survive.
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What can we expect from you in the future?

Hybrid Magic is the start of a trilogy, so you can expect to see the rest of the books coming out over the next couple years! After that, I might venture into a different genre. Fantasy is my favorite, but I would love to try writing some sci-fi or dystopian stories too.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

Hybrid Magic is a spinoff that takes place ten years after the storyline of my first standalone novel, The Temple Dancer’s Diary. Some characters with smaller roles in The Temple Dancer’s Diary are now getting their chance in the spotlight with a story of their own.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Hybrid Magic?

This book is told from three different character perspectives, so I’ll share a bit about each of them.

First, Aaron Ztrong is a fourteen-year-old hybrid mage who became famous when he was younger for defeating another powerful mage. His magic abilities include healing, transforming objects, and making things levitate and fly through the air. His parents see so much potential in him, but he would rather spend his time with his friends and enjoy relaxing hobbies like fishing. He is a prankster who will do anything to get out of his lessons until his life is threatened by a group known as the Defenders who hunt down hybrid mages.

Second, Elara Pratt is a sixteen-year-old hybrid mage who grew up in a small farming village with her three younger siblings. Her magic involves helping plants flourish and grow in any environment. She can even transform into a dryad-like creature herself. After leaving her family behind to learn more about her abilities, she moves to a forest haven that was established to train and protect hybrid mages from the ruthless Defenders. Elara is optimistic, caring, and always eager to make a new friend. But no one is allowed to mess with her garden or any of her plant babies!

Finally, Theo Darien is a seventeen-year-old hybrid mage who grew up idolizing his father, a celebrated constable. Theo dreamed of having combat magic like his dad so that he too could take down criminals. He was initially excited upon discovering his unique abilities to transform any object into a weapon. Then his older half brother joined the Defenders and attempted to kill him because of those abilities. After running away from home, Theo was taken in by a teacher who promised to train and protect him. Theo is quiet and studious, yet also racked with guilt over his final confrontation with his brother. Now he is determined not to hurt anyone with his magic and will only use his powers for good.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

After writing my first book from a single perspective in first-person diary entries, I enjoyed writing this book in third-person point of view with multiple different character perspectives.

Who designed your book covers?

My best friend Naomi Henry designed both of my book covers. She is an amazing artist, and I was overjoyed that she wanted to work with me.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

There are some personality traits each of my characters have that I based off of real people, but for the most part they came from my imagination.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

My characters do hijack the story from time to time! I always create an outline before I start writing with major plot points that I want to include in each chapter, so I try to stick to that outline pretty closely for the plot and pacing. The characters develop more organically though. I start out with a few key personality traits in mind for each character, and then I see how they interact with one another. Sometimes their interactions and dialogue will surprise me by taking my story in cool new directions.

If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?

My book would have an autumn candle to match the cover art. It would be a burnt orange color with a woodsy scent containing a mixture of apple, pumpkin spice, and cloves.

Is there an writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

I would love to get writing advice from Tamora Pierce. Her young adult fantasy books set in the Tortall Universe were my favorites growing up. The characters were nuanced, and the stories were so empowering for teenaged girls.

I wrote the whole first draft of Hybrid Magic while I was pregnant with my daughter. I like to think that she was my muse, sparking inspiration whenever I experienced writer’s block.

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Cristy L. Bowlin grew up in Ventura County, CA where she spent most of her free time ballet dancing and reading fantasy books. She got her BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in dance from the California Polytechnic State University. She then received her MA in English with a minor in gender and women’s studies from the University of Kentucky. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and cat in Southern California where she is a college English professor. Her debut YA fantasy novel The Temple Dancer’s Diary was published in July 2019, and her next book Hybrid Magic was just published in the summer of 2021.
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Death Southern Style
by Beverley Bateman
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
When Perrine Dupré dies under suspicious circumstances her daughter, Julie Ann Dupré, returns to New Orleans to find the truth about her mother’s death. She uncovers a family secret, hidden for years. Now someone is trying to kill her. Will the little dog who appears after her mother’s death help her? Is the sexy detective out to help her, or is he part of police corruption?
Detective Connor O’Reilly, a native of New Orleans, comes from a family of police. He’s an honest cop but realizes there is corruption in the division. His father may have died as part of that corruption. He meets Julie Ann, checks out her mother’s death and finds it was badly handled. Julie Ann deserves the truth and he wants to find it for her.
Julie Ann and Connor work together to unravel the real reason behind Perrine Dupré’s murder, Julie Ann’s mysterious past, and why people want her dead, while developing their challenging relationship. Can they both survive? And can their relationship survive?
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What are your top 10 favorite books/authors? 

JD Robb, Loreth Ann White, B.J. Daniels. Roxanne St. Claire, Karen Rose, Rick Mofino, Lisa Gardner, Joanne Pence, Terry Odell, and Angie Fox.

How long have you been writing? 

Forever.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? 

Some come as I write, and some develop and change as I write.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

 Depends on the book.

Do you see writing as a career? 

Yes

What do you think about the current publishing market? 

I think I’ll pass on this one. There have been many changes in publishing over the years. Some good, some not. It would take more than a few sentences to discuss this.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre? 

Yes. Romantic suspense, romance, and mysteries.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? 

With noise. I usually play music. Not sure why, I just write easier.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time? 

Usually one book at a time.

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose? 

Wow! There’s a few. I think I’ll go with One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Pen or typewriter or computer?

 Computer

Tell us about a favorite character from a book. 

I enjoy Savannah, the neighbor across the street, and old family friend born in New Orleans. She was close to Perrine. She’s comfortable, a believer in the paranormal and wants to protect Julie Ann. She also makes great creole food.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision? 

I’ve been writing my whole life. It’s not really a decision.

A day in the life of the author? 

For me, when I was working it was the same as anyone else who had a fulltime job but then you added a couple of hours writing at night before you went to bed.

What makes a good story? 

Great, relatable characters with goals and conflict a reader relates to, a compelling plot and great writing.

What are they currently reading? 

Quichotte by Salman Rushdie

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? What are common traps for aspiring writers? 

I’m more of a pantser. I come up with an idea for a plot. I think about it for a while and decide on characters. Then I sketch an outline – one or two lines per scene. Then I do my research and start writing.

What is your writing Kryptonite? 

Trying to make my characters do something that goes against their personality. It can stop my writing until I figure it out. Delete and start that section over again.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? 

Original. I like to write stories I find interesting and hopefully a reader will too.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex? 

Getting into their head and seeing the situation from their point of view, not from my point of view.

How long on average does it take you to write a book? 

It depends. Covid slowed me down, usually 6-8 months.

Do you believe in writer’s block? 

Yes

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Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada home of the World-Famous Calgary Stampede, I’ve moved from the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, closer to where I was born. I now live just south of Calgary in Medicine Hat, Alberta Lost the orchards and fruit but we have spectacular veggies here. I continue to write romantic suspense and medical thrillers in my new home. My background in nursing helps with the medical thrillers. I’ve written most of my life. I used to do those locked room plots many years ago. Now I spend my time plotting perfect murders and then helping my antagonist solve them. I strongly believe that good triumphs over evil and love conquers all. Please check out my books and if you’d like to leave a review – I thank you.
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Spectacle Stealing Supernatural
Jas Bond Book 2
by Gretchen S.B.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Magical break-ins abound…
The two nearby stores owned by supernaturals are broken into. The Fix ‘n’ Find, my store, is not. What I have instead are suspicious magical handprints on the front windows. Combine that with a weird set of glasses that let the wearer see every type of magic and we have a serious conundrum. Luckily, my ex-fiancé Violetta, is a powerful witch and willing to help me figure out what could possibly be going on.
Find out what some magical items and good old-fashioned spell work can uncover in the Spectacle Stealing Supernatural.
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Green Goo Goblin
Jas Bond Book 1
My life is one giant cycle of group deniability…
As a magic-less son of a witch owning a store full magical objects isn’t easy. But with my unhelpful rottweiler Bailey and a handful of supernatural staff, we’ve sold everything from elfin wedding china to a life-size dwarven statue we don’t like to talk about. Everything is going smoothly until a goblin customer starts coughing up a disgusting green goo. Little did I know as I watch that liquid spew from his mouth that his presence and that goo was going to send my life into a tailspin, leaving me in the crosshairs of a murder.
Check out the goblin and the goo he produces in Green Goo Goblin.
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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I have been writing and telling stories since I was very, very little. I didn’t think seriously about writing and publishing my stories until I was in college. But this was before the Kindle and all that, so I sent out query letters to agents and publishers and no one was interested in publishing my work. Then in 2013 a friend of mine, who published his book independently via Kindle publishing, told me about Kindle publishing and how easy it had been for him and after weeks and months of talking about this I finally published Lady of the Dead.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

Something quirky about me, oh man, one of the funnier ones is that I volunteered in different positions, at haunted houses for about 10 or 11 years in my late teens and early 20s. I love working at haunted houses. I was the casting director for a while and it was so much fun. I love it so much! It was such a large part of my life for those years. The quirky bit, the really funny part, is that one of the haunted houses the group I worked with was, is actually where I met my husband. It took 2 or 3 years before we started dating. When we started dating we spent that whole season dating in secret, which looking back, was pretty entertaining. I was the casting director and he was the pirate captain for the ghostly pirate ship.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Halloween loving, world creating, kook

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I first considered myself a writer around the time I was working on my fifth or sixth book. My first three books were across three different series and I had them mostly, if not all, written by the time I got around to publishing them. My fourth book I wrote from scratch and my fifth one I think had a few thousand words in it when I settled down to publish it. Once I published those two books I proved to myself that I wasn’t a one book wonder, could write across multiple genres: at that point I had paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and wholesome romance. I considered myself a writer because it wasn’t just books I already had finished that I was publishing. I was writing them expressly to publish them and I remember thinking that I wasn’t a writer when someone called me one and then one day after or during the fifth book that mentality changed. It was a really gradual process for me.

Do you have a favorite movie?

Oh man, I switch between the Saint with Val Kilmer, Ghostbusters one and two, Brotherhood of the Wolf which is a French film that takes place in 1700s rural France, and Bride and Prejudice which is a Bollywood/British hybrid of Pride and Prejudice. Those are my tried-and-true favorite movies and they jockey for first place depending on what mood I’m in.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

I think it’s a tie between the Jas Bond series, I think Jas would make a really good TV show. As well as the Anthony Hollownton series, a homicide detective who gets an un-Orthodox introduction, via a murderer, into the supernatural world. I could definitely see Tony being made into movies but I would be super excited if any of my books got made into TV shows or movies

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Gretchen spawned in the Puget Sound region. After some wandering she returned there and now lives with her husband and the daintiest Rottweiler on the planet. When not drowning herself in coffee, as is custom in the Greater Seattle Area, Gretchen can be found at her day job or sitting at her desk in the home office, flailing her arms as she dictates to her computer.
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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The Girl Who Was Forgotten
The Shee McQueen Series Book 2
by Amy Vasant
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
“If thrills, twists, turns, suspense, fast-paced books, and humor are your cup of tea, this series is for you!”
Action-adventure from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Amy Vansant – a novel packed with thrills, fun, romance and heartfelt family intrigue.
Life was supposed to start feeling like a permanent vacation.
After years on the run from a vengeful killer, Shee McQueen is home at her father’s beach hotel. The Loggerhead Inn doubles as a retreat for sunburned tourists and a haven for recovering ex-military — men and women who help right wrongs for people in need of their particular skills.
What could be more relaxing?
Unless…
…Shee’s estranged boyfriend — the only man she’s ever loved — has discovered her darkest secret and the reason she left him so many years ago…
…or her first job for her father has ended in a double homicide…
…or that her very presence is driving the hotel’s regulars to prove their worth by starting dangerous covert missions of their own…
Wait. It couldn’t be a botched kidnapping is started looking more like the work of a deranged serial killer?
Hm.
Maybe hold the tanning lotion.
This might take a minute.
The Girl Who Was Forgotten is the second explosive mystery-thriller in the Shee McQueen series, but can be read as a standalone. While the book has all the pulse-pounding action of a thriller, language, romance and violence is rated PG.
The unique female lead’s funny, irreverent and all-too-human asides will have you rooting for her — and her whole pack of wild, wonderful misfit friends — until the breathless end.
Fans of Harlan Coban, Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, Sue Grafton, Kathy Reichs and Janet Evanovich will love this exhilarating page-turner.
Readers love Amy Vansant & Shee McQueen:
Great book. I could not put it down until finished with THE END. Highly recommended!” – Amazon Reader ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I find it hard to express how much this book affected me, not only the story line, but the mastery of the writing itself.” – Amazon Reader ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Well written and a certain must-read for any thriller/suspense lover. I can hardly wait for the next book. Amy Vansant nailed it!” – Amazon Reader ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This book was absolutely spellbinding. As a fan of Vansant, I pre-order and read everything she writes.” – Goodreads Reader ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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**On Sale Now! Only $2.99 for June!!**
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The Girl Who Wants
The Shee McQueen Series Book 1
NEW SERIES! A wildly entertaining, wholly unique tour de force of action, psychological drama and wit from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Amy Vansant.
Shee wants a home.
Shee McQueen grew up skip tracing and hunting military criminals with her father, Mick, until someone put a bounty on her head, forcing her underground. Resurfacing years later, she returns to her family’s hotel in Jupiter Beach, FL, to find Mick in a coma, shot in the head by an unknown sniper.
Shee wants answers.
The Loggerhead Inn has everything Shee could want in a beach hotel—sea turtle wall art, a tiny Yorkshire terrier mascot who thinks she’s a pit bull, and her father’s staff of deadly, damaged military veterans, looking to redeem their troubled souls by helping others. Not to mention— Hold on…
How did Mason Connelly, the SEAL she fell for decades ago, just appear in the lobby? Why did he have to show up now demanding answers to secrets long buried?
Shee wants it all back.
But someone wants her dead.
From the moment Shee McQueen appears, The Girl Who Wants straps the reader into a twisting roller coaster ride of heart-stopping action, snappy dialog and intrigue. Shee’s quest to recover the life and loves she’s lost brings a depth of emotion rare in such a page-turning suspense. The unique female lead’s funny, irreverent and all-too-human asides will have you rooting for her — and her whole pack of wild, wonderful misfit friends — until the breathless end.
Fans of Liane Moriarty, Carl Hiaasen, Donald E. Westlake, Janet Evanovich and John Grisham (without so many lawyers!) will love this exhilarating page-turner.
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**Get it FREE June 4, 5, 8, 9, 15, 22 & 30!!!**
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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

When I was very little I wrote Winnie-the-Pooh — complete with original drawings. I didn’t know much about copyright infringement then. But I’ve been writing since I could. I was East Coast Editor of Surfer Magazine and freelanced… then I quit for a while because it was easier to buy food working at my web development firm at the beginning of the Internet, but I came back! (About three years too late to really enjoy the beginning of Indie publishing. Grr!)

What is something unique/quirky about you?

Like my character Shee McQueen, I see the days of the week in colors and calendars as shapes in my head. Doesn’t do much for me but I was surprised to find out others don’t see it that way!

Where were you born/grew up at?

I grew up in Sea Isle City NJ, a tiny beach town a little north of Cape May. Graduating eight grade class of 12!

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

All of them. PLEASE?? 😊

What inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write a new series that was a little more intense than my more “cozy” Pineapple Port mysteries and took place in Jupiter, Florida, where I recently moved.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

I often have my readers pick names for me by running giveaways on my site at https://AmyVansant.com – or I just Google baby names.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

Shee McQueen had her whole life interrupted by a man out to kill her. Now that she’s back on track and free to live again, she feels a little lost — unsure how to proceed with her life. The fact that her young love has come back into her life only complicates things — she can’t just start fresh because she also desperately wants to get back all the things she lost.

Who designed your book covers?

Lance Buckley https://www.lancebuckley.com/  Gorgeous, aren’t they? He did a GREAT job! The photo on the cover of The Girl Who Was Forgotten I took down at the end of my street!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I just released it. Please don’t even say that out loud!

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?

I’m always learning little bits and facts as I research my books. Most of it horrific. Never look at my browser history. If Dateline ever got hold of that…

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

Sandra Bullock. She definitely has that tough, smart and yet likable and silly thing working for her!

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

There is a passionate scene of longing and regret between Shee and her leading man, Mason. I tear up when I read it!

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

My husband is a little piece of all the leading men. Mariska in the Pineapple Port series is my mother-in-law. Seamus in that series is loosely my brother-in-law… there’s no end to the people whose lives I’ve stolen…

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story? 

They tell me what to write. I just type.

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

The Shee McQueen series is the perfect blend of thrills, action, mystery, humor and romance. I can’t seem to ever write in one genre! Thrillers with a sense of humor are my favorite, so I decided I’d write one.

Is there an writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

I started AuthorsXP.com, a website for readers and authors, and through that I’ve gotten to meet and befriend a lot of great authors. I pick their brains all the time!

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

None. Often I start a book with no idea where it is going. Mostly, I think of great scenes and then figure out how they all stitch together. The plot comes to me in the process and changes 1000 times.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

Silence. I’m easily distracted.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

Usually one, but once or twice I’ve gotten stuck and wrote a few scenes for another in the meantime.

Pen or type writer or computer?

Someone writes with a pen??

Advice they would give new authors?

Keep writing. The only thing wrong you can do is to give up. The more you do it, the better you get, whether you mean to or not!

Describe your writing style.

Fun, fast and creative. I like making up unusual metaphors and similes that make people laugh or snort.

What makes a good story?

Make sure something is always happening. Don’t take whole chapters just to move people from one place to the other without any action or secrets!

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Not listening to feedback. You can’t listen to everything but if the same feedback keeps coming, chances are it is true.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

About two months.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

No, but it occasionally believes in me…

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USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Amy Vansant has written over 20 books, including the fun, thrilling Shee McQueen series, the rollicking, twisty Pineapple Port Mysteries, and the action-packed Kilty urban fantasies. Throw in a couple romances and a YA fantasy for her nieces… Amy specializes in fun, exciting reads with plenty of laughs and action — she tried to write serious books, but they always ended up full of jokes, so she gave up.
Amy lives in Jupiter, Florida with her muse/husband a goony Bordoodle named Archer.
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Green Goo Goblin
Jas Bond Book 1
by Gretchen S.B.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My life is one giant cycle of group deniability…
As a magic-less son of a witch owning a store full magical objects isn’t easy. But with my unhelpful rottweiler Bailey and a handful of supernatural staff, we’ve sold everything from elfin wedding china to a life-size dwarven statue we don’t like to talk about. Everything is going smoothly until a goblin customer starts coughing up a disgusting green goo. Little did I know as I watch that liquid spew from his mouth that his presence and that goo was going to send my life into a tailspin, leaving me in the crosshairs of a murder.
Check out the goblin and the goo he produces in Green Goo Goblin.
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How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was in early elementary school. We wrote stories and then drew pictures with them. My stories were moderately creative for that age. The older I got when I got writing assignments the more creative and outlandish they got. But when I was younger I wanted to be an actress so that was more my creative outlet in writing which meant that my storytelling was more just that, storytelling and not being written down. I didn’t start writing down my stories until I was a teenager and even then it was just bits and pieces I would occasionally work on but since I was writing by hand I was constantly losing them. Once I had my own laptop for college I was taking writing more seriously because I saw how many ideas I had that I just yearned to write down. Wanting to publish was a dream but at that point it wasn’t really available to me and then in October 2013 I published my first book and I have never looked back.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

My characters definitely come to me as I write them. Every once in a while a world will occur to me first and then I will backtrack and see what sort of characters could live in that world. But usually there is one character and I want to see how they react in a given situation. Sometimes there will be two. By the time I start world building and creating the story more characters will pop up as I’m writing. I usually don’t have a solid idea of the entire cast of characters until I’m at least partway into either the first book in the series or partway into that one single solitary book if it’s a standalone.

The one exception is the clean romances where it’s just one set of main characters male and female. Those I tend to know from the get go even if I don’t have a more fleshed out idea of what they’re like. Secondary characters are more fleshed out, like with my Lantern Lake series which takes place in a small town. With a small town romance characters who might be the main character in one book will show up as reoccurring side characters in others.

Do you see writing as a career?

I think writing is a perfectly possible career choice. But it is very hard to break into. I currently have a day job that pays all of my bills and writing is a, I don’t want to call it a side hustle, but it’s something very similar. If I could be a full-time writer and make that my career I would be over the moon. I just keep working at it and working at it and hopefully someday I will be able to reach that goal.

What do you think about the current publishing market?

I think the current publishing market is a fascinating place. When I started it was easier to get people to read your books. There weren’t as many books at the end of 2013 as there are now. There are now more than, I think last I saw, 10 million titles on Amazon which is insane and that’s just the e-books I believe. It’s become much harder to find readers and so you have to be savvy about your marketing, which I definitely am not. It’s a fascinating place to be and there are so many of us so there are more likely to be people that you can connect with however there are so many of us and the network is so vast you can’t always find them really easily. So overall it’s a really interesting place but it is definitely saturated and you just have to be more strategic then you did in even 2016 when it comes to how you place your book and how you market.

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

I love to read, though now that I am working so hard on being an author I do not get to read as much as I want. Since covid started I do eat through audiobooks a lot faster. It used to be that I would just listen to them on my commute, my commute into work is about 70 minutes each way so I would listen to audiobooks or music to and from work on the bus. And that’s my main way of consuming literature. I read across the same genres that I write. There’s a lot of paranormal thrillers, urban fantasy, paranormal romances, some clean and wholesome romances. The one genre I would love to break into that I haven’t yet that I read his cozy mysteries. I love cozy mysteries especially paranormal cozy mysteries and my goal is to one day write in that genre as well.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

It varies for me. If I am actually writing like fingers to the keyboard I need music in the background to distract my mind, I guess is the best way to put it. It can’t have a lot of words so it can’t be an audiobook. It has to be music and nothing that’s incredibly catchy so that I want to sing along because than I get distracted and I’m not writing. If I’m dictating it’s harder to have music going because sometimes the mic will pick up the lyrics from the song or get confused and then that gets into the dictation which can be funny but also a little frustrating. So if I’m dictating it tends to be in silence if I’m writing I will have music going and I tend to have that music match the genre that I’m writing. I’ll listen to darker music or something like death metal if I’m writing more of the urban fantasies. If I’m writing the clean romances it’s more upbeat music usually from the mid to late 90s and 2000s so I’ve definitely built myself environmental niches depending on what I’m working on.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

I do not write one book at a time. I’m getting better about it but distraction is a big thing for me. I struggle to write one series at a time so writing Jas Bond has been an interesting development for me because I have gotten through 3 ½ books and I mainly concentrating on that series. It’s been interesting to be just focused on one series as normally I will be world building in one book, writing another, and editing in a third. I don’t consistently stay in one world which is probably bad but I’m hoping to pick up better habits as I go.

Advice they would give new authors?

Go at your own pace. Writers do this whole thing drastically different from person to person. If people tell you how they world build or how they write, try it, see if it works for you. If it doesn’t don’t get discouraged or feel embarrassed. We are all different in how we do this. Stevie and I talk about this on our podcast Exceptionally Average Authors Explain it All. Almost every step of writing is done differently and it’s all about finding what works best for you. If you need to be in a crowded café to write the pandemic probably isn’t the best time for you but you know that’s how you have to do it. If you have to be at home in a specific chair with specific lighting and specific candles burning than do it. If you have to edit as you go or you have to plot ahead of time or you have to write on the fly. Don’t be afraid to try new methods but definitely don’t get frustrated if other people’s methods don’t work for you. Also work on sustainability for you. If you’re going to write just one book awesome good for you but if you’re planning to write a bunch find a plan that is sustainable for you. Don’t try to rapid release if it takes you longer to write. Either wait until you have finished writing all of it or maybe piece your releases out farther apart so that you’re not stressing yourself in writing too fast. Find what works best for you and do it. That’s the best advice I can give is due this crazy thing in a way that works for you.

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I used to be strictly a fly by the seat of my pants kind of writer. It wasn’t until I was maybe a dozen books in that I started to incorporate outlining in a meaningful way. I don’t outline in the traditional sense. I might know the major plot points or beats to the story and I pants my way to each plot point. What I tend to do is just start the story until I hit a point where I’m not sure what comes next and then I will do a paragraph outline about what the next steps are the character needs to take or what steps are further down the road. Which gives me a better idea on how to get there. So I still pants the beginning of books but once I’ve started them and have a feel for them I then do an outline of sorts for the rest of the book so I guess I’m a combination writer.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Ideas, I get ideas in my sleep, I get ideas from reading stories, watching TV, or just from doing something in my day-to-day life. When I get a new idea if it’s even somewhat sound I want to write it down and I want to work on it and I want to flesh it out and I struggle with being that easily distracted and producing the books I need to do. You can see this pretty evidently from the fact that only one of the four series I have been working on is complete. My Night World Series has 20 some odd books planned but only five are out. Because I don’t work on the stories back to back and skip all over the place because I get a new idea that I want to work on I don’t release things as fast or as consistently as I should and that is definitely my kryptonite. I get really excited about new ideas and that I want to play with them.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Finish one series before publishing. Or at least write consistently in one series before publishing a new one. I published the first book in my Night World Series first, then the first in my Berman’s Wolves series, then the first book in my Hollownton series before going back and doing book 2 in the Night World Series. I thought at the time that it would be great because I was writing across several fantasy subgenres but in actuality, I was confusing my audience because they wanted the next book in that series and then had to wait years. And then once I had started doing that I felt I had to continue writing one book in each series at a time which meant that there were 2 to 3 years between books and I would definitely tell younger me to knock that off and just work on one at a time.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the length and how busy I am at my day job. I finished my book Lady of the Dead in seven months, the first Jas Bond book, which is much shorter, took me nine days. Then there’s my second Berman’s Wolves book, which took me almost a year and ½ to complete. It varies on how long it is and my interest on what I feel like writing. Because once you started a series you have to finish it in my opinion and when you want to write something else it makes it harder to maintain what you should be working on. So it definitely takes me a while to finish my books because I get so easily distracted and because I have a day job with a long commute so I can’t spend as much time writing as I would like.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Oh heck yes! Writer’s block was not a big deal for me until I hit my second Berman’s wolves book. By the time I got around to writing the second book I had kind of lost the thread on the series. When I originally wrote the first one I didn’t know how many books it was or where it was going. By the time I got to the second one I was struggling with what I had originally wanted the series to be. It was also hard to write in that world coming back so many years after writing the first one. I’d written the first one in 2007 and I think I wrote the second one in 2015. So there was a very large gap and it was very difficult to come back to that and to figure out where the book was going. Writer’s block hit me really hard for the first time with that story which is why it took me about a year and ½ to finish it.

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Gretchen spawned in the Puget Sound region. After some wandering she returned there and now lives with her husband and the daintiest Rottweiler on the planet. When not drowning herself in coffee, as is custom in the Greater Seattle Area, Gretchen can be found at her day job or sitting at her desk in the home office, flailing her arms as she dictates to her computer.
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Brain Storm
The Taylor Morrison Psychic Thrillers Book 1
by Cat Gilbert
Genre: Psychic Suspense, Thriller
One Woman:
Taylor Morrison – a private investigator who is suddenly gifted with a psychic ability.
Three Men:
One who has secretly watched her for years – guarding over her as he waits for her gift to emerge.
One who offers her protection, safety and hope, but at a cost she is not prepared to pay.
One who will do anything to control her and the power she now possesses.
As Taylor’s once ordered world erupts into violence and chaos, she is forced to go on the run, fighting to protect the people she loves, even as she struggles to control the power she doesn’t understand…
Brain Storm is the first book in the Taylor Morrison psychic suspense thriller series. If you crave clean, fast-paced action — full of twists and turns, believable characters, and loads of suspense — then you’ll love this first installment of Cat Gilbert’s page-turning series.
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**Get it FREE!! **
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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?  

 

I was born… No, I won’t do that to you. I’ll sum up, instead. I grew up in Colorado. Met my husband in high school and proceeded to move all over the world. In the course of our long, long, marriage we’ve managed to move over 35 times, living all over the United States as well as Singapore, China and Canada before finally settling down in Arkansas — our favorite place of all.

 

It was while living in China that I finally slowed down enough to start writing some of the stories that were floating around in my head. A large part of Brain Storm was written in our apartment in Suzhou, a city located a few hours outside of Shanghai. And Starbucks. There was a Starbucks nearby and I spent quite a bit of time there, nursing a latte made by Killer or Three (the names of the Baristas) while I wrote Taylor’s story at my make-shift desk near the window.

 

When we returned home to the States, Brain Storm was nearly finished and I’d caught the writing bug. The first book took me a couple of years to complete. Now I can write a book in a few months if life doesn’t get in the way. It has a way of doing that. Cooking, cleaning, laundry…

 

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination? 

 

 It’s a combination of both. Some characters I make up, but there are others have a basis in real life. Alex Connors, for instance, is based on my grandfather. A small man of Irish descent, the two men share a number of traits and characteristics. Connors — as Taylor calls him — is a man that she takes an instant liking to and she seeks out his advice and companionship on a regular basis.

 

Taylor herself is somewhat a reflection on some of my quirks… She’s addicted to lattes, does a lot of her thinking in the shower and has little to no tolerance for liars. She’s also morally conflicted. With her abilities, she can do things that no one else can, so she worries about losing control and crossing the line. I think given the circumstances Taylor finds herself in we all would be torn at times — but just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. With great power comes great responsibility. It’s something that keeps her awake at night, and has me pausing over the keyboard asking myself if I did this, could I look at myself in the mirror? Would this compromise my principals and beliefs? It’s a fine line to walk, but Taylor tries her best.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Brain Storm? 

 

Oh, the characters! There are some great ones in the series, and they are pretty well defined. Unlike the majority of thrillers out there, there are relationships here. You get to know and love Taylor’s “crew”.

 

There’s her best friend Trinity — the pitbull lawyer that is loyal and fierce. Mama D is Trinity’s grandmother. The one that holds them together and who Taylor seeks out when she needs some tender loving care. We have Jonas, the police detective that ends up on the run with Taylor, and Mac — the man who has been secretly watching her for years — waiting for her powers to emerge. Then there’s Lars. Ah, Lars. A quiet but deadly giant of a man who irritates Taylor beyond belief. He’s determined to protect her in spite of herself, which makes for some rather interesting and amusing situations.

 

There are others as well and I try to make sure they all stay in character — acting and  reacting the way you think they would. Each one fills a space in Taylor’s life, and she wouldn’t trade them for anything. In fact, protecting them is the reason she does what she does. She loves them as much as fans of the series do!

 

How did you come up with the concept for the book?

 

I’ve always been fascinated with how the mind works and  I love action, suspense and thrills in the books I read, so combining the two things seemed — pardon the pun — a no brainer. At least for me.

 

The bad news is that the books are cross-over genres. They don’t have vampires, demons or werewolves so they aren’t really considered paranormal, but they have a psychic element so they aren’t traditional thrillers either. They’re a combination of both.

 

The good news is that they’re different. My readers love the psychic twist in both of the series. I think it’s something we’ve all been through. Whether it’s sensing something is about to happen, or that feeling of dè já vu, most of us have experienced a time when we ask ourselves did that just happen? That’s what makes it fun. What happens to Taylor, could happen to us…

 

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

 

My favorite part is that Taylor evolves —  not just in Brain Storm, but throughout the series. In the beginning when her abilities emerge, she’s thrown off her game, struggling to find her balance, but she learns. In the latest book in the series, she’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s come into her own and through it all, she manages to hold to her values and moral code. It’s a hard journey, but she’s gotten there. Now we’ll see what she can do with it.

 

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

 

I still don’t consider myself a writer. I’m a storyteller. I’ve always been a storyteller. I just put it down on paper now.

 

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? 

 

I have a beginning and an end. I know what the story is about and how it starts, but other than that I let the characters weave their own tale. I’m very strict about details — the story has to make sense; questions have to be answered; characters have to react as you or I would. I find an outline tends to restrict that process. The result is often surprising, even to me. Sometimes  the book is nothing like I thought it would be, but I don’t change it. I don’t re-think what the characters do. I don’t do drafts and re-writes. What I write the first time is what goes to press. It’s scary, but it works for me.

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

 

Hopefully, a little of both! The books are different — containing a psychic element in a genre that usually doesn’t have that, but it works.

 

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

 

That’s a great question! And yes — some of the main characters even showed up unexpectedly.  Two fun ones made their appearance in the series a couple of books ago and I brought them into Taylor’s crew in the latest book. They’re a great addition and already have their own fan base.

 

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

 

Quite a bit. I try to make sure things work the way they’re supposed to and that it all makes sense. I pick out locations, study maps, try out different things so see what might actually work and what doesn’t. The books all have a psychic twist, so I try to make sure the rest of the story is as accurate as possible. If no one ever runs out of ammo, or takes a wrong turn, it lowers the ‘believability’ factor.

 

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

 

I think it’s that they’re human. They’re like you and me. Normal everyday people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. They react like we would. Have the same fears, needs and wants. The same daily issues to deal with. Life doesn’t stop in a crisis. It just gets more complicated.

 

Each of the characters has their own weaknesses and quirks, along with their own unique strengths. Together, as friends, they are a formidable force. They love and care for each other. They also argue, tease and annoy. In other words — they’re us.

 

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

 

I write in silence. Once I start writing, I’m oblivious to everything else. I hear nothing. I see nothing. Not even my alarms to get up and move away from the keyboard. I know a lot of authors write to a song, but I don’t. No sense wasting perfectly good music. That’s for after the writing is done…

 

What can we expect from you in the future?

 

More books. More adventures. Taylor has wrongs to right, and Molly has just begun solving her mysteries  — so there are plenty more books to come.

 

Where did you come up with the names in the story?

 

If my readers see this question, they’re going to die laughing, because they know how I labor over naming the characters. The names have to be perfect and I have a terrible time picking them. The worst part is that I can’t write until I have the name — because the name is everything. For instance: The Molly McMurray Mysteries all came about because of the name.

 

A fan of Taylor’s wrote me an email excited about the books and her name was Molly McMurray. I instantly fell in love with it. I asked her if she minded if I used it for a character and she said it was mine! Suddenly there was this whole little person, with a personality and a perky attitude and a psychic twist all her own and the new series was born. I wish finding names were always that easy…

 

How long have you been writing?

 

Only about ten years. I got a late start. Don’t get me wrong —  I’ve always told stories. I made up tales for our daughter and one of my favorite pastimes was making up stories about people we passed at the mall or in the park. I wrote stories, but they were in the form of letters back when we put pen to paper instead of fingers to keyboards. Everyone told me I should be writing books, but there never seemed to be time. Then we moved to China and suddenly, there was nothing but time. I wrote most of Brain Storm there, but when we returned to the States, I went back to my old ways. Having spare time to write was thing of the past and the book sat on my computer, unfinished. But the need to write had been sparked and I discovered that if I wanted to write, I had to make the time. So I did. It’s like everything else in life — you make time for the things that are important to you and writing had become important. I only wish I had learned that lesson sooner.

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The Third Option
The Taylor Morrison Psychic Thrillers Book 2
Desperate. Deadly. Dangerous.
Injured and hunted, Taylor is forced to form an uneasy alliance with KOR, a clandestine group of “patriots,” in the hope of protecting the people she cares about. She soon discovers all is not as it seems as she is thrown into a world of secrets, spies, and betrayal within the organization, even as Vice President Armstrong sets a trap for her, with bait he knows she cannot resist.
Not knowing whom to trust or how to evade Armstrong, she must push her telekinetic ability further than ever before, as she fights to survive the consequences of choosing…The Third Option
The Third Option is the second book in the Taylor Morrison psychic suspense thriller series. If you like fast paced action, unexpected twists and turns, believable characters, and loads of suspense then you’ll love Cat Gilbert’s thrilling paranormal series.
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Blacker Than Sin
The Taylor Morrison Psychic Thrillers Book 3
He’s taken the girl she’d sworn to protect.
She’s been gifted with an incredible power she didn’t want.
Until now…
Psychically gifted Taylor Morrison saves children. But she didn’t save this one. Unaware that Abby, a gifted twelve-year-old girl, was still alive, Taylor executed a daring rescue of the children that Vice-President Armstrong had taken, only to learn that she has left Abby behind and at the mercy of one of the most evil men she has ever known.
Jeremy, Armstrong’s right-hand man and Taylor’s mortal enemy, has Abby and is using her psychic ability to trap Taylor, a prize he’d give anything to collect. Even if it means killing Abby to do it.
Desperate and haunted by guilt, Taylor is forced to embrace her powers as she attempts to turn the tables on Jeremy and rescue Abby before it’s too late. Will Taylor succeed in keeping one step ahead of him in this deadly game of cat and mouse?
The hunter becomes the hunted in the action-packed thriller Blacker Than Sin, book 3 of the Taylor Morrison Series by Cat Gilbert.
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Gone
The Taylor Morrison Psychic Thrillers Book 4
She thought it was over, but she was wrong. The nightmare had only just begun…
The unthinkable has happened. The very people Private Investigator Taylor Morrison has fought to protect are suddenly gone. Vanished, without a trace.
Refusing to believe that her friends are lost forever, Taylor launches a desperate mission to find them, discovering that not only has she been betrayed by one of her own, but that an enemy she thought vanquished is searching for them too.
Caught in a web of lies, deception, and danger, Taylor must draw on all her psychic abilities, resources, and cunning as she races to find them before it’s too late…
Get your copy today and join the adventure in Gone, book 4 of the gripping Taylor Morrison Psychic Thriller Series.
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The Sword
The Taylor Morrison Psychic Thrillers Book 5
She’s embraced her power. Accepted her destiny. Now, she’s a force to be reckoned with.
PI Taylor Morrison has been gifted with an incredible power. Known on the streets and in back alleys as The Sword of Justice, she wields her unique ability to help others — protecting the innocent and defending the weak. But that is all about to come to an end.
Taylor’s base of operations has been discovered by Jeremy — the man who has been seeking to destroy her and all those she cares about.
In a desperate attempt to end the war between them once and for all, Taylor takes the battle to D.C., praying she can stop him before he succeeds in his deadly vendetta…
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**Get the box set of books 2-4 for a discounted bundle price! **
The Taylor Morrison Psychic Thriller Box Set
Books 2-4
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I’m Cat Gilbert, and I write the Taylor Morrison Psychic Thrillers and the Molly McMurray Mysteries. In both series I try to give you, the reader, that experience. Characters you can connect with, a gripping plot chock full of action, danger, and enough twists and turns that even I have a hard time keeping up.
The The Taylor Morrison series centers around Taylor Morrison, a private investigator whose life is turned upside down when she suddenly develops psychic abilities. We’re not talking X-Men, comic book, mutant type stuff here. Instead, this is the kind of thing you’ve always wondered about. Or at least I have. The idea that maybe we aren’t utilizing our brains to their fullest. That maybe if we tried hard enough, we could do stuff and if we could, what sort of ramifications that would have.
The Molly McMurray Mysteries is a new series. The main character is, of course, Molly McMurray. There’s a psychic ‘twist’ to this series as well, and his name is Kaegan. Who he is, and the role he plays, I’ll leave to you to discover.
Having moved over 32 times, Cat Gilbert now makes her home in Arkansas with her husband and their dog, Clancy. When she’s not writing, she spends her time trying to figure out a way to keep the deer from eating her blackberries and fig trees, experimenting with new Paleo recipes, and attempting to convince Clancy that playtime has to wait until she finishes the chapter.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

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I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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The Beast Within
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by Nina Soden
Genre: Interactive Urban Fantasy
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Austin discovered, at the young age of ten, that fairies aren’t exactly what the fairytales made them out to be and that blood tastes a lot like honey. Now, as an adult, he struggles to balance his public life with the one he’s so desperate to keep hidden. After a deadly camping trip and an unexpected connection, Austin tries to change his ways. Will he be able to keep his secret or will his world come undone? In this exciting interactive adventure, the body count is up to you. Are you ready?
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**Only 99 cents!**
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Interview with Author Nina Soden
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  • If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be and what would you do during the day?
  • I would probably pick Kim. She is this down-to-earth clothing designer who just likes to enjoy life. I would probably go to the beach during the day and then hit the bar in the evening.
  • How did you come up with the name of your book?
  • The Beast Within is actually the name of an article or story that one of the characters is writing. There is a serial killer loose, and Sophie is a journalist… or wants to be. She is working on a story about the killer.
  • What is your favorite part of this book and why?
  • There are two things, first is the structure. It is an interactive novel, which means the reader has to engage in the story other than just reading. I love the idea of bringing the reader into the story and giving them a purpose. The second thing is the inner struggle the main character, Austin, is going through. I can’t really explain because I don’t want to give to much away, but his desperation for survival and his humanity don’t always agree.
  • Tell us about your main character, Austin, what makes him tick?
  • That is simple, blood. Austin is a fey who survives off of animal and human blood.
  • Is there anything specific you want to tell your readers?
  • Thank you. As an author, readers are everything. I appreciate all of my readers, whether they read all of my books or just one. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I hope you enjoy THE BEAST WITHIN as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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Nina has always been creative, be it art, theatre, film – anything but singing – you don’t want to hear that! She earned her bachelor’s degree in Theatre and Military Science from Eastern Michigan University where she spent most of her time either on stage, rappelling down buildings, or working one of three jobs. After college she moved to Los Angeles, like so many other actors, in pursuit of her dreams. Nina started writing short stories in 2008. Since then, her dreams have gotten bigger and she likes to think her storytelling ability has gotten better. She has done everything from secretarial work to business development to being the Director of a private preschool. She has fired a M16 machine gun, jumped out of a C130 aircraft, and given birth – TWICE – but she always returns to her art.
She has two completed series available; The Blood Angel Series (Awaken, Beginnings, Revenge, and Pursuit) and the SECTOR C Series (The Chosen, The Hunted, and The Bridge). Her latest novel, an interactive urban fantasy novel, The Beast Within, is a standalone story with eleven (11) possible endings and twenty-six (26) opportunities for the reader to try and change the story. The Beast Within is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and will be available for purchase on March 1, 2021.
Though she’ll forever be a Michigan girl at heart, she now lives in the south with her husband and two beautiful children. If she’s not working on her latest story, you can find her lounging with a good book, playing with her kids, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to Starbucks coffee.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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Mischief banner

Title: MISCHIEF & MAYHEM
by L.E. Rico
Pub. Date: July 9, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss)
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 315
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonB&NiBooksKobo

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Synopsis

Welcome to Mayhem, Minnesota, home of the Knitty Kitty, The Little Slice of Heaven Pie Shop, and O’Halloran’s Pub—owned by the four young women known as The Whiskey Sisters.

In the wake of her divorce, Jameson O’Halloran has gone man-vegan. And this is one diet she’s determined to stick with. Even when her long-lost ex-brother-in-law shows up looking like two scoops of double dutch dipped in chocolate… She’s not giving in. Been there and still wearing the messy T-shirt.

It’s been a decade since Scott Clarke left his family and his hometown, never to return. But when tragedy strikes, he finds himself dragged back to the land of gossip, judgment, and the one woman he absolutely, positively, without a doubt can never have. His brother’s ex is off-limits. He just needs to keep repeating that to himself until it sinks in.

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Check out the excerpt:

The shelf is a little too high for my short self, and I’m only able to brush the dishes with my fingertips.
“Oh, here, let me help you with that…”
Before I can object, he’s standing behind me, reaching over me to get the dishes. For a brief second, his front is pressed against my back. His broad, muscled, perfectly sculpted front. I feel a wave of unwelcome warmth beginning under my collar and creeping up my neck.
“Thanks…” I murmur awkwardly, keeping my back to him for a moment longer in an attempt to quash my blush.
“Okay. I’m just going to grab a shower before my brother gets here, if you don’t mind.”
“Nope. Not at all,” I say quickly. “You go right ahead.”
Once he disappears around the corner, I silently smack my palm to my forehead.
What was that, Jameson? Why the blush? He’s just your ex-husband’s brother, that’s all. This is insane. I’ve got to stop this childish behavior. No. More. Men. Remember? No thinking about men. No looking at men. No fantasizing about men.
Especially not that man!
I’m still shaking my head and silently berating myself when I hear him behind me.
“Hey, Jameson, do you happen to know if my dad keeps an extra toothbrush around? I dropped mine in the toilet and…”
I don’t hear the end of his sentence because, when I turn to face him, I suddenly can’t hear anything. I’m too entranced by the sight of him wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.
Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap… I am in so much trouble here. No men. No men. No men… I repeat the mantra over and over again in my head, but clearly the rest of my body isn’t getting the memo.

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Enjoy the Q&A With L.E. Rico

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How did you pick Minnesota to be the location of the Story?
L.E. (Lauren): My primary career is as a classical music radio DJ and when I was in my late twenties, I had the chance to work for a nationally syndicated service called Classical24—which happened to be based in St. Paul, MN. Even though I’d lived all over the east coast, I knew the Midwest was a whole other world, so I was pretty scared when I got there. But the Minnesotans welcomed me with open arms and helped me weather (pun totally intended) my first winters, buying and maintaining my first house and my ongoing struggle with depression. I had friends almost immediately and was totally enamored of the quirky, cool community around me. The polka mass at the local Catholic church, the obsession with hotdish, and the state fair—where everything is on a stick and Princess Kay of the Milky Way reigns supreme, were some of my favorites. Honestly, had I not met my husband and moved back to New York, I’d probably still be there now!

Was it always your intention with this book to do it about a sister and then two brothers?
L.E. (Lauren): Yes. We first see Jameson in book one, Blame it on the Bet and it’s clear that her marriage to Win is in trouble. Knowing that her book would be next, I was already concocting scenarios for her to find love after divorce and by having someone who’s been away for so long, I was able to use him to reintroduce the readers —who may or may not have read Blame it on the Bet—to the whacky town of Mayhem and its quirky residents. Plus, I knew it would make Win craaaazy! And that’s always a bonus :^)

Was it always your idea to have different issues like stroke, adoption, working in foreign countries a part of the story or it just came as the story flowed?
L.E. (Lauren): It all came as the story unraveled under my fingers. My characters often tell me what their stories are, believe it or not! I start off with a very basic idea of who they are and then the events just kind of unfold.

Adoption played into this story. Was that something you researched or did you know someone who went through that?
L.E. (Lauren): I have two uncles who were adopted—the youngest of whom is two years younger than me. He and I grew up more like brother and sister and we’re still very, very close today. And, while I didn’t purposely set out to write a story about adoption, it was easy to paint that kind of attitude that we were raised with—family is family is family, blood or not. In the case of my elder uncle, my grandparents had to fight for him when, mid-adoption, a “white” family was interested in taking him (my grandparents are Latino). Those were totally different times—even though it was just in 1961—and it was a battle but they never backed down. So this idea that Big Win and Marjorie would do whatever they had to do to adopt that child and keep him—and his identity—safe wasn’t foreign to me.

Was the county fair always part of your original story?
L.E. (Lauren): Ohhhhhh yeah… I’ve never seen anything like the Minnesota State fair. The food is all deep-fried and on a stick, the rides are amazing, there are people walking around in bee costumes for the honey judging. And, of course, there’s Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her royal court— the inspiration for my Princess Mary of Midwestern Dairy. They really do make a butter bust of her! How could I NOT include that?! Although, I have to admit that the float catastrophe was all mine.

Do you have a process that you come up with when you are choosing names and personalities of your characters?
L.E. (Lauren): I’ve run through most of the guy names I like so I sometimes use a name generator for help with that. I’ve got a ton of girl names, though. Sometimes I consult a baby names book. The personalities just kind of unfold as I write. I had a good idea of who Jameson, Win and Big Win were based on Blame it on the Bet. Scott was a mystery to me—I had to figure out what it was about him that kept him from coming home and confronting his past for a full decade. Oh, and then there’s little Jackson…God help us all. He was the most fun of all! I’m at a loss for what I’ll do with him as he gets older in the upcoming books!

Do you use daily events sometimes as your inspirations?
L.E. (Lauren): Oh, sure, all the time! The character of Bryan, Hennessy’s boyfriend, is basically me when I first moved to Minnesota. I was the fish out of water—especially when it came to things like winter preparedness and regional foods like lutefisk (yuck!) and cheese curds (yum!). But more than events it’s people I know who inspire my characters. Janet Lahti, the pie-making mystic is actually an aunt of mine. She’s a bit of a psychic and has had some really spooky occurrences over the years. Julie Freddino, aka The Knitty Kitty, is a girlfriend of mine who took up knitting and gave me a pussyhat last year. It gave me the idea for her business and she picked out her own purple hair.

Did you always have big Win getting sick at the beginning in your draft?
L.E. (Lauren): Oh, yeah. In the absence of the late “Pops” O’Halloran, Big Win is the paternal figure here. So when his life is in serious jeopardy, it’s a crisis that sucks them all in—the sisters, Win Jr, Scott—even Jackson is effected by the fall of his “goppa.” So it’s a good thread to bring them all together in shared fear and stress and grief. And with his life on the line, it was an opportunity for me to explore the kind of man he’d been when he was younger—when Scott and Win came along. It was also a chance to really see his incredible strength and the love that comes with that.

Was that scene considered the hook to the story?
L.E. (Lauren): I’m big on starting things right smack in the middle so that the reader is immediately thrown into the deep end. And that image of Big Win on the floor with Jameson giving him CPR and little Jackson wailing in the background—well, it doesn’t get a whole lot more high-stakes than that.

When you began to write this book did you know it was going to be a romance and a mystery?
L.E. (Lauren): Bringing Scott home was easy—his father’s health crisis put him in an impossible position. He had to come back. But that begs the question—if he’s such a great guy, why did he leave in the first place? So, yeah, it was kind of a mystery for me as well while I sorted out what kind of demons might make someone run away from their family—from their life—for a decade.

When do you know that the time in the story calls for humor, like the float scene at the fair?
L.E. (Lauren): Honestly, I didn’t even know I was funny until the reviews came in for book number one—Blame it on the Bet. So it was pretty scary approaching Mischief and Mayhem thinking I HAD to be funny. But I found my way. There were a couple of early drafts that were just way too dark and my editor helped me find my way back to a more lighthearted, funnier place—like Princess Mary showing up at the pub and the iguana on the plane. Of course, there’s always going to be something around the Knitty Kitty. But, yeah, that float scene—it was totally organic and it STILL cracks me up!

If your book was made into a movie who would you have play…
L.E. (Lauren): Yikes! This is always tough for me…

Jameson: Rose Leslie

Scott: Theo James

Win Jr.:  Alex Pettyfer

Win Sr.:  Treat Williams

What song or songs best describes your couple or book as a whole?
L.E. (Lauren): It’s the theme song from the prologue through to the epilogue—with a generation in between:

“Make You Feel My Love” – Garth Brooks

“Make You Feel My Love” – Adele

What is your next project and when is due out?
L.E. (Lauren): I’ve just released a new, non-Whiskey novel, Counterpoint about two concert pianists who bond over a tragic past, a dismal future, and their love for one another.
2019 will also see books for the remaining two sisters, Walker and Bailey.

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lauren

About L.E:
Award-Winning author Lauren Rico also happens to be  one of the top classical music broadcasters in the country. Her voice is heard nationally on SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall channel, as well as on radio stations in New York City, Charlotte, and Tampa. She’s even been known to accompany travelers as they fly the skies over Thailand, Oman, and China as part of the in-flight entertainment on several airlines. Her love and passion for classical music have allowed her to breathe new life into the stories of the great composers.

And now Lauren is telling some stories of her own…

Beginning with her erotic thriller, Reverie (Harmony House Productions, 2016), she set out to “put the sexy back in Bach,” creating a riveting tale of passion, deception and redemption set against the backdrop of an international music competition. She rounded out the trilogy with Rhapsody (Harmony House Productions, 2016) and Requiem (Harmony House Productions, 2017).

From there, Lauren partnered with Entangled Publishing, LLC, to create the first in her Symphony Hall series of romance novels, Solo (Entangled Publishing 2017). Her most recent release, Mistletoe in Mayhem, is the third in the five-book Whiskey Sisters series (Entangled 2018). Upcoming projects include two more Whiskey Sisters romances, a follow-up to Solo and a super-secret, as-of-yet-unnamed thriller.

Lauren hopes to bring classical music to a new audience by showcasing it in twisty, steamy stories that grab the reader and keep them turning pages — and YouTubing the music — into the wee hours.

When she’s not on talking on the radio or typing on her laptop, Lauren enjoys time with her husband and spectacularly spoiled mini-schnauzer.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Book Bub

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

I’ve read many of Lauren’s books and never miss a chance to share them with others.

Today she’s answering a question about how she chooses names for her animal characters.

Enjoy the video.

Then check out Twofer Murder.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Book Details:

Book Title: Twofer Murder by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 400 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: November 17, 2017
Tour dates: Nov 1 to 30, 2017
Content Rating: PG + M (Please be aware that TWOFER MURDER is a murder mystery. There are depictions of murder and some violence–though easy on the gore contents. No f-words but there may be some mild profanity, and mild religious expletives such as “damn”, “hell” and “Oh God!”. Some depictions of brief sexual content (kissing). No drug use or underage drinking among the protagonists.)

Book Description:

Twofer murder? What’s a twofer murder?

Twofer Murder is a treat for fans of best-selling author Lauren Carr’s fast-paced mysteries! Lauren’s latest novel contains the main characters from her three successful series: Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose mysteries. The guys go away for a fishing weekend only to get caught up in the murder of a journalist investigating fraud at a timber company. Meanwhile, the ladies are spending the weekend in the presidential suite at a posh resort where Jessica Faraday is to accept a lifetime achievement award for her late grandmother at a murder mystery writers conference. But before they have time to get their facials, they get wrapped up in their own real mystery when an up and coming author ends up dead!

Lauren Carr’s Twofer Murder is a 2-for-1—making it a must-read for any mystery fan!

Buy the Book:
 
Watch the trailer:
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Meet Author Lauren Carr:

 

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 

What are readers saying about Lauren Carr’s mysteries?
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Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Dec 4th.
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE