Fantasy and Romance

When I was growing up I read a lot of fantasy novels. For the most part I loved them. They were an escape to somewhere else, where the ordinary could become extraordinary. And who doesn’t want to discover they were a secret princess with latent magical powers destined to rule the three kingdoms and marry the handsome prince…oh wait, to save the kingdom and keep your magical powers you have to sacrifice the prince—or he, you.

Those bits I hated. I wanted everything, the magic, the power and the romance. Discovering romance novels as an adult filled that gap, but it wasn’t enough. So I started writing fantasy romance, then I discovered paranormal romance and gave that a go. As luck would have it was my paranormals that got picked up first, but I am dipping my toes back into the magical waters of fantasy romance.

While The Goblin King (October 4) is paranormal romance and set in the present day I did get to create the goblin world of the Shadowlands (cold and grey and able to breed every fear you can imagine, plus full of heartless goblins).

 Dark Vow (November 14) is a romantic fantasy set in a western style world with magic guns, vampiric horses and a reluctant wounded hero. While it is romantic, rather than romance I promise there is a happy ending.

If you’d like a sneak peak at The Goblin King there is a free prequel out now.
The Summons is available at Amazon, iTunes and Barnes and Noble.

A civil designer by day and an author by night, Shona Husk lives in Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn't looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold--sometimes literally.

With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she is published with Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, Carina Press and Sourcebooks.

 

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The Reader Revolts

by Rolynn Anderson

I’m still absorbing what I heard at the Cuesta College Writer’s Conference last weekend. One of our keynote speakers was SMASHWORD’S Mark Coker. I was lucky enough to hear him speak on four different occasions during the two-day event, and I’m still revved up about his plan to give power to the reader.

Now, I grew up during the feminist movement with Gloria Steinem and other brave women guiding me; in the end of my career I served as the first female high school principal in a school district. Yes, I’ve been in the thick of an important revolution. But it looks like I get to be involved in yet, one more BIG upending, and I think this one will be a wild, fun ride.

Mark Coker and his wife tried, with all their might, to get the major publishers to buy a book they’d written, called BOOB TUBE. Frustrated when their efforts were stymied at every stage of the process (we know how that feels), he developed SMASHWORDS, a quick and easy way to get any text (any genre, any length) out to the readers. In other words, Coker’s view is that the reader has a right to choose what she wants to read, and she doesn’t need a gatekeeper (like the big six publishers) to determine what “good” is.

We all know the sad stories of rejection, THE HELP, being the most recent anecdote. Supposedly, Kathryn Stockett was refused sixty times before she was picked up by one of the big six. Imagine how many great stories like THE HELP will never reach the hands of readers because of publishing house quotas.

I’ve worked hard to craft good stories. Religiously, I ‘followed the process,’ pitching my finished novels to agents as well as to big and small publishers. Queries, contests, synopses, ten pages, three chapters, fifty pages…on and on…I submitted constantly! Eight novels and eight years later, I was about to give up when Wild Rose Press, a great ‘small’ publishing company gave me the nod. Sure, I’m happy I’ve been accepted, but many wonderful writers don’t have my thick skin and my persistence. Will their great stories ever be matched with readers? Without the opportunities offered by people like Mark Coker, I don’t think so.

Power to the readers, I say. Readers know the kinds of stories they like and they are perfectly capable of determining quality. I’m celebrating Mark Coker’s vision to eliminate gatekeepers and allow readers the right to choose.

LAST RESORT
by Rolynn Anderson
 

On sale now, print and download

The Wild Rose Press 

Amazon.com 

Find Rolynn Here:

Web: http://www.rolynnanderson.com

Blog: http://blog.rolynnanderson.com/

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/63vsnmt

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Six Sentence Sunday 9/18

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! This week I'm celebrating the fact that my HOT contemporary romance, After Midnight, became available in print this past week. Yup, more than two weeks early!  It's only with The Wild Rose Press right now, but it will hit places like Amazon and Barnes and Noble on 9/30.

“You think you’re not the type to draw a man’s attention, think again. I can’t stand in the same room as you without wanting to taste you. I can’t taste you without wanting to taste all of you.”

Oh, God. Her knees turned to jelly. A hot, wet pulse came to life between her legs.

Thank you for stopping by! Be sure to visit all the Six Sentence Sunday authors. You can find a list of them HERE. See you next time!



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Spotlight On...Rachel Brimble

Please help me in welcoming Rachel Brimble to the keyboard today! Welcome, Rachel. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am married with two daughters who are twelve and ten so my house is like hormone central at the moment, lol! My calming influence comes in the form of my Black Lab, Max who is about the most chilled out dog in the world. I live in a small market town near the City of Bath in the UK.

I have been writing seriously for about six years and have five novels published, the sixth, Paying The Piper (due out September 19th) is why I am here to talk your little ears off today!

Tell us about Paying The Piper and where we can find it.

This is a contemporary romance set in the UK – the premise is darker and grittier than I have written before but I absolutely love this book! Jimmy Betts is one of my all time favorite heroes. Here’s the blurb and buy link:

Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her mother's ashes are scattered but the owner wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father...who has a secret she will do anything to discover.

Social worker and all around good guy Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house for three special kids before their care home closes. Time is running out and he's desperate for cash. He agrees to a one-time 'job' for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by Karl's beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace.

Their lives couldn't be more different, yet one thread binds them: they're both trying to escape the bonds of their fathers. Maybe the only way they'll be free is by being together, instead of alone.

Available now at Lyrical Press


Sounds fantastic! What is the hardest scene you had to write in this book?

Ooh, tough question! I’m not really sure. I always struggle when I get to the halfway point of any novel I am writing, so it was probably a scene around there. I truly enjoyed writing this book and knew pretty much where I wanted to go with it and what I wanted to say so it’s wasn’t as hard as the one I just finished!


How did you start writing?

One word at a time – I’ve always wanted to write but had no idea if I actually could. When my youngest daughter started school, I knew it was now or never moment for me. I started with short stories for a while and then moved onto novels and never looked back. Writing is a massive part of who I am now.


Which comes first, plot or characters?

I usually get a character talking to me…telling me their problem or goal and then I know I’ve got another book brewing!


What is it about the romance genre that appeals to you?

The Happy Ever After! We are all looking for that special someone to share our lives with, both men and women. Every film, play or book usually has some relationship problem running through it somewhere, even if it’s the subplot. People want romance and love – always.


When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I held my first novel, Searching For Sophie, in my hands – it was one of the most euphoric days of my life so far.



What are three things you wish you’d known before you began your writing career?

1. How hard it can be to keep going
2. The nerves never end – from waiting for an acceptance, to waiting for reviews, to waiting for the book your working on to take on a life of its own
3. That it is okay to write a ‘crappy’ first draft – that’s what editing is for!

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on a sexy contemporary romance, set again in the UK about a sassy heroine who runs a lingerie and sex shop…and needs to move her business premises next door to a single father of twin girls. There’s going to be fireworks!


Sounds like it! Where can we find you on the web?

http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com/
http://rachelbrimble.com/
www.twitter.com/rachelbrimble


Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?

What would you like to see more from your favorite authors? Interviews? Blog posts? Book excerpts?

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Release Time!

Today may not be the official release day for AFTER MIDNIGHT but it is the day The Wild Rose Press made the print edition available.

I'm so excited I can't stop smiling!

Thirteen years—that's how long Isabeau Montgomery has been living a lie. After an automobile accident took her mother's life, Izzy hid herself away, surviving the only way she knew how. Now she is happy in her carefully reconstructed life. That is until he walks through the door of her bar...

Black Phoenix singer/front man Noah Clark came to Long Island City with a goal—one that doesn’t include an instant, electric attraction to the dark-haired beauty behind the bar. Coaxing her into his bed won’t be easy, but he can’t get her pale, haunted eyes nor her skill on the piano out of his head.

Can Noah help Isabeau overcome the past? Or will her need to protect her secret force her back into hiding and destroy their chance at happiness?


Pick up your copy today:
The Wild Rose Press

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Six Sentence Sunday 9/11

To all of those affected by the 9/11 tragedy 10 years ago, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

~*~

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday. Thanks so much for stopping by! This week's snippet is from my romantic suspense, Not Without Risk.

“So you say.”

“You don’t believe me.” She was surprised by how much that hurt. “You still suspect me of killing Leroy, don’t you?”

“I believe in the evidence, Ms. Conroy, and until I have evidence that proves otherwise, you will remain a person of interest.”

“You actually think I would blow up my own car to divert attention from myself?”

For more fantastic authors visit the Official Six Sunday site. And as always, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

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Spotlight On...Katherine Grey

While I was thinking about what to write, my gaze landed on the numerous cookbooks on the book shelf. After contemplating them for a while, I’ve decided I love food. Not just eating it, but reading about it, watching TV about it. I like to watch the Food Network on occasion, look through cookbooks, and I read about 6 different mystery series that all revolve around food. Most of them include recipes either within the story itself or at the back of the book. I didn’t even notice the theme until my brother asked me why all the books I read are about food. One series is about a cupcake shop, another a cookie store, another a caterer, another revolves around a candy store, another about a cookbook store, and of course, one about a doughnut shop. (Ok, not all the books I read are about food, but the last few he saw me reading were ones within the different mystery series I mentioned above.) I also enjoyed Shirley Jump’s romance series that starts with, “The Bride Wore Chocolate” and ends with “The Bachelor Preferred Pastry.”

I told my brother I read about other things and he just said, “uh huh.”

“Really,” I told him, “I just got a new mystery out of the library called, ‘How to wash a cat.’”

He laughed and said, “Okay, cats and food then.”

“And romance,” I called after him. “Don’t forget romance.”

Have you read any good books lately?

Thank you, Sarah for hosting me today.
Katherine
http://katherinegrey.blogspot.com

IMPETUOUS
by Katherine Grey

Mateo de Montayas, an impoverished Spanish count, comes to England to recover a stolen family heirloom and to satisfy his hunger for revenge against the man who destroyed his family. Arriving in London, he learns his hated enemy died three years before but has left behind a daughter. What better way to retrieve the heirloom and exact revenge than to use her to his advantage?

Teresa Darlington will do anything to keep scandal away from her frail mother and prove her father wasn't a thief, even risk her reputation in a race to find the missing heirloom before the Count does. But she didn't count on falling in love with the man determined to ruin her family. Can she find the heirloom before he does and protect her family, or will her heart lead her in a different direction? 

Now available from The Wild Rose Press, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble

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Summer Scorcher Blog Tour Week 6 - The Perfect Hero

Welcome to part three of my blog post on the Scorcher Blog Tour.
If you’re just joining us, to catch up go here:
Part 1: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com
Part 2: http://arialburnz.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Sarah, for hosting me on your site!

In my last post we started breaking down our hero. We talked about his personality, his hair, his eyes, and his voice. Moving right along...Next up is our hero’s face. Sarah’s doesn’t have a preference to beard or clean shaven...guess she likes them any way they come (no pun intended!) AJ’s heart beats to a heavy five o’clock shadow, while Arial goes gaga for a bearded jaw line. Amie and Lisa prefer the clean shaven hero. However, if a hero walked in the room with a goatee, AJ, Arial, and Amie would all be smitten. Could these ladies share more than just the ‘A’ at the beginning of their name? Hmmm.

How about that chest? That chest you can’t wait to run your hands over! AJ, Amie, and Sarah’s hands are busy with our sculpted heroes, who have a little chest hair. Arial’s running her fingers through her hero’s hairy chest. But be certain if a hero walked in with a chest and back of gorilla hair, all four scorcher ladies would go running from the room. Then there’s Lisa, who is digging her fingernails into her hero’s bare chest. Bare head, clean shaven, bare chest...I see another naughty scorcher gal in the making here.

The scorcher ladies’ hands are moving over their hero’s arm now. Arial’s hero has his rock hard arms wrapped around her, gentle, warm, and protective, while Sarah’s hero is well muscled with strong forearms. AJ, Amie, and Lisa must love the woods because their heroes are thick and cut, like large tree trunks corded with muscles. A very strange, yet interesting metaphor.

Take a deep breath again ladies. We’re headed downward!

Time for the abs. Sarah not too fussy about abs, she’s just not into beer bellies. And no worries, Sarah, there are no beer bellies here, but we are talking six packs. AJ, Arial, Amie, and Lisa’s bad boy heroes all have cut, ribbed, rippling six pack abs. Those scorcher gals are thinking alike on this one. Naughty, naughty girls!

Is it time to go again? But AJ has her hand on her hero’s belt buckle!
If you want to read the next installment, go to Amie’s blog (http://www.amielouellen.wordpress.com/). BUT before you go, answer my question below. AND don’t forget to comment on all of my six instalments of The Perfect Hero for a chance to win a PDF copy of Keeping Secrets. You MUST answer all six questions from each instalment to have your name included in the draw. The winner will then move on to the grand prize drawing of a $30 Amazon Gift Card.

Question 3: Do you like a beard or clean shaven? And describe your hero’s chest, arms, and abs.

It’s all about the secrets in...Keeping Secrets

Buy links:
Secret Cravings Publishing Store: http://secretcravingspublishing.mybigcommerce.com/keeping-secrets/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Secrets-ebook/dp/B005GG7T5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312898809&sr=1-1
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keeping-secrets-darlene-fredette/1104665025?ean=2940013202863&itm=19&usri=keeping%2bsecrets
All Romance Ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-keepingsecrets-588544-149.html
BookStrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/keeping-secrets-0

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Six Sentence Sunday 9/04

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! In honor of my 2011 Readers Favorite Award win, I'm going to share with you six from my silver medal winner, Not Without Risk.

Each stroke, each caress of her hand pushed his blood pressure up another notch until he had to steel himself from closing the distance and pulling her into his embrace.


Want consumed him. He wanted her hands on him, not just on his car. He wanted to taste her, feel her, to fist his hands in her hair and sink into her warmth. It’d been too long, far too long since he’d been with a woman—six months, ten days and twenty-two hours to be exact, and he missed it. He missed it more than he missed nicotine, more than he missed being able to draw a deep breath without the slightest twinge of pain.

For more fantastic authors visit the Official Six Sunday site. And as always, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

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Not Without Risk is a Winner!

I can't possibly explain just how excited I am to make this announcement, but here goes...NOT WITHOUT RISK was awarded the Silver Medal in the 2011 Readers Favorite Awards!


Honestly, I never really believed I would make it to the finals, let alone place! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it, but I've received the 'Official' notification so I need to get over my doubts, don't I?

It's like winning the lottery. Really. As writers we struggle against self-doubt every day.

Will my editor like this story?

Will the reader connect with my characters?

And on truly bad days, when the characters have stopped talking to us and no matter how hard we try, we can't seem to find the right words...

Why do I even try?

My fellow writers are out there nodding their heads right about now. We've all been in the position to ask ourselves these questions at one time or another. But as writers we plug on, stomp those doubts into dust (at least temporarily) and keep writing. Why? Because we can't NOT write. We're just wired that way.

So to discover that my editor did like it, a reader did connect with my characters - not just enough that I was awarded a 5 Star review, but enough that I was awarded a second place win...that's an incredible boost to this writer's self-confidence!



Interested in reading more about the award? You can do that HERE

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