Tuesday, March 31, 2015

TOP TEN post by AUTHOR MCV EGAN



About the Book:

A word, a single word defines a moment for Anne. She needs to find a new one when her spouse leaves her at the age of 47, coming out of the closet literally in a closet. She finds herself back in her hometown amongst her high school friends which she left behind in her past.

An inheritance from a friend leaves her with the means to meddle and spy on the lives of some of their mutual acquaintances. In an attempt to run from her reality Anne gets engrossed in a game of "fun" and "flirtation" with her friend and fellow sufferer Connie at her side. Anne however did not read all the files and what to her is fun games turns into a deadly reality. It is no longer a game.

Life, death and not even a defining word can stop the reality of manipulation.


Buy Links:
Goodreads I Amazon

TopTen about Defined by Others:

1. Amanda is dead, yet she controls the other women with a game she left behind.
2. Amanda, Anne & Allison were the Triple A’s buddies in Highcshool.
3. Anne loves words, not sentences, but single words.
4. Connie can cook the perfect food for any occasion.
5. Anne and Connie’s husbands Frank and Mike are in love.
6. Cyber Romances gone terribly wrong.
7. Deceptively dark
8. Midlife Crisis 
9. Snakes abound.
10. Entertaining and disturbing all at once.

TopTen about M.C.V Egan:


1. MCV in Roman numerals is 1,105
2. Some social media does not ALLOW MCV so people think I am McVegan.
3. I eat meat, often and a lot.
4. I am originally from Mexico City, Mexico.
5. I am the sixth child of eight.
6. I speak Spanish, English, French and Swedish.
7. To me writing is like breathing, I simply must.
8. I am pretty good at making Origami shapes.
9. I am really good at cooking
10. I am a MOTHER, Writer, Wife…yes in that order.

About the Author:
M.C.V. Egan is the pen name chosen by Maria Catalina Vergara Egan the author of The Bridge of Deaths and Defined by Others. Catalina is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. She has lived in France, Sweden and various parts of the U.S.A.
She has called South Florida her home for the last twenty-five years; she is a writer, a mother a wife and a pretty good cook.

Her first book The Bridge of Deaths is available in two different versions, her book Defined by Others is the first in a series Defining Ways exploring what makes us flawed and human.

Book two Climbing Up The Family Tree; Defined by Pedigree will be released in November 2015.


Contact the Author:





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Saturday, March 28, 2015

DEVIKA FERNANDO: guest post on PUBLISHING

On the blog today, we have South Asian author, Devika Fernando, who writes "a little bit of everything" genre-wise...in her own words. This is her experience with self-publishing: 


Here's her WEBSITE where you'll find all of her books and other goodies.

Thanks for requesting a guest post from me, Falguni! I’m honoured to be on your blog.


At the end of 2013 I decided to make my lifelong dream come true and become a romance novelist. I had stumbled across an online article about self-publishing. After reading it, I spent months researching the topic and reading countless modern romance novels and indie books to get a better picture of things. Finally, I sat down and wrote my debut “When I See Your Face” during NaNoWriMo, which I released in April 2014. A year has gone by, and I don’t regret anything.

Everyone always wants to know whether I never considered traditional publishing and whether I might turn to it in the future. The first answer is yes, the second answer is no. In the beginning I was open to trad publishing. But then I realized how many limitations are connected to it – and not least of all, how much time. There are so many brilliant authors who waited years and years before they got published, and there are great self-published novels out there who had been rejected time and time again. The more I found out about the indie author world, the more I was drawn in. Here’s what I like about indie authoring: 

-control, freedom and flexibility (about the plot, editing and marketing)
-       -to be paid a fair amount of money for your hard work
-       -I can have a say about the cover
-       -I hold all the rights
-       -it’s easy to make changes to the books
-       -no time wasted by pitching the story to agents
-       -no risk of being cheated

Of course there aren’t just pros, but also cons. Depending on how you choose to go about it, self-publishing can cost you a hefty sum of money if you hire editors, cover designers and formatters and if you invest in paperbacks to distribute. If you opt against it, you’ll either need to ask friends for help or you’ll end up with a book that doesn’t look professional and thus might not attract any readers. Also, the competition is huge – but that’s the case whichever way of publishing you choose. You might have fewer sales – but you’ll earn more from each sale. Money is indeed an important factor, for there are many authors out there who were lured into publishing deals and have never seen a single cent for their work or have had to wait much too long. If you’re with a publisher, you can rest assured that you’ll have a professional cover and professional editing – but I’ve read dozens of books that had just as many mistakes as self-published ones.

Marketing is viewed as a self-publishing con by some because it takes up much time, because there’s a lot to learn, and because sometimes you have to invest money in it. However, even authors who are with famous publishers dedicate themselves to marketing and should be active on social media – and publishing houses don’t necessarily promote unknown authors.

In the end, it all boils down to what you personally prefer. If you want to focus only on writing, prefer a professional approach and wish to sell as many book as you can, then traditional publishing is the right way. If you want to make your own choices, if you don’t mind investing time and learning new things, and if you want to earn more from your writing, then try out self-publishing. As for me, I am happy to be an indie author. It isn’t always easy, but it’s filled with valuable experiences, I’ve found amazing friends, and I am living my dream of having my books out for everyone to be read.
~~~

That was an excellent post on publishing, Devika. Thanks for coming on and unveiling the self-pub process for our readers.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

EDICTS of EDITING

So, I've been editing a mammoth manuscript...again. I feel I've been editing this manuscript for a long, long time. And everytime I do, it somehow gets bigger instead of smaller. Maybe I should quit (editing) while I'm ahead, hm? Anyway, let me take you through my editing process. First you...


Once that's done...and this is ready...


And you think OMG this is sooooo pretty. How can I hack it up? Murder my own babies? Cut them up, shred them, delete them, eat them? Nahiiiiii!



But I must. Nahiiiii!



I HAVE TO...


So, I gather my courage (and the brain that's swollen from the fact that I wrote that whole freaking (pretty) manuscript ALONE) and just do it. 


Whew. Done. You'd think...


WTH? That's...that's...no different. In fact, its stupid. So you do it again...and again...


Until you (think) you've got it right. You finally chiseled the pages, chapters, paragraphs, lines, words and punctuation in perfect sexy shape.

You take a day or two to admire it...just stare at your words...your work and hold it and squeeze it and fall in love with it all over again...Before the publishing madness takes over your life. :)


Very much for reading!

Friday, March 6, 2015

AUTHOR'S CIRCLE interviews ZEENAT MAHAL

On Author’s Circle today, meet author Zeenat Mahal, to talk about writing, life and her new book, 

She Loves Me He Loves Me Not. 



Hi Zeenat, thanks for dropping in and letting us have a peek into your life. And for the wonderful things you said about me in your blog. (read it HERE.) I am so thrilled we get to be friends over common interests :)

Alright, gushing done, or at least postponed... 
So, what’s She Loves Me He Loves Me Not about?

SLMHLMN is a twist on the fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. I always thought as a child, that the Beast's side of the story was not explored at all. We never hear his thoughts. What did he feel? And I always felt that there must be something dark within Beauty, to remain and then fall in love with the Beast. I think it's one of the most nuanced fairytales, others being The Little MatchGirl, The Little Mermaid and Snow White. I might do those next. So dibs on that! 

What’s your favorite line from your novel? Why?

When Fardeen and Zoella are negotiating their marriage and she stipulates 'no physical contact', Fardeen replies,  'Why is sex the first thing on your mind when it comes to me?' 
I thought it the most endearing quality of Zoella that she loves him and is so bad at hiding it, everyone knows it. Fardeen knows exactly how attractive she finds him but never uses it against her.

I'd laughed out loud on that one too. LOL.
How did you become a writer? In other words, tell us YOUR STORY.

A friend of mine I hadn't spoken with in years, but who had been very close to me in school, emailed me one day about Indireads. I followed up. I had just started writing Haveli, my first novella. Naheed Hasan, the publishing head of Indireads loved it and sent me a contract. 
It was such a thrill because I had never ever thought of writing romance or any genre writing for that matter. Genre fiction is not really respected in writing circles, unfortunately, and when I found myself on this side of the fence, I started writing about issues such as these also. I find it extremely rewarding. 

What is your best marketing tip?

Choose two or three social media sites at the most, and work on those. Don't spread yourself too thin. Give at least two hours every day to social media. I love Twitter. It's the most efficient marketing tool, I think. 

Why write romance?

I love romance. I read it a lot. I enjoy writing it. It's my way of taking a break from my mainstream fiction, which deals with social issues. Romance is fun! 

Is there a certain scene you find difficult to write? Eg: Racy or action etc.? Why?

I think taking your reader through an intimate scene between your characters can be tricky. It's difficult to not fall into the trap of distasteful long descriptions, that might just end up being hilarious rather than hot. Some people can do it very well, of course, others only think they can. I choose not to show intimacy in my books because not giving everything away is much more romantic. 

Is your writing character-driven or plot-driven?

Character is plot, says Henry James. I believe him. It's the choices our characters make that drives the narrative. So definitely character driven.

Which is the best character you’ve written? Is he or she your favorite? Why?

I don't know if she is the best character I've written, but Chandni is my favourite because she is the most unlike me. She is bold, spoilt and vulnerable. She is a princess. She has a tragic life but she doesn't ever let her weaknesses show. I love that about her, and her sarcasm! 

What do you wish to convey through your writing?

Entertainment. Laughter.  Snippets of relevant information about cultural heritage and geographical history. Things people tend to forget about themselves and their history, and when reminded, feel proud of.

What can we expect from you next?

No idea. Sorry.

To end lets try a Rapid Fire round. Your answer should be the first word/s that pops into your head when you think of:

LIFE: seasons (what?!)
PASSION: Yes!
HERO: Tragic
LOVE: life 
HATE: anger

Thank you once again, Zeenat for being here and talking to me. It was fun!

Zeenat Mahal can be reached at all these places:



Blurb:
(Incidently, I had the honor of reading the ARC of SLMHLMN and I finished it in one day. A pure reading pleasure. ~ Falguni.)


Zoella didn’t know whether she was devastatingly happy or happily devastated. 



Zoella has been in love with Fardeen Malik, her best friend’s gorgeous older brother, since she was ten, but he’s always seen her as a ‘good girl’—not his type—and he can barely remember her name. Besides, he’s engaged to a gorgeous leggy socialite, someone from the same rarefied social strata as the imposing Malik family. In short, Zoella has no chance with him. 


Until a brutal accident leaves Fardeen scarred and disfigured, that is. Suddenly bereft of a fiancĂ©e, Fardeen is bitterly caustic, a shell of the man he used to be, a beast that has broken out of the fairy tale world he once lived in. And a twist of fate lands him his very own beauty—Zoella.

This man, however, is a far cry from the Fardeen of her dreams. Stripped of her illusions, Zoella creates her own twist in the fairy tale, beating him at his own game.

Zeenat Mahal explores themes of love, longing and arranged marriages in this modern, unusual interpretation of the old-age fairy tale. 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

GIVEAWAY: BOOTIE AND THE BEAST

Have you partaken in this Giveaway yet? 



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Bootie and the Beast by Falguni Kothari

Bootie and the Beast

by Falguni Kothari

Giveaway ends March 15, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win