Thursday, March 31, 2016

SPREAD SOME INDIE LOVE and MLLS COVER REVEAL


Three, and only three, things matter...

ONE, I'm coinciding my Indie about-to-be-released novel, 
MY LAST LOVE STORY's COVER REVEAL 
with this INDIE LOVE blog hop. Book comes out May 15th, 2016.
Subscribe to my NEWSLETTER and stay tuned.

 

TWO, here are some awesome INDIE/ HYBRID AUTHORS you all should definitely check out. Names link to Author AMZ pages for easy access to their works.













I've included a variegated list of authors, to be sure. From debut to best sellers whose writing spans from sweet wholesome stories to blow-your-mind sexy books. 

And THREE, as promised, here's the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, March 21, 2016

Kapoor and Sons (Since 1921)

Top 10 Reasons to watch KJo's 

Kapoor and Sons (Since 1921)


  • The trailer promises awesomeness which the movie delivers.
  • You won't stop guffawing for about 85% of the movie, so the 15% which makes you weep is forgivable.
  • Themes of Kapoor and Sons: family bonds; fidelity; nepotism; old age; brotherly bonds; petty jealousies; love; life and liberty to be who you are. It's a lot in one movie but very well done. It'll want to make you go hug your family.
  • Have I mentioned the ROFLMAO humor? 
  • The star cast: 
  • Fawad Khan. Yes, he deserves a separate mention. His character is flawlessly written.
  • 2 of the characters are writers and have an awesome scene where they discuss HEAs. (Happily Ever Afters) My raison d'etre, Peeps.
  • The song Kar gayi Chull (see below)
  • Boobly's pecs. (No. No spoilers about that. So, no pic.)
  • AND, if for nothing else, you must watch Rishi Kapoor as our own desi Bilbo Baggins. 


In other words, Kapoor and Sons is precious...

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Author's Circle interview of Sarah Elle Emm

On Author’s Circle today, meet author SARAH ELLE EMM, to talk about writing, life and her book, LAST VACATION


Hi SARAH ELLE EMM, thanks for dropping in and letting us have a peek into your life.



1.    So, what’s LAST VACATION about?
LAST VACATION is about Megan, a practical, rule-following career woman, thrust into the search for her adventuresome and missing twin sister, Maddy, who disappeared while vacationing on the Caribbean island of St. Croix.

2.     What’s your favorite line from your latest novel? Why?
I would definitely say it is a line from the last chapter, but I can’t exactly give it away. So one of my other favorite lines was earlier in the story…As she pondered her twin’s recklessness, a hand clamped over her mouth, and her arms were pulled into captivity. I like this point in the story because this is when Megan knows without a doubt her instincts have been spot on, and though no one has seemed convinced that there is a missing person’s case to solve, due to lack of evidence, now Megan realizes she is absolutely right. It is sort of a turning point and makes her even more determined to find Maddy.

3.     Do you have any strange writing habits?

I eat chocolate here and there and drink as much coffee as probably any other writer, but I do tend to consume a dangerous level of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies during the editing process. This is offset by my mostly healthy diet. Typically, I try to eat 95% healthy. That being said, when it is editing time, all bets are off. I think as soon as my brain registers that it is editing time, it triggers my Thin Mint cookie desire. My niece happens to be a Girl Scout in Boston, so my sister may or may not be my dealer. Ahem, enabler. She has purchased a rather large amount of boxes…okay, cases, of said cookie in the past, which I’d rather not go into further detail about at this point. My health may be on the line off and on during editing, but thanks to my sister, and for the greater good of storytelling, the job gets done.

4.     What does your day look like?
The day starts with a very rude awakening by my iPhone’s alarm clock at 6:05a.m. The rude awakening continues with my daily ritual of drinking a large glass of water with a couple tablespoons of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, after which, my face is officially awake. (Have you ever smelled ACV? Potent scent…and taste, I assure you.) Next, I drink a large cup of coffee in hopes of stirring my brain to life. Then, I use my Vitamix to make my kids their breakfast smoothies, I exercise to an at home DVD workout, and homeschool my kids from 8 a.m. until the afternoon. After that, in between laundry and household chores and taking the kids to various activities, I write poetry and fiction, read, and hang out with my family.

5.     What’s your favorite book by another author, and why?
That is difficult to answer. However, I will say that one of my first favorite suspense books was SEE JANE RUN by Joy Fielding. I read it in high school, and it had me on the edge of my seat. I forgot about all of the usual teenage craziness…school stress, exams, hormones, boys…and was just transported into Ms. Fielding’s world. It was amazing.

6.     If your book becomes a movie whom would you want to play the hero and the heroine?
I’d probably like an undiscovered actor to play Gabriel, the hero with Puerto Rican and Crucian heritage. Megan, the heroine, has red hair, so if I could choose a popular actress who already has red hair, I’d pick Amy Adams. But I wouldn’t complain if it were someone else. If Hollywood wants to make a movie out of LAST VACATION, I don’t see myself arguing too much over their actor and actress selections. 


7.   How did you become a writer? In other words, tell us YOUR STORY.
I come from a family of writers. I remember watching my mom write at her typewriter and knowing I had to write my own story. I tried to write my first story at age seven. I didn’t make it too far because I had a neighborhood full of friends waiting to play outside, but I wrote my first poem then. After that, I wrote off and on in journals until I was in my late twenties, when I finally finished my first novel. It was never published, but the next book I wrote was published, and I officially became an author in 2011.

8.     What is your best marketing tip?
I think using Facebook, Twitter, and working with other writers online to spread the word about your book is highly effective.

9.     Why write what you write? As in romance or suspense or thrillers?
I enjoy reading in a variety of genres, but specifically in young adult fantasy and also suspense and romantic suspense. I think it is fun to write what I like to read.

10. Is there a certain scene you find difficult to write? Eg: Racy or action etc.? Why?
I always find action and fight scenes difficult. In LAST VACATION and the HARMONY RUN SERIES (my Young-adult fantasy series) there are a few scenes that include some harsh treatment, a beating of a character or two, and those were intense to write. But I think I pulled them off because I have people read my books and then say they can’t believe how I seem so sweet on the outside to them, but clearly have a dark side based on the action scenes I mentioned. They always laugh and say they are keeping an eye on me from now on. I just smile at them. (While I’m secretly plotting my next brutal scene- ha ha ha!)

11. Is your writing character-driven or plot-driven?
I’d say it is plot-driven. My characters are typically forced to keep up with their ever-changing and dangerous environments and settings.

12. What do you wish to convey through your writing?
I hope to transport readers to another place. Maybe just to take them away from their usual routine. I write to entertain others, as a form of release and therapy for myself, and to get people to think about things. My HARMONY RUN SERIES was a bit deeper than LAST VACATION. It was meant to convey that we are all human beings, regardless of our outward differences. With LAST VACATION, I hope readers think about being there for people who need them and also about giving people a chance to change for the better.

13. What can we expect from you next?
I am planning another suspense novel and also another young-adult series.

14. 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: Chocolate. I mean coffee. Okay, water.
PASSION: words
HERO: Daryl, Carol, and Rick #TWD
LOVE: God
HATE: Anxiety

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





Book Buy Links:










Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Author Cate Beauman - The Bodyguards of L.A. County Series

Random Fun Facts About Romantic Suspense Author 

Cate Beauman


1.     Most of my story ideas come from watching hours of crime television/documentaries.
2.     Music is a major part of my writing process. Great songs are very motivating—kind of like when you find an amazing jam to exercise to.
3.     My family and I currently reside in North Carolina. We love it here. We get the opportunity to experience four seasons with winter being the shortest. I’m not a huge fan of cold weather, so that works out well!
4.     We have two huge Saint Bernards.  Over 300 pounds of big fury love!
5.     For most of my adult life, I worked with children with moderate to severe special needs. I loved it.
6.     I like to try recipes I think my characters would want to eat.
7.     I often dream that my finger is stuck on the delete key or that I’m rewriting scenes that are perfectly fine.
8.     When I’m writing the first draft of a new book, I hardly sleep.
9.     I think Homeport by Nora Roberts was pretty important to my writing/reading life. I was never a big reader until one of my girlfriends made me promise to give Ms. Robert’s book a try. I fell in love and devoured every romantic suspense novel I could get my hands on after that.
10.  I also love the book He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. I love the honesty among the pages of that book. Why would anyone want to spend time with someone who doesn’t value you and want to spend time with you?

Short Excerpt: Finding Lyla


Collin settled beneath the covers on his temporary bed as the dim glow of city lights radiated through the windows. He reached out, grabbing the remote off the coffee table he’d pushed off to the side, and flipped through several channels, stopping on SportsCenter. Scores and updates ticked by on the bottom of the screen, and he moved on, not all that interested in hockey stats. 
He stopped again when the live footage from Saint Petersburg, Russia caught his attention. With the volume on mute, he searched for the closed caption button and sat up, reading the news report while the station switched back and forth between the newscaster and images of the police surrounding a trolleybus in the middle of a downtown street. The reporter spoke of a bomb discovered during the busy morning rush hour, mere miles from the plaza where dozens had been killed on New Year’s Eve. Luckily a citizen had been paying attention, and the explosive device had been deactivated, stopping another disaster.
Early reports were suggesting that the same rebel group responsible for the December thirty-first bombing, Chechen Freedom, had attempted to strike again. The news segment switched to snippets of the video released weeks ago, shortly after the slaughter of innocent civilians, where the masked men promised more violence in retaliation for The Federation killing one of their leaders. The man pointed at the camera, vowing to continue with his plans to destroy Russia until the regime relented and gave the Chechens back their country.
Sighing, Collin rubbed at his jaw. Why did he feel like he was walking into a losing situation? Everyday there was something new going on over there. If it wasn’t bomb threats and anti-American rallies, it was anti-Putin demonstrations outside the Kremlin walls, which often ended with tear gas and riot gear. And he and Lyla were only hours away from their late-afternoon flight.
The issues in Saint Petersburg weren’t necessarily one of his concerns. The city was a good nine hours away from their destination. It was the possibility of terrorist attacks in Moscow and Russia’s discord with the United States in general that had him on edge. The fact that Lyla was a dual citizen of two countries at odds had the potential to work for her…or very much against her. Only time would tell which way things were going to go, and they would be along for the ride while they waited to figure it out.