Saturday, January 19, 2013

Interview with Emily Kimelman



Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

Yes, everything ends up in my books.  The oyster farm in DEATH IN THE DARK is a real place, I drove there in an RV. I used to walk dogs on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Joy’s business in UNLEASHED. The bounty hunter’s house in INSATIABLE is based off my wedding photographer’s house in St. Thomas.

I’m in Goa, India, right now and our host’s threw a dinner party last night with a couple of friends. We sat in their yard surrounded by candles and palm trees. A scorpion was discovered, contained in a jar, and then admired through the glass. Amazing stories were told about ridiculous and funny things. Anyone of those stories, or the way the lamps flickered in the tropical breeze, could end up in one of my books.

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

My husband came up with the title, Insatiable. The novel is about Sydney’s struggle to find happiness and peace but nothing is ever enough for her. There is a boat in our marina named Never Enough. I wanted to title it that but Sean convinced me it was too James Bond and not powerful enough. He came up with Unleashed too (the man loves a good pun).

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

Unleashed and Insatiable were both titled after. Death in the Dark I came up with in the middle of writing it.

Do you have to travel much to do research for your books?

Since Sydney Rye fights for justice all over the globe I need to go where she goes in order to write about it authentically. This actually happens in reverse though. Usually, I go somewhere, become inspired, and then Sydney’s next adventure takes place there. Right now I’m in Goa, and low and behold, the story forming in my mind takes place right here.

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

My good friend, Autumn Whitehurst, created the illustration that is on all the Sydney Rye novels. I am honored to have her work gracing my covers. My brother, David Kimelman, is kind enough to do the layout for me. He is a good brother.

Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this book?

I don’t always listen to music when I write but if I do it’s usually the same thing on repeat. I listened to Jack White’s Blunderbuss probably a 1000 times while putting the final touches on Insatiable.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished David Corbett’s The Devil’s Redhead which I really enjoyed. My friend, who I’m staying with in Goa, gave me the first book of the Shiva Trilogy. I can’t wait to head out on the veranda and read it but I’ve got more writing to do first ;)

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I’m working on Sydney Rye #4. Parts of it take place in Goa, India and her relationship with Dan is a major plot line. 



January 14 Spotlight
Michelle  @ Mom With A Kindle

January 15 Guest blog
Lisa’s World of Books

January 16 Interview
Fang-tastic Books

January 17 Guest blog
The Avid Reader

January 18 Guest blog
happy tails and tales

January 19 Interview
Roxanne’s Realm

January 22 Promo
Sapphyria's Steamy Book Reviews

January 23 Guest blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom

January 24 Spotlight
Books & Beauty 

January 28 Promo

January 30 Promo
A Writer's World 

January 31 Promo
FanGirl Hostess

February 1 Guest blog
Mama Knows Books

February 4 review
Bookworm Babblings – 

February 7 Interview
JeanzBookReadNReview            

February 8 Interview
Books & Tales

February 9 Interview
Bex 'n' Books 

February 11 Interview
Immortality and Beyond 





INSATIABLE
A Sydney Rye Novel Book Three
Emily Kimelman

Dark Murder Mystery

ISBN: 1470136023
ISBN-13: 978-1470136024

Number of pages: about 320
Word Count:  75,000

Cover Artist: Autumn Whitehurst

Book Description:

INSATIABLE is the third novel in my Sydney Rye Series of dark murder mysteries. This series feature a strong female protagonist and her canine best friend. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

INSATIABLE begins with private detective Sydney Rye living a simple, disciplined life in London, but when a dangerous man from her past calls, Rye finds she cannot turn him away. Robert Maxim explains that the daughter of a powerful friend has gone missing and he wants Rye to find her. In exchange he offers her something she had given up hope of ever having; freedom from her past.

With her dog, Blue, at her side, Rye meets up with her new partner, a handsome man she's not sure she can trust. Heading for Mexico City, they go undercover, posing as husband and wife. After meeting with the bereaved parents, Rye starts to sense that there is more going on than just a missing girl. But it isn't until they arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula, hot on the girl's trail in Paradise, that all hell breaks loose. Sydney has to reach out for help from old friends and deal with the consequences of her past, if she's going to find the girl and keep them all alive.

Author Bio:

Emily Kimelman lives on a boat in the Hudson Valley with her husband, Sean and their dog Kinsey (named after Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone). Kimelman has a passion for traveling and spends as much time as possible in the pursuit of adventure.

Her Sydney Rye series feature a strong female protagonist and her canine best friend. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!





Friday, January 18, 2013

Interview with Jean Murray



What inspired you to become an author?

My husband, honestly.  Yes, I will give him the credit this once J.

I picked up writing as a hobby in 2009, never thinking about publishing.  I just had these stories bouncing around in my head.  The need to express the stories on paper literally happened overnight.  I call it my awakening. It wasn’t until my husband read my first manuscript and said “you should publish this,” did I even consider the possibility.  Honestly, I didn’t think I had a chance in hell, so I went to my first RWA conference and took workshops through FF&P Chapter. If it wasn’t for my husband’s encouragement, I don’t think I would have ever considered submitting to a publisher.  My first book is dedicated to Paul.   
 
Do you have a specific writing style?

Fly by the seat of my pants! 

I tried plotting and outlining because everyone told me that’s what I should do, but honestly the well-constructed outlines would invariably end up in the trash.  I plot in my head and sit down and write.  I know where I want the characters to start and end.  I let them fill in the rest.  I love giving the characters control of the story.  They provide the greatest surprises. You never know what’s going to happen. 

Do you write in different genres?

I write both Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy.  The Key to the Cursed series is a nice mix of both.  I’d have a few SciFi ideas banging around in the old brain that I really need to be put on paper.  
  
If yes which is your favorite genre to write?

Paranormal romance is my absolute favorite.  The mix of super human powers, otherworldly creatures, love and romance is addictive.  I can’t get enough of it.  It is the one genre that is limitless.    

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

Soul Awakened is a powerful novel on several levels.  Yes, Kendra “awakens” Bakari from his cursed slumber, but his awakening is much deeper than that – soul altering.  He changes physically, and more importantly, emotionally.  

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

The first book in the series I didn’t title until it was complete.  Soul Reborn (current title) was once called The Lion’s Flower.  Okay don’t laugh, it was a placeholder of sorts for submission.  After the last edits, I asked my editor to brainstorm with me because the title needed a major overhaul.  I wanted all the books to have the same theme and because Egyptian mythology revolves around souls we decided that would be the best keyword throughout the series.  Thus, Soul Reborn, Soul Awakened, Soul Unbound, and Soul Unleashed were born.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The entire Key to the Cursed series has several themes that run through the plot and character arcs.  The tagline for the series is “Only the strongest love will unlock the souls of the Underworld.”  Essentially, with love anything is possible.  Soul Reborn’s theme revolves around forgiveness and second changes.  Soul Awakened’s theme is of hope and redemption. 

Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?

All of the above.

I’ve struggled with depression and suicide.  Not my own, but others around me. I never quite understood it until recently.  I had a roommate in college that overdosed in a suicidal gesture.  I remember being so angry with her.  Furious.  She had everything going for her, more than I did at the time.  I could not relate, but wanted to be there for her.  
  
I became a nurse to care for people in their time of need, but I couldn’t get my hands around this idea of “better off dead.”  In recent years, we lost a high school friend to suicide.  Such a tragic loss.  Being in the military, I knew folks suffering from PTSD.  To see someone in their acute crisis and then later after counseling, the transformation was amazing.  I realized after talking with so many, my frustration was the fact that I could not take their pain away and that they could not see what I saw—the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope for a life beyond depression and their right to be happy.   

Soul Awakened allowed me to write that journey.  The countless stories of despair and loss are bundled into this story, as well as my own in Kendra.        

I dedicated Soul Awakened to our American heroes: find their hope, hold onto it and never let it go.

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I’m working on the third book in the Key to the Cursed series, Soul Unbound.  Originally, there were only three books, but after Soul Awakened I had to redeem Bomani.  So, he got his own book. 

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

JR Ward tops the list.  She is not afraid to touch upon subjects that may make people uncomfortable.  Abuse, rape, addiction, homosexuality, BSDM, etc…  Relationships are not easy, and the  brothers and their shalens don’t have the easy road to happily ever after.  Relationships take work and her characters are no exception. It’s not flip the page and bang-- everything is okay. Her writing takes you on that journey. 

Do you have to travel much to do research for your books? 

I actually traveled before I became a writer.  I’ve lived overseas while in the military and used military flights to travel all throughout Europe, even made it to Bahrain, Czech Republic and Republic of Georgia.  My experiences gave me a true appreciation of other cultures, impacted me as a writer and the very reason I write Egyptian mythology.  If you have never ventured out of the US, you must.  Keep an open mind and soak it all in. 

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

Taria Reed (http://www.tariar.com/ ) was the designer for Soul Awakened.  She did a fabulous job.  Honestly, she captured all the elements in one scene. 

Do you have any advice for other writers?

You never know unless you try

I was told by fellow writers if I wanted to publish an Egyptian based novel it would have to be historical.  The Key to the Cursed series is present day with an urban fantasy flare.  Okay, I was doing a bit of ground breaking, so I was a little nervous.  I delayed pitching and submitting Soul Reborn’s manuscript, mostly out of fear it wasn’t good enough or the publishers would see Egyptian and throw it in the trash.  I would have never known had I not taken those fateful steps towards publishing.  I did an online pitch, and although the editor was a little hesitant she asked for a full manuscript.  Twenty-four hours later I received a contract offer. 

What I’ve learned it’s not so much what you right, it’s how you write it. Write what you love. 





Soul Awakened
Key to the Cursed Series Book Two

Genre:  Dark Paranormal

Publisher:  Crescent Moon Press
Date of Publication:  January 15, 2013

ISBN:  978-1-937254-97-1                     
ASIN: 978-1-937254-98-8                    

Number of pages:  292
Word Count:  92,000

Cover Artist:  Taria A. Reed

Book Description:

LOVE FOR BLOOD OR HONOR

Kendra, an Egyptologist and demi-god in waiting, is the key to unlocking Bakari, the Egyptian God of Death, from his cursed slumber. Desperate to free him, she inadvertently binds herself to the god with a spell that only death will undo. To save Bakari from himself, she may have to sacrifice her innocence, and possibly her soul, before he becomes his family’s worst enemy.

HAUNTED BY SINS OF THE PAST

Bakari awakens to a world at war and a beautiful woman who has tethered his soul to hers. In the wake of his self-destruction Kendra is his only hope of salvation, but another has vowed to keep Bakari from the one thing he craves most-- his Parvana. His butterfly.

About the Author:

In her pursuit of a nursing degree, Jean Murray aspired to see the world and joined the Navy. At the end of 2011 she said a heart-breaking goodbye to her Navy family and retired after twenty years of military service. Although her dreams of writing full time have yet to come true, she continues her writing journey and draws inspiration from her travels abroad. She enjoys spending time with her family and of course, writing about the “Carrigan sisters and their mates, Gods of the Underworld,” to bring you the next installment of the Key to the Cursed series.




                      

Goodreads: 

Book Trailer Soul Reborn: http://youtu.be/smSJsJp5o74

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview: Drama Queens with Love Scenes by Kevin Klehr

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

The Life and Times of the Heir and the Keeper by Etta King



Ah the guest blog! My time to shine! What shall I share? This is rather like a “Show and Tell” isn’t it? Hmmm…well I think I’ll go back in time a bit – not too far – and take a peek at a little episode in dear Jonathan’s life. Now Jon is sort of the quintessential prodigal son; he just loves doing whatever he wants, bucking convention (why should he join the legacy of Reinhardt men inducted into the Keepers?) and breaking hearts (didn’t an ex call him Delish? Yum!), yet he always finds his way home (figuratively, of course, since he can’t wait to leave his grandfather’s mansion…hey! I never said he was sane!). But don’t the daring ones always have the most fun? Go to the best parties? Kiss the cutest girls? Perhaps there’s a method to this madness? Let’s see…the year was…I’m blanking…the grade? 11th! Oh high school, the wonder years…

Jon
I was exhausted. But in a good way. A sated way. That was pretty much the only reason I was smiling at the gentle nudging that was bringing me out of my coma. I didn’t even have the blinding headache I associated with any and all brands of Tequila. I was in an Aybee-trance. AB Baby, my sort-of, maybe, probably girlfriend. Angelica B. McCarthy, to anyone who wasn’t a ‘close and personal friend.’ Which was a grand total of probably five people. Yeah, AB was very popular. She was also insanely cute. No, not hot, cute. She was a Blake Lively, not a Megan Fox; you never could bring yourself to hate her, you just wanted her to notice you. She had that effect, a subtle glow that made even teachers curry her favor. And I was lying in her bed. How I’d gotten up here, I couldn’t remember. What we’d done? Well I remembered that. That brought a second smile to my lips.
“I know what you’re thinking.” She whispered in my ear.
I had to laugh. Somehow, I didn’t doubt that; she had a way of guessing people’s thoughts.
“You need to get up; I’m riding with Kit this morning.”
I opened my eyes and raised a brow at that. Christopher, who insisted everyone call him Kit, was her British “cousin.” The air quotes were unimagined; I was pretty sure Kit and I were as related as he was to AB. I couldn’t mentally reconcile what I knew was a lie, but I consoled myself with the fact that at least I knew.
“Why are you riding with him, you could be riding with me,” I replied with a crooked smile. It was corny and I knew it, but she laughed.
“I promised,” she said, brushing her hair out of her face. “Besides, Cassidy needs the exercise, and you haven’t ridden since…” She paused and chewed her lip before continuing. “Anyway, you know it doesn’t mean anything.”
Yes, I hadn’t been near a horse since my father’s accident. That was what she’d stopped herself from saying. But she ignored it and bypassed the awkward moment. There were no awkward moments around AB. Did I know it didn’t mean anything? Probably.
“Right. So why do I need to get up, again? You’re not riding up here.”
“Haha, hilarious. I need to get ready and my mom might stop by.” She rolled out of the bed, automatically adjusting the Alice and Olivia tank dress she’d fallen asleep in.
“Oh right, and she hates me.” I couldn’t even say it with a straight face. She bit back a smile herself.
“She doesn’t hate you…what you did at the club…honestly; I don’t know how you dare.”
I shrugged; I hadn’t exactly been in a great mood on that eventful day and I’d forced her party of bird lovers into a smaller room with my ‘reservation.’ Yes, I’d used my family’s name to outrank her. No, I wasn’t contrite. She’d made a point of mentioning my spiked loafers one too many times. I couldn’t understand how that was her problem.
AB tossed my shirt at me and I sat up slowly, stretching in the process.
She was looking around the room with a small frown.
“This place needs a makeover.” I looked around too; It was an art piece, called AB; from birth to seventeen.
“Less Marilyn, more Audrey,” I made the observation more to myself, but she looked up with a wide smile.
“Yes! You totally get it!” She made a running leap for the bed and practically landed on top of me.
“Really? Necessary?” I asked, laughing.
“And that’s why I love you.”
I blinked. We hadn’t said that yet. Were we saying that now?
“That’s why?” I asked, playing it cool.
“Yes, because you act like you don’t care, but I know you do.”
“Maybe I don’t really care.”
“No…you care, you just hide it so well.”
Hide what?
“Hide what?”
“All your secrets…why you’re so jaded…” She was staring right into my eyes, hers so blue they were almost violet. I felt like she was looking right into my soul. I blinked.



January 14 Interview
Fang-tastic Books

January 15 Promo
A Writer's World 

January 16 Promo
Books and Beauty 

January 16 Review
Not Just 9 to 5 

January 17 Promo 
Divergent Gryffindor 

January 18 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm

January 19 Interview 
Books & Other Spells 

January 20 Interview

January 20 Guest blog
The Bookshelf 

January 27 Spotlight
Books & Tales

February 2 Interview 
Doctor's Notes 

February 3 Guest blog and review
Crazy Four Books

February 5 Review
Impressions of a Princess

February 6 Interview
Books, Books The Magical Fruit

February 7 Review
Books, Books, and More Books

February 8 review
Not Now...Mommy's Reading

February 9 and 10 Interview Feature
Kay Dee’s Blog

February 11 Guest blog
Lisa’s World of  Books



The Life and Times of the Heir and the Keeper
A Caspian University Novel
Etta King

They say college is a lot of things; a haven, a four-year party, the place you met the girl – or guy – of your dreams. What they don’t tell you is, the best part of college is the drama YOU bring to the table! After all, that dirty little secret, that not-so-little white lie, and those texts you wish you could erase from cyberspace can’t stay hidden forever. At CU, someone’s always watching, and you better hope there isn’t a camera phone on hand when you get caught.

It’s the Spring Semester, but it’s not all fun in the budding sun for Jon and Franz. Follow them as they delve through the politics of secret societies, the inevitable drama of the F-word (that’s FAMILY, for the uninitiated), creepy Resident Advisors, creepier residents and girls who don’t always say what they mean. Who wouldn’t need two months to recuperate?

Cheers! And GL!


Book One The Life and Times of Elizabeth and the Duchess   Kindle    Paperback

About the Author:

Etta King is the author of the Caspian University novels, a series chronicling the life and times of a group of wealthy teens who inevitably discover the various flavors of college drama. Etta writes from her personal experiences as a college co-ed and as the product of an all-girls prep school. Here she witnessed the very eccentricities and foibles which she depicts in her novels.

In a home filled with books, it was no surprise that Etta grew to be an avid reader, and that translated into writing when she was thirteen. She wrote simply for the fun of it, whatever would come to mind, from fantasy to thriller to romance, and shared her stories with her friends.

In 2010, at twenty-one and just as she was about to graduate from college, Etta began writing "The Life and Times of Elizabeth and the Duchess." This was a story which had first taken shape in 2008, after her freshman year, but had been put on hold. With graduation looming, Etta recalled the characters, and the events which had inspired them, and took pen to paper. Literally, as Etta enjoys writing out her stories before typing them out. Soon the first book had been completed and the series was born.

"The Life and Times of the Heir and the Keeper," comes as the sequel to "Elizabeth and the Duchess," and serves as the second semester of these teens' college saga. Etta is currently working on the third book, in what will be an eight-part series.

Etta King lives with her family in Westchester, New York.