Author #Interview w/ Geoffrey Right re: Progendy of Gods @Authoright

Progeny of Gods: Vertuém Destiny (Book 1)
by Geoffrey Storm

Greyson is a green-eyed misfit. Teased all through his childhood for being some sort of demon, the only kid without brown eyes. Now 19, Greyson travels to the Kingdom of Viæden, an ancient and secluded realm where trees grow to be seven miles tall. And there, he discovers his eyes mean that he is a vertui: something more than human, destined to play a major role in the fate of the world. But will it be for good? Or evil?

The truth is never black and white. And on his first day as a Royal Guard, Greyson accidentally releases the kingdom’s most dreaded memory: Stiqula, a monster sealed away by a goddess long ago. Born again, Stiqula strikes a deal with an evil god to end the world, and in return be reunited with his love. But is their reunion worth the world’s destruction? And will Greyson discover his true destiny in time to stop him?

 Website * Goodreads

Geoffrey Storm was born and raised in Michigan, in an old, suburban neighborhood he calls “his Shire.”

An Interview with Geoffrey Storm, Author of PROGENY OF GODS

Q. Tell us about your new book.
A. Progeny of Gods is the story of a boy, who was teased all through his childhood for being the only person with green eyes, raised by to conflicting ideologies from either of his parents. When he turns 19, he ventures off into the real world, to the Kingdom of Viæden, a place where trees grow so large they are cities in themselves, and a place his mom used to tell stories about each night before bed. Greyson believes it is a magical place, but soon discovers that in the time since his mom’s stories, it has developed into a modern civilization, with very real issues. And also some supernatural ones.

Q. What genre is it?
A. That’s an interesting question… The short answer is Young Adult Fantasy. But I’d feel more comfortable calling it New Adult Fantasy (though minus all the sexual themes) because my main character is 19, and is dealing with slightly heavier problems on top of the coming-of-age story. And, actually, instead of just Fantasy, it really is equal parts Fantasy and Sci-fi. Some would call it Science Fantasy. Others would call it Sword and Planet. But while the story and setting are all of the above, the narrator’s voice is very casual and modern, and almost reads like a contemporary, haha. That might sound like there’s a lot going on, but I assure you, it just works. 

Q. What kind of readers will it appeal to?
A. Anyone who likes the aforementioned genres. Though I don’t think anyone under 14 should probably be reading it, as it does have some curse words and a bit of blood. Also, the plot is quite detailed. It can be read through casually (there’s plenty of action to keep the casual reader interested) but I think a more mature reader would get more out of it, perhaps identifying with the characters more, and seeing how deep the plot and world is actually woven.
 
Q. Complete this sentence. If you like ___________, you’ll like my book.
A. I’m supposed to equate my book to other books, but I’ve struggled for years to do so… because there’s really nothing like it. So lately I’ve been equating it to my inspirations for writing it: Star Wars meets Kingdom Hearts, set on a planet with seven-mile trees.
 
Q. Tell us a bit more about your main characters.
A. I love these guys. See I started writing this thing when I was 11, so I know them all VERY well, haha. I grew up with them all, so they really feel like family. Greyson (like me) grew up getting two very different viewpoints of the world from his mom and dad. One telling him of light and the lore of old, the other insisting that the world is dark and needs protecting from. This leaves him a bit confused when he begins his own journey and heads off into the world on his own… Well he’s not really on his own. He’s got Tay. He’ll always have Tay. They’re best friends, but not exactly alike. Really they’re almost opposites. Greyson is selfless and thoughtful, Tay is selfish and extroverted, but he has an unshakable loyalty to his best friend. Along their journey they meet Sam, a strong, incredibly intelligent women, who becomes an invaluable asset to them (and Greyson in particular ;). And then we have Stiqula (Sti-Q-la). Sometimes I think he’s the whole reason I started writing this book. See, I’ve got a soft spot for villains. I think they’re the most interesting characters. And Stiqula is as deep and developed and complicated as they come. The reader really starts to feel for him by the end (no spoilers!).
 
Q. How much of your—or the person you wish you were—is in your main character?
A. I love how this question is phrased. Greyson is EXACTLY the person I wish I was. They all are, really. Greyson is everything brave and sensitive, Tay is as quick and funny as I wish I could be. Sam is as smart as I’d ever need to be. And Stiqula… well he’s everything I don’t want to be.

Q. Have you written any other books that we should read next?
A. This is my first novel. But it is part of a very long series, so look out for the next one sometime next year!

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself.
A. Like I said, I’ve been working on this thing since I was 11, so safe to say it’s a very big part of who I am, and shaped me into a person who absolutely loves to help others write and edit their own work to become commercially competitive. And since I’ve never had to silence the pure imagination of childhood, it feels like I’m constantly in a dream-world, always seeing epic battles in the sky overhead, or dark things lurking in the woods at night (but not in a crazy way, haha).

Website link: My website is a hub for everything I do: http://geoffreystorm.com But if you’re just looking for some advice on writing, or interested in hearing my thoughts on other popular YA novels, or just want to see me do some silly, book-related challenges, I’d highly recommend checking out my YouTube (or more specifically BookTube) channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/stiqula

Q. Twitter and Facebook links: 
A. I’m @Stiqula on twitter (link on website), but I’m not a huge fan of Facebook anymore.

Q. Where can we buy your books?
A. My book will be available on Amazon, July 9th, in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. And the ebook will be FREE for for the first 5 days!!!

Q. How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words: Man, Woman, Mexico, Future—can you give us a brief storyline?
A. Mark Lilton is an amateur astronomer. And one night, while gazing at the sky through his home-made telescope, he noticed something very odd. Saturn’s rings had suddenly disappeared! Terrified this could be an omen of worse things to come, he travels to Mexico to get a better look at Saturn, during a very rare event called the twilight eclipse. But there, he meets the incomparable Sally Rein, a fellow astronomer who has come to this small Mexican town for very same reason. Together the two must discover what horrible fate has befallen Saturn’s rings, and what it means for the fate of Earth!

Q. What’s next?
A. For me? My next project will be to work on the second book for Progeny of Gods, and also a graphic novel prequel (to be released in the next few months) that tells the origin story of a few of my more minor characters (as well as a few you’ll meet in later books). So excited for it!!

Q. Is there any other question you’d love for us to ask you?
A. I think we covered everything important! I had a great time answering, and I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about me and my story!

Interview with Lucy Branch, author of A Rarer Gift Than Gold

A Rarer Gift Than Gold
by Lucy Branch

An enchanting patineur finds herself drawn into a conspiracy of magical realism, unchecked greed and heated passion in this stunning debut about Italy and alchemy.

Abigail Argent stands out. Some people notice that she always wears gloves and shudder when they know why. Those who know her best observe in wonder her remarkable ability in the colouring of metal.

On the brink of finishing her chemistry degree, Abigail chances upon a book that reveals a link between her own art and that of her favourite childhood fairytale: the changing of lead into gold.

Delighted with her find, and revelling in the news that she has been offered a high profile restoration job in Venice, Abigail is finally on the cusp of adventure, free to explore the world and all its riches. But Abigail’s specialist talents do not go unnoticed. A dangerous and powerful organisation are watching her closely, convinced that she alone holds the key to an ancient alchemist’s secret.

Through her work in Venice, Abigail’s skills attract the attention of a notable sculptor who entices her to work for him in Florence. Drawn like a magnet to this iconic city of culture,

Abigail continues to uncover more about the history of alchemy and develop her artistry while making new friends.

Vibrant model Therese and handsome new lover David breathe new life into Abigail’s once sheltered heart. As the weeks pass, Therese, David and Abigail’s new circle of friends will become inextricably linked to her own destiny, drawn directly into the path of the sinister forces who are stealthily closing in, threatening Abigail’s life. To save herself, Abigail is forced to call upon everything she knows - but what she discovers about herself is much darker than she could ever have expected.

A Rarer Gift Than Gold is an accomplished first novel, rooted in an authenticity derived from author Lucy Branch’s professional insight. An acclaimed specialist in sculptural and architectural restoration, working on high-profile projects including Nelson’s Column, Cleopatras Needle, Eros, St Paul's Cathedral, The British Library and Selfridges, Branch brings the mythology of alchemy vividly to life. Abigail’s story is played out against a carefully observed background of Italian culture and architecture, drawing romance and mystery into her passage through the streets of Florence. Branch was inspired by an incident in which she and a close friend were ominously warned off the materials they were studying by a stranger during a research trip to Italy to explore the works of Galileo. A Rarer Gift Than Gold will captivate fans of Kate Mosse’s Languedoc Trilogy and is set to fascinate, enlighten and leave readers guessing until the very last page.

Please welcome Lucy Branch to Colorimetry!

Q: What’s your novel about?

A: It’s a conspiracy theory about alchemy. It follows Abigail Argent, a skilled patineur, who discovers a link between her own craft and that of this classic myth. Inadvertently, she trespasses into the realms of a strange group who hold the key to a mystery of what has been happening to alchemists, and those suspected of the ability, from time immemorial.

Q What drew you to this subject matter?

A: I love metals. I’ve always felt they were special and my career in their conservation and restoration has enabled me to specialize in the field. I wanted to explain to people why they were special and bring them into the very tactile experience of working with metal: alchemy is such a seductive subject - it seemed a perfect match.

Q: What types of themes are there in the book?

A: There are some big ones like love, betrayal, murder but I particularly wanted to write about issues that many people in early adulthood might encounter. The lead character's romantic life is not straightforward. She suffers from a skin affliction affecting her hands. It's very obvious and something she chooses to keep hidden. This makes personal relationships harder for her to forge. 



There's also self-knowledge. The lead character has to look within herself to find her resources and to discover how they can serve her. This is something we all have to do at times and never more than when you’re out there on your own in the world for the first time.

Q Did anything particularly inspire the storyline?

A: A good friend of mine is a historian of science and was studying Galileo. He was calling up some pretty rare volumes on the subject and really did get a warning to stay away from the material he was studying. I wondered why anyone would be so protective of something so dry and academic. I wondered what motivation they could possibly have and what might happen if he ignored the warning. I built the book around this event.

Q What was your motivation in writing this story?

A: Everyday, I work with historic objects and one of the questions I often ask myself when restoring them is ‘what is missing from this object. What can I not see?’ and ‘why might evidence have been lost?’ It has made me very interested in what’s absent from history and why. This story is about how history can be manipulated by the removal of physical evidence for personal gain.

Q Why do you think your writing will appeal to readers?

A: I think conspiracy theories are always interesting because they are about challenging assumptions. I love walking the line between the logical fact and the unlikely possibility - as you gain ground sometimes you begin to wonder which one is which.

Q: When did you start writing? 



A: I've been writing stories since I was about fourteen years old. I remember writing through my break-times at school and not being able to bear to stop so I would hide my book under my desk, balanced on my knees and continuing to scribble through classes.

About the author: 

Lucy Branch is a director of her family’s firm Antiques Bronze Ltd, one of the UK’s leading conservation and restoration companies. She has a degree in History of Art with Material Studies and a Masters from The Royal College of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Branch is an accredited member of the Institute of Conservation. Lucy lives with her husband and their three children in North London. The first in the The Gold Gift trilogy, A Rarer Gift Than Gold by Lucy Branch (published by Clink Street Publishing RRP £7.99 paperback, RRP £4.99 ebook) is available to buy online from 20th March 2015 from retailers including amazon.co.uk and can be ordered from all good bookstores. For more information please visit www.lucybranch.com

For a review copy or interview request please contact: Kate Appleton, Marketing & Publicity Executive at Authoright / 0207 7993 4438 / kate@authoright.com

Interview with Anna J Steward, author of Asking for Trouble on #PrismBookTours

A themed tour through Prism Book Tours.

Asking for Trouble

(Tremayne Family #1)
Anna J. Stewart

Adult Contemporary Romance

February 17th 2015 by Berkley InterMix

The Tremaynes are one of the most prosperous families in Lantano Valley, California. But money can’t buy everything—especially when it comes to love…

Morgan Tramayne has a heart of gold, but to keep her children’s charity afloat she’s had to resort to some less than legal means: donations from a notorious cat burglar who targets the wealthy. It’s only a matter of time before Morgan’s criminal connection blows up in her face—especially since her undeniable attraction to the man heading the investigation keeps putting her in tricky situations.

Former police detective-turned-investigator Gage Juliano has two goals: salvaging his career and nabbing Lantano Valley’s present-day Robin Hood. But when he meets a beautiful, curvaceous woman who’s more interested in helping others than amassing a fortune like the rest of the town’s residents, Gage finds his desires pulled in an unexpected direction…

Note: This novel contains some mature content.

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - iTunes - Kobo

Please welcome Anna to Colorimetry!

Tell us a little about how you got started as an author and how you came up with the idea for this book?

Thank you so much for hosting me today, Laura. I think I was a born storyteller. I always had imaginary friends or was making up fantastical tales, plus I've had a book in my hand for as long as I can remember. In the 70's, there wasn't the selection of YA novels there are now, so I dived into the mainstream fiction realm pretty early and was reading Stephen King by age 8. Once I discovered romance novels, however, I knew that's what I was meant to write. Around that same time, some friends and I started writing mini-romances featuring our favorite rock stars or movie stars (an early form of Fan Fiction I suppose). From there...writing was all there was for me.

ASKING FOR TROUBLE was actually the very first novel I ever finished. And I wrote it on a typewriter (that should tell you how long ago that happened). The idea was originally about Nemesis, the cat burglar stalking the wealthy citizens of fictional Lantano Valley, California, but as I learned more about writing and plot and conflict, I knew I needed another angle and additional characters. One night I was watching a St. Jude infomercial (I was a Danny Thomas fan from way back) and the idea of a children's charity/treatment center seemed the perfect thing for my heroine to fight for. The resulting circumstance asked the question what wouldn't Morgan Tremayne (my heroine) do to fight for those she loved. And who would be the worst possible person for her to fall for? A cop. The rest of the puzzle came together soon after.

Nice... I love seeing how the pieces came together individually to make the whole.

Where do you get your ideas for characters? In particular, did you steal some characteristics from yourself or people you know for the main characters?

For me, I get an image first. There's a scene, a face, something that triggers an idea. It's typically the heroine who appears in my head to begin with and, funny enough, my life-long collecting of dolls comes into play. Each of my heroines has a Barbie representation sitting on my desk. The middle-range ones (not the beach Barbies and not the super duper expensive ones), but the Black Label dolls that have such different features and postures. I know her when I see her...and have been known to stalk Internet shopping sites for just the right one (if I can't find her in my collection).

For my heroes, I tend to shop around Pinterest and end up with a Hollywood inspired face (I've recently formed an obsession with Matt Bomer from White Collar).

Alas, I don't tend to use characteristics from people I know. I have been known to use some people who rub me the wrong way as villains. I think a lot of authors do that. At least I hope so! Eesh. I hope I'm not that strange. The one aspect of myself that tends to sneak into each of my heroines is their independence. There's a fine line between self-sufficiency and well, being so strong a reader can't really get behind the character. This is why I'm grateful for my critique partners. They tell me when to reign my heroines in.

All that said, I think each character has formed in its own time and in its own way. For instance, I have one character (from a paranormal/Urban Fantasy novel I wrote) that exploded in my brain during a quiet walk through a local art gallery, a Georgia O'Keefe exhibit. I saw my heroine, knew what she was wearing, feet kicked up on a table and high leg leather boots. With a knife. Still gives me chills when I remember that. But so far...she's the only one to materialize in that way.

How awesome that you have a Barbie collection!! What a fun, unique way to picture a character... much nicer than choosing people you know. Characters that explode on the brain are also awesome.

Which author/authors or particular books have inspired you?

Nora Roberts. Stephen King is a close second, but it was Nora's romances that made me fall in love with the genre. I read an early Silhouette romance from her when I was in high school and have since read everything she's ever written. She's still the one I go back to when I get stuck or need inspiration.

Other influences? Jude Devereaux (have you read KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR?!), Sandra Brown, and Sherrilyn Kenyon (her Dark Hunter series). Storytelling doesn't get any better.

Personally, authors Brenda Novak and Melinda Curtis have had a tremendous impact on me and my pursuit of writing. This would not be happening without their encouragement and guidance. They never let me forget or lose sight of my dream.

Nice. Such good company!

What were some of your favorite reads of the past year?

I don't have as much time to read as I used to (and it breaks my heart!). On the way home from a conference last year, I read Alyssa Alexander's THE SMUGGLER WORE SILK--a historical romance, which I don't tend to read a lot of. I fell back in love with the genre. It was spectacular.

And I might be biased, by Mel Curtis' Hollywood RULES series (AMBER RULES is the first one) is so much sexy fun and she's also writing some fabulous sweet romances with her Harmony Valley and Bridesmaids series. Oh, I was lucky enough to get an early copy of THIS HEART OF MINE by Brenda Novak. I think it's her best Whiskey Creek book to date. Hits every emotion in the bank.

Great books to add to my To-Read list. I do enjoy the Whiskey Creek series. I'll have to make sure I have This Heart of Mine. Thank you!

For the aspiring writers out there, can you tell us something about how you develop your plot?

So funny. I just gave a workshop on this to my local writing group a few months ago.

For me, it starts with the name. I have a general idea of the type of story I'm going to write when I get started, but until that name locks into place, there's no moving forward. I tend to spend a lot of time with THE CHARACTER NAMING SOURCEBOOK. It always amazes me how a name I could never use for one story works perfectly for another. From there, I open the HEROES & HEROINES: 16 ARCHETYPES by Tami Cowden & friends. It's the first step in figuring out their conflict--their clash of belief systems as Mary Buckham would say. The plot kind of comes out of those explorations (unless the plot comes first, in which case, the other elements fall into place a bit easier).

For my TROUBLE books, there's the over-arching criminal aspect which was both fun and frustrating to write, which meant research. I'm not a criminal (thank goodness!) and figuring out the financial ins and outs of banking required numerous Q & A sessions with one of my best friend's husbands (he was very patient, LOL). I now know more about security systems, rock climbing, and computer hacking than I really should. I'm sure the NSA has my computer under surveillance with all my searching online. Bonus, though. Writing these books gave me a great excuse to watch a bunch of heist movies and TV shoes (hence my obsession with Matt Bomer from WHITE COLLAR).

While I always swear I'll plot out the book before I start, inevitably the story goes somewhere I don't expect. It's nailing down the conflict that keeps me on track, even when I'm cursing myself for not doing a scene by scene plot. I might hate it while I'm slogging through it, but having that creative freedom to see where the plot and characters take me, makes the words flow faster. But that's me! Every writer needs to figure out what works for them. And that's the most important lesson I've learned in the last few years. Trust yourself. The rest will follow.

Thank you for sharing your method!!  It's great to get a peak at the "bones" underneath the story and how they might've come together.  I'd love to attend your workshop. :-)

Anna, thank you for visiting here today!!  It's an honor to promote Asking for Trouble on the tour.

You’ve met Anna J. Stewart (or someone like her) before. She was the girl who spun in circles on the playground hoping her Wonder Woman costume would magically appear before playing cops and robbers a la Charlie’s Angels–as Sabrina (she was the smart one). Anna was the girl in the back of the class with a paperback romance hidden in her algebra book (and yes, she failed algebra).
Growing up in the 70′s and 80′s meant there weren’t a lot of YA books, so she ventured early into mainstream fiction and read Stephen King’s CARRIE at the age of 8. Discovering Nora Roberts and romance novels early in high school opened her eyes to the wonders of storytelling and the beauty of a happily ever after.

So here she is, many years later with an English degree from CSU Sacramento, an RWA Golden Heart nomination behind her, countless stories in her head, and a serious addiction to STAR TREK, SUPERNATURAL, and SHERLOCK. She recently wrapped up a nearly 8-year stint working as assistant to NYTimes bestselling author Brenda Novak where she helped run Brenda's annual online auction for diabetes research. When she's not writing or reading (which she never has enough time for!), she's working on dollhouse miniatures and tolerating her overly-affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps it's Snickers who tolerates her).

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Follow the Tour!

2/16 - Launch

2/17 - Coffee Books & Art

2/18 - Mythical Books & Book N Blog

2/19 - My Life Loves and Passion

2/20 - Southern Chelle & Mary Terrani

2/22 - Babs Book Bistro & Colorimetry

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2/26 - The Written Adventure & deal sharing aunt

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3/1 - Grand Finale

Wide Awake in the Dreamscape by Georgi Bond #Interview

Wide Awake in the Dreamscape
by Georgi Bond




“It’s not a game if it’s real.” 

Unlike her brother Alfie, 12-year-old Lily is not at all interested in video games. But when she wakes up in
the middle of the night trapped in another world where monsters from nightmares are real, Lily has no
choice but to immerse herself in a world far different from anything she knows. Lily must learn the rules
and play the game. An unsuspecting Lily is suddenly transported into the Dreamscape, which is overrun by monsters from Colony, the latest online gaming craze which Alfie is entranced by. Why does this
shimmering, digital dreamland feel equally familiar and strange to Lily, as well as extremely dangerous?
Inside the Dreamscape, Lily meets twins Felix and Serena, who are also prisoners of the game and have lost their brother to Colony. The threesome learns that Colony lures players in and takes over their minds, filling them with horrifying nightmares. Their brothers are possessed by “dreamons”, cunning and evil monsters from Colony. Lily realizes that it might be possible for video games to shatter the boundaries of time and space in order to invade the deepest recesses of the human mind. If Lily and the twins can’t find a way to defeat the dreamons, millions of Colony players, including their brothers, could soon find themselves
enslaved to the game they set out to enjoy.

Wide Awake in the Dreamscape pits human friendship and courage against the dark fusion of nightmares
and technology in a way readers have never seen before. This fresh, action-packed story for older children
questions the ethics of technological progression and further explores our modern fears over the exposure
of our young people to bullying. Georgi Bond’s ambitious narrative serves as a necessary warning to
children and adults alike that the Internet can prove to be just as treacherous as it is revolutionary, and
reminds us that one unkind act might be all it takes to breed very real and terrible consequences in both
our world and the digital realm. Wide Awake in the Dreamscape is a must-read for kids looking for an
intelligent, thought-provoking sci-fi fantasy novel.



Georgi Bond was raised in rural Devon, England before going on to study archaeology
and conduct postgraduate research at Durham University. Bond has worked as a technical writer, marketing
copywriter and copy editor. Her current home is the one she built for herself in Riga, Latvia, where she lives
with her family. Wide Awake in the Dreamscape by Georgi Bond (published by Clink Street Publishing, RRP
$9.99 paperback, RRP $3.99 ebook) is available online at retailers including amazon.com and can be
ordered from all good bookstores. For more information, please visit: www.GeorgiBond.com.

For a review copy or to request an interview, please contact:

Diana Rissetto, Marketing and Publicity Executive / diana@authoright.com / 646-664-4272

Tell us about your new book.

In Wide Awake in the Dreamscape, a young online gaming community collides with a magical world populated by nightmare monsters. Three tweens are plunged into danger as they find themselves trapped in this mysterious and hostile world. They must fight to survive, and find a way to reverse the deadly and hypnotic spell cast over the gamers. As time runs out, they soon discover that there’s much more at stake than just their own lives.



What genre is it?

Fantasy, middle readers / junior fiction, age 9-12



What kind of readers will it appeal to?

The story appeals to boys who are into computers and gaming, and who enjoy a good fast-paced adventure story with lots of fighting action. So far, it’s proven most popular with girls, who connect with Lily and Serena and relate to their blossoming friendship. It appeals to girls who enjoy a magical mystery adventure with a fast and exciting pace. If you like a story that is imaginative, original, modern, exciting and fast-paced, you’ll like my book.



Tell us a bit more about your main characters.

The main character is a young girl called Lily. She is shy, reserved, serious and very caring. Her love for her younger brother, Alfie, gives her amazing inner strength and personal growth as the story progresses. In trying to rescue him, she finds the courage to face and overcome mortal danger, whilst also tackling her own fears and insecurities along the way.



How much of your—or the person you wish you were—is in your main character?

Lily doesn’t run away from unpleasant or frightening situations. I wish I could say the same for myself!



Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’ve worked as a technical writer, copywriter, content writer and copy editor. But I never felt creatively satisfied. My mind kept wandering back to my childhood dream of writing a novel, so I took a career break and dived straight in. Wide Awake in the Dreamscape is the result. I’m also a yoga teacher, with a passion for all things connected with health and nutrition, and I’m particularly interested in raw-veganism and the healing power of foods.

Twitter and Facebook links:

https://twitter.com/georgibondbooks

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wide-Awake-in-the-Dreamscape/524954554271470?ref=hl

What’s next?

I’m currently working on the sequel to Wide Awake in the Dreamscape

Guest Interview Post: Whip Smart by Kit Brennan #SexyRomp

Whip Smart
Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards
by Kit Brennan

A wild and sexy romp through history based on the real-life adventures of the audacious Lola Montez. It is 1842, London, and the gorgeous, ever-capricious 22-year-old Eliza Gilbert, (aka Lola Montez) is in deep trouble and seeks escape from a divorce trial. Desperate to be free, Lola accepts an alluring offer of a paid trip to Spain, if she will only fulfill a few tasks for Juan de Grimaldi—a Spanish theatre impresario who is also a government agent and spy for the exiled Spanish queen, Maria Cristina. Lola soon finds herself in Madrid, undercover as a performer in a musical play. But when she falls dangerously in love with the target, General Diego de Léon, Lola becomes a double agent and the two hatch a plot of their own. Disaster strikes when the plot is exposed, Diego is captured, and Lola is forced to flee on horseback to France, with a dangerous group of Loyalists in hot pursuit.

Buy Whip Smart now on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1nwgjg5

Buy Whip Smart now from Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1mh9tL5

Visit Astor and Blue Editions: http://astorandblue.com/

Interview with Kit Brennan:

What got you into writing?

I started out as an actor, and had been working professionally for a number of years when I was asked to write a play for children, to be toured through elementary schools. It sounded like fun, so I gave it a go. At the same time, I was becoming interested in the thought of writing plays for adults, partly prompted by my desire to write some really good roles for women. So I did a Masters of Fine Arts in Playwriting and by the time I’d finished that, I realized that I’d become more interested in writing than I was in acting. I’ve worked as a playwright for almost twenty years, and my plays have been produced across Canada and internationally. I teach playwriting and storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal. I became very curious about writing fiction after I’d written a short play about Lola Montez and realized that her particular voice and her adventures were more suited to the broader canvas of a novel. So I dove in.

What is your new book about and what inspired you to write it?

Whip Smart: Lola Montez Starts a Revolution is the third novel in my Whip Smart: The Lola Montez Series. They are Victorian-era adventure novels starring a feisty heroine (based on the real historical figure Lola Montez), with lots of derring-do, romance, thrills and comedy. This one encompasses the historical Lola’s most notorious adventure: becoming the mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, gaining the title of Countess of Landsfeld, and possibly igniting the Revolution of 1848.

The inspiration for the series goes way back, and has two sparks. As a teenager, I came across the character of Lola in George MacDonald Fraser’s second Flashman book, Royal Flash. I thought she was really funny and intriguing. In that book (and the film, Flashman, with Malcolm McDowell), Lola Montez is first seen practicing in a field with a sabre. In another scene, she beds Flashy, with a hairbrush as a spanking accessory. I loved Fraser’s novels, every hilarious one of them, and later thought that it would be great fun to write a kind of ‘female Flashman’.

Lola herself is the other inspiration. When I starting looking into her life, I’d often find belittling comments: “she was a terrible dancer,” “she had no talent,” “she was a gold-digging slut,” etc. This made me think a lot about what it must have felt like to be a gutsy, adventurous woman in strait-laced Victorian society. I wanted to write from her point of view, as an energetic, enthusiastic and amorous young person – like any other healthy creature, be it kitten or puppy or colt – filled with confidence and a bit of swagger and the desire to use her body to its fullest. Then she trips up, gets into trouble, and begins to learn… As the years go on, she gets knocked down, and gets back up, but she doesn’t succumb to despair. Lola, as a character, keeps dusting herself off and facing the obstacles, with courage and joie de vivre. I love that. Living like that is so much harder than it looks.

What are the challenges to being a writer? And what are the benefits? Have things changed lately?

There are lots of challenges! Finding your voice is one, finding the story that is burning to be written by you and nobody else but you is another. Then there’s getting published, finding the audience, etc. I think the benefits of being a writer are largely internal. The ability to live more than one life is a big one. Not that I don’t enjoy my own – I do! But it’s exciting to put yourself in the shoes of someone else, whether real or fictional, and to walk (or dance, or ride) with them, learn how they feel about different experiences, and also to try to reveal why they might feel that way—especially if it’s very different from the way you view the world yourself. You can’t carry a grudge against a character and have them feel fully-rounded: it’s crucial that you get inside each of their skins, for at least a little while, to find out what makes them tick. Everyone has a reason or a justification for what they do. And that can be eye-opening.

In the book world lately, things have changed enormously and very quickly. For authors and readers, ebooks are exciting developments—my series will be available much longer and is more easily found. I’m still getting used to the new world of technology, social media, and so on—but I like it!

What advice can you offer to struggling writers?

A great piece of advice from American playwright Marsha Norman goes like this: Don’t write about your present, write about your past—write about something that made you angry or afraid, and that, in all the time since it happened, you haven’t been able to forget. There’s power in those strong emotions. She’s right in that if we write about something that’s happening to us in the present, we often don’t have enough perspective on it and the writing will get vague and mushy, or sentimental, or trying to conceal something (perhaps from ourselves) and therefore not truthful.

You’ve also got to be passionately interested in your idea over a long, long period of time. You have to want to spend time with these characters, day after day after day, through all the rewrites as well as the initial inspiration. They’ve got to be that fascinating to you. You need to be in love with them—the bad guys as much as the good. You can hardly wait to see them again tomorrow!

What comes first, the plot or the characters?

For me, the initial spark is almost always a character. Maybe it’s because of my initial training in the theatre as an actor. But then, of course, you have to create something gripping and exciting and consequential for them to do, so plot follows along pretty quickly. I’ve never been a fan of plays or books where the characters just observe and describe. I like action.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb

Although Lola’s affair with King Ludwig I of Bavaria has gone down in the history books as something to be laughed at because of the age difference and Lola’s ‘gold digging’ repute, in fact, in my research I found a very sweet man, and a woman who longed to be loved.

Describe your writing space

I’m really lucky because in the summertime, when I’m usually struggling my way through a first draft, I can go down to the waterfront where we have a miraculous little cabin. There’s a rickety electric line that connects me to the internet and the wide world, but otherwise, I look out over the lake, hear the loons calling, watch the cloud formations, and dream Lola’s world. From the cabin, I can be in Madrid or Paris or Munich or San Francisco—and still go home for lunch with my sweetie.

What are you passionate about these days?

It’s the summertime, so… Hummingbirds!

Kit Brennan was born in Vancouver and grew up in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She is a nationally produced award-winning playwright, and teaches playwriting and storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. The Victorian era and its personalities have always been a big interest for Kit. Her play Tiger's Heart explores the life of Dr. James Barry, who was a woman who lived her life disguised as a man in order to practice medicine, which was not an option open to women at the time. Kit divides her time between the vibrant city of Montreal and the quiet wilds and beautiful lakes of Ontario with her husband Andrew and a variety of animal friends. Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards ​is her first novel.


www.kitbrennan.com (website)

facebook for the series is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whip-Smart-The-Lola-Montez-Series-by-Kit-Brennan/370752359674993

The Triskele Trail, Day 6 Interview on the Triskele Tour #Give@way

Triskele Books and Prism Book Tours presents...

A Week of Interviews and Giveaways!

Day 6. Triskele Trail: 

JJ Marsh discusses Triskele's first non-fiction release, Triskele Trail.

WHY did the idea of producing a book like Triskele Trail appeal to you?

We realised how far we’d come and in particular, how much we’d learnt from others sharing their experiences. It seemed only fair to pass on our own.

HOW would you sum up Triskele Trail in a one sentence synopsis?

Our roadmap to self-publishing, pot-holes, wrong turnings and all.

WHEN did the need for a book like this become apparent to you?

As more and more people asked advice on all aspects of indie publishing, we kept saying the same things, forwarding the same articles, repeating the same advice. Eventually, we decided to collect it all together in one place.

WHO do you think will benefit most from Triskele Trail, debut authors or established writers?

Both. Whether you’ve been writing for years or just starting, publishing your work is a completely new world, requiring a new set of skills. The book is a hand to hold as you navigate the roads along that journey.

WHICH chapter or segment of advice did you learn the most from while researching the book?

I think we’d all have different answers to that. So many of the chapters and tips written by the others are gold dust. Not just as eye-openers, but reminders of things I knew but had forgotten about. Putting the book together has been an inspiring experience, and totally reinforced my decision to go the independent route.

WHAT do you see as the next move from Triskele Books. You're certainly expanding your platform, so what's next?

Every six months, we stop and evaluate where we’re going. What’s working, what needs to be improved, and how best to move on. We’ll be planning the summer of 2014, writing new books and organising festival appearances; exploring formats, such as audiobooks, boxsets and translations; recruiting new writers for the end of next year; and finding more ways to connect books and readers.

Website * Blog * Facebook * @TriskeleBooks * Pinterest

Mass Giveaway!

1 Signed Paperback,
2 eCopies...

Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat
Ghost Town by Catriona Troth
Overlord, The Rise of Zenobia by JD Smith

1 Signed Paperback of any one book out of each series, 
1 eBook Boxset of each, 
1 eBook of each book in both series...

The Charter, Closure, Complicit by Gillian Hamer
Behind Closed Doors, Raw Material, Tread Softly by JJ Marsh

Print copies available to win in US/Can/UK. eCopies available Internationally. Open to those who can legally enter and are able to receive winnings. Winners will be drawn randomly on Rafflecopter. Winners will be awarded according to their preference in the order they are drawn. If there is no preference indicated, they will win according to the consecutive posting order. Winners will be announced on Rafflecopter and notified by email after the giveaway has ended. They will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The odds of winning are determined by the number of entries. This giveaway was organized by the authors of Triskele Books and Prism Book Tours: www.prismbooktours.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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A Week of Interviews and Giveaways!

November 16 - 22

16 – Literally Jen - Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat

17 – Beck Valley Books - Ghost Town by Catriona Troth

18 – Deal Sharing Aunt - Overlord, The Rise of Zenobia by JD Smith

19 – The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year OldGirl - The Boxset from Gillian Hamer

  

20 – Brooke Blogs - Boxset by JJ Marsh

  

21 – Colorimetry - Triskele Trail

22 – Grand Finale
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Interview with Monica MacDonald, author of Rook on tour with Candace's Book Blog

On Tour with CCB Book Promotions...

Rook by Monica MacDonald

Could you be the monster to save who you love?

Two women, separated by generations, must leave what they know to start a new life. Seventeen-year-old Kate's senior year is ruined when she's moved from the only home she's ever known. After an isolating month alone in her apartment, school starts, but neither her classmates nor her teacher are who they seem. Kali, a single mother living in the nineteenth century wilds of Montana, is stalked by a malicious past. She fights to keep her daughter safe while her freedom is threatened by her less than benevolent benefactor. Both find love, and with it hope, but that is quickly ripped away as one woman must learn the lessons of the other -- before it's too late to save either.

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon

Monica is here!! :-D  Please welcome her... and her four adorable friends!!!  ...to Colorimetry!!

How did the idea for your book come to you?

One day, I was driving down the road, thinking about reincarnation. Don’t ask me why – I’ve got no idea how I went down that particular rabbit hole. I was wondering how it could possibly work when, as you look back at the population history of the planet, you went from relatively few people to somewhere in the neighborhood of eight billion.  So, if there was reincarnation, that must mean that people must be reincarnating at a faster and faster rate – and then it hit me. Could people reincarnate in the same family multiple times? What would that mean for their timelines? Would they do that in groups, never separating from the same people? What if there was a way around the process, since, as the theory goes, you’re only in a life to learn a set of things, and you reincarnate to enlightenment.  How could you beat the system and just do that in one life?

Oh... my!!  And then you add tension and a deadline?!  Lol.  Do you have a favorite scene?

I really like the end.  I spent three hundred pages getting to that point, and when there’s finally that a-ha! moment where the two storylines are clearly connected, it’s a giant release for me. I can finally tell that secret I’ve been hiding all along.

Wha-?  What secret?!  Oh... You're horrible. I'm sorry... um, maddening. 'Read the book', then?!

Share something personal! What book are you reading now? Favorite dish? Do you have pets? Share something personal! What book are you reading now? Favorite dish? Do you have pets?

Reading? Recently, I have had a near obsession with the White Queen, by Philippa Gregory. If what I’ve been told is correct, my family on my grandmother’s side goes back to her. When the show came out, I immediately fell in love with the story line, and have since devoured almost the entire thing this month. I especially like the rumored witchcraft element to that story. My people have always like to do things a little off the beaten path, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that belief really was true to life way back when.

Favorite dish? I love cheese, and once spent two weeks in Amman, Jordan eating nothing but that.  The Middle East really loves their cheeses (jibna!).  American grocery stores have dinky little five by eight sections of refrigeration devoted to cheese.  In Jordan, a strip running the length of the entire store will be filled with every kind of cheese you could imagine. And it’s cheap!

Pets? I have four dogs. Polly and Charlotte are old labs that we’ve had since puppies.  Gilly is a dachshund that was horribly abused and found refuge with us last year. Our big spotted cow (Great Dane) passed away this last July.  Our hearts were broken for months, but last week finally got a new Dane puppy – Frankie.

I love cheese, too! This interview is pretty cliff-hang-er-y, if you ask me. *hand on hip* At least... at least you shared some pictures of your pets.  Thx, Monica!  And thanks for stopping by today to make me want to read your book!! Lol.

   

Monica MacDonald is a married graduate student with three boys. Utah is home right now, but the need to wander has extended beyond the fantasy world of writing and into real life. She's lived all around the US and even into the Middle East. The world is really a small place, only made bigger through imagination.

Find the author: Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 

 * The Tour * 

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

See rafflecopter for details and restrictions.

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Smoke, Wings and Stone by Marijon Bradon #TackleTBR #Giveaway #AuthorInterview

Another great giveaway on the #TackleTBR Giveaway!

TODAY IS THE LAST CHANCE TO JOIN for the BEST chance of winning!! 

Join the Readathon HERE! 

Smoke, Wings and Stone
by Marijon Braden
Kindle Edition, 252 pgs
Published May 10 2013 by Dee Ernst

Carrie and Sara Fleming are as different as two sisters can be. Both in high school, Carrie is an outgoing soccer jock, trying to navigate the minefield of Varsity sports –and dating. Sara is a talented musician, who wants to spend her senior year focusing on graduating and getting into a great music school. Both of their lives change forever when Sara inadvertently finds herself engaged to marry Lucien Gargouille, prince of an ancient race of gargoyles.

Sara has no interest in marrying anyone, but a vow spoken in the moonlight has bound her to Luc – forever. To make matters worse, there is a war brewing. For centuries, the gargoyles have protected mankind from all the dark forces in the world. But someone is making trouble, and trying to break the fragile treaty that has kept evil at bay, and Sara has become a target.

Carrie sees the danger around her sister, but can only watch and wait, hoping that Luc and his Family can keep Sara safe. After all, this is what they were born to do – protect the world from vampires, and all the other creatures, who would try to break out of their darkness. But when the enemy makes a daring move, it falls on Carrie to not only save her sister, but to keep the two worlds from crashing together.

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iBookstore

My Addictions

Marijon Braden was born and raised in New Jersey, which may help to explain her attitude towards charlatans and idiots. She started writing stories at an early age, her first literary influences being Walter Farley, author of the ‘Black Stallion’ series, and Carolyn Keene, of ‘Nancy Drew’ fame. That’s probably why her earliest efforts involved a young girl detective who solved crime on horseback. 

She had a very happy childhood, did well in school, and was a fairly obedient daughter until she went away to college. The original plan was to major in journalism. She wrote for the college paper until she realized that wasn’t the kind of writing she wanted to do when she grew up. So she switched to education. That was not, perhaps, the smartest move.

Then, life happened. Jobs, rent, husband, baby, another husband, another baby, until she found herself a stay-at-home mom, about to chew her foot off if she had to watch one more episode of ‘Barney.’ So, she started to write again.

She still lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, two cats and a very spoiled cocker spaniel. Her older daughter is off in Oregon, fighting the good fight for the homeless. She loves to cook – and eat – and plays RPG games on her Xbox when she needs to decompress (Skyrim alone cost her months of her life). During the past few years, she has lost, and tragically found again, the same twenty pounds. Life is all about trying, failing, and trying harder. 

She writes in her downstairs office, surrounded by her growing collection of gargoyles. Smoke, Wings and Stone is her first YA novel.

Marijon Braden is the pen name for Dee Ernst, who writes adult romantic comedy, and has lived an almost identical life.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

Marijon Bradon has kindly consented to visit Colorimetry during the readathon and offer a wonderful giveaway as well as talk about her book. Read about her Serial Reading Addictions over on her blog today... hey... it's the Tackle Your TBR Readathon!  Must replenish the TBR with more books!!

What is the inspiration behind Smoke, Wings and Stone?

I also write romantic comedy, and I had an idea for a story about an uptight 40-something businesswoman who gets drunk at a convention and spends the night with a charming stranger.  When she wakes up in the morning, she finds out that he’s a supernatural prince of the fae, and since they’ve had sex, she’s married to him.  I loved the idea, but could never get past the first few chapters.  When I started looking at the story from a teen’s point of view,it got interesting. I wanted to stay away from the usual teen/vampire/angst thing, so I made the vampires the bad guys and the teen girls tough and kick-ass. When looking for my supernatural being, I found too much about the fae, but nothing about gargoyles, which was great, because I got to make it all up!

Lol... what a crazy beginning! I love it! 

·       How did you find your title?

The gargoyles can walk around as human beings, but when they ‘Turn’, first you smell smoke.  Then, they grow in size, sprout their wings and turn into their gargoyle forms.  Then, if they wish, they can ‘Sleep’, that is, turn to stone.

ah... a useful title, then, that relates to the book! 

·       Do you have a favorite scene?

I like writing dialog best, so I really enjoy the funnier dialog scenes.  But I really enjoyed the action sequences.  I’d never written anything like them before, and they were a real challenge, but fun.  I love the scene when Luc is driving the car with Sara, Fabianne and Amelie, and they’re being chased by the vampires.  I can really see it in my mind, and I think it’s just great!

·       Share something personal!  Writing desk? Writing schedule? Writing now?

Right now I’m writing the second book of Smoke, Wings and Stone.  It’s hard because it’s summer, and shouldn’t I be on vacation????  I write in my office downstairs every morning, surrounded by my growing collection of gargoyle statues.  Which, by the way, are very hard to come across. I found my last one in Disney World, of all places!

Read more on Marijon's blog today!

Giveaway!

* Five winners for bookmarks. Int'l

* One winner for the paperback of Smoke, Wings and Stone. Int'l

See the About tab or the rafflecopter for restrictions and giveaway rules.

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