Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Upcoming events!!!!


Coming up on Facebook we will have a live interview of the author Ann Snizek as well as the characters (represented in the banner below).

Characters' names from left to right across the banner:

         Pin     Khevin   Krissa   Fawnah  Sealey   Alcina
Brydon   Lonnie   Ruuna    Micah     Dimitri       Gilroy     Nester






We can't wait to find out what questions you have for us!  If you are unable to attend the live event, you may submit questions to be presented during the event and can look up all the answers at your earliest convenience.

Please Like us on Facebook


Follow me on 
and here!!


The Jewel of Nirel will be going on blog tour with As You Wish Tours on August 23 - September 5





The Jewel of Nirel - Tunuftol book 3 Soundtrack


Okay!!!! 
Book 3... The Jewel of Nirel 


This book lays the ground-works for the future of this series.  There is a lot going on and it will be emerging farther in the NEXT book!

Tidbit About Me:
Well, I have a wonderful team behind me.  My teenage daughter is my sounding board for ideas.  It helps me connect to my target audience and stay "fresher" than I might without her.  My husband is always there for me to give me a new twist on things and encourage me to keep going.  I also have some amazing online friends that have been invaluable to me!!!

I am thrilled about The Jewel of Nirel's release!  I'm steadily working on book four and will keep you posted on its progress.  I try to be consistent, but also throw a curve ball in every now and then to keep you on your toes.  This makes reading and writing fun, in my opinion.



Les Marionettes - Zbigniew Preisner

Chasing the Sun - The Wanted

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

Do You Feel - The Rocket Summer

Lies of the Beautiful People - Sixx AM

Hello - Evanescense

Fade to Black - Metallica

Chop Suey- System of the Down

Under Pressure - Queen

C'mon - Panic at the Disco & Fun

Everything at Once - Lenka

My Immortal - Evanescence

Titanium - David Guetta ft. Sia

Carry On - Fun

Enjoy the Silence - Lacuna Coil

Tomorrow (is a Different Day) - Avril Levine


Don't forget to post a comment for a chance to win!!






Soundtrack: Secret of the Shielded (book 2)

Moving on to book two.  I had originally had an almost completely different soundtrack for this book, but I wasn't all that thrilled with it.

Yes, I get as picky with my soundtracks as I do with my stories.  I think this one came out MUCH better.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Tidbit About Me:
While I don't have an actual outline for my stories, I do have a few ideas that I work out in advance to give me some direction.  However, if I feel that it just isn't working I have no problems scrapping the whole idea and starting over.  I've done it several times and will continue to do so.  My characters are alive to me and I feel the need to make them as consistant and passionate as any person of flesh and blood.



Primavera - Ludovico Einandi

Vi lever - Rasmus Seebach (don't know what he's saying, but it sounds good!)

Requiem for a Dream - ?? (If you know tell me please)

Sad Piano - ?? (If you know tell me please)

Nattervan - Rasmus Seebach (don't know what he's saying, but it sounds good!)  

Sail - Awolnation

Magnificat in D, BWV 243 trio - Bach

Brave - Josh Groban

Halo - Beyonce

Hide - Creed

In The End - Linkin Park

Who's Got My Back - Creed

Blood Brothers - Manowar

Fallen Angels - Black Veil Brides

Stay - Rihanna cover by Christina Grimmie   




Don't forget to post a comment for a chance to win!!


Tunuftol Party Giveaway!!!

I will be having a GIVEAWAY drawing for a collection of ALL THREE EBOOKS!!!!
To participate in the giveaway all you have to do is leave a comment on each of the three Soundtrack posts for the books. (each book has its own post)

The contest will go on until the end of the release event (August 5th) and the winner will be announced here and on Facebook on August 10Th!!!!!

   

Buy Links:  At Amazon


 

Buy Links:  At Amazon


 

Buy Link: At Amazon

Soundtrack for Tunuftol's Fortress of Light (book 1)

Every party needs some music!!!

Here is the soundtrack that I've picked out for the first book.  I try to find music that fits a scene with both the sound/feel of the song and the lyrics.  That's not always easy!!! :D

My Writing Tidbit:
I enjoy music of various styles and I use it to help me find the right mood when I'm writing.  Sometimes I have to find the right music to write to... other times I write and have to find music to fit.


Here It Goes Again - OK Go

Do You Even Know Who You Are (Lonely Girl) - Pink

All Or Nothing - Theory of A Deadman

Over My Head - The Fray

Nothing On Me - Jacob Latimore

Secrets - OneRepublic

Breathe - Faith Hill

Second Chance - Shinedown

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

Warriors of the World - Manowar

I Stand Alone - Godsmack

A Moment Like This - Leona Lewis

Hear You Me - Jimmy Eats World

Bring on the Rain - Jo Dee Messina



Don't forget to post a comment for a chance to win!!



Mini party part one!!!







Hi there everyone!!!! We will be having a mini-party today to celebrate the release of my newest novel...

The Jewel of Nirel
Tunuftol book 3

I'm soooo excited to have this out there for everyone to read!!!  We will be having a Release event starting tomorrow with As You Wish Tours

We have soundtracks for ALL THREE BOOKS coming today.  It won't be long. So, check back in soon!!!!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Married to Your Co-Author - Kiss Me In Paris tour


Today I have the privilege of having a married team guest star on Rambling Voices in My Head.  Thank you so much for joining us Kimberly and Dmytry!




Married to Your Co-Author: 5 tips to staying happily married while writing a book together

Many couples would find it hard to work together day in and day out, with desks just a few feet apart, particularly if their job involved subjective creativity and intense deadlines.

We (Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov) have worked together like this since we moved in together, after several months of long distance dating. This dating involved constant phone calls and 24/7 internet access, so even then, we were nearly always together.

While we have our own projects, as full time writers we are always involving each other in everything, from design, to music to story ideas. We've written a few short stories together in the past, but Kiss Me in Paris was the first full-length novel we co-wrote together.

The journey was an intense one. It was the first contemporary romance either of us had written (since both of us come from fantasy/paranormal writing), and we wanted it to be more than just a love story. We wanted Kiss Me in Paris to be a novel that would evoke deep and varied emotion from its readers, that would make you laugh and cry and fall in love, all the while living vicariously through Cade and Winter as they learn to follow their dreams, heal from the past and open up to each other and to life.

So how did we do it and still live our own happily ever after? Here are 5 tips we learned to surviving the creative process while married.
1.     Get on the same page, figuratively speaking.

If you're going to co-author with someone, you have to share the same vision for the book, the characters and the plot, or it's dead in the water before you even start.

This was actually the easy part for us. We're a lot alike, and our writing style and approach to novels is very similar. We couldn't have done it if not for that.

We rarely disagreed about the novels content. When we did, we asked for outside opinion (usually from our editor, Tracy Riva, or our awesome beta readers) and discussed the pros and cons of our different approaches. The approach with the most pros always won out, but we often found creative ways of fulfilling the intent of the other person, even if not in the exact way they'd wanted.

2.     Learn to compromise.


When you're writing a book with someone else, you can't always have it your way. You have to work together, not just on the content of the book, but on the speed with which you write, edit and release the book.

We learned to comprise. Kimberly really pushed to get the novel finished, while Dmytry really pushed to keep editing. We balanced each other out, and finished a high quality product. It's never good to launch before the book is polished, but also, you have to know when to let it go and move on, otherwise you'll spend your whole life on one book. Together, we created a book that we can both be proud of, even if we did have to delay the launch a few times.

During this, we both acknowledged what the other person brought to the table, and how together we were doing something we couldn't have done on our own, at least not in the same way.

3.     Play to your strengths.

Every writer will have their own strengths, and in a co-writing situation, you need to play to those. In our case, Dmytry is the faster outliner and I'm faster at prose. We also each enjoy those parts of writing more, so that's how we divided our tasks. We'd talk through the book, the characters and the story and make sure we both contributed to the big picture of what happened, then Dmytry would write detailed outlines for each chapter.

He also added a lot of dialogue, as he is very good at writing dialogue.

Kimberly would then flesh out the chapters, add prose, add more dialogue and even scenes and tweak as necessary.

We would then re-read the chapter together, changing and editing and adding and deleting, until we were both satisfied that the chapter was a 10. Once we'd done that level of editing on it, we sent it to the first round of editing, then beta readers, then editing some more. At the last, when we knew the content was exactly what we wanted, we sat together for two days straight and read through every single word of the book OUT LOUD. We then polished and perfected the prose, and sent it once again to our two editors for a final review.

It was an intense process, and there were nights we lost our patience, but it was worth it in the end. By playing to our strengths and using our team well, we created a book we're very proud of.

4.     Balance real life together.

There's a unique factor in co-writing with your spouse that you don't run across in co-writing with someone else. That is real life. You know, three kids, dishes, dinners, cleaning the house, unclogging the toilet, doing laundry, mediating disputes and investigating mysteries (who really did take that 28 cents minion #1 says was stolen?)… these things don't disappear when you're writing a novel.

But we were both so busy and had so much work. Neither of us wanted to stop our work to, you know, feed the minions. But we had to. Because it's our other job, and also, starving minors in your care is still illegal. This isn't the Hunger Games. So we had to delegate tasks, support each other and also, let some things go. Our house is never perfectly spotless, but when we're on deadline, let's just say we turn a blind eye to, oh, everything. As long as the living room where we write isn't a mess, we ignore the rest.

5.     Don't mix business and pleasure.

This is the hardest one for us, but probably the most important. Our marriage and our business are two different things, as overlapped as they might often be. When we disagree about something in our book, we can't let it become personal and affect our marriage.

But when it's 4 a.m. and you've been working for three days straight and you're tired and grumpy and stress-eating and the other person disagrees with you. Well, it's hard NOT to take it personally and blow up.

We usually handled this with humor. Because what else can you do? We have the best job in the world, and we're both hard workers and very ambitious, but we're also ridiculously in love. So, we snap, and then we laugh and hug and kiss and maybe take a break to, you know, research a few of the steamier scenes we're writing for the book. Because we can. We're married.

Through it all, the greatest part of working together was seeing our dream for this book realized as early readers responded with such enthusiasm to our 'book baby.' We learned a lot about ourselves and our marriage, and about writing and life, while creating Kiss Me in Paris, and we're super excited to tackle our next big project, Kiss Me in Cairo.

And this next book will likely hold its own set of challenges. Neither of us have been to Cairo (whereas Kimberly studied in Paris), it will be more mystery/romance, and we want each Kiss Me book to be romance, but also be unique unto itself.

But we've never backed down from a challenge, and we work so well together, that in the words of Barney from "How I Met Your Mother"…

Challenge Accepted.



Pick up your copy of Kiss Me in Paris on Amazon, B&N, and wherever ebooks are sold.

Add it on Goodreads at: http://bit.ly/XPBKCZ

About Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov
Dmytry and Kimberly are the husband and wife writing team behind the KISS ME Series, Eye of Newt, Sunrise and Nightfall, Wanderlust, and The Fallen Series.
Kimberly is the award-winning, bestselling author of the New Adult paranormal romance series The Seduced Saga, the YA paranormal thriller/romance The Forbidden Trilogyand children's fantasy series The Three Lost Kids.


Connect with Kimberly online:



Dmytry writes fantasy—be it urban, dark or epic—is a musical composer, pianist, and designs books covers (exclusively for his wife's and their co-authored books).
They live with three little girls who think they're ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tall tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.

Connect with Dmytry online:








Become a member of the Street Team for Kimberly and Dmytry


Check out the next stop in the tour with James DiBenedetto at http://www.writingdreams.net 
He will have an INTERVIEW waiting for you!





Monday, July 22, 2013

Tour Stop | The Mirror by Candace Bowser


Book Title: The Mirror
Author: Candace L. Bowser
Release Date: June 18, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Horror
Length: 280 Pages
Presented by: As You Wish Tours

Author Interview

What’s your favorite line from any movie? 
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat….”

What's your favorite material object that you already own? 
A Dumortierite teardrop necklace my husband brought me when my first book was published. Every time I wear it, it reminds me dreams are possible if you work hard enough.

Favorite place to eat? 
Tony’s Subs in Johnstown Pa! I miss that place…

What's your favorite thing to do in the summer? Fall? Winter? Spring?
Summer: I love to swim. I would do it all day if I didn’t need to earn a living!
Winter: Ice skating but sadly it usually doesn’t get cold enough in Missouri for the lakes to be skated on safely so now it is reading and writing.
Fall and Spring: I love cool weather and try to spend as much time walking at the lake and enjoying the beautiful bounty of nature.

What is your favorite breakfast? Dinner?
I don’t really eat breakfast but if I had to choose it would be an everything omelet.
Dinner: That would be a toss up between seafood and really authentic Mexican food. Hard Choice!

What is your favorite dessert?
Cheesecake from Hackettstown New Jersey!

What is your favorite quote? 
“What beautiful music they make…” Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

What is your very favorite part of your day?
Nothing is better than dusk, the moment just before the sun slips below the horizon and the day says goodbye is awe inspiring!

What are your favorite pizza toppings?  
Any vegetable…

What is your favorite Disney Movie? 
Bedknobs and Broomsticks or Blackbeard’s Ghost… It’s a tie.

Favorite day of the week?
Thursday

Favorite Sundae topping?
Hot fudge but only with peanuts!

What's your favorite TV show of all time and why?
There was a show years ago that had Heath Ledger in it before anyone really knew who he was called Roar that was about Briton during the Roman occupation. I love anything that has to do with history and the character development was astounding. I really hated they canceled it.

What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?
My Eastern Flyer sled and the countless hours I spent sled riding would have to be my all time favorite. I spent hours sledding down the hill with my dog, Snapper. There never was a more loyal and faithful friend. He would help me pull the sled up the hill and then chase me down the hill over and over….yeah…maybe I should say my favorite toy wasn’t a toy at all. It was my dog.

BLURB 

Adrianna Bristol stood before her grandmother's antique mirror and stared at the black velvet cloth covering it. She just couldn't believe her nana was gone. The mirror had hung in that exact same spot for the last twenty years, never once had it been moved from the alcove. Adrianna remembered the stern words of her grandmother when she was a child. Annabel Bristol had told her, "promise me Adrianna that you will never uncover the mirror. No matter what it may whisper to you, you must never remove the cover." Adrianna laid her hand against the cool velvet which covered the glass. As she walked away the mirror whispered to her, "you belong to me now. You belong to me." A four hundred year old curse has plagued the Bristol family since the 1600's. A curse born out of a love so rich and a betrayal so deep, that time itself has no power to stop it. Only Adrianna has the courage to find the truth behind the curse and set her family free. But will the Mirror release its darkest secrets? 

About the Author
An avid writer, Candace works nearly every day on one of her manuscripts. Though she predominately composes works of horror, she also writes mystery, suspense, and adventure. During the 1990’s she was a featured columnist for PRS in Kansas City. In 2011, Candace was honored by being voted one of the Top 20 Most Prolific Authors by AKG mag.. Her books are an unusual blend of historical places and events, along with fictional and non-fictional characters, which she seamlessly weaves into the story .Originally from south-central Pennsylvania, she currently resides in Kansas City with her husband Todd.

AUTHOR LINKS

BOOK LINKS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Tour Stop | Soul Awareness by Carol Murto

 

Book Title: Soul Awareness
Author: Carol Murto
Release Date: June 5, 2013
Genre: Spirituality, Healing, Alternative
Publisher: GMTA Publishing, LLC
Presented by: As You Wish Tours


What is my healing work all about?

The healing work is about being an open vessel to the Divine calling. In a healing session, I have very few, if any, personal opinions, nor do I intellectualize. I am a channel, plain and simple. I studied Qi Gong, Quantum Healing and even hypnotherapy (but only because I had a vision dream that led me on that path) but I now refer to all this education as medicine in my medicine bag. I also use a singing bowl, gong and a drum, but again these are tools and tools only, just as the aforementioned education.

The education became integrated into my whole being. The Divine guides me as an instrument, and just as the education is a part of my very being, my Soul connection to the Divine is integral and undeniable. So together it all works to bring insights and healing to each individual and this includes animals, property and spirits as well as humans. I work to balance, open, clear, and release from old issues and traumas, including Soul injury.

In 16 years of my healing practice, my clients have revealed to me that to really heal, the deepest part of us needs to heal. That deepest part is the Soul and it is here that we need to heal first and reconnect and realign ourselves with the Divine. This can happen in a moment – or it can take a while, depending on where the individual is in their Soul journey. Animals, instantaneous; Spirits, immediate; Property can resolve immediately depending on the situation, but the energies of the earth are in motion, and humans are constantly disrupting the natural flow with earth movement (construction of any kind for example). So property can be healed, but needs to be rechecked periodically.

Does this mean that the earth has a Soul? In the way in which the earth is a part of creation, yes.

The healing work is about love, creation, and connection to Divinity. Amen.


SYNOPSIS

Soul Awareness – A Spiritual Awakening to Self-Knowledge and Healing, offers tools that are appropriate for the beginner who is exploring the process of their deeper Spirituality and the function of the Soul as well as individuals who may have been exploring their Soul connection and Spirituality for a life time. “Soul Awareness” offers uncomplicated and easy to use healing tools including; written meditations and pictorial guides. With these tools alone, each individual will develop a deeper sense of self and can begin to experience healing at its deepest level.

In “Soul Awareness”, we discover how the Soul communicates with each individual directly offering us personal direction. It is how we respond to this direction that sets us on the path of our own healing or ill health. In “Soul Awareness” we learn that unless Soul healing takes place we can become ill on all levels; the physical, mental, psychological and Spiritual. It is through our awareness first, that we are able to make a conscious choice about our own healing which ultimately determines our outcome. We also learn that without this healing our own personal journey is not clear. What our purpose is – why we came to this planet in the first place – can become lost in the maze of disconnection and wounding of the Soul. As we first become aware of our Soul – who we truly are – we can then choose our path of healing.

AUTHOR BIO
Carol grew up in a small town in Northern Minnesota. At a young age she realized that her family home held spirits. Although a practical child by nature, because she held the gifts of intuition, clairvoyance, psychic and empathic abilities she was open to that which could not be seen or understood by many. After years of living with these spirits Carol chose to communicate with them in an effort to create harmony in the household. Additionally, with these gifts, Carol’s awareness, care and compassion for others was expressed at an early age. People were naturally drawn to her and they consistently opened up their hearts and minds within minutes of meeting. Her experiences with animals - companion or otherwise has been similar to her connection with humans. This has remained true throughout her lifetime.

The experiences of those early years were an indication of what was to come in the future for Carol and they were the first steps in preparation for her healing work.

As an adult, she took employment in a traditional field. After working a number of years for the government, she became seriously physically ill with a diagnosis of systemic lupus. This bodily wake up call led her to seek out alternative forms of healing, and so she began her journey; her journey of self healing and awareness. She developed an understanding of Spirituality and her connection to the Divine. She studied Qi Gong, Quantum Healing and hypnotherapy. She learned in her journey that ultimately it is the Soul itself that plays an integral and undeniable part in our human journey and it is the health of the Soul that directly affects our whole health as human beings.

Carol has been working as an alternative healer for 16 years and has worked with hundreds of client’s and has accumulated as many session letters and testimonials which support and document her healing work. She is the author and teacher of her Soul Awareness Class materials, and has designed, written and constructed her business website. In addition to teaching her Soul Awareness classes and doing her healing work, she holds public healing forums and hosts prayer/healing gatherings. She has also co authored a series of middle grade novels.


 

Soul Awareness
by Carol Murto
TOUR SCHEDULE
Sat, July 6
What inspired me to write my book?
Julia Hendrix
As You Wish Reviews

Sun, July 7
Spotlight 
Kelly Powell
Kelly Powell


Mon, July 8
Author Interview 
Andrea Buginsky
Andi's Realm

Tue, July 9
What was the path that led to my healing work?
Darcia Helle
A Word Please

Wed, July 10
Spotlight 
Amanda Masters
Wicca Witch 4 Book Blog

Thu, July 11
Pet peeves of the Publishing Industry
Brooke Bumgardner
Brooke Blogs

Fri, July 12
Author Interview
Tiffany Perry 
 Sweet Treat Reading Reviews

Sat, July 13
Spotlight 
S.Cu'Anam Policar
Cu's Ebook Giveaways


Sun, July 14
What is my healing work all about?
Ann Snizek
Rambling Voices In My Head

Mon, July 15
Spotlight 

Jany Honeycutt 

Tue, July 16
Author Interview
Tina Donnelly
Reading For Fun


Wed, July 17
Why mentors are important.
Raebeth Buda
The Writing World


Thu, July 18
Spotlight 
Victoria Brinius
Deal Sharing Aunt


Fri, July 19
How is my book related to the healing work that I do?
Carol Murto
Soul Awareness Healing

Presented by:
As You Wish Tours

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Embracing the Flames by Candace Knoebel - Tour




Book 1 in the Born in Flames trilogy
Red mirrored scales race up my arms as the haze of pain blurs my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I scream. It is then that the realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am of a dying race. I am dragon.

Aurora Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of adulthood, thought finding her past would curb the sting of being an outcast. Having no memories of the time before she awoke on her foster mother’s doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness inside her to be filled. With her fellow orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her side, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. But something powerful stirred within her that she couldn’t explain. Something wanted out.

In the dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases everything she’s ever known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two paths. Return to her true home to protect a dying race against a growing evil, or stay hidden in the safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a vengeful Arch Enemy stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of time; a decision must be made. What would you choose?

Links for purchase:




Book 2 in the Born in Flames trilogy
The Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the watch of the Draconta. That is, until the betrayal of a Fate. Now everything is about to change.

Aurora Megalos accepted her destiny without blinking-even if it meant succumbing to her dragon side. Deemed the Progeny, she left the ordinary life she knew and has done everything in her power to learn the ways of her new realm and what it means to be part dragon. But when her mentor, Astral, suddenly disappears, she is forced to take the reins.

With war on the brink, she sets out on an epic journey to not only find her mentor, but to stop her Arch Enemy, Zordon, from obtaining the Stone of Immortality. But what she discovers about him along the way is far worse than she could’ve ever imagined. She will be tested and pushed to the limit. Lives will be lost, love will be questioned, and a battle will begin.



Will be available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KOBO, and 48fourteen.com as of 07/17/2013!!!!!  (Yes, it will be time to party!)


Excerpt From Chapter 2

We took the local bus to and from everywhere in town. It was the perfect means of transportation for us. A car would have been nice, but we were fostered, working on minimum wage and living in a small town. We couldn't really hold our expectations too high. The town was small enough that the commute only lasted between twenty and thirty minutes.

It beat walking.

We reached the bus stop underneath the clear morning sky and I slumped into the far end of the bench, trying to ignore the fidgety man waiting next to me. He clutched an old faded denim backpack to his chest in a death grip.

Sheesh, I thought.

I pulled my tattered baseball cap out of my purse and pushed my hair inside it. I liked to keep my hair tucked away when I was in the general public since it was ruby red and stood out against my pale skin. It helped lessen the curious stares.

Do you want to know more about Fenn Aiden Lovick? 
Born – July 24, 1991
Sign – Leo: Fire element

What does he look like? How does he wear his hair? Is he neat or sloppy? 
What colors does he tend to wear? 
Does he have any scars or tattoos? If so how did he get them? 

Does he have any titles or nicknames?  
How about any mental problems? Phobias? If so what are they? 


Why might someone dislike him?
What is his greatest strength? What is his greatest flaw? 

Three personality traits he most admires in others. 
Three traits he most dislikes. 
Where was your character born & raised? 




About the Author:

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy. Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013.
Candace Knoebel dreamed of being a dancer ever since she could remember. With a love of all things art, she saw herself moving to New York and pursuing her passion as an artist. But all that changed on October 10th, 2002 when she met the love of her life. Her dreams diverged and after marrying her high school sweetheart and having two beautiful children, she realized she missed her creative side. Through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, she built a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.

Author Links:







Saturday, July 6, 2013

Tara Fox Hall - Blog Hop


Tara Fox Hall is an OSHA-certified safety and health inspector at a metal fabrication shop in upstate New York. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a double minor in chemistry and biology from Binghamton University. Her writing credits include nonfiction short stories, flash, short and novella-length horror stories, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. 

Her horror stories have appeared in Deadman’s Tome, Flashes in the Dark, Ghastly Door, The Halloween Alliance, Black Petals, SNM Horror Magazine, Microhorror, Dark Eclipse, Cemetery Moon, and various anthologies, including the recently published charity works Fear (Vol. 1) and Shifters. 

She also coauthored the essay “The Allure of the Serial Killer,” published in Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). She is the author of the paranormal fantasy Lash series and the paranormal romantic drama Promise Me series. Tara divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice.


WHY: "I've loved vampires since I saw Frank Langella in the first “hot vampire” version of Dracula years ago. That love intensified in my later teens with The Lost Boys, and reading Interview with the Vampire, along with anything vampire I could get my hands on. But I wanted more than the evil monster chasing young virgins; more than the sweet, misunderstood handsome fanged stranger that becomes the perfect mate for the woman who captures his heart after so many lone centuries. I wanted a vampire so well-crafted in detail that I could believe he was real. I wanted something different to happen in the story, other than girl becomes vampire, or vampire becomes dust. I wanted passion, tragedy, romance, suspense, action, and the haunting sweetness of poetry and song floating on a soft night breeze. So I penned my own vampires."



Interview with a vampire writer:
(Interview conducted by Jodie Pierce)

What type of genre do you write?
Mostly I write supernatural-related fiction stories, such as the paranormal fiction series Promise Me and Lash. I also have written erotica, suspense, horror, contemporary fiction, and non-fiction.

What genre to you personally read?
Thrillers as a rule are my favorite books, the more graphic the better. But I occasionally branch out to YA, historical, romance, graphic novels, action/adventure, westerns and other genres.

What sparked your passion for books and the art of a good story?
I've always enjoyed reading…a very passionate teacher taught me to read my first words in kindergarten, and I began devouring short books by first grade…and novels for YA by third grade.

Is there a particular book that changed or affected your life in a big way? 
The Hobbit. I like the message; that it’s not who you were or what you can do that influences what you will do, it’s how willing you are to step outside your own boundaries and push for what you think is right.



What challenges have you faced in your writing career? 
Getting published. I spent 4 years getting rejection after rejection from every agent under the sun and also some publishers. But the near misses were the worst, to think that I finally had an agent or a publisher and then to have it fall through at the last moment. Those were the crushing blows. The newest thing I worry about are bad reviews J

What has been your best moment as a writer?
Getting that first acceptance…though every 5 star review is another perfect moment for me. I love getting validation for the world I created. J

Do you feel like your dream has come true or is there much more to do?
There is MUCH more to do….I won’t be able to rest easy until all of the Promise Me series is out and sitting on my bookshelf in a lovely row J and after that, I’ll probably say the same until the Lash series is done!

Have you ever had a day when you just wanted to quit?
Of course. Getting my first 2 star review on Amazon made me want to quit. Poor sales in a given quarter makes me want to quit. Having no free time makes me want to quit. But I didn’t survive years of fighting to get my stories out to give up now.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Lately….I sew cat beds for animal shelters, review books, clean, exercise, bake, work my day job, sleep, eat, and do chores like making firewood, spring cleaning, and pet maintenance.

What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
Keeping your perspective that your every little creation is not going to be perfect…or get critical or popular acclaim. Some stories will be better than others. The key is to always try to make the next one better than the last one was.

Did you have a moment when you realized you were meant to be a writer?
Yes. I realized I was good at imagining both sides of a conversation between two characters or more. It’s something that comes naturally and I don’t feel affinity with either character especially, so I can imagine to be both with equal believability. That makes really good dialogue, which is an essential part of any story. The other key part of story is a good plot. When I’m reading what I wrote, I ask myself if I’m interested at every paragraph. If I can’t keep my own interest, how can I expect to keep a reader’s interest? And what a writer wants to produce and what a reader wants to read are not always the same things. To gain—and keep—series readers, you have to give them what they want while keeping enough back to entice them to keep reading subsequent books. I try to do that.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors? 
Don’t give up until you do what you set out to do.

Find this author at:




Promise Me (Promise Me Series #1) – Vampire romance
Format: print and e-book
Pages: 233
Date Released: June 2012


Blurb: When young widow Sarelle McGarran finds the vampire Danial Racklan unconscious and hurt in her woods, intuitive concern quickly becomes passionate love. Together Danial and Sar work to overcome their own past heartbreaks, their vastly different lifestyles, and Danial's relentless enemies. Yet Danial needs more; an Oath of forever. But can Sar give Danial his greatest desire?





Broken Promise (Promise Me Series #2) – Vampire romance
Format: print and e-book
Pages: 240
Date Released: September 2012

Blurb: Shocked at Danial’s betrayal, Sarelle returns to her old home to consider her options. Yet even as Sar plans a reconciliation with Danial, Terian arrives, confessing his desire. When Theo witnesses Terian and Sar kiss, he angrily confronts Sar, leading to startling consequences. Will Sar’s heart choose Danial, Terian,…or Theo?
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Taken in the Night (Promise Me Series #3) – Vampire romance
Format: print and e-book
Pages: 194
Date Released: Late January 2012


Blurb: When Theo disappears, Sar is left bereft, the uncertain guardian of Theo’s newly born werecougar daughter, Elle. As months pass, clues emerge about Theo’s disappearance, yet the twisting trail ends repeatedly without answer. In her grief, Sar turns to Danial and hesitantly begins to build a life with him and Elle.


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Taken for His Own (Promise Me Series #4) – Vampire romance
Format: print and e-book
Pages: 247
Date Released: late April 2013

Blurb: After learning Theo is alive, Sar immediately embarks on a mission to find him. Reunited, the lovers return to New York; Danial, Terian and Theo uneasily combining forces to protect Sar from Al’s assassins still seeking her. But when Sar is taken prisoner in an all-out attack, only one man can save her: her old adversary, Devlin.
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