Get Lost in Sarah Richmond's new release, Past Forgetting

Buy links:  Amazon   Smashwords

Friends believe Joanna Blake suffers from agoraphobia. Joanna wants to live a normal life but when she steps outside, she finds herself in the past…

When the vicar sends the new doctor around, she is dismayed. Here is another well-meaning person who’ll try to talk her out of her house.
Dr. William Thomas is bent on revenge. Malcolm Blake, Joanna’s grandfather, cheated his family, condemning them to a life of poverty. According to his family, the Blake’s stately mansion belongs to the descendants of Captain Thomas, his grandfather, who was hung for a murder he didn’t commit.
Will finds Joanna suffering from anemia and in need of immediate medical attention. Joanna takes a leap of faith and confides her time travel to Will. He listens to her story and convinces her to take him to the past.  Surprisingly, she agrees. She is attracted to his determination and strength and believes he intends to help her find an answer to the curse she lives under.
        Will thinks Joanna will confront her illness when nothing happens when they go outside. Much to his bewilderment, he also travels in the time slip. They stop to ask the date, and people throw stones at them. Will is injured and he and Joanna run back to the safety of her house.
        During a visit his parents, Will asks for more information about what happened between the two grandfathers. Will’s father shows him an IOU. The IOU claims the Blake mansion as collateral for a loan to Malcolm Blake from Captain Thomas. Will shows the note to a solicitor who advises him to drop his claim. There is no way to verify the authenticity of the IOU after so many years have passed.
        Will sees the time travel as a great opportunity to confront Malcolm Blake and claim what rightfully belongs to his family. His growing attraction to the heiress complicates this task. Even though he feels guilty about not telling her why he wants to go back to the past, he knows she will refuse to take him if he tells her the truth. 
He can’t go back without her.
Caught in a web of lies and deceit, Joanna and Will must solve the mystery of what happened so long ago. Will their courage and love forge a bond that transcends all time?

Sarah Richmond is the author of ten published historical romances. She was listed as #4 in historical romance sales on Amazon.com for her Edwardian novel: A Most Ineligible Suitor. A resident of Southern California, Sarah just bought a house she is trying to restore to its former glory. She’s a member of RWA- San Diego chapter and the Faith, Hope and Love RWA chapter.

Jillian: What sound or noise do you love? 
Sarah: Laughter, especially from those who have been hurting. Recently, I was sitting with friends and a man who hadn’t been very happy in a long while started laughing. It was the best sound ever.     

Jillian: Who is your favorite villain?
Sarah: Inspector Javert in Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. No amount of sympathetic backstory makes up for this man’s obsession to harass Jean Valjean who stole a loaf of bread to feed his nephew and served out his prison sentence. It reminds me of labels that are stuck on people when they are young and continue all through their adult life as if they could never change.


Jillian: What is your favorite kind of story to get lost in? 
Sarah: A story with fascinating characters, terrible villains and a sense of irony.

Jillian: What’s the first thing you do when you finish a book? 
Sarah: Rewrite. For me writing is a process and never ends. Readers tell they want to know more about what happens to the characters after the book ends which is very satisfying to me.


Jillian: If you had a chance to travel to the past where would you go and why?
Sarah: Apart from killing Hitler, I would like to travel back to the Edwardian Age. I could take place in my very own costume drama wearing enormous hats and lovely dresses. The age of the Edwardians was a time when women were agitating for their rights and succeeding--which would suit me.

Sarah has a question for readers: 

What character would you like to have been on Downton Abbey? 

Sarah is giving away a copy of one of her books. Winner picks the title! Remember to leave your email contact information with your comment. And please note that Past Forgetting and Mexican Spur are only available as ebooks.

Buy links:  Amazon  Smashwords

Twitter: srichmondwriter; 

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/SarahRichmondHistoricals; Montlake Authors

Goodreads: Sarah Richmond

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Get Lost in a World Full of Danger and PSI Sentinels.

Purchase Link: Amazon

PSI Sentinels: Guardians of the Psychic Realm
Extraordinary senses in a world full of danger.



Welcome to the world of the PSI Sentinels.

The Institute for Psychic Studies - IPS, ran inside an old, stone mansion on extensive grounds in a remote area of Minnesota - is where professors and scientists work to find answers to the whys and wherefores of human psychic ability. 

However, IPS is also a cover for a private, secret agency operating in tandem with the federal government. Their agents work in the background to defend and shield unwary victims against the twisted underside of a psychic society bent on exploiting an unsuspecting, mundane civilization.

A V A I L A B L E   N O W :

Stolen Spirit
PSI Sentinels: Guardians of the Psychic Realm /Book One

Hearing his dead ex-girlfriend’s voice in an empty room is enough to make a man question his sanity. Worse is when that ex insists she shouldn’t have died. Broken cop Jake Carrigan has no interest in delving into a past full of heartache and regrets. But he can’t deny she still matters, even if she’s simply a voice in his head.

 Hannah Dixon is having a hard time believing she’s dead. How can she be when she feels so much inside? She can see Jake, can talk to him, but she can’t touch him. And right now, touching Jake is all she wants.

 Jake’s probe into Hannah’s death stirs up a sinister psychic link, something dark that will stop at nothing to keep its secrets. To protect her own heart, Hannah left Jake once. Can she leave him again to protect his life?

Purchase link: Amazon 

Also Available Now:

Elsie's Secret
A PSI Sentinels Novella

His secrets tore them apart. Hers might get them killed.

A PSI agent, Sebastian Alexander has secrets that once came between him and the woman he still loves. Finding her prowling around where she doesn’t belong turns his simple reconnaissance into a rescue mission threatening to blow everything apart. Is he willing to risk his secrets to save her life?
Elsie Quartermaine has one goal. Save her nephew from a sadistic kidnapper. Sebastian is the one man who can help her. But divulging her secret puts more than her life in jeopardy. Can she trust Sebastian with her nephew’s life? Her own? What about her heart?
As dawn creeps over the horizon, can they find enough trust in each other to stay alive?

C O M I N G   S O O N : 

Blind Sight

Death plagues Gabe Nicholetti’s dreams. But he can’t save the people in his visions. The most he can do is bring their killers to justice. This time, though, this victim makes it all personal. 

Rily Carrigan is a dead woman, or she will be in a matter of days as her past rushes forward to shatter her carefully constructed world. But Rily doesn’t believe fate is absolute. How is she going to convince the man who’s seen too many die that it’s possible to save her life?

 Just outside a small, Oregon town, something malevolent lurks, waiting to seize what was once promised then stolen. Together, Gabe and Rily need to find a way to deny fate and keep Rily alive.


About the author, Pam Moran

Whether painting, out on a photo shoot or writing, Pam has always had a bend toward the creative side of life. Her favorite is when she can combine any of those with travel. Places get into her blood and she loves to explore the possibilities, always with characters and a story in mind. 

An astrologer for most of her adult life, Pam has been known to see auras & the occasional ghost. Considering she lives in a haunted house in the mountains of southern California, this keeps life interesting.

Jillian: What’s the first book you remember reading?  
Pam: One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. The paperback book was old and worn when it came into my possession, I don’t even remember who gave it to me, but as a kid I read it so many times I wore the cover completely off the book. I think I might even still have the book in a box somewhere in my attic. I loved the characters and didn’t want to leave them. 

As I got older, I didn’t reread as many books and today, with so many on my TBR pile and not nearly enough time, I rarely reread anything. But that story still stays with me, still makes me smile whenever I think about it.

Jillian: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Pam: That’s such a hard question to answer! I’ve had a love affair with all fairy-tales since I was a kid. Maybe it’s the myth kind of thing, the Greek and Roman Gods, the life lessons all wrapped up in a story. 

Today, some of my favorite stories to get lost in are ones that retell the fairy tales we grew up reading, and the ones that have elements in them of those fairy tales. 

Jillian: Describe your favorite kind of hero to read/write?
Pam: Well ... sexy, alpha types just vulnerable enough to keep them from being too arrogant. The kind that gives me shivers and breaks my heart with sorrow over their predicaments. 

But if you ask my critique partners about the heroes I write (and I did!), they say my heroes are hunky and tortured alpha males who just need the right women to heal their hearts. They also offered to help .... 

I have one hero, Ramon Ortega, who has tried to take over every single story he’s ever appeared in. As Craig Carrigan’s cop partner, he feels a deep responsibility for the man’s death and because of that, a profound connection to Craig’s remaining siblings. Jake Carrigan is the hero in STOLEN SPIRIT and Rily Carrigan is the heroine in the upcoming BLIND SIGHT.

I hadn’t planned on writing Ramon’s story for awhile, but because of his sheer presence, I’ll be working on his comeuppance, I mean love story, next. HEALER’S EDGE should be out in Fall 2014.

Jillian: Who’s your favorite villain?
Pam: In books or movies, a good villain is so much fun! 

My favorite is Khan of Star Trek fame. He is the best kind of villain, the kind who is definitely the hero of his own story. He has his reasons and they’re as real and important to him as Kirk’s determination to stop him. 

Jillian: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?
Pam: I hope you all enjoy the world of the PSI Sentinels as much as I’ve enjoyed exploring it in their stories.

While I like to say the PSI World is a psychic world gone wild, I try to keep its basics grounded in reality. Of course, the fact I see auras, I’ve had my psychic moments and I live in house with its own ghosts might make my reality a little more out there than others, ;o) my stories do follow specific world rules and that’s important to me. 

The same goes for the cop parts. I’m married to a cop and one of my critique partners is also a cop who has worked with several different federal agencies. They tend to keep me straight on that stuff. 

We’ve had some really interesting conversations in some really interesting places. 

My favorite was the waitress who kept scurrying by and couldn’t decide if she should call the police or ask us just whose upcoming murder we were discussing! We finally took pity on her and told her it was for a book – that we really weren’t going to be killing anyone. The relief on her face was palpable. Then, since we were the only customers in the place, she sat down and demanded to know all the details. She asked some really great questions! Made me wonder about her....

Jillian: What would you say is your most interesting quirk?
Pam: My most interesting quirk...that’s something else I asked my critique partners and I’m not sure I liked the smirks on their faces! Or the fact they just shook their heads and refused to answer.

Pam has question for commenters: If you had a PSI ability, what would it be? Why that one? Pam is giving away an ebook copy of ELSIE’S SECRET to one lucky commenter, chosen by Randomizer. Please remember to leave your contact information if you want to be included in the raffle.

How to connect with Pam online: 

www.PamelaMoran.com
www.facebook.com/PamelaMoranAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/PamelaMoran
Twitter: Pam_Moran

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Get Lost in Barbara Barrett's Driven to Matrimony

Buy links:  Amazon   The Wild Rose Press  

Dina Maitland spends almost as much time extricating her movie star mother from personal messes as she invests in her forensic accounting job. So much time, she may no longer have a job once she cleans up her mother's latest fiasco, her engagement to a twenty-something film student. Vowing it's the last time she puts herself on clean-up duty, Dina sets off for South Carolina to stop the pending nuptials, and along the way, almost literally, runs into the father of the groom.

Ben Cutler has troubles of his own with his business under attack from competitors and a government audit looming. Not one to trust women, he must team up with Dina to balance his books as well as stop the wedding.

Though unwillingly thrown together, Dina and Ben are surprised to find their interest and passion for each other growing. Can they face their pasts in order to create a union of their own?

Excerpt:

     “One. Two. Three.” 
     “What’s taking so long?”
     “I’m stopping after each step to test whether there’s anything in front of me. Just in case your instructions are off. If I recall, you weren’t so hot remembering how to get us to the island.”
     “Give me a break.”
     “Four. Fiiiii—”
     “Hey, watch out!”
     “Eowww!” He toppled into the tub almost on top of her, his eyes flying open as he landed. For a suspended moment, he stared at Dina. A completely naked Dina.

Barbara Barrett spent her professional career as a human resources analyst for Iowa state government, and that training has stayed with her in her writing of contemporary romance fiction. Now retired, Barbara spends her winters basking in the Florida sunshine and returns to her home state of Iowa in the summer to “stay cool.” Her third book, Driven to Matrimony for The Wild Rose Press, will be released worldwide on January 15, 2014. Her first two books were The Sleepover Clause and And He Cooks Too. She is currently serving as Website Liaison for the Kiss of Death RWA chapter and as Treasurer for the SpacecoasT Authors of Romance chapter. 

Jillian: What’s the first book you remember reading?
Barbara: Heidi. Of course, I read all the “Dick, Jane and Sally” books, but this is the first “long” book I remember. I started reading at a young age, loved to go to the library, yet I’m embarrassed to admit, I don’t recall much about what I read, either the title or the story. What does come back to me is how frequently I turned to books for escape, not because I had a difficult childhood or was terribly shy, because neither apply. I just loved to read. Sometime around age ten, maybe a little later, my parents built a cabin on the Mississippi river about an hour away from our home. This was in the days before portable TVs and phones, so rather than enjoy the fishing or swimming, I’d go off to the “boulder” on the beach, climb on top, and read until my back end went to sleep from the hard surface beneath me.  

Buy Links:  Amazon   B&N   ITunes   Kobo

Jillian: What’s your favorite “love” word? 
Barbara: What a delicious question. I’ve never given it much thought, but I’ll bet if someone took the time and trouble to search the words in my books, they’d find “caring,” “attraction” and “commitment” near the top of the list “love-related” words that show up, so I’d say those qualities matter when I’m writing about love. When I was a child in Sunday school at church, I memorized I Corinthians 13. Some of those words come back to me now in answering your question. “Love is patient and kind.” “Love does not rejoice in the wrong but rejoices in the right.” But my favorite “love” word? And by that I’m taking your question to mean what’s the most important element of love, I’d have to say “relinquish.” It’s the best word I could come up with that encompasses the theme of giving oneself over to the greater good of the other. I don’t think I’ve ever used this word in one of my stories, but now that you’ve made me dig this deep, you can plan on seeing it in at least one future story.

Jillian: Describe your favorite kind of hero to read/write? 
Barbara: I just received the first season of “The Newsroom” for Christmas, so Jeff Daniels’ character of Will McAvoy is clear in my mind. He appeals to me because he is so complex – troubled, brilliant, articulate (thanks to Aaron Sorkin), and not so bad to look at. If he were a little more caring, he’d be a near perfect hero, but for reasons yet unknown to me, the viewer, his lack of people skills is why he’s “troubled.” Can’t wait to find out what happens next with this guy and how he and his love interest, his new executive producer, bring their newsroom alive again. This is the sort of story I get lost in. It doesn’t hurt that there is a back story behind his relationship with the EP, that it very clearly went south a few years back but is just as clear there is unfinished business between them, she has her own devils to deal with and he is probably her salvation. Finally, although the stories they deal with are timely and largescale, their demons and challenges are intimate yet universal. 

Jillian: What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Barbara: “West Side Story.” I was probably around fourteen or fifteen, the most emotional time of a girl’s life, when I first saw this film, so that may explain some of its appeal for me. Since there is no happily ever after in this one, you might wonder why a romance writer would select this story. I also love musicals and dance numbers; this movie has both, and they are uplifting, catchy, memorable, and I love that mambo scene in the gym. It suggests fun and animal passion all in the same rambunctious scene. I also love “The Sound of Music,” and it does have an HEA, but the real reason I love it is this split-second look exchanged between Maria and the Baron when they are dancing and they both seem to recognize at the same time that something universal and timeless is happening between them. That look is what I strive to achieve in words in my stories when one or both of my main characters realize “this is it.” Keep in mind, this is a naïve young woman who plans to become a nun and a world-weary widower who believes his time to love has passed; it’s not two sexually-aware and active players. What they experience is “innocent” and “real” at the same time.    

Jillian: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?
Barbara: To truly enjoy romance novels, you have to be open to both hope and disappointment. My writing style is light. I love to write comedy. Sometimes that manifests itself in physical scenes, which though difficult to write, I can’t resist – probably a legacy of my early years watching “I Love Lucy,” “My Little Margie” and “Laverne and Shirley.” I think I’m better at writing humorous, I prefer the word “witty,” dialogue than slapstick. However, to make this lighter side resonate, I’ve learned I also have to include a bit of the “dark” side in my stories. Not evil, just human foibles. Out of trials and tribulations comes optimism and the will to go on, which makes a romance sing. So that’s what you can probably expect from my books, at least the next several.

Buy links:  Amazon   B&N   Kobo

I’d also like you to know I’m available to speak via the Internet or phone to book clubs. You’ll read more about my own book club in a later question, but suffice it to say here, I believe in book clubs as one of the best ways for an author’s work to become better known to readers. I also believe it’s important to connect directly with readers whenever possible to learn more about what I’ve written. Yes, that’s right. My readers see things in my writing even I miss – layers, illogic, potential for future stories. So, if your book club is interested in talking with me, see the contact information later in this post.

Jillian: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?
Barbara: I read a lot of romance novels and mysteries, especially cozy mysteries. To get lost in a romance, the characters have to be compelling and relatable, and the conflict has to be believable and not just a lot of male-female parrying, although that element is certainly necessary. For me to get lost in a mystery, solving whodunit is paramount. All the clues need to be there, just beautifully and masterfully hidden. 

Because I spend so much time in romances and mysteries, I’m glad I am also part of a book club. I never would have taken the time to read some of the books the group has selected had it not been for this experience. I’m currently reading Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Almost done. By the time you read this response, I will have finished it and figured out what in the heck was happening. There are so many layers and players in this story, I just had to keep reading to find out how they were all related and how the puzzles would resolve themselves in the end. Although I wouldn’t describe it as a love story per se, because I’m not sure there’ll be an HEA, the evolving relationship between the two protagonists definitely underpins the plot line. Throughout what I’ve read thus far, I’ve gotten the feeling there is more going on here than what I was picking up on, which is what keeps me reading more, in other words, “getting lost” in this book. 

Jillian: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
Barbara: In a phrase, I tear up, at least if that last paragraph, that last sentence effectively sums up my story the way it was meant to end. Following that, I tend to send the time and date to one or more of my writer friends to mark the occasion. Then I collapse in a heap. (Writing’s hard, especially that last paragraph.) 

Jillian: What do you do to unwind and relax?
Barbara: Writing is such a solitary endeavor, I tend to unwind and relax in the company of my spouse or friends. I play Mah Jongg twice a week (two versions) to keep the brain nimble and cultivate humility, because I’ve been losing a lot lately. I also go to the fitness center to use the treadmill and stationary bike (deathly afraid of the ellipsis, though it fascinates me) or to lunch with friends. Recently, I’ve been finishing a needlepoint stocking for my latest grandchild before going back to knitting. Though both crafts take concentration, I find story ideas and character development take shape in my head during these times. 

Barbara has a questions for commenters:  Consider the last one or two romance novels you’ve read. Where did you hear about them? 

Barbara is giving away a copy of Driven to Matrimony to one lucky commenter. Please remember to leave your contact information if you wish to be in the raffle. 

Website and blog:  http://www.barbarabarrettbooks.com

Email: barbarabarrett747@gmail.com

Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/11jvO3Q

Twitter: http://bit.ly/186AfCE

Amazon Author Central page: http://amzn.to/GYGkHr

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Get Lost in R. Ann Siracusa's latest release, All For A Blast Of Hot Air

ISBN: 978-1-77101-176-1
E-Book only
Breathless Press Buy Link
Amazon Buy Link
Barnes&Noble Buy Link
All Romance eBooks Buy Link

A secret prenuptial honeymoon, a hot air balloon safari, and a plot to kill the US president all come together at a Vatican wedding. 

Excerpt
: 

     Ssss!
     The hiss close to my ear and an unpleasant odor sent a spike of adrenalin tingling along my nerves. Gagging and shuddering with revulsion, I opened my eyes to an open maw full of sharp, yellow teeth and long incisors surrounded by a nimbus of grayish hair a few inches from my face.
     A blue and red nose surrounded by a thick mane. Close-set beady yellow eyes. Stinky monkey breath.
     With a screech of alarm, I jerked backwards, the sudden motion wrenching my body out of the crotch of the tree. I tumbled, ass over teakettle, down the trunk, bumping and scraping my arms and legs along the rough bark.
     I hit the ground with a resounding thud and remained there on my stomach, whimpering while the baboon peered down from the high branches grunting and hissing in triumph.
     Above me, high in the distance the red, green, and black balloon drifted farther away. My heart pounded with fear as I watched it diminish in size. Then I dragged myself into a sitting position and struggled to free the backpack which had twisted around me in the fall. In my mind, I replayed what had happened, step by step.
     I had been foolish to lean out of the basket. No question there. But as I thought about it, I reached the only possible conclusion.
     Peter tipped me out of there on purpose. The realization left me breathless and without resources.    Why would he do such a thing?
     I blew out a long breath and fumbled in the backpack for my water bottle. I took a deep swig and swallowed my panic along with the tepid but refreshing water. Even if my cell phone, which had preceded me in reaching the ground, had died a premature death in the fall, even if I couldn't find it, the internal GPS would continue to send its signal.
     Whatever Peter's motive, before they'd gone far, Will would force him to land the balloon whether he wanted to or not. Will would come looking for me. Until then, I needed a somewhat safe place in the vicinity, out of the sun, where I could hang out for a while. Encouraged, I recapped the bottle and put it away.
     A loud screech from nearby caused my breath to catch. My head jerked, and I shifted my gaze across the meadow. There, about fifty feet away, two dark-brown baboons tussled in the undergrowth, one smaller, one much larger. The small one screeched and clutched something in one hand, trying to fend off the other. The bulky aggressor smacked it in the head. With a cry, the little one skittered away, loping toward me with the large male in hot pursuit, both of them howling.
     Holy poop. They're coming right at me.

R. Ann Siracusa is a California girl who earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree from UC Berkeley, then went immediately to Rome, Italy. On her first day there, she met an Italian policeman at the Fountain of Love, and the rest is history. Instead of a degree from the University of Rome, she got a husband, and they've been married going on fifty years. In Rome, she worked for as an architect and planner for a land development company for several years until she and her husband moved to the US.

Now retired, she combines her passions—world travel and writing—into novels which transport readers to exotic settings, immerse them in romance, intrigue, and foreign cultures, and make them laugh. Her most recent release from Breathless Press, All For A Blast Of Hot Air, is the fifth book in a five book romantic suspense series, Tour Director Extraordinaire.

Jillian: How often to you get lost in a story?
Ann: I'd say about fifteen percent of the books I read keep me enthralled. Writing has spoiled reading for me a little, since I tend to edit and analyze everything now. When I don't do that and read right over the errors and problems (if any), I'm lost in the story.

Jillian: Who’s your favorite cartoon character?
Ann: As far as comic strips go, I always liked Hagar the Horrible and Pogo [I'm really dating myself, aren't I?].

Jillian: Where do you read and how often? 

Ann: My favorite time and place to read is on a rainy day when I don't have to do anything or go anywhere, sitting in front of a fire in the fireplace with a glass of wine (or hot chocolate). 

Since this doesn't happen often enough, I most frequently read in bed, in waiting rooms of Doctors' offices, or in the bathtub [at home – not in the doctor's waiting room].

 I read in spurts; sometimes I read book after book in rapid succession, then not at all for a week or two. It depends a lot on whether I'm reading for relaxation or information and what else is going on in my life. When I'm judging finalists in writing contests, for example, I don't have the energy to read for pleasure.

Jillian: What sound or noise do you love? 

Ann: Soft rain and the waves moving in and out at the beach are among my favorites.

Jillian: Describe your favorite kind of hero to read/write?

Ann: I tend to like the Alpha males when they have some inner vulnerability; men who are slightly over-the-top toward the unbelievable side.

 

Personally, I believe that women—no matter how good they are at writing the male point-of-view—still create male characters the way women want them to be, not how they are. Men just don't think the same way, and it always shows. But...who wants to read about men who burp, fart, think about sex every six seconds, and can find the mayonnaise in the refrigerator even when it's right in front of their eyes?

Jillian: Who’s your favorite villain?  
Ann: Anthony Hopkins as Hannible Lecter

Jillian: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
Ann: If we're talking about a first draft, I put it away for a few weeks to a month (during this I'd start the next book), then print it and read it straight through in print without stopping or commenting [for continuity and pacing and thematic statement]. Then I read it through a second time, marking up the manuscript, and start rewriting and editing.

Jillian: What question are you never asked in interviews, but wish you were?
Ann: Easy. Heh-heh! How do you stay so beautiful? LOL I'm sure you can figure out why it's never asked.

Jillian: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?  
Ann: These days, it's hot coffee with sweetener and creamer, but I never drank it until I was in my mid-thirties. I like both hot and iced tea, also, and take it with nothing in it.

Jillian: What does it mean to love someone?  
Ann: To me, it means putting that someone's welfare and best interests before your own. You've got that person's back, and you'll do anything for that him/her.

Ann has a question for commenters: What foreign country or other culture would you like to read about? Leave a comment and your e-mail address, and you'll be entered in a drawing for the first two e-books of the Tour Director Extraordinaire series: All For A Dead Man's Leg and All For A Fist Full Of Ashes.


Website:  http://www.rannsiracusa.com  
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1358230809  FaceBook Link  
Google Circles Google Circles Link  
GoodReads GoodReads Link http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2993012.R_Ann_Siracusa

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AnnSiracusa
Family Secrets  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ZnnJzeR2s

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Get Lost in Phyllis Humphrey's New Free Falling Romance

FREE FALL
Phyllis Humphrey



Although Jennifer Gray’s job requires her to work with Colin Thomas on a sports promotion for six weeks, that doesn’t mean she has to like it. He’s a pilot, skydiver and owner of Skyway Aviation, and she’s afraid of heights. Colin knows a good thing when he sees it, but can he help Jennifer overcome her fear and convince her their relationship is just what she needs?

“I’ll be glad to give you a lift,” he said. “hop in.’
“That’s a plane.”
“You noticed. I’m taking it to the center and there’s room for two.’
“You don’t understand. I have this thing about heights. I’m afraid of it, them, whatever.”
His laugh came out deep and throaty. “The plane isn’t going to leave the ground.’

Meet Phyllis Humphrey
Thanks to an older sister, I learned to read before I went to school. And never stopped! LOL. I loved stories, so I began to write my own, but didn’t get serious about it until about 30 years ago. I was published by a few well-known houses and also small presses. Now I’m self-publishing my backlist and plan to do the same with new work.

Jillian: How often to you get lost in a story?  
Phyllis: About half the time. If I choose a book, I almost always finish reading it, but not all make me stay up until midnight. 
Jillian: What turns you off like nothing else? 
Phyllis: Bad grammar. I think writers have an obligation to use English correctly, so when they don’t, I won’t read on.
Jillian: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? 
Phyllis: I love mysteries so I often put one in my romance novels. In straight romance, I want the problems to seem almost insurmountable.
Jillian: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?  
Phyllis: I’m an introvert and that makes me seem shy and unapproachable sometimes.
Jillian: Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? 
Phyllis: I wouldn’t like to have lived in the Victorian era because women were required to wear too many clothes. That would be a nuisance and expensive.

Phyllis has a question for commenters: What was the most unusual thing you ever did? Skydiving? Flying half-way around the world? Acting in your first play? Donating to a blood bank? The commenter who writes my favorite “unusual thing” will win a copy of FREE FALL. Please remember to leave your e-mail contact information to be considered 
for the giveaway.

For more information about FREE FALL or to contact Phyllis visit: www.phyllishumphrey.com. Her blog is posted there every Wednesday. Check it out for news of upcoming books, some free.

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Get Lost in Lorenda Christensen's Never Deal with Dragons

Never Deal with Dragons
Lorenda Christensen

Consoling a sobbing dragon and serving pig buffets are just part of the job for Myrna Banks. Working for a mediation firm, it’s her job to get humans compensated for damages caused by the dragons who now rule. But her “typical” day is interrupted by Trian Chobardan, an old flame who sneaked out of her bed two years ago, taking her heart and a handful of classified documents with him.
Myrna would love to show Trian the door, but he’s been sent by North America’s reigning dragon lord for help negotiating a truce with a powerful rival to avert war. Myrna agrees to help, even though she’ll be stuck with Trian as a partner.
As the two work together, Myrna finds Trian to be surprisingly supportive—and still irresistibly attractive. Though her brain tells her not to forget his betrayal, her body feels differently. When they learn the enemy dragon lord is planning something no one could have imagined, Myrna has to learn who she can trust before she loses not only her heart, but her life.

Meet Lorenda Christensen

Lorenda is the wife of one, mother of two, and accountant for many. She was born in Arkansas and was immediately smuggled across the border into a small Oklahoma town nestled in the Ozark Mountains. Lorenda was a past resident of Bangalore, India, and is a current resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is not a neat person. Or even a somewhat tidy person. Okay – she is a completely filthy and disgusting failure at all things housekeeping. She also kills plants, but not on purpose.

Jillian: How often to you get lost in a story?
Lorenda: As often as conceivably possible. I haven’t read in paper since we made the move to India in 2010, but I have a reading app on every device that will hold one. And I use them a lot. Just ask my husband, who has—on more than one occasion—had to request that I dim the screen of the iPad/iPhone/Kindle so he can get some sleep.

Jillian: Describe your favorite kind of hero to read/write?
Lorenda: I adore uptight, private alphas for my reading pleasure. You know the type--Darcy from P&P, Barrons from Fever, Alex from Wicked Becomes You—all of these guys are completely different people, but none of them like to sit down and spill their emotions into the first attentive ear. And most important, all of them have Agency with a capital A. They are absolutely confident of their place in the world, and nothing—save the heroine—can tell them what to do. There’s something twisted inside me; I like to see men forced to confront the question, “do I love this woman enough to do something completely foreign and share my deepest thoughts and feelings?”

As for what I write, my heroes also have a dash of the alpha in them. But Never Deal with Dragons and the other two books in the trilogy are written in first person. In my opinion, first person is exponentially harder to write private alpha heroes without them coming off as completely rude, chauvanistic pigs. (And okay, KMM managed it with Barrons, but she had five books in the Fever series, and even then Barrons took over the first person narrative for a chapter or two, so IMO it doesn’t count ) So yeah, my heroes are a little more in touch and open with their feelings, but I don’t think they’ll ever be mistaken for a woman. (I mean seriously, look at the chest on that cover! It’s all male, baby!)

Jillian: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?
Lorenda: Oh, story-telling is definitely easier. This is probably against the author’s code (send me a copy if such a thing exists), but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I hate writing. With a passion eclipsed only by my hate of lima beans. The first draft is the most heineous form of torture known to man, and I dread facing it each and every time I sit down at the keyboard. Because nothing comes out on the paper the way I see it in my head, and the blinking cursor taunts me with feelings of inadequecy all day long.

But the greatest feeling in the world? Getting that stupid draft on the paper. Because then? Everything is fixable. And eventually, those slight glimmers of the fantastic story in my head start showing up on paper. I’ve convinced this is why authors “polish” their stories…because I know I’m done when that story is as bright and shiny and full-color as the voices in my head told me it could be.

Jillian:  Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?
Lorenda: I’m always perplexed when author’s talk about their writing soundtracks, because I absolutely cannot write with any sort of structured noise in the background. The hum of a busy coffee shop? No problem. The screaming of little children as they beat each other over a shared love of the same toy? So long as they aren’t in the same room with me and the husband is home, I’m fine. But music, for me, is the equivilant of having someone shout in my ear while I’m trying to concentrate.
But story ideas? Oh yeah, music is perfect for this. All it takes is a certain phrase, and I have another I need to wrestle out of my head and onto the page. Usually slow, melancholy stuff trips my mental “story” trigger, so I like the Eva Cassidys, John Mayers, and Nora Jones of the world. (Though lately “Cups” by Anna Kendrick has been a frequent replay on the phone.)

Jillian: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?
Lorenda: Drink. Just kidding. Usually I go outside and try to soak up some sun and revel in the fact that I’m allowed outside. I’ve tried to write on my patio with the laptop, but even with elaborate shade-systems, the glare of the light on my screen drives me batty. So when I’m finally finished (or even finished with the first draft) I go outside, lay out a blanket, and enjoy fresh air. 
We’ll see whether that practice continues now that the temperatures are trending closer to snow than a heat wave.

Jillian: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
Lorenda: I do read my reviews. I consider myself to have a very thick skin, and I’ve been lucky—so far—not to have any reviews that focus on me as a person instead of my book as a product. Will I feel the same if someone decides to start saying I’m stupid, as opposed to my book or my characters being stupid? Maybe. I’ll let you know.

Have there been people who didn’t like my writing? Of course. But most reviewers have been very good to mention in their reviews the reasons for their lower ratings. Never Deal with Dragons has received a lot of comments about what fun the beginning of the story was, and how disappointed they were in the ending/follow through. And you know what? They were right. The tone changed throughout the book.

Does that mean I need to go back into my current WIP and make sure and add “funny bits?” No. But it does give me one more to-do on my editing check list…review for tone consistency. Whether I’m going for funny or serious, high tension or laughs, I need to check and make sure I have an overall plan for the book as a whole.

For me, each and every review helps me hone my craft, and discover what type of an author I aim to be. Because I can’t strive toward a goal without first defining one.

Jillian: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?
Lorenda: Ha! I laughed out loud at this question, because—like most new authors—I can’t resist checking my sales every once in a while. And my children were delighted when I told my husband that I think I’ve sold enough that I’ll have enough money to actually open a “vacation” savings account at our bank. Those $100-$200 minimum balances can be a killer. In ten years or so, we’re going to Disneyland, baby!

All jokes aside, finishing my first, full draft of a book was the greatest feeling of accomplishment I’ve ever experienced. My husband is a runner, and he’s always wanted to try one of those Ironman Triathlons, just to see if he could do it. For me, writing a book was my triathlon. Reading peaked my interest, those first few horrible chapters and critique groups were my physical training, the RWA® Golden Heart® Award was the qualifying round, and Never Deal with Dragons was the real deal. I am so proud to be able to say I did it. And that sense of worth has translated into all parts of my life. I’m harder to intimidate. Put me in the middle of the wilderness with nothing but a canteen and bowie knife, ‘cause I’m a writer, y’all!

Lorenda has a question for commenters: Speaking of Disneyworld, what’s your favorite Disney movie? 

Lorenda is giving away a digital copy of Never Deal with Dragons to a lucky commenter. She will send a giftcard from the online store of the winner's choice. If the store doesn’t offer gifting, they will get a .pdf or .epub file. Be sure to leave your e-mail contact information to be included in the raffle.

For more information about Lorenda's latest release:

I’m on Twitter! @Lorendac

And Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/authorlorendachristensen

And even have a website of my own! http://lorendac.com/

***Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America  addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.