indie author spotlight

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Author Spotlight…Christopher C. Starr

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This week’s spotlighted author is Christopher C. Starr…

About the Author: Christopher C. Starr is the author of The Road to Hell: The Book of Lucifer, the first novel in the Heaven Falls series. These stories examine the God’s relationship with Heaven and Earth, told through the eyes of the angels. The next book in the series, Come Hell or Highwater, is scheduled for late 2012/early 2013.

Chris makes it a point to look at the dark side of his characters, both heroes and villains, and his work explores the “grey”—that place where good and evil come together in all of us.

When he’s not being chased out of churches, Chris enjoys comic books and movies, staying away from cemeteries, and poorly participating in P90X. He lives in Seattle with his wife, two kids (The Boy and the Honey Badger), and his huskies, Rocky the Wonder Dog and his colorful sidekick, Leylah Redd. You can check out his blog at christophercstarr.net.

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You already know my name and, yes, I am that Lucifer.  Fall from Heaven, Garden of Eden, ruler of Hell, Satan, the Devil, the Adversary, blah blah blah.  I am the one you condemned without, what do you call it? A fair trial.  Forget what you think you know:  I want to tell my side of the story.  The Road to Hell is all about how a pathetic group of short-sighted angels kicked me out of Heaven.

Humans are naturally curious and I suspect you’re asking ‘why now?’  Well, He has a book and it’s been pretty successful, so I figured what the hell?  Found a ghostwriter and gave it a go.  After all, the story is fantastic!  It has everything you clods of dirt crave:  a love story, a little sex, intrigue.  Murder.  War.  Lots of blood.  And a cast of characters you already know and love—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael—along with a host of others.  Even has a special guest appearance by the Father and that damned boy.

So, let’s get down to business or brass tacks or whatever colloquialism works for you.  I have plenty to say and plenty of time:  The Road to Hell is just the first in a series of novels about my experience with Him, with my brothers and sisters, with you.  If you’re interested in featuring me, reach out to the pile of dust below; if not, well, I’ll see you soon.

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Excerpt from The Road to Hell 

Lucifer heard me: as soon as my feet touched the glass surface of his platform, he laughed aloud and doused all the light in Heaven.

“I know why you’re here, Raphael,” Lucifer said in the darkness. “You’re afraid.”

I was afraid but I wasn’t willing to admit it. Instead I said, “Why should I be afraid? The Father is with me.”

“You sure about that?” And I could see Lucifer’s teeth glinting in the light wafting from my body. He was smiling. “You think he’ll still back you up now that you’re failing him?”

His face was the color of fire, deep and red, and a haze made him seem like a mirage. Even in the darkness, in the heat of his rage, Lucifer was still beautiful. His thin face, the angular cheekbones, his wide, open eyes, his halo of shimmering hair—all presented a portrait of absolute perfection. Even in this dark hour, I envied the crude formation of my own round face, my pudgy nose, the softness of my jawline.

I tried to sound as sure of myself, as certain as he was but my voice cracked, “I’m not failing—”

He pounced on me, laid long, thin fingers on my shoulders, pushed that gleaming grin into my face. “Sure you are! Why else would you be here, Peace Keeper? Angels are dead, Raphael. It’s slipping through your fingers. Sounds like failure to me.”

“This is your doing!” I pressed him back.

“Raphael, you insult me; finger pointing seems so…beneath you. Besides, I’m bound, remember?” He fondled the chains streaming from his wrists and ankles, smiled at me again. “You chained me up so I couldn’t cause any problems for the others. Weren’t those your words?”

He was right. And I hated him for it. “Yes,” was all I said.

“So you failed them or you failed him. Either way, you’re a failure, kiddo.”

“I want to talk about what we do next.”

He was walking around me now. I could hear the chains scraping the surface of the glass.

“And I want to talk about your fears,” he said and his voice sounded like velvet in my ears.

“This doesn’t help us, Lucifer. It doesn’t help us end this nonsense. ”

“Maybe I don’t want to end it. Maybe this is exactly what we need.”  He got louder, bolder. Closer. “Does that scare you, Raphael, that you won’t be able to keep it together? Is that why you tremble in the darkness? Because when it’s just you and the Father and all the light and noise is gone, you know you’re going to have to tell him you failed?”

He had me. I understood in that moment how Lucifer could enflame the deepest of emotions. His words touched the very root of me; spoke directly to the futility flexing in my palms. It was out of my hands—I knew that much. Lucifer knew it too. By virtue of the fact that I was there, standing before him while he taunted me, it was out of my hands.

I tried to turn it back on him, “What about your fears? What about what you’re afraid of?”

“I’m scared,” he whispered, “that the Father won’t want me back once I’m finished.” The smile was gone.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

 

Blog: http://www.christophercstarr.net

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/christophercstarr

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/christophercstarr

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SuperStarr73

The Road to Hell is available at:   Amazon    Barnes & Noble

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Author Spotlight…Jessica Fortunato

 

This week’s spotlighted author is Jessica Fortunato… Jessica Fortunato has been a freelance reviewer for the past three years. She has always loved a supernatural aspect to literature, as well as the addition of theology, so it is no surprise that her debut novel The Sin Collector combines just that.

She has been a waitress, a cook, a librarian, a book binder, nanny, and even a hairdresser when the occasion calls for it. However writing is her main focus and she is thrilled to share the first installment of what she hopes will be a beloved book trilogy. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her family, a hamster that Tweets and a cat who likes to sleep on her shoulder when she writes much like a parrot.

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Author Q&A 

 1.     If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

I am obsessed with the 1920’s.  The clothing, the music, the nightlife, you name it.  Guys dressed sharp, the women were gorgeous (and not all size 0) So I suppose I would say Chicago in the 1920’s, who wouldn’t want to meet Capone? Live in the Jazz age.  I would happily hop in a time machine right now and live it up.

2.     Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

The Sin Collector is completely original, no Vampires or Werewolves, but it will make you laugh your butt off and keep you on the edge of your seat.

3.     Who is in your dream cast for your book?

I have never come across an actor I would love to have play main character Liliana.  However, I would sell my soul to have Ben Barnes play MC Olexander.  I imagined him every time I wrote the character because he is amazing.  Fans of The Sin Collector and I have actually started a Pinterest board of suggested cast members that can be found here.

4.     Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

I would be lying if I said main character Liliana wasn’t a lot like me.  She is incredibly sarcastic and handles crisis with both authority as well as levity.  I would never have survived this long if I couldn’t laugh at my own misfortune.  In addition, within the story, Liliana forms a family for herself and she loves them endlessly.  She would die for them, and I think that love of family comes from my own feelings and experiences.

5.     Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? 

Thomas is a character in the first book.  He was one of my favorite characters to write, (actually, I had a huge crush on him) however he played a secondary role to the main characters in The Sin Collector.  After people read The Sin Collector so many asked if they would ever find out more about Thomas’s past.  Therefore, in short story format you will be able to buy Thomas’s story only on Amazon.  It will give readers a hint as to his history, and a glimpse of characters that will be important in the second book.  The second book in the trilogy The Sin Collector: Sacrifice is being written and will be released next year!

The Sin Collector follows the life of Liliana, a born Sin-Eater. She has spent her life absorbing people’s sins so they may rest in peace come death. Now she’s trying to live low-key, and act as human as a Collector can.  However when she is found by a Collector from her past, one who insists everything she has been taught is a lie, Liliana must make her way from sunny L.A. all the way to the streets of Madrid. Searching for answers to a question we all share. Why are we here? The friends and enemies she makes along the way only seem to blur the line between right and wrong. Can Liliana fight the Castus, an organization whose sole mission is to kill every Collector? Should she trust her head or her heart when the two most important men in her life are fighting alongside her and trust is precarious at best?

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The Sin Collector follows the life of Liliana, a born Sin-Eater. She has spent her life absorbing people’s sins so they may rest in peace come death. Now she’s trying to live low-key, and act as human as a Collector can.  However when she is found by a Collector from her past, one who insists everything she has been taught is a lie, Liliana must make her way from sunny L.A. all the way to the streets of Madrid. Searching for answers to a question we all share. Why are we here? The friends and enemies she makes along the way only seem to blur the line between right and wrong.

Can Liliana fight the Castus, an organization whose sole mission is to kill every Collector? Should she trust her head or her heart when the two most important men in her life are fighting alongside her and trust is precarious at best?

Want to know more? Check out the links!

The Official Sin Collector Website: http://thesincollector.weebly.com/index.html

Buy The Sin Collector on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sin-Collector-ebook/dp/B0076D11WK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328605892&sr=8-3

Follow Author Jessica Fortunato on Twitter (Always good for a laugh) https://twitter.com/#!/JessFortunato

Follow The Sin Collector on Facebook

Discover the upcoming short story about one of The Sin Collectors most beloved characters, Thomas: http://thesincollector.weebly.com/thomas.html

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Indie Author Spotlight…Katie Hughart

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Katie Hughart aka Kate Rice…
About the Author – Wife, mother, and writer, Katie Hughart (aka Kate Rice) is pursuing her dream with the support of her family, friends and readers. Growing up in Toledo, Ohio Kate has always pushed the boundaries of normal. Now embracing that creative energy she is launching it into her books, one word at a time.

Kate has been married for nine years to Tommy Hughart Jr. who is a devoted football fanatic, but she loves him anyways. She has an amazing little boy who’s rambunctious and bright with a promising future ahead of him. “He is the breath God has given me,” Katie says.
With many more book ideas burning under the surface, Katie is excited to share this chapter of her life with you, and hopes that you will read, love and read again.
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Quick Author Q&A 
1. If you could be a superhero and have any superpower, what would you choose?
 I have thought about this a lot; in fact, I’ve probably thought about this more than most normal people, but I’d have to say that my super power would be the ability to tell the future. Sometimes I have weird dreams that come true, so the way I figure it, I’m already half way there! I also have a tendency to write more towards the paranormal genre. Even though my book, Panic, is a mainstream novel, my new projects are Fantasy and Sci-fi driven.
2. Any other books in the works for 2012? Other goals for future projects? 
I currently have three books out right now. One book I did with two other talented writers, the book is a YA Suspense Novelette titled, Midnight Masquerade. I have Panic, which is a full-legnth, suspense/romance, and a book of poetry titled Words in Black and White: a book of poems, but I have so many new projects brewing, it’s crazy!
The first one I’m working on is a YA fantasy titled, Wolf’s Run. Wolf’s Run is going to be the first of three books that will be part of, The Wilderness Series. This project has been so much fun! It has wolf spirits from other realms, fairies, curses, and a counsel that keeps their thumb on the happenings of the Wilderness. This book has been the most gratifying and yet the most challenging! I’m expecting to release it in early 2013. 

I am also working on a YA Sci-fi titled Club X! The main character is a headstrong girl who falls for a dark and mysterious guy named X, it just so happens that dark and mysterious doesn’t begin to cover him, since he doesn’t come from this planet. Club X is also coming out in 2013, but probably later in the year. I also have my hands full with some romance novella’s that I plan to release this year, and sequels that I plan to release in 2013/2014, so as you can see I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy! You can find all of my published books and reviews if you type my name (Katie Hughart) into the amazon store! 🙂

3.  If you could jump into the pages of any book and live in that world…which would it be?
The great thing is I don’t have to pick just one, I do it everyday! I’m in the stories I write 100 percent. I’ve been to different dimensions, and fell in love, had my heart broken, and been to new places and planets time and time again!
4. If you could be one of the Greek Gods, which would it be and why?
I am currently working on a romance novella staring Zeus, so with that in mind I wouldn’t be one of them. Fictionally speaking, I would choose to be their item of affection. I think that’s a much better gig!
5. How did you know you should (or wanted to) become an author?
I didn’t have great grades in school, some years were better than others, but I always did well in English, so naturally I went into Accounting. *slams on break, screeching tires* That’s right I started in accounting, and it was only years later, after my father died, that I had a story that wouldn’t go away. It was stuck in my head like chewed bubble gum stuck to the bottom of your Nike’s on 100 degree day, and it stayed that way for six months. I started writing the story in a notebook and decided that it was a good way to handle the trama I felt from my dad’s passing, but then like I’m sure a lot of other writers can attest to, the story didn’t simply trickle off. It grew into a 400 page novel that today is known as Panic. It didn’t stop there either, new idea’s sprung to life and now I’m sitting on about 30 stories all pulling and tugging for my attention like small children. Go figure! What a way to find out you’re a writer!
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Midnight Masquerade 
Laurel Adams was a normal teenager with dreams, aspirations and a bright future ahead of her…until the night her parents were brutally murdered. And she saw it all. With no promising leads, the killer is still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike again. Now Laurel’s life has been turned upside down. Haunted by reoccurring nightmares and forced to live in a cramped apartment with her screwed up sister and her sister’s two kids, depression is her constant companion. That is, until the boy she’s been pining after all year finally notices her. Suddenly Laurel’s future is looking brighter than ever, everything she could have hoped for is coming true. She has the attention of the hottest guy in school, a date to Prom, and the only thing standing in the way of her happiness is his girlfriend, Amanda Price, the queen of her daddy’s checkbook…and Laurel’s mortal enemy. Worse yet, the mysterious killer seems to have turned up again. And his sights are set on Laurel.
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Want to know more? Check out the links!
Avaliable on Kindle: by typing in keyword Katie Hughart into your Kindle store or at amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Masquerade-ebook/dp/B005OA2E28/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338517749&sr=8-4


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Indie Author Spotlight…Lisa Ard

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Lisa Ard…

Friends and family have asked me how I came up with the idea for the Dream Seeker series and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure. What I do know is, I was spending a lot of time thinking about the types of books I love to read and those stories usually involved fantastic adventures for kids.

When I started to write Fright Flight, the first book in the Dream Seeker series, I knew I wanted a strong preteen boy as the main character. Patrick is twelve years old and at the age when he’s experiencing a lot of change, both physically and emotionally. Most of that change is out of his control, but how he reacts to that change is important.

Patrick’s family and best friends are important to his adventures too. When life and dreams seem out of control, Patrick knows he is not alone.Perhaps that’s my dream for my own kids, showing up in my writing. My hope is, that whatever challenges my two children face in life, they’ll know they can count on me and their dad and those that love them.

Writing is an adventure for me. It’s been a long and winding journey to authoring a book. Here’s some of that journey’s highlights:

  • I grew up in Wenatchee, Washington. Better look it up on the map, because it’s the Apple Capital of the World!
  • As a kid I played lots of sports, enjoyed art and photography, read lots of books (still do) and dreamed of traveling the world. 
  • I left home to study at the University of Washington where I earned my B.A. in German. (And yes, my dad asked me “what are you going to do with a degree in German?”)
  • After a couple years living and working in Seattle, I went back to school. Now, you may be asking why I signed up for MORE school. Actually I’ve always thought school was pretty fun. I found a really cool school that let me work overseas. I got my Masters in International Business from the University of South Carolina and worked in Germany.
  • For the next 15 years, I worked in Finance and Quality departments for some really big companies. In other words, I went to lots of meetings, talked on the phone, traveled all over the country and sat in a cubicle for a lot of that time.
  • Then I fell in love, got married and had two wonderful kids. We now live happily ever after in Portland, Oregon.

That’s the story so far. I’m now starting the journey of author. How long that will last, I don’t know. However, I’m ready to enjoy the adventure

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For Patrick, being twelve years old can be challenging. Add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand Patrick’s need for a little self-control. A “sweet” dream devouring the world’s largest ice cream sundae can end with an enormous stomachache. A fall from a bike means Patrick wakes with a broken arm. Try explaining that to the emergency room doctor. Oh wait — that would be Patrick’s mom. She’s a dream seeker too, as are Patrick’s sister and brother. If Patrick follows the family’s dream-seeking rules he can have cool nighttime adventures. But if he forgets….

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Buy the Book:    iTunes   Powells   Amazon   B&N   Goodreads   Shelfari

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorLisaArd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/LisaArd

My blog: Adventures in Writing & Publishing http://www.dreamseekeradventures.com/blog/

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Indie Author Spotlight…Rebecca Weinstein

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Rebecca Weinstein…

About the Author – Rebecca Weinstein was born and raised in central New Jersey and continues to live there with her husband, daughter, and two pesky rabbits. Rebecca is an alumna of Monmouth University and teaches art at a private high school. She loves to paint as much as writing, and created the cover artwork for all of her novels. A frequent blogger, she blogs on WordPress about writing and her other love: cooking. She is the author of six middle grade and young adult novels, and is currently working on the third installment of the Redstone Series.

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Quick Author Q&A

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?

I have a few works in progress right now. Sometimes I find that I want to work on one project, then another day I’ll want to work on a different one. I’m working on the third installment in the Redstone Series, the sequel to Yokai, and a sequel to Amazon. I also have several new works on the back burner. I’m also working on heavily promoting Yokai. I really was so excited to write this novel, that I had many sleepless nights while crafting it. The story wouldn’t leave me alone! I really like the story, and I think that others will really like it too. I was blog hopping during the month of June, including the Paranormal Freebies Blog Hop on June 21-22, and a few others. Whew. I’m a busy lady!

 

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Definitely southern Japan, and not just because I’m an Otaku. I love the Japanese culture, and I think their country is beautiful, even though I’ve only seen pictures. I’ll get there, someday.

 

When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

I always wanted to be a Disney animator. Every time we’d go to Walt Disney World, I’d coerce my family without fail to go through the animation tour in MGM so I could see what the animators were up to. But people change, and although it was always my dream job as a kid, I know it wouldn’t be my dream job today.

 

Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

I can see a little of myself in all of my protagonists. I tend to do that; write a little of myself into them. It makes it a little easier for me to relate to them or to get inside their heads. Even the animal ones.

 

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

When my father was admitted into hospice nine years ago, he gave me the best bit of advice. He said, “If your dreams of Disney don’t pan out, find a new dream.” It taught me to not dwell on the things that won’t or don’t happen, and to always find a new dream. It’s pretty good advice, and I followed it.

 

Favourite sweets?

Sno-Caps. But definitely with popcorn. It’s the only way.

 

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

Actually, I recently found out that one of my favorite manga/anime is being made into a live action movie, to be released in Japan in August. It’s called Rurouni Kenshin, and I absolutely love it. If you’ve never heard of it, look it up. It’s about a wandering samurai (a rurouni), a former government assassin, who has given up killing after the revolution sparked the Meiji period. I can’t wait until I can see it, but I know it’ll take a while to get released on a subtitled dvd.

 

How do you react to a bad review?

You know, a lot of authors don’t respond online to reviews at all. I respond to every review, good or bad. There’s a big difference between responding well and responding poorly. I respond well by thanking them for taking the time to even write a review. They didn’t have to do that. Whether I agree with them or not is besides the point. They are entitled to their opinion, be it good or bad. I don’t argue their points, good or bad, but I make the effort to thank them for their comments on my work.

 

What do you do in your free time?

What free time? Haha, just kidding. I like to read, a lot. I also like to cook, and I blog about my cooking on WordPress. That blog is called Android In The Kitchen. I post pictures of the food I cook. One mainstay is the “Daily Bento” post, where I photograph and blog about the bentos I make for my daughter’s school lunch. A bento is a Japanese lunch box, but it’s more than that. Creating bento is an art, but also an act of love. How much love do you put into your own family members’ lunches?

 

Favourite sport?

HOCKEY! I love the New York Rangers so much, we had hockey elements in our wedding, we have memorabilia around the house, and one of the rabbits actually loves watching it with us!

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Sixteen-year-old Kit Maguire has never met her mother, made lasting friendships, or had a permanent home, and she’s always known that she was a little different from others. When Kit and her father move to Kyoto, Japan, her father insists that this time will be better, but Kit is reluctant to give it a try. The kids in Kyoto seem to be the same as everywhere else: judging her for her looks before they get to know her. She figures it’s just one more short stop that she won’t make friends, so why bother?

With the appearance of her thought-to-be-dead mother, Kit yearns to find out more about her mom, their family, and why she has the ability to conjure green fire. When a girl named Yoriko insists on becoming friends and two of the hottest guys in school vie for her attention, things get complicated. Kit learns just who she is and what she’s capable of, but with that knowledge comes the realization that she may never be able to have a relationship with Riku; as their clans are bitter enemies. Kit hopes that their love will bring the clans together and that she’ll get everything she’s ever wanted: family, friends, and a place to call home.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Available for $2.99 only on Amazon

Website:www.rebeccaweinstein.webs.com

Blog: www.rweinstein6.wordpress.com  and http://www.androidinthekitchen.wordpress.com

Follow me on Twitter! @rweinstein6

Rebecca’s Other Work: Seraphim   Nashoga (Redstone Series #1)   Blood Moon (Redstone Series #2)

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Indie Author Spotlight…Allison Cosgrove

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.

This week’s spotlighted author is Allison Cosgrove…

About the Author – Allison Cosgrove was born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario. A married mother of three daughters, she works in accounting by day and creates her own worlds by night. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters hiking in the woods or sitting by the fire reading a good book. She has had the love of reading and writing detective mysteries from the age of twelve but it has only been since the birth of her youngest that she has gotten serious about crafting some of her own works for others to enjoy. She credits her family and friends with being the driving force that has given her the strength to breathe life into her books. 

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A cult has been killing children for its rituals and only one cop knows who they are. Detective Stan Brookshire knows but his past keeps people from believing in him. Can he rise above the stigma that shrouds his past and stop a cult from taking yet another innocent child from her mother’s arms before its too late? 
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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website:  www.stanbrookshire.com

Buy online at Amazon 


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Indie Author Spotlight…John Hennessy

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is John Hennessy…
About the Author – Born in 1988, John Hennessy became entranced by the world of fantasy at a young age, playing video games and reading books for many long nights/early mornings. He recently graduated from Western Washington University, and now lives in the green land of Bellingham, at work on the second book in The Cry of Havoc series.
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Night 1: 12 billion taken.   Day 1: Confusion.

Night 2: 13 billion taken.   Day 2: Panic.

Night 3: 13 billion taken.   Day 3: The fight for survival begins.

In 2048, the human population borders 39 billion after the termination of
the birth control industry, and the realities of overcrowding have sunken
into the minds of the world, until billions mysteriously go missing. In
the wake of civilization’s collapse, a trio of teenage gamers from
Washington struggle to endure. Maggy, a strong-willed intellectual, leads
Darrel and Félix, two shy geeks, on an expedition down the west coast, as
they try to determine the source of humanity’s downfall.

At the End is a fast-paced post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel geared toward
teen+, featuring two strong female protagonists and two geeky male
protagonists. The book’s chapters alternate from Darrel’s point of view
and Maggy’s point of view.

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Buy the Book! Amazon   Smashwords
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Indie Author Spotlight…Nicole Ciacchella

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Nicole Ciacchella

About the Author – Nicole has had a lifelong passion for the written word. As a child, one of her most treasured Christmas gifts was an electric typewriter, which enabled her to crank out her stories even more quickly than she could with a pen. Naturally, the personal computer is one of her favorite inventions. When she isn’t writing, Nicole can usually be found curled up in a chair, whiling away the hours with a good book.One of Nicole’s other great passions is travel, and she has visited Europe, as well as traveling to many of the fifty states. Her favorite trips include visits to Paris, Maui, and various parts of Belgium. She feels fortunate that she is married to a native Belgian, as it gives her plenty of reasons to visit Europe as often as possible. Also, it gives her an excuse to eat Belgian waffles regularly.Born and raised in Michigan, Nicole lives there still with her husband and two beautiful children. She thinks Michigan is the greatest state in the country, and Michigan State University is the greatest university in the world.

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When the imminent collapse of the world’s food system threatens to all but eradicate the human race, it’s up to nineteen-year-old Liang Zhang to determine which of his company’s employees will live and which will die.

Liang and the other Job Creators have only weeks to choose which of their staff and families to move into the domes, the last refuges on the barren planet.  Despite their best efforts, the Job Creators are unable to keep their selection project under wraps, spurring violent protests against the privileged few.

Now, Liang must race: against starvation, against insurrection, and against his own conscience.

 Creators is a novella, the prequel to the forthcoming Contributor trilogy.

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Author Q&A with Nicole

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose? I would choose Jane Austen, without a doubt.  I not only love her books, I also think a meeting with her would make for fascinating conversation—she was so insightful and so slyly funny.
Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book. It’s important for everyone to think about and discuss what the future might look like, and to decide how we would like it to look.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”? I have always wanted to be a writer.  I thought about becoming a journalist, but my real passion has always been for creating my own worlds.  I can’t express how thrilled I am that indie publishing has made it possible for writers to control their own careers.
If you could jump inside the pages of a book and live in that world, which would it be? It would definitely be the world of Harry Potter.  Truth be told, I’m a wimp and wouldn’t so much like the part about fighting Death Eaters, but I would love to go to a magical boarding school where I could learn how to cast spells.
What’s the craziest writing idea you’ve had? Honestly, I felt like my idea for Contributor was the craziest idea I’ve ever had.  While I have tried to write in many genres, I never thought I could pull off a dystopia.  Contributor was meant to be a NaNoWriMo challenge, but the more I wrote, the more I thought, “You know, maybe I can actually pull this off.”  I hope I was right!

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Words Escape Me (Nicole’s blog): http://nciacchella.blogspot.com

Twitter: @NCiacchella    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nciacchella

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/npciacchella

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/nciacchella


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Indie Author Spotlight…Jessica Roberts

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held on every SATURDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious Story.
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This week’s spotlighted author is Jessica Roberts…
About the Author – JESSICA ROBERTS grew up in the San Francisco, California Bay Area where she spent most of her time playing sports alongside her six siblings.  She was crowned Miss Teen California her senior year of high school, and went on to Brigham Young University where she graduated in Human Development.  Her love of family, church, writing, athletics, and singing and dancing keeps her life busy and fulfilled.  She currently resides in Utah with her husband and three children.
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Synopsis

Was six perfect months with the guy of my dreams, only a dream?

Bright, spunky Heather Robbins has escaped her small hometown and is anxiously beginning her freshman year of college.  Rising above her rocky childhood, she’s found a place where good things are finally starting to happen: her own private apartment, refreshing college classes, and an intense attachment to a mysterious and rugged classmate, Nick Richards.

But when her dreamy college life turns out to be nothing more than a wonderful dream while resting in a coma, questions threaten. Now, Heather must press forward to unlock the real past, and find the answers buried deep in her mind.  What she unlocks instead is a roller coaster ride through flashbacks, embellished memories, and a whirlwind romance…

And when it’s all over and she comes face to face with the truth, will she lose everything she’s fallen in love with?

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Buy the Book! Amazon   Barnes and Noble   Smashwords
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Guest Post…Everyone Wants to Be a Writer

After taking over our blog this week, lovely author Patricia Lynne leaves us with her final thoughts on ‘being a writer.’

Thanks for spending the week with us – we’ve had lots of fun and loved reading Being Human 🙂

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Everyone wants to be a writer

It’s something I’ve heard a lot. Everyone says they want to be a writer. Everyone! Of course, not everyone actually does it, but 99% of people have probably expressed it at one point in their lives. Want to know a secret?

I didn’t.

I never had any intention of becoming a writer. When I was in third grade, I had tried to write a story, but a passing classmate read what I had written and laughed. I scrapped the story and never tried again. What got me writing was a dream. In it, a girl was being kept from by her vampire love by the cast of True Blood. I woke up and thought it’d be fun to write, minus the True Blood cast. Even then I wasn’t calling myself a writer or had any plans to publish the story. It was just for fun

When I finished the story, I got another. And another! So I kept writing them. It was fun, but I still didn’t consider myself a writer. It wasn’t until I started looking into publishing while writing Being Human that I thought about it. Even then I was hesitant. My college papers in English weren’t As. One I got a D on one and struggled to bring it up to a B (if I knew what I did now, I wouldn’t have gotten any Ds.) But I was confident in Being Human. It was interesting and different and I was so tired of all vampires being the same: whiny wussies. Maybe I could do this. If I could find people to help me edit it, then maybe it would be worth publishing.

Sometimes, I am still wary of saying I’m a writer. I have one book published and a short. But I never intended it to happen! Do I really deserve to say I’m a writer when all this was a giant accident inspired by a dream? I don’t know, but now that I’ve started, it’s really hard to stop writing.

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