saturday author feature

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Author Spotlight…Amanda Turner

 Saturday Author Spotlight  Today’s guest author under the spotlight, is Amanda Turner. I have to offer a big apology to Amanda, as I completely missed her email when she returned it to me in late 2011!! I found it languishing in my ‘to do’ folder for the blog at Christmas – obviously I’d gotten a little behind with my admin. Anyway – sorry Amanda, it’s great to be featuring you today – and also explains why she was looking forward to “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” this year – she doesn’t live in a cave, that’s me 🙂 OK – let’s find out more about the lady herself…

Amanda Turner

Amanda eats, sleeps and breathes writing. All her life she has dabbled with short stories. Amanda has her own poetry collection that she supplies to a greetings card company. Her first public work was at the age of 14 when she wrote a poem to be read at her grandfathers funeral. It was always a dream of hers to have her work published so in 2011 she began writing the trilogy The Witchlings and the first book was published in July 2012. Now she has got the writing bug and is constantly tapping away on her computer. When she does have some rare free time she spends it with her husband and children and dog ‘Gizzy’. Amanda loves to get together with her girl friends and put the world to rights over a bottle of wine. She loves all things fashion and owns over 100 pairs of shoes.

What is you favorite way to spend a rainy day? Under my duvet with hot chocolate and a good book or movie.

You’ve found a time machine on your driveway this morning – where are you going to go in it? Victorian London, I love to people watch and I think they were particularly hard times. It would be interesting to see how people coped.

It’s your fantasy dinner party – who are your guests? Richelle Mead, Robert Patterson, Marie Antoinette and  Franky Boyle (British comedian)

How do you react to a bad review? To me, they are just as important as good reviews. They help to develop my writing.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? I had a few bottles of wine with some friends.

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose? Invisibility, I am naturally a nosy person.

Night owl or early bird? Early bird.

One food you would never eat? Sushi!!! The thought of eating raw fish makes me squirm.

What are you working on at the moment – do you have any other books in the works? I am currently working on a novel called ‘Just One Bite’ about werewolves. I am also working on the final installment of The Witchlings series.

What has been your most rewarding experience since being published? Reading the reviews from people that have really enjoyed the book. It makes all the stress worth while.

What was your favorite book when you were younger? I fell in love with the character of Mildred Hubble from the Worst Witch. It was the first book I bought and read it over and over.

What is your favourite Quote? Success is the best form of revenge.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”? I wanted to be a writer since forever, nothing else really appealed to me.

Who are your favourite authors of all time? I love all of Richelle Mead’s books and I enjoy reading Josephine Cox novels especially the older ones.

Can you see yourself in any of your characters? No, but some of my characters have similarities to friends and family.

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year? Breaking Dawn Part 2, I am a total Twihard!!

Cats or Dog? Dogs

Heads or Tails? Heads

Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

Truth or Dare? Dare

Midnight curse - cover

Midnight curse (The Witchlings#1)

Roxanne didn’t know what to expect when she started her new school. However, what she didn’t expect was a new boyfriend. Luke was gorgeous but came with baggage, otherwise known as the Elites. Why did they worry her so much ? She was soon to discover that the Elites were a secret coven of witches. Roxanne is thrown into a world full of mystery, spells and best of all love. But love comes at a price. Can Roxanne overcome the Elites, a curse and worst of all the witch finders to find true happiness.

Blood Moon - Cover 

Blood Moon (The Witchlings#2)

For the first time in her life Roxanne had it all. A permanent home, her  mother back in her life and her gorgeous boyfriend Luke. Little did she know that was all going to change. She was about to lose everything she held dear.

With the witch finders looming ever closer, can Roxanne defeat the Blood moon curse? Can she prevent death, possession and the five angels of hell? Will she ever be accepted as a true Elite?
For Roxanne, only one thing is certain.  Her life will never be the same again.

Want to know more? Check out the links!

twitter supermand1974

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Author Spotlight…Dale Ibitz

 

  Let’s meet this week’s spotlighted author… Dale Ibitz

Dale Ibitz was born in Oxford, Connecticut, grew up in the state of Washington, and then re-located back to Connecticut as an adult. Always a lover of books, she spent much of her childhood reading, visiting the library (her best friend’s mother was a librarian…how convenient), and writing. She majored in English at Central Connecticut State University, and while Dale holds a full-time day job where she’s immersed in the dry life of writing contracts, she’s been writing young adult fantasy and mid-grade contemporary for seventeen years (on the side, of course).

 

Mini-Interview

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?

  1. Chocolate, and lots of it. Maybe like a magical chocolate fountain that never runs out. A girl’s got to eat.
  2. The entire Lords of the Underworld series (because a girl’s got to keep warm at night 🙂
  3. A match, for just about everything else.

 

Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.

 Ugh. Okay.

5:00 a.m. Up and at ‘em!.

Get ready for work, get the kids ready for school. Sneak in a bit of chocolate, because really, who wants to start their day without it?

6:30 a.m. Rush out the door to catch the bus to work.

On the bus I write on my netbook. Or, if the battery is dead, read on my Nook. Or, if my Nook is dead, stare out the window and hate myself for not charging my batteries.

7:45 a.m. Arrive at work.

Work, work, work all the live-long day. Sneak in bits of chocolate to keep me going throughout the day, because really, who can survive without it?

5:00 – or 5:30 p.m. (timing depends on how miserable my day is) Catch the bus home. See comment for 6:30 a.m. on how I spend the bus ride.

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Arrive home.

Cook, chauffeur, clean, read.

10:00 p.m. Asleep before my head hits the pillow.

 

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?

To be invisible. I always thought it would be kind of glamorous to be a spy; I would totally rock at being a spy if I could vanish on a whim.

 

One food you would never eat?

Snails. Ew and ick and everything in between.

 

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

Haley is a girl that most teens can relate to (a little lost, a little confused, and a little shy), not to mention the little bit of evil, little bit of romance, little bit of mystery, and little bit of action in the entire Last Moon Rising Series.

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Strong Blood (Last Moon Rising # 2)Strong Blood - Cover

The war between nature’s gods continues to rage on Eyidora and Haley, descendant of the Air Eyid, struggles with her own battles. She’s mired in a battle with Ian, the Fire Eyid descendant, over the lost Eyid stones. She needs the stones to stop the war, and he needs the stones to destroy Eyidora. She knows where the Land Eyid stone is hidden, and she races to Tamoor to find it before Ian does.

Haley still doesn’t trust Tuggin, the stone-faced Eyidoran assigned to protect her. As a Menta witch, he’s adept at lying, mind-control, and killing. Even though Haley is starting to believe that Tuggin may be serving more than one master, she continues to battle her feelings for him, never sure which duty he feels most inclined to serve.

But Haley’s biggest battle of all comes when she meets Luke and Telsa, twins with undeniable strength. Haley invites them to join her on her mission to find the Land Eyid stone. Has she put her trust in someone who may be just as dark and dangerous as Ian, the descendant of Fire himself?

 

Want to know more? Check out the links!

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/daleibitz

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dale%20ibitz

Blog: http://dalesplace-dale.blogspot.com/

 http://daleibitz.wix.com/daleibitz

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Author Spotlight…Robert Downs

  Let’s meet this week’s spotlighted author Robert Downs…This is the first of a weekend of features we’re running with Robert – come back tomorrow and Monday to learn more about MANfiction in his guest posts! 

Robert aspired to be a writer before he realized how difficult the writing process was. Fortunately, he’d already fallen in love with the craft, otherwise Casey might never have seen print. Originally from West Virginia, he has lived in Virginia, Massachusetts, and now resides in New Mexico.

Despite his literary side, numbers are very much a part of his world, to the point that he has a business administration degree from West Virginia University as well as an MBA from Columbia College.

Falling Immortality is his first novel.

Falling Immortality

Falling Immortality

 

Falling Immortality

Casey Holden, former cop, current PI in Virginia Beach, VA, screens his clients the way he screens his women, based on whichever drop-dead gorgeous woman happens to waltz through his door first and manages to hold his attention. So when Felicity Farren, widow-at-large, struts into his office asking him to solve the two-year-old murder of her husband Artis, she intrigues him. When Casey starts digging, he learns the murder isn’t what it seems to be and he doesn’t have a big enough shovel to unearth the truth. And to top it all off, his former rival at the police department, Greg Gilman, is determined to disrupt his investigation. Casey’s challenge is to learn what really happened to Artis, and why Gilman can’t seem to remove his head from his butt. And he’ll need all of his wits to complete the task.

 

 

 

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

Website: http://RobertDowns.net

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Author Spotlight…Double Trouble!

 

 This week we have a twist on our author spotlight feature – as we have two authors with us! Christy Hall and Amanda Gerry wrote Phoenix Angel together…Let’s find out if two heads are better than one 😉 

Christy Hall has been addicted to the many realms of fantasy and science fiction all her life. She joined her first peer writers’ group in the sixth grade, joyfully sharing world building at a young age. A graduate of Southern Utah University, she now teaches at a local charter school. When she isn’t busy designing activities for her Mythology class or going on field trips with the Star Wars Club, she is spending time with her sister, A Gerry. C. Hall’s favorite authors include J.R.R Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Tracy Hickman.

Amanda Gerry developed an interest in fantasy at a young age. In middle school, she fell in love with writing short stories and was thrilled when her sister proposed creating a series of novels together. Her fondness of writing comes from many sources, but the most prominent is her avid devotion to video games.  Some of her favorites include Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls series, and anything that lets her shoot zombies. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Southern Utah University and teaches at a local charter school.

Christy’s Interview

You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy? If I won one million dollars the first thing I would buy would be a Bumblebee Camaro that really transformed. Then when I parked it at Wal-Mart, I would have it turn in to a giant robot while I went to buy laundry detergent.

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be? If I could jump into any fictional world, I would definitely want to be an elf in Middle Earth. What’s not to love about living forever, wearing pretty dresses, and frolicking around Mirkwood with Legolas?

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects? Right now we are working on the Shardwell magic series, book four. When complete it will be six novels. Book 2, Guardian of Time, is scheduled to be released in August of this year. After that, my sister and I have this amazing idea for a new series with dragons and prophecy.

If you could have any superpower what would you choose? Teleportation. Hands down. I hate driving!

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Never give up. There is a story inside you that you want to share. No matter how hard it gets, perseverance is the way to succeed as a writer.

Amanda’s Interview

What is one book everyone should read? Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

What inspired you to want to become a writer? I have always loved books and creative writing. But most of all, I wanted to work on a set of books that I would want to read.  Our books contain all the elements of both story and characters that intrigue us.

Who are your favorite authors of all time? Jane Austen, R. A. Salvatore, Tracy Hickman, and Margaret Weis

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors? Be patient and stick to what you believe. Remember that you are writing the book. Don’t change anything unless it makes sense for your characters.

How do you react to a bad review?  Not everyone likes the same type of book.  I think about what the bad review has to say but I don’t let it affect me or my writing.

What do you do in your free time? Play video games.

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Phoenix Angel

Phoenix Angel

 

What is happening to us?  I’ve asked this question a thousand times, but there is no answer.

I was a normal teenager, trudging my way through senior year with my best friend. Then a boy named Kyle Spencer came to Idaho Falls, and since then everything has fallen apart. Something mysterious has passed among the three of us. We’ve developed terrifying abilities—strange powers that separate us from normal people.

Even worse, someone—or something—has taken a deadly interest in us. We never know when they are going to strike, or how to protect ourselves. We don’t even know who they are.

All we know is that they want one of us alive, and we don’t know who. The others they want dead. Which will I be?

Want to know more? Check out their website!

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Author Spotlight…Leslie Deaton


Let’s meet this week’s spotlighted author: Leslie Deaton… I’m a full time thinker, doer, consultant, planner, part time baker, and overtime dreamer. Always a buckeye at heart, I was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio where I lived in a creepy old farm house with nothing better to do than read tons of books. After high school, I moved to Columbus where I studied English at the Ohio State University. I loved my time there. It opened a whole new world of opportunity to me. I spent my free time reading great books and writing in my journal. Grad school at George Mason University brought more of the same, until finally I dreamed up Lyla Mercer and created The Mercer Legacy series. Now I live outside of Washington DC, work as a consultant by day and author by night. My biggest fans are my husband, my three dachshunds and my family.

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Lyla Mercer is back, and this time she not only has to face the consequences of her actions the night of the battle, but she must learn to do it alone. A History Renewed (the sequel to A Marked Past) is now available. After Lyla discovers the truth about her family’s dark past, she knows her life will never be the same. Her move to Salem revealed a history plagued with secrets and a future full of danger. Lyla is a witch, and the Mercers aren’t the only witches living in the small town.

There are others, some allies, some enemies; and one unfathomably evil man who is hunting them all. Fearing their own extinction, the witches unite, ready to defend themselves, but when Lyla breaks the coven rules, she finds herself forced to face her hunter alone.

A History Renewed reveals the next journey in Lyla’s fight for survival; one in which she must master new powers, search for new allies, and find the courage to continue her fight to stay alive.

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What is your favourite way to spend a rainy day?

I love to spend rainy days curled up in a chair by the window with my laptop, a cup of hot tea, and nothing better to do than create a new chapter, dream up a new adventure, or even craft a new world. Rainy days are my most creative days.

What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Find the courage to write. Make some time write at least 3 days a week. Don’t set unrealistic goals, writing one well-crafted paragraph is better than 10 mediocre pages that you’ll have to rewrite later. Don’t make excuses for why you can’t write, just do it!

How do you react to a bad review?

I won’t lie it can be hard to take when a reviewer criticizes the work that you have slaved over for more than a year. But, I try to read every review with an eye for improvement. I have found that reading even the most offensive review can sometimes provide some advice to me on making improvements for the next book. So, I grit my teeth, take a deep breath, and try to learn from it.

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Author Spotlight…R B Harkess

Let’s meet this week’s spotlighted author…R B Harkess

An exiled Bristolian currently living just outside London, Robert got back into writing three years ago. Since then he has had his first YA novel (Aphrodite’s Dawn) published by Proxima, and has had a half dozen short stories published in various e-zines and anthologies.

He blogs at http://www.rbharkess.com

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Garret’s world is six floors tall by five hundred people wide, and he despairs of ever being happy. When a voice in his head offers the 14-year old an escape from his boring life, he has no idea how apparently being offered everything he could want or need might change him. With his best friend Pitr in tow Garret seizes the opportunity, and their universe is thrown into confusion when they are told they are on an asteroid-sized sleeper-ship. The asteroid’s computer has been damaged, and cannot control the engines to deliver them to their new home. Garret is asked to take a message to the other end of the world. He has to travel through an ancient subway system and is captured by forest dwellers in a giant park. He finds a new friend, Alyssa, running from an arranged marriage and leads them across the parklands.

 

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What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day?

Somewhere like a summerhouse or a conservatory; somewhere I can open a window and listen. Even better if there’s thunder. Then sit in a nice comfy chair and dive into a really tempestuous fantasy with dramatic scenery and extravagant conflict. Something like ‘Before they Were Hung’ by Joe Abercrombie

 How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?

I bounced up and down in my chair until I heard it make an alarming clunk, trying not to explode because there was nobody in the house for me to tell. I ended up phoning my Mum, then went out for a luscious meal with me wife in the evening

 What are you working on at the moment – do you have any other books in the works?

I have one novel wandering the ether looking for a home (might even have found one) and I’m deep into editing a third novel. Both Young Adult urban fantasy/steampunk mashups.

 If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world.. which would it be?

That’s actually a difficult one, because unless you are part of the story, the world of most books is probably pretty much ass humdrum as our own. There are usually far more underdogs than there are heroes or privileged classes. Easy to pick if you can also get to decide who you are. So I think it would probably have to be Narnia, but in a good time not a bad one. Or maybe living somewhere in the The Culture, from the brain of Ian. M. Banks

If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play the lead role and why?

Joe Abercrombie: He’s younger than me, better looking than me, sells more books than me. And he can dance. In fact, skip the movie, can I just BE Joe Abercrombie? Please?

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Want to know more? Check out the links!

www.aphroditesdawn.com

Amazon.com

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Author Spotlight…L S Murphy

 


  Let’s meet this week’s spotlighted author… L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for teens and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to The Bean (aka her daughter), her husband and a menagerie of pets. Reaper is her debut young adult novel.She is a co-rep for the Southern Illinois region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild. Repped by Julia A. Weber of  J. A. Weber Literaturagentur.

 

Reaper

There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.
She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does. Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic. Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay. It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

 

Want to know more? Check out the links!

Blog: http://lsmurphy.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LSMurphy

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5046440.L_S_Murphy

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Author Spotlight…Aron Joice

 

This week’s spotlighted author is Aron Joice… I was raised in southern Virginia and later made New York City my home. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood. Since I was in a military family, I had a great deal of me time. I think that’s when I started role-playing. My brain became fertile ground for fantasizing. My passion is fantasy, but I enjoy reading other genres as well.My background is in the performing arts. As a singer, songwriter, dancer, and theatrical costumer, there was more than ample opportunity to expand my imagination. Many years of my life were dedicated to orphan relief in Eastern Europe, and animal rescue in America. I now live in the country with my pet   family.

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The Rising 

Managrail has been at peace for one hundred years, but things are about to change. After a near-fatal fall, Prince Simian and his sister, Lila, find themselves lost in an unknown land, forced to embark on a dangerous journey. Far away, another brother and sister return home, only to find their village of Dirth plundered and their family murdered. Two brother and sisters, different in every way, are brought together by tragedy. As the queen’s champion leads a search for the heirs, a colorful cast of allies joins them. Can the powers of the enchanted Light Bringers help them escape from ancient beasts that hunger for the taste of human flesh, and save their lands and people from the dark powers of an evil sorceress? Love-ambivalence-betrayal. Who will live and who is to be trusted?

 

Want to know more? Check out the links!

Buy the book:   Amazon    B&N

Twitter @aronjoice    Facebook ‘Aron Joice YA Fantasy’   Blog  www.aronjoice.com