Spotty Blog Posts

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Well, it's another week and another chance to get things accomplished before the weekend rolls around again. We have five days to go. Hang in there. So, today I'm gonna give you all a heads up about something I know is gonna happen soon. Grab your coffee and let's get going.

Besides the Unofficial Interviews with the Ladies of UtopYA series I have running here on the blog, you all know I strive to bring you excellent writing tips, advice on self-publishing, book reviews, and other awesome tidbits I run across on the web. Well, all but the interviews and guest post might be spotty until after that awesome con.

Why?

Because we're getting ready to move. Not the blog (don't worry!). But physically, in real life, my family is relocating. I'm telling you all this so if my blog posts are spotty around that time (it's just before UtopYA), you'll know it's not because I'm slacking or that I abandoned you.

Speaking of UtopYA: Be sure you're checking out the interviews and guest posts by some of the authors attending that event. You can find the special links page here that has dates the posts will go up. C. A. Kunz will be joining me here on the blog tomorrow for an awesome interview (difficult to interview two people in one).

I dislike having missed posts here on the blog, and strive to keep things running smoothly even when I'm away. I'll do my best to keep the great information flowing seamlessly during this difficult transition.

Bear with me, please.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Rachel Harris Author Interview

Happy Monday, everyone! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. So far we’ve had a number of awesome authors give their time and expertise to make us smile. If you missed any of the past interviews, get on over to my page dedicated to these lovely ladies. If you don’t have your tickets for UtopYA yet, what the heck are you waiting for? You’re gonna be the only girl left out of the party! Get yours here. Let’s get our interview on! Get your clicking fingers ready so you can check out author Rachel Harris’s books after the interview. Snug up and let’s go! 

Jo: Hi, Rachel! It’s an absolute honor to have a fellow coonass here on the blog. I don’t like to tease my readers (they’re a wild bunch), so we’re gonna jump right into the questions, okay? Are you ready?
Rachel: Let’s do this thing! :)

Jo: So, during my research of you, I came across a cool tidbit of information: Your first date made you puke. Now, we’ve all had dates we wanted to get out of, I’m sure; but your story was one that cracked me up. Mind sharing it with my readers (and telling us if you’ve ever used that scenario in one of your books)?
Rachel: Dude, I plan to use it one day…just have to find the perfect book and character. I mean, that’s made for fiction, right??? But yes, this happened to me. Settle in for a story, kids…

The guy was older, he was cute, and I was so excited to go out on an actual date that I didn’t care that I woke up feeling ill. Nothing was keeping my butt home. I was thirteen and he was seventeen, but we met in my church’s youth group so my mom knew him. Even though she was cool with me dating him, she refused to let me ride in his car, so she picked him up. He got in the backseat of our minivan and for some reason (maybe it was a move?), he mentioned he’d forgotten to put on his cologne and preceded to take out the bottle and douse himself with it.
Prior to this experience, I loved the smell of Cool Water. After? Not so much.
Anyhoo, my mom smelled how strong it was from the front and subtly opened the back windows (tee hee). We went to my house first to hang out, and I have a picture of us somewhere—I’m as white as a ghost. I was so ill, but I was also one determined chica. He went to the movies next and we sat down in the theater (the film was Look Who’s Talking 2, by the way. Dating myself there), and when the lights went dark, he leaned close.
The smell of the cologne hit my nose, and I leaned away. He thought it was a game. I leaned away, he leaned close, I leaned away, he leaned close again. Finally, I jumped up and screamed I’d be right back…but sadly, I only made it to the trashcan right outside our theatre before tossing my cookies. Right as the neighboring theater let out. Head over the trashcan, my date patting my back, I heard a little boy ask his mom if I’d be okay. It was classic.
The dude was a sweetheart and even asked me out again. But I have a feeling neither of us have ever forgot that day LOL

Jo: That's funny. Poor you. Poor him. How embarrassing! Thanks for sharing though. *grin* I saw one of your books was Historical Romance/Science Fiction (I’m a lover of Historical novels) and was set in 1500 Florence, Italy. Having written a Historical Fiction novel myself, I know the time it takes to get it right. Care to share how much research you did on the era before writing the book, and what you may have learned that’s interesting/cool?
Rachel: I did a TON of research for sure. My favorite resources were the videos on the Renaissance from the kids section (they spoke my language) and a travel book written like a tourist guide to Florence, but it’s set in that time (Renaissance Florence on 5 Florins A Day). I have a huge binder filled with notes and I’d say that part of the pre-plotting took about a month. Strangely enough, it was book two, A Tale of Two Centuries, where it’s a sixteenth century girl who time travels to present day, that took the most research. See, I purposefully wrote book one with the main character super slangy and the characters in the past very proper as a fun way to constantly be showing the fish out of water contrast. Then I get to book two with a very formal first person narrator who could only use words that were in existence then...at least until she learned others in our time. I constantly had to stop and look up the etymology of different words and seeing the world through historic eyes.
Cool? In My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, I researched their dances extensively, watched video instruction, and even got off my butt and did it with them! As for A Tale of Two Centuries, the hero is a surfer, something I knew nothing about, so I spent a few days learning everything I can via YouTube. My favorite reviews are ones that mention how they can tell I love to surf ;)

Jo: I totally get where you're coming from. Yassa was an exercise in patience and research, too. *bows* You’re from New Orleans, eh? I grew up in Lake Charles, myself. I love meeting folks from my home state, but I know I miss certain things about it. What do you miss the most now that you live in Houston? Do you skip over the border often for a visit?
Rachel: I go home as often as I can, as I have many relatives still there. Luckily, most of the food can be found in Houston, so that’s not as big an issue, but there’s nothing like a Danny & Clyde’s shrimp po-boy or a Pat O’Brien’s hurricane.

Jo: Nothing like a Pat O'Brien's hurricane!! *misses boudin* I miss the food most. LOL I read that you’re a meticulous plotter. I’m dying to know if you’ve ever pantsed a novel and how many hours you put into creating your plot lines.
Rachel: ONE time I co-wrote a novella with a friend in eleven days, and we had to pants it. That was the most stressful experience of my life LOL. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again. I am a huge plotter, and because of all the work that I do ahead of time, I don’t have to edit for plot holes or anything like that once I’m done. And I actually edit my chapters as I write, so when I reach the last chapter, it’s usually in my editor’s hands the next week. As for how long it takes to plot my stories, I’d say two weeks is a good estimate. Sometimes it comes together in a week, but between interviewing all my characters, casting them, creating my story soundtracks for inspiration, doing my character arcs, and GMCs, weaving those with story theme and central questions…yeah, two weeks is usually the norm.

Jo: I'm a total pantser. I don't have the patience for an outline. You may be my hero. *smiles* Rapid fire questions! Who’s your favorite Food Network star?
Rachel: Bobby Flay

Jo: Rock on, Bobby Flay! Love him! Favorite kind of cuisine?
Rachel: Mexican

Jo: I love Mexican food, too. Yum! Time for the alien question of the interview! I see you attended the Vegas Valley Book Festival in 2013. Did you go look at the super secret airplane base right outside the city? Were you nervous being so close to Area 51?
Rachel: HA! No, I didn’t… I was only there for a very short time, unfortunately, and saw very little. Thankfully, my girl Lisa Burstein took me on a rapid fire tour of the strip the last night I was there, otherwise the only thing I would’ve seen was the inside of the airport, the local high school I visited, and the book festival LOL.
But next time…. ;)

Jo: When you go back to Vegas, make time to really do a tour. It blew me away with its hugeness. I've never seen anything like it. You should also go to Bobby Flay's restaurant there: Mesa (the food is off the hook awesome). Do you ever wish your kids were in public school so you’d have more time to write, or did you decide to homeschool your two daughters for a specific reason?
Rachel: I know I wouldn’t trade homeschooling them for anything in the world—the memories we form learning together are priceless. But, some days, when the deadlines for new projects are piling up, and I have guest posts to write for releasing books, and other books coming in for edits, I daydream (just for a minute) of a house that is quiet eight full hours a day. Wow…I don’t know what I’d do with myself (tee hee)

Jo: You actually get a lot done. I was nervous about my daughter starting school but I wouldn't trade all that free time for the world now. LOL Good for you for making that a priority in your life. Now, please tell us about your publisher, Entangled. Where did you find them, and what can we expect to see from you via them next? Do you have anything with a different publisher?
Rachel: I’m blessed to have two publishers, Entangled (Bliss and Teen), and Spencer Hill Contemporary. They are both fabulous!! My first agent is actually responsible for both relationships, and I’m so happy with the editors and team I work with at both houses.
In 2014, I have My Not So Super Sweet Life (YA) and Crazy in Love (adult) releasing with Entangled, and The Fine Art of Pretending (YA) releasing with Spencer Hill Contemporary. I then have another YA and a NA project releasing with SHC in 2015.

Jo: Congratulations! I know a ton of people would kill to be in your shoes. That's awesome! I saw you’ve made the leap into Adult Romance with your book Taste the Heat. What made you jump out of YA?
Rachel: Yep! I have two adult books out now, Taste the Heat and Seven Day Fiance, and can’t wait for readers to get book three, Crazy in Love. I actually JUST finished the first draft on Friday (woot!). As for making that jump, my current editor with the teen line is also in charge of the Bliss adult line. Considering that line is often romantic comedies, focus on family and heart and are a bit sweeter in nature, it felt like a natural, easy transition. Plus, I read a lot of new adult and adult in my spare time, so I was eager for the challenge. Also, I really wanted to tell stories based on my experience growing up in New Orleans, and this gave me a great opportunity to do that.

Jo: I'm actually not a huge fan of romance, but because they're set in New Orleans, how can I not check them out? How many cons to you attend each year and which ones are they?
Rachel: It depends, but this year, I’m doing a ton. This year, I’ve already attended Authors are My Rockstars, Montgomery Book Festival, The Houston Author Bash, and Austin Book Fest. Later this year, I’ll be attending RT (Romantic Times), BEA, RWA, UtopYA, Houston Indie, Chapter by Chapter, NOLA DitterCon, the Louisiana Book Festival, and Houston Book Rave.
Yeah, that’s a lot ;)

Jo: Girl, you wore me out just reading that. Good luck this year! *grin* Anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to share?
Rachel: Be on the lookout in April for the hashtag #SuperSweetRead. We’re doing a month-long read along of books 1 and 2 in my YA series before book 3, My Not So Super Sweet Life, releases April 21st. There’s gonna be tons of prizes and silliness. Because, well, I love giving away stuff, and I’m a silly dork.

Jo: Sounds like fun! Awesome insider tip. Thank you, Rachel, for doing this interview! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in June.
Rachel: Can’t wait to meet YOU! Thanks so much for having me <3

Now it’s time to tell you about Rachel’s featured book!

Title: A Tale of Two Centuries
Author: Rachel Harris
Genre: Fantasy Romance with Historical elements
Length (print): 320 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $5.69 B&N $5.69 iTunes $5.69

Synopsis: Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Rachel a follow on social media?
Facebook: Rachel Harris Author
Twitter: @RachelHarrisBks
Blog: Rachel Harris Writes

I hope you all enjoyed meeting the lovely Ms. Harris!

If you have questions you’d like to ask Rachel, drop them in the comments below.

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview Alison Pensy

Happy Monday, astute readers of my blog! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. So far we’ve had a number of awesome authors give their time and expertise to make us smile. If you missed any of the past interviews, I invite you to check them out here. And, if you don’t have your tickets to the con yet, be sure you grab them soon! Time is running out and you don’t want to be the only girl left out of the party, do you? Get yours here. Let’s get this party started with gusto! Everyone go grab your favorite party hat, strap it on, and make some noise to welcome author Alison Pensy to the party.

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Alison! I hope you enjoyed that little bit of noise the crowd made for you. *grin*
Alison: Thanks for inviting me, Jo *does little curtsey* I'm honored to be here.

Jo: So, let’s get right into the interview questions. You’re an interesting lady and I can’t wait to dig into your head! If my research is right, you’re a tax accountant. Are you super excited about April 15 being right around the corner?
Alison: More than you know! I'm always a bit gung ho at the start of the season, but when it gets to this point, I start flagging a little. It's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have so many plans for after tax season, one of them being getting back to writing, that I'm now starting to get excited about it.

Jo: Awesome. I hope it all goes well from here on out! I also read you raise chickens. I’m completely enthralled by that. I read a book once called Steering Gone Awry that talked about chickens and how, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could have disastrous consequences (cracked me up). Mind sharing with us a few of your chicken raising mishaps?
Alison: Well, I cheat a bit. When I buy my chickens they are usually about 6 months old, so I don't have to do all the hard stuff. I love my chickens, they are relaxing to watch and there's nothing better than a freshly laid egg. The most fun I have is watching them chase after bugs, especially grass hoppers in the back yard. It always amazes me how fast they can run. One of the main mishaps we've had along the way was losing five chickens in one day to a fox (we think). I got home from work and there were patches of feathers scattered around the property. I'm a lot more careful with them now.

Jo: Oh my... My sister had a couple of chickens once. Her dog ate them! She came home to feathers everywhere, too. Such a sad thing! In your best writer-ly voice, describe headless chicken mode for us.
Alison: In the thick of tax season, on the surface I convey poise and professionalism, underneath, however, my mind is racing around in circles flapping its wings and squawking things like "What are you thinking?" and "You chose to do this for a living…are you mad?" *grins*

Jo: I'd pay to see that. Seriously. LOL You’ve said that your characters are always in your head, roaming around, chatting away. Which one of them talks the loudest and do you have a particular fondness for one in particular? Why?
Alison: Faedra talks the loudest. She's pretty strong willed and independent, occasionally she will let Faen have a word in edge ways. You'd think I would be fondest of my main character (Faedra) but I have a particular fondness for Etyran who is introduced in book 2, The Emerald Staff. He is a rough diamond with a heart of gold. I am planning to give him a book of his own so everyone can get to know him better.

Jo: Nice! I'll be able to talk more about them once I get to reading your books! How many fairy figurines do you have, which one is your favorite, and why?
Alison: I have 30 of them. My absolute favorite is similar to the one I describe at the beginning of the first book when Faedra's mother gives it to Faedra as a gift. Hubby bought it for me several birthdays ago. It is called 'Dawn Dancing' (for anyone who wants to Google it), and it's a figurine of a fairy on the back of a rearing black horse.

Jo: I love horses and I adore fairies. You bet I'll be looking that one up! Time for a couple of rapid fire questions! What’s your favorite candy?
Alison: Ghirardelli peppermint cream squares…Yum!

Jo: Yum squared! (See what I did there?) *grin* Favorite actress?
Alison: At the moment…Jennifer Lawrence. I love her attitude and the message she puts out there for young people, especially girls. She's being a great role model.

Jo: Heck yeah, she rocks. I love strong women. Place you want to visit but haven’t yet?
Alison: Alaska. Seeing the northern lights is on my bucket list.

Jo: Oh yeah! I hope I get to see that some day, too. But my bucket list is long already. *grin* So, you’re an actress, eh? Love! I was on stage for over a year myself. What was your favorite part about playing Glinda in The Wizard of Oz?
Alison: The dress!!! *laughs* I love magic and have been a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz since I was a little girl. I even got to keep my wand. It's part of my Glinda display in my office. After the play finished, people kept buying me Glinda memorabilia.

Jo: Gotta love playing dress up. You look like Glinda! That's so cool! Tell me what it means to be a feminist author and why you call yourself one.
Alison: Not sure I would call myself a feminist as I like having doors opened for me and having a man help with stuff I just can't do on my own. I am fiercely independent though, thanks to my mum, so there isn't much I won't have a go at first. She is a very strong woman and brought my sister and I up to be the same. I have a lot to thank her for.

Jo: My mom is the same. I only hope I can pass that trait to my daughter. I think, sometimes, I come off as being very hard on her. Maybe I am, but she has to learn to be strong when the going gets tough. Yay for awesome moms! What was the title of the first book you wrote in first person and published for fun? Tell us about that journey?
Alison: The title was "What's a Jilleroo to do?" It has since been re-written in third person and published as "A Summer Down Under" under my pen name of Adrianna Blakeley. I originally wrote it because I wanted to write a book about my adventures backpacking around Australia when I was twenty, but I didn't want it to be a memoir. Eventually, I had the bright idea that I could write it as a fiction, using my adventures as a back drop. When I first wrote it, I knew nothing about the craft of writing and if I were to read the original manuscript, it would make me cringe. I published it on Lulu.com just before the days of e-books and sold a few copies locally before taking it down and essentially stuffing it in the back of a draw. I decided to re-write it and re-publish it in 2012 after having quite a bit of success with the Custodian Novels series and being much wiser as an author.

Jo: Sweet. I know my first manuscripts (from wayyyy back) always fill my head with new ideas and cringe-worthy moments. *grin* I read somewhere that your soul mate is your hero. How long have you been together and did you meet him in England, where you’re from?
Alison: We have been together for just over fourteen years. We actually met on a pen pal site back when the internet was in its infancy, I guess you could say we were the original "You've Got Mail" story. We both thought it would be 'safe' to chat with someone who lived 6000 miles away. The Universe obviously had other ideas :)

Jo: Wow. That's amazing. What a super sweet story! Time for the alien question of the interview! Do you believe in fairies and is it a huge jump for you to believe there could be aliens out there, watching us?
Alison: I do believe in fairies, I believe in most things paranormal, I've had too many unusual experiences not to. I also have a set of fairy 'tarot' cards and they are so accurate it's freaky. I believe in aliens, too. I think it would be very arrogant to assume we were the only intelligent species living in the infinity of space.

Jo: Amen. Arrogance doesn't do anyone any good. Why did you choose Romance as your primary genre and where do your ideas come from?
Alison: Who doesn't love a bit of romance, right? Although, I think my young adult series has equal measures of adventure and magic. The idea for the series came from an urban legend that surrounds an old church in the village where I grew up. Legend has it that if you walk around the church three times at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, you disappear. I never tried it, but I got to thinking what if you disappeared into another realm? My imagination took off on its own from there.

Jo: I'm a huge fan of romantic undertones in magical books. *grin* I can't wait to check yours out. Now, is there anything you think I should’ve asked but didn’t?
Alison: I think you asked some great questions. I always have stories to tell but I think we covered quite a lot today.

Jo: I'm glad to know I've done you justice! Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Thanks for doing the interview, Alison! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in June!
Alison: Thanks, Jo. I appreciate the invite. I can't wait to meet you, too. In fact I will probably be wearing my 'fan girl' hat all weekend, there are going to be some awesome authors there.

Now it’s time to tell you about Alison’s featured book!

Title: Custodian Novels Boxed Set Books 1-4
Author: Alison Pensy
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Length (print): Approx 900 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle  B&N  Smashwords

Synopsis:
The Amulet
To seventeen-year-old Faedra, faeries were nothing more than the figurines she collected and displayed in her curio cabinet. Or so she thought...

Faeries control nature, with a book, no less. But Faedra doesn't know that...yet.

She is next in line to protect an ancient fae amulet that controls the weather. And she's blissfully unaware of that fact, too.
She also doesn't know that the book has been stolen and now the thief is after the amulet and willing to kill for it.

Ignorance is bliss, and then you turn 18.

The Emerald Staff
Faedra was enjoying the fact that everything was back to normal. Well, as normal as it could get when you had the ability to manipulate energy, were protector of an ancient Fae amulet, and lived with a fairy guardian 24/7.

Her dad had even started dating.

Yes, all was right again in Faedra’s world, or so she thought…

The Cypher Wheel
Faen was worried about his charge. Faedra had locked herself away in the cottage on a self-imposed quarantine, for six months. She was having trouble controlling her newly acquired powers, and was terrified of hurting someone. But, enough was enough.

When Eytran obtained some tickets for a treasure hunt, her father and friends persuaded her that it was time to get out of the house and back into the real world.

It was only a treasure hunt, what could possibly go wrong…?

The Ice Diamond Cuff
Across the land, wedding bells ring out their joyous announcement. But, when a wedding gift is discovered to possess a dark and sinister secret, the damage has already been done.

As the dust settles, Faedra is thrust into a different role…one she is not ready for. The only hope she has of defeating a deadly force that threatens her new home, is to pull her allies together. She can only pray it will be enough to save the kingdom she has fallen in love with.

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Alison a follow on social media?

Facebook: Author Alison Pensy
Twitter: @AlisonPensy
Blog/Website: www.alisonpensy.com

I hope you all enjoyed this interview.

If you have questions for Alison, please put them in the comments!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Guest Post by Carlyle Labuschagne

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have with me author Carlyle Labuschagne with a guest post on why it's important to read when you're a writer, and how it changed her life. Carlyle is the author of Evanescent and The Broken Destiny, as well as being one of the authors attending UtopYA Con 2014 in June. If you don't have tickets to that event yet, click the name to buy yours soon. So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Reading and Writing and How it Changed My Life

by Carlyle Labuschagne

Thank you Jo for having me on as guest today, I am absolutely thrilled.

Why is it so important to read as a writer?

Books are very much an addiction to many. I read because I enjoy it, but as a writer I learn a lot from other books and authors. As many might know, English is not my first language, so by reading as much as I can – I learn the way of the English language. It is also good to see what is out there, what grabs at you and what you can bring differently than others. There are an abundant of gifted Authors I have read and yet to read. I am one of those readers who are swept away totally by a read. I am there within every book I read. My imagination allows for it. I think we are addicted to our imaginations more than anything, but what would our imaginations be without reading and for the talented Authors to ignite it for us? Books to me are a work of art, they are feelings, thoughts, and souls between the pages of books.

I write because I want to understand others as well as myself. I first started expressing myself at a very young age though poems, song writing. But finally found my true passion. Novel writing. My first novel The Broken Destiny is as I am sure many authors can relate to, is a combination of my experiences my world and the world inside my head, understanding myself as well as others , and feeding the passion. A almost craving for the feeling that writing has brought me. I have overcome the biggest obstacle of my life – to believe in myself , to prove myself to no one but myself of what I am capable of. To be a hard worker and enjoy it. To see things through.

Through writing I have learnt a lot about myself. Finally being able to move on from my mistakes. The Broken Destiny is about a girl who has to find her true self to unleash her Destiny towards greatness. Every person has good and bad, and everything comes down to a choice, and sometimes making the wrong choice is actually the write choice at the time - To grow, to learn - To love yourself. The only person who can hurt you is you. You are your worst enemy. Don’t change who you are for the sake of satisfying others, in the end it hurts only you. Your path is one of greatness and being true to yourself is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. But it is often only through experiencing who you are not to know who you are. To know the light you have to have experienced the dark. But always remember everything you go through, no matter how hard - is for a reason. Writing gives me great pleasure and satisfaction. Writing heals.

My desire for everyone is to find that one thing and go for it, no matter how impossible it may seem at the time, you will never know if you don’t try, and once you have tried you will know you can never be without it. If you have a passion, you can perform deeds you never thought you were capable of.

~ Don’t be crippled by fear. Let love and passion give you wings ~ The Broken Destiny
Happy writing all
~Carlyle Labuschagne

I couldn't have said it better myself, Carlyle! Inspiring words.

If you'd like to check out Ms. Labuschagne's books, you can find The Broken Destiny here on Amazon as well as Evanescent here.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway to win!
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Got questions or comments? Pop them down below!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview Carlyle Labuschagne

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! In keeping with my Monday posts through June, 2014, I bring you another UtopYA Con 2014 unofficial author interview. Yay! If you haven’t picked up your tickets for the event yet, click the name to grab yours today. It’s being held at the Millennium Maxwell House in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, I have with me Ms. Carlyle Labuschagne, author of the award winning novel, Evanescent! Get your coffee on and join us!

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Carlyle!
Carlyle: eeeeek! Absolutely excited to be here! Thank you for having me Jo. I so can’t wait to meet you in person in June, it’s going to be an event of a lifetime!

Jo: Ditto! How fun! I usually go into a hard to answer question first, but this one has been on my mind since I first read your last name. Could you tell us how to pronounce it? I’d hate to get to UtopYA and fudge that one up. *grin*
Carlyle: OH dead this is difficult for Americans to pronounce as the tongue moves different (if that makes sense) I will try my best. Labuschagne -
Pronounce : L uh boo sh c h a g n e
The G is more a sound than the accrual pronunciation of the letter g. I don’t think you can pronounce it the way south Africans do directly from English or American. The e at the end is pronounced more like two ee.

Jo: I shall have to practice until we meet! Now that we have that straight, I’m diving into the good stuff. I did a lot of research on you. Through my hunting, I found out you’re quite the force to be reckoned with there in South Africa. We’re gonna start this out with a bang. Tell me about your Help Build a Library in Africa project. What is it? How did you come up with the idea? Why? Is there any coincidence it came about at the same time you launched your first book (perhaps a little marketing genius of yours in there)? How can we help?
Carlyle: LOL Maybe a marketing ploy? – no it was just the rewards that come with knowing I can make a difference. When I launched my first book The Broken Destiny I did it at my kids school and roped in a few authors to showcase their work too. Book Festivals and the book industry is almost invisible in our country. So by starting off at the foundation of our youth I thought it a great idea to sell tickets and raise money for the school and a charity. All proceeds were equally divided between the two. I worked on the launch party for a few months asking authors to donate books as prizes. The library project only really got born months later. My mom was one of the prize winners who won a prize pack with books and swag worth over $500, which my mother than donated back to the school. Months later the Principal opened the school’s first library and I was so thrilled to see my hard word and the generosity of good people go up on the shelves of their library I decided then and there to open the project and start stacking the empty shelves with more Young adult novels. This year will be the second year and I am currently seeking a rape crisis/trauma center to build a library in. I hope to launch the 2nd annual book drive in March this year. If your readers would like to donate a book to The Help Build a Library In Africa Project you can contact me through my email carlyle.labuschagne.com@gmail.com

Jo: It’s an awesome project and I’m happy to help spread the word. In keeping with that helping hand theme, I read your motto is to help others as you would have them help you. Let me start off by saying I couldn’t agree with you more; however, are you ever dissuaded when you put in a lot of your time and effort into helping someone and it not be returned? How does it feel and what do you do about it?
Carlyle: No I don’t really, in my heart I know what my intention was and I may not directly see rewards, but my blessing come in many forms.

Jo: Understood. I’m very much the same way. What’s your greatest writer fear?
Carlyle: To lose my imagination.

Jo: That would be the worst. What would a writer do without an imagination? I tremble thinking about it. I read you’re a full time marketing consultant. How does that help you in the marketing of your own books? What do you feel have been some unique ideas you’ve come up with to help spread the word?
Carlyle: Marketing is something that comes so naturally to me, I can’t help it. I am one of those people who live by moments, and when the moment strikes me, I can’t hold back – I mean I really can’t, and I will do anything to make it happen. I love the creative world, but what good is it if you can’t share it. They first step to marketing is networking. You help others, and they help you. Always have an exploding catch phrase.
I think I have done a rather good job at the marketing of my books, but I always remember and know I can only do so much. I can’t do it without other authors like you, bloggers, friends and family. And sometimes you have to take a risk and hire someone who has the reach you don’t.

Some of the unique ideas I have come up with (all by accident. Initially anyway.) In both my books I have quoted lyrics from one of our Countries biggest rock stars (Prime Circle) with their written consent. I was so taken back when the deal was that they each get a book in return, which I then asked for a photo op of course!

The Launch party I held, I brought on other authors as guests to celebrate the event and to help spread the word.

Last example is getting in touch with my cover model (The Broken Destiny) This too was purely an accident that one of her model friends connected us. Turns out she was a huge celebrity in her country and more than thrilled to share the news of her face on my book. Here is an interview I did with the talented young woman: Meet the model here.

Jo: Wow. If those weren’t strokes of luck, I don’t know what is! It’s also pure marketing genius. Tell me about your Mentorship program. What do you hope to achieve, how do you feel you can help these youngsters, and where did the idea come from?
Carlyle: As mentioned before our country has plenty of catching up to do in the reading, writing and publishing country. They need motivation. This is how I set out to do this by starting with one school at a time.

This is how the contest is set up:

• First there will be a creative prompt handed out to the students where they write a short piece with given subject and words.
• The head mistress of Avalon Private School will then chose the top 10 entrants that will go onto the next round -
• Writing a short story novella, depending on the grade it will be required to be between 15 - 20 000 words.
• Grades 5 - 7
• Genres range from Christian fiction. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure and Paranormal. Or a cross genre of all.
• The top five students will then be chosen by the head mistress A. de Bruyn
• I will then pic the winner out of the top five.

-Judging on Creative concept
-Fluency of the story
-emotional portrayal of characters
-Description of surroundings
-Sentence structure
-Originality

This is a mentor ship program where the children will have a website to go to and pick up some writing tips. There will also be a facebook page where the student can send their queries and ask for advice.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SA-Indies-Book-Festival/520082498067346?bookmark_t=page
This program will teach the student how to become a published author.
From the first draft, to the second. We will take them through the revision and self editing stage.
They then have to submit a query letter with their entry with a short bio, a picture of themselves and a 200 word synopsis of the story.

Prize:

• Ebook package
• Formatting of the manuscript into various ebook formats like kindle and nook. (Morgan Media)
• Editing services by Sandra Valente
• Cover design by Morgan Media
• The publishing company has not been chosen as yet.
• Mentor ship by Me via website
• Press release kit by AlleyCats PR

Jo: That sounds like a lot of work! I wish you luck. You continue to blow me away! Being a pantser (one who writes with no plot) is a difficult thing to bear in the Indie community at times. How do you feel it helps you in your writing and have you “pantsed” since you began at age twelve?
Carlyle: I am a pantser in everyday life, and so am I in my writing. I have tried once to plot out the story, and well I drove myself insane, I went in circles. I can’t do it, I drive myself nuts with details. All my writing since I began at the young age of twelve has been and explosion of a moment.

Jo: That’s me as well. I cannot stick to a plot. LOL! I know how backward English is (and difficult) for people learning to speak it. Your primary language is Afrikaans. I can’t even imagine what you’ve gone through. How hard was writing a book in English? What were your major hurdles?
Carlyle: Luckily for me I am fluent in talking and pretty fair in writing. I have always written in English, I don’t know why, I just have. I thought I was really good at it until – the editor!!! Bwaahahahaa. My first book had two editors (now you know) It is very difficult for me as my sentence structure is topsy turvy as an Afrikaner. Don’t get me started on the tenses. English and Afrikaans cannot be directly translated!!! Spelling is an issue too. Then there is the word that is the same but means two different things, depending on how and where you use it??? I only recently go the difference between effect and affect. They key is to keep reading and keep writing, also having a professional editor (or two) I have learned so much, or is it learnt? See what I mean!

Jo: Good editors will make you a better writer, that’s for sure! I know exactly what you mean. Time for the alien question of the interview! I read there was a UFO convention in South Africa in 2011. Did you know about it? Did you go? What do you think of the theories they had about aliens wanting to steal gold from the Earth as an excuse for their visits? Are there any other cool alien theories we should know about?
Carlyle: hahaha! No I did not go, at the time I was working as a beauty consultant and my busy days were on weekends. I think the theory is possible, why not? Gold is one of the most versatile metals in the world, maybe even the universe. It could even be a unique element of our universe because of our planets composition. You can make the thinnest lightest, yet strongest material out of gold. You forget you are talking to a SF writer here – I can go on for books and books! LOL

As for Alien theories – some say we come from aliens? Some say we will become like aliens. Me, I say I am happy as a curious human.

Jo: I’m a believer. It’s creepy if you think about it, but interesting at the same time. Haha! In other news… Congratulations on your book, Evanescent, winning the Young Adult and Teen Readers (YATR) literary award for the best Sci-Fi book in 2013! When you won the award, how did it make you feel?
Carlyle: It means to the world to me to be able to have this award on my credentials, it’s a major platform booster for me as a South African Author. I want to put SA authors on the map. I want to be an inspiration to show the starving youth of South Africa that a dream is the beginning.

Jo: I have a feeling you’ll be successful in that goal. Quick! What’s your favorite flower?
Carlyle: Cherry blossoms – because they grow on trees.

Jo: Pretty! Favorite thing to eat with chocolate?
Carlyle: White chocolate.

Jo: Perfect answer! LOL! What small press are you with and why did you choose to go that route?
Carlyle: I am with Sensational Publications. Firstly I am a writer, a creator, a career woman, a mom and a wife. I am not a publisher, I would rather spend the little time I have on life.

Jo: I get it, believe me. Wearing too many hats makes the head overly warm. *grin* Tell me about the book festival you plan to hold in Johannesburg in 2015. What will it encompass? What are you hoping to achieve? How many hoops will you have to jump through to make it happen?
Carlyle: When I think about it, I know it is so much work, and this time I will need some assistance. In South Africa there are but a hand full of such festivals that cost an arm and a leg. There are none for independent authors. I hope to make it easier for the readers, youth, bloggers, and mostly for the authors to celebrate, educate, and inspire the nation.

Jo: I can’t wait to see what you do with it. I’m sure it’ll be amazing! You talk a lot about editing and how Indie authors should do it until they want to puke. Who is your editor, how did you find them, and what did you learn from the editing process?
Carlyle: My editor is Sandra Valente, and the story of how she became me editor is a touching one indeed. So here I am two weeks away from release date and I get my proof copy. It is only after I physically read the first 100 pages I decide I want to die from embarrassment, by this time the review ARC’s have gone out to bloggers. (Impatient me) Sandra (bless her soul) was one of those bloggers who started reading it the same night I did. She called me up the next day and we were at that point both in a panic – my book could no way no how go out in that condition, she then offered her services as she was so in love with the story she had to give it the attention it so deserved. Out of the kindness of her heart she immediately began editing my book, and considering the condition it was in – she did and she does always delivers the best. I can not, and will not deliver a product that is half arsed, it can and will make or break the book.

I learned so much from the editing a book. I have improved on sentence structure, flow, attention to certain things. To slow down, to think about the tenses and where my commas go!

Jo: That was completely awesome of her. Gotta love a teaching editor. Time to talk about the featured book! What is it, why did you write it, and what have you learned from the experience?
Carlyle: Evanescent is the second book in The Broken Trilogy. As with the first book it is a story that had to be told, to find live to come out and be born. It’s as much for entertainment purposes as it is for a healing one. With everything I write there is a strong message. I need to touch someone in some way, to make a difference in someone’s life, to illuminate the beauty in the ordinary, in the mistakes, in the person.

Jo: I plan to check it out before UtopYA Con. *grin* Is there anything I didn’t ask/talk about you wish I had?
Carlyle: I think you have covered everything Jo. You’ve been amazing!

Jo: Thank you so much and thanks for joining me here on the blog today, Carlyle! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA in June. What a great time we’ll have.
Carlyle: Oh yes, we will. Thank you so much for the opportunity it means the world to me to reach out to your readers! See you in June *whoohooooo!!*

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and meeting Ms. Labuschagne! Here’s the information for her featured book, that’ll be hanging around on the sidebar of the blog for the next two weeks. I urge you to grab a copy!

Title: Evanescent A Broken Novel #2
Author: Carlyle Labuschagne
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Romance
Length (print): 380 pages
Purchase Links: Amazon Kindle ~ B&N ~ Indie Bound $3.49

Synopsis:
Her fall has just begun. Only his touch can save her from the shift that could destroy it all.

Within my blood runs a thing our kind calls the Shadowing Disease. It shadows over, and bends everything to its will. When the first blood- shift came, it tore through flesh and blood, threatening to bend me, break bone, shatter my mind and entrap my heart with its honeyed, seductive poison. It came with vicious intent, moving my thoughts and altering me forever. The shift has caused a rift within me. No one was safe when it entrapped me in its claws of foul lust. But I have the only antidote against the evil that becomes me – his touch alone has the power to release the spurs of sweet darkness that clung on for dear life. I knew what I had to do; the desperation pulled my mind with the deep determination of a hungry predator. By the time the revelation raised me from the dark dungeon of my bounds – it might have been too late.

While your finger is in the clicking mode, why not give Carlyle a follow on social media?
Facebook: Carlyle Labuschagne
Twitter: @CarlyleL
Pinterest: CarlyleL

This awesome author is doing a giveaway just for y'all! Enter, enter, enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you have any questions for Ms. Labuschagne? If yes, drop them into the comments below!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

New Release - Entangled Souls by Felicia Tatum

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a new release announcement for you. Entangled Souls by Felicia Tatum. I'll be writing a review for Masked Encounters by Felicia next week. For now, enjoy checking out this awesome new book!

New Release!!!

Mangled Hearts become Entangled Souls

Cade is on the road to recovery with Francesca’s love and support guiding him. His life is changing drastically, from attempting to mend the rift between he and his father, to trying to have a normal relationship with his now fiancé. Most of all, Cade must find a way to control his urges so he can be completely released from rehabilitation.

Francesca is building her law firm with the help of those she loves most, but when a close friend reveals her true feelings about Francesca's engagement, it sends her emotions into a tailspin. Through all of this, she is forced to put her feelings on the back burner for everyone else, until the anniversary of Josie’s accident rolls around. Francesca must learn to put herself first before she falls apart.

In this novella, join Cade and Francesca as they explore their relationship and begin their lives together.

Goodreads Smashwords B&N Amazon

Get caught up on book one now....Free on all channels!

Francesca and Cade

Can two loves find their way back to each other despite an addiction and a hardened heart? Will their love overcome it all?

Francesca Taymon is young, successful, and broken. A tragic accident years ago haunts her to this day, and she blames only one person--the one that holds her heart. When she finally gets her first case, will she be able to handle seeing him again? Can she do her job and keep her heart intact?
Cade Kelling doesn’t take life seriously. He’s reckless and irresponsible, drinking all his problems away. When his parents bail him out for the last time, will he be able to handle seeing Francesca after all of these years? Will he be able to tell her what really happened that night 5 years ago or will he lose her forever?

And the most important question...

Can these mangled hearts be mended?

Goodreads Amazon B&N Smashwords

I hope you guys grab the starter book and give it a read. After all, it's free, what do you have to lose?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Guest Post by Ripley Patton

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! As with every Monday from now until June, and UtopYA Con 2014, I'm featuring one of the authors attending the event. Today I have a guest post from my featured author, Ripley Patton. She's gonna talk with you all about what it's like to become a novelist. I did an interview with Ripley last week. If you missed it, you can find the post here. If you don't have your tickets to join us yet, get on it. Prices go up in two weeks! Just click the name of the con to be taken to their page. Enough of my yapping, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Five Things I Learned by Becoming a Novelist

by Ripley Patton

1. Writing is Hard. 

I was in a conversation with a friend recently who wants to become a writer. He was asking me questions about how to produce and market his first book, so I asked him when he had finished it. "Oh, I haven't even started it yet," he said, "but writing's the easy part."

Nope. Writing is not the easy part. Writing a book, any book, is really hard. Writing a good one that other people will want to buy and read? Even harder. In fact, in my experience, there is NO EASY PART. Every aspect of the writing process is difficult, and challenging, and rewarding. Easy is not a word anyone who has actually done it would ever employ to describe it.

2. We don't write for the money, but it sure helps.

Most writers and artists don't pursue their passion because they want to get rich quick. Art is not a fast track to wealth. Even the rags to riches stories we hear, like J.K. Rowling's, don't happen overnight. It was seven years after Rowling first conceived the Harry Potter series that it finally saw publication. During the time she was writing the first book, her mother died, she got divorced, and she found herself living in abject poverty. And during that time her book was rejected over and over again by publishers. J.K. Rowling didn't know if she would ever make a single penny on her books. But she wrote them anyway.

We writers write because we love to. Because we have stories inside of us yammering to get out. Because writing helps make sense of the world and the turmoil inside of us. We write because we must. And, I know for myself, I would continue to write for the rest of my life without pay.

But I also have two teenagers who like to eat.

3. Books connect people.

I'm not just a writer. I'm also an avid reader, as all good writers are. And one of the things
I've always loved about books is how they connect people.

First, there is the connection between the writer and the reader, that magical moment you enter someone else's internal world of story. Then there is the connection between the reader and the characters in the book, how they become like old friends or dear family members – people you've met in your mind, and traveled with, and now know intimately. And finally, there is the connection between you and all the readers who have loved that book before you and who will love it after you. You are connected to them through story, a story you've all shared. You've been to the same places and loved the same characters. When you meet someone who loves the same books you do, you are meeting an old friend.

4. There is no such thing as a perfect book.

When I wrote my first book, I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted the plot to be intricately woven. I wanted the cover to look exactly liked I'd imagined it. I wanted to comb the text over and over again until I'd rooted out every typo and misplaced comma. I was determined not to push the publish button until I had produced a flawless book.

However, when I was still finding small mistakes in the manuscript after seven revisions, three full edits (two by professional editors), and five different copy edits, I realized something - I have never read a perfect book.

I have read good books. I have even read great books. But I have never read a book without some kind of mistake in it. And yet, that has never prevented me from reading or enjoying books as long as the story was compelling.

So, I had to ask myself if I really wanted a perfect book, or if I wanted a book that people would get to read.

The answer seemed obvious.

There is no such thing as a perfect book. But there are millions of wonderfully-told stories.

5. The most important story is your own.

People often ask me why I became a writer. Why didn't I stay with the career I went to college for, or choose something easier or more lucrative? And there are lots of different answers for that question but the simplest is this; I became a writer because I want to read the stories only I can write.

Sometimes, I'll pick up a book, or two, or five or six in a row, and put them aside with a sigh because they simply aren't the story I want and need to read. My heart is hankering for a very specific story – a story that resonates deep inside me and says, "Yes, this is true. This is about you. These are the words you were looking for."

And sometimes, if you can't find that book, you want it so badly you write it yourself.

~ Ripley Patton

Okay, Ms. Patton, you've officially blown me away with that post. What a lot of great information and advice for Indie authors!

If you guys would like to know more about Ripley, why not give her a follow on the web?

Goodreads
Website


Again, if you want to know more about Ripley, check out the interview I did with her last Monday!

Do you have questions for this awesome lady? Pop them into the comments.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Ripley Patton Author Interview

Happy flippin' Monday, good people of the blogosphere! What a great weekend, huh? Besides being cold as all get out, it was actually rather nice outside. As you all know, today I'll be doing another author interview. These fun spots of Monday fun will continue through June when I attend UtopYA Con 2014 at the Millennium Maxwell House in Nashville, TN (get your tickets by clicking on the name). Let's just say it's my way of getting to know some of these authors before the big event takes place and I'm inviting you to join me in the fun. I do hope you've been having a good time reading about authors you may never have heard of. With us today is Ms. Ripley Patton, author of Ghost Hand, Ghost Hold, and a number of shorts we'll talk about in a moment. Now sit back, grab a cup of Joe, and join me as we get to know this lovely lady!


Jo: Howdy, Ripley, great to have you on the blog!
Ripley: Jo, thanks for having me. I'm thrilled to be here.

Jo: I’m not really one to dally around and ask cut and paste questions. I like the gritty, awesome stuff and my readers crave it. So let’s get our hands dirty. I saw you used a crowdfunding program (Kickstarter) to back Ghost Hand. What led you to that decision and what did you learn over the course of the project?
Ripley: What led me to that decision was a need for money. I knew I had written a good book, but I didn't have the finances to produce it to the standard I wanted. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so when I decided to go the self-publish route, I knew I had to produce a book that would stand up against traditionally published books. And that was going to take some cash. Since I already had a fan base from my short story writing, I thought I might be able to pull off a Kickstarter campaign. Besides, I had nothing to lose.

What I learned from the campaign is that promotion is hard, constant work. I often refer to that first Kickstarter project as my Indie Boot Camp. I also learned that a lot of people believe in my writing. Not only did I reach my funding goal and go over by 10%, I also had professional editing and formatting donated by several of my backers.

Less than a year later, I did another Kickstarter for book two of my series, Ghost Hold, and again exceeded my funding goal. I'm kind of proud of the fact that I crowd sourced my own author advances.

Jo: That’s really awesome. Promotion is hard work and never goes away. You’re cracking me up with the Indie Boot Camp reference. Love it! Tell me about SpecFicNZ. What started it, what did you get out of it, and where did it go?
Ripley: Well, I had moved to New Zealand in 2006 after my husband convinced me it would be a grand adventure (which it was). My short story writing was just beginning to take off when we moved, and I was disappointed to discover that New Zealand didn't have any writer's group or association for writers of genre fiction. I made a few friends in the writing community, and I kept asking them and myself, "Wouldn't it be great to have a writer's collective or association for mutual support?" The answer was almost always "Yes. It would be great if someone else would do that."

So after two years, I decided if no one else was going to do it, I would. I didn't do it alone though. I spent eighteen months building a team and planning. I'd never started anything, let alone a national association for writers, so I did a lot of research. And in 2010 we launched the org at New Zealand's 31st Sci-fi/Fantasy Con, Au Contraire, in Wellington. SpecFicNZ has been growing strong for three years now, and I stepped down as President last year when my family and I moved back to the States. SpecFicNZ now runs the writing track of the annual NatCon, has local meet-ups in all major cities of New Zealand, and holds regular writerly events. I'm very proud to have left that legacy in a country I came to love as my own.

Jo: That’s quite an accomplishment! There aren’t many people who would step up and create something they wanted when no one else would. I saw you have two teens. Are they girls or boys and what are their ages?
Ripley: My daughter (shown left) just turned sixteen, and she is one of the most strong-willed, kick-ass females I have ever met. I am very proud of her, but it makes for challenging parenting sometimes. My son will be eighteen in March. Both of my kids are extremely supportive of my writing. They both beta read for me and help me keep my teen characters current and real. My son also does production work for me (like my Kickstarter videos) and I've just recently hired him to be my promotion assistant. They are awesome teens and are going to make even better adults.

Jo: Aren’t kids awesome? I dunno what I’d do without my daughter and sons. What’s been your biggest challenge with raising them?
Ripley: Not taking their adolescence personally. I can sometimes be oversensitive to their comments and actions, and I have to step back and remind myself that they are just exploring they're independence. Plus, I'm a big rule follower and they aren't- especially my daughter. She is a risk-taker and I never have been. That scares me sometimes, but she is also smart and strong and usually comes out the other side of her adventures relatively unscathed.

Jo: It’s hard, huh? I have the same problem sometimes. It’s a thing to balance and I feel for you. Happy late anniversary! I read that you and your hubby have been married 23 years. WOW. Congratulations to you. How does your husband support your writing endeavors?
Ripley: Thanks. Marriage is awesome hard work, much like writing. I am happy to say that my husband supports my writing in every way humanly possible. He has covered us finically for years, often working very difficult jobs as a social worker/therapist to keep me home writing. He believes in me and my work whole-heartedly. He always introduces me as a writer first and his wife second, talking up my books any chance he gets. And when I doubt myself or start to feel afraid, he is the first one to say, "Just keep writing. The money will come. This is what you were made to do." He is both my best friend and my biggest fan.

Jo: Sounds like a great guy. You’re very lucky, lady! You’re kind of known for your PSS Chronicles series. Would you be so kind as to talk about Traveling by Petroglyph and Over the Rim? Tell us a little about them, what spawned the ideas, and what your long-term hopes for them are.
Ripley: Well, before I wrote The PSS Chronicles, I was actually fairly well known for my short stories. I've had over twenty-five short stories published in various print and on-line magazines and anthologies. Traveling by Petroglyph was the first flash fiction piece I wrote and also the first pro sale I made. It was inspired by a family vacation we took in 2005 up along the Inside Passage of Alaska on the public ferry system.

Over the Rim is a YA fantasy novella that was first published in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and was later nominated for a Sir Julius Vogel Award in 2010. That story was actually inspired years ago by a sign I saw at Crater Lake National Park here in Oregon when my husband and I were there celebrating our anniversary. Later, we went back to take a picture of that sign and we couldn't find it. Maybe it was never even there. But I know I saw it and the story was born.

Six or seven of my published short stories can still be read for FREE and links to them can be found on my website.

As for my plans for all of them, I hope to publish a collection of my short stories toward the end of 2014.

Jo: That would rock! You must let me know when it goes out. In your best writerly voice, tell me how you felt when you won the Sir Julius Vogel Award.
Ripley: In New Zealand there is a small creek that leads to a large pool at the bottom of a secluded waterfall. In that pool mother seals leave their babies while they go out to fish in the deep dark sea. I have been to that pool and sat at its edge, the water teaming with doe-eyed newborn seals, frolicking until the water broils with their boundless unfettered joy. I have had one swim up, and hop on the rock next to me, and put his wet flipper right on my hand. Winning a writing award was something very much like that.

Jo: How sweet! It sounds thrilling and unreal. I read you’ve lived in Georgia (that’s where I’m from). What was your favorite part about living there or your favorite part about the state in general?
Ripley: I lived in Georgia when I was twelve and we lived on a very large farm (an ex-plantation). The farm mainly produced nuts and had a candy factory on the premises for making chocolate/nut confections and peanut brittle. My fondest memory is going out every Sunday afternoon with my parents and little brother to collect windfall pecans to take back home and crack and eat. Plus, the smell of the candy factory was divine.

Jo: I love pecans and old Georgia plantations. LOL! Speed question! What’s your favorite M&M color?
Ripley: Green. When I was a teen that was the color that was supposed to make you horny.

Jo: *snort* I totally remember that! Oh, man, I can’t stop laughing right now. Favorite reality show (I know you love them)?
Ripley: Survivor by far. I have watched and own every season on DVD. I once worked up an application video for the show, but that was the year we decided to move to New Zelaand and you have to be residing in the US to apply so I didn't send it in. My son is a huge fan too. He has been watching with me since he was six. Right now we are re-watching all the seasons together from the beginning to study strategy because he plans to apply for the show as soon as he turns eighteen. If he makes it and doesn't invite me for the family challenge, I will disown him. Yes, I am a hard core Survivor fan.

Jo: I have a feeling you guys will kick arse! Time for the alien question of the interview. These are kinda fun. Haha! I see there’s a whole alien museum in Portland, your hometown. Have you been there and what’s it like? If not, do you have plans to go there?
Ripley: Unfortunately, I think the alien museum here has closed. I never got a chance to go because it opened and closed while I lived overseas. However, I'm very proud to be connected with aliens in several other ways. First, I share a name with Ellen Ripley, the most kick-ass alien fighter ever to grace the big screen. Second, I've written about aliens, most directly in my award-nominated short story The Derby which can be read or listened to in audio HERE.

Jo: Alien was such a freaking cool movie (took this pic at the EMP museum in Seattle)! What’s the title of the anthology you were in with Juliet Marillier (give us a link, too!) and what was it like to meet an author you admired so much?
Ripley: The anthology is called A Foreign Country: New Zealand Speculative Fiction and it can be found HERE. It is a really amazing book full of talented people and stories. Meeting Juliet as a fellow author was one of the highlights of my career. I do have a funny story about that. The first time I met her at the Con, I fan-girled a little and told her how much I had loved her Seven Waters Series, the first series she ever wrote and one I had read as a teen. She looked at me a little grumpily and said, "Well, you do know I've written books since then, don't you?"

Later that weekend, we were on a panel together on Fairy Tales and Myth in Fiction and something I said about everyone having their own personal mythos resonated with her. I know this because when I attended her reading later that day, she mentioned me and what I'd said and told the audience she had changed her reading material because of it to a story that was more her personal mythos.

If that wasn’t enough, the next morning she sought me out and told me she had read my story from the anthology, which was being launched at the Con, and that she had really liked it.

Since that Con, we've kept in touch and Juliet is very supportive of my work, which means more than I can say. I just recently read her new YA fantasy series, Shadowfell and Raven Flight, and I'm eagerly awaiting the third book. She is such an amazing writer.

Jo: Wow. That’s kind of like me being put in an anthology with Fern Michaels. *grin* I’d be going bananas! Congrats on being chosen and getting to meet Ms. Marillier! I read that you began writing because you lost your mother to cancer when you were thirteen (SO sorry to hear that). I can’t even begin to imagine how hard that was to deal with. Though it began your writing career, can you tell us how you believed that incident may have shaped you as a writer?
Ripley: A writer friend of mine, Ken Scholes, once described loss as a giant irreparable hole in the middle of your living room floor. You learn to move the furniture out of its way and avoid falling into it, but it's always there forcing you to step around it. All of my writing is a desperate attempt to make sense of the world. Grief, loss, and death inform every story I write. All three are things all human beings grapple with eventually. As far as shaping me as a writer, I learned at a very tender age that writing and story could provide me great comfort. I know some people find it hard to write when life gets difficult, but I find it all the more necessary during tough times.

Jo: Ken sounds like a wise man. That’s a perfect analogy. Sounds like you did a lot of growing from the situation. I’m happy to hear writing provides for you. Isn’t it odd how that works? Time to talk about your featured book of the week. Why did you write it?
Ripley: I wrote Ghost Hand and Ghost Hold for the same reason I write almost anything. I write the stories I need to read. The ones no can write but me. I also write to find out what happens. I'm not a planner or outliner so when I get the beginning of a story in my head, I have to write it to find out the end.

Jo: Ha! I don’t plan either. When I do, I end up throwing the whole plan in the trash after the first chapter or two. Freedom is refreshing, huh? Anything I didn’t ask that you wish I would’ve?
Ripley: What? No, these were the awesomest interview question EVER. But just a reminder that Book one of The PSS Chronicles, Ghost Hand, is currently FREE for Kindle and Kobo.

Jo: I’m glad you enjoyed that. I’ve learned a lot about you! *grin* Thanks for joining me here on the blog, Ripley! It was lovely digging through your world. I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA Con in just a few months!
Ripley: Me too. I'm so excited about UtopYA. This is my first one.

Jo: Mine too! Eep! Okay, people! Here’s where you get the skinny on Ripley’s featured book of the week.

Title: Ghost Hold, Book Two of The PSS Chronicles.
Author: Ripley Patton
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Thriller
Length (print): 376 pages
Buy Links: Amazon  ~  B&N  ~  Kobo  Price: $3.99 for e-book.

Synopsis:
Olivia Black is back.

And so is her ghost hand.

Only this time she's not the one in need of rescue.

Samantha James, rich, popular, and an award-winning composer at age seventeen, is the next target on the CAMFers' list. In order to convince Samantha to come with them, Olivia and Passion must pose as cousins, blend into the most affluent high school in Indianapolis, and infiltrate a mysterious cult known as The Hold.

Olivia doesn't expect it to be easy. But what she discovers over the course of the mission will call into question everything she ever believed about herself, her family, and especially about Marcus, the guy she is undoubtedly falling in love with.

While you’re clicking, why not give Ms. Patton a follow on social media?

Facebook: WriterRipleyPatton
Twitter: @rippatton
Goodreads: Ripley Patton

Got a question for Ripley? Leave it in the comments!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Guest Post by Casey L. Bond

Happy Monday once again, good people of the blogosphere! I'm pleased to welcome you all back for a guest post by my featured author, Casey L. Bond. She's whipped up some alien goodness for you all to dive into today. I do hope you enjoy the tale. In case you missed it, her author interview was pretty stinkin' awesome, too. Check that out here. Casey is one of the ladies who'll be attending UtopYA Con 2014. It's coming up mid-June, so if you don't have your tickets yet, I urge you to get out there and buy them! Price goes up in February. Enough of my rambling, enjoy the show!

Gravity

by Casey L. Bond

The candy-sweet scent of the Red Bull I just cracked open fills the air. I chug it for dear life. No sleep for three days makes a chick a little psycho, and paranoid. Every sound makes me jump. Of course, it could be the energy drink my insides are currently bathing in. This is my fourth can in the past hour. Gotta keep moving. I’m almost there.

I know they’ll find me the second I step out onto the sand. It’s too open. Nothing to hide behind there. But, I’m gonna get caught eventually, and I have to see the ocean once before I die. I chug the rest of my drink and throw the can over my shoulder. Maybe if we pollute the planet more, they’ll leave. I sling my backpack on again and take off into the night, crouching around trees, abandoned cars and houses, inching my way to the coast. I’ve made it this far on foot. The days have blurred together, but I think I’ve been off the grid for three weeks now. They think their technology is flawless. Well, think again jerks! I found a loophole and climbed through that mother feet first, slipped away in the night and never looked back. I’m gonna freaking make it!

Blood pumps fast through my veins and my heart is thumping with excitement. I can see the last row of houses that sit perched against the dunes. It’s almost dawn. The bastards can’t see so well at night. But, I am going to see the sunrise if it kills me—if they kill me. Maybe I can drink the rest of the case of Red Bull and see if my heart will explode before giving them the satisfaction of catching up with me again. Death by energy drink? Doesn’t sound like such a bad way to go. Death by alien a-hole? Much worse.

I run across the deserted street, ducking around the abandoned house. My fingertips graze the peeling white paint on the clapboards at my back. When I ran for it, I had nothing and had gained little along the way. I’d found a few energy bars and plucked a few apples off a tree that was rooted next to an abandoned swing set. The swings moved to and fro by the wind in lieu of children. No innocent laughter would be heard there again.

A chill runs down my arms, pebbling my skin. Most everyone left alive from the initial attacks had been rounded up and put in ‘containment’. In only a matter of hours, humans had moved down a notch on the proverbial food chain. It was from a containment facility, that I discovered a section of fencing that was dead. The section was small and a portion of the grid-like fencing had been peeled back. It was just large enough that I could squeeze through.

I wish there was something else I could do, somewhere else to go. But, when aliens land on your planet, they pretty much destroy everything in their path. We’d learned that the hard way. When the attacks started, everyone went crazy. Many were killed, others looted the stores and homes in an effort to survive. Now, nothing was left. I couldn’t live without food and fresh water. After the Red Bull was gone, I would have neither. All of the stores and homes that I’d stopped at along the way had been ransacked, looted or just destroyed completely. So, the cockroaches can find me and do whatever they do with people who escape from their prisons. But, I’m at least gonna walk in the surf, maybe even swim for a bit.
The sky is streaked with vibrant yellows, purples and blues. Billowy white clouds dot the sky, illuminated by the sun that is almost breaching the horizon. Show time. I kick off my Chuck’s and throw my socks over my shoulders one at a time as I rip them off my feet. All but skipping, I drop the backpack and then my shorts and tug my shirt over my head. Screw breadcrumbs, I’ve left a trail of clothing from the houses to the shore. Come and get me, douches!

The water is perfect. Early July is hot and it feels like I’ve just stepped into a freaking bath! So amazing! The waves crash into my knees, thighs and then stomach. I’ve never been a swimmer, so when a couple crash over my head, I reel myself in a bit. The salt water stings my eyes and nose, but it’s the most glorious feeling in the world. Reveling in the feeling of freedom, I wash out my greasy hair and forget all about time.

Unfortunately, I forgot to watch my back, too.

A throat clears behind me. Right behind me. I whip around as a wave crests over my shoulders. Oh, crap. That was fast. I’ll never get over how much they look human. Everything but the eyes. The eyes are like molten gold. His are no exception, and they are beautifully set within thick, black lashes that no man should have. “Come with me,” he orders.

“Nah. I think I’ll stay in for a bit. I’m on vacation.” He’s at least a foot taller than me and I’m five foot five, and beneath the fitted white t-shirt and jeans that are now soaked through, rippled muscles sculpt his arms, chest and stomach. Yummy alien. 

“Vacation?” He ticks his head to the side and stares at me unblinking. Weird. 

“Yep. Enjoying a nice day at the beach. You know, vacation.” I go back to washing my hair out with sand. It’s all I’ve got and the grit should take away the dirt, right. Clean dirt with dirt?

“You are number 2278950.” He looks me over and I realize I’m in only my dirty hot pink bra and panties. Covering what I can, I splash at him. I’m sure that my face and chest are flushed after that ogling. Diversion!

“Hey, eyes up here, E.T.”

“E.T.?”

“Yeah. Extra. Terrestrial. Never seen the movie? Well, you should really do more research on your subjects. Anywho, my name is Ashlynn. Not 22—whatever. Got it.”

He moves fast. Without even disturbing the water, he’s in front of me. “Ashlynn.” My name sounds strange on his tongue, it’s as if he’s tasting it. “You must exit the water, dress and come with me. I’ve been sent to collect you. You will return to containment immediately.”

“Um, no. I really didn’t like it there. No offense. It was…No. It really wasn’t nice at all. I don’t think I’ll go back again.” Before my smart mouth can even close, I’m on the shore. His hands are on my upper arms. “How?” That’s all I can squeeze out.

“Do not test me, Ashlynn. I am offering to take you without using force.”

“Maybe I like the use of force. Hmmm? Ever thought of that?”

His eyebrows knit together. “Hey, why do you look like us? Why not look like you? What do you really look like, anyway?”

A crooked smile stretches over his face. My freaking weakness. Seriously? They’ve sent in the big guns to drag me back to hell. “I can show you.” His voice is like butter and before I even realize he’s moved, his lips are pressed hard against mine and he’s pushing me hard against him. Softness and mint glides over my mouth and moves ever so slowly and deliciously until I sigh and open up for him. His tongue and mine collide and my brain pretty much turns to mush, like the rest of my body that’s collapsing into him. He pulls back, breaking the kiss. It must be their secret weapon. Compliance by hot alien kisses. He didn’t even need cuffs, or whatever they use.

“See. This is what I really look like. We come from a planet much like your Earth. We look very much like you on the outside, although our brains function at a much higher level.”

“Why did you kiss me, then?”

“Your lips looked delicious. I couldn’t resist.” His lips claim mine again and I realize that I’m so screwed. I pull away and run toward my backpack. He doesn’t chase after me, of course, when you’re alien-fast you don’t have to worry about keeping up, I guess. Riffling around in my bag, I pull out another can of Red Bull. Within a blink of an eye, he’s five feet away from me. “Your weapons will not hurt us. Not for long, anyway.”

“What’s that?” I point toward the waves again. He turns his head to look and I launch the can at him. It pegs him in the side of the head and he turns around. Anger flashes in his golden eyes. Oh, crap. Now I’m really in trouble. He’s become the bull and I’m the red. I take off running away from the shore. I can see the house in sight, but don’t make it. I land in a heap, gritty sand all over my skin. Something heavy lands on top of me, squeezing out my breath.

“Wrong move, Ashlynn,” he grins again, just before covering my mouth with his. The sandy stubble along his jaw lightly and deliciously scrapes along my skin. Yummy alien. Le sigh.

 ^^^Spacey Casey ^^^

While you're all here and in the mood to follow this awesome author, why not check her out on her blog or over on Goodreads? Her book, Devil Creek, will be FREE on Amazon through the 17th! Click here to get yours now!

Don't forget! Today's the last day to grab a copy of I, Zombie free! It has 19 reviews with a 4.5* average! Folks are loving it! Get one here!

If you loved the short story above or have questions for Casey, drop a note into the comments section!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo