Daily Spotlight with SJ Byrne

What a wonderful place to share an excerpt from the book I am working on! Thank you for stopping by, I hope you will join me on Facebook  and if you enjoy what you read here, Like Opal's Song's page as well.

Be sure to stop by my blog page on March 20th for the cover reveal of Opal's Song

Opal's Song

A horrific accident on a rain slicked mountainside and permanent paralysis from the waist down. 25 year old Lily Wade has to relearn simple, everyday activities just to live a seemingly normal life.

Opal—a precocious child in her rehabilitation group—teaches Lily about living joyfully after surviving an immense tragedy and how to find peace within the pain.

To keep a promise made, Lily must dust off her once beloved cello and connect with the music she’s kept locked inside a velvet lined case for nearly a decade.

Opal's Song

an excerpt

Laying in bed and staring at a dismally blank wall, Lily wished for nothing more than to get lost in her thoughts. Every morning a nurse sauntered in to flex the useless stumps of bone and flabby muscle they called her legs. She wanted to yell at them to stop bothering, but couldn't care enough to find the energy required to protest. Once upon a time she would have purred from the attention bestowed upon her lower body, but the rubbing and massaging of life into dead limbs only frustrated her.

"You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to smile once in a while." Said the nurse at the foot of Lily’s bed.

Refusing to rise to the bait dangling in the air between them, Lily continued to ignore the woman with intimate knowledge of her body from the waist down. To respond would require some form of sentimental attachment and she didn’t want to feel anything. The nurse continued needling with barbed comments but nothing could penetrate the hardened shell around her emotional body.

"You're not dead." Disgust gave the harsh comment a cutting edge that would have sliced through most cynical hearts.

"Might as well be." Lily’s tone held as much life as a flat-lined EKG readout.

"Listen to you! With so many things to be grateful for, you'd rather drown yourself—and the ones who love you—in this dead sea of self pity." The woman pushed her advantage when she saw Lily’s nose flare in agitation. "No, you'd have to feel something for it to be pity. You should be ashamed for what you're putting your family through."

"What do I have to be grateful for?" Staring at the nurse through eyes that had become dark bottomless pools of emptiness, Lily dared the woman to speak her mind some more.

"You're alive for one thing."

"Barely." Mumbling beneath her breath, Lily glared at the useless legs that had become the bane of her existence.

"Alive enough that instead of mourning the loss of a beloved daughter, your family carries the guilty burden of your condition—a guilt that isn’t theirs to carry."

"You think it's mine?"

"No, it was a tragic accident, but one that could have been much worse."

"How can it get worse than this?" Youthful arms flung out to implicate limp limbs lying on a rumpled hospital bed.

"You are alive!" The nurse shouted as she stood at the foot of the bed. "You are healthy, have all your limbs, all your fingers, all your toes, all your senses, and all your mental faculties. The only thing holding you down is you." After covering Lily’s legs with a soft blanket the older woman left her alone with her thoughts.

Deep in the pit of her stomach an uncomfortable gurgle threatened to blossom into something more. Instead of exploring the new chink in her emotional armor, Lily turned on the television and zoned out.

About the Author

Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina SJ Byrne is just trying to make her way through the insanity that comes with creativity. Writing is her passion - life is her muse. Keep an eye out for new books due later this year.

Connect with SJ via:

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Daily Spotlight with Violet Patterson

Purchase on Amazon

Title: Ryder on the Storm (Emerald Seer I)

Where did the idea come from?  Hm, well, I was wanting to write something that could be read intermittently, you know for busy types who only get to read on their commutes or in the afternoon when their kids are sleeping or on a lunch break in a busy office - all for people to escape into somebody else's life for a while - without having to re-read parts because they forgot or missed some massive plot marker.  I am an epic fantasy gal at heart (I have a tattoo in Elvish on my wrist!) but not everyone can put that time or attention to detail into their reading these days and I understand that.  The Emerald Seer series is meant to be easy on the mind, a fabulous escape, a bit of romance, a sprinkle of adventure and a lot of fun. 

Genre: Paranormal romance?  Urban Fantasy?  Contemporary Fantasy?  Classifying this series has been difficult.  Ryder and the second installment, Light My Fire, are heavier on the romance aspect with some more adult content while Whiskey, Mystics, and Men (a bonus novella) and Love Her Madly are heavier on the back story, magic, and fantasy aspects.  In short, pick your poison, it is contemporary, it is fantastical, and it does have a strong vein of romance.

Casting Ryder....this is fun for me.  I love movies and when I write I picture my characters very clearly in my head so here goes:

Storm Sullivan - sarcastic, tough, and a fiery redhead, I always pictured Storm as a cross between Rachel McAdams, Kate Winslet, and Kate Beckinsale but I had to reign it in to get her age right.  Judging solely on appearance and potential, I stand by my choice of Ashley Greene. 

Ryder Cohen - smoothe, charismatic, and older than he appears, I pictured a cross between Stuart Townsend and, wait, no, I just pictured Stuart Townsend.  This led me to Ben Barnes who actually fits the bill a bit better than I imagined.  He's pretty spot on for Ryder - in my opinion at least.

Trin Sullivan - so, she has to be cast in this movie....why not make her the unbelievably Seer turned ghost whose death initiated Storm's transformation.  Rachel McAdams would be perfect as Trin Sullivan!

Lucian Nightstalker - by far the toughest to cast as he is one of, if not the most complex character in the series.  Sam Worthington was my final choice after weeding through the young actors in Hollywood. 

Angeline Corsova - picture her with blond hair and a killer attitude!  Bonnie Wright is perfect as the fairy who holds much together over the course of the Emerald Seer Series.

Damarra - a goddess and Storm's grandmother, Damarra could never be played by anybody less.  Kate Winslet is one of my favorite actresses and I would be a happy woman to see her portray any of my characters but especially Damarra.

Roane - an Immortal and Storm's grandfather.  I love the idea of the fabulous Tom Hiddleston being cast in my epic fantasy (another story), but I cannot lie and say I did not picture him when writing Roane in this tale.

I think I could go on and on casting all of the roles in this but that would take forever....and give away too many things!  Maybe I will have to do another post just for casting!

One sentence synopsis:  I am not good at this but here goes.

Storm Sullivan returns home after years on the run to find her life is changing faster than she can imagine and the destiny she tried to flee manages to find her in the end - along with a heap of trouble and a romance for the ages.

Self pubbed or represented?  I opted to go the self publishing route though I have and continue to look into all of my options. I do not like the idea of closing doors without leaving some windows open to ventilate my work space.  Who knows, for the right deal I would be willing to pull my self-pub status but only if the deal is right.

How long did the first draft take?  Actually, the first draft took a little more than a month to finish, it was all the drafts after that and the editing that took the time.  I finished book 2 (Light My Fire) in a month for NaNoWriMo last year and book 4 (End of the Night) in a month for NaNoWriMo this year.  My epic fantasy took a lot longer (as in years).

Other comparable books: I would say the Emerald Seer Series falls in line with Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Sookie Stackhouse books, and that type of storyline.  Lots of supernaturals, some heavy romance, and some more serious undertones.

Inspiration:  Well, the entire series is named after songs by the Doors - one of my favorite bands of all time.  But, the inspiration came from friends who didn't have time to read or become invested in my epic fantasy because it was just too involved for them.  So, I branched out and created something they could read, something I could enjoy and something lighter to give me a reprieve from the in depth world I created elsewhere.

In the end, I just hope people will give the series a shot - love it or hate it, like any author, I just want my books to be read.

Daily Spotlight with Ann Gimpel

What is it about Believable Fictional Characters?

Think about your favorite hero or heroine in fiction. Can you close your eyes and visualize them standing in front of you? What do they look like? How do they smell? What is their posture like as they stand there?

If you can answer those questions, the author did a most excellent job and that is likely why the character you picked became a favorite. Moving on from how they look, the angle of their head, the quirk of their brows, can you guess their reaction to being asked a particular question? Will they flirt with you? Or will they take you seriously and try to make you feel at home?

Obviously I can’t speak for other writers, but my characters come alive in my mind. I not only visualize them, I can hear them talking. They actually put words under my fingers as I type dialogue. It feels like I’m more an intermediary than anything else.

Few things are worse in a book than wooden dialogue where a reader shakes their head, knowing real people would never say something like that. Being a psychologist has given me an unexpected edge. I’ve spent so many years listening to people tell me things, writing dialogue comes naturally. And along with dialogue, comes a character’s reactions to other characters in the story. No one gets along all the time. Likewise, people aren’t always at odds with one another.

The trick is to have enough tension between characters to make the story interesting. No one wants a novel where the reader can predict exactly where the story is going to go next. On the other hand, no one wants characters whose motivations are so obscure the reader never knows quite what’s going on. I just finished a novel with so many loose ends, it felt unsatisfying. It was a series book, but still, some level of closure before the words, “The End”, would have helped.  And unlike a Karen Marie Moning Fever Series book where I can’t wait to buy the next one, this other author didn’t inspire quite that level of enthusiasm.

What’s the difference? Simple. I care about KM Moning’s characters enough to want to know what will happen next. To borrow from psychology, characters who resonate for us hold projections of parts of us we hold dear. The part of me who always wanted to be psychic lives in my character, Lara McInnis. The part of me who wants to pit myself against evil lives in KM Moning’s characters: Mac and Jericho.

I think that’s why fantasy in general and urban fantasy in particular holds such wide appeal. Set in the real world, we can imagine ourselves as the hero or heroine of the tale. It’s empowering in many ways. And I think it’s really healthy to give our imaginations free rein.

Take a look at that favorite character from earlier. What made you pick them? Why do they live in your head? What’s different between them and a less memorable character? I’d love to know who your favorite characters are. I’m always looking for great books I haven’t read. Thanks for reading this post. If you feel like it, check out my blog http://anngimpel.blogspot.com

Also check out Ann's latest release Destiny's Shadow on Amazon 

Daily Spotlight with Elyse Grant

Cover Reveal and Excerpt: THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX by Elyse Grant

Thank you for hosting me on the Daily Spotlight blog and sharing my book’s new cover with your readers!

 Now available on Amazon, Kindle & Smashwords

THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, a novel by Elyse Grant (aka Shelley Lieber), is the steamy hot and often funny story of best friends Leah Gold and Roxanne Stein, two boomer women trying to break free of the “happily ever after” fairy tale myth of their childhoods. Once they team up on a crazy trip from their South Florida home to Philadelphia and New York, the duo stumble onto how to save themselves, each other, and perhaps womankind—a surprise to everyone, especially themselves.

Excerpt from Chapter 15

Leah and Tom were in her bed, watching television on a Sunday night. She clicked the television off.

“There’s nothing good on. I have three hundred damn stations and nothing worth watching.” She rolled over and reached for his crotch. “But we could make our own entertainment.”

Tom pulled away. Leah felt a stab of pain in her gut. He was always in the mood for sex, no matter what.

“What’s going on, Tom?”

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“Business?”

“Leah, the final hearing for my divorce is in two weeks.”

“Hallelujah.”

“Yeah, I know. I can’t believe it. It’s just that now that it’s going to be over…I want…you know—”

Leah sat up and turned toward him.

“No, I don’t know.”

“Leah, you’ve got to admit it. Our relationship has lost some of its fire recently.”

“For God’s sake, Tom. You’ve been preoccupied with your divorce aggravation, and both of us have been really busy at work.”

“Leah, when I can’t get a hard on, something’s wrong.”

“So, it’s me that’s wrong?”

“I think that I need some time to be alone. After all, I don’t want to jump into another relationship right after I finally get divorced.”

Leah leaped up off the bed. “You don’t want to get into another relationship? Exactly what has our time together been? Practice?”

Tom sat up and starting putting on his boots. “Leah, try to understand. You’re great, really. I want you to know how much I appreciate all that you’ve given me, and the time we’ve had together. But…” He looked her square in the face, “It’s over.”

“Just like that?”

“I spent the last ten years of marriage miserable with a woman, thinking I was trapped. I am not going to repeat the same mistake again.”

Leah thought she was going to explode. “Miserable, now you’re fucking miserable? You prick! Get out of my house!” She wanted to throw something at him, but the only things within reach were the decorative bed pillows. She threw them at him anyway, frustrated that she couldn’t hurt him the way he hurt her.

“Leah, come on.” Tom reached out to block the pillows coming at him.

“Get out. Get the fuck out.” Leah pushed him out of her room and slammed the door. She listened to the sound of his boots on the steps as he made his way downstairs and out the front door. She heard him gun his engine and pull out of her life forever.

Leah pressed her back against the door trying to keep the pain out, but lost the battle and slid down to the floor. She grabbed one of throw pillows that had fallen near the door and held it against her chest with her bent knees. Rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around her knees, she cried until she felt there was nothing left inside her.

Bio

 Shelley Lieber is an author with a split personality. As The Wordy Woman, publishing consultant, she wrote 4Ps to Publishing Success and Publishing Made Easy & Profitable for new and aspiring authors. Her wilder side writes erotic fiction under the pen name Elyse Grant. The Prince Charming Hoax is her debut novel. A third personality common to both Shelley and Elyse is Vegan Novelist, who blogs about vegan food and lifestyle.

Shelley is what native North Carolinians call a “halfback.” Originally from New York, she moved to Florida, then to North Carolina. Shelley now lives in Asheville, NC, with her husband, who is remarkably patient and skillful at adjusting to her personality switches.

Links:

Shelley Lieber: http://shelleylieber.blogspot.com

Elyse Grant: http://elysegrant.blogspot.com

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Y5YRaC 

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/XjHiAy

Facebook: http://facebook.com/shelleylieber

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wordywoman

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/shelleylieber

Daily Spotlight with Isabella Sinclair

OLLY Tidbit! 

Have you read my novella Olly?

No? Well why not?  Here—go purchase it and then come back. I'll wait for you.

For those of you who have read it, maybe you wondered about a certain passage in the book—a comment pertaining to a tree stump.  Let me go dig up that bit and post it here. BRB

Tree stump excerpt

“You are as beautiful as ever, my love.” His eyes reflected the love he’d carried with him in my absence, and through my tears I smiled.

“You, my love, are not!” The bark of real laughter rumbling through his chest lifted my spirits a fraction, and I wondered briefly if there was any hope for him. “What have you done to yourself?” With shaky fingers, I reached over and traced a tip along the curve of his jaw, rough stubble scratching my skin.

“What you warned I would.” Pain and self-reproach had carved deep lines in his face, leaving holes in his heart where love had once reigned supreme.

“Tree stump, huh?” Biting my lips together to keep them from trembling, I leaned in and pressed my forehead to his. “I shall water you, my love, and make you a tree once again.”

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

In the early months of their romance, Gage told Olivia that he often felt like the tree in a story most of us know and love. Always giving and getting zero in return, until there was nothing left but the cut off stump of a once glorious tree. Olivia had responded by declaring she would always water him. 

The love between these two characters is so strong that time nor distance can diminish it. One could argue such a love is too intense to sustain over a long period of time. But I can hear Olly and Olivia singing together—"It's better to burn out..than fade away!"

Isabella Sinclair

About The Author

Isabella is like a fine wine mixed with a little bit of Rock-n-Roll. She began writing seductive stories to entertain her boyfriend and discovered a natural born talent. Weaving an erotic tale without going overboard is no simple thing and Isabella wouldn't dream of leaving out matters of the heart. After all, what is sex without love? Empty!

Connect with Isabella via:  

Facebook  and  Goodreads    

Buy her book OLLY on 

Amazon and Smashwords

Guest Spotlight with Gillian Joy

Guardian - A summary

By Samantha Summers.

            Hi, my name's Sam and I am a vampire. I was 22 years old when I was kidnapped by some sick sadistic vampire whose name I don't even care to mention, he is nothing more than an unimportant blimp in my life, but he did lead me to find my best friend Hannah.
            Hannah is the Venatorcustos, the Guardian of all supernatural creatures and this is actually her story. It's a story I've memorized by heart though, because it's so significant in vampire history. You see Hannah is over 300 years old. She was first born in Amesbury Massachusetts in the year sixteen seventy five, so you do the math if you want to know exactly how old she is. She was a bit of a tom boy back then and spent most of her time playing in the woods with her best friend; handsome, blond, blue eyed Gabriel. That was until the day he kissed her, poor thing had no idea what to do, she lost it and ran off and told her mum, who in turn went and had a go at Gabriel's father who also happened to be the town sheriff. That turned out to be the catalyst that set in motion a series of ruinous events that ended up haunting Hannah for centuries.
            If you want the full story read the book! But long story short Gabe's dad wasn't happy about his feelings for Hannah so he tried to have Hannah and her mum executed for witchcraft. Well he didn't quite succeed — obviously or Hannah wouldn't have made it to be over 300 years old — and as a positive it did lead her to meet Bernard, the warlock her mother had once had an affair with, and he became her mentor and confidant in future years. But as a result, the final outcome was that she did spend the next few hundred years on a bit of a vendetta and lost almost everyone close to her, while she hunted for the true creature she believed was behind the execution.
            That was until she met Jesse. Jesse is a vampire, dark and handsome and nothing but trouble, and unfortunately for Hannah she couldn't help but fall in love with him, which just caused her grief all over again. Why would falling in love with Jesse cause her grief? Because for one Hannah was brought up to believe that the guardian is not allowed to love the supernatural creatures she is meant to protect. And for two, Jesse was created by Gabriel. Well you can imagine Hannah’s surprise when she learnt that not only was her childhood sweetheart alive — well a vampire anyway — but he was married? Damn hey! Well Hannah had a bit of a meltdown in life about then and decided to just pack it all in and start again. So with Bernard’s help she was reborn.
            Unfortunately for Hannah being reborn doesn't mean she can forget who she is and it didn't take long before she was knee deep in crudelitas again. (Crudelitas being the ancient name for the supernatural) And that's about where I came into the picture.
Hannah and I were friends for quite a while before she decided it was time to take control of the Custas again. The Custas were a supernatural council and they were supposed to help Hannah keep the crudelitas under control, but while she had been off playing Buffy the vampire slayer and trying to reinvent her life over, they had pretty much gone off the rails and were running thing on their own terms instead of those set by the Venatorcustas.
            Then when she discovered that the vampire Custas were harboring the actual vampire responsible for her mother’s death she was determined things would change. So with the help of some old friends — and while she was still trying to get a handle on her conflicting feelings for Jesse and Gabriel — she decided to get all the Custas together for a meeting and tighten the reigns, and no it's not as easy as it sounds, and no things didn't go as smoothly as planned, but hey it all worked out in the end right and that's the main thing, even if she did learn a bit more along the way than even she bargained for. :)

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Forever Guardian on Amazon

Daily Spotlight with Joyce T. Strand

Making Time to Read

By Joyce T. Strand, Author

ON MESSAGE and OPEN MEETINGS

Jillian Hillcrest Mysteries

We’re all busy. We commute to work where we spend at least eight hours a day. We chauffer our children to school and their various activities, or we change diapers and attend to baby’s needs. We prepare our meals and those of our family – even picking up fast food takes time. We travel for work or pleasure. Then there’s the cleaning, clothes-washing, food shopping, dry cleaning – whew.

When do we ever have time to read?

Well, the answer lies in making time to read, not finding time!  Here are a few suggestions:

1    Set a reasonable goal for reading. Plan which book you want to read next and by when. Don’t make it hard on yourself. Allow plenty of time. 

2    Schedule reading time

Share some of your TV-watching or other entertaining time. By recording TV shows, you can schedule when you watch your favorite shows and work reading into that schedule.

Check how much time you are spending on housecleaning – could you break up your dusting into different sections each week—I mean, do we really need to dust the entire house EVERY week?—and use the extra time for reading a chapter or two.  I heartily encourage you not to take the time from your family. I have always been willing to do less housecleaning, however! 

What’s important is that to consciously set aside time to read – even put it on your calendar. And you’ll need to take it from somewhere.

3    Alert your family when you are starting your reading time. Ask them not to disturb you. Oh, sure, I know that sounds tough, but it might work—especially if you suggest they join you and read their books at the same time. Arrange for family reading time.

4    Discuss your book with your family. That might make them more willing to give you the time to read, especially if you keep them updated.

5    If you have a long commute, you might consider “books on tape”.  In today’s digital world, you can easily download them to your iPhone (or other device) and play them through your car speaker. Or, you can listen to a book with ear buds while commuting on a train or subway.

6    Try an e-reader, e.g., Kindle, Nook, or iPad. You can carry it with you. I keep mine in my purse, and when I have to wait at the dentist or doctor’s office or in a long line, I pull it out and read my newspaper or whatever novel I have underway. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project indicates that e-book readers are reading one-third more than print-only readers. http://tinyurl.com/bp7cbh7

Regardless of which means you choose, take some time to figure out how to make time for reading.  You will be rewarded with engrossing characters, mysterious circumstances, and maybe even a little romance.

Other articles for additional ideas on making time for reading:

Dave Astor, “Finding Time to Read More Novels,” The Huffington Post, 4/20/2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-astor/reading-time_b_1402627.html

Blogher Original Post, “How do You Find time to Read? My top ten answers,” October 25, 2008

http://www.blogher.com/how-do-you-find-time-read-my-top-ten-answers?page=0,1

MichaelHyatt: Intentional Leadership, “5 Ways to Make More Time to Read,” Guest post by Robert Bruce,

http://michaelhyatt.com/5-ways-to-make-more-time-to-read.html