Chatting about Author Maggie Shayne

Hello peeps, It's good to have you drop by on my blog. I have someone very special to my heart on which I'll be talking about, Author Maggie Shayne. She was one of my first vampire romances that I read back in the year 2000.

 It was the beginning when vampire romance was just starting out and only a couple of authors were creating the new path of romance. Once I read her books I was lost. She's talented, beautiful and such a great inspiration in every way. To me she's a light that shines bright for she is comfortable in her own skin. In my eyes and other authors and readers she is considered a legend. Those few authors paved the way on how romance is written today. I think of her as one of the reasons I started to write. What she and Christine Feehan, and Linda Lael Miller started changed my life. I couldn't go back to regular romance books. They had become boring. Maggie Shayne has been a best seller many times over. I actually met her at a writer's conference years ago in Florida called the Silken Sands Conference. It was one of my first conferences and here she was in front of me giving a lecture about her life as a writer. I sat in her lecture room and listened on how in the beginning she was rejected more then once, twice and even three times, but finally she was recognized and got her first contract. The hairs on my neck stood on end, and my heartbeat thundered in excitement. She gave me hope, and determination.
   Looking back she has over sixty books published through Harlequin, Berkley, Avon, Martin's Press, Pocket Books and other top publishing companies. In March 2014, Maggie Shayne walked away and became a indie author.

She has something for everyone with her many genres,. She writes Paranormal Romances, Contemporary Western Romances(which surprises me greatly. giggles) Romantic Thrillers, and she has a blog called, "The Bliss Blog,"which she teaches Law of Attraction. Here is the link so you can check it out. https://www.blissblog.org/
 



For the month of October she has a few things going on I thought I would mention.

http://maggieshayne.com

Also she has another event that you might love. 

 

Questions on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and the Ibook- paperbacks or ebooks

I've been a published author now for over a few years, and I wondered if all authors get more traffic and sales through Amazon? I know as an author there are so many of us as indie authors we have to work harder to get noticed. It seems to me, that most people not only shop for items through Amazon, they buy there books as well. Amazon is where my sales come through almost 100%.


Do you do better with ebooks or paperbacks? How many people use only the KDP part? Some people like it and others don't.  I don't because I do have them in Barnes and Nobles and Ibook, and other places like Smashwords.

Now I will say that when I first published, my sales were higher through Barnes and Nobles, but this last couple of years it has declined. Is it because more people use the kindle,  the iphones? What are your thoughts as authors, and I would also like to hear from our readers.



I do have the iphone myself and I love it, but my ibooks sales are very low.  How are your sales from people with ipads, iphones, or the mac computers? I thought personally that the iphone would bring in the big bucks because everyone loves the iphone, but I was mistaken.

I do self promote and push myself. I even changed my covers. I know part of my problem is how often I publish and this year my goal is to do at least three.  I just thought I would throw this out there into the void and see what others have to say. Thanks for listening to my rant on sales, promoting. LOL. An author's frustrations.

Spreading some love to my readers and fans

I just wanted to reach out and tell everyone how much you mean to me.  For years I was the one who was the fan, reading other author's work, but now I'm both. There are certain author's whom I admire intensely and would bend over backwards to please them.

Now, I'm in awe, humbled to the roots of my soul because I have fans who tell me how much they love me, and how much they love my books.  When it happens it makes me catch my breath because I KNOW that feeling!!! I  have those same emotions for my mentor, my authors whom I adore.

I wanted to send out my heart to you and want you all to know, I love you all. I cherish our friendships and love hearing from you. You make me want to write more

and put out more books to keep you happy.

So this is a huge thank you for all your support and love. Keep in touch. When I have another book signing please come out and visit. It'll be great to meet you all in person. My next event in March 4th in Houma, LA


Love to you all.
Author Paula V. Hardin

PS,
   I have a different genre coming out
I'm working on the cover as we speak, it'll be called, "A Daughter's Justice" It's a contemporary Suspense Romance with steampunk elements.
I'm now working another vampire romance for all my fang peeps.

ARC NOLA 2017 A GREAT SUCCESS

ARC Nola 2017 was a great success, I met alot of great authors this weekend and met alot of new readers. Check out my blog and see who was there.

 Saturday was a great day, it began at eight a.m. with all the authors having breakfast and setting up their tables.






 

Author Danielle Dauphinet with her dark paranormal "Strife"

    Author Evelyn Ledermann writes Paranormal Fantasy. When I met her Saturday she was really a very sweet lady.

 Now these two are amazing fun, happy ladies. Author Heather Warren Shephard has "Gun Powder and Lead" and on the right is Author Guenevere Williams and she has her first book out called "Wild Obsession" 

   Author V.A. Dold has too many books to tell you her list, but she is one amazing author. She's also the woman who put this together for us authors to come together for this event. I applaud you and loved hanging out with you.

 Now this lady is a hoot. She writes children's books and other kind of books that aren't meant for children, let me tell you. You all need to check out Cooper McKenzie  Here she's holding her children's book "A Bear's Tale."

 Here is Author Diana Marie DuBois doing a selfie with me. She's amazing and I call her my friend. She also has a number of books out now.


 At nine a.m. Speed dating. Not actual dating, but readers went from table to table and chatted with an author for four minutes then moved on to another author's table.  I thought that was a marvelous idea so that all of the author's got a chance to pitch their books.

The picture on the left,  Author Paula V. Hardin, and her editor Becky Highnote.

Author Rhea L. Wiggs was also there. She's such a sweet heart. Check out her books. She's really a nice lady. We sat across from each other and we're friends on Facebook.


You can find all of these authors on Facebook. Check them out. You won't be disappointed.

Puddle by A. Renee Hunt

Greetings and salutations to my peeps, I just read this book which kept me at the edge of my seat and me turning the pages. This story is targeted towards YA, the age group of juveniles. Even though its a scary story. It's still a good story for young people. I personally don't enjoy horror, so if I can read it without throwing it across the room. Laughs, then we're doing good.  This is about a young girl Max and her friend Quinn and they both are on their way home from school and it starting to rain. Max is afraid where as Quinn loves the rain and stomping in the puddles, but with Max with her she finds out that may not be a good idea when it's Autumn.. Bad things happen in the puddles when it rains in their town.  Grab a copy today on Amazon for your child, or yourself. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Puddle-Renee-Hunt/dp/1540469654/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484693497&sr=8-2&keywords=PUDDLE+A.Renee+Hunt

 

Paranormal Author TK lawyer is in the house

 Today we're chatting with TK Lawyer about her books, so sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy

.

1.     How did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Well, it all started with me screaming in the kitchen one day that there had to be something else in life for me.  No, seriously, this is what actually happened.  I am a very passionate person and my full-time job at the time was boring, mundane, and routine.  I felt myself withering away, literally, at my job and I was desperate, craving adventure, anything to revive the passion buried deep down inside of me that was untapped with my full-time job.  Shortly after my episode in the kitchen, ideas started coming to me and I wrote them down.  I can tell you that I never pictured myself as a writer and had no inclination to be one but now that I am, I have no compunction to stop. 

2.     Tell me about your journey as an author… where did it start?

It started with my fascination with the idea of Angels engaging in normal human activities with human beings.  The idea of an Angel falling in love with a human and dating them right here, on Earth, interested me.  How would they react to certain situations, what would they do?  That’s how Jasper, the first book in the Guardian League Series, was created.

3.     Are you a “plotter” or do you fly by the seat of your pants?

Well~  I am a very spontaneous person so most of the time, I ‘fly by the seat of my pants.’  I am not the type of Author that even writes an outline.  Scenes from a book will come to me and I’ll place them where I think would be best and after a while you have so many scenes, that you now have a book.  It sort of all comes together.

4.     Where do you get your inspiration from?

I’ve been asked this a couple of times and I really don’t have an answer for it.  I guess what keeps me writing is that I truly enjoy writing, I love hearing from readers what they thought about my book, and I have to keep writing because if I didn’t, life would be so incomplete without it.

5.     What’s been the greatest challenge in being a writer and becoming published? What lessons would you share with new writers?

I would say the greatest challenge is having the time to write, promote, market, blog and run a Street Team when you also working a Monday – Friday, full time job.  And throw in taking care of a family.  It gets really hairy at times to keep everything together and organized. 

Small things like your Publisher changing their publishing requirements and dropping all your books so you have to find a Publisher in the middle of your normal, regular chaos you deal with on a daily basis can be startling and devastating.  I recently underwent this horrific situation that totally threw me and my schedule for a loop. 

The advice that I would share is to always expect the unexpected because nothing is ever defined and set in stone.  The plans that you have can erupt at any moment (like me having to look for a new publisher for my book when I had a contract ready and set to go), so just take one day at a time and make the best of it and be flexible enough to recover from setbacks in your writing career when they happen.

6.     What are you working on at the moment?

Currently, I am working on a short story for an upcoming Valentine’s Day anthology for 2017.  I am excited to be part of a chosen group of Authors for this project. 

I am also working on finishing up the Guardian League series and am writing Aeron’s book (the 4^th Guardian Angel in the series).  

7.     What should readers expect from your books?

I am chuckling at this question because the range of emotions my readers feel when they read my books is astounding.  It warms my heart the reactions I get from readers who tell me they cried, laughed and even got upset with some of my characters but despite all this they continue reading because the books just somehow grab them.  The majority of my reviews are 4 or 5 stars.  I will say that my Angel books are not your traditional Guardian Angels.  They are fun, protective, and loving just like your traditional Angels but when they love, they fall hard and love even harder.  If you have an aversion to reading Angels that share everything, even intimacy with their chosen ones, then you will want to steer clear of my books because for these Angels, it’s all about true love and sharing their love with their intended.

8.     What’s on your bookshelf? Do you have favourite authors?

Currently, I read a lot of paranormal romance and some erotica but I’ve also read mysteries, romance and even horror (one Author).  My favourite authors range from Dean Koontz, Linda Barnes, Lawrence Block to Eve Langlais, Felicity Heaton and Jordan Summers.  I have just started delving into Elyssa Ebbott’s books and am in love with her Shifters of the Primus series. 

9.     And of your own books, which is your favourite?

Hmmm…  Wow, that’s a hard question because each book has unique personalities and the themes they tackle and experience are different but I would have to say one of my favourites is the second book in the Guardian League Series, Centurion, expected to re-release in November 2016.  Centurion is cocky, incorrigible and a lot of fun.  He doesn’t want to be in a relationship with a human but he is smitten with April and doesn’t know it.  What he experiences and goes through was a lot of fun writing and plus, he loves the human beverage, coffee- I mean, what is there not to love about this guy? 

10.  If you could write in any other genre than your own, what would it be?

Contemporary Romance.  I wrote a short story in this genre for my self-published book, Angels and Diamonds called “New Home” and I loved writing the story.

 

Author Name:  TK Lawyer

Website:  www.tklawyerauthor.wordpress.com

Social Media Links: 

https://twitter.com/tklawyerauthor

https://www.facebook.com/tklawyerauthor

https://plus.google.com/u/0/109094672467230073885

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12764640.T_K_Lawyer

http://www.amazon.com/author/tklawyer

https://promotingauthors.wordpress.com/tk-lawyer/

http://www.theromancereviews.com/tklawyer

http://www.quotesrain.com/page/tklawyer/

http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/21372-tk-lawyer

https://itunes.apple.com/us/author/t.k.-lawyer/id934611669?mt=11

Book Titles:  Jasper, The Guardian League, Book One

“Buy Links”  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7T1LPB/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jasper-Book-One-Guardian-League-ebook/dp/B01M7T1LPB/

https://www.amazon.ca/Jasper-Book-One-Guardian-League-ebook/dp/B01M7T1LPB/

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01M7T1LPB/

Paperback=    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1539674630/

Paperback/Hardcover:  http://foundationsbooks.com/library

Dark Erotic Romance Author Ivy Love

What a title. Ivy Love

writes Dark Romance, or as she likes to call it, Erotic Romance with a twist.

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now? Do you have any pets?

·      I live in the fun and naughty Sin City aka Las Vegas.  I work full-time and get my writing done at night and on the weekends.  I am a huge animal fan and have four dogs of my own. 

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?

·      When I was in grade school, I was the classic nerd.  I didn’t and still don’t mind being a nerd at all. Back then, I spent more time reading books “above my grade level” and getting lost in them, than paying attention to the people around me. I loved the journey each book would take me on, I still do. 

When I was thirteen I hand-wrote my first hundred-page story. It was then I fell in love with writing. The moment I realized that I could not only lose myself in books, but in my own words.   

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read? Who inspires you in your writings?

·      Ah, this question is so tough.  I love reading and I read a variety of authors.  I would say that a few of my “go-to” authors are MJ Fields, Sandra Brown, Dean Koontz, Cherise Sinclair, Maya Banks, Jodi Ellen Malpas and Stephen King, just to name a few.  I’m a horror/mystery junkie.  I love scaring myself and trying to figure out the mystery. 

Tell us a little about your latest book?

·      My latest book that is out, is called Lost in Me, Found in You.  I wish I could tell you that I had this amazing back story for this book, but I don’t. I have great stories for some of my other books that are in progress, not this one though.  I just started writing.  I had the idea of two friends both of them who were at different points in their life. This book was originally two separate books, but it was combined into one larger story with additional scenes and chapters.

Liz and Isabella are best friends, they’re each struggling and they each have decisions that they’ll have to make.  Each decision they make has consequences, but through it all they will support one another until the very end.  

Her buy links: 
 

Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/hjvspdm
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/hrkmzcv
Amazon CA: http://tinyurl.com/goqznbt
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/662295
Books a Million: http://tinyurl.com/jjgj4ak
B&N: http://tinyurl.com/z4cs88t

 

Find Ivy Love on:

Author website

·      www.booksbyivy.com

Facebook Page

·      https://www.facebook.com/authorivylove/

Twitter Account

·      https://twitter.com/AuthorIvyLove

Email*

ivylovepa@gmail.com

Let me Introduce to you to Miss.Toni Michelle of Polished Pages Editing Services

 If you are an aspiring author, indie author and looking for a top of the line editing service, I have Toni Michelle of Polished Pages Editing Service and Binding Dreams Marketing Manager with me today to talk business.
      When you are finished writing your book, it's far from over. Now is the hard part, editing. With you being the author you can't see your own mistakes because you are too close to the story. You need a professional to edit and prep you for your next step.
 Here are a few questions I put together to help you, the author with a experienced editor. Someone who's willing to go that extra mile and put your book out there among the readers. 


1. How long have you been an editor? I started editing in 2004, however, that was not with books. I edited legal docs to be filed with courts. I started editing books in 2012.
2. What publishing houses do you work for if any? Foundations, LLC, Totally Romance Publishing, and The Red Pen of Doom

 
               
3. What kind of references do you offer? I can offer many professional references. Working with publishing companies and freelancing allows me to edit for many different authors.
4. For new authors out there who may not understand the breakdown of your services, what is the difference between content editing and copy line editing? Content editing checks for factual errors, contradictions, and inconsistencies. If the content is fictional, I would check for discrepancies in the plot, character, or dialogue. I check whether the theme has been developed properly, or whether the sub-plots have been integrated into the story line well enough. So, content editing evaluates the content in detail. Copy editing is checking for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, verb tenses and other grammatical errors. It also involves checking for continuity, sentence structure, paragraph lengths, word choices, missed words, and the like. So, basically, copy editing involves correcting the language of the text.
5. If an author hires you for PA/Personal Assistant, what is included? I offer several different packages, so this varies based on the author’s needs and budget.
I took
6. Are you a writer as well? What is your favorite genre? I write, however, am not planning to publish anything soon. A favorite is hard to pick. I really love them all. I guess it is just whatever I am in the mood for that day.
7. Once I had a person edit my work only to find out later she never understood the genre. Considering you edit different genres, my question is, do you read all the different genres you would edit? I do. I am a fan of many genres and edit nearly all. Unfortunately, I do not enjoy reading Urban Lit, so I would not be comfortable with editing same. I do not feel I would be able to provide a quality edit for this genre.
8. Tell me something about you? I am a thirty-five year old mother of six (well, two are stepchildren, but I still claim them as mine) and work full-time from home as an Editor, Author PA, and Marketing Manager. In my free time (I know, what is that?!), I love to fish, snorkel and dive.


If you have any questions you can find Toni Michelle on Facebook under Polished Pages Editing Services or Binding Dreams Market Manager, her email is t-michelle@live.com She also has a blog 
Binding Dreams Word Press Blog 

I thank you for visiting with me and answering such important questions. I hope you'll come back to visit.

HORROR Writer/Author Alexander Stephen Brown at Geekonomicon 2015

GEEKONOMICON 2015 

Sitting next to me at the Pulp/Writer's Exhibitor section was none other then Horror writer/ author Alexander Stephen Brown. 

He was wonderful and funny and he and his assistant/ friend, Kerry Stevens on his right. They made me feel like I fit right in. I was surrounded by other great authors and publishers and at first I felt like an outsider, but not long after we were all laughing and enjoying our day together. Even though you can't see me, I was actually sitting behind his huge sign. (Which I want one for myself.) 

After talking with Alexander I found out he's published by Dark Oak Publishing. I happened to meet the owner of the company Tommy Hancock who was also there sitting close by pushing his other author's works. I was extremely excited that a publishing house would work extra hard to help his authors. It was amazing. Also Mr. Hancock was down to earth and fun to hang out with.



The pictures below was his setup~ Impressive!!!

 

        Alexander S. Brown has a lot of different Novels out which can be found on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-S.-Brown/e/B002UN7ZHQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1


Alexander and myself pushing our books~~~~ We had a blast. Later we all even went to dinner together.

                                                                                               

Tag, Your It, Blog Hop

Greetings! First I’d like to take the time to thank Runére for tagging me so I could join in the fun on this introductory blog hop. I can’t wait to read BLACK DOLL, the first book in her New Orleans based ‘Silent Doll’ series, seven stories that begin with an anonymously delivered Voodoo doll!

So, let me get to these questions I was given.

1.)   What are you currently working on right now?

Well, I’m finishing editing on the last few pages of my newest book, THE UNFORSEEN RESCUE. I hope to have it ready to release around Halloween. Though each of my books can be read as a stand-alone, my characters come from a central world, interacting with each other in their own story. This newest one has a connection to the main characters from FOREVER LOST, my first ebook, available at http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Lost-ebook/dp/B007COU8I6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380577433&sr=8-1&keywords=Paula+Hardin , but it's also available on Barnes and Noble, and Itunes, and Smashwords. I have another book I’m preparing to start edits on, hoping to have it ready for Heather Graham’s conference in December. With two other stories underway, I stay pretty busy! Oh! I bet you’d like to see the covers! Here they are for both books.

  

             

2

3.)   Why do you write what you do?

Smiling fondly. I owe it all to Christine Feehan. Once I started reading her books I was hooked on the Paranormal genre. It started out as a joke, but while waiting for her next book to come out, I tried my hand at story telling. But as I began to write my first pages, to build my characters, it quickly became real. Now I see my characters everywhere. While cooking dinner, watching TV, talking to a friend, my mind tends to go off and I’m transported back into my story. All I want to do is write.

That time I first tried my hand at writing I thought I was doing good, but I know now it needed work. I had not yet learned the craft. When she read my first pages, she didn’t tell me how mangled my work was; instead she told me how she loved this and that about my story. With her encouragements, it keeps me inspired. She’s a Icon, a legend to me and all who love her work.  Through the learning process and workshops, I have come a long way. And if she’s reading this, I want to say thank you. I love you beyond all the stars in the sky.

4.)   How does my writing process work?

After deciding to write a particular story, I find names for my main characters, I think about any habits they might have, what they look like  . . . and write them down! I learned the hard way when I forgot a character’s eye color about half way through the manuscript. I find a personal habit, good or bad, to bring them closer to the reader. I do all this while making primitive dolls. My love for the paranormal sneaks in there as well when I occasionally create Witch and Mummy dolls. Hahaha!  I sell them locally and online, with some of the money supporting my writing by buying my promos, and covers.

I tried to plot out my storyline, but lost the whole feel for the story. I don’t know what happens, or why, but it does.  So I think I write by the seat of my pants . . .hahaha . . .

Well, thank you for stopping by. It was my greatest pleasure to have you here!

Paula Hardin

PS—I tag April M. Reign and Tressa Messenger and Rita Bay. These ladies are great storytellers, so come prepared to meet two awesome ladies!

Fall Is Coming

Greetings Peeps. I hope all is well in your world. Fall is on it's way. I don't mind the weather for fall, but winter I don't like the cold. On the other hand, I love the rich earth tone colors, and the upcoming holidays. Life is a fast paced in mine, and I never seem to have enough time to do the things I need done. Twenty more pages and my edits will be completed. My cover is awesome, and I love it. I already showed a quick peek. My blurb about half done. Compacting a book into two small paragraphs isn't easy. Not for a chatter box like myself. Grins wickedly. You can't tell that by my blog because I know I let it go for weeks, months sometimes, without leaving a post, but I feel like I'm talking to myself and I find this harder then writing.
    I have two blog appearances coming up, so I'm really nervous and excited. I don't want to mess up and embarrass myself. I would be mortified. When I meet people in real life, I say I'm shy, but I warm up quickly. My husband will tell you on the other hand. I never meet a stranger.
    I love primitive dolls, and Halloween is my favorite making all kinds of ghost, witches, mummies and I've made a Frankenstein. Here are a few pictures for your pleasure.