Hi, and welcome back to our New Year's Reunion! It's day seven, last day! Every day you take a look and comment, you'll receive extra points, so if you're new to the event, you'll want to take a look at posts from the last five days to catch up. Make sure you enter the Rafflecopter and include your email address in your comment. Don't miss a day, and have fun :-)
Alexandra Anthony
Danita Minnis
Alexandra Anthony
Five Things I
Learned in 2013 – Alexandra Anthony
- I have to take time to let my mind recover between books
I quickly discovered that I can’t keep up the frantic pace
of writing. As much as I love to write…I
have to think about my personal well-being and state of mind. As a writer, you develop characters, worlds,
drama…you even hold your character’s very lives in the palm of your hand. It’s also taxing…writing, doing promo work
and just keeping up with your personal life.
I have to take time for me. The
books will come…
- It’s OK to keep your personal life…well, personal.
I make myself very accessible to my readers and fans. I enjoy and have formed friendships with many
of them. I’ve met so many wonderful
people that I enjoy talking with.
However, the flip side of the coin is that accessibility also brings in
negative people and I realized that it’s OK to keep some things about Alexandra
Anthony quiet.
- Building friendships with your fans and reads is more important than pushing books.
As an author, you need to get your books out there. That’s a given. And it’s easy to fall into the trap of just
being a glorified salesperson. I decided
I’d rather focus on interacting and talking with my fans than pushing books
down everyone’s throat every day. It’s
much more enjoyable for me…and my followers too!
- Sometimes you have to let go of a series to grow as a writer.
This was a hard one for me.
I made the decision for now to keep The Dark Hart Chronicles as a two
book series. Is it the end of the road for
Savannah & Nick? Never say never…but
I have many stand alone books I want to write…and writing a series is difficult
and time-consuming. In order to grow, I
have to let some things go.
- Being an author sounds glamorous, but it’s not.
When I tell people I’m an author, they likely picture JK
Rowling on the red carpet. HA! Not only do you have your “normal” life to
maintain, you also have a business to run.
You are the CEO, Personal Assistant, Creative Director and grunt. There are days I never make it out of yoga
pants and a sweatshirt.
Writing is fun and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but it
is not glamorous!
Where
to find Alexandra on the Web
Alexandra Anthony YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45xJSiIdpSj5zKI_z0LNcQ
Promo Video for The Vampire Destiny Series:
Promo Video for The Vampire Destiny Series and The
Dark Hart Chronicles:
Promo Video for Tempted: The Dark Hart Chronicles
Book 1:
Promo Video for Ascend (The Vampire Destiny Series
Book 4)
Amazon
Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/AlexandraAnthony/e/B0086EI9PK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Smashwords
Author Page:
Abigail Owen
Crimson Dahlia
Book #3 of the Svatura Series
When Lila Jenner leaves her family and friends to start a new life for herself, Ramsey Pierce lets her go. Determined that the fire raging inside him will never harm her, he denies the magical bond that could be theirs alone.
When an old enemy resurfaces and Lila suddenly disappears, Ramsey realizes that he'll do anything to win her back and keep her safe beside him. But Maddox, driven by a centuries-old quest for revenge, is stronger than they ever imagined. And Lila could be the key to his ultimate power.
Friends and enemies must band together against this shared threat if any of them are to survive. Even then, they may all discover too late that one dragon is not always enough...
When Lila Jenner leaves her family and friends to start a new life for herself, Ramsey Pierce lets her go. Determined that the fire raging inside him will never harm her, he denies the magical bond that could be theirs alone.
When an old enemy resurfaces and Lila suddenly disappears, Ramsey realizes that he'll do anything to win her back and keep her safe beside him. But Maddox, driven by a centuries-old quest for revenge, is stronger than they ever imagined. And Lila could be the key to his ultimate power.
Friends and enemies must band together against this shared threat if any of them are to survive. Even then, they may all discover too late that one dragon is not always enough...
Don't miss out on the first two books in the series:
Abigail
Award Winning Author of Blue Violet & the Svatura Series
Other places to follow me:
Website & Blog: http://www.abigailowen.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AOwenBooks
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/abbyowen/
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/abigailowen
Dariel, thanks for having me on the reunion! I can’t believe it’s been
a year since my debut novel Falcon’s Angel, Book 1 of the Cardiff Novel series
was published. I’ve learned so much about marketing and advertising my work,
and I’m still learning. J I am so
excited to present to your readers the second novel in the Cardiff series, Love
Entwined. To celebrate this reunion I’m sharing a new excerpt of Love Entwined.
Enjoy!
Blurb
Run, little witch…
Amelie Laurent is on her way to the top
of the jewelry designing world with no time for men. Her orderly life is about
to come undone when jewelry tycoon Roman Cardiff steals her away on assignment
to a remote English estate. Roman wants Amelie all to himself but St. Clair
Manor’s resident ghost has been waiting for her much longer than he has.
Run home…
An unseen gunman takes a shot at Roman
and he blames a business rival. But Amelie and Roman are to blame, for falling
in love 200 years before in a time neither of them remember.
From the heartbreak of pre-Revolutionary
France to modern day corporate wars, Amelie and Roman uncover a history of
blood jewels, lust and demons.
Good witch, bad witch, you must decide…
When Amelie discovers
her inner witch she learns the real reason she was summoned to St. Clair Manor.
Il Dragone will kill to get her back. Amelie will kill if they do.
Excerpt
“It is good you have
come.”
Amelie turned at the
soft French and squinted up at the woman. She was standing directly behind
Amelie but the sun was just at the right angle to obscure her face. Auburn
locks waved in the breeze.
She shaded her eyes
with a hand, to no avail. “Bonjour. I am sorry, but I don’t know your
name.” She waited, firming her lip in growing impatience in the silence. There
was something that bothered her about this French maid, who did not act as a
maid should.
She stood up
clutching her sketch of Zeus with the stone bench between them. She still could
not see the woman’s features clearly. The sun appeared even brighter than
before so that she could not look directly at the woman. “Do you live here?
With Roman?”
“This is my home.”
“I see.”
Bells tinkled on the
breeze.
Amelie turned back
toward the statue of Zeus. Below the gardens, near the River Wharfe, two white horses galloped.
“They are beautiful,”
she whispered.
“It is almost time.”
“Time for what?” She
could not take her eyes off the Arabians. She’d never seen anything so
beautiful. Bells hung from their tassels as they sped by in fluid motion.
“They have been in
your midst for some time, Amelie, waiting for the perfect opportunity.”
The horses jumped
across an embankment in unison, never breaking their stride, so lovely…
“They know who you
are. They remember.”
“Yes, they remember…”
Amelie murmured. The sound of the horse’s hooves pounded
through her…
“You will remember.”
The woman’s French was so insistent it blocked out the sound of the horse’s
hooves in her head.
She shook her head
slowly. “I don’t. I can’t…”
“Your precious life
depends on it, ma chérie. Remember, Amelie.”
Bio
Danita Minnis
grew up singing and once thought she would do that all her life. She soon found
writing just as fulfilling and writes paranormal romance. She loves mystery,
mysticism, the fantastic and the fey. She has published The Cardiff Novels, a
series about one family’s trials with vengeful demons, a legacy of ghosts and
mysterious blood jewels. She is currently working on the third novel in the
Cardiff series, which introduces the Cardiffs’ connection to ancient vampires.
Danita is a member of Romance Writers of
America. She is a lover of chocolate, a good, scary movie, kittens and pups -
especially Siberian Huskies. When she is not writing, she exercises her lungs
at her son's soccer matches and their favorite theme park, because everyone
knows it's easier on the stomach to scream your way down a roller coaster.
Connect with Danita
Facebook
Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danita-Minnis-Romance-Author/433534206657385?ref=hl
The Cardiff Novels
Krystal Shannan
Trevor
A
MacLaughlin Family Novella
By
Krystal
Shannan
Trevor MacLaughlin has
been in love with his sister's best friend for years. But, he let her move away
to college without ever telling her how he felt and hasn't seen her since.
Now, years later, a second
chance with the woman of his dreams practically falls into his lap.
Will he take a leap of
faith and tell her how he feels? How he's always felt? Or will the woman he
knows is meant to be his slip through his fingers a second time?
Excerpt:
Trevor
opened the hotel room door at 9:05pm. The meeting with the client had taken
longer than he expected. The flooding had taken down a wall, collapsed a roof,
and ruined several large machines. The owner was paying upfront for a quick
salvage, but it would be tomorrow morning before he could have a crew mobilized
and here.
As
late as it was, he’d managed to find a little place still open and got them
both a home-style burger and fries. Hopefully she would forgive him for being
so late.
The
site that greeted him was adorable and frightening at the same time. Her
luggage was open on the floor and appeared to have been dug through, as if
whatever she’d wanted was at the very bottom. A pair of pink satin and lace
panties lay draped over the edge and a matching pink and black bra lay just
inside the suitcase on top of a pile of shoes. The thought of seeing her in
those made blood rush to his dick. Papers and books were scattered across the
bed along with a tablet computer wrapped in a bright yellow cover.
He
set the bag of food down on the dresser next to the tv and picked up one of the
books off the bed – Ancient Gods and
Goddesses. He flipped through a few pages. Next to it he picked up an
inside out black, over-sized sweatshirt. He turned it the right way and
chuckled. On the front it read –Men say a
women’s place is in the kitchen. Just remember, that’s where all the knives
are. This girl was something else.
The
door of the bathroom clicked open. Lorelei walked out half wrapped in a towel,
wet hair glistening, looking like one of the goddesses from her book. I’ve truly died and gone to heaven.
“Holy
mother of popcorn balls! Trevor!” She screeched and ducked back into the
bathroom, but not before giving him a nice peek at her bare ass. “You could at
least make a little noise when you come in,” she spat out through the barely
cracked door.
“Where
would be the fun in that?”
He
heard a faint curse, but couldn’t decipher what she’d said.
“Can
you please leave so I can get dressed?”
He
had no intention of leaving the room. “I can bring you clothes. What do you
want?”
“I…fine.
The yoga pants and the sweatshirt on the foot of the bed.”
He
picked up the requested items and glanced down at the lacy bra and underwear. She hadn’t asked for them. A few steps
brought him to the bathroom door. She opened it far enough to stick her arm
through, snatching the clothes from his hand and shutting the door in his face.
“Anything
else?” Underwear, perhaps?
“No.”
Her voice was irritated, but husky. The raspy quality made his mind go places
it shouldn’t.
~~~~~~
Available now
@ Amazon
| B&N
| Smashwords
Meet the Author:
Paranormal Romance author, Krystal Shannan, lives
in Texas and is married to the love-of-her-life. They have a spunky young
daughter who believes in fairies. Krystal professes to loving shoes, but avoids
wearing them at all costs. She teaches in the public schools and writes as much
as she can in her free time. If any more spare time can be squeezed from her
day, she enjoys reading romance in all genres, but especially paranormal. If it
has a 'Happily Ever After', she's on board!
She is an active member in her local RWA chapter
DARA.
Krystal Shannan
Putting Magick in Romance one Soul Mate at a Time.
___________________________________
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What’s Happening Now?
Interview
1. First, looking back, how do you feel
about your 2013 goals and how well did you do in reaching them? What helped or
hindered your success?
2013 went well, but I
didn’t get everything done I wanted to. I did learn a little more about
realistic expectations and will plan 2014 accordingly.
2. Life happens, and every writer is
subject to its effects (positive or challenging). What personal (spiritual,
emotional, physical, professional) life changes do you foresee affecting your
writing this year?
I’m going to be a
stay-at-home-mom this year! This is definitely going to change my outlook on
life, schedule, and time available for writing.
3. What have you learned about yourself
recently as a writer (one random thing)?
I write
faster if I do at least a semi-plotted outline of my stories.
4. How many books have you published
(include anthologies)? Tell me about them (genre, bibliography)
I have 8 published books
in the contemporary and paranormal romance genres.
5. What can we look forward to from you
in 2014 (special projects, books and anthologies of course)
I have lots coming in
2014. I plan to finish my Vegas Mates Series and start two new paranormal
series. I’m also having a blast writing a short 4-book contemporary novella
series. It will be completed by the end of February.
6. Which of your books would you suggest
to someone new to your writing and why?
If you prefer
contemporary with just a hint of paranormal, I recommend OPEN HOUSE. If you
prefer a little darker paranormal with shifters, I recommend CHASING SAM. If
paranormal is not in your wheelhouse, I absolutely adore my newest release
TREVOR.
7. What’s your favorite online hangout
(complete link – only one)?
Is it bad
that I don’t have one? LOL.
Maegan Provan
What’s Happening Now? Interview
1. First, looking back, how do you feel
about your 2013 goals and how well did you do in reaching them? What helped or
hindered your success?
I think I didn’t do as well as I had hoped. When I wrote Book
One: Celine, I was mostly unemployed so I had the time. Now I have a full time
job and much more going on with my life, but I do still try to make it through
and just get my books out as I can.
2. Life happens, and every writer is
subject to its effects (positive or challenging). What personal (spiritual,
emotional, physical, professional) life changes do you foresee affecting your
writing this year?
Well, I know for sure that my full time job will get in the
way. I have had zero time to work on Book 2: Jeremy since I started working
again. It’s a positive road block, because I really like my job, but my ideal career would be just writing.
3. What have you learned about yourself
recently as a writer (one random thing)?
That the whole “writers like to procrastinate” thing is not a
myth.
4. How many books have you published
(include anthologies)? Tell me about them (genre, bibliography)
Just the one so far. Celine is New Adult/ Urban Fantasy. I
attempted to make my version of vampires. I have certain details that could be
considered true to the original legends, but I wanted to try something new.
5. What can we look forward to from you
in 2014 (special projects, books and anthologies of course)
I am hoping to get Jeremy out before the end of the year, but
if I don’t it will be coming out in early 2014. My special project is my
currently untitled zombie novel, and that is going to get the bulk of my focus
next year.
6. Which of your books would you suggest
to someone new to your writing and why?
Well, since Celine is the only book I have out right now,
that would be the best place to start. Since I started my writing career with a
series, it’s only fitting to start from the beginning.
7. What’s your favorite online hangout
(complete link – only one)?
I don’t have one, honestly. I just kind of stick to my little
corner a bulk of the time.
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