I Interview Nazarea Andrews on Edge of the Falls!

Nazarea Andrews' new adult paranormal Edge of the Falls debuts today! I got a chance to interview her about it, and about her writing. But first, here's a short synopsis:


Sabah always knew where she belonged—with Berg—and what was expected of her—to care for the other children the Mistress took in. But when a ban-wolf saves her life, things begin to change.
Arjun isn’t like the other ban-wolves, the savage creatures that are barely human. He’s gentle and furious and as Sabah spends time with him, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind. But in a world of darkness, control, and danger, is there a place for two outcasts? Edge of the Falls is a romantic retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a dark dystopia.

Tell us a little about your main characters.
Sabah is an outcast girl with a lot of responsibilities caring for the other children the Mistress takes in. She’s trying to find her place in a world that doesn’t want her, while coming to grips with some uncomfortable truths about the people in her life.

In what ways do they change?
 Sabah really grows up. I have this theory, that everyone can be pushed to a certain point, and then they either break or evolve.  Sabah hits that point, and it’s really fascinating to me to see how she reacted.
Give us your favorite line from your protagonist
“I don’t care,” I say, and it’s the truth. He can hear it in my voice, and his head turns to me.

From an antagonist:
“She is the Mistress,” he says simply.

An emblematic, teaser paragraph:
 It is easy, and effortless, in a way that being with Berg is not. Not anymore.
I shake my head, and feel Arjun's eyes on me, curious. I hate that it is so natural to compare the two of them. Berg is the one who held my hand in the darkness, who rescued me. But... does my loyalty to him extend even when he chooses another?

What keeps you going when your inspiration flags?
My kids. And the voices in my head.

What truly inspires you and fires up your vision?
What if? I love answering that question. Every story starts with a what if. It fascinates me to see it pan out.
Best words of advice you ever received?
Just write. Write what you don’t know. Dream big and explore the things you’re curious about.
Worst?
LOL, I don’t remember. Maybe, ‘Get a day job’. I tune out the negative. :)

Can you offer some writing advice to aspiring and new authors?
Write the story you can’t NOT write. Don’t worry about trends or any of that nonsense. Just write. And revise the hell out of it.

Which do you enjoy writing most: action, romance, setting, dialog?
Romance. Hands down. I’d put kissing in every scene if I could get away with it.

A hint of what you’re working on next?
 There’s a teaser in Edge! It’s a NA paranormal, about two faery royals who aren’t supposed to fall in love.
To purchase Edge of the Falls: Amazon & B&N

Where can readers find you on the web?
 I’m on Twitter @NazareaAndrews, on my blog and my website.

More about Nazarea:
Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and writes the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. Her first book, Edge of the Falls, is available March 12. Today!

M Pax's Third in the series, Boomtown Craze!

Today I'm featuring speculative fiction wrier M Pax and the third in her space opera, Boomtown Craze!

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?
In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

ebooks at:  AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords
From March 4 to March 22, folks can enter to win the following:
1 set of signed Backworlds paperbacks, including The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and Boomtown Craze. Will only ship to US residents. Rafflecopter to enter found at http://mpaxauthor.com/

Hugging her telescope!

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Find M Pax on Twitter,  Facebook, You Tube

Sweets Blogfest & Especially Sweet Morsels

 Today is the Sweets Blogfest! And what could be sweeter than a bunch of romantic stories by some great blogger friends. I'm talking about the fabulous and prolific Kelly Hashway and the adorable Beth Fred of Promote 52. Check out their books and visit Beth and Kelly's blogs to win a free copy of Beth's The Other Marlowe Girl or Kelly's Love All!

So, what's my favorite sweet, and what's sweet in my world? Hmm, my fave sweet is frozen yogurt or a big old almond chocolate bar.
This week what's sweet for me is that I'm an author and book of the week over at eReader Cafe! Stop by and say hi, and get your copy of Fireseed One if you haven't already, so that when the sequel, Ruby's Fire comes out, you're up on the whole story!

What else is sweet? I'll be a featured reader at KGB Bar in Manhattan on March 22, and reading from Ruby's Fire. If you're in the New York City area, stop by this infamous writers' place and hang out with us!

Have a sweet day. Oh, and what's your favorite sweet?

Back from the Future Blogfest

Hey all,
I got a late start on posting this today, so I'll be doing the Back FROM the Future blogfest hop all weekend.
You’re up before dawn on a Saturday when the bell rings. You haven’t brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you…from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox—sent from ten years in the future—and it’s filled with items you have sent yourself. What’s in it?

My painting of a hedgehog family

It would have to be a HUGE shoebox, because I'd want to put in my future paintings and drawings, as well as my future books, which would help direct me to what I should be focusing on now.

What would YOU send back to yourself?

Elizabeth Arroyo Talks about The Second Sign

Today I'm talking with Elizabeth Arroyo, the author of The Second Sign, a dark YA paranormal romance:

Tell us about your main characters:
Gabby is a strong, stubborn teen with a knack of saying what comes to mind and getting into trouble.
Jake is her opposite. He's happy-go-lucky and always on the lookout for his next adrenaline rush.
How do they change? 
Gabby learns to trust her feelings and the consequences of her actions.
Jake learns his true nature.
Give us a favorite line from your protagonist:
"Yeah, um, it didn't really dawn on me that I was saving your life." Yeah, that went well. "I mean, yeah, I woulda, but..." Jumping off the cliff seemed easier than this.
From an antagonist:
"There is no peace for the wicked."
An emblematic, teaser paragraph:
He gave her a sideways glance. If he knew what she thought, his face revealed nothing and his eyes even less. She didn't care. She'd never known a mother or a father. Max was all she had, and he too was slipping from her. She looked away from Mir and turned her gaze to her hands. Naite's warning settled in her stomach. Max had betrayed her. Their bond broken. What she wouldn't give to have someone love her. Her soul?
What keeps you going when your inspiration flags?
Reading a good book puts things in perspective for me.
What truly inspires you and fires up your vision?
It's weird, but being in the staring out to space mode fires up my creativity side. Daydreaming and/or sometimes night dreams invade my thoughts and I start writing scene by scene. Strangely enough, oftentimes, the different images connect into a larger story. So weird, I know.
Best words of advice you ever received?
Keep writing. Simple and to the point.
Worst?
Expect the worst and hope for the best. Yes, I used to say those words and try to psych myself that it wouldn't hurt, but you can't prepare for the sting of rejection. Expecting the worst is useless except to throw out negativity. What kept me going from submission to submission is the possibility of acceptance. I imagined it. Felt it. And it felt really good. That feeling kept me going.
Can you offer some writing advice?
Writing for yourself and writing for a larger audience are two very different things. Learn as much as you can about the craft. Some folks can put pen to paper and there's magic. Those are the lucky ones. The rest of us have to work at it.
Which do you enjoy writing most: action, romance, setting, dialog?
Action. I love movement in scenes, and heightening my character's emotional stress levels.
A hint of what you’re working on next?
I am working on the sequel! Yay!!
Where can readers find you on the web? My website, my blog, on Facebook, on Twitter.
Where readers can buy The Second Sign: on kindle, Amazon paperback, B&N

More about THE SECOND SIGN
Dark YA Paranormal Romance from Sapphire Star Publishing

Bred to believe in the war between angels and demons, Gabby has come to the conclusion that love is responsible for war, jealousy, and all the other deadly sins she can think of. So when she’s exiled to the middle of nowhere for getting kicked out of her fifth school for fighting, she doesn’t expect to meet Jake. Much less fall in love.
     
When a demon guardian comes to collect her soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not a demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.

As Gabby and Jake begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.

Cover for Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaStorm!!!

Blogger and sci-fi writer extraordinaire, Alex J. Cavanaugh is at it again, ready to release another in his epic sci-fi, space opera series. I am happy to take part in his cover reveal celebration.
Check it out! What do you think? Pretty space-cool, right? Below is a blurb and info on its release date. Check out Alex's blog and follow, if you're not already! He's one of the most generous, community-minded bloggers around. Oh, and a ninja warrior to boot!

Info on Cassa Storm:

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.
After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…
Release date: September 17, 2013
Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure
Print ISBN 9781939844002
E-book ISBN 9781939844019

Pictures from a Perfect Snowfall

Peter Stuyvesant, inspector general
of New Netherlands, which, when the British
took over, became New York!
How do you like his pirate-y peg-leg?!

Everyone knows that the east coast got a blast of snow over the weekend. I'm here to tell you that New York City was no exception. We were terribly worried, having only partially recovered from Hurricane Sandy. I had visions of power outages, hovering under cold quilts and playing cards by candlelight. But the snow was beautiful and we were safe and warm.

I walked in a nearby park and took pix to show you. Did you get work done while the storm raged? I did a respectable word count every day. Here's looking to spring but still not putting away those boots!

What's your fave winter writing space? (Mine's a small front room with a good street view) Fave winter food to munch on while writing? (Mine's tamari almonds) Fave writing outfit? (Mine's jeans, a ski sweater and slippers).

Stuyvesant Park