Meet The Author Monday - Suleikha Snyder

NAME:  Suleikha Snyder

BLOG: http://suleikhasnyder.blogspot.com

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/suleikhasnyder

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Spice and Smoke

RELEASE DATE:  April 10

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: “Brevity is the soul of wit,” from Shakespeare’s favorite windbag, Polonius. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said it — both to myself and to people whose (nonfiction!) work I’ve edited. Whether it’s short, sweet, sexy or funny, never underestimate the effectiveness of getting right to the point.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: I’ve never watched the U.S. version of The Office, so I don’t even know where I might have picked it up from, but I say “That’s what she said!” way more than is advisable. I overuse it to the point where some friends of mine have suggested I write a TWSS moment into a novella. (Don’t worry: I haven’t managed to fit one in yet.) (That’s what she said!)

COMFORT FOOD: Anything fried, particularly empanadas or samosas. I completely adore mac & cheese. In fact, the one thing more excellent than mac & cheese is fried mac & cheese.

COMFORT READ: A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeleine L’Engle

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Starts with coffee and ends with a smile. 

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?:  I’m currently working on the sequel to Spice and Smoke, Spice and Secrets. It’s a multicultural contemporary romance. Two couples — a pair of former sweethearts and a fiery talk show hostess and her producer — must work through lies, misgivings and past relationship baggage in order to find love. I also have a couple of other Bollywood/South Asian-themed romances up my sleeve. Let’s just say that I’m realllly excited about 2012!

Meet The Author Monday - Carrie Ann Ryan

NAME: Carrie Ann Ryan

WEBSITE: http://carrieannryan.blogspot.com/

BLOG: http://carrieannryan.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: An Alpha’s Path – Book 1 of the Redwood Pack Series

RELEASE DATE: Dec 5^th, 2011

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: My favorite writing memory is when I sat down for NanoWriMo the first time and realized I could actually put words on paper. My fingers typed frantically as the words flowed. It was then I realized I could be a writer – no I was a writer.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: My favorite non writing memory is the day after finals of one of my Chemistry lectures. A young girl came up to me crying and threw herself in my arms. She told me the reason she passed was because I helped her. Then I told her she did it herself because she had it in her. That girl is in her first year of medical school now, and I would be honored to be her patient.

COMFORT FOOD: Rice Krispie Treats and M&Ms. (Yum!) Oh and a Coke. I’m trying to cut back, but mmm....

COMFORT READ: Cry Wolf - Alpha and Omega Book 1, by Patricia Briggs. I love Charles! I see myself in Anna, and want to comfort her.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Wake up late, eat breakfast in bed with the hubby. Have some good food cooking in the Crockpot as I read a good book out in the warm day. Now that sounds lazy, but so amazing!

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: A Taste for a Mate – Book 2 of the Redwood Pack Series. (Jasper’s Story)

Meet the Author Monday - Jessica Scott

I'm super excited to host debut author Jessica Scott for Meet The Author Monday this week! Her first novel, Because of You, comes out today, and it sounds fantastic. Here's a little about Jessica:

NAME: Jessica Scott

WEBSITE: http://www.jessicascott.net/

BLOG: http://www.jessicascott.net/blog

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: BECAUSE OF YOU

RELEASE DATE: November 14

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Nora Roberts from RWA 10: Reader A will love a book for the same reason Reader B will want to burn it.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Get better every day and never quit. ~ Greywolf 6 (my former brigade commander)

COMFORT FOOD: Godiva Chocolate
COMFORT READ: The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale or more recently, Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

YOUR PERFECT DAY: pajama day, hanging around the house with my kiddos doing not much of anything

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: I’m working on revisions for Trent’s book, the 2nd book in my Coming Home series, BACK TO YOU. Then I’m working on the 1st draft of book 3, UNTIL THERE WAS YOU.

...don't forget to stop by tomorrow to find out all about her first book!

Meet The Author Monday - Wanda DeGolier

NAME: Wanda DeGolier

WEBSITE: http://www.wandadegolier.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Animal Attraction
Mainstream Romantic Mystery

RELEASE DATE: February 11, 2010

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY:
This is goofy. I’d done the incredibly geeky thing of changing the keyboard layout on my keyboard to Dvorak. This means all the letters were in different places allowing me (supposedly) to make fewer errors and type faster (once I’d mastered it).

Right afterward, as I was typing along at a blazing 10-words-a-minute while writing a tense scene where my heroine was in peril. For me, I feel the tension, worry and fear of my characters. So, here she is stuck and needing help, and I can’t save her because my fingers can’t get the words out fast enough.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY:
Wow! That’s hard. Falling in love is exceptionally fun. So is watching my children grow, but I’m being cheesy. You want something interesting. Hmm…

There was the serenading Klingons episode, seeing a field of sunflowers in Iowa, a sloth in a tree in Costa Rica and a Hawaiian sunset. I was the mascot for a professional sports team for a short while.

But, for me none of that is as good as a good old-fashioned smile from the people I love.

COMFORT FOOD:
Potato chips and Milky Way candy bars.

COMFORT READ:
I read a lot and don’t tend toward re-reading. I probably read 10 books a month and find most of them comforting. I like Pulitzer-prize winners as well as light-hearted reads like Janet Evanovich or more heady work like Anita Shreve. I read erotica too. Stick most anything in front of my face and I’ll be happy.

YOUR PERFECT DAY:
I awaken just as my two children, clothed and groomed and ready for school, enter my bedroom with breakfast on a golden tray. While eating my eggs, my husband calls to let me know we’ve won the lottery.

I still take the kids to public school (because I want them to have a rounded education.) After dropping them off, I head home where I hunker down and enter the odd world where my stories live.

I dwell there for hours, writing and rewriting and struggling (struggling is part of the fun). I stop only to renew my supply of candy and chips. (In my prefect world I never gain weight or get cavities.) When it’s time to pick the kids up from school, I have exceeded my goals for the day! Yay! Upon seeing them, I learn they have both earned Super Student awards.

After dinner, my hubby offers to put the kids to bed and tells me to go to a Zumba class. (Zumba is so much fun.) After Zumba, I get a glass of cheap red wine, (Oh yeah, I forgot I’m rich.) I get a glass of expensive champagne then settle down with a book in the bathtub. Ahhhh…..perfect end to a perfect day.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
I’ve been working for a few years on an historical trilogy set in the North West around the year 1900. The backdrop is the theater and silent film. My heroines have the added layer of being suffragists.

Because of the massive amounts of research, it’s been a long work in process. The draft of the first book is complete and it’s titled Defiance.

MTA Monday - Laurie Ryan

This week's MTA (Meet The Author) Monday author is Laurie Ryan. Let's see what she had to say about my daft questions, why don't we?

NAME: Laurie Ryan

WEBSITE: http://www.laurieryanauthor.com/

BLOG: No permanent blog yet. For now, I guest blog. And I’d like to thank Kate Davies for having me here.

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Stolen Treasures

RELEASE DATE: December 8, 2009

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: It may sound cliché but it has to be “the call.” I was waiting with my mother when the call came in and it wasn’t so much the call from BookStrand that indicated I had sold my first book. It was the fact that my mother was with me when I got it. She is absolutely the most amazing person I have ever known. To be able to share that with her made it a precious moment for me.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Wow. There are so many choices. Now, that’s not saying I’m old, mind you. There’s meeting my husband, marrying my husband, childbirth. The list goes on. But last year, in a little wide spot in the road called Coldfoot, halfway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, I got to check off a life dream. I saw the northern lights in great, green, gyrating streaks across the sky. For almost an hour, in the middle of the night, my husband and I stood with 30 or so strangers who, wrapped in coats, bathrobes, and blankets, were just as awed as we were. It was an amazing experience and one I treasure.

COMFORT FOOD: Cocoa. Always cocoa. Summer or winter. It can calm me down or rev me up, depending on what I need. It’s great for brainstorming or for reviewing the day.

COMFORT READ: Definitely Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series. I have probably read the series 10-12 times by now. It never gets old and, since I first read it in high school, it’s like revisiting an old friend.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: A lot of stars have to align for a perfect day so that, when I check my emails, all is well with my family and the world. Then I would join my husband for coffee in front of the roaring fireplace in a log home in the mountains. The windows would frame soft snowfall. Later, we’ll go for a walk (the snow’s not too deep yet) stopping to watch the elk in the meadow for a while. Once home, the aroma of homemade bread and soup heating in the crock pot would welcome us. And about that time, the kids and grandkids would descend and a beautiful chaos would finish out our day. In actuality, we live in the city, but each January, this is the exact feel of what happens when we go away to a rented cabin for a long weekend with our children and grandchildren. Absolutely perfect!

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW? More stories about modern day piracy, of course! Stolen Treasures is the story of two people who find love while attempting to capture a modern day pirate. The second book in this series is about the hunky pirate and explains why he became a brigand.

Thanks, Laurie, for dropping by! And everyone else, be sure to check back tomorrow to hear more about Stolen Treasures.

Meet The Author - Erin Nicholas

NAME:
Erin Nicholas

WEBSITE:
http://www.erinnicholas.com/

BLOG:
http://ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK:
No Matter What

RELEASE DATE:
November 3, 2009

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY:
Wow, tough question! I would say my first sale but that’s kind-of a given right? And the second was just as exciting! I would have to say my favorite is of my first writer’s conference. It was the Emerald City Writer’s Conference. Just everything about it! I attended with one of my best friends, a fellow as of yet unpublished author. We met agents (did my first pitch—ugh!), editors (they really aren’t that scary after all!), some of my favorite writers (Susan Andersen, Julia Quinn to name just two!)… it was my first true non-internet connection with a big bunch of writers… just so cool!

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY:
I’m so blessed to have so many wonderful memories and stories, writing and non-writing! So, I’m going to go with my favorite saying:
Life is not about the breaths we take, but about the moments that take our breath away.

COMFORT FOOD:
Grilled cheese and tomato soup

COMFORT READ:
Heaven, Texas—Susan Elizabeth Phillips

YOUR PERFECT DAY:
Too much snow to go anywhere, everything at work handled by someone else (ie NO e-mails, texts or phone calls to me!), whole family home, all of us curled up watching a Christmas movie marathon with marshmallow popcorn and hot chocolate.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?:
Just My Type. It’s the third book in my series that kicks off in April with Just Right (middle book is Just Like That). The series is about the Bradford siblings— Jessica, Sam and Sara—falling in love. Just My Type is Sara’s story. She’s the baby of the family and has been in love with her brother’s best friend forever—and she’s finally decided to let him know!

MTA Monday -- Meet Vivian Arend

NAME: Vivian Arend

WEBSITE: http://vivianarend.com/

BLOG: http://vivarend.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Wolf Signs

RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2009

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Favorite memories so far are little moments that make my heart beat faster. Getting an acceptance letter. Having a Beta reader slip in the comment that the section she just finished made her laugh/cry/sweat… Seeing the cover artwork for the first time. Getting an ‘Oh, I loved your book, I just read it for the second time.’ I’m still in shock I wrote the thing, so it’s thrilling to know someone enjoyed it enough to re-read it!

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: I have a small wall plaque that states, “I am subject to bursts of enthusiasm.” I tend to do things 110%, jumping in with both feet and going for it. Cooking, kayaking, reading, living… all out all the time!

It’s not a bad way to live but it makes for some interesting moments!


COMFORT FOOD:
In hot weather, sushi. In cold, macaroni and cheese. The real stuff in the blue box. With lots of pepper and ketchup.

COMFORT READ: The Belgariad series by David Eddings. It’s simply full of every single fantasy element and too funny to boot. I love the bantering between the characters. It may not be real high literature but it’s a hoot and perfect for escapism.

YOUR PERFECT DAY:
Waking up to sunshine and heading out to do some kind of activity before breakfast- ski in winter, kayak or bike or canoe or walk in summer. Breakfast out with my hubby then getting to write/read all day until dinner.

After a good day writing I’d enjoy supper with the family and then play games with them. We like logic puzzle type stuff or hubby and I could go play bridge- just learning and it’s been a blast.

Some time chatting online with friends and a good book to read with a glass of wine in the evening.

Can I do this tomorrow? Please?



WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
I have a few works in progress. A ménage paranormal with the heroine has psychic abilities. A western romance. A naughty version of an Aesop’s fable.

Revising another werewolf paranormal. Lots on the go!

MTA Monday -- Meet Kimberley Troutte

NAME: Kimberley Troutte

WEBSITE: http://www.kimberleytroutte.com/

BLOG: http://kimberleytroutte.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: SOUL STEALER

RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2009. Happy St. Patty’s Day!

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Getting the call from Deborah Nemeth, editor at Samhain, ranks right up there with my all-time favs. I hit my knees and cried tears of joy the entire day! Everyone I ran into (even unsuspecting strangers in line at my favorite coffee house) got a sloppy wet hug. After 20 years of writing and five years of working nonstop to get published, the day had finally arrived. It was a lot like giving birth, once you have that baby in your arms, all the pain and suffering is quickly forgotten and you are ready to try again.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Ah well, I have two beautiful sons who inspire me and make me laugh every single day. The memories of those two coming into the world are my favorite crazy memories. Again, who remembers the pain?

COMFORT FOOD: Chocolate. Is there any other? Give me dark chocolate and I’ll be your friend for life.

COMFORT READ: My reading favorites are all across the board. I love Gemma Halliday’s IN HEELS books. On my book shelves I have Janet Evanovich, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer, James Lee Burke, Nora Roberts, Catherine Ryan-Hyde. I read fast and furiously. If the book sucks me in, I won’t stop until I’ve gobbled it all up.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Today. I’m here having an interview on my first book. What’s not to love?

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: My next release is CATCH ME IN CASTILE, Samhain, Fall 2009. Right now I’m working on HOLD ME IN HAITI.

(Photo credit to Diego Hernandez)

MTA Monday -- Meet Catherine Wade

NAME: Catherine Wade

WEBSITE: http://www.catherinewade.com

BLOG: http://catherinewade.wordpress.com

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Let’s Dish

RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2009

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) 2002 I met two ladies who would be my best writing buddies for years to come. Very valuable learning experience for my writing, and I felt for the first time I had the “stuff” to publish a book. And these ladies have helped me along every step of that road.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: This last Labor Day, to celebrate my birthday, we went to the zoo in Omaha, NE. We had the best weekend, just my husband, my three boys and me. It was right after I signed with Samhain, so it was also a celebration of that accomplishment.

COMFORT FOOD: Steak. Nothing like some good rare cow to make you feel better when you’re down.

COMFORT READ: Jill Churchill mysteries, especially the Jane Jeffry books.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: I have to say the day I sold Let’s Dish. I was at work with the ladies who have seen me through the years where I seemed to be getting nowhere. They hugged me, cried with me, and then took me out and bought me chocolate. I finished the day by crowing on the phone with my best writing buddies. It doesn’t get much better than that.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: A romantic comedy titled Courting Kismet. Serena Harrick is an uptight college drama professor who doesn’t think she’s uptight. Butch Callahan is a tough contractor with no intention of helping out some college geek, even if she is kinda cute. Add in amazingly bad timing, a stuffy ex-fiancee, and Serena’s inexplicable need to prove she’s moved on, and the wilds of Minnesota have never seemed so wild.

MTA Monday/Book BIN Tuesday -- A Vivi Andrews Twofer!

Sigh.

You'd think I could get the "post-it-later" function to work on this thing, but noooo...

So instead of MTA Monday yesterday followed by Book BIN Tuesday today, I'm putting them both together in one, big, fantabulous post! (And, erm, apologies to Vivi.)

First, let's Meet The Author...

NAME: Vivi Andrews
WEBSITE: http://www.viviandrews.com/
BLOG: viviandrews.blogspot.com

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo, & the Poltergeist Accountant

RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2009

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Many moons ago, while sitting in a Kumbaya circle at a writing workshop, the presenter asked us each to write down three sets of three. 1) Three things that, if you could wave your magic wand and give them to everyone on the planet, would make the world a better place. 2) Three things that you would eliminate with your magic wand to make the world a better place. 3) Three things that make you happy, just because. Then we went around and shared our answers. They ran the gamut from Money to Puppies to Self-Respect. We were granting people Freedom and Understanding and taking away their Guns, Bigotry, and Embarrassing Bodily Functions. We got completely (and passionately) off the topic of writing, and then the presenter stood up and said, “The Threes are the things that really matter to you. If you aren’t writing about them, why aren’t you?” So whenever I start to drift, I sit down and write out a new set of Threes. Then I know what to write.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: “Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” -Mark Twain

COMFORT FOOD: My dad’s spaghetti & chocolate cupcakes – though not at the same time.

COMFORT READ: Anything by Jennifer Crusie or Julia Quinn. Or Christopher Moore… Or Jasper Fforde… Or Stephanie Rowe… Or D.H. Lawrence. Or Jane Austen.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Wake up. Swim out to the rocks at Ala Moana beach. Write. Hike Blueberry Loop with my family. Play with my niece and nephews. Ski Alyeska. Write more. Watch the sunset from my grandma’s lanai in Manoa Valley. Watch a baseball game with my dad. Catch a movie with my best friend and then spend three hours discussing it. Go for drinks and pub quiz awesomeness with my friends (at the mythical pub at the intersection of Washington D.C., Madison, Chicago, Minneapolis, Anchorage and Seattle). Curl up in bed and read until I fall asleep.

Now all I need is the ability to bend time and space to my will and I’m good to go.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: At the moment, I’m putting the finishing touches The Ghost Exterminator: A Love Story, which features my Ghost Shrink heroine’s cousin, who also has a special relationship with the dead.

And to continue with the awesomeness that is Vivi Andrews, here's a peek at her new book!

It’s not smart to piss off a poltergeist…

It’s bad enough to be sexually frustrated. But as a medium, it means until Lucy Cartwright gets some, she’s doomed. Oh no, not to death. Worse. To nightly visitations by recently deceased, wanna-be Cassanovas without the bodies to back it up. Then a living, breathing fantasy arrives on her doorstep, and Lucy thinks her dry spell is at an end.

Much as he would like to be Lucy’s personal gigolo, PI Jake Cox has a job to do. He’s been sent to prevent her from getting laid until a particular horny phantom—and key witness in his mob investigation—pays her a visit. The real challenge? Keeping his own hands off Lucy long enough to get the job done.

Or the lonely, geeky ghost of a murdered mob accountant could rip a hole in the fabric of the universe…

*****

I don't know about you, but that book sounds like a *hoot* -- and hot, to boot! Why not stop by My Bookstore and More and Buy It Now?

And thanks, Vivi, for stopping by the blog!

MTA Monday -- Meet Leah Braemel

NAME: Leah Braemel

WEBSITE: http://www.leahbraemel.com

BLOG: http://leahbraemel.blogspot.com

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Private Property

RELEASE DATE: January 27, 2009

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: My favorite writing memory is getting that first email from Angela James saying she wanted to buy Private Property. I did what my husband calls “The Price is Right” bounce for a couple minutes, ran down to tell my sons and bounced with them for a while, then phoned my critique partner for almost an hour. I was so excited I couldn’t sit down and roamed the house the whole time we talked.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Oh, wow, this is tough. Believe it or not, my favorite memory is probably a day that my husband and I took our sons to Sand Banks Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Ontario to go swimming in the afternoon, and then went to Fort Henry in Kingston Ontario and watched their Sunset Retreat in the evening. Why it’s special is that it was warm and sunny, and everyone was happy and having fun. Plus watching the 19th century battle with the cannons and rifles echoing off the ramparts reminded me of when I’d watched it as a child. I can’t remember a day when I was so relaxed.

COMFORT FOOD: Marmite on toast with a cup of tea. (It’s an acquired taste, believe me)

COMFORT READ: Depending on how I’m feeling, Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I, JR Ward’s Lover Eternal (Rhage’s story), or Patricia Brigg’s Moon Called.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Any day that has someone else doing the housework and it doesn’t snow outside? Oh, and to top it off, why don’t we throw in the mailman bringing a contract for my newest book along with a big fat royalty cheque from my last one!

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: In December I signed a contract for a sequel to Private Property called Personal Protection, which follows the secondary character Sam Watson. It’ll be coming out in May 2009. Personal Protection is the start of a new series following Sam’s bodyguard and security firm, Hauberk Protection. So I’m desperately working on the next in the series – talk about pressure! When I get stuck on that story, or if I just need a break, I have two paranormal (shapeshifter) stories in the works that I’m hoping to finish and submit later this year.

MTA Monday -- Meet Alannah Lynne!

NAME: Alannah Lynne

WEBSITE: www.alannahlynne.com

BLOG: www.alannahlynne.blogspot.com

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Reaction Time

RELEASE DATE: December 16th from Samhain Publishing

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Write the truth. I can’t remember the exact words that Stephen King uses (and I’ve heard several other authors say the same thing) but the gist is, stay true to the story and write the way the story demands it.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: “Well behaved women rarely make history.”

COMFORT FOOD: Oreos and Lucky Charms

COMFORT READ: Anything that makes me laugh. Usually a Stephanie Plum novel does the trick

YOUR PERFECT DAY: A maid comes in and cleans. A chef shows up to cook and I get to spend several uninterrupted hours writing. LOL…I would imagine that would be my perfect day. Since its never happened, I can’t say for sure but that’s my dream.


WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: A contemporary romance about a driven advertising executive who must choose between her career and an irresistible client.

MTA Monday -- Meet Rita Oberlies

NAME: Rita Oberlies

WEBSITE: http://www.ritaoberlies.com/

BLOG: shhh --- I don’t have one! If my editor reads this I want her to know that it’s a work in progress.

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: The Catcher and the Lie

RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2008

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: When I started writing my first story back in the fall of 2005 I didn’t tell anyone. My two sons were under the age of three and I was trying to find a way to keep my brain active. It wasn’t until two years later when I decided to submit my work that I finally told my husband. In the spring of 2008 my first two manuscripts were placed under contract. “The Catcher and the Lie” was picked up by Samhain Publishing and “Ready to Take a Chance Again” was accepted at The Wild Rose Press. At that point I began to tell family members that I was pursuing a writing career. So far the only individuals that have read either story are my editors. Of course, now I’m a nervous wreck about what the people closest to me will think of my writing.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: My absolute best memories are from the days my children were born. I think every emotion is so intense at that time (joy, fear, pain, relief, impatience) that it becomes permanently etched on your brain. My husband Dan and I constantly tell our boys about all the little things that happened on their birth days. I want them to know how amazing those moments were for us.

COMFORT FOOD: Brownies hot out of the oven.

COMFORT READ: Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Vacationing on Cape Cod with my family. I grew up spending my summers there and now it is a blast taking my boys to the exact same spots. We hit the beach, the taffy shops, mini-golf, and end each day with ice cream. Any day there turns out to be memorable for my family.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: I’ve been working on a follow-up story to “The Catcher and the Lie” that involves a secondary character named Bobby Carpenter. I
have also been touching up a manuscript “Matters of the Heart” that I had set aside earlier this year to work on revisions.

MTA Monday -- Meet Allie K. Adams

NAME: Allie K. Adams

WEBSITE: http://www.alliekadams.com

BLOG: http://alliechat.blogspot.com

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: At Any Cost

RELEASE DATE: July 28th, 2008

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: My favorite writing story is when I had a terrible, mean, nasty boss. He would belittle me in front of others and then just smile as I turned red. When I quit, I told him he should have been nicer to me. When he asked why I told him he might just end up in one of my books—and not in a good way. One of the very first books I ever wrote, I cast him as the bad guy. He was terrible, mean, and nasty in the book. He died in a very slow, very unpleasant way. It was extremely therapeutic. He he he.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. –Eleanor Roosevelt

COMFORT FOOD: Anything covered in chocolate that won't kill me (I'm allergic to nuts)

COMFORT READ: I know this sounds geeky, but I love to read the Dilbert books. When I don't want to have to think, those are perfect.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Wake early at my leisure, actually jump on my elliptical so I'd stop feeling guilty every time I look at it, be able to eat anything I want and not have to worry about it going right to my hips (which might happen if I actually jumped on the elliptical), and bake out in the sun while the computer automagically (that is totally a word!) types my thoughts. Ah. Sheer bliss!

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: I'm working on heating my scenes in Seek and Destroy and Rescue Me to a sizzling rating. After all, as my tag line states, if it doesn't sizzle, it isn't hot enough. I'm also working on a special ménage project for my publisher.

Thanks for stopping by, Allie! Best of luck on your new book!

MTA Monday -- Meet Jami Davenport

NAME: Jami Davenport

WEBSITE: http://www.jamidavenport.com/

BLOG: http://jamidavenport.blogspot.com/
http://equestrianink.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?

RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2008

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: From Lori Foster, I keep it on my bulletin board in my study: “If you polish a book too much, it’ll be flat and shiny and smooth—and not too interesting. It’s the little pits and bumps and whatnot that show voice and make a book unique from all the other super shiny flat surfaces."

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: Don’t try, do.

COMFORT FOOD: Barbecue Potato Chips (no kidding, it’s not chocolate!)

COMFORT READ: Mirror Image by Sandra Brown and any other good old-fashioned romance in which you can fall in love with the characters.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: 75-80 degrees, sitting in the sun on my patio in the woods and just listening to the sounds of nature.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: The Gift Horse. The 2nd in a series about the Reynolds Family. “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?” is book 1 of this Series. My next release, “The Dance,” is also set in the San Juans, though not part of this series, it actually has some of the same characters and takes place prior to the events in “Who’s.” The Gift Horse features a opinionated mare, a down-and-out, disorganized horse trainer, and a reluctant horse owner. You can read a blurb about it on my website.

Thanks for joining us here today, Jami! Readers, if you have questions for Jami, post them in the comments. She'll be stopping by to chat with us.

MTA Monday -- Meet Maia Strong

Happy Monday, and welcome to the debut of Meet The Author Monday here on my blog! I'm very excited about introducing you (officially) to our first debut author, Maia Strong. Now, if you're a regular here, you probably recognize the name because (a) Maia is also a regular, (b) we're friends from wayback in Real Life, and (c) I was a tad excited when she sold her first book to Samhain. Okay, that's putting it mildly. I think they could hear me screaming halfway across the country.


In any case, time has flown by, and Maia's first book is coming out with Samhain tomorrow. You can read more about The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing tomorrow during Book BIN Tuesday. Today, here's an official introduction to MTA Monday guest Maia Strong.

NAME: Maia Strong

WEBSITE: http://www.maiastrong.com/

BLOG: http://maiastrong.blogspot.com/

TITLE OF FIRST BOOK: The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing

RELEASE DATE: 10 June 2008

FAVORITE WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY:
Favorite writing saying: "It's only ink." That'll get you though some unpleasant edits. Not all of them by any means, but some of them.

FAVORITE NON-WRITING STORY/SAYING/MEMORY: That's such a big category and I suck at picking favorites most of the time. I have a crappy memory for things like that, too. On the upside, I also have a crappy memory for things like "Most embarrassing moment." Who remembers that kind of thing? I block it out. ;)

COMFORT FOOD: Potatoes. Seriously. They are the best food on the planet. Don't argue with me. You know I'm right. Baked, roasted, fried, mashed. You cannot beat the potato for sheer fabulousness.

COMFORT READ: This is going to sound a bit twisted to some—okay possibly to many—but…The Lord of the Rings. There is no better fiction out there. Not even from Stephen Fry. While I don't suppose one could ever consider it to be comforting in and of itself, I have read and reread that trilogy so many times, listened to the BBC radio production so many times, watched the movies…fewer times but still more than once. It's comforting in the way that "Apocalypse Now" is comforting (and that movie was much less scary than the 1988 presidential election coverage): I know how it ends. Even more with LotR: I know everything that's going to happen.

YOUR PERFECT DAY: Overcast and about 68 degrees. Maybe a little drizzle in the morning and sunbreaks in the afternoon. And the announcement in the evening that I've won the state lottery. … Oh. You'd like a play-by-play? Let's see…

Lazy snuggles in the bed with the cat.
Coffee or a latte around 9:00 or 9:30 while catching up on email and whatnot.
Shower—maybe some yoga first if I'm being good.
Breakfast.
Writing at least a couple of thousand words, preferably either at the coffee shop in the bookstore up the street or at home with my kitty nearby or on my lap. That way no matter what else happens I have accomplished at least one thing in the day.
Lunch. Something loaded with cheese. Mmm…grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup! Quesadilla with corn and salsa and sour cream! Welsh rarebit! It's not potatoes, but I do love me some cheese.
More writing? Maybe some reading. Definitely some watching of Food Network!
A stroll to the grocery store during one of those sunbreaks I mentioned before to gather up something yummy for me or my hubby to cook for dinner.
Dinner with the hubby. Doesn't matter who cooks; we both like to. As long as we get to eat together, it's all good. Glass of wine. A little dessert.
A baseball game that the Mariners win.
Snuggles in bed with the hubby and the kitty.

Alternately, all of the same things, only in Edinburgh. :)

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?: Any number of things in various states of completion.
I have an unnamed novel that needs reading by one more beta. (I was working on stuff like the hook, blurb, and synopsis the other day in the desperate hope that this would inspire me with a title. So far, no joy there.) It's a follow-on to The Ballad of Jimothy Redwing. Set in the same country, in a different city, and showing another side of what's going on in the first novel.
I have a named novel that needs one more reading by me before going to my betas. This one is in the same universe as the others; all my stuff these days is in that world. It's nice. I like it there. That novel is based at a theatre company on the Northern Continent. There's a lot more magic in that one.


Finally, I have a multi-titled story (I think I have three possibilities at the moment.) that I started last week. We'll see if I can get it done in any reasonable length of time. I don't know how long it's going to be. I kind of hope it comes in at about 30,000-32,000. Don't ask me why. I do not know. Maybe I just want to be able to finish it quickly so that I feel all accomplished and stuff. ;)


So there you have it! Thanks, Maia, for playing along. Keep an eye out for her in the comments, and be sure to check back tomorrow for details on her new release!