by Christine | Writer Wednesday, Writing
Writer Wednesday with Robena Grant
Writer Wednesday is that day I get the chance to share writer friends with you. Today I’m thrilled to have Robena Grant with me. She’s the author of the Desert Heat series, which includes Unlock the Truth and The Blue Dolphin.
My friend, author Robena Grant.
CA: What made you decide to write a novel?
RG: I took a class at UCLA Extension with my then 18-year-old daughter. I thought it was to learn how to write. I didn’t know I was supposed to be working on a novel. So I ran home and started to write, and that became my first finished manuscript. : )
CA: Wow, what a jolt to the system! What genre do you write in, and why?
RG: I write contemporary romance, but I’m always mixing genres. I like stories about people in the world as I know it, and enjoy the journey that young lovers take, or the leap of faith with the second chance at love from an older heroine. I’ve written women’s fiction, paranormal, romantic suspense, and am now venturing into contemporary romance with a magical realism thread.
CA: Is this a series or standalone book? If a series, what is the name of this series, and how many books/short stories do you have planned?
RG: Unlock the Truth is Book #1 of the Desert Heat Series, #2 is The Blue Dolphin, and #3: Desert Exposure. I think of them as spin-offs, a series linked by location and secondary characters who clamor to have their story told. The books can be read out of order.
CA: Ooh, very cool. So there’s really no limit on the number of books you could write in that series! Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world?
RG: Italy, no France…no, wherever, but I’d want good plumbing, phone, and internet. : )
CA: LOL – I’m totally with you! Italy and France are in my top 5 places, too! Um…Name 3 simple joys in your life.
RG: Hanging out with my adult kids. Drinking a glass of fine red wine. Reading an amazing book.
CA: If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead or fictional, who would it be and where would you go to eat?
RG: Ernest Hemingway. We’d go to Aux Deux Magots, on Boulevard St-Germain…not so much for the food but for the espresso and the people watching. Then we’d gossip about everyone.
CA: Wouldn’t that be totally fascinating? And I’m sure he’d be drinking whiskey! If you could give just one piece of advice to a writer starting out, what would it be?
RG: Always be working on something fresh while you’re submitting something you’ve finished.
CA: Excellent advice! What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a Day Job?
RG: I’m retired from the workforce. Writing is now my full-time job. I volunteer on several committees in my community, like to exercise, attend book club, hang out with friends, take in a movie, or lunch, and travel whenever and wherever I can.
CA: Sounds like an Awesome life! Now…Name one thing your fans would be surprised to learn about you.
RG: I like karaoke, but I can’t sing.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?
RG: Just to mention that Unlock the Truth and The Blue Dolphin are available for Kindle readers. It’s an Amazon three month exclusive with KDP Select, then in May they will be released in print and all digital formats through Wild Rose Press Publishers. Desert Exposure is TBA, but it will also be released in 2013.
How exciting, to have three novels come out in one year! Let’s take a look at Unlock the Truth.
BLURB: Dena Roman needs closure. Three months ago, her sister’s murdered body was
found in the California desert. When a second body is found at the same site, Dena jeopardizes her public relations position to go undercover and investigate. But falling for the main suspect isn’t part of her plan.
Zeke Cabrera needs help. He sold a portion of his family’s Three C’s Estates to keep his citrus farm afloat, but when bodies are unearthed on the site, he’s suspected of murder. Help comes in the form of a communications expert who makes all the difference in his life and business–and in his heart.
Amidst an attack on her life and run-ins with a cantankerous foreman, Dena digs for the truth, even as she forms a strong bond with Zeke. But can their newly found love survive all the deep secrets hidden at Three C’s Estates?
And The Blue Dolphin:
BLURB: When Debbie Williams discovers a dismembered body in the dumpster behind 
her health spa, she’s determined to find out what happened. As a single parent, she must be sure the town she loves is safe for her daughter. Debbie won’t be deterred by anyone–not even the ruggedly handsome agent on the case who doesn’t appreciate her amateur sleuthing.
After his partner’s body is uncovered, DEA agent Jack Davis vows revenge. But three words shouted over the phone before his partner died–azul, delfin, Almagro–are Jack’s only clues. Even worse, a sexy blonde spa owner refuses to stay out of his investigation, and the chemistry between them is difficult to ignore.
As danger strikes ever closer, Jack and Debbie must figure out what blue dolphins and a small California desert town have to do with a dangerous drug cartel…all while protecting their hearts from an attraction neither can resist.
More About Robena:
Robena Grant is Australian by birth but resides in Southern California. She has two adult children, loves travel, and enjoys writing stories about ordinary women faced with extraordinary circumstances. She may be contacted at: www.robenagrant.com where she blogs on a slice of life on Mondays. Also, FB, Twitter, Google+.
Here’s Robena’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/author/robenagrant Go “Like” her – and don’t forget to “Like” her books.
I’m sure Robena will be around today, so feel free to ask her questions!
~oOo~
Demon Soul and Demon Hunt are both available for both the Kindle and Kobo! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
by Christine | Reviews, Writing
Jameson Parker. I swiped this photo from his website, which is why there’s a big BIO across the front of it. Sorry, JP!
Jameson Parker
I found Jameson Parker to be intelligent, charismatic, and possessing a wickedly dry sense of humor. He is a forthright man and boy, does he know his way around words!
I read his book An Accidental Cowboy back in December. A memoir told in chunks of chopped up time, his experiences, the way he writes, just dug its hooks into me and after reading it I felt like I knew him. I knew we were friends, and there were all these things I could say to him that he’d get, because I knew him. Which to me is amazing, since I read a lot – and I’ve never had that connection to the writer like that before this book. Plus, I’d never met the man, so it felt kinda really weird, that connection to his words.
Of course, when I did get a chance to meet him not that long ago, I kept my mouth shut because JP is a very private person. And his beautiful wife would have decked me had I been inappropriate. Which I also knew, from reading An Accidental Cowboy. Yes, you should pick up that book!
And for those of you who are thinking, wasn’t Jameson Parker an actor? Yes, he was. For 30 years. He played opposite Gerald McRaney on Simon & Simon for 8 years. (He’s not that other Parker, so put that out of your mind right now.)
But this post isn’t about that.
Jameson Parker has a new book out that I can’t wait to get my hands on, and that I had to share with you. It’s called Return to Laughter, and it’s – well, here’s the blurb for you.
Return to Laughter is an insider’s account of the rise and fall and bittersweet redemption of a wild and wildly ambitious young star. Young Rocky Stone rebels against the stuffy and circumscribed world of his upbringing and climbs up the acting ladder to the top of the most glamorous profession there is, a world of wealth, fame, and privilege, as well as sex, drugs, and self-destruction. The birth of a child stops Rocky Stone’s downward spiral, but Hollywood is also a world where cheating and embezzlement are ways of life, and lives are considered disposable. When real disaster strikes, can a little girl save him?
Perhaps a novel, perhaps a roman à clef, perhaps a biography, Return to Laughter weaves reality and fiction together to paint a portrait of Hollywood that is as true today as it has always been, a transient place of youth and beauty and adoration and the shadow of something evil.
So – it’s a little bit tell-all, a little bit biography – with a heaping helping of fictionalized reality is my guess. Can you see why I’m interested in reading this book? Just as soon as I’m done reading my “homework” novels…
Jameson’s Author Page on Amazon: Go HERE.
Jameson’s Website: http://www.readjamesonparker.com
Do me a favor, please?
Click on the links to his books (above or below) and then click “like” on those books on Amazon. I love this man’s writings, I treasure the time I spent with him in his kitchen drinking coffee, and the only way I know how to repay him for that time is to share him and his novels with you. And, in a way, share you with him. He doesn’t have a writing support fellowship like I do; so I’d really, really appreciate it if you’d help him out.
I believe in the power of social media, and in the generosity of writers. I’d like you, my friends, to help me turn Jameson Parker into a believer, too. If I’m very lucky, I’ll have him on the blog some day with an interview. We shall see! In the meantime, let’s get those “likes” to above 100, shall we? Pass it on to your friends!
One commenter will receive an ecopy of either Return to Laughter or An Accidental Cowboy from me. Just make sure you let me know what number you are in the comments when you “like” either Return to Laughter or An Accidental Cowboy – if you “like” both, you’ll get entered twice in the drawing (I am VERY proud to say that I was the first “like” – Number 1 – for both those books!), and make sure you leave your email in the comments so I can gift you a copy from Amazon. This giveaway will end at midnight on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2013.
So – when was the last time you felt you knew the author, just by reading their words? I’d love to know!
~ Until the next time, cheers! ~
~oOo~
Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
by Christine | Writer Wednesday, Writing
My friend, Author Sally Felt. She’s almost always laughing!
I am hugely excited to introduce Sally Felt to all my pals, here on Writer Wednesday. Sally and I go way back, and she’s an absolutely lovely person. I’m thrilled to say her first novel, GOING NATIVE, is out through Ellora’s Cave, and it’s a doozy! I read it quite a long time ago in manuscript form, and I’m looking forward to digging into it again. So settle down and enjoy Sally, hmm?
CA: What made you decide to write a novel?
SF: Everyone in my fifth grade class had to write one. Mine was a hand-illustrated murder mystery that demonstrated mystery was not my long suit. Nor illustration, for that matter. But if I’d written Going Native back then, Mrs. Sharp would have sent me to the counselor’s office for a serious talk concerning the Club Clandestine scene. And appropriate use of éclairs.
CA: Why paranormal?
SF: Um, it’s not. Unless you consider dachshunds aliens. Do you?
CA: *headdesk* Okay, I forgot to switch up the questions. Sigh…and yeah, dachsunds are pretty alien, don’t you think? Don’t answer that, lol!
SF: My lips are sealed.
CA: Okay, back to the questions. Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world?
SF: Well, Christine, I wish to live winter-free. That means a residence in each hemisphere, yes? Ideal locations are lightly wooded, with lots of song birds. Suggestions? (River otters would be a big selling point.)
CA: I am fresh out of places with river otters and no winter…but I’ll work on that. Name 3 simple joys in your life.
SF: Sunshine. Yum!
Ginseng, my blue-eyed Siamese companion.
Dancing at friends’ weddings.
CA: If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead or fictional, who would it be and where would you go to eat?
SF: Just one? I would dine with my maternal grandmother at the Green Room in Dallas, and we’d give the chef carte blanche to surprise us. The restaurant has been closed for years, but not as long as Grandma. I figure if the Universe can arrange an evening with a woman who died before I went through puberty, the restaurant should be a snap.
CA: Well of course the restaurant would be a snap! What a wonderful answer. If you could give just one piece of advice to a writer starting out, what would it be?
SF: Finish it. Write something else and finish that, too.
CA: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a Day Job?
SF: I’m a professional Tarot reader. My job is to turn cards and reflect someone’s magnificence back to to them. How cool is that? I want to live in a world where everyone knows how special and important they are. Imagine what seven billion empowered, confident individuals could accomplish.
CA: OMG! How did I not know that? I’m so proud! But seriously, sister, we need to TALK to each other more than once every six years or so. Okay. Name one thing your fans would be surprised to learn about you.
SF: As a child, I was excruciatingly shy. Even at age 15, I struggled to make eye contact. A year as a foreign exchange student went a long way toward changing that, not that I’d recommend such extreme measures.
CA: No way. Really? Well hon, you have totally smashed that shyness, and good for you. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?
SF: We could talk about the summer you came to Texas and helped me drink a full pitcher of sangria. Or the time we went shopping in Vegas and I ended up with an elephant on my head. But perhaps those things are best kept off the interwebs, yes?
CA: Snicker – elephant on your head! And those terribly cute pink kitten heels I wore that killed my feet, while you had on sensible tennis shoes…and I SO need to come back to Texas and spend time with you!!!
SF: Thanks for having me here, Christine, you crazed writer, you. Your command of mischief is equalled only by your work ethic.
CA: It’s totally my pleasure, you tarot-card-wielding goddess. Now on to the good stuff – the novel!
The Blurb!
When a clumsy redhead takes a walk on the wild side, expect one heck of a fall.
Violet longs to break free of her good-girl persona. House sitting a Dallas penthouse loft makes a great start. From her first giddy step in her friend’s sky-high heels, she’s way out of her comfort zone, planting a tipsy kiss on a sexy neighbor.
Eddie is in town to close a business deal—and lick his wounds after a bad breakup. But the clumsy, drawling redhead next door proves a Texas-sized distraction he can’t ignore. Violet’s demure one minute and suggesting clandestine sexcapades the next. Eddie can barely keep up. Or wait to see what Violet does next.
But even when she learns he’s held the key to the future of her family’s business all along, Violet can’t go back to playing it safe. And what began as a champagne-fueled dare becomes a gutsy showdown her heart might not survive.
Sally Felt Bio
One hot July day, Sally played an Irish ditty on her tin whistle while wading in a cool lake. Ducks came from miles around to listen. Now she plays sexy stories on her MacBook Pro keyboard and hopes readers might do the same.
Where to find Sally:
Website: http://sallyfelt.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sally.felt
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sallytex/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sallytex
Buy link (also available at Amazon, B&N, etc.)
~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~
Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
by Christine | Writing
Here’s Shawna Romkey’s new book! Pretty spectacular, huh?
The Blurb:
What happens when falling in love and falling from grace collide?
After dying in a car accident with her two best friends, Lily miraculously awakens to grief and guilt. She escapes to her dad’s to come to terms with the event and meets some people at her new school who seem all too eager to help her heal. Sliding deeper into sorrow and trying to fight her feelings for two of them, she finds out who…what they really are and that they are falling too.
Can she find the strength to move on from the past, reconcile her feelings for Luc, find a way to stop a divine war with fallen angels, and still pass the eleventh grade?
Oooh…sounds wonderful! Keep your eyes open for this one!
~oOo~
~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~
Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
by Christine | Writer Wednesday, Writing
Today I have the lovely and talented Toni de Palma on my blog, and we’re celebrating her upcoming release, The Devil’s Triangle, which goes live on February 15, 2013. So without further ado, let’s jump into the interview, shall we?
CA: What made you decide to write a novel?
TdP: Cooper, my main character, was too hard to ignore. He’s a teenage boy with a heart of gold, who isn’t bad on the eyes either. Cooper struggles with doing the right thing and his inner bad boy.
CA: Why paranormal?
TdP: Cooper not only has to deal with his inner Devil, but the real Lucifer too.
CA: How many books/short stories do you have planned for this series?
TdP: Three. I’m putting the finishing touches on the second book, The Devil’s Temptation, now.
CA: Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world?
TdP: That’s tough. I love Paris, but I also love the Italian island of Ischia where my dad is from. A little bungalow in Key West isn’t a bad idea either.
CA: Name 3 simple joys in your life.
TdP: According to my husband, I am anything but simple, but I’ll try. I love my bike, my dog and family dinners.
CA: If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead or fictional, who would it be and where would you go to eat?
TdP: I feel like I did this this past summer when my husband, son and I had many wonderful dinners in Italy.
CA: If you could give just one piece of advice to a writer starting out, what would it be?
TdP: Find a wonderfully supportive writers group that will also keep you accountable. I would be nowhere without my group.
CA: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a Day Job?
TdP: I teach creative writing at a local college and am planning a writers retreat in Ischia, Italy. You can find out more about the retreat at www.tonidepalma.com
CA: Ooh, a writer’s retreat in Italy! I’ll have to save for it, that sounds divine! And at least, when you’re teaching creative writing, you are also immersing yourself in writing. That’s soo cool! Name one thing your fans would be surprised to learn about you.
TdP: Don’t tell anyone, but my grammar stinks. Thank goodness for editors!
CA: Oh, I know! I LOVE my editors. They are the BEST people in the world! Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?
TdP: Nope, I think that’s it. Thanks!
CA: Thank YOU, Toni, for coming to Writer Wednesday!
The Cover:
The Blurb:
When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil’s sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.
While Cooper figures out his mission, he’s thrown into the life he’s always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn’t watch out.
While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what’s keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.
Where to Find Toni:
Goodreads book page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/465309.Toni_De_Palma
Website: http://tonidepalma.com/
Blog: http://writersbytheshore.blogspot.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/WriterToniDePalma?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToniDePalma1
~oOo~
Thanks for stopping by – please give Toni some comment love!
by Christine | Uncategorized, Writing
Sneaking in a cover reveal for a Savvy pal of mine, Lori L. Clark. Plus we have an interview!
Here’s the blurb:
It’s been said that when we look back over our lives, we are able to recognize the pivotal moments that in some way, shape, or form have led us to where we are today.
When Jacqueline Carter is fifteen, she crosses paths for the first time with Seth Thomas, a young man who unwittingly alters the direction of her life forever.
Jaq plans to break-up with her boyfriend on her sixteenth birthday. Instead, she is date-raped, and left emotionally broken. She builds a wall around her heart and begins spiraling downward on a road filled with drinking, drugs and physical abuse.
When Seth re-enters her life a few years later, the walls around her heart slowly come down and the two of them fall in love. Unfortunately fate has other ideas, and they’re forced down a different road from which they initially set out.
Here’s the interview:
CA: What made you decide to write a novel?
LLC: I enjoy reading so much that I thought I would like to try my hand at writing. I’m too wordy to write short stories, so I decided to go big or go home.
CA: What do you write?
LLC: I used to read paranormal a lot, in fact, I credit Twilight for getting me to read again. But I don’t write it. I guess I’m just not that imaginative. Or maybe I feel like all the good ideas have been taken. I write contemporary romance.
CA: How many books/short stories do you have planned for this series?
LLC: My latest book, DIFFERENT ROADS is completely stand-alone. Though I have had several readers comment to me that they would love to see a sequel from Seth’s POV.
CA: Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world?
LLC: I love living where I am. But maybe Ft. Lauderdale when I become ridiculously wealthy.
CA:Name 3 simple joys in your life.
LLC: Reading. Writing. Running.
CA: If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead or fictional, who would it be and where would you go to eat?
LLC: I have never thought about this before. But I think maybe I’d say Stephen King. Although I am not a huge fan of his work, I think he has a lot of advice to offer writers. I have read his stuff enough to know that his imagination must be in over-drive 24/7. I think he would be a fascinating dinner companion. Where would we eat? Why the hotel in Colorado where they filmed The Shining, of course.
CA: If you could give just one piece of advice to a writer starting out, what would it be?
LLC: Don’t get discouraged. If you have a story to tell, you have to believe there’s someone who wants to read it. You must read, read, and then read some more. Write a book that you want to read. Don’t try fitting into a niche because you think it’s wildly popular. But write the book you would go to a bookstore and pull off the shelf to read.
CA: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a Day Job?
LLC: I have a full-time job outside the house. I love my day job, but I can tell you… there are times when I feel like there are just not enough hours in the day.
CA: I hear you! Name one thing your fans would be surprised to learn about you.
LLC: I worked for over two years as an online psychic reader. It was my sole income and I made pretty good money doing it. Yes, I really am psychic.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?
LLC: Summer. I’m ready for summer.
Here’s where you can find Lori!
Book Review Blog: http://justbookinaround.blogspot.com/
Author Blog: http://www.shewritesbooks.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6093884.Lori_L_Clark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarklori
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LoriLClarkAuthor
Thanks so much for stopping by, Lori – and good luck on your release!
~ I love your comments, and so do my visitors. Please ask questions if you have them! ~
Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
her health spa, she’s determined to find out what happened. As a single parent, she must be sure the town she loves is safe for her daughter. Debbie won’t be deterred by anyone–not even the ruggedly handsome agent on the case who doesn’t appreciate her amateur sleuthing.
