*AUTHOR FEATURE* Kim Carmichael

                              

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Our latest author feature is on Kim Carmichael! Recently Kim took a few minutes to chat with me about her work & I'm sharing that interview with you! If you haven't yet, pick up one of Kim's novels! They are amazing!
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1) Why did you decide to start writing?
I started writing because I love a happy ending. I was reading fan fiction and threw my hat in the ring, then decided I simply love telling a story.
2) Do you think authors can succeed in multiple genres or should they stick with a single genre?
I think they can write multiple genres, I know I do, but I think for branding purposes you do get known for one genre. But I have had a lot of good luck with crossing the genre line.  
3) What do you feel is the biggest reward to you with writing?

Actually getting to write and then that magic moment when a reader ‘gets it.’
4) Who are some of your favorite authors & why?
VC Andrews – because only she could tell that type of story and have everyone clamoring for more. Johanna Lindsay – True romance at its core. Beatrice Small – Great historical romance author.
5) What are the biggest hurdles to overcome as an author?
Trying not to fixate on the numbers and what other people are doing and focus on my own writing. Making sure I do write and not get caught up in things that don’t matter.
6) Is there any advice that you can offer for new writers?
Don’t stop writing, always try to hone your craft and don’t let others bring you down. Also GET AN EDITOR!! 
7) Tell us a few random personal things about yourself personal & professional!
I love my day job. I really do.
I work in sales and not watching numbers goes against my DNA but I try.
I crochet.
I have a Master’s Degree.
I have seen Phantom of the Opera (Play) over 100 times but that is not my favorite version, I much prefer the Yetsin/Kopit version entitled Phantom.
I think my characters are real and much more interesting than most people I know. I named my puppy after my purse.
My favorite band is The Smiths.
My favorite modern band is OneRepublic
I have met Christopher Knight (Peter Brady)
I went to elementary school with Molly Ringwald for only a short time before she left for the “the industry.”
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~~CONNECT WITH KIM ON FACEBOOK HERE~~

*AUTHOR FEATURE* Calinda B

                                                             

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Meet Author Calinda B!

I've had the pleasure of chatting with the lovely Ms Calinda several times over the past month & let me tell you, this is one witty, intelligent & fun woman! I've enjoyed all of our conversations & now I've brought a little Q&A session here for you to check out!

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1. Why did you decide to start writing?

a. Don’t have a good answer here…a few years back, I went to California to see my youngest kid, told him, out of the blue, I was going to write a book and finish it. I’m a creative and I believe I had a lot of unfinished works of art around the house. He said in typical twenty-something fashion, “Uh, okay, mom.” When I arrived home I sat down and wrote an entire book in six weeks. Haven’t stopped since. It’s truly changed my life. Best therapy I ever invested in.

2. Do you think authors can succeed in multiple genres or should they stick with a single genre?

a. I don’t know the answer to this question. I like to write in both paranormal and contemporary. Since I’m not yet making a gazillion dollars on my writing, I figure I can experiment freely.

3. What do you feel is the biggest reward to you with writing?

a. Oh, man, I LOVE writing. Crafting stories. Creating worlds and situations. Designing covers. The art part of it is extremely satisfying. You know when I’m between books at my house because I get grumpy.

4. Who are some of your favorite authors & why?

a. Gosh, I read so much it’s a changing sea of favorites. Both JR Ward and Karen Marie Moning were inspirations to write. Oh, and Diana Gabaldon. Current faves include Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files series), Lianne Moriarty, and Helen Wecker. I like a book that’s intelligent, interesting, well-written and not a cookie cutter kind of story. There are SO MANY BOOKS out there that seem like the author pulled a plot off the shelf, plunked in a few characters, changing the names, and called it good.

5. What are the biggest hurdles to overcome as an author?

a. We all want to make “the lists” (USA Today and NYT, as well as top 100 Amazon), earn loads of money and get movie offers. The hard part is waiting for reviews, waiting for sales, putting yourself out there and not getting the notice you wanted, not comparing yourself to others, etc. In other words, the sales and marketing part. I also can’t stand hearing stories of my author pals who aren’t getting paid by their publishers. It’s a difficult business to make a living at. But the art part is a blast, as well as all the wonderful people I’ve met through my writing.

6. Is there any advice that you can offer for new writers?

a. Hang in there, baby. It takes time to build a following, make a masterpiece, become a bestselling author. Don’t compare yourself to others – we’re all in this mess together. Do your best to avoid reading reviews, good and bad. It’s like riding a scary rollercoaster. Network, network, network. Find time to do other things besides write and obsess about sales. Yes, I’m speaking from experience.

7. Tell us a few random personal things about yourself personal & professional!

a. Let’s see…I’m an adventure junkie who gets scared a lot. Example – went bike riding in the rain a week ago. Took out off the trail, through the woods. Path was muddy and I couldn’t get any purchase but I’m pretty agile so there was no real reason to be scared. I needed to say “Wait. Hold on. I need a moment to have a chat with myself.” That’s usually all it takes to unwind my wound up self.
b. I’m a contradiction unto myself. Sometimes I’m not scared when I should be. While scuba diving a couple weeks ago, I laughed at an octopus who was trying to scare me.
He was huge, I was close, he flared out and flattened against the wall trying to look like a badass. I know he wanted me to swim away, not laugh at him. I probably should have swum away. He might have wrapped his arm(s) around me and they’re heavy and strong.
c. I make good money as a web/graphic designer yet hope to someday drop kick it when the book income rolls in.
d. I make a terrible wife and an awful employee. That’s why I own my business and my sweetie pie and I never tied the knot. We’ve been together for 12 years and are happy, happy, happy.

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Thanks so much, Calinda!
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~~CLICK HERE TO CONNECT WITH CALINDA ON FACEBOOK~~

Author Feature: Tina Blenke

                                                                                

Meet Tina Blenke! Tina is a fantastic new up & coming LGBT author with a bright, smile & intriguing mind! I had a chance to do a quick Q&A with this lovely young lady & here are the answers! I hope you'll enjoy it!

The author contact info is at the bottom of this interview! 

Thanks so much, Tina! We adored this session!

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(Q): What do you feel is the biggest reward to you with writing?

(A): I just need one reader to tell me it was the most perfect story that made them laugh, brought them to tears, and made them feel good about the characters. I have a beta reader that told me she thought about my characters all day, she was drawn to the story and my main characters so much that she dreamed about them that night, too. This moved me. It made me feel special to know that I had taken all of the emotion that I felt in telling the story and transferred it so effectively that she felt it on the other side of the book. Just one reader is all it takes for me.

(Q):  Who are some of your favorite authors & why? 

(A): Yikes, this is a tough question because there are so many that I love and I’ll feel bad for leaving anybody out. The first author I ever read in M/M romance was K.A. Mitchell and it’s because of her that I fell in love with gay romance. Collision Course is the book that I credit with my own personal reason for writing M/M instead of M/F and it’s all because I fell in love with Joey and Aaron. This is my definite go-to book when I need a quick escape to something warm and familiar. Another favorite author is Cardeno C because I know that this will have me laughing out loud and filling me full of “aww” moments. It also helps that CC also writes paranormal like me. Outside of romance, I love to read Stephen King and Rob Thurman, two fantastic thriller authors. King makes me afraid to turn pages while Thurman has me lusting over snarky characters one minute and enjoying violence and gore the next. What’s not to love? A new author to the scene is PT Denys. She had me shredded and left for raw after reading her novel. I was such a mess after reading Violence Begets that I had to stop reading all novels for nearly a week and then recuperate with Collision Course. Then, I have a long list of favorites that make up my immediate buy list that include Damon Suede and Stephani Hecht and Kade Boehme.

I love to read all the time. No kidding, I read a minimum of an hour a day and more if I’m lucky. I read first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. My nose is constantly glued to my Kindle app.

(Q): What are the biggest hurdles to overcome as an author? 

(A): Finding the time to write is always a challenge since I’m the primary bread winner in the family with a demanding job as a business analyst. Sometimes, I can write thousands of words in one sitting and the prose pours out of me like fine wine and other times I have to force words onto the page in an effort to get started. It all depends on the week. After that, I have to admit that the marketing portion is the most challenging for me. I’d much rather write stories, read novels, or talk about books. That is my passion. Marketing is a new world for me and is definitely a huge hurdle.

(Q): Is there any advice that you can offer for new writers? 

(A): Just write. Write what you know about and what you feel most passionate about. I dragged through the completion of my first novel because I wasn’t in love with one of the main characters but once I fixed the problem, I completed the story in a few months. The same thing happened with my second story to be released in November. The story came to me and it was written and signed within a few months. In the meantime, I’ve had another story that’s taken me over a year to write but I keep plugging away. Eventually, the characters will find their groove and it will be a fantastic story. But if I don’t take the time to write, then my dream sits there on my laptop and nobody will be able to read it. If you want it, then take it. Dust off that story, finish it, and submit it. It might get rejected and then you polish it up again and re-submit. Don’t let somebody else tell you that your dreams aren’t good enough. Everybody has a story to tell.

(Q): Tell us a few random personal things about yourself personal & professional!

(A): I’m a seasoned world traveler and have lived in several countries on a few continents. Because my father was in the Air Force, I’m used to moving every few years and I get antsy when I’ve been in one place too long. I combat the need to move by redecorating and painting various rooms in my home or traveling throughout the year to visit family scattered all over the states. I enjoy traveling to GayRomLit and meeting with fellow authors and readers for a week of retreat and debauchery. 

Outside of the reading and  writing world, I like to crochet. I’m working on a TARDIS afghan at the moment since I’m a huge Doctor Who fan. I love to cook and I enjoy watching football and I absolutely love to snuggle up with my three dogs. I have a Husky and two Chihuahuas that make up my own little pack of hellhounds.

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  ~~~CLICK HERE TO FIND TINA ON FACEBOOK~~~

Winter's Demon by Eric R. Asher

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Winter's Demon ~ Book Three in The Vesik Series
Book 2: Wolves And The River Of Stone
Book 1: Days Gone Bad

Review:
This is "Winter's Demon", the third book in Author Eric R. Asher's "Vesik" Series. I was extremely excited to get a chance to read it, as I've been a huge fan of Mr Asher since his first book, "Days Gone Bad" and I wasn't disappointed! One again, Eric wrapped me up in his web of dark humor & even darker urban fantasy & reeled me in! You know how you occasionally find a book that you just can't put down, no matter what you try? Well, this entire series has been that way for me! 
Eric's lead character, Damian, has been growing by leaps & bounds, as he adjusts into the world of necromancy, demons, fae, voodoo, vampires, werewolves & more.. As you would expect, Damian is constantly surrounded by death & evil, yet he sticks to his roots & works hard to not let it corrupt his soul, along with his mentor, the necromancer, Zola.. Damian's vampire sister, Samantha, and his best friend, the fae warrior, Foster, are at his side once again, along with several other favorite characters from the past books. 
Damian's mother is kidnapped by an evil necromancer & his father is devastated. Damian will do anything in his considerable power to bring his mother back home safely.
Damian, Zola, Samantha, his father Dimitry, Foster, and the rest of the Fae & vampires & even the quirky, yet loyal fire demon, Mike, work at Damian's side to help bring down the evil that has taken his mother & has even further plans to wreak disaster on the world..
The action is non-stop, yet easy to follow along. Eric has this intense way of writing his heart & soul into Damian's character & it shows in so many ways. Damian's loyalty is rarely questioned & his strength rarely falters because he knows he's not only fighting to get his mother back, but he truly is fighting to save the world. There are many intense, gory situation in the book and they are oftentimes accompanied by Mr Asher's trademark dark humor & it makes the book flow wonderfully, without any boring parts and you never feel left out of the world he has created. 
Damian's best friend, Foster brings in lots of extra laughter & shocked gasps, with his quirkiness & his naughty sense of humor. Foster became one of my favorite book characters after the first Vesik novel. This is one unique character that you absolutely must check out! His humor & unwavering loyalty to Damian brings so many scenes together in perfect harmony. We all need that best friend in our life, who is there regardless of what difficult times are ahead or regardless of what danger you find yourself in.. Foster is that friend, indeed.. (A little note.. You must check out the coffee mug hot tub scene!:) 
The battles for Damian's mother & their very lives are intense & you'll be gripping the edge of your seat, making those little gasping noises as you read, because again, Eric knows how to write an truly engrossing novel!
The humor I love so much ends up showing up when you least expect it & sometimes you'll be crying one moment & bursting out in laughter, snot-bubbles & all, the next moment! Seriously, if you are a fan of urban fantasy plus some intense dark humor, you don't want to miss this author! 
Check out Eric Asher & Winter's Demon today! 

Platinum Reviews gives Eric & Winter's Demon:
5 Platinum Rings! 

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Blurb:

Some things can never be undone. The horrors I've defeated—or even caused—with my own hands … they are nothing compared to what’s coming. Philip Pinkerton has brought his madness upon my family, my own blood. His army of necromancers is on the move, harbingers of a great darkness. I fear the war has begun ... and damn, I don't get paid enough for this.

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Excerpt:

“Zola, it’s okay. Thunderbirds have never acted against the Fae,” Cassie said, her hands out in a placating gesture.

“And if we had come to find you?” Zola asked. “If we had set foot here without Amon and the bird decided we were an imbalance?”

Cassie’s hands fell and she turned toward Edgar. “Would he destroy them?”

Edgar shrugged. “It is unlikely. The old Fae legends are much more severe than a living Thunderbird. There is far more evil in the world than there are things trying to destroy it.”

We all stared at Edgar. A shiver ran down my spine. For all his talk and disdain for all necromancers, he’d just said—out loud—we aren’t all evil.

Edgar laughed, pulled his bowler off, and bowed slightly. “Don’t take that the wrong way. You still irritate me to no end.”

“That’s a relief,” I said. “Thought my world was ending there for a second.”

“Not yet,” Edgar said as he started back up through the cavern.

I scooted closer to Zola as Edgar became a shadow in front of the cavern entrance. “What the hell is going on with him?”

“He has hidden himself from the world for many years,” she said. “Not many people have been betrayed as badly as Amon. Those that violated his trust the worst were necromancers.”

“Betrayal leaves a mark,” Cassie said as she came up behind us, picking her way around the debris on the floor of the cavern. “Most of us were surprised when he joined the Watchers. He’d been all but a hermit before that.”

“So what’s the Thunderbird like?” Foster said to Cassie as he landed on my shoulder. I guess he’d decided the risk was over for the moment.

I caught Cassie’s frown as the sunlight temporarily blinded us.

“It is … different,” she said. “I understand it thrives on balance, but I don’t think it is always balance as we see it.”

“Gods rarely see things the same way we do,” Zola said.

“A god?” I slid on a patch of loose rocks as I contemplated what that could possibly mean. “Thunderbirds are Old Gods?”

“Shit,” Sam said. “You mean that thing is a god?”

“Oh yes,” Zola said.

“What’s an Old God?” Dad asked.

“Some things you are better off not knowing,” Zola said as she patted Sam’s arm.

“Bullshit.” Dad turned to face us in the entryway, somehow seeming to block the entire cavern entrance. “You let this man drag me down here as bait, bait for some kind of god that’s sensitive to the fact I just
lost my fucking wife! You think there’re worse things I don’t need to know? Things I can’t deal with? I’ll tear this world in half to get her back!” His chest heaved and a vein throbbed at his temple.

Zola folded her hands gently over her cane and sighed. “Ah meant no disrespect Dimitry. Would you not do this to keep your children safe, to help find your wife?”........
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~~~CLICK HERE FOR ERIC'S FACEBOOK FAN PAGE LINK!~~~

~~CLICK HERE TO GO TO ERIC'S WEBSITE~~

~~CLICK HERE TO FIND ERIC & HIS BOOKS ON AMAZON~~

~~CLICK HERE TO GET WINTER'S DEMON ON AMAZON~~

Author Feature: Meredith Millen

 

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We took some time to chat with the lovely Author Meredith Millen for a brief interview recently. Mere will be releasing her second suspense novel in July, so keep an eye out on this fantastic author! 

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1) Why did you decide to start writing?

I started writing  because I needed an outlet for all of my emotions when I found my birth family.

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2) Do you think authors can succeed in multiple genres or should they stick with a single genre?

I believe authors can succeed in multiple genres, but that they have one specific one that will out shine the rest.

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3) What do you feel is the biggest reward to you with writing?

I feel the biggest reward to myself with writing is a safe and effective way of venting out my frustrations and mixed emotions.

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4) Who are some of your favorite authors & why?

A few of my favorite authors are Cassandra Clare - I am a huge fan of the shadow hunter world and I love how she gets my emotions wrapped up in the story and makes me feel like I'm there. I also love JK Rowling for her imagination and drawing my attention into a series so much that I now will (time allowing) will sit and read for days at the time completely losing myself in the series I'm reading. Rick Riordan, Pittacus Lore, James Dashner, and James Patterson are also a few of my favorites.

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5) What are the biggest hurdles to overcome as an author?

The biggest hurdle I've had to overcome is actually letting someone else read my work. Growing up I wrote, but to this day what I wrote is still locked up where no one else can read it. Until Searching for Blood no one read any of the short stories I wrote growing up. Once I finished the book I started with my best friend and then slowly branched out, getting a few opinions of people I trusted before even considering releasing it to strangers.

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6) Is there any advice that you can offer for new writers?

Don't over think things, don't push yourself to write. Just let it come. Sit down with your idea and see what becomes of it.

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7) Tell us a few random personal things about yourself, both personally & professionally!

I came up with the idea for my series while sitting on the couch talking to my birth father after my grandmothers funeral just 11 months after meeting her for the first time at 25 years old. I had no idea what I was going to do with the idea but it's evolved into one of the most amazing things I've ever done and I'm very proud of the work I've done and most importantly it was the best outlet I could have imagined for my feelings. It was much easier for me to write down my feelings and vent them out through my characters than it was to talk to someone, because no matter what I said they always "understood", but in reality everyone I talked to couldn't understand because they never went through it themselves. I love spending time with my daughter, cooking, playing pool, swimming, traveling, reading, and of course writing.

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Thank you, Meredith! Best of luck on the upcoming release!

You can find Mere here on Facebook!
~~~CLICK HERE FOR MERE MILLEN ON FB~~~