**AUTHOR FEATURE** Raz T Slasher

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We were able to sit down & chat with a fab new author on the horror scene! Meet Raz T Slasher, who recently released his novel "The Mime", which is also a fantastic horror film! He's a fab, fun guy & we had a blast hanging out with him! He has a quirky, off-kilter sense of humor & fits in well with us! Check out his interview today!

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1) Why did you decide to start writing? 

My mom had a rule in our home. We were allowed to read anything we wanted as long as we didn’t ask what a word meant. So I’d carry around books and a dictionary with me everywhere. I think that gave me a huge appreciation of what it took to write. The more expansive the vocabulary, the more I found myself enamored with what I was reading. The first time I picked up a pencil I remember thinking to myself that I had stories to tell to.  

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

Honestly, I think you can succeed in writing in every single genre at once if that's something you're passionate about. Readers will follow a good author no matter where their journey takes them.  

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

I think the biggest reward has been all the great conversations I've gotten to have with some amazing readers. Writing in the horror genre is difficult in the best of times, seeing them connect with your work is beyond exciting.  

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

If I can pick only one, then I have to say Clive Barker. He writes various genres, besides horror. There’s so much passion in what he writes and that’s something I connect to as a person, not just as a reader. He makes even horror this deeply romantic thing always bubbling just below the surface of tragedy and terror.  

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

It boils down to needing a lot of patience. This is a very long and difficult process from the moment it begins, a process in which there is no true ending to. For me the biggest hurdles have been finding new and interesting ways to get my work out there.  

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

Believe in yourself, even when you're at your lowest. Remember that your voice is just as important than everyone else's. Stay passionate, people pick up on that. If you're enjoying what you're doing, then other will follow suit!  

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

I co-host the Twisted Geekdom Podcast with an amazing group of friends. I probably spend an unhealthy amount of time research things that have absolutely nothing to do with anything I'm writing. My favorite color is Green.. Oh, And I love chocolate milk.

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~~CLICK HERE TO FIND RAZ T SLASHER ON FACEBOOK~~ 

~~CLICK HERE TO FIND 'THE MIME' BOOK ON AMAZON~~

~~CLICK HERE TO FIND 'THE MIME' MOVIE ON AMAZON~~

~~CLICK HERE TO FIND TWISTED GEEKDOM ON FACEBOOK~~

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FEBRUARY 2016 AUTHOR PRICING

**AUTHOR FEATURE** CL Gaber

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Our next author feature is on the lovely CL Gaber! Her latest book "Ascenders" is a fab YA/NA paranormal about a high school for the recently deceased. You don't want to miss this one! Enjoy the feature!

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1) Why did you decide to start writing? 

I’ve always been a writer. When I was young, I’d write at home and my Dad was my editor. I’ve been a journalist covering Hollywood for many years. I’ve interviewed the authors of all the books turned into movies. They inspired me to try writing a book. One night, I had a crazy dream that played out like a movie in my mind. I saw the beginning, middle and end, plus the characters were very detailed. That became ASCENDERS. 

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

I think authors can write in any genre. You just need to create a great story and within that story there can be fantasy, love, adventure, etc. Ascenders blends an epic love story with high adventure and fantasy. I love it because it’s fun to write in all of those worlds. 

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

You’re asking someone who just did the last chapter of the Ascenders sequel coming out this spring. It’s an amazing feeling to finish a book, but even more fun to live inside your characters. I’m constantly writing myself little notes on scraps of paper about what Walker would say or Daniel would do. The other great reward is talking to readers. You guys have embraced Ascenders in such a loving way and can’t wait until book two. That makes me crazy happy! 

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

Love, love, love Stephen King. He writes in a way that’s very real, but with amazing plotlines and stories. 

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

I love the writing, cover design, editing, etc. That part is fun. I think the biggest hurdle is dealing with getting your book out there. You really have to work at it and it’s crucial to have someone amazing like Vicki helping. You can just write the book and not keep your finger on getting it out there. But this is also the fun part where you meet readers and make new friends. There are people I talk to on Facebook all the time now that feel like old friends. It’s really amazing to say I have friends in every state now. 

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

Write. Find time to write. Make the hub take the kids. Get the dog a new bone. Make time for you. I interviewed Twilight author Stephenie Meyers many times. She had little kids when she wrote that book and made her hub for a certain period of time each day take the kids so she could lock herself in the den. Even if you just write a few paragraphs each day, keep on track. 

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

Well, I’ve been an entertainment journalist for forever. Each week I go to LA for two days and interview movie stars. The other day, I was in an elevator in Bev Hills with Sly Stallone and Harrison Ford. Come on! That was really exciting! Other stuff about me: After 30 years of not seeing each other, I married my high school boyfriend Ron and now I have an amazing bonus daughter Sabrina. I’m also crazy about my two dogs, Colt and Georgie. I’m also sitting her in PJs typing this thinking about cleaning the house. My life is pretty normal. So let’s crank up the Adele and get out the Windex! Also, I love to hear from everyone. Write me at CLGaber@yahoo.com.

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~~CLICK HERE TO FIND CL GABER ON AMAZON~~

~~CLICK HERE TO FIND CL GABER ON FACEBOOK~~

*Review* Alexa Crushed & Alexa Loved by TR Cupak

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I'm combining reviews for the next book, as it's a close knit series.. We're focusing on the Alexa series by TR Cupak.

This series was amazing! YA/NA isn't normally my preferred genre but the Alexa series kept me glued to each page, non-stop! Ms Cupak does an excellent job portraying Alexa's character.. You can literally feel the emotion pouring off the pages! Alexa is a beautiful young lady who's gone through more than her fair share of heartbreak & she's also slowly realizing that she is caught between her affection for Devin & her developing feelings for Ethan... Ms Cupak takes us through the twists & turns in Alexa's world & she does it all with class!

If you're a fan of contemporary New Adult romance, this is one series you don't want to miss!!

Platinum gives the Alexa Series & TR Cupak:

FIVE PLATINUM RINGS!!

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Alexa Crushed blurb:

Alexa Morgan lost her mother when she was two. At eighteen, her father and stepmother died when a devastating earthquake hit the Bay Area. Only one person has remained a constant in her life: Devin.

Devin has been Alexa’s best friend since childhood. The two are inseparable—or they were until Devin declared his love for her at sixteen. When Alexa can offer him only friendship in return, Devin retreats, brokenhearted.

Alexa, on the other hand, longs for Ethan, the boy next door. Four years older than her, and with an ever-changing roster of girlfriends, Ethan is everything Devin isn’t: wild, sensual, and unpredictable.

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, Ethan makes his move on Alexa, who reciprocates in a confused whirl of grief and desire. When Ethan leaves town the next day, Devin comes back into Alexa’s life, offering support and expecting nothing in return.

Alexa begins to see the advantages of Devin’s quiet, stable love. Can she get past the friendship hang-up while trying to forget bad boy Ethan? It’s a choice that changes her life forever.

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Alexa Loved blurb:

After her parents died during her senior year of high school, Alexa Morgan is completely alone in the world—except for her best-friend-turned-boyfriend Devin, identical twins Becca and Jessa, and Sebastian, a mysterious associate of her father’s. 

Upon graduation, Alexa wants nothing more than to move on with her life, go to college, and forget all the hard and hurtful things from her tragic past. But when her first love, Ethan, shows up on her doorstep—the night before she’s supposed to meet Devin in Miami—it kicks off a whirlwind of events that threatens the good and stable things she’s worked so hard to achieve. 

Ethan and Alexa shared one night of passion before he disappeared, leaving her bewildered and confused. But now he’s back, declaring that he loves her and that the only reason he left was to protect her from his malicious stepmother, Olivia. 

In her heart, Alexa knows she loves Devin, but her attraction to Ethan is so strong she can’t help but be drawn in by their shared chemistry. Meanwhile, the threat of Olivia lurks around the edges, casting a menacing shadow over everything and everyone Alexa loves.

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~~ALEXA CRUSHED ON AMAZON~~

~~ALEXA LOVED ON AMAZON~~

~~TR CUPAK'S FACEBOOK AUTHOR FAN PAGE~~

**AUTHOR FEATURE** Leslie McKelvey

 

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Our next author feature is for the extraordinary Ms Leslie McKelvey! Leslie writes romantic suspense & her "Accidental Encounters" series is fantastic! Please welcome her to the blog! 

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1) Why did you decide to start writing?

• I don't remember when I decided to start writing. I just know that once I learned to write, I started writing stories. I had all these people and places in my head, which was noisy, so I put them on paper. That helped quiet my brain some, but new people and stories just appeared to take place of the old ones.
• ~~~

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

  
  

  

  I think authors can succeed in multiple genres if they have the aptitude. I have written romance (contemporary and historical), sci-fi, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, but all of them have a romance theme throughout. For me it's not the main thread that changes, just the setting and language (they didn't use contractions in 13th century Scotland). If you have a firm grasp of writing mechanics and a clear vision, tell the story and worry about what genre it falls into later.
• ~~~
• 
  

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

  
  

  PEACE, at least temporary peace. After I finished Accidental Affair, Bear started whispering in my ear. Then he started talking. Then yelling. When all that failed, he shut down my muse until I told his story. Characters can be so temperamental! Oh, and being able to say, "I'm an author" is kind of cool, too!
• ~~~
• 4) Who are some of your favorite authors & why?

  
  

  

  Favorite authors. Hmm, that's like asking me my favorite ice cream. It depends on my mood. I love Dean Koontz (his descriptive abilities are second to NONE), Catherine Coulter (her older works), Kathleen Woodiwiss, and then there are the classics like Austen, Melville, Hawthorne, and who could forget Shakespeare? Yes, I'm a book nerd.

  wink emoticon
• ~~~
• 5) What are the biggest hurdles to overcome as an author?

  
  

  

  Biggest hurdles. OMG, time management for me. Some authors give themselves a daily writing goal, which is good, but my free-spirited writing muse HATES structure like that. Getting an agent is another one. I have three published books, two more contracted for publication, but can I get an agent? Hell to the NO. But, I'd have to say that getting one's work noticed is by far the biggest, hardest hurdle to overcome. With e-publishing, any hack can publish a book, even those who can't write a coherent sentence and have NO idea what punctuation, spelling, and grammar are. How does one stand out in a crowd of millions when all people base their book purchases on is a cover and a blurb? When I figure out how to get over THAT bar, I'll write a book about it and make millions. Or not....
• ~~~
• 
  

  

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

  
  

  My advice for new writers is DON'T GIVE UP and NEVER STOP WRITING. But, don't just write to write. Work on improving what you write and how you write. I guess then my REAL advice would be WORK TO BE BETTER, at everything, including life.
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• 
  

  7) Tell us a few random personal things about yourself personal & professional!
• Random personal things...I don't know, I might scare some people, lol. I'm a US Navy veteran who was among the first groups of women to work the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. I am married to a cop (22 years), I have 3 sons (the oldest is a US Marine, the middle is a high-school senior and leaves for Marine Corps boot camp June 2016, and the youngest is only 12, so he has a few years yet to decide which branch of service, lol). I have extensive training and experience with firearms, including sniper and SWAT training, and knife-fighting. Professionally, I was Sales & Marketing coordinator at a boutique hotel in my home town of Santa Maria, CA, before I gave up all that glamour to be a domestic goddess (aka stay-at-home-mom). I have a BS in Business Management, and a PhD in sarcasm. I am a gun-toting, Constitution-loving, once-a-sailor-always-a-sailor gal who would rather wear my 5-11 tactical pants and combat boots than heels. My favorite perfume is the smell of gunpowder in the morning....
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• ~~CLICK HERE FOR LESLIE'S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE~~

     ~~CLICK HERE FOR LESLIE'S FACEBOOK AUTHOR FAN PAGE~~

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