Bibi Rizer

Hey Guys! It's a new week, which of course means a new SPOTLIGHT! And this week we talked with Bibi Rizer. She's the author of the newly released "Electrify Me." And it did. It was wickedly good! You can read my review here, and purchase your own copy of it here. 

All Gloria Falcon wants is to have a nice New Year’s Eve with a nice man. Is that so much to ask? But after seven disastrous New Years in a row, this year she’s trying something different. Committed to spending her New Year’s Eve manning the phones at a suicide crisis phone line, Gloria is sure the karma she earns will break her New Year’s curse. But when a blackout cancels her night of philanthropy, rather than spend the night moping in the dark, she goes on a ride along with the cute electric company lineman who failed to fix the power. 

Charlie Zhang is not much of a New Year believer either. He’s coasting through life after being discharged from the army and trying not to let his cynicism of pretty much everything define him. When Gloria Falcon climbs into Charlie’s life, and his repair truck, neither of them expect this to be the New Year’s Eve that changes their minds, and their fate, forever. 

So, you know the drill, we ask the questions, they give the answers, and here are Bibi's! 

1-  Did you always want to be a writer?

I remember getting my mom to make little stapled booklets for me before I could write. I would fill them with pictures and scribbled “writing”, so forever I guess. I started writing my first novel when I was about ten (I still have it!) Then I won first prize in the first short story contest I ever entered when I was sixteen. I was so mortified that I didn’t write much of anything for about ten years.

2- What's your favourite book?

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood is probably my all-time favorite book. But Harry Potter has meant a lot to me too. And The World According to Garp by John Iriving.

3- What's your favourite children's book?

Harry Potter I guess. I also really loved the Narnia books as a child.

4- What inspired this story line?

A friend of mine worked a suicide help line one New Year’s Eve and that got me thinking about all the people who work on New Year’s Eve. What if two of them met and fell in love?

5- How did you make the choice between indie/self publishing and traditional publishing?

I’m traditionally published as a YA writer which has been great. But I wanted to try something different.

6- Can we expect to see more from you in the future?

Yes! Electrify Me is the first in a series of stand-alone novellas, all set on holidays. The next one, due out in late February or early March 2015 is called Objectify Me. I also have two other series kicking off in 2015 – The City of Dark Pleasures,a dystopian erotic romance serial and The Vikings of Vinland, a historical series.

7- Who has been your biggest supporter?

My husband has been very tolerant over the years, not the least of which about the patchy way in which my income comes in, but he doesn’t really understand my books. Not his thing. I have a supportive writing group on Facebook.

8- What are your most and least favourite parts of being a writer?

My favorite part is the solitude. My least favorite part is the solitude. J

9- What's been the biggest hurdle for you?

It’s hard to access your readers, hard to get reviews and to build a following. That’s been a challenge. It’s difficult for me since my existing audience is for YA and my new stuff is erotic and NA so there’s not much crossover.

10-What's your Pet peeve or share an embarrassing moment.

I had a public reading once where about five people showed up. That was horrible.

11- Who's your favourite disney princess? 

If we’re including Princess Leia then she wins by about a million light years. If not, then Merida by far.

Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Bibi's journey as a writer! I know I always love getting these answers. 

See you next week! 

Serena Kearney

Serena is the author of Pneuma, which I recently had the pleasure of reading and reviewing for her. This novel is not easily categorized, but is definitely a YA novel, with a twist, we could say? You can find my review here, and can purchase your own copy of it here.

                                       

pneu·ma 

ˈn(y)o͞omə/ 

noun 

the vital spirit, soul, or creative force of a person. 

Do you know what it feels like to hold fate in your hand? 

Was it fate that my whole life got turned upside down? 

He was the reason I had to leave. 

Making the sacrifice caused my heart to rip in two. 

I wanted normalcy. I wanted my life to be my own. 

But it’s nothing without the people I love, and it’s for 

the people I love that I have to leave. 

Fate. Please be kind. 

Will he still remember me? 

Will our first and last kiss be one and the same? 

Please remember. 

Please be with me. 

Family is tested. 

Memories are everywhere. 

Love is one of the biggest reliefs and hurts you can have at the same time.

Of course we want you all to get to know the author we're spotlighting, so here we have assembled some questions that Serena has been kind enough to answer for us. She's given us some pretty awesome answers, too! 

1-    Did you always want to be a writer? 

• You know, I will answer truthfully. No. I did not. Throughout my whole childhood and young adult life, I've LOVED animals (and still do) so I grew up wanting to be a veterinarian. I didn't reach that level, but I did get a degree in Animal Care and Management Technology and became a Veterinary Assistant (aka animal nurse), so I worked halfway to there.
    I've always dabbled here and there with short stories, but not seriously. The time I did try to get serious was around... 2010 or so. I tried to write a little, but again, not serious, but THEN... inspiration hit me the year of 2012 and hence... Pneuma was born. 

2-    What's your favourite book? 

• UGG... NOOO! I can't pick one...??!!! Okay, okay, I have to admit, I did have a streak of being a Twi-Fan.... lol.... but now that I've grown and read soooo many more books... For right now... I'm going to have to say... The Eden Series by Nicole 
• Williams.... OH... I just remember how her words made me ache and it was one of those series where I was like... MUST READ MORE...NOW. And was soooo sad when it was over... OY. Of course there are other books that gave me that feeling..... but hers stood out more than others.

3-    What's your favourite children's book? 

• Children's book.... hmmmm..... I don't have the best memory when it comes to when I was little.... but the one book I do remember is Charlotte's Web. Oh... when she died at the end.... even up to now, that still gets me.

4-    What inspired this story line? 

• Oh boy.... you got me thinking waaaay back..... UM... Okay, I remember...! I was having a conversation with my husband and I don't know what brought it up, but we started talking about how long we have been together and all our memories, but what happens if one day those memories are gone and one of us has to make the other fall in love with them all over again? And the pain the other has feels, knowing they remember everything, but their one true love remembers nothing! Of course, I added some.... okay, ALOT... of twists and turns in my book, but that was the initial inspiration. =)

5-    How did you make the choice between indie/self publishing and traditional publishing? 

• I researched both sides and it seemed traditional publishing took a lot of time and a lot of rejection letters, where as self-publishing, you control it all. Of course, you don't have as much exposure as a publishing company does, but still, you can publish right away and once you have all your ducks in a row, it happens because YOU make it happen. Not because you're dependent on someone else. Especially if you are a new author, it's hard to get publishers and you always wonder, am I good enough? Is my writing worth it? And when you do get rejection letters, it would just hurt your self-esteem even more, like, I guess I was right, my writing sucks, why do I bother? Whereas self-publishing, you get to feel it out, get peoples reactions and see how you do on your own. Then if you get good feedback, then you can look into the next step of publishing, if you wanted to.
  I made the choice because I just wanted to see where the road would take me. And I didn't want to wait for anyone else. I just wanted to do it.

6-    Can we expect to see more from you in the future? 

• OH YES! Hidden secret (well not anymore)..... 4 of my books are off to editors, one of them is the second book to Pneuma..... soooo.... not going to spoil much.... LOL. But yes, I intend to keep on writing as long as the flow keeps going and my brain keeps sputtering about... LOL!

7-    Who has been your biggest supporter? 

• My husband. The nights where I'm glued to my computer and he kind of sits and stares... wondering if I acknowledge that he's alive... LOL! But really, my husband told me from the beginning to do it and do it and do it.... and after much pushing.... he got me to do it.

8-    What are your most and least favourite parts of being a writer? 

• Most FAVORITE PART.... being able to create whatever I want and connect my characters in ways I don't even know how?! I love the bonds and love I get to see grow and connect.
• LEAST Favorite.... EDITING!!! I HAAAAATE editing!!!!! AAAAAH!!!! Of course I have editors and they do most of it, but as an author, you still have to edit stuff on you're own....and.... I hate it. I mean writing the story is easy to me, from what I hear that's the hardest.... not for me... I've always had an imaginative mind... BUT the editing...?!!! AAAAH! It's because I have to re-read and re-read....while trying to catch things..... uuugghhh.... drives me INSANE!

9-    What's been the biggest hurdle for you? 

• Biggest hurdle.....hmmm.... probably getting it just right in the final process of editing, and making the damn E-Pub file. EPUB is soooo annoying!!! Luckily my husband knew some things about epub formatting, etc... but uuughh?!! The process of that.... BIG HURDLE.

10-  What's your Pet peeve or share an embarrassing moment.

• I can't think of an embarrassing moment right now (probably because I block them out..). But as for pet peeves... I have said this before, but I'll say it again... I need a straw to drink from drinks... I don't know why, just the feeling of them on my teeth... I just need a straw. Water is okay, but other drinks, tea, coffee, soda.... MUST HAVE STRAW. LOL. There's my weird fact for you.

11-  Who's your favourite disney princess? Favorite Disney Princess....... If I had to pick one... uumm... gosh... only one...?! Okay, I'm torn between Pocahontas and Mulan... Pocahontas had that freeing, nature spirit, while Mulan had that rebellious, honor family thing going..... uuughh....... if I had to choooose.... I think my young self would choose Pocahontas. So I'll go with that. They're both awesome to me... LOL!

So, do you all feel like you know Serena just a little better? Well, if you don't, or you do and you want to come hang out with her, Caitlin and I, join us on our Facebook Page on Sunday, December 21st at 2pm EST for her takeover!
You can also find Serena on Facebook, too! 

Juliet Braddock

Juliet is the author of "Weakened." It is a new erotica that I recently read and loved. Anyone that loves a read filled with emotion and passion should definitely pick this up! 


Against the glittering backdrop of New York City, budding theatrical publicist Maxine Kirk, fresh off the bus from a small Pennsylvania town, stumbles into the arms of her beloved teenage crush, unleashing desires that she never imagined.

Enter Drew McKenzie, a rising star on Broadway with dashing looks and talent to match, who masquerades behind the characters he portrays.

Instantly, Maxine finds herself lured into Drew’s high society world only to uncover a complicated man beneath the glitz and glamour of his public persona. As soon as the curtain falls, Drew sheds his stage costumes to reveal a daring Dominant side.

Titillated by his enigmatic life, Maxine clamors to discover a surreptitious and possibly perilous affair with Drew, all the while questioning her own preconceived notions on romance.

Secrets surface, revealing haunting truths that test both Maxine and Drew of their own intentions. But in this high-stakes game of trust, only the strongest survive. 

You can find our review of "Weakened" here and buy your own copy here. It is presently on sale for .99 cents (Amazon US only)! That's a pretty awesome deal!


So, we want to get to know our authors, and we want all of you to get to know them as well! As a result, Caitlin and I came up with a list of general questions to ask and here are Juliet's answers. We hope you love Juliet as much as I have come to. She is just the sweetest! 

1-  Did you always want to be a writer? 
In one word -- YES!  Even before I could actually write sentences as a small child, I would create stories and tell them verbally.  My mother realized that I had some sort of gift, and she bought me a child's typewriter when I was six for Christmas.  She encouraged me to write those stories down.  

For some reason--maybe it's the Libra in me--I always gravitated toward romance. I used to steal my grandmother's dirty books.  I read the teen romances in the 80s by Norma Klein and Judy Blume. And then I decided to start writing stories of my own--all of which focused around Duran Duran.  

Again, my mother always encouraged my writing, and when I went to college, I majored in journalism.  I've been writing professionally in a corporate sense throughout my entire career, and I've always written my own stories on the side. But I never took the leap to try and publish before now. 

2- What's your favourite book? 
Just one?  I would have to say A Grand Passion by Mary Mackey.  It was this sweeping saga of three generations of Russian ballerinas, their loves and their losses.  I read that book when I was a teenager, and it's one that has stuck with me over time.  I have my old copy of it, and i still read it again occasionally.  

3- What's your favourite children's book? 
Anything and everything by Shel Silverstein.  I can't tell you how many times I checked Where the Sidewalk Ends out of the children's library as a kid.  

4- What inspired this story line? 
My mother.  She passed away when I was 25, but she introduced me to New York, which is a character in and of itself in the book.  Having grown up in a small town, we'd always vacation in Manhattan.  I fell in love with the city at an early age, and I moved here when I was just 21 with nothing much but some dreams in my suitcase.

The sights, the sounds, even the scents of the city surround you constantly when you live in New York.  You can complain about it all, or you can embrace every corner of the city and find inspiration.  And that's what I've done.

Also, as a reader, I was, quite frankly, tired of reading about the standard entrepreneurial billionaire. My mother also inspired my love of the theater, and I thought, "What's more New York than a working Broadway actor?"  So I ran with that, too, in Drew's character.  I just love the whole notion of a theatrical production, and I have quite a few friends who do work in the theater.  So it's fun to pull form what I know...and it's fun to imagine what goes on behind the scenes... 

5- How did you make the choice between indie/self publishing and traditional publishing? 
I've worked in publishing, professionally, and things changed in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, everything went digital, which opened up an avenue for new writers to test the waters.  Support is only there for the major authors with the top publishing houses.  And I watched as all of that unfolded.  

My stories also tend to write themselves, and I often divert rather drastically form the initial storyline I initially created in my head.  I didn't want to have to be married to an outline.  I wanted that freedom to tell my stories as they unfolded in my head.  With self-publishing, you carry the full creative license.  It's actually quite liberating as an author.  

6- Can we expect to see more from you in the future? 
You bet!  WRAPPED, which is book two, will be out in early spring of next year.  KNOTTED will follow in the summer.  And quite possibly a fourth book in the series as well.  

7- Who has been your biggest supporter? 
My mother, even though she's gone now.  She was my greatest fan. 

8- What are your most and least favourite parts of being a writer? 
I love to escape--be it with a live show on Broadway, a book or even music that I love.  Writing is the ultimate escape.  I have the chance to create a little world that's outside of the realities of daily life.  That's truly my favorite part of being a writer.

As for the downside, it's hard work.  I say that I work two jobs--my corporate 9-6...and then I come home to pursue my other career.  It takes a dedication that most people don't realize.  I spend my nights writing, researching.  

And it's beyond the writing and the research.  It's building a website on your own.  It's taking pictures for your social media.  Developing promotions.  Advertising.  Marketing. Publicity.  When you self-publish, that all falls upon the author.  If I didn't write my own press materials, they wouldn't exist.  

9- What's been the biggest hurdle for you? 
My confidence.  Hearing from your bosses and best friends tell you that you know how to write is wonderful.  But stepping outside of your personal space and showing off your baby to the world is rough.  

10-What's your Pet peeve or share an embarrassing moment.
The MEN in my life!  Having to explain that I've written a naughty book of erotic romance to my closest male friends....both gay and straight.....AWKWARD...but funny.   

11- Who's your favourite disney princess? 
Whatever Princess my Goddaughter is dressed as!  :)  She embodies everything that a true Princess should be.  She's kind, courageous, smart, charmingly hilarious, and beautiful--inside and out.  And far wiser than her five years.  I wish everyone could be just like her.  I love her to infinity and beyond...

So, that wraps up this portion of our Author Spotlight. Please join us on our FB page on Sunday, December 14th at 4PM EST for Juliet's takeover! 



If you're interested in being spotlighted on our blog, please get in touch with us, and we can make something happen.

You can find us on Facebook! And you can follow Juliet, too!