Saturday, January 31, 2015

C.C. Ravanera


C.C. Ravanera


C.C. Ravanera just released her debut novel "Dreamweavers." This novel was such a breath of fresh air in the fantasy/paranormal genre. I could not have asked for a better storyteller. If you want to hear more about my raving of this novel, you can find Keri's review here.


In a parallel world to humans Anima dreams of a better life. Harvesting dreams from humans every night with her pilot Dimitri just isn’t enough. 

She wants more. 

When an opportunity to become an elite harvester came she quickly grabbed it but found she swallowed more than she asked for. Suddenly she found herself fighting for her life, killing people, meeting the Angel of Death and finding out that her entire life had been based on lies. What’s more the people of her Realm think she’s the one who will save them all. 

But is she really the one? 




Here is our Q&A! 


1- Did you always want to be a writer? 
        Yes, I've always wanted to be a writer and I've actually completed 3 stories when I was between 12-16 years old, stuff teenage girls wrote about. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd actually make it and publish a book let alone hit Amazon's bestsellers' list. That stuff is for super dreams for sure!

2- What's your favourite book? 
        It's hard to say which one is my favourite book because I love to read. If I give you a list of them, we'd still be talking until next year! I have to say that nowadays I tend to select fantasy/paranormal genre.

3- What's your favourite children's book? 
        The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland are probably the closest to my heart.

4- What inspired this story line? 
        It all started from a dream I had one night which I told one of my friends who then urged me to write it down. Then Anima's Realm (my main character's world) just started building in my head, her story spilling out until it took shape into the book it is now.

5- How did you make the choice between indie/self publishing and traditional publishing? 
        Personal circumstances solidified the decision for me. I don't have oodles of time to tackle self-publishing. I salute people who do and make a living out of it. I did try traditional publishing but I came across Rachel Van Dyken and Blue Tulip Publishing before I heard anything back from traditional publishers. The rest is history.

6- Can we expect to see more from you in the future? 
        Oh yes, Anima's story is just beginning. I'm not really sure how many books she wants me to write down for her. I was planning on 3 books but a friend of mine who heard the entire story told me it's more than that. Then I have other characters completely separate from Anima whispering their stories in my ears. We're in for a long haul if readers would let me.

7- Who has been your biggest supporter? 
        I am blessed to have a massive family and loads of friends around me who had supported me throughout all this. To name just one person is not fair to all of them as I've had a tremendous amount of support from all my loved-ones, family and friends alike.

8- What are your most and least favourite parts of being a writer? 
        Not having enough time to write would be my least favourite thing. I have a young family so I had to put my writing aside several times for them which was why it took me so long to finish Dreamweavers. My most favourite thing is hearing people talk about Anima and her journey and how much they enjoyed it. That's just simply precious.

9- What's been the biggest hurdle for you? 
        Patience :) I wanted to get Anima's story out and share it with all of you guys that being patient during editing process had been the hardest thing. However, it all paid off. Next time into editing I will be more patient...maybe :)

10-What's your Pet peeve or share an embarrassing moment.
        Embarrassing moment since I wrote a book (insert embarrassed chuckle here) I put it up on my blogsite actually. If you want to read it, here is the link: http://ccravanera.blogspot.co.uk/ but it was basically during a meeting with the head librarian near where I live and completely making a fool of myself during that interview.
        Pet peeve...I have OCD, self-diagnosed. Need I say more ;)

11- Who's your favourite Disney princess? 

        Favourite Disney princess...ooh, tough one. I like Rapunzel and Merida from Brave.


We think C.C.'s pretty fantastic, and hope you do, too! You can find her author page on Facebook and she's having a party today celebrating her fantastic release! Maybe you should come on over and play some games, and chat with some of C.C.'s favourite author friends! 



*** If you're interested in being in our Author Spotlight, please send us an email! We can discuss our review requirements and ensure you fit within our little niche. 

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Christine Alvarez

Christine is the author of the new release "Aconite." I'm not sure I can believe this was the author's debut, it was fantastically written, kept me interested from the get go, and on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. You can read my review here, and you really should read it, and then buy it. Links to purchase can be found at the bottom of the spotlight.

Who knew a truck stop post card would send Alexis Davis' life spiraling out of control only to discover a supernatural destiny that she never knew existed. 
Not wanting to follow in her mother's footsteps, she embarks on a new adventure. Armed with a fresh tattoo and desire for freedom, she winds up in the quaint fishing town of Reedsport, Oregon. 
Alex meets two men that awaken something frightening that was buried deep inside her very soul. Soon the lines between her past, present, and future become blurred. 
Now Alexis must decide who she can trust. A dark and mysterious coven that believes she is the only one who can restore their power that was lost long ago....or the two men who have hated each other for centuries because of her.


Waiting to learn a little bit more on the inside mind of Christine? Here's our Q&A Session with her!

1-  Did you always want to be a writer?

I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I would write poems and short stories from the time I could put sentences together. I would often be caught in class writing instead of paying attention to the lesson at hand. 

 2- What's your favourite book? 

I don't really have a favorite book. I have a slight addiction to books, but I do find myself going back to The Collective works of Emily Dickenson and Edgar Allen Poe when I need to escape for a bit.
 
3- What's your favourite children's book?

Right now my favorite children's books are the Dr. Seuss books mainly because that is the collection that my children gain their love of reading from. I read one of them every night along with a chapter from a Y.A. novel Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
 
4- What inspired this story line? 

My kids were actually brain storming ideas to create a really cool love story one day and I sat back and listened. Since it began to weave its world in my mind it didn't stay a little girls story for long but instead grew into a paranormal romance that could never be read by kids.

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

I did a huge amount of research for both. When I was trying to decide what genre Aconite would fit into best I realized that my world and my ideas for the book would stay more intact if I chose to branch out on my own and publish it myself. 

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

Oh yes! Aconite is only the first book in a series that has yet to find an end in my mind. I also have a paranormal dark erotica series that should go live in March. This job is the only one in the world that thrives on having multiple personalities and that I have. So, all the time I have new character bubbling up in my mind with stories of their own to be told.

 7- Who has been your biggest supporter?
I have been so lucky to have a wide range of supporters including my family and the indie world. They have helped and stood by me from the very beginning of my journey. Even though my kids can only be apart of certain aspects of creating this book they have become my cheerleaders throughout this whole journey.
 
8- What are your most and least favourite parts of being a writer?

My favorite part of being a writer? I think it is getting to create worlds that don't actually exist. The ability to escape into my own mind and come out feeling less stressed and having created something that only exists in my head.
My least favorite part to writing? Publishing. If I was able to skip all the stress of rereading, revising, hurrying up to wait, the pressure to get it out and promote the crap out of it and just have it go from my mind to perfect and ready to let the world have it than it wouldn't be my least favorite. 

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

With Aconite it was the decision to publish. The fear of failure or dismissal was high for me. I hadn't written a word in years and the worry that the world had forgotten that books are magical. So self doubt has been my biggest hurdle during this entire process and probably still will be.

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

I am a very easy going person so I cannot think of a pet peeve that I have. I just kind of go with the flow, but I do have an abundance of embarrassing moments. I am a mother and small kids tend to give you tons of those. The one that sticks out in my mind the most is when I was waiting at the Dr. office with my two oldest they were 4 and 2 1/2 at the time. They had sat down to color as we waited. The room was packed full of people and my 4yr old starts screaming, "I HATE BLACK PEOPLE" as loud as she can at her sister. Then she hops up screaming, "MOMMY TELL HER I HATE BLACK PEOPLE!"
I was mortified to say the least. Every eye in the room was on me. When she got to me she handed me the black crayons and said, "Tell her not to color all the faces black!" I sat there for a second holding the crayons trying to figure out what to say. Luckily the room was small and they all heard why she had said it like that. Eventually the spotlight was turned off and the nurse called my name. I stood up and said, "Kids say the darndest things."

 11- Who's your favourite disney princess? 

I actually love Princess Merida she is a spectacular example of a woman's independence. She doesn't need a man to prove anything and I thought the movie was freaking awesome.



Gotta say, I LOVE that her kids brainstorming started the idea of this book! And I have similar embarrassing moments with my kids, too.. LOL

You can find Christine on Facebook! Go like her author page. She's basically awesome.










Saturday, January 17, 2015

Angela Biera

Angela is the author of recently reviewed Hay Wire, and the second book in this series; High Wire. She writes a gripping story in an NA genre dealing with an abusive relationship, demonstrating how fast everything can spin out of control. Purchase your own copy of "Hay Wire" here. "High Wire" was just released yesterday, January 16th, and you can order your copy of it here.

You can read our review for "Haywire" here, and find the review for High Wire here.


Now here's the q&a portion of this spotlight! I don't know about you, but I always love finding out these answers!

1- Did you always want to be a writer? 
Writing always came easy for me. I was that crazy kid in school that loved when a teacher would give an essay test. I got better grades on those test. I never thought i could come up with enough content to write a book. I only got the urge about two years ago. I thought i would give it a try and then Haywire was born. 

2- What's your favourite book? 
I love Colleen Hoover and anything she writes. I think my favorite of hers would have to be Maybe Someday.

3- What's your favourite children's book? 
As much as i hate to admit this i was not a fan of reading as a child. So I cant really say that i had a favorite book. 

4- how did you make the choice between indie/self publishing and traditional publishing? 
I heard of Colleen Hoover and how she started as an self-published author. After reading the article I did a little research and discovered that it would be much faster and easier as a new author to self-publish. I knew once i finished writing my book i would want it in readers hands asap. So i figured right now self-publishing was the best route for me. One day I will go the traditional route when I can learn patience. :)

5- Can we expect to see more from you in the future? 
Absolutely. This is just the beginning for me. I will hopefully be around as long as readers will have me. 

6- Who has been your biggest supporter? 
My very good friend Dawn. She has walked beside me this entire process. She is my beta reader, my paid with love publicist, she is the one i go to for advice. She has really been my rock and man i would be walking around in circles if it wasn't for her.  

7- What are your most and least favourite parts of being a writer?
My favorite part is when a reader is touched by my story. I love being able to make my readers feel exactly what the character feels. My least favorite part would have to be the criticism that someone may leave in a review. I feel like they are talking bad about my child. Learning how to take it and move on is hard. I'm getting better but it still sucks! 

8- What's been the biggest hurdle for you? 
Reaching readers has been hard. Learning how to get my work into readers hands is the hardest part that i never expected. I am so thankful for blogs for taking the chance on my newbie work.  

9-What's your Pet peeve or share an embarrassing moment. 
I think I was really embarrassed when my mom said she read my book. When i wrote the sex scenes I wasn't really thinking about her reading it. So it was pretty embarrassing to have her read it knowing I was a little dirty

10- Who's your favourite disney princess? 
Jasmine from Aladdin is my favorite Disney Princess for sure.


Be sure to follow Angela on Facebook, and pick up your copies of Hay Wire and High Wire! I can tell you for sure that they are fantastic reads.


Additional Purchase links

Itunes     Kobo     Nook
 

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Scarlett E. Decker

Scarlett is the author of the NA novel "Holding On and Letting Go." This is the second publication, it was originally released in 2012.  It has a fantastic and original story line, recommending it to any NA reader that loves a bit of angst. You can find our review of it here, and can purchase your own copy here.




This version has been edited 

She wants to forget... He wants to remember... 
She spends her nights drinking and partying, trying to forget who she is. 
He spent four months in a coma and does not remember the last two years. 
She wants to erase her past and start over. 
He would do anything to remember his... 

The struggle of two young people, trying to move forward when everything is holding them back. As they learn to understand each other, they also find something they didn't know they needed to let go of their past : love. 

A story about letting go of the things that hurt you and holding on to everything else.





You know how this works, we ask the questions, the provide the answers. Here's what Scarlett had to say!


1- Did you always want to be a writer? 

I cannot say I was born wanting to be a writer. I actually didn't read that much until middle school. Then the more books I read, the more books I wanted to read. But it wasn't just that, I also started to create my own stories in my head. In high school I started reading fanfictions and tried to write some too but it didn't last long because something didn't work for me. It was when I learned about self publishing in 2012 that I really decided to give it a shot and discovered I really loved writing.

2- What's your favourite book? 

That's a really hard question. Every time I read a new book that I love, I name it my favourite one. I am really into New Adult books because I am myself 22 years old so the topic speaks to me. My current favourite was Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven. I cannot wait for the second book Broken Juliet!!

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

I don't know if many people will know about it because I grew up in France and the books we had were probably french ones but it was named Martine. There was multiple ones like Martine goes to the beach or Martine learns how to cook.
 
4- What inspired this story line? 

I was really interested by memory loss. I kept wondering what I would do if for some reason I forgot a few years of my life, how weird and scary this would be. For the other subject of the story, I kind of got the inspiration from my own life. My parents divorced when I was a teenager and I took it pretty hard. It is something so common these days to have divorced parents that we sometime forget the effects it can have on children, even years later when they become adults.

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

Well what actually motivated me to write was the fact that I could self publish my work. So many people write books nowadays and I heard it is really complicated to get traditionally published so it was a pretty easy decision to make.

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

Hopefully! I am actually working on a sequel to Holding On and Letting Go. It picks up three years after the events of the first book. It's nowhere near finished but I have the whole story in my head already so I hope I can finish it before the summer.
Some people who read the book before its release also asked for a story about the secondary characters so that's probably going to happen too.
  
7- Who has been your biggest supporter? 

My best friend. She was excited to read it and sent me text messages every time she read a chapter! She also said she would buy the book even though I gave it to her for free. She's the best best friend in the whole world! 

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

The writing is my favourite part. When I know exactly what to write and I just keep writing and writing non stop. I love that! I do not like the re-reading and editing process though. I'm bad at it. I'll read a chapter ten times but won't spot 90% of the mistakes. Thankfully I found some pretty great beta readers for which I am really really grateful. 


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

I have embarrassing moments all the time. Almost every day. I cannot think of a really big one right now, but I regularly fall flat on my face, especially if I wear heels. I blush all the time. I know that's not really a reason to be embarrassed but I really can't stand it. 

10- Who's your favourite disney princess? 

Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Probably because I'm a brunette and so many Disney princesses are blond! I also love the fact that she sees the Beast for the man he really is.


So, that's our insight into Scarlett. She's going to TAKEOVER tomorrow, January 11th at 5pm EST if you're interested! I heard talk of games and giveaways... Just saying ;)
Also, you can find Scarlett on Facebook