Stuck in Between is now available in the US in eBook and paperback.
In other countries (paperback should be available in all the countries listed soon):
Canada: eBook
UK: eBook & Paperback
France: eBook & Paperback
Italy: eBook & Paperback
Spain: eBook
Germany: eBook & Paperback
Japan: eBook
Brazil: eBook
Mexico: eBook
Australia: eBook
Please let me know what you think of the story. I love hearing from my readers.
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Warm hugs,
Blakely
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Please give a warm welcome to E.L.R. Jones, author of The Norton Sisters: Rayna.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
My Author pen is E.L.R. Jones (yes, these are my actual given initials-lol). I am new to the published Author scene, but I have 4 works out and available for purchase. I have been writing since I was 14. My latest work is Hades Mistress which is due to release on March 14th. I am excited about this piece because I truly love Greek Mythology.
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
This book falls in the Contemporary Romance genre. Yes, I do. I have a poetry book and I have a few Paranormal Romance novels to come. Most of my books deal with some form of interracial relationship though.
Continue reading
Please give a warm welcome to Anja Pruitt, author of When Love Calls.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I’m Anja Pruitt, married mother of two and I live in North Carolina. In addition to writing books I also write poetry and music. The novel I just completed, When Love Calls, is my first romance novel. I’m currently working on the sequel, When Love Waits. Continue reading
Please give a warm welcome to my best friend and husband, Dana Bennett, author of Geared to the Present, Jones Whitman Time Travel Series and The Demarcation of Jack. Make sure to check back tomorrow to see the cover reveal for Geared to the Present!
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
Geared to the Present, Jones Whitman, Time Traveler is a new adult, historical fiction, time travel romance. My wife and I recently published The Demarcation of Jack which is contemporary romance with a twist.
Do you use test readers? If so, how many?
I do use test readers or beta readers, as we call them, and they are invaluable to producing your best product. Usually around five. Make sure your list of questions for your readers will lend to perfecting your product.
What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
Write about what you love and it will show through in your work, but most importantly, write. Create a great product and it will sell itself; a good story with interesting characters combined with appropriate beta readers and a pro editor, and of course, a beautiful cover that tells the story of your book in one picture. A picture is worth a thousand, or in our case, 70 to 90 thousand words, or more. AND wear virtual earplugs for a while, ‘cause everybody’s an expert.
Do you outline your stories or just go with the flow?
It’s sort of an outline. I have an excel worksheet that lists scenes with characters, location and purpose of the scene. When I write I refer to the worksheet, but the characters don’t always read the worksheet and I can find myself being pulled in a whole new direction.
What does your writing space look like?
It’s an unorganized mess on my desk, but I have reminders of grammar issues hanging to my left and bio’s of all of my characters with photos hanging to my right. That helps me with their voices.
Do you have any writing rituals or interesting writing quirks?
Yes. I write best between eight and noon. I can go longer but the quality begins to diminish. I enjoy research. However, I can also find myself with ten websites open and may have forgotten the original question. 😉
Is there a message in your book(s) that you want readers to grasp?
I really enjoy strong female characters and men who aren’t afraid to show emotions, so the characters are constantly surprising me with some of their dialogue. I hope to free both men and women from their contrived, role expectations.
Was one of your characters more challenging to write than another?
I suppose that might be Roark. He is a six foot eight inch man of Irish descent who has been hired by Jones as a bodyguard. So he needed to be tough but lovable as well. My wife, who is my first reader, says that Jones and Roark have a bromance going on that she really likes.
What do you do to stay sane as a writer?
Write. Work on something else. I also work with my hands as a carpenter, which gives a different kind of creative outlet.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
Spending precious time with my best friend, Blakely Bennett. I do have projects outside of the home, but whenever I can I am at her side, talking about the future, better ways to play, what our characters are up to and new ideas for stories.
Do you read your reviews and if so, how do you cope with a bad one?
I do read reviews. I respect that POV is just that. When I’ve worked really hard, as well as my editor and beta readers, and I really love my product, I stand behind it. I don’t expect everyone to love my kids the way that I do and I certainly don’t give credence when a person is just flat out mean. I dismiss them and move on.
You can find Dana on Facebook, Facebook Page, Twitter and soon on his blog.
To buy Dana’s book, please click on the cover below or the links in the interview. Geared to the Present will be available on Amazon in paperback and eBook February 27th.
Please give a warm welcome to Samantha Chase, author of The Snowflake Inn.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
Hey! I’m Samantha Chase and I am an indie author of contemporary romances. I just released my twelfth book, The Snowflake Inn. It just came out on November 18th.
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
The Snowflake Inn is a contemporary holiday romance and that’s the genre that I stick with. I love to read all things contemporary romance and it’s the genre that I enjoy writing in the most.
Do you have an agent and/or publisher or are you self-published? If self-published, do you use a professional editor? If traditionally published, who is your publisher?After trying to for many, many years to go the traditional route, it never happened for me so I turned to self-publishing. I do use an editing service and even doing that, nothing is fool-proof. I still get readers who point out the mistakes.
What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
Write in the genre that you enjoy and are comfortable with. Don’t try and go with the latest trends or what you think is hot. If you’re not passionate about what you’re writing, it comes through in your work. Right now, contemporary romance isn’t the trend, but I am not comfortable writing erotica or paranormal romances. Clearly there’s still an audience for contemporary and I’m happy that I have readers!
Do you outline your stories or just go with the flow?
A little of both. I start out with a very basic outline in my head (sometimes I actually write it down!) but more often than not, I stray from that and go with the flow.
What does your writing space look like?
I have a very tiny writing space. I have a desk in the corner of my dining room and that’s where I work. If the family is home when I’m writing, I have to plug in my headphones and pop in my sounds of the ocean CD and go from there.
Is being an author your dream job? If so, how long have you been chasing the dream? If not, what would be your dream job?
Absolutely! I have dreamed of being an author since I was in the third grade and wrote my first short story. I didn’t get serious about sitting down and actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) until I was in my thirties and after my first rejection letter I stopped writing again for years! Years later I was teaching creative writing to homeschoolers and found that I was encouraging them to chase after their writing dream but I wasn’t doing the same for myself. They encouraged me to try again and even though I still got rejections and ended up going the indie route, it was the best decision I ever made.
What book are you currently reading?
The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins
What has been your best moment as a writer?
Last year when I released The Christmas Cottage, I didn’t have any real expectations. I was just happy to have a book released. It was out for a week and I woke up on my birthday and found that it was #86 on one of Amazon’s bestseller lists. I cried! I never thought that I’d have a book on ANY bestseller list and it was the greatest feeling ever.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career?
I know it sounds crazy but I have a hard time dealing with other people’s perceptions of my work. Not like whether they think it’s good or not but there is still a bit of a stigma when you say ‘I write romance novels’. People kind of smirk and think that you’re writing porn. It makes me cringe every time I see that look.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
All too often! Lol! I put a bit of my personality in all of my heroine’s just because it seems natural. I love to cook and so you’ll see that a lot in my characters and I tend to be a bit snarky at times and that trait comes through in my writing more times than I can count. My mom says that she hears my voice when she reads my books.
Do you base your characters on people you know?
No. It’s funny because when people I know read my books that is the first thing that they ask or they try to figure out who I am describing. I try to stay away from doing it because I wouldn’t want to offend anyone.
How much time a day do you spend on social media?
Way too much. It’s my primary way of advertising because it’s free. Plus, I can play games while I’m on there!
Do you read your reviews and if so, how do you cope with a bad one?
I had to stop reading them because people are really, really mean. I’ve read bad books and I’ve left reviews stating that but without personally attacking the author. I am shocked by the amount of hateful reviewers out there who make it a personal thing. I had received two scathing reviews for The Christmas Cottage and it devastated me. It didn’t matter that I had eighty great ones, those two really hurt. I don’t expect everyone to love my work but I just wish that people didn’t feel the need to go for the jugular.
I, Blakely, have found the writer’s community to be very supportive and welcoming. Samantha, please share three writers that you recommend.
You can find Samantha on Facebook and Twitter.
To buy Samantha’s book(s), click on the links or the cover or go to Amazon:
I’ve gotten this question often and it’s usually accompanied by, “I could never work with my husband. How do you do it?” The writing and creating process is rather easy when we work together. The writing goes a lot faster because if either of us is stuck on a scene, we can pass it off to the other. However, working with someone else requires an outline and a very different style of writing than when I’m working on my own.
On my own, I don’t plan, outline or figure out the end until I get there. I let my characters lead me through the story. When I write with my husband (Dana), I don’t have that same luxury because the story must have structure so we can both move forward with the storyline. However, we have lots of fun writing together. Continue reading