Welcome to the Book Launch Party page. This is here for all new and upcoming books, authors and info which has been sent to me via authors and third party organisations/publishers.
Bound By Blood - By Margo Bond Collins
Blurb Genre: Urban Fantasy, Horror Release Date: November 10, 2014
Sometimes the monsters in the dark are real...
As a child, Lili Banta ignored her grandmother's cryptic warnings to avoid children outside their Filipino community in Houston.
When many of those other children fell ill, Lili ignored the whispers in her community that a vampiric aswang walked among them.
Years later, Lili returns to Houston to work for the Quarantine Station of the Centre for Disease Control—but she is plagued by dark, bloody dreams that consume her nights and haunt her days.
When a strange illness attacks the city's children, Lili is called in to find its source, and maybe even a cure.
But in order to save the city, she must first acknowledge the sinister truth: A monster stalks the night—closer than she ever expected....
- Format: Kindle Edition(£0.99) File Size: 1398 KB Print Length: 57 pages Publisher: Bathory Gate Press (10 Nov. 2014) Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. ASIN: B00PB3AIGC
- Format: Paperback(£3.77) Page Length: 104 pages Publisher: Bathory Gate Press (13 Nov. 2014) ISBN-10: 0990743365 ISBN-13: 978-0990743361
- Format: Audio Download-Unabridged(£4.37) Listening Length: 1 hour and 43 minutes Program Type: Audiobook Version: Unabridged Publisher: Margo Bond Collins Audible.co.uk Release Date: 10 Dec. 2014 ASIN: B00QT5R3KU
Excerpt
Sitting straight up in bed, I gasped and threw myself back against the headboard, the thud dying away along with the remaining shreds of my dream.
But the word still ricocheted through my mind.
Aswang.
Until yesterday, I hadn't thought of the term in years—not since I'd left Houston for med school in Maine, determined to get as far away from home as I could.
But this resurgence of the same, odd illness that had swept my city years before was apparently also dredging up the old stories from deep in my subconscious: the aswang, a vampiric woman who lived a quiet life by day and fed on children in the night, flying back home on bat-wings just before dawn.
My unconscious mind had clearly also expanded on the idea, casting me in the role of aswang and adding schizoid conversations with a chorus of internal voices.
Great. I'm insane in my dreams.
And I'm a monster.
Shuddering, I wiped my hand across my gritty, raw eyelids.
Author Bio
Margo Bond Collins is the author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance, and paranormal mysteries.
She has published a number of novels, including Sanguinary, Taming the Country Star, Legally Undead, Waking Up Dead, and Fairy, Texas.
She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets.
Although writing fiction is her first love, she also teaches college-level English courses online.
She enjoys reading romance and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, monsters, cowboys, and villains, and the strong women who love them—and sometimes fight them.
Margo Bond Collins is the author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance, and paranormal mysteries.
She has published a number of novels, including Sanguinary, Taming the Country Star, Legally Undead, Waking Up Dead, and Fairy, Texas.
She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets.
Although writing fiction is her first love, she also teaches college-level English courses online.
She enjoys reading romance and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, monsters, cowboys, and villains, and the strong women who love them—and sometimes fight them.
Character Profile
Character: Dr. Lili Banta
Book: Bound by Blood
Age: 30
Physical description: Lili stands only 5'3", and has long, dark, straight hair that matches her dark brown eyes. She is Filipino-American—her mother is Filipina, and her father, who died in her childhood, is Caucasian.
Quote that fits her personality: The last time anyone saw this disease was twenty years ago, when I was twelve. It's why I became a doctor, actually. All of the children who contracted it went to my school, in a district that was made up of a largely Filipino community. But none of the Filipino children came down with it. My Inang, my grandmother, told me not to speak to the other children about it—but you know how kids are. As soon as she made it forbidden, I had to know more.
Best quality: Lili is strong and hard working, and able to make tough choices when necessary.
Worst quality: She sometimes talks to the voices in her head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Character: Dr. Lili Banta
Book: Bound by Blood
Age: 30
Physical description: Lili stands only 5'3", and has long, dark, straight hair that matches her dark brown eyes. She is Filipino-American—her mother is Filipina, and her father, who died in her childhood, is Caucasian.
Quote that fits her personality: The last time anyone saw this disease was twenty years ago, when I was twelve. It's why I became a doctor, actually. All of the children who contracted it went to my school, in a district that was made up of a largely Filipino community. But none of the Filipino children came down with it. My Inang, my grandmother, told me not to speak to the other children about it—but you know how kids are. As soon as she made it forbidden, I had to know more.
Best quality: Lili is strong and hard working, and able to make tough choices when necessary.
Worst quality: She sometimes talks to the voices in her head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interested in what you have read so far?
Then why not check out Margo's official You Tube Channel.
You can now try out a sample of Margo's audio book 'Bound By Blood' - NOW!!!
Then why not check out Margo's official You Tube Channel.
You can now try out a sample of Margo's audio book 'Bound By Blood' - NOW!!!
Blogger's Note:
I hope you have all enjoyed this launch party brought to you thanks to Margo Bond Collins and her amazing team. If you are a fan of Urban Fantasy, Horror - Then you will definitely be interested in this. Still not sure? check out the You Tube audio sample above for more...
I hope you have all enjoyed this launch party brought to you thanks to Margo Bond Collins and her amazing team. If you are a fan of Urban Fantasy, Horror - Then you will definitely be interested in this. Still not sure? check out the You Tube audio sample above for more...
Rising Tide - By Claudette Melanson
Rising Tide: Dark Innocence is the first book in The Maura DeLuca Trilogy.
Perfect trilogy for all vampire fans.
If you love Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Vampire Academy and Morganville Vampires, then you are sure to LOVE this...
"She moved at the chance of a new life."
"Finding a new existence was not part of the plan"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Finding a new existence was not part of the plan"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blurb
"Maura’s life just can’t get any worse… or can it?
Isolated and sheltered by her lonely mother, Maura’s never been the best at making friends. Unusually pale with a disease-like aversion to the sun, she seems to drive her classmates away, but why?
Even her own father deserted her, and her mother, before Maura was born. Bizarre physical changes her mother seems hell bent on ignoring, drive Maura to fear for her own life. And her luck just seems to get worse.
Life is about to become even more bewildering when her mother’s abrupt,… and unexplained… decision to move a country away sets off a chain of events that will change Maura forever. A Cruel prank turned deadly, the discover of love and friendship… and it’s loss, as well as a web of her own mother’s lies, become obstacles in Maura’s desperate search for a truth she was never prepared to uncover."
Undertow - By Claudette Melanson
Blurb
Maura finally found the truth she was always seeking…or has she?
After being left in the dark for all of her life, Maura’s father, Maxwell, has finally returned to reveal sinister family secrets Maura could never have dreamed possible—including his revelation that she is one of The Born. But his daughter soon discovers both he and her mother are keeping pieces of her reality hidden, still. As Maura struggles to unravel the mysteries surrounding her new existence and discover every piece of the cryptic puzzle, life appears intent on casting stumbling blocks across her path with every step forward.
Tragedy seems to stalk Maura, and those around her, as she stumbles along, altering the young changeling’s family, just when they have all come back together. The changes left in its wake could be for the better, or may threaten their existence, entirely.
With the arrival of Christmas comes the opportunity for Maura to draw close to everyone she loves—and finally reunite with Ron, her long-distance boyfriend. But permanence has always eluded her, and in her current state of flux this pattern endures, as fate seems intent on snapping the threads that bind her to those she holds most dear. Maxwell’s good intentions pave a road for Maura, littered with misery, while her mother, Caelyn’s, desire to shield her family from pain may tear her away from them, altogether. The perfect happiness in the young vampire’s grasp is so easily swept away and dragged under, out of reach. Can Maura erupt from the darkness and confusion to break the surface and find the life she’s always dreamed of?
In the midst of chaos, assistance materializes in the form of another of her kind—ephemerally beautiful, yet explosively volatile, this new vampire may prove capable of unlocking the puzzle-box Maxwell seems intent on securing from her sight. Maura will discover the darkest parts of herself in her quest to understand the being she is destined to become. Her new found friend has some shady intentions of his own—such as thwarting the love that has grown between Maura and Ron. Following in the wake of the impulsive vampire’s misguided instruction may further pull a naive Maura down into the depths of ultimate despair, heartbreak…and even destruction.
Maura finally found the truth she was always seeking…or has she?
After being left in the dark for all of her life, Maura’s father, Maxwell, has finally returned to reveal sinister family secrets Maura could never have dreamed possible—including his revelation that she is one of The Born. But his daughter soon discovers both he and her mother are keeping pieces of her reality hidden, still. As Maura struggles to unravel the mysteries surrounding her new existence and discover every piece of the cryptic puzzle, life appears intent on casting stumbling blocks across her path with every step forward.
Tragedy seems to stalk Maura, and those around her, as she stumbles along, altering the young changeling’s family, just when they have all come back together. The changes left in its wake could be for the better, or may threaten their existence, entirely.
With the arrival of Christmas comes the opportunity for Maura to draw close to everyone she loves—and finally reunite with Ron, her long-distance boyfriend. But permanence has always eluded her, and in her current state of flux this pattern endures, as fate seems intent on snapping the threads that bind her to those she holds most dear. Maxwell’s good intentions pave a road for Maura, littered with misery, while her mother, Caelyn’s, desire to shield her family from pain may tear her away from them, altogether. The perfect happiness in the young vampire’s grasp is so easily swept away and dragged under, out of reach. Can Maura erupt from the darkness and confusion to break the surface and find the life she’s always dreamed of?
In the midst of chaos, assistance materializes in the form of another of her kind—ephemerally beautiful, yet explosively volatile, this new vampire may prove capable of unlocking the puzzle-box Maxwell seems intent on securing from her sight. Maura will discover the darkest parts of herself in her quest to understand the being she is destined to become. Her new found friend has some shady intentions of his own—such as thwarting the love that has grown between Maura and Ron. Following in the wake of the impulsive vampire’s misguided instruction may further pull a naive Maura down into the depths of ultimate despair, heartbreak…and even destruction.
Excerpt
He was beautiful. His eyes were a soft grey, and the way they sparkled in the moonlight was heartbreaking. The moonlight filtered down through his hair, and I could tell that it was a pale brown that was nearly blonde where the light shone strongest. But woven through were strands of silver, throughout. Not grey—silver—very nearly like Christmas tinsel. It whispered back from his pale face, gelled into spiky shards. He was grinning down at me, his fangs distended behind perfectly symmetrical lips. Maybe he did intend to make a meal of me. I realized I was staring open-mouthed. He chuckled. It had a dark ring to it.
“Scared, Little Changeling?” he murmured.
“No,” I lied in a whisper.
He leaned in, bringing those deadly fangs closer to my throat. An image of Ron burned behind my eyes coupled with a stabbing pain. My arms came up to cover my head, and I gritted my teeth, wanting to scream instead. I didn’t want to see my own death coming, so I clamped my eyes shut.
When I opened them again, he had pulled back a considerable distance. He stared down at me with a puzzled look on his face.
“You don’t really think I’m going to…” His eyes narrowed, and then assessed me in silence. I was still incapable of speaking.
All about Claudette...
Author Claudette Melanson
Claudette Melanson lives in Guelph, Ontario, with her husband Ron and four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper, Butters & Beckett.
She was born in Bristol, Tennessee and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and an MA in Literature.
Vampires have been a passion since age five. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many books living inside her head.In her spare time she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories....along with other great fiction.
She is also very interested in good health and is an advocate of Ketogenic eating, using whole and natural foods.
Future dreams include writing many more books, spending more time with her son, Jacob and sister, Susie.
She hopes to take them and her nieces Maggie, Sadie and Sophie to Disneyworld with the proceeds from the first novel.
A Rabbit Rescue fanatic, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.
For further information on Claudette Melanson, her work and where you can follow her, just click on the links below:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
GoodReads
Pinterest
Linkedin
AmazonUK
She was born in Bristol, Tennessee and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and an MA in Literature.
Vampires have been a passion since age five. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since there are many, many books living inside her head.In her spare time she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading vampire stories....along with other great fiction.
She is also very interested in good health and is an advocate of Ketogenic eating, using whole and natural foods.
Future dreams include writing many more books, spending more time with her son, Jacob and sister, Susie.
She hopes to take them and her nieces Maggie, Sadie and Sophie to Disneyworld with the proceeds from the first novel.
A Rabbit Rescue fanatic, she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.
For further information on Claudette Melanson, her work and where you can follow her, just click on the links below:
Official Website
GoodReads
AmazonUK
Q & A with Claudette Melanson
Q) Tell us a little bit about you and your family?
A) I live with my husband and four bun-babies. Our rabbits dominate our lives and are like children to us. We have a female lop named Beckett and a male from the same mother, Butters. Our two big babies are a mischievous girl named Pepper and the sweetest boy in the world, Tegan. My husband is my best friend and is a rockstar; he plays in a cover band called Ear Candy. They play big venues like Fan Fridays and Canada Day before Blue Jays’ games and Blue Mountain Ski Resort. I’m also very close to my sister—and her three beautiful daughters—and my son, who live about 10 hours away. It’s very hard to be away from them, but I try to get home as much as I can. We went to the Bahamas with my son, Jake, last year and it was the best trip of our lives!
Q) What is your reason for writing?
A) I have no control over this. I’ve had a writer’s voice in my head since before I can remember. I used to ride in the car with my mom and write the scenery around me, automatically, in my head. I also have very vivid dreams about creatures or characters I don’t know or have never read about. I think I was just born with a writing brain. Also, I write because I suck at science and math!
Q) Is writing something you have always enjoyed?
A) Of course there are times when I haven’t enjoyed writing, haha! I went to University for 7 years and there were many papers I didn’t enjoy writing. I think it’s that whole thing of being forced to do something. Our human nature drives us to do things we want to do, and we can’t help but resent the things we must do out of necessity. My own books, though, I always enjoy writing. It’s like escaping into a world I’ve created just for me (until it’s published!)
Q) What motivates you to write?
a) Things that motivate me to write are all around me. People I meet, other books I read, movies I watch. I have always loved a good story, and when you create one yourself, it’s a remarkable feeling. Music is a big motivator too. It inspires so much emotion inside me and that builds and just has to find its way out.
Q) What writing are you most proud of? (Add a link if you like)
A) I’m most proud of my first, and only, published book to date: Rising Tide: Dark Innocence. I was working on this book when Twilight came out and, since the two are a similar genre, reading that inspired me to write more and more. It ended up taking me longer to finish, because of a big move and an illness, but it was a feeling I’d never known before to finish my first novel. You can find it here: Amazon.com
Q) What books did you love growing up?
A) I was lucky that my mother read to me constantly when I was growing up. I got to hear all the classics and loved them: Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Little Women. But she also read me the YA paranormal releases, and I loved anything scary with monsters or a ghost. At some point she read a vampire book to me—funny I can’t remember what it was titled—and it was like being given heroin! I was hooked for life!
Q) Do you have a favourite author(s)?
A) Stephenie Meyer is definitely my favourite author. I think her Twilight books are like no others, and I enjoyed reading them like I have no other book. Those books are about love and fighting the worst of our destructive tendencies. I do think she could have been kinder to her fans, but that kind of fame would be overwhelming for most anyone, and she, sadly, has a lot of haters out there to deal with. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Q) Is there a specific genre you like when it comes to picking a book to read?
A) I love, love, love vampire books! Heavy-handed vampire erotica isn’t really my thing, but strong vampire characters thrown into a great plot…heaven! That being said, though, I have a love for pretty much any paranormal story. It taps into my belief that there is so much more to this world of ours than what our logical minds tell us there is.
Q) What book should everybody read at least once?
A) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro should be a definite read for everyone. I’ve never had another book scream to me so strongly the warning about lost time and missed opportunities. It’s the kind of book that kicks you in the arse and inspires you to go make something out of your life and really value the love around you.
Q) Are there any books you really don’t enjoy?
A)I really don’t enjoy romance books, like the Harlequinn romances. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a great love story, but not the cheesy, wash-rinse-repeat plots of guy and girl despising one another, then eventually coming together with a passion unheard of in real life. There just have to be other elements to the story and hopefully a paranormal creature or two, haha.
Q) How did you develop your writing?
A) I have always been a writer, composing short stories when I was a kid, and continuing to write all through high school. I had many opportunities to perfect the craft, as I studied to be a high school English teacher. Student teaching was an experience that taught me I wasn’t cut out to be in front of a classroom, so I went back to school to work on my MA in Literature. The combination of the English studies and the education honed my skills at both the creative and technical ends of the spectrum. When I write I just let it flow, but when I go back and edit, and edit, and edit some more, I show no mercy.
Q) Where do you get your inspiration from?
A) My head was filled with so many stories growing up—I’m extremely lucky I had a mother who read to me every day. All of those stories inspire me to create stories of my own. I watch a lot of movies and still read everything I can get my hands on, and that helps, because the elements of a good story you like, you’ll pick up and try to transfer to the stories you create. I listen to music when I write. It can set the tone and mood of a scene and drive you to produce more. The people around me inspire me too. Sometimes I turn them into characters in my head, adding on to the impressions I already have of them and saving them for future works.
Q) What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?
A) I have to say the hardest of these is getting published by one of the big guys…or even obtaining an agent. The market is flooded with good books, let’s face it, and I think so many wonderful books and talented authors get passed over because of time and budget constraints. I’m very thankful that there are so many amazing vehicles for self-publishing out there. It gives those of us passed over by the big fish a chance to go out there and let our voices be heard.
Q) What marketing works for you?
A) I’m pretty new to the marketing side of publishing, but I find word of mouth works fabulously. I tell my coworkers, friends, people I meet, my Facebook friends all about my book. Getting a print copy in front of them usually results in a sale. I’ve purchased Google Adwords advertising and run campaigns on Facebook to drive traffic to my author page and web site. I also went to a local coffee shop and had a book signing booked in just a few minutes, with my book in hand. I’m also using a trip home to get in a couple of book signings with all my friends and family in Tennessee. Twitter and Goodreads are also great places to connect with readers and other authors, who can offer some great advice.
Q) Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?
A) My new novel, Rising Tide, is about a girl, Maura, who feels lost. She’s an outcast at school, has never known her father and possesses strange physical features that seem to place her in a different category of humanity. Her mother never got over her father, but she refuses to reveal any details about him to Maura. One night, her classmates almost get Maura killed, and she starts to fall for the guy who rescued her. But it’s like Maura is losing control of her life. Her mother makes the decision to move them to Canada, Maura starts changing, physically, in very strange and unexplainable ways, and her mother starts hiding things and lying to her. Maura decides to take matters into her own hands and solve whatever mystery is behind all the bizarre events that keep taking place. The only question is, can she handle the truth once she uncovers it?
I wrote this book, because the story wrote itself in my head. I’ve dreamed of Maura over and over. Her story had played like a reel in my head at work, on the Skytrain or when I’ve been out with friends. Then I’d have to rush home to get it all down. I’m lucky I guess. My stories just reveal themselves to me inside my head.
Q) What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?
A) What I hope people will take away from this first novel is to keep in mind that we are not all the same. Everyone is different and none of us should be treated badly or neglected by others because of those differences. I want them to get that overwhelming feeling that love is soooooo rewarding and that hate should be buried in a dark, deep place, to never again see the light of day.
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"I want to take this opportunity to thank both Claudette Melanson for taking part in the question and answering session with me. I also want to take the opportunity to thank 'Love the Book - Launch Party (links below) for giving me this chance in hosting an amazing book launch!"
A) I live with my husband and four bun-babies. Our rabbits dominate our lives and are like children to us. We have a female lop named Beckett and a male from the same mother, Butters. Our two big babies are a mischievous girl named Pepper and the sweetest boy in the world, Tegan. My husband is my best friend and is a rockstar; he plays in a cover band called Ear Candy. They play big venues like Fan Fridays and Canada Day before Blue Jays’ games and Blue Mountain Ski Resort. I’m also very close to my sister—and her three beautiful daughters—and my son, who live about 10 hours away. It’s very hard to be away from them, but I try to get home as much as I can. We went to the Bahamas with my son, Jake, last year and it was the best trip of our lives!
Q) What is your reason for writing?
A) I have no control over this. I’ve had a writer’s voice in my head since before I can remember. I used to ride in the car with my mom and write the scenery around me, automatically, in my head. I also have very vivid dreams about creatures or characters I don’t know or have never read about. I think I was just born with a writing brain. Also, I write because I suck at science and math!
Q) Is writing something you have always enjoyed?
A) Of course there are times when I haven’t enjoyed writing, haha! I went to University for 7 years and there were many papers I didn’t enjoy writing. I think it’s that whole thing of being forced to do something. Our human nature drives us to do things we want to do, and we can’t help but resent the things we must do out of necessity. My own books, though, I always enjoy writing. It’s like escaping into a world I’ve created just for me (until it’s published!)
Q) What motivates you to write?
a) Things that motivate me to write are all around me. People I meet, other books I read, movies I watch. I have always loved a good story, and when you create one yourself, it’s a remarkable feeling. Music is a big motivator too. It inspires so much emotion inside me and that builds and just has to find its way out.
Q) What writing are you most proud of? (Add a link if you like)
A) I’m most proud of my first, and only, published book to date: Rising Tide: Dark Innocence. I was working on this book when Twilight came out and, since the two are a similar genre, reading that inspired me to write more and more. It ended up taking me longer to finish, because of a big move and an illness, but it was a feeling I’d never known before to finish my first novel. You can find it here: Amazon.com
Q) What books did you love growing up?
A) I was lucky that my mother read to me constantly when I was growing up. I got to hear all the classics and loved them: Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Little Women. But she also read me the YA paranormal releases, and I loved anything scary with monsters or a ghost. At some point she read a vampire book to me—funny I can’t remember what it was titled—and it was like being given heroin! I was hooked for life!
Q) Do you have a favourite author(s)?
A) Stephenie Meyer is definitely my favourite author. I think her Twilight books are like no others, and I enjoyed reading them like I have no other book. Those books are about love and fighting the worst of our destructive tendencies. I do think she could have been kinder to her fans, but that kind of fame would be overwhelming for most anyone, and she, sadly, has a lot of haters out there to deal with. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Q) Is there a specific genre you like when it comes to picking a book to read?
A) I love, love, love vampire books! Heavy-handed vampire erotica isn’t really my thing, but strong vampire characters thrown into a great plot…heaven! That being said, though, I have a love for pretty much any paranormal story. It taps into my belief that there is so much more to this world of ours than what our logical minds tell us there is.
Q) What book should everybody read at least once?
A) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro should be a definite read for everyone. I’ve never had another book scream to me so strongly the warning about lost time and missed opportunities. It’s the kind of book that kicks you in the arse and inspires you to go make something out of your life and really value the love around you.
Q) Are there any books you really don’t enjoy?
A)I really don’t enjoy romance books, like the Harlequinn romances. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a great love story, but not the cheesy, wash-rinse-repeat plots of guy and girl despising one another, then eventually coming together with a passion unheard of in real life. There just have to be other elements to the story and hopefully a paranormal creature or two, haha.
Q) How did you develop your writing?
A) I have always been a writer, composing short stories when I was a kid, and continuing to write all through high school. I had many opportunities to perfect the craft, as I studied to be a high school English teacher. Student teaching was an experience that taught me I wasn’t cut out to be in front of a classroom, so I went back to school to work on my MA in Literature. The combination of the English studies and the education honed my skills at both the creative and technical ends of the spectrum. When I write I just let it flow, but when I go back and edit, and edit, and edit some more, I show no mercy.
Q) Where do you get your inspiration from?
A) My head was filled with so many stories growing up—I’m extremely lucky I had a mother who read to me every day. All of those stories inspire me to create stories of my own. I watch a lot of movies and still read everything I can get my hands on, and that helps, because the elements of a good story you like, you’ll pick up and try to transfer to the stories you create. I listen to music when I write. It can set the tone and mood of a scene and drive you to produce more. The people around me inspire me too. Sometimes I turn them into characters in my head, adding on to the impressions I already have of them and saving them for future works.
Q) What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?
A) I have to say the hardest of these is getting published by one of the big guys…or even obtaining an agent. The market is flooded with good books, let’s face it, and I think so many wonderful books and talented authors get passed over because of time and budget constraints. I’m very thankful that there are so many amazing vehicles for self-publishing out there. It gives those of us passed over by the big fish a chance to go out there and let our voices be heard.
Q) What marketing works for you?
A) I’m pretty new to the marketing side of publishing, but I find word of mouth works fabulously. I tell my coworkers, friends, people I meet, my Facebook friends all about my book. Getting a print copy in front of them usually results in a sale. I’ve purchased Google Adwords advertising and run campaigns on Facebook to drive traffic to my author page and web site. I also went to a local coffee shop and had a book signing booked in just a few minutes, with my book in hand. I’m also using a trip home to get in a couple of book signings with all my friends and family in Tennessee. Twitter and Goodreads are also great places to connect with readers and other authors, who can offer some great advice.
Q) Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?
A) My new novel, Rising Tide, is about a girl, Maura, who feels lost. She’s an outcast at school, has never known her father and possesses strange physical features that seem to place her in a different category of humanity. Her mother never got over her father, but she refuses to reveal any details about him to Maura. One night, her classmates almost get Maura killed, and she starts to fall for the guy who rescued her. But it’s like Maura is losing control of her life. Her mother makes the decision to move them to Canada, Maura starts changing, physically, in very strange and unexplainable ways, and her mother starts hiding things and lying to her. Maura decides to take matters into her own hands and solve whatever mystery is behind all the bizarre events that keep taking place. The only question is, can she handle the truth once she uncovers it?
I wrote this book, because the story wrote itself in my head. I’ve dreamed of Maura over and over. Her story had played like a reel in my head at work, on the Skytrain or when I’ve been out with friends. Then I’d have to rush home to get it all down. I’m lucky I guess. My stories just reveal themselves to me inside my head.
Q) What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?
A) What I hope people will take away from this first novel is to keep in mind that we are not all the same. Everyone is different and none of us should be treated badly or neglected by others because of those differences. I want them to get that overwhelming feeling that love is soooooo rewarding and that hate should be buried in a dark, deep place, to never again see the light of day.
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"I want to take this opportunity to thank both Claudette Melanson for taking part in the question and answering session with me. I also want to take the opportunity to thank 'Love the Book - Launch Party (links below) for giving me this chance in hosting an amazing book launch!"
