• Blog

    Q&A with author Georgiana Louis

    December 27, 2019

    5/16/2013

    Georgiana Louis1. What was the inspiration for your story?
    A submission call actually. Specifying that the story needed to be 12-25K, sweet, with a Christmas theme and Regency period. I had never written a ‘true sweet’ story before, but as I am with most things in writing I thought- ‘why not?’

    2. When did you take up writing?
    About 5 years ago actually, though more seriously 3 years ago,
    and really intensely for the past 6 months.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    Very- it sets the tone for everything, especially when you are writing a period piece like this one. It sets the rules of society, the expectations, everything.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current story?
    I love the heroine. She’s sweet but feisty and goes after what she wants.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    Julia Quinn told me on Facebook to join RWA , which lead me onto the Facebook page and into some awesome groups that have inspired me, helped me and kept me writing.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    Yes, every night. As soon as my two daughters are asleep. I write as long as I can.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    Totally wing it. I used to plot. And I still would if I wrote longer stories but since my average story now is about 20K, I can wing it.

    8. Can you name three of four or your current favourite books?
    Yes, but none of them are currently published, Smiles. I tend to read a lot of my friends work when we’re critting.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    Now? I’ve just finished my first draft of a short contemporary romance that I’m writing for a submission call that Entangled Publishing put out. It’s for the ‘One night in’ call. Which, in short, is a story that involves a one night
    stand, a ticking clock and a happily ever after. Not an easy task.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Number one, don’t give up. And number two, join some groups, in real life or on facebook. Talk to writers, editors, publishers, anyone you can get your hands on.

    You can find Georgiana’s books at:
    http://steamereads.com.au/product/ellies-gentleman/

    http://www.amazon.com/Ellies-Gentleman-ebook/dp/B00CS517AW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1368687596&sr=1-1&keywords=ellie%27s+gentleman
    Ellie's Gentleman - Cover

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  • Blog

    Author Q&A with Robin Leigh Morgan

    December 27, 2019

    5/8/2013

    Kitten Image1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    Honestly this is my first completed romance novel and it had a work of pure imagination. The song I feel which best describes this is Gene Wilder singing Pure Imagination in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    When I actually began to write I wrote commentary type items for a community newspaper. Along the way I decided to see if I could write something else. I didn’t own a computer back then, but I did have access to one where I wrote my commentaries, and it was on this computer I wrote about two pages a week. Once I got my computer I began to write
    what I wanted to be a contemporary romance with a paranormal element running through, but I never seemed to get the sense it would be good enough to be read by someone else. Eventually, someone suggested I write for a younger audience, which how I came to write my debut novel, a YA [Young Adult] Paranormal/Time Travel/First Kiss romance entitled, “I Kissed a Ghost.”

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    “I Kissed a Ghost” has a time travel element in it. When George takes Mary back in time a hundreds when he would have been alive, Mary replaces someone there who’s living in the same house. The house Mary lives in now needs to be more than a hundred years old, it is also important that many of the homes nearby be that old themselves since she needs to see them when see travels back into time with George.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    My favourite character is Mary Elizabeth Williams, who is a young girl who’s just beginning to learn about boys. She’s rather plain looking, and resents to some extent the way the boys in her class treat her, using her brains to help them to better so they can stay on the various sport teams the school has. A new boy, Jonathan, joins her class and begins to treat her the way she has always wanted to be, for liking her for being the person that she is. The relationship is short-lived because her father gets a promotion which meant she has to move away at the end of the school year. Just before she does she decides to give him a kiss at the mall, away from all the prying eyes of their friends.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    I’ve been told to simply to be true to myself and my passion for writing. Don’t listen to others as how to re-write something. And to be sure, when all is said and done, get an editor to check what I’ve written.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    Every time I get asked this question for some reason I think of a somewhat different answer. But when I really look at
    it I don’t. These days each day I set a different set of marks I want to hit, answering emails, doing interviews, guest posts, etc. The one thing all these things have in common is the marketing/promoting of my first YA romance
    novel. Starting in May, I’m setting a goal of writing at least four new pages for my second novel each
    day. So in reality you might say I don’t have one.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    If you’re asking me whether I’m a plotter or a pantser, I’d probably say a little of both. As I said in the above, I made a skeleton of an outside, writing down the basic plot points I’d like to hit as the story unfolded; and as a sculptor starting with a wire base of what they’d like to have, I added material, then took some away, until I had the finished product I
    had in mind.

    8. How did you select the title for your book?
    Selecting a title for a book had been a very challenging experience for me; but after racking my brain over it, I decided to merely summarize the premise for the entire story in as few words as possible until I had something which could be used as the title for my book. Hence, since the story is about a girl [Mary] and her kissing the ghost [George] she had living in her house, the story had to be called, “I Kissed a Ghost.”

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    As I’ve stated in the above I had started to write a contemporary romance but never completed writing it. Now with
    my debut YA novel self-published I’ve returned to writing the romance manuscript I had started many years ago, and approaching it anew with the knowledge I’ve gained along the way in writing “I Kissed a Ghost.” The reason I’m writing it is relatively simple, I’ve always felt somewhat incomplete not having completed something I once had started out to do, and I now want to fill the void it has created in my life.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    My advice to all aspiring, not just those who wish to self-publish would be to never give up living your dream of becoming a writer, as you can from reading about me, I never did. Before you start looking for a publisher or even an agent you MUST have your manuscript edited, granted the editor you select might miss a few minor points, but at least it’s now in a much more presentable condition. Publishers want manuscript which can be easily edited by their own.

    I Kissed a Ghost - Cover
    “I Kissed a Ghost” is available on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Kissed-Ghost-Robin-Leigh-Morgan/dp/1480030031
    The book is also available on
    Amazon.co.uk
    Amazon.de
    Amazon.es
    Amazon.fr
    Amazon.it
    The Kindle version of this book is now scheduled to become available on May 13th,

    If anyone is interested in reading several UNEDITED SNIPPETS from the book, you can find them debut novel, under the category of “GHOSTLY WHISPERS” on any of these blog sites and then consider buying a copy for the little girl in your life.

    I’m on the following blog sites

    http://www.mypennameonly.blogspot.com
    or
    http://www.mypennameonly.wordpress.com or
    http://www.mypennameonly.webs.com [my website/blog]

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  • Blog

    Author Q&A with Olga G Soaje

    December 26, 2019

    4/15/2013

    Olga G Soaje1. What was the inspiration for your novel?

    The Book was actually conceived as a process of a Saint Guide I wanted to make with a friend; I had this idea to talk about Patron Saints and their causes in a comprehensible and casual tone.

    What actually happened is glimpses of Julianna started picking at my brain; my friend Adriana encouraged me to go home and write it and that was the beginning of “Borrowing my Mother’s Saints”

    2. When did you take up writing?
    I remember it was around Easter of 2011, this I remember because I checked the sermon of the day for one of the moments when Julie enters a church.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    I think the place and setting have a way of touching characters, in their traits, customs and mind frame. In Juliana’s case I thought Manhattan gave the vibe for the type of life that will have her running around with little time to stop and
    think.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    Stella, Julie’s mom is one of my favourite characters as she provides the constant support, love and courage that will be the foundation for her. My next one would be Sister Gertrude who challenged her comfort zone and was not afraid to
    call her a “coward” even from the grave to make her point.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    It was actually when I had the manuscript in my hard drive for a long time; when a friend (Becky) pushed me to self-publish saying “You not only have to continue writing because of the joy it brings you. You have to publish so other people can read it and you can touch their lives, it’s the dream of every artist. Don’t let fear stop you.”

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    I don’t, but I should. I generally work around my kids’ schedule, but strive to at least two or three days sit in front of the computer.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    I’m a mixture of both! I have the idea of the story and how it’s going to develop and end. But I start each chapter with a general mental outline and let it speak to me from there.

    8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
    Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella.
    The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
    Something Blue by Emily Giffin.
    The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.
    (Monique interjects to say she love, love, loved The Language of Flowers too!)

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    I’m working on the story of a woman who loses the love of her life at sixty and considers her life meaningless without him, only to find many unexpected surprises and events along the way.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    I think my own journey is just starting but I would say “Try to remember each day the joy writing brings you and from that place expect great things”

    Borrowing My Mothers Saints
    Borrowing My Mother’s Saints
    by Olga G Soaje
    Published: September 2012
    Genre: Contemporary Romance (Chick lit)
    Interwoven with humor, romance and vital inspiration, Olga Soaje’s novel takes readers on a dazzling journey through the sudden unraveling of one woman’s life on her quest towards happiness.

    Book description:
    With a plum job at Nelson and Nelson ad agency, a Manhattan apartment, and a boyfriend named Michael who looks good enough on paper, Julianna is at the peak of her game. That’s when everything starts going south fast. Nancy, her nemesis at work with a fake smile (and other body parts!), has somehow stolen her account. Her boss, Peter, deems her burned out and sends her out the door with her cardboard box. And that’s just the beginning of the rapid-fire onslaught of serious woes.

    After Michael dumps her squarely, her mom is diagnosed with breast cancer. Julianna is officially at her wit’s end. However, just as she’s in the deepest despair, enter a cast of characters that Julianna hasn’t seen since her childhood days at home and in her Catholic grade school. Tucked away in her mother’s recipe box is a bounty of saints cards, and soon, those the saints come marching in to represent a source of strength her mother had found in them and a way to develop other career paths she had not considered on her road to happiness. Julianna is greeted with new opportunities, for better and sometimes for worse, that help her forge her own road to a richer, more authentic life.

    Links to purchase the book
    Amazon:
    http://www.amazon.com/Borrowing-My-Mothers-Saints-ebook/dp/B009GSMDA2/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1359508436&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=borrowing+my+mother%27s+saints

    Barnes & Noble:
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/borrowing-my-mothers-saints-olga-g-soaje/1112760369

    Connect with Olga:
    facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Olga-Soaje/275855065861387

    goodreads:
    http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6525945.Olga_Soaje

    Comment

    Literary Quill Promotions
    4/15/2013 03:56:08 am

    Thank You for hosting today! 🙂

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  • Blog

    Author Q&A with Leigh Bennett author of Flirting with Magick

    December 26, 2019

    2/15/2013

    Leigh Bennett1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    I wrote a short story about a woman who does a spell for a career change
    and the novel developed from there. The rest of the ideas came from having worked around bands, working in offices and having lived in the inner city.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    About eight years ago when I was pregnant with my second child, I stopped talking about it and just started writing. It turns out it was the only activity I loved enough to stick with and not get bored or lose interest.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    It’s isn’t huge. My current novel is set in inner city Melbourne but there aren’t any specific landmarks, it’s just mentioned. I think it could be set in any city, really.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    I think I have a bit of a crush on one of the main male characters. And I really like Troy but he’s a very minor character he swears a lot so I had to think a lot about how to write his dialogue and make it effective, not just swearing constantly.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    Just do it. Just keep writing.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    Not really. Up until this year I’ve always had a child at home. He’s just starting school this year so
    I’m hoping to get more into a routine and get more done on a day to day basis. I might even get super organised
    and create a timetable. Yeah, probably not.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    I really enjoy the plotting process but I don’t necessarily stick with it. It’s nice to have as a guide for when I’m stuck though. I’ve started doing my first drafts during Nanowrimo and it’s amazing the winging that goes on.

    8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
    Ooh too hard.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    It’s called Winter Park and is the follow up to Flirting with Magick but can be read as a standalone novel. It’s about a woman who moves into an apartment and finds it’s haunted. Of course there is also a love story in there.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Keep writing. Find other writers to talk to and learn from them, they can offer amazing support. Let people read your
    work, otherwise you’ll never know what’s working and what isn’t.

    FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/LeighBennettWriter
    Blog:
    http://abroomwithaview.blogspot.com.au/
    Twitter: @LeightaBennett
    Firting with Magik is available on Amazon

    Flirting with Magick CoverAvailable at Amazon

    Comment

    Leighta Bennett
    2/26/2013 10:22:06 am

    Thanks so much for having me, Monique 🙂

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  • Blog

    Taste of Tuesday with author Anne R. Allen

    December 26, 2019

    2/4/2013

    Food of Love - Anne R Allen - CoverDo you prefer sweet or savoury foods (ie cheese or chocolate)?
    Mostly savoury. Unless it’s chocolate. Dark chocolate. Then stay out of my way.

    2. Red wine or white?
    Yes, thanks. (LOL.)

    3. Do you have a favourite food memory?
    When I was a kid, my mother used to do a lot of entertaining for my father’s colleagues at a prestigious Ivy League University. She made elaborate desserts she’d never serve to the family.

    So I’d hang around hoping somebody wouldn’t take a dessert and I’d help clear the table and scarf the leftovers as soon as I got to the kitchen. My favorite was the chocolate angel pie I’ve got the recipe for here.

    4. Does food feature in your novel(s)?
    Very much. Especially in Food of Love. It’s all about dieting and how women are united by the pressure to diminish ourselves by starvation. (Which creates cravings many researchers believe are one of the major causes of obesity.)

    I have a scene where Princess Regina, a former supermodel married to the ruler of a small European principality, has
    been running from an unknown assassin and is now lying wounded on the edge of a cliff in California. She comes to the realization that the killer may have been hired by her husband.

    There was no getting around it now. She was married to a monster.

    The horror of it, and the enormity of the lie she’d been living all these years fell upon Regina like a weight, pressing her deeper into the cold earth. All that irrational hate. Why did Max hate her? Because she was a woman? Because she had
    desired him? Because she was fat?

    That was it.

    Of course. She was fat. Everyone hated a fat woman. All that uncontrolled female flesh, hanging out for all to see. Fat was the worst shame of all. It proclaimed its own guilt, its own wicked self-pleasuring.

    To be fat was the ultimate sin of the flesh in the contemporary world, worse than drug addiction, illicit sex, thievery, or the occasional hacking to death of an ex-wife and her lover. One had only to glance at the tabloids. Any retired actress or model could be pilloried mercilessly for the sin of fat. It was the irredeemable scandal, the most humiliating possible disgrace. Better to be dead.

    To be dead. She rolled over on her side and looked out at the ocean, listening to it roar. A few more rolls, and she’d be over the side. Part of that ocean. One with the universe. Gone. No longer a hungry, lustful, useless fat woman.

    Why not? The funeral was already planned. The Vice President of the United States would be there.

    And as she stared down over the cliff, and the roar of the sea grew louder, she felt strangely light and free. She made one more roll toward the edge and looked down at the dark water and frothy waves. Like chocolate and whipped cream. Like Leona’s Chocolate Angel Pie.

    Chocolate.

    It had been so long since Regina had let herself eat real chocolate, and she’d left the clinic before getting Nigel’s Cadbury bar. How long before that had she been surviving on boring, fat-free food, carefully prepared by the well-meaning Titiana? Months? Years? But even with the hunger, the boredom, and the weary hours spent in the exercise room, she kept getting fatter, her glacial metabolism programmed to survive on nothing from the years of anorexia. What did she have to look forward to if she lived, but more suffering, more fat, and more of the endless humiliation in the
    tabloids?

    She wasn’t sure she believed in heaven, but if there was one, she knew they would have chocolate there.

    5. What recipe are you sharing with us and why?
    Regina has a recurring fantasy about the Chocolate Angel Pie made in a bakery in Boston by her friend’s mom, Leona. This is the recipe, with a little Amaretto added. (Because Regina tends to drink it by the tumblerful.)

    Amaretto Chocolate Angel Pie

    Ingredients:
    2 egg whites (I use the EggBeaters kind in the little carton. Never been good at separating
    eggs.)
    1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
    1/4 cup sugar

    Filling:
    1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
    2 Tbsp Amaretto
    2 Tbsp strong dark-roast coffee (or 4 if you want to skip the Amaretto.)
    2 cups heavy whipping cream

    Directions:
    Place egg whites in a small bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add cream of tartar and beat on
    medium speed until you get soft peaks. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until soft glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly into a well-greased 9-in. pie pan. Bake at 275° for 50 minutes. Cool on
    a wire rack.

    For the filling, melt chocolate in microwave; stir until smooth. Stir in Amaretto, coffee and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

    In a chilled small bowl, beat cream into soft peaks. Fold (a little over) half into chocolate mixture. Pour into the
    meringue shell. Refrigerate, for several hours before serving. Top with reserved whipped cream. Yield: 6-8
    servings.

    ***
    Bio:
    Anne R. Allen is a former actress and stage director who lives on the Central Coast of California. She’s the author of six romantic-comedy mysteries, including FOOD OF LOVE. Her newest is NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

    Until the end of February 2013, her mystery, SHERWOOD, LTD is FREE on KOBOand Smashwords. It is also available in paperback from Amazon.

    It’s inspired by Anne’s own misadventures with her first publishers, an outlaw band of Englishmen following their own self-styled Robin Hood.

    She has written a guidebook for authors with Catherine Ryan Hyde (author of the iconic novel Pay it Forward.) HOW
    TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE…AND KEEP YOUR E-SANITY!
    She shares an award-winning blog with NYT bestselling author Ruth Harris at Anne R. Allen’s Blog…with Ruth Harris

    Anne’s Author page at Amazon.com

    Comment

    Anne R. Allen
    2/5/2013 11:04:23 am

    Thanks so much for hosting me for your Taste of Tuesday! You can’t really get drunk on the chocolate amaretto pie, but I have friends who claim it makes them giddy. (Leave out the amaretto for your teetotalling friends.)

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  • Blog

    Q&A with author Danielle Nicole Bienvenu

    December 26, 2019

    2/1/2013

    Danielle Nicole Bienvenu1. What was the inspiration for your novel?

    I have fourteen novels out right now but I’ll choose my latest one, Sarah’s Secret. It was a difficult story for me to write mainly because it is so personal. Sarah was molested as a young girl. Her family refused to address the issue. I’ve been there so I wrote about it. If there is anything to be learned from Sarah’s story and my own it’s that one should never ignore the courage it takes for anyone, especially a child to come forward. It isn’t an easy thing. You need support. Sarah didn’t find it in her family and it made it more difficult to heal. Backlash from those who don’t know how to deal with such taboo issues only make it worse for the molested. The message is sent “We don’t care. Deal with it.” I realize it’s easier for people to live in denial and look the other way but it isn’t
    easy for the person molested to live with it.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    I began writing song lyrics when I was six years old, short stories as a preteen. I wrote my first novel, Against All Odds: The Ruby Princess when I was fourteen years old. Once I began writing it was difficult to
    stop.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    I try to place my characters in settings that will force them to grow. For example, Elijah in Sarah’s Secret is angry with God because his family died. He is stuck in Afghanistan as a U.S. soldier. He is surrounded by death daily therefore he is forced to deal with his issue. If a character is missing someone I might write them resting under a willow tree, etc. Settings can make all the difference in the world.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    Oh boy. Haha. That’s a toughie. Maybe Elijah Ryan. While I admire Sarah’s character and courage, Elijah is physically strong as well. He leads his troops in a hot desert yet he is essentially alone in the world. I admire our U.S. troops a lot. I wanted to join the service a few years ago and was disappointed when it didn’t follow through but I suppose God has his purpose for everything.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    That would be to quote my friend, artist, and children’s author, Mike P. Maness. “Publish yourself.” It was a revolutionary idea that I could publish independently instead of waiting for twenty plus years for a publisher’s offer or in hopes of an agent stumbling over me. Then again, author Ey Wade helped me by pointing me in the direction of other authors that have been where I am and come out solid. She also introduced me to publishing e-readers which has been a bigger success than my paperback copies.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    I try to handle regular day to day e-mails, contacts, marketing, etc. first thing in the morning. After that I read other works that I find inspirational. I’m one of those strange authors that can’t force myself to write. If the words hit me at 3 a.m. then I’ll be up for hours typing away on my HP otherwise it doesn’t do much good. I find the less I have to do in a day the freer my mind is and I am more able to write. For that reason I tend to be able to write on weekends.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    I develop the main plot before I write. As far as subplots go I generate those while I’m writing. It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed with ideas so I have to write them down quickly when that happens.

    8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
    Tuck Everlasting, NatalieBabbitt
    Somewhere in Time, Richard Matheson
    The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks
    The poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay

    Funny how my favorite books don’t always match with the genres I write.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    The tentative title is “What Am I?” It’s about a man who remembers life in the Guelph (what the Jews refer to as the place of unborn souls) before his soul was sent to earth. He lives his life peacefully on earth but his soul longs for the home he remembers. He longs for one soul he knew while in the Guelph but doesn’t know how to find her. It’s a very challenging piece for me. There aren’t many published works similar to this one so I feel like it’s in a new field since it’s fiction.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Pair up with other published authors. Train under them. Get to know them. Learn what works and what doesn’t.

    Excerpt from Sarah’s Secret:

    Elijah stilled himself. Once he had been eighteen years old. He
    was just a kid full of ideas and dreams, dreams of a peaceful world. Ideas of
    protecting home and making everyone he ever cared about proud. And they would
    have been proud if they were still alive. Elijah swallowed hard as the memory of
    home penetrated his senses. They were bittersweet memories of his father playing
    catch with him. His mother was gone, killed by a drunk driver when she and his
    father were bringing Elijah’s birthday cake home. Somehow his father managed to
    survive. Elijah was seven years old. Guilt engulfed him just for a moment and
    just like boot camp, Elijah pushed himself through the pain and focused on his
    dad. He’d been bound to a wheelchair as a result of the accident. There wasn’t
    happiness and smiles that day, no mother to share the birthday cake with. There
    was just emptiness. It didn’t matter how many years passed since the day he lost
    his mother. Elijah could still see the ache in his father’s eyes. He’d never
    forget the look of desperation, not as long as he lived. It was something Elijah
    grew accustomed to seeing in Afghanistan. Soldiers fighting for freedom,
    fighting to protect the country they honored and the family they loved while
    being racked with desperation to return to them. It was a desperation to
    survive. Everyone in the desert had something to live for. The terrorists had
    their dreams for murdering innocent lives in the name of their god. They were
    determined to bring down the“infidel.” Elijah’s buddies had their dreams to get
    the job done and return home to their wives and kids. But Elijah had no one to
    go home to. And so he fought.

    Links:
    Official Author Website:
    www.DanielleBienvenu.com
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/daniellenicole.author
    Myspace: www.myspace.com/daniellebienvenu
    Twitter: www.twitter.com/Dbienvenu
    Amazon: www.amazon.com/daniellebienvenu
    Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/daniellebienvenu

    To Order E-readers Online visit:
    www.smashwords.com
    iUniverse
    AuthorHouse
    Barnes & Noble
    Books A Million
    Google

    To Order Paperbacks Online visit:
    www.amazon.com
    iUniverse
    AuthorHouse

    Here are some of Danielle’s lovely covers.

    The Beautiful Heart - CoverRunning From My Shadow - Cover

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  • Blog

    Q&A with author Linda Schmalz

    December 24, 2019

    12/27/2012

    1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    For “A Lonely Sky” which is a women’s fiction romance, I got the idea listening to the song “Lonely Sky” by Chris Deburg. For “What Dead Women Want” (a quirky paranormal), I’ve always believed in ghosts, I actually babysat in the house mentioned in the book, and love the show “Ghost Hunters”.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    I’ve always loved to write, but didn’t seriously put pen to paper, or my fingers to the keyboard until about ten years
    ago, when I became a stay-at-home mom.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    It depends on the novel how important the setting is. In “A Lonely Sky” the setting would be important
    because it represents the huge fracture in the relationship of Sam and Julia. In “What Dead Women Want” the setting is very important because it’s all about a haunted house in a small town.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    I’m currently working on a historical romantic suspense set in 1912. I love my heroine, she’s a fiesty, stubborn yet sweet, Irish immigrant, but I also love writing my villain too, because it’s so fun to be bad!

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    To read “On Writing” by Stephen King and Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird”.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    No. I try to write in the afternoons and the evenings, but life happens and things get interrupted. It is
    a dream of mine to be able to spend the majority of my day writing, but I have to remind myself that I’m so blessed to have a family to take care of, and they always come first.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    I always have the main frame of the story in my head, i.e. the beginning, ending and major plot points. But the rest falls into place as I go, and it’s always a delightful surprise how each chapter turns out! I may think I know how a chapter is going to go, but once the characters start interacting, they kind of take over the scene and I let them run with it. So fun!

    8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
    Only three or four? Okay, let’s go! “The Middlesteins” by Jami Attenberg, “Dangerous Inheritance” by Allison Weir, “The Casual Vacancy” by J. K. Rowlings, and “The Inn at Rose Harbor” by Debbie Macomber.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    I’m currently working on a historical romantic suspense set in 1912. It’s about a young and lovely (of course!) Irish immigrant who finds herself alone in New York City when her fiance’ suddenly perishes. There’s romance, suspense,
    intrigue, a really nasty villain and a fun plot twist you won’t see coming!

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Join writer’s groups. Get more than one critique partner. Go to writing conferences. Never stop trying. Believe in
    yourself, and most importantly, keep writing!

    Links:
    You can find Linda at her blog
    http://www.lindaschmalz.blogspot.com

    Here books can be found at:
    A Lonely Sky:
    Amazon: http://amzn.com/B0058ZWZ78

    B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-lonely-sky-linda-schmalz/1031810364?ean=9781466491694

    What Dead Women Want: Amazon: http://amzn.com/B005VG3D5M

    B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-dead-women-want-linda-schmalz/1106971484?ean=9781468040869

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  • Blog

    Q&A with Juliet Madison the author of Fast Forward

    December 23, 2019

    12/4/2012

    Juliet Madison1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    The idea for my debut novel, FAST FORWARD (coming out with Escape Publishing in February 2013) first came about when I was reading in bed one night. I don’t remember the book, I just remember that it mentioned a young character who behaved like they were years older, and I thought… ‘I would love to do a story where the character ages suddenly overnight!’. I was reminded of movies like Suddenly 30 (13 Going on 30 for those in the US) and 17 Again but wanted to do something a little different
    where the character becomes an age where they’re NOT in their prime. An age that they don’t want to be. I decided age 50 would be a good milestone to write about, and I chose to make the character a model with no desire for domestic life become a middle-aged housewife and mother overnight. The title Fast Forward came to me then, and gradually the main character and story developed in my mind and I wrote it all down as quickly as I could!

    2. When did you take up writing?
    I always enjoyed writing stories from a young age and in my early twenties I started to get ‘The Itch’.For writing that is. I began jotting down snippets of prose and story ideas, and even wrote one chapter of a mystery/suspense novel, but I never continued this story. Life got in the way and I forgot about writing until some major changes occurred in my life and I thought ‘It’s now or never.’ That was three years ago (late 2009) and I’ve been writing seriously ever since.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    It depends on the type of story I’m writing. For example, for the series I’m writing set in a small Australian town, the setting is very important, it’s like a unique character in itself. For my romantic comedy, Fast Forward, the setting is a
    combination of the city and the suburbs, but it’s more of a generic setting. What’s more important in this story is the time period it’s set in – twenty-five years in the future. I had to think up new inventions that would be plausible but add some interest and comedy to scenes in the book.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    I should say my main character Kelli, but I have quite a soft spot for William – her geeky middle-aged husband in the future. He was the high school nerd who grew into a confident successful man and loving father. He’s a funny, charming, and affectionate character with a positive attitude about life, and will do anything for the woman he loves. He’s quite a Superman (joke – you’ll see why in the book!).

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    ‘Write what you care about.’I care about making the most of life, following your passions, and staying true to yourself, and I try to incorporate these themes into my stories.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    I’d like to, and I do my best to have a routine, but my son does his schooling from home so everything revolves around this. If I can get some writing or editing done in the mornings I will, otherwise I write whenever I can and as often as I
    can. Evening sprint sessions have been productive for me (the writing kind not the physical exercise kind ;)), because I find when I have a strict time limit and another writer sprinting along with me I get more words down. And sometimes
    I write best on the spur of the moment so a combination of going with the flow and military precision works for me.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    I start with a basic premise in my mind and then wing the first scene or chapter to see what happens and find the voice of the story. Then I become a plotter. I usually start with the beginning and end so I have a clear idea of the purpose of the story, and then write an outline in dot points, listing as many scenes as I can think of to drive the story forwards. If needed I also get a long piece of paper and handwrite a timeline. I usually also work out my characters’ goals, motivations, conflicts, and what they need to learn by the end.

    8. Can you name three or four of your current favourite books?
    It’s hard to choose favourites, it depends on what I’m enjoying reading at certain times in my life. A classic I really enjoyed was The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, and two by Sophie Kinsella that I loved were Remember Me (because it inspired me to finally start my first book), and Twenties Girl (because it was so much fun – and I love stories with ghosts!).

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    I’m working on revising a manuscript, outlining the next book in my small town series, while also writing a new manuscript called HauntedHousewives. It’s a similar style and set-up to Fast Forward – taking a character and throwing them head on into an outrageous situation for which escape seems impossible!

    In this case… During a weekend away with her bridesmaids, bride-to-be Sally becomes haunted by the ghost of her fiance’s ex-girlfriend who seems intent on stopping the wedding, while having a lot of fun at Sally’s expense along the way. It’s in no way a horror or suspense novel, it’s a romantic comedy – with a ghost!

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    If you have a passion for writing, don’t give up! Keep writing and learning your craft, and be true to your own voice. Write the book you’d want to read, and join a writing organisation such as Romance Writers of Australia. Also, learn how to edit your book, and consider getting a critique partner or paying a freelance editor to assess your work and provide feedback before submitting to publishers.

    FAST FORWARD
    coming Feb 2013 from Escape Publishing: www.escapepublishing.com.au
    Blurb:

    Aspiring supermodel Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her 25th birthday she wakes in the future as a fifty-year-old suburban housewife married to the now middle-aged high school nerd.

    Trapped in the opposite life of the one she wanted, Kelli is forced to re-evaluate her life and discover what is really important to her. Will she overcome the hilarious and heartbreaking challenges presented to her and get back to the body of her younger self? Or will she be stuck in the nightmare of hot flushes, demanding children, raunchy advances from her husband, and hideous support underwear forever?

    Stay updated by subscribing to Juliet’s newsletter at: www.julietmadison.com
    Blog: www.julietmadison.wordpress.com
    Twitter: www.twitter.com/juliet_madison
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/julietmadisonauthor

    Comments

    Juliet Madison
    12/4/2012 01:22:45 pm

    Thanks for having me on your blog, Monique, I enjoyed doing the interview! 🙂

    Lily Malone
    12/4/2012 03:01:31 pm

    Enjoyed reading more about Fast Forward Juliet. Congratulations on finishing the book. Bigger congratulations on getting it published. And thanks for the interview Monique. I look forward to having a look around your site.
    cheers.
    Reply
    Juliet Madison
    12/4/2012 03:40:47 pm

    Thanks Lily, there are so many steps involved in writing & publishing a book, each milestone deserves a celebration I think!

    Kez
    12/4/2012 03:48:30 pm

    Great interview Juliet 🙂 I love your voice and I can’t wait to read whatever you bring out next! (Haunted Housewives sounds fun!)
    Reply
    Juliet Madison
    12/4/2012 04:02:08 pm

    Thanks for your nice words, Kez 🙂

    HH is very much a rough work-in-progress but I hope it will be a lot of fun!

    Caroline Praed
    12/4/2012 04:09:25 pm

    Fascinating to hear about how you came to write your book – and so thrilled for you, Juliet. [Australia seems particularly far away today when my part of the UK has heavy snow!] Reply
    Juliet Madison
    12/6/2012 06:44:08 pm

    Thanks Caroline. I’ve always wanted to experience a white Christmas, I bet a hot sunny one for you would feel weird! 😉

    Imelda Evans
    12/5/2012 03:39:55 pm

    I’m FASCINATED by this concept Juliet! I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with it. Great interview!
    Reply
    Juliet Madison
    12/6/2012 06:45:01 pm

    I’m glad, Imelda! I hope you like what I’ve done with the concept 🙂

    Sarah Bell
    12/6/2012 09:47:33 am

    They all sound amazing, Juliet. I can’t wait to read everything!
    Reply
    Juliet Madison
    12/6/2012 06:45:50 pm

    Thanks Sarah, I can’t wait for you to read them too!

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  • Blog

    Q&A with Pam Cook author of Blackwattle Lake

    December 23, 2019

    11/29/2012

    Pam Cook1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    For this particular novel it was the old “write what you know” advice. I spend a lot of time with horses so decided to write something set on a horse property. And then I had an image of a woman standing at the gate of the property unable to get in. She turned out to be Eve Nicholls, my protagonist.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    I’ve written on and off all my life – mainly poetry and journals when I was younger. In 2000, sick of marking high school English essays, I decided to try my hand at something more creative and enrolled in a Masters in Creative Writing at UNSW. I had my third daughter during that time and decided to teach part time and continue writing, which I’ve been doing ever since.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    I adore novels that have a strong sense of place, stories that transport me somewhere else. I try to do the same in my own writing. My first novel (as yet unpublished) is set in Nepal, a country I fell in love with and I really enjoyed evoking the atmosphere of the streets of Kathmandu and the awesomeness of the Himalayas. Blackwattle Lake is set in a fictional place somewhere around 5 hours south of Sydney. I spend a lot of time on the south coast of NSW and also at the ranch where we agist our horses. I’ve drawn on both places to create the setting of Yarabee and Mossy creek Farm. I hope readers get a sense of really being there and love it as much as I do.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    Eve, the main character is definitely my favourite. She doesn’t let people push her around, says what she thinks, is independent and will have a go at anything. At the same time she has a vulnerability that stems from tragedy
    in her past and she also loves animals and horses. Her best friend is a kelpie and she drives a kombi. What’s not to love? The thing I enjoyed about writing this novel is that all the characters became my friends. It was great hanging
    out with them all and I miss them now!

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    That’s a tough one. I’m addicted to books on writing so I’ve read a lot of good tips over the years. Two things that stand out though, one is to write first and foremost for the love of writing and not for any perceived audience. That comes later in the revision stages – if you’re looking for a wider audience or hoping to be published. The second piece of advice, from the wonderful writer Markus Zusak, was that rejection makes you a better writer. That’s hard to believe when the rejection happens but it does make you hone your skills and improve your writing.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    I wish I did! But as hard as I try that doesn’t seem to happen. I go for weeks and months doing morning pages (which I highly recommend) and then a late night brings me to a halt. As far as my fiction writing goes I tend to write in bursts a few times a week, squeezing it around family life. I’ll continue to keep working at creating a daily schedule. Hopefully it will happen soon!

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    I definitely wing it which can mean I end up without any definite plot for quite a while. I like to write character based fiction so it’s easy to get sidetracked with backstory. I have learnt over the years that plot does matter so I’m trying harder to work more consciously on the story arc. Freewriting is still really important for a first draft. It’s part of my process and helps me learn who the characters are and what they want.

    8. Can you name three or four of your current favourite books?
    I recently read Secrets of The Tides by Hannah Richell. It’s about a family living with a tragedy and secrets. The way Richell weaves the narratives of the three main characters keeps you turning the page and her writing is very evocative. I’ve been reading The Hobbit out loud with my daughter and am loving sharing one of my all time favourites with her. Tolkien is the master of creating another world and making it one hundred percent believable. I just finished Jilted
    by Rachael Johns which is a lovely rural romance with a very hot hero. And my current read is The Streetsweeper
    by Elliot Pearlman which I was finding very hard to get in to at first but he is such a wonderful writer that I can’t wait to get back to it each day and see how he’s weaving the plot lines od the various characters together. As you can see,
    I have very eclectic tastes!

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    I’m currently behind with my nano project which is proving to be a perfect example of writing a first draft with no definite plot in mind. It has elements of forbidden love, a shipwreck, prophetic dreams and is set once again on the south coast. Hopefully it will develop into something more solid.

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Persistence and determination are the keys if you really want to be published. You will go through times where you can’t see the point and feel like giving up but if you keep at it you will achieve your dream in some form or another. Be careful who you show your writing to but do find a critique partner you trust and do listen to and act on feedback. And most importantly, write because you love to write.

    Blackwattle Lake is available at bookstores and department stores across Australia.

    For more information visit

    Blackwattle Lake - Cover

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Comment

    Jenn J McLeod
    11/29/2012 05:26:32 pm

    Lovely interview. I like that you too have a ‘first novel’ you hold dear. Yours is Nepal. Mine is Positano, on the Amalfi Coast. One day, Pam!!!!

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  • Blog

    Q&A with author of Christmas in Wine Country, Addison Westlake

    December 23, 2019

    11/26/2012

    Addison Westlake1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
    I first got the idea for “Christmas in Wine Country” while spending a December weekend in Mendocino, a tiny, remote and gorgeous town up
    on the Northern California coast. In the mist and rain, with the romance of the surf pounding against the rocky coastline I thought—this would be a fantastic setting for a novel.

    From there, I imagined what a perfect place it would be to retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city, perhaps after a terrific disaster—and the idea was hatched.

    2. When did you take up writing?
    I’ve been writing since I was about 9 years old. I remember loving the Sweet Valley High books but thinking I could improve upon them. I
    think I rewrote a chapter or two.

    In high school and college my writing took on a more self-important and occasionally angry political tone. Happily, I’m back where I started, enjoying life and writing books that hopefully will make other people smile.

    3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
    I could answer this in two ways – in the fiction I write, place is extremely important. In some ways, it shapes the action. “Christmas in Wine Country” has the location right up there in the title.

    In terms of where I do my writing, I’m not too choosy. With three little kids I basically take whatever chance I get. I’ve jotted down notes, ideas and scraps of dialogue on the backs of envelopes or preschool enrolment forms, made voice recordings on my iPhone while sitting in the grocery store parking lot. And, yes, sometimes I sit down in the midst of an insanely cluttered kitchen table, ignoring all dishes and unpaid bills, and catch some uninterrupted time with my laptop to actually write. But I’m not picky.

    4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
    I love my main character, Lila, because I feel like we’ve all been there. She’s in the late-20s phase when you think you should have everything figured out but don’t because, let’s face it, no one really does at that point. You think you’re old and wise but really you’re young and silly. I love that over the course of the year she’s able to loosen up, have some fun and, of course, fall in love. And I enjoy the scene when she stands in front of the refrigerator and makes an ice cream sundae in her mouth.

    5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
    I remember the worst piece of advice—never use the verb“to be.” Ever. It imposed this ridiculous straightjacket on my writing and for the class I was taking with this particular teacher I came up with all sorts of ill-fitting, inappropriate verbal calisthenics to avoid little old “to be.”

    Best advice – I suppose to revise and then revise again. And don’t take harsh criticism personally. Still working on that
    one.

    6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
    I wrote this novel largely during my kids’ nap time, so 1pm-3pm (oldest is in elementary school). Then my middle child stopped napping and all hell broke loose. I’m still trying to get back into a schedule instead of writing on scraps of paper in the minivan while I wait for my kids to finish their activities/classes/sports, etc.

    7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
    PLOTTER. The mere suggestion of winging it gives me a twitch. I’m super type A, though somehow thought of myself as an artsy creative type until my late 20s. Go figure.

    8. Can you name three or four of your current favourite books?
    Oh goodness I’ve been on a rather dreary diet of parenting books lately. I’m reading a lot about brain development. Not that sexy, is it? And the most recent novel I read I really ended up not liking so I don’t want to say something negative. I always love re-reading Pride and Prejudice!!!! And Kristan Higgans’ novels make me laugh.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
    I’m so excited about my new novel. It’s about four friends 15 years out of college. The central character is one of the two without children. She started out all ablaze about social justice and wanting to Fight the Power. 15 years into it she’s in a pointless bureaucratic job, out of a failed relationship, and tucking into pints of ice cream and glasses of red wine each
    night as she obsessively visits her ex-boyfriend’s Facebook page… I’m laughing as I re-read this description because it sounds so depressing, but I’m LOVING the maudlin nature of it all. Especially with all the exciting and romantic life-changing events I have cooked up for her. So excited to tell this one!

    10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them on their journey?
    Write what you love not what you think you should. Get lots of feedback but don’t feel obliged to do whatever anyone tells you. And keep at it!

    You can find Addison at:
    https://www.facebook.com/addison.westlake
    twitter: @AddisonWestlake

    Christmas in Wine Country - Cover
    Comment

    Addison Westlake
    11/26/2012 03:14:24 pm

    Thank you so much for the Q&A, Monique!
    I’m excited that “Christmas in Wine Country” reached #13 on Amazon’s “Hot New Releases” today in both the Humor and Women’s Fiction-Single Women categories!
    Go lucky #13!

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