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Meet Holly Kelly

3/31/2016

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Holly Kelly is a mom who writes books in her spare time: translation--she hides in the bathroom with her laptop and locks the door while the kids destroy the house and smear peanut butter on the walls. She was born in Utah but moved around a bit, living in Kansas, Texas, and Hawaii where she studied marine biology. She's now back in Utah--"happy valley". She's married to a wonderful husband, James, and they are currently raising 6 rambunctious children. Her interests are reading, writing (or course), martial arts, visual arts, creating Halloween props, and spending time with family.

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Rising Blurb:

In a war between the humans and the inhabitants of the sea--humans will lose. Xanthus Dimitriou--the most lethal Dagonian to rise from the ocean--is on a mission to save mankind from annihilation. But first there's one small thing he needs to do... kill a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair.

Killing her doesn't start out as part of his plan. He entrenches himself deep in the human world. Aligning with his enemies, he prepares to send them to Triton to face their punishment. Then Sara Taylor rolls onto the scene. Xanthus knows at once she's a criminal. And her crime? Being born. She's a human/Dagonian half-breed, an abomination. Killing her should be an easy job. All he has to do is break into her apartment, slit her throat, and feed her body to the sharks. Simple, right? Wrong. If only she weren't so beautiful, so innocent, so sweet...

Saving the world may have to wait. It appears Xanthus has a woman to save. But protecting her may cost him his own life.

Rising Trailer:

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Don't miss the rest of this awesome series!  I have read the first two books and loved them!  I'm reading book three, Avenging right now!

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Interview with Holly:

​Where are you from?

I was born in Utah but moved around a bit—living in Utah, Kansas, Texas, and Hawaii. Hawaii was my favorite place to live. I absolutely adore the ocean and would love nothing better than to live close to the shore again, but alas I’m back in landlocked Utah—but my husband and I have aspirations of someday buying a winter home in Fiji.

When and why did you begin writing?

It’s funny, but I’d never considered writing fiction until nine years ago—when I started writing my first “practice novel”—I actually wrote three of those. And no, they will never see the light of day. That ship has sailed.
Why did I begin writing? Well, I’d always been an avid reader, but it never crossed my mind that I could write a book myself. Then eight years ago, I read something Stephenie Meyer wrote. It was rough, it was unedited—it was a scene her publisher cut from Twilight. When I read it, I thought it was horrible. And then the thought struck me. I bet I can write better than that.  That moment, I opened up Microsoft word and started writing. I didn’t think it over. I didn’t plan it out. It was an impulsive thing. But then, once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. And when I wasn’t writing, I was imagining scenes in my head, thinking out characters, and basically spending my time in the world I was creating.  And this is how I live even now—always with one foot in the real world, and one foot in the world of my imagination.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?


​I considered myself a writer when I started writing. I think people put too much stock into what it means to be “a writer”. To me, if you write, you’re a writer—end of story.

What inspired you to write your first book?

My first book was a mishmash of everything I’d been reading. But my first published book, Rising, was something special. I actually got the inspiration for Rising from a picture. It was a picture of a mermaid, but this mermaid’s tail was unlike any I’d seen before—it was flesh colored. And it got me thinking, what if a mermaid was born on land, but she didn’t know she was a mermaid? She simply thought she was horribly deformed. That day, I started writing.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I’m a pantser—which means I don’t outline, I write by the seat of my pants. I’ve tried outlining; in fact, I spent a lot of time outlining Avenging—the third book in the Rising Series. I hoped that it would speed up my process. It turned out to be a complete waste of time for me. I couldn’t for the life of me, stick to it. It felt constrictive and unnatural, and it actually slowed me down—a lot. I ended up abandoning it and just wrote. I just let the story lead me, and often I’m just as surprised as my readers when something exciting happens or when secrets are revealed.

What books have most influenced your life most?

This is a really hard question! I simply love books—paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, romance… there are just so many. It’s easier to say what authors have influenced me. My favorite author is Amy Harmon. She writes mostly contemporary and a few paranormal. Her books are powerful! I’ve never read an author who has more heart than Amy Harmon! With her books, you laugh, you ball your eyes out, and you become so involved with the characters, that you literally feel you are inside the story. Some of my other favorites are J.K.Rowling, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Julie Garwood, Janet Evanovich, Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Mull, and Rick Riordan.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Actually, I consider a Facebook group my mentor. I’m a member of The Author’s Think tank. There are many amazing bestselling authors—including New York Times bestsellers—who are active in that group. I would be lost without them. Any question I have related to writing and publishing, they can answer and have. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

What are your current projects?

I’ve got two projects right now. I’m currently working on a new book called Cursed by the Fountain of Youth. It’s a paranormal romance with a crazed, murdering lunatic; ghosts; forbidden love; and the curse of eternal youth. And then next book introduces a twisted version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This one comes from my love of all things Halloween. It’s a spooky story with witches, headless horsemen, severed heads, and a Beauty and the Beast-style romance.

What would you like your readers to know?

For those who are aspiring authors, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. I heard it all myself—even from close family members.  I heard I would never get published, and that I would never write anything people would want to read. I didn’t believe it, and you shouldn’t either. Use criticisms as a spring board. Prove those naysayers wrong!  It’s not an easy journey, it will take time and a heck of a lot of writing under your belt to get there, but you can. If you just move forward and never give up, you too can become a published author!

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Meet Susan Harris

3/28/2016

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Susan Harris is a writer from Cork in Ireland. 
An avid reader, she quickly grew to love books in the supernatural/fantasy and Dystopian genre.  She writes books for young adults and adults alike.
When she is not writing or reading, she loves music, oriental cultures, tattoos, creepy snow globes, DC shoes, stationary, anything Disney, Marvel movies, psychology and far too many TV shows. If she wasn't a writer, she would love to be a FBI profiler or a PA for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto.

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Shattered Memories Blurb:

A terrible tragedy forced Alana McCarthy to forget a year of her life and now she is to be executed for a crime she does not remember committing, the murder of her entire family. Lost and alone, Alana is terrified of unlocking secrets buried so deep inside her mind that she's willing to forget the one person who could set her free.

Daniel Costello hasn't forgotten about Alana and will do anything and everything to protect the girl he loves But first Alana needs to unlock her memories and find out the truth about what happened the night her family were killed.

The day of her execution is set. Together, will Alana and Daniel be able to uncover the truth behind her family's deaths before it's too late?
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Available At:

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Interview with Susan:

  1. Do you read for pleasure from the same genre you write in?                                                                                                                                                                                          Yes! I love YA dystopian, paranormal, fantasy novels. It takes a very special book or author to drag me from that genre!
  2. Do you have any interesting writing quirks? Rituals?                                                                                                   When I’m getting ready to start writing, the first thing I have to do is compile a playlist with all the songs I think suit the book I’m writing. All my playlists are available on my website! www.susanharrisauthor.com. Another must have for me is pens in every colour and a refill pad to make notes. I also write up character profiles in case I forget a character’s eye colour or something like that.
  3. What would you be doing right now if you were not an author?                                                                                       That’s easy! Either a criminal profiler or a personal assistant for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto!
  4. How long does it typically take you to write a book?                                                                                                                It differs depending on life and pesky work, but most of the time it takes me three to six months to write the first draft.
  5. Do you listen to music while you write?                                                                                                                                  Oh hell yes! I can’t even type a word without it. Music helps me concentrate and dull out then background noise. Music is such a major part of my writing ritual that I used song lyrics for the chapter breaks for Shattered Memories.
  6. Why do you write?                                                                                                         I’ll leave Joss Whedon explain why I write. “I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of.” 
  7. Do you have tattoos? Piercings?                                                                                                                                            Yes, I do! I currently have thirteen ranging from Chinese, music, memorial, skulls and a quote on my arm about writing. My next tattoo will be the series logo for The Ever Chace Chronicles, my new series coming out in June that our fabulous cover designer Marya came up with for me J
  8. Do you have a favourite television series?                                                                                                                        OMG! That’s such a long list! I know I’m going to forget some but here goes: The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Criminal Minds, Agents of Shield, Arrow and The Flash, The 100, Madam Secretary, Quantico, Shadowhunters, all of the Chicago’s, SVU and Blue Bloods.
  9. What are your current writing projects?                                                                                                                                  At the moment I am about halfway through writing Collateral Damage, the sequel to Skin and Bones, which is my new fantasy adult series called The Ever Chace Chronicles. 
 

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Meet Tamara Grantham

3/26/2016

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Tamara Grantham was born and raised in Southeast Texas. She earned a Bachelor's degree in English from Lamar University. After marrying her husband David, she followed him through his training to become a burn surgeon, which consisted of moving from Vidor, Texas to Galveston, Texas, then to Tulsa, Oklahoma, back to Galveston, and they finally settled in Wichita, Kansas. Tamara and David have five active, sweet, and almost always well-mannered children, ages zero to ten years. Their two pets, June--the Jack Russell Terrier, and Chester--a black cat, help to keep the house lively (in addition to the children.)

When Tamara isn't writing or tending her children, she enjoys taking walks through the woods, eating chocolate, and very infrequently, she enjoys a good night's sleep.

Featured Free Book!

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Dream Thief Blurb:

Visiting Faythander is a nasty business. Forget the fairies and unicorns, most people come back with lost memories and mental problems. Olive Kennedy knows. She's the therapist who treats patients suffering from Faythander's side effects. Despite her empty bank account, she takes pride in her job as Houston's only Fairy World medical doctor. She's never failed to cure a client--until now.

Traveling back to Faythander wasn't on Olive's to-do list. But she has no choice. The fate of both Earth and Fairy depends on her ability to stop an ancient being called the Dreamthief. To complicate matters, she may be losing her heart to someone who can't love her in return. Saving the world, she can handle. Falling in love--not so much.

As if battling the forces of evil wasn't difficult enough...

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Dream Thief Excerpt:

A hand grabbed mine. Jeremiah stood beside me. I knew I’d made it inside his mind—into his dream—but how could he be dreaming about this place if he’d never been here?

“You came,” he said and smiled. Short, cropped curls covered his scalp. He’d always been on the chubby side—baby fat, I guess—and his large, chocolate-brown eyes sparkled when he got excited. They lit up when he looked at me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t visit sooner,” I said.

“It’s okay. Are you going to take me bowling again?”

“You liked it that much?”

“I loved it.”

“If you loved it, then I don’t have a choice, do I? But I’ve got to figure out what’s wrong with you first.”

​His face darkened. I felt his fingers tighten around mine.

“Are you afraid of something?” I asked.

He nodded.

“What’s scaring you?”

​“I can’t tell you,” he whispered.

“Why?”

​He shook his head in a quick motion, his fingers cutting off my circulation. I knelt to be eye level with him. “Why can’t you tell me?”

Tears formed in his eyes. “Please don’t make me talk about it.”

I hugged him to my chest. “I’m sorry. I’m only trying to help you.”
The wind picked up around us, blustering with a wail that rose in pitch.

He sniffled with his nose buried in my shoulder. Tears moistened my sleeve. I hugged his tiny body to mine, praying I could find a way to get him out of this place.

“It hasn’t been here in a while,” he whispered after a few sobs.

​I pulled away. It? “Can you tell me what it looks like?”

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Don't miss the rest of the series too!

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Meet Kasi Blake

3/24/2016

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Kasi Blake is a YA Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy writer with a semi-serious addiction to chocolate. Born in sunny California, she now lives on a farm in the Midwest with a dog, two cats, ducks, chickens and cows. When she has the time, she haunts local bookstores, hangs out with friends, and tries to catch up on her reading list. The rest of the time she’s working on her next novel.

Bonus!  Three Free Books Today!!!

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Bait Blurb:

After sixteen years on the run, Bay-Lee joins her emotionally distant father at his New Zealand school. On her first night there, he dumps her on the doorstep and walks away. Big surprise. Minutes later, a bag is thrown over her head, and she’s kidnapped for Orientation. The hunter in charge calls her Bait. According to him, that’s all she’s good for, to be used to draw out monsters for experienced hunters to kill. 

Before Bay-Lee can move up to the rank of Hunter, she will have to prove herself, battle wraiths, a reaper in disguise, and a stampeding border monster. With the addition of her classes, she’s going to be way too busy for a social life. Falling in love is not on the agenda. 

Then, she meets Nick Gallos. With the intimidating rank of Warrior, Nick is gorgeous, arrogant, and just plain rude to her. It’s obvious from their first meeting that Nick is hiding a dark past overflowing with secrets, and her father is right smack in the middle of it. Nick seems to be using her to get even with her father, and she won’t tolerate that. What a jerk. 

So, why can’t she stop thinking about him? 

Bait Excerpt:

Connor vacated the couch long enough to take the knife from her.  He tossed it on the coffee table.  It landed between his sawed-off shotgun and his .38 caliber.

“Leave the artillery at home.”

“What?”  She blinked at him, uncomprehending.  He couldn’t seriously want her to walk out of the house unarmed.  “Are you serious?  Something could attack me.  What do I do then?”

​“Depends.  If you are alone, use your extensive combat training and put some of those tricks I taught you to good use.  You don’t need a weapon to take a monster down.  If there are witnesses, I want you to scream like a girl and run in the other direction.”


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Meet C. J. Hart

3/22/2016

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​C.J. Hart is a full-time writer who lives in Sydney, Australia, with a crazy pooch named Abbey and a boisterous, somersaulting rescue budgie (parakeet) named Kaleb. Her days are spent living in her fictional worlds and consuming way too much caffeine. She has an (unhealthy?) obsession with all things cupcake- and coffee-related plus Kerouac and YA dystopia/fantasy books. C.J. can often be found surrounded by books, marathoning crime shows and munching on vegan goodies, on Twitter (@authorcjhart), Pinterest, or dancing in a rainstorm.

C.J. hopes to one day visit Rio and is currently learning Brazilian Portuguese.

​​C.J. Hart is a pen name for Renee Shearer, who also writes adult fiction as Renee Swann
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The Hunted Blurb:

Just your average boy-meets-girl, boy-kills-people story.

The Native American Navajo tribe has stories of a monster so wicked, so blood-thirsty, that they are to be hunted down and slaughtered. But are they just legends? Or is something sinister lurking in the shadows? The Yee Naaldlooshi—skinwalkers—have the ability to transform themselves. And they can be anyone. Anything.

The Hunters—a group dedicated to tracking the creatures—are hot on their trail and they won’t stop until every last one is dead. But are they all as evil as foretold? Seb, alpha of the Taylor, Arizona reservation pack, begins to question the acts of their kind. But he’s broken a rule and must choose between killing the girl he loves or risking everything to save her. Cassie must fight for her survival. The pack is after her. And they’re no joke. Cass is about to find out how sadistic they can be.
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Available for Free!

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Buy links:

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Don't miss book two, The Forsaken

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Interview with C.J. Hart

Do you read for pleasure from the same genre you write in?
No, I tend to read more dystopians and fantasy than paranormal (the genre of The Hunted).

What were you doing five years ago?
I was in my second year of college, studying Chemistry.

What would you be doing right now if you were not an author?
Well, if I didn't leave my degree to become an author, I would have graduated and be putting that degree to use.

How long does it typically take you to write a book?
Depends on the size of the book. I can write 50,000 words a month, minimum, but The Hunted only took 2 1/2 to 3 weeks I think :P

If you could co-write a book with anyone (doesn’t have to be an author), who would it be?
Either my buddy (and author) Michelle Irwin, or my Mum :D It would have to be with someone I trust completely.

When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I love every part! Every part is hard at times, but I just love the whole process -- from idea to final edit!

What are your current writing projects?
I am working on finishing the next book in the Abandoned series, The Wicked. But shhh...I can't tell you anything yet ;) It's gonna be a good one though!

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Meet Kelly Risser

3/19/2016

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Kelly Risser knew at a young age what she wanted to be when she grew up. Unfortunately, Fairytale Princess was not a lucrative career. Leaving the castle and wand behind, she entered the world of creative business writing where she worked in advertising, marketing, and currently, eLearning instructional design.

When Kelly is not immersed in the middle of someone else's fantasy world, she's busy creating one of her own. Never Forgotten is her first complete series, which includes Never Forgotten, Current Impressions, Always Remembered, and Sea of Memories, a novella collection. Kelly is one of the authors of award-winning Fractured Glass and 7: The Seven Deadly Sins. She also has a short story in the Twists in Time anthology, and will be part of several other anthologies releasing in 2016. You can visit her at www.KellyRisser.co

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Never Forgotten

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Never Forgotten Blurb:

Meara Quinn is about to find out there are worse things than moving to a tiny oceanside town before her senior year. Like discovering there's a secret being kept from her and knowing it's a life-changer.

​After experiencing vivid visions of her absentee father, Meara decides she deserves answers. With the help of her new friend Evan, a guy she happens to be falling for, she embarks on a journey in the hopes of unlocking family history and finding her true self. But when she meets a handsome stranger at a local club who knows far more about her than he should, her world is again shaken. In him, Meara may have uncovered the key to the very secret that will reveal not only who she is... but what she is.
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Never Forgotten Reviews!

Risser keeps her focus on the little details of Meara’s everyday life, lending the book a nice, homey charm.                                                   ~Kirkus Reviews

"NEVER FORGOTTEN is a sweet romance with a paranormal twist!"                    ~InD'Tale Magazine


USA BEST BOOK AWARDS (2014) AND INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS (2015) FINALIST.

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Don't miss the rest of this amazing series!  

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I've read the first three books of this series and I LOVED them!!!  Great job, Kelly!!!

Interview with Kelly:

​Do you read for pleasure from the same genre you write in?

My favorite books are young adult and fantasy. I have always been a big reader, but in my early twenties, I was mostly reading romance novels. Harry Potter was the series that reopened my eyes to middle grade and young adult and reminded me those stories are not just for kids. (I’ll always be young at heart!)

What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?

I always wanted to be a writer, but after high school, I let my creative writing go, trading it in for the world of business, which was in some ways still creative, just different. When I started discovering the early indie writers on Amazon, like Amanda Hocking, that’s when I first thought that I could do this too, if I just put my mind to it.

How long does it typically take you to write a book?

Never Forgotten took me five years of on and off writing and revising. The remaining books in the series were about 9 months each. I am not a fast writer, and I do not write every day. I find that it does me no good to force my writing; I’ll just end up junking those pages.

When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?

My favorite part of writing a book is when I finish the first draft. It’s such a sense of accomplishment. My favorite part that has little to do with me is when I get to see the cover art for the first time. It’s so exciting!

What is your favorite thing to do on your day off?

What day off? I kid, but not really. I work full time during the week and fit my writing in around the rest of my life. Between writing, blogging, and promoting my books, I don’t have a lot of free time. When I do, I like to shop or hang out with my family.

Do you have pets?

We have a soft-coated Wheaten Terrier/Poodle mix named Clyde and a tank full of fish.

Money being no object, what is your dream getaway?

That’s easy. Hawaiian cruise.

What are your current writing projects?

I’m revising a dystopian short story that was the result of being a finalist in a Utopia Con/Little Bird Publishing contest. I’m writing a contemporary romance short story with a breast cancer theme that will go into a fundraiser anthology to raise awareness for breast cancer research, and I have started two new books that are very different from each other. One is a clean young adult fantasy novel, and the other is a historical fiction adult novel.

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Meet Sandy Goldsworthy

3/17/2016

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​Sandy Goldsworthy was raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, blocks from the rocky shores of Lake Michigan. As a child, she fantasized about becoming an author. She jotted story lines in spiral notebooks and drew images of characters that never came to life. Her passion for putting pen to paper began when her high school English teacher inspired her to be more descriptive in her work. Ever since, Sandy dabbled in creative writing, searching for that perfect shade of red and that character you want to get to know.

Admittedly, Sandy is addicted to coffee and dark chocolate, and is obsessed with all things paranormal. She records more movies and television shows than is humanly possible to watch in a lifetime, and swears there's a ghost in her house. When not writing, Sandy can be found curled up on the couch nose-deep into a book, or trying to catch up on that recorded season of some paranormal series.

Sandy graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where she majored in marketing. She spends her days managing corporate client programs, and her nights and weekends drafting new plot lines in spiral notebooks. She resides in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two children, and an energetic puppy. 



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Aftermath Blurb:

After losing her father, Emma Bennett moves to her aunt's small town of Westport to finish out her senior year of high school. Emma wants to forget the pain and loss of the past few weeks, and finds relief in the company of Ben Parker—a local boy who she has an instant attraction and uncanny connection with. When Ben seems a little too preoccupied with other responsibilities and has no time for her, Emma turns to the town's hottest flirt—Lucas Crandon, for affection. Unfortunately, she realizes a little too late that sometimes bad boys, really can be bad for you. 

Life as an undercover agent for the Afterworld's Bureau of Investigation isn't an easy job. When Ben Parker finds his soul mate, Emma Bennett in a small town, he finds himself forced to choose between doing his job or rekindling a relationship with the love of his existence. After Ben is notified that a notorious criminal immortal is loose somewhere near Westport, he realizes that his love life will just have to wait. There is a criminal to apprehend before he can have his girl. 

When lives are at stake and immortals are on the loose, can two soul mates find their happy ever after?

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Available At:

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Interview with Sandy:

What was the inspiration for your story?

The concept of Ben Parker’s character came to me a few years ago. I had a very visual dream about a train derailing. Railcars tumbled off a ridge, landing on top of each other in a ravine. There was a young man on the train that was untouched by the accident. Once everything settled, he pulled victims from the crash site and escorted them to heaven. I ended up writing a short story about this, and eventually, Ben’s character came to life.

What kept you going throughout the writing process?

Initially, writing was just a hobby I did it in my spare time. But after a friend invited me to join his writing group, I began to take it more seriously and set writing goals. That really helped me stay on track knowing I had to finish a set word count, by a certain date. I also had a lot of support from my family and friends. They encouraged me to keep going any time I felt like giving up.

Who is your most meaningful character and why?

That’s a really tough question… like asking a mom to pick her favorite child!
I really enjoy all of my characters (even the dark ones), but if I had to pick just one, I’d choose Ben as the most meaningful. He spent decades searching for the love of his existence, so his dedication and perseverance is remarkable to me. As an agent in the Afterworld’s Bureau of Investigation, he proved himself loyal and committed. Overall, he’s just a good guy—someone you’d want on your side.

How has this story touched your life?

In Aftermath, Emma Bennett experiences the loss of a parent and is faced with moving to another state to finish high school. I had a similar experience growing up, although I was much younger than Emma. Nonetheless, I could relate to the feeling of abandonment and starting over that Emma faces.

What motivated you to start writing?

​I enjoyed writing ever since high school when my teacher challenged me to be more descriptive. She didn’t want to read that the front door was red; she wanted to see the shade. It was very motivating to me, to slow things down a bit and detail the setting.

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Don't miss Sandy's Free Novella!

An Aftermath Novella, Part of The Afterworld Saga
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An agent for the Afterworld’s Bureau of Investigation, Ben Parker spent decades undercover on earth, searching for the wife he left behind when he died. Just when he decides to give up hope, and move on with his existence, he learns his soul mate was found. Now, reviewing her case file, he understands what she endured those years without him. More importantly, he knows what the future has in store for her... but there’s nothing he can do to change it.

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Meet Melissa Cunningham

3/15/2016

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Melissa Cunningham (also known as M.E. Cunningham) was born in Oregon but grew up in Utah, where she was raised on a steady diet of fine literature from Charlotte's web to the The Trumpeter Swan, and then plenty of romances in her teen years. She now lives with her husband on a little farm in northern Utah where all she can see out of her back door is miles of pasture and stunning sunsets. Not only does she raise horses, dogs, cats, and chickens, but her five kids also. When Melissa is not writing you can find her spending time in the outdoors with her family or dancing wildly to rock music in her living room. She loves running, camping, and all things fiction--scary, mind-numbing stories preferred.

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Reluctant Guardian Blurb:

Death was nothing like sixteen-year-old Alisa Callahan thought it would be. Resting on pink, fluffy clouds for eternity with her gram and best friend sounded like a dream come true. After all, enduring one torturous experience after another in her short life deserved some kind of reward, right? Unfortunately, eternal rewards aren't given out so freely when you take your own life. 

Required to pay the debt for her actions, Alisa must become a guardian. It sounds easy enough, but not when the boy she is forced to protect has a dangerous secret and wants absolutely nothing to do with her. 

Brecken Shaefer isn't any normal teenager. He has special gifts that are sure to make Alisa's afterlife miserable. When feelings develop between them, everything spins out of control. Not only must Alisa face her own demons— but to protect Brecken, she must face an evil so heinous that it threatens to destroy their souls completely. 

Alisa is tired of hiding from her past. When the easiest thing to do is run, can Brecken give her the strength to stay?

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Reluctant Guardian Teaser:

This is it. This is my moment, and I'm not going to let some stupid boy and a bunch of his idiotic friends scare me into failing. Closing my eyes, I float through the closed door, letting myself enjoy that slight pull on my soul as I meld with the wood for one second, feeling its aliveness, its purpose. This is one part of being a spirit that is genuinely cool. Everything is alive.

Once through, the brightness in the room surprises me. As unexpected as that is, what amazes me even more is that the glow radiates around one person in particular.

Brecken.

​He sits sprawled at his desk, his feet clad in heavy, black combat books, his ankles crossed. A thick, ratty sweatshirt stretches over his wide shoulders, and even though his hair is a mess, it fits him, making him much sexier than is healthy for a seventeen year old boy.  (pg 62)

Reluctant Guardian's Playlist!

See what music inspired Melissa while writing!
  1. Down, by Jason Walker
  2. Holding on and Letting go, by Ross Copperman.
  3. Poison and Wine, by The Civil Wars
  4. Farewell, by Rosie Thomas
  5. Your Guardian Angel, by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
  6. Almost Lover, by A Fine Frenzy
  7. Fix You, Javier Colon
  8. Nobody's Home, by Avril Lavigne
  9. Someone Like You, by Adele
  10. His Love, Vickey Pahnke & John Canaan
  11. My Own Worst Enemy, by Casting Crowns
  12. In My Arms, by Plumb
  13. Without You, byt David Guetta & Usher
  14. Possibility, by Lykke Li

Don't miss the rest of the
​Ransomed Soul Series

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Interview with Melissa:

  1. What is your next project?  The third book in the Ransomed Souls Series, The Undoer, is coming out this spring! It’s by far my favorite out of any books I’ve written!
  2. Name 5 of your favorite movies. The Count of Monte Cristo, because Jim Caviezel is beautiful and I love how it’s a story of redemption and coming back from your lowest point (which I too have had to do). The Lord of the Rings, and do I really need to explain why? LOL The Hobbit, because I love Lord of the Rings. Princess Bride, because it’s a classic with some of the best one-liners ever written. I could watch it over and over. Pitch Perfect, because I’m a music buff. I used to be a music major in college. I sing, play guitar and piano, and used to write music. Now I write stories.
  3. If we googled your name what would we see? That would depend on if you put my middle initial in there! If you don’t, you get an actress who is my same age and dresses like a porn star. But I’m right beneath her! (on the google page) J
  4. What’s your pet peeve? Dang! I can’t even think of one! I can think of a bunch my husband has though!
  5. What is your favorite poem? I love, love, love Invictus. But I have quite a few I like. My grandmother and mother were both wonderful poets, so I have that talent flowing through my veins if I ever put it to good use.
  6. What is your best advice for aspiring writers? Just keep going! Never stop. You’ll get better and better as you go. If I could find a publisher while dealing with neurological Lyme Disease and publish FOUR books while sick and crazy, you can too! (I don’t recommend being sick and crazy, but to each their own) 

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Meet Alicia Michaels

3/12/2016

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Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. The mother of three and wife to an Army soldier loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.

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The Bionics Blurb:

All Blythe Sol ever wanted was to be a normal girl. Yet, her dreams of following in her father’s footsteps by joining the military after graduation are crushed when nuclear war comes to the United States in the year 4006. Tens of thousands are killed in a series of attacks on many major cities, while thousands more are left injured from the devastation of the blasts, or terminally ill from the effects of radiation. 

When the government offers the sick and injured a second chance as part of the Restoration Project, how could they refuse? Hoping to put her life back together after the blasts take both her arm and her eye, Blythe enrolls in the program filled with hope. She never expects that the bionic additions will change her life so drastically. When it is discovered that those outfitted with the robotic parts have become enhanced beyond the limits of ordinary human ability, normal can never exist for her again. 

The Bionics become targets of the government, as fear of them spreads across the nation, further enflamed by media propaganda and political conspiracy. Forced to go into hiding or face execution, society’s outcasts band together to form the Restoration Resistance—an underground rebellion which Blythe becomes a part of in order to survive. She could never imagine that joining them would thrust her at the forefront of an imminent revolution, or that it would put her in a confusing tug-of-war between two of her fellow soldiers—Gage Bronson, the mysterious new addition to the Resistance, and Dax Janner, her best friend. Even though Gage is rapidly capturing her heart, she is forced to face the possibility that her feelings for Dax might just go beyond friendship. However, with impending war and the threat of death hanging over her head, Blythe hardly has time to worry about anything as trivial as a love life...

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Interview with Alicia:

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What inspired you to write The Bionics Series?

I was really struck by the state of America in current times, and toying with the idea of how things could be if we don’t wake up and make some changes. Conflicts are popping up all over the world, we’re destroying our environment, politics has gotten out of control and divided people … I loved the idea of exploring the possibilities of a world that has advanced so far in technology, yet has had so many political and social setbacks that it’s crippled us.

When you sit down to write do you listen to music, and if so what do you like to listen to? 

I do listen to music when I write. What I listen to depends on what I’m writing. The music sets the mood for me. For the Bionics series, I like to listen to Fallout Boy, Evanescence, Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine, and sometimes movie scores from films like The Hunger Games.

What is the one thing (or multiple) you always have with you while writing?

My Beats by Dre headphones (they’re noise cancelling), my laptop of course, a snack (usually something crunchy or sweet), coffee or water, and a blanket to drape over my legs (I’m cold natured).

What should we expect from you in the future?

​Who knows, really? I’m so eclectic in my writing that people should always expect the unexpected. I have ideas for suspense, time travel, romance, fantasy, you name it! But at the heart of all that, always expect strong characters (particularly strong young women), as well as diverse characters!


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Meet Becky Doughty

3/10/2016

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Becky Doughty is the author of the best-selling Elderberry Croft Series, The Fallout Series, The Gustafson Girls Series, Waters Fall, and more. She's also the voice behind BraveHeart Audiobooks. She writes Women's Fiction with strong elements of romance, as well as Young Adult and Coming of Age Fiction. Becky is married to her champion of more than 25 years. They have three children, two of whom are grown and starting families of their own, and they all live within a few miles of each other in Southern California. They share their lives with too many animals, a large vegetable garden, and a strange underground concrete room they're certain was built for dark and sinister purposes....

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Featured Book Today!

A Light in the Dark, book two in The Fallout Series

A light in the Dark Blurb:

On stage, Tish Ransome sings about heartache and passion, betrayal, and about love gone wrong… but she knows very little about any of it in real life. The rockstar princess who swears like a pirate—literally—is loved and adored by family, friends, and fans alike, and her world is filled with good things, her future bright.
Behind the scenes, however, trouble is brewing. When Tom, her best friend and co-founder of the Marauders, tells her he’s leaving the band after graduation, Tish must find a new wingman to step into Tom’s hard-to-fill shoes. The moment she hears Sebastian Jeffries play, she knows he’s the one.
Yet with Sebastian comes a taste of the things Tish only writes about, and she can’t resist the lure of the tortured artist. Sebastian, likewise, is drawn to Tish’s brilliance, but like a moth that hovers too close to the flames, is he killing himself just to be near her? Can Tish save Sebastian before it’s too late, or will he pull her down into the darkness with him?

A Light in the Dark Excerpt:


I hated Sebastian almost the first moment I saw him.
But then I started to love him while I still hated him, which made things a little complicated.

​Him and that guitar.

When he played, I think I could actually feel his fingers caressing the strings, almost as though those strings were attached directly to my heart. He didn’t play gently, but I wasn’t looking for gentle. He didn’t have the finest setup, either; just a doctored-up Fender Mexican Strat in an old-school maple sunburst. But oh, how he made that baby sing under his touch.

And my heart thrummed with a jealousy so intense I thought my head might explode. I was looking for a rhythm guitarist, someone to back me up, not someone who owned the instrument like it was an extension of his body, his soul.

​I was front man. Woman. My band. My songs. My way.
But when he let the last chord linger in the air between us, all I could hear were my songs… his way.

It didn’t help that he had those tortured artist eyes. Brendan Urie meets Kellin Quinn kind of tortured. Robert Pattinson in all his glittery-skinned, golden-eyed, smoldering glory days. Like the music coming out of him was a sacrificial offering of severed nerve endings, and he was feeling every single one of them. Desperate for me to feel them, too, and quietly raging at me for making him care what I thought.
My band. My songs. My way.

But as much as I hated him, I knew that I needed him. And that guitar. And I also knew if I was going to have him, it would be our band, our songs, our way. Maybe not at first. Deep in my heart, though, I knew it was inevitable. Bring him on and my world would change.
Our worlds would change.

Haven't read book one?  
​All the Way to Heaven is Free!!! 

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Fun Facts About Becky!

  1. I’m part chameleon. Not because I can change colors on demand (which would be AWESOME!), but because I can move my eyes independently of each other. It gives me a serious eye-strain headache, but it’s entertaining. I may post a video one day ….
  2. I live in Southern California, but I can’t stand the sun. It burns my eyes and makes my skin turn glittery–er, I mean, red. I should live somewhere like Ireland or Scotland where it rains a lot. Or Forks.
  3. Speaking of Ireland, I ran The Dublin Marathon in Dublin, Ireland, in the year 2000, to celebrate the new millennium. It rained the whole 26.2 miles. Chafing and blisters commenced.
  4. I am adopted. It’s pretty cool. I come from nowhere, anywhere, and everywhere.
  5. Speaking of being adopted, one of my favorite pastimes is people-watching. In airports, and waiting rooms, etc., I pretend to read, but really, I look for people who might be my long-lost birth relatives, then I write reunion scenes in my head. Someday, I might publish those reunion stories.
  6. I still read aloud to our 20-something year-old married children after dinner during our weekly Family Night. We like all things Middle Earth, Otherworld, Time-travel, and non-Muggle. We keep it real, baby.
  7. I have a secret that I can’t tell you.
  8. My children have some incredible tattoos.
  9. Book stuff: I love to read historical fiction, but I usually write contemporary fiction. I keep threatening to put out a nonfiction book … but I kinda like the whole … ahem … ‘creative license’ thing with fiction. Baby, I was BORN TO LIE!  (Bumper sticker, anyone?)
  10. I grew up in the boonies, so we had no television. But one of our supporting churches sent a shipment of all the Nancy Drew books ever published to us for Christmas one year. No, I wasn’t Nancy. I was George.
  11. Another of my favorite novels while growing up was Louis L’Amour’s Down the Long Hills. I first read it because my dad loved Louis L’Amour, and I wanted to be like him. (Dad, not Louis. Except for the writing a gazillion books and making a living at lying part.) I still have that original hard-back copy in my library.
  12. Speaking of Louis L’Amour, I’m what would be considered a “Pantser” – I write by the seat of my pants. I usually start with a general story or plot idea, but don’t map much out until I’m actually writing the book, and even then, my characters usually take off on their own. I’ve never written a book that ended up the way I originally thought it would. So what does that have to do with my buddy, Louie? This is from his memoirs: “One day I was speeding along at the typewriter, and my daughter—who was a child at the time—asked me ‘Daddy, why are you writing so fast?’ And I replied, ‘Because I want to see how the story turns out!’”

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    Amanda Strong

    Amanda Strong is a YA author of two paranormal series, Watchers of Men and Monsters Among Us.

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