ZANNA'S ZEN

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!! I'm happy that Zanna is back with her ZEN. She'd love to hear from all of you. As ususal, she will use the Tarot cards to answer YES/NO questions from you. Welcome, Zanna:)

Thank you very much, Kim. I'm so glad to be back. Today I wanted to have a moment of silence in honor of all the victims in especially Alabama. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who affected by the tornadoes and storms, and for them I've chosen the card Strength and I'm sending them love and support and prayers...

I can't wait to hear from you all today:)

~Zanna

Disclaimer: For entertainment purposes only

WELCOME STEPHANIE TAYLOR

I'm so pleased to have my friend, the wonderful owner/operator of Astraea Press as well as an awesome author STEPHANIE TAYLOR in the hot seat today! I'm picking her brain with a serious question and answer segment that you don't want to miss. I'm also showcasing her newest release. My One True Love which is getting great reviews. Let's start the interview off with the book blurb: Love or contentment.  What would you choose?
Seven years ago, Liz Henley left her fiancé without a backward glance to live a bigger life anywhere but in Oakley. Now she's back, with a new fiancé, ready to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day in the town she grew up in.  But one thing stands in her way: her first true love, Jason Kenyon.
Jason Kenyon has never really gotten over Liz, but he doesn't let that stop him from being the best park ranger he can be.  When he sees the body of a female go sailing past him during an avalanche, he doesn't think twice about trying to rescue her.  It isn't until they're both back at Jason's cabin that he realizes the body is none other than his almost-wife, Liz. 
Torn between his love for Liz and his duty to return her, Jason has to make a decision.  Does he take her back to her new fiancé or fight with all his might to get back the woman he never stopped loving?

Talk about catching my attention! Now, inquiring minds want to know.

What’s your favorite Disney Movie?  The Lion King.  Every time Rafiki holds up baby Simba and he sneezes, I can’t stand it.  Tangled is making its way to the top.  “You broke my smolder…”

Who’s your favorite villain either from a book or a movie? You can have a favorite villain?  Hmmm…I’ll have to come back to this one.  Okay, I thought of something.  The count in the Count of Monte Cristo is the hero AND the villain.  Perfectly done.  And it doesn’t hurt that it’s Jim Caviezel.

Where’s the one place you’d love to visit?  I can’t pick just one!  I lived a sheltered life in a small town, so travel is soooo important to me.  Other than living in the south, I’ve only been to NYC, and Japan.  I still want to go to the UK, all over the US, and to the carribbean.  Oh, and everywhere else I didn’t just mention.  lol

What genre do you love to read but would never write? Horror.  Even though I don’t read a lot of it now, I did when I was younger.  I couldn’t figure out why I kept having nightmares.  I stopped reading horror and watching horror movies and haven’t had nightmares since.  It takes a “special” brain to come up with that stuff!

Name one thing on your bucket list that would surprise people. Why? I want to drive a motorcycle.  Not one of those old man bikes, but a genuine crotch rocket.  Why?  My husband used to have a motorcycle (that he sold to buy my engagement ring ^insert sighs and ahhhs^.)  I secretly wanted to drive it.

Woman after my own heart. I have my motorcycle license:) Where’s the one place you’d love to live? Again, I can’t pick just one place.  I encourage my hubby to find a job across country all the time.  I’d live anywhere as long as I have my family and a church to attend!

Who’s the one person you’d love to meet? Nicholas Sparks.  I want to pick his brain over lunch and beg him to mentor me!

What book do you read over and over again? Anything I’m editing for Astraea!  ;o)

Do you prefer to read a book written in first person or third person? Third.  First limits too much but if it’s done well, I don’t mind it.  I like third the best because it allows for other POV’s and helps the story go deeper.

 Do you prefer to read stand alone books or a series? Either or.  Although stand alones are better for my wallet.

Thank you so much for letting me pick your brain. Stephanie is always seeking great talent to add to her roster at Astraea Press so click on the link above a check out her submission guidelines. Or go there to check out some great reads. Stephanie's book is available at Purple Sword Publications. Stephanie has graciously provided us with an awesome excerpt:

“I can’t believe you. Patrick is a good man who doesn’t deserve to be hurt, but I’m willing to stop my wedding to be with you. Yet, you still refuse to give an inch.”
“Something tells me if I give you an inch, you’d take a mile. Isn’t it the way it’s always been?” Anger pulsed in his jaw.
“No!”
“And if I don’t give an inch, you’ll go running away, the same way you did before. Anything to avoid giving up what you’ve envisioned for your life. Have you ever thought maybe you’re wrong? Maybe the fancy city life isn’t for you, and you might be happier here living the way your mother lives?”
“I hate this town!”
“Hate it so much you’d get married here?”
“I never said the landscape wasn’t beautiful,” Liz argued, but she knew he made a valid point, and she hated it even more. "My family's here. It was easier this way. You know they can't afford to travel to Baltimore." 
“Your family’s here, Lizzie. I’m here. You’ve gotta make a choice.”
“I don't know how to choose, Jason. I have a career and friends—a life—in Baltimore. Here, I have…" She trailed off. "How can I just walk away?"
“Everything isn’t always going to go your way. You might end up married to Patrick after all. Have two point five kids in the future with a white picket fence around your mansion on a hilltop. But you won’t have one thing, Lizzie.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“Me.”

About the author:

Stephanie Taylor wrote and illustrated her first novel, The Bear Who Ate Christmas, several notebook pages stapled together to open like a “real book”, at the tender age of six (it’s still in the attic, just in case you were curious). Over twenty years later, she lives in Alabama with her husband and is a mommy of three by day and a writer by night. She has a doctorate in multitasking and can actually walk a tightrope while changing a diaper with one hand and typing her next novel with the other. She is the author of Doubting Thomas, Tinseltown, and My One True Love.

WELCOME TO SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY!

I'm very excited and happy to announce that my book is now available in paperback at Amazon! Also, you can purchase it in PDF form from my wonderful publisher Astraea Press for HALF PRICE ($1.49) through Monday night!

My six:

“Ha, not likely since I pretty much shot the thing at point

blank range. Which is more than I can say for you, considering you

have my other gun? The only thing you did was give it a bath.”

Zanna gave him a tense smile, her face still tight with worry.

“Fire extinguishers have aluminum sulfate, silver.”

Owen rolled his eyes and said, “Of course, that makes perfect sense

given that the intruder was a 'werewolf'.”

Oh, will he ever become a believer? Thank you so much for stopping by! Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful authors on SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY.

Thank you so much for stopping by:)

~Kim

Five Question Friday with Felicia Rogers

I'm so happy to have fellow Astraea Press author Felicia Rogers visit me to talk about her new release The Perfect Rose, which is on sale this week for $1.49 this week from Astraea Press. YIPPEE. Felicia has also graciously offered to donate a PDF copy to one lucky poster!

Blurb:

Abandoned by his wife and left to raise a child alone, Caleb Reed falls short of the ideal work-from-home dad. He needs a woman to help him, in every sense of the word. At the suggestion of a friend, Caleb agrees to hire Ariel Lauren on a trial basis.

As an orphan, Ariel has more issues than just how to make it on her own. Yes, she needs the money that Caleb offers her, but more than anything she finds she desires his love. One calamity after another befalls her and jeopardizes her new job and her chance at having a family. But through it all, Caleb is by her side, his gruff exterior threatening to melt in the face of their shared attraction. Will they decide to continue life alone or will the magic of Valentine's Day bring them together?

This book sounds amazing and it has an amazing cover to go with it. Felicia, how did you come up with the title?

 

Quite simply, this story started as a Christmas story.  The beginning idea was A Perfect Gift.  When I changed the story to a Valentine’s story, I was given the idea of The Perfect Rose, and it just fit.

What was the best experience you had while writing your book?

There were certain parts about writing the story that I enjoyed, mainly writing Mabel character.  And of course writing the banter between Ariel and Joshua was fun.  And then the romantic scenes between Cable and Ariel, well, I won’t say more.  But the best experience was just working with the owner of the publishing company and getting my novella published. 

I totally agree about the owner of Astraea Press, Stephanie Taylor. She's amazing. What's the hardest thing about being a published author?

The hardest part of being a published author has been getting noticed.  My goal has been to do one promoting activity each day, but this cuts into my writing time as well.  Also not know if the promoting you’ve chosen is working.  So much time and effort is placed into blogging, interview, and getting ‘out there’ yet you never know what one thing you did made someone buy your work.

I totally agree about getting noticed as a newbie. It's a slow climb to recognition. Now, the very important questions!

Elvis Presley or Rod Stewart?

Uh, duh!  Elvis Presley totally.  He was cute, talented, and had the moves.

*Kim sighs dramatically* A woman after my own heart.

Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood?

I have to say Clint Eastwood.  I love his voice.  My two favorite lines are, “Do you want to pull pistols or whistle Dixie?” and “Go ahead, make my day.”  I’m getting the shivers just thinking about it.

Okay, those are fighting words. Robert Redford could so kick Clint Eastwoods a#%. So I guess you gotta ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky?" Well do ya, punk? *Kim's Clint Eastwood impresson*

This has been so much fun, Felicia. I'm so glad you stopped by. Felicia has brought along her book trailer and an excerpt to share.

Excerpt: 

Ariel held an unfolded towel in her hand as Joshua’s yell rent the air. Momentarily startled, she wasn’t sure if she should go to him or give him some space. The only other time she’d heard a child sound like Joshua was when she’d been in the church nursery and a toddler had crushed their tiny finger in a closing drawer. But that had been a cry of pain. This was a shout of alarm. She cringed as the sound hit new decibel levels. Maybe Caleb would give her a chance to explain what had happened before he fired her.

Caleb’s feet slapped the floor as he raced upstairs. She was afraid to move. The child’s shriek was at a constant pitch and didn’t appear to be ending. Ariel watched as Caleb burst through the open doorway.
He walked towards his son, lowered himself down to Joshua’s level, and grasped the young boy by the arms as he spoke. “Joshua, what’s wrong?”
Ariel could almost hear, ‘did that bad woman hurt you’, in his voice. Anguish filled her. Even though she’d yet to earn their trust, the idea that Caleb thought her capable of harming a child bothered her. She tried to ignore the two of them and went back to folding clothes like nothing had happened.
“Who is that?” A small, trembling finger pointed in her direction.
“That’s Ariel.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Caleb frowned at his son. “Joshua, yes it is. Her name is Ariel.”
“She doesn’t look like a mermaid to me.”

Thank you so much for stopping by, Felicia.

Felicia Rogers, born and raised in the southern part of the United States, is a Christian wife and mother.   She is just your average, ordinary woman, with a side interest-- writing.

For eleven years, every waking moment of her life was consumed with changing diapers, wiping noses, and kissing scrapes.  But now that her children have grown and she enjoys a modicum of freedom, in addition to taking care of hearth and home, she writes!  She enjoys adding a flavor of realism and humor to her all too real romance stories.  For what is love without a little laughter! 

Website  ~ Facebook ~ Email

The Perfect Rose is also available at:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Happy Monday, all:) I thought I'd share some great tips and advice on how to find your writing voice and make it work for you. Voice is the hardest thing for an author to develop and it's also the first thing you have to establish. Even if you become a New York Times bestseller, you'll always have to work on your voice and your vibe (more about vibe later).

Rather than make this about lectures and long posts you have to read, I thought we'd actually practice. I'll post three or four short lessons a day on my TWITTER account and on my Wayward Soul Facebook Page this week and then on Monday, April, 23, 2011, I'll post the whole lesson and you guys can ask questions.

The first lesson is up. Here's the repost. 

Writing lesson 1 - developing your voice: pick a mundane everyday task and write it down. Mine: Throwing hay to the horses and filling their water tank.

Stay tuned for more:)

~Kim

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY

Thank you so much for stopping by to read my six sentences. I hope you enjoy:) The buy links are on the side bar. Also, Wayward Soul will be available in print VERY VERY soon:)

“Spirit guide. That’s a good one. Are we going to chant and cast spells? Maybe dance naked in the moonlight? No wonder it cost so much to call the psychic hotline. You people really are in a different area code. The spirit side.”

Five Question Friday will Rachel Firaseck

I'm so happy to have Rachel Firasek visiting my blog today to talk about her new release Passion of the Soul: Piper's Fury. I love your cover. An amazing effect and the eye - WOW! How did you come up with the title?

Well, the book is about Piper. She's mad a lot. So, it was naturally Piper's Fury as a working title. Then, I changed it to Passion of the Soul: Piper's Fury when I realized that I needed a series name. The book was just too big for one story.

Oh, so we get to see a lot more of Piper. Awesome!

What's the most rewarding thing about being a published author?

I'm not sure yet, I've been a published author for less than a  month. I guess I'm still settling in. If I had to say right now what is the most rewarding, it would have to be the reaction of my family. I swear it's like we wrote the book together and  I guess we did. :)

I can relate, totally. What's the hardest thing about being a published author?

Learning to graciously accept praise. It's not that I'm ungracious, but I'm an introvert. When strangers come to tell you how much they love your book most would beam and say thank you. Not me, I draw a line in the dirt, drop my head and hunch away. I'm learning how to fight that impulse and just smile and say thank you.

I have a feeling you'll fall into it better than you think:) Give it another book or two. Okay, now for the important questions.

Elvis Presley or Justin Bieber? 

Elvis, baby, he was the king of hot! I used to watch his movies on the Saturday matinees when I was a kid. Loved the King.

You said it! Robert Redford or Brad Pitt?
Brad all the way. I never could stand RR. Don't know why. Maybe it was the hair. The strawberry blond male never did it for me. lol.

Okay, those are fighting words. Robert Redford is my dream guy. If your book wasn't so amazing, I'd have to hurt you! LOL! Just kidding (kind of).

Bahahaha, that's what makes us all so different. In all honesty I think my dislike for him came from my Momma making me watch his movies at a time when all I wanted to watch was Johnny Depp on 21 Jumpstreet. lol. Now there is a man that makes me shiver. I know, gross right? lol

No, not at all. I was a Johhny Depp/21 Jumpstreet fan myself. Okay, you're totally redeemed.

I hope you've brought along your book blurb and an excerpt.

BOOK BLURB:

It's an empath thing...

Using your "powers" to help the Dark Hills Police Department hunt down serial killers doesn't leave much time for dating. Not that Piper Anast is complaining. The last thing she needs is some guy brushing up against her and pumping his pornographic thoughts into her head.

When she meets Bennett Slade, a sexy, tormented vampire, Piper stumbles headlong into a telepathic connection with his missing daughter. She can't leave the kid to the evil surrounding her unwanted visions, nor can she resist her draw to Slade. He's the first guy she's been able to touch vision-free in, well, forever.

As she and Slade close in on the evil creature holding his daughter, Piper's powers morph into a deadly fury. To save Slade's daughter-and herself-Piper must face down demons she never knew she had and trust the one thing she keeps from everyone.

Her heart.

EXCERPT:
I climbed the stairs two at a time and at the top, he glanced over my shoulder. “Alone. Sorry, man, it can only be the two of us. Your energy could mess with the magic.”
“I...very well.” Slade’s mouth curled into a frown, he hesitated at the three steps up and turned with a snarl. His neck tensed, the muscles knotting under his shirt. So, he didn’t like the thought of me up here with Luke alone, well good.
We entered the bedroom Luke used. He ripped the comforter and sheets from the bed. “Lay down.”
“What?”
“Look, this goes a lot smoother if you quit asking the infuriating questions, which by the way make you sound like a moron, and just do what I say.”
Immediate rage, a rage I couldn’t control leapt from my skin and knocked him against the closed door. I held him pinned, levitating a foot from the floor. He gasped while I forced my energy into him.
He gritted an incantation. The energy shifted on me. The return blast lifted me up, launching me the last few feet to the bed. Air burst from my lungs on the landing. His body followed the energy, covering me with his weight.
“Learn how to control yourself, or I will teach you how to in a way you won’t like. I will not tolerate your abuse anytime you get pissed at me. It’s going to happen and unlike Slade, I will not temper my words.”
I panted from the exertion and the raging anger at having my power used on me. “Get off me. I don’t like to be touched.”
“Maybe you haven’t been touched by the right person--yet.”

Okay, I'm hooked. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Congrats on the new release and wishing you many more. For those of you who were hooked after reading the excerpt, here's the buy link:

Amazon

Wayward Soul on Six Sentence Sunday

 “You expect me to believe this cock and bull story?” Did she honestly expect him to accept that werewolves, spirit guides, and supernatural powers existed? Surely he would have seen evidence of such things before tonight, if that were true. Next she would be telling him that Santa Clause existed, and the tooth fairy left quarters under pillows in place of lost teeth. This had to be an alcohol-induced dream and he was actually home, in bed, passed out.
again. Mental note to self, never drink again.

FABULOUS FRIDAY WITH KAY SPRINGSTEEN

I'm so pleased to have my wonderful friend and talented author Kay Springsteen here to tell us about her new release from Astraea Press. Welcome, Kay, and congratulations on your new release:) Once again, our great cover artist Elaina Lee has outdone herself. This cover actually tells a story! How did you come up with the title? I had the concept for the story and when I started writing it, I needed a descriptive name to save the files under, so I called it lifeline, since it was about a voice lifeline. After I finished the work, I was just going to leave it Lifeline, but one night I had a dream that I named it Lifeline Echoes, and the title made sense as related to the story, so I kept it. Maybe it was a muse thing.

The title definitely caught my attention. Great job! Same with your book trailer. It's amazing.

How did you come up with the book trailer? I find them hard to make so I kicked around some concepts for a bit. The first list of things I wanted to include was like a mini-synopsis, and probably would have taken 3 minutes. It also wasn't nearly edgy enough. So I started thinking edgy-short, short-edgy...and I realized what's shorter than slides with just a word or two? I hit on the music by accident and it fit. I have always like the trailers with sound effects. And the friend who did the voice over for Heartsight did the "Angel, are you there?" voice over for Lifeline Echoes. That combined with the sound of the heartbeat seemed to put the trailer over the top.

Well, you sure can't tell from watching it that you think they're hard to make. Wonderful job. What's the most rewarding thing about being a published author? When someone writes and tells me how much they loved the story, or that they couldn't put it down...that sweet feeling I get because I know I must have done something right in the telling of the story.

What's the hardest thing about being a published author? Definitely marketing and promotion. I love connecting with people but I'm still so new at being published that it feels like vanity to shout out to people and tell them they'll like my work.

I agree with you on both points! Now for the important stuff.

Elvis or Sinatra?  Hmmm, neither are my style...and both are. So...either Elvis Sinatra or Frank Presley...

Elvis Sinatra! I'm pretty sure that's blasphemy! LOL. You better redeem yourself with the next question. 

Robert Redford or Paul Newman?  Definitely Robert!

Ok, you're totally redeemed since I HEART Robert Redford. He's my future husband (shut up, I know he's in his 70's and I DON'T CARE).

I'm so glad you stopped by and shared Lifeline Echoes with us. Kay has graciously offered a PDF copy to one lucky poster. This is a MUST READ. It's already getting rave reviews. Here are the buy links:

Astraea Press

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Book Blurb:

Voices form a powerful connection. The day the earth rocked LA, Sandy Wheaton became a voice lifeline over the radio for trapped firefighter, "Mick." Less than twenty four hours later, she had fallen in love with him. Shattered when she learned that rescue came too late, she sought solace Wyoming, the home state he had loved. Now, seven years later, she's made a life there as the owner of a popular local bar. But her wounds are still fresh, and she longs to let go of the past and her lost love so she can begin living again. That opportunity presents itself when the local prodigal son returns home. The attraction between them is instant. It feels like she's known him far longer than just a few days.

Sixteen years ago, Ryan McGee left home in the midst of controversy. After living through a harrowing trauma, he finally returns home when his family needs his help through some troubling times. All he wants to do is make amends with those he hurt most and to get back to the life he'd never wanted to leave in the first place. When he meets the sexy bartender, he starts thinking interms of forever. But there's still someone out there he wants to find, someone who once believed in him and gave him hope.

 

Kay Springsteen grew up in Michigan but transplanted to the south about 10 years ago and now resides in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia with her five small dogs. Two of her four children live nearby, a married son who has a daughter of his own, and one of her twins. The other twin lives just outside of USMC Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Her oldest daughter still resides in Michigan. When she's not writing, she is transcribing and editing medical reports. Besides being an avid reader, hobbies include photography, gardening, hiking and camping, and of course spending time with her terrific G-baby. She is a firm believer in happily ever after endings and believes there is one out there for everyone; it just may not be exactly what you expect or think you want. Check Kay out on her BLOG ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

 

aobibliosphere™: 07 Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours review: wayward...

aobibliosphere™: 07 Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours review: wayward...: "How much truth can a spirit bear, how much truth can a spirit dare? - Friedrich Nietzsche Wayward Soul Zanna Seoul is a spirit gui..."