Thursday, January 26, 2012

Tour Ryder 2012 – The Author of ULTIMATE JUSTICE, Ryder Islington

Developing The Story Behind The Book

When I started writing for publication over ten years ago, I had no idea of the difference between a story and a novel. A story can ramble and turn and have no real destination. It doesn’t have to fit into a word count or page limit. It may not have a beginning, a middle and an end.

I usually start crafting a novel by developing the story first. When I began earnest work on my debut novel, Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, I knew what I wanted to accomplish, but not how to accomplish it. I knew I had a good story, but giving it a plot, structure, word count, suspense, mystery, and well-rounded characters meant really working on one piece of the problem at a time.

When it started, I had one person in first person POV and the rest in third person POV. As time passed, the person who maintained the first person POV changed. I couldn’t really decide what the novel was about. Was it about the FBI agent? Or the relationships between the characters? Or the crime itself? The lead character changed. I knew how the story would begin and end. I had no idea how to fill the middle with anything other than mud.

Plotting is my weakest skill. I worked on characters, then wrote a couple of chapters, then tried to plot a little, then wrote a little more. The first draft was a real ugly duckling. The plot had huge holes. The timing was way off. Character description changed with no explanation, except that I’d forgotten eye color, or age. But I knew that deep inside that really bad writing was a good novel and a really good story.

My ‘What ifs’ included love and hate, good and evil, flawed and flat out crazy. All those books I’d written before, you know, the ones under the bed, were nothing compared to this. I read books, read articles, talked to authors I admire, and kept trying to increase my skill to a level that would do the novel justice. I think I learned fifty new skills before I finally managed to stumble upon a process that half-way works for me.

My cast of characters increased drastically, and I kept thinking that no editor would buy a newbie’s debut novel if it had too many POV characters, or the plot was too complicated. But I couldn’t help myself. Each character serves a purpose, and I handle POV pretty well. I can’t write an uncomplicated plot. Every character has his or her own story, life, plans and problems. And each character is affected by the actions of the others.

This particular story came from a mixture of my own experiences, including a run in with a serial killer, my education and employment in law and law enforcement, and people I’ve known.

What if a drug-addicted FBI agent had to deal with an old flame while trying to solve three sets of crimes? What if the criminal was very young—a child? What if each character had to face obstacles like prejudice, sexism, drug addiction, abuse, neglect, grief, or some other major ongoing issue to deal with while trying to do their jobs, or not get caught doing something? So the story began chronologically, years before the novel. The story began with the relationships between all the characters. Once each character was fully defined, and set against each other, the plot fell into place, the sagging middle had liposuction, and with a little guidance by a wonderful editor, the end was perfect.


✧✧✧✧✧


Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery is receiving rave reviews from readers. http://www.ll-publications.com/ultimatejustice.html

The small town of Raven Bayou, Louisiana explodes as old money meets racial tension, and tortured children turn the table on abusive men. FBI Special Agent Trey Fontaine returns home to find the town turned upside down with mutilated bodies. Working with local homicide detectives, Trey is determined to get to the  truth. A believer in empirical evidence, Trey ignores his instincts until he stares into the face of the impossible, and has to choose between what he wants to believe and the ugly truth.


 A graduate of the University of California and former officer for a large sheriff’s department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading, writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisiana with her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very small Chinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. 


She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com 

Stop by ll-publications for a full schedule of Ryder's blog tour HERE

Monday, January 23, 2012

Courtney Breazile's - Immortal Council Series Book #6


By : Courtney Breazile  | Other books by Courtney Breazile
Published by: Extasy Books
ISBN # :978-1-55487-912-0
Heat Level :

Direct buy link: Extasy Books

Blurb:

Ever is a half-witch, half-Animal Elf who was raised in the human world. As if that didnt give her enough issues, she is part of a prophecy that has everyone after her and her convinced she is destined to be a weapon for the wrong side. 

Selene is a witch who never wanted to be leader of a coven, but after being thrown into the position, she is looking for a way to escape. When Ever contacts Selene through astral projection and asks for her help in escaping Vincent, Selene jumps on the chance. She becomes obsessed with the beautiful woman who appears to her and would do anything to have her. 

Saving her from Vincent is only the beginning. Neither willing to give control of any kind to the other, they clash at every turn and their exploding passion isn't enough to keep them together. 

Is their obsession enough to bring them together before Vincent takes back what he claims is his?

Excerpt:

She was determined to make it out of here alive and knew she would be more powerful for what he was teaching her. It was what he wasn't teaching her that worried her, the secrets she saw in his eyes when he thought she wasn't paying attention. As if he knew more about what she was than she did. Sometimes she didn't think she wanted to know.

Vincent was an ancient Animal Elf and his knowledge of the Animal Elf side of her power was great. Her witch half he didn't know much about, but he loved it, and was extremely happy when she demonstrated it. He was training her to be his weapon against his sister, Payton, and her own mother, Lillian. She didn't fully understand it, but she knew she didn't want to be on his team. 

“You are quiet this eve, is everything well with you?”

“Oh yes, Im just tired from all our work is all,” Ever lied.

“Well why dont you head off to bed, Im going off the island after dinner anyway. I have meetings with some possible allies.”

“Oh,” Ever tried not to sound too interested by this, but her heart was suddenly beating wildly. He hadn't left the island since bringing her here, not to her knowledge anyhow. This could prove to be a very good thing.

Vincents face changed just the slightest bit, but it was enough to know he was suspicious. She wanted to kick herself, but the shock of his departure was just too much and not being a full Animal Elf, she didn't have the insane control over her emotions that he did. It didn't help that her witch half was extremely emotional. Most days, she wavered from one extreme to the other.

“Blaze will be near if you have need of anything while Im away,” Vincent said with clear warning.

Ever pulled on that space inside of her where her Animal Elf instincts were held and blanked her look. “Lovely, now I think I will go rest.” She stood smoothly and left the room without another word, but she felt both their gazes on her as she went.

She managed to hold it together until she reached her room. With a quick probe of her Animal Elf senses, she found no animals about to spy for Vincent, something she was constantly afraid of. She hopped onto her bed excitedly and clasped her hands. She had an opportunity this night and she was not going to waste it. She knew what she could do with so little time and opportunity, something she had wanted to try for a while now.

Ever waited until she was sure Vincent had flashed off the island, a little trick he had conveniently refused to show her how to accomplish. Then she laid back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was going to find her mother or perhaps Wraith and she was going to help them find her.

She pushed out her witch senses, projecting herself into the universe, and felt around. She called for them, but there was no response. Frustrated, she pushed farther into the universe from deeper within herself. This had to work, she had been thinking about it for so long, planning it. This is what had made it easier to sit around and pretend. Ever took a breath, concentrated on feeling the universe and pushed her frustrations and fears down.

She felt something then, a powerful pull. Ever threw herself at it, not caring who it would take her to. If the universe was answering her call for help, then it had to be where she needed to go. A split second later, she was stunned to find herself looking at the most beautiful creature she had ever seen.

Too bewildered to make a move of contact, Ever just stared at her. She was asleep, her black shoulder length hair perfectly framing her pale face. She was without covers and her small tank and panties showed off an amazing body that had Evers instantly reacting. Her thoughts immediately went to how it would feel to press herself against those curves, to bury her face between those thighs. She groaned slightly as need filled her.

Ever reached out a hand and concentrated on solidifying her astral projection. Her fingers brushed the woman‟s soft hair and her fingertips tingled. “I must have you,” Ever whispered. Instant obsession filled her, as if her entire life had been leading her to this woman and now that she had seen her face, she would never be happy until she possessed her.


Visit Courtney's website
 

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Margay Leah Justice joins me today...


Whenever I discuss my latest book, Sloane Wolf, people often ask me, Why Wolves? And I have to say, why not? Wolves are fantastic creatures that mate for life and are truly faithful to their mates (from what I’ve read), and we humans could learn a lot from them.

As it pertains to my book, however, it was rather serendipitous that I ended up writing about wolves. I didn’t intentionally set out to do so, but a series of events conspired to make it happen. The first event came in the form of a book that was ultimately made into a movie that got me to thinking – and anybody who knows me can tell you that when I get to thinking, things begin to happen…in a writing sense that is! I can turn the smallest nugget of an idea into a story, if motivated enough to do so, and that is how this story started out, as just a nugget. So there I was, inspired by this other book/movie enough that certain scenes kept kicking up in my head (ahem, fight scene), but content just to imagine it in my head.

Until event number two happened. That would be a contest that an electronic publishing company was running with the theme of – you guessed it – wolves. And so I thought, why not? I had some interesting scenes kicking around in my head, the contest was for a novella length story, so I had enough to accomplish that. And with the help of event number three – discovering an article about gray wolves returning to Massachusetts after a100-plus year absence – a true story began to formulate with legends of wolves and why they “reappeared” in the state after such a long absence. Wow, I thought, this was really going to be something, if I could get it all together in time.

Trouble was, once I started writing, I just kept on writing and I over-shot the word count. One thing I forgot when I set out to enter this contest: I have never been able to write short. I keep trying, but I usually have so much to say, it doesn’t conform well to short stories or novellas. Not wanting to cut anything to fit the guidelines, I simply finished the book for me. And by the time I was finished with it, I knew that I had to try to get it published anyway, I felt that strong about it. And after several fits and starts, I finally found the right publisher for it in Muse it Up Publishing.

So there you have it. The serendipitous events that led to the birth of Sloane Wolf.

Margay's Blog  |  MoonlightLace Blog

Buy Links:

Muse It Up Publishing  |  Amazon 

EXCERPT

Shiloh nearly leapt off the sill as his hand touched her knee. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to remain seated and appear undaunted by the gesture. “I am…much better now…thank you,” she said, becoming more unnerved by the presence of his hand by the minute. Oh, this was not good, not good at all. The longer it remained there, the stronger her impulse to bolt became. Oh, no…

What was it about this man that rattled her so and with so little effort on his part? Sharing the same air with him was enough to send her pulses to the moon—and her mind somewhere else, something new for her. Being this attracted to a man was beyond her realm of experience. She didn’t know what to do with it—or about it. Should she do anything? Should she pretend indifference? And why wasn’t he so deeply affected? It wasn’t fair.

Still confused, she gave him a weak smile, intent on backing up her previous claim with the gesture. She feared it failed miserably. When Micah returned her smile and lifted his hand from her knee, she felt precisely one second of relief before he shook her world again by caressing her face in parting. She stumbled

back against the frame of the window, her lips parting on a startled breath as a lightning bolt shot through her at his touch. Something flickered in his eyes at her reaction—pain, perhaps—and he retracted his hand, balling it into a fist as he turned away from her, preparing to depart.

In an instant, she realized her mistake. Along with it came the knowledge she couldn’t let him go away angry or upset. After everything he and his family had done for her, she owed him that much. She grabbed him by the shirtfront to stop him, and a shock of awareness shot from her hand directly into his heart, just beneath it. She could see it in the gaze he leveled on her then, could hear it in his breath trapped within his lungs, feel it in the missed beat of his heart. But then, all sense abandoned her, and her heart skipped a beat as he held her hand firmly to his chest with one of his own and lifted the other to her head, anchoring it against the window frame. Slowly, his eyes never straying from hers, he leaned across the space separating them. His lips brushed hers, like a whisper, before he withdrew, tilted his head to the side, and advanced again. This time the kiss was fuller, penetrating her every defense, both physical and emotional, but still not long enough for her. He retreated once again after a fraction of time and hovered before her, scarcely an inch away. Watching her. Waiting.

Her heart beating a frantic tempo now, Shiloh abandoned all of her reservations and her good sense to swoop in for a more vigorous kiss. So vigorous, in fact, she knocked him off his perch through the open window. Only quick reflexes honed to perfection at the Institute prevented her from tumbling after him.

Bracing herself against the sill, she leaned out the window as far as she was able and watched his descent from the slanted roof to the ground below. She lost sight of him the moment he slid beyond the reach of the light from her window. But then she heard him land with a thud —and a howl—on the ground in front of the back porch when he failed to catch himself on the roof edge. She clasped a hand over her mouth to silence her reaction and waited. When he didn’t rouse right away, panic shot through her and she leaned out another few inches.

“Micah? Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he answered after a few moments, appearing beyond the overhang of the roof as if to prove it to her. “Nothing hurt but what’s left of my pride.”
 
Relief coursed through her at his statement, and she allowed herself the laugh she’d literally held back before. Her mirth was cut short, however, by his next words.

“Hey, Shiloh! We’ve got to stop falling for each other like this.”
 
His laughter followed her as she ducked back into the room. She could still hear it even after she closed the window, though not as well. Oh, Lord. She rested against the cool pane of glass and touched her still-tingling lips with shaky fingers. Was she? Falling for him? Was that what this crazy-mad feeling inside of her was? 

The question plagued her long into the night.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Day 4 with M.S. Spencer...

Triptych

If you’re not satisfied yet, try my latest romance, Triptych, a tale of lost artworks, jealousy, sex, larceny and genius set high on the cliffs over the Potomac River.



Published November 2011 by Secret CravingsPublishing

eBook, 65,000 words, ISBN: 978-1-61885-064-5  

Contemporary romantic suspense, M/F, 3 flames



            Miranda Cabot lost all interest in love after her husband Edward crashed into the Potomac River rocks called the Three Sisters. Her sister Honor likewise prefers her tower and her writing.  Not so the third sister Sybil, who longs for romance with a dashing Frenchman.  She advertises for said hero on Craig’s List and is rewarded with the Chevalier du Bon Arnaque, who comes to Washington from Strasbourg on unidentified business.
            Miranda and Honor believe the Chevalier is a crook and ask their neighbors Dieter Heiliger and his grandson Corey, to act as chaperones. With three beautiful, strong-willed women in a house filled with three handsome, virile men, the inevitable result is an intricate web of jealousy, sex, and intrigue. Who will end up with whom, and will the Three Sisters take another life as the legend calls for?



Buy Links:  

Read my 5-star review for Triptych here: Toni Sweeney's Blog

Places you can find Meredith: 

Meredith's Author Pages:

 Now sit back and take a breather while you wait for
Artful Dodging: The Torpedo Factory Murders
Murders, misdirection, mistrust, misfits, and miscreants—needlepoint artist Milo Everhart has her hands full. Can love blossom amidst it all?



Don’t worry, I’ll give you a heads up!
 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Day 3 with M.S. Spencer...

Losers Keepers  

In Losers Keepers, my third novel, Dagne Lonegan’s advice column alarmingly mirrors her life when a murder is committed her first week on Chincoteague, while two lovers vie for her affections.

Published July 2011 by Secret Cravings Publishing
eBook, 72,000 words, ISBN: 978-1-936653-95-9
Contemporary romantic suspense, M/F, 3 flames

Dagne Lonegan, aka Dear Philomena, advice dispenser extraordinaire, hoped that spending a year on the Eastern Shore island of  Chincoteague to write her novel would clear her sinuses, if not her heart, of any feelings for Jack Andrews, erstwhile lover and long-time jerk.  It’s just her luck that her first week on the island she’s in the right place at the right time to be involved with a murder.  Only she doesn’t know it.  Unfortunately, the murderer doesn’t know she doesn’t know.  Strange and dangerous things begin happening to her, interfering with her new romance with Tom Ellis, the handsome manager of the National Wildlife Refuge.  Complications ensue when her Jack arrives to take charge of the murder investigation.
Will Dagne stick with the tall, cool glass of a Ranger or fall back into the arms of her first tempestuous passion?

Buy links:  
Secret Cravings Publishing | Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand 

Places you can find Meredith: 
Website | Facebook Author Page | Blog | Twitter
 
Meredith's Author Pages:


Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at my latest release, Triptych:

Three women, three men, three spirits guarding a dangerous river. A tale of lost artworks, jealousy, sex, larceny and genius set high above the mighty Potomac.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Day 2 with M.S. Spencer...

Lost and Found 

Okay, so you’re ready for another suspenseful romance from M. S. Spencer? Try this one:

My second novel, Lost and Found, finds a desperate wife searching the wilds of Maine and Florida for the husband who disappeared.

Published June 2010 by RedRose Publishing
eBook, 69,000 words, ISBN 978-1-60435-707-3 
Contemporary Romance, Action/Adventure; M/F; 3 flames

        What do you do when David, your husband of a year, ups and disappears? If you’re Rose Culloden, a beautiful, wealthy woman in her forties who had despaired of finding happiness, you do anything to find him. The trail takes you first to the North Woods of Maine, then to Florida, and back again to western Maine. Along the way you meet James Stewart—a Maine guide—who vividly highlights the contrast between a real man and your delicate Harvard professor of a husband. Loyal to your marriage despite your powerful attraction to James, it takes the dramatic discovery that David is not just vicious and venal, but insane, to free your heart for true love.

Buy links:

Places you can find Meredith: 
Website | Facebook Author Page | Blog | Twitter  

Meredith's Author Pages:  
Amazon AuthorPage  |  All Romance EBooks Author Page  |  Romance Reviews

Tomorrow we’ll talk about my third, Losers Keepers:

A tale of love, lust and treachery set on the island of Chincoteague.


 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Day 1 with M.S. Spencer...

Lost in His Arms

Need something to read while you wait for my fifth romantic suspense novel, Artful Dodging, to be released in the Spring by Secret Cravings? How about my first novel, Lost in His Arms?

In the spinning world of 1991, when nations are falling like flies and a CIA fixer has his hands full, can two people find love?

Published 2009 by Red Rose Publishing
eBook, 61,000 words, ISBN 978-1-60435-375-0
Romantic Suspense, Action/Adventure; M/F; 3 flames


In an era electric with possibility and peril Chloe Gray, political writer, and Michael Keller, CIA troubleshooter, meet under curiously conventional circumstances. Despite the instantaneous sparks, they both sense there is more between them than physical attraction. Chloe's professional detachment from the dramatic world events of the 1990s—a disintegrating USSR, Middle East peace talks, and Vietnam's reemergence on the world stage—dissolves as their love affair intensifies.

Michael appears and disappears at unpredictable moments, leaving her limp and lovelorn. Is he using her or protecting her? In her quest for answers, she is yanked into the dangerous world of Michael's work—in Washington, DC, in France, and in Spain. Looking for safe harbor (for her emotions? or her body?), she submits to the advances of a dashing French diplomat. Will she embrace the luxury and comfort of Emile and his chateau or the romance of international intrigue with Michael?

Buy links:  
 
For a sample review check out: Melissas Imaginarium Blog

Places you can find Meredith: 
Website | Facebook Author Page | Blog | Twitter
 
Meredith's Author Pages:

Tune in tomorrow for links to my second romance, Lost & Found

A desperate wife searches the wilds of Maine for her lost husband. 
But will she find what she wants or what she needs?