In the Author Spotlight: Diane Scott Lewis

Cate: Please welcome Diane Scott Lewis. Diane, will you please share a short bio with us?
Diane: Hi, Cate, I’m thrilled to be your guest today. I am an ex-navy radioman (woman) and write book reviews for the Historical Novels Review and worked at The Wild Rose Press from 2007 to 2010 as a historical editor. I served as president of the Riverside Writers, a chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, inc. from 2007 to 2008.

Cate: Tell us about The False Light and where it's available.
Diane: My debut novel, The False Light, was released in April this year by Eternal Press. The reviews have been wonderful, and I won the CTRR award from Coffee Time Romance.
Here is a blurb: Fleeing the French Revolution, Bettina Jonquiere struggles to survive in a remote Cornish village, discover the secret behind her father's death, while attracted to a man who may have murdered his wife.
The ebook is available from www.eternalpress.biz, and the paper back from www.amazon.com

Cate: Very exciting! Congrats! Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Diane: (My heroine confronts a man who has taunted her at the inn where she works)
“Who are you?” Bettina tried not to squirm in the saddle. “What do you know about my family?”
“I seek information to do with your father. You were not easy to find, hiding in this remote place. But I am the best, as you see.” He reached out and grabbed her horse’s reins below the bit. “Let us ride elsewhere to talk.”
“You ask me here. I will not go with you.” Bettina jerked on the reins. She ached to know anything about her father, but fear soared up in her like a whoosh of icy wind. “Let go of my horse.”
The Hunter laughed again, a nasty croak like the malignant toad he resembled might emit. He pulled her gelding toward the bushes.
“Here, we will stay here! Tell me about my father!” She yanked on the leather, her hands stinging. “You cannot steal my horse!”
He nodded and continued to drag her mount along. Bracken scratched at her legs. Bettina jerked up her skirt, swung her left leg over the pommel and slid off Shevall’s right side. She stumbled when she hit the dirt, but lurched up.
The Hunter frowned and looked about to dismount.
Bettina rushed into the woods. She’d made a serious blunder in seeking him out alone, with no weapon or aid. Her skirts hiked to her knees, she jumped over brush and darted around trees and over gullies.
Out of breath and dizzy, she saw the back of the Camborne barn and stables, the rear of the estate.
After a dash over the low hills, she passed a cemetery knoll, flew across the clearing and ran to the rear door of Bronnmargh. She pounded her fist on the kitchen door, gasping for breath. She had to find help.
The door creaked open and she flung herself inside, propelled by fury.
Hands grabbed her.

Cate: Whew! Compelling. Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Diane: Everett is a strong, hard-working man who took in his orphaned nephew out of compassion. But he’s damaged by his cruel experience with marriage, until he meets my heroine and he reveals a passionate heart.

Cate: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Diane: Though it is fiction, I try to research the day-to-day lives and history of the era to ground my stories in their time-period. In other words, the gritty truth, not the idealized version you see in so many novels. People didn’t bathe much in the 18th century, and I show the struggle of the poorer classes.

Cate: What's next for you?
Diane: I’ve finished revising a novel, Elysium, that takes place on the remote island of St. Helena during Napoleon’s exile. I throw a fictional heroine into the French entourage who will change the accepted course of history. I’m very excited about it.
I’m also working on my sequel to The False Light.

Cate: What inspired you to draft your first story?
Diane: watching historical movies inspired my interest in the past. Then I’d read books about the different eras and think of myself living in those times and what I’d do, how I’d manage. I love inserting someone in a strange place and seeing what she does to cope and rise above the struggles.

Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
Diane: I try to write early in the morning, sometimes I rise at 5 a.m. That seems to be my more productive time, 5 to about 1p.m-when I can manage it around family obligations!

Cate: Where can readers find you on the web?
Diane: Please visit my website where I discuss other books I’m working on:
www.dianescottlewis.com.

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Diane: What compels you to purchase books? If you purchase my book, please contact me through my website and let me know what you enjoyed about the story.
I’ll give a free PDF of my book to a random commenter, and pick the winner on August 21st around 3 p.m. EST.

Cate: You heard Diane - don't miss your chance to read this exciting novella!
Thanks for being my guest, Diane. Best of luck with all your projects.

In the Author Spotlight: Ginger Simpson

Cate: Please welcome Ginger Simpson. Ginger, will you please share a short bio with us?
Ginger: Would you like me to lie, or would you prefer the boring answer? Truth is always best I suppose. I’m a modern day “Grandma Moses,” hoping to leave my mark on the world. I retired after two and half decades at an institution of higher learning so I could devote more time to my passion of writing. In 2002, my grandson was born and later diagnosed with Global Development Delays, NOS, which is a nicer term for autism. He became my main focus, the sunshine in my life, and my reason for hoping to hang around. I want to see him thrive and become a productive young man, and I know he will. All my writing plans have taken a backseat during the school year when I had him everyday. Now I’m trying to play catch-up, but I have so many voices in my clamoring to tell their stories, I can’t think straight.
I live with my husband Kelly…alone at last after many years of sharing space with relatives. We moved into a condo that isn’t big enough for anyone else to share with us, and we’ve instituted a two night maximum stay. The “welcome mat” no longer appears outside our door, and unless Mary has another immaculate conception and comes to our door on a burro led by Joseph, we definitely have no space to let. *lol*

Cate: Such a wonderful endeavor. Your grandson will thrive under your loving care, I'm sure.
Tell us about your release and where it's available.
Ginger: Well, I’ll have to step back to Sisters in Time, a time-travel romance with an historical twist. Up until lately, I could have mentioned another book, but alas, differences with publishers do happen, and I’ve pulled that book and expect to get a written release from this by the end of the week. Sad when things don’t go as you planned, but that’s life.

Cate: Sorry to hear that! But I’ve always loved the premise of Sisters in Time. Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Ginger: Of course…This is one of my favorite books, but then, aren’t they all?
Two eras collide when a modern day attorney and a pioneer wife find themselves locked in a time not their own.
Mariah Cassidy awakens in the twentieth century. Confined in a pristine environment, hooked to tubes and beeping machines, she’s scared, confused and wondering why everyone keeps calling her Mrs. Morgan. Who is the strange man who keeps massaging her forehead and telling her everything is going to be alright?
Taylor Morgan tries to focus on her surroundings through a blinding headache. The patchwork quilt, the water basin, and the archaic room don’t strike a familiar chord. Her mouth gapes when a handsome man waltzes into the room, calls her darling, and expresses his delight that she’s on the road to recovery.
Rather than an excerpt, here’s the link to the video: http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=488

Cate: Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Ginger: In this case you have two heroes to love. I think you’ll find admirable traits in both as they suffer through the confusion of constantly being told by the woman they believe to be their wife that she isn’t. A handsome cowboy and a gorgeous modern day guy…you get the best of both worlds, and a touch of humor, too.

Cate: Twice as nice! :) Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Ginger: Where else can you fall asleep in your perfectly coordinated twentieth century bedroom and wake up in another sporting antiques, quilts, and an armoire filled with clothing in no way befitting a modern-day attorney. Imagine your surprise when the man insisting he’s your husband has no idea what you mean when you ask about your cell phone. And forget trying to explain that the last thing you recall is driving your Lexus to work and adjusting the dial on the radio. He’s totally clueless.

Cate: What's next for you?
Ginger: You know, if you had asked me that question ten years ago, I would have said mainstream was on my wish list, but now I think I’ve found a niche that fits me. The tide is turning to ebooks, and I’m not a spring chicken who has time enough to query countless agents and big dog publishers only to be disappointed. I’m very proud of my accomplishments, and I’ve recently signed with a new publisher launching in December 2010. Muse It Up Publishing, with Lea Schizas at the helm, is everything I’ve ever imagined an e-publisher should be. If you sign a contract to be part of the team, you should be treated as one, and Lea shares everything with her authors and makes them feel an integral part of the business.

Cate: Wonderful! What inspired you to draft your first story?
Ginger: A love of the historical west and growing up on a steady diet of old westerns on television.

Cate: The Lone Ranger was one of my first loves. Can't wait till Johnny Depp stars in the movie version!
Do you have a writing routine?
Ginger: I did once upon a time, but now I write when the opportunity presents itself and when chanting, “I will not play Farmville, I will not play Farmville,” works. I’m finding that emails, loops, groups, chats, blogging to promote myself takes an enormous amount of time away from writing. I recently added reviewing to my list, but I’m seriously considering putting the skids on that idea. It’s just too time consuming with little reward for me other than reading a myriad of awesome books that could easily be on the NY Times Best Selling List. I love the idea, but I need to be writing. I have so many works-in-progress, I’ll be lucky if I can ever finish them all in this lifetime.

Cate: I hear ya! Where can we find you on the web?
Ginger: Google my name. I find myself in the weirdest places. But if you want to view my website, I’m at http://www.gingersimpson.com and my blog, “Dishin’ It Out” which is my favorite place to hang out…http://mizging.blogspot.com.

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Ginger: Where do you hide? I know authors are readers, too, but let’s face it; we’re each others competition. I want to know how to tap into those shadowy places where all the readers hide when we’re having chats and trying to sell you our books? *smile* The unsolicited emails I’ve received over the years from readers telling me how much they enjoyed my book have meant more to me than anything else. I keep them in a special place and when I need inspiration to write more, I dig them out.

Cate: Readers, Ginger is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on Saturday, August 21st. The winner may select a PDF of any of her available novels or novellas.

Thanks again for being my guest Ginger!

In the Author Spotlight: Rachel Brimble

Cate: Please welcome Rachel Brimble. Rachel, will you please share a short bio with us?
Rachel: I am married with two daughters and live in the UK, very near the famous Georgian town of Bath. I started writing toward publication when I became pregnant with my second daughter, eight years ago. My journey started with short stories and articles before moving on to novels in 2006.
When I’m not writing I enjoy reading (everything from the back of cereal boxes to huge biographies according to my husband!), watching TV and spending time walking and talking with my family and our beloved black Labrador, Max.

Cate: Tell us about your latest release and where it's available.
Rachel: My latest release is called ‘The Arrival of Lily Curtis’ and it is published by The Wild Rose Press. It is available directly from their website at www.thewildrosepress.com or www.amazon.com.
It is a Victorian historical romance between a young girl desperate to escape the constraints of an arranged marriage and a Viscount who has an embedded fear of breaking a promise even if that promise is a figment of his imagination…

Cate: Love the title - and the cover's wonderful too. Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Rachel: This is a scene the hero and heroine share near the beginning of the story – the tension between them is palpable…
The clock ticked like a heartbeat behind him, the fire crackled and spat. Andrew unconsciously held his breath waiting to see what this unpredictable woman would do next. One minute she seemed so full of grace and intellect, the next full of fire and resentment. The two distinctions in her personality shouldn’t have fit but they did— inexplicitly so.
“Well, what do you say?” he pressed.
She dropped her gaze and curtsied, throwing him off-guard once again. He felt his jaw tighten as he looked at her bowed head.
“I thank you, sir,” she said. “But I know my place and to sit with you and your guests would be most unacceptable.”
He stared at her. “Unacceptable?”
“Yes, sir.”
Andrew watched her for a moment longer before slowly crossing his arms. “You have a very genteel way about you,” he said. “One would almost suspect you have been educated.”
She snapped her head up, another flash of color darkening her cheeks. “Not at all, sir. I…I try to better myself and the way I speak, that is all.”
He smiled. “Really?”
“Yes, sir.” She paused, a sudden glint in her eyes. “Of course, if it is not to your liking, I can always revert to common speech and bad manners. It comes easily to me either way.”
Andrew felt the burst of laughter bubbling beneath his diaphragm and could do nothing to stop it erupting. It burst from his mouth and reverberated around the room. Uneasy laughter rippled around the table, joining him in his amusement. He ignored them, not caring about anything else but this enigma in front of him. His friends clearly laughed because of who he was rather than their shared delight, Lily on the other hand didn’t seem to care who he was and would say just what she pleased.
“You are quite agreeable just the way you are.” He grinned. “If you wish to continue with your duties, then I will not stop you.”
He walked back to his chair and sat down. “Nicholas, another bottle of wine if you please. I have the distinct feeling a long night is ahead.”
“Of course, sir.”
Andrew tried and failed to wipe the smile from his face as Lily threw him a look of satisfaction before obediently following Nicholas from the room. He picked up his glass and took a long mouthful.
Lily Curtis may be just what Cotswold Manor needed right now.

Cate: Wonderful! Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Rachel: Oooh, because Viscount Andrew Westrop is dark and brooding but also has a deep and naughty sense of humor. With his strong, athletic physique, he is a man easily capable of controlling a sixteen hand horse or lying gently with a fragile woman before he takes her over the edge…
Sorry….yes, he’s quite a nice man. I’m sure you’d like him ;)

Cate: Ooh, I love a naughty sense of humor. :) Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Rachel: It’s different because it’s Victorian, it’s different because my hero and heroine are different kinds of people living in a time when everything had its place. The are both rebels of opposite kinds – she doesn’t want to be dragged into an arranged marriage, he wants to run his aristocratic home in an alternative way. Together, they would be fantastic, innovative and exciting…if only they could see it that way, of course!

Cate: What's next for you?
Rachel: I have my fourth contemporary romance being released in January 2011 by Lyrical Press but this one isn’t suspense, although it does have a couple of pretty villainous characters in it! Set in the fictional town of Foxton, England, ‘Getting It Right This Time’ is a story of a mother of a young child and the man who has always loved her. This is their second chance at love but will they blow it like they did the first time? Pride is a deadly sin for a reason…

Cate: Congrats! What inspired you to draft your first story?
Rachel: I’ve wanted to write since I was a child but life took over and I never put pen to paper until I was at home with my eldest daughter. I enrolled in a distance learning course and that was it, I haven’t stopped writing since. And now I couldn’t stop if even I wanted to! My need to write is a compulsion and I truly believe I will never stop now – EVER!

Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
Rachel: I recently started working part-time so my writing routine is no more! I fit it in around work, the house, the kids and everything else that happens during the day. My output is definitely less than it used to be but I have found that even if I make sure I do at least 500 words a day, they soon add up.
That may sound like a lot to some people and nothing to others but to me it’s achievable most days, even if I have to write in 100 words stints! If you have to write, you have to write…

Cate: Exactly - whatever works. :) Where can readers find you on the web?
Rachel: I am usually blogging or interviewing somewhere on the net so feel free to ‘google’ me to find out where I am but my own site is:
www.rachelbrimble.com
My publishers:
www.thewildrosepress.com
www.eternalpress.biz
www.lyricalpress.com

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Rachel: Yes!! Especially the ones who have read my books! I am struggling to decide what to write next…please, please, please will anyone tell me their favourite book of mine?? I’d love to get an idea of what my readers enjoy the most, that way, that will make the decision of what I write next!

Cate: Very interesting! Readers, Rachel is also giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting, and be sure to let her know what you'd like her to write next! She'll pick a winner on August 23rd.

Thanks for being my guest Rachel! Best of luck with all your projects. :)

In the Author Spotlight: Sonnet O'Dell

Cate: Please welcome Sonnet. Sonnet O’Dell, will you please share a short bio with us?
Sonnet: Sure. My name is Sonnet O’Dell. I’m 26 and was born in Oxford, England in 1984. I spent my younger years there but moved to Cornwall and Devon over the next Six years before coming to live in Worcester where I am now. I love reading and movies – especially those about vampires and magic.

Cate: Tell us about your latest release and where it's available.
Sonnet: My latest book is Lost Innocents. It’s the second book in my Cassandra Farbanks series. It’s following the story of the young magic wielder as she tries to track down several missing children while juggling trying to gain a qualification at college, her boyfriend and the vampire in love with her. It’s available through Eternal Press, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I’m also working on getting it into my local Waterstones book store.

Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Sonnet: Sure I’d love to, here’s a little excerpt from Lost Innocents:
“Are you all right?” His entire face was racked with concern. I reached over and patted his hand soothingly.
“I appear to be completely fine. Relax. What were we talking about?” I hadn’t forgotten, but I was trying to find a polite way to get out of the Aram conversation. I didn’t think Magnus would be brave enough to bring it up twice. He wasn’t.
“About what to do over the weekend? I was thinking, if things turn out well with your work—and I have complete faith that you will make things turn out well—that we could perhaps go away for the weekend.”
“I suppose we could give it a try. It might be a bit haphazard with my situation and all.” He smiled at me; clearly he had been hoping for an answer in the positive. He reached into his pocket, rummaging around, and brought something out keeping the hand with it in his lap for the moment.
“Well, that brings me to something else. I have something for you and I don’t want you to freak out. I’m not expecting anything—I told you I like you enough to wait till you say go.”
I smiled at him and leaned my elbows on the table. Resting my chin on my fists, I gave an interested glance towards his lap.
“What is it?”
Magnus brought his hand up slowly, uncurling his fingers to show a little black jewelry box sitting in the palm of his hand. Suddenly I felt cold right down to my toes with fear.

Cate: Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Sonnet: I like to think that Cassandra is a very realistic hero, she’s not completely straight laced and she struggles with right and wrong just like any person does. I think she’s funny, fairly sarcastic but level headed. She’s just trying to do the right thing.

Cate: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Sonnet: Effectively my character actually lives in two worlds and shifts between them. There is the nice normal world and the magical dark and dangerous one that she goes to at night.

Cate: What's next for you?
Sonnet: I’ve actually just submitted the third book in this series and am working on the fourth. I have several other little novella projects on the go ranging from romance to sci-fi. I start many but finish very few of them.

Cate: What inspired you to draft your first story?
Sonnet: I was just lying on my bed one day listening to music or watching tv, I can’t remember which and something I heard just made me start thinking. I was doodling on a pad at the time and just started sketching out the rough character and world, then before I knew it the idea had gripped me and wouldn’t let go.

Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
Sonnet: I try to do a little each day. I have this book that says you’re supposed to write for two hours a day but I don’t always have that kind of time because you have to fit all the other little foibles into your day. Some days I do two hours, some days I do less and some days I do more.

Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Sonnet: I have a website, www.sonnetodell.com, and I have been working on making a MySpace page too.

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Sonnet: I love to hear from readers although I have to say I don’t get as many emails or guest book entries as I would like. I want to know if people enjoy my work as much as I enjoy writing it. I guess I’m asking for people to get in touch more, tell me their opinion or just say hi.

In the Author Spotlight: Lorrie Unites-Struiff

I'm so pleased to welcome Lorrie Unites-Struiff back to the Author Spotlight. It's Lorrie's last stop on her official blog tour, so please give her a rousing applause! And please leave her some insightful comments in answer to her question.

Hello Cate,
Thank you so much for hosting me today on your blog. I hope the readers will understand more about the small press novelists with my article.

A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

I think of the rock as my stories that I write, and the hard place is trying to roll that rock before the eyes of my target readership.
I’m new to this side of publishing since I’m basically a short story writer. I’ve sold shorts to publishers and then I’m done with them. Forget it, nothing more to do. But, “Gypsy Crystal” is novella length and is now published both in multi-format e-reader and print.
I’m enjoying writing longer pieces for readers now, be it romance, paranormal, horror, or well…whatever.
Since this won’t be my last novella or a full novel in the future, I’ve read many blogs suggesting how to get that rock before the readers. But what new author can afford a PR person? Or run ads in the local newspapers? Was that Grisham I saw on the TV spot advertising his new release? Yes, the same John Grisham who wrote the legal thrillers, “The Pelican Brief” “The Firm” “A Time to Kill.”
So, how do I reach my target audience without paying a huge amount of money?
Authors form a network to promote each other by offering guest blog spots, like today.
Then, there are the usual, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. This approach helps reach more readers. I have a fan page on Facebook and many have joined to keep up with my latest news.
Review sites are wonderful. They have seasoned reviewers who read our novels and offer the readers honest opinions. It’s always a good idea to follow these sites to see what is new in the publishing world.
Finding an agent to handle your work is difficult, no matter how good the novel. Agents can only handle so many clients per year. Some turn down even the best of writers to preserve their sanity--I’ve heard this at conferences I have attended. “I don’t give a damn if he’s the next Hemmingway, I can’t look at another query.”
We have to grow as writers. To grow we must write more and more novels. We work, have families, and write in whatever free time we can manipulate. Most of us are not overnight wonders. We choose small presses to begin our careers, and it’s a long hard road we travel. If you don’t believe me, ask Mr. King, or Ms. Roberts.
Do you know what I find to be the most amazing side of publishing now that I am with a small press?
I’m stunned at the amount of great novels that are released by small press authors every month. They are wonderful stories by talented authors that so many readers may be missing out on only for the fact that we can’t afford the great PR person.
“Gypsy Crystal” required a lot of research into Roma customs. I love research. It took me more than a year to write the novella—the rock mentioned above-- due to real life interruptions. It happens to all of us. I’m pleased to tell you my reviews have been fantastic. Writing the novella gave me the chance to spread my wings and let my imagination run wild. I want to do it again, soon.
But it will be a while before my next WIP is complete. I’ve found the hard place to be the time I have to spend now in getting my name out there.
Yes, Mr. Grisham, I did see your ad.
We’d like to see more readers making comments. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to see the support of our fans. *hint, hint.* Plus, I’d like to hear comments from the readers about how effective you think these blog spots are in reaching our target audience. This information will help us in our future endeavors, so don’t be shy, please share your thoughts.
Thank you,
Lorrie



Blurb
Everyone has secrets.
Homicide Detective Rita Moldova has a secret, a crystal amulet from her Roma bloodline that shows her the last image a victim had seen before they died. Now, a ritual killer is terrorizing her town and the crystal’s magic has suddenly stopped.
FBI agent, Matt Boulet, is sent to lead the task force and gives the group strange orders. Worse, Rita senses he is holding back a deep dark secret about the killer.
When she confronts her seer mother’s advice, she learns another secret about their clan that she finds impossible to swallow.
Rita swims through a whirlpool of confusion as the investigation continues. Can Rita deny the lore of the ancients? Can she deny her growing feelings for Matt Boulet?

Excerpt
Doc read from the screen. “Body completely exsanguinous. Time of death between eleven p.m. and one a.m.” He looked up at Rita and pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. “Like the others, this woman was alive when the killer began extracting the blood from her jugular. Once drained, he excised the vein with a sharp instrument, postmortem. Why does he bother?”
Rita shrugged. “He’s performing some sort of a ritual, then taking a trophy. Doc, I still think the women had to be unconscious or bound while he took their blood. Any rational woman would fight, or run like hell.”
“The evidence disagrees. There are no ligature marks on the wrists or ankles of any of the bodies. The bruises on the arms indicate a frontal assault, as if they were pinned or held still. Other than the bruises, no needle marks were apparent, no drugs in any of the stomach contents, no contusions on the heads to indicate they were unconscious until the loss of blood weakened, then killed them. Lack of tissue under the nails also indicate they didn’t struggle at all.”
“This doesn’t make any damn sense.” Rita shivered, imagining the women awake, not fighting, as the life drained out their bodies.
Doc rubbed his jaw, shook his head. “And, no matter what weapon I come up with, nothing matches the excised wounds. All evidence so far suggests the killings took place elsewhere, then the bodies were moved.”
“That’s what my gut is telling me, too.” She glanced through the glass at the woman on the table, the Y incision was puckered and ugly under the harsh lighting in the examining room. “The jogger who found this one on the river path yesterday freaked. Can’t say as I blame her.”
Rita had become familiar with a few of the prostitutes during a previous case and found the women to be friendly and open, once they knew she wasn’t there to hassle them. When she had inspected the first victim, the dead woman’s eyes reflected another working girl Rita had met before. Carmella.
Carmella told Rita that she had bummed a cigarette from the woman before a black van pulled to the corner. Her brief glimpse as the interior light of the van flashed on revealed a dark-haired man with a noticeable bump on his nose. Carmella didn’t bother to look at the plates. The woman who had entered the van turned up dead in an alley a day later. Rita had confirmed Carmella’s alibi.
Her confusion deepened with a different reflection in the eyes of the second dead prostitute. The pizza delivery boy remembered seeing the woman at the Ridge Motel, but his alibi also proved solid.
She should see the last person the victim’s eyes captured--the killer’s. Damn. The crystal had never failed her before. She rubbed her arms to ward off a feeling of dread creeping over her skin.
Rita glanced at her watch. A little after twelve. She had time to find out how good ol’ Bobby Driscoll fit into this scenario.
She jumped when Doc nudged her elbow.
His thin lips tightened into a scowl. “I’m still trying to determine the gouging tool. We’ve made the impressions, but nothing matches. Tell the Chief I’ll fax what I have to him in a few hours. You know, he’ll want you on the task force.”
“Yeah. He already set up the meet.”
The only ones who knew of the crystal’s abilities were Chief Lipinski, Rita’s mother, and her uncle. Her gift had spooked the Chief, but he had sworn to keep her secret. If the others found out, she may as well have “Freakazoid” stamped on her forehead.
Rita patted Doc’s hand. “Thanks, I really appreciate the heads-up.” They left the cubicle. She looked at the dead woman again and sighed. “Damn it, Doc, we need to nail this dude’s ass fast. The newspapers are already calling him ‘Keyport’s own Jack the Ripper.’”

Gypsy Crystal is available in PRINT and Multiple E-book formats at Amazon.

Visit my website to read the reviews and more info
http://struiff.wordpress.com/

This is Lorrie's final stop on her virtual blog tour! Congrats on a successful run, Lorrie!
To celebrate, she's giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter. The giveaway will be open until next Wednesday, August 11, when Lorrie will select a winner at random.

Thanks for being my guest, Lorrie!

Cast a vote for Winning!

My book trailer for my short story Winning is one of this month's entries at You Gotta Read Videos. I'd love your vote for #18!

In the Author Spotlight: Margaret West

I'm excited to welcome back Margaret West, author of the fantastic Heart of a Warrior, to the Author Spotlight. Margaret has some great writing tips for us.

Born in England, Margaret moved to the Kent countryside five years ago to get away from the busy life in London. She married with two grown up children and has worked in various fields of work. She is a Clairknowing medium, Angel Therapist, Crystal Therapist, Parapsychologist and Psychic Development tutor.

She’s been writing over 20 years in various fields. Academic modules, Novels, short stories, magazine columns and Blue Mountain Sympathy card range. Her main love is writing Romance and Paranormals novels, incorporating her spiritual experiences, into her books.

You can find Margaret at www.margaret-west.com, http://margaret-paranormalromanceauthor.blogspot.com/ and http://magsx.blogspot.com/

Writing Dialogue

If I could write a book on the amount of questions that I’ve been asked with regards to dialogue – it would be an epic!

Realistic dialogue doesn’t always come easily to everyone. But I can’t tell you how important it is. Dialogue advances a story and fleshes out the characters while providing a break from straight exposition. But, nothing pulls the reader out of a story faster than bad dialogue. It takes time to develop a good technique, but here are a few guidelines I use that might help.

Listen to how people talk. Don’t become a stalker or anything, lol eavesdrop and scribble down phrases you like. The right words can bring a character to life. Likewise, the wrong word/phrase can destroy the reader’s belief in the character.

For instance, it’s unlikely that a builder is going to use the word “goodness me” or that a solicitor would say “blimey." Dialogue should read like real speech. But, in saying that, real speech has words and sounds that would be distracting if included on a page. New writers sometimes think that including words like “uh” and “oh” makes their dialogue sound more realistic. The truth is, these kinds of extraneous words look unprofessional. Alfred Hitchcock once wrote that a good story was “life, with the dull parts taken out.” It’s good to keep this in mind.

Now comes the tricky part. Cut words and phrases out that don’t serve the conversation’s purpose. What I mean by that is, any dialogue should move the story forward while bringing your characters to life. If it doesn’t, cut it out altogether.

The mistake I noticed a lot is that writers sometimes provide too much information at once through dialogue. It should never be obvious that you’re communicating information; otherwise you run the risk of info dumping. Give no character more than three uninterrupted sentences at once. You can trust the reader to remember details from earlier in the story. Make sure you break up dialogue with action, because physical details help to break up the words on the page.

Tag lines can be the bane of writers' lives to write and read. I am the worst culprit of all! Don’t try too hard to vary them. Veering too much beyond “he said/she said” draws attention to the tags. Readers tend to skim over them anyway. If you write “interjected,” or “he sighed,” you’ve now drawn the reader out of the action you’re trying to create. If your dialogue is working, you won’t have to say any of these words in the tag line.

Most of all, the most important thing of all is to punctuate dialogue correctly. Nothing, to an editor/publisher/agent is more distracting than a writer who doesn’t know how to use punctuation. A polished MS is no good if it’s covered in punctuation errors.

I hope this information helps. I don’t always remember to live by my own rules. But I try to!

Heart of a Warrior
A tale of two very different cultures colliding. Can love really conquer all?
When Belinda arrives fresh from England, at her father’s store on the edge of a Navajo reservation, she is faced with not only the news her father is ill in hospital, but the store is being run by Jez Lansdowne, a man she hates and distrusts. Until she can find out why Jez is suddenly her father’s new partner, Belinda is forced to live in Chief Yuma’s storage hut, next to the store.
Yuma is annoyed the fiery English woman is living on his land, as the Res is soon closing to outsiders. They clash, but a deeper emotion grows into a love that makes Yuma question his culture and traditions.

Here's an excerpt:
Belinda ran full pelt towards the sound of the waterfall. Just when she thought she was almost there, her feet left the ground and she screamed in angry frustration. Muscular arms encased her like tight bands of steel, and she clawed at them knowing in her heart that this man was way too strong for her to escape from.
“Let me go,” she screamed, scratching and kicking with every bit of strength she possessed. “Get off me.” It took a few moments for her to register the soft, masculine voice in her ear.
“Belinda, it’s all right. You’re safe now—with friends. No-one’s going to hurt you.”
Belinda continued to struggle. Friends! She didn’t have any of them in this godforsaken country. A small sob pushed through her swollen lips, as her strength began to wane.

In the Author Spotlight: Amy Ruttan

Cate: Please welcome Amy Ruttan. Amy, will you please share a short bio with us?
Amy: Amy discovered her love of the written word when she realized that she could no longer act out the fantastical romances in her head with her dolls. Writing about delicious heroes was much more fun than playing with plastic men dolls with the inevitable flesh-colored tighty-whities.
She loves history, the paranormal, and will spew out historical facts like a volcano, much to her dearest hubby's chagrin.
When she's not thinking about the next sensual romp, she's chasing after two rug rats and reading anything spicy she can get her hands on.

Cate: Tell us about Enemy Enchantress and where it's available.
Amy: Enemy Enchantress is the book of my heart, the first I attempted and finished. It is available from Eternal Press
The war may be over, but the battle has just begun…
Lord Edwin fought bravely for his king. His reward, marriage to a former enemy. On his way north, he encounters a mysterious maiden who ensnares his mind—and his passion. Then in the blink of an eye she vanishes.
Aislinn knows the husband she wishes for—someone like the handsome, virile man she met in the woods—is no more than a fantasy. Her discovery that this very man is to be hers brings no comfort, for a Centeris could never love her for what she is. Sidhe. The superstitious Centeri could kill her for that.
Yet death may come even if she manages to hide her true self from the gentle warrior. The perpetrator behind a series of attacks wants more than to destroy the precarious peace. They want her powers.
To save her people she must reveal herself and risk his love. Or leave him to face the challenge. Alone.

Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Amy:
“I did not expect it to be you.”
“Nor I you,” he whispered, dropping her braid and rubbing his hands over her shoulders. “I was not looking forward to bedding a shrewish virgin.”
When she turned and looked over her shoulder at him, she was smiling.
“I will tell you truthfully that I do not wish to live in Southern Divide. I planned to drive my husband away with my heathen ways.”
Edwin let out a loud chuckle and turned her to face him. He rested his hands on her shoulders. “No harm shall befall you. We are husband and wife now.”
“I’m not a follower of your religion.”
“You’re a witch,” he stated, remembering the first time he saw her. A Mid Dividian lady was not looked upon with much favor, but a Mid Dividian witch… They would have her burnt at the stake despite the fact she was his wife.
“I am not a witch. I am an enchantress.”

Cate: Oo, nice. :) I love the title too. What inspired you to write about the theme?
Amy: I was at home with my first child, bored out of my mind while she napped and the story just wandered into my head. I started to write it here and there, but it really didn’t take off until after my second child was born and I entered the first 3 chapters in the Central Ohio Fiction Writer’s Ignite the Flame contest. It finalled, and I knew I had to pursue writing.

Cate: How do you develop your plots and characters?
Amy: The characters just seem to walk into my head fully formed. A lot of my plots seem to come from my dreams or daydreams. If it’s a historical I research a bit about the time period and get ideas of plot from that. I do a lot of brainstorming and write the synopsis first. Of course, by the time I’m ready to submit the synopsis is lengthened or changed to suit the story but at least most of the hard work is done.

Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Amy: Yes, my characters are very real to me. Even after I’m done with them. I think about them quite a lot, but usually new ones come and take their place.

Cate: What's next for you?
Amy: Book 2 in the Enchantress series is coming out September 7, 2010 from Eternal Press. It’s titled Sorceress from the Sea and is all about Edwin’s brother Alfwyn who is one of my favorite characters.

Cate: Very cool. Any other published works?
Author: I have several books with Ellora’s Cave and Cerridwen Press. Details of my backlist can be found on my website www.amyruttan.com

Cate: Describe your writing in three words.
Amy: Imaginative, spicy, sexy.

Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Amy: The most challenging is editing. I go through several drafts before I’m ready to submit. I seem to pick a certain word and use it over and over again, so culling back on repetitive words has been my challenge. Most rewarding, hearing from the fans, hearing that a story I wrote was enjoyed by them.

Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Amy: Well, it wasn’t really a comment but when I was doing a book signing recently in Toronto with Ellora’s Cave I signed a couple of books for Klingons. They were very good natured and let me sign their books in their human names instead of making me spell Klingon. Very memorable.

Cate: Ah, so you have intergalactic fans! Great!
Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Amy: Oh there are so many. Connie Mason, definitely one of the first romance authors I read. I heart Margaret Moore and have the privilege of knowing her through my RWA chapter. I am also a HUGE fan of Katie MacAlister and J.R. Ward. Of course there’s also Roald Dahl, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder who shaped the course of my childhood towards fanciful.

Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Amy: My email is contact@amyruttan.com. I love to hear from readers.
My website is www.amyruttan.com and I have a Twitter account, which I’m very active on at www.twitter.com/ruttanamy. I’m also on Goodreads, and have a author corner at Coffee Time Romance.

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Amy: Who is your favorite romantic hero? Mine is Mr. Darcy.

Cate: Readers, Amy is giving away an ebook copy of Enemy Enchantress to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on the evening of Monday, July 12.
Thanks for being my guest, Amy! Wishing you much success with Enemy Enchantress.

Amy: Thanks for having me Cate!

Release day for Winning!

Today, Eternal Press releases my short story, Winning! I love release days. Not only for the excitement of seeing my work out in the wide world, but for the wonderful camaraderie they inspire.

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST, I'll be chatting on the Eternal Press site. Click the link to join the chat, and you could win a PDF copy of Winning!

Here is the story excerpt and trailer again.

The beggar sat, as he did every morning, a colorless rag of a sentinel leaning against the smooth, black marble wall. Most days, Joe did his best to avoid him, ducking into a crowd before pushing through the gold-framed revolving doors to the bank where he worked. He hated to be callous, but didn’t want to feed the old man’s addictions–he always smelled like a landfill doused with booze. His slitted eyes appear filled with liquid steel, and his gaze felt as powerful as a laser probing Joe’s conscience.
This May morning, the beggar couldn’t mar Joe’s good mood. Even the air smelled sweet. Spring’s official started several weeks earlier sullen and glum, but this morning’s warm, bright sun caused an eruption of blooms and birdsong. In fifteen minutes, he’d meet with Mr. Brown and likely get a promotion and a raise. His wife had felt unusually affectionate this morning too. Everything seemed to be falling into place in perfect synchronicity and harmony. No, Joe didn’t want anyone to spoil it.
He walked behind three teens with spiked, multi-colored hair, heavy chains on their black leather coats and baggy jeans. The beggar held up a dirty paper coffee cup as they passed. The boy nearest the old man deftly lifted a heel in passing to knock the cup from his leathery hand. The three laughed and kept walking. The old man’s hand didn’t waver, as if the cup and its contents weren’t strewn across the sidewalk.
Scattered people sidestepped the coins as the cup skittered between their shoes. Joe glanced at his watch; his supervisor would be more conscious today of his clock-in time. With a forceful exhale, his fingers readjusted on the handle of his briefcase. A tattered dollar flopped like a fish away from the beggar, who stared somewhere beyond, his eyes unmoving. Joe quickly set his briefcase on the dollar, retrieved the cup, picked up coins from the concrete and tossed them inside the cup. He reached into his pocket, frowned at the fifty–his only bill. Crouching before the beggar, he placed the cup back in his still-outstretched hand. With a rotten-toothed smile, the old man nodded and mumbled unintelligibly.
“Hey, do me a favor.” Joe inserted the fifty dollar bill into the cup. “Go get yourself cleaned up and get something to eat. Okay?”
The old man peered up. “Fortune will smile upon you.”
“Not if I don’t get inside.” Joe gathered his briefcase; let the revolving doors whoosh him through.

More tour stops

The tour carries on!

In case you missed the live interview last night on BlogTalk Radio with BK Walker, you can listen to the archived session here. It's preceded by a wonderful oldie, When a Man Loves a Woman, but does eventually play. :)

Today I'm visiting with wonderful Rachel Brimble - come on over!

Tomorrow, I'll be at Lisa Hazelton's Reviews and Interviews blog. I hope you'll join me there!

It's also release day for my short contemporary story, Winning. Tomorrow I'll post more info on that, including a link to the live chat at Eternal Press.

I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Fourth of July! Here's a little holiday treat for you from Bruce, my Jersey boy.



And a little Jimi to spice it up. Who needs fireworks when we have him? Happy Fourth!

In the Author Spotlight: Heather Kuehl

I'm happy to introduce Heather Kuehl, author of the fantastic Promises to Keep and Fade to Black.

What I look for in a good book

It a rare thing for me to go into a bookstore looking for an author I haven’t read. No, I haven’t read them all already. I’m just picky. I hate to waste money on a book that’s not very good, so I usually stick with authors I like. But sometimes, I want something new.

I’m sorry to say that I do judge book by its cover. Well, starting out I do. If the cover art interests me I’ll pick it up. I discovered Patricia Briggs doing that (How cool! A main character with tattoos!). Then I read the blurb on the back. It’s a plus if the author or the book has review to go along with it (It can’t suck too bad if Publishers Weekly thought it was good). The last thing I do before running up to the register with my new find is that I open the book to a random page in the middle and start reading. If it can pull me in when I have no clue what’s going on then it’s a keeper. There’s been a handful of times this has failed. My random page ended up being the only exciting part in the entire story and the rest of it fell flat. I cut my losses, make a note of that author on the “library only” list (I’ll borrow them, not buy them), and go back to reading Charlaine Harris for a while.

Another thing that will make or break a book for me is if I can’t get into the first ten pages or so. If those ten pages drag on and it takes me forever to read them, I give up. Maybe that’s not the book for me right now. I’ll put it up to try again later.

I love trying new authors, and love it even more when I find one that I can’t get enough of. Sherrilyn Kenyon was like that; I finished her entire Dark Hunter series in a month. There was something about those books that just did it for me. The romance? The adventure? The danger? Whatever it was, it worked. I can’t wait to see what else she has out there.

What I want to know is, what do you look for in a good book? And what author did you discover that just did it for you?

Heather Kuehl is the author of Promises to Keep, Fade to Black (#1 Bestseller in fantasy eBooks on Fictionwise.com), and Malevolent Dead as well as numerous short stories and poems. Visit Heather online at www.heatherkuehl.com, www.heatherkuehl.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.



Grab your copy of Promises to Keep today, available from Eternal Press and Amazon.com.

Follow the Stars Home to release on August 7!

My Native American historical romance, Follow the Stars Home, will be available on August 7. Check out the trailer, which I just finished:



I'm very excited about its release! The story's very dear to me. Here's a sneak peek:

A movement in the trees caught his eye, the slightest shift in the shadows. He lowered the stick and sat still as a tree atop his buffalo skin. An animal would have revealed itself, so he suspected a person hid there. His heart tightened with hope. After waiting a moment, he called, “Hello?”
The moonlight alighted her doeskin dress no matter as she stepped from the shadows into the clearing.
He scrambled to his feet. “Quiet Thunder. You’re here.” His thick voice caught in his throat and his self-confidence abandoned him. Long he’d waited for this moment, but now felt unsure what to do.
Her words rushed out in a strangled breath. “Yes. I heard the cry.”
He held the twig with both hands and twisted it. “I played all afternoon trying to get it right.”
Her eyes widened as she recognized the siyotanka. He’d made the flute hoping to enchant her with its magic. His song must be working—she walked to him as if drawn by it.
“I thought it an elk’s cry.”
The high praise made his breath tangle in his ribs. Grandfather told tales of Lakota who cut cedarwood branches to craft a flute shaped like the long neck and head of a bird with an open beak. The instrument’s sound resembled the call of an elk, powerful medicine supposed to make a man irresistible to the woman he loved.
He lowered his head. “I hoped it would bring you here.” Shyness overcame him, and he could not meet her gaze, only stare at the siyotanka.
“You brought me here.”
Her words were bold with truth. Tonight, he wanted to speak only truth. To hear only truth.
His gaze leaped to hers. Glancing at the bow she carried, he grinned. “You came to shoot me?”
Ducking her head, she said softly, “No.”
When he reached for the bow, his hand grazed hers, and he struggled against the urge to pull her close. “I’ll set them down. Nearby, in case you need them.” Gently, he slid the strap from her shoulder and put both next to the buffalo skin, then extended his hand for her to sit. Nervousness twisted through him, made every action stiff and formal as if performing a ritual. Since childhood, he’d run with Quiet Thunder, shot arrows with her, rode horses with her. Two summers ago when a sticker branch cut her leg, he’d carried her to a stream. Holding her in his arms had awakened new feelings, and since then, his fingers itched to feel her skin every night.
She knelt, and then sat atop her legs. “Are you all right?”
He crossed his legs and sat. “I am now that you’re here.” Biting his lip, he cast his gaze away. Happiness surged through his spirit, filled his skin so full it threatened to burst open.
“Play me your song.” Like the stars twinkling above them, her eyes sparkled, like laughing spirits clustered in crowds along the white carpet of the Milky Way.
He lifted the flute to his lips and gently blew. His song seemed to enchant everything around them. Fireflies glittered like falling embers. The music of the stream mixed with the flute. His heart skipped and danced with the lilting tune, the tune he made for her alone.
When she closed her eyes, he painted her beauty in his memory.
She opened her eyes. “Why did you stop?”
Black Bear stared at her, the fullness in her gaze made his breath flutter like the fireflies. “The moonlight lit your face. You’re more beautiful than ever.” Warmth coursed through his face. He must have enchanted himself with the song. Though he’d thought it many times, he’d never before called her beautiful.
Unable to hold back any longer, he knelt in front of her, and she lifted up to kneel before him. Entwining his fingers through hers, he held them against the scar on his chest where the bone tore through two summers ago. With a voice soft as a trickling stream, he spoke. “I welcomed the pain of becoming a man. Do you know why?”
“Because you wanted to be a great warrior?”
His thumbs caressed the back of her hands. “No. The time of great Sioux warriors is ending. I must learn to be a better hunter. To provide for my family.” A family he wished with all his heart to have with her. His insides lurched when she glanced down.
“Black Bear—”
She tried to slide her hand away, but he held it fast.
“Please let me speak.”
His seriousness silenced her. With a nod, she lifted her gaze to his scar, the mark of his love for her. It spoke of his hopes for their future. From now on, he wanted it to be a reminder of this night.
Soft urgency gave fire to his words, and the fire sparked in his blood. “I know now why you are called Quiet Thunder. I didn’t know I could feel such thunder inside. It overtakes me every night while I try to sleep. In everything I do, I feel your spirit with me. I need to know if you feel the same.” He pressed her hand against his scar so she might feel his heart thudding through his skin. It pulsed with his life’s blood as if to mingle with her own.
When she raised her chin, moonlight illuminated her face, her dark eyes ablaze. “Yes.”
He exhaled a ragged breath and leaned in to touch his lips to hers. When she slid her arms around his neck and pressed close to him, he felt in danger of floating into the laughing stars. With slow purpose, he slid his mouth against hers, fueling desires he’d never before experienced. The effort of holding himself back caused him to tremble. Slowly he lifted his lips and whispered her name fervent as a prayer, his breath stirring her hair.
She clung to him, her arms wrapped tight around his waist like a vine clinging to a tree.

Winning to be released July 7!

Winning is a really cool little story. I'm so glad Eternal Press is open to all genres, because I love to experiment. :) I'm really not sure into which genre it fits, truthfully.

Here's the story blurb:
Joe doesn’t expect much more from life. His marriage is average, kids are average. So when he wins the lottery -- one of the biggest jackpots of all time -- everything changes. Or does it? Would they have made the same choices anyway?

Excerpt:
The beggar sat, as he did every morning, a colorless rag of a sentinel leaning against the smooth, black marble wall. Most days, Joe did his best to avoid him, ducking into a crowd before pushing through the gold-framed revolving doors to the bank where he worked. He hated to be callous, but didn’t want to feed the old man’s addictions–he always smelled like a landfill doused with booze. His slitted eyes appear filled with liquid steel, and his gaze felt as powerful as a laser probing Joe’s conscience.
This May morning, the beggar couldn’t mar Joe’s good mood. Even the air smelled sweet. Spring’s official started several weeks earlier sullen and glum, but this morning’s warm, bright sun caused an eruption of blooms and birdsong. In fifteen minutes, he’d meet with Mr. Brown and likely get a promotion and a raise. His wife had felt unusually affectionate this morning too. Everything seemed to be falling into place in perfect synchronicity and harmony. No, Joe didn’t want anyone to spoil it.
He walked behind three teens with spiked, multi-colored hair, heavy chains on their black leather coats and baggy jeans. The beggar held up a dirty paper coffee cup as they passed. The boy nearest the old man deftly lifted a heel in passing to knock the cup from his leathery hand. The three laughed and kept walking. The old man’s hand didn’t waver, as if the cup and its contents weren’t strewn across the sidewalk.
Scattered people sidestepped the coins as the cup skittered between their shoes. Joe glanced at his watch; his supervisor would be more conscious today of his clock-in time. With a forceful exhale, his fingers readjusted on the handle of his briefcase. A tattered dollar flopped like a fish away from the beggar, who stared somewhere beyond, his eyes unmoving. Joe quickly set his briefcase on the dollar, retrieved the cup, picked up coins from the concrete and tossed them inside the cup. He reached into his pocket, frowned at the fifty–his only bill. Crouching before the beggar, he placed the cup back in his still-outstretched hand. With a rotten-toothed smile, the old man nodded and mumbled unintelligibly.
“Hey, do me a favor.” Joe inserted the fifty dollar bill into the cup. “Go get yourself cleaned up and get something to eat. Okay?”
The old man peered up. “Fortune will smile upon you.”
“Not if I don’t get inside.” Joe gathered his briefcase; let the revolving doors whoosh him through.



Today I'm a guest at AZ Publishing Services. I hope you'll pop over and comment!

In the Author Spotlight: Kelly A. Harmon

Cate: Please welcome Kelly A. Harmon. Kelly, will you please share a short bio with us?
Kelly: Hi Cate! Thank you for having me.
I’ve always been a scribbler: jotting down notes and scenes and dialogue on whatever’s available: napkins, receipts, blank checks. Once I ruined my favorite lipstick on a cloth napkin at a restaurant.
I’ve taken detours along the way (I used to be a reporter) and I work full-time now to support my writing habit.

Cate: Sounds familiar! Tell us about Blood Soup and where it's available.
Kelly: Blood Soup is a story about murder, betrayal and comeuppance.
The story opens with a heavily pregnant Queen Piacenza. Her husband, King Theodicar naturally hopes for a male heir. The Queen is from Omera, where the first born rules, no matter the sex of the child. This causes no end of friction between them.
The Queen’s nursemaid, Salvagia, casts runes about the birth. Over and over, they yield the same message: “A girl child must rule or the kingdom will fall to ruin.” The women are convinced the baby will be a girl.
When the queen finally gives birth, the nurse and the king are equally surprised, and Theodicar is faced with a terrible choice. His decision will determine the fate of his kingdom. Will he choose wisely, or will he doom Borgund to ruin?
Blood Soup is now available on Kindle or PDF from the publisher, Eternal Press. It can also be purchased as a paperback from Amazon.

Cate: Very cool! Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Kelly: This is one of my favorite scenes:
King Theodicar looked down at the mewling infant in his arms, and felt the anger rise up. Even in death his wife defied him, the nurse ensuring her success. Women did not rule. He would not allow it. They had created a male child, and that child would take the throne upon his death.
“You can save the boy,” he said to Salvagia.
She slitted her eyes at him, her stare mutinous. Her words were loud and hard in the wake of queen’s death. “I have the power to save one at the expense of the other, Sire. The girl is stronger. And eldest. She was born to rule.”
Theodicar watched the girl curl up in his arms, her birth fluids staining a brown patch on the dyed-yellow wool of his tunic. She burrowed into the crook of his elbow, trying to achieve the comfort of the womb.
“I will not hear those words again,” he said. “That absurd idea died with my wife. My son will rule.” He reached for the boy, thrusting the girl child back into the nurse’s hands. “There’s no need for a daughter. And no need for anyone to know of her.”
“So be it,” Salvagia said, wrapping the weary girl in a square of wool, covering her face. She reached for her basket.
“Kill her now,” said Theodicar.
Salvagia looked stricken.
“Sire, if we kill her now, she will be of no use to her brother. Once dead, the blood won’t flow, and we need her blood to strengthen his.
“Then drain her now,” he snapped. “I will not have her crying out when we call the witnesses back to cut the boy’s cord.”

Cate: Oo, chilling. What inspired you to write about the theme?
Kelly: I was in the middle of writing a sword-and-sorcery fantasy when a friend asked me to participate in the 3-Day Novel contest. It sounded like a lot of fun – for some reason, drinking lots of coffee and attempting to stay up and write for three solid days sounded appealing at the time!
Since I was already working on a fantasy, I plotted out a suspense tale. I didn’t want to be writing along and feel like I should incorporate it into the novel afterward. I also wanted to have a tight enough plot to be able to finish the story within the time limit.
The idea of blood becoming an integral part of the story didn’t develop until after I’d started writing. As I worked through the plotting process, I considered how blood is a requirement for life, and that with any great loss of it, we perish. So, I began to think of ways blood could be used for healing or as a medicinal ingredient. (My story has a medieval setting, so it didn’t matter if my assumptions about blood were false or not – it only mattered that the characters believed them.) Taking it a step further, I wondered at the efficacy of using blood to save the life of another person: Could blood from a well person pull a dying person back from the brink? Could it strengthen a weak constitution? I considered whether or not a person could subsist on a diet of mostly blood...human or animal. And, what happens to someone who develops such a taste, so much so, that it’s like an addition?

Cate: How do you develop your plots and characters?
Kelly: I like to know where my story is headed before I write it. I find if I know a little bit about the middle and the end, I’m never beset by writer’s block.
Characters on the other hand, I allow to grow with the story. I only know the briefest of details about them before I start. Learning about my characters as I write is an exciting experience: it makes the story come alive for me.

Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Kelly: My characters don’t haunt my dreams…but they are frequently with me during the day. I hear them speak the dialogue in my mind. Sometimes they’ll say something surprising and add some flair to the plot I hadn’t considered yet.

Cate: What's next for you?
Kelly: In May, I have a short story coming out in the Bad Ass Fairies 3 Anthology: In All Their Glory. As the name implies, these fairies are not Tinkerbelle.
My story, Selk-Skin Deep is an alternate history which takes place during the Vietnam War. Cade is a Navy SEAL, and a selkie – a Scottish fairy who is a seal but can shed his skin and become human. He’s stationed aboard an aircraft carrier which… well, you’ll have to read the story to find out!
I also have a non-fiction chapter in the book, How to Write Paranormal, coming out later this year. It’s all about forming critique groups and how to give a good critique.

Cate: Any other published works?
Kelly: My short story “The Dragon’s Clause” is available as a Kindle Short or in HTML at iFiction.
This was originally published in the anthology Black Dragon, White Dragon. My story “On the Path” is published in the Triangulation: Dark Glass anthology. I may release it later this year on Kindle as well.

Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Kelly: The most challenging aspect of writing for me is to turn off my internal editor. I’m getting better at putting words onto paper and ignoring them until the re-write, but sometimes it’s hard. I love words, and I want to make sure I’m using the right ones at the right time. I keep a well-thumbed thesaurus by my side all the time.
As for rewarding, I enjoy typing, “The End.” It always brings a smile to my face.

Cate: It is a good feeling. What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Kelly: I love this quote about Blood Soup from one of my 5-star Amazon reviews:
Kelly Harmon writes with a flowing style that draws you right in to her swirling mix. Read it at a bus stop and you'll miss three buses before you even look up. It's hot. It's tasty. Take one spoonful of "Blood Soup" and you'll finish the bowl!

Cate: Great review! Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Kelly: I read EVERYTHING...I always have, although I’m partial to fantasy, science fiction and horror.
I remember reading Carole Nelson Douglas’ Six of Swords as a teen and loving it. I wanted to write stories like that. Terry Brooks was another teen favorite. I read The Sword of Shannara over and over.
Dean Koontz thrilled me with Whispers. My mom and I read it together one summer, each stealing it from the other as time permitted, racing to the end. My bookshelves are still heavily populated by Koontz. His Odd Todd series is great.
Heinlein, Asimov, Bradbury…the list goes on and on.
I’m currently reading the Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffengger.

Cate: I grew up on Ray Bradbury. Love Audrey Niffenegger too.
Where can readers find you on the web?
Kelly: My Web site is: http://kellyaharmon.com.
My amazon.com Web site is here.
I also have a facebook fan page
And, I’m on twitter: @kellyaharmon

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Kelly: Are we done with vampires yet?

Cate: Readers, Kelly is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner tomorrow night.

Another great review for Picture This!

It's been a week of wonderful reviews!

Rita's Reviews gave Picture This 4 out of 5, and had this to say, in part:
This story was extremely easy to get into but not so easy to put down. I think I strained my eyes from sitting too long at the computer. You can relate to the characters and I easily become involved in their story. Sydney is like the friend you cheer on even though you secretly aren't sure about the guy.

Thanks so much for the wonderful review, Rita!

You can read the full review here.

Here's a different excerpt from the usual:

The pine tree’s sweeping branches presented an obstacle, but he pushed them out of the way and was soon out of sight. For the benefit of a middle-aged couple walking toward the door, she pulled out her cell phone and pretended to answer a call. When they were out of earshot, she asked, “See anything?”
Branches crackled.
“Ben?” she whispered.
The shutter clicked several times, and branches swayed.
“What’s going on?” She whispered louder.
“Shh. Hold on.” Another succession of clicks. After a moment, the branches opened out as he made his way through.
He brushed the front of his shirt. “I got a few…”
A stocky man in a white overshirt walked from the back of the restaurant carrying a garbage bag. “Hey – what’re you doing?”
Ben pulled Sydney to him. His warm, soft lips on hers sent an explosion of light through her brain, and its rumblings reverberated through her. A whimper escaped as she slid her arms tight around his waist and held on. With a moan, his hands slid low on her back, and his hips ground against hers. Her breaths came hard as she met his thrusting
tongue with her own.
“Get a room,” the man muttered. The back door slammed shut.
The urgency left them, but neither let go. She relaxed into him, relishing the touch she’d missed for more than a year. She wanted to remember this, since it might not happen again.
She opened her eyes. He held his closed. He looked so relaxed, so content.
All the tension had left her body, as if she’d had a long massage coupled with electroshock therapy. Kissing someone her own height had distinct advantages. This kiss was especially nice.
Her lips slid from his. “That was close.”
His face inches from hers; he moved his hands higher on her back.
“Very.”
She held back a smile. “I think he’s gone.”
He let out a long breath. “Sydney…” His words trailed as he appeared to struggle with what he wanted to say.
Still holding her, his eyes widened as two figures stepped from the walkway into the parking lot. His muscles tightened. “There goes the mayor.”