Carmen Stefanescu visits from Romania!

Cate: Please welcome Carmen Stefanescu to my special Halloween celebration. Carmen, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Carmen: I live in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

Teacher of English and German in my native country and mother of two daughters, I survived the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the books.

I’ve dreamed all my life to become a writer, but many of the things I wrote during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s regime in 1989, and the opening of the country to the world, especially the Internet, meant a new beginning for me. I started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in English.

Cate: How fascinating. What do you love most about Halloween?

Carmen: In my country we have no Halloween. I mean, we have a tradition, celebrated one month later than your Halloween, on 29^th November night, called St. Andrew’s night. St. Andrew’s night is, in some ways, the equivalent of Halloween. It has a lot of traditions and superstitions. Ghosts come out in the human world, wolves speak the human language and people protect themselves against evil with garlic and spells.

 I’ve always been attracted and fascinated by everything paranormal, odd.  So both your Halloween traditions as well as ours have a certain appeal to me.

Cate: Very cool. I'd never heard of St. Andrew's Night. Have you ever had an unusual experience you couldn’t explain?

Carmen: I had a kind of foreboding before my beloved grandmother died.

Or, as a student at University, I dreamed, twice my maternal grandfather. He was dead at that time, and he told me in my dream the grade I was going to get at my next day exam. And it was exactly that very grade! (I was very close to my maternal grandparents.)

Cate: I love when family crosses over to visit in dreams. :) What frightens you the most?

Carmen: Storms and snakes.

Cate: Ever gone on a ghost tour? Or ghost hunting on your own?

Carmen: Never and I don’t think I’ll ever do it. I’m not so brave.

Cate: Any favorite Halloween recipes you’d care to share?

Carmen: Yes, I have a tasty one. It includes garlic, which is a universal remedy against evil.  It’s nothing complicated even for inexperienced housewives:

Mayonnaise mixed with crushed garlic (4 – 5 cloves of garlic), 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 2 – 3 tablespoons of tomato paste or ketchup. Mix all the ingredients and you get an excellent dressing for any kind of roast – fish, pork, chicken.

Cate: Love it. :) Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it online.

Carmen: It’s a paranormal/ light romance/light horror Shadows of the Past, released by Wild Child Publishing, USA.

Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?

Carmen: Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?

A touching, compelling story of tragedy, loss and the power of endless love and good magic.

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.

Buy Link: Wild Child Publishing

http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=84&products_id=410

 Amazon

 http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-of-the-Past-ebook/dp/B00AK2D9I8/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354874514&sr=1-15&keywords=shadows+of+the+past

All Romance

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadowsofthepast-1013184-140.html

 Buy Link: Barnes & Noble

 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-of-the-past-carmen-stefanescu/1113910162?ean=2940015715026

Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?

Carmen: I read a small article in a Romanian newspaper about a haunted mountain in Britain. The souls of 2 sinners, a nun and a priest who broke their vows and eloped but were caught and killed, couldn’t find eternal rest. At first I wrote a ballad, and then I thought it wasn’t enough and so the novel came to life.

Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?

Carmen: As a native of Dracula’s country I couldn’t resist the temptation and wrote a novel based on the historical character Vlad the Impaler. It’s called, guess how? Well, you guessed it right: Dracula’s Mistress. Hopefully it will be released until the end of 2015. I signed the contract with the same publisher. To while away the time until its release, read Shadows of the Past. If not, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Cate: Congrats, Carmen! Readers, you’re in for a treat – Carmen has a giveaway for you!

Carmen: I offer a free copy of Shadows of the Past to everyone who  leaves a comment here and, important, also joins my blog by Google Friend Connect on my blog page.

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

Please, leave your email in the comment.

Thank you Cate for hosting me today! I really appreciate it!

Cate: Thanks so much for joining the party, Carmen!

Readers, be sure to check out Carmen's links:

http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/

https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books

http://www.pinterest.com/carmens007/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624397.Carmen_Stefanescu

https://plus.google.com/117216040843648957646/posts

http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Stefanescu/e/B00APVDGAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

In the Author Spotlight: Kit Wylde

Cate: Please welcome Kit Wylde. Kit, will you please share a short bio with us?
Kit: Absolutely. Kit Wylde is a pseudonym of Marci Baun. In this guise, I write paranormal and romance stories. Some stories have a combination of both, while others are just one or the other.

Cate: Tell us about Hieroglyphs and where it's available.
Kit: Hieroglyphs, published by Wild Child Publishing, was a story I wrote back in 2001. Like most of my stories, I was in the middle of a conversation and the idea for the story emerged as I was talking. A paranormal with some romantic elements, Hieroglyphs is one of my favorite stories. It combines Egyptian history with the paranormal and reincarnation. With just a dash of romance and a lot of action, it’s fun. However, this story was a little freaky because, as I started to do the research, I discovered that this fictional story I was writing was more truth than fiction. (At least the Egyptian history in it.)

Cate: Sounds fascinating. Cool cover too. Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Kit: Ah, well, I think I’ll give you the blurb then:
When a new hieroglyphic alphabet is discovered on an ancient Egyptian scroll, expert archaeologist Joslyn Wetherly is called in to decipher it. Joslyn is obsessed with the scroll, and that obsession threatens her marriage.
But soon her life is threatened as the secrets of the scroll prove dangerous. Before Joslyn realizes what is happening, she is embroiled in a rivalry between two long-dead pharaohs, their Egyptian gods, and past life karmas.
Will Joslyn survive the secrets revealed in the scroll? Or will she be the next victim of the ancient feud?

Cate: Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Kit: In this case, it’s a heroine. (g) She is married, so some romance is involved, but this is more the story of Joslyn, an imperfect woman who must battle some pretty big odds to survive. Does she? Ah, you’ll have to read it to find out. :)

Cate: Very cool. Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Kit: Hm… That’s tough. I would just say my style of writing.

Cate: What's next for you?
Kit: I’m not sure. The other day I had the beginnings of an idea for a story with a Valkyrie heroine. It would be an urban fantasy, but when I’ll have the time to do the research and write it, well, that’s another story. I suppose what I should do is finish my chapter book series The Whispering House first. LOL The problem is that I wrote myself into a corner and now have to figure out to get myself out of that stupid corner. It’s a spooky paranormal with romance and some steamy scenes. LOL

Cate: That sounds very cool too! What inspired you to draft your first story?
Kit: My first story was Last Chance. It was originally published by Wild Child when a magazine back in 1999. We had just started the magazine and needed some stories. I had never really considered myself a writer (and still don’t, really. I enjoy writing and would like to do more, but time is a big, big challenge for me.) However, the response to that story was amazing. I had readers write to tell me that they’d read it several times because they loved it so much. Balm for my ego, I must say. LOL

Cate: Now I have comment envy. :) Do you have a writing routine?
Kit: Nope. No time for it. I’d probably write more if I did, but then if I did, I’d get a lot less editing, promoting, etc., done, and I don’t think the authors would be too happy with that. (g)

Cate: I know I'm grateful for all your hard work at Freya's and Wild Child! Where can readers find you on the web?
Kit: You can find me at: http://kitwylde.blogspot.com/ . Where am I at most of the time? Facebook: http://facebook.com/wildchildpublishing. Er, working. Yeah, working. (g)

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Kit: What compels you to take a second look at a book? Is it the cover? The blurb? The excerpt? A combination?

Cate: Readers, Kit is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner and post the name here, so be sure to check back.
Thanks for being my guest, Kit! Best of luck to you, in both guises!

In the Author Spotlight: Dee Julian

Cate: Please welcome Dee Julian to the Author Spotlight. Dee, will you please share a short bio with us?
Dee: Hi Cate. Thanks for inviting me to your blog. I live in Memphis, TN with my husband, two college age kids, and four dogs. I write historical romances, and I began writing about ten years ago. My first novel just got published with Wild Child Publishing in June of 2009. There were a few years in between that I didn’t write at all because I’d gotten discouraged, but now I’m back on track.

Cate: Glad to hear it. Tell us about The Macgregor's Daughter and where it's available.
Dee: Currently, The Macgregor’s Daughter is an ebook, but it's available in several different formats. Rated as sweet yet lightly sensual, it can be purchased through Wild Child Publishing, but it’s also listed with All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, Bookstrand, Fictionwise, Mobipocket, and OmniLit.

Cate: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Dee: Sure!!
In 1776 England, American born Anadreya Macgregor is branded a spy by the arrogant Marquis of Canderlay. Despite her pleas of innocence, he refuses to listen and has her imprisoned. Aided by the Scottish father she never knew, Dreya escapes to Dragon's Breath Castle.
Five years later, the laird is missing and a badly injured Frenchman washes ashore. Dreya is wary of the blind and amnesic man, though something about him is hauntingly familiar. Is he an ally or a ruthless mercenary who stumbled upon her father's smuggling activities?
The stranger's vision and memory gradually return, and Dreya discovers her fate and the continued existence of her beloved clan might very well be in his hands.
As the web of deception binding them together unravels, both are in danger of losing everything. Including their hearts.

To read four exciting excerpts, visit www.deejulian.com

Cate: Love it - and love love love that cover! What inspired you to write about the theme?
Dee: Historical romances have always been a favorite of mine. I can get lost for hours reading such books. When I decided to try my hand at writing, I naturally gravitated toward the historical genre. With The Macgregor’s Daughter, I needed a strong conflict for the two main characters, so I chose opposites sides of the Revolutionary War. I think it worked out perfectly.

Cate: How do you develop your plots and characters?
Dee: I usually have a general idea of the plot, and it gradually expands as I’m writing. For the most part, the hero and heroine stay within certain perimeters. They are always noble with a strong sense of duty and honor. They are loyal to a fault, and in almost every situation they do what their conscience demands. If they stray from the normal, you can be sure there’s a darn good reason. Their individual personalities develop as the story moves along. The secondary characters are the easiest for me. They don’t have to conform to such strict guidelines. I have the most fun when writing their scenes.

Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Dee: Yes and yes. They become my best friends in a sense that I’m always trying to think of ways to get them back together because I know they’ll be miserable apart. Several times in this book I ran into writer’s block, and later on I’d “dream” the solution on how the scene should be written. Strange? Yes, but not as strange as when my characters argue with me in my head. For instance, my publisher once asked me if the two main characters of The Macgregor’s Daughter would ever show up again. I answered, “No,” with an additional, “When the story is finished, there’s nothing more for the characters to say.” Apparently Dreya didn’t agree. She wanted the Macgregor Clan to live on, and I finally gave in. Turns out her daughter is grandmother to the hero of the story I’m writing now. Who would’ve thought?

Cate: What's next for you?
Dee: Promise Me is set in 1866 England, and I’m almost finished. Here’s a blurb:
When a hasty promise to her dying fiancé jeopardizes the future of his illegitimate child, Lady Leah Sheridan vows to make amends for the gentleman’s lack of honor by personally seeing to his son’s financial needs. One year later, the boy’s heartless mother abandons him, and Leah has no choice but to take him in. As she finds herself nearing a disastrous scandal, her fiancé’s older brother returns demanding answers she swore never to divulge. Will Leah break her promise and confide in the only man who can keep them both safe?

Cate: Any other published works?
Author: Not yet.

Cate: Describe your writing in three words.
Dee: Sweet…my stories focus more on the romance.
Humorous…a little back and forth banter from the hero and heroine makes for great dialogue.
Attention-grabbing…this book includes a fair amount of action to keep the reader hooked.

Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Dee: For me, the challenge was finding the right publisher. There are so many scammers and vanity publishers out there, and it’s hard for new writers to sort through all the confusion. Now, most of the traditional publishers won’t even consider your work without an agent. Agents? That’s another thorn. They are overworked, and their slush piles are a mile high. More than half don’t even give you the courtesy of a reply. The most rewarding, of course, is not only finally getting published, it’s receiving great reviews from reputable review sites. I’m always thrilled when someone actually “gets” the story I wrote.

Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your book?
Dee: I would have to say it was the comment from Snapdragon at Long and Short Reviews who wrote:
“The shining star here is the simply fantastic dialogue. It is always fast-paced and believable, sometimes heartfelt, sometimes full of innuendo, and always always revealing. A great story that I have to recommend.”
Contest judges have told me that I write great dialogue, but to have a reviewer write this comment just adds a little more validity.

Cate: And it was voted Book of the Week! Congrats!
Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Dee: My all time favorite author is Jill Tattersall. She created memorable stories with remarkable characters who stayed with you long after the last thrilling page. Sadly, I don’t have much time to read nowadays. I’m sure when I finally retire from this business, I’ll return to my old haunts and find a few new treasures to cherish.

Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Dee: I’m on Face Book, but I can also be contacted through my web site at: www.deejulian.com

Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Dee: Have you ever gotten so into a romantic movie, your heart is racing and you’re sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the beautiful finale, when out of the blue the hero suddenly dies, and without a hiccup the heroine marries his best friend? Yeah, me too. That’s not romance. It’s a tragedy. Not to knock Hollywood, but I’m not sure they know the difference. My books always end with happily ever afters. You can count on it.

Thank you, Cate! It was a pleasure chatting with you!
If any of your readers would like a chance to win a copy of The Macgregor’s Daughter, they can visit my website and leave a comment in the guest book. I hold monthly drawings for a free read.

Cate: Thanks again for being my guest, Dee!

New contract for historical novel!

My gloomy Wednesday brightened when I opened my email and found - a new contract! Hooray! Freya's Bower will release my historical adventure-romance novel, Angels Sinners and Madmen, set in 1800s Key West.
About five years ago, my family went to Key West for a vacation. While visiting a mariner museum, I had a vivid vision of a story (no alcohol was involved, I swear!). It hijacked my few days on the island. While my husband and kids went snorkeling and parasailing, I spent the day in the Key West library, copying any and all old documents I could dredge up from the stacks. Then I visited another museum, the house of a wrecker captain.
Finally, last year, I decided I'd waited long enough. I signed up for NaNoWriMo and wrote the bulk of Angels Sinners and Madmen.
What's a wrecker, you ask? Well, you'll have to read my novel to find out! They're fascinating, actually. And though I was not interested in the subject of history in school, I found writing a historical fascinating, too.
I'll post more on Angels Sinners and Madmen later. Right now, it's time for a happy dance!

4-Ribbon review for Liberation via Pen!

Wow, I had good news in my email today! Pamela Denise of Romance Junkies gave Liberation via Pen a 4-ribbon review!

Here's the entire review:

Krista believed she had the perfect relationship with her boyfriend Ethan of two years. Then one day, on an outing, he abruptly breaks it off with her causing her world to shatter. Heartbroken, she can’t see or do anything without thinking of Ethan, which costs her the new job she’d just landed. She finally lifts herself out of the emotional gutter she’d fallen into. She starts a search for a new job, deciding that she needs to be able to pay for food and shelter for herself and Verisimilitude, her cat.
Krista finds immediate work at a bookstore and decides it’s just what she is looking for. In walks Todd and things seem to become brighter for her. He invites her to a writers meeting where she finds inspiration to write her own story. As she puts the pen to paper about her failed relationship with Ethan, she is able to better comprehend what happened. Todd is there to help with advice and support along the way.
Krista’s story is a published success and she finds herself ready to take the next step with Todd. However, things don’t continue to go so smoothly. She may have missed her chance with Todd and when Ethan finds out their relationship has become public knowledge he isn’t too happy. He shows up wanting compensation and another chance with Krista.
LIBERATION VIA PEN is a great story. Cate Masters does an exceptional job working out her plot. I could feel Krista’s emotions and sympathize with the upheaval of her breakup. The empowerment displayed towards the end was uplifting. Any woman who has been in Krista’s shoes will enjoy this read.

Thanks so much, Pamela!