Author Interview – Mark David Major & Layce Boswell @markdmajor

Mark David Major

Are there any new authors that have sparked your interest and why?
MARK: I seem to be reading a lot of Swedish authors lately. I don’t know why.

What contributes to making a writer successful?
MARK: Love what you’re writing and the rest will take care of itself. If you don’t love writing, then you’re in the wrong gig.

Do you have any advice for writers?
MARK: Write what you love and the rest will take care of itself. Don’t ever underestimate the importance of editing what you write. However, ‘always cut what you love the most’ (a sentence, a scene, and such) is a surprisingly effective rule of thumb to follow.

What are your goals as a writer?
MARK: To write what I love and hope people like or love it, today, tomorrow or some point in the future even after I’m gone.

What do you do to unwind and relax?
LAYCE: I like listening to music, watching Disney films, and riding my bike.

MARK: Hanging out with dog Izzy, watching a film, indulging in guilty-pleasure TV shows. My TV schedule is as, chronologically by day: The Walking Dead/Falling Skies (Sunday); How I Met Your Mother (Monday); New Girl (Tuesday); Survivor (Wednesday); and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team (Friday).

Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers?
MARK: A squeaky wheel never points north.

An Infinitesimal Abundance of Color, written by Mark David Major and beautifully illustrated by Layce Boswell, tells the simple story of a father answering his daughter’s questions at bedtime.

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Genre – Juvenile Fiction/Bedtime and Dreams

Rating – G

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Connect with Mark David Major, Layce Boswell on Facebook and Twitter

Author Interview – K. R. Raye @KRRaye

Do you find it hard to share your work?  No, I send my writing to people all the time.  I’m constantly asking for feedback from readers to see what characters and scenes they liked and hated, and why.  Every reaction helps you grow as a writer.

Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you?  100% yes!  My family shares our valuable time together so that I can attend writers’ group meetings, book festivals, and conferences.  My mother had a hand in selling a large chunk of my first week’s sales.  And my friends have purchased, read, and generated a large word of mouth following.

Do you plan to publish more books?  Yes, of course!  The next two books in The Colors Trilogy, The Colors of Love and True Colors, publish November 19, 2013 and March 25, 2014 respectively.  Plus, my boys are making me write a trilogy now, just for them (YA SciFi).

What other jobs have you had in your life?  I’ve enjoyed a very diverse career working as a mechanical engineer, adjunct professor, in sales, marketing, computer information systems, and operations.

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?  I studied mechanical engineering and I also received my MBA.

True friendship endures all obstacles…right?

Three college friends search for true love, NFL fame, and a successful engineering career. Will one friend’s quest for happiness endanger all three of their lives?

Naïve, romantic Melody Wilkins aims to find true love at college just like her parents. But will she sacrifice her soul to obtain it?

No-nonsense Imani Jordan strives for good grades and a chemical engineering degree. When a friendship offers more, will she follow her head or her heart?

Lance Dunn is only serious about two things: football and protecting his girls, Melody and Imani. When a threat enters their lives and tests their friendship, can he stop it before it kills them?

After the torrents of jealousy, sex, and abuse subside, will their friendship survive…The Colors of Friendship?

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Genre – New Adult, Contemporary

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with K R Raye on Facebook and Twitter

Website http://krraye.com/events.html

 

 

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview - H. Peter Alesso

How important do you think villains are in a story?

The villain is the second most critical character in the story after the protagonist. It’s through the strength of the villain, that we measure the strength of the hero. The villain must be fully developed and shown in every light in order to understand his motivations and thusly the hero’s. A great villain makes a great hero.

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Yes. Sometimes the arc of a story or a particular behavior of a character seems to cause a logical or emotional contradiction to the progress of the story. I find I can’t continue to write until this conundrum is resolved. Working through such a block takes as long as it takes. Fortunately I have found this is always a way forward if your patiently search for it.

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot?

Friends and relationships accrued over a lifetime are valuable resources to draw on while constructing characters and scenes. It’s difficult to match individuals you have known to the imaginary beings populating your story, so I find that my characters a composite of persons I may have known over the years along with a rich imagination creating synthetic personalities.

Have you developed a specific writing style?

I think I have by now. I find I can erect an outline for a scene or chapter from a germ of an idea fairly quickly.  Though I’d like to think I have more room to develop further skills as I continue to write.

What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Truth. I believe my works represent a truth of spirit. My characters are true to their described nature and the events they participate in are true to their described psychology. Even the imaginary world I describe must be true to a potential time line for human development.

As the last star fighter in squadron 111, Midshipman Henry Gallant is on his way from Jupiter to Mars. With the United Planets’ fleet on the verge of annihilation, he can expect no help as he passes through the asteroid belt and threatening aliens. With so much uncertainty about the aliens’ capabilities and intentions, analyzing the captured computer equipment in Gallant’s possession could prove crucial. The fate of Earth could rest on the abilities of Midshipman Henry Gallant. Unfortunately, it is his abilities that have been much in doubt during his tour of duty.

In an era of genetic engineering, he is the only Natural (non-genetically enhanced) officer left in the fleet. His classmates and superior officers have all expressed their concern that he will not be up to the demands of the space service.

Only bright and attractive junior officer Kelsey Mitchel has shown any sympathy for him. Now as his navigator on the last fighter in squadron 111, her life as well as a good many others, depends of Henry Gallant.

Buy Now @ Amazon and Smashwords

Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – G

More details about the author and the book

Connect with H. Peter Alesso on Facebook

Website http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview – Christoph Paul @christophPaul_

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?

Khadija, the first wife of The Prophet Mohammed.

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?

I love to watch sports or play them. Movies too. Books aren’t relaxing I read them but I am taking notes in my head.

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax?

Sunning tanning and sex

How often do you write? And when do you write?

As much as I can, whenever I can. I will never be a great marketer or a hack, so I am going to beat them by being prolific.

Have you met any people in the industry who have really helped you?

Yes. Stephen C. Mitchell is great guy who did the documentary of Kings of Leon. Unintentionally our talks really taught me about structure and craft.

Great White Sharks Attack the White House!

The Federal Government is behind on its loans and Chinese President Xi Jinping wants his money. Having brought members of the China Task Force together in the White House for a meeting, Jinping, with the help of weather control and PETA, unleashes genetically modified great white sharks in an effort to force President Obama and the C.T.F. to make the tough decisions on how to meet the dear communist’s commands.

Can the C.T.F. escape the wrath of Red China and the great white killers, or will Obama be forced to disband the government and bring the country to brink of anarchy?

Paul and Thomas (the writers of G.W.H., not a folk group) have weaved a wicked tale of governments run amuck in this “grindhouse” novella. With elements of “South Park” meets “Sharknado” meets “Olympus has Fallen” meets “White House Down” meets other movies/TV shows featuring charismatic black presidents, G.W.H. illustrates just how far politicians can be pushed as they work to survive the horror of the ocean’s greatest murderers. America has bills to pay and China’s “loan sharks” are ready to collect that debt in blood.

These sharks don’t see Red or Blue—they are equal opportunity eaters.

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Genre – Fiction, Humor

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Christoph Paul on Facebook & Twitter

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview - Di Worrall @DiWorrall

What book should everybody read at least once?

All leaders should read Marshall Goldsmith’s “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”

Are there any books you really don’t enjoy?

Historical Novels

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Marketing

What marketing works for you?

A mix of different channels across the digital spectrum. The OB tour is a great way to connect with people who are specifically interested in the things I write about such as leadership, HR Organisational Development, business transformation and change

Do you find it hard to share your work?

Not at all

Accountability Leadership Saves Tech Company

In 2005, HCL Technologies was in trouble.

The Delhi-based IT firm was losing market share, as competitors grew by 50% annually.

By 2009, HCL’s president, Vineet Nayar had turned the company around, nearly tripling annual revenues and doubling market capitalisation despite the recession.

Nayar accomplished all this through a top-down culture of accountability, beginning with the leadership qualities of himself—the CEO—and other senior managers.

The Rules Of Accountability Have Changed

Great business leaders understand that acceptance of greater personal accountability and responsibility leads organisations back on the path to success.

But with the evolving nature of 21st century business, the practical steps that go into creating a high performance culture of accountability have become more muddled than ever.

Many organisations have seen temporary improvements, implementing traditional systems of accountability in an attempt to drive high performance in the workplace—only to quickly revert back to their old ways, or worse.

Accountability Leadership Will Teach You:

• What it really takes to lead a high performance culture of accountability
• Why so many of today’s employees avoid personal accountability and responsibility like the plague, and how to reverse that trend
• How to sustain great performance through inspiring feedback, feed-forward and follow-through
• What an accountability plan is, how to create one, and why it’s considered the “secret weapon” behind successful business transformation

Filled with real world case studies and straightforward, easy to digest research, Accountability Leadership offers practical solutions that are direct, engaging, fast, cost-effective, proven, and easy to implement…

Immediate, Concrete Solutions You’ll Take Away From This Book Include:

• How to transform the “dark side” of accountability into a positive force for change
• Why carrots and sticks no longer work—and what they’ve been replaced with
• How to create compelling consequences that inspire people to perform at their best, and achieve the ultra productive workstate known as “flow”
• Crack the code of high accountability conversations, turning confrontation into a productive and positive opportunity

Accountability Leadership Also Sheds Light On Topics Like…

• How negativity bias covertly sabotages your feedback loop with your employees
• The optimal ratio for positive to negative comments in feedback
• The right amount of autonomy to give employees—without overdoing it
• What lack of recognition is really doing to your workforce (hint: it’s staggering)
• The surprising biochemical effect of praise, and why it cannot fail

Plus, You’ll Also Receive A Special Bonus

Reader’s can claim an exclusive 20-minute podcast interview with top-rated thought leader Marshall Goldsmith, sharing his powerful experiences and groundbreaking ideas on coaching for accountability leadership—absolutely free.

A Personal Message From The Author

Accountability is arguably the number-one issue that makes or breaks leadership performance today. Yet most of us were never taught this critical skill—not by our parents, teachers or business leaders.

The good news is, accountability can be coached.

The ideas in this book draw from extensive research and 25 years experience working with executives to improve performance through high accountability.

These ideas work.

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Genre - Business, Leadership, Workplace Behaviour, Human Resources, Executive Coaching

Rating – PG

More details about the author

Connect with Di Worrall on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.diworrall.com.au/

Author Interview - April Bostic

What inspired you to write your first book?
British actor, Toby Hemingway, and watching the movies, The Notesbook and Meet Joe Black.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
Showing the reader what’s happening in the story and not telling them. I don’t think I’ve mastered that skill too well.
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
Yes. I applied some of the criticism I received from reviewers for my first novel, and tried not to make the same mistakes with The Howling Heart. So far, the issues people had with my first novel aren’t being repeated this time around.
Do you intend to make writing a career?
No, it’s too difficult for me to continue to write and deliver quality stories.
Have you developed a specific writing style?
I like to be very detailed to help readers imagine what I’m writing, but I’ve found I’m not as fancy and colorful as some other authors. I don’t have an extensive vocabulary, so my writing is pretty simple and clear.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
Writing believable characters.
Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I always suffer writer’s block. Sometimes it’s so extreme that I tell myself I’m not going to write anymore. I usually end up writing again later at some point.

Paige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when she’s given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies, and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.

Soon, she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv–wolves descended from 13th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but she never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack.

Now, she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.

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Genre – Paranormal Romance

Rating – Adult

More details about the author

Connect with April Bostic on Goodreads

Website http://www.aprilbostic.com/

Author Interview – Michael J. Bowler @BradleyWallaceM

Are you reading any interesting books at the moment?

I’m currently slogging my way through the “Song of Ice and Fire” series, though I’m not loving it as I was told by friends I likely would. I’m maybe five hundred pages into the second book but don’t feel compelled to pick it up every day. These books are well written, but slow moving. Since I tend to write YA books, I like to read current YA that is popular just to see what kids like.

I just finished “City of Bones” and found that one uninvolving to the point I’ll not read the sequels. I realize I’m not the target audience for books like that, but I loved the Harry Potter and original Percy Jackson series so some do interest me. I’m just about to begin The Fault in Our Stars, which I’ve heard is an outstanding book, and I try to support fellow Harmony Ink authors if they write something I think I might enjoy.

Are there any new authors who have sparked your interest and why?

J.R. Lenk, who wrote one book, published in 2012, called Collide, is an up and coming talent to watch. I wrote a long review for Amazon and Goodreads because I was so impressed by the writing and the maturity of the writing, especially given that Lenk was seventeen when he wrote it. Normally, I wouldn’t have read a book like that because it’s a niche I didn’t read, but I stumbled upon it scrolling through Goodreads and when I learned the author’s age (eighteen upon publication), as a long-time high school teacher I wanted to check it out.

It may not be your cup of tea and, as I pointed out in my review, I couldn’t relate to any of the experiences the high school kids had in the story, but the raw emotions this author was able to conjure sucked me in and entangled my heart and got me totally caught up within the lives of his two main characters. A book’s description has to interest me more than the author or I won’t read the book, but Lenk is an amazing writer and I will at least consider reading whatever he releases next.

How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

The sheer scope of this story was a bit intimidating. It’s the first of a trilogy and each subsequent installment begins exactly where the previous one ended, almost as though they were all one book. Thus I had to map out all three of them even as I was writing the first one so everything would connect and add up.

There are also a lot of characters, and the overriding goal of gaining more rights for kids in this country is so huge that I have been working nonstop since June of 2012 to complete the series, while also helping get the current book edited and ready for publication. My advice to other writers might be, “think smaller” in terms of plot. Ha! While my book has distinct fantasy elements and is, at heart, a fable, it is set in the real world of today and the issues it depicts and decries are very real and very destructive. Thus it was a delicate balancing act to make the story play out in a believable fashion. Hopefully, I succeeded!

Have you ever considered anyone as a mentor?

I had two amazing English teachers in high school and three in college who really inspired me and encouraged my writing. They spent lots of time helping me shape my ideas and thoughts and express them in ways that others could read and enjoy. Plus, the high school teachers had such a positive, nurturing influence on me that I wanted to go into teaching as well as writing so I could perhaps touch the lives of kids the way they had touched mine.

On the non-education side, Father Greg Boyle, who runs Homeboy Industries is a friend and mentor and a personal hero of mine. I’ve learned an extraordinary amount about humility, decency, compassion, and unbending resolve from this remarkable man.

What’s your greatest strength as a writer?

Some writers have outstanding descriptive abilities or poetic ways to turn a phrase. I’m not one of those. Ha! My greatest strength, based on reader responses to my work, is in creating characters readers like and can relate to, no matter how fantastical the plot might be. My second book, A Matter of Time, involved time travel and an intricate plot with supernatural elements, but readers said it all worked on the strength of the characters and how well I created their inner lies and emotions.

I’ve been getting the same response to Children of the Knight, which pleases me. The books I loved most growing up weren’t necessarily those with the fanciest prose, but rather those wherein I got emotionally caught up with the characters, could relate to those characters, and truly cared what befell those characters. That kind of emotional attachment to fictional people is what I strive for in my writing, and it seems I am succeeding.

According to legend, King Arthur is supposed to return when Britain needs him most. So why does a man claiming to be the once and future king suddenly appear in Los Angeles?

This charismatic young Arthur creates a new Camelot within the City of Angels to lead a crusade of unwanted kids against an adult society that discards and ignores them. Under his banner of equality, every needy child is welcome, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, or gang affiliation.

With the help of his amazing First Knight, homeless fourteen-year-old Lance, Arthur transforms this ragtag band of rejected children and teens into a well-trained army-the Children of the Knight. Through his intervention, they win the hearts and minds of the populace at large, and gain a truer understanding of themselves and their worth to society. But seeking more rights for kids pits Arthur and the children squarely against the rich, the influential, and the self-satisfied politicians who want nothing more than to maintain the status quo.

Can right truly overcome might? Arthur’s hopeful young knights are about to find out, and the City of Angels will never be the same.

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Genre – Edgy Young Adult

Rating – PG13

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Connect with  Michael J. Bowler on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://michaeljbowler.com/

#Author J.B. McCauley Shares An #Excerpt of His Debut Novel @MccauleyJay #Thriller

Have you developed a specific writing style? I write like I speak. Contemporary London style but in way that creates small montages of pictures.

What is your greatest strength as a writer? Honesty.

Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it? Yes. For two weeks couldn’t find a credible connection between two events. It came to me eventually in a dream.

Can you share a little of your current work with us? Yes.

The Mile End Mambo

1990

He held him in his arms and looked into the glassy eyes. Yellow flecks dotted the cornea. This boy was dead a long time before Roger had run him through. He knew the look. Too much top shelf and not enough down time.
 
The body from which life dramatically seeped away began to convulse. It would not be a Hollywood death. It would be a harsh demise for this gangster. Unexpected but unavoidable. He had stepped on the wrong toes and nobody touched Roger’s patch. 
 
The big screen had always glamorised death but there was nothing glamorous about having a gaping 12-inch gash where your stomach had once been. Roger’s white shirt was splattered with blood and sputum. He noted to himself with an air of cold detachment that he would have to dispose of it later. The boy soldier’s back arched in agony. A gurgling noise rushed from his throat and then he was gone.
 
Roger put his arm underneath the boy’s knees and slowly lifted him from the red morass that had filled the doorway. He cradled him in his arms and walked slowly along the pavement. A young couple averted their gaze as he struggled with the limp body. They knew not to look. This was after all the witching hour in the East End. What you don’t see, you can’t tell. He turned the corner and moved into another shop doorway. It was a Dixon’s electrical shop exalting the latest stereos and TV’s.

Roger placed the body carefully on the ground. He took one final look at what 10 minutes ago had been the epitome of arrogance, bravery and youth, then left. He walked quickly to the edge of Walters Street, turned into Burden and darted through a now deserted car park and onto Rially. He saw a red telephone box just up from Dunston Road. He opened the door and tried to ignore the stench of piss and shit. He dialled the number and waited patiently for the connection.

“Rudi?”

His rich baritone West-Indian voice caressed the receiver.

“Yeah, he’s in Dixon’s shopfront on Walters Street.” He paused, digesting the question on the other end of the line.

“Yeah he’s dead. Dead as a door nail. See you at home.”

With that, he hung up the phone and disappeared into the night. His red Rasta beanie swaying as he loped through the shadows. The victim wouldn’t be missed. Roger had nothing to fear. The status quo had been maintained and an example had been made.

Most of all, Rudi would be pleased.

How did you come up with the title? It is my DJ pseudonym and was a gift from a friend

Do you plan to publish more books? If this one sells enough it will allow me time to start one very soon. Otherwise the next one will be a very long process.

What else do you do to make money, other than write? It is rare today for writers to be full time… I cannot reveal that to you. It is very secret squirrel undercover work.

What other jobs have you had in your life? So many its ridiculous. Nightclub owner. DJ. Journalist. Radio host. Gardener. International finance dealer. Bouncer. Barman. Scriptwriter.

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick? History

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?  I am where I want to be. Australia is beautiful but I wouldn’t mind spending time in Paris again or the French Pyrenees. I love that region.

How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? Computer at a desk. I have tried using dictation to type software but the words don’t seem to flow at the right pace.

Where do you get support from? Do you have friends in the industry? From all those that care to listen.
 

The King of Sunday Morning is a geezer. Not in the traditional sense of the word as in old man. This geezer is a face, a wannabe, a top notch bloke. He is the greatest DJ that never was. He should have been. Could have been. Would have been. Now becoming a has-been. 

Tray McCarthy was born into privilege but with the genetic coding of London’s violent East End. Having broken the underworld’s sacred honour code, it is only his family’s gangland connections that save him. But in return for his life, he must deny that which he has ever known or ever will be and runs to Australia where he is forced to live an inconsequential life. 

But trouble never strays far from Tray McCarthy and eventually his past and present collide to put everyone he has ever loved in danger. He must now make a stand and fight against those that are set to destroy him and play their game according to his rules. 

Set against the subterfuge and violence of the international drugs trade, The King of Sunday Morning is the tale of what can go wrong when you make bad decisions. Tray McCarthy has made some of the worst. He must now save those he holds dear but in the process gets trapped deeper and deeper into a world where he doesn’t belong. 

“I want three pump-action shotguns, about twelve sticks of dynamite and a blowtorch” 

THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, FREQUENT DRUG USE AND SEX SCENES – NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE 

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Thriller, Action, Suspense, Gangster, Crime, Music

Rating – PG-18

More details about the author

Connect with J.B. McCauley on Facebook & Twitter

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Author Interview – Ernest Dempsey @ErnDempsey

Can you share a little of your current work with us? The Dream Rider is an up-tempo Science Fiction Novel about a boy who travels to another world in his dreams, and saves an entire planet from an evil emperor. Is it real or just a dream? You decide.

How did you come up with the title? Honestly, it was the first thing that came to my head so I stuck with it because it sounded cool and went right along with the content.

Can you tell us about your main character? Finn McClaren is an average college student. He comes from an Irish American dad and a Mexican American mom. He is mediocre at everything in life and, while he hates being so average, he also finds security in his non-dramatic life.

How did you develop your plot and characters? I wrote the thing twice, got to about halfway done and threw it away. Twice. That was like 80,000 words I totally scrapped. I started over because I didn’t like where the story was going and the flow. I guess I just saw the plot in my head, and the characters too. They are based on people I’ve seen in life.

Who designed the cover? Greg DeCicco. With oil paints. He’s ridiculously talented.

Who is your publisher? Enclave Publishing.

Why did you choose to write this particular book? Seemed like a fun concept and people need something other than vampire and zombie books to read.

What was the hardest part about writing this book? Getting the end right.

Did you learn anything from writing this book and what was it? Lucid dreaming might be a real thing.

How do you promote this book? I do very little promotion. I promote my blog, and therein, the book. But I rarely tell people to buy anything. I did a little bit with my subscribers and Facebook followers but other than that, not much promo.

Will you write others in this same genre? Yep. Sequel to this one is coming around the holidays.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre –  Science Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author

Connect with Ernest Dempsey on Facebook  & Twitter

Website http://ernestdempsey.net/

Author Interview – Brian Cormack Carr @vitalvocation

Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it – What keeps you going? Writing can be a reward in itself, because it’s enjoyable.  But it’s also great to get feedback.  That’s why it’s so important for writers to develop a good social media presence these days, I think.  It’s really important to engage through social media.  I use Facebook and Twitter, but the key to it all is to have your own website.  I think a website and an associated mailing list are essential tools in an indie authors arsenal, because they can really help you connect with your readership.  When I was deciding on the cover for How To Find Your Vital Vocation (http://www.viewbook.at/vitalvocation) I “crowdsourced” views on the potential covers on my blog as well as through social media.  The response was terrific, and gave me a real boost.  It made me realise that my book really did have an audience out there. http://vitalvocation.com/help-me-choose-the-cover-of-my-job-hunting-and-careers-book/
What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel? In  terms of my nonfiction writing, I want them to get something useful from my writing: practical tools they can use to build a better life and career.  In terms of my fiction – which I will be publishing soon – I’d want them to feel the way I feel when I’m reading a good fiction book.  Captivated and involved, and transported into the world of the story.  That’s the magic of good writing – it can take you out of yourself.
What movie do you love to watch? Recently, I’ve been enjoying the Swedish “Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” series.  I love how multi-layered the plots are.  There’s a core mystery at the heart of the story, along with some interesting sub-plots, and of course interesting – and somewhat mysterious – characters.  The perfect ingredients for a good film.  Or a good book…
How do you feel about social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter? Are they a good thing? I think social media is a really important tool for indie authors.  Sites like Facebook and Twitter aren’t the be all and end all (I think your own website and a mailing list are far more important in terms of online presence) but they are incredibly useful in helping us to build our online platform. If you want your writing to be read – and who doesn’t? – then you have to maximise the opportunities that readers have to find you, and social media can really help with that.  The trick is to make sure it doesn’t become a chore to maintain.  A balance has to be struck.  I wrote about building an author platform recently, and in that article I talk about the importance of social media.  http://www.cormackcarr.com/2012/09/02/building-an-author-platform/
If you could do any job in the world what would you do? The job I’m doing.  That’s just as well, considering my first book How To Find Your Vital Vocation (http://www.viewbook.at/vitalvocation) is about finding your dream job!  It’s a privilege to do the work I do.  I manage a great charity, and coach terrific people, and I’m able to write and get my work out there into the world.  I’m proud that I figured out the work that would make me happy and that I took the time to build it.  I’m excited to see how this portfolio career of mine develops.  I’m sure of one thing – my writing will continue to be at the heart of it.
What are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up? My passion is helping people to realise their potential.  We all have dreams inside us and too many of us let them dim before giving them a real chance.  I think giving them a chance – even if they don’t quite take off – leaves us happier than not even trying to make them happen in the first place.  And I don’t make any judgment about what those dreams should look like.  I get irritated at self-help books and pundits who seem to think that everyone wants to be rich and famous and working for minutes a day from a hammock in the Bahamas.  Actually, many of us are very happy doing jobs that some people would consider mundane.  But if they make our heart sing, that’s what matters! How To Find Your Vital Vocation (http://www.viewbook.at/vitalvocation) is all about that.  If I can help another person find their talents and use them to find their ideal work, then my own work has definitely been worth it.

Ready to choose or change your job? Stuck in work you hate? Think the career of your dreams is beyond your reach?

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO FIND YOUR VITAL VOCATION

If you don’t love your work, you deserve better – and with this book at your side, you can get it. A lively and potentially life-changing guide,How To Find Your Vital Vocation sets out a simple-to-follow yet profoundly effective process that will take you step-by-step from wherever you are now to a working life based on your most cherished dreams.

LEARN HOW TO:

• Hear the inner call that’s telling you what will make you truly happy
• Rediscover your gifts and use them to build a perfectly-tailored career
• Identify and overcome the obstacles that stand between you and your ideal work
• Create powerful networks to help you find great jobs that are never advertised
• Find out what it takes to become an entrepreneur of the future
• Maximise the impact of your job applications
• Ace every interview
• Attain reward levels that will help you thrive – even in this tough economy!

Put yourself in charge of your career – once and for all. Packed with valuable insights, powerful exercises and illuminating self-coaching questions, How To Find Your Vital Vocation will help you chart a practical path to a fun and fulfilling livelihood. In this comprehensive resource, expert career coach Brian Cormack Carr shows you how to find your passion and purpose and finally start doing the work you were born to do.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

“Too many of us have gone about finding our livelihood in a haphazard way. Before long, we become a statistic in a job dissatisfaction survey. Happily, it doesn’t have to be that way and Brian Cormack Carr proves it. If you think that work should be about more – much more – than just a way to pay your bills, this book is the roadmap you’ve been looking for. Work with How To Find Your Vital Vocation for a short time and you’ll be working at your real work for a long time.”

~ BARBARA J. WINTER  Bestselling author of Making a Living Without a Job

“Warm, witty and wise. I highly recommend this book. Brian knows his stuff and How To Find Your Vital Vocation is a breath of fresh air.”

~ GRACE OWEN  Executive coach and author of The Career Itch

“I appreciated the step-by-step nature of Vital Vocation. It made finding a new career that much easier, and I’m still amazed at how well it helped me clarify what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

~ DAVID  Member of the Vital Vocation Online Coaching Programme

“Vital Vocation helped me focus after I had spent too long panicking and going nowhere. Now my part-time hobby has grown to a full-time occupation and I’ve finally given up the day job that was making me sad!”

~ STEVEN  Member of the Vital Vocation Online Coaching Programme

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre –  NonFiction / Careers

Rating – G

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Brian Cormack Carr on Facebook  & Twitter

Website http://vitalvocation.com/

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview - Ramz Artso @RamzArtso

How much of the book is realistic?

A lot of it is realistic, especially the ‘penultimate parts’.

Have you included a lot of your life experiences, even friends, in the plot?

No, the book has very little to do with me and my personal life.

How important do you think villains are in a story?

I think villains make up fifty percent of the book. That’s exactly why I give so much attention and great detail to my main villain.

Who is your favorite author and why?

J.K. Rowling is my favorite author, because her Harry Potter books are exceptionally interesting.

Can we expect any more books from you in the future?

You can definitely expect a lot of books from me in the future. And I mean a lot!

Peter Simmons thinks he is an ordinary boy, before he is abducted by a man with certain special abilities, learns of his inescapable destiny, befriends immortals and becomes famous wordlwide. Why? Because Peter Simmons is mankind’s last hope for survival.

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Genre – Young-adult, Action and Adventure, Coming of Age, Sci-fi

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with  Ramz Artso on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://ramzartso.blogspot.com/

Author Interview – Vadim Babenko

What’s your favorite place in the entire world? Outer Banks, NC, USA

How has your upbringing influenced your writing? I received an excellent education – for which I’m very grateful to the Soviet Union, a country that no longer exists. And I grew up reading great Russian literature, which significantly shaped my literary tastes.

Perhaps the most important thing I got from my childhood and my youth is a habit of not being frightened by problems that appear unsolvable, or goals that look unachievable. And that’s important for a writer: when you start a book it often seems impossible to take all those diverse thoughts that scurry through your head and put them into words on a page.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? I read a lot as a child, from the age of four. I considered books to be the most fascinating things in the world, and I always knew I would write fiction myself. I just knew it; no one told me about it or encouraged me in any way. I even had “writer dreams” – line after line of a written text running before my eyes and resounding in my head. I didn’t understand the meaning of the words, but I felt their rhythm.

When and why did you begin writing? At the age of 22, my head suddenly became full of rhymed lines. I had to get rid of them, so I started to write poetry. It was very bad poetry.

How long have you been writing? 30 years.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Literary Fiction

Rating – PG13

More details about the author and the book

Website http://www.vadimbabenko.com/

Author Interview – Brie McGill @briemcgill

How did you come up with the title? Kain is a brainwashed assassin created by the Empire Daitya. I chose the name for its Biblical reference, from the story of Cain and Abel. It tickles me pink to use names that have a mythological or archetypal significance. I like to Hansel and Gretel my way through a novel, leaving a trail of little crumbs of meaning for the reader to follow. It’s a pathology, and I blame my sun sign (Scorpio).

Can you tell us about your main character? Lukian Valentin was born in a collapsing slum in the central megalopolis of the Empire Daitya. His starving parents had no choice but to donate him to the Empire for a tax break. Lucky enough to be born with the genetic markers for success, he was granted entry into the state’s intelligence department. Lukian finds his life empty, meaningless, and fears his secret disgust for the Empire may be slowly driving him insane. Anything less than perfect conduct would warrant his death.

How did you develop your plot and characters? One of the best things I think I did to sculpt Lukian’s depth and credibility was to constantly knock him down and present him with handicaps. Due to the nature of his true self, he has lots of superpower-esque abilities–I did my best to counterbalance these with all kinds of shortcomings, nanomachines for control, ammunition limitations, and exaggerating his social awkwardness to the extreme.

Who designed the cover? I had a blast creating my cover! I built the costume and hired a model to pose. A friend who went to school for makeup and photography decorated him with bruises and took some snapshots. I then sent the photos off to a cover designer, who created all the other art and background imagery, and magically transformed the cover into what you see.

Why did you choose to write this particular book? Kain started brewing in my imagination over seven years ago, but it wasn’t until last year that I got serious about the project and chose to see it through to completion.

Its inspiration comes from a number of places. I read Behold a Pale Horse and Trance Formation of America just after immigrating to Canada, and was severely rattled by those books. I became obsessed with learning about psyops and mind control.

I read about all of these positively insane things, and wondered, what if? Where are we headed, as a society? Where would certain entities take us, as a society, if they simply had their way with the world?

On a personal level, we are all engineered socially to some degree. We are constantly bombarded with images in the media and advertising, being told our life should be a certain way. Coupled with Freudian experiences, imprints left in our minds from early events in life, the truth is, we are all programmed to an incredible degree.

Freedom comes from recognizing one’s programming, and becoming aware of it. People are taught certain things by society and by their parents for the purposes of help and protection–but even the best-intended defense mechanisms can become outdated, or be applied the wrong way. Until a person understands the unconscious mechanisms of the mind, he can only react to situations, rather than respond. I think unconscious emotional programming results in lots of relationship-destroying, knee-jerk arguments and prejudice.

I think, to mature and evolve, we have to become aware of the arsenal of reactionary tools we’ve been given, examine them, and choose to discard the ones that cause harm. Kain is about confronting that programming, and finding the power to choose.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre –  Sci-Fi/Steamy Romance

Rating – R (18+)

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Brie McGill on Facebook  & Twitter

Website http://www.sexdrugsandcyberpunk.com/

 

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview – Michael J. Webb @mjwebbbooks

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?

If I were to go back to college today, I would pursue a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies.  For the foreseeable future, the entire world is going to be focused on a nation that is about the size of New Jersey. Everything on this planet that has happened, is happening, and will happen in the future, culminates in Israel–in my lifetime.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

For now, I would find 5 acres in Evergreen, CO.  My wife and I would build our dream home there.  Eventually, we’ll be living in Jerusalem.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

I’m 2 years into a 5-year plan.  Within 3 years I will be a full-time author, putting out 1 novel a year, living on a 5 acre ranch.  I will also have numerous speaking/teaching engagements, and my wife and I will be travelling the world, partly for research for my novels and partly for fun.  At least one of my novels will be made into a movie, or made-for- T.V. mini-series.  I will be helping others who desire to be published achieve their goal.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?

This is a really fun question!  I would invite Jesus, the Apostle John, Moses, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery, Isaac Newton, Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, whoever designed and built the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid, Lewis and Clarke, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harriet Tubman, and Michael Crichton.

Wouldn’t you like to be there?

What movie do you love to watch?

I have several that I never get tired of watching:  Jeremiah Johnson, Ben Hur, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Alien, and Les Miserable’s with Liam Neeson.  I also love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Inception, Cassablanca and The Maltese Falcon.  My all time favorite television mini-series is Lonesome Dove.

Ethan Freeman, ex-Special Forces Ranger, wakes up to discover he is the sole survivor of a fiery commercial airline crash that killed his entire family. His nightmare is only beginning when he becomes the FBI’s prime suspect. Only Ethan knows he’s not a cold-hearted murderer, but he has no idea what happened to him–and why he alone survived.

He finds an unlikely ally in Sam Weaver, the NTSB Chief Investigator. An ex-military pilot, Sam senses Ethan is innocent. She tries to remain dispassionate in her investigation of the crash even as she finds herself attracted to the man who may be America=s worst homegrown mass-murderer.

Neither Ethan nor Sam realize that shadowy spiritual forces are at work which will alter their lives forever.

A monstrous evil, imprisoned since the time of the Pharaohs, has been released by The Nine, a sinister group of powerful men and women who believe they are the direct descendants of the Anunnaki, ancient Sumerian gods. The demon they have unleashed intends to free The Destroyer from The Abyss, the angelic prison referred to in the Book of Revelation, and unleash a worldwide reign of terror and annihilation.

Facing impossible odds, time is running out for Ethan and all of humanity as he is drawn into an ever-deeper conspiracy–millennia in the making–and learns that he is the key to stopping The Nine. Will he overcome his deepest fears and find reserves of strength he never knew he had as he confronts pure evil in order to save himself and an unsuspecting world?

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Christian Thriller, Fantasy, Adventure

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Michael J. Webb on Facebook & G+ & Twitter

Website http://www.michaeljwebbfiction.com/

GIVEAWAY

The author is giving away the following prizes -- mailed directly to the winner’s email address from Amazon.com.

PRIZES:

5 Kindle copies of Infernal Gates http://amzn.to/18HrDjY

5 Kindle copies of The Oldest Enemy http://amzn.to/RWyv4c

5 Kindle copies of The Master’s Quilt http://amzn.to/Z2SJQS

Author Interview – Pepper Winters @PepperWinters

What genre are you most comfortable writing?
Probably Contemp Romance and Urban Fantasy would be two genres I could be happy writing, but at the moment I’m focusing on Dark Romance and loving it.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general?
The motivation to keep going. To keep editing. To keep improving. It’s a never ending job, a never ending demanding addiction. But if you can keep up the motivation it’s well worth it
Do you intend to make writing a career?
Yes definitely. That’s my end goal. Write full time J
Have you developed a specific writing style?
I think so. I think I’m descriptive and like to paint with my words and help you see it in your head rather than tell you the story. I hope I have achieved this.
What is your greatest strength as a writer?
I’m a fast writer. I think that’s a big asset J

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Dark New Adult Contemporary Romance

Rating – PG-18

More details about the author

Connect with Pepper Winters  on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.pepperwinters.wordpress.com/

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview – Colin Falconer @colin_falconer

What books have most influenced your life?

When I was a little kid my Aunty Ivy used to come down from London on the train and she used to bring these comics with her for me – Classics Illustrated. They were the great literature classics like Les Miserables and MacBeth and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, only there were all done as comics, 52 pages with speak bubbles. I fell in love with stories, with adventure, with romance, with big canvas epic stories right then.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Ken Follett, I think his novels are closest to mine, he has never allowed himself to be boxed into a genre, and there is adventure and romance and great characterisations in all his books. I also like Bernard Cornwell.

Have you started another book yet?

I’m always writing another book! I feel like Keats (just not as good obviously): “I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain.’ I remember our teacher reading that poem to us school and I thought: ‘He’s talking about me!’

Are you reading any interesting books at the moment?

Flannery O’Connor, Wiseblood. My daughter handed me her copy, she’s studying creative writing at Goldsmith University and suggested I read it. It’s sinister, funny, dark and wild. I’ve almost finished Carlos Ruiz Safon’s book about Barcelona Shadow of the Wind and just finished Light Between the Oceans by RL Stedman (it’s set in West Australia where I used to live.) I have several books on the go at once.

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

When I was 18 I left school and got a job in London. One day I was late for the train and I had to take a shortcut through the local churchyard. I remember looking at all the gravestones and working out how long people had lived. Some weren’t very long at all and it made me think that I didn’t want to spend my life in a job I hated. I wanted to travel the world, know adventure, know what love was, touch and feel every aspect of what being alive was all about and – if I was lucky – even maybe get a book published. In the end it happened in reverse – writing was the dream that made all the other things come true – I travelled to research and I met some amazing people through writing or having written. And really you don’t write sitting in a room anyway – you get the material to write from having lived. I like to think I’ve lived a little.

She was taught to obey. Now she has learned to rebel.

12 year old Isabella, a French princess marries the King of England – only to discover he has a terrible secret. Ten long years later she is in utter despair – does she submit to a lifetime of solitude and a spiritual death – or seize her destiny and take the throne of England for herself?

Isabella is just twelve years old when she marries Edward II of England. For the young princess it is love at first sight – but Edward has a terrible secret that threatens to tear their marriage – and England apart.

Who is Piers Gaveston – and why is his presence in the king’s court about to plunge England into civil war?

The young queen believes in the love songs of the troubadours and her own exalted destiny – but she finds reality very different. As she grows to a woman in the deadly maelstrom of Edward’s court, she must decide between her husband, her children, even her life – and one breath-taking gamble that will change the course of history.

This is the story of Isabella, the only woman ever to invade England – and win.

In the tradition of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick, ISABELLA is thoroughly researched and fast paced, the little known story of the one invasion the English never talk about.

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Genre – Historical Fiction

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Colin Falconer on Facebook & Twitter

Website https://colinfalconer.wordpress.com/

Author Interview – Rayne Hall @RayneHall

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?
I enjoy long walks along the seafront and sunbathing on the beach – both if the weather permits. Alas, I live in England, where we have more rain than sunshine.  I also enjoy studying ancient history, container gardening and of course reading.
What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?
Horror stories like the ones in Thirty Scary Tales give the reader the thrill of danger, but also the reassurance that they can shut the book at any time and be safe.
I like to captivate my readers and take them on exciting journeys to new places where they meet new people.  At the same time, I like to open up new perspectives for them, to make them think, and invite them to probe their own conscience. Some of my stories are psychologically disturbing, because readers ask themselves what choices they would have made, how they would have responded to the dilemma, if they could have resisted the temptation, if they would have the moral courage to do what’s right.
I believe that dark fiction invite the reader to explore the boundaries between good and evil in new ways.
What color represents your personality the most?
Navy blue: quiet, deep and dark
How do you feel about social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter? Are they a good thing?
Social media devour valuable writing time! I’ve chosen just one social network  – Twitter – and I use it actively. My followers love interacting with me and reading my tweets because they know I’m genuine.  I like Twitter because tweets are quick to write, and Twitter gives me a lot of control and few distractions, unlike Facebook. I have 39,000 followers, most of them real people who share my reading and writing passions.
If you could do any job in the world what would you do?
I’d be an author, of course!

Thirty creepy, atmospheric stories by Rayne Hall.

The horror in these stories is spooky, creepy, unsettling and sometimes disturbing. It is not very violent or gory; however, the stories may not be suitable for young readers without parental guidance. PG 13.

This book is a compilation of volumes 1-5 of the Six Scary Tales books. It includes the acclaimed stories Burning and The Bridge Chamber.

All stories have been previously published in magazines, ezines, collections and anthologies. British English.

Stories in collection include:
The Devil You Know, Greywalker, Prophetess, Each Stone A Life, By Your Own Free Will, The Bridge Chamber, Only A Fool, Four Bony Hands, The Black Boar, Double Rainbows, Druid Stones, Burning, Scruples, Seagulls, Night Train, Through the Tunnel, Black Karma, Take Me To St. Roch’s, Turkish Night, Never Leave Me, The Colour of Dishonour, Beltane, The Painted Staircase, I Dived The Pandora, Terre Vert and Payne’s Grey, They Say, Tuppence Special, Disturbed Sleep, Normal Considering the Weather, Arete.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre – Horror

Rating – PG-13

More details about the author and the book

Connect with Rayne Hall on Twitter

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview – J.L. Myers @BloodBoundJLM

Who is your publisher?

I am my own publisher. Being self-published I hold all rights to my work and although I did look into traditional publishing, I decided last year that indie pub was the way I wanted to go. If any aspiring writers are looking to take the indie route I’m always happy to offer advice from my own experience of the process. Just contact me here http://bloodboundnovels.com/contact/

Why did you choose to write this particular book?

Firstly I absolutely love anything vampire or werewolf related, even before the Twilight buzz. All other supernatural creatures intrigue me too, but vamps and wolves will always be my favourites. So I had my character species sorted. On top of that I wanted to tell a story about love, and how anything worth loving in life is worth fighting for. Amelia’s journey to find true love was never going to be an easy one, but I hope the reader comes away with the belief that all her pain, struggles and self-growth are worth the outcome of finding ‘the one’.

What was the hardest part about writing this book?

I think the hardest part about writing this book was pinning down Amelia’s character. In the draft she was rather weak and flat, and definitely not how I had envisioned her to be. This lack of character depth was one of the reasons I went through the tedious revision process to learn how to fix this—the first time around. What came out of this process was a strong heroine who fights for what she wants, and who will spout insult in her enemies face even when her death is seconds away. I hope you love reading her as much as I loved re-creating her character.

Will you write others in this same genre?

The Blood Bound Series will be at least 4 books in length, so yes, I will definitely be writing more books in the Paranormal Romance genre. Post this series I do have a psychological thriller I’m committed to writing, but past that the many other book ideas I have in Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy will be next in line.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I want my readers to believe that although they might be different and feel like an outsider, intruder, or someone who just doesn’t belong, that there is always someone out there in the world who does and will accept them no matter what. I also want my readers to know that no matter how dark things seem in their lives that there is always hope around the corner, and a better day on the way.

Amelia Lamont never asked to unleash her inner vampire

Amelia’s normal teen world is shattered when a terrifying nightmare awakens the monster inside her. A newfound, insatiable thirst for blood that leads her to drain the school quarterback is only the beginning; she’s horrified to discover that her family and best friend Kendrick have been harboring the secret all along. And is the strangely alluring boy who seems hell-bent on curbing her murderous, blood-filled desires a friend, or foe?

To escape detection Amelia and her twin brother Dorian are forced to move to a new town, and the challenge of a new, exclusive high school where nearly every classmate smells like prey. Including the irresistible Ty, who seems hauntingly familiar, yet darkly menacing …

Amelia’s disturbing dreams and entanglement in a web of forbidden romance render her increasingly powerless against the chilling lies and secrets of vampire power struggles. And, as she soon discovers, vampire politics mixed with outlawed love can be a lethal cocktail.

Falling in love may just cost Amelia everything: her friends, her family…even her life

Move over Twilight, True Blood and Underworld! J.L. Myers’ first book in the Blood Bound series will have you swooning for more!

Warning – This book contains some language and sexual situations.

YA/ Vampire/ Paranormal Fiction

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – YA Paranormal Romance

Rating – PG-13+

More details about the author

Connect with  Jessica Myers on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://bloodboundnovels.com

Quality Reads UK Book Club Disclosure: Author interview / guest post has been submitted by the author and previously used on other sites.

Author Interview – Emma Right @emmbeliever

What scares you the most?

That my children will not  feel that I love them.

What makes you happiest?

Seeing good people happy. Like when a person who’s had cancer defeat it and it never comes back again. Or seeing children laughing.

What’s your weakest character trait?

Too many to list–we’d need an encyclopedia, although most young people would probably wonder what are those archaic things called encyclopedia.

Why do you write?

To share with my target readers the message I have through my imagination and the fiction I’ve created.

Have you always enjoyed writing?

I probably express better through writing than speaking.

What motivates you to write?

My desire to leave a positive impact in this world.

What writing are you most proud of?

I have only written one book–Keeper of Reign Book 1

What are you most proud of in your personal life?

My children!

What books did you love growing up?

Fairy-tales.

Who is your favorite author?

Too many to list.

Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it?

For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King’s Ancient Books, did not help ward off that anathema.

Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle’s agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn’t get himself killed first.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Young Adult Adventure Fantasy  

Rating – G

More details about the author

Connect with Emma Right on Facebook & Facebook (Keeper of Reign)

Website http://www.emmaright.com/Home.aspx