Cami’s Makeover!

My good friend and fellow writer, Camelia Miron Skiba, just got a new cover for her book A World Apart and boy, isn’t it lovely! Take it away Cami…

As promised since beginning of this month I have a $ 25.00 giveaway going on for anyone stopping by to see the new cover. All you have to do is leave a comment here with what retailer you’d prefer the gift card from.

For a limited time A WORLD APART is up for grabs for only .99 cents. Hurry up before the sales ends!

And now . . . drumroll please!

                               proofAWORLDAPART

Trauma surgeon Lieutenant Cassandra Toma begins her deployment at the Joint-Unit Air Base on the wrong foot. On her first day, she clashes with her new commander. Her rebellious nature and sassiness rival her excellent performance in the operating room. It might be the only reason she’s not reprimanded … or is it?

Major David Hunt is unsure how to handle the brilliant and beautiful Cassandra. As her commander, he can’t consider a relationship. A forbidden passion consumes them with the intensity of an erupting volcano, leaving her heartbroken and him with tarnished honor and pride as an officer. The only way out for David is disappearing into the dangerous warzone in Iraq.

When their paths cross again, Cassandra and David find they have a common goal—to find Cassandra’s brother, Maj. Robert Toma, kidnapped by insurgents while on patrol. To rescue him, they must put aside their resentments and fight their common enemy. And the fire between them is back.

Cassandra wants to give David—and their love—another chance. But she doesn’t know that his mistake, his secret, could cost them both the love they’ve finally found.

Character Meme Hop

I was tagged for this meme by fellow author and Paranormal Romantics author Veronica Scott. Thanks Veronica!!

The second book in my Necromancer Books, The Necromancer’s Betrayal, just released so I thought I’d share a little about my heroine. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

My fictional character is Ruby Montagne, a necromancer.

When and where is the story set?

Necromancer’s Betrayal is set in both in modern day San Francisco with the occasional jaunt into the demon realm.

What should we know about him/her?

She’s a necromancer and can bring the dead back to life, make zombies and revenants and other, ah, interesting abilities.

What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Oh where to begin. Between the two supernatural men who desire her and the call to use her power for evil, and deciding who she can trust, Ruby has her hands full.

What is the personal goal of the character?

To discover who is killing off supernaturals, including her grandmother, and why, and understand her origins and that of necromancers. To learn a little more about Ruby’s struggles, here’s the back cover copy:

Necromancer Ruby Montagne is battling for her life in the realm of demons. Unfairly branded for the death of a fellow necromancer, she’s got to prove her innocence without the full use of her magic. And the real culprit is still on the loose.

While someone is stalking her friends among the witches, Ruby searches for answers inside the dark intrigues of both the demon and necromancer worlds. Ruby must confront this new, sinister threat while reconciling her feelings for her former lover, a demon warrior. Only it’s difficult . . . because a sexy vampire is making it clear that he’d like to be a lot more than just friends.

The competition for Ruby’s trust heats up as the enemy pushes her toward a dark side that could threaten the entire realm. Yet what can Ruby do when she’s not even sure what she is? With the fabric separating the realms at stake, she must decide whom to trust. But will the ultimate betrayal be her own?

I’ve tagged a couple of author friends with some great books to share. They’ll be posting in a week or two!

Camelia Miron Skiba

Shanyn Hosier

 

Writing a Book Series-Author Guest Panel

Thanks for joining us today. I’m stoked about today’s post. In my ongoing discussion on constructing a book series, I asked a group of writers, who are in the process of, have written, a book series, to provide some insight into their process and books.

My panel includes V.S. Nelson, Camelia Miron Skiba, Shanyn Hosier, Mary Buckham, and Gina Conkle. I’m very excited to have this incredibly talented panel of authors bringing varied knowledge and experiences, some traditionally published and some self-published, writing different genres that include romance (including a LGBT ménage romance!), paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and historical. Next to their pictures below, I included a brief description of their book series. At the end of the post, please find a brief bio on each along with a picture of their latest release or cover to one of their series!

Mary BuckhamMary Buckham: I’m writing two series. One in fiction, one in non-fiction. The fiction one is an Urban Fantasy series focused on a group of five human women with unique gifts recruited to fight growing agitation from the preternatural world that exists side-by-side with the human world, though unknown to most.  They do this via a new agency called the INVISIBLE RECRUITS, which echoes the theme of women in the shadows, fighting their own fears and limitations as well as battling threats unknown to most humans. The initial books in the series focus on Alex Noziak, part/witch, part/shaman, who must learn to embrace her gifts to help her team and others or die in the process. The non-fiction series is called WRITING ACTIVE SETTINGS, which explores different elements of utilizing setting on the page as a dynamic, powerful craft tool in several distinct ways.

Shanyn Hosier, Desert MenageShanyn Hosier: Desert Menage is comprised of three books. It follows three characters—Beth, Paul, and John—and their triadic relationship from its comically tenuous beginning in Nine Dates, through its evolution into a strong and equitable bond in Tri Me, culminating with the threesome facing unique and politically charged challenges in Wholly Trinity as they strive to live more openly and begin a family together.  Amanda Ryder (series) never asked for her special gifts—she’d been born with the ability to see, hear, and sense things around her no one else could. But her family never believed her innocence and accused her of witchcraft. Her father threw her out of the house on her eighteenth birthday, when an exorcism went horribly wrong. The series follows Amanda as she makes her way in the world, meeting others with paranormal talents, struggling to find her place. It’s not always easy, especially when “good” guys don’t always make “good” choices.

V.S. NelsonV. S. Nelson: Long ago, seven stepped forward and volunteered for a mission to protect Earth from an evil that escaped their world. Today they are known as those that run Guardians Inc., a world renowned protection agency. Although the books in the series are multi-plotted, each book centers on one of these heroes and their quest for true love.

Camelia Miron SkibaCamelia Miron Skiba: My series is a 5-story historical romance series called Dacian Legends (Born In Vengeance and Born In Sin already released; Born In Darkness will come out 2015). Each book follows the story of one of the members of a Dacian brotherhood in their quest for revenge, honor and love.

Gina Conkle, Norse JewelGina Conkle: Midnight Meetings, a 3 book series with Sourcebooks, tells of men and women entwined with the once golden Sanford family. The Industrial Revolution looms ahead and each character must adapt.  A pivotal “midnight meeting” changes lives in each book.

All the series sound great and some I’ve had the pleasure of starting to read! I’d like to observe something here, which I find very interesting. The book titles are connected in some way (all very creative and intriguing), and we definitely see this with many book series.

We have V.S. Nelson’s two published books in her Sekhmet’s Guardians: Eternal Lovers and Eternal Nights. The eternal already clues you in to the immortal aspect.

Cami’s Born In Vengeance, Born in Sin, etc…touching upon each hero’s conflict/story.

Shanyn’s Nine Dates, Tri Me, and Wholly Trinity which all play into the ménage theme.

Mary’s Invisible Recruits, Invisible Magic, Invisible Power. Automatically I wonder, why invisible? Mary explains the invisible relates to internal and external conflicts.

Gina’s Midnight Meetings, which I find a fantastic idea., and the series title immediately clues you in.

My Necromancer Series: Necromancer’s Seduction, Necromancer’s Betrayal, and tentative third title of Necromancer’s Redemption. Each title reflects a specific theme for the heroine’s arc (and other characters as well).

If you visit these authors’ websites and look at the book covers, you see a design theme as well. All this helps the reader connect immediately to the series, and also shows the author put a lot of thought into the look of their series, etc.

One of the challenging aspects for me in writing my series has been filling the reader in on what happened in the previous book. I’ve seen authors do this in various ways, and I think the method used depends on the type of book series. How have you approached filling the reader in? Continue reading

Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Thanks to the wonderful Camelia Miron Skiba for nominating me to participate in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop. The blog hop serves to highlight new releases and introduce other authors. Cami’s new book is called Born in Sin. Fabulous cover!! The blog consists of a series of questions about the author and his or her book.Next Bog Thing Blog Hop

What is the working title of your book?

The title is official: The Necromancer’s Seduction.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

My protagonist, the necromancer Ruby, just started speaking to me and telling me her story, which included raising people from the dead. Not sure what that says about me 🙂

What genre does your book fall under?

Urban Fantasy with strong romance.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

That’s a hard question. Maybe the red headed version of Rachel McAdams for Ruby. And for the hero, Ewan? Joe Manganiello probably has the right body type, although I finally watched Vikings, and am liking it! The brother character, Rollo, played by Clive Standen, would be good, although his morals are questionable, Rollo that is. He’s definitely got that dark, swarthy thing going on though!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Ruby, a necromancer unleashes her power and reignites a legacy that threatens the entire supernatural community as well as her own soul.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The entire Necromancer Series will be published by ImaJinn Books.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

When I first started writing the story, I never thought I’d make it this far. I had time to treat it like a hobby, so I’d say about two years.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I can’t think of specific books, but there are some Urban Fantasy authors I read that provided some inspiration: Kelley Armstrong, Stacia Kane, and Diana Rowland.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The character Ruby and my love of reading paranormal fiction.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

Zombies? Demon love? Glimpses into a demonic realm. What I especially like about my characters is that none of them are black or white, or perfectly good or evil, but are driven by loyalties and events that force them to make decisions that sometimes put them at odds with the other characters.
Thanks for joining me today! It’s my pleasure to introduce you to three amazing authors joining the tour:

Maria Piork

Sandy Wright

Ashley Barron