Tag Archives: Autumn Countdown Blitz

by | November 1, 2019 · 5:00 am

Autumn Countdown Blitz – Married at Midnight

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Arabella Sheraton grew up on a diet of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and many other writers of that period. From Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, Arabella has found both enjoyment and inspiration in sparkling, witty Regency novels. She also loves history and generally finds the past more fascinating than the future. Arabella wrote her first Regency romance to entertain her aged mom who loved the genre. Arabella is honoured to share the adventures of her heroes and heroines with readers.
A sparkling traditional Regency romance to enchant fans.
When the young and handsome
Earl of Pennington discovers the inheritance from his great-uncle depends on
him marrying at midnight on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, he is irate.
Marriage is not part of his plan to save his impoverished estates. He crosses
paths unexpectedly with the beautiful Roxanne Chesney, who is fleeing from her
abusive husband. 
 
He offers her a contract: marriage for six months to help him
fulfil the conditions of his great-uncle’s will, enabling him secure his
inheritance. In return he will pay her a small fortune. 
 
Can Roxanne resist this
offer? What about the revolting Edgar Doyle who forced her into a loveless
marriage that has not been consummated? Roxanne has escaped Edgar’s clutches,
but she wonders how long she will manage to evade him. The earl’s contract has
no strings attached. The offer is irresistible except for the fact that Roxanne
is already married!

 

Q & A With the Author:
1.     When did you write your first novel?
My mom asked me to write her a Regency romance
story because she was tired of the ones she’d read before. I had already written
a children’s novel, so I felt quite confident and I love the Regency era.
Coming from a background in publishing, it feels as if I have been writing
forever.
 
2.     What drove you to write / why did you
become an author?
I always wrote for fun, then I drifted into
editing and publishing, and then suddenly I was writing books. Once you have
started, it’s impossible to stop.
 
3.     How do you create your characters?
Interestingly, all I do is think of a
catchy title and the rest all sort of happens by itself, as if the characters
are waiting in the wings and just need me to create the title to bring them to
life.
 
4.     What is one thing you love about Fall /
Autumn?
The weather is so lovely and cool, not the heat
of summer or the biting cold of winter. Fall is just in between and very comfortable.
Plus, the leaves are changing colour and I love that.
 
5.     Who is the person or group of people that
most support you in your writing?
My mother was my biggest supporter and fan.
Without her I would never have been able to write full time and without her
encouragement, I might have given up. Sadly, she has passed on, but I think of
her every day and her encouragement is evergreen in my mind.
 
6.     What is your favorite Halloween Memory?
Telling my three younger brothers and their
friend spooky stories about a haunted house and a gang of intrepid youngsters
who fight off vampires, werewolves, skeletons and the like to survive!

 

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by | October 29, 2019 · 5:00 am

Autumn Countdown Blitz – The Temple of the Exploding Head Omnibus

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Ren Garcia is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Texas native who grew up in western Ohio. He has been writing since before he could write, often scribbling alien lingo on any available wall or floor with assorted crayons. He attended The Ohio State University and majored in English Literature. 
 
Ren has been an avid lover of anything surreal since childhood. He also has a passion for caving, urban archeology, taking pictures of clouds, and architecture. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, and their four dogs.

~ Website ~
  
Three books in one:
The Dead Held Hands
The Machine
The Temple of the Exploding Head
The Temple of the Exploding Head coverStarfarers and explorers, the League
settled on Kana thousands of years ago. They found it to be a paradise, a
perfect, virtually uninhabited planet waiting just for them in the cradle of
space.
Lovely Kana … it was too good to be
true …
But, all was not as it seemed.
Simmering beneath the ground was a demented god who had soaked Kana in blood
for untold ages, luring in victims, lying to them, and rejoicing in their
suffering as they died at the hands of his dark angels.
And there will be blood again … From
his Temple in the ground, the Horned God stirs.
When Lord Kabyl of Blanchefort, a
young man troubled by the weight of the world, dares give his heart to a girl
from a mysterious ancient household, one that pre-dates the League itself, he
comes to know the shadows of the past that hover over her.
He comes to know of the Horned God,
and for love he is destined to face him. All roads lead to the Temple of the
Exploding Head, a place of evil and death, rooted in the ancient past, but also
tied to the distant future.
“We were evil once,” she said, “and
the gods are still punishing us…”

 

Q & A With the Author:
1.       When did you write your
first novel?[Ren Garcia]    I wrote Sygillis
of Metatron in 2007
2.       What drove you to write /
why did you become an author?[Ren Garcia]  I’m not sure
anything in particular drove me to start writing. I had stories in my head, I
wanted to get them out.
3.       How do you create your
characters?[Ren Garcia]  I don’t have a set way of
creating a character. Sometimes I have a thought in my head, iced with a few
details. Sometimes things from my life (childhood, college, etc) combine and
out comes a character. On a few occasions, the needs of the story call for the
creation of a character. That sort of thing.
4.       What is one thing you love
about Fall / Autumn?[Ren Garcia]  I I love
windbreakers. I love wearing them, and Fall gives me the excuse to get them out
again.
5.       Who is the person or group
of people that most support you in your writing?[Ren Garcia]  I
really have no idea. My books seem to appeal to an eclectic group.
6.       What is your favorite
Halloween Memory?[Ren Garcia]  I’m pretty sure I saw
Bigfoot on Halloween when I was a kid. We were going to the local
graveyard—what we were going to do when we got there I can’t recall. But, as we
approached, we all heard a terrifying cry. And then we saw it—a huge, lumbering
“thing” moving through the graveyard, headed towards the woods. Yeah, that made
an impression to be sure.

 

 

 

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by | October 26, 2019 · 5:00 am

Autumn Countdown Blitz – Day 6

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Donna Hatch is the author of the
best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The
Golden Quill and the International Digital Award. 
 
A hopeless romantic and
adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8
and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a
sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple
volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her
husband).
 
 A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific
Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there
really is a happily ever after.

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Unmasking the Duke cover
The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to
do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister, the Countess
of Tarrington, throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation. 
 
Taking comfort behind her disguise, she dances with a charming masked
gentleman, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a
kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man
she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of
Suttenberg. 
 
No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful
the kiss, he is the last man she could ever love.

 

 

 

Q & A With the Author:
When did you write your first
novel?
My first pathetic attempt was when I
was in 7th grade. It was basically fan fiction. Around that time, I attempted
screen plays too. I wrote my first novel that later became published (in
incarnation of it, at least) when I was in 9th grade.
What drove you to write/why did you
become an author?
I’ve always loved making up stories
and have been writing them down since 3rd grade. At the time I thought they
were epic but now I look back on them and want to put a sack over my head.
Fortunately, I never attempted to get them published—I just kept writing for
fun. Then one day, I attended a workshop at a local library where an author
spoke of her writing journey and had just published her first book. That really
awoke a dormant desire to see my stories in print.
How do you create your characters?
It’s different with each story.
Sometimes, they come to me fully formed and I just need to listen to them.
Other times, I have to work at it with personality types, backstory
development, and character interviews.
What is one thing you love about
Fall/Autumn?
I love so many things about autumn!
Cooler weather is high on my list which means fuzzy socks, sweaters, jackets,
and spending more time outdoors hiking, walking, or just sitting on the porch
swing. Also, I adore leaves turning all those gorgeous shades of red, gold, and
rust. Autumn means hot apple cider and all of those amazing smells of cinnamon,
nutmeg, apples, candles, and firelight. Plus, Fall means Halloween with all the
fun decorations as well as costumes. Yes, I love dressing up! But one of the
best parts of Fall is gathering with family at Thanksgiving. My grown children
can’t always come home for Christmas, so they often come home for “Thanks-mas”
where we celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, then spend Friday decorating the
house for Christmas so we can celebrate Christmas on Saturday. Usually everyone
leaves on Sunday so they can return for jobs and college. We get in every
family tradition that we can during the time we have.
Who is the person or group of
people that most support you in your writing?
My sisters-in-law were always super
supportive and encouraging. Once I got published and brought home that first
royalty check, my husband got on board and stopped viewing it as a time-consuming
and expensive hobby, and started seeing it as a career—one that pays horribly,
but still offering a monetary payoff. Now, one of my nieces is my one of my
go-to proofreaders as well as one of my staunchest supporters. I also couldn’t
have done it without my local RWA group, my online Regency research group
the Beau Monde, and my local American Night Writers Association
chapters. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to my awesome,
wonderful, amazing critique partners, beta readers, and proofreaders. They say
it takes a village to raise a child; it also takes a village to raise a book.
What is your favorite Halloween
Memory?
One of my favorites was when my third
child was about a year old. After a dinner of baked potato soup, I put the baby
in a stroller and followed around my older two children from house to house. My
seven-year-old son was a ninja, my six-year-old daughter was a fox with big,
fluffy tail, and the baby was a fuzzy bear complete with little bear pads on
his feet. I guess animals were popular in our family. I enjoyed chatting with
the neighbors, seeing everyone dressed up, and enjoying my neighbors’ reaction
to our costumes. The weather was perfect—cool enough that the costumes weren’t
too hot but not so cold that we needed to wear jackets over them. After
trick-or-treating and gathering enough candy to get a small country high on
sugar, we went home and drank hot apple cider and handed out candy. I’m not
sure why that stands out in my memory except that it epitomized the perfect
Halloween. 

 

 

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by | October 25, 2019 · 12:00 am

Autumn Countdown Blitz – Day 5

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Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: www.caspeace.com 
See the video of her performing live at the King’s Envoy book launch here: https://www.caspeace.com/cas-peace/the-wheel-will-turn

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Pure evil rises once again in Albia…
 
The Scarecrow cover
Three years have passed since Baron Reen’s trial. A
terrible accident on the island of his exile has transformed him into a
nightmarish scarecrow creature with dark, mysterious powers. Staging his own
suicide, Reen breaks free of his prison and, with the help of the former queen
Sofira, embarks on a ruthless quest for vengeance against his worst enemy, the
woman responsible for the overthrow of his schemes and his own ruination:
Brynne Sullyan.
 
Sullyan is tasked with investigating Reen’s suicide.
The missing body and a series of disasters in Port Loxton—a vicious murder, a
brutal ambush, and a devastating fire—raise suspicions in her mind. She probes
deeper, determined to uncover the truth, unsuspecting of the evil that’s about to
be unleashed…




This book is on special offer for this week on Amazon!!! Check out the discounted price below!
Q & A With the Author:
1.     When did
you write your first novel?
I
have been writing stories and poetry since I was a child, but my first novel
wasn’t written until I was in my late twenties. It was a children’s adventure
novel and its main characters were unicorns and other mythical forest dwellers.
I was very proud of it but, unfortunately, unforeseen events in my life meant
that I never finished it. I do still have it, however, and may revisit it one
day and bring it to a conclusion!
2.     What
drove you to write / why did you become an author?

I was driven to write because I loved creating different worlds to
escape into. I did it to release tension in my life or as a form of escapism.
My writings were never meant for others to see, although I did show some of my
poetry. I never intended or thought I would ever become an author, but one day
when I was bored, I started writing out a little scene I’d had in my head for
years. That simple act seemed to open a floodgate in my mind, and that innocent
little germ of an idea became my triple-trilogy fantasy series, Artesans of
Albia. So – writers beware!
3.     How do
you create your characters?
I
create my “good” characters to be people I’d love to be, or to spend time with.
None of them are based on anyone I actually know, although King Elias from my
Artesans novels is based on English actor Sean Bean’s portrayal of soldier
Richard Sharpe from the Bernard Cornwell “Sharpe” TV series. My “bad”
characters are also drawn mainly from my own imagination, rather than being
based on real people. Some of their names, however, are inspired by people I
don’t like!
4.     What is
one thing you love about Fall / Autumn?

In England, the feeling of the air is often softer and mellower than at
other times of the year. We can get energizing, chilly bright mornings that
soften into warmer sunny days, ending with beautiful sunsets – that is, when we
don’t get the remnants of US coast hurricanes, that is!
5.     Who is
the person or group of people that most support you in your writing?

I really couldn’t pick one person – everyone I know has been supportive
of my writing, even if they don’t read or appreciate the fantasy genre. From my
family to the far-flung friends I have made through being an author, no one has
been less than encouraging and helpful. I guess I’m very lucky – I’ve never had
the bad experiences that I’ve heard some authors complain of.
6.     What is your favorite Halloween Memory?

 

                Halloween in England is not the festival it
is in the US, although we are beginning to adopt some US activities. Guy Fawkes
Night, November 5th, was always more exciting because of having fireworks,
making straw “Guys” to put on the bonfire, and begging “Penny for the Guy”
around the neighbors. Recently, many English villages have begun to have
scarecrow competitions around Halloween, and we have entered these in our
village. Everyone gets very inventive, and they are great fun. My best creation
so far was “Guy Dog”!

 

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by | October 22, 2019 · 5:00 am

Autumn Countdown Blitz – Day 2

An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. 


Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. 


Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including King Henry’s Choice (Clean Reads 2019), Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Mrs. Murray’s Hidden Treasure (Telltale Publishing 2019), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. 


A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and her books, short stories, and articles are receiving considerable attention. For more information on the author, check out her website at: https://emilyjanebooks.ca

 

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Mrs. Murray's Hidden Treasure cover
There is a hidden treasure in the grand old mansion on Piccadilly Street, in a place called London, but not the real London of English fame. There’s also a lot of mystery and a murder that’s been unsolved for decades. But it’s the treasure that captures Mary’s interest. 

 
 
Mary lives in this house along with her family, her Brownie friends and a ghost. When the ghost reveals her secret about the hidden treasure, there’s no stopping Mary, her Brownie friends, or her enemies from searching for this treasure. 
 
 

Why the intrigue? Apparently there’s a little bit of magic connected to this treasure. And so the adventure begins. Who will find the treasure first?

 

Q & A With the Author:
1.     When did you write your first novel? In
the late 1970s? I did manage to finish it, and I probably still have a copy of
the novel somewhere, but it was a very weak attempt at writing and not
something I’d want to publish. It was a good exercise, though. My next novel
was my grandmother’s story, “Personal Notes”. I wrote it in first
person narrative, from my grandmother’s point of view. The publisher commented
that when he read it, he could almost see my grandmother sitting in her rocking
chair telling her stories, which she often did. I started writing “Person
Notes” in 1995, just after my grandmother passed away. It helped me heal
from the feeling of loss. She and I were very close.
2.     What drove you to write / why did you become an author? I come from a family of storytellers, but being the youngest, I often
didn’t have a chance to share my stories in the oral tradition, so, as soon as
I could write, I started writing my stories. My mother saved most of my stories
and, after she passed away, I was surprised to find them tucked away in a box
in the storage space underneath the stairs. 
3.     How do you create your characters? A
lot of my characters are people from real life. The saying that goes around on
Facebook that you should be nice to a writer because they have the power to do
anything with your character in their novels, is very true. But none of my
characters is an exact copy of a real life person. I mix and match
characteristics from people I know, people I’ve studied in history and people I
read about in the news. The only character that remains the same is my
grandmother, who surprisingly or not, is in most of my novels as Gran, Granny,
Grandma or Grandmother. In “Mrs. Murray’s Hidden Treasure”, she’s
Granny. My grandmother always claimed we’d soon forget her after she passed
away. I’ve proved her wrong with all the stories I’ve written in the past 24
years. 
4.     What is one thing you love about Fall / Autumn? I have mixed feelings about Fall, as it always free-falls into winter,
which I don’t like at all. I guess what I do like, though, are the colors.
Living in eastern Ontario, we enjoy a very colorful display of leaves each
fall. Living in the country, a walk along our country road is almost magical,
the bees are still humming in the hedges along the road (one of our neighbors
is a bee-keeper) and the apples are ripe and falling onto the road, along with
the bright reds and golds of the maple leaves. 
5.     Who is the person or group of people that most support you in your
writing? My husband. My parents, when they were alive, were
also supportive. 

 

6.     What is your favorite Halloween Memory? I remember my best friend’s birthday party. She was turning 6. We
dressed in costumes made up of this and that from around the house, not the
store-bought variety that is a must today. I dressed as a princess in a pink
satin gown my mother had cut down from one of her old dresses. She had done up
my hair fancy with a crown she created from some old costume jewelry and as we
bobbed for apples at the party, I remember being annoyed when my ‘crown’ kept
slipping into the bucket of water. 
 

 

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