For When you get snowed in

Do you believe in the Magic of Christmas? I do! I do! I do! I do! I do! (I am not an ABBA fan ...not)
The most magical part of Christmas is when I have fed my family into a food coma - the kid is passed out in bed too pooped to play night games, the hubs is slumped in front of a journal or the TV and I *grins*  have my cuppa hot chocolate laced with cinnamon and caramel, I curl up in my fave chair by the fireplace and have a good romance at Christmastime story to read under the afghan.
No other genre would work,it has to be romance, because if you have ever been in love you will know catching a killer or an alien does not produce the same mushy feeling you get from falling in love - so romance it is

I have compiled a list of Christmas stories out this year designed to cater to as wide a taste as possible. Happy Reading and have a very Merry Christmas
Call Me Mrs. Miracle - Debbie Macomber
Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto - Liz Fielding
First Impressions - Nora Roberts (2008 release, but its my list harrumph)
The MacGregor Brides - Nora Roberts
A Fairytale Christmas - Barbra Wallace and Susan Meier
Naughty can be Nice - Cynthia Selwyn
Claiming Christmas - Naima Simone
All She Wants for Christmas - Jaci Burton
Holiday Sparks - Shannon Stacey
His for the Holidays - Josh Lanyon
A Cinderella Christmas - Stacy Dawn
A Gift Beyond All Measure - Anna Kathryn Lanier
Tales From Christmas Town - Wild Rose Press Authors
Mistletoe Rules - Stacy Joy Netzel
Melting Frost - Kelly Daniels
And of Course our Five Oaks Girls
Snowy Encounters - Clarissa Yip
Smitten - Silke Juppenlatz
Midwinter Magic- Nina Croft
Holiday Headlines - RM Gilbert

I am still a newbie to the world of self publishing so I honestly did not know where to go to look for Xmas stories from my self pubbed authors. Lastly all my lovely authors if you do have a Christmas story out or a fave story you like to read at Xmas time leave it in the comments and I will update this list.
I shan't be blogging much all of next week, so this list will be up for most of next week and the next time you hear from me I might be in Houston with the in-laws.
Do have a wonderful Christmas
with lots of love
Joanna St James

The Five Oaks Gazette and a Worthy Cause

FIVE OAK’S GAZETTE

Author’s Choose Five Oaks!

By Paige Kenyon

There’s been some strange and exciting goings on in Five Oaks recently—not one, but four authors have based their Christmas stories in our fine town. And to find out just why these ladies selected Five Oaks, today I’m sitting down with two of those authors: Nina Croft and R.M. Gilbert, to ask them what brought them so far from home this Christmas.

Nina and R.M. have also agreed to answer questions submitted by the good people of our community. But first, one from me.

Q: I know you come from all over the world, so can you tell me how you came together to write the anthology?

Nina: We’re all part of a fabulous online critique group, Passionate Critters (PC) , which gave us the name of the anthology: A Passionate Christmas. I’ve been a member for a year now and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made as a writer!

R.M: Ditto.

Q: The next question comes from my editor Larry Follock. He wondered how the idea for this series got started? And when.

R.M: Back in May of this year one of our fellow critters, Stephanie Taylor suggested we get together and write an anthology of Christmas stories.

Nina: We all loved the idea. That was followed by a few weeks of frenzied activity, where lots of us signed up, the town of Five Oaks was born and a whole load of characters and places came to life.

Q: A question from Maddy Glover, who recently returned from the big city.  So what appealed to you about Five Oaks? Why not New York, or Paris or, or well…anywhere?

Nina: Passionate Critters has members from all around the world, England, Germany, Finland, but the majority are American, and so it seemed natural to base Five Oaks in America. Silke came up with the name Five Oaks, also affectionately known as Five Stumps by the locals because… Well you’ll have to read Silke’s story, Smitten, to find out why.

Q: This next question was sent in by our very own Dr. Ash Delaney. He would like to know, at what point during the process did you want to burn the town to the ground?

RM: For me, the second I signed on I was beating my head against the wall. I’m not a short story teller. This book ended at approx. 23k words (though my original submission was only 15). It was the first book I’ve written under 90k. Yikes.

Nina: My urges towards arson didn’t really begin until close to the end of the process. I really enjoyed writing the story.  

Q: What was it like coordinating your stories with women who are in different countries?

RM: Since we couldn’t sit at a table together. Most of it happened within the group forums, e-mail and skype.  It was very difficult. No lie, there were times we were ready to pull our hair out. And each others.

Nina: Yeah—that’s about the time I started dreaming about fires.

Q: Is it safe to say you’re all still friends?

Nina: Definitely still friends!

Q: Our final question was sent in by a reader who asked to be called Dina, (though she looks a lot like Edna Carruthers to me). She wondered how you finished the stories on a time crunch and what’s next?

RM: Love this question. If it hadn’t been for my sister, Rebekah L Purdy taking me away for a few days, I never would have finished. (She too, is a writer and will celebrate her first release with Astraea Press in February).  As for what’s next, we’ll promo together. But I also write young adult fiction and will focus my efforts on submitting my current WIP in the next couple months.

Nina: I think because we were writing an anthology and were all relying on each other to do our bits, we had to just sit down and finish. None of us wanted to let the others down, and that’s a big motivation. As to what’s next—for me lots of witches and warlocks, there’s a werewolf waiting to come out, and of course a few vampires in the mix.

Q: Sounds like you’ll both be busy. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Nina: Only that we’ve joined together with Decadent Publishing to support the American Cancer Society in the Relay For Life.

RM: You can find the Decadent Team HERE.

I’ll be sure to check that out and donate. And from the people of Five Oaks I want to thank the ladies for sitting down with me. If anyone would like to know more about Nina and R.M. then pop over to their sites.

Nina Croft         R.M.Gilbert

           

Find Smitten by: Silke Juppenlatz, Snowy Encounters by: Clarissa Yip, as well as Nina’s and RM’s books at Decadent Publishing!

Interrogation Room and giveaways

I have been sitting on this suspect since October and it has not been easy. I finally got her to crack and tell me her name - She is none other than Michele Hauf, the woman editors have been indicating as the whodunnit in the paranormal world. She has signed her confession on a couple of books, which I shall pass on to you for your perusal. Michele has been writing for 19 years, France, musketeers, vampires and faeries populate her stories. And if she followed the adage 'write what you know', all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has never seen.

Joanna: Why did you choose the paranormal route?
Michele: I don't think it was a decision, it just happened.  The first book I wrote was a vampire romance (Dark Rapture '97), and I had just seen the remake of Dark Shadows starring Ben Cross, and it occurred to me that a vampire could be a romantic figure.  The next thing I know, I had a story in mind, and started to explore that.  And now I write paranormal because non-paranormal just doesn't feel as interesting to me.  I need that added weirdness.  :-) 

Joanna: How do you decide what works for you when you are examining your legends(otherworldlies)?
Michelle: I start with the basics, like with vampires: they must have fangs, must drink human blood, etc., and then I alter some of the mythology to suit my needs and also make up my own stuff.  I like that vampires are hurt by holy objects, but decided in my world that if the vampire has never been baptized then holy objects have no effect on him.  I think I created the 'shimmer', which is what occurs when two vampires touch.  A shimmery sort of feeling, which is the only way they know they have touched a vampire (unless of course, they see fangs).  And I do like that a vampire must drink from a human to survive, as opposed to bags of blood (which would have no soul).  I need that dilemma of having to use human life to survive.

Joanna: How dark would you go with a paranormal so as not to alienate the fainthearted?

Michele: I think I get pretty dark, but on a scale of 1 - 10 I'm probably about a 7.  I've read some paranormal romances that go all the way to 10 and it puts me off.  You lose the romance.  Yes, we're dealing with paranormal creatures who do not follow human rules and may be accustomed to committing vulgar acts, but these are romances, so I keep that in mind when writing.
 
Joanna: Are you all for the good guy vampire or the dangerous vampire who wont change his nature but falls in love all the same?
Michele: I'm not sure what a good guy vampire is?  To me that might be the kind who refuses to drink human blood, and that sort of turns me off.  I like my heroes to have a quality of danger about them, and that danger must be tied to their survival.  And I really love it when the bad boy doesn't want to change his nature, yet love softens him a bit.

Joanna: What are you thoughts on the sudden influx of paranormal romance authors on the scene lately?

Michele: Well, paranormal is hot right now, and it is what editors are buying.  I think a lot of authors who have always wanted to write paranormal, now have their chance.  Others, who are just jumping on the bandwagon, hmm...   But I hope the quantity of paranormal reading choices remains.  I love that my favorite genre is finally so hot!  More choices for me when I go to the bookstore! 

Joanna: Does writing ever get any easier, once you have had some experience?
Michele: You would think it would, but some days it just feels impossible.  Every story can be easy and hard.  When you have the initial idea and start to draft out the story and everything is new, it's like love when you are under the influence of romance and the whole world is right.  But after working on one project for months and reading over the chapters again and again, it is bound to get a little boring, and maybe even difficult.  Most of my books go through that stage, and I tend to forget, that after the difficult part usually comes the 'falling in love' stage again.  (Hmm, can you tell I'm in the 'difficult' stage of a story right now?)  :-)  What is easy is you learn your process over the years and how you do research and you don't stumble over trying to develop a system because you've got it down.

Joanna: Any advice on handling book reviews?

Michele: Well, there's good reviews and bad reviews.  Some reviewers really know what they are doing, and whether or not they liked the book, they can succinctly synopsize it and explain to the reader exactly what appeals (or didn't appeal) to them.  Other reviewers, it seems, just want to let others know they hated the story, and because they did, you should too.  As a writer, I know not everyone is going to like what I write, and wouldn't that be weird if everyone did?  I think the most interesting books are the ones that reviewers both love and hate, with very little middle ground.  That book caused some very strong feelings, one way or another, so how cool is that?  Much better than getting mushy, middle of the scale reviews, I'd say.
 
Joanna: What advice would you give the up and comers like me?
Michele: Is that writers hoping to become published?  Write.  Every day.  Read, watch movies, do creative things to keep your creativity sparked.  Always write.  Hone your craft by reading 'how to write' books (I still do).  Go to workshops and listen to how other writers do it, then take away from it what works for you, and ignore what you know won't work for you.  Learn the 'rules', then break the rules.  Again, write.




Now check out this really cool place, its called Club Scarlet and its where Michele's otherworldlies go to hang out - you can hang out with them too (but you have to be careful).



Michele will be giving out 2 of her books SEDUCING THE VAMPIRE and ROGUE ANGEL: THE BONE CONJURER to one winner (international), if you are like me and love paranormal stories or would like to give the genre a try leave a "me please" comment and you will be in the running - winners will be announced next week and the winners of my Five Oaks giveaway will be announced tomorrow.



The Ninja Vampire's Girl - out now
Coco Stevens was looking for an angel's halo to help out her sister, who is a muse. She found the halo, and an angry angel—and a sexy man weilding a deadly blade and make-her-weak-in-the-knees kisses. He may not exactly be what she thinks he is, but he's got the ninja moves—and fangs.

Seducing The Vampire - out in January
He was mesmerizing, a vampire like none other...but the fire between Viviane LaMourette and Rhys Hawkes would begin a centuries-long clash between two powerful vampire brothers.

In Marie Antoinette's Paris, the beautiful vampire Viviane seeks a male patron who will allow her to live on her own terms. Courted by two feuding brothers, Viviane succumbs to the handsome rebel, Rhys. She's unaware that Rhys has other, darker, motives. He seeks vengeance against his brother, Constantine—by stealing Viviane and tainting her with his blood.

But just as Rhys is realizing the depth of his love for Viviane, his brother take his revenge. By casting a spell on the woman they both desire, he condemns her to a living death inside a glass coffin.

Two centuries later, Rhys hears the urban legend of the Vampire Snow White, imprisoned deep in the tunnels under Paris. He must find her and set her free, but will he be able to save her from the evil still intent on destroying them?

Interrogation Room with Editor/Author Clarissa Yip

I am so excited! I have decided to go nuts with exclamation points. I have an author/editor in the house and she has agreed to answer our questions all day . Its not everyday we get a willing participant in the interrogation room, so without further ado I give you Clarissa Yip and one of the finest covers I have seen in a while.
Two weeks ago I asked you to send in your questions to get Clarissa warmed up, and she did not disappoint

1. Karen: I would love to ask Clarissa, what are some of the things you look for in the opening pages to signal that you will continue to read?

Opening pages are very important. Like any story, there should always be a hook that draws the reader in in the first paragraph. Depending on who you sub to, the first page is significant as it will immediately show what a writer is capable of as an author in forms of diction, grammar, punctuation and writing ability. Usually for me though, I will read a submission from beginning to end. I find that most stories always have a rough start and an author doesn't show their true potential until after the third chapter in my experience, but I understand most pub houses are different. I always look for a strong hook and how the first page is set up based on how much white space, if there is dialogue or action. If you throw me a first page with passive voice, and I start seeing Zzzzzz, that might be an issue. I also don't like stories that start off with lots of info dumping or if the characters are looking, sighing...just doing nothing. Start the story off with a big bang, put me in the middle of the action! Draw me in! The first page does make an important first impression, so definitely brush up on those hook skills. 

2. Sondrae: I would love to ask, what one mistake is an automatic rejection for you, no matter how good the rest of the story is?

Head hopping. As much as most authors think they can pull off being someone like Nora Roberts or Julie Garwood, I can't handle the head hopping. I don't mind one or two POV changes in one scene, but if I'm hopping from one paragraph to another in different character POV's and my head is spinning to follow what's going on, I have to put the story down. And we don't want that. I wouldn't out right reject anyone if the idea or plot of the book has potential. If an author is willing to fix it, then I would definitely love to work with them, but if they believe that head hopping is a style or writer's right of expression...then I might not be so eager. LOL.

3. Michelle Teacress: Paranormal is popular now. Any idea what's coming next?

Paranormal is still kind of hot even though the whole wave is starting to slow down. I'm starting to see a lot of Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk and Space Opera. But I think the best advice would be to write what you know. If you write Paranormal, then stick with it. Throw in your own twist and make it awesome!

4. L’aussie Most of the submissions you read must fall short of the mark. Do you get a *bling blang* moment when you read a mss that has 'winner' written all over it? What would most likely rock your boat?

LOL. I've yet to find the perfect story that will sweep me off my feet or actually rock my boat. No story is perfect and it takes so many drafts and rounds of edits for any story to be at its full potential. But when I do see a story that has 'winner' written all over it, I know I'd have to have it. It becomes my baby and I want to watch it grow to it's fullest and make that best seller's list. But seriously, I've yet to see the perfect story. I don't believe such thing exists. And if I did find one that I didn't have to do any editing for, I think I'd be scared. I love all genre's of romance. I'm an emotional editor/writer. If I see one that will give me the rollercoaster ride of my life, then I'm definitely bought. Why, do you have something to show me?

5. Maria:  What would you be doing if you weren't editing for a living?

Wow, that's a good question. I've been editing for a while and studying this industry for the past few years and watching trends. I've learned so much about the e-publishing industry and it's affect. It's really interesting with the rise of so many e-publishers and the demand for digital books. If I weren't editing, I think I would be writing all day long and probably running around with my muse. I do miss writing when I'm in full editor mode. Instead of working on my own writing career, I'm helping my authors grow and become best sellers, but I seriously love it. I seriously don't know what else I would do. Maybe become a famous scrapbooker or some sort of translator. I love languages.

6. Myne: What is your opinion on POV?

Well...POV is important as any element of a story, but the only type of book that will draw me in is one that knows how to utilize Deep POV and keep me in the character's mind. I'm not a big fan of First person present, but I know a lot of writers find that to be the easiest to write. I'm seriously all about the emotions and character developments. I highly discourage head hopping and having multiple POV's in one scene. That drives me crazy. Not a big fan of narration. If you know how to use POV to your advantage, then it should truly bring out your author voice.

7. Erica & Christy: How do you feel about selling a "quiet" book with excellent writing or does everything these days needs to be HUGE HOOK/HIGH CONCEPT!!!

That is an interesting question. I think it depends on what you're aiming for and who you want to buy your story. It seriously is all about the whole plot line, characters, ideas, and how well an author can execute an idea along with how well their writing is. There's nothing wrong with a 'quiet' book as long the writing is excellent, but will the plot line, idea of the story, the layering, and characters keep the reader engrossed enough to keep turning the page? The market is competitive and so many authors use the same plots. It's how well a writer can spin their story from those old cliches and make it stand out from the rest. There seriously are so many publishers out there and if one doesn't like the whole 'quiet' book, then there will be another who will think differently. Publication is seriously so subjective.

8. Joanna: What is your writing process like? do you use Critique partners and betas like the rest of us?

My writing process? I'm a half plotter, half pantser. I get ideas when I'm driving or walking or just watching TV. Usually in forms of images and I'll stem my stories off of them. But I usually have to spend some time to get to know my characters before I can actually start writing. I have a wonderful group of critique partners. You gals should check them out. Passionate Critters. (http://www.passionatecritters.org/) I don't know what I would do without them. They've been so supportive through my whole career and they're great! I couldn't have found a better group of women to share my successes and my failures with.  I'm pretty normal as an author. I do everything like most people. I go through the same writing process, same crit process, and submission process. I seriously don't get any special treatment because I'm an editor. Maybe I'm a little better at editing my own stuff at times, but it's hard to look at your own work and not miss things.

Tell us about your book and Five Oaks

My new release is actually one of four from the anthology that was put together with a few of my other critique partners. A Passionate Christmas is dedication to our crit group and Decadent Publishing was crazy enough to take on all of us girls, but it's been a great experience for all of us. We've gone through many ups and downs together to get this anthology written and its only made our group closer. I'm sure there were times that they've wanted to strangle each other (maybe me..) a few times, but we've worked pretty well together. Definitely check it out. We have on-probation angels, assassin witches, paranormal investigators, and the normal city girl running away from home, all stories revolving around the same town of Five Oaks. I'm the only contemporary writer in this group (I claim the normal one.), but it's truly been fun.

Thank you so much for having me. If anyone has ANY questions please ask. I'll be giving away two copies of my new release, Snowy Encounters to any commenters. If you're curious about me, I'm blogging also at http://decadentpublishing.blogspot.com/ today. You can learn all my bad habits and win a copy of my book if you don't get one here. AND I'm also at http://30daysofdecadence.blogspot.com/. I stole something of Santa's and wrote him a...spiteful letter. I have prizes over there too. Yes, I'm everywhere. This was seriously fun! Thanks!

Its Talli Roland Day

Have you ever heard of other, writers/blogger talk about what an awesome community we have online? Well now is the time to put our words into action and show everyone the power this community has.
Talli's Book the hating game comes out today on Amazon and all we need is any kind of buzz; twitter, AMAZON, facebook, blogosphere to give this light and witty read its own time in the spotlight.
Please read and even if this is not your usual genre, you can still help out k?


Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.


No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more. Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com.


About THE HATING GAME:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

You Asked

and No, I do not take caffeine, I only drink herbal teas and will have the odd piece of chocolate every once in a while, I have also stopped all fizzy drinks except for the odd glass or two of champagne.
My next energy booster of choice would be multivitamins but the jury is still out on that one, I heard its better to eat healthier than pop any pills and I also heard if you start you have to keep on taking them.
Third energy booster of choice would be daily exercise and yes I gym-ed for the better part of last year (okay 3 months) but it works I was perkier than usual, I looked good and felt awesome only downside is if you stop like I did your body gets worse than it did when you first started.
Fourth energy choice (my kryptonite) Sugar - I am a selective sugar addict, you won't find me eating oreos or twinkies because well I am trying to be healthy. I can drink my weight in juice so I only do 100% juice but even that has sugar, I do however indulge in bread, nutella and shortbread, there is also my addiction to Mueller Corner Yoghurt (I just found a french substitute yay!).
So if I ever come to your book signing and you need a speed demon just feed me sugar and you will be amazed (be careful though, too much sugar and I might start dancing on table tops).

That said, Tomorrow is my self proclaimed Talli Roland Day, please do all you can to help support one of us and be excited for her I will do the same for you when your time comes.

What do you do to keep your energy going? Tell me all about your pumpkin spice latte addiction

Interrogation Room and giveaways

Has anyone ever seen my picture? I blame my recent chubby cheeks on Jessica's book Becca's Best. It was so well described I could feel the scones melting in my mouth and my addiction to bran muffins got a whole lot worse. That said let me introduce you to Jessica Barksdale Inclan, I have learnt a lot from reading her blog.

Joanna: Looking back how would you rate your first book against your current book out on the market?

Jessica: This is a very hard question, as my first six novels were contemporary fiction and my last six were romance.  So inherent in the two genres are differences.  Romance needs, well, romance, and contemporary fiction doesn't always have the big HEA that romance readers want.

But I think that my last novel (The Beautiful Being) and my first novel (Her Daughter's Eyes) both revolve around a character's or characters' wanting to be connected, longing for a connection with other people--or, that singular, romantic connection. They may be very different novels, but that core is there in both.

Joanna: Where do you get inspirations for your books from?

Jessica: I find inspiration in so many things--newspaper articles, my friends and family, dreams.  The problem facing so many writers is that the "concept" or the "platform" is taking over inspiration.  What may inspire me may not be marketable.  I've been told that certain ideas "won't sell," and that is a hard thing to hear, especially if I am inspired.

Bottom line, though, is that I try to write about what moves me, and often if I am moved, others will be, too.

Joanna: You teach creative writing at college level, are you able to read books for pleasure (without going into professor mode)?

Jessica: Absolutely!  I read like crazy, though if something is poorly written on the sentence level or full of cliches (and so FEW published novels are, though some slip through) I do react.  But I let myself fall into a story and enjoy.  I need that escape and I need the example of another writer's imagination on the page.

Joanna: What advice would you have for first time conference goers?

Jessica: Part of the advice is counter-productive.  Often, I want to tell folks at conferences to stay home and write.  I have met a few aspiring writers who participate in so many conferences that they don't get to the very thing they are at the conference for--writing.

The other part is to let it all swirl around you--the ideas and information--and then make sure to not take anything personally or get defensive.  Find the one idea or writer that inspires and then go home and write! 

And then if there can be three parts--meet up with folks at conferences and stay connected to them.  They are your peers and are often at the same writing level--forge writing partnerships and writing groups.  I have two long time friends, both of whom I met at a conference and both of whom have read much of my work (and both of whom were just at my wedding in September!).  These connections are the important ones.

Joanna: How does it feel when people truly connect to the characters you have created?

Jessica: Well, that's about the best feeling ever.  It's hard to imagine how satisfying that is.  When a reader tells me he or she has identified with anything I've put down on paper, I feel as though I've connected in a real true way.  And that's amazing.

Joanna: Jessica has kindly agreed to give out five copies of her latest book titled Being with Him, but for logistical reasons we can only send it to American addresses, so do me a favour in your comments today kindly mention what country you live in. I will let Jessica tell us about her latest book now

Being With Him

They are here among us…

Far from home, gifted with special abilities, hunted for their powers. And they are desperate to find their other, the one who completes them…before it’s too late…

SOMETIMES, TIME REALLY DOES STAND STILL

Mila Adams has always known she was different. It’s not just that she’s a Mission District bohemian artist in rarefied San Francisco society. No, it’s that for as long as she can remember, she has had the ability to shift time, and who would believe that? Certainly not the obnoxious blind dates her mother keeps foisting off on her. Mila can’t help feeling there’s someone out there for her, a soul mate who might understand her unique ability. And when she looks into the dark eyes of financial whiz Garrick McClellan, time feels as if it has opened up on its own—and this time, Mila has nothing to do with it.

Any man would lust after a beauty like Mila, but the moment Garrick touches her—feels her shifting time just as he can—he recognizes her as his partner in power. Their connection is immediate, passionate, raw, and beyond anything either has ever experienced. But who are they? What is this gift that joins them so intensely? Are there others like them? And why do they feel that time is running out?

Jessica Barksdale Inclan is the author of twelve novels, including Her Daughter's Eyes, The Matter of Grace, and When You Believe.  Her seventh novel, Being With Him, was released Septmeber 2010 in mass market.  She teaches creative writing, literature, and compsotion at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and novel writing for UCLA Extension.
Jessica can be found at her website and blog or on Twitter

TGIF and let the party begin

Yay for us Non Americans Jessica is giving away 5 more E-Books so we etrangeres can win too, that makes this a 10 - book giveaway.

Interrogation Room and giveaways

Okay even though she agreed to come here gracefully, I still decided to grab her by her by her blonde hair and haul her in here. Our "guest" today is the one who took my place when I left London, although if she ever tells you North London is awesome don't believe her(am jealous), you want to go to my hood in the south west we have Hampton Court Palace built by Henry VIII and Chessington World of Adventures!
Okay enough reminiscing I give you the amazing Talli Roland 



Joanna: Facebook, Twitter or Blogger? which do you prefer and why?

Talli: I love them all! Twitter is instantaneous – if you’re looking for a little bit of interaction without too much commitment, you can just duck in for a few minutes. Facebook is great for catching up on bits of news and other fun I might have missed during the day, while Blogger is ideal for writing longer and more detailed posts on things that can’t be captured in 140 characters or less (like the true horrors of writers’ arse). They’re all brilliant tools for interacting with other writers and I’ve found the communities on each to be so supportive and welcoming. 

  

Joanna: Do you have any other manuscripts that will never see the light of day?

Talli: Many. I think about (gulp) five! The thing is, it took me a while to really find and get comfortable with my voice – fun, slightly snarky with a bit of sweetness thrown in. I tried to write literary fiction and it just didn’t work. It took a few tries before I could settle in to my writing style. Also, I didn’t think enough about my story ideas. I’d just sit down and write, without really assessing whether the concept was unique enough to hook in readers. Writing novels was (and still is!) quite a learning process for me. 

Joanna: What is the most outrageous thing you have done in the name of book research?

Talli: I’ve never done anything outrageous in the name of research – usually it’s the other way around! I’ve done some crazy things and made quite a few drastic changes in my life so far, so past life experience usually finds its way somehow into my writing. I do love to eavesdrop, though, so writing has certainly given me a great excuse to shamelessly earwig.  

Joanna: Some writers swear by chocolate, what do you swear by?

Talli: I do love chocolate (and cupcakes and Red Twizzlers) but when I’m writing and I need a little bit of sustenance to get me through the home stretch, I turn to Captain Crunch. Sadly, you can’t buy Captain Crunch in England, so I’ve had to resort to friends and family smuggling it over to me. It’s great because you can scoff it with one hand while you type with the other. 

Joanna: If you had 3 options; Borat, Ali G and Russell Brand who would you base a main character on?

Talli: Wow, what a choice! I’m going to have to say Ali G. I taught secondary school in his hometown of Staines, so I think I know his kind of character very well. Perhaps too well! Let’s just say I don’t teach any longer, although Staines does make a brief reappearance in my novel The Hating Game.  

Joanna: How did you find your agent or publishing house?

Talli: I’d been working with my publisher already on some non-fiction titles, so when I hit upon the concept of The Hating Game, I pitched it to them straightaway. Luckily, they loved it! It will be out worldwide as an e-book on December 1, and in paperback next year. 

Joanna: Nice! tell us about the book please

Talli: The Hating Game:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

Joanna: And what is this innovative stunt I hear you are trying to pull on Amazon and how do we help a fellow blogger out?

Take On Amazon Web Splash:

On December 1, the e-book version of The Hating Game will launch ahead of its UK hard-copy launch next year! So I'm dreaming big. Wouldn't it be great if my debut novel by an indie publisher made it into the top ranks of Amazon Kindle sales? It might sound crazy, but it's amazing how quickly your book can move up the ranks if a number of people purchase it on the same day. And with an e-book, there are no distribution issues. Anyone, anywhere can buy it!  On release day -- December 1 -- I'm looking for bloggers (and Tweeters and Facebookers) to help with a Web Splash to spread the word. Go here for more details and to sign up! http://talliroland.blogspot.com/p/join-blogsplash.html

Talli Roland has three loves in her life: coffee, cupcakes and rom coms.

She lives in London, on a street with two Starbucks and (at last count) three other cafés that constantly tempt her outside her cozy little flat.

She has a secret crush on Sir Alan of The Apprentice and if she was forced to wax anyone's hairy chest, it would have to be Simon Cowell. Clearly she watches too much reality television.

Her debut novel, The Hating Game, will be released worldwide as an e-book on December 1, and in paperback in early 2011. To read more about The Hating Game and Talli, go to www.talliroland.com or follow Talli on Twitter: @talliroland.

The Winners of my not 100 or 150 followers contest as picked by grabby toddler
Ann from Wisconsin and Ireland
Madeleine at Scribble and Edit
Quinn
Congratulations and please send me your addresses so I can start shipping the surprize books. If you tweeted, blogged or facebooked about my contest there is another drawing for you on Monday just let me know you did it.
If you did not win. don't be sad I snagged a 5books giveaway for you next Friday , so we have more chances coming up.

Interrogation Room and giveaways

Me: *whispers*Is the interrogation room ready?
Sidekick : Yeah lights and audio are perfect
Me: Ladies and gentlemen today I drag before you Christine Bell and Chloe Cole (2 me that counts as 2 people even though they share the same picture). She comes bearing gifts; 2 books and a 10 page critique for an aspiring author, to learn how to win keep on reading :)

1. Joanna - Hey I know you don't know us that well, but tell us a secret
   Christine - Okay. Let’s see…Sometimes, when I’m in an elevator and I’m the only one in it, I pretend I’m controlling it with my superhero powers. Sort of like Magneto from X-Men, yanno? So, I will get in, the door will shut, and I will turn my palm face up (in a rather dramatic fashion) and “make” the elevator rise. When it stops, I will flick my superhero wrist, which will (theoretically) cause the doors to open. I blame this on my interaction with my four boys and husband. We spend an inordinate amount of time discussing superheroes, most desirable superpowers, etc. Recently, however, I did find out that my workplace has hidden cameras in the elevators, so I have begun to curtail this practice.
   Mostly.
   
   
2. Joanna - Are you or plotter or a pantser and can we lure you to the other side?
   Christine - A few months ago, I would’ve said 100% panster, but you’re already luring me to the other side! I have recently taken to doing loose outlines and character overviews. Not that I stick with them, mind you, but I *do* them. And they guide me through a lot of the story. I find my beginnings and ends are usually true to my outline.  The middle chunk? Not so much.
   
   
3. Joanna - Are you a disciplined writer that has to write a certain number of words per day or you just go with the flow?
   Christine - I would LOVE to be one of those writers who can set a daily word count, but my lifestyle just doesn’t allow for that. I have a full time job, a husband, a house, four boys and two dogs. Not to mention, a lot a family out of state so I do a lot of traveling in order to maintain a close relationship with them. Aside from stolen moments at lunch time, or between making dinner and doing dishes my writing time is typically from 10:00 p.m. until about 1:00 a.m. (or until I start drooling on my laptop). And that time isn’t just for writing, but all writing related business as well (cover art forms, blurbs, contracts, proposals, emails, promo and on and on). I also try to squeeze in extra time on the weekends. That said, to come up with a min. word count would just be depressing, because, depending on how tired I am by the time I get to writing, I would invariably fail to meet it. That’s one thing I do pride myself on is meeting or beating my goals and deadlines, so to set a goal and fail to meet it would be really bad for my mental state. I do consider myself disciplined, though. Just not in the “daily word count” sense. More like I’ll say “I need to complete, edit and sub this ms by X date.” And then I do that. Or I will say “I want to release ten books this year.” If I say it, then I’m very driven and will do everything in my power to make it happen.
   
   
4. Joanna - Choose one, chocolate, wine or books? why?
   Christine - That’s just cruel. I have to go with books, because then at least I can read about souls more fortunate than I (who get to eat chocolate and drink wine!)
   
   
5. Joanna - What advice do you have for aspiring writers like me?
   Christine - In order to do this, you have to love it. It’s not an easy road to publication, it’s not a high paying profession for the majority of us, it’s hard work and if you break it down to an hourly rate you would probably cry once you realize you’d be better served getting a job at the Quickie Mart. But if you truly love it, and couldn’t stop if you tried, immerse yourself in it, read about writing, write about writing, take workshops, read blogs, read books and write write write. Then submit submit submit. Take the feedback you get from editors (if you’re fortunate enough to get it) and apply it, then write some more. This is often said, but it really is the truth: A published author is one who won’t quit. When you get knocked down, get back up and do it again. For a great, inspiring book about becoming an author, I suggest Stephen King’s On Writing. 
6. Joanna: Okay I think she did a good job, she is guilty of being an author. Sidekick roll the book blurb

AWAKENING - The Wolves of Pray
Sean Mulaney’s beloved mate Sara is dead and her killer’s trail has grown cold. Eaten up by grief and guilt, it’s an effort just to get through the day. Now, after a year in mourning, his animal instincts have reawakened. As Sean struggles to control the need clawing at him, along comes Chandra and she wants more than just passion. But if she refuses, she might blow her one chance to convince him that she can rock his world and fill the empty space in his heart. Will Sean let love in, only to risk having it taken away again?



Ahem still drooling at the book cover? go and cobble cobblestone press for a copy

Christine Bell is one half of the happiest couple in the world. She and her handsome hubby currently reside in Pennsylvania with a four-pack of teenage boys and their two dogs, Gimli and Pug. When she isn't acting as maid, chef, chauffeur, or therapist, she can be found reading just about anything she can get her hands on, from Young Adult novels to books on poker theory. She hates bugs (except ladybugs, on account of their cute outfits), but lurrves chocolate. She also loves writing steamy romance stories, but also hopes to one day publish something her dad can read without wanting to poke his eyes out with sharp sticks. If she had to pick another occupation, she would be a pirate. Or, like, a ninja maybe. Oooh, or a Gryffendor! 
Christine can be found at her website or her blog she loves guests.
Now for the giveaway
Christine's book comes out today from Cobblestone press at 5pm EST (Exciting right?), she has also been recently signed with Carina Press (The Adventures of Stormy Gale) and she is on a role.
Today she is giving out 2 books written by her of course

1. Pray (Book 1 in the wolves of Pray series)
2. Captive Audience (From Chloe Cole)
3. And of course a 10 page critique 

To win all you have to do is follow her blog which can be found here and follow me too

You also get to do a fun challenge: Chloe Cole wants to know what your ideal pen name would be.
So three special steps tell us what your ideal pen name would be, follow me and then hop on over to her blog and follow.
Winners will be picked by my Kidlet on Sunday Night French time and announced Monday Morning American Time
Have Fun, its Friday and Christine will be by later with the drinks, I told her we are a rowdy bunch

It takes the word free to excite me

How many of us like getting stuff especially if it has the word free/gratuit attached to it?
I did not do a lot of research on this as I have used this guys before. Last year when the husband was about to graduate I used VistaPrint to order his business cards and they were free (Only paid for shipping), I checked again before I wrote this post and they still have free templates and operate in different countries from Australia to Ireland.
What is even better is they have free pens and car door magnets(I'd put it on my fridge) which can double up as book swag.

Now I know this might not be an original idea, but I started editing my book yesterday and I was reading the lines I wrote and I could not help thinking to myself how some of them would look good in a valentine's day card.
Then it hit me why can't writers be freelance writers for greeting card companies? actresses model for L'Oreal all the time. Anyways you guessed it I went digging for more info, the consensus is to send the companies a letter asking for their submissions guidelines (most of them don't really display that sort of info online but some do). They also don't pay a lot but if you get the gig it should be able to pay for a mani/pedi or more depending on how romantic and witty you are.

October has been a lucky month for me, I won 3 contests from Talli Roland, Michele Hauf and Madeleine over at Scribble and Edit. Don't forget we have a book giveaway on Friday and 2moro we shall be talking about genres and rejection.
Have a beautiful day

This is Bastia