Sara Reyes | Reading Habits and What's New for me...

Wow, the end of January and so many more books to read! Do you ever feel that way? That there are so many books out there and so little time to get to all of them? And do you feel really excited when you stumble on a new author or do you feel a wee bit depressed because that means you have to make room in your reading schedule for the new one? I'm always curious to how people manage their "reading."

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Buy Your Copy today

Personally, I read whenever I get a chance or so I thought, but when I look back over my past reading I see patterns or the schema of a reading pattern! Who knew? Maybe it's this new WW momentum program where I have to write down every thing I eat and how I feel when eating, but I've been noticing other things I do including reading. (I'd say 'such as' but then as Gwen says so fondly, I sound "Dutchy")

So, I must read every night before I go to bed. That is just something I have to do. Otherwise my mind races endlessly and I make up stories. I may not finish an entire book -- it depends on the time I finally close down for the night but I usually finish shorter ones or get at least half of 400 pager done. Confession Time. I also am a sneak reader. You know a trip to the bathroom lets me get in another 50 pages. Or, I'll move to another room and by golly there's a book, may as well pick it up and read a bit. Why not? Right? And then the car, ah the car, another excuse for staying longer in the parking lot before starting a trip or after a trip. I must admit I do NOT read when I'm driving, that is too unsafe for me! But I have been known to just sit in the car and "finish something."

Right now I've discovered two new writers: Sarah D'Almeida, author of the "Musketeers Mysteries," and Brendan McNally, author of GERMANIA. Both are historical fiction authors and as I'm a history nut it was suggested I give them a try. I've read the latest Musketeer book, DYING BY THE SWORD which is number five or six. Now I feel the need to get the rest. Does it help that I still see Michael York as D'Artagnan or does that just age me?

As for GERMANIA, it's about the three week period of German history after the suicide of Adolf Hitler, a little written about period of time. I found it fascinating although the four brothers were more of a distraction. That whole time of upheaval and war and clashing of the allies is very intriguing. I hope for more novels of that period.

Now, I'm off to a signing at Legacy Books -- William Bernhardt, a thriller author. It will be fun! Stop by for the photos and chance to win a copy of his book, Nemesis.

So, as they say on Dorothy-L, where's YOUR bookmark?

Get out there and READ a book...
Sara Reyes
DFW Tea Readers Group
Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas in 2009!

Helen Scott Taylor | Mystical Countryside

Many paranormal stories are set in urban settings. The genre of Urban Fantasy even indicates in its name that stories falling into this genre should have a cityscape setting. Much as I enjoy paranormals that are set in cities, especially cities rich in history, what I really enjoy is a country setting.

Many rural areas are imbued with a mysticism that an urban setting can never hope to match. Imagine a tiny Scottish hamlet, the home to generations of families living in stone-built cottages, where the history of magical belief and violence from the past breathes with the wind whistling along the valleys between the mountains, or an ancient manor house sitting like a huge slumbering beast among the desolate windswept hills of Dartmoor. Or my favorite, a verdant Cornish valley full of wild flowers where a tiny stream trickles between the abandoned tin mines from its rocky spring on Bodmin Moor down to the Atlantic.

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Jordan Dane | Sweet Justice Is Coming

Imagine the horror of going to your teenager’s bedroom one morning only to find her missing. Her bed hadn’t been slept in and her clothes are gone.

In 2000, that’s what one mother in Florida faced. Her only child had conspired against her and ran away. And worse, she later discovered that her daughter had left the country—without having a passport. From the moment I read this news story, I was hooked and had to know more about how such an atrocity could happen. The teen’s trail might have gone ice cold, but her mother pushed authorities in a direction.

Click here to read the rest and enter Jordan's one day blog contest.

FIVE Winners!!!!

Alexis Morgan | Jarvis Donahue, A Gift From My Muse . . .

I’d like to thank everyone here at Fresh Fiction for inviting me to join them today to help celebrate the release of my fifth Paladin book, Darkness Unknown, from Pocket Star!

Like most authors, every book I write is special to me in some way, but this particular one is more so than most.   For me, some stories are harder to bring into focus than others.   I usually see the opening scenes of a new book pretty clearly,  and I know where the story needs to end up.   The middle of the book, though, is often lost in fog, with my clear sight limited only as far as the next page I’m about to write. 

But from the moment I first “met” Jarvis Donahue in the second Paladin book, it was as if I’d known him for years.   By the time he’d spoken no more than a handful of words, I knew that he liked classic rock, drove a muscle car he’d restored himself, and would do anything for those who mattered to him.   I truly felt like his presence in the world of the Paladins was an extra special gift from my muse.

When it came time to give Jarvis his own book, I could see the whole story laid out before me.  Sure, some of the details had to be thought through as I wrote the almost four hundred pages of his story, but I knew who the heroine had to be and how much they’d mean to each other.  I also knew the dilemma Jarvis would face he met Gwen—how to love her the way she deserved and yet do what his duty demanded of him, which was to introduce her younger brother to world of the Paladins. 

And I also knew that however rocky the path would be from the first scene of the book until they reached the last page, that their happily-ever-after would be waiting for them.  

I’ve learned to really cherish stories that almost tell themselves.  They don’t come along very often. 


Alexis Morgan
www.alexismorgan.com

Win a signed set of books from Alexis by clicking here...

Cathie Linz | The Appeal of the wild bad boy hero

What is it about wild bad boys that is so appealing? One multi-published author friend of mine told me early on in my career that if a hero is perfect then the heroine is pretty dense not to fall for him right away. But bad boys are always tempting good girl heroines to cross over to their wicked side of the street. They create the conflict and sparks of opposites attracting.

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Beth Kery | Beth Blabbers About Book Marketing

I not only have to write this darn book, but sell it too?

My sweet husband bought me several books about marketing my book for Christmas. I’m relatively new at the business of writing, having first been published at Ellora’s Cave in 2007. My New York debut, Wicked Burn, came out in December of 2008. The amount of time (and money) that a writer spends marketing a book came as quite a shock to me, as it must for many authors. Before I entered the writing arena, I always envisioned an author plucking her next novel out on her keyboard, not plugging her published works.

Click here to read the complete blog and enter her One Day contest.

Sandi Shilhanek | Contests

I feel fairly confident in saying that everyone’s attention is on the economy these days. I know that it is the focal point at our house. This must surely mean that more readers are entering contests in the hopes of winning their favorite author’s newest title, or perhaps a backlist title in a new to them author.

I have been lucky this week, and won a one-day blog contest, one a guess the number contest in a chat, and today attempted to win an email contest, and while I supposedly did not win, the author was nice enough to send me an e-copy of a book from her backlist anyway, because in my email I mentioned that I had not yet read her, so anything would be new to me.

So, as you see I have entered a variety of contests this week, and been very lucky! The contests I have entered have all been easy to enter, and the prizes have all been books. Is there a certain type of contest that calls to you? Is there a certain prize you prefer to win?

To me, the simpler the contest the more likely I am to enter, and we all know you cannot win if you do not enter!

Sandi Shilhanek
DFW Tea Readers
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