Welcome Kat Holmes, Ending 31 Days of Blogging Into 2012

What better way to end January's blogging party than with Kat Holmes! Kat Holmes, writer extraordinaire, is a Muse author who is not only prolific but when not writing on her own, partners in a mother/daughter team, Kat being the daughter part. Who is the mother? Anybody?? Win a copy of A Wedding to Die For if you know the answer to this one!
Having read The Lighthouse, I know how well written and entertaining Kat's work can be. The Lighthouse just drips of atmosphere!
But first, let's get to know Kat better with her answers to this interview:

1. What is your favorite book?
I have two. The entire Tapestries series by N.J. Walters and Dark Needs At Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole.

2. Who is your favorite writer?
N.J. Walters. That woman is my hero.

3. How old were you when you were first published?
I was 33.

4. What writing style do you most abhor?
I won’t read horror under any circumstances.

5. When and how do you write? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
I write on my desktop first thing in the morning when my mind is fresh and ready to go.

6. What is your greatest fear when you first turn in a manuscript?
That while I like and love the story no one else will and it will be rejected. And it has happened.

7. In what era do you wish you’d been born?
I’m in love with the medieval era.

8. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Had…I think many of us overuse that word especially when writing our first drafts.

9. Which talent would you most like to have?
Hmm I’m not sure. But I think I’d like to be able to play a musical instrument.

10. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Conrad Wroth from Dark Needs At Night’s Edge by Kresley Cole

11. How would you like to die?
What a question. But like most people, I think would prefer to die peacefully in my sleep.

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Zip on over to her author page at Muse and see just how many other books of Kat Holme's are offered there! http://tinyurl.com/7xr5agj

Welcome James Hartley, author of Teen Angel and Many Others

Well, hello, Jim! And welcome to This and That. This is a busy man, who is also an author of paranormal short stories, novellas and novels. Just zip on over to his page at MuseitUp Publishing at http://tinyurl.com/87w39nq for a sampling of his work. Good writing and magic abounds. There is not shortage of ghosts, either, but only of the most fascinating kind. Here's a little bit about one of his offerings, Teen Angel:


BLURB: Angie, a teen aged girl, was killed in a tragic accident. As a ghost she became convinced her boyfriend Dickie still loved her, so she decided to return to Earth and win him back. But her timing was a little off -- thirty years off! -- and she found him grown, married, and with teen aged daughters of his own. When she discovered she was stuck there and couldn't return, she figured there was no choice but to break up Dickie's marriage ...

EXCERPT: The roar of a motorcycle coming up the driveway and then the
slamming of the front door finally broke the stasis.

Two teen-aged girls entered the room. The older one, swinging a
pink motorcycle helmet in her hand, called, “Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!”
then spotted Angel and added, “Hey, who’s your friend over
there?”

Rick and Lois looked at each other, each mentally willing the
other to the chore of explaining this to the girls. Finally Rick
sat up and muttered, “Here we go again.” Then in a louder voice,
“Angel, I’d like you to meet Brenda,” he continued, pointing to
the one with the helmet. “And Rosalie,” he said, indicating the
younger girl. “They’re our daughters. Girls, this is Angel.
She’s a ghost.”

Brenda did a double take, while Rosalie, currently hooked on
videotapes of Friday the 13th movies, gave a little squeal.

Brenda waited to see if her father would get to the point of the
joke. When he remained silent, she gave in and asked, “Okay,
Dad, what’s really going on here? Why did you say she’s a
ghost?” She paused. “I mean, she’s not wearing a white sheet, is
she?” she concluded in a sarcastic tone.

-----------------------------

WANT MORE? HERE'S A LONGER EXCERPT:

As if on cue, Brenda, Rosalie, and Angel entered the room.

“Hi, Uncle Walt, Aunt Barb,” chorused Brenda and Rosalie, while
Angel settled for, “Hello, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith.” Brenda, who
was closest, passed sodas to the others and grabbed a beer for
herself, saying, “These are for us, aren’t they? Thanks, Mom.”
The three of them settled on the couch.

Rick said, “Wait a minute, girls. Walt came over here to show me
something special. It might be confidential. If it is, you girls
will have to go in the other room. You know you’re not allowed
to listen in on legal business, especially if clients’ privacy
is concerned. What about it, Walt? Should I chase them out?”

“No, no, Rick. Don’t chase Angel out. What I have to tell you is
really about her. And you might as well let the girls stay too.
I’m sure they’ll want to know what’s going on, and they probably
ought to find out.”

“Walt, what in the hell are you talking about?” asked Rick.
“You’re acting like a CIA agent about to date a Russian spy. Did
you just catch Angel selling defense secrets to the KGB, or is
it something worse?”

Angel bristled at this and protested, “Dickie! I wouldn’t do
that! I would never betray my country, or President Eisenhower
either. I’m a loyal American.”

Walt gave her a strange look, and it was obvious he was prepared
to refuse to believe anything she said. Then he said, “Rick, I
really want you to know I’m your friend. I’m on your side, no
matter what it may look like. I don’t know if you’re the victim
in this scam, or if you got caught up in it by accident, or
what. I just want to help you. But even if you’re in it
deliberately, I don’t blame you. I’m sure you had a good reason,
and I’ll help you.”

Rick looked exasperated, and Lois said, “Walt, you are babbling
like a brook. You’re not making any sense at all. Would you
please stop apologizing and start explaining? I would really
love to know what you’re going on about.”

“Yes,” said Barb from the rocking chair, “I think you better get
to the point, dear, before everyone explodes from curiosity.
Just like this cat.” Blackstone had jumped up on her lap, and
she was gently scratching his ears.

“Okay, okay, okay! I’ll get to the point. The point is this girl
here,” he pointed at Angel, “this girl who claims to be a
cousin. She’s a fake. She’s scamming you, after your money, or
something.” He stopped as everybody tried to talk at once and
waved his arms for silence. When it was quiet again, he
continued, “I checked every Gossett in the state of New Jersey,
and not a one of them has a daughter named Angel. Or Angela or
Angie or anything similar. How do you explain that?” Rick
started to say something, but Walt waved him down again with one
hand, pulling papers out of his brief case with the other. He
spread them on the coffee table and said, “Look at these.”

Everybody leaned forward to look, and even Blackstone trotted
over to sniff at the papers. The cat was easily satisfied and
went back over to the rocker and curled up for a nap, but the
others stared longer at Walt’s treasures. He had gotten a copy
of Angie’s school photo from the year before she was killed, and
a number of old newspapers with stories of the accident and
pictures of Angie. The resemblance to Angel was unmistakable,
but neither the Parkers nor Angel were the least surprised by
it. Lois, trying to defuse the situation, said, “Quite a family
resemblance there, isn’t there?”

Walt retorted, “Family resemblance my ass! It’s far too good.
I’ll bet close examination would show plastic surgery. She’s
here to get something from you; I’d bet on that.”

“Well, one out of three ain’t too bad,” muttered Rick under his
breath. Then, in a normal tone, “Walt, we know where Angel is
from, and why she’s here. Thanks for trying to help, but
everything is under control. Why don’t you just relax?” He
leaned back in his chair.

There was silence for a moment, broken only by the squeak of
Barb’s rocker. Then, suddenly, there was a horrible screaming
hissing noise. Barb had rocked onto Blackstone’s tail.
Blackstone rose gracefully into the air, as cats are wont to do
in such circumstances, in an arching trajectory that ended in
Angel’s lap. The big Siamese landed there with all eighteen
claws fully extended and attempted to dig in for safety.
Unfortunately, this proved a painful surprise for Angel, who had
been paying no attention whatsoever to the cat. She in turn let
out a loud scream, but instead of jumping, she vanished. This
left Blackstone in midair, startled that his support had
vanished, before dropping to the couch. He let out one more
yowl, clawed his way up the back of the sofa, over it, and then
vanished from the room, still spitting and hissing. Once
Blackstone was gone, there was silence until finally Lois said,
“Oh, shit!” Walt was still staring at the empty space where
Angel had been, his jaw hanging open in shock.

Barb had a similar stunned look on her face, but she recovered
faster. She started to rock again and said, “I just can’t wait
to hear this.” Walt nodded.

Rick and Lois looked at each other, and finally Rick said,
“Well, you see, er, it’s like this. Angel is a ghost.” He paused
to see what effect this had had on the Smiths. Both looked a
little strained, but neither had fainted at the information, so
he continued, “Angel is the ghost of Angie Gossett, my old
girlfriend. The one you have all the pictures of…there.” He
waved vaguely at the coffee table.

---------------------------

Thanks for dropping by, Jim, and good luck with Teen Angel and the rest of your books! Once again, the buy page for Teen Angel and other of Jim's books is: http://tinyurl.com/87w39nq

Welcome Susan A. Royal, Author of Not Long Ago

Let's give a big welcome to Susan A. Royal! She's a new author and we all know how exciting that can be. This an opportunity to get to know her better and, frankly, given her answers, she seems like quite a woman. Here's Susan:

First, let me thank Heather for allowing me to be here today. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions since I signed a contract with MuseItUp. I’m thrilled to be considered a part of something so exciting. Soon I’ll be knee deep in edits and finding out what my cover art is going to be. But I can’t wait. Until then, I’ve included an unedited excerpt and a little about the book. I hope you enjoy. Please, remember to look for it. Not Long Ago, is a time travel romance due out June, 2012.
----------------------
1. What is your favorite book?
Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson

2. Who is your favorite writer?
My new favorite writers are husband and wife team, Ilona Andrews

3. If the answers to 1 & 2 are different, why?
Three Hearts and Three Lions was one of the first time travel books I ever read, and it blew me away. I’ve read it over and over and never get tired of the story. I’ve just discovered Ilona Andrews. Their books are gritty, sexy, humorous and the characters jump off the page.


4. When and how do you write? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
At the computer, evenings weekends (I don’t watch much television and my “office” is in the laundry room, so I multi-task. I often work out dialogue or get an idea how to move the story forward while I’m taking a break folding clothes or cooking)


5. In what era do you wish you’d been born?
I’m happy living in this era. But I’d love to be able to travel in time and meet people like Robin Hood, Mark Twain, King Arthur, Merlin to find out if they were anything like I’ve read. I’d also like to be able to witness, up close and personal, some of the great events of history—things like the Battle of Culloden, Lincoln’s assassination, days leading up to America’s independence, Pearl Harbor.

6. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Honestly, it changes from book to book. Lately I’ve had a thing about using ‘made their way’. Before that it was ‘just’ and ‘really’ Or I find I’ll use a new word or phrase and like it so much I repeat it unconsciously until I begin to edit.

7. Which talent would you most like to have?
I dabble in a lot of different things, but I’ve always wanted to be able to sing (not just carry a tune) and play an instrument. Since I don’t do either, I get to be audience for my talented family: husband (piano, guitar, singer), my son (guitar, singer) and granddaughter (guitar)

8. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My husband and I have three children: a realist, an idealist and a romantic. We have the son-in-law and daughter-in-law everyone dreams about having. And we have four grandchildren. All distinct individuals, we are constantly in awe of the things they accomplish and take pride in the small part we’ve played in their lives.

9. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
That changes from time to time. Tarzan and Flash Gordon were my early heroes. Tarzan, because he lived off the grid, and Flash Gordon, because he got to travel to other planets. Later Mary Stewart let me follow Merlin’s life from his childhood, and I could see why he might have become the man he did. Diana Gabaldon’s characters, Jamie and Claire Fraser, continue to touch my heart with their abiding love. Harry Dresden makes me laugh, with the predicaments he manages to get involved in. There are so many.

10. How would you like to die? With dignity.
I hope I leave this world because it’s my time to go, and not because I gave up. The message I hope to leave is this: Begin every new day with the idea that life is what you make of it. Embrace it. Don’t grieve over what cannot be. Instead, celebrate what you’ve been fortunate to experience.

----------------------------

Not Long Ago, Debut June 2012

Blurb:
Erin has met the man of her dreams, but as usual there are complications. It’s one of those long distance relationships, and Griffin is a little behind the times-- somewhere around 600 years.

Erin and her employer, March, are transported to a time where chivalry and religion exist alongside brutality and superstition. Something’s not quite right at the castle, and Erin and March feel sure mysterious Lady Isobeil is involved. But Erin must cope with crop circles, ghosts, a kidnapping and death before the truth of her journey is revealed.

Forced to pose as March’s nephew, Erin finds employment as handsome Sir Griffin’s squire. She’s immediately attracted to him and grows to admire his courage, quiet nobility and devotion to duty. Yet, she must deny her feelings. Her world is centuries away, and she wants to go home. But, Erin can’t stop thinking about her knight in shining armor.

Excerpt:
After helping Sir Griffin with his armor the next day, he sent me to saddle Bayard and bring him from the stables. When I returned, he waited just outside his quarters, pacing in front of the door and adjusting his armor. It seemed a little out of character for the man I knew, but I suppose it had to be normal for even a seasoned knight to be a little nervous before just before competing in a tournament.

When Bayard and I came to a stop in front of him, Sir Griffin tucked his helmet under his arm and stood ramrod straight, his armor glinting in the sun. With his eyes like quicksilver against his dark lashes and curly hair and his strong jaw and Roman nose only slightly curved, he brought to mind every story I’d ever read about gallant knights in medieval times. I had to bite my tongue to keep from blurting out how handsome, how perfect he looked.

“--Aaron, have ye not been listening? Twice already I have asked, and ye just stand there gawking at me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sir Griffin. My mind was--elsewhere. What was the question?”

“It has been some time since I have spent so much effort on my appearance.” Things were beginning to come clear. He indicated his clothing. “What I mean--is everything right?”

He’s worried about his appearance? What in hell am I going to say without sounding like some awestruck teenage girl? You look hot? You’ll knock ‘em dead? I could only imagine his reaction. “You are the very image of a proper knight, Sir Griffin. No one at the tournament could even hope to match you.” No way could I tell him he looked so good I wanted to–-well, never mind what I wanted. All I could do was gather up his banner along with the rest of his equipment and get ready to follow him out on the field like a good little squire. Damn it all.

------------------------

Thanks for dropping by, Susan, and best of luck with your book, Not Long Ago!

Welcome Lin Holmes, Author of...A Lot!

Welcome Lin Holmes, a woman I admire for her strength of will, sweetness of nature, and creative output. I first met Lin when we were both newcomers at MuseItUp and she had just had Santa is a Lady published. Since that time, Lin has had many other publications through Muse, too numerous to mention. Her latest, She's Gone, is the focus of her guest blog today. But first, let's get to know the secret, inner Lin a little better with her answers to an interview!


1. What is your favorite book?
That’s easy. The Last Day by Glenn Kleier. I found Glenn’s book when I was fighting my second war against cancer. Glenn spun an amazing tale that holds up a mirror up to modern man, revealing what we would do if the Second Coming of Jesus happened today. Would modern man treat this miracle maker better?

2. Who is your favorite writer?
It would be self-defeating if I claimed anyone but Glenn Kleier after the glowing praise I gave him and his debut book in answer of the last question. However, I have other authors/writers I eagerly await. With Glenn, his writing gave me the courage to live despite cancer. That is a huge gift I will always thank him and his ability to weave a story for. I also love Kat Holmes, my very talented author daughter. She has created a world so rich in detail and history I fell in love with it. I am of course speaking of her Artica Lights series. Frozen, book one, is out and available from Muse It Up Publishing’s Hot side. It tells the story of a land of perpetual winter and it’s lonely queen Awni.

Kat just finished the manuscript for the second book in this series, Reflections Of Ice, and I got to read it while it was still a work in progress. The world I fell in love with in Frozen takes on richer depth becoming a tapestry of Artica, and the Lights that play such a pivotal role in all that takes place in the Artica Lights series.

3. If the answers in 1 and 2 are different, why?
I sort of already explained that, but allow me to elaborate. Since becoming a part of the Muse It Up Publishing Family, I am discovering a treasure trove of wonderful authors with powerful stories to tell. Heather, I read your first book, Murder Is A Family Business and loved it. I have the second, A Wedding To Die For, but haven’t had the time to read it yet. It is waiting for me, on my Kindle.

4. How old were you when you were first published?
I had a poem published in my college paper when I was 18, but 59 when Santa is a Lady, my first Christmas Miracles book came out on 12/1/10. Since then I’ve had Forever With You, The Pendulum Swings, Twilight Comes, In From The Cold, This Time Forever, Beyond Yesterday, Suc-U, Champagne Afternoon, and The Christmas War release from Muse It Up Publishing, with She’s Gone coming out in February 2012.

5. What writing style do you most abhor?
I don’t know. I’m one of those people that sits down at either my computer or with pad and pen and let my inner muse, I call Nudge, write. Is that a style? Or are you speaking about genre? If it’s genre, I steer clear of horror and anything that smacks of BSDM. I read for entertainment, mostly, so reading something guaranteed to give me nighmares is just something I avoid.

6. What is your favorite writing cliché?
Published authors are rich! Whenever I tell anyone I am a published author, they look beyond me for my Porche and disbelieve me when I tell them 99% of published authors have day jobs. Naturally, I have a secret dream of being independently grandiose in the images of say J.K. Rowlings, Norah Roberts, Stephen King, and the late Robert B. Parker, but I have a feeling if I ever achieve that level, I’ll be well into my third life after this one.

7. What is your favorite word?
Yes.

8. When and how do you type? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
Since I am dyslexic, I LOOOOVVVEEE my computer and the spell checker attached to MS Word. All my TYPING is done on my computer, but I also will write on a notebook with pen. (I’m a bit old fashioned that way.)

9. What is your greatest fear when you first turn in a manuscript?I think like so many other authors, I fear I did not spend enough time polishing it, but I also know you can polish it and polish it and still worry you haven’t done enough. So that’s a Catch-22 situation I just live with every time I send off another baby, hoping it will emerge from it’s pre-natal nursery and emerge from the Publishing House ready to test its land legs.

10. In what era do you wish you’d been born?
I have affection for many eras, so have this eerie feeling I HAVE been born into them. Now if you’d like to know which is my favorite? Hmm! Darned if I know. Each had/has its allure.

11. What words or phrases do you most overuse?
You’d have to ask my editors that. I think my Content Editor would probably say I overuse the word “was”, and she’s probably right…but was was always a good word before. :>)

12. Which talent would you most like to have?
I can’t draw a straight line, even with a ruler, so I’d have to say being an artist. To be able to transfer what I see onto canvas and have others see it too…wow!

13. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
That’s easy. Being a mom. I am so blessed to have Kat Holmes, my very beautiful, talented daughter as my cheering crowd and best friend. I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but am beyond thankful for her.

14. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Right now I’m the only one other than Kat, who knows about him. He’ll debut in my first full length, as in over 375 page book, late Spring 2012 in a book I called Echoes From The Past. His name is Ahoishmahir, and he’ll travel forward and backward through three time eras during the course of the story. When we first meet him, we think he’s either a ghost, or a spirit sent to guide the heroine Dr. Kira Firebird on her quest. The first time we meet him in the flesh, so to speak, he’s a leader of the Anasazi people. In his other time, Lemuria…well, I don’t want to give too much away, but Aho, he’s my favorite.

15. How would you like to die?
With my eyes shut. Yep, in my sleep, please.

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I have a book coming out very soon She’s Gone from Muse It Up Publishing that is a mystery with a surprise ending.

A man comes home at the end of a busy workday to a house that shrieks with its emptiness. His wife is gone…kidnapped? The cat is gone? Who kidnaps a wife AND cat? Her side of the closet is empty. But they’d made powerful soul rejuvenating love just that morning. Clues…there are clues, but will he unravel them before it’s too late?


BLURB:
She’s gone!
The silence reaches out and rebounds inside his body. Where is she, was she kidnapped? What kidnapper takes her toothbrush, her clothes, and her cat, but leaves his half of the closet full? What does the puddle of melted ice mean, and the lone glass. All the other dishes from their shared breakfast are in the dishwasher; what does this lone glass mean? They had not fought, if anything they’d made passionate love before both needed to head off to their jobs that morning.




She’s gone!
EXCERPT ONE:
I should call the police. If we were robbed, and that could be the only answer for this, the thieving bastards had to have kidnapped her too. Along with her cat, Mr. Highbrow.
Struggling to his feet, he clutched onto the doorframe like it was a lifeline. He inched his way against the wall, grabbed the chair back to swing his shaking body around the dresser until he was finally able to press one hand against each side of the bathroom doorway. He peered inside, not sure what exactly he was looking for, but pretty certain he’d know it when he saw it.
On the far wall, beneath the shiny medicine cabinet, his toothbrush stood, a solitary sentinel, where just that morning, there’d been two. What kind of a thief steals a used toothbrush? Obviously one who was into strange ideas of dental hygiene.

She’s gone!
EXCERPT TWO:
After three rings, Tia’s secretary, Heather McCutcheon answered the phone.
Heather was a sweet kid, a bit scatterbrained and a little bit overtly talkative. “Oh Hi Mr. R. What a surprise. I didn’t expect to hear from either you or Mrs. R., this being your second honeymoon and all. How is Crystal Island? I bet it’s wonderful. I just sat and drooled when Mrs. R. told me all about it. So why are you calling? Did Mrs. R. forget something? You know, she really should leave the office behind and let the rest of us take care of things. What I wouldn’t give for time to go off somewhere exotic at this time of year and just loll around and have fun.”
Jonathan was beginning to think Rod Serling had returned from the Great Beyond, revamped The Twilight Zone, and he’d somehow walked into the middle of shooting. The Twilight Zone had depicted seemingly average Joe’s going about the business of living their lives confronting, all of a sudden confronting warped parallel-like worlds that often tipped them into the realms of mind-blowing insanity.
“Crystal Island?” he repeated dumbfoundedly.
“Yeah. It sounds like a piece of heaven.” She sighed letting him know that Heather was both enchanted and envious. “I asked Mrs. R. to bring me back a couple souvenir stalagmites…or are they stalactites? I can never remember which one grows up and which one grows down.”
Jonathan wanted to scream. He was going to get nothing more from Heather, but he did not want to alert her that her boss lied. Jonathan had never known Tia to lie.
Scrambling to find something safely innocuous to say, he finally spoke, anxious now to hang up the phone and track down travel agents. “Ah, Tia wanted me to make sure you’ve cleared her calendar for the entire time.” he said hoping his probe was subtle enough not to alert Heather to his own total ignorance of his wife’s actions, plans, and reasons for disappearing.
“Oh sure, tell her I even rescheduled Carlton Bradley’s conference. She’s got the whole month free. I’m forwarding any emergencies to our New York office, just like she said I was.” Heather’s voice beamed with pride.
“That’s great, Heather. I’ll make sure I tell her just as soon as she steps out of the shower.”
“You just tell her to have a good time and not to give the office one little thought.”

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Buy page for all of Lin's Muse offerings: http://tinyurl.com/7j2ym9o

Welcome, Ingrid Ricks, author of Hippie Boy

I will be honest, I haven't read Hippy Boy yet but plan to do so. After seeing the cover and reading 38 fantastic reviews on Amazon, it's on my to buy list. But first, let's get to know Ingrid a little better:

1. What is your favorite book?
This changes on a monthly basis, but at the moment, I would have to say A Thousand Splendid Suns. I still get an ache in my gut when I think about that story.

2. Who is your favorite writer?
Maya Angelou.

3. If the answers to 1 & 2 are different, why?
Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote The Kite Runner, another favorite book of mine, is an amazing writer and he definitely comes in at a close second to Maya. But Maya Angelou will always be my favorite because she inspires me on so many levels. Her life is the stuff of movies and her ability to overcome such enormous life obstacles and then share her experiences through her series of gripping memoirs blows me away. I’ve learned so much from her stories and essays, primarily that regardless of the challenges you face, it’s up to you to create the life you want for yourself.

4. How old were you when you were first published?
I was twenty-one. I landed a spot on my college newspaper. I still remember my first story. It was about a local movie theater. It was 500 words and took me about twelve hours to write.

5. What writing style do you most abhor?
Dry, textbook-style biographies.

6. What is your favorite writing cliché?
If you want to write, write.

7. What is your favorite word?
Now.

8. When and how do you write? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
I do my best writing at my local coffee shop, Aster. I usually knock out my client writing in the morning, then head over to the coffee shop each afternoon for three hours of writing. I order a double-short soy mocha and always sit at the same corner table if it’s available. I just retired my five-year-old Dell laptop and am now experiencing the luxury of writing on a MacBook Air (and keep wondering how I ever got by without it).

9. What is your greatest fear when you first turn in a manuscript? Hippie Boy is my first book and the only fear I ever had was that I wouldn’t finish it. Now that I have, I want and hope that the story resonates with readers.

10. In what era do you wish you’d been born?
I would love to be a 60s flower child for a month and hang out in Haight-Ashbury, listening to music and experiencing that lifestyle. A month would be enough though. Then I could come back to my era, which I think is a pretty amazing one.

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I call my oldest daughter, who just turned thirteen, Sydalicious. It drives her crazy but it’s a habit I can’t seem to break.

12. Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to be one of those writers who has a true gift with words and can channel those words into a masterpiece that just flows from their fingertips when they type.

13. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having the courage to go after my writing dream and turn it into reality.

14. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
At the moment, the girl in Little Bee. She’s been through so much, and she is so strong.

15. How would you like to die?
I always joke with my husband that when we’re both in our nineties, we’ll head out one morning for a beach walk and coffee, come back home, sit down in our matching rocking chairs, hold hands, rock back together and both die instantly. Seriously…not a bad way to go.

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Tagline:
What would you do if your Mormon stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.

Blurb:
For years, Ingrid has begged her free-wheeling dad to let her join him on the road as a tool-selling vagabond to escape the suffocating poverty and religion at home. When her devout Mormon mother marries Earl―a homeless Vietnam vet who exploits the religion’s male-dominated culture to oppress and abuse her family―she finally gets her wish. Ingrid spends the next few summers living on the margins while hustling tools with her dad and his slimy, revolving sales crew. He becomes her lifeline and escape from Earl. But when her dad is arrested, she learns the lesson that will change her life: she can’t look to others to save her; she has to save herself.

About the Author
Ingrid Ricks is a Seattle-based writer and speaker who focuses on overcoming adversity and embracing life. Her stories have been featured in Salon, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Seattle Times and numerous other publications. Hippie Boy: A Girl’s Story, is her first book.

What Others Are Saying:
“A soft-spoken yet resounding reminder of the power plays tied to religion... Ricks’ voice is true, and her prose has a poised confidence missing from the repertoires of many established authors.” Booklist
“Ingrid Ricks has shined a light on American Mormonism no less important than the light Kathryn Stockett shined on the degradation of black maids in "The Help." Hippie Boy" is for anyone who has ever felt left out, alone, bereft, bewildered, betrayed...in other words, everyone.” — Libby Maxey , Pastor, Tennessee
“When Ingrid describes life on the road with Dad, I was reminded of a movie I saw in the 80's staring Ryan O'Neil and his daughter Tatum O'Neil called "Paper Moon"…I would recommend this book to anyone! –Michelle C.

“I gave this book to a friend of mine because I was curious if my reaction to it was normal. Why did I, a man in my forties, relate so strongly to this young girl who I had absolutely nothing in common with? Paul, in his fifties, read it in two sittings and loved it as much as I did. No matter who you are, you won't be able to put the book down until you find out if this indomitable spirit gets her night in a Holiday Inn, a promised gift from her loving but struggling father, support from her troubled mother, and freedom from her dirt bag stepfather who smells like old meat.” –J Craig

“I chose this book because it was a good price to try out my new Kindle, and the premise seemed interesting enough. I did not expect to be totally hooked in to the story. I planned to read this book over several days of commutes, starting on Monday. I was so curious about (and concerned for!) the young protagonist that I devoted Tuesday evening to finishing the last 30% because I couldn't wait unti Wednesday morning.” – Michelle Mann

Amazon Book/Buy Page: http://www.amazon.com/Hippie-Boy-Girls-Story-ebook/dp/B005RGXNVU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Welcome J.Q. Rose, author of Sunshine Boulevard

Before we get to her interview, let me say that Janet - the name her comrades are allowed to call her - has so much warmth, humor and good will, it radiates from every word she writes. Get a load of her picture. This is a lady bubbling over with life!
If you haven't read Sunshine Boulevard yet, hie thee to the MuseItUp Bookstore http://tinyurl.com/7usad6m and get a copy. It's a novella and absolutely mad fun. I mean, how and why is everybody getting offed in such a peculiar a way? You'll have to buy the book to find out! But first, a little bit more about this imaginative author:

1. What is your favorite book?
I think I am in good company with so many who fell in love with Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.”


2. Who is your favorite writer?
My role model is Mark Twain. He is such a great storyteller and so witty.

3. How old were you when you were first published?
Other than “published” in my school paper, the newspaper published a poem I wrote for the dedication of the city library, but I don’t remember what was dedicated!! It could have been a section for the area museum. I must have been in high school.

4. What writing style do you most abhor?
I like beautiful, flowing descriptive paragraphs, but not when there are paragraphs and paragraphs to read that they stop the action in the story. So give me more action, and not all the description.

4. What is your favorite word?
Today it is 'transcends'. The choice will probably change tomorrow.

5. When and how do you write? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
Since I am trying to finish my WIP, I have dedicated an hour and a half after lunch to work on it. I usually sit at the desk and type on the keyboard. No pencil and paper for this gal. I type at the speed of sound so I can get my brilliant ideas down as fast as I think of them!!

6. What is your greatest fear when you first turn in a manuscript? Did I get the editor’s name right?

7. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I overuse “just” and “that.” I just never realized that I used just just as much as I do that.

8. Which talent would you most like to have?
I took piano lessons for about six years as a child and HAD to take a year of piano when in college. I am still a mediocre player. I admire those who can make the keys sing and can play without music. My dad could play any song if you just hummed it to him. Oh yes, and one of his tricks was sitting UNDER the piano keyboard and playing a song with both hands. He was a talented musician, but only for his own enjoyment. I guess I didn’t get that gene. Today would be his 95th birthday, so he his in my thoughts.

9. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
This is a topic we discuss in my workshop for Life Story Writing. So many people think the answer has to be something like I discovered a new planet or developed a new medicine or changed the world. But there are so many kinds and degrees of personal achievement in our worlds. My greatest achievement some days is following a recipe and it comes out delicious. At other times it is listening to my beautiful daughters and realizing how much of a contribution they make to our society. Of course, as a writer, finishing a satisfying project has to be at the top of the list.

10. How would you like to die?
Quickly with no hanging around waiting for it. I am sure all of us wish to die with no pain. After death, I will join a whole choir of angels and we will sing our way to Heaven.

Thanks so much, Heather, for this opportunity to be a guest on your blog and to meet your readers.
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Bio: J.Q. Rose
J.Q. Rose grew up in the Midwest amid flat lands blessed with fertile fields of corn and soybeans and wide horizons colored by vivid sunsets. The hard working people there have influenced her life values and writings.
Janet is a wife, mother, and grandmother. Those are the most important facts about her. She is a wife to Ted, mother to their two grown daughters, mother-in-law (ouch), and grandmother to four young grandsons and one two-year-old princess. (Aren't grandmas supposed to sit in a rocking chair on the porch and wear their white hair up in a fly away bun? Not anymore!! )

She taught elementary school, then moved into the small business world when she and her husband owned and operated a floral shop, garden center and greenhouses. After the sale of the business, full-time RVing was the next life adventure as she and her husband chased the sunshine across the country seeing new places and making new friends while working on various projects. This fantastic lifestyle afforded many opportunities for writing travel articles and stories on the RVing lifestyle. Her first published mystery, Sunshine Boulevard, sprang from her experiences as she traveled the state of Florida. Her latest humorous holiday short story, The Good Neighbors, is the result of living in a Florida retirement community.

Janet spends her winters in Florida and her summers up north camping and hunting salamanders, toads, frogs, and snakes with her grandchildren. Blogging and photography occupy her spare time as well as playing her favorite board game, Pegs and Jokers

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Sunshine Boulevard, mystery/light horror
Tag line:
Mysterious deaths upset the Florida retirement community interfering with their seasonal activities and turning up more than dead bodies

Blurb:
Who or what is killing the seniors on Sunshine Boulevard? Follow Jim and Gloria Hart, snowbirds who annually migrate to Florida for warm sunshine, fun, and games in snow-free winters. However this season, Jim Hart, a volunteer First Responder in his retirement community of Citrus Ridge, is drawn into the investigation of the mysterious deaths. Even in the midst of the unfortunate demise of the residents on Sunshine Boulevard, the Harts try to enjoy the winter with friends. They don't realize that their friends are getting together for their own kinds of affairs with each other. The neighbors are in a dither over the deaths, but perhaps more intrigued by the gossip about the affairs and why the naked lady was found lying in the geranium bed.

Excerpt:
“Jim, Jim!” Gloria threw her keys on the kitchen counter and then stashed her mat and barbells in the hallway closet.
“Jim!” She called louder. He was not in the Florida room. She gingerly stepped from the kitchen to the carport. She darted into the attached shed housing the laundry room with storage in the front and Jim’s workshop in back. She walked through the workshop and out the door to the neat little back yard and found him watering their garden plot.
“Did you hear about George McDonnell?” Gloria shook her auburn hair, compliments of her favorite brand of hair color #118. Her clear blue eyes filled with tears.
“Yes, I heard.” Jim kinked the hose to stop the water flow and dragged it to the faucet on the back of the house. He slowly turned the tap to cut off the stream of water and dropped the hose to the freshly cut grass.
“How sad that he died alone. Oh, Jim, he wasn’t discovered for so long his body just ro...” She couldn’t say it.
“Gloria, come in the house. I have to tell you something. I don’t want the neighbors listening in on this conversation.” Gloria knew her husband of thirty-five years well enough to realize something wasn’t right.
As they stepped into the bright kitchen, Jim turned to her. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “Royce called this morning. George’s death was peculiar. I guess, that’s what the Medical Examiner is saying.”
Jim was friends with the county M.E., Royce Williams. They worked together on investigations involving the First Responders Unit. Living in a retirement community, the Medical Examiner and medics were frequent visitors. An ambulance at a home was not a significant event at Citrus Ridge. It was part of life and death.
“Royce told us George’s body did not rot. It couldn’t have decomposed that quickly because Miss Lottie checked on him every day when she brought him the mail in the afternoon. She delivered it the day before he died. He was alert and talked about the weather.
“When Lottie called 9-1-1 at one o’clock yesterday, she was so upset she couldn’t even speak. They traced the call to her house. When the police arrived, she only pointed to George’s house.”
Jim stopped a minute. Gloria saw the anguish in his face. “They discovered George sitting in the living room in his recliner. His body was mustard yellow. His clothes were melted to his body. The odor was not a rotting smell, but rather like burning or scorching. In fact the fabric in the chair was charred. Ron was the first responder. He told me when he and the paramedics touched the body, it turned to powder.”
Gloria cried out in disbelief. She covered her face with her hands. “Dear God. What happened, Jim? What could have caused such a thing?”
“Ron arrived at the scene first. You know Ron. Always talking and telling greatstories.” Gloria remembered the usually fun-loving raucous Ron.
“Royce told me there was such a look of horror in Ron’s eyes. He was traumatized by what he saw. Ron told him he moved George’s wrist, and his hand fell making a pile of yellow ashes on the floor.”
“Dear God.” Gloria sat down at the dining room table feeling nauseous. Jim wiped his eyes. “I don’t know how Ron and Lottie will ever forget this nightmare.”
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Links:
Sunshine Boulevard is available at Muse It Up Publishing Bookstore
http://tinyurl.com/2c53noz and

Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/4czwr6h

bn.com http://tinyurl.com/4442b94

as well as at many online booksellers.

The Good Neighbors is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0066CYXQI
All royalties support local food pantries.

J Q Rose Website http://www.jqrose.webs.com

J Q Rose Blog http://www.jqroseauthor.blogspot.com

Welcoming Dianne Hartsock, Author of Trials of a Lonely Spectre

This is a intriguing cover and makes you want to read this paranormal short story. The blurb sounds fantastic! But first, a little bit about Dianne, who reveals a lot through her interview.

1. What is your favorite book?

Out of all the questions I’m asked, that’s still the hardest one for me to answer. Which genre, is what I ask in return. But if I had to choose, it would be The Return of the King by Tolkien. I think of the trilogy as one book, but the ending in this one breaks my heart every time I read it. Frodo is the perfect hero. I wish I could have known him.

2. Who is your favorite writer?
Again, which genre! I’m a veracious bookworm with lots of favorites. At the moment I have to say its C. J. Cherryh. I’ve been reading her books for the past thirty three years and have fallen in love with all of her heroes. I’ve only recently discovered her scifi stories (yea!) and have whole new worlds to explore through her. Her plots are intense, her characters believable and likable.

3. If the answers to 1 & 2 are different, why?
That’s a very good question! I love the fantasy world Tolkien’s created and hide away in it now and again. And he’s definitely influenced my writing the most. Not style! I couldn’t dream of being that good. But when I read his books, my mind seems to expand with possibilities.

Cherryh, on the other hand, writes in a more contemporary style, and they’re just darned good books!

4. How old were you when you were first published?
I’m not telling! But besides a short story in the local paper when I was sixteen, my very first publication was last May. But what a year I’ve had! My greatest joy was when my paranormal thriller novel ALEX was published. I can’t tell you the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment I feel when I hold the print book in my hands. I also have four short stories published as eBooks with a few more on the way.


5. What is your favorite word?
Hope. It doesn’t matter how successful/unsuccessful, happy, sad, in love or not; there’s always hope for a better tomorrow. There’s a Christmas display at a house I pass every evening on the way home from work during the Christmas season with the word HOPE prominently displayed. It fills my heart with peace every time I see it.

6. When and how do you write? (typewriter, Mac, in a café, for four hours each morning, etc?)
I work full time as a floral designer, so in order to get any writing done I have to adhere to a very strict schedule. Up at 7a.m. to write for an hour before work. Home at 6p.m. to make dinner. My husband wakes early for his job so he’s in bed by 8:30, when I write for another three hours. Yikes! I try not to think about it too much. Keep in mind, this includes all my time on FB, Twitter, blogs and promoting—all the distractions of the internet! I am blessed with having a day off during the week, though, that I also devote to writing. Let me tell you, it’s now my favourite day of the week!

7. What is your greatest fear when you first turn in a manuscript?
After the long hours and hard work, laughter, tears and joy we put into a MS, I don’t think anyone can help feeling a little anxious about submitting. But a few years ago I had an incident I’ve never forgotten. I’ve spent several years working on a fantasy novel, still without any takers! Anyway, I received from one of the publishing houses I submitted to about the worst rejection letter imaginable. Not only did they have no interest in my story line, but they attacked my query letter as well, pointing out its glaring flaws and commenting on how unprofessional it was. Sure, I was just starting out and made some mistakes, but I still don’t see the point behind their bluntness. A standard rejection letter would have been kinder. Now I always have that niggling fear of someone’s cruelty with words.


8. Which talent would you most like to have?
I still dream of one day painting in oils. I can’t tell you why! I’m not really sure myself. But I like to think I paint in words and in my flower arrangements. There seems to be a need in me to create something beautiful on canvas as well. I just have to find the time for lessons!

9. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My children, of course! I have two fantastic kids, both in college and on their way to wonderful futures, God willing.

10. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
I've been reading the wonderful 'Fortress' series by C.J. Cherryh. Books to fill you with joy and longing and wonder and magic... The perfect escape. And the hero, Tristen, engages all my sympathy. I have a secret crush on him, but don’t tell anyone!

'...they would ride out simply to see the winter and to hear what Tristen would say of it, how he would wonder at things men simply failed to look at, past their childhoods.
But, oh, how precious those things were! To look at the sky, breathe the cold wind, have fingers nipped by chill and skin stung red and heart stirred to life, gods, he had been dead until Tristen arrived and asked him the first vexing question, and posed him the first insoluble puzzle, and marveled at hailstones and mourned over falling leaves. What miracles there were, all around, when Tristen was beside him...' –The Fortress of Eagles

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The Trials of a Lonely SpecterMuseItUp Publishing http://bit.ly/rhfkBG

Blurb:
There’s been an accident. Quinn believes he’s dead, though Liam insists otherwise. But if that is the case, why does Quinn see the two of them as ghosts? And why does Liam play along? Exposed to mediums and apparitions, Quinn has to make a decision: either accept his fate or risk everything to trust Liam one more time.



Thank you, Heather, for having me as your guest today. Hope your New Year is going wonderfully! You can find me at:

Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/
FB: http://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock