Blog Tour Q&A with Author Andrea Kane

Click here for more info & the tour schedule

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Andrea Kane to the blog. She's on tour promoting the new romantic suspense anthology, "Love is Murder", to which she contributed a story. Kane’s psychological thriller "The Girl Who Disappeared Twice" became an instant New York Times bestseller, the latest in a long string of smash hits. It introduced Forensic Instincts, an eclectic team of maverick investigators, each with different personalities and talents, all with one common bond: a blatant disregard for authority. "The Line Between Here and Gone", which I'll be reviewing in July, is the next exhilarating installment in the Forensic Instincts series. Armed with skills and talents honed by years in the FBI and Special Forces, and training in behavioral and forensic psychology, the team solves seemingly impossible cases while walking a fine line between assisting and enraging law enforcement.

With a worldwide following and novels published in over twenty languages, Kane is also the author of eight romantic thrillers and fourteen historical romances. She lives in New Jersey with her family, where she is plotting new ways for Forensic Instincts to challenge the status quo.

Where to find Andrea online:

website and blog
twitter
facebook


Bea: What is your guilty pleasure?

Andrea: I don’t even have to ponder this one. Ice cream. Always ice cream. If I could, I’d take a quart (maybe even a half-gallon if I had room) of homemade ice cream, a giant spoon, and eat it all in one sitting. Too bad broccoli and ice cream can’t switch places in terms of calories, fat content, and healthy eating!

Bea: Describe your favorite meal.

Andrea: I’d start with a Caesar salad, move on to filet mignon and lobster tails with a lovely glass of Beaujolais, and end with some fabulous profiteroles. I’m getting hungry just answering the question.

Bea: If you were not a writer, what would be your career?

Andrea: I can never answer this question, because I can’t imagine being anything BUT a writer. I almost went to law school, but then my writing called me back. It’s no use. I’m just a diehard storyteller.

Bea: If you could time travel, which year would be your destination?

Andrea: I’m fascinated with Regency England, which is why I set most of my historicals there. I’d have to visit some of the grand balls of the nobility, see the carriage rides through Hyde Park, and watch the Bow Street Runners in action. But I could never deal with the chamber pots!

Bea: What inspired your contribution to LOVE IS MURDER?

Andrea: I really wanted to give my readers romantic closure on FBI agents Sloane Burbank and Derek Parker. But I was also dying to mix in one of my new Forensic Instincts team (the series I’m immersed in right now). “Lockdown” gave me the opportunity to do both, and to do it in a romantic setting and a life-threatening situation.

Andrea, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions and I look forward to your guest post on here in July for your next book, "The Line Between Here and Gone".

Brief Excerpt from Kane's Short Story, "Lockdown":


It was times like this that Claire Hedgleigh hated her psychic gift.

Her best friend was about to get married. The chapel was alight with anticipation and joy.

But all Claire could sense was darkness. Dark energy. Filling the room. Hovering over the fairy-tale setting.

Why?

Blog Tour Review of Love is Murder, edited by Sandra Brown

Click here for more blog tour info & the schedule

Publisher: Mira Books

Release Date: May 29, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from press release):

Prepare for heart-racing suspense in LOVE IS MURDER, edited by New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown, this original collection features 30 of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing nerve-racking romantic suspense today.

Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, women (and men!) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, P.I.s, killers—these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.

Go on vacation with Allison Brennan’s Lucy Kincaid, where she saves a man from drowning, only to discover he is in far greater danger on land. Meet Roxanne St. Claire’s “bullet catcher”—bodyguard Donovan Rush—who may have met his match in the sexually charged “Diamond Drop.” Debut author William Simon shows us what happens when the granddaughter of the president of the United States is kidnapped. And Lee Child’s pitch-perfect “I Heard a Romantic Story” puts a whole new spin on LOVE IS MURDER.


Love Is Murder is the third Thriller anthology written exclusively by members of International Thriller Writers, Inc. Barely seven years old, ITW has a roster that reads like a who’s who of thriller writing, with 1635 members representing 28 countries worldwide and over three billion books in print. Headed by current co-presidents Douglas Preston and Kathleen Antrim, its board of directors has included such notables as Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Steve Berry, James Rollins, M. J. Rose, Carla Neggers, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell and David Hewson. More information is available on the ITW website, www.thrillerwriters.org.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

Ok, first of all, this book is 600+ pages long, and 570 of them are the stories. That is a BIG book, and I haven't finished all of the stories; I have been jumping around, picking which ones I want to read. For my review, I picked four stories; two of them are by authors I've read before and two of the authors are new to me. I initially received a digital galley of the book and the formatting was so bad, and confusing, that I gave up reading it. Happily, I also received a print galley and that was much better. So, this review is based on the print galley that I received.

LOCKDOWN by Andrea Kane

In this story, Kane mixes characters from her FBI series and her Forensic Instincts series; the story is easily readable as a separate entity. The characters mix well together, being from series with similar worlds, and the world building is simple yet clear, which is one of Kane's strengths. This story has adventure and two, well actually, three, romances: Sloan and Derek, Kim and James, and the failed romance of Kim and her ex, Ted. Ted wants his ex-wife and their son back and he's willing to go to any extreme. FBI Agents Sloan and Derek Parker work with the local police to thwart him; I enjoyed seeing them in action. We don't really get to see much of James and I would have liked to seen Claire's psychic gifts better explained for people who haven't read the first Forensic Instincts book, but overall, it was a fast-paced, nicely detailed story that didn't feel short. It works all by itself and while I was left wanting more, I wasn't frustrated; just pleasantly hungry for more. :D

I've read Kane before.

COLD MOONLIGHT by Carla Neggers

There was a time when I read everything that she wrote and enjoyed them very much. Then they started feeling formulaic and I began finding other authors and it's been a while now since I've read a book by her. With this story, I felt like I'd never left. That was both good and bad: it was familiar, which can be comforting, but it wasn't anything that she hasn't done before. The romance didn't feel real or believable to me. Part of that may have been because I felt as if I was dropped in the middle of an ongoing story. Since I'm behind on her books, I can't be sure, but the story and characters felt like they were part of a larger, ongoing story and this was just an excerpt. The overall writing is decent but the story is confusing and I didn't believe in the romance.

I've read Neggers before.

DYING TO SCORE by Cindy Gerard

I've been hearing a lot of good buzz about Gerard and have been wanting to try her. I didn't love this story but I did enjoy it and I'll be trying out her full length books. The story has characters from her Black Ops series but only once or twice did I feel like I was missing something. Crystal "Tinkerbelle" Reed and her husband Johnny are on a mission with fellow operatives Doc and Archangel to gather intel on a paramilitary training compound when things go very wrong. Tink, as Crystal is called, holds her own and is not just a token female on the team. She rescues Johnny and their interaction at the end of the story is sweet, funny, and very real. The military op mainly serves as the story device for Johnny to get hurt and Tink to rescue him but it is a short story, it's hard to do it all. I enjoyed all of the characters and the story; it also served as a good introduction to Gerard's Black Ops series.

Gerard was a new author for me.

I HEARD A ROMANTIC STORY by Lee Child

One of my brothers-in-law, not the one who just died, but the other one, who's still alive, is a big fan of Child's. He's received several Child books from me for Christmas and birthdays over the years, but I've never stopped and read any of Child's books. That will be changing. This story, which is very short at only seven pages, had me laughing just about non-stop. We never meet the lovers in this story, we hear about them from the narrator. All of the characters are nameless. The narrator is very stream of conscious, which I wouldn't enjoy in a full-length book but it works wonderfully for this story. It's a bittersweet love story, told with ironic, dry humor by the narrator and it most definitely does not have a happy ending. Child packs a lot of detail, humor, pathos, and emotion into this story. I haven't finished the anthology but I feel confident in saying that this short story is the highlight of the book.

Child was a new author for me.

List of contributing authors, in order of appearance:

Sandra Brown, editor, no story
Roxanne St. Claire
Carla Neggers
Beverly Barton
Robert Browne
Andrea Kane
William Simon
Laura Griffin
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dianna Love
Patricia Rosemoor
Jon Land & Jeff Ayers
Heather Graham
Mariah Stewart
D.P. Lyle
Cindy Gerard
J.T. Ellison
Bill Floyd
William Bernhardt
Brenda Novak
Vicki Hinze
Julie Kenner
James Macomber
Alexandra Sokoloff
Pamela Callow
Debra Webb
Toni McGee Causey
Lori Armstrong
Allison Brennan
Lee Child

I received an print galley and a digital galley for review.

Steve Berry BookTrib Chat

Thriller/action adventure author Steve Berry released a new book, "The Columbus Affair" recently (which landed at #4 on The New York Times best seller list) and to celebrate, he's doing a live chat over on BookTrib. The chat will be next week, on Wednesday June 13th at 1:30PM EST.

BookTrib would love to have you join him for this incredible opportunity and exciting discussion! Get his professional insight on the writing process, his experience with bestsellers, and his dedication to historic preservation projects (The Columbus Affair is an historic thriller).

10 members of the audience will be randomly selected to win a copy of THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR. So, if you can, go to BookTrib that day and join in the chat. An RSVP is requested, just email livechat@booktrib.com

Book Blurb (from the press release):

“For 500 years historians have pondered the question: Who was Christopher Columbus? The answer is simply another question: Who do you want him to be?” – Anonymous Observer

He was called many names – Columb, Colom, Colon – but we know him as Christopher Columbus. Many questions about him exist: Where was he born, raised and educated? Where did he die? How did he discover the New World? None have ever been properly answered. And then there is the greatest secret of all.

From New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry comes THE COLUMBUS AFFAIR (Ballantine Books Hardcover – On sale May 15, 2012 for $27US) an exciting new adventure – one that challenges everything we thought we knew about the discovery of America.

Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when a controversial report from a war-torn region is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation is destroyed. Now he lives in virtual exile, haunted by bad decisions and the shocking truth he can never prove: that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of the trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger with a request that cannot be ignored.

Zachariah Simon has the look of a scholar, the soul of a scoundrel and the zeal of a fanatic. He also has Tom Sagan’s estranged daughter at his mercy. Simon desperately wants something only Sagan can supply: the key to a 500-year-old mystery, a treasure with explosive political significance in the modern world. For both Simon and Sagan the stakes are high, the goal intensely personal, the consequences of opposing either man potentially catastrophic. On a perilous quest from Florida to Vienna to Prague and finally to the mountains of Jamaica, the two men square off in a dangerous game. Along the way, both of their lives will be altered – and everything we know about Christopher Columbus will change.

STEVE BERRY is the New York Times bestselling author of The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, The Amber Room, and the short stories “The Admiral’s Mark,” “The Devil’s Gold,” and “The Balkan Escape.” He has 14 million books in print, which have been translated into 40 languages and sold in 51 countries. He lives in St. Augustine, Florida. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have founded History Matters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our heritage.


I won't be able to attend as I'll be working but I'm on the wait list for this book at my library. I'm looking forward to it!

Review of Sirenz Back In Fashion by Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

Publisher: Flux Books
Series: Sirenz #2
Release Date: June 8, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

 It's Hell on heels--again.

When Shar tries on a ring from Hades, it activates an obscure contractual clause that puts Shar and former-frenemy-now-friend Meg in Hades' service once more. Shar is whisked away to the Underworld to prepare a ball for Persephone, while Meg is sent to retrieve the errant soul of spoiled rich girl Paulina Swanson and send her to the abyss. Just when it appears the girls will be doomed to serve Hades for eternity, Shar meets two possibly helpful demi-gods who also happen to be gorgeous. Can the girls finally ditch the Lord of the Dead once and for all?


Teaser:

I was prime bait. And a good hostess. And a husband stealer, failed beauty queen, unmissed roomie and pathetic mortal. Mother would be proud. So far I'd felt like a mannequin on display for everyone who knew what Hades wanted. Worse was wondering if they thought I was giving it. Still, a binding, lethal, unfair contract is a binding, lethal, unfair contract. I played my part to storybook perfection.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I had the pleasure last summer of reading and reviewing the first back, Sirenz, and of interviewing both ladies. Today, I'm reviewing the second book, "Sirenz Back in Fashion". SBIF is even funnier than the first, and though they're about the same length, this one, for me, was a much faster read.

Shar and Meg have become friends after events of the last book and are still roomies at their private high school (which sometimes felt more like a college). Once again, they're out shopping when Hades comes back into their lives. Hades tricks them, no surprise there, but I didn't expect the full extent of it. I figured out Caz's real identity pretty quickly but, I'm embarrassed at how long it took me to figure out who Paulina was.

I didn't completely buy into Hades' reasoning behind the job he tricked Shar and Meg into doing but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the story. It was fast, enjoyable, funny, and gives us new, and interesting, takes on Tartarus, Cerebus (also spelled Cerberus, and I'm glad I don't have to scoop up HIS poop!), the dead in Greek mythology, and even Zeus. Bennardo and Zaman don't make major changes to traditional Greek mythology, just tweak it a bit to update it, and it works well. They keep the basics, including personalities, while making them modern and relatable. Tartarus particularly seems like it could be a fun place, not what you would expect to find in the underworld, and is an intriguing version of the afterworld.

The ending of the story is a bit pat, but the authors set up an intriguing storyline for the next book involving Kronos aka Chronos, one of the Titans, who is even sneakier than Hades. Meg proves herself even braver than I thought, and Shar is quite clever. As they deal with their separate pieces of their job assignment, they have to re-learn how to trust each other and work separately yet together. Their fights and disagreements felt real, like your average American teen, though at times Shar felt more mature than I expected. She copes quite well, for a teenager, with the come-ons and seduction from a married man, Hades.

All together, "Sirenz Back In Fashion" is fun, funny, clever, and enjoyable. Flux Books sadly declined to pick up book three but the authors are planning to release it themselves as an e-book. I'm looking forward to it.

I received an eARC from the publisher for review.

A Guest Post by Romance Author Tamara Morgan

Romance author Tamara Morgan is out and about, celebrating the release of her new book, "The World Is A Stage", the second book in her Games of Love series. It releases next week, on June 5th. Today Tamara is writing about books that are so good you wish you could forget them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamara Morgan is a romance writer and unabashed lover of historical reenactments—the more elaborate and geeky the costume requirements, the better. In her quest for modern-day history and intrigue, she has taken fencing classes, forced her child into Highland dancing, and, of course, journeyed annually to the local Renaissance Fair. These feats are matched by a universal love of men in tights, of both the superhero and codpiece variety.

Her home is in the Inland Northwest, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and variety of household pets. Feel free to drop her an email at tamaramorganwrites (at) gmail (dot) com or follow her on Twitter at @Tamara_Morgan.

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 Books So Good You Wish You Could Forget Them

We all have them. They’re the desert island keepers, the five-star gems, the books that haunt us long after we reach The End. These are the books we turn to time and time again, the ones we can quote from memory and whose characters are as dear to us as our own families.

For me, these books tend to run along the lines of the traditional. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo, pretty much anything by Georgette Heyer. I’d also include The Bronze Horseman and The Sparrow as my more modern offerings on that list. Oooh, or Carolyn Crane’s Disillusionists Trilogy or anything by J.L. Merrow or the Amelia Peabody series. (Okay, okay—I’ll stop before this becomes a mind-numbing list of Tamara’s Favorite Books.) The point is that any time I recommend these books to others to read (which is often), I always end up saying the same thing:

I’m so jealous you get to read this for the first time.

There are lots of reasons people want to turn back the hands of time, most of them more noble than wanting to read a book. Sure, you could change the course of history or visit some of the greatest minds of the past. But me? I can imagine few greater pleasures in this world than cracking open Jane Austen for the very first time, or once again discovering the Georgette Heyer backlist and devouring every last book in a matter of weeks. Re-reading is great, but as is the case with all things romance-related, it’s never quite the same as your first time, now is it?

Which is why I’m always on the hunt for the next big “I’m so jealous” book or series. Whether I’m scouring blogs for book recommendations or skimming over Goodreads ratings, I want to see those magical lines that indicate a reader would do anything to go back and read that book for the first time. In fact, I can’t think of a better endorsement than wishing you could erase a book from your memory every time you shut the pages, simply so you can someday have the pleasure of discovering it all over again.

Every writer I know is a reader first and foremost, myself included. I’d love to hear what books you wish you could go back and read with fresh new eyes. Maybe it’s too late for you to rediscover your favorites, but you can always share the love with others.

And that’s the next best thing.

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Book Blurb (from author):

Danger comes packaged in bulging muscles...and a codpiece.

Highland Games athlete Michael O'Leary is famous for his ability to charm a woman right out of her pants. Maybe a little too famous. When he’s sidelined with a knee injury, his wingman pounces on the chance to take full advantage of Michael’s idle time.

Trying out for the local adult-themed Shakespearean production seems simple, but there’s a catch. Michael must woo the notoriously demanding lead actress, Rachel Hewitt, thereby freeing his friend to pursue a courtship of Rachel's sister.

Rachel hates the thought of handing over the lead role in her admittedly scandalous troupe to someone so wholly uneducated in the ways of the Great Bard. But she’s in a bind, and the only one who can step up is a man who looks way too good in a codpiece—and knows it.

To add insult to injury, he refuses to take the role until she agrees to take his place in some barbaric warrior race. She’ll do it, but not with a smile. Unfortunately, the hardest part isn’t antagonizing her Scottish foes. It’s resisting the one man who seems determined to line and cue her heart—forever.

Warning: This book’s half-naked Shakespearean actors are not approved or acknowledged by people with actual literary merit. Neither are the dirty limericks.

THE WORLD IS A STAGE

By: TAMARA MORGAN

ASIN: B007HCWALQ

Published by: SAMHAIN

Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, CONTEMPORARY

Format: EBOOK

Length: 513 KB

Release Date: June 5, 2012

Author Website

Twitter

facebook

goodreads

Buying Links: Amazon      Barnes & Noble      Samhain

Excerpts From Romances Releasing Today!

Thanks to Random House, I have three, yes THREE, excerpts. The first one is, "Home For the Summer" by Mariah Stewart. This one sounds like one I'd enjoy very much. There's also a book trailer.

Book Blurb:

Some of Lucy Sinclair’s best days were those spent growing up in small town St. Dennis—working at the family inn and enjoying summers filled with swimming, sailing, tennis, and the company of Clay Madison, her best friend. But Lucy’s darkest day, the one that shattered her innocence with violence and fear, also happened in St. Dennis. And the town she once loved became the place she gladly left behind—along with the terrible secret she’s kept for twenty years.

And when Lucy comes back to town to plan a celebrity wedding at the Sinclair family inn, she and Clay reconnect, and find themselves reevaluating their long-sleeping friendship that could blossom into something deeper. Like a bookend to those distant childhood days, this summer will be Lucy’s chance to finally confront her hidden pain, make peace with the past, and plan her own whole new future.







Next up is a historical romance, "A Gentleman Undone" by Cecelia Grant.

Book Blurb:

A seductive beauty turns the tables on a gentleman gaming for the guiltiest of pleasures in this rich and sensual Regency romance from beloved newcomer Cecilia Grant.

Lydia Slaughter understands the games men play—both in and out of the bedroom. Not afraid to bend the rules to suit her needs, she fleeces Will Blackshear outright. The Waterloo hero had his own daring agenda for the gaming tables of London's gentlemen's clubs. But now he antes up for a wager of wits and desire with Lydia, the streetwise temptress who keeps him at arm's length.

A kept woman in desperate straits, Lydia has a sharp mind with a head for numbers. She gambles on the sly, hoping to win enough to claim her independence. An alliance with Will at the tables may be a winning proposition for them both. But the arrangement involves dicey odds with rising stakes, sweetened with unspoken promise of fleshly delights. And any sleight of hand could find their hearts betting on something neither can afford to risk: love.





And the final excerpt is from a PNR, "When Passion Lies", by J.K. Beck.

Book Blurb:

Tiberius is a vampire dedicated to protecting his kind—and the secrets of the shadow world. Now, as his quest to become head of the Alliance draws within reach, a shattering new threat puts him to the ultimate test. It’s a nightmare of grim proportions: a dark plot to bring about the mass extermination of human and shadow alike. And it forces Tiberius to turn to the woman he loved and lost, the lover he still desires but doesn’t trust.

Caris was Tiberius’s mate for centuries—until a fateful mission changed her forever. Her tortured secrets drove her into the arms of his rival, but desperation has brought her back. As a horrifying new weapon of mass destruction is about to be unleashed, Tiberius and Caris harness the power of their immortal and passionate love. But will it be enough to battle devastating odds and a ruthless enemy with the ambition to destroy them all?

Review of Black Dawn by Rachel Caine & A Giveaway

Publisher: NAL Hardcover

Series: The Morganville Vampires #12
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

The hotly-anticipated twelfth installment in the Morganville Vampires series

In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires... their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.

Lovers of Morganville, rejoice: Black Dawn takes the intrigue, romance and nail-biting suspense of the series to its highest level yet!

Teaser:

When she and Theo left Amelie's rooms, Myrnin was standing in the round area with the coffee station, staring at the remaining bits of breakfast on the trays and frowning as if he couldn't quite work out what to do with the cup and saucer in his hand.

I'm in vampire central, Claire thought. She wasn't used to being constantly  surrounded by the nonbreathing sort of people; most of the time it was just her, Shane, Eve...and she never really thought of Michael as a vampire, much. Myrnin was familiar, but she never forgot how sharp his fangs were, either. She was with Theo, had just come from Oliver, and now there was Myrnn, and she was starting to feel a little like a hamburger at a dieters' convention. Nobody was likely to snack on her, but absolutely everybody noticed she was edible. 

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

My attention dragged at times while reading this book but honestly, I think that had more to do with events going on in my personal life while I was reading, than it did with the story itself. A LOT happens in this book and Morganville will never be the same again. I was confused about a couple things in the book but I think that is due to having started the series with book 11, "Last Breath"; had I started at the beginning it might have been different, and they were minor matters. The draug, the major baddies in this book, are NOT nice but you know what? Neither are most of the vampires. By the time the book ended I was scared about what will happen next. I like Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael and I want life to be smoother for them.  And even though I'm still new to the series, I was very sad at what happened to some of the characters in this story. At times, it felt to me like Caine was cleaning house, starting the series over. I'm curious if long- time readers felt that way too. It was a strong entry to the series and I enjoyed reading it.

I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.

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As much as I've enjoyed the books by Caine that I've read recently, I'm running out of room on my shelves, so I'm giving away all three books - Unbroken, Last Breath, and Black Dawn. Three books, three winners. 

The rules: 

US residents only, sorry.

You can enter for one, two, or all three books. There will be a different winner for each book.

  
Please follow all the directions so I don't have to disqualify you. That's been happening quite a bit lately. 

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Interview with Author Lisa Shearin & A Give Away

Today, I'm delighted to have as my guest, fantasy author Lisa Shearin. Although I haven't yet read her books, several friends convinced me to give her a try so she's on my list of authors to read. Today she's here celebrating the release of her newest book, "All Spell Breaks Loose". It's the sixth, and final, book in her Raine Benares series, and it releases tomorrow, May 29th.

A little bit about Lisa: Contrary to popular belief, most authors do have day jobs just like everyone else. Lisa is happily ensconced at an advertising agency as an editor and quality control manager. In her previous corporate life, she's been a magazine editor, advertising copywriter, and writer of corporate marketing materials of every description.

She's the author of the national bestselling fantasy adventure series featuring Raine Benares, a finder of things lost and people missing. But what Raine finds best is trouble and lots of it. The series began with Magic Lost Trouble Found, and continued with Armed & Magical, The Trouble With Demons, Bewitched & Betrayed, Con & Conjure and ends with All Spell Breaks Loose.

Lisa is a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and live's in North Carolina with her always patient and ever-encouraging husband, two spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds and a Jack Russell terrier who rules them all.

Where to find Lisa online:

Website & Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Hi Lisa, welcome to the Nook, and thanks for taking the time to sit down and answer some questions for us.

Bea: Do you have a regular routine for writing?

Lisa: I start each chapter writing longhand in a journal with one of my vintage fountain pens. And my official “writing chair” is a huge a 120-year-old mahogany rocking chair. My thoughts flow better from brain to pen to paper (while sitting in that chair). I think writing longhand gives me a more direct path to my inner storyteller. Once I’ve written a first draft, then I key it in to my computer and start expanding from there.

Bea: Do you consider yourself a plotter or do you wing it?

Lisa: I started out being a complete plotter, but over the course of the past six books, I’ve become more of a pantster. The new series that I’m working on now is being written only from a few paragraphs of “back jacket copy.” It’s so much more fun this way.

Bea: What prompted the decision to end the Raine Benares books? Was it a planned story arc?

Lisa: The sixth book of the Raine Benares series—All Spell Breaks Loose—is the culmination of a storyline that began in 2007 with Magic Lost, Trouble Found. The action contained in those six books cover a mere three-month period in the lives of Raine and her friends. Three months. It’s hard to believe. When I look back over the entire series, I think one of the biggest surprises for me was that the Saghred storyline extended into six books. I had expected three books max. But the characters kept growing, and they and their stories took on a life of their own. There was no way I could stop after only three books. I had to find out what happened.

Bea: What can you tell us about your current WIP? Do you have one?

Lisa: I’ve just completed a proposal package for an urban fantasy/supernatural thriller/comedy series. You all know how I love to mix & match genres. I have the series premise written, as well as the synopses for the first three books, and I just finished the final sample chapter today (for a total of six). I promise that as soon as I get a contract for it, I’ll tell you more—in fact, you probably won’t be able to shut me up. I’m so excited about this project—it’s just pure fun.

Bea: Do you think you might ever write in a different genre besides fantasy?

Lisa: The new series that I’m working on can be categorized as urban fantasy, but it has paranormal and comedy elements to it as well. When I read for fun (which is as often as I can), I read mysteries and thrillers – and best of all if they have a supernatural bent. 

Bea: Do you find that your work as an editor leaches into your work as a writer; for instance do you find that you over-edit yourself while writing?

Lisa: Oh Lord, yes. It’s taken six books to do it, but I finally think that I’ve talked my internal editor into standing back until I at least have a first draft down, then she can critique all she wants to.

Bea: Does your family read your books? What do they think of them?

Lisa: My family does read my books, but my sister is the only one who reads fantasy. She loves them!

Bea: Do you prefer ebooks or print books?

Lisa: A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to answer that question because I hadn’t tried ebooks. I finally broke down and bought a reader. I really enjoyed it for the first few months, then the paper started calling to me. I’ll be 49 years old next month, so I’m much more familiar with paper than I am with ebooks. Heck, I even used to work at a printer. And I prefer to handwrite the first drafts of my books in a journal with vintage fountain pens. If you cut me, I’d probably bleed ink. So, I definitely feel safe in saying that I prefer paper.

Bea: You touched upon this earlier, what authors and genres do you enjoy reading?

Lisa: I love thrillers and mysteries, preferably with supernatural elements. The authors I’m reading now include James Rollins, Scott Siegler, David Golemon, Greig Beck, David Wood, Jeremy Robinson, and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s Agent Pendergast series.

Bea: Was there anyone who mentored you or was a big help to you when you were getting started writing?

Lisa: Unfortunately I didn’t know any writers when I was growing up until I got to college. So I’m pretty much self-taught.

Bea: How much time do you spend on your twitter and facebook accounts? How important do you think social media is these days for an author?

Lisa: These days I’m spending more time developing my new series. It’s easy for authors to spend too much time on social media. I’m trying to learn to strike a balance between the two. Yes, promotion is important, but unless you write the books you’re not going to have anything to promote. So the writing has to come first.

Bea: You’re active in Greyhound adoptions, how did that come about? You have several currently, what do you find so appealing about the breed? (I confess, I’m a cat person. I like dogs but I love cats. I am a cat slave.)

Lisa: Actually, personality-wise, greyhounds are very much like cats. My husband and I first saw greyhounds at the Renaissance Faire that our fencing group would perform at. We also saw a greyhound when we were doing fencing demonstrations at the Biltmore House in Ashville, NC. When we found out that there are so many retiring from the race tracks that need homes, we just had to adopt some. Greyhounds are the sweetest dogs! Derek and I would like to move out into the country so that we could foster dogs that have just come off of the race track and are looking for their forever homes.

Bea: And for my last question, what would be your ideal day? It can be a work day or a day off.

Lisa: For a work day, it would be when my writing is more like taking dictation, when I’m just an observer writing down what I see. That’s when the story comes to life for me. For a day off, uninterrupted reading time.


Thank you Lisa for stopping by today. Best of luck with your blog tour and with "All Spell Breaks Loose".

Thank you so much for inviting me!

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