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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

I Have My Award!!!


I was very excited when I checked the Preditors and Editors website and saw my award there!! I received 2nd Place in the Young Adult category for Best Book of 2011. So I wanted to share it immediately with all of you, because I know many of you voted for me!! Thank you to all who voted for me and put up with my frequent entreaties to vote!! I will be displaying this on my sidebar, of course.

If you are interested in seeing the rest of the winners you can go to the Preditors and Editors website.

I hope you all visited Sheri Swift's blog and left your comments, because the drawing for the free book is going to be on Wednesday. Check out my post on Sheri Swift and leave a comment on the post she did of me on her blog. You could be the winner of my award winning ebook!!

Until the next time, thank you to my new follower. I hope you will browse through and read my earlier posts to learn more about me. If you check my Guest Appearances for here you will see I will be hosting Ann Johnson as my first guest for Summer Teen Reading Party. May is going to be fabulous here!! http://critters.org/predpoll/final_tally_novelyoungadult.ht

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Meet Sheri Swift Guest Author

Things have been so crazy for me this week, but I am happy to introduce to you, Sheri Swift, my guest author. We will be switching places today. Sheri is coming here and I'm going to her blog:

http://sherilswift.blogspot.com/

Sheri and I met at SheWrites in the Blooming Late group and if anyone here is over 40 and needs some support from caring and supportive women this is the place for you. Actually SheWrites is only for women of all ages and if you browse their groups you will find one especially for you. The Blooming Late group has been a wonderful place where I can go and find people who will just listen!!! I have the link on my Author page.

You can find my post on Sheri's blog today.

Here is more about Sheri:




SHERI L. SWIFT AUTHOR BIO
Sheri L. Swift originally wrote her story (LEGEND OF THE MER) when she was seventeen in her Junior year of High School; in her creative writing class.  After that, she says that life happened and she went on to marry and have four daughters.  When her baby finally entered College she began to rewrite the story.
Although Sheri L. Swift was raised a West Coast girl, she and her family moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in 1995.  They quickly fell in love with the East Coast and began vacationing there.  After her daughters went on a Mission Trip that included time on Ocracoke Island along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, she began to draw inspiration for her Safe Harbor Island.  She believes that Ocracoke's rich history inspired her to write a better story.
Sheri L. Swift is a wife, mother of five daughters (one *adopted* from her Church Family), five sons-in-love and grandmother of eight.  She says that they are the joy in her life.  She leads the Prayer Ministry for her Church (Blue Ridge Fellowship) which is a Purpose Driven Church.  She considers herself to be an inspirational writer and also enjoys writing poetry.  She’s also a cancer survivor.
You can find out more about her:
Twitter:  @sherilswift





LEGEND OF THE MER BLURB
17 year old Lana Prentis has some unusual physical challenges:  White hair, skin, silver eyes and webbed fingers and toes.  She lives on Safe Harbor Island off the Coast of North Carolina.  Her father (Cole) is the lighthouse keeper and also the keeper of many secrets.  Lana soon discovers the truth about herself and her mother.  She learns that she has a heritage as rich and deep as the sea ~ and that her future lies beneath it.

LEGEND OF THE MER EXCERPT
Lana helped Miss Perry get the boat out from the dock.  Miss Perry rowed, and as she did, she began to tell Lana a story. “You see Lana, when my mother was a little girl she believed in mermaids.  She believed in them so much that a few times a year she would make them gifts and take them out to Gull Island.  She would string beads into necklaces and would also bring gifts of fruit, because she thought that they enjoyed it and were never able to get it for themselves.”
“That’s such a sweet story.  I can’t believe she went to Gull Island.  No one is allowed there because of the danger of the rocks and reefs.”  Lana looked seriously at Miss Perry.
“Well yes, that’s true.  It is usually very dangerous and the Harbor Master doesn’t allow it.  But, you see, my mother only went on a mermaid day.” Miss Perry smiled brightly.
“What’s a mermaid day?” Lana asked smiling at the thought of it.
“It only happens a few times a year.  It’s when the water is so calm that there is barely a wave rippling out at Gull Island.  It’s when the sun is bright and warm.  The island is usually shrouded by fog, but not on a mermaid day,” said Miss Perry as she pointed out towards Gull Island.
“You mean that’s where we’re going?” Lana asked in disbelief.
“Yes, you see, it is a mermaid day and all is calm and sunny.  I have been going to Gull Island at least once a year since I was the age of ten.  That’s when my mother died of cancer.  My father would go out fishing all day and I was cared for by my grandmother.  On a mermaid day, I would wait until she nodded off to sleep in the afternoon and take my treasures to Gull Island and leave them there for the mermaids.”  Miss Perry smiled proudly.
“I can’t believe that my dad hasn’t tried to stop you.”
“Oh, I won’t say he hasn’t tried.  I just tell him that it’s a mermaid day and he shakes his head laughing at me,” she said laughing herself.
Gull Island really wasn’t an island at all.  It was just a large stone rising up out of the water in a triangular shape.  It was named Gull Island because it’s where the seagulls gather.  Lana had always seen it from the lighthouse and it was a comforting landmark.  It was constant and never changing, except for the fog coming and going.  It was a good three miles out from Safe Harbor Island and Lana couldn’t believe that two little girls have rowed there.
“I ‘m so glad that you came along with me,” said Miss Perry.
“I am too, I always wanted to go there even though I knew it wasn’t allowed,” giggled Lana.
“Yes, I don’t always do the things I should, or maybe it’s that I don’t always trust others judgment of things.  I like to find out a thing for myself.”  Miss Perry grinned.
Lana smiled and said, “I can see that we are a lot alike.”  Just then, Lana looked up to see the massive stone in front of her and something seemed so familiar.
“The only place to leave your gifts for the mermaids is on the other side,” Miss Perry said as she rowed around the large stone mountain.  As she did, Lana saw a flat ledge that rose two feet out of the water.  It was a good six feet in width and eight feet in length.  Then Lana began to remember the feel of the stone beneath her legs as she sat there when she was a child.  She even thought she remembered her father sitting there with her and even her...
“Lana, what is it?” Miss Perry asked with concern for the look on Lana’s face.
“I, I’m not sure.  I can remember being here as a child.  I sat on that very ledge,” she said as she began to look down into the blue and green shimmering water.
“You remember being here?”
“Yeah with my dad, and I think my mom?”  Lana continued staring down into the water.
“Lana, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I think so.  It’s just that I feel so strange, it’s like I can remember swimming here.  Not just here, but down there,” said Lana as she looked up at Miss Perry confused by it.
“Maybe your dad did bring you here to swim before.”
Lana began to remember all she saw beneath the water, it was like she could almost remember every rock and reef below.  How could I?  If I was here when my mother was alive, I’d have been a toddler.
Miss Perry brought out a shell necklace from a duffle bag, as well as a dozen or so oranges. “This is my mermaid offering this year.  You think they’ll like it?”
“Sure,” Lana said, not looking up from the water.
“Lana, is there something you would like to talk about?” Miss Perry asked seriously.
“No, not right now anyway.  Miss Perry, please don’t freak out or anything.  It’s just, I have to know what’s down there,” Lana said as she began to pull off her tennis shoes.
Miss Perry could not believe what she thought Lana was about to do, “Lana, what are you doing?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but I have to go for a swim.  I don’t want you to worry about me; in fact, I’ve become an even better swimmer than I ever imagined.  My dad said that I took after my mom who was a really good swimmer,” Lana said as she pulled off her shorts that were covering her swimsuit.
“Lana, you can’t be serious, the tide can change at any moment.  Your father was right, this is a dangerous place and you could be crushed by the rocks and reefs below!” Miss Perry shouted as she tried to stop her.
“Miss Perry, I don’t have time to explain this right now, but trust me.  I won’t get hurt.  I don’t know how, I just know that’s all.  Please tell my father that I’ll swim home later,” said Lana as she jumped into the water.
Miss Perry was gripped with fear and yelled, “Lana, I can’t just leave you here!”
“Yes, you can.  I’m sorry, but I have to do this for myself.  Please do what you always tell me, take a risk Miss Perry.  Trust me in this,” said Lana as she dove down into the water deep below.
The water was so thick and had the most beautiful blue-green she had ever seen, and yet, it was so familiar.  As she got closer to the bottom, she saw sights just as she had remembered.  How could a toddler remember what the bottom looked like?  How could I have swum here at such a young age?  But, now she knew she had.  This was not her imagination, she had been here before.  She knew what every boulder down here looked like and where to find the next one.  The coral went from hues of pink to burgundy.  She even saw a spade fish like the ones she remembered.  There were several lion fish and even a sting ray floating effortlessly near the surface.
Out of the corner of Lana’s eye, she saw a grey dolphin swimming in her direction.  At first she was a little scared, but as he got closer she felt more relaxed and realized that he was friendly.  He swam past her legs rubbing up against them as he did.  Lana put her hand down and let it run along his side as he passed.  How wonderful he felt.  He was cold and slippery; he seemed to enjoy her touch.  Lana grabbed onto his top (dorsal) fin and let him pull her along and he sped up and she loved it.  The dolphin sped past rocks and reefs, dodging in and out of them.  Lana couldn’t help but laugh inside at the fun she was having.  None of this makes sense, but I don’t care, she thought.  Lana decided to just enjoy the moment.
It wasn’t long and Lana began to get lightheaded.  The pain on either side of her neck began to throb again.  She let go of the dolphin and realized that she no longer recognized where she was or how deep she was.  It was such a rich dark shade of blue everywhere she looked.  The dolphin kept nudging her, but her head was now aching and she couldn’t think straight.  Am I looking upward to the surface or downward to the ocean floor?  Lana was getting dizzy and she began kicking; only not knowing where she was going.  Then everything was a blur and her head felt like it was going to explode.  Her neck felt so strange with stabbing pain on either side.  Then all she could remember was someone’s strong arms cradling her and she blacked out.


Sherie's links:


After reading this excerpt I hope this book will be out soon. Sheri says it will be out sometime in 2012. 

If you visit Sheri's blog and leave a comment, I am giving away a free ebook of If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, which I can tell you has been enjoyed by both young adults ages 10 and up and older women as well as some men.:) Don't take my word for it. Go read my reviews!! I have them posted here on the Review page or you can read them on Amazon.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Updated Information

I'm happy to report I have found a way to allow comments for my poems. So if you were one of the people who read my poetry earlier, here is a chance to let me know how you felt.:) I have added all of the poems I have written so far through April 17th. Some of them are really different for me.:)

Also, wanted to let everyone know that Sherie Swift and I will be switching blogs on Thursday, April 19th. I will be posting the link here for everyone to see my post on Sherie's blog.

Hope everyone is enjoying the early spring weather!!!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Announcing the Winner of the No Remorse book!!!

This is a very short post to announce to everyone the winner of the No Remorse ebook given away by
Mary Lynn Bast:


Ilona F

She has been notified by the author, but CONGRATULATIONS, Ilona F.

To anyone who might not have been able to comment, I hope this has been fixed. I always have comment moderation due to some spamming earlier. So please be patient. All of your comments will be posted eventually.

Happy Weekend everyone. Passover is over and thank goodness we can eat bread again. You have no idea how much you can miss it when you are only eating matzoh!!!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Karina Fabian Returns!

Today my guest author is Karina Fabian, who is stopping here as part of her Live and Let Fly Blog Tour. Karina was here earlier to talk about another book and I am so happy to have her back. 


Here is more about Karina:


BIO:
If there’s such a thing as ADD of the imagination, Karina Fabian has it—in spades.  Craft books, devotionals, serious science fiction, comedic horror and chilling fantasy—she follows her interests and the characters that tell her their stories.
Even before she could write, Karina strung tall tales about everything from making human pyramids in Kindergarten to visiting alien worlds.  Her first attempt at novel writing was in fourth grade; she completed her first novel in college.  However, her first published work was an anthology of Christian science fiction, Leaps of Faith, an EPPIE finalist for best anthology in 2006.  Her next anthology, Infinite Space, Infinite God, featured Catholic characters and themes and won the EPPIE for science fiction.   The second Infinite Space, Infinite God anthology came out in 2010.
Watching the comedy improve show, "Whose Line Is It, Anyway", inspired her noir-style dragon detective, Vern.  Vern and his partner, Sister Grace, have solved mysteries and saved the Faerie and Mundane worlds numerous numerous times in the DragonEye, PI stories and novels.  Their serial story, "World Gathering", won a Mensa Owl; and the novel, Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Fabian’s first published novel), won the INDIE for best fantasy in 2010.

At a friend’s request, Karina wrote a funny story about a zombie exterminator, which grew into the Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator novels.  The first, Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator, won the 2011 Global E-Book award for best horror.
She also writes serious science fiction.  Her first SF novel, Discovery, is currently under consideration, and she’s working on a second on, The Old Man and the Void, based loosely on Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, but taking place in the accretion disk of a black hole.
Karina has a strong faith, which she explored in her devotional, Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life, which she wrote with her father Steve Lumbert, and which won the 2011 Christian Small Press Publisher Award.  She also writes Catholic school calendars and has written three craft books for the Little Flowers/Blue Knights clubs.
Fabian is married to Colonel Robert A. Fabian of the USAF.  They have four children, a dog and a cat.  When not writing, teaching writing, or chatting about writing, she’s hanging out with her kids or swinging a sword in haidong gumbdo.

If you are like I am, it's hard to keep the myths of fantasy books straight. That is why Karina has written about it for us here:

On Norse Mythology OR  The Gods Must Be Crazy by Karina Fabian
Shall I start out by telling you how much I’ve loved Norse mythology, even as a child, and how I’d spend long hours curled by the fireplace reading the epic adventures of Thor and Loki, sighing over the doom-fated romance of Baldr and Hella, wondering if I could ever be as faithful a wife as Sigyn, who spent eternity protecting Loki from a poisonous snake; and how those experiences influenced my latest novel, Live and Let Fly?
If I did, I’d be lying.  I only had passing interest in Norse mythology, but when I needed a villain for my fantasy, Live and Let Fly, my husband suggested Loki.  That started me on an adventure to learn about and parody of the Norse Gods.
I thought the Greek gods were crazy!  Prometheus was chained to a rock and had his liver eaten daily by an eagle, remember?  Wimp.  In Norse mythology, Loki gets tied to a rock with his brother’s entrails while a venomous snake drips acidic poison on his face.  Wow!  But at least he doesn’t suffer alone.  His wife, Sigyn, stays with him throughout his punishment, holding a bowl over him to catch the venom of said drooly snake, so he only suffered excruciating pain when she emptied the bowl.  Talk about “stand by your man.”
Must say, I don’t understand that kind of loyalty; Loki was no prize as a husband.  Apparently, he was into “experiences” as much as Zeus, sometimes taking animal form for his seductions.  (Which, I can’t say I get from a human standpoint.  Are you really that cold and desperate?)  Once, he even became a woman—the first successful sex-change (and reversal).  Trend-setter!
Did you know he was also married to a fire giant for awhile?  See, that makes sense—she was probably hot.  
His daughter, of course, is Hel, or Hella, who is in charge of the underworld and has a monster dog and two servants (Sloth and Idler) to keep her company.  She must have been thrilled when the very handsome Baldr died, but his mother raised such a fuss that Hel finally said she’d return him to life if everyone mourned for him.  One giantess refused.  Baldr stayed in Helheim until the gods discovered the giantess was Loki in disguise.  Surprise!
By the time I got done reading about this, I realized 1) the gods must be crazy across cultural lines and 2) Loki is waaaaay to easy to cast as the villain.  Just in this little I’ve shared, there are scorned women, jilted lovers, people who have been cheated.  Put these guys on Geraldo!  Better yet—put these guys in my book!
I had a lot of fun digging into the ancient legends, however shallowly.  It gave the save-the-world comedic fantasy a whole new dimension.

Karina, after reading about the exploits of these Norse gods and goddesses I would love to learn more about your book and I see you have a blurb and an excerpt for us!!

BLURB:
When a dragon and a nun play secret agent, all Hel breaks loose!  

For a dragon detective with a magic-slinging nun as a partner, saving the worlds gets routine. So, when the US government hires Vern and Sister Grace to recover stolen secrets for creating a new Interdimensional Gap--secrets the US would like to keep to itself, thank you—Vern sees a chance to play Dragon-Oh-Seven.
No human spy, however, ever went up against a Norse goddess determined to exploit those secrets to rescue her husband. Sigyn will move heaven and earth to get Loki—and use the best and worst of our world against anyone who tries to stop her. 
It's super-spy spoofing at its best with exotic locations (Idaho--exotic?), maniacal middle-managers, secret agent men, teen rock stars in trouble, man-eating animatronics, evil overlords and more!

EXCERPT:
Charlie started to close the door behind us, his other hand gripping the handle of his dagger so tightly I could hear the leather wrap on the handle strain, as we listened to the footsteps coming our way, slow, bored. My predator's instincts rose; then I had a great idea. I shook my head at Charlie and winked, and he shuffled out of my way, leaving the door ajar. I settled myself with my back to the door, just inside the shadows and let the script play itself out:

CLUELESS MINION enters Stage Left. He pauses, hearing a noise, but does not report it. Instead, he fondles the stars on his nametag and moves toward the empty hallway, his mind on adding another. (Probably saying, "I was proactive today!")
CLUELESS pauses at door, hesitating. He stands and, back to the door, reaches for his walkie-talkie.
Suddenly, a well-muscled and gorgeously scaled tail whips out from the crack in the door and wraps itself around his neck. He only has time to grab ineffectively at the tail before he's drawn into the darkness. The door shuts behind him. 
Pan shot of the empty hallway.
FADE TO BLACK
I slammed my victim on the floor and pinned him with my forelegs, then I leaned my face in nice and slow, making sure he got a good look at my fangs before he saw my eyes. "Where's the girl?" I growled low and menacingly.
"Wh-What g-g-girl?"
Charlie crouched down by Stutterboy and glanced at his nametag. "Look, Philip, we're in a bit of a hurry. We know Rhoda Dakota's being held captive somewhere nearby. Now you can be a good survivor and tell us where…or you can be dinner."
"I-I don't—"
"Phil A. Minion." I mused and drooled a bit for effect. I live for these moments, I really do. I licked his cheek and asked Charlie, "Can I have fries with that?"
"Why not? This is Idaho."

Ha, Ha, Karina!! Looks like you have another winner here. I know you have a book trailer for this too!!


Sorry to Karina for rushing this before her beautiful photo and book cover could be displayed! Also did not put down any links and will do this now:



Find Karina at:


It is my pleasure to have Karina Fabian as my guest author and unfortunately, we do not have a link to a place where you can buy it, but you can go to The Muse Bookstore and see the Coming Soon. Here you can reserve your copy before the date!!


Until the next time, I realize April is just too busy a month to host guests too, but I can't say no:) Next week if you look at my Guest Appearances, you will see Sherie Swift is appearing here next Thursday. I will also be appearing on her blog at the same time, so come see both of our blogs that day! 


Thank you to anyone I missed who Liked my Author Page on Facebook! Also, I have gotten a few comments that putting my poems on a separate page doesn't allow for comments, so soon I might have to break down and start a new blog just for poetry. We'll see. Meanwhile, I have posted all my poems there on My Poetry. You can find it at the top of this page. If you need to comment, please come back here and leave a comment or you can comment on my Facebook page or Author page. Also, please don't forget to leave a comment here and visit Karina's blog to read more about her and her books.










Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Meet MaryLynn Bast Guest Author

Today I am hosting MaryLynn Bast the author of No Remorse, and she is in the middle of her Heart of a Wolf blog tour.

Welcome to my blog, MaryLynn. She and I met on the discussion boards of SheWrites, which is a wonderful place for all women writers. We are both in the group Blooming Late which is made of women writers who are all 40 and over, who decided to write later in their lives. MaryLynn is here as part of her blog tour and I am very happy to be hosting her.

Her book, No Remorse, has just been released. Here is more about MaryLynn Bast in her own words:

At times I wish I could say I was just like nearly every other teenage girl, sneaking out of the house to go hang out with friends doing whatever it was they were doing to get into trouble. Well, that wasn’t me. I was the girl who stayed at home, did her best not to get into trouble because home life was already bad enough. I found at an early age that I preferred to escape into a good book. While everyone else was out getting drunk or high, I was in my room with my nose in a book. I was escaping into my own reality through romance where the hero always got the girl and they lived happily ever after.

When I was fifteen, I bought myself a manual typewriter and yes I’m dating myself with that one. I sat for hours pounding away at the keys writing my own romance stories, then ripping them up and throwing them away because I didn’t want anyone seeing them. Especially not my stepfather who always told me I was wasting my time. But I kept at it and eventually bought a word processor and continued writing. Of course, I lost all of the stories with leaving home, getting married, then going through a divorce. But I never stopped writing. The word processor turned into a desk top, then eventually a laptop I could take with me wherever I went.

I continued to write and family seemed to like my stories but I never did anything with them, because families are supposed to be nice and supportive. One day, I decided to show a friend my writing and they really liked it. With encouragement, I began writing in earnest. “Softest Touch” was my first try at writing a mystery. My husband really enjoyed it and when my friend suggested that I try writing a short story for a werewolf contest I gave it a shot and No Remorse was created at 1500 words long. I was proud of myself for actually coming up with a character, but it needed lots of work. Sitting it aside, I didn’t submit it to the contest but continued writing “Softest Touch.”

Traveling in S. Korea for work, I found myself sitting in my hotel room and I pulled “No Remorse” out and read it again and thought huh, I can make this into something. I sat down and the story began to flow. Working with my beta readers and editors, and chatting with my aunt Peggy for hours on end while I was writing, No Remorse became a reality for me and is now a published novel.

I have had this dream since I was a kid, but would never tell anyone for fear that they would think I was wasting my time. While writing No Remorse my husband has been very supportive and has been the one to really push me to keep writing. Though he wanted me to finish “Softest Touch,” he tells me constantly that he is amazed that I can come up with the stories like this. His story is next in line to become a novel in the Heart of a Wolf Series, being a plain mystery into a paranormal, mystery and romance all rolled into one. I have always loved wolves, even had a half wolf when I was younger. Writing about them just seems natural to me and since this is my world, I can make up the rules as I go along, as long as I make them realistic to my followers. So naturally, “Softest Touch” will be another werewolf story. There are plans in the work for other genre’s, which will be listed on my website at www.heartofawolf.com once those plans are finalized. I am currently in discussions with a publisher but will keep that hush, hush, until it is finalized.

The reason for the blog tour in which this post is a part of, is my novel No Remorse.

Mary Lynn's Bio:

MaryLynn Bast is a Texas native who is currently living it up in Las Vegas. Bast writes paranormal fantasy romance because it allows her imagination to run rampant, permitting the characters of her stories to obtain abilities not possible in the real world, or is it? MaryLynn is married to Patrick, has three children, three step children and enjoys traveling the world.

Being the curious person I am, I wanted to know more about this fascinating woman. Here is her interview.


Guest Author Questions for MaryLynn Bast:

How does a Texas girl feel living in Las Vegas?
I miss Texas my family and friends the most! The people are friendlier there and even though there are tourist areas in Texas, it't not all about the tourist. What I like about being in Vegas is that it is always open and all my friends seems to go to Vegas at one time or another, so I always have someone "in town" who can come and visit. When I am home that is.

I know I would love to find someone I know who lives in Vegas!

Where have you traveled and why do you like traveling?
I have traveled extensively across the US, S. Korea and Japan. I like seeing the countryside and meeting new people, experiencing new culture. I get new ideas for my stories from the people I meet and the places I see.

What is your favorite book or books and your favorite author or authors? 
I have three favorite authors and love every book I have read from all three of them. Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and Laruell K. Hamilton

Are you a plotter or a panther? 
I am completely a Pantser. I usually come up with a story line, a character and automatically give it a title. I usually have a pretty good idea how the story will start, what will happen and how it will generally end by the time I get halfway though. I then go back through many times adding scenes here and there, clarifying this or that until I am comfortable with my story.

In that we are alike. I just start a story and when it is shaping up to be more than just a journal entry I work on it.:) I have stopped writing to carve out the plot a little more or work on the character development. I believe characters drive the plot, so their development is crucial.

In what other genres do you write?
My comfort zone is romance. With No Remorse, I jumped without my safety net and stuck the landing, now I'm just waiting for the panel of judges to judge me. I have several stories going right now in diverse genres: Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Dark Thriller, Adventure and even an Erotica.

Please tell us more about your WIP.
With No Remorse complete and published, I have several projects I am working on. “Softest Touch” is the second novel in the series and is at 35,000 words. Anticipated completion and release is set for early 2013. I just completed “A Justified Kill”, a 20k+ short story that tells the story of Amber’s first kill that is mentioned in No Remorse and the chaos that ensues. This story will be released in an anthology mid-summer 2012. “One Bite To Passion” is an erotic story I am currently 25,000 words into. I am in talks and will know soon if this story will be released through a publisher, early summer.

“Dream Walker” is a sci-fi that I am working on and will be releasing as a short story in an e-book later this year along with “The Hostage” which is an action, thriller short story of the character Marcello, from “No Remorse”.

There are many stories that have been started and are sitting waiting for me to get the time to delve back in and flesh them out.

Wow, you are a very busy lady and I wish you great success with the rest of your tour. I am happy to be a stop on the tour. Thank you for being my guest here today.



Blurb:

The story is a paranormal romance with a twist of suspense and lots of action. I wanted my main character to be different because all the books and movies about werewolves have been predominantly male main characters. In my story, the main character is Amber, a werewolf who has abilities no other werewolf has ever possessed due to her unusual birth. On the run all her life, she is torn from her family and is forced to leave Blake behind, her one true love. Alone, Amber avoids other werewolves at all costs. Until one day while out running, she comes across an accident and finds that Blake is on the brink of death. She knows if she saves his life she will be pulled into the middle of his pack, but she can’t allow him to die. The Council has chased her all her life and she must remain on the run to avoid capture. Staying with Blake will put him and his pack in danger. Amber must decide if she is willing to risk Blake’s life to have the relationship she has longed for. She is still learning of her own capabilities. When Isaac, the Council’s Leader, shows up for her will her special abilities be enough to keep Blake and his pack safe? Or will Isaac capture her and find out what her abilities are and use them for his own means?


Excerpt from No Remorse:
Amber immediately sensed the stillness in the trees. The sun was shining brightly, but she felt that something was off, just not right. It was too still, too quiet. Something was hiding in the shadows of the leaves and bushes. The thickness of the forest provided perfect cover where it surrounded the house. Whatever, or whoever it was, lurked there, just out of sight. She sniffed the air and in an instant instinct drove her to protect her mate. Amber stepped in front of Blake the moment the boy dropped to the ground with a painful cry.
Her skin rippled as a gunshot quickly rang for the second time and landed with a thud in one of the trees next to the house, just feet from where they had just been standing. She felt Blake pulling her to the side, driving them both to the ground. Naturally, she tucked and rolled with the fall. Blake rolled with her and they both came up in the same crouching position, with him beside her. The move was smooth and looked like they had practiced together for years. They shifted in unison, ripping through their clothes as they changed.
They were already moving when the third shot rang out from the trees, again missing his intended target as the two wolves sprang apart. Their sensitive ears heard the muffled curses as the rifle jammed on the attempt to shoot a fourth shot. They heard the leaves rustling wildly as the shooter scrambled from his hiding position and began running through the thick bushes, running for his life.
Blake and Amber ran faster. They ran silently, making a wide circle and came at the gunman from opposite sides. They watched the man struggling to get through the thick brush, not making it very far. The leaves covering the hidden roots and the thickets hindered his escaped. The roots, as well as the tree limbs, appeared to reach out and tear at him when he tried to run away, causing him to stumble with each step he took.
Amber pushed her senses out into the forest, seeking other wolves in the area. Other than the ones who ran into the yard to help the boy, she and Blake were the only ones in this part of the forest. Amber’s mind sought Blake’s.
He’s alone, Amber informed him while they stalked the man from opposite sides.
Don't kill him, we need him alive, Blake told her when he saw her bare her large canines. She stalked towards the terrified man and gave a low guttural growl.     
The man held the useless gun in front of him like he thought it would keep him safe, “Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.” He stammered frantically looking from side to side when he saw the large growling wolves advancing menacingly towards him. He backed up, tripping over more of those blasted branches, barely catching his balance before he fell.
Amber feigned a run at the man and he swung the butt of the rifle at her. She veered out of the way before it impacted with her side. Blake's wolf seeing that the man was trying to hurt his mate lunged.

MaryLnn is giving away free copies of her book on this blog tour. Go to her website and check out all the ways you can win. Meanwhile, please leave a comment here or a question for MaryLynn. 

Links:


Until the next time, I want to point out a few new things I've added to the sidebar. I am a guest on Nosey's blog on April 11th. Yes, they dragged me over, literally, to be part of one their capers. Go over and check it out. All you need to do is click on the badge that says I was a guest. I kind of like how they made me sexy in a black dress!! It looks really good on the red carpet!!!

My guest on RRWL Tales from the Pages, which has taken a 2 month hiatus but will be back on the air in April, will be Sheri Swift. She will also be my guest author on Thursday, April 19th, the week before the show. The show will be on Thursday, April, 26th at 3PM Central, 4PM EST. 

Also, tomorrow, my guest author will be Karina Fabian. I am definitely entertaining the women authors who write paranormal this week!! So for anyone who enjoys reading about werewolves and vampires this is your week!! 

Also, don't forget to check out my appearances and the guests who will be appearing here. Look at the tabs. For those who crave my poetry, the next poems will be on my author website:






Friday, April 6, 2012

If It's April It Must Be Poem A Day!

Hello everyone! It was a really busy March and I want to thank everyone who still visited, though I didn't put up any new posts!! I am really sorry and I am going to make it up by posting all of my poems so far that I have written for Poetic Asides with Robert Brewer. I'm like Pavlov's dog when it comes to April. As soon as I saw the prompt for April 1st my fingers were typing. You have to visit this awesome blog and read the poems in the comments. They are so outstanding you won't believe it!! If you are a writer, you might get caught up in the whole thing yourself. The thing is, you can always catch up if you start late.

I have also posted some of my poems on the Downtown YA blog and there is also a post about Passover and how I celebrate it, if you are interested.


April 1, 2012 - Urgent communication
Bills
They lay in their glassine envelopes
taunting me with their placid outsides
When I gather them from the tiny metal
box where they are placed I have hope
that some of those envelopes will be
a chance for happiness and not the
numbing sameness of monotonous
figures depleting my small store of
cash for the glory of corporations
copyright 2012 by Barbara Ehrentreu
April 2, 2012 - Uninvited guests
Uninvited Guests
After adding the juice of plump, rosy San Marzano tomatoes
to the simmering brown mixture filled with cuts of onion and
sweet garlic bits – me in those gray loose pants I wear for the
joy of being at home, stirring tomato sauce, tasting watching the
plops of red blossom around the pan on the snow white stove top
Sauce to the point of perfection, tasted and seasoned and ready
The glass bowl set near to catch the delicate spaghetti coated
with the luscious sauce waiting like a performer to begin the
show, we heard a knock, knock on the door. My daughter,
bowl in hand tentatively opened the locks and peeked outside
just a crack to see our uninvited visitors. He with the ready
smile and open face asked the question while his companion
popped up smiling too. My can opener, they needed my manual
can opener and I passed it to them a bond between two new
neighbors.
copyright 2012 by Barbara Ehrentreu
April 3, 2012 - Two for Tuesday, write an apologetic or non-apolgetic poem
Wall of sorrys
After so many years the sorrys flow like a wall of water
too many and too few to fill the gaps of our days
We were inevitable, the force between us unbroken
and we moved ahead like logs in the river no boundaries
for our boundless love
knowing always the shelter of your strong arms
the pleasure of our shared moments
and it’s not my fault you turned away
my company no longer enough for your
selfish pursuits and I nurtured the seed of our
love watering it with my tears hoping it would
grow and flourish and become supple as it once was
yet your loveless glances continue and we bump
around in this alien world like boarders
only occasionally do I see the peek of light
in your eyes and I am sorry to see it for it
reminds me of the laser beams I used to know.
copyright 2012 by Barbara Ehrentreu
April 4, 2012 - a 100% poem
Striving for 100%
We all do it
worship the number
pray for it 
cry for it
stay up late forcing
words into our brains
cross our fingers
when the papers
reveal the truth
and we infuse
this desire into
our children with
their first attempts
rewarding with gold
stars those who
achieve the magic
number 
while the stragglers
develop cement feet
and though they try
can never quite meet
the heights
they drop away to 
find the easier route
gaining hundreds 
for their limited attempts
forced to watch
the stars who soar
on the backs of their
100%s separated from
their talented friends
soon to be the haves
of the school.
copyright 2012 by Barbara Ehrentreu
April 5, 2012 - Write about something that happened before your time.
The Lost Boys
Grandma had a routine
when she visited her
husband’s grave
She stopped at
two small graves
on the other side
of this pocket sized
cemetery overwhelmed
by Brooklyn streets and
the sound of the el
She strolled over and
stood in front of these
tiny markers while she
and my mother recited
once again the same
story of how beautiful
they were and how
fast they went as the
epidemic claimed mostly
the young and left a hole
in the family and sorrow
still in the hearts of their
mother and sister over fifty years
later and I watched each
shed tears dripping on
the soil as both of them
found the tiniest pebble
to place on the top of
the stones.
copyright 2012 by Barbara Ehrentreu

April 6, 2012 - Write a poem about hiding or something hidden
Hidden Inside of Me
People see the calm and quiet
demure and together woman
who speaks in a low voice and
sits calmly in Starbucks, 
vanilla skim latte in hand
but they don't know the 
fire burning inside or the
anger waiting, peeking out
sparked in private and only
rarely, when it can no longer
be tamed, flames out in public
the fire voice strong and firm
takes no prisoners retreats
from no one
demands to be heard at the
slightest injustice
yet it stays hidden within
only appearing when safe
in the confines of my home
where the lion no longer 
need be caged.
copyright 2012 by Barbara Ehrentreu

Until the next time, everyone have a Happy Passover and a Happy Easter and try to write a few poems for April. I will be having my radio program this month on April 26. I'm not sure who my guest will be. Also, check out my new guest appearances. I am now on Jane Richardson's blog: Home Is Where the Heart Is, The One Link Lowdown. Come over and leave a comment. Jane has really asked me some fun questions!!
For all who might be interested, the sales of my book, If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor are picking up and I have sold all the paperbacks I had. I need to get more. I sold them to readers who are my target ages, 10 and up and their reaction is super!! It's so great when your audience appreciates the book! One of my readers even got in trouble reading my book during a test! This was so unusual, I had to write about it and now it will be in Malta's version of Scholastic Magazine in May!! Because this girl was reading the book during a test everyone in the class learned about it and wants to read it!! 
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