Confront the Dark Evil Behind the 'Flame of Destiny' by Colleen Helme

Scribal Love Welcomes Colleen Helme!

Colleen Helme is an author of Romantic Fantasy.  Her newest work Flame of Destiny is available from Mundania Press. 




What is the name of your latest book?  And how did you come up with the title?


Flame of Destiny - This title represents the magic and power of the main character, Callista.


What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?


It is about a young woman who is determined to find the man responsible for the deaths of her family. This book is a romantic fantasy novel.


How long have you been writing in this genre?


About ten years.


Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?


Callista and Justin are the main characters. Each of them has something to prove, and they are thrown together by a common cause.


Where did the idea for your book come from?


I actually had a dream that became the catalyst for the story! It evolved into much more, but I still remember it vividly.


In your opinion, what makes a good story?


The story behind the story! It's important to identify your character's motivations because motivations turn into actions that carry your story. It's also important to make an emotional connection to the reader. If the reader doesn't care about your characters, they won't want to read your story.


Can you give us a quick taste of what’s inside?  


In a day when legends are forgotten, a young woman born with a rare gift is thrust from her home. As she flees, the only token she takes is her father's sword, a sword of power that holds the keys to the survival of an entire nation. In a twist of fate, she is saved from certain death by a man whose destiny becomes entwined with her own. With a new sense of her identity, she must confront a dark evil hidden behind an unspeakable secret. This evil threatens to destroy her and the man she has come to love. Will she be strong enough to withstand this power, or will she become the very thing she has sworn to destroy?


Is this book a part of a series?  And if so what can we look for in the future?


Yes! This book has a sequel called The Relic, which is coming out in September 2011 from Mundania Press!


Do you have anything specific you would like to say to your readers?


Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement! It is so exciting to see that my writing has been enjoyed by so many people. As a writer, that's really all you can hope for. That the people who read your work will be glad they spent some time in the worlds and with the characters you created.


Where can we find you on the web?


My website is: http://www.colleenhelme.com
Please email me at: colleen@colleenhelme.com
I would love to hear from you!


Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Flame-Destiny-Colleen-Helme/dp/1594263728/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305840293&sr=1-1

Come and Read the Magical Fantasy 'Songbird' by Colleen Helme

Scribal Love Welcomes Colleen Helme!

Colleen Helme is an author of Romantic Fantasy.  Her newest work Songbird is available from Mundania Press. 

What is the name of your latest book?  And how did you come up with the title?

Songbird is my first published book. The title of the book is the title of the main character who uses magic through her singing voice.

What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?

Songbird is a romantic fantasy novel about a young woman who is captured by the king and used for her magical singing abilities. She will do anything to escape and when Bran, the ambassador from Braemar offers her the opportunity to leave, she can't turn it down. The only catch is, he wants something from her in return. 

Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?

Teya (pronounced Tay-a) is the main character as the Songbird. She has been in captivity for ten years, but has an amazing ability to persevere, even under difficult circumstances. I love the idea of magic coming through the medium of music and how it can influence feelings as well as be used as a weapon.

What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..)

The coolest part of my book is the fact that Teya and Bran end up sharing a bond between them and how they can use it to help one another. They didn't intend to fall in love, but that is what happened. My favorite scene is close to the end, so I don't want to give it away, but every time I read it, it makes me cry!

Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why?

I love them all!

Is this book part of a series?  If so? What can we expect in future books?  

No, although I have thought about writing one about Teya and Bran's great-great grand-daughter!

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I would probably want to expand on Teya and Bran's relationship.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned to keep writing, even when you're not sure what's going to happen. It's amazing how things come together when you do this.

Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them?  

My publisher is Mundania Press and was so excited when they chose me! I have loved working with my editor and the art department has been fabulous!

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I have read so many books, it's hard to just choose one. I have tried to learn something from them all.

What books are you reading now?  

Right now I am reading Fortune and Fate by Sharon Shinn. Also The Sorceress's Orc by Elaine Corvidae. I enjoy reading books with strong female characters.

What are the current writing projects that you are working on?

I am working on my fifth book, a sequel to Carrots, a contemporary fantasy. I also have plans for another romantic fantasy and have started on the rough draft.

Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day?

I try to write at least four hours a day when I can.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I have always loved to read, but in the fantasy genre, I was always disappointed that there wasn't enough romance. After a vivid dream one night, I came up with a great opening scene and decided to try my hand at writing. Several years later, and after a lot of hard work in learning the trade, I was excited to be offered a contract for my books. 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Dialogue used to be hard for me, but I think I'm getting the hang of it now!

Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?

Learn the craft! Show - don't tell. Don't be afraid to ask for a critique of your writing from someone who knows the craft. It can make the difference between getting published or not. It's okay to re-write - most of the time it comes out even better. Don't give up!

Thanks Colleen for Dropping by!  You can find her on the web at:

http://www.colleenhelme.com

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Songbird-Colleen-Helme/dp/1606592416/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305838904&sr=1-4

Pirates, Romance, Fantasy and a Con? Read the 'Ten Ruby Trick' by Julia Knight!

Julia Knight  is an author of Fantasy and Historicals, both with romance and without.  Her newest work ‘Ten Ruby Trick’  is available from Carina Press. 




So where do you hail?  Where are you from?


I’m a Brit – I was born and brought up in Sussex, UK. 


What inspired you to write this book? 


Two characters popped into my head. They were partners in a con, but pretending they hated each other to make it work, teasing and needling each other because it was more fun that way. I wanted to find out who they were conning, and why. 


Do you have a specific writing style? 


I don’t think so – it varies with what I’m writing. I tend to write a very limited perspective, so the reader only knows what each POV character knows, and I get right into their heads when I can. Other than that, it’s pretty open. 


What is the name of your latest book? 


And how did you come up with the title? Ten Ruby Trick. It’s the name of a con my pirates used to run , and pretty much the first thing I knew about the book. 


What is Ten Ruby Trick about? 


The deep, philosophical answer would be trust and betrayal and the nature of free will. :D But actually it’s pirates and wizards and a con gone wrong. A magical heist caper if you will. 


Here’s the blurb: 


Privateer Van Gast thrills in capturing treasure; delights in pulling off elaborate scams; and has an outrageous reputation with the ladies. But there is only one woman for him: fellow privateer Josie—seductive, brave and unpredictable. He's hoping to make their relationship permanent, until he raids the wrong ship. Now slavers are stalking him, his crew is verging on mutiny and Josie has disappeared. 


When she reappears with a new mark wanting Van Gast's help running the ten ruby trick con, he senses trouble. It seems like Josie has joined up with mage-bound slavers to turn him over to their Master. Van Gast is about to take the biggest risk of all—and find out the true meaning of trust and betrayal.




What books have influenced your life most? 


Ooh loads! I was entranced by the Arthur tales growing up. Lord of the Rings made me swoon at the beautiful use of language. I love some of CJ Cherryh’s books for her complicated, flawed heroes that you can still fall for. Those really made me want to write heroes other people could fall for. I’m still a bit in love with Vanye.


Did you find the idea of having your work published for others to read intimidating?  If yes, why?  If no, why not?  


A bit of both, if I’m honest, There’s always a fear – especially with the first – what if people think it’s awful, or maybe point and laugh? Lol. But it gets easier, especially once you realize, there are people who think my favourite books are rubbish. You can’t please everyone. 


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? 


I think CJ Cherryh, for her heroes. With some added Terry Pratchett, because I love a bit of fun in fiction. I want to be Nanny Og when I get older.  


What books are you reading now?


Lots! I just got my first e-reader (yes, I know, shameful. I’ve been reading e-books on my PC up till now.) So I’m running rampage through the Gutenberg Project (out of copyright works, a lot of classics) and spending way too much money at publisher’s sites. I’ve got a CJ CHerryh on the go, a Fritz Lieber, a couple of Carina titles and an SF on the go. 


What are your current projects? 


I’ve recently finished an historical romance-about Vikings. And now I’m back to my pirates for a follow up to Ten Ruby Trick, called Find the Lady. Vikings and pirates-all I need now is ninjas and zombies for the full set. 


Do you find that international audiences are different from your home or native country's audience?  


Yes and no—everyone loves a good story. What I’ve written up till now, I’d say not. I write action adventure with more or less romance in it. Adventure for romance readers, if you will, and I think that translates okay. I’ve certainly had positive responses from both sides of the Pond. But I’ve got a project brewing, a mainstream fantasy that I think will be very much British in tone. Sometimes that translates over to the US, and sometimes not. We’ll see. If I manage to sell it!


Do you see writing as a career? 


Absolutely – but it’s fun too. I treat it seriously, but try to enjoy myself at the same time. 


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? 


Do you know, I don’t think I would. It’s the only thing I’ve ever written that I didn’t harbour secret doubts about. 


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?


I’ve always had stories running around in my head. It never occurred to me to write them down, until I was struck down with ME. With no energy for anything else, I took to writing to alleviate the boredom. 


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?


All of it, and that’s why I love it so much. Though when writing a second book in a series, I do struggle with how much of the first to reference etc. 


Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 


I want to be a pirate…:D I learnt a lot about pacing, and all different sorts of tension, from the big OMG! The world as I know it is going to end! To the little tensions, the flirty smile, the wanting to do something you know you shouldn’t. 


Do you have any advice for other writers? 


Perseverance is everything. 

Julia, Thanks For Dropping By!


You can find Julia and her work on the web at:

Carina: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/C8656FB6-0CC6-4A0E-BB9E-9789EA4DD7EB/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=B04C32CC-F086-4B28-A510-1483A254C0C5

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Ruby-Trick-ebook/dp/B004GB1T7W

Website http://juliaknight.co.uk

Twitter @Knight_Julia

Discover The Romantic Epic- "Westmore" by Carol Cassada!

Carol Cassada is an author of Romance. Her newest work "Westmore" is available from Createspace.

Carol Cassada is an author of Romance.  Her newest work "Westmore" is available from Createspace. 




What is the name of your latest book?  And how did you come up with the title?


The name of the book is Westmore, the name comes from the fictional New England town it’s set in. I was playing around with names, mixing different words and Westmore just came to me.


What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?


It’s mostly a romance book with a soap opera appeal and the first in the series. The book revolves around three families; The Greens, The Braxtons, and The Reynolds. They experience love, heartache, and drama in their everyday lives. Towards the end of the book an accident happens which affects all the families.




Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?


There are many characters in the book, but a few of them are more frontrunners than others. Charlotte is the matriarch of the Green family who vowed never to date again after the death of her husband, but changes her mind when Detective Jim Bryant comes to her rescue.


Scott Green and his sister Alicia front the rock band The Dark Souls. It’s always been Scott’s dream to became a big time musician and just as it looks like his ambitions are about to come true, tragedy strikes.


Andrew Braxton is a ruthless and powerful publishing tycoon who controls his family with an iron fist. Wife Elizabeth is fed up with his behavior and contemplates divorce. Son Wayne is looking to break away from the family business, yet Andrew’s plan to keep his son could end up spelling consequences for others.


Laura Reynolds and her daughter move home after a messy divorce. Once Laura’s happy in her new life, her ex unexpectedly shows up threatening to expose her secret.




What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..)


One of the things I love about the book is the diversity of the characters. You have the upper class Braxtons all prim and proper, enjoying the luxuries of life.  Marie the spunky and down to earth sister-in-law of Andrew. Then there’s Scott and Alicia, a pair of tattooed rocker siblings, with a secret sensitive side. Melissa a young conservative girl, who happens to be Scott’s girlfriend. And Charlotte the caring mother.


Each character has a different personality which readers can relate to and enjoy.


Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why?


Two of my favorite characters are Charlotte and her daughter Alicia. Charlotte’s a caring mother who loves her children and tries to do what’s best for them, while looking for love a second time around. I modeled the character after my own mom because all she wants is for her children to be happy and follow their dreams, much like Charlotte. 


Alicia is a tough rocker chick, yet readers will see she has a softer side. She’s someone whose afraid to take a chance of love because she’s been hurt in the past. In a lot of ways I consider myself like Alicia because she seems tough, yet she very sensitive and her feelings can easily be hurt, there’s one scene where her brother makes a comment which hurts her feelings and she excuses herself because she doesn’t want them to see her cry.


Is this book part of a series?  If so? What can we expect in future books?  


This is the first in the series, as I stated earlier an accident happens at the end of the novel and in the sequel all three families are affected and one of the characters faces repercussion for their role in causing the catastrophe. 


Plus you can expect more drama and fighting in the Braxton household and the company. More characters coming to town and secrets being revealed. Also lots of romance between various characters.


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?


Before I published the book I was thinking about changing the ending. On the one hand I wanted to rewrite it and on the other my gut told me not to. So I left the ending just the way it was and I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.


Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?


One interesting thing I learned is how much of yourself is revealed in the characters. For instance I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be a rock star and I can have the experience through Scott and Alicia, as I was writing their scenes I could picture myself in their place performing for a live audience. 


Another important scene is when Wayne confronts his father about his wrongdoings, Wayne lets him have it. I’m the type of person who stays quiet and doesn’t say anything and I’ve wanted to tell someone off and by writing that scene it helped me unleash anger I’ve had towards people who’ve treated me badly.


Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them?  


This time I chose to go with self-publishing. I wasn’t having any luck with publishers, I kept getting rejected, plus I hated waiting three months to hear a response. I’ve heard about self-publishing before, but didn’t know if it was something I’d be comfortable with. So I did research and made a pros and cons list, after much contemplation I decided to go with Createspace.


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?


I really can’t think of an author whose a mentor, because my writing’s so different.


What books are you reading now?  


I like to read paranormal and supernatural books, mostly real life incidents, currently I’m reading Ghostly Lighthouses by Sheryl Monks.


What are the current writing projects that you are working on?


I’m currently working on the sequel to Westmore which I hope to have out by the end of the year. Then after that I’ll start on volume 3. In my spare time I do freelance work.


Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day?


I do write full time, this is my passion what I want to do my whole life. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?


During my teen years, I was going through a rough time and writing helped relax me. By writing I escaped to my own fantasy world. I loved writing so much that by the time I graduated high school I realized I wanted to be a writer. After graduating from Old Dominion University I started writing my first book Going Home Again which was released in February 2010.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?


The writing business is hard. This time around it was especially tough since I went with self-publishing and had to do everything myself. You have to edit the manuscript, create a cover, set the sales channels, plus you have to do all the promotion yourself. Sure it’s hard, but if you’re really committed to writing, then you have to deal with the business aspects.


Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?


The most important advice is don’t give up. Eventually you’re going to find the right publisher for your book and when it happens there’s no greater feeling in the world.




Thank You Carol for Dropping By!


You can find Carol on the Web at:

www.carolcassada.net

Twitter @dramacjc