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Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Interview: Dark Prophecy by Ann Gimpel
UFI welcomes author Ann Gimpel. Thanks for Joining us!!
Thank you so very much for inviting me back to your blog. It’s a pleasure to be here.
What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?
I’m a closet environmentalist. As I type this, another 60+ degree day is dying. It shouldn’t be even close to that here in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains this time of year. I worry about the impact mankind have had on our home, and do what I can to mitigate my own effect. My efforts range from avoiding plastic packaging to walking rather than driving. Much as I’d love those Chilean grapes in January, I don’t buy them. Hubby says I’m silly, that they won’t stop importing grapes (via jet aircraft, which has a big carbon footprint) because I don’t buy them. But my feeble hope is if lots of us boycott out of season imports, it just might make a difference.
What do you enjoy doing on your down time?
That’s funny. I haven’t had much downtime since I became an author. I try to get outside every day to do something physical. I enjoy backpacking, skiing, mountaineering, and generally being one with Mother Nature. Hubs and I go to the occasional movie, but he’s hard of hearing, so we tend to stream them instead so he can have closed caption. I’m a sucker for all things paranormal. Love Supernatural and Fringe on television. And I also adore animals. I’ve always had dogs, occasionally cats too. When the kids were small, we had birds. You name it, we had them. Chickens, ducks, peacocks, guinea fowl, geese.
What is your Favorite part of writing?
The creative flow when the story picks me up and runs with me. I live it along with the characters and often have days when I turn out six or seven thousand words. As I’ve gotten deeper into this craft, the usability of those words has improved. What I mean by that, it I still have to edit, but I keep far more than I toss.
Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
No special routines. Sometimes I write in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and sometimes at night. Hell, I’ve even gotten up in the middle of the night because I remembered something that needed fixing in something I’m working on.
What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?
Favorite authors include Sherrilyn Kenyon, Nalini Singh, Illona Andrews, Nora Roberts/JD Robb, Anne Bishop, and Laurell K. Hamilton.
How would you pitch the Soul Storm Series to someone who has not heard of it before?
The tagline for Dark Prophecy is: When the dream world spills its murky contents, everyone’s worst nightmares run free.
The tagline for Dark Pursuit is: Old blood and ancient power pit themselves against evil so dark, deep, and menacing it changes everyone who comes into contact with it. And not for the better.
Soul Storm is about a world similar to ours, but one where we stripped it of resources. The fallout from not having enough food, fuel, and other energy sources is just beginning to hit. Lara, a psychologist who’d rather connect with the dreams she analyzes than reality, was born with psychic ability. Trevor, her longtime partner, has a strongly practical side, and deep secrets. Against the backdrop of a world teetering on the verge of anarchy, Lara and Trevor figure out who they are and how they can remain together in the face of everything they face.
Can you tell us a little bit about the world that the Soul Storm Series is set in?
Oops, think I just did when I answered the last question. This is urban fantasy, so a world not too different from our own, but one where magic runs free.
Do you have a favorite scene in Dark Prophecy?
I have several. The one that comes to mind is when Lara urges Trevor to fess up about his past—and he finally does.
Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?
Probably my favorite was Lachlan, the dragon shifter in To Love a Highland Dragon. The hardest was Ned, my protagonist in Fortune’s Scion. I just loved Ned so much, and I was rooting for him, but he had such a hard time coming to term with his magic and learning to believe in himself.
What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?
The next two books of Soul Storm will be out soon. Dark Pursuit releases 12/30, and Dark Promise will be out around the end of January. Icy Passage, a science fiction romance set in Antarctica, releases 2/7 from Hartwood Publishing Group. Earth’s Hope, last book in my Earth Reclaimed Series releases from Musa on 3/6. Once all that’s out of the way, I want to get back to Winning Glory, book one of the GenTech Rebellion, a series of scifi romances set in the near future. I need to write the second and third books in that series and decide if I want to sub them to a publisher or release them myself.
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A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.
Find Ann and her books
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Dark ProphecySoul Storm #1
Dr. Lara McInnis reads auras and flirts with an elusive ability to foretell the future. Ambivalent about the magic within her, she’s done a fine job ignoring other aspects of her power—until now. After several patients—and a student or two—describe the same cataclysmic dream, she uncovers ancient evil intent on draining her power. Lara knows next to nothing about her psychic side, but it will destroy her if she can’t come to terms with it.Book Trailer http://youtu.be/H2mtTvxkrT4
Trevor Denoble has secrets, but he shields them well with a stunning body and a boatload of British charm. The airline he works for folds because there’s no fuel for the planes, and Lara’s changing into someone he barely recognizes. Though he doesn’t know it yet, the rest of his carefully crafted life is about to come crashing down too.
Living in a world teetering on the edge of anarchy, Trevor and Lara are faced with a series of painful decisions. Is the love between them enough for Trevor to swallow his distrust of Lara’s burgeoning paranormal ability? Will their personal demons tear them apart in a world gone mad, as shortages of everything from electricity to food escalate?
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Excerpt:
…Hours later, Lara let herself out of her office, reached back in to activate the alarm, and then locked the door behind her. Arabel had gone home at six. Normally her receptionist left a note if there was something she needed to communicate. Tonight there hadn’t been any notes because there weren’t any patients she needed to call. But there had been a few zucchinis from Arabel’s lovingly-tended garden. Lara was grateful, both for the organic produce and for the lack of patient-related affairs to attend to. She was tired and hoped nobody had a crisis that evening.
She double-checked the pager that lived clipped to her belt. As she moved away from the front door of her building, she stumbled. The outside light was out—when had that happened?—and it was very dark in the shadows of the cavernous front porch. She made a grab for the railing to steady herself and took a tentative step toward the street.
“Stop right there,” a familiar harsh voice boomed from behind her.
“Mr. Beauchamp. That is you, isn’t it?” Alarm ricocheted through her, but she knew intuitively it was important to hide her fear. “What do you want?” Though she aimed for nonchalance, her voice sounded thin and shaky. Is it Ken? Aw, Jesus, who else could it be? She closed her eyes, gathering data from an unseen realm she knew well. Once her energies were focused, she discerned his twisted energy field throbbing against the darkness. Better the devil you know flashed through her mind. Not necessarily came close on its heels, as she realized, with a sinking feeling, that Ken Beauchamp really was dangerous. She’d known it the first time he walked into her office, but drawn in by his wife’s soft helplessness, she’d ignored her concerns, compassion overriding common sense.
“I want to talk. No, don’t turn around.” The man’s voice held menace as it sliced into her tumbling thoughts.
“What do you want to talk about, Mr. Beauchamp?” With effort, she kept her voice steady. “Surely whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. You really do need to call my office and make an appointment.” There, that seems like about the right amount of bravado.
“What did you tell my wife today? When you were in the bathroom. You’d better tell me the truth.”
“Are you threatening me? Because if you are, I’ll call the cops and have you thrown off my property.” Anger was rapidly displacing her fear—or at least coexisting with it. She reached a hand into her bag in search of her phone.
“That wouldn’t be smart, Doc, not very smart at all. Take your hand out of that purse.”
Ken Beauchamp’s voice was mild, but an ominous undertone chilled her. Sweat gathered in her armpits and dripped down her sides. Think! she commanded herself. There’s got to be a way out of this.
“Well, Doctor?” Ken’s voice oozed sarcasm, with undercurrents of something darker and far more primal. “I asked you a simple question. Answer it and we can both go home.”
What was he doing? Lara dug deeper with her hyper-honed senses. His breathing seemed…uneven. Was he getting off by intimidating her?
Something clicked ominously. The snick of a gun’s safety mechanism? What else could that cold metallic snapping sound possibly be? Fighting fear that threatened to paralyze her, Lara asked, “How’s Bethany, Mr. Beauchamp? She’s all right isn’t she?” Despite her concerns for herself, Lara was suddenly frantic about Bethany.
“That’s none of your business anymore. We won’t be back. I just want to know what you told her today.”
“Why is that important to you?”
“I ask the questions around here.” Yes, Lara thought as she listened intently, he was practically panting. Oh shit, this guy’s a pervert on top of all his other less-than-stellar attributes. She flirted with flying down the porch steps and trying to outrun him, except she had dress shoes on and her heavy shoulder bag. What if he really did have a gun? She hadn’t heard the metal click again.
A car pulled to the curb in front of her building and she started, heart beating like a mad thing. Christ, is it one of his henchmen come to help out? Practically moaning aloud, she wondered what Ken Beauchamp had in mind for her…
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New Releases: 1/4-1/10
Tue. Jan 6
Atlantis Rising by Gloria Craw
Dead of Winter (The Arcana Chronicles #3) by Kresley Cole
Frostfire (Kanin Chronicles #1) by Amanda Hocking
Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy #2) by Pierce Brown
Half-Resurrection Blues (Bone Street Rumba #1) by Daniel José Older
Hellhole by Gina Damico
Hungry Like the Wolf (SWAT #1) by Paige Tyler
Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2) by Jennifer Donnelly
Ward Against Disaster (Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer #3) by Melanie Card
Willowgrove (Hemlock #3) by Kathleen Peacock
The Witches of Echo Park (The Witches of Echo Park #1) by Amber Benson
Wolves' Bane (The Order of the Wolf #3) by Angela Addams
Happy Reading!
Monday, January 5, 2015
Interview: The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson
UFI welcomes author Amber Benson. Thanks for Joining us!!
What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?
Something that isn’t in my bio and that you probably haven’t heard in another interview or Q&A…hmmm…I feel like I’m pretty much an open book, but, if we’re being totally honest here, I will divulge a secret guilty pleasure of mine: Whenever I’m feeling low, I reread all my old Christopher Pike books.
What do you enjoy doing on your down time?
I’m a big book whore, so I’m always reading. I also like to clean - I have to be in the right mood, but when I am, I go to town on the dusting, sweeping and mopping. It’s a little intense.
What is your Favorite part of writing?
Having an idea spring itself on you unexpectedly.
Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
I need to find the right music. I can’t do anything until I’ve made myself a book specific playlist.
What are some of your Favorite books or Authors in the Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Genres?
Seanan McGuire, Rachel Caine, Caitlin Kittredge
How would you pitch The Witches of Echo Park Series to someone who has not heard of it before?
The book is a mash note to all my lady friends – it’s about women and their relationships with each other: How they support one another and are there for each other…like family. And what better way to explore those special relationships…? Put them in a coven! It’s also about what constitutes family, and how a special place - like Echo Park - can transform even the most mundane rituals into something magical.
Can you tell us a little bit about the world that The Witches of Echo Park is set in?
The book is moody and evocative. It pulls you into the magical world of the Echo Park Witch Coven…where magic and mischief reign in the East Side of Los Angeles. Where Botanicas sit side by side with hipster coffee bars, and the statuesque Lady of The Lake watches over Echo Park Lake and its magical denizens.
Do you have a favorite scene in The Witches of Echo Park?
There may or may not be a ritual sex magic scene that may or may not have some antlers involved…
Which one character out of all your books was your favorite to write about? What about the hardest to write about?
I love writing Eleanora – she is the head of the Echo Park coven – and we get to see her past in really fun to read/write flashbacks.
I had a harder time finding the voice for my main character Lyse. She was a tricky one…but when I finally caught her, I had a blast writing her.
What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?
Working on the second “Echo Park Coven series” book as I write this!
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Amber Benson cocreated, cowrote, and directed the animated supernatural Web series Ghosts of Albion with Christopher Golden, which they followed with a series of novels, including Witchery and Accursed, and the novella Astray. Benson and Golden also coauthored the novella The Seven Whistlers. As an actress, she has appeared in dozens of roles in feature films, TV movies, and television series, including the fan-favorite role of Tara Maclay on three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Benson wrote, produced, and directed the feature films Chance and Lovers, Liars and Lunatics. She's also the author of the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels, including The Golden Age of Death, How to be Death, and Serpent's Storm.
Find Amber and her books
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The Witches of Echo ParkEcho Park Coven #1
Unbeknownst to most of humankind, a powerful network of witches thrives within the shadows of society, using their magic to keep the world in balance. But they are being eliminated—and we will all pay if their power falls…__________________________________
When Elyse MacAllister’s great-aunt Eleanora, the woman who raised her, becomes deathly ill, Lyse puts her comfortable life in Georgia on hold to rush back to Los Angeles. And once she returns to Echo Park, Lyse discovers her great-aunt has been keeping secrets—extraordinary secrets—from her.
Not only is Lyse heir to Eleanora’s Victorian estate; she is also expected to take her great-aunt’s place in the Echo Park coven of witches. But to accept her destiny means to place herself in deadly peril—for the world of magic is under siege, and the battle the witches now fight may be their last…
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Week in Review: 12/28-1/3
Books I've Bought/received
- Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott- ARC- publisher
Books I've Read
Twisted Dreams by Marissa Farrar
White Knight by Kelly Meade
Her Sexy Sentinel by Jenn Burke
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Reviews Posted
Asylum by Shana Festa
Storm Fall by Tracy Banghart
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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?
* Tuesday- Guest Blog & Giveaway for Dark Awakened by H.D. Smith
* Wednesday- Happy New Year/2014 in review
* Friday- Interview for Making Waves by Juliet Chastain
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* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?
* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?
You can also add me (as in Stacy) to your friends on these sites if you're on them.
* I love comments so if you see something you like (or not) please comment away and let me know.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Interview: Making Waves by Juliet Chastain
UFI welcomes Author Juliet Chastain. Thanks for Joining us!!
My latest short book is scheduled to come out today—a Cougar Tale called Making Waves. It's about a shy forth grade teacher from the big city who, on vacation at the beach, gets caught in the surf and ends up in the arms of a hot younger-than-she-is surfer. It's a fun little pick-me-up kind of read with lots of sex and good vibes.
Here's an excerpt:
(Warning: Sex Scene)
I wanted him passionately. I wanted him to hold me, to touch me everywhere, to kiss and lick and suck every inch of my body. Shocked by the violence of my own desire for Kai, I could feel my aching pussy getting wetter and wetter. I could feel his cock swelling and pulsating against me.
Loving the feel of him, the solid muscle beneath the velvet skin. I brought my hands slowly up his back, caressed the back of his neck, and tousled his golden hair.
He ran his hands along the sides of my breasts, and I sighed with pleasure, with wanting more. He stroked my body, down past my waist, my hips, my thighs and pulled up my skirt and caressed my bottom. He slipped his hand into the back of my panties and down into them and squeezed my buns. Loving what he was doing, I groaned wishing he would go further, desperately wanting him to...and he did.
I heard myself gasp when he reached down underneath me. His warm hand slid, slowly, deliciously over my pussy.
"Mm," he said. "You are so ready." Ready? I was so damned ready that if he didn't fuck me in the next ten seconds I was going to scream.
What can you tell my readers about yourself that they might not know from looking on your bio or reading in another interview?
Between the time I wrote my sixth grade opus—a tragic tale of two kittens, which was fully six pages long, made me cry, and got me an A—I finished school, went to college, taught third grade, and worked in a university library. Didn't love any of it. Then I got very serious about photography and, girlie girl that am, I moved into fashion and wedding photography. That I liked. Then the urge to write came charging back, and here I am doing two things I love.
What do you enjoy doing on your down time?
Down time? What's that?
Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
To be perfectly honest, the routine seems to involve checking the contents of the refrigerator, checking my email, checking Facebook, and then doing it all over again a time or two. After I've wasted too much time, I'm ready to start actually writing.
What Other Projects can we look forward to reading from you?
Next week a very short and sexy story will be released. It's called Intruder. Not much plot, just one steamy encounter—a perfect bedtime read. The following week Making
Music, another story with a younger hero will be released
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Juliet writes two kinds of short stories: Sweet and spicy (like Making Waves, The Captain and the Courtesan) for the romantic who likes some serious heat in a sweetly satisfying story; and erotica (Intruder, the Kink Inc. series) for those who prefer their naughty bits straight up and hot as hell.
Find Juliet and her books
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Making WavesCougar Tales #
Buy Link
Passion combusts at seaside, with hot and heavy lovemaking in the sand, in the ocean, and even in the bedroom.__________________________________
What's a shy fourth grade teacher to do when she is washed up at the feet of a hot young surfer? Nathalie burns with desire for Kai, but fears he will find her too old. Can she let her inner cougar roar?
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Review: Asylum by Shana Festa
Asylum
Author: Shana Festa
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Publisher: Permuted Press
Asylum Book #2
ISBN13: 9781618684172
Genre: Zombies/Apocalyptic
Review Copy Source: AuthorSurviving the journey is just the beginning.I am going to jump right into this review without much lead up because I have things on my brain that need to come out. I am not at all crazy about Asylum (the place, not the book). There were a few characters I liked, but most are shady. It was clear to me, as the reader, that this wasn't a good place to be and I think they were a bit naive going there. It could be because I watch The Walking Dead and I got the Terminus vibe (without the people eating that is). I yelled at them to turn back, but no one listened.
The last two months have brought nothing but death and destruction for Emma Rossi. She survived the initial zombie outbreak with her husband, Jake, and their dog, Daphne, but the cost was steep: Sanibel has fallen.
In a world where the only constant is change, the group is pushed to their limits before reaching the gates of Asylum, a coastal stronghold in Sarasota, Florida.
Once again, Emma must navigate an apocalyptic wasteland filled with relentless hordes of the undead and other menacing horrors that threaten her survival.
Only thing is certain. No one is safe from what lurks on either side of Asylum's gates. Asylum may offer more than just safety.
Sanity will be tested; and many won't live to tell the tale.
I disliked the way things are with Emma and Jake at the end of ASYLUM. They have been through a lot, he should be the one person Emma should be able to count on. That is all I will say about that. Daphne is still very much a part of the group. She is definitely a bright spot in a dark world, but please for the love of god can we stop talking about her poop? Pretty please? I will say that the dialogue concerning the dog does make me laugh often, but I can only take so much potty talk.
I enjoyed ASYLUM, but I didn't grab me and hold me like book 1 did. There was a lot of what felt like down time/leading up time and a lot of meeting new characters/killing new characters going on. Which in a wasteland of a world is understandable and expected, it just didn't move along and keep my attention like INDUCTION did. Having said that, I am still very much invested in Emma and want to know what will happen next. I will be reading book 3 and I hope some of my issues with ASYLUM will work themselves out as the story continues.
I gave it 3.5/5 stars
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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