Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Take Five And Meet Author Elizabeth Andrews




Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Elizabeth Andrews.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book Hunting Medusa?

Good question.  I don’t know that I have a good answer, though.  It was one of those things where I had just a snippet of something that might be called an idea, and I’d look at it when I was paging through my idea notebook, but it sat there a while before I suddenly knew a big enough part of the idea that I could attempt to start writing.  I’ve loved the old mythologies for as long as I can remember, and giving them an unexpected little tweak appeals to me.  Why shouldn’t the monster of old be the heroine now?  Why shouldn’t that old story have continued for thousands of years into the present? 

Have you been a lifelong reader of romances?  What are some the first books you remember reading?

I’ve been reading forever, but I was a teenager before I started reading actual romances, and those were from my mom’s stash.  Looking back, there were romances within some of the other books I was reading up to that point—Little Women, anyone?—but I wasn’t reading strictly romances before I was a teenager.  I had limited space for books as a kid, though I did have a fair collection, but we were at the library once a week, and I would bring home as many books as I was allowed to take out.  I still have my tattered old copies of Little Women and the Little House series, as well the Heidi series, and oh, there were so many!  And, wow, now that I think about it, there really was romance in some of my favorites. 

What do you do to rev your creative juices?

In an ideal world, I would be able to sit here at my desk with a candle lit a few feet away and the music I’ve picked for my story soundtrack playing to put me into my characters’ heads, and just write.  In the world where I’m living right now, however, I have to take the moments I get to work on my writing, between the evil day-job, normal household obligations, family, and the unexpected things that crop up.  You have to train your brain to get into that mode, and I won’t lie: some days it’s hard.  Most of the rewrites I’m working on have been done during lunch/dinner breaks at the EDJ. 

What would be your advice to people who are considering a writing career?

Study:  Read a lot of books in the genre(s) you love; read some more; go to some workshops or conferences in your areas of interest and even outside that area; read more books; join a writers’ group; did I mention reading?  Really, the reading is a great way to study the market, as well as to improve your writing skills.  Consider it homework.  And write because you have to, not because you think you’re going to get rich.  Writing well is hard work, and it takes a lot of practice.  If you don’t love it, there are probably much easier ways to get rich.  And if you love it, you’re going to do it no matter whether you get published or not. 

You’re having a dinner party.  What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up?     Why?

Stavros.  He is excessively violent, carries multiple weapons, and tends toward a drinking problem, so that wine on the dinner table would probably start things downhill in a hurry.  I don’t think the night would end well for the rest of the guests. 

Give us a brief summary of Hunting Medusa :
The Medusa Trilogy, Book 1

Ever since the original Medusa ticked off Athena, her cursed daughters have been paying for that mistake. To this day, successive Medusas play cat and mouse with the Harvesters.

When Kallan Tassos tracks down the current Medusa, he expects to find a monster. Instead he finds a wary, beautiful woman, shielded by a complicated web of spells that foils his plans for a quick kill and retrieval of her protective amulet.

Andrea Rosakis expects the handsome Harvester to go for the kill. Instead, his attempt to take the amulet imprinted on her skin without harming her takes her completely by surprise. And ends with the two of them in a magical bind—together.

Though there attraction is combustible, her impending PMS (Pre Magical-Curse Syndrome) puts a real damper on any chance of a relationship. But Kallan isn’t the only Harvester tracking Andi, and they must cooperate to stay one step ahead of a ruthless killer before they can have any future, together or apart.


Buy Links:

Bio:
Elizabeth Andrews has been a book lover since she was old enough to read.  She read her copies of Little Women and the Little House series so many times, the books fell apart.  

As an adult, her book habit continues.  She has a room overflowing with her literary collection right now, and still more spreading into other rooms.  Almost as long as she’s been reading great stories, she’s been attempting to write her own.  Thanks to a fifth grade teacher who started the class on creative writing, Elizabeth went from writing creative sentences to short stories and eventually full-length novels.  Her father saved her poor, callused fingers from permanent damage when he brought home a used typewriter for her. 

Elizabeth found her mother’s stash of romance novels as a teenager, and-though she loves horror- romance became her very favorite genre, making writing romances a natural progression.  There are more than just a few manuscripts, however, tucked away in a filing cabinet that will never see the light of day.

Along with her enormous book stash, Elizabeth lives with her husband of  twenty years and two young adult sons, though no one else in the house reads nearly as much as she does.  When she’s not at work or buried in books or writing, there is a garden outside full of herbs, flowers and vegetables that requires occasional attention. 

Find Elizabeth:
Website | Blog  |  Twitter  |  Facebook


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

This Could Be One Of The Most Important Posts of the Year

My Annual Reminder

Nope it's not a writing tip, it's a career saving tip. 


Several years ago, I read a post by Syndee Rogers-Nuckles about the importance of multiple or redundant back-up systems. 

She was kind enough to let me reprint this, with a few additions of my own. 

Have you ever had your heart sink? Feel the sting of tears streaming down your face as you realized all your files had disappeared?

I have. In a total panic I searched my computer looking for any sign of hope, I shook my head trying to awaken out of what had to be a nightmare.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone reading this, other than LA, her buddy and me? 

Or were you one of the few lucky ones that had backups of all your files on another EHD (external hard drive) or DVD's? 

Or perhaps it's just been another thing on your ‘to do’ list? 

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to backup your files, but it can be so time consuming and overwhelming. Like so many of you I am stretched to the limits of available time so after trying at least a dozen different strategies for backing up I finally hit upon something that really works for me.


Now, I use the ‘triple threat’, not just having a single backup copy but two so that you have three copies of all your important files. 

For instance I have the following:

1- Original files: all my business files like documents are kept on my computers built-in hard drive. My original design files are kept on my main External Hard Drive.

2- Backup 1: I try to make copies of all my important files as I create them to a second EHD that I keep hooked up to my computer. I try to back this up at least once a week.

3- Backup 2: This is where the online backup service comes in. I LOVE this! I use Backblaze which just runs in the background whenever my computer is on saving all my files for me! My files are backed up to a secure offsite server so if something were to happen to my computer I can still get to my files from another computer!

Online Backup Services

Backblaze
http://www.backblaze.com/

This service was easy to install and was backing up my files in minutes! One of the best things about this company is that it features unlimited storage. I was using Mozy before and they changed their pricing structure so much that it priced them right out of my budget. have been so happy with this service, I totally forget it’s running on my computer!


(LA) This is what I use. It took over 45 days to get all my data uploaded and that was several years ago, but it was done everyday behind the scenes, I really didn't notice it at all.

Carbonite
http://www.carbonite.com/

I have heard good things about Carbonite. The biggest drawback is that they do not offer backups of your EHD’s, which is something I can’t live without. But if you are not using any EHD’s they are worth looking in to. 

Mozy
www.mozy.com

I had trouble installing Mozy on my Mac when I switched over from a PC, and when I contacted customer support and followed the instructions they gave me it still did not work. It was around the same time they changed the pricing structure so I cancelled my account and signed up with Backblaze.

(LA) I have friends who swear by Mozy, so check them out.  And this post is several years old.

Keep in mind that these online backup services are not meant to be an addition storage system, if you delete the files off your computer these companies will delete those same files after 30 days. 

Thank you Syndee for your research!!

Back up your career, and have a wonderful and hopefully now, a worry free Holiday Season.

If you know of other companies, feel free to post them in the comments section.

Ciao
~LA

Friday, December 26, 2014

Monday, December 22, 2014

An Award for An Indie Adventure, My Story ~ My Way


I was nominated for this award by the super talented Ellis Vidler. Thank you, Ellis.  And don't miss out on her latest book, Prime Target.

Ellis, as nominator, gets to ask me her choice of 7 questions, and let me tell you, they're not all that easy to answer.


QUESTION 1  What is the hardest kind of scene for you to write and why?
Action scenes come easier for me than scenes justifying the emotional crisis the heroine or hero is facing. Creating the crisis is easy, but justifying it so you the reader won't shake your head and throw the book down is mighty hard.

QUESTION 2  What would be in your favorite meal?
Pasta, hands down. With a glass of wine.  Favorite pasta is Fettuccine Alfredo, which is one reason my characters eat it in my Star Light~Star Bright series. The other reason is a secret, but if you ask me nicely enough, I'll tell.

QUESTION 3  What has been a special moment for you in the last year?

I've had a really good year, but the most memorable for writing...oops I have two for writing.  Making bestseller for the first time and winning the 2014 International Digital Award, both for Be Mine This Christmas Night.  (Oops #3) And, yes, preening a bit here, Forever Yours This New Year's Night made bestseller a couple of weeks ago. 

QUESTION 4  What is your favorite fairy tale?
Seriously? Wow, this one had me thinking...for a romantic fairy tale I think it would have to be Cinderella, who had to overcome that wicked Stepmother. Sure Cinderella had some help, but then it's a "fairy" tale, right? I've enjoyed Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, and now with the modern princess, who wouldn't love Frozen or Brave...not needing that prince to make it right, but finding one anyway. 

QUESTION 5  What was your favorite class when still at school?
Not English, seriously not. Not German, or math. It was band. I loved playing the flute, and marching, and playing in concerts, or in the pit for a musical. I loved it. Only later did I grow into stage fright...now I need to rid myself of that nuisance

QUESTION 6  Anything you wish you’d learned earlier?
Yeah, not always to believe an authority figure. I had a teacher tell me in Jr. High that I would never be a writer because all I wanted to do was tell a story and not learn grammar. Well, my editor has now told me that one can learn grammar, but can't always learn how to tell a good story. 

QUESTION 7  What musical instrument have you played?

As I mentioned above, the flute, even through 2 years in college. When I was a wee child, we had a baby grand in the house, then dad replaced it with an organ. UGH. When my husband and I moved from our condo into our house, we bought first an upright and then a real grand. (Not a 9 footer!!) So I play, then stop for weeks, then play some more. I need to stop stopping so I can get better.  

Thanks Ellis for nominating me for this award, I hope you all have learned a bit more about me. As always, comment, ask questions, tell me your stories.

Hugs
L.A.


Friday, December 19, 2014

Hot Hawaiian Christmas by Victoria M. Johnson

Welcome Victoria, 
Why did you write this book?  

Hi L.A., thanks for featuring me on your blog. Hot Hawaiian Christmas combines my love for Hawaii, specifically the Big Island, and my favorite holiday.  I had these characters in my mind who are busy with their lives and I wanted to see what happened when I threw them into a time of year when things get crazier and watch how their lives entangle. As they get caught up in the spirit of the season, their nights sizzle, and the heroine has more than one problem to resolve.  Hot Hawaiian Christmas lets the reader experience the holiday in a unique setting with characters who are enjoyable to get to know—and root for.  It's also a short novella length ebook, which is perfect for when readers are especially busy themselves.  


Blurb:
It's Christmas in Hawaii, but Lindsay Clark's vacation turns out to be anything but relaxing. With her uncle absent, she finds herself managing the hotel—a task at which she's normally very successful. However, Lindsay's life is turned upside down by the unfamiliar environment, Christmas festivities, and a very tempting guest—Chandler Lewis. He's the honorary Santa for the Kona Christmas parade and has a great life back home in California. Romance is the last thing on his mind. But when he meets Lindsay, he begins to wonder if life could be sweeter in Hawaii.


Read a sample on Amazon or here.

Buy Link:


Bio:

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride. She is also the writer and director of four short films.

Find Victoria:


Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Five Secrets From Author Joan Reeves


Today I'm lucky to feature Joan Reeves and she has some fun secrets to reveal.


Bestselling Kindle author Joan Reeves writes sassy, sexy romance--usually with more than a touch of humor. She makes her home in Texas with her real-life hero, her husband Larry, and she lives the premise of all her romance novels: "It's never too late to live happily ever after."

Welcome Joan, please tell us Five Secrets we may not know about Nobody's Cinderella or you, but will after today!

1) I owned my own airplane, a Piper Cherokee, many years ago.

2) I studied Okinawan karate with one of the highest ranked masters--in Okinawa.

3) I've traveled in 8 foreign countries.

4) I've lived a life of high drama including some of the worst Gulf Coast hurricanes, an earthquake tremor in Japan where the bed I was sitting on danced across the floor of my third story apartment, anti-American riots complete with Molotov cocktails thrown on the street while I dined at a restaurant, numerous typhoons since I lived in Typhoon Alley in the south Pacific, a dam-break flood in the Black Hills as well as a 3-day blizzard there, and raising 4 children. Wow! That's enough life drama for anyone!

5) Most of the women in my matriarchal ancestry were known to have second sight.

Blurb:
Nobody's Cinderella: A Christmas Cinderella... a wish... Uh oh!
Review for this sexy romantic comedy: "I love Ms. Reeves' heroines. There is a little bit of them in all of us and that endears them to us even more. Just enough conflict, steam, misunderstandings, and humor."

Darcy Benton is the oldest cliche in the world—a woman in love with her boss. Other than that, she's no-nonsense, practical, mature, and sober. She's just the kind of woman Chase Whitaker wants as head of accounting for his company. She's definitely not the kind of woman he wants in his bed.

Enter Darcy's meddling, matchmaking best friend who has a plan to transform Darcy into a hottie designed to attract Chase's interest. All it takes? A couple of little lies. And a wish on a Christmas star. Darcy should have heeded that old advice: be careful what you wish for.

Buy Links: 
Amazon  | iTunes  |  B&N  |  KOBO

Find Joan:



Saturday, December 13, 2014

FREEBIE AND DISCOUNTS ~ MY HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year.  
And I love to spread the joy and happiness of the season. 

DEC 13-15 ONLY

Book Two of the Star Light ~ Star Bright Series, 
Forever Yours This New Year's Night 
is my gift to you.  
Enjoy!


DISCOUNTED FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Book One of the Star Light ~ Star Bright Series, 
Be Mine This Christmas Night started it all.
This year it won the International Digital Award for Short Contemporary!!
Enjoy the discounted price HERE

Stone of Heaven is a romantic adventure set in the Yucatan.  
Book One of the Carswell Adventure Series.
Enjoy the discounted price HERE

Dare to Believe, a romantic suspense is set in Hawaii and Colorado, places I've lived. So come enjoy the suspense and the setting at a discounted price HERE

I have a lot of giveaways planned for later this month and for 2015, so become friends on Facebook and sign up for my newsletter to find out when, how and what!




Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Five Secrets With Sweet Glory Author Lisa Potocar


I was lucky enough to meet Lisa online through the Crested Butte Writers Group. 
What a doll. She is the sweetest person. But don't let that fool you. 
She researched and wrote Sweet Glory in all its Civil War truth.  

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Lisa.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book, Sweet Glory?

"Dear Reader, I hate history!"
That’s how my “Author Note” in Sweet Glory begins. And it sums up how I felt about it, until well into my adulthood when ghosts of colonial-era past came out to play with me while I was touring a period home and they showed me the fun side of history. Afterward, I found myself gobbling up all fiction and non-fiction, especially around Civil War times, that crossed my path. This led me to the little-known fact that around 250 women, from both sides of the American Civil War, disguised themselves as soldiers to fight for their respective cause. One amongst them kept calling out to me from the graveyard of records to tell her story as a soldier, nurse, and spy, and the rest is, as they say, history. Get it? Sorry. I hope I’m much better at writing stories than jokes. LOL! 

What were your experiences as a child that contributed to you becoming a writer?

From the moment I could read and write I was a kid in a candy shop around books. I especially felt the magic in their words, frolicking on the pages between their covers. I dreamed of someday writing a story that would entertain someone somewhere. If you’ve seen the scene in Miss Potter (2006, starring Renee Zellweger) in which Beatrix Potter first sees her Peter Rabbit displayed in the front window of a Mom-and-Pop bookshop, then you’ve witnessed my range of emotions when Sweet Glory debuted in this way; if you haven’t seen the scene, I’m sure that through some great accomplishment of your own, you can imagine my joy, gratification, and relief to have my brain child out in the world.

Do day-to-day life experiences influence your stories?

From my day-to-day experiences, I might pluck something unique in the description or mannerism of a family member, friend, or acquaintance for one of my characters; draw upon an emotion that I felt during some significant event, such as the loss of a loved one; or use a familiar activity, such as bread-making (which I love to do—can’t make a pie crust to save my life—but I can whip up a loaf of braided bread or rosette-shaped rolls). But. . .I think my past experiences influence my storytelling more. Some glaring examples: 1. My love of horses growing up guaranteed that my heroine would enlist in the cavalry versus infantry or artillery; 2. One of my secondary characters is patterned after my younger brother in his youth (his big ears, coke-bottle-thick glasses, and naivete were so cute); and 3. My heroine had to meet her love interest in some spectacular fashion as I did my hubby.

What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?

Research, research, research! To get a lay of the historical land and bring exciting morsels of Civil War times to my readers, I visit the battlefields and cities/towns in my story, including combing through archives and interviewing experts and even relatives of Civil War persons, and I read a ton of fiction and non-fiction. I can’t possibly use every detail that I exhume, but I hope readers of Sweet Glory are entertained by those that I have fleshed out. I’m awestruck every time a reader tells me how much they appreciate the research that went into the making of Sweet Glory—based upon their having additionally read my “Acknowledgements” and “Fact or Fiction” sections.

If you were a TV, film or book character, apart from one you've created, who would you be?  And why?

Nancy Drew—all the way! I love her wit, adventuresome spirit, tomboyish ways, desire to travel, and love of family and friends. Not to mention, she gets to solve some pretty cool mysteries—one of my favorite reads besides historical fiction.  A side bar: My mom feared that my fourth-to-sixth-grade obsession with reading would make me an introvert; she has mostly Nancy Drew to thank for cultivating my love of socialization, exploration, and being a tomboy,—all of which you should find in my heroine and her journey. Would I ever have had the guts to dress up as a soldier to fight in the American Civil War? I think not! But, then again, I didn’t live in those times when war was so highly romanticized.


Give us a brief summary of Sweet Glory:

Reluctant to shed her riding trousers, sixteen-year-old tomboy Jana Brady trims her auburn tresses and rides off as Cavalryman Johnnie to fight as a soldier, nurse, and spy in the American Civil War. Ironically, dressed as a man, she comes to appreciate her womanhood as she ages to nineteen in the service of the Union army.

Buy Links:


Bio: Lisa Potocar lives in Upstate New York with her hubby and two cuddly keeshonds. Her passion for writing and research stems from her former work in healthcare administration and as a professor. When not tracking some morsel of history to shape into a story, she’s a tomboy at heart who would still climb trees if she could.

Find Lisa:

Monday, December 8, 2014

Wonderful Christmas Collection ~ Hope For The Holidays



Six heart-warming romances from award-winning, best-selling and multi-published authors will make you smile your way through the holiday season... and beyond! In today's busy, commercial world these sweet stories remind us of the true spirit of Christmas: faith, hope and love... and the greatest of these is love! Merry Christmas! 
"Hope for Christmas" by Mary Connealy 
Kelsey is alone, lost, pregnant, stuck in a blizzard and surrounded by wolves.
And then things get worse. Tanner Harden finds her but with trouble coming and a baby at risk, can they stay alive long enough to fall in love?

Audra Harders
“Her Christmas Cowboy”
by
Audra Harders 
Can a single mother looking for forgiveness and a reclusive cowboy convinced he’s beyond redemption find hope and love in a simple Christmas pageant?

"Longing for a Miracle" by
Ruth Logan Herne 
Christmas dimmed when an automobile accident claimed Tasha Sorkos’s little girl… could saving Rafe Karralis’s sick daughter bring the light of faith, hope and love back into her eyes?

"A Heart Full of Hope" by
Sandra Leesmith 
Elena Delgado loves her father’s new business partner, Stephen Edwards. As they work together to find funding for the project that will bring jobs and hope to their small community in time for Christmas, will Stephen notice her? Or is he still in love with the fiancĂ©e who left him?

“I’ll be Home for Christmas” by
Tina Radcliffe 
Dr. Matthew Christopher doesn't believe in happily ever after. Can wedding planner Patience McCord melt the heart of the last bachelor in time for Christmas?

"One Perfect Gift" by
Missy Tippens 
In this sweet Cinderella story with a country music twist, a homeless single mother with a secret may get more than she expected for Christmas, including hope, love and home, sweet home. 
You’re invite to join Mary, Audra, Ruth, Sandra, Tina and Missy along with the other Seekers on our blog, Seekerville, where we discuss the details of writing, celebrate achievements, offer encouragement to everyone on the path to publication and enjoy all the gifts of food, fun and laughter each day. There are no strangers in Seekerville!



Monday, December 1, 2014

Fun Holiday Novelette From Author Karen Docter


Looking for that cute read to get you into the holiday spirit? Check out Karen Docter's novelette (50 pages), CATCH THAT SANTAA wonderful stocking stuffer for ONLY $.99!! 

Blurb: 
When widow, Sara Marks, hears her Grams has gone on the lam from Happy Acres Residence on Christmas Eve – on Santa’s arm, no less -- she teams up with sexy stranger, Francisco de la Vega, to chase the couple down with one thing in mind. Keep her Grams from becoming Mrs. Claus. Of course, Francisco's grandfather is not really Santa Claus, but Grams did run off to Vegas to marry him and she's obviously not in her right mind. 

Sara leaves her seven-month-old baby, Lanie, with a friend and she and Cisco head west in the worst snowstorm in decades, chasing his grandfather's '57 Ford Fairlane over the river and through the woods.

Will they catch Santa and his crazy Mrs. Claus before it's too late? Or will love stop them in their tracks?

Buy:

Author:
K.L. (Karen) Docter writes two different kinds of romance novels.

K.L.'s romantic suspense novels are filled with romance, although the dangers the hero and heroine face are intense, usually because a serial killer is bent on ending one or both of their lives before they can fall in love. 

Karen's contemporaries are cute & spicy romances. She loves writing about real men and women with dreams and goals that don't allow for a relationship just so she can throw them in each other's path...with a tickle and a smile.

An award winning author, four-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist, and winner of the coveted Kiss of Death Romance Writers Daphne du Maurier Award Category (Series) Romantic Mystery Unpublished division, when she's not saving her characters from death and destruction or helping them fall in love, she loves camping and fishing with her family, reading, gardening & cooking. If she can do most of those things over a campfire, all the better! FMI: http://www.karendocter.com