Blitz: Pajama The Story by EC Jackson

E. C. Jackson began her writing career with the full-length play Pajama Party. For three and a half years she published the Confidence in Life newsletter for Alpha Production Ministries, in addition to writing tracts and devotionals. 

Teaching a women’s Bible study at her church for eleven years naturally led to her current endeavor of writing inspirational romance novels and teen and young adult fiction. Her mission: spiritual maturity in the body of Christ through fiction.

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Most sleepovers are simple. Food, fun, and pillow fights. But sixteen-year-old Karen Duncan has bigger plans for her slumber party. Family troubles have changed her over the past year, and she’s no longer the petty, selfish girl she used to be. Now she’s ready to shake things up with her friends. The guest list comes as a surprise to some and a slap in the face to others. This popular girl has invited some not-so-popular guests. Even more shocking, she’s left out some of the girls she’s hung out with since middle school.

Diane and Evette are outsiders, nervous about being stuck in a house with the same girls who tease them at school. Kathy, Lisa, and Joann come to the party with the confidence of the in-crowd, but they’re masking inner-turmoil that is bound to surface. Sandy and Angela are usually the voices of reason…usually. And then there’s Linda, the friend that got away. She may not ever forgive the girls who abandoned her years ago. Karen hopes to change her mind.

Her agenda is ambitious, and it could spell disaster. But Karen is convinced God will use this party to spark a new beginning for everyone involved. This companion book to A Living Hope gives us the inspired story Sadie Cummings wrote for the girls of Shiatown.

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Q&A With the Author:

1.  What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Reading and working jigsaw puzzles. Those two hobbies supply me with ample alone time.

2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I write then edit repeatedly until I feel the book is finished. I’ve only deviated from that practice with the last book, The Certain Hope. My editor warned me not to do so again. Actually, she asked if I’d done anything differently with that book. Only one change came to mind: I’d deviated from established routine.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers? If so, what are they?

Discipline is the key, and practice make the words flow easier. Keep writing until you write the end. Authors should follow their heart regarding storyline, and then hire good editors who care about their work.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books?

Most times, the books almost write themselves. Information comes from multiple sources, but each one begins within my mind. Life happens to everyone. I enjoy writing about real slices of life that affect genuine people.

5. What do you think makes a good story?

Characters coming alive on the pages make you hate for the book to end.

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer?

Rest. It’s hasn’t happened yet, but I try each year.

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Blitz: Kings Envoy: Artesans of Albia by Cas Peace

Cas lives in the lovely county of Hampshire, southern UK, where she was born. On leaving school she trained for two years before qualifying as horse-riding instructor. During this time she also learned to carriage-drive. She spent thirteen years in the British Civil Service before moving to Rome, Italy, where she and her husband, Dave, lived for three years. They enjoy returning whenever they can. Cas supports many animal charities and owns two rescue dogs. She has a large collection of cacti and loves gardening. She is also a folk singer/songwriter and is currently writing and recording nine folk-style songs to accompany each of her fantasy books. You can listen to and download all the songs from her website: www.caspeace.com 

See the video of her performing live at the King’s Envoy book launch here: http://www.caspeace.com/cas-peace/the-wheel-will-turn

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Taran Elijah's quest for knowledge uncovers a plot that threatens the world...

In Albia, the fourth realm, the precious Artesan gift is dying. Although born to the craft, Taran is struggling to achieve his potential. Against his friends' advice, he embarks on a foolhardy plan to acquire the teaching he craves. Alone, he crosses into Andaryon, the fifth realm, but instead of finding a mentor, he stumbles upon a treacherous plot.

In the wake of Taran's actions, Albia suffers a series of vicious raids. Major Sullyan of the High King's forces is sent to oppose them. But a dark and treacherous force is moving through the realms and both Taran and Sullyan will feel its power.

  
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Q&A With the Author:

1.       When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author? I have always loved writing and used to write poems and short stories when I was a child. But my serious writing didn’t start until the late 90s, after my husband and I returned from a few years living in Italy. I didn’t have a job and found myself bored one cold, wet December afternoon. I began writing out a small scene I’d had in my head since watching a kid’s TV program in the 70s (called Tarot, Ace of Wands), and that seemed to open floodgates I didn’t know existed. It turned into my triple-trilogy fantasy series, Artesans of Albia, and in case anyone’s interested, the actual scene became Taran’s first meeting with Major Sullyan.

2.     Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it? I’m currently working on a prequel to my Artesans series that will relate Sullyan’s early life and how she became the powerful Artesan she is. It will be aimed at the YA market and is around halfway complete at this stage.

3.       What is your favorite writing snack? Has to be chocolate, I’m afraid. Milk, not dark (too bitter for me), and I really love Belgian chocolates, especially the red Lindt balls!

4.       If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? What food would you serve? Well, it’s no secret that only one of my characters is based on a real person, and that is King Elias Rovannon, who is based on UK actor Sean Bean’s portrayal of the Bernard Cornwell soldier, Richard Sharpe. So I would love to have dinner with Sean Bean, primarily to ask hm f he would do the voice of Elias in the audiobook versions of my novels! I have no idea what kind of food Sean likes, but I love Italian, so I’d most likely cook something pasta-based. I also do a mean lime cheesecake for dessert! 

5.       Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? I learned a huge amount from writing my books as I started from the bottom with only my High School English education to call on. I learned about POV (Point of View), how to structure a story, and also about rejection once I started sending my first book out. But I also learned how supportive and helpful people in the writing industry can be if approached in the right way. I also learned things about myself – most worryingly that I seem to have quite a dark side! One of the reviews of my final trilogy, Master of Malice, says that I go places that George R R Martin (Game of Thrones) didn’t dare go!

6.       How do you relax, or what do you enjoy doing when you are not writing? I’m a singer/songwriter as well as a novelist and have written and recorded songs to accompany five of my fantasy novels, so singing is a wonderful way to switch off. I’m a member of a Shanty group, http://www.shantyhounds.co.uk/ and enjoy performing and raising money for charity. I have two rescue dogs that I love walking, and I also grow a large amount of cacti. My husband and I own a powerboat, a Nelson 38 called Sea Hound, and we love taking off round the Solent for day trips or longer.

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Blitz: Death at the Dakota by MK Graff

Marni Graff writes two award-winning mystery series: The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. She teaches writing workshops and mentors the Writers Read program, and is Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press. 

Graff also writes the crime review blog Auntie M Writes, www.auntiemwrites.com.

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Nurse Trudy Genova is making plans to take her relationship to NYPD detective Ned O'Malley to the next level, when she lands a gig as medical consultant on a film shoot at the famed Dakota apartment building in Manhattan, which John Lennon once called home. Then star Monica Kiley goes missing, a cast member turns up dead, and it appears Trudy might be next. Meanwhile Ned tackles a mysterious murder case in which the victim is burned beyond recognition. When his investigations lead him back to the Dakota, Trudy finds herself wondering: how can she fall in love if she can't even survive?

Readers of Death Unscripted, the first book in the Trudy Genova Manhattan Mystery series, will find the same pleasures in this sequel: fast pacing, engaging characters, twists and turns on the way to a satisfying close. From the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries, this second series is a winner. Once again M.K. Graff reveals her talents in crafting this delightful mix of amateur sleuth and police procedural.

Part procedural, part cozy, Death at the Dakota is a well-crafted and highly entertaining mystery.- Bruce Robert Coffin, #1 bestselling author of the Detective Byron mysteries.  

I fell in love -- not only with co-protagonists, Trudy and Ned, the richly detailed and historic setting of The Dakota, and the unique cast of characters, but with the unusual plot of Death at the Dakota. Sherry Harris, Agatha Award nominated author of the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mysteries

  
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Q&A With the Author:

1.  What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I read and read and read, three books a week for my crime review blog. I love old movies, too, when I'm not watching Masterpiece Mystery. And playing outside with my two Aussie Doodle pups, Seamus and Fiona, in nice weather is always fun. We live along a river in rural northeastern NC and walks this time of year always end with two wet dogs!

2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? My desk is one half of a vintage partner's desk so I'm facing the back of my husband's monitor, and our library space is at the end of our living room. I've learned to write with the television on or his own computer noises, putting myself in the zone, using the house noises are white noise. It works most of the time. The ringing of a telephone I find jarring though, and if I'm in that zone, will ignore it.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers? If so, what are they? I have four main ones: 1. Read and read and read, in your chosen genre and almost anything. You learn from reading what you like and good literature as well as what doesn't work. Read classics to see why their stories have endured even if the language use seems outdates. You are searching to develop your own writer voice. 2. Also, a good usage book on your desk is key. Many modern writers today use their computers for dictionary-thesaurus searches but I prefer the break looking things up in a book gives me. It clears my head. And a usage book that's well indexed is a great companion. Right now I'm recommending Benjamin Dreyer's DREYER'S ENGLISH to everyone. It's compact and filled with delightful footnotes, so it's a pleasure to read and to consult. 3. Find a writing critique buddy or join a writing group. You can find one online if you can't find anyone near you. It's helpful to have a good critique partner who knows the bones of writing and can provide honest feedback. If you are truly a beginner, take a course first to get the basics down. 4. Write. it doesn't matter what, it doesn't matter how long. Write about waht you see out the window. Write a character study you envision and may work into a future story. Write a setting that pleases you, and use all your senses in its description. Write when you can and don't dismiss even ten snatched minutes as worthwhile. The idea of writing soon becomes ingrained and more natural. Don't look at a large project at first; it's too daunting. Start small and work your way up and you will use all of that early writing at some point. And don't forget to always carry a small notebook around with you. It's useful for jotting down ideas that hit you in the grocery story or when you're out driving. If you hear a snatch of great conversation, write it down. Writers are sponges; soak up what is realistic in order to create your own world.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books?
I write two mystery series, one set in Manhattan and one in England, so setting is always a starting point for me. The place where a murder is set becomes its own character and lends itself to where my characters will go and what they do. Since I have recurring characters, why is Nora or Trudy in this place? Then I go to the end and figure out who will be murdered and why. I work my back from that point and fill in the characters, subplots, motives. I do some research before I start out but only have a vague idea of the 'muddled middle' when I do and do other research as it comes up. The idea for the actual murder usually comes from some human emotion in overdrive: jealousy, revenge, greed, even twisted love. I do keep a file with interesting news articles or things torn from magazines to spur ideas. The best ones come from reality.

5. What do you think makes a good story?

Readers are drawn to characters they can become invested in or understand, even if they are far different from themselves or their lives. Once they want to follow that character, that journey becomes the bulk of the story, whether it's Trudy figuring out a murderer or Nora wanting to prove what's being termed a suicide is actually a murder someone's getting away with. I'm a firm believer in a sense of questions answered at the end in terms of this story; that doesn't mean there won't be hint of a story to come, but most readers want to feel a sense of justice served, in a mystery particularly, and that the puzzle has been solved and the questions raised answered. 

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer? Every other year I visit the UK to do setting research, so those are clearly my favorites. Sometimes my husband accompanies me, and we will build in side trips to France or Belgium, as we did one year. Last summer we spent a week in Cornwall and a week in Cambridge for the next two Nora books. I was writing the new Trudy, Death at the Dakota, at that time, but this is for the next two Nora Tierney's to follow. We had a few days in London visiting friends but with a week in each place, were able to really soak up the feel, meet locals, tour the area, and take lots of photos. Each summer my own writing group meets for a week, too, so there is that to look forward to. We usually travel to each other's homes as we are spread out throughout the US, but this year is our fifteenth year working together, so we are treating ourselves to meeting in Old City Quebec and will have time to workshop manuscripts and visit the sites. I'm looking forward to that!

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Blitz: Scrolls of Zndaria: Short Scroll 2: Healing Hands by JS Jaeger

Parents to four wonderful children, Jerry and Stephanie Jaeger enjoy working together as J.S. Jaeger to write uplifting, entertaining stories. 

Jerry overcame bullying to earn his black belt in Kempo Karate. He served as a special agent for the FBI and currently works as a prosecutor. 

Stephanie ran her own accounting practice for several years before turning her focus to writing Scrolls of Zndaria with Jerry. 

Together, they are excited to bring readers of all ages into the magical world of Zndaria.

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Denya’s excited to attend the Healing Hands Academy. It’s her chance to become a handmaiden, help others, and live a life of adventure.

But studying at the Academy isn’t everything she’d hoped. The headmistress and many of the students still look down on human handmaidens. It seems as quickly as she makes friends, she has to say goodbye. And just as she starts gaining acceptance, she puts the other students in danger.

Is Denya’s determination enough to see her through, or will she be sent home, back to the peasant life she’s trying to escape?

The second Short Scroll of Zndaria, Healing Hands parallels The Golden Wizard and allows readers to see the magical world of Zndaria through Denya’s eyes. Readers will be reunited with favorite characters from the main series as well as experience life in the Redwood Forest.

Buy this book today to get a glimpse into the world of Zndaria or delve deeper into the journey that began in The Golden Wizard!

  
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Q&A With the Author:

1.     What do you like to do when you're not writing? In addition to our day jobs, Jerry trains for events such as the Ironman and Ironman 70.3. Stephanie loves being a mom and playing Candy Crush.

2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? Stephanie rarely gets any writing done when she's at home, because she's easily distracted. She does a lot of writing in the car while she's waiting for the kids to finish their activities.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers? If so, what are they? Start writing. The only guarantee in writing is that if you don't start, you won't finish. Your first draft will probably sound awful and not even resemble what's in your head. That's perfectly normal. We call this our vomit draft. You have to get it on paper so you can rework it.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books? Jerry develops the story as he runs, bikes, and drives. He first started developing the idea when he was finishing the last book of the Harry Potter series.

5. What do you think makes a good story? A great story needs compelling characters who are pushed outside their comfort zones.

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer? Our best summer vacations include time to relax and remove ourselves from stressful situations.

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Blitz: Stevie-Girl and the Phantom Pilot by Ann Swann

Ann has been a writer since junior high, but to pay the bills she has waited tables, delivered newspapers, cleaned other people's houses, taught school, and had a stint as a secretary in a rock-n-roll radio station. She also worked as a 911 operator and a police dispatcher. 

Her fiction began to win awards during her college days. Since then she's published several short stories, novels, and novellas. She’s always reading and always writing, but even if she never sold another story, Ann would not stop writing. For her it's a necessity, like breathing. Most of the time, it even keeps her sane.

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No matter who dares you, no matter what lures you, do not go in the spooky old house…

When a small planes crashes behind Jase's rural home, the ghost of the pilot begins to haunt him. Jase can't figure out what to do until the day he sees his classmate, Stevie-girl, enter the legendary haunted house. That's when he decides if anyone can help him solve the mystery, she's the one. 

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Q&A With the Author:

1.  What do you like to do when you're not writing? I care for my invalid father. I also read a lot, and watch movies with my husband.

2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?  I like to get up around 4 a.m. so I can write in the quiet darkness before dawn.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers? If so, what are they? I think in order to write, one must be a reader ... I love to read OUTSIDE the genre in which I write. My other tip--one I have trouble following--is to let your first draft be a first draft. Don't worry about edits until the second draft.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books?  Ideas come from everywhere. Some of my books are autobiographical, but some are total fiction. One of my best sellers (Stutter Creek), began with an idea from a news article in our local paper.

5. What do you think makes a good story?  I think a story is only as good as the characters. If I don't care about them, I won't keep reading (or writing).

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer? Summer vacations when I was a kid meant going to visit my dear grandparents for a week. Now, for summer vacations, I like to visit places I've never been before. One of the best trips was to a haunted hotel in Savannah, Georgia!

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