Wednesday 31 January 2018

Valentine Countdown Day 3




Amey Zeigler wrote her first mystery with her best friend in fourth grade. She wrote, the friend illustrated. It also had a cute boy in it with spiky hair (because that was the style back then). Not much has changed. She loves mysteries. She loves romance. She loves suspense. She loves action, adventure and comedy. But she wants it to have a happy ending.

Because she grew up moving all around the United States, Amey loves writing about different places. In her books, she explores the whole world.

Growing up, Amey was always trying new things. She played violin, drums, flute, piano, all before she was sixteen. She also discovered she didn't have much talent for music.

When people asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she was afraid to tell them she wanted to be a writer because she didn't know how to write.

She is so grateful for her Sophomore year Honor's English teacher who gave her a star and five points (out of five!) for Voice on her personal essay. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had enough courage to pursue writing.

In her spare time, she adopts stray furniture left on the side of the road, fixes it up and gives it a new look and home. Amey lives with her husband and three children near Austin, TX.

Connect with the Author here: 
~ Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~
 ~ Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~




Twenty-three year-old investigative journalist, Andy Miller is armed with her many disguises and creativity to take down the riff-raff of Saint Louis. When her stepbrother is murdered by the mob, Andy soon discovers she’s out of her depth.


Enter Hugh Donaldson who has reasons of his own for discovering the murderer. He’ll use everything in his power to achieve that, including lying to Andy about his past. Dangerous as he is attractive, his martial arts skills and his quirky ways raise Andy’s suspicions.

Although Andy balks at his lies, Hugh’s charms, twenty-inch biceps, and electrifying blue eyes are difficult to resist. Striking out on their own, Hugh and Andy try to outwit each other as they traverse North America tracking down people connected to the case.

As clues disappear and the body count climbs, Andy and Hugh must trust each other and use their combined skills to bring the murderer to justice.






Q&A With the Author:

1.     Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing? 
I am a full time mom. I also like to sew costumes especially for Halloween. I oil paint. I like to adopt stray furniture on the side of the road and give them a face lift with chalk paint and/or reupholstery. My husband says we have enough free furniture in our house. I might need to find another hobby. I garden. I bake. I am an avid people watcher. And I exercise and read.

2.     What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?
I struggle with getting a plot nailed down. I write about twenty thousand words before I truly have a sense of the story. Then I go back and rewrite large swaths of it. I have so many ideas it’s just a matter of find out which ones will work for the story. Not every good idea can be squeezed into a story, but I do try :)

3.     What are your future projects?
I will finish out the Baker’s Dozen series, I have a sweet casserole romance, a sweet romance set in Switzerland and two sweet romances set at the University of Arizona. I also have paranormal YA romance as well that needs to be polished. Then I’m working on plotting out another mystery series set in Europe.

4.     What is the “message” of your writing?
I have themes for each book. Baker’s Dozen talks about honesty, hypocrisy and whether or not it’s okay to lie to protect people. All of my themes are uplifting and inspiring, I hope. I also like writing romances because I really do feel that finding love and developing a relationship brings us happiness.

5.     Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?
I am sending out a novel set in Vevey, a city where I lived in Switzerland. The novel includes some crazy adventures like hauling a recliner up four flights of stairs and cultural misunderstandings. I left out the scene that was really similar to the time I went down in the basement and in searching for the light, turned on the fire alarm.

6.     Have you done anything writing-related, besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you? 

I wanted to be a writer since I was little. But I didn’t know if I had talent. In my sophomore honors English class, we were asked to write a personal essay about a talent we had. As I went walking, I brainstormed ideas. Then, I found it. I found my voice. My personal essay talked about how I couldn’t do sports because I had my father’s rear and my mother’s hips and they didn’t work well together. I talked about taking raw materials and creating something new by sewing them together. I read my essay aloud to my class. They laughed. And I got a perfect score. I was delighted I found my voice. I love to make people laugh.






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Tuesday 30 January 2018

Valentine Countdown Day 2






Donna Hatch is the author of the best-selling “Rogue Hearts Series,” and a winner of writing awards such as The Golden Quill and the International Digital Award.

 A hopeless romantic and adventurer at heart, she discovered her writing passion at the tender age of 8 and has been listening to those voices ever since. She has become a sought-after workshop presenter, and also juggles freelance editing, multiple volunteer positions, and most of all, her six children (seven, counting her husband). 

A native of Arizona who recently transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, she and her husband of over twenty years are living proof that there really is a happily ever after.



Connect with the Author here: 






When charming rake Tristan Barrett sweeps Lady Elizabeth off her feet, stealing both her heart and a kiss in a secluded garden, her brother challenges Tristan to a duel. The only way to save her brother and Tristan from harm—not to mention preserve her reputation—is to get married.

But her father, the Duke of Pemberton, refuses to allow his daughter to marry anyone but a titled lord. The duke demands that Elizabeth marry Tristan’s older brother, Richard, the Earl of Averston. Now Elizabeth must give up Tristan to marry a man who despises her, a man who loves another, a man she’ll never love. 

Richard fears Elizabeth is as untrustworthy as his mother, who ran off with another man. However, to protect his brother from a duel and their family name from further scandal, he agrees to the wedding, certain his new bride will betray him. Yet when Elizabeth turns his house upside down and worms her way into his reluctant heart, Richard suspects he can’t live without his new countess. Will she stay with him or is it too little, too late?



~ AMAZON ~ AMAZON UK ~

AMAZON CA ~ AMAZON AU ~









Q & A With The Author:



1.      Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?
Music is a big deal in my life--I sing and play the harp and I enjoy listening to good music. I also love to dance, and to go for long walks and hikes. Reading also gives me a lot of pleasure.

2.      What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?
I struggle most with self doubt, whether what I am writing at any given time is good enough. I don't know that I ever defeat it but I fight it back by continuing to write. Fan mail also goes a long ways to reassure me that readers do enjoy my writing.

3.      What are your future projects? 
I always juggle multiple projects. Right now I am working on a short story to be included in an anthology, book 2 of the Music of the Heart series, Book 5 of the Rogue Hearts series, and book 3 of the Courting series. Those are all in various stages of planning, plotting, researching and writing. 

4.      What is the “message” of your writing?
I don't consciously start out with a message in any of my stories; it discover it once it is written. My stories seem to have a lot of themes of second chances, not judging, loving people with imperfections, listening to your heart, and sticking together through thick and thin. I do have a Mission Statement that I'm happy to share. It is: To write beautiful, inspiring stories that give readers hope for a better tomorrow and restore faith in that elusive happily ever after.

5.      Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?
Not deliberately but I always draw from my own viewpoints and feelings. Sometimes a conversation will inspire a scene or conversation in one of my books. I did give a villain the last name of a super mean boss from years ago :-)

6.      Have you done anything writing-related, besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?

I get a lot of positive feedback from my blogs posts which are usually about fun facts and trivia I discover as I research the Regency Era.









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Monday 29 January 2018

Valentine Countdown Day 1






Laura L. Walker grew up in a large family in the beautiful Gila Valley of southern Arizona. From the time Laura was young, she spent hours drawing characters on paper and fantasizing about their adventures. Life became more serious, however, when Laura met her own hero and they eventually became the parents of six children. In between spurts of grocery shopping, sewing costumes or quilts, transporting kids to practices, and making dinner, Laura still enjoys putting her imagination to good use. She is the author of four contemporary romances.

Connect with the Author here: 


"All Penny Merrill wants to do is run her own bakery shop, but her money-thirsty mother and conniving stepfather are making it nearly impossible to keep her dream alive. When Penny finds a clipping advertising a Valentine's Day contest for Arizona's cutest couple, with the winnings being enough for her to hold on to her floundering business, she comes up with an idea that might just work--if she can find the right man for the job.

Commercial contractor Preston Ames is starting to develop feelings for Penny, and even though he's been through enough heartache to know that he should avoid her at all costs, he can't keep himself from visiting her sweet shop everyday. When Penny asks him to participate in a crazy scheme so that she can overturn her stepfather's underhanded business ploy, Preston is tempted to run the other way. But one look into her soulful blue eyes and he's a goner. Little does he know that his calm, orderly world is about to unravel--and that just one picture will turn Penny into his sweet valentine! "




~ AmazonAmazon UK



Q&A With The Author:

1) Tell us about things you enjoy — what you do for fun or personal satisfaction besides writing?
Traveling, when I can, and meeting new people.

2) What is the thing you struggle with the most while writing? And how do you defeat it?
I'm a pantser (a writer who writes by the seat of their pants) so plotting in general is hard for me. I'm becoming a better outliner, but I still get stuck from time to time. That's when I go back to old-fashioned pen and paper. Somehow my eyes just "see" the overall picture better and then I'm able to fill in the blanks.

3) What are your future projects?
I'm currently working on Book #2 in my When Love Happens series (LDS romances) and then I plan to write the second installment in this series, which is Holiday Contests, although I haven't decided which holiday I will focus on next.

4) What is the “message” of your writing?
My series, When Love Happens, is geared toward a religious audience so my messages will be much different than the lighter tone and overall message I convey in my rom-coms. In my inspirational fiction, I try to convey the idea that God loves us and everything will work out if we have faith. For my rom-coms, my main message will be that love conquers all.

5) Are your characters/stories/scenes, etc. based on anything in real life?
Some of my stories contain incidents from my own life. My second novel, The Matchup, was largely based on my experience as a mother to an autistic child. However, The Billionaire's Sweet Valentine is pure fantasy on my part, and I suspect as I write more rom-coms that this pattern will continue.


6) Have you done anything writing-related, besides actually writing your books, that seemed to get a lot of positive response? Something that encouraged you?
I'm fortunate to have found wonderful mentors who have shown me how to navigate the writing and publishing world. I've attended a few writing conferences that have been very beneficial. I also met in person a blogger who had participated in one of my earlier blog tours while I was at a book signing. She came just to support me. That was a great experience. I've also formed a fun street team on Facebook where we talk about bookish things. Members of my street team also get to read my newest releases for free, and in turn give a shoutout on social media for my books. If you would like to join, here is the link: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1493800594035114&ref=content_filter  



To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 



Thursday 18 January 2018

Blitz: Pre-Meditated Murder






Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. 

Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction and was 2015 Agatha award nominee for Best First Novel. The third book in her series, Karma's a Killer, will released January, 2016 by Midnight Ink.
  

Tracy and her husband live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house.


Connect with the Author here: 

Subscribe to my newsletter and be entered to win a Downward Dog Mysteries coffee mug!  http://tracyweberauthor.com/newsletter.html






If Kate Doesn’t Act Fast, the Only “I Do” in Michael’s Future Will Be at His Trial




Yoga instructor Kate Davidson is ready to marry her boyfriend Michael, so she’s disappointed when a special dinner doesn’t end with a proposal. But disappointment turns to dismay and outrage as she learns the real problem: Michael is already married and his estranged wife is blackmailing him.

When his wife’s body is found―by Kate and her dog, no less―Michael is strangely unable to remember where he was the night she died. Since Michael has no alibi, Kate steps up to uncover what happened. What she walks into is a tangled web of deceit, obsession, and immigration fraud . . . with Michael trapped in the middle.











Snippet:

Rene yelled from the front door, “Kate, get in here!”

She didn’t have to ask Bella twice. Bella lunged towards Rene’s voice, practically dislocating my shoulder. I slipped and slid and tried to hold on as she dragged me through the front door and down the long bamboo hallway.

Rene laughed and reached toward Bella’s collar. “For goodness sake, Kate. Let her loose.”

“I don’t think that’s a good id—”

The metallic clank of the leash’s clasp hitting bamboo interrupted my sentence. One hundred pounds of pure German shepherd bliss galloped down the hallway, leaving me in a horrified silence punctuated only by the scrape of German shepherd toenails against flooring. Not a single room escaped Bella’s inspection. A long drink from the guest bathroom toilet, a dig in the family room’s rug, and a joy-filled roll on a bedroom’s queen-sized mattress later, Bella flopped on the deep red couch across from the living room’s stone fireplace. A storm of silky black undercoat snowed down on the fabric around her.


Shedding season. Fabulous.

Come join the tour for more content, reviews, and more chances to win prizes here: FACEBOOK TOUR



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Wednesday 17 January 2018

Tarragon Key Keeper Blitz




Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally
 

Connect with the Author here: 
Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~




For hundreds of years, the gates of Tarragon have been sealed from the outside. Prophecy speaks of the day the last Key Keeper will return and wake the dragons from their spell-cast slumber, returning them to their rightful home.

Seeking to fulfill her father's dying wish, Anwen Porter travels to the Drakonii Mountains where she meets Tyler, a mysterious local with a secret. With his help, she learns more about her clouded past and her own abilities. But when Courtney, a lovesick mage, tries to insert herself into their plans, things begin to go horribly wrong.


With death threatening at every turn, Anwen must learn to rely on her newfound friends to survive. But how can she unravel the mystery of her heritage when everything is trying to kill her?









Top Ten List:

Top Ten People I would like to meet.

1. J.R.R. Tolkien. I mean, who wouldn't want to meet the "father" of fantasy?

2. J.K. Rowling. If she can make it with an oddball fantasy series, surely I can too, and I'd love to pick her brain about that.

3. Joan of Ark - I think her life story is just fascinating.

4. C.S. Lewis - He was an amazing writer. Can't imagine what life would be like without Narnia.

5. Robin McKinley - She's always been one of my fave fantasy authors. I have a few bones to pick though, about hinted stories that never got written.

6. Mark Twain - He seems like he'd have been a great guy to know.

7. Albert Einstein - Would love to meet the man who contributed so much to how we see the world.

8. King Charlemagne - An ancestor on both sides of the family, I understand he was one of the first people to instigate a public education system for his people. That, and he had some really cool things happen in his life. 

9. Harrison Ford - He's one of my fave actors of all time. He's just awesome.


10. Danny Kaye - Another childhood favorite actor, I think Danny and I would have gotten along swimmingly. That, and the fact that he sang like a dream, even though he couldn't read a note of music.



To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page