DESCENDING!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of DESCENDING! This is the sequel to RISING, a recent favorite of mine. If you haven't read RISING yet, it's free on Amazon. Don't miss out!

The A to Z Challenge

I'm thrilled to announce that I've entered the A to Z blog challenge. For those who aren't familiar with A to Z, here's a quick explanation.

Everyday for the month of April (except Sundays) bloggers will post a new blog. Day one starts with letter A, day 2 with letter B, and so on. We've been encouraged to pick a theme, and after great deliberation, I've picked mine. My theme will be...

The Lesser Known Greek Myths

Why? Because I'm a sucker for mythology, and because I love to read about myths that aren't commonly known. They're great stories, plus, they make awesome inspiration for my own writing, or for anyone interested in writing. Love stories, scandals, brave deeds, and secret murders, they're all part of classical mythology. I hope that through my posts I can inspire my audience to come up with their own stories focused around the myths. Think of all the books published today that are inspired by mythology. Percy Jackson, American Gods, the Pegasus series, just to name a few.

In my third book I've introduced Ixion, which if the thing ever finds a publisher, you'll know who I'm referring to!

I can't wait to start. I've got a long list of Greek myths waiting for the spotlight. So don't miss out!

Where Have All the Good Books Gone?

I'm a writer. But I wouldn't be a writer if I wasn't first a reader. I am passionate about books. I may not consume them like others do, but I love them, I enjoy them, especially the ones that really speak to me. Lately I've found it hard to find the really good books. Where have they gone? I think I've found the answer, but you'll have to finish my post to find out.

I was in the mood for a good paranormal romance, but I had a specific request. It couldn't be smutty. I'm a Mormon mommy, and while I read Ilona Andrews and Jim Butcher, that's about as far as I'll go, anything smuttier than that and I call it quits.

The kindle is a great place to shop. You have millions of books at your fingertips, but knowing which ones to choose can be a challenge. I settled on a book called The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank. Early on, I almost put it down. Our heroine has a boyfriend she's hoping to be intimate with, third date and all that. His name is Dwight, which in my mind tells me what kind of guy this is, and I'm right. He's boring, overweight, and unattractive. But that's not what bothers me. What bothers me is this: Our heroine puts up with the guy through a lame date, hoping she'll get some action. He's bad at conversation, brusque, but she refuses to turn him away. In fact, she forces herself on him. She doesn't send him away until she determines his man parts to be too small, and that's what really kills it for her. Not his intelligence, not his disinterest in her. Nothing except his small size.

At that point I almost, almost, put the book down. I'm not sure why I stayed with it. But by the end, I wasn't satisfied. The guy she eventually hooked up with was a real bad boy, in my opinion, he was too rude, chauvinistic and condescending. He insulted her, he belittled her. But she stayed with him because he was attractive.

The language also made it a difficult read. I still haven't figured out why some authors think they need to use F bombs every five sentences. What does it add? How does it make the story more engaging? I'm still baffled.

I spent close to 5 bucks for that one. I will not be buying the sequel.

In contrast, I found another book called RISING by Holly Kelly. I loved it. It did everything The Curse Keepers didn't. And guess what? It also had a love story, but the author kept it clean, and to me, made it a better read.
RISING'S publisher, Clean Teen Publishing, is phenomenal. I've picked up another book pubbed by them called THE KEY, which I can't praise enough. Love story? Yes. Interesting characters? Yes. A page turner? Yes.

Smut? No.

I spent $.99 on RISING.

THE KEY was free.

And here's what I've learned.

I've gotten all kinds of rejections from agents who work with the BIG FIVE publishing houses, the same publishers who released THE CURSE KEEPER'S. In their rejections they tell me that, "they are only accepting the best of the best."

But I LOVE what Clean Teen is releasing and I loathe the other crap the Big Five are putting out, so who can I believe? Granted, not everything the Big Five releases is terrible, but quite a lot is, more than should be. In my opinion, the BIG FIVE only release what they think sells. It's understandable. Amazon is putting them out of business, and they need authors who can turn a profit. That's okay. But from now on, I'll be wary about what I read from them.

Since I've discovered Clean Teen, I've downloaded three additional books. I'll download more eventually. Most are free. I can't wait to read them all. Why did I not hear about these guys sooner? I feel like Alice waking in Wonderland, so this is where all the good books have gone. http://www.cleanteenpublishing.com/

Special Guest Interview with Angela Christina Archer

Hello all! Today I have the special privilege of hosting author Angela Christina Archer. I read part of her novel in a writing group a year or so ago. I've been waiting since then to read the rest! Her book, The Woman on the Painted Horse, is to be released today. Please check it out!

Author Bio Angela Christina Archer is a Historical Fiction/Romance writer. Living on a ranch in Oklahoma, she spends her days enjoying the outdoors with her husband and children, riding and showing horses, gardening, chasing around her many farm animals, and of course, putting her passion to pen and paper.

Born in Nevada, Angela and her husband made the bold choice to move halfway across the United States, away from all they knew. They have no regrets and have never looked back. Life on a farm can be hectic with children, horses, a dog, a cat, chickens, goats, and the summer frogs that love to take up residence in her backyard, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Book Blurb A young woman defying the laws of her country, a young man hungry with greed and power, a brave soul who falls in love with one he shouldn’t; all three caught in a country divided by war and a forbidden love torn apart by blackmail and disparity.

Alexandra Monroe is a slave smuggler, smuggling slaves north where they can live as free people. Her crime is sedition and her punishment, if caught, is death. The daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Montgomery, Alexandra lives a life not by her own accord, but a life she willingly accepts for her secret quest to save the lives of slaves. Her ultimate sacrifice is to marry the town's most eligible bachelor, Thomas Ludlow—who has deadly secrets of his own.

One afternoon, Alexandra comes face to face with handsome William Graysden. Although, forbidden for his Creek Indian heritage, he captivates her. They fascinate one another, and ultimately find in each other a bond they don't wish to ignore. After a series of events; however, William must face the choice to continue the dangerous pursuit of Alexandra's affections or forget about her.

       Here are the links to find Angela online:

       Website: www.angelachristinaarcher.com    Blog: www.authorangelachristinaarcher.wordpress.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorACArcher

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angela-Christina-Archer/121833387901997

        Book buy links (I won't have the Amazon one until the release, but the Soul Mate Publishing is www.soulmatepublishing.com

1.      When did you start writing? September 18, 2009. It's weird that I know the exact date, but it's the date I woke up, said I was going to finally do it, and opened my computer.

2.      What are your favorite/least favorite things about writing? I've done a lot of interviews with authors that say their least is editing, but I have to say that's actually my favorite. Least favorite is of course hitting the dreaded brick wall.

3.      How do you respond to a negative review? I haven't received any *yet*. And, I would like to say my plan is to just not read them, but I know that the temptation might get the better of me. I plan to have lots of chocolate around me when it happens.  

4.      Do you have any future projects in the works? My second novel, In the Land of Gold, is in contract with Soul Mate Publishing. It is set in 1897, during the Klondike gold rush. Currently, I'm looking at end of 2014/beginning of 2015 release. While the manuscript was hard to write, I had a blast writing it and I'm excited to have it released for everyone else to enjoy.

5.      What are you working on right now? My third manuscript has taken a different turn then the first two. I always thought I would stay in the sweet heat historical romances, but when I started outlining my third, When the Black Roses Grow, it just sort of took a turn on its own and has turned into a historical paranormal romance.

6.      What are some of your favorite books? Why?

7.      Do you have any writing advice for newbie authors? Join writing clubs and critique groups, attend meetings, seminars, and conferences. They will help you learn. And, write every day.

8.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

9.  If you could travel to any time, past or present, where would you go? Who would you meet? Interestingly enough, my husband and I were talking about this the other night. I think it would be an amazing to have experienced George Washington getting sworn in as the first President. Huh, now I have a book idea brewing....

10.  What’s the strangest food you’ve eaten? I don't eat weird food. I grew up picky, and I'm now a picky adult. I have really weird food habits, too. I love bacon—it's perhaps my most favorite food. But with that said, I can't have it on anything. Love bacon, love hamburgers, but will NOT eat a bacon burger. To me, bacon is too good to be shared with other flavors. I won't eat onions on anything, and even strain my Ragu spaghetti sauce to get the little chopped onions out. But I like and will eat onion rings and Outback's Bloomin' Onion. I eat jalapeno peppers on anything and everything I can get them on. I am a condiment queen and will smoother my food with mayo, ketchup, or dressing - whatever the condiment the certain food requires I will pile it on, and I even put mayo on not only my sandwiches and hamburgers, but my hot dog buns too. I eat peanut butter on pancakes and waffles instead of butter.  I prefer vegetables over fruit. And, I believe that cream cheese is a gift from the heavens. Brownies are my biggest weakness and I will pile cream cheese frosting on them without a second thought.

11.  Think fast…

Favorite season: Fall

Favorite fairy tale: Too many to have just one.

Cats or dogs: Horses!

Sweet or salty: Sweet

Dark, milk, or white chocolate: White

Before you go, do you have any special acknowledgments you’d like to give? First and foremost, to my host, Tamara Grantham! Thank you so much for the interview. I had so much fun. And, congratulations on Shine #6—Raze. I've been thoroughly enjoying it and I can't wait to read more from you! 

Cover Reveal!

Check out Holly Kelly's cover for her second book, DESCENDING, the sequel to RISING.
Holly is a new favorite author of mine. Isn't this cover awesome? Check out her first book available on Amazon and B&N. It's a NA paranormal romance. I plan to do a book review soon, so stay tuned!

My Interview with Author Angela Christine Archer

I'm pleased to announce that my author interview with author Angela Christine Archer has been posted on her website. Please click over there! You'll get to find out some things about me that I bet you never knew. (Unless you're my mom!) Take a peek and see if I'm right. Also, don't forget, you have until tomorrow to purchase my novella, RAZE, for only 99 cents!
http://authorangelachristinaarcher.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/guest-blog-tamara-grantham/