Tuesday, September 30, 2014
MFRW - Marketing for Romance Writers: The Founder of MFRW Speaks Out: Ellora's Cave vs D...
MFRW - Marketing for Romance Writers: The Founder of MFRW Speaks Out: Ellora's Cave vs D...: Ellora's Cave (EC) is suing Dear Author, a book blogger. There's more to this than you would be led to believe. As the founde...
Friday, March 7, 2014
"Virtual NBtM Book Tour: The Nun & the Narc
Critters at the Keyboard
Presents
The Nun & the Narc by Catherine Castle
Catherine will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter between this tour and her Virtual Book tour.
Follow the tour and the more you comment; the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Some words on
Creating Unique Characters
By Catherine Castle
I’ve done quite a few author
interviews and one of the questions I keep running into is how do you create
your characters? Inquiring minds want to know:
·
How did you come up with the names for your
characters?
·
Do your characters look like real people?
·
Where do you find inspiration for your
characters’ habits, hang-ups and fears?
·
Are your characters a thinly disguised version
of you or someone you know?
·
Do your characters like the same things as you?
The simple answers to these
questions are yes, no, and everywhere.
Every writer has his or her own way
of creating characters. For me, it’s a mix of things. I take a little bit of
me, a little bit of someone I know, a little bit of something I’d like to be, a
few traits that my character needs in order to do certain things, a fatal flaw,
real or imagined, that is going to cause big trouble for my character, find
some humorous element I can use with them, and I roll everything together into
a unique character who has his or her own personality.
Sometimes the addition of
personality traits is a subconscious process. I don’t even realize that I’m
including something about me, or someone I know, until the character is on the
page saying, “I hate_____”, or I find them scrubbing the kitchen furiously in
times of sorrow. Other times I set out to create a specific behavior quirk for
my character and I have to twist things until they fit.
Since I’ve been asked several times
about how I created the characters for this book, I thought I’d
I am not a nun, nor have I ever
been a novice. But Sister Margaret Mary, the heroine of my book The Nun and the Narc, is a novice. To
create her nun side I had to do research, but to create her quirks and
personality I drew from other places, some places that I know well.
Here are the answers to the
questions above about how I found inspiration for my feisty heroine, Sister
Margaret Mary, affectionately known to the hero as Maggie.
·
Is she named after a real person? Nope. I just
happen to love alliteration. If you haven’t figured that out yet, by my pen
name, the title of the book, and the heroine’s name, you haven’t been paying
attention. In fact, I originally named the good sister Mary Margaret, but Jed
kept calling her Maggie, so I changed her name. Sometimes it’s wise to listen
to your characters when they speak to you.
·
Does Sister Margaret look like anyone I know? Yes
and no. She’s a redhead. I have redheaded nieces and a redheaded nephew, but
that’s as far as her resemblance to them goes. She’s also the same height as
me, but that’s as far as our resemblance goes, too.
·
Where did I find Sister Margaret’s hang-ups and
fears? I drew a bit on myself for this one. Sister Margaret and I both hate granddaddy
longleggers. You’ve seen them I’m sure—those oversized, gangly arachnid looking
bugs that hang around under picnic tables. Like Sister Margaret, I can chase
and stomp on most any bug, roaches included. I will pick up tomato hornworms,
earthworms, smack mosquitoes silly, and scoop up and dispose of most creepy
crawlers. But don’t put me anywhere near a granddaddy longlegger. Those gawky,
spider-like bugs freak me out. Sister Margaret hates them, too, and Jed finds
this out when he’s trapped in a dirt hidey hole with her.
·
Is Maggie a thinly veiled version of me? Hardly.
I’m not nearly as brave as she is, and I love my creature comforts, like air
conditioning, way too much to go to a tropical climate and do physical work. We
do, however, both love the Lord and we have empathy for others. As for being a
replica of someone I know, it’s not wise to pattern your character exactly like
someone else. There’s always the risk they will recognize themselves in your
book and be upset instead of flattered.
·
Does the good sister like the same things as me?
Not really. She’s much more adventurous. Using the example of the contestants
of the reality show The Amazing Race,
who have to constantly do things they normally wouldn’t do in order to win, I
pushed my character way beyond my comfort zone. The adventurous novice easily chomps
down on a skewer of chapalines for
brunch when she misses breakfast. You won’t see me eating exotic, exoskeletoned
cuisine that I would normally step on, no matter how much chili powder and
grease they are cooked in. Alligator is my limit, and it doesn’t agree with me.
Creating character personality traits
is easier than you might think. Just look around. A snapshot of something
striking, a look, a word, an emotion, the spoken phrase are all fodder for your
story and can help you create unique characters readers will love. Like the tee
shirt my daughter gave me for Christmas says, Watch out or I’ll put you in my novel.
What about you? Do you have a trick
you use to create your characters?
The Nun & the Narc Blurb
Where
novice Sister Margaret Mary goes, trouble follows. When she barges into a drug
deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on
undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but
when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more dangerous
than the men who have captured them, because he is making her doubt her
decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the nunnery is imperative, but
life at the convent, if she can still take her final vows, will never be the
same.
Nuns
shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least
that’s what
Jed
Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness and
compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs. After years
of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the best agent possible,
Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and opening his heart. To lure her
away from the church would be unforgivable—to lose her unbearable.
Please enjoy this excerpt
Margaret inched forward, hoping to hear what they were
saying. A mariachi band nearby blared out a tune, the polka-like melody
destroying any hope of eavesdropping. The shriek of off-key brass sent chills
up her spine. She covered her ears and moved closer to Rafael and the stranger.
After a couple of minutes of conversation, the man removed
an envelope from his jacket and pulled out a handful of bills. He folded them
in half and then slipped them into Rafael’s extended hand. With a furtive
glance around, Rafael moved closer to the man, blocking Margaret’s direct view,
and handed something to the stranger.
A wave of apprehension swept over Margaret. The chapulines
she’d snacked on earlier that morning threatened to see the light of day.
A drug deal! Of all the things Rafael could do, this was the
worst.
Esperanza had fought so hard to keep her son away from bad
influences. Now he appeared to be involved in the very thing she’d hated most.
Margaret imagined Esperanza banging on the gates of purgatory, trying to get
out and rescue her son.
She hesitated for a moment, hearing Mother Superior’s
admonishment. Stay out of trouble while you are in Mexico, Sister.
Silencing the nagging voice in her head, Margaret charged
forward, protective instincts in full swing.
Stopping Rafael and talking to him about the dangers of
drugs surely wouldn’t qualify as trouble. Bluntness, maybe, but not trouble. It
was more like saving. Yes, that’s it. I’m saving him.
About the Author
Catherine
Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance
writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles
and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and
secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband,
singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot
of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite
place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a
“Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.
Her debut
inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing was an ACFW Genesis
Finalist and is a 2013 EPIC finalist.
Buy links:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Nun-Narc-ebook/dp/B00CHU9DH2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1368652543&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Nun+and+the+Narc
Print
version:
http://www.amazon.com/Nun-Narc-Catherine-Castle/dp/1619352966/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380639013&sr=1-1&keywords=the+nun+and+the+narc
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-nun-and-the-narc-catherine-castle/1116942061?ean=9781619352964
Catherine’s
website: http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com
Catherine’s
blog: http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com/blog/
Catherine’s
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/catherinecastle
Catherine’s
Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085414.Catherine_Castle
Twitter:
@AuthorCCastle
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/catherinecastleauthor
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Meet the Authors
Critters at the Keyboard presents
Meet The Authors!
http://www.Luckys-Charm-Jenn-Nixon-ebook/dp/B008RG8V4Q
http://www.amazon.com/.../B00DVN.../ref=la_B008H7H6SW_1_2.... Here's the banner.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
"Virtual Blurb Blitz Tour: The Opposite of Wild by Kylie Gilmore"
Critters at the Keyboard
Welcomes
The Opposite of Wild by Kylie Gilmore
Kylie will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card + The Opposite of Wild Romance Trading Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon gift card with The Opposite of Wild Romance Trading Card to two randomly drawn hosts.
BLURB:
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcomes
The Opposite of Wild by Kylie Gilmore
Kylie will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card + The Opposite of Wild Romance Trading Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon gift card with The Opposite of Wild Romance Trading Card to two randomly drawn hosts.
The Opposite of Wild
by Kylie
Gilmore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unleash
the wild woman…?
Ex-cop
Ryan O'Hare takes one look at buttoned-up control freak Liz Garner and just
itches to loosen the woman up. Not that he’s into her. Because a woman like
that comes with way too many expectations. Not to mention, she practically
works for him, and he didn’t hire Liz to watch after his beloved
Harley-stealing Gran so he could turn Liz loose in his bed. Still, there’s
something about her, a hidden wild side, that makes him wonder what it would
take.
Liz
must be crazy to work for the insensitive, arrogant, horribly…hot man she's
avoided for years. Unfortunately, she needs the money and Ryan's grandmother
needs a keeper. (Midnight tango lessons and ziplines with Gran, anyone?) Ryan's
rare smile and swaggering confidence have Liz torn between throwing her
favorite pinot grigio at his head or throwing herself at him. Can this control
freak find a way to let loose with the tough, no-strings guy who once broke her
heart?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Ryan just stood there, his sharp eyes studying her.
"You're a puzzle, Liz."
"I am?"
He reached out and smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear,
and her heart caught in her throat at the gentle gesture. "You seem
so…uptight," he said. She stiffened and took a step back. "But I know
you were checking me out when I was mowing."
She flushed, but rallied quickly. "I was only bringing
you water." She crossed her arms and said primly, "You surprised me
when you dumped the water on your head. I was merely looking to see if you were
going to do any other…surprising things."
His lips twitched. "You're like a librarian just
waiting to let loose."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she
bristled, hands on her hips.
"There it is." He smiled and stepped close,
crowding her space. She drew in a quick breath, but held her
ground. "The
puzzle—fire and ice."
She put both hands on his solid chest and pushed him out the
door. "Next time, mail it." She shut the door in his face, turned and
leaned against it. "Urgh!"
"That's what I'm talking about," he said through
the door.
She ripped open the door. "Go away."
His head cocked to the side while he bit back a smile.
"Is that any way to talk to your employer?"
"Gah!" She slammed the door and locked it. She
heard his low laugh as he walked away.
Excerpt
Two:
Ryan handed her the check. "Not going to let me
in?"
"I'm having a movie night with Daisy."
"You know I've met Daisy before. She was only a grade
behind me."
"Thank you for the check."
He put a hand on the doorframe above her head and leaned
close. "Gran says she's having fun with you." His silky voice sent
shivers through her.
"Yes," she breathed. He was so close she could see
the golden flecks in his hazel eyes framed by those long lashes.
He grinned. "So you do know how to have fun."
She stiffened at his teasing tone, whirled around and
grabbed the doorknob. He placed a hand over hers on the knob. She looked at his
large hand covering her smaller one and her heart seemed to stop and lurch
painfully forward. "I'm not a puzzle," she told him quietly.
"I’m not fire and ice. You just don't know me."
"I think I do."
She could feel the heat of his body on her back. If she turned
around, she'd be in his arms.
"If you hand deliver my next paycheck"—she
scrambled to think of a suitable threat—"I'll-I'll—"
"You'll what?" His breath was hot on her ear.
"I'll dump ice on you!" She slipped inside and
shut the door. Again she heard his low laugh as he walked away. She wanted to
rip open the door and yell at him some more, but stopped herself because she
didn't want Daisy to see the insanity he provoked in her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kylie Gilmore
was lucky enough to discover romance novels at a young age as they were strewn
all over the house (thanks, Mom!). She writes quirky, tender romance with a
solid dose of humor. Her first book in the Clover Park series, The Opposite of
Wild, will launch in January 2014 featuring the oldest of three brothers and
his lady love. The next two books in the series give each brother his dream
girl (eventually).
Kylie lives
in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she's not writing,
wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find
her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret
chocolate stash.
Website:
http://www.kyliegilmore.com
FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/KylieGilmoreToo
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/KylieGilmoreToo
Good Reads:
https://www.goodreads.com/KylieGilmore
BUY LINKS
BUY LINKS
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1eGozty
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1iKGCiX
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/KgQMv2
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
"Virtual NBtM Tour: RETURN TO AUDUBON SPRINGS BY ROSEANN DEFRANCO"
Critters at the Keyboard
Presents
RETURN TO AUDUBON SPRINGS
BY ROSEANN DEFRANCO
RoseAnn will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
BLURB:
When Emma Grant
returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations
of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out
of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer
avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young
daughter, she has no choice. Rafe Iuliano has other
plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but
he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of
Emma and the house. Their ridiculous and
steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between
them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for
two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of
his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?
Excerpt
“It’s good to see you too, Emma.” Rafe smiled. A flash of dimples tugged on her memory and heart. “Is falling into men’s flower beds a habit or should I feel special?”
“As it happens, I don’t see this as your flower bed, but rather my own.”
Covered in dirt, Emma feasted her eyes on
Rafe.
She didn’t try to stand. Instead she pushed her hands further into the sticky
mulch, needing something to hold on to, momentarily thankful to be on solid
ground. She licked her lips. He looked good. “Finally here to claim what’s yours?”
“Are you going to help me up or not?” Rafe took a deep breath, and reached out
a hand. When they touched, the same powerful jolt of electricity that used to
exist between them ran up her arm and straight to her heart. He pulled harder
than necessary and Emma slammed into his chest. She took a quick step back,
needing space, and almost landed in the garden again. Rafe held on and steadied
her.
“Whoa, easy. I don’t think the shrubs can take anymore.” Her stomach twitched at the sound of his voice, so close it resonated in her ear and vibrated down her spine. His scent, masculine and fresh from-a-shower-clean, mesmerized her. He surrounded her even though he only stood in front of her, balancing her.
“Let go of me,” she whispered. He complied by raising his hands, palms out, in the air as if they’d been burned. His heat lingered on her skin, and she ached with the loss of his touch. Emma went to work brushing the gritty mulch from her shaking hands.
“You always were a bit clumsy, huh, Ems?”
She snapped her head up, and her eyes
landed on his playful grin.
The Author's idea writing space
Hello and thank you for having me as a guest at
Critters at the Keyboard! Today I have been asked to describe my ideal writing
space. It could be old man winter has me down and feeling rather like a
shut-in, but honestly when I think of my ideal writing space, I think of Emma
and Rafe’s ocean side home in my fictional town, Audubon Springs. The town is a fictionalized version of my personal
favorite Jersey shore town, Spring Lake. The house itself is a mix of two homes
you’d find on pristine Ocean Ave. The
homes are lovely sprawling Victorians with large covered porches and amazing
views of the ocean.
So what does the ideal space within the home look
like? The office is on the second story of the house with a set of French doors
leading to a porch that boasts a white wraparound railing. This setting affords
me the opportunity to work indoors with the doors flung open wide, the long white
curtains billowing in the wind, carrying the fresh scent of the sea into the
room for inspiration. Outside on the porch, I’d have a chaise lounge for when I
take a break to read, or from where I can work on my printed edits. The porch
would also have a table with chairs so I could sit and have a meal while jotting
down notes for my current work in progress.
The sights from the porch, that of the ocean and nature, and knowing my
family was close by within the home…that is my ideal setting in which to
write.
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
RoseAnn DeFranco
grew up in upstate NY with her nose in a book and a song in her heart.
Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, she turned her
creative energy to writing romance. RoseAnn blogs about her writing experiences
with her critique partners at www.the violetfemmes.com. A NJ shore transplant,
she enjoys time spent at the
beach with her family. She would love to one day live in a quaint shore town
like the fictional town Audubon Springs from her BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS
series. More information about these
Contemporary Romantic
Comedies can be found at www.radefranco.com.
Web links: www.radefranco; www.thevioletfemmes.com;
@radefranco; https://www.facebook.com/#!/roseanndefrancoauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18586846-return-to-audubon-springs
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Return-Audubon-Springs-Brothers-ebook/dp/B00FDSL792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380163799&sr=8-1&keywords=return+to+audubon+springs
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1gUBz1o
Monday, January 20, 2014
"Virtual NBtM Book Tour: AN UNLIKELY GODDESS BY MOHANALAKSHMI RAJAKUMAR"
Critters at the Keyboard Welcomes
AN UNLIKELY GODDESS
BY
MOHANALAKSHMI RAJAKUMAR
Mohanalakshmi will be awarding a free ecopy of An Unlikely Goddess to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop, and a Grand Prize of a $50 Amazon GC will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
|
http://goddessfishpromotions.
BLURB:
Sita
is the firstborn but since she is a female, her birth makes life difficult for
her mother who is expected to produce a son. From the start, Sita finds herself
in a culture hostile to her, but her irrepressible personality won’t be
subdued. Born in India, she immigrants as a toddler to the U.S. with her
parents after the birth of her much anticipated younger brother. Her father’s
academic ambitions take the family all over the United States, as he chases
grant funding at universities in several states. His financial challenges make
life at home stressful for Sita, her mother, and younger brother – but the
women of the family bear the brunt of his frustrations – both physically and
emotionally. Hers is a South Indian family, from Tamil Nadu, one of the most
conservative states in the subcontinent.Enjoy this excerpt:
The Hindu goddess, Sita, is said to have been born from the
Earth.
King Janaka discovers the beautiful infant and in her
beauty, believes in her divinity. He raises her as his own daughter……
Prologue
Unlike her namesake, Sita's first mistake was being born.
A girl, her mother thought, eyes dark in abject terror. What
if he leaves me? She swallowed, increasing the dryness in her post-delivery
mouth, the stiches across her abdomen itching. No water. Only ice chips until
her bowels passed the tests. Mythili pressed back against the pillows. She
closed her eyes, pushing her fingers into the sockets until the darkness was
punctuated by bone-white stars. She wished she could as easily tune out the
gurgles of the baby in the bassinet beside her.
Yet, even premature and unwanted, Sita was obliviously happy
to enter the world, beaming her infant smile at anyone or anything she saw: the
nurse, her aunt, her mother's back, the noxiously-pink cement walls of the
Madras hospital in which she found herself. Several pounds underweight, she was
otherwise fine—a petite, brown-skinned baby with tufts of black hair crowning a
smooth scalp. How could she be expected to know that from her first breath she
was, and always would be, a living reminder of her mother's failure to produce
a first-born male heir?
“Look at that smile,”
the young nurse said, cradling Sita against her flat bosom.
“Aamam,” Priya, the childless aunt, agreed, rubbing a
forefinger across the baby’s somewhat wrinkly face.
Instead of replying, Mythili, Sita’s mother, pulled a
see-through blue sheet up to her chin and turned her face away.
Did that Really Happen to You?
By Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar
I was at a book talk a few weeks ago and someone in the
audience asked the author, a survivor f the Khmer Rouge, how much of the book
“had happened” to her. She was referring to a novel in which the main character
suffers abject abuse and horror while still a child. I was appalled at the
question; it seemed voyeuristic somehow, as if the suffering of the character,
and the thousands of unnamed people in real life, didn’t matter as much as if
the author hadn’t experienced suffering herself.
The “did that really happen?” is one of the most awkward
questions you can ask a writer after reading his/her book. We want the reader
to be lost in the narrative, not wondering how much of it is autobiography.
My latest release, An
Unlikely Goddess, will no doubt spark a similar set of questions. The story
of an Indian girl who immigrates to the United States with her parents, suffers
much heartache, and finds solace in academia, is not that different from own.
Sita’s trajectory, however, is a composite of many people’s journeys as
immigrants, not only mine. In some ways she is the Everywoman of the female
coming of age for South Indians.
I found this story also important to tell because it shows how the immigrant experience is not always the making good on the American dream we have come to expect from the “Model Minority” of Asians in the United States. The recent interest in Indian Literature in English, depicts a very specific part of the Indian diaspora – often well educated, Bengalis – did not speak to my experience or those who I knew growing up.
This book is a testament to all of the above.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in
Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was fortuitous in many ways
since this is where she met her husband, had a baby, and made the transition
from writing as a hobby to a full time passion.
She has since published seven e-books including a mom-ior for first time
mothers, Mommy But Still Me, a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell
a Million Copies, a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories, and a
novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace.
Her recent books have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar.
From Dunes to Dior, named as a Best Indie book in 2013, is a collection of
essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in
the Arabian Gulf. Love Comes Later was the winner of the Best Indie Book Award
for Romance in 2013 and is a literary romance set in Qatar and London. The
Dohmestics is an inside look into compound life, the day to day dynamics
between housemaids and their employers.
After she joined the e-book revolution, Mohana dreams in
plotlines. Learn more about her work on her website at www.mohanalakshmi.com or
follow her latest on Twitter: @moha_doha.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Dohmestics-ebook/dp/B00AREGO36
Twitter: www.twitter.com/moha_dohaFacebook: www.facebook.com/themohadoha
Pintrest: www.pintrest.com/mohadoha
YouTube: www.youtube.com/themohadoha
website: www.mohanalakshmi.com
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