Showing posts with label historical romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical romance. Show all posts

Friday 15 July 2011

Author: Shawn Maravel

Shawn Maravel was born in a small New Jersey town parked right smack dab in the middle of farm country. She has a twin sister and two kid sisters. When her husband joined the Army and was stationed in Germany she packed up her things and moved to Germany to be with him. Making the most of the Army life Shawn has traveled around Europe as much as possible and considers Germany home after spending the last two and a half years there. She spends most of her time reading, writing books, and spending time with her husband, faithful Rottweiler, and ninja cat.
In the book Volition Joel seems to enter Charlotte's life at just the right time, or just the wrong time, depending on who you ask. His easy charm and good looks are assumed by her friends to be Charlotte's biggest distraction in seeing him for who he really is. But the question isn't who he is, it's what.

His bright green eyes match Charlotte's exactly; his hair is the same chocolate brown. Are these just a coincidence or is there a reason for their similarities? Are they connected somehow? Well...that would be absurd...wouldn't it? Charlotte doesn't even know Joel. He's charming and sweet and has the air of innocence, yet he seems to know maybe just a little too much.

There's a fine line between mysterious and dangerous. But where does Joel fall? And why won't he tell Charlotte anything more than that he's "here to protect her." Well that definitely clarifies nothing. Sure she had a close call at the club a few nights ago and things could have ended badly but they didn't...right? Well, that's when Charlotte met Joel and she did happen to meet him in a dark hotel room after she'd passed out at said club. Wait. Now everything is just beyond confusing.

Joel seems honest and something in Charlotte's gut says that he's telling the truth...but what exactly has he told her apart from nothing?


What will readers like about your books?
I think that readers will like my characters and find them very relatable. In book one, Volition the story is built up, the characters developed, the plot and suspense begin, but in book two the action, romance, and suspense really take off. And in book two you really get a feel for the characters even more, discovering what they are willing to do for love and in some cases, revenge.


What inspired you to write them?
The first story I wrote, With Eyes That See I wrote when my husband, then boyfriend, enlisted in the Army. It was something to focus my attention on. That story was inspired by my grandfather who was diagnosed with glaucoma when he was in his early twenties. I am actually re-writing it now. Volition and Severance were similar, I started writing Volition when my husband deployed to Iraq for a year. It started off as one book, inspired by a question that I had asked myself one day, “Who loves you more than anyone else, puts you first, loves you for all that you are and has known you your entire life, putting their love for you before all else.” I developed characters and a plot from there. And soon one book became two books!


Do you have any new works in the pipeline?
I actually have one book called The Wanderer that I will be releasing in January. It is a story about a recently retired Army Veteran. It was originally inspired by my love for a man in uniform and how fabulous I think they look riding a motorcycle in uniform. Seriously…I cannot get enough of it. The main character, Landon Bradley is the kind of man who is not used to sticking around for too long in one place. He packs up his motorcycle and heads North West in search of peace and maybe even a place to finally settle down. But what he finds in a small Wyoming town scares him.

Maxine Abrams, more affectionately known as Max makes him think that maybe he is the kind of man that can be loved, after so many years of thinking otherwise. In the end he must chose which call to heed, his heart or the open road. It really was a very fun story to write. It only took me two months actually. And I love Landon just as much as Max. I think that I created two very strong and believable characters, and a love story that will melt the hearts of my readers.

The story I am working on now, the re-write of With Eyes That See, is arguably my favorite, just because it is my first and re-writing it is something I kind of thought I had lost hope of ever doing. I mean, I wrote three books in between! You can read more about all of the books of course in greater detail on my blog.


Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors vary. I read mostly YA books and literary fiction. Those are the two genres that I write as well. For literary fiction I like Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult, though I’ve only read one of Jodi Picoult’s books as of right now, Salem Falls which honestly blew me away. Very well written. And for young adult I like Stephenie Meyer the most, at this point in time. I’m not a crazy Twilight fan by any means but as a writer I envy her easy flow and her ability to write a story that is so fluid.

I didn’t read at all until I finished a book called The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus (I honestly read it just because I loved the cover so much) and it was really good though it was hard, as someone who didn’t read, to get through it. The next book I picked up was Twilight and by that point all four were already out and as someone who found reading difficult…I have never read a book so fast in my life, let alone four, even as someone who enjoys it now. In fact…I can thank those books in part for picking up writing again in the first place.


Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
I don’t drink, at all. Not for any religious reason or family issues or anything like that. My twin sister and I just grew up very stubborn and just about anything that “everyone did” that was considered "cool", we rebelled against. So even to this day, at age 23 neither of us drink. Everyone I know personally knows this of course but it’s kind of a strange thing about me that always surprises people.


Thanks so much, Shawn!

You can find more information on Shawn and her writing in the following places:

AmazonAuthor Page
Twitter

Monday 4 July 2011

Paranormal Romance Author: Tessa Stokes

Hi Tessa! Welcome to Someone Wot Writes. Can you tell us a little about your writing.
I have just completed book four in The Seven Spell Saga, it is titled, The Sealed Door. My books, Spellbinding, The Spell Breaker, and The Seven Spell all in The Seven Spell Saga are romantic, lyrical, sprinkled with the motifs of magic, love, friendship, time travel, and immortality.

I wanted my characters to strike real chords with readers, they had become so real to me that it seemed very important to me that readers could also picture and empathize with the characters. One of my characters actually has their own twitter account, although not too many followers just yet. LOL I will leave readers to guess which character. Anyone who has read any of The Seven Spell Saga books will be able to guess who.







What will readers like about The Seven Spell Saga?
That the main character draws them into her life and tells them about her feelings and thoughts as well as her experiences. Chloe McGarry also turns to the reader now and again for opinions. I think that readers will like the two guys in the book, Oliver Tarrant is centred, loving and lovely. Tristan Dearing is mysterious and intense, his love is consuming. I think readers will like the love triangle in the books. As Chloe settles down to her new life in a different country, falls in love and makes new friends the style of the book reflects her growth.

What inspired you to write them?
I wrote The Seven Spell Saga after having the ideas in my head for a few years, I had made notes on various computers and suddenly found that they all gelled. I love ancient places and history, plus I have come across some strange coincidences in life and that is a major motif in the books.

Do you have any new works in the pipeline?
Yes book five of The Seven Spell Saga is started, I love my characters so much I could not leave them where book four finishes for long and so started the fifth book straightaway.

I have two chapters of a science fiction young adult novel written and I am about the third of the way through a vampire paranormal romance, another plot I have had in my head for a long time. It's a vampire story with a difference, I hope.

Who are your favourite authors?

I have read so much and find it hard to have favourite authors but at the risk of seeming high brow which it's not, I love Shakespeare, also Thomas Hardy. I read lots of detective novels because they are far away from my own genre so that I am not influenced by anything. So I read, Sue Grafton, Ruth Rendell. I also read Alexander McCall-Smith.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
I have a degree in Computer Education. If that is too crusty, I once lived in Tangiers, Morocco, quite exotic.


Thanks so much, Tessa. And good luck with your Seven Spell Saga!

You can discover more about Tessa in the following places:
Tessa's Blog
Tessa's Website

The Seven Spell Saga is available to buy from Smashwords and Amazon

Sunday 10 April 2011

Hidden #SampleSunday

He felt the drumming of the earth, the heartbeat of all humankind in his bones and blood, in his skin and soul. It sang a song that he had known forever and in that instant everything became clear. He knew the reason for it all; the key to life and it was so obvious. How could he not have known this simple truth before now?
And then as suddenly as it had come, it left. His beating heart slowed, the song faded and the knowledge slipped away like an elusive memory refusing to come to mind. He felt a devastating loss, worse than if his dearest love had died.
A heavy melancholy descended, so profound he felt as though he should like to sleep for a thousand years. In the cold darkness, tears rolled down his face and stung his cheeks like acid. He closed his eyes and tried not to think. It hurt to think.
It hurt.
God, it hurt.
Like the skin being stripped from his body. He could not breathe and his eyes burned white hot with a searing pain.
He tried to speak but his throat constricted, closed shut. Was he in hell? Was this the fate he deserved? Please, God, no! Help me! he silently screamed. Save me! I promise … I promise anything. I will do anything. Just please … make … it … STOP.

HIDDEN on Amazon

Monday 28 March 2011

Mega Excitement for Mini Trailer

I've got a new mini trailer for Hidden, my paranormal vampire adventure and I'm so in love with it that I had to post it here. B. Lloyd from AuthorsAnon created it and I think she's done a top job. Thank you, B!


And the other cool thing is that KindleObsessed put it on her website as one of five trailers that should persuade you to part with your money.