Blog Tour Author Interview with Amanda Hocking

Today I get the pleasure to showcase author Amanda Hocking's new book for her blog tour. I was super excited to be picked to be part of the tour and couldn't wait to read the book. Of course I knew I would love it, but we will talk about that later when I post my review today!  Right now, I have an interview to share with you.

Q: What or who was the inspiration behind Between the Blade 
and the Heart? 

A: I have already written several books inspired by 
Scandinavian folklore, and I was always fascinated by Valkyries. 
But because I had already done in Scandinavian fantasy,
I wanted to come at this one from a different angle.I imagined 
the Valkyries helping to police a gritty, diverse, cyberpunk metropolis,
 in a world filled with not just Norse figures but from many
 mythologies.

Q: What are the life lessons that you want readers to glean 
from your book? 

A: That love is a strength, not a weakness.

Q: If you were given the chance to go on a date with one of 
your characters, who would you choose and what would 
you do together? 

A: Oona. She doesn’t swing that way, but since I’m married 
anyway, it would be a friendship date. I think it would be 
fun to go to an apothecary with her and have her show me 
around the magic. Or maybe just veg out and watch bad movies.

Q: Would the essence of your novel change if the main 
protagonist were male?

A: Yes, it would be changed dramatically. For one, Valkyries 
are women. But I also think the book explores the relationships 
between mothers and daughters, and friendships between 
young women.

Q: What is your definition of true love in YA literature? 

A: There has to be passion and desire – not necessarily anything 
physical, but so much of young love is about yearning. 
But I also think that true love is based on mutual respect and 
selflessness. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone who wanted
 to be an author/start writing?

A: My biggest piece of advice is to just write. It’s so easy 
to get caught up in self-doubt or procrastination. There 
are lot of great books and blogs about the art of writing, 
but the most important thing is really to just do it. The best 
way to get better at writing is by doing it.

Q: What’s one book you would have no trouble rereading
 for the rest of your life?

A: It would be a toss up between Maniac Magee by Jerry 
Spinelli and Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. I’ve read both 
of those books a dozen times already, at least, and I never get 
sick of them.

I am so thankful that Amanda Hocking wrote this book and her publishing company let me be part of this tour. Thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions as well. Hope you all have a great Monday and Happy New Year!

Did I Mention I Love You Blog Tour Spotlight and Giveaway

Today I get the amazing privilege to share a fantastic book with you and one that will be reviewed soon here on Ali's Bookshelf.  Also make sure you enter the giveaway below to win your own copy of Did I Mention I Love You by Estelle Maskame. 

Title: Did I Mention I Love You?

Author: Estelle Maskame

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Publishers: Sourcebooks Fire

Love is everything but expected. Eden Munro came to California for a summer of sun, sand, and celebrities- what better way to forget about the drama back home? Until she meets her new family of strangers; a dad she hasn’t seen in three years, a stepmonster, and three stepbrothers. Eden gets her own room in her dad’s fancy house in Santa Monica. A room right next door to her oldest stepbrother. Tyler Bruce. Whom she cannot stand. He has angry blue eyes and an ego bigger than a Beverly Hills mansion. She’s never felt such intense dislike for someone. But the two are constantly thrown together as his group of friends pulls her into their world of rule-breaking, partying, and pier-hanging And the more she tries to understand what makes Tyler burn hotter than the California sun, the more Eden finds herself falling for the one person she shouldn’t… Did I Mention I Love You? is the addictive first book in Wattpad sensation Estelle Maskame’s DIMIY trilogy: three unforgettable summers of secrets, heartbreak, and forbidden romance.

Estelle Maskame started writing at the age of thirteen and completed the Did I Mention I Love You? trilogy when she was sixteen. She has built an extensive fan-base for her writing by serializing her work on Wattpad. Fitting book writing between work, Estelle has amassed followers from all over the world. She lives in Scotland.

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://ow.ly/SAmvg

Apple- http://ow.ly/SAvv7

Barnes&Noble- http://ow.ly/SAmJH 

BooksAMillion- http://ow.ly/SAmR5  

!ndigo- http://ow.ly/SAnIE

Indiebound- http://ow.ly/SAnRt

For more visit http://www.estellemaskame.com/ 

Social Media Links: 

 http://books.sourcebooks.com/dimily/ 

 https://twitter.com/EstelleMaskame 

I can almost see the road through the gaps in the fence by the side of the house, and I squint through. There’s music playing. More like blaring. I can hear it over the crappy music that’s already bouncing around the back yard, and as a sleek white car speeds up to the edge of the sidewalk and skids against the curb, I grimace in disgust. The music cuts off the second the engine is killed. “What are you looking at?” Rachael asks, but I’m too busy staring to even attempt to answer. The car door swings open roughly, and I’m surprised it doesn’t fall straight off its hinges. It’s difficult to see clearly through the fence, but a tall guy gets out and slams the door shut just as aggressively as he opened it. He hesitates for a moment, stares at the house, and then runs a hand through his hair. Whoever he is, he looks su-per depressed. Like he’s just lost all his life savings or his dog just died. And then he heads straight for the gate. “Who the hell is this jackass?” I mutter to Rachael as the figure nears us. But before either of us can say anything more, Jackass decides to hit the gate open with a fist, drawing the at-tention of everyone around us. It’s like he wants everyone to hate him. I figure he’s probably that one neighbor that everyone despises, and he’s only here in a fit of rage because he wasn’t invited to the lamest barbecue get-together that’s ever been hosted. “Sorry I’m late,” Jackass comments sarcastically. And loudly too, with a smirk on his lips. His eyes flash green as emeralds. “Did I miss anything besides the slaughtering of animals?” He throws up the infamous mid-dle finger to, from what I can see, the barbecue. “I hope you guys enjoyed the cow you just ate.” And then he laughs. He laughs as though everyone’s expressions of disgust are the most entertaining thing he’s seen all year. “More beer?” I hear my dad call out to the silent crowd, and as they chuckle and return to their conversations, Jackass heads through the patio doors. He slams them shut so hard I can almost see the glass tremble. I’m stunned. I have no idea what just happened or who that was or why he’s just entered the house. When I realize I’m slightly slack-jawed, I close my mouth and turn to Rachael. She bites her lip and pushes her sunglasses down over her eyes. “I’m guessing you haven’t met your step-brother yet.”

Not sure this really counts as an author interview, but I did get a chance to ask author Estelle Maskame one question.  Here's what she had to say.

Q: If you had a chance to talk to anyone throughout history, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you ask? 

I think I'd talk to Justin Bieber because I'm admittedly a HUGE fan! I think I'd be too overwhelmed and speechless to even ask him anything!

Enter to Win a Copy of DIMILY & an advance copy of DIMINY. This giveaway is active December 1st-December 31^st. Open to US & Canadian residents only:

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway         *Also wanted to mention that the next books in this series, Did I Mention I Need You & Did I Mention I Miss You are both being released in 2016.  So make sure you are on the look out for these two books as well.*    

 

Blog Tour: Confessions of an Authors Assistant

So today I have a wonderful author with me for an author interview and to talk about her books.  I want to welcome author Victoria Danann to Ali's Bookshelf.  Thanks for joining us today.  Below you will get to know more about her books and her as an author.  Enjoy!

The Order of the Black Swan is a serial saga including My Familiar Stranger, The Witch’s Dream, A Summoner’s Tale, Moonlight, Gathering Storm, and NEVER BEFORE RELEASED Book 6, A Tale of Two Kingdoms. Once upon a time a girl lost everything familiar. She escaped death by being forced into an experiment that left her in another world where modern day knights, elves, vampires, werewolves, witches, demons and fae became her allies, friends and family. She discovered a place where adventure intersects fairytales, where honor is more than an ideal, and she learned that love can find you in the strangest places, when you're least expecting it, even when you're far, far from home. This is the story of Elora Laiken's strange and wonderful journey. It is also the story of those whose lives she touches along the way. If you love romance, paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary, this series is right for you. 17+

Author Interivew with the author of Love & The Goddess Mary E. Coen

So today I have the lovely author Mary Elizabeth Coen with us for an author interview and an excerpt of her great book Love & The Goddess.  

      Did you have a say in the covers of your books? (I must say that I love them!)

Not much say in my original cover as I paid for a package with a self publishing company and expected to see it a t various stages but had the end result handed to me – fait accomplit! Since I’d ordered 2,000 paperbacks it would have delayed the printing process if I waited for another cover a t the time.

I recently had my cover re-designed for kindle and worked closely each step of the way with Jeanine Henning. I love it and it hints at the fun element of the story.

Let's Chat with author James Robinson Jr.

So today, we have the blog tour for Book of Samuel by author James Robinson Jr.  I got to ask him some great questions about his book and would love to share those with you today.  There is also a great giveaway below.  Enjoy!!! 

Who did you write this book for? Who is the audience?

Book of Samuel is a love story—a love story for the General Adult audience which is made up of both men and women. But it’s not a romance. I’m hoping that writing it from a male perspective and keeping it out of the straight romance genre will attract more men who shy away from reading Romance.  

If you could have a conversation with any author living or dead, who would it be and what would you ask? 

Any number of romance authors such as Danielle Steele. I would as her how she manages to write so many books in the same genre. What is her secret for her ability to be so prolific? Does she love writing that much? Does it come that easily to her? Good editors?

Author Interview: Author Andrew Leiter

So today I have something amazing to share with you.  This author is Andrew Leiter, who through his amazing mind has wrote a serialized novel.  That's right, a novel that comes out in several weekly editions.  Today he has agreed to answer some questions for us.  Enjoy!!! You will also find out more information about the author and the book. 

Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?

When I get an idea for a story, I usually start with the characters first.  I develop the main character first starting with his/her personality.  Once I know who the main character is I begin developing his friends, acquaintances, and  enemies.  Once I have a main villain in mind, I figure out what the goal of the villain is.  Once I have the goal of the villain, I found how that contrasts from the goal of the hero.  Once I know the goal of the hero, I figure out ways the villain will through a monkey wrench into his/her plans.  With all these things in place I usually come up with a rough outline of the beginning, middle, and end.  When I start writing, I let the personalities and passions of the characters dictate the actions and reactions of the characters to certain dilemmas leading the characters to the goal I want them to achieve.

The Dragon Shield Blog Tour: Author Interview and Giveaway

Hey everyone, today I have a great Author Interview/blog tour post for you all of you.  So sit back, relax, and read this great post.  Enjoy! 

Thanks for having me on your blog, Ali!

If you could have a casual, 30 min conversation with any author that you admire, who would it be and what would you ask?

I would love to sit with C.S. Lewis. I’m sure I would be completely entranced with anything that he had to say, but I would ask him about Narnia. He created such a beautiful world; I want to know if there was anything about the place that he didn’t write. If there were some other thoughts that he had. Was Narnia an allegory to his idea of heaven, as many of his fans believe it was, and would he have liked to expand on it more?

And was Susan no longer a friend of Aslan’s forever? What were his thoughts behind that one line that left people wondering?

Forged Tour: Author Interview with author Becky Banks

Today I have a great tour to share with all of you.  Forged by Becky Banks is an amazing book and today I have a great author interview with this fabulous author.  Thank you so much, Becky, for sharing this wonderful interview and your amazing book with us. 

  Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?

I write naked, outside. The wind across my bare skin is an infinite fountain of creative energy that inspires my work.     

Just kidding. I live in the soggy Northwest, if I wrote outside I’d be electrocuted, not to mention being naked in 40 degree weather is torture, not inspiration. Though, my neighbors might find inspiration in it! Really though, I’m just your average writer. I do write with music and I write by the seat of my pants. That is, I write as the story unfolds in my mind. That does have its drawbacks though, as I’ve been known to rewrite an entire novel multiple times until it comes out right. Which, can be a pain in the ass! 

 Where did the idea for your book come from?

Forged was inspired from all the stories my girlfriends have shared with me over the years. It seems inevitable that three glasses of wine in on a girl’s night, the topic of first loves will emerge. I thought about it for days until Eva and Nate formed up in my mind and the novel was born. 

Blog Tour: In The Red by Selah Janel Author Interview

So today I have a great tour for you today.  Its a author interview with Selah Janel.  Check out her amazing answers to the questions that I just had to ask her. 

Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?

I sometimes use a little bit of the sense memory technique I learned in acting in my writing. I want my characters to be emotionally believable, so at times if I’m stuck I try to think of a time and a place that I felt something that meshes up with how I want my character to feel. That’s not saying that situations in the book are things that I’ve been through – far from in. I have tried to find ways to line up how characters react to things, though, to things I’ve felt or been through in the past, so that it doesn’t come off as cliché or unrealistic. 

Blog Tour: Harvest Treats Author Interview with Author S.A. Jones

So today, I get the pleasure of having the Harvest Treats tour here with me on Ali's Bookshelf.  Today I have author S.A. Jones with me chatting about being an author with a Author Interview. Enjoy. 

First of all, thank you so much to Ali for having me!

       Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?

I have to have a playlist that matches the mood of the scene I’m writing. Not only that, I also start every writing (and editing) session with the Linkin Park/Jay-Z CD Collision Course. It just gets me amped!

      What part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest for you?

The hardest part of the writing process for me is keeping a character’s life on track. I’ll start writing a story, but then I’ll remember there is this key point in the character’s life that made them do or say something, and I feel like it needs to be told. When that happens, I tell it right then. I could probably lengthen my stories by an extreme amount if I told the beginning, at the beginning! 

     Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?

My favorite character that I’ve written thus far was actually a joke character, not in a piece to be published. A friend and I decided we were going to participate in Script Frenzy last year, and we used their Plot Machine for it. The plot was that a struggling student became a pirate in a world run by chickens. We started on it, and it was filled with so much seriousness in the characters, but the overall plot was just hysterical.

    Is there anything you’re working on now?

Renaissance Romance Publishing just published “Harvest Treats” which features my debut piece, “Love Something Fierce”. As of right now I have a lot on my plate, so I’m inconsistently working on a Steampunk piece, hopefully to be published some day.

   Where did the idea for your book come from?

“Love Something Fierce” actually features minimalistic details of some things I’ve experienced in my own life, but primarily it just came from my head and good music. I wanted to give hope and yet reveal some of the real life things that you see in today’s society that are sometimes forgotten about.

     Are any of the characters inspired by someone in real life?

There actually are three characters mildly inspired by people in real life. Hope is very loosely fashioned after my oldest son, Aiden, in the demeanor area. (Spoiler alert: There is an Aiden at the end of the book, who is also a tribute to my oldest son, but also a tribute to the birth of my youngest. What can I say? I love them so much!) Seeley also is loosely based off of the boys’ godfather, a very near and dear friend to me. If there ever were a movie to be made, I would totally cast their godfather to play the role as well! Then of course, there’s sweet, charming, albeit originally confused, man that is my husband… Uh… I mean, Dawson!

Blog Tour: Angel's Heart The Keeper by Lisa Bilbrey Author Interview

It's Blog Tour Time! YAY.  So today I have the author of Angel's Heart, Lisa Bilbrey with me for a author interview.  Below you will find the interview, author bio and book information.  Make sure you check this out! 

Thanks so much Lisa for being on Ali's Bookshelf today, very excited to hear your answers to my questions.  

   Can you tell us something interesting about your writing process?

There has to be noise. If it’s quiet, I can’t focus and I find myself staring at the screen. It’s not pretty, just ask my kids. If I can’t have my music playing, then I have the television on.

       What part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest for you?

The easiest process is usually the writing itself. It’s the editing that I find difficult. I’m a bit stubborn, and often find myself struggling to accept the change even though I know it’s right. It’s getting easier, and I try to learn from the edits so that I don’t make the same mistake twice.

     Who is your favorite character (that you’ve written)?

My favorite character is Sophie from Angel’s Heart. She’s so much stronger than she thinks she is, yet she’s needy and vulnerable.  Her emotion

s are connected to everything she does.

        Aside from family occurrences, what event or accomplishment would you consider to be the highlight of your life thus far?

For me, it has to be getting my first book published. As a child, I struggled with reading. I have dyslexia and often felt like I was stupid because I couldn’t read the same books as everyone else. For a long time, I let the fear stop me from pursuing my writing, but with the support of Michele Richard and Laura Braley, two of the best friends a girl could have, I was able to push past that fear and achieve my dreams.

    Who is your all-time favorite fictional book character?

Nancy Drew. She was a badass and knew it. Plus, the girl was stylish.

       If you could be any kind of creature (other than human), which would you pick and why?

I’d be a vampire so I wouldn’t have to sleep. Imagine how much writing I’d get done if I didn’t have to sleep every night!

Blog Tour: Witch Weigh by Caroline Mickelson

It's time for another great tour, today I have Witch Weigh for you to check out.  I have a Q and A with the author, a excerpt from the book (separate post)  and a giveaway for you! So enjoy. 

Title: Witch Weigh

Author: Caroline Mickelson

Genre: Paranormal Comedy, Light Comedy, Paranormal Romance

Novella – 29K words

Tessa Von Hellengaard is a real witch. Magical spells aside, she’s snarky and selfish, and the other witches in her silent spell coven are fed up with her. Their plan to reform Tessa involves taking away her magic, saddling her with one hundred extra pounds and sending her to a weight loss spa. For good measure they call in Liam Kennedy, a charming and sexy fairy godfather, to teach her some manners. Desperate to regain her magic and determined to shed the weight, Tessa soon realizes that protecting her heart from Liam will prove to be her greatest challenge.

Author Bio

Caroline Mickelson loves her family and loves to write. She also loves a good adventure, among her favorites thus far were attending graduate school in a Scottish castle, riding a camel around the Pyramids in Giza, and taking a best-in-a-lifetime road trip to Graceland. Caroline lives in the American southwest with her husband and their four children, affectionately known as The Miracles.

Blog Tour: Summer Confection Author Interviews

Alright lets get to know these three authors a bit more!!! Check out these great Author Interviews!!!  I want to thank these three great authors for letting me part of their tour and for being on my blog!!!

Lisa Bilbrey

Do you listen to music while you write, or do you prefer quiet?

I must have music on in order to write. The silence is deafening and I start to feel like the walls are closing in on me. Seriously, it sounds crazy, but it’s true. I have several playlists on my iPod that I use depending on the type of book I am working on at the moment.

Ali Prepares for Fandom Fest #3: Julie Kagawa Interview

I am totally fan girling right now!!! Julie Kagawa is on my blog today and I love her books! She is going to be at Fandom Fest this weekend and I'm so excited to meet her! Oh and guess what, today is the day, today is the first day of Fandom Fest!!!! YAY!!! It's finally here.  

I hope you all enjoy this little interview.  This will be my last post till Sunday, I have a blog tour that day for you all!!! Enjoy.  Monday I will be posting all about Fandom Fest and I will have tons of pics for you all!!! Enjoy.  

  

 Where did your idea for The Iron Fey series come from and did you
always know where you were going with the whole series?

Faeries, the old, ancient fey, not the glittery winged sprites, have always fascinated me. But I wanted to write a book that was different than other faery books. So I began thinking: what are the fey afraid of? The answer, in most ancient mythos, is iron. Faeries can't stand the touch of iron and steel. So, what if there was a new type of fey that had evolved with progress over the years? What if they weren't only immune to iron, their existence was slowly poisoning and corrupting the lands of the traditional fey? And I realized we already have "monsters" in machines: gremlins, bugs, viruses, ect. And from that thought, the Iron fey were born.

As for knowing where I was going with the series, I did know how I wanted the "last" book, The Iron Queen, to end.  I did not, however, anticipate the fan's reactions to that ending, nor did I anticipate writing a fourth book, The Iron Knight, to finish Ash and Meghan's story.  And I didn't foresee returning to the world of The Iron Fey with the next series starring Ethan Chase.  So, I've sort of stopped trying to predict where things will go now, lol.  I'm just along for the ride.  ;-)

Ali Prepares for Fandom Fest: Interview with Angie Fox

I am so excited, this weekend is one that I have been waiting for a long time.  This upcoming weekend is Fandom Fest and I will be there!  I am on some panels and will get a chance to meet some amazing authors.  One being the Fabulous Angie Fox, who has agreed to be featured today on the blog today with a interview!!! 

Author Interview with Angie Fox

   What part of the writing process is easiest and the hardest for you?

The easiest is coming up with the idea. I have plenty of ideas. The hard part is getting an idea on paper and making it look like the one in my head (or at least close to what I’m envisioning). Like when I came up with the idea for the paranormal M*A*S*H unit in Immortally Yours, I knew exactly the kind of dramatic, yet offbeat and character-driven flavor I wanted. It was just a matter of coming up with the setting and the characters to make that come to life.

Before I even began to write, I mapped out the entire MASH camp, from the operating tent to the minefield (which is really the junk yard, only it’s so rigged with practical jokes that they call it “the minefield.”). Then it was a matter of adding to that world once the characters arrived and started coming up with their own ideas.

  

 As an author how do you feel about book reviews and their rating of the 3? How do you feel about authors going off on book reviews for their ratings?

As an author, I’m all for readers rating a book however they like. But I will tell you (and this is probably going to get me into trouble) but I’d rather have a 1 than a 3. To me, a one – or even better, a five star review – shows me that a reader was moved by my work. For better or worse, they had strong feelings. And really, that’s the ultimate goal of a writer – to move the reader so a reader is thinking of a book long after they put it down. So by that theory, a three is more of a “meh” and it means I didn’t do my job.

    Do you remember the first book that kept you up reading all night and if so what was it?

Yes. Anne Rice’s vampire series. I was in college and living with a half dozen roommates. Between them, they had the entire Interview with the Vampire series and talked me into reading them. I didn’t go to class for a week. I didn’t sleep much. I just read the series straight through. And I loved it. Who knew that was good career preparation?

      Are you an outliner or a fly by the pantser kind of author? Do you know where your taking each book before you write it?

It’s a very organic process for me. I have a basic outline, but I find the story flows better if I just let go and write what entertains me. I figure if I’m having a great time with it, my readers will too.

For example, when I sat down to write A Tale of Two Demon Slayers, I knew that Lizzie’s pet dog Pirate was going to have fun – he always does. And he’s a blast to write, because (thanks to Lizzie’s powers) he can talk. But I didn’t know just what kind of trouble Pirate was going to get himself into.

Well, it turns out he finds a dragon egg. The thing hatches and he decides he has a pet. It made me smile to think of a pet owning a pet. Lizzie is not happy about that. She has enough going on and doesn’t think her dog needs to own a pet. 

So she tells Pirate to find a new home for Flappy the dragon (Pirate named him, not Lizzie). So Lizzie is battling evil minions and losing track of what Pirate is doing. He keeps promising to find a new home for the dragon, but instead Pirate is hiding the dragon, and loving the dragon and teaching him tricks. Every time Lizzie realizes the dragon is still there, it’s gotten bigger and bigger and, well, it’s just one more thing she can’t quite control. 

 

    As an author, what is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten and what piece of advice would you give aspiring authors?

Make the story big. I had an agent tell me that if I wanted to sell, my characters had to take bigger chances, have more to risk and lose. It’s easy to say, but a hard thing for a writer to do. It’s a vulnerable, risky place to be. I knew my first book was big enough when instead of ending my writing sessions thinking, “I hope that’s good enough to impress an editor.” I ended them thinking, “No. I didn’t not just write that. I did not just make my character defend herself with a toilet brush and a can of Purple Prairie Clover air freshener.”

       What are you most looking forward to in regards to Fandom Fest?

You mean after I geek out in front of Norman Reedus and John Rhys Davies? I’m looking forward to the programming and the people. I’ve never been to Fandom Fest, but I love movie/gaming/comic book/fantasy cons. And this is one of the best!

I hope you enjoyed this great Author Interview, I'm so excited to get to meet Angie Fox this upcoming weekend.  You should also check out some of her other books as well: