Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT The Old Man At The End Of The World by @AKSilversmith #Apocalypse

Today’s team review is from Georgia, she blogs at http://www.georgiarosebooks.com

Georgia has been reading The Old Man At The End Of The World: Bite No.1 by A.K Silversmith

 

I’ll be honest and say I don’t know much about zombies but thought I’d try this and see what they’re all about. I’m assuming that some other books of this genre are considerably more gory and scary but this one is a different sort of read. There is a bit of zombie like behaviour in it – blood and gore and what have you, but overall it came across as more a humorous telling of a terribly British reaction to the whole situation.

Gerald Stockwell-Poulter is earthing up leeks one minute and being attacked by a fellow allotment holder the next. Hamilton comes to his rescue and after a bit of toing and froing, and taking pity on the rather smug Finnbar they manage to find sanctuary at Gerald’s house.

It did start off a little silly but once I’d settled in I found much of the humour amusing and enjoyed the writing. There wasn’t a lot of emotion shown at all and it didn’t come across as if these characters feared the zombies but instead just found them a bit of a nuisance. There were reminders of Shaun of the Dead in there with the humour and also of Carry on up the Khyber. No zombies in that of course but it was the same stoicism as shown in the dinner towards the end of the film when bombs are falling all around but proper dinner etiquette must be followed. Nothing is more important to Gerald than getting back home in order to have, of course, a nice cup of tea, regardless of the mayhem playing out amongst his neighbours.

All in all this is a small bite of a light-hearted zombie book, well written and amusing.

Book Description

Gerald Stockwell-Poulter couldn’t help but feel it was extraordinary just how quickly his life had changed. One moment he was earthing up leeks in the West Sussex sunshine and the next he was rooted to the spot as Rodney Timmins from the end allotment ambled towards him, arms outstretched, blood pouring from a hole in his neck and a look in his eye which suggested that he was less after help and more after a helping of Gerald. 

Now, as Gerald’s life takes a quick turn for the worse, he must do things he has never done before. After 87 largely well-behaved years as a model citizen, less than four hours into the ‘zompocalypse’ and he has already killed a neighbour, rescued a moody millenial drug dealer and forged an unlikely allegiance with a giant ginger Scotsman. And it isn’t even tea time. 

Join Gerald as he and his newfound allies navigate the post-apocalyptic English countryside in their hilarious bid to stay off the menu. 

The first installment of the Old Man at the End of the World Series. A novella of 20,000 words.

About the author

AK Silversmith is the author of The Old Man at the End of the World; a series of zombie apocalypse Bites centering on the world of 87-year-old Gerald Stockwell-Poulter.

Bite 2 is coming soon…

She was born in Tasmania in 1983 and now lives in western Ireland where the weather is similar but the zombies are still absent.

Goodreads | AmazonUK | AmazonUS | Twitter

 

POP TRAVEL by Tara Tyler light hearted #SciFi #BookReview #wwwblogs

Pop Travel by Tara Tyler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pop Travel is a light SciFi set in 2080 mainly in Georgia. The book opens two years earlier with an introduction to “Pop Travel”, a form of laser teleportation, and an unfortunate accident for one traveler.

We next meet PI Cooper, he is contacted by a nervous and shady character wanting him to take on the search for a missing fiancee. Aleesa disappeared one day and Phisner believes that Pop Travel was to blame, but all lines on inquiry have been shut down.

Conscious that everywhere you go security cameras watch you, computers and communication are also all tapped, Cooper begins investigating. He soon hits the radar of the FBI with his search terms and they are hot on his trail when he is offered copies of unofficial tapes from other Pop Travel “incidents”.

Cooper believes he must speak to the Pop Travel creator Hasan Rakhi, but he is heavily guarded. Using his brother’s political power he manages an invite to the creators home, but to get there he must himself “pop” something he’s always avoided at all costs. The FBI send in their agents to infiltrate Copper’s plans and take him out if necessary. Will he be able to get to the bottom of all the secrecy or will he be taken down?

I really liked the start of this book and the premise of Pop Travel for the future was very plausible. As the book proceeded the number of characters introduced became exhausting and I question if they were all really necessary. A romance for Cooper didn’t quite work for me, and the action chase scenes at the end belonged more to a Bond movie than the SciFi setting the book opened with when electric cars were made quite a point of.

A light fun read but possible not for die hard SciFi fans.

I reviewed this previously on Amazon for #AugustReviews

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Rosie’s Book Review Team #RBRT Terry reviews Losing It All by Marsha Cornelius

Today’s team book review comes from Terry, she blogs at http://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

She chose to read and review Losing It All by Marsha Cornelius

LOSING IT ALL by Marsha Cornelius – review by Terry

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this – it’s interesting and unusual.

The novel is set mostly around Atlanta, Georgia in the US. Frank is a Vietnam vet whose life has crashed and burned, leaving him a vagrant trying to scratch out an existence as best he can. Chloe is a small town, naïve mother of two who has allowed her path through life to be determined by others. When husband Duane deserts her, everything gradually falls apart and she ends up in a shelter for homeless women.

Marsha Cornelius has clearly put a great deal of research into this story. I recently watched the 1960s BBC (UK) drama-documentary ‘Cathy Come Home’, which shows how easily families in the UK in the 1960s could descend from keeping their heads above water into homelessness; this book had the same effect on me. It’s shocking, but so real, and really made me think about how so many people are just a couple of salary cheques away from the street!   The details of both Chloe and Frank’s struggles are very well illustrated, as is their climb back to something approaching normality – though indeed, what they consider ‘normal’ is not the conventional lifestyle some would expect.

The message of this book is definitely one of love and relationships mattering more than anything else, and about it being the simple things in life that can bring the most happiness. The romantic aspect of the story was perfectly portrayed too, I thought; not schmaltzy, or overtly sexy for the sake of it but just touching and true to life.

It’s a story about love and hope, the goodwill of friends, and the discovery of inner strength. Recommended.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Guest Author Melissa LeGette

Today our guest is Melissa LeGette author of yesterday’s book The Orphan and The Thief, here is a link to the post if you missed it. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4KH

let’s find out more about the writing of the book.

1) Where is your home town?

I live in Washington, Georgia. It’s a little, southern town sandwiched between three big cities.

2) How long have you been writing?

Gosh, for a long time. Ever since I was little, but I didn’t think of writing as anything special – it was just something that I did without thought, much like a hobby. It wasn’t until I was older – 16 maybe – that I considered the profession.

3) Upon starting your book “The Orphan and the Thief” my thoughts went to “The Wind in the Willows”, by Kenneth Grahame, did it influence your book at all?

Bit embarrassing, I’ve never read it, which is ridiculous because I love animals dressing up as people. The book should be totally up my alley. So I know very, very little about the plot, except that there is a toad named Mr. Toad, so I can see a connection there.

4) Tell us about the card game “Bloodroot and toadstools” was it fun to write?

It was fantastic to write! The book is so much about potions that throwing in a potion card game was the cherry on top, for me. I hadn’t ever done something like that before and it was great fun to try to come up with the rules and such. And I just love the name of it!

5) I see you sneaked in a unicorn in to the story, are they your favourite animal?

I had a feeling you would notice that, Rosie! It’s true, I couldn’t help myself. Unicorns and dragons are my top two picks when it comes to magical/mythical creatures, so you should probably expect them to reappear in my writing.

When I was coming up with the ingredients to the Seeking Solution, I wanted some of them to come from animals and unicorn hair was just an obvious choice. Plus, it allowed me to play with the more animalistic version of a unicorn. In The Unicorn Girl, I wrote them more in the way that we think of: they can talk, they can do magic, they’re ethereal and all knowing. But I didn’t want to do that this go round. I wanted to do something different. If there were actual unicorns out and about today, how would they behave? Would they be reclusive? Protective? Aggressive? Curious? Though they’ve been painted to be such gentle creatures, I think we shouldn’t forget about those horns—they clearly aren’t pushovers as Toad discovers.

6) Can you tell the readers where the talking mug “Joe” came from?

Rather interesting story. My grandfather bought a ‘face jug’, as I think they’re called, by a potter named Ron Dahline. He bought this ages ago. And then my grandparents moved and were passing out possessions to lighten the load, and my dad took the mug. From there, the mug stayed tucked away behind some wine glasses and my dad would periodically take it out and fill it with beer, which repulsed my mom and always made me laugh.

It was when I was in the early stages of working on Orphan that I looked at the mug with a new perspective. And I thought, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. That has to go into a book. I’m an idiot if I don’t put that into a book. So I put it into Orphan.

The mug is so outrageous. I mean it is wild with a giant, toothy grin so a lot of Joe’s characteristics came very natural to write, simply from the pottery itself. It was obvious that he should talk; it was obvious that he should be one of a kind and that that would make him a prize in the eyes of certain individuals.

7) What makes Agatha the spider  special for the children?

Because Agatha can travel magically through her web, she is able to lend a helping hand … or should I say leg? The biggest thing that I like about Agatha is that she represents an individual helping another individual simply because she can and simply because she wants to. The same is true with Izzie, who Melena and Toad later meet. When you look at both Melena’s and Toad’s upbringing, they’ve had to fend for themselves. Toad is raised by thieves and was bullied and teased and though he was part of a gang, he was very much on his own. Melena grew up in a very large orphanage and as much as I think kindly about the women who run St. Brenda’s Orphanage, I doubt they were able to give each child the love and attention that they deserved. And then, Melena gets ‘adopted’ by a terrible couple who just use her as labour. So, they both haven’t seen many acts of kindness. So when Agatha the spider offers to help them out of a very deadly situation, Melena is very overwhelmed by it and both children’s attitudes toward the spider is deep fondness.

8) There were so many wonderful magical moments in the book which was your favourite?

Wow. This is hard. Um, I really love the part when Melena finally meets the notorious Ramblers. I loved writing that scene. This scrawny 13 year old standing up to serious criminals and holding her ground – I thought it was great fun. Plus, it was a scene that I wrote very early on that ended up getting removed because the plot changed and it didn’t fit anymore, so I was really happy when I realized that I’d be able to put it back in with a few adjustments. And then there’s the ogre scene when they sing a ballad to scare the ogre away. That was also an idea I had really early on that was such fun to write.

9) Who was Mr Owl going to use the Seeking Solution to find?

No clue. What do you think?

For a really long time (this is one of my weaknesses, by the way), I did not know why Mr. Owl did what Mr. Owl did, which was a problem. I liked the idea of him being utterly repulsed by thieves even though—and you get sense of this—that he has some sort of relationship or treaty with Jack Pinch of the Ramblers. Jack even tells Melena that ‘we don’t get in each others way.’

Mr. Owl is a very wealthy man and something of his gets stolen. I have no idea what this is. I don’t even know if it’s a physical item or if he’s being symbolic. But he wants the person who took whatever it was to pay for his crime, and Owl is a man who dishes out his punishments. He’s not a person who will turn to authorities. It could be that the item that was stolen has a dark past? Maybe one that Mr. Owl does not want publicized? There are so many possibilities … In fact, I might have just come up with an idea …

10) This book screams for a sequel, to you plan to write one?

I’m so flattered and excited that you think so! I love reading series, but I’m terrified of writing one. I’ve been keeping this pretty quiet, but I do have a very rough idea for a sequel, but not one that focuses on Toad or Melena. It will still be set in Calendula, the same country that Orphan and the Thief is set in, but with new characters, though you never know. Some old characters might join the cast. So much happens in writing a book!

I do leave the door open for a return of Toad and Melena, if an idea ever came to me. So fingers crossed!

Find a copy of this book here on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Thank you for being our guest today, Melissa and good luck with the next book.

Guest Author S.K. Nicholls

Today our guest is S.K. Nicholls, author of yesterday’s book “Red Clay and Roses”. You can check out my review of the book here. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-4Ge

Let’s find out more about Susan and her writing.

1)  Where is your home town?

I was born in LaGrange, Georgia, USA, and lived in the surrounding area while bringing up my own children.

2)  How long have you been writing?

I first had a short story published when I was seventeen and in high school. I put writing aside while focused on my nursing career. Upon retirement in 2011, I picked it up again. A visit to my father in 2012 stirred up an old story from my youth that I still wanted to tell. So I set myself to writing it down.

3)  What key element inspired this book?

Based on a true story, it was finding the ledger in 1992 that truly propelled the development of the story, but there is something more. So many have this image of the Deep South as one of little old white ladies sitting on the front porch swing sipping mint juleps. Life and reality was more harsh than that for most people, especially the African Americans. I have mixed race grandchildren. I presented the world historically as it truly was for many. There was hardship, dilemma, and many secrets kept. We are more open and accepting now. I don’t want to see us go back there. We learn from history how to move forward.

4)  Did you have to do a lot of research or did you interview people too?

The octogenarians were interviewed, and my father who is seventy five. An enormous amount of research went into the book to assure its historical accuracy. All of the events and setting locations are very real, and had to be researched.

5)  I’m not sure what “Jim Crow Law” was, can you tell us more?

The Jim Crow laws were racial segregation laws enacted between 1876 and 1965 in the United States at the state and local level. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in Southern states of the former Confederacy, with, starting in 1890, a separate but equal status for African Americans. The separation in practice led to conditions for African Americans that tended to be inferior to those provided for white Americans systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages, and leading to prejudice and severe racism. Even though these laws were declared unconstitutional in 1965, many communities continued the segregation long into the seventies.

South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina were the Confederate states, and Kentucky was provisional.

Some examples of Jim Crow laws were; the segregation of public schools, public places (swimming pools, doctors and dentists offices), and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, clothing stores, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated.

“Jump Jim Crow” was a song-and-dance caricature of blacks performed by white actors painted in blackface. That is believed to be where the name Jim Crow law for this collection of state laws came from.

6) Nathan took part in several campaigns for Civil Rights, can you tell the readers about some of them.

The Freedom Rides were a campaign for blacks to assert themselves in avoiding discrimination practices. The black men would ride in the whites only passenger cars on trains. Other black men would ride in the black cars in case there was trouble, which there often was, as the white passengers rebelled and fought. Many blacks were arrested and beaten for their actions.

The Sit-Ins were started by black university students who would sit down in whites only dining establishments for the same reasons and with the same outcomes.

There were many protests, marches and demonstrations, like Bloody Sunday, some peaceful and some not so, where blacks were joined by liberal minded whites who championed the causes of Civil Right.

7) Sybil faced her own demons when she became pregnant, but she dealt with the situation as best she could. Do you think she made the right decision?

For her, it was right, but I did feel she should have been honest with Nathan, to at least let him know about the pregnancy, yet I can understand why she didn’t. Althea, Bonnie Jean and Sybil all found different ways to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. Who am I to decide what was best or right for any of them?

8) When Trent was sent to prison, Sybil faced several hardships, which was worst do you think?

I think the difficulties she ran into with trying to manage her business were the hardest for her, because she had put so much of herself into its success.

9) Which part of the book was your favourite and why?

I don’t know if I have a favourite part. I liked different parts for different reasons. I liked how Ms. Bea’s character developed. I liked Moses’ stories and his character…but then, these were real people I had met in my own life. The entire story demonstrated the sacrifices that real people made in order to attempt to achieve social progress. These were common ordinary people, who were deeply affected by politics on a micro-level. The very end, in the conclusion, has special meaning to me personally as it conveys a hope for future generations. Sybil and her family are my family.

10) I would describe your book as a window in history for readers to enjoy rather than a book with a massively pleasing commercial content, am I correct?

I did not write Red Clay and Roses with marketing in mind. I wrote the story passionately from my heart based on real life events. I did not deviate from what actually occurred in order to make a more sellable story. It is a fictionalized true story. Outside the realm of genre fiction, it is a niche read.

Find a copy on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Thank you Susan for being our guest today.

Red Clay and Roses by S.K.Nicholls

Red Clay and Roses by S.K. Nicholls

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Red Clay and Roses steps back in history to Georgia and the deep south at a time where people struggled to survive and where changes to segregation and inequality faced fierce resistance.

The stories within are written around an old accounting ledger, found many years later, after it was hidden away. Hannah Schmidt pieces together the events and lives of the characters who were associated with The Good Doctor. She interviews relatives and follows leads from which she tells the reader of the everyday lives of a group of people whose destinies became entangled. There is passion, love, fear and survival written over several decades during which the American nation was forced to change laws and move into a new direction.

We meet the Good Doctor who ran a double accounting system and provided a much needed, but illegal, abortion service. Mrs Bea, his wife, who was left alone after he died to face her own guilt about what the doctor did. Moses and his family are the black help who live in a shack on the Good Doctors land. The Good Doctor goes on to sponsor Nathan, Moses’ son, through school and sets him up to train as a doctor. Then there is Sybil, a young, independent white women who wants to start her own business running a salon in town.

The lives of the characters show some great hardships. There was such prejudice and fear of stepping over the acceptable line. This book is like a window in time which lets us peek at history in the making.

Find a copy on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

S.K.Nicholls will be our guest on the blog tomorrow, do come back and read more about her and her book.

24 Sleeps ’til Xmas tour “The Winner is Love” by Stephanie Hurt (Day 2)

Today on the tour my guest is fellow author Stephanie Hurt and her book “The Winner is Love”. Here is my review of the book;

The Winner Is Love by Stephanie Hurt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A holiday themed romance, The Winner is Love is another great book from author Stephanie Hurt. Set mainly in the snowy mountains of Colorado the story concerns a competition winner and a film star. Stuck without electricity away from any neighbours and without a phone signal they must make do as best they can. The easy friendship turns to a romance in it’s early stages when the weekend comes to an end. Determined to meet again they plan to get together for Christmas. I was all set for a great ending when the book ended on a cliff hanger and the story must pan out in the second in the series coming soon.

Find a copy of the book here from Amazon.co.uk or here from Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Let’s talk to Stephanie some more;

1)  Where is your home town?

Pike County which is south of Atlanta Georgia. I’m a southern girl all the way.

 2) How long have you been writing?

Since I was a young teenager which was well over 30 years ago. I published my first book in May 2012. It’s been such a wonderful experience. I’ve always had a very active imagination and wrote everything down, even some of my dreams which have come out in my books. That’s a little scary.

I write romance and love everything romance. I’ve been reading romance novels for as long as I can remember. The very first long romance I read was “Remembrance” By Danielle Steele and that really inspired me to go with it. A couple of my currently published books actually stemmed from stories I’d written many years ago and I used some of the manuscripts. I actually had to blow the dust off a couple and the words were faded.

3) This book was a move away from romances featuring cowboys, is it the first book you’ve tried on a new theme?

This is the 2^nd book that stepped away from my normal cowboy fetish. My Christian Romance “With All My Heart” didn’t revolve around cowboys. My trademark is cowboys and some have been surprised when I did something out of that box. I enjoyed this experience going with another type character. The main character was easy to write as she is an Accountant and that’s what I do for a daily living. Christmas is my favourite time of the year, so that part was easy, but I kept wanting to put a Stetson on the handsome actor. He just wasn’t the cowboy type.

4)  What made you decide to have a cliff hanger ending?

Funny thing about that, this story started out to be a stand alone book. Then as I continued toward the end, I decided to leave it open to speculation. It’s funny the remarks I’ve received regarding the cliff hanger. Especially since I’ve waited over a year to put out book two. My editor was completely shocked because she didn’t know that I was leaving it like this. She thought it was a stand alone. I love to take people by surprise.

5) How many books in the series do you plan?

That’s an interesting question Rosie. As it goes now I’m planning on just two, but as with the first book, you never know when the inspiration for a third book will hit me.

6)  Is Colorado somewhere you’ve been yourself in winter?

I’ve never been to Colorado. My parents have been and I enjoyed the stories of all the snow and beauty. I’ve always wanted to go, but not to ski. Sometimes we have to realize our limits. LOL

7)  Tell us 5 things about Colorado.

Ok here goes: 1- The beautiful snow covered Rocky Mountains, 2- Even in the Spring Colorado is gorgeous, 3 – It’s a place for romance to bloom with the many romantic lodges and cottages, 4 – The atmosphere is laid back and pleasant or so I’ve been told, 5 – It’s on my Bucket List.

8)  The timescale of your book spreads around the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, is this a favourite time of year for you?

Yes this is my favourite time of the year. I love the chill in the air, the holiday songs which I start tuning in like three weeks before Thanksgiving. I love being with family and friends. Also the biggest part is the birth of Jesus. Oh yeah and the food, you can’t forget the food.

9)  What would be your perfect Christmas; Snow or Sun?

Oh definitely snow. Who doesn’t dream of a white Christmas which is rare here in Georgia. Every once in a while we have flurries on Christmas. I just love to be able to have a crackling fire and drink hot chocolate on Christmas Eve as the snow falls outside.

10) I know you love writing, tell us about your latest book.

I love to talk about my writing. It’s so much a part my life. I’m working on a couple of books. The biggest draw will be my newest Christmas romance which should be out by the time this post goes out. It’s called Alpine Christmas Romance. Here’s a little hint: What do you get when you bring together Switzerland at Christmas, a handsome Cowboy and a woman trying to get over a break up?

Yep, I’ve brought back my cowboy. Also, this is bringing out one of my dreams and that’s to travel to Switzerland. Maybe one day I’ll get to go there, but for now I’ll go there with my character. This one is full of humour, romance and lots of Christmas joy.

Thanks Stephanie, Merry Christmas!

All this month as it is the season of Goodwill, I’m suggesting a Good Deed a day for readers to take part in. Many of you know about my year long challenge to do one Good Deed a day and I’d like you to join in. Today I’d like you to bake a batch of cookies to give away to others.

Guest Author Lily Bishop

Today our guest is Lily Bishop author of yesterday’s book review “No Strings Attached” check out the review here; http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-3j0

Let’s find out more about Lily and her writing;

1) Where is your home town?

I grew up in Northeast Georgia (USA) in a small town with a population of around 600 at the time I lived there. Since then, I think it’s ballooned to 900. The town is near Athens, which is a college town, and about an hour northeast of Atlanta.

2) How long have you been writing?

I wrote soap opera vignettes for my classmates as early as elementary school, and remember telling everyone when I was in seventh grade that I would grow up to be an author. I wrote my first novel in high school, my second in college, and my third after I got married, before the kids came along. No Strings Attached is the first that I have chosen to publish.

3) Have you always written romance?

I cut my teeth on Harlequin and Silhouette back in the 80’s, when alpha males were truly alpha males. I re-read some of those now, and my first thought is what a jerk!!  Of the books I mentioned above, the third was women’s fiction. Mostly I stick with romance, but I toy with the idea of a straight mystery or suspense, without any bedroom scenes.

4) In “No Strings Attached” Laura and Fox meet at a conference in Las  Vegas, can you briefly tell the readers why they are both there?

Fox and Laura are both attending a conference for a hotel association. Fox is a long-time member as a consultant, and Laura also works for a hotel consulting company. She has been promised a promotion from administrative assistant job to a consultant position, and she is doing a presentation at the conference. However, early we learn that her promotion has been delayed, and may not happen at all.

5) When Fox first meets Laura it is at the Black Jack gambling tables.  What is the system that Laura is using to win money? It sounds tempting, would it really work?
Laura is using a modified card counting strategy that I purposefully kept vague. Her sister is a math wiz who developed the strategy, but Laura keeps screwing it up because she is so distracted by the hunky guy at her table. Her sister wins more than Laura does with the strategy.

6) Your book includes private jets, a yacht and luxury living, do you think it’s a winning formula for the romance genre?

I have mixed emotions about the whole “billionaire” trend in romances. Originally I was targeting this book for a “millionaire” line for a publisher, but that didn’t work out. It was fun researching some of the high-roller suites in Las Vegas for people who stay in suites larger than my house. We’ll learn later in the series that the money isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but for now, it is what it is. I think the whole trend towards wealthy main characters plays into the fantasy-aspect of romance.

7) I loved Fox’s Mum Bonnie, will we be seeing more of her in the next book?

Yes, Bonnie will be making an appearance. Most of the main characters will be back, and we will see Fox and Laura’s wedding. We’ll spend time in Atlanta and return to the Bahamas, which figures prominently in the first book. Bonnie loves Laura, but she may not be as supportive of Lee’s budding romance. We’ll have to see.

8) What made you decide to self publish?

I developed this book originally for an e-book publisher, but they requested a revision. In my opinion, their revision request was vague, and I wasn’t sure what to do at that point. It took me a year to re-write it, but at that point I had decided I was re-writing it for me. The terms of their contract included no advance and a very small royalty percentage, and I decided I could do better on my own. I also knew that if they requested another revision I couldn’t go through with it. So I hired a free-lance editor and cover designer and away I went. Writing was my dream, and when I turned 44, I decided I would be published before I turned 45, one way or another. I released this book three months before I turned 45 and I haven’t looked back.

9) I for one can’t wait to read the next books in the series, do you have titles for them yet?

I struggle with titles. My second book is Lee’s story, and we learn more about Lee’s desire to start his own security company. He becomes a bodyguard for a politician, and it’s called Under His Protection – Book 2 in the City Lights Series. Book 3 right now is about Lindsey, and I’m not sure of the title yet. Lindsey is young and finishing her Master’s in the second book, and she doesn’t always do exactly what her sister wants. The third book may be No Stone Unturned, although I’m not committed to that yet. Sometimes the title comes when I get the cover in place. Originally I wanted all the books to start with “No”, but that didn’t work. I decided to tie the series together using the lights that are in the background of the first cover, and naming the series “City Lights”. I’ll use that same background for all three covers.

10)  Which one will you release first? Do you have an expected publication date for the clamouring fans?

I talked to my editor and plan to start sending her chapters of Under His Protection next week, so I am hoping for an early January release. Fingers crossed!! Revising and editing always takes longer than it should. I have a draft cover already, and it’s very exciting! Under His Protection is a bit more suspenseful/darker than the first, and the third may be even darker yet. My biggest concerns is that people will read them out of order. Although the stories stand alone, if you read the second you will know who the bad guy was in the first, and if the third comes together like I believe it will, there will be even more reveals that may spoil elements of the first two.

Thank you for inviting me to stop by your blog. I love your questions. Readers can find me on my blog at lilybishop.com, at www.facebook.com/AuthorLilyBishop, and on Twitter @bishoplily.

Amazon US (print and digital): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D0UN0T0

Amazon UK (print and digital):http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D0UN0T0

Thanks Lily, I’m so glad we met and we were able to have this opportunity to find out more about yourself and your writing.

Romancing September – Author V. Steele (Day 3)

Day 3 of Romancing September, we had another fantastic day yesterday, thanks to everyone who stopped by and showed us their support. Our guest today is author Victoria Steele, come and meet her, then in a few hours head over to Georgia and catch up with her views on writing in today’s society with Stephanie.

1)  Where is your home town?

A small town in rural Georgia. I don’t give out a lot of information due to privacy. That was a piece of advice that I received when I first started publishing in January.

2) How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing for a long while, but only just started publishing my books this year. Reading is a hobby of mine and I love to take a story to the finish line.

3) Have you always written romance?

Yes, pretty much. I’ve played with a couple of mysteries, but never finished those. Of course you never know… But I love a good romance. Hopefully my books will make someone reconsider romance. It’s the thought of losing yourself for an hour or two in another world.

4) I love the book cover, can you tell us who designed it?

This is the collaboration of some of my ideas and the cover designer at Horseshoe Publishing. I knew I wanted a cowboy, a woman, and a bull rider. I found the cowboy myself, but Kaleigh Payne, the cover designer just took off with it. She told me to just let her do something and she’d let me see it. When she sent it to me via email I just sat there and said “Holy Cow! She’s read my mind. It was more than I’d expected.” I really think a cover is very important. That’s the first selling point of your book.

5) You’ve chosen to publish with Stephanie’s Horseshoe Publishing, was this an easy decision?

No, this was not an easy decision to start with. Actually, while the first book I published “Sweet Innocence” was in the works, I sat down and played with a couple of crudely designed covers. Then I ran across Stephanie’s books. (Which I’m now a fan of by the way). The covers were incredible. I messaged her and asked where they were designed at or better yet who designed them. She told me her assistant did the cover designs. After I pretty much begged her to help me,  I let her take the ideas and run with them. Her designer totally blew me away. They’ve been really nice and you get your money’s worth. I edited my first two, but the last book “After Hours” I let them edit it. It’s been a great investment and believe me, it gives me more time to write.

6) “Not This Time” is the first book in the “Chasing Cowboys” series, how many books are you planning to write in the series?

Well, I’m not really sure. When I started writing this book it was going to be a stand-alone. But when I neared the end I thought, cowboys are hot right now, why not do a series. I’m working on the next instalment, but not sure about the name. I’ve had to put it on the back burner as I’m trying to finish the second book in the My Prodigy Trilogy. Hopefully, book 2 will be completed before Fall in the Chasing Cowboys Series. I really want to do a Christmas edition.

7)  I recently heard about a new market for books N/A (New Adult), what market is your book aimed at? How steamy is the romance?

I read something a couple of months ago on the Harlequin website about this genre. I don’t know if my books fit in this or not. I haven’t quite figured out what New Adult is. My romances are rated in a scale of 1 to 5 and 5 being “Fifty Shades”, I guess I would put mine at a high 2 or 3. They’re steamy, but not over the top. I always put an age warning. I know I wouldn’t want anyone under 18 reading it, but it’s not that bad.

8) I’m from the UK, where we have few cowboys, farmers! But no cowboys, so I don’t read much western material. In a few lines entice me to pick up your book.

Well, let’s see now. Over here in the states, cowboys are getting popular again in the romance genre. So let’s see if I can bring you over to the cowboy side. She made a half laugh, half growling sound. “Ok, I’ll bite. Who’s the one for me since you seem to know me so well?” She looked up into his mesmerizing eyes and had to hold her ground.

“I do know who’s good for you. That person is standing right here.” He looked serious for a change.

She snorted and pulled her hand out of his. Walking over to the tree she leaned her shoulder against it. “Luke, have you lost your mind? Every time we get close you run away. My heart can’t take this anymore.” As hard as she tried the tears that threatened to overflow slowly ran down her cheeks. “It hurts too much when you get scared and run.”

Sorry, I got a little carried away and did more than a few lines. It’s one of my favourite parts. Don’t worry it’s reeling me in!

9) How do you tackle the romantic / sex scenes in “Not This Time”? Are they tricky to get right?

The romantic scenes can get a little tricky. How far do you go or how far do you have to go to keep the reader interested? Sometimes I will rewrite these scenes several times. Other times they will just flow out of my fingertips. Oh, and the sexual scenes take on a life of their own. It’s like you have to picture it, or it doesn’t flow right. Sometimes I embarrass myself.  But fortunately, the scenes in this book almost wrote themselves. They are based on some things from my own relationship with a cowboy and other things that were from a daydream of what could have been.

10) Can you let us know a planned publishing date for your next book in the series?

I’m shooting for late September/early October. That is if things work out.

“Not This Time” is available from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

I’d like to pass on our warmest thanks to Victoria for joining us on the blog and wish her well with her new book.

“S” on the AtoZ Challenge

Today’s letter on the AtoZ Challenge is “S”, as we head in to week 4 of the challenge. I bring you Sweet Innocence by Victoria Steele. Victoria has previously been a guest author on my blog, you can read more about her here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-gp

If this is your first time visiting an AtoZ Challenge post then can I PLEASE ask you to add a comment to the post, as this is part of the challenge, thank you.

Victoria was recently a guest author on this blog, this is her first book in the Prodigy series. She comes from Georgia in the U.S. You can follow Victoria’s answers to my questions on the guest blog here http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-gp

When Nicole moved to Savannah she was looking for a quiet life. But she soon realizes something is different about the old southern mansion next door. She’s drawn to it by an unknown force. When she finally meets the owner, her life changes drastically. She develops a lust for him that can’t be quenched, until he kisses her and starts the fires burning. Will he be able to let her go once she knows the truth? Can she handle the truth? Will it be too much for her innocent world? Will she live through one night of passion with him?

A note from Victoria about what inspired the book;

Well the book is based in Savannah, Georgia which is one of my favorite places. It’s the most romantic city. The story is inspired from years of reading and watching everything vampire. I wanted to put a southern spin on it. I mean, Savannah is supposedly one of the most haunted cities in North America and then you throw in some moss hanging off old live oaks eerily and then a sexy vampire. Why not? I’m excited about the next part of this series. It’s got a wicked twist and a romantic entanglement, but that’s all I can say…

Here are 5 other bloggers taking on the AtoZ Challenge;

http://whilethecoffeebrews.blogspot.co.uk/

http://harvestmoonbyhand.blogspot.co.uk/

http://jasonandtaraargueaboutmovies.blogspot.co.uk/

http://crystalcollier.blogspot.co.uk/

http://calvinscanadiancaveofcool.blogspot.ca/