Conspiring (this) Book 2.5 - Review

Conspiring (this) Book 2.5

When Bradley refuses to take Veronica to his cousin's wedding, she finds herself in the company of the charming and attractive Ian. There is no denying that Veronica and Ian have an intense, mutual attraction which draws them together like magnets. But what neither of them realizes is that their attraction isn't the only thing pulling them together. It is a small world, and it’s about to get a whole lot smaller when an innocent fling turns into an intricate plan to conspire


Blush Rating 8

AC Marchman Overwhelm Me Review

Review

Allie Marshall has dealt with a traumatic past that she desperately wants to keep buried. She moved to Atlanta to escape her old life and pursue her dream of becoming a Physician Assistant. With the help of her roommate, Livey, she has finally gotten her life back on track and will be graduating Emory University with honors. Then, she meets Donovan Callahan, a sexy and wealthy doctor who Allie cannot resist. Their relationship starts off intense and full of passion. Donovan wants to give Allie the world. But she learns he was involved with Claire Dubois, a reality star convicted of murdering her husband. Will she stick by his side when all of the baggage comes to the surface or will she be overwhelmed and turn her back on him? Blush Rating 6/10

Allie Marshall has dealt with a traumatic past that she desperately wants to keep buried. She moved to Atlanta to escape her old life and pursue her dream of becoming a Physician Assistant. With the help of her roommate, Livey, she has finally gotten her life back on track and will be graduating Emory University with honors. Then, she meets Donovan Callahan, a sexy and wealthy doctor who Allie cannot resist. Their relationship starts off intense and full of passion. Donovan wants to give Allie the world. But she learns he was involved with Claire Dubois, a reality star convicted of murdering her husband. Will she stick by his side when all of the baggage comes to the surface or will she be overwhelmed and turn her back on him?  

 

JB McGee Interview

It is such a huge honour to be Interviewing the lady who created the “This Series”

Thank you for joining us J.B



H-What inspired you to write?

I'm often asked about what I read before becoming a writer. In all honesty, I had lost that interest until the summer of 2012.

I had been hearing a lot about this Fifty Shades of Grey.  I didn’t even know it was a book at first.  I Googled to find out what it was, and came across a blog talking about how horrible it was.  This perked my interest.  This was a Christian blog (not like Christian Grey, but Christian as in Jesus lovers, like myself).  I decided after reading this review that I wanted to read it myself.  Clearly these people finished it.  It must not have been so bad.  And if I am going to form an opinion, it’s going to be based off of my own knowledge, not someone else’s.  That night I bought it.  If only you could have been a fly on my wall in chapter five.  I had never read anything like that before in my life.

But what I found was that for the first time in a long time I couldn’t put the book down.  My love of reading that had been buried deep inside me was re-ignited.  That almost seems like too light of a term.  It was a raging forest fire.

I read it several times. I discovered new details every time.  My opinion of the book was the complete opposite of the blog that led me to it.  This is a prime example in my life of where I think God leads me to where I need to be.  See, had I not read that blog, I would have never written Broken.  

After reading so many other books, a lot that were self-published, I decided that I wanted to see if I could do it.  And I’d be lying if I said money wasn’t an influence at all.  There was maybe one percent of me that thought I might make it big.  The other part of me hoped that I could at least supplement our monthly income.  Even grocery money would have been a tremendous help.  See, when I started writing we were beyond broke.  

All four of us having and fighting Mitochondrial Disease had taken its toll on our bodies and our bank account.  Our family and friends were supporting us the best they could.  There are a few things you probably don’t know about me.  One, I hate asking for help.  I am very independent.  Two, I’m very spoiled.  We weren’t always broke.  Before the economy crashed, if our kids wanted something, they got it.  It was pretty simple.  We had worried prior to having our kids about being able to provide.  When we found out we were finally going to have a baby after years of struggling, we were elated that we had a padded bank account.  We never thought we would be in a position of needing so much help.  

So if I was humiliated to even call and ask for groceries, imagine how horrible I felt calling to ask a family member to fund my book venture two weeks after the impulse crossed my mind to write it in the first place.  I needed money for an editor and formatting.  Those were the two things that scared me the most.  Well…besides being a failure and not being able to buy ourselves groceries while adding to our debt.

I guess you know the rest of the story.  

Failure?  NO.  

Made it big?  Debatable.  

Blessed?  Most certainly.  

Life changing, no longer begging for grocery money?  ABSOLUTELY!
 

H-If you could write with any author who would it be and why?

            Tough.  I am already writing with two other authors I love.  I feel like this is a loaded question that could get me into some trouble no matter how I answer.  Nicholas Sparks.    

H-Who did you base your male character after?

            There are three muses for Bradley Banks. 

1.    Ian Somerhalder (eyes!)

2.    Colin Egglesfield – not sure exactly what it is about him in Bradley.  I just know that there is some Colin there.  

3.    Henry Cavill (body)

Oddly enough, I had never seen David Gandy before, but he’s pretty much Bradley personified.

H-Why did you changed from trilogy to series?

            When I started writing, I never intended to write full length novels.  That thought was very overwhelming to me.  I had always planned to write three novellas and combine them into one big novel.  As I started writing Mending, I realized that I had at least two other stories in my mind that were not a part of my original plan.  So I changed it.

H-Have you ever thought of writing anything other than romance?

            I am currently writing a book with J.L. Mac that has a touch of paranormal.  It will primarily be erotic suspense.  I’m excited about this project.  I could see myself writing back and forth between romance and romantic suspense.  Also, I haven’t decided if my true story book will be fiction or non-fiction.  But I have another story.  It will be a combination of genres.

H-What were your favorite books growing up?

Nancy Drew and The Babysitters Club.  In fact, in 7th grade when I was told that I could no longer do book reports on these stories, I quit reading for fun.  I pretty much quit reading period.  I spent most of my academic career skimming text books and buying cliff notes.  I was quite the slacker, but I did a very good job of making it look like I read my books.  Highlighter in hand in class, first row student, etc.  My husband always laughed at me and asked why I even bothered wasting money on text books. 

H-Besides romance, do you have a favorite genre?

Romantic suspense.  I love The Kathleen Turner Series.  It’s like a modern day Nancy Drew with Ian Somerhalder cast as Kade.  Need I say more?

H-What is your favorite non romance book.

            I loved The Left Behind Series.  It’s old, but it’s the only other set of books I couldn’t put down and read back to back. 

H-Do you write chapter by chapter, or skip around

            I am really ADHD, so I usually skip around.  I will write stuff as it comes to me, even if it’s out of order.  The only book I didn’t write and skip around with was Conspiring. This was because that book was leading me as I wrote it.  I couldn’t skip because I had no idea where I was headed.  

H-What is the best part of writing?

            I love teasing the reader.  I love knowing ultimately what happens and comes next, but twisting the story to make the reader think the opposite.  The absolute best part is when a major plot twist comes to me out of thin air.  I can’t describe that high.

H-What do you think may be the biggest down side of writing?

            It takes a toll on my already weak body.  It’s been hard to juggle my health and writing.  Starting a manuscript and getting the first 10,000 words for me is the hardest.  

H-What is your favorite time to write?

            I love writing at the library, so whenever the library is open is my favorite time.

Fan question-What do you think of the surge in Indy publishing in comparison to going with the big three or even smaller publishing houses.

            Initially, having a publisher was what I thought I wanted. It felt like validation. If I had a publisher, then I would know I had made it. Now as I have watched some of my best friends get offers from publishers, I’ve realized I don’t need a publishing deal to validate my success. I have really made it. I’ve met and exceeded almost all of my own goals.

Aside from making a living for my family; my fans are my next biggest priority. When publishing as an Indie, the author retains so much control over the work, such as when to publish, price setting, choosing graphics, editing, creating covers. It’s actually 100% of the control. It’s more work, but for me, that means I get to make sure I take care of my readers. So if I can make a living AND make my fans happy by publishing books really fast, then that is a win for everyone. 

I’m not saying I won’t ever take a publishing deal, but if I do, it will have to be the perfect deal, one that I feel is too good to pass up. I won’t settle.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Crystal Spears- Talania interview

Crystal, thank you for taking time to do a Talania interview with us, we are so happy to have you back here again.

Who did you base your main characters on?

I can honestly say that my characters are completely imaginative.  I did not base them on or use any characteristics from friends or family.

Is Talania part of a series?

I would love to write another novel using these characters.  We shall see.

What is your favourite part of Talania?

There is this scene in the hospital where emotions run high and the level of intensity it carries just makes me shiver.  I can't really say right now what that scene holds and give details away. But, let's just say — you will know it once you read it.

How many people did you talk to when you were researching?

Probably around 25 or so.
Who was the most helpful person you interviewed and what did they tell you?

All the patients I spoke with were very helpful, but there was one that stuck out.  She expressed the importance of what woman would feel like with losing her hair and how reading material is very useful and popular during Chemotherapy. She gave me all the feelings I needed to feel while writing Talania. 

How deeply emotional was Talania?

It was emotionally painful, the emotions I went through while writing Talania.  I had to tap into a pain that I had to learn about instead of went through myself.  So once I talked to a few people and started feeling more, I probably cried over a hundred times.  Actually, to be truthful I still can't read it without crying.  So it's very emotional.  And my heart aches for those who are experiencing this in the real world.
How has Talania changed you as a person?

I will never again take my health for granted.  I may not be the healthiest person, but I'm still not suffering like others.  I think I'm more open to life as well after writing Talania.  Live fully every single day because you never know what the future will hold.  I see life and air very differently now.

What is the one thing you learned while writing Talania that sticks out the most?

How long and painful Chemotherapy actually is.  That is a huge process.  I will tell you this; those beautiful souls are strong souls.  And to endure all that on a regular timed schedule I can't even imagine.

Who supported you while you were writing?

A handful of people.  Jodi Murphy pushed me to keep going the entire time.  My street team promoted Talania with a force so strong and gave me encouragement when I needed it.  And lastly, my editor Katie Mac, she got into my head and felt my characters emotions, she knew them.  And by doing that she edited Talania beautifully. 


Thank you so much Crystal for taking the time to do this interview. We Love Talania and can't wait for it to be out.

Talania is out of 8th April 2013

Crystal Spears Interview

We are so exited to have the opportunity to interview the lovely Crystal Spears.
Thank you for joining us

No, thank you for having me.

What inspired you to first start writing?

I've been writing since I could literally write; my English teacher used to snap at me. You see, I have this problem where I can write a story, but I am horrible with comma's etc. She used to say "Crystal your story is here, but your grammatical needs work!" I must have over a hundred short stories or novella's on my hard-drive or in notebooks. It wasn't until last year I wanted to take it further. Mainly the stories stuck in my head inspired me to get on the ball and roll with it. So— now I have a team of editors. So to my English teacher "See I'm doing it, even if I can't place a comma!"

What's your favorite part of a book?

Of any book? I really love it when I can be crying one moment and laughing the very next. But—my favorite part of a book 'because I read a lot of romance' would have to be when you hear the soft lovely music playing and the couple finally gets together— after a ton of angsty moments. I just want to scream it's about tootin' time!

When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

I'm strange when it comes to character names. I pick my characters names first then I build all their personalities, traits etc around them. And every single one of my characters are named after someone I know personally or after a dream that those names have featured in 

Would you ever write a book of a different genre?

I write erotica as many know; The Strictly Series is picking up — Talania - A trip down memory lane... is my first Contemporary romance novel — Fidelity is a NA Dystopian Romance Novel. And next year I will be writing YA under a Pen Name. So yes I will definitely be writing in other genres.

Sounds interesting. What advice would you give inspiring writers?

Don't take no for an answer. I've been writing since my teen years. You have a story in your head and you're not sure about it after you type it out — stick with it! There are people to help you with that. Editors, Brainstormers, Beta Readers etc. Don't give up no matter what if it's really your dream — then let nothing stand in your way!
Do you have any further books planned?

Oh my what a list this is.
-Strictly Stripped
-Talania - A trip down memory lane...
-Strictly Off
-Fidelity
-Strictly Determined
-My Plastered Smile
-Strictly Settled
-My Lovely Smile

And a project with Jodi Murphy - I will be co - writing her story. Her battle with Wilson's Disease; All profits and proceeds will go to The Wilson's Disease Foundation. We will start that at the end of Fall 2013.
I have three more stories lined up. I know it looks like a lot, but I have been writing along time. All of these, but The Strictly Series are mostly written and mostly with editors.

You are a very busy lady.What would five works would you use to describe you new book?
Passionate, sad, romantic, lost and new

Who is your favorite character from your books and why?
Evelyn from Talania - she is a cancer survivor - she has gone through hell - she pushes through life even though she can't remember most of her teenage life. She's one strong young woman.
If you could work with any fellow author who would it be and why?
Emily Snow because she's utterly brilliant.


We Love Emily snow to, can see why you would want to work with her.

Top five authors/books
Natalie Ward - I Love You to Death
Colleen Hoover - Hopeless
Emily Snow - Devoured
JB McGee - Conspiring
Kendall Ryan - Hard To Love

Thank you so much for taking part.

Again, thank you for having me

Seven years bad luck- JL Mac

Seven Years of bad luck

When twenty-six year old Kathleen Cooper realizes that she forfeited her dreams and aspirations of becoming a lawyer after a brash decision to run off and marry the insanely charming Aidan Cooper, she decides to regain what she lost over the course of their seven-year relationship and start fresh.

With a renewed sense of hope and determination, she moves to a different city, lands a new job, and meets the handsome Benjamin Chase in a serendipitous way.

But even with all of these changes and hopes of gaining a new life, Kathleen is still not happy with the person she sees in the mirror staring back at her. She is an insomniac. She generally has bad luck in just about everything she attempts. She’s clumsy, and even if Prince Charming fell into her lap, she would likely push him in the opposite direction, for fear of getting hurt or worse, hurting someone else. This time she can’t blame any of these things on her bad luck or her destructive marriage. This time, it’s not her heart that’s in danger. This time, she has much more to lose and everything to gain.

Will she realize her mistakes in time to repair the damage? Will she be able to reverse her shattered self-image and discover true happiness? Will she ever find her way back to the person she was before seven years of bad luck?


Blush Rating 8

Interview with M.P.Ness

Interview with M.P.Ness

M.P. Ness - Author & Artist of the E.L.F. series. Book #1 "White Leaves" - FREE NOW @ www.jukepopserials.com/home/read/82

HookedonBooks: Good evening M.P. Ness, thank you so much for the honor off letting us interview you.

Mike: Thank you for the opportunity. :)


H: What inspired you to write?

M: A combination of things inspired me to write, as with most, I'm sure. For me, I was motivated to play and create rpg games in my youth, and write stories by Terry Brooks' Shannara series. But as an adult, it was an old high-school literature teacher (who happened to look like a Mark Twain), a cousin of mine, and the voices of family who often said my late father should have been a writer in his time. So, that torch became mine in his absence, I suppose. Mostly though, I'm a daydreamer, and I am motivated to put my ideas down on paper in a variety of mediums.

H: I notice you are also an artist, is that something you have always done?

M: Well, ALWAYS is a strong word. But, for the most part, yeah. At a certain developmental stage, I became introverted and artistic. I taught myself to draw. It took about five years. At which time, I was never satisfied with my creations in visual arts, so I decided to go to college. I spent two years towards my yet-incomplete BA in animation arts. Most of that time I focused not on animating, but on finer endeavors (ie, painting, storytelling, screenwriting). Though, while I'm fairly accomplished, Visual Art is usually just a way to help me flesh out a written piece. :)
Much of my visual arts are hosted freely at http://a-nessessary-studio.deviantart.com/

H: Would you ever write a different type of book?

M: Different type of book? As opposed to Fantasy? Well, yes. I'll write anything that appeals to me as a unique or particularly strong idea or concept. Genre is irrelevant. However, they say a writer can only write what he knows, and I know a great deal of Fantasy, again due to the daydreamer in me. I've written a variety of stories. "That Much Water"(yet unpublished) for example, is a stand alone, high-philosophical journey into the human animal psyche. Though, even that has a fictional spin on it. E.L.F. - White Leaves is just my Debut. 

H: What does E.L.F stand for?

M: E.L.F. is the acronym for the Pacific Northwest's (Washington, U.S.) own heirarchy-lacking eco-terrorist organization, Earth Liberation Front. They are all about protecting Washington's pristine natural beauty, though in my personal opinion, they're rather misguided in the means to their hopeful ends.
(to answer setting, yes, its where Twilight was set. Lol Yes, it rains, A LOT. And no, there aren't any vampires that I know of, -though most of us do hiss at first sight of sunlight since we see it so seldom. haha)

H: What five words would you use describe the E.L.F series?

M: That's a tough one. Original-Contemporary-Dystopian-Fairytale-Epic?

H: When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning?

M: I prefer to give them meanings AFTER I give them names. Sometimes I'll pay attention to name-meanings prior, but mostly, I like to select a name that looks good on paper and can be pronounced neatly, then invent or attach a meaning afterward. I do this because I writer linearly. I discover the story as I go, because for me the magic comes as I am forced to invent by the ever-blank next page to be written. So for me, a new story is as fresh as it is for those who read it for the first time. 

H: how have your personal experiences affected your writing?

M: Oh, good question. They have invariably colored the type of story I like to write. I tend to be unforgiving to my poor characters. I tend to write darker plots, or at least tell them in a darker fashion, or with some magnitude of sharp, harsher attitude. I let the readers deduce what sort of upbringing I had based on the type of stories I tell. It wasn't all pleasant, but it wasn't all bad either. I learn the harsh lessons of life, just as anyone learns them -through time and experience. So, while they're mine to keep, they're really not off the table for conversation either -as we can only draw from experience to chat, write, create, etc.
H: Do you use real-life facts based on true stories?

M: Sometimes I'll use life-facts. E.L.F. is based on the life-fact/true story existence of the Earth Liberation Front in the Pacific Northwest, but...every bit of the story is fictional. It really depends on the story. But if its set on earth, in a relatively modern time, then YES, I would like to have real-life ties in the tale. The only danger with that, is you can't set dates, or else, well, the story becomes dated, or god forbid, a period piece (40 years from now). You ever watch a sci-fi/futuristic movie, and its set at a specific date that's already come and gone... and it reminds you we don't have a flying skateboard or car yet? yeah, I don't want to make something like that. hehe

H: Do you have any plan's for further books?

M: YES! Many!
H: oh, you will have to let us know more in the future. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

M: Dream Big. Write. Don't ever stop.

H: Top five authors/books?

M: Oh my...That's a tough one. There are too many great writers and books. There's also the pressure to pick great ones, literary masters, social relevance, etc.
I'll be honest, since the day I began writing, I really have a hard time sitting and reading the works of others.
I will say, the one I'm repeatedly drawn back to is Terry Brooks' Shannara series...because that's where I began as a young reader. I find he has a way of weaving a good story despite the limitations imposed upon him by the 'industry formulas'. I'd be very interested to see him publish something self-pub style, without the restrictions, but that's not likely to happen.
My favorites of his are Elfstones, Wishsong, and Armageddon's Children, but really, I like them all.
Anyway, for sake of NOT picking JUST big authors/stories that are my faves which we all know of...I'm going to switch it up on you and tell you who I've been following on JukePopSerials. Beth Raymond's "Secrets of the Conclave", Joey Cruz's "Gatewalker", Mike Rosenzweig's "The Metal Bodyguard", Catherine Kovach's "Anomalies" and Josh Thornbrugh's "The Sixth Seal".
H: Thank you so much for taking your time to answer. We can not wait for the next installment of the E.L.F.

M: Thank you! E.L.F. #2 "Blighted Leaves" is in the works. I may be releasing it late 2013 or early Next year.

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Author Sylvester Nnoli- spotlight

Author Sylvester Nnoli, a Nigerian prolific writer was born on the first day of January 1981 in Jos, Plateau State Nigeria. He published Immoral Courage, and has other books unpublished, like Dont blame the mirror, Minutes like hours, sexual healing, burning in the dark e.t.c
A prose stylist, a poet and the founder of "Pen world view", he believes that he was born into the society when social menace had taken the center stage due to cultural negligence. This state of affairs gave rise to all sorts of delinquencies ranging from robbery attacks, rape scandals, drug abuse, hostage taking e.t.c. A society where people go wild to satisfy themselves despite the fact that their behaviour impact negatively on others. These social vices bring about a lot of dislocations in the polity, harming the perpetrators and the society at large, in the process. Like they say, when Elephants fight, the grass suffers the most. The grass in this context being the society.

Observing these social vices closely, Author Sylvester Nnoli came to realise that they are being perpetuated by the youths who are the future leaders. Thus he felt the need for a re-orientation, enlightenment and the sensitization of the youths on the negative impacts of these vices, and these led to the publication of Immoral Courage. This is a time for a rethink...

The desire to reach the entire globe through writing is like a burning flame on Author Sylvester as he hopes to write with successful authors from the various parts of the globe like JK Rowling, Sharon Olds, Adam Johnson, Ayad Akhtar, David Abott, Jim Powell, Stephen Kelma,  Robert Gibbons and a whole lots of them.

Interest and hobby: loves reading, writing, swimming and travelling.

Email address: slyhit7@yahoo.com
Link: Sylvester Nnoli"s world/Facebook.com