Author Interview: Kissa Starling

The Basics
- Kissa Starling / K. Starling
- Genre(s): Romance -- BDSM, GLBT (Lesbian), Paranormal, Sweet
- Publisher(s): Alyson Books, Rene Books, Red Rose Publishing, Freya’s Bower, Cleis Press, Whiskey Creek Press, Lyrical Press, Inc., Love You Divine Publishing, Atria Books

To Other Authors

- What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?

• Never give up, write every day and live life- it gives you something to write about!

- What's your favorite way to advertise?

• Word of mouth

- What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else's that you learned from)?

• Don’t keep all of those eggs in one basket. Publishers close every day. It’s always good to spread your work around.

For the Readers

- What are you reading, if anything, at the moment?

• Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris. I love the True Blood shows on HBO so much I decided to read the series and I’m on the second one. Readers can always find out what I’m reading at GoodReads.

- Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?

• It depends on my mood. I love the convenience of ebooks but there’s nothing like laying by the pool with a paperbook either.

- Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.

• Gone With the Wind, The Pinballs and Bread and Jam for Francis. I have a huge collection of children’s books and still have all of my books from when I was young.

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

- What inspired you to be a writer?

• I’ve always loved writing but the moment I decided to try writing for publication was a few years ago when I saw an ad for a Christmas contest.

- What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Begin writing another one.

- Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?

• My characters sometimes talk to me but only if they want something changed. My muse stays silently in the background but I always know when she’s there and when she’s ready to work!

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

My most recent published story was Kismet written under the K. Starling name. Kismet is a sweet novella about Bea and Harold. Two elderly people who met and fell in love in high school. Life and miscommunications got in the way and they drifted apart during WWII. Fortunately for them a high school reunion brings them back together and back to one another. This story was published in September by Red Rose Publishing. Read Blurb, Excerpt, Buy NOW

~ Coming Soon ~

I have a short story being released by Cleis Press on November 1st. The title is Busted and it is part of the Peep Show print anthology all about voyeurs. I haven’t gotten my copies yet but I can’t wait to read all of the stories. So many people are interested in watching others. I people watch every day. Most of these stories take it a step further and involve people watching other’s most intimate moments. It will be available in all major online bookstores.

Learn More
- Website: www.kissastarling.com
- MySpace: www.myspace.com/kissastarling
- Blog: www.kissastarling.com/blog
- Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kissaskarmakorner/join

Thanks, Kissa!!

Author Interview: Yvonne Eve Walus

The Basics
- Yvonne Eve Walus
- Brand: Plum With Brains
- Genre(s): Murder Mystery
- Publisher(s): Echelon Press

To Other Authors

- What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?

• 1. Write

• 2. Listen to constructive feedback

• 3. Submit

- What's your favorite way to advertise?

• Online: blogs, chats, Facebook
• Offline: fridge magnets, postcards

- What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else's that you learned from)?

• Your first novel will probably be rubbish. It’s still important to write it, because your second novel will be better, and your third one has a good chance of being published.

For the Readers

- What are you reading, if anything, at the moment?

• Harlan Coben
• Jeffrey Deaver
• Joshilyn Jackson

- Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?
Definitely print. After a whole day at the computer, I like to rest my eyes.
- Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.

• 1. "Good Omens" (Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman)
• 2. "ods in Alabama" (Joshilyn Jackson)
• 3. "Sleeping Arrangements" (Madeleine Wickham)

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

- What inspired you to be a writer?

• The flexible hours, lol? Seriously, there were many catalysts, but writing is not something that I actually planned to do with my life - it just happened. I believe I wanted to be a hairdresser at 4, a teacher at 8, a scientist at 12, a computer programmer at 18….
• But now I want to be a best-selling writer. With all my heart!

- What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• After a short period of feeling lost without the manuscript that formed such a large part of my life for the last number of months, I submit it and get on with a new project.

- Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?

• I try not to. Talking stands in the way of writing. I see it as just another excuse not to sit down and get on with the story. (It is FUN though, isn’t it?) :)

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

"Murder @ Play" Echelon Press ISBN: 978-1-59080-637-1 Blurb: EVERY MARRIAGE NEEDS A TOUCH OF MYSTERY. OR DOES IT? In the new free South Africa of 1994, men are still boss, women carry handguns for self-protection, and some mistakes can change your life forever. When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband's innocence... ... whether he's innocent or not. When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much? BUY NOW

Learn More
- Website: http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/

- MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/yvonnewalus

- Blog: http://yewalus.blogspot.com/

- Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yewalus/


Thanks, Yvonne!

Join me next week for Eilis Flynn.

Free For a Week: A Valentine's Gift For Tori

Red Rose Publishing is offering A Valentine's Gift for Tori for free for one week. Simply buy any ebook on the RRP website and you can get my book for free between 08 Oct to 14 Oct. Check out the site for the full details.

Blurb:

She wants a boyfriend for Valentine's and her husband wants to deliver.

Tori has come to the realization that her marriage lacks the spark it had in the beginning. She and her husband argue more than anything else and she foresees a nasty break-up on the horizon if something doesn't change. When he asks her what she wants for Valentine's Day, her answer is scandalous and straightforward—a boyfriend.

Rather than be upset, her husband is intrigued by the idea and sets out to make it happen. Tori has set herself—and him—an impossible goal and her prospects aren't that promising. But she's determined to have a boyfriend in time for the most romantic holiday of the year.

Get It Now

HOUSE!

We did it!!

The hubby and I signed for our house last night. We are officially home owners.

You know, all those people who said there would be a huge stack of papers were a little off. It wasn't that much. I was expecting to be signing for well over two hours. It barely took one hour and my hand wasn't even cramped. *shrug*

Now that we own the house, it's time to get the locks changed, get new toilet seats, add a bi-fold door to the kitchen, apply for the first-time home buyer tax credit, buy some new stuff for the house and get moved. By the beginning of November, we'll be officially living in our new house.

October Contests

For all those people who love to win things, here's some contests for October:

Raven Halloween Hunt

The ladies of Raven Happy Hour are hosting a scavenger hunt. Simply visit the authors' sites to find answers to the questions asked and you're entered to win a whole host of prizes (mainly books) from the participating authors, which I am one of. :D

Other Authors:

• Candance Havens
• Mandy M. Roth
• Michelle M. Pillow
• NJ Walters
• Bianca D'Arc
• Candice Gilmers
• Cynthia Eden
• Shelley Munro
• Kate Austin
• Samantha Sommersby
• Shiloh Walker
• Ciar Cullen
• Sharon Cullen
• Jorrie Spencer
• Amy Ruttan
• Amanda Young
• Imogen Howson
• Leah Braemel
• Nicole Pierce
• meg Benjamin
• Taige Crenshaw
• Elle Drake
• Vivi Andrews
• Kaye Chambers

********

Red Rose Publishing's October Scavenger Hunt Contest

Visit the authors' sites, find the icons, enter the URLs in the entry form and wait to win gift certificates and books.

Details Here

Author Interview: Cheryel Hutton

The Basics
- Cheryel Hutton
- Genre(s): Paranormal Romance
- Publisher(s): Samhain Publishing, The Wild Rose Press

To Other Authors

- What are the three MOST important pieces of advice you would give to a brand new author?

• Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed, enjoy the ride. 2. Never stop learning your craft. 3. Keep writing the next book. Always

- What's your favorite way to advertise?

• Going to events where I can meet and talk to readers.

- What hard-knock lesson did the publishing world teach you (can be your own experience or someone else's that you learned from)?

• Don’t let the crazy business of publishing suck out the joy of writing!

For the Readers

- What are you reading, if anything, at the moment?

• I’m reading Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series (I’m at #11). I had heard over and over that the books were awesome, and they really are. I can’t put the dang things down.

- Do you prefer ebooks or print for your reading pleasure?

• I prefer print. I love the feel and texture of paper. On the other hand, the new e-readers are wonderful. They’re light, pretty, and much easier to carry than print books (and I take books where ever I go). In my opinion, books are magical things, no matter what form they take.

- Name three of your all-time-favorite, read-them-over-and-over books.

• The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov, Dance Upon The Air by Nora Roberts, and Waiting for the Wolf Moon by Evelyn Vaughn.

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

- What inspired you to be a writer?

• A lot of things. The two biggest reasons are probably that my grandmother used to tell me stories about a family of bunnies. I enjoyed them so much I made up my own, very different, stories. And books. I really, really, really love books, and writing them just seemed a natural extension of that.

- What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Celebrate, then collapse on the couch, try to relax and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment, go into a funk, and not feel happy until I’m knee deep in another manuscript. I know, I need a 12 step program.

- Do you talk to your characters or your muse or both?

• Actually, it’s more like my characters talk to me. For instance, Kia, the heroine of Shadows of Evil, was supposed to drive a Kia car. No, she said, her name was Kia. I argued. I tried very hard to convince her, but she is a very stubborn character (I guess you’d have to be to move into a haunted house alone (except for your dog)). Eventually I gave up and let her have her way.

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

Shadows of Evil by Cheryel Hutton Electronic ISBN: 1-59998-949-2 Print ISBN: 978-1605041537 Length: Novel Price: $5.50 Genre: Paranormal Romance BUY NOW Kia must learn to trust—before the evil in her house destroys them all. For Kia Wolfe, moving to an isolated mountaintop is an act of independence from her demanding family and ex-fiancé. She’s literally dreamed about the regal old house for years, and for the first time in her life she feels at home. She’s here to stay, even though the house’s history of violent deaths is enough to scare off most people. Garrett McKnight, owner of the contracting firm Kia has hired to renovate her house, is wary of the new resident. Emotionally bruised and battered by a self-centered ex-wife, he can’t get around the fact that there’s something about Kia that both attracts him and sets him on edge. And when Kia dabbles in a bit of Wicca, accidentally unleashing a hidden evil, it’s tempting to walk away and leave her to her to her fate. But he can’t. Not when four people have died in that house. Warning, this title contains the following: a bit of explicit sex, a touch of graphic language, some graphic violence, and a scare or two. I also have a dragon novella out in ebook format from www.thewildrosepress.com

~ Coming Soon ~

I don’t have a release upcoming at the moment. I took some time off to take care of some family and personal stuff—and to polish my craft. I’m back to writing and should have something on the way very soon :)

Learn More
Website: www.cheryelhutton.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/cheryelhutton
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cheryelhutton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cheryelhutton

Thanks, Cheryel!

Join me next week for Yvonne Eve Walus.