Movie Review: New Moon

NEW MOON


Basic Premise:
Bella and Edward are back. Bella is plagued with thoughts of aging while Edward is more concerned with simply keeping her alive. In order to do that, he makes himself absent. Her despair at his absence makes her turn to Jacob, who is having issues of his own. Nothing is going right and the things that are going wrong could get Bella killed.

Author Interview: Samantha Sommersby

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, ALL!!

Here's this week's interview:


The Basics
- SAMANTHA SOMMERSBY
- Genre(s): Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance
- Publisher(s): Samhain Publishing, Ltd., Phaze Books, Red Rose Publishing

To Other Authors

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

• 1. Writing can be very isolating. Network with other authors. They can be of great support.

• 2. The World Wide Web is not a private place. How you present to the public can leave a lasting impression. Strive to be gracious and professional at all times.

• 3. Write because you have to, because you love it, but never forget this is a business.

- What's your favorite way to advertise?

• I have the most fun doing interviews and putting my newsletter together every month. I spend the vast majority of my advertising budget on Internet-based advertising. I do advertise in print and invest in paper materials like bookmarks, postcards, bookplates, etc. But I also invest in on-line banner ads, video trailers, and social networking.

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

• Like many authors, I was surprised to find out how hard authors have to work to promote themselves and their books. In addition to maintaining a website and newsletter, I have a presence on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger. It can be a challenge to maintain. You have to stay really organized and make sure that you’re dedicating time to answer emails and promote releases.

For the Readers

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

• Kiss Me Deadly, a Silhouette Nocturne by Michele Hauf
• It’s a free 60th Anniversary Read released by Harlequin that I downloaded from the All Romance website prior to hopping on the plane to attend Authors After Dark last week.
  

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

• I prefer reading eBooks. I read on my iPhone, which I carry with me all the time. When I fly I normally have an "emergency" print book cover that time period during which you have to turn off the electrical devices.

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

• Tough question, there aren’t many books that I re-read over and over. I have a stack of Buffy Comics by my bed that I dip back into before bedtime when I'm between books (I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan). I have a copy of Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning that I’ve read countless times. I bought it for myself back in high school—a long time ago. I have a beautiful copy of Twas the Night Before Christmas that I bought the year my son was born. We read it together every Christmas eve before heading off to bed.

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

- What inspired you to be a writer?

• I’ve always loved reading and writing, but for a long time they were put aside in favor of academic and professional pursuits. At forty I found I was living and breathing work. And, although my work was rewarding, it was also very stressful. It was then that I rediscovered my love of writing. I began working on a fictional story purely for my own pleasure. Once I had about ten chapters written I managed to gather up enough courage to post them on the Internet for critique. The feedback was fast and favorable. I was hooked. I quickly fell into a routine of writing every day. For three years I’d go to bed every night around 9:30 pm, then get up at 2:30 am so that I could write for four hours before going to work my “real life” job. After two years of that grueling routine I got my first publishing contract. Two years after that, in 2007, I left that “real life” job to pursue writing full time.

- What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• I revise along the way, so by the time I write “the end” the book has already been through a number of rewrites. At that point I like to put the manuscript aside and give myself a break for a couple days. I’ll schedule a massage and binge on bubble baths, other books, and movies. I try to rejuvenate myself so that I can come back to the work with a fresh perspective. Then I spend a few days reading the manuscript over one last time from start to finish before turning it in to my editor.

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

• I would say that my characters speak to me. I primarily write in the first person point of view. It’s a very intense and intimate experience. That character voice is in my head all of the time.

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

Forbidden: The Revolution Forbidden, Book 3 Samhain Publishing, Ltd. ISBN: 978-1-60504-808-6 BUY NOW Experience the magic… Twenty-five years ago Dell Renfield’s father started a revolution, and Dell plans to finish it. Sorcerer, vampire, secret weapon, he’s spent a lifetime training for his fate. The one distraction he isn’t equipped for? Special Agent Alexandria Sanchez. A woman he desires above all others—and a woman he dare not get close to. Alex’s love life is already cursed. She doesn’t need the added complication of a sexy new partner. Especially one who’s touch is literally magic. Posing as his lover for the sake of their investigation is pure hell—and pure heaven. Now if she can just get him to quit casting spells long enough to prove she’s capable. And keep her hands to herself in the process. As they infiltrate a dangerous culture, temptation becomes too much to resist. And their torrid affair triggers an epic battle for power that could forever alter the future for them…and their kind. Warning: This book contains spectacular magical ass-kickings, copious amounts of blistering sex, one super-sexy, gun-toting heroine, and a very delicious, very powerful sorcerer…who sometimes sports fangs.

~ NEW RELEASE ~

Under Fire Red Rose Publishing Release: November 26, 2009 ISBN: 978-1-60435-466-9 BUY NOW It’s 1917 and Lieutenant Jackson Crawford is in Arabia on an important mission. A seasoned soldier sent to ensure a victory that will secure British interests in the Suez Canal, Crawford was prepared for resistance from the prince; he was prepared for the crude weapons, the hellish sun, and the never-ending sand. What he wasn’t prepared for was Harvard bred archeologist turned spy Lillian Barton Drake. Weeks after Lilly’s arrival in the desert she found herself in the center of a bloody massacre. Rescued by the prince she travels as part of his entourage, doing her utmost to gain his trust while avoiding becoming a part of his harem. Then into the camp rides an exhausted Jackson. In a twist of fate Jack fights for Lilly’s honor risking life and limb to claim her as his own. Casting aside common sense the couple begin a passionate affair that sets the desert on fire and is guaranteed to melt your heart. Will their love be strong enough to survive the ravages of war, the duty they’ve sworn to their country, and the secrets of Jackson's past?

Learn More
- Website: http://samanthasommersby.com/
- MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/samanthasommersby
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/samanthasommersby
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/samsommersby
- Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/immortalitybites/
- Blogspot: http://immortalitybites.blogspot.com/
- Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:56104


Thanks, Samantha!!!

Misc: Additions/Detractions

You probably noticed the progress meter in the right column (or just looked at it now since I mentioned it). Isn't that lovely? I found it on another author's site and decided to upload it to mine. I hadn't realized Yolette was so long before I put that meter up. *shrug*

So, for everyone out there, see... I am writing... albeit slowly. And yes, I am working on all those books simultaneously. I jump around. No, I don't get confused. I actually prefer to write like this. I only focus on one book exclusively when it's near completion (much more so than Yolette is right now. I'd say 95-97% finished). It's like the final sprint right before the finish line. :D

Just to head off the question -- none of those books is contracted. I'm getting them finished so I can send them out... hopefully soon (and by soon I mean within the next two or three months).

I'm also dropping the author interviews after I finish the last few. Come 2010 there will be no more (I have to update my website to reflect that). It was a fun run but also a bit time-consuming and annoying which took away from some of my writing time. I've actually cut out a bunch of the distractions of 2009 so I can make 2010 a lot better for my writing.

I may come up with something else to have content on my blog and keep people coming back as well as entice new followers. I just like promoting other people as well as myself since I feel it is beneficial for both. But for now, the books on my progress list are a little more important than posting to my blog... which is probably why I have 100 less posts this year than 2008.

Random Previews: Nov 2009

I'm doing something a little different. Ever so often, I see movie posters but the movie I go see doesn't have a preview so I have to go to Apple/Quicktime to see the trailers. Well, I'm going to put my thoughts about the few previews I watch that look interesting.

Here we go:

- Beastly (due out 30 July 2010)
Teaser posted. It looks a little interesting. I would like to see a full preview before I form an opinion.

- Brothers (due out 04 Dec 2009)
This seems like a a plot that could happen in this day and age. I'm not sure I want to go to the movie theater to see it but it does look interesting.

- Ricky (due 16 Dec 2009)
French film about an angel baby. Well I'm guessing it's about a baby with wings. They don't show you in the preview but the hints they drop make it kind of obvious. Looks like a feel good DVD movie. :D

- Wolfman (due out 12 Feb 2010)
Well it's coming out in Feb which is the movie graveyard. The first trailer was stylistic and emphasized the wolfman and all the action (very little talking). The second preview actually had talking and explained a little of the plot. If this is a two hour movie, I'm sure the first hour and a half will be history and set-up with a few fright moments and the last half hour will see all the murder and mayhem they show in the trailers. I'm not sure if I'll want to see it come Feb.

- Red Cliff (out now limited release)
This trailer is like WOW. John Woo is a genius. I thought, "I can't wait to see this. When does it come out?" And then I see the date is 20 Nov. Huh? It's a limited release. I HATE LIMITED RELEASES!! They are never where I'm at and there is only so far I'm willing to travel (and so much money I'm willing to spend) to see any movie. So I guess I'll be waiting to see it on DVD. It is gorgeous-looking. The action looks amazing.

- Avatar (due out 18 Dec 2009)
James Cameron is one of my favorite directors. I am never disappointed with his movies and this one is no exception (as far as I can tell). This movie looks gorgeous. I can't wait to see it. The concept is amazing, the visuals are stunning, and it looks like a great time.

- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (due out 28 May 2010)
Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer have already proven that they can do epic action movies that will hold your attention. I love this game and I'm looking forward to seeing what the movie did with it.

- Green Zone (due out 12 Mar 2010)
It's so good to see Matt Damon branching out and trying different plots and pushing his acting abilities to the limit... except he didn't. This is Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum (and it's by the same director so that might explain it) in the Middle East. Agent goes out to do his own thing to get his own justice plus sand. I saw the Bourne Trilogy. I think I'm good with that.

Movie Review: Planet 51

PLANET 51


Basic Premise:
Lem is an ordinary guy wishing for an ordinary life and an ordinary future with the girl of his dreams. His life is on the right track until the alien shows up. The human has landed and he wants to get home. It's up to Lem to get him back to his ship while not getting caught.

Author Interview: Sapphire Phelan

The Basics
- Sapphire Phelan
- Genre(s): erotic and sweet paranormal, fantasy and scifi romance, urban fantasy, erotic horror. Even did a sweet historical romance short story once.
- Publisher(s): Phaze Books, Under the Moon and LoveYouDivine

To Other Authors

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

• Write, write and write-then submit, also join a writer’s group, and get a website, even before you are published!

- What's your favorite way to advertise?

• Twitter and Goodreads.com. My blog, too.

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

• That you must have a tough skin as you will get rejections.

For the Readers

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

• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters—for review for a zine.

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

• I enjoy both.

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

• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Something Wicked This way Comes by Ray Bradbury, and Wuthering Heights.

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

- What inspired you to be a writer?

• I always wanted to be since I was eight-years-old. Guess I read books and wanted to make stories like those.

- What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Completely-after editing too? Kick back and relax. Then go on to next writing project.

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

• More like, they talk to me. Demand their stories be told

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

Being Familiar With a Witch Phaze Books ISBN: 978-1-60659-118-5 BUY NOW BLURB: Warning: This title contains hot, graphic demonic sex that goes beyond magic. Tina doesn't know she's a witch. It will take Charun, her demon Familiar, to convince her to make love with him and let loose her witch powers. For if she doesn't, then with the demon army about to bring Armageddon to the Mortal Realm on Halloween, she won't stand a chance in Hell.

~ Coming Soon ~

Next release will be an erotic paranormal short, Ain’t Nothin’ Like Succubus Lovin’ coming sometime in 2010 from Phaze Books. No cover yet. BLURB: Finding a date was never more hellish. When Jordan Hudson borrowed his friend's A Dummy’s Guide to Demon Summoning and called up a succubus, he found that dating and making love to a minion of Hell proves to be more than a one night stand.

Learn More
- Website: http://FantasticDreams.50megs.com
- MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/SapphirePhelan
- Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/sapphirephelan
- Blog: http://SapphirePhelansPassionCorner.blogspot.com
- Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SapphirePhelansParanormalNewsletter

Thanks, Sapphire!!

Author Interview: Pamela K. Kinney

The Basics
- Pamela K. Kinney
- Genre(s): horror, scifi, poetry, nonfiction and fantasy
- Publisher(s): Schiffer Publishing, Under the Moon, Shroud Publishing (I also published short stories and poems in other anthologies and magazine, online and print.)

To Other Authors

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

• Write, write and write-then submit, also join a writer’s group, and get a website, even before you are published!

- What's your favorite way to advertise?

• Twitter and Goodreads.com. My blog, too.

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

• That you must have a tough skin as you will get rejections.

For the Readers

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

• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters—for review for a zine.

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

• I enjoy both.

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

• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Something Wicked This way Comes by Ray Bradbury, and Wuthering Heights.

Idle Curiosity Compels Me to Ask

- What inspired you to be a writer?

• I always wanted to be since I was eight-years-old. Guess I read books and wanted to make stories like those.

- What do you do immediately after finishing a manuscript?

• Completely-after editing too? Kick back and relax. Then go on to next writing project.

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

• More like, they talk to me. Demand their stories be told

Promo Section

~ Most Recent Release ~

Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths and True Tales Schiffer Publishing ISBN: 978-0-7643-3281-4 Virginia is unique with haunting myths, legends, and yes, even true stories that may sound like legends. Take a ghostly tour of this historic state to learn about the Bunnyman urban legend and what happens to mortals at his Bunnyman Bridge in Clifton at midnight on Halloween. Discover the myths that surround Edgar Allan Poe and other famous Virginians. See why Natural Bridge is actually a haunted tourist attraction; and what makes the Great Dismal Swamp so creepy: Is it the ghosts or Bigfoot? Meet the Witch of Pungo in Virginia Beach. Find out that Mothman and the Jersey Devil weren't just seen in their own states, but actually visited Virginia at one time. Read about witches, demons, monsters, ghosts, pirates, strange animals, and Civil War legends. Visit an amazing, frightening, and even intriguing Virginia that you never knew existed. BUY NOW

~ Coming Soon ~

I have a collection of fictional short stories and one poem, Spectre Nightmares and Visitations accepted by Under the Moon—no date when published, etc.. Working on next ghost book set in Williamsburg, Charles City, Yorktown and James City County, Virginia at the moment, too.

Learn More
- Website: http://fantasticdreams.50megs.com/
- MySpace: www.myspace.com/PamelaKKinney
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/PamelaKKinney
- Blog/Newsletter: http://pamelakkinney.blogspot.com/


Thanks Pamela!!

Join me next week for her alter ego, Sapphire Phelan.