Guest Spot: Brynn Stein

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome back for a visit, frequent guest and friend of "The Blog," Brynn Stein!  Brynn is here today with her (quickly!) upcoming release, Ray of Sunlight, and discussing those times when our characters give us the silent treatment.  We can only hope they're too busy working on becoming fantastic and figuring out their plot-lines.  Yeah... that's what they're doing.  (And don't forget to check out the giveaway!)

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Guest Spot: Brynn Stein on Tour with "Through the Years"

I have Brynn Stein stopping today to talk about her latest, Through the Years.  As a fellow "Bittersweet Dreams" writer, I can say these are often the most rewarding writes and reads out there.  Don't forget to check out the raffle she has going on through the tour as well!  

Warm Hearts Relaunch 8 - Anne Barwell

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Relaunch installment, we've got Anne Barwell here today.  She's talking history and what it's like writing within worlds and contexts that are, basically, predetermined.  Anne's got a couple releases forthcoming (two in the next four months!), a series continuation and a sequel, so be sure to look for those!  Anne, you've got the floor: 

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Warm Hearts Relaunch 7 - Kat Mancos

Today we've got Kat Mancos talking about relaunching - or, perhaps more accurately, evolving - in terms of one's own writing.  We'll also get a teaser from Kat's recent release, Taste of Air.  Where else can you find a line like, "That man has always had his cock in one alchemist or another."

It's all yours, Kat!

An Unexpected Direction

Warm Hearts Relaunch 6 - Louise Lyons

Today I'm welcoming Louise Lyons who's here with an excerpt from her recent release, Conflicted.  Warning for mental images of well-built guys in tight denim! (And at the end, be sure to find the link where you can enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card from Louise!)

Warm Hearts Relaunch 5 - Sarah Madison

Sarah is with us today to talk about her forthcoming release Walk a Mile, sequel to Unspeakable Words, and what it's like writing a sequel.  And, yes, writers love their characters as much as readers!

“What took you so long?”

Warm Hearts Relaunch 4 - Lee Rowan

Look who's here!  It's Lee Rowan to talk about relaunching domestically (and the associated hair-pulling to which anyone who's remodeled can attest!)  Lee, you have the floor... what's left of it! ;-) 

Where is Mike Holmes When You Really Need Him?

Warm Hearts Relaunch 3 - Jana Denardo

Now here's an extra treat - today we've got Jana Denardo, author of recently-released Kept Tears.  I happened to pick this up while gearing up for the relaunch (there's a special place in my heart for 'Burgh stories!), and I really enjoyed it.  I don't often go for urban fantasy (or much fantasy other than the original classics of the genre) but this one was so relatable I never really felt like an "outsider" to the story.  It was really very sensible, real fantasy - which makes sense for a Pittsburgh setting, we do sensible pretty well... with a nice undercurrent of mystery - and left me wanting more, in quite a good way.

Ok, enough of my gushing.  Let's hear from Jana.

When I started Kept Tears I knew from the earliest moments where it would be set, even before I knew Rhys would be fae (I always knew Aaron would be a disabled veteran). For me, setting is pretty important. I travel a lot and I’ve lived all over. I like to put my travels into my stories. My short story Haunted in the Two Tickets to Paradise anthology was based on my travels in Victoria on Vancouver Island and Crisis in Faith, my Vampires in Vegas story is set in a city I find fascinating and over the top. For Kept Tears, I decided on Pittsburgh, PA, and it’s a natural for me. Not only is it an iconic city in its own right, but, like Aaron, I grew up within twenty-five miles from down town.

Warm Hearts Relaunch 2 - H.B. Pattskyn

Next up, it's H.B. Pattskyn on the subject of relaunching, personally.

You’re never too old…

Guest Spot: Brynn Stein

It's been a LONG, busy winter around here, but now the crocuses are up, the birdies are singing, and we're going to get back in the blog spirit with a returning guest - the wonderful Brynn Stein, here to talk about what writers do when not writing (it does happen!) and to share some of her extra-literary talents.  All yours, Brynn!

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Guest Spot: Garrett Leigh

Well, looky who I've got here!  If it isn't Garrett Leigh, a fellow member of the 29-for-life club!  Garrett was good enough to answer a few of my questions and to tell us about a few of her books.  Check it out!

J: Do you have a specific writing style?

G: Angsty. Dark. Gritty. It can be a little rough round the edges too, just like me. I have a potty mouth and a dirty mind. Make of that what you will.

How did you come up with the title?

My editor asked me that very question just the other day, and my answer was this…

The word 'Slide' holds different connotations for both characters. For Pete, it symbolises the frustration he often feels with himself for letting Ash's situation become so desperate. From his slightly skewed perspective, the warning signs of Ash's breakdown were there for months, if not years, before he hit rock bottom. In his mind, letting things slide…slip by, without acting on them, without doing anything to help Ash…man, right or wrong, I don't think Pete will ever get over that.

Ash's take on it is simple. Without Pete, and the deep bond they share, he honestly believes he'd slide away into nothing. For him, the word represents the sometimes tenuous hold he has on the world.

How much of the book is realistic?

Too much and not enough. Every story I write is based on something…someone, be it myself, someone I know, or someone I've read about. When writing contemporary, you can't just make shit up, and adjust reality to suit your perspective. As a reader, I know I need to feel a realistic connection to a character to give a rat's ass about their fate, and I guess that's the same for everyone.

But in the same vein, because I'm drawn to such dark stories, it breaks my heart that we live in a world where such terrible things happen to a young man as special as Ash.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Junk, by Melvin Burgess. Addiction is an issue close to my heart, and one I know I will visit again. Junk has it all–romance, misery, love, life and death. I read it when I was just fourteen, and I've never forgotten it. As I write this, I can see it, dusty and dog eared, on the overladen shelf above my printer.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Twitter. I was an avid user before I signed with Dreamspinner, but the community of authors, readers and fans on there is incredible. The perfect way to keep my old pals close, while making lots of new ones. Though, to be honest, I tend to spend most of my time talking about cake.

Who designed the covers?

Me. I work as a cover artist for various publishers and authors, and I try really hard to do all my own covers, the only exception being Only Love, the war vet novel I have out with DSP next year. With that particular book, I'd been writing it, in one form or another, for about three years and when I came to drafting a cover, I just couldn't do it. Perhaps I was too close to the story, who knows? But, I'm very lucky in that I have a hugely talented friend, P.B. Blake, who's been my sounding board for as long as I've been writing, and I know the cover she designs will be above and beyond anything I could've done myself.

With the Roads series, I produced four covers–Slide, Marked, Rare and Freed. Two came easily, the other two were a nightmare. Not gonna divulge the specifics!

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Aside from that pesky point about three quarters in where I always hit a wall, with Slide, I think it was allowing Pete and Ash to drift so far apart. In my heart, I knew it was necessary in order for them to heal, but it hurt. Those two are so deeply ingrained in one another, tearing them apart just felt wrong.

What are your current projects?

Currently, I'm working on the second instalment of my Blue Boy series at Loose Id, and putting the final pre-submission touches to Gypsy Heart, the full length novel born of my self-published short, Gypsy Rain.

I'm also hard at work promoting Slide and Marked, and Bullet, the novella I have releasing in November. No one told me marketing was so full on! Not that I'm complaining. Seeing Slide in print was one of the proudest moments of my life, and I'll never forget it.

Slide (Roads #1)

Don’t look back. Don’t you ever look back… 

Shy tattoo artist Ash has a troubled past. Years of neglect, drug abuse, and life on the streets have taken their toll, and sometimes it seems the deep, unspoken bond with his lover is the only balm for wounds he doesn’t quite understand.

Chicago paramedic Pete is warmth, love, and strength—things Ash never knew he could have, and never even knew he wanted until Pete showed him. But fate is a cruel, cruel mistress, and when nightmares collide with the present, their tentatively built world comes crashing down.

Traumatic events in Pete’s work life distance him from home, and he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Ash has slipped away. Betrayal, secrets, and lies unfold, and when a devastating coincidence takes hold, Pete must fight with all he has to save the love of his life.

Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4259&cPath=55_944

Marked (Roads #1.5)

Missing Moment from Slide

It's been six months since Ash shuffled into Pete's life and turned his world upside down, and six months since they sat in an all-night diner plotting Ash's theoretical solution for Pete's faded, botched tattoo. Pete has just about given up hope of Ash ever fulfilling his promise when one day the end of a long shift finds Ash waiting for him.

Tonight is the night.

Ash is ready, and it seems the time has come for him to leave his mark on Pete in more ways than he ever imagined.

Buy Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4305&cPath=55_944

Follow Garrett

Social media:
Website: http://garrettleigh.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Garrett_Leigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettleighbooks
Cover art enquiries: blackjazzdesign@gmail.com

Guest Spot: Layla Weir

Layla Weir is here today with part one of her two-part series on spinning (the yarn kind, not the aerobic kind!)  She's here as part of her Homespun blog tour (which includes a homespun giveaway!).  Homespun comes out in just a few days and sounds like something I'd want to curl up with on a chilly fall day with a cup of hot spiced cider.

Say, that reminds me of a joke - one German says to the other, "Du spinnst!"  The other says, "Nein, ich weben."  

Okay, Layla, i've warmed them up for you!

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Guest Spot: Jaime Samms

I've got Jaime Samm's here today talking about a popular topic these days: Dominant/submissive relationships (yeah... ya know... like 50 Shades of Something-something.  But actually not at all, cause Jaime's book is a lot more interesting!)

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Guest Spot: Pinkie Rae Parker

We're back to Guest Spots this week with Pinkie Parker who's here to talk us through a feeling writers know know well: Fear of Rejection.  That fear can manifest itself in a lot of different places: sharing with others, submitting a manuscript, waiting for those first reviews, playing the dating game....  Anyway, let's hear from Pinkie, who's story "Joie de Vivre" is featured in the Dreamspinner Press anthology, Closet Capers.

Coping with the Fear of Rejection

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Guest Spot: Sarah Madison

Today I'm talking to Sarah Madison about writing.  But first, let me give her big props for not just her writing, but also her veterinarian work.  Some of my fur-babies have meant more to me than anything and it's something quite important to have good people out there who can help them when we can't.  My heartfelt thanks, Sarah!

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Guest Spot: Andy Gordon

Hey, look who it is with us today - Andy Gordon!  He's here to talk about the concept of reality in romantic fiction.  Andy is the author of two titles out with Dreamspinner Press, The Last Grand Master and (Un)Masked, and he's presently working on a third, Purpose.  The floor is yours, Andy!

Reality, what a concept.

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Guest Spot: Grace Duncan

The week after St. Patrick's hopefully brings recovery from the Irish Flu (yes, i fell victim!)  To help that recovery along, we've got Grace Duncan here today.  And she's sharing some of her pretty, pretty boys.  That makes everything a LOT better!  And by a LOT i mean somewhat NSFW ;-)

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Guest Spot: Lex Chase

Today I've got Lex Chase visiting.  She's here to chat with us about Pawn Takes Rook, part one of her Checkmate superheroes series.  Check it out!

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Guest Spot: Kim Fielding

Today, please welcome Kim Fielding, here to discuss endings, Pancake Parts (what a great term!), and her new release, Venetian Masks - available in paperback and e-formats.

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Guest Spot: Matthew Lang

Today we're kicking off yet another new series here - guest spots!  Our esteemed first guest blogger is Matthew Lang, author of recently released The Way You Are.  Matthew is sharing some writing tips with us and you're going to want to check out his plot generator!  Without further ado, I'll turn it over to Matthew:

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