Wednesday 26 June 2013

WANTED - A New Head, Apply Below

Ouch it hurts. Ohhhh it is hurting now for a long time. My head you see is full of characters and ideas and all sorts of writing stuff. But I have not been able to let the creative side of my brain free to produce for at least two weeks now. I have been busy with mother/daughter/sister/life stuff and studying for a language course so any writing I have been putting on paper has been all logical bits and pieces.
So now I have these people walking around inside my head. Their stomping over and back my forehead, the headache I have will last until I give them voice. In bed at night I wish they would make their escape out my ears and hop off my shoulders into someone else’s mind. Their roaring and shouting trying to outcry each other is unbelievable. How am I supposed to write their stories when I can’t even hear them properly? They won't let me sleep, they insist on doing Riverdance at the first sign of me nodding off. It is torture I tell you.
My notebook is full of ideas and names and it’s hard to imagine any order being made out of them. So if you have a peaceful calm mind that is free from hassle and unwritten shenanigans, please consider swapping.
Since I have always fancied being a redhead, those with luscious locks of flowing red hair will be given precedence. Plus I like my blue eyes, so I want blue eyes too. Once swapped, you can’t have your head back, sorry.
Please leave your details in the comment boxes below, thanks.

 

Saturday 15 June 2013

All Author Blog Blitz


Rita Carla Monticelli
Welcome Rita Carla to my blog. Tell me where did you get your ideas for your book?

It all arose from an image that formed in my mind. There was an astronaut who wandered alone in the Martian desert in a pressurised rover. She was willing to know more about this beautiful and lethal planet. I wondered where she was going, why she was alone, when would she run out of her air and water reserves. Was she maybe sacrificing herself to go where nobody has ever been?

From this idea came the story of Anna Persson, a Swedish exobiologist, crew member of the Mars colonisation mission Isis. Who, one day in the morning escapes in secret from their commune and penetrates this red desert.
Deserto rosso” (translation: Red Desert) starts from this apparently inexplicable act. What Anna is not aware of is that Mars has an incredible discovery in store for her. A mystery hidden in the depth of the biggest canyon of the Solar System: Valles Marineris. 

Can you tell me about the novel?

This novel involves the reader, drawing them in them to experience the feelings of an anti-heroin struggling for her survival in the hostile Red Planet. The setting is described with the technical-scientific exactness typical of hard sci-fi.
Thirty years have passed since the Mars exploration mission Hera, whose crew died in mysterious circumstances. This failure and the politic issues resulting from it slowed down NASA in its run to conquer space. But now, it’s time for a new mission, called Isis. This time the five crew members will be travelling over 400 million kilometres not on a return trip, for they are destined to become the first colonisers of the Red Planet.
Anna Persson, a Swedish exobiologist is among the crew. Anna opted for this mission in the hope of starting a new life away from Earth. But an unexpected discovery on Mars awaits her, a key to a mystery hidden in the depth of the Valles Marineris.
It is also the story of normal human beings. They have to face situations that are beyond both their range and expectations. The crew are forced to live in a limited space within an enormous desert and dangerous planet and without any conventions and control from Earth. They each show their true nature, until death visits this small community, thus upsetting forever, its difficult balances.
Packed with adventure, action, science and emotions, Deserto rosso, makes a great read not just for sci-fi fans but for all readers.
 
This novel is different from other novels, can you explain this?

Deserto rosso” is a science fiction serialised novel, made up by four episodes. What makes it different from a normal novel split in four parts is, each episode is written and published before I start work on the next one. It is an experimental project in which, even if a general plot already exists, its details can change because of feedback from the readers. This makes it particularly interesting, allowing for continuous interactions between my readers and I. It avoids those silent periods between the releases of two books.

Between the two releases, the readers are kept up to date on the various stages of the book production. This is possible because the story of each episode is not self-conclusive. This way, the reader wants to know what happens next and therefore they tend to interact with me during the months of waiting. They may even influence the events - maybe only details - which will be narrated in the following episode.

Explain further please?

I’ve already published three episodes in Italian.
The first one, the pilot, is Deserto rosso - Punto di non ritorno, (Red Desert - Point of No Return).
This is a novella (approx. 21,000 words),
which allows the reader to imagine themselves among the dust and rocks of Mars, its enormous flatlands and insidious canyons, half way between the urgency to explore and the desire to survive. But it is also the story of a selfish woman that, at the same time, is lacking self-confidence. Despite her controversial choices, without regret she stubbornly continues to go on. Even risking her own life, she demonstrates to herself and to others that her life was actually destined to have a bigger purpose. Her dark side emerges by means of her memories. She faces without fears the unknown of a cursed planet, which somehow continues to take away the lives of those trying to discover its secrets. Filtered by her erratic emotions and her deeply rooted prejudices, the events are shown to the reader. Thus involving them in an alternation of past and present by means of a gradual crescendo that drives them to the epilogue, from which the rest of the novel will derive.

The second episode is Deserto rosso - Abitanti di Marte, (Red Desert - People of Mars) which is a short novel (approx. 45,000 words), and the third one is Deserto rosso - Nemico invisibile, (Red Desert - Invisible Enemy), which has got the size of a full-length novel (approx. 74,000 words).

The whole project started on June 7th 2012 with the release of the pilot and will end on September 30th 2013, when the finale will be published.
The series will be published in English, with the title Red Desert, in late 2014. 
 
Author’s biography
Technical, scientific and literary translator, web copywriter and biologist, Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli is an Italian independent author. She has been writing fiction since 2009.
Her latest release is ‘
Deserto rosso - Nemico invisibile’, the third in a science fiction, serialised novel set on Mars, titled Deserto rosso. Her work is enjoying much success in Italy.
Deserto rosso will be published in English, with the title Red Desert, in 2014.


Her English blog is: http://ladyanakina.blogspot.com
Her website (in Italian) is: www.anakina.net
Deserto rosso is available on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, Google Plus, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Sony Ebook Store and Diesel Ebook Store.
 
Book trailer of the pilot: http://youtu.be/94nut4gtoII
Thank you Rita for taking the time to talk with me.

 

 

 

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Interview with Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder author MaryAnn Kempher



MaryAnn Kempher
Hello MaryAnn, welcome to my blog.
Hi Mary, thanks so much for hosting me.
First, why don’t you tell us a little about your book.
Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is Romantic Suspense. I tell people if you like Jane Austen and/or Agatha Christie, you’ll love this book. It has romance, and mystery, suspense, and comedy. The romance is very realistic, very friendship-based, and doesn’t come easy. Katherine and Scott were made to harass each other. Because at first they’re friends, and aren’t trying to get each other into bed, they’re not afraid to give each other a hard time, this makes for some very funny dialogue. Also, the waiting (to sleep together) ensures great sexual tension for them, and the reader. It also gives their romance a solid foundation.
You don’t have a lot of reviews on Amazon yet, but the ones you do have are very favourable.
Since my book was only released on April 14th 2013, it doesn’t have a lot of reviews yet, but those that have read it really seem to like it. This pleases me no end. It’s so nice to know something you’ve written is liked.
Tell us about your writing routine.
Well, I have two children. Once they’ve gone off to school I get myself a cup of coffee and sit down in front of the computer. I’m terrible, I’ll do almost anything but write. I’ll check my FB page, my Twitter account, my email. Finally, when I’ve stalled as long as possible, I’ll open up my work in progress. Usually, I’ll start by reading a paragraph or two of what I wrote the day before, then wait for inspiration to hit. Sometimes the words come easily, sometimes they don’t. I just hit 20,000 words, which is a milestone for me.
So, you’re working on another book then?
Yes, I’m hoping to have the first draft finished by the end of the summer. I’m hoping for a holiday release of book two, before Halloween if possible.
Is this a sequel?
Not exactly. It’s more of a mystery than my last book. My first book is more romance than this one will be. Having said that, a lot of characters from the first book will be in this one too. So readers of the first book will get to read about their favourite characters and find out what they are up to.
Can you give us a hint about the next book?
I’ll tell you it’s set on a cruise ship. Two people have been murdered and it’s up to the head of security to find out who before the ship reaches land. Honestly, I’m really excited about this book. I really think if you liked my first book, you’re going to love this one too.
Where can your book be purchased?
Right now, it’s only available on Amazon.com. You can get it for your Kindle or you can purchase a paperback. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CDNQ37Q 

How can people contact you?
Oh gosh, I’m everywhere.  J
I would like to thank MaryAnn for taking the time to talk to me and allowing us to get a glimpse in to her writing life.