Christine Johnson : The Author Interview

Okay, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to have this author on my blog today. Not only is she an amazing writer and one cool lady, she happens to be a new friend of mine! The best part about this interview is that it is also a release celebration!!! Christine's newest YA novel, The Gathering Dark, is out today! See what she has to say and then go buy her book!

Tell us a little about yourself, Christine: 

Oh, gosh. Okay, aside from the fact that I write young adult fiction, I Iive in Indianapolis, Indiana, I’m perpetually cold, and I’m a die hard Manchester United supporter. That was all sort of random, but that’s also very appropriate. So.

Christine's first novel. A Paranormal/ YA story.

What was the querying/agent search process like for you? 

I’ve been with my agent for a long time - yay! - so it was quite different than it is today. I did my querying via snail mail, not email. There was a lot of waiting involved. And a lot of checking the mailbox. I queried about twenty agents before signing with Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc.

Is there another genre you would like to try at some point?

Not particularly. I tried middle grade before I found my way to YA, and when I got here, I knew I’d found my place in the writing world. I’m happy. I do love a good regency romance, but I’m not sure I have it in me to write one!

Do you have a writing ritual or a certain way you like to get ready to write? 

Nope. Having kids beat that out of me. Also, Holly Black once said that the more things you NEED to write (candle, certain hours of the day, particular chair, whatever,) the less writing you’ll actually get done. She’s totally right.

The sequel to Claire de Lune

Tell us about one of your characters you loved writing:

Smith kicked my @$$. Seriously. I have a love/hate relationship with him, because it took me so long to figure out who he was and what he was doing in my book. Once I got there, though, I was so happy to have him in the story. Now, he’s one of my favorites.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? If so, what changed? 

Actually . . . no. There are projects I’ve abandoned, but writing itself is just part of who I am. Getting published is super-awesome, but it’s the putting-words-on-a-page that I love.

Tell us a little about The Gathering Dark...

The Gathering Dark is a romantic sci-fi about a girl named Keira who’s a concert-pianist in the making. When she meets Walker at her favorite music store, she begins having strange visions. At first, she think’s they’re hallucinations, but when it turns out they might be real, Keira’s world is turned upside down - quite literally.

What draws you to the science fiction genre? 

..... Geekery? Nerdtopia? Seriously, though, there’s so much in science that I find fascinating and fantastic, and those things just lend themselves to story-making in my own particular head.

What are you currently reading? 

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah Maclean and Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson. Obviously wildly different books, but I’m loving them both. R.J. Anderson wrote my favorite unreliable narrator of all time in her book Ultraviolet.

What can we expect from you next? 

The Grim anthology! It’s a collection of fairy tale retellings from a slew of fantastic authors. It’s due out in 2014, and I cannot WAIT for everyone to read these stories. They’re dark and twisted and FABULOUS.

What is your current obsession (absolutely anything)? 

Kale chips. Seriously. Tear the tender parts of a kale leaf (not the stem or ribs) into bite sized pieces. Make sure they’re dry. Drizzle with olive oil and massage to coat. Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Inhale. If it’s possible to eat so much kale that it actually becomes UNHEALTHY, then I’m doing that. Because YUM.

Where can readers find more about you? 

I’m pretty much all over the Internet. You can find me at www.christinejohnsonbooks.com, @cjohnsonbooks on Twitter, Pinterest, and on Facebook. I love hearing from people, so do come say “hi!”

As of today you can buy The Gathering Dark here on Amazon (or fine bookstores across the US). Christine's first novel, Claire de Lune and it's sequel Nocturne are also available 

ALSO...If you happen to be local to the Indianapolis area you can meet and purchase a signed copy of The Gathering Dark this Saturday February 16th at Bookmamas in Irvington from 3-5pm!

Thanks again for chatting, Christine! 

Author Spotlight : Anna Kristell

Welcome my fellow Rebel author Anna Kristell. She's here to chat about her latest releases and a few upcoming works too. But first, here is the description and an excerpt from Unlikely Lovers, just released by Rebel Ink Press.

When Army Major Jessica Walsh meets local factory worker, Cody Jones, she finds herself staring straight into the eyes of the man who’s been haunting her dreams for the past few nights. Fresh from a breakup with her cheating ex, Jessica sets out to seduce the sexy brown-eyed man in the hopes of a brief rebound affair. Getting more than she bargained for, she falls in love with him, but has kept a secret about who she really is.

On the night she plans to tell him the truth, Cody plans to propose. But before either of those things can take place, they run into Jessica’s ex, who cruelly spills the beans. Angry and heartbroken, Cody ends the relationship, turning to a bottle for comfort. Jessica’s hurt, she accepts his decision. While they find they can't stay away from each other, they can't seem to work out their differences, either. Will the unlikely lovers be able to overcome the obstacles in their lives and find their happy ever after?

Excerpt:

“And I’m Cody,” the sexy man with the brown wavy hair said, flashing a smile that sent shivers up and down Jessica’s spine. He extended his right hand.

She took it saying, “I’m Jessica and this is Missy, nice to meet you both.” The simple touch of his hand was enough to make her want to get closer to him, much closer. Her hand felt as though it had been scorched as she pulled it away.

“Thanks for the beer. You two ready to get beat by a couple of girls?” Missy looked at Andy, laughing.

“Bring it on,” he answered with a wink.

They bowled two games, girls winning one, and guys winning the other.

“How about a rematch to break the tie and the losers take the other team out for pizza afterward?” Cody challenged.

“You’re on. Right, Missy?” Jessica looked at her friend.

“Right, let’s show ‘em what we can do, girlfriend.”

To prove her point, Missy threw three strikes in a row.

“I think we’re in trouble, man.” Andy chuckled as he looked at Cody.

“We’ll see about that!” Cody threw the next strike as the four of them burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The girls won by two pins, much to their delight.

“We’ll let you off the hook and go Dutch since you came so close,” Jessica said as she changed out of the ugly shoes and back into her boots.

“Sounds like a deal,” Cody answered with a smile that set her pulse racing again. And then she knew. His eyes. There was something about them.

They decided where to meet and as Missy drove to the pizza parlor, Jessica turned to her and said, “Thanks for talking me into coming out tonight. I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”

“I haven’t either. But let’s not tell them too much about ourselves. Okay?”

“I agree.” The girls knew from experience some men were intimidated by a female officer.

“Aren’t they hunks, both of them?”

“Oh, yeah, especially Cody,” Jessica said dreamily.

“I prefer the blonde look, myself.” Missy giggled as she pulled into the parking lot.

“That’s good, since I have my eye on Cody.” The mere thought of sharing a bed with the wavy haired man was almost more than Jessica could bear.

When they got out of Missy’s car, the two men were already there waiting for them in the parking lot.

“After you.” Cody opened the door of the restaurant for Jessica, following behind her.

After they’d all decided on a supreme deluxe pizza complete with anchovies and ordered a pitcher of beer and soft drinks for the two drivers, they began to talk.

“Why haven’t we seen you two ladies around before?” Cody inquired as he looked at Jessica with that same sexy smile that had first drawn her to him.

“We’ve not been bowling for a while.” She returned the smile shyly.

“We keep pretty busy with work,” Missy added, looking at Andy.

“I hear that. We’ve been putting in all kinds of overtime at the plant,” Andy replied.

“So you both work at Goodyear?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah, like most folks around here that aren’t lucky enough to get out of town.”

“What do you girls do?” Cody asked.

“Uh, we both work on post,” Missy answered vaguely as she took a sip of the Coke that had just arrived.

“Ah, another place a lot of folks around here work,” Andy observed.

Jessica was incredibly intrigued by Cody. He had the most gorgeous brown eyes she had ever seen, like huge drops of chocolate candy...almost identical to the man in her dream. She began to imagine his hard working hands roaming her body, rocking her world, taking her to the ends of the earth and back…Jessica, get a grip, she told herself as she found herself staring into those beautiful eyes again.

The other three continued with light banter as they enjoyed the pizza while Jessica tried to concentrate on what they were all saying. It wasn’t easy with the brown eyed man sitting next to her. And long before she was ready, the evening was coming to an end.

Andy and Missy had exchanged cell phone numbers already as Cody asked Jessica for hers. She gave it to him and watched as he put it in his phone. She did the same with his.

“I’ll call you soon. Count on it, Jessie,” Cody said as he waved goodbye.

“That’d be great. I’ll talk to you soon.” She flashed him her sexiest smile.

Once they were on the road, Missy said, “Wow, Jess, that Andy is one sexy hunk of man. I’d love to see him again.”

“And I could get real cozy with Cody, if you know what I mean,” Jessica remarked thoughtfully. What would be the harm in a brief fling with a sexy local factory worker?

Missy glanced at her friend. “Jess, that doesn’t exactly sound like something you’d do. Are you really considering it?”

“Maybe, we’ll just have to see now, won’t we? All I can say is Cody Jones is one hell of a sexy man.”

After Missy had dropped her off at home, she prepared for bed with a smile as she remembered what he’d said. I wonder if he really will call.  She was just settling in between the cool sheets when her cell rang. She answered sleepily, “Hello.”

“Hey, Jessie, it’s Cody, calling to say goodnight.”

“Hi. When you said you’d call soon, you weren’t kidding.” She giggled and continued, “I’m glad to hear from you so soon.”

He chuckled. “I had a great time tonight, just had to call and tell you. I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon.”

“I had fun, too. We’ll definitely get together soon. Call me.”

“You can count on that, baby. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight.”

She soon fell asleep, dreaming that a handsome, wavy haired man with huge, velvety chocolate brown eyes was sharing her bed. He kissed her lips then moved down her body, nuzzled her neck, stopping to whisper love words in her ear as he’d done in her dream the night before. She awoke, alone again, more determined than ever to make this particular dream become a reality, and the sooner the better.

 ***

Hi, I'm Anna and I write romance. My newest release, Unlikely Lovers, is from Rebel Ink Press. It's the story of two people, Jessica and Cody, who are nothing alike, have nothing in common, yet they fall in love. They could probably get past the differences except for one thing. Jessica has been lying to Cody since the night they met about who she really is. And the way he finds out the truth sets off a reaction that is totally unexpected of the character. After that, things go south very quickly, although these two just can't seem to stay away from each other, hard as they try. You'll want to shake them both senseless. You'll cry with them, laugh with them, and  root for them to work it out. Will they?

A long time fan of romance, it seemed only natural that when I decided to try my hand at writing, it would be love stories.

I have two more releases coming soon from Rebel. Sunny's Love in April and Remember Our Promise in the summer. Remember Our Promise was my first attempt at NaNoWriMo and was a story that basically wrote itself....

I also am in the midst of writing a contemporary drama romance series for Lazy Day Publishing. The first was released in January, Crossroad to Love, and has done well so far. The second, The Road to Her Heart, will be out in March. I have contracts signed for four so far and am working on the fifth. There will be several before the series is completed. It centers around the lives of four friends who have been friends since childhood, their loves, their children, their other friends, their jobs...like I said...drama!

You can find Anna on Facebook, Twitter, her website, Amazon.

Unlikely Lovers can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Nook, ARe, and Bookstrand

Crossroad to Love can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Nook, and ARe

Michael J. Rigg : The Author Interview

Once again the fabulous world of Twitter helped connect me to an author whose project I found very intriguing. Let's see what Michael J. Rigg has to say....

Tell us a little about yourself:

My "writing life" didn't start until college. I had to pass on limited scholarship to USC Film School and ended up going to a local college to major in Radio and TV Communications. During that time I had an awesome one-on-one creative writing course with a professor who told me that most, if not all, of my filmmaking idols at the time had started off as students of the WRITTEN WORD. He told me Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, all cut their creative film teeth through writing. He also pointed out that you can do so much more "filmmaking" inside the head of a reader. No actors or actresses, set designers, costumes, union camera operators, weather, special effects, budgets.... Whatever I said on paper became LIFE. I was enthralled by this obvious epiphany and set abut writing a stream of short stories that hit one rejection after another.

And then, the next semester, I switched my major to Writing and my minor to Philosophy and Communications. It was a decision that would set the tone for all my future writing projects as I absorbed so much from my minors and only vaguely held on to the mechanics of my major.

I was one of only eight students in the bold new novel writing course -- because no one had the "guts" to take on a project tens of thousands of words long. I was the only student in my class to finish a novel and was delighted at how easy it was. As my professor said (and he quoted from someone else whom I don't recall), "The larger the project, the easier the writing, because you have 90,000 words to say what you want to say in a novel, but a poem.... In poetry you have to convey whole images and experiences in just a few short lines." That lesson stuck with me, and made me lazy.

I've written about nine or ten novels since I graduated college in 1987, but the only sales I've had were short stories and poetry. Irony.

For those of us who may not know, what is a 'blognovel'?

I LOVE to tell stories, and I love interacting with an audience like a stage performer, and I love writing novels. In 2007, I found a way to combine all of these things by writing a novel raw as a "published" first draft on the Internet. I coined the term "blognovel" (taking the credit only because at the time I searched and didn't find anything similar) and started building a small but encouraging fan base who "tuned in" every week to see how the next chapter would play out. My first "blognovel," August Winter (www.augustwinter.wordpress.com) was basically a "live" writing experiment. I had an idea for an opening scene but no outline and no plot. I started writing... and let the characters take over. The result got me surprising responses from friends I didn't know were reading it, and a couple of emails from other countries encouraging me to do more.

My Philosophy background -- as well as an interest in the "Near Death" phenomenon -- brought me to An Angel for Sara Dawn. My second blognovel, published in 2009 (www.lifeinheaven.wordpress.com), was my first foray into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I finished the book -- which actually had more of an outline than August Winter -- within that month. Sara Dawn is one of my favorite projects and I'm looking forward to going back to it once I finish my next draft of Heart of Bronze.

As I wrote August Winter, and moreso during the production of An Angel for Sara Dawn, I realized I was getting a lot of useful encouragement and even criticism from readers around the globe. It was like having a host of critics, editors, fans and readers looking over my shoulder as I wrote, giving me advice, keeping me going, and feeding my Writing Monster. I loved it!

In 2011 I started Heart of Bronze, my first journey into a new genre.

What can you tell us about Heart of Bronze?

I'd never read anything "Steampunk," but I was familiar with the feeling and the concept of combining modern advancements with a pseudo-Victorian feel. It seemed like a fun thing to explore, so that's where I decided to go with Heart of Bronze. But it's more than that. I threw in some elements of romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi, war, thriller. It's kind of a "stew" story, and it was a blast to write.

Like with my earlier blognovels, I approached HoB with a simple "shell" of an idea, some characters and a few small scenes or situations. I was blown away by the responses I got from people who "subscribed" to the weekly serial about a woman who wakes up in an alternate history where airships and "SkyTrains" exist, where the South won the Civil War, and where grotesque experiments led to savage ghouls lurking the streets at night and young girls imbued with witchcraft. 

The biggest difference with HoB, compared to August and Sara, is that I asked my most loyal readers to contribute. Some character names, descriptions, and even the fate of the "bad guys" were all left to reader input. That was a lot of fun and kept people interested.


Is there another genre you would like to try at some point?

I've written horror, sci-fi, fantasy and now Steampunk. I think I'll stick with the latter for now, though I think there's a romance novel in me somewhere. I'm actually keeping that in mind for the re-write of Sara Dawn.

Do you have a writing ritual or a certain way you like to get ready to write?

I don't have a certain time of the day or night when I sit down to write, though during Heart of Bronze I did all of my writing in the mornings before work, between 6-8 a.m. That's when my brain was freshest. I usually put on over sized headphones and blast noise. Not music. Noise. During the last few chapters of HoB, I was actually listening to "airship engines." I used an app called "Sleep Machine" that allows you to combine sounds to create your own mix. I found that an Airplane Cabin + Fan (low) + Fan (hi) helped capture that open air airship feel. And, yes, I would turn my office ceiling fan on high to feel the air wash around me.

Tell us about one of your characters you loved writing:

I think my favorite character of all my books is Sara Dawn, but in Heart of Bronze it has to be Pandora -- which is kinda funny because she was from a contest. I wanted to let the readers introduce the next character to the story. I would choose randomly from the following criteria: Name, Gender, Age, Fate. A reader named Jackie suggested Pandora, female, teenager, unknown. From that, I created a feisty seventeen-year-old fighter pilot witch. She was a lot of fun and evolved the most of all the characters in HoB. She was also a reader favorite.

Thank you, Jackie!

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? If so, what changed?

I never felt like giving up, but I often felt daunted. You know, there are days when you plain just don't feel like writing. You're tired, you're sick, you're not really feelin' it. I have one rule when it comes to writing: WRITE ONE WORD. That's all I require of myself every day. You'd be surprised how it's just as easy to write one sentence as it is one word. If it's a particularly bad day, and I feel a character or scene will suffer because I'm that much out of it, I'll open a new document and just dedicate myself to making notes or doing research.

The real "juice" behind getting Heart of Bronze done -- of keeping it going -- was in the reader interaction. Between chapters, I'd get emails from excited followers asking me what was going to happen next or telling me what they liked or didn't like about a previous chapter, or asking when it would be available on Kindle or Nook. Now THAT is inspiring.

What is your current obsession (absolutely anything)?

When I'm not telling stories through writing, I'm telling stories through games. I'm an avid roleplayer. I enjoy creating characters in a game and applying rich histories and backgrounds to them -- and interacting with others. My current poison is Star Wars The Old Republic. I'm a long-time fan and credit the original 1977 film for opening all the creative doors inside my head.

Where can readers find more about you?

I'm still working on a web site where I can consolidate all my work. 
I can be found on Facebook ,Twitter as @MichaelRigg and I'm always open to email (I answer every one that isn't spam) riggenterprises(at)gmail.com, or through my Heart of Bronze email, bronzenovel(at)gmail.com.

My blognovels and projects are:
heartofbronze.wordpress.com - Heart of Bronze
lifeinheaven.wordpress.com - An Angel for Sara Dawn
augustwinter.wordpress.com - August Winter

I'm currently working on the fourth edit of Heart of Bronze with a goal to release it as an e-book by the end of the year. Anyone interested in reading a rough draft can still find it as a blognovel at the address above.

Thanks so much for sharing with us today Michael! Best of luck with your blognovels!

Harper Leich : The Artist Interview

I'm so thrilled to share my interview with North Carolina artist Harper Leich! Check out what she had to say and see her beautiful work.

What type of paintings do you most enjoy creating and why? (Portraits, abstract?)

I’m a portrait painter, through and through.  It’s kind of funny for an introvert to be so interested in people, but I think that’s an important way in which I relate to people.  When I do a portrait of a friend of mine (which nearly all of my portraits are), I feel like we’re spending time together.  I might forget to call them since it feels like we’ve been hanging out together every day.  

I like to convey the essence of my subject to the world at large.  It’s a big task, but one that seems worthwhile and necessary to attempt.  Nothing captures my interest the way that portraits do- so much can be said in the way the light hits a face, the reflections of color on the cheeks, the expressions in the eyes.  It’s my favorite kind of story telling- one that is left open to the view to interpret through their own filters and experiences.   

"Calliope's Crown" by Harper Leich

Do you have a studio or a designated space for your art? If so, what is it like?

My boyfriend and I live in a teeny three bedroom house.  I’m lucky enough to have an entire room to dedicate to my art making.  I have a dresser full of art supplies, two antique tables against a wall – one for computer work and writing, and one for drawing, painting, and sewing.  I have a bookshelf on top of the dresser that is stuffed with art books (Romaine Brooks, my beloved “Il Symbolismo” book I bought in Italy- too bad I can’t read about the Symbolist painters in it since it’s in Italian, Frida Kahlo, Lempika, Mucha, Klimt, how-to books, artist books I made in college) a stereo, a giant old philodendron plant, random family heirlooms, and old sketch books.  I have a teal wall covered in photographs of family- including some beautiful color slide prints of both my grandmothers from the 40s.  A small table that my grandmother decorated with paint and a crushed, dyed eggshell and varnished top is set up as my alter where I meditate.  

In front of one of the windows is my big wooden easel my father and step-mother gave to me a year ago.  There is always a painting in progress on it, and the wall behind it is either filled with paintings in progress or random bits of inspiration, including some hand-drawn and written cards from my god-daughter who aspires to be an artist.     

Harper's in-home studio

Do you create your art to sell?

I have in the past- mainly through the crafts that I have made like my hand bound journals and hand made fairies.  When I make a painting, I try to make what I want without thinking about some one buying it.  It’s surprisingly hard keep out of my mind, there is always a part of me that is wondering if anyone would buy it.  What keeps painting fun for me is the joy of following my own muse, not what is currently in style or what I know sells.  Hopefully sometimes what I want to paint and what people want to buy will come together!  Often it does!

Do you work with other mediums? 

I’m all over the place.  I consider oil painting to be my main medium.  I also do mural work in fast drying acrylic paint, I love to draw, sew, take photos, knit, embroider, quilt, crochet, book bind, and am about to learn tatting.  You name it I’ve tried it or added it to my to-do list.  I can’t paint all the time, I need to have a wide variety of creative outlets.  It keeps it from getting too stale for me.

"Cyber Shepherd" by Harper Leich

What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on a project I am very excited about.  It is about the relationship between individuals and plants: the magic that comes from that connection and the wisdom the plants have to share with those who are willing to listen.  They are oil on panel and are based on photos I have taken of friends.  I am trying to keep it somewhat secret, I won’t be releasing any images of the paintings until the show is hung (I am looking for a venue!);it feels important for them to be fresh upon viewing. 

I also decided to take part in a project I saw on one of my favorite blogs: 52 portraits in one year, a portrait a week.  The original challenge was for photography but I have decided to apply it to drawing and painting.   It’s only a few weeks in, but it’s been a great challenge to keep working on fresh material instead of laboring over involved pieces like I usually do.

What inspires you?

I find inspiration everywhere.  Honestly!  I find it talking to people, in blogs, in nature, in plants, in my friends, in artists I admire, in the mysteries of the universe and the connections between us all, in books I read, and in the esoteric healing I have studied.  My current project came to me while meditating with a flower in one of my favorite nature spots.  There isn’t enough time in the day to follow all the threads of ideas that spark in my mind so I try to stay focused on one at a time. 

"Listening" by Harper Leich

What is your current obsession (absolutely anything)?

Learning to play the banjo.  It’s a slow process for me, but I practice nearly every day!  I can usually play “Boil the Cabbage Down” without messing up at least one time through!  My boyfriend Kurt sometimes joins me on accordion.  He is very patient.

Listening to: Andrew Bird’s most recent albums, “Hands of Glory” and “Break it Yourself “ equally, along with Hurray for the Riff Raff’s “Young Blood Blues” on our living room record player.

Paintings: Charles Courtney Curran

Plants: Foam flower and impatiens

You can 'like' Harper on Facebook  and follow her http://harperleich.wordpress.com/

Thanks again for sharing your amazing work with us Harper! Best of luck with your future endeavors!