What's on Jan Moran's Bookshelf?

Editor's Note: Today, we bring you another wonderful author guest, Jan Moran, on her blog tour for Scent of Triumph!  Jan's post is about what's on her bookshelf, so check out what Jan likes to read, and find out about her latest novel!  Special thanks to Jitterbug PR for the opportunity to have Jan as a guest today!
-Stephen

What’s on Your Bookshelf?

By Jan Moran

Hello, and thank for sharing your blog with me today! I’m often asked, what’s on my bookshelf? That’s a tough question to answer, because I enjoy many different genres, but here are a few of my favorite classic romantic stories.

As you can see, I love to read about different countries, cultures, and time periods. My reading tastes skip around the world with the ease of a well-worn passport. This is such a lean list, but it’s enough to get begin a savory feast. I had to stop somewhere, but it nearly broke my heart to do so.

1. Journey through Asia
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee
Fortune is a Woman by Elizabeth Adler

2. Historical Sagas
Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen
The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Paris Wife by Paula McClain
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Hawaii by James Michener
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

3. Contemporary
The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster
The Prisoner’s Wife by Gerard Macdonald
Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I hope you’ll enjoy my bookshelf snapshot. Like many writers, I find that the more I read, the more my creativity is sparked. I love to escape into a different world, but I also like to learn something new. I hope that when you read my novel, Scent of Triumph, you, too, will find an escape, and along the path you’ll discover new details about perfumery and history. Enjoy!

Always love to hear from readers and fellow writers. Stop by www.janmoran.com or visit me on twitter @janmoran

About Jan
Jan Moran writes smart, stylish, sensual sagas. She’s also written several books on perfume.

“My most recent book, SCENT OF TRIUMPH, was inspired by my love of perfumery and history. In writing, I drew upon my own family history and my mother's memories of World War II, imagining a young entrepreneur whose talent, determination, and fearlessness catapult her to the pinnacle of success, despite mounting personal tragedies and the elusiveness of love.

“I write about strong, capable, female entrepreneurs. I’m a world traveler, so I also enjoy writing about different destinations.”

Jan Moran is the author of SCENT OF TRIUMPH, a historical novel, and FABULOUS FRAGRANCES I and II, which earned spots on the Rizzoli Bookstore bestseller list. She is at work on more series in fiction and nonfiction. 

As a fragrance and beauty expert, she has been featured in numerous publications and on television and radio, including CNN and Extra, Women's Wear Daily, Allure, InStyle, and O Magazine. As an editor and writer, she has covered fragrance, beauty, and spa travel for a variety of publications.

About Scent of Triumph

Scent of Triumph is the story of Danielle Bretancourt, a talented young French perfumer with a flair for fashion and a natural olfactory gift. In the language of perfumery, she is a Nose, with the rare ability to recognize thousands of essences by memory. The story opens on the day England declares war on Germany, and Danielle and her family are caught in the midst of a raging disaster sweeping across Europe.

Her life takes a tragic turn when her husband and son are lost behind enemy lines. She spies for the French resistance, determined to find them, but is forced to flee Europe with fragments of her family. Destitute, she mines her talents to create a magnificent perfume that captures the hearts of Hollywood's top stars, then gambles again to win wealth and success as a couturier. Her intelligence and flair attracts the adoration of Jonathan Newell-Grey, of England's top shipping conglomerate, and Cameron Murphy, Hollywood's most charismatic star.

Danielle charts her course through devastating wartime losses and revenge; lustful lovers and loveless marriages; and valiant struggles to reunite her family. Set between privileged lifestyles and gritty realities, here is one woman's story of courage, spirit, and resilience.

Connect with Jan at the following links:

Website: http://www.janmoran.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janmoran

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9056.Jan_Moran

We also invite you to enter the tour contest! 

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Travis Simmons Guest Post-Space Exploration

Editor's note: Our friends at Jitterbug PR have brought us a great guest post and author to introduce to all of you. His name is Travis Simmons, and the book is The Mirror of the Moon. Read the guest post below, and then learn more about the book and Travis. Be sure to enter the giveaway too!
-Stephen

Space Exploration

by Travis Simmons

At the end of 2012 I was browsing news headlines when I came across one that said NASA believes we would find life on other planets in 2013. There are some topics I can breeze past, and then there are those topics that make me sit back and say “WOW!” Immediately my brain started thinking. There are so many planets in our galaxy that could support life and daily more and more are added to that list. Some of these planets aren’t that far away. And you have to think, we are only categorizing planets that could support life as we know it. That means if there are life forms out there that live a way we don’t know about, there could be even more.

Lets look at a number really fast. 54 is the number of planets found between 2009 and 2011 believed to have liquid water, an essential building block to life as we know it. That is just two years. And that is just planets they know about, planets they have found. Our galaxy could contain more than 50 billion planets. People far smarter than I have already done the math, and it rings in at about 500 million planets that could be in the “Goldilocks” zone, the perfect distance from their host star to support life (as we know it).

This is astounding! Do you know what that means? Nothing is confirmed yet (more on that in a minute) but there is no way we are alone in the universe. These planets are in our cosmic back yard! Even more exhilarating there is mention that Venus could have water on the surface, and there is evidence that Mars had water on it at one time. Personally I think Mars had life on it. Personally I think we were implanted from Mars to Earth via a meteor shower that brought parts of Mars to Earth and bacteria with it (in a panspermia display of implanting life).

But the headline definitely said we would find life in 2013. You know what that translates to for me? We have already found life; we just need to confirm our findings before we release the news. Where would this life be? The red planet in my opinion. We are already there with Curiosity, analyzing minerals. They even found carbon at the landing site, and carbon IS the building block of life. But they largely suspect the carbon went into the Martian atmosphere with Curiosity.

But what will this life be? Most likely we will find some form of bacteria when we find actual life, but that is still alien life. The possibilities are endless though. Cosmically speaking, humans are a pretty young species, which means there could certainly be (in all probability there is) older forms of civilization out there.
This is the type of stuff fantasy and science fiction authors live for. These discoveries drive us and we start imagining all of these strange worlds, some of them similar to our own, but many of them aren’t. If you pick up any science fiction book, it is completely possible a world similar to the one written of could be out there somewhere, undiscovered.

Every day there are amazing discoveries in science. Some of the stuff in science fiction of times past is already coming into play. It is only a matter of time before real life space exploration catches up to science fiction. At that point, will it even be called science fiction any longer? Will it, instead, be called science? Probably not because, by then, the science fiction authors will have more evidence and information to build off of, and more theories to create that might eventually be supported by scientific discovery. It is an amazing time to live in, and an amazing time to write in. I am just so glad I am alive to see it.



About The Mirror of the Moon: With the death of one of the companions, Grace must answer for the secrets she’s kept. The path before them is ever lengthening in their quest for Amber. There are changes they all must face, and when Joya enters her trials of sorcery, danger lurks around every corner. The power within Angelica and Jovian is strengthening and with it comes confusion. What are they? It is painfully obvious nothing like them has ever existed before. Why is it at times they seem more one person than two separate people? With all the mystery surrounding their latent power, Angelica stumbles upon a passage in a book of sorcery indicating she is evil. Could she be the Mask prophecy speaks of? Is she destined to turn against her own flesh? To make matters worse, the Well of Wyrding (a giant well that controls all sorcery) has been breached and wyrd itself is spiraling into chaos.



About Travis Simmons: "I have been writing since I was 14. I began writing a book called "The Calling of the Two" and while writing that on and off I started uncovering another idea.

"Yes, this is all well and good, but what about before? What happened in the world before these characters came into it?" I always knew there was a "before" and as I started wondering about it I got ideas. At first they were little ideas but as I discovered the names for my characters a whole story about them emerged.

I started working on The Revenant Wyrd Saga several years back and I am very happy I did because hearing and documenting Jovian and Angelica's story has been one wild ride.

I live in a remote part of upstate New York and honestly just hoofing around my neck of the woods gives me a ton of inspiration for my novels. I love research, and I love speculating on different ideas and theories."


Connect with Travis at the following links:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Enter the giveaway too!

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Guest Post by Jennings Wright and Start of IXEOS Blog Tour

Editor's Note: Today we bring you the start of the IXEOS tour with author Jennings Wright, and we have a great guest post about the foundation of IXEOS and Jennings' experiences in writing the novel. Special thanks to Jitterbug PR for letting us share another gifted author with all of you!
-Stephen

The Genesis of IXEOS and Surprises in Writing 

by Jennings Wright


I don’t know if all writers feel this way, or if it’s just because I write in so many genres, but I am constantly surprised by the stories that I write. Sometimes I think, “Where the heck did all that come from?!” when I’m reading through a draft, especially on the first go-round, since I never edit while I’m writing.

IXEOS is no exception, and may, in fact, be the most surprising book so far, for several reasons. First off, I don’t really read science fiction, and my fantasy reading has been, until I discovered some indie authors I wanted to read, limited to low fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. I do watch those kinds of movies sometimes, but still, I’m not at all what you’d call a buff in those genres.

So why, you’re probably wondering, would I choose to write this story? That’s a good question, and I’ll contribute to your confusion when I say that, at first, I didn’t even realize it had sci-fi elements to it! My daughter had to inform me. So. Here’s the story behind the story…

First off, I don’t usually decide to write a book in a genre before I have the idea for a book. I dream up the idea first, and then write it, and then have to choose a genre for publishing. I know genres are important for people who are looking up new books to read, but honestly, I just like well written, entertaining stories and rarely think about genre. I’m the same with movies, although I guess I lean towards action in all genres.

Secondly, I would say that IXEOS is somewhat “low” sci-fi, definitely low fantasy, and has as many dystopian elements as either of these. When I think of science fiction I picture space ships and laser guns and robots. IXEOS doesn’t have these, although it does have aliens. That look like humans.

I know, you’re still confused. Here’s the genesis of the story:

Late last winter, I picked up a National Geographic magazine in a doctor’s waiting room and read a fascinating story about the almost-200 miles of tunnels that are under Paris. There is a whole community that uses these tunnels (illegally) called cataphiles, and there are others who work for the City who check the tunnels for safety, cave-ins, and that kind of thing. Miles of the walls are covered with artwork and amazing graffiti, and there are walls of bones, which have been made into decorative patterns from the bones of an over-full cemetery. In short, it’s really fascinating, and I knew right away that those tunnels would be in a novel one day.

The second event was the following summer, when my daughter and I were kayaking around Beaufort, NC. We beached on Carrot Island, which is a narrow barrier island in front of the town, and walked over the dune to see what was on the other side. We expected more water, but not what we found: a perfectly round pond that was teeming with water birds, including a flock of mallards. We were looking around the area, noting the feed station for the wild horses that live on the island, when we realized the ducks were gone. Just gone. They hadn’t flown away, but they were nowhere to be seen. We walked around the whole pond, thinking they’d snuck into the reeds, but we never saw them again.

For a couple of weeks after that, my daughter and I sent each other funny, random texts about “where the ducks went.” They went all over the place in our imaginations! And then one day, I realized that the ducks could go to those tunnels in Paris, and IXEOS was born.

Having the McClellands follow the ducks into a tunnel and end up in Paris meant that there could be fantasy elements in the story. I researched other cities in the world that had tunnels and was surprised to find how many do. That led to the idea of portals in the Paris tunnels that led the outsiders all over the world. And from there the plot really took off.

I didn’t expect the book to become a trilogy, but I realized that I wouldn’t be able to fully resolve the problem of the humans and the Firsts in just one book. It was a relief to be able to spread it out and really explore the world and the characters rather than trying to cram such a large plot , involving the whole world, into one book.

So obviously, there were a lot of surprises with this book. That’s one of the best parts about being a writer, and especially an independent one. I can write the stories that fascinate and surprise me, make them the length I think the story deserves, and smash three different genres into one novel. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Synopsis of IXEOS

The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose: to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it. With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader.

The aliens aren't the only problem on Ixeos -- the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved.

The worst part? There's no way home.

About the Author

Born and raised in Rockledge, Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn't spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her science fiction stories.

Jennings attended the University of the South and the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of script doctoring, business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit to Uganda.

Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn't stopped since. She's written four novels and a screenplay in less than a year, with more ideas on the drawing board. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, also a writer, and two children, and travels extensively.

Author Links

Facebook – www.Facebook.com/JSWwrites

Website – http://jenningswright.wordpress.com

Twitter – @JenningsWright

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008QO3BP8
Goodreads Author Page:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450269.Jennings_Wright

Beating Rejection - Guest Post from Siobhan Kinkade

Editor's Note:  Today we have the great pleasure of sharing a wonderful guest post from a highly talented author, Siobhan Kinkade, on her Loki's Game Blog Tour.  There is some wonderful wisdom contained in the post below and we hope that you enjoy it!  Special thanks to the great team at Jitterbug PR for this blog tour visit. 
-Stephen

Beating Rejection 
by Siobhan Kinkade

I chose to talk about rejection today for a specific reason. The wonderfully awesome Seventh Star Press has agreed to host me , and as a publisher, the SSP crowd knows what it’s like to be on the nasty side of a rejection letter. Not that either side is really better than the other, but still. It makes sense here.

You see, I used to have this horrible fear of rejection... that if I submitted anything I wrote, it would be read by others, judged, and then laughed at for being the worst drivel to ever be committed to a page. I was always afraid that I wasn't good enough, that I was wasting my time, and that my writing would never take me anywhere. I say this because to get where I am, I had to face that fear. In January 2011, I received my very first rejection letter.

Yes, it hurt like hell. Yes, I got mad. Yes, I got upset and wanted to cry and scream and throw a tantrum. Yes, I wanted to call the editor and yell at her and tell her she was a fool for not buying that story.

But I didn't.

I had that moment of absolute panic - that knife-in-the-chest pain and the fear that I truly wasn't ever going to be good enough to achieve my goals. I became extremely upset and considered deleting the file containing every bit of writing I've ever done. I almost reached the point, staring at that sad little form rejection letter, that I cried.

Then I got over it.

Once I was able to think rationally again, I realized two things: First, I am good enough. I've been writing since I was able to hold a pencil. I used to win awards in school. I had another contract.

I CAN DO THIS.

Second, I realized that the reason it was rejected is because the story wasn't finished. I started looking at it again the next night after I cleared my head, and the more I read, the more I realized that there were multiple loose ends that need to be tied up. Some of the story seemed rushed, and parts of it were stilted.

Once I got over the anger and frustration, I was sort of relieved that it wasn't contracted because I would have gone back through edits and very likely hacked it to bits. I wasn’t happy with the story as it is - don't get me wrong, I love the idea and the characters. But I knew when I looked at it that it still needed a lot of work and had a long way to go before I could actually publish it.

So I put it off to the side for awhile. A good long while, actually. I found my mojo and worked on other things. I contracted another story, then a third. Then I wrote a horror story and sold it under another name. Another pair of romance stories hit the market. In between those successes, my writing resume became scattered with rejections. Twenty-one of them, to be exact. That first book, the one that I loved so desperately yet hated so vehemently, came back to mind and I picked it up for revision.

Then my father died and my world came crashing down around me. I forgot how to function. I lost all motivation and sense of self. I hit a rock-bottom depression that, when looking back on it now, scares me.

Somewhere in the middle of that cloud of darkness, I pushed out a few more stories, picked up a few more rejections, and finished revisions. Then I took that pitiful book and I handed it off one last time to a publisher with the internal threat of the permanent delete key if it failed.

That book, ladies and gentlemen, was the first draft of Loki’s Game. It started on a whim, took a beating, and ultimately helped me through the absolute worst period of my life. Revising the story allowed me to sink back into two things I love – writing and mythology. It kept me distracted yet focused, and gave me a place to vent my frustrations.

Today, I’m very proud to present this work of art, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a personal triumph.

Ladies and gentlemen, I beat the rejection letters.

Loki's Game Synopsis: Unemployed museum curator Lily Redway responds to an advertisement in the newspaper, thinking she is applying for a job. On the other side of that small, black-and-white box waits two things: a fantasy world come to life and a man named Rowan Keir.

Rowan is a man with many secrets. He is a shape-shifter, a descendent of old world mythology, and the guardian of a rare and valuable Nordic artifact. He is also being hunted by the god Loki and has spent the last six hundred years outsmarting and outrunning him.

With the fury of Asgard on Rowan’s trail, Lily finds herself caught up in a real-life fantasy story, a love triangle, and an ages-old war that pitches her into a different world and one very hard truth: All is fair in love and war.

About Siobhan Kinkade: At a very early age, Siobhan developed a love of reading. By first grade she was on a fifth grade level, and by the time she was a teenager she spent every penny she earned on new books. Oddly enough she gravitated toward science fiction, fantasy and horror while avoiding the romance genre at all costs. It wasn’t until her mother introduced her to Nora Roberts that she realized romance could be fun.

Not much has changed since then. She is still a voracious reader and recovering grammar junkie.

Left to her own devices, she plots interesting ways to seduce, frighten, and destroy. While she finds herself drawn to the dark and eerie, she is also very much a free spirit and hopeless romantic. With multiple stories in publication and several more on the way she spends her time writing happy-ever-afters for the underdogs.

Siobhan writes both contemporary and dark paranormal romance (and a little bit of fantasy and horror under another name, omitted to protect the guilty), much of it of a highly erotic nature. Having never really enjoyed reading romance, she finds writing it to be a cathartic act. By manipulating the characters, she can make the happy endings much more satisfying for herself, and hopefully for her readers as well.


Be sure to connect with Siobhan Kinkade at:

Blog: http://siobhankinkade.wordpress.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSiobhanKinkade
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/#!/siobhankinkade
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/siobhankinkade

Dragon Shield Tour Visit With Dianne Gardner

Editor's Note: I am very excited to present a stop on Dianne Gardner's Dragon Shield Tour, presented by the wonderful folks at Jitterbug PR! To get you started, I'll share the trailer for Dragon Shield, and then we're featuring a brand new guest post from Dianne. She's an extremely talented author and artist, and we definitely encourage you to check her work out. She has some excellent titles out on Hydra Publications!
-Stephen Zimmer







First of all, thank you Stephen Zimmer and SSP for having me on your blog! What an honor.

I asked Stephen what he’d like my guest post to be about and this was his response:

"I would like to know how you select the right image to portray to represent a title as a whole. What goes into the composition to reflect the theme of the book?"

I’ve done the cover of all my novels as well as my short stories. I’ve also created a few book covers as commission work for other writers, and that is a completely different ball game, by the way, because usually the writer has their own idea of what they like their cover to look like.

So I’m going to talk about my own covers.

As a side note, may I add here that my painting style is impressionism, which is different than what you typically see for fantasy. That’s just the way I paint.

In Deception Peak, the story is about Ian and his dad entering this awesome Realm. It’s an absolutely beautiful place. That is until they near the mountain where sorcery separates the two and Ian’s father is lost in the caves. The ominous presence of the mountain, the dragon’s lair, is the title for the book, and of course a mountain needed to be on the cover. Not just any mountain either. It’s described as having tall slate pillars, blackened from lightning and desolate cliffs. It reeks of danger the closer you get to the peaks.

I kept the colors surrounding the mountain grays and teal, complimented by the orange hues of the foothills and along the shoreline where the Meneks live. That cover was fairly simple to design.

As far as the dragon on The Dragon Shield Cover, you need to know that painting was actually painted before the book was written. It did, in fact, inspire the series. As The Dragon Shield came closer to publication I realized that the story was more about a shield than it is about the dragon.

And I just happened to have a real shield! The gentleman who played Alex in the trailer actually made the shield that he carries in the short film. It’s a replica of the one that Alex gave to Ian in the book—the one with the rubies. I was thrilled to have it and I’ll bring it to book signings with me, by the way!

I had to put the image of that shield on my cover, even though it isn’t the magical Dragon targe that the children made. Still, Ian’s shield plays a big role in the story. The magical shield would, in fact have been too busy for the book cover.

Since the trilogy book covers are actually part of a triptych (a 9 ft 3 panel oil painting) they had their own unique process of becoming reality. The Four Wizard book covers are a little different and I think I can explain what Stephen is asking for a little better by using those for an example.

We have four individual wizards; all are patriarchs of a different part of the Realm, all with their own unique stories, and yet all related in some way. Silvio and the old tree stump have a connection. And without giving the story away, I wanted the reader to know that the tree stump is an extremely important part of not just Silvio’s story, but the Realm’s as well. Of course, Deception Peak is in the background of that book cover.

Meneka’s was a fun cover to do. He’s the dragon wizard, and I think you’ll find that his story has a fascinating twist as to why the Meneks worship the dragon. I choose one of the most climatic parts of the story, put a little artistic license to it (he’s not really on the beach when he performs this act but I wanted the beach in the painting because the water plays an important part in the story). His cover is brighter with the red dragon. Meneka is a fiery personality!

The most important scene in the story Kaempie was when he sacrificed his powers to the Northern Winds. It is the turning point for the entire history of the Realm. It was a stormy evening, the wind was blowing, and he was afraid. Those were the elements I wanted to convey in the title. Whether they work or not, or draw the reader in, you’ll have to tell me.

The final short story, which was just published, is the story of the wizard Reuben. This painting was actually a plein air sunset painting I did last summer with a few alterations. The story of Reuben is a romance. Reuben being rowed to the Island of Refuge by two gypsies while he longs for his true love is the scene portrayed here. I thought about doing a little more with the romance aspect in the painting, but I didn’t want to give the story away.

To me a good cover suggests the atmosphere of the story, and draws the-would be reader in, just like a hook would in the first line of your book. You cover is seen even before your first line. But you don’t want to tell your viewer everything…just a taste.

I hope mine have that effect.

Thanks for asking Stephen. I hope it answers some of your questions!

Synopsis of Dragon Shield

Ian's Realm: The Dragon Shield
Available Now at Amazon.com

As a young man, Ian returns to the Realm to fight against the tyranny that has befallen his friends. But the Realm is a different place, the forest is dying, the Kaermperns have lost the shield that protected them from the dragon, and Ian has a hard time proving his allegiance when trouble follows him through the portal. His struggle to do right buries him in confusion, and he must fight his own will to prove his integrity.




Be sure to connect with Dianne at the following social media links:

Blog

Hydra Publications link

Facebook Ian's Realm link

Twitter @DianneGardner

12 Day’s of Christmas: Holly and Ivy Blog Tour

It is with great pleasure that I bring you Selah Janel today, a really talented author who is in the midst of her 12 Days of Christmas Blog Tour (brought to you by our friends at Jitterbug PR!).  We have an excerpt, synopsis, and a bio of Selah for you to check out today.  We highly recommend you connect with Selah on her social media links and that you give her books a try!  Don't forget to enter the big giveaway too! 
-Stephen

About Holly and Ivy by Selah Janel

After losing her job and her boyfriend, Holly returns to her parents’ farm. Embarrassed and hopeless, she doesn’t expect to bump into a forgotten childhood friend that wasn’t supposed to exist. Ivy is not only a dryad, but she lives in the pine trees Holly’s family grows to sell at Christmas. As the old friends reconnect, Ivy not only shares her strong opinions, but gives Holly a charm that will change both their lives. As days melt into weeks and the seasons change, Holly’s life magically turns around. Christmas not only brings surprises, but a choice for the human woman. What’s more important: stability, success, and love, or keeping a promise to an old friend?

Book Excerpt

“What do I do with it?” I asked. I told myself I was just playing along, suspending reality to make Ivy feel better. Although if that was the case then perhaps I should have really examined the fact that Ivy was real and not me suspending reality to make myself feel better.

“You hold it now until it gets to know you. You keep it safe in your possession and it shall bring you ease and grace,” the tree sprite giggled.

“And that really works?” No matter how I tried I couldn’t hide my skepticism.

She turned up her pointed nose. “How else would I have survived so well with murderers on the loose? It’s worked for a good long while.” I raised an eyebrow as a sly grin spread just a little too far across her face to make the smile look human. “Do you remember when I snuck to school with that sapling you took for show and tell?”

The next smile didn’t hurt quite as much as I traced the delicate edge of the tiny plant with the pad of a finger. The petaled head shivered and softly brushed against my calluses.  “I thought everyone was going to have a heart attack when you burst out of the thing and started singing to everyone! Mrs. Robinson finally played it off as the whole class playing a trick on her. We had to go without milk time for a week.” I’d gotten in so much trouble with my parents for lying in school and saying that I had a magic plant. Given that I was adamant that I’d been telling the truth, it was a hell of an ordeal for a six-year-old.

“’Twas so much fun!” Ivy paused mid-pirouette. It was downright disgusting that she could hold the arabesque for so long and not even wobble or suffer a leg cramp. “Though I would not want to live in such cold halls all the time.” She paused and took a long breath, much longer than I or any other human could possibly inhale. Before my eyes her skin became greener, infused by the crisp clean air. “You need to be in the trees, Holly. Mortals refuse to understand that they must live where things grow. Now that you’re home, let’s play!” She leapt over my head and landed effortlessly beside her home tree, staring at me expectantly.

Maybe it was being back home or maybe it was just being back in the good fresh air, but her suggestion made me giddy. It suddenly sounded like the exact prescription I needed, the one thing I’d been missing through all those frustrating years. My fragile mind and heart demanded an escape. They couldn’t take any more disappointment, any more expectations or responsibility, and they especially couldn’t take any more reality. I nodded and tucked the strange clover deep in my pocket. The breeze had dried my tears and the heavenly scent of grass and pine put the sudden urge to run in my feet. Suddenly the heavy air and the blazing sun didn’t matter so much and my anxieties were willing to take a momentary backseat to the chance to goof off for an afternoon.  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I hesitated, hand still at my pocket.

Ivy flashed a bold grin and stretched up on her toes; her fingers wiggled over her head, making her resemble an odd, scrawny plant. “With you here? Of course! Just remember to come look after my tree when the murderers come around the winter harvest time. You can even help me choose which tree will be my final home so you’ll know where I’ll be.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she tore off, dodging branches and bark as quick and swift as a deer. I groaned as I pulled myself to my feet and tumbled after her, muscles screaming at the sudden exercise. Still, I found myself laughing the entire time.

 

Author Bio

Selah Janel has been blessed with a giant imagination since she was little and convinced that fairies lived in the nearby state park or vampires hid in the abandoned barns outside of town. Her appreciation for a good story was enhanced by a love of reading, the many talented storytellers that surrounded her, and a healthy curiosity for everything. A talent for warping everything she learned didn’t hurt, either. She gravitates to writing fantasy and horror, but can be convinced to pursue any genre if the idea is good enough. Often her stories feature the unknown creeping into the “real” world and she loves to find the magical in the mundane.

 She has four e-books with No Boundaries Press, including the historical vampire story ‘Mooner’ and the contemporary short ‘The Other Man’. Her work has also been included in ‘The MacGuffin’, ‘The Realm Beyond’, ‘Stories for Children Magazine’, and the upcoming Wicked East Press anthology ‘Bedtime Stories for Girls’. She likes her music to rock, her vampires lethal, her fairies to play mind games, and her princesses to hold their own.

Author Links

Blog – http://www.selahjanel.wordpress.com

Fandom Scene Column – http://www.fandomfestblog.com/blogs/selah-janel

Facebook Author Page – http://www.facebook.com/authorSJ

Facebook Book Page – http://www.facebook.com/intherednovel

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5622096.Selah_Janel

Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Selah-Janel/e/B0074DKC9K/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1346815995&sr=1-2-ent

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/SelahJanel

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In the Red Blog Blog Tour: Guest Post by Selah Janel

Today we are very excited to have Selah Janel joining us during her blog tour for In the Red. Big thanks to Jitterbug PR for the hard work on the tour and for bringing us such a cool author! Selah's guest post on character inspiration is below, and definitely pick up a copy of In the Red!

About Selah Janel

Selah Janel has been blessed with a giant imagination since she was little and convinced that fairies lived in the nearby state park or vampires hid in the abandoned barns outside of town. Her appreciation for a good story was enhanced by a love of reading, the many talented storytellers that surrounded her, and a healthy curiosity for everything. A talent for warping everything she learned didn’t hurt, either. She gravitates to writing fantasy and horror, but can be convinced to pursue any genre if the idea is good enough. Often her stories feature the unknown creeping into the “real” world and she loves to find the magical in the mundane.

 She has four e-books with No Boundaries Press, including the historical vampire story ‘Mooner’ and the contemporary short ‘The Other Man’. Her work has also been included in ‘The MacGuffin’, ‘The Realm Beyond’, ‘Stories for Children Magazine’, and the upcoming Wicked East Press anthology ‘Bedtime Stories for Girls’. She likes her music to rock, her vampires lethal, her fairies to play mind games, and her princesses to hold their own.

About In the Red

Live like a rock star. Dance ‘til you die. Are you in?

What kind of a rock star lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere and plays at weddings and funerals? That’s what Jeremiah Kensington is thinking after an unsuccessful bar gig one night. Then Jack Scratch comes into his life, ready to represent him and launch him to stardom. Jack can give him everything: a new band, a new name, a new life, a new look, and new boots…although they aren’t exactly new. They once belonged to The One, a rocker so legendary and so mysterious that it’s urban legend that he used black magic to gain success. But what does Jeremiah care about urban legend? And it’s probably just coincidence that the shoes make him dance better than anyone, even if it doesn’t always feel like he’s controlling his movements. It’s no big deal that he plunges into a world of excess and decadence as soon as he puts the shoes on his feet, right?

But what happens when they refuse to come off?

Character Inspiration

by Selah Janel

When I write, I may have somewhat of an idea as to where I’m going with the plot, but until I click with the characters, it doesn’t matter. Thankfully, with In the Red, there were a lot of strong characters for me to get attached to and learn about. Some of them had to grow on me, some were a lot of fun to write, and some I didn’t even see coming when I first planned to extend a short story into the book.

I knew from the start that there were going to be rock stars and everything that went with them. My main character, Jeremiah Kensington, is stuck as a small-town musician and longs to be a rock star. More than that, though, he wants to be noticed, he wants fame, he wants the control that he doesn’t have in his daily life. I could definitely identify with his anxieties and his small-town upbringing, but his selfishness astounded me to the point that I nearly ended his story before it really began. I had to put my expectations aside and realize that his reasons were very human, that that could be me caught in his problems if I let myself get bogged down by what I hadn’t done. So I took a deep breath and plunged into the world of rock n’ roll as Jeremiah took the plunge and allowed himself to be transformed into J.K. Asmodeus. As J.K. he’s in the moment and lives for his chance to strut on stage. What comes out of his mouth is sometimes offensive, other times outrageous, but that’s what it takes to be number one, right? If Jeremiah is selfish in a human, childlike way, I was a little shocked at J.K.’s outright cruelty at times. And yet, I could see why he appeals to his fans. He has the image that everyone wants to believe in. He’s the bad boy that others love to hate. And he definitely makes the most of both.

Along the way I met up with characters I never expected. His band mates were originally just referred to, and suddenly blazed to center stage. Baal, Mammon, Leviathan, and Belphegor became sources of entertainment, my answer to some of the over-the-top rock urban legends out there. They have secrets and issues of their own, and in some ways they’ve compromised themselves far more than their lead singer. These are the guys who are all too willing to teach Jeremiah how to be a proper down-and-dirty rocker, the guys who are all too eager to try everything and break hearts because they can. Admittedly I started fleshing them out beyond the stage sequences because I was curious if I could even write characters like this without it getting too out of control. I was curious if I could balance out their behavior with their real motivations and true natures. It was a fun, if exhausting, game and I’m glad I took a chance and listened to their own seedy brand of advice.

And of course a rocker has to have a manager. Jack Scratch was originally supposed to be the equivalent of the stranger/soldier in ‘The Red Shoes’ fairy tale, but he quickly outgrew the role and took on a life of his own. I knew I wanted a sort of devilish figure, but I didn’t necessarily want to make it the same ol’ same ol’. Thankfully, rock urban legend is chock full of evil imagery, so I was able to combine traits of a shady manager type figure, ultimate evil, and a strange being that might be waiting for the right person at the crossroads of folklore. He’s outrageous, though almost always in control. I like Jack and I didn’t expect to. There’s a restrained hunger in him that I admire, and he really believes that he has all the answers. He plays a mighty good game and is someone that could be found likeable and unnerving. For my first crack at a devil character, I find myself quite pleased with Mr. Jack Scratch.

The red boots, themselves, started to become more of a character and not just a plot device. The moment I decided to give them their own place in my rock folklore, the moment I crafted an urban legend around them, the story broke wide open. They’re the key to the whole thing. Whether you want to take them as a metaphor or a cursed object, I don’t mind. They’re temptation incarnate, that one thing that could give you everything you’d ever want. Everyone in the story that’s directly around Jeremiah (or J.K. as he likes to be called), is influenced by the boots. They’re hard to ignore, and even harder to deal with. They’ve had many owners in the past, including a mysterious rocker called The One, a musician so good that his music has been hidden for fear that it’s too powerful. The One was based around a few actual rock stories I’ve heard, though the more I thought about him, the more I put my own spin on things. There are shades of Hendrix, of Vince Taylor, of Ziggy Stardust, of Robert Johnson that find their way into the vague legend of The One. At the end of the day, nothing is concrete about him, and I think he’d want it that way. Or would he?

Along with these characters are others that fit into the rock n’ roll landscape: hangers-on, groupies, fans, an obsessive wife, fans, the band’s resident “pharmacist”…they all have their role to play in influencing Jeremiah’s dreams and paranoia. And yet, as I went along, I realized that I needed other characters to balance things out, especially as the story moved to the second half of the book. It wasn’t enough to have a bunch of people willing to drag Jeremiah down to his lowest point. Surely there were people who could lend him a helping hand, too. Call it my desire to see the good in people, call it the want to give everyone, even my characters, a fair shot, but there it was. And that was how I discovered that Jeremiah had a sister with her own iron will, her own past, and her own quiet secrets. She’s probably the character I like the most in terms of her personality (like everyone else, our life experiences are drastically different). In fact, I was utterly shocked by figuring out some of her backstory- she was the character that showed up out of nowhere and surprised me by telling me more and more that I was unprepared to hear. Daniella would become the one person that would be willing to see Jeremiah through his journey when no one else would. And believe me, by that he needs all the help he can get.

A lot of these characters came about because of necessity, or maybe they were always lurking there in the story, waiting to be discovered. At the end of the day, though, Jeremiah/J.K. Asmodeus is the driving force. I’ve never had a character perplex me so much and yet bring out my own feelings of author empathy. I never expected to want a character that I started out disliking to succeed. Maybe it’s because he’s humbled so badly at one point, maybe because he has his own special charisma as a rock star, or maybe I’m finally able to see that he’s got his own potential for good and bad, just like anyone else.

Whatever the case, I hope you read In the Red and grow as fond of this group as I am. I hope you cheer for Sons of Pandemonium, wonder about Jack, smile with Daniella, and pull for Jeremiah. As for the boots…I’ll let you make up your own mind about them.

Connect with Selah at the following links:

Blog – http://www.selahjanel.wordpress.com

Fandom Scene Column – http://www.fandomfestblog.com/blogs/selah-janel

Facebook Author Page – http://www.facebook.com/authorSJ

Facebook Book Page – http://www.facebook.com/intherednovel

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5622096.Selah_Janel

Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Selah-Janel/e/B0074DKC9K/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1346815995&sr=1-2-ent

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/SelahJanel

Blogger Spotlight: Ali's Bookshelf

Blogger Spotlight: Ali's Bookshelf

In our second installment of our Blogger Spotlight, we will be visiting with Ali's Bookshelf, a wonderful blog run by Ali Justice.  We have worked with Ali for quite a while, and she is definitely hard at work. In addition to Ali's Bookshelf, she also has Ali Talks Live, a podcast about books and authors, and Jitterbug PR, which performs services for authors like blog tours, public relations, and beta reading.  So let's not wait any longer! It's time to meet Ali herself!


Blogger Spotlight #2: Ali's Bookshelf

1.Tell us a little about yourself, and your background

I’m a mother of two wonderful kids who I love and adore more than anything.  My oldest is Samantha and she is defiantly my mini me, she even helps with my blog for a post called Mini Me Corner.  Then I have my little man Braxton who is my sweetheart.  He started school this year and I’m totally missing having him around me all the time.  But, he is one of those kids that has to know how everything works.

I live in Kentucky so, as you can tell by my picture, I am a total country girl. I grew up on a farm with all the usual animals and love the outdoors.  I would rather run around with no shoes on and be outside most of the time.  Other than that, I am a book lover and a blogger, a friend to many, a sister to three brothers (I have no idea how I put up with three of them) and I’m a PR agent for several authors.  I now own two companies, one being My PR Company called Jitterbug PR and the other is called Creatively Elegant Wedding and Events.  I am also a certified Wedding and Event Planner. I am what my friends call a Jack of all trades, more like a Jill of all trades though.


2. What kinds of books do you like to read for pleasure? Any favorites?
I read a lot of YA, Sci-fi, and Fantasy books.  My favorites would have to be anything wrote by Raymond E. Feist or C.S. Lewis.

3. When did you start your blog, and what motivated you to do it?
I started my blog mid-August of 2011.  I was doing another blog and started to do some book reviews on it, but that blog got kind of boring for me, so I wanted to try my hand at just book reviewing and now I love it!

4. How did you come up with the name for your site? Is there a story behind it?
Well my blog is Ali’s Bookshelf and I came up with that name mainly because I wanted to show off all the books on my bookshelf’s.  Ali, well that is my name from everyone I know personally so it just fit.

5. What kinds of genres do you cover on your site?
I cover a lot of different things, mainly YA, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Chick- lit.

6. What kinds of regular features do you have on your site?
So as for my regular features on Ali’s Bookshelf, other than author interviews, guest posts, and cover reveals, I also have Another Add to my bookshelf and Sittin on the Shelf.  Both of these are to showcase books I’m either about to read or just got and want to add to my TBR list soon.  Then I have Ali Talks Live, which most of you know is my live talk show where I interview authors every week.  I have a lot of different weekly and daily features.

7. What is the hardest thing about being a blogger?
Hardest thing about being a blogger is saying no to some amazing books.  I can’t accept every single book that comes my way, there is no way. I get on average about 500 review requests a week.  So I have to pick and choose.  I wish I could say yes to all of them, but I do have a life and family outside of blogging and reviewing!

8. What are your favorite things about being a blogger?
My favorite things about being a blogger is simple…The Books! Books are one of my favorite things and to get to read and tell everyone I know about them is a dream of mine.  Sharing my passion of books with all my readers and listeners is so much fun.  I also really love my show Ali Talks Live.  It’s so much fun just chatting with authors about all kinds of stuff.

9. If you could give a piece of advice or two to authors looking to work with a blog site, what would you say?
The first piece of advice I would give is to make sure you know the blog you are seeking out for review.  Know their review policy; know the type of books they review, make sure you know what they ask of you when requesting a review as well.  Make sure you include everything they need like links and bio when requesting the review.  It’s very important to think of this as a job request not a favor as well.

The reason I say know the blogger and their blog is simple, every single blogger is different, and we have our own style of doing things.  I know my one huge pet peeve is when someone sends me a request, that I don’t want the review copy in the first email before I agree to read it.  Other reviewers are fine with that.

Also know that each review is the opinion of the reviewer, I don’t promise pretty reviews and I don’t give out 5 puppies lightly.  I do post DNF posts (Did Not Finish) some bloggers don’t. If you are sending me your book to be reviewed, then please know that you are doing so at your own risk.  You are asking me for my own opinion and I will give it to you.

10. Any last thoughts or things you might want to say to readers who are finding out about your blog for the first time?
I love being a blogger and Ali’s Bookshelf is something I put my heart and soul into.  Most bloggers I know spend as much time working on their blog then they do at a normal job.  I know I spend at least 45 hours a week on mine or more even.  Please know we do this for the love of books and authors.  We aren’t here to say mean things; we are here to review the books we are given like we are asked.

As for readers of my blog, I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I do.  My biggest hope for the readers of my blog is that they find a great book to read, maybe even a book that will become their favorite.

Thanks for having me on the blog, I am very excited to be here!




Be sure to visit Ali's Bookshelf and connect on Facebook and Twitter!

Ali's Bookshelf: http://alisbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/
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