Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Moonbow, Blog Tour




Author:  Sheila Hollinghead

Published:  December 17th, 2013

Publisher: AltWit Press

Word Count:  65,000

Genre:  Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Synopsis:

A widow, a doctor, an unborn child. Three lives are at risk in this high stakes suspense. Die Auserwahlten, the Chosen Ones, have impregnated Gisa with an embryonic clone. Is it evil or just a child? It's up to Dr. Rayden Brooks to untangle the web that keeps them captive and save their lives. But will Gisa trust him?



 


Excerpt from Moonbow by Sheila Hollinghead:
THE MAN REFUSED to allow the crowd in the hospital cafeteria to thwart his efforts. He maneuvered to a seat, cutting in front of a young couple, to obtain full view of his prey. His cap was crammed down over his eyes, but he still saw the way Dr. Rayden Brooks smiled at the young woman, Adalgisa Ostheim. She bent her head closer to the doctor and allowed him to touch her arm. Surely, the doctor's conduct was unethical? The woman may not be the patient of Brooks, but she was the patient of his colleague, Dr. Cochran. 

The man pulled the brim of his cap lower. He knew this woman—she had been his third and there was also a fourth. The other three he had forgotten as soon as he had finished the assignment. But not Adalgisa, or Gisa as she called herself. The other three had made no more an impression on him than a fly buzzing around his head. They had all been annoyances, really. All but Adalgisa.

 
He had reached his objective with her long ago and moved on. Yet, now he had returned to her, like a hound-pursued deer searching for water. And Oberste had learned of his obsession.


The man was not cognizant of the ways Oberste received information. Regardless, Oberste knew and had warned him away from the woman. The dangers of disobedience were great, but here he was, to understand why something within him would not, could not, allow this.

 
The man made a plan. First, he would approach Dr. Cochran, discuss the behavior of Brooks. If Cochran refused to put a stop to it, he would be eliminated—regardless of Oberste's orders.

Oberste need not know. The threat of defection among those recruited was always a concern. Oberste would accept his story—that Cochran threatened the integrity of the program. And, of course, Dr. Rayden Brooks would simply be collateral damage. Oberste would be none the wiser.

He had to wrench his eyes away from Adalgisa's laughing face to glance at his cell phone. The meeting was in an hour. Tardiness would not be tolerated. Reluctantly, he left the hospital cafeteria.

He convinced himself he had time for a quick stop before the meeting. He drove to the store. He paused before he entered and smoothed back his blond hair. Placing a practiced smile on his lips, he approached the counter. "Pack of cigarettes," he said to the woman.

She tilted her head at him, and one eyebrow rose. "Brand?"

 
"Lucky Strikes, unfiltered." Nasty habit, but if he was to continue his surveillance of Adalgisa and Brooks, he needed something to keep his hands busy. It had nothing to do with quelling his fear of Oberste.

He mimicked the woman's tilt of the head. "Sorry, make that a carton."

"Sure. My pleasure."
 

Yes, Oberste had his methods, but so did he. He would carry out his plan, seek out Cochran, and sever the bond between Adalgisa and Brooks. He fervently wished he could take care of Brooks directly, but the rules forbade contact with those outside of the organization. If a violation occurred, Oberste always perceived the infraction, within hours, if not minutes. No deception was allowed; all worked for the cause.

Still, if the car of Dr. Rayden Brooks was parked in front of Adalgisa's house when he returned from the meeting, he would tear him apart with his bare hands, no matter what Oberste might do to him.

 





Below is the completed tour schedule:
Moonbow by Sheila Hollinghead:
Link to the author’s tour page:  http://junipergrovebooksolutions.com/moonbow-sheila-hollinghead/Title:  Moonbow



About the Author:

Sheila Hollinghead, an army brat, was born in Nuremberg, Germany. When she was ten, her father was stationed in Toul, France where she discovered a treasure trove of books hiding in the furnace room. The house was rumored to be the former headquarters of the Nazi Party with bullet holes decorating the foyer as evidence. The books, sci-fi, mysteries, fantasy, and the classics, opened her mind to the power of story. Today, she is married and lives on a farm in south Alabama with dogs, cats, and chickens. She agrees with Emily Dickinson who said, "I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it until it begins to shine."

 


 

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

  • Signed print copy of Moonbow & swag (US only)

 

Rafflecopter Widget Code:




 

 




Friday, January 3, 2014

Launch of WayFarer and Insightful comment from Author, Janalyn Voigt

I am so excited to share this with you. I love Janalyn's writing and I know you will, too. 

What I Discovered In the Vale of Shadows


By Janalyn Voigt

As a writer, I like to think I’m in charge of the story I’m writing. I spend time in reflection and prayer, and then create a plot line. My outline consists of one or two paragraphs to summarize each chapter, and then one- or two-sentence descriptions of what will happen in each scene. It’s the bones of my story that I then flesh in, and you’d think I’d be able to stick to it. Most of the time, I do. But sometimes the story just sort of…happens.

One day, while I was writing a scene in Wayfarer, book two of my Tales of Faeraven epic fantasy trilogy, with High King Elcon, the main character, seeking the DawnKing, an allegorical figure who represents Jesus, in the deep forest. It should have been a simple matter to find him and return to pressing business in the form of a gathering battle at the high hold. However, Elcon floored me by taking a turn into the Vale of Shadows, a fearsome place and a story location I hadn’t known existed. Did I mention that I like to think I’m in control of my characters, too?

I had to stop writing and give some thought to Elcon’s maneuver. What was he up to? And then it hit me. Of course that is where we can expect to find Jesus. He dwells not just within the forest of our lives, but in the darkest valley we can descend to. Whether that valley is one of sin, despair, or even the shadow of death, he waits for us there. The Bible puts it this way: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV).

Take a moment to revel in this knowledge by watching this joyous video by Greg Long.

Writers are cautioned not to say God wrote your book, and I don’t believe that happens except when it came to writing the Bible. However, there are times writers need to move over and let God breathe life into our stories. I knew then how the scene I was writing would have to change. Sometimes writers get to surprise their characters. It was not a matter of Elcon finding the DawnKing, but the opposite. There is nowhere we can go that God cannot find us. This is the measure of His love for us. In Wayfarer I took the opportunity to illustrate this poignant message.

Wayfarer can be read as a standalone story, but reading DawnSinger, the book one in the fantasy trilogy first will make the experience is richer. It is available in print or digital formats at most online stores.

 

First there was DawnSinger:



A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?


 

 Now the sequel:






When an untried youth ascends to the high throne of Faeraven, his mistakes tear kingdoms apart and allow just one chance at redemption. He must humble himself before the man he banished.







For all you e-readers here are the links:


Amazon Kindle 
Barnes and Noble Nook 
Pelican Books e book 


But for those of you who love to smell the pages, here is the link for a paperback:

Pelican Books paperback 

 
 
About Janalyn Voigt

As children, my older brother and I would beg my father for bedtime stories, and he would give them.  His deep voice rumbled against my ear at his chest as he unfolded stories of exotic places like Oz and Neverland. My imagination carried on with the tales even after he closed the book for the night. When eventually he stopped reading stories, I began creating my own.

Within a few years I’d become storyteller of my neighborhood. The other children would gather in a circle on our lawn while I invented stories to entertain them. No one, including myself, thought of this as anything unusual. It wasn’t until my sixth-grade teacher pointed out my ability to spin a tale that I and my parents took note. This is how at the age of twelve I decided to become a novelist. At it turns out, the fulfillment of that dream took a few more years than planned. 
Find out more about Janalyn, her closet writing office, and her books at the author website for Janalyn Voigt.

 

 


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Storm Chase by K.M. Carroll

I'm so excited to present this book. Released on Amazon.com November 20, 2013. (The same day the author gave birth to a baby girl, by the way) Kessie and I have known each other for about two years. I met Kessie on a chat Forum established by Jeff Gerke called Where the Map Ends. She invited me to join a critique group, spin off from that forum. My interaction with that critique group was invaluable and I cannot thank Kessie enough for scooping me under her wing and letting me play with her friends.

But enough about me!

Kessie stopped by to chat, and I asked her a few questions. I thought you might be interested in knowing what she said, so, pull up a chair and fill your cup...

Here is our conversation:

I think Christian Fiction writers always have an amazing God moment or two when they write their stories. Did you have one? What was it?

For me I think it was a whole God process. While writing, I found the Marcher Lord Press website and visited the forums. There I found a link to the Sandbox critique group. The Sandbox proceeded to pummel Storm Chase while I put it through multiple drafts. If God hadn't guided me to the critique group, I wouldn't have really learned to write and edit. I wouldn't have met Dana Bell and had multiple stories published in anthologies. Really, God's hand has been on my entire writing journey. It's wonderful. :-)

Why did you choose to write Storm Chase?

The story that became Storm Chase has been part of my life since high school. It's my husband's story, you see. He's been writing it and rewriting it for years. Finally, one day I got sick of it and said, “I'm going to write it for you and then it will be DONE.”

Ten drafts later, it finally is.
 
 Are any of your characters based on a real person? Can you tell us who?

Carda is a caricature of my husband. Naturally we had to change Carda quite a bit, though!
 
Your dialog was spot-on for the age of your characters. How did you do that?

I love writing dialogue and listening to people talk. I have a bunch of teen and adult siblings, and I love listening to them and the slang they use. They also coin hilarious phrases and say really funny things with a completely straight face. My kids, although younger, are the same way.
 
What inspired you to write this story?

Well, I was writing my husband's story, really. But a lot of other influences crept in—Lovecraft and Diablo influenced the angel-with-tentacle-wings. I'm a fervent admirer of Diana Wynne Jones's work, and I adore her multiverse, and the way she wrote magic happening in the real world. In later Spacetime books I go nuts with the multiverse aspect.
 
I happen to know the male main character in this book drives a particular car, would you like to tell the readers why his car has special meaning to you?

When we got married, my husband drove a red 1990 Mazda Miata. So of course Carda did, too! Although my husband no longer owns that car, it lives on in Storm Chase. I have fond (albeit terrifying) memories of zipping along the highway in that thing and almost getting blown off the road in storms.
 
 I also know you just gave birth to your fourth child, but do you have hobbies, other interests besides writing and taking care of the kids?

I've been in art class since I was little, and taught art to kids for about five years. I swap between writing and drawing to rest my muse. I also adore videogames and computer games, usually of the simulation sort: SimCity, The Sims, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and the like. I love building things.
 
Can you tell us something interesting about you that most people do not know?

My preferred pet is a reptile. Lizards, usually. Snakes don't have eyelids and can't give you sarcastic sideways looks. I had iguanas growing up—and then bearded dragons became popular, and I always wished for one. But I have small children, and small children do not mix well with reptiles that consume crickets and mealworms. (Hint: Twenty-five escaped crickets inside your house is a LOT.)

That's very true, and wise of you to realize it's not your season to have reptiles. But, when the kids get older...  Right?  Thank you for stopping by! I have enjoyed our chat.  And if you'd like to know more about Kessie, scroll down. And I'd love to hear from you in the comments.


About the Book



Carda is the Strider of Chronos. But figuring out what that means may cost him his life.
Struggling through high school in Phoenix, Arizona was hard enough, but now Carda’s hands are burning with magical fire and lightning. Worse, they affect time and space. Now all kinds of people want Carda dead, from a killer angel to the head of the extra-world Council.
Fortunately he has allies—his twin sister Michelle manipulates gravity with dance. His rival Indal is secretly a time mage—until Carda accidentally turns him into a werewolf. There’s Ben, a black time-traveling lizard. And Xironi, a gorgeous catgirl with a growing crush on Carda.
Together they face the most horrifying enemy of all—an inept mage with far too much power. This power unleashes a chaotic subspace storm that consumes worlds—and Earth is next on the menu.
Young Adult fantasy, 12+


It's available for 99 cents at Amazon.com

About the author







K. M. Carroll got her start writing fanfiction, which she did for the majority of her teens. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she began collaborating with him on what became the Spacetime Legacy series. She also enjoys painting, raising chickens, and cooking delicious meals. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

You can stalk, I mean contact Kessie at: 

Email: netraptor001 (at) hotmail (dot) com

http://netraptor.org/blog