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Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 71)

Author Interview: R. Lennard

Check out this spotlight for YA Fantasy author R. Lennard!

You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

R. Lennard was ten-years-old when she discovered that the squiggles on the page meant something. Devouring every book in the library, Rebecca figured out she could be all she dreamed of and more if she became an author.

Fantasy became her home away from home, and she loves to share the worlds she’s created with her readers in the YA series, Lissae. When Rebecca isn’t writing, she cosplays and masquerades as a librarian.

2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

Winter, spring, summer or autumn?
Autumn, I love the idea that it marks the start of days full of wrapping up in blankets and endless cups of tea while reading a book. Mind you, I live in Queensland. Cosy days like this only happen in autumn when the aircon is on.


Cat or dog?
Both? Currently, my household pets are two cats and one python, although I’d love to get another dog at some stage. And maybe a few more snakes.

Tea or coffee?
Up until recently, it was tea. Always tea. Now, I can’t go past a good coffee in the morning.

Morning or evening?
Morning, for sure. After about 8pm, I start nodding off. But I’m usually up at 6am.

Library or museums?
Ask the hard ones! *Ahem* Libraries, for sure. They have nothing on the majestic beauty and the ancient stories held by museums.

Mountains or beaches?
I grew up near the beach, and visited a handful of times a year as a child. But there’s nothing like the peace of the mountains. We were fortunate enough to live in a little valley with a mountain range right near us. It was the most peaceful place we’ve lived at.

3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?

Fantasy and SciFi. The tropes don’t matter quite as much to me, I’m just wanting to escape to somewhere else for a while.

4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!

YA Epic Fantasy. I’ve just finished books four and five of an eight book series. If you’re after face paced monsters, magic and mayhem, step into Lissae today.

5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

Ginorti, book five of the Lissae series, follows Shari, the main character as she was scooped up from the Portal. She needs to return to her home realm before her magic is forcibly removed.

Samuel, who survived the Dark Conclave against all odds, is forbidden from joining the search for Shari. Only thing is, she holds the key to bringing back his race.

Jonathan, her Guardian, is struggling to keep the peace between those on the Shifting Islands and on the mainland. Jonathan and Samuel must decide – do they search for Shari, or prepare for war?

You can find Ginorti at:

Or find other variations at: https://www.lissae.com/ginorti

6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!

My kids are endless sources of inspiration. My eldest came up with the idea of a ā€˜table made out of water’ which changed the very fabric Lissae was crafted from. He also came up with the ā€˜bone covered warriors’ from Rakemyst (book 2), and the ā€˜technomancer’ from Talhan (book 3). My longest beta reader was talking about a caldera, and the formation of Cantash (book 4) was set. And finally, my youngest suggested the ā€˜Innarn (magic) eaters’ in Ginorti. There are many more instances, of course, but these are just a few.

7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!

I make a cuppa (coffee if there’s a looming deadline), light a candle with a particular fragrance for each book, and put on my writing songlist. Then I start work. I can typically get two thousand words in around forty minutes – shorter if the flow is right.

8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?

Write as often as you can. Don’t put it off. Don’t let the chore that’s been waiting for six months develop a sudden urgency just because I don’t want to finish the book just yet. You may fear finishing because the story will be done, but there’s so much left to say.

9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

You can find me at: rlennardauthor.com, and lissae.com. I’m also on most social media:
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@rlennardauthor
Facebook: facebook.com/rlennardauthor/
Instagram: instagram.com/rlennardauthor/
Twitter: twitter.com/rlennardauthor/

Author Spotlight: Therena Carlin

Check out this spotlight for Epic Romantic Fantasy author and artist Therena Carlin!

You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

Therena lives with her husband and three children on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC, Canada where she writes epic romantic fantasy novels and illustrates dark fantastical art. By day, she is a professional photographer, and by night she loves to vanish into the imaginary worlds which dwell in her mind. When not writing stories or drawing, she can be found reading romantic fantasy novels. On weekends, she enjoys playing D&D with friends or running a campaign for her family – the very campaign which inspired the backstory for Evie! She has been a professional artist since 2015 and adding writing to her repertoire was a natural evolution. She first penned her stories in 2000, though didn’t publish until 2022. Aside from writing epic romantic fantasy novels, she also just released her first photographic art book, GODDESS. Part of a series celebrating women in her art. The second book WITCHES & NIGHTMARES is scheduled to release in Fall 2022. Future plans include publishing art books featuring her illustrations and digital art as well as her poetry.

2. Tell us 5 fun facts people might not know about you!

♄ I fill my book, even my novel with lots of art, illustrated by myself.

♄ I am a total fantasy nerd and love all things dragons and magic. I grew up reading D&D books for fun.

♄ I collect art prints and postcards of my favourite novels! And I collect art books of my favourite artists. I may be running out of bookshelves…

♄ I love to wear all black, though I have lately introduced colour into my clothing palette in the form of dragon art on my t-shirts. I would totally be a goth, if putting on so much makeup wasn’t as much work.

♄ I love mythology, and as a child, my favourite books to peruse were Greek and Egyptian mythology and history books. ♄ I am a self-taught fantasy and character artist. I have illustrated a few book covers for other authors, as well as an anthology, and even ventured so far as to make a special edition hardcover version of my own novel with my own art!

3. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some ā€œThis or Thatā€-questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

First person view OR third person view? Definitely 3rd. 1st feels too much like reading a diary and breaks the 4th wall for me >.<

Standalone OR series? Both.

Read multiple books OR one at a time? One at a time…through the night, then possibly start the next if my eyes aren’t burning beyond recovery…

Plot driven OR character driven? Both. I definitely need an elaborate plot and world building, but I love my characters pulling me through the world.

Zombies OR dragons? Definitely Dragons

Witches OR vampires? Witches

Shop at an actual bookstore OR shop books online? Yes – just gimme the books. But there is nothing like a real book store – the sights, smells, textures…

Hero OR anti-hero? I love not perfect heroes, flawed characters that have something to overcome.

Music while reading OR silence? Music…all the time.

4. When you look for books to read, what trope, theme, or type of story will always catch your attention?

Fantasy – all things fantasy. But especially fantasy romance. And anything dragons shifters.

5. If you were to describe your writing style using 3 words, what would they be?

Dark, poetic, emotional.

6. So what do you write? Tell us a bit more about your chosen genre, style and ongoing projects/WIPs/series!

I write epic/high fantasy romance series, with my debut novel releasing November 1st 2022. I love building large elaborate and lore rich worlds for my characters to live in and explore. My book has very similar vibes as S.J Maas’ Throne of Glass series, with morally grey characters, as well as both extreme good and evil and epic journeys akin to Lord of the Rings.

While I will only have one book released this year, I have written 5 epic length novels in the world which will eventually become a part of the overarching story and world. Similar to the MCU.

I love taking my characters through the impossible, with underlying themes like soulmates, found family, and self-discovery heavily weaved within my words. While things may appear hopeless at times, I do love happily ever afters – eventually. But my characters sure have to fight for them!

7. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

Star Found, will be released November  1st, 2022 at all retailers. (Wide) in all formats.

Blurb:

The Celestials want her dead. The Demons would kill to have her. Only he can protect her from both—but can he save her from herself?

***

A fallen star’s magic rips Evie from her family, revealing the dark secrets of her true bloodline. As if being mistaken as a dark elf isn’t enough, she finds out she is an Infernal—a half-celestial demon. She is the key to the Tri-realms, and the very thing that may tip the scales of the Eternal War between the Celestials and Demons. Both are on the hunt for her blood.

Her goddess demands that she go to the Abyss to save her father. In a race against time and while battling her own growing power, she must risk everything to do what is right. But doing what is right just might mean losing the man she has come to love.

***

Cain thrives in darkness. As a demonkin—a half-demon—the world hates him, and violence follows him. Never backing from a fight, he embraces his reality. With every battle, he relishes the strength he gains. The day will come when he faces the demon who had hurt his mother—and this time he will kill him.

When the fates interfere and place Evie in his destructive path, he cannot refuse the need to protect her and save her. Nor can he fight the desire she stirs in his heart and soul. Never had anyone accepted him for who he was without compromise. But she comes with the unreasonable demands of a goddess he had long since turned his back on and sworn to never let into his life again. Now he must choose between getting his revenge and ignoring the goddess’ demands or losing Evie forever.

***

Star Found is an epic romantic fantasy adventure of two people finding themselves in a world that hates them simply for being born. They must learn to trust each other and rely on one another to overcome the odds and face not only the monstrous demons of the Abyss, but also the demons of their pasts. If they don’t, the fate of not only their hearts, but also the entire realm is at stake.

If you love books about outcasts finding their place in the world, soulmates, redemption, and forbidden love with broody heroes and shy heroines who fight side-by side to save the world, you will love Star Found!

Immerse yourself in the world of the Tri-realms! A high epic fantasy world filled with monsters, magic, a sword fight or two, and swoon-worthy steamy romance.

IMPORTANT: THIS NOVEL CONTAINS MATURE SUBJECT-MATTER INTENDED FOR ADULT AUDIENCES.

8. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

Instagram: Https://www.Instagram.com/therena_author

Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/therenawrites

Website: Https://www.authorTherena.com

Newsletter: Https://www.authorTherena.com/newsletter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22329966.Therena_Carlin

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/therena-carlin

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/therena

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/therenacarlin/

WIP update…

ā„ļø WIP update… ā„ļø

ā„ļø I’m back to working on The Condemned, although a bit slower than I would’ve liked. Life does get in the way a fair bit, and I’m also working on a prequel for Darkness Divided, so there’s plenty to do and many stories vying for my attention šŸ˜…

ā„ļø Anyway, this particular WIP, The Condemned, is a book I’ve been working on since June 2022. It’s over 110k words at present, and it’ll likely need a few more to finish, but I’m definitely closing in on the end now. Very exciting! šŸ˜šŸ™ I can’t wait to wrap this badboy up šŸ˜ It’ll be my first official standalone novel, and I hope my lovely readers will come to enjoy it šŸ„°

ā„ļø QOTD: What do you prefer, series or standalones?

AOTD: I love both, but I’ll admit a series is nice if I fall in love with the characters ā¤ļø

Author Spotlight: Clarissa Gosling

Check out this spotlight for YA Fantasy author Clarissa Gosling!

You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

Hi, thanks for having me here!

I have always lived more in the world of daydream and fiction than in reality. In my writing IĀ  explore purpose and belonging across worlds. Having never found an actual portal to faeryland, I create my own fantastical worlds where dragons, fae and other magical creatures rule.

2. Tell us 5 fun facts people might not know about you!

I’m British ex-pat living in the Netherlands with my husband and two children

I once met the Queen of England

Rascal, the horse in my Lost Princess of Starlight series is based on the horse I used to have as a teenager

I like baking, especially bundt cakes as you can get so many different shaped tins. Spring is my favourite season, when the flowers start to bloom again and everything warms up.

3. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some ā€œThis or Thatā€-questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

Ebooks OR physical books? Ebooks are so much more practical and easy to have with you. But there is something about holding a real book in your hands. Physical books photograph much better for social media too!

Read multiple books OR one at a time? I read different books in different places, so I’ll have an ebook I’m reading on my phone, one on the counter in the kitchen, and one upstairs by my bed.

Zombies OR dragons? Dragons every time.Ā  I have a bit of a thing about dragons!

Witches OR vampires? This really depends on the story, I read both if they appeal to me. So I can’t choose between them.

TBR list OR mood reader? 100% mood reader

Music while reading OR silence? Music, I tend to have the radio or something on in the background.

4. When you look for books to read, what trope, theme, or type of story will always catch your attention?

This is really hard to answer, as I read a lot of different things. I love finding stories with new and different magic systems. Ones where the world feels real, rather than an add-on. Stories where you root for the characters, even when they do stupid things. Where you feel like you belong.

5. If you were to describe your writing style using 3 words, what would they be?

Epic, sweet and well-developed

6. So what do you write? Tell us a bit more about your chosen genre, style and ongoing projects/WIPs/series!

I’m coming to the end of two YA fantasy series, as I have been alternating releases. Both are stories of exploration and adventure with sweet romantic sub-plots.

One is a portal fantasy, where the main character rides her horse through a gate into Faery by mistake, where she finds out she is a missing princess of one of the fae courts. She struggles to fit in and to balance the expectations of her in the fae realm with that of her in the human realm.

The other is a story of dragons and shifters in a world where music is magic. Dragons are thought to be extinct, but Birgith needs to find the dragon family she’s never met, without triggering a hunt for them.

7. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

Fae Betrayal is the final book in the Lost Princess of Starlight series. Zoe has made the decision to move to Faery, but things don’t go as planned. The gate between realms takes her to the World Tree instead, where she learns of a growing threat to the realm. When she does arrive in Faery, Florian is so caught up in plans for his upcoming coronation that he can’t spare the time to spend with her. She chafes at the restrictions he’s imposing, and questions her heart.

Add increasing tensions between the Fae Courts, and the wild hunt rampaging closer to the fair than ever before, to make this a thrilling finale to the series.

Get your copy from: https://books2read.com/faebetrayal

8. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

https://clarissagosling.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@clarissagosling

https://www.instagram.com/clarissahgosling

https://www.facebook.com/clarissagosling

Audiobook Sale!

šŸ”„ Audiobook Sale! šŸ”„

The audiobook version of The Power of Conviction (The Light of Darkness, book 1) is on sale throughout February! Get it for only $2.49 (75% off) on Chirp and Spotify*!

*May also come to other stores, so check your favourite audiobook provider ā¤ļø

This completed series is perfect for readers who enjoy visceral, gripping Epic Romantic Fantasy with dark undertones and open-door steam!

As humans engage in a sweeping war against demonkind, a Priestess of the Light is forced to choose between heart and duty.

Fate, prophecies, and an impossible love will blur the very line between good and evil.

Link: https://buff.ly/3vgs3j7

Author Spotlight: K. Rose

Check out this spotlight for multi-genre author K. Rose!

You can find all his links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out his books!

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

K. Rose has been a part of the Indie Author Community for years. Getting her start as a reader, her keen eye led to a wonderful career in Alpha/Beta and ARC (Advance Reader Copy) reading. As a joke to her fellow advanced reader colleagues, she created a spoofed blurb and cover for a story and the feedback was so positive that it sparked her to run with it.

That stoked a fire that has her racing down a multi-genre freeway with no off-ramp in sight. K. doesn’t write to ā€œmarketā€ and she is fairly certain that her humor and use of puns may cause an eye roll or two. This still wouldn’t stop her from making sure there is humor in every one of her stories. As a Multi Genre Author, there is sure to be something for everyone to love.

She has traveled the USA extensively, including Alaska, and lived in thirty-eight of the fifty states. Home is now the beautiful state of Wisconsin, where she dreams up her stories in the company of her menagerie of furbabies, including five puppies, three rescue kitties, a bunch of chickens, ducks and turkeys ruled by a Rooster named Chicken Parm, a ninety-gallon tropical fish tank and a chatty nineteen-year-old Cherry Headed Conure named Oscar!

Life will always be interesting for K. Rose, which will fuel her works, and keep her muses singing, come join the chorus.

2. Tell us 5 fun facts people might not know about you! 

I like to switch up my hobbies a lot, so I have a lot of them. I like to cook and bake things, Crochet, Paint watercolor and acrylic on canvas, Disc golf, camping, Chicken husbandry, gardening, anything crafty, and so much more!
I have a melanin deposit in my left eye, that looks like a big black freckle in the colored part, which changes colors between green and grey.
I have 4 tattoos and 8 piercings.
I graduated highschool at 16 years old
I retain some of the most useless trivia information, but can hardly remember if I ate lunch most days, my memory is quite selective, only I don’t do the selecting consciously!

3. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some ā€œThis or Thatā€-questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

Ebooks OR physical books? Yes, Ebook for reading paperback for trophies

First person view OR third person view? First person

Standalone OR series? Stand alone

Read multiple books OR one at a time? multiple

Signed edition OR first edition? yes, both!

Graphic novels OR comic books? Comic books

Plot driven OR character driven? Plot

Zombies OR dragons? Dragons

Witches OR vampires? Yes please!

Shop at an actual bookstore OR shop books online? online

Hero OR anti-hero? antihero

TBR list OR mood reader?  mood reader

Music while reading OR silence? silence

Read in bed OR read on sofa? anywhere anytime!

4. When you look for books to read, what trope, theme, or type of story will always catch your attention? 

I read all types of books, multi genre, and it really depends on what mood I am in on what I will read next

 5. If you were to describe your writing style using 3 words, what would they be?

Descriptive, thorough, fantastical

6. So what do you write? Tell us a bit more about your chosen genre, style and ongoing projects/WIPs/series!

I am a multi genre Author, and I tend to stick to romance in general, but will have trope bending and mashups galore, because I want to mix it up and make something that traditional publishers are afraid of. I am working on a PNR sci-fi mashup, a contemporary sweet romance, and a pNR romcom right now…plus about 12 other stories that I have started the outlines for.

7. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

The most recent release was a short story in the its always been you charity anthology. It was “In the Pines” a contemporary friends to lovers romance that gets pretty spicy.

8. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

Find more about K. at the places below!

Where are my fellow steam lovers?!

ā¤ļøā€šŸ”„Ā Where are my fellow steam lovers? ā¤ļøā€šŸ”„

ā„ļø Since becoming a published author, I’ve noticed a certain divide between readers/writers of “clean” books and… well, the rest of us šŸ˜‚ But okay. To each their own! What’s surprised me, though, is the number of complaints I’ve had from reviewers mentioning my steam as something that shouldn’t have been part of my series, that they would have preferred to not read those scenes, despite the fact my series disclaimer states this is included (so they were warned…) šŸ˜…

ā„ļø Anyway, this got me thinking. Maybe I need to be even clearer? So, for anyone who might have missed that I write (and will continue to write) explicit steam, I’ve made some art to go along with one of my WIPs. Hopefully, this makes it very obvious. Enjoy! Or don’t. It was fun to make, anyway šŸ¤£ā¤ļø

ā„ļø The full picture will be posted soon šŸ˜ˆā¤ļøā€šŸ”„

ā„ļø QOTD: Do you like a bit of open-door steam? ā¤ļøā€šŸ”„

AOTD: I love it! Give me any spice level really, and I’ll devour that badboy šŸ¤£ā¤ļø

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