Catrin Russell

🖤 Write, read, review, repeat 🖤

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Author Interview: J. W. Webb

Check out this spotlight for author J. W. Webb!

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!

J. W. Webb is an English writer living here in Georgia. Mostly he writes fantasy, though sometimes diverts in even stranger directions. His epic saga titled the Legends of Ansu blends the mystic grandeur of JRR Tolkien with the gritty realism of GRR Martin. Webb’s characters are three dimensional and flawed, their world a tapestry of vivid color and constant motion. All the books feature beautiful bespoke sketches by the late Tolkien Illustrator Roger Garland.

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? – anything but winter. I’m English – I hate winter.

Cat or dog? – we have both

Tea or coffee? – I drink both, but the tea has to be Britis. I’d rather eat worms than drink Lipton’s.

Morning or evening? – evening

Library or museums? – I prefer a pub

Hunter or gatherer? – Hunter

Witches or wizards? – Witches every time

Ninjas or pirates? – bit of both

Mountains or beaches? Beaches

Plotter or pantser? total pants

Pen and paper or computer/phone? – I can’t read my writin, so computer

Standalone or series? – series

Book or ebook? – Book. Old School.

Hero or anti-hero? Anti-Hero

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

Anything gripping, I like Historical Fiction, Fantasy, SAS stories, occasionally thrillers.

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

I write Epic Fantasy. Finished #13 in my Legends of Ansu series last September, but was very ill last year so am a bit behind. Working on the sequels to my latest mini thread – following on from Dreamslayers, and planning another 6 books to culminate the series. I’m also currently working with a fabulous cartographer who’s designed intricate maps for War Craft and G.O.T and many more – so lots happening.

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

Dreamslayers is a spinoff from my latest trilogy featuring a few of the survivors (they’re weren’t many 🙂 Gujun – a killer accepts a contract to take out the hated Spymaster of Vendel whose currently MIA. Arraleen Caze, Spymasters daughter and also an assassin determines to stop that happening. I’ve presented this book as a standalone but some reviewers expressed that it would help to read The Berserker Trilogy first.

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!

I like history, especially Dark Ages, and mythology – Celtic/Norse etc. I was soldier sometime last century. I’ve travelled extensively and once hitch-hiked from Alaska to Key West. I used to practice Kungfu and still collect swords to act out my fight scenes, though at 61 that can prove hazardous. Also, it stresses the cat. Books, films and music have all played a major part in influencing me as an author. I write about this in my blog: jimrae90.com

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

Well for the last 12 months it’s been a mess. But I usually write a book in 2 months, publish every 6. I’m totally organic and break all the rules. But on a regular day I’ll walk the dogs after coffee, get settled and stuck in, scribble away. I write 3 drafts before sending on to my editors. I’m primarily a story teller who learnt to write. I never used a computer before my 40th birthday. I drove big rigs. Basically, I’m a rebel. 🙂

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?

Research and nail the marketing early

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

website: jwwebbauthor.com

Amazon: http://bit.ly/JWWEBB

The Authors Show Podcast: https://bit.ly/AuthorsShowBloodFeud

Facebook: facebook.com/jameswebb61

Twitter: @legendsofansu

Upcoming release – 2 weeks left!

🔥 UPCOMING RELEASE! 🔥

🖤 2 weeks left! The last 3 books of my completed Light of Darkness series will soon be available as a box set, releasing June 15th!! 🖤

✯✯✯✯✯ “A grim and bloody tale of faith, forbidden love and revenge. Will have you at the edge of your seat wishing for more!” – The Magic Book Corner

As humans wage war against demonkind, a Priestess of the Light must choose between heart and duty.

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

The series is perfect for readers who enjoy visceral, gripping High & Epic Romantic Fantasy tales with dark undertones and steam!

Preorder here: https://books2read.com/TheLightOfDarknessBoxset4-6

Author Interview: Kirsha Fox

Check out this spotlight for author Kirsha Fox!

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!

My name is Kirsha Fox. I’m a homeschooling mother of four. I am a gamer, book dragon, and certified massage therapist. I’ve been a hobbyist writer since I was very young, but it wasn’t until I created a young half-demon man called Tiberius Nook that I felt I had a story I was ready to share. I currently live in Florida. 

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. It’s warm but cooling down. The holiday season is on the horizon, and school supplies all go on sale. 

Cat or dog? I love both! But I don’t have any pets right now.

Tea or coffee? Tea, I don’t drink caffeine. I love herbal teas! I have a different tea for every mood.

Morning or evening? Evening, when everything is dark and quiet. 

Hunter or gatherer? Gatherer

Witches or wizards? Depends on the gig. What do you need done? I tend to see wizards as having a strain of genius, leaning towards academics, whereas witches are more intuitive and steeped in tradition.  

Ninjas or pirates? Pirates. I’ve recently fallen in love with Kennedy Sutton’s pirate romances. 

Mountains or beaches? I love the Ocean, but I hate sand. I despise sand. It gets into everything, it’s difficult to clean. You go to the beach and your car is full of sand forever. For that reason, mountains. Mountains with the shady trees and solitude. 

Plotter or pantser? I’m a knitter. I have a plot, but a lot of elements are discovered as I go. I write a lot of disjointed scenes and ideas out of order, and then knit them together.

Pen and paper or computer/phone? I use both depending on my frame of mind and what I’m trying to work out. Outlining a plot is usually on paper so I can draw lots of arrows and idea bubbles. 

Standalone or series? Series. I tend to fall in love with characters and one book is never enough. 

Book or ebook? Printed books! Then I put them on my shelf like a little trophy. 

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

I read a lot of everything. I’m a bit of a mood reader. I usually glance at the cover, and read the blurb. If that looks good, I’ll look at the first few pages. 

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

I write high fantasy. My first book is called “Son of Deception.” It’s an adventure, but I enjoy adding elements of mystery and romance. I like to keep my readers guessing. I begin the book by killing the main characters. They wake up in coffins, without their memories, many years later. To earn a second chance at life, they are given a year to complete their mission to free a wrongfully imprisoned ancient being.

I’m soon to release its sequel, “The Whiteleaf Child.” My beta and arc readers have raved about it, saying it’s even better than the first. 

I’m also working on the third book, “Champion of Justice,” a prequel following the character Timothy Herrow, and a spin off series set in the same universe. 

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

Son of Deception can be found online with most major retailers.

Signed copies at the same price and come with a unique bookmark at kirshafox.com.

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!

There’s a lot of me and elements of my life experiences in there. Alyric the paladin was inspired by my best friend. I love Cassandra Claire’s flair for writing forbidden love. slow burn romance and love triangles. The main villain was inspired by Alan Walker’s song, Lily. I listen to a LOT of Sub-Radio while I work. They have a knack for singing about serious things in an upbeat, catchy way, just as my books often deal with deep subjects without getting too heavy. There’s a lot of D&D influence, particularly in the dynamics between fantastical races and in the mission-based plot. Growing up, I fell in love with Patricia Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons series, and I loved how she took a lot of old stories and turned them upside down, defying expectations. I also loved how she described magic as threads and fabric. And I love books that include a lot of humor, that stop and take a laugh to break up some of the tension.  

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

I don’t have a routine. I am a homeschooling mom of four small kids, so time to write is rare. I work out plot points in my head while I do other things during the day and then pour them out on the computer in the evenings when the house is finally quiet. I sacrifice a lot of sleep to get my books written. I don’t recommend doing that, but you have to do what needs to be done to live your dreams.  

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?

Allow yourself more time than you think! My first book had a lot of hiccups and delays, everything from uploading errors to long shipping times, so it was released much later than I intended. 

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

https://www.facebook.com/kirshafox

www.kirshafox.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1110134609670711

tiktok, twitter, and instagram: @kirshafox

Off to the beta readers…

♡ Off to the beta readers… ♡

♡ I’m finally done. I have combed through the entire manuscript, changed things, removed wordiness, adjusted some dialogue… And now, I have sent it to my beta readers 🫣 Fingers crossed the novel passes their inspection without any major hiccups 🤞😅❤️

♡ On the picture is the final cover, with the updated title – Heart of the Condemned 🖤

Monday Milestone – Goodreads Ratings!

♡ Monday Milestone ♡

♡ I know people often have differing opinions of Goodreads, at least among authors 😅 Nevertheless, a lot of readers use it (myself included), and I’m super happy to have reached this little milestone of 500+ ratings ❤️ 500 might not be a lot to some others, but to me, it’s definitely worthy of celebration, especially alongside my second box set that is soon to be released 😍❤️

♡ Preorder my box set here: https://books2read.com/TheLightOfDarknessBoxset4-6

Author Interview: C. K. Miller

Check out this spotlight for author C. K. Miller!

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!

C.K. Miller is a YA Fantasy author who can never get enough hot cocoa.

Much of her inspiration comes from her childhood years of playing in castle ruins, dense woods, and sloping vineyards of Bavaria, Germany.

After seven years of living in a bilingual household, and attending the local German schools, her family moved back to the U.S.A. It was a confusing time for a girl of fourteen just starting American High School. She’d left everything she knew behind: her friends, her home, and even her language. English did not come easy to her, nor did making friends. Everyone called her sweet, but quiet.

After making a friend who shared her love for stories, they began writing together, passing notebooks back and forth during lunch and after school. Eleven notebooks, and two years later, C.K. was struck with the desire to do more with her growing knowledge of the English language. She began writing her own stories in earnest, with a dream to become a published author.

In 2018, her debut novel, The Phoenix Host was released, and she hasn’t looked back.

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? – Bring on the pumpkin spice! I love the changing colors, the break from the heat but still relishing the sun, and cozy sweaters.

Cat or dog? – I’m both – though I lost my dog to a car accident years ago and haven’t been able to open up to another since. Right now I have a half-blind cat named Toph (after the earthbender from Avatar: the last Airbender show). We have a strained relationship. Haha.

Tea or coffee? – Can I choose hot cocoa instead? It’s my addiction. Add a dash of cinnamon and ginger in there and yum!

Morning or evening? – I would love to be an early bird. I get so much done, but I am 100% a night owl! I do my best work after dark.

Ninjas or pirates? – How about ninja pirates! I have a soft spot for both.  

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

I am drawn to fairytale retellings like the Lunar Chronicle series, but I am also a sucker for anything YA fantasy. Right now, I’m deep into Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.

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

Where do I begin? I am currently working on finishing the final book of my Roanfire series, a YA fantasy story. This final book has been one of the hardest to write–trying to tie up all the loose ends without making it feel forced. I am currently on the fifth rewrite! But it is flowing well, so I am confident this will be the final version. I am also gearing up for drawing the cover, though I haven’t quite decided which character should make the cut.

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

Yay! My latest release was The Glacial Rogue, book three of the Roanfire Saga. It came out on my birthday and was one of the most emotional, heart wrenching books I’ve written. Yes, I did cry when I killed off a very important figure.

It continues the story of my main character, Kea, and her quest to destroy the Phoenix Stone.

Here is the Amazon link.

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!

Too many to list!

I lived in Europe for a good portion of my youth. Castles, cobblestone streets, ruins, crumbling walls! You name it. I saw it. In fact, there was a time when I lived the medieval life in a house with no indoor plumbing or heating for two years. Let me tell you, using an outhouse in the dead of winter wasn’t fun. My dad would always get up early and build a fire so we wouldn’t freeze when we got out of bed.

I also draw on Tolkien, both movies and books, Pirates of the Caribbean, Brandon Sanderson, Marissa Mayer . . .

Oh! And the composer who always accompanies my writing sessions is Ivan Torent. My new favorite song of his has been Lionheart. 

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

Hmm. I typically make a cup of hot cocoa, open my laptop, sigh, say a prayer, flex my fingers, then scroll back a page. After rereading and editing a bit, I find myself back in the story and can move forward to the next goal. Once I finish a scene, I lean back, crack my spine, and take a break.

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?

It’s not a barrier to have an ending in mind. In fact, it is a goal for your characters to work toward. It’s a signpost that can keep your writing on track. The best part is, if you find a better ending, you can detour.

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

Facebook – www.facebook.com/roanfiresaga

Instagram – www.instagram.com/ckmillerbooks

Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@c.k.miller

Website – www.ckmillerbooks.com

goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18242565.C_K_Miller?ref=nav_profile_l



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