Dark Days of Promise by Shaunna Gonzales--Book Buzzin' & Interview

DARK DAYS OF PROMISE by Shaunna Gonzales. Take a look at this one. Sounds interesting!

Thirty-four year old Vicki Laramie must learn to trust before she can love, but she might die trying.

While Vicki’s children grapple with the death of their father -- a man whom she’s successfully fabricated as loving, a lie her rebellious teenager recognizes -- she must find a way to support her family and find a role model for her boys. She never intends to fall for Staff Sergeant Chase, her best friend’s son, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She’d much rather choose a safer man to love, but her children have a voice in the decision she makes. With two deaths to deal with, a suitor after her money, a rebellious son, and Sergeant Chase’s repeated attacks, she can only hope to survive the danger she faces. If she doesn’t, her children will be left without either parent. 

What made you decide to become a writer? After reading most of J.K.Rowlings Harry Potter series I craved more great reads and went to the local library. After spending months wading through awful fiction, one touting its prize winning status, I threw it across the room. (In my weakened condition it only made it to the bed for a soft landing.) 

"I could write better than this!" I grumbled. My hubby, ever understanding of my turbulent moods answered with a calm, "Then why don't you?" It wasn't long before I set out to do just that!

Who inspires you? I'd rather answer "Who and What." Many things. This novel, Dark Days of Promise, was initially inspired by Christmas and the young women I was working with at the time. It mutated as the season passed to what it is today after my being inspired by a few friends, veterans, some dealing with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.)

What would you like your readers to get out of your writing? It is my hope that readers will become more aware of PTSD. It effects more than the veterans and their families, those who love them. It isn't unusual for me to be talking with someone and get this "Oh, they are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress" this way or that way. The "Disorder" part, as far as I have learned, comes from intense stress, such as battle and other potentially fatal situations. Some deal with PTSD with faith and prayers on the one hand while others use counseling and sometimes drugs to manage the disorder. But for me, my PTSD is rather low key and manageable. 

Where did this idea come from? Would you believe me if I said the Lord? I had this love story so smooth that it bored me, the writer to tears, literally. I knew I had to "speed" it up, give it something to make it fly but didn't know what. I prayed and pulled my chair up to the computer. My fingers flew with very few mistakes, something that is unusual for me. That scene is in the book with very few changes -- only a few grammatical corrections. I'll give you a hint: Victoria goes flying!

Who was your favorite character to develop? SS Kelly Chase. I fell in love with him and still don't know him! He's quite the man of mystery.

Any advice for aspiring authors? Write what you know and love. Write for yourself, not your imagined perfectly matched editor or publisher. Should you one day find them, they will, if they know their stuff and we all hope they do, bruise you and your precious fledgling novel. (Smile - those bruises heal and make you both better.) 

What can we expect next from you? My current project is a Time-travel Romance. 

Trish Larsen, having failed the bar exam yet again just before her thirtieth birthday, takes Grammy at her word and uses the antique talisman for more than a pretty babble, though surviving in 1885 might prove more difficult for a modern woman than Trish imagined. 

Where can we purchase your book?
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-345/Dark-Days-of-Promise/Detail.bok
ISBN: 978-1-61252-218-0 

THANKS SHAUNNA!

Turning Pages by Tristi Pinkston--Book Review

TURNING PAGES by Tristi Pinkston. Who doesn't love a cute romance? I found this book very entertaining and just a fun page turner. Authors that I know and love were mentioned, as well as some I don't know. Addie and Blake were easy to relate to and I enjoyed being a part of their lives. I would highly recommend this book to any and everyone who loves a fun, clean, good read. Be sure to take a look at Addie's book recommendations as well. Click on the title to purchase your own copy.

:) :) :) :)

With his pride and her prejudice, what could possibly go wrong?

When the arrogant Blake Hansen steals Addie Preston's promotion at the library, he pretty much rubs her nose in it. But Addie, who dreams of being a full-fledged librarian, decides to stick it out. She loves surrounding herself with books and keeping her father's memory alive in the building where they spent so much time together.

Soon, Addie learns that her beloved library will be torn down to make room for a larger facility, and she has to make a choice. Fight, or let go?

To complicate things, she finds herself attracted to Blake, who is engaged to someone else. Will Blake and Addie ever resolve their differences?

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris--Book Buzzin'

MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY by Rachel Harris. I ran across this book while looking for something else. It's sounds so cute I was tempted to get it right then.

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

Pledged by Gwynneth White--Book Review

PLEDGED by Gwynneth White. I had mixed feelings about this book. The main characters seemed fun and I wanted to get to know them, but I felt like this was a story about their friends. I learned about Seth and Erin through them watching other people. I don't feel like the story really ended, but I'm curious where it is going. It was an interesting read that I would like to read all at once, when the saga is complete. A giveaway will be coming soon. Stay tuned for more info. Check out an excerpt from the book, here, and an interview with Gwynneth below.

:) :) :)

Everyone has a soul mate. But what do you do when your soul mate would rather give his soul to the demons than be with you? 

Seventeen-year-old Erin has a problem. Seth has been hers forever, but now an ancient promise is tearing him away. And Reuel, the demon to whom the promise was made, will stop at nothing to force Seth to forsake Erin and to worship him.

How can Erin win against a pledge so binding that it has damned countless others to the same fate she and Seth will face if Reuel wins – an eternity alone?

The answer lies in the past. To find it, Erin and Seth must risk all, travelling back in time to a dangerous world where love is forbidden, and life – and death – hang on a promise. 

Follow Erin and Seth as they travel to ancient Shenaya to break the pledge that has plagued their families for millennia. Caught in a war between the Angelic Guardians and the Gefallen, the disembodied dead, they must fight to keep their souls in tact and their love untainted.

Hello, Bonnie, thank you for inviting me onto your blog. I really appreciate it.

1. What made you decide to become a writer?

You know, it wasn’t really a decision. It was more like . . . it just happened. When I first started working, life thrust me into jobs where they needed someone with writing skills. I seemed to be it. Then my husband – he’s a writer/publisher/film-maker – needed a travel guide written in a hurry, so I did that too. It became a best-seller. No one was more surprised than me. A second travel guide followed. Then I had a loooooong hiatus while I raised my children. But all through that drought, I had a story brewing in my head. When it refused to go away, I decided to give it voice. And I cannot tell you how happy I am to be out of the wilderness and back in the writing world. It is truly my first professional love.

2. Who inspires you?

This is actually a very personal question, but I will give you a glimpse into that private world. I draw a great deal of inspiration from my understanding of good and evil, and what happens to us before we are born and after we die. But, in case you are worrying, Pledged is not a religious book – it’s a time-travel adventure, filled with romance, action, and the meddling of the dead in the affairs of the living. Like all writers, I suppose, I just reflect my inner beliefs in my work. My other great motivators are my family. My mother was dying with cancer when I started Pledged, and did I ever need a distraction! After she died, I still sensed her presence – strongly – as if she was telling me to get over my grief and finish the book. My other drivers are my children . . . I want them to know that you have to follow your dreams, even if it means hard work and masses of effort.  

3. What would you like your readers to get out of your writing?

Pleasure! And an escape! A break from reality . . . I want them to lose themselves in a magical world where almost anything is possible.

4. Where did this idea come from?

I wish I knew! One day, a bunch of strangers took up residence in my head, complete with story. I didn’t invite them in, they just pitched up. Sometimes I think they’re real people, living in a parallel universe, who found a willing victim – me - to channel their life stories through. Continuing that crazy thought, It’s even possible that somewhere in Andromeda, some poor person is being plagued with our stories  . . . forced to sit, day in and day out, writing about our lives! Well, this is what I tell myself to keep myself sane. I don’t expect anyone else to buy into it.

5. Who was your favorite character to develop?

Jared. I’m in love with him. He is, in my mind, the perfect blend of a bad-good guy. Warlord of Shenaya, he’s one of the people Seth and Erin meet when they travel back in time to that ancient world. Jared is not uber good-looking, but he’s got a strong, commanding face, which pretty much tells the world what he’s about. When you first meet him, you’ll find him sardonic and egotistical. But if you win his heart, he will be loyal to you unto death. 

6. Any advice for aspiring authors?

Writing is hard, but the rewards are worth the fight. Tell yourself that every day until you believe it, so when the challenges and self-doubt come – as they will – you will be strong enough to believe in yourself and not give up. 

7. What can we expect next from you?

Pledged is the first book in the Soul Wars Saga trilogy. The next in the series, Sacrificed, will be released in January 2013. And the final book is due out in June 2013.

8. Where can we purchase your book?

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pledged-Soul-Wars-Saga-ebook/dp/B0088PEEYC/ref=la_B0089TDV8C_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341914118&sr=1-1

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171570

Hope you enjoy them!

Bonnie, thanks for having me on my blog. 

Thank You To Our Heroes

I'm choosing not to do a book buzz today in hopes that you will take a moment to remember all those people who's lives changed forever due to September 11, 2001. You will always be in our hearts.

Writing Strugges

By Bonnie Harris

I think we all get to the point in our writing where we question why we're doing it. Or maybe we do that several times. So, what are the reasons we write? Here's what I came up with.

• We enjoy it.
• Writing helps us fulfill that creative side.
• We fall in love with our stories.
• We want to make a career out of it.
• We have a story to share.
• We have a story that just needs to be written down, whether or not it's published is a bonus.
• We enjoy the process.
• It makes us feel good about ourselves.

I'm sure there are countless other reasons one writes, and feel free to add ones I've missed. Once we've decided why we write, the next step is to figure out how far we want to take it. Do we want to get it publishes? Do we self publish or go the traditional route? Do we go through an agent or not? Small house publishing or large house publishing? Do I want to continue writing or a I satisfied with what I've done?

Again, I'm positive there are countless other questions that have crossed our minds. Now for the confession time. I'm struggling to figure out if this is the time for me to be writing. I know I want to. I know I'd eventually would like to become published, but the last couple of months have proven very difficult to find/make the time to write. It seems that every time I sit down in front of the computer during nap time, I fall asleep. (I blame the pregnancy for that one.) I have goals I know I should be able to meet but I haven't been meeting them. It seems like anytime I try to exchange babysitting it falls through, or something else comes up that has to get done. It just feels like the world is out to prevent me from doing my writing.

I know other people have come to the same crossroads that I am at right now, I just thought I already had things figured out. So I guess this is more of a pep talk for myself, but who knows? Maybe someone else is struggling with the same things. I just know that things will work out the way they are supposed to. Maybe at this very moment I'm not supposed to be writing and I shouldn't beat myself up for it. I just have to work through it and be ready when the time is right again. Or maybe I should be happy with the little I am getting done. Either way, I still enjoy writing and know that my goals will be met sometime. Happy Writing!

Surrender by Elana Johnson--Book Review

SURRENDER by Elana Johnson. I enjoyed this book much better than POSSESSION. The characters weren't as wishy washy in their relationship. I loved the journey up until the end, which I felt stopped at the same point as POSSESSION. It ended but it didn't. Now, I have to admit that I'm curious about the next installment. Check out my review of POSSESSION, and interview with Elana.

:) :) :) :)

Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control… 

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi. 

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque....

Erasing Time by Janette Rallison--Book Buzzin'

ERASING TIME by Janette Rallison. I LOVE Janette's books and I can't wait to read this one.

In this high-action and romantic futuristic adventure, there is no escape from the future for two contemporary girls pulled out of their own time.

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The moblike Dakine fights against the government, and somehow Taylor and Sheridan find themselves in the middle. The only way to elude them all is to trust Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.

Take a look at the book trailer here.