Inside the World of Romance Author, Deila Longford

Yesterday romance author, Deila Longford, was kind enough to invite me over to her blog to talk about happy-ever-after endings and today it's great to reciprocate by having her over to mine to talk about her life and her beautiful books (don’t you love the book covers!) Over to you, Deila.

Hello, I would just like to start by thanking the lovely Katheryn Lane for asking me to do a guest post on her blog. I was really faltered that she had asked me to do a post and (I must admit) a little bit nervous about what to write. I am not the world’s best in writing blog posts, but bear with me, I will try my best. I feel that I should start my telling you a little bit about myself. I live in rural Scotland with my family in a country house. My only neighbours are horses and other farm animals. My bedroom window looks over a lake (or Loch as I call it) and every morning I wake up and that view is what inspirers me to write.

My Journey As A Writer. Meet Patrick Carr

Today it is great to welcome Patrick Carr as part of his Cast of Stones blog tour and he has kindly agreed to share with me the story of his journey as a writer. Over to you Patrick!

My freshman year at Georgia Tech I ran across a box set of “The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant” in the campus bookstore. This was 1979 so the bookstore was still a spacious place that stocked a lot of books, magazines, and albums. The fantasy/science fiction section was sizable owing to the location and clientele. I opened my prize and for days I read during every spare moment I possessed, sometimes staying up until 2.

The Desert Sheikh - The Next Big Thing?

After The Royal Sheikh and Her Latin Lover, what’s next? Find out in The Next Big Thing! However, first I’d like to thank Elizabeth Amisu who tagged me on her wonderful website for this.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

I’m currently working on a book called The Desert Sheikh. It’s a trilogy of three stories called, Kidnapped by the Sheikh, Married to the Sheikh and The Sheikh's Son.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

The initial idea for this Sheikh romance was inspired by a story I heard many years ago about a family that was travelling to the airport in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, and on the way there, they were kidnapped by a local warlord. They were released two weeks later and reported that they had been treated very well by their kidnappers, more like guests than hostages. The memory of this story started me thinking about what would happen if the person who was kidnapped was a single woman instead of a family, and what would happen if she fell in love with the warlord? 

Passion and Romance! Meet historical romance author, Sonia Galloway

I always love hearing from other romance authors and today it’s great to welcome historical romance author, Sonia Galloway. First, what is your debut novel about?

My debut novel, Wishful Secrets, is about a peasant girl who is madly in love with a wealthy Earl, a renowned parliamentarian.  It’s a story about passion, where the hero and heroine are faced with insurmountable challenges. It’s about the inner battle between longing and pride, and the dogmatic thinking in a society built on class and wealth. Above all, Wishful Secrets is about discovering love.

 

Book Reviews: The Good, The Bad and The Silly

Today I received a wonderful message from a reader saying how much she enjoyed reading The Royal Sheikh and earlier this week I received this great 5-star review for Her Latin Lover:

“Her Latin Lover was an exciting read. I love a good instant attraction, and this author gave me that with Mary and Paulo. Mary is a considerate and trusting woman who is taken advantage of by her boyfriend. Paulo swoops in and saves the day, as any sexy, honorable man would. Their attraction blossoms, until the unexpected happens. I was on the edge of my seat, the whole time. I wished the romance would have happened sooner, but all in all, it was great. I will definitely read more from this author. Pick this up, you will love it.”

Art, Love and Writing: Meet Uvi Poznansky

Today it is great to welcome Uvi Poznansky, author of Apart From Love. First, could you tell us what your book is about?

My novel, Apart From Love, is an intimate peek into the life of a uniquely strange family: Natasha, the accomplished pianist, has been stricken with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Her ex-husband Lenny has never told their son Ben, who left home ten years ago, about her situation. At the same time he, Lenny, has been carrying on a love affair with a young redhead, who bears a striking physical resemblance to his wife--but unlike her, is uneducated, direct and unrefined. This is how things stand at this moment, the moment of Ben’s return to his childhood home, and to a contentious relationship with his father.

The story is told from two points of view, Ben’s and Anita’s, which gives me an opportunity to illustrate how the same events, seen from different angles and through difference experiences in life, are interpreted in an entirely different way.

Epic Viking Adventures with Mary Ann Bernal

Today it is great to welcome Mary Ann Bernal, the author of The Briton and the Dane novels. She is also kindly agreed to give away a FREE paperback copy of her latest book, Legacy, but more about that later.

First, could you tell us what your books are about?

The Briton and the Dane novels bring to life the tumultuous ninth century when the formidable Vikings terrorized the civilized world. The epic adventure runs the gamut of deception, treachery, intrigue, and betrayal during a time of war and conquest in Anglo-Saxon Britain.

Courage and Invisibility

I love having guest writers here and today it’s wonderful to welcome Catherine Kirby, the very talented author of Sari Caste and See Through. Over to you Catherine!

I'm honoured to be invited to contribute to your blog Katheryn, thank you. I hope your readers will enjoy this piece about my books and a little about myself.

I spent a great deal of my early life moving around the country. My parents seemed unable to settle anywhere for long. I've had experience of living in a variety of places and of meeting a good variety of people. All of this helps with creating characters. The experience helped me observe differences in communities and how a place can affect the people who live there and vice versa.

So You Want To Be A Bestselling Author: What Should You Write About?

Thousands of people, like myself, have published on Amazon in the last few years and many thousands more are planning to. However, if you’re a first time author, you might be faced with the dilemma of what to write. You know that you want to publish a book, and hopefully become the next bestselling author, another E L James, Amanda Hocking or John Locke, but where do you start?

Meet Catherine Bybee: Amazon, USA Today and WSJ Bestselling Romance Author

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be interviewing Catherine Bybee on this blog!  First of all Catherine, congratulations on the huge success of your number 1, bestselling romance, Wife by Wednesday.  Without giving too much away, could you tell us a little bit about it?

Wife by Wednesday combines a historical romance theme; dashing Duke needs a wife to inherit his father’s wealth, and meshes it with a modern setting of a contemporary romance. A sexy hero and snarky heroine with a ton of honesty and this romance takes off.

Murder, Mystery and God, Part II

Welcome back Philip. It's great to have you here again!  Since we last spoke, what have you been up to?

Hello again, Katheryn.

It is hard to believe that only two months have gone by since your last interview, yet so many exciting have happened. Shortly after the interview, I was approached by the American writer, Dennis Sheehan, (Author of the political thriller Purchased Power), who invited me to participate in The Writers Collection. Dennis has brought ten writers together and every week each posts a short story on a given subject. Yes, I did say every week, which makes this a demanding commitment, but it is fascinating to see how each writer tackles the different and diverse subjects.

Music, World War II and a Russian Billionaire: Meet Julie Thomas

After Robert Collins’ and Kevin Ashman’s excellent guest posts about how history has influenced their books, I am pleased to be continuing this topic with author Julie Thomas who is talking today about her wonderful book, The Secret Keeper, and the amazing World War II story behind it.

Julie Thomas

Hello to all of Katheryn's readers from far-flung New Zealand and thank you so much for sharing a few minutes with me.

I have three books uploaded to Amazon and Smashwords, one is a novel, one is a book of short stories and one is a book of my late father's letters home from WWII, he was a Spitfire pilot in the UK and the Middle East. Today I am talking to you about my novel, The Secret Keeper. It's had five five-star reviews on Amazon and one on Smashwords and is free! It's number one for free Jewish fiction on Amazon and I suspect I am the only Gentile on the list. I uploaded it in early September and so far have had around 8,000 downloads.

The New Death: An interview with author, James Hutchings

Today I have been given the opportunity to interview James Hutchings, author of The New Death and others. First of all James, can I ask how you become an author?

I did a Bachelor of Arts majoring in creative writing and media, but I didn't do anything with it after graduating. Years later I created a fantasy city called Teleleli or Telelee as a background for role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Once I finished I realised there wasn't any demand for it. My ex suggested I write stories instead, and that's how I got started. Along the way I realised that my poems were better received, so I'm concentrating on them now.

Babies, Writing and Travelling: An interview with Sarah Elle Emm

Today I am delighted to welcome Sarah Elle Emm, author of Marrying Missy.  First of all Sarah, can I ask how you became an author, what inspired you? 

Thrillers, Romance and the Paranormal: An interview with Mel Comley

As a romance author, I’m always thrilled to have the chance to talk with other romance writers, and today I’ve been lucky enough to get the chance to interview an author that I’ve long-admired, Mel Comley, who writes both thrillers and romance. First of all Mel, thank you for being here with me today.  Can I start by asking you how you become an author?

Thanks for asking me to join you, Katheryn. I’ve always loved writing either short stories or just penning a diary every day. The opportunity arose to become a full-time author when we moved to France back in 2002. It wasn’t possible to write before that as I used to work 70-80 hours a week as a Store Manager.

The Angels Are Here: An interview with author, Patti Roberts

Today I’m thrilled to have the chance to chat with the author Patti Roberts. First of all Patti, can I ask how you become an author, what inspired you? 

Therapy.  I was feeling very down and misplaced after a failed relationship and I wanted to do something positive….  I needed to do something positive.  I wanted to herd up all my unresolved emotions and put them to good use.  So I went out and bought a new laptop computer and started writing.  Hence the reason Paradox is a dark read.  A little bit EMO!  Writing has been the best therapy and I have never been happier or more fulfilled!  I highly recommend writing to anyone that finds themselves in a similar predicament.  So to answer your question…  That is how I became and Author and how the Paradox Series was born.

Award-Winning Romance and Suspense: An interview with Ellen Gable

I recently did a posting about the award-winning historical romance, In Name Only and I said at the end of it that I was hoping to interview the author, Ellen Gable. Ellen has not only agreed to do an interview with me, but she has also very kindly offered to give away a FREE copy of her novel (more about that later)! First of all Ellen, thank you very much for doing this interview with me.  Can I start by asking you how you became an author?

I actually began writing in a journal 20 years ago to ease my grief during miscarriages.  That journal became my first published article in 1995 called “Five Little Souls In Heaven.”  Six years later, I began writing my first book because I wanted to share the parallel stories of myself and my great-grandmother.

Big Backpack - Little World. Travel writing from an inside point of view

Personally I love to travel, but there is so little (holiday) time and it's such a big world.  However, for a bit of armchair travelling, here's a book from someone who has really seen the world from a local point of view: BIG BACKPACK - LITTLE WORLD by Donna Morang.

The is what the Amazon product review says:

In 2000 Donna Morang sold all her earthly possessions and left the United States to teach ESL (English as a second language). Join her as she travels to three continents, and twelve countries. Step into her classroom and teach English in Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Vietnam, or vacation with her in Spain, Thailand, and Cambodia. Fall in love with her students learning English, the special street kids, some crazy bartenders, and fellow backpackers. Meet new friends and hear their stories, or laugh with a romantic man or two from around the world. Venture into the countryside to dance with local people, drink moonshine, explore caves, fish for marlin, catch buckets of squid, or squirm as she eats strange bugs and worms. Hold her hand as she explores new city streets and countries-- often lost, once robbed, or tremble when guns are pointed at her, as she crosses one more border. Donna Morang, teacher and traveler has done this and more with a smile and a gusto for life. She definitely knows how to experience life as a true adventurer. This book is NOT about a woman going in search of herself, or looking for a better life. She already knows that life is beautiful, and she lives it to the fullest

This is what the reviewers say:

We have just thoroughly enjoyed this book.Cottentop has a real fun, interesting life story that only a tough Montana gal can tell. Donna we just loved your book. Thanks

What I say:

Sounds like 'Eat, Pray, Love' without the sickly bits.  An interesting bit of travel writing!

Writing refresher

I'm currently rereading Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.  I first read it about 5 years ago and thought it was about time for a refresher course as I start on my next romance.  I've read loads of books about writing, but this is one of the few that I think is worth a reread.  If you don't have a copy, I would recommend it if you write romance fiction, especially the Harlequin/Mills and Boon type of romance.  Kate Walker is a successful writer for Mills and Boon 'Modern Romance' (Harlequin 'Presents'), so her book is especially helpful if you write that type of book.

I personally don't write for Harlequin/Mills and Boon, but that's another story for another day.  If there are other good writing guides that you would recommend, please let me know.

Now I'm going to go back to reading Kate's book.