Interview with Emlyn Chand

Interview with author Emlyn Chand

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

Harry Potter, duh! If Hermoine and Luna had a baby, it would be me. Ponder this for a moment...

If you were a bird, which one would you be?

Oh, boy did you ever ask the right person this question. Widely known fact, I’m a crazy bird lady. Evidence: my sun conure, Ducky, is the mascot for my business, Novel Publicity. He also has his own blog and is on Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads. Furthermore, I write a children’s book series called the Bird Brain Books—each volume features a different feathery protagonist. To answer your question, if I could be any bird, I’d be my pet Ducky. He is EXTREMELY spoiled and pretty famous in his own right.

If you were a super hero what would your kryptonite be?

Facebook. The villain could distract me with an interesting comment thread or funny photo and then sneak right on by to destroy the world.

Favorite music?

Here’s an answer you never saw coming from a YA author:  Frank Sinatra. I love Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, anything happy. They “make me smile in my heart.” I swear half of me is stuck at twelve years old and the other half is in its seventies—whatevs.

Favorite Food?

Ice cream! No... Taco Bell. No, tiramisu. No! Ice cream, definitely ice cream!

Favorite Candy?

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups—the miniature ones, because I swear they taste different than the big ones!

Hidden talent?

Hidden? Please! If I have a talent, you better believe I’m going to show it to the world. I always liked getting attention ;-)

What is your dream cast for your book?

Let me just say this:  I have a part for Taylor Lautner if any of my books are ever made into movies. Even if it doesn’t make sense for him to be in it, I will make it make sense. In the Farsighted series, I could totally see him playing Alex. 

Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters?

Oh, you betcha. I’m really into creating playlists for each of my books. You can check out playlists for Farsighted, Open Heart, and Pitch (which will be release in 2013) at www.emlynchand.com/music. Farsighted’s list is more alta-rock and represents the character Alex; his theme song is “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Open Heart’s list is primarily Bollywood and represents Simmi; her theme song is “Main Yahaa Hoon” from the movie Veer Zaara. 

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

Hearing someone liked my book. Yes, it’s as simple as that. Farsighted has won something like ten awards now, and each of those makes me feel great, because it means someone got what I was trying to do and appreciated it. I also love it when fans email me or connect with me on Twitter and Facebook—those simple little things make my day so bright. Don’t forget to reach out to your favorite authors; we just love it! 

About the author:

Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). Since then, she has always loved to hear and tell stories. When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available throughout the social media Internet world. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

Mishap & Retribution by M.M. Shelley - Character Interview & Giveaway

HI Everyone, I’m M.M. Shelley and I would like to thank Tami for having me as a guest today. I would like to share an interview with Kye Wailele from Mishap and Retribution. So please pour yourself a cup of your favorite Latte and if you’re at work, hang up your “On Break” shingle as we take five with Kye.

What is your full name?

Kye Wailele

What is the Hawaiian meaning of your name?
Kye means Rejoice and Wailele is waterfall. The name Wailele was given to my father from his mother Pele.

When is your birthday?

April 12, 2028

When did you first learn about magic?

From my father, who learned from his mother, Pele, the Hawaiian goddess.

What kind of school do you go to? Do they teach magic?

After my parents died, my uncle Kona thought it was for the best that I was home schooled. My uncle moved my cousin Kana’i and me around the islands a lot, so we were never in one place for too long. With our magic we have the ability to control fire and lava. The Hawaiian gods are always at war with each other, always fighting for control of the islands, it’s amazing that there are not more islanders who don’t know us.

How do you like having Pele as your grandmother?

We’re not entirely close.

Having lived in Hawaii all of your life, is there any place you would like to see?
I’ve been to Australia once, I would like to go back and spend some more time there.

What is your favorite pastime?

Whenever I get the chance I like to spend it in the ocean, I do a lot of surfing, nothing competitive. I don’t think it would be fair to everyone else if I did enter considering I’d have an unfair advantage. Sometimes when I’m out in the water and I want a really good wave I will control the waters current, make it do what I want.

Mishap & Retribution 
by M.M. Shelley
Mishap series, book 3
July 11, 2012

At the Dawn of Time a curse against Man was made and only Death will satisfy it.

The year is 2045 and twins Grasiella and Tatiana who are Cinerian, Fae and Human must choose a side and may find themselves on different sides of an ancient war.

With Tatiana trapped in the Fae realm and learning what life has been like, she has found herself bonding with the Fae. Grasiella seeking the whereabouts of her twin has come to a crossroads of her own.

Separated and neither knowing the fate of the other, each make their way to an uncertain future.

Death has swept across the Hawaiian Islands and the cost of peace may be too high.

Add on Goodreads, and buy from Smashwords or Amazon.

About the author:
M.M. Shelley is a storyteller, word smith and dreamer. She has traveled the world extensively in search of the magic which is often overlooked in every day life. M.M. Shelley is a native of southern California, and a student of mythology from which she gets much inspiration.

Find out more at MMShelley.com.

Click here to see the rest of the stops on the tour.

Giveaway:
There are 2 giveaways! One is a giveaway on this blog, and one is a tour wide giveaway.

1st giveaway: An e-book copy of Mishap & Retribution. Winner will receive a Smashwords code to download the format of choice.

2nd giveaway: For the tour wide giveaway, there is a Kindle Touch and 5 paperback copies up for grabs!

How to enter:
Simply fill out the form below. (For the giveaway on this blog only.) 
For the tour wide giveaway, see the Rafflecopter below.

Giveaway details:
(This applies to the blog giveaway only.)
The giveaway on this blog will end at midnight on August 15. Giveaway is open internationally. Must be 13 or over to enter. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will be emailed, and this blog post will be updated to show the winner. Winner has three days to respond, or a new winner will be selected.

Sorry! This giveaway is now over. 

Winner will be announced soon.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Jennifer L. Armentrout

Interview with Jennifer L. Armentrout

Where did you get the inspiration for the Lux series?

I was actually asked if I'd be interested in writing about aliens in high school. At first I laughed, because seriously, aliens in high school? But the more I thought about it, the more interested I got. I didn't want my aliens to be typical of what was already seen and oddly enough, jelly fish were what started the whole idea of Luxens.

If you had to name one song for Obsidian or for the Lux series, what would it be? 

I'd have to go with ET by Katy Perry.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? 

I think I went out to this really nice Japanese steakhouse.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors? 

To never give up. Publishing is a hard, hard business. You have to stick with it.

What is a fun, random fact about yourself that most people don't know? 

I've never ate apple pie before. Don't judge. It just looks gross.

About the author:
Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find out more at jenniferarmentrout.com.

What If by Kelly Rae - Character Interview & Giveaway

What If... by Kelly Rae
May 1, 2012 by Blossom Press

One fateful night during high school Katie Wright loses everything: her father, the first man she ever loved, dies in a car accident and Chris Staller, the first boy she’s ever loved, breaks her heart. Fast-forward ten years and Katie is a beautiful, successful woman who has spent the past decade doing her best to make her life all about work, keeping everyone at arms length—friends and lovers alike. But she’s lonely and beginning to awaken to the fact that pretending to be happy and content doesn’t mean she actually is. Working through her emotional challenges while maintaining a stellar career reputation has been tricky, but she’s always determined to come out on top.

Paying a visit to her old high school, Katie runs into Chris, now a dedicated PE teacher who pines for the one he let get away: her. An upstanding member of the community and a much better man than he was a boy, Chris is determined to win Katie back at all cost. But Katie is less than receptive to the idea, and when he lays down a challenge, she is determined to come out on top again.

Character Interview with Chris Staller: 

First how about you introduce yourself and tell us about the book in which you are the HERO?

Hey, my name is Chris Staller and I am a physical education teacher for the Pennsville Unified School District. I also coach or assistant coach several of the school teams depending on the sport season. I don’t know if the hero title fits, but I am one in the novel What If… The novel is about the love of my life, Katie Wright, not me. I am but a brief part, of her story.

What is it about Katie that you just can’t get out of your system?

The thing about Katie is that she has this way of making me want to better at everything. When we were kids, no one ever believed in me. No one ever asked me to be more, Katie always asks, wants, and encourages me to be MORE. So, that was the initial draw, I think. I needed someone who believed in me. Today as a grown man, I love her spirit and her kindness. I love the way her eyes sparkle when she sees a kitten or the way her first instinct is to stop and pick up any stray, she sees. Sometimes I think that is what she did for me, picked up a stray. Anyway, I am now as loyal as any rescue mutt out there, to my Princess.

How do you think life would have been different if you had not been injured in college?

I don’t think about it too much anymore. There was a time when I used to wonder all the time, What If I had gone into the NFL or the NBA, What If I was rich and famous and living the good life right now. Then I look at my blessings: the kids I help every day, how fulfilled I am in my job and my life. Now the only What If… left, since I got the girl, is how to get the girl to marry me! 

Is Katie right when she says you only date bimbos?

I never kiss and tell for one, but if I were to do such a thing I would say every woman I have dated has been the exact one to lead me here to today, this place, where I am. The man that Katie needs and deserves. Plus, you know, one man’s bimbo is another man’s awesome, cool, fun, chick. Maybe I was saving myself for the right girl. Hey, it could be true!

If you could tell the 17 year old you anything, what would you say?

I would tell the younger me to relish the moments more, not to be in such a hurry for the next thing or the next step, but to enjoy each step as it comes. As much as it feels like just yesterday that Katie and I were in high school, I know that a decade has gone by and there are moments that I was so busy plotting to get ahead, that I missed how awe inspiring the moment I was in, was. I try to take time each day to reflect on what good happened in that day. Katie and I sit and talk each night about our blessings. She was a little hesitant to do it with me at first, mostly because for a while all she wanted to do was make out, I mean this woman is…oh wait that would be kissing and telling. Oops! Now she rather likes our quiet time and I’d like to think she counts me on the blessing list.

What’s your favorite thing about first kisses?

I think my favorite thing about first kisses, is the anticipation. When you don’t know if it’s going to be good or bad, soft or rough, slow and deep, or fast and hungry until you are in the moment and you can feed off the other persons energy. You know men might not lift their leg up like you girls do in the movies, but trust me every now and then we get weak in the knees and we are sighing at the sweetness or the hotness of a good kiss too! With Katie the 2^nd first kiss was better than the first, but they both completely changed my life. Mind altering, that woman is the most mind altering kisser and lover I have ever had!

Is there a spot on a woman that might surprise people is a turn on to you?

My favorite spot on Katie is not necessarily my generic favorite spot, but she is no generic woman. On my sweet Katie, my favorite spot is where her shoulder and her neck meet on her the back. It’s my favorite place to kiss and don’t tell, but I have been known to nibble on her a time or two in just that spot.

What advice do you give young men on how to treat women and how to handle relationships?

Primarily I tell my young guys never to treat a woman in a way that would shame their own mother. To remember that every girl is someone’s baby girl and someday he might have one of his own and he doesn’t need the karma coming back to him, through her. I find that young guys and even guys my age are more interested in competing with other men than they are in treating a woman properly. The sooner they learn the lesson the happier they will be and the more likely they are to find their one and only, thank goodness I got a second chance with mine.

Would you like to add anything else?
 

Thank you for having me and thanks to your readers for taking the time to stop by and learn a bit about me and our book What If…, which is currently for sale in eBook and paperback on Amazon and Barnes&Noble and eBook only on Smashwords,  KOBO and Diesel.

One lucky person, who makes a comment on this blog today, will win a free copy of What If… via Smashwords coupon so you can download to any ereader or laptop you might have. I hope you enjoy reading What If… should you decide to pick up a copy. 


About the author:

Kelly Rae is a native of California, currently residing in a mountain of snow in Central Oregon, covertly planning her escape to get back to her Golden State roots. Kelly has a nine year-old son named Triton, who is her inspiration in all things, and a passion for writing, reading, and traveling.

You can connect with Kelly Rae on kellyraebooks.com, Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.

Giveaway:

TODAY ONLY! As mentioned above in the character interview, comment on this blog for a chance to win a copy of What If. Winner will be emailed a Smashwords code to use to download the format of choice.

Giveaway details:

Giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway is TODAY ONLY! Giveaway ends at midnight CST June 18. Any comments made after that time will not count. Winner will be selected using random.org. Winner will be emailed and will have 3 days to contact me to receive the Smashwords code, or a new winner will be selected. 

Sorry! This giveaway is now over.

Winner: April H.