Happy Halloween

Today is the last day of October and with the holiday season almost upon us, I’d like to wish all of our ghouls and goblins a happy and safe Halloween.

Happy Halloween by Tina Glasneck

Were you a princess,

Or a superhero in disguise?

Did you twirl in your tutu,

Or attempt with your cape to fly?

Did you carve your pumpkin

And roast the seeds?

Did you watch scary movies

Or bob for apples with glee?

Did you wait for such moments  and oh what a sight,

Have you been waiting for Halloween night?

Trick or Treat, treat or trick

When ghouls, goblins and princesses abound,

May you be greeted with delightful sounds.

May your Halloween be filled with bliss

And may your tummy not ache from the sugary blitz.

Instead, when it’s over, and Three Six Five you must wait,

Know that it only a year until the next Halloween adventure awaits. 

Happy Halloween!

An Interview with Mary Montague Sikes: What It's Like to Be Both an Artist and an Author

Artist and Author, Mary Montague Sikes

For as long as she remembers, Mary Montague Sikes has been both an artist and an author. As a child, she usually had a scrap of paper and a pencil nearby so she could draw and write a little note about her picture. As an author, she's been most satisfied when she could create the art that appears on her covers. For many of Sikes' books, her publisher has used one of her paintings as the basis for the cover. For Jungle Jeopardy, since she no longer owns the painting on the cover, Sikes created two new paintings, one of a jungle parrot and one of a black jaguar from the story. She takes these paintings with her to book signings. 

Why Paranormal Romance?

Often I’m asked how I got started writing paranormal romance. I don’t think it’s so much the ‘how’ as to the ‘why.’ When I first started reading romance, it was always historicals. I gobbled up books by Amanda Quick, Johanna Lindsey, and Laura Kinsale. I figured, hey, if I was going to lose myself in a fictional word, I didn’t want it to be like the one I currently live in (apologies to all the contemporary writers out there). I wanted to be swept away to a time long ago, when honor meant everything and a hero would lay down his life to protect those he loved. A time when the world was as rugged as the men who lived in it and things were not so PC. I wanted my knight in shining armor to come riding in on his white horse and rescue me in the nick of time, darn it.

But after a while, the books all started sounding the same. I was getting bored. I knew something was missing. So one day, as I stood in my local book store staring aimlessly at the multitude of books before me, the sales lady came up to me and asked if she could help. I told her my dilemma – that I loved historicals but I wanted something different. Something more. Something with magic. She smiled and pointed me to Jill Barnett’s BEWITCHING. Not only did this incredible author introduce me to paranormal romance, but it opened up the world of humorous historical paranormal romance to me. A major milestone. I had found what I didn’t know I’d been searching for! A book with history, romance, humor and a touch of magic. I didn’t know there could be such a thing.

So years later, when I decided to try my hand at writing, did I write what I loved? Nope. I sat down and tried to write one of those epic historical romances. It had a Highland laird, a warrior heroine, an evil father, revenge, coerced sex, illegitimate pregnancy, angst, deception, drama, and even a case of amnesia thrown in. Everything but the kitchen sink. Did it sell? Nope. And now that I know what I know, I’m not surprised. But at the time I was heartbroken. Why didn’t anyone love my great masterpiece? Then I heard those prolific words that gave me that ‘ah ha’ moment every author has. Not ‘write what you know,’ because unless you’re a history scholar or time traveler, no one really ‘knows’ what it was truly like to live in a time not our own. No, the prolific words that got me started writing in the paranormal genre were ‘write what you love to read.’ 

And so I did. And you know what? That book practically wrote itself. It flew from my fingertips with all the pieces falling magically into place. It was a book with bumbling guardian angels and reincarnated soul mates set in WWII Pompeii. By the time I finished it, I had what I thought was a pretty darn good book. Someone else thought so too, because it landed me an agent. Did it sell? Nope, mainly because of the time period (evidently NY publishing thinks the WWII time period has the cooties). But it came very close with one NY publisher, climbing up the editorial ladder to the top before it was rejected because I refused to rewrite it as a contemporary. Was I heartbroken? Yes. Did I give up on it? No. I self-published it and it’s slowly finding its way into reader’s hearts. Apparently I’m not the only one out there who loves humor, history and paranormal in their romance.

 ____________________________

OUT OF THE ASHES – Pompeii, reincarnation and romance

"Lori Dillon brings a fresh new voice for paranormal historical romance readers to enjoy. OUT OF THE ASHES shows the author is a born storyteller, with emotion on every page. I cried at the end."   

                     — Rosemary Stevens,

                              Agatha Award winning author

To find out more about Lori Dillon and her writings, please visit her website at http://www.loridillon.com

What it Means to be an Editor: An Interview with April Michelle Davis

Editing. Indexing. Proofreading.
 From the first word to well beyond the end.

Founded in 2001 by April Michelle Davis, Editorial Inspirations provides exceptional editing, indexing, and proofreading services to both publishers and authors. Each task is approached with a greater understanding of the

various aspects of the publishing process. The intent of the author and the publisher is always kept in mind—from the first word to well beyond the end.

Strive to Read!

good books never go out of style

I love being able to curl up with a good book. There is something about being swept away in a story and rooting for the characters to either solve the mystery, catch the bad guy or even wait for the snarky response from a hero or villain. If I could, I think I'd love to transport myself into a book. But, with my busy schedule, finding time to read used to be difficult until I created my To-Be-Read (TBR) list. 

Meet the Authors

With twenty authors from all over the Commonwealth participating in the Celebrate With A Book Author Book Fair on December 15, 2012 at Regency Square Mall in Richmond, Virginia, there are a lot of great books and authors coming your way.Please click on their respective names to learn more about these great writers.

Chris Sorensen

Pamela K. Kinney

Shara Lanal

April Michelle Davis

Sandy Raven

Cynthia Ann Baldini

Donna Dalton

Rose Barnett

June Pair Kilpatrick

Leah St. James

James Henry Harris

Mechele Armstrong 

Lori Dillon

Mary Montague Sikes

Mary Moore

Regina Webster

Wendy Custer 

Carin Casey

Tina Glasneck 

Jennifer Gregory

It's Coming! Celebrate With A Book Author Book Fair

"Celebrate with a Book" Author Book Fair

DECEMBER 15, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Come one, come all to the first annual Regency Square Mall Book Fair, where twenty Virginian authors will sign their books. Find the perfect gift for the book lover on your list. There will be something for everyone, ranging from children's books to romance. 

Where: Regency Square Mall - right outside of the JC Penney on the first floor.

1420 North Parham Road  Richmond, VA 23229