Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Rock & Roll and Romance! Meet Gracen Miller, Author of Rockin' the Heart



I’m Author Gracen Miller and I’ve written the Road to Hell series, Fairy Casanova, Taboo Kisses, and my most recent book Rockin’ the Heart, which is the first book in the Hot Wired series. I am both self-published and with an indie publisher.
Karen was hoping I’d tell all y’all my wicked secrets and I might. I’m not shy. So grab your favorite drink, sink your teeth into something decadent, sit back, relax and get to know me…

~~~

KAREN: If you could pick one thing about our world to change, what would it be and why?

GRACEN: Picking one thing is tough when there are so many things that need changing. I might start with bullying. Or maybe teach everyone how to love one another. No…maybe I’d eradicate all the violence in the world. I write violence in my paranormal books, but in real life it perplexes me how people can be so evil to one another. But then maybe I should eliminate racism. Gah! See…there are so many things that need altering and these that I mentioned don’t even scratch the surface. I worry about the future my children are inheriting.
  
K: Kind of morbid, but if you knew the exact moment of your death, down to the last second, what changes would you make in your life?

GRACEN: I’d diet less, but I wouldn’t change much else. I try to live each day with the “no regrets” mentality. Living is about experiencing life and learning. We can’t do that if we’re holding back. That said, it doesn’t mean I want to go bungee jumping or base diving or anything adrenaline seeking like that. Yikes! I’ll leave that to my daredevil son. LOL

 K: If you picked a television show or sitcom that fit your family, what would it be and why?  


GRACEN: The Addams Family because we’re all a bit odd and zany. Seriously…we all have our freaky quirks.
  
K: Pretend you’re writing a book about your life. What would the title be and why?

GRACEN: Lost in Translation. LOL I say that because I spend so much time in my head with my characters that the average person cannot relate to the way my brain works.

 K: What song title best describes your style of writing? (Use any song in existence or create your own).

GRACEN: Desperado…okay, maybe that’s more like the way I write rather than style. I write without an outline, so I’m always in the hot seat and desperate for ideas on the next chapter.

 K: Do you have a guilty pleasure? If so, will you share it with us?

GRACEN: Nope…I don’t feel guilty about pleasure in any form. Well, okay, maybe I do feel a little guilty when I eat Reese Cups while dieting, but I never regret those tongue-gasms! ;-)

 K: You’re stranded on an island, who would you want to be stranded with and why?

GRACEN: Dean Winchester! *fans self* For those unfamiliar with him, he’s one of the stars of the television show Supernatural. He’s a smart alec and a hottie, so yeah, I definitely want to be stranded on an island with
him! Preferrably him wearing the least amount of clothes as possible…I’ll keep mine to cover the rolls thank you very much! lol

K: Now, let’s get to know you as an author. When did you become aware that you wanted to be a published author?

GRACEN: Sometime in high school I decided I wanted to be an author. My best friend and I used to write stories back and forth to one another, like a daytime drama or soap opera. Those are some good memories. I didn’t realize at the time they were prepping me for the future.

K: Are there any particular authors that made an impact on you growing up or as an adult? Did any particular teacher or someone else in your life make an impact on your writing?

GRACEN: The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss was the first romance book I read. I was hooked from that moment on! But I also loved Stephen King, so I guess it’s no wonder I mixed horror and romance—what I call horromance—in my Road to Hell series.

As for a particular teacher…my 6th grade English teacher, Mrs. Syler, was the one that got me started writing with a simple homework assignment. Without her influence, I might’ve never been introduced to writing.
  
K: Do you have any “must haves” while you’re writing—besides your computer, of course?

GRACEN: My muse and nectar of the gods—coffee. Without them, I’d be a basketcase!

K: Do you write in a particular genre? If so, what’s the appeal of that genre for you?

GRACEN: Before my newest release, I’d say paranormal romance and erotic romance, but Rockin’ the Heart is a new adult contemporary romance. In the beginning, I wasn’t comfortable leaving my paranormal or erotic romances, but I’m so glad I did. I hope my love for writing Rockin’ the Heart shows through when folks start reading it.
  

K: Any love/hates as it relates to the writing industry?

GRACEN: The petty backstabbing that goes on among authors. And the superiority complex some authors have toward other authors. Some forget that they started small too. I hope when other authors hear my name, they think of someone who is supportive and nice, not someone to stay away from or can’t be trusted.

K: You mentioned you have a Muse? What’s his/her name(s). Why do you think some authors have a muse and other authors don’t?

GRACEN: His name is Dom and I couldn’t do anything without him. I can’t say why some authors have them and others don’t. Maybe it makes those of us who write some scary stuff feel better if we give our muse credit for those thoughts.
  
K: If you could live the life of any one of your characters, who would it be and why? Would you do things differently in real life than he/she did in the book?

GRACEN: I’d be Sam from Rockin’ the Heart because this story quickly became my favorite of all the stories I’ve written. Sam’s a hellion and reckless and while those aren’t characteristics of my personality, I think if she didn’t have those attributes then Heath/Fang wouldn’t have been drawn to her. So…no I wouldn’t do anything differently.

 K: What are you working on now?

GRACEN: Book two in the Hot Wired series. I’m just getting started on it, so it’s hard to give too many details. But the story is set around Hot Wired’s drummer, Jase, who is also in Rockin’ the Heart and is the brother of Sam. His love interest also makes a cameo in Rockin’ the Heart.

Thanks for hosting me, Karen! It was a pleasure being here.

BIO:  

Gracen is a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a “normal” person in southern society.  When not writing, she’s a full-time basketball/football/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband. She’s addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels, movies, Alabama football and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She’s convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and blending coffee and writing together generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her creative worlds are spawned from coffee highs.
Where you can stalk me—not really!—but I do love to meet and interact with readers:
Twitter: @GracenMiller


If music nourishes the soul…
Loved by millions, but shunned by blood, Heath “Fang” Fangor has led his band, Hot Wired, to the top while others have fallen by the wayside. He devoted his life to music, and from that devotion harvested a new family—his band mates and fans.
A man can desire nothing else…or can he?
Living in the shadow of her brother’s fame sucks! Sam Collins is desperate to have what she wants—a simple and uncomplicated life. She’s no stranger to scandals and how they work. Now that she’s inadvertently dragged Fang into the center of her latest gossip, could the scandal she created in her quest for freedom have gone too far?
Amid stardom the heart stages a new melody…
Fang has more fame and fortune than he will ever need, but none of that matters if he can’t have the woman of his dreams. Years have been wasted waiting for the right moment to approach the woman his heart desires above all others. There’s just one major problem...she’s his best friend’s sister. To have her, he will have to risk it all.
One that might be responsible for Rockin the Heart!

Buy Links (Note: Rockin’ the Heart released January 23rd):

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The War of the Weres Continues with the Midwife's Moon, a review

Author’s Description
An ex-lover on trial, life as a newly formed werewolf, and a passion kindled; what’s a girl to do? Released from depraved control of a psychotic lupa, free to find his mate, and a passion kindled; what's a man to do?

Lisa Sanchez is having a bad couple of years. She was betrayed by her lover and made into a werewolf but she’s making the best of her new life…except when it comes to love. Lisa is out of luck in that department until Lance arrives in her not-so-perfect life. 

Lance Navarro once saved his mate from the clutches of his ruthless pack leader by hiding her in a rival pack. Then the packs merged and things got interesting.

Can Lisa accept that Lance is to be her new mate, and get past the betrayal of the last wolf who made promises? Can Lance protect her from the vindictive pack leader? Or will they end up sharing an early grave?






Midwife’s Moon is the second installment in the War of the Weres series. In the first book, Ulfric’s Mate, we were introduced to Nolan, Ulfric of the Wahpawhat, and Alexandria, healer of the Lupin pack.  The Lupin and Wahpawhat packs are eventually merged with Nolan as leader. This left Roxie, sociopathic former lupa of the Lupin pack and her cohorts in exile and angry.
In the Midwife’s Moon we resume the story and re-introduce and explore the characters, Lance and Lisa. Their story follows the continued struggles of the merger of the packs, the wicked Roxie and her quest to regain control of the weres. In the midst of this Lisa, a human turned werewolf by and abandoned by her former lover, a member of the Lupin pack, tries to adapt to her new reality. Lance, who rescued the unconscious Lisa, finds her again and the attraction is the powerful and immediate attraction of a mated pair. They must both overcome the pain and rejection of their pasts to save the newly formed pack and themselves.
This is a well crafted sequel. While it stands on its own, I highly recommend that you read Ulfric’s Mate, as well. The characters are three-dimensional and the world building solid. The plot is tightly written with enough tension and a few unanswered questions that make me look forward to the next installment.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and I highly recommend it! I give Midwife’s Moon 5 out of 5 triskeles.











Leona Bushman goes by many names but the most common one is superhero. She earned this name from saving a kangaroo from a tree—and yes that is as hard as it sounds. The dragons taught their queen how to write, and Queen Leona hasn't looked back. Even when her muse tries to muck things up.





She can be found goofing off and loving dragons and other creatures of the supernatural at these places:

Twitter: @L_Bushman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeonaBushman



Queen Leona writes mainly for Breathless Press, and the bulk of her books are found here:

This includes:
The Ulfric's Mate*                                                                   Serviced, Vol 1 ~ Over A Dead Body
Ravaged, Vol 1 ~ Barely There*                                              Down on the Farm, Vol 1 ~ The Lion,      the Witch, and the Faeries
Rick Sexed Up the Doc ~ Naughty Nursery Rhyme                The Captain's Christmas ~ Cyber
Crimson, Vol 1 ~ Daryn's Slayer **                                        Slow Burn ~Dead Man Walking special
The Midwife's Moon*
Mayhem in Mexico: Zombie Infestation A Serena Rouge Novel
*Denotes War of the Weres series

Coming Soon from Breathless Press:
Ravaged, Vol 2~ Witchy Wolf Coming January 3rd.
The Fox in the Wolf Den* freebie


Monday, December 16, 2013

Guest Blogger, Danny Coleman Interviews Peter Dabbene, book reviewer, writer and creator of the graphic novel, Ark


This week we welcome again, Danny Coleman as our guest blogger. Last week, Danny took us inside a NaNoWriMo write-in. This week, he shares with us a recent interview with Peter Dabbene, book reviewer, writer and graphic novelist to talk about his graphic novel, Ark.
Take it away, Danny and Peter!




“Most people’s experience with comic books is that it’s meant for kids; kids get older and still like comic books,” says author, graphic novelist and Hamilton resident Peter Dabbene. “The comic book companies realized that it’s still ok to read comics as an adult, so they began publishing graphic novels.”

By definition, a graphic novel is “a novel in the form of comic strips,” and Dabbene, a Staten Island native, recently published his first; a space age suspense thriller entitled “Ark.” 
Set years into the future and based on a premise that there are other planets which are inhabitable in the vast
realm of outer space, “Ark” brings together human and “meta-human” beings aboard a space craft to carry out a long and arduous mission to seek new planets, solar systems and life. Meta-humans are creatures, whom are the result of crossbreeding experiments by world scientists and governments between the human, animal, plant and insect species.
The novel has several plot twists and turns and is rife with foreshadowing, which only serves to heighten the suspense and drama that Dabbene masterfully intertwines within its pages.

Recently I caught up with Peter for an informative Q & A about himself, graphic novels and the comic industry. An extremely pleasant conversationalist, as well as informative and funny, he easily opened up to me and was more than willing to talk about his passion.

Danny Coleman: Have you always been or was there another vocation for you prior to becoming a graphic novelist?
Peter Dabbene: “I am actually a book reviewer. I’ve always liked to write, in the past I’ve written poetry, plays, and short stories; the beauty of it is, there are things that you can do with one but not the others.  Being a reviewer, I get to make money off of something that I like to do; it’s great because I’ve really found some hidden gems in some of my work that I never would’ve known of.”

DC:   How did you gain interest in writing a graphic novel?
PD: “I grew up in Staten Island and moved to Hamilton about fifteen years ago. As a kid I had an interest in and started reading comic books. I was about five when the original “Star Wars” came out, Marvel Comics put out more on that series and I kept reading, then I branched out into Superheroes. As I got older my tastes changed and I advanced to the graphic novel type.” 

DC: Tell us about the concept behind “Ark?”
PD: “I don’t know really. I wanted to do something Science Fiction and this story developed over time; I take a lot of notes. I like tension, drama, people trapped in one place and the interpersonal tensions that develop. “Ark” has a few moments of humor but it’s also a fast paced thriller.”

DC: You mentioned that it developed “over time,” how long did it take from the original concept to completion and what is the average time length that it takes for a project such as this?
PD: “You know, I couldn’t tell you an average time. It took me about a year; well it’s been in the works for about four years, I took my time over the last year working up the script. So yeah, it took about four years once everything was in place.”

DC: You had to choose an illustrator/artist; can you talk about that process?

PD: “I looked for quite a while. I went the standard route, put up ads at comic shows, asked around and the like, I finally found him on line. He actually lives in the UK and his name is Ryan Bayliss. I have yet to meet him face to face but I did hear his voice for the first time when we did a podcast for a Scottish web site. We’ve worked together for a while now and we know each other, trust each other and have built a good relationship; we just let each other go with it creatively.”

DC: What can you tell me about the characters in the novel?
PD: “That’s a good question. The ensemble was created so that you don’t know who the main character is. The main character tends to stay on for the whole story as opposed to secondary ones who get killed off early or fade away. I designed them to keep you more interested in the story, wanted the reader to wonder; I throw in random elements to stamp them as my own, I like readers to be surprised. First I decided to make it the Captain, then I was not sure but I think I settled on Harmony Smith.”

DC: Is there a target audience and a marketing strategy?
PD: “My publisher, Arcana Publishing handles most of the marketing; they’re on the west coast. I’d say our audience is probably older teens but mostly adults. Fans of “Star Trek” or “Babylon 5” are most likely to get into this type of novel but if people like to read and give it a chance; they may like it.”

DC: Will there be a follow up to “Ark?”
PD: “I’m currently working on a different graphic novel using the same artist; it’s called “The Adventures of Spam Fram. It is based on virtual worlds that people use for entertainment like an avatar or Sims. Arcana have contracted me for three total books, so there will be two more in the series. Once I’m done with the new novel I will return to the “Ark” series.”

Arcana Publishing has priced the digital version of Dabbene’s “Ark” at $4.99 and the print edition is available for $19.95. Along with it being available at www.arcana.com and at some comic bookstores; it can also be found at Amazon.com.    


Peter Dabbene’s poetry has been published in many online and print literary journals, and collected in the book Optimism. His stories can be found online at www.defenestrationmag.net,  www.mcsweeneys.net,  www.piginpoke.com, www.wordriot.org, and elsewhere, and his comic book work can be seen in the graphic novel Ark and the magazine Futurequake. He has published two story collections, Prime Movements and Glossolalia, and a novel, Mister Dreyfus' Demons. His latest book is the humor collection Spamming the Spammers (with Dieter P. Bieny). He writes a monthly column for the Hamilton Post(viewable at www.mercerspace.com/blog/pdabbene) and reviews for BlueInk Review and Foreword Reviews His plays have been performed in New Jersey and Philadelphia venues. His website is www.peterdabbene.com



Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program
called “Rock On Radio,” which airs Sunday evenings at 10 p.m. EST, on it he features indie/original bands, solo and unsigned artists and entertainers in a laid-back atmosphere. There are live performances, interviews, phone calls and interactive chat rooms as well. He has been a guest on many radio and television programs. You can find Danny, his radio show and his writings at the links below and his weekly print column can be found in The Trentonian newspaper:

Rock On Radio Facebook Page                                              Concertblogger.com
The Rock Rag                                                                         The Shore Thing