Category Archives: Uncategorized

Learning from Each Other (Author Interviews)

Posted on February 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

While be-bopping around the ‘net, I ran over an excellent interview with an author that I’ve not only read, but admire. That got me to thinking that I’d like to share my favorite author interviews here. Some offer glimpses into the art of writing, other focus on promo or another facet of Indie Publishing– but they are all entertaining and informative.

The interview that sparked this post is this one with Suzanne Tyrpak, author of Vestal Virgin and Hetaera. I’ve reviewed several of her books here, and here, so be sure to check out her books after reading the interview. She talks about how one little Roman discovery sparked the story, and in-depth research completed it.

Then I found an insightful interview into the mind of the Zombie Master himself, Jack Wallen. A while back, Jack was the subject of my Three Ways Thursdays post and you can see that interview here. I’ve also read and reviewed Jack’s novel A Blade Away and it was Fab. I’ve got his other books in my TBR pile while I will get to soon if it kills me.

Last spring I read a witty, dark Vampire novel by Jennifer Rainey called These Hellish Happenings. I love it, reviewed it, and eventually had Jennifer here on the blog for an installment of Three Ways Thursdays. Well, I found another interview here with Jennifer as she talks a little bit about being a writer, a musician and her favorite things.

And this one’s part book review, part interview with NYT Best Selling author Victorine Lieske. We hang out at the same water cooler (KB’s) and she’d always got a kind word or bit of advice for those just starting out. I reviewed her novel Not What She Seems several months ago. 

Here’s a link to an interview with Barbra Annino, author of Opal Fire, which has been compared to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, but with witches! Sounds like a good time!

That’s all folks! Seriously though, I’ll spotlight more author interviews in the future. I’ve been meaning to get back to posting actual interviews here (with Indie Authors) but finding the time to search and contact authors is not so easy these days :-)

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As a side note, the recently released short story JUST DESSERTS is FREE today on Amazon (2/10 & 2/11). It’s only been out a few days and I’m hoping to earn some reviews fresh out of the gate. I’d love it if you’d grab a copy or spread the word around!

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What’s Going On? (Reading, Writing & Editing Updates)

Posted on February 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’ve been busy slaving over Blood Chord edits and haven’t had the chance to post much lately, so I thought I’d give a quick little run-down of what been going on behind the scenes here at Quirky Gurl Media.

First, I decided to polish up a short story from a few years back and release it as an ebook. Right now, it’s only available on Amazon, as I’m still on the fence about taking it Select exclusive. The story, titled Just Desserts, is about a woman coming to grips with the death of her abusive husband. This isn’t your typical survivor story. Rather, it’s the story of a woman angry that she was robbed of the chance to defend herself by a stupid twist of fate. It takes a conversation with her dying Aunt to help her move past the anger that’s been holding her back. Check it out if you get a chance.

I’ve been working on edits for Blood Chord and I can honestly say that the end is nigh! On top of that, I added another 10,000 words to it as part of the Kindle Boards 60k Feb writing challenge. The additional words furthered the plot, but they’ve also given me fodder for future books in the series. One of which goes straight back to 16th Century Italy and the Medici family. That one should be delish!

I’m currently reading Hush, by Anne Frasier. It took me a few pages to get into (but that may be the head-cold talking) but once I found my rythem I’m clipping along nicely with it. So far, so good. I’ll share my full impression when I’m done. 

That’s all folks. I’m off to work on that writing challenge before Theraflu and bedtime!

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60K Words in 29 Days (KindleBoards February Writing Challenge)

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Since my NaNoWriMo project got sidelined due to moving, extended-stay house guests and about a trillion other things, I’ve decided to participate in the February writing Challenge issued by fellow Writers over on the Kindleboards.

  • The Overall Goal: to churn out 60,000 words by the end of the month.
  • Daily Goal: breaks down to 2,069 words daily

For day 1, I made almost no progress. I did manage to tack on another 1,000 words to a short story that should be hitting Amazon soon, and according to the #60KinFeb rules I can use that for my overall total.

For the bulk of my word count, I’m going to be whipping out the second book in my Blood Chord series– the first is darn-near ready and should be published by the end of the month. That way, I’ll (hopefully) have book two out by mid-spring / early-summer.

For now, I’m off to outline book #2, so that my writing won’t go in circles. While I do that, you can ooh-and-ahh over my nifty little ticker. See that black cat, she’s chasing those totals!

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Oh, I almost forgot! If you’re in the market for a rather racy read, Strangers On A Plane is FREE today on Amazon!(insert legal mumbo-jumo, like check the price before you download to make sure it’s still free!)

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Free Book Alert (today only) & Current Reads

Posted on January 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

Just wanted to pop in here and let everyone know that Still Life Paintings is available for FREE download on Amazon, today (1/29/2012) only. Be sure to check the price before getting it, just to make sure that Amazon hasn’t taken it back to paid status though!

On a side note, this story collection is also part of the Kindle Lending Library, so if you are a Amazon Prime member and miss the Freebie promo, you can always borrow it later :-)

So what else is going on around here? Well, I’m back to the edits on Blood Chord– only I think I’ve fleshed out the series a little bit more. So now, I’m thinking the group of books will all be “Blood Chord: something” and so on.

I’ve been reading two books over the last few days. The first is side-splitting non-fiction, called A Walk In The Snark by Rachel Thompson. It’s witty, smart and Snarkaliscious. The perfect thing to read while locking yourself in the bathroom to escape your family :-)

The second book I’m in the middle of is Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She’s Dead, by Christiana Miller. This is one of the best paranormal books out there. The magic is inventive (but grounded in legend and lore) and somehow feels more accurate than the glossed-over stereotypical para fiction that is becoming the norm. Any-who — I’m off to do more edits so that I can earn some more time reading :-)

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Flirting With Death by Heidi Hall – Book Review

Posted on January 14, 2012 | 1 Comment

I snagged a copy of this book when it was offered as a freebie last week (I think, my days run together fairly often) because the cover was cute and who wouldn’t want to read a chick-lit Assassin novel? I’ve also noticed the author Heidi Hall around on Kindle Boards and the like, and she’s a Doll. Besides, what did I have to lose? The book was free after all.


So glad I downloaded it. Flirting With Death has a fairly unique plot (at least I’ve never seen one like it) and the writing was concise, fun and even a tad snarky. I just love me a good dose of Snark!

Compelling supporting characters gave bad-girl-turned-good-girl Kayla a lot to keep her busy while she tries to figure out how to live a “normal” life, who exactly tried to kill her, and why that earned her a one-way ticket out of the CIA. In the middle of all that, Kayla finds some time to right a few local wrongs, even if it means turning her kitchen into a temporary kennel. Who says assassins can’t have a heart of gold,even if it’s a little tarnished?

Flirting with Death is no longer free, but at $3.99 it’s still a Fab bargain. And right now it’s also ranked in the Top 20 of multiple categories on Amazon- so clearly I’m not the only one who loved it!

Product Description from Amazon: Is there a twelve-step program for recovering assassins?

Kayla McKenna is a covert assassin—and she likes it. After her father was murdered by terrorists, she was consumed by the need for retribution. But landing her dream job as a CIA assassin turns out to be merely a stepping stone in her plot to avenge the heartaches of the past… and present. One botched mission earns Kayla a burn notice, a bullet hole and a one-way ticket back to suburbia. Banished to her childhood stomping grounds with a meddling, shopping-addicted mother intent on grandkids, three overprotective cop brothers, a sexy criminal who can’t decide whether he wants to shoot her or date her, and a new boyfriend even her family loves, Kayla may finally get the chance to find out what really matters in life.

That is, if living a “normal” life doesn’t kill her first.

With a delicious combination of mystery, suspense, romance, edgy chick-lit, and a dash of paranormal, the first installment of the new Assassins Anonymous series is a wickedly fun treat.

*This is a full length novel at 342 printed pages.

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SKIN Gets a New Cover

Posted on January 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

So, I’ll admit I’m always tinkering with Photoshop (at work and after) and sometimes I’ll do something like make a whole new cover for a book on a whim. This time Skin got the makeover.

What do you think? Doesn’t he look so much more handsome now? Rugged too! (I’ll post the old cover right under the new one for comparison purposes!)

 New

 Old

For a change, my playing around on the computer has paid off. SKIN needed the makeover and I was never really satisfied with the original cover. Now, if my new cover will lure in more readers…

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Character Sketches from Polyvore (Blood Chord Novel)

Posted on December 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

For lack of any serious drive to edit my forthcoming novel, Blood Chord, I decided to spend the evening in mindless Computer-dom. Enter wicked-kewl website Polyvore! I first noticed this site over on Shea MaCleod’s blog and then again the other day while hopping around the IWU Christmas Blog Hop, over on Christine’s site. Polyvore looked like the perfect way to waste away an evening, and I was right. Sort of.

Aside from the few hours I spent searching for the perfect inspirations for two of the main characters from my upcoming release Blood Chord, I discovered something interesting: I have a moderate boo-boo to correct in the novel. Confused yet?

I still am a little. You see, while compiling the polyvore board for one of my secondary characters, Bette, I discovered that I made her do something completely out of character towards the end of the novel. How did I figure that out, you might wonder? Well, I spent over an hour crafting Bette’s board and when I was done, I compared it to what I know of Bette in the novel to see if everything gelled. It didn’t.

Bette is sultry, seductive even without trying. She is controlled and coiffed. Bette is courtly, reserved. She is above flagrant dislays of emotions, especially in the presence of others. And I made her wig out- a complete scratch-your-eyes out hissy-fit. Bette would never do that. She’d rather take a stake to the chest, but that’s another topic altogether. So now I have to fix the gaffe, but I’m glad I discovered it sooner rather than later.

So I didn’t exactly waste my time tonight playing on Polyvore, now did I? On top of making my novel better in the long run, I’ve now discovered the first place I’m going to stop when creating new characters. It’s a perfect way to get to know the people inside my head that much better!

So what do you think of the Polyvore boards below?

Character Sketch - Bette's Style (Blood Chord Novel)
Character Sketch - Claire's Style (Blood Chord Novel)

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IWU Holiday Hop Blog Tour 2011

Posted on December 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

Since I’ve been busy moving (right before Christmas! Ack!) and trying to get BLOOD CHORD ready for publication, I didn’t have time to participate in this years Holiday Hop with many other Fabulous Indie Authors. I do want to take a second to share the information with you guys though.

The hop runs from December 15th to December 25th. Winners will be chosen after the contest has ended, and the results will be posted on their websites/blogs between December 26th-December 31st. The grand prize winner of the KINDLE FIRE will be chosen on December 31st and announced on January 1, 2012 on this site.

To begin, go to the HOLIDAY HOP page. You can blog hop in any order you choose. Start with an author and then work your way through everyone. Click on the NAME of the author to be directed to their blog site. Once there, check out their contest and enter to win. Yes…it’s that easy! And that fun.

This year’s hop has some great authors and terrific prizes. I’ll give you a little taste of some of my favorite authors here:

On Guerilla Wordfare with Lizzy Ford, she’s giving away an autographed, limited edition War of Gods trilogy paperback.

Christine DeMaio-Rice (author of Dead Is The New Black) is hosting a Fab fashioned-themed contest on her blog Fashion Is Murder and it’s so yummy I might have to participate in that one!

Danielle Blanchard is running a contest to promote her new book Death Wish over on her blog.

Kate Danley is giving away book copies and some cool swag too! I want The Woodcutter!

So what are you waiting for? Hop to it!

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Book Review – The Temple by Heather Marie Adkins

Posted on November 4, 2011 | 2 Comments

I was looking for a good, witchy, paranormal read over the Halloween Holiday, and boy did I find it. Admittedly, life sidetracked me a little and I didn’t get around to reading The Temple until after Samhain, but that hardly matters.

The story kept me sucked into it until the very end, leaving me tired and with a stiff neck this morning. Not only is the plotting in The Temple original and well-paced, but the writing is tight and clever, with just the right amount of snarky wit. The witch/ Wiccan details throughout the book never feel homogenized or stereotypical, and that is very hard to accomplish these days.In addition, I was particularly enamored with the sections pertaining to The Goddess and the descriptive way the author handles things.

Author Heather Marie Adkins is a practicing Wiccan and Independent author (Indies Rock!) so I’m not surprised at how polished and authentic the novel is. And the life she breathes into each and every character… very impressive! Equal parts mythology and mystery, with a dash of romance– The Temple is a stellar fist novel and I’m excited to read more from Adkins!

Product Description From Amazon:

Vale Avari has a mysterious past and a laundry list of super-powers, but that’s nothing compared to what she finds upon moving from small town U.S.A to jolly-good England.

A chance dart throw lands her in Quicksilver, an off-the-map place with a big problem – people are dying, and word is, it’s supernatural.

At her new place of employment, a temple dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess, Vale learns something even more shocking – women guards are disappearing at an alarmingly patterned rate; women who possess special gifts like her own.

Supernatural powers aside, Vale isn’t ready to believe in the Wild Hunt as the culprit, and she’s determined to prove the deaths are acts of human violence.

Plagued by a brute with a history of domestic violence and lusting after a dark-eyed man with a secret, Vale has a limited amount of time to discover the killer before he strikes again. In the process, she’ll learn things aren’t always what they seem and the supernatural might not be so extraordinary after all.

The Hunt could ride for her.

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Book Review – Diary of The Displaced by Glynn James

Posted on October 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I downloaded this book, but whatever my preconceived notions were, Mr. James blew them out of the water.

Reading this novel felt a bit like falling down Alice’s portal. Given the nature of the plot, it couldn’t have been written any other way. As the main character, James Halldon, wakes up in a strange foreign place, the story begins. We learn more about his predicament as he does. Of course I had to keep reading to figure out where he was and if he’d ever escape.

Diary of The Displaced is a well-written, uniquely crafted, one-of-a-kind book. Part horror, part sci-fi; totally entertaining. On a side note, I’m already reading book two of the series, Chasing Spirits now!

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Book Review – Cage Life by Karin Cox

Posted on October 12, 2011 | 2 Comments

I snagged this book while it was offered for free over on Amazon, mainly because I’ve seen the author around on a few boards and I was curious about her work. After reading Cage Life, I felt a little girl-crush coming on. Cox writes with such beauty and insight that I found myself jealous. She writes like I aspire to. She writes like people think, even when they don’t realize it.

Evocative. Haunting. Powerful. – I could be describing the story collection or the author’s gift for the written word. In fact, I am describing both.

You should scoot on over to Amazon now, check out Cage Life and Karin Cox’s other works. Maybe you can still snag it for free!

Product Description From Amazon:

What happens when life doesn’t turn out as planned? This collection of two evocative stories (each with a surprising twist) explores the choices and compromises we make in life and in love, and how they can trap or liberate us, depending on our mindset. Each story comes with an unexpected twist that makes reading all the way to the end imperative.

In “Cage Life,” first published by [untitled] in 2010 as “Still Life”, a young mum feels like a prisoner in her own home. Her decision to escape the bonds of marriage and motherhood, just for a few hours, has unexpected consequences that force her to a re-evaluate what it really means to be loved, to be married, and to be free.

In “The Usurper,” unconditional love is explored within the boundaries of age and longing. Basil is in his eighties, with an illustrious career in law enforcement behind him, when he meets Carla — a beautiful, energetic and much younger mistress. But when Simon appears on the scene, can Basil keep her or does she, in fact, keep him?

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Book Review – Craved by Stephanie Nelson

Posted on October 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

I won this book through a LibraryThing giveaway and read it promptly. The cover is beyond gorgeous and the blurb compelling, so I thought, “Why not sign up for the drawing?” I’m glad I did. Craved by Stephanie Nelson is a perfectly tasty morsel of paranormal goodness, and I do hope the book manages to garner the attention it deserves.

As far a paranormal books go it’s withing the genre norms so as not to be off-putting to die hard fans. This book does have several nuggets of originality and quirkiness and we all know I like things with the big “Q”. Imagine, a town solely inhabited by Supernaturals. What fun! I can’t wait to see where the author takes the town and the characters within its invisible boundaries in further books of the series.

The writing is tight througout, though the first page or so felt a little overly descriptive. Once the author found her sea legs the book clipped along nicely. So nicely, in fact, I gave myself a stiff neck from hunching over my ipad to finish it :-) There’s a host of compelling characters and hunky love interests and the main character Gwen has some unusual abilities that end up making her a hot commodity. Fabulous first start to a series, and I’m sure the series will become one that I have to read in entirity. Sigh –> That list is getting long! But I guess a girl could have much worse problems on hand…

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Book Review – Haunted On Bourbon Street

Posted on October 3, 2011 | 1 Comment

It’s that time of year again; the season that ushers in the spooky, the magical, the otherworldly. Not that there’s a big difference in my year-round reading, but I do find myself devouring paranormal books this time of year at a particularly gruesome rate. So I was glad to get my hands on a copy of Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase.

This book has a little bit of everything to appease the para-fanatic: ghosts, witches, angels, dream-trespassing… even angels. The story is original and captivating, and I found myself pulled into the book in no-time. My one little nit-pick is this: I don’t feel like I was able to get *really* invested in the main characters like I wanted to. But with the fast paced plot, it’s hardly noticed. And this book is the first of a series, so there’s still time for further investment.

Overall, Haunted on Bourbon Street is an enjoyable, engrossing paranormal book with quirky characters, a compelling plot. It is very well written and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. Hope it comes out soon!

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