Shoshana
If you can have Christmas in August, whom would you like to have in your stocking, and
why? (Right now, I’ll go for David Boreanaz. He’s got such sexy grin, and his behind is not bad either!)

Cheryl:
Hmm… Christmas in August… man in my stocking… Good question, but since we’re
talking fantasy here, I think I’d take a Zetithian—but if he has to be human, there’s this guynamed Daniel that I wouldn’t mind getting as a gift!

Hint: he has long dark hair and his picture is in the sidebar on my blog.;-)

If you’re going to be stuck in an island for some time, what are the three items you must have? (This is assuming that you have food and shelter and don’t have to worry about dying.)

Cheryl:
My husband, my guitar, and some sort of creative activity. I’ve always had this need to
create, be it candles, pies, books, or sequined shirts for a country singer—and yes, I actually did that!—otherwise, I’d go nuts!

Virginia C
What’s the very first book that made a lasting impression on you from your childhood?

Cheryl:
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart is the first novel I can remember reading
that wasn’t a children’s book. I loved her voice, the romance, and the suspense. Then I read all of her books and loved every one of them, particularly her Merlin Trilogy. Great stuff!

What’s the last book you read that made you cry?

Cheryl: It’s been out for a while now, so this isn’t a spoiler, but when Fred Weasley was killed in the last Harry Potter book, I was pretty weepy-eyed.

Estella

How do you decide on the names for your characters?

Cheryl:
The heroes mostly have feline sounding names, but since I’ve used Cat, Leo, Manx, and Lynx, there aren’t many left. The later ones are a bit more obscure. Tychar (Rogue) began with the word tiger, and I played with it a bit to come up with that spelling. Trag (Hero) is a combination of tiger and dragon. For the heroes of books 7-9, I’ve gone to some scientific names and played around with the spellings and pronunciations.

When it comes to the names of heroines or secondary characters, I just use whatever feels best. Sometimes I hit random keys and move letters around or replace vowels until I come up with something I like.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Cheryl:
I don’t have much in the way of spare time anymore, but I like to cook, garden, play guitar and sing, plus I have three horses. I don’t ride very much these days, but I do love my big pasture pets!

Chey

Do you get to choose your own titles?

Cheryl:
I come up with a working title, but the final choice is usually out of my hands. Of the books in the Cat Star Chronicles series, so far, only Fugitive and Hero were published with the titles I gave them originally, and Fugitive was almost re-titled because they didn’t think it would fit on the cover! However, one of the guys in the art department was able to make the letters narrow enough to fit, which was fortunate because there really isn’t another word that means the same thing as fugitive—at least, I can’t think of one.

How much input do you have in your covers?

Cheryl:
The folks in the art department ask for character descriptions, but since none of my covers shows a full face on any of the guys, hair color is about the only thing that matters, and sometimes you can’t even see that much. My covers are then designed by Anne Cain, who I think does a fabulous job. The initial covers are sent to me, and I comment on them. I don’t like the headless torso thing, and I’ve had to request that a few of them be changed as a result. So far, any major objections I’ve had have at least been considered, and most have been corrected. The main input I had on the cover of Hero was to tell them not to change it. I loved it just the way it was when it was first presented to me.

Caffey
If you could meet any author from the past that inspired you to become an author, who
would you like to meet and what would you like to ask them?

Cheryl:
I’d like to ask William Shakespeare if he was actually the one who wrote all of that
stuff. Of course, I probably wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of his reply, but it would be interesting, just the same.

Pam S

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Cheryl:
Chocolate. Pure and simple. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

What is your most memorable vacation?

Cheryl:
Probably the trip I took to Las Vegas a couple of years ago—and not so much for the
casinos or anything like that, but because of the side trip we took to the Grand Canyon. Now, that was memorable.!

Meredith Miller

Have you had any “real life” adventures that have influenced your characters or plots?

Cheryl: LOL! I’ve had so few adventures, it isn’t even funny. There have been people, books, situations, random comments, and movies that have influenced me, but not too many people care to read about the things nurses do on a daily basis. It usually isn’t very pretty….

What is the strangest question someone has ever asked you in an interview?

Cheryl:
Probably the questions regarding how I came up with the idea for the Zetithians and
their, um, equipment. No, wait! Scratch that. It was my answer that was strange….

Terri C
When did you know you wanted to make a career of writing?

Cheryl: In 2004, I was watching Under the Tuscan Sun with my husband, and when I remarked that it would be pretty cool to be a writer living in Tuscany, he said “Write!” So I wrote! I haven’t made it anywhere near Italy yet, but maybe someday.

CherylS22
What is your favorite writing environment?

Cheryl:
Back here in my bedroom with the curtains closed, sitting at my messy desk right next
to my messy, unmade bed. All I need is my computer, my trusty Boy Scout cup full of tea or ice water, my computer glasses, and I’m good to go. I can write in other places, but this is where most of it happens.

KarenK

Who are your most favorite authors?

Cheryl:
I know they aren’t terribly current, but Mary Stewart, Georgette Heyer, and Daphne
DuMaurier have been favorites of mine since I was a kid. More recently, I fell in love with the Harry Potter series (along with millions of others) and I’ve read and enjoyed many of the books written by my fellow Sourcebooks Casablanca authors. Aside from that, I haven’t read very many books lately because I simply don’t have the time!

CrystalGB
Who are the biggest supporters of your writing?

Cheryl:
The core group of ladies who follow and comment on my blog are probably my most vocal supporters, however the gang I work with at the hospital aren’t far behind. Anytime we’re out together, they somehow manage to mention the fact that I’m a writer to someone. My family is supportive, but they just don’t read the sort of books I write, so they aren’t fans.

LilMissMolly

What do you enjoy reading?

Cheryl:
I read the Harry Potter series over and over again—usually as a means of winding
down before bed. It’s very difficult for me to read a romance novel without critiquing it, but JK Rowling’s writing is such that I don’t have to think about how it’s written; I can focus on the story and it diverts my mind better than anything else.

Aurora M

What book was your earliest memory?

Cheryl:
I can’t recall the author’s name, but the title of the book was A Horse of Her Own. It
was about a young girl living in England who got a pony and learned to ride. It was told in first person from her point of view, and was probably the earliest influence on me to enjoy reading (and writing) in that POV.

If you could have any other job what would it be?

Cheryl: I’d like to play lead guitar in a rock band. …hey, you asked me….

HERO BY CHERYL BROOKS – IN STORES AUGUST 2010
The Cat Star Chronicles #6
He is the sexiest, most irksome man she’s ever encountered…
Micayla is the last Zetithian female left in the universe. She doesn’t know what’s normal for her species, but she knows when she sees Trag that all she wants to do is bite him…

He has searched all over the galaxy for a woman like her…
Trag has sworn he’ll never marry unless he can find a Zetithian female. But now that he’s finally found Micayla, she may be more of a challenge than even he’s able to take on…

About the Author
Cheryl Brooks is an Intensive Care Unit nurse by night and a romance writer by day. Previous books in The Cat Star Chronicles series include Slave, Warrior, Rogue, Outcast and Fugitive.

She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband and sons in Indiana. For more
information, please visit http://cherylbrooksonline.com/.

Giveaway:

Two winners on September 15.
US and Canada addresses only. No PO Box.
Fill in this form and leave a comment on this post. Feel free to ask more question if you have them, and Cheryl may answer if her time permits.

Tags: Cheryl Brooks, Sourcebooks

Thank you for the invitation to stop by This Book For Free today for a visit. I’m settled into the corner of the sofa over here and I’ve got a cup of coffee in one hand and a double fudge cupcake in the other. Hell, Yeah, the second book in the Honky Tonk Trilogy just hit the bookstores last week. Life is good so let the questions begin!

Shoshana

1. If you can have Christmas in August, what (or whom!) would you like to have in
your stocking, and why?
I want one of those RITA statues for any one of the Honky Tonk Series. I’ve been a good little writer, Santa, darlin’, and I won’t be greedy and ask for two of those lovely ladies. I’ll let you decide which book wins it and could you please give me the grace to walk up the steps to receive it without falling. I’m more than a bit clumsy. There will be a cold longneck bottle of beer and pretzels on the bar for you … my lips are sealed … Mrs. Claus or all those millions of children will never know about the beer or that you stopped long enough to rest your aching feet at my kitchen table.

2. If you’re going to be stuck in an island for some time, what are the three items you must have? (This is assuming that you have food and shelter and don’t have to worry about dying.)
My lap top with internet. One of those big umbrellas that stick in the sand so I don’t burn to a crisp. And a box of romance books to read when I’m not writing.

Virginia C

3. What’s the very first book that made a lasting impression on you from your
childhood?
I lived with a blind grandmother when I was a little girl and at night we listened to her “talking books” which were these big records that had someone reading books to us. Or else I read my library books if she wanted to talk to her friends on the telephone. I’m not sure I could ever choose one book in amongst all those. Everything makes an impression on me.

4. What’s the last book you read that made you cry?
I love LaVryle Spencer and she made me cry in every book she wrote. Can I have a coupon for a lunch with her in my Christmas stocking, too? Did I hear big a hell, yeah?

Estella

5. How do you decide on the names for your characters?
If I’m writing historical fiction I go to the top 100 names during that time frame. If I’m writing contemporary it’s pretty much the same only in the year that my character was born. But sometimes a name pops into my head and that’s it no matter if was popular or not. Like Jezzy Belle in Hell, Yeah … or Travis … and of course, Cathy! The names fit their personalities. Jezzy couldn’t have been a Sue, or a Darlene. It just wouldn’t have worked like Jezzy.

6. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I love to cook and sit out in my fabulous back yard and listen to the birds sing in the late evening. Both cooking and sitting on my patio with a cup of coffee or a can of Diet Coke clears my mind and gets me ready to write the next scene or chapter or even book.

Chey

7. Do you get to choose your own titles?
Titles are something my editor, the Sourcebooks staff and I all work on together. I absolutely loved the titles for the Honky Tonk Series. That Hell, Yeah cover just pops off the book shelf at the readers, doesn’t it?

8 . How much input do you have in your covers?
I’ve been very fortunate that the folks at Sourcebooks read about my characters before they design the book covers. They take the information I supply and come up with those gorgeous covers which are BYOB … that means Bring Your Own Bib to the book store because there will be drooling!

Caffey

9. If you could meet any author from the past that inspired you to become an author, who would you like to meet and what would you like to ask them? That would have to be Margaret Mitchell and I’d like to ask her why in the devil did she stop at one book?
There were many more stories that could have spun off of Gone With The Wind and I’m
just sure I would have loved every one of them!

Pam S

10. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
When I’m buying a cone I like that soft vanilla with a curl on the top. When I’m treating myself for finishing a difficult scene, it’s pecans pralines and cream right out of the half gallon with a spoon and standing at the kitchen bar. When I’m brave enough to step on the bathroom scales, it’s orange sherbet because it has less calories.

11. What is your most memorable vacation?
Well, I just came home yesterday from the RWA Convention in Orlando, Florida and that was pretty awesome. But in all my travels my favorite … remember now, I’m a romantic at heart … had to be on my 30th anniversary when my husband took me to Panama City Beach, Florida to celebrate and instead of a card he drew this big, enormous heart in the sand and put Happy 30th right in the middle of it.

Meredith Miller

12. Have you had any “real life” adventures that have influenced your characters or plots?
Oh, my yes. Those are the spice of a story and breathe life into it.

13. What is the strangest question someone has ever asked you in an interview?
That would be whether I’d written anything I wouldn’t want my mother to read. My mother read everything I wrote as long as her eyesight was good and until she took her last breath, anyone who came into her nursing home room got a full report on how many
books I’d sold, where they could buy them or check them out of a library and what month the next one came out. And if they didn’t want to be scolded the next time they entered her room, they’d have danged sure better come prepared to tell her that they’d read my books. She would have loved the cover for Hell, Yeah!

Terri C

14. When did you know you wanted to make a career of writing?
I do believe it was when I was four. All those beautiful words in those books had to be exciting. When I was five I learned to read and from that moment I was going to grow up and write.

CherylS22

15. What is your favorite writing environment?
When the nest was finally empty of kids and grandkids, I converted a small bedroom into an office. That’s my favorite place to write, surrounded by all my book covers, matted and framed around me, my notes thrown haphazardly around and a window where I can see the squirrels playing in the pecan tree right outside.

KarenK

16. Who are your most favorite authors?
If we’re going to get into that we’d better refill our iced tea glasses and put out another platter of cookies because the list is long. I love LaVyrle Spencer, Sue Grafton, Randy Wayne White, Nora Roberts (of course), Leon Uris … as you can see, I’m an eclectic reader.

CrystalGB

17. Who are the biggest supporters of your writing?
My husband, bless his heart! It takes a special man to be married to a writer. When we married, I tailor made his clothes; put three hot meals on the table plus cakes, cookies and pies for in between meal snacks; and kept a clean house. Now he wears clothes off the rack, eats fast food and dust bunnies tell him bedtime stories while I finish one more scene. He also monitors the phone and lets only important calls through to me … like when the youngest granddaughter said her first words!

LilMissMolly

18. What do you enjoy reading?
I will read anything from the back of the Special K box to Faulkner and love all of it. I love a good romance that makes me sigh, puts a wee tear in my eye, and gives me the giggles until I get the hiccups. I love a good mystery that makes me hold my breath and try to figure out whodunnit. Or a good old fashioned shoot-’em-up western. Any day with a book in my hands is a good day.

Aurora M

19. What book was your earliest memory?
Well, there was See Jane Run in the first grade when I was five. But I suppose you mean romance book? I remember the summer I found Victoria Holt and then Janet Dailey. I think I’m dating myself here.

20. If you could have any other job what would it be?
I can not think of another job that I would want other than being a writer. I can work in my pajamas on my own hours in my own house. It don’t get no better than that.

HELL, YEAH BY CAROLYN BROWN – IN STORES AUGUST 2010
She’s finally found a place that feels like home…
When Cathy O’Dell buys the Honky Tonk, the nights of cowboys and country tunes come together to create the home she’s always wanted. Then in walks a ruggedly handsome oil man who tempts her to trade in the happiness she’s found at the Honky Tonk for a life on the road with him…

He lives the good life…
Gorgeous and rich, Travis Henry travels the country unearthing oil wells and then moving on. Then the beautiful blue-eyed new owner of the Honky Tonk beer joint becomes his best friend and so much more. When his job is done in Texas, how is he ever going to hit the road without her?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Brown, an award-winning author who has published 36 romance novels for the library market, credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn Brown’s at http://carolynlbrown.com/.

Giveaway:
Thanks to Danielle and Sourcebooks. There’s two winners for Carolyn Brown’s brand new novel, Hell Yeah.
US and Canada addresses.
Contest ends August 30.
Fill in this form and leave a comment below to win.

For your comments, you can ask Ms Carolyn some more questions. It’s quite an honor to have Carolyn visit and mingle with us.

Tags: Carolyn Brown

She’s Gone Country
by Jane Porter
Paperback
List Price: $13.99
Published in 2010
ISBN-10: 0-446-50941-8
Read an excerpt

About the book:

Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he’d fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves. Add to the mix Shey’s ex-crush, Dane Kelly, a national bullriding champ and she’s got her hands full. It doesn’t take long before Shey realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, to find happiness—and maybe love—in the present.

Jane Porter has returned with the type of bestselling novel that she writes best, featuring an almost-forty protagonist finding a second chance in life. She’s also the author of The Frog Prince, Flirting With Forty, Odd Mom Out, Mrs Perfect, and Easy On The Eyes.

Giveaway:
Open to US and Canada.
Up to 3 winners!
Open until August 22. Book will be released on August 23, so you’ll get hot off the press, too.
Leave a comment and fill this form.

Let’s do a story. The first commenter gets the honor of deciding what this story is all about. Then you add to it. make sure there’s another person between your comments.

Tags: Jane Porter

Never give up. These are simple words that best describe the long road that lies ahead for any new author wanting their books published. My experience is no different.

I wrote my first novel, The Patience County War five years ago when I turned 40. I had just experienced a significant business set back that impacted me on all levels, not the least of which was a blow to my self esteem. I had been writing since I was a teenager but had never put enough emphasis on it for it to be meaningful. I had a great deal of time on my hands as I returned to the practice of law after leaving it to open a restaurant and pursue other business opportunities. I turned to writing to help relieve stress, to occupy myself and to do something that I felt I had some talent for. It was an important decision.  Not only did I build momentum as my novel unfolded, it helped to center me as I rebuilt my practice. I was able to release some of my frustrations through my writing. I felt that if I worked hard at it I could eventually get published and then write more books. Little did I know that writing the book is the easy part.

Once I’d completed, The Patience County War, It was professionally edited. After I’d completed the rewrite, I felt I was ready to begin the process of finding an agent. I must have sent out more than 200 paper query letters to agents I’d found on the internet. I sent out countless other e-mail queries. I got piles of rejections, even after a few were willing to review a few sample chapters. I tried to rationalize all of the various reasons why I couldn’t find an agent. I was and am very confident in the entertainment value of my writing, but I just couldn’t seem to get a break. I’d read that many authors, Stephen King included, wrote several novels before they found a publisher. I wasn’t sure I could stick with it and write several, but I figured that my ego could take one more. I took my favorite character from Patience, Madeleine Toche and decided to write about her exploits as a young woman fighting the Nazis in occupied France during World War Two. I knew it was a saturated genre, but her story was so compelling that I had to write it. I’m glad that I did, not just because I eventually got it published, but I discovered many other characters that I now will get to write about in the future when I tell their stories.

Writing is not a privilege, it is a right. Regardless of whether or not I have any degree of commercial success as I go along, I know that readers enjoy what I write. That means that I have a talent for it. Modesty is fine, but not when you believe in your work to the degree that any writer pursuing publishing must have.

My published novel, Cold Lonely Courage tells Madeleine’s story of trial and anguish as a lone assassin fighting the Nazis in occupied France. Perhaps some of her fortitude helped me to carry on and continue to try to find an agent or publisher.

When I finally found an agent, I thought I’d now cleared the hardest hurdle. The agent offered Courage to several publishers without success. Unfortunately my agent withdrew her representation due to a medical emergency. I was on my own again. I decided to try a direct approach and pursue small independent publishers on my own. Several expressed an interest and requested manuscripts as I included the fact that I had previously been represented. I am confident that was a factor that initially got me out of the slush pile. The fact that my work had been ‘vetted’ to a degree got Cold Lonely Courage some additional consideration. When Black Rose Writing offered a standard publishing contract, I took it.

Black Rose Writing has been professional, responsive and helpful on many fronts and I can’t thank them enough for providing me the opportunity to present my work to the world.

As with any new author, self-promotion is integral to future success. I worked both with my publisher and on my own in that regard and am currently engaged in a two month virtual book tour through Pump Up Your Book Promotion. The market place is changing daily. Soon most all media will be distributed on-line. I wanted to get the word out as far and wide as possible.

Ironically, after Black Rose Writing agreed to publish Courage, I ran an internet search to check on my copyright and found out that I had won first place in a national fiction competition that I’d entered, the 15th Annual Writers Network Screenplay and Fiction Competition. I had moved my office and failed to inform the competition coordinators of my new address and e-mail. I couldn’t believe it and wondered that if I’d have known sooner perhaps that might have helped me find another agent or publisher sooner. Life is funny that way.

I’m sure my story is similar to thousands of others. The only advice that I have is to never give up. I don’t intend to.

About the author:

Soren Petrek is a practicing trial attorney with a passion for studying World War Two.  He lived in England and France listening to people’s stories of struggle and sacrifice during the darkest periods of the war.  Soren’s debut novel, Cold Lonely Courage was inspired by the true story of a young Belgian woman who helped countless Jewish children escape from the terrors of the Nazi regime.  Soren lives with his wife, Renee and sons, Max and Riley, in central Minnesota. You can visit Soren’s blog at http://coldlonelycourage.blogspot.com. Cold Lonely Courage is Soren’s debut novel.

Giveaway:

Open to US addresses only. Contest open until August 25.

Leave a comment, and fill up this form.

For the comment, discuss what ‘never give up‘ means to you.

Tags: Soren Paul Petrek

I saw Agora yesterday afternoon with my husband. It’s an extraordinary movie. The set, the acting and the plot worked together seamlessly that it made 120+ minutes seem short. My husband and I really enjoyed watching it.  The visuals, the realism of the set was so good as to be flawless, it didn’t look computer generated, it looked as if they filmed it on location at that time in history.   You really feel like that’s exactly what you’d see, exactly. 

All the key actors were handsome, eye candy, … OK, that part wasn’t realistic, there’s no way anyone back then could look so handsome and beautiful, but, it’s still believable.  (They didn’t speak English either in the olden days, so?)  

The story was great, true.

But also the visuals were great, great, great.  You could turn the sound off and I’d watch it, first with just the actors, then a second time with just the costumes and the set.   I really wish I could go back and walk along those streets, just taking in the art and realism given on the screen.  What a delight, time travel on the silver screen.

I liked the tension between Hypatia and Orestes (he’s in love with her), and Hypatia and Davus (he’s a slave and also in love with her). But Hypatia is simply interested in astronomy.

The religious setting of the story only made it more powerful and interesting.  There’s the persecution, stoning, and killing. It makes me wonder if there would be less war if there wasn’t a monotheistic belief. So many people are dead in the name of God, or whatever deity is at stake.

If you’ve ever heard of the historical events of the Library of Alexandria, then this is the best presentation of those events.

My husband and I were extremely impressed with the historical nuance of the historical developments.  The loyalty to getting it right was perfect.

I would watch this movie again.

Of course.

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Genre: Adventure | Drama | History | Romance
Running time: 127 minutes
Casts:
Rachel Weisz … Hypatia
Max Minghella … Davus
Oscar Isaac … Orestes
Ashraf Barhom … Ammonius
Rupert Evans … Synesius

Tags: Rachel Weisz