Ty Johnson's blog book tour

Fantasy author Ty Johnstons is wrapping up his blog tour for 2011 with us. Welcome Ty. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Johnston/e/B002MCBQRU/ ), the Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/ty-johnston ) and online at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/darkbow ). His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, will be available for e-books on November 21. To find out more, follow him at his blog http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/

As I’m traveling around the blogosphere promoting my new epic fantasy e-book, Ghosts of the Asylum, today I thought I’d interview one of my characters, an older fellow by the name of Midge Highwater. Admittedly, Midge is not the main character. In fact, he’s a minor character, but he is pivotal in his own way and he has the most insight of all my characters. What follows is the interview.

Ty Johnston: Hello, Midge.

Midge: Are we on a first-name basis or somethin’? That’s Mr. Highwater to the likes of youse.

Ty: Uh, well, I did create you. I thought that would put us on a friendly standing.

Midge: You thought wrong. But that ain’t no surprise, what with you being some high-falutin’ writer an' all. Think you know everything.

Ty: Well, I know everything within the worlds I create, which includes the one you’re in.

Midge: Ursia? Ha! You don’t know the half of it. I could tell you tales --

Ty: You are a storyteller, after all.

Midge: (with a glare) Don’t interrupt me, again. I been retired a long time from soldierin’, but I still carry a sharp pocket knife that would love to carve me up some rump roast of writer.

Ty: (gulping) My sincerest apologies.

Midge: But yeah, I’m a storyteller. In facts, I’m the master of the Storytellers Guild in the city of Bond.

Ty: You mentioned soldiering, so does that mean you weren’t always a professional storyteller?

Midge: Truer words were never spoken, which is a miracle since they came out of an idiot like you. But yes, I’ve done lots of other things. I was a soldier for the republic’s army for a while, then I was a sailor for the longest time. Spent plenty of years along the rivers and out at sea. Even did a bit of bodyguard work here and there. Heck, I even spent a couple of years working as guard for Belgad the Liar hisself.

Ty: The famous underworld crime boss?

Midge: (glaring again) You mean the famous merchant and knight, don’t you?

Ty: Uh, yeah, sure.

Midge: That’s what I thought.

Ty: To get things back on subject, can you tell us a little about your role in the novel Ghosts of the Asylum?

Midge: I ain’t in it much. The writer was cheap, cut me down to two scenes, though I suppose my name gets bandied about a few other times.

Ty: What did you do in the novel?

Midge: Well, the first time I show up, it’s with that idiot Kron Darkbow.

Ty: The protagonist of the tale?

Midge: Yeah, that fool. He comes to me lookin’ for information about the guilds in Bond. He wants to know how they work. What are the rules and laws and such.

Ty: Sounds kind of boring, to be honest.

Midge: Don’t go cuttin’ down my work, boy. I’ve got an important scene. It provides Darkbow with information he needs against his enemies, and spurs some plans he’s got goin’ on. In my later scene, it’s me who breaks open a certain situation. I don’t say much, but what I do is important.

Ty: Can you tell us a little about the rest of the novel?

Midge: I suppose, but it don’t make me none happy. I coulda used more scenes. A character’s got to eat, after all, and here you writers are cuttin’ back --

Ty: What about the novel?

Midge: (puts hand in pocket) I just grabbed my knife, boy. You interrupt me again, and I swears I’ll cut you.

Ty: Sorry. Just trying to get to the point.

Midge: So you want to know about the rest of the goings-ons in the novel, eh? Well, there’s riots, fighting in the streets, assassination attempts, a woman gets her leg chopped off ... ya know, most of this is actually pretty sick stuff, if you asked me. What kind o’ person comes up with this garbage?

Ty: Uh, me.

Midge: Figures. You look the type. Anyway, this Kron Darkbow fellow is sort of the main person in the tale. After gettin’ himself into all kinds of trouble a year earlier, he’s tryin’ to settle down somewhat. But then a group of people decide he needs to be dead. And then there’s the riots going on, and Darkbow’s place is haunted.

Ty: His place?

Midge: Yep. It’s the Asylum. Used to be a real asylum until last year when it got flooded and a bunch of those crazy folks died there, along with a bunch o’ their guards. Musta been a hundred killed, at least. Then Darkbow comes along like some idiot and buys the place up. What does a man expect, buyin’ a place where a bunch of people died?

Ty: Anything else you’d like to add? I don’t want this interview to get too long.

Midge: So, you’re trying to cut me off?

Ty: I didn’t mean it like that.

Midge: Sure you didn’t. Hmm, well, I guess I should play the huckster and beg everyone reading this to go out and buy this e-book novel (whatever that is), Ghosts of the Asylum. I’ve got four hungry mouths to feed, after all.

Ty: Uh, no you don’t.

Midge: Who says?

Ty: I do, the guy who created you. You don’t have any kids. You’re not even married.

Midge: And who’s fault is that?

Ty: Uh, okay. Well, I’m signing off now before this gets ugly. If you enjoy epic fantasy, you might consider giving Ghosts of the Asylum a try, or one of my other novels. I hope you find something to enjoy in my writings. And please don’t hesitate to contact me through my blog (http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/) to let me know you think. Enjoy!

Midge: Idiot.

Thank you Ty and Midge. That sounds like an amazing book. I'd be scared to stay at an asylum where hundreds of patients and guards died in a flood. For my readers, Ty said he'd stop by today so feel free to ask him questions and please give his book a try.
Nancy

Guest Author Betsy Dornbusch

Greetings everyone. It's my pleasure to introduce the fabulous Betsy Dornbsuch as she kicks off her blog book tour for the release of her book, Lost Prince. Betsy has been a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers here in Colorado for 6 years and served as hospitality chair, Vice President and is now the website liaison. She is also one of the founding editors for Electric Spec, a free online magazine. If you have time please check Electric Spec out. I know they ask for submissions regularly.

Now I will hand over my blog to Betsy.

Writing Space Opera

Betsy Dornbusch

Star Wars (the original) is my favorite film, hands down. Jump into the Way Back Machine with me for a sec: I was the weird, geeky kid at school who obsessed over Star Wars. The Force, the dog fights in space, the “destiny” themes, the lightsabers and mentors, the princess and the smuggler…sigh. I saw it in the theater seventeen times that summer and fall. When I had the opportunity a few years later to see Mark Hamill on the stage in Amadeus and he smiled at me, my heart stopped. He’d had the reconstructive surgery from that car accident, but all I could think of was him and his lightsaber. I still have my original R2D2, the first of my collection of robots. So when my publisher put out a call for SF erotica, I knew I wanted to try my hand at it.

Space opera is about people, first and foremost, but the backdrop is enormous and their struggles require massive scale. I cribbed rebellion from Star Wars (diplomatically referred to as “paying homage”) but that’s where the similarities end. I wanted an astronomically mismatched couple carrying around smugglers’ holds full of emotional baggage, so I put them on opposite sides in the war and fast forwarded two years after Prince Aric’s homeworld has been destroyed by the Coalition. He’s on the run, alone, determined to take revenge on the man who betrayed them to the Coaliton. Katriel is AWOL after losing her husband in the battle over Aric’s world. The complications run deeper than that, of course – I can’t leave anything well enough alone. But together, they launch a rebellion against an empire that controls the lucrative Salt Road, which spans five galaxies and countless oppressed species. And I hope, in the process, Aric and Katriel take the reader along on a fun ride.

Visit Sex Scenes at Starbucks to find out more about LOST PRINCE and the author: http://betsydornbusch.com

Buy the book at http://whiskeycreekpress.com

The only thing that’s kept Alaric, the so-called Lost Prince of Calixte, from giving into his grief over his beloved homeworld is the thought of revenge against the man who betrayed his people. But he couldn’t be more wrong about Haydn, who actually saved two thousand Calixten soldiers from certain death and secreted them on an inhospitable planet. There, they’ve launched a fledgling rebellion against the Coalition that rules six galaxies, including the lucrative Salt Road. They only need their prince to lead them.

Alaric needs a pilot to get him to his soldiers, someone too desperate to betray him. Katriel, a hotshot deserter pilot enslaved to Haydn by debt, is perfect for the job. But neither Katriel nor Alaric realize how the battle over Calixte binds them closer than blood, and when they find out, their collision will send shockwaves through the universe.

Excerpt

LOST PRICE

Salt Road Saga Book 1

Chapter 1

It wasn’t going to be easy achieving a meeting with Haydn Albrecht, the Salt Road Devil. Haydn was a busy man, even busier than when Alaric had known him as a child; anyone could see that. Pilots and customers had kept his inner office door sliding open since Alaric had arrived at sun-up on the hot, smoky planet called Pyrrcor, and the day was winding down to Final Meal.

Despite having sat for a long, long while, Alaric kept his back straight and his knees apart, prepared to stand at any moment. His sweaty hands rested on his knees, but well away from the weapon strapped to his thigh. Even so, Haydn’s exosentient secretary kept pointing its eyestalks in his direction. Alaric knew he looked more nervous as time went on, felt the anxiety crease his forehead and weigh on his shoulders. But the physical stress was no great hardship. He’d been trained since childhood to guard himself well, and such habits died hard when one bore a bounty exceeding a standard-year’s officer’s pay in the Junta.

Central Coalition Command, Alaric reminded himself. Loyalists to the military Coalition didn’t use derogatory language when speaking about their stratocratic government, especially when they sat in the middle of their galactic empire. After two standard-years on the run, Alaric knew better than to even think like a rebel.

He blamed his mental slip on the proximity of Haydn, though he’d barely caught a glance of the man through the door that slid soundlessly open and shut to admit Haydn’s many business appointments.

As the last visitor departed the outer chamber, Alaric leaned back and silently sighed. Haydn would no doubt slip out the side door, get away somehow, like he had during the Coalition’s attack on their homeworld. The bloody traitor. Alaric should have told the secretary he was a prospective Salt Run pilot. That might have gotten him into the inner sanctum sooner. Or he should have sussed out where Haydn lived and cornered him there…

The door to Haydn’s office slid open. All three of the secretary’s eyestalks turned that way. Alaric blinked at the figure in the doorway.

Haydn looked much the same—his greyed, clipped hair, barrel chest, and fighter’s stance all betraying his years of service in the military on Calixte. He’d changed his eye color from the heliotrope of the royal family, but he hadn’t fixed the scars on his face. It revealed nothing.

Haydn twitched his chin toward the exosentient, who tapped a question on its desk with its smallest pincer. It didn’t use the translator. Likely there was no need. Haydn had always had a knack for languages.

“Of course, let him in. Did you not hear the man? He is an old…friend.”

Another string of tapping.

“No, you’re finished.” Haydn turned back to his office and left the door open behind him. “Go home.”

“You may enter, sir,” the secretary said through its translator.

The metallic voice spoke in cadence to the secretary’s tapping, sounding almost like street faire drumming in the markets back home. Alaric had to remind himself there were no markets, no home at all any more. Calixte was a desolate landscape of bones and ruined sand, scraped free of life by the Acid Wind wielded by the Coalition.

Alaric bowed his head politely as the secretary moved from behind its desk toward the outer door on its backwards joints. Then he followed Haydn into his office. The door slid shut behind him and Alaric had to fight the urge to look back. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was stuck like a cockrat in a cage. But he’d been brought up to face his fears and his enemies with his back straight, so he removed his eyeshades and stared hard at Haydn.

Haydn leaned back against a large metal table with multiple tablet inserts, legs crossed. Face still set and hard, he gripped the edge of the table on either side of his hips with white fingers. He didn’t appear armed, but that meant nothing.

“Sir,” Alaric said, and drew his weapon.

That was all. What else did one say to one’s former armsmaster, a man who’d been a favored bastard uncle and a general in the King’s Army, but who’d disappeared into the ether when the fighting got tough? This meeting had only one of two outcomes, and Alaric certainly planned on coming out alive.

Betsy's other books include: Quenched and Quencher, through Ainsley publishers. Also, a soon to be released urban fantasy series this coming January, 2012. Sentinel: Archive of Fire.

Betsy will be here throughout the day to answer your questions. So don't be shy, ask her anything.

Nancy

Hump Day Improvisation: with A. J. Walker

A. J. Walker is on a blog book tour and has lent his goblin Kip to join in our Hump Day Improvisation fun. Thanks A. J.

Hello! I’m Kip Itxaron, a goblin who’s seen far too much of the world. I’m the heroine of Roots Run Deep, a fantasy novel published by Double Dragon. I used to be a reformed thief, a lousy gambler, and a mediocre sorceress before I ended up liberating my people. That didn’t improve my ability at magic, though, or my luck at gambling. You can find out more about me and my book at my author’s blog.

Today I’m doing the Hump Day Improv while Nancy takes a day off. Humans are lazy. That’s why they make us do all the menial work. Want me to clean your toilet once this is done, Nancy? Yeah, I thought you did.

Take a look at this 16^th century painting by Giuseppe Arcimboldo called The Librarian. The painter was famous for doing portraits of people made from fruit, fish, the four elements, and in this case books. Imagine a character meeting this fellow for the first time and write his or her reaction. Let your imagination run wild. I ended up falling for a pasty-faced human with no tusks, so if you can make this a “love at first sight” situation I’ll be doubly impressed! 

I’ll give my own contribution after a few of yours are up. Have fun! 

You can't get more fun than this everyone. So write your sentences and then visit A. J. Walker. I'll just relax and enjoy my clean bathroom.

Nancy

Guest Author Roland Yeomans: The Bear With Two Shadows; part 2

Today Roland is back with us to finish his discussion on Myth melding and how the dreaming runs through The Bear With Two Shadows, an e-book. Most days you can find Roland at his blog, Writing In The Crosshairs. Take it away Roland.

Hi, Everyone :

Nancy has graciously allowed me to slip in through the back door of her cyber domain to talk a bit about my Native American Lord of the Rings, THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS.

THE MELD OF THE WORLD’S MYTHOLOGIES –
The Australian aboriginal aspect of the Dreaming flows into my novel, shaping the universal Great Myth of Hibbs’ adventures.  Why universal?  Which of us does not dream?
Hibbs’ adventures in the Dreaming, the creation time, interconnects all the world’s myths, turning the landscape of the entire world into a living body.  The Lakota see the world as one large web of life, each strand vibrating to the beating of the heart next to it.

THE MYTH OF THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS
Myths are not fixed truths. 
Rather they are ever-winding, ever-shifting paths to misty glimpses of possible answers to questions.  And each wanderer down those paths asks different questions, so their eyes and hearts whisper different answers.
Sometimes those eyes are at odds with the hearts.  And considering the two shadows we share with Hibbs, should not this be so?

Thank you for letting me draw back the curtain a bit for you to peek into the myths which live in THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS.


Thank you, Roland, for an interesting look at the myths you followed for the creation of your book.

To buy The Bear With Two Shadows go here at a special price during his blog book tour of, $1.99

Roland has a demanding job so he will be in later to read your comments.

Contest: Drawing to take place on April 1st. Read and follow carefully to win one of these autographed books.

A comment will give you one entry to win one of the signed books above. Another two entries for linking the book to twitter or Facebook. Any blogger who posts a legitimate review on Amazon by March 31st will get three entries into the drawing. That is a win, win since you will get to read Roland’s amazing book. If you twitter and do the facebook link, make sure you email Roland at: rxena77@yahoo. with the links to your to your twitter and facebook.

To buy Roland's book you can click The Bear With Two Shadows, an e-book, on the top right and it will take you to Amazon.com to purchase. $1.99 while he is on tour.

Guest Author Roland Yeomans: The Bear With Two Shadows; part one

We interrupt Hump Day Improvisation to welcome our mutual friend and fellow blogger Roland Yeomans. You’d have to live in a cyber cave not to know that Roland has a book out. The Bear With Two Shadows, an e-book. That title has me curious and I wanted to know a little about the combination of myths that Roland used to craft his book. Without further delay, here’s Roland.

Hi, Everyone :

Nancy has graciously allowed me to slip in through the back door of her cyber domain to talk a bit about my Native American Lord of the Rings, THE BEAR WITH TWO SHADOWS.

Or rather about the meld of the world’s myths that makes for the world of Hibbs, the bear with two shadows.  Why two shadows?

Isn’t there a duality of natures in all of us - a white wolf and a black wolf both contesting for control of our spirit, the Lakota would say.  And the one who wins?  The one we feed.

Ancient cultures were defined by their mythology, shaping the sacred stories to show their values, beliefs, and concerns.  Those myths expressed the spiritual and intellectual life of the people of those cultures.
Those myths had superhuman beings such as Gilgamesh of Mesopotamia – not just a culture hero, but he was the founding father of a whole society.  Hibbs is such a character, more than what he seems, though less than what he yearns to be.

In many myths, the discovery of knowledge is related to the human characteristics of curiosity and playfulness.  Such is the case with the ever-curious, ever playful Hibbs  -- much to the consternation of the mysterious Turquoise Woman.

She represents several dualities common in myths :

Trickster –
The Native American tricksters often take on animal form such as Raven or Coyote.  That particular role is taken on by Little Brother, often seen as a hawk.  But rarely, and luckily so, seen as Chaos or the ThunderBird.

Goddess/Teacher  -
Estanatlehi, the Turquoise regally assumes this role, much like Spider Woman.  Though a helper and teacher, she can also be dangerous and unpredictable.  And that is to be expected as she is also :

Gaia –

The Turquoise Woman is the electro-magnetic consciousness that circles from pole to pole of our world.  She is, in fact, the mind of this planet, who can take physical form.  And because of that she leads to an important aspect of my novel :

A comment will give you one entry to win one of the signed books above. Another two entries for linking the book to twitter or Facebook. Any blogger who posts a legitimate review on Amazon by March 31st will get three entries into the drawing. That is a win, win since you will get to read Roland’s amazing book. If you twitter and do the facebook link, make sure you email Roland at: rxena77@yahoo. with the links to your to your twitter and facebook.

To buy Roland's book you can click The Bear With Two Shadows, an e-book, on the top right and it will take you to Amazon.com to purchase. $1.99 while he is on tour.

After you've left your comment, please go to  Write Hope, a blog to help the victims of Japan, started by Rachael Harrie at Rach Writes. Thank you, Nancy

Guest Author Marian Allen:

My good friend and author Marian Allen is here with us today. Marian writes fantasy...right up my alley. She has generously shared chapter one of Eel's Reverence with me and I elected to give you all a taste.

Chapter 1

Priests can get their noses out of joint, and old women still have their pride. I'd been a priest of Micah for 68 of my 82 years and a woman for all 82 of them; when my congregation began drifting away to the flashy new temple down the street, something snapped. If my parish wanted a new priest, I wasn't going to stay and hang on by my nails.

I announced my intention of going on a Final Wandering, dismissed my sexton, and said goodbye to my temple, my plants, my parishioners. I released my wolves from our devotion, posted my temple as vacant, and started walking. North, why not?

I took a sour pride in the picture I presented: a tiny, yellow-brown raisin of a woman in a cassock of forester's green; a poor unwanted old woman with iron gray hair and tin gray eyes, staff in hand and a bindle on my back, making my lonely way throug
h the morning mist.

One of my erstwhile parishioners, a floatboard salesman who traveled by dory, spoiled the effect by asking me to keep him company around Windycliff and up the coast to Malmana.

I gratefully accepted passage, but not his offer of breakfast nor his apology on behalf of his fellow votaries.

I left Malmana on foot, moving pretty briskly along the road of hard-packed sand. The road became more frequented as the morning passed, but my fellow travelers seemed strangely disinclined to speak to me. No one offered me food or a ride, and only one person, an old man, even gave me any money; he dropped a handful of pennies at my feet, made as if to pick them up, then waved them down with an "Ah! Let them go!" and went
on.

All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2010 by Marian Allen

NR: As writers, we are told to grab the reader in the first line, paragraph, page. I don't know about you, but I was grabbed. Our heroine is an 82 year old priest and a woman. Already I'm intrigued that at that age she would even consider going on a trip and walking to boot.

Marian, I'm curious, how did you come up with such a character?

Marian: How did I come up with Aunt Libby? I was thinking about my Aunt Ruth, actually. Aunt Ruth was in her 60's when I wrote the book, but I wanted Aunt Libby to be older--so old that a lot of people would discount her effectiveness and strength. I wanted somebody who would seem like a pawn to powerful people, but who knew who she was and what her non-negotiable principles were. My Aunt Ruth was the oldest, strongest woman I knew at the time, so I started with her. Any time I wasn't certain what Aunt Libby would do or say, I asked myself what Aunt Ruth would do or say.

NR: That is very interesting Marian and unique I believe to fantasy. Now onto the royalty donation.

Marian: About a month ago, all authors of Echelon Press got an FYI notice that one of us, D. M. (Dave) Anderson, was in the hospital. He had the flu, which went into pneumonia, which triggered an inflammation of the lining around his heart. Dave has written a wonderful Young Adult sf/humor book called KILLER COWS, available in print and electronic version, so he has some royalties coming in. But guess what? Dave has pledged all his electronic royalties to a former student of his who has cancer.

Our publisher asked us to spread the word about KILLER COWS, recommending the print version, for which the royalties would go to Dave. In fact, she pledged to match his print royalties dollar-for-dollar through Christmas, in hopes of giving his family a bit of cheer.

Another of Echelon's Young Adult writers, Martin Bartloff, pledged the electronic royalties of his moving novel TORN FROM NORMAL through Christmas to the Dave Fund. I followed suit. I just heard from one of my nephews, Joshua Allen, who isn't published by Echelon and has no connection to Dave except through me; Joshua is also pledging his electronic royalties to the Fund through January 1.

And people claim the Internet is impersonal and online friendships aren't "real" friendships.

If you’d like to get more info on Dave’s condition, you can visit a site set up by family at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/killercows.
You can get KILLER COWS at Amazon.com, Kindle, or a special offer from Echelon Press.
Give TORN FROM NORMAL as a gift or purchase a copy for yourself by clicking here.
Joshua S. Allen's books are available for Kindle.
EEL'S REVERENCE is available for your Kindle and at Fictionwise.

Amazon UK

Eel's Reverence
Killer Cows
Torn from Normal
Joshua Allen

Thanks for helping me spread the word, Nancy! You're a peach!

Marian Allen

You can buy Eel's Reverence from Amazon, or any of the other great books listed above.

Thank you Marian for stopping by today with your amazing e-book, Eel's Reverence.

Do you have any questions for Marian? She'll stop by throughout the day to read your comments and answer your questions.

Guest Author Jan Markley:

I’d like to welcome my guest author Jan Markley. Jan has two middle grade mystery books that sure look like a fun read for your children or grandchildren, hay, why not pick them up and read them yourselves? Here’s a little about Jan.

Jan Markley is a Canadian children's author. She has written two funny mystery novels for middle grade readers (aged 8-12). She blogs at Three Dead Moths in my mailbox ... where writing meets life ... or life meets writing. Check out her blog - it offers tips on writing and a funny take on the life of a writer.

Her debut novel is Dead Frog on the Porch (Gumboot Books 2009) the first in the Megabyte Mystery series. Twin sisters Cyd and Jane are propelled into an international plot involving evil scientists and giant, genetically stretched frogs. Will the twins win this hilarious race to save the frog kingdom?

Her books have been called: Nancy Drew for the ipod generation. The characters use old fashioned curiosity and new technology to solve the mysteries. The books are funny, fast paced and full of suspense.

Her second novel, which was released this fall, is Dead Bird through the Cat Door (Gumboot Books 2010).

Once again, Cyd and her animal loving twin Jane are up to their bird beaks in intrigue cracking the latest Megabyte Mystery. Dead Birds? Stolen cats? C’est what? When Cyd and Jane’s cat Yin gets kidnapped – that’s when it gets personal. The director of the bird sanctuary, Aviary Finch, is stealing cats to kill birds. But why?

The twins use the latest technology and Shakespeare’s Macbeth to help crack the case. Methinks the culprits doth protest too much! Will Cyd and Jane save the sanctuary, free the birds, and return the cats to their natural habitat of their owners’ laps? It’s predator eats predator when evil meets crazy!

If you can imagine what would happen if Nancy Drew met Lady Macbeth - then you'll have a sense of what the second novel is like!
_________________________________

Here are the Amazon links:

Dead Frog on the Porch
Dead Bird through the Cat Door

Amazon UK

Dead Frog on the Porch
Dead Bird through the Cat Door

Thank you for visiting with us today Jan. If you have questions for Jan please ask, she’ll be here off and on throughout the day.

Tomorrow, Marian Allen and Eel's Reverence.

Guest Author Enid Wilson

Today I would like to welcome Enid Wilson to my blog for my second ever author interview. Enid writes hot, an I mean HOT, sexy, romance with fictitious characters that we already now. I'm sure you will recognize the name: Mr. Darcy...well, he lives again in Enid's new release Fire and Cross.

Here's what smashwords has to say about Enid:

Enid Wilson is the author of My Darcy Mutates, Really Angelic, Bargain with the Devil and In Quest of Theta Magic. The first three novels have been ranked in the top 50 best-selling romances on Amazon USA or Canada. She writes sexy romance in modern, historical, paranormal and science fiction genres.

Enid loves food, Pride and Prejudice, travel and tennis. She has a Masters degree in Arts. She works in advertising and lives in beautiful Sydney. Sounds too tame? You can read her wild stories here.

Take it away Enid.

N.R. said her favorite quote was Rosanne Cash’s saying “The key to change…is to let go of fear”. I think people have all kinds of fear, throughout their lives. For example, some people love to watch crime stories such as Criminal Minds, Law and Order, CSI and so on. Their love for these TV shows often makes them worry about real crime happening to them. Some of them even get so paranoid that they will not go out at night.

In my latest novel, Fire and Cross – Pride and Prejudice with a mysterious twist, many of the characters are faced with gripping fear, which leads them to different decisions in life. Below is an excerpt about it:

Mr. Bennet continued walking for some time, a variety of emotions passing over his face. He looked unhappy and angry. “I am abashed to admit that the fire at Bromley did change me for the worse.”

“I do not understand, sir. You performed a brave act. How could it have changed you for the worse?” Mr. Darcy said.

“When I helped you and your mother outside, we stepped onto a man’s body.” The grey haired gentleman drew in a deep breath. “Do you remember that?”

Mr. Darcy shook his head. He had been too young or confused at that time.

Mr. Bennet continued. “I suddenly thought that I could have died like that man. How could I have left my wife, Jane and Lizzy to fend for themselves? I vowed to make up for them if I was fortunate enough to escape the fire safely. From then on, I started to indulge my wife, showering her with gifts and allowing her to spend beyond our means.”

He stopped again, looking at a building not far away. It was a lovely house, about half the size of Netherfield. Mr. Bennet’s countenance seemed tortured. Darcy was sorry to evoke such painful memories in him.

“Did you know that my estate is entailed away?”

Darcy nodded.

Mr. Bennet continued, “I always thought that Fanny and I would have a son. So when I died, my daughters and Fanny would be taken care of. By the time I realised that I would not have an heir, it was too late to start saving. Fanny started to fear for the future. She became sillier and sillier in her pursuit of rich husbands with which to match the girls.”

He shook his head and picked up his pace. “It is all my fault. I should have been more prudent to save for my children’s future. But instead of doing that, I laughed and joked about Fanny’s silliness, allowing her to indulge the younger girls too. I am utterly ashamed of myself. It is too late now. What can I do at this late hour? Both Jane and Lizzy and all of them will have to suffer for my incompetence!”

***
Well, what is your fear about the future? Or your fear regarding your writing? Share it here with me. Thanks N.R. for hosting me today.

I’m delighted to give out an e-book of Fire and Cross in pdf format and a lovely souvenir to one lucky reader. Please head over to http://www.enidwilson.com and register for news and leave a comment here at N.R.’s blog. The novel and my site contain explicit adult content.

Contest ends Dec. 17, 2010 and is open to worldwide readers. Many thanks again, N.R. and your friends. Big hugs from warm sunny Sydney, Enid.

You're welcome Enid. To follow Enid's blog book tour head on over to her site and check out the list of participants. Let the comments begin. Do you have a question for Enid? She'll drop by to answer them.

Welcome Mary Montague Sikes blog book tour.

I am thrilled to welcome my first guest author on her blog book tour, Mary Montague Sikes. I met Mary, known to us bloggers as Monti, when I took the blog book tour class last summer. She is a great friend, happy to encourage and give feedback and I know she is a fabulous artist and writer too.

Mary Montague Sikes is an award-winning author, freelance writer, photographer, artist, and teacher who loves to travel, especially to exotic tropical locations. The settings for her books and articles include Jamaica, Antigua, Trinidad, and St. Martin. Her most recent research trips carried her to Los Cabos on the western coast of Mexico, to Yellowstone National Park where she took over 500 photographs, and to Carmel-by-the-Sea where she marveled at photo opportunities wherever she turned.

The Fredericksburg, VA native is author of five award-winning books. She presents workshops on promotion and marketing to state and national conventions as well as to many local writers groups. Hotels to Remember, a coffee table book that includes the Jefferson Hotel, the Homestead, and the Hotel Del Coronado is illustrated with her artwork and photographs.

A founder of Virginia Romance Writers, she has served on the Board of Governors of the Virginia Writers Club and is a member and past president of the Richmond Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. Her poem and paintings are featured in Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln, an anthology of work by members of the National League of American Pen Women. She is included in Who’s Who in American Women.

Her paintings are exhibited widely in Virginia and are in private and public collections in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Night Watch, her latest novel, was released earlier this year. Dangerous Hearts, a novella set in Virginia, was released by Red Rose Publishing in June.



Night Watch and the Passenger to Paradise Logo

A few months ago, my publisher, Oak Tree Books, created a logo for the Passenger to Paradise series. Night Watch is the latest book in that series and the first one with the logo on the spine. You can tell I really like the logo she made because I’m using a version of it with my blog title, “Notes Along the Way”.

The logo is especially perfect for Night Watch because my heroine is at the Trinidad airport not knowing what to do when no one appears to pick her up like she expected. I’m sure Lily would have been a little happier had she traveled with only one roller bag (like the logo shows) which is something I have learned to do. Instead, she has pieces of heavy luggage to tug around with her in a strange location.

What would you do if you were to land in a foreign country, expecting someone to meet you and no one does? That would be quite a dilemma especially if you could find no one willing to help you and your cell phone doesn’t work for whatever reason.

Maybe Lily should have planned her trip a little better. But Lily thought she had everything taken care of when she hired her trusted travel agent who made all the arrangements. Certainly, she will never use this travel agent again.

Would you have gotten in the car with the two strange men whose only identification as far as Lily knows are the logos on their shirts? Another dilemma, but she doesn’t know what else to do and she’s trying to develop her self-confidence as well as a career in photo-journalism.

What would you have thought if a stranger dashed toward you from a crowd in an airport and insisted you were someone else? Someone you never heard of?

Boy Mary…if a stranger ran up to me and said that I’d wonder how mush he’d been drinking. Doesn’t this book sound intriguing? I know I am looking forward to reading it.

You can buy Night Watch from Amazon.com

Please comment and ask Mary questions about her new release. Mary is giving away prizes to all who follow her blog book tour and make a comment. Jump over to her blog, Notes Along The Way, to read more.