Friday Free For All

Five From Kallypso Masters

May 8, 2015 8 Comments

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Kallypso Masters

I’m a strong believer in paying it forward–and happily, so are most indie authors. I’ve been the fortunate recipient of more grace and favor than I’ve any right. One of the fabulous authors who’s been gracious and kind to me–helping to host a release party, letting me take part in hers–is the wonderful Kallypso Masters. I love her books, because they’re not your standard BDSM or military books; they’re a perfect blend of thoughtful exploration of a lifestyle that might be unfamiliar to many readers as well as sensitive handling of the unique qualities in military men and women. I’m thrilled that Kallypso is here today to share five quickies!

Q: Your character Adam is one of my favorites. He meets a guy who’s about to join the Marines. What advice would Adam give him?

A: Be aware of your surroundings at all time–seeing and listening with more than your eyes and ears. Stay focused. Remember to breathe. Remain calm under duress. Leave no Marine behind.

Q: You’ve just won a week-long vacation in Paris. The only caveat is that you have five minutes to pack and you can only bring five items of clothes. What would get tossed into your backpack?

A: I hope the shoes aren’t included as clothing, but here are my clothing items: comfortable slacks, two t-shirts, bra, panties, and a cocktail dress. (But I SO would never go to Paris or anywhere that light!)

Q: Plain or peanut M&M’s?

A: Peanut!

Q: Summer’s around the corner! What’s your go-to adult beverage for the warm months?

A: Anything with rum and fruit juice(s)! (It’s also my favorite winter adult beverage! I just go up to the bartender wherever I am and ask for his or her rum and fruity specialty.)

Q: At a library one day, you meet a 20 year-old girl who’s never read any books for pleasure. What novel, other than any of your own, would you suggest for her first ‘real’ book?

A: Just one? Wow. I’m going to say “Archer’s Voice,” by Mia Sheridan. A hero unlike any I’ve ever read in a poignant, emotional Romance that will have her falling in love with reading again.

***

USA Today Bestseller NOBODY’S DREAM

One broken heart.

One battered soul.

No one said life would be fair or easy. Quiet, Peruvian-born artist Cassie Lopez learned this the hard way. Betrayed by the man she planned to marry, she shut herself off as far away from all but her closest friend from college…

Until the night Luke Denton came crashing into her Colorado mountain sanctuary with a vengeance. Confused by her heart’s response to this kind and gentle man, Cassie pushes herself to help the cowboy recover quickly so she can send him on his way. But Luke’s patience and understanding threaten to break down the very defenses she needs to survive in this world after he’s gone.

Search-and-Rescue worker Luke, who lost his wife and unborn child in a tragic accident, also knows firsthand of the unfairness of life. He keeps his own nightmares at bay by focusing on his rescue activities, most recently adopting and working with abused and neglected horses.

Can two wounded people find trust and love together? Do nightmares end where dreams come true?

Amazon/Amazon UK/Amazon Australia/iBooks/NOOK/Kobo/Google Play/All Romance eBooks

USA Today bestselling author Kallypso Masters writes emotional, realistic Romance novels with an emphasis on healing using sometimes unconventional methods. Her alpha males are dominant and attracted to strong women who can bring them to their knees. Kally also has brought many readers to their knees—having them experience the stories along with her characters in the Rescue Me Saga. Kally knows that Happily Ever After takes maintenance, so her couples don’t solve all their problems and disappear at “the end” of “their” novel, but will continue to work on real problems in their relationships in later books in the saga.

Kally has been writing full-time since May 2011. She lives in rural Kentucky and has been married almost 32 years to the man who provided her own Happily Ever After. They have two adult children, one adorable grandson, and a rescued dog and cat.

Kally enjoys meeting readers. Check out the Appearances page on her web site to see if she’ll be near you!

Follow Kally here:

Facebook/Tsu/Twitter/Pinterest/Web site

Friday Free For All

Five From Patrick Friar

May 1, 2015 No Comments

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Patrick Friar

Author Patrick Friar will be joining us at Indie BookFest this summer! Check out his book and his interview.

Q: Wine or beer?

A: Wine. Moscato.

Q: Think of your favorite of your own characters. What attribute, physical or otherwise, would you most like to have yourself?

A: Damon’s guts to wrestle with two tensions that many shirk the courage to do with honest soul scouring intensity; religious faith and human sexuality .

Q: A famous producer appears on your doorstep and offers to turn any book you like (by any author) into a Broadway play. Which novel would you choose?

A: One of Anne Tyler’s brilliant people portrait writings either A Beginner’s Goodbye, or St Maybe , or Breathing Lessons.

Q: It’s a gorgeous Saturday morning in early June. How will you spend the day, assuming time and money are both limitless?

A: How about on one of those ivory sandy beaches with aquamarine surf next to me . Not very much attire… a great book say from a fellow or maiden Indie author, and a stocked cooler.

Q: Brownies or chocolate chip cookies?

A: My mom baked the best. Won the hearts of all my high school friends on bus trips many years ago . Have to go with Moms famous chocolate chip cookies

***

Damon is faced with a trial that shakes the depths of his soul. His spirituality is tested as he encounters the unyielding pull of sexual desires. Controversial and absorbing, Stained Glassis the story of a man whose own passions tear him apart with indecision.

pastorsdamon.com/Amazon

Patrick Friar has had many years of experience in ministry. While becoming familiar with the inner workings of different smaller and larger church congregations, he finished work with a doctorate. Friar operates regularly as a therapist working with couples, individuals, and groups. He calls North Carolina home. He enjoys being a family man and is well-traveled. Friar enjoys a good steak, watching sports, playing golf, listening to music, and spending time with his family.

Follow Patrick here: Website/Facebook

Friday Free For All

Five From Juli Valenti

April 24, 2015 No Comments

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Juli Valenti

I was trying to remember exactly how I ‘met’ Juli Valenti. I know we were chatting about something bookish related, and then she was involved in a promotion we did this past winter. We also met up at Coastal Magic in February . . . she’s a fellow Floridian. Give her a big hello!

Q: You’re a Florida girl. If you were offered your choice of an annual pass to any local amusement park—transportation included—would you choose Disney World, Sea World, Universal or Legoland?

A: Disney World!!!! I’m a huge child at heart and I’ve only been once.

Q: You’re on a cruise, and the captain says you get to choose the dinner menu for the last night at sea. What will be served?

A: Hmm. tough one… depends on my mood, I guess. Probably Prime Rib, Green Beans (just like Outbacks) and a Caesar salad. For dessert: Key Lime Pie, Black Forest Cake, and Strawberry shortcake

Q: A genie offers you the chance to take your best friend and spend a day in *one* of the worlds you created in your books. Which book-world will you visit with your friend?

A: All of my worlds are real-time, and not different from every day life. If i could visit ANY world, though, it would probably be Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series 🙂

Q: What’s the one item you must have with you at the beach?

A: Sunscreen! A LOT of it. Maybe I need to go into business making sunscreen that protects the ultra-fair peoples like me. (I’m the only perpetually pale person in Florida!)

Q: The Property Brothers are going to help you find your dream home. What three elements are absolutely essential for your perfect house?

A: Light – I want to see the outside when I’m inside, using less electricity. Open floor plans with high ceilings and not a lot of walls (walls make me claustrophobic). A large backyard with a patio so I could sit outside and watch my kids play safely while I write and bask in the warmth of Florida (covered, of course, so I don’t burn like bacon!)

***

Juli Valenti grew up in a small town in Arkansas, known for Wal-mart, which is no longer small but is still known for the grocery store. Lucky for her, she didn’t retain an accent, despite her overuse of ya’ll when talking. She currently resides in sunny Florida with her husband and two young boys. If her world wasn’t crazy enough, she also works a full time day job, as well as owns her own editing company (Juli’s Elite Editing).

Follow Juli here:

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Website

Pieces in Chance

Drew Townsend has lived anything but a charmed life. When her mother died from cancer, her father snapped, using her as his own personal punching bag. After taking one too many beatings, she took things into her own hands. Determined to escape the nightmare she was living, a desperate Drew does the only thing she can think of to end it all.

Jensen Marks, a former Marine and now police officer in the small town of Chance, had seen a lot of things in his years – war, beatings, crying children – yet none of it kept him up at night. So once he met Drew, he’s perplexed by the way she got under his skin. After years of everyone turning their back on what was going on, Jensen takes it upon himself to see a change in her.

Can Jensen help Drew pick up the missing pieces of herself or will he push her into losing yet another piece in Chance?

Amazon/Nook

Friday Free For All

Five From . . . You!

April 17, 2015 1 Comment

Today I’m turning the tables and asking YOU five questions! Leave your answers in the comments or on my Facebook page. Yes, these will be used in a future post . . . you have been warned!

–What is your favorite genre right now?
–What book has stuck in your mind over the past three months?
–What aspect of a female lead is your favorite (i.e, snarky, smart, fearless, flawed . . . ?)
–What part of a male lead makes you swoon? (I mean characteristic, not body part!)
–How many books do you read each week?

Get ready for future Five From Friends Friday guests, including K.M. Scott, Stacy Darnell, CM Doporto, Jenna Barton, Arianne Richmonde, Ruth Cardello, Juli Valenti . . . and many more!

Friday Free For All

Five From Lyssa Layne

April 10, 2015 No Comments

Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Lyssa Layne

Q: In the middle of a busy week, suddenly everything you had planned for one day falls away and you have twelve hours of unstructured time—no responsibilities, no plans, no requirements. What do you do with that gift of time? (And writing cannot be the answer!!)

A: Wow! How can I make this happen for real??? If I couldn’t write or do author tasks then I’d probably find myself at Cardinals’ game with my family and being a tourist in my own great city of St. Louis.

Q: Your fairy godmother grants you the gift of being one character in one of your own books for the day. Who will you be and why?

A: Well, Jules from Everybody’s After Love is actually loosely based around my husband and me so I know what her day to day is like. So if I had to pick, I’d probably choose Mia from Fear of Striking Out. Hello, hot hubby in baseball pants! Not to mention, she’s incredibly strong and such a sweetheart.

Q: Five chefs from The Food Network are coming to your house for dinner tonight. What will you prepare for them to eat?

A: My hubs was saying I make a pretty delicious meatloaf so I’d probably do that and just pray it wasn’t raw in the middle. :-/ And of course, we’d have to have Fat Man’s Delight for dessert!

Q: The zombie apocalypse is upon us. You have a full tank of gas. . .where will you go to hide and/or make your stand?

A: My husband (man, he’s a character himself!) already has our basement stocked and our pantry full so we’d probably stay where we are… and run to the grocery store to buy all the Twinkies I could get my hands on.

Q: You’re at the society event of the year, and the most eligible bachelor in the room wants to buy you a drink. What’ll it be?

A: Electric lemonade please!!!

***

Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Follow Lyssa here: Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Amazon/Goodreads/Barnes and Noble

My Favorite What If

One year after Jacob “Smitty” Smith is stood up at the altar, his good friend Jules encourages him to redeem his honeymoon package before it expires. Reluctantly, he agrees, and finds himself sitting beside free spirit Sloan Talbott, who is attending her sister’s destination wedding at the same resort. Both have been hurt. Neither is looking for love. Will one week in paradise be a fling to remember or could it possibly lead to something more?