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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Surviving The Fall by William R. Potter


James Goodal has spent his entire life avoiding uncomfortable situations. This safe and easy existence has left James lonely and facing divorce. Everything changes when he takes in a young street girl named Ashley. The pair finds comfort in their unorthodox friendship until her violent world returns forcing James to fight for Ashley and for his very survival.

What readers are saying:

A Quick, action filled read, April 26, 2011

By Jennifer S (Ball Ground, GA United States)

"Surviving the Fall" by William Potter is a fast paced, action filled book that grabs your attention as soon as you start reading. The main two characters, Ashley and James, are well developed, exciting and emotionally challenged individuals. James, who until he meets Ashley, is a quiet, rather boring guy. Ashley has seen and done it all, or so it seems. The underage street girl meets James when he picks her up. The story immediately intensifies and the action does not slow down. Prepare yourself to flip through those pages, becoming emotionally involved with both characters and amazed by their lives. You will enjoy this book!!!

An Excellent read!, April 21, 2011

By MightierSword "Gladys" (Harrisburg, PA USA)

I have to admit I was surprised at what a great read this was. Mr. Potter does an excellent job of grabbing the reader and pulling them in so deeply you cant help but feel emotionally involved with the characters.

In "Surviving the Fall" the story revolves around the main characters James Goodal and Ashley Metcalf. Throughout the story you witness James emotional battles as he is torn between simply trying to help a lost soul, and becoming deeply emotionally attached, all the while the reader is made aware of the dangerous scheme surrounding them. You will definitely find yourself continually rooting for the hero of the story.
The only negative that I could possibly find with the book was the fact that Mr. Potter leaves you feel as if you are little orphan Oliver, begging the headmaster, "Please sir, may I have some more?"

High energy..., April 12, 2011

By G. Reba (Panama City, FL) –

"Surviving the Fall" by William R. Potter is a thrilling story from start to finish. When at first we meet Ashley and James, they are in the final throws of life...or at least one of them is. A stranger was in the house and there was a deadly attack...one that may not be survived. The how and why remain a mystery as we delve into how they first met a mere seven days ago.


Author William R. Potter manages the short novel styling quite well. Whereas some stories can feel rushed when placed in these confines, this tale was told in a fast paced fevor, enabling readers to dive right in and hold on tight. It's easy to get swept up in the commotion as you try to discern just why things are happening and who is after them. The material does get a bit dark with the girls past and the foreseeable future through her eyes, dealing with prostitution and tension. The only drawback I truly saw was of repetitive phrases now and then, but nothing too intense that it pulls you away from the action.

Recommended for adult readers looking for an action packed book with high emotions with a length befitting a quick weekend escape.

Humanity and Innocence has its prices..., April 23, 2011

By M. Stanhope "Defining normal..." (Chesapeake, VA) –

"Surviving the Fall" by William R. Potter is a quick read and one that made me thing of a saying I use frequently. My saying is "bring home no prisoners and take in no pets, even if they are human". These are words I have lived by for a long time. I wish I had been around to give them to James Goodal, before he rescues a girl thrown from a vehicle and now feels the need to take of her. If only his wife had stayed around the sexual tension between these two would have never become an issue. Ashley, a hooker, a fifteen year old who can show him things he only dreams of, there I said it, why does she have to be under age? It is a test, I swear, he (above) is testing my morality to see what I will do with this person. Did she have to be so pretty, so much fun, so happy and so loving all the time? Ashley does have her own problems though she is a person who has had to endure every part of the human body whether she wants to or not and now that she honestly lusts after someone she is not quite sure why it is not appreciated in return. Talk about an emotional roller coaster ride.

Surviving the Fall is a heart-warming tale of a wayward teenage prostitute and a gentleman with a rescuer complex. It's a great, intertwined plot where all the characters come together, in the same spirit of the Academy Award winning movie, Crash. Potter showcases his writing talent with skillful interspersing of critical backstory in such a way as to avoid slowing the plot. I urge you to take note of the writer's talent for character development and I'm sure you'll be impressed. In fact, I shouldn't think it'd be long before a major publishing house snaps Mr. Potter up because he belongs on the bookshelves with the likes of Jeffery Deaver and Peter Abrahams. Highly recommended by reviewer: Jan Evan Whitford, Allbooks Reviews.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Meet IAN Member Jason Garrett


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Since 2009, Jason Garrett has led readers on a series of thrilling journeys that began upon the foray into the world of Eric Kade in the novel HOMECOMING. Following the lives of two distinct characters, Garrett's series immersed readers in a world of long lost love, faith and honor, betrayal and morality, and many other topics all beneath the clever guise of a horror tale. As seen through the eyes of demon-hunting preacher Eric Kade and the love of his life, Nickel Warren, HOMECOMING is an inspirational thriller sure to encourage and appeal to a vast audience of believers and non-believers alike.

In 2010, Garrett led readers back to Bishop's Island for the tale of Aryn and Ryan Rayburn. With PURSUIT, his second novel under the Dream Big publishing logo, the history of Bishop's Island unfolds over the course of the abduction of beautiful historian, Aryn Rayburn. As her husband, Ryan, sets out to rescue her, she uncovers deeply buried secrets and treasures on their island home. This story of love and redemption has resonated with many readers and has opened up a whole new world for readers to discover.


Jason Garrett author of Homecoming and Pursuit: A Tale of Bishop's Island

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Meet IAN Member Rosalie Lario


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Rosalie Lario double majored in Anthropology and Classics as an undergraduate student. She briefly considered becoming an archaeologist before realizing they don't actually live the life of Indiana Jones. So what was a classical geek armed with a lot of useless knowledge to do? Become a lawyer, of course!

After attending law school in Florida, she practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. As an avid reader of romances, she knew that was what she wanted to write. She never imagined all the mythology she'd learned throughout her undergraduate education might actually come in handy, but it makes perfect fodder for the paranormal romance stories she now dreams up.

When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their home state of Florida, as well as searching out things that go bump in the night. She still hasn’t found any proof of the supernatural, but she's keeping her fingers crossed. If that ever does happen, it remains to be seen whether she’ll jump around in excitement, or run screaming in terror (but she's betting on the latter)!

Rosalie Lario-author of For Love of an Angel


Coming soon Angel's Desire



Saturday, June 25, 2011

Huge Middle Grade and Young Adult eBook Giveaway


A giveaway with one eBook is fabulous … but a giveaway to win a Kindle and eighteen eBooks is even better.

Maybe you already have a most beloved Kindle. Do you have kids who love it too? Well, now you can win them one of their own loaded with the hottest Indie Middle Grade and Young Adult books.

The eBooks up for grabs include Kindle UK Top 100 Bestseller, Demon Day, Shimmerspell by Kimberly Spencer, and Guardian (a Golden Heart 2010 finalist) by Carey Corp, to name but a few. A full list of titles can be seen HERE!

The prizes, and links to full details of the Giveaway are below:


Prizes:
Grand Prize: One Kindle with all participating authors' books loaded on to it
First Place: 1 copy of each eBook
Second Place: 10 eBooks of their choice
Third place: 5 eBooks of their choice

TO ENTER CLICK HERE!

The contest will run until July 3, 2011, 11:59 P.M. EST, with the winner to be announced on July 4, 2011.

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Twitter Hashtag: #KindleINDIEpendence



Friday, June 17, 2011

Louise Wise The IAN Interview











Louise Wise lives in England, and writes a lot of fiction. She started writing for Mills & Boon, but couldn’t stick to their house instruction. She penned another, sent it off but received lots of rejection. Sulking, but knowing she can’t give up, Louise joined an online forum. Stuffed with lots of advice Louise tried again with another piece of fiction… look, I’m no poet. I’m a writer of two published novels called Eden (sci-fi romance) and my chick lit novel A Proper Charlie. I prefer to write chick lit, although my novels tend to be more gritty and real compared to others on the market. I enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella and Wendy Holden, and Dean Koontz or James Herbert when I want to be scared. I’ve many unpublished novels gathering dust and other imaginables in-the-cupboard-under-the-stairs, which I hope will never see the light of day. Currently, I have just finished my next novel which is also a chick lit, but the theme is mental illness. Could a fun-loving character cope with such an issue? It’s been tough, but exciting to write. Thanks for reading, and come and talk to me over on my blog. I love to meet new people!

IAN. Tell us about your latest book.

A Proper Charlie is a chick lit novel. My character, Charlotte (Charlie) Wallis grew up in foster care and care homes. Consequently she longs for stability, but has been stumbling along meeting unsuitable men and taking on crap jobs. She meets up with her best friend again (Melvin), and he gets her a job at his firm London Core (a newspaper). She finds a boyfriend and thinks life is looking up. But the Middleton Group takes over LC and her job looks shaky, and then her boyfriend dumps her. Prostitutes start to go missing on the London Streets and Charlie comes up with an idea to do a story on them thinking it’ll help her chances of staying with LC and take her mind off her boyfriend.

Ben Middleton is Charlie’s new boss. He’s a troubled character: he is well off and seems to have it all, but lives under the shadow of his tyrant father (Donald). His mother has terminal cancer and on her death bed reveals to Ben and his younger sister that Donald isn’t her father. The sister is distraught and takes off during her mother’s funeral. Wanting to build bridges between Donald and his sister Ben hires a PI to find her, but the PI discovers her possessions with a prostitute. Knowing a could-be murderer is taking hookers off the street Ben worries that his sister might be in trouble so goes to look for her.

The book’s theme is ‘opposites attract’, and how loneliness can affect you even if you’re well-off, surrounded by friends or have a close-knit family.

IAN. How long did it take to write A Proper Charlie?

LW. If it wasn’t for Twitter and other forums I think I could write it in six months. But, the first draft took me a year, second and third draft another year. So in total two years. Internet is an excellent tool, but also excellent for aiding and abetting procrastination.

IAN. What inspired you to write the book?

LW. Oh, Wendy Holden and Sophie Kinsella definitely. I think they are so clever being able to write so lifelike yet funny. My other favourite writers are Dean Koontz and James Herbert. I think they are the ‘grit’ in my novels.

IAN. Talk about the writing process. Do you write at night or in the morning?

LW. I’m an anytime, anywhere, anyplace kinda girl. I can write while my kids are destroying the furniture, and husband is yelling blue-murder that his dinner isn’t ready on time (get your own dinner, chum!). It has been known that I’ve forgotten the time and have missed important events like Coronation Street or bedtime.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

LW. I have an idea in my head, but the outline comes as I write. So, yes I wing it!

IAN. How is your book different from others in your genre?

LW. A Proper Charlie is strictly chick lit, and told in the third person. It’s maybe a little more gritty than others because my character is pretending to be a prostitute to nail a news story, and then gets mixed up in kidnapping and mayhem.

IAN. Is your book published in print, e-book or both?

LW. It’s both. E-books are doing better than paperbacks. I put it down do the fact that e-books are still a novelty. I can’t think of anything worse than reading a book off a screen. Obviously I’m not a Kindle convert!

IAN. What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

LW. Bellyache (from laughing), then later: ‘Oh, yeah. I see.’

IAN. Where can we go to buy your book?

LW. All on-line shops like Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Proper-Charlie-Louise-Wise/dp/1908147717 Or it can be ordered from any shop, or even direct from me.

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand alone?

LW.I am so in love with my next book. It’s again in the chick lit genre but the lead character has a mental illness. I’ve a friend with bipolar and another who self-harms, and I thought a character who was not only flawed but deeply suffering would be interesting to write about. My character is ‘stuck in a chick lit novel’, and believes she’s the normal one as all around others are ditzy, maddening and happy.

IAN. Any other links or info you'd like to share?

LW. Wise Words: http://louisewise.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/louise_wise

A Proper Charlie by Louise Wise

Page count: 406

Genre: chick lit

Publisher: YWO

It was strange at work on Monday where Melvin fussed over her and even Faye and Sarah seemed concerned. She was only growled at a couple of times by Fanny, but that was probably because he was busy with the merger and didn’t have time to moan at her. And even when he sent her to the canteen to fetch him a ham sandwich and she brought him back pork, because ‘they all look the same’ he only tutted. Charlie wished he could be preoccupied more often.

There were several new faces in the building and lots of coming and goings by different people.

The top floor, previously rented out to a financial company called Askew & Daughter, was receiving a lot of attention. Apparently, Sir Donald was going to make the entire top floor into his office.

Oh, I can lend you platforms for Saturday,’ said Faye, spinning around on her chair.

‘Really?’ When Charlie had asked before, Faye said she didn’t have any spare.

‘Sure,’ Faye said, nodding happily. ‘I’ve several pairs.’

‘Thanks, I’ll treat them like they are my own.’

Faye smiled at her and Charlie was so shocked she almost fell off her chair.

‘I’m so looking forward to this party now, aren’t you?’ Faye trilled. ‘Although I don’t know how we were collared into being the Spice Girls. But I’m glad Andy isn’t coming. How can we be the Spice Girls with him tagging along?’

‘He was going as David Beckham.’

Faye rolled her eyes. She rose and sauntered over towards Charlie’s desk. She pointed to the ceiling. ‘As we speak, there are men up there working on Sir Don’s new office. Builders,’ she added with a wink and nodding her head as if she and Charlie were accomplice to the same secret.

‘No.’ Charlie waved her hands at her in denial. ‘I’m off men forever now. I’m a singleton and I’m staying that way.’

‘Once you fall off the horse, you need to jump right back on,’ Faye said.

‘Bollocks.’ Sarah stood beside Charlie’s desk with a cup of coffee in her hands. She saluted Charlie with her cup. ‘Here’s to singleton and never having to shave again!’

Charlie giggled, as Faye looked at her in disgust before hissing, ‘Don’t you have standards?’

Sarah ignored her. ‘You can now leave Tampax wrappers lying about and not worry that he’s going to get all disgusted.’

‘You can lie on both sides of the bed and get the covers all to yourself.’ Melvin spun round in his chair to join in.

‘You don’t qualify in this conversation,’ said Faye. ‘You’re conjoined.’

‘You get to sexually stimulate yourself when you want it, and not just when the footie is over. Or at stupid o’clock in the morning,’ said Sarah, warming to her topic.

‘Why’d men like it in the morning?’ asked Faye. ‘I hate it. I feel all grubby and want nothing more than a shower when I wake up.’

‘Men are strange creatures,’ said Charlie, and Sarah and Faye nodded in agreement.

Straight men are strange creatures,’ amended Melvin flicking fluff off his Don’t Discriminate, Hate Everyone T-shirt.

* * *

Ben sat in his nearly empty office in The Globe. It was almost cleared in preparation for his new one at London Core next week, but as he looked around at he realised this office was as empty as his life.

Camilla still hadn’t made contact. Her number for her mobile phone was no longer registering. It was as if she had cut herself out from her family. It hurt Ben. He’d lost a mother and felt like he’d lost a sister too.

She had been missing for three days now. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t like her not to keep in contact.

A knock on his office door caused him to minimise a page he was on on the computer. His PA looked in on him.

‘I’m off to oversee your things being moved to Core,’ she said.

‘Thanks Clair,’ he said. ‘It’s close to your home, isn’t it, so take yourself off after. I’m all finished here, anyway.’

‘If you’re sure.’

‘I am.’ He smiled at her, and waited until the door was closed then he brought the page back up on the monitor. He was searching for a Private Investigator. He needed one that specialised in missing persons and who was highly discreet.

He came back to: Private Investigator, Kevin Locke, sympathetic and particularly experienced in the location of missing persons. The website looked professional, and it promised discretion.

Ben telephoned the number from the website. He was surprised and pleased when it didn’t go to an automated answer line and was answered by a human.

He briefly gave details of Camilla’s disappearance and fixed an appointment for tomorrow morning where they’d meet and discuss the whereabouts of his sister in detail, and assign him a PI. Ben wrote the appointment in his diary, and flicking through the pages he was reminded of London Core’s party this coming Saturday.

God, he’d forgotten! Thank goodness he’d jotted it down, his father wouldn’t have forgiven him if he didn’t turn up.

He was dreading it. He hated parties; work parties especially.

There were four types of people he dreaded meeting at parties: crawlers, superiors, drunks and women.

1. Crawlers: These people fawned all over him and generally made him feel embarrassed.

2. Superiors: These were the types who thought he was ‘uppity’ and either ignored him or treated him with polite distain.

3. Drunks: Need he explain? But, of course, you got the crawling drunk or the superior drunk. Drunks who brown-nosed him were creepy, and drunks who were ‘superior’ often thought it clever to ‘speak their mind’ and tell him a few home truths – usually crap but it was uncomfortable all the same.

4. Women: He liked women, but felt tense in their presence. He never knew how to speak to women out of the office. And then you had the female crawlers and superiors. But worse, worse of all, were drunk women.


Available at Amazon.com






Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Jeannie Walker The IAN Interview




Jeannie Walker is an Award Winning Author, Award Winning Songwriter and freelance writer. She studied creative writing in New York and Connecticut and is a member of the International Association of Writers. She is an avid reader of mystery novels.

Walker's debut novel, the true crime story, "Fighting the Devil" is a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist in the True Crime genre.
Walker became a real-life Sherlock Holmes sleuth to help solve her ex-husband's murder.


IAN. Please tell us about Fighting the Devil.

JW. "Fighting the Devil" - A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder is a true crime story, depicted the way it really happened with factual accounts, information and recollections.

I wrote the book to speak for my ex-husband who no longer has a voice. He was poisoned to death and died a slow, painful death.

Book Description: In the midst of Texas ranch country, on a quiet and peaceful spring day in 1990, a 49-year-old millionaire rancher sat down to lunch with his wife and bookkeeper, as he often did. Less than half an hour later, he was deathly ill, with stomach pains, severe vomiting and intense intestinal distress. Three weeks later, he was dead from a mysterious illness. His wife seemed to show no emotion when she learned of his death. However, his bookkeeper became very nervous and upset upon hearing the news, and ran through the hospital corridor to the elevator.
The Texas millionaire rancher discovered his wife and bookkeeper had stolen thousands of dollars from him. After he demanded the money back, he started getting sick. While in the hospital, doctors were mystified as to how an otherwise healthy, energetic man could become so deathly ill. The dying man told everyone within earshot that his wife and bookkeeper were killing him. The man's wife said her husband was hallucinating from drugs the doctors were giving him. The millionaire rancher succumbed in the hospital while strapped down to his bed with restraints on his hands and feet and tubes in every orifice. After the rancher died, an anonymous caller tipped off the police. The widow was the sole beneficiary of the estate and a $350,000 life insurance policy. A week before the man's death, a teenager visited the rancher's home and became deathly ill after he drank juice that was in the rancher's refrigerator. Two years after the millionaire's death, a bottle of arsenic was found in a storage locker rented by a woman under an assumed name. The millionaire's ex-wife, the mother of his children, became a sleuth to help solve the murder. No one could have predicted the aftermath with its strange twists and unexpected results.

IAN. How long did it take to write Fighting the Devil?

JW. It took me almost 20 years to write the book.

IAN. What inspired you to write the book?

JW. The horrific murder of my ex-husband and father of my children.

IAN. Talk about the writing process.

JW. I mostly write 3 - 4 hours in the morning. However, I have gotten up in the middle of the night to write down thoughts that I feel are important.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

JW. I used an outline.

IAN. How is your book different from others in your genre?

JW. My book is different from other true crime stories in that this is a story that I lived through and is very personal to me.

IAN. Is your book published in print, e-book or both?

JW. My book is available in paperback, hardcover and e-book.

IAN. What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

JW. It is my hope that anyone who reads my book will come to the realization that they are not alone in their struggles, no matter how big or small. And that they have the ability to overcome and the right to be their loved one's advocate and if necessary to become their own, real-life Sherlock Holmes.

IAN. Where can we go to buy Fighting the Devil?

JW. My book can be bought online at my website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders or other online book sites. It is not currently available in bookstores.

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand alone?

JW. The murder case I wrote about is still an open murder case. There is another suspect that has not been brought to justice. I am hoping to have a sequel, but it depends on whether or not we get additional evidence. Additionally, I want fans of crime stories to realize that if their lives are ever touched by anything as horrific as a murder, "they have the ability and right to become their loved one's advocate, and to become their own, real-life Sherlock Holmes.

IAN. Any other links or info you'd like to share?

JW. The murder case I wrote about in my book is still an open murder case. I have an online petition asking the Governor of Texas and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to fully investigate the 1990 arsenic murder of Jerry Sternadel, a Texas millionaire, who was my ex-husband. I would appreciate it if people would go there and sign the petition. (The widow, who walked away with a million dollar estate and half a million dollars in life insurance is a suspect and has yet to be arrested or tried for her part in the murder conspiracy of Jerry Sternadel.) The link for the petition is: http://www.petitiononline.com/jwbs218/petition.html

Fighting the Devil: A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder
By Jeannie Walker
Page count: 336
Genre: True Crime
iUniverse

Excerpt.

There was a time when the millionaire rancher, Jerry Sternadel, gave all the orders. No one dared to tell him times were a-changin'. When he discovered in May of 1990 that his wife, Lou Ann, and his bookkeeper, Debbie Baker, had stolen thousands of dollars from him, he demanded the money back by Memorial Day, threatening to have them arrested for embezzlement if they did not. He also told his wife he was going to divorce her.

A week before Memorial Day, Jerry ate lunch with Lou Ann and Debbie as he often did. Soon after consuming his taco salad, he became violently ill, with nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. He was admitted to the hospital on three different occasions between May 23 and June 12.

Doctors were mystified as to what was causing this otherwise healthy forty-nine-year-old man to become so deathly ill. Jerry did not smoke or drink and he exercised daily. During his final stay in the hospital, toxicology tests showed 4,895 mcg of arsenic in his system. Even while he was a patient in the hospital, the arsenic levels had continued to climb!

Jerry told nurses and anyone within earshot that his wife and bookkeeper were killing him.
From "Fighting the Devil"




Sunday, June 12, 2011

Franki deMerle The IAN Interview


Franki deMerle is the author of Deception Past and Ripples on the Surface. Her name is on the Wall of Tolerance at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, Alabama, and at the Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in Washington, DC, as a founding member of the Build the Dream Foundation. She is a former professional musician and a retired civilian employee of the United States Army. Her hobbies include yoga, gardening, knitting, pets, and Scottish country dance.

IAN. Please tell us about your latest book.

Fd. This is the story of two sisters and the man one of them falls in love with. Daphne ignores the dream she has on her wedding night, right before her honeymoon on the Scottish Isle of Arran, and finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage. She dreams that there is a man somewhere who will truly love her and treat her with respect, but she doesn’t know how to find him. Thanks to the sacrifice made by a stray cat, she finally finds the courage to escape her abusive husband.

Deandra, her sister and an army officer, sends a friend to rescue Daphne. He is a retired officer, and he turns out to be the man of Daphne’s dreams. When she meets him, the Major is preoccupied with his recent retirement. He and Daphne fall in love, and then she and Deandra discover their hidden pasts. Together, while living in the Pacific Northwest, they explore their past lives and what the past means for them in the present. This is a romance novel about dreams that connect us, dreams that come true, and dreams that reveal the past. “There are places we can only reach in our dreams while our bodies sleep.”

IAN. How long did it take to write the Dragonfly Dreams?

Fd. 10-11 months

IAN. What inspired you to write the book?

Fd. My own retirement from working as a civilian for the US Army.

IAN. Talk about the writing process. Do you write at night or in the morning?

Fd. I prefer to write at night, although that’s not always the case. I write when I’m inspired, have something to say, and realize something about a character or scene.

IAN. Did you use an outline or do you just wing the first draft?

Fd. I outline in my head. I spend a lot of time thinking about a character and/or scene before I write. I rarely write the book in order. I like to put some scenes aside and do them last—usually violence.

IAN. How is your book different from others in your genre?

Fd. The characters, though fictional, are inspired by combinations of people I’ve known and matched with real characters from the past, with one exception. The Major was inspired by my teddy bear in uniform who shared my office when I worked for the Army. He started out as a private; my sister named him Major Ursa, and then, for his remarkable ability to keep his mouth shut, he was promoted up to Colonel by the time I retired. The dreams the characters have in the book actually come from my own vivid dreams.

IAN. Is your book published in print, e-book or both?

Fd. Both

IAN. What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

Fd. I hope they get a few laughs, some personal insights, and some deeper thoughts about the bigger picture of humanity. I hope those that live in Scotland, western Oregon or Southwest Washington will appreciate the local landmarks in the story. I also hope those that don’t live in these areas might take away some images and maybe be inspired to visit.

IAN. Where can we go to buy your book?

Fd. Online or if your local bookstore doesn’t have it in stock, it can be ordered. It’s on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Powell’s, www.reincarnationbooks.com, and, of course, the Independent Author Network, http://j.mp/elTVij Please support independent bookstores too!

IAN. Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand alone?

Fd. I don’t do sequels. I’m in the middle of the story of five women who reincarnate in three different historical situations. The historical situations are ones that have been told many times through the eyes of certain men. My intent is to show how the characters develop through their personal choices in different directions.

IAN. Any other links or info you'd like to share?

A. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8HaN5MNLUA I also have a blog at

http://deceptionpast.wordpress.com

Dragonfly Dreams by Franki deMerle

Page count: 213

Genre: Novel

iUniverse

Excerpt from book:

Daphne was sound asleep when a man arrived in her dream with a warm, orange glow about him, like a fireball of warmth and energy; he was smiling the warmest smile she had ever encountered. To say she was attracted to this dark-haired, olive-skinned creature, like a moth to a flame, didn’t begin to describe it. He was somehow intimately familiar to her. Before she knew what was happening, she was flying along at his side, too fast for feet to keep up, much less touch the ground, and with no effort.

They were flying fast above houses and trees, and as they left the planet further and further beneath and behind them, it seemed they were flying on the wings of pure harmonious sound. It seemed it was the vibration that was propelling them. Daphne felt like her body had turned into pure harmonic vibration, and together they flew on the same wavelength until they were soaring among the stars beyond the solar system.

Daphne found herself dreaming of this angel and flying with him almost every night. Sometimes he appeared to her in a silvery light with bright white hair, but most of the time he was dark surrounded by light.

Please visit Franki deMerle at IAN

Print and Kindle at Amazon.com

Print and NOOK at Barnes&Noble










Thursday, June 9, 2011

Sharon Cupp Pennington: Author of the Hoodoo Money Series


Sharon received the most hits to her IAN member page for the month of May 2011 and was named the "Featured Author" for June.






Sharon Cupp Pennington’s short stories have appeared in numerous online and print venues, with anthology contributions to The Rocking Chair Reader in the Coming Home edition (2004) and Family Gatherings (2005), A Cup of Comfort for Weddings: Something Old, Something New (2007), and Good Old Days Magazine (March, 2007). Her debut novel, Hoodoo Money, was released in May 2008 and the sequel, Mangroves and Monsters, in November 2009. She resides in Texas with her husband, Wayne, where she is currently working on her third novel in this series.

Her books:

Hoodoo Money

Things are not always as they seem in the Big Easy…

After her almost-wedding to a bigamist, successful children’s author Braeden McKay has given up on love. She’s content to live vicariously through her imaginary heroine, Platypus Pearl, and a gaggle of adventurous, web-footed cohorts — until a working vacation in New Orleans shakes up her quiet, structured world. Had she known that souvenir nickel stolen from the grave of a hoodoo woman would catapult her into a nightmare of betrayal and murder, she would have insisted her friend put it back.

Cursed nickel or unfortunate happenstance? Sanderson Montgomery isn’t one to discount the supernatural beliefs of others. This is the Big Easy, after all, Mecca to the spiritual and the superstitious. As a veteran detective, neither does he ignore cold, hard fact. And the fact is, someone or something is bent on harming Braeden McKay, and it’s up to him to protect her while keeping his heart out of the mix.

Can love, the very thing Braeden wants no part of, be the one force greater than any adversary — even a hoodoo curse?

Mangroves and Monsters


Charlie Cooper, reluctant teacher by day and broken-hearted wanderer by night, is a man desperately in love with a dead woman.

But is Angeline St. Cyr really dead?

The supermodel fell victim to an auto-pedestrian accident in New Orleans. Police reports and medical records substantiate the severity of her injuries. Cosmetics mogul Mathieu Fournier, her former boss, orchestrated a cremation and memorial service. The paparazzi swarmed celebrity attendees. Fans mourned.

Call it gut instinct, call it what you will, but Cooper is convinced Angeline's death was an elaborate scheme Fournier sold to the world. He isn’t buying it, nor is his heart.

A tenuous lead draws him to the Caribbean island of Jacqueme Dominique. Only Cooper isn’t alone in his quest. By chasing his dream of rekindled love, he becomes embroiled in murder, treachery and abduction at the hands of his old nemesis Willem Voorhees — a merciless killer.

For five long years Cooper’s love survived while he searched for Angeline. Will finding her cost him his life?

REPARATION, 3rd novel in the Hoodoo Money series is coming soon!

In the authors own words:Like most writers, I always had a brain bursting with scenarios and a drawer or shoebox or folder of unfinished manuscripts. My first published story, "McTammany's Bed of Roses," appeared online in The Emporium Gazette, Issue 46, February 2003. With that sale, I earned enough to buy a novel in the paperback section at Wal-Mart or a couple of trade-ins at the local paperback swap-n-shop.

But I was a published author at age 54 - and I was flying!

Now my short stories have appeared in numerous online and print venues, with anthology contributions to The Rocking Chair Reader in the Coming Home edition (2004) and Family Gatherings (2005), A Cup of Comfort for Weddings: Something Old, Something New (2007), and Good Old Days Magazine (March, 2007). Finally, after years of rewrites and the unwavering patience of my "do or die" critique group (Writing Well),Hoodoo Money was released by Draumr Publishing in May 2008. It's the kind of romantic suspense novel I love to read, set in contemporary Louisiana and Texas, and will be followed by the sequel, Mangroves and Monsters.

http://sharonpenningtonwrites.webs.com

Twitter @SCPennington