#‎B2BCYCON Interview With Debbie Manber Kupfer

Today I have another Brain to Books Cyber Convention author feature. Remember, this great event for authors and readers alike is coming to Goodreads this April, on the 8th, 9th and 10th.

Be sure to check out all the details and pertinent links for the event here:

http://www.angelabchrysler.com/brain-to-books-cyber-convention-2016/

Now on with the main event, our Brain to Books author feature.

Today I have a great interview with YA fantasy Debbie Manber Kupfer.

 Interview With Debbie Manber Kupfer

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself?

I’m Debbie Manber Kupfer. I’m an author and puzzle writer originally from London who somehow ended up in St. Louis, MO. I live with my husband, 2 kids, and my “mews” Miri Billie Joe.

I divide my time between writing fiction (my fantasy series, P.A.W.S. and short stories in different genres for anthologies) and writing puzzles for Penny Publications and my website Paws 4 Puzzles. I get through my days by drinking gallons of hot tea with milk and sampling the occasional piece of dark chocolate.

How long have you been writing, and how many books have you published to date?

I’ve been writing ever since I was a kid, but only started taking myself seriously as a writer in recent years. So far I’ve published the first two books in my series, P.A.W.S. and Argentum, a puzzle book, Paws 4 Logic, and two books of short stories, Will There Be Watermelons on Mars? and my newest release, Tales from P.A.W.S.

What do you enjoy most about writing in the fantasy genre? 

I love to read and write fantasy because I love to dream and in fantasy anything is possible. I can’t imagine writing something that didn’t have some aspect of magic hidden within it.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always wanted to write a book, but felt I had all the time in the world to make that happen, then in 2011 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I went through treatment and I’m happy to say that today I’m cancer free, but the experience made me realize that if really wanted to write I couldn’t delay it any longer. We never know how longer we have.
So in November 2012 I sat down during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and started writing P.A.W.S.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Distraction, particularly from the Internet. In order to get any writing done I pretty much need to turn off my modem and write. Then if I get a chapter or two done I’ll reward myself with some time on Facebook and maybe a few dark chocolate mint M&Ms!


Do you have a favourite author, or writing inspiration?

I have several including Douglas Adams, JK Rowling, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman and Cornelia Funke.


What advice would you give beginning writers?

Try NaNoWriMo. Every November writers around world gather to attempt to write 50K words in a month. It’s wonderful to have a local NaNo group to cheer you on and for me setting myself a daily goal of around 2K during NaNo months (There’s also Camp NaNo in April and July) really helps me keep on track.
Plus it encourages you to keep going. No, you want have a polished novel in a month, you’ll have a hot mess that will take months of editing, but it’s a start and I’m pretty sure that without NaNo I wouldn’t be published today. 

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I’m not writing fiction I write puzzles, mainly for magazines and my website Paws 4 Puzzles. I also put together with my son Joey, a puzzle book, Paws 4 Logic, that’s fun for anyone who enjoys logic problems.


How did you become interested in puzzles?

Well, I’ve been solving puzzles ever since I was at school and there’s a funny story attached to this. My careers teacher at school once asked me what I liked to do – I answered “puzzles”. He turned to me and said “Crossword puzzles are only useful for solving other crosswords.” I would love to tell him that actually I made a career out of puzzles.
For those of you who read P.A.W.S. look for a similar scene in P.A.W.S. – a kind of Easter Egg and shout out to that teacher of long ago.

What’s your next project? Any upcoming book secrets you care to reveal?

Well, I’m currently working on book 3 of P.A.W.S., Labyrinth of Umbrae, and hope to release it before the end of the year.
I’ve also written a children’s picture book, Adana the Earth Dragon and am working with a wonderful artist who is bringing my little Adana to life.
Also look for Tea and Dark Chocolate, a collection of flash fiction stories and poems, coming out soon.

Keep in touch with me through my website, Paws 4 Thought, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon or Goodreads. I love hearing from my readers!

P.A.W.S. by Debbie Manber Kupfer

When Miri receives a silver cat charm from her omama, Celia, on the night before Celia dies she has no idea that the charm holds a secret, a powerful magic that saved her omama’s life and is about to make Miri’s a whole lot more interesting.

Book Link - http://amzn.com/B0129GG6YQ

Author Bio

Debbie Manber Kupfer grew up in London and today lives in St. Louis. She is a writer of puzzles and fiction and the author of the fantasy series, P.A.W.S. She believes that with enough tea and dark chocolate you can achieve anything!


I'd like to thank Debbie Manber Kupfer for stopping by today, and be sure to check out her virtual booth at the convention this April.

#‎B2BCYCON‬ Book Spotlight for Hell School: Fresh Meat

Today I have another Brain to Books Cyber Convention author feature. Remember, this great event for authors and readers alike is coming to Goodreads this April, on the 8th, 9th and 10th.

Be sure to check out all the details and pertinent links for the event here:

http://www.angelabchrysler.com/brain-to-books-cyber-convention-2016/

Now on with the main event, our Brain to Books author feature.

Today I have a great release day book spotlight for Hell School: Fresh Meat by Heidi Angell.

Hell School: Fresh Meat by Heidi Angell

High school is hard, especially when you're a freshman in a new town, surrounded by people you don't understand and who don't understand you.  Sam was overwhelmed just trying to fit in. Then she is singled out with the first letter.

While some girls envy the “romantics” of this unknown admirer, Sam can tell something isn't right.  Sam wanted to just blend in, but someone's eye is fixated on her.  As the letters and bad poetry continue, so does the nagging in Sam's stomach telling her this is not normal.

When things escalate from strange to creepy, Sam's world becomes a nightmare.  Twisted admiration is stalking her around every corner in the high school from hell….

Hell School: Fresh Meat is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

You can also join the Geek Street Squad to help promote Hell School: Fresh Meat

Author Bio:

Heidi Angell is a bibliophile, lexicomaniac and wordsmith! She is the author of The Hunters Series, The Clear Angel Chronicles, and The Hell School Series. She also created Royal Prince Vince, and Creative Exercises to Inspire.

When she is not reading and writing, she can be found spending quality time with her lovely family camping, hiking, swimming, or watching movies. Learn more about her and her books at HeidiAngell.com

Heidi Angell’s Social Media Links

Facebook

Twitter @HeidiAngell

Heidi’s Blog

Google +

Pinterest

Linkedin

I'd like to thank Heidi Angell for sharing her book today, and be sure to check out her virtual booth at the convention this April.

#‎B2BCYCON‬ Book Spotlight for A Year Since the Rain

Today I have another Brain to Books Cyber Convention author feature. Remember, this great event for authors and readers alike is coming to Goodreads this April, on the 8th, 9th and 10th.

Be sure to check out all the details and pertinent links for the event here:

http://www.angelabchrysler.com/brain-to-books-cyber-convention-2016/

Now on with the main event, our Brain to Books author feature.

Today I have a great book spotlight for A Year Since the Rain by Shane Wilson.

A Year Since the Rain by Shane Wilson

Alan —a heart-broken and stubborn computer programmer—took much in his life for granted, including the vast supply of water in his town. But when the rains stop falling and the rivers dry up, he begins to realize how temporary it all can be. His life begins to unravel as, across town, a sinkhole threatens to swallow every bit of the place he has come to call home.

Taken on a journey of self-discovery by the magical women in his life, Alan is drawn into an unexpected affair and comes face-to-face with a Mystic who walks through his dreams. For Alan, dreams become a new reality, and reality erodes into something of a dream. As his town transforms into an arid wasteland that crumbles beneath his feet, Alan is compelled by the inevitable to strike out into the unknown or perish.

You can check out the book here:

A Year Since the Rain

Or on Amazon:

Paperback 

Ebook

Author Bio:

Shane Wilson is the author of A Year Since the Rain, a magical realism novel forthcoming from Snow Leopard Publishing (Spring 2016).

Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Shane is a child of the southeastern United States where he feels simultaneously at-home and out-of-place. He graduated from Valdosta State University in south Georgia with a Masters in English. He taught college English in Georgia for four years before following love to North Carolina in 2013.

No matter the temperature outside, there is always an iced coffee in his hand when he walks into class in the mornings. He tends to chase the day with a whiskey and Netflix.

Shane has published poetry in Tethered by Letters and the Stonepile Writers' Anthology, Volume III. He is currently at work on a new novel as well as a collection of short stories based on the mythos of and set in the same town as A Year Since the Rain.

I'd like to thank Shane Wilson for sharing his book today, and be sure to check out his virtual booth at the convention this April.

Drabble Wednesday: Myth-ellaneous

Welcome back to Drabble Wednesday! This week we explore the dark depths of myth with Vikings, doomed cities, and reincarnation...

Warrior’s End

The village mourns as I watch from afar. They carry the warrior’s corpse to the pyre, and lay him to rest for his final journey. Dressed in his armour, his shield and sword rest atop his chest, and his best drinking cup is placed in his cold hand. They light the wood; flames and smoke rise to the heavens and the All-Father.

I smile.

With the smoke I soar, to bear the warrior’s soul upon my shield. Past mortal worlds we fly, past Asgard, and to our ending.

“I am Valkyrie. Open the gates and welcome this warrior to Valhalla!”

~*~

City of Light

The stars scattered across the sky as a firmament of celestial grace, a gift from the gods to light the evening’s shadows. So it was believed in the great city, and many a poem spoke of it such.

And this night, a man studied those stars.

A man of reason, chased by unease, searched the heavens for answers to unnatural phenomenon. Even though his own friend scoffed at his worry.

“So the earth trembles of late? It is not uncommon.”

“It is more than that, the sea behaves strangely as well. It portends trouble.”

“Nonsense. We are safe in Atlantis.”

~*~

Rebirth

I remember the pain.

Even now, here in my warm fluid cocoon.

I try to erase the memories, I try to think of the beautiful sun, the wind against my wings as I flew, but it always comes back to the pain. The all consuming agony of my death.

If you could even call it such.

Is it a death, if you don’t remain dead?

A thousand times upon a thousand times I have “died.” Is it any wonder I cannot obliterate the memories?

The cycle will continue, no matter my wishes.

The Phoenix will burn

The Phoenix will rise.

© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved

Cover Reveal for The Ballad of Allyn-a-Dale

It's time for another exciting cover reveal, this time for the YA fantasy, The Ballad of Allyn-a-Dale, by the ever talented Danielle E. Shipley. It's book one in her new series, The Outlaws of Avalon.

And now, may I present...

The Ballad of Allyn-a-Dale (The Outlaws of Avalon, Book One)

by Danielle E. Shipley

The lovely cover art is by Lars van de Goor and Milan van de Goor

This contemporary, young adult, fantasy releases July 12, 2016

You can preview it on Goodreads

The Author’s Thoughts on the Cover

The Outlaws of Avalon trilogy is my baby, so I knew its faces had to blow me away. For Book One’s cover, there were a couple elements I for sure wanted to highlight: 1, the forest (because SHERWOOD), and 2, the lute (because Allyn-a-Dale). The rest, I mostly left up to my designers – photographer Lars van de Goor, and his son Milan.

A couple drafts later, this was the gorgeous result. The elegant swirls! The delightful rosette on the spine! Of all the darling touches – a ROBIN perched over “Ballad”s second A! And, of course, the must-have lute sitting sedately amongst the trees.

The minstrel blue, the greenwood green, the magical splash of sunlight… This cover doesn’t just say “The Ballad of Allyn-a-Dale”: It sings it.

Novel Summary

Welcome to Avalon, a Renaissance Faire where heroes of legend never die. Where the Robin Hood walking the streets is truly the noble outlaw himself. Where the knightly and wizardly players of King Arthur’s court are in fact who they profess to be. Where the sense of enchantment in the air is not mere feeling, but the Fey magic of a paradise hidden in plain sight.

Enter Allyn-a-Dale. The grief of his father’s death still fresh and the doom of his own world looming, swirling realities leave the young minstrel marooned in an immortal Sherwood Forest, where he is recruited as a member of Robin Hood’s infamous outlaw band. But Allyn’s new life may reach its end before it’s scarcely begun. Their existence under threat, the Merry Men are called upon to embark on a journey to the dangerous world Outside – ours – on a quest which must be achieved without delay, or eternity in Avalon will not amount to very long at all.

Excerpt:

Allyn would have known Will Scarlet for a relation of Robin Hood’s even had he not been introduced as his cousin. Though clean-shaven, younger, and framed by thick locks of gold tinged with the color of his name, Will’s face was patently similar to Robin’s, with the same blue eyes that sparkled cheerily at Allyn when the two were presented to each other.

            “And where’d you pick this fellow up, then, Robin?” he asked blithely.

            “In my tent,” replied Robin, “with Marion.”

            Will’s brows leapt toward his crimson cap’s pointed brim. “Wish I were Allyn!”

            “Will…”

            “Joking, joking,” Will waved aside Marion’s halfhearted rebuke. He coughed. “…Mostly. So, Allyn-a-Dale — looking to join the Merry Men, are you?”

            “I don’t really know,” Allyn said doubtfully. “What are the Merry Men?”

            To Allyn’s heart-thudding dismay, Will answered, “We’re an infamous band of outlaws.”

            “Not really,” Marion hastened to jump in.

            “Not anymore,” Little John amended.

            “It’s complicated,” said Robin. “But we’re really not at liberty to tell you much more about it until we’ve spoken to Merlin.”

            “That would be King Arthur’s chief counselor and illustrious wizard,” Will said in answer to Allyn’s questioning expression. “He literally runs the show around here, so—”

            “No,” said Little John, his gaze a grim weight on Will Scarlet.

            “Oh, would you chillax, you pedant?” Will huffed, facial muscles ticking with minor irritation. “I know you think the Outsiders have been using the word with nary a care to its meaning, of late, but I know what ‘literally’ means, and in this case, I literally meant ‘literally’!”

            The marginal lowering of Little John’s brow silently warned what he would literally do to Will if he said that word but once more.

            “And they’re off,” said Robin, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, Allyn, they only bicker like this when they’re both breathing.”

            Allyn’s lips twitched toward the beginnings of a smile, but froze halfway, his mind only just now becoming fully conscious of what he’d heard. “Robin,” he said, fighting a sudden swell of anxiety. “Did Will just say we’re off to see a wizard?”

About the Author 

Danielle E. Shipley is the author of the Wilderhark Tales novellas, the novel Inspired, and several other expressions of wishful thinking. She has spent most of her life in the Chicago area and increasing amounts of time in Germany. She hopes to ultimately retire to a private immortal forest. But first, there are stories to make.

Website: http://deshipley.com/