At long last, the much anticipated July's featured writers! I know, a little late. I was totally disorganized this month. Then, doing THE DAY JOB series really took it out of me emotionally. But, I believe it was necessary.
Now, an introduction to the first one.
Wren Emerson and I have had a few chats via #pubwrite hashtag on twitter ;) She's fun and engaging and you'll really like her! Her blog is enticing and an honest look at what to expect as a self-published author.
Her official bio:
Wren Emerson was born on the mean streets of small town Kansas 30*mumble* years ago. She first put pen to paper at the tender age of 12 and wrote an epicly awful story. She then became publisher and editor in chief of a family newspaper which included articles written by indentured servants/siblings. It got rave reviews from all 8 members of her family.
Now in adulthood, Wren still enjoys bossing people around so she became overlord to a small army of minions; her true love, kids, a cat, and a dog. When she's not plotting to form a dictatorship she writes. When she's not writing, she plays video games, reads books, practices her iphoneography skills, and spends way too much time hanging out in #pubwrite on Twitter.
BLURB-
All she ever wanted was a chance to settle down in one place.
Thistle Nettlebottom knows her life isn't exactly normal. She travels the country with her secretive mother and bestselling author grandmother in a pink RV going from book signings to crazy research trips. She's never been to public school or had a boyfriend, but she can pick a lock and hotwire a car. One day the phone rings and they set a course to a tiny town that's not on any maps. Suddenly, Thistle finds her whole life changing.
She's finally found the home she's been searching for.
Thistle soon realizes that Desire isn't like other towns and she's not like other girls. The family she trusted has lied to her about everything her entire life and the things she doesn't know about herself could cost her everything. Her legacy as one of the most powerful witches the town has ever seen has made her enemies that have been waiting patiently for a chance to destroy her. Thistle needs to learn to use her powers to protect herself before they succeed.
Be careful what you wish for.
Thistle has a power unique even among the magic wielding witches of Desire. She can wish things into existence. At first she enjoys the freedom of having everything her heart desires, but she soon realizes that her power comes at a terrible price. She's losing her grip on her sanity at a time when she can't afford any weakness. Her enemies are closing in quickly, but she might not have the strength to save herself.
WEBSITE/BLOG - http://wrenemerson.wordpress.com/
TWITTER - @wrenem
Next up, we have Faith Mortimer who found me through another of our featured writers. She lives in an old stone-house in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains on Cyprus. A beautiful Mediterranean island and know as Aphrodite’s own.
Official bio;
Faith Mortimer was born in Manchester and was educated in Singapore, Malaya and Hampshire, England. She qualified as a Registered nurse and after some years changed careers to oversee a number of travel and sport related companies.
She's happily married to Chris and together they have four children. Once the children began to attend University she decided to join them in reading for a Science degree. She obtained her Honours Science degree with The Open University in 2005 and the dedication and stamina needed to sit for a degree gave her the confidence to finish writing her first novel. She achieved this and January 2009 saw the publication of The Crossing. This novel is based on a true incident and she thoroughly enjoyed the six months or so research that went into the book and the later 18 months writing and editing.
The Crossing is available in paperback and Kindle format on Amazon.
In 2010 she finished writing my second novel; a murder mystery set in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus where she spends the majority of her time.
This 93,000 word novel was posted on the Harper Collins/Authonomy site and out of over 8000 books was chosen in November 2010 to be the Number 1 book! You can read the review here.
Harper Collins Review for The Assassin's Village
'The Assassin's Village' is a traditional murder mystery, set in Cyprus. It centres on the brutal murder of Mr Leslie, an expatriate whose Lothario ways, military past and cavalier demeanour have earned him no shortage of enemies among the villagers. It is a novel written very much in the style of Agatha Christie: a classic who-done-it, in a small, gossiping, rural village. The prose is brought up-to-date with the fairly explicit themes of sexual liberation and exploitation.
As a thrilling read, 'The Assassin's Village' certainly fits the bill. I flew through the first 19 chapters. The prose is easy to follow, and dramatic in duly regular intervals.
I was particularly engaged by the different perceptions of Mr Leslie. We are already interested in the character, knowing from the prologue that he is to be our victim, and the author cleverly throws our judgment of him with every new perspective. Particularly endearing is the relationship between Antigone and Mr Leslie. Indeed, the sequence of chapter seven, where Antigone watches her brother hunting, is by far the strongest in the novel so far. It illustrates all of the strengths of the writing, the prose is obviously impeccably researched, and brings in a political element that raises the caliber of the story; the setting is evocative; and the characterisation is strong and feels fresh...
...I should say that, I really like the way you subverted normal linear chronology to lay out the events. It is, clear that you are capable of presenting the clues very well, and I particularly liked the way you used Diana's sketching to map out the facts and unlock the possibilities.
From here I would consider the relevance of everything in the plot. There are many motifs centred on the play Macbeth - the suggestions of occult activities, the play being put on by the villagers, the quotes prefacing each chapter, the relationship between Antigone and Mr Leslie, and Mr Leslie's endearing side in general, the political history, and the parallels of Diana's writing to the unfolding of the broader plot are all strong - these are all interesting themes...
... overall, there is a lot to commend in this manuscript.
With such commendation, I can imagine that these books will be well worth your time J
Books: The Crossing.
A successful businessman, Richard William Barker has accomplished much in life. Together with his wife, Connie, he was about to embark on a long dreamed-of ocean sailing adventure. Little did he know that his dream was to become his nightmare. In The Crossing, the reader is taken on this action-packed, fateful voyage and then through a twist of fate transported back to the Second World War, where Richard's late father, Billy Barker, a naval rating assigned as crew on a Motor Torpedo Boat, is captured by the enemy during a daring action off the French coast. His story of survival and friendship against all odds contrasts with his own burgeoning love for a pretty English girl, and leads Richard to begin his own recovery and understand that life must go on. Based on a true incident, this powerful emotive tale of passion and love across two generations in the parallel settings of modern day action and the horrors of war makes an utterly compelling read with a refreshing and very different approach to subjects which are normally the preserve of male authors.
The Assassins’ Village ( A Diana Rivers Mystery):
Bound and gagged, the shocked and terrified victim recognises his assailant. Days later, another body is discovered. How many assassins stalk the village? In a picturesque Cypriot village an expatriate theatrical group gather to discuss their next play; but when the curtain rises it'll be murder. A blackmailer stalks the cast - a group riven with jealousies, rivalry, sexual tension and illicit affairs. Unbeknown to each other they all attempt to find solutions to their problems. Some believe it lies in murder. Can they find the blackmailer? And can they find that all important 'little black book' - the chronicle of their misdeeds. When a body is discovered, Diana, author and amateur actor, turns detective to draw up a suspects list. After the police get involved one of the suspects is found hanged - another murder or the suicide of a guilty person? A visit to a villager's home uncovers an ancient assassin's killing device. Could this be the murder weapon? Is it possible that an assassin lives at the heart of this formerly peaceful and idyllic village? Love, hate, murder and high drama all feature in this classic historical detective story. With a long list of suspects, some dramatic twists and the odd red herring, the reader is left guessing until the final curtain.
The Bamboo Mirror: A short True Ghost Story. The Bamboo Mirror (a Diana Rivers mystery and true paranormal).
This short story is based on a true account of a paranormal experience she encountered when she was at boarding school in Singapore. All characters’ names are fictitious.
This story is 6400 words.
You can find her books on http://www.faithmortimerauthor.com/ (website)
http://amzn.to/f1kf3r The Assassins’ Village Amazon.co.uk
http://amzn.to/eiTYgR The Assassins’ Village Amazon.com
http://amzn.to/mH41d6 The Crossing Amazon.co.uk
http://amzn.to/g7TL00 The Crossing Amazon.com
The Bamboo Mirror is also available on Amazon, and all books are on Smashwords. The Crossing is also available in paperback and in about a week you will be able to buy a paperback version of The Assassins’ Village on Amazon.
If you would like to connect with her feel free to join her on Facebook
Twitter: @FaithMortimer
website: http://www.faithmortimerauthor.com/
*deleted text...link no good and some indication of problems and IDK enough to ascertain what is what. Apologies for any confusion. Thank you.*
AS you can see, there are many things for all types of reading among my featrued writers. Please choose one that fits your bill and support them! Thanks for reading along!
Leona the not book reviewing featured writer blog host :D Seems to be a little confusion about that...I do read books and tell everyone if I like them, and loudly, but do not do official reviews as that would take my fun away from reading ;) Also, my time is crazy so can't keep up a regular reading schedule.
But all y'all better find time to read something!! Catch you on the backside!
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