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Vicky Burkholder: The Ruby Key @vickyburkholder #RLFblog #amreading
Meet author Vicky Burkholder, writing for Liquid Silver Books.Title The Ruby KeyGenre contemporary romanceBook heat level (based on movie ratings): RWho or what inspired you
to write?My dad. When I was very young, I was considered a “slow
reader”. Back then, we didn’t have enrichment classes so my dad took it upon
himself to show me the wonders of the written word. Though not highly educated himself,
he was an avid reader. He would take me on his lap and read to and with me. He’d
do word games with me – for instance, if we were in the car and waiting somewhere,
he’d find a billboard and point to a word in it and tell me to find as many words
with those letters as I could. Or he’d do crossword puzzles with me. He found things
I was interested in and books that would go along with those interests – like horses
(what little girl doesn’t love horses?). He bought books about horses, both fiction
and non-fiction. In short, through my love of him and my interests, he taught me
to love the written word. And in a year, I moved up from the “slow” section
to the top of the class.What are your five “desert
island” books?Probably a Boy Scout handbook (come on, I’m nothing, if not practical!),
a science fiction book (like Anne McCaffrey’s Crystal series), a good mystery (like
Laura Bradford’s Amish mystery series), a good romance (like Nora Roberts, especially
her paranormal romances), and a good fantasy (like David Eddings). You will note
that these are all paperback books. I’d choose differently if I could take my electronic
reading device, but on a desert island, I’m not sure that would work well, though
I suppose I could use the handbook to figure out how to create electricity to power
up my devices!What advice would you
give a new author?Grow a thick skin. This is not a business for the weak of ego.
You are going to get bad reviews. You’re going to get rejected – a lot. You’re not
going to get rich quick (except in very very rare cases). You need to be able to
bounce back. Yes, give yourself a day or two to rail at the fates on the bad stuff,
then get right back in there. You can’t let the negativity that is part and parcel
of this career get you down. If one bad review or rejection makes you quit, then
you need to rethink being a writer. Because unless you’re just doing it for yourself,
you’re going to get hurt. BUT, if you keep at it… if you keep trying… if you keep
learning and improving, someday you may get that acceptance or that great review
and the sales will start coming in, and it will all be worth it. Perseverance is
the key.The Ruby Key
The following blurb and excerpt are from my latest book, The
Ruby Key, a paranormal romance available from Liquid Silver Books. It is the second
in the Crystal Keys series.Blurb: (from The Ruby Key)For centuries, four women have held the keys to Lemuria, a land
where magic is real. They and their Protectors are all that stand against The Brotherhood,
a group of exiles who want to return to Lemuria and take control of the gateway
between realms.Phoebe, Keeper of the ruby key, lost her lover and Protector,
Ryan, to murder. The Powers That Be saddled her with a dorky salesman. That is,
until Zack arrives on the scene. With his Scandinavian good looks, he is the essence
of what a Protector should be, but he is a loner and wants nothing to do with magic.
Magic is what got his brother killed. Phoebe wants nothing to do with him as a protector,
but he draws her in ways Ryan never did.Edward is the epitome of a British gentleman and shows Phoebe
the genteel side of life, but Edward has a past, and an agenda. He is the leader
of the Brotherhood and if he controls Phoebe, he will control everything—and destroy
it all.The past, present, and future all come crashing down to one moment.
Only Phoebe can make the choice—and her choice will determine the fate of several
worlds.They lost the battle once before. This time, will love really
conquer all?You can read an excerpt here: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/excerpts/therubykey.htmBuy this book:
Liquid Silver Books: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/excerpts/therubykey.htmKobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-ruby-keyNook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ruby-key-vicky-burkholder/1120648654?ean=9781622101658All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-therubykey-1671865-340.htmlComing Soon
The Turn of the Card – a short futuristic romance from Liquid
Silver Books
Who’s Your Alpha The Emerald Key – first book in the Crystal Key seriesWho’s Your Alpha – short, contemporary shape shifter romanceFinder’s Keepers – short, contemporary paranormal romanceAbout the Author
Vicky Burkholder lives in a three-generation home and is lucky
enough to have two other writers in residence. At various times in her life, she
has been a journalist, writer, editor, teacher, short-order cook, computer specialist,
DJ, and librarian. Her writing spans the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal and
romance lines from YA to adult. No matter the age or genre, all of her books have
a touch of romance in them and have to have a happily ever after ending.Author Social Media
Website http://www.vickyburkholder.com -
New for 2015: Author and Character Interviews #RLFblog #amreading
Romance Lives Forever Thank you for a great 2014! The Romance Lives Forever blog grew, and some wonderful features were added. For the year, there were 363 posts.
Social Media
The link between the blog and Paper.li helped get out the word about blog posts. The paper is an online daily ezine, and this one posts to Twitter. The blog uses the hashtag #RLFblog, and you can click on Twubs to check its reach.
Triberr did a great job of sharing the news as well. Because of my followers, the tribemates I associate with, and their followers, RLF has a reach of over one million. The program works because it brings new readers, and reminds current ones of new material. It provides an average of 45 – 50 mentions on Twitter every day, and since each post has the guest author’s Twitter handle in the title, that means the guest gets mentioned too.
Networked Blogs helped by posting automatically to Facebook. The blog goes to several pages, and is often shared. Did you know the blog has its own Facebook page? Come over and like the page, and then share the day’s post, especially if you’re one of the guests.
https://www.facebook.com/RomanceLivesForeverSign Up!
Request a date by clicking the Request a Date tab. Fill in the info, pick two dates, and I’ll do my best to get you one of them.
RLF Top Blogger Award RLF Gems
This popular feature happens on the first of each month. I post a listing of the top bloggers, and send the top five a graphic to post on their websites or blogs. It’s almost always the most visited page of the month, although I don’t count it when listing which posts are the most popular. I want the credit to go to my wonderful guests. The top blogger each month gets a month of free ad space on the blog. The top blogger for the year gets a full year of ad space. The winner for December, and for 2014 will be announced Jan 1, 2015.Thank you…
The blog has grown and changed in response to your requests, and I hope you’ve found it helpful. If there is something you’d like me to add or change, please let me know.Thank you for your support. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you, and I hope to see you back soon.Kayelle AllenYou May Also Like
Top 10 Things about Christmas by the author of Patriot (Hades Abyss MC) by Harley Wylde @HarleyW_Writer #RLFblog #HolidayRomance #MCRomance
The Vintner’s Vixen by Rebecca Norinne and Jamaila Brinkley @rebecca_norinne @jamaila #RLFblog #contemporaryromance
Fiction Furbaby: Meet Killer from All About Charming Alice by J Arlene Culiner @JArleneCuliner @RobsRescues #RLFblog #Pets
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5 Easy Questions: Denise Rossetti author of Mine to Keep @deniserossetti #RLFblog #SFR
Mine to Keep
by Denise RossettiDenise Rossetti author of Mine to Keep answers five easy questions
to help readers get to know them better.Author Bio
When Denise
Rossetti was very small, she had an aunt who would tell her the most wonderful fairy
tales all original. She grew up, as little girls do, but the magic of story still
dazzles and enthralls her. In person, she’s small and noisy and tends to wave her
hands around a lot, which can be unfortunate if the tale she’s telling happens to
have explosions in it!Reviewers describe
Denise’s books as “darkly intense, warmly romantic, and blazingly erotic”.
She’s a proud recipient of the Australian Romance Readers Association award for
Best Erotic Romance and a two time winner of the Passionate Plume award from Romance
Writers of America.What’s your favorite down-home
family style meal?Anything my
husband cooks. He does all the cooking (and shopping) – and no, you can’t have him.
Heh, heh. The poor man learned how to cook in self-defense not long after we were
married and I’ve been grateful ever since. He does a fabulous lamb roast, the darling.What is your go-to meal
when you dine out?Anything I
can’t cook myself – which leaves the field wide open! I have such a shocking sweet
tooth that I generally turn the menu over and start with the desserts. Seems only
sensible to me!Describe the perfect vacation.I love learning
cool new things. My idea of heaven is to be somewhere that’s not only beautiful,
but interesting, with tour guides telling me fascinating stuff, making everything
come alive. Wonderful experiences every single day.What are your hobbies?Well, reading’s
a no-brainer. I’m also a knitter, have been since I was a kid. I’m currently obsessed
with knitting socks and also with learning maths. I’m much better at one than the
other – guess which!If the hero of your latest
book called you on the phone, what would be a perfect ringtone for him?Would I Lie
To You? (Eurythmics) Oh yeah, Peter totally would!About the Book
Title Mine to KeepGenre Sexy Sci-Fi RomanceAuthor Denise RossettiBook heat level (based on movie ratings): RHe’s all puppy charm, but he smiles like a wolf. Trust him? She’d
have to be out of her mind.All Sandy wanted
was some R&R in Sydney before joining the Earth Ship Siren as head of Military
Police. What she gets is a night of mystery and pleasure with a man so wickedly
fascinating he can’t possibly be law-abiding.For professional
con man Peter Stanton, Master Sergeant Alanna Sanderson, with her kick-ass body
and cool blue eyes, is the most fun he’s ever had. Eight months later, on the Siren,
he gets to meet her again, but now he’s Prisoner 141, and they’re out among the
stars, half way to the penal colony on Solitaire.When a micrometeroid
shower strikes the convoy, Sandy and Prisoner 141 are stranded on a stricken ship.
Will he pull off the ultimate confidence trick and sacrifice Sandy for his freedom?If only she
could command her heart as easily as she wields her stun gun, because when he betrays
her, as he surely must, she’s going to have to kill him.Buy This Book
Momentum Books http://momentumbooks.com.au/books/mine-to-keep-es-siren-5/Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OIKC8AIAmazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00OIKC8AIBarnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781760082383?keyword=9781760082383&store=nookstoreiBooks Store http://itunes.apple.com/book/mine-to-keep-es/isbn9781760082383Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9781760082383Author Social Media
Website http://deniserossetti.com/ -
5 Easy Questions: Jacquie Biggar author of Tidal Falls @jacqbiggar #RLFblog #romsuspense
Tidal Falls by Jacquie Biggar 5 Easy Questions is an interview is designed to be quick,
easy, and fun. Today’s guest is Jacquie Biggar.This interview is designed to be quick, easy, and fun. Answer
any five of these. Please put your answer on the line below the question.What is your go-to meal to order when you dine out? Your favorite
“I know it will hit the spot” item.Chinese, love the stir-fry veggiesWho is your “book boyfriend”? You know, that hottie
you read about and drool over.That’s easy, Sam Starrett from Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooter
Series.What were you like when you were in school?The wallflower, for sure. I hated to stand out in a crowd, still
do.Would you rather stay inside and watch snow falling, or get
out in it and build a snowman?Depends who’s with me,What was your favorite book as a child?Black Beauty, love anything to do with horses.About the Book
Title Tidal FallsGenre Romantic SuspenseAuthor Name Jacquie BiggarBook heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13Marine Sgt. Nick Kelley lives life one day at a time. Returning
to a hero’s welcome after he and his service dog, Jake, get too close to a suicide
bomber in Afghanistan, he craves space from all the hoopla. Using the excuse of
therapy, they escape to Tidal Falls, a small mountain town on the northwest coast.Sara Sheridan
is on the run from an abusive marriage, and dreams of a safe sanctuary for her and
her six year old daughter, Jessica. Crossing the country in search of the perfect
place to disappear, they stop in Tidal Falls, Washington. The town welcomes them,
and they settle down to a new life.Sara’s landlady, an inveterate matchmaker, hires one of her new
tenants, Nick, to do repairs on Sara’s house and the sparks fly.Can these two
work through their emotional issues and find a life together? Or will Sara’s ex-husband
catch up to her and destroy everything they’ve built?Buy This Book
Author Social Media
Website http://jacquiebiggar.comTwitter http://Twitter.com/jacqbiggarFacebook http://Facebook.com/jacqbiggarPinterest http://Pinterest.com/jacqcool/Goodreads http://Goodreads.com/jacquiebiggar/Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Jacquie-Biggar/e/B00MSIJQBG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1411321367&sr=1-2-ent -
5 Easy Questions: Kelley Heckart author The Bear Goddess @CelticChick #RLFblog #Fantasy
5 Easy Questions is an interview is designed to be quick,
easy, and fun. Today’s guest is Kelley Heckart.What were you like when
you were in school?I was quiet and shy. My teachers wrote on my report cards that
I needed to speak up more in class.What is your favorite
quote?“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks
of changing himself.” Leo TolstoyWhat was your favorite
book as a child?I started reading at age 4 so I don’t remember what I liked then,
but I do remember when I was a little older I liked the Nancy Drew series. I do
remember a favorite book as a pre-teen: Where the Red Fern Grows. I also liked The
Outsiders.What was the last movie
you watched (home or theater)?Divergent. I liked it because there was a strong female heroine
who wasn’t afraid to fight back.If the hero of your latest
book called you on the phone, what would be a perfect ringtone for him?My latest hero is a centaur shifter so I guess it would be a
song about horses. Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones would be his ringtone. I love
that song.About the Book
Title: The Bear Goddess, Book 1: The Arcadia SeriesGenre: Greek myths/fantasyAuthor: Kelley HeckartBook heat level (based on movie ratings): RRomance, fantasy and magic in Bronze Age Arcadia (Greece)Forbidden love…Broken vows…Betrayal…Callisto, the daughter of the great Arcadian King Lycaon and
the nymph Maia, studied all her life to attain the high position of Bear Goddess
among the nymphs of Artemis, taking a sacred vow of purity. But when she meets a
mysterious man, her life changes forever.Kasin is a prince among the fierce centaurs and one of few who
can take human shape. A follower of Zeus, he is mystified to save a nymph’s life
and even worse, to fall in love with an enemy of the centaurs. He is torn between
his duty to his people and his love for Callisto.When
the nymphs capture Kasin for their next sacrifice, his capture threatens to expose
his secret connection with Callisto and her betrayal to Artemis. Soul bound to him,
she cannot allow him to be sacrificed and helps him escape. Obsessed with having
Callisto for himself, the god Pan is determined to kill the centaur. On the run
from the nymphs, danger and betrayal follow Kasin and Callisto. To survive, they
must evade Pan’s vengeance as well as others who also want to keep them apart. Will
their love for each other be enough to save them?Buy This Book
The Bear Goddess will be available very soon at amazon.com in
print and Kindle. To be notified of the release date, please join my special notices
newsletter: http://kelleyheckart.com/Contact_Kelley_Page.htmlAuthor Social Media
Website: http://www.kelleyheckart.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/CelticChickGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1341885749&sr=1-2-ent -
Interview with Emerald, author of If… Then @Emerald_theGLD #RLFblog #EroticRomance
If … Then About the Book
Title If…Then: a collection of erotic romance storiesGenre Erotic RomaneAuthor EmeraldBook heat level (based on movie ratings): RInterview with Emerald
Why did you write this
book?Well, since it is a short story collection, this book was written
in a number of different segments propelled by varying motivations. But the reason
I took it upon myself to collect it into a single work and pen the original stories
I wanted to include is because I recognized that certain of my stories held an energy
or tone or underlying evolution—clearly this is something I find a bit difficult
to articulate and definitely consider intangible!—and I wanted to see them all collected
in one volume that I felt represented the deepest asipiration I feel in writing
erotic fiction.As it turned out, the collection I submitted was divided into
two volumes (more on this in answer to a later question), so to me, If… Then represents
what I described above in the context of the romantically-oriented stories—those
that focus on a committed relationship of conscious intention between the characters
(as distinct from the erotica ones in which the sexual connection is the foremost
focus, regardless of the relational intent beyond that).What is your favorite
genre to read?As far as romance, I’ve often enjoyed historicals—such fascinating
detail, and it seems so fun to read about a distinctly different time period. Overall,
though, I tend to read a lot of nonfiction. In particular, in recent years I’ve
gravitated toward books on consciousness and spirituality by authors like A. H.
Almaas, Adyashanti, Eckhart Tolle, etc.What is your favorite
character from fiction (not including your own characters)?Jeez. What a tough question. It strikes me as the kind I’ll remember
the perfect answer to after I’ve already given one off the top of my head, lol.
But I’m going to go with Albus Dumbledore, as he comes closest of any character
I’ve read to embodying and exhibiting the level of consciousness and awakeness to
which I myself aspire.Do you enjoy films and/or
TV shows? Which are your favorites?I almost never watch TV (unless the Yankees are playing), and
while watching movies hasn’t been something I’ve done a lot of either, I do have
a few favorites. First is Dangerous Beauty, which is a film adaptation of a biography
of sixteenth-century Venetian courtesan Veronica Franco titled The Honest Courtesan,
by Margaret Rosenthal. I also love The Dark Knight, Shakespeare in Love, and A League
of Their Own. And despite my qualification about television, my partner did introduce
me to the series Firefly long after it had been discontinued, and I did enjoy watching
that. :)What are you working on
at the moment, and what are we likely to see from you in the coming months?While I’m still largely working in the short form (short stories)
at this time, I do have a story in progress that seems to have made it known that
it is going to be longer—perhaps even a novel. Given that it’s been in progress
for literally years, though, I do not have a sense of when it might actually be
completed!I have a short story coming out in a couple months in Cleis Press’s
Best Erotic Romance 2015 anthology, and next summer I’ll have a novella-length (11,000
words) contribution in a Sweetmeats Press anthology on sex and sports titled The
Athletic Aesthetic. (My story, “Doubleheader,” is about baseball, of course.
;))Please tell us about your
latest book.If… Then is an erotic romance short story collection that was
originally submitted as part of a larger manuscript. I submitted a short story collection
to the publisher (1001 Nights Press), and they came back and suggested splitting
the manuscript into two books—one with the erotic romance stories and one with the
erotica stories. If… Then is the erotic romance one, and it contains ten stories
(eight previously published and two new).The stories cover a range of characters and themes and include
some LGBT and BDSM content. The first and last stories in the book, “If…”
and “…Then,” respectively, obviously make up the title and are related
to each other—essentially, “…Then” is a sequel to “If….” Both
were previously published in Cleis Press erotic romance anthologies edited by Rachel
Kramer Bussel.I feel particularly close to one of the original stories in the
book, “Shattered Angels,” as it was the most recent one I finished, and
I wrote some of it during my solo writing trip to Niagara Falls almost two years
ago. The story is partially set in Niagara Falls, and while it was the last story
in the book to be finished, I actually started it and drafted it in a different
form (before I was writing erotic fiction) almost a decade ago. So it’s been through
a number of iterations and feels particularly symbolic of the culmination of If…
Then as my first single-author short story collection.All of the stories mean something particular to me, though, which
is why I included them in the collection.In these tales of sizzling erotic romance, deep affection and
the warmth of familiarity underlie the erotic connection between longtime lovers.
“The Plant on the Mantel” explores the unexpected implications of a generations-past
affair on a young married couple. “Honey Changes Everything” finds Kim
wondering how to lead her husband out of his state of despair upon losing his job;
inspiration comes when breakfast in bed serves up more than just pancakes. And “If…”
and “…Then” examine what happens when Valerie finds herself intensely
attracted to someone other than her boyfriend—and what he does when he finds out.With two original stories (“Soft and Gray” and “Shattered
Angels”) joining the eight previously published tales in this collection, If…Then
is a testament to the scorching eroticism that can so seamlessly subsist with long-term
romance.Buy This Book
Amazon http://amzn.com/B00NN6L5U2Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-then-emerald/1120361246?ean=2940150344266Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/477000Author Bio
Emerald is an erotic fiction author whose short stories have
been featured or are forthcoming in anthologies published by Cleis Press, Mischief,
Logical-Lust, and Sweetmeats Press. She is an advocate for sexual freedom, reproductive
rights, and the rights of sex workers, and she serves as a Facebook group moderator
and assistant newsletter editor for Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW). Her first
single-author collections, If…Then: a collection of erotic romance stories and Safe:
a collection of erotic stories, are out now from 1001 Nights Press.Author Social Media
Website http://TheGreenLightDistrict.orgPinterest http://www.pinterest.com/EmeraldAuthor/Google+ https://plus.google.com/+Emeraldauthor/posts
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/author/emerald
