Monday, March 20, 2017

Interview with Author Melissa Bender

This is the time for another author interview and today Author Melissa Bender is with us. She has a new release and we like to know more...


1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Ans. => In school I wasn't sure what I wanted, and becoming an author seemed impossible so I just didn't push for it. I kept writing but it was a secret hobby. But when I discovered wattpad and people began to comment and say they enjoyed it and wanted more. That's when I had the thought of holy crap, I can do this, this is what I want to do. I want to be a best selling author and give people the same feeling I get when I write this.

2. How long does it take you to write this book?
Ans. => Around 8 months. I wasn't able to sit and write as often as I wished. Kids were sick and finding 'me' time was limited. Others can take around 2 - 3 months max if I write daily.

3. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
Ans. => I am very good at blocking everything out, so when I come up with a new story it is usually based on a simple sentence or thought I've had during the day and I come up with a whole story based on that. I set my plot, write out the characters and the write each chapter and what I want to happen. Then I start on writing the prologue.

4. What brought you to write this book?
Ans. => I was reading a online confession page for a women's magazine and came across a confession where a woman mentioned her regret for losing the man she loved by lying and saying she cheated on him. From there my story began.

5. How you become a published author? Any inspiration?
Ans. => I posted on Wattpad for years before I was approached and I actually never thought it would happen, I was happy with writing for my fans but then when the opportunity came along to publish a book, I definitely said yes. I just kept doing what I loved, and that was writing and thanking my fans which helped as they like to know I have taken the time to read each individual message and replied.

6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Ans. => They are all in my head. Sometimes things that happen during my day that makes me think, oh I definitely have to put this in a story. It's just little things that happen and they inspiration grows from there.

7. When did you write your first book and how old were you?

Ans. => I was 16. It was based on a girl who moved to a new town and met a boy in school. Her parents were killed in a plane crash and she moved in with his family and fell pregnant. It was very dramatic. I will re write this one day.

8. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Ans. => Cook. I'm always in the kitchen. Or quietly reading novels. I also love a good Netflix binge session too. I'm eagerly waiting for the new Prison Break.

9. How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
Ans. => I have written around 17. Oohh, that's tough as I am attached to each story differently. Forgotten Sweethearts is probably my favourite as it's something a lot of people can relate to and my first published story.

10. What's next for you? What are you working on now?
Ans. => Lots!! There is a book series in the works and I am also going back through my older stories and re writing each one. There is heaps more coming from me.

Click Here to buy the book from amazon.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

THE DAUGHTERS OF MAINE (The Witches of BlackBrook Book #2) by Tish Thawer



"With vivid scenes and likable characters, Thawer's series is a definite winner! Come for the adventure - and stay for the awesome witchery." ~ New York Times #1 Bestselling author, PC Cast

Through space and time, sisters entwined. Lost then found, souls remain bound.

After being reunited in the present day, three sister witches are forced to separate once more in an effort to save their newly formed coven and themselves.

Foes from their past now threaten their future, and a trip that spans centuries is their only hope of survival. Chasing their enemy back through time seems like the right choice, but will walking in the footsteps of their previous lives provide the answers they seek?

Only time will tell.

A Witches of BlackBrook novel

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Interview with Author C. Craig Coleman


**Author Peek** INTRODUCING….Author C. Craig Coleman

Interviewer:  Why do you write epic fantasy for the YA and adult market?

Craig:  Fantasy is the product of imagination. The imagination is our mental growth engine. As children, we all have vivid imaginations, but society urges us to stifle it as if childish. We should be encouraging, feeding, exploring our imaginations. Would we have personal computers if someone hadn't seen the old industrial computers and 'envisioned' having one at home? Imagine the Internet!

We can see ourselves in epic fantasy. The young hero questions, as we all do, will we be good enough to meet our parents' and society's expectations. Epic 'challenges' represent the worst fears we all have that can prove our worth or destroy us. Don't we all have that insurmountable fear? In fantasy, fear of an overwhelming power is manifested in a personification, the dragon, a griffin, etc.. It puts a face on that terror or that positive power. Thus the universal fascination with dragons.

I write epic fantasy because it is the imagination coming alive depicting the vitality of of the essential elements of real life.

Interviewer:  Some people put down fantasy as not real. How do you respond to that?


Craig:  Really good fantasy maintains credibility such that the reader can believe it is possible. An example, in my second book, The Crystal Legacy, there is a character, the Astorax, who is half man half deer. He is the manifestation of all those who are different in some way. The story for that character presents real life discrimination against him, his response and that of those around him. It's real life. One the surface, you say well half man half deer can't happen. Not so, today, researchers using 'magic' meds to prevent rejection of foreign cells and generic engineering are growing human ears on the back of mice! Someone 'imagined' that possibility.

Interviewer:  What do you love most about your epic story?

Craig:  I suppose I love the scope and depth of the story and its characters. One can read it for the fantasy entertainment, but for those who want more, there is a depiction of life, real life through a man whose character grows in response to life's challenges. All through the series, the humanity of the characters are rich with personalities and building relationships. Who doesn't love warm human relationships,with frailty and vulnerability, they can relate to? We all seek hope through life's challenges.

Book one, The Dragon Ring, spans the coming of age phase, ages twelve through nineteen, in the life of the protagonist, Saxthor. This foundation establishes the character and integrity as well as the relationships of the primary characters. The reader grows up with Saxthor inside his head. Thus, through the series and his life the reader knows not only what is happening, but also what and why the key characters are thinking that makes them act as they do through the challenges life presents.

Interviewer:  How did you write this series?

Craig:  A family friend and teacher in my youth once said, "You should write some of this down." Many decades later, when I needed to 'think outside the box,' I decided to write a book inspired by that seed thought. I drew a map, I love maps, and named the kingdoms using names created from my home grown language. The manes are magical to me. From there, I sat down with just a framework in mind. After the first fifty pages, the story took off and I just typed, going along for the ride!

Interviewer:  Where do the exciting covers come from for your series?

Craig:  I designed each cover from an episode in the book. I've been really lucky to discover two very talented book cover artists to bring my visions to life.

Click Here to visit the amazon page.