SPECIAL: Launch Day Author Interview: MR Jones

Interview with

MR Jones,

author of 

Ash on the Stairs

Buy at Eternal Press

Buy on Amazon

Today at The Happy Book Reviewer we’re celebrating the release day of Ash on the Stairs with an interview of its author, Maggy Jones!

Ash on the Stairs takes erotic romance set in the high rise world of New York City. Corporate intrigue and mystery give depth to a tale with a heat level that all but scorches. Jesse Ash takes the stairs at work to avoid a predator and meets a man with golden eyes. He talks her into joining him for the evening. A game with no names leads to a night of hot sex. Will this continue when his identity is revealed? Travis Daniel owns the stairwell and the company. He wants Jesse’s heart. When the predator resurfaces, will they rise above the circumstances to find justice and love?

Whew! I can’t wait to read this one!

Tell, me what inspired Ash on the Stairs? Did you start with the City, or with Jesse and Travis, and build the plot around them? Or did you have the idea for the story, and created the characters to fit into it?

Maggy R. Jones: I became irritated that I was having no luck getting the attention of anyone in the publishing business with the contemporary fantasy I wrote. I decided that if erotic romances were selling, I would write one and see if it sold. I did have a compulsion to make my characters different from the ones I have met while reading other work.

            I started with Jesse, she told the story from the beginning. She is a strong young woman, taller and smarter than the average romance heroine. I made sure to give her a mysterious past and flaws without leaving her weak or needy.

            Then I decided to set the story in New York City. Jesse had to find a safe place to live far from her hometown of Houston, Texas. New York is large enough to provide anonymity for a person to live quietly out of the reach of childhood terrors.

            With Travis, I refused to go the route of the rich powerful pervert that seems so popular now. Travis is rich, powerful, highly intelligent, and socially awkward without the need to dominate through bondage. I gave him a normal family background.

The cover is gorgeous! Who is the designer? How did it feel the first time you saw your characters in physical form?

MR Jones: Thanks. Dawne Dominique is the designer. She’s great. I gasped when I first saw the cover. I was that pleased.

Is this what you envisioned for the cover, or did she totally surprise you?

MR Jones: We worked together to achieve this cover. I have a background in art, illustration, and type design. She allowed my input as she developed this cover. She did the greatest thing in making his eyes golden. That is important to the story.

This book is scorching hot. How was the experience of writing such sexy situations? How did you put aside the “my family will be reading this” thoughts and focus on “my readers want HOT”?

MR Jones: Initially, writing the sex scenes was uncomfortable. I had to get past my Catholic schoolgirl upbringing. I learned to depend on my later adventures in life to lend realism to the sensuality. As for how my family views it, my parents are dead and I have no children. My siblings are supportive and my nieces and nephews are as well.

If you could be sucked into any novel, which would it be? Would you be yourself, or would you be one of the existing characters?

MR Jones: I would love to be an elf in Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings.

What book are you reading right now?

MR Jones: Me and Mr. Mephistopheles by D.D. Cross

Are you working on a sequel to Ash on the Stairs? Can you give us a hint on what it is about?

MR Jones: Yes, I am working on a follow up to Ash on the Stairs. The working title is Ash on the Beach. The story happens a year after Ash on the Stairs and much of the action takes place in and around Galveston, Texas. It should be even higher action with a kidnapping and rescue.

Do you think you'll stick with erotic romance then, or are you planning to write another book in a different genre in the future?

MR Jones: I'm working on another book, Slant Well. It is a contemporary fantasy, set in Southeast Texas is due out later in 2015. It is quite different from Ash on the Stairs in that it has what can almost be called magical realism in it. Oil men are trying to steal from the Federal Oil Reserves and a mixed crew of mortals and immortals band together and use magic to stop them and bring them to justice. While it is not a romance, it does have a love story woven through it.

One last question! I love collecting quotes, so add to my collection. What is your favorite line from Ash on the Stairs?

MR Jones: “Your goddamn name isn’t Jesus!” Jesse says this to Travis during a fight about him having withheld his name from her.

Thanks for spending some time at The Happy Book Reviewer on your launch day! Readers wanting more info can find you at:

• Buy at Eternal Press
  Buy on Amazon
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MargueriteR.Jones
• Blog: http.maddmagz.wordpress.com
• Twitter: @maddmagz 

* * * *

Don't forget to check out my latest YA adventure, 

Deep Green, 

available in Print & e-Book

AMAZON 

Eternal Press

* * * *

Interview: Ilsa J. Bick

Interview with

Ilsa J. Bick,

author of

White Space

"Light bloomed, hot and bright, and took him." --from White Space, by Ilsa J. Bick

Today I’m welcoming fellow Young Adult author Ilsa J. Bick to The Happy Book Reviewer. The latest book from this critically acclaimed author is White Space, which has been listed as one of Teen Vogue’s 15 books not to miss this year!

Seventeen-year-old Emma Lindsay has problems, not to mention all those times when she blinks away, dropping into other lives so ghostly and surreal it's as if the story of her life bleeds into theirs. But one thing Emma has never doubted is that she's real. Then she writes "White Space," a story about these kids stranded in a spooky house during a blizzard. Unfortunately, "White Space" turns out to be a dead ringer for part of an unfinished novel by a long-dead writer. The manuscript, which she's never seen, is a loopy Matrix meets Inkheart story in which characters fall out of different books and jump off the page. Thing is, when Emma blinks, she might be doing the same and, before long, she's dropped into the very story she thought she'd written. Trapped in a weird, snow-choked valley, Emma meets other kids with dark secrets and strange abilities. What they discover is that they all may be nothing more than characters written into being from an alternative universe for a very specific purpose. Now what they must uncover is why they've been brought to this place--a world between the lines where parallel realities are created and destroyed and nightmares are written--before someone pens their end.

White Space is a spooky, horror-filled, surreal tale. Tell me how you came up with the idea for this book (and did it give you nightmares)?

Ilsa J. Bick:  Nope, believe it or not, nothing I write gives me nightmares, and I don’t particularly write about what freaks me out either.  I guess when you’ve been a doc and worked an ER, or hung out with inmates as a prison shrink . . . made-up stuff doesn’t really hold a candle to the real-life horrors out there.

Eek! I see your point!

As for the idea, one of my daughters gave me the idea when she asked if I was going to kill her off in a particular book. Ever since I used her name as one of the title characters of a short story, it’s been kind of this running gag between us. (On the other hand, her sister is ticked that I have yet to use her name in a story. Actually, I have, but she’s convinced that character is nothing like her and so that doesn’t count.)

Anyway, for my daughter, that particular character in that particular story met a terrible end. Since then, she’s decided that I actually kill her off by proxy somehow or other in everything I write.  In some ways, she’s not far wrong.  Just depends how pissed off I’m feeling that particular day.  (Honestly, you’d think the kid would catch a clue . . . )

Still, I thought her comment was pretty interesting; you know, that she would get so torqued and be convinced that somehow or other what I did to a character’s story had a direct bearing or was a reflection on/of her.  It was as if by using her name she somehow became part of the story and what I did to the character was something that I did to her.  

Was it difficult to keep track of what was real and what was not in this oft-shifting book? Or did you know from the start exactly what you were going to do and where the story was going?

Ilsa J. Bick:  Well, if you mean, was it tough to keep the disparate plotlines straight . . . not really because they all converged eventually, and every story fed off or sprang from another.  

In addition, I’d already had a lot of practice in two previous books of the ASHES Trilogy, SHADOWS and MONSTERS, where POVs and action alternated all the time.  In addition, I always write an outline for every book, if only to give me something to never look at again when I start. (wink)  It’s something I began when I did work-for-hire—stuff like Star Trek and Battletech and Mechwarrior—where anything you propose has to be cleared by the editor first just to make sure you don’t violate the universe’s laws or, say, the series arc.  

So, in theory, I’ve at least told myself the story once before. What I’ve found as I’ve gone on writing is that I often won’t consult an outline once I’ve started a book.  Sometimes, it’s the actual writing and getting the voices right that shows you where your outline’s on target or fallen short.  That’s actually happened with my latest work in progress; had an outline and a great story but kept coming to this screeching halt about a third of the way through because something was wrong. I played with tense, POV . . . finally, on the fifth start, I think I’m beginning to settle into the character’s voice, and she’s been one uncooperative pain in the ass to boot.

What were you like at Emma Lindsay’s age? 

Ilsa J. Bick:  Me?  Bookish, a nerd, pretty friendless, rather geeky, not very attractive, and a tad argumentative (i.e., I never could keep my mouth shut).   


Did you draw on your experiences as a teenager as you wrote how Emma deals with the situation?

Well, as a writer, you draw on yourself all the time, either what you’ve lived or what you wish would’ve been a better or more exciting past.  One thing I can tell you: I’ve learned that you never get anywhere in life if you don’t suck it up and deal.

Emma Lindsay is a writer. Did you start writing as a teenager, or earlier? 

Ilsa J. Bick:  Nope, I was not a writer as a teen.  I had too much work to do, and my dad was a maniac about chores, so I was always outside giving the lawn a pedicure with nail scissors.  I daydreamed a lot, though.  You have to when you’re doing that kind of mind-numbing work—and a very wise analyst once pointed out to me that all those daydreams and made-up adventures where I slotted myself aboard the Starship Enterprise or the submarine Seaview were stories I spun. I just didn’t write them down.

So what was the first creative piece you ever wrote?

The only truly creative pieces I recall writing were some wretched epic poems and an awful take-off/homage to A Wrinkle in Time where some alien brain had taken over the school and turned everyone into mindless zombies or something.  Of course, I saved the day, and the thing wound up in the yearbook.

What is the next book in the Dark Passages series?

Ilsa J. Bick: Actually, that book, THE DICKENS MIRROR, is done.  As for a hint, I’ll give you the publisher’s blurb:

Critically acclaimed author of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick takes her new Dark Passages series to an alternative Victorian London where Emma Lindsay continues to wade through blurred realities now that she has lost everything: her way, her reality, her friends. In this London, Emma will find alternative versions of her friends from the White Space and even Arthur Conan Doyle.

Emma Lindsay finds herself with nowhere to go, no place to call home. Her friends are dead. Eric, the perfect boy she wrote into being, and his brother, Casey, are lost to the Dark Passages. With no way of knowing where she belongs, she commands the cynosure, a beacon and lens that allows for safe passage between the Many Worlds, to put her where she might find her friends-find Eric-again. What she never anticipated was waking up in the body of Little Lizzie, all grown up-or that, in this alternative London, Elizabeth McDermott is mad.

In this London, Tony and Rima are "rats," teens who gather the dead to be used for fuel. Their friend, Bode, is an attendant at Bedlam, where Elizabeth has been committed after being rescued by Arthur Conan Doyle, a drug-addicted constable.

Tormented by the voices of all the many characters based on her, all Elizabeth wants is to get rid of the pieces under her skin once and for all. While professing to treat Elizabeth, her physician, Dr. Kramer, has actually drugged her to allow Emma-who's blinked to this London before-to emerge as the dominant personality…because Kramer has plans. Elizabeth is the key to finding and accessing the Dickens Mirror.
But Elizabeth is dying, and if Emma can't find a way out, everyone as they exist in this London, as well as the twelve-year-old version of herself and the shadows-what remains of Eric, Casey, and Rima that she pulled with her from the Dark Passages-will die with her.

I collect bookish quotes. So, add to my collection and tell me your favorite quote from White Space!

Ilsa J. Bick: Gosh, that’s like asking me to decide which daughter’s my favorite . . . well, okay, how about these couple two, three lines:

            "Bode has less than an instant and barely a moment, but that was enough for him to know that he was wrong.  He was not going into the black after all.

            Light bloomed, hot and bright, and took him."

Really, really love that last line.

Thank you so much for talking to me today! Readers can find out more about you, White Space, the ASHES Trilogy, The Sin-Eaters Confession, Drowning Instinct, and Draw the Dark at your website: http://www.ilsajbick.com/.

* * * *

Don't forget to check out my latest Young Adult adventure/romance, 

Deep Green, 

available in Print & e-Book

AMAZON 

Eternal Press* 

*25% off with the promo code 20EPdb14

* * * *

Author Interview: C. R. Kliewer

Interview with

C. R. Kliewer,

author of

The Golden Gates

The Golden Gates is set in 1932, in the midst of Prohibition and the Great Depression, a charismatic new leader is on the rise in Germany, and a set of plans for the US Navy’s newest airship has gone missing from the Goodyear Airdock in Akron. What do these events have to do with the grisly Raven murders along California’s golden coastline? And can San Francisco PD’s Inspector Horace bring down one of the most brutal killers on the western seaboard before a national disaster occurs?

I am so very pleased today to welcom historical fiction author C. R. Kliewer to The Happy Book Reviewer. She is the author of the recently-released mystery novel The Golden Gates.

I am currently reading The Golden Gates on my Kindle app for iPhone... which is free by the way, so you can get this book on Amazon and have on your phone immediately! Instant gratification! 

I've found The Golden Gates to be a smoky, intriguing, classic noir. Tell me what inspired you to set your mystery in the 1930s.

C. R. Kliewer:  I cut my teeth watching Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot on PBS and through those shows fell in love with the 30’s era: the fashion, the architecture, the cultural and anthropological history. As an author, the mystique of the decade also lends itself well to storytelling. It is a dark, hazy time period that sets an ideal stage for high stakes crime and murder without compunction. 

It is one thing to “know your history” (dates and places), but you also have an excellent handle on the details. How did you research dress, manners, and the other details that really make the reader feel like he or she is “there?”

C. R. Kliewer: I can’t tell you how many books I acquired and read on any and every subject that “might” be connected with the time period, from clothes to boat building to airships. There were also countless hours spent on the Internet hunting down details and verifying answers to questions like: “Who was head of the SFPD?” and, “Did they even have cat food in 1932?”

You really did dig deep to make it sure it was accurate! 

C. R. Kliewer: But not all of my research was done in-house.  I spent quite a bit of time in San Francisco visiting key sites and was even honored to be allowed a private tour of a certain motor yacht that was actually built during the Prohibition era and was being restored to its original state – an absolutely gorgeous vessel with its own secrets worth revealing and some unresolved mysteries kept hidden even to this day.  Research does dominate much of my time, but it is perhaps one of my favorite aspects of writing a historical novel because of what I learn and where it can lead. 

You were an English major at Vanguard University of Southern California, so I’m going to ask a favorite question of mine… If an American Lit class were reading your book some day, what themes would the professor want the students to pick up on in your book?

C. R. Kliewer: I love this question.  It makes me feel like I’m on the wrong side of the page when it comes to analyzing literature. It’s a surreal feeling to be the one who is critiqued.

Power is a prevalent theme throughout The Golden Gates. It takes on many forms and can be an agent of good or instrument of evil.  It is also treacherous if it is miscalculated or too much faith is placed into the amount of one’s own.  If included as part of the university’s curricula, I can see many professors having a field day with this one.

Ah, I love it when literature can be both a captivating read AND something that makes the reader think.

So, what was the first creative piece you ever wrote (not first pubbed piece)? Do you still have a copy of it?

C. R. Kliewer:  The first thriller I wrote was in elementary school, and it involved a monster and a hat, but I think my first mystery/crime piece was in high school during a creative writing class.  It’s was a dual-time plot where the reader began in early dawn hours following a frail and abused young woman who had just murdered her husband leaving his body in a barn.  As she escapes into a nearby orchard, the plot jumps ahead to midmorning when police investigators studying the crime scene discover a bloody wrench and an inhaler.  At that point, the story flashes back to the woman as she is running through the orchard.  Short of breath, she stops and slips her hand into the pocket of her windbreaker, feeling nothing she begins to panic which induces an asthma attack.  The police find her cold body just a few hours later. That piece sticks with me even after – I dare say – some decades, but if I have a copy, it is buried with a few other mementoes from that time period.

If you could be sucked into any novel, I'm thinking you might not choose a murder mystery! So which would it be? Would you be yourself, or would you be one of the existing characters (if the latter, then who)?

C. R. Kliewer:  As much as I love a good mystery or adventure, I would have to say something from Jane Austin.   What girl doesn’t want to be the sharp-witted Elizabeth and find her brooding Mr. Darcy? 

You’re an avid reader. What book/s are you reading at present? 

C. R. Kliewer:  Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is my biography of choice right now.  It details the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian and pastor who worked with the resistance against Hitler from inside Nazi Germany. 

What book have you read that that you wish you had written?

C. R. Kliewer:  I’m not sure I can answer that question the way it was intended to be answered.  The books I love to read are what they are because of the authors who wrote them.  Their ideas, writing styles, imaginations and complexities make their stories unique and their dedication to the craft makes each of these stories epic and awe-inspiring.  If I were to put my own spin on them, it would change the story and diminish the wonder they hold for me. 

That's quite an insightful way to think of that question! 

Now, you said you spend a lot of time researching. Do you have a bit of time for writing? Please tell me you're working on a next book! 

C. R. Kliewer:  I am currently working on the 2^nd book of the Golden Gate series, currently titled Devil’s Tree.  In it we delve a little bit more into personal histories of some of the main characters in and we get fresh case for them to solve.  That’s all I am able to reveal at the moment.

The Golden Gates (and probably Devil's Tree too) is very visual. Is there an actor you could envision playing Inspector Horace?

C. R. Kliewer:  Funny you should ask.  Like many authors, I have toyed with the idea of seeing my work on Hollywood’s big screen (or public television’s little screen) and have thought about certain actors and actresses playing almost every character in Golden Gates but Inspector Horace.  In the book, he is likened to Theodore Roosevelt-- tough shoes to fill when it comes to finding an actor who matches both the look and personality of the Inspector.  If it ever comes to a point where I would have to make a decision, I would not only be in high heaven, but welcome any suggestions.

I love the cover! Who designed it? Did you give a lot of guidance?

        

C. R. Kliewer:  Thank you!  I designed the cover myself using an image from coverdesignstudio.com.  Since the book was being self-published through Kindle Direct Publishing, I wanted to find a way to create an attractive cover that would be compatible with both Kindle and my budget.  The website was easy to navigate and had a variety of images to choose from.  I just selected the photo that I thought best represented my work (hazy, desolate) and formatted the text using Photoshop.  Though the choices were limited in regards to the background, it’s a great way for a first time author to create a professional looking cover.  Sorry if that sounds like a plug, but it’s the truth.

I'd bet a lot of first time authors are in the same boat, just starting the "how to I create cover art for this?" journey, so the tip is welcome!

Wrapping up, as you know, I collect quotes! And I want to add to my collection with one from The Golden Gates! What is a favorite quote from the book?

C. R. Kliewer:  I would have to say the very last sentence in the novel is my favorite, but as it gives away a little bit of the story, I won’t state it here, just that its essence indicates that we are all human, and though we each have our strengths, we all have our kryptonite.

Okay, okay... I don't want a quote at the expense of a spoiler! How can readers discover more about you and you work? Do you have a Facebook page, a website/blog, are you on Goodreads, etc.?

C. R. Kliewer: I have a Facebook page under C. R. Kliewer that is currently in the works (https://www.facebook.com/crkliewer), and will be setting up a webpage under the same name shortly.

Thank you for coming on The Happy Book Reviewer today. It has been a real delight, and I encourage any readers to add The Golden Gates to their TBR lists! You can find it:

• On Amazon (with 5-stars!) here
• On Goodreads here

* * * *

Don't forget to check out my latest novel 

Deep Green!

Eternal Press* 

*25% off with the promo code 20EPdb14

* * * *

Author Interview: Jackie M. Smith

Interview with

Jackie M. Smith

author of 

Colliding Hearts

“You’re so tempting, dear Alice. If only we could make this moment last.” 

I love a good historical novel, and am looking forward to talking to Jackie M. Smith today at The Happy Book Reviewer about her upcoming historical romance, Colliding Hearts, due out this summer.

In it, Alice Malone dreams of being a writer, but her pending engagement puts a damper on her dreams. When she meets Ryan Quinn during the construction of Titanic, their attraction is immediate. With him, true love could exist despite the difference in their social standings. Ryan Quinn knows Alice is the woman of his dreams. He loves her courage and determination, but he fears another rejection and the possibility her engagement might take her away from him. Can their love survive?

I love that you deal with social class structure, but also that you set this during the construction of the Titanic (so much is written about the sinking, but so little about the time before). What kind of research did you do to prepare for writing Colliding Hearts?

Jackie M. Smith: For this book, I read whatever I could get my hands on, and I watched documentaries. I've always been interested in learning about the lives of those who helped build the Titanic. We have seen movies and heard stories about those who were on the ship, but nothing much about the people from the lower classes.

That's a good point. So it sounds like you started with the historical setting then, rather than the characters?

Jackie M. Smith: I've always loved the Edwardian era. So much historical events have occured during this period. Society changed in a drastic way. And, I believe the sinking of the Titanic, despite its very tragic end, helped change people's view of the world and society itself.

The cover is gorgeous! Tell me about the designer, if you’ve worked with her before, and if you had envisioned this cover or if she totally surprised you.

Jackie M. Smith: Dawné Dominique is the best! Except for my first historical Klondike Winter, I have worked with her for my SCP books. She has always put into reality the images in my mind. Every time, she totally surprises me. I give her my ideas and thoughts, and she turns them into something magical.

If a high school class were reading your book some day, what themes would the teacher want the students to pick up on in your book?

Jackie M. Smith: Social class structure would be the main theme, I believe. It is so important for children of all ages to know that the great differences between social classes once existed. Social class structure still exists today. However, until the beginning of the 20th century, the differences were a lot more visible.

You now have half a dozen books on the shelf. What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a writer?

Jackie M. Smith: The advice I would give is to never give up on your dreams. It can be very difficult sometimes especially if you don't get published at first. But, keep going forward. I went through two differents publishing houses before finding SCP. Finally, do not quit your day job until you can live off your writing. That's a hard one, I know. I have tried it, but found myself getting discouraged with the bills to pay. So, I continue to write while working, and promoting whenever I can.

As I writer myself, I second this advice! 

I watched your book trailer for Colliding Hearts. Who created it, and where can readers find it?

Jackie M. Smith: Thank you for watching my book trailer. I'm so proud of my creation. Readers can find it on Youtube at http://youtu.be/6jqDjHdxv6w

Please do not hesitate to like and share the love!

If you could be sucked into any novel, which would it be? Would you be yourself, or would you be one of the existing characters?

Jackie M. Smith: Hmm.. Honestly, I don't have a favorite novel, but I do have a favorite era, the Edwardian one. I probably would be myself, living in Paris, wearing the latest fabulous fashion styles and fighting for women's rights.

What book are you reading right now?

Jackie M. Smith: Right now, I'm not reading anything particular. I'm currently in the production process for Colliding Hearts, so that keeps me pretty busy.

Ah, it is always a struggle for the writer... read? write? market? edit? There are only so many hours in the day! So you're editing right now. How about writing? Are you working on a next book? Can you give us a hint on what it is about?

Jackie M. Smith: Yes, I am working on my next historical romance set in the Edwardian era. It's a sequel to Klondike Winter. (smiles)

One last question! I love collecting quotes, so add to my collection. What is your favorite line from Colliding Hearts?

“You’re so tempting, dear Alice,” he said with a soft breath against her ear. “If only we could make this moment last.”

Thanks so much for joining me today! Readers can find you and your books at:

• Barnes and Noble: http://my.barnesandnoble.com/Jackie_MSmith-library/
• On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jackie-M.-Smith/e/B0096PRAXU
• Jackie M. Smith Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAA9A2861899386E8
• On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jackie-M-Smith-Romance-author/23405063607
• On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieM_Smith
• At your website: http://jackiemsmith.weebly.com/

* * * *

And don't forget to check out 

my latest YA Romance/Adventure, 

Deep Green

Eternal Press* 

*25% off with the promo code 20EPdb14

* * * *http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Green-Trisha-Haddad-ebook/dp/B00GOJ00M4