Ellwyn’s Blog

Unexpected Connection By Sue Jaskula & Giveaway

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

GENRE: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

Confident and resilient homicide detective Jennifer Scott is instinctively suspicious when her best friend’s life is disrupted by the arrival of an unbeknownst twin sister. When a murder coincides with her appearance, the mysterious twin becomes the prime suspect.

Adding confusion to Jen’s organized life is another unexpected intrusion, her handsome and sophisticated new partner, Detective Luke O’Connor. As mischievous as he is charming, chemistry between the two intensifies, threatening Jen’s reputation and testing her limitations.

As the murder investigation unfolds, the detectives are forced to back-burner their heated connection while they race against time to figure out what other long-lost family members may be involved, how they’re connected to the twins and why they’ve surfaced now.

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Excerpt

I was angry at myself for my body’s response that started the minute he walked up in his perfect suit. The return of his devilish grin didn’t improve my disposition. “It’s nothing,” I snapped.

“I’m good at reading people and that expression tells me you have something you’d like to discuss.”

Again, I hushed my voice, but I knew my irritation came across loud and clear. “Keep your voice down, damn it. I don’t need rumors starting from your asinine comments. We’re not going to play this cat and mouse game, Detective O’Connor.

I am also good at reading people, that’s why we’re in this job. I’ve been around a few rodeos and met your smooth-talking type. The last one almost got me fired, so let’s establish a few things. I’m not a damsel in distress. I don’t need you to escort me or help me or hit on me or tell me how good I look on any given day. I don’t date cops and I don’t need you in my personal space every time I turn around. Are you picking up what I’m putting down here?”

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

Author Giveaway:

Sue Jaskula will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

My career has spanned many years in a mix of criminal and civil law and hospital surgical administrative work. Along with my work and life experience, I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a Creative Writing Certificate both from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.

I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to take early retirement and pursue a career in writing, a pursuit I have entered into with energy and enthusiasm. I am currently a registered member of Toronto Romance Writers and Crime Writers of Canada.

My husband and I share our home in Grimsby, Ontario, with our youngest daughter, her boyfriend, our dog and two cats. But I spend a great deal of time at our cottage in Kincardine, Ontario near my daughter, son-in-law and first grandson. On these shores of Lake Huron, with some of the best walking trails in the country, my imagination soars and my best stories come to life.

Social Media Links

Home

https://www.instagram.com/suejaskulaauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/sue.jaskula

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21295570.Sue_Jaskula

Buy Links

https://bookshop.org/books/unexpected-connection/9781509236473

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unexpected-connection-sue-jaskula/1139582405?

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/unexpected-connection/9781509236473-item.html?

https://www.target.com/p/unexpected-connection-by-sue-jaskula-paperback/-/A-83851223

Love Over Kpop By Marilyn Vix & Giveaway

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

GENRE:  Rockstar (Kpop) Romance

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ABOUT VELLA:

What is Vella? A Rundown of the New Platform for Readers

What is Vella? It’s a new reading platform by Amazon available through their website or the Kindle iOS app.

It works very similar to other online serial platforms like Wattpad and Radish, with a coin or token pay system to unlock episodes.

Each story has 3 FREE episodes to get the flavor of the story, and then can be unlocked further after purchasing tokens.

The tokens can be purchased in different packages, with more given for the more expensive bundles.

Paid episodes are priced by word count. For example, 3500 words in an episode would be 35 tokens.

The word limit on Vella per episode is 600 to 5,000 words. So, no episode can be more than 50 tokens or at the very least, 6 tokens.

When logging into Amazon’s website or through the iOS app, you can get 200 free tokens to start reading.

You can follow stories and like individual episodes. After purchasing your first bundle of tokens, you are awarded a weekly “Fav” which you can bestow on your favorite story you’ve read that week.

The likes, favs and follows all help stories become more visible in the system like many other platforms.

The fastest and easiest way to find stories are to follow direct links to them.

Each story is assigned an ASIN, but I have found that search abilities on Vella can be hard to isolate.

The easiest way to find Vella stories by your favorite author is by doing a search with their author name, a combination of their story title and their author name, or just the story name.

Searching for just Vella doesn’t seem to bring up much yet. But the system is still new, and things are being sorted out daily as the platform gets more use.

To find “Love Over Kpop” by Marilyn Vix:

•           Search for Marilyn Vix, Love Over Kpop Marilyn Vix, or Love Over Kpop

•           Use the direct story link.

•           Pick up your 200 FREE TOKENS!

•           READ THE FIRST 3 EPISODES FOR FREE!

•           Follow and “Fav” to stay on top of new episodes posted weekly.

-Marilyn Vix

BOOK BLURB:

Trish Russo has just started a job at an agency in LA that is paired with a Korean agency to help with managing the band, Friends5, in the States.

But the finicky Woo In-ho won’t come out of his trailer to film the current music video.

Trish is asked, as the new assistant, to talk to him. She tries to talk to him like a regular person.

He responds to the normal treatment, but on one condition. She needs to help out and be in the video.

What is a girl to do when a gorgeous K-pop Idol asks you to be in his video? Then, she reads the scene she is to appear in. There’s a scripted kiss.

Will it all just be acting? Or will she let her feelings get entangled with In-ho threatening her new career?

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

Author Giveaway:

The author is awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter.

Giveaway Link

About The Author:

Marilyn is a paranormal romance novelist. She enjoys the characters that just don’t fit in.

From witches to time traveling researchers, she is letting her imagination soar to explore new worlds and write all the details down.

Marilyn has traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, and Munich. She loves to include these in her settings as much as can allow.

Best of all is letting her readers enjoy them through the perspective of a character. Here love for K-pop has produced her current rock star/K-pop romance project, Love Over Kpop, available on Kindle Vella.

She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and cat. The cat, of course, is the center of attention.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarilynVix

Twitter: @MarilynVix

Website: http://marilynvix.com

Vella: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Over-Kpop/dp/B0945ZBBSH

She’s The One Who Doesn’t Say Much & Giveaway

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

Excerpt

He and I celebrated Svi together during our first year of advanced studies. I’d already observed several holidays with others and didn’t hesitate when he asked me to enjoy Noruz with him, too. But after Noruz, he looked at me differently. He tried to touch me all the time. No matter what I did, he was always around. I had second thoughts about celebrating Keva with him, but no clear reason to say no.

His passion that night exceeded anything I’d encountered, and the next day he begged me to return to his bed and never leave. That’s when I knew I had a problem. I didn’t want Magomet for a lover or a husband. Yet, he was my friend, my benefactor in the sense of letting me use his parents’ studio, and a close buddy to every other friend I had. What to do?

So, I came up with a creative solution. I would put all of my sexual energy into my art. Better to live without sex, than to have a lover I didn’t want or to lose my closest friends and, along with them, the future I craved. How hard could being celibate be? At least two of my older sisters had largely managed it, and they seemed fine.

When I declared to everyone at school that I would begin directing my sexual energy to my painting, I meant it. My announcement caused curiosity and some admiration, but Magomet’s reaction differed. I saw his disappointment and hints of anger. Then, within a few days, I saw his acceptance. He could wait. I’d come around, and he’d be there with open arms.

Thus, he and I began the strange dance we still did over a year later. He pretended to be a staunch supporter of my lifestyle, and I pretended I didn’t notice his touches and the longing in his eyes. Our friends ignored it all.

The problem with my brilliant solution was that I still wanted to have sex, only with other people besides Magomet. Worse yet, once intimacy wasn’t an option, I craved it in a way I never had.

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

Author Giveaway

S. R. Cronin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

About The Author

Sherrie Cronin is the author of a collection of six speculative fiction novels known as 46. Ascending and is now in the process of publishing a historical fantasy series called The War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters. A quick look at the synopses of her books makes it obvious she is fascinated by people achieving the astonishing by developing abilities they barely knew they had.

She’s made a lot of stops along the way to writing these novels.  She’s lived in seven cities, visited forty-six countries, and worked as a waitress, technical writer, and geophysicist. Now she answers a hot-line. Along the way, she’s lost several cats but acquired a husband who still loves her and three kids who’ve grown up just fine, both despite how odd she is.

All her life she has wanted to either tell these kinds of stories or be Chief Science Officer on the Starship Enterprise. She now lives and writes in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she admits to occasionally checking her phone for a message from Captain Picard, just in case.

Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabar01

Facebook: www.facebook.com/46Ascending

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.r.cronin/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805814.Sherrie_Cronin

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Sherrie-Cronin/e/B007FRMO9Q

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/s-r-cronin

Author Blog: https://sherriecronin.xyz/

Book Series Blog: https://troublesome7sisters.xyz/

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Doesnt-Stories-Seven-Troublesome-Sisters-ebook/dp/B09128H2YJ

What Should You Bring To An Author Event?

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If you’re like me, you need a quick and easy method to remember the essentials when you travel. The same holds true for author events.

After two years, I finally made my first in-person appearance at the Collingswood Book Festival. Most of my supplies had been stored away for a while, so I had to refresh my knowledge of my inventory.

Naturally, after so much time, my supply list had vanished and I had to start from scratch. Not a big deal, I’ve done numerous events, so composing a new list wasn’t difficult.

Image by Shahid Abdullah from Pixabay

Here’s my Handy-Dandy List:

1. Table

2. Table cloth

3. Chair

4. Canopy

5. Weights for the canopy so it won’t blow over

6. Pens

7. Sharpies

8. Business Cards

9. Clipboard with email sign-up list

10. Banner with logo

11. Books

12. Book Swag: bookmarkers, etc.

13. Paypal or Square credit card reader

14. Any Passwords you might need

15. Dollar bills for change

16. Plastic bags/reusable bags for customer purchases

17. Snacks

18. Water

19. Book Stands

20. Velcro

21. Index cards

22. Sticky Notes

23. Blank Paper

24. Phone or camera

25. Tape

26. Scissors

27. Check the weather so you can dress appropriately for the event

Other Tips To Remember:

Be sure to order your books well in advance of your event to ensure you have them in time. Many publishers are experiencing delays in production and shipping.

Also, check out Venmo. I just learned about this alternative form of payment and I’m so glad I did.

My Paypal Here card reader wasn’t working and Venmo saved the day. I didn’t lose any sales when customers didn’t have cash to pay.

Do you have any items to add to the list?

Pixies In The Mist & Giveaway By Rasta Musick

Image courtesy of Goddess Fish Promotions

Blurb:

Kenneth had been assigned to Japan by the pixie queen years ago, which is just enough time for a pixie to get bored and complacent while keeping tabs on the local talent.

Most humans had no magic, and most magical humans didn’t know it was their power that made their food taste better, their paintings more vibrant, or people like them more.

When the two met, the spark in Jake gave Kenneth’s role a new urgency. Jake didn’t just have magic, he had a wild and unpredictable kind seen only once in a generation.

How could Kenneth keep Jake’s magic from falling into enemy hands? Kill him? Recruit him? Somehow keep him ignorant?

Jake’s magic had quietly led him to Japan, subtly influencing every choice in his life. That something special Jake had been waiting for was about to happen, ensuring his and Kenneth’s lives would never be boring again.

Giveaway Info:

Rasta Musick will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Click the link to enter!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3880

About The Author:

Image courtesy of cinnabarmoth.com

Rasta Musick spent the first 12 years of his life in California before moving to Japan with his family.

After graduating from college with a Bachelor’s in economics at the age of 16, he spent the years after learning Japanese and working. Having spent more than half his life in Japan, he’s confident that it’s his home.

With many different hobbies, chief of them being Latin dance, he keeps himself physically active as well as mentally active as much as he can.

The Latin dance community in Japan is alive and, surprisingly, quite large.

Rasta has lupus and hereditary coproporphyria. Given their complicated nature, he’s had to learn a lot to adapt and manage them.

The process also taught him a lot about managing other aspects of his life, and all of this influences his writing.

 Author page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/rasta-musick/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RastaMusick

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pixies-Mist-Rasta-Musick/dp/1953971180/ref=sr_1_1

BN:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pixies-in-the-mist-rasta-musick/1139878846

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1095165

The Magic Of Music: Guest Post By C.O. Bonham

The Magic of Music:
The power of music and the soundtrack of Runaway Lyrics


Music is the closest thing to magic we can wield in this world.

Think about what music does. It moves our emotions. Music can force the happiest man to shed a tear. It makes the brave feel fear.

With music the scared feel calm. The sad are uplifted. Music can paint a picture in the mind’s eye. It can inspire. It can create worlds we can only dream of.

So when I started writing a musical magic system, I knew I was going to need a fantastic playlist.


Once I knew that my main characters favored the violin over other instruments, I thought of Lindsey Stirling.

Her modern take on violin music has the perfect amount of magic and wonder. 

For Runaway Lyrics, I listened to Lindsey Stirling. If you’ve never heard of her go google her right now. I picked out one of her songs for each of the major musical moments in the book.


Only two of the major music moments are music other than Lindsey Stirling. They reference other stories that have been adapted to the musical format of either opera or ballet.


The sound track:
 I have a YouTube playlist of music videos that correspond to specific parts of the book:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK8DRS5lDIJblN566s384zlEvkYpw9zxY


· Opening: “Endgame of Thrones”

This song emphasizes the odds that the sisters find themselves at. Each with different goals and different dreams.·

The song Rose plays in chapter five to control the storm is “Take Flight.”· The song Snow plays in the solarium during the hunter’s attack is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream’’ by William Shakespeare.

(In the book I call it an opera, but I write better to Instrumental than sung, so I used the ballet version on the playlist.)·

The song that Snow plays to freeze the Fae Slavers in the forest is “The Little Match Girl’’ by Hans Christian Andersen. The Song of Shattered Sight is “Shatter Me.”

Obviously.· During the lighthouse scene with the kraken, listen to “Master of Tides.”· “Zelda Medley” is in the forest when Snow and Bayare get cornered by Grand Wizard Arken.

I needed a lot of distinct tones, so a medley worked for this. (Can you tell when the forest fire starts?)· 

The song of Entropy is “Elements.”· The epic fight against Arken is “Dragon Age.”·

Epilogue music is “Kingdom Hearts.”· “What you’re made of,” is inspiring and serves as an ending credits song.· The last video on the playlist is just Amazing Violin Music that I used while writing.


If you listen to the playlist, or if you don’t, I hope you enjoyed learning about the musical inspiration for the novel. Writing each scene was easier when I knew what the music sounded like.


Were you already a Lindsey Stirling fan? If not, I hope you give her a listen. What kind of music do you like? 

Featured New Release:

Available on Amazon

Snow loves music.

She has spent her entire life learning new instruments and memorizing new pieces, only to while away her life in a country manor with only her mother and twin sister as company.

If only she could get out on her own and play in front of a real audience.

Rose loves magic.

The things she can do with music would amaze her twin sister, but whenever she shows her, Snow quickly forgets as if the event had never happened.

If only Rose could get out on her own and work some real magic.

When an airship crashes near their home, Snow’s magical abilities awaken. Together the sisters must learn to use their magic, rescue a pair of cursed princes, and discover their own secrets.

Discover the magic of music in this retelling of Snow White and Rose Red.

Interview With Author Kendra E. Ardnek

Image courtesy of Kandra E. Ardnek

By way of introduction, here is Kendra E. Ardnek’s bio:

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales.

She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her.

When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she’s frequently known to act before she thinks.

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Hello, Kendra, welcome to Angel Kiss Publications. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview.

Thank you for having me.

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When did the writing bug ensnare you? 

I always knew that the written word was my destiny (I share a birthday with two famous authors), and I’ve been making up stories since I understood the concept

I wasn’t serious until I was eleven or so and decided to rewrite my own movie version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Where do you find inspiration for your characters?

Anywhere and everywhere. The characters of this book are all based on those of Jane Austen’s work, but I have one in another project that literally developed out a skirt. She’s a Dragon Fairy. 

Image courtesy of Kendra. E. Ardnek

What has been your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? 

Getting to connect with readers who fall in love with my characters and worlds just as much as I am.

What advice would you give to authors just starting out?

Take your time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your story. Each word you write will get better. Focus on loving your stories, not writing a masterpiece. 

What are your favorite books?

Ella Enchanted, That Hideous Strength, The Ilyon Chronicles, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lunar Chronicles, Emma, Elven Alliance, The Four Kingdoms, and lots more. I like a lot of books.

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If you could create an author’s group with writers from any time period, who would you invite?

The problem with this question is that my brain immediately goes to the Inklings and its ultimate implosion. Honestly, the groups I have are amazing and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

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A movie producer wants to turn your book into a movie, and you get to make a cameo. What would you do in the movie?

Probably be a villager or a servant or some such. Though I would really want to play the Mistress. 

What are your most effective marketing strategies?

I’ve been in the publishing scene for ten years now, and it’s a constantly evolving process.

But the timeless guidelines are—Keep your book visible (don’t worry about being the annoying author who always talks about her own books. (SHOW THOSE BABIES OFF.)

Have a great cover and be able to pitch your book in a single sentence (I highly recommend Finding the Core of Your Story by Jordan Smith to learn how to do this).

Create a community for your readers and promote a fandom. Word of mouth is the most powerful tool, and people love a club. 

Do you have a website/Facebook page, etc?

https://kendraeardnek.weebly.com

knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com

Where can we find your books?

On Amazon!

Thank you, Kendra, for spending time with us and sharing your story. We wish you continued success and lots of luck!

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Kendra’s Featured Book

Image courtesy of Kendra E. Ardnek

FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Available on Amazon

Book Blurb:

After their father’s death, and thanks to their older half-brother’s wanderlust, two sisters find themselves caught in the politics of a mysterious forest.

Elinrose finds herself in direct conflict with the wood’s Mistress, while Snowmari hides a deadly secret that could mean her death if found out.

Can their bonds of sisterhood withstand these trying times? Or will they even make it out alive?