Guest Post - Karolyn James On Her Journey

Please welcome Karolyn James to Books for Company.

Karolyn is the author of Brothers of Rock series as well as other books.

My journey has continued throughout 2013 in such an amazing way. Thanks to the love from readers and bloggers, some really great things have happened for me. And when good things happen to me it allows me to write more books and share more with you all!

The first five Brothers of Rock books are available! That’s right, the five books featuring Chasing Cross are all on sale as I write this. It’s been an amazing journey with Chasing Cross and everything within those books.

The Brothers of Rock series WILL CONTINUE! It’s been officially announced that in January 2014, the next series of Brothers of Rock books will be released! This time, it’s following the up and coming band, Fallen Tuesday. Those who have read all the Chasing Cross books will know who Fallen Tuesday is. If you haven’t read the Chasing Cross books, you can still jump right in with Fallen Tuesday and enjoy!

If that wasn’t enough… I was given the chance to release some of my western romance books under a pen name, Claire Charlins. Thanks to the readers, the first book – West For Love – sat in the #1 spot in Kindle Westerns for almost three months! It’s now down to #2! There are five books in the Mail Order Romance series released right now, with a new book coming in January 2014.

(In case you haven’t noticed, January 2014 is going to be very busy for me!)

It’s been an amazing ride this year and 2014 is going to be even busier. There is a brand new new adult trilogy coming out under my other pen name, London Casey. Under that pen name, I had a new adult trilogy come out this summer titled The Boys of DownCrash. All three books ranked on Amazon in the new adult category!

This has been a very exciting year for me and I hope to keep this momentum going. I thought of the Brothers of Rock concept while washing dishes one night and look where’s taken me! The first book in the series, All Access, was included in a rockstar romance boxed set that ended up on both the New York Times AND USA Today bestsellers lists!

So, a week before Thanksgiving, I’m going to be honest… I’m thankful for YOU. For the reader. The blogger. The lover of words. Please keep reading and I’ll keep writing.

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Interview : Natalie Corbett Sampson

Please welcome Natalie to Books for Company.

Natalie is a Young Adult writer and currently has two books, Game Plan and Nine. 

Describe Game Plan with one word beginning with E?
After googling ‘adjectives starting with ‘e’’ the one I like best is ‘existent’, which (according to the document I found) means ‘real’. Above many other goals, I wanted to make Game Plan real to readers. I could throw in ‘emotional’ and ‘endearing’ and ‘edentulous’. No, not edentulous, that has something to do with teeth and the lack of.

Tell us about your main characters Ella and Katherine?
Ah. In a somewhat narcissistic way, both Ella and Kat are like me… I struggled to make sure they were different enough to be believable as two different characters. Ella is a typical teen. She loves her friends and her sport and wants to be accepted and successful. She is insecure but hides it well. She is also stronger than she realizes. Katherine has more life experience; she has longer termed goals and a broader focus. She is analytical to a fault, she is cautious and scared but brave enough to take a chance.

What's your favorite thing about writing a book?
It has become therapy for me. When I don’t get my writing time in, I’m all out of sorts, crankier, even, than usual. I hate coming up with an idea, but once an idea claims me I LOVE the process of seeing the whole picture, zooming in to the details, from a gesture or a visual hint to a word, the difference between a ‘grin’ or ‘smile’ that makes the scene real. I love my imaginary friends and I celebrate their successes, mourn their losses. It’s such a gift to be able to experience that.

What three things do you always need when writing?
Silence. M&Ms and my cat nearby. Though one cat likes to jump in and out of my lap all day and that gets tiresome. Beside me on the bed or rug is good enough.

Any inspirations for Game Plan? Experience, Other Books etc.
Game Plan is largely autobiographical in many ways… I was not a pregnant teen nor a basketball star, though I tried really hard to be the latter. But Ella’s insecurities are mine – then and even now, to some extent. While I’m blessed to have been able to have three children the old fashioned way, I am also an adoptive mom and most of the frustrations Katherine faces are from my own experiences.

How would you like readers to describe Game Plan?
As I said, I hope people find Game Plan to be real, to be relatable. I hope they laugh a little, and maybe cry a little, if they’re not on a bus somewhere where they’ll be embarrassed by that. I hope they hand it to a friend and say ‘you gotta read this!’

Find Natalie 

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Cover Crazy #110

Cover Crazy is a meme I enjoy taking part in as a book lover because for me, although they say don't judge a book by it's cover, covers have a big influence over whether I pick a book up or not! 

Chasing After Infinity - L. Jayne
Love covers like this which have the outline of people.
It keeps their looks to the imagination of the reader still while also setting the scene for the reader.
The font is my favorite sort of font and really suits the cover. 

Guest Post - The Making of Play With Me

Please welcome to Piper Shelley to Books for Company.

Play With Me sounds awesome and I can no wait to read it! In the meantime I enjoyed reading about the journey Piper went on with her characters.

Hello everybody,

I’m the author of the teen romance Play With Me, and today I’d like to tell you a secret. 

Many readers pointed out in their reviews that they couldn’t tell throughout the entire book, with whom of the guys Liza was going to hook up eventually. Tony Mitchell or Ryan Hunter. Believe it or not, there’s a simple reason for it.

I didn’t know either…

When I began telling this little novella in the heroine’s voice, her name was Samantha Matthews. And Samantha was always meant to be with Tony. At the beginning as much as at the very end. I brought in this hot guy, Ryan Hunter, just to give the whole book a little spice. The heroine should have a nice time with him, lots of fun, some bantering and flirting, but nothing more. She was never meant to fall in love with Ryan. And that kiss she shared with Tony at the end of the book should have been the final one. The one that brought the two of them together.

But a funny thing happened that changed it all. During a break after I’d written half of the story, I read the book of an author friend of mine. Her heroine was named…tada…Samantha.

Damn, I thought. I can’t do that. I just can’t name my heroine Sam right after reading her book. My friend might think I copied her. And that was the last thing I wanted. So I banged my head on the keyboard a few fierce times, trying to come up with a different name. A name that had it all, just like Samantha. It had to be simple, there must be a way to cut it short, and it had to go well with the last name Matthews. Finally I found what I needed. Liza. Short—Liz. It was perfect. In a simple replace command, I changed all the Sam’s in the book to Liz. Great. Job done. The only trouble with it? My heroine suddenly had gotten an entirely new personality.

That’s what happens when you pick names for your characters. You also pick personalities with them. Hair color, style of clothes, traits, habits, talents, and moods. For me, it all comes with the name. And Liza wasn’t how I had shaped my heroine so far.

Liz and Ryan

Basically that meant I had to go back to paragraph one and make adjustments. And suddenly, the girl spoke to me in a way that Sam never had. I wanted her to be in love with Tony, but Liza just fell for Ryan. A little more on every page. There was nothing I could do about it. Especially since I fell for the guy myself. Whatever I made him say or do came right out of my personal dream-guy-factory. So yeah…such a man is usually hard to resist. ;-)

And apart from it all, one thing was crystal clear. Tony would hook up with one girl only. With Samantha. And if there was no Samantha in this book, then he wasn’t going to be the lucky winner in Play With Me.

You see…the simplest thing like renaming the heroine can change a story entirely. On that note, Tony finally got his girl in T IS FOR… (book #3 in the Grover Beach Team series)

Keep reading! 

Cheers,

Piper

Find Piper 

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Guest Post - Tim Mettey

When I was asked if I wanted let my readers know about Tim Metteys 'The Hero Chronicles' series I straight away said yes. Not only does the first in the series 'Secrets' sound awesome but I admire Tim's work.

Tim Mettey serves as CEO and Disaster Relief Coordinator at Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian and disaster relief organization. Tim uses his many experiences and expertise in responding to disasters around the world to set the background for his The Hero Chronicle series. Tim struggles with and has overcome his learning disabilities with reading and writing to create this series, and hopes his journey can be an inspiration to others. He says, “Our disabilities do not define who we are, they make us stronger.”

Two books are currently available in The Hero Chronicles series, Secrets and Trust. Visit Amazon to download the books today!

The series starts out with Secrets in which the Midwest lies in complete ruins after a catastrophic disaster kills tens of thousands and leaves hundreds of thousands injured. Nicholas Keller emerges out of the devastation as a shining light of hope for all. But his newfound fame comes with a price that his aunt will not let him pay. They flee into the shadows in order to protect his secret. As Nicholas begins his sophomore year at his fifth school in five years, strange and unexpected things begin to happen. He soon tumbles into a web of doomed love, extraordinary talents and a secret past, which threatens the lives of everyone he cares about. It's up to Nicholas to confront the truth, even if it means his own death.

Continue the story of Nicholas Keller in Trust as he comes to terms with his Thusian heritage and has finally achieved some normalcy in his life. But when new neighbors move in next door at the beginning of his junior year, everything changes. He is launched into an impossible search, uncertain of who to trust, and this time it’s not just his own life that hangs in the balance—it’s the lives of countless others and everyone he loves.

Stay tuned for the release of book 3 in The Hero Chronicles on October 10, 2014!

All proceeds from the sale of The Hero Chronicles will go towards the ongoing work and programs of Matthew 25: Ministries, serving the poorest of the poor throughout the world. Please visit www.m25m.org for more information on Matthew 25: Ministries' humanitarian aid and disaster relief work.

Find Tim

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Blog Tour : Victoria Danann - Confessions of an Author's Assistant

Confessions of an Author's Assistant

Being an author’s assistant is a job like no other: Exciting, fulfilling, and, at times, crazy! We work for an Indie author, Victoria Danann, which adds another level of challenge to the mix. Without a big publisher behind us, we work on Victoria’s behalf to get the word out about her amazing books. Here’s our first confession: Neither of us have worked as an author’s assistant before! We were both fans before we started working for Victoria, as well as being members of her street team. She mentioned one day that she’d lost her assistant, and both of us replied, asking if we could lend a hand. Victoria is a smart woman, and realized how amazing we both are, so instead of choosing one….she hired us both! Now the three of us are blazing our own trail in the wild world of book publishing.

We manage Victoria’s street team, which is a group of some of the most devoted Victoria fans around. The street team is one of our most important keys to getting the word out about the Black Swan serial saga. We also work with Bloggers and Facebookers to highlight Victoria’s books. Once people find out about and read Victoria’s first book, My Familiar Stranger, which is free everywhere, they usually join the rest of us in being fans of her work. We really love that her books are a mix of paranormal romance and fantasy, genres that we both really enjoy reading. It’s so fun working for someone you admire - Any task that helps her out is something we’re glad to do.

We’re commonly asked the following questions:

How’d you get the job?
Sarah: I had been on her Street Team for about a month when the opportunity came up that she needed an assistant. I sent her an email about all the things I had done in the past, reasons why I would be a great assistant. I was SO nervous waiting for the response! But, as you can see, I am here!

Judy: One day, on the street team page, Victoria mentioned that she needed an assistant. I contacted her to offer to help her out in the meantime, but it turns out I was in the right place at the right time, and started working for her! The learning curve has been pretty steep – there is so much about the author world that is so very different from the experience of a reader. I love this job! I get to utilize every skill I’ve learned over the years and apply them in unique and creative ways.

Sarah: You're right, it is crazy different as far as how it measures up to any other job I have, but I would never trade it!

Judy: I’m constantly amazed that I get to do what I do. I learn so much every day. I didn’t realize how bored I was before. Seriously.

How did you know that the street team idea would even work?
Judy: The idea of a street team isn’t really new. It started in the music industry with a literal street team handing out fliers about a new music group. The concept has evolved now into street teams for all kinds of things. Feedback I get from members of Victoria’s street team is that this is one of the most active groups for an author. Our team has regular blogs that they work with to help spread the word. Having a hangout on Facebook with a private page for our group has been really great for building our team identity.

Sarah: Victoria had the Street Team before I became her assistant. I think it's a great idea for many different reasons. Her biggest fans get time to chat with her whenever they like, they know her better than her other readers do. They also get the opportunity to get her new books about 2 weeks before everyone else. This helps both them and Victoria as she gets feedback before the release date. It is also a great advertising tool as we have wonderful Street Team members that will help get the word out about anything!

What is the most rewarding aspect of being an author’s assistant?

Sarah: This one is hard to explain. Being Victoria's assistant is a reward in itself. I get to talk to her daily, manage a fantastic Street Team, and meet some really incredible people. All the while knowing that I am helping a writing genius get the time to do what she does best!

Judy: The most rewarding thing about this job is that I get to help an author I truly admire. It just feels so good knowing that my work in the background enables her to have time to write her amazing books.

Sarah; She's right; I know Victoria is writing fantastic things and that makes me extremely happy!

Judy: I love it every time Sarah says, “She’s right,” when she’s talking about me! It happens a lot.

How many hours a week/day do you spend on this job?
Sarah: A lot. But in no way can I complain. Most of the Street Team says they see me online, all the time, no matter what time it is. Well, I LOVE what I do. And a lot of my part of the job includes Facebook, so I'm on there for my stuff and book stuff all the time. Plus keeping track of what 50 people do takes up some time!!

Judy: It’s really impossible to calculate. I know I work the equivalent of office hours daily, and then check in again at night. I try to avoid working on the weekends, but when stuff is happening, I’m on whenever I need to be. This job for me is a blend of fan/ employee - it’s definitely more a labor of love….but it is nice to get paid!

Sarah: Wait... You get paid??

Judy: Oops.

So, what’s the dirt? Any scoops you can share?
Judy: Wow! Way to put us on the spot. Part of being an assistant is protecting the person you work for. My boss probably won’t fire me for saying that she put a photo of herself on Facebook once – she was swimming – I noticed no clothing in the picture, and asked her about if – to which she replied, “haha”. Yep. That’s the kind of crazy I’m lucky enough to work with every day. I love her.

Sarah: She's got a wicked crazy sense of humor....and she and I get one another's jokes, while Judy is often left scratching her head!

Judy: Hey! I get some of the jokes….sometimes.

Blazing a new trail in the world of Indy book publishing is exciting and fun. There is some seriously hard work involved, but it’s hard to really take note of that when we’re having such a good time! Being coworkers that truly enjoy and admire, not only our boss, but one another, makes every workday fun and entertaining. We both like meeting new people, learning new things, and we’re pretty good at sharing the load. We don’t know how Victoria got along without us!

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Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This Time Around - Ellie Grace
Published : 14th June 2014
This cover is a bit cheesy isn't it? However it does tell us that this book is a romance book I guess and it's an okay cover. 
Anyway after reading the blurb I am definitely interested to read this book. 
The books which I have read which involve two people coming together after being apart for a few years have mostly been enjoyable reads. Some are a bit frustrating but I think This Time Around could be quite a nice and sweet read. 
What do you think?

The Blurb :

Nora Montgomery left home and heartbreak behind in South Carolina when she moved to New York City after her high school graduation. Now, four years later, she returns home and is forced to confront the past she left behind and the reckless boy who broke her heart. It’s not long before the pieces of her past begin to blur with the present and she realizes that the feelings she had for her first love never really went away. As old dreams resurface and new truths come to light, she begins to question the future she's always planned on.

Jake Harris has spent four years regretting the night he let her get away. When she finally reappears in his life, he is determined to win her back and prove how much he’s changed. She might never forgive him for that night, but if he tells her the truth about what really happened it will shatter the world she thought she knew. If he doesn’t, he might not get a second chance. He’s already lost her once and he won’t lose her again.

They come from two different worlds that are threatening to tear them apart…can they make it this time around?

Guest Post : Shane Morgan Interview

Please Welcome Shane Morgan to Books for Company

Shane is the author of Impossibly Love, a new adult romance book. 

Describe Impossibly Love with a word beginning in AAwesome! lol that was the first word that came to my mind.

Which part of Impossibly Love did you find the hardest to write? Beginning, Middle or End?
All of it :) I had a story in my head, but had no idea how to get the right words together to convey what I was trying to get out. The beginning was tricky, because I wanted to write it so it would intrigued readers enough to keep going. The middle wasn't as hard as the opening chapters, but I still fought hard with consistency as well as to create a moment where readers would be like, "Ooh, I just have to find out how this ends." And of course, the ending. I contemplated on whether or not to leave it sad or happy. Then put myself in the story and considered how I would react to a sad ending after dealing with so much. I deliberated a lot, to the point where the story transformed into two books. That's why I made it a happy ending for the first one. Not sure I'll do the same with the second book though. Then again, I'm still writing it. Let's wait and see.
Overall, it wasn't an easy book to write and each section was challenging in their own way. It was almost like a relief when I finally made it to the end. Still, I'm so emotionally attached to the story :)

Are your characters based on any people you know?
There's a little bit of myself in Moya. Not in the sense where I have the same issues, but I know what's it like being afraid to open your heart up to someone. I believe that many women can relate to that. As for Branden, he's my idea of what a nice guy is. I like reading stories where guys aren't rude and rough. So Branden is my way of saying good guys are interesting too.

What sort of books/genre do you read yourself?
I love fantasy, mystery, contemporary, romance, action, drama, realistic fiction. Fantasy has always been my favorite though. I haven't been reading as much as I would like to because I'm writing all these books, but I have a craving for realistic fiction and mystery. I'm really looking forward to Jennifer Hubbard's And We Stay. The story sounds really intense.

How do you come up with ideas for your books?
They're all floating around in my head. I don't borrow ideas from movies or other books. Honestly. Sometimes I dream about them, or I'm just sitting down doing nothing and out of nowhere comes an idea of a girl shooting fires from her toes. It's just crazy.

Who would you recommend Impossibly Love to?
Everyone! If you love clean romance that's light and easy to go through in a day, then this book is for you. I make reference to the fact that it's clean because New Adult is becoming known for a lot of other things opposite clean, so I just want to emphasize that you don't have to shy away from Impossibly Love because it is classified as New Adult. It's a story about not being afraid, of taking chances even if the odds are against you. So, please, give it a try you might like it :)

Thank you so much for having me on your blog.

Find Shane Morgan

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Kayson + More Active

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for sticking around and still following me =)

Getting to grips with juggling everything so have more time to blog now so should have more posts up next few weeks. 

Just wanted to share some pictures of my little man <3

Cover Crazy #109

Cover Crazy is a meme I enjoy taking part in as a book lover because for me, although they say don't judge a book by it's cover, covers have a big influence over whether I pick a book up or not! 

Perfect Lies - Kiersten White
This cover is a strange one when it comes to me deciding if I like it or not. I like that I know from just looking at it that it links in with Mind Games and is part of the series. Also love the faded imaged which are all over the cover, really unique! Just not sure about how big the title is?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Watch Over Me - Tara Sivec
Published : 14th June 2014
I will admit that it's the cover which made me first attracted to this book, I love the sunshine and the feel about the book.
The blurb is really long and I admit maybe if I was in a different mood I wouldn't have bothered reading it all and just closed the page. 
However the book really does sound so good! 
I can't imagine losing my mum and can't imagine living on through it, I felt my heart breaks for Addison as I was reading the blurb. 
If Tara has written this in the right way I can see this book could be one of my favourite 2014 reads! 

The Blurb :

Addison Snow is your typical teenager. She has a family that loves her, friends that make her laugh, and she's wrapped up in the excitement of graduating high school and going off to college to pursue her dream of becoming an author. When her mother, who also happens to be Addison's best friend, dies unexpectedly, her world comes to a crashing halt.

Death changes everyone...

To make the pain go away, Addison and her father travel down separate, dark paths. She chooses to end her grief forever, while he drowns his sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. How do you learn to live again when the most important person in your life is gone?

Addison struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. Instead of getting back to being the carefree teenager she once was, she's stuck handling all of the responsibilities that should have been her father's. She has no time to grieve, no time for emotions, and no time for happiness...until Zander Reinhardt walks in. All it takes is one little handwritten note on a napkin to kick-start her back to life and help her realize that maybe there's more to that life than pain.

But can it really be that simple? Can she really trust this man who makes her feel alive again for the first time in a year?

Addison and Zander both have secrets they aren't ready to share. When the truth finally comes out, is it enough to tear them apart or has something bigger than themselves always been watching over them, pushing them together, making sure they both get their happily ever after?

Cover Crazy #108

Cover Crazy is a meme I enjoy taking part in as a book lover because for me, although they say don't judge a book by it's cover, covers have a big influence over whether I pick a book up or not! 

Fragile Spirits by Mary Lindsay
I really warm to this cover the more I look at it. I adore the black and white feathers and then the contrast between the black and white and her bright pink hair. It must mean something to the story? Anyway I love it! 

Ironskin Blog Tour - Giveaway

Blurb :

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio…and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discover just how far she will go to become whole again

Ends 15th November

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