Author interview

"Forget everything you know about vampires..." and check out my interview with Zebra Books' new rising star, author Sara Reinke.

She's the creator of The Brethren Series, which includes DARK THIRST (July, 2008) & DARK HUNGER (September, 2008)

Change of plans

I'm a little bit bummed at the moment. My wonderful editor and her boss decided it would be best to give DREAM WALK one more line edit before setting it in stone. Or, um, pixels?

So, the upshot is my release date is now pending. I'll post the new date as soon as I know it myself.

No worries, I'd rather take a little more time than worry we might have missed a typo here or continuity issue there. Better safe than sorry -- and better to produce the best book possible. :)

In the meantime, you can still read two excerpts ... I suppose I should label them "unedited" at this point, but I don't think those portions of the book changed since the last run-through.

Check out my website for more info.

I am so unspectacular

It's been a while since someone tagged me, but Denise Patrick snuck in with this meme. I'll get her. Yes, I will. ;)

First, the rules:

1) Link to the person that tagged you.2) Post the rules on your blog.3) List six unspectacular quirks you have.4) Tag six bloggers by linking them.5) Leave a comment on each person's blog to let them know they've been tagged.

Six unspectacular things about me. Only six? It might be tough to narrow the list. ;)

1. I love to do word puzzles. The newspaper crossword is how I unwind, that and the cryptiquote puzzle. I have to do both every day.

2. All of my stories have a theme song -- and I tend to listen to that song over, and over, ad nauseum while I'm writing. It tends to annoy those around me.

3. I like to knit with those funky knitting hoops -- the ones with all the pegs. Last winter I made each of my children a hat in their favorite colors. But that's something I can only do in the winter or late fall.

4. I love Dr. Pepper, but I have to drink it half and half, meaning half regular, half diet. Can't stand the taste of either by itself.

5. I hate horror films. Loved them in high school; can't watch them now. Too much blood and gore. I do love scary movies, just not "horror".

6. I have the pieces all cut out -- and two rows sewn together -- of a quilt I started right before my oldest son was born. He just turned thirteen. I vow to finish that quilt. Someday.


Now I'm going to tag some of the ladies of Shades of Suspense:
Catherine Berlin
Marie-Nicole Ryan
Rhianna Samuels
Loribelle Hunt
Emma Wayne Porter
Donica Covey

And now to go into hiding. ;)

Another review...

And five hearts for my latest rom com, Table for Two.

I'm just thrilled people seem to be enjoying this one. It took a while to get it done -- a lot of other projects pushed it aside -- but it was worth the wait. David and Sandra were a fun pair to write and I'm happy to have given them their own new beginning.

Read the entire review at The Romance Studio.

"Ms. Meg Allison has written a unique, fun-loving novella about a couple who could not stand to be together... there were some hilarious parts to this great manuscript. The two were complete opposites. As Ms. Allison gave us more information about this couple, it was still almost impossible to see how she would give readers a happily ever after. The couple was strong and determined but nothing alike.

This is a great book with something for everyone. I highly recommend it to all."

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
August 28, 2008


Ah, I love it! But Denise snuck in and tagged me. I'll have to plot my revenge for that one. ;) I'll post her tag tomorrow. :)

It's in the cards

Years ago people used to say: "Write what you know." The philosophy was if you didn't have an intimate association with the subject -- or a PhD on it, anyhow -- you shouldn't write the book.

Well, that's a bit limiting, don't you think? If we all went by that advice, I can tell you at least half the secret agent; billionaire; cowboy; time-travel; and vampire romances would disappear from existence. Especially the latter.

We can't stick to what we know, but we can learn enough about a subject to write credible stories. Say it with me now: research. Have I mentioned I really don't like this part? :P It takes so much time away from the fun stuff of creating worlds, manipulating characters, etc.

For my current wip, BROKEN, I discovered there's a crucial scene involving my heroine having her future revealed by a friend. Until I got to this point in the story, I hadn't realized just how vital this scene will be. When I first mapped out the book, it was only a stepping-stone to the next scene, but now...things have changed.

I've had some small experiences in my former life with Tarot cards, but not enough to write a believable reading. Sure, I could try to fake my way through it -- after all, everyone has their own style and there are hundreds of different decks of cards these days. But I just know someone, somewhere, would notice if I goofed. And they would, understandably, complain. Or even go so far as to write a bad review or, worse yet, never buy another book from me! All this because I stepped outside my comfort zone without a net or a clue.

So, I bought a book that explains the basics. Hopefully I can draw enough from that -- and long-ago memories -- to create a plausible scene. My heroine needs this guidance; she needs a wake-up call, to be honest. And who better to give it than the best friend with her own special gift? ;)

Almost done... on to the next murder, a little mayhem, the black moment and our Happy Ending.

Do you want it? Do you really? ;)

Dream Walk will be released in two weeks. You can now read TWO excerpts! One on my website, the other excerpt on Samhain Publishing's website. Enjoy!

My real-life muse

I'm working on book two of The Sentinels -- almost done! I can see the light and it's not a train. ;)

However, I hit another tiny snag with a certain character. He's a secondary at this point, but has his eye on that final book. He can be a pain in the rear to write because he's so sarcastic and closed-mouthed. He's going to have to come clean or book five will be a very, very short story.

So what do I do when I hit a bump in my plots? Well, until my sweet editor gets her hands on it and offers her advice, I go to my in-house muse. Aka: My oldest daughter.

She's only read my sweet romances from cover to cover -- yes, I'm old-fashioned -- but she's a wonderful sounding-board for each and every plot. She listens and often comes up with solutions. She never rolls her eyes when I talk about a storyline or wonder how to kill off this person or get the hero and heroine from point A to point C. She's very wise for her years ... and I truly believe she holds on to my muse so she doesn't scamper off when my own thoughts get too chaotic.

Everyone should have a muse, "real" or otherwise. They keep life interesting. ;)

Back to the wip!

First review

Table for Two received its first review ... this one from CoffeeTime Romance. After yesterday, I needed a smile. If you need one, check out Table for Two, it might give you a little lift. ;)

BUY IT NOW
Kindle Edition also available!

Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 Cups

"This is a great love story full of funny situations. The two main characters are very different from each other. David is a bit of a free spirit and Sandra is very uptight. Their dates are very funny, especially the monster truck rally. The small town they live in seems a bit too gossipy, especially after the movie incident, but the people for the most part seem warm-hearted and genuinely concerned with each other’s welfare. David’s sister and Jenny and Mark play small but important roles in the story. I really enjoyed it."

Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

What genre is your life?

Is it romance? Comedy? Horror? Mystery? Chick-lit? A bit of this and that all mixed together?

Probably the latter.

Life is ups, downs, some tragedy, some laughter and a lot plodding along, looking for the sun to come back out.

Someone recently asked why I chose to write romance. The question came from an individual who doesn't care for that particular genre and I couldn't help but hear the note of scorn. No problem. I don't expect everyone to like the same things. I know many dismiss romance as quickly as others dismiss pop music or modern art. I just hope they at least give unfamiliar things a chance. ;)

The answer I gave was simple and precise: I'm a romantic at heart.

But today my answer changed just a bit. I witnessed the aftermath of a family once again sent to the edge of hell and back by heart-breaking loss. I saw such profound grief that it touched my heart. Yet I felt incapable of doing anything to help or give any type of comfort.

Later, I sat thinking about how resilient the human spirit can be, and praying for my own family. That's when I realized times like these are why I read and write romance, whatever form it takes. I need to know at least one thing is going to work out the way I think it should. I find comfort in the fact that good things do happen, despite the hurdles and pits along the way. I want to see two characters -- lost, alone, searching -- find one another and fall in love. I need to be reassured, I suppose. I want that Happy Ever After.

Life is filled with tragic mistakes. Pain and heartache abound and we never know for sure that it will, in fact, be okay. We hope it will. We hold on and cling to whatever faith we possess, waiting for the pain to subside and the next ray of sun to appear.

But sometimes that rope gets a bit frayed and our hands start to slip...

So I write romance because I hope. I have faith. I dream, for myself and others. If my stories give even one person a respite from whatever is going wrong in their lives, then it's worth any scorn or dismissal I might receive. If I can soothe one tattered heart, even for a few pages, it's worth it.

I'm a storyteller. I'm a bit old-fashioned, too. I write about a man and a woman finding each other and falling in love despite whatever danger or insecurities I throw at them. Sometimes they're very real people ... sometimes they're larger than life. But they always get through it and come out stronger in the end.

Whatever my current genre might be, I know love can get me through it. After all, life imitates art.

red-neck humor ... how true

What Jeff Foxworthy has to say about, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

If your Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Pittsburgh.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Pittsburgh.

If "Vacation" means going anywhere south of the Mason Dixon line for the weekend, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again you live in Pittsburgh.

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Pittsburgh.

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Pittsburgh.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Pittsburgh.

If you find 10 degrees "a little chilly", you live in Pittsburgh.

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Pittsburgh friends & others, you live or have lived in Pittsburgh.

Do you want to 'meet' a vampire?

Can't help you there -- but I can show you where to enter a fantastic contest for the chance to win one of two 'vampire' books. ;)

Book Binge is giving away a copy of ACHERON, the long-awaited installment of Sherrilyn Kenyon's creative Dark-Hunter series. If Dark-Hunters aren't your thing, you can enter to win a copy of Breaking Dawn, Stephanie Meyer's latest installment of her acclaimed Twilight series.

All you have to do is post and leave your email addy. What do you have to lose? ;)

Romance with a little laughter

Table for Two (A Harris Grove Story)
by Meg Allison

Sandra Larsen and David Jenkins have nothing in common—except that their best friends just got married.

Despite their petty bickering and sarcastic barbs, David has fallen head-over-heels for the feisty restaurant critic. He has one week to convince her they should share a permanent table for two.

Imprint: Short and Sweet Novella
BUY IT NOW

Excerpt:

Chapter One
“Strangers in the Night”

The punch tasted like carbonated syrup and the veggie trays had wilted. Other than that, Sandra supposed the wedding reception could be called a hit. Unless you counted the fact that she just lost her best friend.

She took a long sip of her drink and winced as the fizzy liquid made her teeth ache from sugar overload. Maybe she could get some water somewhere.

“Nice party.”

She glanced to her left over the rim of the clear plastic cup and tried not to grimace. David Jenkins had to be the most irritating man she’d ever met. Too bad she’d be seeing a lot of him now that their best friends had tied the knot.

“I said, nice party, don’t you agree?” He looked down at her from such height that she had to lift her chin to meet his gaze. At five eight, Sandra was in no way petite. The man should be on a basketball court.

“Yes, it is.” She looked away, hoping he’d get the hint and leave. Instead, she heard him chuckle.

“Man, you aren’t going to make this easy, are you, Ms. Larsen?”

That got her attention. “Make what easy, Mr. Jenkins?”

He waved a hand in the direction of the dance floor where the newlyweds, Jenny and Mark Thompson, danced to When I Fall in Love. “This being best-friends-in-law, stuff. We’re going to have to get along now, no matter what.”

She raised a brow. “And just what gives you that impression? Why do we have to get along? We’re not the ones that just got married.”

“No, but I have a feeling that if we want to be part of Mark and Jenny’s new lives in any way, we’re going to have to at least pretend to like each other. You know they won’t stand for us fighting.”

No, she and David weren’t exactly bosom buddies. They were as different as night and day, summer and winter…head lice and caviar. She smirked.

But why would anyone really care? So what if they’d squabbled over who should toast the future bride and groom at the engagement party last year? People disagree from time to time, and it all started with one of his inane clueless man comments. David made a lot of them.

The scene she made at the bachelor party last month couldn’t really matter now, could it? She had apologized. Sort of. Sandra had been told by a very reliable source – or so she thought – that David had hired a stripper for the party and she refused to let that little peccadillo go by without protest.

Then the whole incident at the rehearsal dinner…well, that was better left unmentioned for all concerned. Although, in her defense, Sandra couldn’t help it if the restaurant they held it at had received three health code violations in the past six months. If only Jenny had asked her beforehand, it would have been a moot point. Sandra certainly could not, in good conscience, have let David eat that shrimp and lobster platter knowing what she knew.

Yes, the restaurant owner hadn’t been pleased and maybe she could have been a bit more discreet, but really! In hind sight, she should let the big oaf take his chances with a little food poisoning.

She set her half-empty cup down on the buffet table and crossed her arms over her stomach. While she didn’t like David, she disliked the idea of missing out on Jenny’s new life even more.

“Well, maybe we can work on it,” she conceded. “What do you suggest?”

“First off, how about calling me Dave like everyone else?”

“I can handle that, but I’ll call you David.”

He smiled. Sandra moved away an inch. Sure he had a nice smile, but the man was hopeless otherwise.



Indulge your senses... with stories of the past, present & paranormal.
Meg Allison, Author

Blogging about villains...

Check it out ... Villains anyone?

It's up!

So? What do you think? (GGGGG)

Cover envy

I've been given a cover for DREAM WALK, my September 9th release from Samhain Publishing Ltd.

The cover is gorgeous! The hero is perfect -- the background almost exactly what I imagined. Suffice to say, I LOVE IT! But I can't share it yet. (pout) Samhain has this rule about not sharing or posting your cover before the boss okay's it. It's a great policy -- one I totally support. However...I really, REALLY want to post this cover anywhere and everywhere I can!

But I can wait. Heck, it took me this long to get the story done... But as soon as I'm allowed to, I'm sharing its lovely face with the world! ;)

What Spice Are You?

You Are Basil

You are quite popular and loved by post people. You have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive. You are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

What Spice Are You?

Ogling a hero...

I took my oldest daughters to see the new Speed Racer movie. It was entertaining -- cheesy, yes, but rather fun to watch. Just beware of the multitude of flashing lights and ultra-vivid-technicolor. I almost walked away with a migraine from all the chaotic sights.

However, I also walked away with a sincere appreciation for another actor, Matthew Fox of Lost fame. He is the perfect model for the hero in an upcoming novel, tentatively titled: Night Shift. The story is actually taking the characters from an unpublished short story -- a paranormal historical romance -- and tossing them into the present.

The book is still a work in progress, but I have it slated as book four in my paranormal series: The Sentinels.

Unlike many writers, I don't always have a photo visual of my characters, but I find it does help to have some kind of reference point. That way my heroes don't all come out sounding like the same cookie-cutter version of the last one. I can give them slightly different features; different flaws; varied attributes. If I have that photo available, it makes it all the easier to find the right words to convey what I'm seeing in my mind's eye.

And who doesn't like to ogle a hero now and then?

Chick-lit and Guest Blogger...

This past May marks the date for the release of Cindy K. Green’s sixth book title, Meeting Mr. Right Online. It is a sweet, chick-lit novella. What is Chicklit you might ask? Here is a little introduction from the author.

Chick-lit is primarily about young women in their 20’s or 30’s dealing with life (some newer titles include older women as well). It contains a light, humorous and most importantly a confiding tone (like you’re speaking to your girlfriends)—almost always in the first person. The themes focus around love, relationships, friendships, professional dilemmas, and a penchant for fashion—usually facing hilarious and embarrassing situations. But what it all comes down to is the heroine figuring out herself and what she really wants out of life. There is usually some kind of epiphany that blows her mind away and finally she can see clearly about what she really wants—or more importantly—needs.

Chicklit is a completely different genre from romance because the focus is on the woman and how she navigates her way through the twists and turns life throws at her. But the romantic angle is usually at the forefront of the story. Another things about chicklit is that it does not always end in a happily ever after for the heroine and her love interest. Now I am an HEA girl all the way, so never fear, mine is very romantic and sweet and ends with an HEA.


A few questions to Cindy about writing this book.


How did you go about writing this story?

This story resulted from a few factors. I was reading a couple of chick-lit novels last spring, I’d just watched several episodes of a certain tv show with my sisters which resulted in the names of all the side characters, and I really did have an online friend like this who I had come to rely on and then all of a sudden didn’t hear from. My friend though was only a friend and we started writing again in a very short time. But the situation made me think…What if??? It all went from there.

Did you plot out this story or write it pantser style?

There was no plotting to this story until toward the end and then it was only ideas of what I wanted to happen to bring about the conclusion. I began writing this story on my PDA late at night in the dark (this is also how I wrote NovelTea #1). Sounds weird, right? :D Well, we authors are an odd lot. LOL! I was in the middle of editing a full-length novel and to those of you who have ever done that we know how consuming it is. I needed to write something new. So, there in the dark as my husband slept, I began this story.

Is the finished version much different from your first draft?

Yes, actually, it is. It is about 5,000 words longer to begin with. I changed the heroine’s profession, adding a secondary plot line about her work worries. And I made her love interest British instead of American. My husband calls me an Anglophile as I love all things British especially Period Dramas and British television. I thought, ‘I can write an English bloke.’ I had a couple English author friends read through his passages to make sure he seemed real. It seems he passed muster.

Meeting Mr. Right Online
By Cindy K. Green
Sweet/Chicklit Novella
By Grace Publishing
$1.49

Watch the book trailer

Blurb:
What’s a girl to do when she’s thirty-three and all her friends have started their lives and left her behind?
Lucinda Kelley works for a local cable television show, assists her sister in her tumultuous relationships, and yearns for the day she can meet Mr. Right. All that seems to change when she meets Londoner Julian Crawford in an on-line tv chat room. Eight months later, via email he has become her best friend and closest confidant. Then one day the messages cease, and Lucinda feels lost until she makes a vow to end this infatuation with someone she has never met and move on to something real. When an alarming revelation is exposed, it could be Lucinda’s undoing or it might be exactly what she was looking for.
Excerpt #1: The Opening


Good evening, this is Amber Heffernan reporting live for Channel 11 entertainment news outside the beautiful Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. In just a few minutes, the glamorous Lucinda Kelley will emerge with her new husband, that handsome British financier. This couple has been in the media limelight since they first started seeing each other almost six months ago, outshining all of the other popular Hollywood pairs. The bride was married today in a Vera Wang strapless scoop-neck wedding gown, and I’m told she looked absolutely stunning. When the couple exits the hotel, they will travel to JFK International Airport to board the family jet to Jamaica where the twosome plan to depart for a two week honeymoon. After that they will settle into their Malibu home in California where Lucinda produces her award winning television sitcom…

The computer beeped letting me know it had finally booted up, and there I was, daydreaming again. I really had to stop doing that. I clicked the button once more, hoping this time it would be there. I held my breath for the few seconds it took to check my email messages, feeling that depressed, empty sensation yet again when I didn’t see it. Rubbing my forehead, I closed my eyes. This was absolutely ridiculous. Why did I torture myself so?

Read a couple more excerpts and watch the book trailer on my website.

**********
Cindy K. Green is a multi-published author with degrees in History and Education. Previously a middle school English & History teacher, she now homeschools her own children and writes in several genres: Inspirational, Contemporary, Suspense and Historical romance. Find out more about Cindy and her books at www.cindykgreen.com.

What happened to Spring?

It's hot. Blazing, melting, nobody wants to move HOT! We never really had Spring here in the lovely Eastern USA. Winter and fall-like temps followed us through the end of May with little good days in-between...and now we're up in the 90s with humidity that makes the air thick enough to swim through.

Ugh.

Yeah, yeah, when it was in the 20s I swore I wouldn't complain, but I guess I lied. What happened to Spring? Anyone? Anyone? Beuhler?

Joyfully Interviewed!

I've been interviewed and was very impressed with the interviewer's questions. I could tell she did her research. :)

Read it here: Meg Allison interview