Do you love having a paperback book in your hands? Do you love the smell of a new book? Do you enjoy collecting signed books by your favorite authors? Inkspell is offering signed copies of WANT for anyone who purchases a print copy of her book today on our store site. WANT is a story that will touch your heart and leave you breathless and wanting more! Due to the nature of the promotion, there will be a delay in the shipping. Stop by to purchase your special signed book today! This is a limited time purchase so be sure to get your copy today! You know you want one! And at only $14.99, it's sure to be a collector's item! http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/store.html If you want to follow along with the twitter party and share the love, make sure you follow Stephanie Lawton on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Steph_Lawton Don't forget to watch for and use the #Want hashtag! It's sure to be a rocking party! Annabelle Blume is the author of the heart-pounding futuristic tale Frozen Heart. Today we sit down with Annabelle and are excited to share with you, our readers, a little more about this wonderful author. When did you first start writing? What made you want to be a writer? I’ve always been an avid reader, completely obsessed with my Scholastics flier from elementary school onward. I cut my teeth at a young age on authors who wrote adult fiction. My first true love in literature was the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. I was only 13 when I read those books. Everyone thought I was so weird because I read vampire books that weren’t in the middle school library. The Vampire Chronicles were adult not only in their themes and content, but also in the complexity of the language and writing style. At the time there were only 3 books in the series (shut up, I’m not old) and I read and re-read them until I had them memorized. I toyed with writing my own fantasy stories at the time, but abandoned the idea quickly. Fast forward about 10 years, I got married, had kids, and didn’t have time to think let alone read. I eventually got the hang of being a mom and figured out how to balance my time. A couple years ago, I resumed the voracious reading habits of my youth thanks to the resurgence of vampire themed books like the Black Dagger Brotherhood, and began writing as well. After playing around in some online writing communities, I decided I’d take the plunge and set my sights on writing a book. It all happened much faster than I expected and I’m still getting used to the idea that I have a book. Me. A book! Crazy. Did someone check Hades for snowballs? What inspired you to write your book? Honestly, I saw a call for scifi submissions at romance house and the setting for Frozen Heart immediately popped into my head. On a more serious note, I felt this was my opportunity to challenge readers to think about what it means to be strong, what it means to be free, and what it means to be vulnerable for the sake of true love. Are you a pantser or a plotter? I was a total pantser for Frozen Heart. The story came to me as I wrote it. I started with the first sentence and the pieces fell into place as the story unfolded. The down side to that process was how much had to be scrapped and rewritten. As for my current WIP, I plotted it before hand, and then revised the synopsis two more times before I started writing. So, I guess you could call me a switch. Do you have any writing rituals or special processes you complete before sitting down to write? No, but I wish I did. I have three kids, and the interrupt my writing on a 20 minute rotating schedule. I write most often at night, once they’re in bed, and I’ve also claimed a spot at the table in my kids’ karate studio where I can work while they are in class. What authors inspire you? F. Scott Fitzgerald is a huge favorite of mine. Oscar Wilde is another classic author who I never tire of reading. Obviously, Anne Rice has inspired me a great deal. Then there are my dystopian idols; Ray Bradbury and Margaret Atwood. My goodness, Fahrenheit 451 and The Handmaid’s Tale changed my life. Speculative fiction was completely new to me and when I read those books I felt like someone understood me, really got me and how my head worked. I’m also a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain. His voice and unapologetic social and political commentary inspire me to be true and honest in my writing. If you could only write in one genre for the rest of your career, what genre would you choose? Why? Romance. Without a doubt. There is so much room the in romance genre to spin out stories in whatever direction you want. Contrary to the popular view that dismisses romance as a genre full of unrealistic ideals and fantasy relationships, I believe when you dig into romance you find a deep well of stories that portray the honest moments of love. The hard and heartbreaking experiences that we go through and the hope that lies behind it all. Which of the characters in your current release is your favorite? Why? Tonk. He’s one of Cressenda’s dogs. The subtleties of how Cressenda and Tonk interact are really amazing to me. They’ve been a team for a very long time and she doesn’t trust anyone the way she trusts Tonk. Are any of your characters modeled after real people? If so, which ones? No, they aren’t. They are completely from my own crazy imagination, which, incidentally, made it tremendously difficult to find real people to be visual examples. What music was on your playlist while writing your novel? Frozen Heart was written almost exclusively to the Maroon 5 album Songs About Jane. Morning person or grumpy bear? Don’t talk to me before 10am or coffee. Or both. Tell us one thing it would surprise us to know about you? I have over 10 hours of tattoo work on my body. Is that surprising? I don’t know. I suppose that depends on who you ask. What is next for you? I have another romance in the works right now. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to establish myself as a romance author and have a nice long career writing sex scenes...and the stories that go with them, of course. Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what? I used to take aerial acrobatics. Tissue to be exact. You know, the stuff you see at Cirque du Soleil where they climb the long strips of fabric and tie themselves up and swing around? I really want to get back to it. Oh, and I’m afraid of heights. If I were to look in your closet right now, would I find frills and lace or demin and tees? Both. Like I said, I have three kids, and the youngest is 3, so I don’t spend much time in heels and lace, but when I do get dressed up, I don’t hold back. In summary, you’d find 2 pair of Converse, 2 pair of flipflops, 6 pair of jeans, and about 20 different vintage style dresses and heels. I wear red lipstick almost every day, though. If you would like to find out more about Annabelle and her writing, please check out her blog at: http://www.annabelleblume.com/ Frozen Heart is available now for purchase at the Inkspell store as well as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks and Kobo. See for yourself why Frozen Heart has been receiving so many five star ratings! Because it takes a lot of work to make Mondays fun, we at Inkspell decided to start a new blog feature we like to call Eyecandy Monday. Each Monday we will feature the characters from one Inkspell novel and share with you all the fine details and tasty tidbits we can dig up about these interesting and well written main characters. Since our cover reveal of The Star Child in July, many of you have been writing in about the characters and when will you get to learn more about them. That time is now! And while the story goes onto your wish list, here's a little glimpse of Kellen and his beautiful goddess, Calienta. Character Name: Kellen St. James Age: 18 Hair: Longish, Brown Eyes: Green Height: 5’9 Distinguishing features: Haunting eyes Most resembles: Logan Lerman Teaser: Kellen St. James is just an eighteen-year-old Yale graduate, when a Celtic goddess turns up spinning a tale a prophecy in which Kellen plays a key role. Character Name: Calienta Age: 450 Hair: Long, Brown Eyes: Blue Height: 5’7 but can grow in size to over ten feet if desired Distinguishing features: Piercing blue eyes Most resembles: No one famous because she is not of this earth Teaser: Calienta doesn’t understand the Pagan prophecy that binds her to Kellen, but she understands the connection that she’s always felt for him and will stand by him until the end. Aren't these two perfect? Did we make you want to read the story more? Don't forget that you can pre-order The Star Child today at the Inkspell Store. And stop by the Inkspell Blog for more Eyecandy next week! Summer is almost over. That means that it is back to school time. While some parents are excited about the kids going back to school, we wanted to ask our Inkspell Authors about their back to school memories. What was your favorite memory of back to school time? Did you love going back to school or were you always dragging your feet? We hope you enjoy hearing from our authors about their favorite back to school memories. T. Michelle Nelson: My favorite memory of back to school was the shopping. Going out with my mom and getting new back-to-school outfits and accessories was always a fun event. As for the school part, not so much. I always made pretty good grades, but I was never enthused about the project. Any time I could skip I did, even as a young girl I'd fake sick so my grandmother would come pick me up. The school started catching on to all my "illnesses" so I had to get creative. I'd tell my teacher I needed to throw up, and of course, no teacher wants a kid to blow chunks in the floor, so they'd always let me go to the restroom. I'd make a pitstop on the way by the water fountain and fill my mouth absolutely full of water, then I'd go hide in a bathroom stall and wait. After a few minutes, the teacher would always send another student to come check on me, and when they would, I'd spit all the water out of my mouth to make the splashing sound in the toilet and make wretching noises like I was getting sick. Never failed, the kid who was supposed to be checking on me would run back to the room and tell the teacher I was sick and shortly thereafter I was picked up. So to answer your question, not so much, I didn't really love to go back to school! Deb Peterson: As I recall, I returned to school kicking and screaming... Well maybe it wasn’t quite that bad. But as a child, we filled the lazy days of summer with countless adventures. We ran barefoot through grassy fields and ripening fruit orchards while acting out numerous stories inspired by fairytales and romantic movies. Irrigation canals served as impromptu swimming pools (you should have seen the look on my mom’s face, when as adults, we told her about that). There were horses to ride, library books to read, and places to explore. We had picnics in the canyon where we would chill our soda and watermelon in the river while hotdogs and hamburgers simmered on the grill. And how many times did we lie on our backs, look up at a cloudy sky, and find pictures? Still, I guess a set of brand new color crayons, pencils, and books, reuniting with friends we hadn’t seen all summer, compensated a bit for having to return to school. And after all, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were just around the corner... right? Rebecca Hart: I was never a lover of the back to school time of year. Which is strange, considering my birthday is right smack at the beginning of September. While I always looked forward to the start of a new year, getting back into the sports I loved and seeing old friends, back to school always meant back to school shopping. ICK! My mom would pack my sister and I in the car and head off to the mall for school clothes. We would spend hours picking out and trying on piles of outfits. Sounds fun, right? So what was the issue? Well, my mother didn't own or believe in owning any credit cards. They were evil and she had decided at one point to live her life in cash, and not buckle to the pressure or expense of having credit cards. She was a check writer. No biggie, really, expect back then, many of the major "cool" clothing stores wouldnt take a check without a credit card. It didn't matter how much photo ID my mom had, how many check cashing cards, they wouldnt honor a check without presenting a major credit card. Imagine two teenage girls behind a massive pile of clothing at the counter, cringing while mom argued with the cashier about how if she had a credit card, she would just charge the clothing. Despite my mother's protests, the cashier always said the same thing. "Sorry, that is store policy. I wish I could help you." This line would be followed by my mother storming from the store while the purchases we had planned to make and the clothes we had spent hours shopping for, left on the front counter for the poor cashier to return to the shelves. For someone in their younger teen years -- this was the pinnacle of all embarrassments, and completely scarring for my sister and I. Suffice to say, from that year on, we ALWAYS checked with the sales lady to see if they would take a check without a credit card before even looking at the store stock to save ourselves further embarrassment. Sasha Summers: I loved elementary school – the smell of crayons was second only to fresh-baked cookies. I relished new lunch boxes (or hand-me-downs from my sisters). I especially loved my Kindergarten teacher and my school. I remember being a glitter addict. My art was the best in the class. We were stationed in Holland at the time, my Dad was in the Air Force, and it was so great being with other English speaking kids. Yes, I did speak Dutch (I don’t remember a word of it now, sadly) – but not very well. I still love the smell of crayons and encourage the use of glitter whenever one of my brood has a project. They, however, have lots more restraint that I do! Lisa Voisin: For me, back to school was always exciting. Autumn was my favorite time of year. I loved the changing leaves, the cooler days, and especially the fall fashion. Getting new clothes and school supplies made it feel like a new beginning, where anything was possible. Aren't those some great stories? We loved the photos most of all! Share with us your own back to school memories...could be of your own or maybe a memory of your children's first day back at school. We'd enjoy hearing from you!
Because it takes a lot of work to make Mondays fun, we at Inkspell decided to start a new blog feature we like to call Eyecandy Monday. Each Monday we will feature the characters from one Inkspell novel and share with you all the fine details and tasty tidbits we can dig up about these interesting and well written main characters. Lily Drake has been prowling the Inkspell offices lately as she gears up for her favorite time of year, Halloween. There is nothing like being a vampire to really get you in the mood for a scary celebration! T. Michelle Nelson is sharing her vision of Lily Drake and her two hunky vampire hotties with you. What do you think? Which one would you want? Character Name: Lily Drake Age: 35 Hair: Long, Brownish-Auburn Eyes: Dark Brown Height: 5’9 Distinguishing features: Lily’s family heritage is Irish and Cherokee Most resembles: Alyson Hannigan Teaser: Lily is all work and no play until trouble in the form of two cousins crash into her life. Character Name: Mathias Sutton Age: 500, give or take a decade but physically will always be 27 Hair: Short, dark brown Eyes: Dark Brown Height: 6’2 Distinguishing features: Very muscular Most resembles: Jackson Hurst Teaser: Mathias is no nonsense. He’s very important, and he’s worked his way to the top. Character Name: Valentine “Val” Ballard Age: Right around 500, but will forever be 26 Hair: Shaggy, dark brown Eyes: Dark Brown Height: 6’4 Distinguishing features: Very tall, lanky but well-tone Most resembles: Rodrigo Santoro Teaser: Unlike his cousin, Mathias, Val isn’t at all ambitious or very serious. He’s all about having fun and the ladies! Don't forget that Lily is having a Halloween Sucks Blog Hop. If you haven't signed up, you can do so here! http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/1/post/2012/08/halloween-sucks-says-lily-drake-blog-hop.html. It is sure to be a delightfully good time!
Do you love having a paperback book in your hands? Do you love the feel of the pages as they turn? Do you enjoy collecting signed books by your favorite authors? Inkspell is offering signed copies of Frozen Heart for anyone who purchases a print copy of her book today on our store site. Due to the nature of the promotion, there will be a delay in the shipping. Stop by to purchase your special signed book today! This is a limited time purchase so be sure to get your copy today! You know you want one! And at only $7, it's sure to be a collector's item! http://www.inkspellpublishing.com/store.html If you want to follow along with the twitter party and share the love, make sure you follow Annabelle on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AnnabelleBlume. Don't forget to watch for and use the #frozenheart hashtag! It's sure to be a rocking party! Oh yes, Halloween is all about vampires and we are celebrating it with vampires this year!! Proud to announce our first blog hop fest - where you can share your vampire love for 5 days from Oct 1st - Oct 5th while discovering awesome blogs along the way! This blog hop is very simple. On Oct 1st, post anything about vampires. Say, hottest vampire around? Damon Salvatore? Edward Cullen? Or say, best vampire fiction ever? Or, may be a post about your perfect vampire! All we need is you talk about vampires because, hello! Halloween Sucks! That's what Lily Drake, our super mom from our special Halloween offering "Life and death of Lily Drake" says. And we do take her very seriously! And then, just visit the participating blogs and share the joy of loving vampires! :) Great way to discover new bloggers and increasing your readership too. We love these as they are amazing in helping each other while having a wonderful time. You do this all through Oct 1 - 5th! 5 days of nothing but Vampire bliss! We are planning some exciting Halloween swags too! The winners will be announced on the last day of the blog hop which is Oct 5th, which also happens to be the release day of the book. So, its a double party!! Want to join in? Sign up on our linky and have a sucky Halloween! :D 50 Bloggers have already signed up!
www.moosubi.blogspot.com/ www.booksandbeyond.net www.supagurlbooks.blogspot.com booknerd.ca bookbreather4lyfe.blogspot.com www.lettersinsideout.net sarahelizabethsbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk/ raelori.blogspot.com iheartreading.net www.christysbookaddiction.blogspot.com bookshelf.shotgunopera.net www.bookwhales.blogspot.com/ mommacatandherbabies.blogspot.com www.midtown-underground.com www.nightlyreading.wordpress.com www.crossroadreviews.com www.bookmice.org pnrurbanfantasyreviews.blogspot.com/ vanessaleighbooks.blogspot.com www.everythingatoc.blogspot.com readingcave.blogspot.com/ andisbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/for-love-of-vampire.html janieraeldridge.blogspot.com www.readergirlsblog.com book-spark.blogspot.com/ the-itzel-library.blogspot.com/ bookmaven623.wordpress.com thelifeofanasiandreamer.wordpress.com/ booksbycenteno.com megantalksbooks.blogspot.com fullmoonbites.blogspot.com/ lisavoisin.wordpress.com www.alwaysyaatheart.blogspot.com in-interest.blogspot.com www.bookliaison.com teenyreader.blogspot.co.uk/ www.jbridgerwriting.blogspot.com/ www.stephaniekeyes.com www.facing50withhumour.blogspot.com www.readersconfession.com www.melissakeir.com/blog.html cecereadandwrite.blogspot.com paranormalopinion.blogspot.com highlyreadioactive.blogspot.in www.snowdropdreams.ca sweetandsassyreviewz.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-hop.html#comment-form booksdownmypillow.blogspot.com www.snifferwalk.org pinkfluffyhearts.blogspot.com/ Summer vacation is almost over and back to school items are out and about. Some students have even already gone back to school. This is the perfect time to reflect on our favorite summer vacation destinations. We asked some Inkspell authors about their favorite vacation spots and why. Will any of their favorites also be on your list? Stephanie Lawton:We moved across the country three years ago from northeast Ohio to the Gulf Coast, so all our vacations have been trips "home" so the grandparents can get their fill of the kiddos. This past trip, we "ate our way" through Ohio, gobbling up all the things you can't get in the South--Amish cheese made with raw milk, rhubarb pie, and the kind of heavenly sweet corn you can only get in the Midwest! The kids got to play with their cousins, they saw dinosaurs at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and rode the rides at Kennywood, a old-time amusement park in Pittsburgh. Stephanie Keyes: My favorite summer vacation spot is easily the Outer Banks, in North Carolina. One of the wonderful features about this place is that there really isn't a public beach access pot. Access is by street. So the beaches are never really crowded. They are always pristine. The houses are gorgeous, with pools in many cases and the local folks are just nice as can be. Add to that some beautiful weather in the 80s and you've got a wonderful place to go. I haven't been there for quite some time, but it really is my favorite getaway. Brooke Moss:My family visits Glacier National Park every couple of years, and we absolutely love it! There is no where else in America that is quite as stunningly beautiful as GNP. Jagged mountains, thick, lush trees, bright emerald green glacial lakes...gorgeous. Plus, the wildlife there is amazing! Big horn sheep, puffy white mountain goats, grizzly bears. They're everywhere, and my (insane) husband has decided that a trip to GNP isn't complete without seeing a grizzly. Um...crazy. I stay as far away from bears as possible. Another great thing about GNP is the huckleberries. They're everywhere, and put into every food cooked in or around the park. I don't consider a trip to GNP complete unless we've had huckleberry soda, huckleberry pancakes, huckleberry salad dressing, and huckleberry ice cream. You could say I'm a huckleberry addict, I suppose. Either way, a trip to GNP is absolutely worth your time, effort, and money. It will make you love this great country we live in, and will reaffirm your belief in a higher power for sure. Stunning, absolutely stunning. Because it takes a lot of work to make Mondays fun, we at Inkspell decided to start a new blog feature we like to call Eyecandy Monday. Each Monday we will feature the characters from one Inkspell novel and share with you all the fine details and tasty tidbits we can dig up about these interesting and well written main characters. Frozen Heart our latest release will leave your heart anything but frozen. It is a sizzling tale of two people who are on opposite sides of the new world order. The world has entered a second Ice Age and survial is a challenge. The government regulates everything including who you mate and marry. Today Annabelle Blume shares with you what she pictures for the main characters. See if you agree! Character Name: Cressenda Age: 26 Hair: brown Eyes: brown Height: 5’5” Distinguishing features: The calloused hands of a woman that builds her own solar panels and kills animals (and people if necessary) with a spear. Most resembles: Minka Kelly Teaser: Cressenda is determined, almost to a fault, to live on the right side of wrong. She needs no one but her canine companions and nothing but her finely tuned survival skills to make it on her own. Character Name: Beckett Age: 30 Hair: dark brown Eyes: blue Height: 6’4” Distinguishing features: Tall, dark, and handsome with an icy façade Most resembles: Jesse Williams Teaser: Beckett wants to save Cressenda, from the Affinity, from the blizzard, and from herself, but he isn’t exactly forthcoming with why her survival means so much to him. Frozen Heart is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat with the fast paced action and heart stopping romance. Can you see Jesse and Minka in the main roles?
Dates... the anticipating, the excitement, the nervousness! It all goes hands in hands with the most perfect romantic night or it could be the biggest disaster. Today we've checked with our Inkspell authors and asked them about their own epic dating disasters. Each of us have been there at one time or another, we've wanted something to go one way and we were disappointed. The goal is to laugh along with these events. They do make some wonderful story line possibilities. Sasha Summers: Mine is a nightmare scenario! I was getting ready for prom. My parents were out so I was on my own, hair in curlers and butterflies in my stomach. I slipped into my fabulous little black dress (a clearance rack dream) and heard the most horrible sound. It ripped along the seam, from the kick pleat to the middle of my rump. I went into full frantic mode. When he arrived I was in stockings and a robe, crying and blotchy and mortified. I explained, through hiccups and tears, what had happened. He calmly took the dress, a needle and thread, and told me to finish getting ready. I did while he fixed my dress. It might have started out as a disaster, but it ended up being a wonderful evening! T.Michelle Nelson: Embarrassing dating disaster?I should mention I rarely get embarrassed, which is fortunate considering I’m constantly doing something stupid.I could probably write a book on past embarrassing situations, however one particular incident does come to mind. Several years ago, I had very limited experience being outside of the small town I lived and I had begun dating this very nice fellow who was from a large city.We were in said large city one evening and heading out to a nice dinner.I was quite unaccustomed to being in such a populated area, and began gawking at the skyscrapers.As we drove along, I then noticed what I believed to be some “ladies of the evening” and some very rough looking gentlemen.My mind raced with images of the dangerous life on the streets in the big city, all the illegal activities and criminal elements similar to “Law and Order” on television.I must have been daydreaming for quite some time, all these exciting and scary thoughts bouncing around in my head. Completely distracted and still gawking every which way, I was suddenly thrown back into reality as my car door was flung open.Let me tell you, that fight or flight response kicked in, and never seeming to have good sense, mine is always short on flight and full of fight.That would-be carjacker had certainly picked the wrong vehicle.This Kentucky girl was going to make him sorry!Before rational thought could even come into play, I had balled up my fist and was swinging at the open door. Fortunately, that particular left hook wasn’t my best, but it certainly terrified the man opening my door who had covered his face and cowered.“Ma’am, just trying to help you out of the car!” The “carjacker” who turned out to be the restaurant’s valet then shakily yelled. I turned around to my date who had this look of dumbfounded horror on his face, and all I could think to do was laugh. Uncontrollably. Annabelle Blume: I didn't date much in high school or college. I had two steady boyfriends throughout the years, then got married in my early 20's, so my experience is limited. But my sister once went on a date where the guy asked her to meet at a fancy restaurant. When she arrived, he said, "So, lets go grab a coffee at Starbucks." Turns out, he had no intention of actually taking her to the restaurant. Then, asked her to pay for his coffee and pay for his parking (please note: they drove separately). Suffice to say, there was no second date. We hope you enjoyed our little misfortunes and see that life has its share of unfortunate adventures. Feel free to share yours!
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