Yvonne McEvaddy meets Lisa Day Today

Introducing ...  Yvonne McEvaddy:

Yvonne is a writer living and working in Headford, co. Galway.

She’s the author of two novels, Passion Killer and 
Shadows of the Dead.

She is currently working on her third novel, Thief of Hearts.

Passion Killer is currently available on smashwords.com and also on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk in the kindle bookstores. It will soon be available to order in print on amazon.

She was first published under her maiden name, Yvonne Gaughan, at the age of 17 when she won a Western Health Board competition to have her essay published in 100 Natural Highs.

Also as Yvonne Gaughan, in college she was a member of the Mystic Poets Society and had two poems published in their collaboration, Mystic Spirits.

Yvonne McEvaddy is a member of the Javawriters group.

Learn more about Yvonne at:

Blog: http://yvonnemcevaddy.wordpress.com/

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/yvonnemcevaddy/home

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yvonne-McEvaddy/255759494518831

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YvonneMcEvaddy




Where can we buy your books?

http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Dead-Yvonne-McEvaddy/dp/1479325422

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadows-Dead-Yvonne-McEvaddy/dp/1479325422

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Killer-ebook/dp/B007AGMHFI

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Passion-Killer-ebook/dp/B007AGMHFI

 Thanks, Yvonne great information about a great writer.
Lisa

Today with Jessica Kong

 

A Big MEOW..says it all.


Jessica A. Kong lives in Somerset, New Jersey with her loving husband of twenty years and teenage triplets. She is an avid reader of fantasy, futuristic, and paranormals. When she is not reading she enjoys arts and craft, puzzles, crocheting, and video games. A Lost Kitten is Jessica’s debut novel. She is currently working on the second installment to the Sea-anan Saga entitled,   “A Kitten’s Tale”.

** When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I began to dabble in the art of writing during High School. I was a fan of the then popular singing boy group and created short stories about meeting them. My friends all loved the plots, characters, and dialogue even though I felt the sentence structure needed help.

** As an indie author, what has been the most difficult part about being a writer?
 The most difficult part for me is marketing. I would rather write and edit my book than market it. But I know without marketing no one would know who I am.

** Who are the authors who inspire you?
  That’s easy. Nora Roberts, Ann Rice, and Christine Feehan.

** Do you plan/sketch your scenes before you write, or do you wing it?
 I write outlines of my story then go back and flesh them out.

** Do you start writing your scenes as dialog or plot?
 Both. While I’m writing my outline, if my character has something to say then I jot the dialog down. If they are only doing something then I write that. I would go back and flesh it out when the rest of the story comes to me.

** Please tell us more about the universe in which your book is set?
My book is set in our universe and beyond, in other words, this dimension we live in. In my book, our dimension is called Guildhall. In a distant section of Guildhall, mixed breeds of felines have built a peaceful empire. This empire is under attack, as well as all of Guildhall by a tyrant bent on ruling Guildhall and all the other dimensions.

** Who are your favorite characters in the book?
  John McCall. I love all the members of the Ruling Clan of Sea-ana. The Ruling Clan is made up of three families that are not related. Each family goes through hardship, starting with the parents, that each member becomes loyal and faithful to one another. Their bonds are strengthened because of all the hardships they endured over the years, creating one large family and a force to be reckoned with.
  
** Tell us more about the book’s them?
  My book’s themes are family loyalty, love, faith, racial prejudice-yes aliens have that issue too-finding one’s soulmate, and the consequences of war.

** How did you come up with the idea for your book?
 I watch a lot of movies and read a lot of books that give me a lot of crazy dreams. And like all writers, I keep my notebook on my bedside table for the more interesting dreams.

*** What’s next on your agenda?
  I am working on establishing a fan base. I would love to hear from my fans through their reviews of A Lost Kitten and by visiting my Facebook and Goodreads pages and leaving me comments. They can also twitter me. I am also working on the next Sea-anan installment, which I plan to release next year.

To learn more or contact Jessica Kong, go to:
Book Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-World-of-Sea-ana/462338863811603 Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Kong/155150417957328 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AreoMc Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6533956.Jessica_Kong You can buy A Lost Kitten on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/A-Lost-Kitten-Jessica-Kong/dp/1475143400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347412932&sr=8-1&keywords=A+lost+kitten

Thank you, Jessica for taking you time to share what's happening with you today.

Today Lisa meets Melanie Toye

Lisa meets Melanie Toye author of  Entice Me. for all you chick lit lovers.

What is your book about?

Entice Me is about three women who are living their lives unsatisfied and unfulfilled but are unsure how to break free and live the life they really want. Which begs the question – what do they want from life? It is not until life forces them out of their daily routines that they are forced to discover what the world has to offer. Complication arises when one woman is set out to be the best in the business and when things don’t go her way no one suspects what she will do next.
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
Entice Me was created when I had just left a very demanding job that I loved but was treated very poorly. I had never felt fulfilled in any of the jobs I worked in and had spoken to many people who had worked in their careers for decades yet were unfulfilled, they were stuck. I wanted to create Entice Me to hold a motivating message through an entertaining story to not wait for life to force you to change paths, but to think about what are your ultimate dreams in life and each day work towards it.
After writing Entice Me, it seems my life has also changed directions, writing is my dream and at the time I didn’t realise it. I wanted to escape the rat race but I was not sure what I wanted to do. It seems I have been writing and telling stories all my life I just never realised it was my dream career until recently. Now I want more than ever to share with everyone to chase their own dreams. It can be daunting and push you out of your comfort zone to the max, but it is incredibly rewarding.
What makes your book different than others in your genre?
Entice Me is a chick lit novel that pushes the boundaries that this genre would not normally write about. Drama, suspense, eating disorders, fraud and even suicide make this chick lit a book that will have you hooked to your seat wanting to read more.  What makes Entice Me even more compelling are the characters which can relate to anyone in any stage of life.
Who is your favorite writer? Why?
Currently it is Janet Evanovich, I love her characters, her writing style and the fact that I can’t put her books down.
What strange writing rituals do you have?
Now, I write mainly in the evening, so I like to have a cup of herbal tea and something to eat as I sit down and write. For sanity purposes I have a pen and notepad in every room of the house as well as in my bag and in my child’s pram because when I get a thought for a good story or just a conversational piece, I have to write it down as soon as possible.
Is your writing style similar to any well-known writers?
If so, which one(s)?A good chick lit novel is one filled with girly fun and adventure, which is light and entertaining that will leave you smiling throughout the read. Entice Me portrays this and adds even more thrill to your read.
I don’t think I could really compare my writing to any one else’s, as all writers add their own uniqueness and specialty. I would say my story telling is combined with self-help as I want to inspire and send a message through my novels to chase your dreams in life but be sure to have fun on the way.
Who is your Muse?
My motivator is my son. I was writing before he was born but he motivated me to self-publish my novel and become a freelance writer. I love that I am showing my son that I am chasing my dreams and he can too.
What are your hobbies?
Writing! Generally all my spare time is spent on writing and marketing. But I love it. I love spending time at the beach and exploring new adventures and places too.
How long did it take you to write your book?
Longer than one would appreciate. I spent two years writing Entice Me, when my computer crashed I lost everything except for three chapters. I took four months off, when a friend suggested perhaps it was a sign to start again. Then I rewrote Entice Me again adding in Sally and Mr Perfect to really spice up the storyline. I believe most of the story changed but for the better. Took me another 1 year and a half to write Entice Me again. I was also working full time in another role. I would write in lunch breaks, at night time and on weekends
What was the most difficult thing you have learned being a writer?
When writing Entice Me I had to be absolutely focused to finish the novel. Then once I finished it, I had to let go of all my fear of rejections and go out and spread the word to the world about Entice Me.


To find out more about Entice Me be sure to check out the following links:

Entice Me Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Entice-Me/491350774212219?ref=ts
Entice Me on Amazon.com only $2.99 -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008VBTWZO  

Entice Me on Smashwords only $2.99 -https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/234817 

Entice Me on Goodreads -http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16034263-entice-me  

Entice Me onWordpress: http://enticemenovel.wordpress.com/

Author blog: http://melanietoye.wordpress.com/

Author Fan Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/M-Toye/146863872056871


Don’t just hide Entice Me to yourself tell all your friends they have to read it too. Then discuss which character each of you are most similar to.

today with Zach Abrams

Today Lisa's guest it Zach Abrams . He is a multi-personality guy . Oops...that's his character's role. I guess, I better let him tell it.......

1 What is your book about?

My book tells the story of Benjanin Short in his various incarnations.  Benjamin is a very complex character and compartmentalises his life to an extreme.  His life is split into five different characters, each living under a variation of his name and the people in each of these lives have little or no knowledge of the others.  The one common thread weaving each of his lives together is his obsession for music.  There is an inevitability the divisions can not be sustained and the story deals with the unforeseen events taking place causing the divisions to become blurred with catastrophic results.
Benjamin is an anti-hero.  Although each of his characters has some redeeming features, they essentially are all different aspects of Benjamin's self obsession.  He is a sociopath constantly using other people to serve his own ends.
2 How did you come up with the idea for your book?
That's the strange part.  I didn't have an idea for a book.  I was sitting thinking about writing something and I had the idea for the character.  He developed in my mind and I thought I'd start trying to write about him.  At first I though it would make an essay or a short story.  The ideas expanded as I tried to explain about the different aspects of his character and the story seemed to write itself.  At no time did I prepare or think through a plot and I didn't know where it was going.  Afterwards, when I read it through for the first time it was like reading someone else's novel.
3  Does your main character resemble anyone in your family or circle of friends?
I certainly hope not.  True there are aspects of myself and of people I know but Benjamin is not based on any one person.  To survive in modern society, I, like most people have to compartmentalise.  Benjamin takes this beyond the boundaries of what is normal or reasonable.  Each of Benjamin's lives are reasonable normal if taken in isolation - it's only when they are combined under the same character and obsessively ring fenced that they become pathological
4 Who is your favorite writer? Why?
There are many writers I love depending on my mood.  One that I particularly enjoy is the British author Michael Dobbs (to confuse matters there is a US author of the same name).  I became addicted to his books after reading 'House of Cards' where I adored his depiction of Francis Urquhart.  His own political experiences make his novels knowledgeable, insightful and amusing.
5 How long did it take you to write your book?
Once I started writing 'Ring Fenced,' I was consumed by it and wrote obsessively.  I completed the first draft within five weeks the needed a rest to draw breath.  The first edit took me about four months and it was over another year before I was sufficiently happy with it to allow anyone else, outside family, to read it. I waited a further year or more to embark on another novel and I have recently competed 'Made a Killing.' It was less obsessively written but not by much and I hope to have it published quite soon
 6 What strange writing rituals do you have?
I don't know if I'd go as far as calling them rituals but I prefer to write into a word document while having a couple of windows open in the background.  I have one open to a dictionary /thesaurus and the other open in Google search.  This way I can often research or confirm small details I'm writing about while the thought is in my head.  Only recently, I've added a separate word document to the combination so I can make notes on my time line and characters as I go along.
I've recently noticed that I'm not too distracted by background noise so I don't have a problem with a television or radio being on while I'm writing.  It's maybe helped by my partial deafness but strangely enough I've found afterwards that I have a reasonable awareness of what the programme has been about and it hasn't significantly affected my writing - except maybe a few more typos to correct.
7 What are your hobbies?
Hobbies? Are you serious?  Where's the time?  Seriously though, I still have a lot of work commitments and try to write whenever I can.  This involves the associated requirements to edit and publish and to try to mutually support other writers that I know.  Outside of all of this I enjoy reading, music travel and sports.
8 What are you reading at the moment?
Currently I'm reading 'The Invention of the Big Bang' by Fred Schafer.  It has a very unusual style and is a compelling read with the author telling you someone's retelling of the main characters life story.  It took a bit of effort to get into it but it's proving very much worth the effort, absorbing.  I love reading Indie books, you find real originality while the mainstream mainly keeps churning out variations of the same thing.
links
http://www.authorway.net/authors/zach-abrams
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Fenced-ebook/dp/B0060C7W8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349606830&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Ring-Fenced-ebook/dp/B0060C7W8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349606830&sr=8-1

Just so you know Zach has completed his latest book and It's on sale now.. http://www.authorway.net/authors/zach-abrams

Today Lisa meets Susan Francis

Have you met Susan Francis? She writes for the Young Adult Romance Reader....Well here's your chance..

Susan's debut novel, Butterfly Porcupine, is the first in a series called Tales from Aintree Court and was first published in paperback in February 2011. A second revised edition was published in July 2012 along with an electronic version.

Her second novel, 'Two versions of the same song', the second Aintree tale, will be out at the end of 2012 and she is currently writing the third in the series. The stories are pitched at the level for readers in their mid-to-late teens but may be enjoyed by adults who enjoy reading YA fiction also.

1. Where did you get the idea for the novel?

 Butterfly Porcupine is the first of a series of Aintree Tales. For the tales, I wanted to write about London-based teenagers from different racial groups but on an equal platform. It was important to represent but also avoid stereotyping. These teenagers live in a somewhat idealistic (anti-dystopian but not quite utopian) gated-community in West London.


For Butterfly Porcupine, I first came up with the idea of the female protagonist, Tasha. I wanted to explore the character of a teenage girl who is shy to the extreme and has trouble communicating with others. Although the story is complete fiction, Tasha’s character is loosely based on me as a teenager. At the time I remember feeling like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. As an adult looking back I realize I so didn’t!

 I had the idea to write about the issue of privacy in relation to popular culture and social media. Social networking has made invasion of privacy more common and opinions are divided as to how acceptable this is. I linked this to Tasha‘s character, as she values her privacy a great deal, and made it a major conflict. The novel may even determine which side of the debate the reader is on, depending on whether it is considered a major conflict or minor one blown out of proportion.

With Butterfly Porcupine I paid homage to some of the love stories, from books and films that have resonated with me over the years. I was inspired by Pride & Prejudice, Taming of the Shrew, Greece (a movie I watched repeatedly as a child), Say Anything (a movie I watched repeatedly as a teenager) and, of course, Twilight (the book). I also planned that Aintree Tale #1 would have a halo while the soon to be published Aintree Tale #2 in comparison would have red horns and a fork tail.

2. Your title - who came up with it? Did you ever change the title?

I came up with the title. It came from a sentence in an earlier draft of the final chapter. It was first ‘Between a Butterfly and a Porcupine.’ The sentence was later changed by my editor and I changed the title to ‘Butterfly Porcupine.’ The ‘Butterfly’ part signifies the metamorphosis Tasha goes through and also relates to Kai in his pursuit of Tasha (which he compares to chasing a butterfly). The ‘Porcupine’ part relates to Tasha’s prickly and unapproachable character, which causes most people to avoid her, while Kai is drawn to her regardless.

3. Since becoming a writer what is the most exciting thing to happen to you?

I would say the positive feedback I have received. This was my first ever attempt at writing lengthy prose and I wasn’t sure if I could do it well enough or how it would be received. My mother was the first person to read it and she loved it (but she is my mother). A friend read it for me after that and was also very positive. The reviews have been mostly positive so far, also. It’s been great. Of course, I welcome all reviews and I have taken on board the criticisms – the most common being that it is formulaic. This is true, but there is more to it than ‘boy meets girl’ etc., and it’s most exciting when readers get that.

4. Which came first, the title or the novel?
 The novel came first.

5. What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Original Love, by JJ Murray, which is a story about childhood sweethearts who were separated in their late teens and find each other again 20 years later. (I am into reading romance novels by male authors at the moment.)

You can read more about Susan by following one of her links below:

LINKS-

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5708606.Susan_Francis

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-porcupine-ebook/dp/B008I5CALQ

There were many things about 'Butterfly Porcupine' that captured my interest right away. First off, the characters are well defined and not perfect, which makes them relatable. Tasha, the female protagonist, comes off slightly aggressive at times, but other times soft and empathetic. Because the book is written from both perspectives (the other part of the book I LOVED!), you really get a sense that you understand 'why' the characters are acting the way they are. For example, ...
you can read the rest of the review.here..... http://bleureviews.blogspot.com/2012/09/butterfly-porcupine-aintree-tales-1-by.html

IF you know a young person please hit a share button and let the world know.. Oh, just hit it anyway you know you want to...

Question: Do you think there are good books for those who like to read romance and are under 18 years old? Books your mother would not mind if you read them at that age.

Thank you for stopping by. Lisa Day today  will be about your favorite writers with the goal to see what their up to today. And maybe a little of yesterday and some of

tomorrow but mostly current information

  up to today's news.

So please, pass us along by sharing one or more of the links. If you want to tell the author you comments- please do that as well. Any questions will be passed along

 for the guest to answer. 

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