Kassandra Flamouri holds a degree in Music from the Sunderman Conservatory of Gettysburg College, which she uses to moonlight as a folk musician while juggling writing, teaching, and earning a second degree.
Check out our interview on YouTube:
Check out HER book below!
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The Chalice and the Crown – Driven, talented, and determined to live up to her family’s fame, Sasha Nikolayeva is ballet’s crown princess. But just when Sasha lands her most prestigious role yet, she falls prey to a host of disturbing neurological symptoms that threaten to end her career and her very life. As her mind and body deteriorate, Sasha spirals into a nightmare world where beauty and cruelty exist in the same breath and villains rule from the shadows.
In the glittering, sharp-edged City of Roses, Sasha is no princess. She’s a thrall, a slave. Thousands like her suffer in cursed silence while citizens enjoy the splendor of the City, blissfully unaware that their servants are anything more than living dolls enchanted to do their bidding. But the City’s slavers know the truth, and they are always watching. One misstep could cost Sasha her life—or her soul.
Even as she endures the violence and indignity of captivity, Sasha can’t help being drawn to the beauty of her nightmare world and the underground rebels who offer her friendship, shelter, even love. Before Sasha can break her chains for good, she’ll need to choose between the life waiting for her at home and the countless lives she could save if she stays. To choose a nightmare over her real life, her future, would be madness…but maybe a little madness is just what it takes to change the fate of a city built on lies.
WORKING TITLE: Everdal
GENRE: YA/NA Fantasy
Status: Writing First Draft
Days in current Status: 17
Current Word Count: 22,755
Current Chapter Count Complete: 13.5
NEXT STEPS: Complete first draft - Estimated completion date: 3/31/2021
This week was a slow week. I was only able to write 2 days since my last update. My goal short term goal: reach 25,000 words by Wednesday, February 17th. Wish me luck!!!
Celeste had known Ethan since the 3rd grade when his family moved in down the road. However, it wasn’t until the eleventh grade that they became real friends. It wasn’t until their senior year, when her world was about to turn upside down, that they finally expressed how they felt about each other.
Hi! I’m thrilled to be here with you today celebrating the launch of my newest book, Damned When I Didn’t. This was such a fun story to write, and it is home to some of my favorite characters. The premise for this book blossomed from my desire to write something that hasn’t been done before, which isn’t easy when there are so many authors writing amazing paranormal and supernatural stories. Well, you don’t find many YA succubus books. And then I thought, wouldn’t it be ironic if the succubus in my book is a virgin? How would that work? And how did she end up a succubus? Could she survive? Would she want to? I sure hoped so! So I put pen to paper (or more accurately, fingers to keyboard) and Avery Williams was born. She’s thrown into a life she didn’t ask for and she’s determined not to lose her morals or her human side.
Cherie Colyer is best known for her young adult, paranormal romance thrillers, including the Embrace series (featuring witchcraft) and Challenging Destiny (a story about outsmarting heaven and hell.) She usually has several book projects in the works. She enjoys helping budding writers improve their craft and learn more about the publishing industry. Cherie lives in Illinois with her family. She happily visits schools and libraries and is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators).
Douglas Ford is the author of the recent collection of weird fiction, Ape in the Ring. His short stories have appeared in such venues as Dark Moon Digest, Tales to Terrify, Weird City, as well as The Best Hardcore Horror, Volumes 3 and 4.
Check out our interview on YouTube:
Check out HIs book below!
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(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)
APE IN THE RING – From the author of The Reattachment comes a frightening and twisted collection of stories that demonstrates Douglas Ford’s imagination at its best.
In these stories, a woman uncovers the buried memory of how she once disappeared inside the house of a murderer; a father waits and waits for his son to come out of a playground structure, unprepared for what finally does emerge; a group of foster children play an unconventional form of divination while protecting a secret together; the closet of a hotel room hides an unspeakable voyeur; and in the title story, a carnival offers ritualized combat with something that may or not be an ape.
Douglas Ford wields language like a sinister surgeon with a night-black scalpel. These stories cut down to the bone, exposing the darkness that lies just beneath the surface of our everyday world. This collection is a midnight carnival of dark wonders, terrifying and fascinating in equal measure. –Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author, Tim Waggoner
Ape in the Ring and Other Tales of the Macabre and Uncanny is a must have collection for every horror library. Douglas Ford crafts stories that are disturbing, dripping with atmosphere, and claustrophobically frightening. You will be thinking about this book long after you have set it down. -Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author, Owl Goingback
WORKING TITLE: Everdal
GENRE: YA/NA Fantasy
Status: Writing First Draft
Days in current Status: 8
Current Word Count: 18,670 (Average of 2,333.75 words per day)
Current Chapter Count Complete: 11
NEXT STEPS: Complete first draft - Estimated completion date: 3/31/2021
Celeste, Sydney, and Ellah have been best friends since 3rd grade. Boys have never come between them, but can their friendship remain when they are pulled worlds apart?
Guest Post by Author @authorKristinP (Kristin Ping)
This one is always fun, and hopefully, new and aspiring authors could take something from my experience.
I started to write in 2009. I was 29 years old and thought I would become the next J.K Rowling. I’m honest as can come, and let’s face it, every new author who gets an idea thinks their book will be the next Harry Potter.
Newsflash, and it is a big wake up call, your book won’t be the next Harry Potter unless you really have something gold in your hands.
So yes, that is my number 1. Your book won’t be the next Harry Potter.
Number 2: Reviews.
If I knew reviews could be that harsh, I probably would never have started to write. The funny part is, it’s like 5% of my reviews are so negative, I wanted to sit in a corner and cry. The other 95% struggle to actually wait for my next book.
Authors quit writing because of their reviews. They can be brutal, and less than a percent of those reviews are actually helpful. You get negative reviews that you learn from, and those readers I treasure as they tell you what they find wrong with your book. The other part likes to tell you what trash your book is, and we call those reviewers, Trolls. They are known as trolls as they do not know how to write a review that helps authors and actually trash their writing dreams. It’s one of the reasons I do not read my reviews anymore as I always concentrate on those 5% negative reviews and forget about the 95% that actually loved it.
Number 3. Marketing.
If I knew that I would spend so much time on marketing, I would probably choose a different career. But I love the first part so much, it’s like breathing that marketing is just something I have to do.
Number 4. Writing the book.
My first book took three years to write, and I thought it was the most challenging part I’d ever done. Writing the book is the easiest part. I wish I knew that before I published.
Number 5. Wattpad.
I wish I knew about Wattpad before I started. Wattpad is a beautiful site if you are starting out, trying to build your fan base. It’s a bit harder if you are an established author using Wattpad and then developing your career.
Number 6. Publishers.
I was with a publisher first before I stepped out on my own. Publishers can really make things sound so sparkling and pretty. Giving you the idea that all you are going to do is write the book. It’s not the truth. If you are not a prominent name author, you will work your tush off for a crazy small amount of the percentage when it comes to royalties. You are lucky if publishers give you half, but most provide you with anything from 12 to 25% of the cut. So be careful when it comes to publishers. They have their strong points in getting your book out there, but you can also step in a ditch and struggle to get out.
Number 7. Editing, editing, editing.
English isn’t my first language, and I can’t tell how important it is to get an editor that can actually edit a book. I had many, many people telling me that they are brilliant at editing. Then I trust them and guess what, when my book gets released, plenty of reviews streamed in about my book being riddled with mistakes. It’s hard to find an editor, and I wished that I actually took an editor’s course before writing.
Number 8. You are going to work your butt off.
If you are not prepared to work your butt off (not meaning literally as you sit on a chair), then don’t do this. I never worked this hard at any of my jobs. So be prepared to work your butt off.
Number 9. Funnel sites.
Ever heard of Book funnel, Prolific, and StoryOrigin. Yip, I wish that I knew about them when I started. They are excellent sites that help you gain newsletter subscribers that love books. You need those to make a success from your writing career.
Number 10: Networking.
You need authors to help you make a success in this career. I started late in life when it comes to this, but glad that I discovered it eventually. This industry is not a competition. The sun is big enough for all of us, and you need author buddies to help with pushing and cross-promoting. It’s like one hand washes the other. Bloggers. Bloggers are gold. Treasure them, and work on your blogger list as you grow.
And that is my ten top list of things I wish I knew before I published my book. If you have anything to add, leave it in the comments. I might not even know about it.
Kristin resides in South Africa, East side of Johannesburg with her husband and two beautiful little girls. Writing has always been a passion of hers and she’s living the dream, being able to write every day. ” I love life, cherish every special second of it and live my dream.” She has recently started her own Publishing company – Fire Quill Publishing in South Africa – http://www.firequillpublishing.com/
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.
Kelly Marsden is a Yorkshire author who writes fantasy stories. Her first book, The Shadow Rises (Witch-Hunter #1), was published in January 2013 and she now has several successful series under her belt.
Check out our interview on YouTube:
Check out KELLY’s book below!
(Click on the cover images to order your copy)
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)
With Midwinter just around the corner, Mark’s Nanna decides that it is time he learnt more about his family heritage. Learning witchcraft shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Balancing school, magic, and the distractions of the gorgeous new guy, should make this a very interesting winter.
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve recently finished The Beast Within, an interactive urban fantasy novel. The eBook is currently available for pre-order on amazon and both the eBook and the paperback versions will be released on April 1, 2021. I could not be more thrilled to share Austin’s story with all of my readers. But, that isn’t the new adventure I am excited to tell you about today.
Today I embark on another new adventure, one into the realm of a modern day fantasy. I won’t say to much, or give anything away… not just yet. However, my goal with this story is to blog at least once a week to give you an update on the progress. I’ve never really blogged my writing process from start to finish, but I’ve decided to do it this time as a way to hold myself accountable. I hope that you will join me in this adventure and hold me accountable as well.
My challenge to you is this – Reach out – comment – ask questions – and get engaged! The more excited you are the more motivated I will be to finish this story. And trust me, right now, I am motivated!!!
Update #1 January 26, 2021
WORKING TITLE: Everdal
GENRE: YA/NA Fantasy
STATUS: Character descriptions started
Chapter outline complete
NEXT STEPS: Begin the writing adventure!
Meet Celeste Stevenson, a normal high school student studying for exams and getting ready to celebrate her 17th birthday. She has the perfect boyfriend, the kindest parents, and her whole life ahead of her… or does she?
Meet Liane Carmen, author of the Investigation Duo Series. Like most authors, Liane hopes that her readers will vouch for her if her Google search history ever comes into question!
LIKE – SUBSCRIBE – AND COMMENT BELOW TO BE ENTERED FOR A CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ‘WHERE THE TRUTH HIDES’ BY LIANE CARMEN!!!
Check out our interview on YouTube:
Check out LIANE’S bookS below!
(Click on the cover images to order your copy)
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)
Buried secrets can be deadly.
Becky Morgan has a life most women would envy until a car accident lands her in the hospital. She insists she’s fine, but it quickly becomes clear she’s changed. She’s forgetful, paranoid, short-tempered. Her husband wants to write off her change in personality to the IVF hormones she’s taking in an attempt to get pregnant.
Becky’s best friend, Jules Dalton, is a gorgeous, single woman, with a habit of sabotaging relationships. When Jules loses the man who could have been “the one,” she confronts the realization that being adopted at birth is contributing to her trust issues. She’s obsessed with finding out why she was given up and turns to DNA testing in hopes her matches will lead to her birth parents.
As Jules dives into her DNA results, Becky’s life soon becomes one she doesn’t recognize. Those closest to her are accusing her of things she simply can’t explain or remember. She’s terrified of losing everything: her career, her marriage, and her dream of becoming a mother.
Desperate to put the pieces of her shattered life back together, Becky needs her best friend more than ever. What she doesn’t realize is that Jules knows something that could explain everything away.
Becky has a dark past she’s unaware of. A darkness that’s coming for her.
It could also get her killed.
As a young girl, Donna Thomas tragically lost her mother and sibling. Her wealthy father has been emotionally absent ever since. As an adult, he refused to help, insisting she had to find her own way in life. When he dies, Donna’s convinced this is her chance to get what she deserves. After all, there is no other family.
But then his will deals her an unexpected blow. The estate is to be shared, not only with a mysterious stranger, but also a half-sister Donna didn’t know existed. It’s bad enough she has to share her father’s money, but his last words stipulate she doesn’t get a penny of her inheritance until she locates her half-sister.
Angry and bitter, Donna turns to Becky and Jules who’ve just opened the doors of their new detective agency. Having solved family mysteries of their own, they’re now ready to help others. As they follow the trail Donna’s father left behind, it becomes clear someone else is on the hunt as well. One accidental death in their path could be coincidental, but when it looks like the mystery beneficiary has been murdered, they don’t know who to trust.
As Becky and Jules scramble to find the connection behind Donna’s father and the murdered stranger, they worry time is running out. If they want to find Donna’s half-sister alive, they had better find her fast, because someone else seems to be one sinister step ahead of them—they want what’s theirs, and they’re prepared to kill anyone who gets in their way.
Meet author Valerie Evans; Valerie is a modern fantasy addict living in Georgia. She finally took the plunge, after 7 years, to self-publish her debut novel! In her free time, she likes to read all genres with a focus on fantasy, entertain her very clingy dog, and collect Funko POPS bobbleheads and journals!
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. That means, when you purchase a book using an Amazon link on this site, I earn an affiliate commission. All commission earnings go back into funding my books; editing, cover design, etc.)
OF SPELLS AND FUR – As the only known survivor of a horrific massacre years earlier, Molly Hastings has rebuilt her life as a dedicated member of the Anberlin sentries. It’s her job to protect and police the supernatural citizens who call the town home, but the discovery of several bodies has put everyone on edge with no suspect in sight.
Further complicating matters are a call from the home she left behind and the sudden arrival of a werewolf motorcycle club with ties to her past. An unexpected ally is found in Parker Hayes, a hunter facing down his own demons and searching for a future not based in bloodshed, who inspires feelings she hasn’t felt in years.
Amidst the clash between her past and present, Molly finds herself questioning everything she knows about not only those she’s meant to protect but the Sentries themselves. Could everything she’s been taught be a lie, and if it is, can she protect those she cares about?
Although this story takes place in the Anberlin world of my first trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Follow her on Social Media here:
Valerie Evans (@thevalerieevansauthor) • Instagram photos and videos
Nina Soden 