I have a problem.
I collect pics that I might use for covers.
Right now, I have more pictures than I could probably use for the number of books I am capable of writing in the foreseeable future.
I'm gonna have to write a lot more novellas, just to use them all.
But they're so yummy!!!
Bare male bodies, muscles sliding beneath tanned, oiled skin. 5 o'clock shadow that makes you shiver just to think of what it would feel like against your flesh. Brilliant eyes in all shades and colors.
And then there are the females... Not nearly as inspiring for me, but they serve their purpose in the romance/erotica cover-art world.
Then there are the backgrounds, artists' renditions of various planets, galaxies, space ships, eco-systems... not to mention the graphic backgrounds to put teasers and quotes against and the very real shots from the NASA website.
And once I collect all these fantabulous pics, I have to decide which way I want to go with the cover... artsy? Graphic heavy? Naked writhing bodies? A combination of them all? Or do my best to come as close to representing the characters and the world they inhabit in the book?
I should have been born with artistic talent as well as crafting skillz. :P I can't draw very well. True story.
So if you go to my Pinterest boards and look at 'book cover elements', you'll get an idea of what I'm looking at. Of course, I would use various pics, meld them with others to create a 'scene', make whatever changes I need to make to come close to my characters, etc. But you get the idea.
Fortunately, one of my author friends is working on a possible cover for me. We'll see how that goes. If she can get the hair color right on the woman, it'll be awesome and as close to perfect as I'm going to get without paying a sketch artist to do the whole darn thing from scratch. And it's such a pretty cover... if it works out, I can't WAIT to share it!!! It will go on the revised edition of Hearts, once I have all the revisions done and can upload all the changes. :) And of course I'll post when that happens, in case you want to go get the revised version (hopefully I'll be able to do it in such a way that it will automatically update to anyone who already bought the book. Checking into that.)
Sigh... There are so many aspects of being an author that you just don't really think about before you start writing. Or is that just me?
Ah well... Got almost 10K words written last night. Pretty thrilled about that. It was on a new story, but hey... it's another story coming out. That's a very good thing! And I think you'll like this one, when I get it done. :) So far, it's full of surprises for the heroine, which is fun. Her guys really like springing things on her, apparently, the rats! But she'll love 'em anyhow, because that's how she rolls. And she might even be able to turn the heart of the one that doesn't want her but is stuck with her. Can't wait to see how that one plays out...
Okay, that's enough teasing for one day, huh?
In other news, I'm only 3 'likes' away from 400 on my Facebook page!!!!! That's so exciting for me!!!! AND.... *drumroll please* I'm only 2 sales away from breaking my one-month record at Amazon.com!!!! Here's the link to Hearts of Ishira, in case you haven't read it yet and want to take a sneak peek into the first chapter....
WHOOT!!! Okay, it's not a best-seller or anything, but hey... breaking your own records is still kinda awesome. :)
On that note, my sweetie just got home from a very long day at work. I'm going to go watch Castle, then football with him, then hopefully get a bunch more writing done after he goes to bed. :)
Thursday, October 24
Wednesday, October 23
Things that make me wanna throw my e-reader at the wall...
Ya know, back in the old days, before e-readers, when you got a book that made you positively insane, you could throw it at the wall, get a satisfying thunk out of it, and then either keep reading, give it to a local charity, or in very rare cases, throw it away- since nobody needs to be reading such crap.
With the advent of e-readers, you can't really do that. Unfortunately.
I read a book yesterday that I won't divulge because, well, your mileage may vary. It was free, thank goodness, but that didn't excuse it, IMHO.
When a book says it's a romance, I expect certain things.
Romances should have happy endings, and this one kinda did... but not really.
Romances should be about building a relationship, and even if there is subterfuge in there somewhere, there needs to be an actual resolution BEFORE THE END OF THE DAMN BOOK.
Romances should have good sex, if they're going to have sex. Sex should ONLY be painful the first time, if she's a virgin or he's really hung. I do NOT want to read about it hurting every damn time. That kinda takes the fun out of it.
These are my opinions, so feel free to disagree.
In this book, there were aliens and humans. The heroine was a virgin, caught the eye of a rich alien CEO. He decided he had to have her. She decided she had to betray him because she had no other choice. She does give in to sex, though she hates the guy and feels trapped.
The sex is painful for her. Every. Time.
She's not all that likeable.
She betrays him, he uses her to betray the people she's betraying him to, but he still wants her in his life, even though she keeps telling him she wants to be free.
He's got a superiority complex from hell and doesn't let her forget that he's better than her and that she can't run.
And at the very end, when she realizes that she can't kill him because she's falling for him (why???), he decides to take her to his home, where they'll start their happily ever after.
And the book ends there.
No 'happy' DURING the book at all. Nothing but constant fighting, scorching (to them) sex that she then has to have medical attention from him to recover from. Nothing but betrayal and threats keeping them together. HE likes her, she doesn't like him, but she likes his cooking. Go figure.
Bottom line... HOW was this a romance novel?? And if it was intended just to be an erotica novel, the sex was rather vanilla and perfunctory. A bit of nipple tweaking and kissing, a little finger action elsewhere, and then pain, discomfort, and only in a passing sentence did the author go into the bit about something else that made the sex 'mindblowing'.
Basically, this was '50 Shades' with aliens. Only the writing wasn't as good.
So why did I keep reading it?
Well, I THOUGHT that at some point, it had to get better. There had to come a time when the hero and heroine actually resolved their differences, admitted they were falling in love with each other, and had sweet, real love-making that didn't involve pain and -literally- drugging kisses.
I thought that there would be more of an explanation of why the heroine was being such a bitch and why the hero just had to have her, in spite of that.
I thought that at some point she'd grow a personality that would explain his obsession with her.
And I kept thinking that no way could this book have that many good reviews and be this bad.
Guess that'll teach me! :P
Sorry... I hate it when I pick up a book that's supposedly from a great author and end up hating it. I devoted far too much time to the story, and that's my fault, but still... I was incredulous that it was actually that bad.
Sigh.
So this is my version of throwing my Kindle against a wall. I can't do that, because I LIKE my Kindle and want to keep reading wonderful books on it.
But I can eviscerate the book. Even if I don't tell you the title. I'm sure the author is a perfectly nice person. Maybe her other books are awesome. I don't know and won't likely find out. I'm certainly not inclined to read the rest in this series!
GAH!
I had to read a mindless menage to get the taste outta my brain. Turns out the menage was much better written and more entertaining. :P Who knew? :)
Ah well.
When a book makes you want to throw something, what do you do to relieve that stress?? I'm curious! :)
With the advent of e-readers, you can't really do that. Unfortunately.
I read a book yesterday that I won't divulge because, well, your mileage may vary. It was free, thank goodness, but that didn't excuse it, IMHO.
When a book says it's a romance, I expect certain things.
Romances should have happy endings, and this one kinda did... but not really.
Romances should be about building a relationship, and even if there is subterfuge in there somewhere, there needs to be an actual resolution BEFORE THE END OF THE DAMN BOOK.
Romances should have good sex, if they're going to have sex. Sex should ONLY be painful the first time, if she's a virgin or he's really hung. I do NOT want to read about it hurting every damn time. That kinda takes the fun out of it.
These are my opinions, so feel free to disagree.
In this book, there were aliens and humans. The heroine was a virgin, caught the eye of a rich alien CEO. He decided he had to have her. She decided she had to betray him because she had no other choice. She does give in to sex, though she hates the guy and feels trapped.
The sex is painful for her. Every. Time.
She's not all that likeable.
She betrays him, he uses her to betray the people she's betraying him to, but he still wants her in his life, even though she keeps telling him she wants to be free.
He's got a superiority complex from hell and doesn't let her forget that he's better than her and that she can't run.
And at the very end, when she realizes that she can't kill him because she's falling for him (why???), he decides to take her to his home, where they'll start their happily ever after.
And the book ends there.
No 'happy' DURING the book at all. Nothing but constant fighting, scorching (to them) sex that she then has to have medical attention from him to recover from. Nothing but betrayal and threats keeping them together. HE likes her, she doesn't like him, but she likes his cooking. Go figure.
Bottom line... HOW was this a romance novel?? And if it was intended just to be an erotica novel, the sex was rather vanilla and perfunctory. A bit of nipple tweaking and kissing, a little finger action elsewhere, and then pain, discomfort, and only in a passing sentence did the author go into the bit about something else that made the sex 'mindblowing'.
Basically, this was '50 Shades' with aliens. Only the writing wasn't as good.
So why did I keep reading it?
Well, I THOUGHT that at some point, it had to get better. There had to come a time when the hero and heroine actually resolved their differences, admitted they were falling in love with each other, and had sweet, real love-making that didn't involve pain and -literally- drugging kisses.
I thought that there would be more of an explanation of why the heroine was being such a bitch and why the hero just had to have her, in spite of that.
I thought that at some point she'd grow a personality that would explain his obsession with her.
And I kept thinking that no way could this book have that many good reviews and be this bad.
Guess that'll teach me! :P
Sorry... I hate it when I pick up a book that's supposedly from a great author and end up hating it. I devoted far too much time to the story, and that's my fault, but still... I was incredulous that it was actually that bad.
Sigh.
So this is my version of throwing my Kindle against a wall. I can't do that, because I LIKE my Kindle and want to keep reading wonderful books on it.
But I can eviscerate the book. Even if I don't tell you the title. I'm sure the author is a perfectly nice person. Maybe her other books are awesome. I don't know and won't likely find out. I'm certainly not inclined to read the rest in this series!
GAH!
I had to read a mindless menage to get the taste outta my brain. Turns out the menage was much better written and more entertaining. :P Who knew? :)
Ah well.
When a book makes you want to throw something, what do you do to relieve that stress?? I'm curious! :)
Tuesday, October 15
Life is finally calming down, I hope!
I know I've been absent a lot... but I think life is calming down, finally. And NO, that is NOT a challenge for the universe! I'm quite in awe of your life-attack skills, thanks, and do not need another lesson at the moment. Kthnxbai!
Anyhow, while I'm getting a series of book reviews together, I will tell you that I got a LOT of reading done this summer, with my back and my arm in mostly un-usable condition. So today I present to you the authors and series that I think you should check out, if you haven't already.
(I have not been asked nor paid to endorse any of these authors. These are my honest opinions and suggestions.)
In no particular order:
1) Anything by JR Ward.
*The Black Dagger Brotherhood was all it was reported to be, and then some.
-Vampire/paranormal, sexual content-HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
I love her writing style. It's raw, edgy, and because the back-stories interlink, you keep seeing glimpses from past characters in each new book. I will mention that you want to start at the beginning, though. This is NOT, IMHO a stand-alone series. You will want to know a lot of things about each character in subsequent books, so just do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. Also, "Lover at Last" is a very touching, wonderful love story, but it does contain gay sex, so if you're not into that, either skip the sexy bits or risk missing bits of the saga.
*I'm currently on book three of the Fallen Angels series, and it's really good!
- Angels and Demons
I love the concept of what's going on, the fight for souls that could go either way, and the raw fight between good and evil, sometimes within one person. I'm in love with Jim!
2) Victoria Danann
*''The Order of the Black Swan' series.
-Vampire hunters/paranormal/demons, sexual content- spicy!
Fun, feisty, fast reads, all of them. Again, the stories of each character intertwine, so you'll want to start at the beginning and read through. This a different series concept, in my experience, in that the main character is introduced in the first book and seems to be much of the focus of subsequent books, with each 'couple' in the following books being sort of a side story to the main story. Not always, but for the most part. Hard to explain, but the fun part is that the characters you get to know and love in the first book are seen again and again, which is what I love about sagas. I HATE falling in love with book folks and then never seeing them again in a series.
The caveat to this one is that with the last book, I felt just a bit disappointed. The story was good, but the only sexy bits were mistaken identity, and that kinda turned me off just a bit. But the rest of the story was good enough to keep going, and in the end, I was very glad I did.
3) Rebecca Ethington
*The Imdalind Series
-YA, Paranormal
I started reading this before I realized it was YA. Since I tend to like my books spicy, I steer away from YA and NA most of the time. But sometimes, fate intervenes. I started this one and was hooked from the very beginning. I HAD to know what was going on. Before I knew it, I was downloading book two, and I just bought book three. I haven't read it yet, but I'm confident it will be as enthralling as the first two books. Highly recommend it!
4) Penelope King
* Demonblood and Spellbound series
-demons, witches, paranormal. Sexual content: not much at all in the Spellbound series, but there is some in the Demonblood series... not too hot, but definitely there.
Demonblood:
This was something completely different from what I've read before, which is why I kept with it when, again, it was a NA novel, instead of my usual. :) Two aspects of the same person, living in one body, with completely different personalities and lifestyles. One exists by day, one by night, and though they know about each other, they are unaware of what the other aspect does during their 'body time'. It's a very intriguing series, and I can't wait for the third book!
Spellbound Series:
A sweet YA series, dealing with coming-of-age witches. Predictable, but in that good way, when you know what's coming, but you love the characters enough to want to know how they get there. There's a reason the 'formulaic' stories work... if the characters and plot twists work together, it's a hit. I thought these books were definitely well-done and enjoyed them thoroughly. :)
5) Keary Taylor
* Branded: Fall of Angels
paranormal/angels, first book: no sexual content, though there is some sweet attraction and kissing. :)
Another one that I started reading without realizing it was YA. But WOW. What a story! I was blown away! I can't wait to get the rest of the series (so many books, too little income!!!!) but the first book is AMAZING. Very well-written, emotionally engaging and with such an intriguing plot that I could not put it down. I'll report on the others in the series as I'm able. :)
So there ya go. 5 authors that, if you haven't already experienced them, you should. I have very eclectic reading preferences, so while things like the Spellbound series are sweet and clean, the Black Dagger Brotherhood is definitely not either of those.. it's raw sex and violence, but in a way that makes you want to wade into the fray and start busting heads. Demonblood straddles the two categories, with parts of it being innocent and timid, and the other parts being bold, courageous, and sexual. Black Swan is just outright fun, with some gory parts (I mean, they're vampire hunters. There will be blood) and interesting cross-overs, literally, since you're dealing with different dimensions. And the Imdalind series is a class unto itself, IMHO, as is Branded.
Have fun, and feel free to let me know what you think of these authors, if you decide to read their stuff. :)
Now that I've done an update... time to get back to Ishira! :D
Anyhow, while I'm getting a series of book reviews together, I will tell you that I got a LOT of reading done this summer, with my back and my arm in mostly un-usable condition. So today I present to you the authors and series that I think you should check out, if you haven't already.
(I have not been asked nor paid to endorse any of these authors. These are my honest opinions and suggestions.)
In no particular order:
1) Anything by JR Ward.
*The Black Dagger Brotherhood was all it was reported to be, and then some.
-Vampire/paranormal, sexual content-HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
I love her writing style. It's raw, edgy, and because the back-stories interlink, you keep seeing glimpses from past characters in each new book. I will mention that you want to start at the beginning, though. This is NOT, IMHO a stand-alone series. You will want to know a lot of things about each character in subsequent books, so just do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. Also, "Lover at Last" is a very touching, wonderful love story, but it does contain gay sex, so if you're not into that, either skip the sexy bits or risk missing bits of the saga.
*I'm currently on book three of the Fallen Angels series, and it's really good!
- Angels and Demons
I love the concept of what's going on, the fight for souls that could go either way, and the raw fight between good and evil, sometimes within one person. I'm in love with Jim!
2) Victoria Danann
*''The Order of the Black Swan' series.
-Vampire hunters/paranormal/demons, sexual content- spicy!
Fun, feisty, fast reads, all of them. Again, the stories of each character intertwine, so you'll want to start at the beginning and read through. This a different series concept, in my experience, in that the main character is introduced in the first book and seems to be much of the focus of subsequent books, with each 'couple' in the following books being sort of a side story to the main story. Not always, but for the most part. Hard to explain, but the fun part is that the characters you get to know and love in the first book are seen again and again, which is what I love about sagas. I HATE falling in love with book folks and then never seeing them again in a series.
The caveat to this one is that with the last book, I felt just a bit disappointed. The story was good, but the only sexy bits were mistaken identity, and that kinda turned me off just a bit. But the rest of the story was good enough to keep going, and in the end, I was very glad I did.
3) Rebecca Ethington
*The Imdalind Series
-YA, Paranormal
I started reading this before I realized it was YA. Since I tend to like my books spicy, I steer away from YA and NA most of the time. But sometimes, fate intervenes. I started this one and was hooked from the very beginning. I HAD to know what was going on. Before I knew it, I was downloading book two, and I just bought book three. I haven't read it yet, but I'm confident it will be as enthralling as the first two books. Highly recommend it!
4) Penelope King
* Demonblood and Spellbound series
-demons, witches, paranormal. Sexual content: not much at all in the Spellbound series, but there is some in the Demonblood series... not too hot, but definitely there.
Demonblood:
This was something completely different from what I've read before, which is why I kept with it when, again, it was a NA novel, instead of my usual. :) Two aspects of the same person, living in one body, with completely different personalities and lifestyles. One exists by day, one by night, and though they know about each other, they are unaware of what the other aspect does during their 'body time'. It's a very intriguing series, and I can't wait for the third book!
Spellbound Series:
A sweet YA series, dealing with coming-of-age witches. Predictable, but in that good way, when you know what's coming, but you love the characters enough to want to know how they get there. There's a reason the 'formulaic' stories work... if the characters and plot twists work together, it's a hit. I thought these books were definitely well-done and enjoyed them thoroughly. :)
5) Keary Taylor
* Branded: Fall of Angels
paranormal/angels, first book: no sexual content, though there is some sweet attraction and kissing. :)
Another one that I started reading without realizing it was YA. But WOW. What a story! I was blown away! I can't wait to get the rest of the series (so many books, too little income!!!!) but the first book is AMAZING. Very well-written, emotionally engaging and with such an intriguing plot that I could not put it down. I'll report on the others in the series as I'm able. :)
So there ya go. 5 authors that, if you haven't already experienced them, you should. I have very eclectic reading preferences, so while things like the Spellbound series are sweet and clean, the Black Dagger Brotherhood is definitely not either of those.. it's raw sex and violence, but in a way that makes you want to wade into the fray and start busting heads. Demonblood straddles the two categories, with parts of it being innocent and timid, and the other parts being bold, courageous, and sexual. Black Swan is just outright fun, with some gory parts (I mean, they're vampire hunters. There will be blood) and interesting cross-overs, literally, since you're dealing with different dimensions. And the Imdalind series is a class unto itself, IMHO, as is Branded.
Have fun, and feel free to let me know what you think of these authors, if you decide to read their stuff. :)
Now that I've done an update... time to get back to Ishira! :D
Thursday, August 1
Long time, no see...
I know, I know... I've been gone awhile!
I wish I could say it was because I was deep in a writing frenzy during which all I came up for was food, sleep, and bathroom breaks.
Alas, that is not the case.
Between the physical stuff, moving, and the fairly sudden death of my grandfather, things have been a bit crazy, so the blog has fallen by the wayside. I apologize for that.
I have been reading, a lot, during this time, and I've picked up two new crafts, so that's a plus. I'll try to get as many of the reviews out as I can, as I have time.
And I have started writing once more, which is making me very happy. Now that we're settled and life seems to be calming down (gods, did I say that out loud???), I'm hoping I can get my stories straight. Literally! :D
In the meantime, though I'm sure you were hoping for an update from Ishira, here's some of what I've been up to. The good news is that once I have the wire wrapping looking more 'professional', I might be inclined to make some of the tree pendants in Ishira's colors, and maybe use them as prizes for upcoming contests. We'll see how that goes. :)
Anyhow, this was just to let you know I'm still here, still working, just not being as vocal about it here as I am on my Facebook page. I either need more hours in the day or I need more of ME in the day! lol
Enjoy!
Wire Wrapped jewelry/ornaments:
So there you have it. That's what I've been up to. :P
I wish I could say it was because I was deep in a writing frenzy during which all I came up for was food, sleep, and bathroom breaks.
Alas, that is not the case.
Between the physical stuff, moving, and the fairly sudden death of my grandfather, things have been a bit crazy, so the blog has fallen by the wayside. I apologize for that.
I have been reading, a lot, during this time, and I've picked up two new crafts, so that's a plus. I'll try to get as many of the reviews out as I can, as I have time.
And I have started writing once more, which is making me very happy. Now that we're settled and life seems to be calming down (gods, did I say that out loud???), I'm hoping I can get my stories straight. Literally! :D
In the meantime, though I'm sure you were hoping for an update from Ishira, here's some of what I've been up to. The good news is that once I have the wire wrapping looking more 'professional', I might be inclined to make some of the tree pendants in Ishira's colors, and maybe use them as prizes for upcoming contests. We'll see how that goes. :)
Anyhow, this was just to let you know I'm still here, still working, just not being as vocal about it here as I am on my Facebook page. I either need more hours in the day or I need more of ME in the day! lol
Enjoy!
 | ||
| Punch needle embroidery. Very easy, quick, and fun! :) |
Wire Wrapped jewelry/ornaments:
 |
| My first piece, with supplies I had on hand. |
 |
| Tree of Life, Autumn, again with supplies I had on hand. Second piece... first try at a tree. |
 | ||
| Owl Be Seeing You, a few purchased bits, the rest was stuff I had on hand or found in my late grandmother's jewelry-making stuff. |
 |
| Into Each Life, silver tone wire, glass beads, Swarovski crystals. |
 |
| Silver Paisley, glass beads, silver-tone wire. |
 | ||
| Summer Smile; copper wire, metal and acrylic findings, stone chips, glass mosaic piece as the back-drop. |
So there you have it. That's what I've been up to. :P
Friday, June 21
Hearts of Ishira going on sale!
Sorry I've been an absentee blogger for the past few weeks. Between getting the hubby graduated from college and then moving, then recovering from moving, then ending up with my back in worse shape AND with a sinus infection, to top it all off, I've somehow managed to tear my rotator cuff in my right shoulder. I'm a complete mess and being online kinda hurts. I can't find a position that doesn't piss off the pain gods and send me whimpering to my bed with Mr. Oxycodone and Ms. Flexiril fornicating within my system. :P
SO as sort of an apology for my neglect and because I'm overjoyed that my bestie is back in the US for a month, after being in Turkey for the past three years... I'm putting Hearts of Ishira (amazon) on sale for half price until July 5th. (Here's the link for Nook: Hearts of Ishira by Bethany Aan
I'll post more as I have time, but for now, that's the big announcement. I do have TONS of book reviews I need to get to, but haven't read anything great until today.
I don't have a review ready for it and it might be an older book, but Enforcer by Lauren Dane is a freebie and a great werewolf read. :) Go check it out. I mean... it's FREE.
Get that one after you get Hearts, if you haven't already read my book. *cheeky grin*
Love you all, and I hope to check in more often. It has been REALLY hectic, and life and health come first, but I think things are calming down enough to get back to it for the foreseeable future.
Ah, man... Did I say that out loud??? EEEP!
Tuesday, May 21
so sorry!!!
I'd like to send out a huge apology for falling down on the job in the past few weeks.
First off, at the age of 42, my sweet husband, my hero, partner in crime, and all-around silliness angel, graduated from university! He now has degrees in mathematics and education. While that is an amazing accomplishment at any age, it's harder when you have a broken wife, a mother who had a horrible cancer incident in your first semester, and the constant worry of both of their failing health issues.
I'm so proud of him, I can barely stand it! Anyone who's also a friend on Facebook will see me refer to HoBA. That's Husband of Bethany Aan, a name he picked out himself. :) He IS my every inspiration, my every achievement, and the rock upon which I build my every dream.
I kinda like him, can you tell? :D
Anyhow, with his graduation and the party we held for him afterward, I was a *wee* bit busy the week before last.
Last week, I was recovering from the week before. :P Those health issues, you see.. they hit me hard. I thought it was Tuesday and was quite surprised to find out it was Friday. Yeah. That was last week in a nutshell.
This week, we're moving. Yup, college kids gotta move back into the 'rents' house for the summer while HoBA looks for a job. :) We're looking at a few different counties in North Carolina, as that's our home state and where he'll be licensed, but we're also looking at Turkey.
Yup. You read that right. Turkey.
Why? you might ask... Well, I'll tell you. My best friend in the world (other than HoBA of course) has been teaching in Turkey for the past three years. She shall be teaching in Turkey for at least one more. They made her an offer she couldn't refuse. :) But I am damned tired of part of my heart being overseas. So, as they say in the Muslim world... if Muhammad will not come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Muhammed. Or something like that. Please don't burn me in effigy if I got that wrong. I mean absolutely NO disrespect! So when I talked to her on Skype this past weekend, I let her know we were absolutely serious about moving over there for HoBA to teach, if she could give us a few leads on jobs.
I thought she was gonna cry. I know I about did! But it turns out that she JUST signed a lease on a three-bedroom apartment right across the street from the school she'll be teaching at, and she would LOVE to have roomies. :D Us. Yup. So not only do we have an 'in', but we have a place to live, with my best friend. :) Have I mentioned I haven't seen her in THREE frickin' YEARS??? The cookie dough shall be epic...
Ahem. I digress.
Anyhow, if you've been wondering why the dearth of reviews, updates, etc... well, now you know. :) I've been a wee bit busy.
But I'll try to get a few reviews up in the next few days. If I'm not able to, please forgive me. We still have a LOT happening between now and the end of the month. June should be a lot calmer, and YES I'm still trying to get Brothers in Arms, the sequel to Hearts of Ishira, published by the end of August. Don't hold me to that, as things could change if we DO end up needing to move to another country, but right now, the goal is end of August. :)
And there are a few other things in the works, as well. If you know me by now, you know that I am pathologically incapable of writing only ONE story at a time. So I have several going at once. But it's okay... my betas tell me that so far, so good, on all of them. :)
Okay, champagne ramblings ending now. Bear with me as I get my life back into some semblance of order! I'll be back soon, with reviews, snippets, and much more! In the meantime, try to keep up at www.facebook.com/BethanyAan
(seriously... go like! I'm only 20 likes away from 200! I will squee so loud when that happens!!!!)
Okay. done now. Nite nite!
Oh, in case you missed them... here are a few teasers from my FB page... all from Brothers in Arms...
First off, at the age of 42, my sweet husband, my hero, partner in crime, and all-around silliness angel, graduated from university! He now has degrees in mathematics and education. While that is an amazing accomplishment at any age, it's harder when you have a broken wife, a mother who had a horrible cancer incident in your first semester, and the constant worry of both of their failing health issues.
I'm so proud of him, I can barely stand it! Anyone who's also a friend on Facebook will see me refer to HoBA. That's Husband of Bethany Aan, a name he picked out himself. :) He IS my every inspiration, my every achievement, and the rock upon which I build my every dream.
I kinda like him, can you tell? :D
Anyhow, with his graduation and the party we held for him afterward, I was a *wee* bit busy the week before last.
Last week, I was recovering from the week before. :P Those health issues, you see.. they hit me hard. I thought it was Tuesday and was quite surprised to find out it was Friday. Yeah. That was last week in a nutshell.
This week, we're moving. Yup, college kids gotta move back into the 'rents' house for the summer while HoBA looks for a job. :) We're looking at a few different counties in North Carolina, as that's our home state and where he'll be licensed, but we're also looking at Turkey.
Yup. You read that right. Turkey.
Why? you might ask... Well, I'll tell you. My best friend in the world (other than HoBA of course) has been teaching in Turkey for the past three years. She shall be teaching in Turkey for at least one more. They made her an offer she couldn't refuse. :) But I am damned tired of part of my heart being overseas. So, as they say in the Muslim world... if Muhammad will not come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Muhammed. Or something like that. Please don't burn me in effigy if I got that wrong. I mean absolutely NO disrespect! So when I talked to her on Skype this past weekend, I let her know we were absolutely serious about moving over there for HoBA to teach, if she could give us a few leads on jobs.
I thought she was gonna cry. I know I about did! But it turns out that she JUST signed a lease on a three-bedroom apartment right across the street from the school she'll be teaching at, and she would LOVE to have roomies. :D Us. Yup. So not only do we have an 'in', but we have a place to live, with my best friend. :) Have I mentioned I haven't seen her in THREE frickin' YEARS??? The cookie dough shall be epic...
Ahem. I digress.
Anyhow, if you've been wondering why the dearth of reviews, updates, etc... well, now you know. :) I've been a wee bit busy.
But I'll try to get a few reviews up in the next few days. If I'm not able to, please forgive me. We still have a LOT happening between now and the end of the month. June should be a lot calmer, and YES I'm still trying to get Brothers in Arms, the sequel to Hearts of Ishira, published by the end of August. Don't hold me to that, as things could change if we DO end up needing to move to another country, but right now, the goal is end of August. :)
And there are a few other things in the works, as well. If you know me by now, you know that I am pathologically incapable of writing only ONE story at a time. So I have several going at once. But it's okay... my betas tell me that so far, so good, on all of them. :)
Okay, champagne ramblings ending now. Bear with me as I get my life back into some semblance of order! I'll be back soon, with reviews, snippets, and much more! In the meantime, try to keep up at www.facebook.com/BethanyAan
(seriously... go like! I'm only 20 likes away from 200! I will squee so loud when that happens!!!!)
Okay. done now. Nite nite!
Oh, in case you missed them... here are a few teasers from my FB page... all from Brothers in Arms...
Monday, April 29
Review: Falling for Heaven by Anne Conley
Recently, I was delighted to exchange books and interview questions with author Anne Conley. The questions she sent me were so good, I sent them right back at her. Lazy? Perhaps, but I've never been good at coming up with interview questions, so hey. I work with what I've got. :)
The book:
by Anne Conley
Blurb:
Uriel is one of God's Four Winds, the Archangel of Destiny. He has
helped thousands of people throughout the ages find their destiny
according to His will. This time however, what he doesn't realize, is
that it's his own destiny he's supposed to fulfill.
Heather is an exotic dancer, who's stage name is Heaven. It's not that that's what she's always wanted to do, it's just that it helps her pay the bills, and she's got a lot of bills, with taking care of her mother and her sister. When the mysterious Uriel comes into the club, she can tell he's different, just how different will rock her world...
Heather is an exotic dancer, who's stage name is Heaven. It's not that that's what she's always wanted to do, it's just that it helps her pay the bills, and she's got a lot of bills, with taking care of her mother and her sister. When the mysterious Uriel comes into the club, she can tell he's different, just how different will rock her world...
My Review:
|
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Falling for Heaven, and I was hooked from the first word. Ms. Conley's writing style flows very well, and Uri is just... *swoon* Such a sweet, strong, wonderful being. There's really not much I can say without spoilers, but rest assured that there's a HEA and some really steamy bits! It's a short read, but felt like a much longer novel, as far as action, depth, and pacing. That's really hard to do, in my experience. I definitely recommend this book, and can't wait for the rest of the Four Winds stories! |
|||
Interview with Anne Conley:
1. Describe your
writing process.
My process is a lot like dating…. I fantasize about the
perfect story for a long time before I actually sit down to start writing
it. Then I put down an outline. From there, I type up a rough draft, this is
the first date. Subsequent revisions are
like the entire courting process. Each
revision allows me to delve deeper in the characters, the conflict, and what
they're up against.
2. What motivates you
to sit down and write?
I'm very goal-oriented.
I set goals for myself, both long-term and short-term, and every
morning, I wake up and decide what to do to accomplish those goals. I know that I can't sell books if I'm not
doing everything I need to be doing to sell them, and I need to sell books so
that I can justify all the time spent in front of my laptop to my family.
3. Where does your
inspiration come from?
Everywhere. I get a
lot of inspiration while I'm in the car, either listening to music, or being
quiet inside my head. I also enjoy
listening to my Aunt and my Mom talk about people in my family that lived years
ago. There are some pretty interesting
stories to be told there. Actually, I
enjoy listening to everything. Right
now, I'm sitting in a tiny café, listening to a loud-talker telling stories
about living in Austin. There's probably a story there, too…
4. Do you have any
writers that you consider mentors?
Liliana Hart, without a doubt. I heard her speak at a RWA meeting in
November. She told about her experiences
as an Indie Author versus the traditional routes. It inspired me to get my butt in gear. She gave us a written plan to follow, and has
been open to email questions. Liliana's
offered me much support in the past several months, that I appreciate
greatly. I wouldn't be where I am now if
it weren't for her.
5. What do you think
your greatest strength is in your writing?
My focus is probably my greatest strength. I am able to focus on one thing, and get it
done in a relatively timely manner. I
may have to go back and fix it, but I get it done.
6. What is your
biggest challenge?
Patience. I'm not a
patient person, and I have trouble sometimes taking a step back and looking at
the big picture. I'll send my stuff out
to beta readers, then check my email every hour on the hour for weeks until
they reply. When I publish something, I
check my reports daily, trying to figure out what I can reproduce that caused
that one person to buy my book. When I
figured out that Smashwords published their reports quarterly, and I had to
wait three more whole months to figure out how I was doing, I cried.
7. Do you ever
experience writer's block? How do you
get through it?
The old fashioned way…Pen and paper. I have discovered that if I close the lap
top, and go someplace different, I can usually get through whatever scene or
character I'm working on. I used to
teach writing to High school kids, and some of those crazy brainstorming tricks
still apply. Plus, your brain works
differently when you write as opposed
to typing and I find that that
usually does the trick.
8. Name some authors
who have influenced or inspired you?
JK
Rowling, Stephen King, Liliana Hart,
honestly there are too many to name.
Almost every author I've read has influenced me in some way…
9. Tell a little
about your most recent work. Title,
genre, and tag line.
Falling for Heaven
is a paranormal romance about the archangel Uriel. The tag line would probably be…"She was
his greatest sin…"
10. Tell us about
your favorite character from the book.
It would have to be Heather, who is an exotic dancer because
it earns her enough money to support her sister and her mother. I know I think
I'm sexy when I dance, but the reality is something altogether different, I'm
sure. She's down to earth, and is just
trying to make her life the best she knows how.
Like most of us.
11. Are there
specific themes that you would like your reader to grasp while they're reading
your novel?
Well, for a novel of it's length (about 45,000 words), I
think Falling for Heaven touches on
some pretty deep stuff. There are the
obvious religious implications of good vs. evil, but there are also issues of
addiction, care of the elderly with dementia, and dealing with death of loved
ones.
12. Do you have any
words of advice or encouragement for other writers who are looking to publish?
Make a plan, write it down, and try to stick with it. Not everybody does it exactly right on the
first try. Most everybody has to go back
and re-do something. Just know what you
want, and have a plan to get it.
13. What makes a good
story?
A good story is one that the reader can relate to on some
level. The characters need to be
likeable, and their reactions to their experiences need to be realistic. In my opinion, anyway.
14. How do you market
your work?
How do I not market my work?
If there's anything I haven't done, please let me know, I want to try
it! No really, I try to be everywhere
online, although building up a presence is time-consuming. I will book for people to review, I'll talk
to anybody about my work, and I'm not shy, although when the little old ladies in
my church group ask about it, I tend to blush a little.
www.conleycorner.blogspot.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor
www.anneconley.wix.com/anneconleyauthor
www.anneconley.wix.com/anneconleyauthor
15. Do you have a
current work in progress? Can you tell a
little bit about it?
I'm currently working on Hot
Mess, a continuation of my Stories of Serendipity series. It's about a firefighter named Sam (yes, he's
devastatingly gorgeous) and a woman hiding her HIV status from the small
community.
16. Tell us about
yourself, outside of writing.
I'm a wife and a mother, living on a goat farm in east Texas. When I’m not writing, I'm planning menus that
my children will eat, cheering on tee ball games from the sidelines, or
pretending to be an awesome dance mom. I
also spend a lot of time reassuring my husband that he doesn't have to look
like the heroes in my books for me to love him, although it is funny to watch
him preen for me when he's feeling self-conscious.
**********************************************
If you'd like to read my answers to the above questions, and see what Anne Conley has to say about my book, head over to The Conley Corner and check it out. Leave some love for her there. :)
**********************************************
If you'd like to read my answers to the above questions, and see what Anne Conley has to say about my book, head over to The Conley Corner and check it out. Leave some love for her there. :)
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