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28 August 2013

Special Guest - Nomi's Paranormal Palace


Our special guest today is Nomi from Nomi's Paranormal Palace!

1. Tell us a little about your company/site

Nomi’s Paranormal Palace is where I blog about books. Most of the books I try to read/review and some I promote for authors to help them get the word out.

2. What gave you the idea to start something like this?

I was always ringing my sister and talking to her about books that we had both read, but I thought why not share my thoughts with other people who are just as addicted as me!! So, Nomi’s Paranormal Palace was born and I've had so much fun since!!

3. Is this a solo venture or do you have a team working behind the scenes?

The setting up of Nomi’s Paranormal Palace was done by my sister, Simone (who has just started her own business). She is great with all that technical stuff!! If I try to touch anything like that I tend to wreck it (as I did just this week!!) … But everything else is just me!! I’m the only reviewer and I set up all the posts… I think I read too much!!

4. Do you do anything special to attract followers?

I sign on for book tours to try and gain extra traffic. They tend to have giveaways and people like to win stuff, so I usually get a few extra followers from them. I also use social media like Facebook, Twitter etc.

5. Where are the majority of followers from? Are you global, or is your audience closer to home for you?

I’m definitely global!! Lol. I live in Australia, but most of my audience is from overseas. The US is where most of my traffic is from and Australia is next on the list.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you do? What is your favorite part of the job?

I love reading, it’s relaxing and I like to be swept away into the fantasy worlds created. I have also made so many friends, who I have never met in person, and that would never have happened if I didn’t start blogging!

7. Have there been any unexpected challenges?

The biggest challenge is getting all my thoughts down without sounding like a lunatic!! There is so much I want to say about a book, but I don’t want to give too much away. Sometimes though, I am stuck and don’t know how to write it all down, a bit of a writers block I suppose. It becomes a bit repetitive trying to tell someone why you like a book.

8. What are your future goals for the site?

I don’t have any real goals… just to have fun!!

9. What’s your favorite book genre?

I have changed a little of late, I used to read just Paranormal/Urban Fantasy but I have found that I really like Contemporary Romance stuff too… so I tend to alternate between them all!

10. Tell us a random fact about your site that the readers might find interesting.

I have just celebrated my 1 year Bloggiversary and to celebrate, I got Simone to make over my blog with my two alter ego’s!! As I like to read normalish books now – not just the Paranormal books – I wanted my blog to reflect that as well.
11. Do you have any favorite authors?

Ooooh…. So many favourites!! The writing duo – Ilona Andrews. Also Richelle Mead and Rachel Vincent. Ummm…. Jennifer Armentrout, Colleen Hoover…. I could go on forever!!



Nomi's Paranormal Palace

Outstanding Website Design – http://outstandingwebsitedesign.com.au/

24 August 2013

THE MERCENARY IS OUT~!

At last the day has finally arrived. I am proud to present the re-release of THE MERCENARY (Therian Secrets - book 1) It has a gorgeous new cover, fresh interior polish and a substantially lower price than the first edition. The ebook is only $0.99!!!


Here is a sneak peak at the cover and synopsis, and the buying links follow below.



When twenty-three-year-old Jodie Fletcher realizes shape-shifters are real—and that they’re trying to kill her—she finds herself thrust into a life of danger and unimaginable intrigue. With both parents away, and her newly-single alcoholic brother Luke camped in the spare bedroom, Jodie feels like she’s drowning in a world she doesn’t understand. The only thing she can count on is the leopard who has taken it upon himself to protect her. She cannot ignore the raw emotion he awakens in her and longs for more. The leopard becomes not only her savior, but her escape.


Mysterious and unpredictable, leopard shifter Danny Archer hides behind his dimpled smile and pretty boy façade. What’s more, he has a second job the human population doesn’t know about—the one that leads him to Jodie and Luke. Archer feels an instant connection with Jodie, and must find a way to balance his volatile lifestyle to include her.

Luke Fletcher became an alcoholic long before his wife left him. Now he faces the brutal reality that the past has caught up with him. He made a series of bad choices while under the influence, which have placed his sister and his two young daughters in danger. Luke must try to find the man he used to be in order to survive the chaos he’s inflicted. He knows he won’t be able to live with himself if anything happens to his family.

Click here to buy the paperback on Amazon
Click here to buy the ebook on Amazon


21 August 2013

Author Interview - Keely Myers!



This week we have Author Keely Myers in the hot seat!

1. Have you always had a passion for writing?

a. Yes, always. I think that ever since, 6th grade, I've always dabbled in writing. It was all the writing assignments that we were given. Anything I've written during my school days I still have. Even things from when I was little. I think I have enough short storys and poems to make a little book.

2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favourite authors/books?

a. Some of the books that I read, can influence me. But the textbooks and movies also influence me. I do have my own way of creating ideas. My favorite authors include, Debbi Macomber, Sherrilynn Kenyon and Christine Feehan.

3. What are your biggest inspirations?

a. My mom. My friends. My dreams.

4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings?

a. No. Whatever comes to me comes and it flows out of my fingers and creates..
5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces?

a. Some times, yes. When I do I listen to a verity of things.

6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block?

a. I try to just emerse myself in what I'm working on. When writer's block does hit, it hits hard and some times it takes a bit for my muse to start working.

7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? (If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?)

a. I'm not yet published, but I hope in the future that I become published. It's one of my biggest dreams.

8. What are your biggest challenges as an author?

a. Deciding what to write and how to write it.

9. Do you have any pets?

a. I had some pets, but they both passed away.

10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing?

a. I knit and crochet.

11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world?

a. I've never been outside of the United States, but one of the most memorable places I've ever been to is Connecticut. It's where my mother's family is, and the history of my family.

12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work…

a. My latest work is about a mail order bride who goes west to meet and marry a man she's never known or met, because she's unhappy with her current life in high society.

You can find Keely here:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keely-Myers/207468625937392

Tumblr Page: http://keelymyers.tumblr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PNKeelyMyers

15 August 2013

Special Interview - Lazy Beagle Entertainment!



Very excited to have special guest  Lazy Beagle Entertainment here today!

Tell us a little about your company/site: 

Lazy Beagle Entertainment was founded by author Patrick Wendling-Markwell and husband, and sometimes co-author, Rondal D. Markwell. Ever find it hard to find self-published books and other books not promoted with a million dollar advertising budget. Looking for that hidden gem? Well here at LBE we will link you with your favorite published and self-published authors, and give authors a prominent place to link their work and promote themselves, so they are no longer hidden gems but displayed diamonds! We will provide links to all locations the book is available for purchase, and all available sites where you can follow the author. This page was started originally to be for self-published authors, but we have opened it up to any and all authors, self-published or not.

What gave you the idea to start something like this?: 

Well I started LBE originally because I wanted to have a place to showcase Patrick’s works especially when we self-published them. I noticed that one company would want his work while another didn’t and they all had the craziest excuses for why they did or didn’t and I figured that if I could put up a website where his books would go, like most authors have a website, but have other self-published authors put up their stuff as well, we could generate traffic all around and help each other out. However, we decided after we got three authors up there to open it up to any and all authors, no matter if they were self-published or otherwise. I mean, what’s more important here? Pushing forward the self-image of self-published authors or working together as a literary community and helping each other move forward in something that is a hard field to make any real headway in? Patrick and I decided to branch out and do what we did and if you have followed the progress of LBE since we started in February, you will see how much we expanded and how much we have moved forward and changed what we are doing over time.

Is this a solo venture or do you have a team working behind the scenes?: 

This is just the two of us, myself Rondal and Patrick my husband so far. Eventually I want to take Patrick and set him aside leaving him as just Co-Owner of the company and have him concentrate fully on writing while I take over the company full time and eventually hire employees. We do have our wonderful authors and readers who are constantly spreading the word of LBE around the world, quite literally, and Johanna Rae has been helping us with a few things here and there because she is just that kind of an incredible lady as well as author.

How many authors do you have registered at the moment?: 

Currently we have 82 authors signed up on the website and more show up every week. In the beginning we would only get 1 or two a week or none a week so it was a little slow. Now we can get up to 6 a week. The numbers just steadily increase.

Where are the majority of LBE followers from?: 

Not quite sure what you mean by “followers” but we have people from all over the world that follow the progress. We have authors from all over the world. In fact, about 60% of our authors are from countries other than the USA.

Are you global, or is your audience closer to home for you?: 

Very global.

You have a forum on your site, is this just for the authors, or can anyone participate?: 

The forum is for anyone to participate in, as long as they stay as close to the subject of books, authors, writing, reading, literature, etc… as they can.

You have a regular newsletter, how can readers/followers sign up for this?: 

http://www.lazybeagleentertainment.com/subscribe.html However, we have halted the newsletter for the time being because we are trying to change the format and style. We also archive each newsletter and put them up on the website. We are a bit behind on the newsletter.

What is your favorite part of the job?: 

Meeting all sorts of new people from all around the world and making new friends. Quite an experience really.

Have there been any unexpected challenges?: 

Not really, other than it keeps getting busier. I think our worst challenge was not very unexpected. An author didn't read too closely into the website and just signed up randomly. When Patrick’s Facebook account got hacked and the hacker started sending out pornographic photos to his friends, family and friends one of the authors on our site got very hostile and started spewing words and phrases such as “faggot” “spawn of Satan”, “evil”, you know; random bigotry and hatred. She realized that Patrick and I are a couple and have been for nearly ten years. It even says so on the home page that we are a gay couple and if you have issues with homosexuality, don’t come here. We will not tolerate that crap. Patrick ripped her stuff off of the website in under ten seconds and blocked every form of communication she had with us.

What are your future goals for the site?: 

Expand the company, start publishing. We hope to continue to garner more authors and readers and books and keep expanding outwards and upwards.

You can find out more about Lazy Beagle Entertainment and it's maker's here: 



http://www.lazybeagleentertainment.com/rondal-d-markwell.html














We have a YouTube account set up for Lazy Beagle but it is not active yet. We will be doing Podcasts and such here shortly. COMING SOON! J

8 August 2013

Author Interview - Patrick Wendling Markwell







Please welcome Author Patrick Wendling Markwell!


1. Have you always had a passion for writing? 

Always. I started writing when I was six and when I first entered high school my English teacher noticed that I was interested in English, writing and reading beyond what most students are so he had me tested and they moved me to a honors English class. After being in the class for a week I became bored again and they moved me to a laureate honors English class. Seeing how bored I was there they decided to start testing me out of English classes and before my freshman year was over with I had tested out of all four years of English and started taking college English classes. They had my freshman English teacher teaching me so I could maintain the rest of my classes since I was the only student in the school at that level.


Before my sophomore year was done, I had completed four years of college English classes. When I got to college I pissed off a lot of advanced English and literature professors because I continually corrected them showing them how they were wrong in their methods of teaching; though I was right and they did change how they did things, it did not endear me to them. I did however prove to them I was their best student and I became a TA in every class dealing with English, literature and creative writing. I continued on in the same vein and took even more classes dealing with writing and English because I was pursuing an English degree. By this time I had several stories and poems published in high school and college publications. I entered a national contest three years in a row and won the Editor’s Choice Award each year. I never seriously went after a writing career because I felt a stronger calling to help people in a different way. That probably explains why I ended up becoming a Paramedic instead.



2. Does what you read influence what you write and what are some of your favorite authors/books? 

No. I have always had my own style of writing and what I want to write about. A lot of people get stuck writing in one genre and never move out of their comfort zone. I prefer to write any genre at any time, depending on my mood at the time. Surprisingly enough, I have never been the biggest fan of non-fiction, but I think that is because most people who write it are so dry and don’t know how to hold the interest of their readers. I can and will read it and have in the past, and I have no problem with it, but I prefer the adventures one can have when reading fiction. Non-fiction, well there is no real adventures because you know exactly what is going to happen; it is mapped out for you already.

I would have to say anything in the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. He is my favourite author. I also love his Incarnations of Immortality series. Then there is Mercedes Lackey and her Valdemar series starting way back with the Black Gryphon. Robert Aspirin also with his Myth Adventures and there is Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time. But there are so many wonderful authors to choose from. Terry Brooks, Frank E. Peretti, Anne Rice, Christopher Rice, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc… It is so difficult to choose any one book or author, but I would have to say that Fantasy is my favourite genre.



3. What are your biggest inspirations?

I have to say my dreams and daydreams. I was tortured by family and other kids my entire life and my only means of escape were books and imagining different realities. That is why I am writing an autobiography, I know I said I don’t really enjoy non-fiction too much, but this book is about how I had to struggle to survive and start living and my triumphs over my suicide attempts and escape from my family, religious cult, abusive rapist and so much more.



4. Do you have a technique in how you choose characters and/or locational settings? 

Not really, no. I get an idea and start an outline process, start writing, then throw away the outline and just write until I have nothing left on it and call it done. I don’t plan or anything. I just let it out and be done with it. I have been blessed with a new family that I chose and the family that I received when I got involved with Rondal and then married him so in each book, even my erotica, I let them influence me a little. Hear me out before becoming judgemental though. Rondal has an innate ability to look at anything around him, anywhere, and know where he is at and tell you how to get somewhere. He is a human map and it doesn’t really matter if he has ever been there before or not. I use his knowledge to help me orient. I use family and friends names to keep them alive for me. However, I do not use them for the names of characters in erotica books. That would be too creepy, but I do allow their careers and locales influence what I have my characters doing or where they are living.


5. Do you listen to music while you are creating your masterpieces? 

Don’t laugh, but I only listen to music if it is Lords of Acid when writing, but I will usually not even listen then. I put on Scooby-Doo episodes in the background.


6. What do you do to stay motivated and avoid writer’s block? 

Nothing really. I still suffer from occasional bouts of depression because of my childhood and early adulthood so I have to struggle with that on a daily basis and overcome it. Sometimes I can’t overcome it, so I just don’t write because I sit and stare at what I am writing and cry instead. My main motivation is this really; Rondal decided a couple of years ago that he doesn’t want me to look for a job outside of writing and our website, Lazy Beagle Entertainment, and instead he wants me to focus fully on writing and LBE, but mostly writing. He has realized my dream and decided that he would sacrifice a little extra to keep me home and only have one paycheck coming in. Any author out there will know that a paycheck as an author is not enough to really live off of, but the sacrifice in the end will hopefully be worth it if I actually get some books that do well enough to make a decent living off of. One can dream can’t they? Well, he is intent on making my dreams a reality. Just one of the reasons I love him so much.


7. How has becoming a published author (independent or traditional) changed your perspective on life and is it everything you expected it to be? 

(If you are not published yet – what changes do you foresee?) It is very frustrating at times. You have to watch your books do very well for a couple of weeks then die off completely and maybe resurge for a couple of days when a new book comes out. It is very up and down and your emotions become a tangle of ugly things in your soul and you wonder why you bother to keep writing if no one is paying attention. I have to continually remind myself that the biggest names in this industry had to suffer through all of that in the beginning as well before making it big and they didn’t always put out great stuff. Erotica is something I only did as a challenge and I know I am not good at it, but I know how to write some steamy sex at least. LOL! I prefer writing something that has a real plot.


8. What are your biggest challenges as an author? 

The readers. You get all these people that send reviews in after your book has become available to them and most of those people who do are just plain petty. I have had reviews on books from people who are not even reviewers and they actually lie about things in the book to make it sound bad and there is nothing you can do about it. I once even had a person say they gave my book a two star review because the name of my mythical realm within the book for my main characters was silly sounding. Some people know it will ruin your ratings and they don’t care because they are just malicious jerks. Others don’t realize the time and effort you put into doing this and they just don’t like your book so they get ugly in their reviews.


9. Do you have any pets? 

We have a beagle. We had two, they were twins but one passed away in March from cancer. We named our company after them, Lazy Beagle Entertainment. In fact, them as beagles is what inspired me to use beagles in my book Bloody Shadows and the inspiration behind one particular aspect that affects the vampires in the book. I am a big animal lover.


10. What hobbies do you have outside of reading and writing? 

I love to cook, garden, swim and go camping.


11. Where is the most exciting/memorable place you have been in the world? 

Being married to a truck driver I have gone with him on many occasions and have been all over the United States and many parts of Canada. However before being with him I have been to a few other places in the world, but as of yet I have not found a place I can truly feel over excited about. At least not yet, not anything that calls out to me. If I had to choose I would have to say, NYC and Honolulu, HI. I have lived in both places. If we could do it right now, I would say I would love to just up and move to either NYC or HI. Not Honolulu though; I would love to move to one of the small beach villages far from the tourists of HI. The tourists of NYC don’t bother me. I would love to live in NYC again because the place is just beyond fascinating!


12. Tell us about your latest work in progress or most recent published work… 

My latest work was my erotica book in the Shifter Royalty series called Wolf vs Bat, number two in the series after Serpent vs Serpent. I am currently working on Tiger vs Horse and Eagle vs Bear numbers three and four in the series. I am also working on a book with my husband Rondal, a fantasy book that is going to be number one in a series about Shifters, Clerics, Arcanists, Druids and Gods. I am working on a stand-alone book called Deadly Waters, which is a thriller. There is of course my autobiography. There is the charity book that Lazy Beagle is putting together for four different charities. Then there is my series Fallen from Grace, which is about the Fallen Angles fighting back against God and his tyranny, hypocrisy, petty jealousy and narcissism. I am also working on a series called Warriors of Mist about a planet of people who some are born with a trait that allows them to manipulate mist and use it to change the world around them and fight as specialized warriors. Most of the main characters in my books are gay, but there is no sex in any of them, except the Shifter Royalty books, but the world has plenty of books with straight characters. I am also putting together a cookbook. This cookbook will have my own personal recipes in it. On the left will be the normal recipe and the right will be the same recipe, but I have altered it to be a healthier recipe. Oh and one last thing I am working on right now is a collaboration with another author, Kimber Kahn. We are writing a book together that is about a young man who is the most famous man in Hollywood and decides he needs to right a wrong. He still wants his current life as an actor and all of that, but he wants it with someone who used to be in his life and he screwed it up big time. It turns into a nightmare fiasco instead. Let me just say this; it is a thriller drama book and we are going to do at least four in the series.
You can find Patrick on Facebook, Twitter and Amazon


6 August 2013

Finally Free to Talk About the Delay

Dear Fans, Readers, and Fellow Authors,

I am finally free to talk to you about the struggle I have had in re releasing The Mercenary. At last my 'red tape' is gone and I can move forward. I am sharing my story for two reasons. ONE - so that readers can understand why there has been such a huge delay in the release of book two. I'm so sorry, I've done my best to get to this as fast as possible. TWO - because I would do anything to stop another budding novelist from going through what I have just experienced.

When I first published this book I was a very new, very inexperienced author. I knew that it would be difficult to break into the writing market from little old NZ with a large percentage of my target audience being international. So I made the decision to self publish. I thought that because I was new at this I should pay an indie publishing company to put the book together for me, to give it the most professional finish possible.

I made my choice (after much deliberation) and handed over the money. It was much more than I really wanted to spend but this was my dream and I wanted to give myself the best chance at success. I thought I had done my homework and chosen a reputable company.

Right from the beginning I had problems with this press. They released the book without telling me, and then tried to deny that it was out. I couldn't do any release hype at all because I found out it was available for sale from a friend who had already purchased it. It had been up for four days at this time.

There were a long list of other issues pertaining to my publication that made it an agonizing journey. Poor communication, attempts at manipulating more money out of me, sending marketing aids to me 3 months after my book was out... when it was too late to use them effectively, failing to provide all of the services detailed in their publishing package. I was bullied by their marketing staff, telling me my book would be a failure if I didn't pay $XXXX for a publicity campaign. Then there was the kicker... royalties.

I have yet to receive a cent from them. (And I've sold enough books that this is heartbreaking) After a long delay and a lot of mucking about, they finally sent me a royalty check. However, it had a three month expiry on it, and took more than two months to get here. There was not enough time remaining on the check for my bank to deposit it (international checks require longer processing time). My indie publisher refused to change the three month expiry, refused to write a new check at all. They also refused to put the money direct into my bank account because: "The international exchange rate makes things too difficult."

So I made the decision to 'unpublish' with them, and redo the book myself. This has taken so much longer than I had planned or hoped. First they ignored my email requests to remove my book. After some time (and several further attempts to contact) I decided to call them... only to find out they had chosen to process my request after all and just hadn't bothered to tell me.

I URGE any new/indie writers to please think very carefully about where you choose to publish. Particularly if you are choosing to hand over any money. Research the company, scour the internet for bad feedback. Research the company again. Make sure you are aware of your rights, and their policies before you commit to anything. My saving grace with this press was that I had no formal contract. So while I may never see the royalties owed to me, I can at least start over with my books somewhere else. I  had been sensible enough to make sure I retained ownership of all the rights to my work.

Fellow writers, even if you are not yet known or recognized, your words are your heart and soul. The very essence of yourself. They are and always will be precious. Never think that you don't deserve the best and never stop trying to be all that you can be. This includes the way in which you share your work with others. I wish you all the best with your own writing journey, and hope that it contains less obstacles than mine so far.

Johanna Rae