Day 5 of the Rebel Elite Holiday Hop!

Say Hi to Britni!

Tell us about yourself:

I’m a hair stylist and I absolutely love it.  I’ve been doing it for about 7 years.  The only other thing I could imagine doing is writing and hey I get to do that too.  I’m a big dork.  I love comic book movies and star wars.  I spend most of my spare time reading or writing.

What television sitcom is most like your family? Why?

Hmmm…I can’t really think of any off the top of my head.  The show Whitney is a pretty good glimpse at my relationship though.  She says the ridiculous things I think, and her boyfriend tells her she’s crazy but tries to make her feel better.

What’s your favorite thing to do to relax?

I usually read and maybe have a glass of wine.

Do you prefer…
Public speaking or public singing? Oh neither.  I hate to be the center of attention, but I guess public speaking because I’m an awful singer.

Writing in a notebook or typing on the computer?  Typing on the computer.

Coke or Pepsi?  Coke

Living without your cell phone or living without your computer? Cell Phone

Cake or pie? Cake…I hate pie.

Now about you as an author…
Did you always want to be an author?

As soon as I learned to put pen to paper I started writing stories.

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? I loved RL Stine when I was younger.  In high school I couldn’t get enough Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe.

Did anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a writer? (teacher, family member, friend)

My boyfriend is amazingly supportive and he keeps me going when I get stuck.

What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your least favorite?

Getting the stories that are in my head out has to be my favorite.  I hate writing blurbs.

What aspect of writing would you most like to improve on?

I love commas.  I love to use them too much, so I could use some improvement there.

Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?  Not really.  My laptop and some music.

Do you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?

My two that are currently out go together so I guess you could say yes.  Most of my writing is very different from those two stories though.

What have you learned the most from being in the writing business?

It’s a lot of work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach your goals.  You definitely have to have thick skin to do this though.

Tell us about your latest release:

Join Taylor and Layla for the final chapter of their journey in the long awaited follow up to Tears in the Rubble. In the wake of a terrible betrayal, Taylor and Layla bury their feelings for the other, good and bad, just to get by day to day. Forced together because of their daughter, Taylor struggles to forgive Layla so he falls into the role of fatherhood, naturally striving to be the best father he can be. Layla’s guilt overwhelms her as she fights herself over her feelings for Taylor. After all, she doesn’t believe she deserves another chance. She’s already had too many. Making a family out of a broken relationship won’t be easy, but with both Taylor and Layla pushing forward, will they ever find a new normal? Will they ever confront their feelings for one another?

How did you decide on your story plot?

I was actually challenged to write a short story about love and nothing else.  That was the first scene from the first book that I wrote, and From the Rubble just wraps up the story.

How did you choose your characters names and location for your story?

The names just came to me.  I guess my characters told me what they were.  As for location.  The first scene I wrote took place in an old barn so I went with small town.

Do you have a favorite scene? Why? Not off the top of my head.  Maybe I love them all too much.

Do you have a character that you identify with? Who and why?

I do.  In a story that hasn’t been published yet.  You’ll meet her later.

Blurb –

Layla Swanson grew up in the lazy, small town of Hollow Oaks and can’t wait to get out.  She has big dreams and big plans in the big city.  Layla has worked hard and her senior year is nearly at its end.  She can’t wait to go away to college.  And she’s one step closer to getting what she wants. Layla isn’t letting anyone get in her way.

Taylor Scott may not be your typical country boy, but he doesn’t mind Hollow Oaks.  His dreams may not be marked on paper and set in stone, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them.

A chance meeting between the two childhood friends may have Layla second guessing her longtime plan. Their rekindled friendship is leading them down a path neither one could have foreseen.  But with Layla leaving for college, many challenges face them, especially when she so stubbornly sticks to her solo plan.

Is Taylor’s love enough to convince Layla to let him in?  Or when everything falls apart, will Layla run away?

Let our readers know how they can get a hold of you…

Twitter: @thatbritnihill Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BritniHillAuthor

Blog: http://britnihillwriter.blogspot.com/

You can find From the Rubble here –

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Day 3 of the Rebel Elite Holiday Hop!

Say hi to Alex!

Knights of Fey: Remain

Sneak Preview

Jace trailed behind Morgan grudgingly, taking in the brilliance of the sun and the crispness of the breeze through the grass. Everything seemed green here, like the world had been infused with a double dose of whatever made things grow. The flowers bloomed in radiant shades, and the moisture had not left the air, a sensation that woke Jace more surely than a cup of coffee. The mountains grew larger as they approached, towering like giants above the plains.

As they drew closer, they caught Jace’s eye. His brows wrinkled, and feet slowed. “That…” He halted, second-guessing himself. But there it was, just as he remembered. “I know that skyline. Those are the mountains where I live. I’ve painted them dozens of times.”

Morgan stopped just long enough to gesture him onward. “Of course they are. Keep up! We are nearly there.”

The nonchalance in his tone startled Jace. Did that mean… “Are we back in the real world? I mean, my world?” he demanded, jogging to catch up. They’d both caught up to Hector, who had paused on hearing the conversation, marveling at his ignorance.

“He has told you nothing?”Hector questioned in curiosity. “Morgan, you have left the boy very little to chew on in our long walk. It must have been dreadfully dull.”

Jace was simultaneously repulsed at being spoken of so dismissively, and overwhelmed with curiosity. “What do you mean? Why are the mountains the same?”
Morgan cast a disapproving glare to Hector. “He will not be here long. The less he knows, the better it will be.”

Hector did not heed the warning. He strode closer in step with Jace, reveling in the mortal’s ignorance. “What Master Wolfhame does not wish you to know, boy, is that our worlds are the same. The mountains, the valleys, the rivers and streams, the oceans—we exist on the same Earth. It is merely the realms that are different.”

“The realms?” His eyebrows knit crossly. It wasn’t yet making sense.

“Otherworld, as we call your realm, and Amaranth, ours: the eternal flower. It is a fitting name, don’t you think?”

Jace still did not grasp the concept behind his words. “So, Otherworld and… Amaranth… They exist in each other? Are we in my world? In Otherworld?” he corrected.

“Not in each other, boy. On top of each other. They cannot see each other because they do not exist together. But they exist alongside each other, to be sure. Right now, where we walk, in Otherworld there are people walking, animals living, probably even your cars driving. We just cannot see them, because they are in the Otherworld, and we are in Amaranth.”

“All of this, Amaranth, exists on top of my world?”

“Aye,” he repeated. “You may have even stood in the same room as us before, but never known it. You might feel a chill, if the veil is thin, and we might see a flicker of your image, but the worlds never coexist.”

Morgan grunted, walking at a faster pace. Jace noticed and sped up, as well. Hector felt friendly, explaining it all to him with relish; but he did not want to be long out of reach of Morgan. He felt safe in his guardianship, even for as cold as the hunter was acting at the moment.

“But I am here,” Jace turned to Hector, debating the point. “Obviously they can coexist, or I wouldn’t be here.”

“You are here because you have ceased existing in your realm and now exist in ours. We can travel between realms, through the mirrors, but beings cannot exist in both realms in the same moment.” Hector paused briefly, watching Morgan mount the next hill with calculating eyes.

In the moment when Morgan’s back was turned, Hector seized Jace’s wrist, pulling him close. The words were whispered harshly, quickly – “He has eyes for you, boy. But beware. The Queen is not what she seems.”

As quickly as Hector  pulled close, he retreated, leaving Jace breathless in fear and confusion. Eyes darted quickly up to Morgan, who seemed not to have noticed the exchange. Hector had resumed his casual, arrogant stride as if nothing had happened.

Jace was lost in shock. “What…”

“And so, dear boy, it’s simple,” Hector cut in. His volume was high and jovial, as it had been moments ago.

“I…okay…” Jace managed weakly. The words spun through his head—He has eyes for you, boy. The Queen is not what she seems. Why the warning? And the comment about Morgan? And how were they related? Jace swallowed nervously, then tried to shake the feeling of unease. Hector was playing games with him; he just didn’t know what they were yet.

Knights of Fey: Remain coming spring 2013 from Rebel Ink Press. Find out more at www.alexjonesbooks.com!

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Day 2 of the Rebel Elite Holiday Hop!

Say hi to Nancy!

Good stories are everywhere. Life is a novel. When I begin to think about a new story, I start forming the plot close to home. Nardi Point started that way, and so does my next story, Paths through the Garden.

Nardi Point is a new subdivision under construction in Raleigh, North Carolina. Over the past ten years particularly, Raleigh has attracted many newcomers from colder climes seeking job opportunities and a new way of life. That is so with Laurinda Elliot, a savvy successful software Project Manager. She meets her partner Dan Riser, an uber software developer, in Raleigh and the two transplants work their new lives living the dream. But for Laurinda, it isn’t enough. A home and family whisper to her and she’s keen to answer the call. Dan, not so much.

New home construction abounds in Raleigh. To Laurinda it’s the first step to following her heart. North Raleigh, close to the Neuse River, has a history of ancient North Carolinians traveling the land following the seasons living off abundant wild game, and amazingly huge fish that migrated up the river from the sea. We know this because of the amazing artifacts frequently found in farmers’ fields or discovered during road construction projects. Pre-historic Native Americans lived in the Raleigh area some 10,000 years ago. Remember, the Egyptian pyramids are only 3,000 years old!

And Laurinda? She’s caught between the ancient past and her dream future. Not only must she resolve what to do when ancient artifacts are discovered on their home building site at Nardi Point, she must also come to grips with what she looks for in a relationship when confronted with a new love, a single father of adorable four-year-old, Annabel.

My passion for archaeology helped drive this story. As a volunteer at the State Archaeological Office, I prepared bags of ancient pot sherds (yes here they’re called sherds, not shards), cataloging them and being in awe handling them. I’d wonder what hands had created the pottery over 10,000 years ago. How? Why? And thus, the story my story was born.

If you write, I recommend taking a fresh perspective of your home and community and consider adding them to the plot. Things you may take for granted can be of great interest across a broader spectrum of readers. And the joy of discovering these things afresh fuels your story. Ahh, the writing life!

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Book Trailer

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4IvixrsfiE

Purchase Links

Amazon

• eBook
  http://www.amazon.com/Nardi-Point-ebook/dp/B007US8S0O/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354408156&sr=1-1&keywords=Nardi+Point

• Paperback
  http://www.amazon.com/Nardi-Point-Nancy-LaPonzina/dp/1937265587/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1354408156&sr=1-1

 Barnes & Noble Nook

• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nardi-point-nancy-laponzina/1110199645?ean=2940014519410

All Romance eBooks

• http://www.allromanceebooks.com

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Welcome to the Rebel Elite Holiday Hop!

Please say hello to Lori  –

As we approach a new year it seems appropriate to tell you about my upcoming Trilogy, The Lost Night. A Romantic Adventure set in Outer Space.

Book one, Black Night, is my very first completed manuscript. I wrote it six years ago. The response from my friends and family was so positive I followed it with book two, Castle of Doom. For the third in the series I decided to try something different and took the reader back in history with book three, The Beginnings. (This title is subject to change and I hope it does.)

Now, six years ago I knew nothing about editing or publishing. I just thought “I wrote a book, my friends love it, I’m going to be an author.” Then reality hit in the form of a rejection letter—lots of them. After years of trying to find a home for the Lost Night, I pushed it aside and wrote my first Romantic Suspense, Victim of Circumstances. In September 2011 Rebel Ink Press made my dream come true with a contract. I’m not ashamed to say I danced around my living room that day.

In September of 2012 I Rebel Ink Press accepted The Lost Night Trilogy to be released early 2013.

In between, Jenny hits the Jackpot was released in October 2012. And I do have another Contemporary Suspense hiding in the closet for 2013.

The Lost Night-Black/Night Coming 2013 from Rebel Ink Press.                                                                           

Unedited Blurb

Sienna James must face the harsh realities outside her sheltered world when she falls in love with the grandson of a rival planet’s evil ruler.

Attempting to break off the doomed relationship Sienna finds herself kidnapped and forced into a marriage designed to destroy her father’s empire.

Johnny Black risks his life in order to rescue his unrequited love, Sienna. In order to escape the duo must make a harrowing journey to the other side of their captive world. Events along the way have Sienna admitting, for her it was always Johnny, until a dark secret from his past is revealed, putting the couples love to the ultimate test as Sienna must decide if she can ever trust Johnny again.

 Unedited Excerpt

I gulped champagne when Johnny got up from his chair, pushing it aside before dropping down on one knee.

Every eye in the place watched in anticipation when he pulled out a red velvet box. The room was so quiet, I heard his slow exhale before he spoke, “Sienna James, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The tears I’d expected refused to come. I was much too numb too cry. I stared at the most incredible ring I’d ever seen thinking, this time yesterday I was kissing Marc by the river and tonight my father was giving his consent and blessing for Johnny to marry me. At this moment I truly hated them all. Grabbing Johnny’s glass off the table, I downed the contents before meeting his eyes. “Why not.” I shrugged.

Victim of Circumstances and Jenny Hits the Jackpot are currently available as an e-book at  Amazon, Are (All Romance e-books) and Barnes & Noble.com

Lori J Gordon lives in Northern California with her husband. When she’s not reading or writing she works as a Retail Supervisor.

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