Barri Bryan

Barri Bryan’s Heart Lays Deep Within Texas

Barri Bryan is the pen name for Billie Houston. She acquired a pseudonym at the behest of adult children when they discovered a steamy excerpt from one of her romances at the web site of a publisher.

Barri grew up during the thirties. Her formative years were spent in a small town in West Texas. Life was simple then. She could accept what was without questioning what would be, or wishing for what would never come to pass. She sensed there was a world beyond my limited horizon. but it seemed remote and far away. That horizon began to expand and move nearer when she discovered reading and books.

Barri’s dad taught her to read before she started to school; thus began her journey. In the seventh grade, she found the Bronte sisters and fell in love with romantic novels. Since then, she’s been an avid fan of happy-ever-tales.

Today Barri is a wife, a mother of three, and a grandmother to seven wonderful grandchildren. She’s also a former teacher and educator and a published author with over twenty novels, four books of poetry, numerous essays and short stories, and one how-to-write book to my credit.

Barri has a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas, and holds six valid teacher certifications.

Barri’s writing career began late in life, writing her first book in 1990. Her first romance was published in 1998 and writes the kind of books she enjoys reading --- romantic tales about relationships; stories that explore feelings and probe emotions. The plots revolve around ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances and faced with difficult decisions.

Barri likes poetry, George Strait’s music, old movies and Earl Grey tea. Her many hobbies are reading, quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, taking long walks, and growing house plants. 

Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself.

I can’t remember a time I didn’t want to be a writer. I am an octogenarian. I am not an extraordinary person, but my life’s journey has been extraordinary in many ways. I have stood on the sidelines of history and watched a rapidly changing world’s passing, panoramic parade. My personal life has embraced change, struggle, difficulty, and an enduring love. I’ve had my share of happiness. There has been tragedy too. I have known misfortune and heartbreak. I have gambled and often lost, but sometimes won. There are so many things I would go back and change, if I could. I have pretty well come to terms with both my capabilities and my limitations.

How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits in your research?

I do a tremendous amount of research, especially when I write historicals. I am always finding tidbits that interest me. When I researched for my novel Renegade, I discovered that Texas men in the 1830’s didn’t wear cowboy boots. Most of them wore moccasins. A few wore brogans. When I researched for my novel Changeless as the Heavens, set in 1944, I was surprised to learn that during WWII gasoline was rationed, not to save gasoline, but to save tires that were made of rubber, which was a scarce commodity. My research for my novel Wish on the Moon revealed that in 1906 it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go out in public without wearing a corset under her other clothing. My WIP is set in 1966. There were no seat belts in cars in 1966.

What main genre do you write in?

I write romances. Many of my romances are historicals set during a specific decade in the twentieth century. I write some contemporaries, and some historicals set in the nineteenth century.

I also write verse. My poetry is eclectic. I write about what speaks to my heart and quickens my insight.

What are your hobbies?

 I enjoy reading.  I like both fiction and nonfiction. I’m an avid Texas History buff. I read anything I can find about the history of The Lone Star State. I enjoy Regency Romances if they are historically correct and well written. I’m a fan of C. S. Lewis. I read Victorian poetry. I especially like Christina Rosette and Emily Dickinson.  I love taking long walks. That’s when I do much of my planning and problem solving for my writing. I raise house plants and herbs.  I love crafts and handwork. I knit, crochet, and quilt.

If you had to choose one person to have dinner with, who would it be? And why?

If I had to choose one person to have dinner with it would be Christina Rossetti. Of all the poetical voices that echo down through the ages, none rings more sweetly in my ear or resounds with more clearly through my senses than this Victorian spinster’s lyrical compositions. Oh, the questions I would like to ask that lady, not only about her work, but about her personal life also.

What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

The first thing I do is make character sketches of my main characters. I need to know them well before I begin writing about them. Then I outline, by chapter, the story I have in mind. After that, I do much of my research for the story. This gives me a feeling of where I am and where I want to go. I don’t always go in that direction. I have been known to do a 180 degree turn and take another path. Would it be safe to say I combine the two?

Current Release Details:

My current release is entitled For Jenny’s Sake.” It is a contemporary romance set in a small town in South Texas. It’s published by Desert Breeze Publishing.

Can you please give us a sneak peek at any of your upcoming books?

I have a book titled Renegade that is scheduled to be published by Desert Breeze Publishing in January of 2014.The story is set in the little village of San Antonio de Bexar the year after the fall of the Alamo.

What is the best and worst advice you have ever received?

The best writing advice I ever received was from the teacher whose name I can’t recall. She was the instructor in an adult education class I took several years ago. She began her class by saying, “Be honest with yourself so you can be honest with your readers.” I thought that was a strange opening statement for the teacher of a course titled: How to Write Short Fiction. She wasn’t speaking of literal truths, but personal truths. Throughout much of my writing career, I have tried to stay true to that premise. Memorable, moving books are not written from a sense of anything but the writer’s deepest and most honest convictions.

The worst advice I ever had was, “Sit down and write what you feel. As you move along, the story will unfold in your mind. All you have to do is write it down.” Maybe that works for some. It doesn’t for me. I need structure and purpose.

What was your first published work and when was it published?

My first published book was titled A love Like Mine. It was published in 1998 by new Concepts Publishing.

What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?

Ø Website: http://barribryan.com/

Ø Contact me: http://barribryan.com/contact.php?firstname=Barri&lastname=Bryan

Ø Blog: http://barribryan.com/blog/

Ø Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarrriBryan?ref=hl

Ø Twitter: https://twitter.com/texpoet

Ø Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/louhou85/

 

Eight years ago Erin Harrow left her hometown in the wake of shame and scandal. She’s back now, as Erin Bennett the rich widow of recently deceased billionaire Sheldon Bennett. She’s returned to claim what is hers and to set the record straight on some very important issues.

Gabe Harrow has never recovered from his ex-wife’s flight to oblivion, and he’s never forgiven her for disappearing without leaving a trace. She’s back now and determined to take from him the one thing that gives his life meaning, his daughter Jenny. But then, she’s Erin’s daughter too. 

DesertBreezePublishing / Amazon

 

Jane Toombs

Sail the High Seas with Jane Toombs

 

Jane Toombs, the Viking from her past and their calico grandcat, Kinko, live on the south shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wilderness. Here they enjoy refreshing Springs, beautiful Summers, colorful Falls and tolerate miserable Winters. Jane is edging toward ninety with her published books and has over twenty-five novellas and short stories to her credit. She’s been published in every genre except men’s action and erotica, but paranormal is her favorite. She’s a member of a closed twelve author promo group called Jewels Of The Quill, where she’s “Dame Turquoise". 

Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself? 

I’ve returned to live in the small town I grew up in. Some years ago, when I was still living in upstate New York after my second husband died, an old classmate of mine called me to tell me I’d spelled my Swedish hero’s name wrong in my latest book, because en was Norwegian—on was Swedish. It turned out he was living in Nevada. As we talked, we discovered in the next month I was attending a family wedding in lower Michigan, and he’d been invited to a family reunion in lower Michigan on the same weekend, in a town only a few miles from where I’d be.  So he told me he’d drive over to see me.  He’d never before kissed me, but when he left after his visit, he did. Wow! We’ve been together since shortly after that. 

I grew up intending to become a writer, but wound up an RN instead due to WWII. When I finally returned to writing I was married with five kids. I dabbled in it at first, but finally wrote my first book, a rather dark gothic romance that sold to Avon. For some reason this upset my doctor husband (his opinion was I was writing trash) and we eventually divorced. I met my second husband in a writing class. After we married, he decided if I could sell a gothic, he could.  So he wrote one and it did sell. So then we both were writing. We never collaborated, but we did edit each other’s work until he died unexpectedly.

Elmer doesn’t write, but cheers me on. At 88, he now has Parkinson’s, but is up and about in a W/ C. I’m now his caretaker, but he’s able to help me a lot. I’ll be 87 in December, and still writing. Slower, though. 

Please tell us a little about your new release without giving too much of a spoiler away.

I’m finishing up my fourth and last book in my Dangerous Darkness Series, Stranger On The Shore. This series traces the lives of four Special Op guys after they return to civilian life, believing the fourth guy has been killed. Well, he has and he hasn’t and the last book is his. These are paranormal suspense romances and the first three, Shadow On The Floor, Watcher At The Door and Trouble From Before are available from my website: www.JaneToombs.com  

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Trying to find a logical way to keep the hero of the fourth book alive, when all three of the heroes of the other books saw him riddled with bullets. Luckily being an RN was a help. 

What comes first: the plot or the characters?

They all come together for me. I do a synopsis for each book and use it to keep myself on track, though I deviate from it a lot.  

Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Until I do the synopsis I don’t have any characters. And, yes, they develop as I write because I get to know them. 

Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example….get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place.

Nope. Butt in the chair in front of the computer is all I need. 

Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

Other than good overcoming evil, I can’t think of a common theme. 

How long does it take you to write and then edit a story?

That varies with each book. Some seem to flow from my fingers and others definitely do not.   

How do you go about naming characters?

I give them names that seem to fit them. Have no idea how I do that. 

What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books?

E-books are gaining in popularity, but I do believe holding a book in your hands won’t ever go out of style completely. 

What are your current books out right now, and what are the books coming up for release?

I’ve been doing a lot of scanning of old rights-back books, which I then send to Books We Love, Ltd. to turn into ebooks. I’m no techie, so I wouldn’t dream of trying to put them up myself. BWL provides editing and great covers. The latest one up is Love’s Odessey, and Bride of The Baja will soon be up. Both are historical romances. 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Read. 

Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers we have not touched on?

If it wasn’t for my father, who gently critiqued all my early writing, I doubt I’d be published today. He taught me how to accept well-meant critiquing, which is a priceless gift. Unfortunately, he didn’t live long enough to see me succeed. 

Where can the readers learn more about you and find your books on the web?

http://www.JaneToombs.com 

 

This is the story of a sixteen-year-old American girl who is orphaned when her father dies and she is sent to live with her English uncle. Unfortunately he falls out of favor with the king and is killed. This is where she meets Adrien who saves her from a dire fate by taking her to Holland to live with her mother’s sisters.

They sail to Java on the same ship, but Rommel and Adrien are fated to be torn apart again and again. She has only her courage and her beauty to keep her alive—and her impossible love for Adrien. He never gives up searching for her, even after she is abducted by a Chinese pirate and taken to Amoy. He’ll need all his ability as a swordsman to survive long enough to rescue her.

This is truly an odyssey for Rommel and Adrien as he keeps losing her and must set off to find her once more. Travel is by Dutch East India ship, by junk and by raft. 

Books We Love / Kindle

H K Carlton

H K CARLTON CROSSES U.S. BORDERS

 

H K Carlton is a multi-published Canadian author of historical, erotic and contemporary romance.

Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself?

I am a Canadian author of historical, contemporary and erotic romance. I live with my hard-working husband and lovely teenage daughter. We also have two grown sons.

Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

Characters tend to develop as I write. Their individuality becomes clearer as the scenes and dialogue come together and the cast interacts with each other.

What main genre do you write in?

When I began writing, I thought that I was going to be strictly a historical romance writer. At the time the vast majority of books that I read were HR. Write what you know, they say. But to date, I have only written two historical romances, You Found Me and The Devil Take You. The rest have been in the erotic romance genre, with three already published Swap, Lost Time (also in print) and Streetlight People; and three others with contracts signed. But even in those, the sub-genres vary; from m/f to m/m to ménage m/f/f.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

My love for writing, I think, came from my love of reading. I used to read a book a day almost. I don’t have the time to read as much as I used to. But I’m not complaining. I love writing just as much.

What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

A combination of both. In the beginning, when I first penned You Found Me, I wrote it from beginning to end. I didn’t stop and write a scene out of sequence. I’m not sure why now looking back, but that’s the way I felt it needed to be. I was almost afraid to jump ahead. Now, if I have an idea, I jot a brief outline just so that I won’t forget. I’m usually in the middle of another project and need to refer back when I have time to begin something new. But now when I write a story, I can jump ahead and come back to it and fill in the required details.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I’m not sure that I have a specific writing style, but I do like to write in first person. I have several books published in that POV.

What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?

I have a blog. I call it Pick a Genre Already, http://pickagenrealready.blogspot.ca because I write in several genres and sub-genres and I will probably never just stick to one. My favourite way to connect is Twitter, because you can get your message out there in 140 characters or less. I am also on Facebook, Goodreads, Manic Readers and a couple of Yahoo groups.

How can readers find out more about you and your books?

Readers can find out more about my books by visiting my blog or my publishers websites. Total-E-Bound, MuseItUp Publishing and eXtasy Publishing.

What's your favorite genre to read?

Just as I believe I will never settle into one specific genre to write in, I am the same when reading. I will read anything that captures my imagination. But I do love a good time-traveling historical romance.

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please, tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.

I first started sending out manuscripts a few years ago, but have only in this past year or so found my stride. My children have supported me immeasurably. They are my biggest cheerleaders and never allowed me to give up. It was my sister though that tipped the scales. I didn’t share my stories with anyone until I finished You Found Me. When I finished writing it, I just had this overwhelming feeling that this one was different from all the other stories that I’d jotted down before. Just taking that first step and allowing another person to read it was a big one for me. I knew that she would tell me the truth, good or bad. After she read it, she encouraged me to send it out to potential publishers and that’s really when it all began.

What was your first published work and when was it published?

My first published work is entitled Swap an erotic contemporary m/f romance. It was published October 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Is there anyone who really mentored or inspired you to keep writing until you were finally published? 

My family, the children and my sister, as I mentioned earlier.

But since I have been published the multi-published and talented Lisabet Sarai has been an incredible source and mentor to me. She is extremely insightful and helpful, especially to the newbies. She will answer any question, give advice, point you in the right direction, give an honest answer. Not afraid in the least, to share her knowledge, which I have found some are hesitant to do. I have learned so much from not only the way that she writes but also the way that she conducts herself as an author and as a person. I am grateful to have come in contact with her.

Also author Kay Dee Royal has been tremendously helpful to me. She has also taught me tons, which I am also appreciative of. Another talented writer, who is willing to share her knowledge and experience.

I have also been blessed with some brilliant, patient and supportive editors who have helped me put out work that we can all be proud of.

I have been extremely lucky to have met some wonderful people on this journey, people from all over the world, that I will possibly never meet face to face, but even if this writing gig doesn’t work out for me, these are relationships and friendships that I will treasure forever. 

More links will be provided HERE as they become available. 

H K’s Blog http://pickagenrealready.blogspot.ca 

Twitter https://twitter.com/AuthorHKCarlton 

Facebook www.facebook.com/authorhk.carlton 

Manic Readers http://www.manicreaders.com/HKCarlton/ 

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/HK-Carlton/e/B009KVR7EW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

 

CONTEST ALERT:  H K will be giving away an ecopy of The Devil Take You to one lucky commenter.

 

Scotland—1307—During the Scottish Wars of Independence 

Gard Marschand will stop at nothing in his pursuit to regain what is lost. Concealing his true identity, he will associate with his enemies, kill his own countrymen, even sell his soul to the devil if all else fails. He will lie, cheat, steal, rape and siege his way across two countries gaining power and reputation in his malevolent wake. His determination all consuming, until King Edward commands Gard to lay siege on Ross-shire holding, where Braelynn Galbraith obliterates his single-minded purpose.

Braelynn Galbraith wants peace for her beloved Scotland, marriage to her childhood sweetheart, Callum, and a house full of children. In that order. But evil incarnate in the form of Gard Marschand, turns her life inside out and destroys all hope of a decent marriage.

Can Gard abandon his deep-seated need of revenge for a love that might just save his soul, or will he succumb to the demons that hound him and surrender to the devil within?

I believe your stay in purgatory has only just begun…

 

MuseItUp Publishing

 

Margaret Tanner

Margaret Tanner Brings

Readers Frontier Australia

 

 Margaret Tanner is a multi-published Australian author. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her historical romance novels, and prides herself on being historically accurate. No book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty, or cemetery too overgrown. Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors in frontier Australia.

As part of her research she has visited the World War 1 battlefields in France and Belgium, a truly poignant experience.

She won the 2007 and 2009 Author of the Year at AussieAuthors.com. A Rose In-No-Man’s Land won an un-published manuscript award. Her novel Frontier Wife won the Best Historical Romance Novel at the 2010 Readers Favorite Award, and another novel, Wild Oats was a 2011 Finalist in the EPIC awards.

In 2012, an unpublished manuscript was short listed in English publisher, ChocLit’s, Find an Australian Star, competition.

Margaret is married with three grown up sons, and two gorgeous little granddaughters.

Outside of her family and friends, writing is her passion.

 

Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself?

I live in Australia, and I guess the best way to describe my writing is to call it historical fiction with romantic elements. I am multi-published with three different publishers, The Wild Rose Press, Whiskey Creek Press and Books We Love Ltd.

 

Please tell us your latest news!

My novel, A Rose In No-Man’s Land, which is set against a background of World War I, has recently been released by The Wild Rose Press.

 

Please describe your writing environment.

I write my very first draft in long hand in a notebook, so I can really do it anywhere that I happen to be. The only thing I need is silence. I can’t work with noise. Even soft background music disturbs my flow of words.

 

Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?

I never plan anything. I have a vague idea about my characters before I start, but they really evolve as the story progresses.

 

How much research do you do for your books? Have you found any cool tidbits in your research?

I do a lot of research for my books, and it helps that I like history. I can’t stand inaccuracies in stories, so I try as hard as I can not to have them in mine.  There is nothing worse, in my humble opinion, than to start reading a story then find some historical aspect is incorrect. If that happens, I don’t finish the book, and I never buy that author’s work again.

 

What main genre do you write in?

Historical Romance, although it would be more accurate to say, Historical Fiction with romantic elements.

 

What are your hobbies?

Writing, reading and researching. Family time.

 

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I can’t remember a time when I haven’t written. At first I used to write these pitiful, sad little ditties, then I graduated to short stories, until I found my true love, writing novels.

 

What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?

I fly by the seat of my pants.

 

What would be the best way for readers contact you? Do you have a website? Email address? MySpace site? Blog? Message Board? Group?

My website is: http://www.margarettanner.com/

My email:  mjljtanner@hotmail.com

 

What type of book have you always wanted to write?

A best seller.

 

Battlefield nurse, Amy Smithfield, falls in love with Captain Mark Tremayne, but he is bound to his dead wife. He can never marry again or tell Amy the truth, unless he wants to risk the gallows for a murder he did not commit.

 

Amazon / Wild Rose Press

Free Your Spirit with Historical Author – C.K. Crigger

 

     Born and raised in North Idaho on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation, C.K. Crigger lives with her husband and three feisty little dogs in Spokane Valley, Washington. She is a member of Western Writers of America and reviews books and writes occasional articles for Roundup magazine.

Imbued with an abiding love of western traditions and wide-open spaces, Ms. Crigger writes of free-spirited people who break from their standard roles. In her books, whether westerns, mysteries, or fantasy, the locales are real places. All of her books are set the Inland Northwest, the westerns with a historical background. She is a two time Spur Award finalist and won the 2008 EPIC Award for Western/Historical fiction. 

Please tell us a little about your new release without giving too much of a spoiler away.

Here’s the back blurb for Three Seconds to Thunder, the third book in my China Bohannon series:  China Bohannon is a modern 1890’s career woman, but the Doyle & Howe Detective Agency hasn’t turned her loose on a case of her own just yet. China is champing at the bit and when a call for help comes in, a trip into the mountains above the St. Joe country sounds just the thing to prove her worth and assist a friend at the same time. Porter Anderson’s uncle has disappeared and a Johnny-come-lately timber baron has claimed the family homestead. What’s more, he has a bill of sale for it that Porter knows his uncle didn’t sign. The problem is proving it—or so it would seem.  Porter doesn’t believe his uncle sold out and left the country without telling anybody. He’s afraid old Lionel Hooker might be dead—murdered.

Declaring the case unsuitable for a lady like China, Monk takes it on, but now no one has heard from him in days. China sets out to discover his whereabouts as the dry lightning of summer sets the woods ablaze.

What she finds is a trail of lies, theft, and murder, with her uncle Monk likely the latest victim. Then, just when the problem appears solved, trouble breaks out again. This time, Gratton Doyle is the one in danger and China who must bail him out.

 

Excerpt / OakTreeBooks / Amazon / B&N

 

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

I’m going to answer this from the opposite point of view because there’s nothing hard about writing the China Bohannon stories. I love every moment of it. The only part that occasionally proves challenging is keeping the action going at a breakneck pace. Otherwise, I love the characters, I get a kick out of the Bedlington terrier, and I adore doing the research for the time and the setting. I’ve even got a partial plot for a fourth book in my head.  

What comes first, the plot or the characters?

Characters, every time. There is no plot without the proper characters to drive and people it. Good guys, bad guys (or girls), all the players...you just never know when what might at first seem a fairly minor character suddenly pops up and has to be restrained from taking over. In Two Feet Below, the second CB book, my heroine winds up in a logger’s camp. I thought I’d milk the scene and then move on, but as it happens, those loggers not only took on a major part in Two, but one went on to star in Three Seconds to Thunder.  

Do you have a ritual when it comes to writing? Example...get coffee, blanket, paper, pen, laptop and a comfy place?

No rituals for me, unless you consider rereading what I wrote in the previous session a prime to the writing pump. However, I read a lot about writers who put on their favorite classic music and write to that. At one time, I used to do something similar —only I remember a song titled “Lightning Crashes” rather than anything highbrow. Now I prefer silence during the actual writing. I will, however, sometimes listen to an evocative song before I start writing. I love having a song as a theme, one that will send me straight into the book’s mood.  

Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?

My series books no doubt have a common theme. In my Gunsmith series, it’s my heroine finishing the history trapped inside an antique gun. In the China Bohannon series, it’s righting a wrong and solving a crime.  I hope the standalones are all different and unique! 

How do you go about naming characters?

I just love naming my characters. Possibilities are wide open for me here. I can (and do) collect all sorts of names and sometimes just plain make them up--or I think I do. Tomasella—the heroine in one of my fantasies—is one I thought I made up until I saw it somewhere years later as a last name. My Shih Tzu is named after her. I’ve never seen the name Boothenay—from the Gunsmith series—anywhere else. Names similar, but not precise. The Border Patrol Officer in Hereafter is named after Lily, my Persian kitty who was my writing partner for sixteen years. But names have to suit the time period you’re writing in. And they have to suit the character. Sometimes that character can really be stubborn, too.  One of my westerns began with the heroine named Leah, but dang, she just wasn’t Leah. Apparently she wasn’t Sophia, either. Who she was/is, is Caroline, which strikes me a odd since it’s so close to my own name. As an aside, the other day I sold a book to a lady named Zennetta. Guess whose name is going to show up soon in one of my books?  

What do you see for the future of publishing in e-books?

More copies of my books sell in electronic format than in print already. I look for that trend to continue. While I will never stop buying paper books, I’ve got to say I enjoy the Kindle, too. Electronic books are easy to carry around and don’t require bookcases to hold them. However, if you’re watching TV with one eye and reading with the other, paper books suit me better. So what? I like both, but I think e-books are definitely the wave of the future.  

What are your current books out right now, and what are the books coming up for release?

I’m currently promoting the China Bohannon series. #1: One Foot on the Edge, #2: Two Feet Below, and #3: Three Seconds to Thunder, the last two published by Oak Tree Press. My latest release is from Amber Quill Press and is a futuristic fantasy featuring post-apocalyptic mutants and magic. Its title is Hereafter. I’m also shopping around another novel starring Boothenay Irons, as well as a contemporary mystery. 

What do you do on a typical writing day?

Hah! Somedays I retreat to my basement office and spend a lot of time staring at a blank computer screen. Other days the words spew out like lava and I write like mad. It all seems to even out in the end. If the creative juices aren’t flowing as I’d like, I can always edit and improve and allow my mind to take care of business. 

Please describe your writing environment.

I can’t resist answering this question. First of all, my office is a pit. Papers and notes and scraps of this-and-that all over the place.  I’m surrounded by two overflowing bookcases, stacked boxes, printers, and oh, yes, a 1906 Thomas Edison gramophone, with the big old horn and cylinder records. There are even two file cabinets for actual business type stuff. The carpet is in dire need of cleaning and most often has my best doggie friend lying on it at my side. The kitty frequently visits and stomps across the computer keyboard, scattering stuff even more. When I make an effort and dung out junk and straighten and organize the rest, it reverts to this horrible state in less than a week. I need a maid! 

Connect with C.K. at one of the following: 

Website: www.ckcrigger.com

Blog: www.ckcrigger.blogspot.com

Blog: www.chinabohannon.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/carol.crigger

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ckcrigger