Monday, 15 August 2011

Fantasy Romance Author - Amanda Leigh Cowley

Soul Protector is a fast-paced fantasy romance. In part one of the Soul Protector series, Gracie discovers she can switch into other people's bodies.

Unaware she has a visible aura, she gets abducted by a monitor, Dan. He introduces Gracie to the world of Soul Protectors, but while she admires what they do, she isn't brave enough to embrace switching herself.

She falls for Dan, but finds he has hang-ups of his own. When Gracie does finally pluck up the courage to switch again, she uncovers a dark secret; one that shocks her to the core.

Hi Amanda! What will readers like about your book?
Soul Protector is a fantasy romance with twists and turns, so hopefully you will be hooked, but unable to predict the outcome.

What inspired you to write it?
I’ve always wanted to write a book, but when I tried in the past, I gave up after the first chapter. Then I had one of those days where everything was going wrong, and I was worried about a family member (illness – but they’re all better now). I just wanted to escape into someone else for the day and leave my worries behind – and that put the idea for Soul Protector in my head. The idea just grew and grew, and I couldn’t type fast enough…

Do you have any new works in the pipeline?
Yes. Part two in the Soul Protector series is my work in progress. I hope to have it available in digital format and paperback by the end of this year.

Who are your favourite authors?
I like Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Meade, Stephenie Meyer, Kazuo Ishiguro and Marian Keyes.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
I have the world’s worst sense of smell. It’s shocking. I was on plane once, and when I came out of the toilet, the air hostess sprayed me with air freshener. I was a little put out to say the least – but my husband told me the gentleman who came out before me had left a really bad smell, and the air hostess ran off to get the freshener; no once could believe I’d wandered in, (oblivious), while they were all gagging.

Amanda Leigh Cowley lives in Northampton, UK, with her husband, two sons and a shaggy dog. In addition to helping her husband with the admin side of his business, ferrying the kids between football (soccer!) matches, and writing articles online, she has managed to fulfil a burning ambition to write a book. Soul Protector is her debut novel.

You can find out more by checking out Amanda's blog: http://amandaleighcowley.blogspot.com

Soul Protector is available to buy from Amazon and Smashwords

Saturday, 13 August 2011

I Predict a Riot


Petrol is non-existent and there has been no food on the supermarket shelves for weeks. People are hawking produce in the streets and goods are traded as British coin is currently worthless. People want food, alcohol, tobacco and medicine. Pharmacies and hospitals have been emptied of stocks. Supplies, supposed to be on their way, just aren’t getting through to their destinations. Electricity, phones, gas and water are functioning, but only intermittently and people are hoarding bottled water.

We’re lucky to be in a small village and not a big town or city where there are riots and looting. It’s a surreal time where a person can be stabbed to death for a pack of cigarettes.

I know the London riots have been bad, but we haven’t reached this stage yet. My new novel Outside explores what could happen if things really did escalate out of control.

What are your views on the riots? Why do you think they happened and could the government have done anything to stop them sooner?


Sunday, 7 August 2011

Huge Ebook Giveaway - 24 Titles - 48 Winners!

All you have to do is shoot over to one of these blogs to enter:

After The Book  

OR  

JeanzBookReadNReview




As soon as each blog reaches 100 followers, the first winners on that blog will be drawn. First winner drawn gets first pick of the ebooks on the list.

 
The eBooks:
  1 The Bringer - Samantha Towle Twitter
  2 Raven - Suzy Turner Twitter
  3 Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series) - Shalini Boland Twitter
  4 Beautiful Evil – Robbi Sommers Bryant Twitter
  5 Bloodletter - Angel Haze
  6 Piercing Through the Darkness - Emerald Barnes Twitter
  8 Black Wood - Jayde Scott  9 A Job From Hell - Jayde Scott Twitter
10 Coexist (Keegan’s Chronicles) – Julia Crane Twitter
11 Legacies of Talimura (War of the Witch) - Angel Haze Twitter

12 Scorpio Rising (The Scorpio Series) - Monique Domovitch Twitter
13 Ruby and the Mix Games (Hue Series -Vol 1) - Joseph Seegitz Twitter
14 Paranormal Doorway to the Triquetra - Lenore Wolfe Twitter
15 Dark Warrior - Lenore Wolfe
16
Salt Bowl Death – Cypher Lx Twitter
17 Nalia and the Potion Maker (Nalia, Book 1) - Queenbe Monyei Twitter
18 Chasing Destiny - Linda Eble Swain Twitter

19 Darkest Before Dawn – Cypher Lx
20 Caged In Darkness - J.D. Stroube Twitter
21 Crossroads - Mary Ting Twitter
22 Forever Sunshine - Collette Scott Twitter
23 Outside - Shalini Boland Twitter
24 Fairy Circle - Johanna Frappier Twitter

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Vampires In The Cotswolds

I just did my very first book signing for Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series)! It took place in Gloucestershire (the setting for most of the book) at That New Shop, a gorgeous little gift boutique that sells all sorts of beautiful things.  

Owners, Amara and Sue, put a great sign in the window 'Vampires In The Cotswolds' and set me up with a chair and table right in the centre of the shop.


I was nervous before we started, but everyone was so lovely and friendly that I ended up having a great time. Special thanks to Paulette and Tracie for chat, coffees and that deliciously decadent cupcake!

We sold out halfway through the morning and had to take orders, so apologies to those people who didn't get a copy straightaway. But there's another box of books winging its way to the shop as I type. It should be there next week.

I hope to do plenty more book signings in the future. My aim is to arrange them at all the locations in the novel. So next stop Paris, then Cappadocia...

Thursday, 4 August 2011

Raven by Suzy Turner

Lilly's life is strange. She has odd parents and only one friend. But when Lilly’s parents disappear, things get even stranger. Everything she knows is taken away from her and she begins to realise that she isn’t who she thought she was. The story had me flipping the pages to discover Lilly’s family secrets and I wasn’t disappointed.

Suzy Turner’s writing flows and the story pulls you in with its intrigue and mystery. The characters are compelling and the plot unfolds into an exciting and dangerous adventure.

I can’t wait for book 2 and I’m really glad it’s going to be about Lilly’s friend, December Moon. She’s a character I wished we’d seen more of in Raven, so it’s brilliant we’ll get to find out who she is. All in all this was a fantastic read!

Raven is a refreshingly different novel suitable for children, teens and adults alike. You can find it in the following places:

Amazon for Kindle
Barnes & Noble for the Nook
Smashwords

Suzy's website: http://www.suzyturner.com/

Thursday, 28 July 2011

The Books In My Life - Suzy Turner

The gorgeous and super-talented author, Suzy Turner, has very kindly agreed to write a guest post for Someone Wot Writes! I'll be following it up later with a review of her amazing YA novel Raven.



The Books in my Life

Books have always been incredibly important to me. I remember reading so many different kinds as a child, anything from Arthur C Clarke's Islands in the Sky, Robert O'Brien's Z for Zachariah, some of the Nancy Drew series, a whole load of Mills and Boon and many others before I eventually moved on to Jilly Cooper, Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins. I tell you, I learned a lot from those women!

There are some books that were so powerful to me when I first read them as a young teenager. At that age I guess I was easily blown away. Probably because I needed to be taken away into other people's worlds after I lost my mother when I was just 13.

Some that I remember with fondness are Queenie by Michael Korda, Lace by Shirley Conran and Destiny by Sally Beaumont. I also loved the Lucky Santangelo series by Jackie Collins. There was something about all of those books that really touched me at the time. I ought to read them again and see how I am affected now, as a grown woman.

A little later, I remember my dad recommending Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. A huge book, I know, but boy... what a story! It was fantastic. The TV series, although good, just didn't do it justice. Jean M Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear was another book I read soon after,and it certainly wowed me!

Since those days, I've become a true Harry Potter and Twilight fan. I know I will read these books over and over. The only other book that I've ever read twice is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and that is an amazing tale - much better than the movie.

But now, since the advent of ebooks and the kindle, I am thoroughly enjoying reading books written by authors in the same situation as me. Self-published authors who have decided to go it alone. And here I am, being blown away yet again by the sheer talent out there. Some firm favourites include Shalini's Hidden, Johanna Frappier's Fairy Circle, Patti Roberts' Paradox... there are so many, I could easily list tons more!

I haven't given up on traditionally published books, of course. I would never do that, although I do prefer to read on my kindle these days as it's so much more convenient than lugging around books around in my handbag!


Thanks so much, Suzy. I loved reading about your book history. I think we must have almost identical reading tastes!