Welcome @LeTeishaNewton #Author of MURDER BY RITUAL to #TuesdayswithTaryn

Tuesdays with Taryn

Welcome LeTeisha Newton!

(clicking image above will take you to LeTeisha's website/blog)

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

Wow. I think that I’d have to say Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey, which was, by far, one of the best debut books I have ever read. I think I was salivating with each one that came out, it was a nine book series by the time she stopped writing in that world. Any time you have people tattooing their flesh with something that was in your book you have done an amazing job. I wanted to do that, and it is still my “I want to get there” novel.

What book do you read over and over again?

It’s a toss-up between Kushiel’s Dart (because I have the first printing with the original cover and I love the feel of it in my hands) and Dark Fire, by Christine Feehan, also in book format. Dark Fire introduced me to paranormal romance and I’ve never looked back!

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie-  Fifth Element is still a favorite!

2)      Music-  Danger by Etro Anime

3)      Decadent Dessert- Vanilla ice cream and a warm brownie!

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

That I have family members in England that perform séances! I was researching psychics and people who commune with object of the dead for my heroine, Eris, in my book Murder by Ritual. That was a shock to see! I hadn’t known she was doing it (and I don’t publish her name because she asked me not to. Something about interfering with the spirits and the people who ask for her help). Also, I studied East Asian Studies in college, hence my use of the Chinese Four Mystical Animals in Dragon's Ward.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

Dark Seduction by Gena Showalter. I wanted to read Paris’ story again. I was so heart-broken for him when he lost Sienna, and I was happy to see him get a woman!

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie?

Hmmm. When I think of Murder by Ritual, which is long enough to be a movie, I would have to say Thadie Newton (no relation I think) for Eris and Ken Watanabe for Ken, my hero and heroine of the story. I would also cast Alexander Skarsgard for Bosnair, head of the Vampire Houses, man he’s a beef cake, Julianne Moore as Bean, the Banshee director of the Special Core for Strands. I think they would be perfect. I would say who my villain would be, but then you’d know who the murder is and that would take away from the story!

Murder by Ritual-
(click book cover to go to Amazon Kindle buy page)

Eris Herrington on the scene of a grisly quadruple murder thinks she’s been pushed too far. Strands--humans who now had the power to walk as animals or, like her, could see into anything they touch--haven’t been public for long. A killer among them won’t be good.

Eris realizes she’s been manipulated for this case in order to join the Strand Special Core, and Ken Satou will be her partner. She’s ready to walk away, but Ken won’t stand for it. If he has to seduce her into submission to solve this case (TWEET THIS!) that is exactly what he’ll do.

Also available at

BARNES AND NOBLE

SMASHWORDS
 

And COMING SOON!
(September 20, 2013)
Dragon's Ward
LeTeisha Newton

She became the Dragon’s Ward.

Brook had been hunted by her stalker, Roach, for nearly two years. He’s become crazed to have her, toying with her, until he can make her his forever. Just that forever for him means death for her.

When Stefan caught a nearly frozen woman in his arms, he never thought he would find the Phoenix to his King Dragon. She’s priceless, and his nobles, Cadoc and Nero, have been awaiting her to complete their quartet as well. Come hell or high water they will save her from Roach and claim her.

You can also check out a podcast reading of the 1st chapter HERE on LeTeisha's PodOmatic Profile!

HEART OF MERCY~ #author @CCMarksWrites #NewRelease #dystopian #YA

Charlie Little exists in a dangerous world. Her best chance of survival is to disguise herself as a boy and guard her secrets well. Yet just when things can’t possibly get worse, they spin completely out of control.

With Zeke and her sister Star by her side and the fresh memory of Thomas’s kiss still on her lips, she narrowly escapes the horrid plans of Jonas Bannon, a monster of a human being. Forfeiting the safety of the community, they leave and begin the search for the city of Mercy, the one secure place Charlie knows. However, as she struggles to reach her sanctuary, doubts creep in that anywhere is truly safe. If the Draghoul don’t get them, the human scavengers just might, and the assumption Mercy will be a place of protection could be the most dangerous risk of all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nearly a year ago, I had Young Adult author, C.C. Marks by for a Tuesdays with Taryn Q&A and talked a little bit about Mercy and Edge of Mercy, her Intro and 1st novel in her young adult dystopian series. Well, she has recently released the 2nd book, HEART OF MERCY and I've already started reading it.

Doesn't she have GORGEOUS new covers???

I absolutely LOVED the story thus far and I'm eager to get back with Charlie, Zeke and her baby sister Star as they journey out of the community and toward the city of Mercy, where Charlie hopes to find safety and sanctuary for herself and her sister.

If you love young adult futuristic romance and adventure, this is definitely one to check out! 

 Click below on image to go to C.C. Marks' Author Page

#ThursdayswithTaryn, Guest #Author C.C. Marks @CCMarksWrites author of Edge of Mercy

Thursdays with Taryn

C.C. Marks

Please help me welcome my fellow KY author (who is also an Indie) C.C. Marks, author of The Mercy Series. She just recently released the first book in the series- Edge of Mercy and is currently working on the next one (which I'm eager to get my hands on). I had a chance to sit down and read Edge of Mercy the weekend before last and all I can say is that it pulled me in from the start.

I'd never really given much thought to what dystopian meant before, but as I read Edge of Mercy, I could see the story playing out in my mind's eye as the characters came to life. The setting is in our world, but in the not so distant future, which they call home. It's a far cry from the world we know now.

I found the story in the same vein as movies I love such as Night of the Comet, Mad Max, Prayer for the Rollerboys, Aeon Flux, City of Ember, Logan's Run, Akira, The Fifth Element, I Am Legend, Book of Eli, and The Chronicles of Riddick. The list could go on and on of ones I hadn't realized were dystopian in their own way and I found that I LOVED this story just as much and could see this as a movie in its own right someday.

From the beginning you feel a kinship with Charlie and the seriousness of her plight. Survival means deception and secrecy, even to those she's grown to care about. Her life, her baby sister's life and her very existence, hangs in the balance of the day-to-day and striving to keep her secret from all in the community. Her secrets are just the tipping point when compared to the secrets of the Council and the horrible deeds and truths that are behind the infection that has turned humans into monsters. This is not a world I would ever wish to face, but at the same time, I found myself rooting for Charlie to find a way around the "rules" of the Council, to find a way to escape the horrid fate she will face if the truth of her identity is revealed and hoping that she can evade the dire consequences and come out unscathed on the other side. Being this is a series, that journey is only just begun and I look forward to reading the next book in the very near future.

Please enjoy C.C.'s answers on this Thursday with Taryn and if dystopian stories are your thing- check out Edge of Mercy. You'll enjoy it!

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

That’s a toughy. So many books were influential. As a romance writer, I loved reading books by Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, and more recently, Kresley Cole and Rachel Gibson. But most influential would have to be Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It was probably the first romance (*spoiler alert: doesn’t have a happy ending) that really wrung me out emotionally.

What book do you read over and over again?

As a card-carrying book-nerd, I have to admit the book(s) I’ve read over and over again are the Harry Potter series. I just love the humor, the hero journey, and the imaginative world shared in these books. Such great reads every time.

Thursday Trio-

1)      Movie- Shakespeare in Love

2)      Music- Anything by Paramore

3)      Decadent Dessert- Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

For my short story, Into the Fire, about two top chefs with a romantic past who go head-to-head on a televised cooking competition, I had to research so much about the terminology used by a professional chef. Devices like salamanders (the heat lamps that keep food warm while it’s waiting) and cooking methods like suvee (where food is sealed in a bag and put into a hot water bath) were interesting to learn about. I haven’t attempted what I learned in my own kitchen yet, but I understand the chefs on the Food Network a whole lot better now.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

J. M. Madden’s A Needful Heart

Whom would you cast as your Hero & Heroine if your book became a movie?

Charlie is the heroine, and I picture Chelsea Kane (she had a short stint on Disney Channel’s Jonas Brothers show) with a very short hairstyle.

I have two heroes—Thomas would be played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zeke would be played by Zac Efron.

(click image at left for Amazon Kindle version)

Blurb:

Charlie hides her true identity, but her very presence places everyone around her in danger. With no other choice but to remain where she is, she stays with a community that might not be as benevolent as it appears. In this new and dangerous version of the world, where a friend might be an enemy and an enemy might be a friend, seventeen-year-old Charlie protects her baby sister and herself from grotesque monsters outside the community as well as human ones inside. Will the truth she discovers about her protectors save her or ultimately doom her to a fate worse than death?

Also available from

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

Kobo

OmniLit

You can also find out more about C.C. at her

Website/Blog

and you can follow her on

Twitter

#TuesdayswithTarynLarry Kollar @FARfetched58 #Author of White Pickups, Book 1 of the Truckalypse

 Tuesdays with Taryn

Larry Kollar

Please help me in welcoming Larry Kollar to Tuesdays with Taryn today!

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

It's easy to say Lord of the Rings, but it's true. Tolkien's Middle-Earth was a masterwork. He built on familiar tales and myths, and created something entirely new that readers could still understand. The characters were much the same—different but familiar. I've always been a sucker for excellent world-building.

What book do you read over and over again?

The Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, usually in the winter. Another great example of world-building, except that it's the characters doing the building (or terraforming). They go beyond the relatively easy task of creating an ecosystem, and tackle tougher questions like “how do we want to relate to each other”? It can be seen as a metaphor for the writing process.

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- Galaxy Quest

2)      Music- Progressive Trance

3)      Decadent Dessert- hot fudge brownie with Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?

The Georgia Guidestones — is a 2-hour drive from my house, and some call it the “American Stonehenge.” Only one person knows who had it built (besides those who commissioned the work, of course), and he agreed to carry the information to his grave.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

I'm in between at this moment. I just finished Jumping at Shadows, my friend Helen A. Howell's first novel. It's a fantasy for middle-grade readers, about a girl who grows up seeing shadows watching her all the time. She soon learns that her ancestry isn't completely of Earth.

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie?

Wow, I'm not up on the teen stars at the moment. I'd like to see some unknowns step in and see them interpret Cody, Sondra, and Kelly.

Though the book is not out yet (should be less than 2 weeks from now) in the meantime, you can learn more about it on the White Pickups Goodreads Page.

“Legends are about ordinary people who stepped up and did what had to be done.”

At summer’s end, mysterious white pickup trucks take to the roads and compel nearly everyone to “drive off.” Some of those who remain gather in a suburban Atlanta subdivision, and struggle to cope with a world whose infrastructure is rapidly crumbling. One of the few who are mentally and emotionally prepared for the end of the world is Cody Sifko, a youth who quickly becomes the inspiration for the others. When a strange homeless woman names him “Father of Nations,” is she seeing his future or her own delusions? As winter and a hate group try to destroy Laurel Hills, can Cody overcome personal tragedy and seize his destiny?

You can learn more about Larry and his work at his blog-
Tales from FAR Manor