Tuesday, November 27, 2018

*Book Tour & Giveaway* Rite of Reign Boxed Set - GUEST POST


Rite to Reign
Boxed Set
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance



Something wicked this way comes...
Willful witches, supernatural sorcerers, cruel queens, and powerful priestesses fall out of favor and rise to rule in this highly sought-after collection of spellbinding stories!

More than 20 award-winning and bestselling authors have come together to curate this bewitching boxed set collection of the best PARANORMAL ROMANCE and URBAN FANTASY books in the genre, each brimming with stories of royal magic.

Journey through worlds of danger and mayhem, where witches and warlocks battle for influence and wizards fight for unrestricted power.

But reader beware: the highly addictive stores in RITE TO REIGN will put you under their spell. One click to secure your limited edition copy today!



Featuring Stories from :


USA Today bestselling author Heather Marie Adkins
Teresa Roman
JJ King writing with Candace Osmond
USA Today bestselling author SJ Davis writing with P. Mattern
Scott Hungerford
USA Today bestselling author Shawna Romkey
USA Today bestselling author Ash Krafton
USA Today bestselling author Christine Ashworth
Anna Santos
Melissa Winters
Colleen S. Myers
Andie M. Long
Alex H. Singh
Sabrina Ramoth
L.C. Ireland
Louisa Bacio
Grace White
Helen Scott
Carma Haley Shoemaker
Kyndra Hatch
Mirren Hogen & Stephanie Barr
E.B. Black
Ella Middaugh
Kat Parrish
Tanya Dawson



**Only .99 cents!!**




GUEST POST
Stuff about you: (Stephanie Barr)
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I'm a rocket scientist, even a good one. For some reason, that floors people.
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
I received a phone from the company that provides replacement phones (for my carrier) if you lose or break your phone. Except none of us had a broken/lost phone. Turns out, someone at the warehouse slapped the wrong label on it so it came to me instead of the man who lost it. So the guy from the company begged me to go out and ship it overnight to the person who was supposed to get it. Cost me $80 but they gave me a $100 credit on my next cellphone bill.

What are some of your pet peeves?
I hate cliffhanger endings in books, even series. I think each books should be able to stand alone as a whole story.

Where were you born/grew up at?
Without being an armed services brat, I traveled all over. By the time I graduated college, I'd lived in seven different states. I moved to Texas after graduation and I haven't live anywhere else since.

If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
Read manga, cuddle with kids and cats.
Who is your hero and why?
I have several heroes. I've a great deal of respect for martin Luther King Jr. for instance, but I have to say a current hero is Hillary Clinton. She has been smeared and maligned, refused to wallow in the mud, has grown and adapted, learned her craft, studied her subjects, found detailed everything, and keeps getting back up no matter how often she's slammed down.

What kind of world ruler would you be?
Compassionate and incorruptible. I'd love to say I'd always keep my cool, but I don't know that I would. I'm passionate about the protection of the vulnerable.

What are you passionate about these days?
People are people. Human rights. Destroying rape culture. Teaching people that who you are is more important than what you are.

What do you do to unwind and relax?
Read manga
How to find time to write as a parent?
Bwahahaha! I don't sleep much. Prioritize and write whenever I can.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Honest. Analytical. Compassionate. Open-minded. Relentless.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I published my first story in a magazine back in the 90's
Do you have a favorite movie?
I have dozens of favorite movies. I like humor and adventure, romance and social commentary. I want it all. My "favorite" depends on my mood though I feel like I only watch kid movies recently since that's all my kids will watch. Moana is my current favorite of those.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
Curse of the Jenri would make a kickass movie I think. Tarot Queen as well. Actually, given how I grew up on movies, most of my books are dialog focused and have cool visuals, so I don't have a hard time imagining any as a movie.

What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
None. I'm happy to read from home.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Cats and dragons are both favorites and you'll find some version of both in every book.

Stuff about the Book: Incantation
What inspired you to write this book?
Mirren Hogan wanted to be part this bookset so we tried to find a unique spin on royalty and witchcraft. Mirren liked the idea of reimagining Europe as matriarchal, so I suggested we have a gay couple, a prince who was expected to marry advantageously but wanted to do witchcraft and was in love with his best friend.

What can we expect from you in the future?
I have a fantasy (modern) with a library that can take you into the past I'm working on. I'm working on a sequel to Beast Within and Nine Lives (shapeshifter novels) and Curse of the Jenri (Sword and sorcery). I'm also editing a charity anthology with disabled main characters (different authors) and working on an anthology of cat stories (all mine).

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
Not yet. I have done that with many characters in other books, but Mirren and I have been working on sequels to Incantation so we haven't explored stories. But I'd love to do some. Maybe I'll write one for the cat anthology. David's familiar (Cinammon) is a rusty spotted cat, which is one of the smallest of the wildcats.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Incantation?
David and Henry are both very capable people and both suffer from low self-esteem and lack of confidence in their abilities. David responds by overdoing, never satisfied with his results. Henry responds by expecting nothing and belittling what he does accomplish. We've got a demanding dragon teacher, a few magical and non-magical friends, David's sister who has her own self-esteem problems (who is also threatened and will star in the next book) and a few snarky dragons and a bristly cat.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
I think we're both fond of good characters so I didn't get the sense that either of us struggled to come up with characters. The concept came from whittling down the premise, adding a few quirks and locations, and then letting them act it out.

Where did you come up with the names in the story?
We picked the names when we added a character. I don't know what Mirren's method was (though she intended the dragon teacher's name to be a joke). I picked names I like.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I liked the humor and the quick pace. No chance to get bored. Plus, with us taking turns writing, we never really knew what would happen next.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
David loves magic and his country, but the plan for him is to leave his country to "serve" it. He also cares about Henry more than himself. Henry is also a giving person and is also willing to sacrifice himself for David. It looks like they've given up on their home country but running away, but they're not done yet, especially once they've realized someone is trying to subvert it from the outside.

How did you come up with the title of your first novel?
My first title (Curse of the Jenri) stemmed from the title of the short story that was the basis ("Code of the Jenri"). For *this* title, I think we were going for something witchy and David sort of specializes in Incantation.

Who designed your book covers?
Loraine van Tonder is a favorite cover artist for both Mirren and myself so she was the one we both wanted for Incantation.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
In Incantation, there really isn't or we would have fixed it. I'm not shy about changing a book that doesn't do what I want.

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book?
Cowriting is more challenging than I'd expected. I didn't realize I was such a control freak.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
This book is worth your time to read. It's fun and different from the usual.
How did you come up with name of this book?
I think we were going for something witchy and David sort of specializes in Incantation.
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
There are several parts I liked, most of it in fact, but I've a special fondness for their "escape" near the end where they have dragons to embarrass them and Henry has to change the crashed car into alternate an alternate form of transportation. I won't lie, it's because it's funny.

If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?

Heath the dragon. I'd ask him questions all day long. I'd probably get torched.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
I think we imagined them.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story? Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

Ideally, it's both. The characters create the story with our guidance. I think that, if you create compelling characters and give them a dilemma, you can't help but end up with a compelling story.

Have you written any other books that are not published?
I have a regency romance that's in desperate need of a plot injection but, all the rest of my completed novels are published.

Stuff about Writing/ Reading:
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
Robert Heinlein, Edgar Allan Poe, Nora Roberts, Georgette Heyer, Robert Lynn Asprin, Douglas Adams, James Clavell, Dorothy Sayers, George Herbert, Robert Ludlum – but I could add a dozen more and then dozens of mangaka (I love reading manga and they have also influenced me a great deal)

What book do you think everyone should read?
Incantation
How long have you been writing?
Thirty-eight years, since I was thirteen.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
I have main characters in mind before I start. Side characters can show up as I write.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
I have main characters in mind before I start. Side characters can show up as I write.
Do you see writing as a career?
I'd love to write for a living, but, as a single mother, I can't afford an unreliable income, so I don't see it happening.

What do you think about the current publishing market?
I don't know it well enough to have a useful answer.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I do read myself and it's not so much a favorite genre as that I love books with good characters. I'll read almost anything with good characters, though I'm not generally fond of Westerns/pioneer stories, mysteries, or horror, but I can tell you exceptions in everything but Westerns.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I have to write write in silence but I can edit, do day job work, and read with noise, in fact I need it.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I generally have several books in work, but I'm usually focused on one at a time when I get going. When I get in the zone, I can really write a great deal quickly.

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?
Mine. I've read many great books, but I've never wished I'd written them instead. I've learn from them, been inspired, but I always want to write my own stories. No need to covet anyone else's.

Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer. I don't even own a typewriter (anymore) and even I can't read my handwriting.

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
I've loved lots of characters incredibly over the years. I could be here all day. Roarke (from the In Death books), Manny from The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, the Count of Monte Cristo from the book of the same name, Anjin-san from Sho-gun,.. Very few books can and do keep my interest unless I'm all but in love with a character.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
I don't know that I decided so much as I always loved to tell people stories. I think some people just love to write but I love to SHARE what I write and means I have to put it out there. I've never regretted it.

A day in the life of the author?
Get up, put the kids on the bus. Work at rocket science all day. Kids come home. Feed and run errands if required. Maybe squeeze a little writing in before doing litterboxes and running kids through the bath. If lucky, I'll get an hour or so of writing afterwards.

Advice they would give new authors?
Listen to readers you trust who like the kind of books you like. Listen to other readers that don't. But, never forget that your name is on this and make sure you like what you produce and not change it into something you hate to make others happy.

Describe your writing style.
I have been told I have a very approachable style. I'm character-centric so I have a lot of dialog. It's almost friendly where the reader is invited to be part of the story, instead of being held off with a bit of formality. I write chatty.

What makes a good story?
Story, world, plot are all important, but I think good characters are crucial. I'll walk through fire for a character I fall in love with and I think they make better stories.

What are they currently reading?
I've got three indie books I'm beta reading. An epic fantasy, another fantasy and a mystery.

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? What are common traps for aspiring writers?

I'm a pantser. I figure out the characters I want before I sit down and the dilemma I'm going to give them. And. after that, I'm mostly there for the ride.

What is your writing Kryptonite?
I'm really not a plotter. If you want clever twists and turns that totally catch you by surprise, I'm probably not your first choice. And, though I can describe things pretty well, I don't always do so. I'm sort of the less is more when it comes to description..

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I try to write the kind of stories I most enjoy reading, those with a little of everything: humor, romance, adventure, tension, pathos, and satisfaction. I want my books to be saying good and important things, but entertaining so you don't hardly notice. .

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don't second guess yourself so much. And spend more time writing before you have children because you'll never have that kind of time again..

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
I'm not the least bit troubled writing characters from the opposite sex and, I've been assured by several male readers, they tend to come across as genuine, which is good since the main characters from Incantation are both male.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Not easy to answer. My first book and the only one I extensively rewrote, took more than a decade. But, during that time I wrote four other books, three of them in less than 45 days each. However, I tend to think of ideas for a book years before I put virtual pencil to paper. My subconscious does great work that it doesn't tell my conscious mind about so they probably count as a year or so apiece.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Of course. Every writer's different and I think far too many writers who think writing every day is the only way to do it sneer at those who don't write that way. I think there's room for all of us and, yes, I've had writer's block, but, in my case, it was one of two things. Either I was deeply depressed (like the two years after my divorce) or my subconscious is still working on something and isn't ready to get to writing. No sense trying to write when it's like that—I have tried and it's garbage and has to be tossed anyway. But, if I wait until it's ready, it flows out effortlessly and I love the final product. 


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