Read For A Great Cause: Disaster Relief

I would like to thank Rhiannon for hosting Sarah and I today and for helping spread the word about our charity shorts. Please take a moment to learn about each natural disaster that our books benefit and how you can help by donating and getting a great read! Thank you!

When disaster strikes, there's a moment when we forget all boundaries. Geographic, political, and socioeconomic divisions fall, and there, for some of the most painful, beautiful moments in time, we are one.

Then—hour by hour, day by day, week by week—the vast majority of us lucky enough to do so will move on. As the headlines change our focus moves elsewhere, and save for the occasional media update, many of us don't look back.

Some, however, struggle to look ahead. Here's a glimpse at the staggering numbers and the broken realities affected residents of Alabama and Japan must face every day.

ALABAMA TORNADOES – April 27, 2011

The mile-wide F5 tornado that literally sliced the state of Alabama in half stayed on the ground for an astonishing 300 miles—a record-breaking distance, according to National Geographic. It also left a path of utter devastation in its wake, and recovery hasn't been easy, as evidenced by these facts reported by blog.al.com.

• 25,081 families were denied FEMA insurance, including many whose homes had been wiped completely off their foundations. FEMA's reason? Insufficient damage.
• Following the April tornadoes, FEMA deployed 523 inspectors to the region. Together, they've inspected over 5,000 properties a day. That's a lot of destruction, folks.
• Of the $4 million in initial FEMA aid for Alabama, $3.1 million went for temporary housing alone.


JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE – March 11, 2011

A June 29 update from Red Cross Japan reveals the following sober statistics:
• 75,215 people from the three most affected prefectures are still living in shelters or other temporary housing. 7,427 are still missing, their loved ones fearing the worst.
• 119,776 claims for unemployment were filed between March 11 and June 8 in the three most affected prefectures.
• 97,183 people have been evacuated from the area surrounding the stricken Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. 35, 514 have left the Fukushima prefecture, forced to start over with nothing.


You Can Help … Today

Authors Elaina Lee and Sarah Ballance, through the generosity of the Astraea Press charity program, are proud to announce 100% of profits from their novellas below will go toward Alabama and Japan Disaster Relief, respectively. To help raise awareness, every comment on their individual blogs or guest blog posts (including this one!) from July 12 through August 8 will double as an entry into a weekly drawing for a $10 gift e-certificate or a free e-book. Winners will be announced on their blogs and contacted via e-mail. As an additional token of appreciation for your support, if you have purchased either of their titles you are invited to contact Elaina or Sarah for a free gift (while supplies last).


TO URN HER LOVE Elaina Lee romance BUY LINK BLOG


Caylie Abrahms bad day gets worse when the teen brother she's responsible for proudly hands her a gift. Just wanting to show how much he appreciates all his sister does for him, Kyle steals what he believes is an ornate glass vase. The gift is anything but however, and now Caylie has to find the owner of an urn. Worst yet, she has to explain her dear brother stole someones loved one.

Against all odds she learns the urn belongs to Rick Marshall, her best friend from college, the man she'd poured her heart out to and been rejected by. She never thought she'd see him again, let alone have to hand him back his father in glass. Will her resolve remain strong in his presence, or will she suffer another broken heart?




HAWTHORNE Sarah Ballance mystery, romance BUY LINK BLOG


After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it took ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She sought peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she found was an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she could right.


Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett never forgot about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents revealed a truth that could cost him everything. What he found gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?



If you'd like to receive free promotional materials, please contact Elaina @ forthemusedesigns at gmail dot com or Sarah @ sarah at sarahballance dot com. Available while supplies last.




SOURCES: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110428-tuscaloosa-birmingham-alabama-news-tornadoes-science-nation/ AL.BLOG.COM http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/06/alabama_tornado_recovery_fema.html RED CROSS JAPAN http://www.jrc.or.jp/vcms_lf/kokusai_290611.pdf Photos by Elaina Lee (July 9, 2011)

Author Yvonne Eve Walus

Welcome Yvonne Walus, author of the Christine Chamberlain mystery series. Yvonne is making several blog stops today and giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to a lucky commenter. Leave a comment to be entered into the drawing!

Hi Yvonne! Murder @ Play is the second book in the Christine Chamberlain mystery series. Tell us a little about it:

EVERY MARRIAGE NEEDS A TOUCH OF MYSTERY. OR DOES IT?

In the new free South Africa of 1994, men are still boss, women carry handguns for self-protection, and some mistakes can change your life forever.

When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband's innocence...

... whether he's innocent or not.

When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much?

What I personally love about series is getting to hang out with a beloved main character book after book. What makes Christine Chamberlain so special that readers will want to follow her around for a while?

Agreeing to marry a man literally five minutes after you’ve met him sounds like the most romantic as well as the most irresponsible thing you could ever do. Dr. Christine Chamberlain, a sober-headed somber mathematician, is neither romantic nor irresponsible.

Five minutes after meeting a nobody-artist at his painting exhibition, Christine said yes. She never looked back.

Until now.

Even after years of marriage, how well do you really know the person with whom you share bread and bed?

In “Murder @ Play”, Christine is about to find out.

Christine is a loyal person. I think readers love her chiefly for that, not for her brilliant brain or youthful idealism. She may have a doctorate in math, but she’s still the girl next door, the one you’ve always wanted to be friends with, except you were both too shy to make the first move.


What made you pick South Africa as your setting?

I lived in South Africa during my impressionable teenage years and I totally fell in love with the place. There is something about that arid air, sunburned grass and deep blue sky that gets under your skin all the way into your soul. The people of the land are like the land itself: beautiful on the surface, tough underneath.

South Africa’s history is not without its painful mistakes. I’m not ashamed of them: they make the country all the more poignantly fascinating.

You obviously have an affinity for mysteries. Do you see yourself exploring other genres in the future, or does your heart belong to the mysterious?

I love reading and writing murder mysteries, but I enjoy the realms of futuristic fiction as well. Under a pseudonym, I’ve written a number of romances. I always return to the mysteries, though.

What's next for you, Yvonne? Book 3?

Book 3 in the “Murder @” series is completed and should be published in the near future.

Interesting facts:

A Tourist Guide

South Africa in 1994

On a Wing and a Prayer

• When you go to a doctor or dentist, don't take your wallet. The bill will be sent to your home address...

• ... But if you're a woman, the bill will be addressed to your father or your husband. Women don't trouble their pretty little heads with bills.

• If you're a woman, expect to be stopped at the door to an alcohol bar: that place is for men only, and your husband is welcome to go in while you wait for him in the street.

• Even if you are a career woman earning more than your husband does, you will need his signature when opening a credit account in a supermarket or a department store.

• If you're a man, the size of your manhood is directly proportional to the size of your gun.

• Gambling is illegal.

• Sex with a person of another race has only just been made legal. The Group Areas Act, however, is still in force, preventing people of different races from living in the same suburb.

• Your car costs half as much as your mansion.

• This year, you will pay more for a security fence than you pay for your daily house cleaning.

Excerpt from Murder @ Play:

Daniel punched in Christine's number as soon as he got off the aeroplane at Johannesburg International Airport. He was aware of the looks he drew. Admiration from the women, envy from the men. All because of his cellular phone, the latest technological trump in the game of Show Off Your Business Status.

"Hi, Tom," he said into the brick-sized phone.

Damn it! He didn't want to speak to Christine's husband, not today of all days.

"Daniel." It was an acknowledgement, not an invitation. "I'll get Christine for you."

One of his fellow passengers bumped into Daniel's briefcase.

"Hello, Christine. Are we still on for lunch today?"

"You're back? I thought you'd still be in Hong Kong."

"I managed to get an earlier flight." He didn't mention he cut the trip short in order to make it to their regular lunch date. "I tried to call–"

Please don't say you have other plans.

"No problem. Same time, same place?"

Yes!

He refused to have his good mood spoilt by the you're-on-my-time look of the passport control officer.

"Your passport, please? Thank you." The official stamp fell in a sausage-machine gesture. "Welcome home. Next!"

Daniel jammed the passport into his pocket and headed towards the green customs exit. With more nonchalance than needed, he swung his overnight bag past the crowd gathered around the conveyor belt. One of the customs officials stifled a yawn, rubbed his eyes, and signalled for Daniel to stop.

"You've just arrived from…?"

"Hong Kong," Daniel kept his face calm and relaxed. It was easy, because his whole body felt awake, not only because his internal clock showed midday even though it was six A.M. South African time.

"You don't have much luggage." It was a question, even if it didn't sound like one.

"It was a business trip. No time for shopping. But you know, whenever I take a girlfriend along–"

The official laughed and waved him through.

Daniel waited until he was in the parking lot before he exhaled.

His phone rang just as he was loading the suitcase, with the contraband, into his car. Alice's number. He sent it straight into voicemail.

"Hi," he heard the throaty voice. "I hope you've had a wonderful trip." The words sounded artificial somehow, as though she had rehearsed in front of the mirror. "Please call me back when you get this." A pause, then a quick, "It's important."

Important, sure. Important to her. In her world, it was always Alice, Alice, Alice. She was the axel–what she thought, what she felt, what she wanted–and everything else revolved around her needs.

The Porsche yielded to his touch like a loving woman should. A loving woman…. It had been a while. Nobody since Alice, in fact. Why was that? Was he losing his charm? Getting old? Twenty-six already. Even without glancing in the rear-view mirror he knew his face was still that of a naughty boy, with smooth skin and sharp cheekbones. He tensed his abdomen muscles with satisfaction.

So, what is it?

Deep down, though, he knew well enough. He'd had a loving woman, once, long ago, and he had let her walk out on him. Today, though, today he was going to tell her. During their regular lunch date.

You can visit Yvonne at:
• website: http://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/
• blog: http://yewalus.blogspot.com/
• facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yvonne.walus
• book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJpbOiFkPkU
• buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Play-ebook/dp/B003CT30GC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=A3QI763M62X7GQ&s=books&qid=1274234575&sr=1-2
• publisher: http://www.echelonpress.com/

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Author Nora Weston

I am so pleased to welcome author and my new friend, Nora Weston. Today she shares a bit about her latest release--Guardian 2632--and talks about how she creates her fabulous characters. Nora is being very generous today by giving one lucky commenter their choice of a FREE $10 Amazon gift card OR up to $10 at the Book Depository Giveaway. Be sure to leave a comment or question for Nora--even a simple "hello" will do--to have your name entered into the drawing.

Nora Weston’s fiction and poetry slips in-between and all around science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Her publishing credits include the anthologies Mind Mutations, Cyber Pulp’s Halloween 3.0, and Dark Pleasures. Other venues in print and online include; The Hacker’s Source, The Dream People, Hoboeye, Abandoned Towers, Lost in the Dark, Sputnik 57, Soul Engravings, and Decompositions. Recently, Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, Worlds Within–Worlds Beyond, Trapeze Magazine, and Four and Twenty published her work. Melange Books has accepted The Twelfth Paladin for a May 2011 release. Nora has had the pleasure of reaching people through the airwaves on radio stations throughout the US, and episodes can be downloaded from Block Talk Radio’s show Not Picture Perfect.


Guardian 2632:

Zane Grayson, the most accomplished executive director Guardian TMF has ever seen, is breaking the law…his law against time surfing. Zane has the supreme power, in 2632, to decide which paradoxes in time need altered, or deleted, but he’s frustrated. Something, or someone, is missing from his life.

Time surfing in illegal time zones is the rush Zane can’t live without. As addictive as the Martian dust called kilred, time surfing becomes Zane’s obsession. And knowing full well if caught by the Elite Guardians, he’ll suffer an unwelcome death by Time Mercs, Zane still dives deep into trouble. Soon, he discovers a mission in 2035 left him trapped in a timehole. This timehole places him in Pittsburgh, PA in 1998, instead of home. In Pittsburgh, Zane strolls into a coffee shop to see the bewitching Julia Emerson. From that point on, his life spirals out of control as he fights to protect what he loves most.

It’s possible Zane’s future is no longer in 2632...but actually in 1998. Slip through time with Zane Grayson as Guardian 2632 reveals what he will sacrifice to save a life.

Character Boot Camp: Make Your Characters the Best They Can Be



A writer breathes life into characters by taking full control over their personalities, and for better or worse...their fate. For example, as master and commander of Zane Grayson, the protagonist in Guardian 2632, I shaped his physical attributes, intellect, emotional state, desires, dislikes, habits, and his conscience. Was he a well rounded, memorable character at this point? Heavens no! Zane shaped up to become the executive director of Guardian TMF...a time monitoring facility, because his development went through what I like to call, character boot camp.



I force all of my main characters to undergo this potentially character killing process to see if they can make the grade and stay relevant to the story. Sometimes, this applies to inanimate objects, like Zane’s super quantum computer, named Gabriel, because it needed a convincing personality. Whatever the case, characters must suffer through this ordeal to stay alive.



Here’s a smidgen of what Zane went through...



• Name Choice- Zane Grayson had several names before I finalized that one. The other names bit the dust because they sounded too soft and were commonplace.



• Physical Attributes- Zane is an accomplished soldier living in the year 2632, so his body is lean and muscular. His jet black hair dangles in front of his dark eyes that, at times, have an indigo sheen to them. His linage is a mix of European and Japanese, so that’s another detail for readers to use for their perception of him. Consider your characters’ ancestries to define their physical attributes.



• Emotional Status-Is your character determined to succeed, no matter what...and tackle the dilemma ahead? If not, can this character be the hero or heroine? If your story is devoid of heroes, still ponder about the emotional status of each character, because that will determine their actions.



• Desires, Dislikes, Habits- Take time to flesh out your characters by racking your brain with these character traits. Zane came to life as I filled him with unstoppable desire for Julia Emerson...a pastian from 1998. He is addicted to caffeine, loves Sizzlers...a rock hard candy so hot few can endure, and he’s an insomniac.



• Past-Give your characters a history by diving into their dreams, remembrances, and discuss their history in dialogue. For example, Marissa Scott...Zane’s girlfriend at the beginning of Guardian 2632, hated her military father was always on leave and he seemed to prefer it that way. A deep down ache to be cherished grew inside of her. This background check on Marissa suggests she may be obsessed with Zane because he’s a workaholic like her father, so by attaining his affection, she can fix the past.



Continue on with this character boot camp process by eliminating anything useless, and then strengthen your characters by adding to their likes/dislikes, accents, scars, musical/literary interests, educational backgrounds, etc. In addition, I suggest using flawed characters rather than characters who are the embodiment of perfection. Flawed characters are much easier to relate to, and it allows for more changes to occur throughout the story.



If you kick out everything that’s drab from the start of your character building process and recruit quirky, distinctive details about your characters...those characters will be the best they can be.



What do you do to create exceptional characters who linger in the minds of your readers long after the book is finished? Please feel free to comment and share your wonderful tips!



Thanks for reading.


Nora


Visit Nora:


Website: http://www.2noraweston.com/
Noracast: http://noraweston.wordpress.com/
Buy Guardian 2632: http://www.melange-books.com/
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcCg1wY60YQ

Book Giveaway with Elaina Lee!

I'm very excited to welcome romance author Elaina Lee to Whispers. Elaina is the author of the newly released romantic suspense, Written In Blood.

Anyone who leaves a comment on today's interview will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Elaina's book, Written In Blood.

Enjoy the interview, and don't forget to include your email address when you comment so Elaina will be able to get in touch with our winner.

NOTE: This contest has ended. Elaina will contact the WINNER soon!


Hello, Elaina, and thanks for stopping by. Tell us a little about yourself.

Thank you, Rhiannon. I'm really excited to be here! Well, let's see… About me. I live in the South, but I'm a transplant. I was raised in Oregon and moved here after I married. We have a teenager now, and a toddler. I don't know which one's worse, LOL! They both whine, scream and get on my nerves. Yet they both amaze me as they evolve into individuals. I've been writing since I was twelve, when my teacher gave us our first assignment. We had to write a fantasy. Mine was about a young girl who lost her parents and discovered she could talk to the animals on her aunt and uncles farm. I wrote almost twenty thousand words! Next was an RL Stine contest our English teacher wanted us to enter, we had to write fives pages. I wrote an entire notebook. I haven't stopped writing since. The characters just won't leave me alone!

Written In Blood was released last month by Noble Romance. What's the story about?

Lyndi Crisdean is a defense attorney representing a serial killer. She's unaware that a cult is after her, hoping to use her as their next sacrifice. Alek Trevian, the lead investigator for the DA's office, is investing her client. He shifts his attention to the cult when Lyndi begins being harassed by them. Working for opposite sides of the law, Alek and Lyndi's relationship is forbidden, especially since Alek is investigating her client. But, as the dangers being to mount against her, and Alek is the only person who can help, they find themselves drawn together and sooner or later, they're going to break the rules…

Your heroine is a defense attorney, and your hero is an investigator. What kind of research did you have to do in order to create authentic characters?

Oh my gosh, well, for starters I read every field manual I could get my hands on. I found Tennessee had the best one, as their police force has an investigative unit, similar to the FBI's. The manual is amazingly thorough. For Lyndi, I read about five law books and enlisted the help of my good friend and fellow writer, Amber Green, who is a lawyer by day (and an amazing erotica writer by night). I tried to keep the career descriptions to a minimum since I didn't want a legal thriller, but focus more on their careers affecting their personal lives, rather than their careers being the focal point of the story.

Written In Blood is a romantic suspense, but you write many other genres as well. If you had to pick a few as favorites, what would they be?

Romantic suspense is definitely one of my favorites. I love angst and torture and all the heavy and difficult emotions that come with suspense. I enjoy writing alpha males who have a purpose, LOL, and heroines who can be strong, yet need help because they can't do it alone. If I could ever get one to work, Historical's are also a passion of mine. But my characters hate conforming and history is full of rules I rarely like to break. History buffs know better and I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone. I recently ventured into romantic comedy, for fun. A way for me to write what it's like living in the south as a transplant. When Reese Witherspoon said, "You need a passport to come down here" in Sweet Home Alabama, she wasn't kidding! I've been having great fun with it. Describing the amazing sweet natured way people are down here, coupled with football obsessions, the slower way of life, and the massive bugs, from the view point of a northern city boy, how could you go wrong?

Do you have any other books coming out in the near future? If so, when can we expect your next book?

I do have another book coming out in the future! The title is First Kiss, it's a New Years novella, being released through Decadent Publishing. I don't have a release date yet, but I'm crossing my fingers it's released in time for readers to bring in the New Year with that warm fuzzy feeling we all adore when we read romances.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Before you go, where can readers/writers find you and your work online?

Thank you so much for having me! I can be found at either http://www.elainalee.com/ or http://www.forthemusedesign.com/. My blog is http://www.elaina-lee.blogspot.com/ and of course http://www.nobleromance.com/ and soon http://www.decadentpublishing.com/.

Big thanks to Elaina Lee for stopping by and participating in a giveaway. Leave a comment along with your email address, and you might win a copy of Written In Blood.