Please help me welcome XOXO Publishing author G.W. Pickle!






Interview:

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself this way?

A hero, I'm not sure if I am a hero. I strive to be one. I'm no knight in shining armor. I'm more the ninja type. I prefer to work in the back ground, helping and doing whatever I can. People tend to turn on a known hero if they mess up and let them down.

When did you start writing?

First in Jr. High School, then in 1970, I went to college and started working at a local newspaper as a photographer and reporter. Fast forward to 2003 when I started writing a science fiction short story that became a full length novel

What made you write your book and why?

“The writer’s of the Future Contest” I read one and and decided I could do better. My entry made it to the semi final round of judging I got a letter from WOTF telling me that I needed to proceed and make the entry into a novel and I did.

Who is your inspiriation?

My desire to tell great stories and write great books.
How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?
I was ecstatic. I had a lot of people who was behind this story.
Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?
I have 3 stories I’m actively working on and I have 4 more on the back burner. I plan to submit them all to XoXo Publishing first
Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?
No music at all. When I’m working on a story the only way to silence the inner voices is to play some good music.
What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?
Write, write something everyday, even if it’s only 10 minutes and worry about grammar and punctuation during the edits. The important thing is to get the story down. I’d also suggest they buy books on writing and join good writer’s groups online.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

I’m still learning about online promoting. XoXo Publishing is really great about helping authors with promoting their books. This Blog tour is a great example of their commitment to helping their authors promote. I understand XoXo even has a promotional person to help.

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?

Right now I’m planning & plotting on my current story. I’m also planning what I’m going to do to next to promote my book as well. In addition to all this I’m coordinating my writing time, my online time, taking care of my wife time, and working my regular “Day” job time.


Book Blog

Nineteen year old Bryan Summers and his Mother moved to Middleford, Texas
six years ago from California to get away form the violence and street
gangs. He thinks Allie, the girl who lives next door, is a sexy albino, who
happens to need blood transfusions two or three times a month. He wants to
marry her and is frustrated because she wants three days to give him her
answer.

For the last three days Allie has struggled trying to decide what to tell
him. She wants to say yes, but how will he react to her secret. He had told
her, early into their relationship that, he had gotten into the vampire scene. Most of the group he belonged to went around wearing black capes and fake or implanted fangs. He even confessed, to Allie, that once he wanted to become one. They both laughed about it. Now Allie wonders how Bryan will react when he learns that she is a real vampire. Will he change his mind about marrying him or worse, hate her? Will he ask her to change him? Will he wait until he can learn and except the vampire's way of life or will she keep him a mortal and love him until he dies. Allie finally tells Allie her secret and answer. She vows to him that she will only marry him as a mortal and change him only after she is sure he can handle the vampire's life style.
Bryan agrees to her terms. The next day they buy a ring. On the way home
they stop for gas, Bryan is shot, at point blank range with a shotgun by a
man robbing the gas station. He is now in surgery and has a twenty percent
chance of survival. Does she turn him into a vampire and save his life only
to loose him because of her vow, or does she let fate decide for her.

To find out what happens and to read a 5 page excerpt or buy an excellent
erotic vampire romance go to http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online


G W Pickle Author of "A Vampire's Love." from XoXo Publishing
http/www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/http/www.facebook.com/#!/pages/G-W-Pickles-A-Vampires-Love/117494981635399 http/gwpickleswork.blogspot.com/ http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_I6MMslOx8&feature=related

Author of SENTI Book One of the Jackwill Chronicles." from Trytium Press at www.Amazon,com

Thanks for visit G.W. and come back anytime.

~ Sandy

Please welcome XOXO Publishing author Lenore Butcher!

Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?

I see myself as more of an antihero, like Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. Quick with a witty comeback and hiding emotions behind bravado, yet always comes through for his friends in the end. I'm outwardly very glib and cynical by nature, but underneath I treasure my friends and family and pride myself on my honesty and integrity.


When did you start writing?


I was six when I wrote my first short story, "A Dark and Stormy Night with Scott", who was my Grade One crush. It was two pages long and was about myself and my First Grade crush in an abandoned mansion during a thunderstorm. I was very proud when my teacher read it out loud to the class. I think Scott was likely less than thrilled. Anyhow, I never looked back and I've written like a fiend every possible waking moment ever since.

What made you write your book and why?


NaNoWriMo made me do it. NaNoWriMo is an international writing competition that takes place every November. Participants are challenged to write an entire novel in 30 days. The year I wrote my first draft for Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies, I couldn't take place in NaNoWriMo in November, so one of my friends challenged a group of us to do it in January. I set to it and the first draft was written in just under 31 days (29 days to be exact, if such things matter). I then set about polishing and editing it over the next several months until I was satisfied enough with it. Oddly enough the girl who challenged me to write this book is the graphic artist who did my cover art for the novel. Funny how things work out. So it was my own competitive nature that really inspired me to write this book. And yes, I do NaNo every single year. I'm already gearing up for this year's effort. Two weeks and counting!!!

Who is your inspiration?

Professionally, I'm inspired by other paranormal writers such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris and Kelley Armstrong, along with a host of others. Personally my husband and my children are my strength and my solace and I've also been blessed with close ties to my parents and my younger brother. I have the kind of life where strange things happen on an almost daily basis and many of them help encourage my creative exploits.


How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?


I think my FaceBook status from the day says it best: "Ohmigod. Ohmigod. Ohmigod."

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?


I'm always writing, usually more than one project. Right now I'm hard at work on the sequel to Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies. It's called "Food Chain Boogie". I'm also working on two short stories for upcoming XoXo anthologies and I have two completed novels that need a bit of polish before they go in. I'm also writing a play about a creepy gothic family in a creepy gothic mansion -- it's a comedy of errors called "In Poor Taste".

Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?


If music is playing, it either has to be instrumental or something I don't know. If it's music I'm familiar with, my writing session is in danger of becoming an air band session. I do quite often have the tv on just as background noise but I'm usually not listening to it.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?

Keep writing and keep reading. Invest in a good dictionary and a good thesaurus. Have beta readers, yes that's right, more than one is best in my experience. I actually have three beta readers and everything goes to them before I send it to the publisher. One is wicked smart in grammar and spelling and she's there to catch any of those mistakes. One is uber critical with a very good memory and is very good at finding any continuity errors I may have made in rewrites. And the last one is my desired target demographic... he lets me know if I've nailed it, if it's something he would read even if I wasn't making him read it and bribing him with promises of lasagne. I also don't usually send my work to the beta readers until I'm on at least the third draft. Until then, I guard my work in progress very closely.

What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?


Keep in mind that although yes, your publisher will help you promote your book, they are also promoting every other author in their company. It's up to you to help your promotional efforts. Scope out opportunities, like sending press releases to your local media (or at least making sure your p.r. department at the publishing company gets the right contact info!) Most importantly, keep every single commitment you make at all possible costs. You do NOT want to get a reputation for being unreliable this early in the game!

Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?


Two weeks from tonight is Hallowe'en! I love Hallowe'en. Next to Christmas it's my favourite holiday. My living room is strewn with decorations ready to be put up in the next few days. My daughter wants to be a goblin and I have no idea how to make that costume!!! I told her the most I can do is cut two holes in a sheet and throw it over her head and she can be a ghost. She didn't like that idea.

The Bio:


Lenore Butcher Bio

Lenore successfully fended off her first zombie apocalypse when the living dead attacked the kibbutz she was raised on in Isreal… Okay, so that’s maybe not the whole truth. Lenore was born in a small town in Ontario where she still lives to this day, right around the corner from the house she grew up in.

Lenore was almost two weeks late being born. The family joke is that she was finishing the book she was reading. Everyone who knows Lenore knows that’s not true. It’s never taken her two whole weeks to read a book. From the age of two and a half when she began reading, she has been a voracious reader and from the age of six when she penned her first story, a little ditty called “Dark and Stormy Night with Scott” (her Grade One crush), she’s also been a prolific and dedicated writer.

Her first full length novel “Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies” was published by XOXO Publishing as an e book in November of 2009 and is also available as a paperback. She prefers to write stories with a dark edge and rife with black humour.

Lenore lives with her husband, two children and two hamsters in the aforementioned small town where her hobbies include reading, writing, walking, roleplaying games, video games, crafts and being the town weirdo.


The Blurb:
Dead Girls Blurb

Dead Girls, Dogs and Ponies introduces a new twist on an old genre. It is a hard- boiled detective novel set in the dark underbelly of a city populated by supernatural citizens living secret lives among the mortals. Justin is an information broker who just happens to be a zombie. He is an advocate for justice for the oppressed servants of the city's vampires and yearns for the day when he will once again be reunited with his lost love, Honey. Justin is hired to solve the mystery of who was foolish enough to begin a war with the city's most powerful vampiric Dynasty. He quickly realizes that there is much more at stake than just petty vampire politics. When the vampires themselves prove to be the ones with the most to lose, Justin finds out he’s in for more trouble than he’d originally anticipated.

The book can be purchased at: http://xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=42&products_id=6
(ebook) and http://xoxopublishing.com/shop-online/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=42&products_id=56 (paperback)

Thanks for stopping by Lenore and good luck on your book sales!

~ Sandy

Good morning! Please help me welcome XOXO author Brianna Martini!



Describe yourself as a hero or a heroine and why would you describe yourself
this way?

I wouldn't describe myself as a heroine because it doesn't fit my profile. Thanks for the honour.



When did you start writing?

All my life at the age of three, I come from a family of writers and artist.

What made you write your book and why?

Writing is in my blood like a vampire, I like to create stories that makes a reader want to become a
part of the storyline and the hero or the heroine.

Who is your inspiriation?

My inspiration comes from God, my father and the people around me.

How did you feel when you found that XoXo Publishing contracted you?

I was overjoyed and very very optimistic about my future writings.

Are you writing anything new and if so what are you writing now?

II have written a romance with Carl De Gasperis, I was his mentor for a year and half and he asked to co write with him.
The book will be released soon and the title is Sex It Up! Please.


Do you listen to music when you're writing and if so which kind?

I don't listen to music all the time but I do like to relax however when I do listen to my favorite music I listen to rock, love songs,
and easy listening.

What advice would you give a new writer breaking out into the writing field?

Don't stop writing, if you get rejected one time you'll be given another chance.


What promotional advice would you give a new author and why?

My promotional advice is to promote yourself one month in advance of your book release until you've exhaust all other promotional venues.

First this first is to setup your own website, then a social networking site and proceed from there.


Give us a glimpse in mind what are you thinking right now?

I'm trying answer the questions to this interview. lol...which I'm enjoying.


Thank you for participating. You're welcome and thank you for inviting me.







Add a blue shot glass, a touch of liqueur an emotional woman and a naked man. Is she drunk? Is she dreaming or has she hit her head on the marble bar stand? Find out now get a copy of Martini on the Blues. http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online click on the bookstore button and search Martini on the Blues. You will fly and smile reading Brianna’s latest ebook release. Martini on the Blues Book One from the Martini Series.









Excerpt:





Jade proudly placed a glass in front of Adrienne, skilfully whisking away the already empty chocolate martini glass. Adrienne was really hitting it hard tonight, harder than Jade had ever seen her.

Tears began to flow anew as Adrienne contemplated the azure blue liquor in the smoky glass in front of her. It reminded her of his eyes. Not the cheating lying louse she'd just virtually dumped, or even the eyes of almost dearly departed husband. Looking into the glass' smokey blue depths was just like staring into the gaze of her long ago college boyfriend Justin. “Oh gawd”...she cried silently.

"Wh- what's this– a, a new drink, Jade? She hiccupped then squinted her eyes to focus more clearly on the drinking glass. She had a vaguely uneasy notion she should go home soon, but she found she didn't want to, not really. Something was keeping her here, something more than seeing her friend and drowning her sorrows. She had a feeling of almost impending euphoria, as though something very good was going to happen if she stayed here long enough.

"Yes it is honey. Something I've been working on quite awhile now and it's just about perfect. It's called 'Martini on the Blues' in honour of the Christmas and of course your birthday on Boxing Day. Tonight is the first night I'm making them and you're my very first customer to have one. Happy early birthday, babe."

Adrienne sniffed it tentatively and decided she liked the smell of it. She took a quick taste. It was to her liking – a touch of strawberries, and something else. She couldn't figure it out what it was. She took another drink, then another. As she swallowed the last drop, Adrienne was surprised to see that the glass started glowing. She figured it was some kind of glow stick or something and she hoisted the glass up to peer myopically at the bottom of it, then sneezed as smoke began to trickle down from the bottom of the glass, thin and reedy and scented with cedar and strawberries.

She shook her head, setting the glass down again and catching sight of the bright Christmas decorations over the bar. Loneliness came over her again, slamming into her with almost physical painfulness...

http://www.xoxopublishing.com/shop-online

It's a party!

Cyber launch party for Halloween Anthology Vol 1 with my first ever, shifter and yes folks, he is a cowboy too!

Check it out at www.CyberLaunchParty.blogspot.com. It goes live at 10am and there will be prizes for those who comment!

~ Sandy