Sunday, June 28, 2009

EXCITING new novel from Douglas Carlton Abrams

Well, most of you have already heard me talk very enthusiastically about this amazing man... he's not only charming and very handsome - he's a brilliant author, and his first novel was a huge success.... you all know that one - The Lost Diary of Don Juan.

So, it is my genuine pleasure to announce that Doug's next novel will soon be available to us! On AUGUST 4th, the novel EYE OF THE WHALE will be arriving in stores. The website is still under construction, but Doug's set up a MySpace page for you to have a look around and learn more about this special book!!



CATALOG COPY for EYE OF THE WHALE:

National bestseller Doug Abrams delivers a captivating ecological thriller about a marine biologist whose fate is altered after the unexpected appearance of a humpback whale sends her on a race to discover the meaning of its mysterious song and its implications for human survival.

Elizabeth McKay is a dedicated scientist who has spent almost a decade cracking the code of humpback whale communication. Their song, the most complex in nature, may in fact reveal secrets about the animal world that no one could have imagined. When a humpback whale swims up the Sacramento River with a strange and unprecedented song, Elizabeth must decipher its meaning in order to save the whale and ultimately much more. But as her work with the whale captures the media’s interest and the world’s imagination, many powerful forces emerge who do not want the whale’s secrets to be revealed. Soon, Elizabeth is forced to decide if her discoveries are worth losing her marriage, her career, and possibly her life.

As timely as today’s ecological challenges and as timeless as the whales themselves, this novel takes readers into the mysterious world of humpback whales and great white sharks. In writing Eye of the Whale, Abrams worked closely with leading scientists to uncover the shockingly true facts on which it is based. This powerful story will transform how readers see their relationship to other species and the fragile world in which we live.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Legendary Lover Don Juan....

You've all heard me talk me about this book before, but it's such a wonderful creation, that I thought you might like to see the talented man who wrote The Lost Diary of Don Juan talk about that fabulous book! So.... Mr. Douglas Carlton Abrams....



Website: http://www.lostdiaryofdonjuan.com

Friday, June 19, 2009

Sensual Treats - More Goodies added!


For anyone who has been to visit the Sensual Treats website, and hopefully picked up our first issue - I've just added a new page with a special Treat - you can listen to Riccardo Foresi talk about his life and career now - check out our new VIDEO page!!! Hopefully, each new feature will enable us to bring you a video to go with it, be it travel or book trailer, or interview like this one.... I think seeing Riccardo and watching him at work, as well as giving him a presence you can see will be great, so let us know what you think of the new addition, ok? We've also added a new "treat" to the FREE TREATS page....

Sensual Treats Magazine: http://www.sensualtreats.webs.com

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Covey Award Nominee!


The June Polls are Open

The June Polls are now open.

Polling will close midnight July 2nd.

Please vote in our Public poll - Most Eye-Catching Cover. This is the Cover that would make you stop and pick up the novel for a closer look.The poll is located at the top of the site on the left hand side. http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com/

Then click on Cover Awards, that should take you where you need to be to vote!

WHOM GODS HAVE FAVORED is my entry, #4 on the list.....

If you are having trouble using the poll please contact us at thenewcoveyawards@gmail.com


THANKS SO MUCH!!!!
Denysé

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

GUEST: Richard Aaron

Today my guest is Richard Aaron, who has written a really intriguing and fascinating book - I'm into it now and will post a review once I'm done - but don't wait to hunt it down and buy it, because I can tell you now, this one is GREAT!!! So, over to Mr. Aaron....

RICHARD AARON lives in a cold, northwestern city with his wife, four children, and various dogs and cats. He has a university degree in mathematics and a masters in law. Neither have anything to do with his burgeoning career as a writer. He worked in the real world for two decades before realizing that he was actually meant to be a writer. Gauntlet was produced soon thereafter.

You can visit his website by clicking here.

CREATING STRONG CHARACTERS IN FICTION

I have been fortunate. Having been a lawyer for 28 years, I have met some of the most extraordinary characters. I’ve known everything from paupers to billionaires, illiterate people to scientists with the most complex of specialties, depraved people, spiritual people, psychopaths, idiots, and savants. I draw on that huge filing cabinet of characters, taking a few traits from here, a few from there, but always using a mix of several different people to build the most complex character possible.

In most cases, there is no such thing as pure evil, unless you’re dealing with the genuine psychopath who has zero empathy, who will never know right from wrong, and who will never be cured. Most of the bad guys I have met have streaks of good within them. Most of the good people I have met are flawed in some fashion. Remember this when you create a character. When we sat down in the editing process for Gauntlet, I was told that my editor loved the fact that my “heavy” had shades of gray, and we really tried to play that up. Richard Lawrence, a very good guy, is also a drug addict. Yousseff, the brilliant, scheming bad guy is actually kind of cool to be around. He helps out poor and disadvantage people, he is fair and kind to his employees, he’s honest. Within his boundaries of what honesty means. He is respectful, and only kills when it is absolutely necessary. I say that tongue in cheek, as it seems a nonsequitor, but characteristics like that make the people in your book stand out from the crowd, so to speak.

When you’re creating a character, look at the people around you. Look in the press, the people on TV, cyberspace, and what you’ve seen in history. Always make their characters consistent, and make sure that they stay true to themselves, regardless of what your plot’s doing. Do full character sketches of ALL your characters before you start the novel. And have good readers – people who aren’t afraid to tell you that your good guy has suddenly started doing things that he NEVER would have done in the last book. It’s incredibly important to listen to feedback like that, especially in regard to the people who are for all intents and purposes carrying out your orders in the plot of your making.

GAUNTLET blurb:

Six hundred sixty tons of Semtex is detonated in a massive explosion in Libya – the last of a deadly stockpile. The operation seems to have gone smoothly, but within minutes of the explosion, CIA agent Richard Lawrence discovers that one shipment of the explosive was hijacked en route to the destruction point. Days later, a glory-seeking “Emir” broadcasts to the world that he is planning a massive terrorist strike against a major U.S. landmark. And he gives a timeline of one month.

Now a desperate chase covers four continents, as the men bent on attacking the United States use every weapon at their disposal to evade the American authorities. Time and again they prove willing to destroy anything – and anyone – standing in their way.

But Hamilton Turbee, an autistic computer mastermind at the secretive and newly created TTIC agency, discovers a way to follow their tracks. His flawed genius gives the nation its only chance at stopping the attack … if the American leadership will listen. As the enemies near their destination, and an attack becomes imminent, it is up to the TTIC team, still without a true leader, to stop the massive explosion that could destroy the lives of millions.As the world watches in horror, the President asks TTIC two questions …

Where will the attack be?

And can it be stopped…

EXCERPT:

Richard saw that the leader was loading another RPG into his launcher. The Thuraya telephone was still with him, and still on.

“What the hell is going on?” asked Big Jack.

“We surprised them. We fired an RPG into a gas drum in the terminal just as the bastards were entering it. We’ve killed or disabled about half of them. The rest are regrouping. They’re getting behind their trucks. I can see at least one RPG launcher from here. They’ve got the high ground now. Where the f**k are those planes?” snapped Richard.

“We’re two minutes away,” said Sebatier over the communications link. “Look, we’ve got all kinds of armaments here. We’ve got Sidewinders. We’ve got AMRAAM’s, we’ve got Vulcan Canon. But how far are you from the enemy?”

“About 70 or 80 feet,” said Richard, quickly realizing the problem Sebatier and the other pilots were facing.

“This is not going to work. If we fire anything, you guys are at risk. We’re a minute away, but if we let go with missiles, if we fire anything, we’ll take you out with the bad guys,” said Sebatier. “You’ll be nailed by friendly fire.”

“Here’s what we do,” said Richard, “and we’ve got to do it fast. You’re coming up behind the terminal. The bandits are in front of the terminal and we’re on the other side of them. The four of you will make one hell of a racket if you go over the terminal at Mach 1.7. How low can you fly?”

“Well, it ain’t responsible flying, but the landscape is pretty flat. We can get down to 50 feet or so,” Sebatier answered.

“Do it,” said Richard, as he watched the leader of the Bedouin group casually attach a grenade to the end of his RPG launcher. “For God’s sake, do it now! Go max speed! Do it now!”

WIN: As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Brigit's WINNER

Hi there!

The winner of a free copy of RED'S WOLF is Conb00, so email Brigit and she will send you your book, ok? Thanks to everyone who came by - it was a wonderful, successful day - I have more great guests and giveaways coming up, so check back!!!

May 2009 - Best Book Cover Award



This one blew me away.....
But I am SO proud of Justyn for creating such an evocative and gorgeous cover.....
Find the book here:




Pompeii lies complacent and decadent in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, the populace thriving on their depravity and their hunger for blood and Games. Within the elite aristocracy, games of another type are being played, deadly secrets are a threat to more than status, and conspiracy is a way of life for those who are unhappy.

Lucius has long been exalted as a warrior without peer. Adored and covetted by men and women alike, he is blind to the plots that are thickening around him. While total control is his on the bloody fields of war, on the battlefield of the heart, as he is about to discover, even the strongest man can be deceived by his ignorance.

Watching over it all is the majesty of Vesuvius, sputtering smoke, promising retribution. In the midst of the looming destruction, an ancient evil emerges, and will claim not only a celebrated general of Rome, but the slave girl he has slowly grown to love and cherish. A girl who will follow him into hell itself?

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Meet BRIGIT AINE


Today it is my pleasure to introduce you to someone very special. Not only is Brigit Aine a good friend, she's also a newly published romance author, and this is the first of what I am sure will one day be an impressive catalogue of books from her talented imagination. She was gracious enough to consent to an interview, so meet Brigit Aine.... I think you'll love her as much as I do!

MEET Brigit Aine:

You’ve chosen to write a series in which all your characters have special talents related to paranormal themes. The first one has ties to a childhood fairytale. Will they all be like that? Adult fairytales? (The book is great, by the way!)

Thank you. No they are not all that way. “Red’s Wolf”, the first in the series started from a 2 page short story that I had written that was an actual prompt: Turn a Fairytale into an erotic story. From there I expanded and created the town of Torrent and the idea of talents. The rest of the stories have just rolled from my brain as I created Torrent and the idea that a whole population has something unique about them.

How does it feel to have your first book published, and is this the realization of a long-term dream/goal for you?

Oh my goodness I can’t even tell you. I am over the moon. I have been writing most of my life, poetry, short stories that kind of stuff and being published gives me a sense of fulfillment. Even if I stopped now, which I have no intention of doing, I would feel like I had accomplished something. For me writing is a sense to tell the stories that are clamouring in my head. The fact that someone else thinks they are good enough to share is mind boggling.

Do you have a preference for what style of books you like to read most, and/or write?

I love Paranormal Romance. It doesn’t have to be erotic necessarily, I have even written a time travel that is romantic but not erotic. However, there must be paranormal. I have been reading Paranormal since I could read. From scary, Richard Peck to fun, Salman Rushdie. As an English Lit major in college I have collected and read some very interesting things. I love the Malleus Maleficarum which I collected in a class on witchcraft in early writings.

When I write I tend to write in the same style I would like to read. I have discovered that if I try to write something I wouldn’t want to read the story isn’t as interesting. LOL... imagine that.

Where do you want to be with the publishing side of your career in about five years? Keeping it small and manageable, or do you want to turn it into THE career?

Gosh... I can’t even imagine. I have a great career outside of my writing but it takes up so much time that I don’t get to write as much as I would like. I am very aware that most writers never get to the point where this is THE career and those that do are very very lucky. Right now I count myself lucky to be along the few who have a story others think is worth sharing or reading. If someday, I had the time, I would like to try writing on as a career, but until then I will promote what I do have out and keep working the day job and just enjoying the life I have.

How does you family feel about this exciting new venture, and were/are they supportive of this particular dream??

My family thinks this is fabulous. Even my dad has read “Red’s Wolf” and remember it is an erotic romance. They are so proud of me it makes me tear up thinking about it. My friends from high school that I am still close with are asking for autographed copies. My kids and husband and super proud and I even get actual writing time now at home from them. Which is pretty darn spectacular.

Anything you’d like to tell your readers about the rest of this special series, or would that be giving too much away????

Ahhh... the rest of this series. Well I thought it was only going to be 3 books... LOL.. does that tell you something. No actually book 2, Cassie’s Awakening, is with the publisher now and I am waiting on edits and then hopefully I can get a release date. Book 3, Kraig’s Kat, is just about done. And there is a book 4 already brewing around in my brain. Both Book 2 and Book 3 bring back Red and Ethan and there are some twists to the series in Book 3. Our heroes for right now are still shapeshifter wolves and our heroines are unique with their own talents but they may change soon.

RED'S WOLF: Red is grateful to be able to come back to Torrent where everyone has a talent and she isn’t looked on like a freak. What she doesn’t count on is Ethan.

Ethan knows the minute he sees Red on her way to her Grandma’s house that she is his mate, now all he has to do is convince her.


Read an excerpt HERE



Visit Brigit's website: http://www.brigitsworld.bravehost.com/

PS: Our lovely Brigit is also going to do a random draw later and one of you lucky folks will get a FREE copy of her fabulous tale as a prize.... so, keep those comments coming.....

Monday, June 08, 2009

Guest: Dr. Ronald J. Frederick


Join Dr. Ronald J. Frederick, author of the nonfiction self-help book, Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want (Jossey-Bass (Wiley)), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in June on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ronald J. Frederick, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and life coach, with over 15 years of experience helping people get the life they really want.

A long-time proponent of the transforming power of emotion, he co-founded the Center for Courageous Living, which offers innovative therapy, coaching and consulting. Noted for his warmth, humor, and engaging presentation style, he lectures and facilitates workshops nationally.

Frederick is a senior faculty member of the Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Institute, as well as the Clinical Supervisor of Park House, an outpatient program at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.So many of us long to feel more alive, connected, and secure in our lives, particularly now, in these challenging and difficult times. Why is it so hard? Part of the problem, says Dr. Ronald J. Frederick, has to do with a fear of our feelings—a feelings‐phobia—and the consequences of expressing our feelings to others. It's this fear that keeps us stuck, detached from the wisdom inside us and distanced from the people around us.And yet positive emotional experiences can actually “rewire” our brain and free us up to experience ourselves and our lives more fully.

LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want by Ronald J. Frederick, shows how we can overcome our feelings phobia in order to enjoy more satisfying lives.

Drawing on cutting edge science, many years as a psychotherapist and his own personal experiences, Dr. Frederick advocates that we understand and express the broad range of our emotions so that our feelings actually become allies in our search for fulfillment. His proven four-step process for tapping into the hidden power of our emotions includes:*Recognizing the signs of fears in ourselves, and the defenses we unknowingly use to cut ourselves off from our potential power.*Understanding how to tame our fear and exercise control.*Learning how to experience our true emotions and make use of their many resources.*Developing effective, measured ways to express and share our feelings.A master story‐teller, Frederick interlaces therapeutic techniques with stories from people who have learned to recognize and deal constructively with the emotions that have kept them from living their best lives. The trick, Dr. Frederick shows, is in being able to navigate and diminish the fear that is so entangled with our feelings, so we can progress in a healthier, less encumbered direction, and get the life we really want.

LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on June 1 and ends on June 26. You can visit Dr. Ron Frederick's blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ during the month of June to find out more about this great book and talented author!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.

NOW: The importance of overcoming fear of one’s own emotions.

The ability to live like you mean it all hinges on being able to be emotionally present in our lives—really being there for the happy times and coming through the difficult times a much better person. It’s our feelings that make us feel alive and vital, energize us to meet and deal with life’s challenges, and point us in the best direction to get what we really want. Our feelings are what bridge the gap between ourselves and others, enliven our relationships, and help us feel close. Our personal identity—the core of who we are—is largely formed by what we feel and how we react. Our likes and dislikes, what makes us happy, what makes us sad, what excites us, what brings us pleasure, what annoys or frustrates us—all say so much about who we are. It’s in our feelings that we find our true authentic self.

Unfortunately, many of us are uncomfortable with our feelings. We have what I call a “feelings phobia.” We get close to our feelings, start to feel anxious, and avoid them. We do all these things to steer clear of our feelings—things we’re not even aware we’re doing. When we avoid or deny our feelings, when we suppress them, we are in a way denying who we are, squelching our creativity and individuality, and sacrificing our true potential and power. It’s impossible to go the distance, to really live like you mean it, unless we can be fully present with our feelings.

But, as I discuss in my new book Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want, change is possible. We can loosen the grip of fear on our experience and unleash our inner wisdom and power. It all begins with opening our eyes and waking up to what’s going on inside of us. We need to find a way to put the brakes on, slow down, and tune in to our internal experience. In short, we need to develop what I call emotional mindfulness.

Emotional mindfulness is about purposely paying attention to our physically felt emotional experience as it happens with the aim of helping us be more consciously aware of our feelings and, ultimately, more fully present with them. How do you do this? You start by slowing down, going inward and just noticing. At any time you want to, stop and ask yourself, What am I feeling? and then tune in to what’s happening inside you right in that moment. Not what you think should be happening, not what you wish were happening, but what is happening. Consciously direct your attention to your felt experience. Watch and observe.

Each time you repeat this behavior, each time you bring your focus back to your body sensations, you’re developing a new habit. You’re training your mind to be aware of and pay attention to your emotional experience. You’re opening up to a richer experience of yourself. You’re beginning to transform your life.

To find out more about Living Like You Mean It, please visit: http://www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com/

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

SENSUAL TREATS Issue One!

The very first issue of Sensual Treats Magazine is now available, and it's FREE! It features some wonderful things, including travel, food, and an exclusive FEATURE with none other than Italian Singer RICCARDO FORESI.



Simply go to this link and/or click on the gorgeous cover:

http://sensualtreats.webs.com/archives.htm

The PDF will open, save it to your coputer, and you have the magazine! Please do take a moment to register with us, too - you'll be part of the email blast for future issues, and you'll get one mail every three months - we're quarterly!!

Thanks, so much!!!
Looking forward to hearing your coments!

Hugs and Blessings,
Denysé

Monday, June 01, 2009

Crystal Storm's: SYNARCHY


So, 250-500 words on your favorite part of the writing/publishing process.

I think I’m lucky. I say that because while I’m extremely creative, I also have a knack for business. It’s something I enjoy, almost as much as writing. One day I’m going to start my own entertainment company of sorts and it’s going to be a combination of publishing and an Online RPG that will rival World of Warcraft. Wait and see J. But, what I really love the most about the writing process is creating. I love that part.

When I sit down to write a scene it starts in my head as a big chaotic jumble, like taking the pieces of a puzzle and tossing them into a pile on the floor. Then I’ll begin to weave ideas together, and once it gets going, it can go on for a while. I can and have, spent days upon days locked in my creative world. I’m a little OCD about the details, and I think I suffer from too many ideas syndrome. There were a lot of times, when writing Synarchy I had to stop, grab a pen and a blank piece of paper and make a quick outline, to remind myself of all the plot lines I was tying together. There’s a lot going on in Synarchy and Book Two will be just as intense if not a little faster paced.

When I was done with Synarchy my mind immediately started humming with everything I needed to do to get it out there, and then on the other side my brain is firing off at me all these ideas for the next book, and the next book, and the next book. I wish I could clone myself some days so I could get it all out at once! But, I’ve got a lot to keep me busy for the next few years at least, which is exciting. I’m really serious about turning this creative process into what I do 24/7 (what writer isn’t). Hopefully, it will work out the way I’ve intended.

I want thank you, Denyse, for giving me the opportunity to swing by! And I hope your readers enjoy Synarchy as much as I did writing it! (My pleasure entirely! Thanks for being here!! I'm reading the book now, it's great, and I'll let everyone know when the review is posted!!)


SYNARCHY BOOK 1: THE AWAKENING VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR '09 will officially begin on June 1 and end on June 26. You can visit Crystal Storm's blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ during the month of June to find out more about this great book and talented author!As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available.