Monday, February 24, 2014

Interview with Emilia Rutigliano, author of 'Napoleon'

Emilia I. Rutigliano scored fiftieth percentile on her SATs… and on her LSATs… and on her BAR…Sigh…

But she nevertheless survived, and seems to be doing OK. She practices Law read lore) in Brooklyn, New York (read Nu Yawk). She was born in the former Soviet Union, and emigrated in 1979. She is happily married to the same crazy Italian she’s been with since college, who suffers from a severe addition to travel (still in acute form). Together they are doing a somewhat passable job with their three precious darlings (who are now teenagers, thus elaboration is not necessary).

Which is why Emilia writes about Veronica. Veronica, though… is interesting. And Emilia knows interesting.

So she weaved the tale about the interesting characters, places and events from her own life. It is remarkable how if you choose to view a subject objectively, it becomes downright artistically gorgeous. So Emilia views and shows Brooklyn Russians as gorgeous, and the Barese intricacies as gorgeous, and she even tolerates Paris, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia for the reader’s interests.
Thank you, dear reader, for tolerating these scenes….

LAYERS OF VERONICA IS ON FACEBOOK…LIKE US.

Her first book in the Layers of Veronica series is Napoleon.

Visit Emilia Rutigliano’s website at www.layersofveronica.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Emilia!  You could say your Layers of Veronica series has more than genre and it’s hard to peg it into one hole. Can you tell us about that?
Emilia:  It is hard to put into a hole.  In fact, I got into a snafu because people kept trying to put it into the Erotica genre.  It isn't.  The closest fit would be Women's Contemporary.  The story is about a 35-year-old divorcee who doesn't have one designation in life.  She is (like very many of us) a mother, a daughter, a friend, and a career woman.  Each definition is important.  So although it is a romance (with many adult situations), it is also philosophical, allegorical and funny.  
So who would be your target audience?
 
Emilia:   Great question!  I thought it would be a NYC immigrant woman in her mid thirties.  I was wrong.  (So happy to be wrong!  :-).)  Veronica appeals to very many people around the world... of many age groups.  The only 'common' factor between the readers that I could find is the willingness to accept that the same lifestyle is not right for everyone... and that neither makes it wrong or repulsive.
Can you tell us about Veronica?
 
Emilia:  To quote one of my dear friends (a 36-year old man):  'Veronica is hell on heels'.  Veronica is fantastic. She is flawed, scarred and 'screwed up.'  And nevertheless, she is ambitious, goal oriented and never shirks a responsibility.  She takes care of her own.  She is loyal and devout to her friends and family.  She is the kind of friend that you want to have.  And her adventures are 100% plausible and real.
Do you see a little of yourself in her?
 
Emilia: LOL.  Uhm... let's go with yes.  Veronica has my biography up until I was 32, which means I know her quirks and screw-ups like no one else.  
This is a three book series but I hear there’s a fourth in the making.  Can you tell us about that?
Emilia:  It's a five-book series.  All five are written, and all will be out come March.  The fifth one is just getting some TLC at the copy editor's.  It is addictive, and people really do love the characters.
Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers?
 
Emilia: I LOVE it when people discover V for themselves and then write me to tell me they made a new friend, or that they can't wait for the next book.  It's an incredible feeling.  And I appreciate every one of my reader's comments.  THANK YOU ALL!!!! 

Monday, February 17, 2014

Interview with Gwen Knight, author of 'A Hunter's Passion'

www.gwenknight.ca,  facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GwenKnightx, or twitter https://twitter.com/GwenKnightx.

Canadian girl Gwen Knight first began to delve into the realm of the paranormal at the age of ten, when she wrote her first horror starring a clawed monster that hid beneath her bed. Since then, her tastes have expanded into many genres. Though addicted to reading and writing, she managed to achieve a degree in archaeology, geography, and mapping. Currently, she lives in the Great White North with her husband, two collies, and black cat. She loves meeting new people and you can visit her website at

Her latest book is the paranormal romance, A Hunter’s Passion.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Gwen!  I have to admit – I love paranormal romance.  What made you decide to write that genre?

Gwen: I’ve always loved the paranormal. Magic, danger, excitement…but add in a little romance, and this genre can take your breath away.

The big question of the day is how did you get a book deal with Harlequin?  Can you take us through the steps?

Gwen: The most important step is reading. You have to know what the publisher is interested in and what they're looking for. I did the appropriate research and found out what they were looking for in their novels. Afterward, it's a lot of polishing, and a lot of hoping.

In A Hunter’s Passion, there is a love interest.  Can you tell us about that?

Gwen: Sure! Jenna Sinclair and Ryker Bennett are the main characters and the love interest. These two have quite the romantic history with one another, but once Jenna learns of her paranormal heritage, she leaves him as a means of protecting not only herself but Ryker as well. Jenna’s and Ryker’s relationship was rather fun to write about. They are the epitome of forbidden love.

Wow, this book sounds hot.  How did you come up with the storyline?

Gwen: When I start plotting stories, it always begins as one particular scene—something about the main character that I envision to establish a feel for them. For A Hunter’s Passion, it began with the image of Ryker in bed, and his phone rings. When he checks the screen, he’s upset to see Jenna’s name scroll across it—his next target. That was all I had to go on. In the story, it doesn’t happen as such, but that little imaginary image started it all.

Every book has that on the edge of your seat drama.  What part of your book would have me glued to the pages?

Gwen: There are a couple scenes that come to mind. Without giving too much away, the final conflict had me on the edge of my seat. Not only is their drama, but a great deal of character development for Jenna. However, one other scene jumps out at me and that’s the moment when Ryker has to decide whether or not to kill Jenna. His internal struggle gets me every time.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your fans?

Gwen: Thank you so much for reading A Hunter’s Passion! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I’m hoping to expand on the universe by giving each of the brother’s their own stories. Hope to see you for the next one.

Monday, February 3, 2014

PUYB Virtual Book Club Q&A with 'The Black Song Inside' Carlyle Clark

Carlyle Clark is here at the book club today to talk about his new historical fiction/coming of age, The Black Song Inside!

Carlyle Clark was raised in Poway, a city just north of San Diego, but is now a proud Chicagolander working in the field of Corporate Security and writing crime and fantasy fiction. He has flailed ineffectually at performing the writer’s requisite myriad of random jobs: pizza deliverer, curb address painter, sweatshop laborer, day laborer, night laborer, security guard, campus police, Gallup pollster, medical courier, vehicle procurer, and signature-for-petitions-getter.

He is a married man with two cats and a dog. He is also a martial arts enthusiast and a CrossFit endurer who enjoys fishing, sports, movies, TV series with continuing storylines, and of course, reading. Most inconsequentially, he holds the unrecognized distinction of being one of the few people in the world who have been paid to watch concrete dry in the dark. Tragically, that is a true statement.

Visit his website at http://carlyleclark.wordpress.com/.

Thanks for joining us at the book club today, Carlyle!  THE BLACK SONG INSIDE is sooo incredible.  This book can be described as dark humor, can it not?  Why did you decide to write dark humor?

Carlyle: That's the funny thing. I didn't set out to write dark humor. It's just that my world view bleeds into the work. In general when I try to explain how I see things, people often burst into laughter and shake their heads, but they don't deny the "validity" of my point of view. It makes for a lot of awkward moments in real life, but for some really humorous things to read. The fact that people do find my work funny gave me the confidence to tackle dark subjects knowing the comic relief would give the reader a welcome break.

Can you tell everyone a little about the characters inside?  Were they based on your imagination or real life?

Carlyle: My characters are never based on real life people. I've tried that, thinking it would be a nifty shortcut to creating 3D characters, but I just can't pull it off. That said, though all of my characters are obviously influenced by my own life experiences, they are more influenced by characters in film or fiction where I thought, "Man that character would be great if you just changed X,Y, & Z about them." Of course, you then end up with a totally different character.

How hard was it for you to write THE BLACK SONG INSIDE?

Carlyle: Immensely difficult. It took multiple rewrites with major character additions and subtractions and a change from 1st person POV to 3rd person. The good part about that was I weeded out the clichés and focused on writing twists that were logical but surprised even me in hopes that would surprise the reader.

Did your own background have any influence on the writing of this book?

Carlyle: Yes, because the novel is set in my hometown of San Diego, and the setting played a major part. In San Diego, there are constantly positive and negative issues with the border right there and Tijuana on the other side. It's a very strange thing growing up in a land of plenty and then taking frequent trips just a few miles south into a place where it’s a struggle just to survive and you bribe the police on nearly every trip because that's just how things are done.

Without giving anything away, what would you say was the most pivotal point of the whole book?

Carlyle: That would have to be when The Priest does something so diabolical it means the heroes, Atticus and Rosemary, seem to have no way out but prison or the grave. Thrusting them into that crucible really exposes their character in a way that allows the reader to see what they're made of.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

Carlyle: I would like to let them know that there is a free short story prequel to THE BLACK SONG INSIDE they can try called HE'S FASTER.

Monday, January 13, 2014

PUYB Virtual Book Club Q&A with 'Storytelling: The Indispensable Art of Entrepreneurism' Rudy Mazzocchi

Rudy Mazzocchi is here at the book club today to talk about his new business/entrepreneur book, Storytelling: The Indispensable Art of Entrepreneurism!

Rudy Mazzocchi is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He’s been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry.

Authoring more than 50 patents, he has helped pioneer new companies involved in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, neurosurgery and even embryonic stem-cell development. Through these efforts, he has become the recipient of many technology and business awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Healthcare (2004), Businessman of the Year Award (2005), and Global Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2013).

Combining these experiences and opportunities, with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of award-winning business/medical thrillers based on true events, known as The EQUITY Series. STORYTELLING was his debut non-fiction business book released in November 2013.

Visit his website at www.RudyMazzochi.com.

Thanks for joining us at the book club today, Rudy!  STORYTELLING – The Indispensable Art of Entrepreneurism is quite different from the suspense thrillers I’ve known you to write.  How come you came up with a book on entrepreneurism?

Well, the two suspense thrillers are based on true events and real medical sciences that I’ve encountered during my career as an entrepreneur and start-up CEO. Exploring hundreds of new technology developments have provided me with the source of materials for these novels. After receiving three entrepreneur/business awards, I was nominated a second time for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Healthcare. During the interview process, I sat before the judges who repeatedly attempted to discover the secret of my success. Since I’ve had no formal business/finance education or training, I was hard-pressed to provide an answer. It was really only then did I realize that it was ALL about how one tells the story. Apparently, none of the current business/entrepreneurism programs at the university level have ever focused on this key element. It was those judges who encouraged me to write this book based on my experiences of establishing a dozen technology companies over the past twenty-five years.

Who would benefit the most from this book?
 
This book will benefit not only the wannabe and experienced serial entrepreneur, but those individuals who are required to engage and motivate an audience – any audience: divisional managers, salespeople, product designers, etc. It’s an essential art that can make the difference between success and failure. (I provide real life examples of both in this book.)

How hard was it to switch over from fiction to nonfiction?

Since my novels walk a fine line between fiction and non-fiction already, this was an easy transition. The biggest difference is that I needed to do a much deeper degree of “fact checking”. I actually sent chapters out to other business associates who were involved in many of these stories in order to get their validation of the facts!

What was your very first startup business and can you tell us what you learned from the experience?

I tell this tale in STORYTELLING… it was when I was a first-time CEO and founder of a medical device company at the age of twenty-eight. I didn’t realize it back then, but the only skill I really had (assuming ambition didn’t count), was my ability to tell the story. I easily became enthralled with the technology and their medical applications to the point of wanting to see as many surgical procedures as I could to further educate myself. The raw human element associated with each event provided me with the necessary “hook” of the story.

What kind of advice can you give to new startup business owners?

First… buy my book… lol. Secondly, do your homework and craft the appropriate story that contains all the necessary components of ANY good story. Think about those stories we all loved to hear during our childhood. They had a great beginning, middle and ending. Pull it together, rehearse it, and then continue to perfect it.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

This author greatly appreciates all the tremendous support from readers of both my fiction and non-fiction books. My literary agent is diligently speaking with many movie producers and screenwriters in an attempt to bring The EQUITY Series to the big screen. It’s been a wonderful and rewarding process!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

PUYB Virtual Book Club Q&A with 'My Death: A Personal Guidebook' Jeremy Kagan

PUYB Virtual Book Club Q&A with 'My Death: A Personal Guidebook' Jeremy Kagan

Jeremy Kagan is here at the book club today to talk about his new memoir, My Death: A Personal Guidebook!

Jeremy Kagan is an internationally recognized director/writer/producer of feature films and television and a tenured professor. Some of his feature credits include the box-office hits HEROES, the political thriller THE BIG FIX, THE CHOSEN (2 time Grand Prize winner),and THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN (Gold Prize Moscow Film Festival). Among his many television shows are KATHERINE: the Making of an American Revolutionary and HBO’s CONSPIRACY: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 8 (ACE Award for Best Dramatic Special). His film ROSWELL,THE UFO CONSPIRACY garnered a Golden Globe nomination and he directed the pilot for the hit series DR. QUINN: MEDICINE WOMAN. Other television films include, for Showtime COLOR OF JUSTICE about racism and BOBBIE’S GIRL about a lesbian couple andCROWNHEIGHTS about the 1991 riots, which won the Humanitas Award for “affirming the dignity of every person.” Kagan has won an EMMY for Dramatic Series Directing and directed “West Wing” and Spielberg’s ”Taken.” He has made films for The Doe Fund which is the most successful program in America helping the homeless and for The Bioneers which organizes leaders in ecology and social justice, and TreePeople.

Professor Kagan teaches graduate courses at USC in directing and has created the Change Making Media Lab, which has made projects on cancer prevention, obesity and ADHD. Kagan has served as the Artistic Director of Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute and is on the National Board of the Directors Guild and Chairperson of its Special Projects. His books DIRECTORS CLOSE UP, Vol. 1 & 2, are published by Scarecrow Press. A Graduate Fellow of the American Film Institute, he has an M.F.A. from NYU and a B.A. from Harvard University. He has taught master seminars on filmmaking in Hong Kong, Hamburg, Hanoi, France, Lebanon, Israel, Ireland and India.

His latest book is My Death: A Personal Guidebook.

You can visit Jeremy Kagan’s website at www.theneardeathandlifeofjeremykagan.com.

Thanks for coming to the book club, Jeremy!  I have to admit – your book so intrigued me.  Would you like to start off by telling us just what an out of body experience is like?

Jeremy:  I expect that OBEs are similar in some ways and different in others depending on the pre-conditioning of the person.  What you believe now effects what you will experience.  What was true for me is that I knew little about these kind of journeys though some 15 years before I had seen the famous book by Robert Monroe and retained something about silver cords connecting the astral body to the physical body and being able to float from room to room like a kind of ghost.  None of this happened to me in my near death experience. My experience was about letting go.  Meaning I lost my physical abilities and senses, I couldn’t see or hear or move and I had to accept that and even more accept that I was dying and had to let go of being here, let go of my career, my family and relationships, my ego.

So the moment you left your body, what can you compare that to?

Jeremy:  I looked for words to describe the ecstasy as I wrote the book: This final letting go, giving up, had an experience to it.  Unexpected.  It was like air released from an inflatable pillow.  Like water gently overflowing a container. Like a sphere whose surface has somehow dissolved and everything within flows easily out in every direction. And there was no pain.  No pain at all.  Just this smooth dissolution of being.  It was remarkably soothing.

When you have an out of body experience, did you ever feel that you couldn’t ‘go back’?

Jeremy:  There was no going back.  The idea of return was not even an idea.  The issues was where I was going to and what would happen next. 

Why did you decide to go to a sweat lodge in the first place?

Jeremy: I had gone to sweats before.  As I mention in the book these experiences were intense and challenging.  You are in the dark, it is very hot, you sweat a lot, its really uncomfortable, but I had powerful visions doing these sweats and felt cleaned of worries, as in the kind of sweat lodges that I had gone to, you are asked to tell the truth and to speak to wishes you have for yourself, for others and to give away those thoughts and emotions that are possessing you. Powerful stuff.  And this was the night before my birthday, so I thought it a good idea for a kind or pre-birthday preparation.  

Your book can be called an aid to help people get over their fear of dying.  How do you feel it does that?

Jeremy:  Well, I have that fear of dying and had that fear of dying.  This experience where I died or went through some mystical experience of dying and death allowed me to know that consciousness does not end with the end of the body, and that the transition itself can be blissful, and the experiences out of the body can be ecstatic and perfect.  Yes I also went through my version of hell, but that too turned out to be an illusion, and just to know that is to remove much of the fear of any form of afterlife.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell everyone?

Jeremy:   This book is about learning to live with death, learning to appreciate the miracle of living, and hopefully it is a preparatory document for the journey that we all are taking.  I want the reader to know that awareness does not end with the end of your body. That love for everyone and everything is a possibility. And that we need to "lighten up." Meaning not take things so seriously, opening up our hearts, removing the heaviness that can drag us down, becoming a light for others, being passionate yet not attached, and letting go of the constraints that limit us to being the remarkable beings we truly are.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

PUYB Virtual Book Club Q&A: Interview with Elizabeth Woodrum, author of 'Maisy and the Missing Mice'



We welcome Elizabeth Woodrum to PUYB Virtual Book Club!  Elizabeth is here to talk about her new book and writing for the children’s market.  Ask her a question in the comment section and we’ll pick one of you to win free audiobook copy of her delightful children’s book, Maisy and the Missing Mice.  This contest will begin today and end on January 10 so get your comments in!  Only those leaving an email address (so we can contact you) are eligible to win.  Good luck and thanks for entering!
More about Elizabeth Woodrum:
Elizabeth Woodrum is a full time elementary teacher in Ohio. She began writing as early as when she was in elementary school, but more recently began writing material for use in her classroom. From that writing, grew the desire to write books for the general population of children and adults alike. The Maisy Files, a children’s series, is the first series that she has published. The series currently has one book, Maisy and the Missing Mice. Elizabeth plans to add more books to the series, and would also like to publish books for adults in the future.


As a reader, Elizabeth prefers the fantasy genre, but she enjoys realistic fiction as well. Some of her favorite authors include JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Rick Riordan, Veronica Roth, Suzanne Collins, and Nicholas Sparks.

Originally from Indiana, Elizabeth currently resides near Dayton, Ohio with her two pets: a cat named Butterscotch and a dog named Reese Cup.

You can view more about Elizabeth Woodrum at www.elizabethwoodrum.com.

 About Maisy and the Missing Mice:

Maisy Sawyer is not your average fourth grade student. She is a detective with a special skill for solving mysteries. She loves black and white mystery movies, cherry lollipops, and her dog, Reesie. When a thief known as The Black Boot steals the school’s mascots and her lollipops, Maisy sets out to solve the case. Can she help return the mice to their home in the science lab? Will she ever see her beloved lollipops again? Find out in the first book in The Maisy Files series.

Visit the book trailer at http://videodemo.co/JP2cf9mjLj/.



BUY THE BOOK AT AMAZON


 
Thanks for coming to the book club, Elizabeth!  Get comfy, grab yourself a cup of coffee and let’s get started.  My first book was a children’s book so I feel we have a lot in common.  Why did you decide to write for the children’s market?

Elizabeth:  I have been a teacher for over a decade.  The majority of that time has been spent teaching fourth grade language arts.  So, after spending my days working with words and children, I decided that realizing my dream of being an author would probably be most successful if I wrote for the children’s market.  I know the age group I’m writing for, so I feel that makes me able to write to their interests.

Where are you from and what do you do for a living there?  Do you have family?

Elizabeth:  I am originally from Indiana, but I currently live outside of Dayton, Ohio.  As I mentioned before, I am a teacher, but I work in a rural district in Preble County, Ohio.  My family is located in Indiana, but I do have my furry family with me in Ohio.  My dog Reese Cup, who was the inspiration for Maisy’s dog, and my cat, Butterscotch, keep me company at home. They are quite the twosome!

Back to your book, tell us all about Maisy!

Elizabeth:  Maisy is a fourth grade student with a special skill for solving mysteries.  She enjoys old, black and white mystery movies.  So, she pretends to be in a black and white world when solving a case. She even has an old fashioned hat that she wears when she’s on a case.  She also loves cherry lollipops.  She has a large collection of them that she has received as payment whenever she’s solved a case for someone.  Maisy almost always has at least one cherry lollipop with her!

Every book of fiction has a pivotal point for the reader that they can’t forget.  What do you think is one of the pivotal points in your book?

Elizabeth:  I’ve had many students in my school read the book.  Many of them have mentioned that they were interested in who the thief was more after he steals Maisy’s cherry lollipop collection.  Since Maisy is so attached to her lollipops, she becomes even more determined to solve the case at that point.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell your readers?

Elizabeth:  Maisy is an enjoyable and unique character.  I doubt you have come across someone exactly like her in your reading, even of the mystery genre. Reviews have mentioned that she was fun to read about and that readers are looking forward to more stories.  I do plan to have this be a larger series.  There are no set plans yet, but book two is in the process of being written.  I hope to have it out sometime in early 2014.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Buried Threads by Kaylin McFarren Virtual Book Tour Highlights


It's so sad to see our authors go, but in tribute we do a recap of the highlights of their blog tour with us at Pump Up Your Book.  Today we're highlighting Kaylin McFarren and her Buried Threads Virtual Book Publicity Tour.

About the Author:

Kaylin McFarren is a California native who has enjoyed traveling around the world. She previously worked as director for a fine art gallery, where she helped foster the careers of
various artists before feeling the urge to satisfy her won creative impulses.

Since launching her writing career, McFarren has earned more than a dozen literary awards in addition to a finalist spot in the 2008 RWA Golden Heart Contest. A member of RWA, Rose City Romance Writers, and Willamette Writers, she also lends her participation and support to various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest. 
 
McFarren currently lives with her husband in Oregon. They have three children and two grandchildren.
 
Her latest book is Buried Threads (Book 2 of the Threads series).

Visit her website at www.kaylinmcfarren.com.

About the Book:

Rachel’s mouth sagged. “You mean you’re really a monk? But how’s that possible? You’re not even wearing a robe, and your hair…” 

He simply smiled.

 A disturbing prophecy sends a treasure hunting duo on an urgent race to rescue a country in Kaylin McFarren’s heart pounding new novel,  Buried Threads. Full of erotic suspense and wild adventures, this is one trip that readers will never forget!

Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen work together as the successful owners of a treasure hunting company. But a seemingly simply assignment – to track down a priceless gem that is believed to buried in a shipwreck deep within the Sea of Japan – takes a starling, and dangerous, turn.

Faced with a monk’s dark prophecy that a natural disaster will soon strike Japan, killing millions, Rachel and Chase must embark on the mission of a lifetime in order to uncover the three cursed samurai swords that can avert the catastrophe.

Chaos ensues as their adventure takes them from shark infested waters and creepy caves to haunted hidden tombs and a confrontation with Yakuza gang members.

Time is running out as the prophecy’s day of reckoning draws near. Will Rachel and Chase succeed before disaster strikes?

Purchase at AMAZON

When I was a teenager going out on dates, I remember in every movie there was always an obligatory love scene – whether it was relevant to the story or not. This became a great opportunity to hit the candy counter, eventually returning with two cokes and an enormous bucket of popcorn. Looking back, I find myself wondering exactly why this would happen. Was it just that boys weren’t interested in love?

-- Guest Blogging at The Book Faery Reviews

Although I’m a relatively new author when it comes to writing romantic suspense, one suggestion that immediately comes to mind for fellow authors is to begin your story by stating what’s at stake while providing a glimpse at the challenges your hero or heroine are forced to overcome. I love a good mystery and have discovered that mystery authors tend to be more closed mouth and secretive about ultimate sacrifices and goals in their stories. Suspense authors, on the other hand, risk giving too much away by divulging all the elements of their stories way too early, which makes writing in this particular genre a bit of a balancing act.

-- Confessions of a Reader 

Remember to show, don't tell! I’ve heard this over and over again and it is the most common mistake among new writers. The fewer blocks of description or passive writing you include, the better. Avoid "info dumps" where you include sections of  research information and background details you might consider important. This will only serve one purpose: bringing your story to a screeching halt and turning it into a boring textbook. Instead, focus on current events or the overall point of your storyby including realistic dialogue and fun, action-packed scenes.

-- Guest Blogging at Acting Balanced 

Every book of fiction has a pivotal point for the reader that they can’t forget. What do you think is one of the pivotal points in your book?


Kaylin: I believe this occurs when Rachel convinces Chase to put aside his fears and keep going when he's almost killed by a swinging blade in a ghastly cave. Rachel's dedication pushes her to succeed and her growth is tremendous when compared to her original character flaws.
--Interviewed at PUYB Virtual Book Club
Personally, I think writers struggle to define success because there’s always another hill to climb, another obstacle to overcome. The first time I ever experienced a taste of real success was when I received my first piece of fan mail. The note was kind and generous with compliments, but it was also the first time I ever felt appreciated for something I wrote (other than the Mother’s Day poem my Mom loved when I was twelve). That was a great feeling and one that gave me a sense of what true success means to a writer.

-- Interview at Blogcritics 

For more than forty years, I’ve been fascinated with the arts and culture of Japan and have been fortunate in being able to travel across Asian with my family on numerous trips. Due to my husband’s business interests and roots stemming from Japan, I’ve had the remarkable opportunity to develop personal, long-term relationships with Asian shipping agents, politicians, company executives, sword masters, puppeteers, religious leaders and talented geikos and maikos who reside and perform in Kyoto’s Gion District. But to be honest, my fascination with the Japanese underworld truly inspired me to write this story.

--Interview at Bound by Passion

When trying to define true erotica, I’ve learned it’s nearly impossible to come up with an accurate or complete answer. This genre flows like a river, branching out into suspense, mystery, fantasy, science fiction and paranormal along the way. For some, erotica is a genre of its own. It’s not necessarily filled with explicit sex, although it might be laced with sexual imagery and language. And like romance, it quite often depends on sexual tension. In addition, it’s far removed from pornography, since the story within the book canstand alone despite sexual overtones. Erotica can also feature a vast range of explicitness, types of sex and even how frequent it appears on paper. As a result, publishers and division such as Ellora’s Cave and Brava utilize a ranking or rating system to better prepare readers for what’s waiting under the covers.

-- Guest Blogging at Sarah Ballance

Well developed characters, different points of view and a more than fair introduction into the Japanese culture, make this a page turning read.  Adding just the right touch of romance, and plenty of descriptions of the world in which the story takes place, Ms. McFarren’s book captivated me on an almost visual level.

-- Reviewed at Queen of the Night Reviews

The story is a smattering of suspense, romance, mystery, and a thriller. I loved that! There is legit something here for everyone to enjoy. There's also a little bit of a paranormal kind of angle with a character that was entirely awesome!

-- Reviewed at Must Read Faster

Excellent story, quick moving, dramatic, twists and turns you will not see coming, some hot and steamy scenes (definitely not for the under 18 set), it was just a very enjoyable read.
 
-- Reviewed at Not Everyone's Mama 

BURIED THREADS is an extremely well written novel that is classified as “romantic suspense.”  I found it to have more action and mystery than romance.  It’s a sequel to  SEVERED THREADS, but is definitely a stand alone novel.  Kaylin McFarren’s writing style is smoothly flowing, allowing the reader to become immersed through vivid descriptions.  I found the treasure hunting adventures to be very intriguing.  The romance is “hot” but is woven into the story in a way that doesn’t overtake the mystery and action.  I greatly enjoyed this book and it was hard to put down.  I will be reading more books by Kaylin McFarren.

-- My Book Addiction Reviews

This book will truly take you on a journey like no other. Everything from goblin sharks to reincarnation with mystery, suspense, mystical elements and some very steamy romance. There is no way you can't find something to love with this book. I am so in love. I can't wait to dive (no pun intended) more into this world with the first book and book three. Don't go into this expecting you are going to have things figured out. You won't have any idea until the very end. Highly recommend this read and it is definitely a favorite for 2013. 

--Offbeat Vagabond