Make Believe

by J.A. Belfield (Goodreads Author), Jennifer M. Eaton (Goodreads Author),J. Keller Ford (Goodreads Author), Terri Rochenski (Goodreads Author),Lynda R. Young (Goodreads Author), Kelly Said (Goodreads Author)

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.

After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Birthright by Lynda R. Young

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.

She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she's never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Petrified by Kelly Said

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow. Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.

The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.

The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.

Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

Guest Post

I’m a day-dreaming 38-yr-old. Call me odd, but there’s nothing better than having voices (CHARACTERS) talking in your mind—living their lives as scenes in your brain.

It’s been proven we as humans think in pictures, If I say the word elephant you immediately see a big honkin’ gray mammal, correct? Snake. A slithery mass of muscles coiling to strike. *shivering in my shoes* Yuck. NOT my favorite reptile.

So when my muse whispers, ‘Hey Terri, meet so-and-so a character I think you’ll enjoy getting to know’, I immediately see that person. What they look like. How they’re dressed. How they hold themselves. Other times the muse tells me about an exotic world where kings still reign and knights shine in their armor.

Put those two together & voila! I have a story, and scenes begin playing in my mind.

Conveying them onto paper isn’t always easy, though. To capture the sights, scents, and textures—to make my readers experience all the characters do with as many senses as possible … that’s why I relive scenes.

Again and again. Especially when editing.

I ask myself, is this scene necessary? Does it drive the plot forward toward that satisfying climax we as readers love to submerge ourselves in? Is the dialogue believable? Does it sound natural? Did I weave in the flesh of the background without info dumping like a steaming cow flop?

How’s that for creating an image?

Sorry. It’s the farm girl part of me begging for release.

If writing in the 3^rd person limited we need to show what that character sees / feels during the scene. This is especially necessary when switching PoVs from chapter to chapter.

For instance, if your PoV character is grieving are they more apt to see the low-hanging clouds or the sun’s rays peeking down through them to caress the world? If your MC is floating on cloud nine will they notice their hotel room’s big bed or the worn carpet? Hrrrmmmm. I wonder.

Make your PoV character’s emotional responses clear. If they don’t care about their surroundings or the conflict facing them, why should the reader? For me, there’s nothing better than picking up a novel and experiencing every emotion the characters do. Laughter, tears, or anger—if an author makes me feel them then they’ve succeeded.

Rethink.

Relive.

Draw out what you may have missed before in your daydreamed scenes. They’ll be richer for it. Your readers will definitely be more caught up in the world you created, and you just might gain a faithful follower.

What do you do to ‘flesh out’ or enliven your scenes?

Interview with Terri Rochenski

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first novel in the 8^th grade called Gundi’s Great Adventure. The bundle of stapled pages was a story about a little gnome who rescued all the fae of his land from an evil villain.

What jobs did you have before you became a writer?

I slaved at a farm stand, dipped ice cream, filled prescriptions as a pharmacy technician, waited tables, managed a movie theatre, cleaned houses, and lastly sold auto & homeowners insurance.

Tell us a little about your book.

I’m going to cheat here & give you the blurb cuz my brain hasn’t had enough coffee yet.

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

What is one book you could read over and over?

There are a LOT of books I’ve read countless times. Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth series is the first. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series comes in a close second.

What do you do in your free time?

Free time? What’s that??? I’m a stay-at-home mommy to two little angel girls, 2 ½ & 4 yrs of age, so free time is few & far between. Once they’re in bed I usually collapse on the couch beside the hubs and watch American Pickers or Pawn Stars. If it’s a re-run I click away at the page turner on my kindle.

How do reviews, good or bad, affect you?

I haven’t had a ‘real’ review yet. I probably will by the time this posts, though.

I’m involved in a few writing forums online & I’ve gotten a few nasty critiques. They’re hard to swallow, but I make a point not to take it to heart. My motto is ‘chew up the meat & spit out the bones’. They’re only one reader. I won’t please every reader every time.

When writing, do you plot and organize, or do you write scenes then fit it all together?

Plot & organize like crazy. Seriously. I’m borderline obsessive compulsive about it. Three-ring-binders & page protectors over my notes. Sad, huh?

What is one thing you absolutely cannot do without while writing?

Used to be silence, but once my girls came along … well, I’ve adapted. Now I scribble as fast as I can whenever I can.

If you could visit any place, where would it be?

Great Britain, then Italy. Gotta see Tolkien’s homeland & visit where my ancestors came from.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I’ve been singing on stage since I was four-ish. I’m a pretty good cook too.

Favorite food?

I love food period. Just not raw tomatoes.

Cat or dog?

Although I have 2 cats I’d prefer neither. hehehe

Favorite color?

Green.