Joanie MacNeil talks about Mandraki Magic and Loving Nick...Again

Welcome author Joanie MacNeil!

Who is Joanie MacNeil?

I am an Australian romance author living in Canberra, Australia's National Capital.  I write short contemporary romance novels, ranging from sweet to sexy stories of secrets and forever love. While most of my novels are set in Australia, I could not resist setting two of them in Scotland.

I love to travel with my own romantic hero and have visited parts of the world I never dreamed I’d see.

Home, family and friends are important to me. I have blended these elements into some of my stories.

When I'm not travelling, or working on my latest novel, I enjoy reading romance as well as Icelandic Noir. Though I like watching movies, I never find the time to go to the cinema. I enjoy meeting friends for coffee, and am a regular participant in aqua aerobics. My special moments are those spent with my four young grandsons who keep me on my toes.

Tell us about your life outside of writing.

I don’t write every day though my goal is to achieve something each day, whether it be a writing related activity or something else. Two or three days a week I attend aqua classes which get me away from my computer. I especially enjoy the stretching exercises, and having a laugh and a chat with the other ladies. I sometimes look after my two and a half year old grandson. Our special outing is taking a ride on the bus which he loves. I’m a carer for my husband; a daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and friend. I catch up with my girlfriends for lunch weekly; I sometimes accompany my husband to have coffee with his friends and their wives. I need to manage my time better most weeks.

Do you have a work in progress?

Yes, I have a contemporary novel which I’ve been working on for ages.  The first draft is done. I’ve let it sit for a while. The story is about a returned veteran who is reunited with a woman he knew from his childhood. The tagline is: When past and present collide, forgiveness is the key.

Finishing this novel is my next major writing task, though I may not get to it until the new year. I have a busy few weeks in the lead-up to Christmas.

Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

No, not really. When I was in primary school and an avid reader of adventure stories, I wanted to write one, talked about it, but never did write anything. I didn’t begin to read romance until my forties. I was on holidays at the beach with my family, and needing some escapism and relaxation, picked up a couple of romance novels. I was hooked. I loved reading historical romance in those days. I decided I wanted to write, had no idea where to begin, and discovered a six week freelance writing course at evening college. I decided freelance writing wasn’t for me, though the session on romance writing really resonated with me. And that began my journey to becoming a romance author.

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

I hope I’m still writing and selling my stories. I have a few works in various stages of progress, and it will probably take me five years to finish them all! I would like to have at least three more completed and published in 2020.

What are you working on now?

My focus for the remainder of this year is on marketing, updating my web site, creating a work plan for next year, and a long list of writing related organisational tasks. I also have an idea for another novella, and hope to do some preliminary work on that.

My novella Mandraki Magic, a sweet romance set on the Greek Island of Rhodes, was released in November.

Is Jazzy’s first love the right man for her?

Settled in her new life on the Greek Island of Rhodes, Jazzy is happier than she’s ever been.

When her first love arrives in the Old Town, her peaceful existence is shattered. What is Finn's real reason for being on Rhodes?

Jazzy must sort through her confused emotions and make her own decisions. Can she trust him with her heart a second time?

https://books2read.com/u/38E6Ld

Another one of my romances is Loving Nick…Again.

Claire Vincent’s unexpected encounter with old flame, Nick Sheridan, threatens the new beginning she’s made for herself and her twin sons. Can Claire trust him enough to risk losing her heart to him again?

Though Nick’s long buried desire for Claire is rekindled, Nick isn’t sure he’s ready for a new relationship, or an instant family.

https://books2read.com/b/brGd6k

Website and other links:

www.joaniemacneil.com

www.facebook.com/romanceauthorjoaniemacneil

www.bwlpublishing.ca/authors/macneil-joanie-romance-australia/

Mohan Asktakala talks about "Karma Nation" and "The Yoga Zapper"

Welcome to featured author Mohan Asktakala!

Mohan Ashtakala is an initiated Hindu Vaishnava priest and has lived in yoga ashrams across India. His goal is to expose the authentic narratives of the Yoga tradition through the medium of modern, page-turning novels.

He edited a monthly newspaper in Denver, Colorado, for thirteen years and has been published in the Denver Post, the Himalayan News, and other newspapers and magazines.

He has organized conferences on science and spirituality and has presented at interfaith gatherings, diversity conferences and at various churches and schools.

Mohan lives in Calgary, Canada with his wife Anuradha, son Hrishi, daughter Gopi, and Lila, the family’s Boston Terrier. He can sometimes be spotted absent-mindedly chanting mantras in the city’s parks.

A person who encouraged me to write: No one. I had to work against my family's disapproval of my writing, and since I did not go into Creative writing in college, had to go it alone.

Five years from now: I will keep writing, but I try not to make plans. This way, I keep myself open to inspiration. In any case, five years is too far ahead to plan. I try to be in the moment.

What I'm working on now: I am exploring a few ideas, not nothing concrete. My next book may be a historical adventure or a literary romance.

Nine Interesting things about Mohan Ashtakala

1) When Mohan was twelve, he put together a one-page family newspaper and sent it out to family members. A career was born!

2) When Mohan was young, he attended Loretto Convent in Calcutta for one year. This is the same institution that Mother Theresa once served. (Nope, I never met her. By that time she was well on her way to sainthood, and I was, well…not on my way to sainthood.)

3) Mohan has lived in many different cultures: North Indian, South Indian, Bengali, English Canadian, French Canadian and American. He even spent two years in an Inuit (Eskimo) village on the Eastern shore of the Arctic ocean. That makes him either broad-minded or confused.

4) Mohan’s father wanted him to be an engineer or a doctor; actually both! Mohan turned out to be just a writer. Sorry Dad!

5) Mohan once touched down in Lebanon in the middle of a civil war. The plane landed and immediately took off as the airport was about to be shelled. A funny thing, all the soldiers at the airport looked like Saddam Hussein, right down to their mustaches. 

6) Mohan has a degree in Accounting and worked in that field for several years while indulging in his passion for writing. As an accountant, he was a pretty good writer of fiction.

7) Mohan once spent three months in a temple ashram in Bali with his family. Beautiful Bali!

8) Mohan has presented about Hinduism in various churches, high schools and diversity conferences. A few of them even invited him back!

9) Mohan has a son and a daughter. Both are certified yoga teachers. Yes, it runs in the family. 

Karma Nation

Chantley Armstrong, a white woman raised in an ashram in India, and Sam Johnson, a proud young black man, come across each other in Boulder, Colorado. The intense feelings aroused by the chance encounter suggest that they share a relationship from previous lives.

Chantley sees the world through the eyes of karma. “Everyone acts according to their karma,” she says, “maybe even entire nations.”

Deeply concerned with American injustice, racism and militarism, he asks, “What can you say about a country that starts its history with a slavery and a genocide? What kind of karma is that?”

Once sheltered but now on her own, Chantley struggles to adapt and gain courage, while Sam, deeply intellectual, strives to find his center. Discovering that they may have been lovers at a plantation in South Carolina during the antebellum period, they journey through the South, visiting places and people connected to America’s troubled past and uncertain present.

As they fall deeper in love, their travel exposes conflicts whose origins neither is able to explain. They locate their plantation near Charleston, South Carolina, but its exploration reveals a shocking truth about the real nature of their relationship—one that makes them question who they are, their deep-seated beliefs and the meaning of love.

The Yoga Zapper

A mysterious Sanskrit scripture discovered in an ancient Himalayan temple.

Two brothers from the American heartland sharing a close, yet troubled, relationship.

An evil despot determined to conquer the past, present and future.

And a beautiful young woman who tests the brothers’ bond.

Little do Jack and Steve realize that the text is actually a prescription for time-travel. In the midst of a deep conflict, they are transported to different destinations. At time’s beginning, Steve’s heart opens to the beautiful Shanti and learns at last to both love and let go. At the ending age, Jack, sucked into the intrigue and treachery of a civilization unravelling under a dark dictator, is finally forced to become accountable for his actions.

The Yoga Zapper uses themes found in the authentic narratives and prophecies of the Indian subcontinent: yogis meditating for thousands of years, Avatars descending from spiritual realms, magical flying craft known as vimanas, and at the end of time (which is also time’s beginning,) a world-consuming battle between good and evil.

To buy Mohan's books: https://www.mohanashtakala.com/

Mohan's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Mohan-Ashtakala-Author-365611304180291/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Janet Walters talks about Children of Fyre and Forgotten Dreams

Welcome to featured writer, Janet Lane Walters!

Janet Lane Walters has been a published writer for 50 years. She began with short stories and as that market dried up, she turned to novels. She has lost track of how many books she has written but there are fifty plus. She has been married sixty plus years. Her husband's a retired psychiatrist who says he has no thought of curing her obsession with writing. She is also a nurse, long retired. Janet has a BA in English and a BS in Nursing. She has four children. The youngest is an adopted biracial girl. Her grandchildren number 7. Four are black and three are Chinese. She bills herself as an eclectic writer since she writes romance in contemporary, with historical notes, paranormal, and fantasy. She has also written non-fiction and worked as a ghost writer. She writes cozy mysteries and YA fantasy. She has won several awards for her writing and has also finaled in a number of contests. Most days will find her in her recliner with a pen and paper writing drafts of her story or at the computer typing them.

Tell us about your life outside of writing.

            Actually, I have a rather boring life outside of writing. I talk to my grandchildren on the phone and occasionally see the ones who live nearby. They have very busy lives. I also care for my semi-invalid husband and that takes much of my time. I read a lot and spend time with my writing friends in a very active critique group. I’ll admit I’m addicted to crime shows and watch them but I don’t hit the TV until after 8 PM. Soon I’ll be doing Christmas stockings for fourteen people. That goes on for months when I find something interesting. I’m becoming an excellent chicken taco maker. Also in a month plus I’ll be baking Christmas cookies. Occasionally I do house cleaning but that’s only when I can’t find the words to create stories.

Do you have a work in progress?

            I always have a work in progress. When I’m working on the final edits of the story I am currently working on, I’ve begun planning the next one. Right now the work in progress is Lines of Fire Challenged, the second in the series. Since it’s due by the end of the month, I’m doing the final re-write and working hard on finishing it. When that’s finished, I’ll be working on a book in the dream series – Virgo and Cancer but it’s still in the I know the hero and heroine but I have no idea about their adventure.

Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

            I’ve dabbled with writing for most of my life. My father enjoyed books and was a self-educated man. When I first published, he touted my books to everyone he knew and some he didn’t know, like the nurses at the hospital when he was ill. I was published in the seventies and during the eighties put writing aside to work as a nurse. I met Jane Toombs at a meeting and she sold my return to writing book to her editor. She and I encouraged each other over the years and I do miss her. At present I have a great critique group. We encourage each other. My publisher Jude has become a friend and she also is an encourager. There is my husband, a psychiatrist who thinks I have an obsession he doesn’t want to cure. My children are proud of me also. The girls read many of the books but not the boys.

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

      In five years, I will be 88. I plan to still be writing and hopefully sharing stories with people. My goal is to be at my computer typing stories until the end.

What are you working on now?  

            As I said earlier, I’m working on a fantasy romance, the second in a trilogy. Lines of Fire Challenged. The culture of this land uses the duel to solve quarrels and for other purposes. The heroine, Lasara is a duelist and a member of the Defenders. The hero Jens is a Desert Rider and also a duelist. They both can read the lines of fire on people’s skin and use them when they duel. They learn about Petan, the villain, a Defender of a mysterious background. He has gathered a band of renegades. He is able to absorb power from the lines of fire of young women. He and his renegades steal girls from the farms and also the clans of the Riders. Part of the challenge is defeating him. Another part is convincing Jens a heart bond really exists.

           

Forgotten Dreams

 Chad Morgan is tired of his Hollywood life and his role as action hero Storm. He's ignoring the contracts for two more movies in the franchise. He wants to take a different direction and make a movie of his friend's book. He has bought the rights. But his agent and the studio want more Storm. His personal life is also bouncing from one woman to another. His thoughts have turned to Emma Grassi, the woman he left behind in his quest for fame. He decides to return to Fern Lake and speak to his friend and renew his friendship with Emma.

Emma is now a nurse practitioner sharing an office with her doctor friend. She has waited for Chad to return and has decided this isn't going to happen. She's decided to confront him and put an end to the dream she has remembered and he has forgotten. Life takes a twist when Chad 's auto accident on the outskirts of Fern Lake bring them together. She wants out. He wants in.

Children of Fyre

In this return to the Island of Fyre, each of the heros and heroines of the three previous books have children. Lorton is the youngest son of the Wizards of Fyre and he has bonded with the yellow dragon.
The dragon through the magic of the stones has been rejuvenated and is now green. Dragon sends Lorton to travel to where the Dragons of Fyre are raised. There he meets Arkon son of the hero and heroine of the Dragons of Fyre.
There have been four eggs laid and there must be two young men and two young women found to bond with them. On the island where the evil wizards were exiled, Cerene has grown up as little more than a slave. She can use all the fyrestones unlike her father. She learns about the kidnapping of Riara, daughter of the hero and heroine of the Temple of Fyre and vows to save her.
The four must unite with their dragons and finally destroy the evil.

My Places

https://twitter.com/JanetL717

https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_fbid=113639528680724

http://bookswelove.net/

http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/

Where to buy Janet's books:

http://bookswelove.net/authors/walters-janet-lane-romance-fantasy-suspense-medical/

Helen Henderson talks about "Windmaster Legend"

Welcome to this Sunday's featured author Helen Henderson!

Although the author of several local histories, and numerous articles on the topics of American and military history, antiques and collectibles, Henderson’s first love is fiction. Her work in the museum and history fields enables a special insight into creating fantasy worlds. The descendent of a coal-miner's daughter and an aviation flight engineer, her writing reflects the contrasts of her heritage as well as that of her Gemini sign. Her stories cross genres from historical westerns to science fiction and fantasy. In the world of romantic fantasy, she is the author of the Dragshi Chronicles and The Windmaster Novels. In her books, she invites you to join her on travels through the stars, or among fantasy worlds of the imagination.

Tell us about your life outside of writing.

As the years have passed and I’ve aged, non-writing activities have changed. Bicycle riding and antique and air shows gave way to cross-stitch embroidery and crocheting. Somethings, such as caring for home and hearth, haven’t changed. Currently, writing time is sandwiched between caregiving tasks.

Do you have a work in progress?

A novel set in the world of Windmaster that I started during NanoWriMo (also known as the crazy month for authors when we try to write 50,000 words in a span of a month) is demanding to be finished. And a twist on a dragon shifter story is fighting for equal time.

Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

The call to write struck me at an early age. Although teachers tried to encourage me, the structure of school writing assignments interfered with intuitive thinking and chased the muse away. I especially hated outlining. I would write the assignment then reverse engineer the required outline. Of course that meant I often had the work done ahead of time.

I would say several people encouraged me to become a published author. My mother and grandmother because they instilled in me the love of reading. And to me, to be an author you have to be a reader first. On the professional side, I would never have been published or kept going as long as I have without the support and encouragement of romantic suspense writer Carol McPhee and one of my early fiction editors, romance and science fiction author, Judy Griffith Gill.

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

Five years seems like an eternity when looking forward, but flashes by in a heartbeat. As to the author me of five years from now? Much depends on the state of the world, the level of caregiving I need to provide, and a myriad of other things. But I would like to have an additional three books under my byline. And with some luck to have at least a couple of the novels from my backlist, at least if my voice holds out, narrated and released as audiobooks.

What are you working on now?

Because of the release earlier this year, in addition to the projects mentioned above, I’ve added guest posts to the blog hops that I’ve been participating in since the first of the year.

Windmaster Legend

 A forbidden love. An impossible quest. The accusation of witchcraft. Can love survive?

What history and time may conceal sometimes refuses to stay lost in memory. Windmaster Legend reveals the story behind the legend of the star-crossed lovers, Iol of the House of Cszabo and Pelra of the House of Pirri.

Fate conspired to keep Iol and Pelra apart. Friendship is allowed between members of competing trading houses, but nothing more. He loves the sea and wants his own ship. She hates the deep blue and has worked too hard to allow her dreams to be sidetracked by the lure of magic. Despite a beautiful woman on his arm every night, Leod wanted the one he couldn’t have—Pelra. His kin on the ruling council did more than put him on the fast track to his own ship. It provided him the power to fulfill his desires, or to ruin those who refused him.

Exiled to distant posts, given impossible challenges, and subject to Leod’s machinations, Iol and Pelra only have the hope of a future together to sustain them. But can their love survive the accusation of witchcraft?

One click buy link: https://books2read.com/windmaster-legend

  

Hatchling’s Vengeance

Glyn, former bodyguard and companion to a dragon lord, is now Lady Glynnes Janaleigh, a dragon lord in her own right. And she has found her intended mate. But, finding him is only half the battle. Keeping him alive is the other when duty has other demands and Fate holds all the cards. On one card is written -- A mating flight doesn’t always include the one you want.

The cult leader, the Parant, means to have his vengeance. No matter how long it takes or how many innocents die, he will kill all dragon shifters. Saving your kind—or yourself—requires more than the power of a dragon soul twin when vengeance threatens all. Not even dragon fire and talons are enough to overcome the mind control wielded by the one called—the Parant. Your only hope lies in the fact that vengeance has two paths. One is death—the other is love.

One click buy link: https://books2read.com/Hatchlings-Vengeance

You can find Helen online at: Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Goodreads / Amazon. 

Excerpts of her work, writing tips, and information on new releases can be found at https://helenhenderson-author.blogspot.com.