June Storer tells us about Hotter Than Coffee and You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It

 

Welcome to author June Storer!

June Storer is an Author of Romance and Fantasy books and I was born in Birmingham in the United Kingdom and still live locally. Like most people, my life has had its ups and downs and I have learnt many valuable lessons on my journey. I previously worked for the National Health Service for 26 years, in varying roles ranging from Nursing to Administration. It was from here that I started to notice the rich diversity of society, there were so many interesting characters and so many unbelievable situations which I had found myself in and I soon realised that truth was definitely stranger than fiction. It was then that I started to write and I have not stopped since. I am also a qualified Reiki Practitioner. My interests include reading of course, movies, rock music, yoga, spiritualism and I also film and take part in paranormal investigations. My little rescue dog also keeps me fit and active on our daily walks out into the breathtaking scenery in the UK.

Social Media Platforms and Website:

Author J Storer  (31) J Storer Author - Posts

J Storer (@jstorerauthor) • Instagram photos and videos

J Storer Author (@j_storer) / Twitter

J. Storer (Author of You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It) | Goodreads

What is your latest release?

My latest release is "Hotter Than Coffee" which is a contemporary romance story. Pippa the Protagonist, has a disability which she acquired as a child but hasn't let it stop her from living a normal life. Unfortunately, she has been on the receiving end of disparaging comments and behaviour from other people, and as much as she has tried to ignore what has happened previously, it has left a residue upon her. I decided to write about a character who had a disability because a family member of mine became disabled from an accident and I saw first hand how it affected them and us as a family. I remember an incident when they were discriminated against and I stepped in to educate the person who did it. In this story I tried to emphasise about the difficulties which we all face in life and tried to express how sometimes these problems can add extra stress to someone who might be struggling, but also trying to emphasise how with determination and tenacity most things in life are possible.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on my new book which features some romance but has more of a fantasy storyline, involving witchcraft, magic and otherworldly themes. It has been really satisfying to allow my vivid imagination to take flight and start writing down all the crazy ideas which I usually have on a daily basis.

Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

After spending most of my life with my head stuck in a book and always working out the endings to films etc, my family repeatedly encouraged me to put pen to paper and start writing my own stories. I also took inspiration from Angela Marsons who is a local Author, based near to where I live in the United Kingdom. She was unfortunately made redundant from her job and had been trying to get her work published for a while without any success. Eventually her perseverance paid off and she is now an international bestselling Author. Her amazing story also encouraged me to write and I am so glad that I did.

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

Having led a colourful life, my main strengths as a writer come from my life experiences and I know that the younger me would not have been able to write from the heart like I do now. Like most of us, I have lived through ups and downs in life and have come out the otherside as a wiser and more empathetic person. I also have an active imagination, which enables me to think up ideas and subject matter to write about.

How often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?

I try to write everyday, sometimes it may only be a few lines or it could be a few paragraphs. Scattered all around my home, are blank notepads and pens, so that I can jot down any ideas or sentences which suddenly ping up in my mind. I tend to wake up in the morning with my head brimming over with ideas and if I don't scribble them down straight away, by lunchtime they are nothing more than a distant memory, of which I can't recall. When I was previously working full time during the day, I used to only be able to write during the evening and this has now become a normal routine for me, but if I am going out in the evening, I ensure that I do write during the daytime instead.

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

In five years time, I would like to be an established writer and have written and published many more books. I am also experimenting with poetry and writing stories in other genres at the moment, so maybe some of my future books might be completely different from what I write now, but that is what I love about being a writer, the possibilities are endless.

 

 YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT

Penelope Carter is the Midlands favourite radio Agony Aunt, who seemingly lives a perfect life. Married to a handsome Doctor, her obverse way of thinking encourages her callers to do the wrong thing, to take the immoral path, without thinking about the consequences. Penelope's world begins to unravel with the emergence of her lost love, world renown Celebrity Chef, Marcus Day. Will she decide to follow her own advice and see what fate karma brings or can Penelope Carter really have her cake and eat it?

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It eBook: Storer, J: Amazon.co.uk: Books

 

HOTTER THAN COFFEE

Pippa had known what discrimination was from a young age and had learnt from her own experiences what a cold place the world could be. Unexpectedly falling in love, the safe environment which she had built all around her, suddenly started to disintegrate. Discovering that she had been humiliatingly betrayed by the one person whom she thought that she could trust and with yet another further traumatic event, Pippa was pushed to the very edge of sanity. Would she have the emotional strength to survive and rise again or had she finally reached her breaking point?

Hotter than Coffee eBook: Storer, J: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Colleen Baxter tells us about Where The Red Moon Rises and her Crossover Series

 

Welcome to author and professor, Colleen Baxter!

Colleen Baxter is a simple college professor and former paleomammalogist. I like to incorporate extinct animals and biological tidbits in my writing. I have five children, spanning the ages from 10 - 37 (the younger three are adopted). When I am not grading lab reports or cooking for my family, I am dreaming of worlds far away and writing about them.

Website: https://www.colleennbaxter.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colleen.n.baxter

Newsletter: https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/88345bcc-2c11-11eb-96c4-3f4147257a22

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleennbaxter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20094826.Colleen_Baxter

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

I think my strengths are my scientific knowledge and dialogue. I try to make sure each character has a distinct voice that comes through in their speech and interactions.

How often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?

I write every day, although I will sometimes take off a week or so to decompress between projects. I try to get my teaching work (grading, etc.) done in the morning which frees up the afternoon for writing. On the weekends I tend to work on my writing all day.

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

Ha! Still writing, though hopefully able to put teaching aside and work full-time as a writer.

If you could offer once piece of advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Just write. You should always have a project in your mind that is struggling to get out. No matter how hard it is to get the words on paper, just write.

What would you consider to be the best compliment a reader could give your book?

Hmmm. I think when I hear someone say they were totally lost in the world, that is the best thing. To think that I managed to put this thing together that can actually transport someone away from their life for a little while is pretty special.

What are you working on now?

Currently, I am working on a science fantasy that is a bit of a departure for me. My science fiction trilogy is about to be released, so lots going on!

 

 

WHERE THE RED MOON RISES

The last thing Tara Allen remembers is a wall of water slamming into her research vessel, then icy darkness. She awakens on an unfamiliar shore in a world far away—in time and place—from her Long Beach, California home. But Tara is not alone in this strange new world, a primitive place where ancient cultures thrive and long extinct animals roam the land. And the golden-eyed man who rescues her has secrets of his own.

Aleyx Petrov lives in exile from his own people. He can help the beautiful stranger heal, teach her to survive in his world, but he doesn’t dare grow too close to her.  Any link to him might taint her in the eyes of his people.  Yet when Tara, too, is cast out, it is Aleyx who shelters her once again.

But Tara’s arrival hasn’t gone unnoticed. Others have crossed into Ixtlán before her. Others who are on the brink of war, willing to do whatever it takes to gain the knowledge that Tara doesn’t know she possesses. How can Aleyx protect Tara from this rival faction, when his own people reject him? Can the fragile new love Tara has found replace all that she’s lost, or is it doomed to come to a tragic end in this unearthly world where the red moon rises?

To buy WHERE THE RED MOON RISES:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0852RQF2Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

CROSSOVER SERIES Box Set

Beyond the boundaries of space and time lies Ixtlán. Sometimes Earth bumps into this strange world, allowing things to crossover into a dangerous and primitive place where ancient cultures thrive and long extinct animals roam the land. People are caught in the crossover as well. The descendants of Tsumat Indians, Spanish conquistadors, English travelers, and Russian fur traders live and love and battle on Ixtlán . Prehistoric beasts such as chalicotheres, oreodonts, and hyaenodons live beside pterodactyls. Modern Earth dwellers are dragged through the treacherous portal into Ixtlán as well. And all of them are threatened by arrivals from another mysterious world.

And yet, in this perilous world, there is love to be found, though never without a fight. A woman from California must battle for survival beside a man outcast from his tribe. Can a spoiled son of Éspan earn the trust and love of a Tsumat woman who needs no one? A young man obsessed with adventure is called upon to assist a Sky Lord. Will his quest bring death, or his heart’s desire? A cataclysmic volcano blast brings together others, while a despairing EMT newly crossed over from Earth must discover if love is the best medicine to mend a tattered heart. 

As old conflicts and rivalries rear their ugly heads, only the courageous can survive. It doesn’t matter when or how they crossed over into Ixtlán. In a place where death is always just a breath away, the bonds of friendship and family and love will be their only hope. 

To buy the CROSSOVER SERIES BOXSET:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HHSMY79/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

 

L. E. Glazebrook talks about the Jezebels of Bedlam and The Daughters Return

 

Welcome to author L. E. Glazebrook!  I love her colorful book covers!

L.E. Glazebrook is an independent Australian author who has published two books to date: The Jezebels of Bedlam, and The Daughters Return. Both books are available via Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, as part of an ongoing series which will tell the stories of Tweldor.

Tweldor is a contraction of “the twelve doors,” a citadel built with angelic help to offer sanctuary for those survivors of Atlantis who chose to walk in the light. In the Tweldorian world, Atlantis was a nephilim colony, built by the descendants of Cain. Its citizens, it transpires, were not completely human. Rather, they were the result of intermarriage between nephilim offspring and humans as well as demonic mutations and horrific experiments. The evil inhabitants of Atlantis were plotting to create a genetically perfect superbeing who will dominate and destroy humanity – i.e. the antichrist.

Fast forward to modern times and Tweldor has become more than simply a sanctuary for the more ethical survivors. It has evolved into a place dedicated to teaching demonic hybrids how to live among humans and to fight all that is evil.

Glazebrook's work so far tells the hybrids' stories - their struggles with their demonic ancestry and genetic makeup and their continuing battle to renounce the darkness and act with love. These hybrids are every type of magical or mystical being you can imagine. In Tweldor you are just as likely to meet a werewolf as you are an incubus. You may take high tea with the Fairy Queen, only to enjoy a brandy by the firepit with an off-duty gargoyle guard later.

Website and buy link:

https://www.amazon.com/author/leglazebrook

When she is not here, you can find L.E. Glazebrook on:

Instagram - @leglazebrook

Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/storiesbyleglazebrook/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/leglazebrook

Wattpad - https://www.wattpad.com/user/LEGlazebrook

Episode - L.E.Glazebrook

Tell us about your life outside of writing.

“I’m Australian. I grew up in Sydney but I met my husband and soulmate in Brisbane, so this is where my heart and my home is. I’m a wife, not so evil stepmother, and step-grandmother. I feel truly blessed to have such a beautiful family, but I’m also very protective of them, so I don’t share much about them on social media.

Prior to publishing my first book, I worked as a Medical Herbalist and helped write the database for a vitamin company. Unfortunately, my job was eventually made redundant by the same database and now, well… I live my writing. On occasion, you may even have to yell at me to break my Bran-Stark-like trance and pull me out of whatever daydream I happen to be in.

Do you have a work in progress?

Yes, I am currently writing my third book, Beasts of Brisvegas. It picks up the continuing story of Tweldor about a week after the events of book 2. Here’s the blurb that I’ve put on Wattpad, where you can read the first draft:

Our favourite werewolf has found his mate at last, but can he keep her safe?

The Alliance of Shadow Hunters (ASH) plan to eliminate uncooperative shifters as part of their Enlightened Earth campaign.

Will all the beasts of Brisvegas survive? Perhaps the better question is, should they?

Tweldor says yes. ASH says no. Who is right?

This is book 3 in The Chronicles of Tweldor Urban Fantasy Series. While it can be read as a stand-alone book, it will contain plot spoilers, if you've not read the first two books in the series.

What was the most difficult section/piece you ever wrote? What made it difficult?

Writing about Limbo in book 2 was more challenging than I’d anticipated. I’d began the book before my job was made redundant, but then ironically, I was in Limbo myself, without a regular income and a skill set that no one seemed to be interested in. How was I going to write my characters out of Limbo, (a physical place in the Tweldorian world), when metaphorically, I was stuck there myself? It was both stifling and inspiring. On the one hand I could understand how the characters were feeling, but it was so difficult to get it on paper. The emotion was too raw. When I finally did get the words down however, it was truly cathartic. It was as though I was taking the same spiritual journey as my characters. I found the process a little scary, to be honest but there was also a kind of weird recognition and a certain pride that came with it. I think I was beginning to understand what it truly meant to live your art. I think it was at that moment that I “got it,” and I was able to say that I was a writer.

What sort of research do you do for your work?

The main antagonists in my books are demons and their mythology forms the bulk of my research. Sometimes, my internet search history reads like a horror movie… You can imagine some of the more unpleasant things that I’ve stumbled upon. To be honest, I find it extremely disturbing that something like a picture of the baby Jesus can be considered offensive on social media, yet forums freely discussing black magic and how to effectively call a demon or curse someone, is dismissed as freedom of speech. Whether or not magic or curses work, is not the point. The issue for me is that our society thinks that it is acceptable to want to cause someone harm, and there are websites and forums discussing ways to do it. I find that quite terrifying, and it made me determined that my writing would never sugar-coat evil.

Which books and authors do you read for pleasure? Is there an author who inspires you?

I’ll read almost anything as long as it doesn’t contain too much graphic violence but I do tend to gravitate towards fantasy. Growing up, I devoured anything by Enid Blyton, Joan Aiken, and Ursula Le Guinn but it was C.S Lewis who I found particularly inspirational. I’m not embarrassed to admit that even now, I’d love to find a portal to Narnia.

I also love Jane Austen’s style. The way she uses dialogue to really show the characters’ personalities is often hilarious and always brilliant.

Was there a person who encouraged you to write?

When I was a child, I always had very vivid dreams, and sometimes I’d share the more epic ones with my brother. They would really make us laugh and he’d comment about what an active imagination I had. (He probably meant weird). At some point he suggested that I write some of them down and I did, with a bit of embellishment. I guess that’s how it started.

 

The Jezebels of Bedlam, by L.E. Glazbrook.

An urban fantasy paranormal mystery thriller with romance, suspense, shape shifters, gargoyles, and a baffled detective...     

Can YOU see the TUNNEL? It's cloaked in dark magic, conjured to connect the popular nightclub, BEDLAM to the bordello, JEZEBELS...

Perhaps it is best if you do not find it... People have gone missing... never to be seen, again.

An innocent girl, Rosemonde finds herself naked and shackled... without hope - and yet...

Warriors - among them fae, elves, werewolves, and gargoyles, are aware of the evil that she has suffered and are ready to fight with her, against it.

They traverse portals through the mists of time to the realm of Tweldor - rumoured to have been created by the noble survivors of Atlantis...

These Warriors' heroic deeds are legendary. Soon humans too, will hear their stories.

So begin the Chronicles of Tweldor...

The Jezebels of Bedlam is Book 1 in The Chronicles of Tweldor Urban Fantasy Series. Available know on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/author/leglazebrook

 

The Daughters Return, by L.E. Glazebrook

Like a lot of people, Theodora thought she had finally found love... But that was before the creatures in her mind found her. They whisper that love is not real and she is listening. 

The evil voices have driven her to a place of darkness from which she may never return. The thing is… this isn't just her problem anymore. 

Theodora discovers that her fiancé Myrddin has been trapped in the very place that she is struggling to avoid. To free him from a coma caused by dark magic, Theodora must journey to Limbo, where Abraxas, the demon they call the "reaper of minds" performs macabre experiments... 

If she fails, Abraxas will trap her in Limbo with Myrddin - both of them insane - probably forever. 

Could you do it? Would you go out of your mind for love? “Love conquers all,” right? But... if love is enough to make everything right, then why is a Dragonlord's daughter choosing to remain in Limbo? 

Time may heal a broken heart but how do you persuade a broken mind to return to the world that broke it? 

The Daughters Return is Book 2 in The Chronicles of Tweldor Urban Fantasy Series. Available know on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/author/leglazebrook

 

Round Robin Blog Fest January 2021

 Welcome back to our crazy, fun, always interesting 

Round Robin Blog Fest!!

2021 has certainly started with a bang in so many ways.

For one, I found out I am one of the top 10 bestselling authors for BWL Publishing! This is my second year with that honor and I'm so excited! They even make us these great little logos to attach to our social media accounts.

For now, we're going to ignore the crazy things that have surfaced this year and focus on this month's question to our amazing authors: What is on your writing to-do list for this year? Do you have any long range goals or just wrap up?

I tend to take on a lot of things. I just can't say no. That's my biggest downfall.

It would be great if my body could keep up with my mind some days so I could whittle down my Wanna-Do list. At least the Wanna-Do's eventually hit my To-Do list. This seems to be the year a lot of them have migrated from one list to the other!

In the year which shall not be named, I was fortunate to release two novels:  Dead Without Shame and Drop Dead Cowboy. I also wrote two more books while in lockdown, one during Nanowrimo and the other that I just finished over Christmas. 

Here we are barely into 2021 and my writing world has had a few interesting twists added.

First of all, my Escape with a Writer blog is going strong! Last year I featured over 80 authors!

Secondly, I have two upcoming novels. All That Shines will be released in April and a second, unnamed novel in November. I also have a Gilda Wright Mystery novel scheduled for August.

Then came the twist.

Last winter, I took an acting class that came to a sudden end in March. During that class, I began to write a couple plays. One started as a scene for Acting Class. The other was just a fun idea that popped into my head one day. A mystery. Since I work in a professional theatre, it's not a stretch for me to side step into the direction of scripts. I've read several of them. The artistic director and I had even discussed a couple of my ideas before... You know.

Then came two more twists:

1) a chat with the artistic director regarding about a script I showed him. He can't wait to see where the story goes and would love to workshop it in our theatre! I guess I have some writing to do!

2) an email from Foster Festival in St. Catharines, Ontario to join a playwriting workshop with Canadian playwright Norm Foster. Since we have featured several of Norm's plays in our own theatre, Theatre Orangeville, I was excited for the opportunity and jumped at it! My first class is January 26. Hopefully, I'll have a rough draft of my play done by then. Or at least mostly done.

The good news is All That Shines is done and just needs another good edit before it goes to my publisher. The Gilda Wright novella is almost done as well. As for the third novel, I have ideas.

As I said, 2021 has arrived with a few interesting twists. I've also been asked to lead my first seminar in February. Am I ready for it? Nope! I need to write out what I think I'm going to say. I'm already nervous about it.

Every morning, I have started to write out 5 things I am grateful for. I've written "Opportunities" more than once. Funny how I'm suddenly flooded with them!

All the best to you in 2021!

 ~ Diane

 Please wander through the list and visit our other amazingly talented authors!!

Marci Baun  

Skye Taylor 

Victoria Chatham 

Beverley Bateman 

Connie Vines 

Dr. Bob Rich 

Anne Stenhouse  

Fiona McGier 

Judith Copek 

Rhobin L Courtright 

Dennis Rimmer discusses The Great Canadian Notebook

 

Welcome to fellow Canadian author Dennis Rimmer! 

Dennis has written a fun non-fiction book called The Great Canadian Notebook that features all things Canadian. I have to admit, I did learn something new. I never knew Amelia Earhart and Boris Karloff both had Canadian connections. As well, Dennis talks about everything from Stompin' Tom Connor to the World's Biggest Sausage and everything hockey. A fun read for any trivia buff or anyone who wants to learn more about our great country.

Dennis Rimmer spent much of his working life in the broadcast industry, as an award-winning commercial copy writer, announcer, sports reporter and newsreader. He grew up in Crescent Beach, B.C., finished high school in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and obtained post-secondary educational credentials from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Whatcom Community College and Western Illinois University.

As a weekly contributor to the daily Bellingham (Washington) Herald newspaper for 14 years, Dennis enjoyed reporting and commenting on all things Canadian. He is now based in rural Saskatchewan with his wife, a dog, and two cats.

www.thegreatcanadiannotebook.com

www.talkingbooks.tk

https://talkingbooksandstuff.libsyn.com/

What would you say are your strengths as an author?

I am a non-fiction writer. Is that also an author? Hope so. Strengths? I think the only real talent I have is to take fairly complex subjects and issues and render them in to an easy to understand, digestible piece. I think this comes from 30 years of writing for radio, where the mission was to write short, snappy, clear, and concise items. I also think I add a bit of wit to my pieces. Many people have said that when they read my stuff they can almost "hear" me talking to them... so I think that reaction is a "success" in my books.

How often do you write, and do you write using a strict routine?

I don't write very often. My most recent work, which is a sort of follow up to The Great Canadian Notebook, took four years to put together. It was sent off to a prospective publisher just last week. I do not have a strict writing routine. However, most of the authors I have interviewed for my podcast (www.talkingbooks.tk the podcast that talks about books and writing and stuff like that) do have a bit of a routine -- such as writing X number of words per day, or so many pages a day --one author --Jason Schoonover --told me that when he is working on a project he treats it like an actual job --in the writing chair by 9 am -- lunch break -- then back at it until 5 pm. Or , if the prospective writer has daily commitments outside the home, then the best thing to do is carve out a certain amount of time per day or week --even 15 minutes --to work on the project. In my mind, there is no such thing as " I will do it when I have time" -- because there is always time --- get up 15 minutes early and write, or write during tv commercials -- or write a sentence a day. The only way to be a writer is to write, no matter what it takes. Stephen King started out writing on a manual typewriter in the laundry room of his double wide mobile home. I saw successful Canadian author W.P. Kinsella (whose work inspired the Kevin Costner field of dreams movie, and others ) sitting on a bus going from White Rock, B.C., to downtown Vancouver, scribbling away with a pen on paper....if you want to be a writer, you have to write.

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

At my age, I hope to still be here 5 years from now.

If you could offer once piece of advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

To be a writer, you have to read a lot and write a lot. Don't be afraid to kill your darlings. Even if you think a sentence you just penned is the greatest thing since "to be or not to be" -- but it doesn't work in the context of the item you are working on, then chuck it. Also, most successful writers will say that writing is editing, and that they have worked through 2 or 3 or more drafts of their work before they finally hand it in.

What would you consider to be the best compliment a reader could give your book?

When people got back to me about THE GREAT CANADIAN NOTEBOOK they said they liked the short, snappy, easy to read items and that many of the pieces in the book inspired them to further dig into the background of the stories -- which is what I was hoping would happen.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I am working ( slowly -- like a page a week or so --) of my memoir, with the working title of "1963 --My last best Year" in which I am trying to chronicle my life memories from 1963 --when I was in grades 8 and 9 -- and also tie in those recollections with the events of the day -- and it will all culminate with the Kennedy assassination in November of 1963, which I figure is the event that flipped many of our worlds upside down. I am also doing weekly book reviews (writing and recording 90 second pieces) for www.ltdradio.com

 

THE GREAT CANADIAN NOTEBOOK

Where is the largest baseball bat in the country located? What is an ookpik? What’s the story on Hawkins Cheezies?

If you think you know Canada, you might want to grab a copy of The Great Canadian Notebook. The book delves into a plethora of Canadianisms, some of which will no doubt be new to you.

This is Dennis Rimmer’s first book. The long time broadcaster and journalist is now retired and finally found the time to gather these pages. The book is a collection of stories from a ‘Canada Column’ he wrote for the Bellingham Herald over a 14 year period, along with a few extras.

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com