Author Heather Van Fleet- Resisting Fate

Seventeen-year-old Emmy O’Connell is the epitome of a hot mess.

Her boyfriend’s been shipped out of town to some boarding school four states away. Her step-douche is constantly drunk and badgering her. And then there’s her good-ole-mom… The lady is nothing more than a miserable shell of a woman. She’s turned off all of her feelings and her ability to be a good mother as well, leaving poor Emmy and her four year old brother Jamie to suffer. Life couldn’t get much worse, right?

Enter the elusive, cocky, and oh-so-broody Jack Hartman…

The jerk cousin of her boyfriend becomes Emmy’s worst nightmare…times ten. He’s cruel. He’s insensitive. But he also has this strange little ability over her – he makes her weak in the knees with thea single touch. No matter how miserable or amazing Jack makes her feel, Emmy can’t seem to deny him, especially when he takes on the role of her protector –her pseudo-knight in a black leather coat.

A knight who also happens to ride in on his black Harley, instead of a white horse…

And to make a bad situation worse…

Werewolves and teens shouldn’t mix! But what can Emmy do when she finds herself thrown head first into the center of it all. Can she handle the supernatural mess her life rapidly becomes or will she fight against the inevitable fate her heart desires?

 

Heather Van Fleet stopped by today to interview smoking hot Jack Hartman from Book One in her new series: Resisting Fate.

Website  / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Me: *Takes a deep breath just as Jack “the lickable” Hartman saunters into the room. Like always, his black leather is coat slung over his shoulder. But his helmet is MIA this time.*

Good to see you Jack, how’ve you been?

Jack *Narrows eyes* You honestly don’t need me to answer that question now do you Miss Van Fleet?

Me: *laughs uncomfortably while squirming in my chair* Uh…well… *Crap…he’s still mad at me*

Jack: *Cracks his neck back and forth as he sits in the chair across from me* So enough with the small talk here. What’s this all about anyways? I’m kind of busy right now.

Me: *Curls lip in annoyance* Hey, don’t be rude. I’m in control of your life…you don’t want to mess around with me.

Jack: *Laughs and grins, settling his elbows on my kitchen table.* Sorry, just a little bitter that you sort of, well, screwed me over and all.

Me: *Holds hands out in defense* Okay, fine, I deserve that. But now that were here, let’s have a little heart to heart. There are a lot of people out there who are pissed at me about what I did, but I’m not about to get into that now.

Jack: *Nods knowingly.* Go on then…

Me: Okay. Let’s get the first question out of the way.

Jack: *Raises brows, but stays silent*

Me: First off, tell your devoted loving Jack fans –“

Jack: Seriously? I have fans?

Me: *Narrows eyes* You know you do! Now quit interrupting me. First thing: what exactly you were thinking when you first saw Emmy that day at the store when you got back into town?

Jack: *Grins, shaking his head* You want to know what I was thinking…?

Me: Well, duh! I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t expect an answer. Now spill it.

Jack: *Sits back in his chair and crosses his arms.* Fine. But don’t tell her…she can’t know. It might get to her pretty little head.

Me: *Crosses my heart and rolls eyes, but secretly crosses my legs under the table too. Emmy and I don’t keep secrets…but he doesn’t need to know that.*

Jack: I was thinking that it was a mistake to come back to town. I was thinking that there was no way I’d be able to be so close to her without wanting her the way that I was meant to have her. And then when I saw her, it was like this flood of emotions came back, hitting me in the chest…

Me: You mean you and Emmy’s mating connection, right?

Jack: *Nods, staring down at the table* I was pissed, because I didn’t want to feel that way. I didn’t want to feel so indebted to her too. I just wanted to be normal, I guess you could say. I didn’t want to want her like I did. But the feeling…it was too powerful to ignore. And I wanted her so badly, that I couldn’t take it, and I almost attacked her in that break room. But I was also warned to stay away – that Zachary still had a claim on her, even though he had to leave. I knew she’d always be mine though. I just wanted her to have a choice about who to love, and how to spend her life, just like I wanted to have one too. Deep down I knew though, that I’d never want someone the way I wanted her.

Me: *swoons…so much so, that my face heats and tears form in my eyes. This cocky son of a gun tears me up inside.*

Jack: *Clears his throat, sitting back up. All business Jack is back* So, what else do you want to know. I’ve gotta get back to my brother.

Me: Ah, Adrian. Yes. I can imagine things aren’t…well, never mind.

Jack: *snarls*

Me: Okay, moving on. *note to self here, avoid Adrian talk* I’ve got another one, it’s a little lighter this time. Where’d you inherit the Harley?

Jack: *Grins, and relaxes again…thank God. Angry Jack scares the bejeezus out of me* Easy. I bought it the day I turned sixteen from my neighbor. It was fast, it got me to where I needed to go, at a pace that a car couldn’t have done. Adrian hates it, calls me an idiot for riding it, but he’s a bastard and doesn’t know what’s good for him anyways. *shrugs one shoulder*

Me: *rolls eyes* I love Adrian. He’s a good guy. *crap…what am I doing?*

Jack: Yeah, but if it weren’t for him…

Me: *sighs* I know. *Goes quiet again. So much for a lighter conversation*

Jack: Let me ask you a question here, Miss Van Fleet.

Me: *cringes* Okay…what’s that?

Jack: What the hell were you thinking screwing with Emmy’s life like you did?

Me: I’m an author…I’m evil like that. Sorry? *Shrugs, biting lip*

Jack: If you weren’t in control of my fate right now, then I’d probably –“

Me: Whatever, you don’t hit girls.

Jack: *growls*

Me: Onwards, onwards Jack. *swallows hard* Let’s see…I’ve got it! What song would you pick out for you and Emmy?

Jack: Easy. I Can Barely Say, by The Fray

Me: *smiles* That’s my choice too.

Jack *frowns* It’s not like it matters now anyways. She’s with…him.

Me: Zachary? Are you so sure about that, pal? I mean, are you really, really sure?

Jack: *shrugs, staring down at his palms* Maybe…

Me: God you’re broody.

Jack: Hey…you made me that way.

Me: Ugh, don’t remind me.

Jack: *grins*

Me: Okay, another question. What’s up with the red helmet?

Jack: I like red, no big secrets there.

Me: Okay then, I’m bored. How about another deeper question?

Jack: One more. That’s it.

Me: Fine. Okay, it’ll be a doozy though. Are you sure you’re up for it?

Jack: *leans forward, wiggling his eyebrows* I can handle anything.

Me: Fine. *rolls eyes * I have no doubt about that, Jack. Tell me about the night when Emmy’s step-father choked her. Tell the readers what you did? Tell them how you saved her…how you knew she was in trouble.

Jack: *groans, and runs a hand through his hair.*

Me: *Sighs uncontrollably… Okay, so I know I shouldn’t drool over seventeen year old boys. It’s just wrong, unhealthy even. But with Jack, it’s almost impossible not to do so. And to be fair, he’ll be eighteen in January.*

Jack: I knew something wasn’t right that night when I was at my aunt and uncle’s house. I felt it – I felt her pain and her sadness like it was my own. *pats at his chest* It’s part of our connection; Emmy knows about it a little, and has the same physical responses as I do, in a way. But for me, being the wolf and all, it’s different, and it affects me even more so than it does her. I know when she’s in pain – all the time – not just occasionally. It’s like she’s living inside of me, a physical part of me. I know it sounds nuts, but it’s how it is…

Me: I know Jack. It’s okay. *leans over and pats his hands*

Jack: *Takes a deep breath* So that night, I made myself go over to her house. I had to. Otherwise I would have gone crazy with worry. It was my job to keep her safe and not just because of our connection, but because I loved her…even then.

Me *swallows a giddy squeal. I love when he says things like that*

Jack: *shakes head* I felt her pain when she was shoved against that wall on my drive over. And so I called my uncle, told him something was wrong. He hopped in the car and headed over too. And then when that stupid bastard step-father of hers put his hands on her neck… *growls through scary clenched teeth and shakes head*

Me: Hey, she’s okay now, remember that.

Jack: *Nods, blowing out a huge breath* The front door of her house was locked and I couldn’t get in. So I used what little warlock power I have, along with my wolf strength, and finally got it shoved open. And when I found the bastard in charge of hurting her upstairs, he was passed out drunk on the floor next to her body. *shake his head, and rubs hands through his hair again* I wanted to kill him, right then and there. But the need to help Em was so overpowering that all other thoughts escaped my head. I…I thought she was dead. *shakes head and growls through his teeth* Her idiotic worthless mom was bawling on the floor, hovered over her husband and not her daughter, protecting the asshat. Jamie was crying over Emmy’s back, just shaking. So I scooped Emmy up in my arms and carried her outside, and managed to get Jamie to follow me.  I left the freak on the floor with his wacked out wife though, even though I should have taken care of him.

Me: Yeah, and Alan was outside waiting for you then, right?

Jack: *nods* He got Jamie, but I wouldn’t let anyone near Strawberry. I had to help her. I had to use our connection to heal her a little. She was so close to being gone…

Me: Like I said, she’s fine now.

Jack: Yeah, you’d know. *shakes head*

Me: I lied, Jack. I do have one more question for you.

Jack: Of course you do. You’re nosey like that.

Me: I like picking your brain.

Jack: *frowns* Don’t you do that enough already?

Me: *shrugs* Not nearly.

Jack: *shakes head, but smiles anyways*

Me: What was going on in that head of yours when she kissed you that day in class?

Jack: *fights a grin* You don’t want to know that.

Me: Umm…I think I kind of do.

Jack: You sure about that?

Me: Jack…seriously now.

Jack: Well, I can tell you one thing. I hated it.

Me: *Raises brows in curiosity* You what?

Jack: *Shrugs, crossing arms over his big old, leather jacketed chest.* I hated it. It was the wrong time, the wrong place. And I wasn’t the one to initiate it. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love her. I love her lips especially. But I was pissed because it wasn’t right. And she just…did it, surprised the hell out of me too.

Me: You kind of sent her over that edge you know – pushed her to do it.

Jack: Yeah…I guess I did. But I made up for it that day on the cliff. *grins* Now that was a real kiss.

Me: Okay. I’m done here. *shakes head and covers eyes* I’ve been in your head long enough. Besides…if my girls and hubby woke up to find me talking to you here, then they might send me to an institution or something.

Jack: You’re not crazy, *stands, and moves towards my steps to leave* but if you don’t stop messing with my girl…then watch out. I’ll find you in your sleep. *winks*

Me: *sighs* Well, unfortunately Jack…you kind of already do that.

Jack: *opens the door to leave and laughs over his shoulder at me* Take care, and get to writing. I need my life back.

Me: Now…where’s the fun in that?

 

Author Bio:

Heather Van Fleet currently resides in northern Illinois, with her three little ladies, Kelsey, Emma, and Isabella, and her fabulous hubby (and high school sweetheart) Chris, with whom she’s been blissfully married to now for ten years. She’s a stay at home mom by day, and an avid and completely obsessive writer and reader by night.

Heather always had a soft spot in her heart for books, and she’s been creating her own little stories since she was a seven year old. But she never really had the confidence or the time to actually sit down and really do something about it, until her youngest daughter was born just two years ago.

Resisting Fate, book one in her Predetermined series, is her young adult, paranormal baby! It’s packed full of wolves…witches…and one sassy little red-headed teenage girl! She had an absolute blast writing it, and can’t wait to share it with the world!

Author Jeanne Bannon- Invisible

Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that…

For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose.

Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”.

Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Yet power can be abused, too…

Then, when tragedy strikes, Lola must summon her inner strength, both at home and at school. She has to stand up for herself, despite the temptations and possibilities of her newfound super power.

A coming-of-age story that will warm the heart.

Author Jeanne Bannon has stopped by to share her new fictional novel from Solstice Publishing. Her book is for sale now online! Read on to find out more about Jeanne and how to get her book.

What can we expect from you this year?

At the moment, I’m finishing up my latest novel, a paranormal romance, titled Incarnate. I probably have a few more months of work to do on it.

What genre do you like to write? What genre is your favorite to read?

The funny thing is that my favorite genre to read is historical literary fiction, but I write commercial fiction and YA. I don’t think I could ever write a literary historical novel. It takes too much time and research.

Where do you get your ideas?

They just come to me. Sometimes I have to turn off my brain and say to myself ‘I’ll think about that later’. Usually though I’ll start plotting a novel and realize it’s just not right and I’ll abandon it and go onto another. So, even though I have plenty of ideas, not all of them are gems.

What was the best thing ever said to you about your work?

The best thing is having people ask for more. I received a fan letter from a teenage girl, telling me how much she loved my book and asking when I was going to write another. Knowing readers appreciate my work and enjoyed my writing is the greatest feeling in the world.

 Who is your favorite author? Favorite book?

I have many favorite authors. I love Stephen King, Helene Wecker, Betty Smith, Arthur Golden, Melanie Benjamin, Frank McCourt just to name a few. I could go on and on. My favorite book is Angela’s Ashes.

Author Bio:

Jeanne Bannon has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years. She started her career as a freelance journalist, then worked as an in-house editor for LexisNexis Canada. Jeanne currently works as a freelance editor and writer.

Links:

Twitter: @JeanneBannon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeanne-Bannon/182120961844916

Trailer :  http://www.youtube.com/user/jbannon4398

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Jeanne-Bannon/dp/1466368756/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318029462&sr=8-1

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88217

Solstice Publishing   http://www.solsticepublishing.com/products/Invisible-%252d%252d-Print.html

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12586579-invisible

 

 

KC Sprayberry-The Ghost Catcher

A gift to know when people are in trouble of the ghostly type puts Hailey Hatmaker in the middle of a major problem – one that winds up getting her into more hot water than she can handle. In true Hailey Hatmaker fashion, she dives into what turns out to be a battle with Limbo, her number one nemesis.

Can Hailey rescue two friends before it’s too late? Or is forever condemned to losing to Limbo?

 

Excerpt:

No adult in Landry, Georgia would ever admit a teen can do something right. Not a one, for then they would have to ‘fess up to the teens being able to make their own decisions. The people in charge just plain ignored any good thing teens did.

Then I saw a problem, one I couldn’t say a word about. All I could do is stand to one side and watch as disaster loomed.

I was the last person with Maren Dougless and Zac Morton Friday afternoon at the high school. What I saw of their auras – green with a black outer edge – scared me right down to my toes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, since black represented death, and green meant vibrant life, in addition the center of those auras each had a reddish eye in the center with sickly yellow streaks arcing throughout it.

That was more than enough to make any person run for the hills, but I’m Hailey Hatmaker, Ghost Catcher extraordinaire. After many, many years of catching ghosts, I didn’t want two good friends to suffer that fate, but I had a big problem.

 

Bio:

I am happily married to a man I met while in the Air Force. We will soon celebrate 20 years of marriage. Our teen, the youngest of 8, keeps us on our toes with his band activities. Writing is something I’ve done since I was very young. At first, it was in a diary and then I poured all my energies into English compositions, earning praise from my Advanced Composition teacher in high school for an extremely visual project. While in the Air Force, I placed second in the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge’s annual contest and from then on, was hooked. However, the reality of a military career and raising children forced me to put off attempting publication until my husband and I moved to Georgia. It was after the birth of our now teen that I began taking courses through The Institute of Children’s Literature, Long Ridge Writer’s Group, and Writers Digest in an effort to make my life’s dream come true.

We live in Northwest Georgia, in a small town, where I write Romance, Westerns, Young Adult, and Middle Grade stories, both short and book length. More than a dozen of my short stories have appeared in magazines such as Listen Magazine, Brio, and The Pink Chameleon website. I also have two short stories in anthologies, Passionate Hearts Anthology and Mystery Times Ten. My westerns have garnered interest by avid readers and appear on The Western Online and Frontier Tales.

My work appears under the pen names of KC Sprayberry and Kathi Sprayberry. Softly Say Goodbye, a young adult novel, was my NaNoWriMo winning project for 2010. This story was inspired by a quote from a song and hearing of an auto wreck involving teens and drinking.

Links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/KC-Sprayberry/331150236901202

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/

Blog: http://outofcontrolcharacters.blogspot.com/

Website: www.kcsprayberry.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5011219.K_C_Sprayberry

JacketFlap: http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member=kathispray

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005DI1YOU

Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kcsprayberry/boards/

Authorgraph: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/kcsowriter

Kristal McKerrington- Her latest book!

Hello All Readers,

Its great to be back with all of you, its been almost a couple of months since I last appeared on this blog. I want to thank Jessica for having me on here today with my co-author Joe E Legend. My co-author is a former WWE/TNA superstar, film star and now full time author. He’s about to release a whole range of books on the world.

Here is a taster of what we are releasing next week with Solstice Publishing. The book is called “Norse Gods: The Lovers War.” This sees me return to the Paranormal romance world for the first time in quite some time.

“Loki wasn’t ready for a new mate. Jennifer’s here to take his son. What will happen when the two collide? Is she ready to fall in love with a Norse God?”

 We have another great book coming out in the next two weeks with Solstice Publishing. This book is more what is expected of Joe. He’s taking the lead and helping to put out a wrestling romance which is very close to how wrestling is actually handled in real life. What better person to take lead on this great book?

“Strong, muscled chiselled good looks and a gentlemen to boot. That was what Anna’s friends thought she’d caught herself. Instead she caught herself a fighter, a wrestler and she knew what that meant.”

These two great books will be in eBook and Print. These are designed to tease your senses and make you water at the mouth. The hard hitting plots help me to live up to my reputation. These are the skills I’m passing onto Joe.

Currently I have Calling You Home out with Solstice Publishing. I have just finished the second part to May and Jason’s story and I hope to be getting it to the publisher very soon. I’ve been so honoured to be a part of the special Celebrity Imprint she opened for us.

Jason finds out, Mary, the woman he let go all those years ago has returned. Now they have a second chance at the future they have always dreamed of, but she carried a secret away when she left. Now that she’s back her secrets have come home to roost. How will Jason react when he finds out what she has been hiding?

 Get your copy now from Amazon for $1.24! What a bargain right?

http://www.amazon.com/Calling-You-Home-ebook/dp/B00DPPTP8U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372830764&sr=8-2&keywords=Kristal+McKerrington

Before we get out of here, we are proud to present our first book with Firefly & Wisp Publishing. Its a hot book which has tongues wagging from one end of the States to the other. This is a book which has seen many dancers gossiping and wrestlers just a like. This is a hard hitting story which will have you desperate for me.

What is this book called?

Well its none other than Marie’s World.

“A simple job, unwanted love triangle. There is no escape for this twin.”

This book is due out really soon, we hope the 4th of July. We will announce its release on Twitter the moment its out.

Well thank you Jessica for letting us taking over your wonderful page and we hope to talk again soon. Before we completely close out this awesome blog, we hope to drop you the links for the fan pages where you can talk directly to me and Joe.

Kristal’s Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/kristalsmckerringtonsfanpage

Joe’s Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/JoeELegendAuthorPage

Joe’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheJoeELegend

Kristal’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/K_McKerrington

Love Exactly- Cassandra Giovanni

Emma Walker was a writer who’d lost herself to someone else’s anger–who had given up on ever feeling like herself again.
Evan Levesque was a rock-god–the one all the woman wanted, but he’d never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life.
With just one cup of coffee they’ll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan’s fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma’s checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words…they’ll destroy my soul–Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she’s become because of it?
GENRE: New Adult>Contemporary Romance
Mild to moderate sexual content

E-BOOK only $1.99

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

Paperback $12.99

Signed Author Direct (US-Free shipping + Free Bookmark + Free Swag)

Amazon

 

Writing Rituals

It’s a common theme throughout the writing community to talk about where we write. I’ve seen numerous posts about it–all far more glorious than what I’m about to admit. I have a 15 inch Lenovo laptop, and I plop it on my lap on the couch and I write. There’s nothing special about my laptop, or my couch. In fact I really want a new couch–a leather one that my dog’s drool will be less apt to destroy. That’s not going to happen anytime soon, though, because couches are ridiculously expensive. The truth is, I’d love somewhere glorious to write, somewhere more comfortable…and my husband and I got into an argument about it in Ikea this weekend. I’d love a little desk with a cute chair. He thinks the point of a laptop is to have it in your lap. I’d really just love a spot where I could write that was my own and not every other being in the house’s. We’re short on space, and even shorter on money, so the gross drooled on couch is where I sit, typing my fingers off in hopes of a time when I can afford our own place and where I can take my inspiration from Ikea and make it come to life. The thing about Ikea that made me happy was the prices made me realize I really could have a super pretty living room, and office– pretty affordably. I just won’t do it until we have a place of our own–a place to call home, without the little furry clawed (cats, don’t hate me!) things that keep destroying everything. (We watch someone else’s animals at our current residence). So despite my very inglorious current writing rituals– I have a dream, one that each click of the button on the internet that buys one of my novels gets me closer to, and here it is (except I’d have some pops of pink and purple):

 

Author Biography:


Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children’s novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Just One Cup, in the Spring of 2013.

Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company’s photography. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.