Anneka Ever stopped over at The Musings of Many today to discuss writer’s block, plotting and her new book, Hearts Race, the second in her series Burns Class. Welcome Anneka! How long does it take you to write a book? I can write the initial draft in thirty to sixty days. That’s the fun part of writing. The hard part is what follows: revisions. That takes about six to nine months. Do you write fulltime or parttime? I work fulltime and write part time. Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you? I start with a basic plot and story structure, but once I begin to write, I let the characters do their own thing. If they want to veer off the path I’ve set for them, I’ll go along for the Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block? I don’t really have writer’s block very often, but if I get stuck, I use mind mapping or I work on a different story. What’s your view on social media for marketing? It’s a necessary evil. About Anneka: Anneka Ever is a romance author. Her contemporary love stories are set in the mountains and small towns of Virginia. Her strong heroes and independent heroine explore their passion against the beautiful backdrop of rivers, meadows, and forests. An award winning poet and short story writer, Anneka brings a fresh perspective to stories of dating and relationships. Anneka is a member of the Romance Writers of America. She lives with her husband and three dogs in Virginia. BLURB: Hearts Race When it comes to adventure, she’s stop and he’s go. When it comes to romance, he’s yes and she’s no. Can billionaire Dylan Delaney overcome his adrenaline addiction with life coach Greta Larsen’s help before he loses his technology empire? Can she move past the death of her husband to find love again? When Greta finds herself attracted to her very rich, very handsome new client, she sees it as a betrayal of her late husband. Despite her feelings of guilt, she can’t walk away from Dylan, especially when she learns he harbors his own grief. His secret sorrow is the key to Dylan’s love of danger. Greta is determined to unlock his mysterious past so he’ll stop courting death. What she doesn’t count on is the passion she frees. Dylan’s never met a woman who could slow him down. Until now. Greta teaches him to be mindful of the moment, but soon his every moment is filled with thoughts of her. Has he replaced one addiction with another? Hearts Race is the follow up story to Riverswept and the second book in the Burns Class of Love series. The story returns readers to the small town of Burns, Virginia and also introduces them to the Blue Ridge Mountains around Charlottesville, Virginia. Website: www.AnnekaEver.com Blog: http://www.annekaever.com/everafterblog Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnekaEver/ Twitter: @AnnekaEver Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/annekaever Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/annekaeverroman/ Amazon Author Page:http://www.amazon.com//e/B00VRRN9A8 Book Links: http://www.lsbooks.com/ and http://www.annekaever.com/books.html Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AnnekaEver
0 Comments
Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good cocktail. Specifically a prosecco (or sparkling wine) cocktail. Depending on the season my preference will change.
Around this time last year I was asked by a friend to create fun cocktails for her housewarming party. My solution? Simple syrups! Simple syrups are easy and low cost, yet creative and fun. The simple syrups I made for the party were winter themed and oh so yummy! I made: Simple Syrups are easy to make (although, be careful - they can be messy!). All you need is sugar, water and the flavor you plan to use. Typically (but not always) it is a pretty easy ratio when making the syrup. For example, 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of cranberry to 1 cup water. (I use a bit more cranberry because I wanted to be sure the tartness comse through in the champagne cocktail). I bought a few fun bottles and tied Holiday tags around the handles with ribbon as a festive label. The simple syrups I made were gone within an hour or two. Partygoers used them to flavor their vodka cocktails, gin cocktails and of course champagne cocktails. At a loss for what to give for the holidays? Simple syrups make fun gifts too! And another bonus! Simple syrups are great anytime of the year. Strawberry Basil simple syrup is always a hit at spring picnics and Spring holiday celebrations. Give simple syrups a try this season. They won't disappoint! Want more crafty cocktails? Award winning recipes? Considering joining the Travel with Passion newsletter. Jungle: a vicious area of confusion—i.e. the real world. Enter the realm of the Amazon Rainforest where man is not an apex predator. Twenty-four hours ago, Brielle stood helpless while an intruder murdered her mother. After fleeing to the Amazon Rainforest, she struggles to stay a step ahead of the psychopath searching for the crystal she wears, her birthright. As guardian of the biological hotspot, Tigao guards the maze of rivers, swamps, and forests from those who would rape and plunder his land for its wealth of minerals, trees, and wildlife. His compulsion to protect the foreign, blonde-haired enigma rescued from a poacher leads him face-to-face with a scientific sociopath intent on creating a world where chaos reigns—under his leadership. An exciting blend of action, adventure, and romance, between a man not looking for love and a woman trying to survive. GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28091972-tiago PURCHASE LINKS: US: http://amzn.to/1lkdGoQ UK: http://amzn.to/1TNMZnT EXCERPT: Even if she had the ability and strength to run, she wouldn’t get far before one predator or another brought her down. Bleeding from her wrists and ankles issued an open invitation to one and all carnivores. In her mind’s eye, she could see the elongated mandibles of the soldier ants chomping through anything in their path, the formic acid venom they emitted dissolving her flesh in a consistent and organized fashion. Though blind, they were sensitive to movement. Even if they only moved forward at an inch in several seconds, she didn’t stand a chance with the drugs lingering in her system and other predators nearby. Her mom had once told her you could actually hear them coming through the forest—and she did. Though the gentle mist falling was near silent, the sound of the ant swarm’s chomping through decaying leaves gained volume with each tick of an imagined clock. As she awaited death to come in the form of millions of stings and dissolving flesh, she thought of her mom who’d wanted her to live and find contentment in the Amazon. Now she would die here, alone and terrified. Off to her left, the hisses of many leopards morphed into growls and snarls. The staccato spitting of rapid gunfire followed angry curses, which then morphed into pathetic screams. Perhaps Gus wouldn't survive this, after all. To hear the guide beg from the very creatures he’d endeavored to kill lent a primal satisfaction, even if it was the last she’d ever enjoy. At least, the residents of the jungle and women in nearby villages would remain safer. Digging her elbows and toes into the tent’s canvas floor, she inched forward, compelled to watch death approach. Swishing and slapping leaves opposite the last tent brought her attention to her final threat. Only minutes existed between this life and feeling her mom’s arms around her again. Since fear wouldn’t lend enough strength to attempt escape, she'd meet this final threat with as much dignity as she could muster. She’d been drugged, overcome with grief and pain. It was just—all too much. Acid released from the ants’ mouths would be painful beyond anything she’d ever endured, yet a calm and peaceful mantle settled about her shoulders. Nothing lasted forever despite what her mom had declared. “One day, you’ll join with an incredible man who’ll stand by your side for eternity. From that point on, you’ll know peace as you never have.” How could she believe such nonsense? She was no fairy princess. Deeper in the jungle, Gus’s strident voice echoed in the morning stillness. His gun remained silent except for the metallic clicks announcing his lack of ammunition. “Move, damn it! They’re coming. You’ll die, too, if we don’t leave. Why are you surrounding me and not attacking?” Confusion bore down faster than the oncoming ant swarm, compounded by her inability to sort out the facts. Perhaps the mind couldn't comprehend some terrors so it instead exuded a sense of euphoric peace in its place. In the distance, a warm glow bathed the drooping durian leaves, not from above but seemingly from within. A glow she associated with Tiago. In the midst of all the chaos, a chestnut-colored arm brushed the small branches aside to reveal Tiago’s chiseled and carved form. “Run! For God’s sake, run. There’s a swarm of army ants…” After a quick inhale, she struggled through the tent opening on bruised hands and skinned knees, hands and feet still bound. Another fast breath and she stood, naked, on shaky legs. The soothing rain washed the air clean even as it drizzled down her face to slide over the slope of her breasts to the valley between. Goose bumps raised along her arms and shoulders multiplied with the slight breeze. Air exploded from her lungs, taking sanity with it in one loud whoosh. Her teeth rattled as she dropped to her butt, shocked speechless, breathless. Thousands, millions of ants had parted for and surrounded Tiago, not attacking, remaining a constant distance from his path. In mesmerized horror, she watched the insect army’s destruction of all vegetation in its path on either side of the man who walked between their ranks. From her mother’s teachings, she remembered they generally traveled in either some type of fan wave or even a line but never alongside a human being. He isn’t human. The thought came unbidden in a moment of blind inspiration, along with the realization that no one would live to tell his secret. The iridescent shimmer surrounding him brightened to near-blinding intensity in the following heartbeats, adding a fluency to his predatory grace. Light seems to originate from the pendant he wears.In a self-protective gesture, she shaded her eyes with cupped hands. Even with his glowing form and the distance between them, death approaching in stilted movements, the heat in his penetrating-cobalt gaze reminded her–she wore no clothes. Yet, from him, the warmth curled inside to stir the same excitement she felt with his prior touch on her forehead. Though she still heard Gus’s angry and panicked shouting in the distance, she no longer feared for herself, despite the fact she could now see the swarm of ants heading directly toward her. What the hell? Their alternating tripod system of angular movement held her in thrall with their approach. One coordinated half-moon shaped body of ants marched to either side of Tiago and seemed to know his path before he moved to maintain a constant distance from him. “How…?” The thought of holding her breath to still her slightest movements before the blind advancing horde suddenly seemed a ridiculous option in light of his obvious control. She gulped. Thousands of ants stopped two feet away from her, their small, segmented bodies swaying side-to-side to an unheard beat. Looking beyond Tiago, she realized she’d misjudged their numbers. “There must be millions…” As stunning as they were deadly, astonishing didn't come close to describing the spectacle before her. In unison, the miniature waves undulated in their coordinated and fascinating shift. Each ripple drew her further into their mesmerizing spell. Gus's wailing became white noise in the background. Now, she realized, not only did Tiago command every aspect of her being, he commanded non-human creatures as well. That understanding came on an elemental level, innate knowledge verified by nightmarish reel playing out in front of her. He also commanded the distant leopards surrounding Gus. Yet here he stood, looming, towering over her, making her feel small yet significant in a way she’d never imagined. AUTHOR BIO Reily’s work as an ICU nurse, private investigator, and work in the military police has given her countless experiences in a host of different environments to add a real world feel to her fiction. Though her kids are her life, writing is Reily’s life after. The one enjoyed…after the kids are in bed or after they’re in school and the house is quiet. This is the time to kick back with laptop and lapdog to give your imagination free reign. In life, hobbies can come and go according to our physical abilities, but you can always enjoy a good book. Life isn’t perfect, but our imaginations can be. Relax, whether it’s in front of a fire or in your own personal dungeon. Take pleasure in a mental pause as you root for your favorite hero/heroine and bask in their accomplishments, then share your opinions of them over a coffee with your best friend (even if he’s four legged). Life is short, cherish your time. AUTHOR LINKS Blog: http://reilygarrett.blogspot.com/ Website: http://www.reilygarrett.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005398668399&fref=ts Twitter: https://twitter.com/reily_garrett GIVEAWAY There is a giveaway for $20 Amazon gift card + 10 ecopies of Tiago Baltimore has really gotten a bad rap as of late. But not all of what you read or hear is true. Swing by and read about Baltimore in my guest blog with Rosanna Leo.
My book was officially released today! I woke up so excited! This weekend I decided that I deserved a treat for all of my hard work.
Up until a few years ago I didn't have much of a sweet tooth. I prefer chips and salsa to chocolate most days (not that I eat chips and salsa every day). I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's a few years ago. Having hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) can be a real pain in the a**. Once you think you have a handle on things something will surely arise to complicate the system that you have just perfected. This summer was a prime example. Even working out regularly and eating healthy I packed on some weight. So I have really refocused on what I'm putting in my body. Having been a dieter for quite some time (my thyroid disease went undiagnosed for quite a long time) I understand that you will never stick to any real healthy lifestyle if you withhold all of the "bad" stuff. So yes, I eat some chips and salsa when the mood hits. Or pizza. Pizza is my ultimate weakness. This weekend I knew I wanted something with chocolate. So I went to my favorite food blog, skinnytaste.com. I cook with her recipes nearly every day. I remembered once making her three ingredient cookies. I found the recipe and in twenty minutes, boom, cookies. All you need is bananas, quick cook oats and dark chocolate chips. They are super yummy and there is no guilt involved! So as soon as I finish writing this I am grabbing a few and giving myself a pat on the back. What is your favorite "guilt free" treat? Wow! Time has flown! I spent a lot longer editing book one than I thought possible. (But whoa was it needed!) The editing process was really educational. I was able to look at the second novel in the series, Seduction in Sevilla, with a different perspective. It also made it harder to continue writing book two. However I am happy to say I am about 80% finished with book two and hope to submit it before the end of summer!
I have my book cover! You can find it on my page dedicated to Seduction in Sierra Leone. I found out today that book one Seduction in Sierra Leone is now available for pre- order. You can find it at www.lsbooks.com and amazon.com. I will post itunes, Barnes and Noble and Kobo as soon as it is up. I promise to get better at this blog thing. More to follow! I wrote my first book full novel (current title as of this post - Seduction in Sierra Leone) after the characters leapt to life from my head one sleepless night. It was fairly easy to write. I somehow knew the characters before my hands hit the keys and knew the majority of the story before I had even looked that far ahead. When all was said and done I had worked on it here and there for about six months before it was finished. Over the next six months I toyed around with it, adding and subtracting as their story became clearer. And then I put it to rest. I had never had the intention of getting it published, I just wanted their story down where I could see it and read it. But as I had written their story, two more came from it. And so I started writing Patrick's and Logan's stories simultaneously.
It was as I was writing the second and third stories that I thought, "Well if this is turning into a series.. why not send it out there in the world?" So I did. I was promptly rejected by one publisher. And then after promising news and some excitement I was rejected again. So I wrapped my baby (I mean book) up in my arms and said "Nope, I don't want you out there." Two years went by and on a whim I reopened the story and took a look at it with fresh eyes. I still loved them. I still thought their story was (to me) heart pounding, exciting and enthralling. So I took a deep breath and cast them back out into the land of rejection. But before I knew it, I was offered a contract! Not only that, but I was told that when Books Two and Three were ready that they would love to see them as well! That was two days ago. I am still on cloud nine. So here I am, a new author in a new world that I will have to figure out as I go. Wish me luck! |
About the AuthorOlivia Night's novels keep readers on the edge of their seats. Her first series,The Men of FTI takes place all over the world with Alpha men who will capture your heart. Archives
June 2018
Categories |