Monday, October 31, 2011

November is going to be EXCITING!

As we take our first step into November in the morning I have a GREAT interview with romance author Suzie Grant, who will also be our guest blogger on Thursday!  Make sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a new Kindle!

Next week (11-8 and 11-10) I welcome Lori Corsentino, paranormal romance author with her anthology Finding Ms. Wright launching this month from 5 Prince Publishing.

Carmen DeSousa, romantic suspense author with 5 Prince Publishing, will join me on 11-15 and 11-17.

Also join me every Friday for Friday Freebie!  Leave a comment and you could win a new book!

Join me Thanksgiving week for a whole lot of thanks!  We will be giving away books and telling stories of thanks!  You don't want to miss it!

As always, please stop by on Wednesdays to see what I'm talking about this week.  This week it's the overachiever in me discussing why I'm that way and it works for me.

I hope to see you around!

Happy Reading!
Bernadette Marie

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Welcome to FRIDAY FREEBIES!

Want to win a book?  Here's how you do it!
First, you must follow my blog.  It's easy.  Go to the button that says join this blog!  You must be in the follower list to win the prize.

Second, please leave a comment for us.  You can leave a random comment.  Just say hello.  Or let me know what you think about the topics I have posted on my blog.

Saturday morning we will post the random winner of the eBook that is being offered!

What could be more simple?





So... with great pleasure I introduce our contributing author for the day.
Autumn Piper!

LONE STAR TROUBLE

One hot cowboy plus one tough rancher-girl adds up to trouble!
Kiersten Day holds a grudge against all things Texan, especially cattle baron CJ Howell, with his hubcap-sized belt buckle and tacky white hat. He’s set his sights on her tiny Colorado ranch, and he’s a master of dirty tactics, slinging threats to make her sell out.
Caught in the fight of her life, Kiersten meets Cleve, a tall, handsome good guy. Too late, she finds out he’s Howell’s son. She might be pregnant, she doesn’t know who to trust, and danger is closing in. She’s head over heels -- and kicking herself!
Content warning, a hot cowboy, dirty tactics and lots of lone star trouble.


Follow Autumn Piper!
Facebook: autumnpiper.author
Twitter: AutumnPiperAuth

The winner of today's Friday Freebie may choose from the following formats. EPUB, PDF, and .lit and .prc

We will contact the winner with information on obtaining their book.  But remember you must follow my blog to win :)




Guest blog by Kathleen S. Allen


Thanks for asking me to do a guest blog about the writing process. My latest book release, IF IT’S MONDAY, IT MUST BE MURDER!  is available from Gypsy Shadow Publishing.


IF IT’S MONDAY, IT MUST BE MURDER!
Murder mystery from Gypsy Shadow Publishing!

Mel, a former cop shot in the back now lives in constant pain. When her best friend's daughter is missing, Mel is asked to help find her. When the girl is found dead at the bottom of a tall building, the cops believe she jumped. Did she? Or was it murder?

Able to “sign” it on www.kindlegraph.com

Released on 9-25-22


I wanted to write about the writing process. I know that some of you who are writers or who want to be writers may be wondering how to get started writing. The answer is simple: Write. Many people talk about what they want to write about or talk about wanting to be a writer but few actually do it. Take ten minutes out of your day and start writing. If you can’t think of anything to write about do a stream-of-consciousness writing, this is where you write down anything that comes to your mind without thinking. Or try your hand at fan fiction first. Write an episode of your favourite TV show or write a story about your favourite fictional or TV character. Above all, write. After you finish writing, show your work to someone you trust who will give you honest feedback (not your cat) about what needs to be done to improve it. Many writers take a creative writing class for this purpose. Find a critique group either online or in person and workshop your ideas/words. When I first started writing I wanted to write Young Adult but I couldn’t find a critique group in my area, so I started one. At first there were only two of us but eventually we grew to be six, which is a good size for a critique group. The six of us met once a week and workshopped one story from a member. It helped me to develop my first novel, WITCH HUNTER.

Here is my process:

Step 1: Ideas: Where Do They Come From?

Sometimes ideas fly into your brain with no conscious thought process behind them and others need a little nudging. I keep an idea file with snatches of conversation, pictures I like, news stories that interest me, whatever catches my attention at that moment. If I am stuck for an idea, I go to the file for inspiration. I did this much more at the beginning but I still have it as a back up if I need it.

Step 2: Marinate Your Idea (not your chicken, although you can do that, too)

This step can take days, weeks or months to happen. Once I have an idea, I let it sit before I start writing. I may write down the idea especially if I am working on something else but I don’t start it just yet. How do I know when an idea is an actual story? Yeah, beats me.

Step 3: Writing the First Draft

Once I decide to write my story, I write it in a few days/weeks. I don’t worry too much about timelines/scenes or word count. I get the story down, it has a beginning, middle and end. Once the first draft is done, again I let it sit before revising/editing. This is assuming it is a viable story, if it isn’t I start over.

Step 4: First Edit

I read through the first draft with a critical eye, does the story make sense? Do the characters? I look at plot first then I look at each scene or chapter individually. If it makes sense then I do a line-by-line edit to correct grammar, take out passive words like was, were, have, had; look at number of times I used a certain word and try to find others that best fit the scene. I also look at dialogue making sure it’s how people talk. I look at each chapter and ask myself: “Is this needed here? Or is it fluff?” I also make sure the beginning chapter is where I want the story to begin.

Step 5: Second Edit

This edit is done more in depth. Here is where I make sure the Point-of-View (POV) is consistent throughout along with the setting. I cut out any clichés unless it’s a character trait to use them and make sure I am not using too many adverbs.

Step 6: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

This step is where I can get sick of looking at the story. And I may set it aside for a few days before tackling it again. I usually take one item and go through for example just looking at the main character, or just looking at setting. To me this is the most grueling step.

Step 7: Final Edit

In this edit I go through the story again trying to read it with fresh eyes, I will often use a different font/size. I use a narrative voice on my computer to listen to the story (I use Natural Reader but there are others out there). I do tend to edit online but I know some writers prefer to print out the pages before editing.

At this point I send the first few chapters to beta readers. Once I get the story back I will edit again (if I need to). The one consistent comment I used to get from my beta readers is that my readers have trouble connecting to my main character (MC), so now when I write I am aware of my tendency to “hold back” and not let the reader see the emotions driving my MC.

Step 8: The Finish Line

After I finish the final edit (I say that in my head that this is the final one but it rarely is, LOL) I read it through again. By now the story should be concise, clean, and ready to go. If not, I start over!

So, there you have it. Some writers prefer to do a detailed plot line, storyboard or outline. I prefer not to work with an outline until the end when I plot it all out from beginning to end.

Be sure to check out the rest of my books on Amazon/Kindle/Nook/Smashwords. Feel free to follow me on Twitter and Facebook page and be sure to check out my website, it has the latest book news.

Take care,
Kathleen A.

Find Kathleen on Twitter: @kathleea
Guest blogger every Wednesday on www.downtownya.blogspot.com

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

A funny thing happened on the way to the book signing

Oh we all know the line.  "A funny thing happened to me on the way to the forum..."  For me it's a sounds more like, "a funny thing happened to me on the way to the book signing."

There is a course we take when we decide we want to do something. If you want to have dinner you make a reservation.  You want a car you plan to save.  If you want to excel in business you make connections.  I wanted to write the All-American Love Story. That's a piece of cake, right?  You just sit down and write it.  Sometimes it takes a few days or a month to make your dreams reality.  In my case it took twenty-two years.

Nothing really funny happened except life.  Isn't it interesting how it gets in the way?  And how it also becomes the very thing you absorb and eventually write about.

When I was in 5th grade they administered a test.  They gave you a picture and you wrote a story.  Trust me I dreaded this!  But... it got very high markings!  Then in 7th grade we did it again.  Not only did it mark high I got to do a second round!  I'm saying this as a good thing, because honestly, I have no idea what they were looking for, except that they took the best ones and had us write another.  Big ego boost for the twelve year old!

But... that got me interested!

It wasn't writing I became interested in.  Nope, it was reading.  Can you believe it, I didn't enjoy reading.  It was hard!  But I picked up a few books and took the time to read the story, and WOW! there were pictures in my head.  I wasn't sitting in a classroom anymore I was somewhere else!  The people around me were different and I was on an adventure.  Neat!  Then... came the summer I discovered the mini-series.  (If you are under a certain age and reading this, you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure.) But the one that grabbed hold of me was The Thorn Birds.  Oh, Father Ralph de Bricassart was all that wasn't he?  And then... I found Sidney Sheldon!  I was all a flutter when If Tomorrow Comes hit the small screen.  We had a Beta recorder and I made sure I taped all seven hours of that show.  It took up two tapes.  The darn machine wore out before I was done watching it over and over and over again.  But it instilled in me that I wanted to be an actress in a mini- series.


Not what you thought, right?  

It wasn't too long before I realized I could write a movie and star in that.  Sure, that was the ticket.  So I began!  First my friend and I filled endless notebooks with letters between characters we created.  (Just to let you know I hijacked the last name deBricassart and pared it with Meghann!  Yep, I was that original!)  The notebooks were filled at school and I'd race home and write my movie scripts.  But suddenly the movie writing was tedious and too much work.  Wouldn't it be easier if I just wrote it all out, like a book?  BAM!  I'll write the book that becomes the movie!  And the first draft of my first book began about a woman named Jenna Reed who would become a Hollywood icon in the 30's and 40's.

Oh that story had it all.  Well, everything a thirteen-year-old girl could imagine.  Okay, it was a tragic love story that didn't have any experiences to back it up.  It had television scenes built in, but that was about it.  But the passion was there.  And that little book about Jenna would be rewritten no less than 100 times for the next twenty-two years. (But let me mention that when I was sixteen, I did send it out.  I did get a request.  I did get a rejection, but it was nicely worded and it never hurt my ambition.)

So off to college I went.  An education major who decided you couldn't pay me enough to put up with the parents who send their kids to school.  Hmmm, yep that was going to hurt my career.  But I loved to write.  Journalism!

Sounded glorious, but I wasn't great at it.  Writing a news article is much different that writing a book.  In the news the writer tells you the facts.  In a book the author tries not to do that at all, instead they show them to you, engulf you in the story so that you feel as though you are there.  It took me two years to decide that if I were an English major, that would make more sense.  I changed my major and left college.

I fell in love.  Isn't it interesting what will happen when Mr. Right shows up?  So the book was set aside and I opened the first of two salons I would own in the next seven years.  I met hundreds of people.  Each of them very unique.  Eventually, I decided to have kids.  This only lead to heartbreak when that didn't work out.  But thanks to science and a good insurance plan I got that baby.  And I fell in love again!  And agian! And again! And again! And again!  I tell you what, you learn a lot about the world when you become the mother of five little boys in six years!

In 2007 the book came back out.  This time I had first hand knowledge of what it was like to want to love and be rejected.  I knew what it was to find the right man and nothing else in the world mattered.  I had had heartbreak and joy.  I'd been married, traveled, given birth.  So many great things had happened along the way.  And my writing style changed.  Jenna's story had been a lovely but tragic story.  I found after my sister's divorce I couldn't write about certain things, but I'd learned what deep anger from an outsider felt like.  I'd been stocked by an ex and I knew what fear was.  I'd been praised by my husband, my dearest friend, and I knew what happiness was.  Then... I found a Nora Roberts book!

It was awesome!  People met back up after having lost contact for years.  They had some issues but they fell in love.  The story had a happy ending.  WOW!  I really enjoyed that!  Then I looked at my book and shook my head.  It was 120,000 words of betrayal and death.  It was horribly depressing!  But it wasn't done.  Now what?  It was going to be the Great All-American Love Story.  Yeah right!  But I had to finish it!  It had to be done!

I finished it.  I gave it an ending I was happy with.  I didn't kill off as many people and I rearranged a few scenes to make me feel better about humanity.  In the end I was satisfied and I shelved it.  Oh, someday it would make three really great books in a trilogy, if I could figure out how to make three happy endings.  I just don't know if I could.  But it opened another door.

Between 2007 and 2008 I wrote twelve more books.  I did!  All with happy endings. Oh, I'm a sucker for Happily Ever After.  I drew on all bits and pieces of my life which had happened from the first time I sat down with an old typewriter my father gave me until that very moment.  I began to pen stories of women, usually in their thirties, flawed from their personality, scarred from accidents, or simply over weight.  I wrote men, usually like my husband, not too Alpha, but not too feminine.  I got sick over writing sex scenes because my mother was going to read them.  (I have 5 kids...c'mon.  And my editor helps with those by the way!  haha)  I jumped every hurdle and learned a million new rules to writing.  Then I was published.

This was the plan right?  Get published, write another book, and that was how it would go.  The one part I never counted on was becoming a publisher.  Yep, it was just another funny thing that happened that I hadn't intended on.  But I was strict with myself.  This is for my books only, I-will-not-publish-other-authors, I told myself. That was until another house that I was with didn't quite make it to publication and the authors came to me and asked me to publish them.  They were very talented and the books were done.  What did I really have to lose?  Except sleep over screwing it up.

So from there I picked up a few authors and a few editors.  I'm now an editor, who would have thought!  (But my editor for the past three years has taught me so much, I'm just passing on her knowledge to better the literary community.)

So as I sit here thinking, it's my turn to write the blog, I'm looking at the edits I'm sending out.  I'm processing the edits I'm getting in on my next book.  I'm writing the book after that.  I'm tweeting and facebooking and blogging.  I'm a whirlwind of post-it notes and charts.  And all along I'm thinking about the book signing I have at Barnes and Noble next month and how that is a dream come true.

It's been twenty-seven years since I decided to take my spiral notebook character of Meghann deBricassart and turn her into Jenna Reed (who was later named Lillian Rose.)  I've had many careers, met many people, and learned many things.  Most of which you'll find in my many books.  And now I sit back and laugh.  A lot of funny things happened on the way to the book signing and it's made me the writer I am today.  What will happen in the next twenty-seven years I wonder?  One thing is for sure, I wouldn't change a thing!




Happy Reading!
Bernadette Marie
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Interview with Kathleen S. Allen


Today on the Princess Warrior Blog, I'd like to welcome Kathleen S. Allen.  Kathleen is an author of Young Adult Fantasy, but also writes in other genres.  Her latest release IF IT'S MONDAY, IT MUST BE MURDER!, from Gypsy Shadow Publishing is now available.

Let's get to know Kathleen S. Allen


1.   Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a go-with-the-flow type of writer so more of a pantser than a plotter. There are times  
I will plot out scenes or timelines if there is something complicated going on but I let the characters “speak” to me as I write and take them on the path they want to follow. In my
final edit I do a timeline of the seasons/days/months etc. to make sure the timeline makes sense. I also do the same for each scene to make sure the right characters are doing what they should be doing or saying what they should be saying. I do plot out my NaNoWrMo novel though (NaNoWrMo is a month long national/international writing event. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days) although the plot doesn't necessarily resemble the finished product!          



2.     How long have you been a writer? 

I started writing at a very young age. I remember one year when I was eight painstakingly copying poems I had written in my best printing, punching holes in the sides of paper, making an orange construction paper “book jacket” with the words: MY POEMS on it in blue crayon (I liked odd colour combinations), tying a bit of red ribbon through the holes in the sides and making a bow. I recall making several of them to give as gifts during the holidays. I had my first poem published when I was 15, then moved on to short stories and finally, novels.


3.     What other careers have you had?

I wouldn’t exactly call them careers but I’ve had many jobs. I also have seven degrees, including two bachelor degrees (education and nursing), a Master’s in Teaching, a Master’s in Nursing, a Master’s in Social Work and a Master’s in English. I have a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.  And I am currently working on a MFA.

Teacher (preschool, elementary and secondary), bookstore clerk, bakery clerk, office worker, college professor, daycare owner, factory worker, waitress, nurse, nurse practitioner, home health care aide, social worker, psychotherapist, tour guide, French to English translator, research assistant, laboratory assistant, tutor, editor, writer. . . I’m sure there are others I’ve forgotten!


 

4.     How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?

My friends are in awe of my ability to crank out a book in a short time! My two daughters are my inspiration for my writing and they have encouraged me ever since they were small and asked me to “tell me one of your made up stories” before bedtime!


5.     Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.

1)     I have lived on both the east and west coast of the USA (NYC and LA).
2)     I have celebrity crushes on John Barrowman (he is so gorgeous, a great singer/actor and yes, I know he’s gay), David Tennant (he is the “real” Doctor Who!) and Aidan Turner (from Being Human on BBC, he’s Irish, need I say more?).
3)     My music taste runs from classical, to jazz, to R&B, pop and classic R&R. I like Lady Gaga.
4)     I had thirteen cats at one time (now I only have two).
5)     My favourite drink is a Grande Cappuccino from Starbucks.

And there you have it, some facts about me. Be sure and check out my guest blog on October, 27, 2011 about the writing process.
Take care,
Kathleen A.
Find Kathleen on Twitter: @kathleea
Guest blogger every Wednesday on www.downtownya.blogspot.com

Monday, October 24, 2011

PITCH ME MONDAY!

Today is Pitch Me Monday! over on the 5 Prince Publishing blog!

Looking to have your MS published.  Our acquiring editors Connie, Karen, and June are currently accepting submissions!  Leave your brief pitch on the blog or visit our site at www.5princebooks.com

Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday Freebies starts next week!

Starting October 28th we will be having FRIDAY FREEBIES right here on the Warrior Princess Romance Writer Blog.  What is FRIDAY FREEBIES?  Each week we will showcase 1 or 2 authors and their books.  The only rules to winning are...
1. You must sign up to follow this blog
2. You must leave a comment for the authors

It's as simple as that!

If you are a reader, follow me!
If you are an author, follow me! and then contact me if you have a book that you'd like to give away on our FRIDAY FREEBIES!!!

Until then... don't forget to stop by www.5princebooks.blogspot.com on Monday for Pitch Me Monday!
On Tuesday Join us here for an interview with author Kathleen Allen
On Wednesday I'll be talking about how I've only Had One Bad Day...ever!
On Thursday join us again when Kathleen Allen guest blogs!
Then on FRIDAY it's our first official FRIDAY FREEBIES!  join us!

Happy Reading!
Bernadette Marie

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Guest Blogger M.L. Guida


Last year, I wrote Cassandra when I saw a picture of a giant sinkhole in South America.  Looking at the huge sinkhole, I kept thinking what if it went straight to hell and something crawled out.  Instead of hell, I came up with the Underworld and put the sinkhole in Frisco, Colorado. 

I love Frisco.  It’s like a second home to me since my grandmother’s cabin is located on Bill’s Ranch which is right behind the town.  I wanted to incorporate the different restaurants and ski resorts into my story.  I’ve been skiing since I was sixteen and love Copper Mountain.

I wanted to write something besides vampires and came up with demons, but wanted a unique one so I came up with dragon demons and made my hero a prince.  I wanted my heroine to have flaws and be a champion just like my hero.   

One of my favorite characters to write about is the Wraith.  I liked having her transform into something beautiful. 


When I write my characters play through my head like a movie.  I can see them and experience what they experience.  I have to admit I love writing about my heroes.  They are so alive for me.   However, I admit I like to torture my characters and believe me, they suffer, but they survive.  Trust me.  All of my stories end in HEA. 





I write contemporary paranormal.  I am a member of Romance Writers of America, Colorado Romance Writers and Savvy Authors.  I am the newsletter editor for Paranormal Freebies.  I am currently pursuing my Master of Art in Creative Writing at Regis University. 

Mary's Novella Cassandra, part of the Finding Ms. Wright anthology with authors Hillary Seidl and Lori Corsentino, releases from 5 Prince Publishing on November 15, 2011.

You can find more information on M.L Guida at www.5princebooks.com,  www.mlguida.com, www.jlbowen.com, and www.paranormalfreebies.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

If You Say It's So...Then It Shall Be

A lifetime ago, it seems, I sold products for a kitchen ware company at home parties.  During one of the training sessions a woman said something that stuck with me forever.  I took that advice and applied it to my life from that day forward. If you say it's so...then it shall be.  Now I've taken liberty with that saying a bit, but what she said was this.  "If you want to be a director, then call yourself a director."  Hmmm.  That made sense.  If you put your thoughts into place you'd eventually be so comfortable you'd be there.

So I set forth to be a director in this company.  I thought like one.  I acted like one.  I worked like one.  And...I became a future director.  Okay, so I missed the mark before I moved on to something else, but it worked.  I thought like a director and I felt like I was on the right track.

Take that same mentality to my martial arts training.  From the moment you step on that floor with a white belt tied around your waist you're instructed to act like a black belt.  If a black belt kicks above the belt, then you need to work at your kicks until you can kick like a black belt.  A black belt has discipline, courtesy, integrity, self worth, and the list goes on.  They list for you all the good qualities that had you signing up to begin with.  With every belt you think more and more like a black belt.  And one day, you receive your black belt and you realize all along you've been a black belt, because you thought like one.

Now, I'm a writer. (Yes... a writer with a black belt!)

So to be a writer I must act like one.  I must take seriously the time that it takes to put together a book.  I must name it.  Carefully construct it.  I must love it.  But above all I must realize that a writer would not argue that they are wasting their time.  An author would say they are working.

I had gotten that part down very well.  I'd been writing since I was 12.  I got my first request at 16.  But until I boarded that plane for San Francisco to attend my first RWA conference, I'd only been dreaming about being a writer.  Until I actually walked the walk among authors, some big, some not.  I hadn't truly convinced myself that I was in fact a writer.  But something happens to you when you sit in a room with Nora Roberts.  When Debbie Macomber walks across the room and introduces yourself to you and shakes your hand, you're IN!  When you're walking down the hall and taking pictures of the line at the signing (which the you eventually get to take part in) and a woman laughs and joins you.  You walk down the hall and she introduces herself and says, " I'm Christina Dodd" you think, this is for real!  I am an author!  Ashley March was one of my writing partners.  Melissa Mayhue knows me by name.  Karen White, whom I met at a table of people I didn't know at the time, laughs when I send her pictures of her books laid on benches under someone's keys and sunglasses.  And in my head I no longer waste my time writing.  This is my career.  I am a writer.

You would have thought it ended there...nope!  There's always more.

Now I'm a publisher!  I'm out of my element and people have decided to join me.  I have 5 authors, besides myself, who depend on me.  I have 3 editors who are anxiously awaiting the next great book to edit and the next author to help prepare for stardom.  I have a deadline calendar.  I have a daily ToDo list.  I have a bank account.  And I have a company name.  All of this is because I thought I was a publisher and I made it so.  Some things come easier.  This decision to be a publisher was easy.  The process of learning continues, but I'm excited.  When I wake up and get dressed I think, "if I were at conference how would I dress as a publisher?" And I act on that.  Because I want to be successful with it, I take it very seriously.

So, what's next?  What shall I say so that it will become?  My karate master gave me the answer the other day.  He said, "When can I start telling people I promoted a New York Times Bestselling Author to black belt?" and I smiled and said, "Say it now.  Because if you say so... then it shall be."

What do you want in your life?  Start putting yourself there and it will come.

Happy Reading!
Bernadette Marie







Find my books on iTunes, Amazon , Barnes and Noble


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Interview with M.L. Guida

Today I would like to welcome author M.L. Guida!  M.L. is having a busy year!  Her novella will be included in the November anthology release Finding Ms. Wright. She is surely someone you will be hearing a lot about.  So without further ado... Welcome M.L. Guida!



INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
I like delving into my characters and creating their world.  My characters are real to me and in my mind, they play out in a movie.  

What genre(s) do you write?
Dark Paranormal.  I love the supernatural.  

What genres and authors would we find you?
I think you would find me next to Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and Kerrelyn Sparks, but instead of vampires - demons.  

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Sometimes I have far out endings, and I have to trust that they will work.  I believe if I lay down a strong foundation with my characters, my readers will not feel jolted from a surprise ending.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m definitely a pantser, but I have started plotting and organizing more.  I keep notebooks on all of my stories and have been using the W plot to outline the book.  I also use enneagrams to develop my characters.  I took a class with Lori Wilde, romance writer, and she pushed me to a whole new level of writing.  

Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?
My books are based in Colorado and instead of vampires, they are based on demons.  Although I love vampires, I wanted to go into a new direction.  My demons do not possess people, but sometimes I blend them with different mythical creatures such as Eric is half demon and half dragon.  

What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?
I want readers to know that even in a world of darkness, true love survives.  

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Like Cassandra, I want them to learn to trust in themselves.  Appreciate the gifts that are given to them.  I want my readers to pursue their goals despite of hardships.  Cassandra gets derailed from her goal of becoming a speech and language therapist, but in the end, she achieves her.

How long have you been a writer?  
As a little girl, I wrote poems.  In college, I thought I wanted to be a journalist, but switched to being a social worker.  I’ve been a social worker for the past 25 years.  Throughout those years, I have written off and on, but about five years ago, I had a problem at work and decided to write.  I wrote my first paranormal manuscript within three months, but never got that one published, although I did final in a contest regarding my male hero.    

How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published? 
It took five years before I landed a publisher.  I have learned you have to persevere, especially in this business.   

What other careers have you had?  
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a social worker.

Do you write under more than one name? Why?
I write under the name, J.L. Bowen, because the books I write are not romance.  They are dark paranormal young adult.  My character is a fourteen year old boy, Armond Costa.  His aunt and uncle physically abuse him, but no matter they do to him he can heal himself in three days.  But after he sprouts wings, he discovers everything they told him is a lie.  Featherweight Press is publishing my book.  Check out my new website, www.jlbowen.com  

Are any of your characters based on real people or events?  
No.  The town of Frisco, the Boatyard Grill, Copper Mountain and the Galena Mountain Street Inn are all real.  I encourage you to check them out!    

How would you describe yourself if you were “speed dating” your readers?
I’m adventurous.  I like to risks such as skiing fast, scuba diving, eating unique foods such as haggis which is boiled sheep’s innards.  

What’s something fans would find fascinating about you?
Someday I would like to scuba dive with sharks.  

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
I tend to write dark so there are torturer scenes.  Gryffin Drake didn’t get the name The Torturer for nothing.  

What books or authors have most influenced your life?
S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series and Marsha Canham’s historical books have all influenced me for different reasons, mostly due to their world building.  S.E. Hinton’s books and J.K. Rowling’s books propelled me to become a social worker and work with adolescents which influenced my novel, The Healer.  

How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?
My family supports me.  Believe me they were several times I wanted to quit due to my many rejections.  At my last rejection, I wanted to throw in the towel and my dad, of all people, reached in and pulled me out of my misery.  He was there when I needed him the most and I’ll never forget that.  Hint:  My dad is an alpha male and most of my characters are based on my dad, my brother-in-law and my brother.  

Where are you from?
Denver, Colorado

How do you come up with the titles?
My original title for this one was The Sinkhole, but since I joined an anthology, we had to come up with a name that we all agreed upon.  Lori Corsentino came up with the title, Finding Ms. Wright, but we decided to name each story based on our heroines.   However, the sequel will be based on heroes.  

Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?
My life has not significantly changed presently, but I am in the process of creating a business plan.  I would like to work part-time and write full-time.  

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?
I tend to multi-task.  I’m writing the sequel to Finding Ms. Wright - Ravaged Soul – and I’m doing edits on my young adult novel, The Healer.  However, I have a contemporary paranormal novel that I completed through Lori Wilde’s class and plan to submit this one to different publishers.  

When not writing, how do you relax?
Skiing.  I also like to take my cocker spaniel, Sadie Mae, for walks, read, travel, and watch my nephew’s football and baseball games and my niece’s basketball games.  When I have the money, I love to scuba dive.  I would like to go back to either, Key West, specifically Key Largo, or the Great Barrier Reef to go diving.  

Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.

I am the newsletter editor for Paranormal Freebies.  Check out our website where you can find out more about paranormal writers and obtain a free newsletter and flash fiction stories.  

I love men with long hair so all of my male characters, even my young adult characters have long hair.  

I love Johnny Depp, especially Captain Jack Sparrow.  

I collect story tellers.

My favorite animal is a lion.  

Please share with us your future projects and upcoming releases.

I wrote a young adult novel, The Healer, under my pen name – J.L. Bowen, which will be released from Featherweight Press.  The date will be predetermined.  

You can find more about M.L. Guida on her publisher's website at www.5princebooks.com and also www.mlguida.com, www.jlbowen.com, www.paranormalfreebies.com

M.L. Guida writes contemporary paranormal. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Colorado Romance Writers and Savvy Authors.  She is the newsletter editor for Paranormal Freebies.  She is currently pursuing my Master of Art in Creative Writing at Regis University.
Thanks M.L. Guida for sharing with us today.  I've ready your work and I know readers are in for a great treat!  Join us on Thursday when M.L. Guida is our guest blogger.  But for now, here is an excerpt from her novella Cassandra.

Cassandra
Cassandra Wright woke with a start.  Her long black U2 tee shirt bunched up around her waist.  Sweat streaked down her face.  She grabbed a tissue from the night stand and wiped her forehead and cheeks.   She moistened her lips.  God, she finished running a marathon or at least one kind of marathon.  It had been him again.   He vanished – a figment of her imagination.  Like always, the same hollow feeling swept over her.  She would be alone. 
Leaning against her headboard, her best friend, Lilly Grace, glanced over at her.  “Cassie, why is your face so red? Are you hot?  Did you have that same dream again?”
Cassandra shook her head.  “Yeah, but this time he was so…so….” 
           Lilly cocked her eyebrow.  “That good, huh?”  She gave her a teasing grin.  “God, I’ve never seen you blush this bad since we went to see the Bridesmaid movie last month.”
“I mean,” Cassandra stammered.  She wadded up the tissue and threw it into a nearby trashcan.  “Come on the opening scene - she’s practically screwing him ten different ways.”
Lilly tossed her black hair behind her.  “You should have seen your face.”
“Whatever.”   
“God, Cassie everybody has erotic dreams, even virgins.”
Cassandra’s face burned hotter.  She hated being the only one who guarded her virginity and good ole Lilly never failed to remind her.  The opportunities had been plenty, but how could Cassandra explain it?  No guy compared to the man in her dreams.  An excuse?  Maybe.  Was she a chicken shit?  Definitely.  She dashed out of bed.  “I’m starving.  Let’s go eat.”
Lilly stared. “Okay we won’t talk about your dream.”  With her indomitable face and tilted chin, she gave Cassandra the I’m-going-to-cross-examine-you look.  “You know he’s a figment of your overactive imagination.  You’ve got to date real guys, not pin for imaginary ones.”
Cassandra shrugged as she headed over to her suitcase.  “Yeah, but how can you complain about a guy who’s hotter than Johnny Depp?”  She yanked out her red Minnie Mouse sweater, workout bra and long underwear. 
“I guess.”  Lilly smiled slyly.  “So, did you do it at Walter Memorial Park?”
Heat rushed to Cassandra’s cheeks. She stopped putting on her long underwear midway up her right leg.  “Lilly.”
“Well, did you?”