Friday, May 31, 2013

You've read it & Loved it - now share it and #win @CarlyleL

By simply sharing this post you could win. 

3 Winners!!




Her Destiny is to rise above the fall


Praise for The Broken Destiny 

For someone who isn’t (or wasn’t) a keen sci-fi fanatic, I am completely and utterly impressed. She’s managed not only to win me over, but has converted me to such an extent, I am a huge fan. Simply, I am a believer, I loved this book and I most certainly can’t wait for book two; Evanescent.

"author Labuschagne’s writing etiquette allows it to be enjoyed by anyone. This dystopian story she has created is completely unique and refreshing. To have a successful sci-fi book, details and explanations must be clear and comprehensible. Labuschange manages to steer readers into a path of comprehensive understanding of its unique and amazing plot. She creates some of the most astounding and engaging characters. Ava is young and very complicated who has gone through a heap of mess within her sixteen years of existence, she still has to deal with normal teenage issues. The Broken Destiny showcases the brilliant imagination of Labuschange and kickstarts a series that is sure to be thrilling and compelling"



“With him I couldn’t be anything but myself and that scared the crap out of me, because I had never existed like that before.”


“You cannot know what light is

if you have not experienced darkness.

How could you know what happiness feels like

if you know not what it means to be sad?

Right does not exist without wrong

Hate exists because there is love.

You are either driven by fear or love.

To love is not to fear.

It is to be godly.” 



Ava knows much more, and feels much more than she is allowed to. When she starts questioning her origins and the destruction of Earth, things go horribly wrong for her. She is saved by a Minoan boy from an attempted kidnapping on her life – the perpetrators are evil Zulus and their dark ancient magic. Humans and Minoans are forbidden to interact with each other, and as she is taken back to their village she finds out why – they know of her, her kind and her destiny to save a dying race. More



~ VOTED 3rd ON THE GOODREADS YA DEBUT LIST FOR 2012




"Carlyle Labuschagne not only writes beautifully, she has proven that she’s an author to be reckoned with; she has shown me that she is more than capable of creating a whole new world; has completely captured my heart with her imagination; weaves a story I want to keep reading; engages me in such a way that I become one not only with the story - but one with it’s characters, and has magically uprooted me from my comfortable existence to the gorgeous planet she’s created – Poseidon.



In short, The Broken Destiny is an exciting, thrilling, imaginative, compelling and impressive debut by Carlyle Labuschagne. –An author to watch out for."
~SS Book Fanatics ~ 


Follow for news, updates, giveaways and appearances 




Terms and conditions
One ebook will be given away to a lucky winner at random who shares this post and leaves a comment
Another winner chosen via the form below.
The final winner via goodreads by voting on these lists.
(not a bribe if you love the book then share the love - if you dont like it then dont vote)

Vote on the Lovely covers list

Thank you and best of luck!!

Evanescent A Broken Novel releases 1 November
sign up for the cover reveal here









a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Wendy Knight!

 
Welcome Wendy Knight!
Are the traits of anyone close to you apparent in your characters?
 
Yes! Actually, Hunter is based very closely on my husband. He never talks, and when he does it’s usually a growl, but he’s fiercely loyal and also adorable.
 
If you could have any extraordinary gift or super power what would it be and why?
 
I watch Wild Kratts on PBS all the time, and they get to channel all these different animals and use their powers. I want that! Animals are so cool and they basically have every super power any Avenger has. Except maybe the shooting fire thing…
 
Was there ever a moment when you wouldn’t trade what you do as an author for the world? What was that moment for you?
 
The day Feudlings was released. I was soooo nervous that I didn’t sleep the night before. My publisher let me know it was live at midnight, and I was up playing on Facebook and shared it as my status. Immediately, so many of my friends and family shared the link and posted pictures, and it continued throughout the whole day. I knew I had amazing friends and family before that, but their outpouring of love and support that day just blew me away. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
 
What do you feel is your biggest writerly fault and how do you deal with it?
 
I am a HUGE procrastinator! If I have a hard scene or I know I have to kill someone off that I love, I will put that thing off for as long as humanly possible. And I am really good at procrastinating. It’s one of my talents.
 
What’s your favorite way to procrastinate?
 
Facebook and Pinterest, although I can totally say that I’m using Pinterest for research, so it’s sort of a legitimate form of procrastination! Facebook…not so much.
 
Where do you do your best writing? Do you like to have certain surroundings?
 
Anywhere that my children are not. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, but they are the most adorable, effective distractions ever. And they are loud. Like, screaming monkeys couldn’t compete with them.
 
Tell us something about your book that we wouldn’t know just by reading the blurb.
 
It’s a love story, but it’s more action than romance, and it’s more about friendship than soul mates.
 
More about Feudlings
Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.

Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300 year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.

When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not fall-ing in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand.
 
Thank you for stopping by
The Writers Voice

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Author Janiera Eldridge Feature Soul Sisters

Meet Author Janiera Eldridge
Indie Bookfest August 3, 2013

I'm featuring the authors who will be attending the Indie Bookfest in Florida this summer.  If you will be vacationing in Florida this is an event you don't want to miss.  Our featured keynote speaker is Isaac Marion - the author of Warm Bodies (was a movie this winter).





 Janiera enjoys feeding her book addiction when she not writing. Writing is theraputic to her during her struggles with Fibromyalgia. Being unable to work a normal 9-5 is what encouraged her to write full time. She is also a book blogger at Beauty and Books where she mixes being a book nerd with keeping things chic. When not reading or writing she is freelance writing in the entertainment industry.When trying to relax she likes a huge yard sale on a Saturday morning, rainy days to read by and nacho cheese is her kryptonite. Soul Sisters is her debut novel.
    Feel free to visit her book blog where she loves reviewing books and doing author interview at Books & Beauty- http://janieraeldridge.blogspot.com. She loves feedback and welcomes any questions or comments to her email: 
prettyhaydengurl@yahoo.com or connect with her through her author page:https://www.facebook.com/authorjanieraeldridge



Synopsis:
Soul Sisters is an urban fantasy novel about African-American twin sisters Ani and Dana who have a rather unique secret: one sister is human while the other is a vampire. While the sisters have lived peacefully with each other for many years one fateful night will change both their lives forever. When a drunken man tries to attack Dana (the human sister) Ani (the vampire sister) protects her sister with all of her ferocious power.

However, when the vampire’s leader Donovan finds out about the public display he calls for the sisters to be assassinated for disobedience. Ani and Dana now are in for the fight of their lives to protect each other as well as the lives of their dedicated friends who have joined them on their mission for survival. If Dana and Ani can make it through this time of uncertainty, Ani can take her new place as vampire queen. Soul Sisters is expected to be a trilogy; The book also features a multicultural cast of characters that brings a new edge of chic to the vampire world.
Urban Fantasy
Release Date: August 18th, 2012


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Magic Warble and The Black Shard



My novels, The Magic Warble and The Black Shard, are fantasy stories, listed as Juvenile fiction. Even though labeled for kids and teens, I know that some of us seasoned adults still have a trace of that childlike wonder in us that provokes us to escape into a magical world every now and then … at least I still do. 


Growing up reading C.S. Lewis’s beloved Narnia Chronicles has influenced me in writing The Magic Warble, a story about a 12 year old girl named Kristina Kingsly. She hates to go to school because she doesn’t fit in. She’s bullied by some of her peers, and they make her daily life miserable. I created this aspect of my main character's life because as a child I had experienced dealing with bullies in school, and I remember hating to go because of them.


The Black Shard is the sequel to The Magic Warble and takes place 3 years later, when Kristina is 15 years old. She and her school-mates are once again magically transported back to the land of Bernovem. This story is not only filled with adventure, intrigue, suspense but it also deals with those first feelings of teenage love.


The Magic Warble & The Black Shard's underlying message is one of faith, hope, perseverance, friendship and love.


Check out my blog @ www.victoriasimcox.blogspot.com


Happy reading to you!

Victoria Simcox. <3


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Meet Gia Jones of the Seraphine Trilogy by KaSonndra Leigh

Hello Everyone,

Today I'd like to allow one of the characters from my novel Dark Seraphine, Book One of the Seraphine Trilogy, to spend some time with you all today. Her name is Gia Jones. Our mysterious guest is going to talk to you about her life in New Bern along with that handsomely love interest in her life. So let's move on to the interview.

KayLeigh: Hello Gia. Welcome to the Writer's Voice. We're honored to have you here with us today.

Gia: Thanks so much! The feeling is mutual.


KayLeigh: Let's begin with some basics. What’s your favorite color?

Any shade of blue or green. I know. That’s kind of strange for a girl, right? That’s why I love this aquamarine necklace so much.

KayLeigh: What type of vehicle do you drive?

Gia: I don’t have a car. I’d like one though. But that would mean taking lessons. I don’t think my feet are coordinated enough to do that just yet. **I want to ask what she means, but decide against it**

KayLeigh: Describe yourself to me.

Gia:  **blushes before he speaks** Oh, I don’t like talking about myself. It’s, well, just a little bit conceited. I’m 5’5” tall. I have dark, shoulder-length hair and I wear my favorite leather jacket every day.

KayLeigh: How would your mate describe you?

Gia:  **gives me a dreamy smile** Maybe he can tell you later on when you talk to him.

KayLeigh: What really moves you, or touches you to the soul?

Gia:  Listening to the ocean’s waves crashing on the shores at night. And yes, there’s a reason that particular sound affects me so much. But you’ll have to check out my story to find out why that happens.

KayLeigh: What's the one thing you have always wanted to do but couldn't? What would happen if you did do it?

Gia: There’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do. But here’s the catch, I am doing it. And now that I am everything has fallen apart. **blinks back tears, and lowers her head**

KayLeigh: Describe your ideal mate.

Gia: **blushes** He has a great personality. Goals are actually somewhere in his future plans. And oh yeah, he’s ridiculously sexy.

KayLeigh: What are you most afraid of?

Gia: Losing the person I just described in the last question.

KayLeigh: What's the most important thing in your life?

Gia: My family.

KayLeigh: What do you consider your special talent?

Gia: I have so many. And if I tell you what any one of those might be, then I’d have to kill you. **grins at me as my eyes widen** Okay, I’m just kidding. I believe in world peace, and not violence.

KayLeigh: How did you meet the hero/heroine?

Gia: Actually, I can’t tell you that. It’s our secret. But I can tell you that I knew he was going to be an important part of my life as soon as I saw him. My heart still flutters each time I think of him.

KayLeigh: Was it love at first sight or did it develop slowly?

Gia: Definitely love at first sight.

KayLeigh: What did you like/dislike about him/her when you first met?

Gia: I gave him something, and he said it was stupid. Let’s just say that didn’t sit well with me for a long moment. But then he glanced at me with those baby blue-grays. Okay, I’m a wus. I didn’t stay mad long after that. **she giggles**
 
KayLeigh: If you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?

Gia: Peace, love, and happiness, my man. What else am I supposed to say?

KayLeigh: Thanks so much for stopping by today Gia. You seem like a really fun person.

Gia: And thanks to you for having me on your blog today. I’ll come back and chat anytime you like. You can check out some pictures of my home here: http://pinterest.com/alestasia/dark-seraphine/

Book Two of the Seraphine Trilogy, Lost Seraphine, will be out later this summer. Until then you can purchase Book One, Dark Seraphine, on sale for $.99 at:



Facebook Fan Pages: https://www.facebook.com/KaSonndraLeighBooks - Join Gia, Caleb and thousands of other Lost Immortals Saga fans in a community dedicated to discussing the novels along with many other exciting events that will take place in the series.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Interview with D K Mok



Are the traits of anyone close to you apparent in your characters?
For me, part of the fun of writing is creating characters who aren’t like anyone I know. I love constructing backstories, personal histories and complicated agendas, and I tend to create the kind of people I think it’d be interesting to meet. Some of my characters are people I’d like to hang out with. Some of them are people I’d be curious to observe from a safe distance.

What would you like for readers to take away from your novel/novels?
First and foremost, I’d like readers to be entertained. Books remain a great source of inspiration, adventure, enchantment and comfort for me, and I want my stories to be enjoyable to read. Beyond that, I hope some readers will find my stories thought provoking or meaningful. I love writing the kind of stories I wish there’d been more of particularly when I was younger, and it’d be fantastic if someday, someone read one of my stories, and identified with it in the same way I was affected by my favourite authors at crucial times in my life. There’s something wonderful about reading a story and realising ‘I’m not the only one who feels this way – this story was written for someone like me.’

Is there one book that has had an impact on not only your writing, but on you personally?
There are so many books that have had an impact on me! Many of Sir Terry Pratchett’s books, in particular, had a profound effect on me during my high school years – Guards, Guards, Small Gods, Hogfather, to name a few. His stories are not only masterfully written, but they challenged my ideas about the world, and myself, at a time when I was still working out what kind of a person I wanted to be. His stories made me realise that the person you are is shaped not only by the epic, life-changing decisions you make, but also by the day-to-day things you stand up for. Becoming a better person is an active, lifelong challenge.

Which came first for you--the characters, the idea for the setting, or the plot?
For my short story, ‘Autumn Moon’, which features in the anthology Holiday Magick, I knew I wanted to write a story about the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. The original legend involves tragic poets and the fall of kingdoms, and I thought it’d be fun to create a story about a contemporary woman whose life unexpectedly intersects with this epic, dramatic myth.
 
For my urban fantasy novel, The Other Tree, which comes out via Spence City in December 2013, the concept came first. My sister, Anne – who’s also a writer – mentioned one day that she’d like to read a story about people searching for the Biblical Tree of Life. My imagination ran away with this idea and wouldn’t come back. I decided that I wanted to write a novel in which the protagonists were a young, outcast botanist – Chris, and a sardonic, campus priest – Luke, who team up to hunt for the Tree of Life, in an adventure romp across the globe. As the project evolved, The Other Tree also became a much more personal story about family, mortality, and priorities.

Tell us something about your book that we wouldn’t know just by reading the blurb.
The Other Tree is an urban fantasy adventure, but I’m a bit of a pop-culture nerd, so I couldn’t resist scattering the novel with a few references to sci-fi, fantasy and gamer culture. If you’re a nerd, you’ll spot the in-jokes. If you aren’t, hopefully you’ll enjoy the action adventure and unfolding mystery.

Is there one piece of advice you wish someone would have given you before you started writing?
I think one of the most useful pieces of advice remains very relevant for me today – be true to yourself, and keep writing the stories that matter to you.


Holiday Magick

Other Novels include:
(Coming this December from Spence City)
Immortality. Truth. Family.
Pick one.
It’s been four years since Chris Arlin graduated with a degree that most people think she made up, and she’s still no closer to scraping up funding for her research into rare plants. Instead, she’s stacking shelves at the campus library, until a suspiciously well-dressed man offers her a lucrative position on a scientific expedition.

For Chris, the problem isn’t the fact that they’re searching for the Biblical Tree of Life. Nor is it the fact that most of the individuals on the expedition seem to be fashionably lethal mercenaries. The problem is that the mission is being backed by SinaCorp, the corporation responsible for a similar, failed expedition on which her mother died eleven years ago.

However, when Chris’s father is unexpectedly diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Chris sees only one solution. Vowing to find the Tree of Life before SinaCorp’s mercenaries, Chris recruits Luke, an antisocial campus priest undergoing a crisis of faith. Together, they embark on a desperate race to find Eden.
 
However, as the hunt intensifies, Chris discovers growing evidence of her mother’s strange behavior before her death, and she begins to realize that SinaCorp isn’t the only one with secrets they want to stay buried.

 To find more about the author stop by

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Formatting Your Kindle Book

Formatting Your Kindle Book

Publishing your book is a very hard process. There's the idea, the writing, the editing, and then the publishing and marketing. Of course it's much more complicated than that, but in the simplest of terms that's what it is. But, these steps are mainly for the mainstreamed published (i.e. published by a real business) so when you're independently published, or self-published to make it simple, there are a few more steps you need to take care of before letting your story out there. One of these steps, and one of the hardest ones of all, is formatting your book.

I had started to get complaints that my self-pubbed short stories on Amazon Kindle weren't properly formatted, creating a mess of a download for my readers. Once this issue was pointed out to me I immediately set out to fix this mistake. I began an extensive search on the Intar-Web, looking for tutroials, videos, or anything resembling advice on how to properly format my stories. I mostly just found links to books I could buy that explained everything, but I was hesitant to spend any money, so I kept searching for an alternative. I even asked around my group of writer friends. Most had no clue, as they had their publisher take care of it for them. Some said it was all HTML work, which freaked me out because I know practically NOTHING about HTML. They tried to explain the process to me, but it all was just white-noise to me. So, back to searching I went.

And then, finally, I found a video on YouTube by Author Tom Corson-Knowles that was an ultimate life-saver. With this video I successfully fixed my previously mentioned problems and now know how to avoid them the next time I self-publish a story on Amazon Kindle.

Check out the video to make sure you don't make the same mistake as me!:




Hasta Luego, mi amigos!

-Michael L.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Meet Author Heidi Acosta


Meet Author Heidi Acosta
Indie Bookfest August 3, 2013
Interview and Giveaway below

I'm featuring the authors who will be attending the Indie Bookfest in Florida this summer.  If you will be vacationing in Florida this is an event you don't want to miss.  Our featured keynote speaker is Isaac Marion - the author of Warm Bodies (was a movie this winter).





 Heidi Acosta was born on Long Island, New York. Moving around a lot when she was younger, she lived in New York, Arizona, New York (again), Washington, Georgia, and Florida in that order. Each one offered her something special, but she will always consider New York her home.


   She started writing as soon as she could spell. Writing was a form of therapy for her; no matter what was happing in her life she could escape it through writing. Most of my early work stared her as a princess who escaped with her horse. She was young at that time so no prince charming (boys where yucky).  


   Her mother taught me to read at the age of three giving her Laura Engle Wilder’s book Little House in the Big Woods; thus beginning her love affair with literature.


   She now resides in Florida with her husband, very active daughter, one hyper Chihuahua, two sweet cats, and one very fat moody cat. Barbie Girl is her first Novel out of a four book series, the Baby Doll Series: Barbie Girl, Barbie world, Doll Face, and Southern Sugar.







Dylan lost Barbie once before, now he is determined more than ever to win her heart and trust back. Easier said than done, especially with the new hot guy in town who is in a rock band and is the complete opposite of Dylan.
Barbie has been hurt beyond repair or so she thinks. It would be easier for heart to decide if she didn’t have to protect her little brother. And if Dylan would just put on a shirt! Dylan is not making this easy on her. It helps to have the distraction of the new guy in town cute bad boy Kai. But even though her heart is damaged it still knows what it wants.
When Barbie learns she has a family and with the help of Roxie and Kai, oh and Third and Dylan. They embark on a journey to help bring Barbie Closer (closer) to a past she never knew existed.
Heidi Acosta brings you the heart felt story of friendship, love and heartbreak in the second book in of the Baby doll series Barbie World.

Author Interview -


1. What inspires you?

My biggest inspiration is my daughter, everything I do is for her. I hope that she can be proud to call me her mother and that I inspired her to follow her dreams. 

2. What’s your writing schedule like on any given day? 

It just depends on how busy my day is. Sometimes I can only get a few words down in car line, other times I can spend hours typing at the computer. As long as I write something down every day I feel like I made progress with my writing. 

3. You and I attend a red carpet event, who do you bring with you (it can be famous or from real life)?

My daughter of course. J

4. What is your biggest fear?

Disappointing my readers. 

5. Your book gets picked up for a movie, who’s your dream cast?

For Barbie, Taylor Mumsen, because she is dark and edgy and would be able to truly capture the emotions that Barbie goes through. Andrew Garfield as Dylan, because he has that cute nerdinss to him. I think Selena Gomez would make a great Roxie. I have not found a good Third , it would have to be some unknown actor plucked off the streets.

6. What is one thing you hope to learn while at Indie Bookfest 2013?

I am really looking forward to meeting all the wonderful Authors and Book lovers. I also cannot wait to meet my table mate Christina Mobley. I hope to learn more about this industry of publishing and self-publishing.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Interview with Kendra L. Saunders!

A warm welcome to guest author
Kendra L. Saunders!
 
Are the traits of anyone close to you apparent in your characters?
 
It’s funny because I think books are like dreams in a lot of ways. We draw from everything we’ve ever seen to make the characters, but we also place a glimmer of our own mind and life into each of them. In Death and Mr. Right, the two main characters were inspired by friends of mine, but the protagonist, little blue-haired Death, was very heavily influenced by me. A lot of his memories and some of his greatest comedic moments in life (usually at his expense!) were drawn from my life.
The book that I just finished writing, The Unlove Spell, draws far more on traits from people I know, though. Past bosses, friends, muses, rivals… all of them!

Who do you feel is your most unique character?

I think that Viktor Arson from the Unlove Spell is one of my most unique characters, just because he’s not as brooding and dark as many of my male leads… and he’s more traditionally masculine! Many of my characters are androgynous, but Viktor has a more traditional male role in the story. My friend Steph said something like, “he has a lightness to him” and I thought that was just beautiful and really encouraging to hear. He’s been through a lot and he has reason to be moody, but he finds happiness in his writing and in the woman he’s falling in love with. He finds things to be joyful about.

If you could have any extraordinary gift or super power what would it be and why?

This is a serious question! I would choose to be able to become someone else for a day, live their life as they do, observe how other minds work. I always wonder how other people think… surely it would be a huge step in the way of empathy if you could see another mind besides your own! You could feel bravery or fearlessness from the point of view of someone else.
 
But I’d also love the ability to say a certain special phrase three times or something and then fall asleep anywhere, within a few seconds. It would be so helpful on planes, busses and in unfamiliar beds! I have such difficulty with falling asleep all the time, but especially in any bed besides my own. That gets troublesome fast when you have low energy and need sleep to keep functioning!

Was there ever a moment when you wouldn’t trade what you do as an author for the world? What was that moment for you?

One time my friend was talking to a guy at a convention and mentioned my book, and the guy said he’d seen someone reading it on the subway the night before. That was one of those moments for sure! Someone compared Death and Mr. Right to Douglas Adams, which nearly made me cry with happiness. I got to meet one of my muses and mention that he’d inspired a character for me, which was awesome. And someone once asked me, after reading Inanimate Objects, if I was from England. That was such a cool moment! But there have been loads of them. I love being a writer more than anything.

Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?
 
I actually have several plates spinning at once at all times because I’m a very creative person in general, plus I work for a publishing company. I love music and fashion but can’t play any instruments and can’t do much sewing beyond basic hand-sewing and buttons and whatnot. But I’ve followed the music and fashion industry for years and, as a fan of many songwriters, bands, fashion professionals, etc, I’ve read and heard a lot of very frustrating interviews. So many interviewers ask the same questions over and over!

Somewhere along the way, I took my acting background (all those years of school plays and acting and costume design classes!) and funneled that together with my writing ability and love of the arts when I started conducting interviews. I absolutely love to interview artistic people, because I can approach them both as a fellow artist and as a fan. I ask the questions that will be informative for people looking for guidance and for people just looking to learn more about their favorite artist.
 
I also make jewelry, because jewelry is never big enough or sparkly enough for my taste! When I was younger, I sold jewelry until I got a ‘real job.’ And I still sell it online or sometimes to friends. Lately I’ve been doing more of that because Dolce & Gabbana, especially, has been so inspirational!
Aside from all of that, I love taking walks every day and further destroying my poor up-close-vision with reading fashion magazines. Oh, and listening to music. CONSTANTLY.

Is there one book that has had an impact on not only your writing, but on you personally?

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury was a life-changing book for me. It’s a collection of essays and oddities that center around the life of an artist. It’s not just for writers… it’s really for all creative people. And some of it is fantastical (a monster living under the stairs? A man who knew Ray in another life?) but all of it is so rich and encouraging. The first time I read it, I cried and cried. It’s been beaten over the years, from rereads and underlining and highlighting and lending it to others. If there’s one book I could suggest universally, it’s that one.

Ray Bradbury gets it. He helps us feel a bit less… weird. That’s such an important feeling. There’s a line in the book that says, “You must stay drunk on writing so that reality cannot destroy you.” So beautiful.
 
When you are reading, what make a character compelling to you? Is it the same aspects that make a character you are writing compelling?
 
When I think of compelling characters, I think of complicated people, sometimes anti-heroes. When I read Interview with the Vampire for the rest time, I was blown away by Lestat. I’d been raised in a very conservative household and read the book on a bus every day to and from work. It felt like escaping into a magical world full of sexy, dangerous people. I admired the nuances that Anne Rice used to describe Lestat- with the detail of a lover!- but also the way he switched from sympathetic to unsympathetic, sometimes within a page. This is a guy who files his nails while his father dies beside him. This is a guy who plays piano but the music never comes FROM him.
 
My favorite literary characters- Henry DeTamble of the Time Traveler’s Wife, Marco from The Night Circus, Lleu from The Winter Prince, Lestat from Interview with the Vampire, Rebecca Bloomwood from Confessions of a Shopaholic, Tom from my friend Kate Edler’s Anomalous (someone please publish this book NOW)… they’re all flawed people, some much more than others. But they’re also written with an eye for detail. Marco always has ink on his fingers and walks through life wearing a magically-enhanced fake face to look more handsome. Tom has to deface a rival’s car when he notices the man has handiwipes in his backseat. Henry is feline in his movements and with his long, sleek black hair and he’s often bored and selfish.
 
I try to bring flaws and “killer diller details” to my characters through poetic, comedic or very specific description, and to know them as clearly as one would know their lover.


Kendra L. Saunders is the author of the magic realism novel Inanimate Objects and the dark comedy Death and Mr. Right. She has been published in Snakeskin Magazine, Premier Bride Magazine and has conducted interviews with goth rocker Aurelio Voltaire, NYT Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout and fashion designers Dmitry Sholokhov and Fabio Costa, among others, for Steampunk Magazine, The New England Horror Writers and ipmnation.com. She reports regularly for Pure Textuality and writes helpful writing articles for NerdCaliber's Pages of Note.

She also has a lifelong passion for black and white photography and shares photographs from her travels and adventures through her website, facebook, tumblr and twitter.

Kendra is host of the quirky literary podcast, 13 1/2 Minutes and has been a featured guest and co-host on various radio and podcast shows.

In her spare time Kendra likes to daydream about (foreign) boys with dark hair, drink too much tea, read fashion magazines, listen to records on vinyl, plan her dream trip to England and attempt to travel back in time to the Jazz Age. Find her online at www.kendralsaunders.com or on twitter at @kendrybird


Other Books:

Death and Mr. Right (Spence City, 10/2013)
March 32nd, the day that doesn’t exist.
Death has been demoted and exiled to live among normals for the rest of his unnaturally long life. Everyone knows They don’t look lightly on important items getting lost or an agent falling in love.
Can the diva-like Death navigate the modern world, recover what was stolen from him (the names of the damned… ooops!) and get his job back? Or will he fall in love with Lola, the pretty thief who
got him into this in the first place?

Inanimate Objects (2012)
Inanimate Objects is a dark and glittering novel of artists and magicians, muses and immortals. At the heart of the story is Leonidas Bondi, a charismatic young artist who falls under the watchful gaze of Matilda August. Matilda has been a patron to the stars for hundreds of years, but this fickle muse is more than a little taken with her new protégé, blurring her own lines of work and obsession. Providing opposition is Matilda’s son, Elisha, a moody figure who holds revenge above all else after he suffers a terrible wrong..
 
Overlapping Visions (2013)
A girl helps a boy burn down his family home. A lonely woman attempts to celebrate an illegal holiday in future Russia. Young love is discovered within the aisles of a bookstore and then lost just as quickly. Two best friends arrive at the doors of a school for wayward souls. The agent of nightmares ponders mortality...

This powerful collection of short stories and poems from novelist Kendra L. Saunders is full of ghosts and emotional landscapes. In turns imaginative and blunt, Overlapping Visions leaves a lasting memory.

 
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The Writers Voice!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Help build a library In Africa


October last year I launched my first Novel at a school venue where I had decided to equally divide all proceeds between Avalon Private School, and Starfish Greathearts foundation in South Africa. I was so happy with the efforts and results that I have decided to make it an annual book drive. This year we will carry on accepting paperbacks and ebooks (in epub version only) to fill the shelves to the brim at Avalon Private school, thus adding more reading pleasure to their newly established library. Next year I have decided to help build a library at a hospital in our area. 
Libraries and reading are quickly becoming less of an enjoyment or art form in our schools, everywhere. In South Africa I could probably count on my one hand how many local schools actually boast a library. We need books desperately in South Africa. I am not only accepting children’s books but I think it’s time South African youth find out what Young Adult books can show, teach and evoke within them. By exposing these young adults and children to the wild, exciting worlds we create we can breed a best seller author for sure. Share your dream, build a dream, and ignite the future with us! 


Avalon Now has a library! Thanks to your efforts:

Full article here


How can you help?

If you should be interested please fill in the contact form on the linked page,  leave a comment with your email , or add the help build a library badge in Africa to your site and link it here: http://www.carlylelabuschagne.com/help-us-build-a-library.html


Thank you! 






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