I have always had a reading ritual- a couple actually. And I prefer to think of them as rituals and not quirks, although some would debate me on that. When I am in the “reading mode” so to speak, I gather everything together- I get a pillow, light blanket and gather some snacks so that I don’t have to get up for a break. I then open the dog door so I don’t have to get up, get in my favorite chair and turn on some background noise (yes I am one of those people who can read with the tv on). I then settle down for a good few hours of uninterrupted reading time. And it goes without saying, the better the book the more I resent interruptions. Excuses are abound during a good reading session- dishes can wait until tomorrow and I don’t need to do laundry. Then there is my favorite thing to say to all who interrupt me-“you can get it yourself.” If only my lotto train could come in, I could even blow off actual work to read. I know I have a good book, when I deeply resent real life getting in they way…

Some years ago, when my first novel THE KEEPER came out, I received a piece of hate mail from a reader, telling me that I’d gone too far, was evil, and she hoped I never had children. I deleted that e-mail, though in retrospect, perhaps I should have offered to sign and mail her another copy, since she clearly enjoyed the first so much. My number one fan might be dismayed to learn that four months ago, my daughter Clementine Jane was born. I adore her more than thoughts can express, or I’m even able to admit even to myself. If I admitted it, I’d never leave her side. THE KEEPER, by far the darkest book I’ve written, confronts incest in a frank and disturbing way, but I took no joy in writing the short scene my angry reader reacted to, nor does that scene glorify the act, or sexualize children. Quite the contrary. And yet, I made an enemy. Given the book’s reception by the Book-of-the-Month club, a lot of enemies. Want more? read the rest… Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Some years ago, when my first novel THE KEEPER came out, I received a piece of hate mail from a reader, telling me that I’d gone too far, was evil, and she hoped I never had children. I deleted that e-mail, though in retrospect, perhaps I should have offered to sign and mail her another copy, since she clearly enjoyed the first so much. My number one fan might be dismayed to learn that four months ago, my daughter Clementine Jane was born. I adore her more than thoughts can express, or I’m even able to admit even to myself. If I admitted it, I’d never leave her side. THE KEEPER, by far the darkest book I’ve written, confronts incest in a frank and disturbing way, but I took no joy in writing the short scene my angry reader reacted to, nor does that scene glorify the act, or sexualize children. Quite the contrary. And yet, I made an enemy. Given the book’s reception by the Book-of-the-Month club, a lot of enemies. Want more? read the rest… Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

September 2009 On Sale: September 8, 2009Featuring: Mia Saul368 pages ISBN: 1439102538EAN: 9781439102534Paperback$15.00 Women’s Fiction Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com Breaking the Bankby Yona Zeldis McDonough Single mother Mia Saul discovers that an ATM machine gives her free money; what she does with that money could change many lives–including her own. MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHINGMia Saul is down on her luck. Dumped by her husband, jettisoned from her job, and estranged from her adored older brother, she and her young daughter, Eden, have had to make a downscale move to a crummy apartment, where their neighbors include a tough young drug dealer and a widower who lets his dogs use the hallways as their own personal litter box. Juggling a series of temporary jobs, wrangling with her ex-husband over child support, and trying to keep pace with Eden’s increasingly erratic behavior have left Mia weary and worn out. EXCEPT WHEN IT ISSo when a seemingly functional ATM starts handing Mia thousands and thousands of dollars — and not deducting the money from her account, because it sure isn’t in there — she isn’t about to give it back. Her newfound cash stash opens up a world of opportunity, and a whole lot…

I’ve been a published author for approximately seven years. Since I started to write, I enjoy writing about subjects that intrigued, puzzled, or upset me.Circles of Love was a book that explored a painful topic. For years I pondered the idea of having no clue to where you came from. The heroine in Circles of Love went in search of her mother after realizing she couldn’t marry the hero until she knew who she was. That story earned me a 4-1/2 Gold review from Romantic Times Book Club. While negotiating my latest contract my editor suggested that I write connected books. I didn’t want to write about another large or extended family so I opted for stories connected by a large company. Living in the Detroit area, my ideas swirled around the automobile companies since Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporations are all located in metro Detroit. I didn’t want to use any of these companies so I created my own. French-owned and operated Gautier’s International Motors was born. I had no idea that the auto industry would stall, fail, or file for bankruptcy protection to stay in business and start new. Chrysler would offer the hand of partnership to…

My blog is about why my fantasy and paranormal novels center on wolves as main characters, or spirit guides. In my debut fantasy novel, Mystic Stone of the Tenth Realm, my hero is a Scottish werewolf, an alpha of his own pack( to be re-released soon). My current series is an epic lycan series, The Wolf Maiden Chronicles. Book 1, Werewolf Sanctuary released May 2009 followed by Beast Warrior (August 2009), which takes place during the Viking era. White Wolf of Avalon: Werewolf Knight (Fall 2009) will be forthcoming. My totem guide is the raven but my heart guide is the wolf. I also do presentations on wolf and werewolf lore. I’m not alone in my love of the wolf. Numerous authors are following the call of the wild. Why is the wolf a common archetype in many myths and stories, even today? Nothing sends a chill down your spine more that hearing a wolf’s howl in the night. While at a wolf sanctuary, I spent the night in a trailer on the grounds and was privileged to hear night after night of thirty wolves in their nightly serenade. No sound is more awesome. To find out more about the…

I know a lot of aspiring writers (and I’ll likely meet a lot more, during the writer-in-residence program at the Toronto Public Library this fall. And every July, after aspiring romance writers attend RWA’s National convention, many of them come home determined to sell their first book by the next annual conference. Selling a book by a specific date sounds like a good goal, but think about it. We say that authors make sales, but who is really is charge of that part of the process? Publishers buy books – specifically editors working for publishers – while authors write books. So, it’s not really up to you when your book is sold. This makes selling a poor goal, as the biggest part of it isn’t in the realm of your influence. That said, there are a lot of awfully good goals that can put on the right path to making that sale, and – good news! – they are all within your powers To read the list of ten things to do please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

It all began with a dive. Not the kind of dive you take into a swimming pool, but the kind where you squeeze yourself into a wetsuit and wonder just how tasty your rump must appear to passing sharks now that it looks like an elephant seal. My husband and I had taken a trip to Egypt, and at the suggestion of a friend, we decided to go to Alexandria to see the remains of Cleopatra’s underwater city. Let it be known that I had never gone scuba diving before, but after four days with an instructor (and countless questions like, “Will there be sharks? How about jellyfish? If there is an earthquake, what happens underwater?”) we were ready for the real thing. To read more about Michelle’s adventure in Egypt click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

A discussion in one of my yahoo groups brought up special holidays in September. I’m sure if we all took a moment and stopped we could think of the more “traditional” holidays that September holds, but I wanted to think of something different. That sent me to Google and what I found was that September is Read A New Book Month. To read more about September being read a book month, and to leave a comment for a chance to win our weekend only contest please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Fun Books to Read! Today is tea day, Means gathering books, getting dressed somewhat nicely (no “work” pants, jeans okay), putting on the minimal amount of make-up (mascara, lip gloss) and heading out the door by noon to go meet the girls. Sorry, no guys allowed in this part of the book club. Then we gather at a tea room and enjoy at least two hours of conversation, book chatter, life chatter and consume a four course (sometimes five if we’re lucky) tea. We do this at least once a month, sometimes we luck out and get to do it twice in a month. I can’t remember a three-time but hey it could happen! It’s really lots of fun and since we usually ALWAYS do a book exchange, you come home loaded to the gills with new books to try. It’s the closest thing to a reader paradise I know. Except maybe book club night, a whole different concept. So, anyway, today is the Saturday after “Vampire Diaries” and with all the vamp talk being going on about this one, starting in the 1990s when the L.J. Smith books first came out and Gwen discovered them. Those were the books…