In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Talking with Author Mike Mullin

Debut author Mike Mullin stops by All the Blog's a Page to talk about the release of his debut novel, ASHFALL! Last time he was here, he talked about being a plotter and pantser. This time, it's all about ASHFALL and the writing journey.










Many visitors to Yellowstone National Park don’t realize that the boiling hot springs and spraying geysers are caused by an underlying supervolcano. It has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, and it will erupt again, changing the Earth forever.

Fifteen-year-old Alex is home alone when the supervolcano erupts. His town collapses into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence, forcing him to flee. He begins a harrowing trek in search of his parents and sister, who were visiting relatives 140 miles away.

Along the way, Alex struggles through a landscape transformed by more than a foot of ash. The disaster brings out the best and worst in people desperate for food, clean water, and shelter. When an escaped convict injures Alex, he searches for a sheltered place where he can wait—to heal or to die. Instead, he finds Darla. Together, they fight to achieve a nearly impossible goal: surviving the supervolcano.


Come on over to All the Blog's a Page now to learn more about Mike's debut novel!

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Plotter, Pantser, Both? Talking with Author CHAMSIL @ All the Blog's a Page

Are you a PLOTTER or a PANTSER...or are you BOTH? That's the question being asked of the authors coming to you live this month on ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE. I have had author-friends who truly detest plotting, feeling it takes away from what the characters want to say, and I've had author-friends who detest flying by the seat of their author pants because the writing produced never seems to gel and come together. What do you prefer? Check out what the AtBaP authors of July think and share your own thoughts!

We round out July with an author I've known for a while now; I tell you, he's one of the hardest working writers I know. If he's not writing, he's on course to promote, promote, promote his wares: author CHAMSIL!









For Unbeknownst:

Memphis, Tennessee, 20th century.

Jamin Edson is a young business professional, boyfriend, and father of one who sorely lacks the connection, but is seeking love and acceptance within the confines of his family structure. Although, he has longed for this interaction, it has seemed so far from his reach. So far, that he continuously feels defeated. Lindsay Beauregard is a young business professional, girlfriend, and mother of one who is inflexible in every stretch of the imagination. She is very aggressive, opinionated and does things entirely in the manner in which she feels they need to be done. Hope Edson is a young child and daughter of Jamin and Lindsay, who becomes an unfortunate victim of circumstance and entangled in the web that is her parents’ tumultuous and challenging relationship. When Jamin makes the drastic decision to flee the city, abandoning his family in a last ditch effort to escape the persistent and volatile drama, Lindsay is left with no choice but to pick up the remaining pieces of the shattered mirror. Sadly, Hope is also forced to pick up a piece in order to reflect on her life and where she’s headed, even at a very young age.

Take a journey into their worlds in order to see how lives are forever changed and how those same lives run in parallel to one another in entirely different environments over a span of a number of years. Witness the trials and tribulations, heartache and pain, successes, pitfalls, and shortcomings that are the result of one fateful decision. There are many lessons to be learned. Life goes on. Life brings about new experiences. Life has inevitable challenges. Life isn’t always what it seems. But, ultimately, life catches up with you, sooner or later. The only question is…will you be ready when it does?


This is Unbeknownst.


Stop by All the Blog's a Page to not only read CHAMSIL's thoughts on plotting and pantsing in his writing life, but to also read an excerpt of Unbeknownst!

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Plotter, Pantser, Both? Talking with Author Deborah Batterman @ All the Blog's a Page

Are you a PLOTTER or a PANTSER...or are you BOTH? That's the question being asked of the authors coming to you live this month on ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE. I have had author-friends who truly detest plotting, feeling it takes away from what the characters want to say, and I've had author-friends who detest flying by the seat of their author pants because the writing produced never seems to gel and come together. What do you prefer? Check out what the AtBaP authors of July think and share your own thoughts!

This week, we ask the Plotter-Pantser question to author Deborah Batterman whose collection of short stories, SHOES HAIR NAILS, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.








The settings of these stories - 1980s New York City, 1950s Brooklyn, Las Vegas, an exurban town post-9/11 - are as diverse as the rich palette of characters drawn with heart, humor, and sensuality. With a sharp sense of the telling detail, Deborah Batterman weaves narratives around the everyday symbols in our world and their resonance in our lives.


Stop by All the Blog's a Page today to read Deborah's engaging response to the plotter-pantser question; more than likely, you'll see some truth in her words.


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Plotter, Pantser, Both? Talking with Author Bettye Griffin @ All the Blog's a Page

Are you a PLOTTER or a PANTSER...or are you BOTH? That's the question being asked of the authors coming to you live this month on ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE. I have had author-friends who truly detest plotting, feeling it takes away from what the characters want to say, and I've had author-friends who detest flying by the seat of their author pants because the writing produced never seems to gel and come together. What do you prefer? Check out what the AtBaP authors of July think and share your own thoughts!

Our next author this month is someone I've read over the years and have LOVED--Bettye Griffin!






In this updated, revised eBook version of Bettye Griffin’s classic novel originally published in 1999…

Ava Maxwell has made a career out of helping other people with their dreams as the leading wedding planner in the trendy but troubled city of Palmdale, Florida. She cherishes the idea of couples starting marriages and creating families…knowing that for her, the reality was painfully different.

Ten years before Ava walked out on her marriage when she and her ex-husband received the devastating news that she would never be able to have children…the one thing her ex wanted most. The intervening years have been marked by aborted relationships, her only comfort being the belief that she will finally be able to claim happiness once she reaches the point in her life where she would no longer be expected to bear children…but she’s only thirty-five years old and lonely, and ‘that certain age’ is still a good ten years away.

Then, in the same remarkable evening, Ava encounters both an eight-year-old purse snatcher and an exciting new man in town. Unlikely alliances are formed, bonds that soon deepen into something more special than she’s ever known. Could these two be the key to her attaining…A Love of Her Own?


Stop by All the Blog's a Page to not only read Bettye's thoughts on plotting and pantsing, but to also sneak a peek at her re-released novel, A LOVE OF HER OWN!

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GREAT CHARACTER with Author Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Our final author this month in our talk about great characters is a woman with great character herself, Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts! I was introduced to her writing when I read and reviewed her novel, Interruption: The Gospel According to Crystal Justine, and not only did I enjoy the novel, but I also enjoyed the complex and charismatic storyteller behind the story.








Interruption: The Gospel According to Crystal Justine by Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts is the long awaited sequel to 2004's The Gospel According to Sasha Renee. It is the second book in the Gospel trilogy. Each book examines the deeply rooted issues that have plagued three generations of women in one family.

The story is a fascinating journey through the life of Crystal Justine (CJ), a young woman who has, for most of her life, been erroneously compared to her mother, Sasha Renee. Even as she struggles to escape the image and legacy of this enigma of a woman, she finds herself unconsciously acting out her mother's (and grandmother's) past mistakes. Her relationships with men, although few and far between, is tainted by the thing she cannot say; and her faith is weakened by the emotional and spiritual blows she endures. This dynamic story of deliverance keeps readers, page by page, on the edge of their proverbial seats, wondering if CJ will simply succumb to the darkness that has chased her soul for as long as she could remember or if she will be the one to finally put an end to the generational curse that has tried to consume her family.


You definitely don't want to miss the fantastic thoughts Tracey has on great characters...or the excerpt she shares with us! Head over to All the Blog's a Page and check it out!


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GREAT CHARACTER with Author Kit Frazier

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Our next author is one I've followed since her first book, Scoop dropped in 2006. It's not a coincidence that she's here on AtBaP this month; I fell for her stories because of her spunky, colorful, realistic lead character, Cauley MacKinnon. Welcome Kit Frazier to All the Blog's a Page!









FBI Special Agent Tom Logan is back in town, and he's got a proposition for obituary writer Cauley MacKinnon. He needs somebody dead. And who better to help fake the death of a weasel-y informant than Cauley, aka the Obituary Babe?

But things go awry when the snitch is gunned down on the way to the courthouse, his sister is nabbed by a mysterious cloaked figure and soon Cauley is up to her eyelashes in hot guys, dead bodies, and on the hunt for the missing sister with her search and rescue dog, Marlowe.


Head over to All the Blog's a Page now and check out Kit's thoughts on great characters and to check out an excerpt of her latest work, Dead Sexy!

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GREAT CHARACTER with Author Edward Dean Arnold

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Our next author chose a rather unique way to pitch his novel to top literary agents and though unconventional, landed one (which you can read about here: author Edward Dean Arnold!











Reminiscent of The Best Man, with the solid, sexy, urban style of Love Jones, Lovin' Mrs. Jones is a romantic drama filled with regret, betrayal, and irreversible outcomes. It explores what happens when you finally meet the love that is really meant for you...but you've already said "I do" to another. What do you do?

Meet Gabriel Washington. To all who know him, he has his act together -- financially secure, spiritually grounded, and he's just five days away from marrying his college sweetheart, Tracee Andrews. Despite her sharp tongue and sometimes manipulative ways, Tracee represents everything any sane man would want in a woman - ambitious, stunning, and has a gorgeous figure that intimidates the most confident of men. But as Gabriel will discover, the appearance of having everything is sometimes not enough when it comes to love, and definitely can fall short when it comes to being in love. So when this soon-to-be groom meets Alexandria Jones, a soft-spoken woman whose marriage to her husband just happens to be on shaky ground, a mutual, irresistible attraction will quickly transform Gabriel into a reluctant brotha just days prior to when he should be saying "I do".

At a time when things are seemingly perfect on the outside, Gabriel is conflicted on the inside whether it's worth risking a future he's somewhat certain of in exchange for a moment that may hold no promise. He will find out that falling for a married woman in the midst of her own marital breakdown comes with serious consequences. Falling for her on the week of his wedding, well...creates even more drama than he can imagine for an already complicated situation. Add to the mix Gabriel's not so innocent bride-to-be, Tracee, who has a few hidden skeletons of her own and Alexandria's husband, Lionel, who has been secretly covering up his ultimate betrayal for years. But it's only a matter of time before all secrets are revealed and lives are taken on a rollercoaster ride and turned upside down in more ways than one. And in the process, both will leave you personally invested in their lives and the choices they make beyond "The End".


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now and check out Edward's insightful thoughts on great characters, and read an excerpt from Lovin' Mrs. Jones! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!


And here's a [permalink] of the feature!

GREAT CHARACTER with Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Our next author...well, I've been following her literary career since the beginning. I remember it fondly, reading her debut novel, The Thin Pink Line back in 2003 and loving it, despite the fact that I wanted to seriously hurt the self-absorbed main character! Since then, author Lauren Baratz-Logsted has carved a space for herself in not only works for adults, but also works for teens and tweens!











Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day…a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda? Set in Victorian England, The Twin’s Daughter is a twisty tale of mystery, suspense, and even romance.


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now and check out Lauren's thoughts on great characters, and take a peek at an excerpt from her latest project, The Twin's Daughter! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!

And here's a [permalink] of the feature!

GREAT CHARACTER with Author Samara King

CHARACTER. Every story has them, and their development is vital to any great story. This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about GREAT CHARACTER. Authors talk to us about what they think makes up a great character, what great character they've found in others' works, and what great character lurks within one of their own works.

Kicking off March's GREAT CHARACTER series is an author I'm proud to call a sister. With every story she writes, she brings sassy, sexy, sensual characters to the forefront--and it doesn't hurt that she's an excellent poet to boot, author Samara King!








A masked lover
A year ago, Club Reign owner, Belinda Gilles threw the first Grown & Sexy Masquerade Ball without a hitch – that was until she encountered a masked man whose touch made her forget about her past. Did she dare to believe that her masked lover would show his face again?

What lies beneath…
When Jordan Harris discovers that Belle is the woman he encountered under the mask a year ago, he sets out to make her his, even if it means opening old wounds she’d vowed to never forgive him for.


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now to read Samara's thoughts on great characters, and delight in the tasty treat she offers in an excerpt of Hot to the Touch! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!

And here's a [permalink] of the feature!

Promo Your Book with FIRSTS

Firsts

These days, writers need to grab the reader on the first page. Firsts is a new segment that will be featured on ChickLitGurrl: high on LATTES & WRITING [website] and/or All the Blog's a Page [website]. With Firsts, authors can send to me the first page of their novel and the following information:

• Book cover
• Book description (what we'd read on the back cover of your novel
• Author pic
• Short author bio (what we might read on the back cover of your novel or the author page within your novel)

I will schedule the feature on one of the above sites and send out alerts on the feature's post on various social media outlets.


What I envision Firsts to be is that sneak peek into a novel that often moves us to take a book to the counter of a bookstore and buy it.


If you'd like to have your first promoted on CLG or AtBaP, e-mail me.

What Is a Good Book with Author Brandelyn N. Castine

This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about "good" books--particularly their definitions of a good book and how their latest releases constitute that good book. Our last guest for January, Brandelyn N. Castine, is a poet and author whose latest book, U.G.L.Y. looks into the life of a beautiful, talented young woman who finds her identity solely linked to her weight.








Meet Blair Hughes, a beautiful, intelligent and talented young woman who believes her identity is defined by her size 22 waistline. With constant scrutiny about her weight and a pattern of failed diets, Blair has given up trying be the perfect size six and has allowed herself to fade into the background.

Blair’s unforeseen romance with Salim Martin, a talented young writer begins to chip away at her insecurity and forces her to look at herself differently. As Salim works overtime to show her how beautiful she truly is, his best efforts are not strong enough to keep Blair from waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When an unexpected betrayal rocks her world, Blair flees from her friends and family to get a fresh start in the unpredictable streets of New York City. However this new life forces Blair to deal with a lot more than she bargained for.

Suddenly forced to recreate her personal definition, Blair travels through a series of right and wrong turns, chance encounters and unimaginable situations that ultimately lead her to a place where she is able to look past the physical and discover what it truly means to be U.G.L.Y.


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now to read Brandelyn's thoughts on the "good" book and see why her latest work might be that "good" book. Also, Brandelyn shares an excerpt from U.G.L.Y.. Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!

What Is a Good Book with Author Ellen Meister

This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about "good" books--particularly their definitions of a good book and how their latest releases constitute that good book.

riveting. intriguing. stimulating. original. gripping. provocative. unique. emotional powerhouse.

These are just a few of the adjectives that describe the upcoming release, The Other Life by AtBaP's next author, Ellen Meister!










What if you could return to the road not taken?

Quinn Braverman never told her loving husband, Lewis, that the real reason she chose him over her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to show her mother that she could have a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.

But she has an even darker secret: Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with her ex-boyfriend. The two lives run in parallel lines, and there, on the other side, the Quinn who never married is speeding through her high-drama life in Manhattan. Here, she lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.

So far she’s played it safe, never venturing over to the other side. Then a shocking turn of events rattles Quinn, and she makes the reckless choice to finally see what she’s been missing.

There, she not only rediscovers her exciting single life, but meets the one person she thought she’d lost forever. Her mother.

But Quinn can’t have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants—the one she has…or the other life?


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now to read Ellen's thoughts on the "good" book and see what she hopes readers will feel about her own work. Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!

What Is a Good Book with Author Anthony Anderson

This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about "good" books--particularly their definitions of a good book and how their latest releases constitute that good book. AtBaP's next author is a writer I met a while back on MySpace and have been thrilled to see him finally put the touches on his debut novel, The Vile, Sinister, and Most Utterly Diabolical Account of Latrina Emerson: Anthony Anderson!






What would Latrina Emerson, unassuming librarian and church organist, have in common with an agnostic physicist and a bunch of occultists over 2000 miles away? Absolutely nothing if she could help it. Some not-so-benevolent "Forces of Light", alas, won’t let her help it. She’s part of their plan save their credibility after some recent embarrassments (Y2K failing to end the world on prophetic schedule, increasing distrust of authority, etc) and shut up those smart alecks in the Forces of Darkness. But the Forces of Darkness have never followed the Light's rules—like the ones that say they have to be totally evil or always lose in the end—and they're not about to start now. A faction of Hell, in fact, has decided that despite religious and philosophical differences, Latrina is too decent a person to be martyred "for the greater good". Warning her, however, gets a bit tricky. And the real wild card may be Latrina herself, who may not be as “manageable” as the Powers-That-Only-Think-They-Be would like.


Come on by All the Blog's a Page now to read Anthony's pretty insightful thoughts on what makes a "good" book. I think a lot of people will agree with him. Also, there's a great excerpt of his debut novel, too! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!

What Is a Good Book with Author Miki Starr Martin

This month at ALL THE BLOG'S A PAGE, we're talking to authors about "good" books--particularly their definitions of a good book and how their latest releases constitute that good book. AtBaP's next author is so creative in the projects she tackles. One of her latest books is a great piece of metafiction, and yours truly appears in the story, too! I'm talking about Miki Starr Martin, author of two new novels, the metafiction Psycho and Olivia!












Dr. Nicollet Madison Fairway is a fictional psychotherapist straight out the mind of authoress Miki Starr Martin. Problem is - she doesn’t realize it. In a loft located in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, Dr. Fairway has created a very lucrative business counseling fictitious characters through a celebrated system that has been dubbed, The Fairway Method and has been greatly successful in her treatment of many very notable fictitious characters. From Eric Jerome Dickey’s Arizona, to the late Alex Haley’s Ruthana, with many other authors’ characters in between.

Now, Dr. Fairway has decided to take on a new adventure in her practice by serving a group of characters all from a single mind. In this case, it is her very own creator, Miki Starr. Unfortunately this is a much greater undertaking than the good doctor could have ever suspected. Between the troubles with her own relatives, a family filled with arrogant, self-serving doctors, her bickering clients, and her quest for true love - Dr. Fairway is doing all that she can to hold on to her sanity while trying to help her clients find a piece of their own.







For decades, the children of the planet Marieux were told tales of the birth of a savior that would free their world from the clutches of the heartless organization that controlled it for years. Military rule, unjust laws, and recruitment of women for the purpose of serving the needs of their oppressor, exemplified the society into which they were born. But with each passing year, as civilization was further plunged into the depths of despair, it became even less conceivable that the prophecy of the Anointed Daughter of the Marinites was true.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Kalaath, has heard this story since childhood and rejected it for just as long, despite at times being accused of being this prophecy come reality. After all, she has the golden skin tone and the extraordinary instincts synonymous with the mythical figure. Either way, being different has its price. In order to keep herself and her mother below the Shadow Realm Allegiance’s radar, she practices the age-old art of concealing, a survival technique she learned as a child. But when her best friend goes missing, Olivia must decide what she believes in once and for all.


You don't want to miss this feature! Miki Starr offers insightful responses to our monthly questions regarding "good" books and on top of that gives us two juicy excerpts to her novels! Head to All the Blog's a Page [NOW] to read more!