BOOK LAUNCH PARTY

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MUSEITUP AUTHORS WHO HAVE BOOKS RELEASED TODAY, FEBRUARY 3rd 2012

 CONGRATULATIONS ELLE DRUSKIN



  

Cover Designer: Delilah Stephans



GOING TO THE DOGS 

A Contemporary Romance Novel



Sam Kendall is a cop with a mission; find the killer who murdered his partner and track down the diamond thieves behind the killing. Chief suspect Jodie McBride is a brilliant dog trainer but a loser with men. Dog-hating Sam is stuck with a junk food addicted poodle as his new partner and stuck on a cute redheaded dog lover that he desperately wants to be innocent. Mix in an assortment of eccentric pooches, their offbeat owners, baseball fans and two very smart canines who know humans can’t be trusted to know a good thing when they see it. Before Sam and Jodie know what's happened, everybody is going to the dogs.

Now available from  Amazon Kindle  and  MuseItUp Bookstore 

Visit Elle at  Elle Druskin's Website 

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CONGRATULATIONS SHELLIE NEUMEIER



Cover Designer Kaytalin Platt



 

THE WISHING RING



The Adventures of Cory and Ali

A Tween Fantasy  Novella

BLURB:
The King’s castle stands alone atop Grand Ur Mountain, but even that does not match the solitude surrounding Princess Ally. With a carrot-shaped nose, she trudges through her princess duties with the most unfortunate face. With her pet greybar (a creature with the head of a greyhound, body of a polar bear, and wings of an eagle) as her only friend, Ali dreams of becoming a beautiful princess.

When Cory, a ninja-in-training, drops through the royal chimney, he does not intend to enlist the help of anyone, much less a girl, but she holds the key to the Creator’s map. The ancient map marks the secret hiding place of the magic Wishing Ring, a ring grants the wearer one wish.

Cory’s mysterious need for the ring and Ali’s dream of a beauty send the pair to a forgotten land. Only the war ravaged clan of Odana can translate the map’s key. But even if they manage to find a translator, the question remains—can they beat the Ogre who guards the ring?


Available from Amazon and Muse Bookstore

Visit Shellie at  Shellie Neumeier's Website

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CONGRATULATIONS      DEBI WILDER

GABBY’S SECOND CHANCE, BOOK 2  LACEY’S LAMP

Cover Designer Suzannah Safi


A Short Story

Erotic Fantasy
fantasy, paranormal, love lost, love found, betrayal

BLURB

Gabby Adams did the unthinkable – she put her unborn child in harms way and lost. While Ryan Peterson was fleeing the thugs he owed money to for horse betting, Gabby placed herself physically between the man she loved and the men who wanted to harm him. Gabby feels she’s undeserving to give her love to anyone, physically or emotionally. With ghosts laid to rest and Lacey’s help, will Gabby find love in the arms of another man?

Available from  Amazon Kindle and  MuseItUp Bookstore

 Debi Wilder's Website but you must be 18yrs+ to enter this site.

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CONGRATULATIONS  KRISTIN BATTESTELLA

RESURRECTION: STEPHANIE AFTER THE LILITHAN

Cover Designer Suzannah Safi

Book Seven in Fate and Fangs
The Vampire Family Series

Dark Fiction Paranormal

A Short Story









BLURB

In Professor James’ final tale, former Lilithan vampire and newly divorced scientist Stephanie just can’t get over how much she misses being a vampire. After a harrowing car accident during a frightful storm, Stephanie meets Mestiphles, the giver and taker of vampire power on both sides of the coven wars.  His charm and seductive powers sweeten the demonic offer he extends, but will Stephanie accept Mestiphles’ dark opportunities?


 Available from   Amazon Kindle and MuseItUp Bookstore

Visit Kristin at Kristin Battestella's blog


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CONGRATULATIONS TO ME!

          


Cover Designer Kaytalin Platt



BILLY THE BONSAI BULL 

 is a short chapter book for Middle Graders, about an orphan calf's struggle to survive through grief, rejection and bullying.

BLURB



This is an Australian true story told from the little bull's point of view.



Billy is a stubborn, orphaned calf who is losing the battle to survive. Hope revives in an unexpected way, through the milk bottle he detests, and brings him a sense of belonging. However, it takes more than a place in the pecking order for this little white bull to thrive. It takes a miracle.



In frustration, the farmer's wife declares, "The trouble is, he knows he's a cow."

 

Thank you Lea Schizas and MuseItUp Publishing.

Thank you to my editors Annie Duguid and Nancy Bell, and to my cover designer Kaytalin Pratt.

Available from  Amazon Kindle  and  MuseItUp Bookstore

My Website



Come and join the boistrous party via the comments- if you are game. Meet the authors and you might win a copy of one of these new books.

The garden gate stands ajar-- WELCOME IN said the spier to the fly hehehehe. Bring your characters to mingle with ours.





IN CONVERSATION WITH NANCY M BELL

On this most auspicious occasion, the launch of

her beautiful novel, Laurel's Miracle, let us  welcome  our guest of honour, Nancy Bell.

Hi Wendy, thank you so much for having me as

 your guest.

hands over hostess gift of home baked gingersnaps to Wendy

 Yum, perfect for the party table, thanks.

Cover artist: Kaytalin Platt

So, Nancy, what prompted you to start this story about Laurel’s Miracle?

 That’s a long story for sure. I suffered a life changing injury in August of 2005. Actually, it was 6.01 pm MST August 2, 2005. I know the time because I looked at my watch a nanosecond before I caught my leg on a piece of farm equipment in the corral. I spent the next four months on crutches and mostly in bed, so I had tons of time to think.

Going from a million miles an hour to zero in a minute is a very humbling experience. I took the time to start studying and researching some things I just hadn’t gotten around to. One of the things was the earth energy lines which cross southern England. I have always been fascinated by Glastonbury/Avalon and the Arthur legends. I read anything I could get my hands on to stave off the boredom and became engrossed in it.

I spent quite a bit of time going to physical therapy at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary and was quite moved by a fellow patient whom I never really met, I don’t even know her name. She was quite young and fighting cancer.  The germ of the idea for Laurel comes from there. I just wove the story in my own way and gave her the miracle I hope really came true. 

 That is lovely, so touching, Nancy, but I'm sorry about your poor leg.

Yes, well I broke my pelvis and did nerve and ligament damage to my spine.

Trotting horse, immobile farm equpment and me, I lose. :~) Upside is it gave me the time to write.

Oh, that was a bad accident. I admire your spirit 'to get on with it.' Having a passion for writing must have helped. Can you tell us a little about Laurel’s background?

Laurel is a thirteen year old southern Alberta girl who lives on the family ranch near Pincher Creek, Alberta. She’s a bit of a loner and likes the company of her horse more than most people. She does have two friends who live on the next ranch, Chance and Carlene. They spend a lot of time together helping out on the ranch and just riding on the prairie. Her mom is a special woman who is open to the magic of the natural world around her. Laurel’s dad, however, doesn’t hold with such nonsense, although he’s not sure why he feels so strongly about it. 

That last sentence has just added another dimension to the story for me. Did you let the dad discover what was holding him to his reaction?

I don’t include him in the story other than the fact Laurel refers to him sometimes, but if you read Laurel’s Miracle you’ll find out what the secret is. There is more to find out in Arabella’s Secret which I haven’t finished yet. Arabella is Laurel’s grandmother.


 Why did you choose the YA genre to tell her story?

Honestly, it wasn’t a conscious decision, Laurel just presented herself to me and off we went on the wild ride of telling her story. Her name was inspired by a horse I owned for 19 years, her name was actually 

photo: Michelle Kannenberg

Laura’s Miracle. She was a foal from a nurse mare at  a huge thoroughbred farm, when an expensive TB mare died Laura’s mom was given to the orphan TB foal. That’s why big farms keep a nurse mare band, Laura wasn’t doing well and a friend of mine who worked there told me about the little black foal. So long story short, the foal came to me. My friend’s name was Laura which is why we called the horse Laura’s Miracle because it was a miracle the foal survived. 

Did you write the story from beginning to end? 

Laurel’s Miracle is the only thing I have ever written out of sequence. I actually wrote the ending in one eight hour stint (thought I was going to die I was so sore) but it had me by the throat and I had to finish it. So I had to map out a plan, I knew where I wanted her to go and in what order I just had to figure out how to get her there and still keep the story interesting and fresh.

In the process I read Hamish Miller and Paul Broadhurst’s The Sun and The Serpent and it helped me show Laurel the way to her Miracle. I also made a wonderful friend in Hamish Miller, although I only ever corresponded with him by email. He was an exceptional man.

That is pretty special. Had it not been for your research, this novel, the young patient, your leg injury, that instant of inattention you wouldn’t have had experienced this wonderful friendship.

The patient wasn’t that young, she had small children at home which made it worse. She was a very brave woman from what I observed.

Being a MuseItUp editor as well as an author, do you find it difficult to turn off your internal editor during the first draft?

I can’t seem to turn it off <laughs> I edit my stupid email for heaven’s sake.

Well, that must really hurt. Hahaha.
What do you like about writing?

Photo: Frances Watt

I love the magic of it, the thoughts and actions flowing from my fingers and so often surprising me because I didn’t think that was where the story was going at all. I love research, it’s addicting and I have to be careful I don’t get so caught up in following one lead to the next that I forget I have a story to tell and I need to get to it.   

What don't you like about writing?

When my editor tells me I have too many uses of ‘that’ and I have to go weed them out before she comes after me with a whip. Honestly, I love the creative process. I don’t know how NOT to write.

My editor has a thing about 'that' too, and 'had' ;~)

Is there anything about the writing process you found surprising?

How addicting research is. My characters constantly surprise me with their thoughts and actions. They seem to grow and mature without any direction from me which I find a bit unsettling at times. I mean, am I just a conduit for them to tell their stories through?

If you are just a conduit, then you are truly blessed as a writer.

Thanks, that’s so sweet of you to say that.

Apart from the impact of the brave patient on you and the foal’s name, are any story lines based on things that have happened to you or you have heard about?

I would have to say, no, not directly. However, everything we see or hear or experience is grist for the writer’s mill. So in that respect, I do pull emotions and thoughts and sometimes ideas from my own experiences.

Well, the dog in Christmas Storm which releases in March of 2012 is based on a foster dog I cared for. Lily was quite the character, the peacock incident is a gift from her of sorts. I still miss her, but she is very happy with her new family out on Vancouver Island.

What advice would you have for other authors?

 Believe in yourself and your work. There are so many naysayers out there, “You’re not a writer because you not published”, “Oh, you write , that’s not really writing” and the list goes on. Never be afraid to take constructive criticism and implement it. Talk to people, go to writers' conferences and talk to editors and publishers, learn all the aspects of your craft.

What are you passionate about?

This will sound hoakey, but Truth and Love. Anyone who knows me knows I am an animal lover. I believe each life is sacred and deserves respect, my concept of ‘life’ includes flowers, trees, bugs, the land, in short everything which exists in all worlds on all planes of existence. Learning and growing and having the courage to look my own faults in the face, acknowledge them and then strive to change them to something closer to my idea of what I should be. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a warrior in me who wants to take a few heads when cruelty is perpetrated on innocents; I am of Celtic ancestry after all. 

That doesn’t sound hoakey. If more people thought like you do, there’d be harmony on our planet. And your charity . . .?

Yes, $1 from every copy of Laurel’s Miracle sold between September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2011 will be donated to Dare to Dream Horse Rescue in Dalemead, Alberta. They buy horses at auction which would normally go to the meat buyers and end up at the packing plant. They work with these animals and rehome them; they also incorporate a youth ministry into the mix. This is a wonderful cause and one I support whole heartedly.

Where can we get to know you better, Nancy?

 You can visit my website -

Nancy M. Bell    the m is because there is another author writing as Nancy Bell and I want people to find me.

 Twitter@emilypikkasso

Facebook  -- AuthorNancyMBell  and Nancy Rafter Bell

Nancy Bell Author Page  at MuseItUp Publishing

Laurel's Miracle Book Page 

BOOK VIDEO   this is a lovely book trailer

Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog, Wendy and best of luck with your own writing. I understand The Unhewn Stone was released recently from MuseItUp Publishing. Congratulations.
 
Thank you. Now the PARTY begins via the comments. One lucky guest will WIN a copy of Laurel’s Miracle. So welcome EVERYONE! Come and feast on Nancy’s special day!

Meet author Rebecca Ryals Russell

Welcome to my blog, Rebecca.

Rebecca Ryals Russell writes MG and YA Dark Fantasy and Horror while living with her family in a Victorian house on five acres of North Florida countryside. She also runs a Vacation Rental Log House on the property: Florida Black Bear Cabin.  http://flablackbearcabin.com

She is a fourth generation Floridian. She was born in Gainesville, grew up in Sunrise, lived in Orlando and Jacksonville before moving outside Lake City to care for ailing parents.

The daughter of an Elementary-school principal and secretary, for fourteen years she taught Middle Grades, preferring English and Creative Writing. She had several students’ works published in anthologies as well as her own poetry, photography and stories. Her main interests are her four children ages 22, 19, 16, 11 and Irish hubby of 35 years. She enjoys spending her time writing, drawing, going to movies, reading, discussing philosophy with her 17-year-old son.

Can you tell us a little about your latest release from MuseItUp Publishing.

My newest book is a Novella in the YA series Seraphym Wars. Prophecy is free-standing and can be read at any point, but should be read early in the series as it explains the origin of the Prophecy of Solsyl which the Vigorios (teen demon-hunting warriors) must fulfil. It has about 70 pages.

     Where did the germ of an idea come from for this book?

This particular book came about as a way of explaining the need for the Vigorios and the Prophecy. The idea for the series was born from an observation of the increasing levels of evil in the world. All of the evil in either of my series (Seraphym Wars and Stardust Warriors for MG) comes directly from actual news accounts.

How did you choose your setting? Have you woven your own environment into your story?

I wanted the world of the series to be the home planet of the Demon-Dragons, so I had to build a world that is infected by their evil. But I also wanted readers to be able to identify with the world. So I loosely based Dracwald on Earth.

Who is your favourite character in your novel?

I think my favourite character in Prophecy is the blue Wren named Shadow because he’s smart, popular and a smart-alec. He lightens the story.

How many drafts did it take before you felt satisfied to submit this novel for publication?

Because Prophecy is the second book in a series, the publisher, MuseItUp Publishing, has first rights. I think I revised Prophecy three times before being satisfied with it. The first book in the series, Odessa, however, was revised six or seven times before getting ‘right’ and even now I’d like to go back and work on issues I see in it.

What's the one thing you hope your readers will take away with them, after finishing Prophecy?

I hope readers want to pick up Odessa and see where this Prophecy of Solsyl takes the Vigorios and just who the Vigorios are, anyway.

 If,  by chance, you became trapped inside one of your stories, would you try to escape to your real world?

Absolutely. I have no desire to live on Dracwald and endure the suffering the people are put through by Narciss, Ruler of Tartarus, and his Demon Legio. There are monsters living in every forest, lake, sea, swamp. The evil has seeped into the mountains, ground, water where the dragons live, making the land and animals toxic.

Do you have a daily writing routine?

I try to keep to routine, but with a family and Vacation Rental business, it’s difficult. I usually check my email first thing, do some Twittering and marketing on blogs then try to do some writing. On some days I can write as much as 5,000 words—other days none. If no writing continues for too long I get frustrated and stop everything else in order to write for a whole day. But since Odessa and Zarena and now Prophecy came out, I have less and less time to write due to all of the marketing required.

 Whom do you most admire?

I have eternal admiration for my soul-mate husband. I met him six months after his arrival in the US from Ireland at age nineteen. We dated for six months then married—much to everyone’s shock and surprise. We’ve been married thirty-five years this year and are as much in love and respect as the day we met. My husband has an amazing nature for patience and tolerance, seeing/analysing a situation and thinking through to the best solution. He’s driven in his work as an Advertising Executive and everyone at work respects his judgement as well. He’s been an awesome Daddy and will be a terrific Grandpa when the time is right. It was he who insisted I quit teaching and ‘write that book you’ve always wanted to’. And the dedication in each of the books states just that.

When you aren’t writing, what do you enjoy most?

Every Tuesday night my young adult daughter and I have a standing ‘movie date’. We look forward to it all week, planning what we’ll see. We live in a tiny town with a very, very old theatre that has six small screens, so our choices are sometimes limited to yuk or nothing. On those nights we do an in-home movie and popcorn—but it’s not the same.

 What's the most important thing you would like readers to know about you as an author?

I would like readers to know how much I care about them as readers. I write my books with teens and young adults in mind the whole time—trying to create characters they could relate to and enjoy getting to know. I also LOVE meeting and talking to my readers/fans. I’m one of those authors who answers emails and questions about my books.
Middle Graders can contact me through an Interactive website I created just for them. See the list at the end.

 Apart from ‘never give up’ what advice as a writer would you give to someone who takes their writing seriously?

Don’t wait to get your work ‘out there’. My High School senior son is an incredible writer—better than I ever will be. But he has no self-confidence and thinks his stuff is bad. So he won’t blog or post any of his writing on forums or try to sell it to ezines. I keep telling him it’s a mistake to wait. If you have a talent for writing as a young person, take advantage of that youth and get your work in front of the public. If you are truly gifted, you’ll be discovered and can have a long, full writing career. I deeply regret not starting on this route until I retired from a career in teaching and mothering.

It's been lovely chatting with you Rebecca. Thank you for allowing us into your world. I wish you much writing success.

May we read your book blurb for Prophesy, please?

Prophecy (Seraphym Wars YA series)

For centuries the residents of Solsyl lived in peace and harmony with the planet. Then the dragon-demons arrived, causing the Great Shuddering. Majikals from everywhere scurried to find shelter from the evil while humans hid. Laud regretted his rash decision of exiling the demons on Solsyl and asked one of his advisors, a member of The Conscientia, to protect his people. Jeremiah Holyfield agreed to leave the peaceful world of Revrum Natura for a life of constant strife and fear on the newly renamed planet of Dracwald. But Narciss, ruler of Tartarus and King of the demons, desperately wants what Jeremiah has sworn to protect—a Prophecy of Narciss’s future doom. And Narciss refuses to take no for an answer. But Jeremiah discovers allies along his path and even true love, which he never dreamed possible.

But forever is a long time to protect something without ever letting down one’s guard.

This sounds like an exciting, though troubling time with plenty of strange characters to entertain your readers.LINKS

Under the Hat

http://rryalsrussell.com

Tween Word Quest

http://tweenwordquest.com

Teen Word Factory

http://teenwordfactory.com

Odessa

http://seraphymwarsodessa.blogspot.com

Prophecy

http://seraphymwarsprophecy.blogspot.com

Flyte Publishing

http://rebeccaryalsrussell.com

FACEBOOK

Personal

http://facebook.com/rebeccaryalsrussell

Author Page

http://facebook.com/yellowhatwriter