Amanda Flower Interview featuring Nicole Resciniti

Today's spotlight is with two amazing women: Amish/Adult Mystery/Middle Grade MysteryAuthor Amanda Flower and ACFW 2012 Agent of the Year Nicole Resciniti.

I'm so excited to have them on the blog, because it's always so fun to highlight people I know!

 



ME: Amanda, how did you know you wanted to work with Nicole?

AMANDA: A writer friend told me about Nicole and suggested that I send her a query. Before I did, I researched Nicole and the Seymour Agency because that’s what I do. I’m a librarian and research everything. The more I learned, the more I knew Nicole was the perfect agent for me, and then I met her in person and she was so incredibly nice. My only fear was she wouldn’t sign me. Thank goodness, she did!

 

ME: Nicole? How did you know you wanted to work with Amanda?

NICOLE: I was in Florida at the time. She told me she’d be on the east coast and we agreed to meet. I drove across from Naples. I’d read some of her samples—another story, for sure!!! After meeting Amanda, we discussed her writing style, and her incredible number of ideas across various genres really stood out. She's capable of writing in so many areas, but what really caught my attention was her passion for writing mysteries and her process. Amanda is BRILLIANT. And caring and kind, and genuine. I actually run out of words to describe her. She is hands-down one of the most truly good people walking the planet. I am beyond blessed to know her. Working with Amanda…seriously, I’m so lucky. (go ahead and think that’s me blowing sunshine. No. Seriously. She’s one of those people who ‘inspire.’ She makes me want to be a better person.)

 

ME: Amanda? Care to give us a highlight of your writing process?

AMANDA: Write a really horrible rough draft, eat a cupcake. Revise, revise, revise. Send to my readers and to Nicole, eat a cupcake. Get the manuscript back, revise one more time, turn in, and eat a cupcake. Each novel is a three cupcake minimum. Ummm… I believe I left the cupcakes out when I met Nicole the first time. I was still a young author at the time and wasn’t sure “writing for cupcakes” was what she was looking for. I played it safe.

 

ME: Nicole, what's been the most surprising experience about working with Amanda?

NICOLE: Her attention to detail is amazing. She researches everything and maintains a really great balance of the Amish culture, making it fun and interesting to new readers. But beyond those books, each mystery brings a tangible, emotional element to the page. In Amanda’s MG series, I fell IN LOVE with Andi in thefirst chapter. I felt her tumultuous emotions. I shared her pain. I cared. That is the hallmark of a really talented writer. They manipulate your emotions. They take you outside your comfort zone, and then before you realize they’ve sucked you in, you’re on this amazing, wonderful journey.

 

I love working with Amanda because with each project, I am always amazed. I’m smiling, feeling nostalgic, and no matter which genre I’m reading, I always hit the end and feel ooooh-sooo-good. Amanda has serious TALENT!

And, I probably shouldn’t, but I’m gonna take it to a personal level. Amanda is one of the most giving, generous people I’ve ever met. She loves and assists her brilliant mother (oh, yes, my friends, ask her about her mother’s accomplishments—her mom is a world traveler and a trendsetter—there is an amazing biography there). She’s an aunt, a librarian, a computer wizard, a world traveler, an Amish amateur quilter, a cat lover, a dessert maker…

I can’t even keep track of her accomplishments. But I can say one thing: Amanda. Is. Amazing.

ME: Amanda, what's been the biggest surprise working with Nicole?

AMANDA: How much she cares about her authors. She genuinely cares about us and our lives outside of our books. I never expected that. She’s one of the nicest people I know. I’m blessed to have her in my life.

 

ME: Okay, Nicole, give me three words to describe Amanda.

NICOLE: Hardworking. Dedicated. Lovely.

 

ME: And, Nicole, again... what three words would Amanda use to describe you?

NICOLE: What? I don't know.

ME: Come on. If Amanda had to describe you, what three words would she use?

NICOLE [with a twinkle in her eyes]: Crazy. Pit bull. Annoying.

 

ME: Amanda, your turn. Give me three words to describe Nicole.

AMANDA: Kind. Brilliant. Superhero.

ME: Aaaaaand, what three words would Nicole use to describe you?

AMANDA: Oh, I don’t know… Worrywart. Prolific. Worrywart. I know worrywart is there twice, but it’s true! I am one. [grins]

 

ME: Where do you both see yourself twenty years from now?

AMANDA: Writing mysteries, traveling the world, and still being Nicole’s client if she can stand me for that long. ;)

NICOLE: On the beach, editing Amanda's twentieth NYT bestselling book.

 

ME: Nicole, if you could buy Amanda any drink in the universe, what would you buy her?

NICOLE: A chocolate martini.

 

ME: Amanda? What drink would you buy Nicole?

AMANDA: Since I know next to nothing about drinks, whatever she wanted.

 

NICOLE: Here’s my answer to a drink for Amanda. Whatever we ordered would have to have RedBull—cause I’m convinced Amanda doesn’t sleep. She wears like ten different hats and writes for three publishers. Woo-hoo it’s impressive!

~~~~~

 Aren't they awesome?!? But wait, there's more!

 

Amanda is contributing to the Progressive Giveaway by offering a signed copy of APlain Disappearance

and

Nicole is contributing with a first chapter critique.

These prizes will be added only after the milestones are met.

 

Here are the milestone options (based on The Seymour Agency Authors with August/September releases:

- Follow Amanda Flower on Twitter

- Like The Seymour Agency on Facebook

- Add Amanda Flower's Andi Unexpected on Goodreads

- Like Jenny Sulpizio on Facebook

- Follow Carl Prude Jr. on Twitter

- Follow Marisa Cleveland on Twitter

- Follow Jessica Lemmon on Twitter

- Follow Ashlyn Chase on Twitter

- Add Isabella Alan's Murder, Plain and Simple on Goodreads

- Like Amanda Flower on Facebook

- Add Mary Ellis' A Little Bit of Charm on Goodreads

- Like Kait Ballenger on Facebook

- Add Laura Simcox's Ivy Entwined on Goodreads

- Follow Lorie Langdon on Twitter

- Follow Carey Corp on Twitter

- Add Isabella Alan's Plainly Murder on Goodreads

- Like Macy Becket on Facebook

- Follow Kate SeRine on Twitter

 

~~~~~

 

To enter, click HERE and fill out the PromoSimple entry form.

 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

xoxo ~Marisa

Interview: Michele de Winton

How cool is this?!? Entangled Publishing Indulgence author Michele de Winton is on the blog today! We have her for a fabulous interview and intriguing book blurb.

Love Lost and Found. By Michele de Winton

1. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

It wasn’t so much a realization as the gradual creep of discovering if I didn’t put words down each day I turned into Ms Crankyville. I hadn’t dreamed of being an author growing up (unless you count that brief moment when I copied out Where the Wild Things are and tried to pass it off as my own). I was the want-to-be-a-ballerina-when-I-grow-up type. I followed that dancing dream, all the way through law school, until I left and went to teach dance in India. Yep. India. The classically trained Indian dance teacher at the school I was sent to wasn’t impressed. So I ended up strumming a guitar and teaching orphans the words to Beatles songs before I wrote a play and we performed it, with Bengali subtitles, to one hundred and one people. Approximately. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. But sometime after that Ms Crankyville appeared when words weren’t a part of my daily diet. So along with a taste for dahl and rice, I can perhaps blame the fact that I lock myself away so often to type words onto the page on my misspent youth in India…

2. What is my writing schedule?

I try and head straight to the page each day but often I’m distracted by the call of emails and social media and try and clear that out of the way before the blinking curser curses me enough that I have to just start. I have a two year old and am about to have my second child so my writing days are restricted to when I have childcare, and very soon they’ll be restricted even more by when new baby sleeps and my eyes aren’t about to call out of my head! But I’ve been writing full time now for about two years and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my working days.

3. What do you think makes a good book?

Relatable characters. I want to like the people I read about whether they’re ordinary (and I love ordinary) or out of this world. Sure they can have a nasty edge, but I want to know that under their quirks and bad language, their histrionics can pretty much be put down to similar fears and dreams as mine.

4. What were the last three books you read?

A little left field I’ll admit, but Russel Brand’s My Booky Wook. And then more in the romance vein, An Italian Affair by Annie Seaton and Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox.

5. What’s one thing you can’t live without?

Chocolate. Hot, cold, poured, frozen or baked, nothing beats a good slab of chocolatey goodness – except maybe a chocolate martini…

About Michele

Michele was born in the mid 1970’s amid a burgeoning sprawl of vineyards and new retirement homes. With two teachers as parents, her love of reading and books was cemented at an early age. Being a writer however, was not was she was supposed to do when she ‘grew up’. Despite training in law (or perhaps because of it) she has been a dancer, producer, writer, and all round arty type in various countries for most of her life.

Moving into writing full time in 2010 was like being a part of a contemporary romance – perfect! Creating new worlds for her characters, or rather letting those same characters show her their worlds is now a highlight of Michele’s daily life. And falling in love over and over as each hero and heroine allow their true feelings to surface is something very special. What a treat to do it every day! Now back home in New Zealand after travelling extensively, Michele writes from an office where the sound of the tapping keyboard is only rivalled by the whisper of wind in the trees.

Where you can find her:

Website – www.micheledewinton.com

Blog – www.micheledewinton.blogspot.co.nz

Twitter - @Micheledewinton

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6443966.Michele_de_Winton

Facebook (author page.) - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michele-de-Winton-Author-Page/155966894515844?ref=hl

Pintrest - http://pinterest.com/MDWinton/

 

Buy now links

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Lost-Found-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B00EMT2FOO

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-lost-and-found-michele-de-winton/1116528464?ean=9781622662111

https://itunes.apple.com/gr/book/love-lost-found-love-on-deck/id689720182?mt=11

 

BLURB

Felicity Williams can't remember the last five years thanks to an accident that wiped out her memory. She fled her old life in hopes of starting fresh and found refuge working on a cruise ship. But her past is coming for her…

Rick McCarthy wakes after a climbing accident to discover that his business partner and fiancée has quit her job and disappeared. He’s trying to accept that she’s run out on him, but now he needs her signature to close a deal that could literally be life or death. He’ll go to any extreme to get what he needs…even if that means becoming someone else to win her back. But a little lie becomes a large mess when they’re stranded on a deserted island together, and old misunderstandings might ruin their chance at new love…

 

~~~

 

So what about you? What's one thing you can't live without?

 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

 

xoxo ~Marisa

 

Interview: Sofia Harper

Today on Pens and Peonies, we're spotlighting one of Entangled's September Indulgence authors, Sofia Harper!

Hot Knight In Paradise by Sofia Harper

1. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was 19.  I always had elaborate daydreams. Get into an argument with someone and then I'd re-work it in my head. I'd remember to say that witty retort. Somehow my hair would get longer, curlier. My waistline would shrink. For some reason I had a Mustang or Corvette. I'd stop argue with the person and in would step in a different man. At that point my imagination would go off to the races. It finally dawned on me that it wasn't normal for daydreams to always, always turn into something fantastical and that I was really writing stories in my head. So, a month after my son was born, I sat down to write my first book. It was a horribly written story, but I loved every moment of it.

2. What is my writing schedule?

My writing schedule starts off with me on Twitter or Facebook. At some point I stop ignoring the open Word document on my computer and get busy to writing. I do this every day. At some point I finish and I have a story. There are days where I replace Twitter and Facebook with talking to my partner in crime Jennifer Leeland. The frequency and length of our conversations depends on whether or not the story is going well.

3. What do you think makes a good book?

Characters you can't stop reading. I've read book with unbelievable and shoddy plots. I've read books that have snail-pacing. But, all the ones I adore that may or may not be inflicted with these problems had characters I wanted to read. That I couldn't stop reading. Honestly, if you have fascinating characters you can get away murder.

4. What were the last three books you read?

According to my Kindle app...One Night in Reno by Regina Brewer, A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare and Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox.

5. What’s one thing you can’t live without?

Coffee. You'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers.

About Sofia

Sofia Harper started writing contemporary romance a long, long time ago. When Sofia's not spending time with imaginary people in her head, she's corrupting two little trouble makers. Currently she lives in California where the wine is good. She also going full-throttle on the ride called publishing. These two thoughts are not related.

 

Where you can find her:

Website: http://sofiaharper.com

Blog: sofiaharper.blogspot.com/‎

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sofiaharp‎

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/sofiaharper.author‎

Goodreads Page: www.goodreads.com/author/show/7154484.Sofia_Harper

 

Blurbage:

Stranded in paradise with no way to get home, Leah Smith needs a miracle, and fast. Instead, she gets Marshall Jackson, surely the sexiest man alive. Too bad he's got an emotional wall around himself--and her only hope of getting off the island ...

Marshall has a strict no damsels in distress policy, but there's something about Leah that makes him want to break his own rules. He agrees to let her work in his bar until she earns enough to get home. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny the scorching attraction between them. Soon hot island nights provide balm to their wounded souls, but will these two flawed exiles make peace with the past in time to claim the future they deserve together--or will paradise be lost?

 

 

 

Release Day! September Indulgences

Release Day for Entangled Publishing's Indulgence books is finally here! That means I have a very happy Kindle today.

Reforming the Cowboy, by Marisa Cleveland

Country singer Billy Hardy needs to get back on the charts. His manager assures him headlining the opening of a cafe in South Beach is his best chance at getting back to the big time. If he fails, his career is over for good this time.

Lacey Durrant can’t believe opening night includes the country singer she crushed on through college. And her customers agree he’s dreamy. But his playboy reputation threatens her cafe’s image and she can’t afford that. She insists Billy stay with her so she can keep an eye on him, and thwart overenthusiastic fans.

Billy’s charms and Lacey’s sexy curves prove more than either can resist, but she refuses to be just another lyric in his well-known songs of heartbreak.

 

Right click on cover to download

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Hot Knight in Paradise, by Sofia Harper

Stranded in paradise with no way to get home, Leah Smith needs a miracle, and fast. Instead, she gets Marshall Jackson, surely the sexiest man alive. Too bad he’s got an emotional wall around himself–and her only hope of getting off the island …

Marshall has a strict no damsels in distress policy, but there’s something about Leah that makes him want to break his own rules. He agrees to let her work in his bar until she earns enough to get home. But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to deny the scorching attraction between them. Soon hot island nights provide balm to their wounded souls, but will these two flawed exiles make peace with the past in time to claim the future they deserve together–or will paradise be lost?

 

 

Right click on cover to download

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Winning the Boss’s Heart, by Hayson Manning

Mason Christian has twelve weeks to flip something old into something new for his Japanese client, and then he’s getting the hell out of Footsteps Bay. Not even his temporary cook and secretary–the feisty, luscious Billie McLeod–will deter him. But there’s no denying she makes him feel alive. More alive than he’s felt in three years…

Billie has one dream: save enough money to attend culinary college. Thats why she’s agreed to work for hard ass, all-business-no-pleasure Mason Christian–a man who has every intention of destroying through modernization the town’s most cherished historical home. But before she can say see ya, she realizes she’s signed the dotted line and is contractually bound to be number Forty-Two for eighty-four days. But working with male perfection every day is awesome with a capital A–as long as they can stick to a hands-off policy that gets harder every day…

 

Right click on cover to download

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Love Lost and Found, by Michele De Winton

Felicity Williams can’t remember the last five years thanks to an accident that wiped out her memory. She fled her old life in hopes of starting fresh and found refuge working on a cruise ship. But her past is coming for her…

Rick McCarthy awakens after a climbing accident to discover that his business partner and fiancée has quit her job and disappeared. He’s trying to accept that she’s run out on him, but now he needs her signature to close a deal that could literally be life or death. He’ll go to any extreme to get what he needs…even if that means becoming someone else to win her back.

But a little lie becomes a large mess when they’re stranded on a deserted island together, and old misunderstandings might ruin their chance at new love…

 

Right click on cover to download

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Spotlight: Jessica Lemmon

Today's spotlight is shining on Jessica Lemmon and her Love in the Balance novella, Can't Let Go.

Here's the blurb:

AN INSTANT SPARK

Sadie Howard would never admit there's such a thing as love at first sight, but she can't deny the connection between her and sexy Adonis Aiden Downey. She also can't deny she loves to kiss him-his mouth might be his most precious asset. Despite every promise to herself not to get involved any deeper than a first date, she can't keep from seeing more of Aiden . . . in more ways than one.

Aiden Downey had no idea the hot blonde from the club would trigger his protective, gentle nature, but the moment she drops her guard and he sees the real Sadie Howard, he's a goner. When a family crisis puts the brakes on their budding romance, can Aiden find a way to hold on to her? Or will he lose the best thing in his life just as quickly as he found her?

~~~

Jessica is the funny, witty, entertaining author whose tweets I'm always favorite-ing on Twiiter. If you're not following her, you're missing out on tons of FUN.

*** Click here to connect with Jessica on Twitter ***

This post is part of The Seymour Agency's Progressive Giveaway! Be sure to CLICK HERE and enter the giveaway. The more follows, adds, friends, and subscribes received by participating authors, the more prizes will be added to the giveaway!

~~~

Thanks again for stopping by!
xoxo ~Marisa

Spotlight: Jessa Russo

Happy Release Day, EVER! 

To celebrate EVER's rebirth, and Jessa Russo’s first step into the indie self-publishing world, she is giving you the first chapter of EVER for FREE! Yup! FREE! You can read along, decide if you want more, then click on one of the buy links below to grab a copy for yourself! *Paperbacks available soon!

Check out the FREE first chapter HERE. 

We're also having some fun on Twitter (details below), and Jessa has also compiled TWO prize packs of super awesome stuff! There will be one (1) lucky winner in the US, and one (1) lucky winner Internationally! Want to know what we’re giving away? 

***GIVEAWAY FUN!***

The winner(s) will receive the following items:

US ONLY Prize Pack (ONE winner):
Set of 4: custom Frankie4Ever / Toby4Ever Coasters (2 of each) + Signed EVER bookmarks +
Signed paperback copy of EVER by Jessa Russo (YA)
Complete set* of The Darkness Falls Trilogy e-books from Krystal Wade (YA)
*Includes WILDE'S FIRE, WILDE'S ARMY and WILDE'S MEADOW
Signed paperback copy of EYRE HOUSE by Cait Greer (NA, adult content)
Paperback copy of THE CHARGE by Sharon Bayliss (YA)
Paperback copy of SEALED WITH A CURSE by Cecy Robson (A, mature content)

INTERNATIONAL Prize Pack (ONE winner):
E-book of EVER by Jessa Russo (YA)
Complete set* of The Darkness Falls Trilogy e-books from Krystal Wade (YA)
*Includes WILDE'S FIRE, WILDE'S ARMY and WILDE'S MEADOW
E-book of THE CHARGE by Sharon Bayliss (YA)
E-book of BROKEN FOREST by Eliza Tilton (YA)
E-book of THE VALENTINE CHALLENGE by Marisa Cleveland (A, mature content)
E-book of THE GATHERING DARKNESS by Lisa Collicutt (YA)
E-book of 1,000 SLEEPLESS NIGHTS by Connie Michael

ENTER HERE:
a Rafflecopter giveaway | a Rafflecopter giveaway

***TWITTER FUN!***

We're also going to be tweeting a bit today, to celebrate not just EVER's re-release (hashtag: #EVERTrilogy), but also playing up a major theme of the book--Ever's love for her deceased best friend. We'll be tweeting the theme with the hashtag #IfICouldBringBack and then sharing who we would bring back and why, or what we'd do with them, etc.

So, sticking with EVER as my example, the main female character of the series may tweet something like this:

#IfICouldBringBack Frankie, I'd finally tell him the truth. That I've loved him since we were in diapers. #EVERTrilogy 

Who would you want to bring back? An old flame? A relative? Maybe a famous author or dignitary? Think about it and join in the fun on Sunday, 9/1/13! We'll see you on Twitter!

***BOOK DETAILS!***

EVER

The EVER Trilogy, Book One 

By Jessa Russo

September 1, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious. Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible. 

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love. 
Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

Purchase Links:

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads | Facebook (The EVER Trilogy)

Jessa Russo's Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook (Friend) | Facebook (Follow/Like)

Stay tuned for the second book in the trilogy, EVADE, set to release on October 1st, 2013! 
You can now add EVADE on Goodreads!

Remember to follow EVER's 9/1/13 re-release day FUN on Twitter with these hashtags: 

#EVERTrilogy

and 

#IfICouldBringBack