Interview with Chynna T. Laird

Jen: This week we kick off our YA series by welcome Chynna T. Laird to Romancing the Book. Chynna, will you please share a short bio with us?

Chynna: I’m a psychology student, freelance writer and multi award-winning author living in Edmonton, Alberta with my partner, Steve, and our three daughters [Jaimie (eight), Jordhan (six), and baby Sophie (two)] and our beautiful baby boy, Xander (four). My passion is helping children and families living with Sensory Processing Disorder and other special needs. I guess you could say I like talking about the issues that others are either too uncomfortable or embarrassed to. I don’t always like being in the spotlight but I do like getting people talking about what matters. That’s how we become more knowledgeable, more tolerant and both of these things lead to understanding.

Excerpt from Blackbird Flies by Chynna T. Laird

A train whistle echoed into the frigid night. By three o’clock a.m., most of the passengers had been lulled to sleep by the swaying of the steel wheels slicing through the snow. But not everyone was enticed to sleep as easily.

Fifteen-­‐‑year old Payton MacGregor stared out his window. He pressed his forehead against the frost-­‐‑fogged glass then attempted to stretch out his legs—man, it was like trying to get a giraffe comfortable in a station wagon. Designers of passenger train cars must have gone to the same engineering school as airplane designers: all passengers should be able to fold themselves into the two-­‐‑foot space between rows of seats.

Payton twisted around until he finally settled into sitting with his legs bent up, his shins leaning against the seat in front of him and keeping his head against the window.

A New Feature at RtB (and a contest)

Today we are unveiling a new feature at Romancing the Book.  During the next two months, each Saturday we are going to introduce you to YA (young adult) books and authors.  If we get a positive response, we'll resume the feature in August after our July anniversary celebration.

This genre has always been around, but probably really hit the mainstream with the Harry Potter and Twilight series.  Here's how wikipedia defines YA fiction:

Interview and Contest with Kaira Rouda

Jen: We are excited to have Kaira Rouda as our guest this week. Kaira, will you please share a short bio with us?
Kaira: Sure! Thanks for asking. First thing I should do is explain how to pronounce my name. I get a lot of questions about it. Kaira is CARE –ah and Rouda is RUDE –ah. I know, it’s all very vowel intensive and for my first book, I used my maiden name which is Sturdivant. Yes, that’s all a pronunciation treat, I know.

I’m visiting today because my first novel, HERE, HOME, HOPE is out and I’m so excited to finally be able to share it with the world. It’s a dream come true. I’m a mom of four, a wife, entrepreneur and a mostly happy person. For more, please visit my website: http://www.kairarouda.com/

Guest: Kaira Rouda

The characteristics of a writer.

One of the questions I was asked recently was what does it take to be a successful writer. And, of course, the definition of success varies. So I’ve decided to stick with the definition of a writer. Mine is pretty simple, but I hope true.

Resilience.

I’m convinced that resilience is the number one talent a writer must possess. Sure, she should be creative, study the craft, a reader, a thinker and an intuitive person. But above all, a writer needs to be resilient. I say that because the writing life is tough. It has so many downs and lonely moments that it is easy to forget the ups and the positive ones. Buoyancy is important for a writer.

A network.

Without a group of supporters – either in person, online or both – those lonely moments stretch into days and months. I’ve been wowed by the simple and profound support I’ve discovered online with the world of writers. I hope, one day, when I get to meet them in person that the connection is just as strong. I think it will be. Build your network if you want to be a writer. You need support.

Purpose.

Writers must write. You know you are one because you’re doing what you love. You aren’t talking about it, you’re not just reading, you are writing. When it’s tough.When it’s easy.Wherever and whenever you can. A sense of purpose, a drive to the finish, that’s what published writers have.

Good luck in all of your writing endeavors.

Come back tomorrow for an interview with Kaira... and a CONTEST!

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders
Book Depository 

Review: Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda

Reviewer: Stephanie
Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda
Release Date: May 1st, 2011
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Page Count: 310
Source: print ARC from BookSparks PR for review

Blurb: Desperate Housewives meets The Middle Place in this absorbing, witty story about one suburban mother's journey from a midlife crisis to reinvention with the help of her husband, friends, and neighbors.

Guest: L B Gschwandtner

A Brief Review of Reviews

Yesterday was a great sales day for one of my books (currently I have three available). By the evening I was feeling pretty darned jazzed about it. So click I went to check its Amazon ranking and kaboom, two swift shots zinged by my head almost knocking me out of my computer chair. What happened?

Reviews, that’s what happened. Two one-stars one atop the other sitting there scorning me with their negative vibes. So it was a great day and a lousy day and here I sit trying to sort through the reality of reader reviews.

Let me say first of all that any reader who buys one (or more) of my books, reads them, and then goes back to Amazon or B&N or Goodreads to write a review, has my deep appreciation. Writing a review is certainly not a requirement. But what should I (or any writer) take away from reviews? Here are my review lessons in slightly more than a nutshell.

Excerpt from Foxy's Tale by Cantwell and Gschwandtner

Chapter One
Gdansk, Prussia, 1851

The snow starts to fall harder and faster as the little man scrambles up a small embankment. The air is so quiet that the sound of his heavy breathing seems magnified. Enormous white flakes collect on his eyebrows, but don’t melt. He must brush them away constantly just to see what’s ahead. A thick wool coat is wrapped tightly around his small body. Heavy, brown leather shoes protect his feet and a knitted cap covers his head. Despite this, he is so cold the snow sticks hard to his skin and clothing, and there is nothing he can do about it.

Once he reaches the top of the embankment on the edge of the dirt road, he stops. He listens intently. Wolves howl far off in the woods and their call echoes momentarily until receding again to silence. The man is beginning to give up hope. And then – there! He hears the faintest sound of wooden wheels crunching the hard earth. Elated that he hasn’t lost the trail, he looks ahead. He knows this road – it leads directly to the port at Gdansk. He trudges on, following the tracks that are quickly disappearing under the heavy blanket of snow. There is no doubt in his mind, that if he doesn’t move quickly, the trunk he is tracking will be placed on a boat or a ship to God only knows where. Not again, the man thinks. Not again.

Interview with Anna Campbell

Jen: We are excited to have Anna Campbell as our guest this week. Anna, will you please share a short bio with us?

Anna: I’m an Aussie and I’ve always been in love with reading. It seemed a natural progression to want to write. I did a degree in English literature – sitting around reading for three years seemed like a good deal to me then. Still does! Then had a variety of jobs including captioning for the deaf, working in an art gallery and running a stall at Covent Garden market in London. I sold my first book Claiming The Courtesan in 2006 (it came out in 2007) and since then I’ve published five more historical romances with Avon.

Review: Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell

Reviewed by Mary, reposted with permission

Should love be a challenge or a soothing balm on your heart?

Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw is a man with a mission and nothing is going to stop him from ruining the daughter of the man who destroyed his sister’s life and tore his family apart.  Granted his family was utter chaos but ruinous situations will be corrected regardless of how many years it takes and who gets hurt.  He has been plotting this well calculated revenge for years and he was mere steps away from executing his plan when what should happen to stop Renelaw in his tracks but fate.  Now this fate that stepped in looked nothing like what he could have imagined would slow him down as Miss Antonio Smith the young woman’s companion and chaperone is not at all appealing.  She is dressed in a dowdy and shapeless fashion to keep attention away from herself but she is taking his breath away and Ranelaw cannot explain the reason why.  She is not the woman in any of his dreams but the stirring in his heart and thoughts in his head about her are saying otherwise and diverting him from his target.  Toni also has a mission and that is to keep rogues like Ranelaw away from charge at any cost but can she keep him away from herself.

Interview with Grace Elliot

Jen: We are excited to have Grace Elliot as our guest this week. Grace, will you please share a short bio with us?

Grace:  Hi Jen, it’s lovely to be here at Romancing the Book and to meet your readers.

My name is Grace Elliot; during the day I am a veterinarian and by night I write historical romance. I live just outside London and I am married with two teenage sons, five cats and a guinea pig. It doesn’t take much to make me happy: a sunny day, reading a good book with a cat on my knee… . comes near the top of my list!

Excerpt from A Dead Man's Debt by Grace Elliot

So be it. Ranulf gritted his teeth as he grasped the leading leg and pushed. It was like fighting against a brick wall, the calf barely moving. A lamb was difficult enough, how much more so a calf? Just as he was wondering if one man was strong enough, a shower of pebbles rattled down the bank. Concentrating on the calf, he barked.

“Don’t just stand there. Get down here!”

“I beg your pardon!” A woman’s voice answered.

With a flash of annoyance Ranulf glanced upward.

A wide eyed young woman in a straw bonnet peered down. “I say, is everything all right?”

Review: My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

Reviewer: Valerie

My One and Only by Kristan Higgins
Release Date: March, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Page Count: 384

Source: eBook purchased on Nook

Blurb: Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic. Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting -- just around the bend.

Review: Drawn into Darkness by Annette McCleave

Reviewer: Jen

Drawn into Darkness by Annette McCleave

Series: Soul Gatherers (#1)
Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Publisher: Signet

Page Count: 352

Blurb: Serving a five-hundred-year sentence as a Soul Gatherer-one who battles demons for the souls of the dead-Lachlan MacGregor keeps his distance from humans. That is, until the lovely Rachel Lewis knocks on his door, begging for help.

Our New Book Rating System!

If you've been reading our more recent reviews, you will have noticed that at the end, we are now incorporating a rating to the book. This complete rating scale follows the progression of a blooming rose and can be found at the upperleft-hand sidebar of the blog. A big thanks goes out to Zita for the marvelous idea!

Equivalent to a 1 out of 5 star rating:

Equivalent to a 2 out of 5 star rating:

Equivalent to a 3 out of 5 star rating:

Equivalent to a 4 out of 5 star rating:

Equivalent to a 5 out of 5 star rating:

Do you like it? Dislike it? Let us know your thoughts!

Review: The Welcome Home Garden Club by Lori Wilde

Reviewer: Valerie

The Welcome Home Garden Club by Lori Wilde

Series: Twilight, Texas (#4)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 238
Release Date: April 2011
Source: eBook purchased on Nook
Blurb: Traditional meaning of Pink and White Roses: I love you still and always will.

New Releases for the Week of May 1

Each week we highlight some of the books that are being released during the coming week.  If you'd like for us to feature your upcoming release, email us at promo.bookblog@gmail.com or fill out this form.  Include the book blurb or a trailer, along with information on where the book can be purchased.  If it is not available via Amazon, please also include a .jpg of the cover.

And now, here are this week's highlighted releases: