Character Interview: Holden

I did this interview a long time ago for a blog tour I was doing back when I released Choices. I just realized I didn't have it on my blog. So I am posting it now. I will probably do a later interview with Holden and Olivia. If there are any other characters you would like to see interviews with let me know in the comments and I will add them to the rotation. :-)

Hello, everyone!

I am the author of the Guardian Trilogy, and today I’m bringing you a conversation between me and one of the main characters in the books, Holden Smith. Unlike everyone else, Holden flat out refused to do a guest post for me—

Holden- Because all of your ideas were stupid.

They were not. You could have written something about your favorite moment as a jinni.

Holden *silence* *crickets chirping*

Right, well that one could have been better.

Holden- I rest my case.

I’ll have you know I wrote you into this story, I can write you out of it too.

*Holden assesses me* Please, a few sweet words and you’re putty in my hands.

*Looks away to hide the fact he might be right*

Holden- Besides, you haven’t always shown good judgment. You created Quintus too. What a tool.

He’s not so bad. Quintus is a very nice, very old guardian. He always means well.

Holden- He’s a tool, Liz, a tool.

He is not. Stop getting me off point, you’re the reason I need an editor. Tell me how you feel the second book, Choices, went.

Holden- *sighs a long suffering sigh* Better and worse than expected. I mean you **** ** **** **** *** (redacted)—and that sucked—but life went on. I got a promotion—

And made a friend.

Holden- *looks at me disgusted* I don’t have friends.

Hmmm agree to disagree. Do you still love Olivia as much as you did in Secrets?

Holden- As strange as it is and despite everything she has done, I think I love her even more. I hate all of these stupid feelings by the way. I was much better off when I didn’t have them.

Nonsense. You will thank me later for them.

Holden- Hmm, we’ll see about that. Anyway, the promotion turned out not to be a terrible thing. Sometimes a disgusting thing, but not a terrible one.

So where do you think you are headed in book three?

Holden- Shouldn’t you know.

I know. I just want to see what you think.

Holden- Maybe you will finally let me kill Quintus. Fingers crossed.

Maybe I will.

Holden- Really?

I guess you’ll have to wait and see.

Snickers Caramel Apple Pie

It's a snow day!

Not that I get snow days since I work from home, but since the rest of my city has taken a snow day I decided to take the morning off from writing and bake while the possible 8 inches (8 inches?!?!) of snow drifts silently to the ground like the whole world (at least my world) is being wrapped in cotton. 

Anyway, on to the recipe and pictures. I haven't tried the pie yet. It is currently chilling (like cooling not like laying around watching television) in the refrigerator. My expectation for the pie is it will be sweet enough to kill me, so I already have adjustments to the recipe in mind for next time. 

Snickers Caramel Apple Pie

1 pie shell (I bought mine because I couldn't take the time to make one)

2 snickers bars or 15 mini snickers

3 green apples

Caramel sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tub of cool whip

2 oz of cream cheese

I baked my pie shell according to the instructions on the package (400 degrees for 10 minutes) and cool. Cover the bottom with coarsely chopped Snickers bars, but keep some behind for the top. Then chop 2.5 apples in bit sized pieces and add them to the pie and drizzled caramel over the apples. Mix the can of condensed milk, cream cheese, and whipped cream together (I did this while the pie was baking them put it in the refrigerator until I was ready for it). Cover with the cream mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours. Garnish with remaining Snickers and thin apple slices then drizzle with caramel. 

That's it. It was very simple and hopefully delicious. 

Stay warm and happy reading!

Liz

My friend Tawdra Kandle has a new release!

Releasing tomorrow, February 5th, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. . . UNDENIABLE. This is Rafe's story--what happened after The King Series ended. . .

For Rafe Brooks, running from a broken heart means losing himself in alcohol and women. Lots of women, none of whom will remember him, since he has the ability to manipulate their minds and make them forget. Numbing the pain works until he meets an irresistible redhead with secrets of her own. She offers him the opportunity to join forces with an organization that will use his powers for good rather than his own amusement. Jocelyn rocks his world with her unapologetic passion and makes him believe for the first time he just might survive heartbreak. When a mission takes the two of them undercover to infiltrate a commune with suspicious activity, they discover it's just the tip of a plot to cause world-wide anarchy. Hiding their extraordinary powers and real identities is crucial to staying alive. For Rafe and Jocelyn, when life is uncertain, love is undeniable.

Come back tomorrow for the links on release day, and join us for a Twitter party Wednesday February 5th at 9 PM EST (#Undeniable). And now the reveal: this gorgeous HOT cover designed by the ever-talented Stephanie Nelson of Once Upon A Time covers.

Follow Tawdra here: Website/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Tumblr

My friend, Melissa Lummis, has a new release!

Samadhi – Book Three in the Love and Light Series is available NOW

 BUY IT AT:

Amazon 

Smashwords

Wolf and Loti are learning the hard way that karma will not be denied.  In their quest for the truth, they've been forced into a blood bond with a powerful witch who isn't so sure she wants to be tied down.  But there's one thing they can agree on:  it’s time to eliminate the ancient vampire who set off this deadly chain of events--Modore.

Using any means necessary--torture, murder, and even death magic--Modore lures the triumvirate into the show down of their lives.  And the consequences will far exceed even Modore's imagination.

In this final installment of the Love and Light Series, the boundaries of love, lust, and even life itself will be tested and the universe as they know it will never be the same.

About the Author

Melissa Lummis considers herself a truth seeker, a peaceful warrior, a paranormal and fantasy writer, an avid reader, a thru-hiker GAàME ’98, a Penn Stater, a wife, a mother, and a free thinker.  She believes the universe conspires to help an adventurer.   And if we live our lives as if it is a daring adventure (and it is!), then everything we need will find its way to us.

Her books have been described as new age suspense in a fantasy setting, but they are also straight up, steamy Paranormal Romance.  The Love and Light Series is currently available at most ebook retailers and soon to come is the Little Flame Series, a spin off focusing on the character Fiamette from the Love and Light world.

Melissa lives in rural Virginia with her husband, two children, an Alaskan Malamute, and a myriad of forest creatures.  The nature of her mind dictates that she write to stay sane.  Otherwise, her fertile imagination takes off on tangents of its own accord, creating scenarios and worlds that confuse the space-time continuum.

Namaste, dear friends.

Melissa’s Social Links:

Check out www.melissalummis.com for more about her and her books.

Like Melissa Lummis on FaceBook.

Follow @melissalummis on Twitter.

Tumble with Melissa on tumblr.

Pin with Melissa on Pinterest.

And watch her and co-host Buddy Gott on the Sunday Night Fiction Club on YouTube.

Get unique content, early access to publications, and exclusive giveaways by subscribing to her newsletter.

Character Interview: Sy

Sitting on my couch surrounded by two sleepy poodles, I imagine Sy walking in and giving a half grin.

Sy: You look beautiful as always *he sits on the couch next to me rather than in the chair*

Me: I’m still in my pajamas and haven’t brushed my hair. Nice try, but I know you’re only saying that so I don’t kill you off.
Sy: *clutches his chest, but grins* Why do you always hurt me?

Me: *shakes my head* You ready for this interview?
Sy: Absolutely. About time you put some attention on me.

Me: I have plans for you. It just isn’t time yet.  Regardless though, the audience already likes you, try not to ruin it.
Sy: Damn near impossible. What’s not to like?

Me: *Clears throat* Let’s start with the basics. Tell people a little about you.
Sy: I’m the bartender at The Office. That’s pretty much all there is to tell.

Me: So you’re just a bartender…I don’t think anyone will believe it.
Sy:  I can’t imagine what you’re implying. What else would I be, dear writer? *raises challenging eyebrow*

Me: Yes, yes. Perhaps we can’t tell them that, but we could give them a bit more than you are just a bartender. They already know you can be in two places at once and you work for someone, but no one knows who.
Sy: …the owner of the bar.

Me: …
Sy: Look. I can’t talk about it. The Abyss is a large place and at any given time there are several games in play. To thrive here, you learn to navigate the jugglers and stay out of the line of fire. If I talk too much then I will be known for being chatty. Power in the Abyss comes from knowledge and connections. I know people and I stay informed on what’s happening because I don’t say a word about it. That gives me power.

Me: Who are the jugglers?
Sy: The people who are changing the course of our world. The trouble makers. You know some of them. Olivia, Holden, Femi—

Me: Selene.
Sy: *runs hand over hair* Yes, my cousin definitely qualifies as a trouble maker. I blame her human side. 

Me: What about the people you work for. Are they jugglers?
Sy: They’re the ringmasters.

Me: What does that make you?
Sy: Busy. I help people when I can. Otherwise I stay out of it. The only reason I allowed myself to get involved in the elf problems is Selene is standing dead center and she needs all the friends she can get. Running a bounty hunter hub means a lot of different races and people pass through my doors every day. I can’t show favoritism or they stop trusting me. I am a man without racial allegiance.

Me: No man is an island.
Sy: *shrugs* Poetry has no bearing on my life, but I will say that my family and friends might be a bridge connecting me to something a bit more solid. 

Me: How can you be in two places at once? Could you be in more than two if you needed to?
Sy: If I wouldn’t tell Selene that, what makes you think I will tell you?

Me: Because I can squash you like a bug with two little words: Sy died.
Sy: We both know you wouldn’t do that. You have plans for me—and hopefully for Femi. Me and Femi, together in a whole variety of positions. Sweat, fingernails, biting…Do you catch my drift?

Me: Femi might have her own plans. Don’t think I can’t tell that you are trying to redirect me from my question.
Sy: Fine. It’s a perk of the job. Someone, preferably me, always have to be at the Office. It never closes. The only way that’s possible is with a little magic, but I can only be in two places at once. That’s all I’m saying.

Me: One last question. If Femi and Selene both needed your help, which one would you choose?
Sy: I would choose both and leave the Office unattended.

Me: What would happen to you?
Sy: *looks grim* Let’s try not to find out.

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner! And a Sneak Peek of Tiddly Jinx.

Selene's wedding dress contest has come to an end and we have a winner!

Alana D. won the opportunity to have a character named after her with this entry.

I love the beading and the antique feel of this dress. It will fit perfectly into the story in Tiddly Jinx, which is coming along well. Writing Selene, Cheney and company is always fun. It is great to explore some newer characters like Cheney's half-sister Lily and the necromancer Frost as well as dive back into the old ones. I put it up for a vote on Facebook and Twitter and you, my lovely readers, chose to have both Selene and Cheney's point of view in Tiddly Jinx (if you don't follow me on facebook, you can connect here https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLizSchulte?ref=hl or @LizSchulte on Twitter);

  

I can't wait to share more with you so I will have a long sneak peek of Tiddly Jinx that I will send out in my next newsletter and give you just a taste today. 

I went up the guard tower to take a look. Only one guard remained at the top while the others plus a few from the castle had formed a line between two groups of protesters on the ground. “What’s going on?”

“Another group showed up today.” He pointed to the left side. “The other fae races.”

I looked closer a the new group. They were a mixture of nearly all the races: fairies, sprites, dwarves, goblins, and even half-elves. At first I was baffled why they would protest Selene then I read their signs. They weren't protesting, they were defending her. Their signs all had messages about equality, the need for change, and Selene was portrayed as a figure of hope. The weight of my decision fully landed on me. It was one thing to turn away from hate, it was another to walk away from hope.

“What’d you do to piss them off?” Lily’s voice came from behind me.

I turned to look at my half-elf sister. Lily may have been full fae, but she wasn’t full elf. She was half elf and half fortuna fae. I had the urge to block them from her view, ashamed of my people. “Fell in love with the wrong person.”

She moved around me to see. Her mouth twisted into a wry smile. “One pretty little half-elf and all these people get their panties in a wad. I don’t envy you." She nudged me with her elbow. "That's why I work with jinn. Nothing gets their panties in a wad. Most don’t even wear them.” She winked at the guard who struggled to maintain his composure. 

-Liz

Don't Let Anyone Tell You Not To Self-Publish

Today I am going to go off on a little bit of a tangent. I like to keep my blog about my books and me for the most part, but I also know and am approached by a lot of writers. I am always happy to help and I believe in being really transparent about my experiences with publishing. You see this is a business. It isn’t a business that I feel like I am in competition with any other writer, but one where we can all learn from other people’s experiences. Because of this I like to read and pay attention to industry articles. I would also like to say, I don't buy into this who indie vs. traditional mentality. We are all just trying to do what we love and it doesn't matter what roads we take to get there. 

When I first started self-publishing the trend was for most industry articles to 1. Ignore self-publishers or 2. Ridicule us. I never let it deter me because I have never sought anyone’s approval in my life, why would I start now. After indies could no longer ignored, the trend moved to villainizing us.  We were single-handedly destroying the publishing industry by not following the rules the traditional houses had laid forth. We had the nerve to publish books in genres they had deemed to be dead and make money doing it. Now, I find that it has shifted once again. This time they like to report incorrect information. I read things like 1.8% of self-publishers make over $100,000 (Digital Book World). What are they basing this information on? No one knows, but speaking to my own personal experience I am willing to say they are not basing it on the facts.

Here’s the deal (bear with me, I am a writer. Math really isn’t my strong suit). Let’s say there are 4,000,000 books on Amazon (I am sure the number is higher now this was just a number I heard a couple years ago that made me feel better about my first book being ranked 25,000). In an article by the Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/04/amazon-kindle-ebook-sales-indie-publishers) Amazon says that 25% of their top 100 books are self-published. Let’s say that the percentage holds true to all books (though I imagine there are far more indies out there than 25%). That means that 1,000,000 of the books on Amazon are self-published. That would mean that 18,000 indie authors have made over $100,000 in a year (I am assuming that they are talking yearly and not over the course of a career). That would mean that two indie authors in every 100 are making a living (remember that they are probably more indies than this so this number is probably even less according to Digital Book World’s survey.)

Personally it feels like I know a lot of indie authors, but honestly probably not more than 100 who are actively publishing and not just working toward publishing. Not counting myself (though I fit into this 1.8%) I know 18 other authors who are making six figures or over self-publishing.  That is at least 18% of the people I know who are making a living at writing (and I don’t know how much everyone makes. It could still be higher.) When I was at the RWA conference in Atlanta last year I was at one of the self-publishing panels and the question was posed to the room about how many of us were supporting ourselves with just writing and about 10-15% of the room held up their hands. No this isn’t a scientific measurement, but it’s real life. I know author who aren’t making a living and I know authors who are. I bet the same goes for traditional writers.  

So what is my point in all of this? The point is if you want to publish then publish. If you have your heart set on being traditional then chase it. If you want to be an indie then do it. Don’t let anyone discourage you from living your dream. . I believe that there is a group of people out there who feel threatened by what we do and are trying to dissuade more from joining us. The fact is we aren’t writing to impress editors, agents, or publishers. We are writing for our readers and ourselves. We don’t need anyone’s approval. Write what you want to write, be professional, hire editors, and make your own dreams come true. Writing is the only art form that does not support its indie talent. Musicians aren’t threatened by indie musicians, mainstream actors do independent films, but publish your own book and the world is ending.  Don’t let any websites, articles, or publishers convince you that you are not good enough because you don’t fit their mold. There is lots of room for success in this industry.

Prove them wrong with every breath you take and take what you read with a grain of salt 

-Liz