Friday, March 3, 2017

Take Five With Author Dena Garson

It's a joy to meet new authors & learn about what makes/helps/inspires them to write.

Please welcome Dena Garson and her latest release (yesterday!) When Ash Remains. Sounds fascinating.

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Dena Garson.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book When Ash Remains?

Two things come to mind – the first thing was a dear friend of mine who suggested (nagged) me to write a story with Native American characters. He just couldn’t understand why I hadn’t drawn on my family roots and done it yet. When I came across the myths about the Skinwalker a light went on in my head. I knew what I had to write about.

Have you been a lifelong reader of paranormal and historical romance?  What are some the first books you remember reading?

I have been a lifelong reader but didn’t discover the romance genre until high school. One of the early books I remember reading was Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass. If you can believe it, I still have those books because they are beautiful hardbacks and my mother made sure they weren’t abused.

My addiction to the romance genre started with the Zebra Historical Romances that were passed to me from my grandmother (courtesy of her sister’s monthly subscription service). I remember devouring the books like candy.

What do you do to rev your creative juices?

Reading does more to stir my author creative juices than anything else. Although – if I’m needing inspiration for a craft project, Pinterest is hard to beat!

To you what makes a great romance hero or heroine (you choose or answer both)?

There is nothing better in a romance than a hero who is capable of taking on any villain or death-defying task and coming out on top, yet when he is at his most vulnerable there is only one person in the world he will let near him or show his true nature to – his heroine.
And at the same time, that heroine would die to protect his vulnerability.

You’re having a dinner party.  What character from your novel do you hope doesn’t show up?     Why?

The villain because, well… I can’t say why because it gives too much away. I’ll just leave say the villain has some issues they never worked through and their choices to resolve them aren’t good for everyone else.

Give us a brief summary of When Ash Remains:
It’s a story about a warrior who is tracking the person who slaughtered his cousin. During his search, he meets an unusual woman from another tribe who can supposedly talk with spirits. It’s an unlikely pairing since he doesn’t believe in anything he can’t see or touch, and therefore hunt. They end up working together to find the killer and fall in love in along the way.

Buy Links: (limit 3 please. Imbedded if possible)
Amazon | B&N | iBooks 

Bio:
Dena Garson is an award-winning author of contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi romance. She holds a BBA and a MBA in Business and works in the wacky world of quality and process improvement. Making up her own reality on paper is what keeps her sane.

She is the mother of two rowdy boys, two rambunctious cats (AKA the fuzzy jerks), and a loving Labrador. When she isn't writing you can find her at her at the sewing machine or stringing beads. She is also a devoted Whovian and Dallas Cowboys fan.

Find Dena: 




Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Author Spotlight On Linda O'Connor's New Release: Perfectly Together

I'm a lucky girl. I get to find all these authors and bring them to you.
Please welcome Linda O'Connor, 
and wait until you read what her "other" occupation is:)

Leslie Ann, thank you for inviting to your blog! I’m super excited to release Perfectly Together, Book 6 in the Perfectly Series! I think it’s going to be the final book in the series (although I said that about book 3, too haha). 

The Perfectly Series books are romantic comedies and are stand alone stories. Book 6 was fun to write because I had a lot of the characters from the other books  “pop” in to visit. I think loyal Perfectly readers will enjoy the extra layer – like sharing an in-joke. This book is about Dr. Jayden Locke, a naturopathic doctor, who’s looking to settle in small-town Emerson, and Dr. Cole Cameron, a family physician who throws up obstacles and doesn’t think much of naturopaths. 

I had the idea to throw these two together after a conversation I had with a friend. She wanted to see a naturopath about a particular health concern and was surprised when her family doctor didn’t support it. I’m a physician and love writing about doctors, so I thought – perfect set up for conflict in a romance novel! Ah, the mind of an author – always wondering how I can weave what I hear into a story! :D



Excerpt of Perfectly Together:
The weight of disappointment settled on her shoulders and an ache filled her chest. Her dream tumbled like a collapsing house of cards. She couldn’t bear it, and turned to go.
“Wait, maybe we could work something out.”
She looked back.
His eyes lit up and the green flecks glowed. “I planned on renting it out. We can renovate the interior to suit. Sounds like it would work out perfectly.”
For you, maybe. She longed to own. The thought of renting, of living at the whim of someone else, made her stomach twist in knots. She couldn’t do it. She wanted stability and needed permanency.
She blinked back tears. It had been so close.
“You’re thinking of a clinic? Are you a doctor?” he asked.
“I’m a naturopath – a doctor of naturopathy.”
Cole’s eyes widened and he smirked. “A naturopath? Interesting. What exactly do you do? Hand out herbs? Read a crystal ball?” He grinned. “Voodoo?”
Jayden put her hands on her hips. “Naturopaths follow the same curriculum as medical doctors and then get additional training in natural medicine,” she said stiffly.
He held up his hands. “Sounds very . . . important.”
She narrowed her eyes. Was he mocking her? “I don’t think renting would work. I was really looking to buy.” She couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice. “Good luck to you, though.” She glanced around one last time and walked to the front door.
A hand on her arm stopped her. “Take my card,” Cole said, offering it to her. “Think about it. If you change your mind, give me a call. I’m hoping to get underway in the next couple of weeks.” He tilted his head, the green flecks twinkling. “You know, you don’t look like a naturopath.”
Pft. She rolled her eyes. Should she even bother taking his card? She glanced at the open expanse out the window, the sunlight streaming in, and the view of the mountain.
Would it be worth it? Her dream property, at what cost?
He raised his eyebrows, and her heart stumbled at the interest in his dark blue eyes, the green specks mocking her with a dare.
She plucked the card out of his hand. Hopefully it had a picture on it. It might be a useful target for dart practice.

Buy:

The Blurb:
Newly graduated naturopathic doctor Jayden Locke has a dream – start a practice in small-town Emerson and never move again. She’s found the perfect office building to buy. It passes an inspection, design plans are drawn up, and the bank okays the loan. Only one problem.

Dr. Cole Cameron scoops it before she has a chance to submit an offer. What?
It’s a good investment. Cole isn’t interested in settling down. He works three jobs in three different towns and would just as soon keep moving. But something about Jayden’s defiant eyes and sexy smile makes him pause and reconsider.
What are the chances that a heart filled with wanderlust and a soul longing for a home fit Perfectly Together?
  

Bio:
Linda O’Connor started writing a few years ago when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at the local home décor store. It turns out she loves writing romantic comedies and has a few more stories to tell. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic (well, even when she is writing she’s a physician, and it shows up in her stories :D ). 

Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Find Linda: