Author Spotlight: Katie Holland

November 14, 2019November 11, 2019Leave a comment

Web Resolution Headshots-4 Katie is an author of Young Adult and Romance books. If she’s not writing you can find her reading, cooking or baking for her family. Her love of writing goes back to elementary school and her love of books goes back even farther than that. She takes inspiration from the everyday and lets her imagination take over. She loves seeing new places and enjoying what nature has to offer.

10 Fun Facts about Katie:

My favorite snack is popcorn.
I have two very spoiled dogs.
I love musicals. Cry Baby is one of my favorites.
I don’t plan any of my writing.
My favorite colors are purple and pink.
I love pizza but I’m not adventurous with toppings.
I love crafting, coloring and painting but lack the time to do it.
Being an author is my full time job right now.
A lot of my characters have elements of real people in them.
Seeing my books in a bookstore was a dream come true.

The Books

A Mermaid's Kiss

Kayleigh is starting a new life as the shy college freshman on an athletic scholarship. Tired of being the ‘good little virgin girl,’ Kayleigh wants to explore more than just books in college.

Major is just your typical rich kid who’s used to getting what he wants. Always looking for his next hot hookup, he doesn’t expect to be caught up with the new girl on campus.

Upon meeting, sparks fly, but not in a good way. Kayleigh thinks he’s a jerk and Major thinks she’s extremely stuck-up. They agree to try to get along so he can teach the girls to surf. Their temporary agreement becomes more permanent when Kayleigh asks for Major’s help with something that’s very embarrassing for her. The sexual tension starts to rise as they get to know each other. Can they become more than friends or will their individual issues get in their way?

Purchase Today for $2.99!

Cursed

Two years ago Dani was forced to move to the small town of Shady Oaks, Kentucky. It was a big change for her but she soon fell in love with the small cozy town.

On her sixteenth birthday she is given a box she’s never supposed to open. It carries a long family history and legacy she doesn’t believe in. Shortly after that she catches the eye of Ari, the cute, new boy in her class and Cash, the hot football player. They are like night and day. Ari is caring and sweet while Cash is daring and exciting.

The gift she’d received was too tempting not to look at so she breaks her mom’s trust and opens the box. What she finds inside will change her life forever. She unknowingly finds herself in a battle between good and evil. Will Dani lose herself in the process or even worse, will she come out of it alive?

Purchase Today for $2.99!

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Born the most powerful witch in a century, Briar’s power is potentially limitless. With her mother coveting her power, Briar will do anything to stop her mother from using it for her own evil purposes. On Briar’s eighteenth birthday she manages to escape the coven she was raised in. She spends the next two years on the run, hiding her power and hoping her mother doesn’t find her.

Mystic Haven, Louisiana was supposed to be just another stop, but she was offered a job at the nearby school for witches and warlocks. Since Waverly Academy placed the security of its staff and students as their top priority she felt safe enough to stay. Briar slowly let her guard down and allowed people into her circle. With the help of her best friend and new boyfriend she begins to find out who she really is. But will living as her true self allow mother find her and drag her back into the life she wants nothing to do with?

Purchase Today for $2.99!

Author Spotlight: Jen Lowry

November 13, 2019November 11, 2019Leave a comment

Author Bio J Lowry Jen Lowry is North Carolina born and raised, still holding on to that country slang that is unique to the small town of Maxton she loves so much in Robeson County. She is an avid enthusiast of all things horror, UFC, and binge watches old episodes of Quantum Leap. She finds herself comfier in a pair of pajamas and would make all public appearances in them if she could get away with it. When she isn’t literacy coaching, author coaching, or homeschooling her two fabulous boys, she can be found napping or singing loudly, probably napping. Jen has her doctorate degree in Christian Ministry and is a member of Raleigh First Assembly. Check out Jen’s official author sites all over the net from podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, and more by searching up Jen Lowry Writes or follow her on @jenlowrywrites. Contact Jen for special author appearances and teaching opportunities or stay up to date with her journey at http://www.jenlowrywrites.com.

CONNECT WITH JEN!

10 Fun Facts about Jen:

1. I am a high school Literacy Coach and an English teacher by day and homeschool mom by night!
2. I love my blended family of seven!
3. We watch UFC every weekend! Fight Nights are Family Night!
4. I love to sing. If you’ve read any of my novels, you’ll see a common theme!
5. I enjoy reading children’s literature more than any other genre. It’s where my heart soars!
6. I received a doctorate degree totally not related to my full-time job as an educator but because it was a bucket list dream (Doctorate in Christian Ministry)!
7. I take my bucket list seriously, as you can see by #6!
8. I feel like writing is my calling and love to help other authors achieve their goals (check out my Jen Lowry Writes Author Podcast and YouTube channel!)
9. I am a huge horror movie fan!
10. I volunteer with prison ministry and one day hope to establish creative writing workshops in North Carolina prisons.

The Books

LYRIC HARPER

Lyric Harper, musical genius, is about to embark on her senior year at the most prestigious arts school in the world nestled right in the pines of North Carolina. Harmonic Arts Center, this hidden gem of talent and artistry, has another mission than to equip talented young musicians with the heart for greatness but to test and develop their inner spirit to bring out their mythological nature. Seven youth are selected for an early admittance summer program under the guise of performing at the opening showcase in the fall. They are called for a greater purpose and shapeshift, train, and work as one flock to combine their gifts to defeat the creatures threatening to cross the Harmonic Bridge into our world. Birds of a feather fly and rock together in this new MG Contemporary Fantasy set in 1985.

Purchase Today for $2.99!

MAGICAL CHRISTMAS WEDDING

Mackenzie Hart, a middle school teacher and hometown sweetheart, is about to be married to Jordan McLaughlin, a handsome banker with big city dreams. Mackenzie loves Christmas and knows a wedding during the holidays would be the perfect backdrop for her big day. What she would have never thought possible becomes her reality when she finds a magic wedding dress and travels back to 1955, the very summer of her grandparent’s union. Will she be able to make it back home in time for her own wedding? Or will she cause the greatest disaster in her family history, wiping out everyone she loves, including herself?

Purchase Today for $2.99!

THE RAPTOR REVOLUTION

Samuel Adams Squirrelly is on a mission. He must save Christmas Mountain from the red-tailed hawks, led by a fanatic Elvis impersonator, threatening their natural balance. Does he have what it takes to gather up his band and led them into battle? Will he be able to survive the vicious attacks from the sky? Is there one hawk among them that can set things right? Join Samuel and his O.R.E.O. militia, as they face their greatest challenge to stand for freedom and fight for liberty in this MG Historical Fantasy based on the American Revolution.

Purchase Today for $2.99!

Author Spotlight with Elaine Marie Cooper

November 5, 2019November 4, 2019Leave a comment

Today I have a special treat. I am doing an Author Spotlight on Historical Fiction author Elaine Marie Cooper. Check out some fun facts about her and browse through her books she has available. Happy reading everyone!

About Elaine

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that released in 2019: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling is available in both e-book and paperback. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. Scarred Vessels, a novel about black soldiers in the American Revolution, will release in 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

10 Fun Facts

She hates mushrooms
She loves avocadoes
She’d rather get together with a small group of friends than attend a big party.
Her favorite date with her husband is a movie with popcorn and coke.
Her favorite movie is “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The ending still makes her cry.
Her favorite pets are dogs. No, cats. No, dogs, … Her favorite pets are both dogs and cats. ☺
She L_O_V_E_S being a GiGi. She has 5 grandchildren and treasures each one of them. Her favorite song to sing with them is “The Tortilla Song.” 😉 She made it up to encourage the nine-year-old triplets to eat their lunch when they were little.
Her favorite vacations spots are historical sites. (Forget the cruises!)
She watches almost NO network TV (except some news) but can binge watch Masterpiece Theater episodes.
The best thing she ever did—besides becoming a Christian— was to give birth to three wonderful children.

Connect with Elaine!

The Books

Fields of the Fatherless

In the early months of 1775, war is brewing in the American colonies. Although frightened, eighteen-year-old Betsy Russell (an ancestor to actor Kurt Russell) of Menotomy Village, Massachusetts, wants to be prepared in case of attack by British troops. Her father, prosperous farmer Jason, is the fourth generation of Russells on this land yet their very rights as British Colonials are being stripped away one by one. Will the King of England take their land as well?

Tensions are growing here in the countryside west of Boston and the outbreak of battle seems a certainty. Jason desperately wants to protect his family his wife, children and grandchildren and their future. Betsy makes every attempt to be prepared for the worst. But not even the American militia could have predicted the bloody massacre that was about to occur right on the Russells’ doorstep. If Betsy loses everything she holds dear, are the rights of all the Colonists endangered?

Fields of the Fatherless is based on a true story.

FREE on KU or $2.99!

Saratoga Letters

1777: The Battle of Saratoga, a turning point of the Revolutionary War, gives the American Continental Army its first great victory. But there seems little to celebrate for Abigail, a woman forced to tend to a wounded British soldier. While nursing William back to health, Abigail finds herself pursued by others in the enemy camp who have less than gallant intentions toward her. Fearful of who she can trust and who might betray her, she leans on her faith and God’s Providence for survival.

1977: On the anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga, thousands arrive from Europe and the United States to celebrate the event. Among the re-enactors are descendants of the original participants from both sides of the battle. One young American, Abby, meets the offspring of a British soldier. But when she finds herself almost assaulted by some men at the event, Abby turns to the only person she knows—her British ally. Can she trust him with her life? Or will he betray her in the same way loyalist spies betrayed her ancestors? Perhaps her answer lies in the letters from her ancestor and namesake, Abigail.

Can regrets from the past stir love’s resolve in the present?

FREE on KU or $0.99!

Love’s Kindling

During the American Revolution, Aurinda Whitney lives with her cold and calloused father, an embittered veteran of the previous war. Aurinda’s life changed forever when her father returned for her after that war, taking her away from the only place she’d ever experienced affection. Since her father blamed Aurinda for the death of his wife in childbirth, Aurinda is convinced she is unworthy of love.

Zadok Wooding believes he is a failure as he tends the smithy at home while others go to battle against the British. Just when he has an opportunity to become a hero, he is blinded in an accident. Now he fears he will never live up to the Biblical “mighty man of valor” for whom he was named.

When the couple meet, they are both challenged to overcome adversity as well as their inadequacies. Unexpected secrets of their past emerge that can change their lives forever. But can they look past their present circumstances to heal—and find love?

Purchase Today for $4.99!

Author Spotlight with Cheryl Mackey

September 24, 2019September 20, 2019Leave a comment

Cheryl Mackey

Cheryl lives in Southern California with her adorable hubby and 2 sons. She has a MFA in Creative Writing and enjoy games, reading and, of course, writing. She grows tall bearded irises and avidly listens to trailer music by groups like Audiomachine, Two Steps from Hell, and Future World Music.  Cheryl’s favorite genre to write and read is YA Fantasy closely followed by YA Scifi and she would love to dabble in Steam Punk and Dystopian.

She has been writing since she was 13, using her mother’s dinosaur of a typewriter (it was from the fifties I think!) and her father’s special resume paper (without his knowledge). Those stories are long gone, but her brain never sleeps without coming up with new ideas.

Fun Facts about Cheryl:

Cheryl taught herself to read at age 4 and by the time she was 7 she was reading 10^th grade books. Luckily her mom was a librarian!
Cheryl loves nerdy things like tabletop games, video games, and playing Magic the Gathering with her eldest son.
Cheryl was born in 1977 only a few months before Star Wars came out. She loves both Star Trek and Star Wars!
Cheryl dislikes her old fashioned name…but her family nickname is just as old fashioned: Sherry.
Cheryl has been married for 19 years!
Cheryl has 2 sons, ages 13 and 17.
Cheryl has 3 birds, Tango, Pilot, and Archades. (No other pets allowed where we live).
Cheryl has written a total of 5 books. Her very first is not published it’s that bad!
Cheryl’s food weakness: Pasta

Connect with Cheryl:

Cheryl’s Books

Author Spotlight with Janet Grunst

September 21, 2019September 20, 2019Leave a comment

Happy Saturday everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Today I am featuring an Author Spotlight on Historical Romance author Janet Grunst. Check out her story below. Hope you enjoy.

Janet Grunst

Janet Grunst I live in the historic triangle of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) so you might think that is what sparked my interest in reading and writing historical fiction. Reading historical fiction began as a child, but the motivation to write it didn’t come until much later and getting published was a thirty-one-year endeavor which makes me a poster child for perseverance.

In the 80’s I was a stay-at-home mom in northern Virginia, with columns in two local papers. It was fun but I began to think there was something more I should be doing with my writing efforts. A story kept forming in my mind, so I explored writing fiction. With two little boys at home and no knowledge of what writing for the fiction market entailed, my work was cut out for me. I asked God if He would give me two or three hours a day to write if I would faithfully put it aside to care for my family? Sensing His confirmation, I began researching and studying the craft of writing fiction.

The story germinating in my mind was set in the 18^th century required extensive research. This was pre-internet days, so it meant visiting libraries. The more I researched, the more subplots developed. At times it was a challenge to quit studying and get down to writing. I asked for God’s direction and He faithfully furnished it and I kept my pledge to leave my writing den and care for my little ones. A girlfriend and my husband read each chapter after it was completed and their encouragement kept me on task to complete more chapters. When it was complete they encouraged me to seek publication.

Researching publishing companies, writing and submitting queries, synopsis’s, and proposals required a different skillset. Many submissions and rejections followed but I continued to send it out. Trilogies were popular in the early 90’s so in the fall of 1992 I started writing the sequel.

But in 1993, my husband left, requiring me to return to full-time employment to raise my sons. My writing was put aside for many years. I eventually remarried, retired, and relocated to Williamsburg, VA. My new husband encouraged me to keep writing and to again pursue publication.

The Christian publishing world had changed dramatically by 2010. I needed an agent and a social media platform, so I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers, attended conferences, became a contributor to Colonial Quills, got on Facebook and created a website. I still had a lot to learn about writing fiction so the editing continued.

The publishing world was evolving. Ebooks had gained in popularity and bookstores were closing. Publishers were also undergoing changes including closing fiction lines. It was getting harder for unpublished writers to get contracts.

My agent submitted the manuscript to publishers but to no avail. I was discouraged. She mentioned Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (LPC) was taking a chance on unpublished writers and enjoying some success.

In December of 2015, thirty years after writing that story, I received a contract for A Heart Set Free. It received the Selah Award for Historical Romance in 2017. The sequel, A Heart For Freedom, was published in 2018 and received the 2019 Christian Indie Award for Historical Fiction. I’ve just signed a contract for the third and final story in the series. I’m also thrilled to be part of an LPC novella collection called The Highlanders which will be released in early November.

I learned a lot about myself through this long journey to publication and despite discouragement, grateful I didn’t give up. Do you have a pursuit you long to accomplish? Take heart, our timing is often different than God’s timing. Keep pursuing your goal and see where it takes you.

Connect with Janet!

Janet’s Books

Author Spotlight with International Bestselling Author: Stephanie Ayers

September 12, 2019Leave a comment

Steph Stephanie Ayers is an international bestselling author who writes speculative fiction, where horror and fantasy collide. A self-proclaimed word whisperer, she is a unicorn disguised as a human living in southwestern Ohio and a member of the Ohio Writers Association. She mothers her children and avoids all things housework and zombies. When she isn’t doing any of these things, she can be found browsing thrift stores and flea markets with her husband, attending football games with her son, or binging on TV shows.
Her debut novella, Til Death Do Us Part, was published in 2013, and her work appears in several anthologies and collections, notably Absolution, Flash Fiction Addiction, and the upcoming Bending Time. She currently has two serials to her name, the stand-alone horror volumes of The 13 series and her new high fantasy, the Destiny Defined series, which debuted March 7, 2019.
Her favorite quote is:

“The blank page is a canvas on which the writer paints a story.”

~Stephanie Ayers

Connect with Stephanie:

10 Things About Stephanie

I collect coffee mugs, especially ones with unicorns and fairies on them.
I am almost completely deaf and require the use of hearing aids.
I wrote my first story in 4th grade.
I was once married to a Native American, a skinhead, and a cowboy all at the same time.
My vivid imagination gets me in trouble often.
I love all things New Orleans and Louisiana: Saints, LSU, Popeye’s, Mardi Gras…
I wanted to be an Olympic downhill skier when I was a teenager.
I own more books than I could possibly read in 3 lifetimes
I am terrified of zombies, heights, roaches, and maggots, but my greatest fear is watching my children die violently.
Whenever my friends see a unicorn they think of me. In fact, they say I am the only person they know who can turn a unicorn into something dark and twisted.

Stephanie’s Fantasy Books

Author Spotlight with Cindy Ervin Huff

September 10, 2019Leave a comment

cindy huff 2016 Cindy Ervin Huff is a multi-published writer. She has been featured in numerous periodicals over the last thirty years. Her historical romance Secrets & Charades won the Editor Choice, Maxwell Award and Serious Writer Medal. Her contemporary romance, New Duet released in 2018 placed second in the Serious Writer Awards and a finalist in the 2019 Selah Awards.. Cindy is a member of ACFW, Mentor for Word Weavers. founding member of the Aurora, Illinois, chapter of Word Weavers and Christian Writer’s Guild alumni. She loves to encourage new writers on their journey. Cindy and her husband make their home in Aurora, Illinois. They have five children and eight grandchildren. Follow her on social media.