 Hey! Great News - A Friend of mine's book has been nominated for an award.
HEART'S PROTECTOR by ERZABET BISHOP is nominated in the 2017 MENAGE ROMANCES READERS' FAVORITE AWARDS! Fantastic!!!! Please help her out by voting for this award.
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 There's something incredibly special about that moment when an Author's book goes live. It's the release of so many hopes, dreams and damn hard work. Now it's out there for the world to see, to criticise, and hopefully occasionally to love and to move.
It is such a day for a friend of mine from the Alliance of Self-Published Authors (ASPA), Pandora Spocks. It is the release day of her latest baby; the cleverly titled LOST & BOUND. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to do my little part in helping to promote her latest offering. So today, let's celebrate the release of yet another healthy, bouncing, independently published book - LOST & BOUND by PANDORA SPOCKS!  For today's Indie Author of Excellence, I reached into the Alliance of Self-Published Authors (ASPA) grab-bag again and pulled out Lisa Kulow's name.
Lisa writes in the fantasy/adventure genre and has so far produced two novels; Atlantis, a New Beginning and Atlantis After Midnite.  I'm sure one of the most common questions asked of authors when people realise they have written books is, "where do your story ideas come from?" I know I've been asked that question a lot, especially as it relates to certain books I've written. For some authors, it is possibly quite a simple question. Some, well organised and methodical authors have their books well mapped out in advance, with plot lines and characters all either written down or buried in their head.
Not for me that sort of careful planning, I'm afraid. When it comes to writing, I'm very much what is termed in the game, as a "pantser". In other words, I write from the seat of my pants, with very little forethought or planning. In general terms, once I have an idea for a new story, I usually have a beginning in mind and an end. All that then needs to be worked out is that pesky, little bit in the middle. In other words, about ninety-five percent of the story. But, how do I come up with the idea in the first place? I know some authors who have an inexhaustible list of story ideas. I envy them greatly. They are either more creative and more imaginative than me or maybe they just are better organised. Whatever is the answer, for me, the end of one book marks the beginning of the soul-searching of what to write next.  Suzie Jay, today's Indie Author of Excellence, is another one of my colleagues from ASPA (Association of Self-Publishing Authors).
I have read a couple of her books, one each in the two genres she writes; romantic comedy and children's books. I absolutely adored her book Eve 'N' Steven as well as her children's book Princess Matilda's Miracle. In addition to being a talented author, Suzie is also the illustrator of her own children's books.  I thought today, I might give you a little story on my pride and joy - THE SECOND COMING trilogy.
The Second Coming was my first ever novel. It was never intended to be a trilogy, but as I came toward the end of the book, I realised there was just so much more about these exciting characters that I still wanted to share. Jesus (JC), Maria, Adonis, Gabs, Ronnie and all the other modern-day Disciples had gotten into my bloodstream, so by the time the book was completed, I was ready and raring to go with the sequel - Rise of the AntiChrist. I'm often asked why I wrote The Second Coming in the first place. That, is a story in itself.  Paranormal Alley is a book that's dear to my heart. Its creation came about through a series of events and conversations with my twenty-four-year-old son, Chris, who can't seem to decide whether he wants to be a screenwriter, a comic book creator or a novelist.
I remember berating him one day about his lack of commitment to any one of the above. I suggested that because he couldn't seem to commit to following one particular field, with some passion, he was actually achieving very little in all three. His immediate response was to hit back (wonder where he got that from - must've been his Mother, I guess). His exact words were; "yeah, it's so easy for you. You write full-time and I've got to squeeze my writing in between earning a living and having a life." That did resonate with me and I felt immediate empathy with his plight. He was dead right! I was very fortunate to be able to live my dream, without having to worry about where the next loaf of bread came from. Incidentally, now would be the appropriate time to thank my gorgeous wife Thess for allowing me the opportunity to do exactly that. Thank you, my darling! You are my hero and my superstar and I love you to bits. So, I thought on about Chris' comment and finally, it hit me, like a bullet between the eyes!  I first came across Angel Medina when he sent me an unsolicited email asking me if I'd like to read the draft of his first novel - The Thousand Year War and comment on it.
I like to help as many Indie authors as I can, so I assured him I'd be happy to cast my eye over it. I certainly wasn't overly impressed by what he'd sent me and I told him so. There was a good story in there somewhere, but there was some work to be done to tidy up his writing before I considered it would be sellable. I certainly wasn't Angel's target demographic for his stories, so I wasn't too concerned that I didn't find the story much to my taste. I just felt he had a lot of work to do to get it to the point where readers could appreciate. To Angel's credit, he did the work and tidied up his draft. What impresses me the most is that in a very short time, he's now turned that initial novel into a trilogy and published all three plus a combined issue of the full trilogy. This man is a driven author and for that reason alone, I'm happy to include him in my series on Indie Authors of Excellence. So, who is Angel Medina or perhaps Angel Ramon or perhaps it's Angel Ramon Medina? He seems to go by all of those names in various places all over the web.  Today, I'd like to introduce you to another of my fellow authors who are part of the Alliance of Self-Published Authors (ASPA). As I've explained before, ASPA is a group of like-minded Indie Authors whose sole purpose is to support each other. A number of ASPA members are erotic authors and today's Indie Author of Excellence, Ian Saul Whitcomb, is one of those. I'll be honest. Before I joined ASPA I would never have dreamed of reading erotica. It simply didn't interest me. I'm pleased to say that becoming an author myself has truly opened up my eyes to all literary genres, many of which I'd never considered before, including erotica. I've read a couple of Ian Whitcomb books so far and the thing that has impressed me the most (apart from the hot and steamy erotic scenes) is that Ian has a good backstory to his novels and certainly the two stories I've read thus far were based around topics that are not often covered in any literature, let alone erotic literature. I find this author's books to have a wider appeal beyond just those people who read for the pure erotica. Please Note: Ian Saul Whitcomb writes erotica. If erotica is likely to offend you, please do not read on.
 Today, I'm really excited to introduce you to another one of my colleagues from the Alliance of Self-Published Authors (ASPA). It is A. M. Manay, the author of the exciting supernatural November Snow Series. Now, I've read one of Manay's books thus far and I'm excited to read more, as I'm sure you will be. So, please join me as we go on a little journey and discover all about this exciting, indie author of excellence!
 Well, today I'm fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview one of the principal characters from the second and third books, of Grant Leishman's Second Coming Trilogy; Rise of the AntiChrist and Holy War.
Yes, it's none other than the arch-enemy, the number one antagonist, the Devil himself. Welcome Mr Beelzebub. Now, you are known by a whole host of names; The Evil One, The Devil, Satan, The Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, just to name a few. How would you prefer to be addressed in this interview? Why thank you for your kind introduction young fella. Yeah, they do certainly seem to have a ton of names for little 'ole Bubba. Can't says I'm that sure why that would be the case, but anyway, my friends like to call me Bubba and I'm just fine with that. You can call me SIR!  Pssst......hey, you... yeah you. Do you secretly like a bit of erotica? It's okay, I promise not to tell anyone, but wow, have I got something special for you.
Only, one of the absolute best erotica writers in the market, PANDORA SPOCKS has a new book coming out. It'll be here on January 31, but you can get in early and pre-order it if you're smart. Pandora is an absolute star in the erotica world and trust me, from the clever title to the amazing cover, right through to the last page of the story, LOST & BOUND is an absolute winner.  Today, I'm thrilled and excited to bring you a new release from a very good friend of mine, ERZABET BISHOP. She has just released SANGUINE SHADOWS and is very keen to tell you all about it.
 I am totally loving this opportunity to bring you some of the amazing indie authors I come into contact with on a daily basis. Today's recipient of the Excellence in Indie Author award goes to a fellow member of my Books Go Social Authors group - BGS Fantasy/Paranormal and her name is NATALIE BENNETT!
WARNING: These books are dark erotica - please do not read on if that is likely to offend you! Today, in my series introducing you to some wonderful new authors, I'm shooting back to my Books Go Social Fantasy/Paranormal group for my INDIE AUTHOR OF EXCELLENCE. It is Tammy Berg!
Tammy is the author of the Five-Ever Series, of which she currently has three books available. Why Five-Ever? Because Five--Ever is so much longer than Four-Ever.  Today, I'd like to take the opportunity to introduce to you someone who has taken the thriller/blockbuster indie world by storm - a man by the name of KEN FRY!
I first met Ken through my association with the Alliance of Self-Published Authors (ASPA). I was told his books were in the mould of Ludlum, Dan Brown and others of that ilk. Being a natural skeptic about claims such as these, I approached his first book with some skepticism. The claims were wrong, in my opinion. Yes, his book was somewhat Ludlumesque in style, but frankly, it was BETTER than any Ludlum I'd ever read (and I've read them all). This man is a real talent and deserves great recognition. Very few indie authors are prepared to take on the big blockbuster spy or espionage thrillers, but Ken is and he does it superbly. I would urge everyone to give his books a try and follow him. I did and now I'm a devoted fan.  Yesterday's blog was intended to generate some controversy and discussion, which it achieved rather well I might say. Some dismissed it as an angry rant, but what I had hoped to do was to stimulate thought amongst the Indie community about treating each other with more respect; not as competitors, but as colleagues. I think I achieved that, so in the spirit of celebrating ALL indie authors, I'd like to begin a series on highlighting some of the superb indie authors I'm involved with. Before Christmas, I did a series of blogs about the members of a support team I'm involved with through Books Go Social. These guys are all wonderful indie authors, who like me are struggling to be seen and heard in the massive clamour that is the Amazon marketplace. By supporting each other we can make our voices heard.
If you are an author or a reader, I can highly recommend Books Go Social as your go-to place for everything literary. Just click on the photo above and check it out - they are awesome.  Every so often, I get my blood boiled a little by some arrogant, mealy-mouthed, so-called expert who pontificates on Facebook or wherever, that there is so much crap in the e-book marketplace and that it demeans the other indie authors' work.
It is a crock of shit! This is just a continuation of the age-old argument and fallacy that was perpetuated by those in the publishing industry. We know better than you and we will tell you what you can and cannot read. For well over a hundred years now, a small group of self-appointed experts has decided what the great reading public will have the opportunity to read. THOSE DAYS ARE GONE FOREVER!  Today, I'm thrilled to be able to share with you ther cover reveal for an exciting new novel from a friend of mine. The author is PANDORA SPOCKS and her new book, due for release on January is 31st, is the cleverly titled LOST & BOUND
You can pre-order LOST & BOUND at this universal link: books2read.com/LostandBound |
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