Category: <span>Competitions</span>

Kate Eden Interview And Giveaway!

Final Copy of Murdoch Vampires

I’m very lucky to have been able to interview the amazing author Kate Eden, as part of her awesome blog tour for her Murdoch Vampires novels: The Hot Scot, and Rebel Child. Plus there’s a blog tour giveaway of some very cool goodies! 🙂

Kate EdenBio: Kate Eden comes from a long line of mouthy broads who love to read, so it’s probably no surprise she caught the writing bug early. An avid romance fan since her early teens, Kate loves writing–and reading–stories about plucky heroines, sexy heros and the weird and wild journey people take on their way to love. She loves good food, cheap booze, and believes laughter is the cure for just about everything.

Author links: Facebook / Twitter / Website

 

 

INTERVIEW

Where do you do your writing?

Kate: I write wherever I can find strong coffee and a power supply. Mostly this happens in my office or at a café in my neighborhood. I give extra credit to places with delicious pastries with which to woo my muse.

What would be your ideal writing place?

Kate: On a veranda overlooking the ocean or a villa in Tuscany. Both settings would require a handsome manservant to bring me coffee and pastries.

What puts you in the writing mood?

Kate: New ideas get me going. They’re so full of promise. But being a full-time writer means I don’t always have the luxury of having to be in the mood first.

Do you feel more movtivated to write in the morning, or evening?

Kate: I am definitely not a morning person. Most of my best work happens around mid-day or at night. If my family didn’t want to see me during the day, I’d probably be an all nighter writer.

What inspires you the most?

Kate: Oh man. That’s tough. I find inspiration from so many places. Most writers do, I think. One great source is hanging out with my girl friends. There’s something about laughter that really gets my creative engine revving.

Are you a plotter, or a pantser?

Kate: I am a puzzler. I find a plot beforehand too confining, so I let myself pants it for a while. Then after I get several scenes written that way I go back in and plot so I don’t go off the rails too much.

Have you always written that way?

Kate: Nope. I started out as a plotter, but the more books I write, the more I’m confident in seeing what happens.

Do you play music when you write, or prefer silence?

Kate: I always listen to music when I write, but prefer silence or new agey nature sounds when I edit. When I’m writing, it’s best to wear headphones because it helps me block everything else out but the music and the story.

Do you have any advice for budding authors?

Kate: First of all, let yourself be a novice for a while. Learning how to write well can take time. You have a lot of plates to spin as a writer, and it’s best to tackle a couple at a time instead of trying to master the entire place setting from the word Go. I’ve written nine books, two novellas, and several short stories and I’m still learning so much with each book. Those early days are your apprenticeship, and it helps get you ready for being a pro. Don’t rush through it.

The Hot Scot_938x1500Book #1 The Murdoch Vampires

The Hot Scot

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: April 11, 2013

Type: Paranormal Romance

Logan Murdoch hates complications. All he wants to do is work in his lab and create products to help vampires blend into mortal society. But when his mother begs him to get her painting back from the museum, he discovers a very attractive complication in the form of curator Sydney Worth. She buys his lie that he’s the descendant of the man in the three-hundred-year-old painting, but refuses to give it to him. What’s worse? She’s immune to his mind control.

Sydney couldn’t believe her eyes when the spitting image of the Hot Scot walked into the museum. But her attraction to Logan Murdoch suffers a huge blow when he demands the painting. Losing the piece could threaten her job and she senses Logan is hiding something from her. But this vampire who hates complications and the ambitious curator with trust issues are about to learn the fine art of love.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Smashwords / All Romance eBooks

 

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00028]Book #2 The Murdoch Vampires

Rebel Child

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: April 11, 2013

Type: Paranormal Romance

Raven really doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. All she did was kidnap a mortal and try to sabotage one of the most important developments in the history of the vampire race. For some reason, though, her father, who is the leader of the vampire race, is seriously pissed. He gives her an ultimatum: Spend 200 years in exile or submit to a last ditch crash-course in vampire etiquette.

As the poster boy for upstanding, modern vampires, Callum Murdoch stands for everything the rebellious Raven loathes. He’s also the brother of the man Raven recently targeted. But this very odd couple is about to find out that opposites don’t just attract—they smolder.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Smashwords / All Romance eBooks

 

GIVEAWAY!

Kate Eden is giving away some very cool goodies: one basic Kindle, a $25 gift card to EdenFantasys.com, and a Kate Eden coffee mug! The Giveaway is for US/CAN residents only. Must be 18 to enter.

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Blog Tour Dates:

10/1 – Delighted Reader
http://www.delightedreader.com

10/2 – Hesperia Loves Books (Guest Post – Play List )
http://www.hesperialovesbooks.com

10/3 – Riverina Romantics
http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com

10/4 – Booked & Loaded
http://bookedandloaded.com

10/7 – MaMa Kitty (Guest Post)
http://mamakittyreviews.com

10/8 – Addicted to Heroines
http://www.addicted2heroines.com

10/9 – Musings and Ramblings (Interview)
http://judy-ree.blogspot.com

10/10 – Natalie Westgate (Interview)
http://nataliewestgate.com

10/10 – The Romanceaholic (Interview)
http://romanceaholic.com

10/11 – I Smell Sheep (Interview)
http://ismellsheep.com

10/14 – Short & Sweet Reviews (Spotlight)
http://shortandsweetreviews.blogspot.com

10/14 – Lilly Element (Spotlight)
http://www.lilyelement.blogspot.com

10/14 – Rantings of a Reading Addict (Spotlight)
http://www.rantingsofareadingaddict.com

10/15 – SheWolfReads (Guest Post)
http://shewolfreads.com

10/16 – Urban Girl Reader (Interview)
http://urbangirlreader.com

10/16 – Reading Between the Wines
http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.com

10/17 – Reading by the Book
http://readingbythebook.com

10/18 – I am Indeed
http://iam-indeed.com

10/20 – Bitten by Paranormal Romance
http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com


I Always Wanted To Be A Writer – A Guest Blog by Author Steve McHugh, and A Giveaway!

SMcHugh-Apr13-edit2

Bio: Steve’s been writing from an early age, his first completed story was done in an English lesson. Unfortunately, after the teacher read it, he had to have a chat with the head of the year about the violent content and bad language. The follow up ‘One boy and his frog’ was less concerning to his teachers and got him an A.
It wasn’t for another decade that he would start work on a full length novel that was publishable, the results of which was the action-packed Urban Fantasy, Crimes Against Magic.
He was born in a small village called Mexbrough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton.

Author links: Facebook / Twitter / Website

 

I always wanted to be a writer. When I was young, about 7 or 8, I would write little stories that I can’t even remember anymore. I was about 10 when I wrote the opening chapter to a book that sounded so much like Terry Pratchett that the word plagiarism would have been too soft.

I knew I wanted to write, although I had no idea about doing it for a living, I just wanted to tell stories. I was probably about 13 or 14 when my English teacher, gave the class a creative writing assignment. Mine was something to do with a C.I.A operative trying to escape from assassins while he hid out in diner in the middle of the desert. It was, quite frankly, trash. But fun trash. Unfortunately, my teacher and head of department disagreed with my use of violence and swearing and I was told that I’d need to write something else before he’d submit it as work. Apparently, teachers don’t like their students using swearing and violence in work. Who knew?

So, I wrote a story about a boy who finds a frog and took it home. He then had to keep it hidden from his mum, who eventually found it and he had to give it up. It was heart-wrenching and got me an A. It was probably also trash, but I was 13 years old, so to my mind it was a work of genius.

Anyway, that was point when I realised that actually I really, really liked writing. I wrote a few more things in English class over the years, although I can remember very few and then I went to college and stopped. I didn’t write again, except the occasional opening chapter of something that never went further, for about 3 or 4 years. I always told myself, I had loads of time and that I’d get round to it, but I never did.

I liked the idea of writing a book, of being a writer, but I didn’t know how to go about actually doing it. So, I just let the dream glow inside me while I did nothing about it.

My eldest daughter, Mim (that’s not her real name, I just call her that. Mim’s from the Sword in the Stone) was born 9 years ago, when I was 25. I decided to actually stop messing about with the idea of writing and actually write. I joined a writing group and over the following three years wrote my first book that will never be read by anyone.

After that, I had the bug and immediately set about starting my second book, which as it turned out would be my first published work, Hellequin Chronicles, Book 1. Crimes Against Magic.

It took me a lot less to get the book done, although I took nearly 2 years to try and get an agent and try to make it better and better, until I decided to just self-publish it. Then last year I self-published book 2, Born of Hatred. They both did pretty well, certainly well enough to interested 47North, Amazon’s own SF, Fantasy and Horror imprint. Both books are now re-published and the third will be out next Feb.

It’s an overwhelming feeling to have had success in something you love to do. There’s really nothing quite like it. But I do regret having wasted so many years not working on my writing or not taking it seriously. So, if you have a dream that you’ll ‘get round to’, don’t wait, don’t put it off, just do it. It could well be the best decision you ever make.

McHugh_Crimes_Against_Magic_cvr_FINAL

Crimes Against Magic: Hellequin Chronicles: Book 1

How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can’t remember?

Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past—a gun, a sword, and a piece of paper with his name on it the only clues to his identity. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his magical abilities to become a successful thief for hire.

But those who stole his memories aren’t done with him yet: when they cause a job to go bad and threaten a sixteen-year-old girl, Nate swears to protect her. With his enemies closing in and everyone he cares about now a target for their wrath, he must choose between the comfortable life he’s built for himself and his elusive past.
As the barrier holding his memories captive begins to crumble, Nate moves between modern-day London and fifteenth-century France, forced to confront his forgotten life in the hope of stopping an enemy he can’t remember.

Amazon US / Amazon UK

 

McHugh_Born_of_Hatred_cvr_FINALBorn of Hatred: Hellequin Chronicles: Book 2

There are some things even a centuries-old sorcerer hesitates to challenge…

When Nathan Garret’s friend seeks his help investigating a bloody serial killer, the pattern of horrific crimes leads to a creature of pure malevolence, born of hatred and dark magic. Even with all his powers, Nate fears he may be overmatched. But when evil targets those he cares about and he is confronted by dire threats both old and new, Nate must reveal a secret from his recently remembered past to remind his enemies why they should fear him once more.

Born of Hatred, set in modern London with historical flashbacks to America’s Old West, continues the dark urban fantasy of Crimes Against Magic, the acclaimed first book in the gritty and action-packed Hellequin Chronicles.

Amazon US / Amazon UK

 

GIVEAWAY!

This is the first giveaway I’ve ever done and I’m really excited about it 🙂  To celebrate the re-release of Steve McHugh’s Hellequin Chronicles novels, one lucky winner can choose to receive either a signed copy of Crimes Against Magic, or a signed copy of Born Of Hatred. Winners choice!

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