ANNOUCING Autumn Rosen and her new book My Novel Affair

I am pleased and proud to introduce Author Autumn Rosen writting her latest book, My Novel Affair as Sinara Ellis!  I was so pleased when I picked me to be a beta reader for her newest book and I have to tell you that if you love comedy and want to laugh while you read, this is the book that will do it.  I rarely laugh out loud when I am reading, but Autumn brought me out of my shell when I read her book and I laughed.  It is funny, it is pure witticism at its best, and you will cry but I think you will fall in love with Sinara Ellis and her books if she keeps writing them like this.

Jacque - Do you have any quirks or superstitions that have become as integral to good writing as plot and character?
Sinara - Never be cliché or too obvious, I try to avoid those two things.  Strange as it sounds, I have to have gum to write. I buy it constantly; my desk drawer is filled with it. It’s usually the only time I chew it.

Jacque - Are your stories plot or character driven?
Sinara - My stories tend to be character driven. I believe that the emotion of a character can move a story along in a more realistic manner. Emotion can change so quickly and in unexpected ways, it allows you to keep a reader interested.

Jacque - Everyone has their own dream. What's yours… best seller, feature film adaption, fame, riches, Oprah, Pulitzer?
Sinara - I would love to see my work on the big screen. I’m not in it for the money or fame. I would love nothing better than to enter a theatre and stand in the back, to take in the reactions of a crowd watching my story unfold, that’s what I’m after.

Jacque - Where do you get your ideas?
Sinara - Different places, my first novel My Four Fathers & Eleanor was from a dream, as most of my books have been. My Novel Affair, just popped into my head while I was watching an unrelated movie. I walked out on the movie and pounded out fifteen thousand words in a couple of hours.

Jacque - Tell us, what is your most productive/inspiring setting?
Sinara - Last year I cleared out my old home office and created a space that was more conducive to writing. An open window with a great breeze flowing through and music to set a mood (depending on the plot) and I’m set. I have a catalog of eight thousand songs and growing, so I feel I have lots to write in the future.

Jacque - How much of you will a reader find in any given book?
Sinara - Most people find me complicated. My friends and family will tell you that my characters are all me in some way. All of my work is some side of my personality, some obvious, and some not so obvious. People that believed me to be insensitive were shocked by my debut novel’s depth and emotion. In turn my spouse spent weeks asking me if he was the protagonist in my new novel, My Novel Affair, because the main character was so like me. I think I actually had him worried.
Jacque - That's funny, you would say that, Autumn. I have my husband worried because I am doing research on poisons for one of my books, lol.

Jacque - What advice would you give to new/unpublished authors?
Sinara - No matter how many times you are rejected do not stop writing. The great thing about writing is the audience, you will find one since you have an entire world of people to share your work with. Possibilities are endless, treat them that way.

Jacque - What's the best advice ever given to you, and by whom?
Sinara - I was told by an English teacher in school that my writing was rubbish, but it was good rubbish and to keep trying. I don’t remember his name and I should, but I have always followed that advice. It keeps my ego in check and makes me work harder.

Jacque - Do you have an author you feel your work most resembles?
Sinara - That’s a hard question to answer. Fans usually compare my work with films rather than books. My first novel was compared to Rainman and Pay it Forward. I’m a visual person and I think that transfers over to my stories, so people find it easier to find resemblances to something they’ve seen rather than read.


Jacque - What is the one thing you would most like people to know about you?
Sinara - I answer 99.9999% of my fan mail and I have an unexplainable addiction to gummy bears sent in that fan mail.

Jacque - What are the biggest misconceptions new authors have about the publishing industry?
Sinara - I think that most believe they are not good enough if they are not published by the large publishing houses. There are other avenues out there now, take advantage of them if you don’t get that big publisher.
Another is that agents are goddesses/gods sitting upon pedestals, untouchable. In reality they are just people with the same problems as the rest of us.

Jacque - Where do you see yourself in five years? Where did you see yourself five years ago? Did you make it there?
Sinara - In five years I see myself at my desk, still entertaining readers and myself.  Five years ago I didn’t think that far ahead, call it irresponsible, but I liked not knowing. I guess I’ve come out better than I thought I would.

Jacque - What do you do when you're not writing?
Sinara - In my spare time I hang around my house and with friends. I play the piano in my kitchen when people are not around. I’m piano shy.
I also write book reviews and blog on-line. I love Twitter and Facebook, they allow me to bounce ideas and find people who are like minded to chat with.

Jacque - Do you belong to a writer's group, on or offline? Critique groups?
Sinara - I belong to a brilliant writing group called Book Country, it’s run by two fabulous ladies from Penguin Books, Colleen Lindsay and Danielle Poiesz. I was more than happy to join the Beta group when it started several months ago and I have met some great writers there. I have learned a lot from my fellow authors, I love the fact they are willing to tell me when I need to take something back to the drawing board. I use beta readers for critiquing; I pick volunteers from my social sites to do this. I think this is more honest since these are the people more apt to take a chance on reading my work. I take that feedback and work it over.
Jacque - I want to thank you again for letting me be a beta reader for this book.  It was a great pleasure to read and I hope you make lots of sales from it.

Jacque - Who's your target audience? What aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?
Sinara - I work in seven separate genres in my writing so I have a pretty wide audience. My target audience for My Novel Affair is anyone who has ever been in, or wants to be in love, from ages eighteen to six-feet under. I think the ultimate goal for anyone in life is to find and give love, those are the people I see reading this novel. Love is messy, hard, easy, scary, funny and irresistible.
I think the characters really help people dive into the story because all of us can find something in common with at least one of them.


You can find Sinara's books here: http://www.autumnrosenbooks.com/index.html


Thank you for joining me here today. 

I am pleased to Introduce Laura Watts

When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?
When my travelling days were over and I decided I wanted to write a book about my experiences. It was only as I began to write that I realized how much I actually enjoyed the process, and made the decision to write other books.

Is this the only job you’ve had?
I wish it was! I’ve done quite a few things from working in a psychiatric ward to working in pubs. My favourite job other than this has been working in a library.

Have other work experiences made you more determined to follow a writing career?
Definitely. There’s nothing quite so satisfying as working for yourself. You’re the one in control; you don’t have to answer to anyone else. That’s the best bit.

What genre do you write?
At the moment I am currently writing a memoir about my days travelling Canada. My first book is also a memoir about travelling Australia and New Zealand.

Have you written under more than one genre?
No, not yet but I plan to do so. After my current book I want to take a break from writing so I can spend more time reading different kinds of books to decide what genre I want to write in next.

Where do you get your inspiration for writing?
Everywhere! I have a very active imagination which is the best thing to have while writing, but it can be frustrating when I want to switch off my brain to go to sleep. As for getting inspiration for my first books, I kept a detailed diary of both travelling accounts.

Do you ever dream of your next book?
I don’t think I ever sleep enough to dream!

Describe the highlight of your writing career.
Definitely selling books on Amazon. That has been fantastic.

Have there ever been moments where you’ve wanted to give up?
Absolutely not. This has been one of best things to ever happen to me. I am not giving up on it at all.

What’s been the worst thing to happen to you regarding your writing?
I think the stress of having to constantly market, it’s never ending. I didn’t realise at the time when I was writing how much work I would have to do after releasing the book.

Have you always believed in yourself, or have you let negative comments get you down?
I take no notice of nasty comments if they are just meant to be spiteful. Constructive criticism is another matter entirely, I can listen to that no problem because I can learn from past mistakes.

Who is the author you’d most like to be and why?
I like being me, even if I don’t sell millions of books. I’m very proud of my achievement. I didn’t know at first whether I would come this far.

Can you name the drawbacks to being a writer?
Definitely! The lack of time for doing anything else with your life. That’s why if you want to become a writer you must enjoy it because you don’t have a lot of time for anything else. That’s a major downside if you have a family.

What’s your typical writing day?
Well, I usually work a 6-7 day week. I’m always doing something. Most of the time I write in the mornings and then spend the rest of the afternoon marketing. I sometime work at night too, depending on what I am doing. Sometimes I’ll market for the whole of the day, other days I’ll spend mostly writing. It’s pretty full on.

What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done?
You’ll have to read my first book to find that one out!

What do you do when you finish writing a book?
Have a glass of wine to celebrate.

Do you hire an editor or do you do that job yourself?
I hire a professional editor, I wouldn’t want to publish anything if it wasn’t edited to a high standard.

What do you do when you receive criticism of your work?
Take it on board if it’s constructive. Otherwise, if it’s nasty I just ignore it.

What’s your best tip for other writers?
Listen to constructive criticism. You’re never going to learn otherwise.

What’s been the most helpful advice you’ve ever received?
To do plenty of research on the topics you want to know. If you plan and research, you’ll do well.

What do you think of the ebook industry?
I think it’s amazing! It’s given so many people an opportunity.

Please list your books and give your online details.
My book: Secret Confessions of a Backpacker: My Adventure Down
Under - can be found at:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54060
http://amzn.to/mnaL1Q - Amazon.com
http://amzn.to/lL0Cjj - Amazon.co.uk
Visit my blog where I blog about useful marketing tips:
http://lkwattsconfessions.blogspot.com

6 Sentence Sunday

For Sunday, June 12, 2011 #2

Since we didn't post 6 sentences last Sunday, I am posting 12 sentences from my contemporary romance, Wilderness Heart.

Here is a set up to the scene. It is the next morning where Lyn is trying to get the flue open on the cook stove in the canvas tent to cook breakfast for the men she is guiding on an elk hunting trip, when Nic walks in and sees her bent over trying to open it. It is so stuck, and he can't resist helping a woman in distress, of course, so he has gone to help her.




After a few minutes of staring at her, he quietly walked up behind her, leaned over her, reached his arm out to hers, and turned the handle with ease. He couldn't help but notice her sudden intake of breath and he didn't do anything to change his position over her.
“Uh, I didn't hear anyone come in.”
She spoke so softly that if he weren't leaning over her, he wouldn't have heard her. “It looked to me you were having some trouble, so I thought you could use a hand.” He made no move to stand up away from her; she was soft, warm, and very firm from what he could tell by leaning on her.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Lyn didn't ask him to move and she made no move to try to get out from under him, but being this close to her, touching her with the front of his body from the waist down was proving his undoing. He stood erect and looked into her eyes as she turned to face him. At this closeness, he could see the gold flecks in her eyes sparkle, but the movement in them from yesterday to now was as different as night and day. Could she be as aroused as he was by their touch? He hoped she didn't give him a once over from head to toe like yesterday or she would see how aroused he was.

4-Star Review by Mia of The Romance Reviews

WILDERNESS HEART ended up being a satisfying and charming story where readers will gain insight to what it is like being a woman in a "man's world.".

Set in the late 1970s, in the Idaho wilderness, Lyn Taylor runs Taylor's Outfitters and Guides. Struggling with being a woman in a man's world where many men don't want a woman on their hunting trip, let alone having one guide them, Lyn works hard everyday to gain the respect she feels she deserves. All the men in her life, even her father, want to change her into someone more ladylike. Will she ever find love with a man who will accept her for who she is?

Nic Randall works hard to gain his father's approval. His father is ready to retire and Nic hopes to inherit Randall Lumber of Montana from him instead of his older brother who doesn't seem to like the work as much as he does. Scouting for new locations to cut timber sends him to Idaho. Posing as a hunter, Nic decides to employ Taylor Outfitters to get close to the potential job site before the lot goes up for bid. But when Lyn shows up claiming that she is the guide he hired, Nic doesn't know whether to fight for his job or for his heart.

Jacqueline Hopkins writes WILDERNESS HEART in such a way that you can feel, smell, breathe the places Lyn lives and works. This is a wonderful book, set in an interesting location. Vivid descriptions give the reader a sense of being right there. The dialogue is believable and moves the story along. Many plot twists kept this reader reading long into the night. The main characters were relatable, and I really enjoyed the witty dialog. The secondary characters were great addition to the story and were quite likable as well.

WILDERNESS HEART is a story that makes you want to keep reading to see what happens to the main characters--you think you know what is going to happen, but then, situations change and you begin to wonder if the story is taking a different turn. If you enjoy strong, independent women in rugged settings, you'll enjoy WILDERNESS HEART.