Tuesday, January 29, 2013

FIRST LOVE BLOG HOP: Contemporary Romance Author, Shelley Lieber/Elyse Grant


Shelley Lieber, Author
Under pen name Elyse Grant
THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX
Welcome contemporary romance author Shelley Lieber, er, or is it Elyse Grant. We are privileged today to get double—maybe even triple—the author.  Shelley Lieber describes herself as an author with a split personality. Her alter ego Elyse Grant seized control of her writing one day and produced THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, described by one reviewer as “sexy and exciting while also exploring the everyday problems most women are dealing with.” As a publishing consultant, Shelley Lieber has published 4Ps to Publishing Success and Publishing Made Easy & Profitable.  She also blogs about vegan food and what it’s like being a vegan.

Shelley lives in North Carolina with her husband and her other personalities. They all like to read romance, comedy, drama, and documentaries, and spend time with friends. Also, they have a Muse and they all love her.

Don't miss the excerpt following the interview.

Click the link at the end of this article to check out the First Love Blog Hop and learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more prizes.

Q: Given that you are split personalities, I feel compelled to address questions to each of you.  Let’s start with Elyse. What inspired you to write THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX (I love that title)? 

Elyse Grant: (Thank you ;-) THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX began life as a nonfiction book by Shelley Lieber about re-entering the dating scene at age 40+ after divorce. I’m a fiction writer and I’d been waiting many years to emerge. My opportunity finally showed up one day when Shelley was struggling to organize and present all the stories she had conducted from her real-life interviews with divorced and separated women as research for the book. I saw her falter in frustration and I quickly jumped out and took over the keyboard, introducing her to the characters of Leah Gold and Roxanne Stein. Suddenly everything seemed to fall into place, and the story of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX unfolded.

Q: One of your reviewers said that THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX provided “a great balance of sexuality and everything else that goes into life. The author has created a wonderful and realistic context for showing how women can become their own person.” When you decided to write this book was your goal to offer an entertaining book or to deliver a message?

Elyse Grant: Both. The book has been described as “erotica with a message,” but in truth, it’s women’s contemporary fiction with erotic scenes. As a genre, contemporary women’s fiction confronts issues of modern-day women and their relationships with men, other women, careers, and children. My intention was to explore some of these issues. Of course, a book must be entertaining, or who will read it? So, my goal was to explore the issues in an entertaining and engaging way.

Q: How important is sexuality to telling your story?

Elyse Grant: Sexuality is an important component of a woman’s life and integral to stories about women. THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX explores many components of a woman’s life through two main and two minor female characters. Sexuality is important to the story, but no more so than motherhood or creative expression.

Q: Elyse: How do you convince readers to care what happens to your characters?

Elyse Grant: I don’t try to convince anyone of anything. I do try to create multifaceted characters who exhibit a range of emotions and ideas, who make mistakes and have failures, and who are vulnerable but strong enough to persevere and succeed. As a reader, I know I care about characters I like or admire, and I believe my readers feel the same way.

Q:  Who are your intended readers? What are they looking for?

Elyse Grant: Well, that’s really a question for Shelley. She’s all about target markets and things like that. But I’d say my ideal reader is a woman who appreciates that the pursuit of purpose, passion, and fulfillment is a bumpy, but enjoyable ride.

Q: Now let’s give Shelley a chance to respond. Why are you a writer? When did you first realize that you are a writer?

Shelley Lieber:  I am a writer because that’s what I am. There’s nothing else I do that feels as joyful or fulfilling. I don’t know that I ever “realized” I was a writer...however, there was a day when I realized that I would write for a living and publish my work. I was in my 20s and on vacation at a beach house. I suddenly “saw” myself on the porch of the cottage with a typewriter and knew that one day my vision would be real. It wasn’t that surprising to me, really. I majored in English, loved books, and was working in the publishing industry as a book editor at the time. I began my writing career some years later as a magazine editor and writer. I became a copywriter and worked in advertising, marketing, and public relations for a while. But, fiction was always my first love, and fortunately Elyse Grant popped out one day to assume that role.

Q: Who are the Wordy Woman and The Vegan Novelist? (You really do have a lot of personalities!)

Shelley Lieber: The Wordy Woman is a publishing professional with almost 40 years experience in the industry. She wrote 4Ps to Publishing Success and Publishing Made Easy & Profitable. She helps new and aspiring authors write and publish their work.

The Vegan Novelist demanded recognition in Summer 2012 and started a vegan food and lifestyle blog. She was inspired to write about her participation in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program with a local organic farm.

The problem we face as a multiple personality is that we share the same 24 hours. So, if Vegan Novelist is blogging, Elyse isn’t writing, and Shelley isn’t serving clients. Balance has not yet been achieved. Hence, since THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX has occupied our attention in the past months, Vegan Novelist has not blogged since last summer (although she appears in the kitchen at mealtimes).

Q: Tell us something about yourselves. When you’re not writing, what do you all do? Hobbies? Sailing? Knitting? Standup comedy? Favorite music?  Favorite authors? Do you have a muse?

Shelley Lieber: For the most part, there’s not too much conflict with what to do with leisure time. We enjoy the same kinds of books and movies: romance, comedy, drama, and documentaries. We steer clear of horror, violence, and things that don’t feel good.  We lean to “green” in lifestyle and diet, and love to spend time with family and friends. We absolutely have a Muse and we love her!

About Shelley Lieber/Elyse Grant/Wordy Woman/The Vegan Novelist

Shelley Lieber is an author with a split personality. As The Wordy Woman, publishing consultant, she wrote 4Ps to Publishing Success and Publishing Made Easy & Profitable for new and aspiring authors. Her wilder side writes erotic fiction under the pen name Elyse Grant. THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX is her debut novel. A third personality common to both Shelley and Elyse is Vegan Novelist, who blogs about vegan food and lifestyle.

Shelley is what native North Carolinians not so fondly call a “halfback.” Originally from New York, she moved to Florida, then to North Carolina. Shelley now lives in Asheville, NC, with her husband, who is remarkably patient and skillful at adjusting to her personality switches.


THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, a novel by Elyse Grant (aka Shelley Lieber), is the steamy hot and often funny story of best friends Leah Gold and Roxanne Stein, each trying to break free of the “happily ever after” fairy tale myth. Leah begins an introspective journey through her past for answers. When she discovers what really stands between her and happiness, she sets off on a mission to help spare other women the pain of looking for love in all the wrong places—even though she knows her crusade may just be a battle that destroys her real prince. In contrast to the reclusive Leah, Roxie teeters on the edge of self-destruction as she tries to satisfy her unquenchable thirst for excitement. Drugs and sex don't diminish her cravings, and the man she falls for, while charming, is no prince. Once they team up on a crazy trip from their South Florida home to Philadelphia and New York, they stumble onto how to save themselves, each other, and perhaps womankind—a surprise to everyone, especially themselves.

Excerpt from Chapter 14 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX

“Leah Gold?”
Leah spun around. A dark-haired man with a white V-neck sweater and jeans was coming toward her. “Yes?”
“I want you to know that I think it’s pretty rude for you to leave, knowing I came here to meet you. I closed my shop early and you can’t even take a minute to poke your head in and say hi. Who the hell do you think you are?”
Leah stared at him for a moment, trying to take it all in. “Tom?”
“Yeah, I’m Tom.”
“I’m so sorry. You’re right. It was rude. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.” Leah wished the ground would open and swallow her up. “Something happened, and I…I guess I didn’t think at all.”
“Sounds to me more like you were just thinking about yourself.”
Leah rarely found herself at a loss for words, but Tom took her breath away. Lydia had been less than truthful again. Tom was not merely good looking. He was gorgeous. His green eyes snapped under dark eyebrows as he stood there glaring at her. He was tanned, and she caught sight of straight, white teeth as he snapped at her.
Leah bit her lower lip. “Look, Tom, I know I haven’t exactly made a great first impression, but if you’ll give me another chance…”
Tom looked into her eyes, but didn’t say anything.
She held out her hand to him. “Hi, Tom. I’m Leah. Thank you for coming to meet me.”
His entire posture relaxed. Tom had been keyed up, ready for a fight, but Leah seemed to knock the wind out of him. His mouth softened from a straight, angry line to a grin. “Nice to meet you, Leah. I probably shouldn’t have told you off like that. It’s just that…I haven’t been having such great luck lately with women, and I guess I took it out on you.”
“Actually, it was my own misfortunes with men that had me leaving so soon.”
The two stood in silence for a moment, just looking at one another.
“Would you like to go back inside?” Tom asked.
“No!” Leah answered. “But tell me, how well do you know Lydia and Philip?”
“Not very well. I met Lydia at the gym and I’ve done some printing jobs for them—programs, flyers, and things. I’ve met Philip once or twice when I dropped off their orders.”
“You’re a printer?”
“Yes, I have a shop in Pompano. How about you, Leah? Where do you work?”
They stood in the parking lot talking, not paying attention to the darkening sky or the time passing. Leah was so engrossed in their conversation that she was suddenly startled to hear Ali calling her name from a distance.
“Mom, what are you doing out there?” Ali stood in the theater doorway. She made her way to Leah’s car. “I was looking all over for you when I came out of class. Why are you in the parking lot?”
“Ali, this is Tom Ryan. Tom, my daughter Alison.”
“Hi, Ali,” Tom extended his hand.
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Ali said as she shook his hand. She turned to Leah. “Can we go now? I’m starving.”
“All right, Ali. Get in the car. I’ll be right there.”
Leah winced as Ali slammed the car door, but smiled at Tom. “Thanks again for coming tonight. I’m glad you followed me out here, even if it was to tell me off!”


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Sunday, January 27, 2013

FIRST LOVE BLOG HOP: Paranormal Mystery Author, Jeff LaFerney


Jeff LaFerney, Author
LOVING THE RAINSKELETON KEY, and
BULLETPROOF
Jeff LaFerney writes about a father/son whodunit team who have a bit of an advantage over the bad guys. Although they live in "the real world," they both have mind-controlling abilities. LaFerney has published three Clay and Tanner Thomas novels described by one reviewer as "a stunner mental gifts series.” 

A coach and language arts teacher for more than 20 years, LaFerney today lives in Michigan. He likes to laugh, and believes he spends way too much time on FacebookHis favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird and his favorite movie is the "inconceivable" Princess Bride -- both favorites of mine. 

Click the link at the end of this article to check out the First Love Blog Hop and learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more prizes.


Q: What inspired you to write about a father/son team with mind-controlling abilities as a whodunit series?
           
Jeff LaFerney: I had an idea—which I didn’t use—about a basketball-playing son who transferred schools, and then his JV coaching father got fired as a result. When the head coach was murdered, the boy’s father, who was framed, was arrested. In order to get out of jail to solve the mystery, I came up with the mind-control abilities. After studying the brain, I came up with a theory about parapsychology that I used in the books, but I also came up with a different plot.

Q: How did you create, as one reviewer said, “characters you'll love to love and others you'll love to hate”? Your reviewers really appreciate your characters. Are they based on people you know?

Jeff LaFerney: It seems like my “bad guys” and my minor characters are reader favorites, and they’re nothing like anyone I know. They’re fun to write about, though, because I make them up completely. I think readers like my heroes because they’re strong morally, they’re loyal to each other and they have a good sense of humor.

Q: How do you help readers believe and accept the world and characters you create?
           
Jeff LaFerney: My characters are really just regular guys. The parapsychology is looked at as both a gift and a curse. They don’t believe that others should be manipulated, but they also believe in justice, so they use their gifts to obtain clues that others are unable to procure. My “world” is actually very realistic and my characters believable.

Q: Is humor important to telling your story?

Jeff LaFerney:  I love to use physical humor and witty dialogue.  To me, it balances the drama, the sadness, and the suspense and makes for a read that runs a gamut of emotions.

Q: Could your story occur in any setting? Or is the setting a critical part of the story?

Jeff LaFerney: Well, I wrote all three books with settings close to where I live. I did it because in the first book, the sports and setting were comfort zones. When readers liked the story, I used other local settings, which has helped me to sell a lot of books. People living in my county will recognize the settings, but those settings could have been anywhere. They aren’t critical.

Q: Do you write purely for entertainment? Or do you have something to say to your readers?

Jeff LaFerney: I write mostly for entertainment, but as an English teacher who teaches literature in school, I feel that my stories should have recognizable themes and, I’m proud to say, moral values.

Q: Why are you a writer?  When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

Jeff LaFerney: I’ve always enjoyed the stories I’ve written, but I decided to write a novel because of the classroom library I was building. There were a lot of books I read that were award-winners that I didn’t think were very good, and I kept telling myself I could do better. Because of some life circumstances, I decided it was time to do something new with my life, so I chose to write a book. I have three—none of which has won an award. How ironic is that?

Q:  Tell us something about yourself, e.g., do you like to exercise? Eat? Go to plays? What’s your favorite holiday, book, author, character, play, movie, celebrity?  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a muse?
           
Jeff LaFerney: I’m from a very athletic family. My wife and I both played three varsity sports and so did my son and daughter. My dad and I were both successful coaches, and I’ve played sports my whole life, so I still exercise. I love salty foods better than sweet ones, except I love Mountain Dew. I love action movies, especially with super heroes, but my favorite is The Princess Bride. My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird, and my favorite authors are Robert B. Parker, Harlan Coban, John Grisham, Michael Crichton, and John Irving. I read more than I write, I  My blog is all about fun. I’d love for people to check that out too.

My books are suspense and mystery. Clay and Tanner Thomas are a father/son team. Each of the books can be read alone, so I’d love for people to check them out and choose one to get started on. I’m grateful, Joyce, for you to spotlight me and introduce me to your followers. Thank you.

About Jeff LaFerney

Jeff LaFerney has been a language arts teacher and coach for more than twenty years. He earned his English and teaching degrees from the University of Michigan-Flint and his master's degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. He and Jennifer, his wife of twenty-five years, live in Davison, Michigan. Torey and Teryn are their two children. LOVING THE RAIN is his first novel in the Clay and Tanner Thomas series.  The second, SKELETON KEY, and the third, BULLETPROOF, are paranormal mysteries, set in the Flint area.  When Jeff sets a goal, he achieves it; when he has a friendship, he cherishes it; and when he imagines, he writes about it.  He loves competing at sports, connecting to good books, and creating words that make people laugh.


Mind powers are to be kept unused and secret. At least that's what Clay Thomas believes until a determined rival from his past enters his life, seeking revenge. When Clay discovers that his athletic son has his own mind powers, they set out together to undo consequences from Clay's past and to put an end to Jack Harding's plans. As his enemy closes in and Clay and Tanner's powers grow, Clay is forced to choose between protecting his secrets and protecting those he loves most. LOVING THE RAIN, the first stand-alone novel in the Clay and Tanner Thomas series, is a suspenseful story about an exceptional man forced to face the choices of his past and the extraordinary love and forgiveness that finally offer him peace from a lifetime of secrecy.


After a tragic train wreck, Depot co-owner, Adrian Payne disappears. Seven years later, Clay Thomas meets Payne's beautiful wife and determines to help her by using his mind powers to solve the mystery of Payne's disappearance. With the help of Clay's son, Tanner, the local chief of police, and Adrian Payne's ghost, Clay discovers the body, catapulting the investigators into a mystery--a mystery with more questions than answers. If there was foul play, why do the coroner and Adrian's ghost disagree? If there wasn't foul play, why do all the suspects appear to be guilty? A twisted plot, full of surprises and interesting characters is the result. Lessons of faith, friendship, personal growth, and peace give meaning to a one-of-a-kind mystery. SKELETON KEY, a stand-alone novel, is the second in the Clay and Tanner Thomas series.


After a devastating injury to his father, Clay Thomas is abandoned by two of the people closest to him while being pursued by the local police chief for crimes he didn't commit. He is determined to find the culprit of a series of local robberies while fulfilling a promise to a ghost to solve his eleven-year-old murder. Clay and his son, Tanner, incorporate their unique mind-control abilities to solve the crimes, restoring broken relationships in the process. BULLETPROOF, a stand-alone novel, is the third exciting installment in the Clay and Tanner Thomas mystery/suspense series.

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Friday, January 25, 2013

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Contemporary Horror Author J.L. Petty


Welcome contemporary horror author J. L. Petty who took a break from working on her masters degree to fill us in on her first published work.  Inspired by a real event, DEATH AND THE JOURNALIST (Solstice Publishing) tells the story of a journalist who disappears one night following a plane crash upon meeting some kind of supernatural force.  The story is “a thoughtfully entertaining read that puts a fresh spin on one person's encounter with Death,” according to a reviewer. In addition to writing contemporary horror short stories, J.L. Petty has written suspense, science fiction, and fantasy fiction, and has published works in a variety of magazines and anthologies. 

She has a dog named Chewbacca, and her favorite author is Michael Crichton. 



Q: What do you consider “horror”?

J.L. Petty: I consider a shuddering feeling of fear the definition of horror.

Q: How do you make your stories “scary”?

J.L. Petty:  I make my stories scary by having really horrifying villains. I think having a great villain makes the story great.

Q:  What inspires you to write horror stories? 

J.L. Petty:  I am inspired to write horror stories by watching horror movies. I particularly like the indie movies because they always have fresh concepts that haven’t been seen with mainstream audiences yet.

Q: How do you make us care about your characters?

J.L. Petty:  I make readers care about my characters by using vivid imagery when describing them. Most writers struggle with showing versus telling. I always try my best to paint a really vivid character description.  

Q: Are you in control of your characters? Or do they push you around?

J.L. Petty:  I am definitely in control of my characters. lol. I may have an idea of how I want the characters to be that is stuck in my head. But then, when I start writing, I completely change my mind.

Q: What makes a hero/heroine? What makes a villain?

J.L. Petty: Unwavering bravery makes a hero and pure deceptive intention make a villain.

Q: How important is back story? Do you do any research for credibility?

J.L. Petty: I think back stories are extremely important; so that the story flow makes sense. I do a lot of research for credibility. It is extremely important because readers will email me with criticism and that can be embarrassing lol.

Q: Why are you a writer?  When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

J.L. Petty:  I am a writer because I grew up reading. My mother is a school teacher and she would always promote literacy in our house. So from an early age, I always had an aesthetic appreciation for literary arts and writing. I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was 9 years old. I would write short stories to my mother in class. She was always encouraging me.  

Q: Tell us something about yourself, e.g., do you like to read? Eat? What’s your favorite charity, holiday, book, author, character, play, movie, celebrity?  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a muse? Do you like dogs or cats?

J.L. Petty:  When I’m not writing, I am in school working on a master’s degree in education. I have a dog named Chewbacca; so I am a dog lover.  My favorite author is Michael Crichton…and my favorite book is Congo. My favorite movie is Casino. I don’t have a muse yet; though, I’d love to have one someday. My favorite holiday is Christmas. Also, my favorite play is Lion King; it has beautiful scenery. My favorite celebrity is Robert Dinero and my favorite charity is water.org. Around the world, there are thousands that don’t have fresh drinking water. I donate to their cause once a year.

Author Bio
J.L. Petty is an author of several short stories. She published her first book DEATH AND THE JOURNALIST with Solstice Publishing, February 14, 2011. Her stories range in contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy fiction.  Over the years, she’s written for various magazines and has been featured as an author in several anthologies. Petty discovered her love of writing at an early age and started working as a contributor for The Virginian Pilot Newspaper. After working with the local newspaper in her hometown, J.L. Petty embarked upon a career in entertainment journalism and also worked for United States Congress. She is currently working towards a Masters degree and resides in Virginia.

Set in the fall of 2001 and purportedly based on actual events. Michael Devoe, journalist for the New York Times, is the victim of the most compelling evidences of disappearances ever documented in United States History. After a plane crash, Michael disappears one night during an encounter with an unexplained supernatural force. Authorities report that his body was never found.

Excerpt
The flight attendant faced the passengers. Over the roar of the engine, she spoke in a firm voice with a hint of quiver, “We are going to be okay, please put your oxygen masks on,” then she sat down and buckled her seat belt. The fat man and I were still standing. Grimacing at my cramping hands, I kept my grip on the black metal bar.

In the midst of the now-panicked passengers sat one woman, calmly flipping the pages of her Cosmopolitan magazine and taking occasional sips of her Pepsi. She seemed so calm and serene; I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She had long black hair and her face was like that of a fashion model or actress. She was wearing a black dress and needed no jewelry to define her long ivory-colored neck. This woman had the whitest skin. Her limbs were long. She seemed to ignore everything around her and was patiently waiting for the plane to crash.

As though she felt me staring at her, she turned to look at me. Gooseflesh popped up all over my skin when I looked into her cold gray eyes, then shifted my eyes to the ground. I could smell the heavy smoke rising from the engines I stared at the rain drops that splattered against the exit window. Smoke drifted into the cabin of the plane.


Blog 
Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

FIRST LOVE BLOG HOP – Fantasy Australian Author Gillian Joy


Gillian Joy, Author
GUARDIAN and FOREVER

A love of supernatural literature led Australian author Gillian Joy to write about Hannah, “the keeper and the protector of all supernatural.” Her first novel GUARDIANcontains all the supernatural you could possibly want and more. There are vampires, witches, werewolves and more!!” according to a reviewer. But even more important are “the depth of the characters and Gillian Joy's ability to draw you into her story.”
When she's not writing, Gillian designs houses. She is possibly the only person I know who would list the movie “Calamity Jane” as one of her favorites. For those of you who don’t remember, it’s a Doris Day movie that features the song “Secret Love” and I, too, am a fan. However, above all, she appreciates Hugh Jackman *sighs*.
Click the link at the end of this article to check out the FIRST LOVE BLOG HOP and learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more prizes.
Q: Why did you choose to write about the supernatural?
Gillian Joy: I love the supernatural. I read The Vampire Lestat when I was a teenager and I fell in love with Lestat and have been crazy about vampires ever since. It was just a natural progression towards werewolves, fairies and angels as well, just to name a few that pop up in the book.
Q: How do you help readers believe and accept the world and characters you create?
Gillian Joy: Well it's fantasy, so technically I don't really expect them to believe in the world I created, but I do want them to believe in the personalities of the characters I've created. If the reader can relate to the characters, then hopefully they can place themselves in their positions and that in turn will let them get totally lost in the world they live in, and that's my main aim when I'm writing. To create a world that reader will lose themselves in.
Q:  One of the reviewers of GUARDIAN said, “The character development of Hannah and Bernard is especially endearing.” How do you make us care about your characters? Why do we like your heroes? Why do we hate your villains?
Gillian Joy: I like to think I write characters that are realistic and approachable. Everyday people with everyday problems, they all have their strengths and their flaws.  
Except perhaps for Gabriel, I have been told he is perfection personified although personally I think he sometimes tries to be a bit too controlling. Hannah can be too damn stubborn for her own good far too often but she's just an independent woman who has learnt to cope on her own, but she definitely learns and grows throughout the series. I love her relationship with Bernard, and I think that's why my readers do too, but without giving away spoilers, I find it amusing when readers comment that they guessed their history in the beginning because I didn't even know their history in the beginning. I was over half way through the book before Hannah shared that little snippet of information with me.
I don't really know if the readers hate my villains though. They are still people when it comes down to it, with feelings and emotions and they're not always all bad, sometimes even I feel sorry for them. 
Q: Is GUARDIAN really a romance set in a supernatural setting? How important is the setting to the story?
Gillian Joy: The setting isn't vital to the story. It's more of a character driven romance. If you took the characters out of the supernatural setting and placed them in everyday life the story would still work. It wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting but it could still work.
Q: Do you write purely for entertainment? Or do you incorporate messages to your readers?
 Gillian Joy: Purely for entertainment, there are no intentional messages at all so if readers see them in my current writing then they are only projecting their own beliefs and opinions. Not that I have issues with that, I want the reader to get what they want out of my stories.
Q: Why are you a writer?  When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
Gillian Joy: I used to think about being a writer when I was a kid, but seriously, back then, being a writer was like being an artist or an actor. It was fine to dream about but not something you seriously considered as a career for the average person.
Things have changed a lot since then, but it was only a few years ago that my husband convinced me to write something. Books are one of my biggest vices, and I was reading a lot of fan fiction and telling my husband how good some of it was when he suggested I should write some. Problem was I already had Hannah flitting around in my head making cameos in all the paranormal books I was reading, so I decided to tell her story instead of one that had already been written. I wrote the first four chapters and gave them to a friend to read and she begged me for more. Six months later the first draft of GUARDIAN was finished and the hard work really began.
Q:  Tell us something about yourself, e.g., do you like to exercise? Eat? Go to plays? What’s your favorite holiday, book, author, character, play, movie, celebrity?  What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have a muse?
Gillian Joy: Something about me? Ok! I'm Australian. I want to be fitter than I am so, yes, I exercise but nowhere near as much as I want to. I love food, too much and all sorts; I have a savory tooth and a sweet tooth. I can't tell you my favorite book because there are far too many. I really enjoyed the Hunger Games though, and I love a huge range of genres. YA, paranormal, crime, horror. I am a bit of a Steven King fan and I love Anne Rice, but even they have books I've hated. I don't think I will ever finish Stephen King's Liseys story and Anne Rice's Violin was one of the worst books I ever read.
One of my secret pleasures is the old time musicals, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Fiddler on the Roof, Calamity Jane just to name a few and I can't wait to go and see Les Miserable. I listen to the score all the time and know it by heart. I don't really have a favorite celebrity but I do have a couple of celebrity crushes. I love Supernatural and am a big Dean fan and I'm also a huge Hugh Jackman fan, ah that hot Aussie body *sighs*.
If I'm not writing I'm usually working. I actually design houses for a living. Or preferably I'm just enjoying time with my family, my husband and two kids, camping or 4wding.
I wouldn't really say I have a muse but Hannah is definitely a very vocal presence in my head so I'm not sure what's going to happen when I finish the GUARDIAN series. It'll be interesting to see if she continues to feed me ideas or if someone else steps in and takes over. Does that sound crazy? Oh well.
Author Profile

I'm a 41-year-old mother of two who designs houses for a living and lives to write.
I grew up in the Western Suburbs of Sydney Australia the eldest of five children. I had two younger brothers and two much younger sisters. I say had because one of my brothers died when I was only nineteen. 

I once had a boss who told me I had had a hard life but I never actually saw it that way. Life is what it is, and I had food, clothes, a roof over my head and a family who loved me. What's so hard about that?

These days I live on the Mornington Peninsula, south east of Melbourne Australia where I spend as much spare time as I can either with my nose in a book or writing away on my phone. I love it here, there aren't too many places in the world that with less that a ten minute drive you can watch the sun rise over the water, or you can watch the sun set over the water, and there's just something extra special about watching the sunset over the beach, something dreamy and romantic. I live with my husband, two beautiful but willful kids a few fish and a very spoilt English Staffie named Cleo.

I'm sure you don't want my whole life story so that's about it in a nutshell. I suppose though I should add that I really am a proud Australian. I love bbq's, thongs and vegimite sandwiches and I even call my friends "mate". Oh and in winter I can't live without my "ugg" boots.


Headstrong and determined, Hannah always knew that she would become the Guardian. She was the keeper and the protector of all supernatural. What she didn't expect was that it would mean she would have to endure the agonizing death of her mother first hand as their supernatural connection brings her to her knees, or that it would mean that she could never be with the man she loved.
Blond haired, blue eyed Gabriel was her handsome childhood friend, but would circumstances prevent her from ever being able to explore her true feelings for him?
Jesse, the dark alluring but incorrigible vampire would give anything to be with her, but as the guardian Hannah is forbidden to fall in love with the supernatural.
With her life in turmoil over her conflicting emotions about Gabriel and Jesse and her frustration at being unable to exact revenge for her mother’s horrific death, Hannah flees her life in an attempt to start over. But can we ever really escape from ourselves?
There is no escaping destiny no matter how hard she might try and Hannah must learn to reconcile her commitment to her family with her responsibility as the Guardian and her duty to her heart.
Hannah’s life has never been easy, despite her strong willed determination and her extra “gifts”, it's still always been hard work keeping an entire world full of the supernatural under control, but having achieved a small semblance of control over most of the custas, Hannah was hoping to be able to slip back into her life of normalcy. Wishful thinking when you're the guardian of all supernatural.
With all the issues she’d had to endure in her past, she'd never had to worry about the mermaids before, so why would they choose now to suddenly start haunting her dreams and her life. Then there are the fairies to contend with as well, just when she manages to get one aspect of the crudelitas under control, the others decide it’s time to start causing problems.
 All Hannah wants is some quiet family time and a chance to reflect on her feelings for Gabriel but instead she's thrown back into the thick of the supernatural world, and this time it threatens to invade the quiet family life she has worked so hard to establish. There's no running away this time, she has to front the challenges head on, but forever can be a long time if you can't be with the one you love.
COMING SOON…
REVENGE
Hannah finally has everything she wants out of life, devoted friends, a loving family, and the man of her dreams. Or does she? Life is never easy when you are the “Guardian” of all the supernatural beings, but surely this much heartache is more than one person was ever meant to have to contend with?
The Nephilim are on the hunt again but this time it’s not only the vampires they are hunting; and knowing that Hannah is still on the lookout for a new Custas, why would the witches be willing to work in conjunction with them? Then there’s Gabriel; after waiting for centuries to be with Hannah, what could possibly ever entice him to want to kill her. With all the supernatural issues she has to contend with how is it even possible a human could be any sort of a threat to the family life Hannah has built.
For over three centuries, one thing has been Hannah’s main driving force, but is it even possible for her to ever track Phelip down and get the final Revenge, and the final peace she has been hunting for.
Links
Amazon – Author site 


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