Friday Fanfare Welcomes: Heidi Vanlandingham With Trail of Hope Was there hope? The lovely and talented Heidi Vanlandingham has an answer! Join Heidi as she answers a few questions and shares Trail of Hope her wonderful new additions to the Tales Scrimshaw Doll series. How did the writer’s journey begin for you? I started reading when I was about […]
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Calisa Rhose and Friday Fanfare with Mackenzie Crowne and A Case For Calamity #MFRWAuthor #12BridesofChristmas
Friday Fanfare presents:
A Case for Calamity by Mackenzie Crowne
Today I’m proud to have my lovely friend Mackenzie Crown on the Ranch. If you’d like to connect with her street team that link will also be included with the usual ones at the end. I’m in it, and it’s an awesome and really fun community to know!
We’ll jump right in and get to know her better. 🙂
How did the writer’s journey begin for you?
Tell us three things about you-the writer-readers wouldn’t typically know.
- I’m a total pantser, which can be a frustrating writing process, but fun too. I love when my characters reveal themselves in an unexpected way.
- It’s hard to type with one hand twirling my hair, but I manage to pull it off.
- I’m lucky enough to have a private office, but do most of my writing on the living room couch.
A fellow pantser. Yes, we are brave to take on a couple of characters with nothing more than a name oftimes. I have a private office too, but it’s outside the house in a cabin and too far away for my father in-law to reach me in an emergency so I, too, reside in the living room. Lol It all began when…
I signed up for NANO a couple years ago. I cringe just thinking about that horrific month. I made it to 37k words, far ahead of schedule, and was so crazy I quit. I didn’t look at the story again until I got a request from my editor to write a story for the Twelve Brides of Christmas. A change here, a shift there, and A Case for Calamity was born.
Where did you get the premise for this book?
The heroine’s best friend, Shae, is based loosely on my bestie from high school. She was and is a lot of fun, but got me into trouble occasionally with her larks.
What stands out about this story that made writing it different for you?
I’ve never written a novella before and probably won’t again. At least not right away. I prefer having the time and word count to dig deeper into my characters.
Writing novellas is definitely not for the faint of heart, is it? I think my first one tortured me more than I tortured the h/H. Were there any difficult challenges or special subject matter you came across while writing this book?
Other than the word count, I struggled with Jane’s relationship with her parents. My parents were incredible, so the concept of selfish, self-centered parents was one I had no experience in.
What about this book would make us want to read it more than others of similar taste?
It’s a Christmas story, but instead of the usual chaos of the season, Jane and Gabe are caught up in the consequences of a one night stand, and with the hope what they saw in each other that night will bring a lasting love.
I love that these characters have ordinary, plain-Jane, names. Pun intended. 🙂 What do you want readers to take away from this book?
I write lighthearted romance. I hope they walk away with a happy sigh and a smile.
Tell us about the finished book. Is there anything special we might not know after reading it?
Well, you might not know I named Jane’s best friend after my granddaughter, Shae. She loves that!
What a neat thing for her! Tell us about the book, please.
For Jane Whitmore, agreeing to switch identities with her best friend seems like innocent fun, but spending a romantic night in Paris with a man who doesn’t know her real name turns out to be a lark gone bad. When their one night of passion proves to have lasting results, tracking down Gabe Sutton and telling him he’s about to be the father of her child is just another calamity Jane would rather avoid. After years of avoiding long-term romantic entanglements, Gabe has found a woman he might just be able to build a life with, only to have her disappear. When he finally finds her, his belief in happily-ever-after staggers under the weight of deception, and looming fatherhood leaves him with two choices: fight her for custody of his future child or cling to the promise of true love.
Let’s look at the beautiful trailer Mac brought along. 🙂
Excerpt:
“Michael said you were lovely. He didn’t do you justice.”
Chaos erupted in her belly as if thousands of butterflies had suddenly taken flight. Setting down her glass, she dismissed the manic fluttering and dragged in a calming breath. The dark-haired devil sitting across from her with intent green eyes and a come-to-me-baby drawl would fluster any woman with a pulse, even one with a natural cynicism for situations like this. She might be a round plug in a family of square holes, but she’d been raised in the world of corporate finance and recognized his words for what they were. Gabe Sutton thought he was flattering the daughter of a very powerful business associate. As the only daughter of Thomas Whitmore, CEO of Whitmore Financial Industries, Jane had been on the receiving end of similar praises over the years…for exactly the same purpose.
A wry smile curved her lips. “That’s kind of you, but, about…my father. I’m sorry he roped you into including me tonight. He means well, but he can be pushy.”
A trace of humor flashed in his eyes. “He isn’t exactly subtle, is he?”
“No, he isn’t.” She shrugged. “We’ve met, which is what he was after. Once he learns his plan didn’t work out, he’ll move on to the next…candidate.”
He sprawled back and his thickly lashed eyes narrowed as they roamed her face. “Candidate? This isn’t the first time your father has set you up like this, I take it?”
***
Where can readers find you and your books?
Find me here:
Buy links:
Is there anything else you want to share or add?
The Wild Rose Press is offering A Case for Calamity for $1.50 today and tomorrow.
I know! I got my copy already. 🙂
I’m so thrilled to help you share A Case For Calamity, Mac. Thank you!
For our readers, thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to join us. Ask questions, leave a comment and I’ll personally contribute a copy of this ebook or a gift certificate for one commenter to the Wild Rose Press so you can get Mac’s book (or another if you already have it).
So, readers, what was the most trouble you and your besties caused or got into as young, brave souls? We’re listening!
*edited to include an ebook in the offer
Calisa Rhose and Friday Fanfare Welcomes: Cd Brennan with A World Apart #MFRWAuthor #CdBrennan
I am thrilled to have Cd Brennan on the Ranch today talking about book two in her Love Where You Roam series! If you haven’t read book one, now’s your chance to rush out and get Watershed for just .99! Here’s a link to make it easy for you to check out.
And then, why not get A World Apart while you’re there so you can keep reading? ;) G’head, click the awesome banner. I’ll wait.
Are you back? Good, let’s find out more about Cd and her book.
How did the writer’s journey begin for you?
Having traveled and lived all over the world, Cd Brennan now talks with a strange accent, a mix of distant terminology, a blend of culturally cute but confusing euphemisms that leaves everyone looking at her with a blank stare. Luckily, her Australian husband (who she met in Ireland) and her two Aussie/Yankee sons have no problem understanding her – well, except for the word NO.
Now settled back “home” in Michigan, she enjoys reliving her glory days by writing about them. She considers the last fifteen years abroad the perfect research for her Love Where You Roam series; matchmaking women and men from different cultures, even different hemispheres, helping them find their true one across oceans of difference.
As destiny plays a hand in all the stories, Cd Brennan truly believes that what is for you, won’t pass you by. She hopes to inspire others to get out there: “Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” [Mark Twain] And of course, fall in love.
Get in touch with her at www.cdbrennan.com
Tell us three things about you-the writer-readers wouldn’t typically know.
1. I hold both an American and Australian passport, but have lived and traveled all over the world.
2. I used to race yachts when I lived in Dublin, Ireland. A 38 Sigma called “Joker.”
3. I always dreamed of being a helicopter pilot.
It all began when…
I was working as a freelance editor and one of my author’s challenged me to write a book. She was going to submit her story to a competition, and she challenged me to do the same. So we had to write a chapter a week, then exchange and discuss each Sunday. We’d have a cuppa tea and talk about our stories, what was good, what was god-awful. LOL
I never really thought of myself as a writer, always an editor first, but it was an opportunity to delve into the “other side” and I’m a better editor now for it, to understand how much effort and heart goes into a story.
Writing and editing are different disciplines. One uses the right side of the brain; one uses the left. As an editor, I work with parameters and rules, including grammar and construction. I work within the laws of the language and guidelines set by my house. I evaluate a book’s development as if it were a puzzle, rearrange content, if needed, for it all to fit.
As an author, I develop settings and plot lines, create loveable, iconic characters, and devise witty, realistic dialogue. From nothing. From thin air. Poof! Okay, maybe with help from a glass of wine and 80s love songs. Everyone has their muse.
Differing and sorting your two brains is tough, isn’t it? LOL
I’m a huge fan of 80s music too! Where did you get the premise for this book?
I totally believe in writing what you know. Because without that intimate experience, I couldn’t portray the environment and setting in an accurate or dramatic way. And the setting is so important to the books, used to propel the conflict forward. If I hadn’t lived in those places, the vivid imagery – the smells, the sounds, the culture – all the description that I believe adds to the voice of the narratives would be lacking.
I lived in Scotland for two years when I got my MPHIL in Publishing Studies from the University of Stirling. A World Apart is set in Bridge of Allan where I lived, like Lizzy, in the Queen’s Hotel, working for reduced rates on my rent.
What stands out about this story that made writing it different for you?
I wrote Watershed, the first book in the Love Where You Roam series while I was living in Australia. The book is set in the Australian outback, and since I was living there myself, it was easier to draw on my own setting and people around me for character and plot building. A World Apart is set in Scotland, and I had lived there so long ago, I really had to tug at some memory strings to get things going, and then was constantly asking my mates there questions to help me remember!
Were there any difficult challenges or special subject matter you came across while writing this book?
A Scottish mate of mine was my SME (Subject Matter Expert) because I know little about architecture. My hero Hamish is not only an architect in a firm in Edinburgh but aspires to teach Environmental Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art. Hamish is a very driven man. J My friend, who is an architect, also helped me with the Scottish slang that is used in the story. Actually, he helped with loads! Thanks Ron Cameron! xo
What about this book would make us want to read it more than others of similar taste?
It’s New Adult, so it’s in the “new” genre out there, one that is still finding its feet and readership. NA is becoming more popular for its first mature love combined with youthful fantasy and silly mistakes. Young adults face profound life choices and powerful emotion. Parfait them with great sexual content, and you can’t help but have a winner. Originally, the Love Where You Roam series was slotted under Contemporary romance, but the stories definitely have a younger feel to them with backpackers going out into the world. The series is better suited in NA. They aren’t long stories, around 50K and would be great for a beach read or sipping a glass of wine on the front porch.
What do you want readers to take away from this book?
Mostly, I just hope they enjoy it! But, like my Bio says, if it inspires others to go travel, to get out there, to travel and step out into the unknown, then all the better. Because there is a world out there, so much to see and do. No time like the present, because if we keep saying we’ll do it next year, all of a sudden, the years have gone by.
Tell us about the finished book. Is there anything special we might not know after reading it?
The Queen’s Hotel was actually a hotel where I worked and lived from 2000-2002. It was an old shabby thing then, but just shortly before I left Scotland, new owners renovated the hotel, bar and restaurant. It’s gorgeous, but I’m sure it is still haunted by The Green Lady J She pops in and out of there and Stirling Castle just down the road. LOL
http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us/info/accommodation/the-queens-hotel-bridge-of-allan-p926651
Blurb:
She left home to find herself…and found love along the way.
Lizzy travels to Scotland to track down her roots, hoping where she comes from will help her figure out where she needs to go. An Aussie girl through and through, tough as nuts and a bit wild, she believes there’s nothing so wonderful as a world seen through wine-tinted glasses…
…until she meets Hottie Hamish, Bridge of Allan’s most eligible bachelor.
Hamish is Lizzy’s polar opposite in every way. He’s serious, driven, and motivated, focused on becoming the youngest associate professor at the Glasgow School of Art. But he’s hiding a social phobia behind his gruff exterior that makes it almost impossible to connect with people…
…until he meets Lost Lizzy, all sunshine and lightness, an Australian beauty with the proverbial heart of gold.
Where they come from may be worlds apart, but atop a Scottish Munro, they begin to realize where they’re going is best traveled side by side.
CONTENT WARNING: Graphic descriptions of haggis ingredients.
A Lyrical Press New Adult Romance
Where can readers find you and your books?
AMAZON AMAZON UK AMAZON AUSTRALIA iTUNES B&N KOBO BOOKWIRE
Media Links
www.sundaewithnuts.com (blog)
https://www.facebook.com/CdBrennanauthor
www.twitter.com/CdBrennanauthor
www.pinterest.com/cdbrennan2012
Thank you for sharing your exciting life, Cd! Haunted hotels and castles? I’m so jealous every time I learn more about you and your travels to places I’ve always wished to visit.
Calisa Rhose and Friday Fanfare Welcomes ~ Lynn Cahoon
Jul 12
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with Return of the Fae How did the writer’s journey begin for you? When I was in junior high, I’d mostly read through the library and thought, I could write better than this. A girl on the bus showed me how she developed stories, using pictures from magazines to illustrate the story. I was hooked. […]
I write contemporary and paranormal romance, with sensuality as the key ingredient and spice for kick.
Pen of The Dreamer 