Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Author Erica Obey

Today I’m interviewing Erica Obey. Her book, The Curse of the Braddock Brides is a historical romance/mystery and was released on April 25,2017. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

Erica- It’s the first in the series of historical romance/mysteries inspired by the historic houses of the Hudson Valley.

Nancy- Describe the genre of this particular title, and is it the only genre you write in?  

Erica- In my mind, it’s an historical romance, but hard-core romance readers might feel it’s really a mystery.  I voraciously read Gothic romances growing up (and still do), so romance, mystery, and paranormal elements always blend in my work.  However, my books do tend to divide into two broad categories: historical and urban fantasy/paranormal.

Nancy- Why have you become a published author?

Erica- If I can’t stop the voices in my head, I might as well make a profit from them, right?  A little less facetiously, writing is my life’s blood – and, as Virginia Woolf would say, opening your private creations to the court of public opinion is like playing tennis with a net. 

Nancy- Do you have any rejection stories to share?

Erica- Don’t we all, beginning with my first publisher dropping me in order to concentrate solely on Westerns?  And there was the agent who answered my query by telling me she had given up on being an agent.  I was like, was my book really that bad?

Nancy- What is your writing routine like?

Erica- You can set your clock by me.  I get up in the morning, work on something that’s still in its planning stages while I have my coffee, then go for a run.  I come back in the afternoon to bear down on the manuscript I have in progress.  I aim for 1500 words on the latter.  I try to keep my goals for the former more fluid.  As a former teacher, I tend to be very structured, very goal-oriented, and I constantly have to remind myself that aimless daydreaming is a very important part of this job as well. 

Nancy- What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help?

Erica- I do my own website, along with my FB pages as best I can.  Beyond that, I try to stick to what I do well: giving talks on history and writing at local historical societies and libraries – which I love to do.  I have a 20-year-old genius running my social media and I’m happy to leave that to her.

Nancy- Please Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know.

1) I both grow and hunt orchids in the wild – photos only for the latter, of course!

2) I collect books – mostly Arthuriana and lady folklorists, as a result of writing a dissertation on Lady Charlotte Guest, who translated the first Welsh Arthurian material.  I also collect classic Gothic novelists: Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney, as well as lesser known ones – mostly because I love the covers.

3) I’m an avid hiker, but will gladly put in a 15 mile day if it means a shower and a civilized glass of wine, instead staying out overnight. 

Nancy- What’s next for you?

Erica- My newest paranormal, The Avalon Array, is with my editors – and I have just launched into creating a series bible for it and its sequels.  I also finished a first draft of another Hudson Valley mystery right on Braddock Brides’ release date!  This is one is set in Saratoga Springs and concerning the little-documented history of black jockeys (too often ex-slaves) in the 19^th century.

BOOK BLURB  

Lord Hardcastle, a single man with a title and a slew of poor female relations, may be in need of a wife, but that doesn’t mean American heiress Libba Wadsworth is interested. Not with the mysterious, orchid hunter Will Ransome lurking about.

Rather than endure yet another awful Coming-out Season of boring balls and vacuous visits from suitors, Libba Wadsworth, in one of her more self-indulgent moments, contemplates the romantic thrill of throwing herself off Cora’s Leap to go down in history as yet another of the cursed Braddock Brides. She knows full well she won’t do it, but still ... the men she’s had to endure season after season certainly made a leap into the abyss appealing. Until one Lord Hardcastle comes to call and Will Ransome, claiming to be Hardcastle’s batman and an adventurous orchid hunter, shows up. But can she trust either of them? And, more importantly, are they really who they claim to be? 

Nancy- How can my readers 

buy your book? 

Amazon   Barnes and Noble  

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erica Obey pursued an academic career specializing in the women folklorists of the nineteenth century, before she decided she’d rather be writing the stories herself.  Today, there are three places you can find Erica when she’s not writing: on a hiking trail, in her garden, or taking tea at a nearby stately home – all in the name of research, of course!   She is the author of two mysteries, Back to the Garden and The Lazarus Vector, as well as The Curse of the Braddock Brides, the first in a series of romantic mysteries inspired by the historic houses of the Hudson Valley. You can find more information about Erica Obey here:

WEBSITE     Twitter       Facebook 

Goodreads       Amazon Author Page 

  

Endings and Beginnings by Janis Susan May/Janis Patterson

Nancy: Please welcome an author who sounds like she has been as busy this year as I have! She writes mysteries as Janis Patterson, romances and other things as Janis Susan May, children's books as Janis Susan Patterson and scholarly works as J.S.M. Patterson.   

Janis: Some cultures regarded autumn as the end of the year; the winter was the dead time and spring was regarded as the beginning of the year.

This Halloween is a definite ending for me this year. I have spent the summer immersed in a wildly absorbing project. I had obtained the rights back to all the ones I could of my backlist and had two new books which had never been published. In May I self published one book as a test balloon. Found a wonderful scanner, an incredible formatter and a supremely gifted cover artist. As the book had been published before by a major publisher I didn’t send it through the complete editorial process again, but did go through it myself, tweaking and doing some minor revisions. From decision to republish to actually pushing the ‘publish’ button was six weeks, during which time I worked on writing a new book and other things.

Nancy: Wow! You sound like me again! I have a book coming out this weekend, and recovered three previously published novels from a now-defunct publisher. I am working hard to bring one of them out in December with a new title, new cover (by me), and a cleaner edit. 

Janis: The launch went well and sales were good enough to convince me that I should do all the rest of the books. However, time went against me. I did this and that with the books and at the end of three weeks had accomplished a lot – just not all one one book. I realized I had to give myself a deadline and – in a moment of pure insanity – to do one book every two weeks beginning on the 30 of June. My team went into hyperventilation, but agreed that it could be done.

And do it we have. LACEY, the last book, re-released the 30 of October, with each book being released right on schedule. I have seldom been so proud of any accomplishment in my life.

Two of the books were new, never before published – THE EGYPTIAN FILE and THE JERUSALEM CONNECTION. Both are romantic suspenses and are very special to me.

The main idea for THE JERUSALEM CONNECTION was born many years ago while I worked for three months on a film made in Jerusalem. One or two of the adventures occurring to the heroine actually happened to me. No, I’m not telling which ones!

The idea for THE EGYPTIAN FILE germinated during the three weeks my husband and I spent in Egypt our last trip there. Having other commitments, it was a while before I could start working on it, and by then I didn’t trust my memory of exactly what I seen. The Egyptological community is so very helpful and supportive, and I made a few new friends while doing research. I am a bear on having my facts right! The upside is that a new mystery idea – and a fabulous research opportunity – grew out of one of these contacts. I love Ancient Egyptian history, and THE EGYPTIAN FILE has both history and contemporary romantic suspense. It was great fun to write, and I’m so looking forward to the next Egyptian mystery – hidden treasure, a fake psychic, two young lovers and a ghost... Can’t wait.

THREE FACTS READERS MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME :

Hmmm. I’m really rather a boring person, so there’s not really that much interesting to know about me.  Hmmm.

1.      I used to design and make a line of jewelry made from animal bone and semi-precious gemstones.

2.      For more than 20 years I wore a diamond ring on my left thumb.

3.      I absolutely love thunderstorms.

THE JERUSALEM CONNECTION

When their original leader falls ill choir director Robin Sabine reluctantly agrees to accompany six teenagers to a musical competition in Jerusalem. The simple purchase of a souvenir for her boss' wife plunges her into a nightmare of danger, kidnapping and almost certain death. The unexpected appearance of a former boyfriend turned enemy unnerves her, and the attentions of a suave, sophisticated British diplomat turn her head even as she wonders if she can trust him. 

After her unscheduled shopping trip in the Old City Robin discovers that there are a number of people inordinately interested in her movements. Her room is searched. She has difficulties with the competition. Neither man in her life trusts the other and after being ruthlessly kidnapped, Robin realizes that a number of people - including her teenaged charges - believe she is a spy.

Conflicting loyalties and the specter of international terrorism make her doubt everything she ever thought she knew. Worst of all, the teens who have been put in her care disappear even as Robin's own life is threatened. If she is going to survive and rescue all entrusted to her, Robin will need all the wits and courage she can muster.

Amazon ebook       Amazon paperback

Barnes and Noble ebook      Barnes and Noble paperback

KOBO      Apple iBook     Createspace paperback

THE EGYPTIAN FILE

Melissa Warrender is trying to solve the strange death of her art-gallery owner father. Her father's partner in Warrender's Fine Art, Melissa's specialty is paintings of the 17th and long 18th centuries, while her father primarily dealt in antiquities. Driven by an unexplained phone call which may or may not have come from her late father, she goes to Cairo to retrieve a mysterious file, not knowing that she is a prime suspect of a special task force set up to stop antiquities smuggling and the target of

her father's chief rival.

David El-Baradi is a professor of Egyptology in London, in Cairo on sabbatical to help the task force. Forced into masquerading as a taxi driver who befriends Melissa, he finds himself attracted to her and, eventually, becomes convinced of her innocence. David cannot reveal his true identity, especially when it starts to seem that the treasure is an undiscovered royal treasure. As the pair lurch across Egypt, dodging the murderous son of Warrender's chief rival and unable to call on the task force for help, they finally decipher the cryptic clues and solve the mysteries of THE EGYPTIAN FILE, almost sacrificing their lives to do so.

Ebooks:

Amazon      Barnes andNoble  

iBooks       KOBO  

Paperback:

Createspace     Amazon       Barnes and Noble  

Nancy: What's next for you? 

Janis: What’s next for me? First of all, I’m taking a week or so off to get reacquainted with my life and get some rest. As for writing, I’m in the final throes of completing a modern gothic set in rural England called THE MASTER OF MORECOMBE HALL. After that’s done, I have a hankering to go back to cozy mystery for a while. I’ve a couple of ideas – a young debutante in 1916 New Orleans is suddenly orphaned and totally broke when it is discovered that her late brother’s wife – unknown to any of the family – has been murdered. Another is a contemporary, where a fact researcher for an eccentric non-fiction writer finds herself pitched into a long dead scandal and a current murder. A third is about a wealthy, very eccentric older woman finds herself trapped very much against her will in a rehabilitation home after a car accident – and then the murders begin.

There’s the new Egyptian mystery waiting impatiently, but I can’t begin my research until March (it’s complicated, and I can’t say any more about it right now). Then there’s another half dozen potential ideas lurking at the fringes of my mind just waiting to pounce. But there always are.

I’ve just finished a cozy mystery called MURDER AND MISS WRIGHT, which I’m allowing to go cold before I send it to my editor. It’s about a number of murders at a scholarly archaeological conference. 

My official bio :

Janis Susan May is a seventh-generation Texan and a third-generation wordsmith who writes mysteries as Janis Patterson, romances and other things as Janis Susan May, children's books as Janis Susan Patterson and scholarly works as J.S.M. Patterson. 

Formerly an actress and singer, a talent agent and Supervisor of Accessioning for a bio-genetic DNA testing lab, Janis has also been editor-in-chief of two multi-magazine publishing groups. She founded and was the original editor of The Newsletter of the North Texas Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt, which for the nine years of her reign was the international organization's only monthly publication. Long interested in Egyptology, she was one of the founders of the North Texas chapter and was the closing speaker for the ARCE International Conference in Boston in 2005.

Janis married for the first time when most of her contemporaries were becoming grandmothers. Her husband, a handsome Navy Captain several years younger than she, even proposed in a moonlit garden in Egypt. Janis and her husband live in Texas with an assortment of rescued furbabies.

Connect with Janis: Website  Twitter  

Nancy Lee Badger Interviews author Kaylie Austen

Joining me is author Kaylie Austen. Her book, Hellhound, is a paranormal mystery/suspense and was released on May 1st.

Welcome Kaylie! I am glad you could stop by during your whirlwind of a blog tour! Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.

Thank you for having me! Hellhound is the story of Selene, aka the Hellhound, and her struggle with breaking away from her pre-ordained life. She’s a Mythian, a direct descendant of Greek Gods, and her powerful bloodlines dictate that she marry another firstborn of Elders to become part of the ruling council that will one day take the world back from mortals. The problem? She hates being told what to do, when to do it, and who to marry. She’d rather cave into her darker side than to be brought into the light, literally (she absorbs power through the moonlight while the Elders soak energy from the sun).

Selene takes the bold step of mating with a tracker, a class beneath her. Demetrius shows her the world and how to hunt. With her prized weapon, he names her the Hellhound to the clans of Mythos. Things are shaky, but Selene’s entire world turns upside down when her father and intended, Nathanial, are found dead. All eyes focus on Demetrius. The evidence mounts against him. And, since Selene is now a huntress, the council gives her the order to bring in her accused lover. A race against time to find the truth, the Hellhound must work quickly to outwit super-human archers, shape-shifting sentinels, the cerebral chamber of the muses, and a deceitful council before she’s forced to annihilate her lover.

I can relate to 'breaking away' in order to be happy. Describe the genre of this particular title, and is this the only genre you write in?  

Hellhound is a blend of several genres: Paranormal, mystery, suspense, and romance. I also write dark fantasy, science fiction, and contemporary in both adult and YA.

What is your writing routine like?

I don’t have a routine, per say. Ideas flood into my head, storylines form, dialogue crops up, and I have to get it all down before it consumes me. It’s actually quite hectic in my head during a writing episode. I type fast, between 500-10,000 words a day, usually in the afternoon and evening. I spend weeks on editing, revising before sending the manuscript to beta readers. I’ll obsess a little longer before sending it out, and even then, I always find something to change or tweak with every read thereafter.

I type fast, but spelling and grammer cause headaches for me! Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?  

To have people tell me, or write reviews, about how much they loved the story. That’s a great feeling to know someone enjoyed my work.    

I agree! Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract? 

I know it sounds generic and every author says it, but it’s true. Never give up. If you try to give up writing, and the words keep coming, then you know you’re destined to be a writer. During all this writing, read and learn the craft. Always continue to grow.

What’s next for you?

This month I will be participating in an exciting month-long blog tour with giveaways, although truth be told, I’m a bit tempted to keep those prizes for myself. As far as novels go, I have a deliciously disturbing YA dark fantasy coming out later this year.

BOOK BLURB

Selene is the Hellhound, a powerful and ruthless descendant of the Greek gods. She is bound by tradition and tied by bloodlines to lead her people against the mortals. Although she is arranged to marry Nathanial, she falls for Demetrius, the self-professed Black Angel, and things take a bitter twist. When she stumbles across the corpses of her father and Nathanial, all eyes move in on Demetrius. Selene must take the assignment to hunt down her accused lover. Facing the untrustworthy cerebral chamber, powerful shape-shifting sentinels, superhuman archers, and a deceitful Council, the Hellhound must work quickly to uncover the truth before she is forced to annihilate her lover.

Excerpt from Hellhound

  I stepped over the threshold. The doors closed behind me with an echo that bounced against thick interior walls. I stood as close to the doors as possible in the empty, twelve-foot, circular chamber. The smooth, metal walls were bare, dark. One, small light to my left illuminated the room, and cast odd shadows in the distance.

  The ancient muses lived in our domicile, trapped in this chamber for the purpose of the Council. They materialized from thin air. Dense, colored particles gave the appearance of solid flesh cloaked in cloth, similar to a hologram.

  I hated giving them my memories. No one should know them except me, but relinquishing them proved I was not a criminal.

  The cloth-like façade covered their faces. The woman in the middle stepped forward.     “Welcome, Selene.”

  “We recognize you anywhere,” another spoke.

  Their majestic voices echoed, creating a haunting ripple of sound.  

   I swallowed. “Let’s get this over with.”

  All three smirked and rushed into me at once. I gasped as their force slammed me against the door. For the most part, they dissipated into air, but a small portion passed through my skull and entered my brain. I dropped to my knees and cradled my head between curled fingers. With my teeth clenched, jaw tight, and eyes pressed, I rocked on my haunches.

  The muses moved across my thoughts, creating a vicious headache as they replicated memories and stored them in the chamber.

  My body heat rose. Sweat beads tickled as they slid down my flesh. My breathing escalated until my lungs hurt, my chest burned. I thought my head might explode, as if my brain throbbed, pounded against bone. Heavy breathing turned into muffled whimpers. Panting turned into hissing. Just when I lost self-control, just before screaming, the pain vanished. The muses disappeared and took with them everything I knew.

How can my readers buy your book? 

Online stores such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble

 

 

 

Readers can go to the publisher’s home page at

http://worldcastlepublishing.com 

 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kaylie Austen was born in India and raised in Austin, Texas where she attended the University of Texas. Her multi-cultural upbringing fueled her desire for languages, cultures, and travel. Kaylie is perhaps best known for her sudden and infectious laugh. She enjoys anything science fiction and fantasy related, and writes in both genres for adults and young adults. She currently lives in beautiful Washington State with an amazing husband. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to contact her. 

You can find more information about Kaylie Austen and her book, Hellhound, at

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