Today’s Musing is a quote…keeping with yesterday’s theme:
“It is from books that wise people derive consolation in the troubles of life.”
-Victor Hugo
P.S. I am still waiting to hear from one of Devyn Quinn’s winners…Valerie…please check to see if it is you and e-mail me. If I haven’t heard from them by Friday, a new winner will be chosen.
Okay, so the other day on one of the groups I am on we were discussing authors and books which led me to say how I thought books were like friends. I posted a few reasons on the group, but this led me to think about even more ways that books were like friends…
So I came up with this…
A Few Reasons Why Books Are Like Good Friends
· They are not judgmental…they accept you for who you are.
· They don’t care what you look like, how you live, how much money you have, etc.
· They are always there for you when you need them and you can always count on them.
· If one lets you down, you can always count on another.
· They can lift you up or bring you down.
· They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc.
· There is one out there for everyone and while not every one is the right one for you, it may be the right one for someone.
· They can last a lifetime…the same favorite you had in childhood can stay with you until adulthood.
· The more the merrier.
· They keep all your secrets.
· They are loyal and steadfast.
· You can learn a lot by spending time with them.
· They each have their own story to tell.
· They are willing to be patient and stick around even when you get too busy.
· They can bring people together who might never have met.
· They are always willing to help you escape…they provide the getaway vehicle.
It seems I am not alone in my belief. I love quotes and found these that express what I feel much more eloquently than I do:
“Next to acquiring good friends, the best acquisition is that of good books.”
- Charles Caleb Colton
“There is no friend as loyal as a book”
- Ernest Hemingway
“A good book is the best of friends, the same today and for ever.”
- Martin Tupper
So like good friends, books can bring you comfort.
Do you have any comfort reads? Books you return to time and time again?
Today’s guest is author, Susan Morgan!
Out of the Ordinary by Susan Morgan
Aislinn O’Connell’s ordinary life changes forever when she is taken hostage during a brutal attack by a well-armed group of rebels bent on revolution. Caught with her, undercover government agent John Starke must use every skill at his command to help them both survive the terrible dangers lurking at every turn.
Held as prisoners of the fleeing rebels, Aislinn and John are taken to an isolated stronghold and must struggle to survive a brutal, unforgiving camp at the mercy of the bloodthirsty rebels. Without help or hope of rescue, the pair is all that stand between a leader bent on revolution and his ultimate plan of destruction and devastation.
Now for my interview with Susan…
Please tell us about your book.
Out of the Ordinary is really the second novel I’ve finished (i’m doing a final edit on the first) and it comes from a lifetime love of storytelling. Ever since I was a teenager I’ve written stories (today it’s call fan fiction), mostly shared with friends at the middle school lunch table. But those days lit a fire and love of writing that’s stayed burning ever since.
This story follows the journey of one woman, an ordinary suburban housewife, who finds herself in circumstances she can’t control and doesn’t expect to survive. Like many of us, she’s lived a comfortable, plentiful life and has never though that would change… that she’d have to fight to survive. At first, her survival is almost completely dependent on the unexpected intercession of a stranger… a lonely soul as different from her and her life as night and day. Once bonded together, the two recognize something in each other, and it lends them the strength to fight to survive.
Out of the Ordinary is one of those stories that told itself to me, and I hope conveys some things that make people stop and think. Not just about violence and terrorism… not just about prejudice or generations of frustration, but about how in the end we’re all human, living on this one world together. Somehow we’d better manage to get along.
What inspired the story?
As I said, it was a story that sort of told itself to me. Just bam — out of the blue. There it was and it simply had to be put to paper.
Because of the overtones of terrorism I nearly deleted the entire manuscript (about half finished at that point) on that awful morning of 9/11. I couldn’t touch the manuscript for nine months. Though my terrorists might be home-grown, and the methods were different, the result was the same. It cut way too close.
When I did finally reopen the document and start again I was able to bring all the pain and anguish of that experience to the work… a sort of humility and respect I didn’t have when I started it back in June of 2000, when my third child was 6 months old.
Where can readers find your book?
The book is available online right now at booklocker.com (my publisher’s site) or at barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com as well. You can order from any of the three, and expect to receive your professionally printed book in about a week, depending on where you live. That’s the best of print on demand publishing — the reader gets something they can hold in their hand, without going to a bookstore.
What is your favorite part of being a writer? Least favorite?
My favorite part of writing is the chance to share something with others… a message, a truth, a laugh… whatever that might be, You can do things with the written word that you can’t when speaking… and it has an impact that lasts and lingers. To me, there is no greater satisfaction than getting the words you want, just right, and reading it over to see that you’ve exactly captured what you wanted to say.
The internet has made sharing our work so much easier than ever before, and I often wonder what the great authors would have been able to do had they access to the keyboard, the computer and the internet.
My least favorite part of writing is that I need to be off by myself… away from my family while I’m working. I need to concentrate and focus, and that sometimes makes me short and cross with interruptions, of which there are many in my kid-ruled household. I need to get better at dealing with those.
What would you like to tell aspiring writers?
Keep writing and write what you love, whether there’s a market for it or not. Read authors above you (in skill and experience) and try to take something from everything (the good and the bad) that you come across. Don’t think that just because people say “It can’t be done.” that it can’t.
Who has inspired you as a writer?
My favorite writer of all time is Victor Hugo… that man could do more with three words than any writer I’ve ever read. The pictures he paints, the characters he shows us and way his stories unfold is beyond brilliant. That’s the kind writer I dream to be.
What do you like to read?
I absolutely love, always have, historical fiction, the more fact based the better. Lately I’ve been reading a whole lot of Philippa Gregory (I’m a fan from way back) and Anya Seton. I’ve also rediscovered some of the classics I’ve always loved, Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, Gone With The Wind. I just finished To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and was in awe of the way she had me loving these characters by the end of the first chapter. Now that’s genius.
If you had a time capsule to be opened 50 years in the future, what would you put in it?
An iPod, A Bible, A family photo album. A local newspaper. A grocery receipt. A current Atlas, a few popular magazines like Discover, TV Guide and Time, maybe the Star and National Enquirer for comic relief.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Passionate. Aware. Sensitive.
What is next for you?
I’m going to be putting a lot of time into promoting Out of the Ordinary. Here I was thinking that writing it would be the hard part… but that was just the beginning! Getting the word out does not come naturally to me, and I’m going to have to step outside that comfort zone if I want people to know about the book.
I’m also going to polish up that first novel, and submit it to publishers. It’s a story I’ve always loved and recently returned to, hoping there was something there. I guess I’m still hoping that.
I’ll also be working on some more short stories, entering a few well chosen contests and basically trying to bring my work to a wider audience than my husband, friends and family.
Is there anything you’d like to ask readers?
I’d like to ask for some of your precious reading time… of which all of us are in short supply these days. I never have enough time to read all I want, and the time, when I do get it, goes too fast. I can promise you that if you choose to invest some of your valuable time in my book, you’ll get a story with that will keep your interest, keep you guessing and keep you entertained.
I’m always open to feedback and suggestions, and would love to hear any thoughts or questions you might have.
Thank you Susan so much for that interview!
Readers, you can learn more about Susan and her work at http://www.susanmorganonline.com/
And check back later this month for my review of Out of the Ordinary!
First, a big thank you to Devyn for being a guest and donating prizes!
Thanks to everyone that commented!
The winners of a copy of Eros Island are:
Angie-la (comment # 
Valerie (comment #25)
Please e-mail me using the addy in the sidebar and I will get your info to Devyn!
You have until next Friday to contact me or another winner will be chosen.
Remember, if you already own Eros Island, Devyn is willing to substitute another title.
If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry…I’ll have plenty of giveaways in the future.
Oh, and I plan on updating my reading progress page for March later today…I have fallen a bit behind on updates.
Please give a warm welcome to Lizzie T. Leaf…
Please tell us about your books.
Most of my books have humor. Some are strictly contemporary with heat, such as Night Nurse (a Brown Paper Wrapper at Aspen Mountain Press) and Call Me (about a girl in the phone sex industry) which the revised version will be re-released at Aspen Mountain Press sometime in 
March/April. The others have paranormal elements in addition to the humor and heat. Waking Up Dead is my first vampire novella and I’m currently working on the next in that series. My full length print novel, Struck by Lightning, is also a Beacon winner, but the bankruptcy of the publisher now has me looking for a new home for it since I now have the rights back. On the non-humor side is the Again and Again series which is more historical. My hero and heroine meet in contemporary times and relive their past lives together through their dreams.
What inspired the stories?
Call Me was inspired by a tv news show that I saw on the phone sex industry, along with a dare from my critique partners.
Night Nurse was an idea that popped into my head when the publisher asked me for a ‘hot’ short.
Waking Up Dead came about when the same publisher who asked me to write Struck by Lightning, asked me for a novella with a Halloween theme to go into an anthology.
The Again and Again came to me after a trip to Stonehenge when I almost passed out walking between two stones. That led to the idea for Among the Stones, the first in the series.
What is your favorite part of being a writer?
Sharing the ideas that are always bouncing in my head and hopefully improving in my ability to do so.
Least favorite?
The isolation. There are times when I have to pack up my laptop and head for a coffee shop to have the connection with people.
Who has inspired you as a writer?
As far as authors, anyone who has had the courage to put their ideas on paper. In my personal life, my husband who wanted to know why I wasn’t focusing on something I loved to do.
What would you like to tell aspiring writers?
Keep trying. Practice does help one become better. Go back an read your earlier work…you’ll probably be amazed at the difference in how it compares to what you’re doing now. Also, join a writers group for the friendships of people who understand how you think and feel on a subject that can put your non-writing friends and family to sleep after awhile.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
A passionate, loving dreamer. Does that work?
What do you like to read?
I’m guilty of reading the back of cereal boxes while eating. Otherwise, romance of course, but I try to read cross genre. Last book I bought…Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue.
What is next for you?
I’m currently working on a sequel to Waking Up Dead. In addition, I’ve started to work on a mainstream/women’s fiction novel. Plus, I have to do the revisions for Call Me before the end of the month.
Is there anything you’d like to ask readers?
I’d be interested to know how important book covers are to readers and what type appeals to them most?
Lizzie loves to hear from readers and has formed some great friendships by one on one contact. You can e-mail her lizzietleaf@comcast.net.
Thank you, Lizzie, for that great interview!
Readers, you can learn more about Lizzie and her books at www.lizzietleaf.com
So, how about answering her question…
Cadari Lover by Cara Carnes
One horrendous act meant to destroy her. Only one night to fulfill a lifetime of passion. Could fate be this cruel?
Rina Daniels could not believe the cruel twist of irony. Years of secret desire for the sexy alien friend she could never have made her flee his protection, only to find herself in the hands of his enemies. Forcefully converted to the sexual being known across the universes as tagratis, she is now doomed to spend an eternity unfulfilled.
Kandos Strabuquar hated himself for not protecting Rina. Lust had blinded his judgment. He never should have allowed her to remain on his planet, even if it was just for a visit. Now she was a tagratis, and she would suffer a lifetime of ungratified sexual need.
An aquamarine necklace and an experimental drug were their only hope. Will it be enough?
Available now at Ellora’s Cave!
Find out more about Cara and her books at: http://www.caracarnes.com/
Today’s guest is the fabulous erotic author, Devyn Quinn!
Yesterday I spotlighted Devyn’s books and today here’s an interview…
Please tell us about your books.
I debuted as a Kensington Books author with Flesh and the Devil in March 2007, a dark vampire/erotic novel. Though I write in both the contemporary and gothic genres, lately my attention has turned to very dark erotica. Most of my full length novels focus on the struggle of the ordinary person to accept extraordinary happenings in their lives-usually from a supernatural source. It is why I have recently tagged me writing “goth-erotica” and where I will focus my attention on my next single title releases with Kensington’s Aphrodisia line, including my Kith & Kynn books, Sins of the Flesh (Oct 07) and Sins of the Night (March 0 and Embracing Midnight (Nov 08).
What inspired the story or stories?
I enjoy telling dark tales, LOL. Inspiration just hits out of the blue. One moment my mind is empty and the next it is brimming with characters who have stories to tell.
Which of your characters would you like to switch places with? For how long? What would you do?
Oh, I would love to switch with Morgan Saint-Evanston, the immortal Irish assassin of the Keepers series. I’d do it for freaking ever and I would have an ever-loving blast having his magical powers and slaying the baddies.<G>
What is your favorite part of being a writer? Least favorite?
My favorite part of being a writer is hearing from people who have read and enjoyed my books. The least favorite is starting a new book.
What would you like to tell aspiring writers?
This is not a business for the faint of heart. You have to have grit and determination to make the cut. A little talent helps, LOL.
Who has inspired you as a writer?
I draw my inspiration for many places, but can’t pin it down to a single source.
What do you like to read?
I mostly enjoy history and biographies. I tend not to read much fiction because I write it! When I do read fiction, I love Kate Douglas’s Wolf Tales. Her series is smashingly original.
What is your favorite way to relax?
Renting a few movies and settling back with a glass of wine and my pets!
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Intense, demanding, capable.
If you had a time capsule to be opened 50 years in the future, what would you put in it?
All my books, LOL
What is next for you?
I just finished a novella, Personal Possessions, for the Dangerous Ties anthology that will be out in April 09. I’m about to do a novella for the Sexy Beast 6 anthology with Kate Douglas, Heart of the Wildcat. Then I have three more single titles contracted, including the first book of a new series and a follow up to Flesh and the Devil, as well as a tie-in single title to my Sexy Beast novella.
Thank you, Devyn, for that wonderful interview!
Readers, you can learn more about Devyn’s books by visiting http://www.devynquinn.com/
Devyn has donated two copies of Eros Island to two lucky winners…
So leave a comment below letting me know you want to enter!
MUST BE 18 TO ENTER and don’t forget to read the Contest Rules before entering!
Devyn has mentioned that if you already own the giveaway title you may substitute another title if your name is drawn.
Winners will be announced Friday, March 21 so check back to see if you are a winner!
