Welcome Stacy Moran to MCBF 2014

Stacy Moran joins the author lineup for MCBF 2014

Stacy (SAM) was born in West Virginia but now finds herself living in Texas. She has loved writing since she wrote her first book in the first grade, The Land Without Rules. Her mother will tell you it was a brilliant piece of literature.

An author of several genres, she prefers to combine the mainstream genres of paranormal and gothic romance with elements of erotic, mythology and fantasy.

She has a flair for creating not only unforgettable heroes and heroines but also her villains are characters you want to get to know and will fall in love or hate with.

Finally taking the steps to follow a dream, Stacy finds herself on an amazing new journey. Her most recent works include, Blood Myth (The Myth Series), Whispers in the Dark, Sekhmet’s Revenge, The Lotus, and a series of erotic shorts Temptation Tuesdays.

 

For more information, visit http://www.stacyamoran.com/.

 

 

An interview with Stacy:

 

At what age did you start writing?

Seven, I wrote my first book. 'A Land Without Rules' my mom will tell you it was brilliant 

Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand?  Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

I create worlds but they are based on a few characters that starts the process. Normally the loudest character gets his story told first. 

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I should outline but I am a pantser 

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

I write mainly for adults because I still want fairy tales. I believe my peers do as well so I try to write adult fairy tales by using romance, mythology, mystery, and paranormal. 

Who is your favorite character you have written or read about?

Tanerk Raka right now from my Myth Series. He is the charismatic, sexy, intelligent, and very evil demon created from an Egyptian God. He always entertains whenever he appears. Tanerk has you rooting for the bad guy.

What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

That's a hard question but probably what I want everyone to know about me.

I'm just a girl trying to live my life hopefully creating more good than bad. 

In high school, where did you fall? (Prom Queen/King, Gamer Geek, Brainy/Book Nerd, Jock, Shy/Quiet Scholar, Skate Rat, Stoner, Class Clown, etc.)

Cross between Brainy/Book Nerd and Hippie Chic 

Do you have a pet (pets)?  Tell us about it (them) and how they help/hinder your writing.

Yes, five pets. Three dogs, Mandy, Susie, and Jackie. Two cats Misty and the evil Athena( she is my favorite). Some days they drive me nuts wanting attention making writing difficult but other days they are so relaxing and my writing just flows. 

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most?

Dr.Seuss and Anne Rice

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

Anne Rice to pick her brain 

And my personal favorite:  It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

Water, pen, and notebook ( cliche from a writer but true)

Meet Stacy at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery

Ashley Nemer Joins the Author List for MCBF 2014

Welcome Ashley Nemer to MCBF 2014

Ashley was born in Wichita, Kansas. She is the eldest of three. She has two brothers who she completely adores and who were the inspiration for her Alpha Lead Zayn. She has always enjoyed writing and using her creativity. This started at a young age in Kansas City, Missouri when her brother Ryan and her would take scraps of wood and paint different pictures on them. Eventually when her articulation of feelings and emotions gained depth she started writing Original Oratory while attending Clear Brook High School.

Ashley participated in her high school debate team and it was there that she learned the importance of the written word. She firmly believes that the pen is mightier than the sword and Ashley has never been one to hold back her opinion, or change her beliefs. She is open and honest about how she feels and has learned the moment you write down a thought, you better be able to back it.

Over the course of 15 years Ashley’s skills as a writer have dramatically changed. During college she used to write poetry when she was sad or down, needing an outlet to safely express what was on her mind. Since then, her poetry has taken a dive into a dark undertone. She writes about the pain of love and paints them with dark pictures of expression. She isn’t afraid to show the thoughts we all have but are too timid and/or shy to say.

Ashley’s first novel, Blood Purple is based on Algula vampires who dwelled in the Middle East and were forced from their home. The idea for this series spurred from one evening of Ashley researching her nationality after talking with her Aunt Pam about where her family originated. She and one of her friends did research on the folklore of that part of the world and found there was very little information about the paranormal genre and how it tied into the Middle East. Ashley took this idea and ran with it.


Ashley is married and lives in Houston with her husband Tony. They have two dogs named Toto and Doogie. They have been together for over 8 and a 1/2 years and he brings her more joy than she could ever imagine as a child. She loves to read and has been hooked on the romance genre ever since her life long best friend Laura gave her "Ashes to Ashes' by Tami Hoag to read when they were younger.


Ashley finds her strength through her family, especially her parents. They always support her in life, they push her to strive for greatness. There once was a motto that Ashley heard in her youth through her Taekwondo life 'Reach for the Stars' and that is what Ashley has always done. It was through her upbringing that the values Ashley has and display's came from. With her Parents always cheering her on in life she was able to grow up having faith in herself and her ability to conquer the world.

In Arabic, Nemer means Tiger. Ashley has always loved tigers well before she knew the meaning of her name.

For more information, visit http://www.ashleynemer.com/.

 

An interview with Ashley:

 

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

 

I love writing in the organic method. Everything that I have written that wasn't planned ends up pulling you in and being an emotionally charged read. The stories where I have some idea of what I want to happen are not as engaging. I think it's because I was forcing it out of me because I wanted the story to move in a certain path. When I let the Characters write and I let the words flow out in an organic fashion then the final product really is night and day compared to the stories I plan. To date, of the 10+ titles I have out only two have been planned. And you can most certainly tell which ones they are.

 

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

 

I write for adults because the things inside my head just aren't suitable for young people. haha. Honestly, I don't even know how I would go about writing a book that is targeted for young adults. My Maverick Touch series is completely clean and very PG in most everything that is written. I do that because I want to have a series that my family can read and not have to picture me doing all these 'adult' themed things or violence with. Keeping Maverick clean has been one of my challenges through both books. I am hoping by the time I start book there (Next November) I have a better hang of resisting the need to get detailed....

 

Who is your favorite character you have written or read about?

 

My favorite characters that i have written would be Leigh Khaled. She is one of the 'bad guys' in my Blood Series about Arabic Vampires in Colorado Springs, Co. She is the dark side of my mind, the one that we don't let come out to play. She makes me cringe and gives me relief from a hard day, week or month. She's vicious, and I love her.

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most? Tami Hoag. She was the very first mystery/romance writer that I read in high school, specifically, Ashes to Ashes and I LOVED IT. I fell in love with her and with story telling really then. My aunt gave me some Harlequin novels and that opened my eyes to the 'romance' but mysteries and mystery writers is where my heart lies. Catherine Coulter's FBI series has influenced me a lot too. Kay Hooper's Bishop series. And then my friends who are authors. I take from everyone bits and pieces of things that stand out and mesh it together to form my own style.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

 

Will Smith - because I love him - in everything that he does. I used to have my walls  plastered with his magazine photos when I was in junior high and high school in the 90's. 

And my personal favorite:  It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

Gun, Knife, Weatherproof Jacket

 

Meet Ashley at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on Saturday, February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery

Shauna Allen will be at MCBF 2014!!

Shauna Allen joins the festivities at MCBF 2014

Shauna grew up an only child with two open and loving parents in Central Texas.  She’s married to her high school sweetheart and is the mother to three awesome teenagers.  She is the award-winning author of the Cupid Chronicles series, including the newly released Charlie’s Angel.  Shauna is also a freelance editor and personal assistant to two NYT Bestselling authors.  She loves anything sexy, sassy, and Gerard Butler.

 

For more information, visit http://www.shaunaallen.com/.

 

Meet Shauna at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival on February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery

Cassandra Rose Clarke will be at MCBF 2014

Cassandra Rose Clarke joins the fun for MCBF 2014

Cassandra Rose Clarke is an author of speculative fiction for both teenagers and adults. She grew up in south Texas and currently lives in a suburb of Houston, where she writes and teaches composition at a local college. Her first novel, The Assassin’s Curse, received a starred review from Kirkus and was nominated for YALSA’s 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults, and her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons and Daily Science Fiction. 

 

For more on Cassandra, visit her website at http://www.cassandraroseclarke.com

 

Read more about Cassandra in her interview below:

At what age did you start writing?

I can’t remember the exact age, unfortunately. However, I always loved making stories up, and I remember writing stories and plays when I was in elementary school.  In fourth grade I took a career test on the school computers and learned my highest match was novelist. I guess it was ordained from the start!

Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand?  Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

It depends on the book, but usually it’s something very small, almost abstract—an image, a feeling, a character quirk. From there, the characters and setting tend to evolve simultaneously.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I used to just dive right in, but these days I outline. The problem with diving right in is that sometimes it works beautifully—a story grabs me and won’t let go. Other times, though, I waste a lot of time figuring out what I want to happen.  I’ve slowly learned how to outline to help make my writing more efficient.

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

I write for both young adults and adults, and I’d like to try my hand at writing for children in the future. I like writing across the age groups because it broadens the sorts of things that I can write about and explore. YA lets me take part in the magic of reading—there tends to be a less jaded view of books among YA readers, and I love that. Writing for adults lets me deal with issues and events that aren’t yet a part of teenagers’ lives. I can’t imagine writing for just one age group!

Who is your favorite character you have written or read about?

While I can’t really pick a favorite character (that’s like picking favorite children, in a way), the character I had the most fun writing was Ongraygeeomryn, the manticore from the The Pirate’s Wish. She doesn’t think like a human at all, and it was so much fun to figure out all the strange ways she would react to a given situation.

What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

I hated The Assassin’s Curse when I finished writing it (mostly because I’d been messing with it so much), and it went on to become my best-selling book! Just goes to show that no author is a good judge of their own work.

In high school, where did you fall?

I floated around between groups, so I had friends among the stoners, the over-achievers, the nerds, and so on, but I never really fit in with a particular clique. Seventeen magazine informed me at one point I was a “Drifter” so I guess that would be my proper high school designation.

Do you have a pet (pets)?  Tell us about it (them) and how they help/hinder your writing.

I have two cats named Robert Barcatheon and Leeroy Catkins. They love to bother me when I’m on my computer. Leeroy will meow, very loudly and insistently, until I stop what I’m doing and come pet her. Robert just jumps on my desk and sits on my keyboard.  So basically they hinder my writing all over the place. I still love them, though!

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most?

Margaret Atwood because I love her use of language and structure, the complexity of her characters, and the way she plays around with genre. Gabriel Garcia Marquez because One Hundred Years of Solitude was so unlike anything I’d read, and it helped me to see that you didn’t have to stick to genre divides. Kelly Link for much the same reason.

Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

Probably Wong Kar Wai, a film director from Hong Kong. He’s my favorite director of all time, and he’s also one of my biggest non-writer influences, so I would love to have a chance to talk to him.

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

Running shoes, a hammer (the closest thing to an anti-zombie weapon I have in my apartment), and a box of Kind bars

Meet Cassandra at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery

Spicing up MCBF with Jennifer Bray-Weber

Welcome Jennifer Bray-Weber to MCBF 2014

 

 

Native Texan and raised in the Spring area, Jennifer Bray-Weber has always wished for real life to mimic adventuresome tales, especially those of the high seas. Holding degrees in Music and Video Business and Liberal Arts, she continued her higher education, until a professor challenged her to write a novel. Never one to back down from a dare, her passion led to award-winning pirate historical romances. Her next two books in the Romancing the Pirate series are scheduled to release early in 2014. Connect with Jennifer at www.jbrayweber.com.

Read Jennifer's interview below:

At what age did you start writing? 

     37. Late Bloomer? You could say that. I was a career student racking up the college credits. During my fall semester in 2007, I impressed my creative writing professor with my short stories, albeit everything I wrote was grisly and ended in death. *shrug* One particular assignment, I went in a different direction. It was a romance and nobody died. *shrugs again* He enjoyed it so much, he suggested I write a novel. I took it as a dare and quit school. *shrugs once more*.

 

Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the

sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand?  Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

     For me, inspiration may come from a song lyric, a movie snap shot, or a random simple gesture. My mind creates a ‘what if’ scenario. From there springs a general setting and basic knowledge of a character or two. Getting from point A (the beginning of the story) to point B (the end) is as much a mystery to me as it is to the reader. It’s great fun!

 

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

     Despite the action and adventure of my books, I tend to write with a healthy portion of the dark side of humanity. It’s all doom and gloom. To balance out the macabre danger, I write romance. And not your granny’s romance, either. The spicy, steamy romance.

Who is your favorite character you have written or read about?

     I fell unequivocally in love with Captain Blade Tyburn of A Kiss in the Wind, the second book in my Romancing the Pirate series. He’s an infamous pirate libertine with devilish good looks, quick wit, and insatiable desire for women, no matter their shape or size. That is, until he meets his match in knife-wielding, pick-pocket Marisol.

     That said, I also just adore Darynda Jones’s Charley Davidson, the self-deprecating wise-cracking private investigator. Oh, and she’s the grim reaper, too.

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most?

     It would be unfair to narrow down the authors and books that I could say were influential to my career in some form or another. I have learned from many wonderful teachers, writers, and friends all across the publishing spectrum. However, I do aspire to have Sherrilyn Kenyon’s fandom, JK Rowling’s fortune, Stephen King’s esteem, and Anne Rice’s legacy.

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

     Assuming I would have my family and supplies, I would want to take my fully charged iPod loaded with loud bass-thumping, guitar-screeching zombie-killing rock music, a modified shotgun with an attached buzz saw for mutilating attacking zombies, and Nutella, because I love it’s chocolaty hazelnut goodness.

Meet Jennifer at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on Saturday, February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery

Rachel Harris is coming to MCBF 2014

RACHEL HARRIS joins the line-up for MCBF 2014 

 

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, watching soap operas with her grandmother, and staying up  late sneak-reading her mama's romance novels. Today, she still stays up late reading romances, only now she does so openly.

A Cajun cowgirl now living in Houston, she firmly believes life's problems can be solved with a hot, sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

She homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches countless hours of Food Network and reality television with her amazing husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult Fun, Flirty Escapes, and LOVES talking with readers!  

To learn more about Rachel, visit http://www.rachelharriswrites.com/.

 

We are thrilled to have Rachel joining us.  Read her interview here!

Patty Campbell talks about the germ for a piece of writing being like the sand in the oyster.  What is your grain of sand?  Do you begin with character or setting or something else?

I always begin with my characters. I need to know their flaw and their main story goal; only then can I start building around that. I create huge backstories, determine their likes and dislikes, cast them in my mind, and create story soundtracks based around their arc. My stories are very character-driven.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I totally outline. A LOT. I plot out everything I possibly can, and usually end up with anywhere from 10-20 pages of detailed notes before I even type “Chapter One.” But, knowing all that ahead of time, even while I do change it up here and there, helps me write. I know what comes next, what I need to build toward, and that gives me focus for the scene at hand.

One time, I wrote a novella with a friend, and our deadline was super crazy. We had no choice but to dive in. I drove that poor girl batty with my questions and need to figure everything out while drafting. 

Why do you write for Young Adults or Children or Adult (whichever is pertinent)?

I write for YA and adults, and I love doing both. For YA, it’s because all of those experiences are still with me today. A decade later, I can close my eyes and remember every detail of my first real heartbreak. The first person my age who had their life taken way too young. Every song that came on the radio, and how I felt when I first heard it. To me, high school and college years are about experimentation, finding yourself, and firsts. While a lot of the world has changed since I was younger, the heart of these issues is still the same.

For adults, I love writing for this audience because it is my current experience. I know what it’s like being a thirty-something woman in the world. While I’m happily married, I have friends who are navigating the dating waters, and they confide how it’s changed from when we were in college. It’s another chapter in our lives, and one I love exploring. Plus, I feel my unique brand of humor comes across well in this genre. I love romantic comedies!

It’s the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, what 3 things are a must to take with you when you flee your home for refuge from the undead hordes??

I’m taking my iPad, regardless of whether or not I know if electricity will be available where I end up lol. My Kindle on my iPad is my sanity! Please tell me electricity will be there! Next, I have to bring my well-loved copy of Pride and Prejudice. This is a book I read every year and will never grow tired of reading. And, totally assuming my husband and girls are running with me, the third thing would be the biggest bag of chocolate I can find in my pantry. If I’m running from the undead, and the world is falling down around me, chocolate will be needed to keep me from flipping out totally. It certainly works when deadlines hit (*grin*).

 

Meet Rachel and the rest of the authors at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on Saturday, February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery.