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

Welcome Kim O'Brien to the 2014 MCBF Author List

Kim O'Brien joins the lineup of 2014 MCBF

At Emory University in Atlanta, Kim earned a B.A. in psychology, but then decided to pursue the dream of writing by attaining a master's degree in fine arts from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. She worked many years as a writer, editor, and speechwriter for IBM before becoming a full time mom and fiction writer. She’s been happily married for 24 years and has two beautiful daughters. A more recent addition to the family is an eight-pound Maltese/Schnauzer mix named Daisy.

Kim is the author of eight inspirational romance novels and seven non-fiction, children’s books. Her first YA thriller, Bone Deep, will be published in March 2015. She loves to hear from her readers and can be found at www:kimobrienbooks.com, facebook, and Twitter (kimobri).

Read Kim's interview here:

At what age did you start writing?

I was about ten years old. My best friend and I started a neighborhood newsletter called “The Outlaw.” (The cover was a drawing of a rearing horse. I was very into horses.). Our publication featured short stories, news, and a lot of drawings. We didn’t have computers back then, so we manually typed each issue and used carbon paper. Each copy cost ten cents. I think I still have some for sale…

Do you outline before you write or just dive in? 

A little of both. I like to know the basics of the story before I start – like who my characters are and what they want. I also jot down one-sentence ideas for scenes. The more I know about my story before I start to write, the easier it is (and there’s less rewriting too). But a lot of times I like to let the story unfold as I write it. It’s much more fun to find out what happens as I go along.

Do you have a pet? Tell us about her and how she helps/hinders your writing.

I have an eight-pound Maltese/schnauzer mix named Daisy. Every morning we walk three miles together and then come home and go to work. Her job is to sleep or look out the window while I write. Sometimes I bounce ideas off her and she never has anything critical to say. On the downside, she is always up for a break and if you lie on the couch and she gets in your lap, she puts you right to sleep.   

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most?

One of my favorite authors is Jodi Piccoult. Each of her books is written in many different points of view, so the reader truly experiences the story from many perspectives. Her stories have heart and depth and this has encouraged me to dig deeper into the minds of the characters I create. I really love complex stories – the ones that require characters to make tough choices – and I love twists that come naturally in a story, ones that aren’t an effort to manipulate the reader, but happen because of all the elements in a book come together.

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

A coat as I get cold very easily and will probably be hiding in the great outdoors in some national park. I would also bring a pen and spiral notebook to record the details of my survival in hopes of someday publishing this journal and having Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt star in my story. And third, I would take my dog. Not only would she alert me to the presence of any zombie heading my way, but also she has a good nose for finding food. I think this would come in handy.  NOTE: I did not take my family into consideration when deciding what to bring. Surviving a zombie apocalypse without them wouldn’t be much fun, even if I got a movie deal out of it.

Meet Kim at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on Saturday, 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.

Welcome Wendy Webb to MCBF 2014

Wendy Webb joins MCBF 2014

Wendy Webb is the bestselling author of novels of gothic suspense, The Vanishing (2014, Hyperion) The Fate of Mercy Alban (2013, Hyperion) and The Tale of Halcyon Crane (2010, Holt. She lives in Minnesota with her husband, photographer Steve Burmeister, and their 110-pound Alaskan Malamute, Molly. 

For more information, visit http://wendykwebb.com/.

Read all about Wendy in her interview here:

At what age did you start writing?

I've been a writer for as long as I can remember. I started writing in elementary school and just kept at it.

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, it's definitely setting. I've been inspired to start writing all three of my books in a single moment in a certain setting. For The Tale of Halcyon Crane, it was the moment when the ferry was approaching Mackinac Island and I saw the Grand Hotel and all of the beautiful, old houses on the island's hill. For The Fate of Mercy Alban, it happened when I stepped onto the patio of Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, Minnesota, and started imagining a summer party held there. And for The Vanishing, it was the moment I saw the house in Downton Abbey.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I just dive in. I tried to outline a book once but couldn't write it. It seemed like I was writing a term paper and was no fun! I start with a setting and a main character, and then start thinking: "What happens now?"

Why do you write for Young Adults or Adults?

I write the type of books I like to read. They're technically for adults, but I get a lot of crossover into the YA market, too. 

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

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

How much I truly appreciate every one of them.

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.)

I was on the yearbook staff and my friends were mainly the smart, nerdy kids and the theater crowd. Definitely the brainy book nerd type!

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

I have a 110-pound Alaskan Malamute named Molly. She, along with my two other Mals who have passed on, are important characters in my newest book, The Vanishing. And when I'm writing, if ever I hit a snag, I take Molly for a walk to clear my head. She's a big help.

What books or authors have most influenced your writing most?

The book that most influenced me is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle. I read that when I was about 13 years old and when I was finished with it, I knew what I wanted to do with my life — write magical, mysterious stories like that one.

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

There are so many! William Shakespeare — did you really write your plays, or did someone else? Lee Harvey Oswald — did you act alone or did someone hire you to kill JFK? Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle — please teach me everything you know about being a mystery writer! Any president of the United States — is there a Book of Secrets? 

But if I had to pick just one person, it would be my brother Randy. He died suddenly eight years ago, before my first book was published. One more dinner with him would be priceless to me. I'd ask him: "Okay, what's it like where you are?" And I'd tell him all about my success. Of course, I have a feeling he already knows.

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??

A book titled: "Sure Fire Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse." I'd also take my dog, Molly. She'd defend me against any and all zombies. And I'd also take a map to a secret, underground lair stocked with plenty of food and water, plus a library of books to entertain me while everyone else fights the zombies.

Meet Wendy at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on Saturday, February 15th

at Lone Star College - Montgomery

Stephanie Jay Evans joins the 2014 MCBF

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Spicing Up the MCBF 2014 Author List with Delphine Dryden

Welcome Delphine Dryden to the 2014 Author Line-Up

 

After earning two graduate degrees, practicing law for awhile, and then working for the public school system for over ten years, Delphine finally got a clue. She tossed all that aside and started doing what she should have been doing all along: writing novels! In hindsight she could see the decision was a no-brainer.

Del is fortunate to have two wonderful, absurdly precocious children and two delightful, if occasionally, disobedient mutts. She and her family are all Texas natives, and reside in unapologetic suburban bliss near Houston.

Website: http://www.delphinedryden.com  Twitter: @deldryden

 

Read Delphine's 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 usually start with characters, then think about the worst things that could happen for those particular characters. The poor things.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

I go back and forth. Write a few scenes to get into a piece, then do a bare-bones outline or Save the Cat "beat sheet," then start writing at the beginning if I haven't already. And I use Scrivener, which keeps things pretty organized as I'm going along.

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

Dogs! I have two, and I find the secret to having them not hinder my writing is a doggie door. When you have to take them out a lot or get up to open the door to the yard, it can really break your flow!  Other than that I think having pets around helps boost creativity and reduce anxiety, always good things.

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 assume I don't have to count the kids and dogs, as those are givens. I'd bring a Leatherman or similar indestructible multitool, a sword (my late dad's, from his Navy dress uniform, though it'd need sharpening), and of course a towel.

 

Meet Delphine at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival on February 15th at Lone Star College - Montgomery.

Author Chris Cander joins the line-up at the 2014 MCBF

Introducing Chris Cander...

Like most writers, Chris was first a reader—of books, of course, but also cereal boxes and shampoo bottles and billboards. Her favorite gift as a kid was a dictionary, which she read from cover to cover. After she published her first poem and won a regional creative writing contest, both at age ten, she knew she’d spend her life pursuing happiness via the written word.

Chris graduated from the Honors Program at the University of Houston in 1990 with a BA in French and a minor in Political Science. In 1994, she attended the Ploughshares International Fiction Writer’s Seminar at Kasteel Well, Netherlands. The following year, she attended the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, where she was able to work alongside some of her favorite authors.
Although she now focuses her efforts on fiction, Chris also writes children’s books and continues to write articles for health and fitness, lifestyle, and parenting magazines, and is collaborating on two screenplays. She is also a writer-teacher for Houston-based Writers in the Schools (WITS), which engages children in the pleasure and power of reading and writing. In her spare time, she works as the PR chairperson for her children’s elementary school. Chris well knows that the pen is mightier than the sword, but she’s willing to wield one of those, too. A former fitness competitor and model, she currently holds a 2nd dan in taekwondo.

Chris is a member of of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Author’s Guild, and MENSA. She lives with her husband and children in Houston, Texas.

Find out more about Chris at her website

and below in her interview!

 

 

At what age did you start writing?

I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing; everything about it held me fascinated--from learning to hold a pen to pulling stories from my imagination to actually crafting a narrative.

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 starts with an idea: I wake from a dream in which I hear a line of dialogue spoken in a distinctive voice; or an unexpected character shimmers to imaginary life like a mirage in my mind, compelling me to find out who she is and what she wants; or I’m stuck in a thought-loop about one of humanity’s conditions and I want to explore it from a safe distance. Then I wander into the story, letting the characters reveal themselves, and over the course of a novel, I figure out the “what happens” parts and hopefully, we all (the characters, the readers, and I) end up in a satisfying place.

Do you outline before you write or just dive in?

 

My friend Lisa Cron, author of WIRED FOR STORY talks about the benefit of building the framework that will underlie the story before the writing begins, figuring out exactly what it is that the characters think they want, what they really want, and what’s keeping them from getting it. That sort of pre-writing makes a lot of sense to me, but actual outlining? No. Part of the magic of writing—maybe most of it—comes from the spontaneous adventures that unfold on the page as I’m doing it.

 

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

I write for children because I have them and those are the stories they want to read. I write books for adults because those are the stories I want to read.

 

 

Thanks for taking time to let us get to know you, Chris!

 

 

Meet Chris at the

2014 Montgomery County Book Festival

on February 15, 2014.