I've moved!

I love you all for hanging out with me here, but I've recently acquired my very own website and through WordPress, it has its own blog. So I hope you all will join me there!

http://www.erindanzer.com/blog/

Thank you and have a lovely day! :)

Writerly Wednesday

Hello all! Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday. :) I do want to apologize for my lack of ambition on my blog lately.  Today's meme is all about writing, whether I'm telling you some exciting news about my road to publishing my debut novel, Into the Spiral, or I'm sharing sites and articles I've found interesting or useful or I'm introducing you to someone/something new. Today, I'd like to introduce you to my writing twin, Beth Ann Masarik.

Beth doesn't know that I'm doing this. :) We met almost a year and a half ago through Richelle Mead (as we like to tell the story). We'd both answered a post of hers on Facebook, started messaging and the rest they say is history. We now talk constantly, including text messages (which drive my hubby crazy because he thinks my phone says "why am I on a diet" every time she texts LOL). We have so many things in common and think alike so much that we've dubbed each other our "twin".

I met Beth shortly after she signed with Otherworld Publications so through her, I got to see what publishing with them was like. I was so impressed (and am still so impressed) that when I queried my own book, I went to them. :) Beth now has 2 short stories and one full-length novel out: Murderous Regrets (short), Moon Spirit (short) and The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness (novel).

Beth also created and runs Literary Lunes Magazine, a now bi-monthly online publication that she edits and formats herself (as well as writing articles for). She also is currently working on book 2 of the TWAU trilogy, Daughter of Light, as well as putting together an anthology of TWAU short stories and very tentatively starting up her own publishing company, currently named Literary Lunes Publications. She is also just finishing edits and polishing up an anthology, Writings From the Heart, which all proceeds will go to the pediatric cardiology department at the Stephen and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York. The anthology is set to release June 6!

On top of everything else Beth has going on, she's also getting married on October 14! 

Beth has always inspired me with her many projects, getting herself out there into the writing community and meeting people. She recently even interviewed Kristin Cast (half of the amazing duo that brought us the House of Night series) for Literary Lunes magazine. She works hard and has become an amazing friend in the short time I've known her. So I just wanted to take a few minutes today to say THANK YOU to Beth for becoming my friend.

You can find Beth everywhere on the web:
Her website
Literary Lunes magazine
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook
TWAU on Facebook

Buy Beth's books!
Murderous Regrets:  Amazon  Smashwords
Moon Spirit:  Amazon
TWAU: Prince of Darkness:  Amazon  B&N  Smashwords  Otherworld

That's all for today, folks! I hope you've enjoyed meeting Beth as much as I have! :)

Happy Wednesday!
EM

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Welcome to another week of Tell Me Something Tuesday, the weekly meme where Cambria Hebert asks a question and bloggers get to answer and link up. :) This week's question is:

Tell me one book character you would like to spend the day with. What would you do with that person?

Surprisingly, this question turned out to by a lot easier than I thought it would be - it took me hardly any time at all to figure out who I would pick. Of course, all I had to do is look to a new favorite author and the answer was clear.

I want to spend the day with... Lola Nolan.

Lola is an awesome character! I loved her from the moment we met! LOL She doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costumes. And boy does she come up with some good ones! My favorite is the Marie Antionette gown she makes (yes, she sews!) to wear to the Winter Formal. Of course, the dress wouldn't have been completed without the help from the boy next door. ;-) (but that's for you to read and find out why)

Here's my initial thoughts on Lola after reading this fantastic book: I love Lola! I love her costumes, her tenacity, her indecisiveness even when she knows what the right thing is to do. I love everything about her. And I loved going on her journey with her. She's a strong, well rounded character, one I would love to sit and chat with (while possibly helping her to design awesome outfits).

Besides chatting and designing, I would love to hang out with Lola at the movie theatre where she works (if only to run into Anna and her hot boyfriend!). Plus, I know we would hang out with Lola's boyfriend at some point, which would definitely be fun, too. It would be an amazing day, and give me the chance to see some of San Francisco. :-) Oh what fun we would have!

What's that? You haven't read this book yet? What are you waiting for?? LOL

So now it's your turn... what book character would you hang out with for a day and why?

Happy Tuesday!
EM

Charade Blog Tour - Book Boyfriends with Cambria Hebert

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Charade Blog Tour, running May 14-June 14. Charade is the second book in Cambria Hebert's Heven and Hell series... And this book is highly anticipated by yours truly. Let me tell you a little more about it:

Dying at the hands of a psycho was a shock. Having my life returned to me by an angel was incredible. Being named a Supernatural Treasure and being given Sam as my guard was pretty darn awesome. Acquiring a debt for it all—well, I should have seen it coming.

Now here we are, fighting demons from Hell, caring for a boy that I just don’t trust, and traveling to faraway places to return a treasure to its rightful place. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone wears a mask; everyone puts on a charade. It’s up to us to separate the truth from the lies and reality from fiction. A hard task when my new reality involves fallen angels, witches and dragons… and did I mention Hell?

Anchoring me down through it all is Sam. Sam, who must face tragedies of his own and is put to the test again and again.

If we fail in our task, life as we know it—life as you know it—will end. Forever.

Sounds exciting, doesn't it?? Today, Cambria is here to talk about HOTNESS... and by HOTNESS, she means Book Boyfriends, those male characters that make us all swoon. Take it away, Cambria!

Today I am here to talk about Hottness. That’s right, hotness. What exactly is hotness, you ask? I will tell you. Hottness is when someone has the ability to make your heart race, your palms feel sweaty and your stomach feel like it has a million butterflies fluttering inside it. It makes you sigh, smile and giggle. Sometimes when you are reading a particularly good hotness you glance around guiltily to see if anyone knows what you are doing…

I am sure we have all experienced this at one time or another.

First loves, current loves… donuts. What? Like you don’t lust after those delicately fried concoctions that are dripping with sinfully, likable icing. Yeah, you know what I mean.

I myself experience the “hotness effect” every time I watch the Vampire Diaries on Thursday nights or every time I read a book with a good male character.

So I guess by definition Hottness = Book boyfriends

It’s a hot topic – DUH – because its full of hotness. But mainly because we all have a list of book boyfriends, movie boyfriends, real life boyfriends (lol) and food boyfriends (don’t even pretend you don’t).

So what makes a character into a book boyfriend? (note: yes, there must be book girlfriends… but I am a girl who likes guys so I’m talking about boyfriends)

As the author of a completely swoon worthy male character (say it isn’t so!) I think I can answer this question. Well, you be the judge of that.

Here to help me with my Book Boyfriend must have list is Sam himself. 

Let’s ask Sam himself why he makes a good book boyfriend. Sam?

Sam: You think I make a good boyfriend? Did you read Masquerade. I do some very bad things. I don’t think that makes me a good boyfriend.

Cambria: That’s exactly why you make a good boyfriend! Look at the naughty things you do all because you were trying to help the girl you love.

Sam: Naughty? That’s one way to put it.

Cambria: Okay, then. How about the gift you give Heven in Masquerade. Don’t you think that qualifies you as a book boyfriend?

Sam: Which gift? The whistle? I gave that to her for protection.

Cambria: Because you love her. How about the keys?

Sam: Those keys turn out to be a lot more than we thought.

Cambria: You are making this interview very difficult.

Sam: *Grins* That’s why I’m a good book boyfriend. I’m not agreeable.

Cambria: Yes, well. How about that first kiss with Heven?

Sam: A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.

Cambria: Awww. So you admit to being a gentleman?

Sam: *Laughs* Sure.

Cambria: Okay, then. Tell us what makes a great Book Girlfriend.

Sam: Be Heven.

Cambria: Be Heven? That’s your answer?

Sam: It’s the truth.

Cambria: *Sighs very loudly* There’s a Bubble Tea place across the street . You can go now. Your work is done.

Sam: *Grins* Want me to get you one?

Cambria: Sure. You choose the flavor.

Sam exits.

Frankly I am relieved he is gone, as cute and charming as he is. LOL. Do you see what I had to deal with while I was writing? Sam is most certainly the most difficult character I have ever written. He is very mysterious. I will let you all in on a little secret. When I first wrote Masquerade there was no Sam POV. I know it’s awful isn’t it?! Can you imagine a book without hearing his thoughts and feelings? But here’s the thing, when I decided to add him into the draft I realized I didn’t know him at all. I wrote an entire book about him and he still managed to keep himself a secret.

So I had to get to know him. And during that process I learned some qualities that make Sam a book boyfriend. Here are top picks of what makes a male character into a book boyfriend:

1.     Inner conflict. No one likes a guy who has it all. No one. Even if it appears a guy has it all there has to be something that they are conflicted over, something they have to overcome.

2.     Protective –ness. We all sign over a guy who will stand in the way of a killer or threat to the one they love. It’s romantic. A guy who will harm themselves so his love isn’t harmed.

3.     Stubborness. A book boyfriend doesn’t give up. Even when the cards are stacked against him.

4.     An empty stomach. Come on you know it’s true. No one wants to read about a guy who eats only salad and takes danty bites. We want a guy who can shove half a sandwich in his mouth and chew like no bodies business. It’s manly.

5.     Romantic. This embodies a lot of qualities and usually the best romantic moments are when the guy isn’t trying to be romantic. They are just trying to show someone how they feel and it makes us all sigh.

6.     HOTTNESS. Yup, he has to be hot. He has to look good. Muscles help. Nice eyes are a plus. I personally like wide shoulders and messy hair. LOL.  Feel free to look up at the Sam picture to refresh your memory of HOTTNESS.

7.     Mysterious. We want a puzzle to figure out. It’s a challenge.

So those are my top characteristics that make characters need to have to embody a good Book Boyfriend. Did I forget one? What is on your list?

Besides Sam let me tell you a few of MY favorite book boyfriends:

Riley from the Intertwined Series

Nick from the Need series

Asher from A Beautiful Dark

Jacob from Twilight

Damon from Vampire Diaries (I base this off TV because I haven’t read the books but he is at the TOP of my list)

Who are yours??

A big thanks to Erin for having me here today!!! Now if you will excuse me Sam just walked in with my Bubble Tea. He got me chocolate. Any guy who brings me chocolate definitely is worthy of a book boyfriend award. J

Thank you, Cambria (and Sam) for joining me today! I hope everyone has enjoyed this stop as much as I have. I also have to say that my Book Boyfriends include Jace Wayland, Dimitri Belikov, Fang, Ren LaRoche, and Damon Salvatore (book and show). ;-) Today you can also stop by Maria at http://anightsdreamofbooks.blogspot.com/.

Happy Sunday!
EM

Writerly Wednesday - Writing.com

Hello, all! Welcome to another week of Writerly Wednesday, a weekly meme I created to talk about everything writerly, whether it's what's happening in my own journey to published stardom, to introduce you to something or someone fascinating, or to share my (limited) wisdom on writing. This week, I want to introduce you to a website I found when I first decided to get serious about being a writer...

Here's what they have to say for themselves: Writing.Com, the premier online community for writers of all interests and skill levels, has been going strong since 2000. We provide an extremely creative environment for authors, offering hundreds of unique writing tools and opportunities for creation and inspiration.

Whether you are a writer looking for the perfect place to store and display your masterpieces or a reader willing to offer feedback for our writers and their work, this is the website for you. No other website services the writing world better than we do!

I first joined Writing.com in January of 2008. I joined because I wanted to feel a part of a writing community, and that's exactly what I found there. I tried my hand at a few contests and even won a couple, one short story Romance Valentine's Day contest and another one, from Bard's Hall, where the theme was St. Patrick's Day. I also participated in a 1000 word daily flash fiction contest for quite a few months. Entering those contests helped me hone my craft in that I had to be more economical with my word choices. The highest word count limit was just 4000 words. That's quite a difference from the 50k+ word novels I'd been writing. :-)

In October of 2008, I stumbled upon The Witch's Circle Halloween contest. One of the prompts was to write a short story that included werewolves, vampires, ghosts, goblins, and a couple other creatures (pretty much, any creature popular at the time). That prompt sparked my first YA paranormal novel, Losing Control, which included werewolves, vampires and a ghost haunting an ancestral home. :-)

If you don't feel like writing and sharing anything, hang out on the site and read a bit. There are interactive stories where you get to pick which way the story goes next. There's poetry, word searches, madlibs and polls to take. There's a lot to do and it's a great way to practice your craft and meet a few fun people along the way!

Happy Writing (or Reading)!
EM

**While you can search for Losing Control and it shows available to order on Amazon and probably other places, this title has been taken out of production for re-editing. I will let everyone know as soon as it is available once again.**

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Hello! And Welcome to another week of Tell Me Something Tuesday, a weekly meme created by Cambria Hebert where she asks bloggers a question and we all get to answer. This week's question:

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

My answer was actually pretty easy this week. I knew I wanted it to be in the cat family. Having thought that, my first thought was TIGER. But tigers are solitary creatures by nature and I wanted something that is strong and whose family is important, so I chose...

A lioness

Lions may be the King of the Jungle, but the lioness is the one who really wears the pants in the family. She's the one who hunts for the food and takes care of her young (oh wait, that sounds like my everyday life already! LOL). She's ferocious and loving. She's majestic.

So now it's your turn. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Happy Tuesday!
EM

Review - INHALE by Kendall Grey

Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…

After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.


A little fangirling first...
There are so many reasons I love this book. I love that all profits from this trilogy goes towards Whale education and survival, something I know Kendall Grey believes in with her entire being. The rest of the things I love will come later in the actual review. ;-)

I've known Kendall for a little more than a year now. We met through a mutual friend a few months after I came out of my writer's closet and declared my intentions to be published and be taken seriously. Kendall was the first person to interview me and whom I talked about my upcoming novel with. We even had a Gavin-off. LOL I'll admit I was a little scared off from Kendall when I checked out her blog and saw all of the April's Fool Jackassery things on there - boy was it graphic for my virgin eyes! But I went back a few days later and am I glad I did. I found out that's only part of who Kendall is. Yes, she's loud and graphic, but she also has a heart of gold and I'm so glad to count her among my friends. :)

Onto the review...

First of all, I have to say... if you love Urban Fantasy and don't mind very "adult" novels, this is the book for you! There is a warning label on this book for a reason. But, all of it works together. The prose is amazing. The way Kendall writes grabs you by the throat and drags you in. I feel she did a great job at explaining the world she created in the Dreaming, Realis and the Elementals. There's even a glossary at the end for those who can't quite keep it straight. :) I fell into this novel from the beginning and got irritated every time I had to leave it.

Zoe Morgan is a great protagonist. Despite her extra Y-chromosone, which accounts for her awkwardness is social situations and dyslexia, she is a strong woman who's had a hard life recently. She knows what she wants and strives to get it. She loves the whales and has a preternatural connection to them, something she does whatever she has to to fight for their safety and protection. She has a great crew and friends in Adriene, Dani and Elizabeth.

Gavin Cassidy is a swoon-worthy hero. Though flawed by his years of debauchery and drinking, he steps up and becomes a man when needed. As the story goes on, we find out he's more than just a broken Sentinel and rock star. And Zoe is the one who can piece him back together.

I love the diversity of characters in this novel. Kendall did a great job on researching the various people (Aussies, Aboriginals, etc) and each character that is introduced stands alone as a strong individual. My faves other than the MCs are Scarlet and Sinnder. Scarlet is such a bitch, she's the perfect villain and Sinnder... well, really what more can I say? He's smoking hot! I can't wait to read the rest of this trilogy to see what happens with these characters next!

Overall, I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could. I've been waiting to read this book since meeting Kendall and it exceeded my expectations in every way! Like I said up top, if you love Urban Fantasy and don't mind graphic language and situations, this is most definitely the book for you!

You can buy INHALE here: Amazon and B&N. Add it to your Goodreads list here. Remember, all profits from this book goes towards a great cause! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have! :)

Happy Reading!
EM