Skip to main content

Blog Swapping & Spotlighting Author Katie Hamstead!

Happy Tuesday Everybody,

Today I'm delighted to blog swap with author Katie Hamstead! I'm on her blog giving a behind-the-scenes look at writing a novel with Greek Mythology and she's appearing on here to talk about her novel (released by Soul Mate Publishing) Branded, a Teen/Romantic Suspense novel that looks intriguing.

So without further ado, take it away, Katie!


Branded: Set in Australia 
by Katie Hamstead

Branded is set in the Sydney area, mostly the western suburbs and Blue Mountains. I set most of my contemporary books around there simply for the fact that it is where I grew up.

I heard somewhere once that you should write what you know. So when it comes to things that involve high school, university etc I set my stories in the schooling system I am familiar with. My time as a foreign exchange student and the few years I have lived in the USA have taught me the basics of the American school system, but I don’t know it the way I do the Aussie one.
For Branded, the concept also originated when I lived in Australia still. I came up with the concept in 11th grade English, and wove ideas together while staring out at the bush on hiking and road trips. The bush is a place that has this ancient spirit to it, it’s hard to explain, but I am completely in love with it. So Branded has some beautiful settings that I wanted to showcase.

Knowing the bush like that, I know how easy it is to disappear. So with a map for my characters to go by, it was the perfect place to provide refuge to the people who escaped the carnage of the “invasion”.

Plus, not many books are set in Australia, so why not? J

Branded released on the 5th of February. 

(Note from Bethany:  That's February 5 of THIS year, folks! This means the novel is available for your reading pleasure). :-) 


Blurb for Branded

Terrorists have invaded Sydney, and Allison King barely escapes her brother’s wedding reception alive. She and her siblings flee, but their parents are killed by firing squad. 

Now Ali’s on the run and terrified. While searching for other survivors, she is captured by the General who leads the invasion. He’s smitten by Ali, and when she refuses to submit to his whims, he brands her for death. In a wild act of defiance, she snatches the branding rod and sears the mark onto his face. Marking not only him but also sealing her fate. Ali manages to escape and flees into the bush once more where she finds a group in hiding. Even with the scars left by the General, Ali learns to love and falls in love with the young man who found her—Damien Rogers. 

But the General is hunting her. When he discovers their location, and finds her with another man—Damien—his wrath is kindled and his obsession is inflamed. Ali must put herself on the line or the General could kill her family, those who help her, and most significantly, the man she loves.


You can purchase Branded on Amazon, by clicking here. 

Add it to your TBR (To Be Read) Pile on Goodreads by clicking on here.


Author Katie Hamstead's bio:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.

After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.

She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.

Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. 

She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

You can find Katie at...


Katie, thank you for coming by and telling us about Branded! It sounds like a fun read. Best wishes to you. :-)

**PLEASE NOTE:

All comments go through me before being posted. In the past commenters have had problems posting comments on my blog. This has helped that problem and eliminated SPAM posts. If you don't see your comment to this post up on here by the end of the week, contact me via email. Thank you for your patience and understanding. **

Hope Everyone Has A Tremendously Terrific Tuesday!

Comments

Okay, second try since Google gave me an error. I love this book cover and the play on the word Lion. This is going on my TBR list.
Bethany said…
Catherine,

Yuck! Sorry to hear Google gave you an error, but it went through this time!

Katie's book looks so interesting, I hope you enjoy it.

If you're adding mine, thank you. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Thank you for dropping by and commenting. :-)
Great backstory and blurb! Putting Branded on my TBR list.
Sounds like an exciting read Katie. I love stories set in the Australian Outback,or the bush or even in quaint Australian country towns - so romantic.
Bethany said…
Joanne,

Thank you for dropping by! Yeah, I'm planning on putting BRANDED on my TBR list, too!

Thank you for your comment. :-)
Bethany said…
Elizabeth

Thank you for dropping by and supporting Katie.

I think her story sounds so intriguing, too. :-)

Thank you for your comment. :-)
Unknown said…
Sounds like a great read.
Bethany said…
Karen,

I thought so! Thank you for dropping by and commenting. :-)

Popular posts from this blog

Get Thee A Nom De Plume!

Good Evening One & All, Shakespeare wrote in Romeo & Juliet, "What's in a name?...A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Disney talked about names in Aladdin in the lyrics, "Better get a nom de plume ." (the song, "One Jump"). So, for a writer, what does a nom de plume (or, pen name) say about the author? It could be a different spelling of the author's name, it could be a name that has a significance. They could keep their first name, but change the last, or change both. A pen name is also the name a writer will write under for his or her books. The name that his or her readers will recognize them. The name on the autographs and the one where people will say, "Oh yes, that's so and so, they wrote..." Some authors write under their own names. Others, for a variety of reasons, choose a pen name. What about you? Are you considering a pen name? What have you looked at when thinking of your nom de plume ? For myself, I...

Gregori Celebrates My Birthday

Happy Tuesday All, ****CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED**** In honor of my birthday (that was on Oct. 15th) I am doing TWO give aways! The FIRST one is TODAY!  Today's give away is a copy of Kerrelyn Sparks' Sexiest Vampire Alive . Kerrelyn, being the awesome person that she is, has agreed to give a signed copy of the novel to ONE lucky commenter on my blog. Here's how it's going to work and please read all instructions CAREFULLY. ONE entry PER person : If you choose to email in your entry: Email to this email ONLY .  Your email should state who your favorite vampire is. And no, it does NOT have to be one of Kerrelyn Sparks' characters, but that would be really cool if you DID mention one of hers. If you choose to enter by commenting on my blog: Leave your FIRST name, email address, and what vampire is your favorite. It can be ANY vampire--but like I said, it would be really cool if you mention a Kerrelyn Sparks' vampire. You don't know Kerrelyn Spa...

Fangs and Mistletoe

Happy Wednesday All, Congratulations to Sarah K. who won the Tess St. John giveaway. Please confirm receipt of the email I sent you to claim your prize! ****KERRELYN SPARKS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED . Thank you to all who particpated. A special thank you to Kerrelyn Sparks for providing the prize.**** Merrily the December Days Blog Giveaway keeps going! ***THIS GIVEAWAY IS OFFICIALLY CLOSED. It was closed on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:30 p.m. Central Time per the giveaway details. I am no longer accepting entries to this giveaway*** If you haven't had the fun of reading a Kerrelyn Sparks paranormal romance, then you're in for a treat. Kerrelyn is offering to one lucky winner a signed copy of her fun and fangtastic novel, All I Want For Christmas Is A Vampire: Toni's friend is in the hospital going on about vampires. Toni will prove her right. But can she resist Ian's charm, in spite of his fangs? As always, the book is full of Kerrelyn's wit, ro...