Me? Obsessed With A Book Series? Naaahhh! LOL

Happy Thursday All,

Well, I'm settling back into my usual daily routines since being away all weekend for my grandfather's memorial. Of course, no routine would be complete without some sort of twist, right? Mine happens to be allergies! At least they seem to be getting better, for which I do thank God.

My current WIP, (no, I can't talk about it, sorry. It's easier for me to write when not too many people know very much about what I'm writing. I don't know why), is coming along. A little slowly, but I'm starting to get a tiny piece of the passion I've been missing back. I really like this story, and the way it's being told. I have a few details to tweak and stuff, but I'll do that when I start editing. Right now, I'm focused on getting the story out of my head and onto written format.

Anyway...today I wanted to talk about obsessions...particularly book obsessions, which, for me, there are many, but I'm going to talk about my newest one.

What I've noticed about myself is that when I get excited about a series (especially one I've never read, whether a new series or not-so-new series) I tend to read all I can about it, and get my hands on as many books as possible. Currently this obsession is the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

In my last post, I talked about Obsidian, which is one of the first books in the series (the novella, Shadows, is a prequel to the series). I'm not usually into reading books with aliens in them. In fact, I mostly only see those in Sci-Fi series, or things like Star Wars (which is more fantasy than Sci-Fi--yes, I've heard the debate over whether Star Wars is Sci-Fi or if it's Fantasy, and after contemplating both sides, I'm leaning toward Fantasy for Star Wars...but it does have aliens in it, so that's why I mentioned it). Or Star Trek, or X-Files.

However, I really like the way Ms. Armentrout handles aliens and all that. It's not the whole "Aliens-coming-to-Earth-to-take-over-the-world" so much as Aliens who want to fit in, have a life, and be a part of the community--and oh yeah, kick the butts of the bad aliens who want to steal their powers and kill humans. I can handle that. It's got aspects of paranormal, fantasy, and yes, there's romance in her work, too. All of which I really enjoy.

So, I guess you could say it's not too surprising I'm all into the Lux series after all.

By the way...here's a piece of trivia...did you know the word "lux" means "light" in Latin? Yeah, I learned that from reading Obsidian I also double checked it on Google Translate.

What are some of your book obsessions? Why are you gung-ho crazy over them?

P.S. Speaking of obsessions (okay this isn't books, but TV show)ABC's Once Upon A Time Season 2 starts this Sunday (September 30, 2012)!

Have A Thrilling Thursday!

Spotlight On Author: Ciara Gold

Happy Friday All,

I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I've been editing and writing and reading and family life...so it's been busy on my end.

However, I am happy to introduce to you a friend of mine, and commenter on this blog, Ciara Gold.

Ciara writes everything from Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance to Fantasy to Historical. She's got quite the imagination (loved the idea of dragons--don't know it is, but sometimes dragons fascinate me).

I've read one of her Sci-Fi Fantasy Romances called Celestial Dragon (which has dragons in it for all you dragon lovers).

Anyway, without further ado I give you...Ciara Gold!

Me: In Celestial Dragon you mixed Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Romance together, what made you decide to do that?

Ciara: Good question. Is "dunno" a valid answer? Seriously, I was pressed for time and after cutting my writing teeth on a historical western, I wanted to write something where I wasn't constrained by facts. While I did do some research, I wasn't bogged down in extensive research. With "Celestial Dragon", I could use my imagination to build the worlds, the societies, etc.



Me:  Most of your books are ebooks, what novels aside from Celestial Dragon will be available in regular print?

Ciara: The sequel to "Celestial Dragon", "A Noble Sacrifice" and a historical western, "Once Jilted" are available in regular print. The rest of my books are available in print as PODs.


Me:  For Fun: Since I know you're into art, who's a favorite artist of yours and why?

Ciara: I adore Salvador Dali's work. Surrealism speaks to my warped imagination and often inspires some of my scenery.


Me:  I read about how you ended up with Champagne Books. Could you tell us more about them?

Ciara: I signed on when they were brand new on a recommendation from a fellow writer. I must be happy as all my books are published through them. The owner, J. Ellen Smith, is professional in her dealings with all her authors, but she's also approachable. My edits are done in a timely manner and the cover art is some of the best I've seen. They're based out of Canada.


Me: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Ciara: Publishing is not for the faint of heart. It takes discipline, determination, dedication and vision. While waiting for acceptance of your submission, continue to hone your craft and familiarize yourself with the industry. Joining writer's organizations is highly suggested. The friendships and support from groups like RWA and Epic are worth their weight in gold.


Me: What part of the writing process do you most like?

Ciara: I love listening to my characters carry on conversations in my head. I also love layering stories, weaving in those subtle story lines that help pull it all together in the end. To me it's like a giant puzzle.


Me: For Fun: What's your favorite color?

Ciara:  Red-violet.

Me: What do you most enjoy writing? Your Historicals or the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Romance?

Ciara: That's a hard one to answer. I love writing best whatever I'm working on at the time. Right now, I just finished edits on a Victorian fantasy and I'm in love with the hero. But while working on "The Keeper of Moon Haven", I kept getting visions of a western, so .... might be working on another historical soon.

Me: When's your next release?

Ciara: "The Keeper of Moon Haven" releases this December and I'm very excited about this one. I'm already working on a sequel for it. And the cover by far is one of my favorites to date.


Me: Anything else you'd like to add?

Ciara:  Just a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to visit today. Thanks so much for wonderful questions and the opportunity to chat about my work. For any that are interested, I post all first chapters on my website so folks can "test drive" the book first. Come visit me at www.ciaragold.com

Thanks, Ciara! It was fun getting to know you better and I wish you the best with the release of The Keeper Of Moon Haven

Pretty isn't it? If you click on the picture it'll take you to a blurb about the book so you can learn more about Ciara's December release :-)

Have A Fairy-Tale Fantasy Friday!