Interview & Giveaway with Dale Mayer, author of Maddy's Floor!

Please help me welcome author Dale Mayer to Reading with Holly! :)

Holly: Hi Dale! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Dale Mayer: Hi everyone! It's great to be here. Maddy's Floor is the long awaited 3^rd book of my Psychic Vision series. It's a wild ride from the beginning to the end and will stretch your concept of medicine and reality from the first page.

Holly: Which came first for you, the characters or the plot?

Dale Mayer: Neither! It's usually a scene that drifts through my mind. Then I slowly understand the characters and what happens to them.

Holly: Where can we purchase Maddy's Floor?

Dale Mayer: This book is currently available on Amazon.com here - http://amzn.com/B007SOKV32. It will be available on the other outlets in September.

Holly: Can we expect more novels from you in 2012?

Dale Mayer: Absolutely! I have just released Touched by Death, a single title romantic suspense/thriller. I have Gem Stone Mystery, being released in September. This is the first book of a YA mystery series, called Gemma Stone Mysteries. After that in September/October is Deadly Designs. This is book 2 of the Design series and follows Dangerous Designs. Book 4 of the Psychic Vision series is set for release in October. I have another YA and an adult trilogy that I'm in the process of rewriting, so when they are due to be released is anyone's guess. :)

Holly: Are you working on anything at the moment?

Dale Mayer: I'm revising Book 4 of the Psychic Vision series, tentatively titled Garden of Sorrow. I'm also editing Gem Stone (mentioned above) and Deadly Designs (both mentioned above). I'm planning on starting book 3 of my Family BloodTies series in a couple of weeks. This book series is my Vampire series, where book 1, Vampire in Denial, has been so popular! J

Holly: Do you think you may ever go into another genre?

Dale Mayer: I currently write in many genres. I always said I'd never write a vampire book and blew that out of the water with my Family Blood Series! So I never say never to any genre.  

Holly: Do you think you will have a follow up book to this novel or is it just a stand-alone novel?

Dale Mayer: This is the 3^rd of many – hopefully! Book 4 is in progress and I'm scheduled to write book 5 in the fall! J

Holly: What is the hardest part of writing in your opinion?

Dale Mayer: The words flow outward easily, but revising them into a great story – now that's my challenge.

Holly: If you could live in one of your books or series’ which would you choose and why?

Dale Mayer: Oh that would be tough. I have 3 series on the go, each with such different settings, it would be hard to choose. Maybe the Psychic Vision series. I'd love to have some awesome psychic abilities of my own!

Holly: If you are self-published, why did you decide to take this route of publishing? I've always been a person who was willing to try new things.

Dale Mayer: Self publishing offered me a chance to reach my readers directly. And I love it!

Holly: What is your favorite part of writing?

Dale Mayer: The creative act of getting the first words down.

Holly: What is your take on editing your work (pre-edits I suppose before it gets passed to an editor)—do you hate it? Is it a strong point for you?

Dale Mayer: I don't hate it because it an inspiring process to improve my work, but it doesn't come naturally to me!

Random Quickies!

Holly: Vampires or Werewolves?

Dale Mayer: Vampires!

Holly: Witches or Zombies?

Dale Mayer: Witches!

Holly: Supernatural or Psych? (TV Shows)

Dale Mayer: Supernatural all the way!

Holly: Favorite genre to read?

Dale Mayer: Romantic Suspense

Holly: Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate?

Dale Mayer: I have to make a choice? All chocolate!

Jansen Svaar's room came next. With the renovations, Jansen's bed had been shifted. He was not quite in the new area, but not as cozy as he'd been before.

Jansen hadn't minded. The big Swede had enjoyed every one of his seventy-eight years and wasn't ready to jump off yet. Big and robust in his prime, his physical body had withered to one battling diabetes that defied control, and cancer that defied remission. Yet, he was still here and looking so much better than when he arrived. Even his thick head of hair had returned with rich brown color. His last tests had come back with very positive indicators. So much so, Jansen wanted to stop his treatments. According to him, he was all better. If it were possible to heal by his word alone, then he'd see it done.

Maddy grinned as she recalled the many conversations they'd shared in the past.

At the entrance to his doorway, she stopped to survey his bed.

Something was wrong.

Purple energy hovered over Jansen; a thick blanket of colored haze covered his midsection. Frowning, Maddy studied the odd essence. Energy had a signature – like DNA, the energy was unique to each person. It just wasn't as easy to identify.

She'd worked with him long enough to know it wasn't his aura.

The smoky blanket moved.

Who or what did the energy represent? Her gaze swept the rest of the room before striding forward. The activity over Jansen did not shy away; it increased. She narrowed her gaze. The eerie silence of the room magnified the unearthly scene before her.

It wasn't what she'd experienced the night before, racing through the hallway into chaos. She expected noises of some kind. Not this hushed silence, as if sound would shatter the intensity of whatever was going on. She frowned. A struggle of some kind was going on.

She shook her head, panic stirring inside. Could energy fight with itself? With someone else's energy? Is that what happened to Eric? She studied the energy again. This time she saw it. The blanket of malevolence was moving over the bed and occupant, spreading and growing every minute.

 Underneath, Jansen was suffocating.

His energy, tiny and thin, struggled to remain separate and distinct from the purple amoeba-like entity sucking the life force from him.

Fear shot through her. This couldn't happen again. Maddy raced to the bedside. "Stop," she cried out hoarsely, not wanting to disturb the other patients. "Leave him alone."

The purple energy quivered in place but did not dissipate.

Maddy wafted her hands over Jansen's body. Her fingers slipped into and through the mist, neither feeling it nor dispersing it. She fed her own energy into Jansen's heart chakra, giving him her strength and will to hold on. At the same time, she closed her eyes and surrounded herself and, by the extension of her hand on his, Jansen's body with white light. The old answer to keeping oneself safe and balanced.

The energy shifted, cooled.

She opened her eyes to find the energy still wiggling in place, the purple haze malicious in appearance. Then slowly, like fog blowing in the wind, the haze thinned before sending tendrils into the darkness.

Maddy reached out and checked Jansen's pulse. Her medical training took over on the physical level as her medical intuitive training took over on the energy field. She observed the thread-like cord of light stretching far out of Jansen's body, gently pulsating in a reassuring rhythm. Maddy coaxed his system to relax a little more, then to wake up gently.

"Dr. Maddy?" His paper-thin lids opened to reveal rheumy blue eyes blinking in surprise.

"Yes, it's me, Jansen." Maddy studied his face. "How do you feel?" He appeared fine, normal but surprised.

"Christ, I don't know. I had the most horrible dream." He coughed slightly and shifted position in the bed, tugging at his covers as if chilled.

"Oh?" Maddy kept her voice calm and soothing. "What was it about?"

"Like someone was pulling my soul from my body, one inch at a time." Fear filled the old man's eyes. His thin hands grasped hers nervously. "I don't know what the hell it was, but I felt on a precipice between life and death. It was like meeting Peter at the pearly gates himself, and him not being too happy to see me."

"Shhh." Maddy stroked his hands, noting with clinical detachment that his liver spots had begun to fade. "It was just a dream. Not to worry. It's over. I'm here, and you're safe. Go back to sleep."

Relief washed over his face. "Thanks, Doc. Don't know what I'd do without you."

Shifting sideways, Jansen closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

Maddy walked to the doorway, turned around and glanced back.

No sign of the purple grim reaper. Jansen was safe.

For now.

She shuddered. What the hell was happening at The Haven?

Title: Maddy's Floor (Psychic Visions, Book 3)

Author: Dale Mayer

Publisher: Valley Publishing

Length: 90,000 words

Genre: Romance

Sub-Genre Romantic Suspense

Sub-Categories: (Action, Mystery/Thriller)

Heat Level: Steamy (Hot sex scenes/language, but not explicit)

Available at:

Amazon

Blurb:

Medical intuitive and licensed MD Madeleine Wagner thought she'd seen every way possible to heal a diseased body...then patients start dying from mysterious causes in her long-term facility.

The terminally ill fight to get into her ward. Once there, many miraculously...live. So when her patients start dropping and she senses an evil force causing their deaths, she calls on her friend and mentor, Stefan, for help. Together, they delve beyond the physical plane into the metaphysical... Only to find terror.

She wants to save everyone, but are some souls not meant to be saved?

Detective Drew McNeil has two family members in need of Maddy's healing care, but his visits to her facility leave him wondering - who cares for Maddy? Bizarre events on her floor raise his professional curiosity. And the more time he spends with Maddy, the more personal everything becomes. When the deaths on Maddy's Floor intersect with one of his cold cases, he realizes an old killer has returned - and Maddy's standing in his path.

How can these people stop something that no one else can see, feel or even believe?

Posted reviews from satisfied readers! (4.9 star rating on Amazon across 17 reviews!)

Dale Mayer created a book that combined romance, suspense and paranormal elements so well that it should appeal to readers of all of these genres. (Debra)

Dale Mayer did an outstanding job with this book. I have really enjoyed the whole series and highly recommend it to everyone. The characters were well developed and the story was fantastic. I plan to read other books she's written and can't wait for the next book in this series. (Bizzybee)

I have only become interested in paranormal and psychic fiction in the last couple of year and this author ranks at the top of the list when it comes to combining this genre with mystery and romance. All three books in this series were so riveting I could hardly put the kindle down until I'd read all the way through (which meant some very late nights but it was worth it). (Raven)

I couldn`t put my kindle down! This series was number 1 in psychic thrillers. i couldn`t read it fast enough but didn`t want it to end! Can`t wait for the next book. (Lala6)

Maddy's Floor is the third book in a psychic phenomenon trilogy and although I enjoyed the first two, I thought this last book was the best of the three. Dale's characters are well defined and the story has just the right amount of suspense, romance and action. I liked that Maddy was comfortable with her talent as a medical intuitive and that the character who wound his way through the three books played a larger role in this one. (Janet Fedor)

Dale Mayer is a prolific multi-published writer. She's best known for Tuesday's Child, Hide'n Go Seek, her romantic suspense novels that was one of the final four in the Kensington Brava/Romantic Times contest this last year. Besides her romantic suspense/thrillers, Dale also writes paranormal romance and crossover young adult books in several different genres.  To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series . All her books are available in print format as well.

To find out more about Dale and her books, visit her at http://www.dalemayer.com. Or connect with her online with Twitter at www.twitter.com/dalemayer and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dalemayer.author.

BOOKS BY DALE MAYER:

Psychic Vision Series

Tuesday's Child

Hide'n Go Seek

Maddy's Floor

Single Title Romantic Suspense/Thrillers

Touched by Death – out now!

Novellas

It's a Dog's Life- romantic comedy

Young Adult Books

Dangerous Designs – Book I

Deadly Designs – Book 2 – out soon!

Vampire in Denial – Book I of Blood Ties

Vampire in Distress – Book 2 out soon!

Gem Stone Mystery Series- out soon!

In Cassie's Corner- soon

Non-Fiction Books

Career Essentials: The Resume

Career Essentials: The Cover Letter

Career Essentials: The Interview

Career Essentials: 3 in 1

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Interview & Giveaway with Cynthia Ellingsen, author of The Whole Package!

Please help me welcome author Cynthia Ellingsen to Reading with Holly!

Holly: Hi Cynthia! Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi, Reading With Holly. Thank you so much for hosting me! A little about myself... alright, I’m a contemporary women’s fiction author with Penguin-Berkley. My debut novel, “The Whole Package”, came out this year. My second novel, “Marriage Matters”, is slated for April, 2013.

Holly: Can you tell us a few do’s and don’ts for aspiring authors?

Cynthia Ellingsen: Do:

-   Write! Set aside writing time every week - or heck, every day. Even if it’s just half an hour, it’s so important to get used to putting words on a page.

-   Set goals for yourself. If you want to write a book, commit to a time frame to complete a rough draft. Figure out how many pages you’ll have to finish per day and set a due date. Put this in writing and hang it up somewhere you can see it every day. Then, go for it! 

-   Use caution when signing up for critique groups. I’m a huge fan of Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. In it, she discusses the importance of protecting your work in its early stages and too often, critique groups are eager to... critique. In my opinion, you should only share your work with people who you trust and that have your best interests at heart.

Don’t:

-   Send out something before it’s ready. I know too many people who finish a book and are like, Okay! Let’s get this bad-boy published. What agent can I send it to? Typically, a book needs to be written at least three times before it’s ready to be seen. Wait until your work is ready because as always, you only get one chance to make that first impression. 

-   Stop reading. As a writer, you must read. It’s so important. Especially in your genre, and especially the titles that are selling well. Not only will reading make you a better writer, it will help you to be in tune with what readers are buying and why. 

-   Quit. Regardless of your goal, anything worth doing takes time and determination. Odds are good that it will take awhile to meet your goals. Hang in there and most of all, keep writing. After all, that’s what it’s all about.

Holly: Can you tell us a little bit about your book [title here]?

Cynthia Ellingsen: “The Whole Package” is about three women who have been best friends since they were in Junior High. They’re about to turn forty and one loses a job, one loses a fortune and one loses a husband. They decide it would be a great “revenge on the world” tactic to open The Whole Package, a restaurant staffed by scantily clad men.

Holly: Which came first for you, the characters or the plot?

Cynthia Ellingsen: I thought of the What first - that three women open a restaurant staffed by scantily clad men. Then came the Who, Why, Where and How. That’s typically the format I use when creating story ideas. I was always that kid who, when playing in the playground, wouldn’t feel comfortable playing a game until I knew What we were doing. I think it’s the Aries in me.

Holly: Why this genre(s)?

Cynthia Ellingsen: Writing contemporary women’s fiction is fun for me because it’s what I read. Typically, when I read a good contemporary women’s fiction book, I’m sad to see it end because the characters have become my “friends”. I want my readers to feel that way when reading my work.

Holly: Do you have anything you would like to say to your readers?

Cynthia Ellingsen: Thank you so much for the support! Come chat with me at Facebook and Twitter. I’m online at least once a day and love connecting with readers and writers.

Holly: Where can we purchase The Whole Package?

Cynthia Ellingsen: The Whole Package is available at Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle format. http://www.amazon.com/The-Whole-Package-ebook/dp/B004XFYRM0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344147857&sr=8-2&keywords=The+Whole+Package It’s also available at Barnes and Noble and bookstores across the country.

French is a sexy language. Except, of course, if you are standing in line at a French café and the French you hear is a nasal, drawn out, “Fat American.“ Unnecessary, especially if you are simply trying to buy a chocolate croissant to dip into the first cappuccino of the day.

Jackie - and yes, it was Jackie and not Jacqueline even though she was closing in on forty instead of the throat of the snickering girl behind her – whirled around.

“Did you just call me fat?”

A French girl stared back at her. The girl had the audacity to cock her head. A yes.

Jackie was stunned. Okay, fine – and a little hurt. Such a judgment was the last thing she expected in this cheerful neighborhood cafe with its brightly painted walls, kitschy produce art and erratically placed wildflowers. Even the French sayings on the wall, written in such careful, scrolling script were meant to inspire good cheer, not snappy little insults.

 “Well, I am not fat!” Jackie said. And this was not in French, because after two years in the country she spoke French perfectly and proving it was no longer important. “I am sexy.”

A mustached host had been writing out specials on a blackboard with squeaking chalk. At this, he paused and took a look. Jackie ran her palms over her curvy hips and considered giving a slight shimmy. The man gave a nod in agreement and went back to the specials.

The French girl sniffed. She was dressed all in black, a total cliché. She was holding a sniveling, trendy dog. Its shaky face was framed by a bejeweled collar and its droopy eyes stared, along with everyone else in the cinnamon scented café.

“Perhaps you should order something to eat,” Jackie said, pointedly eyeing the girl’s bony frame . “You’re probably just suffering from low blood sugar.”

“Casse-toi.”

Jackie’s jaw dropped. Drawing herself up to her full height of 5’3” (5’6” with her three inch pumps), Jackie said, “If you want to live off of cigarettes and red wine and ignore the delicacies your country has to offer, you go right ahead. But I would rather get chased out of Le Bon Marche by a firing squad than strut around in a body that looks like it was stolen from an eight-year-old boy.”

The French girl gasped.

“I am going to embrace my sensuality,” Jackie said. “I am going to improve upon it. And,” she stood a bit taller, “it is gonna happen with a chocolate croissant.”

Reviews:

"The friendship between the women is realistic, the characters funny, and the premise well-executed. Readers will giggle and grin from start to finish, and will surely be eager for Ellingsen's next novel."--PublishersWeekly.com

“The Whole Package is a delightfully frivolous romp. An excellent beach read, this light but enjoyable fare will have you chuckling (and likely blushing!) throughout...”--RT Reviews

Title: The Whole Package
Author: Cynthia Ellingsen
Publisher: Penguin/BerkleyLength: 409 pages
Genres: Contemporary Women's Fiction (Comedy)

Available at:

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | B&N (Nook) | B&N (Paperback) | Penguin (eBook) | Penguin (Paperback)

Blurb:

Life has thrown childhood friends Jackie, Cheryl, and Doris a few curveballs. Widowed and broke, Jackie returns home after an extravagant life in Paris, Doris is reliant on anti-depressants, and Cheryl’s plans for a corporate take-over are replaced with walking papers. But after a drunken night sampling the delights at strip club for women, the ladies stumble upon a genius idea and decide to open up The Whole Package—the world’s first restaurant staffed exclusively by very attractive men. Armed with Jackie’s connections, Doris’ ambition, and Cheryl’s business sense the ladies set out to make their mark in the world.

Cynthia Ellingsen is a fiction writer and screenwriter. She lives in Lexington, KY with her husband.

Website: www.cynthiaellingsen.com

Email: cynthiaellingsen@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cynthiaellingsen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CynEllingsen

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Gigolo Seduction by Fierce Dolan!

Excerpt:

“Are your works always so intricate?”

She shakes her head, again scanning the tower, though my eyes stay on her. “Frescoes are always detailed and hard work, but this is way above and beyond. Layering in kinetic elements to give moving light and dimensional depth is my dream project come true. Most of my projects are just frescoes.”

“Just frescoes.” I laugh. “They’re noble and valiant relics in the art world.”

“They’re actually in high demand.” Her tone is matter-of-fact. “Though few people can afford them.”

“Well, you’ve outdone yourself here,” I affirm. Her smile is sincere, her pride evident, elegant, enchanting.

“It’s taken quite a long time to come together, and I’ve left the plasterer more than a little frustrated on several occasions.”

“I can’t imagine him staying angry for long….”

“They’ve given me deep creative license over the project, so that’s saved my ass a couple of times. It’s kind of mind-blowing to work on something so limitlessly funded.”

Our eyes lock for mere seconds and the silence is disturbing. “I was just going for a bite to eat. Would you care to join me?”

Cass nods. “I’d like to, but I need to finish this section. This medium doesn’t wait well.”

She’s genuinely interested and I want her to be. I want her to be as affected as I am. Before I can prod further she asks, “Maybe another time?”

Reluctantly, I follow her to the elevator. She opens it with a pass card attached to a cord coiled on the drawstring of her pants. My eyes linger on the brilliant green gem in her navel.

“What’s your name?”

“Asif,” I reply without hesitating. The sound is bare, like a secret revealed, though I don’t understand why. I always use my real name.

“Another time, Asif.”

The doors slide closed, and I agree.

Gigolo Seduction

Fierce Dolan

Long in passion’s service, confident Asif enjoys his life as a thirty-something escort, bringing romance into the lives of metropolitan socialite cougars. Gifted at seducing wealthy white MILFs and bringing them endless pleasure, the arrogant Persian eschews investing in a personal life. A chance meeting with young artist, Cass, while on the job at a gala event, changes his perspective on women forever, and unleashes desires As if never knew he had.

Buy Links: Decadent Publishing / Amazon

Mezzofiction author, Fierce is imagination shapeshifted as a scribe taunting blank pages and carpal tunnel, neither of which are much use for deadlines. Close allies are impeccable timing and a trusty masseuse. Being a switch I/ENFP doesn't hurt. For kicks Fierce has other personas across several genres, tends to fill in “Other” on surveys without explaining, and chooses the finality of the Japanese Tamagotchi.

In summary: Fierce writes all kind of dirty things that you probably shouldn’t ever read…

Website / Blog

Waiting On Wednesday #4

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

I am eagerly awaiting:

Defiance (Defiance #1) by C.J. Redwine

 

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

 

What about you? What are you waiting on this week?