Friday, October 29, 2010

An interview with Anne Holly, a contemporary romance novelist.


INFO:

Current Location: Ontario, Canada

Upcoming release:
Strings Attached,
Wild Horse Press,
May 31, 2010

Good for the Goose (Xmas erotica short), Wicked Nights,
November 19, 2010

Already released: Waking Kara (paranormal erotica short), Wild Horse Liquid Heat, Oct 2010



Main Websitehttp://www.anneholly.webs.com/

Erotica Websitehttp://annehollyerotica.weebly.com/index.html

Bloghttp://anneholly.blogspot.com/

Publisherhttp://www.the-wild-horse-press.com/

Book Teaser Trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCZSTLoSvxY

Twitterhttp://twitter.com/anneholly2010

Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Anne-Holly/140519945969686

Waking Kara on Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Waking-Kara-ebook/dp/B0046ZRL2K

(Excerpts, photos and more bio info, etc, can be found on Facebook, blog and website.)


How do you describe your work?

Well, I am primarily a romance writer – contemporary romances, with some sensuality. Recently, I have done some contemporary and paranormal erotic, which was a stretch for me, but they turned out ok. So, I describe myself as a romance writer, who occasionally does erotica!

My writing itself… Either erotica or romance, I’d say it’s all about the characters, as I am fascinated with character motivation and internal struggle. So, my work is not plot driven so much – no averting alien invasions and things. Just thinking and writing about what makes people do what they do, and that’s sometimes a sad thing, and also often a funny thing. And I love it!

Tell us about Strings Attached, your first full length release.

My first full length release comes out in 2011 from Wild Horse Press, and is tentatively scheduled for May 31, 2011. The novel is a contemporary romance set in Manitoba, Canada, and in Australia. It revolves around the themes of loss and healing, and the risk in having a marriage end badly and deciding to try again. And, of course, about irresistible attraction, and the power of love to force us out of our protective shells. In it, Josie, an optimist, must bring the damaged Theo back to life, and the results are often funny and often poignant.

What did you learn from writing Strings Attached?

I made a very serious study of romances before and during the writing of Strings – the flow and expectations of the genre. This piece was a freshman piece, so I was careful to learn from the great romances, which I had always read and enjoyed. With Strings, I learned how to love the characters and respect their lives, and then how to produce a story that people would appreciate.

What is a difficult thing about writing for you?

Actually, oddly enough, the writing is the easy part! The other stuff – researching publishers and, most of all, doing promotion – that is the difficult stuff. But, I am learning, one step at a time. Making the most of the web, and learning to do book trailers, and doing interviews, and blogging… All of it takes a lot of time and effort, which is difficult when you have a small child and “real life” work to do, as well.

What new projects are you working on these days?

Right now, I am gearing up for NaNoWriMo, which will be a complete new full length romance written entirely in the month of November. I took a week or two off in late October to work on some other (non-fiction) stuff, and to rest up for NaNo, but that is my new focus now. I finished three short pieces in Sept-Oct, so a rest was important there to refresh my writing batteries. In December, I will be working ahead for Valentine’s Day.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Philip Roth once said something to the effect that hobbyists wait for inspiration, while professionals just get up every day and go to work. I think this is wonderful advice! Hoping for inspiration to strike, or that calm and quiet time, just results in a lot of waiting. If you want to write – Write! Once I start writing, even if I don’t feel like it, it usually starts to flow after a few difficult paragraphs.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Anne Holly, Author: Interview with Nathalie LeBlanc

Anne Holly, Author: Interview with Nathalie LeBlanc: "'Smaller creatures have moved mountains. Size is no limitation! One's own will decides what one is capable of doing!' Nathalie wanted ..."

Friday, September 17, 2010

Anne Holly, Author: Shrinking Forward: The Magic Coat Series by Nathal...

Anne Holly, Author: Shrinking Forward: The Magic Coat Series by Nathal...: "Step into the spectacular world of Fairmont Island and experience a story of friendship and adventure. Shrinking Forward is a fantasy novel..."

Sunday, September 12, 2010

BRILLANT NEW FANTASY NOVEL OFFERS FREE POSTER

Shrinking Forward: The Magic Coat Series by Nathalie M. Leblanc

Step into the spectacular world of Fairmont Island and experience a story of friendship and adventure. Shrinking Forward is a fantasy novel featuring two young girls who, in the exploration of a “haunted house”, are drawn into another world to embark on an adventure to save the Mystical Flyers from the captivity and enslavement to the evil wizard, Edgar.

Edgar has destroyed Fairmont Island, which was once ruled by the faerie Queen Marina. The elderly Edgar is obsessed with finding The Book of Faeyess, which explains how the Magical Flyers can live so long and he must find it soon because of his advancing age.

Against the highest odds fighting an evil wizard and snorgals creatures. In a magical place, where a single deed turns Samantha into a hero, and finds her true self, finding out amazing information that changes her life forever. With her heart set on finding her true self, she is about to discover something more amazing than she could have ever read or dreamed up.

Free Poster Offer: In Chapter Eight, when the girls encounter Edgar, what was he carrying? The first 50 readers to send this correct answer this question will receive a poster of the cover, autographed by the author, Nathalie M. Leblanc. Send answer to contest@SassySunflowerBooks.com. Be sure in include name, address, phone number and where you purchased your copy of Shrinking Forward. Only one poster will be given per house hold.

Title: Shrinking Forward

Author: Nathalie M. Leblanc

Publisher: Sassy Sunflower Books

ISBN: 978-0-9811504-5-1

Page Count: 240

Juvenile Fiction: $12.95 CDN -- $12.35 US

Buy at: amazon.com, amazon.ca or barnesandnoble.com


Monday, August 30, 2010

Read with me!

Shrinking Forward
        
          Prologue
FAIRMONT ISLAND

High at the top of a blackened hill, a tall dark wizard stood with his arms raised upward. The wind swirled, pulling at his cloak and whipping his long grey hair about. Amid the sounds of vicious screeching and terrified cries, his lips moved at a rapid speed, mouthing incantation after incantation. Only those who his words could reach and control could hear his evil spells. It was war, as no one had ever seen before. The wizard called forth hundreds of dragons to darken the sky with their fiery breath and brimstone to aid him in his dark war. Down and down they swooped, scorching the land and its creatures. Armed with swords and small circular shields the Mystical Flyers fought bravely, keeping the evil wizard and his minions at bay for as long as they could.

Alas, it was not enough.

The land was littered with smouldering ruins as far as the eye could see. The bodies of the dead lay on the ground and the cries of the wounded filled the air as the wizard commanded his minions to sort them into cages.

“No!” screamed Queen Marina, as she cautiously flew, weaving her way through tangles of skirmish. “This cannot be happening!”

Dragons descended, one after the other in a seemingly endless line from the sky to pursue her, until they created a tight V-shaped formation around her. Though her exhausted wings were caked with mud, Marina pushed herself as fast as she could.

The huge creatures flanked her on every side, closing in and finally forced her to fly into a small cage. Shrieking, the dragon to her left whipped its tail around, and knocked Marina between the wings, causing her to fall to the ground.

Stumbling as she landed, Marina heard the heavy door slam shut. Quickly, she got to her feet and raced to the side of the cage. She wrapped her hands around the sleek bars composed of solid silver. Strange symbols were inscribed on them, stretching from the top of the cage to the bottom. A quick check and a pull on the tips of her wings satisfied Marina that she was intact.

Frantically, she looked about, growing more afraid by the minute. Placed in rows, alongside her cage, were dozens of larger cages containing thousands of other Mystical Flyers. She looked up, beyond the cages and saw nothing but a scorched, war-stricken land. The countryside, once beautiful and filled with vibrant people, was now scarred from the mighty battle and forever painted with the taint of war. The cries of her people and the smell of her burning home were permanently imprinted into Marina’s memory.

Though the tears that started to blur her vision threatened to flow, she fought them back, telling herself that she must not break. Marina searched wildly for a way in which she could possibly free her people. They were in desperate need. She tried many times to escape by casting a spell but nothing seemed to work. All around her, hundreds of Mystical Flyers flew through the air as fast as they could, trying to flee from the wizard’s minions. They cried out to their queen, in fear and desperation.

The Mystical Flyers resembled small humans being. In elegant medieval-style clothing with light brown, butterfly-like wings made of varying sizes. The height of each individual ranged from two to four feet high, roughly the size of young human children. Their noses and ears pointed at the tips, much like elves in fairy tale stories. Imprisoned in silver cages larger than the one Marina stood in, thousands of Mystical Flyers were crammed into them with barely enough room to move. More dragons materialized, descending from the sky and setting everything ablaze with their jets of fire. Soon the whole island was in flames and all hope seemed lost to its inhabitants.

Rowlen grabbed the bars of the cage he stood in and craned his neck to speak to his queen in the neighbouring cage. “Many Mystical Flyers have died from these devastating tree fires, my Queen. They are chewing up thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes, our people are dying,” he reported dimly.

“Queen Marina! Queen Marina!” called Marafae, from another nearby cage. “We’ve got groves of trees coming down in flames. I’ve never seen anything like it!” She looked around her cage wildly. “It’s like a hurricane of destruction! What are we going to do?” she cried.

“It’s hot.” whispered Annabelle, somewhere behind Rowlen.

“I can’t breathe…” Emmelia gasped, in another cage. Annabelle and Emmelia both started to cough.

“Everyone,” Queen Marina yelled. “we must be strong! We must stand together as one!”

Queen Marina felt helpless in the enchanted cage. Normally, nothing impeded the movement of any of the Mystical Flyers. Each of them was accustomed to flying through the air and floating through solid objects. The evil wizard, Edgar, had put a trapping spell on the cages so strong that, even acting as one, they still could not escape.

All colour disappeared from the landscape, turning it grey and bleak. Only shouting and the crackling of the fire floated through the air. The smoke blocked the sun and for a moment, the day became night. Queen Marina bent her wings around her body and used them as a mask to help her breathe. All Marina wanted to do was break loose from this battlefield, with the rest of her Mystical Flyers unharmed.

“Can this really be happening?” thought Marina. Her beautifully coloured sandals and delicate dress were now black with soot and torn in several places. None of the other Mystical Flyers could help her, nor could she help any of them. Despair crept over Marina her face, once fair, was now pale and haggard as her wild, dark eyes filled with a hopeless terror. She paced the cage back and forth, her gaze fixed not on the other Mystical Flyers but on the creatures ripping apart the heart and soul of Fairmont Island. She then burst into a loud, frustrated cry and banged her fists on the bars.

“Who has done this to us?” she cried. “Who shall pay dearly for this uprising?”

As if in answer to her question, the clouds parted and a massive dragon descended from the sky, bearing the dark wizard on its back. It landed on the top of her cage, curled its terrible, enormous claws around the edges of the roof and took off again taking the small cage with it. Queen Marina was off to an unknown destination and an unknown future.

If you enjoyed the prologue you’ll love the novel!

By Nathalie M. Leblanc











Sunday, August 15, 2010

Review of Strategies for Happiness How to Achieve Happiness Potential

Reading this book has inspired me. In many ways it has lifted my self confidence, in which helped me focus on the many positive things in my life. To go forward in life you must first learn to forgive the person or people that have hurt you during your path of life.

Otherwise walking through life will be heavy and many shadows are cast from you. Leaving you in the darkness of depression, which is lonely and allowing the person or people in the past win in victory, they did not just hurt you the day of the incident... they hurt you each and every day you carry the burden on upon your shoulders. Read Strategies for Happiness by Donna L. Hedley, Bre and learn how to achieve the happiness you deserve! I will always keep her book as a reminder and a symbol that I deserve to be happy and to never allow others to bring me down!

http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Happiness-Achieve-Your-Potential/dp/0981150403/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281879878&sr=1-1