Chattin' It Up + Giveaway with Tracie Banister

Ana: Welcome to Beach Bum Reads! I’m glad you can join me today :)

TBanister: Thank you so much for having me, Ana! I’m excited to be here.

Ana: We’re going to start off with some basics…Can you tell us a little about yourself?

TBanister:  Like my favorite fictional heroine, Scarlett O'Hara, I am a Southern belle who lives on the outskirts of Atlanta. I'm addicted to television (I watch everything from Disney shows to Top Chef and think the DVR is the best invention since the wheel.), crossword puzzles (I do 3-5 a day and like to time myself.), and salt and vinegar potato chips (My one junk food weakness.) Animal rights (I have three rescue dogs, two with special needs.) and finding a cure for diabetes (I've been a Type 1 diabetic for over 25 years.) are my two passions. I love theater and try to get to New York to see several Broadway shows every year. And, of course, I am a rabid reader who enjoys a wide variety of genres, everything from Historical Romance to Steampunk.

Ana: What was the first book that got you into reading?

TBanister:  I was obsessed with The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling when I was little. It was the book I wanted to be read to me every night, and I had every word memorized so my mother couldn’t skip a page without me calling her out on it!  

Ana: What/who inspired you to become a writer?

TBanister:  I think it was just books in general. I loved reading from a very young age and I was never happier than when I was in a library. I started writing my own stories when I was in elementary school, and my love of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) just grew from there.  

Ana: Is there anything you want to say to aspiring writers?

TBanister:  Focus on being the best writer you can be and don't rush to publish the first thing you write. Read as many different books in as many different genres as you can. Take the time to learn and grow as a writer. You’ll know when you've written the book that's "the one," then you can educate yourself on the different publishing avenues and decide what's best for you.

Ana: I absolutely loved In Need of Therapy, but let’s pretend I have no idea what it’s about, can you tell us a little bit about it?

TBanister:  Thanks, Ana! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. Okay, in a nutshell . . . In Need of Therapy is a fun, fizzy read about a Latina psychologist who struggles to cope with all the craziness in her life, which comes in the forms of her high-strung family, her demanding patients, and a trio of potential love interests, all of whom are Mr. Wrong.  

Ana: I loved Pilar’s patients and their problems. And some of their problems were pretty out there, are you a therapist in disguise or did you have a hunky doctor at your beck and call?

TBanister: I wish I knew a hunky doctor, but alas I do not. I did toy with the idea of becoming a psychologist when I was in school and even took several courses on the subject so that’s where some of my info on the therapeutic process came from. Also, I picked the brains of friends and family members who’d been to see a shrink and I did plenty of research into different psychological conditions.

Ana: What was the hardest part about writing In Need of Therapy?

TBanister: Honestly, I can’t think of anything that was too difficult about writing Therapy. I had a blast with the characters, the story, and the setting. It was the first book I wrote using a first-person POV, so that might have taken me a little time to get used to, but I love a writing challenge!

Ana: Are you currently working on anything? Care to dish?

TBanister: My current work-in-progress is a Chick Lit novel about two sisters who are polar opposites and live in San Francisco. I can't say anything more without getting spoilery, but I can promise plenty of comedy, romance, cute guys, and even cuter dogs. This one should be released in the fall of 2013.

I am, also, hoping to write a Regency Era series that will have the same comedic and romantic elements that my modern-day novels do. I've already got several chapters of the first book in the series under my belt and I look forward to moving forward with it as soon as I'm done with my San Francisco story!

Ana: Okay, last question… and I’ve gotta ask… are you a beach bum? 

TBanister: Sadly, no, since I live in a landlocked area. That’s probably why I decided to set In Need of Therapy in Miami; I got to transport myself to the beach every day when I was writing the book!  

Ana: Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure having you here today :)

TBanister:  It was great to hang out here on the virtual beach with you, Ana! Thanks again for reading and reviewing In Need of Therapy!

Think Fast:

Ana: Water or Soda?  

TBanister: Water, the bubbly kind with lemon

Ana: Coffee or Tea?

TBanister: Tea, love it – must be the English blood from my maternal grandmother

Ana: Zombies or Vampires?

TBanister: I’m a True Blood addict, so vampires all the way. Zombies freak me out!

Ana: Rap or Rock?

TBanister: Rock

Ana: Day or Night?

TBanister:  Day

Ana: Salad or Burger? 

TBanister: I love a good cheeseburger, but not beef – turkey or bison!

Concluding our little chat, Tracie is giving away an eBook copy of In Need of Therapy! 

<a href="http://www.beachbumreads.com/2013/01/JScottInterviewGiveaway.html" target="_blank"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGH4zcy_r0U8leQWR2Rd6TYtj7ud_A7e4q3jWWwD12rSVeqKpp6Ogxsx_xVY5E1_6ts3cCsL8RWN1MkoY787MVlqIW-PMZjoUvTAftkyuU-rEOFfZ3n7aIua0Q7XGxmQYN2Gytt2BQ0G2/s1600/JScottGiveaway.png" /></a>a Rafflecopter giveaway

An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play that she penned (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she, also, starred in and tried to direct the production.) Her dreams of authorial success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12 years. When it ended, Tracie decided to follow her bliss and dedicate herself to writing full-time. Her debut novel, the Hollywood-themed BLAME IT ON THE FAME, was released in January, 2012. And she's following that up with the Miami-set Romantic Comedy, IN NEED OF THERAPY.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

Chattin' It Up + Giveaway with Jessica Scott

Ana: Welcome to Beach Bum Reads! I’m glad you can join me today :)

JScott: Thanks so much for having me today! 

Ana: We’re going to start off with some basics…Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

JScott: Um, you mean other than I’m slightly insane? I’m your average working mom, trying to balance life, a job, kids, pets and not burning dinner. Let’s be honest, I burn dinner. A lot. 

Ana: lol. you and me both xD -- What was the first book that got you into reading? 

JScott: Oh wow. Honestly, I don’t ever remember not knowing how to read and I’ve always been a book worm. I thought it was really cool that my hometown library highlighted a print copy of my book To Iraq & Back because I spent so much time there as a teenager. 

Ana: What/who inspired you to become a writer?

JScott: Wow, you know I started writing fanfiction based on Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series when I was a kid. I’ve always gotten these good idea but never really wrote much beyond a few hundred words. Then in 2007, I started writing and actually finished a book (that shall never, ever be published but hey, it was a learning process). And I’ve never stopped writing since. 

Ana: Is there anything you want to say to aspiring writers? 

JScott: Learn your craft. Read. Don’t be so anxious for publication because while it’s a goal, it should not be why you write. Write because you love it, because you can’t not write. Don’t write for the money (ha!) or the fame (ha ha!). Write because it’s what you are, you know? 

Ana: *nodding head in agreement* -- Inquiring minds want to know…okay, okay, my little brother is standing over my shoulder and he’s in AJROTC and he is asking…

Lil Bro: What rank are you?

JScott: I’m a captain stationed at Fort Hood. 

Ana:  Being active in the military, how do you manage to compose a novel?

JScott: I’ve still got my me time, despite being a soldier. Writing is how I relax and it helps me look at things from a different perspective. Sometimes when something truly bizarre happens, I think that’s going in a book some day. It helps get me through, you know? 

Ana: Your books are military based that have some pretty steamy bits and pieces in it, do the soldiers get kinky down at base? 

JScott: Um, young, single and generally fit. I’ll let you decide, lol!

Ana: LOL! Good answer! -- Your characters are going through some tough battles as well as fighting a battle in your books, how hard was it to pull all these different stories together and make them work in a book?

JScott: It was very tough to get my books demilitarized for the average non military reader. I discovered very early on that words that are part of my every day lexicon confuse civilians. So while I might thing TOC, I have to write out and have my characters say tactical operations cell. There’s just no other way to avoid confusion. 

Ana: Are you currently working on anything? Care to share some tidbits (or…a lot of tidbits lol)?

JScott: I’m finishing up Laura & Trent’s book, the much awaited conclusion to the story started in BECAUSE OF YOU and I’m also finishing up the final touches on Reza’s story called COME HOME TO ME. After that, I’ve got a couple other things in the pot but those are secret. 

Ana: Okay, last question… and I’ve gotta ask… are you a beach bum? 

JScott: There is nothing better than a day at the beach! Seriously, I love watching my kids dig in the sand and just relax away from the internet and cell phones. It’s really great to unplug and just unwind. 

Ana: Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure having you here today :)

JScott: Thanks for the great interview! 

Think Fast

Water or Soda?

JScott: Water

Coffee or Tea?

JScott: Coffee

Zombies or Vampires?

JScott: Vampires

Rap or Rock?

JScott: Rock

Day or Night?

JScott: Night

Salad or Burger? 

JScott: Burger

Concluding our little chat, Jessica has offered to do a giveaway! *happy dancing here, people* .... are you happy dancing? GOOD! What's up for grabs you ask? o.O ALL THREE of Jessica Scott's books! *more happy dancing* Yepp, that's right. You get books 1 & 2 in the Coming Home series AND Jessica Scott's nonfiction novel To Iraq & Back

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Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

Oprah has called her. True story.

Her debut novel BECAUSE OF YOU launched Loveswept, the first Random House digital imprint.

She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and is currently a company commander stationed at Fort Hood.

Most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Chattin' It Up + Giveaway with Stephen Bradlee

Ana: Welcome to Beach Bum Reads! I’m glad you can join me today :)

SBradlee: Ana, thank you so much for inviting me. I really appreciate it. 

Ana: We’re going to start off with some basics…Can you tell us a little about yourself?

SBradlee: I guess as a writer I am a bit unique. Although I have been writing for most of my life, outside of magazine articles, I have never published under my own name, including Falling In Love. I am using a pen name partly to help hide Sherry’s identity. Besides writing, I love—surprise, surprise—reading, as well as sports, traveling and mostly enjoying life with my wife, our daughter and our dog.

Ana: What was the first book that got you into reading? 

SBradlee:  Strangely enough, it was my first Hardy Boys mystery when I was really young. I ended up reading the entire series in a very short time. Those books first taught me about plotting because every chapter ended with a cliffhanger, and that was really the beginning of learning to write suspense.  

Ana: What/who inspired you to become a writer?

SBradlee:  I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I wrote my first book when I was four before I had learned any written words.  It was really a comic book about my cat and I hunting for a mouse and when we found one, I wouldn’t let her kill it.  It was based on a true story.  

Ana: Is there anything you want to say to aspiring writers? 

SBradlee: I guess two things. One is to write the book that you would love to read. If you write it well hopefully enough readers will also love it enough to make you relatively successful. If not, you know that you will always have one very loyal fan.  Secondly, believe in your ability to create something special. Writing can be so difficult and writers can be so insecure about their work and so afraid of exposing their most intimate thoughts and feelings that the writing itself can become intimidating. You have to believe that in the end it will not only be worth it but that you will give something to the world that no one else can. 

Ana: I absolutely loved Falling In Love, but let’s pretend I have no idea what it’s about, can you tell us a little bit about it?

SBradlee:  Well, the book is based on the true story of a young women’s battle to overcome sexual addiction.  I didn’t really want to call it Falling In Love because to me the title shouts “romantic comedy.” But there is a line in the book about her falling in love every weekend, and Sherry’s life really was a series of falling in love. And falling. And falling. In the end, she has to do the hardest thing for her, to find self-love. 

Ana: Falling In Love is a based on a true story, is it easier or harder to write a story that stems from someone’s life?

SBradlee:  I think it is probably easier because the true story is at least some version of a first draft. But then you have to be true to that story and to the person it is about and that can become very difficult.

Ana: What was the hardest part about writing Falling In Love?

SBradlee:  Sherry wanted to tell her story but she also wanted to remain anonymous.  So I had to change some of the events in the book but still keep the emotional impact of the original events.  That was much harder than I had imagined it would be.  

Ana: At the end of Falling In Love there’s a hint at a sequel, is there another book in the works for Sherry?

SBradlee:  I would love to do a sequel to Falling In Love but it is really up to Sherry. I’m like a lot of readers of the book. I’d love to know what happens next.

Ana: Your bio says you’ve worked as a script doctor, can we probe a bit and find out which scripts you’ve worked on? 

SBradlee:  I’m sorry Ana, but I don’t think I can say anything. For most of the films, contractually, I’m not allowed to say that I worked on them. Under my real name there are rumors about what films I’ve worked on and most of the rumors are true. But because I’m writing under a pen name I am hesitant to mention anything that might reveal my identity. I know this is a lousy answer and I apologize for that.

Ana: Okay, last question… and I’ve gotta ask… are you a beach bum? 

SBradlee: Absolutely! I’d love to spend every day at the beach with an umbrella drink in one hand and a book in the other. 

Ana: Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure having you here today :)

SBradlee: The pleasure is all mine. Thank you so much.

Think Fast:

Water or Soda?  

SBradlee: Soda

Coffee or Tea?

SBradlee: Coffee

Zombies or Vampires?

SBradlee: Vampires

Rap or Rock?

SBradlee: Rock

Day or Night?

SBradlee: Night

Salad or Burger? 

SBradlee: Burger

Concluding our chat Stephen is giving away an eBook copy of Falling In Love. But WAIT, there's more! For every 50 likes on Amazon, Stephen is going to be giving away another eBook copy of Falling In Love. Yepp, more chances to win this amazing book and a chance for you to read Sherry's story. There are currently 8 likes on Amazon, so we will be starting there.

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Stephen Bradlee is the pen name for a Hollywood film executive. He has ghostwritten celebrity autobiographies and has worked as a script doctor. He is married and lives with his wife, their daughter and their dog.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Blog Tour: Chattin' It Up: Chasing the Trickster by April Grey

Chattin' It Up

Hey!! Thanks for stopping by! This tour is brought to you by: Full Moon Bites Blog Tours.

Don't forget to check out the other blogs participating in this tour HERE.

Chasing the Trickster
(Book #1 in the Cernunnos series)
Amazon | Eternal Press | BN
Author: April Grey
Publisher: Eternal Press (November 7, 2011)
Genre: Dark, Fantasy, Paranormal, 236 pages
ISBN-10: 1615725334
ISBN-13: 978-1615725335

SUMMARY:

One Man, Two Women, Two Gods...who will survive the Trickster's snare?

Ghostly images materialize in Nina Weaver's photos. Goons try to kidnap her. When her photographs are stolen and her best friend is shot, she realizes that she has no one to turn to but her ex-lover, Pascal ""Goofy"" Guzman. Together they go on a desperate road trip in search of answers. The truth is darker and more terrifying than Nina could ever have imagined. After their love re-ignites, they fall into the Trickster God's trap.

EXCERPT:

She stared at the photo on the gallery wall and silently swore. All semester ghostly images had marred her work. And now not only a strange inclusion ruined her photo, but the pin light needed to be repositioned as well. She found a ladder in the hallway supply closet. Balancing precariously on the top step, she noticed that the imperfection had changed into the image of a vehicle, and it was on fire. She could see the superheated air wavering up off of the flames. The crackling and sudden heat of a blaze forced her to lift a hand to guard her face. It was going to explode. She was quite sure of it. And then she was falling backwards, falling down…

Ana: Welcome to Beach Bum Reads! I am super excited that you could join me today! 

April Grey: I'm delighted to be here!

Ana: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

April Grey: I'm the author of Chasing the Trickster, published by Eternal Press. Also, my short stories appear in numerous e-zines, along with e- published and print anthologies. I live in NYC with my hubby and teen son. My life prior to marriage was involved in working in the theatre and in law firms (gotta pay the rent). After marriage and motherhood I've spent my time writing as well as teaching  art and ESL.

Ana: What was the first book that got you into reading?

April Grey: The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe. It was read to us in first grade and I was hooked.

Ana: What/who inspired you to become a writer?

April Grey: I think it was primarily the work of Charles DeLint that made me want to write, but there's a whole stable of favorite authors before and after him that gave inspiration.

Ana: Is there anything you want to say to inspiring writers? (to inspire writers or to aspiring writers?)

April Grey: Keep honing your skills and keep reading. Observe what your favorite writers do that brings you pleasure.  Find what appeals to you as a reader. Don't try to copy, but learn what works for you.

Ana: Can you tell us a little bit about Chasing the Trickster?

April Grey: It's a crazy road trip to self discovery for Nina Weaver, our main character. Uncanny things have been happening to her such as mysterious images and messages showing up in her artwork.  But when she barely escapes being kidnapped and her best friend is shot, she decides to get to the bottom of the mess her life has become. She winds up accepting help from her ex-lover and on their trip they fall back in love. Eventually they discover that they are pawns in a rivalry between two pagan gods, Cernunnos and the Trickster God of the American Southwest.

Ana: Who was the hardest character for you to write?

April Grey: Linda, because she is a tragic figure. There were times that I cried as I wrote her story.

Ana: Where did you come up with the idea for Chasing the Trickster?

April Grey: I've long been a fan of the work of Carl Jung. In particular, I was intrigued by his writing on the Trickster Archetype. The Trickster comes and shakes us up whenever we get big headed and think we know everything there is to know.

Ana: All book descriptions set aside, they say a picture is a worth a thousand words. What do you think the cover for Chasing the Trickster says?  

April Grey: The cover depicts the Celtic god, Cernunnos. Even though the title of the book is Chasing the Trickster, it is the first book in the Cernunnos series. A pagan fertility god, Cernunnos gets mixed up in people's problems as he goes on his own journey of self-discovery.

Ana: Are you currently working on anything? Care to dish?

April Grey: The sequel to Chasing the Trickster, St. Nick's Favor will hopefully be released this holiday season. We are working on the cover right now. Also, I'll be teaching a course at Savvy Authors early next year on Getting Published in E-zines. I have just published "Troll Bridge: Three Unlikely Stories" for Halloween. 

Ana: Okay, last question… and I’ve gotta ask… are you a beach bum? 

April Grey: Yes, I am. Or I would be if my husband wasn't deathly allergic to beach grasses. I'm hoping to head to Nantucket next year for our 20th anniversary, but he'll need to bring an Epi pen.

Ana: Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure having you here today :)

April Grey: Thanks! It was a pleasure.

Think Fast:

Ana: Water or Soda?

April Grey:  Water

Ana: Coffee or Tea?

April Grey: Coffee

Ana: Zombies or Vampires?

April Grey: Zombies

Ana: Rap or Rock?

April Grey: Rock

Ana: Day or Night?

April Grey: Day

Ana: Salad or Burger? 

April Grey: Salad (I switch off between Vegan and Lacto-Ovo-Pesco Vegetarian). I'm also gluten free.

April Grey's urban fantasy novel, Chasing The Trickster, is published by Eternal Press. Her short stories have been published in such print anthologies as Demonmind's Halloween 2010, The Best of Everyday Fiction 2, Northern Haunts, Ephemera and Terrible Beauty, Fearful Symmetry. Many of these stories can be found in her collection, The Fairy Cake Bake Shoppe available through Amazon and Smashwords.

She and her family live in Hell's Kitchen, NYC in a building next to a bedeviled garden. Gremlins, sprites or pixies, something mischievous, lurks therein. Someday she'll find out.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Smashwords | Website

 Writing Class - Jan 28 - Feb 10

Writing for e-zines 13 SPOTS LEFT
April Grey. The best piece of advice I ever had as a budding novelist was to also write short pieces. The benefits of publishing short stories and/or non-fiction articles with e-zines (and other publications) are huge. You can make a name for yourself as a writer, create a platform, improve your craft and get paid by selling to e-zines. This course will teach the beginning writer how to research markets, evaluate their own work, write a cover letter/follow up query and track their stories. Students will sub... {more info}
Duration: 13 days. $20/$30 (Craft, Plotting, Characterization, Industry, Genre, Intermediate) 
http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/workshoplist.php

Blog Tour: Review + Chattin' It Up: Demons & Lullabies by Kallysten

Promo + Giveaway

Hey!! Thanks for stopping by! This tour is brought to you by: Full Moon Bites Blog Tours. 

Don't forget to check out the other blogs participating in this tour HERE.

Demons & Lullabies
(Book #2 in the Demons Age series - Can be read as a standalone) 
Autographed Copy | Kallysten.net | Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Print) | BN | Smashwords | Createspace (Print) | Amazon UK
Author: Kallysten
Publisher: Self Published (August 27,2012)
Genre: M/M, Paranormal, Romance, 321 pages
eBook/Paperback Words: 107,000 words

SUMMARY:

Some little boys want to be firemen or astronauts when they grow up. From the moment Jacob understood what his fathers did, he never wanted to do anything but fight demons.

Andrew, Jacob’s father and a vampire, fights demons because it’s a necessity: few others have the strength or skill to kill the strange creatures that started appearing the very night his son was born. He carries with him some guilt, too, and the suspicion that the magic that made Jacob’s very life possible also opened the way for the demons. The last thing he wants is for his son to ever join this fight and get hurt.

As the years pass, however, and Andrew watches Jacob grow up and grow more determined, he slowly has to accept there’s little he can do to deter his son. It doesn’t help that Nicholas, Jacob’s other dad and Andrew’s Childe, starts giving Jacob sword-fighting lessons under the cover of playing, or that Jacob discovers his mother’s diaries and comes to the same conclusion Andrew did concerning his origins and the demons’.

Through snapshots covering Jacob’s life from birth to adulthood, watch all three members of this unusual family change, grow up, and find their place in the world.

MY REVIEW:

Where to start. First off, Demons & Lullabies is a vampire story like no other. Yeah, there's the whole "can't go out in sunlight" thing and the "dying by steak" bit as well, but as far as the story goes, its something else entirely. And goes way deeper than just vampire blood running through your veins. 

Demons & Lullabies is the first book that I have read that has spanned over seventeen years. SEVENTEEN years. You would probably think that, that is a major turn off and wouldn't want to pick up the book. And probably think "Wow, that book must really drag" or "Only 321 pages? It must be cutting back on a lot of details." Well, to assuage all you lovely bibliophiles out there, this book does NOT drag and it definitely doesn't cut out details. The story stays its focus on three characters, Andrew, Nicholas, and Jacob. Jacob is the Andrew and Nicholas' son and the story follows through Jacobs life. From when he was born and so on and so forth. I really enjoyed watching reading as Jacob grew older. How much different he is from other little kids, and not because he has two daddies, but the fact that he understands that he can't say that his dads are vampires. As Jacob got into his teens, I was falling more and more in love with him. *sigh* he's so young.

I thought the characters were all very well developed. The book doesn't really tell you when the POV switches from one character to the other, but you can easily tell when that happens. Especially when Jacob is younger and the book switches to his POV, you're getting it from a 3 year old's perspective and I really liked that. Its like you're getting to see Jacob grow and growing with him as the book progresses. This book definitely has some M/M action going on and Kallysten doesn't hold back. She'll give it to you; lube and all! I really loved the relationship between Andrew and Nicholas. It wasn't always rainbows and unicorns. There was arguments like any other relationship, but I loved how they balanced each other. Where Andrew is strict and bossy (him being Nicholas' sire and all) and Nicholas being the more lenient parent, I thought that really separated them as characters. There wasn't as much action as I would have liked. A little more demon fighting scenes would have been awesome, but there were times where I didn't need the action scenes to get that "Oh-my-gosh-sitting-at-the-edge-of-my-seat" moments.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was really easy to read. I would definitely recommend this book. 

MY RATING:

EXCERPT:

His father’s car was there, and Jacob tried to swallow the lump in his throat when he saw it was empty. He rested a hand on the hood for a second; it was lukewarm, as though the car had only been stopped for a while. The roof was down, and Andrew rarely left the convertible open if he expected to be gone for long. Dropping the blanket inside the car, Jacob checked the phone again. The pin that represented him was very close to Nicholas’, but as he looked around, he couldn’t see anyone. It was that steady water drip he could still hear that clued him in.

Near the beginning of the trail was a water fountain, with one of those old-fashioned hand pumps and a basin at the base. If it dripped…

Tightening a suddenly sweaty hand over the hilt of his sword, he went over to the fountain. He wanted to run, but forced himself to walk at a steady pace, giving himself time to look around for any sign of life, to listen for suspicious sounds, even smell the air, like the hunter Andrew had tried for so long to deny Jacob was.

Before he reached the fountain, he had already picked up both his fathers’ scents, along with something else, something like sulfur and rotten eggs. He’d smelled this before, lingering on his fathers’ clothes or Craig’s after they had fought hard. This was what demons smelled like.

His heart jumped in his chest at the same time he flexed his fingers on the sword. He had been trained to fight demons since the very first time he picked up a foam sword and played with Nicholas but he didn’t know if he was ready to fight one now.

A gleam, low in front of him, brought his gaze to the ground. He bent down to pick up Nicholas’ phone. His throat had never felt so tight. His eyes searched the ground for ashes and dust, but even if they were there, would he have seen them in such poor light?

He wanted to call out for his dads, but at the same time he knew it would have been a terrible idea. If there was a demon around—demons—the last thing he wanted was to give away his presence. Besides, he had other means to track them down.

Turning off Nicholas’ phone, he slipped it into his pocket and took a deep breath in through his nose. Nicholas’ scent, along with Andrew’s and the demon’s, led him straight into the woods.

He advanced with cautious steps, holding the sword in front of him with both hands, his eyes sweeping around him, attentive to any movement. There was none that he could see, and no sound other than the rustling of leaves above them, or small animals scurrying out of sight. He continued to follow the scents deeper into the woods. Again, he wanted to call out for them, and again he thought better of it. 

He was afraid—no, he was terrified—but not for himself. He was afraid of how badly his fathers might be hurt. Afraid it had taken him too much time to come to them. He wanted nothing more than to run, find them fast, find them now, but everything he had ever learned told him to go slow, from Nicholas teaching him how to be very quiet when he had been a toddler to Andrew’s slightly surreal but actually helpful lesson about controlling his heartbeat and breathing, a few weeks earlier. Slow and steady, listening to every sound, breathing in through his nose not to lose the scents he was tracking, he crossed through the woods.

At the end, both their scents and the demon’s led him to a small clearing. A stream passed through, murmuring quietly, the water flowing around the massive body of the demon that laid face up across it.  

His fathers’ scents were thicker here, now with the prominent smell of blood like a veneer that tinted everything. More than ever, Jacob wanted to call out to them, but he managed to reign in his instincts. If there were more demons, he didn’t want to draw them to him now. He held the sword hilt so tight that his knuckles turned white and approached the demon. Under a row of small spikes in the place of eyebrows, the demon’s eyes were open, staring straight up at the tree canopy above them. It was dead, and Jacob only needed seconds to find the bloody wound on its side that must have killed it. 

He looked around again, and this time caught sight of a glimmer on the other side of the stream, moonlight reflecting on metal. His heart in his throat, Jacob started circling the thick tree that blocked his view, remaining at some distance so he would see before being seen. 

He recognized the weapon first: Nicholas’ sword. Two more steps and he could see Nicholas, sitting on the ground with his back to the tree, holding the sword in front of him with both his hands as though defending. Jacob only needed one more second to know what he was defending. Across his lap, the unmoving body could only be—

“Dad!”

Ana: Welcome to Beach Bum Reads! I am super excited that you could join me today! 

Kallysten: Thank you for having me! It’s my pleasure!

Ana: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Kallysten: I’m a French native who moved to the US for love. I’ve been writing since I was a teen, and switched to writing in English after I moved here. I was first published in 2005 by Linden Bay Romance, and have stories with Samhain and Torquere, although at this time I’ve decided to self-publish most of my work. I write mostly vampire romance and erotica, and have several series between which I alternate. My newest release, Demons & Lullabies, is part of the Demons Age series, in which Earth is under siege by beastly demons that come from another dimension through portals.

Ana: What was the first book that got you into reading?

Kallysten: I’ve had books in my hands for as long as I can remember, but one series that is vivid in my mind remains the writing of Contesse de Segur, children’s tales that are somewhat famous in France. My grandmother had the entire series in small hardbacks, bound in blue leather with a ribbon for bookmarks and I can still remember the feel of the pages and their smell.

Ana: What/who inspired you to become a writer?

Kallysten: I always told myself stories. I’d invent ‘what if’ scenarios about what happened after the end of my favorite cartoons or movies. It wasn’t until I was a teen that it occurred to me that if I wrote these down I could share them with my friends. But if I was going to take the time to write something down, I wanted the characters to be mine… and that’s how I first started.

Ana: Is there anything you want to say to inspiring writers?

Kallysten: I don’t know if I can inspire anyone but if I were to try I’d say, don’t censure yourself. Write whatever you feel like writing, and don’t worry about what others will say. There’s always plenty of time for that after the first draft is done!

Ana: Can you tell us a little bit about Demons & Lullabies?

Kallysten: Demons & Lullabies is about a family, two parents and a child… nothing more normal, except that the parents are two men, who happen to be vampires, raising a son who has some vampire characteristics. We follow the three of them from the child’s birth to his late teen years, and see the dads’ relationship evolve from Sire and Childe to true, equal partners, while at the same time witnessing the son slowly decide to become a demon fighter like his dads.

Ana: Who was the hardest character for you to write?

Kallysten: I can’t say I had trouble writing any of them. I love all three members of this little family, enough so that I gave them two long novels, one short story freebie and another freebie I update monthly and that will probably turn into a novel as well. I just can’t stop writing them!

Ana: Where did you come up with the idea for Demons & Lullabies?

Kallysten: The companion book that came before it, Fangs & Lullabies, came from my desire to write about how being a parent might change a vampire. That novel turned out so long I had to cut out a few things, and they were the basis for this book.

Ana: All book descriptions set aside, they say a picture is a worth a thousand words. What do you think the cover for Demons & Lullabies says? 

Kallysten: I think – and hope – it tells about Andrew, one of the two dads, and his dedication to the fight against demons, as well as his son Jacob’s desire to emulate him from an early age.

Ana: Are you currently working on anything? Care to dish?

Kallysten: Right now, I’m doing the last edits on Bodyguards, the first part of a new series titled the QuickSilver Codex that mixes paranormal and fantasy, with vampires, magic, and an extraordinary world parallel to ours. It’ll come out in November, and I can’t wait to start working on part 2!

Ana: Okay, last question… and I’ve gotta ask… are you a beach bum? 

Kallysten: LOL probably not. I like my creature comforts too much for that ;)

Ana: Thanks for stopping by! It was a pleasure having you here today :)

Kallysten: The pleasure was all mine, thank you!

THINK FAST

Ana: Water or Soda?

Kallysten: water

Ana: Coffee or Tea?

Kallysten: Hot chocolate!

Ana: Zombies or Vampires?

Kallysten: Definitely vampires

Ana: Rap or Rock?

Kallysten: Rock

Ana: Day or Night?

Kallysten: Night

Ana: Salad or Burger

Kallysten: Both!

Kallysten’s most exciting accomplishment to date was to cross a few thousand miles and an ocean to pursue (and catch!) the love of her life. She has been writing for fifteen years, and always enjoyed sharing her stories and listening to the readers' reactions. After playing with science fiction, short stories and poetry, she is now trying her hand, heart and words at paranormal romance novels.

To see her stories, including free short stories and sample chapters, visit http://original.kallysten.net

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