#Ownvoices Author Spotlight: Lynn E. O’Connacht

Author Interviews, Diversity in books
Over the past year I've spent a lot of time thinking about inclusion -- I choose the term "inclusion" because I think it's more honest than "diversity". Specifically I've been thinking about the duty I have as a writer to be inclusive in my work. One thing I've come to believe very passionately is that while including diverse characters and relationships in my books is great, the best thing I can do is support diverse authors, most of whom are already writing diverse books. These authors have often been snubbed by traditional publishing and turned to self publishing or small presses, which makes it even more important to support their work. So this year my interviews are going to focus almost exclusively on #ownvoices authors, starting with today's guest, Lynn E.…
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Meet Kelly Phillips, Indie Games Writer

Author Interviews
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of indie games(you should see my Kickstarter collection--I actually had to ban myself from the site) so it shouldn't be a surprise that I am thrilled to introduce today's guest, Kelly Phillips, who has written for a host of indie games and even run her own indie tabletop RPG studio with her husband. She's been kind enough to share some great insights into the world of games writing and writing in general. Please give Kelly Phillips a warm welcome. (more…)
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Crystal Collier shares the secrets to a successful blog tour–and a giveaway!

Author Interviews
Welcome Crystal Collier here today to share her new book and some writing tips! In 1771, Alexia had everything: the man of her dreams, reconciliation with her father, even a child on the way. But she was never meant to stay. It broke her heart, but Alexia heeded destiny and traveled five hundred years back to stop the Soulless from becoming. In the thirteenth century, the Holy Roman Church has ordered the Knights Templar to exterminate the Passionate, her bloodline. As Alexia fights this new threat—along with an unfathomable evil and her own heart—the Soulless genesis nears. But none of her hard-won battles may matter if she dies in childbirth before completing her mission. Can Alexia escape her own clock?   BUY: Amazon | B&N DIY Blog Tours Thank you Dianna for…
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Author Spotlight: Cris & Clare Meyers

Author Interviews
Today I'm interrupting the series of interviews spotlighting novels with LGBTQ+ characters to introduce a co-writing pair who have done something I think is equally brave: co-written a novel while being married. I've worked with my fiance on some creative things but the idea of co-writing a novel with anyone freaks me out. Anyway, enough about me, here's the blurb for their debut novel, Playing with Fire: The rules are simple: Get in. Get out. Get paid. Loner Renee Devereaux is a thief with a lot to hide, and trust is a risk she rarely takes. Stone Anders is a mercenary and hitman, but being a hired killer isn’t fitting like it used to. But while they are criminals, they are anything but common. Renee and Stone are Talents, and their…
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Author Spotlight: James Stryker

Author Interviews, Writing
It recently came to my attention that I've read a disturbing lack of books about LGBTQ+ characters and that my recent reading list contained a total of 0 transgender characters so I reached out to Twitter looking for books with LGBTQ+ characters to review. James Stryker was the first author to respond to my call for LGBTQ+ characters with his novel, Assimilation, a story about a person who is resurrected in a body with a different gender. But don't let me attempt to explain the book, here's a blurb to do it for you: She was far away, this woman he'd been. He knew her child's and husband's names. He could see their faces. But Natalie was a ghost. Natalie Keller was a happy, attractive woman in the prime of her life:…
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Book Review: Daughter of the Sun

Book Reviews
A few weeks ago I got an email from an author I had never heard of before asking if I would participate in the tour for her new book. Ordinarily I don't take review requests, but since Daughter of the Sun is the first book in a series called Cult of the Cat and I am a crazy cat lady I simply had to read this book. I'll let the blurb tell you a bit about the book: Sixteen-year-old Trinity was born during a solar eclipse and left at the doorsteps of a convent along with a torn piece of papyrus covered with ancient symbols. Raised by nuns in the English countryside, she leads a quiet life until she’s whisked away to the Island of Cats and a grandmother she never knew. But before…
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Author Spotlight: EJ Wenstrom

Author Interviews
[caption id="attachment_2650" align="alignleft" width="303"] 176657621[/caption] I was introduced to E.J. Wenstrom by the wonderful Gabriela Pereira of DIY MFA and as soon as we started talking I fell in love with the concept of her debut fantasy novel, MUD. Luckily she agreed to do an interview and chat about how she came up with it. Please give E.J. Wenstrom a warm welcome! Can you tell us a bit about your novel, MUD? My debut novel, MUD, is a dystopian fantasy that follows the quest of a golem who is so desperate to get a soul he’s willing to do almost anything. So when an angel comes to him offering to make him human, he takes his chance and doesn’t ask questions. The deal they make takes him on a quest into the Underworld to…
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Book Review: DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build your Community

Book Reviews, Reading Related
DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build your Community is a brand new(it's actually only available on pre-order right now) writing book written by one of my all time favourite bloggers, Gabriela Pereira of DIY MFA. The book, blog and courses Gabriela has created all share one goal: to help writers who don't have the time or money for a traditional MFA program create their own structured writing education, a home-made MFA program. I've been following Gabriela since 2011 so I was obviously thrilled when she finally announced this book and even more excited when she sent out the call for reviewers and actually let me join the list. The Details The great thing about DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build your Community is how different it is…
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Author Spotlight: Gabriela Pereira of DIY MFA

Author Interviews
Gabriela Pereira is the mastermind behind one of my favourite writing blogs, DIY MFA. I've been following the blog--which is all about creating your own personalized writing education--for a number of years now and even interviewed Gabriela in 2012. Over the years Gabriela has expanded DIY MFA to teach a variety of writing courses. She even ran an online writing conference last year which was both fun and educational. Now Gabriela is gearing up to release DIY MFA the book and I am really excited to be hosting her for a second interview to discuss all the progress she's made. Please give Gabriela a warm welcome! 1) Can you tell me a bit about when you first thought up DIY MFA? Was it an AHA moment or a process? The…
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Book Review: The Path of Sorrow

Book Reviews
Normally I don't take review requests because I firmly believe in only reviewing books I love but when Martin Bolton approached me to review The Path of Sorrow I was thrilled, having already enjoyed and reviewed The Best Weapon back when it was still a Musa Publishing novel. The Path of Sorrow is a sequel and although I'd forgotten many details of The Best Weapon I still wanted to see more of the world. This book is so intense right from the beginning that I honestly don't know what counts as a spoiler so I'm going to let the back cover blurb explain as much about the story as the authors find appropriate: “A song of hope and sorrow, born on the coming storm.” After the cataclysmic events of The Best Weapon, an uneasy calm has…
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