ALERT!

Don't forget to subscribe to Ambrosia's FREE Ezine for the latest information on all things Indie!

Monday, July 29, 2013

A Good Time by Shannyn Schroeder


A Good Time

by Shannyn Schroeder

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

A passionate free spirit and a sweet-talking playboy sound like a match made in heaven—until life gets in the way of all the fun and games…

 

Indy Adams values her freedom above all else. She works hard to support herself, moonlighting as a waitress while she fights for her first big sale in the Chicago real estate market. The last thing she needs is to be tied down, so she doesn’t think twice about declining her philandering boyfriend’s marriage proposal. Besides, she just landed a new client, a wealthy lothario—exactly the kind of guy who would understand her no-strings approach…

 

 

Handsome, rich, and charitable, most women jump at the chance to even talk to video game developer Griffin Walker, let alone date him. So he can’t understand why Indy wants nothing more than a few steamy nights together. Despite his romantic track record, Griffin longs for real love—complete with a home and family—and he wants it with Indy. But a blessing in disguise may lead them both to a life they never expected, and give Griffin a chance to show Indy that it’s okay to want more than a good time…

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Excerpt : Griffin and Indy just suffered through an uncomfortable family dinner with Indy’s dad. They’ve left her sister’s house together. (263 words)

 

 

“How are you getting home?” Griffin asked.

           

“Same way I got here—public transportation.”

           

“You’re taking the bus?” Somehow, he couldn’t picture her standing at a bus stop and clambering up the steps, pushing into the crowd.

           

“Yes, I’m taking the bus. What’s so funny?”

           

“How many times on your trip did a guy try to pick you up?” That he could imagine, especially with her bar uniform on.

           

She shrugged. “No more than when I’m at work. The unwashed masses are not as bad as you picture them.”

           

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

           

“Not necessary. I don’t mind taking the bus and my apartment is out of your way.”

           

“Come on. By the time the bus shows, I’ll have you halfway home.”

 

They walked to his car in silence.

 

“What, no Jag tonight?” she asked, approaching the SUV.

 

“Sorry, I came from the office.”

 

Indy opened the rear passenger door and carefully placed the cake on the floor. She closed the door and leaned against it. “Thank you for tonight. You were an excellent distraction.”

           

She smiled up at him, golden eyes reflecting the streetlights. On impulse, he lowered his lips to hers. Her heady scent grabbed him and he pressed her against the car.

           

She tasted even better than he imagined. He expected light and breezy, but found her spicy and secretive. He braced his hands on the car behind her, trapping her with his body and preventing himself from grabbing her. His fingers wanted to tangle in her long hair.

           

He pulled back before he could want more.

 

 

Excerpt Three: Griffin and Indy have slept together, but Indy snuck out of his house. Now, he’s shown up at her apartment to confront her. (373 words)

 

 

“Why are you here?” she asked again.

           

“I rolled over in bed, expecting to find a warm naked body and found nothing. When you didn’t pop out of the bathroom, I went to look for you and found this.” He tossed her crumpled note on the kitchen table.

           

She shook her head to clear it. “You’re pissed because I borrowed a sweatshirt?” How petty was this guy? She stripped it off and threw it at him. He dropped it on the chair.

           

Indy moved to push past him, but he caught her arm.

 

“I’m pissed because you snuck out of my house. You just left.”

           

She yanked her arm back. “I didn’t see the point in waking you. What do you want, a big, fat thank you?”

           

He deserved at least that much. It had been some of the best damn sex she’d ever had. Not that she would admit it right now.

           

“I want to know why you left.”

           

She didn’t know how to answer. I don’t belong in your world? He wouldn’t buy it, even though it rang true. She took a deep breath, stared at the floor, and lied. “I can’t sleep in a strange place.”

           

She’d felt too comfortable in his bed and knew it was a bad thing. Sex was sex, but sleeping together changed things.

           

His voice softened. “You fell asleep before I did.”

           

She shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t try to bust her on her lie. He moved closer and ran a hand over her hair. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle her face into his hand, but held back.

           

“Fine. I thought you might want these back.” From his pocket he produced her panties.

           

She looked at her panties dangling from his finger. The tense moment passed and she smiled. “No bra?”

           

His eyes wandered to her chest and her hard nipples. “I didn’t know you left it.”

           

“I couldn’t find my panties or bra.”

           

“I’ll look for it.” He took a step closer and she backed into the wall. “Next time, I won’t let you off so easy.”

           

She tilted her chin up, her heart already racing. “Who says there will be a next time?”

           

“You,” he whispered against her lips and kissed her.

 

 

 

 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Shannyn Schroeder is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.

 

Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.

 

After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”

 

So she did.

 

That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to professional author. She came to reading romance later than many, but lives for the happy ending because real life can be depressing. She writes contemporary romance because she enjoys the adventure of new love.

 

In her spare time, she loves to bake cookies and watches far too much TV, especially cop shows. She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.

 

Web site: http://www.ShannynSchroeder.com

 

Twitter: @SSchroeder_





 

What inspired you to write your first book?
I had been reading a ton of romance and then one day I had this idea. I thought about it for weeks, without telling anyone. Then one day, my husband made a joke about the number of books I was reading. He said that I might as well just write one. I sat down at my computer and started writing, not knowing if I’d be able to write a whole book. I didn’t know anything about writing a book (How many words in a book? How does a book get published? What do I do when I’m finished?) I was able to finish the book and then I set out to learn all I could about the business, starting with joining RWA. The book wasn’t very good, but I learned a lot from it and fell in love with writing.
 
Do you have a specific writing style?
I’m a pantser, which means that I don’t really know what I’m going to write. I come up with ideas for my characters and a basic situation and then I start writing. Now that I have to write under deadline, I’ve tried to get better at doing some planning before I write so I don’t have to waste a ton of time rewriting junk.
 
How did you come up with the title?
I didn’t. My editor came up with my titles. In fact, I’m really bad at coming up with titles. My first book, More Than This, went through 3 titles in my hands before my editor came up with More Than This. A Good Time went through two titles with me. The second one I had wasn’t bad, but A Good Time is better.
 
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The idea that really surrounds Indy and Griffin is that they should exceed expectations. They both go through life not having too many expectations at all, but they teach each other that it’s okay to expect more.
 
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Nothing in this book is based on anyone I know or anything I’ve experienced. That’s part of why this book was hard for me to write. Indy is so different from me that I kept having her do things and react to things the way I would, which didn’t work for the character or the book.
 
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Lani Diane Rich (AKA Lucy March) has been great. I started following her blog a few years ago and then I took a couple of classes with her. I have learned so much about story structure and characters, especially for this book. Without her help, I might still be staring at old drafts of A Good Time trying to figure out what to do.
 
 
What book are you reading now?
Love Irresistibly by Julie James. I buy all of Julie’s books because she crafts a great contemporary.  
 
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
One of my favorite authors of 2012 is Ruthie Knox. She had 2 books release last year and she’s become an auto-buy for me.
 
What are your current projects?
The third book in the O’Leary series is with my editor and will be out sometime in early 2014. I’m currently drafting book 4 while revising a couple of non-O’Leary books that I hope to get out on submission.
 
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Chicago-North RWA. This is my local chapter and it’s a critique chapter. They’ve taught me so much, I can’t even put it into words. The members are all so supportive, both published and unpublished. I hate when I have to miss a meeting.
 
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I can’t think of anything major that I’d want to change. With every book there’s always small things—a word I found I used too often or a sentence that reads awkwardly—but the story itself I still like.
 
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I’ve always been a writer. As a kid, I walked around with a clipboard full of looseleaf so I could craft a story. By the time I was in high school and through college, really, I focused mostly on poetry. Once I became a teacher, I stopped writing because my job required all of my focus. It wasn’t until after I had a couple of kids that I returned to writing.
 
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Revisions are always hardest for me. I like to draft—that first time of getting a story down and playing with the characters. I let the words flow without worrying too much about what works and what doesn’t. Then I have to revise. Sometimes, though, I’m not sure how to approach a book to make it better. I can’t see the problems, much less know how to fix them.
 
 






 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Reina Cottier

 
 
 

Ambrosia Arts – Tell us how you got into this style of art and how long have you been at it?
I started painting about 3 years ago after not doing any art since high school. (and that was very many moons ago! ) This style has evolved over that time, however from the very start I was obsessed with color and shapes flowing together.
 

Ambrosia Arts -  Who was it that introduced you to art originally? Do you still know them?
Well originally it was my mother, she was, and still is, the most craft obsessed person I know, :) but 3 years ago I decided to take an art class with Maria Fowler, called “Awaken the Artist Within”, a class which did not show one how to paint, but more how to bring out what was inside and express that onto the canvas. I still keep in touch with Maria, she is ia good friend.
 

Ambrosia Arts – Do you have any current muses or mentors? What inspires you?
Not currently, I have been too busy, but there have been plenty over the last few years.
Life inspires me, different experiences, cultures, vibrancy, colour, energy,  the ocean, nature, mother earth in all her glory.

 

Ambrosia Arts – What was your first medium in the world of art and how have you progressed from there?
Pencil drawings was my first big thing, at school. I never painted at school. There is no progression, more like a leap sideways :) Now, I dont sketch, maybe only very occasionally to make sure an idea will fit onto the canvas proportionally.

 

Ambrosia Arts – Can you describe the feeling behind your work for us- How it drives you and why?
I had to really ‘think’ about this, its difficult to answer with words, when its all about feeling,  a creative feeling, I want to create something beautiful, something, that to the viewer, prompts some type of connection within. For me its about aligning with an inner quest for a greater understanding of life  expressed with amazing colours and flowing shapes. It always starts with colour, I then get inspiration for the shapes to follow from that... I never know what is going to happen.
 

Ambrosia Arts – When did you first realize that this was more than just a hobby of sorts? Or do you still feel that way?
When I had painted 30 paintings I thought, hmm Id better start getting rid of these, Im running out of room! - so made a Facebook art page and website, started selling them, and the rest is history.

 

Ambrosia Arts – What all mediums have you experimented with? Is there anything you want to try next?
Have used, Paint, Pencil, Crayon, Ink, (crayon & ink together-love!), chalk, collage.
Would like to try more mixed media, only problem is I am such an ‘immediate results’ person, Im not sure I can be bothered with all the fiddly-ness. lol!
 

Ambrosia Arts – Is there a certain feeling or message you want portrayed in your art that you would like to share with us? (closing question)

Well I would like my art to evoke inspiration and positivity in the viewer. If they connect to something within that makes them feel good, then this is why I paint. There is no ‘message’ as such, more an experience of being uplifted, or pulled in, its a feel good thing! :)
 

A little about the artist… (bio)
I was born and raised in beautiful New Zealand feel totally blessed to be a part of this amazing land. I have travelled extensively over the years which has had a huge effect on my creativity. Im deeply influenced by different cultures & how they interact with our Mother Earth. in particular our oceans.  As a mother of two vibrant and feisty girls, I’m kept real and grounded every day. . I also do a little hairdressing (this was my career of choice when I left school and I owned my own salon for 9 years). But my first love is art, and this is what I prefer to be doing as much as I can, and with the total support of my wonderful partner, I am able to do this almost every day. Lucky  me, living my dream. :)
 

Please provide any links you wish to include.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Forever Young Irina by Gerald Simpkins


 


 

17-year old Irina Connors is in her last year of high school.  What had begun as seemingly a dream come true only three years previously has morphed into a daily grind of verbal abuse and bullying.  She was offered a place in a special program wherein she is bussed from her poor neighborhood to a school in a wealthy part of Seattle and has qualified for a college scholarship if she can maintain a 3.7 GPA.  As she struggles to maintain a perfect grade average she has increasingly become the favored target of malicious and cruel attacks by a clique of wealthy girls and their boyfriends.

   One day the attacks go too far as her only friend is victimized too and Irina retaliates, setting in motion a chain of events that seem to shatter her life and her dreams.  She crosses a threshold that takes her into a world of unbelievable danger, yet one of great promise as well if she proves worthy.  

   Join Irina as she sets out on the journey of a lifetime and beyond, discovering things unimaginable even while struggling with her own role in her new life.  ‘Forever Young Irina ‘will captivate you and draw you in to experience the world of Vampires as you have never before seen it portrayed.

 


Telecommunications worker turned author.  My first book ever was titled 'Secrets of the Bible'  It was a paperback book that I published in 1998 and dealt with words that appear in the Hebrew text of the Bible at specific intervals, sometimes called 'Bible codes'.  I returned to writing in 2012 as a novelist after having thoughts about two separate characters and their adventures since around year 2010.  I thought of them as figures in a screenplay and not as literary characters until springtime of 2012 when I decided to write about one of them.

This led to  the 'Forever Young' vampire series following the adventures of the same character and his 'family'.  To date I have written three of them and I anticipate writing more in the near future.  They are available at most online book stores and in  print.

I am a work in progress and my wife and I lead a quiet life in the southeastern United States

I am a new indie author who writes vamp novels.  I recently finished and published my 3rd one, aimed at YA readers, but which will be appreciated by more mature readers of vamp lit as well.  The title is:  'Forever Young Irina' , and it is available for only $.99 at most online bookstores.
 
ISBN (Smashwords) 978-0-9665434-5-2   

ASIN (Amazon)B00B860FEW  

Please host me in the format of a blog interview to fit your schedule as fits your site. 

'Forever Young Irina' is a vampire action-romance-urban-YA story, and in paperback form the text is around 280 pages.  It features a 17-year old girl who finally retaliates against those who have bullied and harassed her unmercifully at school.  Those lead to unforeseen events that turn her world upside down and propel her into the world of vampires, whom she discovers are living among the citizens of Seattle, Washington. 

I published it on Amazon Jan 29, 2013 and at Smashwords Jan 31, 2013 and it is available in print too. 

Amazon URL:  http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Young-Irina-ebook/dp/B00B86OFEW


Smashwords URL:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/280843


I can be reached at:  gsim@tds.net

Author contact info is the same as above.

Three of my URL's are:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Gerald+Simpkins




some other related URL’s: