Interview with John Raab from Suspense Magazine

I want to ask you all, how many of you love a good Mystery and Suspense story? I’m not sure if it’s just curiosity or what exactly, but sometimes I love to read (or watch) a good story that scares me or that keeps me at the edge of my seat. If I get the opportunity to read it for free, well, even better. That is exactly what Green Lake it’s building up to be, a great and thrilling read. Green Lake it’s a special, ongoing project by the creators of Suspense Magazine; a website dedicated to, like the name suggests, suspense, mystery, horror and thriller fiction. And today we welcome the magazine’s own CEO and Publisher, Mr. John Raab.

Me: First of all welcome to Journey with Words and thank you for stopping by today.

John: Thank you for having me here, I’m delighted to stop by.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.

John: I’m the CEO / Publisher of Suspense Magazine. Not only am I a fan of books, but also sports and music. I’m married with four children and live in Los Angeles, CA. Other than that, I’m a pretty boring person on the outside, but my brain won’t stop working and always think of new ways to scare people.

Q: For those who haven’t heard from Suspense Magazine yet, what can you tell us about it? How long have it been running?

John: Suspense Magazine is a monthly magazine that is dedicated at bringing the inside information on the suspense / mystery / thriller / horror genre. We started the magazine almost five years ago and have been fortunate to not only still be around, but grow to 17 countries. We are an all-electronic magazine, giving us the ability to spread out to the entire globe and cover the genre from many angles. The publishing world today is so crazy, keeping up with it is a difficult task in itself.

Q: There are so many great articles on the magazine, how do you narrow down and choose what goes and what stays for each issue?

Author Interview: Amos Cassidy!

Welcome Back my amazing followers and lurkers! Today I'm being visited by a duo of writers. Two weeks ago I reviewed their first novel Crimson Midnight, and today they are dropping by to chat a bit about their book, their experience as writers and more.

So, who's Amos Cassidy?

Amos Cassidy is a team of two writers from the UK; Amos is a 28 year old Diva and Cassidy a 35 year old mum of two. They have been writing together since 2009 and 'Tales from the Ether' is their first publication. Their debut novel 'Crimson Midnight' is also now available in ebook format. For more information on the 'Crimson Series' please visit: http://crimsonseries.wordpress.com/

Mel: First of all, welcome to Journey with Words and thank you for dropping by to chat.

Amos: Hello! Thanks for having us J

Cassidy: It’s great to be here. Got any coffee?

Mel: Sure do! My Dad's drink of choice is coffee so there is always around. How about you tell us a bit about yourselves while I get you some.

News: Goodreads Q&A with Jeaniene Frost (Original Transcript)

Hello my amazing followers and lurkers, I’m calling forth all Jeaniene Frost’s Fans to come out of the woodwork!! The Goodreads Group Gotta Have Paranormal Romance with a Kick had a Q&A with the author of the Night Huntress, Night Huntress World and Night Prince novels! I went through the thread and have prepared a transcript for your enjoyment; get ready to get some first-hand news straight from Jeaniene Frost’s keyboard ~.^

The dynamic was that fans will write questions and for two hours Mrs. Frost answered them. The questions will be in bold and the name of the user that originally posted it will be underlined. If I have to make a comment of any sort the text will be in pink. I will transcribe them as the original posted wrote them; I will not change their questions, or the answers.

I will try to get reorganize the questions so that I can distill the information for easier (and faster) access. Those will go on another post later this (or next) week; in the meantime, here is the original transcript in the order that Jeaniene answered the questions:

Jeaniene: Hi everyone! Thanks so much to the moderators for inviting me to come out tonight, and thanks so much to YOU for keeping me from being lonely ;-). I'll start answering the questions already posted, but please feel to free to ask away on any new ones.

Elizabeth wrote: "Are u gona write more then nine Cat and Bones books?Please say yes"

Jeaniene: Sorry, I have to say no. Since I started their series, I knew how it would end, and each book brings Cat and Bones closer to their final resolution. Besides, they've earned some time away from the evils of my keyboard, righ? *wink*

Emily wrote: "Ms. Frost, How did you come up with your first book idea? Also, how long did it take you to write it?"

Jeaniene: I came up with the idea for Cat and Bones from a dream. I've always had very vivid dreams and as a teen, I used to write them down and make little (unfinished) stories out of them. Anyway, right around the time that I was having a mild meltdown about turning 30 and having done nothing toward my goal of being an author one day, I had a dream where I saw a half-vampire woman arguing with a full vampire man about why she'd left him years before. In the dream, I knew she still loved him and hadn't wanted to leave, but felt like she had no choice. I also knew he'd been looking for her that whole time and was NOT going to go away quietly. When I woke up, I kept thinking about those people and wondering who they were and how they'd gotten to that point (let alone a half-vampire and a vampire together? How did that happen?). Answering those questions eventually become my first book, Halfway to the Grave.

As for a timeline, I have some detailed information about that here: http://frost-light.livejournal.com/107613.html

t'irla ~aka s'layer~ wrote: "I adore your books! When can we expect Ian's book I love his bad boy self:) Will Tate and the boys be making a come back in the future? I also get a big kick out of Cat's Mom and I know she loved Rodney but Will she be meeting someone else and getting her HEA? I have a million more questions but will give others a chance :)"

Straight to Heaven Blog Tour: Author Interview

Hello my amazing followers and lurkers, today I'm hosting my second stop on the Straight to Heaven Blog Tour for Michelle Scott. Yesterday I brought you my review of the first book on this series. Today I'm bringing you an interview with the author!

Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, All Possible Worlds and Realms. Her fantasy novel, The Dragons of Hazlett was nominated for a 2009 EPPIE Award. Michelle’s YA novels include the vampire romance, Blood Sisters, and the fantasy Uncommon Magic. Her latest fantasy novel, An Anthem for the Battle Lands, was recently released from Mundania Press, LLC. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children.

Interview:

First of all, Welcome to Journey with Words and thank you for stopping by to answer a couple of questions and to let my readers get to know you a bit better.

Michelle: Thank you so much for hosting me! I’m glad to be here.

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself.

Michelle: I’m a pretty average person (a middle-aged mother of three) who loves to read and write urban fantasy. I’m also a huge movie buff and am addicted to movie theater popcorn with extra butter and Milkduds. I’ve been writing for nearly twenty-five years which is as long as I’ve been married. Since my husband is a teacher, in the summers, we love to make road trips with our kids. So far, our favorite vacation spot has been Glacier National Park in Montana because it reminds us all of the Lord of the Rings movies, lol.

Q: What types of stories do you turn to when you want to read a book? Are you a Paranormal Romance girl, or do you like them more action oriented, more grounded on reality than fantasy… what genre you prefer the most?

Michelle: I’m urban fantasy through and through! Although I do enjoy PNR, I’m more about action than romance. For a while, I was reading a lot of science fiction and horror, but I’ve changed my obsession to witches and demons. I also read a lot of non-genre and historical fiction. I have to admit that I love interpersonal drama and emotional. Strong characters are what win me over every time.

Q: When did you realize that writing was your passion?

Gabriel Blitz Tour

Hello my amazing followers and lurkers, today I have a special treat for you. My first Blitz Tour! (Also known as a Blog Hop) To celebrate the occasion, we are being visited today by author Mary Ann Abraham who is here to talk to us a bit about her debut novel “Gabriel” and to give us a slight insight into her mind and the mind of her major characters.

For my review of the book go HERE.

So without further ado, let’s give a warm welcome to M.A. Abraham:

In my mind the kiss of death of any story is slow dialogue. A book that is not moving is one that is apt to get thrown across the room in frustration. I think that reasoning follows through with most anyone who reads. Sure there are people who read books I consider dull, people who think any book that is not academic is not worth reading. I am sure there are people who think Gabriel silly and without purpose. It is not a story that is meant to have a major purpose; it is meant to be entertaining. I hope I reached that goal. It is meant to make you chuckle and shake your head with the things that happen at times between the proverbial covers. It is also meant to show love in all the different forms it can take.

Interview with Nicola Black

Hello my amazing followers and lurkers, today I'm hosting my very first Blog Tour courtesy of Making Connections. To celebrate the fourth stop on the Tour we are welcoming author Nicola Black and her debut work A Story Not Wished to be Read, a collection of reflective poems.

For my review of the book you can click this link.

Nicola Black has always been a very creative young woman. When she was younger, she and her mother would make up stories together. As Nicola got older, she started writing them down. However, she would never finish anything. Throughout school, she had to write poems for English. She was homeschooled and her patient mother taught her how to write well. Eventually, Nicola started writing poems outside of school projects. At first she did not think they were very good, but after a while, she finally published her first set of poems on Smashwords. After receiving some very good reviews, she finally realized that she could write. Nicola Black is currently working on three novels and a compilation of short stories.

Nicola Black has been to Scotland three times, but is currently living in the South. She has also joined the Navy and is going to boot camp in September. She also enjoys writing music.

Q&A Interview with Nicola Black:

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself and about your writing.

Nicola: Well I’m just a young woman with a huge imagination. My childhood was a bit rough, and I think that helped me to sympathize with people and situations. I have a huge imagination and could probably dream up just about anything. I think my writing reflects a lot of that.

Q: What inspired you to make a poetry book?

Nicola: I actually didn’t start my poetry for a book. I just wrote down ideas that would pop into my head, and it sort of accumulated over the years. Then I put it up on Smashwords to see what kind of response it would have. I was surprised at all of the great feedback.