Hydra Blog Hop, Day 5: Tricia Ballad

Greetings, Ladies and Gents:

My - what a special treat that Friday has in store for us! Fantasy and romance author Tricia Ballad is here to answer a few questions and introduce us to her work. It seems we share a penchant for similar genres, so I am quite excited to introduce her to everyone this lovely morn~

Interview with Tricia Ballad

Good day, Tricia!

Thank you for being here today. Would you mind telling us three things about yourself? It could be anything – anything at all: unique, mundane, unusual, etc… 

Thank you for having me, Rachel! 

 

Ok - Three things about me… 

1. I completely geek out over old architecture, and my dream home is a beautifully restored Victorian – or maybe an Irish castle. Modern McMansions might be comfortable, but they lack the amazing artistic detail you find in older architecture. (Now that I’ve said that, my next home is going to wind up being one of those anonymous boxes with eggshell-white walls and boring, carpet-covered stairs!)

2. I relax in the evening by watching hard-edged travel shows like Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, but when it comes to my own vacations I love the Walt Disney World Resort. Every once in a while, it’s ok to take the easy, safe option! We took our family to WDW in 2010 for the first time, and I completely fell in love with the atmosphere there – so much so that I started a weirdly successful blog about it, which led me down some fairly interesting rabbit holes. Besides, where else can you have breakfast with a Princess?

3. I met the love of my life two months into my Freshman year of college…after telling my mother that I had no intention of dating anyone until at least my Junior year. Whoops! She laughed at me at the time, I’m sure. My father didn’t take it so lightly. His response, which I’ll never forget, was “No way in hell my daughter is dating some long-haired Hippie freak!” to which I innocently responded, “Oh no, Daddy. He’s not a Hippie. He’s in a punk band!”

20 years and four children later, we’re still happily attached at the hip. 

Your website says you are an author of ‘Epic Fantasy’ and ‘Sweeping Romance.’ Now those are two genres I could read without tire! Would you mind telling us a bit about your work?

It all comes down to what I love to read, and the stories I see all around me. I grew up reading the great fantasy authors – David Eddings is my favorite! – and classic romances. The one thing that always disappointed me about fantasy was that most of it was written by men, who were overly interested describing exactly what a sword in the entrails would do to a man. Such detail leaves little room for developing the relationship between the hero and the fair maiden for whom he guts half the kingdom. 

On the other hand, the classic romances by Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte had all the relationship building a girl could ever want, but their heros rarely draw their swords even if they do happen to possess one! It’s a major failing in a hero, not carrying a sword.

I tried writing literary fiction (that didn’t go well, even I was bored by it), and mainstream romance, but I missed the epic quality of a great fantasy. Trying to write within the real world was too restrictive for me. So I threw caution to the winds and wrote the stories I wanted to curl up and read.

I understand that you are not only an author but a mother and a homeschool teacher as well! How do you go about balancing the various roles your lifestyle demands? 

Coffee, and lots of it! 

I write from 5-7am every day, so no matter how crazy the day gets I know I’ve gotten my writing done. My kids have grown up with me working from home, so they know that when Mom is frantically pounding the keyboard or scribbling notes on scraps of paper, not to interrupt – I may be killing someone off. 

One of the hardest things for me is leaving the story when my writing time is done. Transitioning from writer to Mom/Teacher is difficult sometimes, but those are the days when we start our school day with a story. I’m lucky, all of my kids are insanely creative, so they get it when Mom’s got her head in the clouds a bit and we rush through math to get to art time. 

Tell us about your recent promotion in Hydra Publication’s new gaming division. Are you an avid gamer – or do you prefer to create the worlds that players delve in?

Both! I started gaming back in college, thanks to that guy I met and married. He has always been a gamer geek, so if I wanted to hang out with him on Saturday nights I had to give the gaming thing a shot. I loved it, being able to immerse in the story was invigorating. 

I rarely run the games, but I often create the scenarios and adventures that the players explore. We sit down before the players arrive, and talk about the major villain, the events that thrust the players into the middle of the action, and any side quests we might throw in, and so on.

What spurs the Muse within you? Do you listen to music as your write? Do you record your dreams?

People-watching. When I’m stopped at a red light, I’ll glance over at the car next to me and imagine what circumstances might have led the great beloved Princess out of her castle and into the minivan in the next lane, or what quest the young hero on the steel horse might be thrust into just beyond the next curve. I love to peel away the layers of modernity and mundane life to find the larger-than-life hero(ine) lurking below.

What is your favorite quote?

I have two:

The first is from Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, great Southwest American poet and novelist:

"Do not jump into your automobile next June and rush out to the canyon country hoping to see some of that which I have attempted to evoke in these pages. In the first place you can't see anything from a car; you've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail you'll see something, maybe. Probably not. In the second place most of what I write about in this book is already gone or going under fast. This is not a travel guide but an elegy. A memorial. You're holding a tombstone in your hands. A bloody rock. Don't drop it on your foot - throw it at something big and glassy. What do you have to lose?"

This has been one of my guides through life – that sometimes you have to get dirty and bloodied in order to get to the good stuff, and that sometimes you have to chuck a bloody rock at something big and glassy!

The second is from T.S. Eliot, who needs no introduction:

    Turning and turning in the widening gyre

    The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

    Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

This always seemed to describe my inner world – lots of anarchy and chaos!

Thank you for introducing yourself and your writing, Tricia. Do you have anything else you would like to say before we part? 

Thanks for having me! I can’t think of anything else – so I’ll open it up to the readers: Feel free to leave questions in the comments section, and I’ll stop by to answer as many as I can. If you’d rather contact me directly, you can check out my author page on Facebook or my website.

Thanks again!

Tricia Ballad

Website/Blog: http://www.TriciaBallad.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TriciaBalladAuthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TriciaBallad

Email: Tricia@TriciaBallad.com

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Hydra Blog Hop, Day 3: Melissa Goodman

G'mornin' to ya, Adventurers and Perusers of Ink:

Today marks Day Three of the "Hydra Blog Hop", and fellow Hydra author Melissa Goodman is here with an excerpt of her release, It's Your Love. So, if you've a penchant for the romantic, you'll want to stick around and see what Ms. Goodman has in store for you. (And, as it's Day Three of the "Hop", you can find my post featured on the blog of Gwen Perkins.)

 

It's Your Love: Excerpt

"It's about time," said Kade. He was leaning with his back against the wall. He had not bothered to glance her way. He came across as if it was completely natural for him to be standing there.

"What are you doing?" She looked over her should just to be sure that God wasn't playing a cruel joke and the blond was behind her.

"I'm an ass," he said as if it was the only explanation needed.

So she agreed with him, "And?"

Kade stood up straight. With his hang dog expression Allie fought the urge to forgive him on the spot.

     "I'm sorry."

"I didn’t mean to pry. I'm sorry."

"I live a very public life. There are some things I just like to keep private."

"You don't have to explain," she said, "I understand."

     He held out his hand and gave her a wink. "So what now? Do we start over?"

His hand was Kade himself. Warm, strong with the right mixture of soft and rough. Touching him felt right. It felt like nothing could go wrong as long as she was in his embrace. It felt as if Allie had come home. If he didn't feel the same, God help her.

Kade let out a breath that he wasn't aware of holding when she took his hand. When Allie left the table he had considered what she said. He had even gone as far as to start his way over to the blond. About ten feet away he changed directions. He never walked away from a sure thing. He especially didn't leave a woman he knew was willing for one that had just dumped him. Waiting outside the ladies' room was agonizing. Kade had done his best to look like he was doing anything other than waiting for a woman. When the blond and her friends passed by trying to catch his eye Kade knew that he had dodged a bullet.

Then Allie appeared and Kade knew. It amazed him how wrong people were. He didn't hear bells and whistles, what he heard was a soft voice that called to his soul. A missing piece he hadn't been aware was missing until she placed her hand in his.

***

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About the Author:

Melissa Goodman was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She’s a die-hard member of the University of Kentucky’s Big Blue Nation and a lover of all things Nascar, reality television, and fairytale endings. She can be contacted at MelissaGoodmanWriter@gmail.com

Buy links:

Smashwords

Amazon

Blog Tour Stop: "Conviction of the Heart" - by Alana Lorens

Good Day to You, Bloggers, Readers, Writers, and [insert plural noun here]...


It's been an interesting beginning to the week thus far, no? Indeed, it has. So many ventures to be made, yet several past us and awaiting the history books (or, at least, marking chapters in our lives, however great or small). But today marks a great one, for I have a wonderful author I would like to introduce to you all: Barbara Mountjoy - writing as Alana Lorens! Her next release is a romance novel titled, Conviction of the Heart, and it will be out in four days' time (June 8th) through The Wild Rose Press. Also, be sure to check out the Giveaway listed in the middle of this post! Results to be announced once the blog tour is complete~

So, Ms. Mountjoy, I understand you've led a busy life. Would you mind telling us a little about yourself and how your life relates to your writing? 

            Back in my Miami days, I used to be married to a cop. As a lawyer, this was sometimes helpful and sometimes really not.

            For one thing, there was no such thing a “inappropriate” dinner conversation. Our growing children heard about bloody car accidents and deal bodies and “hypothetical” discussion about cases and procedure right along with their instant macaroni and cheese. (With two parents out working such long hours, who had time to cook real food?)

            Unless you work for the District Attorney’s office, the police don’t have much use or respect for you as a lawyer. If you’re an “ambulance chaser”, you’re likely in their way while they’re trying to do their work, and if you’re a family law attorney, you’re either going to gum up one of their cases—or worse, maybe represent one of their spouses.   

            In fact, it often becomes a matter of oil and water—or at the extreme, dogs and cats.

            As I concentrated more on family law, and particularly cases with domestic violence in the homes, I discovered that more often than not, the police only contribute to the problem. I would instruct clients to call the police immediately if they felt unsafe. The police would put the call on a back burner, particularly if it was an address they thought they’d visited enough that month. Or when they’d show up, despite the hours of training they all have to determine who’s the aggressor in a case, when the combatants blamed each other, the police would just threaten to arrest them both and put their kids in foster care.  So the victim backs off, not wanting to lose her kids, and the abuser wins. The cops leave, and there they are at a Mexican standoff.

            So in CONVICTION OF THE HEART, when family lawyer Suzanne Taylor meets police lieutenant Nick Sansone, she’s understandably reluctant to engage. But one domestic violence victim in particular brings them together, and the repercussions of working her case resonate through both their lives, threatening to tear apart their new-found trust and relationship apart. For her, the question becomes, will she pull back into herself and protect her family, or will the challenge bring out her mama grizzly, enough to defend her family, and Nick too, against this criminal abuser.

 Wow - it sounds like a powerful piece. And luckily for readers, you're holding a SUMMER CONTEST for - not only Conviction of the Heart - but another title you're releasing this July, Second Chances. Can you let us know how readers may enter?

CONTEST INFO:

DUAL BOOK/BLOG TOUR!!

CONVICTION OF THE HEART (release date June 8, 2012)

And SECOND CHANCES (release date July 2012)

The first and Second books of the Pittsburgh Lady Lawyer Series!

Come by the following blogs or live book-signings and leave a comment to be entered in a drawing—at the end of the tour, Alana will give away one ebook copy of each book and one paperback copy of each book—Four lucky winners! Check out all the websites at http://alanalorens.com

What a wonderful opportunity! And now, to let readers get a taste of your work, would you mind sharing with us an excerpt and a bit about Conviction of the Heart?

BLURB:

Family law attorney Suzanne Taylor understands her clients’ problems—her own husband left her with two babies to raise alone. Now that they’re teenagers, her life is full. The last thing she wants is the romantic attentions of a police lieutenant, no matter how good-looking.

Lt. Nick Sansone is juggling the demands of a new promotion, and doesn’t need complications either. But when he sends a councilman’s battered wife to Suzanne for help, he realizes he wants to connect with the lovely, prickly lawyer on more than a professional level.

They are soon confronted with a different battle, when the abused woman's husband threatens retribution. The powerful, well-connected councilman can damage both their careers—not to mention hurt those they love. Can they bend enough to admit they need each other in a time of crisis? Or will a husband’s revenge take them down before they ever get a chance?

 

EXCERPT:

When they arrived a short time later at the expensive Shadyside Morgan home, they found the door standing open. Nothing was amiss in the beautifully-landscaped front yard and no one came out at the sound of their car doors closing.

            Nick’s eyes took on a troubled look. “You two stay here,” he ordered. He tucked the envelope under his arm before he removed his pistol from its holster. He disappeared inside the large brick house.

            “Oh, my God,” Maddie gasped. “What’s he going to do?”

            Suzanne shushed her, pulling her behind the parked car, now a barrier between them and the house. “If someone’s broken in, they might still be inside,” she whispered. “Nick will find them. Don’t worry.”

            Expecting to hear shots any moment, Suzanne was relieved when Nick poked his head out the door and beckoned them to come in. “Don’t touch anything,” he warned as they came to the front step.

            “Don’t—what happened?” Suzanne asked. Then she saw.

             The house looked as if a poltergeist had been through every drawer, every closet. Maddie's clothes were scattered around the living room, slashed to pieces. Furniture was overturned. Some of the children's toys were burned in the middle of their bedroom floor.

            But that wasn’t the worst of it. Scrawled across the front of the kitchen refrigerator, in what looked like blood, were the words, “You're dead, bitch.”

            Maddie had managed well until then. Her knees seemed to fold up, and she fell in the middle of the floor and cried as if her heart was broken.

 

 Thank you for stopping by today, Ms. Mountjoy. It's been a pleasure having you.

Find out more about Barbara Mountjoy and her writing as Alana Lorens (and don't forget to participate in the Giveaway!):

Website

Purchase

Giveaway: FREE, signed paperback copy of "Empyreal Fate"

Greetings, All!

As of tonight (May 27th, 2012), through Monday, June 11th, 2012, I will be hosting my first giveaway on Goodreads for a FREE, signed paperback copy of my new fantasy novel, Empyreal Fate. Anyone in the United States, Canada, or United Kingdom is eligible to participate. Simply click on the link below and select 'Enter to Win'. Good luck!

 

Goodreads Giveaway: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/25641-empyreal-fate


Blurb:

Filled to the brim with forbidden love, an ancient evil, and a nation in disrepair, Empyreal Fate is a tale of riveting bravery and mortal corruption.

The land of Llathala lingers on the brink of war between men and elves, a dark history surrounding each race. Stirred by tensions of the land, a shadow of the past reemerges, taking precedence in reality and consuming the very soul of mans’ mortal weakness. Darrion, the son of a poor laborer, is ensnared in a hostile world, forced to choose between loyalty to his king or the counsel of the elves. Yet Fate has other plans in store, tying his course to Amarya, an elven royalblood of mysterious quality and unsurpassable beauty. But this forbidden connection incites betrayal from members of their own kin, marking them as traitors to the crown. In a land torn asunder, only Fate’s decree can allow such love to coexist with an ancient enmity.

                                 Behold: A Llathalan Annal: Empyreal Fate – Part One.