Monthly Archives: October 2012

Author Catie Rhodes: Journey into the Mist

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Today we have guest author Catie Rhodes talking about her path to publishing her first story in TALES FROM THE MIST, a collection of spooky tales just right for the Halloween season. Take it away, Catie . . .

I started this journey in 2007 with the dream of traditional publishing. As I learned all I could about the craft of writing, the publishing industry changed at warp speed. My dreams evolved along with these changes.

Dreams are, after all, fluid. They are made of stardust and wind. We have to stop and reassess them along the way, or we’ll never find the yellow brick road and get to see the wizard. After much thinking and soul-searching, I decided indie publishing was the best choice for me.

Rhonda Hopkins has always been a good friend to me. She introduced me to both the W2GE Street Team yahoo loop and the W2GE Street Team Facebook group. She mentioned that the W2GE Street Team might publish a fall anthology.

The idea of publishing in an anthology sounded very attractive. I could learn about indie publishing at a lower cost and have the benefit of working with experienced authors. I had a finished novel that was book one in a paranormal mystery series, and I had some short stories I wanted to compile into a collection. One of those short stories could be repurposed.

The story in question was “Haste.” It is a less-than-twenty-page short about a woman who kills her husband and his lover in a fit of rage and learns that karma has its own brand of justice.

There it was. My chance to dip my toe into indie publishing.

Though I had been writing for five years and had gotten my share of “good” rejections, I wasn’t sure I was ready yet. I was afraid. To tell the truth, I still am. But finally I gave myself a much-needed kick in the butt. I screwed up my courage and told Rhonda I wanted to submit to the W2GE Street Team anthology.

From that moment forward, it was ON. Before I knew it, I had agreed to read submissions for the anthology and to provide critique for the stories chosen for publication. I no longer had time to think about whether I was ready or not.

I learned pretty quickly that the W2GE Street Team is a family. From the first moment I participated, they treated me like a long lost cousin. It wasn’t long before they treated me like a sister. Anytime I asked for help, someone stepped forward with advice and kindness. Working with these folks warmed my heart.

Both publishing and life are “ride at your own risk” propositions. There are no promises, and there’s way more failure than success. The W2GE Street team has given me the confidence to take risks and to strive to succeed. This anthology represents the very thing that defines the W2GE Street Team. A single genre is not the glue that binds us. Nor is that glue a particular approach to indie publishing. Instead, we are drawn together by a desire to support each other, to help each other as best as we can, and to publish entertaining fiction.

Like the W2GE Street Team, the Tales From the Mist anthology is a mix of genres and a mix of approaches. It is a blend of both experienced authors and newbies to the publishing world. It will make you laugh, and it will make you look over your shoulder to make sure nothing is lurking behind you. We hope it entertains you.

Many thanks to both Alicia Street and DD Scott for all the work they’ve put into W2GE, the W2GE Street Team, RG2E, and for their support in the creation of this anthology. We couldn’t have done it without you ladies, and I’m grateful to you both.

Catie Rhodes is that kid your mother warned you about. She cusses, doesn’t wash her hands after petting the dog, and she tells lies. But in Catie’s family of storytellers, a lie is simply a story you didn’t get people to believe. Traveling through her native land of Texas has given her enough weird, spooky, and funny to write about for this lifetime and the next ten to come.

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Being Bad with Romantic Suspense Author J.D. Faver

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We have a guest post today from J.D. Faver, author of contemporary romance and romantic thrillers.

Thanks so much for having me here, Alicia and Roy. I’m very excited about my latest release, BAD VIBES, the third novel in my romantic thriller series: THE EDGE OF TEXAS.

The setting for this series is about 25 miles north of the Mexican border on the lower Texas coast. South Padre Island is a beautiful semi-tropical resort separated from the mainland and the small coastal village of Port Isabel by the two-and-a-half mile Queen Isabella Causeway spanning the Intracoastal Waterway. I first fell in love with this location when I was a member of a catamaran racing team. We had a 16’ Hobie Cat and sailing off the beach at South Padre was a favorite spot on the racing circuit. I used to always love to get up early and watch the dawn break on the beach. I also loved taking long, early morning walks. Being able to put the first footprints in the sand is exhilarating.

 

Writing a series has been great fun for me. I usually get a little depressed when I’m writing the last chapter of a book because I’m saying goodbye to the characters I’ve created. But with a series, I just say “Bye for now. I’ve already planned lots of trouble for you in the next book.” Spending more time with the characters also lets me know them so intimately. Their feelings, and idiosyncrasies have been revealed and I know what they will and won’t do in any given situation. They sometimes seem to take the story away from me and write it themselves. All I do is take dictation.

 

BAD MEDICINE was the first of THE EDGE OF TEXAS romantic thrillers and it’s FREE October 15th through the 17th. I hope everyone has a chance to download it.

BAD MEDICINE is followed by BAD KARMA, and BAD VIBES picks right up where BAD KARMA leaves off. The heroine is Darla Calhoun, one of the team of deputies the sheriff relies on. She is suffering a major heartache due to her husband’s financial betrayal and suicide. She is recovering, but still feels angry and sad. She’s trying to maintain a positive facade for the sake of her twin 4-year-old sons as well as performing in the tight-knit law-enforcement team under the leadership of Sheriff Rafael Solis.

Darla arrests a vagrant, hanging around the marina, but after he’s cleaned up, she discovers a hunky, hard-body with a smoldering gaze hidden beneath the filthy rags. He turns out to be a federal agent working undercover. He’s after a gang of human traffickers using the Intracoastal Waterway to bring sex slaves into the United States from Mexico. Rafael assigns Darla as liaison officer to work with the feds, bringing her face-to-face with the “Iceman”, Mike Burke, the undercover agent she arrested. Darla, Mike and his partner tear up and down the Intracoastal Waterway in pursuit of the human traffickers, but when two local women disappear, the search becomes personal.

I hope everyone has a chance to visit South Padre Island and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. In the meantime, you can visit through my series and keep up with the happenings. My goal is to entertain…and keep you awake nights.😉

*hugs*

~J.D.

The order of this series is

(1) BAD MEDICINE <FREE through the 17th of October. Grab a copy.

(2) BAD KARMA

(3) BAD VIBES

(4) BAD DREAMS <Under Construction>

Visit J.D. Faver’s website: http://www.jdfaver.com/

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A Couple Things

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We’ve been soooo busy in our writing and revision cave, working to finish our third novel in the Dance ‘n’ Luv series. But you can catch us in a Behind the Quill interview on Jennifer L. Oliver’s blog. Jennifer has a regular series of author interviews and they’re always fun and interesting.

Also — KISS ME, DANCER is featured in a wonderful and insightful review on Unputdownable Books. Check it out!

 

Okay, back to writing. And as usual, Wallace is cheering us on.