A LITTLE ABOUT WHERE I LIVE~by Margarita Felices

…and the reason why I can be inspired by just walking around.

City Hall

I have always lived in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It’s home to Triassic and Jurassic coastlines, ancient ruins, castles, mountains, rugby, Doctor Who and Torchwood. I live here with my partner and three little mad dogs and I work for a well-known TV broadcasting company.

Norman keep

I love living in Cardiff because for all its modernisation, there are still remnants of an old Victorian city. 

Then you can venture a few short miles towards the bay. You probably wouldn’t believe that 50 years ago this land was the Docklands and where the pillars in this picture stand, it used to be the Dry Dock where ships came in for repair. It’s changed a lot since I was young. I’m from the area and even though they have made it one of the top places to live in the country, they took away the community that lived there and it doesn’t have the heart that it had once. It’s modern and clean, but it’s also cold and uncaring, and as much as I do like what they’ve done with it, I miss the history, the mixed cultures and the smiles from the families I used to know.

I love writing and will often base my stories in Cardiff because it has such character. When I can, I go out to the coast and take photographs. We have a lovely castle in the city centre and a fairytale one just on the outskirts, so when I feel I can’t write anything, I take a ramble to those locations and it clears my head. 

I have a TV production background. I used to be a professional photographer and decided to move into the TV world. I started off working on our local news programmes and then moved on to Arts, Factual, Drama, back to Factual, back to Drama (Torchwood, Doctor Who and a few regional shows). Now I work for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and we produce some of the music for well-known TV shows- Doctor Who for example! I’ve learnt so much from working there about Marketing and Promotions. It’s been an absolute blessing.

It was inevitable that someday I would write novels. My teachers at school used to limit me to no more than ten pages when they’d give out written assignments. I was a reporter on the school magazine and later became its Editor. When I left school, I paid my way through college by writing short stories for various women’s magazines and I later took a course in scriptwriting and came third in a BBC writing competition (I wasn’t working for them at the time).  

I have pretty much written stories all my life and one day I had a unique idea for a story and I began to write it. It took ten years to get it the way I wanted and when I’d finished I began to search for a traditional publisher, but got rejected each time. Every author goes through those rejections, but the trick is to never give up. If you have a story, then tell it. I did a little more research and found a small independent publisher and submitted the synopsis for Judgement of Souls 3. The publisher asked to read the whole thing. That was 2012 and I've not looked back since.

MY WRITING PROCESSES

I have a rather strange process. I usually know the outcome. I may even know the beginning and that's it. I will sit down and type what the first page should be about. Then on a new page I will put my characters in certain places/situations. I go through that process until I have a basic outline and then I fill in the blanks. It may be as many as 30 pages with a very basic outline. 

I have a notebook with me at all times. There's never a time when I'm not thinking about the plot or perhaps character dialogue. I'm a researcher too. If I can, I will visit the locations and take notes and pictures. I will read books in the library or search the internet for information. Judgement of Souls 1: Origin, for example, involved the Crusades so it was a lot of reading to get the battles, the uniforms, the main tribes correct. Judgement of Souls 2: Call of the Righteous, involved the French revolution plus 300 mortal years of an organisation so dates, places, and times all had to be accurate. 

WHO ARE MY FAVOURITE AUTHORS?

I am a lover of paranormal horror. I read Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles is my favourite) and Stephen King (pretty much anything from him except IT – nope, nope, nope).

  

Anne Rice is almost poetic in her writing and she gave me advice a few years back that helped immensely. She's a friendly, approachable person. 

Stephen King knows how to make you jump just at the moment when you think all is well. I am hoping to do that in my novels and have attempted to use his magic in my short story, The Trancers.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING WITH MY TIME?

My latest book release in January 2020 is called RHIANNON. I have always loved the myths that in the darkest parts of Wales there were witches in covens. There are several tales such as the Mabinogion that mentions Rhiannon and I’ve always found the old tales fascinating. 

Rhiannon must have been the fastest novel I’ve written. Once I started, I couldn’t stop thinking about where to go next. The story was to start in modern day with just flashbacks, but I felt quite early on that it had to start with her story, so that even though you knew she killed men, I explored why she did it. She had a history and a past that needed to be told in full before I brought her into our time.

The first half of the book is based in the 16th century and it centres on a beautiful woman called Rhiannon as she arrives in the village of Treharne in North Wales. But Rhiannon isn’t all she seems. She has come to visit an old woman who has lived on the outskirts of the village for over 40 years. You see this woman has a secret and Rhiannon wants what she has hidden – souls. But the old woman should have sensed Rhiannon’s aura, after all what’s the point in being a witch if you can’t spot one of your own? But soon the old woman is gone and Rhiannon has taken over her cottage. One day she meets a man and his wife in the village store and soon after becomes his lover. 

A jealous wife, village gossip, special medicinal potions and Rhiannon is accused of being a witch and goes to trial. But she’s pregnant now and her powers don’t work while she’s pregnant. Rhiannon tries to escape but is captured while she is giving birth, her child is left out for the wolves and she is sentenced for witchcraft (after all why run if you’re innocent) and she is burnt at the stake. 

Four hundred years later, a student researching a story finds an interesting artifact and accidentally brings Rhiannon back – and Rhiannon is out for revenge.

To learn more about Margarita Felices and to see her complete list of books, visit her on her 
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE and AMAZON UK.

Never Say Never ~ by Joanne Jaytanie

I've been crazy busy the last two months, and I veered off my writing schedule for the year. But, I didn’t do so lightly. I weighed the pros and cons and thought it was well worth the left turn. One could even say that I didn’t take a sharp turn, rather a slight bend. 

I was invited to take part in a Christmas collection with a fantastic group of authors. And, if you look closely at my very professional list and read #7, it says Christmas book 3. 

For the last two years, I've wanted to do another Christmas story, but I never made the time. It worked out that the theme of our Christmas collection: Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge couldn’t have been a better fit for Forever Christmas in Glenville, book three, Christmas Chemistry.

The cover turned out perfect. It always does when Linda Boulanger designs it. The special part is the Doberman. It's my beautiful girl, Maya. I still remember the day I took this photo, she was chasing snowballs. It was a perfect moment.

I was nervous that I wouldn’t make the deadline – two deadlines on the same day, but I made them. I stuck to my writing schedule, and more importantly, I have an editor that is always there and willing to take on my next project. I took care of my new puppy – Mazie, just in case you haven’t heard 😉 and made dinner. Everything else took a backseat, and I made my deadlines!! 

A few weeks before being invited into the Christmas collection, I committed to a different type of story with the authors of Romance Books 4 Us. Each author in the book is writing their own serial or episodic story for Soldiers of Fortune or SOF. Volume 3 of SOF releases on October 15th, and it's the part 2 of my story, Dogs of Fortune.

I hadn’t included dogs in either of my last two books, Salvaging Truth or Twice As Bad. I think I was having withdrawals. Christmas Chemistry is Gina's story, and she's been in love with Dobermans since the day she started working at Forever Christmas, in Christmas Reflections, book 1. So, along comes Angel and the two are nearly inseparable. And Dogs of Fortune – well, doesn’t the title tell it all? It has dogs! Blair Sellick is a well-known dog trainer with exceptional skills. Some, like Zane Kelly, might even call her psychically enhanced.

So, if you haven’t seen me around the watercooler (otherwise known as FaceBook) much lately, now you know why. I've been WRITING. I love it, I do. I certainly wouldn't want to try and keep up this pace for an entire year.

This is the first time in over two years that I've written in a collection with other authors. I'd said that I wouldn't do multiple-author collections again because they pull me away from my writing goals. I have my reasons for the choice to do so this time…What were they? If you want to know the answer to that question, you must attend the workshop I’m co-teaching with my dear friend, Jacquolyn McMurray, this Friday at the Emerald City Writers Conference or ECWC. What’s the workshop? Participating in a Collection: Pros and Cons. We chose this topic back in February, and I already had my year planned out, or so I thought.

Kinda ironic, wouldn't you say? Yep, that's my life.

I'm beyond thrilled and honored to be a finalist in the ECWC Best Blurb Contest! Thank you, judges!

For more information on my new and upcoming releases, or the ECWC you can visit my personal page.

Until next time…

Joanne

Genre Hopping ~by Author Marci Bolden

Many authors have a favorite type of book to write and stick with it. Me? I’m a bit more like a squirrel that ate an entire filter of barely used coffee grounds. My brain goes all over the place and is nearly impossible to control. I fall into the category of the genre hopper. I started my writing career in erotica, moved on to contemporary romance, dabbled in paranormal, dipped my toes into thriller. Now, after lots of research, interviews, and a week spent at the Writers’ Police Academy I’m diving into the romantic suspense pool.

Many authors bounce from genre to genre. While I can’t speak for them, I tend to switch things up because I follow what my characters are telling me to write. When I’m starting a new series, I rarely set out to write something for a specific genre. That’s probably a dangerous practice, but it is one that has worked well for me and lets me flesh out the characters and stories without worry of fitting into the boundaries of certain genres.

I didn’t intend for this to be a series, when I started writing these characters about three years ago, but I absolutely fell in love with these ladies. They are tough as nails, tender when they need to be, and always ready to kick butt.

The series started with Holly Austin being the victim of a crime and her boyfriend Jack trying to solve it, but quickly morphed into Holly being a badass private investigator leading the case. I knew before I was done that Holly was going to be the “hero” of the book. I wanted this focused on how strong women are. That doesn’t mean I’ve emasculated the men, not even close.

Holly and Jack are equals in every way.

Before I was finished, I knew I had to write books for the rest of the women on Holly’s team and my dabbling into romantic suspense became a six-book series!

The Women of HEARTS series is a bit darker romantic suspense. The cases aren’t cozy or easily solved. The reality these women live in can be tough, violent, and dangerous. But so can they. I’m so excited to introduce you to Holly Austin, Eva Thompson, Alexa Rodriguez, Rene Schwartz, Tika Brown, and Samantha Turner. With a diverse background in military, police, and professional training, the women have joined forces to make the world—or at least their town—a safer place.

I am so excited for this series and I hope you are too!

Hidden Hearts: Women of HEARTS Book 1 will be available October 15 and Burning Hearts: Women of HEARTS Book 2 will be following up on October 29.

Former Army Sergeant Holly Austin and her team at the HEARTS agency don’t normally find the police at their door. But it’s been weeks since a local woman vanished into thin air…and now there’s a second victim.

Police Detective Jack Tarek wasn’t officially working the Julia Fredrickson case until a second victim made the matter personal. Holly is willing to cooperate with Jack “unofficially,” but she quickly becomes a distraction he can’t resist. The leads on their cases might be running cold, but the attraction between the investigators is sizzling hot.

With every lead a dead end, those close to the investigation grow increasingly impatient for answers. Just as hidden secrets come to light, one of the investigators vanishes without a trace. The HEARTS team has just hours to solve the case—or risk losing one of their own.

After a spycam is discovered in a secure community, the

homeowners association hires HEARTS to track down the culprit.Investigator Eva Thompson fits the description of every victim so far and volunteers to move into a vacant condo to draw out the suspect from within. But until they know what’s behind the peeping, no one feels safe sending Eva as a decoy alone.

Joshua Simmons is Eva’s ex and the one man she can’t quite escape. As the county medical examiner, he frequently consults with HEARTS and cases—and uses that connection to keep close to the woman he’s still not over. When Eva needs a fake husband to work alongside her as a decoy, Josh agrees on one condition: that Eva won’t do anything to put herself in harm’s way.

Living together stirs up old feelings and old passions. And while Eva and Joshua try to sort out their demons, a voyeur is on the loose and getting braver by the day.

About Marci Bolden

As a teen, Marci Bolden skipped over young adult books and jumped right into reading romance novels. She never left.

Marci lives in the Midwest with her husband, two teenaged kiddos, and numerous rescue pets. If she had an ounce of will power, Marci would embrace healthy living but until cupcakes and wine are no longer available at the local grocery store, she’ll put that ambition on hold and appease her guilt by reading self-help books and promising to join a gym “soon.”

To learn more about Marci you can find her here:

Website

Amazon Author Page

Facebook Page