Fundraiser, Freebie and Friendy Friday with the dynamic duo Ari McKay!
FUNDRAISER
Greetings from smoky California. It's been a rough couple of weeks in my home state. A lot of families are now homeless or missing loved ones, and where I live, the smoke was so terrible they cancelled school today. As a long-time asthma sufferer, I've been lying low as much as possible with a nagging cough but I'm okay. I can stay in my house, others no longer have one. I want to do something to support the service personnel as well as those affected by the Camp fire in Northern California, so from 11/15/18 through December 31, I will be donating all proceeds from Father F'in' Christmas to a charity supporting this cause. I would love your support as well! You can find the book here on Amazon and it is also in KU, so those pages read will be counted as well.
FREEBIE
My very first book Haunted is available FREE on Amazon to celebrate it's 4th birthday. Pick up your free copy by 11/18/18 and tell a friend. This is where my brand of Rock 'n' Romance all started and I hope you love the boys from Houma, Louisiana as much as I did writing them.
FRIENDY FRIDAY WITH ARI MCKAY
I started Friendy Friday as a way to celebrate the authors who mean a lot to me, and Ari McKay fit that bill perfectly. While I have yet to meet McKay, and I haven't met Ari in person, Ari has been a light in the author community I'm so blessed to be a part of and I'm grateful for her support. When I saw they had a new release, Book 69 (heh heh) in Dreamspinner's category line Dreamspun Desires, I just HAD to have them on the blog! I've previously read Heart of Glass and The Boyfriend Sweater Curse and I'm currently anxious to shut out the world and finish the new one, Seeking Solace. Boy, do these two know how to write a perfect romance!
First, let's get to know this dynamic duo! Here's a quick interview:
What’s one thing every reader should know about you?
Well, other than the fact that there are really two of us behind the mask, so to speak, it’s probably that we have been writing together for fourteen years. Like so many authors, we started in fanfic (Snupin forever!!!!) and when our ship sank we decided to take our abilities out into the real world.
What’s your worst habit as a writer?
Probably procrastination, which I think a lot of authors have. ;) But it’s hard if you’re tired or you’ve had a bad day to write sexy times or cuddling or even a fight. Real life can be such a distraction from writing!
Have you had a major setback as an author, and how did you overcome it?
Hmmm… I don’t think we’ve had a major internal setback, really. One of the worst things that happened to us was something that hit a LOT of writers, when one of our major publishers went out of business while owing us a LOT of money. Then ARE closed, again while owing us a lot of money. Believe me, we don’t write to get rich!
What is the best reader response you’ve ever received?
That was probably at this past GRL, when someone came up to us, having remembered the reading Ari gave at the previous GRL, and asked when the book was going to be out. A year later, they remembered the reading!!! How cool is that? It kind of made our day. :D
Did a teacher in school ever encourage or discourage your desire to write? Care to share?
Yes. My eighth grade English teacher in creative writing was VERY supportive of my desire to write!
Who do you share your story ideas/writing with first? What can you expect from them?
Well, with each other, which I suppose is kind of obvious. :D We are ALWAYS honest with each other, which is very important in collaboration!
Ever find yourself writing/thinking about writing when you’re supposed to be doing something else?
Definitely! Usually when doing chores that don’t require my full attention. :D
What do you do to hold yourself back/motivate yourself?
CAKE is always a good motivator. So are deadlines. Sometimes giving ourselves an artificial deadline is good, too. :D
What music inspires you?
It really depends on my mood. We’ve written a lot of things with song lyrics in mind, everything from Trans Siberian Orchestra to David Cassidy. :D
What’s your reading guilty pleasure?
FANFIC! I still like to go back and read fanfic from time to time. :D
Which book boyfriend/girlfriend (either one you’ve read or written) sets the standard for heroes/heroines in your writing?
Hmmm… I think because of our origins, Severus and Remus are never too far from our hearts and minds. :D
Here's the blurb for Seeking Solace:
The Walker BoysAll hands on deck for a shipboard romance—with a secret.Like his cousins, Devin Walker aspires to be a chef, but he wants to indulge his wanderlust while feeding his customers, and working a cruise ship seems like the solution. Since he can’t find an opening in the kitchen, he’s happy to start out in a position behind the bar.While onboard Poseidon’s Pearl, Devin is assigned to shepherd a visiting executive. Paul Bailey is quiet and unassuming, and a car accident that cost him his leg also shattered his confidence. He doesn’t think he’s attractive to other men anymore, and Devin is eager to show him just how wrong he is. Paul has a surprising secret that might sink their passionate affair before it even leaves port.
You can pick up your copy at one of the links below:
BIO:
Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.
Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.
McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.
CONTACTS:
Website: http://arimckay.wordpress.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ari-Mckay/266185570179748
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ari.mckay.7
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AriMcKay1
Big thanks to Ari and McKay for being here this week, and thanks to YOU, my fantastic readery folks, for sticking with me over these past four years and thank you for making the release of Worst Holiday Ever a big success. I hope you had a great time at our release party, and if you happened to pop in, drop me a line and let me know if you enjoyed the free-for-all format!
STAY TUNED FOR MORE ROCK 'N' ROMANCE!
