Celebrations, Friendy Friday with Sue Brown, and a FREEBIE!
Greetings, Blessed Samhain, Feliz Dia De Los Muertos, and Happy NaNoWriMo! Not sure what those are? Well...Samhain is celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld. I am descended from the Celtic people and so this celebration means a lot to me. Dia De Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31- November 2. Living in California means I am surrounded by cultural celebrations from all walks of people, especially Mexican folks, and this holiday for them is so similar to Samhain that I've always found it an interesting similarity. Plus, the artwork speaks to my soul. I've collected a lot from Mexican artisans and I treasure all of my pieces. And then, of course, it's National Novel Writing Month. Want to join us on the journey of writing 50,000 words in a month? Wish me luck because I need to write AT LEAST that many to get the books out to you! There's a lot to celebrate today. It's also the start of my second favorite month after October/Halloween because A. Thanksgiving and B. Birthdays! So I'm going to ignore the fact that my body is wrecked from Halloween and focus on writing and celebrating!
Today let's also celebrate author Sue Brown and this totally hot cover! I recently discovered Sue and I share a cover artist at Dreamspinner, Kanaxa. Who is fabulous. And Sue is pretty fabulous as well! Let's get to know this British author a little more today, shall we?
1. Clue us into your "era" by sharing a few of your favorite songs.
Tainted Love - Soft Cell, Ghosts by Japan, Love Cats by The Cure, Two Minute Warning by Depeche Mode
LOVE these choices! We are definitely of the same era!
2. What’s one thing every reader should know about you?
I get hangry. Take me out and I need coffee and cake or I get grumpy.
Caaaaaake....
3. Which of these describes your writing process: charts, calendars and colorful post-its hung on the wall of a brightly lit tidy office space? Or a desk piled high with notes written on napkins and receipts, notebooks half-filled with scribbles and partial outlines you never finished because you're a pantser? Explain and attach memes or pics if they apply.
You've looked in my back room, haven't you? I have a desk buried under dozens of notebooks, pens, books I need to proof, and my laundry over the sofa behind. I wouldn't dare show you a picture of the chaos.
4. Describe your most awkward author moment ever. Then describe your most rewarding experience as an author.
I'm so bad at recognising faces. I didn't recognise I'd sat next to someone in a conference for days and introduced myself - again. Being recognised as a newbie author made my year. I won't ever forget that moment of meeting readers who were excited to meet me.
That's an amazing experience!
5. What is the best reader response you’ve ever received?
A lovely man told me about a memory evoked of his high school years. by Summer's Dawn.
6. What is the most fascinating/creepy/disgusting thing you’ve discovered because of writing?
How to kill a cow slowly... sorry to any cow-lovers. or farmers.
Oh boy... I bet...
7. Name a book that inspired you, one you disliked that everyone loves, and one that made you cry. Or, if you never shed tears, made you uncomfortable in some way.
Let me work backwards. If you've ever read Dark Horse by Kate Sherwood you will understand why I call it my crying in the dark book. I cry ugly tears every time I read it - fabulous book. I just can't read Lord of the Rings. I tried three times but gave up in the end. My last book choice is somewhat controversial. The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I thought the book was a truly beautiful gay romance, but it's been marred by revelations about the author.
8. Music or silence when you write? if music, what's on your current playlist?
I write to people being murdered in quaint villages on TV.
Aahahahahhaahah that's hilarious!
9. Did a teacher in school ever encourage or discourage your desire to write? Care to share?
Mr Griffiths in my junior school was very encouraging for those of us who loved writing. But I didn't start writing again until I was 40 and that was thanks to Doctor Who!
10. What's your favorite genre to write? And...what's a genre you haven't written but would LOVE to write?
M/M Romance obviously, but I'd love to write a crime novel.
Me too! I'd love to write a narrative non-fiction like Jon Krakauer did in Under the Banner of Heaven or Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter!
11. Best and worst jobs you've ever had other than writing.
My best job is my current, Art coordinator for Dreamspinner. I get to deal with fabulous artists and authors. I've been there for five years now. My worst job was my first. For a bailiff's office run by an alcoholic misogynist. They sacked me on my birthday - thank goodness.
Oh that's terrible! I'm so happy to have your touch on our art for Dreamspinner! Thanks so much for sharing with us today. Here are other places you can find Sue and her books:
Twitter - @suebrownstories
Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/suebrownstories/ Instagram @suebrownstories
Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sue-brown
Bio
Sue Brown is owned by her dog and two children. When she isn't following their orders, she be found haunting coffee shops to feed her coffee addiction. She spends hours people watching instead of typing. She feeds the plot bunnies, not the word count.
Sue discovered M/M erotica at the time she woke up to find two men kissing on her favorite television series. The series was boring; the kissing was not. She may be late to the party, but she's made up for it since, writing fan fiction until she was brave enough to venture out into the world of original fiction.
Thanks so much to Sue for being here today!
SPECIAL TREAT! Many of you are new to the world of Rock 'n' Romance and you might not remember this little gem that came out two years ago. The Banes of Lake's Crossing was a group effort with my pals Kimberlie L. Faye and Ellay Branton. Well, it's FREE on Amazon through the weekend so be sure to pick up your copy!
“Each installment of this compilation will tantalize and terrify you. An absolute must read!” Kerrigan Byrne International bestselling author of the Victorian Rebels Series
The Banes of Lake’s Crossing - Origins
The Biggest Little City in the World was founded on a lie. History tells us that the city called Reno, Nevada, was founded as a gambling haven for silver miners and later the divorce capital. But it goes deeper than that. It goes as deep as the lines from which the silver came. In 1860, four brothers tunneled beneath the surface, looking to find the next Comstock Lode. They left their families behind in search of the valuable metals being brought forth from the Earth in order to do the Lord’s work. Legend has it that the four men who went down into the Earth as good, solid Christian men returned as something more sinister, their good intentions abandoned. They became possessed by a force more evil than could be imagined, and their hold on the residents of what was known then as Lake’s Crossing allowed them to gain unfathomable powers. ________________________________________
The Fourth Man by R.L. Merrill
Lake’s Crossing was a fairly new settlement in 1862, but Julianna Monroe had already seen the worst of humanity cross their bridge seeking shelter. One blustery fall night, four well-dressed men enter her family’s inn, and she immediately senses their otherness. Despite her concerns for self-preservation, she is drawn to the fourth man. Quiet, brooding, and different from his elder brothers, Julianna is intrigued by Jonah and soon realizes it is time to choose a husband before the choice is made for her. But when the elder Bane brothers threaten her safety, will Jonah be strong enough to stand up to them and protect her? Or will she become yet another victim of the Banes’ evil influence?
Hell’s Belles by Ellay Branton
When her most loyal client and friend falls under the mysterious control of the Bane brothers, Arabella Kimpton knows she has to do something to save him. Convincing Zach Upton that his little brother is in big trouble won't be easy. The sexy rancher knows all about her business as an owner of Hell's Belles Saloon – and that she spends a lot of time alone with his brother. Arabella will have to risk everything to gain Zach's trust and save Jerry. But the gamble might leave her with a broken heart...if she survives the wrath of the sinister Bane brothers.
The Silver Brooch by Kimberlie L. Faye
Miss Penelope Webb is ready to start fresh. A midwife with a gift and a pure soul, she’s hired by Lionel Bane for the birth of his second child. She’s determined to start anew in Lake’s Crossing and leave her past behind her. Little does she know the Bane brothers rule the town and folks are not quite themselves. Penny has caught the ire of William, the large and imposing younger brother. He oozes menace and disdain and darkness is embedded in his soul. Despite his danger, she’s inexplicably drawn to him. Should she risk her heart and her secrets for a chance at love with a man who has a damned soul?
The Banes Of Lake’s Crossing - Origins is the first of a trilogy set in this terrifying world.
Book Two in the Banes world will be out in 2020 and I can't WAIT for you to meet this band of brothers.
Thanks so much for joining me and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! It's my husband's favorite holiday...Fall Back for Daylight Savings Time! Who doesn't love an extra hour of sleep, hmmm?
Stay Tuned for more Rock 'n' Romance...
