How did I get so lucky? Aneta Cruz is here!

Good people!

I am so excited to have Aneta Cruz on my blog! You may remember her stopping by back in September 2013, promoting her insanely awesome book, Heartbreak Hotel. And now, she's here once more, having cranked out another glorious story called, The Guardian.

Hey, look! Here she is!

 

 

 

Aneta! How are you? Thank you so much for joining us today! Here, have some cupcakes *passes plate* and perhaps a nice, hot beverage *passes cup of Earl Gray with milk and honey*. I hope you’re doing well. It’s so awesome that you here again! So let’s get right to it, shall we? Tell us….

 

Please give us a synopsis about your new release, The Guardian.

Jeez, when someone tells me “give us a synopsis” all I hear is “sign your death sentence”. I know for a fact that I’m not the only author who hates writing a synopsis because our stories are so much deeper than just a this person meets this person, this is at stake, and then they go do this and that, and then they live happily ever after. Or not. [laughs] Okay. I’ll try this. Here’s a little teaser:

You are in Prague, 1939. Dr. Josef Stein, the ambitious seeker of otherworldly beings, is ready to take you on a quest in which solving a murder and discovering the veracity of a thousand-year-old myth are just two of his many pursuits. Keep your eyes open wide. You never know who’s lurking in the shadows by the door. And be very careful out there. While you are searching for something otherworldly with doctor Stein, the Nazis are searching for you. Who will complete their quest first? You and the ambitious doctor or the Nazis with their own ambitious agenda?

 

When did you first decide to sit down and write this story?

This story sort of flashed through my mind in its entirety, with the cast of characters, settings, plot, climax, and resolution in a split second when I got out of the shower one day 4 years ago. I remember it so clearly. I barely wrapped the towel around me and yelled at my husband to bring me my notebook and pencil, and right there on the bathroom counter, I scribbled everything down. I have a notebook in which I keep all my notes for all my stories. If anyone ever finds it, s/he’ll think I’m a crazy scatterbrain. But the notebook only looks disorganized to an outside eye. I know exactly where what is or isn’t and why.

 

What inspired The Guardian?

A scary ballad called the Noon Witch (in translation) by K. J. Erben, a Czech author (1811 -1870). I’d read it a thousand times, but that day…well, I guess some neurons just made wicked awesome connections and sparked the creativity.

 

Do you like to write with noise? No noise?

I never really thought of that. When I write, I completely tune out. I totally submerge into the story and feel like I’m really there. I’m in a different world, detached from my body, if that makes any sense at all. The house could be on fire and I don’t think I would notice.

 

Are you a paper-and-pen type of gal or strictly on the computer?

Both. When I get an idea for a story, I immediately write it down. I identify the characters, they’re desires, the main plot, and the ending. I always know the ending before I begin to write. It gives me the motivation to search for the antecedent scenario. I’m like a detective trying to solve a mystery. How did this happen? And why? I ask myself before I write. Then I head to the computer.

 

What’s your favorite snack to munch on while you let the creative juices flow?

I don’t eat. It’s like my body shuts down and only my inner eye that sees everything that is happening in the story exists. I’m not hungry or thirsty or anything. I’m not even sure I breathe. J

 

Do you have one of those nagging little voices in the back of your head, telling you that you can’t do it? If so, how do you shut it up?

The only nagging voice I have is the one that yells: “Hurry up. Finish. What’s taking so long?” I am not a patient person. If I had a magic wand, I would just wave it and the story would be there from start to finish. The only way to shut up that nagging voice is to write and write and write until I’m able to type THE END. And then it begins nagging again because there are other WIPs waiting to be finished. I don’t think I could ever get rid of that incessant yeller in my head. [sighs]

 

Does your story come from personal experience or have you had to do some major research?

My uncle is Schizophrenic. I dedicated the book to him. I’ve seen him on his good and bad days. And I’ve always wondered whether he really sees those which he speaks to. He sounds so convincing when he does. And when he does, the hair on the back of my neck stands up as if there truly was someone invisible only he is aware of. Quite spooky, I tell ya. But very intriguing and fascinating as well. So, yes. There’s a lot of personal experience there. But, I did do a huge amount of research into the Nazi era and the behavior of patients with certain mental illnesses.

 

What kind of books do you like to read? E-books or the real thing? J

I’m a sucker for paper. I love to turn the pages, smell the books, touch the print, stroke the spines of the books in my own library…yes, I have a book fetish. E-books are not for me. I need the real deal.

 

 

So how awesome does "The Guardian" sound? Check out this bad-a** cover:

 

 

Purchase links:

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

 

Ways to stalk...er, I mean, contact awesome Aneta:

Her website
Twitter: @AnetaCruz
Instagram: @AnetaCruz
Facebook
  

Thanks for stopping by, Aneta! Come visit again soon!



Bound and Gagged....

Hello peeps! How we doing today? If you're along the upper-eastern sea board, you're probably snowed in, just like me. So what to do on a day like this? How about be bound and gagged by the ever-gracious Jami Gray? Oh yes, my friend, she is one tough cookie to get past, let me tell you. Those hordes at the bottom of her driveway...not...to be...messed...with. Which is why I'm there right now....

Ladies and Gents, I Give You Author Zrinka Jelic!

Just in time for Christmas! I've got the wonderful Zrinka Jelic hanging out with us today! And not only is she kicking back for a bit with a glass of wine and a plate of tasty cookies, she's also kind enough to share a piece from her recent Christmas novella, Deck the Halls. So Zrinka? Take it away, my dear!

 

No matter how hard I tried to write about The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and no, I’m not talking about back to school, my thoughts kept drifting to sad side of the Christmas. To those who won’t be so fortunate to spend this Special Time Of Year with their loved ones, or to those struck with hard times. And how could they not with everything that’s happening in the world? So to Shake Up (my) Christmas happiness, I turned to music. Because All I Want For Christmas Is You to be happy and cheerful.

Since Santa Clause is Coming to Town, I better watch out, not cry or pout. You know he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. Kids already cannot wait for Christmas as the city streets are turning into Winter Wonderland.

Holidays Are Coming and I hope they find you in a good spirits. And if the weather outside is frightening, stay safe and cozy by the fire that’s so delightful, and Let It Snow. But if you’re Dreaming Of a White Christmas, at least you are someplace warm and sunny.

So here’s to the Last Christmas, present and future. Let’s raise a glass and make this holiday cheer last all year.

I leave you now, in better mood than I found you I hope, with a blurb and an excerpt from my newest release “Deck the Halls”, a paranormal Christmas novella.

Enjoy!

 



BLURB

It isn’t the string of crappy jobs, or people’s irrational urge to spend their money, or even his inability to ask Julie out on a date that Zach can’t get excited about Christmas. It is the fact that today is his last day he gets to spend in his preferred human form.

When jealous Tia, a wicked sorceress disguised as the pack’s alpha female, tries to force his wolf out a day early, all-consuming anger sends him into a rage against her. She punishes shape shifter Zach, by changing him to a dog. He has 48 hours to save his family and trade his life for someone else’s in order to break the spell—the only problem, Julie’s cat Miss Molly knows who he is and won’t let him near her owner. But Julie’s safety is the greatest importance and he sticks by her side.

Julie can’t resist falling in love with the stray dog she rescues. She prolongs putting a found dog ad in the local newspaper just to keep him for another day. Strange thing is, the animal reminds her of Zach.

Confronted with the woman who stole the man she secretly loves, Julie discovers the truth about Zach. When his dog form proves useless against the powerful alpha werewolf, the help comes from unforeseen allies.

 

EXCERPT

Tia approached with slow steps. He panted. Would she finish him off?

      “Such insolence deserves a special punishment. What did you hope to gain by this pathetic attempt?” Her sinister laugher ended in a long sigh. “Let me see, what to do with you? Hmm… what I set out to do before your overconfidence got the worst of me. If you can’t be a man, then be his best friend.”

She muttered some intangible chant. Golden fur sprouted on his front legs. What the hell? Silver, his fur was silver not golden. He wagged his bushy tail and a sudden, unexplainable desire for someone to throw a stick for him to retrieve overtook his mind. Wait a minute, focus man, something is terribly wrong here. He tried to growl. Instead a deep bark escaped his throat. A dog! The bitch turned him into a frigging dog. What sorcery was this?

      “That’s much better.” Tia licked her muzzle and turned away from him.

      “Damn it, Tia, undo this.” He barked after her, but she only sped away, her menacing laughter echoing in the foggy parking lot.

      “Perhaps your witchy little sister knows the contra spell.” Tia’s words bounced in his head just before the darkness swallowed her.

      Lexa! Yes, she studied magic, but would her powers break Tia’s spell? He darted away, summoning his sister through their special sibling connection. His Goddess wasn’t protecting him this night, but if Luperca had any mercy, maybe, just maybe his sister might be able to find someone who could break Tia’s curse and free him of this ridiculous form.

He meandered through the crowd of people hugging their shopping bags.

     “There’s a dog without a collar loose.” A man shouted, picking up a small boy in his arms. “Someone should call animal control.”

      Zach scampered away and stuck to the empty streets away from any shopping malls or crowded plazas. Once he cleared the city, he opened up into a free run across the thin layer of snow on a farmer’s field. He paced at the edge of the copse, calling Lexa by emitting shrill whimpers. Had Tia or her bullies gotten to his sister? If Lexa couldn’t meet him, he might end up living in dog’s body forever.

 

 

 

 

A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal, as well as Savvy Authors, Zrinka Jelic writes contemporary fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and sometimes adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but when it rains, it pours.  

 

 

Pick up a copy of Deck the Halls today!

Kindle

Kobo

iTunes

 

 

 

 



Interview for Traffic Jam

Hey troops! So I wanted to share an interview that I participated in a few days ago. The awesome Jennifer Lafferty was kind enough to post the interview in two parts: one on Goodreads and the other on her Examiner column! Talk about spreading the love! Below are the links! Read on, folks!


Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3349366-interview-with-author-melissa-groeling

Examiner.com: http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-melissa-groeling-author-of-traffic-jam?cid=db_articles

 Cheers!