Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Awakening of Agnostos


OK, I will totally admit it; I am shamelessly promoting my very dear friend’s book! Now, please hear me out before dismissing my post…

 First, IT’S A GREAT STORY! I love Greek mythology and Jenn and Nick add new twists to timeless classics! Second, SHE’S MY VERY DEAR FRIEND! Wouldn’t you do the same for your dear friend? Third, THIS BOOK IS CO-AUTHORED BY A MOTHER/SON DUO! I think that statement speaks for itself, plus Nick is AMAZING! And lastly, it is the latest publication from the fabulous WRITE MORE PUBLICATIONS!

Without further ado, I would like to give you a little background about this wonderful book and the amazing co-authors!
 
A little about the premise…
Synopsis: Zeus is at it again and his latest trollop, Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, pays the price. Hera, Zeus’ wife, banishes her to Agnostos—The Triangle of the Unknown—the only place on earth where the gods of Olympus have no power. Once imprisoned, Hecate stumbles upon a gateway to the center of the earth, and uses her discovery to bargain her way out of Agnostos. But the night after the Council meeting to decide Hecates fate, Athena is visited by a Titan who reveals the real story of the mysterious portal hidden beneath the waters of Agnostos. A god more powerful than the Olympians await them at the Earth’s core. To maintain their status as supreme rulers of Olympus, five gods must enter the abyss and fight this unknown god. Can the gods of Olympus learn to work together and save the Earth? 
 
A little about the authors…
Jennifer Paquette, a native New Yorker, has maintained an expansive and varied career, beginning in Advertising at American Express to Practice Manager for a plastic surgeon, not to mention being a full time mom in between.  Her passion has always been writing, and she has been telling and writing stories as long as she can remember, with her Greek heritage allowing her to sneak in a bit of comedy and tragedy in every tale.  Now with two teenage sons, Jennifer is excited to focus more on creative writing in both the fiction and non-fiction genre. 
 
In her debut novel, “The Awakening of Agnostos”, published by Write More Publications, and written with her teenage son, Nicholas Perrotti, the reader is led to the mysterious depths of the earth in a collaborative effort to contain a particularly unruly exiled goddess.  The authors have articulated the gods and goddesses into a riveting tale to explain a modern day phenomenon.  The twelve Olympians grace the pages, as well as some other not so familiar favorites from traditional myths.  “The Awakening of Agnostos” is the first in the Myths of the Olympians series, and sets the stage for upcoming fictional tales based on the ever-popular Greek mythology.
 
Jennifer has also published several short stories, articles and essays and has a vault of works in progress, including a memoir with her mother, a medical thriller, and a tell-all about the college application process.
 
Mother and son reside on the upper west side of Manhattan.  Nicholas will begin his junior year at Stuyvesant High School in the fall.  “The Awakening of Agnostos” is now available in both ebook and paperback through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.  They hope you enjoy this very special story.
 
Please join us for fun, games and prizes at “The Awakening of Agnostos” Facebook online release party Thursday, July 11th from 6-8 p.m. (EST)! We’d love to see you there!
 
 
 
 

Friday, July 5, 2013

Runaway Girl Blog Tour (Post 3 of 3)


Runaway Blog Tour (Post 3 of 3)

Character Interview: Damian

When I offered to do this blog tour, I had no idea where it would lead. I got so much great stuff while working with Elaine that I asked for more than just my original day. One of my personal favorites is this character interview. First, I love the character Damian. And second, I think a character interview is a really cool idea! Read on and enjoy, then be sure to check out the other blogs in the rest of the tour. Thanks so much for being a part of this blog tour with me! ~Stephanie

Interviewer: Has it been easy for you to adjust to your new life?  
Damian: Not really. It’s helped having Kaitlin, but there’s a lot about being an elder and a clan leader than I never knew before. It will take time and I will need the patience of a saint, but I hope to do the job justice.

Interviewer: When did you know you wanted to become the leader of the clans?  
Damian: I can’t pinpoint an exact date, but it was probably sometime long after I realized Amelia never loved me. I knew that to be leader, it would mean we would have to be united and as much as that was a good thing for me back then, I was more worried about what she would do to the clan if she took over. I saw things in her that I didn’t like and at that point Matthew hadn’t come along. I guess I just realized that I cared more about the security and continuation of the clan, than I did about Amelia. That made up my mind.

Interviewer: Does Kaitlin understand about your feelings for Angela and Amelia?  
Damian:
Katie’s been great. She really gets that Lucius wanted my union with Amelia so badly that he resorted to using my own gift against me. She understands that I was vulnerable enough to fall for it after Angela was gone. Apparently, though, she really likes the fact that I still love Angela. That I always will. I think it’s something she understands because she feels it. Katie feels something for the Island, where she was born that is almost like a mother/daughter bond. She missed it and loves it still, but she can’t ever go back. That’s how it feels about Angela. I love her and miss her and she’ll always be a part of me, but she’s in my past and I can’t ever bring her back. I think it’s just another thing that Katie and I have in common. We feel things very deeply.

Interviewer: What is it like, having Trey as your best friend?  
Damian: It’s a real blessing. He’s so much stronger than I am. Without him, I’m not sure I would have survived the centuries. I starved myself for a long time, for a few different reasons and he was always there to look after me, to force me to feed if need be. He’ll always be my best friend.

Interviewer: What is the most important thing you hope to achieve as leader? -
Damian: Peace. That’s all I want. For years we’ve gone in a loop, between being hated, having to hide from the world and being hunted, then being exposed and targeted. I just want humans to realize that we’re not monsters. We’re not going to annihilate them from the earth and we don’t have to kill. I want to make sure that we can exist, peacefully, in harmony together rather than being afraid of one another.

Interviewer: If you could go back and make sure Amelia never killed you, would you do it and never become a vampire?
Damian: Never. I might have gone through centuries of hell, but I haven’t felt anything as strong as what I feel for Katie, since Angela. I know that if I went back and Lucius never turned me, I could continue my life with Angela and she would never have died and left me alone. But you can never tell how things might turn out. If I went back, there’s no guarantee that she wouldn’t die anyway, or that Amelia wouldn’t have come into the house and slaughtered us all in our sleep. I wouldn’t give up what I have with Katie for anything. We’ve got the rest of forever together, just the two of us and we can have children and we can have any life we want. I won’t ever let anything happen to Katie; not even if I could have Angela instead. And Angela would understand that.

Please check out Elaine White in a variety of outlets!

http://ellelainey.wordpress.com/
http://ellelainey.wix.com/elainewhite
https://twitter.com/ElleLainey
https://www.facebook.com/elainewhite.author?ref=stream
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ellelainey

And be sure to get your copy of Runaway Girl!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Runaway+Girl+by+Elaine+White&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ARunaway+Girl+by+Elaine+White&ajr=1

 
******Make sure you visit the other blogs on the tour. The more you visit and comment, the greater your chances are for winning. Interested in hosting a tour for Write More Publications? Contact us at : theresaoliverauthor@gmail.com or rboucher41@yahoo.com . Find Write More Publications on the web at www.writemorepublications.com

http://stephaniegreenhalgh.blogspot.com/   A Writer’s Perspective ~ July 1st, 2nd  and 5th 

http://www.jessicabaldwinaspiringauthor.blogspot.com/ Jessica Bladwin Aspiring Author ~~ July 7th

http://amymahvampire.blogspot.com/ My Life as a Teenage Vampire ~~ July 8th

http://blogsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/ Blogs About Writing ~~ July 9th

http://www.tometender.blogspot.com/ Tome Tender ~~ July 10th

http://www.kaylalone.blogspot.com/ I Love Books ~~ July 17th

www.stephaniekeyes.com/the-blog/ Embrace The Magic ~~ July 18th


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Monday, July 1, 2013

Runaway Girl Blog Tour (Post 2 of 3)


Runaway Blog Tour (cont'd)

Another Great Author Interview with Elaine White

Even though we live on different continents and have never actually met face to face, Elaine White and I are colleagues and, I like to think, friends. We were both lucky enough to have been signed by Write More Publications out of Kissimmee, FL. Since then, we have developed an interesting virtual camaraderie and friendship. I had the opportunity to really get to know Elaine back in January just before her book came out.


Elaine was graciously enough to touch base with me again, so we could catch up and find out how things have been going six months after the release of her first book, “Runaway Girl.”

Stephanie: The premise of Runaway Girl is unique in its own right, but then there is a mixture of so many great characters with so many different things happening. How did you keep it all straight in your head while you were writing?

Elaine: To be honest, I've never really had trouble with that. The only time I really focus on how many people there are is when I've finished the book and I'm checking the flow. I like to leave little cliffhangers in places, so I writer who is involved when and see how often their name pops up. If they're a minor character and appear too often, that's the only time I really take notice, unless I'm deliberately avoiding returning to a characters situation for a while to create suspense.

Stephanie: What can we expect from the Avelina Story? Do all of the characters come back in the next book? Can you share a teaser?

Elaine: Ooh, well...I can tell you that Damian is in every single book. He's the real focus, although he does drift into a slightly more 'background' area in some of the later books ;) To be honest, probably only around four-five of the characters from Runaway Girl will reappear. Kaitlin, of course, will be a constant and she will be very important to the next two books. Book 2 will take us up close to her homeland, the Island, and then Book 3 will introduce some rather different supernatural creatures to the mix.

Stephanie: Now that Runaway Girl is out. What have you been up to? Personally? Professionally?

Elaine: Personally, not much. I have a lot of health issues, to that keeps me pretty busy. Professionally, I've been trying to drum up notice for the book. I've got involved in a few online communities, not just to advertise my book, but to get to know other authors. I'm also trying to raise notice for my blog, which is doing quite well just now. Other than that, I'm just writing all the time. At the moment, I'm turning old notes into stories I can post on Wattpad, and editing a crime series I've written. I'm working on the last book so I want to make sure everything tallies up and there are no awful plot gaps I haven't explained.

Stephanie: Your blog has taken off like a runaway train. Tell us about it. What inspires you to write blogs? Where do you get your ideas?

Elaine: Thanks :D To be honest, I just like getting feedback. I'm a pretty random girl, so my blog shows that. Sometimes I'm obsessed with music, so all you see on the blog for a few posts if lyrics and random chat about music. Then sometimes I'm obsessed with reading/writing and that's all you hear about. I usually have a dozen posts sitting by, ready to be posted for when I've lost inspiration. I like to keep my audience on their toes, never knowing what to expect. It's been really great getting books to review, for the blog, as well. It's let me pay a little back for all the help other authors gave me when I started out.

Stephanie: Aside from blogs and the next in the Avelina Chronicles, what else are you working on?

Elaine: I'm always working on something so let's see. A romance for Wattpad, a crime series that is nearly at an end. After the crime series, I'm not sure. I have four that I could jump right into...a biological epidemic style story, one about a supernatural creature, and one about a magical school for teens. All have good potential.

Stephanie: It sounds like you have several works in progress! As a writer, do you ever get writer’s block? Where do you find inspiration?

Elaine: I wouldn't call it writers block, it's more...distraction. I'm very easily distracted. But when I do get stuck on a story, I tend to leave it and go do a different one, or immerse myself in reading for a while. I find that if the story doesn't want to come, then it's not ready. Sometimes you have to leave it to percolate a little.

Stephanie: I love to let my stuff percolate! I know while things are ‘simmering’, I also like to lose myself in a book. I recently got a Kindle. I never thought I would be an electronic reader, but I’m totally addicted, plus I love that I can read in the dark. As a reader, what is your preferred reading style…Ebook or hard copy?

Elaine: I love my Kindle. I'm practically obsessed. I love books but the Kindle is just so convenient for me. For one, the storage. I don't have to worry when I buy a dozen free books from Amazon that I haven't got anywhere to put them. Of course, there wouldn't be any free books from Amazon in paperback, so there's another plus (I'm a free book junkie). Mostly, I can take my entire bookcase with me no matter where I go. And it helps that it's light. I have nerve damage in my hands, which makes holding heavy books quite painful, so the Kindle is a god-send.

Stephanie: I saw that you recently set up a place to share your short stories. Tell us more about that.

Elaine: Yeah, I was told on Goodreads about Wattpad and I was like...huh? What's that? Then I had a look around, signed up and had a look. It's quite great actually. A bit teen orientated, but since that's mostly my audience anyway, I like it. I won't be posting anything that's to be published, unless I grow a set of fans who ask for that. I'm just sharing some of my shorter stories or my teen-self scribblings from years ago to an audience who appreciates it. And I don't have to worry about mistyping/spelling etc, because no-one really cares. It's all about the story. If you don't take yourself, or the mistakes other people may make seriously, then you can enjoy the atmosphere. Plus, you get to see how many people read your stories and they can vote for each chapter. So if you've got one great chapter or one not so great, they tell you that with the votes. It's also the place where Abigail Gibbs was discovered and offered a 6-figure contract with Harper Collins. Can't be bad, can it?

Stephanie: Goodness no! That may be something I need to look into. So now onto the more serious stuff. What is your favorite pizza topping?

Elaine: I'm a sucker for Hawaiian. Pineapple with ham and cheese and...hmmm...

Stephanie: Yum! Me, too! And lastly, any special summer plans in the UK?

Elaine: Me and my folks are heading off on holiday to Oban. Heard it's been sunny lately, so we hope it stays that way. Not planning on anything exciting though, just a nice chillaxing time.

Thank you so much for this second opportunity to interview you, Elaine. I wish you a wonderful and pleasant vacation! How about one last word for our readers?

Just...feel free to have a nosy at my work and see what you think. I'm always happy to talk. :)

Please check out Elaine White in a variety of outlets!



 
And be sure to get your copy of Runaway Girl!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Runaway+Girl+by+Elaine+White&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ARunaway+Girl+by+Elaine+White&ajr=1

 
******Make sure you visit the other blogs on the tour. The more you visit and comment, the greater your chances are for winning. Interested in hosting a tour for Write More Publications? Contact us at : theresaoliverauthor@gmail.com or rboucher41@yahoo.com . Find Write More Publications on the web at www.writemorepublications.com

 http://stephaniegreenhalgh.blogspot.com/   A Writer’s Perspective ~ July 1st, 2nd  and 5th 

 http://www.jessicabaldwinaspiringauthor.blogspot.com/ Jessica Bladwin Aspiring Author ~~ July 7th

 http://amymahvampire.blogspot.com/ My Life as a Teenage Vampire ~~ July 8th

 http://blogsaboutwriting.blogspot.com/ Blogs About Writing ~~ July 9th

 http://www.tometender.blogspot.com/ Tome Tender ~~ July 10th

 http://www.kaylalone.blogspot.com/ I Love Books ~~ July 17th

 www.stephaniekeyes.com/the-blog/ Embrace The Magic ~~ July 18th


 
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