I am so happy to welcome one of my favorite authors, Jessica Bayliss, to my blog with her new release Broken Chords! So excited for her and to read this one!
BOOK LINKS: BROKEN CHORDS on Amazon BROKEN CHORDS on Kobo BROKEN CHORDS on SmashWords BROKEN CHORDS on Goodreads
GIVEAWAY: One free copy of BROKEN CHORDS
EMBED CODE: a Rafflecopter giveaway
What was your inspiration for writing this book?
The inspiration really came because I had to pee in the middle of the night. Not what you were expecting, right? So, there I was, camping on Martha’s Vineyard with my husband, and I had to pee in the middle of the night. For anyone who’s ever camped, you know that the bathrooms are never conveniently located. To reach it, I had a bit of a walk, and the fastest route was through a playground. So, there I am, wee hours of the night (no pun intended), and it’s all cold and misty. And I’m in this playground, and I think: If those swings start moving right now, I’m so out of here. Lucky for me, that didn’t happen, but once I was safely back in my tent, I decided I’d write a story about a haunted playground someday. The other major inspiration is a blue grass festival we like to attend. The layout, the campgrounds, the pirate truck, even the creek behind the clearing in the woods—it’s all inspired by that festival. As for the astral projection, that came from the fact that I read and enjoyed a YA about astral projection back in my teen-aged days. I often start my books with the question: what would I want to read? (Or, what did I like to read back in the day?) Put that all together, add in a little romance, and you’ve got BROKEN CHORDS. What about your musical inspiration? Ah, yes. Many bands show up in BROKEN CHORDS, including some of my favorites: The Greencards, Nikel Creek, and Crooked Still. Fans of these folks will definitely pick up on some references in the book. One traditional folk song, in particular, was a huge inspiration. It’s called Wind and Rain. I did some research on this song, and it turns out, there have been versions of this—in song and in poem form—for hundreds of years. It dates back to mid-seventeenth century and its origins are the UK. It’s had different names, including The Two Sisters and Twa Sisters, but every version includes the story about how one sister killed the other. In most versions, including the one in my book, the older sister kills her younger and yellow-haired sister out of jealousy over her having landed beau. Creepy for sure. And, in all versions—creepiest of all—the murdered sister’s body is turned into a fiddle! I can’t remember if I decided to use this song first OR if I decided Lenny was a fiddle player first, but needless to say, it all came together so beautifully (or, perhaps the best words is horrifyingly). Why horror? That’s one of those questions I can’t exactly answer. I just love it. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been totally fascinated by scary stuff. I do believe that my very first short story was about a haunted house. I wrote that in 2nd grade for a classroom assignment. Needless to say, my mother received a call. My relationship with the frightening, creepy, and macabre was quite love-hate in those early days. In other words, I was a chicken. I’d read scary stories (SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK comes to mind), but I was totally afraid to watch scary movies until I was around twelve. But, once I did, I was hooked. And paranormal horror is my favorite. I like to describe BROKEN CHORDS as POLTERGEIST meets INSIDIOUS at a music festival. Maybe that comes from some of the ghost stories told by members of my family (I still have nightmares about my grandmother’s attic and that house has been out of the family for seven years). How do you meld the supernatural with the human? Lenny’s story is not only one of surviving a paranormal/demonic attack, it’s also about facing fear and trust and so many other things? Ah, yes. But that’s what I love the most about really good horror, fantasy too. These kinds of books allow us to explore all sorts of things but under the guise of other. I will be honest, I’m not much of a drama fan. Partly, that’s because my work as a psychologist is drama enough, but also because it’s just too much in your face. But, when you throw in horror or a speculative element, now I can go to those deep emotional places without feeling swamped. It’s like how I hide my dog’s pill in some sliced turkey. You can hide the tough human experiences within stories with speculative elements. In BROKEN CHORDS, we get to see Lenny face all sorts of things: fear and phobia (like, legit stage fright), she learns how to trust others, and, perhaps her biggest journey, she learns to trust herself.
Excerpt:
Jeb’s voice ebbed and flowed, his fear growing and sending out seedlings of dread to take root in my own chest. He must have woken the entire camp by now. I fumbled open my tent flap, stumbled outside, and zipped the flap shut with trembling hands. When I turned around, I knew immediately why no one put a stop to Jeb’s calls. He wasn’t in the normal world anymore. Neither was I. Despite not asking for it, something twisted and bitter in this universe had bestowed it anyway. We’d been transported to the astral plane. The world was bathed in dark beauty, like velvety gauze or some tranquil digital camera filter, making everything hazy and wavery with dim blue-white light. I could actually see the air – or matter or ether or whatever it was – that made up the world around me. When I waved my hand, contrails showed its swishing progress long after I’d ceased movement. Like, whatever I was made of in this form could interact with the very construction material holding this universe together. Or, maybe whatever I was made of in this form was the very construction material of this universe. “Oh God,” I whispered. That meant, behind me, within the tent I’d just fled, my body lay prone. Not in sleep, and not a trance. Not dead, but not really alive either. An empty shell. I stared at the dark green vinyl before finally getting up the nerve to look inside. My body lay on my air mattress, curled up as if I were merely sleeping. My chest rose and fell as my organs responded to signals from the most primitive part of my brain, which kept the basic functions of human life online even though the system user had abandoned the controls. I breathed in time with my body. I wasn’t sure if I was really moving air around in my spectral form, but the reflex to carry out the action was strong, and it still felt soothing when I blew what might be nothing out of lungs that probably weren’t there anyway. I took another deep, fake breath and closed my eyes. My brain attempted to point out the ridiculousness of this – how I still felt normal even though I was nothing but a ghost now. A spasm of laughter escaped my throat, but I swallowed it down. If I let my mind think too hard about things like where? and what? and how?, I’d crack. Game over. Instead, I chanted Jeb’s mantra: “Just go with it.” Then I turned to face the astral plane.
Jessica Bayliss is a clinical psychologist by day and a writer all the time. She has been a lover ghost tales and horror since her days scanning VHS rental shelves—admittedly with eyes half-averted from the gory covers. She also loves to eat, cook, and exercise—in that order—and is a firm believer that coffee makes the world a better place.
Look for her upcoming release, TEN AFTER CLOSING (Sky Pony Press, spring 2018). For more information about Jessica and about PsychWRITE, her series of courses and workshops for writers, visit: www.JessicaBaylissWrites.com. AUTHOR LINKS: Website PsychWRITE resources, workshops, and coaching for writers Blog Goodreads Amazon Sign up for Jessica’s Newsletter (all subscribers get automatically entered for a monthly drawing to win a free first chapter critique)
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As an author I am always studying and trying to improve my craft, which means each year I grab a copy of the Novel & Short Story Writers Market. It always has great articles in the front that help me learn and then I often find so many new markets for my writing. It's a great book for authors and I highly recommend it to others, but especially newer authors who might be looking for new or their first markets.
Link: http://a.co/ehSie4h I thought that it would be fun to allow my readers to ask me some questions each month, so here's your chance to ask me questions as an author! Want to know where my inspiration comes from? Or what I am currently working on? Want to know how some sequels are going? Ask me anything writer related and I would be happy to answer you! I will devote an entire blog to each question asked! So now is your chance to pick the brain (and I will admit that sometimes it can be slim pickings in my case) of an indie author!
September is here and that means I will soon be putting out a new issue of my author newsletter. Have you signed up yet? Each month I announce an exclusive freebie for my subscribers as my gift to you! What will be the freebie this month? Sign up and find out!
http://eepurl.com/cS7fM1 Summer may almost be over, but you can keep that feeling alive with these steamy tales! Why not enjoy the long weekend relaxing and reading some sexy tales by 9 hot authors? My own super steamy tale, Mikhail's American Adventure, is sure to set your weekend on fire!
http://getbook.at/SummerofSeduction My writing schedule is a rather fluid being at times, with life or new ideas altering it quite often. Still I am writing every day and always updating my plans and now I am focusing on making things a little more concrete. Recently my publisher Hot Tree Publishing asked me to organize my submission plans to them for the next year. That was really the kick that I needed to get a tentative publishing schedule together for not only them but for my self publishing endeavors as well.
First off, lets talk about what I have planned for Hot Tree for 2018 and beyond! Of course you might already know that I will have my novella A Whole New Life coming out with them in February 2018! I just sent back the first round of edits for that project and look forward to the subsequent rounds headed my way! I am also currently working on a m/m hockey novella for them that I plan to submit next month and if all goes as planned with be out in spring of 2018. Then I also plan on submitting a m/m fantasy novel and a m/f contemporary romance novel to them next year for possible releases in late 2018/early 2019! So happy to have a plan with the Hot Tree Publishing family! On the self publishing front, I plan on having The Rise of the Inquisitor out in October or November of this year. I have a cover for it and am about to enter into edits. It's a steamy little novella that will likely have two more sequels to it, one to be released in summer 2018 and another in 2019. This year I also plan on finishing the sequel to Quest for Redemption, entitled a Quest for Self. I plan to get it to my editor by December and have a spring 2018 release! I will then concentrate on the third book in the trilogy, Quest for Love to be released in early 2019! I also plan on starting an epic time travel fantasy, Rivals Out of Time and look to publish in late 2019! Sure some of these dates are a couple years away, but its good to have a plan and for me to take time to put out quality books. And knowing me there will be other projects added into this schedule! Stay tuned!
Title: Beautiful Torment
Author: Gen Ryan
Series: Thin Red Lines #3 (Standalone)
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Crime
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Desiree Garcia always runs from her problems. But escaping memories and tragedy is impossible, no matter the distance. When her last FBI case pushes Desiree to her limits, she knows it’s time to move once more. This time, she heads back home and returns to her family and to her best friend she abandoned so long ago.
Hunter Collins was there for Desiree from the day they met at just twelve years old. He stood by her and waited for her, even when she joined the FBI, leaving him and all she loved behind. Now she’s back, he’s determined to not let her go again. When faced with a police case that she can’t say no to, Desiree and Hunter navigate through the investigation as she faces the horrors of her past. As they struggle to solve the case, it’s up to Hunter to keep her tethered. Will love and friendship be enough to save Desiree from herself and all that is tormenting her?
by Gen Ryan
Beautiful Torment was such a difficult book for me to write and yet, it is probably my
favorite out of all the books in the Thin Red Lines Series (Sorry Liam, I will love you always). I
remember when I was about 25,000 words in and I scrapped the entire thing and started over.
que my tears of frustration. It was so hard to figure out how I wanted it to end and since I’m a
pantser, outlining wasn’t helping me, it just made me more frustrated.
The series itself is dark with bits of hope and love sprinkled throughout. Beautiful
Torment, while dark I wanted to focus on redemption and how not all those who make bad
choices, have mental illness, or suffer loss will be beholden to those things for the rest of their
lives.
This story took itself on a totally different route (yes, I don’t outline that extensively so
things just happen as I write) and I have gotten such amazing feedback and comments that this
book was so many people’s favorite. The “villain” is different and I love her like she was my
own kid. I cried writing her and it scared me how easily her POV flowed. So, while this book
started out being the hardest for me to write, I ended up finishing it in less than a month once all
the pieces fell into place.
I hope that Beautiful Torment rounds out the series nicely and you all love Sydney,
Desiree and Hunter as much as I do.
LIMITED TIME SALE
Other Books in the Thin Red Lines Standalone Series You can find Genevieve curled up reading paranormal romance and romantic thrillers, or frantically typing her stories on her laptop. Psychology is her trade by day, teaching and molding the minds of college students. Her interest in psychology can be seen in her books, each including many psychological undertones. Although she loves teaching, her passion, her true love, lies in the stories that roam around in her head. Yes, they all come from her mind-the good, the bad, and the totally insane. She lives in Massachusetts-no, not Boston-with her husband, daughter, and American Eskimo dog. With each story, she shares, she hopes her love for writing and storytelling seeps through, encompassing the reader and leaving them wanting more. a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ea80a6ed254/ If you have been following this blog for awhile, you should know by now that I am a fan of indie author Dawn Brower and have reviewed several of her books. I am a fan of the previous books in this series and Ms. Brower did not disappoint with a Sanguine Gem. This is a fun read with a good story. Gemma is a kind, caring and yet feisty heroine who not only wants to be married to the man of her dreams, but wants him to love her as well. Liam has always been the gem in Gemma's eyes, but his interest in her took longer to develop. Now due to a despicable man trying to ruin Gemma forever, Liam finds himself married to a woman he once rejected and whom he now loves. As these two find their way towards each other, a good story develops with intrigue, some funny moments, and romance. I give this book 4 stars and look forward to getting to the next one in the series.
Link: http://a.co/1aIEmIr
"My favorite in the Thin Red Lines series."
Title: Beautiful Torment
Author: Gen Ryan
Series: Thin Red Lines #3 (Standalone)
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Thriller, Crime
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Desiree Garcia always runs from her problems. But escaping memories and tragedy is impossible, no matter the distance. When her last FBI case pushes Desiree to her limits, she knows it’s time to move once more. This time, she heads back home and returns to her family and to her best friend she abandoned so long ago.
Hunter Collins was there for Desiree from the day they met at just twelve years old. He stood by her and waited for her, even when she joined the FBI, leaving him and all she loved behind. Now she’s back, he’s determined to not let her go again. When faced with a police case that she can’t say no to, Desiree and Hunter navigate through the investigation as she faces the horrors of her past. As they struggle to solve the case, it’s up to Hunter to keep her tethered. Will love and friendship be enough to save Desiree from herself and all that is tormenting her?
Book 1
99 cent sale
All buy links HERE
Book 2
All buy links HERE
ADVANCED REVIEW
Renee Mccleary rated it it was amazing
This is my favorite out of the Thin Red Lines Series! Even though it is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. I loved Hunter and Desiree! This book is suspenseful, funny, heartbreaking and beautiful!! The story kept me pulled in reading as fast as I could, I had to know what was going to happen!! I loved the twists and turns! There are parts in there that had me saying "What in the world just happened?" Hunter and Desiree had amazing chemistry and I loved the banter between them! I hope everyone gets to find thier hero like Desiree does. If you are looking for a romantic thriller with some laughs I highly recommend this book.
You can find Genevieve curled up reading paranormal romance and romantic thrillers, or frantically typing her stories on her laptop. Psychology is her trade by day, teaching and molding the minds of college students. Her interest in psychology can be seen in her books, each including many psychological undertones. Although she loves teaching, her passion, her true love, lies in the stories that roam around in her head. Yes, they all come from her mind-the good, the bad, and the totally insane. She lives in Massachusetts-no, not Boston-with her husband, daughter, and American Eskimo dog. With each story, she shares, she hopes her love for writing and storytelling seeps through, encompassing the reader and leaving them wanting more. a Rafflecopter giveaway http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ea80a6ed254/ As I work on self edits on my Port Stone fantasy story, I am working on a new m/m romance story tentatively titled Ice Breakers. It is a hockey romance that is sure to steam up the pages! I haven't gotten to the naughty parts yet, but I know that they are coming. This is the fourth m/m piece that I have written and I am taking what I learned from the other pieces.
This may be a hot romance, but at the heart this is a love story. Two men find each other at the oddest moment and sparks simply fly. They have a lot to overcome, but love is one of the most powerful forces in the world. I hope to have the rough draft of this novella finished soon and hope to get it edited and to my publisher by the first of September. This is a busy writing month for me, I just hope that I have enough energy to get everything done. Then next month I plan on working on the long awaited sequel to Quest for Redemption, Quest for Self. I have a brand new shiny cover for it, not I need to finish it to share with the world! |
AuthorAuthor, artist, jewelry maker and all around creative person. I write in many genres and have a lot of fun doing so. Please take a look around and enjoy! Archives
January 2022
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