Inspired in Italy

I started writing a thriller in my early twenties when I was teaching in Italy but I made the big mistake of letting a friend read some of it and she said it sounded like a Mills and Boon. I was highly offended and stopped writing. I have since realized that those little romance books take incredible skill to get just right and mine would never have cut the mustard. So it was years before I tried again – more than twenty, actually. My first attempt had a request for a full and that was the start.

Suzanne’s favourite food:  As you can see on my lifestyle blog www.strandsofmylife.com  I cook mostly healthy, one-dish meals with a base of pasta, couscous or rice etc. for my family and I love that kind of food. But put a box of chocolates in front of me, and I will eat the lot, then complain about feeling sick.

Your ideas come from…?

I have discovered that I have a very dark mind and the story ideas come from that dark place of worst case scenarios.

Your fave colour: I am an autumn in colouring and fortunately I love all those colours – gold, orange, green.

“Rejection used to hurt”

Rejection used to hurt but it doesn’t really touch me any more because I have had well over a hundred and it’s so subjective anyway. Fortunately I have only had good reviews for my books except one strange one but I ignored it because there will always be someone who doesn’t like your style. Right from that first submission, I have had a lot of great encouragement from editors and agents but that doesn’t necessarily translate into an offer. That encouragement keeps you going when it all seems hopeless. I admire those who get no positive feedback and continue anyway. I don’t know if I could have done that.

Suzanne’s fave time of day: The evening after work when I can do the things that I want to – exercise, cook and blog.

Why are you published with two different publishers?

Wild Child Publishing was my first publisher and the owner is amazing (I met her at the EPPIE Awards in Las Vegas when I was a finalist) but they are quite small so I decided to go with the bigger Red Rose Publishing for my next book because I had heard good things about them but I have not been impressed at all, unfortunately.

Your fave flower? I don’t have a favourite and love informal bunches of flowers whether bright and colourful or all one colour.

What do you wish you had known about being an author before you were published?

That the road is long and thorny before and after; that you probably won’t make a living out of it; that e-publishing is a lot of hard work for very little return; that writing across genres is a big mistake; that you have to follow the rules closely if you ever wish to become published, with the hope that you can flaunt them a little once you become established; that staying true to yourself doesn’t always work, that you have to play the game their way to have a chance.

Your fave season? Summer in New Zealand though this year the autumn has been far nicer than the summer so I could change my mind if this crazy weather continues in this vein.

Suzanne’s pick of heroine

Jo from Beneath the Surface is a fascinating character. She appears as tough as nails but she is driven by her past and it keeps her on the move as she tries to outrun it.

If you could have any car, which would it be? I have no interest in cars but like mine to be reliable, not too old-ladyish but also not too aggressive and sports cars are out because at a certain age they have a stigma attached to them which is not so kind.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given?

Alex Logan, editor of Grand Central Publishing, told me a couple of years ago that I was writing across genres and that if my story didn’t fit directly into a pigeon hole which helped them package it, then they wouldn’t consider it no matter how well it was written.

Fave actors and actresses: Liam Neeson, Leonardo di Caprio, Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett.

Author role models

I love Jodi Picoult for her ability to draw you right in from the first words and to hold you by the throat for the whole story even though hers are not action stories or thrillers. That takes a special knack. I admire Nora Roberts for her versatility and the emotional punch she injects into her books. The third person who inspires me with her writing is Nevada Barr, who many won’t have heard of. She writes murder mystery stories, each set in a different national park in the US – she used to be a park ranger. The mysteries are wonderful and I have also learnt so much about the parks.

Fave non-alcoholic drink: Diet coke; Fave alcoholic drink: Rum and coke.

Are you working on anything new?

I used to write a story straight through and finish it before starting a new one (I have 18 completed manuscripts) but in the last year or so I have started half a dozen and stopped at between 50 and 100 pages. I am doubting myself and my ability to stay within a genre because I do very little planning before I start a new manuscript and it evolves day by day. I no longer wish to be e-published with small firms and so have not sent any out to them since my last one. My aim now is to be print published or possibly e-published with a big firm.

Where in the world would you choose for a romantic date?  Up at Machu Picchu in Peru. It is the most amazing place I have ever been and I’ve been to over 40 countries. A picnic lunch with nothing else but the surroundings would be the perfect date.

How do you find the time to write?

With great difficulty so I don’t. I work fulltime and get home about 6pm. I then do half an hour on the exercycle, cook for the family, photograph what I cook and then create the daily post for my blog, www.strandsofmylife.com  around what we ate. Then I go to bed and sleep. Writing manuscripts has taken second place to my blog at the moment.

Suzanne’s Books:

Beneath the Surface is a variation of the first manuscript I wrote back in 2001. It won the R*by Award for Romantic Elements in 2009.  It was also a finalist in the International EPPIE Awards.

Jo has the darkest of secrets in her past, which drives her to seek out the most traumatic of hotspots in the world as a war correspondent so she never has the time to confront what she did. A fellow reporter, Craig, accompanies her into war-torn Sergavia to recover rolls of film from a dead colleague and along the way Jo finds love and a reason to go back to the beginning so she can move forward.

Crash into Darkness was written much later and came second in the R*by Awards in the same category in the same year.

Amber, a counsellor, and Jaden, a sailor, who both possess extra-sensory skills, are thrown together on a prison ship when the inmates rebel and an explosion breaches the hull of the ship during a storm. Together they battle the elements, a new, cold-eyed prisoner who has Amber in his sights and their traumatic pasts which sent them to the ship in the first place.

Rough Justice is set in Zambia where my uncle has a fishing lodge. I didn’t enter this one into the R*by Awards even though it was published in the same year as the other two because it was already such a monumental task printing out and posting the above two entries. The contest required seven copies of each entry so you can imagine the big box I had to send off to Australia. Maybe I could have come first, second and third. LOL.

When Niki’s partner, Logan, is kidnapped by poachers in Zambia, she tumbles into the sordid underbelly of a world where survival reigns and animals are sacrificed for financial gain. In order to rescue her man, she will fight all the way to the top and be stunned by what she finds there.

Purchase Suzanne’s  books at www.wildchildpublishing.com and www.redrosepublishing.com

Visit Suzanne at the sites below and enjoy her delicious recipes!

www.suzanneperazzini.com

www.suzanneperazzini.blogspot.com

www.strandsofmylife.com

https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=522078166

http://pinterest.com/suzanneper/

Suzanne – thank you so much for your time, and best of luck for the future.

Suzanne would love to chat with you and answer any questions you may have so please don’t hesitate to post a comment. It’s easy!

My brother-in-law scanned this page from NZ Woman’s Weekly magazine – thanks David – it’s a brief article of Fibromyalgia facts.

THE GAIA WARS – FREE ON AMAZON, one day only!

Kenneth G. Bennett’s YA fantasy adventure, THE GAIA WARS—the first entry in a new, highly-acclaimed YA series—will be FREE on Amazon one day only: Tuesday, March 6, 2012. http://amzn.to/y7wO6Z

Kirkus Reviews calls The Gaia Wars “A solid first entry of a promising, imaginative new young adult fantasy series featuring a well-crafted character,” and readers agree. As of March 1, 2012, The Gaia Wars and its sequel, Battle for Cascadia, had received 57 reviews on Amazon and 96 reviews on Goodreads, for an average of 4.5 stars.

“Gaia Wars” is amazing. I got sucked into the story within the first five pages and the pace and excitement made it impossible to put down. Kenneth G. Bennett has created a very fresh take on the epic fantasy tale, so if you like Tolkien, CS Lewis, Harry Potter, and other “big” stories, you’ll love “Gaia Wars.”

“I picked this up and literally did not put it down until I’d reached the back cover. Wow, impressive how quickly and deeply you get immersed in “Gaia Wars.” And it’s surprisingly original for the genre. Beautiful language, superb story telling, non-stop action.”

“A mythic story that’s startling and exciting from beginning to end.”

Get your FREE copy of Kenneth G. Bennett’s THE GAIA WARS, today only on Amazon http://amzn.to/y7wO6Z And check out the sequel, BATTLE FOR CASCADIA, here. http://amzn.to/xGC7HQ

About The Gaia Wars

Deadly secrets have been buried in the Cascade mountain wilderness for centuries. Hidden. Out of sight and out of mind.

Until today…

Warren Wilkes, age 13, doesn’t like what a greedy housing developer has done to his peaceful mountain community, so he vandalizes the developer’s property, flees into the wild, and stumbles upon an ancient human skeleton revealed by torrential rain. More than old bones have been exposed, however, and the curious artifact Warren finds makes him question his own identity, and his connection to an ancient terror. A terror destined to rise again and annihilate all that Warren loves. He must fight or see his whole world destroyed.

Comments welcome!

We writers love feedback – it motivates us to keep on tapping away at our computer keyboards, and pore through the dictionary trying to find the exact right word, and to wrestle with plots and characters for hours, days, weeks and months.

I’m a guest on romance writer Mimi Barbour’s blog this week. I invite you to visit me, and leave an encouraging comment or question at http://mimibarbour.blogspot.com

Announcing the Farsighted  Social Media Whirlwind Tour!

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Farsighted eBook edition is just 99 cents this week.

What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December 30th, so you don’t miss out.

To Win the Prizes

1. Purchase your copy of Farsighted for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
2. Fill-out the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
4. BONUS:  If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance at $100!
5. DOUBLE BONUS:  If I receive more comments than any other blogger, *I* win $100.

…And I can win too!

Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.

The Featured Events include:

Monday, a guest blog on Novel Publicity! Emlyn kicks off the tour on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog by discussing her brightly burning passion for books in a guest post entitled “My journey through the pages and toward a life-long love of reading.”  One commenter will win an autographed copy of Farsighted. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!

Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. The winners will be announced Wednesday morning. Here’s the tweet:  Looking for a fun read to round out your holiday break? The paranormal YA hit Farsighted is just 99 cents! http://ow.ly/81Dt1 #whirlwind

Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the Stay Farsighted book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs. Two chances to win with just one click! How about that?

Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the Farsighted book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of Farsighted is also up for grabs.

Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy of Farsighted either in paperback or on an eReading device, then post it to Emlyn Chand’s Facebook page or email a copy to author@emlynchand.com. You just way win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize will go to the photo with the most interesting setting (so put your holiday travel time to work for you). Another $50 will go the funniest photo, and one more prize of $50 will go the scariest photo—this is a paranormal YA book after all. An autographed copy of Farsighted will go to one randomly selected entrant. For more details about this contest, please visit www.emlynchand.com.

Remember, it’s all about the books!

About Farsighted: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.  When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Farsighted is the winner of the 2011 Dragonfly eBook Awards. Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

About the Author:  Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Now please enjoy this exciting excerpt from Farsighted…

“Did Dad tell you? A new tenant moved into the old pharmacy next door.”

“Really?” I ask, not letting on I already know. If I feign ignorance, Mom’ll divulge all the details. “What is it?”

“It’s a psychic shop,” Her voice crackles with excitement like a fire that’s just beginning to burn. “The All-Seeing Miss Teak. Isn’t that cute? Miss Teak, Mystic. Ha, I wonder if that’s her real name.”

I laugh. “That is funny. Never had a psychic in town before. What’s she like?”

“Oh, she’s very friendly. Why don’t you go over and say ‘hi.’  I’m sure she’d like to meet you.”

“Okay, I think I will.” I’m incredibly intrigued, because first off, it’s a psychic shop—how weird is that?—and second, its presence made Dad super uncomfortable—also very cool. I waste no time heading next door to check out the scene.

As I step cautiously into the new shop, a recording of soft, instrumental music greets me. I can make out chimes and a string instrument I don’t recognize but for some reason reminds me of snake charmers. The smell of incense fills my nostrils, which explains the burning I detected earlier.

“Hello?” I call out into the otherwise quiet room.

Nobody answers. I walk in deeper, sweeping my cane out in front of me in a metronome fashion. This place is new to me, so I need to be especially careful while moving around.

Thump! Despite my precautions, I stub my toe on something hard, big, and made of wood. Just my luck to stub the same toe twice in one day. I reach down to press my fingers into my throbbing foot to alleviate some of the pain. Something teeters before rolling off of the chest and across the floor; the sound it makes indicates a curved path. Suddenly, the object stops. Somebody’s stopped it.

“Hello?” I call again.

“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responds, placing more emphasis on the first syllable than the second.

“I- I’m sorry I knocked that thing over. I didn’t mean to…” I hope she’s not angry. Probably not a good idea to get on a psychic’s bad side.

“That wasn’t just a thing, it’s a crystal ball,” she says as she walks over, sending my blood pulsing through my veins. I sense her looking at me for a moment before she places the ball back on top of the chest.

“Can it see the future?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to outweigh my uneasiness.

“No.” After a pause lasting several beats, she continues. “But I can see the future sometimes when I look into it.”

“Oh, okay.” I tighten my hand around my cane and turn to leave. It may not be the most polite thing to do, but all of this hocus-pocus stuff is freaking me out more than I would’ve guessed.

The psychic lady speaks again, stopping me cold. “Don’t run away, Alex Kosmitoras.” She must’ve spoken to Mom earlier today. That must be how she knows my name.

“I’m not running away,” I say meekly. “I’m just going back over to Sweet Blossoms.”

“Don’t run away,” she repeats—this time she speaks louder and with more energy. “Don’t run away from your abilities. They are gifts.”

“What?” I ask in confusion. What abilities is she talking about?

“You already know. Watch. Listen. Be open to your gifts.”

I turn to face Miss Teak, but find she’s already gone, returning to wherever she was before I got there.

Is it safe to leave? I trail my fingers across the wooden box I ran into earlier; a thick coat of dust clings to the tips as I pull away. If this shop just opened, why is it already so dirty? I wipe my hands over my shirt to get the gritty substance off. Shivers rock my whole body. Something about this place is wrong, and I’m not sticking around to figure out what. Tapping my cane along the floor, I’m able to find the exit without knocking into anything else.

Click on photo to enlarge picture.

Make your own:  1 small Christmas pudding (grapefruit-sized), 1/2 cup brandy, rum or orange flavoured liqueur, 1 x 375g packet dark chocolate melts, 1/2 packet (approx. 200g) white chocolate melts, red and green glazed cherries or soft gummy sweets to decorate.

Crumble the Christmas pudding in a large microwave-proof bowl. Pour over brandy or liqueur and microwave on high for five to six minutes. Mix well. When cool enough to handle, roll into small, walnut-sized balls. Chill balls in freezer for at least half an hour. Melt the dark chocolate, following microwave instructions on packet. Dip the really cold balls in the melted chocolate (using a special chocolate dipping fork makes this easy). Allow to set on a sheet of baking paper or tin foil. Melt the white chocolate as above and dribble over the top and down the sides to simulate custard. Decorate with red and green cherries or cut up gummy sweets. Do not store in the fridge as chocolate tends to sweat-store instead in a cool cupboard. Makes 20.

10 French Kisses;

9 socks to mend- yeah, right…

8 Kiwi Kisses;

7 Shirts to iron; 6 romantic cuddles; 5 chances to win $$$;

4 sexy stories; 3 bad boy articles; 2 loads of laundry

And 1 festive cake to share!

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 11 endearments – dearest, love, sugar, darling, honey, babe, dear, lovely, sexy, cherie, sweetheart;

10 French Kisses; 9 socks to mend- yeah, right… 8 Kiwi Kisses;

7 Shirts to iron; 6 romantic cuddles; 5 chances to win $$$;

4 sexy stories; 3 bad boy articles; 2 loads of laundry

And 1 festive cake to share!

$100, $50, books, gift card, a Kindle Fire!

Please click on logo to enter contests.

 My review of The Gaia Wars by Kenneth G. Bennett.

This Young Adult novel is set at Torch Lake in  Clement Valley, America. Thirteen year old Warren Wilkes, an orphan who lives with his Uncle Dave, performs a mischievous act of sabotage, against his property developer neighbors, in revenge for the Finleys’ plans to spoil the natural environment.

Warren flees along the forest trails with Finley Snr. and Finley Jnr. in hot pursuit. Desperately trying to cover his tracks, Warren stumbles across something which takes him on an epic adventure into the realms of science, space and fantasy.

Caught up in a frightening world of robot-like clones, the young eco-warrior must fight to save both his own life and those of his fellow refugees.

Suspense-driven, in the style of Indiana Jones, this story kept my interest – with two exceptions: Big chunks of factual narrative, especially in the earlier part of the novel, slow the action. And Warren’s point of view doesn’t seem authentic sometimes. For example: I can’t envisage a 13 year old describing a room as well appointed, or him thinking of a 35 year old woman as young.

Overall, The Gaia Wars provides satisfying, pulse-racing entertainment. It finishes on a  knife-edge of uncertainty… with a teaser – the first few pages of the sequel: Battle for Cascadia.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

6 romantic cuddles;

5 or more chances to win $$$$$;

4 sexy stories;

3 Bad Boy articles;

2 loads of laundry and 1 festive cake to share.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 7 shirts to iron;

6 romantic cuddles;

5 or more chances to win;

4 sexy stories;

3 Bad Boy articles;

2 loads of laundry and 1 festive cake to share!

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

8 Kiwi Kisses;

7 shirts to iron;

6 romantic cuddles;

5 or more chances to win;

4 sexy stories; 3 Bad Boy articles;

2 loads of laundry and 1 festive cake to share!

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 9 socks to mend -yeah, right…

8 Kiwi Kisses; 

7 shirts to iron;

6 romantic cuddles;

5 or more chances to win;

4 sexy stories; 3 Bad Boy articles;

2 loads of laundry and 1 festive cake to share!