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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Inspirationators: What music means to me

As a musician, people expect me to know it all, be it all, have heard it all, and be able to identify it all. The truth is, I'm a listen-and-know-by-ear kinda girl. I've heard old rock songs, but I don't know them by heart and it's a rare thing indeed if I remember the band at all.

My husband tries to quiz me on this. "I'll give you a million dollars if you can name this band," he says, knowing I won't know. The sad thing is, it's usually someone easy like Red Hot Chili Peppers or the Beastie Boys. This is my memory, the way my mind works, and I've learned to accept it and overlook people's expectations.

Now ask me about Chopin and I can tell you about all the different types of pieces he wrote, who he fell in love with and why, how old he was when he died, etc. But play a 70-90's rock song and ask me who sang it and this is me--->

That being said, I can't live, can't breathe, can't go one DAY without music. It is in my blood to be affected by it.

If a song gives me goosebumps, I am a goner. I melt, I become entranced, I feel transported into a new world.

If a song has an awesome beat, I can't stand still. I'll make an absolute dork of myself and I couldn't care less. I have to move.

Music also sets my mood while writing. I do have my favorite songs, but they are mood setters. I realize this might be unusual. Most people who use music while writing, know their songs, know their favorite bands. As I said, I've accepted that I am a weird girl.

Even as I write this post, I had to go through my playlists to pick out my favorite songs. I can tell you where they are on the list, but not who sings them, LOL.

For Bitter Angel--if you know anything about this wild story--my mood setters were well-written gems like: Far East Movement's G6 and Wiz Khalifa's Black and Yellow. 

Timeless, right? HA! But they totally set the mood for the CUH-RAZY things that went down in that book, and for the heart-thumpin' base I needed to write the clubbing scenes. 


For other parts of the book, I used music from the Black Hawk Down soundtrack, because I could feel the intensity and emotion but there were no words to distract me from the action going down. 


For my next book, the mood is completely different. I need something softer, sadder, slower to set my mood. I'll leave you with this absolutely perfect musical teaser to give you a hint about what this story might be about. It's not a thriller, it is a romance, it is New Adult, and it will--hopefully--break your heart into pieces and put it back together again, of course ;) 


What are your musical inspirationators? Do you have a favorite band? Does a particular song give you such a strong feeling, you become entranced just by listening? 

Share with me!



Friday, May 3, 2013

The Forgotten Ones is LIVE!!!

The Forgotten Ones

The Danaan Trilogy
Book One

is now available exclusively on Amazon!




Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.




About Laura Howard


Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.


Connect with Laura:

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Cover Reveal: Lisa Harley's Destined to Succeed

Well, my inspirationators posts will be postponed until next week. Do any of you remember Destined to Change?

H.O.T!!

Now I get to bring to you the cover for Cade's book. Wow, ladies. Just, WOW!




DESTINED TO SUCCEED 
BY: LISA HARLEY
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 9TH, 2013

Synopsis: 
What would you do if what you worked your entire life to build was suddenly destroyed?
 Cade Walker is a cowboy Casanova. He’s cocky and he doesn’t care who knows it. He was raised on Walker Ranch and was destined to one day take it over. What he didn’t know was how soon that would happen. After his parents are killed in a car accident he is thrust into becoming a responsible adult. Well, sort of. Cade is always responsible when it comes to business, but pleasure, now that’s a whole other story.
 Suzanna Mallory is a red-headed spitfire, who also happens to be Cade’s best friend. She has loved Cade since they met when they were nine years old, but Cade just isn’t the type to get married and settle down. Suzanna finds herself in an abusive marriage and the only thing that keeps her sane is her daughter, Isabella, and working with Cade at Walker Ranch.
 When a fire threatens to destroy the future of Walker Ranch, Cade and Suzanna have to work together to save it.
 What will this mean for her marriage or to the feelings that she has for Cade?
 And now that Cade thought he found love with Loralei Harper, only to realize she didn’t feel the same way, is he ready to settle down?
 Is Cade Walker Destined to Succeed?

Author Bio:
I grew up in a really small town in Missouri. Very similar to the fictional town I wrote about in my novel. I moved to the big city right after I graduated. I work full-time and I am mom to a beautiful little girl. I started writing in October when a group I am in had a prologue contest. I didn't win the contest, but everyone who read my prologue asked for more of my story. I decided I had to finish it and get these characters that were in my head out on paper. During the writing process it became clear that this was going to be more than one novel. It had to be a series. I have at least 2 more novels planned for the Destined Series. I also have an idea for a YA novel that stems from one of the characters in Destined to Change...hint, hint. When I was asked to write this bio I explained that I am really boring and it would be really short...so, that's about all there is to know about me. I love music and honestly couldn't have written this book without my Spotify playlist. I am kinda obsessed with frogs (not real ones) and office supplies are my downfall! I could spend my whole paycheck at the stationery store...boring, didn't I already say that? lol Also, I am slightly addicted to Facebook and Voxer. Please message me on either one...I would love to hear from all of you.

Author Links:




Sunday, April 28, 2013

Cover Reveal: Jake Bonsignore's Empyreal Illusions

Happy Cover Reveal, Jake!!

Title: Empyreal Illusions: Book One of The Inferno Unleashed Series
Author: Jake Bonsignore
Genre: YA Fantasy / Dystopian
Release: May 29, 2013 (e-book); July 2013 (paperback)
Book Design
:
Regina Wamba of Mae I Design and Photography






Summary
A Thin Line Separates Justice From Revenge….

Fourteen-year-old Breena Taljain’s dreary existence in the slums of Purgaire comes
to a sudden end when a chance encounter with a criminal mastermind known as the
Patriarch goes horridly wrong. His assault on her for refusing to pay for her mother’s
addiction leaves her comatose and teetering on the edge of life and death.

Galbrecht Atalir is a washed-up doctor struggling to overcome his inner demons through
alcohol and aggression. He never quite recovered from the unsolved murder of his
family seven years prior. When he discovers Breena as his newest patient, he knows at
once that the Patriarch is the one who eluded him for almost a decade.

The medicine Galbrecht gives Breena draws her into a heavenly paradise. When it ebbs
away, though, the recurring trauma plunges her into treacherous hinterlands. There,
Breena must learn to find power in courage, hope, and love to overcome fiends of
hatred bent on permanently ending her existence.

With justice burning in his heart, Galbrecht begins a race against time to seek out the
Patriarch in the underworld before Breena loses her struggle against the ever-darkening
terrors of her mind….

Friday, April 26, 2013

HOLY GUACAMOLE, It's FRIDAY???

Where the frick frack do my weeks go? I have no stinkin' idea. This is going to be the laziest post ever, but I wanted to say that I'm gearing up for something fun starting next week. I'm going to do a series of-- *drum roll please*--

INSPIRATIONATORS 



Say WHA??? 

For the next two weeks or so, I'm going to post some things that have inspired me with writing and life. I'm hoping to make these super duper fun posts. I have been rather dry about the whole blogging thing. I've actually been having a lot of fun reaching out to other blogs, but have been rather lazy (possibly because all my creativity is going into this next novel) about my own posts. 

I'm trying to remedy that!   

So be on the lookout next week, because Megan is comin' atcha LIVE. 

(FYI I am on a veggie juice high this week, so please disregard the hyper/ridiculous/over-enthusiastic silliness of this post.)
   

Monday, April 22, 2013

Author Interview: Jaime Guerard

WOW! WOW WOW WOW! I'm SO super duper ooper pleased to bring to you Jaime Guerard today. SO pleased, in fact, that I'm nervously sweating as I sweep down the last wrinkles in the pink dress my assistant put me in this morning.

*whispers* Okay, here she comes!!!  *resumes super professional face*


Me: Hi, Jaime! It’s so good to have you here. *Pats the plush red chair* Do you like my chairs? I’m kinda known for the luxury here. *Props chin on hand* So tell me. The buzz is that Awaken published on March 31st, is this correct?

Jaime: Hi Megan! Thank you so much for having me here today! Yes, Awaken was published on March 31st.

Me: I have on secret authority this book is pretty awesome. Could you share with us just a little bit about your main character Breanna and how she came to be?

Jaime: Awe, thank you Megan! Breanna is a normal high school teen who one day has something strange happen to her. A vision appears before her and shows her an event that (Bre thinks) could happen to people she knows.

When the idea for this novel came to me (back in October 2008) I knew right away who Breanna Davis was as a character. I saw her perfectly: she was a strong independent person because of what she had to face in the novel, she was the girl next door but had this confidence that you trusted her with the people in her life. However, Breanna faces what I think everyone faces in life. She has struggles with relationships, family stresses and questions herself; ‘am I good enough’. I think Bre could relate to many people who read this series.

I also knew what her name was immediately. I named her Breanna (aka: Bre) because that was the name I was going to name my daughter (if I had one). Since I had three boys and was content with my family I knew that my main character had to be Bre.

Me: Wow, very cool. Is this book a stand alone, or a part of a series? How many books?

Jaime: Awaken is a series and there will be three books in all.

Me: Could you share with us a snippet of Bre’s adventures, maybe a teaser?

Jaime: I would love to!

Austin shut and locked the door while I stood out in the open, chills prickled down my neck. I didn’t move my head, only my eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. I came up with nothing. The wind picked up a little, sending tiny strands of hair in my face, startling me. In the silence of the night, with only the wind rustling through the trees, my mind was running away from me. I couldn't break away from this fear of the unknown.

Austin put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in tight. The house was about fifty feet away and the further we got from the truck, the more hurried I became, speeding up, trying to get out of this unprotected forest and into an enclosed building where I hoped to feel a little bit safer. Austin locked me to his side. I would’ve run if I could, but I didn't want to separate myself from him, not out here.

“I don’t see anything,” Austin tried to reassure me.

Then a crack came from our left, making us both jump and stop suddenly. Austin squeezed me tighter.

Breathing heavily, I whispered, “I know you heard that.”

“Yep,” he whispered back. He stood still, frozen like me, either waiting to hear something that would explain it, or for another sound that might send us bolting to the house. The row of cars parked along the driveway made it difficult to see into the forest.

“Do you see anything now?” I asked.

“No,” he whispered.

I looked up into the trees and there they were again, those two white eyes staring down at us.

Me: HOLY CRAP, JAIME!!! I have goose bumps. GOOSE BUMPS all over my body. Ahem. Let me gather my bearings… *commands a straight face* As I do with all author interviews, I like to ask the (dun-dun-dun) question about marketing. What are your plans for marketing this book?

Jaime: There are a lot of different things you can do for marketing: giveaways, blogging, giving your potential readers teasers and sneak peeks. I’ve done all of that. However, I believe the way that I will gather my readers is by word of mouth. So far it’s going great and I’m truly amazed by what my readers are saying. I love every one of you and thank you so much for your excitement and helping me spread the word!

Me: That’s great advice, Jaime! *pockets information* I heard you re-did your cover. Is this true? And why did you change it?

Jaime: Yes, I did change the cover before I published. The first cover idea I felt like it didn’t capture my story the way I hoped it would. And this has nothing to do with the cover artist at all because my cover artist is amazing! I just felt like it needed to go a different way. So I went back to my cover artist and between the two of us came up with the perfect cover! I’m in love with my cover and I feel like it really does capture what the book is about.

Me: Wow, Jaime. I, too, am so captured by the new cover. It stands out, grabs me and really reels me in. I’m really excited for Awaken! Bre sounds like an awesome girl. I look forward to reading all about her and this “dream” boy.

Jaime: Thank you Megan. I’m so grateful that you had me here today! And thank all of you who took the time to get to know me better. For all of you who pick up my novel and read it…I thank you! 

Me: *snaps her fingers* Assistant! Assistant! I need water!!! STAT!



Find Awaken on Amazon and B&N!!


Find Jaime on her Site, Facebook, or Twitter!! 




Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Cover Reveal: Tricia Zoeller's First Born

I'm really excited to bring you all something different. When I was approached about this cover reveal, I wasn't sure because paranormal hasn't been my thing lately, but I must say when I read the summary, my interest was definitely piqued! 

Check out this amazing cover, and be sure to add this one to your Goodreads list! :)

 
"First Born" by Tricia Zoeller

Releases May 10, 2013 and will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords

















 


Mark "First Born" as to-read on your Goodreads profile at: 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670526-first-born


Mini Book Blurb:
"With the police and a killer hot on her trail, can shapeshifter Lily Moore solve the mystery of being First Born or will family secrets prove deadly?"

Tricia Zoeller
Author, First Born

Tricia would like to express a huge thank you to Claudia at Phatpuppy Art and Ashley at Bookish Brunette Designs for this amazing book cover. 









Thursday, April 11, 2013

NOW I’M A PUBLISHED AUTHOR…Oh, wait. Does pressing publish count?


Friends ask me, how does it feel to be a published author? But, you know, they ask if more like this – HOW DOES IT FEEL?!?!?!?!?!

Well, it feels pretty cool in that my book is finally on Amazon for the world to love, hate, pick apart. I followed the Divine guidance, checked off each step toward that really cool day, and when my book finally went LIVE, I…sat back and smiled.

There was no jumping, cheering, or leaping high fives. There were no booty shakes or late night celebratory martinis. There was just me, my computer screen, and my sister, the girl who cheered me on from day one. So, it was really special in that aspect.

Now that I’m HERE, I have no idea how I’ll do. I’m just gonna keep on keeping on and write, write, write. Because it’s what I love…And because the people in my head won’t stop TALKING. 

I'll leave you today with a little Jay and Lila teaser. So, Bitter Angel is listed as a Thriller, but she and her boyfriend, Jay, also have quite a few sweet moments. Here is one of them :)





Monday, April 1, 2013

It's FINALLY Here!!

Bitter Angel is LIVE! This is such an exciting day, and I want to thank all the people who backed me, supported me, lent me their shoulders to cry on. I appreciate all of you so so much.

So, without further ado...

                 Buy on Amazon
                 
                 Buy on B&N

Goodreads Summary

Torn between two realities.
A choice that will mean life or death.
But she won’t know anything… until she wakes up.

College sophomore, Lila Spencer lived Friday night twice. She doesn’t know how or why, just that she did. As if she split in half and went in two different directions.

Out clubbing with her friends, Heather and Nilah, the girls rock it out and party hard. What begins as an innocent night will lead to a deadly fight for their lives, and Lila might be their only chance for survival.

In bed with her boyfriend, Jay, Lila is safe and warm as she drifts to sleep in the arms of the man she loves. Until she is sucked into a horrifying nightmare of her friends' deaths.

As the sunlight warms her face on Saturday morning, the two scenarios collide. But there can be only one outcome. Will she wake up in her warm bed with Jay by her side, devastated and grieving for her friends? Or was she there to save them?

The answer is just the beginning.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Awaken: Happy Release Day!!

!!!!HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, AWAKEN!!!!



So, Bitter Angel comes out tomorrow!!!

But I am just as excited for Jaime Guerard's Awaken!

Summary

Three things run through my mind at this very moment…

ONE, my life as I once knew it will never be the same.

TWO, the person I’m in love with might not even exist.

THREE, the deception that has unfolded before me has the power of life and death.

Sixteen year old, Breanna Davis, has heard the saying; life isn’t always what it seems…well, that saying rings true now more than ever. As horrifying visions appear before her, revealing tragedies that will forever change the fate of those she loves, she realizes that she may be the only person who can stop them from becoming reality.

Amongst the chaos of this new discovery, Bre is faced with a stranger, Eve, who moves in on Bre’s friends and begins to follow her every move. As Eve’s true motives begin to surface, Bre must fight against, not only the visions, but the dangers Eve holds close.

There is another secret kept- Collin, a boy held captive in Bre’s dreams, the boy she is secretly falling in love with but isn’t sure he even exists. As she tries to make it work with Austin, an old friend who could possibly be more, Bre battles against her feelings for Collin.

Bre is faced with an almost impossible decision, to choose her life or follow her destiny. If she doesn’t intercede, people will certainly die. If she does, her own life could be at stake. In the end, if she fails, she’ll lose everything.


This story is AMAZING, guys!!! You do not  want to miss it. Rated for 14+.
Buy on Amazon
Buy on B&N
Connect with Jaime





Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Do Over

I am seriously so excited to bring this beautiful cover to you today. A.L. Zaun is a friend of mine. I am unbelievably proud of her and crazy excited for her debut!! You all will fall in love with Dani, Liam, and Rick, and Maddy!! AGH! 

Okay, folks. Here you GO!

Title: The Do Over
Author: A. L. Zaun
Genre: Contemporary Adult
Cover Designer: Wicked by Design
Expected release date: May 20, 2013

Goodreads Button photo goodreads-badge-add-plus_zps5d68ec23.png

Life doesn't look like it's supposed to for Daniela, aka Dani. After a painful break-up with Rick, Dani decides she doesn't want to deal with the hassles of relationship. After almost two years, Dani's friends stage an intervention, forcing her out of her holding pattern and back into the real world of dating. Liam, a down to earth firefighter, may be just the person to show her she’s still worth something. Their chemistry is instant and electric. But will Dani be able to trust her patched-up heart with him? And what will happen when Rick decides he’ll go to any lengths to get her back?    


A.L. Zaun photo ALZaun_zps02443741.jpgAbout the Author A.L. Zaun graduated from Florida International University with a degree in English Literature a long time ago. A degree she didn’t use at all in her professional endeavors. She loves to read, write and take pictures. She walks around with her camera, and most importantly she has her e-reader available at all times. Healthcare Management by day, Mommy in the evening and most nights, you can find her sitting in front of her laptop with a bottle of Diet Pepsi, bringing the voices in her head to life on the pages of her debut novel, The Do Over.
 


 photo Untitled-1_zps6e94a926.jpg

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Tuesday Teaser

Bitter Angel comes out in less than TWO WEEKS! Wow, I can't believe the time is going so fast!

If you haven't added it to your Goodreads TBR yet, you can do it HERE.

Since most of this book is listed as a thriller, today's teaser is quite the adrenaline rush. Hope you like :)


Disclaimer: Parts of this may have changed somewhat during the editing process.



I pushed up with the heels of my palms and sprung back into motion. Wind whipped at my damp, matted hair. My arms pumped forward and back, forward and back like an Olympic runner. Tonight I had no choice but to run like one. The cold air smarted against my cheek. My face – already puffy and stretched from tears, dried blood, and caked mascara – was beginning to go numb. Even with all the adrenaline powering through me, I could feel tiny pieces of broken glass crunching under my feet and slicing the soft skin. Miniature cuts for every pound against the asphalt, chaffed by dirt and grit.
I wasn’t sure how many seconds passed until the loud clamoring of metal ended and I heard the thump of rubber soles on the street. He was gaining ground.
No…
Just as I rounded out of the alleyway, I flung a glance at the street sign: Harrison Rd. The road was deserted. I didn’t care. I started shouting like a lunatic to anyone that would listen. “HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”
Pumping harder, I kept at it, my lungs wheezing, sides cramping. “HELP!” I turned two more corners, no longer bothering with memorizing street names now that I had a roundabout location.  “Please help me!” My words were choked from the lack of air. “Help.”
Up ahead, I noticed moving lights. Headlights. Cars.
He was so close, I could hear his labored breathing, and just as I felt him trying to snatch my hair, I gunned it. Either by a second wind, survival instinct, or both. The doughy, sweet smell of fresh bread hit me in the face. Businesses. People.
I heard a strange grunt behind me but again made the next street my focus. Shutting out everything but getting around one more corner, onto a main road with consumers and proprietors and people with cars.
One last corner. I was three feet away.
Two.
One.
And then I went down, crash-landing hard. He had caught the back of the t-shirt.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Author Interview with Allie Brennan


Hi All!! I apologize for severely ignoring my blogging duties lately. I have been drowning in edits.

BUT - Good news! 

Bitter Angel is now sparkling and comes out in THREE WEEKS. Cue the EEEEEKS!!!!!!

Now that edits are done, I am excited to bring you a really cool interview with THEE talented and beautiful Allie Brennan.

_______________


Me: Hi Allie! So happy to have you here today. *adjusts microphone* Okay, everyone can hear you now. So I thought I’d get started by bringing up your sweetly awesome book, Tight Knit. I really couldn’t get enough of Talia and Lachlan.Your book brought out the fuzzies and made my stomach swim with butterflies.

I’m assuming you knit as well. When did you start knitting, and how did you come up with the idea for this beautiful book?

Allie: *picks up mic and taps* Just double checking.

Ha, funny story. Or not funny… it depends on who’s looking at it! But my mom taught me how to knit during one of the MANY times I tried to quit smoking and just needed something to do with my hands. I started again after that (but have quit for good now! YAY!) and subsequently stopped knitting. My mom knits, and my Nana (who this story was inspired by) knit and crocheted. A lot of my knitting talk came from memories of them or from my wonderful Beta reader Olivia who knits and corrected some of my jargon!

Me: That's AWESOME that you have officially quit smoking, and so sweet that you got to share this with your Nana. That must've been really special.

Share with us a little of your story on how and why you decided to self-publish.

Allie: I used to have that mentality that only people who ‘couldn’t make it’ in publishing self-published… *hangs head and mumbles apologies* But then I went to my first (and tiny) writing conference that was run by a wonderful woman who publishes both self and traditional. She writes across a spectrum of genres by a few different names AND she used to own her own Publishing House with her husband. She advocated for self publishing and challenged my beliefs of writing and publishing. It was then that I realized my beliefs were based on stigma and hearsay… I hated that, I never thought I was one of those people… Anyway, this led me on a little (and by little I mean massively huge and time consuming) research project on Self Publishing. Well, I fell in love. It was a slow burning enemies-to-friends-to-lovers kind of love. I thought LONG and hard about it. I weighed every option and I fretted over it, because I’m a fretter (Talia and I have a lot in common). In the end I decided just to write… Once I was done the book I’d decide what to do with it (I decided to shelve that book because it sucked). Then I wrote Tight Knit.

I still try to work that way. I still want to try my hand at an agent and trad house and all that fun stuff but I love being in control. More than anything I LOVE LOVE LOVE the people I’ve met along this journey.

Me: I agree, Allie. I love the people I've met. I truly feel that regardless of my level of success with my book, I am a very happy and satisfied girl to have such a wealth of amazing people surrounding me. 

Are you happy with your decision so far?

Allie: Couldn’t be happier!

Me: Did you start designing covers before or after the writing thing?

Allie: After, it happened by accident. I’m a Graphic Designer in the Production department of my local newspaper. With my schooling I just figured I could design my own cover and save some money. Well I guess people liked it… and here I am.

Me: I see your book is doing wonderfully on Amazon. Everyone hates to talk promotions, I know I do. I’m not a competitive girl, but I’m curious. How much have you done for self-promotions so far? What are your thoughts on self-promoting? And what are your plans for future promotions on books?

Allie: I’m the same as you, not competitive. I really didn’t do much. About two weeks after Tight Knit came out I did a week long blog thing and then put it up for sale for a couple days. I’m so blah when it comes to stuff like that! I like to focus more on meeting people and building legitimate long lasting relationships with readers and writers. I think that goes a long way. People can tell when you pander to them. I don’t like it, so I try not to do it. I’m not an in-your-face kind of person. I just stuck to the blog and twitter and talked to people.

Me: You are I are so alike, Allie! I can't be fake with people. I hate begging for likes on Facebook and posting my book everywhere. I would so much rather meet people, and have my stories spread by word of mouth because people genuinely enjoy them. 

Another curiosity – what’s it like to be your own cover artist? Do your own covers take longer, or do they tend to come together more quickly because you have the idea already in your head?

Allie: It depends. I was just idly sifting through iStock when I saw the pic I used for Tight Knit. My jaw just about unhinged it was so perfect. I knew I wanted the frost and I played A LOT with that and font before I decided and even then I changed it a couple weeks before release. That’s the upside AND the downside to doing your own covers.

The covers for my HOLLOWAY FARMS series all fell together so fast and so perfectly but I am still tweaking them a little.

The cover for BREATHE FOR ME is driving me nuts. It’s not right. I can’t make it right. I have become so emotionally invested in it that I hired an designer to take it out of my hands completely before I go crazy. Plus it will be nice to be able to have that cover excitement that I can’t experience doing my own. I’ll be waiting by my email ready to gasp and declare my everlasting love to the designer.

Sooooo, as you can tell, it’s a range of feelings!

Me: Completely understand. And I'm EAGERLY awaiting the release of these new books. Needless to say, I think your writing is beautiful, and has instantly become a favorite of mine. 

Being your own cover artist, how do you do your cover reveals?

Allie: I don’t. I don’t do traditional cover reveals. There is not a lot of ceremony behind anything I do. I just kind of do my thing and love it when people come along for the ride!

 Me: Share with us a little about your next project.

Allie: My next project is a 3(maybe 4) book series called HOLLOWAY FARMS. Graceland Holloway is the youngest and only girl in a family of 4 siblings. Her mother left when she was a baby and it has caused her some emotional scarring and a lack of female influence. Gracie doesn’t believe in love but she believes in memories and she’s been collecting them. She works very hard to manipulate and sculpt the world around her to create these ‘perfect memories’. The next on her list is losing her virginity, but not to some immature boy at her school. Gracie finds the perfect prospect in Bentley, the amazingly handsome and secretive farm hand. What Gracie doesn’t realize though, is that manipulation has it’s price and there’s no such thing as perfection, especially when it’s her own feelings she’s trying to control.

 Me: Sounds awesome, Allie. I can't wait!! Thanks again for stopping by today. It's nice having company once in a while (ensures the house gets cleaned. Ha! Kidding). But I truly do look forward to future stories!! Good luck!

Allie: Thanks so much for the questions, Megan! That was fun! *hands back mic and hugs you awkwardly because I suck at goodbyes*

Me: *accepts awkward hug* My pleasure! Come back anytime :)

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