Okay so it looks like I fell off the planet. Promise - I'm still here. The last four years have been ... hard. There's no other word for it. Everything is fine. I'm fine, but I've been the caregiver of my mom who has Dementia. Between her needs, work, etc I seem to have lost control of my time. I am still writing and am trying hard to get back to my blog.

In case you weren't aware Phaze and HSWF which where under the Mundania Umbrella have closed. I was smart enough to get my titles back before all this happened. I'm happy to say the three books I sold to HSWF have been picked up by Melange Books and are available through their Satin Books imprint. I have even sold a new title to them called Magical Quest due out in 2022

I have also been lucky enough to find a publisher for my Vespian Way series. I'm now with Blushing Books under the name of Bethany Drake. I have five titles out with them right now and am close to submitting two more. There's Desire's Destiny, Desire's Duty and Desire's Promise. Then there is two in my werewolf series, Tears of the Queen and Legend of the Tears. I have just finished the rough draft of the third book in the series and have plans for a fourth one the moment I submit it.

I'll probably still be sporadic here on the blog. Unless I win the lottery and can hire someone to help me I can't avoid it, but know I'm still here still working hard in the background and am hoping to do better at keeping my blog alive.

Barb:)



Saturday, April 26, 2014

My Latest Guest: Joanne Myers #interview

Happy Saturday everyone! Help me welcome my latest guest JoAnne Myers. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.  

I have been a long-time resident of southeastern Ohio, and worked in the blue-collar industry most of my life. Besides having several novels under my belt, I canvas paint. When not busy with hobbies or working outside the home, I spend time with relatives, my dog Jasmine, and volunteer my time within the community. I am a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild, Savvy Authors, Coffee Time Romance, Paranormal Romance Guild, True Romance Studios, National Writers Association, the Hocking Hill's Arts and Craftsmen Association, The Hocking County Historical Society and Museum, and the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center. I believe in family values and following your dreams. My original canvas paintings, can be found at: http://www.booksandpaintingsbyjoanne.com

Tell us about your latest release.

Loves, Myths, and Monsters, is a anthology of 11 fantasy tales entwined within the human world.  It stars the Mothman, the Chupracabra, Mermaids, Werewolves, reincarnation, time travel, a Quaker love story, a serial killer family circa 1870, an Egyptian love curse, a demonic cellmate, and etc.

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?
Satan! He is the ultimate bad guy.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why? 
That would be Jackie Reeves. She is the heroine in Murder Most Foul-my detective/mystery. She is as tough as she is beautiful, and ready for action.

3.) What genre do you write? What made you pick that one? 
I write fantasy, paranormal, true crime, mystery, and poetry.  I have a lot of interests, so I cannot just be happy writing about one genre.

4.)What are you working on now?  
I added more poems to my poetry collection, Poems About Life, Love, and Everything in Between, and found a second publishing company. I am eagerly awaiting for its release which is to be in May.

5.) What got you to start writing? 
I have always been able to write. Even as a child I had a flare for art.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?  
Some story ideas come from true life scenarios. Other's are strictly from my imagination, and some stories come from my conversations with others.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you? 
That I am a loner and publicly shy and awkward.

8.) Do you have any special talents? 
Just writing and painting, and being a great loving grandmother.

9.)  What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?  
To never give up. That is the best advice one author could give to another author. I also wrote a post about Never Giving Up.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?  
It would be to talk with Ann Rule. I would gossip about our books, and ask her what her big break was. I know some of her books have been turned into movies.  That would be awesome, the ultimate reward.


For the Love of Ginnie
I don’t know why I wanted to save the life of a person I never met. Maybe it was because I was tired of bachelorhood. Maybe it was because I was a chemist and the unusual, and unexplained, fascinated me. Or, maybe, it was because I was obsessed with this twenty-year-old, dark-haired beauty named Mary Virginia “Ginnie” Wade I had read about.
These questions filtered through my mind as I drove to the bar to meet my best friend Will.
Will’s favorite hangout was “The Bling,” originally an old truck stop on State Route 93, in Nelsonville, Ohio. The place became a restaurant/lounge/dance hall and brothel when semis no longer became a necessity for long distance hauling. The invention of the transporter also replaced many other primitive jobs such as mail delivery and travel. “The Bling” was best known for the large flashing lights suggesting scantily clad women in seductive positions above the front entrance, and its “bulldogs,” monster-sized bouncers in Armani suits who patrolled its two-block perimeter, inside and out.
“The Bling,” just another joint with a sleazy atmosphere, like all alcohol-serving establishments, differed only in that it catered exclusively to class “A” clientele. Politely—or maybe not so politely—everyone called it the “Whorehouse for the rich and bored.” Its reputation grew. Its income grew even faster.
I pulled up in front and exited my vintage DeLorian, tossing the keys to the baby-faced valet, by-passed the doorman with no questions asked. Just an exchange of large smiles between us. Will was also part-owner.
As I entered the twenty-four carat gold, electronic doors, Will immediately spotted me and motioned me toward the bar with his diamond embellished hand.
I loved sitting at the bar. It was the perfect place to see the shows. “Two double scotches and water,” Will said, as we shook hands, and I slid into my seat beside him, just as the tall, leggy waitress produced the drinks in an instant.
I immediately recognized the “girl” as one of the latest “do-everything-like-a-wife” robotics. Robot manufacturing had become a booming business since the last war destroyed the immune and reproductive systems in most humans, especially females.
“I don’t know why you waste your time flirting with non-humans,” I said, cautiously sipping my drink. The immense emptiness of not being able to acquire a wife and soul mate, I felt at this age in my life, almost drove me to alcoholism, but my boss and mentor, Doctor Obar Gabry, intervened, saving my life and promising career.
“Because, dear friend,” Will began, “beggars can’t be choosey, and ladies are in scarce supply. Beside, these ‘girls’ are all pink inside.”
Ugh!” I said, gulping down a large swallow of alcohol as if it could wash away my friend’s vile mental picture from my mind.
“Come on, Alex, loosen up. Live a little.” Will motioned to the waitress for another round of drinks. “You’re alive, so act like it. Don’t let your beautiful mind go to waste. This world needs people like you. People started treating me like a god once I became an entrepreneur, and I love it.”
I had to laugh. Maybe my self-pity stage had outlived its use. Only I can find a wife for myself. I certainly won’t ask Will to hook me up. His sense of values are as artificial as the women he beds.
The pain and loneliness I felt at times from yearning for a life-long partner and family wasn’t easy to accomplish. Scientific and Medical technology still could not reverse the sterilization effects on the female species.
Sure there were some human women to date. But most were either sterile, too old, too young, or there was just no chemistry between the two of us. I wanted that spark that unites between two people madly in love...like my parents. I never met any couple happier with one another then my beloved parents. That’s the kind of love I want…never ending.
The emptiness and frustration of not finding companionship at times made me want to die. But that was the loneliness talking. I know that now. I love life. I want to live, and I know who I want for a wife. It’s just that meeting her would be a little tricky.
Abruptly, I asked, “What do you think about time travel?”
“Are you serious?” Will asked. “Scientists have tried to conquer time travel for hundreds of years, and failed.”
“Maybe they failed because they weren’t Doctor Gabry and me.”
Will looked at me in awe. “Oh, my god, you’re serious!”
“We discovered something today in the lab,” I said, giving him an arrogant smile. “We believe this is the answer.”
“So who is to be the Guinea pig?”
“Me.”
Silence came from Will, then a gasp. “That could be suicide.”
“Or the biggest discovery of the thirtieth century.”



Blurbs for “Loves, Myths, and Monsters” 11 fantasy tales filled with mystery and intrigue entwined within the human world.
WELCOME TO ANNA
            Little does 17 year old Zoe, realize, but the Chupracabra followed her to Ohio from South America.  What happens next is a series of chilling mysteries, and unsuspecting friendships and love.
THE HUNTER’S BRIDE
            When all game warden Daren Abram, had to worry about was which lucky lady to woo, he comes to the realization that his town is being stalked by the reincarnation of the town’s legend.
MOON PEOPLE
            For teenage mermaid Constance, coming to the quaint seaside town of Willowick, is heavenly, until she falls for mortal boy Drake. For the town to survive, Constance is forced to choose between her kind and the boy and town she loves.
THE BIDDING
            Apiologist 34-year-old Duncan McPherson goes to Circleville, Ohio, to investigate a series of mysterious bee attacks. What is uncovered proves to be more dark and sinister then anyone imaged.                                                    
THE AGREEMENT
            Incarcerated in the abandoned Roseville jail, is the last thing rich college student and speeder Brice Conrad, needs. With an “agreement” between the town and a permanent demonic “guest”, only the unfortunate ones know the truth, but do not live to tell.
LOVE’S CURSE
            When an Egypt love curse scroll is stolen from a Dean’s office, persons begin dying in bizarre and grisly ways, with the college’s mascot a Viking King statue jokingly blamed for it
THE PACK
            When young Lycan Sonny Red Blanket, a Shawnee Indian falls for mortal girl Drenda Way, he must save her from his fellow Lycan’s and stop a werewolf uprising.                                IS IT ONLY A MYTH?
When 32-year-old Vinton County Sheriff, James “Jim“ Connors, discovers he has a Mothman hunting in his county, he stops at nothing to save his citizens.
FOR THE LOVE OF GINNIE
            Handsome bachelor and Scientist Alex Anderson from the thirtieth century, returns to the Civil War with time serum to save his beloved Ginnie Wade from a snipers bullet, while finding a roller coaster ride of joy and perils.
THE HOUSE ON SHADY LANE
            A seemingly loving family turns out to be serial killers in 1873.
THE PROPOSITION
            The rough and ready cowboy John Queenie gets the shock of his life, when the ad to break a “wild filly” turns out to be a fiery Quaker girl named Tess. This is a story proving love conquers all.

Other books by JoAnne:
Murder Most Foul-a detective/mystery
Wicked Intentions-7 bone chilling paranormal stories
The Crime of the Century-a biography true crime
Poems About Life, Love, and Everything in Between
Upcoming Releases:
Twisted Love-a biography true crime anthology available May 10
Flagitious-a detective/mystery novella anthology available Summer of 2014
Contact:
Website:  Books and Paintings by JoAnne  http://www.booksandpaintingsbyjoanne.com
Blog: http://www.booksandpaintingsbyjoanne.com/page2

Buy Links:
MELANGE IN PRINT AND EBOOK:
LULU in print
AMAZON KINDLE STORE

That's for joining me JoAnne!


3 comments:

  1. Tried to join your blog but it wouldn't let me. Very interesting blog and would like to follow you. :-)

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  2. trying to follow your blog but the site is having some issues. Very interesting blog and I will try again to see if it will let me follow.

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  3. hmm - not sure what the problem is Brenda - which one are you using to follow me? maybe I need to reload it.

    Barb:)

    ReplyDelete