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, November 14, 2015

Welcome my Latest Guest Andrea R. Cooper! #amwriting @andrearcooper

I want to welcome Andrea R. Cooper! First I’d love you to introduce yourself.

Hi everyone, I’m Andrea. Full-time wife/mom and writer whenever I can squeeze it in. I’m addicted to Game of Thrones, Chai Lattes, and Zumba.

Tell us about your latest release.

Fairy Trouble is a short story paranormal romance and a retelling of the Cinderella story in a modern setting with a twist. Cindy doesn’t want to go to the ball or meet the ‘prince’. So her newly appointed Fairy Godmother takes her place and that’s just the beginning of the troubles.

This story is bundled along with three other fabulous fairy-tale retellings.

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?

The Evil Queen from Once Upon A Time. I love how the writers of the show not only tweak the fairytales, but show why this villain does things. She also has a good/vulnerable side and shows not everyone is entirely evil…or good for that matter.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?

Celeste from The Legends of Oblivion series. Even though she faced adversity and pain, she didn’t let it define who she was or how she treated others. She has an inner strength that is refreshing.

3.) What do genre do you write? What made you pick that one?

I write lots of genres. My favorite are fantasy/ paranormal romance and historical romance. I’ve always been drawn to reading those type of books. I love learning new things about history, yet I enjoy the freedom of creating worlds in fantasy/ paranormal books.

4.) What are you working on now?

I’ve several projects that I work on because I’ve found it helps to avoid the dreaded writer’s block. If one story fizzles out or I can’t get inspired, I move onto another. Sometimes I write a chapter or two in one story, then hop over to another.

Currently, here’s my list:
·         Tainted Book 3 of the Claimed series
·         Untitled – Book 2.5 of the Claimed series
·         War of Darkness Book 3 Legends of Oblivion series
·         Viking Blaze – Book 2 Viking Fire series

5.) What got you to start writing?

I’ve always created characters and story, just acted them out with friends and neighborhood kids. But even though I grew up and life happened, these stories never went away and new ones kept filling my thoughts, so I started writing.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?

Everywhere. An idea, a dream, a snatch of conversation. Viking Fire came from finding out the name Lochlann was Gaelic for Viking.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?

That I don’t typically read mystery or suspense unless it is high-level. Too often, I figure out who-did-it before the half-way point in the book and I like to be surprised. So it has to be a really good book.

8.) Do you have any special talents?

I used to choreograph dance routines for me and my friends. And I can typically remember everything that was said in a conversation, especially if there was a great significance to the communication.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?

The best advice I received was to keep writing. I don’t know of any authors who wrote one draft of their first manuscript and were instantly published.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?

Grace O’Malley – Irish pirate who never lost a battle. I’d interview her and find out how she was so successful and what it was like to meet Queen Elizabeth.

11.) What song would you say describes your life?

Stronger (What doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson

12.) If you could come back as any animal – what would it be?

A tiger. They are one of my favorite animals.





Fairy Trouble Blurb:
Esmeralda has a chance to become a permanent Fairy Godmother…if she doesn’t botch her last test. However Cindy, her new charge, doesn’t want to go to the ball.
Ryan has until midnight on his birthday to pull his bakery into the black or lose it. When he meets an intriguing blue-haired beauty, he can’t decide if she’s real or a con.
Getting the prince to fall in love with Cindy was supposed to be easy, but toss in a fairy and nothing goes as planned.

Page 13 excerpt – Fairy Trouble
The woman stood staring open-mouthed for a moment, blinked several times, then rushed away pushing the stroller. Oops, did it again! Esmeralda flicked her wand and removed the last few minutes of the woman’s memory. The lady stopped, looked around, then shook her head, and continued down the path. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get you ready for the ball.” Although the ball was still hours away, of course, Esmeralda clucked her tongue. “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared ahead of time.” And I might just be able to go smell that amazing man—I mean, bakery—again.
“Did my stepmother put you up to this?” Cindy stood, and the chair toppled over. “Tell her some fancy magician will not make me go to the party. It’ll be full of rich, stuffy people.”
“But you have to go.” There were no second chances, no do-overs. It had to be that ball with him and Cindy, before midnight this Thursday—or nothing. This should have been a slam-dunk assignment. But now she wondered if the council and Fanny had given her a difficult task to prove herself worthy.
Cindy snapped her fingers. “Why don’t you go in my place?”
“W-what?” The idea held some appeal. Esmeralda could see Ryan again and be dressed to make him drool, and his arms could be around her as they danced. Wait, dance with a human? What was wrong with her? Was it just because he smelled so good that she wanted to be near him? Fairies didn’t love or marry each other. If a fairy fell in love with a human, he or she would have to give up immortality and become human.
Esmeralda’s gut clenched. Fairies had no choice in their futures or dreams. It was like being locked in a position at birth with no hope of a career change. How many times had she wanted to live with the humans and experience everything they did? To taste fresh, warm bread and not puke it up half an hour later? To kiss? And that brought back the image of the handsome baker, and she shivered, wanting to know if his lips tasted sweeter than nectar. If she traded places with Cindy …



Andrea’s Bio: Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.

What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).

Andrea writes contemporary romance suspense, fantasy, paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba or chasing her two youngest kids through the park.

She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.

Author Website: www.AndreaRCooper.com



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