Cinderella at the Ball: My Kindle Scout Experience Part 2 by Jina Bacarr
June 11, 2015 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Amazon, author, book, Civil War, Confessions of a Podcast Goddess, historical, Kindle, Kindle Press, kindle scout, reader, romance, sexy, time travel, Writer, writing
Get to Know Kat Martin!
June 2, 2015 by A Slice of Orange in category Interviews, Spotlight tagged as Against the Sky, Against the Tide, Against the Wild, Alaska, Barb Delong, Conversations with Barb and Jann, Jann Ryan, Kat Martin, Q&A, writing
New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin was happy to answer a few questions for our Slice of Orange readers.
Barb: Which of your characters would you like to meet in person? Why?
Kat: One I would definitely want to meet is Rafe Brodie, the hero of my new book, AGAINST THE TIDE. Rafe is smart, rugged, and savvy. Plus he is gorgeous! Another of my favorite characters is Chance McLain from The Secret, a hunky Montana cowboy. I think you can guess the reason I’d like to meet him (grin). I like my heroine Olivia Chandler, also in TIDE. She’s one of the smartest women I’ve written. Liv really has her stuff together.
Jann: What is the one thing about you that people would be most surprised to know?
Kat: I’m a hermit. Unless we are traveling, I pretty much stay home and write.
Barb: What is your favorite gadget?
Kat: I love my iPad mini. I’m a total dinosaur except for that. I’m pretty good on the mini, and I love all the info I can get. Plus I can do my email when I’m traveling.
Jann: Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others?
Kat: I hate writing description. Which is why I don’t put a lot in. I’m not crazy about back-story. I don’t care what my hero/heroine did in high school unless it pertains to what is happening in his or her life now. Sex scenes are difficult to write because I want them to be fresh and match the tone of the story line at that time. I love writing dialog.
Barb: Do you have any plans in the future to write another Historical?
Kat: No more Historicals for me. Actually, I haven’t written one in years. I’ve written about 22 Romantic Suspense novels (plus the ones yet to be published). I feel as though I’ve found my calling. I love writing the hunky guys in my Against books.
Jann: What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
Kat: Getting published, staying published, writing stories people seem to want to read. Staying four weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list with Against the Sky!
Barb: If you could pick one of your books to be made into a movie for TV or the big screen, which one would you pick and who would you want to play your characters?
Kat: I’ve given that a lot of thought. I would love to see a film made of The Secret, my near-death murder mystery set on a ranch in Montana. Finding the right guy to play Chance McLain, the cowboy part??? I’m open to suggestion. Caitlin, the heroine is a little redhead. Maybe someone out there has an idea for her as well. I think Against the Wind, another cowboy story, would also make a good film.
Against the Tide
Secrets and Danger Threaten in the Land of the Midnight Sun!
Liv Chandler is running for her life. She can’t trust anyone, not even the one man who makes her feel safe-rugged charter boat captain, Rafe Brodie.
Rafe is determined to uncover Liv’s secrets, but the beautiful café owner has a past more dangerous than Rafe can guess. Something terrible is coming, and even in remote Valdez, Alaska, Rafe can’t protect her forever.
Kat will give away a copy of AGAINST THE TIDE to one lucky commenter!!!
Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. She is married to L.J. Martin, author of western, non-fiction, and suspense novels. Kat has written more than sixty-five novels. Sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries, including Japan, France, Germany, Argentina, Greece, China, Russia, and Spain.
Kat currently resides in Missoula, Montana, on a small ranch in the beautiful Sapphire mountains. Her last nine books have hit the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. Both AGAINST THE WILD and AGAINST THE SKY, her latest release, took top ten spots. AGAINST THE TIDE the 3rd book in the Brodies of Alaska series will hit shelves in a couple weeks!
Visit Kat’s website at www.katmartin.com
Or look for her on Facebook at Katmartin/author.
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Lumpers and Splitters…
May 24, 2015 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesAs the joke goes: One: people who think there are two kinds of people, and Two: people who don’t.
Yes, exactly!
There are a myriad of kinds of people, but there are often strong dividing principals around a specific point that offer insight into choices, opinions, actions.
The classic example is that there are Lumpers and Splitters: those that habitually aggregate things (information, whatever) into piles, and label those collective piles.
Or people who see things as individual, unique elements that are distinct.
You can see the pros and cons of each. The efficiency (and inaccuracy) of Lumping. The time-consuming inefficiency (and greater accuracy) of splitting.
We all are Lumpers and Splitters in different areas of our lives.
We tend to be Splitters in areas of interest or importance to us, knowing and delighting in the myriad nuanced differences of a “thing,” be it horror movies, romance novels or football. For many, the sentence, “I don’t watch horror movies (any films)/read romance novels (books)/like football (sports)” dismisses the entire genre (or the entire medium, in a bigger Lump). Often accompanied by a dismissive, “They’re all the same.”
But to a fan, a Splitter, interest and knowledge in something transforms your world from black-and-white (yes/no) into a universe of color like in the movie The Wizard of Oz.
So for example, Lumpers might roll all scary movies into a ball of “horror” and make blanket statements about them.
But to a Splitter, there are many types of horror—per Steven King there are three: the gross-out; the unnatural; terror. But other Splitters parse it differently: supernatural/unnatural; slasher/splatter; disaster. All usually include elements of suspense, fear, mystery. And there is a truly infinite number of varieties on these themes with strong opinions and preferences for individual types.
As a fan of romances novels, I will keep myself under control, simply noting that three initial Splits could be contemporary, historical, fantasy. But each one of those then can be subdivided into suspense, paranormal, mystery, sexy, sweet, and so on. Again, with an infinite number of sub-genres, mixing and matching to please different palates.
Football—while seeming for some of us to be “all the same” (bunch of guys running up and down a patch of “turf” in matching outfits, trying to move an inanimate object in one direction or another)—in fact is also full of subtlety. You heard it here first! Coaches, owners, players, injuries, penalties, sanctions, criminal investigations, finances, fans and more all contribute an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of the game.
There are many circumstances where we simply have to Lump. We can’t retain, effectively present or make decisions when we consider all the complexity of a large number of things. A business presentation starts with an “Executive Summary” offering in a single paragraph, the top-line conclusions of what may be a lengthy and nuanced piece of work.
We often judge others by a single action (perhaps cheating) and label and Lump the person a cheater.
But really, their action may have been specific, isolated in a particular situation, or an area they deem gray, (low level fudging on their expense report ) whereas other areas may be scrupulously black and white (the integrity of their work, their commitment to their job).
Lump it. Split it. But don’t dump on either one….
0 0 Read moreChoosing the Right Setting.
May 20, 2015 by A Slice of Orange in category Guest Posts, Spotlight tagged as Against the Sky, Against the Tide, Against the Wild, Alaska, Kat Martin, Setting, writer's tips, writing(Or does it choose you?)
At the end of May, AGAINST THE TIDE, the twelfth novel in my AGAINST series is being released. This is the last of three books about the rugged Brodie brothers of Alaska.
Being plot-oriented, I usually work through a story in my head then figure out the best place for the story to take place. Sometimes, as happened with the Alaska Trilogy, AGAINST THE WILD, AGAINST THE SKY, and AGAINST THE TIDE, the setting was an essential part of the stories before they were even conceived.
The concept for the trilogy began with a month-long trip my husband and I took to Alaska–a place that has fascinated me since childhood. Even before we set out, I knew I wanted to write an Alaskan trilogy, but had no story concepts until we set out on the five thousand mile journey north.
It was my second long trip, both of which involved traveling cross-country, staying in a tiny pickup camper. Every day and night spent out in the open filled my head with story ideas. By the time we got home, I had rough outlines for three high-action romantic suspense novels about the rugged Brodie brothers, Dylan, Nick, and Rafe, and the women who loved them.
In AGAINST THE TIDE, Rafe Brodie is the owner of a charter boat fishing company in remote Valdez. Liv Chandler, the beautiful new owner of the Pelican Café, has fled to Valdez, fearing for her life. Liv can’t trust anyone, not even Rafe, the one man who makes her feel safe.
Rafe finds Olivia an intriguing mystery. He’s determined to uncover her secrets, but the woman has a past more dangerous than Rafe can guess. When murder strikes in the tiny town, he begins to believe something terrible is coming. And even in remote Valdez, Alaska, Rafe may not be able to protect the woman he loves.
Though I was comfortable writing Alaska from the months I spent up there and was familiar with the wildlife and mountainous terrain, since I live in Montana, the trip added vistas, sounds, smells, and ideas for some of the interesting characters who appear in the novels.
Setting is always important to a story, in some books more than in others. To help me with the different locales, I use Google Maps extensively. They have street maps, street cameras, satellite views, terrain maps, and still photos, all of which help me see what an area looks like. What an amazing writers’ tool!
Going to the location, of course, is the best way to chose a setting. There are places I couldn’t write about without having been there. Alaska was one of them.
Driving all the way from Montana through Canada, over the Top of the World road, we took a side trip to Valdez. It was raining there, but the scenery was still spectacular. Valdez is the shipping terminal for the great Alaska pipeline, which gave me the plot line for AGAINST THE TIDE.
I try to choose locals that are fun for readers, enhance the suspense, and give insight into the characters.
I hope you enjoy my Alaskan he-man, Rafe Brodie, along with the mysterious Olivia Chandler in AGAINST THE TIDE.
Till then, very best wishes and happy reading, Kat
 |
| When Lane and Dylan work to solve the mystery, they discover a legacy of injustice and murder. With danger stalking their every move, Dylan must risk everything to save Lane and his daughter and uncover the truth–before it’s too late. |
New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. She is married to L.J. Martin, author of western, non-fiction, and suspense novels.
Kat has written more than sixty-five novels. Sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries, including Japan, France, Germany, Argentina, Greece, China, Russia, and Spain.
Born in Bakersfield, California, Kat currently resides in Missoula, Montana, on a small ranch in the beautiful Sapphire mountains.
Her last eleven books have hit the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. Both AGAINST THE WILD and AGAINST THE SKY, her latest release, took top ten spots. AGAINST THE TIDE the 3rd book in the Brodies of Alaska series will hit shelves in a couple weeks!
Sister against Sister in the Civil War: Love Me Forever by Jina Bacarr
April 11, 2015 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Civil War, Confederate, Confessions of a Podcast Goddess, historical romance, Kindle, kindle scout, romance, sister, soldier, South, spy, time travel, Union, war, women |
| Love Me Forever is on Kindle Scout |
The Civil War ended this week 150 years ago…
We hear so much about how the Civil War was a conflict about brother against brother.
What about the women of the North and South?
Sister against sister?
In “LOVE ME FOREVER,” my story on Kindle Scout, two women with very different beliefs learn to accept each other for who they are.
They’re not only separated by what they believe in, but by more than 150 years when my heroine travels back to 1862.
Here is an excerpt when my heroine, Liberty Jordan, a re-enactor from today disguised as a Confederate officer, meets up with Pauletta Sue Buckingham when Liberty escapes from the clutches of a dastardly sergeant in a Union prison camp. Pauletta Sue sees her running across the field and races after her in her buggy and carriage. Believing her to be a young Southern man, she offers her refuge:
“You must be brave, sir. The cause needs you,†the woman whispered with urgency, startling Liberty.
So that’s why she helped her. She was a Confederate sympathizer. Here? In a Union camp?
Would they both be shot?
“Hurry, get in,†she ordered. “The bluecoats are coming.â€
Holding onto the side of the carriage, Liberty lifted herself up when suddenly she felt her feet give way from underneath her. Damn, she hadn’t counted on the slippery step glistening with dew. It caught her unaware and threw her off balance. She lost her footing on the soggy, wet earth, staggered, then with a loud plop, landed on the ground, the wind knocked out of her.
Her officer’s wide brim hat flying off her head.
Liberty heard the woman gasp when her long reddish-blond hair tumbled down her back like a cascade of corn silk popping up out of its stalk.
“You’re a woman,†the Southerner cried out, her hand going to her mouth.
“Haven’t you ever seen a girl in pants before?†Liberty said, a weak smile curling over her lips. She was surprised the woman didn’t faint.
“Dear Lord, the soldiers mustn’t find out you’re a female,†she said, taking charge. “No telling what they’d do, seeing they have the manners of a country hog.†Holding up her skirts, she climbed out of the carriage to retrieve Liberty’s brim hat.
“Then you won’t give me away?†Liberty asked, surprised. The Southern belle was no pushover.
“You fool girl. I admire what you’re doing, but the Yankees will never understand what we women will do for the cause. Even if we suffer from a broken heart, we’ll never give up,†she said with an emotion so deep it surprised Liberty. She handed her hat back to her. “Run! I’ll hold them off. You can take shelter in the old mill down the road till morning. There’s a secret hiding place behind the pantry.â€
How did she know that?
Liberty had no time to ponder the belle and her cause. Instead, she pulled the soggy hat back onto her head and muttered her thanks. She lifted her chin, the sun hitting her cheeks with its fading rays and revealing her face. Before she could pull down the brim of her hat, the woman grabbed her hand.
“Wait,†the dark-haired beauty muttered with surprise. Or was it shock? “Who are you, Missy?‒
“Nobody, ma’am—†Liberty began, her breath catching in her chest when she saw blue-uniformed soldiers on horseback racing toward them, kicking up dust. She had to get out of here, now.
“I demand to know who you are, where you’re from.†The Confederate woman pulled the veil off her face framed by dark hair. “And why you look like me.â€
Yes, that’s Pauletta Sue on the left and Liberty on the right in the graphic at the top of the page. The two women are twins except for their hair color. Not only are they on opposite sides, but they both vie for the same man…course, I can’t tell what happens…but sparks fly and it isn’t just on the battlefield…
LOVE ME FOREVER is on Kindle Scout — you can read the first 5,000 words HERE. You’ll meet both my heroines and both my heroes in the excerpt. If you nominate my story and it’s published by Kindle Scout, then you’ll receive a free copy! It’s a saga of love and romance and war. Believe me, I walked every road, fought every battle with my characters, even walked around in a hoop skirt to “get it right.â€
This is a book of the heart…any questions? Please ask!!
Thank you for stopping by…………..
~Jina
PS — As I post tonight LOVE ME FOREVER is Hot & Trending!
PPS — COMING next month: a full account of my experience with Kindle Scout.
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