Monday, December 30, 2013

Flesh and Flames (The Flesh #2) by April Fifer & Danielle Hylton-Outland Feature & Giveaway

Time has been all but kind to Azaleigh over the past year, but with this time, change has filled a void caused by broken dreams. Gage, always a permanent fixture, has waited for his chance to steal her heart. Just when Azaleigh gives in, the unimaginable happens -- Kale returns. But he's not the same. Fear harbors inside Azaleigh's mind as she tries to run from torn emotions. Things are not what they seem. A web of deceit clings to the secret Az has been waiting to uncover -- Anna. As the surreptitious story is revealed, horror of the ones behind it is mind-blowing. Will the mystery be brought to light or will it remain hidden from the fire within?








Excerpt 
 
Gage made his way to Charlie's, a small bar located in the center of downtown LA. The bar was not at all like the other bars or clubs in this area. It was more like a hole in the wall that only the worst tortured soul would care to visit. 

As he pulled the door open, the smoke that filled the room poured out. Gage looked around and saw only a handful of people, most of which were crowded around the single pool table that sat in the center of the floor. 

A man sat at the bar with his back turned, drinking shots of dark liquor. As Gage approached him, the man took another shot and then slammed the glass down on the counter. A smile hinted on Gage's face as he pulled up a seat next to him. 

"Another for me and my friend here," Gage shouted to the bartender. 

The bartender was around twenty-six with an all-out gothic look and more piercings on her face than a person could count. "Your friend is at his limit," she snapped. 

"Come now. Just one more?" Gage grinned and then gave her a wink. No woman could tell him no. She rolled her eyes in submission and began to pour the shots. 

"I'm not your friend," Kale said as he cut his eyes at Gage. 

"Now that's just rude, Kale," Gage said in a playful tone. Kale turned to look at him straight on. The seriousness in his face didn't bother Gage. 

"You called this meeting. What is it that you want?" Kale was clearly frustrated. 

"I see. No friendly greeting. Straight to business," Gage said mockingly and then continued with less sarcasm. "Someone tried to kill Jocelyn the other night. They were looking for the dagger and thought she knew where it was. I kept her at my place and went to see what I could find out, but I came up empty. I called you here because it won't be long until they come looking for you since you were the last person with it. It seems the dagger was never returned to Pasqual if it's being sought out." 

"What's your point?" Kale said as he lifted the shot glass to his lips. 

"Are you kidding me? Pasqual will have everyone's head for this." Gage looked at Kale confusedly. He was no longer the man Gage considered a friend. Even in their times of trial, they had still had an unspoken respect for one another. But the man who now sat in front of him had no resemblance to the person he had once known. 

"Pasqual is the least of your worries. And he's not calling the shots anymore. I am," Kale said. 

Gage looked over to the bartender and raised his hand. "How many shots did you say he's had?" 

"Too many," she said with irritation in her voice. 

"I've hidden it," Kale said. "And I'm not drunk." 

"What were you thinking?" Gage asked. 

"I followed code. That's all you need to know," Kale replied. 

"What code? There is no code." Gage looked at him, confused. 

This time, Kale raised his hand to the bartender. "Another round. It's on him." Kale pointed at Gage. The woman returned his request with a middle finger. 

"Tell me you didn't go vigilante on this?" Gage asked. 

"No. I follow code. Unlike you," Kale growled. 

Gage could see the seriousness in Kale's face and knew no matter how much he pried, he would not get the answers. 

"Always a pleasure, old friend." Gage smiled and tossed money on the counter. 
"Wait," Kale said. He paused, looking for words that he seemed to want to hold hostage. 
"How is she?" His eyes were filled with turmoil. It took a lot of courage for him to ask. 
"She's learning how to live again." But as Gage stared at Kale, a familiar feeling came over him. Looking at him, Gage knew what was different. "You did it, didn't you?" 

Kale turned away, refusing to acknowledge the question. There was a long bout of silence. Gage decided not to pursue the question, knowing that it would not benefit him to know. He turned, leaving Kale to drown in his own misery.



 



 ABOUT THE AUTHORS


April grew up in a small town in Virginia, where it was common practice believing that dreams could only be found in stories. At the age of seven she was diagnosed 
with dyslexia. April was told that she would struggle through life and would never pick up a book to read for pleasure. Although school was hard, she was able to find 
her way with the help of two teachers who taught me self-discovery. Ignoring what she was taught growing up, April turned it around and found that your dreams could become stories.


Danielle was born and raised in Virginia, and even though she loves it there, she has always pictured herself as a city girl. Danielle grew up having a huge appetite for 
daydreaming, always wanting to live in the spectacular worlds she created in her mind. As a child, she would spend hours curled up in bed with her favorite book, which 
she would read over and over again. She feels nothing is more inspiring than the written word. Danielle currently still lives in Virginia with her husband and rebellious dog, "Ceazer." 



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162 comments:

  1. Question: Which writers inspire you?

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    1. Hi Lisa! To answer your question, Gillian Flynn really inspires me. I love her style of writing. I have so many favorites but she is certainly in my top 10. ~Danielle

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  2. Who is the primary writer for these books? I see it says that there are two authors, but I would like to know how you split the work load between the two :)

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    1. Hi Michael! April and I are both primary writers in any book we write together. We split chapters after outlining them and then write. Usually one chapter will stand out to the other one, and we pick and choose which chapter one another is dying to write. However, after everything is all said and done we can barely tell who wrote what. Especially when edits come into play :-)

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    2. Danielle is completely right. Sometimes neither of can tell which wrote what scene. In addition to that we both go back over each others work with a fine tooth comb. ;-) ~ April

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  3. do you write everyday?
    aka midgeknows

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    1. I wish I could say I write everyday but when life gets in the way, I write less than I would like to admit. I enjoy to write and try to write as often as I can. I wrote a chapter tonight and I feel ecstatic! ~Danielle

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  4. Who are your favorite authors?

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    1. We love so many authors and have the utmost respect for any who can sit down and write a entire novel. Some of our favorite authors are Becca Fitzpatrick, Gillian Flynn, Jodi Picoult and many many more...

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    2. Love love love Becca Fitzpatick! ~ April

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  5. How difficult was it to overcome your dyslexia.

    hd6719 at gmail dot com

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    1. April worked really hard to overcome dyslexia. She had amazing tutors and teachers who cared about her and used specific test to help! To be honest she is one of the smartest people I know :-) ~Danielle

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    2. Somedays I think I'm still trying to overcome it. Danielle is correct, I had some really great tutors and teachers. My dyslexia was discover just when people were starting to become aware of it. I find myself, re-reading and re-writing a lot because I read it completely wrong or thought it said something totally different.

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  6. Great excerpt! This sounds like a book I would want to read :)

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  7. This book looks great! Very intriguing!

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  8. Question - How do you break your writer's block?

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    1. April and I both struggle with writer's block from time to time. We can usually break it by jumping in a car and driving. Our minds always think better while on a coffee run. We feed off each other’s ideas, and before we know it, we have an interesting plot. She or I will spit out a thought, and then we take off with a meaty story. We call this our "what if?" moments.~Danielle

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    2. Sending my kids to a babysitter! ~ April

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  9. Have you ever had writer's block?

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    1. Writer's block is not uncommon for any writer. I have had it plenty of times. When I get writers block I usually shut my laptop. I always feel it is nature’s way of telling me to take a break. If not, then it is forced, which never turns out well. ~Danielle

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    2. I suffer from writer's block when sending an email! Or that my be my old age kicking in. ~April

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  10. The book sounds interesting. How do you come up with new creative ideas?

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    1. April and I are such a great team and we are great friends. We bounce ideas off each other until we come up with a creative plot that we can't wait to dig into. We are also willing to be honest with each other.~Danielle

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  11. Wow what a great review! Thank you so much. The book sounds awesome.

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  12. Question: What is your favorite book that you have read, or one that you've wrote?

    Lonerwor@aim.com

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    1. We love so many different books, but my favorite would have to be Flesh and Feathers #1 in this series. This book changed my life, and it is my paper love child. Many years of our lives went into this series, and it will forever be my favorite. I hope this doesn't come across bias. :-)

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  13. I would love to win this gift card!

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  14. Paula Gardner/samandsandy22@yahoo.com
    Any tips on getting past writers block?

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    1. There are many ways to help people overcome writer's block. Taking a car ride has helped me the most with writer’s block. I seem to think better while driving. The point is to find that one puzzle piece missing to move further in a story or just a plot in general. I sometimes daydream, and that helps. April and I have one another to snap the other one out of writer's block, so we got lucky on that part. ~Danielle

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  15. The excerpt has made me want to read this book to find out what is going on, but I don't have #1 so that will have to be the first order of business! Thank you for the giveaway!!
    Bonnie Hilligoss - bonnie at bonnieanddave dot com

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  16. This book sounds interesting! Thanks for the giveaway!!

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  17. Have you ever lived anywhere other than Virginia?

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    1. Nope. Virginia is the only place either of us have ever lived. :-)

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  18. What is your writing style? Do you start with a plot outline and fill in details, or do you write as you go?

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    1. We do both. April and I will write whatever comes to us. We will just run with the story but there will eventuality be a detailed outline.

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  19. Sounds like a great read! Will the two of you would be collaborating on any books in the future?

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    1. Hi Jen. April and I love to write. We are currently writing the 3rd book in this series, Flesh and Folly. We are also writing a YA edition called Belabor.

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  20. I have a brother with the same reading problem April has had; unfortunately, he has never been able to overcome it. Even now at age 56, he still buys food according to the pictures on the package.

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    1. Poor thing! That is so sad :-( I am so sorry to hear about your brother but I bet he is an amazing guy.

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    2. Hi Cindy. I'm so sorry to hear that. My Dad has the same thing. He is 68 and can only sign his name. He can't read or write anything else. And he too, purchases thing according to pictures. But I bet your brother is amazing in some other way. Like my Dad... he can build a car from the ground up. Craziest thing I've ever seen :-) ~ April

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  21. Do you base characters on friends/family from your lives?

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    1. Hi Charlene! Love your name :-) we do not base any characters from friends or family but we do sometimes base them off famous people. Kale's personality and looks are based from Eric off True blood. We also will named some characters from family and friends.

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  22. I'd love to know if April and Danielle find themselves getting completely absorbed with the lives and identities their characters while writing, or if they find it more useful to maintain some distance from them as authors in control of their characters' words and actions. How do you strike that balance in the creative process? Thanks!

    Geoff K
    gkaufmanss at yahoo dot com

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    1. Oh yes! We find ourselves absorbed in our characters. We catch each other saying "I can't believe she/he did that!" Then chuckle. There has to be a balance and I think we have finally achieved one.

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  23. Do you need to read the first book and can you start on the second book?

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    1. Hi Maureen. Yes, you have to read the first book. This story has developed into such a deep plot. There are many twist and turns within the two books. Both books lead you up to Flesh and Folly. I can honestly say even I was shocked. Lol

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  24. What keeps you motivated to keep writing?

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    1. To be honest it gets really hard sometimes. Author's struggle so much because all we want is our story to be read. What keeps me going is the love of writing. I love this story and I am a sucker for unbearable love. We both have imaginations that won't let us stop writing. It's our dream :-) ~ Danielle

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  25. How do you come up with things to write about?
    Brittney House BBrittBrat1398@yahoo.com

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    1. Our minds never seem to stop. lol. We are always coming up with new plots. One actually stemmed from a dream I had. I sat up in bed and grabbed my laptop, writing a full length plot. That book is named "Them". It is another current production.~Danielle

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    2. Yard signs, mailboxes, the Shell station. Hell, we will spin something off anything we see. LOL ~April

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  26. Is this a romance novel? I thought it might be from the review Rosanne rosans4@comcast.net

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    1. It is a Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy. It has a deep love story along with a meaty plot. I have found that men enjoy the book as much as women because it has a few elements going on in it :-)

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  27. Sounds like an amazing read!
    Thanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!

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  28. Is this the first collaboration on a book as writers you two have done together or have there been others?

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  29. This looks like such a great read. Thank you for the chance

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  30. Sounds like I book I am interested in reading......Thank you!

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  31. I'm a librarian and I think the whole co-authorship arrangement is so interesting. How do you determine who writes what? How do you keep the writing sounding like it's one voice and not 2 different voices?

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    1. April and I were very fortunate to have similar writing styles. We both know where each chapter is headed so it is easier than it sounds. By the end of the story we almost forget who wrote what. Thanks :-)

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  32. Looks good I would read this book!

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  33. Book looks very interesting! Will have to check it out!

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  34. What is your biggest fear you have in life?

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    1. Hi Wes, I think my biggest fear in life is regret. ~Danielle

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    2. That my kids turn out like me! Ahhhhh ~April

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  35. Wow! That was an interesting excerpt! I am intrigued by Kale. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. This looks like a great book to read. Thanks for having the contest.

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  38. dyslexia is hard to overcome. my brother has it and it was always hard for him.
    gabbflabber at live.com

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    1. Sorry to hear about your brother. It's very difficult to overcome. Best of wishes and good luck.

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    2. Amen. But I realize with mine that I may have trouble in some areas, but I can excel in others. I'm sure he is the same way :-) ~April

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  39. Looks interesting... I would read it

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  40. melissaandkeith millerJanuary 7, 2014 at 1:18 AM

    sounds like a great review!

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  41. The book sounds interesting. How do you come up with new creative ideas?

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    1. In the most ridiculous crazy ways possible. We have sword fights, shout random words at each other... it goes on and on. But my effective is our "What If" sessions :-) One will say a simply plot and the other has to come up with the "What If" scenario. ~ April

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  42. How long have you been doing this Blog?

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    1. I'm a little behind. LOL. Danielle know the answer to that one! ~April

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  43. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  44. Hello Everyone! This time it is April :-) It's kind of sad to see that I've missed so many wonderful comments. I've had some trials and tribulations for quite sometime now and the very amazing Danielle has kept us going with her love and dedication to our writing. God Bless her :-) I want to thank everyone so much for all of the great feedback. We are truly excited about Flames and hope everyone enjoys it.

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  45. The excerpt is really provocative...i want to know about the woman they are talking about!

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  46. I saw you base your characters sometimes on famous people...who are some of your faves?

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    1. Some of our favorites are Alexander Skarsgard, Eric Dane, Robert Pattenson and so many more.

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    2. Some of our favorites are Alexander Skarsgard, Eric Dane, Robert Pattenson, Rosamund Pike and so many more.

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    3. Some of our favorites are Alexander Skarsgard, Eric Dane, Robert Pattenson, Rosamund Pike and so many more.

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  47. The cover and that excerpt are gorgeous. I definitely just added that series to my TBR :)

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  48. I don't know if this has been asked, because there are a lot of comments. But what is your favorite ALL TIME book?

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    1. Jane Austen was such a amazing influence so anything written by her would be my favorite. ~Danielle

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  49. this book sounds very interesting. I mean that! I don't even read this genre

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  50. Good luck with your writing. As an artist (musician), I know how hard it is to do what you love, and make a living (even part time) at it. Do you do any writing besides books?

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  51. Replies
    1. My inspiration would be our characters and getting their stories out. ~Danielle

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  52. Looks interesting, would like to check out

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  53. How do you find time to write while balancing children?

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  54. I love reading.

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  55. What is your inspiration for writing?

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  56. This looks like a book that is right up my alley, I am always interested in new (to me) authors so will be checking it out.

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  57. The book looks great and I am adding it to my wish list - beautiful pictures btw - love the country!

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  58. thanks, if I won I'd take amazon as my wish list is NOT gettitng any shorter. I always seem to find a new author that I want to read ALL their books LOL

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  59. April, how did it make you feel when you wrote your first book?

    tony l smoaks on rafflecopter

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  60. great cover and like the excerpt thanks for the giveaway! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

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  61. This book sounds very interesting. I can't wait to read it!!! How does a person go about getting their works published? I have a son who is writing a book but not sure what to do when he gets done with it?

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    1. I would find publishers that are currently seeking the genre your son is writing. The web is so helpful to find a perfect fit. Then you can look up their criteria. Some want to see the first couple of chapters and a synopsis. It varies with each publisher. Send them a query letter and wait for a response. How exciting! It is my favorite part :-) ~Danielle

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  62. Really interesting. I like seeing someone with dyslexia overcoming it and becoming successful. Quite inspiring.

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  63. what would you say is the hardest thing about writing a book?

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    1. Research, keeping the story flowing and making the characters connect.

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  64. What do you do to get over writer's block?

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  65. How many books do you have planned, if any, after this?

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  66. I cant wait to read some of the books here

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  67. Replies
    1. I feel it is natural for us. I love to write and try to write as much as possible.~Danielle

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  68. Do you live near each other in Virginia?
    Thanks for the contest.

    slehan at juno dot com

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  69. What type of music do you listen to when you're writing?

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    1. Pandora is my savior. I have to listen to music while I write. April doesn't like to.

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  70. i would love to read this.i just started getting into reading again after 10 years

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  71. Going to look into reading the first book in this series! Sounds like something I would really enjoy.

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  72. What books did you read as a child?

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    1. I loved/love Dr.Suess. The Berenstain's and Ann McGovern.~Danielle

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  73. How long does it typically take you to write a book?

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    1. It depends on what we have going on in our life. It can take months to years. It's such a long process.

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  74. Im not the biggest reader but my daughter is and i think she will love to read this.

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  75. thischickwins said:
    This sounds really interesting- good luck with this and all future endeavors
    thischickwins at gmail dot com

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  76. This sounds like a great read id love to read it :)

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  77. I think it is wonderful to see someone like April overcome dyslexia and become a writer!! :)

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  78. I still need to read the first one, it's next on my list.

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  79. i really like the cover art! thanks for the chance!

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  80. I'm excited to read this!
    Julie Hawkins

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  81. What's your opinion about Neil Gaiman?

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  82. What's your opinion about Neil Gaiman?

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    1. Neil Gaiman is so talented. Stardust is one of my favorites! It's so funny that you mention him because I actual use his work for inspiration when I get discouraged.

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  83. This sounds like a book I would want to read, thank you!

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  84. I loved the excerft. It sounds like an interesting book.

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  85. What is your favorite time of day to write?

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    1. I'm nocturnal. Night is when I get most work done. Thanks

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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave a comment. It's appreciated.