June's Author of the Month, Holli Castillo

Holli has written three books in her Crescent  City Mystery Series (Gumbo Justice, Jambalaya Justice, and Chocolate City Justice [coming soon]).  She has also written an award winning screenplay called Angel Trap. This is an author who uses her real life for inspiration in her stories. Her husband was the model for “Big Who” and her deaf cat co-starred in her books. She has worked in many places including waitressing, stage manager, acrobat teacher, and has a law degree. She was raised in New Orleans where she lives now with her husband, two children, dog, and 2 deaf cats. And the stories take place in New Orleans, mentioning real events like Hurricane Katrina!

You can check out her website at………

http://www.hollicastillo.com/        http://jambalayajustice.com/      https:/www.facebook.com/holli.castillo

       

Gritty, Raw, And Engaging, [a review for one of her books]

August 31, 2009

By	Apex Reviews (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Tough, streetwise, and smart - with an even smarter mouth - Ryan Murphy is not a prosecutor to be trifled with; of course, if you were a peace-loving citizen in the crime-infested, drug-riddled Big Easy, you wouldn't want your law enforcement officials to be any other way. So, tasked with the duty of prosecuting a series of brutal crimes, Ryan uses her incomparable grit and wits to ensure that the incorrigible criminals behind them never again see the light of day.

There's only one problem: before she can see each case through to complete prosecution, the bad guys all end up dead. Even more confounding for Ryan: each killing is mysteriously linked to her - which is the absolute last thing she needs while striving to fast-track her own career. As the sinister events unfold - ultimately placing her own life at risk - Ryan, despite how slick and savvy she's become, must kick her game to an even higher level if she's to outwit a twisted killer who seems destined to remain one step ahead of her.

The initial installment in the Crescent City Mystery Series, Gumbo Justice is, hands down, the real thing. Herself a public defender and former New Orleans prosecutor, Holli Castillo infuses her compelling tale with such authenticity and unique energy that even those who have never visited the Big Easy will undoubtedly finish the book feeling as though they've lived there forever. Furthermore, her perfectly crafted characters and gripping storyline push the narrative along at break-neck pace, making the 200+ pages breeze by and leaving you craving for more as the story - regrettably - concludes...as such, hopefully installment #2 is just around the corner...

Gritty, raw, engaging - and with an absolutely delicious closing twist - Gumbo Justice is a highly entertaining instant classic from an emerging literary star fast on the rise. Kudos to Castillo for crafting such an ingenious, unique thriller, and be on the lookout for more from this promising new talent.

May's Author Choice: Deanna Jewel

First of all, you can check Deanna’s website at

http://www.deannajewel.com/

Deanna is the author of No Turning Back, Whispers at Ghost Point (sequel to No Turning Back), Never Surrender, and Unleash Your Inner Strength. She is a romance writer. Her newest book, Final Surrender (sequel to Never Surrender) will be released soon!

The most difficult book Deanna wrote was No Turning Back because it was the first novel she ever completed. It was published second due to the extended editing. She says the editing process took longer than the actual writing of the book.

The easiest book she wrote was actually her second book (published first), Never Surrender, because she simply wrote the movie that played in her head as the characters played out the parts.

She began writing back in 1991 when she injured her back. She was down for a few months and had many stories in her mind. She had nothing else to do so she let them escape onto the page. Great authors like Johanna Lindsay, Virginia Henley, Rosemary Rogers, Kathleen Woodiwiss all inspired her to become a writer in the historical romance genre. The story teller in her motivates her to write and so far she says many people have enjoyed what she’s created.

What challenges have you [Deanna] overcome in life? Doesn't have to relate to writing. “I've always told myself there is nothing in life I can't accomplish if I set my mind to it and I raised my daughters with that instilled in them. Our mind is a powerful tool but if we doubt ourselves on what we can accomplish, we've already put up the block to what we can really do! Think great things and great things WILL happen! That's The Secret!” This was directly from Deanna’s own words.

Deanna couldn’t name just one book as a favorite. She says she enjoys all historical romances. Shanna written by Kathleen Woodiwiss did come to her mind though.

An added note for writers. Deanna says to reread her comment about challenges and then adds that you attract what you think. Why think small?

Next Issue: Mother's Day Newsletter

Next month is Mother's Day and the newsletter issue will be devoted to that. I'm mentioning it now because I'd like to add a little something from my readers to their mothers. If you'd like a special message for the women in your life, email me at argrosjean@hotmail.com and I'll include it in the issue. Please send it to me by the 20th so I have time to place it in there.

On another note, Easter is coming soon! I hope everyone has a great day celebrating the holiday. Jesus has risen! We should be thankful for that! I know I am!


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I'm working on a new book called Between Life and Death. I'm thinking its a good title. I'm stuck on it though because its nearly not long enough, even though the story is pretty much finished. Of course, I think I need to do something with the ending so its not just any ending lol. Through editing, I need to work on it so there's more obstacles for the main character. She's stuck in a town that appears abandoned and everything is pointing to a special day that happened five years earlier. But what does she have to do with what happened on that day? And why are her friends disappearing? That's all I can really say lol. Of course, some things may change in the story since I know how its going to end now. Sometimes, knowing is good, sometimes I don't like knowing lol. I think that's what keeps me going. The surprise at the end is always worth waiting for, for me. I can't wait to share it with the all of you! But you'll have to wait!!!


Amber Rigby Grosjean

April's Author Choice: TL Cooper

T L Cooper is the author of All She Ever Wanted; and 4 books of poetry Strength in Silhouette, Love in Silhouette, Reflections in Silhouette, Memory in Silhouette. Her books are available through Amazon among other places.

You can check out her full website at

 http://tlcreviews.tlcooper.com/

T L Cooper began telling stories when she was just on her grandfather’s knee. Her father had been complaining about a groundhog in his barn and her grandfather offered to kill it. She made up a story about why he couldn’t. Her grandfather asked questions to encourage her to turn it into a story rather than just a statement. He would get her to tell the stories of the groundhog to their family and friends to entertain them.

She is motivated to write by the need to use words to influence the world for the better. She prefers to write fiction because she believes a good story is more motivating in most instances than the dry facts. Her goal is to reach a wider audience by writing fiction than she could through nonfiction.

Her most recent book is called Red. It has been pushed to be released until later this year! More about this book……. In Cooper’s own words….

Police suspect Marissa Sterling killed her husband and her young children in a fictional small Kentucky town south of Louisville. Marissa suffers a mental breakdown in which an entity “red” blocks her memories and keeps her silent. Rookie Detective Azalea Kavanaugh refuses to accept the case as “open and shut” and teams up with Bryce Thorne, a reporter, to find the truth. The investigation is complicated as the secrets Marissa has spent her life protecting are revealed and Detective Kavanaugh must face her own past when mysterious packages about her own parents’ deaths start showing up.

T L. Cooper’s advice to new writers?  Read, talk to other writers, and trust your instincts.  Listen to what others have to say, but always stay true to your vision.

Cooper grew up on a farm in Tollesboro, Kentucky. She began writing when she was around 8.

She attended Eastern Kentucky University where she studied Corrections and Juvenile Services and earned a Bachelor of Science. She traveled the world to study cultures.

Other books by this author include It’ll Never Happen Again, and Connection which are both electronic books. You can download them on Amazon.

One review of many from her books ( this one is for Connection)…….

“What I like about this neatly written story of Tl's is her attention to detail. She has a way of putting you in the same room with the characters, almost as if you are a character yourself witnessing what is going on. This story is about connecting. Another thing that Tl does well is put vague, hard-to-define emotions into words.”  This review came from Tammy Ruggles in 2012. 

Besides Red coming out this year sometime, TL Cooper also has two other books coming out soon. One book is untitled at the moment and is a book of short stories. The other one is Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems.

 

 Thank you!!!

Almost There--April Fools Day

One more day left of this month and then.......you guessed it, April Fools Day! Are you ready? One thing I've learned over the years, you almost have to expect something to happen and then don't fall for it. Easier said than done. It truly is. Especially when someone wakes you up right at midnight telling you something is wrong somewhere; the house, the neighbor's house, something on the news, what ever. You're not quite awake so you pretty much fall for it most of the time. At least I do anyway lol.

Its a fun time, don't get me wrong. I love seeing everyone else fall for the innocent pranks. As long as they stay innocent. You never want to see someone getting hurt. That's when the fun dies. So I'd like to wish everyone a safe and fun fools day!

There's always ideas running around. Buying a fake winning lottery ticket could work. Just don't do it if you're seriously needing the money though lol. You fell down and hurt something important. Usually people run up to you to make sure you're okay before calling 911 lol. Don't let it get to that point. I remember one year I told my little sister her butt was on fire. She was sitting on a heater vent because it was cold in the room. She jumped up and hit herself in the butt as she ran all around the room trying to put the fire out. If its cold where you're at, that could work for you. The list can go on forever, quite literally. And you want it to fit the circumstances in your life, something that relates to you. It makes it more precious seeing someone fall for it. When my husband and I worked together in a restaurant, our boss took some chocolate pudding and corn, spread it all over the bathroom and asking one of the guys to go clean it up before the place opened. It was gross but it worked. The guy thought it was real. It was rather mean but it was funny seeing the guy's face when he came out of the bathroom. Another idea? If you're good at cooking. Bake a cake (this would be for a guy) shaped as a bikini with balloons under the icing. When he cuts the cake, it pops. Someone did that for my hubby's birthday at the same restaurant. Everyone expect my husband jumped when the balloons popped lol. It was fun though.

Okay, that's enough ideas for you. Go have some fun. Just remember, keep it safe and everyone should have a good day. Don't be pranking the same person all day though, cause payback is never as much fun. Okay, you know the true saying, I hope lol.

Happy Fool's Day!!!!!!


Amber Rigby Grosjean

New Issue, Coming in April

In the next issue, I'm going to be introducing the author T. L. Cooper, author of many books with some new releases coming out this year. Those titles are included in the issue.

In the "On Writing" section of my newsletter, I've shared a little of what I know about the difference between dialogue and monologue. Some writers in the beginning can get the two confused which can cause problems in writing. It doesn't make a person dumb in anyway, by the way. Writing a book can be easy, writing a good book is difficult and requires time and a lot of patience. Toning one's talents makes it easier but its still hard work.

You'll have to read the issue to see what topic I've chosen for "Something to think about". I'd love to hear from you on the topics I've chosen to share.

And to end the issue, I've shared a little about me.

That's for April. Of course, the theme for the design is Easter! So let's get those baskets ready and start painting those eggs. But its not all bunnies and eggs. Remember it is the day the Lord has risen!

Thank you!!!!!

Amber Rigby Grosjean

Newsletters

   Today 3/4/14

A few more people have subscribed to my newsletters and to those people (and who are already there) I say thank you! This month is my birthday month! In this issue for March, I went with a St. Patrick's Day theme so you'll see some green and some flowers lol. I've already posted this month's Author which I hope you enjoyed. Check out her books!

Next month is April first, and no its not a Fool's Day issue. Easter is the theme, as you may have guessed. Its not too early to sign up for it, or for any issues for that matter. If you sign up this month, I'll send you March's issue right away! And if you'd like to check out any earlier issues, just let me know. I can go back as far as Jan 2013. I try to keep a copy of all my issues for that reason lol. Thank you very much everyone!!!!

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 Posted on 10-13-13
My newsletters are still going strong. This month, I went with a scary theme for Halloween. Ghosts and bats lol. Okay, so its not so scary but the information is still interesting. Its not too late to subscribe. Even if its the last day of the month, if you want the current issue and get the next issue on the first, let me know.

November 1 is scheduled to be my next issue. I can hardly wait to share it with you. Thanksgiving is a factor of the theme with this one. I think that's one thing you can expect from me. When the holidays come up, they are featured lol. But I've done something new for this issue, something you can have some fun with. Its not all about writing in November. I don't think December will be either which is why a special issue will be coming out on the first of the year! So if you haven't subscribed yet, please please do so now so you won't miss that issue. Thank you!!!!!



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Posted on 6/14/13

Since I've went back to making my newsletters, I've been trying some new things. I'm hoping to get people to participate with me on them. I've added a whole section called, "Something to Think About". Each month I'll come up with something to make you think, maybe even react. I hope some of my topics aren't too controversial but then again if it makes you think then maybe I've done my job. I know its not related to writing in any way but these are things I've pondered at one time or another so it is related to me I guess lol.

And of course, I've added a section here to my blog that gives you a sneak peak of my newsletters. You get two whole pages to check out. I have a total of 9 pages in my newsletter. Of course, some months I may include extra pages. Those are the special editions lol.



Every month I will be including an interview with another writer. That is something I've done since day one and I've enjoyed it fully. It is a hard job to get noticed with everything us writers have to compete with. Besides competing with each other, we have to fight other things to get your attention. There's the computer with all the bells and whistles it has to offer. By the way, you can download books and read them on your computer too. There's television and all our favorite shows and movies. And even the radio can steal you away from our books. Shopping, working, parties, school, and so much more take your attention from our books. I take pleasure out of introducing new writers to you. People, otherwise you'd never know about and hopefully you'll be turned towards one of their books as well.

Also in each newsletter I throw in a book that I've actually read! Yes, I read now. Not as often as I'd like but I have read a few books here and there. I actually sat down and read all of the Twilight Saga books. It took me a little time but I did read those big books. I don't think I'll read anything that's longer though lol. It does reveal a little more about me, the things I like or don't like.

And as always (since day one) I include a section on writing because its who I am. I do have a lot of writers who subscribe to my newsletters but that's not why I added that section. I wanted to open the world of writing to those who don't write so they can see writing isn't as easy as putting a pen to paper. Okay, sometimes it can be easy but its not as easy as you may think lol. There's more to it than just writing something on paper, or typing.

And of course, I throw in some extra things into each issue to make each month different. The layout is always different and I try to change up the theme of my issues as well. If you would like to subscribe, I've added a little section on here to do that. If you're a writer and have a book published (even if its self-published), I'd love to include you in one of my newsletters. Send me an email and I'll get back with you with a full set of questions for one of my issues. Please include your name, or pen name if its different, your website or blog, and the title(s) of the book(s) you have published and I'll send you questions that relate to you.


Thank you!!!!!

Amber Rigby Grosjean

This Month's Author- Saundra Crum Akers

Saundra is a mystery/suspense author with books titled; Fear Treads the Mountains, Ghost Hunter, Joe White and the Seven Ghosts, The Wannabe Witch, The Tempest Rider, Bite of the Serpent, The Smelly Man, Whispers on The Wind, Spooked, Manifesting Destiny, The Abandoned Ghost, My Fractured Mind, Sins of The Mother, Guilty!, Dream Buster, and a series titled Questing Hart (Shattered Hart, Hopeful Hart, and Spirited Hart).

Check out her website to learn more about these books or even order them saundracrumakers.com

Bite of the Serpent was her most difficult book to write because it was her first real “who dunnit” book. The easiest book to write was Abandoned Ghost because it didn’t require much research except for the location of the story.

She began writing in 2005. She retired from working with the state of Ohio in order to write. Of course with all her research and writing, she doesn’t feel so retired anymore. She always intended to write when she was younger. At 7, she told her mother and her mother told her to stick with short stories because she didn’t have the patience to write long ones. Her inner drive and having a lot to say motives her to write. Saundra has an active mind that’s always bouncing all over the place. She sets all her stories in Ohio where she grew up.

Saundra enjoys books written by James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Heather Graham, Robert Tanenbaum, John Lescroart, Lisa Jackson, and Tess Geritson. She enjoys movies and TV shows like The Mentalist, CSI, Lie to Me, Castle, and Medium.

Her latest books published at Sins of The Mother which is a historical suspense, Joe White and the Seven Ghosts, and the Wannabe Witch. Right now she is working on a comic adventure similar to Janet Evanavich’s Stephanie Plum series.

A Little Look Inside Me

I'm not all writer. I wear many different hats. I am a mother, wife, sister, daughter, dreamer, crocheter, music lover,  friend, and so much more. One of the things I do on my spare time, when I'm not writing, is making clothes. And with summer almost here (finally!), I wanted to share some of the things I have made recently. I'm not done with one of the outfits. I'm also going to make a wrap using the same colorful yarn as the top set. So here they are including some of the other things I've made in the past. First, the most recent ones...........

This one is the last thing I've made so far. It has a "bathing suit" top to go under and a headband to complete it. A wrap will finish this set.

This is my first halter top. I've attempted it before and screwed up miserably. This time I put a little elastic on the back so it wouldn't be too loose lol. And of course, got to have something for the hair. I'm ready for summer now!

 I had originally made another top using the same yarn with a long skirt. It was suppose to be for Easter. I didn't like the skirt. It had too much "square dance" appeal to it lol. Well, I had enough yarn left over that I felt I wanted another shirt so made it a little more springy. Put a tank top under and its complete!



And now some older pieces..........

Amber Rigby Grosjean

This Month's Author, Doctor Rosaleen O'Brien

Doctor Rosaleen O’Brian is the author of “A Tribute to Trooper Patrick Rogers; A collection of prose and poetry”, “A collection of poetry books, and “Rosaleen’s Diary”, Church Abuse, Drugs and Ect” plus many more.

  Her website…..

www.doctorrosaleenobrien.webs.com

  The most difficult book she wrote was “Rosaleen’s Diary” in which she didn’t say why. The easiest book she wrote was “Marilyn Munroe and her Growler Bear” because it told the story through her teddy bear’s eyes. She was less than 14 years old when she began writing.

  She inspired herself to write. They couldn’t afford ink when she was younger to do her homework so she climbed a tree to pick elderberries and crushed them to make ink.

  Writing for her is therepy and stops the flashbacks from the drug trials. This is her motivation.

  At the time of this interview, she was working on a new book.  It was a romantic book about a Catholic Priest torn between the vows he made and the love of Lynda.

  One of her challenges as a person involved a homeless gentleman who was turned away by his family doctor and local hospital who wanted to amputate. He was advised that he would not survive and he resisted amputation. She treated this man.

  “The Royal Jewels” is Rosaleen's favorite book. She said, “Such a vast amount of Diamonds and the history behind them is awesome.”

What would you [Rosaleen] like to tell other writers new to this business? “My books are written with a deep insight and are fun to read although Some readers may laugh and at times shed a tear and at times feel a little scared..My trip in my books takes you places that you probably have never been…”