Indie-Licious Interview: Insight into Author Rebecca Rynecki's Fantasy World Isleen

Putting her ancient history degree to use, yeah right, Rebecca works as a librarian where she primarily gives patrons the evil eye. She's the author of the New Adult Fantasy/Romance series, Alaina Downs, which at present includes The Secret World of Alaina Downs and The Knight's Ill-Thought Bargain.

When Rebecca's not writing or blogging, you can find her running, baking, and generally doing rural things like chasing the wild turkeys out of her yard with her son and husband.

Hello Rebecca. Please shed your Indie-LIcious contributor's hat and have a seat in our red, vinyl, settee and enjoy being on the spotlight side of Indie-Licious.

~ Comfy? Good. Let's get started with what inspired The Knight's Ill-Thought Bargain, or more specific; The Secret World of Alaina Downs Series?

"The Knight's Ill-Thought Bargain is a continuation of The Secret World of Alaina Downs, which was inspired by neighborhood games and stories like Alice in Wonderland and Narnia, basically anything that involved escaping into another world. The Knight's Ill-Thought Bargain takes more inspiration from folklore, and the hero's quest, although it may not be physical, but rather emotionally and mentally. And as always, The Princess Bride for its use of serious humor."

~ A great selection of inspiration.

~ Can you describe your heroine? We'd love to hear about her.

"Alaina is your typical fresh-out-of-college 22-year-old, not sure of where she was going or what she was doing with her life in Alaina Downs. Fast forward two years . . . some of that is still true, but she has some big changes in her life that force her to, well, grow up a little bit and realize that it's just not her anymore. She learns to take stock of what's important in life, and that even though you have to say goodbye to some things; they'll never really leave you."

~ I know from experience that picking a beloved character's name is harder than naming a child. How did you come up with Alaina Downs and some other names of importance?

"Alaina is the name of a girl I went to school with in 7th grade. I loved her name. I never knew anybody with that name before and it just stuck. Gabriel, well, I'll be honest, I got his name from an actor. Ever see The Newsies? Spot Conlon? Yeah, the actor's name is Gabriel Damon, and um, it took a life of its own. Other names in this book came from fairy tales / folklore, with some exceptions, such as Tavern, one of the "evil" witches. My sister's best friend came up with that name when she was 8 years old, and I thought it was an awesome name."

~  Who would play your main characters in THE movie version of your story?

"Well, Gabriel is no contest - Andrew Lee Potts would play him. There is nobody else for me in that regard. Alaina? She's harder. I keep looking at actresses in their 20s with dark hair and nothing really fits. I would prefer an unknown. Usha though . . . that's Megan Fox all the way, and I think she has the ability to play comedy seriously."

~  What was the most exciting part of the writing journey for you?

"With this book, it was about really pushing these characters. Putting them in situations where everything looks dark and forcing them to examine who they are. I was so happy when I heard back from my beta readers and editors that certain scenes made them cry, and one of them even texted me while reading the manuscript, "Oh my God! Make it stop." I was so happy to hear that it made people laugh and just have a bit of an escape for a while. That's what I'm all about."

~ Thank you so much for sharing with us at Indie-Licious, Rebecca.

It's back to Isleen. And Alaine has to save the world . . . sigh . . . again.

Connect with Rebecca:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRyneckiAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeccaRBooks

Rebecca's Blog: http://rebeccaryneckithequestsandperils.blogspot.ca/p/my-books.html

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6449801.Rebecca_Rynecki

Lucky Indies Giveaway

Well, to kick off the Indie-Licious Awesomeness, we've put together a giveaway that will make three lucky people very happy!

We have a gallery of signed paperbacks, ebooks, and swag arranged, and there will be one winner for each category. Check out the prizes, and make sure to check out the authors who were kind enough to donate them!

Prize Package 1 - PAPERBACK LOVE:

Natural Selection (YA Urban Fantasy) – Elizabeth Sharp
Becoming (YA Fantasy) – Raine Thomas
Enlightened - Devyn Dawson
Alaina Downs (NA) – Rebecca Rynecki
Don't Fear the Reaper – Michelle Muto
Beyond the Western Sun & Walk the Red Road (YA Fantasy) - Kristina Circelli
Twisted (YA Romance) – Amity Hope
Wilde's Fire (YA Fantasy) – Krystal Wade
Slow Dance in Purgatory - Amy Sutorius Harmon
The Gathering Darkness (YA Paranormal) - Lisa Collicutt
Sweet Oblivion (YA Fantasy/Romance) - Bailey Ardisone
The Keeper (YA PNR) - Natalie Star-Kroll
Wolf Spell – MR POLISH
Troll Or Derby – Red Tash
Rematch (YA fantasy/romance) - Janine M. Caldwell
Flight - Alyssa Rose
Here – Ella James

Prize Package 2 - EBOOK LOVE:

Twisted (YA Romance) – Amity Hope
Mother-Earth Series & Knot in Time (YA Adventure Fantasy & SciFi) – Alan Tucker
Devour (YA/NA Paranormal Romance) – Andrea Heltsley
Trust in Me (NA) – Bethany Lopez
Travelers Series (YA Sci-Fi) – Claudia Lefeve
Awaken, Avenge, & Atone – Sarah Ross
Doc, Vampire-Hunting Dog Novella (YA) – Julie Campbell
Barely Alive series (Upper YA Zombie Romance) – Bonnie Paulson
Sweet Oblivion (YA Fantasy/Romance) - Bailey Ardisone
Into the Spiral (YA SciFi/Romance) – Erin Danzer
EVER (YA Paranormal/Romance) – Jessa Russo
Quest & Wildflower (YA Fantasy & YA Historical Romance) – Amy Jones
The Only Exception (NA – eARC!) – Magan Vernon
Morgan Wylie's Debut (YA urban fantasy) – Morgan Wylie
Light of the Moon (YA PNR) - David James Knapp
Dark Seeker and Dark Return (Books 1 & 2 in the Seeker series YA UF) – Taryn Browning
Marked & Changed (YA PNR) - Jennifer Snyder
Zellie Wells Trilogy & Day of Sacrifice (YA PNR & NA UF) - Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Cloud Prophet Trilogy & The Swarm Trilogy (YA High Fantasy) - Megg Jensen
Elemental Emnity II, III, & IV - Christie Rich


Prize Package 3 - SWAG LOVE:

You may receive pens, posters, cards, stickers, bookmarks, etc. A lot of this will be signed!
Raine Thomas
Devyn Dawson
Rebecca Rynecki
Andrea Heltsley
Krystal Wade
Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Megg Jensen
(NA) Bethany Lopez
Lisa Collicutt
Bonnie Paulson
Bailey Ardisone
Jessa Russo
Amy Jones
Natalie Star-Kroll
Taryn Browning


a Rafflecopter giveaway

New book reveal- HORIZON by Christie Rich

Evil has many faces—unfortunately, Rayla Tate has seen them all, or so she thinks. Since she learned she was an Elemental, she has been hunted for her power. But Rayla hasn’t met her greatest foe; she hasn’t seen true evil…yet. Rayla betrayed her bondmate to be with the man she loves. Now that she has Heath at her side, she is ready to face the fae council and move on with her life. Too bad Zach has other ideas. He’s not about to give Rayla up just because his sister got in the way. He will find Rayla and prove to her that he is the man she is meant to be with, even if he has to face the monsters of the dark realms to do it. Despite her growing feelings for Heath, with every passing day her body gives in to her bond with Zach. Rayla must leave the dark realms or risk losing control of her mind and ultimately her power. Once back in Lombarda, she discovers a secret about her origins that could shake the foundations of the world, both fae and human. There is more at stake than who she is bound to. The Order and the fae both want control of the same thing, and this time it is not her. Rayla must unite with unlikely allies to destroy the evil plaguing Faeresia. For if she refuses, she will succumb to a compulsion she never could have anticipated and plunge the world and those she loves into darkness or utter oblivion.

Where to buy:

Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Horizon-Elemental-Enmity-Book-ebook/dp/B00B6B7RQC/ 

B&N- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/horizon-christie-rich/1114234755?ean=2940015970739

 

About Christie Rich

I love to be creative. It is more than a hobby. It is a need of mine. Whether writing, reading, painting, flower arranging or trying something new, I spend most of my time in the pursuit of freeing the creations inside me. I live in a small town in Northern Utah, I am so grateful for the rich life I have been blessed with.

Where to connect with Christie

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Books by Christie Rich

Five (Elemental Enmity Book I) Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Smashwords

Dark Matter (Elemental Enmity Book II)

Genesis (Elemental Enmity Book III)

Horizon (Elemental Enmity Book IV)

Tools & Tips - Createspace Step-by-step

createspace 

       The first time I used createspace, I was amazed at how user friendly it was. I uploaded my book, followed all of the steps, and poof, my book was ready. When I received my first proof in the mail I realized how wrong I was, after a lot of jumping up and down, of course.

      Createspace is user friendly, but if you’ve never done it before, there can be steps that you miss or don’t fully understand. I’ve uploaded five books so far, using createspace, and although I’m not an expert, I’ll share what I do know with you now. Hopefully this will make your process a little easier.

      1. Start by going to your Member Dashboard and clicking Add a New Title

      2. You will input the name of your book, select paperback, and then choose either Guided or Expert (For the purpose of this post, we’ll choose Guided)

      3. The first screen is the Title Information

              a. The title you inputted on the first page will already be there, but you can add a Subtitle if you have one

              b. Add yourself as the Author and add any contributors that helped you with the book, if applicable (Cover Design, Editor, etc…)

              c. If the book is part of a series, add the series title and which volume in the series you are uploading (1, 2, 3, etc…)

              d. Add the language your book is written in, and if you are releasing the book immediately you can add the publishing date. You cannot forecast the date for some time in the future, so if you are still in the beginning stages and just want the proof, leave this blank for now.

      4. The next screen will be the isbn information. It’s pretty self-explanatory. Most people just click the free isbn and let createspace assign one to them.

      5. Next is where you upload your book. You will choose whether you want your print in black & white or color, your pages in white or cream, and what size you want your book to be.  (I always pick b&w, white, and 5.25X8)

      6. Next you pick your cover. I have used three different options:

              a. When I started out, I used their cover creator. You can choose the layout, font, and photo that you want to use. It is a great program and you have no money to spend on a professional cover, or don’t know how to create a cover for yourself.

              b. I have also used the cover creator, but used a picture that I took and added the Title and Author to myself. They have a shell that you can upload your own photos too, but still use the formatting that they provide.

              c. Finally, I have recently started using professional cover designers. You tell them the book size, number of pages, and what information you want on the front and back of the book and they will send you the completed book cover. All you have to do then is select Print Ready Cover, and your cover is uploaded.

      7. Once you have completed the above, you will be ready to submit your book for review. Createspace will make sure that the files meet their standards, but that is all. They are not reviewing for content or anything else.

      8. Once they have approved your file, you will be able to either order a paperback proof of your book, or view your book online with the Digital Proofer. I do both. (There is nothing like receiving that first paperback copy of your book in the mail and being able to hold it in your hands.)

              a. *Note – This is a great tool. This was the point with my first book when I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I took a book down from my shelf and compared it with mine. I realized that I needed to add page numbers, a header with the title and my name, start new chapters on odd pages,  add a title page, dedication page, copyright page, acknowledgement page, and about the author page. As I started putting out more books, I included a page that listed my books, as well as an excerpt for my upcoming book in the back.

              b. If you make any changes due to the proof, you will have to go back to step 7, resubmit, wait for their approval, and review the proof again. Once your book is perfect, you will click the button saying you approve the proof.

      9. When picking Distribution Channels, I always pick the Standard Distribution. I paid for the Expanded Distribution before, but didn’t notice a change in my sales.

              a. *Note – Paperbacks are wonderful, because you get to see tangible proof that  your book is ready. You can put it on your shelf, send copies to people, do giveaways of it, and sign them at book fairs, but this is not where you are going to make your money. Self-Published Authors are going to make their money on ebooks. My advice is to pick the 70% Royalties on Kindle, and the 65% on Barnes and Noble, as well as uploading to Smashwords to get your book on Kobo, Apple, etc… For me, the Kindle has been my biggest selling distributor, but I do love my paperbacks!

     10. Next you will pick the price of your book. This is totally up to you. I would base it on the number of pages and content, and createspace will give you a minimum price point based on the same information, but this is your choice.

     11. On the Description page you will input your book blurb, choose your category (Adult Contemporary Romance, YA Fantasy, etc…), put your keywords for search engines (love, Young Adult, heartbreak, fantasy, elves, etc… Whatever content you have in your book that will help interested readers find your book.)

     12. They also offer to publish your file on Kindle, but I always go to Kindle Direct Publishing, and do it myself there. I have not tried doing it through createspace, so I’m not sure how it works.

     13. When everything is completed and your book has been submitted, it will immediately be live for purchase through createspace. There will be a link to the createspace page, and you can send it to potential buyers. It takes about a week for the paperback to be available on Amazon.

              a. *Note - It will not show up under your Author Page automatically. You will have to go to your Amazon Author Central Account, click books, then click add more books and find your book. Then you will click this is my book in order to get it added under you. It will take a few days to go live. You will have to do the same with the Kindle version. Amazon will not automatically link the paperback and Kindle versions together. You have to go to Help on your Author Central page, then click linking multiple editions on the left side of the page, and follow the instructions.

     As I said, it’s not as simple as I first thought, but it is extremely user friendly and a wonderful option that’s available to Self-Published Authors!

Post by Bethany Lopez, http://bethanylopez.blogspot.com/

 

New Book Reveal - FOCUS by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Focus (The Crescent Chronicles #2)

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Freshman year of college is hard even when you're not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.

Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she's in far too deep to turn back.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo

In celebration of the release of Focus, Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1) will be on sale for .99 cents from January 28- February 4^th!

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1)

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iTunes ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo

Author Links:

http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaRoseIvy
https://twitter.com/AlyssaRoseIvy
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5047249.Alyssa_Rose_Ivy
http://pinterest.com/alyssaroseivy/

Indie-Licious Interview: Imagination Abounds with Author Christie Rich

Our first author interview is with Christie Rich, and WOW does she have an intriguing set of novels. The Elemental Enmity Series is definitely on the top of my "to buy in paperback" list.

The artwork for this series is up there with the most beautiful I've ever seen. And the paranormal beings – the fae – well, I want to dive right into this story and see what they're all about. This is exactly the type of book that lures me, until it's in my hand and on my own shelf.

With her latest and final book in the series, Horizon – Elemental Enmity Book IV, available January 27 2013 - any moment now, I jumped at the chance to peek inside her creative mind. And I did discover a secret - there isn't one, but several swoon-worthy heroes in this series, but you'll see for yourself when you read it.

So, Christie, what popped into your head the moment you thought of writing this series? What was your first thought on it? Was it a dream, a suggestion perhaps? What was your inspiration?

"Lol, I never expected to have an idea for a complete series until one day a little pixie by the name of Fexlie flitted into my mind on my way home from work. I’d been reading voraciously after a stent of a ten year reading draught (not recommended!).  Anyway, one of the series I couldn’t put down was Fever by Karen Marie Moning. The fae in her series were unlike anything I’d ever seen. They were dark and intriguing, but they were the bad guys. One question kept circulating my mind: what if the fae were misunderstood? I think this is how I connected to this story, and how Fexlie introduced me to the other characters. It’s been a total blast to write."

          Misunderstood antagonists – I love that!

Can you describe your heroine? Is there any part of you in Rayla? If so, what do you two have  in common?

"You’re not the first to ask me if I instilled Rayla with a bit of myself. I think as writers we all give our characters a bit of ourselves. I don’t think it is intentional, but our characters tell their story through our experience. If I have anything in common with Rayla it is being too trusting and naïve. I want to think that everyone is essentially good. Like Rayla, I’ve gotten into trouble because of my trusting nature."

If you're anything like me, you already have your actors picked out for the movie roles, may you be so lucky. Who would play Rayla. Who would play Heath?  

 "I just did a guest post about this! I don’t have actors exactly, but these are the people I think best represent my characters. You can go to my pinterest account to see all of them."

Rayla Tate - Emily DiDonato.

Zach - A young Eduardo Verastegui.

Luke - Travis Fimmel.

Finn - Kellan Lutz.

Jett - Jason Mamoa.

Taylor - Theo Theodoridi.

Ooo, pinning them – I think I'll do that too!

Your covers are so beautifully colored. Did you design them?

"Thank you!  I have worked with the brilliant Amber McNemar, owner of eThink Graphic Solutions. I came up with the concept for each of the covers. I knew what I wanted and how I wanted each to look, and she captured my mental images completely. I adore her and her work. The color scheme has all been her vision of my concept. She’s great to work with."

 Can you tell us a bit about the fae? I'm so intrigued by these magical beings.

"In Elemental Enmity the fae are here to protect the earth. They are vagabonds of a sort and needed a place to live when they got kicked out of their own universe because of rebellion.
They are a complex people with political underpinnings that make Washington seem tame. They are more human than many fae I have read about, but that is how I see them."

Wow! You've really put your own spin on these mysterious beings – the fae. Which makes for a unique read.

Will there be a book 5 in the Elemental Enmity Series?

"Horizon is the final book in Elemental Enmity, but I am not done with this world. There will be more stories told through the eyes of other characters, both prequels and sequels to this series. My next series will be Netherworld, which is set in a completely different world. So many books to write, so little time, lol."

Before you go, can you share with us a favorite writing site, or tip? 

"Absolutely! I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t taken the advice (to a degree) of DeanWesley Smith. He is brilliant and a straight shooter. He has two sets of posts that are invaluable. The first is Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing, and Think Like a Publisher. The publishing business is a nightmare to navigate when you don’t know what to expect, and his advice is the best I’ve seen, at least for me"

"Thanks so much for having me here today, and for the fun questions. I love this series and the characters have become my family. It’s fun to see the series come to a close, but it is also a little scary for me.
 If you are interested in the series, my first book, Five, is free for download on all major eRetailers. I hope you all will pick up a copy and enjoy a read on me."

           Heading to Amazon now . . .

Evil has many faces—unfortunately, Rayla Tate has seen them all, or so she thinks.  Since she learned she was an Elemental, she has been hunted for her power.  But Rayla hasn’t met her greatest foe; she hasn’t seen true evil…yet.

Rayla betrayed her bondmate to be with the man she loves.  Now that she has Heath at her side, she is ready to face the fae council and move on with her life.  Too bad Zach has other ideas.  He’s not about to give Rayla up just because his sister got in the way.  He will find Rayla and prove to her that he is the man she is meant to be with, even if he has to face the monsters of the dark realms to do it.

Despite her growing feelings for Heath, with every passing day her body gives in to her bond with Zach.  Rayla must leave the dark realms or risk losing control of her mind and ultimately her power.  Once back in Lombarda, she discovers a secret about her origins that could shake the foundations of the world, both fae and human.  There is more at stake than who she is bound to.  The Order and the fae both want control of the same thing, and this time it is not her.

Rayla must unite with unlikely allies to destroy the evil plaguing Faeresia.  For if she refuses, she will succumb to a compulsion she never could have anticipated and plunge the world and those she loves into darkness or utter oblivion.

About Christie Rich:

"I love to be creative. It is more than a hobby. It is a need of mine. Whether writing, reading, painting, flower arranging or trying something new, I spend most of my time in the pursuit of freeing the creations inside me. I live in a small town in Northern Utah, I am so grateful for the rich life I have been blessed with."  

Where to connect with Christie:

 Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Pinterest

  

Books by Christie Rich:

Five (Elemental Enmity Book I)  Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Smashwords

Dark Matter (Elemental Enmity Book II)

Genesis (Elemental Enmity Book III)

Horizon (Elemental Enmity Book IV)

Thanks, Christie, for stopping by and giving us insight into your awesome series. It was lovely having you. Much luck in your writing career!