Monday, May 27, 2013

Superstition Mountain Trilogy by Stacey Thompson



Superstition Mountain
Superstition Mountain Trilogy Part One
Stacey Thompson

Genre: Parnormal Romance Western

The Order has been around for as long as Demons have roamed the earth, but when the first Demon starts a war, there are only a few left to finish it.
Ami's different and one of the best Monster Slayers there is, but she's not ready to face the dark with the one person who knows her best, Wesley the one who trained her. She might just fall in love with him.

Blood and Dust
Superstition Mountain Trilogy Part Two
Stacey Thompson

Genre: Parnormal Romance Western

Protecting the world against evil isn't easy when you are cursed with evil yourself. Ami is between the dark and the light. Will she be able to save herself and those she loves? Or will Price take her to the dark?

Truth in Lies
Superstition Mountain Trilogy
Part Three
Stacey Thompson

Genre: Parnormal Romance Western

Wesley thought the search was over, but finding Ami was just the start of his problems. When a shady Witch joins them, trouble is all they get. Can Wesley bring Ami back from the darkness that's trying to take over her, or is she their new enemy?



About the Author: 


Stacey has been writing since she can remember. She primarily writes Edgy Paranormal and Paranormal Romance, but has dabbled in the Horror and Young Adult Genres.


She is a mother of Three and lives in the beautiful state of Wyoming. You can find her at her blog and Facebook page.
www.staceythompsonauthor.info


www.blog.staceythompsonauthor.info 


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacey-Thompson/133494070000357 


@staceytg Rafflecopter a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 24, 2013

What's the Allure of Climbing?

by Anne Gimpel author of Alpine Attraction


It really is a good question if you think about it. After all, you knock yourself out for hours (sometimes days) to stand on the top of something for a few minutes. The trip back down is always hard. For one thing, you're tired. For another, you have gravity pushing on your steps. Over ninety percent of climbing accidents (fatal and otherwise) happen on the way down. So, no matter how tired you are, you have to somehow gin up enough energy to pay close attention. A physician I knew very peripherally died last summer in the Sierras. He made two fatal errors in his decision making (more on that below). The first was he started too late in the day to do a difficult climb. Error number two happened (and, yes, they tend to compound one another) after he made the summit at eight-thirty at night when it was almost dark. Rather than staying on a rather broad summit plateau and sitting out the dark hours, he decided to descend a steep, cliffy route in the dark with predictable results. Your depth perception goes to hell after dark. As a doctor, he should have known that. 
I read a book recently about the bare handful of women (there were five or six) who'd climbed K2 over the years. At the time the book was written, all of them were dead, either on K2 or other difficult peaks. While I didn't know any of these women, I've known several climbers who died in the mountains. I'm not certain quite what differentiates the ones who are still here from the ones who aren't. It isn't always skill. Some very skilled men and women have managed to die in the world's high places. After hours and hours of extreme physical output, people don't think all that clearly, though.
If you're still reading—and you may not be as this type of post isn't everyone's cup of tea—your eyebrows will go up very soon. With my next sentence, actually. The thing which separates climbers who die at home in their beds and those who end up with the mountains as their eternal shrine is luck. It's that simple. Either lady luck smiles on your efforts, or not. Of course, it helps to have a heaping dose of common sense and decide to turn back short of a summit if conditions turn to crap or your physical abilities run into problems.

Which leads to an interesting segue. I have a much more active imagination than my husband in terms of things which could go wrong. There have been lots of places where I've looked at a slope, assessed the conditions, and made, "Gee, I think we ought to turn around," noises. Hubby has looked at me like I'm nuts. Usually, it means we continue. Occasionally, though, I've stuck to my guns and turned around. Of course, then I settle into my sleeping bag in the tent and worry myself sick until he shows back up.

With the rest of this post as a backdrop, I'm not certain you'll believe me when I say there's nothing quite like standing atop a peak. There's an incredible sense of accomplishment. I live in the High Sierra. There are peaks, like Ritter and Banner, I can see from town. I've stood on top of each of them (twice). Memories flood me when I catch a glimpse of them. I'm getting older and slowing down, but I still climb something every season. It's like Kate Wolf said in the song Unfinished Life: The truest paths always lead through mountains.

What challenges you? What feeds your soul? I'd love to know.

Alpine Attraction
By Ann Gimpel

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
ISBN: 978-1-93176-193-2
Release Date: 5/20/13
Tina made a pact with the devil seven years ago. It’s time to pay the piper—or die.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Independent to the nth degree, Tina meets everything in her life head-on—except love.

When an almost-forgotten pact with the devil returns to haunt her, Tina knows she has to go back to the Andes to face her doom.

Caught between misgivings and need, she signs on as team doctor for one of Craig’s expeditions. Though he was once the love of her life, she pushed him away years before to keep him safe. Even if he doesn’t love her anymore, there’s still no one she’d rather have by her side in the mountains.

Trapped in a battle of life and death, passion flares, burning hot enough to brand their souls.




About the Author: 

 
Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains.

It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved.

Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers her solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company.

Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.
Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.
 
In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.
 
@AnnGimpel (for Twitter)
 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Hot Summer Nights Blog Hop

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Interview with Danica Winters  

Q) What inspired you to write Montana Mustangs*? I’m from Montana and I love the beautiful mountains and valleys of this wonderful state.  When I was talking to my fans, several asked if I was ever going to write about where I live—and that was how the idea for Montana Mustangs was born.

*This was such a fun book to write. J  

Q) How long did it take you to write? This book didn’t take long. I think it was start to finish it took about four months.  I tend to write fast as I want to deliver as many great books to my readers/fans as possible.  I want to make sure that my readers aren’t kept waiting.  I know how it feels to wait on the next book in a series—it’s so frustrating!   

Q) What is your favorite thing about writing? I love the entire process. I like sitting in front of the computer wracking my brain and struggling to find the right words.  Words are so real to me—I can feel them in my bones. 

My absolute favorite part of writing Montana Mustangs was all of the research I had to do in order to write the book.  I was so lucky.  I had the honor of riding along with some of my police/sheriff officer friends.  In addition to the ride-alongs, I also had to go on horseback adventures into the high mountain lakes of Montana.  I would like to say the horseback riding was all for work, but I have to admit I was mostly playing. 

Below is a picture of the lake we rode into for Montana Mustangs:



This particular lake lies at just over 7000 feet in elevation and usually has snow until late June.  During the month we went, it was fire season and you can see the smoke (not clouds) in the background. 

 
Q) What is your least favorite thing about writing? I think every author could say the same thing, but there is always someone out there who doesn’t like your book for some reason.  I put an incredible amount of effort and time into every step of the books I write—from research, to writing, and throughout the publishing process (which is long).  To hear someone doesn’t like one of my books always bothers me.  However, as a professional author I have learned to let go of the harsh criticisms that come with the business.  It’s just like life—some will love you, some will hate you, but you just have to do the best that you can.

 
Q) If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why? I think I would want to be Jane Austen—she was such an incredible woman during an incredible time. 


Q) What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it? I think it would have to be baked beans from Mother's Day. I love them, but I'm trying to get ready (or as ready as I'll ever be) for swimsuit weather.   
 

Q) What can readers expect from you in the future? I have a lot of books coming out in the future.  The next book in the Nymph Series will be hitting shelves later this year tentatively entitled, Winter Swans.  Also, all of the books in the Nymph Series will be coming out in paperback starting later this year.  (They are slower to release than the e-books and they are more expensive.)  If you like the e-book versions of the books (as many of my fans do) then you may be interested in picking up your paperback copies.  (Let me know if you would be interested in a signed copy—I like to interact with my fans.)

After the release of Winter Swans, I’m hoping that there will be at least another two books in the works (I’m writing the outlines now). 

I’m also thinking about publishing another series in the future.

 

To the readers—Thank you for stopping by. If you have a question about Montana Mustangs, The Nymph Series, or anything else, please don’t hesitate in leaving a question in the comments box below.  I will be stopping by sporadically to check things out!  Thanks J
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Books To Go Now is offering two Grand Prizes!! In order to take part, you must leave a comment (about your favorite summer memory) and your email address. Two winners will be chosen at random and notified no later than May 31, 2013.
1st Grand Prize: (1) Kindle Fire!
2nd Grand Prize: (1) $100 Amazon Gift Card