All Author Blog Blitz – Stephanie Hurt

This is my second post in the Goodreads “All Author Blog Blitz”. I’ll be featuring Melanie Cusick-Jones.

After graduating from The University of Sheffield with an English Literature Masters in 2003, Melanie has been writing fiction – time permitting – ever since.

The Ambrosia Sequence (started in 2008) and The Elementals (begun in 2004) are both ongoing, extended projects each containing several novels, aimed primarily at young adults and hover somewhere in the middle of sci-fi, futuristic and fantasy genres.

‘Hope’s Daughter’, released in January 2012, is her debut novel and the first of The Ambrosia Sequence; the companion book ‘The Rainbow Maker’s Tale’ is due in 2013, with the sequel ‘Outlanders’ coming in late 2013.
due after that.

When she’s not writing Melanie enjoys the wet weather of the north of England with her dogs or disappearing into a book for a few hours (no surprise there then). Unfortunately, all too often the ‘day job’ gets in the way of the nicer things in life!

Rainbow Maker’s Tale – Synopsis

“I wasted no time looking around the bland plastic space I had lived in all my life. There were no real memories here for me, no cherished moments or things to reminisce over: all that had stopped when I was eight years old and learned that life on the SS Hope was built on lies.”

Outwardly, Balik is an obedient member of society on Space Station Hope: he follows The Council’s systems, excels at school and seems happy to follow in his parents footsteps…

Balik’s real life is filled with secrets he can share with no one. As he follows his suspicions about the space station into ever more dangerous territory it seems like his whole world will unravel around him. But, he doesn’t understand everything: things are wrong, he is sure of that, he just doesn’t know why.

When Cassie unexpectedly comes into his life, Balik struggles to find his balance. For years he’s investigated the oddities of the world he lives in, but Cassie makes him question things in a different way… Can he believe in this girl who seems so much a part of the system he distrusts? Would she put a stop to his plans to break out if she knew what he was really up to? Balik can’t be sure of anything – except the fact that he can’t leave her alone.

(Note: The Rainbow Maker’s Tale can be read before, or after, the counterpart novel Hope’s Daughter).

Find the author:

Website – http://cusick-jones.com

Blog – http://melcj.com and http://asidefromwriting.com

Twitter @melabupa

Books available at: iBooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony and Goodreads

This is a “All Authors Blog Blitz” day from Goodreads. I’ve been given two authors to blog about today. It’s fun getting to know authors from all over the world and in different genres.

My first guest today is Mariana Llanos.

Blog Blitz featuring Mariana Llanos author of Tristan Wolf

Where do you live?

I live in the beautiful State of Oklahoma. I’ve lived here for eleven years but I’m original from Lima, Peru.

How long have you been a writer?

I write since I was very young. I started writing poetry and soon started doing school plays. I loved to adapt classic plays like Faust or Romeo and Juliet and turn them into comical skits. Then I moved on to short stories, some fantastic, some poetic-romantic, some others humorous. Writing has always been a part of me…but I decided to publish just a couple of years ago when I had the story of Tristan Wolf in my hands and I knew that it had to be printed and it had to be shared.

What genre do you like to write in?

I write fiction, generally short stories and I love writing for children. There’s something about their eyes, when you read to them. They believe you, but they will challenge you with limitless questions too.

Where do you like to go to write?

Since I have 3 young children I don’t have much of a place to hide (J)…but I’ve found out that if I wait until everyone is asleep (husband included) I can find a small window of opportunity to write, before sleep and exhaustion kick in. So I just grab my laptop and go to bed to write.

What was the inspiration for your book?

“Tristan Wolf” is a book that I wanted to write for my two boys. We’ve always enjoyed reading together, but I wanted to read to them something of my own. Tristan came to me one afternoon and he literally possessed me and made me tell his story. When I started with the phrase “Tristan was a loner…” I really didn’t know where I was going. But he knew and took me there.

What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

I love the look in people’s faces when I tell them that I have a book out. People really get excited about new writers and their enthusiasm warms my heart. I enjoy the many possibilities that writing gives me, not only to write books, but also essays, blog posts, book reviews, etc. It’s an awesome creative outlet. But my most favorite part is that my kids are proud of me. That alone suffices.

Do you have any books in the works?

I am working on a second story for Tristan Wolf. I have many ideas for a new series for middle graders and also a book for my little baby girl. I do have some stories in Spanish that I’d like to translate to English. I’m also trying to work in the bilingual version of Tristan Wolf. I just have to find the time to do it.

Let’s keep in touch!

Website: www.marianallanos.com

Blog: http://marianallanosauthor.blogspot.com

Twitter: @marianallanos

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tristanwolfofficial

Bio: http://about.me/marianallanos

Here’s where you can find Tristan Wolf:

http://www.amazon.com/Tristan-Wolf-Mariana-Llanos/dp/148205308X/ref=la_B00CFVV3P8_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370843197&sr=1-1

Bio: Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian writer who lives in the United States for more than a decade. Married and mother of three, Mariana finds inspiration in her children and in her own childhood. She writes poetry and short stories since she was about 7 years old. In her native Lima, Peru, she dedicated herself to the theater and performing arts. Currently she works with young children at a preschool, where she likes to motivate them through music and the arts.

Tristan Wolf is available on Amazon.com and Full Circle Bookstore of Oklahoma City.