Decadent Publishing's New Ubuntu Line!!

I'm so excited!

Decadent Publishing is on the Fantasy Floozies to tell us about their

new African Romance line named UBUNTU! Welcome!

Decadent's Website

Hey everyone! Thanks for having me over – pleasure to be here

today with ye all.

Why did you decide to open this line?

I actually came on board this project when the idea was pretty

much a completed puzzle – as Lisa and Heather, the co-owners at

Decadent Publishing, and the brains behind this line, said back

then, I was the last piece of this puzzle to fall into place.

Lisa and Heather had been talking about the potential of

showcasing the African continent in romance stories, and they’d

been picking up on cues from African authors bemoaning the lack

of prospects to find a publisher that caters for African stories.

And like we mentioned in the spec sheet, it’s easy for the world at

 large to imagine Africa as a big Serengeti plain where there’s a

safari path crossing right in your backyard. *grin* So far from

reality, truth be told! These ladies wanted to do Africa justice, and

it so happened at that point that they found out I hailed from

 Africa.

One thing leading to the other, we got to talking and they asked me

 (in what I thought was an informal exchange of emails!) about the

 potential for African romance and whether there could be a niche

 market for this. I candidly replied that I totally saw a market for

 this genre... and a couple of weeks later, we had the Ubuntu line

 dreamed up into existence and I was on board as the managing

editor (yes, dreams do come true, lol).

But seriously, the purpose of the Ubuntu line is to bring African

 romance to the romance-reading public at large. African romance

 doesn’t simply mean romance between characters with dark skin –

 it’s romance that takes place in Africa, with its mores, cultures, its

 particular atmosphere and way of life, its wide spectrum of races

 and religions that populate this continent and parts of the Indian

 Ocean that are included in sub-Saharan Africa. It is romance from

another part of the world, a perspective not often viewed or given

 the chance to be showcased, especially in the romance and popular

 fiction spheres.

What type of plotlines are you looking for?

Basically romance. If you have that in, then anything else can fly.

 *grin*

I’ll admit we’re looking for tried-and-tested romance storylines

, and why not, category tropes – whether the boss and the

 employee, secret baby plot, Alpha CEO hero and sassy heroine

, marriages of convenience, medical romance. Writers can take all

 of these and spin them within the African context.

What if the medical romance happened in a refugee camp between

 two doctors who work for an organization like Doctors Without

 Borders? What if the Alpha CEO is an expat and finds himself

clashing with the employees in the company he is taking over on

 African soil, and the native, smart and sassy heroine has to come

to his rescue?

IR/MC romance is also on our hit-list. The drama of falling in love

with someone from a different culture, race, and/or religion;

parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles even twice removed all

 butting in to sabotage this love story.

We’re also open to the idea of crossover storylines between

 Ubuntu and the other ongoing lines at Decadent Publishing. For

 example, the Honor Guard line is about military men – what if the

 hero is a military man as per the Honor Guard guidelines, and the

 story takes place in Africa? Not to mention the Foodie Romance

 category we also have going at Decadent – can you imagine the

 sheer scope of cuisines and food on the African continent? Why

 not merge Foodie and Africa together to give us a sweet or fiery

 romance?

And my personal favorite, I’ll confess, is that I’m looking for the

African Bridget Jones. I’ll be a very happy editor the day an author

 sends this story through my inbox. *grin*

Have you signed any authors yet and can you

 give us a sneak peak on their books?

No actual signatures yet – we only rolled out the prospect of this

line a couple of months ago, and as such, it’s only been a few

 weeks since we sent out our call for submissions

.

That being said, though I can’t name names yet, we are talking to a

 few authors who have pitched their stories; we’re expecting to see

 those submissions around November.

To give you an idea, we have an IR/MC romance/women’s fiction

 trilogy spanning ten years in the lives of three sisters. A more

 literary-feel romance on the backdrop of the expat scene in Kenya.

An exotic IR/MC office romance between an expat and a local in

 Kenya again. A modern and passionate, sweep-you-off-your-feet

 romance in South Africa. Another best-friends-to-lovers

heartwarming romance again set in South Africa.

A sweeping romance in Rwanda between a woman on a quest to

 find a missing girl and an expat doctor who comes to her help.

If anyone reading this has such a story, too, then please do not

 hesitate to get in touch in case you think the idea’s already been

 taken. No two authors can write a story the same way, even if the

 basic idea is similar.

What is the submission process?

Real easy! Request a submission form from

 submissions@decadentpublishing.com; fill it in, attach to an email

along with your completed ms, and send to the same Submissions

address, with a small query-style letter featuring your blurb and a

 little about you in the body of the message – and did I mention:

 NO need for a synopsis!

Our submissions maven, Valerie, will then make sure I receive the

 whole package ASAP. Typical wait time on this line right now is

 between 2-4 weeks to hear back from me.

What is some good advice to writers that want

 to submit to this line?

What I will say might sound contradictory, but I will say it anyway.

1 – Know your world/setting/culture. Don’t write a story about

Africa based on how you ‘think’ Africa to be. Research your

location, know your topic well, and write around this.

2 – It’s a romance, after all. We don’t need encyclopedia-style

knowledge and information about the location and culture.

All to say – Keep in mind to have a good balance between the

world/setting/context and the romance, plot, and characterization.

What we’re looking for is escapism, exotic locales, a different

reality that is pretty much unknown to the world outside of Africa –

give us a story we can lose ourselves into.

And also, don’t be afraid if you don’t know that much about Africa

but want to try your hand at a story set in such a location. Anytime

someone has an idea and would want to discuss it with me, I am

only an email away at zeemonodee@gmail.com Nothing says that

you cannot write an Ubuntu story about, say, a couple who meet on

vacation while in Cape Town, South Africa. This then would imply

that they are both on the tourist circuit – information about which

can be easily found on the Internet, in guide books, and on

Youtube.

As long as your romance has something of Africa in it, we want to

see it. *grin*

Thank you again, ladies, for having me here today and this chance

 to tell the world more about Ubuntu through your very interesting

questions.

Peeps, thanks for taking a look at this interview. You can check out

 the spec sheet for Ubuntu, along with all the other Decadent

Publishing lines and categories, over at the

www.decadentpublishing.com website.

From Mauritius with love,

Zee

Interview with Gunpowder Fantasy author of The Cerberus Rebellion!

I'm so lucky today to have, the author of The Cerberus Rebellion, Joshua Johnson answer some questions for me. Thanks so much Joshua!



What is The Cerberus Rebellion about?

It tells the story of the nation of Ansgar as a civil war tears it apart. It is told from the perspective of four different characters who tell the story of different aspects of the war.

What inspired you to write this book?

I wrote a piece of flash fiction that I called Griffin Steampunk. It was about a thousand words, but it morphed into something bigger and became the foundation for the Griffins & Gunpowder universe.

What makes The Cerberus Rebellion different from other books in this genre?

The Cerberus Rebellion takes a lot of standard fantasy aspects (magic, Elves, mythical creatures) but throws in rifles and railroads. It's not quite steampunk, as it doesn't include more advanced steam-power technologies (ie Airships), but it's in that vein. The Griffins & Gunpowder universe includes a fair amount of political maneuvering as well, though The Cerberus Rebellion doesn't feature this as much.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

George RR Martin and David Weber have had a profound impact on my writing.

What projects do you have coming up in the future?

I'm currently working on The Hydra Offensive, the sequel to Cerberus and #2 of 6 planned novels in this series. I'm also working on companion short stories and novellas that tell smaller parts of the story across the Griffins & Gunpowder universe.

Joshua Johnson is the author of "Gunpowder Fantasy" The Cerberus Rebellion (due to release in early July) and the creator of the Griffins & Gunpowder universe. When he isn't working or spending time with his family, he writes novels, short stories and novellas.

He currently lives in Northern Illinois with his wife and young son. 

Website: www.gunpowderfantasy.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/authorjkjohnson



The Soul Within Book Blast!

The Soul Within

by Nancy Adams

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Alex’s body is in a coma. His soul, however, is not. Desperate to become whole, he must first convince stubborn beauty Evening Sinclair that he is not dead.

For generations, the Sinclairs have been healers. Using a gentle touch to heal the body and a soothing word to heal the soul, Evening Sinclair is no different. Yet despite her secret abilities, Eve has a somewhat normal existence. She enjoys her small physiotherapy practice, dotes on her eight-year-old daughter and occasionally helps souls get back into their bodies-that is until Alex, with his brooding good looks and glowing eyes, appears in her kitchen.

Alex is desperate to get back into his body-two innocent lives depend on it. His only obstacle is Eve and her stubborn fear. Unfortunately for Eve, Alex is ruthless and just as stubborn. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He will not 'go away' and no matter how much Eve tortures him with her lush body and perfect mouth, he will not change his mind. Eve will merge him, and if it takes him haunting her day and night, she will merge him back with a body-any body.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Nancy’s addiction for a good trash novel began in her late-teens when her grandmother gave her a bag of Harlequin Romance books. She was hooked and spent the next few years lurking in the dark corners of used bookstores searching for her next fix. Until, one marriage and two kids later, her own ideas had her jumping up at 3 am (much to her husband’s annoyance) and typing them into her laptop. Beside her husband and children, Nancy has three passions, rearranging furniture, buying bed linens and, of course, writing. Nancy lives in Eastern Ontario with her family and two over sized lap dogs. 

Website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc

Email address:  Fancy-nancy@hotmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/NancyAdams.scribblingseduction

Website: to come – will let you know if it is up and running before tours start



Giveaway and Book Blast: Guardian of the Moon Pendant by Laura J. Williams

Hey Everybody! We have this awesome new book Guardian of the Moon Pendant! An excerpt of the book is below! Don't forget to enter the awesome 5 book giveaway under the excerpt.

Guardian of the Moon Pendant
by Laura J. Williams

The MacAlpin women are of a fierce clan, born from a rare bloodline that harbors a dark and powerful secret – a mystical heirloom called the Moon Pendant. It is the key to controlling the MääGord standing stones, a magical Portal into the Otherworld, the realm of the Fae.

Anabel and Izzy’s MacAlpin are two sisters, polar opposites, living separate lives.

Anabel’s life is going precisely according to her plan, a ring on her finger from her steady beau, Edgar, and medical school in the fall.

Izzy’s life is filled with scars and wounds from her past. Dubbed the “spare child” by her family and treated poorly, she rebelled, and now lives life by her own rules.

These two sisters’s worlds are about to explode when one of them must go to Scotland and fulfill her duty as the Guardian of the Moon Pendant, by recharging this magical heirloom with four elementals, air, earth, water, and fire, and then finally close the Portal.

There’s only one problem…

The Baobhan Sith – a vampiric faery who lures men in with her hypnotic voice, feeding on their blood or transforming them into Màrmann, her zombie-like warriors who do her bidding – desires the Moon Pendant to take control over the Portal, opening a gateway into the realm of man, helping her to seek revenge on the MacAlpin clan, and to quench her eternal thirst for human blood.

Anabel finds herself torn between a sinfully handsome Scottish warrior, Blane and her fiancée, Edgar. Izzy finds herself, angered by her sister’s lack of faith in her.

Both sisters are forced to help one another, but may end up killing each other in the end.

Will these two sisters put aside their differences before the final task to charge the Moon Pendant or will the Baobhan Sith, the vampiric faery, be successful and open the Portal into the Otherworld?

Excerpt

Straining, I peered down at the woman, her body hunched over and writhing wildly, contorting itself into a different form, joints twisting and popping, limbs elongating, breaking bones, crackling hooves pushing through her feet, her body hurling back to face me, her eyes animalistic.

Her spiny nails inched closer to my neck, seeking out the Moon Pendant, her nails long hollow tubes, outstretched from her fingertips, sharp and ready to slice her treasure off my neck. Her lips curled into a quivering sneer, exposing her sharp fangs, her talon-like nails lancing toward my throat as she swayed her weapons above my neck. “Time to pay, MacAlpin,” she growled, while two of her nails pricked at my neck and tugged at the Moon Pendant.

Laura J. Williams is a hopeless and lost cause, tucked away in her dark sleeping chamber, in her gloomy abyss of a writing cave, separated from the realm of man, chomping on chicken legs and quenching her thirst with large glasses of red wine. She is consoled daily by her rescued cat, baby-kitty, who only gives her love when she wants to.

Aye, it is a sad life she lives…

But, God danced the day Laura was born, the angels rejoiced, and the demons trembled.

She’s just another day-dreamer with a story to tell, doing her best to kick arse. She hides behind a shroud of anonymity, creating a world of lost mythical creatures, breathing life into them, and praying that someone will take pleasure in her work.

She is the warrior of the heroine, the sorceress of words, yielder of magic, teller of dark secrets, and the jester of tantalizing tales.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_LauraJWilliams
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6451448.Laura_J_Williams
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraJWilliamsWriter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts

Captive in the Dark

by C.J. Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful girl to train her to be all that he once was.

Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.

This book constricted my brain to the point that blood vessels burst and brain matter collided into mush.



With every line, sweat drenched my arm pits and soaked my dreadlocks.



My six year old daughter strolled into the room asking if she could wear her pink Winx club skirt. I told her hell no. You'll wear jogging pants, a brown paper bag on your face, and don't talk to strangers. As I pondered if it was legal at her age to carry around mace, my husband advised that I should stop reading the book . . . but I couldn't I had to finish it . . . for Livvie . . . for Caleb . . . for you the people who were reasonable enough to see the cover, cringe, and find another book.

Here we have a disturbed guy kidnaping and preparing a young girl for sexual slavery . . . and at some point "I" began rooting for them to fall in love!!!



First of all, I shouldn't have to say this but I'm Anti-Human Trafficking! I took a freaking Sociology of Human Trafficking course for godsake and got an A! So why did I enjoy this book? . . . because yes in the end I enjoyed the damn book!"

AND I AM SO ASHAMED.....



But isn't that the skill of an outstanding writer? To make you want to turn the page. The whole time inciting complex emotions in your mind. Because when a book is crap its crap . . . it doesn't matter how controversial the topic is, its a dumb book. One example of this for me is Ann Rice's Beauty series. I could never recognize the plot. For me it was just a bunch of horrific and sexual images which is why I didn't finish the book.

This book has a clear plot . . . Livvie needs to get her ass away from Caleb! Meanwhile Caleb must prepare her for a task that he's been planning for 12 years.

The characters are well developed to say the least. We're told the story of why both people are who they are which helps me understand their actions and desperation.

This isn't dark erotic fiction. This is a psychologic thriller! Horror Romance! Edge of your seat, spine-tingling, hard-hitting, and unfortunatly panty wetting stacatto scenes with a lyrically infused tempo!

WRITERS! This book is THE LESSON in how to write as the Anti-hero. Hannabel Lector meet Caleb.

So in the end I give this book five stars. The author earned it. I had a great respect for her narrative voice, scene creation, and plot lines. C.J. Roberts I bow to you . . . but sadly I won't be continuing The Dark Duet . . .

When I read I love to have fun and laugh . . . this book just makes me sad and gloomy.



I remember this guy years ago was like, "Kenya have you ever tried Sativa, the legal drug?"

"Uh no."

"Dude. You have to try it Kenya! I smoked it and it was like I was trapped in a coffin trying to escape."

"That's stupid! Why would you want to experience that?" I ask.

"For the same reason people ride roller coasters or go through haunted houses. Its the thrill of danger."

"That makes sense. Its probably why I don't ride roller coasters or do haunted houses. I'd rather lounge with a book and sip a glass of pinot noir."

I hope poor Livvie and Caleb reach a mentally healthy resolution, but I'm about to read a Dr. Seuss book just to clean my brain.

Elements of Gothic Romance

Elements of Gothic Paranormal Romance

By KaSonndra Leigh

Author of Hacienda Moon

Hello there Floozies and Friends,

Thanks so much for allowing me to be a guest on your sassy blog today. As some of you may already know, I recently released my gothic paranormal romance novel Hacienda Moon. Wait! What? I can hear you all the way over here where I’m sitting. And my computer runs pretty loudly, by the way. You’re saying: “No she didn’t just go and write some old-timey horror book.” I promise that it’s probably not what you’re expecting.

Creepy old houses, curses, fainting women, ghosts, diaries, visions, alpha males, psychotic screaming women, and…romance, of course: these are all elements of Gothic Paranormal Romance. The gothic part of this genre is ancient. Yep! That’s right.  I’m talking like Bronte sisters and Bram Stoker kind of old. It has been around for hundreds of years. The paranormal part is what makes it fresh and new. Combine them and you have a modern day gothic story that so far readers are truly enjoying.

So how did my fascination with the scary, dark, and unusual begin? I took a class about four years ago that introduced me to the pioneers of the genre: Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe, and Arthur Lewis. I remember thinking: “Man, why the hell did I sign up for this boring stuff.” Hint: I didn’t say stuff. Substitute another ‘S’ word in its place, please.

But guess what? A strange thing happened. These stories weren’t like the Jane Austen and Bronte sisters’s musings. These stories contained old castles and ghosts and torture. This shocked my socks off. And I’ll admit, I actually started to like reading these books.

Okay, so I might be a bit strange myself, but hey somebody has to do it, right? In fact, I’d tell you to go read the Monk. Don’t be clicking away from the page just because you think I’ve lost my mind, now. Really. Seriously. Go grab a copy off of B&N or Amazon (these stories are usually free, btw) and then you’ll see what I mean.

In my novel Hacienda Moon, I combine all of the above elements in a southern setting. The technical term would be Southern Gothic Paranormal Romance. Phew! A mouthful, I know. So I created a story that is part Anne Rice, part Dean Koontz, and part Abbi Glines. Wait! What? Well, I just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.

But like Abbi, I’m a southern gal. So yes, there’s some ice tea (with lemon) and Bahama Mama mixed drink action going on. There are some sexy hawt heroes, an oil tycoon with a kinky side and a pouty bottom lip, and a teenage girl that will scream in your ear if you act like an Injun Giver. You can take a visual walk through the world of Hacienda Moon at: http://pinterest.com/alestasia/hacienda-moon/.

Thanks so much for allowing me to visit you today.

You can stalk me online at:

Author website:  http://www.kasonndraleigh.com

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/kasonndraleigh

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/kasonndraleighbooks

Facebook#2:  http://facebook.com/kasonndraleighbookspage

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/alestasia