Author Interview: Regeneration Chronicles By Ellison Blackburn.

Lets start out learning a bit about these two fabulous books in this Chronicles

Regeneration X

Regeneration X is a story about having choices and dealing with the consequences; creating new memories and letting others fade; and making sacrifices in pursuit of happiness.

At one time or another, you’ve probably said or thought, “In hindsight, …” So, what happens when To have been, becomes something that can be changed?

In the not too distance future, Charley faces a hard choice: whether or not to follow her long since abandoned dreams. Journey with her on a quest, and you’ll be asking, “If I could change the past, would I?” Delve into this simple question, because one day soon, you too, may have that chance. Our world is flying forward—fast; would you glide, or take the risk and soar? 

To be or to have been ... THAT is the question.

Purchase RegenerationX here: Universal Amazon Link

Progeny

Nineteen-year-old, Emery Kidd is one of two historians for her community. As a Chronicler, she is aware of the minute details of a society dramatically changed in the course of the two hundred years since cellular regression began. However, it is only now, after one of her lifetimes has passed, Emery discovers an important fact about her own heritage. She is the daughter of the most famous of regeneratives to have ever lived.

Consequently, Emery is also quietly learning just what it means to be the daughter of a martyred woman. Undoubtedly, she bears a strong resemblance to her mother, but more than auburn hair and expressive facial features, Emery would like to believe she’s inherited the same strength of character as well. And yet, believing and knowing are entirely separate matters.

Since everything changes with time—in varying degrees—and destiny often unfolds a plan unforeseen, Emery may just find the opportunity to test her belief. In fact, the entire human population will come face to face with their true inheritance.

The question is how this legacy will be received. For the future is inevitable, this much is certain. Lest we forget, the mere passage of time does not come with it the entitlement to life. To live and prosper is a path that is earned, but mankind has seemingly forgotten this. Can Emery remind the world that survival requires conscious effort? Will Emery and her friends, Cassidy, a fellow chronicler, Liam, a brilliant engineer, and Aiden, a reserved mediator be enough to save the oblivious many?

Purchase Progeny here:  Universal Amazon Link

Ellison Blackburn is a full-time designer/web developer of fifteen years. Ironically, she often waxes nostalgic over simpler days. Her passions include writing fiction and poetry, painting, and collecting vintage thingamabobs.

Raised in Chicago, she relocated to the Pacific Northwest where she currently lives with her husband and three beastly, furry children.

She is a writer of fiction and poetry and the internationally published author of Regeneration X. 

Connect with Ellison Blackburn here:

Website    Author Central  Goodreads  Facebook

Twitter  Google+  Pinterest

 

·         What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?

There are wonderful, supportive and honestly helpful groups on Goodreads. Become part of the writing community online. I have found Support Indie Authors to be a welcoming, very helpful, friendly bunch.

For advice: have at least one person, a non-friend or family member who doesn’t already know the story, read your work. This is important since fresh eyes won’t skip over something that catches him/her up, whereas a familiar reader will “know” what you were trying to say. A gloss-over of something that could be unclear to an unfamiliar reader will not help you later.

 

·         What writers inspired you to become an author?

 

Although I do not write in young adult or historical fiction, among many others, I admire JK Rowlings and Diana Gabaldon. I consider their works inspirational now, however, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I started working on Regeneration X, so no one author inspired me to become one.

 

·         Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?

The latest notable event has been the release of Progeny, this month in e-book and paperback version. I believe my philosophical bunch of characters is attending your Christmas shopping cart. They’re just waiting on the invitations.

 

·         If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?

Fifteenth through 19th century England or Scotland, admittedly I am a closet Britophile.

·         If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? What food would you serve?

Dr. Baum would be among my top picks for guests. We would have wine with a side of dinner.

 

·         If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?

If fantasy worlds count than I would travel to Rivendell. If am limited by reality then, I would one day like to visit Middle Earth in New Zealand.

 

To view our blog schedual and follow along with this tour visit our 

Official Event page here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1632197970362136/

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Blog Tour: Gabriel's Daughters By Janet Jensen

 

 

About the Author

Janet Jensen leads a quiet life in a college town nestled in the foothills of the northern edge of the Wasatch Mountains. She and her husband Miles, an attorney, met as members of Utah State University’s Intercollegiate Debate Team and are parents of three grown sons: a soccer enthusiast/physician in Salt Lake City, Utah; an exercise physiologist/football coach/graduate student in Jyvaskyla, Finland; and a skydiver/embedded systems engineer in Berkeley, California. The Jensens have happily become grandparents of four.

Janet is co-author of a literature-based cookbook, The Book Lover’s Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Great Works of Literature and the Passages that Feature Them (Wenger & Jensen, Ballantine, 2003), and an award-winning novel, Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys (Bonneville Books, 2007), which won a gold medal for Cultural Fiction in the Readers Favorite  International Book Awards Contest.

Her work also appears in Parables for Today (Cedar Fort, 2012) and Gruff Variations (Writing for Charity, 2012). Baking Day, a personal essay, placed second in the 2011 national essay/memoir contest sponsored by The Writer Magazine and Gotham Writers Workshops.

Janet holds degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from Utah State University and Northwestern University and worked in educational settings for more than twenty years.

A retired soccer mom, Cub Scout leader and PTA president, she is a now a full-time writer and a literacy tutor who feels genuine panic when she is stranded without something to read.

 

 

 

Book Descriptions:

An impressive work of literary fiction that accurately explores the struggles of being raised in a polygamous community. Jensen’s novel explores the unique strengths and weaknesses of the bonds in a polygamous family.

Gabriel's Daughters wrestles with issues of polygamy, homosexuality, and modernity through the lives of the large, loving, and polygamous Martin family. The story is told primarily through the eyes of Zina Martin, a young girl who, upon discovering she is impregnated by her "sterile" teacher—and will soon be married off to a man three times her age— escapes the enclosed polygamous town of Gabriel's Landing, Utah.

Zina then embarks on a journey full of self-discovery, yet she can never completely escape the longing she has for her family and even the controversial and outdated lifestyle she once lived. Through both tears and triumph, Jensen has crafted a moving story that not only acts as insightful social commentary but also prompts readers to reevaluate their lives.

 

 

Snippet #3

            “You’re absolutely right,” he said. “That would be discrimination against left-handers, and the law doesn’t allow it.” He picked a dandelion and twirled the stem between his fingers. “What’s your name.”

            She hesitated.

            “It’s all right,” he said. “I’m a teacher here.”

            “Zina. Zina Martin.”

            “I’m Mr. Stratton. Mark. I’ve only been here a month. I teach biology and chemistry. This is fabulous country. I really came here to bike, hike, and ski. Teaching will support my hobbies if I watch my budget. And,” he added, with a glance at the girls who were doing their warm-ups as directed by the team captain, “I coach girls’ soccer. Do you play any school sports?”

            She shook her head. “Oh, no. Sports aren’t appropriate for girls. I mean . . . we, uh

 . . . we go straight home after school. But our regular bus got a flat tire today and they’re waiting for another one to come. It’s such a nice day, I just wanted to stretch out in the sun by myself.”

            He stood. “Well, then, I should leave you to your solitude.”

            “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that—”

            He sat down again. “Let me guess. I don’t know too much about Gabriel’s Landing yet, but I suspect that all day you’re in a crowded school with hundreds of other students, and when you get home to your big family, you probably don’t have much time or space that’s just for you.”

  Excerpted from GABRIEL’S DAUGHTERS by JANET KAY JENSEN. Copyright © 2015 by JANET KAY JENSEN. Excerpted by permission of JOLLY FISH PRESS, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

The Interview:

Tell me a little about your book, Gabriel’s Daughters

If sixteen-year-old Zina Martin doesn't escape from Gabriel's Landing, Utah, she'll become the bride of her father's oldest friend, a prolific polygamist. She's also a little bit pregnant, and the baby’s father is her sterile high school teacher. Follow Zina Martin’s journey of self-discovery in Gabriel’s Daughters, as she becomes her own person; only then can she come full circle and reconcile with the family she loves.

Who has been your greatest writing inspiration?

I love to read the classics. Contemporary author Sandra Dallas has been a great inspiration. She writes with honesty and clarity and creates memorable characters.

Now a little more about you: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you bring (excluding family, laptop, or writing utensils)?

Plenty of batteries and an ipod so I could listen to great music and books. And sunscreen. And Gus, my BorderBeagle.

We find out the world is going to end tomorrow. How do you live your last day?

 Asking forgiveness and expressing my love to the most important people in my life.

If we were to make a movie of your life. Who would play the part of you?

That’s a hard one. I don’t think I’ve seen that actress yet. Meryl Streep?

 

Tell us 5 random things about yourself.

 1. I had never seen snow until I was 12

2. My university students voted me The Queen of Tact

3. My partner and I took state in high school Debate

4. I met my husband when we were members of a university debate team

5. My parents met at a debate tournament.

What are the three places you have always wanted to visit but have not yet?

I’ve visited England and Scotland briefly, but I’d love to return to the British Isles and travel in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Then I’d stay in Europe for a while longer and spend some time in Romania, Austria, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.

 

Okay, crystal ball time. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

With 5-10 published novels to my name, good health, my good husband by my side, and more grandchildren. Still living in my adopted hometown of Logan, Utah and cheering for the Aggies.

Janet welcomes correspondence with readers. She can be reached at janetkayjensen@gmail.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JanetKayJensenAuthor?fref=ts. She maintains a website at her website at www.janetjensen.com, and an author page at GoodReads. She tweets as JanetKJensen and blogs at www.janetkayjensen.blogspot.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon:

Link: http://amzn.com/1939967198

 

 

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Book Tour: Strange and Lovely Anthology: School Spirit by Jennifer Griffith.

Synopsis:

Zombies and vampires and ghosts....oh, my!

From fae assassins to subjugating the dead, Strange and Lovely is a collection of short stories that seamlessly blends spine-tingling chills and swoon-worthy romance.

This young adult paranormal anthology of supernatural creatures from ten talented authors serves up short stories with heart-stopping storytelling that will haunt you long after you've put it down. Open the pages and discover worlds colliding and struggles for life and love. You’ll find a tale of a young incubus desperately fighting his nature (and diet) alongside Ashley who has a choice—run from the vampires who will stop at nothing to kill her, or become one of them. Dipping deep into romance you’ll find enchanting assassins too beautiful and deadly, and a touching tangle of a love story between an angel and a mermaid both struggling to make their love last. This book will be sure to make you believe that even in the darkest of nights love can find a way.

If you love tales of paranormal romance or supernatural thrills but can't decide which ghostly or otherworldly creature to focus on, this is the perfect book for you.

Best-selling authors such as Jenni James, Amber Argyle, Stephanie Fowers, and Cindy M. Hogan craft thrilling new stories filled with engaging characters, while others, like Christine Fonseca, Jennifer Griffith, C. J. Anaya, Jennifer Bryce, M. Leigh Marrott, and Rebecca Gage, explode off the page with unique takes on familiar supernatural favorites.

Whether humorous, suspenseful, or romantic, the stories in Strange and Lovely will leave you feeling wickedly entertained.

 

 

Book 3: School Spirit

 

 

Basketball star Luke stomped all over cheerleader Hailey’s heart, but she still has to cheer for him. When a mysterious hot guy in a loin cloth appears on the basketball court and protects Luke from getting fouled, and nobody else notices or cares, Hailey takes matters into her own hands—and finds she might be having a supernatural encounter with a "school spirit."

Author bio:

Jennifer Griffith is a wife and a mother of five, and although she’s never seen a ghost, she believes in them and would love to meet one and ask a lot of questions. She’s the author of seven novels, all romantic comedies.

Author Social Media links: Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorJenniferGriffith, Twitter handle: @GriffithJen Website: http://AuthorJenniferGriffith.com/

Get this awesome anthology on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Lovely-Paranormal-Thrills-Romance-ebook/dp/B00NRFH4JA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420811609&sr=1-1&keywords=strange+and+lovely

Book Tour: Hayley's Song by Jennifer Bryce

 

Synopsis:

Hayley’s father has a gambling problem that’s now become hers. He lost her in a bet. Now, she must either leave the only place she’s ever known or marry a man who is only interested in a servant he can control.

On the run and scared, she finds sanctuary at a ranch with seven men and one little boy. Though hired as a cook and nanny, she quickly realizes she’s found a home. With brothers, Ben and Tate, vying for her affections, Hayley starts to believe she can have a life that doesn’t involve alcohol, abuse, and gambling. But the winner of the card game has other plans.

Ed Thompson tracks Hayley down, determined she’s going to become his wife. But Tate isn’t about to allow that to happen. He’ll move whatever mountain he has to for Hayley’s safety. And when she’s kidnapped, he’ll tear the town apart to find her. But Ed has an ace up his sleeve that could end up getting Hayley killed.

 

About The Author

Jennifer has a brain that is never quiet (even in her sleep), she uses writing as an escape to be and do anything she can create. Plotting is her favorite thing to do in her down time. Raised in southern Arizona, she was influenced by being raised a cop’s daughter (plenty of teenage angst material there), Mexican food, and the old West. She is a busy mother to three rambunctious boys, married to her amazing cowboy, a full-time nursing student, and desperately needs a long vacation. Her biggest fear in life is to be completely mediocre.

 

·         Author Social Media links

Facebook: Author Jennifer Bryce

BlogSpot: jenniferbryce.blogspot.com

Twitter: @JenniferBryce1

Snippet #17

 “I’m going to make your life miserable.”

“Lovely,” said Haley sarcastically. “Have a good life. We’re not in high school anymore.” She turned her back on Emma Jean Toulsen’s bullying forever. Haley dreamed of putting the famous Indian Geronimo, a rattlesnake, and Emma Jean Toulsen in the same box and shake it. But it probably wouldn’t that fun, anyway. Most likely Emma Jean would come out unscathed with a rattlesnake purse and the infamous Apache carrying her schoolbooks.  She walked off school grounds and headed home. Because she was late from last night’s slumber party in the field, Haley hadn’t gotten the morning chores done before scrambling onto the honking school bus.  If Haley hurried, she could walk the ten miles before noon to milk the cow, gather the eggs, and chop a few rows of weeds in the cotton field before dark. Two miles out of town, Haley hitched a ride in the back of a truck the rest of the way to the farm.

 

The Writer's Revolution with Jennifer Bryce

 

Let’s get to know you a little more. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a jack of all, master of none. I have many different interests that put me down all sorts of interesting paths. I’ve done cosmetology, interior decorating and now I’m a full time nursing student and hope one day I can be a labor and delivery nurse. I’m a mother to three rambunctious boys. My husband and I are part owners of the Double Circle Ranch in Eagle Creek. I love dreaming up plots to stories, cooking, making new friends, jujitsu, and watching old movies. One day I want to learn Spanish, play the guitar, and travel all over Europe.


What inspired you to write?

Wanting to be somewhere else other than on bed rest with my last baby. I felt fat and trapped inside my own body. I read to keep my mind off of it. A few the books were awful and seriously lacked in substance. I thought I could do a better job than some of the books I read. With the hormone crazed dreams that I had on a regular basis, I dreamed one night that I time traveled back to the 50’s and became the very single and thin Gidget looking for her Moondoggy. Putting time and creativity into the same space I wrote my first manuscript about time travel.


Tell me a little about your book. (Title, plot)

Haley’s Song takes place in the forties shortly after the war in southeast Arizona. Haley sings to keep the night monsters away as she irrigates cotton in the muggy summer fields in the dead of night. When her abusive father loses a gambling bet to crusty Ed Thompson, she finds is she is to marry him by the end of the summer to pay the debt. Thompson sells liquor to the Apaches on the reservation and wants to use Haley as his personal slave. She decides to skip town the day before the marriage and stumbles across a job as a ranch cook and nanny. The ranch is very remote making for the perfect place for Haley to hideout.

Seven polite and protective cowboys restore her faith in men through their kindness and care for her. Two of the cowboys are brothers who vie for her attention. Ben is a newly graduated doctor with a more serious nature who plans on living in the city. Tate is Ben’s exact opposite, wearing his female attention-grabbin’ shotgun chaps. Both men are good picks, but Haley favors Tate. When Tate’s almost fiancée, Margret, comes home for summer vacation, Haley pulls away from Tate and decides a friendship is best because heart and logic nearly never reside in the same space. Finding her heart too burdened from the past to give it freely she slows Ben’s advances as well. Tate’s feelings for Haley develop, as they become best friends. Tate sees the scars of Haley’s past and works to uncover all her secrets and earn her trust. Thompson finds Haley and forces her to decide if she believes, her father is worth saving. The cost? Submit her freedom and happiness.  Haley’s seven cowboys must come to her rescue in time, while she lets go of her past and embrace love under the Eagle Creek stars.


Who has been your greatest writing inspiration?

I really want to write good ooey-gooey romances like Marcia Lynn McClure does; The Fragrance of Her Name is one of my favorites. I covet Jennifer Griffith’s pure whit and the way she uses her voice in her writing. I call her “my writing Yoda.” But there are the greats like Charlotte Bronte, Pat McManus, and Erma Bombeck. I suppose there are a handful of authors that really inspire me.

Now a little more about you: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you bring (excluding family, laptop, or writing utensils)?

A clean working bathroom, a nice bed, and some comfort foods. I don’t rough it very well… A weekend resort trip is what I call camping.

We find out the world is going to end tomorrow. How do you live your last day?

Spending the day with my family, doing very ordinary things and enjoying being present with them.

If we were to make a movie of your life. Who would play the part of you?

Oh boy, Kristen Bell! She’s got just the right amount of comedy and drama to give it a go.

Tell us 5 random things about yourself.
1.    I’ve ridden a carousel with Mary Poppins in the “Give the Kids the World” Village.
2.    I’m a daughter of a cop.
3.    I dream one day of owning a thriving off the grid homestead.
4.    I love to bake.
5.    My favorite thing to do is to dine at trendy restaurants and pretend I’m part of the upper class once a year. I really love trying innovative food! I just don’t have the pocket book to match…

What are the three places you have always wanted to visit but have not yet?
Scotland
Iceland
Northern Italy

Okay, crystal ball time. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
I would love to do humanitarian trips to South America doing neonatal training for health care workers in third world countries. Writing will always be a part of my life and I hope I’ll have a few books under my belt by then. As always, trying to keep up with my very busy boys. If my husband will let me, maybe bring home a brown-eyed baby girl from one of my humanitarian trips.

Really, just trying my hardest at being amazing, because five years ago I never would’ve thought I’d be where I am now…with a published book! Got to keep the momentum going. Wear out, don’t rust out!

Grab your copy of Haley's Song now available on Amazon.com

 http://www.amazon.com/Haleys-Song-Jennifer-Bryce-ebook/dp/B00QL95E9G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420812359&sr=1-1&keywords=Haley%27s+Song