Starr Gardinier Reina--In The Name of Revenge

I am a paralegal of fourteen years for an estate planning and asset protection law firm in California. I am also an Executor Editor for Suspense Magazine as well as an editor for ARR Editing Services. I've also had the pleasure of co-hosting on Suspense Radio Live, where they interviews authors. When not working, I enjoy weaving tales of suspense, drama and crime.

My lastest novel "In the Name of Revenge", was just released in June 2010 and is of the crime/mystery genre. The second of that Ivanovich series is slated to be released February 1, 2011. I also have a novella and a novel published, namely Cruel Whispers and Cruel Past.

I am currently enrolled and actively seeking my bachelors in Literature/Creative Writing, which schooling will be completed April 2011. I am a member of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter and nationally. I have won three ‘Best Speaker’ awards as well as ‘Best Evaluator’ at the Voice Ambassadors chapter of Toastmasters.

I have also won third place in a short story contest through Suspense Magazine with my story titled "Cut". I was co-chair and main coordinator for the West Coast Author Premiere, a weekend long event which was born to help authors from all over network, learn and share their work with the public. I have been instrumental in compiling authors and planning a local author event at Barnes and Noble in Ventura, California along with the store’s event manager.

I currently reside in Thousand Oaks, California with my husband Phillip.


Product description for "In the Name of Revenge": Crime/mystery:

Russian muscle Pavel Ivanovich lends his unique talent in serving Italian mob boss Carlo Mancini. Unfortunately, Carlo’s faith and trust is misplaced with Pavel. Believing Pavel to be a prized asset, Carlo forces him to date his more than spoiled daughter Teresa with the expectation of marriage. Roberto—always the odd man out with Carlo—is in love with Teresa and is less than happy with the situation. All the while Pavel works for Carlo he has a separate mission; to avenge his parents’ grisly murders. Will his own investigation and personal agenda of revenge get in the way for the job he does for the Mancini family? What happens when Carlo finds out that Pavel is not the trustworthy right-hand man he thinks he is?

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?
A: It's not your typical 'mob-based' book. Its plot encompasses the key character Pavel Ivanovich and his claim to revenge against an Italian mob boss. Many readers have commented that this novel is a page-turner and even the supporting characters are strong enough to stand on their own, but do not overshadow the protagonist.

Q: Why did you go indie?
A: In this economy, publishers have experienced a dramatic cut-back not only in who they are accepting as new authors, but are dropping some they've had for a while. Indie is allowing me to get my work out to the public. My goal has always been to weave a story that will capture the attention of the reader. It cannot do that if it's not available for reading; hence, indie.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
A: Nevada Barr, Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark

Link to web site or blog or Amazon/Smashwords:

www.queenwriter.com
http://www.amazon.com/Name-Revenge-Book-Ivanovich-ebook/dp/B003R7L4MG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288130030&sr=8-1
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/18047
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/In-the-Name-of-Revenge/Starr-Gardinier-Reina/e/2940011064203/?itm=1&USRI=in+the+name+of+revenge

A.J. Braithwaite-- The Roman and the Runaway

A. J. Braithwaite is an Englishwoman who now lives in Canada on a small farm where she is striving to be as self-sufficient as possible. She started writing 'The Roman and the Runaway' in 1985 (when she was still at school herself) and finally got around to finishing it in 2009.

The Roman and the Runaway: In with 'the wrong crowd', Luke Brownlow's schoolwork is suffering and his parents take drastic action: banning him from seeing his friends and making him change schools. Luke falls out with
his family completely and escapes by forming an friendship with their neighbour, Ned Kelly.

Luke plans to get expelled from his new school, but has to reassess the situation when he discovers that his new headmaster is the neighbour he has been getting to know over the summer. An antagonistic fellow student and the arrival of a runaway teenage girl make it harder to avoid confrontations with Ned than Luke had hoped. By the end of the school year he is in imminent danger of expulsion and is sure that he has lost the respect of the man he most admires.

Q: What will e-readers like about your book?

It's fast-paced and quietly funny, with believable characters and
situations, addressing some real-life issues about teenagers' relationships
with authority figures, family and friends. Plus: no vampires!

Q: Why did you go indie?

I don't have enough free time to spend chasing elusive agents and
publishers. Sharing my story with people has always been my first priority
and the Internet makes that possible to do that with very few hurdles. Going
indie fits in well with my general drive towards self-sufficiency. It's been
a great experience and it's wonderful to get direct feedback from people who
have enjoyed the book.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Diana Wynne Jones is my all-time favourite children's/YA writer. I like
Terry Pratchett, Eoin Colfer and Megan Whalen Turner, too.

Smashwords link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/4970
Feedbooks link: http://www.feedbooks.com/userbook/10587

Robin O'Neill-- Paige, Turning

Robin O'Neill is quite hard to pin down and is still trying to find herself. She's written a number of young adult books, a few cookbooks and is now in adult contemporary.


Why will readers like this book?-- DISCONNECTED takes the reader through a Catskills Mountain summer of finding love, laughs, and a lost painting worth a million dollars. It's the story of what can happen when someone is too plugged into the internet and too disconnected from the real world to live what can be a wonderful life.

Why did you go indie? -- I have a backlist of out of print books that can still be enjoyed by a new audience. Then I realized how much freedom was being offered when an author no longer has to contend with editors and agents and I felt liberated.

Who are your favorite authors?--I like Katie Fforde quite a bit and Jane Heller. They both find a way to bring a nice lighthearted touch to romances. Victoria Clayton is not well known out of her native England but she is an artisan with words, proving with each new novel that a romance doesn't have to be without substance.


At Amazon
book trailer