Alex Knight-- What Luck!

Alex Knight enjoys writing mysteries, horror stories and romantic comedies. Her recent projects include Murder in Mendocino, Incredible Luck! (the sequel to What Luck!) and Accidental Agent. She currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario.

“What Luck!” is a story about fear, greed, violence, unconditional loyalty and love. Oh yes, and the central characters just happen to be vampires.

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

I think readers will enjoy the central characters. Instead of lovers reunited after death in a perfect immutable Heaven, they came together again earthbound in an ugly changing world and try to make the best of it. They are creatures of the dark, spreading light.

Q: Why did you go indie?

Going indie meant that I could take my novels to the readers much sooner than if I had followed the traditional route.  Actually, I think going indie will become the traditional route.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

If we’re talking about vampires novels then I would have to say Bram Stoker.  Several other writers who have entertained and inspired me are Dashiell Hammett, Mickey Spillane, John D. MacDonald, Edgar Allen Poe, Ross MacDonald, Raymond Chandler, Rex Stout, James Patterson and Lawrence Block, just to name a few.

http://www.amazon.com/What-Luck-ebook/dp/B003MQMPLQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1275350450&sr=1-6

http://booklocker.com/books/4701.html

Rodolfo Peña--An Inconsequential Murder

Rodolfo Peña: I live in Biarritz, France on the beautiful Atlantic coast of the Basque country. I have been writing most of my life, but until now mostly in Spanish, my native language. I have written television scripts, advertising audiovisuals, newspaper commentary, magazine articles, and a myriad of other things. I am a translator in three languages: English, Spanish, and French. My French wife and I live a quiet life in our chalet where we read a lot, work on translations, argue about cooking, and tend our vegetable garden. In summer we usually go to Paris where I like to pretend I am a painter and in winter we go to Mexico, where I don't have to pretend to be a native.

An Inconsequential Murder: When the body of a young software engineer is found decapitated by the railroad tracks in Monterrey, Mexico, Detective Guillermo Lombardo, a 30-year veteran of the Investigations Department is assigned to this seemingly "inconsequential" case.

Ignoring orders that he “wrap up the case quickly” his investigations reveal that the young man's murder is far from being “inconsequential”.

As he follows leads and the scant evidence found at the scene of the crime, he discovers that the young man was just a foot soldier in a war being waged by powerful politicians, drug lords, and undercover agents from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

 Detective Lombardo threads his way through this dangerous, murderous world, doggedly pursuing the killers because, as he admits to the beautiful, young widow of the murdered man, he is the kind of policeman who still believes that “doing the right thing” and seeking “justice for the little guy” is not only his job, but his way of life.

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

I think that the exotic location and characters. Lombardo is a very interesting character that I based on real policemen that I have met and known.

Q: Why did you go indie?

People at indie publishers are more caring and nurturing in their relationship with their authors. It is truly a very personalized experience.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in the suspense, mystery, horror, and thriller fields?

The classics: Raymond Chandler, Dashielle Hammett, and Graham Greene; but also a very modern writer: David Mitchell 

http://www.amazon.com/An-Inconsequential-Murder-ebook/dp/B003VIWP1U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AC2OY4L5JUE2O&s=digital-text&qid=1279958165&sr=1-1

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/18733

Paved With Good Intentions--Keith B. Darrell

Exiled on Earth, naive angel Gabriel and amoral demon Lucifer -- in the human guise of “Gabe Horn” and “Lou Cypher” -- form an unlikely partnership as private investigators in Las Vegas. Their adventures take them across the seven heavenly realms, into the nine levels of Hell, through the dream realm of the Dreamscape, and even through time to Camelot. Along the way, the pair encounter a wickedly funny assortment of angels, demons, witches, warlocks, vampires, and other supernatural creatures.

Meet some of the most imaginative characters in contemporary fantasy, including an intriguing array of protagonists (Miss Twitch, a Salem witch; Emma, a British schoolgirl and witch-in-training, and Morgan Summers, a Dreamwalker) and antagonists (sadistic witch-hunter Nathaniel Thornhill, a golem, a Paiute Shaman, the corporate vampires of Nosferatu, Inc., trampires, gangsters, and nefarious demons). Some of the vampires include Sharon -- she’s Jewish, crosses don’t bother her; Pandora -- trouble follows her like a shadow; Claude -- he’s too claustrophobic to use a coffin; and Artemus -- a 10-year-old boy who’s been a vampire for nearly 457 years. But the real stars are the ultimate odd couple, Gabriel and Lucifer, whose comedic banter and improbable escapades will amuse and thrill readers and leave them asking for more.

Q: What will readers like about your book?
It's funny and quirky, yet filled with adventure and drama. It's well written. The characters are drafted with rich characterization, and the novel is written as episodic fiction -- a series of self-contained stories that add up to a unified tale, as the reader sees the protangonist grow and evolve, and the plot expands in surprising directions.


Q: Why did you go indie?
My first book, "Issues In Internet Law", dealt with time-sensitive subject matter that was best served by indie publishing, meaning it could be brought to market faster. Since then, I haven't even considered anything other than publishing through my own company.


Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
My genre is speculative fiction, so Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman come to mind. But in my anthology "Randoms", I credited my muses: William Shakespeare, O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Dante Alighieri, e. e. cummings, Arthur Rimbaud, Ernest Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, Robert Heinlein, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Douglas Adams, Carlos Castaneda, and the Marquis de Sade.


LINKS
http://www.amazon.com/Paved-Good-Intentions-Keith-Darrell/dp/0977161196/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282192150&sr=8-8

http://amberbookcompany.com/Paved.html

http://www.amberbookcompany.com/

JL Bryan- Latter-Day Vampires

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on English Renaissance and Romantic literature. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. Most of his writing wanders into the horror or science fiction genres, reaching into the darker depths of human nature, where things are often scary or funny.

He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina and assorted pets. They have an organic and natural pet supply store (www.momandpups.com, which is where his cats and dogs often blog). He's been enjoying ebooks by indie authors of all genres lately.

Product description:
Are you sick of mopey, moody, whining vampires? Two New Orleans vampires are, and they’re doing something about it. Their plan to abolish the annoying, pathetic new vampires and restore the traditional evil vampire hinges on one teenage girl…

Hunterleigh Pelican moves from Big City to the ugly little town of Sacks, Utah. She falls for a handsome, diseased-looking vampire named Eggbert, but his feeble non-blood-drinking powers won’t protect her when the fangs hit the fan.

Also sniffing after Hunterleigh is the handsome Native American boy Lycanthro Turns-Into-Wolf, who may have some sort of supernatural secret of his own.

Only Hunterleigh can stop the evil New Orleans vampire Douchette, his significant life partner Lionel, and their plot to restore the Dark Ages of vampire rule.

Meanwhile, the hot n’ lusty Vampire Queen of Utah is thirsty to sink her teeth deep into Hunterleigh’s beloved Eggbert. Also meanwhile, Hunterleigh’s father, Professor of Skepticism and Debunkery at Sacks Community College, is called away to debunk rumors of vampires taking over a small town in Maine.

Can Hunterleigh save the people she loves? Can she stop the evil New Orleans vampires from bringing back the Dark Ages? Can she win Eggbert’s heart while still stringing Lycanthro along? And will she ever find a decent prom dress? Tune in to find out!




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

It’s a fun little satire that plays with some of the major vampire stories, from Stephen King to Sookie Stackhouse. It’s really a satire of all the touchy-feely, introverted and depressed vampires you see everywhere these days. Some older vampires are sick of being portrayed as wimpy and they want everyone to fear and respect vampires again, and that’s the basic story. Readers who are fans of horror will enjoy it the most and get more of the jokes. I didn’t just stick to the most recent trends but also pulled from writers I grew up reading, like Anne Rice.

Q: Why did you go indie?

I’ve been writing books for years and it’s nearly impossible to get a response from New York anymore. I query a slew of people for each book, and for the most part you don’t even get a reply. With the indie approach, you can actually get your books out there to readers instead of just moldering in your desk drawer (or your hard drive). And the income from the ebooks gives you plenty of incentive to keep writing and not get discouraged.



So far, I have four ebooks out and I plan to put out plenty more. I enjoy the freedom to create what I want and offer it to the world, and the whole renegade culture we indie authors are developing together.



Also, you don’t have to worry about your rights regarding your work, because you keep them all. It’s nice to know that all of these books will still be for sale online when I’m a feeble and demented old man.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

In horror, I grew up reading Stephen King, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, H.P. Lovecraft.

Some of my current favorite horror writers include Bentley Little, Brandon Massey, David McAfee and Scott Nicholson.



The humor in this book was strongly influenced by Douglas Adams, and by the fact that I’ve spent way too much time watching Mystery Science Theater 3000.


http://www.amazon.com/Mid-Afternoon-Ultra-Sexy-Frightening-Blood-Curling-ebook/dp/B0040X4YJQ
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Scott Cleveland--Pale Boundaries

Scott Cleveland has been a voracious reader since he picked up his first science fiction novel in a supermarket check-out in the mid-70’s. A diet of Heinlein, Asimov, Foster and McCaffrey, among many others, spurred him to pursue an English degree while a twenty-five-year-plus military career paid the bills. He currently resides in Eastern Washington with his wife, Carol, a dog, and the dog’s two pet cats.


PALE BOUNDARIES: Where do you go after you're torn from the only planet you've ever called home? What do you do when your new home despises foreigners?
Who do you blame when they kill someone you care about....and how do you take revenge?

Terson Reilly knew things would be different on Nivia. But he wasn't prepared for the draconian environmental laws, harsh population control measures or the prejudice against outsiders-and they didn't expect what he was willing to do to defend himself. Terson finds love when he meets Virene, an independent young woman chafing under the strict social controls herself. The couple do their best to conform, but their rebellious streak leads them beyond the colony's boundaries where an attempt to rescue the crew of a crashed spacecraft unwittingly sets in motion events that threaten to expose not only Nivia's dark secret, but that of a powerful criminal organization as well.

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

A: The science part of the fiction is merely a backdrop; the story itself is about people. The heroes have flaws, the villains have virtues, and the readers, I hope, will see something they are or want to be in all of them.

Q: Why did you go indie?

A: I thought for a long time that traditional publishing was the pinnacle of success. As I learned the cold, hard facts of the publishing business, however, I realized how much the end product is altered by commercial influences (assuming I could even break in). What I really wanted was to get my work in front of people and indie publishing, especially e-publishing, made that possible.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

A: John Scalzi and Elizabeth Moon—probably because the quality of their storytelling is what I aspire to.

Amazon Link: www.amazon.com/dp/B0036FU0U6

Ellen O'Connell--Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold

Ellen O’Connell lives in Douglas County, Colorado, where she raised, trained, and showed National Champion Morgan horses for over twenty years as Serendipity Morgans. Although she now concentrates on rally, carting, and drafting competition with her dogs, Ellen still has one Morgan mare, Serendipity B Wichin. Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is her second novel; her first, Rottweiler Rescue, is a cozy mystery.

Product description: Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold is a 118,000 word story of romance and family conflicts set in Colorado in 1885. Anne Wells has embarrassed her rigidly proper family since she was a child with occasional but grievous lapses from ladylike behavior. They blame those lapses for the disgraceful fact that she is a spinster at 28. Cord Bennett, the son of his father's second marriage to a Cheyenne woman, is more than an embarrassment to his well-to-do family of ranchers and lawyers - they are ashamed and afraid of their black sheep. When Anne and Cord are found alone together, her father's fury leads to violence. Cord's family accepts that the fault is his. Can Anne and Cord use the freedom of being condemned for sins they didn't commit to make a life together? Or will their disapproving, interfering families tear them apart?

Q: What will e-readers like about your book? From the reviews and private emails I've received from readers, the characters are what they like the most. The heroine is strong but not shrewish, and the hero has that kind of self-confident strength that gives him no need to push others around to prove it. Of course, they also like the story, which is a bit different.

Q: Why did you go indie? After some investigation into the world of traditional publishing and attending several writers' conferences (Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold was a finalist in two contests some years ago), I realized that world wasn't for me and put aside all thoughts of having anything published until I heard about Amazon's DTP in late 2009. I could hardly believe Amazon was giving people such an opportunity and couldn't get my already written books out fast enough.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in the suspense, mystery, horror, and thriller fields? Dick Francis, Dana Stabenow, Nevada Barr, Tony Hillerman, Susan Conant.
[Favorite authors in the western and romance field: Romance: Penelope Williamson, Maggie Osborne, Emily Carmichael. Western: Jack Schaefer, Louis L'Amour.



http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Silver-Gold-ebook/dp/B003GDJOFU

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13028

Luna Lindsey-- Make Willing the Prey

Luna Lindsey is an indie author located in Seattle, WA. Her first story (about a hippopotamus) crawled out of her head at the early age of 4. After running out of things to say about hippopotami, she switched genres to sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Now Luna writes ebooks for devices like the Kindle.

Make Willing the Prey: Sandy Windham is the least likely person to ever believe in faeries, and she especially wouldn't want to marry one. That's why she's caught the eye of Haun, a wicked faerie who's been put to an interesting challenge: Get a banal girl to marry him.

At first Sandy is delighted to receive so many luxurious gifts from a secret admirer. It's flattering and fun, and she hopes to one day meet this mysterious romantic. But before long the seduction turns chilling and Sandy wants the game to stop. By then it's too late. She and her friend Jina are ensnared in a web of illusions they may never be able to escape.

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

Make Willing the Prey is both scary and magical. The classic Celtic fairytale describes capricious creatures with alien morality. They often steal food or cows, kidnap children and women, and lure people into fairyland. If fae lived in a modern setting, they won't find many cows, but there are plenty of tempting damsels to lure. It features not one, but two strong female protagonists, and a very creepy unseelie faerie. Readers will thrilled, chilled, enthralled, and surprised.

Q: Why did you go indie?

Much of my work crosses multiple genres and can be difficult to categorize. For this and other reasons, I wanted creative control of my work. I also like the ability to publish quickly after the final draft is ready.

Q: Who are your favorite authors in your genre?

Anne Rice, Anne Bishop, Terry Goodkind, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and Jacqueline Carey

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Willing-the-Prey-ebook/dp/B003Z0CV68
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