Claire Gem turns Indie and Eerie for Halloween

A woman, encased in glass, lives in the center of town, yet everyone pretends not to see.

A phone call from Mom turns horrifyingly urgent.

A sports car, a family inheritance bound up in memories.

A graveyard of nameless souls.

Definitely looks eerie and it's only 99 cents to buy. 

https://www.amazon.com/Enigmata-Eerie-Collection-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B07XVKKYJH

And now, here's Claire

I’m Back!!! Revisiting After Almost Five Years!

By Claire Gem

I can’t believe how much has happened since I last visited Susan’s blog in 2015. That was the year I published not only my memoir, but also my first novel. Since then, I’ve published six more novels and a writer’s resource guide. But what a journey it has been . . .

The publisher of my memoir, after three years of fits and starts and not one single penny I royalties, went out of business. It took me six months of legal agony to get the rights back on my book, which I revised, repackaged, and self-published in 2018. After another less than smooth experience with another small publisher for my second novel, I bought back my rights and republished as well. So I guess that officially makes me a hybrid author, since I still have Phantom Traces with SMP. But since then, I’ve gone Indie.

I love Indie publishing, mostly I guess because I’m a control freak. With self-publishing I have complete control over the entire process, from the creation to the editing to planning the release. Don’t get me wrong: It’s a LOT of work. I do hire professional editors (a must), but I have gotten pretty good with Photoshop, so the covers I design myself. Formatting has given me more than my share of gray hairs. But I get through it, and in 2019 I published my fourth Haunted Voices novel (these are contemporary romances set in haunted places).

Electricity went live June 16^th.

Blurb 

She’s an electrician starting over with her son. New job. New town. New life.

He’s a coworker who’s interested in more than her ability to run conduit.

The building they’re rewiring was once an insane asylum…but it appears some of the patients never left.

Mercedes Donohue pulled up roots in Atlanta when her marriage imploded. She’s come back to New England, to the place where she was born. Mercy’s focus is to stabilize her teenage son’s life—he took the breakup pretty hard—and to establish her place, gain the respect of Progressive Electrical’s team.

She never expected so many sparks to fly so soon, both on the job and after hours.

Daniel Gallagher has been alone since his fiancé’s death. He’ll never feel that way about any woman again, and certainly won’t try with another independent, strong-willed one. Then Mercy short-circuits his plans.

Although the asylum closed its doors over thirty-five years ago, it seems some of the patients never left . . .

If you like a heart-melting romance laced with healthy dose of supernatural thrills and chills, you’ll love Electricity.

BuyLink: https://amzn.to/32ggbxZ

I was buzzing along great on the fifth in the series when an unfortunate accident at work left me with a broken arm—my right one, and I’m right-handed. Took me off the keyboard for almost two months. Finally, out of sheer boredom and using the leftie hunt-and-peck method, I compiled four of my creepy short stories into

an Amazon Short Read called Enigmata: Eerie Bits. Just in time for Halloween!

Blurb 

A woman, encased in glass, lives in the center of town, yet everyone pretends not to see.

A phone call from Mom turns horrifyingly urgent.

A sports car, a family inheritance bound up in memories.

A graveyard of nameless souls.

Haunting. This collection of short stories will send a chill, linger in memory, leave you wondering: Is there something beyond what our eyes can see? Can the veil between life and death really be so thin? Four tales in this Kindle 45-minute Short Read by award winning paranormal author, Claire Gem.

Buy Link: https://amzn.to/2MGXME2

 And as I said above, only 99 cents. I already bought my copy. Sometimes short reads are my necessity and this one sounds great.

 Thank you, Susan, for hosting me again! I will be giving away two eBooks—one of Electricity and one of Enigmata—to two lucky visitors to your blog! 

Thank you, Claire, for visiting.

I  managed to tweak a disk and sitting at the computer isn't a good thing to be doing.

So if you would like to be entered to win a copy of Electricity or Enigmata: Eerie Bits leave a comment with your email address or drop me an email at sueberger3@gmail.com.

Happy Reading. 

Claire Gem

Contemporary, Romantic, Soul-Freeing

Claire is an award winning-author of supernatural suspense, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction. She also writes Author Resource guide books and presents seminars on writing craft and marketing. Her supernatural suspense, Hearts Unlocked, won the 2016 New York Book Festival, and was a finalist in the 2017 RONE Awards.

Claire loves exploring the paranormal and holds a certificate in Parapsychology from Duke University’s Rhine Research Center. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Lesley University.

A New York native, Claire now lives in Massachusetts with her husband of 40 years. When she’s not writing, she works for Tufts University in the field of scientific research. She is available for seminars and media interviews and loves to travel for book promotional events.

Media Links

Email:                          gem.writer@yahoo.com

Website:                      http://www.clairegem.com

Blogs:                          http://www.clairegem.wordpress.com

                                    http://www.hauntedpathways.wordpress.com

Facebook:                    http://www.facebook.com/clairegem.author

Twitter:                       http://www.twitter.com/gemwriter

Goodreads:                  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8284235.Claire_Gem

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2nabvbm

Youtube Channel:        https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO-vB7WDZhEQ8U4YpC937ng

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Meet Tami Lund

Tami Lund is a funny and prolific author and I am delighted to introduce you to her. Tami, Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am a hopeless romantic, and have been since I read my first Sweet Valley High book. Actually, I’m sure it started well before that point, because I remember when I was young, really young, that I was forever begging my mother to let me keep the latest stray animal I happened across, because the poor thing could not possibly survive without our love and affection. 

In between rescuing stray animals, I was a huge bookworm, and I loved writing as much as reading, as far back as middle school. By high school, I had been convinced I would become a writer. Unfortunately, in college, I decided writing wasn’t a sensible career choice, so I majored in public relations, which led to careers in event management and hotel sales, and eventually during the recession I was laid off from said sensible career. That was when all those characters and plots that had been hiding in the deep, dark recesses of my mind suddenly demanded my attention. Actually, they practically slapped me in the face for waiting so long to acknowledge them. 

Since then, I’ve published eleven books, with one more coming out this month, another next month, and yet another scheduled for April 2015. I guess you could say I’ve become obsessed.
Fabulous

Outside of my fantasy world, I actually have my own reality, a husband, two beautiful children, and a furbaby, who, you will be shocked to note, we rescued and adopted just a few months ago. It occurs to me that every pet I have ever had was rescued in one way or another. Did I mention bleeding heart romantic? 

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when you found you’d made your first sale. 

Well, that’s a little tricky. I self-published my first book in 2010. I literally uploaded it to Amazon and did nothing else. I was so clueless. In January 2013, I self-published my second book, The Resort, which was the beginning of a five book series. By then, I had learned a thing or two, and actually spent a little time promoting it. Imagine my shock when, a month later, I received a royalty payment from Amazon!

If it isn’t too nosy . . . (well of course it is!) How about the first time you kissed your true love?

It was May 1, 1998. Yes, I remember the exact date, because ours was such a romance-novel-worthy courtship. I met him through a friend, at a party. Because, at the time, I lived on the other end of the country, he jokingly asked my friend if I would be interested in a one-night stand. We kissed that night – boy did we! – and six weeks later, he moved across the country to be with me. Six months later, we were engaged. Six months after that, married. We celebrated 15 years this past June.

Defintiely romance worthy. Love it.

Other than your own, who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre?

I have a few I can think of right off the bat. I am not monogamous to my book boyfriends, unfortunately for them. I love Drake Vireo from Katie Macalister’s Dragon Series. He has been my longest standing book boyfriend. I also utterly adore Phineas Tucker from Jennifer Crusie’s Welcome to Temptation. I love a hero who doesn’t take himself too seriously. In fact, Phin inspired my hero, Brandon, from Candy Crush. Uh oh, does that mean I wrote fan fiction? Anyway, my third and most recent book boyfriend is Sage, the hero from Rebekah Ganier’s book, Snow the Vampire Slayer. He’s laid back, confident, and charming, despite incredibly dire circumstances during most of the book. All top book boyfriend characteristics, in my world. 

What is the most exciting moment, so far, in your writing career?

That email I received from Crimson Romance, telling me they loved my manuscript and would like to offer me a contract. That was for Naked Truth, which was published in June 2014. It was the first non-rejection email I ever received from a publisher. The coolest part was literally a day later, when I received a similar email from Liquid Silver, telling me they wanted to contract Into the Light, which was published in July 2014.

Wow!

What is your favorite pastime, other than writing? 

Drinking wine. No wait, I do that while I’m writing. Reading and gardening are my top two fave pastimes, neither of which I ever have enough time to do. 

What’s your snack of choice while writing?

Wine. Preferably red. 

Got a recipe you want to share?

Ha ha. I’m not the cook in my family. Far from it. My hubs is, in fact, a phenomenal chef. I maintain that he missed his calling, although I’m grateful he practices his skill on the family. Also note, this is why you often see chefs as characters in my books. I think it’s sexy to be able to cook well.

Any advice for new writers just starting out?

My advice is no different from any other author, I’m sure. Edit, edit, edit. And then have someone else edit. And then repeat. Don’t put something out there unless you are one hundred percent confident in it, because readers will notice.

What genre or genres do you write? 

I write romance. I love a happily ever after, so that’s what I write. In regard to sub-genres, I write both contemporary and paranormal. My favorite paranormal beings to write about are shifters (by far the sexiest of the paranormal beings, in my opinion) and faeries. Although I have created my own beings, called Lightbearers, and am about to release the second book in that series. 

Tell us about your latest release.

Well, I actually have two releases this month. The first was yesterday (yay!). I have a short in a holiday anthology called Unwrapping Love. Twenty-one contemporary romances. Yes, twenty-one. It’s something like 700 pages long, so well worth the less than $5 price tag. Mine is about halfway through and is called The Perfect Christmas. 

My heroine, Anna, is in love with Jesse, a super sweet guy who happens to be married to Anna’s bitchy older sister, Jessica. Things happen, Jesse and Anna end up hooking up, and then Anna learns he only did it to get back at Jessica, who was cheating on him. I know it sounds impossible, but there really is a happy ending!

My second release this month is, as I mentioned earlier, the second book in the Lightbearer Series. The first book, Into the Light, came out in July 2014, and was Tanner and Olivia’s story. This one is called Dawning of Light, and it focuses on Finn, a shifter, and Cecilia, a lightbearer. Finn’s job is to protect Cecilia, who doesn’t particularly want to be protected. Personalities clash, but of course there is a strong, underlying sexual tension, which comes to a head about halfway through the book. I love this series. I mean, I adore it, and I think paranormal fans will too. 

Quick note: while each book can be read stand alone, I recommend reading them in order, as there are quite a few over-arching plots that carry from book to book. So far, I have something like eight books outlined in the series, and a few minor details from book one will suddenly become crazy important in some of the later books.
I really love the covers.

And finally, where can we find you?

Everywhere. That’s funny because it’s true. I’m on practically every social media out there. But, here are the key places to stalk me:

My website – I update the main page every time there’s a new release (which is pretty frequently), and I’ve just started a new page called “Meet the Characters” which is a work in progress, but so far there are some wonderfully hot guys up there, plus a little background on a few of my heroes. I also blog at least once a week, which is part of my website: http://tamilund.com

Facebook – I love to post funny pics or antidotes, and I especially love posting teasers from whatever book I’m currently working on: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTamiLund?ref=hl

Twitter – I’m a huge fan of retweeting others, especially if the tweet is funny: https://twitter.com/TamiLundAuthor

Thank you, Susan, for hosting me on your blog today. It was truly a pleasure to give you far more information than anyone could possibly want!

To wrap up this interview, let’s give you a few book links:

Here’s the link to Unwrapping Love, which is free, if you’re an Amazon Prime member (and only $4.99 otherwise!): http://www.amazon.com/Unwrapping-Love-Grace-Ravel-ebook/dp/B00P72UUGK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416754537&sr=8-1&keywords=unwrapping+love

All the rest of my books can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Tami-Lund/e/B00AXJH5MY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1416754604&sr=8-1

And as a special treat, for taking the time to read my ramblings, I’d like to offer a prize. With Dawning of Light coming out in two weeks, I figure I should give you a chance to read Into the Light… for free! So, if you love paranormal, and you want to give a new series a try, just go to my Facebook Author Page, like it, and note it in the comments here. In one week’s time, I’ll pick, hmm…. THREE WINNERS. Three people will receive a complimentary e-book of Into the Light, the first in the Lightbearer series. Sound good? Well get to it!
Sounds good to me. I am entering. Thank you, Tami for being here.

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Meet MJ Compton

Meet MJ Compton author of a new paranormal series, Toke Lobo & The Pack. The first book of the series, Moonlight Serenade, is out now. MJ, please tell us a little about yourself.  

I’m married, have two adult children, and love to read, love to listen to music. After I lost my day job of 30 years, I not only looked for work, but spent a lot of time writing. If not for the stress of not having steady income, it would have been a great time!

I love firsts, so tell me about the moment when you found you’d made your first sale.

I didn’t tell anyone for a couple of days because I wanted to savor the news. Then I opened a bottle of sparkling wine for supper. My son (who was living with us at the time) and my husband asked, “What are we celebrating?” They tried to guess—my son kept guessing things about my husband, who kept saying, “It’s not about me, it’s about her.” There was much toasting when I shared the news. Then I texted my daughter, who was at college. She called me back, crying because she was so happy for me.

Other than your own, who are your favorite (heroes/heroines/writers) in your genre?

Maggie Shayne and Susan Sizemore are two of my favorite paranormal authors, although they’re better known for their vampires. I’m just starting to read Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse books, and so far I love them. I don’t read a lot of werewolf books because I don’t want to be influenced by other universes.
I see you have a cover blurb from Maggie Shayne. That's impressive!

What is your favorite pastime, other than writing?

Reading! I am a voracious reader and would have my nose stuck in a book 24/7 if life permitted. When I was first invited into a critique group, I warned the other members I was a novice at writing. Their response: Yeah, but you read. A lot. And that matters.

What’s your snack of choice while writing?

I don’t like to eat while writing because it gooks up the keyboard.

Got a recipe you want to share?

Oh, I love to cook. My son and I love sharing recipes and trying out new things together.

Here’s one of my husband’s favorites—in fact, he named it. It’s one of my “pantry” meals—I keep all of the ingredients on hand year round. It’s quick and easy in addition to being healthy and delicious.

SPAGHETTI BEANS

·         2 15-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed.

·         Olive oil

·         Minced garlic—minimum 1 teaspoon (I believe there is no such thing as too much garlic)

·         1 14-oz can petite diced tomatoes

·         ¼ cup chopped basil.

·         1 Tablespoon lemon juice

·         ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the garlic until golden.

Add the bean, tomatoes, and basil.

Cook for 7 minutes or until heated through.

Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Serve with a green salad.
That sounds fabulous. I can't wait to try it.

Any advice for new writers just starting out?

Join a writing group and be active. You will get back so much more than you give. 

What genre or genres do you write?

Paranormal romantic suspense and contemporary baseball romance. 

Tell us about your latest release.

Moonlight Serenade is about an alpha male werewolf who is a country music singer and sometimes works undercover for the US government. When he meets his mate, a human journalist who threatens to tell the world the government uses werewolves as spies, he has to learn to trust her and teach her to trust him. It is book one of the Toke Lobo & The Pack series.
Okay. Country singer/federal undercover agent and wolf? Sounds like a book I have to read.

What’s your current WIP?

I’m working on the third book in my Toke Lobo & The Pack series, Daughter of the Moon. The second book, And Jericho Burned, is coming out in early 2015.

And finally, where can we find you?

My webpage/blog: www.comptonplations.com

Twitter: @comptonplations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMJCompton

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8075221.M_J_Compton
Thanks for visiting, M.J. I've added Moonlight Serenade to mt TBR list..

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