ceLEStial books

I'm always excited to host a fellow NineStar Press author! Casey has published a fantastic M/M novel and, as it turns out, we even share the same philosophy when it comes to the romance elements in books. Welcome, Casey! 1. What's one book you remember reading in high school? What stood out for you during or after reading it?  I loved the books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, namely Hawksong, the start of her Kiesha’ra series.  I also fell in love with Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak series.  I’ve just always loved paranormal books, and these two authors really captured my heart.  They had memorable characters and stories that have stuck with me to this day, and their books still have a place on my shelf.  2. What aspect of your book 'One Bullet' are you most proud of?  I’m proud that I stuck to my guns - so to speak - and kept it sex free.  It’s a problem I have, as a reader, to find romance books with little to no sex in them.  I’m of t...

1. Thinking about your upcoming release  Dalí , what's one aspect of the book you feel really proud of? This is my fourth full-length novel, and I think I’m finally starting to hit my stride as a writer. I’ve learned so much about story structure and the craft of writing from my CP’s and mentors in the last three years, since my first book was published. I read it now and compare it to Dalí —it’s like night and day. Dalí  is also in first-person, which I’ve never done before outside short stories. I felt like it allowed me to get inside their head in a way I haven’t quite mastered with third person. I hope to continue to grow and improve in my craft. 2. I see from your bio that you're a nurse. Has your job helped inspire or inform any aspects of your writing? When I started writing Dalí, I was working as a hospice nurse. The aspect of dysfunctional grieving was something we dealt with, and I think that background helped me to por...

It's been an amazing few months! I must say I feel incredibly blessed right now, and I plan to enjoy the euphoria for a moment. I've found a wonderful home for my recently completed writing projects, with NineStar Press having accepted three pieces of work, all with F/F story lines. For anyone who may be interested, here is where my writing projects currently sit: FINDING AURORA This is a 20,000 word fantasy novella. It will be published in the anthology Once Upon a Rainbow 2 in mid-January, 2018.  I really enjoyed writing this one! It's an appropriation of Sleeping Beauty, following the attempts of Talia (a caster of magic) and Amir (the prince of Grimvein) as they try to rescue Aurora from the curse that's trapped her and her entire village for almost a century. This is very much in the style of a classical fairy tale, but with a few differences - of course. BENEATH THE SURFACE (The Outsider Project, Book I) This is my debut novel, a sci-fi story of ...

I must say that I feel extremely blessed. About a month ago, I received an email that many writers hope to receive: Yes! We would like to publish your book .  At first, I didn't realise that was what the email from NineStar Press was telling me. In fact, I saw the subject line ( Submission: Beneath the Surface ) and actually rolled my eyes, because I instinctively assumed I was about to experience rejection. I opened the email on my phone with a cynical trepidation. The first few lines felt like a generic rejection (thank you for submitting etc etc.) Then, I got to the second paragraph. Suddenly, the editor was telling me what she liked about my novel and then she was offering me a contract for publication.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't release an audible yelp! in the middle of my staff room at work.  One of the reasons I was so surprised is because it was only the second publisher I had submitted to. I knew the first would reject the manuscript bec...

This blog is starting to move into some exciting new territory with my first ever author Q&A. I'll be trying to do a few of these over time, hopefully they will compliment the book reviews I undertake and help us to engage more with both emerging and established writers. The first couple of author interviews will be for some fantastic writers being published through NineStar Press , given this is the same publisher my sci-fi novel will be released by in 2018.  I'd love to talk to some other writers soon though! _________________________________________________ For my fellow Australians, you can buy the Kindle edition here. _________________________________________________ What's one book you remember reading in high school? What stood out for you during or after reading it? I absolutely loved reading as a kid, both before and during high school. Honestly, it was one of my main go-to forms of entertainment growing up, and it was always the thing ...