Sunday, January 17, 2021

Q&A on Book Covers with Virginia Barlow Author of A Fallacious Seduction #AFallaciousSeduction #bookcovers @virgini35142126


Virginia Barlow has a zest for life. She has accomplished many goals including raising a large family. She has been a bookkeeper, a hostess, an EMT-I, a lieutenant in the local fire department, a manager and an author. She likes to knit, crochet, quilt and sew. She is funny, talented and very creative. Virginia looks at life through rose colored glasses and owns it. She is happiest when is at her computer immersed in her current novel. She loves to sip coffee or wine while she contemplates whether to kill off characters in her book or not. Virginia is a good friend and has an endless supply of love for friends and family.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://www.virginia-barlow.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Virgini3514212

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3046288755596817 

 

 

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

My book is about Shanna Johnston. She yearns to have a family of her own, to belong. Her mother sent her to live with her aunt and uncle in Rock Creek, Wyoming Territory. Something terrible happened in the past that prevents them being together. Shanna is returning to Wyoming when the train she is on explodes. She wakes to U. S. Marshal Reese Calhan pointing his gun in her face. He insists he knows her but calls her by another woman’s name. He knows things about her few do. His heated looks and knowing kisses spark a fire in her she cannot ignore- even as her mysterious past catches up to her.

Reese cannot believe Jenna is alive. He witnessed the explosion years ago that he thought took her life. He is determined to bring her to justice for the wrongs she committed years ago. He smarts over her betrayal but cannot forget the way it was between them. Just when Reese thinks he’s getting Jenna figured out, she does something out of character. The longer they are together, the more the sparks fly. Passion and danger erupt. This time Reese will not fall prey to her wiles.

The idea for this book came while dealing with my nephews. I tossed the plot around and soon, my characters kept me up at night writing their story!

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way? 

My publisher is The Wild Rose Press. They are a traditional publishing house. The process of publishing is fairly simple. You send in a query. If the editor likes it, they will ask to see your manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted, they contract your book. Then comes editing rounds, approval of the book cover, synopsis approval, and final edit. Once this is done. Your release date is set. 

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later? 

I had the title before I wrote the book. My husband liked the word “fallacious”. So, I thought up a story to go with it.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? 

The Wild Rose Press has amazing artists that design the covers for us. They are talented and awesome!

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?  

My cover artist is Jennifer Greeff. The Wild Rose Press provides the book covers.

How was your experience working with the designer? 

Jennifer Greeff is very talented. I am extremely happy with her work.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover? 

Actually, I have not received any feedback. Lol.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer? 

There are many talented artists. Don’t accept second best.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book? 

I had so much fun writing this book. My hope is you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

 

Book Info:


When the train US Marshal Reese Calhan is riding on explodes, he is one of two survivors. Trouble is, the other survivor is the woman who betrayed him years ago. A woman he thought was dead. This time he will not fall prey to her wiles. He’ll see the vixen jailed for her crimes if it kills him.

Recovering from a recent jilting and now a train explosion, Shanna Johnston has no idea why the handsome stranger insists he knows her and calls her by another woman’s name. His heated looks and knowing kisses spark a fire in her she cannot ignore–even as her own mysterious past is closing in.

“A Fallacious Seduction is a fantastic historical western romance I couldn’t put down…Virginia Barlow writes with honesty and shares what life was life for many women on the frontier. The descriptive narration paints a raw picture of the wild west which swept me away. The plot moves at a good pace with plenty of conflicts, misunderstandings and colorful characters. There’s a lot going on in this story but at the heart of it is Shanna and Reese. The romance between these two is classic enemies-to-lovers but with a fun western twist. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the ending. If you’re looking for a feisty heroine in the wild west frontier, pick up A Fallacious Seduction. Fans of Cynthia Wright will love this tale. Highly recommend! “-N.N. Light’s Book Heaven

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/37enrOC

Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/2HEjNoF

Walmart → https://bit.ly/3fAhiAh

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Book Blast: Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z. Lee

 



Love and Other Moods follows complexities of adulting, of parenting, of the urban quest for love and finding one's place in the world…

Love and Other Moods

By Crystal Z. Lee

Love and Other Moods is a coming-of-age story set in contemporary China, about falling in love, learning to adult, finding strength, and discovering one’s place in the world.

Naomi Kita-Fan uproots her life from New York to China when her fiancé’s company transfers him to Shanghai. After a disastrous turn of events, Naomi finds herself with no job, no boyfriend, and nowhere to live in a foreign country.

Amidst the backdrop of Shanghai welcoming millions of workers and visitors to the 2010 World Expo, we meet a tapestry of characters through Naomi: Joss Kong, a Shanghai socialite who leads an enviable life, but must harbor the secrets of her husband, Tay Kai Tang. Logan Hayden, a womanizing restaurateur looking for love in all the wrong places. Pan Jinsung and Ouyang Zhangjie, a silver-aged couple struggling with adapting to the ever-changing faces of their city. Dante Ouyang, who had just returned to China after spending years overseas, must choose between being filial and being in love. All their dreams and aspirations interweave within the sprawling web of Shanghai.

This multilayered novel explores a kaleidoscope of shifting relationships—familial friction, amorous entanglements, volatile friendships—in one of the most dynamic metropolises of the twenty-first century.



“This heartfelt, transporting story sparkles with a constellation of characters who call this city home while pursuing their China dream. As multifaceted as Shanghai itself, this novel follows overlapping narratives about the complexities of adulting, of parenting, of the urban quest for love and finding one’s place in the world.”

— EMILY TING, film director of Go Back to China and Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong

“Awash with cosmopolitan expats and jet-setting locals, Love and Other Moods shimmers like the diamonds adorning China’s glitterati, while exposing haunting personal histories and intergenerational strife. With dazzling twirls around Shanghai’s World Expo, glitzy fashion shows, art deco architecture, jazz clubs, gourmet restaurants, and disappearing food stalls, this novel compellingly pulls the reader into the pleasures and pains of becoming an adult in a city soaring to global status.”

— JENNY LIN, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Critical Studies at the University of Southern California and author of Above sea: Contemporary art, urban culture, and the fashioning of global Shanghai


Amazon → https://amzn.to/2Vqx5IN

Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/36iVsON

Book Depository → https://bit.ly/2VgLd6Y

IndieBound → https://bit.ly/3fIWlTE



Naomi had packed four suitcases from New York, and right now they were stacked unevenly on top of one another in the hallway, forcing the front door to open only halfway, just tight enough for her to slide in sideways. She couldn’t remember the last time she had lived by herself. The lonely apartment was mildly depressing.

She felt like walking aimlessly. She passed by wrinkled men playing a game of Chinese chess, teenage girls in designer sunglasses taking photographs of each other, a woman gesticulating wildly as she yelled into her cell phone, tourists examining a guide book, a cloud of second-hand smoke drifting from outside a cafe, Uighur men selling kebabs, well-heeled shoppers clinging to their purchases, two men in yarmulkes talking heatedly, shrieking children competing with the racket from honking vehicles, and the sea of commuters gushing out of the Huangpi Nan Lu metro stop. Naomi let herself be swept up into the human river, bodies crushing against each other, arms brushing and shoving, no apologies no offense taken. Being in this city meant your senses were constantly accosted.

A man approached her with a flier featuring images of iPhones, Rolexes, LV handbags, and said that their shop was just ahead in an alley. She declined and quickened her pace. She spotted an empty bench by a bus stop and flopped down. Barely noticing as the traffic whizzed by, the racy selfie on Seth’s phone resurfaced in her head. A steady stream of downpour coaxed pedestrians to open a colorful array of umbrellas, or duck into convenience stores, boutique shops, malls entrances. Naomi felt wholly unequipped and unprepared, again, by this city.

Her hair was stuck to her face and her forehead was damp. She was relieved that the inclement weather matched her mood, for tears had started forming and slithering beneath her eyes, blending with the droplets of rain running down her face. She wiped it away with her sleeve. She just wanted to throw up all the fury and regrets that were lodged in her stomach, she wished it could all be flushed out of her head.

It was starting to hit her, the reality of having no boyfriend, no job, and nowhere to live.

She wondered if the sprawling metropolis of Shanghai was too small to co-exist with her ex-fiancé















Crystal Z. Lee is a Taiwanese American bilingual writer. She has called many places home, including Taipei, New York, Shanghai, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She was formerly a public relations executive who had worked with brands in the fashion, beauty, technology, and automotive industries. Love and Other Moods is her debut novel. She’s already hard at work on her next novel and a children’s book.

Follow the author on Instagram @ Crystal.Z.Lee