!Welcome award winning author Kelly Moran!

Sandy - Thank you for being a guest on Coffee Talk today, Kelly. Let’s start with a little about yourself away from the keyboard. Tell us about your family, pets, hobbies and such.

Kelly –  Okay, I'll just lay out my official bio.

Kelly's been known to say that she gets her ideas from everyone and everything around her, and that there's always a book playing out in her head. No one who knows her bats an eyelash when she talks to herself.

She began her writing career in the Indie market, becoming the recipient of an Editor's Choice Award, a Finalist in the 2008 Best Book Awards, and a Finalist in the 2009 Indie

Excellence Awards before moving into traditional publishing. Her books not only have honors from the top review sites, but from NY Times bestsellers too. She is a respected reviewer and a Romance Writers of America member.

Kelly's interests include: sappy movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping when she can. She is a closet caffeine junkie and chocoholic, but don't tell anyone. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, Darren, three sons, Logan, Evan, & Ethan, and her black lab, Willow. Most of her family lives in the Carolinas, so she spends a lot of time there as well.

Sandy – How can our readers contact you?

Kelly – LOL. Everywhere!

Website-www.authorkellymoran.com

Facebook-www.facebook.com/authorkellymoran

Twitter-www.twitter.com/authorkmoran

Sandy – I’m so intrigued by your new release THE DRAKE HOUSE. We’d love to read the blurb.

Kelly – Well, okay! Here you go...

In her dreams, a ghost demands to be heard...

Once plagued by mysterious nightmares, Trisha Eaton always chalked them up to childish nuisances--until they return with a vengeance. Something about the Drake house next door haunts her, and now her night terrors and sleepwalking seem to be luring her to something dark. After a series of strange events, Trisha turns to Nick Mackey. As the new deputy in town, Nick wants to forget his traumatic past. His undeniable attraction for Trisha has him wondering if a shot at a normal life is possible. But Trisha has somehow struck a nerve in their small, superstitious town, and a long-buried secret threatens to surface again. A secret that someone will kill to keep veiled. Answers only lead to more questions in a case where nothing makes sense, but one chilling fact remains...some nightmares are all too real.

Sandy - To me there’s nothing spookier than a good ghost story. What inspired you to write it? Have you had any personal experience with the paranormal?

Kelly – Funny story. So some friends and I used to visit reportedly haunted places. We were walking on this rural gravel road, surrounded by dense woods, heading to an abandoned house, when I feel myself being stopped by something I couldn't see. The next thing I know, the flashlight is flying from my hand and across the path. Then I hear this voice whisper in my ear, but no one physically there to speak it. Needless to say we booked it outta there, but it inspired this book.

 Sandy – Your heroine deals with nightmares and sleepwalking. Are these problems you've experienced or did it require research?

Kelly – Both. I have nightmares often and occasionally sleepwalk. I did need a lot of research as well to make it believable to my plot.

Sandy – If THE DRAKE HOUSE was made into a movie, who would you like to play the roles of your main characters, Trisha and Nick?

Kelly – Oh wow. Hm. Anne Hathaway as Trisha, her serious acting side. Nick needs to be dark and broody. Don't know on him. Maybe James McAvoy?

Sandy – How about a sample of what our readers have to look forward to.

Kelly –

                Her voice was inviting when she wasn’t mad at him. Like hot cocoa on a frigid day.

                “You should smile more often,” he claimed quietly, glancing ahead at the orchard approaching.

                She halted abruptly and tilted her head as if contemplating how to respond. “I smile all the time,” she said. No hint of irritation now.

                Clearing his throat, he said, “I meant at me. You should smile like that more often at me.”

                He couldn’t believe he said it. There was a very long awkward silence as she studied him, brown eyes widened. Talk about feeling like an idiot. Finally, she let out a laugh, smooth and rich from someone so small. She wove her arm through his affectionately like he’d seen her do with others and kept walking.

                “Give me a reason to smile and I just might.”

                “I’ll take it into consideration,” he mumbled. He already had. From the first moment he walked into her house tonight, he’d been considering her. Before, really, but why argue semantics.

Sandy – Where can our readers get a copy of THE DRAKE HOUSE?

Kelly – Amazon or B&N

~Let's have a look at this terrific trailer~

Sandy – It’s been an honor to interview you Kelly. Thank you for coming by.

Kelly – Thanks for having me! I'll give away a FREE eBook to one commenter. xo

*Debut author Preston Robison*

Welcome to Coffee Talk, Preston. Congratulations on publishing your first book, Vermillion Skies.

Thanks for havin’ me, Sandra. G’morning, guys!

Tell us a little about yourself away from the keyboard.

I was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA, and I received my Bachelor’s degree in physics from UC Santa Barbara. Nowadays I spend my time substitute teaching at high schools and tutoring math and physics. Between road trips and helping support my family, I write to put my mind at ease. And of course, every now and again I lose myself in a gory, cheesy horror movie complete with clearly fake props and terrible acting. No wife, no kids, and that’s how I plan on keeping it…at least for a few more years ;)

What inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always wanted to create—in the second grade, I made a comic strip titled “Chihuahua Man.” It wasn’t until my best friend introduced me to a band called Coheed & Cambria (whose albums are based on their comics, The Amory Wars) that I got the idea to write as an actual hobby. Writing offered a productive outlet for my creativity.

What was your inspiration for Vermillion Skies?

This is a tough question. A lot of things inspired Vermillion Skies, and a lot more inspired the many elements found within. But originally, my friend told me about a dream he had had where he was trapped in a dark temple with someone. We spent hours that night over Skype developing a massive, intricate plot just based off of a few events and even fewer characters. Over the next three years, the story developed and grew into a fully fledged, gripping novel.

Do you plan on a sequel, series, or anything else?

The Old Kingdom Ardänia is a four-part series, and Vermillion Skies is the first book. I have ideas for several spinoffs at the end of the series, but nothing solid yet. The second book, Shattered Memories, may come out sometime next fall.

What reading audience are you targeting with Vermillion Skies?

Anyone who enjoys an epic journey will love it. There are some themes that are NOT for children—it’s geared more toward the older end of young adults and up. I’ve always thought that the more popular fantasy series lacked a certain adult element, hence this series has some more mature themes throughout.

I saw on a post that your father painted the cover art for your book. What other involvement has your family or friends had in your writing experience?

A few of my friends offered to help edit my manuscript. Their feedback and encouragement was invaluable. Without them, Ardänia wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful and diverse as it has become. In post-production, my family and friends have been vital parts of my advertising campaign.

Besides the beautiful cover, your blurb should grab a lot of attention. I happen to have it here for our guests to read.

Magic had been lost to the annals of fairytales since the Old Kingdom had collapsed centuries before. By mere willpower, Ardänia continued to survive throughout time, all the while an ancient evil grew powerful in the east. In the depths of the Fauxverite Woods, a young Ardänian named Meyral discovers a staff that may change the fate of his kingdom forever—if he can survive the night.

The Nordcross empire’s troops are fast approaching, and Meyral’s only hope is to reach the Northern Federation to find Taryn, someone who his father believes will be able to teach Meyral to use the Staff of Ardänia. Along the way he recruits his old friends, the cold and logical Maxine and her large, obnoxious brother, Alberto. As they travel north, Meyral struggles with the secrets surrounding the staff, an artifact whose immense power is as dangerous as it is mysterious.

Together the trio will find trials more difficult than they ever imagined—war, death, and even love—and eventually come face to face with Sera, a sinister woman behind the armies of Nordcross with an agenda of her own. With no more than their own manpower and a little luck, the three heroes fight for their kingdom, their people, and their lives.

If anyone would like to purchase a copy of Vermillion Skies, it’s available now on Amazon and CreateSpace.

As an ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVT48OE

As a paperback: http://www.createspace.com/4119210  

If any of our guests would like to follow your progress, where can they find you?

http://www.twitter.com/prestonrobison

http://www.facebook.com/prbison

http://www.prestonrobison.tumblr.com

It’s been great having you here, Preston. You’re welcome to pop in any time today to reply to any comments we may have.

Thanks again, Sandra! See ya!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2013. I hope everyone has recovered from their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Are you ready to get started on those New Year’s Resolutions? Maybe we should evaluate those resolutions…

Being the geek I am, I went on the web to see what the top ten New Year’s resolutions are for 2013. I went to toptenplus.com where they do world-wide surveys of everything you can think of.

Nothing on the list surprised me. What did surprise me was the order of the list. It says a lot about the attitude of people these days.

#1 – Get Fit – This seems reasonable as we’re on a quest for eternal youth and beauty. I envision us all breaking out the old bicycle, digging through our closets for our running shoes and hitting the gym. It usually lasts until the Valentines candy arrives.

#2 – Improve Finances – This actually means, paying off all the overspending we did over the recent holiday season. The fact that our credit cards have pretty pictures now doesn’t mean the credit companies are any nicer to deal with than they were before.

#3 – Improve Health – Yes, if we’re going to reclaim our youth, we’ll want to stick around to enjoy it. We’ll give up red meat, until we have to watch our partner chowing down on a juicy burger. And we’ll quit smoking until the stop smoking commercials have us pulling out our hair.

#4 – Lose Weight – Especially all the weight we gained over the holiday season and while we were trying to quit smoking. But, we’re still anticipating that Valentines candy.

#5 – Further Education – This is a lofty goal. Most of us have jobs and/or children, houses we run without the benefit of a cleaning staff, and helpless hubbies. Half of us cut our sleep time down to a cat nap in order to write. But, we’ll get that degree one class at a time and collect our diplomas with the use of a walker.

#6 – Improve Work Situation – These days, if you have a job, your work situation is already better than most. Are you sure you want to mess with that?

#7 – Travel More – Okay, lets step back a minute. We’re now paying a gym membership, maintaining a special diet, going through nicotine withdrawal, attending school, and looking for a new job…on top of our regular routine. Do we really have the time, money, and patience to travel?

#8 – Spend More Time With Family – What?!?! After seven resolutions about me, me, me, we remember that we have other people in our lives? We haven’t seen the kids since they opened their Christmas presents, (which we now have to pay for). Hubby is now living in a booth at the nearest burger joint. The parents and sibs are avoiding our calls. We’re off the hook!

#9 – Be A Volunteer - Okay, now we slip that one in. Ninth on the list. Shame on us.

#10 – Be More Positive – The only thing I can be positive about at this point is that we need six more hours in the day.

Excuse me. I need to put on another pot of coffee. The sun is coming up.