Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Next Book Contest



Hello everyone!

I’m in the position of deciding what book to work on next. I’m having trouble choosing, so I thought a contest would be a great idea!

Here’s the details. I’m going to give you a small description of three different books I could work on next. You can respond to me at elizabeth@elizabethdelisi.com and let me know your choice of which one I should write next.

On September 15, the book with the most votes will be the book I work on next. The names of everyone who voted for the winning book will be put onto a special list from which a winner will be chosen at random.

What will the winner receive? A shout-out in the acknowledgments when the book is published, and a free copy of the book in the winner’s choice of format.

Timing: Wednesday, August 31, through Wednesday, September 14.

Here are the book options:

PERILOUS PREDICTION, sequel to FATAL FORTUNE: Psychic Lottie Baldwin and Deputy Sheriff Harlan Erikson are planning their wedding when Lottie’s ex-boyfriend shows up in town. Shortly after, he’s murdered and suspicion falls on Lottie as the only likely suspect. With an eyewitness fingering her as the woman seen entering the victim’s motel room, it looks like Lottie is in deep trouble that not even her Tarot cards can fix. Can Harlan prove the woman he loves is innocent before the real murderer adds Lottie to the victim list?

MURDER CUM LAUDE, sequel to SINCE ALL IS PASSING: Marie Kenning is having her usual breakfast in the Lakedale Café. Bill, the owner, asks a waitress to move his car before the police ticket it, as they do every morning. She complies, but when she starts the car, it explodes with a blinding flash. The police must dig into Bill's past to see who would want him dead, and why. Does he have a shady past no one knows about? Can Marie and her fiancé Officer Chris Whitley solve the case before Bill becomes the next victim?

KNIT A SPELL: Astenia Rand owns and runs a yarn shop called “Knit A Spell.” Most customers think the name invites them to come and visit with knitting in tow. A select few customers know another meaning of the name: Astenia is a witch, and she weaves helpful spells into everything she knits and sells. It’s a good life, except for one thing: Astenia was cursed at birth by a spiteful witch. The curse says any man Astenia falls in love with will die; thus she’s doomed to a life alone. Or is she? What will happen when an immortal man, cursed by the same witch, decides to help her break the spell?

Send me your choice and I’ll put your name on the contest list!

Liz

Elizabeth Delisi
Fiction With Flair!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

WANDERING SPIRITS, Volume One is available now!





WANDERING SPIRITS, an anthology with paranormal novellas by five different writers--including me--is now available in both e-book and paper versions.

My story in the collection is called "Restless Spirit." Here's the blurb:

Desperate to talk to her young son, who died from a rare, incurable blood disease, Laura St. Clair uses a Ouija board to try to reach him. But when she makes contact with the spirit world and receives a message, whom has she reached? And what does the spirit want in return for helping her?

The other stories in the collection are:

"Haunted Hearts" by Kim Cox

"Valentine's Inn" by Chris Grover

"Ghosts of Auld Lang Syne" by Maureen McMahon

"Fate's Little Trick" by Sheryl Hames Torres

"Meeting Mr. Wright" by Chris Grover

WANDERING SPIRITS is available in multiple formats, as well as paperback, in these spots:

https://smile.amazon.com/Wandering-Spirits-Anthology-Book-ebook/dp/B01JDN2ZZW/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1535495731

https://www.scribd.com/book/319753793/Wandering-Spirits-I-Wandering-Spirits-Anthology-1

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/wandering-spirits-i

http://www.inktera.com/store/title/2856c83c-dbee-4985-bad9-c0f0f09dba9e

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wandering-spirits-i-kim-cox/1124229609?ean=9781535495738

And here's even better news. If you love WANDERING SPIRITS Volume 1, coming out soon is WANDERING SPIRITS Volume 2!

Monday, August 08, 2016

Sheri McGathy, Cover Artist and Author



My guest blogger today is Sheri McGathy, author and cover artist. Welcome, Sheri! Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in writing.

Sheri:
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for having me as a guest on your blog!



Ive always been a storyteller. I loved to daydream and pretend when I was a child, loved to believe that there really were elves and magic and faeries. Fantasy is my love. I would sit for hours and tell my dog, Babe, stories. He was a great listener :) I didn't actually try to write a novel until my late twenties or early thirties. Before that, I wrote mainly fantasy poems--very long, story poems. And I am not sure I would have attempted to write a novel if a friend who had read the 48-page poem of Elfen Gold hadnt encouraged me to turn the poem into a novel. At the time I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a go. Ive been givin it a go ever since.

As I mentioned, I loved to daydream and pretend when I was a child, and in a way, when I plot a novel now, I still do this. I daydream the scenes, imagine the characters, their personalities, how they interact with the others in the story, and how they will deal with the challenges I give them. By the time I sit down to write the story, I know my characters fairly well.

Tell us about your books.

Sheri:
I mainly write fantasy, but I have done a few ghost stories too.



My first novel was Elfen Gold - A Storyteller Tale. This was the novel that was birthed from a poem! And this story gave birth to another favorite of mine, The Storyteller. I use his narrative voice in several stories.

Blurb from Elfen Gold:

Gather round. Aye, gather near, and I will spin you a tale of magic from a time long since lost to lore. Come and I will tell of elves and the kingdom of Ra-Jee, a kingdom now forgotten in the mists of enchantment.

This tale is one of sacrifice and sorrow, yet one of hope offered to a future not yet written. The Storyteller curled his gnarled fingers over the worn top of his cane and smiled. And it is a tale of a young elfen maiden named Ra-May and the human male, Michall, she is destined to meet.

Come, join me as I tell of these two very different and unique individuals, brought together by fate, and guided by ancient magic as they venture forward to save Ra-Jee--or die trying.

And so, whispered the old Storyteller, “the tale begins...

Next came Within the Shadow of Stone, a journey through legend and myth to the time of the standing stones. . .

Then a string of short stories and novellas followed:
Omnibus
With four shorts
~ THE BIRTH OF SPRING~
~ THIEF OF DREAMS~
~THE ANCIENT ONE~
~WHERE LIES BEAUTY~

Ghostly Tales (These stories originally appeared in the Anthology Trespassing Time)
~The Graveyard Dance
~Maxie
~Whats a Ghost to Do?
~Forgotten, But Not Gone

A duet with fellow author and friend Shannah Biondine:
Winds of Forevermore
My story Summersong is one of my personal favorites, as well as Where Lies Beauty from Omnibus Collection.

Promises and The Gift

I also was a contributor in The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels: Volume 1

Why did you decide to start a cover art business, and when did you start it?

Sheri:
I wont lie, I needed a second source of income since I hadnt really written much for some time. As to why cover art? Well, aside from the fact I enjoy creating them, I wanted, or needed, to be creative, I wanted to tell a story with the art, and I wanted to create affordable covers that wouldn’t break the bank. As to when did I start doing cover art? Its been a few years now, I am horrible about time, but I started probably in 2011.



Do you have a special technique for coming up with cover art? Do you work with authors?

Sheri:
I work with authors the best I can. Theres lots of ways I work. Sometimes the author supplies all the art, and I ask them questions about the book, what they think they might want. If they dont supply the art, I ask even more questions. I want to get a feel for the story before I go hunting for stock art. Thats the writer in me searching for the story with the art, what art can I use to help convey the story, etc. And most importantly, what art can I actually work with. Sometimes I love the art but it just doesn’t fit with everything else. Sometimes I can hit it on the first attempt if I get a really good feel from the author about the story; sometimes it takes me a while :)

How many covers have you done for specific books, and how many have you done as examples?

Sheri:
Truth? I have no idea! I create a lot of pre-mades, I love crafting those. But I have done a fair share of custom covers. While not all the customs are up on my site, you can see some by going here:

Just click on the text below each album cover to see all the covers posted for each author.

Pre-made link


 
 Do you feel that as a writer you have an advantage in creating cover art authors will love?
Sheri:
Maybe or not. I don’t know. I just know that once I get started, sometimes, just like my characters, the cover design speaks to me.

Whats your favorite cover of all youve created?

Sheri:
They are all my favorite. :-) For various reasons.

Where can people see your covers?

Sheri:

This is the home page of my personal cover design website:

There is an email subscription signup that will email the subscribers any time I post a new pre-made.

And this is my Facebook page:

Sheri, thanks so much for posting today.

Thanks so much for inviting me to be your guest! 

Check out Sheri McGathy's books and cover art. You'll love them!