Tag: fantasy
Nothing About Us Without Us
Mystical Slayers
J.L. Keathley
JL and I met through social media. I enjoyed getting to know her.
Author Bio
J.L. Keathley is a self-published author who focuses on YA Fantasy. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and two daughters. She loves animals and has a variety of pets. She has always loved to read and decided to write what she wants to read about. She likes to travel with her family and find adventures.
Tell us about yourself
I am from Arkansas. I have been married since 2007 and have two daughters.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I didn’t really, it just happen. Now I am excited because I published a book and plan to publish more.
What genres do you like to read? Are these the same genres you write in?
Anything YA, preferably YA Fantasy. Yes, I write the same genres.
Is your book for adults, young adults or children?
It is for people who enjoy young adult novels.
What is your current release or project?
My current project is Chasing Lightning Bugs (hope to have it published by July of this year.) My current release is Distant Memories (The Shadow Realm, Book 1).
Tell us about the key characters:
Key characters for Distant Memories is Alexa and Lavy. Both are what makes the main character a big part of who she is and what she will be come. They will both play a large part in her character development. I can’t really say much else, because it will give spoilers.
What is your blurb or synopsis of the book?
Distant Memories: About to turn sixteen, Jade was looking forward to getting her first car and a little more freedom. Life, however, had a different path in mind. A thirst for blood and newfound fangs exposed a secret world to her… a world hidden from humanity. To leave behind everything she knew and enter The Shadow Realm, she must embark on a fateful journey to uncover the truth about the past and understand her strange dreams. Daring efforts to unravel her destiny will reveal new powers, new friends, and very real enemies.
Share an excerpt
The girl started to change forms. She started to get smaller; her arms became wings with brown, black, and white feathers. Her feet changed into talons, her mouth and nose became a beak, and her eyes went from dark brown to black. I could hear her bones crunching as she turned. When she was done, she was a falcon, a beautiful bird. After the change had been completed, she flew away.
Do you have a favorite scene?
When Jade, my main character has flash backs in the cemetery with a powerful witch and learns of her past.
What advice would you give a beginner?
Write for yourself, not for anyone else. Tell the story that you want to tell.
Social media links:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/J.L.Keathley/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlk_ya_author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.l.keathley/
Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17740041.J_L_Keathley
Blog link:
https://jlkeathleyyaauthor.wordpress.com/
https://jlkeathleysauthorspotlight.wordpress.com/
Purchasing links:
Reigning Magicks
The Dragon Sea Chronicles
Ragnarok
Giacomo Giammatteo
Jim and I connected through Twitter. He gifted me a copy of No Mistakes Grammar Bites volume 1. I gave him a 4 star review and had this to say
Giammatteo provides simple language to assist someone struggling with proper word usage. He uses simple techniques to help everyone understand how and when to use particular words.
Author Bio
Giacomo Giammatteo is the author of gritty crime dramas about murder, mystery, and family. And he also writes nonfiction books including the No Mistakes Careers series as well as books about grammar and publishing. When Giacomo isn’t writing, he’s helping his wife take care of the animals on their sanctuary. At last count they had forty animals—seven dogs, one horse, six cats, and twenty-five pigs.
Oh, and one crazy—and very large—wild boar, who takes walks with Giacomo every day and happens to also be his best buddy.
Tell us about yourself.
Not much to tell. I’m 67, and I’ve been married for 50 years to the same lovely woman. We met when we were thirteen.
My wife and I have owned an animal sanctuary for 25 years, and at one time, we had as many as 55 animals.
In 2015, I had two heart attacks and two strokes which left me disabled and unable to do damn near anything. It took me 18 months to learn to type again, but in 2017, I was able to break the world’s record for most books written by a single person in one year. Of course, I was no longer working, so that freed up my time.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I didn’t know until I was about 50.
What genres do you like to read? Are these the same genres you write in?
I read a lot of military history as well as biographies, but that is not what I write. I write in many genres: mystery, fantasy, children’s books, grammar, and general nonfiction, as well as books on publishing, writing, etc.
Is your book for adults, young adults or children?
I have books for children but most of my books are for adults.
What is your current release or project?
I have several books going on right now: two mysteries, a fantasy, a book on writing, and one final book on grammar.
Tell us about the key characters
In the two mystery books, the characters are continuations from the earlier books in the series. The same goes for the fantasy book, as it’s the fourth in a series. The grammar book, of course, has no characters.
What is your blurb or synopsis of the book?
If we’re speaking about the grammar book, it will be something like “Simply Put: The Plain English Grammar Guide.” Learn grammar without needing to know grammatical terms.
I just made that up, so it may change.
Share an excerpt.
This is an excerpt from Simply Put. It covers the rules regarding how to use “lie, lay, laid, and lain” successfully. It’s a simple way to learn.
🐗 The first rule is a simple reminder. Never use “laid” or “laying” to mean rest or sleep. If you remember that, all you need to work on are the words “lie” and “lay.”
- If you start to say, “I was laying down when you called,” realize that “laying” cannot be used with rest, so use “lying” instead. “I was lying down when you called.”
🐗 If you have a temptation to use the word “laid” associated with rest or sleep, use “lay” instead.
2. If you start to say, “I laid down,” realize that “laid” cannot be used with rest so use “lay” instead. “I got tired last night and lay down.”
3. Any time that you use “lie” or “lay” meaning to rest, check the tense in your head. If you’re talking about now, the word to use is “lie.” If you’re talking about something that already happened, use “lay.”
That’s it. You’re done. You now are a master regarding the use of “lie, lay, laid, and lain.”
Do you have a favorite scene?
In my book Murder Is Immaculate, it’s when the detective from NY arrives at his childhood friend’s house to help him out of a bind.
What advice would you give a beginner?
Learn how to tell a story and learn enough grammar to help you tell it.
Social media links:
Facebook Facebook.Com/giacomogiammatteo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimGiammatteo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ggiammatteo/
Other: www.giacomogiammatteo.com, www.nomistakespublishing.com
Blog link http://giacomogiammatteo.com
Purchasing links http://nomistakespublishing.com/books/ (this is my website, but from here you can reach any of the retail sites.)