Added to a Blog Listing of Inde-published!

Interview

Amazon
B&N
Smashwords

No need to comment, but if you want to check out a site that lists inde-books, this one is lovely.

Radio Interview and Book Reviews

Howdy all, 

Well I've got an interesting one for you.  Several weeks ago I did a very cool interview with Desmond Haas of Romance Radio. To those that are still a bit unsure of how to do a interview, I would highly recommend to speak to this gentleman. I was a bit nervous doing the talk but I must say that I enjoyed every single minute talking with him.  It was the most hilarious, greatest and just...down right easiest interview I've ever done.  

Desmond was not only a really great guy but I absolutely loved his professionalism. My interview is listed below with little special ditties for all. 

Please enjoy!

The Romance Radio Network episode:
http://romanceradio.net/2011/06/23/rrn-mila-ramos-author-interview-show-050/
This is includes show notes and any buy links to my book(s).

The Romance Radio Network on Apple iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-romance-radio-network/id413655605


Please feel free to use the following link to download or listen to the interview (MP3 file - compatible with all portable audio devices, such as the iPod and all computers).
http://rrn.me/kSrw6T


Google Generic Audio MP3 PlayerThe Google Audio Player has an inbuilt MP3 player, which can be embedded into most web sites. The player allows visitors to your web site to play the interview without downloading the file. This player streams the interview from Desmond's servers, so you don't have any bandwidth issues. Please note the volume controls, no Google branding and it auto-detects the duration of the interview file so readers know how long it lasts.______

Book Review

Echoes and Illusions received a review from Mysti (winner from the tour). 

 I'd like to thank Mysti for her honest review. She gave Echoes three stars and after taking her review, Linda Bass' and Desmond Haas reviews, I realize the stories written were enjoyed (goal achieved) just need the learning lessons are still needed to be worked on.  It made me happy honestly, and very grateful to receive and have the ability to write.  You have to start somewhere, I know. At least the somewhere is getting more and more refined as the days pass.

So the next issue I have to tackle. Find a set critique partner that will actually stick through the editing process! I will find one dang it! lol.

So to recap:

My interview with Desmond Haas is located above.

Mysti Parker as well as Linda (winner from the tour) Reviews are located on the following links.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11423659-echoes-and-illusions#other_reviews

With Mysti Parker's following links included.

http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-of-echoes-and-illusions-by-mila.html

http://www.amazon.com/Echoes-Illusions-Mila-Ramos/product-reviews/1612351719/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

And so now I'm off.....to the land of la la.

Chatting at Coffee Time Romance today

This afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, I'll be chatting at the Coffee Time Romance Chatters Yahoo loop. I hope to see some friendly chatters there!

If you're not already part of the group, you do need to sign up ahead of time. There's always something going on there, so it's a great group to belong to.

I'm celebrating my latest releases, and giving away a PDF of my contemporary romance from Lyrical Press, Rock Bottom. Come on over and chat this afternoon!

An Important Book for Writers: Market or Die by Jennifer Fusco

I want to tell you about an important book for writers. More and more publishers are depending on authors to market their books. Now there's real, practical help.

Romance writer and advertising expert Jennifer Fusco had written the book Market or Die: Sensible Brand Building Advice for Writers (Volume 1). Jennifer will be on Nights of Passion blog on Sat., June 25th. She will also be running a contest. One lucky commenter will win an website analysis. Is your website effective? How can you improve it? Jennifer will let that lucky person know.

This book is available through Amazon Books as a paperback and in Kindle.

So enter at http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com on Sat., June 25, 2011. See blog for details on entering.

--Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley

Blog Tour

Today is the kick off of my blog tour for Soul Catcher. Please hop by http://kathleensplacetoreflect.blogspot.com/2011/06/guest-author-vivi-dumas.html and say hello and for a chance to win a copy of Soul Catcher.

Vivi Dumas

Interview at Romance Under Moonlight

Today I'm chatting about Howl at Romance Under Moonlight. Steph Burkhart was a guest last week at Saturday Shifters and I'm visiting her blog today. Hope to see you there!

Visiting Heroines with Hearts tomorrow

I hope you'll pop over to Heroines with Hearts and say hi. I'm also giving away a PDF of The Magic of Lavender, book one in The Goddess Connection. Hope to see you there!

Two more re-releases

Yay, I received the rights back for my paranormal novella, One Soul for Sale, which I've republished. It's now available from Amazon and Smashwords titled Soul for Sale. For just $1.99!

As soon as I saw this image, I snapped it up. If you're familiar with the story, you know Madelyn's grey cat plays a pivotal part. If you're not familiar with the story, I hope you read it! Did I mention it's just $1.99? And that it was a 2011 EPIC finalist? :)

I revised it a bit, rewriting it in past tense instead of present.

Reviews described the story as “outstanding,” a “riveting read… I couldn’t stop until I hit the last page.”

You can view the Casting Call, Story Elements, read more wonderful reviews and more here.

Next, my short contemporary chick lit, Liberation via Pen, is now re-released on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle as Writing Off the Past.

This is a very fun story, and a quick read. A reviewer said it "is a great story... The empowerment displayed towards the end was uplifting. Any woman who has been in Krista’s shoes will enjoy this read..."

I hope you’ll check out more about Writing Off the Past

Virtual Interview, How Cool is This?

 Who would you rather have a virtual interview with?

I know my answer. The sweet and entertaining Karen made my first recorded interview so much fun!!!!!
Karen is a very gifted person and I can't wait for her story to be told in October. Erotic Deception releasing from MuseitHot promises to be one delightful read.
If you want to listen to me blither ( 90 furious seconds) about my current release from MuseitHot, click on the link below.

http://www.karencote.tv/?page_id=814   

Interview with Stephanie Burkhart

At Mariposa's Musings we're chatting with Stephanie Burkhart about how she balances her writing life with her work as LAPD 911 dispatcher. Hope to see you there!

Happy Release Day!! Trencarrow Secret, Anitia Davis

Isabel Hart is afraid of two things, the maze at Trencarrow where she got lost as a young child, and the lake where her brother David saved her from drowning in a boating accident.
With her twenty-first birthday and the announcement of her engagement imminent, Isabel decides it is time for her to face her demons and ventures into the maze. There she sees something which will alter her perceptions of herself and her family forever.

Isabel’s widowed aunt joins the house party, where her cousin confides she is in love with an enigmatic young man who surely cannot be what he pretends, for he is surely too dashing for homely Laura?

When Henry, Viscount Strachan and his mother arrives, ostensibly to use her ball as an arena for finding a wife, Isabel is determined not to like him.

As more secrets are revealed, Isabel doubts she has chosen the right man, although her future fiancé has more vested in this marriage than Isabel realizes and has no intention of letting her go easily.

Will Isabel be able to put her preconceptions of marriage behind her and take charge of her own life, or is her life destined to be controlled by others?

 
Excerpt:
The long case clock in the entrance hall worked its way to chime the hour with a clunk and mechanical whine. Isabel slid her hand over the newel post, large as a man’s head at the bottom of the stairs; patting the carved wood three times to banish evil spirits, a childhood ritual her siblings raced each other to perform first.

The fragrance of lavender overlaid with the tang of vinegar permeated the hall; a combination used by the servants to bring life to rooms that had lain empty since winter.

A murmur of raised voices from behind the green baize door to the basement sent Isabel scurrying into the morning room. Crossing the marbled floor, she pushed through the casement door onto the terrace; the route to the outside with the quietest hinge.

A smoky mist rose from the meadows in a blue haze of early morning as her feet skimmed the stone steps onto cropped, spongy grass that leached dampness into her thin soles. Strutting fantails scattered at her approach with indignant squawks.

Tucked into a corner of the grounds, the maze sat behind a railed enclosure. Squat and menacing in geometric perfection, two stone lions stood sentry on either side of an entrance which gaped - black, beckoning.

The loamy earth and damp leaf smell propelled Isabel back to her sixth birthday, when she had become lost in a dark labyrinth of strange noises. No matter how much her siblings teased her since, she had never come near it again.

In two weeks, she would be twenty one; far too old to be frightened of a few hedges. Time to banish the monster forever. While the rest of the family slept off their fatigue of the previous day’s journey from London, this post-dawn silence offered a perfect opportunity. The lush green foliage looked anything but threatening now, and yet she still had to force herself over the threshold and onto the path.

Her shoes crunched on fine gravel as Isabel crept to the end of the first corridor and turned left into a straight tunnel. The waxy leaves on an untrimmed hedge brushed her cheek as she rounded a corner. A shadow at the edge of her vision darted away in a scurrying of either claws or wings. Halting, she ran her hands down the sides of her skirt and fought the urge to turn back.

The statue of a boy on a stone plinth changed her mind. Sightless eyes gazed straight ahead, the folds of his breeches buckled below the knee. He looked smaller than she remembered, a French horn held in dimpled fingers, and a mass of short curls like thick worms carved in stone.

Reciting the route she had worked out a hundred times from her bedroom window, a burst of confidence sent her through the next gap into a small clearing where white colonial roses covered a wrought iron ornamental arch, its ivory blooms exuding a sweet, cloying fragrance.

Their unexpected beauty stilled the moment and Isabel paused, entranced. Had she got this far on that long-ago birthday, how different her childhood might have been without the insidious fears the maze always engendered. Her foot raised to move forward, a movement caught her eye. She turned, and sucked in her breath.

The scene before her made no sense.

Tall and imposing in his ubiquitous charcoal grey tailcoat, his dark hair touched by silver wings at the temples, Father stood with his arms wrapped tightly around her mother’s nurse.

Amelia clung to him, her head tilted to receive his kiss; her long, white fingers entwined in his hair. Fingers that messed the pristine order in a way he would never have tolerated in a hug from Isabel.

Pressed close, he held his broad hand spread across Amelia’s back, while with the other. . .

Isabel backed away, pressing against the hedge where sharp privet scratched the base of her neck. Like a small child caught in a misdemeanour, she waited as the seconds passed, each loaded with anticipation of her father’s voice raised to summon her back.

Apart from a low rustle and a murmur of wind, the maze remained still and silent.

Isabel bounced onto her toes and ran. Her heart pounded in rhythm with each step as she pleaded with the fates she had chosen the right path. The statue of the boy flashed past and giddy with relief at the sight of the entrance looming ahead, she burst between the hedges into bright sunlight.

Her skirt threatened to wrap around her ankles, but she reached the far side of the lawn without mishap. The arched wooden gate in the wall at the bottom of the garden stood open and hurtling through, she shouldered it shut. The click of the latch sounded over loud and the old wood cut into her shoulder through the fabric of her blouse.

Her hand clutched her chest to massage away a sharp pain. Her eyes snapped open, and she gasped. That’s where his hand lay, on Amelia’s. . .

A lump formed in her throat and indignant tears welled.

Slowing to a walk, she propelled her feet along the pathway through an avenue of trees, whose overhead branches formed a canopy to shelter walkers from the sun.

Beneath a gnarled oak that had stood witness to the sighs and laugher of generations, she slumped down on the weather-beaten slats of a curved bench; a favourite spot for childish dreams and sulks.

Her unbound hair tugged by a breeze, she stared unseeing at quiet beauty that was Trencarrow Lake. Bulrushes grew in clusters at the shoreline on one side; an untidy row of birch trees bordered the other. A squat, blue boathouse on stilts reached over the surface like a painted toy on a carpet of water lilies.

Surrounded by parkland, the main house lay a quarter of a mile back from the coast, tucked behind a rise and protected from the worst of the west winds blowing in from the sea.

Each year carved its own memories of Marazion, where Isabel’s family spent their Cornish summers. Some were happy and sun-filled, re-lived best on cold winter evenings; while the demons of others ambushed her when she least expected. In spite of everything, Isabel loved it here.

A rush of dismay brought a choked sob to her throat, and her eyes filled again, blurring the landscape into a swirl of green.

How could Papa behave so? And with Amelia, of all people. How long had their liaison been going on? Since Mother became sick? Before? Had he brought Amelia into their house to care for Mother, when all the time . .?

An image of their bodies locked together invaded her head, and she bit her lip. The intimacy of Father’s touch convinced her this morning was not the first time they had been together in that way.

The rattle of a mower sounded in a distant field, and the tang of hay filled the air. Her thoughts swirled and tumbled, until anger replaced misery, and a headache threatened.

A startled blackbird burst from a nearby bush, and the branches overhead creaked and collided in a sudden gust of wind to spray her skirt with drops of water.

“What are you looking so miserable about?” Isabel jumped at the familiar voice.

Anita’s Blog: http://thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.com
Book Blog: http://trencarrowsecret.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054RJQJA
MuseitUp bookstore

Mystery-Suspence-Thrillers, Oh My. All Month at Marva's Blog. Ashes is up Today!

http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/2011/06/ashes-by-arlene-webb.html

Shadows, by Jen Black, is Released! Romance with a Haunting Twist

Melissa thinks she’s taking a huge risk in going on holiday with Rory Hepburn. He may be gorgeous, but she only met him three days ago. But when she sees the old watermill in rural France, she is delighted. Within ten minutes of her arrival, she sees the man in black, but thinks nothing of it. Concentrating more on keeping her secrets and sleeping alone, she is shocked when ghosts disturb her first night at the mill. Not just one ghost, but two. When Christope arrives at the mill, the chic Frenchman regards Melissa as his soul mate, and Melissa knows she’s in real trouble.

A chilling tale, written with humour and drenched in the sights and perfumes of the rural Dordogne, this is a must-read tale for those who like a romance with a ghostly twist.

This Jen’s fifth published book, and her first contemporary tale. In many ways writing about character in this century is easier than writing about people in the sixteenth or eleventh centuries. Things like brand names, distances, food and fashion are more important for today’s readers because a contemporary hairstyle speaks volumes about a character’s personality now, but much less so in the previous centuries.

Amazon buy link
Saphire Blue Link
Jen's Blog

Goodies and giveaways!

To celebrate my four new releases, I'm at LASR's New Release Party. Click on the link below to take you to each direct post:

The Magic of Lavender, my paranormal romance novel

San Francisco Dreams, my historical romance novella

Just the Right Amount of Wrong, my interracial contemporary erotic romance novella and

the upcoming release of Rock Bottom, my contemporary romance novel.

I'll be giving away an ebook of each to one commenter, so I hope you'll pop over and join me there! I'll leave the giveaway open until Saturday, so you don't have to worry if you're late to the party. :)

HEA Reviews was gracious enough to feature The Magic of Lavender in its Spotlight Giveaway, so you have a second chance to win an ebook there by leaving a comment. This giveaway also remains open all week.

Come on over and join us!

Happy Release Day!

okay, so this isn't one of my paranormal stories -- but I'm still so super excited I wanted to post!  It's not every day I have a novel that's released -- I'm usually more of a short story writer!

Today, my first novel with Ravenous Romance was released!!

DIRTY HOUSEWIVES is a lesbian threesome set in a small mid-west town in the 1950's.  The novel was inspired by my short story "Tea Time" which is included in Ravenous's ONCE UPON A THREESOME anthology.

Here's a synopsis:

Barbara Curtis is a 1950’s divorcee in a small mid-western town.  She has lived the life everyone expected of her – marriage, house, kids.  Even after her divorce, she continued the typical routine of a Maple Street housewife, sprinkling daily chores with the appropriate measure of gossip.  But when a scandal grips Springfield and brings the FBI to town, Barbara’s life changes dramatically.

Sally Norton is a FBI stenographer and de facto agent who comes to Springfield with Agent Theodore Hoover to investigate an interstate embezzlement plot at Springfield’s local branch of National Federal Savings and Loan.  Sally kindles sexual desires Barbara tried her entire life to suppress.

In the midst of the scandal, Virginia Anderson moves to Maple Street.  Unlike Barbara and Sally, Virginia is not afraid to express her sexual preferences – or share them with her new friends.  The three women explore their sexual attraction in the midst of the worst scandal Springfield has ever seen and in the face of gossip that could force their relationship to end before they come to terms with their true feelings.

DIRTY HOUSEWIVES is available to purchase here.

Two books - one author and editor: Phoenix Sullivan

Authors know Phoenix Sullivan and her blog where she dissects query letters and helps polish them. She is also known as an author herself. Over the years, her short stories have been published under her real name in various pro anthologies and magazines. Marion Zimmer Bradley was her first editor. In the corporate world, Phoenix was a professional writer and editor for 23 years.

Her two most recent books have caught my attention and I decided to present them here - because after all this is a site to talk about stories. :-)

The first book is an anthology put together and edited by Phoenix, entitled "Extinct Doesn't Mean Forever". The topic intrigued me enormously - I am an openly declared archaeology/palaeontology buff for those who know me, and I couldn't pass up on such a book. 19 stories by very good authors exploring the "what if..." theme - What if an extinct creature were to return to life? What are the ethical and other implications? The authors tackle a wide range of possibilities - from saber-tooth cats, to mammoth, to Neanderthals, to "angels" returning. It's an intriguing anthology, boldly put together and with great surprises waiting at every page turn.

Extinct is now available at:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

The second book was written by Phoenix herself and it is an amazing novel. It's called "Spoil of war" and it is an Arthurian era saga. *squee!* I can't tell you how much I love Arthur and the Round Table and all the mythology surrounding that legend. As Jennifer Blake, NY Times Bestselling Author, says in her review of the book: "Spoil of War is a fascinating account of early Britain, a gripping tale of lust, love and the horrors of ancient warfare. Beautifully written, filled with myriad period details and compelling characters, it takes you deep into the heart of a brutal era -- and into the nature of feminine honor, feminine courage. I was enthralled." Need I say more?

Spoil of war is available at:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords

These two books are great - I own them, have read them, and will re-read them! If you like good science fiction and arthurian sagas with strong women characters and a dash of romance, I highly recommend them - as a reader to another.

Blogging should never be a painful chore!

"No More Blank Screen: Blogging Ideas for Fiction Authors" is my first non-fiction venture, so I'm quite excited. What's it about?

"No More Blank Screen" contains over two hundred blog post ideas. The blog ideas and questions-to-ponder attempt to cover the full experience spectrum that is encountered along the path to publication and well beyond. Along with the blog ideas, the basics of blog creation is covered, plus special notes on guest blogging and avoiding the dreaded "pretentious" label.

Regardless if you are a new writer or an experienced author, "No More Blank Screen" can help you expand your blogging experience. 

For the month of June, Blank Screen will only be $2.99. It's available on Smashwords now, and will be available on Amazon in a couple of days. UPDATE: Now available on Amazon.

Annoucement: Celebration on Spacefrighters!

Nine paranormals, in no particular order.
Vamps, shifters, hybrids, angels, dragon, humans, mutated human, fey.
Every plot, every scene, strong, unpredictable and fresh.
Each character flawed, and either showing growth or dead by the end.
Every novel a page turner you can't put down, and every ending happy.

 In no particular order, eleven M/F and M/M/F romances.
And yes, every one with layered and lovely plots, and each hero and heroine unforgetable.
One of the following released today, Decadent Publishing, bringing the count to an amazing 20!

Join us. Win a novel!

http://www.spacefreighters.blogspot.com/