Is there a fictitious town in a book that you would love to live in? What makes it appealing?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

I would like to visit Hobbiton from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings novels by J.R.R Tolkien!

Now available on paperback and Kindle is the historical paranormal romance Salem Burning by Daniel Sugar.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was 5 years old I saw a TV show called “Bewitched” and that was it – I was suddenly hooked on stories about witches.

What was your first book/story published?

“Salem Burning” is my first novel. It was published, (on Amazon), in Kindle form on February 20th, 2018 and in paperback form on March 9th, 2018.

What inspired you to write “Salem Burning”?

One day I thought, what if someone told a lie and it just happened to be true? And then I thought, and what if that happened in 1692? Once I started thinking about the Salem witch trials of 1692, I realized that that particular, well-known event in history would be an interesting backdrop for a discussion about the way men treat women. In fact, in one scene in “Salem Burning”, the heroine, Lilly Parris, actually says to the young man who has destroyed her life, “Is this the way you treat women?” That’s really what the book is about – the way men treat women. I wanted to turn the Salem witch trials upside down and so I did - and this time, the women win.

What character in “Salem Burning” is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Unfortunately, no one in “Salem Burning” is like me. I say unfortunately, because I’d love to be Lilly Parris. She’s so strong and brave and she has such amazing adventures. Her life is really quite cool. Who wouldn’t want Lilly’s life? I know I certainly would!

What is your favorite part in “Salem Burning”?

I really like the scene after the wolf attack when Lilly is alone in the forest. To me, that really shows who she is; a free spirit who really loves life.

What was the hardest part to write?

The only hard part was the first sentence. I thought about it for a very long time (months) because I wasn’t sure about tense or tone. Once I had the first sentence it was smooth sailing.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I’d like to work on sitcoms in any capacity – even sweeping floors. I love being around comedy, comedians – funny people. I’ve sold comedy to “The Tonight Show” and I write jokes every day on my Twitter page. You can find me at Daniel Sugar @1692SalemWitch.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember. I have always had a very active imagination, but I never dreamed that one day I would be publishing my mind’s musings.

What was your first book/story published?

Call of the Wolf, the first in the Dark Blood Trilogy, was my first book I published, I have had stories on fanfiction sites, but I don’t really count them as published.

What inspired you to write The Dark Blood Trilogy?

I used to be part of a role play group on twitter that was set in 17th century France. A few of the characters are loosely based on the characters from the group. At first the Dark Blood Trilogy was going to be an historic novel, but I just couldn’t get on with it. Being a big fantasy fan, I decided to write what I enjoy. So I took the characters and put them into the paranormal world that this book is based in.

What character in The Dark Blood Trilogy is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I think Samantha is very much like me. I loved writing her, she is so strong and independent. She is humble and very loyal to those who deserve it. Her character is very much like me too, hot headed, but can be tamed by the right people. As for the character least like me, I would have to say the vampire lord Thanatos. He is just plain evil, with no compassion. A very cold and selfish character.

What is your favorite part in The Dark Blood Trilogy?

This is a tough question because I truly enjoyed writing the whole series. I think my favorite part in the whole series has to be when Samantha, and her parents Emilie the white witch and Aleron the vampire come together as one to destroy the evil that has taken many of their people. It’s such a special moment for me to have them reunited.

What was the hardest part to write?

Do you overextend yourself with too many reviews because you can't pass up a book in hopes you will get them all done or do you carefully plan and be sure you can fulfill the deadlines for all the promised reviews?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

Yep! This happens to me all the time, especially last year. I currently have five books on my desk that have been read, but still need to be reviewed.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I can’t remember a time not being interested. It just took me twenty-something years to decide I’d do something about it. I mean, I would write some stuff—usually weird—as a child, but it was just fun. Now that I’ve started, I’d be hard-pressed to stop.

What was your first book/story published?

This one! 😊 Unless the creative writing assignment I did as a ten-year-old for my sixteen-year-old aunt counts.

What inspired you to write A Bloodline’s Echo?

About a year ago, I was feeling quite bored and unfulfilled. I was working, I had accomplished most of the big quests on Skyrim, you know…the creative blues. I can’t draw or sing. So, eventually, I started to write, and the story blossomed. The characters felt so real I couldn’t abandon them. I also was inspired to incorporate my favorite story aspects: a bit of magic, a bit of romance, a bit of intrigue, some conflicts I could relate to—albeit wholly exaggerated.

What character in A Bloodline’s Echo is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Cori’s temperament resembles mine to a small extent. Rylo, the male main character, doesn’t eat meat and neither do I, though for varying reasons. Least like me would probably be Dwyn. He’s exceptionally extroverted, a little pushy, etc. But I strive for my characters to be independent, fully-rounded entities. I hope that all readers find a trace of relatability in them.

What is your favorite part in A Bloodline’s Echo?

The commotion towards the end. It ends with “to be continued…” but before that. Not only do some answers come to surface during this part, but I grew more comfortable with action scenes through it. And…it leaves lots to pick up on in book two. Not to fret—it’s not a painful cliffhanger!

What was the hardest part to write?

The middle for sure. Oh, that wretched middle. I knew where the story was going early in the game, but there are so many potential scenes that can pave the way. I stuck with what felt like the most natural sequence of events. I wanted to implement story ties—little, non-distracting things—that have important implications later in the series, but while continuously moving my characters forward in a meaningful way.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

My day job is cleaning teeth, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it my ideal career, though it has its moments. This is random, but I’d love to be a high school counselor.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

With Easter being tomorrow (as well as being April Fool's Day), it's only 6 weeks until Mother's Day. If you're like me, I always find it difficult coming up with new ideas for gifts, especially for my grandmother, who seems to already have everything.

Awhile back, I was approached by Canvas Press (www.canvaspress.com/) about possibly reviewing one of their canvas prints. Always thinking ahead, I excitedly jumped at the opportunity, as I thought having an old family photo printed on a canvas would make the perfect gift for my grandmother for Mother's Day this year.

Now, my only problem was trying to find the right photo to use. After asking my mother's advice, I picked out an old photo that was taken in the in the early 1940s. The photo features my grandma (as a baby) being held by either her uncle or cousin (I don't remember his name.), beside him is a cousin, and sitting down below is my grandmother's older sister and brother. I had scanned the photo about ten years ago and saved it to a flash drive, so I uploaded the file to the Canvas Press website.

Unboxing the canvas print.

Shortly after placing my order, the Canvas Press's customer support sent me a message stating that the jpg I had sent couldn't be used because it had low resolution. So I had to hunt down the original photo that was in my mother's possession. And it wasn't an easy task to accomplish, as the album the photo was in got misplaced, so my mother and me had to turn a room upside down to find it. We eventually found it; the photo album had fell behind an old trunk.

Anyhow, I scanned the photo, saved it as jpg in high resolution and sent it to Canvas Press. The photo has faded a bit, but luckily they were able to use the jpg.

There are many different sizes and canvas styles to choose from, but for this review, the canvas size is 20"x16". There are also different matte types to choose from, which I picked out the "museum matte" style. The depth of the prints available are .75", 1.5", and 2". For this canvas, I got the 1.5" depth. There are three different border types: mirror wrap, image wrap, and color wrap. A color wrap wouldn't look quite right for this print and because of the size of the original photo, the image wrap wouldn't look right either. So, I went with the mirror wrap. Also, there are different mounting options, and I went a sawtooth hanger.

I don't recall how long the shipping took, but the canvas print was delivered to house fairly quickly.

How many book clubs do you belong to? If you do belong to an in-person book club, do you have meetings in the day or evening? Do you meet at someone's house or meet at a local restaurant or coffee house?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

As I am writing this (Jan. 10th), I'm not currently participating in any sort of book club.

To be completely honest, I thought weddings were more popular in the summer or fall months, but after reading several articles about weddings, I learned that the wedding season really begins in the spring. 

I'm always searching for new and exciting content creation or even content marketing tips for this blog (besides from book reviews), and for some reason or another, I ended up “googling” book themed weddings. If you have been following this blog lately, then you would know I have considered giving online dating a chance; so I have no idea why I wanted to learn more about weddings since I'm still single. Maybe I got tried of searching for dating sites that would appeal to me. I'm single, so I'm sure there are plenty of sites out there for me to choose from. Also, I don't have any kids, so I don't know how to approach online dating when you're a single parent.

Anyway enough of my rambling! Let's get back on topic!

I did some brainstorming and came up with idea for this post, titled, "Dream Weddings for Book Lovers," which features five wedding themes based on books. And no, I'm not turning this into a wedding blog, but I thought it would make a fun post for all my readers.

HBO's Game of Thrones is one of the most poplar series currently on television, but for those of you who don't know, the series is based on the still unfinished "A Song of Fire and Ice" book series by George R. Martin. The television series and books have millions fan, so naturally there have many Game of Thrones themed weddings. Do a quick internet search for "Game of Thrones weddings" and you'll find many ideas for invitations, costumes, cakes, decorations, etc..

Believe it or not, some people even travel overseas to rent a castle for their weddings. To me, this is a great idea, but I can't imagine how much it would cost to rent an actual castle.

While a Games of Thrones wedding would probably appeal to both women and men, a Jane Austen themed wedding would probably appeal mostly to female fans of her novels (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Mansfield Park). However, a Victorian themed wedding might appeal to some men, too. (Including me, as I do like the novel Pride and Prejudice!).

From Pride and Prejudice-style invitations to Victorian-style wedding cakes, there are countless decorations you can create for a Jane Austen wedding. Then, of course, there's the wedding dress for the bride, which can be made from reproduction materials from the Victorian era.

Now available on Amazon, BN, Kobo, and iTunes from Inkspell Publishing is the paranormal romance Never Fear the Reaper by Ashley Pagano






The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk about her her newest book, Never Fear the Reaper.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve literally always had a wild, rampant imagination so the challenge was just putting it on paper.

What was your first book/story published?

An article about graphic design in my college’s newspaper.

What inspired you to write Never Fear the Reaper?

The idea behind the series was always one I tossed around in my head, a lot. I thought it was such a unique concept because you never hear about such weapons and such superpowers so I thought it would spark interest in readers. I modeled Ryder, the story’s protagonist, against my own personality mixed with the woman I strive to be.

What character in Never Fear the Reaper is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Definitely Ryder. She has my sassiness, independence, and my strong will.

What is your favorite part in Never Fear the Reaper?

When Ryder tells Chase her back-story, that she’s died once before, encountered the Grim Reaper and seen all his terrifying details, and stolen pieces of his deadly Scythe in order to escape death. When you meet Mister Grim, from her perspective, it’s one you’ve never heard before or can barely fathom.

What was the hardest part to write?

I always knew which climactic scenes I wanted to tie into the story so the most challenging part, as it is for most writers, was getting from one to the next. Linking them together while keeping the nail biting, edge-of-your-seat feeling up.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

When meeting with friends, do your discussions usually turn to books?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

Sadly, not very often!

As you probably guess by the title of this post, I'm in my 30s, and if you have followed my blog for awhile, then you would know that I'm also single; which once again explains the title of the post. Plus, if you have been reading my blog for the past few months, then you would know I've been interested in trying out online dating.

At one point in time, I thought online dating was more or less of a sign of desperation, but that's no longer my attitude towards the subject. I know several people who have found their 'perfect' match on dating sites, which gives me a bit of hope that I can find my own soulmate, if such a woman even exists for me.

I've visited enough dating sites to know that many of them are geared toward the twenty-something crowd, who are mostly likely looking for a short-term or hookup relationships. Obviously, I'm no longer in that age bracket and I'm not looking for a fling. While I have nothing against dating a younger woman, I don't believe I would have anything in common with her.

Besides from niche dating websites (I'll get to that later!), my only option is websites aimed for older singles, such as Older-Dating.com. However, there's a slight problems with these sites, as the majority of them are aimed at the 50+ club, which is way out of my age range. While I have nothing against dating an older woman, I would like to have children one day, so finding someone closer to my age would be more suitable for my life goals.

There aren't too many dating sites that are exclusively for singles in their 30s, so I would probably have better luck finding someone on a 'free' dating website, such as Plenty of Fish or OkCupid, or on the popular dating app Zoosk. However, I've tried these websites in the past with absolutely no luck. The women on there are either looking for hookup or a sugar daddy. I had a profile on Plenty of Fish a few years ago, back when it was 100% free, and I kept receiving messages from women with one question, - “How much money do you make?” Having that question for a first message/contact is a major red flag for me.

Avon Inspire; 288 pages; $12.99; Blog Tour; Buy Link

April 1st will mark my 9th year of blogging. During those 9 years I've been part of many book blogging programs. Sadly both, Blogging For Books and LitFuse Publicity Group announced this month that they will be closing. This does sadden me, as I have reviewed many great books from them.

Anyway, today marks my final book review that I received from Litfuse. It's titled, "His Risk" by Shelley Shepard Gray, which is book four in The Amish Of Hart County series.

If you follow my blog, then you would know that I'm a big of fan of Shelley Shepeard Gray's writings, so, naturally, I signed up to review her newest book from Avon Inspire.

The novel centers around Calvin Fisher, a young man who had left the Amish community when he was a teenager, but now as an adult, he's returns home to Hart County because his brother is ill.  To make a long story short, he befriends an Amish woman named Alice and sparks fly between the two.

Is there a happily ever after ending for the two?

Well, you need to read the novel for yourself to find out, but I will say that Calvin is hiding a little bitty secret. Cough ... he's a DEA agent. And his appearance in Hart County brings some criminal activity to the community that puts Alice in harms way.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I don’t think I can remember a time when I wasn’t a storyteller. I started talking at a very young age and, according to my family, it took off from there. I was always rambling on about something made up. I do recall during a 4th of July party when I was very young that I told my older cousin a story about how the stars, when they get scared, form the constellation of a flashlight and the sun shines through it so they can see in the dark. Oh, kids. From there, I know that my father brought home a typewriter from his work and I was absolutely obsessed with it. It was a huge, metal monstrosity, but I used it daily to write down stories and ideas.

What was your first book/story published?

I actually started my professional writing career as a screenwriter, working on some Scooby-Doo animated movies, but my first published book was Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy—The Making of Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. It is the definitive look at the making and legacy of the iconic horror film. (Though I suppose one could count the short essay I wrote for our local SPCA when I was a child; it was published in their newsletter!)

What inspired you to write Jinxed?

I’m a huge fan of 80s and 90s horror movies and teen movies. I have always loved the young people going through their adolescent turmoil and, when they think life can’t get any worse, there’s a masked kill after them! I wanted to do something that was a sort of throwback, or homage, to those kinds of movies: a bunch of teenagers, a secluded location, some dark secrets, a masked killer and, of course, the big unmasking and reveal. It also let me have a little fun with the characters, what they do, and what they say.

What character in Jinxed is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I’m probably most like Layna. I think she is the most grounded in that she isn’t necessarily born to be a part of the world she was placed in regarding the school she is going to, but finds a way to fit in. She is also someone who wants to really figure out what is going on and why. I’d probably do that as well. At east I think I would if a masked killer was after me or my friends. But, you know what, I would go out in the dark, by myself, even if there was a killer around. When I want answers, I want them. I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

What is your favorite part in Jinxed?

I love the prologue because, for me, it set the stage and the tone. Seclusion and mystery. It let me give a small taste of the events to come.

What was the hardest part to write?

The killer’s reveal. I knew who it was going to be, and why, and I wanted to make it scary, fun, thrilling, and action-packed. I didn’t want it to feel like when the mask comes of, “Oh, it’s over.” Far from it. When the mask comes of, the fun and drama starts where we learn the who, what, and why. It was coming up with those things and keeping it fun and thrilling that was challenging. But, I’m really happy with the way it turned out. It ended up being another of my favorite moments in the book. I love a god reveal!

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I seriously considered being a marine biologist. I had actually wanted to do that since I was very little. But, since I didn’t follow that through, I’ll stick with screenwriter as my other career!

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Only the reviews my agent sends me! Actually, I do read some of them. I think it’s all part of the creative process. You put something out there and you want people to enjoy it. Some will and some won’t. I’ve definitely learned that you can’t please everyone, but I do my best to make sure I am putting out something I can be proud of. There are always a million reasons someone will love something, or not love something. If I can reach people, make them think, laugh, afraid, argue, cry…whatever, I’ve done my job.

What well-known writers do you admire most?

So, so many! S.E. Hinton is an all-time favorite of mine. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of reading her work. Same with Lois Duncan. Stephen King, William Goldman, Wes Craven, Shirley Jackson, Agatha Christie, Kevin Williamson…the list could go on and on.

Do you have any other books/stories in the works?

I am currently writing book two of the Jinxed trilogy and I am really excited about where it is going. I am also working on a non-fiction project on the making of a really fun and well-known movie from the 80s. I can’t say what it is just yet, but it is a lot of fun. Like my previous book, “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy—The Making of Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street,” this will be all about the making and legacy of the film.

To learn more about me and my work, engage with me, or just peek in, check out my website: www.thommyhutson.com, follow me on Twitter: @ThommyHutson, Instagram: thommyhutson, and Facebook: facebook.com/thommyhutson

a Rafflecopter giveaway