New Release - Nightingale Girl by M. R. Pritchard!

***** Happy Release Day*****

NIGHTINGALE GIRL is Live!! 

A HUGE Thank You, to Everyone who voted for this book on Kindle Scout! 

Get your copy: https://www.amazon.com/Nightingale-Girl-M-R-Pritchard-ebook/dp/B01F5U731S

Book 1, Sparrow Man, is $0.99 for a LIMITED TIME! https://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Man-M-R-Pritchard-ebook/dp/B00MLUIIV0

Both Books are FREE FOR KINDLE UNLIMITED SUBSCRIBERS.

**If you've read Sparrow Man and/or Nightingale Girl, PLEASE help new readers find these books and leave a review on Amazon, follow the links below and select "Write A Customer Review." If you're nervous about leaving reviews, don't fret, it can be 1 word or 100. (Follow these links to leave a review: https://www.amazon.com/Nightingale-Girl-M-R-Pritchard-ebook/dp/B01F5U731S, https://www.amazon.com/Sparrow-Man-M-R-Pritchard-ebook/dp/B00MLUIIV0)

Let Her Go is on sale, this month only!

It's finally on sale!

My KindleScout winning title, Let Her Go has been discounted by the publisher. You can get this book (and a few others) for $1.99 (original price $3.49). Follow this link to see the available books. There are some other great reads that are on sale for the month of June as well.
Pick them up on the cheap!
Happy Reading,
M. R. Pritchard

• Only the 30 Kindle books advertised are eligible for this promotion – you can use your credit to purchase all 30 of the Kindle books below for $1.99 each. To purchase a Kindle book, click on it, then click the "Buy now with 1-Click" button. Please note that the price shown will not change, but your credit will be applied to your purchase automatically, reducing the purchase price of each Kindle book to $1.99. You may use your credit toward multiple eligible Kindle book purchases (up to 30 in total). To make another purchase, simply come back to this page and select another Kindle book.

• After making your purchase, you may confirm that your credit was applied by checking your order confirmation, which will be sent to you by e-mail. You may also review order details on Amazon.com - but please note that the discount will not be reflected in your order details until the order finishes processing.

• Complete your order before this promotion expires at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on July 1, 2016.

copy and paste this link for the deal: https://www.amazon.com/b?node=12573935011

Nominate Nightingale Girl on KindleScout

Hey guys,
If you've been anxiously awaiting the sequel to 'Sparrow Man' the wait is over!
'Nightingale Girl' is up for nomination on KindleScout. Read the preview, nominate the book, share the links. If the book wins a publishing contract you get a free copy!!

Check out Nightingale Girl on KindleScout

If you haven't read 'Sparrow Man,' read it for free on Kindle Unlimited

Get your copy of Sparrow Man here

Editorial Reviews for SPARROW MAN:



"Tantalizingly suspenseful, sending delicious shivers down the readers' spine! Not only are you engrossed in the story, but you really love both Meg and Sparrow Man. Meg isn't simply an empty vehicle of a main character, a host for the reader's experiences and reactions to everything going on in the book. She is her own person, clearly defined, and we respect her strong will and her grit." -Jessica Crawford, The Sentient

A 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contestant
"I was hooked from the get-go..." -ABNA Expert Reviewer

"It's unfortunate that one can't predict or be a part of aiding which books go viral, as Sparrow Man by M.R. Pritchard is certainly worthy of such reward ... this novel took me by complete surprise. What I thought was a simple zombie story morphed into something wild and completely unforeseen. Yet it fit perfectly within the world Pritchard has created, mysteries unfolding into fantastical developments. The eclectic characters were a joy to follow and the romance unfolded without being forced."-TheBehrg, KindleScout winning author of Housebroken

A review SIX by R. E. Carr

Six (Rules Undying Book 2)

R. E. Carr writes another paranormal tale filled with awesomeness and... werewolf tails. Spunky and rich in geekdom, Carr's prose flows so well you'll forget to put the book down - except to make yourself one of the many mouthwatering dishes described. Building on the world created in FOUR, SIX is true entertainment. 

5/5 stars. 

The Blurb:

Paige Carmichael has one simple rule: don’t rock the boat. She lives a quiet life in the suburbs with an adequate boyfriend and a job that pays the rent, all the while trying to hide the fact that she’s the daughter of a world-renowned paranormal investigator. Her happy bubble bursts when the father she’s tried so hard to forget appears at her door with an ominous message—vampires are real.

Paige’s safe little life doesn’t have secretive strangers that hide from the sun, arcane laws, or mysterious covens that stretch back for eons, but change as sure as the cycle of the moon is headed her way. Unfortunately for Paige, it’s a dog-eat-dog world, and if she doesn’t learn to adapt and discover her own inner strength, she might just find herself at the bottom of the food chain—quite literally.

Today's Authtoberfest featured author is R. E. Carr!

1. It’s Halloween, pick 3 of your favorite writers to paint the town red with and tell us why you chose them.
R. E. Carr says: Well, I’d have to start with George R.R. Martin because I want to be really nice to him before trying to outrun him in the zombie apocalypse. It’s only fair. Then I would have to select Rick Gualtieri, because Halloween with two comedic vampire writers with a love for practical jokes is too good an offer to pass up. I predict that we would have an awesome time glitter bombing every sexy vampire costume we pass and playing with our kaiju toys while hopped up on sugar. Lastly, I would grab fellow Kindle Press author T.J. Zalecki because I think she looks taller than me and it’s a lot easier to paint if you have someone who can reach the high places without a ladder. Also while she’s not looking Rick and I can have our vampires bite her sirens and we will have a full-on mermaid apocalypse!
Meredith Says: I can't wait to read about the vampire mermaid apocalypse!I love the cover art ;)

2. You’re ready to head out with your pillowcase to collect loads of confections on All Hallows’ Eve, what’s your costume and why did you choose it?
R. E. Carr says: I, um, may have an adult-sized Belle costume stashed away for purely innocent reasons… I mean, she’s a smart, bookish Disney heroine with brown eyes and brown hair who gets to take home a ferocious Beast… yeah, I’m going to quit while I’m behind.



3. Old Mrs. Robinson opens her door and you’re holding open your pillowcase patiently waiting. “Oh deary,” she says in her frail, little old-lady voice. “I forgot it was Halloween. Don’t know why you kids go begging anyways. Let me go find something to give you.” She shuffles off and finally returns three and a half minutes later with 5 pennies, 2 peppermint candies that look like they went through the dryer, and her deceased husband’s dentures. “Take what you like,” she offers, squinting at you.
What do you choose and why.
R. E. Carr says: I’ll go for the teeth, after all I never know when I’ll get around to starting that cloning facility I always dreamed of and every bit of DNA helps.



4. I really love reading Dean Koontz but some of his stuff scares the bejesus out of me. What’s the spookiest book you’ve ever read?
R. E. Carr says: My first experience with a horror novel was actually a Dean Koontz novel. I saw Phantoms at the supermarket checkout like as a little girl and told my mom “ooh, pretty, I want that!” and she being my mom of course didn’t read the back, she just say the butterfly on the cover and put it in the cart. Yeah, I was a little surprised (at age eight) what I got myself into this time. I became terrified of any and all oil slicks on the pavement until I was about twenty and became completely obsessed with all missing cultures throughout history. When I went to Chichin Itza this year I may have even done one pass looking around corners for any mysterious holes.



5. You’re a writer by day and supernatural creature by night. (Shed that human skin you sack of bones) What are you and why?
R. E. Carr says: I am the fierce and mighty were— Who am I kidding? Everyone knows I turn into big fluffy bear and hibernate and am only moderately savage while waking up. Also, I’m slightly obsessed with honey.



6. Every author has a bookshelf filled with his or her favorite reads. Run on over to yours and tell us the scariest book you have.
R. E. Carr says: The scariest book I have on my shelves has to be the Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook. I mean, imagine 208 complete pages with no bacon and they expect you to cook these recipes and SURVIVE!!!



7. We don’t all write horror but there comes a time when you’ve got to surprise your readers and make sure their hearts are still beating. How do you prepare yourself to get in the spooky writing mood?
R. E. Carr says: I like to drink between 40 and 60 ounces of tea and then write late at night (because I won’t be sleeping anyway). My apartment is old and creaky and creepy and there are all sorts of weird reflections so it’s very easy to get in the mood. Also, the sheer amount of stimulants in the system guarantee that at least my heart will be racing.



8. Stephen King’s front porch light is on but there are no Halloween decorations.
Do you:
a) trick-or-treat and cross your fingers that he’s handing out the good stuff
b) run screaming
c) call your mom to bring your favorite King paperback and beg for an autograph
R. E. Carr says: I tend to get crippling stage fright when meeting my idols and I feel physical pain asking for anything, so I would probably conduct a séance. If my mother actually clawed out of her grave and brought me The Stand to get signed I think I would be stunned into enough courage to finally approach.



9. Congratulations, you just won the literary lottery and sold a million books at full price! The royalty check clears on October 28th. What are you buying for the neighborhood kids?
a) an assortment of mini candybars
b) an assortment of cheap, hard candies
c) full size Hershey bars
R. E. Carr says: Oh, the neighborhood kids are totally getting hooked up with British and Japanese candies. Every child should be shown the wonder of Crunchie Bars, Cadbury Flake, Meltykisses and green tea flavored Kit Kats.



10. Your writer friend calls you with some frightening news. They’re giving up on writing, can’t take the pressure any longer. What do you tell them?
R. E. Carr says: I will give them the very same advice that was given to me when I tried to give up a few years back:
“Go ahead, give up, be a quitty quiterton who quits. It’s not like it was dream or you really wanted to do this, right? I’m sure you’ll love sharing the story with your grandkids how you had a talent and then threw it away because it got tough at some point.”
Yeah, I tend to respond to sarcastic motivation, but it’s true. If you start getting angry over quitting something, then you probably can take that rage and channel it back into your work.

Connect with R. E. Carr!

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R. E. Carr likes to split her time between the alien (well, resident alien) she married, her two adorable offspring and the vast army of characters who constantly argue in her brain. She uses her past life as a video game reviewer to remind herself just how awesome it is to be writing novels now.

Rachel writes because she knows so many people and places that never quite made it into this version of the universe. It's her duty to let them out. Writing also gives her mind a certain peace and calm rarely felt in this multi-tasking, wired world.

Today's Authtoberfest featured author is THE BEHRG

The Behrg and me were supposed to meet up at the Hotel California. I got a bad vibe and changed it to Starbucks last minute. The hipsters were a little unnerved watching me interview a shadow. Let's see what The Behrg had to say about reading, writing and zombies!

1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
The Behrg says:
A. David Wong, author of John Dies at the End, because even if he’s not helpful we’d have a great time.
B. Stephen King, who would probably be yawning through the experience, thinking “I always thought this would be worse …”
C. And Fiona Quinn, because if she kicks butt half as much as her heroine does, we’d have nothing to worry about. Plus, why would only male authors get to have all the fun?
Meredith says: I love the Stephen king yawning part! And Fiona Quinn - have you seen her videos where she breaks shit? I think she could handle herself well during the zombie apocalypse.
The Behrg says: I think Fiona Quinn could seriously handle the zombie apocalypse on her own, considering all the research she does for her blog! World War Z against Fiona; my money's on Fiona.


2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
The Behrg says: Against my better judgement (and personal preference) I would have to save J.K. Rowling. My kids would kill me if they knew I let her drown. (Sorry, Stephen).
Meredith says: The things we do for our children.
The Behrg says: I'm already holding this hypothetical situation against them!!


3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
The Behrg says: I have ADHD when it comes to reading and am always rotating between five to six books. I just finished The Fold by Peter Clines, which I thought was brilliant. My current list of books that I’m in the process of reading include:
- Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
- Ant Farm by James Jackson (fellow Kindle Scout winner)
- Within These Walls by Ania Ahlborn
- The Dark Man by Desmond Doane (another Kindle Scout winner)
Meredith says: Oh hey! Andy Weir said THE FOLD was his best read of the year so far. What do you think of it?
The Behrg says: One of the most intriguing characters I've read in a long time set in a sci-fi novel that's really more mystery than anything. And the ending reminded me of one of my favorite recent movies, Cabin in the Woods, where in the 3rd act everything goes poetically (but justifiably) insane! I devoured it, and that says a lot.


4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
The Behrg says: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Something about it that makes it so universal to both youth and adults.



5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
The Behrg says: So many to choose from …… Black Fridays by Michael Sears was a pleasant surprise last year. Legion, a novella by Brandon Sanderson, I also found compellingly original.



6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
The Behrg says: Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts. The execution of this novel was flawless.



7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
The Behrg says: The power to turn negative thought into a sappy CareBear-esque flood of positivity.
Meredith says: That is the perfect super power for a writer! I want it.



8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
The Behrg says: I prefer writing in restaurants or coffee shops where there’s enough ambient noise to drown out my own internal editor who tends to shout quite often as I write. I swear that guy must have Tourette’s.



9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book HOUSEBROKEN.
The Behrg says: One of my favorite scenes in the book is when we first get to look through the son, Adam’s eyes. Here his family is being held hostage in their own home by these psychopaths, but we haven’t yet gotten to see how this young teenager is responding to everything. In just a page and half, I think, we get a glimpse into the workings of his mind and learn that the son is as psychotic as the men who are holding the family hostage.
This scene took me completely by surprise. I had no intentions when I began writing to make Adam into this troubled teen, but as soon as I got behind his head he demanded to be heard. It was a phenomenal lesson for me in learning that characters really do have their own voices and demands.



10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
The Behrg says: I grew up as a working actor and now write to slip into the mindset of someone completely different from me. I’m drawn to fatally flawed characters when it comes to literature – or movies, for that matter. Thankfully, at least for my wife’s sake, I don’t resemble any of the characters in Housebroken (or at least I hope not).
Meredith says:


11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.1
The Behrg says: I’ve tried writing to music, but as a guitarist and musician I find myself completely distracted. Even classical music or soundtracks keep me from focusing. That’s one thing I wish I had the ability to do.



12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
The Behrg says: Don’t be afraid to fail. Take chances and respect your audience by challenging them. And if you’re going to tell a story that’s been done before, find a way to bring a new angle to it. Originality is king in a world filled with noise.

Get your copy of HOUSEBROKEN

Get your copy of The Behrg's new series – The Creation

Connect with The Behrg

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Amazon author page

(This is The Behrg. He may or may not be human, an alien, a ghost, an empty soul... or all of the above)

____________________________________________________

Author Bio:

My writing career began in the fourth grade when tasked with an assignment to write about rain. I opted to tell the story of a raindrop who decided life wasn't worth living and leapt to his death only to discover that really he was being reborn. (You know that whole life-cycle thing).

Yeah, I was a little twisted even back then. Thankfully my teacher encouraged my writing rather than send me for a psych evaluation... (that came later).

I was a child actor and starred in recurring roles in Dynasty and Highway to Heaven, and was even in an episode of The Twilight Zone. I dropped out of college to join a rockband, was kicked out of the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland for lobbing rocks onto toy houses, and I have a grave in my backya ... oh wait, this is a BIO not a CONFESSIONAL.

Bottom line: I love to write. And thankfully, my family puts up with it. The very act of creating something that might be slightly askew keeps me going. I'm drawn to dark fiction where I find an appreciation for the light. Horror, thrillers, suspense. Things that make you question your own reality or open your mind to look at the world a little differently than you might have before.

I'm grateful to all those who give an independent author like myself a chance. For more about me, my works, (my rants), and my upcoming projects, please stop by www.thebehrg.com.
I promise I don't bite. (See, there's a reason they keep me muzzled).

Please welcome KindleScout winning author T. L. Zalecki!

1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them. 

T. L. Says: Great question! I love imagining what I would do in the zombie apocalypse. Neil Gaiman (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) because, man, he can come up with some crazy characters. Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) because she knows a million ways to kill someone. E.L. James (Fifty Shades of Grey) because ... well, the Red Room.



2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why ;) 

T. L. Says: J.K. because Stephen scares the hell out of me. I can’t walk by a gutter without seeing that snaggle-toothed clown.
Meredith says: Sweet lord, I just choked on my coffee.


3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading? 

T. L. Says: I am currently reading two very different but enjoyable books. One is Fiona Quinn’s Weakest Lynx about a badass psychic girl and her quest to find and destroy her stalker. It’s keeping me on the edge of my seat. Another is a deep cut, a cult classic within the fantasy genre called The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. I’d seen the movie as a child, then recently stumbled across the book and had to read it, especially since I’m writing within the genre.



4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with? 

T. L. Says: Charles Dickens books, because once you get to the end, you have already forgotten the beginning. But seriously, I love Great Expectations. It is so epic and full of brutal, yet beautiful, life lessons. Some authors are great writers, some are great storytellers and some, like Dickens, are both.



5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014? 

T. L. Says: Are you making me pick one??? Ok, fine. I would say Archetype by M.D. Waters. It is a lovely, intimate sci-fi story about a woman who is a newly minted clone and must unravel the mystery of her new, unfamiliar life. The story addresses the science of cloning in a personal and believable way without being too techie.



6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015? 

T. L. Says: Atlantia by Ally Condie. I held off on reading any mermaid or siren books until I was finished writing book one and two of SIRENS, and then sifted through a ton until I chose hers. It reminded me of Hunger Games a bit – dystopian, fast paced and dark.



7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower? 

T. L. Says: I can breathe underwater.



8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write? 

T. L. Says: With two toddlers and an inability to write after 8pm due to exhaustion, I have to write literally wherever I can... usually a place where I can hide inside my house. Sometimes there are only 5-minute chunks!



9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book SIRENS, Rising Tide. 

T. L. Says: This is easy for me. When I close my eyes I am there: a sixteen-year-old Mello standing on the outer shore of Rodinia for a ceremony in which he begins a journey across the ocean. Sirens surround him, singing in ethereal voices, and the sand is peppered with rose petals. He closes his eyes, walks into the crashing waves, and finds the courage to let the open ocean swallow him for the first time in his life.



10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you? 

T. L. Says: Mello­—by far the most flawed of my characters—has a place in my heart. I relate so closely to him that deep down I must be writing myself. Though I would never torture myself the way I torture that poor guy. Nor do I have the power to start a revolution ... or do I?



11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist. 

T. L. Says: I created a SIRENS playlist to share with my readers. The songs all inspired me at some point during the creation of SIRENS and each one reminds me of a specific scene or character. I’ll choose five from it, but the full playlist can be found on my website.
1. M83 – We Own the Sky
2. Vance Joy – Riptide
3. The Knife – Heartbeats
4. Arcade Fire – Sprawl II
5. M83 – Midnight City



12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say? 

T. L. Says: Let a story develop and marinate in your mind until you can’t stop yourself from telling it to the world. That is how to avoid writer’s block. Some of my best ideas come to me during idle times. I don’t sit down to write until I know what I am going to say—and am bursting at the seams to say it!

Get your copy of Rising Tide (SIRENS, Book 1)

Nominate Lost World (SIRENS, Book 2) on Kindle Scout until 9/25. 

(If this book is selected for publication you get a free copy for nominating!)

Connect with T. L.

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Amazon Author Page

T.L. spent several years in the corporate world working with global "megacorps" before moving on to her most important job, raising her two children. During naptime, she created a world to escape to in SIRENS. She enjoys using science to create fantastical fiction, packing sophisticated, sometimes controversial, themes into stories of adventure, and twisting ordinary legends. Book 1 Rising Tide will be followed by Book 2, Lost World. She lives with her family and some tropical fish in Washington, DC.

Welcome Jake Lingwall author of Freelancer

Let's see what Jake had to say about reading, writing and Zombies!

1.It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Jake Says: Brandon Sanderson – He always has a creative magic system and good endings. Those are two things that could prove helpful when you’re trying to survive.
J.K. Rowling – She’s brilliant and rich (so hopefully she has lots of supplies). I’m not sure if a Patronus can chase off zombies, but I’m hopeful.
Ernest Cline – My strategy for survival would be to just hunker down somewhere and wait for the zombie apocalypse to sort itself out. No better way to pass the time than playing some games with Ernest Cline and debating if Kari (from Freelancer) could beat Wade at video games.
Meredith says:  Nice picks. Have you read World War Z? There's a scene where survivors go after the rich folk because of their gated homes and stockpiled supplies. I'm betting on a Patronus! I like that idea.
Jake Says: Saw the movie, but I don't remember any supply raiding in the film. Just lots of Brad Pitt and sick people. Guess that's another example of how watching the movie just isn't the same thing.



2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
Jake Says: Since J. K. Rowling is on my zombie survival team I better save her first. Otherwise, I’d have to replace her with Stephen King and that would make me uneasy.
Meredith says: Lol!


3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Jake Says: I’m actually reading a few things at once right now. There’s so much I want to read that it’s hard not to start a few books at once.
Armada by Ernest Cline. Ready Player One was epic and the top selling novel in the “cyberpunk” category that my book is in, so I had to check out Cline’s next book.
Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products by Nir Eyal. I’m a front-end web developer for work so I try to keep up on my trade when I’m not writing. This is a great book about building products that users want to keep using. I actually find it has many great parallels for writing as well.
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. My wife is currently battling Leukemia and this book was a recommendation by her Oncologist.
I see you are one of those readers who reads more than one book at once.
Meredith says: My father battled Leukemia. Prayers to your wife.
Jake Says: Thanks, I really appreciate that. We're doing pretty well right now all things considered.


4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Jake Says: I’m a sucker for nostalgia so anything that I read and loved as kid never grows old. I’d probably say that Ender’s Game is the one book that I have read the most times.



5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Jake Says: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson was my favorite book of 2014. I’ve been a sucker for anything he writes ever since he finished the Wheel of Time.



6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Jake Says: I feel like I keep mentioning the same names, but I’d be lying if I said anything but Ready Player One. Although some of the regency romance books I’ve been reading with my wife are closing in ;).
Meredith says: Whoa whoa whoa... you can't just drop a bomb like that. A dude reading regency romance?! I've never come cross a guy who will admit to this. Kudos to reading with your wife - I love discussing books with my husband. Also, have you read Captain and Countess by Alice Gaines - a fellow kindle scout winner? It was a great read.
Jake Says: I haven't had a chance to read any of the Kindle Scout books yet. But there are dozens that I'm going to get to shortly. I'll have to move Captain and the Countess to the top of that list. =)

7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Jake Says: I’m actually a software engineer during the day and a writer by night, but there’s always time to be a superhero. I’ve always been a big superhero guy so it’s hard for me to choose. I don’t think I’d want anything too powerful that would be too much pressure. So, I think right now I’d go with something simple like Longshot’s power from the X-men. He’s just super lucky. Blind pick some stocks to make some money and do some party tricks to impress people sounds like less stress than always having to save the world like Superman.



8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Jake Says: I bought an old used treadmill that with a few old pieces of wood sitting across the handlebars works pretty well as a treadmill-desk. Feels double productive to write and get a little bit of exercise.
Meredith says: I mean... I've been reading a lot about these fancy treadmill desks and they are pretty pricey. To think you just made one with some old pieces of wood.
Jake Says: Works like a charm too! I lost 15 pounds on a steady diet of writing.


9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book Freelancer.
Jake Says: I’m not sure I believe the premise of the question, as it’s a generally accepted fact amongst my siblings that I am the 5th most favorite child of my parents. =)
My favorite scenes from Freelancer are when Kari is working on new designs. What inspired me to write this book was dreaming about how programming in the future would be a much more accessible and fluid process than it is now. I think it’s a lot of fun to just freely create whatever the mind can imagine and then use what you came up with to solve problems.

Meredith says: ...having 4 siblings myself, I know you know what I mean ;)


10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Jake Says: I’d say it’s a split between the main characters. Kari is a hacker and a programmer like myself, (although she’s way smarter than I am) and David is a little old school.



11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Jake Says:
Firebird – Stravinsky – Love me some classical music. This one is the inspiration for a novel I’m going to start working on soon.
I Wanna Get Better – The Bleachers – Catchy tune with a title that is perfect for when your wife is fighting cancer.
Long Cool Women in a Black Dress – The Hollies. I only listen to the “oldies” station on radio and this one gets played a lot.
Hall of Fame – The Script featuring Will.I.Am. We watch a lot of food network and this song advertises their “Food Network Star” show. I’ve been listening to it ever since the advertisements started a few months ago. =)
Jurassic Park Theme Song – John Williams. John Williams is a genius. I’ve always loved his music, but Jurassic World has landed his work back on my playlists.
Meredith says: Long Cool Woman.... gosh, I forgot how much I loved that song. iTunes thanks you for my recent purchase.
Jake Says: If only they had an affiliate program...


12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Jake Says: Stop being an aspiring author and be an author. There is nothing stopping you from writing, so do it. You don’t need a certificate, or a license, all you need is a story.

Get your copy of FREELANCER

Connect with Jake

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Website

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Amazon Author Page

(This is Jake - he's working hard and living the dream)

_______________

Jake's Bio: I'm a full time writer (of JavaScript code) during the day, but at night my mind turns to Science Fiction and Fantasy. I'm 25 years old and currently living the American dream with my wife and puppy. Freelancer is my first novel and I hope you find it as special as I do. You can find me at my website JakeNotJacob.com or tweet me @JakeLingwall.

Please Welcome Chris Patchell author of 'In the Dark'

Chris has a heck of a commute - 3 hours in Seattle traffic! From the tone of her book we can speculate that it turns her thoughts pretty... dark. (Ha, see what I did there!)

Let's see what Chris had to say about reading, writing and zombies!

1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Chris says: John Steinbeck because he’s slow and the zombies will get him first. George R. R. Martin because, he’s got dragons, and apparently has a cache of dragon glass, perfect for killing the undead. I’m pretty sure I could beat George in a foot race. And Stephen King, because he writes better monsters than anyone else.
Meredith says: You're the second person to use baiting. It never gets old. Lol.
Chris says: It's a zombie world out there and the basic rules of the animal kingdom apply. I don't have to be the fastest gazelle in the herd but I can't be the slowest.  :-)



2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
Chris says: HELLO—I’m totally hauling Stephen King out of the water first, because his stories just keep getting better and better. Although I love J.K Rowling, I don’t know if she has anything left after Harry Potter.
Meredith says: I don't read a super ton of King. I used to. But then I got my hands on 'Full Dark, No Stars" and I know they were short stories but I wasn't impressed, I haven't picked up anything new of his since.
Chris says: So in my twenties, half of my bookshelf was Stephen King, the other half was Danielle Steele. I'm not schizophrenic, really. Quite honestly I got tired of his horror books. I found them repetitive and overly profane (and believe me, I have been known to drop an f-bomb or two). Then my husband bought me DUMA KEY, and I was hooked. He's more suspense now than horror, and I love his characters. It maybe time to give him a try again.



3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Chris says: I’m reading a fun Sci-Fi book called CONTAINMENT written by Christian Cantrell. I’m also reading the WAYWARD PINES series again, because Blake Crouch does a fabulous job writing action and getting emotion out on the page. And I’m just about to read THE MARTIAN. My kids are raving about it.
Meredith says: "The Martian' was so good! I keep seeing a lot about 'Wayward Pines.' I guess I'm going to read that next.
Chris says: The first book is a little confusing until the get the gist of what Ethan is going through. And once you find out what's really going on in Wayward Pines, you'll be hooked.
Meredith says: I read the 'Wayward Pines Series' a few weeks after doing this interview. It. Was. Awesome!


4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Chris says: As a suspense novelist, I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I’m a closet Jane Austen fan. I read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at least once a year without fail.
Meredith says: Don't be embarrassed!
Chris says: God! I know. We suspense authors are supposed to read scary stuff, and believe me, I do. I still remembering reading my Jane Austen novel, I found the pacing so slow I didn't know whether I'd make it through the book. But I stuck with it and I fell in love with the characters and the flow of the language. I've read all of her books and they're lovely.

5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Chris says: It would be a toss up between Lisa Gardner’s TOUCH & GO, and Kevin O’Brien’s TELL ME YOU’RE SORRY. I devoured both of these books and read them several times each.
Meredith says: Adding to my TBR
Chris says: Lisa's writing is so clean and Kevin, well, somehow he manages to keep me guessing to the end.

6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Chris says: THE PINES by Blake Crouch. My husband introduced me to this series of books and I love, love, love it. I hope the television series doesn’t kill the story. It’s got a great flawed hero, an evil genius playing God, oh, and it’s got fabulous monsters!
Meredith says: See, there it is again!
Chris says: See, I told you. It's heart-stopping. It'd tell you more, but I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.



7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Chris says: Surprises! My books are full of twists and turns that keep my readers turning pages well into the dark.
Meredith says: I never thought of the ability to deliver surprises as a superpower, but I think you're on to something.
Chris says: Yeah, well, I can't run that fast--faster than George R. R. Martin, but in the greater scheme of things that's not saying much. My brother was the jock in the family, so you gotta work with what you have. He was faster, but I was smarter. I figured out if I could make him laugh, he couldn't breathe. If he couldn't breathe, he couldn't run and I could beat him. Little sisters are sly.



8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Chris says: The couch, without a doubt! It harkens back to my high school days when I used to do my homework in front of the television. And the deck. Lately the weather in Seattle has been so fantastic, I’ve been spending hours outside with my laptop.
Meredith says: I remember those days, studying with the TV on. I wrote my first book on the couch while watching TV. Oh the memories :)
Chris says: I wrote my first book in  11th grade science. My friend read the new chapters in physics class. Needless to say, we weren't honor students--at least not in science.



9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book DEADLY LIES.
Chris says: I love Jill’s seduction scene with Kenneth Cox. Writing Jill on-the-hunt scenes is a scary lot of fun. After I released the book, a good friend of mine called and said, “You really do know how to kill someone.” Really. Does it get better than that?
Meredith says: Hahaha. Wait... you didn't practice killing someone, did you?
Chris says: Well, Meredith, you know what they say... I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you...
Meredith says: But I never learned to read!... Oh wait, I know how to read, that was from some movie.


10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Chris says: Like most characters, there are little bits of myself sprinkled everywhere in my stories. I sometimes joke that Jill Shannon is my alter ego. I’m a nice Canadian girl by day, and a gun-totting sociopath by night…
Meredith says: Remind me never to run into you at night.
Chris says: ...In a dark alley with a pen. Seriously, pens are deadly weapons. Hypothetically speaking, of course.


11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Chris says: Slither by Velvet Revolver, Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5, Golden Heart by Mark Knophler, Today’s Gonna be a Great Day by Bowling for Soup, and Do I Wanna Know, by the Arctic Monkeys.
Meredith says: Great songs! I love Maroon 5.
Chris says: Have you seen the movie Begin Again? Adam Levine not only stars in it, but wrote most of the songs too! Love him.
Meredith says: Now I must google that.


12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Chris says: Persistence pays off! I’m an overnight success, seven years in the making.
Meredith says: I love hearing these 'overnight success' stories. I've come to the conclusion that to become an overnight success it takes at least 5+ years. I guess I've still got time to hit it big :)
Chris says: They say it takes 10,000 hours to master anything. I'm always pushing myself to get better, as a writer, as a mother, and as a person.

Get your copy of IN THE DARK

Connect with Chris:

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Twitter @chris_patchell

Website

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

About Chris:

When Chris Patchell isn't hiking in the Cascade Mountains or hanging out with family and friends, she is working at her hi-tech job or writing gritty suspense novels. Writing has been a lifelong passion for Chris. She fell in love with storytelling in the third grade when her half-page creative writing assignment turned into a five-page story on vampires. Even back then Chris had a gift for writing intricate plots that were so good her father refused to believe she didn't steal them from comic books.

Years later, Chris spent long afternoons managing her own independent record store and writing romance novels. After closing the record store and going to college, Chris launched a successful career in hi-tech. She married, had kids but amid all the madness, the itch to write never really went away. So she started writing again. Not romance this time - suspense filled with drama, and angst, speckled with a little bit of blood.

Why suspense? Chris blames her obsession with the dark on two things: watching Stephen King movies as a kid and spending ridiculous amounts of time commuting in Seattle traffic. "My stories are based on scenarios I see every day, distorted through the fictional lens. And my stories come with the added bonus of not having to be restrained by socially acceptable behavior."

Recipient of the 2015 Indie Reader Discovery Award for DEADLY LIES