Well, okay, not a cottage, but a blog. It could be a cottage, given Suzanne writes about magic and druids and wizards and such. 
Ahem, yes, I’m over visiting with Fantasy author S. G. Rogers today, http://childofyden.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/myths-to-write-by-guest-post-by-author-juli-d-revezzo/
Do stop by. Oh, and don’t forget to check out her books while you’re there. I’m reading The Druid right now, and loving it. 
She’s fantastic, imho.
I’m being interviewed over at Romance author Sharon Buchbinder’s site today. Do stop by! Interview with Juli D. Revezzo, Author of THE ARTIST’S INHERITANCE |.
Well, we got that darned sink fixed–yahoo! It’s all nice and new and shiny. I don’t want to say it’s been a mesmerizing addition to our home but, yeah. It makes me smile every time I walk into the kitchen.
*innocent look* (Yes, distracted by shiny things, that’s me–lol) Yes! I can wash dishes again. Wait. Maybe that’s not such a good thing.
I did manage to get some writing done, oh, and something useful. I went over to Amazon and Smashwords and dropped the price of The Artist’s Inheritance to a mere $1.99. So if you’d like to try it, now’s the time!
Meanwhile, I am being interviewed over at Independent Paranormal today. Please stop by and say hi.
http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com/2012/09/interview-with-juli-d-revezzo-author-of.html
(*caption’s being weird again. The picture above is: “Washing Plates As Part Of The House Work” by Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net)
The Indie scene is hot right now, but for years before the explosion, many authors delved into it bravely. One such is my good friend Patty G. Henderson. She started out writing comics and fanzines in the 60s and 70s, and moved on to pen her own novels, produced by various houses over the years
Author Patty G. Henderson
included Bella Books. She moved out on her own some years ago and producing her most popular series, the Brenda Strange Supernatural Mysteries. She recently decided to try something new, releasing two Gothic Romances harkening back to the great Gothics of the ’60s and ’70s. She has her own publishing imprint, Blanca Rosa Publishing, and is also skilled in graphic arts and has her own graphics business Boulevard Photografica. (*points to sidebar*) and yes, she’s good–and I’m not just saying that because she did my cover art.
She recently sat down with me for an official-like Q and A to talk about her work.
Patty, thanks for being with us today. Can you tell us, what was the inspiration for THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE?
Patty G. Henderson: I’ve always wanted to try my hand at writing an old timey paperback “Gothic,” the type you would find in any neighborhood drug store or grocery store in the 60s and 70s. They were easily recognizable by their dark, brooding covers usually featuring a young woman running away from a dark, gloomy castle or big mansion. And the mysterious man she falls in love with turns out to be her hero. But since I write lesbian fiction, I wanted to write my Gothic as a Historical set in 1812, just before the start of hostilities between the newly minted American colonies and the Brits, where the woman meets and falls in love with another woman who turns out to be her heroine! So, I decided to write one and that was my very first Gothic, THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE.
Sounds like fun–what am I saying? It was very entertaining! What kind of research, if any, did you have to do in order to write the book?
Patty: With Historicals, there has to be a serious attempt at research. I read books on the political and military upheavals that were part of that era and what exactly led to the escalation and start of the War of 1812. I also researched what type of commerce was applicable for the region where I decided to set my story, the morals, dress, language and cultural norms of the era.
Sounds like a lot of work, but you know I’m always for research. So, who’s your favorite character in this particular book? Oops. I know, it’s like picking your favorite sibling, right? Anyway, twisting your arm, can you tell us the answer?
Patty: I never have one favorite character. I love George/Georgina and Constance, of course, but the Edward, Roger and Catherine are so deliciously evil and despicable that I love them in a “villain” sort of way.
Roger…grr…(well, friends, you’ll just have to read the book to see why I say that. But yeah, they’re all interesting). Next question, is there a particular tidbit you’d like to share about THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE?
Patty G. Henderson: About half way through the book, my precious mama got sick and after a heart-breaking near two weeks in the hospital, passed away.
I’m so sorry.
Patty G. Henderson: She was my everything and I suddenly didn’t know what would become of me without her. I suddenly found that writing and working on finishing THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE was therapeutic for me in helping with the grief. It was something I knew my mama would have wanted me to do. I dedicated the book to her. But it was a very tough time for me but the book will always help me remember my mama in a very special way. I changed my publishing imprint to reflect the love and admiration I have for my mama, Blanca Rosa.
The dedication to her definitely shows that.
You’ve been Indie publishing for quite a while now. What draws you to it?
Patty G. Henderson: Freedom. Independence in publishing. Total control of one’s career from start to finish. I went through three traditional publishers, two small and one a large and established lesbian publisher, Bella Books. I was not satisfied with any of the experiences. One was a nightmare, the second not much better and the third was just lacking what I was looking for my career. I like being able to track how my books are doing in both eBook and trade paperback through Amazon and though self-pubbing does take some initial output, in the long run, the profits are better. I would never, ever consider signing a contract with a publisher again and encourage any new or established author to consider self-pubbing as a viable and attractive alternative to publishing.
It’s definitely that. What do you think of the recent shift in thinking on Indie publishing?
Patty G. Henderson: It is the new Golden Age of Publishing. The doors to the gates have been broken down and wide open. Agents and their elitism are no longer the ones calling the shots and choosing who makes it or who doesn’t. We now have the power to elevate the ones who should be the true gate keepers: The readers. Readers can now decide who and what to read and what is worth recommending or not. It is the reader base we as authors must now cultivate.
Definitely an interesting shift in the landscape, that’s for sure. Is there any advice or words of wisdom you’d like to pass on to those who’d like to dip their toes in the Indie waters?
Patty G. Henderson: I encourage any author, new or established to explore all avenues of self-pubbing. Do lots of research and choose the path that meets the requirements for what you’re looking for in your writing career. Don’t be afraid to ask questions from other self-pubbed authors. Write your book and make it as good and as professional as any traditionally published book on the market. You will be competing with the big guys and your book should reflect that. Get a good editor. Find a professional book cover artist. Do not skimp on these important parts of your book.
Good Advice. (*cough* And I’d encourage any indie author to see about Patty’s cover art work. ) 
Can you tell our readers a little about THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE?
Patty G. Henderson: The book is an homage to the old, paperback Gothics of the 60s and 70s where the heroine finds herself in a dark, menacing castle or manor, where she meets challenges involving murder, secrets, etc. and usually meets a dark and handsome hero who somehow manages to save her and they live happily ever after…..Except…..that in THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE, the “hero” my heroine meets isn’t a “hero” at all but a heroine and they do fall in love and live happily ever after. The book is a lesbian Gothic Historical Romance.
Finally, do you have any forthcoming projects you’d like to share with our readers? What’s next for you after THE SECRET OF LIGHTHOUSE POINTE?
Patty G. Henderson: I always love to talk about new books.
Good! ‘Cause I love to hear about them.
Patty G. Henderson: I’ve just published, this July 3rd, 2012, my newest lesbian Gothic Historical Romance, CASTLE OF DARK SHADOWS. The book is set in the Victorian Era and tells the tale of Olivia Hampton, a book lover and librarian 
assistant, who is offered the job of cataloging an aging and sick man’s extensive library. She finds out that she must travel to the famous and isolated Dunraven family castle where she is to do the work. She didn’t count on the history of madness and murder that follows the Dunraven family or that she would fall hopelessly in love with Marion Dunraven, heiress to the Dunraven estate. There is, of course, murder, suspense and lots of lightning, dark halls, candlelit romance and all the goodies associated with Gothic romances. It’s available now via Amazon in Kindle and trade paperback and also ePub via Nook at Barnes and Noble online.
Thanks for being with us Patty, good luck with Castle of Dark Shadows. Folks, if you’d like to learn more about Patty G. Henderson and her works, you can visit her online at: http://www.pattyghenderson.com/ or follow her on Twitter: @PattyGHenderson
I’m tickled pink to announce this, I’m being interviewed over at A Cup of Coffee and A Good Book. I didn’t realize it was going up today, but thank you, Jennifer for hosting me!
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Indie Historical Romance Author Merry Farmer joins us today. She’s an award-winning novelist from Philadelphia with a love of history, knitting and I hear-tell she’s an avid Cricket player. Please welcome her as she sits down with us for a little…
Conversation with Merry Farmer.
Author Merry Farmer
Hi Merry! Tell us a little about yourself, so my readers can get to know you.
Merry Farmer: Hi, my name is Merry Farmer and I’m a writer. I’ve been a writer almost as long as I can remember, since that glorious day in the first grade when I learned how to spell the word “grasshopper” and it gave me the biggest thrill I’ve ever had. I started writing stories for fun when I was in third grade and realized that I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. Ever since then I’ve entertained myself by writing.
I wrote a lot of stories in which I was the heroine when I was much younger. Then I gradually shifted to rewriting the endings of movies like Labyrinth and Indiana Jones when I didn’t like the way they ended. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I shifted away from writing first-person stories about myself or fan fiction and started writing original content. I think that all those years of practice I had using someone else’s stories or devices really prepared me to branch out on my own and create original characters and situations. Nowadays I have so many ideas for stories spanning everything from medieval romance to sci-fi to dystopian future erotica that I don’t know when I’ll find the time to write it all!
Those are some fabulous choices, I must say. What authors might you list as particular influences?
Merry Farmer: As far as writers I admire go, I have always been a big fan of Jane Austen and L.M. Montgomery. Reading their work taught me a lot about creating dimensional characters and intriguing plots. I’m also a huge fan of J.K. Rowling and everything she has done to inspire an entire generation to read. I also have several writers in my family. My Dad writes, although he’s never published anything. I’ve also always been inspired by my cousin Liza Gyllenhaal who has published several novels. It was so important as a young person to look to this talented cousin who was published and to see that I could do that too.
What inspired the story of The Noble Hearts series?
Merry Farmer: I have always loved History. I majored in it twice at two different 
universities. If you stop and think about it, it’s amazing how many stories have unfolded in this world throughout time. And it’s amazing how frequently “common knowledge” gets those stories wrong. “Common knowledge” says that King Richard the Lionheart was a great man and a great King and that his brother, Prince John, was a horrible tyrant. The truth couldn’t be more different. King Richard hated England and only spent six months of his entire reign in England. He tried to sell London to finance his crusade. He didn’t even speak English! Prince John, on the other hand, was devoted to England and was responsible for governing a major part of it. He kept it from falling into ruin in Richard’s absence. I have always been intrigued by this seeming paradox of actual history versus what everyone thinks happens because of the propaganda in the Robin Hood legend. The Nobles Hearts trilogy was designed to show the real history of the time.
I also wanted to write the series with a very modern, hip feel. Just because something happened 800 years ago doesn’t mean that everyone was stiff and formal. I wanted to make the middle ages seem as current to my readers as it was to the people living through it. The High Middle Ages, the time in which these novels take place, was a vibrant, socially and culturally advanced, economically comfortable time. It was one of the best times to be alive within a thousand year time span. But because it’s the middle ages people assume everyone was dirty, poor, and oppressed. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Aside: I found that true as well in my own studies of the period (though my concentration was mainly the arts). So, Merry, are there any secrets about the book(s) you can impart to us, without giving too much away??
Merry Farmer: Well, I can tell you this much…. I’ve always liked love triangles but every time I read about one I feel like the heroine picks the wrong guy. I tend to go for the 
unconventional hero myself (which is very much the case in the first novel of my Montana Romance series, Our Little Secrets). So as you start reading The Loyal Heart just keep in mind that things aren’t always what they seem.
Now that The Faithful Heart is out, what can curious fans expect from you next?
Merry Farmer: I’ve been working hard on the third book in the Noble Hearts trilogy, The Courageous Heart. If all goes well that should be available at the beginning of November. I plan to 
devote 2013 to finishing my 4 book Montana Romance series. Our Little Secrets is already available and I hope to have the second book, Fool for Love, out sometime early next year. I also have a few one-offs that I’d like to find time to write. And I have two books of a sci-fi series about Earth’s first planetary colonization mission already written. I just need to find time to whip them into shape. I would describe those books as science fiction with strong romantic elements. Oh, and I’ve got some very naughty ideas for erotica novels, but I would publish those under a pen name when I write them.
You are one busy lady! Best of luck with all of them. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Merry Farmer: Just that I am grateful and applaud anyone who takes a chance on unknown Indie authors like me.
Let’s hope so!
Merry: It’s so encouraging to those of us who are excited about forging new paths and trying new ways of publishing to know that we have readers hungry for us. I think it is readers like these who will define the terms of the new world of publishing we’re on the verge of entering. Thanks to you all!
Merry, thanks for being with us today. It was a pleasure to have you, and we wish you all the best in the future. Folks, don’t go away yet. Merry has agreed to give one lucky commenter a free download of her ebook of The Loyal Heart. So leave Merry your comments and questions.
Merry Farmer is an award-winning novelist who lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Butterfly and Torpedo. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn’t have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always having something to write about. Today she is a giant History nerd and a hopeless romantic waiting for her own love story to start. Her first book, The Loyal Heart, is a swashbuckling Medieval Historical Romance involving a love triangle that will keep you guessing. Both The Loyal Heart and its sequel, The Faithful Heart, are available wherever eBooks are sold. The third book in the trilogy, The Courageous Heart, will be available in early November, 2012. She has also begun a new Western Historical Romance series set in Montana in 1895. The first of that series, Our Little Secrets, is now available. The second, Fool for Love, will be released in early 2013. Merry is also passionate about blogging, knitting, and cricket and is working towards becoming an internationally certified cricket scorer.
Visit Merry Farmer at: http://merryfarmer.net/
Her fine novels are available at the following links:
The Loyal Heart
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005R4K75W
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-loyal-heart-merry-farmer/1106051739?ean=2940011541537
Sony eReader Store – http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/merry-farmer/the-loyal-heart/_/R-400000000000000527599
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92993
The Faithful Heart
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006PUDD44
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-faithful-heart-merry-farmer/1108068341?ean=2940032960553
Sony eReader Store – http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/merry-farmer/the-faithful-heart/_/R-400000000000000592585
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/117240
Our Little Secrets
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087KI4T4
Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/167282
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-little-secrets-merry-farmer/1111649170?ean=2940033267514
S.G. Rogers is a multi-published author whose debut YA fantasy novel “The Last Great Wizard of Yden” was an IBookBuzz nominee as well as the premiere selection of Astraea Press’s Book Club. A recent LASR 5-star review of her novella “Minna & The Valentine” dubbed it “a wonderful concoction of fantasy and romance!”–says Aurora Reviews. She’s stopped by today, so I hope you enjoy this latest in our series of conversations….
Author S.G. Rogers
Hi S.G., tell us a little about yourself, so my readers can get to know you.
S.G. Rogers: I was born with the obstinate notion that life should be about the pursuit of happiness. I conformed by attending law school and passing the California Bar Exam, but then fled to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. My poor husband disliked L.A. but he loved me, so he tagged along. Although I never waited tables, I did work as an audience page for various television shows in the ‘80s, and I worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios. I performed on soap operas, films, and commercials, and stage. I also joined an occasionally brutal writing workshop where I tried writing various genres. I finally settled down to have a child (Robby, now 13), and a little over four years ago I began to write full time.
What or who influenced you to start writing?
S.G. Rogers: Movies and books had a HUGE impact on me growing up. I loved Disney movies of all kinds, and I read any book I could get my hands on. I was such a voracious reader I would even read the non-fiction library books my grandmother had around her house when we went to visit (she favored biographies). When I was a little older, I saw the movie Billy Jack. Tom Laughlin used hapkido in that film, and I thought that was the coolest thing EVER. It made such a big impression on me that when Sharon Stone and Rene Russo used kickboxing techniques in Total Recall and Lethal Weapon 3 respectively, I promptly enrolled in martial arts. Today I hold three black belts, two in taekwondo (U.S. and Korean) and one in hapkido.
Oh, wow! That’s pretty neat! What inspired the story of Minna & The Valentine?
Cover Art Designed by Elaina Lee
S.G. Rogers: The publisher Astraea Press had an open call for Valentine’s Day stories. I write fantasy, and I didn’t want to write some insipid story about Cupid or some other mythological love god. So I tried to come up with a concept that was out of the box. Finally I realized the story could involve someone quite handsome, with the last name Valentine. The rest flowed from there.
You’ve had several new books come out lately. Aside from Minna & The Valentine and The Druid, Clash of Wills, and The Last Great Wizard of Yden, what can curious fans expect from you next?
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S.G. Rogers: I have several titles in the pipeline for publication this year, including two novellas and a full length time travel novel coming out late September (Tournament of Chance). Thereafter, I want to concentrate on longer works of fiction, so I will be writing full-length sequels to many of my novellas—perhaps even a novel about Minna Westerfield and Evan Valentine.
So you’ll be busy for a while. We’ll be looking forward to them all!
Now then, a fun question for you: With all the dragons in your stories, have you ever thought how you might really react if you saw a dragon swooping into your yard? Sounds like you could “take ‘em” quite easily what with those black belts.
S.G. Rogers: I’m quite a sensible person, so I’d run as if my life depended on it. I love the idea of tame dragons, but one can never be certain of dragons one has not met.
That’s very true. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My blog is at www.childofyden.wordpress.com, and my Twitter handle is @suzannegrogers. Come visit and follow!
Thanks again for your time, S.G.! We enjoyed chatting with you–and good luck with Minna & The Valentine, The Druid, The Last Great Wizard of Yden, Clash of Wills, Tournament of Chance–and all you do! Folks if you’d like to find out more about S.G. Rogers, check out the links above.
