Showing posts with label Elizabeth Delisi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elizabeth Delisi. Show all posts

Friday, June 7, 2013

Ten Authors, Twenty Questions!

Today I'm happy to run another Ten Authors, Twenty Questions feature. The first one ran in April, and you can read it here. I have some great authors for this second go-round, and I think you'll enjoy their answers...

1. Christoph Fischer

Christoph is the author of The Luck of the Weissensteiners and Sebastian.
He was here on April 25 and here on May 23.

1.    Love or money?
Love, always

2.    Plain or peanut?
Plain, how boring ;-)

3.    Beef or chicken?
I am vegetarian, but probably chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea? Coffee.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
No.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Hardback.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Salty.

8.    City or country?
Country.

9.    Dog or cat?
Dog.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Desktop.

12.    Health food or junk food?
Health Food.

13.    Mountains or beach?

Tough one, Mountains (near a beach please if possible) Oh! That's cheating!!

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Gourmet.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Unsweet.

16.    Humor or drama? 
I like a laugh and should enjoy humor more often, but I tend to go for the big dramas.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock, I love Star Trek – don’t know why...

18.    Halloween or Christmas?

Halloween.

19.    Spring or fall?

So tough, probably fall for the colours.

20.    Morning or night?

Morning.




Facebook | Facebook: Weissensteiners | Facebook: Sebastian | Goodreads | Writer's Blog |
Reviewer's Blog | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes and Noble

2. Cindy Blackburn

Cindy is the author of the Cue Ball mystery series.
She brought Wilson Rye here on May 28.

1.    Love or money?
Oh, what the heck. Love.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Plain, definitely. Unless we’re talking M&M’s. We're definitely talking M&Ms.

3.    Beef or chicken?
Beef. A gal needs her red meat.

4.    Coffee or tea?

Coffee, with lots of 2% milk, please.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes! I’ve become addicted to the Oxford comma ever since I read “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.”

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Kindle.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Now THIS takes some careful consideration, Amy! Okay, salty. As long as this includes an occasional salted chocolate treat?  Hmm...that could be cheating...

8.    City or country?
Country. More and more so all the time.

9.    Dog or cat?
Cat for myself. Dogs are fun to visit, though.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fame. Is this somehow tied to question number one?

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop. We are on the go, here at the Cue Ball Mysteries headquarters!

12.    Health food or junk food? 
Health food. But this might be a tad bit hard to swallow (no pun intended) looking at my other answers. LOL!

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains. The Green Mountains of Vermont, preferably.

14.    Gourmet or diner?

Diner, unless hubby’s the cook. Bless his heart, he’s into gourmet.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Unsweet. I may live in SC most of the time, but I am a Vermont Yankee, born and bred. Bless your heart.

16.    Humor or drama?

Humor, humor, and humor. (Please note the correct usage of the Oxford comma) YES!

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr. Suess, especially since you can get the pointy ears from just about all of his
characters.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas, as long as you don’t want to exchange blog gifts or some such. No Secret Santa Blog Edition here!

19.    Spring or fall?
Spring!

20.    Morning or night?
Morning. Why I chose coffee over tea. Ahhhh!

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website | Amazon


3. Andy Nieman

Andy is the author of Free Man Walking. He was here on May 13.


1.    Love or money?   
Love

2.    Plain or peanut?
Peanut


3.    Beef or chicken?
Chicken

4.    Coffee or tea?
Coffee

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
No

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Hardback

7.    Salty or sweet?
Salty

8.    City or country?

Country

9.    Dog or cat?
Dog

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune

11.    Laptop or desktop?

Laptop

12.    Health food or junk food?
Health Food

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Gourmet   

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Sweet

16.    Humor or drama?

Drama

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?

Dr Seuss

18.    Halloween or Christmas?

Christmas

19.    Spring or fall?

Fall

20.    Morning or night?
Morning

 Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook |


4. Chrissy Anderson

Chrissy is the author of The List Trilogy.
She was here on November 3 and May 1.

1.    Love or money? 
Love peppered with some cash on top. You are such a cheater!

2.    Plain or peanut? 

Peanut...Extra crunchy.

3.    Beef or chicken? 
Beef.

4.    Coffee or tea? 

Port. Ahem.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no? 
I am ALL about the Oxford comma. I taught you well. :)
 
6.    Hardback or Kindle? 
HARDback.

7.    Salty or sweet? 

Salty.

8.    City or country? 
Who cares? Just get me outta both of mine for a week!

9.    Dog or cat? 

Dogger-Doo.

10.    Fame or fortune?

Fame.

11.    Laptop or desktop?

Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food? 
Hell-Ju.  Cheater!!

13.    Mountains or beach? 
Beach.

14.    Gourmet or diner? 
Gourmet.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course) 
Unsweet.  I’m sweet enough.


16.    Humor or drama? 

Humor...all day, every day.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock? 
Neither.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
 
I’m an elf on Halloween.

19.    Spring or fall? 
FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20.    Morning or night? 
Night, after everyone has fallen asleep.  The best.

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website | Amazon



5. Elizabeth Delisi

Elizabeth is the author of The Midnight Zone and twelve other books! She was here on May 4.

1.    Love or money?

Since I married for love, now I’d like the money! Who said you can't have it all, right?

2.    Plain or peanut?

Peanut, so I can fool myself that it’s healthy.

3.    Beef or chicken?
“Chick-N” as I’m a vegetarian.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Tea is first choice, coffee second.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes. I’m “comma-tose.” Good one!

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
I’m leaning toward Kindle as it’s lighter and easier to hold.

7.    Salty or sweet?

Definitely sweet, for my sweet tooth!

8.    City or country?

Country, where I can hear the wild animals and birds, not humans.

9.    Dog or cat?
Ooh. Both! Cats are cuddly and independent, dogs are great friends.

10.    Fame or fortune?

Fortune, definitely. Fame is more trouble than it’s worth.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop, for portability.

12.    Health food or junk food?

Junk food, I’m ashamed to say.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains, definitely.

14.    Gourmet or diner?

Depends on my mood...I like both. No fair!

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course)
Sweet.

16.    Humor or drama?

I like both, but I watch and read more dramas.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock...I’m a Star Trek fan through and through.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?

Christmas, definitely. Love the decorations and carols.

19.    Spring or fall?
Fall, with the gorgeous New Hampshire fall leaves.

20.    Morning or night?
Night...getting up any earlier than 8 is torture. We would get along very well!

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website | Amazon


6. Peter Ochs

Peter is the author of Eyes of the Sage. He was here on May 5.


1.    Love or money? 

I’ve had plenty of love so let’s try money for a change.

2.    Plain or peanut? 

No preference.  It’s all good.

3.    Beef or chicken? 
Ditto.

4.    Coffee or tea? 
Coffee.  And not that I’m a Starbucks snob. I only went there a few years ago for the first time.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no? 

If I said no, would you tell my parents, Bob and Fred? Yes, I certainly will.

6.    Hardback or Kindle? 
Nook!!!

7.    Salty or sweet? 
Salty.  Too much salt is overrated.

8.    City or country? 

Country.  But not as country as John Denver.

9.    Dog or cat? 
Dog. I’m getting my first dog in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait. (My parents wouldn’t allow us to have pets when I was growing up.)

10.    Fame or fortune? 
Fortune...and obscurity.

11.    Laptop or desktop? 
Still gotta have my tower right beside me.

12.    Health food or junk food?
 
Junk food of course. I’ve got so much preservatives in me I’m almost eternal.

13.    Mountains or beach? 

Mountains. I grew up on a beach. Need a change of scenery.

14.    Gourmet or diner? 
I’ll eat anything, anywhere, anytime.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)

Not a tea drinker. La la la la la la...I didn't hear that...

16.    Humor or drama? 

Comedy is tragedy that happens to someone else. Think about it, then go watch Laurel and hardy.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock? 
Leaning towards Spock, but I am not a trekkie!

18.    Halloween or Christmas? 
Presents are better than candy.

19.    Spring or fall?
 
Nothing better than fall in New England.

20.    Morning or night? 
Night. That’s when Jon Stewart comes on.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Amazon     

7. Price McNaughton


Price is the author of A Vision of Murder. She was here on April 15.

1.    Love or money?
Love.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Peanut.

3.    Beef or chicken?
Chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Tea.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?

Hardback.

7.    Salty or sweet?

Sweet.

8.    City or country?

Country.

9.    Dog or cat?
Dog.

10.    Fame or fortune?

Fame?

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food?

Health food.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains.

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)

Sweet!

16.    Humor or drama?
Humor.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr. Seuss.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall?
Fall.

20.    Morning or night?
Night.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon


8. RH (Rhonda) Ramsey


Rhonda is the author of Just Beneath The Surface. She saw the first "Ten Authors Twenty Questions," and wanted to take part in the second one. Yes, I'm that easy. Just ask!

1.    Love or money?
Love – always love

2.    Plain or peanut?
Can I actually pick macadamia? If not, I will go with plain...

3.    Beef or chicken?
It used to be beef, then it was chicken, now it’s back to beef.  Unless it’s shredded beef – if it’s shredded beef, I will choose chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Definitely tea, unless there’s some sort of caramel cappuccino option.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?

Umm .. I think not. It was for some reason difficult for me to remember. Now that it’s ingrained, there’s no turning back.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Kindle, please!

7.    Salty or sweet?

Salty!!! (It’s really not even normal, anymore)

8.    City or country?
I’d have to say: City with a country feel or country town with a city feel. Hmmm...that might be cheating...

9.    Dog or cat?
Euw! That’s tough – definitely love puppies; I’ve always had dogs growing up. But I will go with cat, because they are so independent, moody and fun to watch.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fortune (and favor from above) would be just fine by me without fame.

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop! I am all about convenience.

12.    Health food or junk food?

I’ve been known to find ways to combine the two. Not in a way that they would cancel each other out, but just enough to spice things up. That's a good compromise.

13.    Mountains or beach?
Mountains...

14.    Gourmet or diner?

Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
Definitely sweet. The expression on my face when I order sweet and end up sipping unsweet is probably priceless. Sort-of happens often for some reason come to think of it. Oh yeah...I hate when that happens!

16.    Humor or drama?

Drama – that’s the genre I’m drawn to with music, reading, movies and writing. But then, again, there’s nothing like a good stand-up comic.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr Seuss. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Definitely Christmas. Halloween costumes are cute. But for me, there’s nothing like the reason for the season, the music, the smiles on the faces of children – I would have to say Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall?
That’s a difficult one for me. I’m a December baby and I love winter. I’m not a fan of summer. I enjoy spring rain showers. But I really love the fall foliage – it does something to the senses.

20.    Morning or night?

Sadly, I find that I’m a lot like Smeagol when I first wake up. No matter how much caffeine I get my hands on, I really don’t feel as if the “day” has started until around 11 p.m. I’ve always been a night owl, and now that I am an adult, I find that the wee hours are the best time for me to brainstorm and create.

Website
| Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Smashwords


9. Tracy Sweeney


Tracy is the author of Living Backwards. She was here on April 11.

1.    Love or money?   
Love. Always.

2.    Plain or peanut?

Peanut. But I’d never turn down plain.

3.    Beef or chicken?  

Beef.

4.    Coffee or tea?   
Tea.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Never.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
 
Kindle, but I miss my bookshelf.

7.    Salty or sweet?   
Chocolate covered pretzels. Perfection.

8.    City or country?   
City mouse.

9.    Dog or cat?   
Dog.

10.    Fame or fortune?     
Fame. Also a great movie.

11.    Laptop or desktop? 

Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food? 

Junk food. Sadly.

13.    Mountains or beach? 
Beach.

14.    Gourmet or diner?  
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.) 
Sweet.

16.    Humor or drama?
Hah. Humor.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock? 
Dr. Seuss.

18.    Halloween or Christmas? 

Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall? 
Fall.

20.    Morning or night?  
Night.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon


10. Danielle Stewart


Danielle is the author of Chasing Justice. Danielle will be here on June 12.

1.    Love or money?
Love.

2.    Plain or peanut?
Plain.

3.    Beef or chicken?
Chicken.

4.    Coffee or tea?
Tea.

5.    Oxford comma: yes or no?
Yes.

6.    Hardback or Kindle?
Kindle.

7.    Salty or sweet?
Sweet.

8.    City or country?
Country.

9.    Dog or cat?
Cat.

10.    Fame or fortune?
Fame

11.    Laptop or desktop?
Laptop.

12.    Health food or junk food?
Junk food

13.    Mountains or beach?
Beach.

14.    Gourmet or diner?
Diner.

15.    Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
Sweet.

16.    Humor or drama?
Humor.

17.    Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dr. Seuss.

18.    Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas.

19.    Spring or fall?
Spring.

20.    Morning or night?
Morning.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Featured Author: Elizabeth Delisi

Elizabeth Delisi just released her novel, The Midnight Zone, and she's here to talk about it and writing in general. She's also treating us to an excerpt from the book.


About the book:

When Cassie buys an antique compact, little does she know it can foretell the future--her future. Marjorie, a Florida girl unwillingly transplanted to Vermont, learns there's more to fear from the alien snowfall than just the cold. Neil Dallas's jagged descent from rock and roll singer to drug-addicted has-been is unstoppable . . . or is it?

Travel deep into unknown territory, where life and death are not as they seem; where you have to be careful what you ask for, because you might get it. These stories will take you beyond the realm of the solid and real, into the deepest, darkest corner of your imagination. Don't forget to bring your flashlight . . .



Interview with Elizabeth

Elizabeth how did you come up with the title The Midnight Zone



The stories in the collection have a “Twilight Zone” quality to them, so I wanted to evoke that kind of spooky mystery and chose “The Midnight Zone.”

Do you have another job outside of writing?



I also teach writing courses online at Writer’s Digest University.

Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants, or let your characters tell you what to write?


Definitely, I’m an outliner. I feel lost without some idea of where the story is going. An outline is like a backup, there if you need it.

What books have you read more than once or want to read again?




Two favorite books I’ve read more than a dozen times are Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, and The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas.

What’s your favorite line from a book?



“The birds had awakened her early. She was not yet used to their flutterings and twitterings, Spring having arrived and unpacked before February’s lease was up.” From The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas.

When you start a new book, do you know what the entire cast will be?




I know the major characters, at least. Sometimes a minor character makes a surprise appearance.

If you could be one of your characters, which one would you choose?

Probably Lottie Baldwin from Fatal Fortune. She’s brave and brash and isn’t afraid to be different.

With which of your characters would you most like to be stuck on a deserted island? 



Probably Harlan Erikson from Fatal Fortune. He’d figure out how to get us rescued!

What song would you pick to go with your book?

The Twilight Zone theme, definitely.

How do you handle criticism of your work?

I cry, I pout, I eat lots of chocolate. After a while, I get over it and move on. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion.


Tell us one weird thing, one nice thing, and one fact about where you live.


Weird: “The Old Man in the Mountain,” the symbol of New Hampshire, fell down and was destroyed not long before we moved here.
Nice: New Hampshire has gorgeous fall foliage.
Fact: New Hampshire has a higher percentage of wooded land than any other state.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?


Read, knit, watch movies, play on my Kindle.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

On our little piece of land in the White Mountains, where we intend to build and live someday.

If you could take a trip anywhere in the world, where would you go?


Egypt, definitely, to see all the temples, tombs, and museums.

What are you working on now?

The sequel to Fatal Fortune, called Perilous Prediction.


Excerpt from Mirror, Mirror in The Midnight Zone

Cassie opened her compact and peered into the round mirror. Her nose looked a little shiny. As she reached for the powder puff, a movement in the mirror caught her eye. She saw the waiter bringing a drink to the woman at the table in back of her. Served in a pineapple, it had two gaudy red paper parasols and a large pink straw sticking out of the top. Cassie watched, amused, the puff arrested in its journey to her nose.

Suddenly, the waiter tripped. The pineapple slid down the length of the steeply-tilting tray to land, upside-down, in the woman’s lap.

“Oh!” Cassie gasped.

“What?” Laura asked.

“Did you see the waiter spill a drink all over that poor woman?”

Laura twisted in her chair. “No. Where?”

“Right behind me.” Cassie turned around. The table was empty. “I guess she already left. Maybe she went to the ladies’ room to clean up.”

“I didn’t see any woman at that table,” Laura said. “Are you sure?”

“I saw it in my mirror.” Cassie held up her compact.

“Ooh, let me see!” Laura reached for it. “This is lovely! Where did you get it?”

“I found it last week in an antique store on the Cape,” Cassie said. “It was a funny little shop, full of all sorts of peculiar things. I liked the compact so much that I went back the next day to look for another one; but I couldn’t find the place again.” She shrugged.

Laura rubbed her fingers over the engraved gold case, then opened it. “Here’s your problem. This old mirror is so cloudy, it’s no wonder you’re seeing things.” She snapped it shut and handed it back.

“Here comes our lunch.” Laura pointed to a waiter carrying a full tray. Diverted, Cassie forgot all about what she’d seen in the mirror.

An hour later, the two friends finished their meal. On her way out, absorbed in paying the check, Cassie didn’t notice a waiter spilling an entire pineapple full of liquor on a woman who had just been seated.

About the author:

Elizabeth is a multi-published, award-winning author of romance, mystery and suspense. Her time-travel romance set in ancient Egypt, Lady of the Two Lands, won a Bloody Dagger Award and was a Golden Rose Award nominee. Her romantic suspense novel, Since All is Passing, was an EPPIE Award finalist and Bloody Dagger Award finalist. Her paranormal mystery, Fatal Fortune, was a Word Museum Reviewer’s Choice Masterpiece. Elizabeth is also an instructor for Writer’s Digest University. She is currently at work on Deadly Destiny and Perilous Prediction, the sequels to Fatal Fortune, and Knit A Spell, a paranormal romance. Elizabeth lives in New Hampshire with her husband and feisty parakeet. She invites her readers to check out her website.


Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Publisher | Amazon