Guest Post & Cover Reveal

Today I have the pleasure of hosting a guest post & cover reveal from Kyra Gregory's intriguing new book, Secrets Clad in Light. I hope you'll agree with me, that the cover is absolutely wonderful, it has such a mysterious flavour to it! So without any further ado...

 Kyra Gregory

      When people hear of a younger writer they often have this image of someone very inexperienced. While I don't claim to be a perfect writer I can say that I am far from inexperienced because my road as a writer has been a long one.

     I've been writing novel-length stories for about ten years now starting with short stories, lyrics and fanfictions. From the beginning there were very few people who knew that I wrote anything at all. It was only after being caught writing lyrics for a song my friend had composed that I started being pushed to write more. At the time I wrote in order to save myself; to come to terms with things that I couldn't any other way. I never really thought I was particularly good at it, regardless of what readers told me. The thing that I loved the most about writing was that I got to do it from the heart; I was able to be open and honest about numerous issues and I was able to share these feelings with others.

     By my mid teens I had heard a decent amount of praise and more than a decent amount of criticism. After making adjustments I began to format the manuscript for one of my novels. Now, at this point, I didn't have the slightest inkling in me of "I want to be a writer!" but I thought it would be fun to test myself as a writer. I sent my novel out to six publishers that would accept work without an agent and got back four rejections, one acceptance and one remained unanswered. The problem was that there was a catch to that acceptance. I would have to, in their words, "make the gay couple a straight one" in order for it to truly be accepted and considered worthy for publishing. I always knew that there were going to be things I would have to change but I had never thought it would be something that would change an entire story. I wanted to be thrilled but couldn't be; the fact that I couldn't do things the way I wanted totally shattered me.

    I always knew the writing world was going to be competitive and that there were going to be things that people loved and hated but it never really hit me until that point that there were people who weren't going to be given a chance because of what they wrote. From then on I knew that I would never go back to traditional publishing. I was a control freak and I was proud of it; I wanted a hand in each and every part of the production of each project I was a part of and I wasn't willing to negotiate on that. I went on writing for years and in June 2012 I self-published a novella, Despair & Decision, through Amazon's KDP. On 10^th September I'll be releasing my first book, Secrets Clad in Light in just a few months of self-publishing. It's been an adventure and I'm still learning as I go along but it's easily the best decision I've made. As long as I keep doing things this way I can keep writing in the way that I've always loved; honestly. 

If you want to get a hold of Kyra Gregory here are some links you might be interested in:

Blog 

Twitter 

Amazon

Interview with Jennifer Kitchens (Author of A Lady By Any Other Name)

Today I have the pleasure of sharing my interview with Jennifer Kitchens, author of A Lady By Any Other Name. I am currently quite swamped with reviews so I won’t be posting a review on this novel but I couldn’t resist sharing the interview with you. I always find it so interesting to hear about the different writing experiences of authors, how they come up with the ideas, what their favourite books are etc. So without any further ado, check out the interview below!

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a stay-at-home mom who loves everything to do with romance. Growing up in California I started my obsession with regency romances by borrowing books from my grandmother who adores them. I left home for college and found my own true love. We now have two wonderful little boys and I spend all my free time (which isn’t much) either reading or writing romance novels.

Why did you decide to become a writer?

To be honest, it was a suggestion by my husband. I would often make up stories in my head, whether they be sequels to books, alternate endings, or the like. He suggested I try to write a book of my own and I tried it. Only recently after when I put in focused effort to work on and complete this story did I realize just how much I enjoyed it.

How long did it take you to write A Lady By Any Other Name?

That’s a complicated question. I know, it seems like an easy one, but I had a stilted experience writing. I started writing it about four years ago and worked on it on and off for a few months. Then I had our second child and the book got put on the back burner…or maybe back in the pantry – for a while. About eight months ago, long after I started reviewing books, I decided to pick up my own manuscript once again. So in total it took about a year of fitting it in between raising my kids and running a review blog to complete the book.

What was your main inspiration to write A Lady By Any Other Name?

My husband was my biggest supporter in writing period. But for this story itself…I wanted to write something fun and sweet and exciting that I would let my daughters (if I ever have any) read. I wanted to give them an example of a clean romance that was an enjoyable book. I hope someday to have a daughter who can grow up to read it. Until then, I’ll have to be satisfied with other people’s daughters reading it. J

If you could sum Nicole Farrington into five words, what would they be?

Kind. Naïve. Impetuous. Resilient. Sweet.

What is your all-time favourite book and why?

This is a terrible question (especially for someone who is also a book reviewer). I’d have to say The Twelve Days of Christmas by Regina Scott. I love Christmas stories and the balance between the romance and reality is wonderful. I love the give and take of the relationship. Simply sweet!

What were your main challenges in writing your first novel?

I had a hard time not getting discouraged. I often would end up putting it down for days or weeks at a time, losing focus or feeling like it would never be good enough. Thankfully I had a wonderfully supportive husband who was always there to read through the chapters and tell me to keep going. I also struggled to figure out how to write from a male perspective – another thing my husband helped me to figure out.

What is your advice to new authors and aspiring writers?

Keep going. Whatever stage you’re in – outlining, writing, editing, re-editing, finalizing, publishing, etc –don’t give up. If you keep at it, you will get to the end.

What do you do in your spare-time when you’re not writing?

Reading. J As a book reviewer, I spend hours reading new books. But aside from all that…I love experimenting making gourmet jams (I have a cookbook out with some of my favorite recipes), spending time with my kids, and just plain being with my husband. Late nights at home with my hubby are the best – playing monopoly, watching bad movies, eating the sweets we told the kids they couldn’t have, and just keeping the romance alive.

Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans and readers?

Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you check out my book. Let me know what you think – I’m always happy to hear from readers and fans.

If you want to read A Lady By Any Other Name Click Below

Amazon (paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)

If you want to read Candy in a Jar (Kitchen's Cookbook) Click Below

Amazon (paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)