Brandi Leigh Hall, author of The Birthright Series.

Hi All,
Today I'm joined by writer, Brandi Leigh Hall for a quick interview! Meet Brandi and learn more about The Birthright Series, her paranormal, NA stories.

1.       Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Is there anything you wish someone had told you?

I guess that would have to be to NOT over think it too much—and write what's in your heart—not what the current trends demand. With my first book, I belonged to several groups, had different crit partners, all of different genres than what I wrote. Most of the advice I was given probably worked well for traditional romance and erotica, but it wasn't the best for my sweet story. I constantly dissected my book based on their thoughts, and in the end, my story lost a lot of its heart. So now, I write the way I "want" to, and tell the story that needs to be told. Which is also a big part of the reason why I chose the "Indie Author" path. I like being my own boss, without feeling pressured to write a certain way.

2.       Have you ever read a book that you expected to enjoy but didn’t or, vice versa, read a book that you didn’t expect to enjoy and fell in love with it anyway? Which book?

Absolutely! THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE trilogy by Laini Taylor. I bought it because I loved the cover, but when I first started it, I had a really tough time getting into it, the way she jumped around from character to character. I've always struggled with books that have strange creature/world names; I have trouble following. But...fortunately, I stuck with it and absolutely fell in love with the series. In fact, I'm in the middle of book 3 right now.

3.       What is your favorite board game? Card game?

Hands down, Scrabble! I play it all the time.

4.       When writing, do you share chapters with friends or beta readers as you go or do you keep your projects secret until they are complete?

Oh, heck yeah! My mother is ALWAYS my first beta reader. Usually, every few chapters I'll print them out for her. Or if I do a chapter I'm really excited about, I give it to her immediately. My mind never stops coming up with new plot twists, so I HAVE to run them by her before the anyone in the real-world sees it.

5.       Please share a favorite line from your newest book.

Here's a line from TANGLED (A BirthRight Novel #3), due out this December.

"Death has a way of making you realize—how desperately you want to live."

6. Do you have any hidden talents?

Well, it used to be singing. But somewhere along the way I think I became tone-deaf...lol. No joke. So hidden talent NOW? Hmmmmmmm...well, my family calls me "The Cat Whisperer", does that count? lol

Brandi Leigh Hall

Genre: "Sweet" NA Urban Fantasy

 Brandi Leigh Hall is a YA and NA author, whose stories lean towards the sweeter side of romance. Her novels combine magical elements with real-life issues, strong female characters, semi-old-fashioned men, and family values, woven together and told from an organic and emotional, first-person perspective.

Growing up in a haunted house in Central PA inspired Brandi's fascination with the paranormal, so it only made sense she'd write Urban Fantasy for both teens and adults.

Brandi lives in central Pennsylvania with her fur-ball cats (Onyx and Klepto), where she spends most of her time attached to her laptops, reading books, appeasing her sweet tooth, and watching TV for inspiration.

AUTHOR LINKS

Blog: www.BrandiLeighHall.wordpress.com

Website: www.BrandiHall.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrandiLeighHall

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/BrandiLeighHall

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/BrandiLeighHall

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7325602.Brandi_Leigh_Hall

Email: BrandiHallAuthor@aol.com

THE BIRTHRIGHT SERIES

https://www.facebook.com/ABirthRightNovel

Two Hearts. One Prophecy. Entwined Together By Destiny.

TETHERED (A BirthRight Novel #1)

No matter how you try to fight it—Destiny has a mind of its own!

Returning home to her Wiccan roots wasn’t quite what nineteen-year-old Chloe Bishop had in mind for summer break. But when fate makes other plans, Chloe is forced to face her unwanted magical abilities—the destiny she never knew existed—and the handsome stranger who is somehow tethered to both.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1fOcKQE

B&N: http://bit.ly/1hfl5xq

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1i93Mig

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1cKmEEb

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18627447-tethered

 

TEMPTED (A BirthRight Novel #2)

What if the very thing to save you—is the one thing beyond your reach?

Torn between the two men who have fallen for her—and the evil who wants to possess her—twenty-year-old Chloe Bishop can no longer remember the fatal vision which threatens her future happiness. But when the magical link is severed between Chloe and her Wiccan family, they must find a way to save her, before temptation leads her into darkness—and into the welcoming arms of Mr. Wrong.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/Rkb4qY

B&N: http://bit.ly/1oxtscn

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pkwa4O

iTunes:  http://bit.ly/1loxxz3

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20486768-tempted

TANGLED (A BirthRight Novel #3)

Release Date: December 2014

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20887833-tangled

Interview with Anya Breton & Excerpt from The Sorceress Screams.

·    Hi Friends! I have the lovely and talented Anya Breton on the blog today. She answered some of my silly interview questions and brought an awesome excerpt from her new release, The Sorceress Screams. 

  The Interview

 

          Concerts can be very expensive, who do you think is worth the splurge?

Weird Al. Seriously, I wasn’t a fan until I bought tickets for my guy. But Al’s concerts are like watching a string of his videos in person. He came out wearing a fat suit for his MJ cover of “Bad”. I’m showing my age here, but hey *shrug*

·         If you could learn to prepare (cook, bake, etc.) any dish as well as the restaurant that makes it best, what would it be?

Red Lobster’s Shrimp Scampi…back when it was super buttery.

·         When writing, do you share chapters with friends or beta readers as you go or do you keep your projects secret until they are complete?

Generally they’re secret until they’re complete. I’ll sometimes share the title, and maybe a tagline as a tease.

·         What is your favorite board game? Card game?

Scene It? (The DVD game) I’m a total IMDB fanatic so I’m not bad at that game :)

·         How do you choose your character names? Do you ever change their names mid-process?

I draft the character’s main traits and then look for names that fit them. Mostly it’s a “gut” kind of thing. I have to like the name since it’s going to be all I see for however long I’m writing and editing the story. One important thing is ease of typing it! I tend not to choose odd spellings for that reason. And I lean toward names that could have several nicknames.

As far as the last part, yes. I wrote the entire Sorceress series and then changed the sorceress’s name (because I’d discovered someone else had written a magical heroine with the same name & nickname).

·         What was your favorite subject at school?

In high school it was English. In college it was art history.

·         Do you have any special talents? (Singing, dancing, juggling, gardening, etc.)

I make awesome holiday fudge ;)

 

Find Anya online at:

Website: http://www.anyabreton.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AnyaBreton
Facebook: http://facebook.com/anyabreton

Book info:
Title: The Sorceress Screams
Series: The Only Sorceress Book 2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 71,500
Heat Level: Steamy
Blurb:

Self-proclaimed sorceress Kora only wants to succeed as a small business owner in Sedona. Her new age shop might not be in the red if a certain beautiful high priest hadn’t blackballed her. Desmond promises to scratch her back if she scratches his. Finally having her loudest detractor on her side is worth any task, no matter how distasteful.

A favor for dear old Mom—the goddess of magic—earns Kora a powerful undead enemy. Only the city’s vampire ruler can help her out of her latest bind. But Maximo’s demands hit a little too close to the heart.

It’s one step forward and one step back toward Mom’s plans for total coven infiltration. But Kora has time, and with her soul in the balance, she has no choice but to succeed.

Buy Links

• Amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Sorceress-Screams-Series-ebook/dp/B00JERG8TM
• Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Sorceress-Screams-Series-ebook/dp/B00JERG8TM/
• Evernight Publishing http://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-sorceress-screams-by-anya-breton/

The Excerpt:

Maximo tilted his head to the right as he sank the chair in a slow bounce. “City ruler’s significant others are generally considered untouchable.”

I drew a loud breath through my nose. Though he probably wasn’t fooling me, I didn’t like the suggestion. Not considering his recent history.

“You killed your significant other.”

“I killed my significant other to save you, Miss Walsh.” His precise pronunciation and stiff frame hinted he was irritated he’d had to speak the words.

I couldn’t refute the accusation. My face heated. I’d be dead or still enthralled if he hadn’t stopped Ascencion. Enthrallment was a fate worse than death. Was I wrong to be disgusted with him?

No, my disgust was because he’d immediately sought me out so soon after his lover’s death. His failure to observe a period of mourning was simply in poor taste.

A little truth might be in order. “And then you came to me the next night. That doesn’t give me warm fuzzies.”

“I will admit that probably didn’t look good from the outside looking in. But you must understand Ascencion and I had been over for decades.”

He stood, moving toward the window behind his desk. Maximo lifted the white Roman shades and gazed into the moonlit garden. His back remained to me as he spoke.

“I asked that woman to marry me ten times in our century and a half together.” He emphasized the number with slow enunciation. “Each elaborate gesture earned me a laugh in the face. She broke my heart more times than I can count. I cared too much to make her stop. When I finally hardened myself to her and her whims, I no longer cared enough to make her leave.” He shrugged. “She kept the house organized. What I didn’t realize was how deeply she’d dug her nails into my business. I’m not sorry she’s gone, Miss Walsh. There was nothing left to mourn.”

His long-winded speech reinforced the words they’d exchanged during Ascencion’s final minutes.

But there was still the little matter of my ring. “How do I know you’re not just trying to use me for the ring?”

He gave a soft laugh. “Like you’re using me?”

“You’re enabling this behavior.”

“I’m taking advantage of something you want, yes. But if you’ll recall, I’ve been after you since Ascencion dropped you in my living room last month. Long before the appearance of this.” He wiggled his pinky where I could see it.

“You were after me?” I couldn’t stop my loud scoff.

“I claimed you as part of my faction so you could stay.”

“That hardly seems like—”

“I asked you to the solstice ball so I could win your date.”

He had been in a bid war with Eamonn Cary for the date. There was one problem with that. “But you let Marino win it.”

Maximo gazed at me out of the corner of his eye rather like the woman in his painting. “Because Ascencion wouldn’t have allowed anything else without hurting you.”

His girlfriend had joined the bid war shortly after him. I recalled that much. And I recalled thinking she’d torture me if she won.

But he still had my ring.

What leverage would I have if I agreed to his terms for safety from Nadir Khan? And was I honestly thinking of dating a vampire? I didn’t know the first thing about dating! Trip had scared every potential beau off for as long as I could remember.

But Trip was avoiding me. Two weeks was an age for him. Had he finally given up his obsession? Or had the gods finally done something to keep him away from the Mortal Realm as part of his punishment?

Shaking myself, I focused my attention back on Maximo. “I need my ring back. I can’t agree to anything until that’s settled.”

He fully faced me, rubbing his fingers over the thin strip of hair coating his jawline. “Yet if I return it to you, you’ll have no incentive to remain with me.”

“I would as long as Nadir Khan was a threat.”

His indulgent smile returned. “The ring will be an anniversary gift.”

The only anniversary I’d ever observed was my birth. But I could handle his demand if it were for a short time. “A month?”

“Like all anniversaries it would be a year, Miss Walsh.”

My jaw dropped open. “You’re not serious! I’ve never had a boyfriend in my entire life! There’s no way I’ll last a year! I don’t know the first thing about how! I really need that ring! You can’t do this to me!”

Maximo was in front of me before I’d noted the movement. I gasped through quaking lungs. His hands slipped around my waist, drawing me against his fresh lavender and warm sand scented chest before I knew what hit me. And then he kissed me with an urging press of his cool lips against mine.

He dug a hand into my hair, holding me still. My temperature lifted as he deepened the kiss with a sweep of his tongue through my lips. The eerily cool temperature should have been disturbing, and yet it wasn’t. I hardly noticed it as the soft muscle swirled and teased along the inside of my mouth. It had been so long since a man had held me that I was nearly helpless to fight my desire.

This was the kind of embrace that preceded something far more intimate. Yet he eased away, holding my gaze with his deep-set dark eyes. Together our chests rose and fell far heavier than they ought to.

“I’ll teach you how.” He stared at my lips. “Rebecca.”

My given name spoken in his softest voice was an unexpected aphrodisiac. I pushed my nails into my palms—the only way to avoid grabbing onto his cheeks for another go. The man could kiss.