I’m am honored, humbled, and over-the-top excited to be one of the sites who get to announce to the world that my friend, Andrew E. Kaufman, is releasing his brand new novel The Lion, The Lamb, The Hunted. This is one of those books that’s been on the minds and lips of all his fans since finding out that his last novel, While The Savage Sleeps, went #1 on the Best Seller list.

Here’s the synopsis from the man himself:

From Andrew E. Kaufman, author of the #1 bestseller, While the Savage Sleeps…

She only stepped outside for a minute…

But a minute was all it took to turn Jean Kingsley’s world upside down–a minute she’d regret for the rest of her life.

Stepping into her worst nightmare

Because when she returned, she found an open bedroom window and her three-year-old son, Nathan, gone. The boy would never be seen again.

A nightmare that only became worse.




A tip leads detectives to the killer, a repeat sex offender, and inside his apartment, a gruesome discovery. A slam-dunk trial sends him off to death row, then several
years later, to the electric chair.

Case closed. Justice served…or was it?

Now, more than thirty years later, Patrick Bannister unwittingly stumbles across evidence among his dead mother’s belongings. It paints his mother as the killer and her brother, a wealthy and powerful senator, as the one pulling the strings.

What really happened to Nathan Kingsley?


There’s a hole in the case a mile wide, and Patrick is determined to close it. But what he doesn’t know is that the closer he moves toward the truth, the more he’s putting his life on the line, that he’s become the hunted. Someone’s hiding a dark secret and will stop at nothing to keep it that way.

The clock is ticking, the walls are closing, and the stakes are getting higher as he
races to find a killer–one who’s hot on his trail. One who’s out for his blood.

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And for as cool as this is, there’s more. I have had the ultimate pleasure of interviewing Andrew for this prestigious occasion.  I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew in October of last year when he was holding a day-long party and giveaway on Bitten By Books.  I was lucky enough to win an Amazon Kindle, and to meet Andrew.  I cherish both of them to this day.  So when Andrew allowed me to be one of the sites to announce his latest book and to do an interview, I was beyond words.  Here’s Andrew’s interview.  He truly is a one of a kind. 

When did you decide to try your hand at being a fiction writer?
I think it was the first time I held a pen in my hand…or was it a crayon? I honestly can’t remember not wanting to write. It’s innate for me, as natural as speaking, and it always seemed to come easily. As a kid in school, I was horrible at most subjects, just awful, except for writing.

Where do your writing roots lie?
With the crayon. But long after that, I got my bachelor’s degree in journalism, then went on become a television news writer and producer. I worked for the CBS affiliate in San Diego for more than ten years, then went on to Los Angeles. But writing news, I eventually discovered, had its drawbacks where creativity was concerned. I like making stuff up. Can’t do that in news; well, you can, but you won’t be doing it for very long. For me, writing fiction felt like pulling off the chains. After that, it seemed like the sky was the limit.

In your opinion, what are the easiest and hardest aspects of being a writer?
There are no easy aspects—not for me, anyway—not if I want to write well. It’s all hard work; but it’s also liberating and rewarding. The hardest aspect for me is starting with nothing (a blank screen) and then building it into a complex novel. For me, it’s all about adding layers; then once those are in place, it’s a matter of putting puzzle pieces together, ones that don’t always fit. Writing a novel is a complicated process and things can—and do—fall apart at any stage. Keeping a story intact and having a novel that’s cohesive and compelling from start to finish is the biggest challenge for me.

 Do you think your style reflects that of any other writer and if so, who?
I work very hard not to copy or adopt other authors’ styles because I want to keep my voice pure and original. Having said that, it’s hard to write in a vacuum and be unaffected by what one reads. So on some level, whether it be conscious or not, I think we’re all products of our environments. More than likely, I guess, all the authors I’ve read have in one way or another helped shape my writing. When I read a novel, I don’t just read it; I study it. When I see a remarkable piece of dialogue or prose, I take notice. I’m sure that influences me in an indirect way.

Other than being a writer, what is the one thing you’d most like to do in life?
Is there anything else in life? I wasn’t aware   Joking aside, I’ve always wanted to do team roping. My paint comes from a line of roping horses, but I’ve never had the time to pursue it. But maybe some day…

What, in your opinion, is the trick to becoming a best-selling author?
I get that a lot from people, and my answer is always the same: there is no trick, no magic bullet, no secret handshake. It’s a combination of things. For me, I think it was 25-percent writing a marketable, well-written book, 25-percent knowing how to promote it, and 50-percent pure luck. I wish I could take all the credit for the success of While the Savage Sleeps, but I can’t. The credit goes to all my amazing readers who chose to pick it up. I’ll be the first to say that they’re what matter most to me and that I’m fiercely loyal to them.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give to an up and coming author?
Make sure you really want this, and then be willing to do the work; and I mean work. If you want to sell books or even if you want to achieve success within yourself as a writer, there are no shortcuts. And then once you do the work, do more. I’m constantly striving to improve as a writer, and I honestly believe that avenue is an infinite one. As far as I’m concerned there will always be room for improvement, and the minute I stop believing that is the exact minute I fail.

Where would you like to see yourself 10 years down the road?
I don’t even know where I see myself tomorrow! Hopefully still writing and still having people who want to read what I put out there. That’s really all that matters to me. Oh, that and my health. Can’t have anything else without that.

Who were some of your favorite authors in the past?
Gosh. So many of them. I guess the ones that stand out for me are Jonathan Kellerman, Dennis Lehane, and John Sandford.  Those are the books I automatically pick up without even looking to see what they’re about.

What has been your greatest challenge as an author?
Finding my audience and keeping it. It’s so tough right now because the industry is flooded with self-published authors, and there are more books out there than ever before. I feel very fortunate to have received notice this early in my career, but at the same time, I never just assume my readers will stick with me until the end. I feel as though I to have to work hard if I want keep them coming back to me; the only way to do that, I think, is to keep writing better books. That’s always my goal: to improve my craft and get better at it each time.

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I want to thank Andrew for letting me be part of his latest endeavor.  Check out his book, The Lion, The Lamb, The Hunted .  If you’d like, you can check out Andrew’s site and read a little bit of an excerpt of the book before making a final decision.  But knowing my friend and the way he has with words, I don’t think you’ll have any questions about getting this book right now.  It’s available through the Amazon Kindle and ready to be curled up with as you drift off to sleep.  That is, if you CAN go to sleep.  Nighty-night!!!

]]> http://christinesenter.com/lion-lamb-hunted-interview/feed/ 4 http://christinesenter.com/amazon-created-fire/ http://christinesenter.com/amazon-created-fire/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:49:40 +0000 Christine http://christinesenter.com/?p=527 It’s no secret that I love my Amazon Kindle.  I rave about it every chance I get.  But when this new Amazon Kindle Fire was announced, I almost hurt myself.  I WANT ONE!!!!!  I told my daughter that if I somehow manage to get one of these little babies, I’ll give her my other one.  So now she’s dropping hints all over that Mom wants Fire!!!  I just hope no one bought me a lighter for Christmas.  LOL

Anyway, my buddy Justin Germino over at DragonBlogger.com has just announced that he’s giving away 2 Amazon Kindle Fires.  OMG!!!!!  Not just one, but 2 of them.  I’m feeling dizzy already.  And the cool thing is that this is an easy content to get in on.  There are only 3 requirements and the rest are extras.  The requirements are that you follow DragonBlogger and Blog Engage on Facebook and @aidyreviews on Twitter.  That’s it.  If you can do that, you’re in Baby!!!  The extras are pretty easy too.  Stuff like retweeting about the contest (which can be done daily), following Justin on Twitter, and that sort of thing.  Each is a single entry into the giveaway.

But if you really want to hit the big time, do a blog post like this one.  However, if you do this, make sure to add the links for the site’s sponsors.  If it wasn’t for these awesome sponsors, there would be no fire and it’s too cold out there to be without fire.  I’d personally like to thank all the sponsors who helped Justin with this contest.  Not just because it gives me 2 chances to win, but because it’s nice to know that there are still some extremely kind people in this world.  Restores my faith in human nature.

Dragon Blogger Kindle Fire Giveaway Sponsors

These awesome sponsors made this giveaway possible and you should pay them a visit and thank them!

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This contest runs through the 15th of December and the winners will be announced on the 16th.  This way, Justin has a chance to get them in the mail so the winners can have them in time for Christmas.  Not that I’d be giving mine away to anyone else, but I’d sure have fun showing it off to everyone and telling them I got Fire for Christmas.  It’s open to all residents of the US and Canada.  And if you have any questions about how this device compares to it’s Apple opposition, just ask Justin.  He’s been playing with both gadgets long enough that he knows them both intimately.

So head on over to DragonBlogger.com and get your name in the hat.  This is going to be a great contest and there’s going to be 2 people out there in the blogosphere that are going to have a VERY Merry Christmas.

His isn’t your typical first-time author story.  He was lucky enough to have a best-seller with his first book and he’s about to give it another shot.  The reason Andrew’s selling the Kindle edition of his book at such a low price is to prepare for the upcoming release of his latest novel, “The Lion, The Lamb, The Hunted”.  I’ll let you read the set-up that was written by the author himself as I could never do the story justice.  I, personally, can’t wait for this book to come out.

And as a kicker, anyone who buys a copy of While The Savage Sleeps at this limited-time price, will get a sneak peak chapter at part of Andrew’s new book.  I’m seriously anxious to read this new one, as I know the kind of twisted plot lines this man can come up with.  Don’t believe me?  Go get your Kindle copy of While the Savage Sleeps now at this low price and find out for yourself.  This is a scary good deal but it won’t last forever.  But remember, you might want to read this book….with the lights on.  Have fun!!! 

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and take a ride on Ty Johnston’s Blog Tour.  I’m more than happy to be part of this huge event and I want to personally thank Ty for asking me to do this.  And to do the whole “eye for an eye” thing, I’ve decided to do my post in the same way he did his for me.  I had the pleasure of interviewing him.  The following is from the man himself and I do hope you’ll all check out his site, and his new book.

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Fantasy author Ty Johnston’s blog tour 2011 is running from November 1 through November 30. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Johnston/e/B002MCBQRU/ ), the Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/ty-johnston ) and online at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/darkbow ). His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, is officially available for e-books as of November 21. To find out more, follow him at his blog tyjohnston.blogspot.com.

1.) When did you realize that you wanted to be an author?

I honestly can’t remember a time when I did not want to be a writer. Even as a child growing up in the 1970s, I started writing and drawing my own comic books when I was about five. I wrote my very first novel in fourth grade. It would be called fan fiction today, but back then it was just a rip-off story about James Bond. Ha!

I think comic books were a huge influence on me wanting to be a writer, but in ’77 Star Wars came along and that changed everything for me. Also in 1977, I believe I was first introduced to the fantasy genre through a televised Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit. Those elements kicked things off for my speculative genre interests, and turned me towards literature.

2.) Where do your writing roots lie?

Physically, in my home state of Kentucky. From a literary point of view, like many children of the 1970s, I first discovered fantasy through J.R.R. Tolkien and soon after the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games. About 1980 I discovered Sword & Sorcery literature through the Thieves’ World anthologies. I read my first horror novel in the early ’80s, that book being Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, and that opened up new doors to me for how to tell stories, specifically dark stories. The first novel I ever remember reading was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, followed up soon after with The Three Investigators series of novels originally by Robert Arthur.

I’m not sure that answers your question, though it does give an idea of my earliest influences. Over the years I’ve found myself affected by a number of writers, those who I don’t wish to emulate, but who have urged me toward particular themes or topics. Hemingway comes to mind, as does Truman Capote, Alexandre Dumas, and Steven Erikson.

3.) What would you say is the easiest part/hardest part of being a writer?

The easiest part? I’m not sure there is an “easiest” part to being a writer. Each task has its own rewards and difficulties. Perhaps it would be interacting with readers and fans. My favorite part of writing is working out the plots in my head, but that’s not necessarily easy.

The hardest part? Answering these questions. Just kidding! Actually, for me, the hardest part comes with rewriting and editing. It’s not that I find editing particularly difficult in and of itself, after all I was a newspaper editor for nearly 20 years (not that that’s the same thing as being a book editor), but by the time I’ve reached the editing stage, I have my latest story out of my system. I told the tale, I know everything that has happened, so it can seem like pulling teeth to have to jump back into a story. If I can set a story aside for a few months, this feeling of tedium is not nearly so strong, but when I finish writing a piece and then jump right into writing, I frankly become quite bored. I need time to put distance between myself and my stories, so I can come to a tale with fresh eyes and possibly different ideas.

4.) Who’s writing style would you say you most closely resemble?

Hmm, that’s a tough one. My style probably leans most toward that of late fantasy author David Gemmell, though I mean in no way to compare myself with his talent. And to tell the truth, while I enjoy Gemmell’s writing, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself his biggest fan. But as a storyteller, I see myself doing (or attempting) a lot of things Gemmell did with his writings.

5.) Outside of writing, what is the one thing you’d most like to do during your lifetime?

Oh, gosh, writing is so much of my life, I can hardly imagine doing anything outside of it. Maybe world peace? Or playing more video games? That’s it. Those are my two options. World peace or video games. I wonder which one is more likely to happen?

To be serious for a moment, I’m not sure I would have a single, major goal for my lifetime. But I do have some interests outside of writing. For instance, I’m off-and-on involved in animal rescue, mostly with abandoned pet rabbits. Though somewhat related to writing, I do study quite a bit of philosophical and religious related works, mostly in relation to history, so perhaps I might wish to accomplish something in that area, though it would likely be writing related.

6.) What is the one piece of advice you’d give to up and coming writers?

Learn to write.

Stop laughing. Or cursing. I’m being serious. I run across too many beginning writers who don’t seem to know the basics of solid storytelling. I see characters who act and speak unrealistically, plots and events that jump all over the place and/or make no sense, and often seemingly little thought given to what lies behind a story, the particular themes to a tale (what an author “wants to say” in any given piece).

I don’t mean to belittle those who are learning or struggling with those basics. Everyone has to learn. But don’t slap something together, especially a first novel, then tell me (and readers) how great it is. It’s quite rare a first novel is solid reading material. Let the readers decide whether something is great or not.

As for learning those basics, one of my favorite pieces of advice is for beginners to study screenwriting. Screenwriting breaks storytelling down into basic formulas, almost like simple math, without the writer having to worry so much about their prose. Once those basics are learned, the rules can be broken.

7.) Where do you see yourself as a writer in the next ten years?

I try to not look ahead further than my next writing project, though I always have somewhat vague, distant goals in mind. I’m working on an epic fantasy series that could eventually contain 40 to 50 novels, so over the next decade I hope to be further along with those tales. Then there are a hundred other novel ideas jumping around in my head, and I hope to have at least a few of those out of my system. One of my difficulties as a writer is that I’m always coming up with new ideas, but I try not to force myself into a strict schedule of what stories to write next. I prefer to finish a novel, then give myself a month or so to figure out what my next project will be, to find what draws my interest.

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I want to again thank Ty for allowing me to interview him and be one of the hosts for his latest book, Ghosts Of The Asylum.  I’m hoping that Ty will be kind enough to furnish me with a full-on press release when the book comes out November 21st so that I can put it up here on my blog for the whole world to see (Ahem, Ty?  Old buddy?  Oh Pal O’Mine?)  But until then, be sure to stop by his site and check out all the other titles he’s got under his belt.  He may come from the days of Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons, but his work is truly a one-of-a-kind.

It’s the first day of NaNoWriMo and my fingers are already numb.  I’m happy to say, though, it’s only the first day and I’ve already put more than 3500 words down for my story.  I’m going to do it this year if it kills me.  I want to be able to say that I won the NaNo challenge this year, and I think what’s going to take me over the line is that the story I’m working on is one that’s been brewing in my head for quite some time now.  I won’t give too much away just yet, but I will say that I’m taking an old fairy tale and giving it a modern twist and seeing it through the eyes of the bad person.  But I’ve only just started, so who knows where the characters will end up taking me before it’s all said and done.

This is my 5th year of NaNo, though I’ve only managed to make it through to the end once before.  And that story is lying on my hard drive somewhere, just waiting for the day I pull my head out of my back-end and get it polished up.  It’s an interesting story and I’m sure if I worked on it a bit, I could turn it into something worth having published.  Trust me, I’ve read enough e-books in the past year to know that mine isn’t nearly as bad as some I’ve read.  But then again, it’s nowhere near as good as some I’ve read.  But if I continually compare my writing to that of those who I think are beyond my own scope, I’ll never have the spinal column to put one of my own out there.  And I’m not talking about authors like Stephen King or John Grisham.  They’re way beyond my range.  But I have read a few newer authors who blow my work out of the water.  I’m talking about authors like Andrew E. Kaufman and Ty Johnston.  Seriously, these two gentlemen are some of the best authors I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and virtually meeting.  Check them out, read their books, see what I mean.

I’ll try to do regular updates throughout the month.  With doing this, my regular thing at Blog Engage, my real-world job, and still being a mom/wife type person, this could be a very busy month.  But truthfully, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

If you’re doing NaNo this year, add me to your buddy list.  You’ll find me listed as CRSENTER.  Happy Writing Kids!!!!!

One of my duties at Blog Engage is to do a weekly column called What’s Your Niche.  It a little thing where I come up with various ideas on blog topics that have the possibility to make a profit, but I try to avoid the Make Money Online venue all together.  In last week’s column, I came up with the idea of doing the Paranormal niche.  And it really seemed to go over quite well.  So well that I even got excited about it and that’s how Para-Mythic came to be.

So, my goal is to see where I can take this site from Halloween to Halloween.  Even though I’ve already gotten the site set up and a couple posts up and running, I’m not going to call it official until Halloween.  Then I want to see how it goes within the next year.  I know it’s all going to be on me to make it or break it, but I’d really like to see this one take on a life of it’s own.  I’m kind of proud of this one, and very excited too.

So please feel free to stop by and let me know what you think of the place, if you have any requests for future posts, or if you have any suggestions or advice.  I’m really hoping that even though I’m starting this endeavor around Halloween, I’ll prove that this is a subject that works all year round.  Time will tell.

Miss me????  I know it’s been a month and a half since my last post but I’ve been on such a whirlwind ride that I’m just now getting time to catch my breath.  Between my new job at Blog Engage, trying to keep up with my other writing clients, trying to read an e-book or two in there somewhere, and still stay on top of my real world duties, I’m seriously thinking that I’ve lost at least about 87 hours.  LOL

So what else has been happening?  Well, I am in the process of getting ready for NaNoWriMo 2011.  That’s right boys and girls, it’s almost time once again to speed write our way into the record books and pound out 50,000 words in 30 days.  It’s a good thing we don’t have to have a working ready novel in that length of time, just a good first draft that could possibly be turned into a serious work of literary art.  Well, into a half way descent e-book anyway.  LOL  I have the basis for my book ready to go and a basic outline of my characters.  I can’t write any part of the story until 12:01 am on November 1st, but I can get all my ducks…er, characters in a row beforehand.  I’m hoping that by being somewhat prepared that I’ll have a shot at hitting the finish line again this year.  I’ve done it only once before, but I really want it this year.  I’m hoping to make this one into a real book before it’s all said and done with.

Also, as of this coming Monday (October 17th), I’m on vacation.  Okay, my real world bosses (husband and wife team) are taking their vacation, which means those of us who work under them will be on a forced vacation.  Oh darn.  It might sound like I’m throwing a pity-party (yeah I know, oh poor baby.  Have to sit home and do nothing but play on the puter for 2 whole weeks), but the truth is it will kind of suck.  I have to sit at home while my bosses go on their annual jaunt to Bermuda.  Oh well, I hope they have a good time and enjoy their vacation.  I know I will as my son who’s in the Navy is getting to come home during that exact same 2 weeks.  Now that was a gift from God himself.

As I said above, I’ve been trying to squeeze in a few e-books here and there, but I do have say one thing.  On one of my last posts (in August), I’d mentioned that I’d been given the chance to read and review a book by Heather Cashman called Perception.  I have to admit that I have been unable to finish this book.  Not because it sucks, because I cried 3 different times in the first part of this book.  My problem is that once into the middle of the book, it just drags on.  I’m not good with dragging on.  I’m like the little kid who goes for a walk in the woods and sees a bunny half way through.  I gotta follow that bunny and I’m probably going to get lost.  I will say this though, if you enjoy stories that have to do with a person having the ability to see the world through the eyes and thoughts of their animal companion, then I highly recommend Heather’s book.  It’s a very long book, but the characters are very realistic and there’s some killer scenes in the first half of the book.

Well, that’s all for now.  Hopefully I’ll get around to getting more posts done now that I’m getting into a regular swing of things.  I’ve got a few more e-books downloaded in the Kindle, so as time goes on, I’ll try and get a couple reviews posted for your amusement.  Until then, happy writing and remember, when the going gets tough…get a bigger hammer!!!!!  CIAO!!

But, with this being a pretty big deal, I’ll be spending a lot of time one the site.  This isn’t just some site needing someone to keep up with things, this is an actual paying gig that requires me to do some actual work.  I can dig it.  That means no more playing around with the giveaway girls, or at least not as much.  I’ll still be checking out some of my more favoritest places and of course, keeping up with the book stuff and talking about fiction.  I still have a book to finish for Heather Cashman, which by the was has made me cry 3 different times and I just over half way done.

For those wh0 have never heard of Blog Engage, it’s an amazing place where bloggers come together and check out each others posts.  Blog posts are submitted to the site and other members vote on them.  If a post gets 11 or more votes, it becomes a published piece and that’s where everyone wants to be.  It’s fun and it can bring a lot of traffic to your blog.  The site also has their own blog, which is where I’ll be doing my thing.  There’s a lot of valuable information on this site, all geared toward helping our fellow bloggers.

And don’t worry, I won’t be giving up on giveaways altogether.  I would have a meltdown if I could enter a book giveaway or 2.  I’ll keep you all up to date and I still have my own sites to run.  Won’t be giving up on those either.  So stick around and see what we can cook up.  This is going to be a fun and bumpy ride, but that’s what makes it so interesting.

This is a wonderful resource for writers of all genre.  There are places where fiction writers can sit and discuss their upcoming books, places for non-fiction writers to discuss the topics of the day, and a place where they can all hang out together.  There are links to various paying writing jobs, links to writing contests, and links to places about grants and awards.  If it’s got anything to do with writing, it can be found on this forum.

The gorgeous lady behind AWF is one of the very first writers I had the pleasure of meeting online, Michelle Devon.  She is an amazingly talented woman and has a killer sense of humor.  Michy (Michelle) refers to herself as a freelance writer, author, poet, and professional dreamer and I think that last one is something we can all relate to.

If you’ve been looking for a place to hang out with other writers who’ve been where you are, and are where you once were, this is the place to go.  Even if you’re tired of talking about writing and just want to hang out, there’s plenty of room at the Accentuate Writers Forum.

As you sit and try to come up with various story ideas, think about your real life.  Not the good parts where everything comes together as it should, but the parts that just totally suck.  Use them as fodder for your story lines.  So you didn’t get the promotion at work you wanted and it went to the guy who never seems to know what’s going on.  Use that as a base for a story.  Why does he always come out smelling like a rose?  Why did he get the promotion?  What are the forces behind his odd behavior?  Don’t stop to think about plot, just write and go for it.

This can be applied to just about any aspect of our lives.  We all know that sometimes, life just sucks.  But rather than hold it in or take it out on those around us, use it to your advantage.  Write out a story where you win and the rest of the world loses.  For a change you could be the one who gets the promotion, the guy/girl, and an award winning story in the end.