Guest Blog: Nessie Strange, Love Least Expected

Ask The Author

Question:

Who is your main character in Love's Not Viral? What do they do, what is their outlook on love and life at the beginning of the story?

Nessie Strange's answer:

Aster Sanderson is the main character and the narrator for Love’s Not Viral. She’s a 24-year-old artist who also works part time as a bartender to help pay the bills. Aster is a spitfire. Free-spirited. She’s kind of a speak first, think later type of gal. And with tattoos, piercings, and light pink hair, her appearance definitely grabs attention.

In the beginning of the story, she’s not overly worried about love and relationships. Sure she’s dated plenty, but she hasn’t found anyone who has really clicked and made her want to commit. Aster loves her independence and following her own rules and schedules. She doesn’t need to be in a relationship. She’s young and still finding her way in the world, but she’s not afraid to march forward and find what she wants. 

I think Aster’s biggest concern is how to find success with her paintings so she can take her career to the next level. Beyond that, she hasn’t planned much for her future. She lives in ‘the now’ and enjoys life on her own terms. She’s not really prepared for something bad to happen.

I enjoyed writing Aster and there will be more of her to come in the future. 

Love's Not Viral is in Love Least Expected:

Twenty-four-year-old bartender Aster Sanderson’s life is turned upside down when drunken Hollywood actor Bradley Stone snaps a picture of her...and tweets to his 12.8 million followers that she's his fiancee. As the internet blows up with the news and gossip flies out of control, she’s left feeling helpless. This has to be a misunderstanding, right? But when the actor in question shows up on her doorstep, it's clear he's unhinged and she soon becomes a prisoner in her own home (literally).

Her savior? Bradley’s handsome—and seemingly normal—older brother, James, who quickly stirs up feelings she never expected. Can they disarm the ticking time-bomb that Bradley Stone has become before any more damage is done? And is their mutual attraction the result of these unusual circumstances...or could it become something more?

~~Love Least Expected, coming February 3, 2015~~

Pre-Order today for only 99¢

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Nessie Strange

Nessie is a Massachusetts native and mother of two who has dabbled in everything from abstract painting to freelance sports reporting. She also loves a good story, whether it’s reading or writing one. Living Dead Girl and Reaper Madness, the first two novels in her urban fantasy Living Dead World series, were published by Etopia press in 2014.

You can visit Nessie at:

her website / Facebook / Twitter / GoodReads / Pinterest

Merry Men Blast -- Guest Announcement

An Exotic Heir
Weaving a web of revenge can be satisfying, but dangerous to your heart.
London society is shallow and cruel, sending Cassandra Renwick running to Calcutta, the exotic seat of the British Raj. It’s a fascinating place filled with interesting sights – including the dark and mysterious Julian Ritchie. But she never thought that an even greater heartbreak could be here in this alien and enchanting land.
Julian has always been discriminated against for being only half English. Embittered, he plots an intricate plan for vengeance with the innocent and lovely Cassandra as his pawn. But he soon finds that payback can be painful for the avenger as well when the threads of revenge unwittingly turn into the silken bonds of love.
Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/15ot59G
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/10hNHhj
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1x2Xbko
Kobo: http://bit.ly/12NiZTE
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1dK08HG
~~~~~~~~~~
A Dandy In Disguise
Can he lose the disguise... and find himself?
St. John Fotheringay-Phipps has nearly forgotten who he truly is. As the dashing, amusing dandy known to all in society as Fungy, he has hidden himself behind a mask of merriment. But he is reminded that there are pleasures beyond society -- when he finds himself feeling responsible for the innocently lovely and fiercely intellectual Rose, the daughter of a famed archaeologist, and her charming, if socially inept, family.
Rose Grace knows that she cannot gamble with her future. She has suddenly been thrust into the role of mother to her two young sisters, companion to her brilliant, distracted father --and family savior.  She needs to do the right thing -- to forget her own desires and quickly find a wealthy husband before the creditors come beating at their door. Then why is she distracted by the foppishly handsome Fungy, who seems so very irresponsible and pleasure-loving?  Surely he's the last person whose advice she should follow!
Buy Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/19dNJuE
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1dIIZjO
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1x2Xewy
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1x2XoUJ
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1diXrAd
All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/1x2XCew
~~~~~~~~~~
Merry Marquis
Through the beauty of music, brings love and the will to live a life lost.
It is only at the pianoforte with beautiful music flowing from her fingertips that Teresa Seton is happy. New to English society, she feels awkward and unsure of herself.  Only the attentions of her handsome neighbor can convince her that she is where she belongs—a stolen kiss proves that he means what he says. But the kiss is witnessed and the pair are forced to marry for propriety’s sake.
Once known as the “Merry Marquis”, Richard, the Marquis of Merrick, now lives the life of a recluse. Finding a beautiful stranger at his pianoforte strikes a chord within him, bringing back feelings he thought were lost with the passing of his wife. He is mesmerized by Teresa and her beautiful music, but can he convince her, and himself, that he can live and love again?
Chronologically, this is the second book is the Merry Men Quartet:
An Exotic Heir
The Merry Marquis
A Rake’s Reward (coming in January, 2015)
A Dandy in Disguise

Buy Links
Amazon: http://bit.ly/MMzon
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1x2XRGz
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1x2YboD
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1x2Ygc0
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1x2YnnP
About the Author
Meredith Bond is an award-winning author of a series of traditionally published Regency romances and indie-published historical paranormal romances. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart”, Meredith’s romance novels include her new Medieval Fantasy series, the Children of Avalon, her Regency-set paranormal romances in the Storm series and traditional Regencies (without magic) in The Merry Men Quartet originally published with Kensington Publishers, of which three have been re-released and the last one will be coming out early in 2015. Meredith also teaches writing and publishing at Frederick Community College. If you want a taste of her class in book form, Chapter One is available at your favorite e-retailer.
Website: Http://meredithbond.com/
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1x2Z54B
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1x2Zjsr
Find other sites participating in this blast: http://booksnpearls.com/current-events/december-27-the-merry-men-quartet-by-meredith-bond-book-blast/

Word Power

Did you ever really think about the power of words? 

We who are writers hold that power. Why with one word we writers can have a character smile, laugh, frown, cry, scream or even live or die. As in, “Ralph lived.” Or, “Ralph died.”

We can make our own worlds. Only us, the writers, see the room, dwelling, neighborhood, town, country where our characters live whether it is placed within the contemporary USA or a Mars colony in 2099. Our room might be a bright blue or a dull slate gray. Springfield, USA might have a street not truly listed on the real Springfield’s street map.

Words are our tools/weapons/brushes and paint. They are our blessings and how we bless others with entertainment and, hopefully, enlightenment. We writers are driven to tell stories because we are blessed with words and the ability to string those words together.

As writers, we can be solitary souls more comfortable with words than with people. That is one way the power of words can work to our detriment. Then there are those wonderful times when we word smiths join together in writing groups or clubs and our words become even more powerful because they are full of cheer, sharing and encouragement for each other.

But the power of words is not limited to writers alone. Non-writers can bestow kind words on family, friends, or strangers which might lighten that individual's life.

Why with one word you--writer or non-writer--can change the world!

Guest Blogger: Nessie Strange, Author of the Living Dead World Series

Welcome to: Nessie Strange on the Reaper Madness Blog Tour

Nessie is a Massachusetts native and mother of two who has dabbled in everything from abstract painting to freelance sports reporting. She also loves a good story, whether it’s reading or writing one. Living Dead Girl and Reaper Madness, the first two novels in her urban fantasy Living Dead World series, were published by Etopia press in 2014.

How did you come to write a series?

When I first started writing Living Dead Girl (book 1), I hadn’t quite planned on sequels, or series. I just had this story in my head that was fighting to get out. It begins with Jen MacLellan, who’s a fairly ordinary young twenty-something woman who happens to have an unusual job: she’s a mortician. She’s kind of going through the motions with life in general--never really challenging herself or venturing out beyond the safe little bubble she’s created. Not to mention, her family takes advantage of her, and her boyfriend doesn’t appreciate her. Basically, she’s stuck in a rut. Then she meets Jack and all that gets turned upside down.

Jack is a musician. He’s a free-spirited, happy-go-lucky type guy. While he’s tattooed and can be a bit of a troublemaker (more of the wise-ass variety) he’s not really what I’d call a typical bad boy. He’s actually a really kind soul. He’s the type of guy who looks out for his friends and the people he cares most about, and with Jen, he finds a partner who has many of the qualities he lacks.

It begins as a hate-to-love, opposites attract type story. The romance between these two builds slowly, but when they do finally get together, their bond grows really strong. They complement each other. Unfortunately, once they find that happiness, tragedy strikes. While it’s harsh, and the things that happen to these characters are terrible, we learn later that this isn’t really the end of things. In this series, death isn’t final--it’s a new beginning.

Living Dead Girl is really a gateway story, because it shows this transition from regular, everyday life to death and what happens after. From book two on, we’re following both Jen and Jack on their journeys through the afterlife. The connections between the characters, as well as their history comes into light, and we learn there is a much bigger picture.

I haven’t decided exactly how many books will be in the series. There will be at least three, leaning more toward four. There is also a book coming from Jack’s POV that begins before and then overlaps some of Living Dead Girl. I look back at when I first started writing Jen’s story, and that first spark of an idea, and I never imagined how complex it would become. I also never imagined how attached I’d become to the characters. It’s funny how that works. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you will follow along on Jen and Jack’s journey.

Living Dead Girl is available at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO / Etopia Press / GoodReads / ARe

You can visit Nessie at:
her website / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon / GoodReads / Pinterest