Friday, October 4, 2013

The Beast Within Novellas By, Melissa Crowe **Blog Tour**



Title: The Beast Within
Series: The Beast Within novellas #1
Author: Melissa Crowe
Publication Date: 5th June 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Synopsis:
Karina's world is turned upside down when she meets the sexy and mysterious Xavier. Something powerful and sensual is unlocked from inside her that she cannot explain and seems to have little control over.
With Xavier's help, Karina discovers she is a Tuatha De Danann, celtic faeries long thought to have been eradicated. Xavier's insistence on making her believe troubles Karina, what dangerous secret is he keeping from her? Can her ex partner Ian save her before it's too late?
This novella contains violence, and sexual situations which may not be recommended for readers under fifteen.

Buy your copy- 
Amazon - Kindle or Paperback


Title: Haunted
Series: The Beast Within novellas #2
Author: Melissa Crowe
Publication Date: 25th December 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Synopsis:
Karina has now discovered her abilities, but this only puts her in further danger. With a 600 year old lycanthrope thirsting for her blood, Ian must summon the help of his brother Ronan, the keeper of the Spear of Victory, a treasure sacred to the Tuatha De Danann. Can the two Guardians protect Karina, or will her secret ultimately bring destruction upon them all?

Buy your copy- 
Amazon - Kindle or Paperback 


Title: Journey
Series: The Beast Within novellas #3
Author: Melissa Crowe
Publication Date: 20th September 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Synopsis: 
Ian has been summoned by the Goddess Danu to the Otherworld, and Karina will not let him go without a fight.
With a Tutha De Danann that is unable to cross water, getting from Australia to Ireland will make for an interesting journey. Supernatural beings, sworn enemies and the full moon are only half of the risk as they try to cross three continents. Drug smuggling, guerrilla kidnapping and lycans on the prowl will hamper their travels.
Davarus, self-proclaimed King of the lycanthropes is building an army and on the move. Danger faces these forbidden lovers at every turn.
Would you travel to the ends of the earth for the one you love?

Buy your copy-
Amazon- Kindle or Paperback


About the author: Melissa Crowe

I am from Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. I have been a lover of Paranormal and strong powerful women all my life and now am lucky enough to put the two together and share it with the world. In 2009 I started writing and have not looked back.

Author links




Interview with Melissa Crowe
Where are you from?
I am from Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
What inspired you to write your first book?
It was in 2009 and I found a lot of stories I was reading were all starting to sound the same. I thought, what if…. And came up with the idea for The Ivory Series.
Do you write full-time or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with your family/work life?
I work part time, 4 days per week and have 2 young children. My husband works shift work, so is either sleeping or working. Balance writing with work and family is tricky. I don’t really know how I do it. I don’t have a schedule of when I write. It tends to be when the kids are in bed.
How did you come up with the title?
The series title, The Beast Within, represents discovering things about yourself that you didn’t know existed. When you have a life changing event you will find an inner strength and unleash your ‘inner beast.’

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Fight for what you love and believe in.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
The first novella, The Beast Within, started as a descriptive scene assignment for a write course I did. It was only really short and very loosely based on someone I know. They had recently been through a relationship breakdown and come out on the other side a stronger and more independent person. I later decided to extend it and make it a novella.
What books have most influenced your life most?
I recently re-read ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ by Melina Marchetta. I first read it in high school and really didn’t think too much about it, but after re-reading it I fell in love with it. The events that happen to Josie are everyday events for any teen and if I had listened to it more carefully all those years ago it would have made my teenage life much easier.
What book are you reading now?
I am reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series at the moment.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I am starting to read more indie authors, Brina Courtney’s work stands out to me. It is very natural.
What are your current projects?
I alternate between writing The Beast Within novellas and The Ivory Series. So my next project is Awaken, book 3 of The Ivory Series. Then I will start Sacrifice, book 4 of The Beast Within novellas.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
I have connected with a really great group of Aussie/NZ authors and bloggers via facebook. Everyone is so willing to help in any way they can and no one has an ulterior motive. We have one rule, no self-promo, it’s a support group not a promo one. So we are all there for the same reason.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No, I love how Journey has turned out. I was a little concerned that there was too much info for a novella, but I couldn’t think of anything I would cut out or change to make it better.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
The car was dangerously silent as it sped south through the countryside. Karina’s eyes didn’t move from Aedan’s silhouette as he concentrated on the road ahead. Lines of worry were forming around his eyes. In the back with her, Ian and Lorcan drifted in and out of consciousness as Lakeyn drove. How dare he order me around, she thought, and what exactly did he mean by her and Ian meeting our fate?
“Are you going to speak to me or continue to throw visual daggers at me?” He asked turning around.
“Let’s get one thing straight. You don’t order me around.”
“If you weren’t hell bent of trying to get yourself killed then I wouldn’t have to.”
Karina’s mouth dropped open. “I’m not trying to get myself killed!”
Aedan raised his eyebrows. “In the last few hours you have attempted to swim across the North Channel through a swarm of Lion’s Mane jellyfish, tried to slit your wrists, went toe to toe with a lycanthrope and wanted to run into the night, on the full moon, looking for a Guardian.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. “You should have been with me for the last few weeks then.”
He shook his head and laughed. “You are like no Tuatha De Danann I have ever met. I’ll give you that.”
“Until a year ago I hadn’t even heard of the Danann, so excuse me if I don’t conform to protocol.”
Lakeyn let out a deep belly laugh and Aedan joined him. Karina blushed with embarrassment.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find I switch between past and present tense. And I am a comma enthusiast, my sentences run on. It is something that I am aware of so I can work to improve.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Anne Rice has to be my all time favourite author. Her work is so descriptive and detailed.

Excellent. Anne Rice is one of mine too! 
Who designed the covers?
I have a friend of a friend, who is a photography who does my covers. I tell her what I want and she comes to me with exactly that. It is a great working relationship and I know I will always have an original cover from her.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The amount of details/locations since it covers so many countries. I wrote it with an atlas and globe beside me double checking.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I researched The Crusades, one of my characters was “created” during that period of time. I love researching history and finding ways to link then into present events.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
I never really thought about how much work goes into writing a book until I actually did it.
First you need an idea, then you need to research the topic, write, re-write, then write some more.
Cover ideas, marketing, publicity, networking, editing, releasing, all while juggling home life!
Writing is not a 9-5 job, it’s a 24 hour one because idea’s will come to you in the strangest of places.
So be prepared to work hard.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading The Beast Within novellas, I hope you enjoyed them because I certainly had a ball writing them. I like to connect with my readers and get their thoughts. A few of the characters in Journey were actually developed by suggestions from my readers.

What do you think about e-publishing versus technical publishing?
For an author trying to make it, it is a great thing. For the publishing industry, it is a bad thing.
I see so many book stores closing because they cannot keep up with the pricing or convenience you can get online. New authors are pricing their books so cheaply to make the sales (myself included) and get their name out there, that they are pushing out the larger companies. It will be very interesting to see how different things will be in ten years time.
Do you have an agent or publisher? How did you go about finding one?
I did try to go own the traditional path of trying to find an agent or publisher that would take on my work, but was unsuccessful. I love my books too much to take no for an answer so decided to do it on my own. 
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I love where I live right now. I grew up in Wollongong, it is close to Sydney and I live on the coast with beaches on one side of my house and mountains on the other.
If you could have any super power, what would it be?
I would love to be able to read minds. There are a lot of people who tell you what they think you want to hear for fear of offending.

No comments:

Post a Comment