On Conversations: #author Joanne Guidoccio

Please join me in welcoming mystery and paranormal romance author, Joanne Guidoccio to Conversations today! Joanne is here to talk about her new cozy mystery, A Season for Killing Blondes. So be sure and check out the cover and blurb below!

Joanne also has wonderful guest post for us, The Right Character Names, PLUS one lucky commenter will receive a FREE eBook copy of A Season for Killing Blondes!!

Lisa ~
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The Right Character Names
by Joanne Guidoccio

“How attached are you to the name Anna May?”

Sandy Isaac’s question took me and six other members of the critique group by surprise. While I appreciated the suggestions I had received, I wondered about Sandy’s question. Anna May Godfrey is the villain in A Season for Killing Blondes. I had spent several years in Anna May’s company and wasn’t prepared to change her name.

Sandy noticed my hesitation and explained her resistance to the name. Said quickly, Anna May becomes “anime,” a style of animation often featuring themes intended for an adult audience. Two of the other members nodded while five of us merely shrugged. But Sandy’s concern raised several questions in my mind.

How would my readers respond?

Would they make the same connection as Sandy?

Would Anna May’s name suit or hinder her villain status?

A well-chosen name sets the right tone for the character and, in some cases, may even suggest certain physical, emotional, or psychological characteristics. James Bond flows well and suggests excitement and wealth while Scarlett O’Hara conjures up images of plantations and Southern belles. Short one-syllable names like Jane Eyre suggest direct and well-grounded personalities while longer, multi-syllabic names like Anna Karenina and Armand Gamache are often associated with more complex personalities.
I have a preference for certain names, in particular, the apostle names, Luke and Paul. Patricia Anderson, one of my beta readers, pointed out that I had used Paolo, Paula and Pauline for three different characters in the novel. Definitely overkill. I had no problems changing the names of these secondary characters: Paula → Belinda and Pauline → Karen.

While researching, I discovered the following tips:


  • Avoid names that end in “s.” If you give a character a name like Gladys or James, you will have an awkward time when you write the possessive form.
  • Use names to fit the period or ethnic group. I had no problems coming up with Italian names. For the older characters, I borrowed from my mother’s circle of friends. And for the younger crowd, I flipped through my yearbooks.
  • Limit the use of weird or exotic names. Many science fiction and historical romance writers spend considerable time finding unusual names that jump off the pages of their novels. When they indulge their creative freedom and create names, they run the risk of introducing names that are awkward and unpronounceable.
  • Watch the flow with first names and surnames. The first name should not end with the same sound as the last name. For example: Nelson Neufeld. But combining common first names with unusual surnames (or vice versa) can be very effective. Examples: Victor Frankenstein and Sirius Black.
  • Don’t worry too much about the meanings behind names, especially if you have become overly attached to your characters. Lesson learned: Research the names before investing too much time and energy in the manuscript.

When I researched the names of the five principal characters of A Season for Killing Blondes, I achieved a score of 80 percent.

Gilda—golden (appropriate for a nineteen million dollar lottery winner)

Sofia—wisdom (expedient cousin has street smarts)

Carlo—warrior (works well for the chief detective)

Roberto—bright fame (suitable for the well-known local lawyer)

Anna May– Anna means favored by God and, May is often used for girls born during the fifth month of the year.

BTW...I decided to stick with Anna May.


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A SEASON FOR KILLING BLONDES


Hours before the opening of her career counseling practice, Gilda Greco discovers the dead body of golden girl Carrie Ann Godfrey, neatly arranged in the dumpster outside her office. Gilda’s life and budding career are stalled as Detective Carlo Fantin, her former high school crush, conducts the investigation.

When three more dead blondes turn up all brutally strangled and deposited near Gilda’s favorite haunts, she is pegged as a prime suspect for the murders. Frustrated by Carlo’s chilly detective persona and the mean girl antics of Carrie Ann’s meddling relatives, Gilda decides to launch her own investigation. She discovers a gaggle of suspects, among them a yoga instructor in need of anger management training, a lecherous photographer, and fourteen ex-boyfriends.

As the puzzle pieces fall into place, shocking revelations emerge, forcing Gilda to confront the envy and deceit she has long overlooked.







In high school, Joanne dabbled in poetry, but it would be over three decades before she entertained the idea of writing as a career. She listened to her practical Italian side and earned degrees in mathematics and education. She experienced many fulfilling moments as she watched her students develop an appreciation (and sometimes, love) of mathematics. Later, she obtained a post-graduate diploma as a career development practitioner and put that skill set to use in the co-operative education classroom. She welcomed this opportunity to help her students experience personal growth and acquire career direction through their placements.

In 2008, she took advantage of early retirement and decided to launch a second career that would tap into her creative side and utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and Romance Writers of America, Joanne writes paranormal romance, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.

Where to find Joanne...
Website:  joanneguidoccio.com
Twitter:  @joanneguidoccio
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio
Pinterest:  pinterest.com/jguidoccio/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/Joanne_Guidoccio





On Conversations: #AAMBookclub #author Cherlina Works

Please join me in welcoming author Cherina Works to Conversations today! Cherlina is here to talk about her new release, Nothing Can Come Between Us! So, check out the cover and blurb below. And don't forget to check out her bio too, and get to know Cherlina!

Lisa ~
_____________________________________________


Nothing Can Come Between Us

Based on lust and hate, Nothing Can Come Between Us is a page-turning drama laced with sex, drugs, money, and betrayal. After she suffers a broken heart, an evil persona emerges in the beautiful and sexy MeKeisha. Becoming unstable, MeKeisha develops an unhealthy obsession with her naïve best friend’s boyfriend. When a crisis occurs, MeKeisha uses the opportunity to commit the ultimate betrayal, going on a path of backstabbing, deceit, and stopping at nothing to get what she wants. Seeing her childhood friends, Sha’Lena and Dominique, achieve their dreams of musical stardom, adds fuel to the fire and MeKeisha’s jealousy soon boils over. One girl’s life will be tragically cut short. Will they find the courage to end this deadly friendship, or will MeKeisha get caught in her own web of deception?




Cherlina Works resides in Saginaw, MI with her family. Her debut novel, Nothing Can Come Between Us: Well, Maybe a Hater; received the Princeton Literary Review Bronze Standard for Literary Excellence. She is the self-published author of Jewel’s Magical Christmas.

Find the author:
Twitter @CherlinaWorks1

www.facebook.com/cherlinaworks.works

New Release: MOMENT IN TIME

Book 1 in the Summer House series, Moment in Time, is now available!

This summer isn't about dying.  It's about living.  Jenna Traynor has been given her life back.  After two years of chemo and missing out on college life, she is in remission.  Spending the summer working on Nantucket Island is a good place to start life again.  Hot guys everywhere, fun times at the clubs, long walks on the beach and beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the ocean from her back porch. Living life again was the plan.  And then she met Bobby...

On leave from the military, Bobby Callahan needs one thing: a quiet beach to run and train so his leg will get strong enough for him to return to his post.  For the past three years the only thing that made him get out of bed was the military.  He'd joined the service to get away from sympathetic eyes and worried faces.  He didn't count on meeting a girl like Jenna whose thirst for life made him break out of the walls he'd so carefully constructed around himself.  And once he realized she had his heart, he knew he never wanted to let her go.  And then fate stepped in...

This series is a new adult erotica series that contains sexual situations that are not intended for readers under 18 years old.
 

Order MOMENT IN TIME by Lisa Mondello 


http://amzn.to/GUTB3P  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-heart-for-the-asking-a-western-romance-lisa-mondello/1120340189?ean=2940046249910  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/her-heart-for-the-asking  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/her-heart-for-the-asking/id644030766?mt=11  https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=b1nAAgAAQBAJ  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herheartfortheasking-1763130-154.html  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Asking-western-romance-ebook/dp/B0077EGDAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368140011&sr=1-1&keywords=her+heart+for+the+asking

Excerpt:

      “If I leave you, it’ll kill me. If I lose you… It’s not going to matter anymore. I can’t go through that again. So it’s not happening.”
      I realize he’s not talking about just leaving me to deal with this illness all by myself like Jared did. He’s talking about my death, something I have tried for two years to pretend wasn’t going to happen. And the pain he feels isn’t just for me. It’s for Donna and Wyatt.
      “You know, Bobby, it’s inevitable.”
      “I don’t want to hear—”
      “We’re going to end,” I say, drowning out his protest. “You’re going back into the military and I'm going to college. And if not college, then…whatever life has in store for me if this lump isn’t anything to worry about. But the ending…we sort of knew that, didn’t we?”
      The flash of hurt that crosses his face levels me. Then his jaw tightens and I’m confused by the hard look he gives me.
      “Don’t do that.”
      “What?”
      “Don’t pretend that what’s been between us is just some freaking summer fling. It’s not. It may have started that way, but it’s not that. Do you hear me?”
      I can feel the emotion I’ve held back rise in my chest and bubble up my throat until it’s choking me and I can’t breathe. When I open my mouth to speak, a small sob escapes and my lips tremble. “I can’t do this to you.”
      “I can’t do this without you,” he says. “I want this moment, even if it’s awful, Jenna. No matter how much time we have together, I want it. Even if it kills us both in the end. I’m not running away from you. Not now. Not ever.” He chuckles though I can hear the emotion he’s fighting back. “I just dare you to try to keep me away.”

Copyright © 2015 Lisa Mondello, All Rights Reserved

Order MOMENT IN TIME by Lisa Mondello 


http://amzn.to/GUTB3P  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-heart-for-the-asking-a-western-romance-lisa-mondello/1120340189?ean=2940046249910  http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/her-heart-for-the-asking  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/her-heart-for-the-asking/id644030766?mt=11  https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=b1nAAgAAQBAJ  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herheartfortheasking-1763130-154.html  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Asking-western-romance-ebook/dp/B0077EGDAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368140011&sr=1-1&keywords=her+heart+for+the+asking
 

On Conversations: #AAMBookclub #author Christy Lynn Abram

Please join me in welcoming author Christy Lynn Abram to Conversations today! Christy is here to talk about her new release, Little Miss Somebody! So, check out the cover and blurb below. And don't forget to check out her bio too, and get to know Christy!

Lisa ~
_____________________________________________


Little Miss Somebody

It had been a long time since another person treated me with love, respect and graciousness. More importantly, it had been a long time since someone treated me as if I was somebody. The two-year journey that led me to my decision had reached its peak. Something had to go-even if it was me.” Left to fend for herself, Nikki is starved of affection from her mother and the little attention she does receive often results in bruises. Feeling worthless and rejected, Nikki is determined to break free and find life outside of her painful circumstances. At only fourteen years old she boldly decides to embark on a journey to find her father, a missing piece to the puzzle of her life, but along the way she unravels more pain and layers of family abuse, causing her to want to give up. But she won’t give up. Not yet. Not Nikki. Not until she finds what she’s looking for.  But, will Nikki find the love she desperately needs?




After enduring years of childhood abuse and struggling with depression and PTSD for fifteen years, Christy Lynn Abram embarked on a journey to self-healing using holistic wellness as her guide. Now, as a holistic  muse herself, she is an established author and founder of Love Yourself Healthy.

Christy has studied  as a Reiki master, EFT practitioner, reflexologist, massage therapist, and a crystal healer, all of which aided in her discovery of how to heal herself naturally. These life-changing skills also served as the foundation to enhancing her gift as an intuitive healer. She has been recognized by Patricia Mercier, bestselling author of the Chakra Bible, for her knowledge of the chakra system, gemstone healing, and energy medicine.

She also contributes to several online publications on the subject of holistic healing and offers individual coaching, e-courses, and workshops all designed to assist and encourage others on their journey toward a better, fuller life.

Christy also loves to use her gift of writing to help others. In her book Chakra Wellness: 7 Ways to Renew the Total she dives into the seven chakra centers from a mind-body-soul perspective. Readers learn how to discern key issues, heal imbalances, and maintain energetic barriers to eliminate stress and increase their overall well-being.

In her novel, Little Miss Somebody, Christy wears her heart on her sleeve and delivers an emotional tale of love and sacrifice. Based on a true story, Little Miss Somebody will be released in the spring of 2015. To learn more about Christy, her mission, and her books, please visit her at: www.christylynnabram.com.

Find the author:
Website: www.christylynnabram.com
Email: info@christylynnabram.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorchristylynnabram
Twitter: @WholisticMuse
Linkedin: Christy Lynn Abram
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/christyabram
Amazon: www.amazon.com/ChristyLynnAbram
Goodreads: Christy Lynn Abram
 
 
 
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