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The Unfinished Business Series


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Sunday, June 14, 2015

Welcoming Carly Jordynn, Author of Forest of the Mist: Travelers

Today I'm welcoming Carly Jordynn, whose time travel romance is now out with Soulmate Publishing.





Tell us a little about yourself and your writing, Carly.

 I come from a small town in Northern Kentucky. I’ve been an avid reader since elementary school when I got hooked on mysteries. I then went through a historical fiction phase, science fiction/fantasy, and then romance. I discovered young adult and have stuck to it ever since. I write adult, young adult, and middle grade books. All have either fantasy, time-travel, or paranormal aspects. The exception is one of my WIP’s titled The Last Girlfriend.  It is my first adult romance. I hope to have it completed next year.

Do you write full time? 

 I wish I could write full time. That would be so cool. I do have a “day job”. I work for an international freight forwarding company in the accounts payable department.

What are your writing inspirations? 

I get inspired by so many things. Conversations, music, things my daughter will say, a piece of art, an experience. . . there are just so many. You never know when a snippet of conversation will start a whole new storyline.

How did you come to write

I had the flu and was heavily medicated. I had written one book and hid it away. I wanted to write something in the young adult line with a bit of fantasy and time-travel thrown in. The idea for the Forest of the Mist series was born. I wrote the first draft in four months. It’s had a lot of rewrites since, but the final product is out now.

Tell us about the series.

 Book one, Travelers, is on sale now. The second book, Awakening, is due to come out in August.

 Travelers has an ensemble cast, but the main focus is on Lily Lavery. She has the perfect life until the accident that left her orphaned, near death, and in a coma. While in the coma, she encounters an alternate realm known as Paradise Valley. Her adventure begins there.

The second book focuses more on the character of Jennifer Burke Kyle. Jennifer awakens from her coma, only to discover her husband from Paradise Valley is dead, their son has some freaky cool powers that give him accelerated growth and intelligence, and her dead husband has ordered her to marry a complete stranger. In this book we get to know Jennifer’s son, Davy Kyle. He is quite the character and takes over a good part of the story. Book three, Guardians, will be his story.


What project will you be working on next?  

Right now, I am working on book three in the Forest of the Mist series, book two in the Sasha Bishop series, developing a third series based on the Sasha series, and writing the adult romance titled The Last Girlfriend.

Give us some surprising or interesting facts about yourself. 

I know my friends and family will find this hard to believe, but I am a total flirt. Yes, I admit it freely. Seriously, I have a secret desire (guess the cat is out of the bag now) to have a cameo appearance in a movie. Another thing I would love to do is help cast a movie.

When I’m not working, writing, or hanging out with my daughter, I write lyrics for a Christian Rock band. I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but I somehow get the music in my head over to my writing partner (he’s a musical genius who can pick up any instrument and play it.)

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Lily Lavery never dreamed her homecoming night would turn out like this. She never expected to become orphaned, in a coma, and enter an alternate reality, all in one evening. She thought she would arrive at the dance to the cheers of her classmates after being crowned homecoming princess at the big game, dance the night away with her handsome boyfriend, Alex McGuire, and maybe end the night in his arms. Her heart betrayed her when she met and fell in love with Connor O’Brien in the alternate realm known as Paradise Valley. Now she must battle foes in the Dark Land and her own feelings as she struggles to return to reality.








Lily noticed a light up ahead. Her stomach flipped into overdrive. She realized this was it. Her portal. She did not want to go. She did not want to leave Connor or say goodbye to David. Her heart pounded a mile a minute. They drew closer to the oval that entered her room. She realized she could not put it off any longer. She grabbed Connor’s hand and crept forward.

She sucked in her breath when she saw her comatose body lying on the bed. She did not have many tubes stuck in her anymore. She could see the brand on her arm, a dark contrast on her pale skin. She glanced down her legs and noticed with a start that most of her tattoo Robert had put on her had faded. She hoped it would last until she woke again. She let her eyes travel from her body to the occupied chair next to her. Alex was sitting in it. He was holding her hand and rubbing his thumb across her palm. She turned from him to face Connor, who stared at Alex. She knew he was taking in the condition of her body and Alex’s care for her. Connor looked down at her upturned face. “He is still here. I was hoping he would have given up by now.”

David joined them at the opening. “He has been here every day since the accident. He rubs her limbs and stretches her legs for her. He has not given up on her and will not. Alex is a good man. I shall be sorry to see him hurt by what is to come.”

Guilt slammed through her body. How would she tell Alex that she married another man while in a coma? Alex would think she was insane and have her committed to the asylum. She glanced at Connor again, needing the reassurance that he could provide. “How do I explain this to him? He has done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve his girlfriend leaving him.”

Connor stiffened next to her. He took a deep breath. “If it grieves you this much to see him hurt, then maybe we should not be together.”

She gasped. “No! How can you even suggest such a thing? We are married.”

Connor placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “We are married in another world, not this one. Our marriage is not legal in this reality. If you want to be with Alex, I will give you his ring back and you can replace your wedding band with it. I will not try to stop you. I love you too much to see you in pain and I can see that this is hurting you.”

She was frustrated. “How do I make you understand? I care a great deal for Alex. He was a huge part of my life, but you are my husband no matter what world I am residing in. You are the one I cannot live without.”

Connor smiled, his dimples showing prominently. “I know you love me. I am just saying that I will step aside if you wish it. I hope you do not, though.”

She wound her arms around her husband. “You are the only man for me. It will be hard to explain all this to Alex, but I will manage.”


David spoke up, “Your doctor is coming in. You might want to listen to what he has to say.”


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Friday, June 5, 2015

Welcoming Andrew Richardson Talking About His New Release: The Footholder's Tale

As always, I am delighted to welcome Andrew Richardson to talk about his latest Celtic fantasy release The Footholder's Tale. I had the privilege of reading this book from the first draft and was captivated in the first chapter. The novel has all of Andrew's typical hallmarks: vivid settings, exquisite period detail, and an imaginative rendering of myth and legend.

The metaphorical twists begin in the first pages as Math, suffering from his wounds, returns to comfort his former lover during her last days in a bittersweet scene that haunts me to this day--and has inspired me in many romantic scenes I have since written. And at the conclusion of the plot's twists and turns, one's imagination will be captivated by the blend of mysticism and magic in this unique historical romantic fantasy.

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Math, King of Gwynedd will die without a maiden’s magic to soothe his battle-injured foot. In a court rife with envy, greed and cunning, Math must choose a successor. His nephew falls in obsessive love with the beautiful new Footholder and he and his scheming brother plot to win her and at the same time ruin her – a plan which could mean the King’s death.

Will the maiden’s bonding with the king cost her life or can she overcome treachery and save both king and kingdom from being torn apart?

Set in mythical Wales, The Footholder’s Tale, Andrew Richardson’s historical fantasy captures the mystical elements of the times and combines intrigue and classic romance, based on Celtic legends.


Andrew and Carole in Salisbury, UK,  2014


Andrew, how did you come to write this tale?

I’ve always been passionate about Welsh myths, ever since I heard them as a child.  I found them absorbing, and even as a young age I appreciated their subtlety compared with the more traditional English and continental fairy tales I was used to.

My all time favourite story is the tale of King Math of Gwynedd, who must keep his foot in the lap of a maiden, or he will die.  That premise is unpromising, but beneath is a stunning story of love, power, and war.  The story was an obvious one for me to write, and I was delighted when ‘The Footholder’s Tale’ was accepted for publication by Rebel ePublishers.

I decided at an early stage of planning, that the current footholder, Goewin, would be central to my story.  In the legend, Goewin eventually becomes Math’s queen.  So, what do we know about her?
Well, not a lot.  Goewin plays a minor role in the Welsh story so isn’t really ‘fleshed out’.  All we really know about her is that she was the daughter of an otherwise unknown man called Pebin from the Nantlle Valley, was a maiden (obviously), and was the most beautiful woman in Gwynedd.
A few experts in Welsh literature have tried to fill in some of the void, to speculate for example that because her name means ‘strength’ she portrays the strength of womanhood.

In summary, though, Goewin is a shadowy character.  For a writer wanting to write her story that gave me a lot of blanks to fill in, and so a lot of mouth watering possibilities. I decided on a Goewin who was quiet on the outside – maybe even intimidated by her role amid royalty – but with an inner strength.  That made her shy and insecure when she first started holding the king’s foot, but willing to stand up for herself against bullying.  As her character develops and her confidence increases she gains the confidence to shape her own destiny – and at the same time, that of the kingdom.  That’s enough for me in any heroine, and Goewin was a very satisfying one to write.

And for anyone who has not read Andrew's work, his writing is all about those brave, intrepid heroines, this being no exception. 

Good luck with the release. 






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Disclaimer: I have not received any renumeration other than an advance review copy.