Review: A Taste of Death and Honey by Sharon Bayliss

From Goodreads:
When Samantha’s parents died, she lost everything. Her home. Her friends. Her hope. Then a life-loving spring witch at the children’s shelter fills her life with light and joy once again.

But like the springtime, Samantha’s happiness doesn’t last forever. Her friend dies violently in front of her, the victim of a mysterious killing spell. Furious and grief-stricken, Samantha resents her own weak spring magic. She doesn’t need life and renewal. She wants revenge…and death.

Homeless and alone, Samantha seeks shelter with her old friends, the Vandergraff family, and finds an unexpected ally in the powerful winter solstice witch, Evangeline. The girls’ anger and eagerness lead them to cast a killing spell before knowing the truth behind Samantha’s friend’s death or the identity of her killer. 

Once the spell is cast, they can’t take it back, and they must fight to stop their own curse before it takes away everyone they love.

My Thoughts:
**I was the lucky acquiring editor for this novel**
A Taste of Death and Honey continues following the story of the Vandergraffs. Samantha returns as well, and starts the story as she witnesses the horrific death of her girlfriend. All of this comes back to haunt Patrick and Evangeline, as it's their fault, although an accident, that the girl died.
We meet spring witches and wizards, as this is a spring based story, and old foes return when the son of Evangeline and Xavier's molester and abuser appears on the scene. Although assumed to be a foe, he turns out to be essential.
This next installment to the series will blow your mind. The emotions and the twists are powerful and unexpected. The family has their loyalties to one another tested, and love shows itself in unexpected and beautiful ways. If you've read the first two books, you definitely need to get your hands on this one... and then wait anxiously for the next!

Cover Reveal: A Taste of Death and Honey (The December People Series #3) by Sharon Bayliss

The time has come!! I'm happy to present the cover of book three in The December People Series, A Taste of Death and Honey. I'm so thankful to Curiosity Quills Press for their amazing work. I think it's stunning! And just the right amount of creepy. What do you think?

This book will grab you by the throat, challenge your mind, and turn your heart inside out. Sharon Bayliss delivers a powerful, emotional punch with her third book in the December People series. - Amy Bearce, author of  The World of Aluvia Series

When Samantha’s parents died, she lost everything. Her home. Her friends. Her hope. Then a life-loving spring witch at the children’s shelter fills her life with light and joy once again.

But like the springtime, Samantha’s happiness doesn’t last forever. Her friend dies violently in front of her, the victim of a mysterious killing spell. Furious and grief-stricken, Samantha resents her own weak spring magic. She doesn’t need life and renewal. She wants revenge…and death.

Homeless and alone, Samantha seeks shelter with her old friends, the Vandergraff family, and finds an unexpected ally in the powerful winter solstice witch, Evangeline. The girls’ anger and eagerness lead them to cast a killing spell before knowing the truth behind Samantha’s friend’s death or the identity of her killer. 

Once the spell is cast, they can’t take it back, and they must fight to stop their own curse before it takes away everyone they love.

A Taste of Death and Honey comes out on 6/9/16!! If you're interested in reading it early and writing a review, please sign up here. And if you're new to the series, you can get caught up by reading Destruction (Book One) and Watch Me Burn (Book Two), both available on Amazon and Audible. 

Thank you for your support!

  

December People Reviews

From Goodreads: 
David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without. 

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children. 

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

Amazon

***Full Disclosure: I was the Acquiring Editor for this book***

Sharon is an awesome storyteller. What I love most about this book is that the characters are so alive and even kind of nuts. They are dark wizards that want to be good, and so struggle with all their might to be good.

Destruction follows David, husband of Amanda, and father of teenagers Jude, Patrick, and Emmy. It's starts when David is called to tell him his long lost children, Xavier and Evangeline, have been found, but their mother, Crystal, has been murdered. He is to take custody of the two teens, that his wife knows nothing about.
When he brings them home, the expected hell breaks loose when his wife is furious about his affair from years before, and their children are furious at his betrayal. But the two new siblings reveal something about them which they didn't know; they are all dark wizards and witches.
The children all start acting out and using their new found powers recklessly.

This story is heartfelt and gripping. It's so human even as the characters struggle with their magical sides. With such a vast cast, Bayliss has done a fabulous job at keeping all their stories real and emotional. Through all their struggles and flaws you feel for them and hope they can resolve their problems.
I can't wait for the next book!

From Goodreads:
David Vandergraff lost his home, his job, and contact with his oldest son, but remains determined to be a good husband and father despite being a dark winter wizard.

His resolve is tested when a flyer for a missing girl--who happens to be a summer witch--begins to haunt him. David believes a spell needs to use him to save her, so he follows the magic's command and looks into her disappearance. His teenage daughter Emmy resents him for caring so much about a random stranger. But when she uncovers some disturbing evidence close to home, she begins an investigation of her own.

David and Emmy quickly learn that the mystery is not only about a missing girl they barely know, but a deeply personal story that impacts everyone they care about. As their world crumbles, they fear the warning may be true—never mess with summer wizards, because the good guys always win. 


**Full Disclosure: I was the Acquiring Editor for this book.**

If you liked Destruction, you're going to love Watch Me Burn. The Vandergraff's are somehow holding together after all the revelations and pain from book 1. Together, they learn and discover more about their powers.
But most significantly, in WMB, we are introduced to summer wizards and the Prescotts, a summer wizard family. When the youngest daughter of the Prescott family goes missing, David feels a magical pull to find her, and soon, so do his children.
Meanwhile, Amanda has secretly been seeing their oldest son who was asked to leave after doing some down right stupid and dangerous things. Amanda is trying to remove the darkness from him, but the side affects are heart wrenching.
The kids are learning more and more about their powers, especially Patrick who finds he has surprisingly powerful abilities. He sees visions of the missing girl, among other things. Emmy goes looking for the missing girl and meets her brother, who she is unsure if she can trust or not since he is a summer wizard, but she is drawn to him anyway.
The plot twists and turns as the family find themselves drawn in, but distracted at the same time. David is desperately fighting to protect his family, while the four kids build stronger bonds and loyalty to one another that could save them.
I couldn't put this baby down! Bayliss takes the December People Series to a new level that you won't want to miss, and leaves you begging for the next installment.

Release, Trailer Reveal, AND Giveaway! Summer Wier is Rocking It!

 

This is a super exciting day! I read this book for the first time over a year ago and loved it! Summer has come a long way since then, and is now getting what she deserves for her had work. This book is a must read, so keep you eyes out for my review to come later this month.

 LINK by Summer Wier 
(The Shadow of Light #1) 
Published by: REUTS Publications
Publication date: September 29th 2015
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

About LINK:

For seventeen-year-old Kira, there’s no better way to celebrate a birthday than being surrounded by friends and huddled beside a campfire deep in the woods. And with a birthday in the peak of summer, that includes late night swims under the stars.

Or at least, it used to.

Kira’s relaxing contemplation of the universe is interrupted when a piece of it falls, colliding with her and starting a chain of events that could unexpectedly lead to the one thing in her life that's missing—her father.

Tossed into a pieced-together world of carnivals and gypsies, an old-fashioned farmhouse, and the alluring presence of a boy from another planet, Kira discovers she’s been transported to the center of a black hole, and there’s more to the story than science can explain. She’s now linked by starlight to the world inside the darkness. And her star is dying.

If she doesn’t return home before the star’s light disappears and her link breaks, she’ll be trapped forever. But she’s not the only one ensnared, and with time running out, she’ll have to find a way to save a part of her past and a part of her future, or risk losing everything she loves.

Dreamy, fluid, and beautiful, Link pairs the mystery of science fiction with the minor-key melody of a dark fantasy, creating a tale that is as human as it is out of this world. 

Available now from Amazon, and other retailers.

About Summer Wier:

Summer Wier is an MBA toting accountant, undercover writer, and all around jack-of-all-trades.  Link is her debut novel and the first in The Shadow of Light series. She has three short stories appearing in Fairly Twisted Tales For A Horribly Ever After and co-authors the Splinter web serial. When she’s not digging through spreadsheets or playing mom, you can find her reading/writing, cooking, or dreaming of the mountains in Montana.

Check out more of YA author Summer Wier on her blog, twitter, facebook, and goodreads.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release: The Black Oracle by Michael Cristiano

Humans, you are not alone.

"Joachim is a hunter in the jungle of a post-apocalyptic Earth. Though generations have passed since the Great Death, something has evolved in the trees beyond the giant glowing mushrooms, mutants that want to see human entrails spread along the jungle floor. And now they've taken Joachim’s wife.

To get her back, Joachim will have to give the leader of these demons something in return: immortality. A creature knows when he is going to die, after all. Plunged into a world of magic and darkness, Joachim must find the only woman who knows where the ingredients are. She is a prophetess known as the Black Oracle living in the realm of Zalm, but she’s a little preoccupied at the moment. She leads a rebellion against the ruthless High Council, and when Joachim seeks her out, he too finds himself consumed by her struggle.

In a story of betrayal, prophecy, and bloodshed, Joachim has ten days to retrieve the ingredients and return to Earth all while evading the High Council’s army, one that wants the Black Oracle and her associates killed — Joachim included."

  “The Black Oracle” is a New Adult post-apocalyptic fantasy novel, and it is available now. You can pick up an eBook copy on Amazon here or a paperback copy here. Check out the excerpt below and join the adventure today.

FIND MY REVIEW HERE!

 

 “Darcie had been sitting in the doorway when he returned to the village not yet two evenings ago. The day had been hot, and Joachim was sweaty and dirty and tired. He lowered his rucksack, and she closed the book she had been reading, one from Baruch’s Old Earth library, like all the others.
“Welcome home.”
He’d spent the last six weeks in the arms of the jungle, the cold, dark, unforgiving wilderness that never truly felt right even on the most beautiful of days. Joachim had hunted in those trees all his life, but nothing compared to Darcie. In her eyes, he was home.
 “How did the great hunters fare?” she teased. “Did you take down three alligators this time? How about an elephant? Will we have enough elephant meat to last us until next summer?”
 “Not quite,” Joachim replied.
 She stood with her hands on her waist. From the back, someone would think that she was upset if not for the expression on her face. She watched him from under her brow, her chin turned slightly downward. She smiled.
 “I missed you,” he whispered as he snuck his hands onto her hips.
 “No, you didn’t.” She smirked. “You and Ben and Trent are like children out there—like young boys. And the jungle is your little paradise.”
 “What if I told you that you are my paradise?” He kissed her neck.
 She snorted. “Oh, please. Think you can just walk in here and woo me with some flattery?”
 “I know I can.”
 Darcie’s arms snaked around him. Her lips were as intoxicating as barley sweetened in the sun, and soon, he lifted her off her feet and pressed her against the wall.
 “Joachim!” she exclaimed. “The neighbors.”
 “There’s no one watching.”
 She laughed and hit him lightly on the chest.
 “How was everything while I was gone?” Joachim asked.
 “Fine,” Darcie said. “Boring.”
 They went inside the dwelling. There was simmering jackalope stew on the stove.
 “Ophelia’s ceiling had a leak last week,” Darcie continued. “A big rainstorm pushed through here, and it ripped some of the roof off. Did you get a storm out there in the jungle too?”
 “Yes,” Joachim said. “I’m not even sure my rucksack is dried all the way through yet.”
 He dipped his finger into the stew. It tasted salty.
 “And how are you?” he asked.
 Darcie played with a lock of her dark hair and bit her bottom lip. She reminded him of the day they married. There had been no parent left to walk Darcie down the aisle, so she walked herself. The whole time she eyed him: shy yet eager. Almost childlike.
 “I’m pregnant,” she said.
 He almost dropped his hand back into the stew. A little boy, she had just called him, alluding to his exhilaration whenever he entered the jungle. And Darcie was right: he often became so energized that he did feel like a little boy—and he felt like one again now. He felt like laughing, like scooping Darcie up and twirling her around. He could feel life bursting through his chest: ravenous innocence and maddening excitement. They’d been yearning for a child for so long.
 “You are?”
 “I found out into the second week of the hunt.” She touched his face. “I skipped my cycle, and I told Jolyne. She ran a test and told me I was expecting.”
 Joachim cried. The hunter was supposed to be brave, but being brave sometimes meant having courage to show his emotions. He wept for her, smiling and laughing through the tears, and she cried too. She spent the night tight to his chest and coiled in his arms like a huntress in camouflaging paints, like a butterfly in a cocoon. Like she was protected by a shield. Joachim wished she were there for him to protect now. She hadn’t mentioned the creatures that evening, and he doubted she even knew that they had come while he was away. But now she was gone, and so he had to be too. If he waited too long, the creatures would keep her away from him forever. If she wasn’t already.”

  Michael Cristiano is a Canadian writer. His relentless obsession with writing began long before he could spell the words 'relentless obsession'.
Growing up in endless suburban sprawl, he spent most of his childhood pretending to be Harry Potter and attempting to get published by the age of thirteen.
 When he isn’t writing or reading, he can be found planning his next backpacking trip around the world. He is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto with studies in Foreign Language and Linguistics. Previously, he attended a Regional Arts high school where he majored in drama. He is fond of all things dramatic. 
Michael currently resides in the Greater Toronto Area, and he is using his years as a twenty-something to establish what he hopes will be a long career in writing.
He works in editing and acquisitions for Curiosity Quills Press, and his freelance work has appeared on websites such as Nexopia, FluentU, and BlushPost.
The Black Oracle, his debut novel, is out now. Like him on Facebook. Follow him on Twitter.

Review: The Black Oracle by Michael Cristiano

From Goodreads:
On a post-apocalyptic Earth, humans are not alone.

Joachim is a hunter. Though generations have passed since the Great Death, something has evolved in the trees beyond the giant glowing mushrooms, mutants that want to see human entrails spread along the jungle floor.

And now they've taken Joachim’s wife.

To get her back, Joachim will have to give the leader of these demons something in return: immortality. A creature knows when he is going to die, after all. Plunged into a world of magic and darkness, Joachim must find the only woman who knows where the ingredients are. She is a prophetess known as the Black Oracle living in the realm of Zalm, but she’s a little preoccupied at the moment. She leads a rebellion against the ruthless High Council, and when Joachim seeks her out, he too finds himself consumed by her struggle.

In a story of betrayal, prophecy, and bloodshed, Joachim has ten days to retrieve the ingredients and return to Earth all while evading the High Council’s army, one that wants the Black Oracle and her associates killed — Joachim included.

My Thoughts:
***Note: I was the acquiring editor for this book***

The Black Oracle follows Joachim, a hunter from the jungles of a post-apocalyptic Earth, as he fights to save his pregnant wife from human eating demons. He must journey into a parallel world Called Zalm to find the ingredients for a potion, one that acts as a ransom to get her back. Joachim must traverse Zalm and return home before the end of the tenth day or his wife and unborn child will be killed.

While he is gone, we simultaneously watch young Rae as he fights to remove the demons from power and free the village from their terror.

This book is action packed and intense. There were parts I was horrified, but I honestly could not put it down. I found myself rooting for Joachim and Rae the whole way, even when they seemed destined to lose. I ached at their losses, and wanted to jump up at down when they succeeded.

The author handles the gore tactfully, while still getting the point across of how nasty these demons are. It's definitely for mature audiences.

All up, an intense page turner. Although not for those who love fluffy bunnies, if you want something that pushes the limits of your imagination and takes you to a unique world with strong characters you will love, this is the perfect book for you.

Anaiah Press Senior Editor: Giovanni Valentino

 Giovanni Francesco Valentino has struggled at the art of writing for four decades against many demons like self-doubt, chronic depression, OCD and severe dyslexia. He has written a few memoir pieces about his life struggles going undiagnosed for more the half his life. He hopes one day to be a famous published science fiction and fantasy author. He is glad to report that at this point in his life, he is happy. All of the credit for that goes to his wonderful wife, Carol Ann, who is the perfect spouse a full 82% of the time.

He is an editor for the Anaiah Press Presence Line. Presence features Adult genre fiction, with a focus on speculative fiction: thriller/ suspense, science fiction, supernatural, dystopian, etc.

He also produces a upcoming humorous anthology series, Alternate Hilarities.

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Anaiah Press.

I just showed up at the office one day with my own nameplate and took a desk. I find that if you act like you belong there, sometimes people just believe you. J

Also, I know Kara Leigh Miller. We have been friends and critiquing partners for years. We’ve worked on editing projects together before like the Alternate Hilarities and Romanic Ruckus Anthologies for Strange Musings Press. So when there was an opening in the Presence line at Anaiah, Kara thought of me.

2.      What does your job entail? 

I mostly make coffee and stop the photocopy machine from attacking people. You should see it. It’s huge. J

And I read the submissions from new authors for the Presence line or any other line if it has a speculative element to it. If I like them, I make a case for why I think Anaiah should take them and I send them up the line to Kara or other managing editors to review. If I don’t, I send out rejections directly to the authors.

I also do content editing with authors we have taken on. Content edits are where the editor goes through your novel and finds all the potholes in the road. This issue range from large things, like pacing or character building, to smaller ones, like keeping track of details like how many front that buildings has or which event happened first.

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an acquisitions editor? 

The power it gives me over other people. Mwahahaha. J

Moreover, I like working with authors. As an author myself, I know what we have to go through to get published. I try to send a little feedback even if I’m rejecting the piece. Sometimes, your story isn’t a good fit for the publisher but you could still fix a few things. I’m happy to make a few notes and even recommend a better place to submit.

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

I think the honest answer to that would get me in trouble. J

No really, I have had many good experiences with my authors. Most of them are smart, open-minded people who understand the value of the feedback an editor can give. My favorite type of author is not the ones that just do everything I tell them do but ones that can convince me, in a professional way mind you, of how their way works.  The editing process is very give and take and it works well as long as there is respect on both sides.

5.      What is the hardest part of being an acquisitions editor?

All that reading. I don’t know about you but I prefer TV. J

Also, I hate getting submissions that obviously do not fit. We are a Christian press. You’re story doesn’t have to talk about God on every page, we pride ourselves on considering any type of faith based work. Still, The Devil can’t be your lead character or the church your main villain.

6.      And what is the best part?

Free donuts at the office and fighting the photocopy machine from time to time. J

My true joy is finding that perfect story and helping a fellow writer become a published author.

7.      What kind of manuscripts do you enjoy and are looking for, and how can an author submit to you?

I’d love for authors to submit bestselling novels that require no editing at all. J

In general, I’m looking for adult genre fiction, with a focus on speculative fiction: thriller/ suspense, science fiction, supernatural, dystopian, fantasy. Unlike other Anaiah lines, Presence is light on romance, and heavy on the spiritual/ emotional warfare.

Specifically, I'm not looking for non-human leads. 

I'd prefer the heroes not use magic heavily, think The Chronicles of Narnia over Lord of the Rings. 

If your fantasy world has multiple gods in it, your story needs to be about your hero bringing the one true God to help them and it needs to be apparent very quickly.

If you have something like this, send a query letter, synopsis and the first three chapters to Giovanni.valentino@anaiahpress.com.

Please paste this into the body of the email as we do not take submissions as attachments.

If I get another virus on my work computer, they might fire me. J

8.      Last question; If you were suddenly struck by lightning/bitten by something/exposed to toxic waste, and ended up with super powers, what would it be and why?

Can I have all of them? Like all at once? J

If I’m stuck with just one, I would like the power to force people to be nice to each other. Flying would be great but I’d rather get everyone to calm the heck down and get along.

Anaiah Press Acquisitions Editor: Mollie Turbeville

BIO:

Mollie Turbeville is a freelance book editor and managing editor at Anaiah Press. She is a blogger, coffee drinker, cat wrangler, and compulsive book buyer. When she’s not reading or tweeting, she’s usually wandering around the city, eating sushi, or at the dog park with her husband and lazy hound dog. There’s nothing she loves more than a compelling story; although, a good potluck meal with friends is a close second.

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Anaiah Press.

Believe it or not, I found out about the opening at Anaiah Press through Twitter. Never underestimate the power of the hashtag (#editingjobs)! I learned about the Christian publishing house online and really loved the idea of aligning my passions for faith and publishing. I was welcomed to the team as a senior editor and am now a managing editor.

2.      What does your job entail?

As a managing editor, I’m responsible for overseeing daily operations of the Adventures, Home School, and Inspirations imprints. I acquire and sort through submissions from authors and literary agents. I perform developmental and content edits for contracted authors, and I maintain positive relationships with each author to ensure a beautiful, clean manuscript. I typically provide multiple passes of content edits and serve as the point of contact throughout the editorial process: touching base on cover art forms, author guides, projected release dates, corresponding deadlines, etc. Most of the magic of publishing a wonderful book is in the details and the ongoing conversations about how to engage and build readership, how to really bring out a character’s voice, or how to expand the tension and improve pacing. Honestly, my job is all about conveying these important details to the author—posing questions for them to ponder as they revise. They are the courageous ones who do the really hard work!

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an acquisitions editor? 

I love those queries that hook me right away, and I love falling in love with a premise. I always say editor-author relationships are a little like dating, and when you find that right match and you’re able to communicate and collaborate, it’s like magic. More importantly, it’s immensely satisfying to see a better product emerge through all of the hard work. I love to see authors come alive and really embrace the challenge of revising. When authors submit their manuscripts to publishers, there’s so much vulnerability—after all, the manuscript is their baby! I never forget that. It takes guts to hand over your creative projects, but it takes real courage and love to keep at it after the third or fourth round of edits and revisions. That’s what I really enjoy most: the privilege of having front row seats to an author celebrating his or her hard work and sharing it with the reading community.

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

Wonderful! Truly, the biggest perk for me is helping an author’s publishing dreams come true. I’ve found that the majority of authors are eager, enthusiastic, and extremely receptive to edits and suggestions. There’s always a bit of tension when discerning what needs to change and what is simply a stylistic preference, but I’ve found that most authors are grateful for the feedback and genuinely want to make their books the best they can be. I love going back and forth with an author on a layer of character development just beneath the surface or a piece of the plot that is still in transition. Seeing that lightbulb go off for the author—and playing a small role in that process—is thrilling. Of course, I would expect a harsher reality for most author-editor relationships. I may be biased, but Anaiah authors are especially lovely to work with. J

5.      What is the hardest part of being an acquisitions editor?

Learning to improve and edit a manuscript while preserving the author’s voice and unique style. As a meticulous editor, I abide by house styles and style guides. I take consistency very seriously. It’s important to know when stylistic preferences are stifling the creative process, and how diverse readers in different genres will react to those preferences. Of course, I also dread sending out rejections. Authors often think editors wait eagerly to send a rejection letter, cackling at their computer screens with their red pens and snarky comments. Not true! Often, I will enjoy a query and see the potential in a manuscript, but ultimately know it won’t be the best fit for the publisher and vice versa.

6.      And what is the best part?

Again, the best part by far is watching that transformation and seeing a better manuscript shine. Once the language is tighter, the character development is deeper, or the plot is richer, it’s like reading a completely different story. Recognizing the potential in a manuscript and seeing all of your suggestions come to fruition is the most amazing feeling.

7.      What kind of manuscripts do you enjoy and are looking for, and how can an author submit to you?

I love character-driven, coming-of-age stories rich with complex emotions and redemptive storylines. At present, we are also accepting completed manuscripts for the Adventures Home School line. We’d love to see faith-based early readers, phonics readers, workbooks, and grade-level appropriate supplemental reading books that can be integrated into regular homeschool and classroom curriculum. To submit to the Adventures Home School line, send a query letter and the first ten pages to adventureshomeschool[at]anaiahpress[dot]com. Please allow six to eight weeks for a response.

8.      Last question; If you were suddenly struck by lightning/bitten by something/exposed to toxic waste, and ended up with super powers, what would it be and why?

Oh, my. This one’s tough. I’d have to say either the ability to freeze and manipulate time—so I could slow moments down to enjoy them or get more work done during the week—or teleportation. Let’s be real; who wouldn’t want to lounge on a remote beach in Thailand for the afternoon and make it home by dinner? 

Gianna the Great

: 

Anaiah Press Acquisitions Editor: Kara Leigh Miller

BIO – Kara combines her knowledge and prior editing experience with a passion for the written word and a love of all things romance. She is a multi-genre published author and an avid reader with eclectic tastes that range from the tame to the taboo. She loves to help her fellow authors recognize their dreams of publication and is very excited about working toward that goal with Anaiah Press. You can connect with Kara on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KaraLeighMiller), Twitter (www.twitter.com/KaraLeighMille1) and on her website / blog (www.karaleighmiller.com) 

1.      Tell us how you came to work with Anaiah Press.

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Executive Editor, Eden Plantz, at a previous publisher (that has since closed its doors). I adored her from the moment we first spoke on the phone, so when the other publisher closed, I was crushed by the idea I wouldn’t be able to work with her or with any of my authors. I was basically out of a job. So, when Eden mentioned this new venture, Anaiah, I jumped at the chance to be able to work with her again! I’m proud to say I’ve been with Anaiah since the day they opened their virtual doors to submissions.

2.      What does your job entail? 

Everything! Okay, maybe not everything, but I do a lot at Anaiah. As Editorial Director, my primary responsibility is to oversee our wonderful staff of Senior and Associate Editors. I help to set release dates and editorial deadlines, and then I work to ensure editors are meeting those deadlines. I’m also very closely involved in the acquisitions process, reading every submission our editors send to me for approval before I send them on to the Executive Management team for the final approval. Of course, I work with my own small list of authors as well, editing their manuscripts. And emails! I answer a lot of emails every day.

3.      What do you enjoy most about being an acquisitions editor? 

Being able to work one-on-one with authors to help make their books shine. There’s nothing better than sending an editorial email to an author and getting a response that drips with excitement. I love it when an author finds a renewed excitement for the book and characters. And seeing the book transform after months of edits, to become something the author didn’t think it could be, something they are so proud of – it’s amazing!

4.      What have your experiences been like working with the authors?

For the most part, they have been wholly positive. Unfortunately, there have been times when an author and I have disagreed about certain aspects of their books. It happens, but I’m always open to negotiations, and hopefully all my authors will say I’m willing to listen to their side of things. There hasn’t been a time I haven’t been able to work out a happy compromise with an author. Then we pick up and move along. No harm, no foul. I have wonderful relationships with my list of authors (and with every other author at Anaiah, for that matter, as I’ve dealt with all of them in one way or another…), but they’ll tell you, I’m not an easy editor. Ha! I make them work. I push them to go above and beyond what they think they can do, and the end result, every time, has been awesome.

5.      What is the hardest part of being an acquisitions editor?

Losing a manuscript! Ugh. This is hands down the absolute worst part of being an acquisitions editor. There have been times I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a manuscript, offered the author a contract, began to formulate in my mind all the awesome things I’d say in my first editorial letter only to get a, “Thanks, but no thanks” email from the author. Those types of emails for editors are akin to a rejection for an author. They’re hard to handle.

6.      And what is the best part?

The excitement of finding that manuscript you absolutely love and actually getting it! There’s something truly thrilling about getting so involved in a book that you read so fast you miss things, and then have to go back and re-read, but being okay with it because it means you just get to enjoy the book all over again. I’ve been blessed enough to find several of these while at Anaiah.

7.      What kind of manuscripts do you enjoy and are looking for, and how can an author submit to you?

I have to have some level of romance in all of my books, otherwise, I have a hard time becoming invested in them. There are always exceptions to this, but I never know what they are until a submission lands in my inbox that grabs my attention. At Anaiah, my focus is on adult, young adult, and new adult manuscripts. If you write non-fiction or middle grade, please see Mollie Turbeville. (http://anaiahpress.com/wishlists.html)

My current wish list includes:

·         Romantic Suspense – I can never tire of this sub-genre, but show me something different and unique. No more bodyguards or police detectives.

·         Contemporary – This is my absolute favorite! I would love to see a story set during camp, whether it be a camping trip, summer camp, bible camp, sports camp.

·         Dystopian

·         Speculative fiction with a heavy emphasis on spiritual warfare – good vs. evil

Overall, I want stories that will make me laugh, cry, cheer, and get angry – preferably all within the same story. Some of the books I’ve acquired and edited recently are perfect examples of what I’m looking for.

Tess in Boots – This book blew me away right from the first page. It put me through a range of emotions that left me feeling a sense of pure happiness at the end.

1000 Stolen Moments – This book is intense and full of so much raw reality and emotion. No matter how many times I went through this book during edits, it always moved me to tears. Just thinking about it now is giving me goose bumps ;-)

Please remember, Anaiah is a Christian fiction publisher, so we don’t allow sex, cursing, religious intolerance of any sort, and all our books must have some level of faith in them. If you have something you think I’d be interested in, send me a query letter and the first three chapters of the manuscript pasted into the body of an email to: KaraLeigh.Miller@AnaiahPress.com

8.      Last question; If you were suddenly struck by lightning/bitten by something/exposed to toxic waste, and ended up with super powers, what would it be and why?

Wow. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever thought about this. Lol. Hmm… I guess it would have to be the power to telepathically translate my thoughts from thoughts to actual words on paper. I constantly have ideas rolling around in my head that I think will make great books or I have visions of scenes play out in my mind, but when I sit down at my laptop to put those thoughts into words, they disappear. I stare at a blank screen, unable to articulate what was such a fab idea in my mind, so I’d love to be able to have my thoughts spontaneously transfer from my mind to paper, without me actually having to type it.

TESS IN BOOTS:

Tess Dougherty plans every aspect of her life right down to the last detail. But she doesn’t plan on running her boyfriend off by bringing up the topic of marriage before he’s ready. And she doesn’t plan to lose her job on the day she’s set to receive a huge promotion, so when her perfect world unravels, Tess makes a new plan: disappear.

Tess packs her bags and leaves her city apartment for a remote vineyard in North Carolina. At first, she’s put off by the slow pace of small-town life in the South. She’s especially irritated by Thatcher, the vineyard’s smart-mouth, dimple-faced farmhand. But she soon begins to appreciate the area’s charm, and Thatcher’s charm, too. She even swaps her trademark heels for a pair of cowboy boots. As Tess spends more time getting to know Thatcher, she finds herself loosening her grip on her old life little by little. Unfortunately, things on the vineyard aren’t as simple as they seem. There’s a secret here, and when the truth comes to light, Tess is forced to reconsider every plan she’s ever made.

            1000 STOLEN MOMENTS:

Can you choose between fighting for your life and fighting for your heart?

When twenty-two year old Emme Sawyer joins a Marine unit heading into Helmand Providence, she focuses on what she does best: keeping her men safe. But, when the unit is hit by an IED, Emme realizes she can’t save everyone. With her humanity on the line, and her faith in question, she seeks comfort from Raven, her commanding officer. Soon, Emme develops feelings that don’t belong in a combat zone, where each step could be your last. 

Raven keeps his emotions locked up tight, never allowing the men to see him sweat. But when Emme joins his unit, all bets are off; and the feelings he thought he left stateside begin to emerge. Knowing that the deserts of Afghanistan are the last place to start a romance, and the United States military’s view on fraternizing; Raven tries to deny his heart. Emme and Raven learn you can’t always choose where love finds you. And that sometimes, you just have to trust in God’s plan