Guest Author Olga Núñez Miret introduces #AngelicBusiness

Hi all:

First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters. Reader, don't worry, I'm not here forever, just twisting the arm of your favourite blogger and borrowing a bit of space.

My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, psychiatrist, I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and recently have taken up meditation (mindfulness). (I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time). I'll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but hey…do your worst!).

I've been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller…and a few unfinished works.

Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing, but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I've published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).

I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shapes of Greg. (No, nothing to do with…)

And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?

As I had written the three, I thought I'd publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).

The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they'll go up shortly after publication.

Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.

You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course!

It seems you're in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.

Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17 year old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can't help but ask: Why me?

Excerpt

            “Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia.
             “Oh no, not again” I said.
             “Hi Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…”
             “Let me guess...You’re an angel.”
              I could say he smiled but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority.
             “Yes. I am.”
             “O...K....And...to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort...I could have done with some notice.”
              The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier.
              “It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know...G...”
              “Yes?”
              “I know he told you he’s an angel.”
              I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering.
              “Yes. I also “know” things...In my case it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”

Links

Pink Matters (Angelic Business book 1) - Available from Amazon 

In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:

What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn't lose gracefully.

One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn't know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?

Shapes of Greg is available for pre-order and will be published on the 15th of July.

And last, but not least:

OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but.

However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She'll sort her friends out, she'll help her family and, she'll live a bit. And then, she'll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy.

Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you're gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.

Pink, Angel or Demon? is available for pre-order and will be published on the 30th July.

You can find me in the following places:

Author Website - http://www.OlgaNM.com

On Twitter - @OlgaNM7

My blog is: http://OlgaNM.wordpress.com

I also have a Facebook author page - http://www.facebook.com/OlgaNunezMiret

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/XLnZTo

I am also on Goodreads; Google+; Pinterest (Don't miss my board about angels); Wattpad

Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs! Ah, and thanks to Lourdes Vidal for her covers.

#BlogHop - Meet My Main Character

I have been nominated by Alex Sumner to join the ‘Meet My Main Character’ blog hop. Thank you, Alex! I accept your invitation. Today I will introduce you to Marcus Scott, formerly a minor character in the Redcliffe novels, and now lead character in The Darkness of Love. He turned out to be a rather strong personality, and he would not leave me alone until I wrote his story!

Here he is, Marcus Scott, vampire:

1. Tell us a little more about this character. Is he fictional or a historic person?

Marcus Scott is a fictional character. He is suave, intelligent, slightly cheeky, and it seems he was born to be a vampire. He took to the role very well indeed!  He is tall, with light blond hair and ice blue eyes, and his skin is pale. He is English. Marcus is a wealthy businessman in contemporary Redcliffe, Cornwall, but his story begins many years ago…

2. When and where is the story set?

The Darkness of Love is set in Victorian England, roughly around 1860. Marcus Scott is a stable boy on the lavish Hampshire country estate of his employer, Lord Gregory Stockton.

3. What should we know about him?

Marcus is an intelligent boy, and he has ambitions to better himself as he grows older. At the time this story is set he is 23 years old. He was born and raised on the estate,  he is an only child, and his parents work as cook and gardener for Lord Stockton. The family are deeply devoted to their lord and master, who paid for Marcus and other local children to attend school when they were young.

4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his life?

Marcus falls into a classic romantic trap. He falls in love with the beautiful Lady Sarah Stockton. She is a young woman, a similar age to Marcus, and he develops an infatuation with her. She appears to be very frail and delicate, a proper lady of the times, always obedient to her powerful husband. Marcus convinces himself that she cannot be happy in her gilded cage, and he decides to try and rescue her. Little does he know that his master has other plans for the young man who will become the vampire’s heir. Jealousy, love and passion run amok in The Darkness of Love.

5. What is his personal goal?

In this novel, Marcus simply wants to run away with Sarah, rescue her from her domineering husband, and set up his own business somewhere else in the country. He craves adventure and excitement in his life, and he yearns to experience city life, and to learn about the new industry that is growing at a rapid rate in the British Empire.

6. What are the titles of your novels, and where can we find them?

The Darkness of Love is a standalone historical paranormal romance. Published by Chances Press, it is widely available in both paperback and eBook formats.

Christmas With The Vampires is a Kindle short story featuring Marcus Scott in an Edwardian romantic adventure. It is published by Chances Press.

Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) is book 1 in my contemporary adult paranormal romance series.

Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) is book 2.

Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) is book 3 and concludes the trilogy, although the series is open to development.

All three Redcliffe novels are published by Mirador and are widely available in both paperback and eBook formats.

I have short stories published in Young Adult anthologies Devils, Demons and Werewolves (The Teen Game by Catherine Hargreaves), and The Mirador Fantasmagoria (My New Master by Catherine Green).


7. When can we expect your next book to be published?

I am not sure. My next novel is called The Vampire of Blackpool, but I have pitched it to agents and awaiting a response. I am currently writing a teenage zombie romance novel, a vampire hunter novel featuring angels and demons, and I have started writing book 4 in the Redcliffe series, as yet untitled. There are also a few short stories in progress, all featuring my favourite vampire and werewolf characters, with a few witches and other were animals thrown in for good measure…

If you would like to keep updated on my work you are welcome to sign up for blog updates, or find me on Twitter, Facebook and Google+

And now, nominations. I am going to throw this out there and nominate the following authors to share their characters with us.

Debz Hobbs-Wyatt
Alex Laybourne
Flossie Benton Rogers
Lorraine Reguly

I know you are all busy, so feel free to join in or not as your work schedules allow. Happy hopping!

Four Intriguing Questions #BlogHop

Hello and welcome to my entry for the fabulous frog blog hop! Thank you to Flossie Benton Rogers for inviting me to play…

1. What are you working on now?

My current work in progress is the fourth novel in the Redcliffe series. Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) was published earlier this year and it concluded the initial trilogy when my heroine Jessica Stone met the Mason brothers. Now her story continues, although at this stage anything could happen as she becomes involved with the Redcliffe werewolf pack while trying not to fight with her vampire lover.

2. How is your current WIP different from others in the genre?

Mine are totally British for starters! I find the majority of paranormal romance novels in mainstream avenues seem to be American, which is fine but I wanted something I could relate to as a small-town girl from the North of England. So I wrote something set in Cornwall, which is actually in South West England, but hey-ho! At least my heroine is a northerner who moved down south, and we meet some interesting characters from Ireland as well as the native Cornish folk.

3. Why do you write?

It stops me from going insane with the madness that would otherwise accumulate inside my mind. Well, that and the fact that I can’t help but dream up my own stories in response to books I read and television I watch. It is just natural for me; I have to write.

4. How does your writing process work?

Hmm, I tend to use a method known as ‘free writing.’ I simply sit in front of the computer with a vague idea of my topic/subject/setting, and I just write. Often I have no idea what to expect from my characters, or even where the story is going, but it usually turns out very well. Actually, my characters like to surprise me with random twists and turns, which is very exciting!

To meet some other fabulous authors, check out their Q&A blog hop on 12th December on the following websites…

Alexandra Anthony

Alex Laybourne

Debz Hobbs-Wyatt

What is the Allure of the Supernatural? Hot Paranormal Nights #BlogHop

I love all things ghostly and paranormal. That is probably not surprising considering that I write stories in the paranormal romance genre, and that I am a ghost hunter in my spare time. Yes, I hunt ghosts for a hobby! I love it, although I haven’t indulged very much recently due to having a toddler and a second child on the way. In fact, at the time of this blog hop, my baby is either imminent or newly born…

But I digress. The paranormal, or supernatural world has always fascinated me. As a child I loved reading ghost stories, and my first literary discoveries were Edgar Allen Poe and L.J. Smith. In fact, it was L.J. Smith who set me on the path to becoming a published author, although at the tender age of 17, I was blissfully unaware. Back then I was reading her Nightworld series of books that were newly released in the UK, and I was obsessed! I remember that a boyfriend at the time bought me the whole collection of paperbacks after I read the first one, and as you can imagine, he won major boyfriend points for that gift.

My dad was quite strict about the TV programmes I was allowed to watch, and so I didn’t see many of the classic horror films until I was old enough to rent them from the local video shop. I did, however, watch a British television series called Strange But True. It fascinated me, and told me stories of haunted mansions, ghostly castle ruins, and all manner of unidentified phenomena in and around the UK during the late 20^th century. I think it was that programme that introduced me to Belgrave Hall in Leicester, a haunted house that I was lucky enough to investigate about five years ago. Its reputation did not disappoint!

Returning to books, and I think it is time I shared with you a little of my work. I am currently developing a series of adult paranormal romance novels set in Cornwall, England, collectively called the Redcliffe novels. My debut novel is Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), and for a limited time you can read the entire story for free on Wattpad. The sequel is Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), and the third book is Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

Blurb: Set in Cornwall, England, the Redcliffe novels follow the adventures of bookshop owner Jessica Stone as she unwittingly falls in love with a vampire, becomes entangled with his identical twin brother's werewolf pack, and then discovers she is a witch.

Now for the competition! In honour of this blog hop (and don’t forget to visit my fellow authors to read their offerings), I am giving away a signed paperback copy of my debut novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, I will mail it to you at no extra cost. I am really feeling that generous right now! All you have to do is comment below, tell me what you love about the supernatural world, and leave your contact email address. I will draw a winner at random within 2 weeks (although be warned, my new baby might dictate a slight delay). Rest assured I will respond and interact as soon I possibly can. 

And finally, check out my fellow Paranormal Nights participants on their blogs. Enjoy!