MEET BOOK BLOGGER LIS ESPINOZA of Lis Loves Reading!

Deb: how long have you been reviewing and how did you decide on the theme for your blog?

Lis: I have been reviewing for almost 3 years. Starting a blog featuring my love of books just progressed naturally after I started reviewing on a regular basis. I have always loved reading, and sharing my love of reading with others brings true joy to my heart.

Deb: We're so glad you did! What’s the best part of being a reviewer?

Lis: As a reviewer, I absolutely love that I will never run out of new books to read! I thoroughly enjoy opening my mailbox and finding an advanced reader copy (ARC) of a new book for me to review. My bookshelves are overflowing with books I have reviewed and books waiting to be reviewed. There’s nothing better than crowded bookshelves!

Lis' current tower!

Deb: What’s the most difficult part of the ‘the job’? (Maybe the danger from falling TBR piles?)

Lis: I find it hard to decline review opportunities. I want to read and review everything! Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time. Staying ahead of review deadlines can be quite difficult when the responsibilities of life make it easy to fall behind on my reading schedule.
 
Deb: I hear that a lot! What was the last book you read that you couldn’t put down?

Lis: I couldn’t put down The Medallion, by Cathy Gohlke. That book is very emotionally gripping. Ms. Gohlke’s writing is always so beautiful and her novels are extremely rich in history and profound themes.

Author Cathy Gohlke and Lis Espinoza

Deb: The Medallion is a favorite around here and Cathy is so wonderful. I tell people she's just as warm and fun and interesting as you'd expect from her fiction. What keeps you busy or entertained (beyond reading and reviewing!)?

Lis: Beyond reading and reviewing books, I also enjoy staging books in unique photos for my blog and social media. When not reading, I always find happiness in baking sweet, homemade treats to share with others. And during the autumn months, I watch a lot of NFL football games on television.

Lis' Apple Pie - perfect for Sunday afternoons!

Deb:  Your book photos are just lovely! I think that's so much fun to do and yet something I struggle to do. It really takes time to get the setting just right!

Here's an example of Lis's lovely literary photo shoots, or what I call 'Bookstagram' work!  (I LOVE seeing all the creative ways bloggers and reviewers create these kind of images!)

Deb: What is your fiction favorite…setting? Place and time? Genre’?

Lis: My absolute favorite genre is historical fiction, especially novels set in the western United States in the mid to late 1800’s. However, I read and enjoy many other fiction genres including contemporary, Amish, suspense, and YA. I read and review nonfiction too!

Deb: And if that category was all you read, you'd still have a huge number of stories to catch up on!
Which famous person would you most like to text with (contemporary or historical figure!)?

Lis: I would like to text Benjamin Franklin! From all that I’ve studied about him, he was an amazing writer with a tremendous sense of humor and insatiable curiosity. With all of his travels and diverse experiences, his texts would probably be amazing! He was also an avid reader, so we could always text about books!

Deb: What a great thought. I think he'd be a whiz with texting and create his own emoticons. (insert electrical zap of lightning here...)
If you had a rainy afternoon alone to watch a movie what would it be? And what meal would you have delivered if that afternoon included a quiet evening as well? I’m paying with my virtual bank account!

Lis: I would enjoy spending a rainy afternoon watching the 1934 classic film “It Happened One Night” directed by Frank Capra and staring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. I was introduced to that movie in college during a film critique class, and it has remained one of my all-time favorites. If I could watch the movie while eating a big plate of fluffy, buttermilk pancakes topped with butter and real maple syrup, then I would truly be in bliss.

Deb: Oh. My. Yes. It's really hard to top this one. I love it and own it. 

Deb: If you could wiggle your nose and be in your dream career, what would it be? Or are you already living it?

Lis: I aspire to be a published author myself someday. In the meantime, reading, reviewing, blogging, and connecting with authors is truly a dream come true for me. 


Deb: Great! And pushing yourself to keep on a reading and blogging schedule is training for keeping on that writing schedule too. Imagine all the 'training' you've gotten just by reading! I wish you all the best with this and you'll have a lot of people cheering for you!

What piece of advice would you offer reviewers who are just starting out?

Lis brought snacks, so I didn't bother with the pancake photo!

Lis: There are a lot of reviewers out there, and it’s easy to feel insignificant in comparison. So avoid comparing your reviews to others. Just be true to your own style and goals as a reviewer. There’s plenty of space for your voice and your thoughts, especially if you are genuine and relatable.

Deb: Absolutely!! And the Inkwell blog is a great example. Our reviewers have different voices and styles, just like authors, and that's why we love them! 
THANK YOU SO MUCH for being our guest today!

Lis with Author Connilyn Cossette!

For more ways to follow Lis...

Blog: Lis Loves Reading

Facebook: Lis Loves Reading

Instagram: @lislovesreading

Twitter: @lislovesreading

Goodreads: E. Espinoza

Bookbub: LisLovesReading

Pinterest: E. Espinoza

A Visit with Author Teresa Ives Lilly

Deb's guest today is Author Teresa Ives Lilly. Along with a couple of questions, we're highlighting two Christmas novellas!

So, Teresa... What's the biggest challenge to you when working on a story?

    

Teresa: Finding Time.   I can only write between 9pm and midnight and I'm often tired at that time. But, the day hours are spent taking care of my precious five-year-old grandson.

Deb: Five-year-olds can wipe you out! (but so much fun!) 

What would be your ideal Christmas vacation if you won one for your family and or friends?

Teresa: To Colorado in a cabin with all my kids and grandson.

Deb: It sounds wonderful. And cold. :) 

What is your favorite setting and era to write in?

    

Teresa: I used to write mostly historical but I now prefer to write contemporary. I’m enjoying writing stories like Back in His Arms, my most recent contemporary.

Deb: And, I see that Back in His Arms is set in Colorado. That's a great way to make writing a 'mini-virtual-vacation! What are you working on now?

Teresa: I'm writing a mystery to go along with my Harbor Inn, Maine series. It’s really a challenge for me as I’m used to writing romance.  

Deb: Yes, as a mystery writer (when possible), I know that plotting it out--and I don't know anyone can write a mystery without plotting--is a challenge!

Thanks so much for visiting with us, Teresa!

 

Ready for some Christmas Cheer?

BACK IN HIS ARMS

Paris has come to the Lodge at Confluence to work as the event’s coordinator for the Christmas season and fulfill her desire to see the beautiful state of Colorado. The last thing she expected to find was her high school sweet heart Paul Gordon, the only man she ever truly loved hosting a realtors convention at the Lodge.

Will the Lodge’s reputation of being the Hotel of Love (Hotel L’Amore) stand true, when Paris finds herself back in Paul’s arms again?

Available in digital ebook, paperback and audiobook:
Buy Back in His Arms at Amazon

A CHRISTMAS MASQUERADE

A Christmas Masquerade is a heartwarming and inspirational story. Set in the early 20's, a couple from different backgrounds (one wealthy and one poor) are thrown together when they find a sick child. Ryan becomes close to the family and sees in them what he has missed within his own family. Deanna whose father is ill accepts the responsibility for the family and works to help support them. Can a masquerade help them overcome their different backgrounds and bond them together in love?

Deanna and Ryan are working together to care for an ill child, but they come from two different worlds. Will a Christmas Masquerade be able to bring them together?

Available in digital ebook, paperback and audiobook:
Buy A Christmas Masquerade at Amazon

INTERVIEW with Jaime Jo Wright / The Reckoning at Gossemer Pond

Deb: I'm pleased to interview Jaime Jo Wright as she celebrates her new release!

Hi Jaime! Congratulations on all of your success with these fabulous novels. Ace Reviewer Paula Shreckhise and are thrilled to have you visit.

When did you decide to work toward publication, and was there a specific event or book that gave you the push?

Jaime: I wanted to be a published author since I was 13. I’m not sure there was a specific event so much as I just loved telling stories. :)

D: It's great that you had that focus all along!

Besides coffee...ahem...what's the one thing you do for yourself that gives you a much needed "Ahhhh" moment when you really need one?

J: Time with my family. I love our privacy, I love our time together. They are my fuel.

courtesy Pixabay/free download

D: What old classic and recent book release would make the best fictional mashup?

J: OOO wow. Now I’ve gotta think. Probably Last of the Mohicans meets Lori Benton’s Many Sparrows.

D: Oh, I love that idea! One of my favorite eras and Lori Benton is phenomenal. (Maybe she has this in the works?!)

Tell us a bit about your writing process. Do you plot and spend a lot of time with your characters first or do you jump in and let them take you for a journey?

J: I plot a lot in my head. The skeleton of the story is written there, so when I start writing, the framework is established.

D: I want to say 'me too' but now I have to 'write most of it down' at the same time or lose it. Isn't it wonderful to have that story bouncing around in there and nagging to get out on paper (er... screen)?

If we could give you an afternoon of peace and quiet alone, what movie and meal could we provide for you in our secret Inky Cave?

J: I love a good cheesy pizza with everything on it (sans anchovies and olives) and probably a Lord of the Rings marathon.

D: That we can do. And the leather sofas are quite comfy!

D: And lastly, what's next on your author horizon?

J: January 2019, The Curse of Misty Wayfair is released. So I’m super excited for you all to meet the next set of super-ladies: Thea and Heidi as they journey through an old asylum for the mentally insane, and try to resolve their own personal experiences with anxiety and mental illness.

D: I've seen peeks and hints, and posted it as one of my #CatchyCovers / #BeautifulBooks choices.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR the virtual visit.   I can smell the pizza!

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Full Bio: Professional coffee drinker and ECPA/Publisher's Weekly best-selling author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited romantic suspense stained with the shadows of history. Coffee fuels her snarky personality. She lives in Neverland with her Cap’n Hook who stole her heart and will not give it back, their little fairy Tinkerbell, and a very mischievous Peter Pan. The foursome embark on scores of adventure that only make her fall more wildly in love with romance and intrigue. Jaime lives in dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures atjaimejowright.com

Short Bio: Daphne du Maurier 2018 finalist and ECPA/Publisher's Weekly best-selling author Jaime Jo Wright, pens romantic suspense stained with history’s secrets. Coffee drinker by day, and coffee drinker by night.

Social Media Links:

Web site: www.jaimejowright.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaimejowright

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaimejowright

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jaimejowright

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/jaimejowright

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/13916081.Jaime_Jo_Wright

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Jaime-Jo-Wright/e/B01421H0JQ/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

About The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond:

For over a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and Midwestern values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover just beneath the pleasant facade. When a man is found dead in his run-down trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls. As she sorts through the collection, she's wholly unprepared for the ramifications of the dark and deadly secrets she'll uncover.

A century earlier, Gossamer Grove has been stirred into chaos by the arrival of controversial and charismatic twin revivalists. The chaos takes a murderous turn when Libby Sheffield, working at her father's newspaper, receives an obituary for a reputable church deacon hours before his death. As she works with the deacon's son to unravel the mystery behind the crime, it becomes undeniably clear that a reckoning has come to town—but it isn't until another obituary arrives that they realize the true depths of the danger they've waded into.

Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it's too late and they lose their future—or their very souls.

 

THANK YOU Paula Shreckhise, Kristen Crumm and Jamie Jo Wright! 

HERE IS PAULA's REVIEW

Have you read Jaime's debut, The House on Foster Hill? Are you as excited as I am about this new genre with a gothic twist? 
What question would you most like to ask Jaime?

Debra