Thursday, April 28, 2011

Giveaway, Author Interview & Book Review with Author Linnea Hall !!


A MUST READ!

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Recently graduated from nursing school, twenty-one year old Jewell McKean is thrust into her first real job as an ER nurse in a Level I trauma center. She is inexplicably drawn to a young man as he is brought into her ER one night. Unfortunately she is unable to do anything but stand by and watch him die. Distraught by his death, wishing she had known this man she only just met, she sits by his bedside mourning his death as his heart begins to beat again. Collin Sykes knows he should be dead. Soon it becomes clear that his family is keeping secrets from him. To make matters worse, his doctors are keeping secrets from him as well. Collin’s uncle Percy has reasons to keep secrets from his nephew. Once a Templar Knight, he is nearly one thousand years old.
His long life has brought him nothing but pain. His relationships have doomed him to a millennium of heartache, and there are people who want to kill him because of the secrets he holds. Hoping to shield his nephew from the pain of his existence, Percy hasn’t told his nephew what they are. But Percy finds that soon he must tell Collin all he knows, or he will doom his nephew to the very pain he has worked so hard from which to shield him. Separating his nephew from Jewell is only the first step. When Edgar Durand learns of Collin’s death and resurrection he is intrigued. A member of the Obsidian Knights, a religious sect created by King Philip IV of France to prove heresies committed by the Templar Knights, Edgar has been charged with seeking out those who have defiled the Holy Grail and stolen the gift of immortality. The punishment is death by beheading. When Collin disappears, the Obsidian Knights kidnap Jewell to lure Collin out of hiding. Now it is up to Collin to rescue Jewell without losing his head.


My Review: Love Immortal by Linnea Hall

Very Talented author! easy to follow, and no downtime. This book was something different which is great for people looking for a break from the Vamps and Weres. The characters were relatable , very well developed, and addictive. The Plot/Storyline packed with action and romance. Keep you riding the emotional roller coaster and at the edge of your seat the whole ride! The pace was excellent, you will not be able to put down. Don’t judge a book by its cover! This book cover will make you think it is about knights of the medieval times, when in fact the book takes place in modern day. Ending was a disappointment and ONLY be cause the book ended. I hope there will be a sequel. Be cause now I am addicted!
My Rating 5 Stars!!

 

PhotobucketMy Interview with The Awesome Author Linnea Hall

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Well, I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois but now I live in Memphis, Tennessee. I’m a college professor; I’m married and I have a beautiful daughter who loves to read. We have a house full of animals, probably because I am married to a veterinarian. I’ve done a lot of things in my life. I was an actress for a while, I was a lawyer, and I was a software engineer, now I’m a teacher and a writer. I guess I never really decided what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?Well, I have little bits of stories I’ve started throughout my life. I started my first book in junior high. I wrote about 3 chapters and quit. I have a lot of those floating around; partially written books. I had a couple of poems published in our high school poetry journal when I was in … well, high school. Honestly though, writing wasn’t anything that I ever seriously pursued until recently.

What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?I guess what surprised me the most was how complex it is. First you have to find an agent. This is made up of multiple steps. Much like finding a job, you write a query letter – which is something like the cover letter of your resume. Then you send that out with whatever that particular agent requests. Each agent has their own particular requirements. Each one has formatting requests, length requirements, rules…it’s all very complex. In the end; I self-published. That’s a completely new set of rules. There are many companies that do the self- publishing thing and some are just scams. Then all of them offer services. Trying to decide which services are worth spending money on and which are not is a very time consuming process and involves a lot of research and study.

How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
It’s funny. The plot reveals itself to me as I write, and the characters introduce themselves to me through the plot. As each of the characters introduces themselves, I interview them. I find out a little bit about them and I keep the information in an Excel spreadsheet. The main page of the spreadsheet has basic information about the character. Their name, their age, their occupation and their role in the story; for instance, if they are a Templar Knight, or have
a special relationship to one of the main characters. Then on a separate sheet, I have their backstory. A little bit about the character; maybe a bit about their family life, where they grew up, where they went to school, and what they want out of life. I will refer to this periodically throughout the writing process.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Hm. This is a tough one for me. I’m still learning; going to workshops, reading books on good writing, so it’s really hard to nail down. I would say that the most important elements of good writing are strong, well developed characters, and a clear plot. If a writer has flat characters with no personality, or you can’t follow the story, I think that the book will fall flat.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?


Right now I’m working on the sequel to Love Immortal – As you know, in the first book, I kind of left readers on the edge of their seats. My daughter, who is my biggest fan and biggest critic, was quite upset by the ending. I have also read several reviews that indicate a need for a sequel – which is what I had in mind anyway. I started my sequel and had actually written about 100 pages when I realized that the whole premise was flawed and it had to be scrapped. So, I’m working on the second try – which has a similar idea, but a better plot. I can’t let my readers down after all. Ultimately it is going to be a trilogy.

To give you an idea about where the current work is going; Jewell and Collin do find each other again. After all, we can’t just leave them like that, can we? But as you know, there are a lot of people out there that want to find out what make the Infinitas (the immortals) tick. Immortality is coveted by many, and you will be surprised at what some people will go through to save those we depend on the most…. And who will betray those they trust and who will be betrayed.

I’m also working on a textbook for kids and computers.

How did you come up with a story that was such a whirl wind of events?It sounds cliché but it came to me in a dream. No really…I dreamt the first line “The man had been in full cardiac arrest for over a minute but he was still screaming.” And the story just sort of wrote itself from there.

Love Immortal was awesome to read it will leave the reader aching for the next book. How long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?
It actually only took me about three months to write. However, the editing, and proofing, and rewriting, and sitting on it took about another year. The next book though won’t take so long. Once I get that written, it should go to press pretty quickly.

Will we be seeing a following book to this story?Absolutely. The series is a planned trilogy. I’m currently working on the second book in the series. If all goes according to plan, there will be a third.

I just love the men in books. The character Collin I am absolutely in love with. How did you come up with the character Collin?
Well, Collin is actually my husband. Not his name, but he’s everything that my husband is to me; especially when I met him – except for the whole dying thing <grin>. I put a lot of people I know into the characters of the book. One of the reasons that I married my husband is because he was always the perfect gentleman, and definitely very hunky.

I always must ask; if you could pick one actor to portray Collin on the big screen who would it be and why?

PhotobucketThat’s a tough one, because all of the actors I can think of are too old or too young. I asked my daughter and all of the actors she came up with are definitely too geeky looking. I had in mind someone like Ryan Kwanten but he is definitely too old. I would need someone with his rugged good looks, but a younger version.

The world and storyline in this book was so vivid. Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book?Not really. The area where I wrote this book was all familiar for me. This is where my husband’s family lives and I’ve spent a lot of time there so the imagery was very easy to create.

What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book?
I was really excited. A friend of mine from many years ago agreed to draw the cover. He read the book, and captured the juxtaposition of good and evil along with the DNA that brings everything together. I thought that his ideas were really exciting and I thought that the cover would really capture people’s attention. I especially liked the way the DNA strand at the bottom curves up to create a grail. There is a lot of detail in the cover that reveals itself the more you look at it.


Find The Book & Author Linnea Hall At:

Amazon

Youtube

Facebook

Linnea Hall's Blog

Linnea Hall's Website

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1 autographed hard copy (US or Canada Residents Only) to a lucky winner and then 10 free eBooks!!!
That's ELEVEN WINNERS!!




Giveaway

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Example: Two Kindle Editions, Five Nook Editions, and Ten Print Books are being giving away during the contest. But you dont own a Ereader and you want the printed version. Then I would need to
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12 comments:

Denise K. Rago said...

Linnea,

You book sounds so interesting. I am also intrigued by the fact that your opening sentence came to you in a dream. As a self-published author myself who has had many different jobs in her life I can relate to you. All the best and thank you! I would love to win this book!

tears_of_fire said...

This book sounds very interesting and different. I keep finding new books here to add to my wish list. :)

Jamie said...

I'll tell others of your book. I read a lot I'd self-published books....Thanks....Stacy

Anonymous said...

The book sounds awesome I can't wait to read it!

Candy
cgorcsi(at)hotmail(dot)com

Gabby said...

I think that it's kind of neat that you got an idea for your story in a dream you had, because that's how a lot of my stories got started. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person/budding writer that operates that way!

Read Between the Lines said...

I would love to read this it sounds real interesting and I will gladly leave feedback on my goodreads page and FB page as a recommendation.

jawn said...

this is insane!!! i'm a nurse and i'm also 21, what a coincidence! i would love to read this book, it sounds very different and VERY interesting!!!!

lindalou said...

Your book sounds awesome... Paranormals, Templar Knights, ER, lots of secrets to uncover...
Thanks for the contest!
Linda T.
USA
lindalou(at)cfl(dot)rr(dot)com

Unknown said...

Wow, this sounds so incredible! I loved that you take elements from your everyday life and use them in your story. Definitely makes life a little more interesting :) It took you three months to write this? My goodness! It is taking me three months just to think of my next sentence :( (that is sad, but true). I am very curious about this, it sounds breathtaking. Hope I am one of the winners *fingers crossed* Thank you guys for the great interview & giveaway :)

Amy said...

I've always been fascinated by the Knight's Templar mythology. Would love to read this!

Jolene and Family said...

Wow, this sounds like a great read. I love vampires in my books, but what I love even more is something unique that stands out and this does it for me. Can't wait to read this

june111(at)att(dot)net

LinneaHall said...

Wow! I am so blown away by all of the feedback! Good luck to everyone! @Denise - I put your book on my TBR at Smashwords! I can't wait! @Tears - thank you so much! @ Stacy - we sure appreciate it. There are so many authors out there going the self-pub route. @Candy! - Thanks! @Gabby - weird how the mind works isn't it? @Anna - that would be awesome (fingers crossed that you like it!) @Jawn - that is so weird - you don't live in Louisiana do you??? @Lindalou - you are most welcome! Good luck! @Offbeat - don't give up - the sequel is taking a bit longer. Sometimes perfection takes a while... It's worth the wait! @Amy - I love the Templars. I hope to weave more of them through the next two books...@Jolene - my daughter actually introduced me to the genre - I used to be pure knights in shining armor. I'm so glad my daughter is into paranormal! Good luck everyone!

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