#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--SHELL ORNAMENTS AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM YA AUTHOR LIZ LOROW

Over the years Ashlyn Chase has been on occasional guest here, both as a romance author and as an author of YA magical realism as Liz Lorow. Today she’s here to talk about her newest Liz Lorow book and announce a major career change. Learn more about Liz at her website.   

Live and Let Witch is here! I hadn’t planned on writing this book, but the main character really wanted me to tell her story. Live and Let Witch is book 2 of The Witches You Were Warned About duo. The ebook version of first book, Don’t Mess With This Witch, is currently on sale.

 

I hope you’ll read one or both books and enjoy the mayhem! 

Now, the surprising announcement. This will be my last novel. I am retiring from writing. I’ll need to do something else though, because as much as I love watching HGTV, that won’t keep me occupied for long. I’m someone who needs to do something meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling. I love to decorate shells, and since I live right on the Gulf of Mexico, I have an entire treasure trove of shells outside to keep me busy. 

 

Another idea I had was to make book covers for my Indie author friends. My agent even said they’d commission some for their new venture called Ally, an assisted self-publishing option. Their contact info as well as mine can be found on my website. http://eblorow.com  I made both covers for The Witches You Were Warned About books, as well as some for my Ashlyn Chase pen name. I keep my sexy adult romances separate from my young adult fantasies by using two separate names. It’s a lot to keep track of, but I think it’s important to be clear about what you’re buying. 

Have a fabulous October!

 

Live and Let Witch

The Witches You Were Warned About, Book 2

 

Shy Jenika Jones is a witch and an empath. At only 15 years old, she’s already experienced so much trauma she can’t stand any more.  Her PTSD caused her to accidentally electrocute a fellow student, so now she’s serving time in a magical detention center. No wonder she wishes to become an emancipated minor and lead a simple quiet life.

   

She contacts a spirit willing to help her forge the necessary emancipation documents, if she’ll temporarily switch places with him. Unfortunately, she discovers too late that she’s freed a poltergeist. She manages to escape, but then she has to face the consequences.

 

Fellow Inmate Patrick Hightower fancies himself a modern day Robin Hood. He steals from the rich and gives to his mom. But when Jenika crashes into his life ‘on the outside,’ he has to help her run from magical bounty hunters. After all, she helped him get through magical juvie. Turns out, Patrick’s good looks, bad jokes, and irreverent attitude, are the breath of fresh air Jenika didn’t know she needed.

 

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

AN INTERVIEW WITH ROMANCE AND YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR ASHLYN CHASE/ELISABETH LOROW

Today we sit down for a chat with adult contemporary, light paranormal romance author Ashlyn Chase, who also writes young adult or magical realism as Elisabeth or EB Lorow. Learn more about Ashlyn and Elizabeth and their books at their respective websites.

When did you realize you wanted to write novels? 

I prefer writing novellas, but I’ve had to write longer to satisfy print demands. That’s not what you asked, is it? Okay, I came to writing later in life. I went to art school, nursing school, and didn’t begin writing seriously until I took a screenwriting course in the late nineteen nineties.

How long did it take you to realize your dream of publication? 

From dabbling to epublishing, about three years. From there to traditional publishing with advances, another four years.

Are you traditionally published, indie published, or a hybrid author? 

Hybrid. I'll admit, it's easier to let a publisher take care of all the details and put their money on the line, but it's becoming harder and harder to get those contracts now. Covid 19 has negatively impacted the print publishing world. Big time.

Where do you write? 

I dictate my books on a handheld recorder with a background noise-canceling feature, so the answer is: Anywhere! When the weather is nice, I like to dictate on my balcony while I gaze at the ocean. 

Is silence golden, or do you need music to write by? What kind? 

Silence--or the sound of the waves only, so I can hear the voices in my head.

How much of your plots and characters are drawn from real life? From your life in particular? 

I believe it was Thomas Wolfe who said, “Every novel is an autobiography.” I get that. But sex with vampires and werewolves? Um, no. My characters are never based on real people…unless maybe subconsciously. They come straight out of my imagination.

Describe your process for naming your character?

Mostly I just let a name come to me. (If you haven’t noticed yet, I let my muse do a lot of the work.) I try not to duplicate names. If I come up with a name that isn’t right, the character lets me know. Names come with a personality, especially first names and nicknames. I’ll change the name until I get the right personality. Speaking of that, my young adult pen name was wrong, so I changed it from Liz to Elisabeth or EB Lorow. It just didn't 'feel right' before.

Real settings or fictional towns? 

Real. That’s one of the reasons I like Magical Realism. Previously I set a lot of books in Boston. Sometimes my characters travel, mostly to the Caribbean. I’ve spent a lot of time in both places. 

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?

My nursing days have provided me with loads of health challenges for my main characters, but if you’re talking about something just plain weird, one of my secondary characters in the Strange Neighbors series, Nathan, a shapeshifting Raven, admitted he had a thing for women's armpits.

What’s your quirkiest quirk? 

Ha! I should have seen that one coming, but I didn’t. Okay, let me think… I love the ocean, but I won’t swim in it—ever since watching the TV show Dexter. 

If you could have written any book (one that someone else has already written,) which one would it be? Why?

Outlander. Because…Outlander!

Everyone at some point wishes for a do-over. What’s yours?

Not to marry my first husband. I’m glad I have his daughter, but I wouldn’t have married nor lived with him. 

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People making fun of my accent. Yes, I have a Boston accent. Sheesh! It’s not that funny. There are nine dialects of Boston accent, and I was lucky enough to get one of the classier ones. What drives me nuts is when someone (not from New England) comes right up to my face and announces “Wicked Pissah,” like I would ever say that. Ugh. Never have I uttered those words and I never will. 

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?

A library, a fully stocked restaurant with electricity, and a Genie.  

What was the worst job you’ve ever held? 

Waitress at a French restaurant chain in Boston. La Crepe. We called it Le Crap. 

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

The Big Book of AA. No explanation needed (I hope.)

Ocean or mountains?

If I can’t have both, Ocean wins. 

City girl/guy or country girl/guy?

Small walking city. 

What’s on the horizon for you?

I wish I knew. Or not. That would take the excitement and adventure out of life. But there is one thing… I'm giving all my royalties to my daughter. She picked this really unfortunate time to start her own small business… And I can write for the joy of writing again. Trying to sell, sell, sell really gets in the way!

Anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and/or your books?

I started writing erotic romance, so my early stuff is hot. I removed one or two nasty words and I was mainstream enough to be traditionally published. Now that I’m writing YA as Liz Lorow, there’s no sex. You can find your comfortable heat level whatever that may be. 

The best way to keep updated on my career is to sign up for my newsletters. I hold giveaways and contests for my subscribers. Find links at my websites.  

Don't Mess With This Witch 

The Witches You Were Warned About Series, Book 1

Teen witches in magical juvie, because they really messed up!

Genevieve Howe, a 16 year-old witch, is not a bad kid, she’s just a really lousy witch. Sometimes her random thoughts unintentionally turn into actual spells, causing all kinds of trouble.

Now the administration needs Genevieve’s help to find a student/inmate who escaped. Why her? Because even though there’s something ‘wrong’ with Genevieve, she seems to be able to do what others can’t. If she can find Logan, will she turn him in, join him on the run, or find some other way to help without violating the code of honor among magical misfits?

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

AUTHOR ASHLYN CHASE EXPLAINS THE CREATIVE MIND

Continuing our series on where authors get their ideas, today we welcome paranormal romantic comedy author Ashlyn Chase to explain why the creative mind is different from the “normal” mind. Learn more about Ashlyn and her books at her website. 

Creative minds and their ideas

Are creative people different? The short answer is a resounding YES! I did a lot of research into the subject and found that creative people have actually been studied, measured, and in some cases dissected. With recent inventions like MRIs, there’s more data and less need to be drastic about obtaining it.

Without my notes and bibliography (a lot of paperwork went away when we downsized) I can only report the findings, not the group performing the study—but that’s the part you wanted anyway, right? You can go online for links to the scientific groups and methods used.

There was a Harvard group that discovered the space between the left and right half of the human brain (called the synapse) is wider in creative people. They hypothesized that more information ‘gets in’ because of this. Most people have filters that keep them from becoming overwhelmed. Artists and writers, less so. Many of us will tell you we get overwhelmed and have to go off by ourselves to decompress more often than our ‘normal’ friends.

So, when people ask us where we creatives (20% of the population) get our ideas… Well, we receive a lot of random input that would bounce off a ‘normal’ brain. That’s why you’re so amazed that we come up with some of the bizarre premises and plot twists that wind up in our books. And, guess what? Sometimes we amaze ourselves!

I use this little illustration in my talks. Ed, Sally, and Sherlana visit a furniture store. They all need couches. Ed has a very tight synapse (as most men do.) He’s focused. He quickly spots a couch that looks like it would do the trick. He sits on it. It’s comfortable. He buys it with his credit card.

Sally has a moderately spaced synapse. She looks through the whole store, locates the possible couches that match the size and color she wants. She sits on a few and finally makes a decision. Then she buys it at no interest for a year and gets free delivery.

Finally Sherlana strolls through the store looking for a couch, and stops in her tracks. Out loud, she whispers, “I love that coffee table!” She pictures herself flipping it upside down, padding the seat, making the legs into arms, and hanging it from the ceiling. Pointing to the table, she exclaims, “I can have a couch and a swing!” Then she goes off to the craft store to buy the foam and fabric.

Yeah, Sally and Ed would be rolling their eyes at her. But that’s their problem, right?

Most of us creatives have felt ‘different’ all our lives without knowing why. In the early years it can be painful. Hopefully, by the time we’re adults, we’ve accepted our differences and even embraced them. Writers, poets, artists, and musicians are often prone to mood disorders, like depression. A survey found that 35% of composers suffered from depression at one time. For writers the stats increase to 72%, and for the poor poets, the number soars to 90%.  

What does this mean? Well, at this point I’d caution a creative person to take care of their mental health. Avoid toxic people. Take a mental health day when needed. Be gentle with yourself.

For the rest of the world? Be gentle with a creative soul. They need encouragement and support more than most. If you review, find some kind things to say about their work. Treat them as you would want to be treated—if you had to put up with random sh*t flying through your brain and had to make some kind of sense of it.

Tiger's Night Out 

A light paranomal romance, plus bonus novella

Thirty nine year-old English teacher Haley Hunnicutt is tired of losing out on love to younger women, and she’s not alone. One night she and three single friends perform a magical summoning of immortal lovers—guys who will appreciate mature women.

Jamir and his brother are shapeshifting Bengal tigers. Tasked by the god Vishnu, they have been guarding a sacred temple for three hundred years.

When Haley has a vision in her dirty dishwater, she sees her immortal and he sees her. But she doubts a guy in a loin cloth has an easy way to get to New York. So, a trip to India is necessary—or insane.

There’s only one way to find out…

Buy links

paperback

ebook