Hunting the Egret by Bryn Colvin

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.
‘Hunting The Egret’ is an erotic paranormal tale. Some of the eroticism is quite dark, exploring what happens when a BSM relationship becomes abusive. The book is set in Gloucestershire, England.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.
My central character, Verity, is an odd soul. She doesn’t really connect very well with people and as a consequence pours her heart out to an aged hawthorn tree that grows near her house. However, the hawthorn tree does talk back, and Verity, being a rather magic creature herself, is able to hear that subtle voice.


3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?
The hawthorn tree offers advice and companionship. Verity is a very lonely person, and this gentle voice makes a lot of difference in her life.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?
I tend to write about loners and misfits. The trouble is, it’s difficult to explore a character if they don’t have people to interact with. I needed a few entities my heroine could interact with – aside from her rather peculiar family. The purpose of the hawthorn tree is to give Verity something to talk to in times of distress.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?
Deep affection. However, there’s a lot you can’t do with a tree, and as the Hawthorn itself is keen to point out, she does need human contact as well.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?
It’s not the kind of relationship where there could be problems.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?
No.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?
Not really. Although I am tempted by the idea of writing about dryads, so I might have a more central tree character one of these days.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?
I have one or two friends who are trees. Seriously. I’ve always talked to trees myself. Visually this one’s inspired by a hawthorn I met in the Malvern Hills.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.
For people who find the idea of talking trees hard to get to grips with, please do bear in mind this is a paranormal book, there’s a witch, a goddess, two shapeshifters… in which context talking trees may not seem so odd!

11 - Please provide your website link. http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

12 - What is the link to buy your book?
http://www.loveyoudivine.com/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=28&products_id=337&zenid=e8fb5f33a911b999e381b72512589bd7

Best Friend From The Girl Who Fell

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.
“The Girl Who Fell” is a fantasy novel, set the Forest of Estraguil.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.
Guile has two dear friends, and the three of them play music together, traveling through the forest as bards. Tirol is the eldest of the three and has mentored the younger musicians. He’s stern and serious, and plays an instrument akin to a marimba, but made of bone. Luthian is melfate – neither masculine or feminine, but something else. A talented percussionist with a keen sense of humour and a compassionate nature.


3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?
Guile is very much supported by his two close friends – the three of them support and aid each other.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?
The trio create the musical magic that runs through the very heart of the narrative..

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?
Deep friendship and attachment, which endures even when memory has been stripped away.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?
With patience and a determination to find the right way through any conflict.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?
There are, but I’m not prepared to post any plot spoilers!

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?
No. ‘The Girl who Fell’ is a very self contained book and I don’t plan to revisit any of the characters in it.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?
Not consciously, but the trio bear an uncanny resemblance to the band a friend of mine was in some years ago. The first gig of theirs I went to was very strange – because I knew them and had spent a couple of months writing about them, without having met them. I’d seen a few pictures, but they hadn’t been consciously on my mind when I was writing.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.
Nothing I could add without giving too much away.

11 - Please provide your website link. http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

12 - What is the link to buy your book?
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/TheGirlWhoFell_BrynnethColvin.shtml

The Girl Who Fell by Bryn Colvin

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.

“The Girl Who Fell” is a fantasy novel, set the Forest of Estraguil.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.

Guile has two dear friends, and the three of them play music together, traveling through the forest as bards. Tirol is the eldest of the three and has mentored the younger musicians. He’s stern and serious, and plays an instrument akin to a marimba, but made of bone. Luthian is melfate – neither masculine or feminine, but something else. A talented percussionist with a keen sense of humour and a compassionate nature.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?

Guile is very much supported by his two close friends – the three of them support and aid each other.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?

The trio create the musical magic that runs through the very heart of the narrative..

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?

Deep friendship and attachment, which endures even when memory has been stripped away.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?

With patience and a determination to find the right way through any conflict.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?

There are, but I’m not prepared to post any plot spoilers!

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?

No. ‘The Girl who Fell’ is a very self contained book and I don’t plan to revisit any of the characters in it.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?

Not consciously, but the trio bear an uncanny resemblance to the band a friend of mine was in some years ago. The first gig of theirs I went to was very strange – because I knew them and had spent a couple of months writing about them, without having met them. I’d seen a few pictures, but they hadn’t been consciously on my mind when I was writing.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Nothing I could add without giving too much away.

11 - Please provide your website link. http://www.myspace.com/brynneth_n_colvin

12 - What is the link to buy your book?

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/chapters/TheGirlWhoFell_BrynnethColvin.shtml

Meet the Best Friend from Bloodstone Castle by Mirella Patzer

The Bloodstone Castle virtual blog tour moves on today and we get to learn about the best friend. Mirella Patzer shares information about the best friend and how he helps the heroine...

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.

Bloodstone Castle is the story of one woman, torn between love and duty, caught in a fight to the death between two men determined to possess her and the ancient Roman treasure buried in the caverns beneath her castle.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.

Massimo Baronno is Morena’s best friend. He is almost like a brother to her. When Massimo was a child, his parents were murdered and Morena’s father took him and raised him.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?

Massimo is always there to help Morena and he also helps those he thinks are good like Amoro Dragone.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?

Massimo wishes to pay back Morena and her father for their many kindnesses. So he always has Morena’s best interests at heart.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?

Morena loves and trusts Massimo. He is like a brother to her and has aways protected her.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?

Like any brother and sister, I believe they would quarrel.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?

No, but Massimo sees clearly what Morena is blind to and he tries his best to help her even if she doesn’t think she needs his help.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?

Yes, one day I hope to write a story with Massimo as my hero. But I have three major novels to finish prior to that. So I can’t say for sure, but the thought of writing his story has occurred to me.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?

Yes, Massimo was inspired by my own younger brother for he is also kind and generous and would look after my best interests. .

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.

For now, Massimo played a minor role, but he is intriguing and although he is on the back burner for now, he just might make another appearance one day.

11 - Please provide your website link.

http://www.mirellapatzer.com

12 - What is the link to buy your book?

You can purchase Bloodstone Castle at any of my sites:

http://www.mirellapatzer.com

http://mirellapatzer.blogspot.com

http://bloodstonecastle.blogspot.com

http://bestofitaly.blogspot.com

Or you can buy from Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstone-Castle-Mirella-Patzer/dp/0978486528/

You are encouraged to stop at each blog visit and post a comment for Mirella. Each comment enters you in a drawing for a free print copy of the book at the end of the tour. So, visit Mirella, learn more about Bloodstone Castle and post comments. Mirella looks forward to getting to know her readers.

The Best Friend From Searching For A Starry Night

My Best Friend’s Story

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.

Hi, I’m Samantha Ann Carlton, Sam to my friends.

My bff, Lita Jackson, and our friend’s funny Dachshund Petey help* me locate a lost miniature painting, a real replica of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” in the book, SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT, A MINIATURE ART MYSTERY by Christine Verstraete. The book is coming out in May ’08 from Quake/Echelon Press. www.quakeme.com *(Lita helps; I won’t say what Petey does!)

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.

Lita and I have been friends since we were seven when she moved to Wisconsin from Mississippi. She is taller than me, (lucky her!) and slim, with curly black hair. She hates the curls, I say it makes her look like an Egyptian queen or like that pretty singer, Alicia Keyes.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?

Lita is always a big help to me and tries to keep me out of trouble. That doesn’t usually work, of course!

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?

She keeps me focused. Lita helps us get done faster and sometimes she sees things I miss. Without her, I’d really make a mess out of things! (Not that I don’t anyway!)

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?

I’d feel lost without her. I can’t think of us not being friends. That hits me when Petey digs up an old manuscript. It has funny words on it and what looks like an ancient curse. I told Lita it was no big deal. I didn’t realize at first how much it really freaked her out.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?

I always hope things’ll take care of themselves. Not always a good choice, I learn.

7. What are the problems between the best friend and your main characters?

I like watching spooky movies, but Lita’s a big chicken, so I always tease her. We usually don’t argue, but this time she got real mad at me. She says I’m selfish. I do see what she means about me taking her fears, and sometimes her feelings, too lightly.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?

Lita’s a real star and can do anything she wants. She’d be awesome in her own story!

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?

Lita’s a one-of-a-kind.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.

My friend’s a real bookworm. All kinds of things make her think of some book she’s read. .She likes writing, too. That’s way too much like homework for me. But that’s okay. She’s still an awesome friend

11 - Please provide your website link.

http://cverstraete.com

Sinbad's Last Voyage

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.

It's a story of a man who hates Terrans helping a Terran woman find her husband afer he's been accused of being a spy. It's set against the backdrop of an inerplanetary war.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.

If there's a "Best Friend" in this book, it would have to be Jake the Bartender. He's around thirty, is a Terran. Jake Goldstein runs the Asteroid Cantina, Sinbad's base of operations when he's on Earth, and is one of the few Earthers whom Sinbad actually likes. The Cantina is located in Old Town in the Thieves Quarter and is off-limits to the authorities. The law in Old Town is that "Law Abiders coming into the Quarter can expect to be killed; Lawbreakers leaving the Quarter can expect to be arrested."

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?

Jake arranges false identities for Andi when Sinbad has to help her escape the Federation, he's a master hacker, and he's also the one who handles for Sin's finances. He also brings in Sadie, one of his "girls" to disguise Andi as a hooker in order to help her get out of Old Town.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?

Andi goes to Old Town to find Sinbad and ask him to discover where her husband, who's been arrested as an Alien National and a spy because of the war, has been taken. She goes to one bar and is sent to Jake, is told that if anyone knows where Sinbad is, it'll be Jake. The Asteroid is a focal point for most of the men who come to Old Town.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?

Sinbad hates Terrans because of what they did to his parents and his planet. It's ironic that he makes his base of operations in a Terran establishment and that his best friend is Terran. At one point when he states how much he hates Earthers, Andi reminds him of this and he says, "There are a few individuals, like Jake. that I find...congenial," because he can't think of any other way to describe how he feels about the bartender.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?

They don't really have any major problems. Sinbad comes to Jake's for R&R after each smuggling run. Jake takes his profits and converts them into Credits. He arranges sales and handles getting new identity cards, etc.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?

Jake protests when he learns Andi wants to find Sinbad because he knows how his friend hates humans, but at her insistence, he sends her to him. When the Federation soldiers come looking for her, he helps hide her, and makes new identity cards for her, as well as hacking into the main Federation Computer and finding out where her husband is being held. He doesn't really worry about any of it because he has faith in his own abilities--and in Sinbad's--in not being discovered.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?

Jake's too sedentary and satisfied with his lot ever to have his own story although he's mentioned in several other of the Sinbad novels.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?

Unfortunately, no.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.

11 - Please provide your website link.

www.tonivsweeney.com

12 - What is the link to buy your book?

For paperbacks: www.lulu.com; for e-books:www.doubledragonbooks.com

Cover of the Year - Asking for Your Vote

I just scanned the covers for Cover of the Year on Erin Aislinn's website and saw a lot of familiar covers - many were on my Judge A Book By its Cover blog last year :)

I invite you to visit http://www.erinaislinn.com/BookCoveroftheYear2007.htm and I hope that you will vote for Lady Lightkeeper which is one of my covers and it is listed as the winning cover for September.

If you prefer the easier route - feel free to email webmail@erinaislinn .com and put "VOTE for Lady Lightkeeper" in the subject line. I appreciate every vote :)

Nikki


Book Promo 101 - NOW AVAILABLE
www.nikkileigh. com/book_ promo_101. htm
"Coastal Suspense with a Touch of Romance"
Would you like information about the newest
blog tour option? Ask me for details and visit
www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion

Nimrod Rising - A Novel By Steven Clark Bradley

1 - Tell us a bit about your book. - Nimrod Rising is a book that seeks to answer where the terrorist scourge that currently plagues the world came from. The premise of the book is that the evil hitting the world is more than just a political phenomenon. I paint the picture that starts actually more than 4000 years ago when the first organized Satan worshipper, Nimrod, the first king of Babylon, is born resulting from a pact made with Lucifer by Nimrod's father Cush. The material used for this is all true historical facts. I spent 12 years researching this novel and was able to find several ancient texts such as the Book of Adam and Eve, the Cave of Treasures and the Book of Enoch. Of course, the actual events in Nimrod Rising are fiction, based on prophecies from the Bible and extra-biblical materials. Whether one is a believer in such things and future events said to be awaiting the world, the story is riveting and exciting and will touch the reader in so many different ways. I consider it a book of hope and faith in the midst of evil so pervasive that there is no where to turn but to the divine. As I say on the back of the book, ride the storm of Nimrod Rising.

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them. - The Heroine is difficult to choose since there are three major female characters. The first two are Sally Michael, Shepard's mother. She was kidnapped as a believer in God and forced to have Manassa Dormin's child. She is really such a strong character and strong in faith.

Also, there is Elif Michael (Karaoglu) the Turkish wife of Shepard Michael who worked for Manassa Dormin but finds faith and turns her life and family around. She too is large in meaning in the story.

Yet, I have to say that the most powerful figure in the story is the six year old child of Shepard and Elif, Jesse. She possesses the powers of her daddy and grandfather, but the heart of the child shines through so powerfully how she reaches out to the grandfather and finds the miniscule residue of humanity left in Manassa Dormin. She can bring tears to the reader's eyes and truly wins the day through the wisdom of a child.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book? - My main hero of the novel has to be the character, Shepard Michael. Shepard is the son of Manassa Dormin who is the villain in the story. He is abused and used by his father to bring about the final destruction, but he remembers the principles that his mother, Sally Michael, taught him and resists his natural inclination for evil. I think we can all relate to him in that we have all had to resist doing wrong, and the wrong has often been an easier decision for us than the good. He is a really powerful figure in the story and very profound in his outlook.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book? - Sure, he is the one who will either stop Manassa Dormin or open the door to complete power for the forces of darkness. He is a young, somewhat confused and very smart man who is torn terribly by forces inside his mind. He loves his daughter and wants his wife back and is ready to lay down his life to save them. He is vital to the story of Nimrod Rising.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend? - Shepard and his daughter Jesse both have special gifts and are both sought out by evil, but even from afar, Shepard is able to save his little girl and Jesse has tremendous love for her daddy.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend? - Jesse confronts so many problems and sees her daddy being torn in two directions and reminds him as only a father's little girl can, with tender innocence. They are close and depend greatly on each other.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters? - Only stresses of the moment and fear of losing each other. Nimrod Rising truly demonstrates a lovely relationship between a father and his daughter.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story? - I can imagine anything, so perhaps.

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know? - Well, Shepard is a good man, touched by evil and tempted by it. He has undergone a tremendous amount of abuse from his evil father, Manassa Dormin, but his faith and his mother Sally has helped him continue. Yet, his love for his little girl Jesse and his wife Elif truly pushes him forward into correct decision, but the rest I'll just let you read. I can't say any one person inspired his character, but I will say, he represents someone I'd like to be like, not that I am at all, but would like to be.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share. - The two other very important characters in Nimrod Rising are Mike Wakely and Gabriel. Mike Wakely is an archeologist who knew Dormin in Pakistan where they both were missionaries at the beginning of the book. Mike plays a vital role as the brains of the opposition against Dormin and is British. He is witty and smart and has a large role in part two of the novel. Gabriel is the founder of the movement called the MESSE, Messianic Servants of Elyon. He is a quiet soldier who shows lots of courage and intelligence and devotion to God and country.

11 - Please provide your website link. - www.stevenbradley.net

12 - What is the link to buy your book?

amazon.com
booksamillion.com
powells.com
bordersstores.com
barnesandnoble.com
copperfields.booksense.com

For much more information about Steven Clark Bradley and Nimrod Rising visit - http://www.inspiredauthor.com/promotion/steven-clark-bradley-author-nimrod-rising

Silk Palace by Colin Harvey

1 - Tell us a bit about your book.

I'll let the Library Journal do it for me, because I'm so proud of this review!

"The city-state of Whiterock, with its Silk Palace formed from nearly indestructible spiderwebs, is perched atop a high mountain between two rival empires. Here, changing one's name is tantamount to heresy, and the gods themselves sometimes take a direct interest in the world. Into this volatile situation arrives a young woman named Bluestocking, ostensibly to translate some rare and puzzling scrolls, but the secret she bears may rescue or undo the world. Harvey (Lightning Days) brings to life a compelling world of flying machines, wizardry, and divine magic."

2 - Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.

The princess Lexi is the middle child of the King and Queen of Whiterock. She's a plump blonde in her early twenties, pampered and spoilt, a captive of circumstance due to be married to a fat foreign ruler and is bored to the point where she could scream. But she is lonely too, and recognizes a kindred spirit in Bluestocking, for all that the latter is an intellectual and Lexi barely knows which way up to hold a scroll, and has a kind heart as long as she is indulged.

3 - Who does the "best friend" help in the book?

She helps Bluestocking by providing friendship and support at a time when the heroine is very lonely.

4 - Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?

She is the catalyst for the falling out between Bluestocking and at least one of the other princesses, inadvertantly placing her friend in mortal peril.

5 - How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?

Bluestocking likes her, but is aware of the precariousness of their friendship; Lexi can turn on her at any time having absolute command over anyone in the country with a few exceptions, such as her mother and father.

6 - How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?

Discreetly! Bluestocking knows that she cannot afford to alienate a third member of the Royal Family, but must instead humour her as best she can.

7 - Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?

Oh, yes; She's owner to Kyr, Bluestocking's slave lover, she falls out with her two sisters and falls obsessively in love with a visiting prince, and clashes regularly with her fiancee's representative.

8 - Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?

Possibly -- but there are too many other stories to tell first....

9 - Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?

In the best traditions of fiction, she is a composite of many spoilt, beautiful young women.

10 - Is there anything else about the best friend that we need to know? Feel free to share.

Like almost everyone else in the book, she has a dark and terrible secret that has a major impact on the course of The Silk Palace, and which (of course) I cannot reveal.

11 - Please provide your website link.

http://www.geocities.com/colin_harvey/TheSilkPalace.html

12 - What is the link to buy your book? In paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Palace-Colin-Harvey/dp/1934041424/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195502320&sr=1-1

Electronically: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook51966.htm

Novels from Swimming Kangaroo Books:

Lightning Days -- SF, Finalist for the USA Book News Awards

The Silk Palace -- "compelling" Library Journal

"Intrigues, betrayals, murders, love affairs, transformations, and

revelations," Bruce Boston, author of The Guardener's Tale

www.geocities.com/colin_harvey www.myspace.com/colin_harvey