Photoshop Promos

As people who know me are already aware, I have a love for photoshop. I even create my own book covers as well as some for other authors. This time around I've been making banners for our FB timelines, by our I mean myself and some of the other authors at my publishers. So I thought I'd post them on here. 

Beauty behind the scar!

If you have some spare time on your hands pop on over and have a read of this... For fans of Bloodlines and Torment... you will learn the reasoning behind the Scar of Eligos.

http://aecurzon.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/the-beauty-behind-the-scar/#comment-23

Kindlegraph

Well, after being asked and asked I have finally joined Kindlegraph! My signature took ages, trying to write it with a laptop mouse is harder than you would think, but it does, after about 30 attempts, actually look like it lol.

http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/LindsayKendal

Please welcome author Ashley Fontainne.

Lindsay - I would like to introduce everyone to Ashley Fontainne. She is not only a fantastic author but also a friend. She has written and published three wonderful books up to now. The latest was released just this week "Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman." She has come to the blog today to tell us a little more about herself and her work. 

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I would love to!  I am married to the man of my dreams, Michael.  I am the mother of one son that will be 23 in October (can’t believe that one!) and a “second mother” to three beautiful daughters.  My husband and I live out in the country in Arkansas and have a small zoo in the making: 3 Labradors and 2 cats and occasionally, a lizard or two before one cat or the other finds them and renders them down to a congealed mass of goo.

My suspense/thriller series entitled Eviscerating the Snake consists of two published novels: Accountable to None and Zero Balance, and the third and final instalment, Adjusting Journal Entries I am still working on.  In April of 2011, I self-published Accountable to None on Amazon and in December of 2011, it reached the Top 15 in suspense/thrillers in the United States.  In April of 2012, it reached the Top 10 in suspense/thrillers in the UK, and remains in the Top 25.

Because of the wonderful Lindsay, who snatched up her copy of ATN and enjoyed it so much that she contacted her publisher (World Castle) about my work, I am now signed with World Castle and they released Zero Balance in January of 2012.

Ramblings of A Mad Southern Woman is my latest release.  Since is it a personal collection of my earlier work, I opted to publish it myself. This collection of poetry and short stories comes from all of my years of writing and touches on numerous life issues that we all face at some point in our lives.

Other than writing, what else are you passionate about?

Because I know so many people that have been victims of physical and sexual abuse, I am a supporter of The Joyful Heart Foundation, which is an organization started by actress Mariska Hartigay to help victims of sexual assault.  Ten percent of the proceeds of Accountable to None and this newest release will be donated to this charity each year.  Helping people heal and learn to cope with traumatic events perpetrated upon them by the hands of uncaring individuals is something I am very passionate about.

I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ and can talk all day long about His great love for us.  Of course, my husband, son and family are the core of my existence here on earth, so passion bursts forth when speaking or writing about them.

Why made you decide to become a writer?

Although I didn’t allow my work to be read by the general public until 2011, I have always loved to write.  Poetry is especially appealing to me since it allows personal expression about any topic in any form to grace the paper.

Growing up as an only child, books became my haven.  I have always been an avid reader and am drawn to the suspense/thriller/mystery genre, which is why I tend to write that way.  My hope was to pen a novel that I would enjoy reading—and one that would keep people up at night turning to the next page.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Since I just began allowing the thoughts inside my head that have been trapped in there for so long, I have yet to suffer writer’s block, simply because there are so many stories waiting to be released!

Where do you get your inspiration, e.g. music, dreams etc

Oh goodness, so many different places!  Personal life experiences, listening to others discuss their journey through life, the news, sitting at a red light and looking over at a complete stranger and wondering what they are thinking, and a few dreams.  There is inspiration around us daily if we just take a moment to stop and look for it. 

Can you tell us a bit about your book?

Ramblings of A Mad Southern Woman is a collection of my poetry and short stories that have been a part of me for a very long time.  The poetry ranges from my relationship with the Lord and His great love for us, over to the musings of how a cat looks at their own life.  As a mother, my son is also a favourite topic in not only poetry but also a short story.  My fear of the ocean and the monsters that lurk in its depths is discussed, as well as my love for my husband.  Fear and anger at life in general and the wretched effects of drug use by a loved one are also touched upon.  The breaching of the fine line between love and hate in a relationship and the longing for solace and peace inside a damaged soul are also on the menu. 

I believe that readers of any age and gender will be able to feel a connection with numerous poems and/or short stories.

Describe your novel in five words.

Love, loss, longing and love.

What are your current / future projects?

I am in the midst of finishing Adjusting Journal Entries and hope to have it completed by the Fall of 2012.  That will complete my Eviscerating the Snake series and allow me to work on future projects.

What would you most like readers to tell others about this book?

For Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman, I hope that after reading, people will walk away with a smile on their face and realize that there is forgiveness and healing in this world no matter what tragedy has befallen them.

How did you decide on your books Title?

When I first started the whole “social media” blitz, I opted to start up a blog.  At the time, a blog was something that I was completely unfamiliar with and sort of panicked at the thought of yet another thing I needed to add to my repertoire.  People that know me personally will tell you that I am a bit high-strung to begin with anyway, but when I added the media campaign for my works, a full-time job, college and family, I really was rambling at that point.  Naturally, as I sat and stared at the screen trying to come up with a name for my blog, Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman just popped into my head.

How much time did you spend researching for your latest book?

A lifetime of listening, observing and simply living.

How do you react to a negative review of your book?

The first few negative ones for Accountable to None hit me hard because prior to receiving them, the previous reviews were glowing.  Some of the nastier ones were close to personal attacks upon me rather than my work, and I will admit they hurt me deeply.  However, after skulking around for a few days, I licked my wounds and decided to do a bit of research.  I went to Amazon and Goodreads and read reviews for some of not only the top names in our day, but also classical literature, and was stunned (and a bit relieved) that even some of the greats have been the recipients of trolls that have nothing better to do than rip others apart.

If I asked you to include the phrase ‘A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.’ Somewhere in your next book, would you?

Ha!  Perhaps, coming from the lips of a wise-ass character trying to make a snarky comment.  Sounds like something the main antagonist in my series, Olin, would say.

What is the most embarrassing moment of your life?

You expect me to re-live that?

What is your guilty pleasure?

Well, I am a smoker (please don’t email me about the hazards of said habit….I already know) and although it is a habit I wish I would never had started, nonetheless, I am hopelessly addicted to nicotine.

If you could have dinner with anyone famous, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

Well, if I could only pick just one person, then hands down it would be Jesus Christ.  However, I believe I would be so in awe that eating would not be an option for me.  I would just spend my time enthralled listening to His words.

Who is you’re favourite fantasy character, either from a book or a movie and why?

My favourite movie, ever, is Aliens.  The main character and heroine, Ripley, is hands down my movie idol.  Her line, spoken to the Alien Queen, “Get away from her, you Bitch!” still makes the hair stand up on my arms, even though I have watched that movie an untold amount of times.

Ripley embodied everything I love about a character: strong yet soft-hearted, tough yet willing to cry, fiercely loyal to friends yet the call of motherhood overrides good sense.  She is the one you want in your corner when the fight breaks out!

Erotica or passionate romance?

Uh, neither.  I prefer to live it rather than read it!

Where can readers find you and more about your book(s)? Where can they purchase your book(s)?

Currently, Accountable to None and Zero Balance are part of the Kindle Direct Select Program and therefore, are only available electronically through Amazon.  However, in early May of 2012, Zero Balance is slated to be released for Nook users as well.  The print edition of each book may be purchased from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.

Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman is also part of the KDSP and will only be available electronically through Amazon.com for the next 90 days.  It will also be available in print from Amazon.com shortly.

US links:
Accountable to None: http://www.amazon.com/Accountable-to-None-ebook/dp/B004XOGR56/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335808435&sr=8-1

Zero Balance: http://www.amazon.com/Balance-Eviscerating-Snake-Series-ebook/dp/B0073WAT04/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335808435&sr=8-3

Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman: http://www.amazon.com/Ramblings-Southern-Collection-Stories-ebook/dp/B007Z1IGJO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335906900&sr=8-1

UK Links:

Accountable to None: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accountable-to-None-ebook/dp/B004XOGR56/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335808506&sr=8-1

Zero B alance: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Balance-Eviscerating-Snake-Series-ebook/dp/B0073WAT04/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335808506&sr=8-3

Ramblings of a Mad Southern Woman: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ramblings-Southern-Collection-Stories-ebook/dp/B007Z1IGJO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335906868&sr=1-1