The Harvest Moon Gazette

The Harvest Moon Gazette is a newspaper located in the fictional town of New Harvest, Michigan. I created the gazette and I'm working on the story of the town and it's quirky citizens. It's a small town paper and a country almanac in one. This blog is essentially the Editor's Notes of the gazette and will be as varied as the town.

Eventually I'm going to merge this blog, which I love, into the gazette or the website I'm building to go along with it. Since 2009 I've been multi-tasking like a crazy woman learning to write fiction, while still freelancing my home and garden articles, keeping up a personal blog and Wayingwriter. It's been tough. I'm always pulled mentally in all of these different directions with my writing. One day a lightbulb in my brain went on, and I realized I could merge everything I loved to write into one website/blog while working on a cozy mystery romance series. Then I took it a step further and started creating a blog and website that would bring my characters and the newspaper to life for myself and my readers.

I hope you'll visit. Dotty, who runs the Full Moon Cafe shared her recipe for Orange Kiss Me Cake today with a little story about the first time she served a handsome young man who was new to town. Click below:

The Harvest Moon Gazette

~Brenda

Home, Home on the Range...

So, is anyone else watching the AMC show Hell on Wheels? You should be. I'll admit it started out a might slow but damn, has it made up for it. First we have Anson Mount playing the role of Cullen Bohannan, a man trying to seek revenge on the men who raped and killed his wife, and son:


Dominique McElligot plays Lily Bell, a woman traveling with her husband who worked for the railroad. Lily may not be used to the rough life of the railroad camp, but she's determined to make a life for herself after her husband's death.

Lily and Cullen are brought together when he finds her wounded and in need of help. He brings her back to the railroad camp and is surprised when she decides to stay rather than go back home. Their chemistry is amazing, and I patiently waited to see what would happen between the two of them. The last of episode of the first season aired on Sunday and I have rarely seen such intense chemistry between two people on screen. I can't wait to see what happens in season two.

If you haven't seen Hell on Wheels, try to catch the repeats on AMC before season two begins. It's a gritty and realistic historical drama. I hope we see more of this type of television show.

~Brenda

My Five Star Books for 2011

Today is the release day for Hammer Down, one of my favorite reads from 2011. I know, it's January 3, 2012 today, but I was lucky enough to read an ARC, and it's a hands down FIVE STAR read. Pick it up from the publisher, Samhain HERE or it's available on Amazon for the Kindle as well.

MORE FIVE STAR 2011 READS
I wanted to do a cool first post for 2012, but as usual I'm so busy my brain has stalled. I was on Goodreads today and joined the reading challenge for 2012. I'm going for 200 books this year, folks. To be fair, that includes novellas and short stories too, so technically it's not full length books. I don't skim books-- couldn't make myself do that if I tried-- I read them from start to finish with no peeking. Last year I really didn't start seriously putting all my reads on Goodreads until later in the winter from what I remember, so I might have missed a few books. Below are my five star reads for 2011. It doesn't mean I didn't love the other books, but these were the ones I automatically clicked that fifth star with NO hesitation.

The list is in order of what I read first in 2011- it also includes books I read for a second time-- which I do sometimes-- mostly if it's a series that I want to visit again before the next book comes out. I tried to group the series together, but just because you don't see all the books from the series listed doesn't mean I didn't like them as much. I try to read in order, but I sometimes win a book or just grab the wrong one. I also may have read the other book or books in 2010. I buy a lot of my books, win a few, and a few more are given me for review, but my budget is fairly small so I buy when I can.

I'm starting off with the list with this story because it's the newest addition to one of my favorite series, and I've read the first 4 books three times each, and I'm sure I'll read the others at least that many times. The last book I finished in 2011 was the novella, Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels, #5.4) which the authors provided free to readers. IF it's still free you can download it here: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/. If you missed it, you'll be able to get it with Andrea's book, Gunmetal Magic, which will be coming out this summer.

The Kate Daniels Series
Read them again #1-5.4

All 5 Stars
Andrews, Ilona

Enchanted No More
Owens, Robin

Ecstasy Unveiled
Sin Undone
(Demonica 4 & 5)
Ione, Larissa

Angels' Blood

(Guild Hunter, #1)
Singh, Nalini

Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
(Katherine "Kitty" Katt, 2 & 3)
Koch, Gini

One Grave at a Time
This Side of the Grave
(Night Huntress, 4 & 5)
Frost, Jeaniene

Dragon Actually
About A Dragon
The Dragon Who Loved Me
Aiken, G.A.

The Third Kiss: Dorian's Dream
Killough-Walden, Heather

The Mane Attraction

(Pride, #3)
Laurenston, Shelly

The Red Heart of Jade

(Dirk & Steele, #3)
Liu, Marjorie M.

The Sexorcist
(Karmic Consultants, #3)
Vivi Andrews

Red-Headed Stepchild
(Sabina Kane, #1)
Wells, Jaye

Big Bad Beast
(Pride, #6)
Laurenston, Shelly

Legacy Found

(Legacy, #3)
Walters, N.J.

Red Rock Pass Series
Read from beginning again...

All 5 Stars
Rogers, Moira

Southern Arcana Series

(Books 1-4 plus shorts)

Read from beginning again
All 5 Stars

Moira Rogers

The Neon Graveyard

(Signs of the Zodiac, #6)
Pettersson, Vicki

Twice Bitten

(Chicagoland Vampires, #3)
Neill, Chloe

The Edge Series
(Books 1-3)
Andrews, Ilona

Dreamfever
Shadowfever
(Fever 4 & 5)
Moning, Karen Marie

Wild and Steamy Anthology
Meljean Brook, Jill Myles and Carolyn Crane
Free on Amazon for Kindle

Slave to Sensation
Visions of Heat
(Psy-Changeling 1 & 2)
Singh, Nalini

Druid's Glen Series 1-3
Grant, Donna

Awaken the Highland Warrior

(Connor Clan, #1)
Clenney, Anita

The Irish Warrior
Kennedy, Kris

Black Gold

(Takhini Wolves, #1)
Arend, Vivian

Entangled Anthology
Misc. Authors for Charity

River Marked

(Mercy Thompson, #6)
Briggs, Patricia

Forever Mine
Grant, Donna

The Legend of Michael

(Zodius, #1)
Jones, Lisa Renee

In the Forests of the Night

(Goblin Wars, #2)
Hamilton, Kersten

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire
Be Still My Vampire Heart

(Love at Stake 1 & 3)
Sparks, Kerrelyn

Silent Blade

(Kinsmen #1)
Andrews, Ilona

Desire Untamed

(Feral Warriors, #1)
Palmer, Pamela

The Darkest Surrender

(Lords of the Underworld, #8)
Showalter, Gena

Chaos Tryst
Dubbin, Shirin

Ready to Run

Yours, Mine and Howls

(Werewolves in Love)
Holley, Kinsey W.

Demon Bait
Hammer Down
(Children of the Undying 1 & 2)
Rogers, Moira

Rocky Mountain Haven

(Six Pack Ranch, Book 2)
Arend, Vivian

Shadow Magic
Echoes of Magic
(Sisters of Magic, 1 & 2)
Grant, Donna

The Iron Duke

(Iron Seas, #1)
Brook, Meljean

Twas The Night
Hill, Sandra

Once Upon a Winter's Eve
(Spindle Cove, #1.5)
Dare, Tessa

The Hunter

(The Legend Chronicles, #1)
Meyers, Theresa

Reawakening Eden
Andrews, Vivi

The Darkest Hour

(KGI, #1)
Banks, Maya

Night Reigns

(Immortal Guardians, #2)
Duvall, Dianne

True Colors

(Elder Races #3.5)
Harrison, Thea *

Dirty Little Secrets

(A Marisela Morales Adventure #1)
Leto, Julie

A Dixie Christmas
Hill, Sandra

My Goodreads page with all my books is here:

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2844600-brenda

Happy New Year!

Brenda

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a Christmas full of love and laughter.

Merry Christmas!

Love, Brenda

Interview with Author Vivi Andrews

I'd been looking forward to Reawakening Eden by Vivi Andrews for months and devoured it as soon as it was released. Vivi has a way of combining humor, emotion, adventure and romance that makes her readers fall in love with the characters. I knew her post-apocalyptic story would be amazing. I was thrilled when she said she had the time to answer a few questions. Below is our interview, and the post before it has my thoughts on Reawakening Eden and all the details.

Brenda: I finished Reawakening Eden and truly enjoyed the characters and the story. I had a few questions for you on the world and the characters. I promise they won't be too painful:)

Zombies are all the rage right now, as is steampunk, cyberpunk and everything in between. I loved that your story took a more realistic scenario where an epidemic kills off much of the world's population. Your characters aren't fighting zombies, but sadly their fellow humans are almost as dangerous. Did you consider another option, or did you like the human vs. human plot all along?

Vivi: I love a brain-devouring zombie as much as the next girl and I'm sure I'll be tempted to write a feel-good zombie apocalypse book at some point, but for Reawakening Eden the idea was always to play with a realistic speculation on what a post-apocalyptic world could be. What fascinated me about rebuilding the world when most of the population has been wiped out was the way our memory of what society should be would bump up against what our world had become. What happens when the rules are thrown out the window and we're starting from scratch, but still remember how things used to be? In Reawakening Eden, what happened was a dysfunctional commune in what had once been Seattle... and a heroine whose idea of motherhood has been modified to include automatic weapons.

Brenda: I don't want to give any spoilers, but Connor is a no nonsense kind of guy. I loved his response to the bad guys. Did you have an inspiration for him?

Vivi: He's the strong, silent action hero to the core. My editor said she always pictured Chris Hemsworth when she was reading Connor, but I'd mentally cast him as a Sam Worthington. Definitely more likely to grunt than launch into a soliloquy, but the man knows how to get the job done. Who needs words?


Brenda: Will we see any more stories from this world?

Vivi: I don't have immediate plans to write more stories in this particular post-apocalyptic world, but I can't give an absolute no because as soon as I do a honey of an idea will pop into my head and I won't be able to resist a little sequel action.

Brenda: Did you listen to any certain music while you were plotting and writing Reawakening Eden?

Vivi: I don't often pull inspiration from music. I did have multiple sing-alongs to The End of the World as We Know It by REM, but it was more for dancing around the living room breaks than actual plotting or writing time.

Brenda: Was there a certain part of the story you struggled with in some way? What is your favorite part of the story?

Vivi: I struggled a bit with end, actually. Trying not to give anything away, but I worried about my crazy cult leader feeling authentic and not over-playing his part. My favorite part is definitely the relationship between Eden and the kids, Lucas and Hannah Rose. I tend to fall in love with a certain line in each of my books and it echoes around in my head making me smile. For Reawakening Eden it was "Not now, baby. Momma's holding a gun on the nice man." That scene is my hands down favorite. Eden and Connor testing one another out for the first time.

Brenda: I agree because I loved that scene too! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I loved Reawakening Eden and will be reading it again and again, especially now that I can picture Sam Worthington as Connor. *swoon*

To read an except from Reawakening Eden, and find out more visit Vivi's website:
http://www.viviandrews.com/eden.html

~Brenda

Reawakening Eden: Post-apocalyptic Love

Reawakening Eden
Author: Vivi Andrews
File Size: 219 KB
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Released: November 22, 2011
Available for Kindle

SUMMARY: When life is a struggle, love is the ultimate luxury.

Librarian Eden Fairfax knows exactly where to find books about survival. None of them mentioned how to manage in the aftermath of a worldwide epidemic—with two young orphans in tow.

On a journey south to warmer climes, she finds sanctuary for all three of them among a community of survivors in Seattle. Until she realizes the children are the centerpiece of their bizarre new religion. There’s no choice but to run as far and as fast as her stolen car will go.

Former Army Ranger Connor Reed had planned to live out the end of the world in peace. Yet he can’t stand by and do nothing while a lone woman defends two children from an armed thug. Even if doing something means taking the trio in.

Eden’s not sure if the armed hermit is her salvation or an even more dangerous threat. A blizzard forces her to trust him with their lives, and in Connor’s arms she remembers what it’s like to live.

Just beyond the edge of the storm, though, the cult leader awaits his chance to get his hands on the children—and make Eden his next sexual sacrifice.

Product Warnings: This book contains a strong, silent action-hero, a tough, tenacious heroine, a pair of steal-your-heart kids, and a pony-sized dog named Precious.

MY THOUGHTS: I'd been waiting for Reawakening Eden because I love Vivi Andrews and wanted to see what she would do with a post-apocalyptic setting. I loved it from start to finish. This was a great read for so many reasons. The story is about survival, both physical and emotional, but it's also about trust and a willingness to think beyond one day at a time. I really loved the characters and the world. Fans of paranormal romance will love her story, but so will fans of romance in general. It was a feel good story, as well as a thought provoking one, as the reader is able to put themselves in the heroine's place.

Vivi Andrews packs so much emotion into her stories that she had me rooting for the heroine and her kids in the first few paragraphs. The hero, Connor, is a man of few words, but his actions speak louder than any words ever could. I loved the interaction between the two of them, but also between him and the kids. Reawakening Eden has humor, romance, suspense and action. It's a fast paced read that takes the reader along on a adventure, keeps them on the edge of their seats and has an ending that makes us want to stand up and cheer.

To learn more about Reawakening Eden go to Vivi's website here:
http://www.viviandrews.com/eden.html

It's available for the Kindle HERE. and from Samhain Publishing.

Moira Rogers: Addictive Apocalyptic Adventure

I was fortunate and extremely giddy to receive ARC's of the first two stories in the Children of the Undying series. I'm going to admit that I was a bit scared. What if I didn't like the series? This is a new project with no shifters. No. Shifters. So, I started Demon Bait slowly, paying attention to detail, and before I even realized it I didn't miss the shifters. Not one little bit. I was focused on the new world, the new characters and I loved it.

After I finished Demon Bait I contacted the authors about an interview, and they sent me the ARC for Hammerdown to read first. While I loved Demon Bait, Hammerdown blew me away. As soon as I finished it, I sent off a few questions, which are below. After the interview I have my thoughts and more information on the series.

BRENDA: Howdy Bree and Donna! I just finished the ARC's of Demon Bait and Hammer Down. My mind is reeling from thinking about this new world you guys have created. It's fascinating, kick ass and heartbreaking all at the same time.

How long did it take you to get the details of this new world worked out? Did it build slowly, or was it one of those mind explosion type of deals?

BREE: This one certainly built slowly. We actually spent a lot of 2009 slowly planning it. We knew we wanted demons walking the earth and to mix an apocalypse with a high-tech dystopian future, but we spent a lot of time putting all the pieces together and then developing our characters.

BRENDA: This is a darker world where the characters interact virtually as well as skin to skin. Did you have moments of "will the reader get that?" I thought you did a wonderful job making a complex world that was still easy to understand. Was that difficult?

BREE: There are always moments where you have to worry if the readers will get something, especially when writing speculative fiction. World building is a tricky thing, and too much or too little can ruin a book. Of course, how much is the right amount is always in the eye of the reader. As a reader, I’d rather be confused than bored, so I write that way and hope readers will trust that I know what’s going on and will get them there eventually. (And in a series, not always in the first book!)

BRENDA: This world is considered cyberpunk? I've been trying to learn more about the different genre categories and it can get confusing. I'm guessing this would be paranormal romance with a cyberpunk theme?

BREE: Your guess is as good as mine! No, really. Donna and I rarely write books that fit cleanly into genres, and are fortunate enough to have an editor and readers who don’t mind.

As for these books, I’d say they’re apocalyptic romance first. Paranormal, definitely, though with ambiguous magic born of angels and demons, not our usual brand of wizards and shapeshifters. The cyberpunk is also a theme, but a slightly smaller one.

BRENDA: Okay, be honest. Did you guys come to blows over this series? I picture it something like this:

"OMG, enough with the virtual sex. I want skin to skin!!!"

"You know nothing. Virtual is the way to go."

"Don't make me throw this flash drive at you again!"

"Flash drive? I'll throw this fricking hard drive at your head!"

Perhaps this is just how things go in my head, so let's hear what it was really like. *snicker*


DONNA: Actually? There are characters in this universe for whom virtual sex is awesome. Others can take it or leave it (like Marci). And still others, like Devi and Zel, want the sweaty real thing. So it’s like...asking which flavor ice cream is best. LOL

BRENDA: Thanks for taking the time to chat. I loved Demon Bait and Hammer Down, and can't wait to see what comes next.

CHILDREN OF THE UNDYING

Author: Moira Rogers
1. Demon Bait 11/29/2011
2 Hammer Down 1/23/2012
Available for the Kindle

Excerpts from both stories are available here:
http://www.moirarogers.com/children-of-the-undying

My thoughts on the series are in the next blog post.
~Brenda