Make Believe Blog Tour – Interview with Lynda R. Young’s character

Today I would love to introduce you to the character from Lynda Young’s story Birthright, from the Make Believe anthology. Please welcome Christa.

Hi, Christa! Would you please tell my readers a little about yourself.

Thank you for having me, Susan. Let me see … I grew up in New York and I love photography. It’s just a hobby though. My sister used to push me to do something with my photography. You know, exhibitions and all that, but I could never do something like that. Besides, who would want to see my silly photos?

What made you decide to spend your holiday in Florida?

After my parents and sister passed away I don’t think I can stay in New York for the Christmas holidays. Too many painful memories. This will be my first Christmas without them. Florida is a last minute decision. I’ve never been there before, and from what I hear, it’s completely different to New York.

I’m sorry to hear about your parents and sister. Sometimes it helps to talk about them. What were they like?

They were such a wonderful family. Unlike me, every venture they started became successful. My mom and sister in particular had the Midas touch with every dream they set their minds on. They always wanted the best for me and although they pushed for me to do more with my life, they were always supportive and loving. I miss them so much.

If I went to Florida, I’d probably hit one of the more touristy spots. What made you choose Grifton?

*Smiles* I chose Grifton precisely because it’s quiet. There’s no hurrying in small towns and I hope to spend my Christmas either reading in my cabin, or taking photos of the region. I might even take a trip into the Everglades. I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind.

I hear there’s a great bakery/café in Grifton. What’s your favorite type of pastry?

I don’t often indulge in pastries, but if I did, then I’d probably pick something frivolous and pink. A cupcake perhaps.

In the romance department, are you more inclined to ogle a clean-shaven man dressed in a suit or a handyman-type in tight jeans with a bit of a 5 o’clock shadow?

My sister always went for the suit, but I have to admit I have a thing for the handyman-type. There’s something luscious about a strong man who isn’t afraid of getting a little dirt under his nails.

You seem like an avid reader, Christa. If you had your choice, would you prefer a paranormal romance, a fantasy story or a science fiction adventure?

That’s easy. Paranormal romance every time! I often dream of one of those stories coming true for me. You know, finding that tall dark and handsome man who’d accept me for who I am, sweep me off my feet, and carry me away into a magical lasting relationship. A girl can dream.

Do you believe in the power of dreams?

Both my mother and sister believed in the power of dreams, but unfortunately I don’t. As much as I love reading paranormal romance, I have to remind myself that they are just make believe. That’s not how things happen in real life. I have to remind myself of that. I could never be so lucky … could I?

You just never know, do you? Before we say goodbye, is there anything you’d like to add?

You’ve been so kind, Susan. You remind me a lot of my sister. Well, I’d better finish packing and head to Florida. Thanks again for your time.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Christa. I hope you have a great vacation, whatever you decide to do. 🙂

Hope you all enjoyed meeting Christa. To find out what happens on her vacation, check out her story, Birthright (by Lynda R. Young), in the Make Believe anthology. 🙂

To learn more about the Make Believe anthology, click on the book cover above to take you to the publisher’s website.

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Birthright – a Make Believe story by Lynda R. Young

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

It certainly has been a busy week. With working every day, from now until the school break, as well as having some event or other happening each evening, I’m still trying to catch up with all the stuff that’s happened with the Make Believe Blog Tour over the past few days. If you have time, please pop over to each of the author’s blogs to find out more about the stories and the writers. There’s also chances to win prizes and copies of the anthology.

J. A. Belfield, author of Escort To Insanity

J. Keller Ford, author of The Amulet of Ormiston

Jennifer M. Eaton, author of Last Winter Red

Terri Rochenski, author of Sacrificial Oath

Kelly Said, author of Petrified

Lynda R. Young, author of Birthright

Since I will be interviewing Lynda on Monday (well, I’ll actually be interviewing her character), I thought I would post a review of her story, Birthright. The blurb from J. Taylor Publishing states:

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible. She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she’s never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her. 

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead. 

I greatly empathized with Christa. Having lost all her known family, she leaves the place that contains their memories. Trying to start anew, she escapes to the small town of Grifton in Florida, where she encounters some strange characters. Some are likable, some are a little scary. The reader doesn’t know who Christa should trust and the suspense builds. I really enjoyed the way Lynda built up the story, layer by layer, until her very life is in danger. The reasons for this are right up my alley. Of course, I can’t tell you what they are, or I would spoil it for you! I encourage you to find out for yourself. 🙂

If you would like to learn a little more about Christa, tune in on Monday for her interview. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 🙂

Review of Make Believe short story, Escort To Insanity by J. A. Belfield

Happy Saturday, folks!

Today, I’d like to catch you up on the Make Believe Blog Tour and let you know what I thought of J. A. Belfield’s short story. First off, on Thursday, J. Keller Ford interviewed Jennifer Eaton, her fellow anthology buddy who not only has a story in Make Believe, but is also launching a seasonal Christmas story in the anthology, For the Love of Christmas by Still Moments Publishing. You’ll also find out what Jennifer and some of the other authors of Make Believe have in common! Jennifer’s story, Last Winter Red was also reviewed on Kaiden’s Seduction, in case you want to learn more about the Dystopian tale created by this talented writer, as well as the other stories in the anthology.

Here’s my review, with further links to follow below:

Escort To Insanity is a wonderful romp through Hereford and surrounding areas, just east of the Wales border. It begins with Nicole Harrington, daughter of wealthy man, who hires an escort to a huge charity auction that her parents expect her to attend. Her escort, Benjamin Gold, is a tall, yummy (ahem! clears throat) . . . I mean, handsome man, who demands attention when he walks in a room. I especially liked Julie’s description of another woman’s appraisal of him: “her attention roamed over him like a wave across a beach.” Benjamin plays his part well, jumping in with some impromptu quips when asked about their relationship and he was very intuitive and attentive to Nicole, going well above and beyond the call of duty, which I loved. (It doesn’t hurt that Julie’s humor is impeccable! 🙂 ) Benjamin was especially helpful in dealing with Cole’s ex-boyfriend, who was especially sleezy – everything that Ben was not.

After overhearing a disturbing conversation in the ladies washroom, Cole quickly drags him away from the pretentious affair – and then the fun really begins. Nicole discovers Benjamin’s true nature in a heart-racing adventure through Mersian Park and outlying areas of the city. I had to chuckle at her reference to the children’s song with the line, ‘If you go down to the woods today…’ Ironically, Cole does end up with a ‘big surprise’, but certainly not anything like the song or the nursery rhyme might suggest!

Although I don’t usually read this particular type of story, I quite enjoyed Escort To Insanity. Julie has a way of quickly drawing in the reader to empathize with her main character. I really have no idea how it must feel like to be from a filthy-rich family, but I think everyone can relate to the obligation Cole felt to do a favor for her parents, something she really did not want to do. As far as the romance part goes, Julie certainly created the perfect leading man for this story, as you can see by this quote: Cole was “trying hard not to get distracted by the sweet, sweet curve of his bum as it tick-tocked with each step”. As you may have guessed by what I’ve told you already, Benjamin Gold is breathtakingly handsome, strong and has a wonderful sense of humor, as well as a strong sense of responsibility for his friends, which comes out later in the story. Cole has her reservations about the man, but soon finds herself quite taken with him, until she learns his dark secret for which she is totally unprepared.

I highly recommend getting your own copy of Make Believe, and not just because of this particular story, which was enough to make me want to read her other books and I hope we see more of Benjamin and Cole at some future time.

All the shorts in this anthology are excellent, I must say. I will review the others later in the month, as well as provide interviews of their authors. In the meantime, I hope you will look forward to my interview of J. A. Belfield, scheduled for Monday. However, in case you can’t wait to learn more about this author, pop over to Kelly Said‘s site and learn more about how she (maybe) gets some writing done and what her workspace looks like. Kelly also gives us a peek into J. Keller Ford’s ‘writing lair’ , here. 🙂

Over at Terri Rochenski’s blog, Scribbler’s Sojourn, you can read an interview of Kelly Said, as well as Lynda R. Young, so please drop around to give them a gander.

Have a great weekend! 🙂

Make Believe – Official Kick-Off

Over at Jenny Keller Ford‘s blog, she posted a link for a Make Believe anthology give-away, hosted by Jennifer Bielman. If you pop over there now, you might have a chance of winning an e-book version of the anthology produced by J. Taylor Publishing. You can also read the blurb for her story, The Amulet of Ormisez as well as for the other stories and reviews.

Over at Julie Reece‘s blog, Julie is interviewing Jennifer M. Eaton about her Dystopian Romance, Last Winter Red, found in the Make Believe anthology. If you’re interested in learning more about the story, be sure to pop in on Julie to read her interview.

J. A. Belfield’s story in the anthology is called Escort To Insanity. You can find her blog tour schedule by clicking on the Make Believe button on the sidebar.

At Terri Rochenski‘s blog, you will find some reviews of her short story, Sacrificial Oath and she is offering the chance to win signed bookmarks and a signed cover, so pop over there to see what’s happening and how you can register to win. She even has a widget that will help you order an authorgraphed version if you’d rather not wait for the contests to end and want your own copy of Make Believe, available at these on-line stores: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Amazon UK / All Romance  /  Diesel eBooks /  Books on Board 

Lynda R. Young‘s blog, Scribbler’s Sojourn, tells how excited she is about the launch of the anthology, which includes her story, Birthright. There is a brief blurb about it and links to her blog tour schedule, as well.

Kelly Said, whose story is Petrified, has a list of places where she will be hosted during the tour on her blog site here.

I think that’s all that’s going on with the tour, today.