5 Things I Learned After I Published My Book

Hello! As part of my virtual book tour for The Naughty Shakespeare series and in preparation of RWA Nationals next week, today I get to visit the fabulous Sydney St. Claire at her blog. We will be discussing 5 Things I Learned After I Published My Book! Drop by and get in on the Rafflecopter contest going on. I'm going to be giving one lucky reader all three current books in the Naughty Shakespeare series for free! Here is the link to the blog:

Sydney St. Clair Blog

The Junior Authors Conference & Interview with Laura Thomas

Today's guest blog comes from Sebastian Starcevic, the owner of InkWaters: Freelance Writing Agency. He recently interviewed author Laura Thomas and discussed with her an exciting conference geared towards kid and teens. Thanks for sharing this with us, Sebastian!--Mary Ann 

 

 

 

 

The Junior Authors Conference is a rare, one-day event for kids and teens to learn the craft of writing, meet industry professionals and network with other young writers. Featuring authors such as Lois Peterson, Michelle Barker and Darlene Foster, the purpose of the event is to inspire, educate and empower aspiring young writers – and of course, to have fun! 

 

The conference will take place on Saturday, October 19th at the Sandman Signature Hotel & Resort in Richmond, BC, Canada. 

 

Organiser Laura Thomas, who lives in the Vancouver, BC area, is a professional writer with 20 years of experience in storytelling and copywriting. She provides several opportunities for young writers including: the annual Junior Authors Short Story Contest, her Junior Bloggers program, her junior freelance program through her company Laura Thomas Communications, and her Facebook page Write Q&A. Her book for young readers and writers alike, Polly Wants To Be a Writer: The Junior Authors Guide to Writing & Getting Published, will be out in stores in October. 

 

Why are you so passionate about helping young writers? 

I remember exactly what it was like to want to be a writer when I was a teen. I had a burning desire to be a writer, but I did not know any writers and no one in my family had ever had a career in the arts. It seemed like a ridiculous career choice so I abandoned it and studied psychology, history and education at university. 

 

Eventually, my talent for writing in the academic world opened doors for me and I did go on to write professionally. But it took a long time to get there. The funny thing is that even today, a lot of my family and friends really have no idea what I do for a living or why it’s even valuable. All writers need support to make it, young writers even more so. There is work out there, but it’s not always easy to figure out how to find it and train for it. 

 

What made you decide to hold the Junior Authors Conference? 

For years I have been teaching writing camps, giving talks and performing as a storyteller, but I made a commitment at the end of 2012 to start getting my books out. I’m a mom with two young children so time is a premium. Traveling to teach or to perform as a storyteller is very time consuming. Actually, I almost stopped offering the Junior Authors Contest as well, as it is also very labour intensive. 

 

In the end, my commitment to helping young writers won out and I settled on organizing a one-day annual conference for 100 young writers that ties into what is now and international contest with more than 1,000 entrants. I feel the conference is an effective and efficient way for me to offer support and have more time to write my own books. In fact, Polly Wants to be a Writer is based on a short story writing course that I taught for years. It will help a lot of young writers, too. 

 

What are some of benefits of attending the Junior Authors Conference? 

Between door prizes and truly beneficial workshops, good food, being part of a book launch party and the announcement of the winners of this year’s Junior Authors Contest, I think it’s going to be a perfect day for aspiring young writers. Above all, getting 100 like-minded aspiring writers in one room for a day is going to seed the supportive relationships that can make the difference between making it as a writer and giving up on a dream. Even the simple act of having your mom or dad or grandma sign you up for a writing conference is a acknowledgement that your dreams and desires (and talents) are being taken seriously. This is huge. To that end, I have scheduled a brief workshop for parents at the end of the day on how to support a young writer. 

 

The Junior Authors Contest has been running since 2007 and so far has collected thousands of entries from young writers around the globe. What inspired you to hold the competition? 

As I said above, I was once an aspiring young writer trying to figure out how to get some practice and some recognition. That was back in the pre-Internet age, so it was like living in an information desert, there was nothing for me and I gave up for a time. Then, my writing students back in 2006, told me that there still wasn’t much out there for young writers. 

 

I believe deeply that young writers should be competing with kids their own age. So I created a free annual writing contest to make that happen. I almost ditched it after five years to focus on my own books, but the gratitude that poured in at the end of last year’s contest touched me deeply and here we are at year six and it’s growing like made. I think I have answered over 700 questions on the contest page of my website since January and we are going to have well over 1,000 entries from writers in more than 40 countries. I’m glad I didn’t ditch it. 

 

I should mention, too, that because we have sponsors, there are some scholarships available for this conference. The information is on the conference webpage. 

 

Your new book is about a girl who struggles to face her inner ‘literary dragon.’ What message are you hoping to send to your readers, and how does it relate to your own experiences as a writer? 

Polly, the protagonist, is so typical of the amateur writer. There is a ton of passion but it’s uncontrolled and undisciplined and manifests itself as a hypercritical inner voice (what I call an inner dragon) that does things like: stops a writer from finishing a first draft, stops a writer from editing a first draft, or stops a writer from send out his or her work. I used to be there but years of writing for hire have helped me train my inner dragon. 

 

I know when to use that inner critic to help me edit and when to tell it to shut up and let me be creative. No one is born understanding the writing process. In the story Polly meets a writing mentor who unveils the process and helps her train her inner dragon so that, for once, she can finish a piece of writing that had a decent shot at getting published. 

 

As I mentioned, this book is based in a short story course that I used to teach. In eight weeks I would take my students from the idea stage through to the submission stage. I held their hands every step of the way. Several students who took that course with me went on to have their stories published in paying markets. Along the way, I taught them the ins and outs of the publishing industry and how to navigate it. Polly Wants to be a Writer will do the same, but through fiction. I love teaching through storytelling. 

Steaming and smoking?

I'll explain the title in a moment but, before I do that, I'd like you to think back to any film or book with a memorable dénouement or exposé of the lead villain that you've recently come across. How did the producer or author handle it?

As you'll know if you're a regular reader of my posts, I'm obsessed with the characters of my bad guys. Any fool can describe someone who's holier-than-thou, always squeaky-clean and has a certain ‘savoir-faire’ about them. But a book stuffed full of such individuals would be like eating neat honey. That's OK for Winnie the Pooh but, for the rest of us, a couple of spoonfuls and enough's enough.

No, it's the bad guys who matter. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Now to my title but, first, think of that dénouement I mentioned earlier. How often have you seen situations where the bad guy can't wait to explain his (or her) devious plot to our hero/heroine? Is that realistic? Does anyone really think that our resident psychopath/criminal genius/black-hearted scoundrel is going to blab out the nitty-gritty of their chicanery?

Of course not.

However, your storyline may well require them to divulge their plans without having the hero dredge these details from them. Obviously the latter is better but I appreciate it may not be possible. That's why I'm going to introduce you to the psychology of steaming. At the same time, I'd also like to let you in on a little secret of mine for learning about human behavior under pressure.

I'm going to ask you to record and then watch a TV poker program. If it bores the heck out of you, I'm sorry, but believe me, it's well worth the time and trouble. All life is to be found around a cards table - the smug winner, the guy who wins by annoying everyone else and then taking advantage of the other players’ errors, the obvious loser, the strong silent type. You name the sort and you'll find them there.

There's one in particular I'd like you to watch out for and that's the chip leader (the guy with the most chips) who gets what they call a bad beat. That’s when a (for them) bad card comes up that defies the laws of probability and which ironically pays dividends for a player with a hitherto lesser hand who's maybe got in too deep. See the analogy with your hero in their moment of adversity?

Let me continue.

The bad beat shakes the chip leader to the extent that they get so desperate to win back their chips that they play the next few hands recklessly merely because they feel they need to do something, anything. In fact, they'd have been better just passing and taking time to sort out a new strategy. You'll see players go (quite needlessly) from winner to loser in three or four hands.

Why?

This out-of-control gambling is called 'steaming' by the poker profession and it's similar to how your anti-hero needs to behave if he or she is going to go off the rails and collapse in front of your hero. With that in mind, go back and watch the steamer's behavior in more detail. Look at their body language, note their comments and see how they are perceived by the other players.

In almost all cases, you'll see that they don't suddenly collapse: it's more like a block of flats being demolished. It starts with a small wobble and then gradually builds up momentum until it's almost chaotic - well, it would be if it weren't for the skilled actions of the explosives experts who plant and orchestrate the charges.

Now think about the dénouement scene. Consider your 'bad guy' falling apart and remember the steamer. Have something go wrong that unsettles them and then let them start unraveling. Don't make the mistake so many others have made of just having them woodenly spouting out all their bad-guy activities. It's not realistic.

The steaming poker player feels cheated by Lady Luck (never the most monogamous of mistresses) and this gradually leads to paranoia which induces panic and that adversely affects the brain's ability to function logically. Your villain should emulate this in whatever way is most appropriate to your story.

Do that and turn a steaming villain into a smoking book.

Clive West has written an anthology called 'Hobson's Choice and 15 other twist-in-the-tail short stories' and a full length novel called 'The Road' which is about white collar crime and how every crime has its victim.

Here's a brief excerpt from one of his stories which describes one of his bad guys who's building up to get his come-uppance.

The removal van had had to park across a shared drive to unload the relatively few personal possessions that he had allowed himself to bring. Less than five minutes after it had parked, Jason was met by a young man who somewhat stiffly introduced himself as his new neighbor before asking how long the drive would be blocked for.

Jason immediately took the opportunity to tell him where to go and what to do when he got there – just in case the man was in any doubt. Jason’s strong words and his large physical presence had not been what his neighbor had been expecting and he had beaten a hasty retreat indoors, muttering about ‘consideration’.

Since then, Jason had planted Leylandii to block the sunlight from his neighbor's house, had held loud parties that were not quite raucous enough to get him an ASBO, and left his wheelie bin open as near to his neighbour’s kitchen window as possible so that they were plagued with flies. Also, and knowing how his neighbour felt about blocking the drive, Jason had abandoned his Mercedes diagonally across it at every opportunity.

Not that the neighbours on the other side were exempt, either. Jason had hacked back their mature fruit tree where it ventured over the property line into his garden, making sure to coat the cut ends generously with herbicide, set up halogen security lights that shone directly into their bedroom window, lit bonfires whenever the wind was blowing in their direction, and so on.

The odd solicitor’s letter arrived asking him to desist but, as Jason well knew, he was doing nothing illegal and he carried on heedless of their thinly veiled threats. This continued for some months until eventually, the mainly elderly people and young families living in the little group of houses, formed a residents group to discuss Jason and what to do about him. They had also elected a representative, one of whose functions was to explain the group’s grievances to the perpetrator in person.

The (anti) Fairytale by Renita Pizzitola

I am thrilled to have today's guest blogger at All Things Writing! Renita Pizzitola has a fabulous new book, Gossamer, out this week and she'd dropped to chat about it, as well as, fairy tales. I had the pleasure of reviewing the book this past Monday and the links to get your own copy are below.

 

 

The (anti)Fairytale

 

It seems apparent fairy tales have made their reemergence. I’ve seen everything from the classic retelling with a twist to modern, futuristic, dark, even horror...pretty much every genre has their spin on it. I’m actually enjoying this trend because I like classic fairy tales. Granted, a classic fairytale isn’t what most people envision. I’m thinking Grimm’s; most people think Disney. But, no matter which version you’re familiar with they still follow a similar formula. One that most know and love.

 

And what’s not to adore about an enchanted kingdom, a beautiful girl meeting a handsome prince and, of course, the ever important happily-ever-after. Sounds perfect...sort of. I think the same fairy tale could also be interpreted as a beguiling kingdom entraps ordinary girl who meets complete stranger and is expected to instantly fall in love and/or marry. Hmm, that actually sounds frightening, especially if you’re the ‘ordinary girl’ with other plans in life.

 

Happily-ever-after is different for everyone, which means sometimes it goes against everything we learned as a child. This is what I like to call the anti-fairytale. It doesn’t mean the story won’t end happily. It simply means in order to get there we may have to go against the standard formula. Often we find ourselves presented with two different paths, each with its own pros and cons. One looks shiny and bright, but doesn’t necessarily mean it’s perfect. The other route may be a real challenge to venture down—you know the one...dimly lit, filled with bumps, uphill both ways, crappy phone reception, no place to stop to use a bathroom, incessant muttering of ‘are we there yet?’ (wait, that might just be a trip with my children...a very hard road to travel). Either way, the path is scary, the outcome is unknown and it’s definitely not the easy choice. But, when the time comes to make a decision, ultimately, only one question must be answered: Which of these paths leads to my happily-ever-after?

 

I like to think Gossamer is two-parts faery and one-part fairytale. (Which is why I spell faerytale with an ‘e’. The emphasis is on faery.) While the story focuses on Irish Legends involving Fae, it has a sprinkling of what should create the standard fairytale formula ending with a classic fairytale twist. So, can it still be considered a fairytale? Well, when your main character is a faery searching for her happily-ever-after, then it seems the only thing you could call it is a faerytale, right? So, yes. Kylie’s story is a faerytale. It may be flawed, but in the end, she will decide which path leads her to where she ultimately wants to be.

 

So which path would you choose—the fairytale or the anti-fairytale?

 

 

 

Author Bio:

 

Renita Pizzitola writes Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. An avid reader herself, she has always enjoyed stories with witty humor, romance, and fascinating characters. Renita lives in Texas with her husband and two children. When not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and playing referee to her two typically adorable children.

 

Visit www.renitapizzitola.com for more information

 

 

 

Gossamer Blurb:

 

Shouldn't all faerytales end with happily-ever-after?

 

Kyla Ashbury is nearing her eighteenth birthday when a mysterious boy appears at school. Her instant attraction to him inexplicably awakens something inside her and she discovers her true identity.

 

Now, armed with the knowledge of her past, she is forced to leave behind the life she has always known for a new one filled with temptation, faery charm and magic, and a future she wasn't prepared for.

 

Kyla is left with a difficult decision…but no matter which path she chooses, someone will get hurt.

 

You Tube Trailer for Gossamer

 

Amazon Buy Link

 

Barnes and Noble Buy Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Independent Living with Nadja Notariani

Today's guest post is one I hold close to my heart! Enjoy! You can also learn more about the marvelous Nadja Notariani  and her newest novel, A Practical Arrangement, by following her Innovative Online Book Tour! Check out her tour schedule below!
۩

]Independent Living         

 

September 01, 2012 marked one year since the publication of my first novel.  Twelve months passed in a flash, and I published two more novels.  Nearly a year to the day, I released my newest historical novel, A Practical Arrangement.  I'm still reeling at the idea that I did it – I'm doing it – I am a published author, and I often feel like pinching myself.

One integral puzzle piece in my success has been my infatuation with the idea of independent living.  The term Indie ( insert word here ) is prominent these days.  Indie music is giving artists such as Marcus Hopsin and labels like Psychopathic Records and Funk Volume a voice in the industry – and earning a rather sizable following.  Likewise, Indie Authors are engaging readers and finding success in impressive numbers.  I credit independent living.  Independence encourages an initial rush, flooding newly opened land (or markets as the case may be); but just as with settling the west, not every wagon found one hundred acres and paradise.  What independence does offer is the freedom to strike out and up.

For motivated writers, the world lay open and ripe before them.  It is up to me what I do with the golden opportunity before me.  With each and every novel, I've grown as a writer, learned as a reader, matured as an editor, and tackled marketing and promotion.  Progress shows in my work.  Some may be bothered by this method – my transparency of growth and on-the-job learning.  Others will be encouraged.  For me, it is a way of life, because I am constantly learning in every aspect of this thing we call independent living.  ~ Nadja Notariani

A Practical Arrangement Tour Schedule

9/24  Arianne Cruz  Guest Blog and Giveaway  http://ariannecruz07.blogspot.com

9/25  My Devotional Thoughts  Guest Blog and Giveaway  http://www.mydevotionalthoughts.com/

9/25  Sultry Storyteller  Interview  http://sultrystoryteller.blogspot.com/

9/26  All Things Writing   Guest Post  http://www.allthingswriting.blogspot.com

9/26   Reading Romances  Review and Giveaway  http://reading-romances.com

9/27   T B R    Review and Giveaway   http://tbr-io.blogspot.com/

9/27   Free Book Dude  Guest Post  http://FreeBookDude.com

10/1  Queen of the Night Reviews  Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway  http://queenofthenightreviews.blogspot.com/

10/1  A Chick Who Read  Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway  http://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com/

10/4  I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!  Guest Blog and Giveaway http://www.sithereandread.com/

10/4  Harlie's Books   Review and Giveaway   http://harliebooks.blogspot.com/

10/8 Identiyy Discovery Guest post  http://www.identitydiscovery.net/

10/9  The Insane Writings of a Crazed Writer  Guest Blog and Giveaway http://www.jessekimmelfreeman.com/blog.html

10/9  The Bunny's Review  Review, Interview, and Giveaway  http://bunnysreview.com

10/10  Just Another Rabid Reader  Review, Guest Blog, and Giveaway http://justanotherrabidreader.info

10/10  My Cozie Corner   Review   http://coziecorner.blogspot.com

10/10  Reviews By Molly  Review  http://reviewsbymolly.com/

10/11  Mademoiselle Le Sphinx  Review  http://aliaaelnashar.blogspot.com/

10/12  Reading on the Wild Side  Guest Blog and Giveaway  http://readingonthewildside.blogspot.com/?zx=1013a8f156087770

10/12  Oopie Poopie The Bibliomaniac  Review and Giveaway  http://oopiepoopiethebibliomaniac.blogspot.com/

 

Want more now? Check out what the blurb for A Practical Arrangement:

Practical plans go awry when prim sensibilities unwittingly capture the heart of a scandalous seducer.

BLURB:

Miss Evangeline Grey, intelligent and sensible, has no desire to marry, her reluctance born from the dire warnings of her overly emotional mother.  Her father has other ideas, however, and decrees that unless she weds by the spring, he will choose a husband for her. 

Prim and proper Evangeline accepts her father's issue with little more than mild alarm.  Knowing herself plain of face and sharp of tongue, she believes herself capable of warding off any perspective suitor.  Her plan goes awry when the scandalous seducer, Mr. Thomas Masterson, visits her family's home, for Thomas has learned that he must procure a wife to receive his full inheritance. 

When he discovers Evangeline's predicament matches his own, Thomas determines to orchestrate a practical arrangement.  A war of wit and word results, and Thomas finds himself ever more beguiled by the soft heart he discovers under Miss Grey's stern, inhibited exterior.  Patiently, he endeavors to gain her respect and awaken her passions.  As tenuous trust blooms between the rake and the reluctant, unfortunate events – and Thomas' past reputation – threaten to destroy the peace and happiness he has found within the bonds of his Practical Arrangement.

 

Author BIO:

Nadja Notariani was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania.  Her upbringing included very diverse environments, affording wide and varied richness of ethnic and religious tradition.  Raised in both an Italian/Mediterranean American home and a traditional German household, Nadja gleaned the unique benefits of viewing the world through two widely different lenses.

Nadja resides in Northeastern Pennsylvania, ever embracing new adventures with her husband, three sons and faithful German Shepherd.  She also boasts two grown daughters, who have flown the nest to pursue their own adventures.

Within her titles, readers can find romance and adventure, from contemporary to paranormal to historical, always with a happily-ever-after.  Nadja enjoys hearing from readers and can be found at her website, on Facebook, Goodreads, and at Romance Novel Center.  Readers are welcome to contact her via email.

nadja.notariani@gmail.com

 

ONLINE LINKS:

·         Website  http://nadjanotariani.blogspot.com/

·         Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nadja-Notariani/207762699237066?ref=hl

·         Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

 

 

 

 

Book Review and Interview with Nadja Notariani, author of The Third Fate

Today we welcome author Nadja Notariani, author of The Third Fate. I got the chance to interview Nadja and found her to be a charming gal with a great imagination! Read on to learn more about her and to read my review of her novel, The Third Fate. By the way, we are also doing a giveaway for her book, too. Be sure to leave a comment in order to be eligible!

Mary Ann: Thanks for chatting with us! I really enjoyed your book, The Third Fate.

Nadja: Thank you for having me today at All Things Writing!  I'm so glad to be here.

Your book, The Third Fate, takes place in Scotland. Have you ever been there? Do you consider yourself a world traveler?

I have never had the pleasure of visiting Scotland, but if I ever possess the good fortune to earn scads of cash at this writing gig...my sister and I have a 'What Happens On The Isles, Stays On The Isles' trip planned.  We plan to finish our grand tour in Scotland. 

As for being a world traveler...Don't I wish it!  World travel is, however, on my list of things to do before I depart this realm. 

Which was your favorite character to write? Why?

Gosh!  I'm not sure I had a favorite.  I liked each character for different reasons.  Cael for being sufficiently tortured yet still open to and craving the love that had always evaded him.  Paige for being so humble and sincere – for her fear at taking that leap.  Malcolm for being so single-minded once he set his course.  Pilar for grabbing hold of her hopes and dreams with both hands.  I got to pull all the things I admire, commend, or even loathe, into the mix of my characters.  Would they have been as fun to write without the tension of playing off one another?  I'm not sure!

I loved that the Fates were children! What prompted you to move out of the traditional view of the Fates and in a different direction?

Sheer chance – or accident, I assure you!  

We (my teen-aged son and his friends, myself, and my husband) were sitting around the kitchen table.  They were chatting it all up and I was working on my character profiles for The Third Fate.  Anyway, I broke into the conversation and asked if I should make the fates like the sirens, like old gnarled witches, or should I make them like...

“You should make them little kids!” one of my son's friends popped off with. 

I immediately agreed with the idea, and it was a settled matter. 

(They've all asked me to tell what my other option was... but I'm saving it for another story.  :)

The Third Fate has several sex scenes in it. Many writers struggle with writing those. How do you approach the sex scene? Are you ever worried about how it will read?

Sex scenes can be troubling to write!  Different characters would have different intimate habits – yet it's the same writer describing them all. 

I tend to write the sex based on the personalities I've crafted for the individual character.  Some people are more intense than others – and I try to carry that over to the bedroom.  I rely on my beta feedback to make sure the sensual scenes read sensually and the hot scenes read with some heat!  Mostly, I approach them with fun in mind.  I'm writing about practically perfect men – what's not to enjoy, right?

We talk a lot about the process of writing at All Things Writing, particularly the process of writing strong dialogue. Is it easy or hard to write great character interaction when your main character has such a strong accent as Cael does? It reminded me a lot of the characters in The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Do you have to work harder to make the dialogue sound natural?

Strong dialogue breathes life into a character.  But there has to be balance, a fitting of words to personality, turn of phrase to the speaker who utters them.  I tend toward very formal sounding speech when I write, and that worked within the framework of The Third Fate's ancient characters.  I have to be careful when writing something contemporary, though.

Cael's accent was a great deal of fun for me.  I've enjoyed Highlander novels for years – and hoped to one day write one.  Suddenly, I thought to myself, 'Why not combine my two loves right now and write a sexy vampire who is also a strapping Scot?'  It was a fun 'Eureka!' moment.  But I had doubts along the way, too.  Changing words as I wrote them to 'sound' Scottish was challenging.  I wanted to capture the 'feel' of a Highlander without stealing reader enjoyment at having to 'decipher' what the heck he was saying.  * I am so taking the comparison to Gabaldon's style of writing accents into her Outlander series characters as a compliment.  You've made my day! 

Thanks for being with us! I look forward to reading more of your work!

Again, I want to thank you for having me over today to talk about my writing process, characters, and The Third Fate.  It's been great! 

Vist me at http://nadjanotariani.blogspot.com/

The Third Fate Review

So I have to be honest: I'm not a "vampire" girl. I didn't get in to Twilight. I never really saw the point of the Vampire Diaries, and while I like True Blood, in the end I could take it or leave it. When I picked up Nadja Notariani's (try saying that name five times fast!) book, The Third Fate, I wasn't sure if it would be my cup of tea. After all, the male protagonist is…you guessed it…a vampire! However, he's a Scottish vampire with a sexy accent that gives him total bonus points! It was a little like reading a character who could have been in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

 Of course, I would never let such a thing sway my opinion on a book though…at least, not much! So when I tell you that I really enjoyed the tale of The Third Fate, even with the vampire element, you know I mean it.

 Here's the low down on the story as printed on the book:

 Cautious and quiet by nature, Paige Kinnell watches life unfold from the sidelines, maintaining her simple existence as a shield to hide behind. But underneath her shy, careful ways, Paige senses a disconnect with the world around her, indulging instead her ever curious interest in the legend and lore of time nearly forgotten.

One chance encounter with an ancient of the undead begins an unraveling of reality as Paige knows it, leaving her to sort through dreams and enchantments, discovering along the way that one's Fate can be mere illusion, and that the consequences of opening her heart to another may cost dearly.

Cael Maccinnis, the handsome Highlander she's met, seems the answer to every unspoken longing of her heart, even as he awakens dark, secret desires buried within her soul. As strange and unnerving changes begin occurring in her mind and body, Paige has no choice but to face her life's unnatural turn and confront the frightening implications. For within Paige's past a secret lay dormant, hidden even from her. This truth, guarded well and wielded by the Fates themselves, becomes the catalyst invoking the power of The Third Fate.

 Nice, huh?

 I found this book to be a fast read with lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of its hero/heroine. Paige and Cael are definitely well developed characters who evolve and change as the story progresses.  In a book with paranormal elements that evolution is probably one of the most important things an author can do to keep the story moving forward. Unlike some novels where the two lovers never really learn anything about themselves, Notariani does a good job of avoiding this trap and investing the reader's interest in their fates.

 In case you haven't figured this out from the above interview questions, The Third Fate has some sex scenes in it that are fairly explicit. If this is not your thing, you either want to skip over those parts or skip this read. Sex scenes aren't the easiest thing to write, and it's hard to make the characters not sound cheesy or stilted when writing sex scene dialogue. However, the author manages to make everything sound natural and I didn’t flinch at anything.   

 My only criticism would be that I wanted to know more about a few of the villains in the book, especially Gwendolyn. She is a character with lots of "bad guy" potential that could have been explored a bit further. Like I said, this is a fast read. A few more action scenes with Gwendolyn would have kept the reader on their toes and rooting for Paige and Cael even more.

 Best part of this book: The Fates that control everyone's world are not your typical three sisters we see so often in mythology or other stories. They are kids! Makes total sense to me as I sometimes think that it has to be a child doling out the craziness in my life!

 Be sure and check out Nadja Notariani's book, The Third Fate. You can purchase your own copy at the following link:

Amazon