 I have determined that my hubby shouldn't leave me alone in the house anymore. Last summer we had to put our doggie down due to her health issues so I never thought about being at our house by myself. We have two cats who keep me company.
Well one night there was a thump at the back sliding glass door while I was watching TV. Needless to say I was leary about peeking out the window blinds to look. I knew there would be eyes looking back into my own. Our fat cat, Minnie (I know probably not the most appropriate name) barreled to the glass door and forgetting there was a barrier. She of course ran head first twice at it, which made me laugh. But the banging continued so I did peek through the blinds ... and yes, eyes stared back at me. But they were ducks. The thudding was them landing on the deck. So where am I going with this story? The other night I was left alone again, but thankfully no thudding could be heard, except for the echoing that occurs inside my own head. I came up with a plan to add to my crazy life. So not only am I a professional Buyer (yes, I shop for a living and get paid to do it), a published Author, and a Marketing Director at Fantasy Works Publishing (#FWP) ... now I'm adding Teacher to that list. I've been in contact with a couple local libraries and suggested a class where I would be the teacher of: The Long Road to Publishing. I have a 25-bullet itinerary with a crap ton of sub-points. But not one of them has taken me up on the offer to teach the first class for free. Maybe something will open up later in the fall. I want to share my experiences with others, up-coming authors, and anywho who might want to know about writing and publishing. Of course I kept looking into other opportunities to teach or get my knowledge out there. And open door. I met Mecca at Breakaway Art Center in Hastings, MN. Today I met with her and we went over some ideas, classes, topics, frequency, etc. So beginning later summer or early fall, I will be teaching on various creating writing topics! Stay tuned for updates on this, too!!!
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 SYNOPSIS: Ava Elliot never thought she’d become a couch surfer. But with a freshly minted—and worthless—degree from Julliard, and her dad squandering the family fortune, what choice does she have? Living with her old high school friends, though, has its own drawbacks. Especially when her ex-fiancé Eric Wentworth drops back into her life. Eight years ago, she was too young, too scared of being poor, and too scared of her dad’s disapproval. Dumping him was a big mistake. In the most ironic of role reversals, Eric is rolling in musical success, and Ava’s starting at the bottom to build her career. Worse, every song Eric sings is an arrow aimed straight for her regrets. One encounter, one song too many, and Ava can’t go on like this. It’s time to tell Eric the truth, and make a choice. Finally let go of the past, or risk her heart for a second chance with her first love. If he can forgive her…and she can forgive herself.  BIO:
Melanie Stanford reads too much, plays music too loud, is sometimes dancing, and always daydreaming. She would also like her very own TARDIS, but only to travel to the past. She lives outside Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her husband, four kids, and ridiculous amounts of snow. 
Cover Art by: Marya Heiman
Strong Imagine Editing www.StrongImageEditing.com Published by: Kasian Publishing Release Date: August 19, 2015
PRE-ORDER PURCHASE LINK:
Amazon 
kristinvanrisseghem@msn.com
www.kristinvanrisseghem.com https://twitter.com/KVanRisseghem www.facebook.com/pages/Kristin-D-Van-Risseghem-Author
Kristin's Other Books
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon Smashwords Kobo Nook PURCHASE PLACES: TENACIOUS K'S (An Art Gallery & Gift Store) 211 2nd Street Hastings, MN 55033 
 Didn't get a chance to attend my book launch party on May 20? That's OK, now you'll get to meet me in-person on Saturday, June 13 between the hours of 5PM - 9PM. I'll be at the Hastings, MN Cruise-In Car Show on the corner of Ramsey Street and 2nd Street (River side). Stop by, buy your own copy of The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos, get it autographed by me and if you bring your camera, I'll smile for it. Live in Hastings, MN and can't come to the Cruise-In Car Show? That's OK, too. TENACIOUS K's, An Art Gallery & Gift Shop (211 2nd Street East, Hastings, MN 55033) stocks my book. You can buy it there, too. Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? A: I was probably twelve or thirteen, it was my freshman year of high school. Q: How long does it take you to write a book? A: I’ve only published one book so far, but after I sat down and became serious about finishing it I was in the final stages of editing after four months. Q: What is your work schedule like when you're writing? A: On days that I’m able to I will write for an hour or two in the morning, go about my day and then write for another hour or so before going to bed. Q: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? A: I write everything down in a notebook, including backstories, world building etc. before I type anything out. Q: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? A: From reading or from the world around me. Q: When did you write your first book and how old were you? A: As I mentioned I recently just published my first book, but the first book I have ever written I was the last part ninth grade, so I was probably thirteen at the time. Q: What do you like to do when you're not writing? A: I like to read a lot but between school, work and writing I don’t get to read very much at all. Q: What does your family think of your writing? A: My partner and their family is a lot more supportive than my own. The only people in my family that are supportive are one of my cousins, my mother and her parents. The rest of my family doesn’t take my writing very seriously at all. Q: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? A: I pay very little attention to grammar when I’m ‘in the zone’. It took me ages to edit my book and finish all of my grammatical errors. Q: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? A: I’ve written three, but only one has been published. I don’t plan on publishing the other two, as they were written when I was much younger. Q: Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they? A: Since I’m still learning the tools of the trade, I feel like I need advice more than I would be able to give it. Q: Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say? A: I’ve heard from a couple. They’ve all asked me when my second book is coming out and have told me that they can’t wait to read it. Q: Do you like to create books for adults? A: Yes, however my target audience is young adults. Q: What do you think makes a good story? A: Good world building and consistency. Q: As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? A: When I was very young I wanted to be a teacher and own a farm.  Greenwood is a small quiet town surrounded by thick forest. It’s also where Samantha Mackenzie Carvalho and her friends grew up. Samantha, or “Runt” as her friends call her, is just your average seventeen year old girl. She’s a junior in high school, she gets average grades, she’s dating a fairly popular young man and she’s an orphaned werewolf. Her and her friends are preparing to take the pack over from their elders, but otherwise lead nearly normal lives. However, when two mysterious wolves enter their territory claiming that vampires threaten their livelihood, things begin to change. Lies, secrets and betrayal surface and it seems that the pack will never be the same again.  Samantha Clarke is a twenty-one year old college student, entering her third year of studies at Rhode Island College. She is majoring in social work and plans to one day work with the early intervention program in her state. Samantha has always been fascinated with reading and writing, and started writing short, illustrated stories when she was ten years old. She became serious about her writing when she was eighteen and began working on her first novel Blood Moon (Moons of the Wolf book 1). After working vigorously for years, scraping, re-writing, and scraping again, she finally published her book in January of 2015. She hopes that one day she will be successful enough to become a full-time novelist.
 I'm finalizing The Masquerade, an Altar, & a Fairy (An Enlighten Series Novella) cover ... and should have something to reveal by next week. I know you can't wait and hope you're excited to see it as I am to present it. 
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