Interview With Rock House Grill Author D.V. Stone
Give a warm welcome to D.V. Stone, author of Rock House Grill.
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about D.V. and her new release Rock House Grill.
D.V., do you see yourself in your characters?
All of my characters, good and bad, have a little piece of me. It’s what gives them life and sometimes teaches us about or motivations.
What do you want your readers to take away from your books?
My overall for any of my books is hope. Bad things happen. But, with family, friends, faith, and hope, we can overcome. Maybe not the way we planned but in a way we can live with.
Why do you write what you write?
I’m a multi-genre writer. I thought I was fantasy when I started but with Rock House Grill, I realized I don’t have to put myself in a box. I read it all. Why not write what I feel like.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m a “Glamper”. My hubby and I love to travel and bought ourselves a 5th Wheel. This way when we retire from our 40hr per week job, we can spread our wings and I can have an office to write. There’s also room for the grandkids. We’re going to Indiana and Kentucky this May.
What is the theme of this book? If it’s part of a series, how does this book fit into the series?
Rock House Grill is the first in what I hope is to be at least a 3-part series called IMPACT. All of the books will have 1st Responders, kitchens, and music. Currently I’m working on Jazz House. The House’s, Aden and his twin sister Olivia, will appear in all of them.
Wonderful. I Look forward to the series. Now SPEED ROUND FOR A LITTLE ADDED FUN:
Speed Round (one word only answer): Yep, I know torture for a writer!<evil laugh>
Favorite movie: Guardians of the Galaxy (I am Groot)
Favorite book: Lord of the Rings
Last book read: Australia Burns
Favorite color: Orange
Stilettos or flipflops: flipflops
Coffee or tea: yes
Ebook or audiobook or paperback: eBook
Pencil or pen: Pen
Favorite song: Simple Man
Streak or not: Nope (at first I read STEAK;)
Favorite dessert: Lemon meringue pie
Favorite junk food: Pizza
Favorite thing to do to relax: Campfire
Champagne or gin: Champagne
Paranormal or Historical: Paranormal
Wonder Woman or Top Model: Wonder Woman
Favorite TV show: Jeopardy
Hot or cold: Hot
POV: 3rd
I’d die if I don’t have: Internet
Review or Not: Review
Tell us a little about Rock House Grill:
Aden House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and emotionally. He’s rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.
Shay McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef. She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the man she helped save.
Can love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they face?
How about a sneak peek between the pages of Rock House Grill?
“Easy, you’re going to be okay.” A soft voice eased through the chaos around him. The owner of the voice grabbed his arms and held them in a firm but gentle grip. “I’m right here with you. You are not alone.” “Can hardly m-move.” His voice slurred. “C-can’t see anything.” “You’ve been in an accident. I’m an EMT with the ambulance squad,” the velvety voice calmly explained. “You can’t see well because we’re under a tarp. Hold still, okay?” “‘K.” A small light flickered at the edge of his vision. It shone into a bag next to him. Penlight. “You’re restrained to a board. It’s to keep your head from moving and causing more injury.” She continued to talk to him. The voice reached down somewhere inside him, calming and peaceful, so he focused on it. A glow from spotlights on the outside lit whatever covered them. The shadow gave the woman the appearance of a halo—like an angel.
Buy Links
About the Author:
Hi, my name is D. V. Stone. Rock House Grill, a contemporary romance, is available for purchase on April 6th by Wild Rose Press. I host Welcome to the Campfire, a weekly blog. I am also a multi-genre author of two independently published books. Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar is a fantasy romance. Agent Sam Carter and the Mystery at Branch Lake is a mid-grade paranormal. Here’s a little more about me.
Born in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed from the local shelter and their cat Baby.
D.V.’s career path varied from working with the disabled to become a volunteer EMT, which in turn led to working in hospital emergency rooms and then in a women’s state prison. After a few years, she took a break from medicine and became the owner of Heavenly Brew, a specialty coffee shop in Sparta NJ, and a small restaurant in Lafayette. Life handed some setbacks, and she ended up back in the medical field, but this time in a veterinary emergency hospital.
During the poor economy, she was laid–off from a long-time position she cared about. Devastated, D.V. wondered what to do with her life. Finding comfort in her love of reading, she realized it was now time to follow her dream of writing. It’s been a long road but worth every minute of it. Now a published author, she also works in a people medical office again.
“Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Each time you open the pages to one of my books, I hope you’ll be swept away by the story and find encouragement in your own life, never to give up on hope.”
Find out more about D. V.
Website Facebook Twitter Instagram
Pinterest Bookbub Goodreads Newsletter
Welcome to the Campfire Blog Amazon Author Page
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Rock House Grill.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, D.V. Stone, Rock House Grill by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Mystic Maples – #MFRWhooks
For #MFRWhooks this week a tale about Mystic Maples– When Mercy discovers the truth, Silvanus’ well-ordered life unravels and they’re catapulted into the past to right a wrong.
So pull up a chair and get comfy, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about MYSTIC MAPLES!
Click on the cover to read more or purchase!
A little about Mystic Maples:
Earth/Fire witch Mercy Rose’s insatiable curiosity always gets her in trouble. After a break-in at her Colorado flower shop, and a court battle that comes to a screeching halt in her favor, she arrives at Deerbourne Inn for a much-needed getaway. Looking for peace and quiet, she finds just the opposite in a startling handsome but mysterious man and his dog.
Silvanus Forrest’s gypsy/fae heritage is a double-edged sword. The land he inherited from his parents is rumored to be enchanted. But when Mercy discovers the truth, his well-ordered life unravels, and they’re catapulted into the past to right a wrong. Along the way their lives intertwine, and they discover the true meaning of family and love. Will they change the past in time to save their future?
A peek between the pages:
Several trees had a slight glow to them, then it was gone. Am I imagining…She raised her arms out from her sides and turned her face to the starlit sky, letting the magic surge through her. It had been almost a year since magic of any kind called to her. It felt so good, she was lost in the moment.
Suddenly a male voice broke through her reverie . “What are you doing here?”
Her heart thundered in her chest. She hadn’t heard a sound. Yet there he was standing not three feet from her, hands on hips, and glaring at her. The aura around him flashed red. Not good. Saving grace at the moment was the calm Caribbean ocean blue simmering below the rage red—what’s this—a spark of magic? Where’d that come from? He’s no witch or… Once again her insatiable curiosity overwhelmed her good sense.
Pssst… While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my paranormal romance/mysteries click here.
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged #MFRWHooks, Mystic Maples, Paranormal Romance, Tena Stetler, Time travel by Tena Stetler with 11 comments.
Wild Rose Pass by Karen Hulene Bartell
Give a warm welcome to Karen Hulene Bartell. It’s a pleasure to have you join us with a second guest, Cadence, from Wild Rose Pass. Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Cadence, heroine of Wild Rose Pass. Last week we talked with Ben, the hero of Wild Rose Pass. In this second installment we’ll visit with Cadence, the heroin from the same book. Correct?
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. It’s a pleasure to be here> Yes, I’ve brought along Cadence, the heroine of Wild Rose Pass!
Cadence you’re up first, tell us who are you really?
“I’m Cadence McShane. Though I’m the daughter of the fort’s commander and expected to behave like a lady at all times, I’m a tomboy at heart, who wants adventures and challenges. I’m tired of the rounds of teas and dinner parties, parcheesi, and pinochle, I want to cantor out the fort’s gates and gallop across the Chihuahuan desert, a place with no prying eyes and no eavesdropping ears. I’m tired of being bridled, and I need something more to do than just fill my time. I want to accomplish something.
……Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your bed?
You’d find books of poetry, my journals, and patterns for the convertible riding skirts I design that look like ordinary skirts at first glance, but that have flared pants to allow me to ride horses astride—not sidesaddle.
……What makes you laugh out loud?
Horseback riding and waltzing—I love to take off at a gallop and race my horse. I also love to dance until I’m breathless and dizzy.
……What makes you angry?
Condescending, patronizing, chauvinistic attitudes, where women are manipulated, controlled, and treated like hobbled horses or collared dogs on leashes.
……What do you sleep in at night?
I wear cozy flannel nightgowns in floral patterns with smocked bodices and necklines shirred with ribbon.
……Who were the biggest role models in your life?
My mother was the biggest role model in my life. She was always the consummate lady, but as I’ve recently discovered, she chose the safer path and lived her life with disappointment.
My father taught me to ride and encouraged—even applauded—my tomboy escapades as a child. Though I wasn’t a male heir to carry on the family name or military tradition—or if truth be told, the son he probably would have preferred—I always knew he cherished me. His love was implicit, and I never doubted his affection.
……What kind of man do you want to spend the rest of your life with?
I want someone who’s compassionate, kindhearted, and considerate, yet brave. I want someone who’s interested in more than military maneuvers or promotions and knows where to find natural treasures, like wild plums, pine nuts, pecans, or twinned-crystal calcite. I want someone who would treat me as an equal and a cherished fiancée.
……What kind of man would you never choose?
I have no patience for a man who’s condescending or solely focused on military advancement—who’d make me wonder if he were only marrying me to become my father’s son-in-law—his protégé—instead of my husband.
.…What is most important to you in life?
Freedom and independence are most important to me. I want new experiences, not a repetition of what I’ve always done. I want to live life, not sit idly, drinking tea and watching life pass me by. I need adventures and challenges.
……What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is that my entire future will be plotted out on a chart, where I’ll have no choices or options. I don’t want a neatly laid-out tactical maneuver of my husband’s design, and I don’t want my life to pass without my living it.
****
Karen, tell us a little about writing this story. Was it fun or difficult?
Writing Wild Rose Pass was a stretch for me because I’d never written in the Frontier, Western, or Historical genres before—no ghosts and nothing paranormal. Adding to my dilemma, the timeline was 1880 Texas, so every phrase they spoke, every idiom they used, every food they ate, every dress and uniform they wore, as well as the roles they played, all had to be double-checked for historical accuracy. Writing it was slow going.
And although romance is always a part of my novels, I’d never written a true “Romance” before, so I had to learn how to write from two points of view and speak in both the heroine’s and hero’s voices.
Still, it was fun. I enjoyed getting into the Old West mindset. Guess it reminds me of the old Westerns I used to watch as a kid 😉
Do your characters always act as you expect?
Usually, but not always. My characters definitely have minds of their own!
Are you a plotter, or fly (write) by the seat of your pants?
Hmmm…a little of both, I’d say, but mostly I fly by the seat of my pants. I write mini-plots on scraps of paper that lead to a scene’s conclusion, but I never know, from that scene to the next, what the next action will be until inspiration strikes.
I know that feeling myself. LOL
Tell us a little about Wild Rose Pass
Cadence McShane, free-spirited nonconformist, yearns to escape the rigid code, clothes, and sidesaddles of 1880s military society in Fort Davis, Texas. She finds the daring new lieutenant exhilarating, but as the daughter of the commanding officer, she is expected to keep with family tradition and marry West Point graduate James West.
Orphaned, Comanche-raised, and always the outsider looking in, Ben Williams yearns to belong. Cadence embodies everything he craves, but as a battlefield-commissioned officer with the Buffalo Soldiers instead of a West Point graduate, he is neither accepted into military society nor considered marriageable.
Can two people of different worlds, drawn together by conflicting needs, flout society and forge a life together on the frontier?
My thoughts on Wild Rose Pass:
First let me say, I don’t usually read western romance, but this one hooked me from page one, a real page turner and I loved every moment of it!
Wild Rose Pass is an exciting tale of romance, second chances, and the rough & tumble Texas history set in frontier Times. Vivid details, which is something I love in a story. I enjoy being immersed in the details and the story so I feel like I am there with the detailed characters. This books fills the bill on all fronts. The details of customs/culture and mine-set of the day were spot on giving the tale historical resonance. Wild Rose Pass is an exhilarating western with high-stakes adventure and very satisfying ending. If you like tales of frontier days and western adventure, pick up this book today. You’ll love it.
Bonus – Recipes included of which I intend to try each one.
5-Stars from me!
A sneak peek between the pages of Wild Rose Pass:
Reining his horse between catclaw and prickly-pear cactus, Ben Williams squinted at the late summer sun’s low angle. Though still midafternoon, shadows lengthened in the mountains. He clicked his tongue, urging his mare up the incline. “Show a little enthusiasm, Althea. If we’re not in Fort Davis by sunset, we’ll be bedding down with scorpions and rattlesnakes.”
As his detachment’s horses clambered up Wild Rose Pass, the only gap through west Texas’ rugged Davis Mountains, Ben kept alert for loose rocks or hidden roots, anything that might trip his mount. A thick layer of fallen leaves created a pastiche of color shrouding the trail from view. He glanced up at the lithe cottonwood trees lining the route, their limbs dancing in the breeze. More amber and persimmon leaves loosened, fell, and settled near the Indian pictographs on their tree trunks. When he saw the red- and yellow-ochre drawings, he smiled, recalling the canyon’s name—Painted Comanche Camp.
“How far to Fort Davis, lieutenant?” called McCurry, one of his recruits.
“Three hours.” If we keep a steady pace.
Without warning, the soldier’s horse whinnied. Spooking, it reared on its hind legs, threw its rider, and galloped off.
As he sat up, the man groaned, caught his breath, and stared into the eyes of a coiled rattler, poised to strike. “What the…?”
Flicking its tongue, hissing, tail rattling, the pit viper was inches from the man’s face.
A sheen of sweat appeared above the man’s lip. “Lieutenant—”
Buy Links:
About the Author:
Karen is the author of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, she is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Westerns spurred her to write (pun intended). Wanderlust inherent, Karen enjoyed traveling, although loathed changing schools. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Hill Country with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Connect with Karen:
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Wild Rose Pass!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged 2880d, Frontier Romance, Historical Romance, Karen Hulene Bartell, Western, Wild Rose Pass by Tena Stetler with 5 comments.
Cover Reveal Bear with Me & Interview Author Marilyn Barr
Give a warm welcome to Marilyn Barr, author of Bear with Me, Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Marilyn and her Bear with Me!
Bear with Me was originally a journal entry describing my family’s first full day after moving to Kentucky in 2015. Main character Alison’s struggle to act normal with sensory processing disorder mirrors my own challenges. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a dysregulation of how the body perceives the world and its use of our seven senses. Each person has a different combination of over-responsive and under-responsive senses.
.What was your inspiration for Bear with Me. On a road trip between Louisville and Lexington Kentucky, we drove through a multitude of small towns named after fruits and vegetables. When I couldn’t find Strawberry on the map, I knew it would be the name of my fictional small town which became the name of the book series. Each book in the series has a pun for a title. Bear with Me is an Ursa shifter novel. Main character Grant is an exaggerated portrayal of my spouse who uses the phrase “bear with me” often. Very often. The title is a pun of his catchphrase. Good thing he enjoys my sense of humor.
Did you go the traditional route (agent/publisher), small press, or self-pub? Tell us about your experience with the publishing process. I was very naïve in the query process. I wanted to query agents who represented authors with books on my shelves. I made a list of five agents and queried the first one. I had read not to query more than one agent at a time, so I waited for eight months. In the meantime, I wrote two more novels, built the #Strawberryshifters hashtag, read my books in a library book club, and had a #Strawberryshifters tee-shirt printed with my desire for an agent. I was wearing this tee-shirt when I met my favorite author, Lora Leigh.
We talked about my love of her books, my new series, and how she got started by writing for a small press. She told me to find a small press where I wished to have my books sit on their shelves and enjoy being a published author. She told me to stop chasing agents who will find me when or if I need one. With her advice in my ear, I went home to look at my bookshelves. I am a big fan of J.C. McKenzie, so I picked The Wild Rose Press. The experience has been amazing, and I love working with them. I feel like part of a team with so many professionals to show me the way.
Words of advice for fellow writers in the trenches: Be faithful to your bookshelf. Do not try to write a book you wouldn’t read for fun just to please the market, your friends, or your family. You will read your book a thousand times between the initial story and the final print, only to take it on a tour where you read excerpts at libraries, bookstores and coffee shops. You will be miserable if you don’t love it. The answers to all my career questions have been answered on my bookshelf. It is a much smoother ride being true to yourself
Bear with Me book trailer 
cover reveal trailer.mp4
Speed-dating round:
Oxford comma, yes or no? Always
Ice cream (favorite flavor)? Strawberry, duh!
Coffee or tea or wine? Coffee until noon then tea, Wine gives me migraines
What does your desk look like? A fall-out zone
What is your writing vice or must-haves (e.g. for me it’s post-its, red pen, and coffee)?
Scented Candles, Potato Chips, Water, Music
Describe a perfect writing day. Four hours of emotional flow from 5:00 am to 9:00 am,
then a writer’s sprint with my son from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
What are some of your go-to methods for writing? Character Aesthetics first, then a
living outline that I cut and paste as my ideas grow
In an alternate reality, what would be your dream job (besides author)? High School
Teacher, I would go back in a heartbeat
Where is your favorite place you’ve visited (or wish to visit)? Turks and Caicos
You have a time travel machine: past or future? Where/when? The future, to see my
son as a healthy, productive adult would allow me to sleep at night.
What do you like to do when not writing? Dance, Piano, Cook, Bake, Socialize
Beach, lake, or mountains? Beach
If you could meet one famous person, living or dead, who would it be? Maria Montessori
You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why? Scarlet
because “Dear Scarlett! You aren’t helpless. Anyone as selfish and determined as you are, is never helpless”.
What are you known for? My drive to succeed.
Morning rooster, night owl, or midday lark? Night Owl disguised as a Morning Rooster
What comes first, character or plot (or other)? Character
You find a $100 bill in your purse/bag, what would you spend it on? Special Needs
Weekly Yoga. We love it and they request to be paid in cash.
How many hours a day (or week) do you write? Always four hours before anyone
else in my house wakes, sometimes I can sneak in a few extra hours to get 30 in a week.
Favorite childhood book? “Monster at the End of This Book”
Favorite book of all time? “Wyrd Sisters” by Terry Pratchett
You’re on a desert island, besides essentials, what do you bring? My spouse. We
are stronger together than the sum of the two of us.
A little about Bear with Me:
Blue eyes, dimples, and silky brown hair; Grant Luther has all of Alison’s weaknesses.
When he asks for one last chance to save their marriage, she agrees to relocate their family to isolated Strawberry, Kentucky in pursuit of his career dreams. Grant views Alison’s sensory issues as limitations and protects her from outside threats. When he finds his new job includes changing him into a shifter in a war against the soul-sucking Sluagh he vows to keep the changes a secret. What he doesn’t know is Alison has been hiding a magical secret of her own. One that makes her a target of the Sluagh.
Will Alison emerge from Grant’s shadow to protect her family? And can Grant learn that being different can be a strength not a weakness?
A sneak peek between the pages of Bear With Me!
“You look perfect. I mean perfectly healthy. I mean mostly uninjured,” she stammers. She places her tiny hand over her eyes.
Feeling braver than ever, I walk right up to her. I gently remove the hand from her face and hold it to my own. “See, I’m fine,” I whisper as I gently rub my thumb over her tiny knuckles.
Her eyes lift to mine and lock our gazes. I have always found the golden color of her eyes fascinating but never studied them up close. They are light brown with a golden star in the middle. I am literally star gazing as she takes in the injuries to my face. We stand there for about a minute, lost in time.
I wonder if she is thinking about when we first started dating, the hard times that followed, the present, or the future. I search her face for clues but don’t want to break the spell by opening my mouth. I decide to put said mouth to better use by lowering my head toward hers.
About the Author:
You can connect with Marilyn at the social media links below:
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Bear with Me!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Bare with Me, Contemporary Romance, Marilyn Barr by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
