Riptide Publishing – A New Statement

As the situation as Riptide Publishing has progressed from bad to worse and many authors are still pulling their books from the publisher, here is the latest statement from that house:

What does that mean for some of your favorite authors? Well, you will need to go to their author and FB pages to see who exactly is leaving. Some authors like Garrett Leigh, LB Gregg, Alexis Hall, Lisa Henry, Cari Z (some of her stories will remain as she explains on her FB page) KJ Charles, Christine d’Abo, Vanessa North, Roan Parrish, JA Rock, among others have stated they are pulling their stories. Authors that have stories linked to series like the Porthkennack or Bluewater Bay universes will have those stories remain with Riptide Publishing, can they can’t “unlink” them as the Origin World itself belongs to the publisher. Others still like Ally Blue are caught up with contractual obligations and have no other option but to stay. So many complications. I feel for them all.

Many are offering these authors free covers, editing services, help with self publishing, promo work etc. Help will be needed as you can imagine. Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is offering up our sidebar space to all the ex Riptide authors (no cost) for them to help promote their new releases on a rotating basis as well as Book Spotlight Promos too to replace the tours they’ve lost.

Riptide Publishing has closed down for all new submissions. What does this mean for their future? I have no idea.

Even now other authors are coming out with their own stories of horror about Sarah Lyon, the racism they experienced and more. I don’t think this is over yet.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is going to honor our commitments to the authors at Riptide Publishing to review the stories we have in house and the tours we have scheduled. We in no way want to hurt the authors that are innocent here.

What we will do in the future is under heavy discussion at the moment should we be asked for any future tours if Riptide Publishing survives. That it will remains to be seen. More work is needed starting at the top before people can believe in them again. But to do that you need to survive, and that’s looking bleaker by the minute.

Pertinent Links:

Sarah Lyons and Why I Ended My Relationship With Riptide Publishing

blackmagicblues.com

Our Statement on Sarah Lyons | Riptide Publishing

riptidepublishing.com

Our Statement on Santino Hassell | Riptide Publishing

riptidepublishing.com

Author Santino Hassell dropped by publishinghouse amidst msscribe-like debacle

ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com

Riptide Publishing Tour and Giveaway: Wheels and Heels by Jaime Samms

Wheels and Heels (Stories from the Hen and Hog #1) by Jaime Samms
Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Christine Coffee

About Wheels and Heels

As a teenager, Ira Bedford fled a troubled home life and people who didn’t understand his penchant for feminine things. In the city, he fell in with Cedric, who found him work as an underage stripper. It took him years to escape Cedric’s influence and try to build a life of his own.

Now, he just wants to be left alone to create his art. But Cedric’s on-going harassment means Ira had to drop out of art school, is squatting in a friend’s apartment, and is still relying on his allure as a sexy, skirt-wearing exotic dancer to pay his bills.

Then he meets Jed. Part-time bartender and the apartment building’s superintendent, Jed is just the right mix of strong, kind, and protective to pull Ira out of hiding. He also welcomes Ira into his chosen family at the Hen and Hog Pub. But Ira yearns for more. Still, he doesn’t dare to hope that Jed will want him and his questionable past, his skirts and high heels, his hang-ups, and the profession he seems unable to escape. But Jed will do anything to prove him wrong.

Available now from Riptide Publishing!

About Jaime Samms

Jaime has been writing for various publishers since the fall of 2008, although she’s been writing for herself far longer. Her Stories about men falling in love are the stories that she loves to read, so it seemed to make sense if she was going to write, they would also be the stories she wrote.

These days, you can find plenty of free reading on her website. She also writes for Various Publishers.

Spare time, when it can be found rolled into a ball at the back of the dryer or cavorting with the dust bunnies in the corners, is spent crocheting, drawing, gardening (weather permitting, of course, since she is Canadian!), or watching movies. She has a day job, as well, which she loves, and two kids, but thankfully, also a wonderful husband who shoulders more than his fair share of household and child-care responsibilities.

She graduated some time ago from college with a fine arts diploma, and a major in textile arts, which basically qualifies her to draw pictures and create things with string and fabric. One always needs an official slip of paper to fall back on after all . . .

Connect with Jaime:

Website: http://jaime-samms.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000982219151&ref=tn_tnmn

Livejournal:http://dontkickmycane.livejournal.com/

Deviantart: http://dontkickmycane.deviantart.com/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/JaimeSamms

Amazon Author page: amazon.com/author/jaimesamms

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Wheels and Heels, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 17, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Lila Release Day Review:Twisted and Tied (Marshals #4) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones finally has everything he ever wanted. He’s head-over-heels in love and married to the man of his dreams, his partner Ian Doyle, he’s doing well at work, and all his friends are in good places as well. Things are all tied up nicely… until they’re not.

Change has never been easy for Miro, and when situations at work force the team he’s come to depend on to break apart, and worst of all, his and Ian’s individual strengths put them on two separate paths, he’s pretty certain everything just went up in smoke. But before he can even worry about the future, his past comes for a visit, shaking his world up even more. It’s hard to tell what road he should truly be on, but as he learns some paths are forged and others are discovered, it might be that where he’s going is the right course after all. If he can navigate all the twists and turns, he and Ian might just get their happily ever after.

Twisted and Tied is my favorite book in this series. Perhaps because it brings all the plot lines to an end and after several volumes, it’s easy to follow the connections with other books by the author. Also by now, we know all the characters well and small details, like brand name mentions, are part of the narrative.

Even when the book is only from Miro’s point of view and in the first person, we get to see and understand everyone’s’ actions and their part in the story. The author is known for her detailed descriptions–from settings, physical aspects to the weather, foods, and clothing.

I will recommend reading Together Tied before this book, not because it’s necessary, but because it brings the relationship between Kage and the Marshals to a different level. Then it’s easier to understand certain decisions Kage takes here involving Miro and Ian. These books definitely are not stand-alone but in my case, I haven’t read the original books with Kage and Jory.

As for this story’s plot, it’s a lot simpler than any of the previous books. The reader has time to appreciate the changes happening in Ian’s and Miro’s lives and they didn’t spend long periods of time apart as they did before. We get updates from other characters and get to know new ones with potential for other series.

The beginning is slower than we are used to but it has enough information not to get you bored. I did a bit of crying around the eighty percent of the story but it was because I didn’t expect something to happen as it did. Perhaps I was naive enough but in the end, it worked well. I was hoping for an impossibly happy ending. But hey, a girl can dream.

The ending was a little anti-climatic but fitting. It brought Miro’s life full circle and set the path for his future with his friends, family, and work. Ian is more of a secondary character in this story than one of the main character but it still worked. Overall, this is a great ending to the Marshals series.

The cover by Reese Dante matched the previous ones and gives several hints about the particulars of this story.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner| Amazon | Nook

ebook, 266 pages
Published: March 13, 2018, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781640801721
Edition Language: English

Series: Marshals

Book #1: All Kinds of Tied Down (Marshals, #1)

Book #2: Fit to be Tied (Marshals, #2)

Book #3: Tied Up in Knots (Marshals, #3)

Book #3.5: Together Tied (Marshals, #3.5)

Book #4: Twisted and Tied (Marshals, #4)

An Alisa Release Day Review: Running to You by Andrew Grey

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Home, love, and possibilities he never imagined are waiting for Billy Joe to claim them. But first he needs to escape the horrors of his past.

A twisted act of cruelty and prejudice drives Billy Joe from his Mississippi home, and he makes it as far as Pennsylvania—where his car breaks down just as the year’s first snowstorm blows in. Fortunately, Carlos is there to lend a hand.

Carlos is no stranger to hardship. His family rejected him for being gay, but with determination, he put himself through school and became a librarian. Carlos sees the same willpower in Billy, and he wants to help Billy and his son succeed in a new life that is very different from the one they left behind. With his support, they start to adjust, and before long, both men want more than encouragement from each other. They want the chance for a future together, but their families have other ideas… and Billy’s will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This was a wonderful story. Billy Joe flees his hometown with his son after witnessing something horrible to allow them to make a better life for themselves. Carlos is drawn to the man with the guarded eyes and the adorable little boy.

Billy Joe lived his life under his father’s bigoted rule but after a horrible realization escapes with Tyler. Carlos has lived without his family for years but made a new one with his friends.

I really liked how much “real” this story was. Billy had to deal with a very scary prospect to get justice for his friend but other than that there wasn’t anything big and extravagant, which I think a lot of stories seem to use. I loved watching Carlos and Billy Joe navigate how to entwine their lives together. You could see how both of these men have been jaded by life but want the world for Tyler and will work hard to make it happen, there is no real “rescuing” going on; they both had to support each other in different ways. I could feel both of their pain but also their happiness throughout the story. And I loved Tyler, that boy was adorable, but he wasn’t perfect and still had fits unlike how children are often portrayed.

The cover art by Kanaxa is wonderful and perfect for this story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages

Published: March 13, 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

ISBN-13: 978-1-64080-413-5

Edition Language: English

Andrew Grey on Favorite Stories, Covers and his new release Running To You (author guest blog and excerpt)

Running to You by Andrew Grey
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Release Date: Mar 13 2018

Buy Links:Dreamspinner Press

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Andrew Grey here today talking about favorite stories, and what’s ahead for him as an author. Welcome, Andrew.

♦︎

How do you choose your covers? (curious on my part) Yes. With Dreamspinner, we work with the cover artist to develop a cover that fits the story and one that we like. DSP has always worked that way and it’s a process I really like. There have been times when they have gone above and beyond to make me happy. For the cover of Love Comes Silently we ended up going back and forth twenty times. (Mostly to get the right pink hat.)

Do you have a favorite among your own stories? And why? That is a really hard question. I think I have to say Love Means… No Shame. That story really worked its way deep into my heart. I also put a lot of myself and my own experiences into the story, so it got very personal quickly.

What’s next for you as an author? I just finished a story called Borrowed Heart where the main character Robin, had a heart transplant six years before and after being hurt badly by his ex-boyfriend, he needs to figure out how he’s going to move forward with the time that has been given to him.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Home, love, and possibilities he never imagined are waiting for Billy Joe to claim them. But first he needs to escape the horrors of his past.

Series: Standalone (Currently)
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Excerpt

Carlos Miras pulled to a stop behind the black Escape by the side of the highway. His father would probably tell him he was a fool, and his mother would probably say he had a good heart—too good a heart. But neither of their opinions mattered anymore. He was no longer part of their family. Carlos looked out his front window, wipers swishing back and forth to ward off the snow. He saw hints of light coming from inside the car, most likely from a cell phone.

He got out, pulling his coat closed around him. Hazard lights blinked red against the snow. Carlos tapped on the window of the back door because he thought he saw movement. “Are you all right?” he shouted.

The back door opened to a man leaning over the back seat to a small child still in his car seat, covered in a blanket. “The car died, and I was trying to get him warm.” The man turned and pulled back, eyes widening. Carlos had trouble placing the expression. “We’ll be fine as soon as I call for help.”

“Pop the hood. Let me take a look at it.” Carlos had spent numerous hours working on cars with his father and brothers. Not that he’d been particularly into cars at the time, but he picked things up by osmosis. He went around to the front, and when the hood popped, he pushed it open and used his phone to illuminate the engine.

“It just went dark all of a sudden and everything stopped working,” the man said, pulling himself into the coat after closing the car door.

Carlos bent over the engine and quickly found the problem. “It’s the electrical system.” He reconnected the main circuit to the alternator and stood back up. The hood light came on as though he’d flipped a switch, and Carlos closed the hood. “That ought to do it. I suggest you take it in to have it looked at, but you were pretty lucky.”

The man turned the key and the engine came to life. “Thanks,” he said softly. “I was trying to make Harrisburg to get a hotel and….”

Carlos shook his head. “I don’t think so. The snow isn’t going to stop, and the roads are only going to get worse. I’d say to get a hotel, but with this weather, they have been reporting that almost everything is full.” He sighed. “Let me make a call.” He pulled out his phone and called his landlady, Mrs. Carmichael, and explained the situation. “I know it’s unusual, but he has a little boy with him, and in this weather….”

About the Author

Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Author Links

Amazon Author Page

Barnes and Noble Page

Dreamspinner Press

Facebook

Facebook Group All the Way with Andrew Grey

Goodreads

Twitter @andrewgreybooks

Website

For Other Works by Andrew Grey

(Please Be Sure To Stop by His Website to See All of His Works)

**** Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book from RBTL Book Promotions and the Author/Publisher with the hope that I will leave my Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. *****

A MelanieM Review :Explore with Me (With Me Series #2) by Kris Jacen

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Can two coming from such different backgrounds and points in their lives find a balance to explore together?

The Army is the only thing that First Sergeant Danny Glenn has known in his adult life. From the age of nineteen on, he’s worn a uniform every day. He’s seen so much in his twenty years but the last deployment did something to him. Danny’s begun to wonder if he can’t do more good helping people in the US instead of other countries but to do that he’d have to get out.

Doctor Liam MacNamara is finishing up the last of his residency in Emergency Medicine. Now’s the tough part, which offer to accept. He could stay in New Orleans where shifts are never dull or choose to uproot and experience somewhere different. College followed by medical school and then residency are the only things he’s known since he was eighteen. There’s got to be more out there, right?

Can a retired first sergeant and a brand-new doctor balance each other enough to explore their options together?

I so glad Kris Jacen went ahead and wrote another story in what became a series because it’s wonderful. Explore with Me continues in the same universe and with the same characters and heptad as the marvelous Wait for Me. First Sergeant Danny Glenn is another member of the heptad that I fell in love with in the first story.

But the author removes him from that close-knit group and their support system by placing him in New Orleans. I have to admit I missed them but they all will show up later. By isolating him, cutting him away from his heptad, the focus is again primarily on him, his issues, and the problem at the moment, the one the places him at the hospital. His doctor, Doctor Liam MacNamara, happens to be the baby brother of Mackay…yep the same Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamara of Wait for Me. Lian is also at a crossroads in his life, needing to figure out where to go next now that his internship is done.

Two men, one major attraction, close ties between them, and both at crossroads in their lives. All you need for a wonderful, emotionally charged story and Jacen gives us that. And she does so within the framework of the military she knows so well.

The members of the heptad (the group of soldiers that serves together and support each other) don’t have to be physically present to be a strong presence here. No, they appear via phone calls, texts, what have you. And then of course, they do come when needed. They are family. All the nibbles and squeakers (the children as they are called), the dogs, the spouses (men and women)…everyone is here. I love that about these stories. Kris Jacen makes it clear that a soldier cannot be a soldier within their support system, their military heptad family which includes their actual ones. That important message comes through strongly here for the readers and Danny.

The buildup to a relationship is slow and realistic. I liked that too. In fact I loved everything about this except maybe I wanted a little more at the end. Maybe the author will give it to us in another story. Plus there’s a certain soldier May that now needs his story told as well. I hope they have a part to play in his. This is a terrific series that I can see going on for some time. It’s rich and full of love and wonderful people. I can’t wait for the next one to come out.

I highly recommend this story and the previous one. It helps to have read Wait for Me to understand all the characters you meet here. Take this soldier and the whole heptad into your heart today.

Cover art: Jared Rackler. I love the cover for this book. Attractive and the colors are striking.

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 127 pages
Published February 8th 2018 by MLR Press
Original TitleExplore with Me
ASINB079Q4BCCZ
Edition LanguageEnglish

Ari of Ari McKay with Teaser and a giveaway on their new release ‘Heart of Glass (Lawyers in Love #3)’ by Ari McKay

Heart of Glass (Lawyers in Love #3) by Ari McKay
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Art by Bree Archer

ORDER LINKS: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Ari of Ari McKay here today to talk about their latest story Heart of Glass. Welcome, Ari!

♦︎

Hello, everyone! I’m the Ari half of Ari McKay, and I am honored to be joining the lovely people at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words today to let you know a little bit about our recent release, Heart of Glass from Dreamspinner Press!

Heart of Glass is book three of our novella series Lawyers in Love. The first story, Santa’s Naughty Helper, was a Christmas tale, while Fortune’s Slings and Cupid’s Arrows was set around Valentine’s Day. Our latest story returns to the Christmas Season, encompassing both the excitement of a New York “big city” holiday, and the delights of a more homespun celebration in the New Jersey suburbs. But while Christmas is the season for the story, the beginning features a misunderstanding that no one is likely to share around a holiday fire!

Asher Caldwell doesn’t do hearth and home, family or commitment. It’s a result of his upbringing by a father who just can’t seem to understand the word “faithful”. Asher is afraid of being like is father, so his love life consists of nothing more than one night stands with paid escorts. It might seem a bit ironic that a lawyer would result to an activity which is against the law, but Asher views it as serving his purpose. He gets the physical release he needs, the escorts receive compensation, and no one gets hurt.

No one knows about Asher’s practical arrangement, especially not Zach Richardson. Like Asher, Zach is the product of his upbringing. He comes from a large, warm family, and what he wants most is to find someone to love in the way his parents love one another. Unfortunately, Zach isn’t a very outgoing person, and between working for the District Attorney and his own innate reserve, Zach doesn’t meet many men. But when he works on the prosecution of a high profile case, he sees Asher Caldwell in action, and he’s completely blown away. Fascinated with both Asher and Asher’s ability to defend a seemingly indefensible case, Zach applies to Asher’s firm. Unfortunately, working in the same office doesn’t win him Asher’s notice, and Zach finally takes his friends’ advice to get out and try to find someone.

His best friends give him a makeover, and even Zach is stunned at the difference it makes in his appearance. For the first time in his life, he actually feels desirable. When his clubbing date with his pals is interrupted by an urgent assignment delivering paperwork to Asher’s apartment, Zach is a little curious if Asher will notice the difference.

Asher seems to notice – and to approve wholeheartedly, since he proceeds to seduce Zach. Unable to resist, Zach gives in, wondering if this could be the start of the kind of relationship with Asher he’d been hoping for. Their chemistry is off the charts, and Zach is beyond ecstatic, until the truth of the situation is finally revealed. Asher was expecting an escort, and he thought Zach was nothing more than his paid companion for the evening. To say Zach is devastated is quite an understatement.

When Asher learns the truth, he’s horrified that he’s gone to bed with one of his employees — and yet his encounter with Zach left him, for the first time, hungry for more. Now Asher faces the greatest challenge of his life – to convince Zach to take a chance on him, and prove to them both that he can be faithful to one man for the rest of his life.

I’m not going to give anything else away, but I hope I’ve whetted your appetite the way Zach did Asher’s, and that you’ll give Heart of Glass a chance to make you fall in love with our boys the way we did. And even if it isn’t Christmas, maybe a little of the magic can still rub off with the gift of a happily ever after!

Love always! Ari and McKay

BLURB:

Fear of being like his unfaithful father has put high walls around senior litigator Asher Caldwell’s heart. Can former district attorney Zach Richardson knock them down to reveal the passionate man beneath the commitment-phobic workaholic, or will Zach’s own jealousy destroy what they’re trying to build?

A new life and a new love—that’s what Zach’s hoping for when he leaves the DA’s office and lets his friends give him a makeover. But the jury’s still out on whether the experiment was a success. His new look gets the attention of his boss and secret crush, Asher Caldwell, and leads to a seduction. Unfortunately, to Zach’s horror he learns that Asher assumed he was a paid escort. Asher is equally mortified to discover he had sex with an employee. Even so, the encounter meant a lot to both men, and they want to give dating a shot. Their romance born out of mistaken identity might work if Zack can trust Asher to be satisfied with the love of only one man… and if Asher can trust himself.

About the Authors

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.

Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.

AUTHOR CONTACTS:

Website: http://arimckay.wordpress.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ari-Mckay/266185570179748

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ari.mckay.7

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AriMcKay1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6153630.Ari_McKay

Giveaway

The authors are giving away with our post of the first two Lawyers in Love stories, Santa’s Naughty Helper and Fortune’s Slings and Cupid’s Arrows. Leave a comment, maybe about the series or even a suggestion for a new holiday for them along with your email address where you can be reached. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

In The Spotlight: New Heights by Quinn Anderson (tour and giveaway)

New Heights by Quinn Anderson
Riptide Publishing

Cover art: L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here at Riptide Publishing

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Quinn Anderson here today to talk about her latest novel New Heights. Welcome, Quinn.

Thanks for joining me on my book tour! I’m Quinn Anderson, author of the Murmur Inc. Series and On Solid Ground. I’m here to share some inside information about New Heights, coming out March 12th, including fun facts and more. Leave comments on the tour posts for a chance to win a $10 Riptide Publishing gift card!

About New Heights

After attending a friend’s wedding in New York, James Thompson is eager to go home, even though no one will be waiting for him at the gate. He has no expectations for his trip back to Charleston other than long lines, security, and bad airplane food. But when an annoying—albeit hot—stranger cuts him in line, James is determined not to be a pushover for once.

For Mika “It’s Mee-kuh, not Micah” Bailey, today’s just another day of boring work travel. That is, until his flight gets delayed, and some irritating (but handsome) guy keeps hogging all the good power outlets. Which means war. In the middle of an airport. In New York. What could go wrong?

Eventually, they declare a truce, and as they get to know each other, their attraction overwhelms them both. Terrified of what he’s feeling, Mika suggests a no-strings hookup, but serial-monogamist James wants more. If they don’t fight for what’s right in front of them, their romance might be canceled before it ever takes off.

Now available from Riptide Publishing!

About Quinn Anderson

Quinn Anderson is an alumna of the University of Dublin in Ireland and has a master’s degree in psychology. She wrote her dissertation on sexuality in popular literature and continues to explore evolving themes in erotica in her professional life.

A nerd extraordinaire, she was raised on an unhealthy diet of video games, anime, pop culture, and comics from infancy. Her girlfriend swears her sense of humor is just one big Joss Whedon reference. She stays true to her nerd roots in writing and in life, and frequently draws inspiration from her many fandoms, which include Yuri on Ice, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Buffy, and more. Growing up, while most of her friends were fighting evil by moonlight, Anderson was kamehameha-ing her way through all the shounen anime she could get her hands on. You will often find her interacting with fellow fans online and offline via conventions and Tumblr, and she is happy to talk about anything from nerd life to writing tips. She has attended conventions on three separate continents and now considers herself a career geek. She advises anyone who attends pop culture events in the UK to watch out for Weeping Angels, as they are everywhere. If you’re at an event, and you see a 6’2” redhead wandering around with a vague look on her face, that’s probably her.

Her favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Gail Carson Levine, Libba Bray, and Tamora Pierce. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending too much time on the internet, playing fetch with her cat, screwing the rules, watching Markiplier play games she’s too scared to play herself, and catching ’em all.

Connect with Quinn:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorQuinnAnderson/
Tumblr: quinnandersonwrites

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of New Heights, one lucky winner will receive a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on March 17, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Authors, Blogs, and Relationships. This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Authors, Blogs, and Relationships.

Given recent upsetting events concerning author Santino Hassell and other things that have occurred within the last six month, I’ve been thinking a lot about author/blog relationships. Through this author’s campaign of lies, harassment and distortions, he was able to convince Riptide Publishing that a well-known, well-established blogger with a terrific reputation was “engaged in a campaign to doxx, harass, and smear him” to the point that they removed her and her blog from their tours and ARC lists as well as Twitter feeds, impacting her hugely. Now this author also has or had a number of well known author friends and was also at the “stable” at Dreamspinner [see Dreamspinner Press note below] so I imagine he was working on them to get them to block this blogger as well. I’m not sure we will ever know how far it got.

But the impact on her reputation from his deceit, however temporary, can’t be denied. And no I’m certainly not forgetting the legends of people out there that this man has hurt by his long time deceitful behavior, catfishing, and pretense of being a cancer patient.

Today, I want to talk about author/blog relationships because they can get to be a little incentuous, a little weird, simply by the nature of the beast. You see all bloggers/reviewers, well, we are readers first. Then we write our first review because we want to share our thoughts on the books we are reading, then comes another review, and another. Maybe we read a blog or decide to start one as a journal, who knows but all of a sudden you’re a blogger and a reviewer. Then little by little you make the conscious decision to grow the blog and add more reviewers and voila! Six years and 12 reviewers later (not all the same ones mind) Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is still rolling along.

Because we are readers who love our books and yes, authors, we like to attend conventions where we meet and connect with the authors and publishers. You do this enough times and it can go from friendly acquaintances to downright friends, knitting buds, people you write to. I’m sure you can see where this is going.You have a relationship with these authors.Does it make it hard to remain objective for reviews? It would if I was the only one reviewing books here. Thank the goddess I’m not. There are actually 12 of us here so that makes it easier although not always true as we do have our favorite authors and always will. But we would have those simply as readers. And I don’t see the issue with that as long as it doesn’t carry over into how it affects our treatment of those authors on the blog.

I would like to think that we as bloggers can use our blogs to help promote those writers who are trying to find a “platform” for their first stories as self published authors or just authors with stories period, have a place to “talk” to readers about their writing and their new releases, and that we, in turn, are respectful of their efforts while being honest in our reviews and opinions. After all, readers are also depending upon us to let them know if a finished story is a quality novel in every way! It’s not just the plot, and the characters. No, it’s also the world building and the editing. Yes, a great editor will always be needed, an author simply cannot self edit…it never works out well. Editors are gods no matter how much you may hate them. Throw gold at them now.

We recently had an author tell us not to review her books any more. Now this is an author that we had just put in our top ten of 2017, had been one of our Top Author Discoveries of 2017 and, out of the blue, wrote us a letter, demanding we not review her latest SciFy story because a reviewer (she wouldn’t name) was writing things about other authors books she didn’t like (wouldn’t say what). Wasn’t even sure that reviewer even wrote for us since she wouldn’t name them. I wrote back offering to open up the conversation and keep the dialog going. Did we hear from this author? No. Did we review the book? Yes. Guess what? It was very good. 4 stars. We review the book,dear readers, not in this case the nuttiness that went on around it. And FYI? No one tells us what books we can or can’t review. One case in point of the strangeness that can go on in an author’s mind that she thought she had the authority to tell us not to review a story. Huh.

Sigh.

If you had asked me, this was an author I thought I had a relationship with. Guess not. But her questionable judgement against us put our reputation into question without even asking for particulars And her publisher is one that we’ve just started working with. Now I need to contact them and gingerly open up a conversation I’m not sure I know how to start.

On the flip side, I’ve had great relationships with authors who send me their pre-release pre-final edits ARCs, trusting me not to share their stories (which I never have). It’s a tightrope of trust and expectations that develops between blogger and author. When it works, it’s mutually beneficial to all, including our readers. When it breaks down, as it did in the Santino Hassell case, it went wrong in a spectacularly bad fashion, hurting this blogger to the point it could have ruined her out of the blog she’s so lovingly created.

Have I come to any conclusions? Not really. I don’t attend any conventions anymore. Mostly because of RL obligations and the costs. My contacts with everyone are through emails, FB, and Twitter, not that it matters as to the “closeness” you feel to someone. I would like to think that Santino Hassell is an abnormality, the author who has been uncovered while managing once more to hurt the LGBT community…again.

My heart goes out to all his victims.

If any one of our readers want to share your thoughts on this topic, I’d love to hear them…..what a disheartening couple of days it’s been, shattering for those who believed in him, vindicating for those who have been trying to get so many to hear them for so long.

As to the author/blogger relationship? Well, I’m not sure that’s going to change either. It’s an odd duck as my grandmother would say. One that needs respect on both sides to work. And maybe a few boundaries….

{Note: On March 9 Dreamspinner Press tweeted that Dreamspinner Press is no longer selling Santino Hassell titles. And that removing titles on third party retailers will take time.

He is no longer listed on their website.]

This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, March 11:

Authors, Blogs, and Relationships.
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, March 12:

Tour:Curved Horizon by Taylor Brooke e
DSP Promo Ari McKay
RIPTIDE TOUR and Giveaway: New Heights by Quinn Anderson
A Lila Review :Winter Cowboy by RJ Scott
A MelanieM Review Explore with Me by Kris Jacen
An Alisa Review Special Delivery by Deirdre O’Dare

Tuesday, March 13:

COVER REVEAL Ari McKay ‘s Like The Night
DSP Promo Andrew Grey
RELEASE DAY BLITZ EXPOSED ANTHOLOGY (a novel taken promo)
Release Day Blitz Heartbeats by Jenna Kendrick
A Free Dreamer: Review: The Seeds of Dissolution (Dissolution Cycle #1) by William C. Tracy
A Lila Release Day Review:Twisted and Tied (Marshals #4) by Mary Calmes
An Alisa Release Day Review: Running to You by Andrew Grey

Wednesday, March 14:

BLITZ Teacher’s Pet by Multiple Authors
Review Tour Silvia Violet – Of Hope and Anguish
Series Review Tour for Infinity #1 and #2 by C J Lynne
A Lila Review: Undercover Star by Jackie Keswick
A Lila Review : Of Hope and Anguish by Silvia Violet
A Melanie Review: Family Matters (Brandywine Investigations #4-5) by Angel Martinez

Thursday, March 15:

Release Blitz – Lynn Michaels – Out Of The Ocean
Release Blitz: Would It Be Okay To Love You Box Set by Amy Tasukada
Riptide Publishing Tour and Giveaway: Wheels and Heels by Jaime Samms
The Ballerino and The Biker by Rebecca James Release Day Blitz
A MelanieM Review: Promise Me We’ll Be Okay by Nell Iris
A Stella PreRelease Review: Cutie Pies by Barbara Bell
An Alisa Review: Valentine’s Day Dreaming (A Touch of Love #9) by Pelaam

Friday, March 16:

Book Blast PRIDE OF LOVE by Kevin Dwyer
Book Blast – David – Beginnings by B. J. Smyth
BOOK TOUR Off-Campus Setup by Maria Vickers
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Ever After by Riley Hart & Christina Lee
A MelanieM Release Day Review: American Road Trip by Sarah Black
A MelanieM Review: Sound of Silence by Mia Kerick and Raine O’Tierney

Saturday, March 17:

A MelanieM Review: Squared Away (Out of Uniform #5) by Annabeth Albert
In the Spotlight: AE Via on her new release Promises Part 4
Release Blitz – T.A. Creech – Dusk (Expedition 63: Book One)

Riptide Publishing and Santino Hassell

Announcement

For all our readers who may have orders at Riptide Publishing for the stories of Santino Hassell, you need to be aware that Riptide Publishing has cut all ties with this author and has removed all stories under that name.

You can find their statement here:

From Riptide Publishing:

http://riptidepublishing.com/a-statement-on-sh

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words will no longer be reading or reviewing any words by an author under that name. We will also be removing old reviews as well.