Down Under Author: Beany Sparks

Meet Beany Sparks!

Beany Sparks is the author of recent releases in her Paws and Magic series, Aiden’s Shepherd and Ryan’s Wizard.

To get to know Beany a little better, the author agreed to an interview. Look for the interview below and the Down Under Scavenger Hunt word found somewhere within.

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Beany Sparks lives in Western Australia. She first started reading romance novels in 2008, but it wasn’t until January 2010 when her Kindle got delivered (which she had brought herself on Christmas Day 2009) that the world of erotic romance opened its doors to her, and she hasn’t looked back.

Since English was never her strong subject at school she never expected to write a story, let alone try to get it published. With suggestions and support from friends, her muse—“affectionately” known as PITA—was finally able to break free, and in January 2014 her first story was written. Since she can’t put PITA back in his box—she’s tried!—Beany has decided to give in and team up with him.

Together they’ve made plans to write both MF and MM stories. Why? Because love isn’t gender specific, love is love.

Website: http://www.beanysparks.com
Blog: http://www.beanysparks.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beany.sparks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeanySparks
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8416226.Beany_Sparks

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Available at eXastyBooks:
Aiden’s Shepherd (Paws and Magic #1): Blurb and Book Details:

A man who never knew magic and shifters existed gets a crash course when he saves an injured dog.
Aiden Grey is packed and ready to move and start a new phase of his life away from the family that kicked him out when he was eighteen. The night before he leaves he sees something fall out of the back of a van. Upon closer inspection, he is shocked to find that it’s not the bag he suspected, it’s a dog!

He decides to take the dog with him, and the two set off the next morning to Aiden’s new home. Everything is going well for Aiden and the German Shepherd he named Lex. That is, until said German Shepherd shifts into a man who claims Aiden is his mate.

Lex can’t believe he’s finally found his mate. But as happy as he is to have him, he still worries about his brother and pack, and where they have ended up.

With the revelation that shifters exist, secrets about Aiden’s past come to light. Secrets he didn’t even know existed. Suddenly, Aiden has to deal with not only the reality of shifters, but also ghosts and magic. But with Lex by his side he can handle anything—even his surprise guest. (less)
ebook, 111 pages
Published October 1st 2014 by eXtasy Books
ISBN139781487400705
edition languageEnglish
http://www.extasybooks.com/Aiden-‘-s-Shepherd/
seriesPaws and Magic #1

Ryan’s Wizard(Paws and Magic #2): Blurb and Book Details:

After years of no contact, Oliver “Olly” Grey was finally able to reunite with his cousin Aiden. He’s surprised to find that Aiden now has a mate—a male, shifter mate—named Lex. And it’s Lex’s pack mates that Olly is there to help save. What he hadn’t expected was Lex’s brother Ryan.

Ryan Shepherd was happy to have found his brother Lex, and even happier to know that his brother was happily mated. But there is something about Aiden’s cousin Olly that Ryan doesn’t trust, especially when he also smells like the man currently holding his pack members captive. Yet that doesn’t stop Ryan from wanting to hold and comfort the man, and eventually he realizes why—Olly is his mate.

Now the four of them need to plan a rescue mission, but what happens when they run into the two men that had held Lex captive and those same men come to the cabin in the middle of the night?

ebook, 119 pages
Published November 1st 2014 by extasy Books
ISBN139781487401061
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.extasybooks.com/Ryan-‘-s-Wizard/
seriesPaws and Magic #2

Christmas, snow and…a merman? Coming in December 2014 from eXasy Books.

Return of the Cats (het romance)

Genre(s):
Erotic Romance
Gay Romance
Paranormal
Shifters

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Contests and Giveaways:

1. Today’s Giveaway (thank you, Beany Sparks) is an eBook copy the reader’s choice of Aiden’s Shepherd or Ryan’s Wizard. Enter using this Rafflecopter link here. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

2. Down Under Scavenger Hunt – find the Hunt “word or phrase” in bold green . Collect all the words from each author and submit the list in writing no later than midnight on February 1st. Make sure you include an email address where you can be reached. Prizes will be given to 5 people selected, from 1st place to 5th! Happy Hunting.

• When did you start writing?

I only started in January 2014.

• Were you a reader as a child?

Definitely! Every parent-teacher conference my mum went to, she would complain to my English teacher that I read too much. They kept telling her that it wasn’t a bad thing.

• What books as a child has the most impact on you?

I love Harry Potter and the Night World series (by L.J. Smith)

• Did that impression carry over into adulthood when you started writing?

I think so because they were about magic and shifters and that’s what I love to read and write.

• Where do you draw inspiration from?

I let my mind wander a lot, occasionally a good idea pops up.

• Favorite genres to write in and why?

Paranormal because it allows me to do whatever I want.

• Title or characters or plot? Which comes first?

Characters. I’m lucky if I get the plot at all! Usually I don’t know what’s going to happen until I’m writing it.

• Favorite book/story you have read as an adult

Too many to choose from!

• What’s the hardest part of writing your books?

My muse PITA who changes the story on me or just shuts up for ages so that I get no writing done.

• If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your first book?

No. It was a good learning curve.

• If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor or has the biggest influence on you?

I would say Bailey (Bradford) or Talia (Carmichael). They encouraged me from day one and without them, I wouldn’t have gotten the courage to give writing a go. At least not any time soon.

• My first impression of AUS/NZ was from stories and novels like Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds or Nevil Shute’s A Town Like Alice as well as from movies like The Man from Snowy River, The Dish, Rabbit Proof Fence, Strictly Ballroom, and yes, Crocodile Dundee!

There are so many out there.

• What are your current projects?

I’m writing Book 2 in the Merman Tales series and Book 3 in the Paws and Magic series.

• What’s next up for you?

Merman Tales Book 2 is coming out 1st February.

In Our Book Spotlight: Beany Spark’s Ryan’s Wizard (book tour and contest)

Book Name: Ryan’s Wizard
Goodreads Link

Author Name: Beany Sparks

Beany Sparks is paying us a visit today to talk about shifters, magic, and her latest release, Ryan’s Wizard! Read the interview, check out the excerpt and don’t forget to enter the contest for the ebook copy of Ryan’s Wizard!.

Our interview:

Q. What was the inspiration for Ryan’s Wizard?

BS: Well with the way I ended Aiden’s Shepherd (Paws and Magic 1) I kinda had to write Ryan and Olly’s story, and fast! It helped that PITA was feeling chatty.

Q. I love books with a magical component, especially wizards. What is it about magic and wizards that prompted you to put them into your story?

BS: To be honest, Aiden was initially going to be just a regular human. I remember getting to a point and thinking, do I want to give him magic? And then I thought, why not! So Aiden got his magic, then his cousin Olly, a wizard, made his debut.

I like the freedom you get with the magical/paranormal world, you can do anything you want.

Q. Magic and mates, they seem made for each other. How did you think of combining the two?

BS: The shifter aspect was always going to be there. In fact that’s what the series was going to be about. But then as I was writing Aiden’s Shepherd, the magic practically jumped in front of me and yelled SURPRISE! The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. So the series went from being a shifter series to shifters and magic, becoming Paws and Magic.

Q. Favorite genre to read? Favorite to write in? Or are they the same?

BS: I love to read and write about shifters, vampires, magic, and paranormal in general. I like contemporary too, but it doesn’t give you as much as freedom to play.

Q. Have you always loved a good fantasy? What was the first fantasy story that made you love this genre?

BS: I have actually. Books in general were my escape, but fantasy let you escape to a completely different world and that appealed to me.

The Night World series by L.J. Smith was one series that introduced me to vampires, witches, werewolves, and shapeshifters. I’m still waiting for the final book to be published though…

Q. Lately I have been reading some marvelous books by terrific Australian and NZ authors. This feels like a tidal wave of delight. What do you think has prompted this marvelous influx? Ebooks, perhaps?

BS: I think eBooks have played a big role. I also think we have some wonderful scenery that just can’t help but inspire people to write.

Q. Is there special Australian folklore to draw upon for magical elements or creatures?

BS: Hm… I’m sure there is but nothing is coming to mind. I might have to have a good look into that. I see a possible plot bunny in my future…

Q. When thinking about constellations, here in the US ( Northern Hemisphere) we have the Big and Little Dipper that can’t be seen down under, you have the Southern Cross, which can only be seen from your perspective.. How are our stories different and Is there a similarity to be found in our stories? Apart from speech or spelling?

BS: I think language itself would definitely be a big difference. Not because of the spelling but because of the slang. Even between Australia and New Zealand there are different words for the same thing.

Then there’s the weather. When we think of Christmas we think of sunshine, heat, beach and BBQ (okay and shirtless men in shorts), not cold and snow. In fact, we dont have snow, not even during winter. Not unless you head to one of the few places that actually have snow.

Even our cowboys would have different scenery and different issues to deal with.

Q. What childhood story or author had the biggest impact on you as a child, an adult or a writer?

BS: L.J. Smith definitely and how can you go past Harry Potter? I also have to say Amber Kell because Amber’s story (Attracting Anthony) was the first MM story I ever read.

Q. What’s next for Beany Sparks?

BS: I’ve got a Christmas merman story coming out December 15th from eXtasy Books with the sequel coming out in February 2015. Then it’s back to Paws and Magic with book 3 scheduled for March.

Author Bio:

Beany lives in Western Australia. She first started reading romance novels in 2008, but it wasn’t until January 2010 when her Kindle got delivered that the world of erotic romance opened its doors to her, and she hasn’t looked back.

With suggestions and support from friends, her muse—“affectionately” known as PITA—was finally able to break free, and in January 2014 her first story was written. Since she can’t put PITA back in his box, Beany has decided to give in and team up with him. Together they’ve made plans to write both MF and MM stories.

Author Contact:
She can be reached at beany.sparks@gmail.com
Or visit her at www.beanysparks.com

Publisher: eXtasy Books
Cover Artist: Latrisha Waters
Sales Links: http://www.extasybooks.com/Ryan-‘-s-Wizard/ and at Amazon

Ryan’s Wizard Blurb:

An alpha ends up with more than he bargained for when he finds his mate…his wizard mate.
After years of no contact, Oliver “Olly” Grey was finally able to reunite with his cousin Aiden. He’s surprised to find that Aiden now has a mate—a male, shifter mate—named Lex. And it’s Lex’s pack mates that Olly is there to help save. What he hadn’t expected was Lex’s brother Ryan.

Now the four of them need to plan a rescue mission, but what happens when they run into the two men that had held Lex captive and those same men come to the cabin in the middle of the night?

Categories: Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal

Ryan’s Wizard Excerpt:

Aiden burst out laughing and moved one hand to ruffle Olly’s hair.

“Hey!” Olly exclaimed as he pulled back in order to glare at Aiden, who just smiled bigger and pulled him back into his arms.

“I couldn’t resist,” Aiden said, the laughter evident in his voice.

“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, back to what I was saying, but hopefully without interruptions this time.” Olly looked pointedly at Ryan when he said that. Ryan seemed to be studying him intently, but didn’t utter a word.

Olly looked away and started talking again. “I know where the pack is, or at least, I know where a bunch of canine shifters are being held.”

“How do you know that they’re part of our pack?” Lex asked, sounding like he was trying to restrain his eagerness.

Olly turned to him. “Because I heard a few of the guards talk about how they captured a bunch of them together.”

“And why didn’t you get caught?” Ryan asked, anger in his voice.

“Because,” Olly paused, then sighed. “The house they’re being held in belongs to Walter.”

Aiden gasped and when Olly looked at him, he saw the horror that was on his face.

“How long has Walter had shifters imprisoned on his property?” Aiden asked, outrage in his voice.

“I don’t know for sure, but it would be a number of years.” Olly couldn’t face any of them as he said that.

“Who is this Walter?” Ryan growled.

Olly looked up at him, then looked away as he replied, “My father.”

Pages: 157 pages
Tour Dates:

Tour Stops:
10-Nov MM Good Book Reviews, Love Bytes, The Hat Party, Inked Rainbow Reads
11-Nov Carly’s Book Reviews. Parker Williams
12-Nov Molly Lolly, BFD Book Blog
13-Nov Amanda C. Stone, Hearts on Fire, Multitasking Mommas, Cate Ashwood
14-Nov Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, The Blogger Girls. My Fiction Nook, Iyana Jenna

Contest: Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: E-copy of Ryan’s Wizard. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Use the link provided for the entry form and for all additional contest details.
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