Welcome Author Christina OW

A Big Welcome to Author Christina OW. Why don't we start with and excerpt of Star Bright, which I Loved by the way!

Maria weaved through the booths and walked to table five balancing four plates on her arms and hands. Sometimes she wondered why she took this job in the first place. But she didn’t have much of a choice, that and the fact there wasn’t much in the small town of Jacksonville Mississippi to do, and there weren’t many options of a job position for a twenty- two year old girl who didn’t have a college education, with a four year old son and a dead beat boyfriend. It was a good thing her mother worked as a seamstress or they would be struggling more than they already were.

“Two burgers with fries, a veggie salad and an omelette with toast,” Maria repeated their order with a smile as she set the plates down on the table. She placed the veggie salad in front of the girl silently congratulating her on her efforts to lose weight. She was so round and hefty, at first Maria didn’t think she would fit in the booth, but somehow she managed. She placed the omelette and the burgers in front of the three guys sharing her table. “Would you like anything else?” she asked with a pasted smile that her manager had insisted she needed to have on at all times.

“You got our orders wrong!” the girl answered, looking at Maria with lethal eyes. Her freckled forehead was creased and her chubby cheeks looked even bigger with her lips curved down. Maria looked at her with equally hostile eyes. She had a long day with many obnoxious, perverted customers, there was very little polite left in her.

“Oh, I’m sorry which one?” she said feigning concern. She was sure she had gotten the orders right and the girl just wanted to annoy her, for some incomprehensive stupid reason, customers thought it fun to make waitresses run around like hamsters on a wheel under the notion of customer service. She was about to pull out her note book from the front pocket of her apron when the girl switched plates with one of the burger guys and pulled the omelette closer to her. Maria looked at her shocked, “Those are both yours?” The shock echoed in her voice.

“Yeah, so?” the girl barked.

Maria looked at the man who didn’t have food, he was tiny and was wearing a shirt three sizes too big. He sucked on his straw nosily, looking at her from under his long brown hair and then she turned to the one who got the salad. His clothes fitted tightly on his small frame. He looked like a pubescent girl tossing the salad around on his plate. He needed that burger more than the chubby girl did. The two were thin enough for her to eat with one bite each “Enjoy your meal.” She turned around and walked away. As she made her way to the counter, she could feel several eyes on her. She suddenly felt under dressed as she did on several occasions in the diner. Their uniforms didn’t help much and made her discomfort even worse.

See, this makes me want to read it all over again! Great book! So tell us something about yourself.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

Being able to express my imagination on paper and the fact that there is no limit or boundaries when creating an entirely fictitious new life I can live in for a few months.

What genre(s) do you write?

Romance, Paranormal, Suspense, Contemporary

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

When you have to describe a very painful scene. I really don’t want to do it, but the book really needs it. I end up feeling guilty destroying a life.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Both.
 I like planning out my books especially the series. It gives me a sense of direction and how and when the characters are to grow.
  

In Star Bright I was a pantser. I knew who Maria was and who Dave was at the beginning of the book but when the other characters come in, they just shaped them and they became these other people, very different from whom I thought they would be. Maria grew into this fierce confident woman, mother and wife and this was all because of Dave and to some extent Ricky, the villain. 

 Why do you think people should choose your books over another author?

I don’t think my book is better than anyone else’s. A book is supposed to relax you, make you think or open people’s minds. It just depends on what rocks the readers’ boats, and if my books are it, that’s cool.

What do you hope readers take with them after reading one of your stories?

It’s not wrong to dream, true love does exist and to always think of yourself and be selfish sometimes. Or you could risk getting lost or stuck.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

In Star Bright. The message is don’t make excuses when you are in an abusive relationship because there is a man out there just waiting to show you what true love is.
‘I am the master of my destiny, the leader of my actions, the dictator of my world for the power lives in me and no one else.’

What other careers have you had?

I was an intern at a law firm for three months and then I did two months as an apprentice at a fashion house. I also feature in other artists songs

Do you write under more than one name? Why?

No. I use only one pen name Christina OW.
 My real name is Rinah Lidonde

Are any of your characters based on real people or events?

Star Bright yes. Spousal abuse is everywhere so this was my way of writing a happy ending to all of them.

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?

The romantic suspense thriller, Fatal Jealousy will be released in January 2013.
Twins Ellsa and Ellie are completely different in character, personality, taste and interests. Apart from the striking resemblance to each other, they share the one thing siblings shouldn’t…. the same taste in men.
They keep falling for the same man, creating a quiet rivalry between them. Determined not to let a man come between them ever again, Ellie and Ellsa agree to stay away from each others relationships. But when they meet Dale Carson, an FBI agent and a bachelor, their love lives are turned upside down. 
But they aren’t the only ones taken by the rogue. His partner and long time lover, Gwen Johansson, also called dibs.
 Carson is interested in only one of them. He is pulled by Ellie’s passion for love and art, and most importantly, him. What starts as a sexual chase, ends with his permanent retirement from bachelorhood.
But their love story is not a smooth one.
Carson’s day job comes knocking on his front door and before he knows it, his whole world is ripped apart.
 Out of all the possible suspects, Ellie has the most evidence stacked up against her. She is implicated in the brutal murders of her ex-boyfriends, and Carson is faced with the horror of arresting the love of his life. With two suspects of his own, he is convinced she is being set up, but he has no way of proving it.

Sounds exciting! Another one I am going to have to read! How can our readers find you?
www.5princebooks.com/buy.htm

Facebook: Christina OW

Twitter: @christina_ow
Blogs: http://www.goodreads.com/ChristinaOW
http://www.christinaow.wordpress.com
http://www.all-you-can-read-club.com/christinaow.htm

 

Thank you so much for stopping by. After Fatal Jealousy comes out, we will see you again!

NEW RELEASE

NEW RELEASE TODAY! CHECK IT OUT! DO YOU HAVE BOOK 1 BIRTHRIGHT BESTOWED? GREAT FOR CHRISTMAS!

 

 

 

 

Available from 5 Prince Publishing www.5princebooks.com  books@5princebooks.com

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Time Travel

Release Date: November 29, 2012

Digital ISBN 13:978-1-939217-16-5 ISBN 10:19392171761

Print ISBN 13:978-1-939217-17-2 ISBN 10:193917172

Purchase link : www.5princebooks.com/buy.htm

 

Secrets Revealed

Ilona’s story is provocative, rich in characters and detail that bring a lost world to life, a journey to treasure and remember. In book one Ilona is a lonely doctor discovering her rich tribal heritage and birthright to become a Healer. The barrier created by her insecurity kept others out, but also kept her caged in. She has to break the barriers to discover her true identity. She discovers growing magical abilities within her in the strange world of the Huns, which are beyond her wildest dreams. She can use her given gifts for absolute good or absolute evil; the choice is up to her. Ilona’s birthright as a Healer runs alongside her desires as a woman. She’s secretly and hopelessly in love with her best friend, he seems oblivious to her feelings. Fate brings Zoltan into her life. Will he break her heart, or will he bring true happiness? Ilona is hoping for a red tulip, the symbol of devoted love. Who will offer it to her? She discovers some secrets the Hun society is concealing, a society that is secretive and complex, with strict and fiercely enforced ancient rules; revealed to only those who come of age. Ilona is a rebel, who is determined to control and guide her own life. Resourceful and daring, she crosses the line and breaks those rules. She must face the consequences and has to fight for her men; both of them disappear from the face of the earth. She acquires magical abilities beyond her dreams to find and save them. Ilona has been evacuated from her easy and steady life. She is happy, but she still has many doubts. She hates that she has to hide in the past from a faceless enemy, however enjoys meeting her ancestors.

 

Author Bio:
Erika M Szabo is a Hungarian born American; she lives in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. She has a PhD in Alternative Medicine; she published a few books in this subject. Erika loves the art of healing; however, writing about dry medical facts doesn’t satisfy her thirst for storytelling. The ancient history of the Huns always fascinated her, it is full of holes, mysteries and speculations; there are only a few written facts about them besides their legends. Erika used her fertile imagination to fill the historical voids in the story of Ilona. She raises questions such as - What if healing by touch could be possible? - What if we could find a soul mate no matter the obstacles? - What if we could visit our ancestors on a whim? - What if our destiny is not written in stone and we can create our future?

 

 

HOW TO CONTACT ERIKA:

 http://www.amazon.com/author/erikamszabo

http://www.erikamszabo.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/Erika.M.Szabo.ND.Author
http://twitter.com/ErikaMSzabo
 

EXCERPT: Thanks to these freaking well-guarded Hun secrets, my life became very complicated almost overnight. Today, in the secret society of the descendants of the ancient tribes everything is structured and everyone is on the need to know bases. They move people around like puppets and create their destiny. I don’t know much about their plans with me and my life yet; I just found out that I’m a Healer by birthright. I accepted and welcomed this discovery, because being a traditional doctor doesn’t give me the opportunity to restructure people down to the cellular level, to heal their diseases, being a kind of magical healer does. To make my life even more complicated, I met Zoltan. All my life I nursed my quiet love for Bela, my best friend. He never gave me any sign of feeling the same; he always just wanted to be best friends and nothing more. Zoltan stirred emotions within me that I didn’t know I was capable of feeling. He is handsome, gentle and sensitive and when he kissed me… oh, what a kiss that was. The dark man relentlessly hounded me and tried to kill me many times. He couldn’t do it himself for some mysterious reasons, but he could influence others to try. Then I found out Ema was my sister. She is the forbidden second daughter of the Healer, who according to the ancient laws could bring destruction to the Hun nation and have to be destroyed. My mother and Elza successfully hid her from the Elders council and the Leaders council– for eighteen years, and then Elza made a mistake by naming her with her true birthright in a dream address. The Leaders decided to visit us bringing – as we suspected – the Law Keeper with them to destroy Ema. We couldn’t let them do that and we were frantically trying to find a way to save her.

I called Ema, told her there was an emergency and she had to come home right away. She panicked; afraid something had happened to Elza. I assured her that she was fine, we just had to decide something very important in a hurry and that we couldn’t talk about it on the phone.

“What is it? Please tell me! You’re scaring me, Ilili,” she begged me.

I knew she was in great distress, because she used my almost forgotten pet name. I was suspicious, not wanting to reveal anything on the phone. Actually, the way I felt was borderline paranoia. Who knows what kind of resources they have? What if they can even listen to phone conversations? I thought, knowing that I had found out so many peculiar and mysterious things about my ancestry, it really scared me.

“It’s okay, love. Come home as soon as you can and I’ll tell you everything.” I tried to calm her, but that didn’t work. I heard the escalating anxiety in her voice.

“Sure you can’t tell me? Not even a hint?” she probed.

“No love, sorry.” She gave up and promised she would be home in half an hour.

I remembered an important task and told Elza we had to prepare some food for the guests. In our tradition, it is an insult from the lady of the household not to offer refreshments to announced guests.

“I’m on it! I’ll get the food.” Elza’s voice trembled as she hurried towards the kitchen, her long skirt floating behind her. She must have been feeling greatly honored, yet scared half to death, by the upcoming visit.

“I’ll help!” I yelled after her as I jumped off the sofa.

“No, you won’t dare!” She turned back, alarmed.

Zoltan gave questioning glances to each of us in turn, “What’s going on?”

“Her culinary talent doesn’t even cover boiling water!” Elza exclaimed, in a hurry.

He laughed lightly. “I’m a good cook. It’s kind of a hobby of mine. Can I help?” He turned to Elza, smiling.

“All right, but you have to keep Ilona out of the kitchen!” she warned him. He had an amused expression on his face. He chuckled, cocked his head towards me and then led me towards the kitchen by my hand. “Are you really that bad?” he whispered.

“So they tell me!” I confessed. He laughed softly and squeezed my hand.

“She’ll just sit and watch.” He promised, turning to Elza.

I sat down across the aisle on a stool, muttering under my breath. They set to work, deciding on small sandwiches and cream puffs, which Elza took out from the freezer to thaw. Soon they were slicing Italian bread which they loaded with various toppings of cream cheese, pepperoni and olives. They flavored them with mustard and red pepper paste. As the pile of small sandwiches grew, Elza looked over to Zoltan with approval. He was a lovely sight to look at. Shirt rolled up to his elbows, and a thin apron accentuating his muscular chest and flat belly. He sliced and chopped at a fast and efficient pace.

“You look beautiful when you’re pouting, by the way,” he announced, smiling at me. My heart sank a little - it must have been apparent how I felt.

“It’s not fair! How can I learn to cook if nobody lets me?” I complained, but I was easing up somewhat.

“I will teach you sometime.”

“Promise you won’t laugh if I mess up?” I asked, suspiciously.

He made the cross sign over his left chest, trying hard to conceal a smile, “Cross my heart.”

“Can I at least set the table?” I asked Elza, still pouting. I was feeling rebellious and left out.

“Actually we need only small plates, napkins and glasses,” Elza replied. “All right, you can put them on one of the cocktail tables. Get the ones from the side cabinet.” She sighed as if she was talking to a small child.

I jumped up happily, grabbing at the chance for something to do. I carefully arranged the cart as Elza had instructed. I dropped only one plate in the process which wasn’t so bad...or so I thought, compared to my usual performances. I heard Elza sighing behind me. “I knew it! That’s why I told you to get the cheaper china.” She admonished quietly, under her breath. I blushed deeply, feeling like a berated child.

“Elzaaa!” I yelled at her, embarrassed.

Zoltan snickered softly while I quickly gathered the pieces on a napkin. “You’re a real klutz, you know!” I swallowed my hurt and looked up. He flashed a warm smile at me.