Monday, April 28, 2014

LAUREL CANYON Music, Magic, Murder and even Ghosts

Rising Sun, Half Moon, Rock Stars

teaser
Releasing May 2014


LAUREL CANYON Music, Magic, Murder and even Ghosts

Infamous names, including Dave Grohl and Jennifer Anniston, have always lived in modest homes in the hills of Laurel Canyon—well, present time, there are some monstrous mansions.


But during most of the 60’s and part of the 70’s, the area filled with musicians. British bands touring the States partied with other bands in Laurel Canyon, and some never left. An unusual amount of music superstars and emerging rock bands responsible for many hit songs took up residence or extended visits in the area. Many more were regulars at parties.

In a bygone era, members of The Monkees, The Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, The Doors  many, many more (seriously, one day I may blog the many faces of Laurel Canyon).

With all of these up and coming and already arrived superstars, it is only natural that LA’s most celebrated groupie, the woman who set the obsessive determination standard from groupies to come, would be a regular face in Laurel Canyon.

The canyon with the night sounds of coyotes and owls seemed a world away and was yet only five minutes away from Sunset Strip’s neon clubs. Its peacefulness is what drew celebrities wanting to hide away and party in private. There was nothing to fear except the occasional sighting of a ghost carriage near the Houdini Mansion, causing an occasional car wreck. This would all change at the turn of the decade with a series of tragic events, and a string of accidental deaths of former residents and regulars. (this could also be an entire blog in itself)
 

Why am I blogging Laurel Canyon? It is the home of fictional Jules Breaux rebellious teen  turned talented musician who is the heroine of Six Silver Strings Series D-String Set releasing May 2014.

A Ghostly Excerpt

Driving down The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, she took care, watching the lights and the light flow of traffic. She made the right from Sunset onto Laurel Canyon. With her foot barely depressing the gas, she glued her eyes to her headlights as they illuminated the steep road, curve after curve.

Coasting to a stop before turning onto Lookout Mountain, she noted the empty bus stop, and debated on lighting another cigarette. It was in that moment, when she glanced from the bus stop, back to the road ahead, that it happened.

The mythical horse and carriage apparition. In her imagination, the horses, and the carriage had always both been white, wispy, ghostly. But tonight, the horses were a majestic white, and the carriage black. Seeming to come out of nowhere, it lumbered across the road, and if she had blinked her eyes, in that time it was gone. 

But she was sure she hadn't blinked.

The blare of a car horn from behind jerked her from her state of shock, and she lifted her head from the steering wheel… wait, when had she dropped her head to the wheel? And when had a car pulled up behind her?

Forcing calming breaths into her lungs, she moved her foot from the break to the gas.

At last, she unclenched her knuckles from the steering wheel long enough to punch the code into the gate before pulling into her driveway in relief…

…Stumbled out of the car…

…Stumbled up steps and stairs… through the dark night… down the dark hallway…

…Tripped on more than one stair…

…A fearful eye stayed on the third story stairwell, which led to the master bedroom and her sleeping mother. Finally, she was easing her bedroom door closed.

LIVE ON KINDLE NOW!




www.rockstarreads.com/ twitter.com/lisagdramaqueen www.facebook.com/lisathedramaqueen www.facebook.com/JackWho www.goodreads.com Lisa_Gillis www.pinterest.com/readsthatrock/ google.com LisaGillisAuthor lisathedramaqueen.blogspot.com/ amazon.com author lisa gillis

Monday, April 21, 2014

I Can Make You Love Him [ #rock #romance #pdf1 #asmsg ]



Before publishing, I spent many hours interacting and writing on a social site. The comradeship of other authors, the immediate input of readers after each chapter, fans who loved the stories and didn't tear them apart—I could go on about how wonderfully different this was, and I do miss it. There are just not enough hours in the day.

All day every day lately has been devoted to the new series D-String. Readers who know the Six Silver Strings Series  and the plan for it, know that it is my hope to put out a trilogy set titled with guitar strings. The G-String Set came first—or did it?

G-String Set was the first published, but actually it was a spin off from D-String, which is due out by summer. In the G-String set, readers fell hard for Jack Storm rock star, and some not so much for the heroine Marissa Dupleix. Marissa had her issues, and anyone who read to the end of the series, especially anyone who has loved someone who they felt was far above them, related to her desperation and insecurities.

In that series, however, it’s Jack who is breaking hearts. Readers want Jack back, more than some new rock star on the horizon in some D-String Set. On the social site, I had posted several novels. Accolades for each hero were in the comments at the end of each book. Invariably at the beginning of the next series, readers swore they could never love the next guy as much as the previous.

“Jared is great, but Matt is still my man.”

My answer was always a joking, “I can make you love him.” Joking, because it isn't me playing God with my characters. The characters have a life of their own, and just take over the laptop keys. But I promise you it happened. By the end of the next series, most readers had fallen in love again—harder.

“Okay, you did it. I want a Matt. Tissues, I need tissues!”

Matt’s time is almost here, and I hope you guys will love my first love as much as you love Jack!  


[Disclaimer: It’s 6:00 a.m. and Matt is calling, don’t hate on the blogging typos ;)]

Sneak Preview of the D-String Set 




www.rockstarreads.com/ twitter.com/lisagdramaqueen www.facebook.com/lisathedramaqueen www.facebook.com/JackWho www.goodreads.com Lisa_Gillis www.pinterest.com/readsthatrock/ google.com LisaGillisAuthor lisathedramaqueen.blogspot.com/ amazon.com author lisa gillis


Friday, April 4, 2014

JACK WHO? A Rockband Romance by Lisa Gillis #asmsg #rock #romance

Fully Edited Jack is Back for a 3 Day Spring Sale




Is the answer to a breakup a hookup? Reluctantly, pressured by a friend, Marissa heeds this advice. But Jack (What was his name?) is not the average girl’s fling. Jack is a celebrity in his niche of the music world, and Marissa has no idea of his public identity. Jack Who? will bring smiles and wring tears—it is one night with a rock star gone awry, a secret, and a couple that must work together years later to bridge their very different worlds.

...behind the lyrics, the tunes, and the rock star envy are musicians living complicated lives. This complexity affects their perception of themselves, their relationships...


www.rockstarreads.com/ twitter.com/lisagdramaqueen www.facebook.com/lisathedramaqueen www.facebook.com/JackWho www.goodreads.com Lisa_Gillis www.pinterest.com/readsthatrock/ google.com LisaGillisAuthor lisathedramaqueen.blogspot.com/ amazon.com author lisa gillis

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Valentine's Blues and Reds

A Valentine's Day Novelette to Jack & Marissa fans. Did I mention FREE? Yep, I wanted to say thank you. Readers are truly my RockStars! Subscribe and a code and link to your favorite format will be emailed. I will never spam and never share your email and that is a promise.



And about Valentine's Day. Of all holidays, this one has the power to make us as women unsure and insecure--and many times downright angry. Don't over think it. I have a confession. The love of my life, wonderful and great in every way, just doesn't get Valentine's Day. I would leave it at that except I don't want anyone to think he doesn't bother. That is the problem. He does. He spends a fortune on roses that are trashed a week later. Very few times in our many years together have I had anything lasting from Valentine's Day--except the relationship. And I guess that says it all, because in the end, that is all I could want. Don't stress the day. Be happy in your life. Above all, read a good book. The fictional loves of our lives will never disappoint!   

Saturday, January 18, 2014

A Great Find! Navigating The World Of E-Book Publishing #EBBB

Monday, January 13th was the official release of Navigating The World Of E-Book Publishing an e-book with some of the basic beginning steps on the road to e-publishing your manuscript by Deena Rae Schoenfeldt. This is a must read if you have aspirations of joining the indie publishing ranks, have already published your own book or have a full back-list of titles already on the bookstore shelves.

Book Description

With a no-nonsense, conversational style, Deena Rae of E-BookBuilders gives advice to aspiring authors about indie publishing. Filled with information about social media, pricing, formatting styles, covers, reviews and platforms (to a name a few) there is a wealth of information for the novice author. Even experienced authors and publishers will find this book helpful and informative.

With sections such as 'Authors - Quit Doing This!', 'In Praise of Audio(books)', 'Twitter Primer for Authors', and 'Should You Use Amazon's Author Central', Deena Rae gives detailed information that anyone in the industry of publishing should know and consider.

Whether you are just starting on your publishing journey, considering entering the literary world or have 30 books for sale, there is something for everyone in this book.

If you would like to add the book to your Goodread's shelf - just click the button!

What Other's Are Saying

This book is a must read for Indie Authors. Deena lays out the ins and outs of ebook publishing that many other people fail to hit on. From the novice writer to the seasoned pro, there are hidden nuggets of gold for everyone in this book. The author shares her viewpoint, having worked in the industry on several sides, as if you were talking to a friend. With helpful hints, do's and don'ts, this is the best "get your feet wet" book I've come across. -Janet W., Amazon Customer

...I got down to reading and oh my word. Almost a year into self publishing the hard way, learning everything on my own, I thought I knew it all, but no. Deena Rae's book is filled with little known information, tidbits of advice, obviously picked up from years of working in the trade. Not only was there much information to be soaked in, but my brain was pleasantly sponging every little thing up because the book is written in a fun and engaging way. I read it in one sitting, and as my kindle can attest, any other tech book is rarely read beyond 40%. -Lisa G., Goodreads Reader

...This book will answer so many questions that come up during the process, which had me baffled and almost ready to throw in the towel. The author also gives excellent information on how to promote your book. She does all this with a personal touch. You will not be buried in tech speak where even a dictionary would fail miserably....I highly recommend this book to anyone that is considering self-publishing their work, or is interested in seeing how it is all done. -Amazon Customer

I had the feeling of believing and trusting Deena knowledge, straight shooting style and passion for what she does while reading her book. She produced an ebook that was easy to read and kept me scrolling through without stopping.-Mauri B., Amazon Customer

Like many authors I wish had had read books like this before I published my first book. However it is never too late to learn. It is good to read about the things I seem to have got right, the things I could improve on and to learn a few tricks from scratch. The book is very well laid out with descriptive chapter titles so that it will be easy to dip back into which I certainly will. -Wendy U., Goodreads Reader

Who Is Deena Rae?

E-BookBuilders is the online alias of Deena Rae. She was born and raised in Texas - home of bluebonnets, boots, beef and big hair - into a family that was in the printing and publishing industries. Her father was a computer programmer for major newspapers when the equipment took up whole rooms and mother has been a publisher for almost 30 years - trying, unsuccessfully, to bring her into the family business. She is a second-generation genetically perfected super-nerd.

She was happily living her life, having three third-generation genetically perfected super-nerds herself, but then through a series of events (unfortunate and fortunate), she officially joined The Book Connection - her mother's publishing and packaging company - as the Digital Director, to create the e-publishing division in 2011. Her computer skills, willingness to help authors, love of literature, no-nonsense attitude and quick wit has helped shepherd many authors through the maze of digital publishing.

Through her work with E-BookBuilders, Deena Rae has been able to meet authors and writers from all over the world and in every genre imaginable. She has a biting wit, obscure sense of humor, awareness of the absurd, and a love of literature all which led to the creation of Bluebonnets, Bagpipes and Books, the #NSFW publishing discussion podcast she produces and hosts with Janet Wrenn and Peter Burnett. Her no-nonsense attitude makes for some hilarious discussions and plenty of "Oh my God, did she really just say that?" moments. Sometimes it is as if there is no filter between her brain and her mouth. But if she likes you she tries to be nice - sometimes. Deena also has the safe-for-everyone author interview show, B3's Bookworm. You can find her most hours of everyday attached to her computer either researching, tweeting on her 6 accounts, posting on her different Facebook timelines and pages, coding e-books for her fabulous friends/clients or with her nose buried in her Kindle reading.

So, if you are serious about publishing your own work, or just kicking the idea around, head over to Amazon and download the ebook Navigating the World of E-Book Publishing, available exclusively on Amazon. If you want to stalk her she is all over the internet and here some of her online portals (join the MailChimp mailing list for a special announcement and sale opportunities).

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

.99 Cents TODAY The book that begins a Bestselling RockStar Romance Series. Jack Who? by Lisa Gillis available on KINDLE and NOOK.

Today was to be the release date of a brand new RockStar Trilogy. Life can get crazy sometimes, and I found it impossible to meet the deadline with a version of the story that I was happy with. So, the D-String Set is postponed, but the SALE of JACK WHO? first in the G-String Set goes on.


Sunday, December 1, 2013

Snow Storms by Lisa Gillis





He wished himself a super hero instead of a super couple. If not a comic book hero, then a vampire or a shape-shifter. Anything except a mere man whose highest running speed was probably sixteen miles per hour. Anything that would keep the gap between him and her from widening with every second.
“Mariss!”
He was screaming her name louder and more earnestly than he had ever screamed on stage.
“Marissa!”

The gate slid closed and the SUV began to disappear down the road.

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View in the Kindle Store       

 Snow Storms

A Christmas Wish on a Star

It all begins with one wrong wish on a star – a ROCK STAR.
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Jackal has retired but their fan base lives on. Jack and Marissa are still a super couple who see very little peace in public. Ready to live incog, they contemplate a move to Dallas—roots of the Loren family tree, and home of the family label.

Christmas is coming, and Jack Junior is not the only one with a wish list. The Jackal fan site once had a Holiday tradition of indulging five lucky fans with a Christmas wish. This year, a fan manages to contact Jack with a very special wish.

A wish that unearths a scandal Jack tried to leave in his past.

When history begins repeating itself, he finds that the past is always a part of the present. But with one brightly wrapped present, will this particular part of his past forever change his future?

To complicate matters, this Holiday Season Marissa is hiding more than Christmas presents. For starters, her complicated relationship with Jack’s sister reaches a new level of craziness. Also, simmering beneath a Christmas colored surface is a psycho situation she cannot see coming.

Jack and Marissa have always had a rocky relationship. Yet again, they must stand strong because LA may be hot, but there is always plenty of snow.


The epic rock romance of Jack and Marissa continues. This novel can stand alone, but is the third in the Silver Strings Series - G String Set.


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