Monday, September 8, 2014

Author, author... A SOUL TO KEEP by Moira Keith

...read all about it !!





Welcome, so great to have you here with us.  Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you for having me! A little about myself…hmmm. I’m a mom of twin boys who keep me on my toes, an aunt, a sister, and a daughter. I have an amazing and supportive family. I live in Las Vegas. I also love to bake and am obsessed with Pinterest.


Do real life events find their way into your stories?

Sometimes. I think it is very easy and somewhat natural to draw on our own personal experiences when we write. Though I will admit to never putting myself in a position to reap on behalf of a demon…



Do you ever mimic family members or people you know when you choose characters?

Some of their characteristics or physical traits may end up in my characters, but it is usually such a mash up by the time I’m done, it’s hard to determine who influenced what. One thing I almost always draw on for my heroines are my sister and mother. They have such strength that inspires me to try and capture a bit of that with my heroines.


Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?

It’s always something different, because my stories tend to vary from contemporary, to young adult, to paranormal. The inspiration can be a dream, maybe something I saw play out in real life that made my mind start playing the ‘what if’ game, or even just a line in a song I heard on the radio while driving to work in the morning.


When do you write?  Early morning? During the day sometime or all day?  After the kids go to bed?

I used to write a bit in the morning before work and then about an hour or so before bed after the kids were all tucked in. Lately though, my writing schedule is lacking any form or structure. We recently moved and I started a new job which has impacted my writing schedule tremendously. So currently, I just grab whatever time I can, when I can.


How do you feel about marketing your book?

I have a love/hate relationship with book marketing. It is a necessary piece of the process, but it can be such a time suck and take a huge chunk out of that limited writing time. It is fun to participate in online events though, where I can meet readers and have a chance to chat and interact with them.


What social sites do you feel work best for marketing?

Haha. This is a question I ask myself all the time. To be honest, I’m not sure there is a straight forward answer to this. Whatever you are comfortable with, will be the one thing that works best. Some authors are great at Twitter, others are better at Facebook. I honestly, haven’t settled into a social media niche yet due to time constraints, but Facebook seems to be the one I tend to be a little more active on.

Do you like to pitch stories to your publisher or do you wait until you have written the story and have a final manuscript to turn in?

I find that I tend to wait until I have a full manuscript to turn in. I have many idea, but the pressure of pitching something that isn’t finished yet…I’m fairly certain life would throw me a curveball that would keep me from meeting a deadline or kill off my muse.


Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing?  If so, what is it?

Oh yes. If I could, I would love to write a mystery. Those were the stories that made me fall in love with reading. One of the first that really stuck with me was a John Sanford novel, The Rules of Prey. Then I discovered J.D. Robb, Linda Fairstein, Tess Gerritsen, Erica Spindler, and Iris Joahnsen and I was in love with the genre. Unfortunately, to date, I’ve been unsuccessful in writing a mystery. Guess for now I will leave that task to those who already do it and do it well.

Do you always/ever see yourself as the heroine/hero when you write a story?

No. Though I’ve been told that people can see some of my personality in my heroines, which I find odd since I don’t aspire to create characters that emulate me. 


Just for fun, I have a few personal questions, 
Favorite 5
1)         Favorite Male Actor  - Ryan Reynolds
2)        Favorite vehicle Ford Mustang GT 360 that Steve McQueen drove in Bullit. That is a hot car.
3)        Favorite way to relax Bake or make chocolate bark.
4)        Favorite ice cream My mom’s homemade soy strawberry ice cream.
5)        Favorite outfit Jeans, a tank top, and flip flops.

And for a bonus:  If you could pick any place in the world to live, besides where you are now, where would it be?  (Of course, without the hindrance of jobs or money needed)
Scotland or Ireland. The castles and history alone draw me in. 


Where can our readers find you?? 
Website/blog: http://moirakeith.com

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?

A Soul to Keep, which is the first in my Saints and Sinners Series, is my newest release. It is published by Hearts Desire Press (http://www.heartsdesirepress.com/index.html).

Blurb –
In the realm of the Fallen, there’s a little saint and sinner in us all…

One moment can impact the future.

Love never served Jayde Cross well and owing a debt to a demon is the proof.
Reaping is a lonely existence and with her thirtieth birthday approaching, she's got
enough to worry about without adding romance to the mix. It's why her friendship
with the man living next door works so well. They both live lives filled with secrets
and ignoring their self-imposed rules isn’t an option. Too bad her heart disagrees.

The past is about to come back and haunt one of Heaven’s Fallen.

Caleb Thorne always found living among mortals difficult, until he met the intriguing
woman down the hall. She demands nothing of him and is completely safe. When an
enemy from his past catches up with him, Caleb soon discovers the rules of the
Fallen exist for a reason and loving a mortal may prove to be the bigger danger.

In a world where their love is forbidden, Jayde and Caleb may just discover that
sometimes breaking rules is the only thing that can set you free..

Buy Links –





One more thing before we let you leave us today :)   Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share?  I like to cook and am always looking for new recipes to try and share.



Recipe:   Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup

  
 1 lb ground Hot Italian Sausage (You can use Mild if that is your preference)
    1/2 bulb of Fennel sliced
    3 – 4 stalks of celerey
    2 – 3 zucchini sliced into large pieces
    2 – 3 yellow crook neck squash sliced into large pieces
    1/2 medium white onion, chopped
    3 large cloves of garlic minced
    1 bell pepper chopped
    1/2 head of cauliflower
    2 – 3 handfuls of washed and trimmed spinach leaves
    1 – 2 carrots (sliced or shredded)
    red or white wine (I know there are some die hard wine enthusiasts that will say you should use white since we are using a pork product and a chicken base, but I say go with what you feel like or have on hand)
    5 – 6 cups of Chicken broth (or enough to cover the vegetables)
    I Tbsp Italian Seasoning
    1 – 2 Bay leaves
    Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot add the sliced fennel, onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and the Italian Sausage. Cook on low, stirring frequently, allowing the vegetables to soften and the sausage to lose most of it’s pink, adding up to a 1/2 cup of wine to give added moisture and flavor, breaking apart the sausage with each stirring of ingredients. Once the sausage has cooked all the way through, add all the remaining vegetables to the pot, reserving the spinach for last. Add your seasoning (I usually omit the salt as I feel the sausage provides enough salt for my liking). Cover with chicken broth and allow to simmer until the vegetables start to soften. Be careful not to over cook, unless you like mushy vegetables. Add the spinach and simmer until the leaves wilted. It is ready to serve!


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