Meet Lynda K. Scott

I’m pleased to have Lynda K. Scott, a fellow sci-fi rom author, visiting today.  Here's her official bio:

In her family of Kentucky 'ridge runners', oral tales were a tradition that even children participated in. She spent many nights with her brother, cousins and friends telling tall tales to excite the imagination. Now she creates award winning science fantasy romance filled with despair, hope, love and courage

 

Lynda is offering a giveaway, which she describes at the end of the blog.

Welcome, Lynda. Please tell us more about yourself.

   I'm the person that people usually say of 'Of everyone I know, you're the last person I'd expect to do that.' I don't know why they say that. I'm totally unremarkable. Okay, I have a lot of varied interests, like cooking, crafting, being a science geek, being a student of fighting techniques (which I can only do in slow motion, lol), professional student, history buff, weapons buff (still learning this too), reviewer, author…but does that make me special? Nope. Odd? Probably.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

    I don't think there was ever a point when I 'realized' I wanted to be a writer. I just always wrote as soon as I could hold a pencil and had paper to write on. As far as I can remember, I've been a writer since I was a toddler. Of course, the stories I wrote back then were in my own toddler language but I'm sure they were masterpieces. Maybe.

How long does it take you to write a book?

   That depends. Some of my books have been written in weeks. Others took close to a year. It all depends on how enthusiastic I am about the characters. If they don't inspire me or if they give me grief as only stubborn characters can do, it takes longer for me to finish the writing. I've been known to put those stories aside and work on something else. I'm of the opinion that if the story doesn't grab my interest, then it won't grab the readers' interest.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

    I try to spend at least three to four hours in the morning on my writing. I'm much more efficient in the morning when I've got my coffee or tea beside me and the morning sun shining in my windows. Plus, the bright, shiny sunbeam usually keeps my alien kitten, Wookie, from pestering me for pets, treats, or her form of singing the Star Wars Cantina Song…in Regal Felinese…which sounds as if someone is stepping on her tail…but is still more in key than if I were to sing it.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

   Most of the ideas for my books or stories (I also write novellas) comes to me at night in my dreams. It might be an entire plot or it might be a character with a problem. Whichever it is, though, I tend to write those stories the fastest.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

    I like to make bread though lately I've been trying a gluten free diet so bread making is becoming a lot more creative than it used to be. I also like to prepare meals that border on gourmet or are vegetarian. And then there's reading. I've been a reader as long as I've been a writer. I think that's a plus for anyone who crafts books or novellas because it allows you to see how different writing techniques can be employed whether successfully or not.

What does your family think of your writing?

   LOL, they are not impressed. I think they believe it's much easier to write a book than it actually is because they seem to feel that if I'm writing, I can stop at any time to tend to their needs or wants. Usually I can but occasionally the rabid writer in me snaps and tells them to take a hike until I finish This. One. Important. Scene.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

  I've written four novels, two published, one looking for a home and one still in edits. I've also written a dozen novellas and a few short stories. I'm rather fickle about which is my favorite…usually that's the one I'm currently working on. Although I have to admit that Altered Destiny has been close to my heart since it's inception.

If I was a first time reader of your books, which one would you recommend I start with and why?

   I'd start with Altered Destiny because it shows how what you see, may not be truth. It's an adventure story filled with love and courage set on an alternate Earth filled with dragons and elves. Plus it has an outstanding hero in Devyn MacGregor ;-)

Altered Destiny

By Lynda K Scott

Science Fantasy Romance

Available in ebook formats

Stranded on an alternate Earth, architect and Jill-of-all-trades, Liane Gautier-MacGregor must find her way back to her homeworld before she's enslaved...or falls in love with a man who is the exact duplicate of her ex-husband.

Devyn MacGregor's alter ego as the Reiver Lord is the only way he can fight the Qui'arel and their nefarious Bride Bounty, a tax paid with human females...until he meets the oddly familiar woman who claims he is her husband. And who sets in motion the rebellion that will either free his countrymen or destroy them.

Excerpt for Altered Destiny

260 AQ, Virginia Coast, New Alba

Dizzy and off-balance, Liane had a single moment to gape at the suddenly day-lit beach before a man-shaped wrecking-ball slammed into her, dumping her into the chilly surf.  “Erp!”

“Guh!”  The man sprawled on top of her.  A frothing wave crashed over her, filling her nose and mouth with the briny taste of seawater.  The man levered himself up and gaped at her through a pair of startling green eyes--her ex-husband’s green eyes.

“Blethering hell, woman!  Where did you come from?”  He leaped to his feet, staring at her with an equal mixture of irritation, astonishment and concern.  He offered her a hand up.  “Are you hurt?”

The last thing she wanted to do was touch him–unless she had a two-by-four in her hands–so she ignored him.  She stood, brushing her wet clothes with sharp flicks of her hands.  Movement from the corner of her eye had her turn in time to see a dark bay horse scaling the bluff.  What the hell was a horse doing here?  For that matter, she turned to her ex, what was he doing here? “What are you doing here?”

His green eyes narrowed.  “I might ask you the same, lass.”

His Scottish burr startled her.  So did his clothing–a red and black kilt, a blue coat, unbuttoned to reveal a snowy white shirt, wetly plastered to his chest, argyle socks over silver-buckled boots.  Her gaze settled on his bare knees.  Even if he was a two-timing snake, Devyn had gorgeous knees...for a man, she added grudgingly.  Sneering, she said, “Cute outfit.  Where’d you get it?   Scots R Us?”

“‘Tis flattered I am you approve of my clothing.”  His burr deepened and sent shivers licking over her skin.  She'd always loved accents and the Scots accent was the sexiest of them all.  When it was real.  Devyn's couldn't be real.  He'd been born in Chicago after all.  His green gaze roved over her, assessing her denim jacket, jeans and tennies.  She waited for the insult–he’d never liked her casual choice in clothes–but when he spoke, concern colored his voice. “Where is your escort? Your men?”

“Men?  I’ve only had one and, trust me, you were more than enough.”  She squeezed water out of her short brown hair.  There was something strange about Devyn, something beyond the phony accent and the costume. The ocean wind kicked up making her shiver again. 

“Me?  Have we met afore, lass?”  He groped inside his jacket.  A moment later, he unfolded a pair of glasses.  The frames were slightly askew so they settled crookedly on his face.  The effect was boyish and rather charming.  But–

“When did you start wearing glasses?”

His head tilted.  A smile teased the corners of his gorgeous mouth.  “I’ve a good mind for faces, particularly on beautiful women, but I dinna seem to recollect yours.”

“Don’t be cute.”  That smile sent freshets of pleasurable heat dancing over her skin, heat she hadn't felt in years.  She reminded herself he did have a good mind for faces–as long as they had blond hair, big boobs and long Barbie-doll legs.  She had the boobs but not the hair or the ridiculously long legs. And she didn’t have the patience to deal with this nonsense.  “Answer the question.  What are you doing here?”

“Aside from running you down?  I’m on my way to Seagate, lass.  May I introduce myself–Devyn MacGregor at yer service.”  Leg extended, he swept a courtly bow.  “And might I ask what you are doing here?  Alone and unprotected?”

She cocked her eyebrow.  “What’s there to be protected from?”  Then added, skeptically, “You?”

“Nae, lass.  I’m harmless as a wean.”  He smiled again.

She didn’t know what a wean was and didn’t care.  Her mind felt clouded, foggy but an uneasy prickle skated up her spine and she couldn’t pinpoint what caused it.  Unless it was Devyn.  She took a step back.

“Dinna be scairt, lass.  I willna harm you.”

Scairt?  He meant scared, she realized, and she was, but she didn’t like letting him know it.  She inhaled, deeply, through her nose, and caught the scent of spice and...and something so intrinsically male it could be bottled and sold for hundreds of dollars.  She fought the sudden urge to run her hands over the rich blue of his coat, to feel the solid body underneath. No way was she going down that road again.  She stuffed her hands in her wet pockets, then hastily pulled them out and sneered.  “Riighht.  Okay, fess up.  What kind of game is this?”

“Game?”  His gaze settled on her mouth.  Intently.  A do-you-wanna-have-fun smile curved his lips.  “What did you have in mind?”

That smile and voice could seduce a whole bevy of women even without the Highland lilt.  She knew.  She’d seen it happen.   And, damn it, she felt it happening to her all over again.  Disgusted, she shook her head and winced as a needle of pain shot between her eyes.  “You are one piece of work, aren’t you?   For the last time, what’re you doing here?”

“I’ve found a lovely, if a wee bit barmy, lass on a deserted beach.”  Devyn shifted to stare up at the bluff.  An expression of patient suffering crossed his face.  “And I’ve just lost my bluidy horse.”

Barmy?  Bluidy?  She wasn’t sure what he was talking about but it didn’t sound flattering.  And the closest he’d ever got to a horse was her Ford Mustang.  She needed to get this conversation back on track.  “I thought you left.”

“Left?”  His gaze licked over her face and her mouth again leaving a warm trail in its wake.

“You took the Beemer and left–” She waved her hand in a vague gesture.  Had she fallen, hit her head on a rock and passed out? Was this some kind of dream or nightmare?  “–last night.  Now you’re back.  Did you forget something?”

“I took the Beemer?” he asked slowly.

“The BMW.”

“B-M-W?”   His handsome face remained blank.

She rolled her eyes.  “Your baby.  The car of your dreams.”  Between last night and this morning, he’d clearly lost a couple of IQ points.  “What are you made up for?  It’s too early for Halloween.  And what’s with the phony Scottish accent?”

He frowned, straightened to his full six-foot, four-inch height.  “I dinna have an accent.”

 

Readers can find Altered Destiny at:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Destiny-ebook/dp/B00579FKFO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308920443&sr=8-1

Nook http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Altered-Destiny/Lynda-K-Scott/e/2940012882417

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/79552

  

Where can readers find you?

    The easiest way to find me is through my website http://www.lyndakscott.com Once there, you can find how to contact me on social media like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Or how to join my newsletter group for updates, blog postings for myself and my guests and the occasional celebratory contest.

Website http://www.lyndakscott.com.

To join my newsletter, send a blank email to: LyndaKScott-Newsgroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lyndakscott

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LyndaKScott

Facebook Author Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynda-K-Scott/201599553208653

Linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lynda-scott/3b/4a4/849

Heartstone

By Lynda K. Scott

Mundania Press

Science Fantasy Romance

Eric d'Ebrur is out of time. He must fine the legendary Heartstone and fulfill the ancient Gar'Ja bond he shares with the Stonebearer. But when he finds her, he discovers that love can be more dangerous than the Gawan threat. Eric can defeat the mind-controlling Gawan but will it cost him the woman he loves?

After terrifying episodes of hypersensitivity, Keriam Norton thinks she's losing her mind. When handsome shapeshifter Eric d'Ebrur saves her from the monstrous Gawan, she's sure of it. But insane or not, she'll find the Heartstone and, if she's lucky, a love to last a lifetime.

Available in print and ebook format

Buy Links:

Mundania Press

http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Heartstone

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Heartstone-Lynda-K-Scott/dp/1606592335/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3

Magical Mayhem

Magical Mayhem is the first of many anthologies to come from new tween/teen publisher Ambush Books. Compiled from a wide assortment of emerging YA talent plus award-winning veteran authors, this anthology truly has something for everyone featuring short tales that will twist your brain and wrap around your soul. With the heart-warming story, "Heart of a Dragon" by Lynda K. Scott, Magical Mayhem is the perfect bedtime companion for a cold autumn’s night.

Buy Links:

Amazon (paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mayhem-Douglas-Rees/dp/1937791556/ref=la_B005JQS9UI_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351702340&sr=1-1

Amazon (Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mayhem-ebook/dp/B009IWM996/ref=la_B005JQS9UI_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1351702340&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble (Nook) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/magical-mayhem-pam-van-hylckama-vlieg/1113574959?ean=2940044970496

I'd like to thank Diane for having me visit. It's been fun! And I'd like to offer one PDF copy of Altered Destiny to one person who leaves a comment with their email address. I'll have my alien kitten, Wookie, select the winner on Friday night. She loves to do that almost as much as she loves singing the Cantina Song.

Lynda, it as been my pleasure to have you here today. Readers, don't forget to leave your email address with your comment and hopefully Wookie will pick you.