Welcome back, welcome back! This week I bring you two new authors to get to know, so get comfy.

In writing news, I’m on day 12 of my 21-day waiting challenge, so far I’ve managed an average of 2,000 words each day, except for one where I only got just over 1,000, but I’m feeling pumped, I think I’m over the slump, and I’m excited to chase more words today. 

I hit over 40k on Charlie and Randolph this week too, and am in the process of untangling the messes these two have made, or are in, so wish me luck on that – I’m hoping to have their story finished in time for an August release!

But that’s enough from me, so now it’s time to introduce Aurora Crane and AW Turner!

Author Bio

Aurora Crane is an Australian author with a particular love for books featuring poly relationships, specifically ones that are polyfidelity.

When reading an Aurora Crane novel you can except it to be written in third person, with a myriad of poly characters and a sprawling universe with lots of side characters and cameos. There is always, of course, a healthy serving of banter, snark and idiots falling in love.

She has an appreciation for men in suits and frequently spreads that love in the Facebook group she shares with her muse, fellow Aussie, and co-writer Briar Kearney.

Aurora’s Quirky Questions

Holly: If you could live anywhere real or imaginary where would it be and why?

Aurora: I want to live by the beach. It’s my favourite place in the whole world to visit. There’s something really special about standing in the sand with the waves brushing against your calves and seeing the horizon. The ocean is so vast and beautiful and standing on the edge of it gives me perspective. 

Holly: What was the first book that made you cry? 

Aurora: Charlotte’s Web. I was not expecting that ending or the death of a spider to traumatize me quite so badly! 

Holly: What other artistic pursuits (if any) do you indulge in apart from writing? 

Aurora: I like to play video games (currently making my way through the latest Zelda, and then I’ll be moving to the latest Final Fantasy, which I’m excited about!). I also cross stitch, do diamond art, draw (not very good at it but I enjoy it) and have lots of colouring books. I like keeping my mind busy. I love the cross stitching because I can listen to audio books while I do it, which is some of the only time I get to read!

Holly: What are some day jobs that you have had/have? Do they impact your writing, share an example.

Aurora: I’ve worked in mostly retail my whole life, and then in educational administration later. I’m not sure the knowledge itself is particularly useful in terms of writing, though it has given me lots of experiences with lots of different kinds of people. The administration part helps keep me organized, at least! 😂 

Holly: What qualities do you and your characters share? How much are you like them, or how different are they from you?

Aurora: Any ridiculous characteristics, lol. I’ve been told numerous times that Lake, from my book Third Time Lucky, is very me. So, I think that’s a pretty good answer 😂 Love of food is definitely a me thing. Their ability to speak up and be assertive is not me but I wish I could be! I love giving them personality traits that I wish I was brave enough to have. 

Holly: What was the hardest part of writing this book? 

Aurora: Confidence, mostly. I write a lot of poly and it can be really hard to get traction, and there’s always so much negativity to wade through. There’s still a lot of stigma surrounding poly romance and it’s disheartening and sometimes that makes it hard to see them through. But I love them, and I adore my characters and they always win in the end, because love always does. 

Holly: Tell us one thing about your MCs that we don’t learn from the book? 

Aurora: This one is hard because I don’t have pages and pages of character information that’s not in the books. I learn about them as I write, quite similar to how the readers learn about them. I’m a plantser and none of the planning ever has anything to do with the characters, lol. Let me see if I can think of anything… Hmm… I can’t remember if it’s brought up in this book explicitly, but Peyton is bisexual. It’s not something that’s come up yet. Will cannot play sport to save his life, and is horrid at tennis, despite his brother being a highly skilled professional tennis player. 

Holly: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Aurora: I do read them, yes, even though I’m told repeatedly I shouldn’t. 

I save the good ones for a rainy day—it’s incredible what a good review can do for an author’s confidence and helps remind them why they publish. Not why they write, because that’s instinctual for us and we can’t not write. But publishing is a whole other beast. The good reviews remind us why we do it; because we want to make a difference, because we want to entertain and because we hope that someone out there will love our characters and our stories as much as we do. 

The bad reviews are… a little different. Some of them can be quite frustrating, and some of them are downright cruel. I try hard not to read them, and use my wonderful team around me to sift through and only take on board the reviews that are useful, or that make me feel good. Because all the truly horrible ones do is chip away at my confidence, and that can be in short supply! I’ve always said that a “bad” review and “nasty” review are two different things and I’ll always stand by that.

Holly: How do you celebrate a new release?

Aurora: Sleep for a few years? 😂 I don’t have anything in particular that I do. I’m already working on my next book by that point, and marketing never ends. No rest for the wicked!

Reactant

When the chemistry between the five men explodes, the stakes get even higher. 

Jericho Rowlands has spent most of his life living under different names, doing the dirty work required to keep Sydney safe. Quinn, Peyton, Will, and Sebastian have the weight of history and mistakes and missed opportunities between all of them, making an already-complicated situation harder. None of them can deny the magnetic pull holding them together as they try to muddle through what their new normal will look like. Jericho isn’t supposed to be part of it, but they can’t ignore their instant connection with him when he falls into their orbit. 

They’re racing against the clock, and unless they can figure out who’s gunning for them from the shadows, the future they’re fighting for could be out of reach. 

Reactant is a 100,000-word MMMMM romance that ends in a HFN. It is Book 2 in an ongoing series that follows the same five men and their relationship. It is not a standalone whatsoever and begins directly after the end of Catalyst (Chain Reaction Book 1).

This is an Aurora Crane novel. That means it’s written in third person, there are a myriad of poly characters, it’s a sprawling universe with lots of side characters and cameos, and of course, there’s lots of snarky banter and idiots falling in love.

Teaser from Reactant

Quinn raised a brow at Will’s hand and then pointed to the steaming bowl at the end of the table. “Mine?”

“Yeah. There’s juice in the fridge if you’re thirsty,” Will said. “Or water. Some wine, I think. And Coke. If it’s in there, you can have it.” He wiggled his lips in contemplation as he glanced between his hand to the five Smarties he had left. “I want to go all in.”

“You can’t just go all in,” Peyton said, not even looking up.

“Is… that a rule?” Will was pretty sure it wasn’t. The rule was that he could if he wanted to when it came time to either call or raise. And he wanted to raise, to all in. They were his Smarties, and if he wanted to bet them all, he was allowed to.

“It’s not a rule,” Sebastian said. “You can do whatever you want, William.”

“What hand do you have?” Peyton asked, sounding exasperated.

“I think it’s funny that you’re coming at me for breaking the rules when I know for a fact that demanding your opponent show them your hand is way bad form,” Will said. “Like ‘get the fuck out of my casino’ bad form.”

“Just show me the cards, Will.” Peyton’s gaze was equal parts frustrated and charmed.

It probably shouldn’t have made Will feel cosy, but it did. He huffed, though he couldn’t hide his wide smile as he flipped his cards over.

“You have one pair,” Peyton said flatly.

“So?”

“A pair of twos.”

Quinn made a noise as he slid into the seat at the end of the table with a glass of orange juice.

Will ignored all of them. “So?” He didn’t tell Peyton how to play his hand. Maybe none of them had anything good, and he was going to win with his pair of twos.

“You cannot go all in on a pair of twos. Do you want to lose all your Smarties?”

“I guess that depends on whether I can win them back with sexual favours.” Will pushed all five of his Smarties to the middle of the table. It wasn’t like he had many left since he was steadily eating them anyway.

Quinn reached forward and snagged one.

Will feigned outrage, his mouth dropping open. “That was my chip! You’re cutting into my profits, Quinn.”

“You’re about to lose them,” Quinn said with a knee-weakening smile. Will was too busy being dazed by it to think of a convincing rebuttal.

Aurora’s Follow Me Links:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/auroracrane

Author Bio

After spending years working in an office as a secretary AW Turner finally decided to follow her dream of being a full-time author writing MM Paranormal Romance. Most of her characters are either quirky-loveable introverts or grumpy alpha males, all in search of a HEA. 

A W  lives in the south of England with her husband, she has a new kitten and befriends every cat she sees. She’s dyslexic and has a love for history and old wooden furniture, which she restores when she’s not writing. She has a thing for sports cars and driving fast, makes more jam than she can eat and loves to play in the snow.

AW’s Quirky Questions

Holly: Do you have any quirky collections? Feel free to add photos!

A W Turner: I collect a few things, Myth and Magic pewter figures of dragons and wizards. I started collecting them when I was 15 and I have close to 100 now. And I have 11 December Diamond Mermen figures too.

Holly: Does writing exhaust you or energize you? 

AW Turner: It tends to drain me a bit, and by halfway through I’m dragging my feet a bit. And start looking for the energy to finish it.

Holly: What’s your writing process like? 

A W Turner: I scribble down the story overview first, then I design the cover. Then I cast my MC’s, find photos to fit and write a description and personality profile. Then I do a rough plot plan, and capture any scenes that flash to mind that I want to use later. Then I distract myself with DIY and other stuff I don’t need to do, before finally pulling my finger out and start writing. Usually, long hand with pen and paper, then transferring it to my laptop later.

Holly: What one book have you written that you think best shows off your writing style? Why? 

A W Turner: Ghost of a Chance 

Holly: What comes first for you, plot, or characters? 

A W Turner: Usually the plot comes first, I tend to visualize it in my head like a movie and I just describe what I see and how the story plays out.  

Holly: What’s your most annoying habit? 

A W Turner: I wash and tidy up immediately after I finish cooking, which means my food is getting cold while I wash the pans.   

Holly: Which household chore do you find the most agitating?

A W Turner: Cleaning the loo… 😛 

Holly: How many unread books are on your Kindle or bookshelf right now?

A W Turner: Lots 300+ and some of those are box sets I have download binge moments and can’t help buying books from some of the launch parties I attend.  

Holly: Where did your inspiration come from for your MCs? 

A W Turner: I like grumpy alpha males who are more complex than they seem. Sometimes I see a photo of a guy and then start building his persona from that and sometimes I see the character in my head and then find a face to match. 

Holly: What did you do to unwind in between words when writing this book?

A W Turner: I have a mystery item search game on my phone that I play. It helps refocus me and gives me a ‘quick win’ feeling that I’ve managed to complete something.

The Baby Clause

MM Shifter Omegaverse story between two alphas, both who thought they’d be spending Christmas day alone, only fate and a Stork had other plans for them.

Jerry Bucannon – Fox shifter, Mr No-Drama.

Who would have thought that I’d end up sitting in a log cabin in the woods of Colorado? Not me, that’s for sure. I’d escaped the city in the hope of leading a drama-free life. All it took was one sexy grumpy Sheriff, a snowstorm and an unexpected Christmas gift left on my doorstep to turn my quiet Christmas and my quiet life upside down.

Sheriff Mason Carmichael – Wolf pack leader and town grump.

The bane of my existence was parked across two bays, which meant Jerry Bucannon was in town. I wasn’t sure which I liked least—him or his sparkly orange car that made my eyes hurt just looking at it. Unfortunately, its owner was just as eye-catching, which annoys me even more. When a frantic call for help on Christmas day has me rushing to his rescue, my plan to ignore him goes by the wayside… because he’s being held captive by a baby!

AW’s  Social Links

NEW IN MM ROMANCE THIS WEEK!

Cain’s Shadow

(Hellhound Collar Series Book 3)

Lisa Oliver

Hellhounds who love scritches, a hellhound baby who’s as adorable as he is menacing, a special tree with beautiful buds, and Lord Hades in a pale pink shirt. This story has everything to make you smile.

Hellhound Cain was beyond frustrated. He couldn’t even visit his pack mate in New York without some curly headed blond following him around. It wouldn’t be so bad, but every time Cain tried to talk to him and ask him why he was being stalked, the man just disappeared. Which was a shame because the blond was cute…

I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode of Holly’s Quirky Questions.

 A huge thank you to Aurora Crane and AW Tuner. Next week we have Miski Harris and Ana Ashley. 

Well, I think I’ve had long enough out of the writing cave, so be safe, keep smiling and I’ll see you all next week.

Until then: Find a Spark of Magic Every Day.