Denise A. Agnew - HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on award-winning bestselling Author Denise A. Agnew. She won the EPPIE Award for her historical romance LOVE FROM THE ASHES.

Author Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Historical Fiction

Website: Denise A. Agnew
Author's Blog: Denise A. Agnew Blog
Blog: Google +
Twitter: @DeniseAAgnew
E-Mail: denise10@deniseagnew.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest


Author Description:
Denise A. Agnew is the author of over fifty-seven novels, novella's and short stories. Denise pens romantic suspense, erotic, historical, fantasy, contemporary and paranormal romance. Romantic Times Book Review Magazine gave her novel PRIMORDIAL the coveted TOP PICK. She's received the EPPIE Award for her historical romance LOVE FROM THE ASHES as well as finaled in and won a Passionate Plume Award. Her interest in archaeology and archery sometimes find their way into her books. Denise has recently become a paranormal investigator. She lives with her husband and a Mini Schnauzer.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

What do you have on the drawing board next? Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease? Are you going to add another novel to one of your series or you going to start on something new?

I just finished a follow up story Redemption Ridge but I don't know when the sequel will be released. I'm currently working on a World War 2 romance called One London Night, but that is a long work in progress because of the research I've had to do and things have kind of conspired lately to keep this story moving slower than I would like. So I don't have a timeline on when that story will be out and available. I always keep readers posted, though, through Facebook, Twitter and my blog. The World War 2 story isn't in a series. It is definitely stand alone.

You have a good following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? How much has it changed your book launch process?

Social media is important for me, because as time goes on some of the other old standbys to let readers know about my books have fallen away. Some of the Yahoo groups I belong to don't seem to reach the readers quite as easily as they did before. So I keep my two Facebook pages going and try to talk to people daily on Twitter and Facebook. When I launch a book now I just do my best to let people know across social media without being obnoxious about it. To me the author who is in your face every day on social media only talking about their books starts to turn off the reader. Yes, readers want to know about an author's books, but I think they also want to understand the author. What makes you tick and what you like and maybe don't like. There is, of course, the "too much information" problem that writers can indulge in and I definitely try to keep away from that.

Do you do a lot of book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

Most of my books sales are electronic, and I haven't done any book signings in years. Most book signings these days aren't that productive unless you're at a conference like Romantic Times where there is a larger audience. I live in a small town and our only book store left town about three or four years ago. :) I do quite a few interviews but very few personal appearances. Best place to find me is on Facebook, Twitter and my website. On my website readers can sign up for my monthly newsletter.

You have very unique covers. They carry a theme of novels to your readers. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

My publishers have been good about asking me what I think is important in a cover, but at the end of the day they make the final decision. I think I've got some wonderful covers. Some stand outs I think are FOR A ROMAN'S HEART, BEFORE THE DAWN, DARK, DEADLY LOVE and a few others. As for the self-published books, I have two cover artists and they work with me very closely to get the feel of the books. I don't ask for reader input on covers. :)

I have seen one of your book trailers. (See Asylum Trilogy Trailer below.) Do you know how much impact it had on your book’s success? Tell us about the process that you used to create your trailers? Do you plan on doing more?

All of my trailers were done by my wonderful webmaster at Nimbleforce Creations. I think trailers aren't making that big of an impact on most book sales. I'm not sure that I'll be doing many more in the future.

What kinds of writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

At the current moment I belong to two groups. Novelists, Inc. is one of the most amazing novelists groups out there. They are all published authors but in every genre there is. I like the fact they are in every genre because the perspectives are wider. Plus, Novelists, Inc. is one of the most progressive groups out there. They got on the bandwagon with accepting self-published authors much earlier than most organizations. They are a great support. International Thriller Writers is the other organization, and they do a lot towards promoting their authors.

Between your book writing, blogging, marketing, family and all the other things that can get in your way, how do you manage your time? Do you have a set schedule or do your sort of play it by ear?

I'm really not that great a time manager when it comes to my writing. I play it by ear.

Has the advent of ebooks changed anything in your writing, your marketing and the relationship with your readers and fans? What kind of adjustments did you have to make moving from the traditional paper world to the digital one?

I was never in the traditional publishing world, so my adjustments are probably significantly less than someone who was used to the traditional platform. I haven't made that many adjustments that are drastic. But I've always known that the publishing world is a crazy place, and I just roll with the changes and punches as they come. I've always been in epublishing (since the very beginning of epublishing), so that is an advantage for me.

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

I do giveaways for contests (sometimes paperback, sometimes ebook). For the last several months I've been involved with Goodreads Giveaways. I've found those contests get more attention than anything else I've done in relation to contests. My main goal has been to expose more readers to my work and hopefully after they've taken a chance with a free book they'll want to read more. A couple of years ago one of my books was given away for free by the publisher and that spurred major sales of other books in that series and beyond. I've never run into obstacles with giving away free books.

Your blog does a great job keeping your readers informed, marketing your books and providing useful information to other writers. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

I've slowed down a lot with the blog since the beginning of the year. I'm a bit in a blog slump. I hope to revitalize sometime next month with more author guest spots. Also, I remember that writing books is my top priority, not writing blogs or being on social media. If I keep that in mind, the books eventually get written.

Do you publish your books in other languages? How is your audience abroad?

One of my publishers, Ellora's Cave, puts some of my books into other languages such as Spanish and Japanese. I have readers from a wide variety of countries, including some that I converse with sometimes from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Germany.

Denise, you have so many titles. Where is the best place for readers to find out about all your books and, of course, buy them?

As for buying my books, since I have a ton of books, I think it would just make sense to have my webpage as the reader's source for purchasing them. They can follow this link: Denise A. Agnew Books.



Author's Book List
Redemption Ridge
Blush sensuality level: This is a sweet romance (kisses only, no sexual content).

When Cecelia’s ex crashes into her life, intent on killing her, she has no choice but to save herself. There are no heroes left in her world. Battle-scarred soldier Jake sees her at the mercy of a brutal foe, and has to be the hero she needs. With everything at stake, there’s no time for pretense or lies. Unvarnished truth leaves them gasping for breath, and finding one last hope to make everything all right.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Daryk Craving
Daryk World, Book Three Her fever for him has always burned high... Daryk One Aknada Tyrus helped destroy Admiral Aramus' slave trading ship, but now she must resurrect her shattered life and discover if love can repair three years of deceit. Aknada is a warrior, her unique ability to fight men on equal footing a talent few women can boast. Three years ago she lost faith in herself after surviving a horrible attack. Now she cannot abide a man's touch, even the tenderness of Marc Gampia, the man she's craved forever. She returns to Marc's compound to restore her inner peace and hopefully turn her fears away. His craving for her has never died... Marc hides his own mangled heart. When he learns Aknada is alive, the fire in him burns hotter and more fiercely than it did before. He will do anything to have her as his wife. Desire forces her to reach for him, to discover his body one touch at a time. One stroke and there is no going back.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Shadows Fall
Book Three in the Asylum Trilogy

Evil is spreading beyond previous boundaries, beyond the horrors of the past. Only one man and one woman can stop it.

Melissa Allan realizes something is wrong one windy, violent day. People are getting their just deserts. Karma is piling on the punishment, even for small offenses or misunderstandings hardly worth a blink. Melissa, owner of the only new age store in Simple, realizes that the air is disturbed, and that the former asylum on the mountain has something to do with strange happenings around town. Sensitive to the paranormal, she helps those in Simple who feel the need for advice beyond the conventional. Forces in town who want things to stay the same are against her, and she knows it.

Ex-marine Roarke O’Bannion hasn’t seen a freak out like this since he was in war. A search for his missing mother brings him to Tranquil View Condominiums for answers. He’s not interested in the paranormal and thinks people who believe in it just need more medication. He thinks Melissa fed his mother’s belief in ghosts, and he plans on giving her a piece of his mind. Instead he finds a woman who challenges everything he’s believed in, and makes him burn with desire.

When Melissa is in danger, he discovers he’ll do anything to save her, and together they’ll battle the unseen until midnight comes or the evil seething inside Tranquil View consumes them all.
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Book Trailer: Shadows Fall
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Smashwords
Daryk Rogue
Daryk World, Book Two Ruled by treacherous desires to mate... He would kill and die for her. When Xandra Shorenus' husband murders her family in retaliation for her defiance she escapes, but a huge wave wrecks her ship. Rogue Daryk One Rayder Tyrus saves her but commands her allegiance with one kiss. She is his now, in and out of bed. Rayder has infiltrated a dangerous faction, his need for redemption and retribution absolute. Desire to protect Xandra mixes with powerful carnal needs that demand he show her pleasures she never could have imagined in her sheltered life. They discover a fiery connection forged between hot kisses, adventurous touches and mind-melting unions. They must learn to survive the wrath of the breeder-slaver who hates Rayder, the elements of jungle and desert that rule the land, and a war about to erupt that could separate them forever.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Daryk Warrior - Daryk World, Book Four
Book four of the Daryk World series.Mia is having one of the worst days of her life. After surviving a shipwreck during an attempt to escape her oppressive homeland, she finds herself lost, washed ashore on a foreign beach. One misstep almost costs her everything but she’s saved by the strong arms of a lethal Dragonian warrior. Mia, unused to men and desire, finds herself facing an all new challenge in the intensely sexual Daryk One and the undeniable feelings he ignites in her body and her heart.Eryk is uncertain whether he can trust Mia but is becoming increasingly convinced that the pretty Scribe is more than just a woman who knows how to fuel passion. His burning need to claim and protect her are signs she might be his mate!In a land on the brink of war, with their very survival on the line, Mia and Eryk find themselves torn between their urgent need for one another and the goals they’ve each sworn to that could so easily tear them apart.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Before the Dawn
A fallen woman must decide to stay down, or rise and fight…

Elijah McKinnon has been found innocent of a heinous murder, but it doesn’t erase the hellish years in prison he endured. He boards the train to Pittsburgh a changed man, certain he will never feel free until he’s wreaked revenged on the brother that ruined his life.

The passenger who catches his eye is intriguing, but he’s seen her kind before. The kind who puts on airs—and looks down on Irishmen. Still, he can’t seem to stop himself from stepping between her and a pack of ruthless cads.

Mary Jane Lawson is grateful for the handsome stranger’s help, but her journey has a higher purpose: to rise above her shattered reputation and declare her independence, come flood or famine. Propriety says she should refuse Elijah’s suggestion they pose as husband and wife—for her own protection, of course. Her practical side says it won’t hurt to pretend, just this once.

Come nightfall, though, their little charade must be carried all the way to shared sleeping quarters, where their vulnerabilities become painfully clear. And when danger past and present threatens, trusting each other becomes a matter of life and death.

Warning: A hot Irish accent mixed with high adventure may cause combustion. Beware of falling for this hunk. The heroine says he’s hers.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Dangerous Intentions
A woman searching for the perfect man… Wealthy magazine editor Kiley Chapman lives with the frightening memory of her kidnapping ten years ago. When she advertises for a man for a hero profile article, she soon discovers sinfully sexy bodyguard Scott Danger lives up to his name. Charismatic and confident, he erodes her resolve to stay cool and uninvolved. A man in serious peril of losing his heart… Security specialist and ex-Special Forces soldier Scott Danger prides himself on having impeccable restraint—a man who disciplines both mind and body. It's questionable how long he can resist his powerful and heated attraction to Kiley—and all bets are off when he must protect her from a deadly stalker bent on destroying all they hold dear. Two wounded souls meet their match… The wildfire sexual attraction between them guarantees sparks they may not want to acknowledge but can't ignore. So while Scott guards her body, and Kiley guards her heart, neither one can fight the sensual and emotional hunger that swirls between them, consuming them.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Daryk Hunter
When Magonian archaeologist Ketera Aldrancos’ father is imprisoned, she’s determined to save him. Before she can do so, her ship is wrecked. Water laps at her, a man’s strong arms surround her. His husky voice soothes her. Then she realizes she’s on a foreign beach in the arms of a dreaded Dragonian. A man who looks nothing like the men she’s known. His closeness, his touch sends waves of need through Ketera’s core and shame runs through her. After all, passions are sinful. Dane Charger, a Dragonian Daryk One, cradles the woman in his arms. He aches to introduce her to the headiest lovemaking imaginable. But his eyes flame red and a growl vibrates his throat when he realizes he’ll need to protect her from marauding slave traders led by a vicious rogue—who just happens to also be his half brother. Two people whose supercontinents are separated by ocean and two thousand years of prejudice and fear. Two people who may be the secret to saving a race from extinction.
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Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
eBook Author’s Corner and
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle