AE Jones' MIND SWEEPER (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Please give a warm welcome to AE Jones who is joining us with her paranormal romance, MIND SWEEPER!

We are What we Eat & Drink


First of all, I want to thank you for inviting me to Reading Between the Wines. And I have to confess right away, that Kyle, the heroine in my Mind Sweeper series, is a beer drinker. Great Lakes Dortmunder to be exact. Hopefully after that confession, you will still let me stay….okay?….good!

So my confession got me thinking about how characters are revealed to us (the reader) in a variety of ways. Whether right or not, what someone eats or drinks paints a picture of them. Wine connoisseur vs. beer drinker. Tofu eater vs. BBQ junkie. 

And these supporting details can be used to make a character multi-dimensional. Here is a fun fact. Many writers develop trait sheets before they write their story. And in doing this, it fleshes out the character. Interesting, right? So what kinds of things are on these sheets? Well, there are the obvious questions like age, looks, clothing, job, living arrangements, etc. But there are other questions as well.

What does your character drive?
What does your character eat, drink?
What music does your character listen to?
Are they an early morning or late night person?
Are they divorced? Widowed?
Where did they grow up?
Do they have money, or are they struggling to survive?
Do they read? Watch TV? Movies?
Do they like technology or are they technophobes?
Any quirks?

And the list can go on and on and change depending on what types of books you write. Questions a historical writer might ask are not the same ones that a paranormal author might ask. Think of it as questions that you would ask on a date. Questions that help you get to know the person. The author’s job is to share these tidbits of information in a way that draws the reader into the story. Really good books equate to really good characters that become our friends. 

So let me give you a couple of tidbits about Kyle as an example…you already know she is a beer drinker and she is definitely a carnivore. Can’t cook worth a darn, but lives in an apartment in Cleveland’s Little Italy and has all of the restaurants on her speed dial. 

Jeans, graphic T’s and work boots are her normal work outfits. And she doesn’t carry a purse. Getting a picture yet? Oh yeah, she likes to color her hair as the mood strikes her.

So from that description, you can probably start to guess a little about Kyle’s personality. She is very outspoken (which is a nice way of saying she is a smart mouth) and doesn’t necessarily fit in with the nine-to-five crowd. Which is okay, since she doesn’t think she fits in with humans in general. 

But she also is not predictable. Kyle takes in a stray cat that she names Booger. And even though she grumbles each day while doing it, she brings pastries to her demon partner. And she loves romances, but she hides them under her bed. Those are the details that make me and hopefully you, the reader, smile.

Because as my characters develop, they surprise me. And like a real person they don’t want to be pigeon-holed.  Well rounded characters become the writer’s and the reader’s friend. And that brings each of us back for more stories!

Mind Sweeper 

(Mind Sweeper #1)

by A.E. Jones

Paperback, 368 pages

Published September 15th 2014 by Gabby Reads Publishing, LLC (first published 2014)

ISBN 1941871003 

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

An angel, a demon and a vampire walk into a bar. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but it's just another day in the life of Kyle McKinley.

Kyle was born with the ability to erase memories, and the inability to keep her opinions to herself. She and her teammates – a vampire who looks like a sexy pirate with fangs, and a Shamat demon with a penchant for Italian pastries – provide supernatural damage control when humans see too much. Today’s problem? A sword-wielding angel and a demon had a supernatural smackdown during happy hour in a Cleveland bar, leaving behind a headless vampire and a dozen human witnesses.

This latest supernatural slip-up is attracting all kinds of attention. So much attention that the police step in, and Kyle has to deal with Joe Dalton, a know-it-all human with the sexiest turquoise eyes she has ever seen. Kyle has no room in her life for yet another human who will treat her like a freak. However, Dalton definitely makes her naughty parts sit up and take notice, and it’s more than mutual. But before they can act on their attraction, they must join forces to solve a dangerous puzzle. And when they uncover the truth, the apocalyptic ripple effect forces Kyle to make a choice. Learn to trust again, or risk losing everyone she cares about, including Dalton.

Book Two - The Fledgling, A Mind Sweeper Novella (coming October 2014)

Book Three - Shifter Wars, (coming Fall 2014)

About the Author:

Growing up a TV junkie, award winning author AE Jones oftentimes rewrote endings of episodes in her head when she didn’t like the outcome. She immersed herself in sci-fi and soap operas. But when Buffy hit the little screen she knew her true love was paranormal. Now she spends her nights weaving stories about all variation of supernatural—their angst and their humor. After all life is about both…whether you sport fangs or not.
AE lives in Ohio with her eclectic family and friends who in no way resembles any characters in her books. Honest. Now her two cats are another story altogether.

Website:  http://www.aejonesauthor.com/

Twitter:  @aejonesauthor - https://twitter.com/AEJonesAuthor

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/aejones.author1

Giveaway:
The author is giving away one digital copy of MIND SWEEPER to one reader today. To enter, please leave a meaningful comment for the author on this post and then fill out the rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway