Tuesday 1 March 2016

A day off.

Today is my day off. And I am finally alone. The downside of living with two teenagers is a total lack of me time. The kids now stay up late and are always around. (The upside is the fact that I have people to talk to and interact with any time I want) Catch twenty two. I digress. I am finally alone and have some time to look at what's been going on around me.

My mundane life has been hectic to say the least. I know it feels like I am always going off about how crazy things have been, and to some extent I feel guilty about that and then I say to heck with it. My life is a whirlwind right now. I've taken on more hours at my day job, heading on vacation (and trying to plan that), decided to move, bought a house, listed my house and lost the dream house that I had bought, blog tour, writing and general family / personal life stuff clogging up the works.

To explain Mr. Gloria and I have been looking for a house for about five years. Actively the last year, we've looked at more than 50 houses in the last twelve months. We finally found 'the one' - I swear angels sang and lights flashed when we saw it. We put in an offer, which was accepted. So we rushed around prepping our house to list, doing some work and packing to make it show better, and listed within four days of our offer. Well little did I know that an offer that is conditional can be beaten out by other offers with less conditions. And that is exactly what happened to us. Another offer came through with less conditions and they won. I lost. My unicorn, the mythical beast I have been searching for was ridden off by someone else. Needless to say, I am heartbroken. After much soul searching (and brow beating by my husband) I am not giving up and the search continues.


I finished my blog tour and below will post some of the reviews I've been thrilled to get. Liquid Fire is doing well, I've heard many compliments. I got a beautiful teary message from one person that left me with suspiciously wet cheeks.

(Although I admit to being a little perturbed that the three people I dedicated the novel to have yet to read it or even know that it was dedicated to them...hint hint) Other than that I am thrilled with the way things are going. I am still fighting through the marketing aspect and learning all that I need to do. I'm getting there. Baby steps right?

So, while I try not to give excuses, and instead only offer explanations, that is why I may have seemed absent lately. It is what it is. And as soon as my heart heals, my hours reduce and my vacation is over things should return to normal.

To finish off, as promised, below are some of the reviews Liquid Fire has received (from a variety of online sources including blogs, amazon, goodreads etc)

My Reading Addiction
"These characters are complex and each have a variety of things going on in the present as well as some skeletons in their closets.
Gloria C. Bishop's writing style is very direct. There is no skirting around things. Characters and plot are both well developed."

From The Indie Express
"Connecting with the main character(s) is key for a reader to determine whether they will not only relate, but be invested in the story itself. Lee has one of those personalities that really drew me in. She was witty, entertaining, and real.
The plot flowed smoothly and I didn't feel like anything was forced or majorly missing. I liked the overall writing style of Gloria C. Bishop"

From The Steamy Side
"This is a Paranormal Romance novel that will have you immersed in the world Gloria C. Bishop has created. She really does a great job of setting the scene and giving the reader enough backstory about her world.
I liked the journey both main characters went on and the evolution of their characters in dealing with their past.
There was a nice balance between the love story aspect and the Paranormal."

From Angels Guilty Pleasures
~ 4.5 Liquid Fire Stars
"Liquid Fire is book one in the Element of Love series by Gloria C. Bishop. It brings together a distinctive atmosphere with gripping characters.
GBishop is a new to me author. I fell in love with Liquid Fire from the very first page to the last. The author pulls you into an extraordinary world full of intriguing characters that have great dynamics together. I was mesmerized with her in-depth portrayal of the elements, Guardians who protect the elements and the magical dimension. I absolutely loved reading Liquid Fire. It was fresh, unique, action-packed and non-stop on the go adventure.
Lee is a mystery. She has no clue what she is. She is the type of heroine I just enjoy reading about. A rare kick-ass women with loads of fire raging deep inside. She is no push-over and when she discovers she is magical, well she doesn’t sit back. She goes out with her new friends to find out what really happened to her parents, why she never knew, and to find her missing elements.
Jeremy is a Water Guardian. He is intelligent, sweet, protective, and all round a great hero type character. He helps guide Lee and is with her almost every step of the way. Introducing her into this new magical world.
I loved Lee and Jeremy together. They banter, but it’s fun banter and when they do hook up well they sure do make some steam. The chemistry was great.
The secondary characters where wonderful, especially Avery, who helps Lee out. Avery is the library type, shy, but with a little hell cat hiding inside. I’m curious to find out her secret and learn more about her.
The Arthur does such a great job bring all her characters together. It feels real and like a family. The world building is deep. Their is no shortage of information. The author does an amazing job giving us this information, building up the world and helping her characters to grow.
The only thing that bugged me (this is minor) is I felt their was to much emphasis on drinking coffee. They sure do drink a lot of coffee. Man I’d be weird if that is all I drank.
Liquid Fire will pull your heartstrings on the past, fill your mind with a rich world, full of fun and captivating characters. I am looking forward to more in this series."

From Novel News Network
"I really did think that this author showed a lot of imagination in writing this story. I enjoyed that I understood the characters motivation throughout the novel. I didn’t disagree with a lot of the actions.
There is also definite chemistry and a steam factor to this novel. I think that the looks on the cover models faces really goes hand in hand with this."

From Texas Book Nook
"First of all, I just want to start off by saying, HOW HOT is that cover? I love it!
I felt like everything flowed very well and the characters were very easy to become attached to. This is the kind of book that you become engrossed in.
If you are interested in a roller coaster ride with many twists and turns than this is definitely the book for you. There are plenty of times where I said to myself "Whoa, didn't see that coming."

From Bringing you the Romance (Paranormal romance and authors that rock)
"This is the first book in the Element of Love series and ends in an HEA. Lee is an orphaned biker chick who works as a tattoo artist. She gave up a college scholarship to take care of her sick father. Her mom dies when she was much younger. Her small town is boring to her, so after a huge run of bad luck and her father’s death, she packs up and cycles to a big city to find a tattoo job. A whole new world opens up for Lee in the city. The magical hide in plain sight and Lee is more magical than most.
She meets Avery who introduces her to what Lee really is. I thought it funny how Lee thought Avery was nuts at first and was just listening to her to humor her. Lee’s reaction to Avery’s revelations were exactly as I would have reacted. The descriptions of How Lee feels when trying to practice her skills were interesting. The feelings were well thought out and descriptive, considering the author had to work in fantasy.
Jeremy is the love interest for Lee. A theme of prejudice runs throughout the story. Prejudice is ugly whether based in fantasy or reality. Jeremy has to fight his prejudice against fire and Lee’s family has prejudices against everyone, it seemed. The love story between Jeremy and Lee was hot when they were fighting their attraction and again when they did a ‘mind meld’. Once again the author described a fantasy event and made it seem real.
I am a reviewer for Romance Authors that Rock. I am giving this book 5 hearts. This book is appropriate for an adult audience."

From a Life Through Books
"I loved the pacing of this novel. I felt like it really stayed on the same level throughout. Often times novels slow down and have dead moments, but Gloria C. Bishop did a great job of keeping the readers interest throughout with this one.
The characters are very well developed. I felt like they had their issues and weren't perfect, but showed growth throughout the novel, which I always like to see.
The romance and steamy factor are way up there as well. This isn't just a regular Paranormal Romance, there are definitely some more in depth scenes that were very well executed as well."


From Melissa Burcham
"Wow what a good book! I absolutely enjoyed this book
Wow what a good book! I absolutely enjoyed this book. I was drawn in from the first page and couldn't put it down until the last page. I couldn't wait to see how the story would end. I was not disappointed at all with the end of the book. The writing was good and the story line intriguing . . . This is the first book I have read of Gloria Bishop. It probably will not be the last. I enjoyed this book and her writing. I look forward to see what else is to come from this author. Thank you, Gloria, for a great read! ~ Melissa Burcham"




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