What exactly is Happy Hour with the M&M’s?

 Happy Hour with the M&M’s was best summed up by Jaycee Clark, a fellow NCP author, she called it “sort of role playing meets novella meets sitcom.”

 We like to think of it as a Cheers, Sex in the City, and Saturday Night Live all mixed together.  These are not done in Q & A format; rather they are presented in the form of chapter/short story write-ups. 

  What is the premise of the stories?

 M&M, are basically alter-egos for Michelle Pillow and Mandy Roth.  In real life we are both happily married, mothers, and authors.  In the world of M&M, Michelle is a prude, and Mandy is the stereotypical party girl.  We work for an underground e-zine called The Nocturnal Journal that discusses romance/erotic books.  The ‘interviews’ take place at a vampire /shapeshifters bar called THE RAVEN.

Who writes the chapters?

 We (Michelle M Pillow & Mandy M Roth) write the chapters.  The guest authors submit their descriptions to us along with a detailed description of any character they may be bringing.  This is an important point for authors who are interested in participating to keep in mind.  For some, it’s easy to give their name and information over to others to write what works best, for others it’s not so easy.

 The authors to date have been great sports!

 Where did the idea for THE RAVEN come from?

 *Mandy jumps in* “Oh, I’ll answer this one.”  Michelle and I were discussing how similar many of the interviews we’ve read about our favorite authors are and how not all publishers tend to be represented equally. This upset us because we have friends from ALL the publishers out there and wanted to offer them a place to come and have fun.  We hashed around ideas and decided on this format, we just needed a bar for the M&M’s to frequent.

 Michelle chimed in with using the club from Mandy’s novel Daughter of Darkness, The Raven.  It was already ‘established’ and we fully planned on bringing in our characters for guest appearances anyways so it seemed like a great idea!  *pats Michelle on back* J

Do Michelle and Mandy write for a living?

 Michelle M Pillow has been writing for several years.  Her first novel, THE MISTS OF MIDNIGHT was just released from New Concepts Publishing and has received wonderful reviews.  She currently has six novels contracted with NCP, including the DRAGON LORDS a futuristic paranormal series and the first book of the TRIBES OF THE VAMPIRE series, a darker paranormal romance.  Many more of her works are up for consideration.

 Mandy M Roth’s debut novel, DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS was just released by New Concepts Publishing.  She currently has a total of eight novels coming out in the next few months at NCP, and is hard at work on more books all the time. She has eleven books written in the DAUGHTER series.  A new series, VAMPYRE PRODUCTIONS is set to launch next month at NCP, followed close behind by IMMORTAL OPS.

Do you either of you have personal websites?

 Yes,

 www.michellepillow.com

 www.mandyroth.com

 I’m an author and I’d like to be interviewed.  What do I do now?

(update 09-14-05-- authors submitting interviews will be doing so with the knowledge that at best, their interview will be posted to the Happy Hour site. They will NOT be included into the Happy Hour storyline unless contacted personally by site owner. They can and will be invited to have a day at the Happy Hour/Raven Readers Group to promo and award giveaways/prizes)

 Read through the chapters that have been posted.  Get a feel for what we are doing and make sure that you’re okay with it.  Once you submit your information to us it will be assumed that you trust our judgment and will NOT hold us liable if you do not like the final product.  REMINDER: You may end up being in a bar fight, flirting, dancing, being transformed into the leader of a gang, basically whatever our imaginations come up with.  A disclaimer appears on every page telling the readers that these characters are embellished for the sake of fun.

 Once you’re sure it’s something you’d like to do send us a description of yourself, along with any character you’d like to bring and the name of the book they are from (we cannot always fit additional characters into the story line, but we try).  Download the Interview questions, fill the form out and send back to us.  The sooner you get it in the sooner we can get to your chapter.  We do not schedule when your chapter will come out.  It is simply first come or best fit first.  You will NOT be consulted prior to the launch of your chapter so be sure that you are willing to let us have fun with you prior to submitting your information.  If you have any preferences as to what you would or would not like to be doing we will do our best to work with you, but we cannot guarantee anything.

You may link to your author page, but please don't reproduce these stories.

 Click here to download interview questions. (no longer an option--use HTML)

Click here to view them in HTML.

Click here to email us.   

Can readers be in a chapter too?

 We are going to be launching contests soon and the winners will get a guest spot in a chapter!  To stay up to date or to just chat about THE RAVEN readers can sign join THE RAVEN’s yahoo group here: 

 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Raven_Vampire_Nightclub/join

Want to be a guest on a RAVEN PODCAST?

Email us to see what spots are open and please have a topic to recommend for your time. By agreeing to be a guest you give us permission to record you, and post for public as we see fit.

Raven Podcasts will now be recorded LIVE. Wednesdays, 11am-12 pm EST. The shows will still be uploaded to the podcast site and available for download via itunes and the places you are currently getting it from.

 Listener dial-in number during LIVE shows
(646) 595-3998 (New York number, long distance charges apply)

You can also call into theLIVE show for free using your computer. To do so, use Internet Explorer to visit the LIVE site and push the CLICK TO TALK button. (Be sure to have your microphone and speakers plugged in and ready).

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravenradio

How to be A Raven Guest Blogger

Authors, Fans and Paranormal Experts welcome to blog!

Guest Blogs are posted every Monday at the Raven Vampire Nightclub Blog on what is called "Manic Monday with Michelle and Mandy". If you would like to have your article included, please follow the submission guidelines below. Mandy and Michelle reserve the right to decline any blog topic without explanation (but don't let that scare you, we're not meanies).
 

1. Subject MUST be on the PARANORMAL!
Topics can be anything paranormal or fantasy--from Real Life to myths, history or just your thoughts on a subject. Author byline with links will be included and we ask that you stop by to comment when your blog goes live. Also, feel free to advertise your blog with us. If you would like the above graphic to use, email us.

2. Articles can be anywhere from 200-1000 words.

3. No fan fiction or short stories. No poetry.
If you would like to post a paranormal short story or poem, please contact us for special arrangements. These will be very selective and not be done on guest blogger days.

4. First come, First serve
The order your blog will be posted is in the order we receive the completed, ready to go blog entry. The only exception is if the topic you are writing about was recently done, or if you have recently done a blog and there are others who haven't waiting for a chance. We reserve the right to post them as we see fit. Email notifications will be send out when your blog posts, not before.

5. We DO NOT reserve dates
Please don't ask. We're too busy and we will forget.

6. Yes, you can do it more than once.
At this time there is no limit.

7. TO SUBMIT
 

• Send email to Michelle - enchant @ cox.net or michelle_pillow @ yahoo.com (no spaces)
• Or send email to Mandy - mandy@mandyroth.com
• Subject - Raven Guest Blog
• Body of Email- Your blog article READY TO GO, including the byline at the end and the link titles and links you want added to the blog clearly marked.
• We DO NOT edit, so make sure it's how you want it.
   

Hopefully those didn't scare you off. ;)

 

Authors wishing to sign up to be able to post excerpts, please visit the Raven Reader Group and enter your name in database. Readers, please mark your calendars for that day and be sure to join us on the loops! :)

Q: I'm an author and want to participate in a Reader Bash day. What should I do?

A: Go to the Raven Yahoo Reader Group and click on Database. Select the database for the Raven Reader Bash date you wish to participate in and fill in the info accordingly.

FAQs

Q. Do I send my expert to you or do I post them myself to the group on the day of the reader bash?

A: If you are signed up in the database as an author participating, you are free to post your own excerpts to the group on the day of the reader bash.

Q: How do I handle holding my contest and awarding my prize?

A: You do it any way you want to during that day and you are responsible for selecting a winner, announcing it and awarding prize.

Q: I have multiple books/excerpts. How many can I post to the group?

A: Two excerpts PER prize being offered. Not to exceed 10 excerpts.

Q: My excerpt is sexually graphic, can I still post it?

A: Yes, mark XXX-Adult in subject after title.

Q: My excerpt is MM or FF (male/male, female/female), can I still post it?

A: Yes, marked XXX-MM/FF (whichever it is) in subject after title.

Q: I've participated in Raven days before and want to do this day too. Can I?

A: Yes, there is no limit to the number of Raven Reader Bash days you can sign up for.

Q: I just had a new book come out/want to tell the readers something important but its not a Reader Bash day yet. Can I still post it to the group?

A: No. We ask that promo outside Michelle and Mandy be limited to Reader Bash Days only. Authors will not be warned if they do not listen and will be put on moderation. A second attempt at posting on non-Reader bash days will result in removal from group.

Q: Do I have to write paranormal to be able to participate?

A: No. All authors are welcome.

Advertise With Us

Thanks girls! When I was part of your Halloween Hunt I had a TON of website hits ~Author Christine Norris

Also: Contact mandy@mandyroth.com

The Raven is home to a free online, ongoing paranormal story by Michelle M. Pillow & Mandy M. Roth.

The Raven website (home, chapters, blog, forum) has received over one hundred and thirty thousand unique hits this year. This continues to increase. In its three and half years of existence, it has had many popular authors drop by and play along. Since its inception, Raven has added a yahoo group with over a thousand members, a reader forum, podcasts with thousands of subscribers (and over twenty thousand feeds) and a blog that averages ten thousand visitors a month.

Right now, the Raven Blog averages over 9,000 unique hits a month. The Raven website averages over 13,000 unique hits a month. Both sites have shown a steady increase in hits.

BOOKCOVER ADS -

*rates subject to change w/out notice

$70.00 a month

 (Any genre/publisher. Does not have to be paranormal)

Included with your book cover ad purchase are the following:

Blog Feature – Your cover, blurb, buy links, a review quote, your personal links and you can host a contest if you like the month of your feature—features will also be posted on Raven’s Myspace.

Raven Radio Mention—Your title, name and website will be mentioned on Raven Radio as a sponsor at least once.

Free use of Raven Chat—Authors are permitted to select a date (during the month in which their cover ad runs) for an author chat in the Raven Chat room. Authors are responsible for promoting and moderating their own chat. Authors are permitted to bring one author friend along to promote their titles as well. Raven assumes no responsibility with it.

An Author Day on Raven Reader Yahoo Group—Authors are permitted to select a date  (during the month in which their cover ad runs) for an author day on Raven Reader Yahoo Group. Authors are responsible for promoting and moderating their own day, holding their own contests and awarding their own prizes. Authors are permitted to bring one author friend along to promote their titles as well. Raven assumes no responsibility with it.

Use of Raven Reader Forum—Authors are permitted to post excerpts in designated spot on Raven Reader Forum (during the month in which their cover ad runs). Authors are responsible for posting of own excerpts.

CONTACT
Mandy – mandy@mandyroth.com 

Paypal information will be sent after ad request is made. Author has 24 hours to pay from date of request or spot will be given to someone else.

There are limited book cover STATIC ad spaces for sale (which means your cover is up the entire month and does not switch out with other covers). Ad space is very limited! 

First pay, first serve. Paypal (& credit card through paypal) payments only. If payment is not received within 24 hours of booking, spot will be given away to next on waiting list. No notice will be given.

After you book your spot and have paid, a form with all the info we need from you will be emailed to you directly. COVER ads go up on the first of each month. If cover art and required material is not received at least 15 days prior to the first of the month your ad is scheduled to run, your cover art will NOT appear. Refunds are not given.

__________________________________

Raven Homepage (Free online, ongoing story) : http://ravenhappyhour.com

Raven Blog: http://ravenhappyhour.com/ravenblog/

Raven Radio: http://ravenhappyhour.com/raven_podcasts.htm

Raven Reader Forum: http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/ravenforum/

Raven Reader Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Raven_Vampire_Nightclub/join

Raven Chat: http://ravenhappyhour.com/raven_chat.htm

  Free stuff from Raven

Raven Reader Day Bashes – Huge Party on the Raven Group. Excerpts and prizes offered by authors. Dates are listed on calendar within yahoo group.

Raven Blog Interviews/Raven Guest Bloggers - For paranormal experts

 Mandy – mandy@mandyroth.com