Immortyl Revolution

Cedric Gives Relationship Advice. Book Giveaway.

2012-02-14T07:31:00.020-05:00

Today is the big day! I hope all of you are having a brilliant Valentine's Day. Your personal love god, Cedric MacKinnon, is here to answer your most fevered prayers. Today I'll be sharing a few saucy tidbits, and if you leave me a comment with your Top Ten Most Shag-able Characters of Sci fi and Fantasy at the end of this post, you can enter to win a free ecopy of my story, My Fearful Symmetry. Kindle, Nook or your choice of format offered on All Romance.

So to set things rolling, I want share a few letters from readers.

Dear Mr. MacKinnon,

I was pleased to discover that you are an adept of the ancient arts since I’m looking for some advice this Valentine’s Day. This is the first Valentine’s Day I’ll be celebrating with my wife, Sarah, with whom I have been in love for over three hundred years. It’s a long story.

Sarah and I are very much in love, and we have traveled quite a journey to find our way back to each other after oh so very long. My wife likes to joke and say she and I are a pair. A pair of what, I ask. Just a pair, she says.

“Like a pair of socks?” I say.
“Yes,” she says. “We’re a pair of socks. We go everywhere together and spend our nights knotted up.”

As the nocturnal type, I can only see my beloved at night, but that works quite well for us. Our romantic life is great—or whatever word expresses better than great (I haven’t a thesaurus handy)—but I would like to make this Valentine’s Day a special one and I’m open to any tips (for the bedroom or otherwise) that might help me make this a night to remember for my beautiful wife. She has suffered in the past, and now she deserves all the best life can give her.

I appreciate your time and look forward to your response.

Yours Most Sincerely,

James J. Wentworth, Ph.D.

Professor of English Literature

Salem State University

My response:
Dear Dr.Wentworth,

It sounds like you both are the monagamous type, so I won't suggest employing the service of an Immortyl courtesan to spice things up. I'm always up for a threesome. My advice is to provide all those things your beloved Sarah loves best. Buy her a really knockout gift, something she's always wanted. Take her to a luxury hotel and pamper her with a spa treament. Have an intimate dinner in your room and play some music that has special signifigance to both of you. Slow dance with her. Tell her all of the reasons that have made you stay by her side for 300 years. When you retire to the bedroom, make sure its been stocked with champagne and an assortment of toys and yummy massage oils. Do as I do with my lovers. Worship her with your body--become her slave for one night. Stimulate all of those places that will set her humming. Cater to her every need and you'll be surprised how she'll reciprocate. If that doesn't work, you know where to find me.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Your Bad, Bad Boy,

Cedric MacKinnon

You can learn more about James and his lovely wife at these links:
Her dear and Loving Husband on Amazon
Her Dear and Loving Husband on B&N
Author Meredith Allard's website
Meredith Allard on Twitter

Another reader writes:

Dear Cedric,
I've been with my boyfriend for sixth months, and while we click despite some very obvious differences, there is one issue we just can't work out on our own. We're a pretty unconventional couple. He's a vampire, and I'm not. In fact, I'm what most people would call a vampire hunter. (I dislike the term hunter. I don't actually hunt them. I just slay them if they try to kill me and my friends, y'know?)
The problem we're having involves my stakes. As in the sharp, pointy kind. I carry them with me at all times, and my boyfriend takes personal offense to that. He thinks I don't trust him. I've explained a million billion times they're not for him, but he keeps trying to get me to leave them at home when we go out at night.

Am I being insensitive? Should I really not trust him because he is urging me to be defenseless when I leave the house?

Thanks,
L, Confused in Florida

My response:

Dear L,

I can see why the boyfriend might be a wee bit upset, but since I also slay naughty vampires, I know how important it is to keep your weapon of choice close at hand. I use a katana myself. It might help to remind him that he's a vampire and always armed and dangerous, and your stake simply levels the playing field. Your stake is like his fangs and vampire powers. He should be flattered that you don't think him a sparkly, wussy-ass vamp. Tell him to grow up and get over it. If all else fails, hire the services of a male vampire courtesan and have a blissful threesome.

Your Hot and Bothered Boy,

Cedric MacKinnon

L's alter-ego Jazz Sexton is an active blogger and offers editing services:
http://wordsmadefresh.com/
http://www.jazzsexton.com/
.

Cedric's Top Ten Most Shag-able

Fantasy and Sci Fi Characters of Film and TV

10. Spike- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A bad vampire boy after my own heart.

9. Han Solo- Star Wars
Anyone who can get into Princes Leia's gold bikini pants has got to be special.

8. Catwoman- Batman
Every blessed incarnation with favorite nods to Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt. Grrrr...

7. Capt. Malcolm Reynolds- Firefly
I like his sense of justice--rob from the rich and nefarious and take your percentage off the top.

6. Mr. Sulu- Star Trek
Who can forget the bare-torso swordfight?

5. Princess Leia- Star Wars
The gold bikini. Need I say more?

4. Arwen- Lord of the Rings
I hear elves have special powers.

3. Aragorn- Lord of the Rings
I'm still waiting for the King to come.

2. River Song- Dr. Who
I just love a bad girl.

1. Capt. Jack Harkness- Torchwood
The coat. The man inside. Immortal and bisexual. The perfect combination in my book.

Now, I'd like to share a little excerpt from my newest adventure Servant of the Goddess. Keep in mind this is told from Mia's POV.

Sudden shouts battled against the sound of the wind. I peered down the block. Teen-formed Immortyls, sewer rats, closed a circle around a tall male, who held his hands high above his head. From the direction of the wind, I couldn’t yet ascertain this stranger as mortal or Immortyl. Best to investigate. I ran toward the disturbance, wrapping my fingers around the Glock strapped to my hip.

A shrill whistle split the air. Two of the sewer rats lunged for the stranger. He crouched and pirouetted on one leg, letting loose a rapid succession of kicks that knocked his attackers sprawling onto the sidewalk. A rat named Tommy growled and launched himself at the stranger. To my amazement, the stranger leapt high into the air and hovered there for a moment like a falcon before lashing out with both feet. Tommy’s head snapped backward, and he flattened against the pavement. The remaining rats hung back.

The slender figure of a boy maybe eighteen or nineteen touched down and crouched again, poised to strike. No mortal could perform such maneuvers with this speed and agility, not to mention almost ballet-like grace. The Immortyl’s face betrayed raw emotion, indicating he was new to the blood, probably not much older than his form suggested. Eamon, the rat pack leader, drew and aimed a pistol at him. The stranger raised his hands above his head once more.

I gave a sharp whistle for Eamon to stand down. “What’s going on here?”

Eamon lowered the gun and spit on the ground. His forever-twelve-year-old face scrunched up. “We found this one skulking about,” he said. Even after a century and half in New York his speech still gave away his Dublin origins. “Says he’s come from the chief elder’s house.”

The wind kicked up harder. Long, auburn hair whipped about the newcomer’s face. He shivered, hugging an Indian-styled shirt around him. Traces of black kohl and sienna rouge clung to his eyes and mouth, as if he’d scrubbed the paint off in a hurry. The make-up and impractical clothing pointed to origins more exotic than the russet hair and milky complexion suggested. His story sounded plausible. However, the odds that this kid had escaped the chief elder’s compound near Calcutta and made it all the way to New York on his own were unlikely. No slave had ever left there of his own accord.

Kurt had stood trial at the chief elder’s court for inciting rebellion. He’d told me that the chief, Kalidasa, employed state-of-the-art security, as well as vampire-eating tigers. The place was a veritable fortress. Still, there was always a first time, and this newcomer had held his own against Eamon’s band.

I had to admire the kid for standing up to Eamon and his thugs.

The pack leader and I didn’t care much for one another, but he’d fought for Kurt in our recent war with a rival elder. For political reasons, I forced myself to take a civil tone with him. “Did you bother to ask his business before you ordered an attack?” I called to the newcomer, “You--come here.”

The boy lowered his hands and slinked forward. I’d never seen a man move quite like this, with delicacy just brushing the feminine, yet suggesting coiled up, sinewy strength like a jungle cat. Instinct prompted my hand to reach for the Glock concealed on my hip. The kid had danger scrawled all over him in big garish letters.

“Is this true?” I asked.

“I ran away from court,” the boy replied, his speech tinged with a Scottish burr. “I’m seeking refuge here.”

The plaintive tone struck a chord in me. I sized him up again. His winsome looks didn’t belong to the usual brand of vampire assassin, but to a household slave chosen for his decorative value. Still, his swift feet could kill if given the chance. Wouldn’t it be just like Giulietta to send death in such an appealing guise?

“Kurt’s counselor, Chase Powers, can vouch for me,” he continued. “Take me to him.”

“You know Chase?”

“We met in India during Kurt’s trial. He said I’d be welcome here. Please Miss. You have to believe me. I’ve come such a long way and got nowhere else to go.” Desperation filled the spooky, green eyes. They almost glowed, more like a cat’s than a man’s. “There’s probably a bounty offered for my return by now.”

“What did you do?”

“It’s not what I did. It’s what I am.” He held out his hands. Henna tattoos snaked around the wrists and tops, elaborate whirls and spirals. “The marks of my order. I’m an adept of the ancient arts.”

He was an adept? I’d always imagined these temple devotees and de facto courtesans as Indian in origin. I gave the boy a closer look. His clothing had seen better days, but the sinuous way he moved made them a fashion statement. You couldn’t deny the perfection of feature and figure required of his order. He stood out from Eamon’s mangy lot like an emerald in a box of Cracker Jacks.

Sexy Cedric Discusses Courtesans

2012-02-13T11:01:00.006-05:00

Today, my lovelies, I will begin discussing courtesans. People say, "A male courtesan? Surely, such a thing never existed in history." Well my darlings, I'm here to set you straight. Wait, let me choose another word. I'm here to enlighten you.

Cedric portrait by Arlie Adams

During the Renaissance the Italian word "cortigiana", came to refer to "the ruler's mistress” and later evolved to mean a well-educated, trained artist of dance and singing who provided companionship to wealthy, powerful, or upper-class men. The English word courtesan was derived from the French "courtisane" during the 16th century.

Veronica Franco, Venetian poet and courtesan

However, the art of the courtesan is much older and not restricted to women. Many ancient cultures had some version of a courtesan. In ancient Greece, the Hetaera was a woman of education and some freedom. When a woman married in ancient Greece, she was expected to breed and raise children, living a cloistered life. In contrast, a Hetaera could live a public life, own property and even take part in political discourse. One of the most famous of these women was named Aspasia, the companion of Pericles. There is some evidence pointing to a small number of women servicing other women with lesbian companionship,So, just what is a courtesan? Many people will say a prostitute. True, sex is a large part of the trade, but throughout history, courtesans were often well educated in many subjects and talented performing artists, like yours truly. The word courtesan originally meant a female courtier, one in attendance to a king or other powerful noble. Often, they were entrusted with secrets and employed as political operatives.

Ancient Greece has a reputation for prizing homosexual relationships, but this wasn’t without restrictions. For two grown men to have relations was generally frowned upon, instead Greek men sought the companionship of adolescent boys. Both art and literature of the time show that the erômenos (beloved) was a teen ranging from 13 to 20, or in some cases up to 30. Most evidence indicates that to be an eligible candidate, a youth would be of an age when an aristocrat began his formal military training.

There was widespread male prostitution, as certain acts, such as oral or anal sex, were looked upon as unseemly for upper-class Greeks to ask of an erômenos of their own class. In many ancient cultures, it was considered taboo for a man or youth of status to be “passive” in intercourse. The sanctioned act was to employ the thighs, not penetration, and the boy wasn’t supposed to ever feel arousal. It is likely however, that this recommendation wasn’t strictly adhered to. The life of a common prostitute in ancient Greece was stigmatized, and it became illegal for a free youth to sell sex. Indeed, men who later in life were exposed as former prostitutes could be stripped of rank. Can any of these be called a courtesan? Not by my definition, but some male entertainers who provided companionship could be properly referred to as courtesans.

This system of institutionalized pederasty is certainly repugnant by today’s standards. Many of these youths weren’t consenting and accounts often reveal that the objects of affection resented being used by their older lovers.

Alexander the Great flouted expectations of what male relationships were supposed to be. His boyhood friend, Haphaestion, remained his lover into adulthood. Alexander was gifted a young Persian named Bagoas. Bagoas had been made a eunuch in his childhood and became a favorite of Darius III, emperor of Persia. When Darius was murdered by his generals during Alexander's invasion of Persia in 330 BCE, one of the conspirators, Nabarzanes, gave Bagoas to Alexander as a gift. Apparently Bagoas was quite persuasive with Alexander. The historian Quintus Curtius Rufus, who wrote a biography of Alexander in the 1st or 2nd Century CE, says that it was Bagoas' pleas that saved Nabarzanes from being killed by Alexander for regicide. Curtius referred to the boy as "Bagoas, an eunuch exceptional in beauty and in the very flower of boyhood, with whom Darius was intimate and with whom Alexander would later be intimate." Bagoas is the hero of Mary Renault’s historical novel, The Persian Boy and a character in her Funeral Games.

Alexander Battling Darius III

Throughout history, we see examples of courtesans attached to temple service. Babylonian women before marriage were required to go to the temple of Ishtar and sell themselves to a man for sexual intercourse, but these women weren’t courtesans. There are other examples of such practices in temples of Aphrodite and Astarte, but these indicate more of a rite involving one-time sex rather than an ongoing relationship that characterizes the art of a courtesan.

The devidasi of India were pre-pubescent and young adolescent girls from villages forced into a ritual marriage to a deity or a temple. They were trained in music, dancer and spiritual rituals. They worked in the temple as spiritual guides, dancers. Originally, the devidasi were celibate, but they later were expected to sexually service male devotees. In the past, some celebrated devidasi attracted the attentions of powerful men and became their companions. A few of them even exercised political influence. However, there are still young women forced to become devidasi, despite the Indian government’s work to end the practice.

It seems, my dear, that this subject is a much more involved than I anticipated, and so I’ve decided to dedicate a portion of my upcoming Saturday posts to discussing different types of courtesans.

Until next time!

Your passionate and loving boy,

Cedric

*All images are in the public domain, excepting Cedric's portrait by Arlie Adams, owned by the author, and the bookcover by Linda Houle of L&L Dremaspell which is allowed to author for publication purposes.

Sexy Cedric talks about Gods and Goddesses of Love

2012-02-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

Cedric portrait by Arlie Adams

Greetings my darlings! Welcome to day two of my Valentine’s Day feature. Being a devotee of the Great Mother in her fierce form of Kali, I thought I’d talk about some gods and goddesses of love and their importance in mythology. Instead of starting with the more familiar Greco-Roman myths, let’s take a look at an older mythos, that of India.

Kama is the Indian god of erotic love and believed to be the forerunner of the Greek Eros and Roman Cupid. Like, Eros, he carries a bow and arrow (to my authoress’ delight, he’s often depicted riding upon a parrot). Like Eros, he takes the form of a beautiful young man. The goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva, is looked upon by many as the epitome of loving devotion and sensual beauty. Here is a tale that involves both.

Lord Shiva was set away from the celestial kingdom by Indra and the other gods to do penance after killing Daksha, the father of his dead wife Sati. Once Shiva’s anger passed he fell into a deep sorrow and went into a trance, motionless and meditative. He no longer took any interest in the world and creation was unraveling. Demons (Ashuras) were gaining power, and the gods called upon Uma/Parvati, the reincarnation of Sati, Shiva’s dead wife, for help. From her birth Parvati knew she was destined to marry Shiva and conceive a son, who would defeat the demons. She lovingly tended the oblivious god, but still he would not stir. Parvati enlisted Kama to rouse Shiva from his meditation by shooting one of his flower-tipped arrows from his sugarcane bow. Shiva, startled from his slumber, opened his third eye of destruction and incinerated Kama into ash, but when the lord of creation and destruction looked upon the lovely Parvati, he was moved to embrace her as his own. Shiva and Parvati eternally dance together across the cosmos. In the great scheme of things, this symbolizes the cosmic dance of the divine feminine and masculine principles. In other words, all of us need to understand that we embody both of these sets of attributes and understand them to be spiritually healthy. Now, lest you think poor Kama was left a pile of ash, Rati, the love god’s consort, entreated Lord Shiva to restore her husband to life. Shiva relented and Kama was brought to life as a formless spirit, visible only to his wife, Rati.

Other Indian Deities associated with love:

Radha- the wife of Krishna and the personification of divine love.
Sarasvati -Inventor of the Sanskrit language. Goddess of sensual love, creativity, beauty, art, music, learning, science and teaching

Now, let’s move on to the Greco-Roman myths. Most of you are probably familiar with Venus/Aphrodite the goddess of love, beauty and sexual passion. She is often depicted as rising from the sea on a half-shell or even minus her arms (Venus De Milo indeed had arms at one time). In one account, Aphrodite was born out of the sea foam after Cronus cut of the genitals of Uranus and threw them into the ocean, but in another she is the daughter of Zeus and Dione the mother goddess. Ouch on the first one. Her personality was often vain and demanding. (Not unlike the queen of the Immortyls, Giulietta, if I may say). Aphrodite caused much mischief among the gods. (See the judgment of Paris) This lady got around and cheated on her husband Haephesteus with Ares, Adonis and Hermes. (Hmm, reminds me of another Immortyl woman I know.) She became the archetypal mother-in-law when her son, Eros, fell for the mortal girl Psyche.

Eros is the god of sexual desire in Greek mythology and called Cupid by the Romans. Although he's often depicted as a baby, he's truly represented as a youth. As an eternally 19 year-old male, I can tell you why this is. Who is randier than a boy in his teens?

Lovely, isn't he? No, I didn't model for the statue. He's more in Kurt's line.

In some stories, Eros is the son of Aphrodite, but others name his as one of the original gods. In one of the tales, he is sent by his mother Aphrodite to make a beautiful mortal girl anmed Psyche fall in loive with some horrible beast. Instead of shooting the fair lass, he falls upon one of his own arrows and is pierced through the heart, thus falling in love. After much trial and tribulation brought on by jealous Mum Aphrodite, the young couple get together and symbolizes the union of soulful and erotic love.

Other Greek and Roman Gods associated with Love and Sex:

Priapus was the Roman god of male potency. If you take too much Viagra and get an unquenchable stiffy, you suffer from priapism.

Hymen was the Greek god of marriage. He always pops out at the appropriate moment.

Hermaphroditus (The son of Aphrodite and Hermes, depicted often with female breasts and male genitals) He’s been called the god of bisexuality--my kind of bloke.

Satyrs were half man and half goat, known for chasing nymphs. A man with compulsive sexual behavior is suffering from Satyriasis.

Dionysus is the wine god, but he is also associated with orgiastic excess, joy and divine ecstasy. If you’ve indulged too much, you know what I mean.

The Norse goddess of love, beauty and fertility Freyja is somewhat akin to Aphrodite. She also is associated with war and death and receives into her hall the half of warriors who die in battle but don’t go to Odin’s hall, Valhalla. There is some conjecture as to whether she and the Goddess Frigg are actually two faces of one Germanic fertility goddess. She was revered as a supernatural figure in Scandinavia into the 19th century. The name Freyja means, “the lady”, related to the German word Frau. Many things named after her were renamed for the Virgin Mary when Scandinavia was Christianized.

Love Deities of Various Cultures:
Ishtar was the Babylonian goddess of love, procreation and war.

Inanna came from the Mesopotamian region and was also a goddess of love and war. Although a virgin, she is the goddess of sex and procreation.

Ashtart was a Semitic goddess of sex, maternity and fertility.
The Egyptians had Hathor and Isis. Hathor was often depicted as a cow. She is the goddess of childbirth and the patron of lovers. Isis was the goddess of magic, fertility and motherhood. Both of these Goddesses are sometimes shown wearing cow’s horn with a solar disc between them.

Indians revere the cow as the ultimate symbol of motherhood, so I guess this brings us full circle.

In closing, my darlings, love as you see fit to love! It’s divine madness.

*All images used aside from Cedric's portrait are in the public domain.

Sexy Cedric’s Tips for a Memorable Valentine’s Day

2012-02-11T09:54:00.000-05:00

For some time, Cedric has been clamoring to take over the blog. You can't keep the boy down, I guess. Seeing that Valentine's Day is coming, I decided to let him "have a go", as he would say. This is the first of his posts. They will continue through Tuesday the 14th. Then, he'll be blogging every Saturday.

I’m often asked, Cedric, what is the secret to your success as a lover? Well, I’m not permitted to divulge all of the tantric secrets of an adept of the ancient arts (Immortyl courtesan), but I can share a few tidbits that will make your Valentine’s Day an erotic adventure.

1. Look and smell your very best! Now, I understand, that not everyone is gifted with my degree of fabulousness, but it never hurts to take a few extra moments to make yourself as attractive as possible and become a feast for the senses. Personal hygiene should go without saying, but you’d be surprised how many ignore this fact. Everyone wants to shag a dirty boy, but no one wants a smelly one. This goes for the ladies as well. After a good shower, (showering together is always fun) use a nice moisturizing preparation to make the skin irresistible to touch. Depending on your lover’s preferences, deal with unwanted hair. You’d be surprised how shaving or waxing certain areas will win an enthusiastic response. Yes, gentlemen, I’m speaking to you as well. Less is more to a lot of us. That perfume or cologne that hasn’t been used since the first date might be once more utilized. Make sure you hair is just a little short of coiffed and isn’t stiff with product. It looks and feels more inviting to muss that way. Once both partners are nice and relaxed, they should don their most enticing attire. Ladies, you know what I mean, but a lot of your gentlemen don’t get it. A little fashion sense goes a long way. Don’t forget that what goes underneath is especially important. If your partner still doesn’t comprehend, go shopping. Surprise him with a gift of new duds, if you must.

2. Going out is fun, but I suggest staying in and having an intimate meal together. (The authoress will share her menu on Monday.) Of course, this boy prefers making reservations, but if one isn’t talented in the culinary sphere, there are take away options beyond MacDonald’s and pizza. Choose something light and exotic. No one feels sexy when stuffed like a Christmas turkey. Yet, do have a decadent dessert. I’ve a weakness for mousse au chocolat with whipped cream. You can do all sorts of fun things with it. Libations are important. Now, we vampires prefer ours mixed with warmed blood, (adepts of the ancient arts like me also use special herbs to enhance the experience) but mortals are less adventurous, so perhaps some good champagne or a special wine. It loosens the inhibitions and makes all parties more playful. If you don’t imbibe, have some lovely virgin cocktails. No comments about lovely virgins, please. Light the candles and use the best china and crystal. Set a little soft music to play. If you are musically talented, like yours truly, you can serenade your lover. Now is not the time for “All Along the Watchtower”, but a soothing love ballad. Not Barry Manilow if you can help it. Indulge in some stimulating conversation. Concentrate on you lover's interests. Playful banter is encouraged, not heavy-duty debate. Gifts may be exchanged. Depending on the finances, these can range from a single rose to a diamond bracelet or sports car. Don’t call me unless it’s the latter.

3. The boudoir should be uncluttered and inviting. Fresh sheets are a must. We adepts of the ancient arts perfume the sheets, but that isn’t necessary. A lightly scented candle does as nicely, not the heavily perfumed variety sold at many shops. Those just make one gag, and this is not the night for gagging, if you get my drift. Undressing is a ritual that has great significance in my profession. You can strip for your partner, or let him or her do the honors. Just take it slow and make it an event. It’s time to show that lingerie or the fruits of those weeks you’ve spent in the gym. Have massage oils and lubricants at hand. Use them with abandon. Maybe share a juicy fantasy or read an erotic tale together. Exotic dance can set the pulse higher, but do practice first. The aim is not to look like a reject from Dancing with the Stars. It’s time to play now. Hopefully, all participants are relaxed and uninhibited by this point. Too many lovers never bother to ask his or her partner about fantasies and preferences. It’s amazing how simply talking about these things can really light a fire. But be cautious, approach this with respect and taste. Don’t gross out or frighten your partner. This topic can be discussed in advance. As a courtesan, it was my business to find out as much as I could about the lover I’d be entertaining. I'd approach his servants or question other courtesans prior to the encounter. With advance knowledge, one can plan enticements and obtain props if necessary. Think of lovemaking as mutual exploration and adult playtime. If all parties are comfortable, push the boundaries a little. This is a special night. I’m not going to write a sex manual here. There are many informative texts on the subject from the spiritual to the scientific. Educate yourself and your lover(s). You’ll be pleased with the results.

Here are some interesting links:
Text of The Kama Sutra
Tantric Sex
http://www.indiavacationpackages.com/erotic-sculptures/

My post schedule:
Sunday: Love Gods and Goddesses
Monday: Courtesans
Tuesday: Prize giveaway of My Fearful Symmetry ebook, My Top Ten Most Shag-able Sci fi and Fantasy Characters, and an excerpt from my latest adventure, Servant of the Goddess!
Follow me on Facebook

Until next time!

Your Naughty Boy,

Cedric MacKinnon

Author Nikki Andrews: Idea into Story

2012-02-06T23:59:00.013-05:00

Today, my guest blogger is Nikki Andrews.

Idea into Story

So I’m sitting in a bookstore with a pile of my books in front of me. This is one of the fun parts of my job: getting to meet and talk with readers and potential readers of my work. They often give me fresh insight into the novels I thought I knew inside out, and their enthusiasm provides an antidote to those awful moments when I sit at the computer and watch the cursor blink.

I give a little talk and open the floor for questions. Inevitably, someone wants to know, “Where do you get your ideas?”

By now, having done this for a few years, I have a stock answer. “Ideas are everywhere,” I tell them. “Everyone and everything has a story. Ideas can pop up out of things I notice: An abandoned shoe on the library steps became a lovely little story about a girl who gets to meet her favorite literary characters. A hole in the ice on my pond led me into the mind of an alien observer. Or they show up in dreams: I have literally laughed myself awake at some tiny scene in my sleeping mind. Once I woke up with the sentence ‘Derek Daley interviews Sir Bernie’ running around in my head, and it took me days to figure out what to do with it. Or they come directly from real life: I want to tell a story about some of the characters I’ve met as a picture framer, or take revenge on someone who done me wrong.” Then I add, “By the way, I have a t-shirt that says ‘never piss off a writer.’”

That usually gets a laugh. Someone might ask what happened with Derek and Sir Bernie, and then the conversation moves on. But every now and then I see one or two people—often a child—still chewing over the idea thing, and it makes me think harder.

Anyone can notice a hole in the ice. “Oh look, a hole in the ice.” Probably most people will go one step further and think, “I wonder how it got there.” The human brain is really good at asking questions and proposing solutions. Maybe somebody came along with an ice ax and a fishing pole. Or a meteorite fell out of the sky. Or we have a family of otters at play. Maybe there’s a hot spot under the water that melted the ice from below—which, in fact, turned out to be the case.

There could be myriad stories that come from that hole in the ice. But how did MY story about the alien observer come about? Ah, that’s the real question those people are chewing over. They don’t need to know where ideas come from, because everyone gets ideas; they’re asking how a writer turns Idea into Story. And the answer to that is different for every writer and every story.

A writer teaches herself to be observant, first of all. A turn of phrase, a striking image, a scrap of dialogue, can lead to a story. A writer asks questions: the journalistic who, what, when why and how, and most importantly—what if? A writer puts ideas together. (The human brain is also very good at combining things.)How a story germ grows and takes shape depends on the compost around it, if I may combine metaphors from two of my favorite writers. Two paragraphs above, I dropped a clue about the compost around my hole in the ice: just a few nights earlier the Geminid meteor showers had streaked through the December sky. And because I love science fiction, my mind was primed for the big question—what if, among the meteors, there was a tiny, alien space ship?

From that moment, the path was laid at my feet. Not that it was a straight path, of course. There were turns and double-backs, side trails that petered out, quests for more information. Other paths joined mine, and I had to beat the junctures smooth. I had to make straight the highway, level the mountains and raise the valleys. Finally, after all the writing, rewriting, fallowing, starting over—Idea became Story.

Ideas come because we look for them. Stories grow because we work on them. We nurture them like children, lead them and follow their lead, teach them and learn from them. Just as no two children turn out alike, no two writers, starting at the same place, will write the same story.

If I’m very lucky, a few of my audience will be amenable to an experiment. I hand out pens and paper, and distribute folded sheets with a few words. Some people are nervous, some self-conscious, even outwardly hostile. But when I look at a clock and say “Go” I can seeds growing before my eyes.

Let the excitement begin.

If you would like to read “Probe,” the story that emerged from the hole in the ice, please visit my website, http://www.nikkiandrewsbooks.com/.

Nikki Andrews has earned a living as a picture framer, receptionist, and stable hand, but in her real life she is an author and editor. She has published a mystery, Framed, with L&L Dreamspell, and two science fiction novels, Chicken Bones and A Windswept Star, with AuthorHouse. When she is not defenestrating her computer, she is working on two sequels to Framed as well the final novel in the Chicken Bones series. Several of her short stories have been published as well. In addition to writing, she works as an editor, both freelance and on the staff of two publishers. She is a member of Talespinners and the New Hampshire Writers Project, and lives near a waterfall with her wonderful husband, a cat, and assorted wildlife.

An artist and his model are discovered dead and coyote-gnawed in a remote snowy field. The New Hampshire State Police declare it a murder-suicide. But where did his last painting disappear to? What happened to her jewelry? Who is the true guilty party?
Brush & Bevel owner Ginny Brent has more reason than most to doubt the police. After all, she was Jerry Berger’s mentor and agent. When the lost painting reappears at her art gallery ten years later, Ginny seek answers. She knows Jerry didn’t kill himself or Abby Bingham, the model pictured among the trees in Jerry’s painting. Can she discover who did?

Ginny’s loyal staffers, Sue Bradley and Elsie Kimball, employ their own methods to find the truth. Elsie follows her exuberant young bird-dog into the forest and through frog-infested puddles to a pile of glacial erratics that might be the setting for the painting. Is that important? Sue cleans years of smoke and grease from the canvas and puzzles over the strange markings revealed under the gunk. What could they possibly mean?
In between worrying about the array of sharp cutlery at the neighboring Chowdah Bowl, fulfilling the sometimes whimsical needs of their clients, and planning to frame and unveil “The Lady in the Wood,” the three women learn that art is not the only thing that can be framed.

Free ebook Vampire News is out!

2012-02-02T20:05:00.001-05:00

Here's a free ebook you can download called Vampire News!

Bertena Varney and Stavros have compiled a book of the great news of vampire events of 2011 They created an awesome timeline with book covers, reviews of book, interview of authors, and essays about movies, television shows and more from various authors and bloggers as well websites to learn more about vampire news.

Bertena and Stavros have decided to offer the book for free so that they can all allow more readers to learn about the vampire world.

For your free PDF go to: http://bitemereallyhard.com/
Pub/Book Info:

Vampire News

Authors: Bertena Varney, MA & Stavros

Copyright 2012 Bertena Varney and the Lure of the Vampire Publications

Published by Crazy Duck Press

Vampire News Network Copyright 2012 Stavros

Cover Models: Katalina Parrish & Jean-Paul de Jager

Description: A Collection of Vampire News from 2011.

Happy Birthday Elijah Wood

2012-01-28T21:21:00.002-05:00

Happy 31^st Birthday Elijah Wood!

I have a schoolgirl crush. No maybe an obsession would be a better term. Today, I take a moment to gush about the diminutive actor with the big blue eyes. I’ve been a fan for a long time, and coming from a theatrical background, I’m pretty picky about my actors. I will not fixate on a pretty face without talent. This face is mucho talented (and mucho pretty, which never hurts).

AP Image from Wilfred

The first performance in which Elijah Wood made an impact on me was in the excellent Barry Levinson film, Avalon. I love this movie about a Jewish immigrant (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and his family making their way in Baltimore. It has so many quotable lines, including my family’s Thanksgiving favorite delivered by the great character actor Lou Jacobi, “You couldn’t even wait to carve the toikey?” Little Elijah lights up the screen in a memorable scene where his teacher enforces the difference between can and may. It’s adorable and just so funny. It’s a wonderful film. If you haven’t seen it, you must.

Then there is The Good Son. How many of us were rooting for Wendy Crewson to let sociopath demon seed Macaulay Culkin fall over the cliff in order to save Elijah?

Of course, being the big fantasy geek that I am, the movies that solidified my Elijah fandom were the three Lord of the Rings films. Frodo is a thankless role in a lot of ways. Aragorn is the heroic reluctant leader, Legolas is the glamour boy and Gandalf is just plain badass. Much of Frodo’s struggle is an internal one, battling the insidious evil the ring exercises over the bearer, but Elijah Wood brings a maturity and sensitivity to the role that is light years beyond the capabilities of most eighteen-year-old actors. I still feel the films’ acting performance were unfairly passed over by the Academy Awards and other award entities. Mr. Wood had my vote.

If you haven't seen Wilfred yet, do. It's really out there, and that's why I love it. It's always a blast to see Mr. Wood playing against his sweetness and light.

Mr. Wood has made memorable appearances in films such as Sin City, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Everything is Illuminated, but to end my tribute today, I have to mention a movie close to my heart. I’m a big Avian enthusiast. I keep six exotic birds, including a Timneh African Grey parrot. Yes, I am the crazy old bird lady who writes slightly kinky vampire novels. My husband used to joke that if Elijah Wood ever played a bird I’d be beside myself. You can imagine his reaction the day I read about Happy Feet going into production. A tap dancing penguin? And a vocal tribute to Freddie Mercury by the late Brittany Murphy? What’s not to love?

Interviewers always ask me who would be my choice to play my conflicted Immortyl hero, Kurt Eisen. Well then I have to admit where I got the inspiration for Kurt’s beautiful eyes in the first place.

Happy Birthday Mr. Wood! I’m counting the days until the release of The Hobbit.

Guest Author Jo A. Hiestand

2012-01-23T23:59:00.005-05:00

Today, I welcome Jo A. Hiestand to

Immortyl Revolution! Jo is a fellow L&L Dreamspell author, who writes mysteries.

Jo has found a cool way of promoting books with character trading cards. I'll let Jo tell you all about the interesting dilemma this presents to the author.

Face Value

I wonder if other writers have as much trouble with defining character as I’m currently having. Not the character’s personality, but his looks.

To give you a bit of background in case you don’t know my work, I write two English mystery series: Taylor & Graham features detectives from the Derbyshire Constabulary CID. The new series, the McLaren Case Mysteries, deals with ex-police detective Michael McLaren, who now investigates cold cases on his own.
When I began both series I had vague ideas of what my characters look like. And now that’s the problem: vague.

Normally this minute character definition wouldn’t be a concern, but I'm venturing into untried waters. I know how hot Trading Cards are in the romance readers market, so I'm trying them for mystery readers. Just designed my first batch for "A Well Dressed Corpse," Taylor & Graham’s eighth novel.

The design part wasn't that hard -- book cover on the card's front, then character photo and info on the back of each of the character's cards. And that was the problem. I have no idea what each character looks like. Well, that's not exactly true. I know Graham is 6'3" tall, has auburn hair that is starting to gray, and has green eyes. I know Brenna has coppery colored hair and is a bit overweight. I know Mark has dark hair and eyes, that Margo is a brunette beauty, and that Scott has green eyes, is 6' tall and has dark hair. But that's it. That's all I thought I needed in my mind's eye when I created them. Now I find myself looking at literally thousands of photos of faces, trying to choose a realistic representation of Graham, Brenna, Mark, Margo and Scott.

I had to take breaks from the task. After about 30 minutes of gazing, the faces all kind of blurred together. Sure, I wrote down things like "businessman portrait in dark suit and striped blue tie, page 84," but getting back to each page for a refresher look was difficult, as the photo site had no "go to ___" button, so I had to hit the page buttons and back up that way. Took a while.

After a bit, probably at my third photo website, I got smart and did a screen capture of the thumbnail sketch. These sit on my computer screen and I can remember who the contestants are. Don't worry, I'm not stealing them without paying. The photos have lovely white X's through the center of each, ensuring folks can't pilfer them. But they're a good visual aid in my quest for the Perfect Face.

Graham was kind of easy to find: male model/lead actor handsome. I found several guys who could be Graham, so I just chose one. After all, everyone has his/her own idea of how a character looks, so my choice might not necessarily be Susie Sudsworth's choice or Tom Brown's choice. But the essence of the personality has to show through in the face, I think.

Brenna, too, I found rather quickly. But I'm stuck on Jamie.
Jamie isn't with Graham's Team. Jamie belongs to the McLaren Case series. Obviously, those who are visitors to my author website http://www.mclarencases.com/ know I have already found a real life Michael McLaren and Dena Ellison, who pose for photos that I can use. But I don't have a real life Jamie, so I had to go online to the photo sites to find him.

Man, I am stymied. I have no idea what he looks like other than he has light brown hair and has a slight build. That's it. So perhaps you see my dilemma -- I have looked at thousands of photos, seen guys ranging from muscular to beer bellied, full head of hair to bald. I don't know who Jamie is. Is he the serious guy with close-cropped hair, leather jacket and sunglasses, or is it the casually dressed man with a full head of hair? A typical no-nonsense guy reminiscent of 1970s TV cops, or a cheerful businessman? Gaunt, long face or rounder?

I thought staring at their photos on my computer monitor would help. But I have seven contestants staring back at me, and they're all different looking. I know my dilemma comes from not having Jamie's likeness in my mind. But I don't have McLaren or Graham or Mark in my mind, either, and they weren't nearly as difficult to cull from the sea of faces. Maybe it's because I've written about Jamie only three times, whereas I've written about Graham and Mark nine times. And they appear more often than Jamie does.

It's not easy choosing him from the candidates. I have an idea what a casting director must go through: photo after photo after photo of guys vying for the same role. But it isn't a personal insult if you're not chosen. I know that now. It's just that maybe Candidate 4,309 looks slightly better for the role than you do.

There's no rush in finding Jamie. I will do the first McLaren set of trading cards in a few months. But I'm the kind of person who likes to have everything thought out and prepared. (Yes, I have food, medical supplies and a small tent in readiness for the earthquake that's going to hit the St Louis region, which is where I live.)
I hope my readers like these trading cards, to collect and to trade with other readers. I had a grand time creating the set for each book. If these are popular, I think the next set will have a riddle or contest clue on the back of each character's card. I want to offer something different with each set...provided they progress that far. But I guess it’ll depend, in part, on my character.

So, what have I learned from all this? I need to know more than my character’s personality; I need to know what he really looks like. Maybe finally putting a face with the other things I know about him will nudge me into writing a better character. We’ll see.

You can follow Jo at these links:
Jo's Website
Facebook Fan Page
Jo's Amazon Page

Jo, thanks for being my guest today! My bad boy Cedric is clamoring for his own trading card now. See what you started, Jo?

Guest Gary Wedlund Offers Writing Tips

2012-01-02T23:54:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Yes, I've been absent for about a month. The holidays are a time for family, and I've been kicking back from the blog for a bit. 2012 has me busy working with my editor, Cindy Davis, on the fourth Immortyl Revolution book. I've also been working on a short story anthology featuring Mia, Kurt and Cedric that I hope to release concurrently as a free ebook download. Keep posted for details. I have a handful of other projects in the works that I'm putting through my crit groups. Which brings me to today's guest. I'm pleased to welcome my friend and mentor, Gary Wedlund, to the blog. He's pictured here with his lovely wife, Karen.

Gary is a very talented writer of fantasy and horror. I asked him to share a few tidbits of wisdom with my readers. Because of my acting background, I'm a big fan of strong verbs. I like to call them, "sexy verbs". Connotative meaning can really sharpen a writer's work. So here is Gary with his advice on strong, concise language:

A Lesson in Style

Gary Wedlund

They moved through the forest at a fast pace.

The fact is, there’s no obvious reason why I dislike that line so much, but I do. The grammar’s okay. Maybe it’s because it’s generic and leaves me with a huge shrug.

Sometimes you want to be quick and general, but usually not so much. Words like moved and pace just don’t conjure anything specific. Not only are they vague, but they double down on the same vague thought; what’s with that? Why nonspecific twice?

Next, I’m noticing how the vague references to fast movement are interrupted by a forest. The rude forest that breaks the same thought into two islands is also vague.

The mini-lesson here is to show us something. At the very least, don’t get cute with language when the content isn’t really all that special. Basically, they jogged through the forest. If you’re not going to say anything we can touch, taste or feel, get it over with.

Gary's published novels:
Living Dead Press: Zombies in Our Hometown

Open Casket Press: Atomic Zombies

Loconeal Press: Shaman Within

Loconeal Press (later this winter): Search for the Queen

Gary says: I'm primarily focused on novels, and write in three genres, zombie horror, historic fantasy and urban fantasy. I have several unpublished novels, including the last three novels to the Shaman Within (Abi) series, an urban fantasy trilogy about a succubus and her vampire sister, a two book humorous series about Satan's daughter (trying to find her mother while making sense of Earth), and a steampunk novel about a girl trying to keep out of the way of a royal mess.

I am also involved with four writer's groups, NCSF, Ohio Writers, Columbus Writeshop and Ohio Writer's Guild. One of the members sharing space and comments in two of those groups is my good friend, Denise Verrico. Gary, Denise and Ren Garcia have formed Free Writing Workshops of Ohio to foster the craft of writing by offering free writing workshops to youth and adults at libraries and schools throughout Ohio.

You can follow Gary and his work at these links:

Web page: http://garywedlund.webs.com/index.htm

Loconeal Writer's Tips Editor: ttp://loconeal.com/author/gary3538/

Editing for Living Dead Press: http://www.livingdeadpress.com/

Gary's short stories can be found in the following:

Book of Cannibals:

Zombie Erotica:

Children of the Dead

OG's Speculative Fiction Magazine

2012-01-02T18:23:00.001-05:00

Lexington author seeking reviewers for her book - Lexington Vampire | Examiner.com

Voting open for Favorite Paranormal Book and Author of 2011

2011-12-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

Voting open for Favorite Paranormal Book and Author of 2011

Spec the Halls Anthology Raises Money for Charity

2011-12-04T23:59:00.022-05:00

Today, Steven Saus is here to tell you about an exciting holiday anthology that is raising money for Heifer International, an organization that helps struggling families all over the world help themselves with a gift of livestock. Please read what Steven has to say and follow the link to purchase some wonderful stories and support a good cause!

My name is Steven Saus; I'm an author and publisher. I run Alliteration Ink, where I both publish original work and also provide publishing services. This year, I've taken up the mantle of running Spec The Halls from Abra Staffin-Wiebe. There's both a writing contest and a charity fundraiser. Right now, I'm doing a bit of a blog tour to support the fundraiser; each entry talks about something different, so you'll want to stop by them all. You can see a full linklist of the guest posts at specthehalls.tumblr.com and read more about the whole project (and get the charity eBook) at specthehalls.com.

Although I've spent a lot of time focusing on - and promoting - the charity aspect of Spec The Halls, it didn't start that way.

Originally, Spec The Halls was a contest with the aim of encouraging more speculative fiction, especially that based on and around the winter holidays. That is how I first came into contact with it, when Abra Staffin-Weibe was at the helm. I think it's really important to keep that part of Spec The Halls going, especially with the addition of the charity eBook.

Selected entries from this year's contest will form the core of next year's eBook. So not only will entrants get wonderful karma from sharing great fiction with the public and the chance to win cash prizes, but they will also have the chance to get a publishing credit and help with the charity next year.

Entries will be judged by crack teams of professional authors and editors, so you'll also have the chance for your work to come to their attention as well. All around, there's no reason not to enter!

This year's edition of Spec The Halls is only available for a limited time, so act quickly to get your copy!

Blog Tour News

2011-11-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

I visited these blogs this week:

http://bibrary.blogspot.com/2011/11/interview-denise-verrico-author-of-my.html

http://potsnpens.blogspot.com/2011/11/guest-interview-denise-verrico.html?spref=fb

Guest Ami Blackwelder Giveaway

2011-11-16T23:57:00.001-05:00

Welcome back Ami Blackwelder!

Contest!

Ami has graciously offered an ecopy of her book The Invasion of 2020 to one lucky commenter! Winner will be chosen by random drawing. Deadline to enter is 11/20/11 at 11:59 PM.

Ami has shared some of her experiences with self-publishing.

Is Self-Publishing right for you?

Look at me. My Shifter Evolutions saga is on the shelf at Barnes n Noble in Tampa! Want it in your BnN? Just ask at the front desk and they can order the book for you!

What route I chose and why:

I began writing fiction novels at the start of 2009. I wrote short stories, poetry and non-fiction before that time. After completing my first novel The Gate of Lake Forest I pursued epublishing and found an epublisher, www.ireadiwrite.com, with Michelle. She accepted me and took my sequel novel Prisoners of Pride as well. I then wrote my first historical romance title The Day the Flowers Died and submitted it to Whiskey Press. They accepted it. But at that time, I was really looking into self-publishing and noticed a trend in that direction with many writers, good writers, successful writers. After learning a lot from Michelle, I decided to go my own route and said no to Whiskey Press.

I discovered something all writers should know!

Epublishers, small publishers, indie publishers cannot do anything for your brand and your novel that you cannot do better. With minimal promos, they will take at least 50% of your profits.

I don't sign with publishers now unless they offer non-exclusive rights, so that I may publish/distribute with whomever and wherever I wish. The only exception to this rule is if you are accepted by a BIG-House-Publisher who is also willing to put Money behind the Promos for your book. Which usually means you need an agent.

If you can get an agent-great! Make sure they get you a good deal with a big publisher who has the vision you have so they see the potential and are willing to money where their mouth is.

Otherwise, do it yourself! You can learn!! You will have total creative freedom, get to work intimately with an editor you chose, chose the cover design you want, distribute to where you want, and get all the profits while having the ability to distribute the book as soon as you want as well as stop distribution and make changes whenever you want. No such luck with a publisher.

So, make sure you pay attention to how much you are giving up in exchange to how much you are getting before you sign the dotted line.

That is What and Why. Perhaps many of you are asking...HOW?
Tips:

Find a good editor or two! Find an illustrator or graphic artist!
Createspace.com

Lulu.com (ipad)

dtp.amazon

pubit.com

Promote on a few sites you've researched and like and build your loyal base of fans from there.
Get a website on blogger, or wordpress or weebly (all for free).

Have a presence online on twitter, facebook, kindle and nook forums and pick a few more forums you like related to your book genres.

Build a fan base in your local area with distribution of your books to schools, universities, libraries, and book events everywhere! Ask and you'll be surprised how many say "yes" !

Learn more on my website: http://amiblackwelder.blogspot.com
every Sunday!

Spec the Halls Raises Funds for Charity

2011-11-12T15:21:00.001-05:00

The Spec the Halls anthology is now available
at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at the Alliteration Ink website.
Proceeds will go to Heifer International.

The winter holidays are a special time of year - even if you're on a planet that doesn't have winter.

Spec The Halls looks at the winter holidays - both real and fictional - from a speculative fiction point of view. Fantasy, horror, and science fiction take turns showing us this time of year from a slightly different point of view.

This year's anthology includes stories by Kelly Swails, Alethea Kontis, T. Lee Harris, Laura Resnick, Steven Saus, Chanté McCoy, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Kerrie Hughes, Marian Allen, Patrick M. Tracy, Risa Wolf, Jess Hartley, Graham Storrs, Donald J. Bingle, R.T. Kaelin, and Sue Penkivech.

The proceeds of every sale will go to Heifer International. Act quickly - this eBook will only be available for a limited time!

Author interview with John Podgursky

2011-11-07T23:59:00.007-05:00

Today I'm pleased to welcome John Podgursky to Immortyl Revolution! John is on tour promoting his book, The One Percenters.

John, toward what age group is your work geared?

It's definitely not for anyone under 16, not only because of the violence and language, but because the theme is really for someone more world-weary.

Into which genre would you say your work falls and why?

It's a psychological thriller. Much of the conflict occurs in the protagonist's head.

Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

There's no doubt it is Edward. He's part me, part psychotic ax murderer, part naive child. He means well until he doesn't. Or the other way around. He's everything and nothing I want to be.

What other writers would you say have influenced your work and why? What are some of your favorite books in your genre?

Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin & Hobbes. His fearlessness of being himself and, in my opinion, extreme intelligence concerning the world around us. The mixture of passion and cynicism he displays through his characters reminds me of myself. A boatload of King books didn't hurt either. I enjoyed The Wasp Factory and Lord of the Flies.

What is your writing process like? Do you do a lot of background research? Do you plot every detail or do you prefer the characters to move the story in new directions, or a combination of both? Do you belong to a critique group and do you find this helpful?

I prepare the skeleton beforehand, and then flesh out the details as I write. I write in a stream of consciousness, and then go back to do the research and filler later. I don't like my writing time to be start-and-stop, so this method works best for me.

Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?

I don't think I'm experienced enough at this time to be handing out advice.
Who is your publisher, and where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?

My publisher is Damnation Books. As you might expect, they deal in dark fiction. You can get an e-copy at their site, damnationbooks.com. A paperback can be obtained at amazon.

What is your website and/or blog where readers can learn more? Can they friend you on facebook or other sites?

Unfortunately, I am a bit of a luddite and don't have a website. However, I welcome questions via e-mail at flyinthewater@gmail.com. I'm on Facebook as well, so stop on by!

Are there any upcoming signings or appearances you’d like to mention?

No, but I do hope to have another novel published by the end of '12, so if you enjoy The One Percenters, keep me in mind!

Thanks for joining me today, John and good luck with your book!

Chris Lindberg Talks about Self-Publishing/ebook Giveaway

2011-11-03T21:26:00.002-04:00

Today, I'm pleased to welcome Chris Lindberg to Immortyl Revolution!

Chris has graciously offered an ecopy of his book, Code of Darkness to one lucky commenter. To enter simply leave a comment for Chris. Winner will be chosen by random drawing. Deadline to enter Friday, 11/11/10 at 11:59 EST. Good luck!

Comments Wanted! Ready to Roll: One Author’s Experience in Self-Publishing

By Chris Lindberg

I’ll bet every single Indie Author has a unique story about how we came to self-publish our book, and each story has its share of highs and lows. The first high comes at the moment you type that last line and hit ‘save.’ You lean back from your keyboard, take a deep breath, and savor the moment, reflecting on your accomplishment -- you’ve just completed your novel, and it feels great.

And then the real work begins: it’s time to get your creation ready to meet the real world.

You might edit it two, maybe three times, adjusting the word count, the story line, refining dialogue, scenes, characters. Then, once you feel like it’s the best novel it can possibly be, you ship the concept off to the world in the form of a query letter, putting it out in front of editors and agents. These are the people who can make your novel a reality: someday you’ll see it on bookstore shelves, newsstand racks, in the hands of people on buses, planes, and trains … and of course, on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Until that first rejection letter rolls in … then you feel your first real low. The letter is polite and has a “it’s-not-you-it’s-me” tone to it, but it’s still a “no thank you”. But it’s just one person’s opinion, so you pick yourself back up, and you eagerly await the next response, knowing the next agent will surely be smarter than the first, and see the true potential of your book. And then the next rejection comes in, followed by another. And then another. And before you know it, you have a pile of letters, all saying your work isn’t quite what they’re looking for.

At this point do you doubt yourself, and your work? Of course, it wouldn’t be human not to. But luckily you’ve grown a thick skin throughout this process. And you realize that you didn’t spend three years pouring character, detail, storyline, and scene onto a keyboard just to have a few people tell you it’s not worth bringing into the world.

So you shake it all off, and you decide to self-publish. After all the revisions you’ve done, you feel your novel is ready to roll. Some people tell you not to, saying that self-publishing will place a stigma on your work, but you’re not going to be denied: your novel is a labor of love, and it deserves to at least see the light of day, even if you’re the only one who winds up reading it.

So you pick a self-publishing partner (Lulu, iUniverse, CreateSpace, or any number of others), and you move forward: designing a cover, formatting the copy, making final revisions. It takes weeks, maybe months, but at the end, you’re holding your finished work in your hands, proud of your accomplishment, and ready to see if anyone else will think it’s as good as you hope they will.

That was my experience in getting my first novel, Code of Darkness, out there. I’m currently working on the promotional phase right now: updating Facebook, Tweeting whatever I find worth sharing, doing a Virtual Book Tour, submitting for reviews. And getting some nice feedback so far!

Now I’d like to hear from you: where are you in your publishing process, and what have your experiences been like?

_____

Chris Lindberg’s first novel, Code of Darkness, was released in August. You can find out more by visiting http://www.codeofdarkness.com/ , or visiting Facebook and searching on “code of darkness.”

To purchase Code of Darkness in paperback or e-book edition, please check out: http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=0&fSearch=code+of+darkness
Or search “code of darkness” on Amazon or BN.com.

You can also email him at chris@codeofdarkness.com – he’d love to hear from you.

Winners of Halloween Giveaway.

2011-11-02T19:59:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Teawench and Mark! Mark wins Bertena Varney's ebook of The Lure of the Vampire and Teawench wins an ebook of My Fearful Symmetry, a t-shirt and some Halloween goodies!

Vampire Sociologist Bertena Varney /Halloween Giveaway

2011-10-30T18:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

I'm thrilled to welcome back Bertena Varney! She will discuss a little of her experience as an author and Vampire Sociologist. She's written a fascinating book on the legends, literature and culture of the vampire that includes helpful links to websites and reading lists. I was excited when she asked me to contribute an article for the book, a portion of which you can read at my website

In addition, Bertena and I are co-hosting a Halloween giveaway! There are two different prizes you can win. Bertena will be giving away an ebook version of her book The Lure of the Vampire. I'm also giving away a prize bundle of an ebook of My Fearful Symmetry, an "I Love New York Vampires" t-shirt with the Twilight of the Gods cover on it, a MFS pen and some other Halloween goodies. To enter for Bertena's book, simply leave a comment that answers her question at the end of the post. To enter for my prizes: You get one entry for commenting on Bertena's post and following this blog (mention in your comment) and another if you like my page on Facebook (Please leave a comment there as well to let me know you're entering.) Become a member of my website and get yet another entry.
Deadline to enter: November 1st, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. Winners will be chosen by random drawing and posted on November 2nd. Please leave an email so you may be contacted.

Good Luck!

*Ebook prizes are in the published PDF format that may be downloaded onto any computer or reader.

The Perception of Vampires in Society

Bertena Varney

While writing my book lure of the vampire, I received many questions and comments that I found shocking.

First people assumed that if I was writing a vampire book then it had to be paranormal romance. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some paranormal romance, but am more into the historical or mystery vampire fiction. Plus I am not a fiction writer. I love to read it, but I am not that creative.

When I mention that I write non fiction I get the question-- so you think you are a vampire? Uh no!

When I try the academic approach I get weird looks as well. People who haven't experienced a liberal arts program in soft science can't understand how this can be taught in college. They can't fathom that history isn't just American history but history, mythology and folklore of other cultures. Sociologically many people think that one can only teach sociology as it relates to business. In my classes I use a text titled Real World Sociology where we examine sociology on the real world- comic movies games books and monsters. It's a lot of fun, and the kids love it. They said that they couldn't imagine studying sociology could be so much fun.

They then ask what can you do with this study, and I tell them what I do... Teach, lecture tours, on line classes, write and review vampire books, movies and more.

I tell my students, like I tell everyone who has questioned what I do, if you could study, write, lecture and share what you love with people, wouldn't you?

This is the Halloween season, and my favorite time of year. So here is my challenge... Read my book or any other reference book and find three types of vampires that you may not be familiar with and learn more about them. Look at how you have encountered vampires in pop culture in your everyday life.

Open your mind to all of the possibilities of vampires that you may not have encountered. Remember that there is a vampire for everyone.

So after doing this which is your favorite vampire? Traditional like Dracula? Romantic like Henry Fitzroy and Mick St. John? Brooding like Angel? Insane like Spike ? New age like Edward, Damon and Stefan?
So comment below and enter to win a free ebook from me!

You can follow Bertena at this links:

Facebook

http://searchforthelure.webs.com/

http://thesearchforthelureofvampires.blogspot.com/

http://mysticalevents.webs.com/

Excerpt from My Fearful Symmetry

I reached for the golden door to the ashram, only to crumple to my knees again swooning and dizzy. With the last of my strength, I inched my way on my belly across the open courtyard to my room. The sky above turned from black to purple to lavender. In another thirty minutes, the rays of the sun would cook my tattered flesh into Bolognese. It seemed like a good idea. I collapsed against the paving stones. Deep inside of me a voice called my name—only it wasn’t my name.

Shardul!

I lifted my aching head. The sacred spring lay between my room and me. The Goddess stood sentinel above the pool. Hers arms beckoned. The waters hastened healing. I pulled myself over and eased in, letting the water bathe my broken skin. It stung and burned, but at least I knew that I was still alive.

Kali’s black face looked down. Her long tongue stuck out as if to taunt me.

I clung with what strength remained to the pool’s stone edge. “Is this what you mean about the tyranny of the flesh?” But she didn’t answer. She remained silent and oblivious as death. “Bitch…” I lost my grasp on the lip of the pool and slipped below the surface, still gazing into her unseeing eyes.

I thrashed, but couldn’t pull myself to the surface. My body sank like a stone. Water filled my throat and nostrils. Consciousness dissipated into an explosion of dots, like colored pixels. My Mum’s voice floated in my head.

Hush a bye, don’t you cry

Go to sleep my little baby

When you wake, you shall have

All the pretty little horses…

The wavering image above me dissolved into golden skin and waves of dark hair. The Mother reached out two arms and pulled me from the water. The avatar’s supple, golden form suggested Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva. An aura of pulsating color surrounded her. I sputtered and coughed the liquid out of my lungs, collapsing into my benefactor’s arms. My head rested against a bosom soft and rounded, not hard and bony.

She lifted me as if I were a child, bearing me away to my room, and rolled me belly-down onto my bed. My head lay on its side. The hand stroking the wet hair away from my face felt warm. Lips full and red with blood kissed mine. Was this real, or was I hallucinating?

The Goddess anointed and bandaged my wounds. She pressed her own wrist to my lips restore me. Blood never tasted so sweet. Warm tears bathed my face as she kissed my mouth again, a sweep of silken hair brushing over my arm. As she drew back, my eyes focused, and her image became clear.

A pained hiss passed my cracked lips. “Sandhya?”

Prize winners and new Halloween Giveaway!

2011-10-29T12:12:00.000-04:00

The winners for Jamie Magee's giveaway were Winnie and Nikki. Nikki, we need your email! Tomorrow, Bertena Varney will be talking about The Lure of the Vampire, her book on vampire legends, books and culture. I contributed an article to this book, and we're going to co-host a giveaway. She will be giving an e-copy of her book away, and I'll be giving an e-copy of My Fearful Symmetry.

Guest Jamie Magee/ Ebook Giveaway

2011-10-21T08:53:00.002-04:00

Today, I welcome Jamie Magee to Immortyl Revolution! Jamie is on the Romancing Your Darkside Tour and has graciously offered a copy of the ebook versions of Insight and Embody to one lucky commentor! Winner will be chosen at random. Deadline to enter is Sunday 10/23/11 at 11:59 PM EST. Please become a follower of this blog and leave an email address where you may be contacted. In addition, any commentors on the RYDS tour are entered into a grand prize drawing for a new kindle. Please follow the tour link above for details!

It is a pleasure to be here today on Immortyl Revolution as a part of the Romancing Your Dark Side tour! My name is Jamie Magee and I am the author of the YA ‘Insight’ series. My series incorporates elements that have always fascinated me as a person: zodiac, past lives, soul- mates, alternate dimensions, and of course the classic battle between good and evil. When looking at the diversity of these elements I realized that the world my characters would live in would have to be much different from the one we live in. Which leads me to the topic of today’s post – how do I build a ‘mythical’ world in my novels.

Across time authors have taken each of us into their imagination and led us to worlds that we may never see in our reality. Some authors have even chosen to create their story in the ‘real world’, even that aspect allows readers to see a town or area of the world from a fresh perspective. With my novels I wanted to have that touch of reality, but also step into an element or world that is not known to us.

One of the core elements in my story is alternate dimensions. When some hear the word dimension they may think of another dimension that is full of fairies or dinosaurs, others might think of another world that has another them doing something completely different. I mulled over what I thought an alternate dimension would look like for more time than I could recall ( the idea behind this is to this day fueling the Insight series). I remember thinking that it would be amazing to create creatures that have never existed before, but that aspect did not fit the love story I was creating.

So, I looked at the other point of view, another world with another me, and altered it ever so slightly. The only thing I changed was the ‘other you’. I simply used that idea for the world as whole (instead of the individual) meaning, that my dimensions were different from ours only because of the decisions that were made as whole. That idea could send anyone’s imagination running in a thousand directions. The dimension could be altered by the simplest change, like driving on a different side of the road, when we declare our children adults, how we use natural power for energy , or even something as complex as how we educate our children or how we commit to another for life.

Using this idea I was able to imagine dimensions that ‘made all the right choices’ that were full of peace and love, and then I imagined others that were full of darkness and a controlling leader. In between these two ideas of worlds there were others I imagined into life as well. Ones that have simple changes like never allowing children to be in public without an elder (grandparent). The idea behind these dimensions is that we create the world around us by the decisions we make. When you really mull over that thought, that we create our world as whole, you allow yourself to feel the power or impact you have over this world.

The idea of the different worlds led me to daydream into life elements that would dance on the side of fantasy. Like the string, a glowing passage of energy that is used to navigate to new worlds. Or even the power that my characters find in the Zodiac and the energy around them. Then there is a dream aspect that as we all know can take a story in any direction.

I guess if I were to explain how I created my mythical world I would simply say that I do not – the characters in that world create that place. Much like we create our world.

If you could change anything about the world – what would you change?

Jamie, thanks for joining me today! You can follow Jamie at these links:

http://www.insightjamiemagee.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/insight117
http://facebook.com/Jamie.Magee.Author
Insight on Nook

Faith Van Horne on Establishing Mood

2011-10-18T23:59:00.025-04:00

I'm pleased to welcome Faith Van Horne to the blog today. She's written a very interesting piece on establishing mood.

Establishing Mood

A co-worker and I were walking past our library's paperback display (yes, I work at a public library, and it's fantastic) when she picked up a book. She tapped the cover and said, “This author's really good. She writes about Turkey, and it's like you're there. When a writer's really good, you can smell it.”

My co-worker was stressing the importance of one of the writer's primary jobs: transporting the reader into the world of the story. While there are many aspects to this job, today I'd like to focus on establishing mood.

In Revision and Self-Editing, James Scott Bell states that a story's mood “is like the score of a movie—it plays in the background, deepening the feelings of the reader. Illuminating details operate to both set up and pay off emotional moments.”

Next time you're re-watching one of your favorite films, pay close attention to the background music. Chances are if it's played subtly, you've never noticed it before. How does the music coincide with what's happening on-screen? If a portion of the scene has no dialogue, try playing the film muted. How does this change your experience?

The background music serves as an “illuminating detail”, a small piece that by itself seems insignificant. But when it is woven into the film, it emotionally involves the viewer more deeply into the story. In fiction, illuminating details are bits of vivid description that, when properly highlighted, establish the feel of the story.

Setting the mood early on creates a promise to the reader. The writer is letting readers know what kind of story they are about to read. A lighthearted romance will focus on different details than a high-stakes suspense novel. Of course, this also creates a challenge for the writer. Starting the story off in the wrong direction can create a jarring dissonance for readers. They most likely won't even be able to tell you what they didn't like about the story, only that something felt “off” about it.

In my horror/P.I. novella All Hope Lost, I wanted to establish early on that my protagonist Dana Cay was just emerging from a dark place in her life. Her client, Warren Parker, is in the midst of his own personal hell. To demonstrate that pain in both characters, I chose to focus on Dana's reaction to seeing Warren's face:

I deduced the cause of the hollows beneath Warren Parker’s eyes and in his cheeks the instant he entered my office. They had marked my own face not long ago, and echoes of them remained. They were the caverns carved by the loss of someone close. Someone who shouldn’t have departed so soon, or so harshly.

Warren is not sunny or mischievous here. His eyes bear 'hollows', 'caverns' carved by 'loss'. If I've done my work well, you should be able to tell that you're about to read a dark story involving two grieving characters.

Who are some writers you find create an unforgettable mood in their novels? Any cases you've seen where the mood created early on didn't match the later feel of the book?

All Hope Lost

Two years ago, private investigator Dana Cay's brother committed suicide. For months she drove herself mad with grief, convinced a shadowy cult had fed from her brother's death. She's finally overcome her delusions, setting up shop in a new city and taking on low-stress cases.

Now Warren Parker darkens her door with his sister's story. She too leapt to her death, and he suspects the cult's involvement. Knowing Dana's history, he begs her to bring the faceless monsters to justice. Is the cult real after all? If so, can Dana stop its members before they kill again?

About the Author

Faith Van Horne is a writer of speculative fiction living in the American Midwest. Her horror/P.I. novella, All Hope Lost, is now available from Escape Collective Publishing. You can see what she's up to at her blog, faithvanhorne.blogspot.com.

A very big thanks to Faith for joining me today! Below are links for her book:

Buy All Hope Lost on Amazon Kindle
Buy All Hope Lost on Nook

Author Sue Mydliak

2011-10-11T23:58:00.003-04:00

Today I'm pleased to welcome Sue Mydliak to Immortyl Revolution! If you ever wanted to know how vampires go about creating human servants, read on. I'm sure you'll find this post very interesting.

Writing about a vampire is one thing, but to find something that will set your book apart from all these others is another thing. I wanted my book to be different in that it went a step further into the whole "vampire" genre, a little darker, more mysterious. So, I thought what better way than that of markings.

A master Vampire when he so wishes or desires can make a human his servant and the neat thing about this is that he doesn't need to be present to do so which makes it even more dark and chilling. The reason for making a human his servant is that it increases his power and when all marks are received this person are the ears, eyes, hands and voice of his master. He and the human become as one, very in tune with each other.

It's all very magical, the only time that the vampire ever needs to be present to make a mark is during the third mark where the Vampire takes blood from the human and shares his memories and vice a versa. By now they are more connected through their minds. Things are shared like emotions, memories, thoughts.

It isn't until the 4th mark that they become as one and like a wedding almost that he speaks..."blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, two minds one body, two souls wedded together as one..." or something of that nature.
Sort of makes you tear a bit...no? If you like to read more about this in detail, I recommend you visit this site,

http://anitablake.wikia.com/wiki/Human_Servant
In my novel, Birthright, Candra Rosewood returns to Utica she's already missed her parent’s funeral and everything she thought about her family turns out to be a lie.

When Kane turns up unannounced on her doorstep, Candra, fights her strange need for him. Is he somehow involved in her parents’ death? Is the mysterious Mr. Bennet a friend or foe, and can she trust him when he says she's descended from powerful vampires.

Birthright is a novel that opens the door on family secrets. Both Kane and Candra are locked into a shared past neither of them can escape. Evil is everywhere waiting to pounce. Candra must decide who is a friend and find out what her birthright really is.

When everything in your life is lost, whom can you trust and who will be there to pick up the pieces and help you put them back together, family or a stranger.

You can purchase Birthright in eBook format or now in paperback at:

http://ebookundead.com/birthright-by-sue-midliak/

You can follow Sue at these links:

Sue's Blog: http://theunbeatenheart.blogspot.com/

Booktown

A very big thanks to Sue for joining me today!

Prize Winner

2011-10-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

A. Jacob Sweeny has announced the winner of her contest for a Pulse of Heroes magnet. Congratulations to Tich! Thanks to all who commented!

Contest Winner Betty Gordon

2011-10-01T16:31:00.001-04:00

Betty Gordon was the winner of T. W. Fendley's Giveaway of Dreamspell Sci Fi volume 1. Congratulations to Betty and thanks to everyone who commented!

A. Jacob Sweeny's Hero Blogs on his Journey

2011-09-27T09:03:00.003-04:00

When A. Jacob Sweeny asked me if her hero Elliot De-Costa could do a blog post here, I thought it was a great idea. (Those who follow me know that my rascally lad, Cedric MacKinnon, has his own Twitter account and Facebook page.) I'm always interested in what characters have to say, so I give you, Elliot!

Hello. I’m Elliot De-Costa, and this is my first blog posting:

First of all I would like to thank ‘Immortyl Revolution’ for giving me the space to express my thoughts, although I have never seen ‘immortal’ spelled this way before. This must be a modern internet linguistic development. I try to keep up with as much as I can, but at times fads just come and go and it’s difficult to decide which ones I should spend my energy on.

I know that a lot of people want to know so much about me, but obviously it’s difficult to include everything in a few short passing words. I guess I should start with my age, as this is what people seem so shocked about. I am 4700 years old. I was born in the city of Nun-Ki, otherwise known as Eridu, in Sumeria, which is now encompassed within the modern day country of Iraq. The first thing you need to understand about my age is that I am not old. Old is a term attached to the passage of time. My body stopped its aging process somewhere between the ages of 20 and 30. I don’t know when exactly, because it wasn’t something I was paying attention to. So when people like yourselves worry that someone like Michelle is too young for me, what you are doing is applying human time standards onto someone that is not human, not entirely at least. Michelle is great. I adore her. I have adored many it’s true. But everyone is different and I can appreciate many people. Michelle, I believe, is more stubborn than I am. She was very set in her way about getting to know me. Now I’m glad that she didn’t give up. In a few years Michelle will be an outstanding woman. She’s a bit of a project, but a lot of that is my fault. I should have never left her that night… How about we don’t discuss Michelle anymore?

Of course being alive for so long makes me more knowledgeable than any of you can ever dream of being. I collect all my experiences into this mind of mine, and my brain files things away. I have had time to study in more universities than I can even mention. I have earned many degrees and doctorates, and in many different languages. Being alive for so long, you kind of have time to get to know yourself and your surroundings pretty well, although I can still have a few rough days here and there. The skill I use the most is probably my medical training. No, I don’t practice medicine, and never wanted to, although I could. I studied medicine in order to hone my abilities. You have a headache? I can help because I know which nerve is where. You have a broken bone? I can stimulate bone growth directly on the break. I think each and every one of us has studied medicine at one point or another. When I say us, I mean my friends, who are also of my kind. None of us know how many of our kind are out there. But I have lost good friends along the way. I don’t know if I will meet new ones. I haven’t in a long time.

The story of how I met Kahl, who is one of my dearest friends in the world, is actually pretty funny. I was working as a hired bodyguard and traveling the trade routes with my boss who was a wealthy merchant. This was before I made my own fortune. I will tell you a small secret. Yes, they were making crude glass before I was born, but I used my abilities to heat up the sand and experimented until I found the ideal heat and combination. After that, as they say, the rest is history. Where was I? Oh yeah, Kahl. Well my boss headed to one of the local ‘inns of the women’, you get my point right? Anyway, I was just resting under a tree close to our camels and horses when I heard people arguing. I got up to see what all the commotion was about and there was Kahl in the middle of a circle of men who were all yelling at him that he was a thief. They looked like they wanted to kill him. Off to the side there was a toothless merchant that was gathering his knifes off the ground. I guess Kahl had used his own abilities to figure out that the blades that the guy was trying to sell him were not pure bronze, which was important at the time because other metals were far too soft to be useful. But since they didn’t see Kahl melt the metal in a fire, he had no way to prove that he was right. He wanted his money back, while the merchant’s bodyguards were about to give him a good licking. I asked to see one of the blades and tested it myself. Kahl was right. The bastards were trying to cheat him and it didn’t look like a fair fight. So I decided to even up the odds and help the poor guy out. We kicked some serious ass together, and when Kahl and I were the only ones that remained standing, we could see that both our eyes were glowing. Kahl was the second guy of my kind that I met, after Devin of course.

Alright, back to the present. Yes I am here, and yes I know the ladies go crazy on me and my friends. At this point it’s no big deal, but I will confess that we have all had some good times… There is nothing better on this earth than spending a sweet night with a beautiful woman who is smart and knows how to laugh. With music in the air and good food… alright I’m getting off topic here. Sure, give me a call. Leave a message at the Hekademos Learning Center for me. If I’m not there, one of the other guys will be –

Thanks Elliot for the interesting view into your world! You've certainly been around and learned many fascinating things. Here's some more information on Pulse of Heroes.

Pulse of Heroes weaves together elements from several different genres: romance, suspense, myth/fantasy, paranormal, history and at its core, a heroine’s journey and transformation. It tries to craft a true and sensitive coming-of-age narrative of a quirky teenage girl protagonist becoming a confidant young woman with her own voice. And at the same time draw the reader into a gripping adventure filled with fantastic historical elements and the crushing intensity of first love. Pulse of Heroes is a YA/crossover novel with lots of (hopefully) memorable characters and multiple story arcs. It has a multi-cultural perspective with characters from around the globe, and a prominent female point-of-view. It is available from the official website: http://www.pulseofheroes.com/
where you will also find links to other available formats such as Kindle on Amazon.

Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially relationships. Her great aunt says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school is interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town. Upon seeing the School Regent out with a group of young guys just before Christmas, Michelle is convinced that there is something odd about them. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she embarks upon a mission to figure out what is really going on. After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever.

Elliot is no ordinary human. No one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the millennia by weaving in and out of human events. Although Elliot carries numerous painful memories from his many pasts, he disregards his own better judgment and the advice of his friends, and finds himself falling for Michelle‘s offbeat personality.

At Elliot's side, Michelle must learn to deal with the bundle of contradictory emotions called love, but when History catches up with them, the difference between their life paths threatens to destroy any future that they might have had together. Ultimately, Michelle will have to trust her intuition in order to face the danger and uncertainty of being drawn into Elliot's wondrous world.

About the AuthorA. Jacob Sweeny holds a degree in History with an emphasis on Ancient Near East. Her immersion in world myths and her archaeological fieldwork provided the initial spark that led to the development of Pulse Of Heroes. Besides writing, A. Jacob Sweeny is a strong advocate for the protection of women and children worldwide. She enjoys cooking spicy food and regularly suffers from bouts of creative insomnia.

Some reviews of Pulse of Heroes
I love this book! Move over Edward and Bella, a new power couple has hit the scene! Michelle and Elliot from Pulse of Heroes by A. Jacob Sweeny will give Stephanie Meyer's characters a run for their money! I have read so many books, and it takes a lot to knock my socks off but A. Jacob Sweeny did just that! With her original storyline and unforgettable characters she has an award winning series in the making. -Dawn Hagan, I love Books Blog-page-

Sometimes I will come across a novel, which I classify as a rare jewel: a book that captivates me from beginning to end… an amazing story that it is impossible for it to not capture my heart and Pulse Of Heroes is a rare jewel.
There are only two other series' that I consider rare jewels: the Twilight series, and Vampire Academy ... I was wondering when the next book would come along that would really pull me in, make me feel emotionally attached to the characters, make me care about them in such a way that I would think about them weeks, months after I had finished reading the story and Pulse of Heroes did just that. -Alishia, Treasured Tales For young Adults Blog-page-

I have been waiting for a book to come along that has a new paranormal twist to it, Pulse Of Heroes is exactly that book! This book made me laugh, I wanted to slap characters, hide or cry out for help, and most of all it made me cry. Happiness, loss, pain, terror, and true love brought on an arsenal of tears that I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried. I am absolutely on the edge of my seat for the next installment of this powerful moving series. I loved this book the same way I loved Twilight and The Hunger Games. The author signed my book "Enjoy the adventure and fall in love a little too". Her words were far shortcoming of what I experienced. Mirabolante the Italian word for astonishing is only cracking the surface of the multitude of words I really want to use. -Anne, Paranormal Book Club

Giveaway! The author is sponsoring a drawing for a 2012 Pulse of Heroes magnet calendar for the giveaway. To enter, please become a follower of this blog and leave a comment with a contact email. Contest ends 10/4/11 at 11:59 PM EDT. Winner to be chosen by random drawing.

T. W. Fendley on Becoming a Published Author/ebook giveaway

2011-09-23T23:59:00.001-04:00

Immortyl Revolution is pleased to welcome T. W. Fendley! She is part of my ongoing feature of L&L Dreamspell authors. T.W. has graciously offered an ebook giveaway.

GIVEAWAY:

T.W. is offering a drawing to win Dreamspell Sci Fi Vol. 1, an ebook anthology featuring her story, “Solar Lullaby.” To enter, please leave a comment, including your contact email. The winner, chosen by random drawing, will be notified next Thursday, Sept. 29.

Most of the time I'm chugging away on my latest novel, but several times a year I take a break to focus on something entirely different. No, I'm not talking about reality TV. I mean short stories that give you that quick burst of adrenalin from actually finishing something. Getting published makes it even more fun! So I jumped at this chance to share a few ideas on how to get your short stories into readers' hands.

Contests are a great stepping stone toward publication. But unless you're Asimov reincarnated, before you submit to contests (or anywhere else), be sure to have someone critique your story. Contest judges are often well known writers or editors, and that's certainly not who you want to point out a typo. Many judges in smaller contests will give feedback on what needs to be improved. When you’re one of the contest winners, you can add that to your professional credentials.

Writers’ organizations and conferences often offer contests, and your local chapter may be able to help you connect with a critique partner. Rallystorm offers online forums for getting critiques and connecting with other writers. Preditors & Editors, another free site, has a cross-genre listing of contests and conferences.

For science fiction and fantasy writers, one of the biggest and best contests is L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future (WOF). It pays $1,000 quarterly to winners, plus a $5,000 annual grand prize. WOF's forum can help you find critique partners and learn how to improve your stories. With about 1,000 entries each quarter in the WOF contest, I was thrilled when "Solar Lullaby"--my short story featured in the Dreamspell Sci Fi Vol.1 ebook anthology--earned honorable mention.

I learned about the Dreamspell anthology directly from the publisher's website. They're looking for dog stories now, with more anthologies opening for submission soon. You also should check Duotrope, which lists more than 3,500 markets for fiction and poetry. It even allows you track your submissions--gotta love it! Remember, persistence pays off. Send to the top-paying markets for your genre first, and keep the stories going out.

These are just a few ideas I hope will help you get your stories published, and please share what's worked for you. I haven’t yet tried self-publishing stories on Kindle, but if you have, I’d love to hear about it!

You can follow T.W. at:

http://www.twfendley.com/

T. W.'s L&L Dreamspell Marketing Page

Goodreads

T.W. Fendley writes historical fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults. Look for her historical fantasy, Zero Time, this fall from L&L Dreamspell. When she’s not writing, T.W.’s busy traveling and learning about all sorts of fascinating things for her next books. Or she’s venturing into inner space via Remote Viewing.

Solar Lullaby trailer

Solar Lullaby

Dr. Flare Haich offers the only hope for diverting a solar flare that will dwarf the 2012 Mayan Event, which killed her parents and a half-billion others. She must overcome the betrayal of one she trusted and launch Empress III to keep the Sun’s fiery message from scorching the Earth as One Imix—the time of new beginnings—arrives.

Solar Lullaby, Dreamspell SciFi e-anthology - $2.99 in Kindle store!

Zero Time, coming in Fall 2011

Author Stuart Aken in the Spotlight

2011-09-19T19:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Stuart Aken! He's going to share a bit about his journey as a writer and his latest book, The Methuselah Strain.

Thanks for inviting me as a guest here on your blog, Denise.

Stuart Aken is a pen name, which I adopted when I discovered over 800 references to my real name in a Google search. It has the advantage that is incorporates my own first name with the name of a small village in England that, itself, contains my real father's name, Ken. As he died before I was born, it seems a fitting tribute to the man who gave me life.

By the age of 11, I'd exhausted the children's section of my local library and had to ask the formidable Miss Burgess if I could start taking books from the adult section. She scrutinised me with her steely gaze and nodded her approval, but only because she knew I always took care of her precious books. The two conditions were that I could take one book at a time and they must pass her scrutiny. That she allowed my first adult book to be a classic account of the First World War, written from the German point of view, and containing references to violence, anarchy and prostitution, perhaps says more about her than it does about me.

I've been writing for quite a few years, with a radio play and several short stories under my belt before I started my first novel. 'Breaking Faith', my romantic thriller, was published as a paperback at the end of 2009 and as an ebook in 2010. I followed this with a collection of dark speculative fiction; 'Ten Tales for Tomorrow' is available as an ebook. An anthology of gentle love stories followed, again as an ebook. You'll find 'Ten Lover Tales' holds no nasty surprises and is full of those stories that make you smile or sigh with simple pleasure, I hope! I've also compiled, edited and designed an anthology for my writers group. Hornsea Writers is a gathering of professional writers, meeting weekly to discuss works in progress and exchange information about the world of books and writing. 'A Sackful of Shorts' contains thirteen disparate tales from this bunch of talented writers and is available as an ebook.

My latest book, a novelette titled 'The Methuselah Strain', is a science fiction tale set on Earth a few hundred years in the future. Catastrophes and indifference have reduced the population, the world is largely automated, and life is easy; perhaps too easy. Certainly, the Prime Renegade believes that humanity could do better and is determined to end their dependence on machines before her fellow survivors die out from indolence and hedonism. But she also wants a mate to father a child. The story weaves her search for love into her dangerous plot to end automation. If you like your science fiction with emotional content, you'll find it here.

As a writer, I am fascinated by relationships between people and love putting my characters into difficult situations where their innate qualities will reveal their true natures. My stories explore the themes of injustice, hypocrisy and love, always with a relationship at their heart. Holding strong opinions on the author's responsibility to provide the best possible for the reader, I believe quality of writing to be paramount, but I also want to entertain, move, educate and arouse my readers, so I try to make my stories full of interest, emotion and activity. My plots are always driven by the characters, who sometimes take over and move the tales along routes I hadn't envisaged at the start. I always write the complete story before attempting any revision. But I revise extensively so that the final piece that is published and placed out there for readers to buy is the best I can produce.

If you're interest in language, writers and matters relating to books, you might like to visit my blog at http://stuartaken.blogspot.com/
and my website (currently about to be redesigned) at http://www.stuartaken.co.uk/

You'll find my books available for all ebook platforms at : https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stuartaken

And as either paperback or Kindle versions for USA here - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=stuart+aken&x=12&y=17

Or for UK here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=stuart+aken&x=15&y=19

Tweet with me: http://twitter.com/@stuartaken

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/StuartAken

Once again, Denise, many thanks for this opportunity to interact with your readers.

A very big thanks to you, Stuart!

2011-09-18T00:26:00.001-04:00

Watch "Cara Mia Book Trailer" on YouTube

Jaz Primo on Vampires/Book Giveaway Sunrise at Sunset

2011-09-15T23:59:00.003-04:00

Please Welcome Jaz Primo! He's part of the Romancing Your Darkside tour. One lucky commenter will win an ebook copy or trade paperback of Jaz's book, Sunrise at Sunset.

Winners will be chose by random drawing. Contest ends on 9/21/11 T 11:59 pm. EDT. Please become a follower of this blog and leave an email where you may be contacted.

Seriously? Vampires Dwelling Among Us?

Vampire lore and literature has been filled with the traditional tenants of "creatures of the night" that we love so well. When you say the word "vampire" the average person knows precisely what attributes to expect: sharp fangs, reanimated corpses seeking the blood of innocents, aversion to sunlight and garlic, arming oneself with holy relics and wooden stakes to combat the enemy, and supernatural strength and speed. Many successful authors of vampire literature rely upon these long-held doctrines as the foundations for their paranormal romances and urban fantasies. However, when I created my Sunset Vampire Series I wanted to do something fresh and different. My vision of the perfect vampire wasn't a cold-skinned animated corpse, but rather a living being whose human body had been transformed into something new and powerful. And while I incorporated some of the customary properties of traditional vampires, I wanted the key attributes to make sense and fit seamlessly within the boundaries of a logical structure.

Are you intrigued? Then please, let's proceed...

My Sunset vampires are living, breathing beings whose cells have preternatural qualities. Their bodies command vastly superior strength, speed, senses, and restorative constitutions that far exceed that of humans. However, they are not invincible. Their cells can be damaged by high doses of ultraviolet radiation, particularly sunlight. As living beings, they are susceptible to blades, bullets, and fire, though much larger proportions of damage are required than what is needed to kill or maim a human being. The cells of my vampire's bodies are fed by breaking down blood, thereby justifying retractable fangs for withdrawing such live-sustaining sustenance from their victims. Of course, since a vampire's cells have highly regenerative qualities, it stands to reason that their blood and saliva has healing qualities, as well. The cautionary element is that too large of a dose of such blood could threaten to overtake the cells inside of a human's body, thereby transforming them into a vampire.

By creating vampires with a living physiology it was much easier for me to imagine the plausibility of their existence. It also made them more realistic to combat, because as living beings, they're no more affected by garlic, holy water, or crosses than you or I are. Also, like humans, they aren't bound to a particular behavioral pattern. They could choose to act with either benevolent or dangerous intentions; merely with more influence and impact given their enhanced abilities. However, the challenge still remained to incorporate them into present-day society. In today's world, technology is a double-edged sword for vampires. While some advancements such as refrigeration for blood storage, UV-filtering film for exterior windows, and Internet-based commerce and communications have aided vampires with some of their challenges, other concerns remain. For extremely long-lived beings, the hiding from society or spontaneous creation of new identities is much harder with the increasingly collaborative information and surveillance systems utilized by governments. Such developments generated a host of new challenges. Given such concerns, it's only natural that vampires might collaborate into loosely-organized networks to maintain their secrecy or to profit from such services needed by their peers. Once the most obvious obstacles for societal integration were confronted and overcome, it became entirely plausible to me that a vampire might be living next door!

I hope that you appreciate my new approach to vampires, and that you will consider reading my Sunset Vampire Series. The first novel, Sunrise at Sunset, was published in October 2010, and the second novel, A Bloody London Sunset, was published in May of this year. A third installment, Summit at Sunset, is being released this November. All novels are available in both trade paperback and multiple eBook formats from major retailers including as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Apple iBookstore. My sincere thanks to Denise for the opportunity to appear on Immortyl Revolution and for her support of the Romancing Your Dark Side Paranormal Blog Tour that I am participating in.

Here's the teaser for Sunrise at Sunset:

When is a bloodthirsty predator the best protection against a psychotic killer?

When the predator is both a vampire...and the woman you love.

“We vampires are focused and tend to shape our own realities.”

My name is Katrina Rawlings, and I am a vampire. I declare that with neither pride nor ego. I am simply nature’s most dangerous predator. On occasion, it’s a very valuable quality. It helped me protect Caleb Taylor one day when he was very young. But that single, traumatic day is behind him now; wiped from his memory, or so I hope.

Caleb has finally matured into a rather striking young man, and believe me, I like what I see. I’ll readily admit that there are issues for us to confront and overcome, though a sense of mutual commitment isn’t one of them. I’m feeling hopeful for our future together, in fact. But an adversary from my past has returned to haunt me, and she’s trying to get back at me through Caleb. That was her first...and last...mistake. I’ll protect my Caleb at all costs, and I’ll make her regret the day she was born.

So, I suppose that I’m not just a vampire. I’m about to become someone’s worst nightmare!

You can find or follow me at the following locations!

Website: http://www.jazprimo.com/

Blog: http://primovampires.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Sunset-Vampire-Series/223514840998333

Twitter: @jazprimo

Jaz, thanks for joining me here today at
Immortyl Revolution!

Stacey Kennedy's Romancing Your Darkside Tour/Giveaway

2011-09-13T23:59:00.019-04:00

A very big welcome to Stacey Kennedy! She is currently on the Romancing Your Darkside Tour.

Stacey has graciously offered a drawing to win a free ebook of Whatnots and Doodads. To enter, please leave a comment for Stacey. Drawing ends 9/21/11 at 11:59 PM EDT. Please leave a contact email. Winners are chosen by random drawing.

Stacey, I'm thrilled to have you here today. Tell us about your work.

Big thanks to Immortyl Revolution for allowing me to share their space today. I’m not sure about everyone else, but novellas are sometimes exactly what I’m looking for. Of course, I love deep stories that I can get lost in for days. But sometimes, life is just too busy for that kind of thing.

There are times when I don’t want to spend a week with characters. Don’t need a complicated story, because in truth, my life is so crazy I don’t have the time to fully appreciate it. This is where my love for novellas comes in. It allows me to spend one night reading and I get a full wrap up of the story. Add in some sexy scenes in there…and I’m captivated.

I’d love to hear from you all—do you enjoy reading novellas or do you need more depth to your stories?

If you love novellas as much as I do, leave a comment with your email address to be entered to win an ebook of Whatnots & Doodads. Good luck!

A witch with unruly magic, a demon gone good, lava-hot passion and a tornado of emotions–just another night in Strange Hollow.

For Bryanna, a witch from the Asheville Coven, magic is on the fritz. Shunned by her coven and her boyfriend Layton for her unruly magic, she seeks a new life for herself. It just so happens, fate steps in and brings her to Strange Hollow–a place where being different is not only acceptable, but encouraged.

When Bryanna arrives in Strange Hollow, Zeke, a demon gone good, is burning with Hell’s fire over her. Not only has she set his world ablaze, but he’s found one soul he can save. He’s determined to free her from the insecurities that have damaged her soul.

Together they experience lava-hot passion as they weave their way through a tornado of emotions. But when Layton returns for her, will Zeke’s attempts to break the unworthy cage woven around her be enough to keep her in Strange Hollow forever?

Whatnots & Doodads buy link - http://www.staceykennedy.com/whatnots-doodads/

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and even give a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll find fast paced action, life threatening moments and a big bad villain that needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance Ebooks Bestseller lists. If she isn’t plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she’s got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.

You can follow Stacey at these links:

Stacey's Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Jessica McHugh's Song of Eidolons Tour

2011-09-11T23:59:00.006-04:00

Today,the spotlight is on Jessica McHugh's

Song of Eidolons

Jessica is going to tell us a bit about her unique take on the writing process. So without further ado, here's Jessica!

I'm not a blogger. If it's not obvious to you already, it probably will be after this post.

I'm a fiction chick. Everything about my life is invention, so it's difficult for me to sit down and write about something completely real without it being a rant. And let's face it, there's a lot to rant about. But I don't want to rant. I want to write something sweet, something uplifting, something helpful.

But I'll probably just end up sounding like an ass. A perky, all-eyes-on-me ass, but an ass nonetheless. I suppose reality and I don't get along very well.

I say, “Good morning, Reality. I'm Jessica and I have a lot of writing work to do, so I'm just going to stay home and get it done.”

To which Reality always gives me the old-fashioned glove slap and orders me out to my car, out into a world that is neither cloaked in day or night. It's just dim. So seems the brunt of weekdays; until 2:30p hits and I give Reality the finger. Don't worry. Reality totally deserves it.

People tell me to blog about how I create characters or how I write dialog, but the truth is, I don't know how it happens. It's difficult for me to put my writing process into words. Sometimes I feel like my brain is dictating a conversation that's already happened. Often I get worried when the dialogue comes quickly; I'm afraid I've written it before, but I've searched my documents and it hasn't happened yet. Good for the book, sure, but bad for the author explaining how she came up with it. Not only am I scatter-brained about how I write, I'm also a little fuzzy on stuff I've already written. I work very quickly and multitask like crazy, so once I'm done with a story, I give it the heave-ho from Hotel JessBrain. My mind is already a cluttered mess of story ideas: ones I'm currently writing and ones I'm planning (all the way to 2014), so I just don't have the room for old ideas. When I'm asked about plot points or specific character details, I have to stop and think, “Okay, 'From the Herald's Wearied Eye'...that's...the dystopian...one...”

So I can't really talk about the internal process, but I can explain the process in which I write and edit for a little glimpse into my mad writing world.

1. THE IDEA

Pictured: some crooked-faced writer chick researching the Mutus Liber for “Song of Eidolons”

2. WRITE

Ale optional...sometimes...

3. STAB THE ALPHABET

(aka type handwritten material into the computer)

Hopefully, your desk actually faces the TV.

PS- Kevin Costner not always included.

4. FIRST REVISION/EXTENSION

...Unless you wrote it perfectly the first time. If that's the case, you better hide because I'm coming to steal your magic powers.

5. STAB THE ALPHABET (yes, AGAIN)

Ralphie Parker is to his pink bunny costume as Jessica McHugh is to Stabbing the Alphabet.

6. SECOND REVISION/ EXTENSION

7. You have to STAB THE ALPHABET again,

but I'm not going to dignify it with a picture this time.

8. AUDITORY REVISION

Don't be surprised if you have to wear an ice glove by this point.

Set the computer to read the manuscript aloud. Listen for errors or weird sounding phrases and fix as you go along, but ALSO rock out a bit because you're almost done!!

9. Finally, SUBMIT!!

Or, send to your Mom to edit and then, SUBMIT!

(Thanks, Mom.)

There you have it. That's my writing process, and except for Stabbing the Alphabet, I love every part of it. Wait, did it come across that I don't like Stabbing the Alphabet? I wouldn't want that to be misunderstood. ;)

Thanks so much for having me as a guest, Denise! This was an absolute blast, and I think I might just have earned my beer today. Depending on what time everyone out there reads this, you're welcome to have one too.

I'm with you, Jessica. I'm ready for my libation as well, but my drink of choice is Merlot. Thanks for being my guest and writing such an entertaining post!

Song of Eidolons

Delaney Lortal is a unique breed of girl. She is well spoken, extremely well read, and highly ambitious for love, but it is not those qualities that make her so unique. It's not even because in twenty-two years of life, she has never set foot outside of her grandfather's house. What makes her so unique is the truth behind a mysterious secret that has made her the target of a clandestine Order called the Orisanima. As wondrous as it is heartbreaking, Song of Eidolons follows Delaney's journey of enlightenment as she struggles to peel back the layers of deceit to discover the amazing truth about her origins.

Jessica McHugh is an author of speculative fiction that spans the genre from horror and alternate history to epic fantasy. A prolific writer, she has devoted herself to novels, short stories, novellas, and even playwriting. She has had nine books published in three years, including "Song of Eidolons", "The Sky: The World" and the first three installments in her "Tales of Dominhydor" series.

http://www.jessicamchughbooks.com/

Become a Fan of Jessica McHugh on Facebook!Buy Song of Eidolons on Amazon

Amber Scott on Vampires and Blood Addiction/Giveway

2011-09-09T09:28:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Amber Scott!

Amber is on the Romancing Your Darkside Tour. She is going to tell us about Vampires and Blood Addiction, a subject near and dear to my heart. Please leave a comment for Amber to be entered for an ebook giveaway and to also be entered into a drawing for the RYDS tour grand prize of a new Kindle! Make sure to leave an email so Amber may contact you. Winners will be chosen by random drawing. Contest ends 11:59 PM EDT 09/15/11.

Blood is a Drug...

In Fierce Dawn and the ParaRealm series, human blood is a drug and vampires are addicted to it. This and the risk of certain immortal beings exploiting humankind is what triggered the separation of realms centuries past.

But like any good addict, vampires find their way over realm lines. (Sneaky blood junkies that they are.) Blood dens pop up here and there throughout history and there are ugly rumors of vampires and humans falling into an addictive exchange where the human is willing to give blood for the high they get, too.

Blood use causes extreme sensitivity to sunlight, to the point of severe burning. A vampire heavy into blood use is known to have ‘kits’ in the form of fangs.

The question I get a lot about all this is, how did the idea form?

I love vampires so much that I even studied vampire literature in college. I’m an avid reader of vampire novels. I love vampire films. And I’ve always seen vampirism as blood addiction. A lot of vampire elements strike true of addiction. The inability to see themselves in the mirror means denial to me. The seductive effects a vampire has on a virgin equates to the manipulative powers an addict will learn in order to exploit those who don’t know about their addiction, thus are drug virgins. Vampires only come out at night, they are dead but not.

Think of a heroin addict, a meth addict. They hide from the world until they need their fix and then they would do nearly anything to get it. Lie, manipulate, steal. They look like hell, literally undead, and they are shells of their former selves. Drugs rule their lives much like blood rules a vampire’s. Even the super strength we see in vampire mythos can be equated to drugs like steroids and PCP.

The thing is, if vampires are real, why not shifters and fae and all the other myriad of beings that appear throughout our various cultures. I don’t feel like I created immortals as my jump off point for this so much as that’s what they called themselves. But it makes deep sense to me. I even have scientific theories in my head to support the rules of this world. (Geek that I am.)

In “Fierce Dawn,” we see the peripheral effects of vampirism. Elijah is a former vampire hunter. Lyric is in recovery from his addiction. Sadie, one of the first human changelings, becomes their focus. But as the series proceeds and the changeling effect takes hold of more and more humans, vampirism will become a central issue.

The tug and pull of blood use, its seductive power, just like you, I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds, book by addictive book.

You can follow Amber at:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#%21/amberscottbooks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AmberScottBooks

http://AmberScottBooks.com

http://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Dawn-ParaRealm-ebook/dp/B004UJGK1U/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Fierce Dawn on Barnes and Noble

Romancing Your Darkside Book Tour

Kristie Cook's View on the Paranormal

2011-08-30T00:00:00.028-04:00

Welcome to Kristie Cook! She is my second guest on the Romancing the Darkside Tour.

Contest

Kristie has graciously offered an e copy of each of her books, Promise and Purpose. She will choose one winner per book from a random drawing. To enter, leave a comment for Kristie. Please provide an email where you may be contacted. Entries must be posted by Midnight on 9/2/11.

Building the Soul Savers World

One of my favorite parts about writing in the contemporary fantasy genre is world-building. The real world provides a familiar environment to work within, but the genre allows us freedom to create our own creatures, bring in legendary and mythical beings and even bring down the boundaries of time, space and alternative dimensions. As long as we can make it sound believable, we can even break the laws of science.

The characters of my Soul Savers Series occupy our world, although another dimension exists – the spiritual or “Otherworld.” In the Otherworld, angels and demons fight for human souls, but it’s also home to other entities, such as the faeries. The series, however, is about how these Otherworld spirits impact the physical realm and it mostly takes place in our human domain.

In my world, the ruling factions of the Otherworld – the angels and the demons – have each created their own armies on Earth. Vampires, were-creatures and mages (witches, wizards, warlocks and sorcerers) all exist in our world, though in secret. My main characters, however, are none of these, yet all of these. They are my own creation.

In Promise, we only get a glimpse of these secret entities that inhabit our world, learning along with the main character, Alexis. She learns more about them in Purpose, the second book, but it’s in Genesis, a prequel that comes out in October, and Devotion, the third book in the series that releases in February, where we really get to explore this world that exists in our own.

As we become more immersed in the world I’ve created, we learn the rules and parameters. Why are my vampires able to come out in the daylight? (Dracula could, so why not? My vamps prefer the night because daylight weakens them, but it’s amazing what a shot of mage blood can do for them.) Do they have any restrictions at all? (Of course! But not many.) What’s the difference between a witch, a wizard, a warlock and a sorcerer? (Only gender separates a witch and a wizard but the level of power defines a warlock and a sorcerer.) As for the creatures I’ve made up, what powers do they and don’t they have? (It’s dependent on the individual and what gifts the angels give them.)

The most difficult part about writing this or any other fantasy genre is creating rules and sticking to them. If we set a rule early in the book or in the first book of the series, we must stick to that rule throughout. So whatever rules we make, we can’t break them later for the sake of convenience.

For example, in my world, some mages have the ability to “cloak” other people, making them invisible. I’ve had to decide if the spell only works on people or if it “hides” objects, as well. If a woman is holding a purse, is it invisible, too? What if a character is carrying something bigger – perhaps huge? If he picks something up while cloaked, does that object become invisible, too? Or would it be seen as if floating in mid-air? When setting these rules, I have to think ahead and ask myself every possible “what if” situation to ensure I don’t set myself up for future failure.

If we discover later that we need to break a rule we’ve set, we must have a plausible work-around that doesn’t leave the reader thinking, “Puh-lease. That makes no sense at all!” We must be able to convince the reader to believe the exception to the rule.

I think one of the biggest sins an author in any of the fantasy genres can make is assuming the reader won’t notice. After all, I believe readers enjoy reading this genre for the same reason I enjoy writing it – to escape into an alternative world the author has built. In the Soul Savers Series, I have built a unique world within our own, combining the familiar with the fantastical and adding in my own little twists and creations. Now…I better go check what I decided about the invisible purse rule before I write this next scene.

About the Author

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, with the first two books, Promise and Purpose, available now and the third book, Devotion, coming February 2012. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis, coming October 2011.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle.

Promise

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy…until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Purpose

Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself…but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

Krisite can be found at:

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.kristiecook.com/

Series Website: http://www.soulsaversseries.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

Tumbler: http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/kristiecook

Google+: https://plus.google.com/102746226001674797330/posts

Kristie's Books on Amazon

David Fingerman on Do's & Don'ts at Book Fairs

2011-08-26T00:00:00.004-04:00

Today I welcome David Fingerman, another author published by L&L Dreamspell. David offers some advice on ettiquette and selling tips for authors working a Bookfair.

Do's & Don'ts at the Book Fair

For a loner who shuns the public whenever possible, I guiltily admit that I enjoy participating in book fairs even though it's definitely out of my comfort zone. I'm forced to interact with the public, which I suppose is a good thing (especially if I want to sell any books). I have to compete with a myriad of authors, but at least don't have to worry about constantly being the center of attention (although, I do notice some authors strive for that). But for me, I can sit (and/or stand) for hours and observe people. I love observing.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of participating in the Northwoods Art Festival and Book Fair. It took place in Hackensack, MN, population a tad above 300. What's wrong with this picture? As it turned out ~ absolutely nothing. Always unpredictable, this year the weather couldn't have been better. Mostly sunny with the temperature in the 70s. The artists had it great. For us authors, weather wasn't a big deal because we were indoors (but had it been raining I'm sure that would've driven down the attendance). As it was, I think the entire town showed up, along with neighboring towns, and tourists. There were only about twenty or so of us authors, so – less competition.

Another plus was I got to observe the book fair as a whole while staying behind my table. Unlike the huge book fairs that cater to thousands of people, the atmosphere here was laid back and I could actually converse with people without having to raise my voice above the din. And like all book fairs, I got to observe a lot of do's and don'ts.

Setting up a nice table is key. Grab the reader's attention. Gimmicks are good. For my novel, "Spyder" I had little rub-on spider tattoos scattered around the book (kids love 'em and drag their parents to my table). Behind me, a woman who had a couple of adventure books about her pup, had a dog dish with candy and had set up other pet paraphernalia. Down the row another author had copies of her book stacked on the table and that was all. I have no idea if she made any sales, but I did notice people glance at her table and keep moving. As an author she also did nothing to attract them. She didn't engage them in conversation, and didn't even smile (at least that I saw).

That brings me to the author. First off, dress appropriate. Unless it's a theme fair, I suggest smart-casual. If you have the personality for it, maybe over-the-top might be a good ploy to get more attention. But a tee shirt, shorts, and flip-flops definitely sends a message of why should I care.

Don't leave your table unattended. Most book fairs have staff that will gladly sit in if you need a bathroom break. At the very least ask the author at the next table to keep an eye on your books. I noticed one table that sat vacant for over half-an-hour. I'm guessing that the author wanted to check out the art festival. But while he was out a number of people stopped, thumbed through his book, saw no one, then wandered to the next table.

Another don't, and this is a pisser. Don't try to drag a potential customer from another author to your table. I only saw this once a couple of years ago. While one author was chatting with a reader, the guy at the next table interrupted and started pimping his own book. It went beyond rude. I don't know if it was staff or the author, but someone said something and he only did it that once. Show your fellow authors respect!

I'd like to wrap up by talking a little about the mystery writer who sat across from me. While my sales were adequate, this woman raked up. She did everything right. It was obvious she had invested a lot of herself and a lot of money into her writing as a business. She radiated confidence, was outgoing, but not to the point of being obnoxious. It seemed to come natural for her (I hate people like that – mostly because I'm jealous). She dressed professional, her table was well set up, and her two novels had a number of award stickers plastered onto them. I had never heard of most of the awards, but they definitely caught my curiosity and suspicions.

When I got home I logged onto my computer and checked a few of them out. A couple of the contests the sticker said she was a finalist in had about a dozen finalists in just about every category imaginable. Whether it be true or false, I got the feeling that if you didn't win, at least you were a finalist. I also noticed that some of the contest entrance fees were quite expensive. One contest could cost up to $190. In other words, you're buying award stickers.

Yes, there are many good contests out there, just as there are many that I would question their legitimacy. As an author, I had to roll my eyes at buying an award sticker. But as an entrepreneur, I thought it was genius. This writer made a lot of sales because people want to read award winners. And who but other authors are actually going to check out contest awards?

So there you have it. I'm not going to go into the morals of buying award stickers. If you feel comfortable, and have the money – it works, I saw that firsthand. If it feels dishonest then don't do it – best to feel good about yourself. As for the rest of it, I think I can narrow it down to two words ~ be professional.

You can learn more about David at his website.

During the summer months when the sun is shining and birds singing, I'm perfectly content to sit in my office, with blinds drawn, typing away at my computer. My favorite day of the year is the first day I pull a flannel shirt out of the closet. After 24 years of working in the court system, I walked away to write full time. "Edging past Reality" is my first book of short stories. "Silent Kill" is my first novel, a suspense/thriller. My second novel, "Spyder" is more of an urban adventure. "Playing the Hand She's Dealt" a sequel to"Silent Kill" will be released soon.

B. K. Walker on Her Paranormal World

2011-08-22T00:00:00.004-04:00

Today, I welcome B. K. Walker to Immortyl Revolution. She is part of the Romancing the Darkside Tour. I'll be hosting several other authors as part of this series. There will be drawings to go with these posts. I've asked the authors to provide me with a little insight on how they build their paranormal worlds. So without further ado, here is B. K.!

Thank you so much Denise for having back at your blog. It's always a pleasure chatting with your readers. I'm having so much fun touring with these magnificent authors for Romancing Your Dark Side Tour. It's still early and already I've met some great people. Before we get started, I just want to let your readers know that by leaving a comment today and at any blog along this tour they will be entered into our grand prize drawing for a brand new Kindle and a Virtual Gift Basket full of goodies. You gain an entry for each blog you comment at, and you can find the entire schedule with a giveaway at each stop over at http://www.vbtcafe.com/.

Today's giveaway - 2 e-copies of Night Secrets, or readers choice of e-book from my backlist. Please leave a comment for B. K. in order to enter. Names will be chosen by random drawing. Commenters must post by midnight EDT Wed. 8/23/11. Please provide an email address where you may be contacted.

Creating My Paranormal World in an Everyday Setting

I love writing in the paranormal fiction genre. Not only can I create a world all of my own, but I can make things happen that you may not normally see. I can throw my characters in a modern day life, I can take them back in time, I can create magic that may never have even been heard of in our world. That's the greatness of writing in this type of genre. I can just let my imagination run wild.

What's the catch though? It must be believable. Even though I write about vampires, werewolves, witches, faeries, and whatever else I may throw into the mix, my characters, no matter what I'm writing, must be believable. If a reader can't connect, or imagine that character in it's description, then I'm not doing my job. Yes, you may see things in my vampires or werewolves that you see in other novels, but what separates my writing from the rest? It's the mix. Not too often do you see vampires, witches, werewolves, and/or faeries all in one story, and if you do, it's often for a brief scene. With my writing though, my make believe all work together, coincide together, live together. They may not always like each other, but they are all there in the forefront making the action happen. I've been told many times by readers that they've never seen such a diverse group of characters in their reading as what they've read in my books. The plus side, it works. It creates a world for readers that not only is believable, but that they want to read to find out more.

In Dares And Dreams, my main character, Lannie Spenser is a witch coming into her full powers when she turns 21. What she faces is also becoming half vampire, like her mother who is already a Vamp-Witch, in order to save herself and her coven from an evil vampire king that hunts her for those powers.

In Immortyl Kisses, Raine is hunted by a rogue vampire simply because she smells good. She's protected by a vampire and a werewolf, and she harbors feelings for both. Both vampire and werewolf must work together to keep her safe, and then in comes a witch giving them guidance as to what is to become and fights by their side as well.

Night Secrets, Keara Crosby is from a fey lineage, but shapeshifting is the power she develops fully. Meeting Channing, a werewolf, and Corbin a vampire, she is introduced to a world she only thought was make believe. As things start happening to her, she needs to find the answers. Only in her crazy Wiccan aunt will she find what she seeks and learn of a heritage that her late parents tried to protect her from. As you can see, once again I have quite the mix thrown into my storyline.

I like playing with all of the different folk lore. It's fun to research it, figure out how I can change it up, and create my own twist to the existing lore, if you will. My muse just loves creating these characters and the plots to go with them. We create some pretty intense action and most times a surprising twist that the reader just wasn't expecting. I love the element of surprise (*chuckling*).

BK Walker currently lives in Transylvania, (j/k Central Pennsylvania), with her three children, Brittney, Hunter and Danny, her dogs Rancid, Sadie and Haven, a cat named Whiskers and a goldfish named Fat Albert. She has always had a love for reading and writing, even as a child she created stories reading them to her stuffed animals. With a love for vampires and werewolves, you will not be disappointed with her writing as she mixes up the paranormal juice. Aside from writing, BK also supports Indie Authors organizing virtual book tours, helping them to market and promote their work. Her book review site, BWB Reviews, is just another small way she contributes to the reading world. With many stories floating around in her head, she writes when she gets the time between working as a Pediatric Home Care Nurse, being a single mother, and continuing her college education in Graphic Art Design. When she's not arguing with her muse, you will often find her at a baseball game with her boys or drinking iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts enjoying a good book.

Facebook Page

B. K. Walker Books Website

Keara Crosby had the perfect life. Her family was not hurting for anything. When her parents are suddenly killed, Keara must learn to live without them. After mourning their death for two months, Keara starts to live again. She follows her favorite band, hangs with her best friend Jared, and falls for the new kid on the block.

When her favorite band is playing at Night Secrets, a new club downtown, she takes her first outing since her parents death and finds this mysterious boy watching her. Mesmerized by his lapus blue eyes, she can't help but feel drawn to him. Her body responds to him in ways she never thought possible, and she needs to figure out why. What is it about Channing that has her yearning for his touch?

Not only is Keara drawn to Channing, but the owner of Night Secrets seems to be drawn to her. Giving her special treatment, she can't help but wonder what he's hiding, and the sense she's seen him before. When she's attacked in the parking lot, her world turns inside out, literally. Keara will soon learn that secrets of the night, just may be the death of her.

Night Secrets Excerpt

I almost made it to the kitchen when Aunt Aingeal

came running out of my room. She had an incense in her

hand and stopped in front of me fanning the smoke

around my body, chanting in Gaelic. I watched her in

amazement for a few moments, then I’d had enough.

“Aunt Aingeal please? I really would like to get a bite

to eat, and can’t even understand a word you are saying.

What is it with you?”

She paused her actions and looked at me. “Yer father

'as nev'r told ya. I should’ve figured as mooch. Child, I

be placin' prootection upon ya. Go git yer grub and we be

talkin'.” She sniffed the air around me. “I know of yer

accident, an' of tha' thing tha' brung ya 'ome. Ya put

yerself in too mooch danger all tha time. Now go. Go

eat, ya be lookn' like crap, an' th'n be comin' ta see me.”

I looked at her in disbelief. She turned and went to her

room. What the heck was that all about? She was such

a weird woman. What didn’t my father tell me? We’ve

always had a pretty open relationship. I did with both my

parents. I shook my head and headed for the kitchen. I

couldn’t wait to hear this one.

After I filled my stomach Jamison was already

questioning me. “Miss Keara, do you feel better now?”

“Yes Jamison. I am full and feel like a million bucks.

Thanks.”

“You look much better than when you first arrived

home.

Thank goodness you’re okay. I‘m glad you ate it all. It

will help you regain your strength.” He smiled.

“Let me ask you something Jamison.”

“Of course Miss Keara.” He stood at attention.

“Is there anything about my dad that I should know

about? Something I don’t know?”

Confusion was evident in his expression, yet I waited.

He pondered the question for a minute before he

answered. “I don’t believe so Miss Keara. Why are you

asking?”

I sipped my tea. “It’s something Aingeal said. She

said ‘Your father has not told you. I should have figured

as much. I just don’t know what she could mean.” I

absently took another sip of tea.

“I’m not sure Miss Keara. You know your father never

spoke of Aingeal much. She is a bit…..eccentric shall I

say?”

“That she is Jamison. That she is. Well, I must go talk

to her and find out. Thanks for the tea and soup Jamison.

You’re the best.” I kissed his cheek and headed to

Aingeal’s room.

From the hall I could smell her incense. The aroma

was strong, a mix of coconut and sage. What was with

her and her witchery? I just didn’t get it. I could hear her

chanting again as I tapped on her door. “Aunt Aingeal,

can I come in?”

The door opened, a fog of smoke rolling out into the

hallway. She peered around the door so just her head

was visible. Her long red hair was wrapped in a black,

silk scarf. Her ears had large silver hoops dangling from

them. A silver chain with some weird looking stone hung

from her neck. “Come in me child. Come in.”

This was the first time I’d ever been in her room since

she moved here. Looking around I couldn’t believe all the

things she had. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls,

and bottles of every shape and size, all different colors

sat upon them. There were old books on a shelf that sat

on the floor, they looked ancient.

“Sit down me child. We must talk.”

“What is the incense for?”

“Fer yer prootection child.” She pulled two chairs up to

a round glass table and motioned for me to sit. She

busied herself gathering a brass ball on a chain, some

crystals, and a book off the shelf. She walked over to the

other end of the room and grabbed a purple bottle that

looked fit for a genie.

“What are you doing Aunt Aingeal?”

“Shush, me child. I be tellin' ya once I’ve all I be

needin'.”

So I waited. Once she was done she came to sit in the

chair opposite me at the glass table. She spread all the

items out in front of us and opened her book. “Now.

Thar’s a lot fer ya ta be learnin‘. Yer father, bless 'is soul,

nev'r wanted ta believe nor carry on our heritage. He

thought it rubbish, but he was a fool.”

“What heritage? What are you talking about?”

“Listen me child, and I will be tell’n ya.”

“Okay.” I raised my hands in surrender.

“Our family comes from a long line of Celtics from

Ireland. Ya wer' n't born a Crosby, but yer true name is

Flannery.”

“What? Where did Crosby come from?” I knew we

were Irish with the flaming red hair we all had, but never

b. k. walker

Morgan St. James on How to Use Fate to Develop a Great Plot

2011-08-19T00:02:00.014-04:00

I'm pleased to welcome Morgan St. James to Immortyl Revolution. Morgan is the third L&L Dreamspell author in the feature I've been running.

HOW TO USE FATE TO DEVELOP A GREAT PLOT

Morgan St. James

Fate is one of those “tricks of the trade” that can work in any genre and produce heart-thumping terror, boundless joy, romance, hatred or any number of emotions. Some believe in it, like me, and others say it’s just something that happened. But think about its value when writing fiction.

When I conceived the idea for my Twist of Fate series, I decided that even if every book didn’t have the same protagonist, “fate” would be one of the main “characters.”

A chance passing of apparent strangers and the world turns upside down. What would have happened if two people who shape the chilling conclusion of a book each arrived at the fateful door a few minutes later or earlier? Nothing. Would they each have gone on their way without incident? Would they meet at some other time setting off the same firestorm? Using fate, it becomes the author’s choice.

A car hurtles around a dangerous blind curve and slams into an oncoming car traveling in the opposite direction. They crash and one driver’s life changes. A few minutes or even seconds earlier or later and they would have missed each other and continued on their route. I know—it happened to me in 1983. But for that accident many events and the directions my life took would have been radically different. For one thing, I probably wouldn’t have been writing advice columns for authors, a “how-to” book and mystery novels. I would have been designing model homes—that’s what I did.

When the author is plotting, all of the forks in the road must be considered. What events follow if a certain thing happens? What events follow if it doesn’t? This is the fun part where you as the author shape fate and more or less play “God.” You alone determine the protagonist’s life pattern.

Fate is a powerful tool. It allows the author to map the plot like a chess game, always looking ahead at the options. If Event A happens, it sets off a chain of events. If it doesn’t, life goes in another direction. At each milestone there are one or more choices that shape the story in the direction the author chooses.

Take this example: The robbery is carefully planned, everything is in place and has been checked and double-checked. It should go without a hitch. Then there is momentary electrical short, it sets off an alarm and it all goes wrong. Who could have anticipated that? It’s one of those moments. A great example of this is Donald Westlake’s “What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen?” where a chain of unanticipated mishaps resulted in a hilarious story. When asked how he plotted it, he said, "I bet...I bet if this had happened, then that wouldn't have happened; that sort of thing.” He claimed to have the same line of thought when writing “Somebody Owes Me Money.”

Fate is a very popular device in romances. How and why do the strangers meet? Take “Sleepless in Seattle.” It is filled with these moments and that’s what makes the story work.

There is a technique called bubbling where you start with a protagonist and/or event in the main bubble. Then take all of the offshoots. For each plot point draw a circle radiating off the main one and enter that action. Then for each of those draw four or five circles leading back to each event and think of an action that could be triggered. Continue as far down that path as you choose. Now take your protagonist on the fateful journey you have mapped. Happy writing!

A very big thanks to Morgan for her insight! You can find out more about Morgan and her books at her website and blogs.

http://www.morganstjames-author.com/

http://www.morgan-stjames.blogspot.com/

http://www.silversistersmysteries.com/

She's just launched the new Writers' Tricks of the Trade blog and monthly Newsletter, filled with tips, techniques, and experiences of myself and guest contributors in various facets of publishing. There is a Brag page for subscribers, conference listings, etc. The link for the Newsletter is in the right-hand column of http://writerstricksofthetrade.blogspot.com

Here is some information on Morgan's latest books:

Vanishing Act in Vegas

"Vanishing Act in Vegas," published by L&L Dreamspell, is the third book in the Silver Sisters Mysteries, was released this week in eBook, Kindle and paperback. The 4th book, "Diamonds in the Dumpster" is currently in work. The two previous books were "A Corpse in the Soup" (Best Mystery Audio Book 2007-USA Book News) and "Seven Deadly Samovars."

Join the zany sisters, Beverly Hills advice columnist Godiva Olivia DuBois, her twin sister--over the hill Alaska antique shop owner Goldie-- and their feisty 80 year old mother and uncle (former vaudeville magicians) as they try to solve the mystery surrounding Sin City's beautiful magician, Mara the Magnificent.

Filled with twists and turns, Vegas kitsch and a few backfires, this new Silver Sisters adventure is sure to delight.

Here is what reviewers are saying about the Silver Sister's Mysteries:

Morgan and Phyllice manage to incorporate just the right mix of tension and humor to keep it lively and interesting page after page. If you like the warm, friendly amateur detective mystery then this is one you should get. Sid Weaver, Reviewer and Wannabe Sleuth, www.mainlymysteries.com

Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner are as entertaining as Nick & Nora Charles or even better. If you like the late Anne George's Southern Sisters Series you'll love these two crime solving quirky characters who know how to create merry mischief and it's in their blood. Pamela James/Reviewer Mayhem & Magic website .

Writers Tricks of the Trade

"Writers Tricks of the Trade," published by Marina Publishing Group, was released over the past two weeks in eBook and Kindle-paperback will be available by the end of the month. Suitable for every fiction writer from novice to published. Here are a few of the blurbs:

"Regardless of genre, writing can be a mystery. In these 'Thirty-nine Steps' for aspiring scribes, Morgan St. James makes the conundrum far less daunting. Great, real-world, career-tested tips within these pages!" ~Megan Edwards, author of Roads from the Ashes: An Odyssey in Real Life on the Virtual Frontier

"Writers' Tricks of the Trade is one of those, rare books that you can read over and over. Read it through once, but keep it handy whenever you are blocked. You can open it to any page at random and find inspiration." ~John Brantingham, Professor of English, Mount San Antonio College, Walnut CA

Do Vampire Books and Movies Inspire People to be Psycho Killers?

2011-08-18T20:14:00.001-04:00

I've been reading some of the items about the "vampire" attack in Texas. The perpetrator, nineteen-year-old Lyle Monroe Bensley, is currently awaiting psychiatric evaluation in jail on burglary charges in Galveston, Texas for breaking into a woman's home and trying to "suck her blood.". From time to time, there have been "vampire attacks" in other places. I always find it interesting that when one mentally unstable or drug-induced individual acts out in this way, there is always a rush to pin the blame somewhere. Whether it's reading The Catcher in the Rye or doing away with prayer in school, something has to be "responsible" for the behavoir.

Could it be that this kind of act is just is a symptom of someone who has deep emotional problems, rather than the influence of entertainment featuring a creature that most of us understand to be mythical? I really have to laugh when spokespeople in the media point to "Twilight". If this pop culture phenom has a negative influence it's perhaps just the plethora of pre-teen girls wearing shirts that say, "I Love Boys that Sparkle". As someone who has loved vampire stories since I was a small child, I can't honestly say that watching Dark Shadows made me want to go our and suck people's blood. Okay, I'll admit to tying a towel around my neck and donning plastic fangs to scare my little brother.

There's a book called The Sorrows of Young Werther written by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and first published in 1774. In it, the hero commits suicide over an unrequited love. The novel inspired a rash of young men to run around Europe dressing and acting like Werther, the hero. There were even some "Werther" suicides. Did these young men commit suicide because of the novel or because they suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness? The sciences of psychology and psychiatry didn't exist in Goethe's time, so we'll probably never know. I think we can all agree that people who act in an extreme fashion are having serious issues of some kind.

So let's go on enjoying our monsters in books and movies, where they are safe. We should try to help identify mental illness in our children and help them before they do harmful things. There are real monsters out there who exploit and harm people. God knows, we've dealt a lot with monstrous human beings throughout the ages.

Creating Characters

2011-08-17T09:48:00.001-04:00

Creating Memorable Characters

I thought I might share some thoughts on creating characters. In writing My Fearful Symmetry, I had to stretch the creative muscles in bringing to life a character far outside of my personal experience. This is the kind of challenge that makes me tick as a writer. Writers are often told to stick to the familiar in creating characters. This is true in some senses and a good starting point for the new writer. However, speculative fiction is always stepping outside of the norm of experience. The author’s task is to build a believable world out of the alien, and this includes characters that are often vastly different than human beings.

The third book in my urban fantasy series is written from a different POV than the first two. The first books have an Italian-American female protagonist. She is a young actress in New York City. Her ethnicity and profession are somewhat similar to my background–but she was born in 1930 and becomes a vampire. Whoa, now the imagination must kick in. Then, out of nowhere, another character was born in my head and begged to step into the spotlight. He took me on a pretty wild ride.

I’m a heterosexual, American, all-too-human female, yet in this third book I write from the first-person POV of a bisexual, Scottish, vampire male. Is this too far out of my sphere of experience to write? Well, I don’t know any genuine vampires. That one is probably out of nearly everyone’s experience. Can an American truthfully render a person from another country? Do I, a female, have the right to get inside the male psyche? Does a straight person understand how a gay person feels?

The answer is yes. Every character written is part the author, part research and part pure imagination. I happen to think “typical” people don’t usually make for interesting characters. It is the extraordinary person that often becomes the hero or heroine of the book, even if he or she appears to lead a rather ordinary life. Jane Austen wrote about acerbic, critical Lizzie Bennett, not sweet, obedient Jane Bennett. Tolkien chose to write about the restless Frodo and Bilbo, not the peaceful Hobbit folk of the shire. The writer must find that person who for some reason stands out from the pack.

My training is in acting. The master acting teacher, Stanislavski, speaks of something called the “Magic If”. In other words, what would I do in if thrust into this character’s given circumstances? All people share common experiences and desires that allow us to empathize. Even if the writer is dealing with a fantastical creature like an elf, alien or an android, the character must be approached as a person with an internal conflict.

The trick in writing someone so “different” from oneself is to thoroughly think out what this character is all about. Stanislavski also said, “generality is the enemy of all art.” Make your character’s traits, likes and dislikes, and deeply held beliefs very specific. A character’s religion or lack of it tells a lot about that person. Give him or her a ruling passion or obsession, a family history and lots of emotional baggage. Everyone experiences these things.

First off, I create back-stories for all of my major characters. All of this is for my personal use and only bits will show up in a book. How the personal history impacts the character is the important thing. For example, I have a character in my series, Kurt Eisen, who as a teenager was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. He lost his entire family and did some unsavory things to survive. His vampire master ultimately gives him immortality. This all adds up to a heavy burden that Kurt carries with him for a half-century. It fills him with a sense of wanting to right wrongs and spurs him to fight injustice.

There a many good exercises for developing well-rounded characters. I tend to fall back on those I learned in acting and keep a character “notebook”. This is always fun for me. I ask myself all sorts of questions about my character, even if the information never ends up in the book. It helps to do a lot of research. I also look for images, art, mythology, poetry and music that relate to this character. These I keep in a file, along with my research notes. Research need not only come from books. For my last novel, I watched a several TV shows featuring British teenagers to get the slang and rhythm of the speech. I then had a British beta reader check my manuscript for accuracy. You may not want to keep a detailed character notebook on incidental characters, but they deserve to be given a thorough look to give them some interesting traits in a brief appearance.

There are some who feel what a character looks like isn’t important. Wrong. While long descriptive passages of narrative slow down a story, a hint of the physical appearance of a character and his garb can speak volumes about who he or she is. Mother Teresa didn’t dress or behave like Lady Gaga. The way other characters treat your heroine because of her appearance says a lot about character relationships and informs conflict. A beautiful person takes for granted advantages that a plain person would love to have. Conversely a beautiful person may feel his mind and abilities are unappreciated. These hints come out in dialogue or action. Instead of saying the hero is very tall, let him drop that information by having him looking down to talk with a friend. The way a villain speaks to a woman he desires will be very different than one he hardly notices.

Another important consideration to keep in mind is gender, sexuality and race. These come into play in a person’s development through both nature and nuture. We all experience the difference in how the sexes are socialized. There are differing views on how men and women are hard wired, but as a writer it’s important to remember that not every man or woman will behave in the expected way. Every character, like every person, is an individual. A person’s sexual and racial identity is very important in determining that person’s place in a culture. Sexual and racial minorities face daily conflicts that the majority doesn’t. Experience will affect how a person of a different race or sexuality responds to conflicts. Things a heterosexual person takes for granted, like holding hands with a lover in public, becomes a taboo in many places. How a minority is treated a given environment may highlight the prejudice of characters.

An interesting way to define your characters is to give them a “job”, even if they are creatures of fantasy realms. This can add a lot of texture to the story and uncover conflict. Say you’re writing historical fiction or fantasy. If your character is a servant or courtesan in the royal court, it gives him or her a different perspective than the king’s closest advisor or a general of his army.

One final point I’d like to touch on is the character’s flaws and weaknesses. Don’t be afraid of a few warts. A character can be sympathetic and yet sometimes behave cruelly or like a complete ass. He or she can show poor judgment at times. Nobody is perfect. Don’t forget odd quirks and pet peeves. Remember that you want to show your character’s growth. I had a writing group member read an isolated, early chapter in my third book. She commented that she hated the hero for acting stupid and immature toward a woman who was teaching him. Well, in the chapter she’d read, this nineteen-year-old boy was acting like a spoiled brat. He was definitely cruising for a bruising. I took the reader’s comment and amended the chapter to show the teacher dealing the boy a well-deserved comeuppance. However, this group member hadn’t read an earlier chapter where we see the hero suffering through a low point in his life. He garners sympathy in the previous chapters through his struggles. There is a learning curve where the character faces obstacles and starts to care about the plight of others around him. The young man with a mission at the end of the book is very different than the vain, selfish boy in that early chapter.

In a story, the journey is the thing. Getting there is all the fun.

I Talk vampire Tantra today with the Tart.

2011-08-16T09:57:00.001-04:00

Whew! Exhausting alliteration. Stop by to read my interview by Hart the Tart at her blog Confessions of a Watery Tart. I talk a lot about the research and world building I did for this book.

National Left Hander's Day

2011-08-13T17:03:00.000-04:00

It's time to celebrate the sinister! I'm left handed, and I was intrigued to find I was in interesting company. Add any of your favorite left-handers to the comments!

Four of the past five US Presidents:

Ronald Reagan

George H.W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Barack Obama

Others of Note:

Joan of Arc

Roman Emperor Tiberius

Alexander the Great

Charlemagne

Julius Caesar

Queen Victoria

Prince Charles

Prince William

Fidel Castro

David Letterman

Ron Reagan Jr.

Lenny Bruce

Joel Hodgson

Jack the Ripper

John Dillenger

H. G. Wells

Lewis Carroll

Kurt Cobain

David Byrne

Judy Garland

Jimi Hendrix

Paul Simon

Johnny Rotten

Michelangelo

Raphael

(Not the Ninja Turtles)

George Burns

Charlie Chaplin

This Author is actually writing with her left hand and upside down to boot! How many of you lefties write upside down?

J. D. Webb Advises Writers to Never Give Up

2011-08-12T00:03:00.009-04:00

Today, I welcome mystery author J. D. Webb to Immortyl Revolution. He is another L&L Dreamspell author and he has some wonderful advice on why perseverance is important to an author.

Never Give Up

I’m often asked why I write. Most authors will tell you it’s because it’s in our blood. That’s basically true, but I have another reason. I love telling stories, jokes, antidotes, and little known facts. Some would say it’s to be the center of attention, but I believe it’s a desire to be liked. Come to think of it, that is one of Facebook’s appeals. To have everyone LIKE you.

Early on I observed that storytellers were popular. In high school I was terribly shy. My friends have commenced to guffaw, I’m sure. I was shy though. I took to basketball, although at five foot seven, basketball didn’t take to me. And carrying newspapers to make money negated after school activities. So I doodled and wrote in my spare time. I began to collect and tell jokes and at times concoct stories to become more likable.

I’d been thrown into a creative writing class in high school as punishment for some of my mischief and that opened my eyes. I could put my stories on paper. It was tedious. I couldn’t type worth a lick. Rewriting was torture and I couldn’t always decipher my handwriting. Most of my authoring at that time was humorous and my teacher’s only interest seemed to be forcing us into literary works, looking for the next Shakespeare. Early grades ranged in the Cs and Ds category.

Then, much to my teacher’s surprise, a short story of mine won third place in our city-wide short story contest. My grades improved to As and Bs. The story recounted a conversation I had with my younger brother who wanted to hear the fairy tale Cinderella. But he kept asking questions. What’s Cinderella’s last name? And what’s her fairy godmother’s name? Soon my story titled Cinderella Jones was born. And so was my writing career.

Some forty-seven years later my first book became a published novel. At age sixty-five I finally became an author. The point to this blog is to offer my philosophy in life. Never give up. Keep plugging. A goal dreamed can be achieved. But don’t make your goals overwhelming. Start small and then readjust.

Upon retirement I dove into writing full time. All the years of making up stories came to life and I now have four books in print and available electronically. My single goal was to merely finish a novel. No lofty New York Times Bestseller List placement. Just, could I actually finish a novel? Once I found that I could I haven’t stopped. My goal is still to finish the next one.

My latest book, Smudge, recounts the story of Trish Morgan. A paralegal seemingly stuck in a nowhere job with a husband whose mental abuse is escalating. One night she wipes a smudge off her ATM screen and it’s blood. Then she hears a moan coming from the alley next to the bank. Should she investigate? She does and her nightmare begins. Dreamspell has honored me by publishing Trish’s story. Also, soon a short story of mine called The Drifter will be included in a Dreamspell Anthology, Revenge II.

I’m well into my next story titled Gulf Terror. What if the Gulf oil disaster was a terrorist attack by two suicide bombers? And what if one of them survives and lands in Louisiana to cause more grief? Two Homeland Security agents are on his trail trying to prevent another 9/11. I can’t wait to find out what happens.

Never give up.

J. D. Webb 2011

I'd like to thank J. D. for his wonderful post and being my guest today. Below is some more information on him and his books.

J. D. Webb's website: http://www.jdwebb.com/

Shepherd's Pie (Golden Wings Award Winner)

Moon Over Chicago (2008 Eppie finalist)

Her Name Is Mommy (Now Available)

Smudge available now at http://www.lldreamspell.com/

Stuck In Valhalla (available at Sniplits)

J. D. (Dave) Webb resides in Illinois with his wife of 40 years and their toy poodle, Ginger, losing all family votes 2 to 1. Dave served in the Security Service of the Air Force as a Chinese linguist and weather analyst in Viet Nam and the Philippines prior to spending 25 years in corporate management. A company purge promoted him to cobbler and he owned a shoe repair and sales shop for 11 years. During these careers he wrote short stories and suppressed an urge to write a novel. After making a conscious decision to live at the poverty level, those novels began forcing their way out.

Becoming a full time author in 2002, Dave has garnered several awards. A short story called The Key to Christmas placed third in the 2006 La Belle Lettre literary contest. His first novel Shepherd’s Pie won a publisher’s Golden Wings Award for excellence in writing. His second novel Moon Over Chicago was a top ten finisher in the 2008 Preditors and Editors Poll in the mystery category and was a finalist in the prestigious 2008 Eppie awards by the Electronic Publishing Internet Connection. He is also the Owner and Moderator of the Publishing and Promoting Yahoo group with almost 900 international members.

His L&L Dreamspell Books and Anthologies:

Smudge

Dreamspell Revenge 2 - Mystery/Suspense Anthology - Featuring "The Drifter" by J.D. Webb

Travis McBee talks about Bridgeworld

2011-08-09T03:01:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Travis McBee! I had the pleasure of meeting Travis at Fandom Fest a few weeks ago. He was launching Bridgeworld, and I found what he to say about the book very interesting. Especially since the book is YA science fiction. Please read on to see what Travis has to say.

DV: Travis, toward what age group is your work geared?

TM: Bridgeworld was written for young adults but it has enough mature topics and hidden humor in it to amuse adults as well.

DV: Into which genre would you say your work falls and why?

TM: My work fits very cleanly into the Science Fiction genre based on its setting alone. It also comprises elements of a Coming of Age novel as the main character tries to find out who he really is.

DV: Fantasy and science fiction create a new world for the reader. Tell us about the world you’ve built.

TM: Bridgeworld consists of two worlds, one is our own and one that exists in space. The world I constructed is as complex and different from ours as I could manage. I hae an entire spiral notebook full of notes to keep things straight. Everything from the food to polite behavior is different. In this new world there are new sports, hobbies, and bracelets that identify your relationship status. One of the favorite pastimes in Bridgeworld is known as ‘ticking’, or messing with Earthlings.

DV: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

TM: My favorite character would have to be Abby. She is a very carefree person who enjoys the little things in life and would be enthralled in the things we would think of as mundane, such as a cheeseburger or a cell phone. Every time I was writing a scene with her in it I would find myself smiling.

DV: What other writers would you say have influenced your work and why? What are some of your favorite books in your genre?

TM: I’m influenced by everything around me. The idea for Bridgeworld came as I was sitting on my couch watching some cheesy movie. I remembered a book I had read eight or more years ago called The Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman. That book was about a a group of teenagers who discovers that their whole town are really aliens. I wondered what it would be like for just one boy to learn that his life wasn’t what he thought. Besides that book, Enders Game influenced me tremendously, helping to contribute to the zero-gravity game of zegma.

DV: What is your writing process like? Do you do a lot of background research? Do you plot every detail or do you prefer the characters to move the story in new directions, or a combination of both? Do you belong to a critique group and do you find this helpful?

TM: I write like I go to war. I spend days with a composition book or spiral notebook taking relentless notes. I plan out most of the novel but only in a vague sense. The planning is so that I will eventually get to where I want to go but I usually find myself making wholesale changes while I actually write. I usually have an idea about what the characters will be like but they surprise me a lot of times and morph into something I didn’t foresee. To me writing a book is a lot like going on a road trip; I know where I’m going. I know the basic route I’m going to take, but there are always tons of surprises along the way.

DV: Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?

TM: I have started perhaps half a dozen novels. The reason that I finished Bridgeworld is simple, I was prepared. Start a notebook, make sure you know where you want to end up. If you just go at it most of the time you’ll wander around and get bogged down, disheartened, and quit. The most important thing, though, is perseverance. Writing is fun, any author will tell you that, but it can also get boring. I create stories much faster than I can write and many times I feel myself thinking about a new story and yearn to start writing it. I did this several times and that is why I have so many unfinished novels. Finish what you start, it will be worth it.

DV: Who is your publisher, and where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?

TM: I am published by Hydra Publications. My books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and most online retailers. An E-book will be available soon from Smashwords as well as Amazon. Paperbacks are available now.

DV: What is your website and/or blog where readers can learn more? Can they friend you on facebook or other sites?

TM: There is a Bridgeworld fan page on Facebook and there is more information at my publisher’s website http://www.hydrapublications.com/

DV: Are there any upcoming signings or appearances you’d like to mention?

TM:I don’t have any signings schedule soon but if anyone would like me to make an appearance you can contact me through my facebook page and I will see if I can manage to do it.

Travis, thanks for joining me today! You can follow Travis at his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bridgeworld/172798309452043

Guest Blog on Creating Memorable Characters today at Dames of Dialogue

2011-08-08T20:27:00.000-04:00

Stop by and visit Dames of Dialogue to read my post on Creating Memorable Characters. Dames of Dialogue

Frances Pauli on Speculative Romance

2011-08-06T00:16:00.000-04:00

Please welcome Frances Pauli!

Frances is kicking off a new feature on my blog that features authors who have books or stories published by L&L Dreamspell, my publisher. Frances has a story, Forbidden, featured in the anthology, Dreamspell Fangs Volume 1. She is a multi-published author of speculative fiction.

Romantic Speculation

I’ve always considered myself a die-hard speculative fiction fan. Of course, I’m old enough that we just called it Sci-fi and Fantasy, and it was all lumped neatly onto one shelf. Still, I remained loyal to that shelf, and I devoured the books there. I also enjoyed related movies, comics, and television series in science fiction universes.

I never would have admitted that it was the romance I was watching for.

Don’t get me wrong, I prefer an alien setting, a far distant future and a great deal of ship to ship battle around my romance. But while the genre was what got my attention, in fact, it was the romantic sub-plots that kept me watching. I was Specrom before it even had a name.

I’ve confessed before that I thought the whole point of the Star Wars trilogy was to see who Lea ended up with. The battle between rebels and empire played a lovely background symphony, but really, I mean who was she going to pick? I only recently even noticed Stormtroopers, and let me tell you, it’s not for their military applications.

My love affair with Star Trek has similar fatal romantic flaws. I watched relationships. The space part rocked, don’t get me wrong. But as a fan, it never was my focus. I rifle through my favorites in my mind, Alien Nation, Babylon 5, Firefly, and I come out a romance fan every time. Correction--a science fiction romance fan.

I’m so glad they have that now.

Except, really, we always did. We had authors that you knew would give you a good dose of fluttering heartbeats along with your aliens. Actually, we had a lot of them. Even the male authors tended to provide a good, solid romantic plot along with the primary conflict. It was equal opportunity science fiction, something for everyone.

Still, I’m a very happy woman today as well. Today, we have the cross-genre explosion. Today, romance comes in every flavor of the rainbow. (And some new, completely made-up flavors too) And in keeping with tradition, I can still find that flutter in places on the strictly sci-fi shelf too. I know how to look for it. I’ve had years of practice. But, depending on my mood, I can go for the Science Fiction Romance section, where the stress is on the heaving, or I can find my gems on the Science Fiction and Fantasy shelf for a slightly subtler dose.

It’s a pretty good world to live in and even better to write in. I have a tendency to write like I read, across the spectrum. Sometimes I find stories at my fingertips that barely straddle that line, and sometimes they race off toward the Romance shelf. Very rarely, they only whisper of romance. No matter what, though, they are all speculative. They have aliens…or elves. Maybe that’s a statement in itself. Maybe all the time, I was a science fiction and fantasy fan after all.

Maybe the romance drew me, and the spaceships, the magic, the stormtroopers were what held me. And then I think, maybe it doesn’t matter. A good story, after all, is a blend of all good things.

Thank you so much for having me visit.

Thanks for being my guest! Here is some more information on Frances and her books:

Frances Pauli writes Speculative fiction with romantic tendencies. Her

Changeling Race urban fantasy trilogy is available through Mundania

Press LLC, and her science fiction romance series, Shift Happens can

be found there as well. She also writes SpecRom novellas for Devine

Destinies and has self published the first book in her Space Opera

series, Space Slugs. More info on Frances and her writing can be found

at: http://francespauli.com/

Frances' Fan Page on Facebook

Bertena Varney's The Lure of the Vampire /ebook Giveaway

2011-08-04T02:59:00.000-04:00

A very big welcome to Bertena Varney!

Bertena has written a fascinating non-fiction book about the iconic figure of the vampire. I was thrilled when she asked me to contribute an essay to the work. You'll get to read an excerpt of it later in this post. Bertena is giving a PDF ebook away to one lucky commenter. Entry details are at the end of this post.

Hi everyone. Lure of the Vampire is my first book and has been an interesting project in the making. It began as my final master's paper and grew into a study of vampires from mythology, history, literature, movies, recreation, and much more.

I found that there was not a lot of research in one place that dealt with all aspects of vampires.. or at least not one that covered all aspects from beginning to current lifestylers. So, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to create a quick reference guide for vampire fans, writers, and students.

I began the book with essays that came from my paper and then added more research facts, lists and websites. I then looked to several friends of mine who were vampire authors but each from a different genre. For example Elizabeth Loraine writes young adult literature, David Blue MacDowell wrote the Annotated Carmilla, etc. These are just a few, but the vampire author who I felt that the reader would enjoy to read as much as the author would enjoy writing it. So, I chose Denise Verrico to submit an essay dealing with the mythology of vampires.. a subject that she loves so much.

Here is the excerpt:

Since our early history, people have understood that if a human being lost a great deal of blood he or she would die. It’s not surprising that similar myths of blood-drinking monsters arose all over the globe. Usually these stories were connected with sudden or early death of a person. Almost every culture has some sort of vampire myth. Some of them are very colorful. In some legends they are portrayed as seductive men or women, while in others they are bloated corpses. In Malaysian stories they can sparkle ala Twilight. The ancient Assyrians believed in ekimmu, emaciated creatures that drank the blood of people about to die. Chinese vampires or jiangshi hop to get around and feed on a person’s “life force.” Russian vampires were said to be witches who rebelled against the church, while the ancient Greeks believed in the lamiae, female demons that drained the life force of males.

However, it is the folkloric tradition of Eastern Europe that has inspired many of the legends we associate with vampires. In Slavic culture, belief in spirits both good and evil abounded. Demons in either human or animal form were said to feed on the blood of livestock and human beings. Vampires were purported to be the resurrected dead, pale of complexion with long fingernails and elongated teeth that sometimes had only one nostril. They preyed upon their own families and haunted their villages. These were bloated, mindless creatures, more similar to today’s movie zombies than the dashing gentlemen of popular culture.

Differing stories surrounded the creation of vampires. The idea of a vampire simply biting a victim and that person becoming a vampire or some sort of blood exchange taking place between a vampire and the chosen human is a more modern development. In some of the older myths, it is said that if one was destined for vampirism if illegitimate or the seventh son of a seventh son. Death in childbirth or a cat or dog jumping over a corpse could also result in a vampire. Heresy, committing suicide, or engaging in immoral behavior was also said to cause vampirism.

According to myth, destruction of a vampire could be accomplished by differing means. In some places, a bullet was shot into the coffin of a suspected vampire or its clothing nailed in place to prevent it from moving. Staking was not to kill the vampire but to immobilize the creature so it can be decapitated. This could be done with everything from a hatpin to the more commonly known wooden stake, and it was usually done in the abdomen not the heart. Burning of a suspected corpse was another method of destruction.

Many of these legends of Eastern Europe, along with the stories surrounding of the real life Vlad Tepes, inspired Bram Stoker to write the most famous vampire tale of all time, Dracula. Vlad Dracul (son of the dragon), or Vlad the Impaler, was a 15th century Wallachian prince. As a boy of eleven, the Ottoman Turks took him hostage along with his brother, Radu the Handsome. It is probable that during his captivity at the Ottoman court Vlad suffered sexual abuse. This may have caused him to develop his deep hatred for his former captors. When his brother converted to Islam and went on to serve the Sultan this served to intensify his hatred. These factors may well have also inspired him to invent a particularly ghoulish way of dealing with his enemies.

Denise's essay is just a taste of what Lure of the Vampire offers. If you love movies, television, or literature then the lists and websites will provide you with so many resources that you can spend days learning more about the vampire in pop culture.

The essays discuss topics such as vampire romance, teens and the use of the vampire as a learning how to be a teen, Dracula movies, Carmilla, and even how vampries are used in religion.

There are ten sections of the book that also provides a very generous bibliography. But, the end of the book deals with the people who consider themselves real life vampires. There are interviews that are very telling and personal accounts of both a vampire magician as well as the New England Council of Vampires.

Lure of the Vampire is a unique and very different book with a unique spin on how it is written. This is just not a project of one but a project of many. It's a book tht helps you choose the vampire that you could love forever.

Lure of the Vampire contains essays from authors: Denise Verrico - David MacDowell Blue - Charles E. Butler - C.J. Ellisson – BittenTwice – Elizabeth Loraine

Interviews with: Vampiric Council of New England, Vlad the Gothic Vampire Magician , Audrey Koogler, Vampire Priestess , and Hugo Pecos, creator of The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency

About the Author:

Bertena Varney is from Winchester, KY and currently resides in Bowling Green, KY. She attended Morehead State University where she received the following degrees:

- B.A. in Social Science and Education - M.A. in Social Science and Education

- M.A. in Sociology and Criminology - Rank 2 Secondary Education Certification

While in college She used all of her extra essays, projects and independent study classes to study vampires in pop culture….thus the creation of Lure of the Vampire.

She has been employed as a middle and high school as well as college instructor. Here past employers include Morehead State University She has been employed Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University and National College and will be lecturing at Bowling Green Community College in the fall.

Currently she is planning her lecture tour schedule. In the past she has presented papers at conference such as Sirens in Vail, Colorado and The Harry Potter Witching Hour in Salem, Mass. Currently she is scheduled for ScareFest, Dance on the Dark Side and A Day of Mystical Blood Lust.

She is also planning to begin a vampirology course based upon her studies of vampires in pop culture.

Paperback Link

Find Bertena on the web:

Facebook- http://on.fb.me/g8C0Zr

Her writing website is http://www.bertenavarney.com/

Her vampire research website http://searchforthelure.webs.com/

Twitter@tenavarney

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4837666.Bertena_Varney

To sign up for her newsletter go here. http://eepurl.com/exZYQ

Book Trailer- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPMyiYjS6Y0

Kindle Link

Contest Details

To enter, become a follower of this blog (if you already follow here that is fine), and Bertena's website, www.bertenavarney.com, tweet this article and leave a comment here that you did so. Winner will be chosen by random drawing. The contest will run until Saturday, 8/6/11 at Noon EDT. The winner will be announced here on Saturday and contacted by email, so please make sure your email address is included. Good Luck!

Info on Bertena's Book:

Lure of the Vampire: A Pop Culture Reference Book of Lists, Websites and Very Personal Essays

By Bertena Varney, M.A.

Paperback: 176 pages

Also available as an ebook

Publisher: Search for the Lure

Published: June 22, 2011

ISBN-10: 0615501567

ISBN-13: 978-0615501567

Lure of the Vampire contains essays from authors: Denise Verrico - David MacDowell Blue - Charles E. Butler - C.J. Ellisson – BittenTwice – Elizabeth Loraine

Interviews with: Vampiric Council of New England, Vlad the Gothic Vampire Magician , Audrey Koogler, Vampire Priestess , and Hugo Pecos, creator of The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency

Linell Jeppsen on The Hunt!

2011-08-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

The Hunt

A blog on the history of vampires

In the earliest days of man, when the saber toothed tiger stalked its prey, another predator came into being. This creature was two-legged, and walked upright, but could also fly, having bat like wings that stretched above it at a span of twelve feet, or more.

So starts The Hunt, by Linell Jeppsen. Although The Hunt takes place now, in the high woods of Washington State, everything that drives the plot line has its origins in ancient history.

Think of the giant Pterodactyl…The vampires in my novel are quite large, standing 6’5 to 8 ft. tall. They are strong and physically perfect. They also have gigantic leathery wings, which match their hair color and skin tone.

Raul, David and Lael are among the “Old Ones.” David is gorgeous, with long golden brown hair and fierce eyes like an eagle. His sister, Lael is very pale, with dark red hair and eyes as blue and shiny as sapphires.

Even Raul, the villain of this story, is beautiful, with long blond hair that he keeps in dread-locks that fall past his knees and mesmerizing, black eyes.

In the late 1600’s, a new vampire comes into being, the first of his kind. Because the vampire, like the dinosaur, is becoming extinct, David and Lael risk the wrath of the high vampire council, and create a vampire through the changing of blood. It is uncertain, at first, whether the old ones will allow Raphael to live; after all, humans are considered to be nothing more than feed-stock to the vampire.

Finally however, the elders of the council acknowledge that something must be done to save the vampire race from extinction. Now, with the advent of modern man and technology, the only thing that stands between humanity and the annihilation of the vampire race is the half-human king of the high council, Raphael Goldhawk.

The Hunt, slips back and forth from ancient times to present day and culminates in an epic show down between good and evil, love and hate. You will see how Raul has become psychotic and is consumed with hatred and revenge. You will learn why Holly Jensen is about to become a pawn in an ancient war, and in a love affair as old as time itself.

Although these vampires don’t sparkle, or live in graveyards, or indulge in teen-age angst, they are filled with magic. They can turn into animals, and teleport…they can disguise their wings and walk amongst mankind. They are ancient, powerful beings…the very top of the Earth’s food chain and will do anything to survive as a species.

This is dark, adult fantasy. These vampires are beautiful and deadly…they won’t make you swoon, but gasp, and run away in fear. The humans in this tale are brave, terrified, vulnerable and strong. They are you and me. They are the prey, in a hunt as old as time.

Grab your camping gear and hunting license…it’s time for THE HUNT!

Synopsis of The Hunt

A ragged band of vampires are cutting a bloody band of destruction from Alaska to Washington State! As frost turns the leaves gold and paints the high mountain treetops silver, hundreds of hunters arrive in Swan Valley for their annual deer hunt. What they don't know is an outcast band of vampires have arrived as well.

Raphael Goldhawk, king of the high vampire council, has decreed the taking of human life unlawful. Raul Stannard, an ancient enemy of the half-human king, is determined to overthrow the council, even if it means the exposure and eventual annihilation of the vampire race.

Four people, a Ferry County forest ranger (Roger Atley), an Indian spirit-walker (Harley Truefeather), and a young married couple (Brian and Holly Jensen), are about to be caught up in an ancient power struggle, and in a love affair as old as time itself.

This novel combines ancient history with modern times, in an epic show-down between good and evil, love and hate. Grab your camping gear and hold on tight! It's time for The Hunt!

About the Author

Linell Jeppsen is a retired grocery store checker and high school custodian. She has been writing her entire life, but was recently chosen by Phyllis Scott Publishing for her novel, The Hunt.

She had previously won third place in a science fiction short story contest for The Gag Gift which is featured in Mixed Blessing and other Short Stories and The Last Astronaut.

She is now hard at work on her second novel titled Story Time. It is a science-fiction, post-apocalyptic novel, which is due to be released this fall.

For more information about Linell and her work please visit

• http://www.linelljeppsen.com/

• http://www.amazon.com/

• http://www.facebook.com/

• http://www.goodreads.com/

Latest blog tour stop with Krystal Larson.

2011-08-01T20:31:00.001-04:00

Live To Read: Guest Post with Denise Verrico and Giveaway

Goodreads Winner

2011-07-31T12:02:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Dawn Coo, who won the My Fearful Symmetry giveaway on Goodreads!

Goodreads Giveaway on three days left!

2011-07-27T10:19:00.000-04:00

If you haven't entered my giveaway on Goodreads the link is the sidebar. You can win a free copy of My Fearful Symmetry.