Shiloh Darke's Blog, page 2

Lexi-Con 2013

This past weekend, I went to my very first Writers Conference, in Denton, Tx. with my publishers, Gypsy Shadow P. I missed the first night of it because I just couldn’t get away from my serious job any earlier.

That said. . . It was so much fun! I got to meet alot of awesome people and hear all kinds of really good ideas about storytelling and such. I didn’t want it to end and I am definitely going to the entire thing next year! I missed a few lectures I really wanted to attend. But, there were several I did get to listen to which were great. Bill Wetterman’s lecture was one of the best I was lucky enough to be at. He had some fantastic advice about how to keep from getting writers block, and how to deal with characters that resist what you, the writer want to do witth them.

To those with no clue; It is the truth. Many times, a character likes to take over our stories and we as the writers are dragged along for one hell of a bumpy ride. I’m not sure I can pull off what he suggested by putting my foot down with such characters, but the advice was still sound!

Dave Lieber, who was the keynote speaker …. WOW! Talk about an entertaining storyteller! I only wish I could tell a story half as well. Anyway. . . I had such an amazing time and I really do hope to go next year as well.

 

 

Working on the Second Celestial Abductions story

Well, this is turning out to be a bit of a grueling thing… I know what I want to happen in this story… I already have these three short stories mapped out, honestly… But, crazy thing is, I can’t seem to get focused. I keep trying to consider what am I missing in making this story better than the first?

I am not turning any of these stories into a novel. They are meant to be shorts. Nothing that steals away your time, but instead a nice, luxurious, yet simple read, maybe while sitting in front of a fire, sipping on a latte, or relaxing in bed. I just need to stop, relax, and focus on the story the characters are trying to tell me.

I know I shouldn’t be. But I am a review mongrel. I thrive on reading what the audience thinks. The reviews on the first of this series have been hard. Many like the story. Most don’t like how short it is. Some even feel the money they spent was wasted because of the story being short. I don’t want to go over 60 pages on any of these stories… They aren’t meant to be. They’re actually setting the scene for something bigger. Just as my Beauty Stone Beast series has… (OOPS! I didn’t just give away a secret, did I?)

Anyway, to those of you who have read Sparrow’s Release, and liked it… I thank you. For those of you who were disappointed, I am sorry. I don’t decide the sales price when the books go up. My publishers go by the suggested pricing bracket and for what it’s worth, I think that is fair. They may not take me forever to write and finish once I get started. But the time I spend working on the overall idea might surprise you. Then, there are the edits… And don’t forget we have to pay a portion of each sale out to the company hosting the story. We don’t just put up our stories on Amazon, and reap the rewards freely.

I don’t want people to be unhappy with my work. I just want to write and share the fantasies that run around in my head. Where they go when I start writing, well… that’s anyone’s guess. Some stories try to turn into EPIC novels… Others turn out to just be short and sweet. My only true goal is to entertain and maybe brighten the day of anyone looking for a fictional fantasy escape.

 

Why are people so Brutal?

I read an article just a bit ago about 30 elephants slaughtered for their tusks in Chad, Africa. They gathered up and killed the babies first. Then when the parents cameto try to help their children, the bastards killed them all for their tusks. Really? For the Ivory? I mean, good grief!

Is no life sacred anymore? Stupid question, I guess. I mean, if they don’t hardly blink an eye at any OTHER animal and feel no regret on killing children, then why the hell would they care about elephants? It just breaks my heart. This is the world I’m stuck in. I wonder sometimes if people just don’t have souls anymore. Because I cannot fathom how humans can do all the terrible things they do if they have one. If it upsets me this bad, how is it the people that did it can live with themselves?

Why? I know that not everyone cares about all the miraculous creatures on this earth, but I do! And I feel so helpless when I hear about these things. Sure, I can sign petitions. I can write on my blogs. I can rant and rave and bitch about all the jackasses of the world, but the truth is, UNTIL MORE OF US CARE… Nothing will change.

I am posting this on my other blog too… so if you see multiples of this post, that’s why. Sorry, nothing uplifting to say today. I’m too angry and I feel too helpless.

ROFLMAO!He has time? RT @zak_bagans: Yes “@xxcudagirlllxx...

ROFLMAO!He has time? RT @zak_bagans: Yes “@xxcudagirlllxx: Do you have to be hand selected by the gods for @zak_bagans to tweet you or”

— ShilohDarke(@ShilohDarke) March 10, 2013

do you think the presence there was just a ghost, or some...

do you think the presence there was just a ghost, or something demonic? just asking…..RT @aarongoodwin: Cant stop thinking

— ShilohDarke(@ShilohDarke) February 23, 2013

Okay, I gotta ask… as a reader of Paranormal Romance, wha...

Okay, I gotta ask… as a reader of Paranormal Romance, what would you prefer? Vampire, Alien, Shapeshifter or Ghost? I like em all….

— ShilohDarke(@ShilohDarke) February 22, 2013

Bad Reviews not Really too Bad…

I am wanting to send out thanks for the reviews I have on Amazon for the first in a new teaser series I have out; Sparrow’s Release. I do appreciate these reviews as even though they are not perfectly shining, none of them discredited the story itself.

The reviews aren’t GOLDEN, mind you. Actually, they average out at about 3 stars. But the funny thing about these reviews is the complaining is NOT about the content of the story, or the writing, not even issues with grammar. Actually, many of them remark that the story itself is good. No… the low ratings stem from feeling the story is too short, or priced too high to be so short.

What strikes me as odd in all this is, I have NOVELS out, which are well over 70,000 words. But most people on Amazon don’t even bother to leave reviews for them, even though my stats say people are buying them. So, I’m a little perplexed. If you will spend the $6.00 for the full Novel, but not take the time to review said book, why do you spend the time to come back and review something that cost you $4.00 and took not even a third of the time to read?

I put the teaser stories out because I believe it is a good way to acquaint a reader to my style of writing. The length of the story is not kept a secret that you only find out AFTER you pay. If you read the shorter stories, and you like the way I wrote them, then perhaps you will take the risk on one of my longer stories. If you would like examples of my writing without having to pay, please feel free to follow my blog. I try to post chapters here and there of my larger stories. I LOVE to get the feedback. I invite anyone and everyone to follow my blog. Read about ALL my characters and discover what’s new in their lives.

 

Excerpt from Eternal Night — How it ALL Began

Prologue

Before the Eternals

The explosions were gaining on them. Muse ran as if the hounds of hell were upon her. Her brother followed closely behind, hurriedly urging her to go even faster. “You must keep running, sister. We are almost to the transference chamber.”

She did her best to comply, frustrated to not be able to shift. “If I could turn, I could move us both much faster.” Her owl form would easily cover the distance to the hidden chamber beneath the caverns of their home world, Rohestia, in half the time it was taking them to run on their human legs.

Their planet was small and basically defenseless from the intruders from the farthest star. Already, the inhabitants of their community, including their parents and siblings had been taken. Soon, their people would be put to work on the silver planet; home to the Demonion species.

The Demonion’s were a race of thick scaly skinned monsters, with long curvy horns which sprouted from their heads. They were said to be the true sons of Lucifer. Because Lucifer had no daughters, they raided the smaller, weaker planets of their galaxy and took the females to mate with and the males to use as slaves. This was not the first time they had attacked the people of Rohestia. Many times before over the past centuries, they had annihilated other cities and towns of the Rohestian world, taking the people young enough to suit. The elderly they simply killed.

Muse and Tenaryn had been ordered to hide, then once night fell, make their way to the Transferance chamber, where they could escape to the Galaxy that housed the world, Gaia. Gaia was a sister planet that had not been discovered by the Demonions as of yet.

Just as they reached the chamber, the battle cry of their enemy let them know they had not escaped yet. Tenaryn pushed Muse into the Chamber, following swiftly behind. As he hit the panel which made the wall to hide the chamber slide into place, the Demonion, fired the first shot of their lazer, trying to hinder the wall closing.

When he turned, Muse was already activating the transference stone. As she dialed in the ancient symbols needed to take them to a sister planet in a different galaxy, Tenaryn took his place beside her on the stone. Looking at her with a sad expression, he opened his hand and began letting his magic build. Muse whimpered in alarm when she looked from his face to his hand.

“It’s the only way, sister. To keep them from following us, we must destroy the chamber.” He explained softly, so the enemy would not hear.

She nodded, even as she answered, “So we can never return.” She looked up into his eyes. “What of the others? Are we dooming anyone still here to our parents fate?”

Tenaryn spoke an incantation and released the energy orb out into the chamber and watched as it began to grow. As the transference of their energies began, he turned and took Muse’s hand. “Father already searched. We are the last. Our planet is dying now. There is no one left.”

He looked back toward the orb as it now seemed to engulf the room. “On Gaia, I will choose others to become as we are, and begin building an army strong enough to stop this enemy before they ever have the chance to start attacking that world. We will survive this, sister.” As they were transported from their world, they only heard the beginnings of the explosion, and the start of the Demonions pained screams.

Soon, they began their new life on the planet they had known as Gaia. They also began using their abilities to help the people who looked so much like them, but did not share their powers. Muse gained a kinship with the plants and animals. Tenaryn began to slowly pick and choose the warriors who would become the guardians against the evils from both within their world, and without.

In all that time, Muse never asked Tenaryn to gift someone of her choosing; except once. . .

 

Gideon

 

If the warrior had only known what his fate would be, he would have gladly surrendered his life instead of going into this holy war. But it had been at the Kings demand. If he played a part in taking down the Moorish, Saracens, and other enemies of the Church, he would return to his country a free man.

Within days of being in the strange new land, he had begun to see the crusades were nothing more than an excuse for bloodshed of the most horrific kind. He could follow the orders to kill the men who held up arms against them, but when the command came to kill the pregnant wife of one of the men he’d slain, he could no longer abide such tyranny. His logic begged the question of him; What God would order the death of a helpless woman and unborn child? And he knew the answer. Not his. The God he had always served and believed in was merciful and had sacrificed his own son to put an end to things like this!

He made his decision then to break away from the ranks and leave. There was nothing of his country to go back to anyway. He would find a new place to call home. He was, by trade, a blacksmith. He once made exquisite swords for the King and Knights of his homeland. But now, he vowed he’d make no more. Now he wanted only to find a place to live in peace. But his change of heart came too late. For there were those which remained unseen who had witnessed the commands he’d followed before he felt the prick of conscience. And as far as they were concerned, he had sealed his fate.

He did not see the attack coming. He’d never even known he was in danger until it was too late. The number of men who surrounded him were more than he could have hoped to fend off and he had been rendered unconscious within mere moments. When he awoke, it was to find himself in a pit of some kind, in the company of something who could never be confused for Human.

The Creature was hideous. Its head was shaped strangely, and it was completely bald with the skull seeming to be nearly twice the mass of a normal mans. Eyes, darker than the darkest depths of the blackest abyss stared back at him when he had first seen it. Long yellowed teeth protruded from its mouth much like the teeth of a saber toothed tiger which it used to drink from his veins repeatedly. Sometimes the creature took from his neck. Other times it attached itself to his wrist. In the beginning, he would fight, still clinging to the hope of freedom. But as weakness set in, the will to fight left him and he only wished for death.

The only thing to still appear human about this monster was the fact it still walked on its hind legs. Its hands no longer bore any resemblance to those of man. They were longer, and half of each finger seemed to be razor sharp claws in place of a normal mans flesh.

Gideon covered his head and lay in a fetal position at this point, praying to the God of man to just take him already and have done with it. Let the accursed thing have all of his life blood as long as he didn’t have to live through it. The pain was near unbearable and the Beast only seemed to laugh at him and the torment would continue.

Now, he was merely a dry empty husk, waiting in stone silence for the moment when the creature would show mercy and let him die. He was ready to die. He found himself praying for it. In death, he could be reunited with the ones he loved above all others.

But death, it seemed, was not what fate had in store for him. As he began to find it hard to draw breath, he was taken from the pits and left, deserted on a long stretch of desert, with no shelter in sight. If his fate was to have been different, then upon the rising of the sun, he would have known death. The creature who tormented him, slowly feeding off both his blood and his souls essence had been a Nosferatu, a specific, deadly type of vampire. Soulless creatures with no care for the life or emotions of others for they have none of their own.

Had he been left there all night, he would have burnt to death when the sun rose. His ashes would have scattered with the wind and he would have been nothing but a distant memory. But instead this was the night which forever changed his life. It was the night his God decided he would join the ranks of the Eternals. It was this night when she found him.

She was a beautiful woman with long onyx hair and eyes the deepest shade of green which seemed to glow with an almost unearthly light. She placed her hand on his forehead and whispered soft words. Almost immediately, he fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke, in the woman’s place, was an Owl; an almost mystical bird which seemed to have an intelligence about her that could only be described as surreal. She guided him to the place where he met Tenaryn, the Wizard who told him of what he had become and offered him the chance to become something more than he ever thought to be.

At first, he wanted nothing, save revenge on the ones who had cursed him to this fate. He fought Tenaryn tooth and nail when it came to learning the safe ways he could feed from warm blooded animals or humans when his hunger was great without causing them damage. He didn’t want peaceful feedings. He wanted slaughter to the ones who robbed him of mortal breath.

Tenaryn, his mentor, had granted him the right to seek out revenge on the creature that had done this to him, but refused his thirst for revenge on the people who had held a part in his fate. When his anger cooled, he understood why. As he wanted revenge on them, they’d only been seeking revenge for their loved ones tortured and killed by his hand. It was an eye for an eye and they were, as Tenaryn told him, innocent of anything more.

Through every trial, the new Eternal, Gideon faced, the Owl, with eyes which reminded him of the beautiful unearthly woman he had dreamt of that strange night, stayed at his side committed to helping him accept his new life. She became more to him than just a constant companion and pet. She was his friend. He trusted her more than even the Wizard who had taught him how to survive.

For centuries, Gideon was known as the Eternal who fought with two swords and carried a hauntingly beautiful Owl on his shoulder. He never once questioned who the Owl was or why she came to him. He only believed their destiny’s to be intertwined.

Show of Hands . . .

Okay, so just because, I never see anyone respond to any of my posts, I am going to try something new. If you actually stop and read through my blogs, I want to challenge you to leave me a comment. It doesn’t have to be any fantastic response. Just a simple hello, or hi there and I will be happy.

Sometimes, though, I write posts I think SURELY people will like, then when I come back and check, NO ONE has said ANYTHING… Makes me feel like I may just be wasting my time. How about this… If you’ve read my books, which one is the latest you’ve read? Is there an element you would like to see in my stories that aren’t there yet?

I’m just wondering, because I really believe people are reading my posts. But when no one responds, I’m just not sure. So give me a shoutout, please?

The Next Big Thing blog hop

Well, hello there, everyone! This Blog Post is actually a little exciting. I was asked to participate and thought it would be fun! I LOVE talking about the story ideas running amok in my brain! As part of this, I am also supposed to tag up to five other Authors, but because it was so close to Christmas, I had no luck in finding ANYONE who was interested.

So instead, what I am going to do is send you to a few blogs of a few Authors I enjoy following myself. They are each amazing and talented individuals.

The first is Charlotte Holley. She writes Paranormal Mystery and various Young Adult. She ALSO participated in this NBT blog hop as well, so her latest post is sure to be an intriguing read! Her blog is http://chalaedra.livejournal.com

The second is Tracy Pacelli. She is an Author of Young Adult fantasy and romance.  I personally read a book of hers called, Time Warped and I was so hooked on it, I couldn’t put it down. I think I actually finished it in one day! Her blog is http://traceypacelli.com/

Next, I would like to send attention to Anne Petzer. She writes Mysteries and Adventure books. She also tirelessly writes in her blog about other Authors and their books. She is an inspiration and an excellent Author to boot! her blog is http://annehpetzer.wordpress.com/

And lastly, another Author I know has participated in the NBT blog hop. Denise Bartlett has JUST finished writing the second in her series, Through the Fire. This is a book she wrote to help spread awareness about head injuries caused on the football field. She’s done it in a very entertaining way. But, the message is one we should all think about as the danger is very real and can change the course of a mans life. her blog is http://www.denibartlett.blogspot.com/

Okay, so now, without further ado. Here are my answers to The Next Big Thing blog hop. I do hope it entertains you and intrigues you as well!

What is the working title of your book?

 

Eternal Night is the title of my newest BOOK. Although, it should be known that I have one of those minds that is always crafting another story, so I actually always have about two or three stories going on at the same time.

I also have the second story in the Celestial Abductions series started, as well. Tesla’s Completion will be coming out probably in the next few months. But it is just a short story, so it doesn’t count as a book.

Where did the idea come from for the

book?

Hmmm, Well, Eternal Night is the fourth book in the Order of Eternals series. The First book was a story I started writing back when I was somewhere around eighteen. (didn’t finish the APPROVED manuscript until I was nearly thirty-three) It developed over the years from a simple ONE book, with two brothers sharing a curse, into an entire series with SEVERAL heroes who became a part of something much more.

Now, the Celestial Abductions short story series idea came from a dream. Lame, I know, but that is the truth. I had a dream where Alien men where abducting Earth women to try to save BOTH species, because SOMETHING in the cosmos had gone terribly wrong and BOTH civilizations were doomed if they didn’t adapt and change.

What genre does your book fall under?

The Entire Order of Eternals series falls under several genres. I can never fit a story of mine into just ONE!  The MAIN genre is Paranormal Romance. Under that, you can find, horror, suspense, erotica, and even a little mystery. I guess you could say– sure, it’s smut. . . But there is so much more to it than just that.

Celestial Abductions series falls under Paranormal also, but it is Science Fiction and Fantasy as well.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

In Eternal Night? Oh, that’s a no brainer. Vin Diesel, all the way! The character would need someone with the same kind of intensity as Riddock… Yeah, I’ve been envisioning him as Gideon ever since I saw Chronicles of Riddock.

For Muse, his love interest, I would really like Melinda Clarke. She’s a beautiful actress and she could pull off the character well.

Celestial Abductions is too short to think of it as anything but just a good quick read. I don’t see it in a movie scenario.

 What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

. . .

Eternal Night is being somewhat stubborn with me at the moment. I don’t expect to have it even ready to go to the publisher until sometime in May. I haven’t even considered One sentence Blurbs.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am under contract with my publishers, Gypsy Shadow Publishing. I hope they will continue to love and support my work.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

As I said, this MS is being somewhat stubborn… Not as stubborn as the FIRST book of the series, but, then again… it is taking awhile. The characters seem to be at odds over what parts of their story needs to be told first!

Story two of Celestial Abductions, Tesla’s Completion, should be in my Editors hands as soon as the Holidays are complete.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Well, I think it is easier said as this. . . If you like books by authors like Sherilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, or Lara Adrian, I believe you would like my books as well.

 Who or What inspired you to write this book?

As I said, I was inspired into this entire series from the beginning when I was writing the first book, The Eternal.

 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Well, if you read my other books of this series, you got to meet Muse and Gideon earlier. They made their first appearance in Eternal Moon. Then you get to know them better in Form of Eternity.

Gideon is a Vampire who was turned back in the time of the Great Crusades. Brandishing two blades, he’s moody and brooding. He trusts very few, even among the Order. Until lately, his best companion was an owl. Then there is Muse.

Muse is a shape-shifter with the power to become an owl. She is also Tenaryn’s sister. But that is supposed to be a secret . . .  Oops! Did I say too much already?