Kristin Jacques's Blog, page 2

An Interview with Poe Casavant

Poe Casavant is the author of the Langyan Series. Book one, Wolf Smoke, was released by Sky Forest Press in February 2019



Introductions please! Tell us about your book! What inspired your main character? Was the writing process pure agony or inspired brilliance?

Wolf Smoke was inspired by my grandfather’s old VHS tape of Rollerball. That movie was so quintessentially seventies; the hair, the clothes, the roller skating! While the film had its quirks, the idea of transforming war into something smaller and more personal stuck with me. Years later, that theme blossomed into the elaborate Langyan Series. I decided to ditch the roller skates for something a bit more modern; paintball and indoor skydiving.

Sarah Charlton, the leader of the American team, was inspired by my own experience in ROTC, where leadership had very cookie-cutter requirements. I’ve lost count of the number of times I was summoned to the Colonel’s office to be told that I needed to be bolder, more confident, or more vocal. I wanted to take my own shyness and anxieties, turn them up to an eleven, and show a leader who excelled not in spite of those difficulties, but because of them.

I think anything that comes from the heart is equal parts agony and elation. It was a joy getting these stories out of my head and onto paper, but emotionally draining to write about characters that live through such trauma.

Who is your protagonist’s idol? Who is a real life person that would inspire them? If your protagonist got the chance to meet their favorite celebrity, who would they be and why?

Sarah follows a long line of women who led their troops into battle; Boudicca, Artemisia, Ahhotep and Joan of Arc. She’d give anything to be remembered for that same kind of bravery and leadership instead of her crippling depression.

While she is far too anxious to ever meet a celebrity face-to-face (what would she even say??), she does has a soft spot for the Backstreet Boys. If she ever escapes the Langyan Series, she’d love to attend a concert and soak up the soothing melodies of the septuagenarian “boys.”

If you had the chance to set Wolf Smoke in an alternate universe (AU) what would be the weirdest and yet most fitting concept to see these characters in? A high school? A zombie apocalypse? The old west?

Although Wolf Smoke takes place in the future, I purposely kept the weaponry old-fashioned. I think guns tend to dull the action, because they force writers to take the the Star Wars approach; every shot at the heroes is a miss. I would love to see these characters thrown back to a time and place where their weapons were the norm, like fifteenth century Japan. I’d like to play with the idea of starting the Series centuries ago and exploring how our politics and civilizations change when war is quarantined from civilians. Imagine how different the world would be without the massive casualties of global war.

If your protagonist could bring one person and five objects to a deserted island, who and what would they be and why?

Sarah would definitely take Danny, her second-in-command. They’ve spent months focused on keeping each other alive. Those two deserve a vacation. And without the stress of the Langyan Series, who knows if their friendship could blossom into something more?

Always fixated on survival, they’d pack their fishing nets and a desalinator. Sarah would bring a copy of her favorite book, The Stand, covered in her best friend, Gila’s, dirty notes. Her sai, practically extensions of her arms at this point, would also make the journey. And finally, a satellite phone to call for a ride. Because although these two desperately need some down time, it can’t last forever. They hear the siren song of danger, and they’re all too happy to answer.

Do you have any upcoming projects you want to tease or gush about?

Wolf Smoke’s sequel is currently in the works. Sarah and her allies are trying to save their skins and escape from the Series arena, a seemingly impossible task. Sarah must find a way to keep her teammates alive without sliding back into her old, self-destructive habits.

Excerpt from Wolf Smoke

Sighing, Sarah
walked down the hallway to join her team. Maybe a little Smash Brothers
would cheer her up. As she passed her own room, she saw the team’s tablet
flashing. Grabbing it from her nightstand, she scanned the new messages popping
up.

“Hey, guys, listen
to this,” she said as she joined the team in Samson’s bedroom.

They were clustered
around the tiny television propped up on a nightstand. Taylor was sprawled out
on one of the beds, engrossed in his new book.

Sarah read, “‘Two
members of Bulgaria’s team were seen walking through the arena tonight. These
two players will forfeit the money from their first win. A reminder to all
teams, please observe all regulations while participating in this event. The
rules are in place for your safety and well-being, and they will be enforced.’”

“Ouch, that’s
harsh,” Keyes said as he urged his animated character into battle. “A million
dollars, just gone.”

A new notification
popped up on the screen. Sarah’s eyes grew wide as she scanned the message. “Danny,
come look at this.”

The tone in her
voice made him scramble over faster, and those not engaged in the game looked
up.

“They can’t be
serious.” He reread the message. “This…this is crazy. There’s no way it’s for
real.”

Marty paused the
game. “What’s going on?”

Sarah gripped the
tablet hard and, in a voice that she hoped sounded less scared than it was,
read, “‘The Inaugural Captains’ Challenge will take place in two weeks’ time,
on July twenty-third. Twelve teams have been chosen at random to compete.
Congratulations, United States, on being selected.

“‘Uniforms are not
required, but anonymous teams should be aware that this is a televised event. Dress
accordingly. Weapons will be provided. Matches will be fought until only two
combatants are left alive. Should a captain refuse to fight, a child from their
country will be disposed of in their place. Please meet in the seventh-floor
auditorium at one o’clock.’”

“This is a joke…right?”
Lareaux asked.

No one answered.

Sarah’s body felt
numb. She thought back to how, during her worst panic attacks, she had wished
so desperately for death, for the chance to be free from her mind. Now that it
was facing her and the countdown clock had started, she realized what a fool
she’d been. She dropped down onto Samson’s bed and looked up at Danny. His eyes
were rimmed with red. A mixture of sadness and fury showed on his face.

It was Mueller who
broke the silence. “I can’t die here,” he said. When no one responded, he
continued. “Is this what they’re going to do? Kill us off one by one? I can’t
do this. I have a girlfriend… I was going to ask her to marry me.” His voice
rose an octave as he looked around the room for a shred of support. “I didn’t
sign up for this. I have a life back home!”

“We all do,” Taylor
said quietly.

“What if we just
refuse to fight? What if she doesn’t go?” Mueller asked hopefully.

“And let a civilian
die? A kid?” With a heavy dose of contempt that was very unlike Taylor,
he said, “Man the fuck up, Mueller.”

“But what if they’re
bluffing?” Mueller asked.

“What if they’re
not?” Taylor snapped back.

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Clearing her
throat, she said in a wavering voice, “We’re not backing out of this, Mueller,
not if it means that someone else gets hurt.”

And if you do get killed,
a Voice reasoned, it’s really not much of a loss. It’s not like you were
contributing much to the gene pool anyway.

“Hey.” Danny ducked
down so that he was eye-level with Sarah. “We have two weeks to get you ready.
You’re going to walk out of this thing. Trust me.”

Inside her head,
the Voices were howling with laughter. Trust him, he says. Oh, that’s just
rich! May as well just accept it, sweetheart. You’ve got two weeks left among
the living.

Though Sarah couldn’t
help but agree with them, she raised her eyes to Danny’s and nodded. “I do.”

Pathways, Choices, and Potholes

With a heavy heart and heavier hand, I took Zombies vs Aliens off of Amazon this morning. This book has been on one hell of a journey but I don’t think the mammoth scene that is Amazon is the right place for Li and her band of oddities. Not sure it ever was.

That being said, this isn’t the last you will see of Li. I have a few options I am exploring for the future and will update everyone when I know where the gang is gonna land.

Publishing is a road full of up, downs, potholes and pitfalls. It is rarely, if ever, smooth sailing, and you do the best you can as you go. I am a writer who likes to explore new and different opportunities. My ideal end goal is to be an author who straddles the line between traditional and new. Who as a toe in as many doors as she can find. What comes next is just another step in that journey. I don’t want to feel a sense of failure taking Z vs A down. I want to feel a sense of rebirth.

Guest Post: Adelyn Sterling and a Princely Playlist

Character Playlist: The Prince’s Guide to True Love’s Kiss

By Adelyn Sterling

When it comes to writing, music is a vital part of my brainstorming and drafting process. When I first start brainstorming and planning out a new novel, one of the first things I do is create a playlist of music that fits the mood and characters for the book. During drafting, music helps keep inspiration flowing, and it can even make for a great writing prompt when I get stuck.

To create this playlist specifically for Prince Benedikt, I wanted to include some songs from the drafting process, and some new songs that remind me of Benedikt. I loved finding new songs to add to my Benedikt playlist, but when I went into the original playlist I created for this story, I found a whole bunch of my favorite writing songs from 2014 and 2015. It’s been quite some time since I finished drafting this story, but listening to this playlist brought me right into the scenes they’d inspired during that stage. There may be a song in here that inspired a campsite kiss that I never intended to write until a song carried me away and suddenly there was kissing.

Now meet Benedikt: a luckless prince who must find his True Love by his twenty-first birthday, but after failing to wake fourteen maidens with True Love’s Kiss, he must team up with a band of misfit mercenaries, and their beautiful captain, to tackle his most perilous quest yet and return with his True Love before his conniving cousin usurps the throne. He’s a valiant prince, dutiful, selfless, and a bit stubborn. These songs are tender and emotional and incredibly brave and I hope they evoke some of Benedikt’s struggles with love, failure, and learning to trust.

A little bit more about the book: “The Prince’s Guide to True Love’s Kiss” is an audiobook from Hachette Audiobooks: Powered by Wattpad – an innovative collaboration between Hachette Book Group and Wattpad — Prince Benedikt is on a mission to find his True Love, but more so, he has a duty to his kingdom to fulfill. As a prince of Stalvart, he must find his True Love by his twenty-first birthday. At twenty-one, he will begin his regency where his father will train him up to be a great king. The quest seemed simple enough, but after failing to wake fourteen maidens with True Love’s Kiss, he’s starting to worry that he’ll never find his True Love. And he’s not the only one.

With his conniving cousin, the next in line for the throne, questioning his ability to rule, the pressure is on. News that a maiden rests in the forest of Bleakwood reaches his kingdom, and Benedikt’s next quest is decided. But with a resurgence of Withering Magic in the Lowlands, he must bring in special help. He teams up with a band of mercenaries, if they can be called that, to help him face the perils of Bleakwood.

Captain Grielle is a professional thief, but her and her Liberators, aren’t criminals for hire. They specialize in the liberation and return of lost things, precious things, to their rightful owners. They wouldn’t normally take a job like this, but the price is right. They must get Prince Benedikt to his maiden and bring him home safely, but the quest turns out to be much more than Grielle bargained for. With her past turning up to haunt her at every turn, she’s made to face her demons all while trying to understand her growing feelings for the tender-hearted, ill-fated prince.

About the author: Adelyn Sterling is a graduate of Grove City College with a BA in Marketing Management. In 2013, she left corporate marketing to explore her passion for storytelling. She lives in Ohio with her husband and fur baby where she enjoys long cups of coffee, collecting beautiful books, and writing whenever she can. A hopeless romantic, she writes kissing books and woke up at 3 AM to watch the royal wedding. You can find her on instagram and twitter @AdelynSterling where she shares her writing journey and plenty of cute dog pics.

Make sure to head over to AdelynSterling.com/blog to listen to an exclusive character playlist for Hel, Goddess of the Underworld from “Ragnarok Unwound.”

Release Day: Ragnarok Unwound

My first book baby of 2019 has been unleashed!!

I have been a raging ball of anxiety and excitement all week.

Today has been quite the thrill ride, and I am still riding this promo train into the sunset. I’ve been tweeting, posting, flossing, and book blasting since I rolled out of bed this morning only to realize I haven’t written my own dang blog about it XD

So after all that blitz madness, what is there left to write? Well to start…

Thank you

Thank you to the readers, fellow authors, and those who support the writing community who helped make this day amazing and wonderfully overwhelming. I did a great deal of nail biting but my publisher has been a champ. Thank you to the ladies of the #Wattpad4 who hosted my Monday night chat/interview/launch party and let me get my mythology geek on. Thank you to my Wattchicks and Fellow Valkyries, who listened to my flustered rants.

It takes a community to raise a book baby.

 

Now for some fun stuff:

There are currently two international giveaways live for a signed copy of Ragnarok Unwound! The first giveaway, via the #wattpad4 chat, ends very soon, so hop on and enter before it ends: Enter Here!

The Second Giveaway lasts into next week through Rockstar’s Release Blitz Blog Tour. You can find any number of them on the tweeter sporting this here banner:

BUT for convenience you can also pop in here for a free excerpt of Chapter 1 and link to the rafflecopter: Enter Here!  

More giveaways will be rolling out soon. In the mean time, if you read and loved Ragnarok Unwound, please consider leaving it a review on Goodreads or Amazon!

Minutes to Midnight: A Year in Review

Growing Pains

This has been one hell of a year. Looking back on it all, 2018 very much felt like three years crammed into one. There were victories, set backs, hours upon hours of tedious work, deadline after deadline, sleepless nights, and more than one week of dozing off at 3 in the afternoon. I forgot there were Olympics this year.

Every year I set myself up with a lot of impossible goals. I am usually lucky to meet one or two of them. I don’t really share these goals because these are my high aspirations, and the let down is too much to share. However, I have made it a point to sit down, and look at the year in review, to remember what I have achieved, what I accomplished, so that I remember to cut my all too human self a break. And this year saw some monstrously awesome moments which will bear fruit in 2019.

Professional Accomplishments:

Published 4 short stories in various anthologies.
Zombies vs Aliens was adapted into an Interactive Game by Chapters!
Wrote dozens and dozens of short stories
FINISHED WRITING EDGEWISE
Signed with Sky Forest Press for Ragnarok Unwound, which debuts in 8 days, eeeeeee!
Signed with Parliament House Press for Marrow Charm (Fall 2019)
Attended Wattcon and Bookcon!
Finished Nanowrimo!
Expanded my content creation horizons
And I know there is stuff I am forgetting but I am wine drunk and proud of myself.

Personal Accomplishments:

Just as important as the professional, were the things I did for myself and my family.

Got myself into therapy for the first time in over a decade. This was a long time coming and greatly needed to help balance my mental health. I’ve seen myself greatly improved by how I deal with stress and anxiety from when I start in the first part of 2018.
Set up ABA services for my boys. This was nearly a year long process. I made great strides to get more services in general for my kids. And I’ve only scratched the surface. I still have a heap load more to tackle but this was a big one and we are finally seeing the benefits now.
Took more chances doing things I love. This ties into my professional somewhat. I’ve put myself out there more this year and it’s paid off.
I finally learned how to use a planner. This is a big deal for me, okay?

Things I Learned about Myself

I’m not good at regular blogging. *shrug*
It’s okay to hermit and lose myself in a game for a couple days. I still remember to adult. And the mental break is a blessing.
I am not good at lists. We all have our faults.
My internet friends may be far away, but they mean the world to me.

Goals for 2019

I always set some pretty lofty personal goals, but my not so personal:

Write at least 444 words a day ( How is that for specific word goals?)
Finish some sequels
Write stories I love
Find time to breathe

Release Party: Two Thousand Years by M. Dalto

 

The Empire is here!

Tomorrow, 12.11.18 marks the release of Two Thousand Years, an award winning NA fantasy novel from pub sister and fellow valkyrie M. Dalto.

We are celebrating with a Virtual Release Party, hosted via Facebook, with a collective of chill authors, book talk, games, prizes, swag, and more. It’s an all day affair from 9 AM to 9 PM EST.

But first! As a small treat for you, we have a quick informal interview with M. Dalto!

What was your initial inspiration for your novel, the seed that sprouted into Two Thousand Years?
TWO THOUSAND YEARS was the brain child that sprouted to life after hearing Billy Joel’s song of the same name a long time ago. There was something within the lyrics that just called to me, telling me that a story needed to be written from them. It just took me a little while to find the personal motivation to actually do it.

If your characters entered into a battle royale, who would come out alive? Who would break the rules? Who would cheat?
Reylor would probably be the one to come out alive, but only because he broke the rules and cheated. Because that’s what he does… breaks rules. Cheats. Destroys…
If someone wrote a Fanfiction AU of Two Thousand Years, what setting would you love to see your characters tossed in? (ei; High School, Zombie Apocalypse)
That’s hard because TTY has a little bit of an AU feel to it already, but if we had to find something completely different I would love to see them in some Dystopian, Hunger Games crossover…
They say pets reflect their owners personalities (sometimes secret aspects of their personalities) What pet would your pair with three of your characters?
Treyan would probably keep a cat. Alex I could see having a bunny. Reylor? A hedgehog.

Pretty much. Spiny on the outside, so cuddly on the inside.
What can readers expect from the Empire in the coming year (or two?)
2019 will bring great things for the Empire! The winter will have the release of the first two companion novellas, REYLOR’S LAMENT and TREYAN’S PROMISE, and then it’s reported that Book 2 may be coming out later next year but you didn’t hear it from me…

Tune In Tuesday #5: Under Pressure

 

My weekly posting goal went off the rails in October. October was a rough month. I didn’t let myself properly recover from a rather terrible summer, attempted to jump right in to a truckload of work, and floundered hard midway through the month.

So I gave myself time to breathe. And when November rolled around, I jumped in with both feet. I spent the last few days of October doing some extensive plotting and kicked off Nanowrimo with a bang. I spent a month writing. While I was knee deep in noveling, I found myself saying ‘yes’ to more short story projects. This was after I swore off them for a few months. I told myself I wasn’t going to volunteer to do anymore. Now I found myself with a handful of story commitments, on top of edits, on top of Nano.

I wondered why I did this to myself. Do I just like drive myself to mania and then burn out?

The answer is maybe. A fellow Wattchick suggested I like to work under pressure.

Yes. She’s right.

But sometimes this punishing pace works for me. I gave myself some extenuating pressure to drive myself through Nano. I had specific goals I was working toward. And it paid off. I finished Nano. With time to spare. And I got faster at writing. I snapped out several of my stories. I was lined up to do me though I derailed myself last night was a pure chaotic injury. Seriously, who punctures there foot on their lap top power cord?

The point is, despite the grueling pace I set for myself, I also proved to myself I could do it, I could maintain this sort of pace and moving forward I want to maintain close to this pace. I’m upping my daily goal. For most of this year and last year, I set myself a relatively light goal of 500 words a day. And there were weeks I didn’t meet that goal. I was unmotivated, unfocused, and generally depressed. Even when things began happening, it was difficult to get going. I felt like I wasted a lot of time. Then the summer hit and it was a slap in the face. I needed to make the most of the time I had without the kids at home.

2018 has been the longest year. It’s felt like two years stuffed into one. I felt my ‘new year’ began when the kiddos went back to school and after two months of flailing around, I have a plan and I am back in the game. Here’s to a productive 2019 and to more Tune in Tuesdays to come!

Current Song Obsession:

This song is ridiculously catchy. It’s a total ear worm and every time I see this music video I burst into tears.

 

What am I reading?

After breaking through the Nano goal, I have treated myself to a Kate Daniels Book Binge. I am currently on Book 6 or 7. (There’s a lot of between books and novellas, it’s hard to keep track.) The deep dive continues.

Tune- In Tuesday #4: Busy, Balance, Breathe

My ‘Tune In Tuesday’ is slowly morphing into ‘Wiped Out Wednesday’

Life is running at a pace of 3 B’s right now, well mostly the first time, a push and pull between Busy and Balance. I have been at a high rate of Busy due to projects coming to fruition all at once, the necessity of taking on more work because money, and Busy is amplified by the need for Balance. I can put in an 8 to 10 hour day of ‘Writing and Stuff’ but when the kids come home, it’s all about them. Homework time, dinner, snuggling, etc. Oh and somewhere in there, I have to wedge household chores. Tuesdays have been a particularly bad day for balance since it is my one day a week with the car. But you make it work. And when you can’t make it work, well, then you need to Breathe.

 

This weekend, a Breather was a necessity. I am a survivor. I have reached a point in my life where I can talk about it with my therapist, over two decades after it happened. But there are times I still have nightmares about it. And watching the Kavanaugh proceedings left me raw. There are a lot of terrible things to spring out of this, especially with a president who excels at creating a mentality of misplaced victimhood, but it watching Dr. Ford’s testimony and how they attempted to dismantle and dismiss that testimony that particularly hurt.

So I took a Breath. It wasn’t about ignoring the situation. Believe me, I am still full of simmering rage. I will pour my rage into words and words and words. Elections are coming. Vote.

No this was about removing myself for a toxic surrounding and finding my footing. Social Media is wonderful for a lot of things but it also turns into a raging cesspit at the flip of a coin. And after that mess, I knew I wasn’t getting anything near productive done. So I read. I snuggled frequently with my kiddos. I curled up in a cuddle pile with my family and I soaked in that calm. It is important to Breathe, to recharge, or Busy and Balance goes right out the window in a whirlpool of boundless anxiety. A Breath lets me refocus, and settle that churning sensation in my gut until I can channel it into something useful.

Current Song Obsession:

I really enjoy this German Band. The whole Book of Nature Album is worth a listen and is just beautiful to be honest.

What am I reading:

This weekend I read what has become a yearly read through of Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers Trilogy. I honestly don’t know what it is about these particular books that has me so enamored…oh who am I kidding it’s totally Chloe and Derek.

Friday Goodies!

Would you look at that! A surprise Friday post!

With good reason. I am currently hosting or involved in not one but TWO giveaways. What better way to celebrate the end of the week than free stuff!

Giveaway #1

There is exactly ONE WEEK left to enter my Ragnarok Unwound Cover Reveal giveaway for your chance at a $10 Amazon gift card and/or an E-ARC of Ragnarok Unwound.

Enter here
Giveaway #2

I have teamed up with 11 other authors in a loop giveaway on Instagram for #Fallinlovewithabook! That means you have a chance to win 1 of 12 bookish prizes, from e-books to audiobooks to other little goodies.

For my part, I will be giving away an E-Book of Zombies vs Aliens and a Gem/Ticket bundle for Chapters Interactive Games that can be used to play any story game (including my own *eyebrow waggle*) You must be 18 to enter but this giveaway is International! This giveaway is open through October 9th! 

Click on the picture to jump over to Instagram and join in the fun! 

Tune-In Tuesday #3: Sequel Slumpage

October is Sequels Month!!

If you are one of my readers you know why this is exciting. I have *three* sequels set up to tackle. This is an unset number but I hope to make significant progress with two of them as they are already partly penned and plotted.

Two. Partly. Penned. Sequels.

Ah, the sequel slumpage. It wasn’t an intentional one. Through a combination of the mad scramble to find a foothold in publishing, the chaos of parenthood, stress, time, and myriad other factors those sequels kept getting pushed back for other projects. Much to the annoyance of my readers…

Confession time: I am not an author with a plan. I am an author with many irons in the fire, trying to see which one looks malleable enough to continue working on. I have struggled with motivation. If certain books were ‘worth’ finishing. Do you pour countless hours into a trilogy that has no chance of take- off or do you pen a new project and keep trying to push forward? And when you finally DO find a home for your books, you face a whole new mess of time x editing x marketing.

This year I found a home for Marrow Charm, a book I was near giving up on. It was a project of my heart but couldn’t find a publishing home. This is a trilogy I have plotted to THE END and now I have the motivation, means, and backing to really finish the series.

Zombies vs Aliens is another trilogy that has dragged for several reasons, including the heart breaking launch implosion it suffered with its initial release. I have spent nearly three years trying to find a way to fund the editing, design, and release of book two and three. It’s been an uphill battle to the max and now, on the tail end of 2018, I think I have finally hit a point that I can progress.

To finally hit this point in my career, where I find not only a demand for sequels, but a means of production, is a huge step on a long road. Between October and November, I have plans to end 2018 on a high professional note. And with two book releases set for 2019, I hope to keep the momentum going.

Current Song Obsession:

Have you seen this glorious madness? In a full on tribute to everything 80’s combined with the national treasure that is Terry Crews, the entertainment factor alone is worth it and the song is a total earworm.

Currently Reading:

I am currently beta reading a secret project for the lovely Leigh W. Stuart, author of the 12 Dares of Christmas, which is a delightful and funny holiday romance.