R.A. Evans's Blog, page 19

Gabriel's Redemption by Steve Umstead, book review

In his debut novel, author Steve Umstead introduces readers to Evan Gabriel, a futuristic North American Federation Naval Commander whose fall from grace brings new and dark opportunities on the far-distant world of Poliahu. But things are not what they seem for Gabriel and his crack team of elite soldiers. When allies turn enemy, the frozen planet of Poliahu is plunged into a bitter war that leaves Evan Gabriel searching for answers and ready to dole out his own brand of justice.

In Gabriel's Redemption, Steve Umstead has created an inter-planetary landscape rich with believable characters, non-stop action, and all the twists and turns that make for a great story.  Gabriel's Redemption is best described as a science fiction/thriller that will surely not disappoint.

The characters are well-developed and the dialogue is tight – especially as the story's hero Evan Gabriel comes to grips with the bitter choices he faces on the desolate planet of Poliahu. From the detailed sequences that showcase the ferociousness of inter-stellar battle to the subtle moments where Gabriel reveals his softer side, Umstead has created a hero that is part super-soldier and part every-man.

My only complaint – I wasn't ready for the story to end! At 66,000 words Gabriel's Redemption is a tightly-paced read filled with action and intrigue that signals Steve Umstead's arrival as an up-and-coming voice in science fiction.

7 Deadly Questions with author Jennifer Hillier

1. Your debut novel CREEP is due out in July from Simon & Schuster / Gallery Books. Based on the title, and the mention of Radiohead on your website, is it safe to assume that music is an integral part of your writing process?

Definitely. While I can't write listening to anything (I need complete silence), I do get a lot of inspiration from music. I have a writing playlist that I'll crank up for ten to fifteen minutes between bursts of writing. Helps me stay in the right mood. In terms of CREEP, the story felt dark and moody to me, much like the Radiohead song, so I did listen to a lot of Radiohead and The Velvet Underground while writing it.

2. Have you experienced "The Look" yet from family and friends who have read excerpts of CREEP? You know, the "I never thought you were so twisted" look that all thriller/horror writers earn?

Nah, nobody was surprised, they kind of already knew. I've been reading Stephen King since I was 11, and thrillers since I was in my teens, so nobody close to me was surprised that this is the kind of stuff I write. It's people I've just met who'll give me "the look". More than once, I've gotten, "What's a nice girl like you doing writing about serial killers?" I haven't figured out a witty answer to that one yet.

3. Tell me about your publishing journey – queries, agents, all the way to your signing with Simon & Schuster?

I started writing CREEP in August 2008. The first draft took almost six months, and I took another eight months to revise it (seven drafts total). I started querying in October 2009, and over a three-month period, sent out queries to 96 agents. 48 passed. 10 requested. One offered, and I signed with Victoria Skurnick at Levine Greenberg in February 2010. I did another two rounds of revisions with my agent, then in April 2010, she started submitting to editors. I believe she submitted to half a dozen or so, and three rejections came back before we got the offer from S&S/Gallery in June 2010.

4. Ethan Wolfe, the antagonist in CREEP, has to be partly based on one or two men in your life. Confess — have you had your own CREEP?

This really is confession time! Actually, the inspiration for Ethan didn't come from a man, it came from a woman… me. He and I do share some not-so-sunny personality traits – obsessiveness, wanting what you can't have, single-mindedness, ambition – but he just takes it to that psychopathic level which I could never go (nor would I want to). Villains are my favorite part of any story – my own or someone else's – because I love exploring the dark side of human thought and behavior.

5. I've seen you on twitter and your website is amazing – as a traditionally published author do you find yourself still doing a lot of your own promotion for CREEP?

Oh, definitely. Nobody knows who I am, so if I want them to know, I have to put myself out there – my publisher can only do so much. So I blog and tweet and Facebook when I can, and I'm getting better at casually mentioning to people what is I do. Promotion isn't my strength, though. But I'm working on it!

6. What scares you?

I will fully admit I'm a chicken-shit, and I'm excellent at scaring myself. There are times when I've had to sleep with the lights on because I've written a scene so disturbing, I've given myself nightmares. A lot of things scare me: dark corners, creepy crawly bugs, strange noises in the house, any movie involving possession and exorcism. But at the same time, it's fun to be scared. Fear can be exhilarating.

7. How can people learn more about you?

People can find me on my blog at www.jenniferhillier.ca, on Twitter at @JenniferHillier or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JenniferHillierAuthor.  I'm always open to questions. Thanks for the interview, Rich! This was fun!

Jennifer's Bio

Jennifer was born in Toronto, which is where she spent the first three decades of her life. When her husband was offered a transfer to Seattle, she didn't know which would be worse: leaving Canada or moving to the West coast. She spent her first few months on American soil bemoaning her existence and writing her first novel. Now nicely settled in the Pacific Northwest, the only thing she misses — other than family and friends — is snow.

A member of International Thriller Writers, she's always been drawn to dark fiction, even though she sleeps with the lights on when her husband isn't home.

What I Fear – Guest post by Stefan Prosser, The Fright Writer

A clown stares up from a dark, dank sewer with his face twisted in a terrifying knowing smirk, partially hidden by the gaudy oily face paint that smothered his face. I already know that one child has gone missing, snatched from outside his own house and now this innocent boy is next on the hit list. My petrified heart slams in my young chest and I am genuinely scared.

That was me at seven years old watching a crudely taped copy of "Stephen King's IT" on VHS at my cousin's house. I don't know what could be scarier to a child than a children's entertainer luring kids to their untimely end? Or than sci-fi sequel "Critters 2: The Main Course" where young children are terrorised by killer aliens whose unhatched young are confused for Easter Eggs that the children are hunting for?

You see that's the thing about fear, it is subjective. Not just from person to person, but from situation to situation. A lion at a zoo is not scary until you're on the wrong side of the cage. You might not find classic creature feature 'Jaws' scary, but watch it just before you head to the beach and you'll think twice before daring to dip your toe into the water. Similarly, swap that same sunny seaside retreat for a ski break and Adam Green's 'Frozen' might suddenly seem a whole lot scarier than it did before you stepped foot on the piste.

I also think that fear develops with a person, evolves with age and each step of the life cycle. The seven year old me was terrified of child killers and things lurking within children's games because it put me in the firing line. Those things made me the prey, a prime target for being the next possible victim; I was inside the lion's cage.

By the time I hit my teens, I was more afraid of the so called "torture porn" style horror like 'Hostel' or the 'Saw' franchise. I think when you reach the age where a lot rest upon physical aptitude and sexual prowess, the idea of deformity and disfigurement is enough to petrify any teenager. It is an age where your whole world appears to revolve around social acceptance and avoiding being outcast by your peers. It matters more than at any other stage of your life and when you aren't at that age you either can't remember or don't have the experience to comprehend just how important fitting in is.

Rightly or wrong, in our teens appearance is important, vital even, and the fact that could be taken away at any second along with all sense of belonging is horrifying to someone still learning exactly what is important in life.

Now, as a husband and a father, I have far more important things for me to fret over, my worries and fears now centre on my wife and my son. I now know that far worse things could happen than physical harm to me and it is the safety of my family and the security of our home that is the gravest concern to me. The idea that something could harm or threaten them is the worst fear I have ever known.

So now I fear other possibilities, such as my child going missing like in Del Toro's 'The Orphanage', evil spirits lurking in our family home with devious intent like in 'Paranormal Activity' and of course child killing clowns that lurk in the sewers because sometimes that seed of fear stays with us and works without any regard for rhyme, reason or rationale.

Stefan, 24,  is a husband, father, and horror writer with a penchant for film.  He lives in South Wales, United Kingdom. You can learn more about Stefan's fears by visiting his blog at http://www.thefrightwriter.blogspot.com.

What I fear – Guest post by Stefan Prosser, The Fright Writer

A clown stares up from a dark, dank sewer with his face twisted in a terrifying knowing smirk, partially hidden by the gaudy oily face paint that smothered his face. I already know that one child has gone missing, snatched from outside his own house and now this innocent boy is next on the hit list. My petrified heart slams in my young chest and I am genuinely scared.

That was me at seven years old watching a crudely taped copy of "Stephen King's IT" on VHS at my cousin's house. I don't know what could be scarier to a child than a children's entertainer luring kids to their untimely end? Or than sci-fi sequel "Critters 2: The Main Course" where young children are terrorised by killer aliens whose unhatched young are confused for Easter Eggs that the children are hunting for?

You see that's the thing about fear, it is subjective. Not just from person to person, but from situation to situation. A lion at a zoo is not scary until you're on the wrong side of the cage. You might not find classic creature feature 'Jaws' scary, but watch it just before you head to the beach and you'll think twice before daring to dip your toe into the water. Similarly, swap that same sunny seaside retreat for a ski break and Adam Green's 'Frozen' might suddenly seem a whole lot scarier than it did before you stepped foot on the piste.

I also think that fear develops with a person, evolves with age and each step of the life cycle. The seven year old me was terrified of child killers and things lurking within children's games because it put me in the firing line. Those things made me the prey, a prime target for being the next possible victim; I was inside the lion's cage.

By the time I hit my teens, I was more afraid of the so called "torture porn" style horror like 'Hostel' or the 'Saw' franchise. I think when you reach the age where a lot rest upon physical aptitude and sexual prowess, the idea of deformity and disfigurement is enough to petrify any teenager. It is an age where your whole world appears to revolve around social acceptance and avoiding being outcast by your peers. It matters more than at any other stage of your life and when you aren't at that age you either can't remember or don't have the experience to comprehend just how important fitting in is.

Rightly or wrong, in our teens appearance is important, vital even, and the fact that could be taken away at any second along with all sense of belonging is horrifying to someone still learning exactly what is important in life.

Now, as a husband and a father, I have far more important things for me to fret over, my worries and fears now centre on my wife and my son. I now know that far worse things could happen than physical harm to me and it is the safety of my family and the security of our home that is the gravest concern to me. The idea that something could harm or threaten them is the worst fear I have ever known.

So now I fear other possibilities, such as my child going missing like in Del Toro's 'The Orphanage', evil spirits lurking in our family home with devious intent like in 'Paranormal Activity' and of course child killing clowns that lurk in the sewers because sometimes that seed of fear stays with us and works without any regard for rhyme, reason or rationale.

Stefan, 24,  is a husband, father, and horror writer with a penchant for film.  He lives in South Wales, United Kingdom. You can learn more about Stefan's fears by visiting his blog at http://www.thefrightwriter.blogspot.com.

 

Start to Finish – The Devil's Pawn

I know, I know – I promised to have my Start to Finish piece written two weeks ago. What can I say? Life happens. Regardless, I am hopeful that you will be pleased with what the time to marinate on the subject has afforded us.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Start to Finish let me explain. During a previous blog post I asked for readers to submit story starters and finishers – the first and last sentences of a particular story that I would in turn write. Let me tell you, it was much more difficult to write than I anticipated. Not because of what was submitted, either. My readers never disappoint and it was tough to choose which ones to use.

It occurred to me while working on this that the starter I had chosen was very similar to a project I had already been working on. And the finisher tied in nicely, too. So I hope you don't mind, but what resulted was your first taste of The Devil's Pawn: A Soul Proprietorship.

I cannot guarantee that this specific passage will make an appearance in the completed novel, but it did provide some much needed inspiration.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Click the link below to enter The Devil's Pawn.

The Devil's Pawn

View the Transcripts from my first Twitterview

Once I got over the giggling from just the mere mention of the word twitterview (yes, I am a juvenile) I found myself a bit nervous about the entire process. I consider myself fairly well-spoken(written) but the 140 character limit  was worrisome. All in all, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the twitterview experience and want to thank Emlyn Chand for the invitation!

Here's a peek at what you missed. The entire transcript with the full 20 questions is available at http://bit.ly/fSmTxp.

I'll be twitterviewing today at 4pm EST

The very talented Emlyn Chand has extended an invitation for a twitterview (which I quickly accepted for fear that she had confused me with a different, more important author) today at 4pm.  If you are unfamiliar with Emlyn you can check her out at www.emlynchand.com.  Emlyn is an author, twitterviewer, book reviewer, and a thousand other things that she somehow squeazes into a 24-hour day!

A twitterview is very unique. It's a total of 20 questions asked and answered via twitter (140 characters each for the mathematically-challenged). Some of the questions are standard, others are chosen at random, and still others are asked live via twitter by those following the twitterview.  Join the fun by entering the search term "#emlyn" on twitter.

I'm not sure who should be more nervous at this point – me or Emlyn!

 

Coffee Shop Book Tour

I've done a fair bit of writing via my trusty laptop at assorted coffee shops both here in West Michigan and elsewhere during my book tours.  They provide a great escape when the walls start to close in and I need a change of scenery.

Lately, I've noticed a number of the non-chain coffee shops breaking into the literary world by highlighting works of indie authors.  It all makes perfect sense, of course, and I wish I had incorporated coffee shops into my book tour plans long ago.

With that being said, I'm excited to announce my plans for my very own Coffee Shop Book Tour.  My assistant Rachel is hard at work trying to pull this together. I'll post some dates in the very near future.  In the mean time, now is the perfect time to dive into Asylum Lake before its chilling sequel Grave Undertakings is unearthed in May!

Two More Authors Announced for 7 Deadly Questions

I was completely blown away by the interest shown in the new 7 Deadly Questions author interview series that launched yesterday and featured Jon F. Merz, award-winning author of the Lawson Vampire and Rogue Angel books.

I am also quite confident that this interest will spread as upcoming authors are announced. With that being said, I would like to announce the next two authors who will be posed my 7 Deadly Questions!

Jennifer Hillier will be my quest on Wednesday, February 23rd. Jennifer writes thrillers. She writes about dark, twisted people who do dark, twisted things. She will not apologize for this. Her debut novel, CREEP, is coming July 2011 from Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books. Pulsing with the dark obsession of Radiohead's song Creep, this taut thriller rockets from its seductive opening to a heart-pounding climax not easily forgotten. I am honored to have access to an author whom many are claiming will be the next great voice in suspense!

Learn more about Jennifer Hillier and CREEP at www.jenniferhillier.org.

On March 1st things will definitely get hot when Hilary Lidestri indulges in my 7 Deadly Questions. Hilary is one-half of the writing team behind CONSUMED, easily one of the smartest and sexiest thrillers to hit the shelves in some time. Along with Alisa Griffin, Lidestri has placed her richly-developed characters into a story with so many twists and turns that you will be on the edge of your seat the entire time. Rumor has it she recently completed her second novel I can't wait to ask her about it.

Learn more about Hilary Lidestri and CONSUMED at www.lidestrigriffin.com.

If you would like to submit questions for the 7 Deadly Questions interview series, please do so via email @ raevans@asylumlake.com.

7 Deadly Questions with author Jon F. Merz

1. Your Lawson Vampire books are quite popular. How would you describe them?

I've always called them the un-vampire vampire series. They read more like a James Bond or Jason Bourne novel than the sparkly angst-filled typical vampire fare on shelves these days. Vampires in Lawson's world aren't undead; they're an evolutionary offshoot of humanity that has existed in secret for thousands of years. They live much longer than humans thanks to the ingestion of life force energy they distill from human blood. They are also very strong and hard to kill, but they do eventually die. Lawson, the series hero, is a cynical, jaded member of an elite group within his society – a Fixer. He's part-spy, part-commando, divinely chosen to protect the secret existence of his race by any means necessary.

2. What is your writing process? Do you have a rigid routine or are you more flexible with your creativity?

It really depends on the project. I've written eleven novels in the bestselling Rogue Angel series for Harlequin/Gold Eagle and those are always very structured affairs. 2,000 words per chapter and that means about 4.5 pages single-spaced and that takes about an hour to write during my first draft stage. The book is roughly 82,000 words by the time I finish, so the above criteria allow me to estimate how long it will take me to write. I've written some first drafts in only seven days – cranking about 12-14,000 words per day sometimes. I don't recommend that because it's exhausting, but it can be done. On other projects, I'm a lot more flexible with how it gets written. But a deadline hanging over my head means I shift into overdrive and get things finished.

3. Have you always been attracted to the darker side of literature?

Probably. I grew up reading in every genre imaginable, but I also spent a lot of time simultaneously attracted and afraid of scary things. It's a part of who I am. Once I figured out that things scared me, I spent my childhood running away from danger and my adult years running toward danger. Eventually, I reached a healthy balance, but the darker side of things fascinates me and I always want to uncover mysteries, search for monsters, understand the universe, that sort of thing. Must be the Scorpio thing acting up, I suppose, lol…so my reading choices got darker as the years progressed.

4. How are you using social media for promotion?

I use Twitter and Facebook primarily. I also have a Youtube channel and a website that I actively blog on. All of those things are what I like to call cogs in the machine. One cog drives another cog and they hopefully enable me to develop relationships with readers and fans. I make myself available to answer questions, address concerns and so forth. Recently, some Canadian fans told me they were having a hellish time finding my newest novel THE KENSEI in Canada. I emailed my editor who told me their Canadian distributor had filed for bankruptcy and that's what was causing problems. So I was able to go back on Twitter and let those fans know how to get the book another way. That sort of interaction is priceless. I love using social media to enhance my relationships with readers. You get immediate feedback and you get a chance to learn who people really are. I get to see them as more than just another sale. A lot of these people have become good friends. And that's very cool, indeed.

5. Most writers are also avid readers. I assume you are as well. Which novel on your bookshelf at home do you wish you had written?

Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell. This was the book I used to model my thrillers on. It's pitch-perfect literary excellence from page one sentence one and I hold it up as an example of everything that is awesome about being a writer. Morrell has written some other great stuff, but for my money, Brotherhood of the Rose is without peer.

6. In your judgment, how would your Lawson character fare in a fight against other notable vampires from other popular novels? For instance Ann Rice's Lestat or the infamous Straker from Stephen King's Salem's Lot?

Well, Lawson's not only a vampire, but he's also a ninja. He'd completely wipe the floor with Lestat and he'd shoot Straker before he got too close.

7. Where can people learn more about you?

My website is http://www.jonfmerz.net and I encourage folks to swing by, sign up for my free newsletter (filled with fiction and news) and see what I'm all about. I have a lot of pretty cool projects happening these days and with all the changes happening in the publishing world, it's a fun time to be a writer.

Jon's Bio

As a writer, Jon has published over a dozen novels including four Lawson Vampire adventures (2002-2003) with Kensington's Pinnacle Books, the Jake Thunder mystery/thriller DANGER-CLOSE (2004) with Five Star Mystery/Thorndike Press, and eleven installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His latest thriller PARALLAX debuted in March 2009 as an exclusive ebook. Praised by bestselling authors like Robert B. Parker, Douglas Clegg, and Thomas Monteleone, Jon's novels will continue to thrill readers for many years to come. His short fiction story "Prisoner 392″ (appeared alongside Stephen King in FROM THE BORDERLANDS, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow.