Mayra Calvani's Blog, page 17

A Bad Mad Sad Day for Mama Bear is out on Amazon

I'm happy to announce that my latest children's picture book, A Bad Mad Sad Day for Mama Bear, illustrated by award-winning artist K.C. Snider, has just been released by Guardian Angel Publishing and is now on Amazon... (soon on Kindle and iTunes with voice-over)

A Bad Mad Sad Day for Mama Bear
By Mayra Calvani
Illustrations by KC Snider
Guardian Angel Publishing
Hardcover ISBN: 9781616334345; $15.95
Softcover ISBN: 9781616334352; $10.95
eBook ISBN: 9781616334369; $4.99
24 pages

Amazon / Guardian Angel Publishing

Little Bear offers Mama Bear various items to make her feel better, but she’s too busy to notice—until he gives her his super, so good, so very special dolly. Silly humor, alliteration, repetition, and onomatopoeia make this a fun read-aloud story. A celebration of the special love shared between mother and child. For ages 3-7.

Interview with Gabriel Valjan, author of THREADING THE NEEDLE

Gabriel’s short stories and some of his poetry continue to appear in literary journals and online magazines. Ronan Bennett short-listed Gabriel for the 2010 Fish Prize. Gabriel won first prize in ZOUCH Magazine’s inaugural Lit Bits Contest. Winter Goose Publishing publishes his Roma Series: Roma, Underground(February 2012), Wasp’s Nest (November 2012) and Threading the Needle(October 2013). Gabriel lives in New England.

Website: http://gabrielswharf.wordpress.com/

Twitter: GValjan

Facebook Wall: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabriel-Valjan/291400997547203

Purchase THREADING THE NEEDLE on Amazon / B&N

Q: What’s inside the mind of a mystery/suspense author?

A: One of the joys of a good mystery is watching intelligent people being intelligent. This is difficult to write, since your protagonist has to be smart enough to spot something that neither the other characters nor your readers can see, even though it’s right in front of them. The fun part is unfolding the plot and juggling the characters, moving both forward at a good pace, while respecting your reader’s intelligence.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy Threading the Needle.

A: In this outing of the Roma Series, Bianca's curiosity gets a young university student murdered, but not before he passes her details of a secret weapon under development with defense contractor, Adastra.  Within days, the media turns Farrugia, her backup at the scene, into hero, then suspect. Guilt may drive her to find justice for the slain Charlie Brooks, but she is warned by the mysterious Loki to stay away from this case that runs deep with conspiracy. In Threading the Needle, the third volume of the Roma series, Bianca must find a way to uncover government secrets and corporate alliances without returning Italy to one of its darkest hours, the decades of daily terrorism known as the “Years of Lead.”

The Roma Series is really about a group of friends -- all with their individual strengths and weaknesses – but committed to each other out of friendship, love, and respect. Gennaro is the senior investigator, crusty and cantankerous; but he is the voice of experience. Farrugia is the weathered but haunted detective, tempted to but disciplined enough not to sink to the level of the thugs he has known. There is Alessandro, young, intelligent, but libidinal and irresponsible at times. Dante, a promising investigator, is the romantic-love interest of the main character, Bianca, who is a forensic accountant on the lam from a secretive U.S. agency, Rendition. She is brilliant, a thrill-seeker, but extremely reserved, almost closed-off, which creates friction with Dante and the group. Then there is Loki, the mysterious go-between who contacts Bianca with cryptic advice and clues.

Q: What makes a good mystery/suspense?

A: Plot and character, but not in that order. The plot has to be believable, but I’ve noticed that the trend in the mystery/suspense genre is to have the protagonist be flawed, which is fine, but many main characters border on unlikeable; they have addictions, family problems, or interpersonal issues, which can suspend belief. Bianca, my main character, is difficult at times, but she knows it and she knows why she is difficult and she is determined to fix it. Each mystery and each journey with her friends brings her closer to opening up, becoming a better person. Intimacy and trust frighten her.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: I am a morning writer. I find that writing first thing in the morning when the mind is receptive is best for me. On a great morning, I’ll write twenty pages, but I average eight to ten pages. In terms of word count, accounting for standard formatting, I’d say that is 2,500 to 5,000 words a day.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: Seeing my own development as a writer, whether it is the use of language, a time period, or particular format such as short fiction. With respect to the Roma Series, I’m taking chances in exploring complex subject matter or going deeper into the psychological motivations of my characters. Each character has blossomed with sufficient depth that they could be the main character of their own novel. In Threading the Needle, I confronted a difficult time in Italian history, one that I think few Americans know about but should, since terrorism and manipulating public opinion are relevant today. The challenge was presenting the information through two different cultural lenses: American and Italian.

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of your book?

A: I take a few days off before I start my next project.

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Gabriel Valjan’s Author Page at Winter Goose Publishing: http://wintergoosepublishing.com/authors/gabriel-valjan/

Pinterest for Threading the Needle: http://pinterest.com/gvaljan/threadin...

Rachel Anderson of RMA Publicity represents Gabriel Valjan. Rachel can be reached at rachel@rmapublicity.comThreading the NeedleWasp's NestRoma, Underground

5 Questions with Dr. Jay D Roberts, MD, author of BREAK THE CHAINS

Jay D Roberts MD is a board-certified physiatrist, specializing in the treatment of physical disabilities with a focus of adding quality to life. He is currently in private practice in California. He is a member and lecturer at national and international conferences related to his specialty, a contributing author to Current Trends in Physiatry, and author of various scientific papers. In addition to his career, Dr. Roberts volunteers as part of a Christian ministry in maximum security prisons. He and his wife, parents of two grown sons, live in Indian Wells, California. Break the Chains is Dr. Roberts’ first book. Following in the long tradition of doctors who combine their passion for saving lives with their passion for writing, Dr. Roberts is currently at work on a novel, concerning children forced to work in mines. Visit http://jdrobertsmd.com/

BUY BREAK THE CHAINS ON AMAZON /  B&N  / TATE PUBLISHING 

Q: Tell us about the title of your book and what it means?

A:  It is called Break the Chains, Transforming Shame into Forgiveness. Break the Chains has two means: 1.  Stopping the cycle of abuse from father to son.  2.  Breaking the chains that bind your heart with unforgiveness.

Q: Tell us why readers should read your book.

A:  Many need to forgive themselves, God, or others who have harmed them. They may also need to ask forgiveness from someone they have hurt or done wrong. I hope that my book will help them with forgiveness, break their chains, and set them free.

Q: What was the hardest part of writing this memoir?

A:  Telling the family secret and truly worried that my mother would die reading it.

Q: What has been the reaction so far from your friends, family and colleagues?

A:  Absolutely amazing. People have thanked me and blessed me for telling my story. They feel my book will help them or their loved ones.  The biggest overwhelming reaction was from my mother- after finishing my book she called me and asked me to forgive her for not protecting me as a child!

Q: In what way has this book been cathartic for you?

A:  Immensely.  I never had any form of therapy as a child. First, during my time you never revealed to anyone what went on inside your home. Second, only crazy people or those rich movie stars went to therapy. The process was painful, as I broke down the walls around my heart that had protected me for years and years. In fact, I stopped writing it for two years because of the pain.

Q: What last words would you like to say to my readers?

A:  I pray that my book will help them or someone they love. Then, all the pain it took to write it and the fear of my mother’s death, will be all worth it.

5 Questions with FLORENCE BYHAM WEINBERG

Born in the high desert country, in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Florence loved exploring the wilderness on foot and horseback. Those grandiose landscapes formed her sensibility. Hidden pockets of unexpected greenery tucked away near springs in folds of barren mountainsides spoke to her of gentleness and beauty in an otherwise harsh world. She published her first poem in a children’s magazine shortly after she learned to read at age four; wrote her first ‘novel’ at age six, entitled Ywain, King of All Cats. She illustrated the ‘book’ herself.

She traveled extensively with her military family during World War II. With her husband the brilliant scholar and teacher, Kurt Weinberg, she worked and traveled in Canada, Germany, France, and Spain. After earning her PhD, she taught for twenty-two years at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, and for ten at Trinity University in San Antonio. She published four scholarly books, many articles and book reviews, doing research in the U.S. and abroad. When, after retiring in 1999, she was freed from academia to devote herself to writing fiction, she produced ten novels, ranging from fantasy to historical romance and mystery. An avid researcher, she grounds most of her publications in historical fact. She spends hours combing through web sites, books and periodicals, and historical archives to enhance her writings with authenticity.

Eight of her ten books are now in print: an historical romance about the French Renaissance, published in France in French translation by Editions Lyonnaises d’Art et d’Histoire, and two straight historical novels, Apache Lance, Franciscan Cross and Seven Cities of Mud. In addition, four historical mysteries starring the 18th-century Jesuit missionary, Father Ignaz (Ygnacio) Pfefferkorn. Two of these are set in the Sonora Desert, the third in an ancient monastery in Spain,and the fourth, Unrest in Eden, follows Pfefferkorn’s fate after his release from Spanish prison. Five of the historical novels have received a total of ten awards. Unrest in Eden is now published in German translation by Dr. Renate Scharffenberg under title Unruhe im Paradies.

The most recent book,  Anselm, a Metamorphosis: metaphysical suspense , weaves an aura of black magic and nightmare that should fascinate all levels and ages of readers.

Florence also serves as Lector at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas, as well as appearing as a guest lecturer to various groups throughout the country and abroad.

Her favorite animals are horses-an intense love affair over many years-and cats, her constant companions. She enjoys music, traveling, hiking, biking, gardening, and swimming.

Website: www.florenceweinberg.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/florence.weinberg.9

Twitter: htpps://twitter.com/floren4

Purchase the book on AMAZON

Q: What’s inside the mind of a HISTORICAL FICTION/ FANTASY author?

A: First, an off-the-wall idea, maybe inspired by something I read, maybe by a dream, maybe a movie. There must be a combination of an interesting time, a difficult and problematic situation, and an unusual protagonist. I, as author, must identify with the hero, otherwise the paranormal fantasy will not work. I must live the horrors of the hero’s fate so that the situation can come alive. I must feel his or her fear, frustration, and desperation. I must grope toward a solution to his impossible situation along with (or within) him, seeing everything from the inside outward, not as an omnipotent chess player. Often, the situation requires research as well, as in the case of a heart valve repair, or a believable Swiss topography. It must be something that strikes a universal note as, in this case, the wish “Gee, I wish I were in her/his shoes,” which could land the wisher in terrible trouble s/he knows not of.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy ANSELM, A METAMORPHOSIS.

A: Anselm is a departure from my normal writing, which is historical fiction and historical mystery. Everyone has had fantasies of being someone else. Christianity and most other world religions hold that the soul is real and separable from the body. This book asks, what might happen if a person were to wish to be someone, anyone, else and find that s/he really has become another person, while retaining her/his own mental identity? How would a person cope with that? This process of discovery of the hero’s new outer self and adjusting to his circumstances occupies a large portion of Anselm. Once the adjustment has been made—as best he can—then he tries to reverse the change. The pace is rapid, with something significant happening on each page.   

Q: What makes a good FANTASY NOVEL?

A: In most cases, a good fantasy creates a parallel world (as in Tolkien or Oz) that resembles our own enough to be engaging, but which differs in wonderful ways. The hero is usually an innocent, a naïve person, who must discover the rules of the alternate world in time to avert disaster. In Anselm’s case, the worlds are real (university and monastery) but the circumstances of the body-exchange drive the action, first by discovering the new body and its capabilities, then by trying to find a way to “go home.”.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: I rise at eight, breakfast, then spend several hours editing and adding to what I had written the day before. I have lunch, do any necessary errands or chores, then, after supper, continue writing until midnight. If on “a roll,” I might stay up until 2:00 AM. This is not a regular occurrence, however.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: The greatest pleasure is in creating believable characters and seeing them in action in believable settings that I also create. My people are three-dimensional, think and talk like normal people (although occasionally, an anti-hero can get pretty extreme.) Also, the ability to create—in my case, as a historical novelist, recreate—a past reality. Anselm is the nearest thing to a contemporary novel that I’ve ever written. It is set, however, in the Viet Nam era—in the mid 1960’s. I needed a time when electronic media, especially cell phones, had not yet been invented.

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of your book?

A: I had a scotch on the rocks with a good friend and then went out to a gourmet restaurant and had a fine meal. I fear this wasn’t terribly imaginative! The conversation that evening was the best part.

Meet Horror Novelist Allison M. Dickson, Author of STRINGS

Allison M. Dickson is a writer of dark contemporary fiction living in Dayton, Ohio. Though STRINGS is her debut novel, she has been writing for a number of years, with several short stories (including “Dust” and “Under the Scotch Broom”) available on Amazon. Two of her stories were featured The Endlands Volume 2 from Hobbes End Publishing. In 2014, Hobbes End will also be releasing her dystopian science fiction novel, THE LAST SUPPER, and she is independently producing her pulpy dieselpunk noir novel, COLT COLTRANE AND THE LOTUS KILLER to be released in November of 2013. When she isn’t writing, she’s one of the co-hosts of the weekly Creative Commoners podcast.  She might also be found gaming, watching movies, hiking the local nature preserve with her husband and two kids who also serve as willing guinea pigs for her many culinary experiments.

WEBSITE / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / BOOK TRAILER  

BUY THE BOOK

Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, STRINGS. What was your inspiration for it?

A: The book originally began life as a short story I had out for awhile on Amazon called “The Good Girls,” where I told the story of a young and indebted prostitute assigned to visit a horrifying hermit as her final job. But when other readers told me the story read like the beginning to a much longer book, I decided to run with that and the book was born a short time later. I really wanted to tell a story that didn’t have a true hero. I wanted to explore elements of control and freedom, and whether or not those things were illusions. I was inspired a lot by the great crime fiction of Gillian Flynn and Dennis Lehane, but I wanted to add my own special horror twist to the equation.

Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist.

A: Well, the story has three protagonists who share equal billing. The first is Nina, the young hooker who is ultimately held prisoner in this house of horrors. She’s left to explore the frightening depths of her own soul. The Madam, who sent Nina to that house, is a pretty sick and twisted lady herself, but she’s very outmatched by her “brother,” and I put that word in quotations for a reason. Finally, there is Ramón, the Madam’s former driver who is also an indentured worker of this criminal organization. He takes matters into his own hands and tries to make a run for it. All three of them are locked together in this twisted web.

Q: How was your creative process like during the writing of this book and how long did it take you to complete it? Did you face any bumps along the way?

A: Writing this book was a bit like mainlining a very powerful drug that took me to some very creepy and very dark places. The project consumed much of my day and my thought processes, and I powered through that first draft (which was around 85,000 words) in a grueling period of about six weeks. The writing of the novel itself was effortless. I had very few issues with plotting it or figuring out how to end it, which are typically obstacles for me. The issues I had writing the book were more personal ones in that I basically burnt my mind out working so furiously on such a grim piece of work. It took a couple months to come out of my little mental cave.

Q: How do you keep your narrative exciting throughout the creation of a novel?

A: For this novel, it was particularly easy, because each chapter was from the point-of-view of one of the three main characters. Writing a book where you’re essentially in the head of one person can get a little challenging after awhile, because sometimes you start feeling limited in what you can see and do. Being able to switch it up so regularly was, I think, one of the main factors that allowed me to stay on task from beginning to end. By the time I reached the end of a Madam chapter, I had to become someone completely different to be Ramón, same with Nina. It was only with Nina’s chapters that I felt a little bit of dread writing, because I think hers are the most raw and frightening of the book.

Q: Do you experience anxiety before sitting down to write? If yes, how do you handle it?

A: Only on certain scenes. Namely climactic ones. I sometimes find myself avoiding writing a certain part of a book for a couple days, even when I know exactly what I plan to have happen. I worry that I won’t be able to execute it properly, so I edge around it for as long as I can and then just hold my nose and dive in. It’s usually fun once I get going, but it’s the anticipation that can be such a killer.

Q: What is your writing schedule like and how do you balance it with your other work and family time?

A: I don’t have a job outside the home competing for my time, so I try to get most of my work done when my husband and kids are gone for the day. This allows me to be present for them when they are around, though there are times when a project is running at full peak—much like I was for the duration of writing STRINGS, when I was writing day and night—when my husband has to pick up the slack for me. I’m lucky that our kids are older now and more self-sufficient, so that makes it easier when those spells hit, but I ultimately prefer our more structured times. Authors spend a lot of time living up inside their own heads, and it can be tempting to stay up there for good. The family keeps me awake and grounded.

Q: How do you define success?

A: It has changed a LOT since I got into this business. It used to be that my success (aside from even finishing a book) was dependent on getting an agent and a major book deal by a big New York publishing house and seeing my books on the stands at Barnes & Noble. And while I wouldn’t turn my nose up at any of those things if it meant getting my books into a lot more hands, I feel very successful with the little career I’ve carved out for myself. I love my relationship with my small publisher, Hobbes End Publishing. I’ve realized that the resources it takes to get a book assembled and produced and released are available at all levels of the spectrum. The small press books you order from Amazon are just as good as the Random House ones someone else just ordered from Amazon. They go through the same level of scrutiny and editing and marketing and design. The small guys just have fewer authors to cater to and they might not be able to print a run of tens of thousands of books. But this also means far less overhead so you can often make a bigger share of the pie. I also love that I have so much creative control and more intimate contact with the whole production process of the book, that they take good care of their small roster of authors and that it feels much like a family. Working in the smaller leagues can also have its drawbacks (distribution being one of them), but I’ve learned there are drawbacks to having the “big” traditional publishing career too and that you should be careful what you wish for. I no longer pine for presence in big bookstores, because fewer and fewer people are shopping in them. Seeing a big book display with my name on it would be more a fulfillment of ego than anything. These days, I just feel successful getting my work into the hands of readers by any means possible, whether that’s through bookstores or strictly through online sales or independently publishing them myself or even giving them away. Go where most of the readers are. If you can tap into that, you’ve succeeded.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers whose spouses or partners don’t support their dreams of becoming an author?

A: Find a new partner. Okay okay, it isn’t always that simple. Sometimes you can still have a great spouse, even if they don’t quite “get” this path you’ve chosen for yourself, where you spend a lot of time alone typing out words, making up stories and largely getting underpaid (or not paid at all) for it, especially when you’re starting out. To some people, this plan can seem selfish or childish, but you can’t let someone else live your life for you. Lead by example. Dedicate yourself to your craft completely and stay committed, while at the same time being present for your partner. When your hard work begins to show dividends through publication credits and royalties, your partner may just come around, but even if you don’t have those things to show for it, even if this is just a hobby, your dedication should demonstrate to your partner that writing is a priority of yours and should at least be respected. Also, setting a decent work schedule and establishing healthy boundaries is really helpful. While you shouldn’t be able to have free reign to check out of life and work on your books whenever you see fit (especially if you have kids or animals or co-habitate), your partner should honor the agreed upon hours you’ve set aside to work. If he or she can’t give you one or two hours a day to pursue or enjoy something that is important to you, then maybe there are some other issues in the relationship that should be addressed with the help of a counselor. Or, barring that, a frying pan to the head. Hey, I’m kidding. Mostly.

Q: George Orwell once wrote: “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” Do you agree?

A: This quote describes almost verbatim how I felt writing STRINGS. The story grabbed hold of me and refused to let go until it was finished. And it wrecked me for a good while. They aren’t all like that, at least not all the way through, but I do think if you’re interested in turning out quality work, you should agree with this statement at least somewhat, because when you feel possessed by the process and a little wrecked when it’s finished, it means you’re heavily invested in your work, it means you’re bleeding at least a little. And a lot of time that equates to one hell of a book that sticks with people when it’s done. I hope that’s happened with my work, though ultimately it’s in the eye of the beholder.

Q:  Anything else you’d like to tell my readers?

A: If you like STRINGS, there is a sequel in the works. Actually, a full series if the characters keep speaking to me. But the follow-up is being written as we speak.

20 print copies of Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective available for review

Dear Readers,

I’m currently representing author Christine Amsden, whose new adult urban fantasy/mystery novel, Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective, was released earlier this year by Twilight Times Books.

I have 20 print copies available for review. Please let me know if you’re interested!

About the book:

Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

From Publisher’s Weekly:

“In this entertaining series opener, Amsden (The Immortality Virus) introduces readers to the eponymous Cassie, a decidedly mundane member of a magical family. …Readers will enjoy Cassie’s fish-out-of-water struggles as she fights magical threats with little more than experience and bravado.”

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Cassie-Scot-Par...

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you!
Regards,
Mayra

Looking for a Halloween read? Read an excerpt from my supernatural thriller, DARK LULLABY

At a tavern one Friday night, astrophysicist Gabriel Diaz meets a mysterious young woman. Captivated by her beauty as well as her views on good and evil, he spends the next several days with her. After a while, however, he begins to notice a strangeness in her...especially the way she seems to take pleasure in toying with his conscience.

The young woman, Kamilah, invites him to Rize, Turkey, where she claims her family owns a cottage in the woods. In spite of his heavy workload and the disturbing visions and nightmares about his sister’s baby that is due to be born soon, Gabriel agrees to go with her.

But nothing, not even the stunning beauty of the Black Sea, can disguise the horror of her nature... In a place where death dwells and illusion and reality seem as one, Gabriel must now come to terms with his own demons in order to save his sister’s unborn child, and ultimately, his own soul.

Only $.99 on Amazon

Dream Realm Awards Finalist!

Reviews:

“Mayra Calvani is a masterful storyteller… Dark Lullaby is complex and compelling…” –Habitual Reader

“Dark Lullaby is an atmospheric paranormal horror that grips you from page one and refuses to let go until you’ve raced, breathless, to the end.” –ePinions

“Dark Lullaby is a page-turner. A horror story from the top shelf! You’ll love it.” –5 stars from Euro-Reviews

“This is a terrific horror…” –Harriet Klausner

“Dark Lullaby will capture you with its rich descriptions, its exotic location, and the need to uncover the dark secrets hidden within its pages.” –Cheryl Malandrinos, The Book Connection

"I loved this story, which started as a romance, then quickly evolved into a spine chilling horror, transporting you back to a land where folklore legends, based on truth are alive, and unimaginable creatures walk the earth." -Susan Keefe, Amazon Reviewer

"...this story is exactly the kind of creepy tale that's given me a new reason to keep the light on at night." -Relasped Catholic

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Excerpt

 

Late that night, sipping red wine on the second-floor balcony after a mouth-watering meal of barbequed fish, Gabriel was overwhelmed by the feeling of impending doom.

He gazed at the woods surrounding them. Far away from city lights and civilization, he had never experienced such perfect darkness before. Only the full moon illuminated them with its clear silver light. His eyes turned upwards to the sky and he held his breath. There, crossing the southern sky in all its splendor, was the Milky Way. An arm of it, anyway. Layers upon layers of stars created that milky effect. Never before had he seen such a magnificent, clear sky, not even in Arizona or New Mexico.

“Look!” Kamilah leaned forward, pointing with her finger to the woods.

And for the first time, Gabriel saw the little lights.

This was no trick played on his vision. There they were, going this way and that with uncanny rapidity, to and fro, making a little witch’s dance in the distance, as if they were electrons and neutrons trying to collide inside an atom. Unpredictable, erratic, volatile.

“Do you believe me now?” Kamilah quivered with excitement.

“The lights are real, no doubt. But your explanation of them is something else. Fairies? What did you call them—cin? Spirits of the forest?”

“That’s what people here believe. You know, two years ago a team of foreign scientists came here to study these lights, but they weren’t able to find any explanation for them. They were trying to compare them to similar lights seen in the mountains of Peru. The Peruvian villagers, though, believe them to be aliens. Spiritual beings from another world.”

Gabriel remained silent as he studied the strange phenomenon. For a moment the lights  vanished. Then they re-appeared.

Kamilah began humming a soft melody.

Gabriel felt goose bumps rise on his arms and legs. That music…. He listened, entranced. He began to feel sleepy.

“Stop singing,” he said.

“I did.”

He could still hear the lullaby, though the sound had now turned very distant. But it was no echo. It felt as if something deep within the forest itself sang.

“I’m going to take a closer look,” Gabriel said, standing up with the glass of wine in his hand.

“No! Don’t bother them! Sometimes they don’t like the intrusion. They might get mad.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” He was surprised at the sudden anxiety in her voice.

“I mean it!”

“You’re such a superstitious fool! I’m going to have a closer look.” He downed the rest of the wine and put the glass on the floor. A protesting Kamilah followed him.

“You don’t know what you’re doing!” she kept saying.

Soon he was outside striding to where the lights hovered. For somebody who had felt so ill this morning, his body felt marvelously supple and strong. The mountain air was cold, but his limbs were infused with an inner warmth, a warmth that wasn’t just physical, but also came from his intellect. Gabriel needed to know what these lights were. He needed to understand them. He couldn’t really explain his fervor to comprehend.

“They’re gone,” Kamilah said.

His pulse raced. Midway down the clearing he halted, his eyes searching. Darkness enveloped him. Then he saw them again, right in front of him at the edge of the woods, as if they had moved closer in order to greet him.

He approached them, his pace quickening with each step until he was practically underneath the magical light dance. He had to bend his head back to look at them. He wasn’t aware of Kamilah behind him or of anything else. The trees, the grass beneath him, the cottage…everything disappeared. He was alone with the twinkling magical lights.

The lights seemed to lower themselves closer to him, the pinpoints dancing right above his eyes. Immobilized by the thrill of it, he was overcome with palpitations. He forced deep breaths, while never moving his eyes from the lights.

Once again a gentle, lovely lullaby reached his ears, distant at first, and then closer and closer, until the sound became deafening, and he had to cover his ears with his hands.

“Go away! Leave him alone! He’s mine!” Kamilah shouted behind him, anguish and misery warping her voice into an inhuman rumble.

The lights began swirling around his head. He felt his mind swimming in light, immersed in it. There was no feeling of malevolence, but there wasn’t benevolence either. He tried to define the emotions involved, but couldn’t. He lifted his hands and tried to touch them, but realized there was no matter to touch. His hands went through the lights as if going through a spectrum. In this illumination, oddly divine in nature, everything around him became visible with absolute clarity, as if the sun had abruptly risen and washed the world with iridescent white radiance. He had the sudden, bizarre feeling that the lights were trying to send him a message.

The lights vanished suddenly.

Absolute silenced reigned. Only Kamilah whimpered softly behind him.

He was stunned. He turned around slowly, unable to see her. When his vision adjusted to the blackness, he tried to speak, but couldn’t.

Kamilah was sitting on the grass with her legs tucked under her, her hands covering her face. Finally she rose.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, his voice shaking.

She threw herself at him and cried, hugging him like a lost waif.

“What’s the matter?”

But she cried harder, squeezed him harder.

“I thought they would hurt you!” she wailed.

He wrapped his arms around her, instinctively responding to her obvious fear and pain.

“I’m fine,” he murmured, staring in wonder at the darkness.

“What happened? What do you feel?” she asked, drawing away from him, her eyes pleading and probing.

“Nothing happened. I feel…. I can’t really explain. It’s indescribable.”

“But what happened when the lights covered your face? What did you feel? What did you hear? I need to know!”

“I cannot explain my feelings right now. Nothing happened. The lights…” He was at a loss.

“What did they say?”

“Say? The lights didn’t speak.” But he wasn’t a skeptic anymore. He didn’t have the right to mock her. He was awed, and deeply respectful of the unknown. All his beliefs had come tumbling down. He was unable to explain with his five senses what he had seen or felt. Yet it had been real, there was no question about that. He instinctively knew it had been real, and he had to accept that. The experience had involved other senses beyond the accepted five ones. Different concepts and ideas swirled in his mind, concepts and ideas which until now he had deemed impossible. Words like ‘spirit world’, ‘psychic’, ‘sixth sense’ raced through his mind as quickly as the dance of the lights.

“Are you sure? You didn’t hear anything?” Kamilah insisted.

“I’m sure.” The warmth had left him, and he felt very cold now. “Come, let’s go back inside.”

Together they crossed the clearing, Gabriel’s arm around her shoulders, Kamilah’s arms circling his waist.

5 Questions with James Stone, author of the spy novel, CRYPTO

Dr. Stone has a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering, and numerous international certifications in computer security. He has worked at NSA, NASA, and the Department of Defense in various capacities, as well as having been a professor of engineering at a major university. He recently retired from engineering and plans to devote himself to writing. His first novel is CRYPTO, published by Twilight Times Books.

Q: Congratulations on the release of your novel! Tell us, what’s inside the mind of an espionage author?

A: I can’t speak for others, but I want to tell a good story. My next book is not even in the espionage genre. The third will be. It happens espionage, treason, and various other forms of misbehaviour are displayed prominently on the current world stage, making it easy to be relevant.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy CRYPTO.

A: First, it’s a really good story written by an author immersed for decades in the security world. I’ve tried to be very accurate in the background materials, and give a sense of what it’s like, while not compromising anything that might be sensitive. Incidentally, I actually personally knew a prominent spy who got caught.

Q: What makes a good espionage novel?

A: Let’s start with the basic rules: interesting people, doing interesting things, in interesting places: Have strong central characters, run them up a tree, and let the reader struggle with them to get down. Espionage stories should be obscure mysteries simply involving politics, plots, and treason.

Q: What espionage authors do you admire or recommend?

A: Eric Ambler, Richard Condon, Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth, Jack Higgins, John LeCarre (a bit dark), Robert Ludlum, Helen MacInnes, Daniel Silva, and many more. Unfortunately, I took a speed reading course some years ago and keep running out of books by favourite authors. Fortunately, I also like ‘space opera (Cherryh, Weber, Bujold), serial killer novels (Deaver, Sandford), and even some classic Regency Romance (Austen, Heyer). I like to read.

Q: What was the most difficult aspect of writing this book?

A: Making sure the details are all correct. For instance, I wanted a stream of Zil limos entering the Lubyanka in Moscow. I’ve never been there, so didn’t know where a door might be. Google Street View shows the only such portal off an alley at the back. I was amazed.

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of CRYPTO?

A: I started my next book, My Every Thought, a near-future Sci-Fi/Thriller about human-realistic robots and ‘Monsters from the ID.’

5 Questions with Alison Bruce & Kat Flannery

Alison Bruce has had many careers and writing has always been one of them. Copywriter, editor and graphic designer since 1992, Alison has also been a comic book store manager, small press publisher, webmaster and arithmetically challenged bookkeeper. She is the author of mystery, suspense and historical romance novels.

Find Alison on the web:

Website: http://www.alisonbruce.ca

Blog: http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alisonebruce

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisonbruce.books

Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in the novels she writes. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. When not researching for her next book, Kat can be found running her three sons to hockey and lacrosse. She’s been published in numerous periodicals. This is Kat’s third book and she is hard at work on her next.

Find Kat on the web:

Website: www.katflannery-author.com

Blog: www.kat-scratch.blogspot.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katflannery1

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Flannery/131065966999142

SUMMARY:

Twin sisters separated by war, bound by love…

After the death of their father, twin sisters Maggie and Matty Becker are forced to take positions with officers’ families at a nearby fort. When the southern states secede, the twins are separated, and they find themselves on opposite sides of America’s bloodiest war.

In the south, Maggie travels with the Hamiltons to Bellevue, a plantation in west Tennessee. When Major Hamilton is captured, it is up to Maggie to hold things together and deal with the Union cavalry troop that winters at Bellevue. Racism, politics and a matchmaking stepmother test Maggie’s resourcefulness as she fights for Bellevue, a wounded Confederate officer and the affections of the Union commander.

In the north, Matty discovers an incriminating letter in General Worthington’s office, and soon she is on the run. With no one to turn to for help, she drugs the wealthy Colonel Cole Black and marries him, in hopes of getting the letter to his father, the governor of Michigan. But Cole is not happy about being married, and Matty’s life becomes all about survival.

Two unforgettable stories of courage, strength and honor.

--------------------------------

Q: What’s inside the mind of a historical romance author?

Alison: Sometimes I think that if I didn’t write fiction, I’d want a job writing Trivial Pursuit questions or maybe Jeopardy answers. I’m a research junkie – which is why I’m drawn to historical romance. The inside of my mind is a jumble of research, laundry lists and observations of the human condition – not unlike my desk.

Kat: Many things and only a quarter of it is writing but before the writing comes research.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy HAZARDOUS UNIONS.

Alison: I’d rather say what kind of reader should buy HAZARDOUS UNIONS. Someone who enjoys strong female characters and the kind of men who would fall in love with them is a prerequisite. Loving history as much as Kat and me isn’t required, but it doesn’t hurt.

Kat: Great answer, Ali.

Q: What makes a good historical romance?

Alison: Research is essential. You’ve got to know your period–at least as well as your characters would. The next step is to write so that your research isn’t obvious. The rest is good storytelling which includes the usual suspects of plot, characterization and pacing. Regardless of the genre an author writes in, storytelling is the bottom line.

Kat: What Ali said.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

Alison: First coffee must be made. The next step is procrastination. Since I have two kids, three jobs and house to take care of, procrastination is easy. Finally there will be the tipping point when a blank page is more inviting than dirty dishes and I get down to it. Once I start, it’s hard to get me to stop. Fortunately my daughter cooks.

Kat: Oh, yes coffee for sure. Once the kids are off to school I answer emails, and if I have a freelance job I need to complete I work on that. Every Friday is bookkeeping day for my husbands business. Once all the loose ends are tied up I write.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

Alison: As Hannibal from the A-Team says, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Kat: Fan mail. I love to hear from my readers.

Q: How did you celebrate the completion of your book?

Alison: When I finished Maggie’s story in HAZARDOUS UNIONS I ordered pizza and the kids and I watched half of season two of Teen Wolf on DVD. It had arrived the week before but I wasn’t allowed to watch it until the book was done.

Kat: I made my three boys their favourite dinners over the course of the week and then on the weekend we all went out for dinner.

Be part of my tour in October

I'll be going on a virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in October to promote my supernatural/psychological thriller, DARK LULLABY... Just in time for Halloween. Sign up if you're interested in reviewing my book.

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2013/09...