Sheila Deeth's Blog, page 34

Are there shadows over Somerset?

Bob Freeman's Cairnwood Manor Series Virtual Tour
Today I'm delighted to welcome author Bob Freeman to my blog to answer just a few questions about his Cairnwood Manor Series of books. I really enjoyed the first book, Shadows over Somerset (click to read my review), so I'm delighted to find there's another, and even more delighted to get to ask the author some questions. So, find yourself a good strong cup of coffee, sit down and enjoy.
Hi Bob, and welcome to my blog. Since I grew up in Britain...

Paranormal never looked so good

Have you read any of the Cassie Scot series? Christine Amsden has created a nicely different world of magic, just parallel to our own, where magic users hide their skills, but make great politicians and thieves, and where vampires and werewolves aren't quite what we've been let to believe. Enter Kaitlyn... and thank you Christine for letting me be part of your cover reveal!

Kaitlin Mayer is on the run from the father of her baby – a vampire who wants her to join him in deadl...<![endif]--><!--[if gte vml 1]></div>

Time flies like an arrow perhaps?

It's one of those favorite remembered misunderstandings--the child who stares at flies, watch in one hand and plastic-tipped arrow in the other, obeying an edict that was meant to be an observation: Time flies like an arrow.

But this week time has truly flown. I had great plans of books to read, and instead I filled the hours with efforts to fulfill the promise of good news.

Good news number one was an email asking for copies of Dribble-IT. Currently only available from Lulu, the price is fine...

What Happens When Characters Die?

Death scenes are strange--in fiction I mean. We authors choreograph the steps of a fight, as if the characters are puppets compelled to their fatal dance by our tune. Or else we stand aside and watch, trying to make sense of what we see in our minds, drawing those steps so others might see them too. Or else we wait for the conclusion and weep. But characters die, and we who made them are compelled to see their demise. Like them or hate them, the characters we've made all belong to our minds,...

When Is A Story A Soundtrack?

There's music in movie soundtracks, of course. But there's music too in words, easy to hear if the words are poetry, and still there in sentences and stories; in the flow, internal rhyme, the lilting rhythm and cadences of speech; and old-fashioned storytelling around the fire. Those first storytellers, memorizing their lines, must surely have heard them to music in their minds--that's why they turned so many tales into song. But what about the written word? I wonder sometimes if those first...

Are there Heat Ratings for Faith in Fiction?

They have heat ratings for romance novels. Since I sometimes review romances I've been trying to work them out so I'll use the right words. To the best of my knowledge:

Burning means vividly graphic detail in sexuality and vocabulary. These ones probably go further than I'd choose to read.Hot means detailed sex scenes with plenty of body parts. They're not my scene either, but I'm happy to read and review them once in a while.Moderate might be moderately explicit, but spares the reader's worst...

How Will You Tell Your Future History?

Great futuristic fiction demands great future history to make it real. But the balance between showing and telling in a novel can make it hard to provide all that backstory to the reader. The question, of course, besides making it all make sense (or seem to make sense), is how much does a reader need to know?

When it comes to describing the carpets and curtains in a room, the reader should see what the protagonist will notice, then ignore the rest. Seeing through a protagonist's eyes can help...

When impeccable character meets insoluble crime

Today I'm delighted to introduce a fictional guest, Sadagopan, from the new novel, Surpanakha by Hariharan Iyer. Read this character sketch, and imagine the kind of man who will investigate a massacre... But first, please enjoy the slide show - keep your eye out for Sadogapan himself. Then read on, and don't forget to read to the end, where you'll find a cool giveaway. Enjoy!



SO... WHO IS SADAGOPAN?
A 1972 IPS cadre officer. A person of upright character. Impeccable track record in Tamil Nadu p...

How do you make manna? An interview with Eric Lotke

Today, I'm delighted to welcome Eric Lotke, author of the novel,  Making Manna, to my blog. We're going to sit down and drink coffee while we talk, so grab yourself a mug too while I introduce the book.

Making Manna  has a strong theme of renewal - perfect for the Easter season. It tells the story of Libby Thompson, who is just fourteen years old when she flees her abusive home with her newborn son, Angel. Now they must build a life for themselves on hard work and low wages, dealing w...

What Makes A Mystery?

I started writing children's stories about dogs and cats when our writers' group challenged its members to write mysteries. We came up with a neat short template for the creation of a "quick" mystery:
At number one, write down who is going to misunderstand something.At number five, write down the dire consequence of the misunderstanding.At number seven, write down the resolution – all is calm, mystery solved, misunderstanding corrected.Back to number three: What did your protagonist misun...