Young's Blog, page 37
May 31, 2015
Blind Influence by Linda Risenberg Fisler
AUTHOR BIO
When Linda Riesenberg Fisler isn���t working on her next book she is painting in her studio or riding her Trek bicycle along the many bike trails of Ohio. The former Fortune 500 consumer products manager explores art through her worldwide Internet radio show, ���Art Chats with Linda Fisler���. Linda has been creative since childhood, writing stories and scripts of movies and TV shows to entertain friends. She discovered oil painting in the 1990s and began trying to express words visually.
Writing Blind Influence helped Linda realize she had been blind to letting others run her life, so she began to transition to the more artistic life she has today. In addition to The Blind series of books, Linda has created a fantasy book based on her exploration of spirituality. She hopes readers will learn how to open their own eyes instead of blindly following the expectations of those around them.
Linda Risenberg Fisler���s Top Ten List
Top Ten Favorite Songs
(These will be played either when I���m writing or when I���m painting)
10. California Dreamin��� The Mamas and the Papas (every day���.)
9. Creeque Alley The Mamas and the Papas
8. You���ve Got A Friend Either Carole King or James Taylor Version
7. Doctor My Eyes Jackson Brown (I actually envision this song being used if/when the book becomes a movie)
6. Can���t Take My Eyes Off Of You Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
5. Dreams Fleetwood Mac
4. Carry On Crosby, Stills & Nash
3. Dialogue Chicago (but only if it is the original with Terry Kathy and Peter Cetera circa 1972)
2. Forever in Blue Jeans Neil Diamond (because I will be forever in blue jeans..)
1. Gypsy Fleetwood Mac (The lyrics are so me���.)
Blind Influence
Successful, sexy attorney Nicole Charbonneau feels content with her life and career as a star at a powerful law firm in Washington, DC. She is blind, however, to the circumstances that will put her at the center of a web of deceit, murder, power plays and conspiracies. Across the ocean, British MI-6 Agent Sean Adkins is tracking a cold-blooded assassin known as the Serpent, who���s been hired to kill President Andrews. The Serpent cares only for the millions he���ll get, not why the powerful group of men wants Andrews killed.
The Serpent, a master of disguise, completes his job, but will it be his last? Sean will stop at nothing to get revenge, which includes setting a trap. Nicole, through her work and her connection with Robert Jenkins, a powerful young senator who happens to head the Intelligence Committee, pieces together who hired the assassin. Will the senator reveal to the public all he knows, or will revealing the identities of the powerful businessmen, politicians and government officials be too much for a country already in a fragile state?
Blind Influence, set in 1979 when the United States was on the brink of its second oil crisis, takes readers on a wild ride of political intrigue and personal discovery.
Links:
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1N9n8ac
Blind Influence Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BlindInfluence
Personal facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/lindafisler
Twitter page: https://twitter.com/lfisler (@lfisler)
Linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=54477048&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Google+ page: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110587744782827126484/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cincyredhead/blind-influence/
Blind Influence paperback link on Amazon:
Personal website: http://www.lindafisler.com
(For autographed books: http://www.lindafisler.com/blind-series/blind-influence-book-summary/ )
Blind Influence website: http://www.lindariesenbergfisler.com
Quiz: https://www.playbuzz.com/kitcatpress10/which-blind-influence-character-are-you
Blind Influence
(Teaser)
Then it started. The siren was the first thing to warn him something was
wrong. The golden light turned dark. The bittersweet taste of adrenaline
began in his mouth, and he swallowed, trying to quell it. A red flashing
light accosted his eyes, and he could see himself running to his home���
their home. He ran into the house, unable to catch his breath. He tried to
wake himself from the nightmare. He didn���t want to live this again.
Game:
Who would you cast to play the Characters in Blind Influence?
If you are like me, when I read a book I end up casting an actor or actress in the part. So let���s do this too.
Who would you cast to play Nicole Charbonneau?
Who would you cast to play Sean Adkins?
Who would you cast to play Robert Jenkins?
Who would you cast to play the assassin���the Serpent?
Who would you cast to play Tony Shafer?
Who would you cast to play Carol Gartner?
Who would you cast to play Ahnah?
Who would you cast to play Jerome Bailey?
Who would you cast to play Kevin Thompson?
Who would you cast to play Norman Sipes?
May 28, 2015
Deborah Melanie - Author of Sweet and Sexy Romance.
Deborah Melanie is the wife of a retired, semi-professional footballer. She is a mother, cat lover, designer, reviewer and published author.
Deborah writes stories primarily describing life in England. She loves to set stories in small market towns, with close knit communities and a backdrop of rolling hills and beautiful landscapes. Her stories are contemporary; often combining her interests in the paranormal, comedy and food. Deborah likes to write both sweet and sexy romance stories.
Don���t Speak
(Blurb)
Kane and Serena meet once a week for sex in an anonymous hotel. They have an agreement; silence is golden. No words at all are used during their weekly encounter. Is this the ideal sexual relationship or a one way ticket to a broken heart?
Don���t Speak
(Excerpt)
Kane���s Story
I relax on the bed and begin to breathe deeply. The breeze from the open window skitters across my bare chest, causing my nipples to harden almost instantly. Not that I wasn���t already aroused. These Friday evenings with my beautiful lover are fast becoming addictive, the ultimate start to my weekend. The anticipation I feel in my mind is nothing compared to the urgency dwelling within my body. I spend the whole of the week looking forward to these evenings. By the time Friday night comes, my body is a hard, pulsing core, ready to give out the demands which my lover readily accepts.
It all began six weeks ago. It was a big step for both of us. We were entering into unknown territory. Once a week, down and dirty sex. It was the kind of sex that got me hard just thinking about it. It was the dangerous kind. It was the kind of sex which made me want her in the middle of the night, when I knew full well I couldn���t have her. It made me ache during the day and burn at night. Each Friday evening was a powder keg explosion of fire and lust. She was my craving and I couldn���t beat the addiction. She gave me what I needed, as many times as I needed it, and in as many ways, all in one night a week. One night. That was all. It kept things simple. There could be no confusion, no blurred lines, just sex. Hot, demanding, silent sex. Yes, that���s correct. We agreed at the start, there would be no verbal communication between the two of us. None whatsoever.
Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborah.melanie
Website: http://shoegal2010.wix.com/sugarandspice
Twitter: https://twitter.com/deborah_melanie
Blog: http://debmelsuagrandspice.blogspot.co.uk/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/deborah.melanie/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4675198.Deborah_Melanie
Book Goodies: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00X67KI42
Deborah Melanie. Author of Sweet and Sexy Romance.
Winter's Spirit ,Vivian's Vampire ,The Good Girl and Don't Speak; available from Solstice Publishing.
http://shoegal2010.wix.com/sugarandspice
https://twitter.com/deborah_melanie
https://www.facebook.com/deborah.melanie
http://debmelsuagrandspice.blogspot.co.uk/
http://instagram.com/deborah.melanie/
May 21, 2015
Solstice Shadows - Official Contest
First time authors have a hard time getting their first contract. Many of us have been there and it is discouraging to say the least. Solstice Publishing has published many first time authors and are actively seeking fresh new writers to add to our Solstice family. Many authors got their foot in the publishing door by writing short stories. This is a great way for authors to build their catalog while they work on their longer novels. At Solstice, we believe every book has a home. It may or may not be with us but we invite you to see if we���re the right home for your story.
Solstice Shadows publishes Fantasy, SciFi, Paranormal, Horror, and all sub-genres therein. If you have a short story that falls into one of these genres, we welcome you to read on and consider entering our short story contest.
Official Contest Information:
Solstice Shadows wants to read your short stories!
Do you have a short story collecting dust? Are you an aspiring author who wants to be published? Are you an established author who is willing to take risks? Are you a self-published author who wants to see what it���s like working with an Indie Publisher?
Solstice Shadows is hosting a short story contest starting June 1st through July 6th 2015.
* Accepted genres: Fantasy, SciFi, Horror, Paranormal, and all sub genres therein. (We do not accept non-fiction/overtly religious stories/pornography)
* Story length: Up to 20K words.
* The story cannot be currently for sale on any platform.
To Submit:
1.) www.solsticepublishing.com/submission
2.) Click on ���Solstice Shadows���
3.) Type ���Shadows Short Story Submission��� in the ���Title��� box.
4.) Your cover letter should tell a little about your story and a little about you.
5.) Follow the directions for submitting your story.
Prizes:
1st place ��� A 3 year contract for the short story, A promotional video highlighting the book and author, and a FB release party hosted by Solstice Publishing.
2nd Place ��� A 3 year contract for the short story, a promotional video highlighting the book and the author.
3rd Place ��� A 3 year contract for the short story.
Winners will be notified by August 1st,2015 via email.
How will the stories be judged? Here���s what we���re looking for in no particular order:
1.) Submission guidelines followed
2.) A social media presence
3.) An exciting first scene.
4.) A clear and organized plot.
5.) Interesting characters.
6.) Engaging dialogue.
7.) Correct grammar/punctuation
8.) A satisfying conclusion to the story
9.) A unique voice.
We hope you decide to enter and look forward to reading your stories. If you have any questions, feel free to email us (solsticeshadows@gmail.com) or catch us on Twitter (@solsticeshadows)
Happy writing!
May 15, 2015
Novels by Author John L. DeBoer
After graduating from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, John L. DeBoer, M.D., F.A.C.S. completed his surgical training in the U.S. Army and then spent three years in the Medical Corps as a general surgeon. Three decades of private practice later, he retired to begin a new career as a writer. When not creating new plot lines for his novels, Dr. DeBoer pursues his interests in tennis, politics, cooking, films and film history, and the amazing cosmos. The author is the father of two grown sons and lives with his wife in Fayetteville and Oak Island, North Carolina.
Website: www.novelsbyjohnldeboer.com
Twitter: @johnldeboer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/John-L-DeBoers-novels/713214712080731
Book purchase: www.amazon.com/author/johnldeboer
Get the Picture
by
John L. DeBoer
(blurb)
Jack Lansing, M.D. is a widower who���s now ready to get on with his life when a chance meeting with a beautiful young woman changes everything ��� but not in the way he hopes. After a one-night tryst with the enticing vixen, the unsuspecting surgeon finds himself the target of a powerful U.S. senator, organized crime, and a figure from his past he���d long forgotten ��� all because he succumbs to the charms of a woman he can���t resist, despite the predicament she has put him in. Beginning in Jack���s once-peaceful beach town, a deadly game of sex, money, and retribution plays out to a thrilling conclusion.
Website: www.novelsbyjohnldeboer.com
Twitter: @johnldeboer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/John-L-DeBoers-novels/713214712080731
Book purchase: www.amazon.com/author/johnldeboer
The Sincerest Form of Flattery
by
John L. DeBoer
(blurb)
Former surgeon Jack Lansing, M.D. has become a bestselling mystery writer. At a book-signing event he meets an old colleague who, unbeknownst to Jack, has carried a grudge against him for thirty years. Then murders start popping up in and around Jack���s peaceful beach town ��� murders that mimic the plots in his books and make him a suspect. Jack must convince the police and the FBI of his innocence while trying to solve the mystery himself. Because, realizes, he and his wife could be the killer���s final victims. It is a chilling tale of twists and turns worthy of Jack���s imagination. But this time he doesn���t know how it will end.
Website: www.novelsbyjohnldeboer.com
Twitter: @johnldeboer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/John-L-DeBoers-novels/713214712080731
Book purchase: www.amazon.com/author/johnldeboer
Skeleton Run
by
John L. DeBoer
(blurb)
Twenty years ago, four teenage boys caused a tragic accident. Ever since, they���ve guarded the secret as they���ve all attained successful careers. But when one of them succumbs to illness, a blackmailer makes contact, and the survivors realize their secret has been exposed.
Las Vegas billionaire Wendell Logan has obsessed for years over being a political kingmaker and has selected the governor of Pennsylvania to be the man he���ll put into the White House. But then the governor, who was one of those teenagers, is forced to confess the skeleton in his closet to his potential benefactor. Logan, who has engineered a Machiavellian scheme and invested a considerable amount of money to get to this point, decides that his dream must not end here. His solution: eliminate all those who know the secret that could doom his candidate���s presidential campaign. It���s time to run.
Website: www.novelsbyjohnldeboer.com
Twitter: @johnldeboer
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/John-L-DeBoers-novels/713214712080731
Book purchase: www.amazon.com/author/johnldeboer
May 8, 2015
The Sapphire Chronicles by Rival Gates
Quest for the Red Sapphire
Book 1 of
The Sapphire Chronicles
by
Rival Gates
(Blurb)
General Linvin Grithinshield was used to enemies trying to kill him on the battlefields of the medieval world of Lavacia. Now he has the fear of being killed anytime, anywhere. He thinks he is summoned home from the goblin wars to oversee the family merchant empire after his father’s disappearance; and for a while he is right. Then his mother is assassinated and Linvin’s true purpose is revealed. He must seek out and find the all-powerful Red Sapphire and claim its might before the murders find it…or him. With new dangers around every turn in an ever-escalating spiral of violence, he must prove himself worthy of the gem and lead his party to success against insurmountable odds. To fail would mean death for far more than just him. The world, itself, could fall into permanent shadow and darkness.
In a medieval world former General Linvin Grithinshield is summoned home from the Goblin Wars after his father’s disappearance to run the family trading empire. Soon his mother is murdered and he is on the run with a price on his head. As a faceless enemy pursues him he must seek out the mythical Red Sapphire. In a world with enemies from without and within, he must set out with dragons in the sky and cutthroats all around to fulfill his destiny or die in the attempt.
Books Purchase sites:
“Quest for the Red Sapphire”
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1npYd0S
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1mSIAkT
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1u1DJxN
“The Sapphire Crucible”
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lGfOVN
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1n8o0yN
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ZqUav3
Author's Information:
Author's Web Site: http://www.rivalgates.com/
Blog: http://www.rivalgates.com/blog
Tumblr: http://rivalgates.tumblr.com/
Author's Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqrjiB
Series: https://www.facebook.com/thesapphirec...
Twitter: RivalGates1
(Book Excerpt)
“And you are avoiding my question!” stormed Linvin. “Answer me! Answer me! Is this what my father wanted?”
Anvar recalled the promise he made to Jelena. He sat down and rocked while biting the end if his pipe. Linvin sat down in the chair next to him and placed his head in his hands.
The rhythmic sound of Anvar’s rocking came to an abrupt halt. Anvar stroked his nephew’s hair and whispered a word in his ear, “No.”
Linvin’s head popped up and stared at his uncle. “Then what is this all about?”
Anvar returned to his rocking and puffing. After a few moments he formulated his words and spoke, “Your mother was absolutely set against your leaving. What you have been experiencing tonight is the life your mother has envisioned for you since you were born.”
“And my father’s plan?”
“I can only hope his plan died with him. It was reckless and dangerous. With any luck at all, it would never bear fruit.”
“Just tell me, Anvar, what was his plan?”
“It is not for me to say,” Anvar answered. “It was not my plan.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” Linvin demanded.
Anvar looked up at the sky. Only a few clouds obscured the view. At that moment, one of the clouds had hidden the reflection of the moon. “Look at the sky Linvin. Tell me, is the moon out tonight?”
Linvin leaned back and took in the sky. “Yes,” he answered simply.
“How do you know?” asked Anvar. “I do not see the moon anywhere.”
“It is right there,” pointed Linvin. “There are just some clouds blocking it from view.”
“But you are sure it is there?” asked Anvar. “Prove it to me. How can you prove that the moon is there?”
“Well,” Linvin said as he rubbed his chin, “We can just wait here until it comes out from behind that cloud. Then you will see it.”
“So even though the answer may be there all along, I will not be able to see it until the time is right?” Anvar asked.
“Well, of course,” Linvin stated. “Unless you believe it is there all the time, then your only choice is to wait for it to reveal itself.”
“So you are telling me that I must just believe the moon is there until it appears and proves it? You seem quite confident in the outcome. How do you know that the moon will appear again?”
“I do not know,” said Linvin. “I guess it just always comes out sooner or later.”
Anvar smiled and remarked, “And so will the answer to your question, my boy. The answer is out there. What you must do, is wait for it to present itself; just like your moon. Until then, you must believe the answer will appear."
May 5, 2015
The Para-Portage of Emily by Muffy Wilson (an interview)
Young: Hello Muffy. Nice having you here. I'm sure we'll love if you'll reveal any personal juicy stories about you - the person behind the book?
Muffy Wilson (M.W.): Thank you, so much, for opening your cyber-home to me. It is a pleasure to be here with you, my dear friend. Well, I was raised in a military family so there are plenty of stories about men in uniform. Who doesn’t love that?! My father was a USAF Colonel whose work took us to all points from Alaska to France. We moved every two or three years, so I don’t have what most would refer to as a traditional childhood, more like Leave it to Beaver meets the Jetsons. Many of my ‘firsts’ were in France as my formative years developing were north of Paris. So, my first kiss, my first taste of escargot, my first hot dog on a French baguette was at the top of the Eiffel Tower, my first bikini (I was thirteen) was on the French Riviera and I fell in love with a thirty-something lifeguard named Aldo. I thought my father was going straight to an early grave. My mother thought it charming and funny since I wound up looking like a blistered, crying lobster with the worst sunburn ever. No need to worry about Aldo. A few years later, my mother and I were shopping in Paris; it was the day she bought me an alligator handbag, a small one, with a bright red leather interior. I still have it. We were on the Champs Elysees on a corner and everyone was wailing and crying. It was 22 November 1963 and I was 14 years old. It was the day John F Kennedy was assassinated and I witnessed as the world was crushed and Camelot fell. I think I grew up a lot that day. We had to hurry home, 90 miles north. The Base was on lock-down and red alert. It was a day the world stood still yet was fiercely frantic beneath the surface.
Young: You are a mother. Could you tell us about your role as a Mom?
M.W.: I met my husband in California, on a day that I was none too happy with men. I was thirty-five and working in San Francisco as a Sales Manager for Honeywell and my father had a heart attack in Georgia. I wanted to explore the possibilities of transferring to Georgia to be closer to the first man I ever loved, my dad. “The Silver Fox,” as my boss at the time was fond of being called, made a pass at me and told me ‘why bother, as my dad wasn’t going to live forever?’ I was stunned and profoundly moved by a myriad of feelings. Funny that I should meet the two most important men in my life from that day forward on a day like that - my husband and his youngest son, then 13. It was the greatest gift. We got married three months later and the three of us honeymooned in Niagara Falls. My husband is from Buffalo, NY, and had been married twice before (his first wife died and the second, VJr’s mother ended in divorce when he was just 6). I had never been married, so they were my first. When I was very young, and in college, I fell in love and got pregnant. He was my first, not my first love but my first lover, and for all my worldly experience, I was still pretty naïve - even in the ‘70s. Clearly, there is a whole lot more to this story but suffice it to say that decisions you make in your youth affect one’s entire life. I had an abortion and dropped out of college. The gift of my husband and his son, who fast became my own son, I felt, was God’s way of forgiving me. So, my role as a Mom is one I cherish, given it was my second chance and my redemption. Life has been good to me because of them. He has enriched my life beyond measure.
Young: You have a very long list of projects consuming your time, but I would like to offer you the chance to show off and promote your writing career. You may include any exotic stories of your life if you wish.
M.W.: I released The Para-Portage of Emily on March 24, 2015 to a warm reception and wonderful reviews. It was released in ebook format and will be released in print in June. I have two more books that will be released by Summer 2015. If I am lucky, they will all be available at once and cause a wonderful stir among fans of literotica. Beyond that, I have a control list of about fifteen projects which will be concluded throughout 2015-16 and 25-30 projects that will require my attention for 2016-17. Only another Virgo will appreciate how organized I am about my work. Some refer to it as being obsessive compulsive—anal, even. I can role with that.
Young: When did you decide to write? And what genre and style did you prefer when you first started? What style and genre do you prefer to write currently?
M.W.: I have been in sales and marketing my entire business career. Writing was a necessity and I was good at presenting technical detail. English was always a love and focus of mine throughout my education, but I only wrote proposals, presentations, technical material and project material. In private I wrote poetry as a developing young woman. I really never thought about writing personally’ until I met up with an old school chum, an old boyfriend. It was never a calling to me as it is for some writers. He wrote and it spurred me on. I slipped into the world of Erotica, not by choice or design, but quite by accident…and I loved it. Turns out I was pretty good at it, too, or so people commented. But, my style has changed, developed a lot since then. What I wrote in the beginning was raw and erotic. Now, I like to think I am more of a literoticist in that I write erotic romance. The plot drives the story, the story drives the characters and the erotic romance is really an extension of the developing relationships. I don’t write groin-grinders, although they have a place in our genre.
Young: What genre, books, and authors do you like to read?
M.W.: I love crime, thrillers, edge-of-your-seat whodunits. I also love period pieces, non-fiction, poetry and autobiographies. When I was very young and we lived in France, there was no television, at least not in English or in our house. The only television available to us was in the local pub. I will never forget seeing Steve McQueen say, “Sur la route”, in French on his Wanted! Dead or Alive series! I believe I giggled until I had cramps! Anyway, I read everything, absolutely everything almost insatiably. I wanted to be a criminologist or a medical examiner. Or a veterinarian. As well an actress and Ella Fitzgerald! It was not until I was in high school that I wanted to become a law enforcement officer—a Homicide Detective! But, I do love to read good literotica. I am not a fan of jump-and-pump but a love story with great, eloquently involved sex is a real page turner for me.
Young: Do you have a person, real or fantasy, you would like to be?
M.W.: Barbra Streisand. I always wanted to sing. My aunt sang torch songs and played piano in smoke filled supper clubs and piano bars. Isn‘t that romantic, a la Billie Holiday? I always wanted to do that. When I was ten or so, I was a little pudgette and my mother wanted to send be to dance classes; I wanted singing lessons. We settled on a set of bongo drums. Many years later, we were out schmoozing together at a piano bar and I took the mike with My Funny Valentine. Now, I just sounded like me, but she dropped her jaw. It took her four more martini’s to recover. She admitted I should have had singing lessons. We laughed our asses off, but of course, that was the four more martini’s!
Young: You have experienced many adventures in your life and have lots of energy, but what would you like to do if you had any free time?
M.W.: I would love to learn to play piano, learn Spanish and brush up on my French. But I am enjoying my life now. I work in Real Estate in SW Florida and try to find time to straighten my office. There’s that Virgo nag again.
Young: Could you tell us about your new book, The Para-Portage of Emily, and the story behind it? You may include a brief synopsis and an excerpt. What or who inspired you to write your story?
M.W.: My first book, Memories & Kisses, released last year in September 2014. It was about love lost and regained decades later. Do you have memories of a love that once was?...of a love that was lost?...of, perhaps, a rekindled love that survived decades of longing? I think we all have longings, not regrets so much as just simple, what if’s? and that caused me to think in terms of a stronger longing not over decades but centuries. I started Emily in 2010, but I really did not know where she was going to take me until I really got into Memories. Within a month, Emily was done.
It is a haunting love story about a Great Lakes seafaring captain that marries finally in his thirties to the daughter of one of his suppliers on the St. Lawrence Seaway whom he has watched blossom and grow into a beautiful woman since she was very young. He marries her and starts a life he has planned with her on a small Island in Lake Michigan at his estate, Mariner’s Maiden. The story is as much about them as it is about the young woman who comes to settle her uncle’s estate, Mariner’s Maiden, after his death. I love this story.
Blurb:
Emily Macque, a young, beautiful junior partner in her father’s law firm, is but a heartbeat away from love or destiny. Duty brings Emily to a frozen Island estate two hundred and fifty miles north of Chicago. Devotion requires she delve into the property history to settle an estate probate. Death lures her into the arms of the shadows seduction created by the flickering light and dark shadows.
What flames the timeless passions spanning the decades? Love, desire or obsession?
Colin Jorgenson, once a Great Lakes mariner, is a strong man haunted by love and loss. How long will he return each night, gripped by desire, hoping to find the woman he has loved for a century?
Beneath the pristine Island beauty, passions hungered, lingered in the ardent darkness. His passions, fueled by decades of loneliness and longing, could no longer be denied. Will they face eternity together or love in secret as dark things are to be loved between the shadows and the soul?
Young: Where can we purchase The Para-Portage of Emil?
M.W.: You are so kind to ask. Thank you, I would be honored. If readers are interested, they can buy my work at the following retailers or on my website:
Amazon US All Romance eBooks Yellow Silk Dreams Barnes & Noble Ganxy XinXii Kobo iTunes
Young: Do you have future writing projects you plan to publish?
M.W.: Yes, so many! I am releasing Moonbeams of Unintended Consequences in May 2015 and Cheerleaders in Heat this summer. My brain explodes with ideas and always when I don’t have a pen or paper handy!
Young: Please share your recent publications.
M.W.: Released March 2015
The Para-Portage of Emily Buy Link at Amazon
Released September 2014:
Memories & Kisses has three stories of old loves remembered; a grieving woman rescued from the sea, two childhood friends growing old friendship into passionate loving, and two long separated teenagers finding that time has mellowed them both and maturity has brought a passionate intensity they had never imagined. All three stories are of rekindled love that survived decades of longing and is now ready to burst into flame.
What do you think? Is she thinking about memories of love lost? Perhaps the memories made trying to forget a lost love? Even old memories revisited by old friends, united in a kiss that rekindles flames, passions and desire, too. Old memories are like old red wine - all the richer for time passed. And the kisses taste sweeter too. Three romantic and very sexy stories take us back to things as they once were, and forward to the wonderful times to come. Buy Link at Amazon
Released October 2014:
Also featuring Muffy's work in this anthology of of adult Grimm's Fairy Tales, Once Upon a Menage: An Anthology of Fairy Tale Threesomes edited by Rachel Kenley (Ravenous Romance), Muffy has two erotic adaptations, “The Prince, The Mermaid and The Siren” ('The Little Mermaid') and “The Prurient Puss” ('Puss and Boots'). They are sexy, just a little naughty and best of all, they are threesomes!! Buy Link at Amazon
Released Christmas 2014
The Naughty List features six Yellow Silk Dreams authors, including Muffy Wilson plus guest writer Nina Pierce, got together to compile a sparkling ezine in celebration of Christmas. Or any other day of the year you feel you need to dip into a good read.
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Previously Published:
Oysters & Chocolate, Decadent Publishing, Secret Cravings, Ravenous Romance, Yellow Silk Dreams
May 2, 2015
Author: Nathaniel Danes new book release
The Last Revenge
Book 2 in The Last Hero Trilogy
by
Nathaniel Danes
Published by Solstice Publishing
Young: Hi Nathaniel, tell us about your latest book? And can you give us a teaser?
Nathaniel Danes (N.D.): Book 2, The Last Revenge, in my Sci-Fi series, The Last Hero Trilogy just came out on April 30.
In this installment the main character dives deeper into the lesser regions of his soul as he wages a new breed of war on those responsible for taking his family away from him. There’s massive space and land battles and lots of emotion.
Young: What other books/short stories have you written?
N.D.: Right now my only other book out there is the first book in the series, The Last Hero. It came out in October of last year and has been getting great reviews.
I’ve written the first two books in another Sci-Fi series but I’m holding off on them until my current series is concluded.
Young: Do you publish in e-book, print, or both?
N.D.: My main focus is the ebook market but my novels do have a print option via print-on-demand.
Young: Where can readers find your books?
N.D.: I’m exclusively on Kindle right now and am part of the Kindle Unlimited program.
Young: What do you think are the biggest challenges for the type of writing that you do?
N.D.: My series falls in the military sub-genre of Sci-Fi, which can be difficult because many of my readers have actual military experience. They can be unforgiving in how combat situations are written. Thankfully, my editors are vets and they make sure I’m in line with what my readers expect.
Young: How did you get started in writing?
N.D.: I’ve always had an overactive imagination and wanted to share them but I’m also dyslexic so my writing skills lagged far behind. College, grad school, and a day job that demands a lot of writing sharpened by skills over the years. Now I can finely start to share my universes.
Young: Where and How can readers get in touch with you?
N.D.: The best way it through my gmail account, nathanieldanesauthor@gmail.com. Twitter is also good at @NathanielDanes.
Young: So with your latest work released/or being released, what comes next? What can we expect from you in the future?
N.D.: Now that book 2 in the trilogy was released on April 30, I’m working hard to get the final instalment out by December or January, The Last Stand of the 1st Legion.
Young: How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
N.D.: My experience as a father is what gives my novels their heart. I love my wife, parents, God, country but I wasn’t prepared for the gut punch of raw emotion I got when I held my daughter for the first time. Her entrance into the world added depth to my writing. Without her, my books would just be another shoot ‘em space adventure.
Young: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
N.D.: I try to keep a schedule but between life, work, and parenthood, I have to just go with the flow and get done what I can when I can.
Young: What is your routine once you start writing a book?
N.D.: I begin with a general premise in my head and just start writing to let the story develop on the fly. It’s more fun that way for me because I don’t even know how things are going to exactly play out.
Young: What about you in general? What is it that makes you tick? Makes you you? Things you like to do and what prompted you into writing?
N.D.: I’m losing my sight to a genetic disorder and I use my imagination as an escape. It’s relaxing to dream of worlds where I don’t have any limitations. My condition also prevented me from pursuing the military I always wanted. My writing is a way for me to explore what could have been ifI was born in another time, when my eyes could’ve been fixed from the start.
Young: Among your own books, have you a favourite book? Favourite Hero or Heroine?
N.D.: The first novel in the series, The Last Hero, because the character based on my daughter plays a big part in the plot.
Young: Where do you see yourself in five years?
N.D.: Best selling New York Times author wouldn’t hurt. Hey, a man has to have dreams right?
Young: What kind of research do you when writing one of your works?
N.D.: With my writing I generally have to research theoretical physics and military history.
Young: What does your significant other think of your writing?
N.D.: She’s not a SciFi fan. I’m not sure she knows the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars. With that said, she appreciates the emotion of my writing and where it come from.
Young: Do you ever ask them for advice or ideas to go into your works?
N.D.: Can’t say I do. Its just really not her cup of tea.
Young: Have you ever experienced Writer's Block? If so how did you work through it?
N.D.: Certainly. I find the best way to deal with it is to put the book down and do something else. Sometimes you have to let inspiration come to you. Having a few drinks and just writing through the problem can work to. I recommend you go back through those scenes before getting to far away from them though.
Young: Who are some of your favourite authors to read?
N.D.: Jay Allan, B.V. Larson, and Vaughn Heppner are a few of the SciFi authors I’ve been reading a lot these pasted years. They’ve got great imaginations.
Young: Anything else you'd like to tell our readers?
N.D.: Thank you! There are a LOT of books out there and it’s a great honor when someone chooses to read something I’ve written.
Young: Lastly do you have any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
N.D.: Just to keep writing and to write something you’d want to read yourself. Don’t force something to fit a current trend.
The Last Revenge
Book two of The Last Hero trilogy
(Blurb)
Blood demands blood.
Driven by grief to the darkest recesses of his soul, Trent Maxwell lives and fights for one reason, revenge.
As hidden agendas plot, Trent embarks on an unholy quest to marshal the forces he needs to exact the heavy toll his broken heart demands.
The largest fleets and armies ever assembled in space collide. A river of blood soaks the galaxy, but when is enough, enough?
(Excerpt)
He tried hiding his pain with a grim look of determination draped across his face. It was good enough to fool most people, but not Amanda. In her eyes he saw she understood that the veneer of bravado concealed a mountain of pain.
She wrapped her arms around him, the soft embrace eased his aching soul.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She pulled back, keeping ahold of his shoulders. “Whatever for?”
He took her face into his hands. “You deserve better.” Her brown almond-shaped eyes gazed back at him. “You deserve to have a life, a real life of your own. Back on Earth’s Fist, I said our war was over, that we could settle down. Things have changed, though. I can’t quit the fight and I don’t know when I’ll be able to. You should…”
She pulled his hand down, gripping them hard. “Stop. Don’t say it. You have nothing to apologize to me for. I’m not going anywhere. You’re my family now, my life. If you can’t quit the fight, then I can’t quit the fight.”
Bio
Nathaniel Danes is a self-diagnosed sci-fi junkie and, according to his wife, has an over active imagination. Mostly blind, he writes to create universes where he has no limitations. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Washington, DC area.
Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nathaniel-Danes/1528587637363979
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nathanieldanes
Blog: http://nathanieldanes.blogspot.com/
Website: www.nathanieldanes.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/nathanieldanes
Book Links
Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00WKZ2F6A
April 24, 2015
The White Carnation by Susanne Matthews
The White Carnation
(blurb)
The last person disgraced reporter Faye Lewis wants back in her life is Detective Rob Halliday, the man she blames for ruining her career and breaking her heart. But when she finds an old friend murdered, he’s the one she calls.
For the past year, Rob and his team have been hunting the Harvester, a serial killer who ritualistically murders new mothers and vanishes with their infants. What Rob doesn’t need is another case, especially one involving his ex-fiancée.
Then Faye is assaulted, and Rob realizes the cases are connected. She may hold the answers he needs to find the elusive killer. But the more they investigate, the more complex the situation becomes. Can they set the past aside and work together, or will the Harvester and his followers reap another prize?
Meet Faye Lewis:
Creating three dimensional characters the reader will identify with is a challenge faced by most authors, including myself. For Faye to be “real” to the reader, she had to be “real” to me. I wanted my readers to love her, identify with her, and care about her and her struggles the same way I did.
Faye Lewis, the heroine in The White Carnation, Book One of The Harvester Series, is named after my best friend, and in writing the story, I tried to give Faye Lewis those qualities I admire most in my friend. With apologies to the real Faye, I’ve tortured my heroine, but she’s a fighter, and believe me, she gets her happily ever after in the end.
So what kind of person is Faye Lewis?
Dedicated: Faye’s an aspiring journalist who’ll do whatever it takes to get the story. She’ll work long hours, and make whatever personal sacrifices are necessary on the way to her ultimate goals—a Pulitzer Prize and the number one spot on the crime beat at Boston’s most prestigious newspaper.
Caring: She has a soft spot for underdogs, and befriends those who are marginalized by others. She also jumps to help those who ask for her help. She accepts people at face value, but if you get on her bad side, forget it. She can and does hold a grudge.
Knowledgeable: Faye’s intelligent and well-read, and has done a lot of research on a number of different topics in her quest for the truth in reporting her story, and her search for the story that will win her that Pulitzer Prize.
Perceptive: She has the ability to look at a number of seemingly disconnected points and pulling them together so that they make sense. She’s invaluable to Rob as they try to solve the Harvester case.
But, in order to be well-rounded, Faye also has her faults.
Stubborn: When Faye thinks she’s right, nothing can make her change her mind.
Distrustful: Due to her father’s behavior, Faye expects to be let down by people. She doesn’t trust anyone, not even the man she purported to love.
Quick-tempered: Irish to the roots of her chestnut hair, she loses her temper quickly, jumps to conclusions and says things she regrets almost as soon as she’s said them.
When the story starts, Faye has two fears: clowns and electrical storms.
The White Carnation
is available for pre-order from most major e-retailers.
Visit my website
http://www.mhsusannematthews.ca/
for direct purchase links to this and the rest of my books.
The White Carnation
Excerpt #4
“Am I okay?” she shouted. “You can stand there and ask me that with my friend’s mother dead in the other room?” She punctuated her words with a shove. “No, I am not okay. I am most definitely not okay.” Fresh tears ran down her cheeks, and Rob instinctively reached for her to offer what comfort he could. She held herself stiffly for a few seconds before relaxing into his shoulder.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said, feeling like a fool. Holding her like this felt awkward and yet familiar. “I’m sorry for your loss.” His hand rubbed small circles on her back as he’d done many times before. “Home invasions don’t always make sense. There’s no sign of forced entry, so she must have let him in.”
Faye pushed away, her anger palpable.
“Seriously? Home invasion, my ass. Look around, Sherlock. Home invasions usually involve some kind of theft. Do you see anything worth stealing? The television is twenty years old, and it’s still here. The silverware is scattered all over, and she’s still wearing her rings. There’s money on the table. She had nothing worth taking. Nothing they wanted. Nothing worth dying for.”
Faye’s crying increased, fueled by her frustrated rage, making it almost impossible for him to understand her words. He tried to pull her back into his arms, but she refused to let him hold her. Admitting defeat, he put his arm across her shoulders and led her out of the room.
“Come on. Let’s get you out of here. There’s nothing more you can do. Amos and Logan need to get the body ready for transfer, and the lab guys are on their way up.”
He hurried her out of the apartment and down the stairs, remembering her phobia of that particular elevator. They walked out to the street where the crowds were beginning to form. It was early evening in Beacon Hill on a Friday night. Many of her residents wouldn’t make it home for hours yet.
“Tom, get a ride back with the black and white,” he yelled at his partner, who was questioning the concierge. That guy would probably be looking for a new job come Monday. The rest of the condo owners wouldn’t be impressed with a home invasion and a death on his watch. Rob opened the sedan’s passenger door and helped her in. Faye automatically buckled her seat belt, as the tears spilled down her cheeks.
Rob walked around the vehicle and got in behind the wheel.
“Where are you taking me?” From her tone, he could tell she didn’t really care. She knew he’d have questions, and she was probably grateful he’d chosen to ask them elsewhere. But she’d never admit it. Her color wasn’t good, and she shivered. He turned on the heater even though the temperature outside was in the mid-sixties. Despite what the officer on the door had said, for a crime reporter, she’d never had much of a stomach, and seeing Lucy that way would have been a shock.
“Home. I should probably take you to the ER, but knowing how much you hate hospitals, there isn’t any point in making things worse for you. You can answer my questions in the comfort of your own living room, sitting on that god-awful buttercream leather sofa you love so much. By the way, you haven’t moved, have you?”
He recognized bitterness in her chuckle.
“No, my career may be in flames, my finances worse, but my real estate is sound. The couch is gone.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her words but didn’t comment. Things must be bad if she’d parted with that damn custom-made couch. “Where’d you park the Camaro?”
“It’s gone, too. My Ford’s a half block down.”
“I won’t miss the couch, but that Camaro was your baby. Why get rid of it?”
“It didn’t match my shoes,” she spat out bitterly.
“Don’t chew my head off. You called me, remember?”
Faye nodded, gave him the license plate number, and he radioed it in, making arrangements to have her vehicle towed to the police station for collection tomorrow.
April 17, 2015
Seeking The Storyteller by Jessica Walsh & Briana Lawrence
Young: Hello Jessica & Briana! Nice to have you In The Harem. Tell us about your Latest Book/Book about to be released? Release Date? And can you give us a teaser?
Jessica Walsh (J.W.): Thank you for inviting me. Seeking the Storyteller is currently available on CreateSpace and will be on Amazon shortly. It’s a urban supernatural series set in the Midwest focusing on a create called “The Storyteller”, a sort of mythical being who can read your life like a book and change anything about it as simply as writing on the page.
Young: What other books/short stories have the two of you written?
J.W.: This is my first novel published. I have a short novella coming out later this year and previously I’ve had a short story published in Apex Magazine.
Briana Lawrence (B.L.): I have two books that were released by Damnation Books/Eternal Press. My first book is called “Treat Me Kindly,” which is sort of a dark, erotic thriller. My second book, “Double Hue,” is a gay romance murder mystery. I also have a handful of short stories in anthologies through Dreamspinner Press, and a holiday short that was released by them as well.
Young: Do you publish in e-book, print, or both?
J.W.: Currently the book is in print, the ebook should be ready in a month or so, due to a small delay.
B.L.: We do both, if at all possible, to have the most reach.
Young: Where can readers find your books?
J.W.: Seeking the Storyteller is on CreateSpace and will be on Amazon shortly. Otherwise we also sell signed copies (with little free bonuses) through our etsy store. https://www.etsy.com/shop/snowtigra
B.L.: My books can also be found at the Etsy link above for signed copies. Otherwise, Amazon has them, Barnes and Noble, and the publisher sites (Dreamspinner and Damnation Books/Eternal Press).
Young: What do you think are the biggest challenges for the type of writing that you do?
J.W.: The biggest challenge is also my favorite part: writing something that is hopefully believeable in our present time. Yes we writing about creatures that don’t exist, but it’s a real challenge to put all the believeable framework behind them, so that it’s not such a stretch to believe they could be out there.
B.L.: Exactly. With all of my works, even if they have supernatural elements at times, I want it to feel like you can see this stuff happening in the streets of Minneapolis. Maybe these creatures do exist. Maybe there is a group who sets out to hunt them down. Maybe there are underground auctions where people are bidding on rare, exotic animals (Treat Me Kindly). I want it to feel believable.
On top of that, I want my characters to feel relatable, even if they aren’t human, to the point that you forget that they’re different from us... well, until they create ice from the palm of their hand.
Young: How did you get started in writing?
J.W.: I’ve been writing for most of my life, in notebooks and on scrap pieces of paper while working and doing other things. No matter where I am, a place to write down ideas isn’t too far behind.
B.L.: Same here. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I always say “age 9” because I have a clear memory of making pop up books out of construction paper, crayons, and glue. Even when I told myself that writing would be just a hobby I would still end up with notebooks and pens, writing all sorts of stories.
Young: Where and How can readers get in touch with you?
J.W.: There’s our website www.sewntogetherreflections.com. We’re active on a bunch of social media sites and that site has a listing for each place you can find us.
B.L.: The main ones we’re active on, besides the website, are our cosplay pages, where we go into our costumes, our crafts, and our writing quite often. They are:
Brichibi Cosplays on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brichibicosplays
SnowCosplays on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snowcosplays
Young: So with your latest work released/or being released, what comes next? What can we expect from you in the future?
J.W.: Well, I have a gay romance novella coming out through Dreamspinner Press later this year, entitled Iron Bound Kisses. And, of course, the continuation of the series for Storyteller.
B.L.: On top of editing the second book in the Storyteller series, I have my own ideas for books I want to write that have been outlined. Now I just need to sit and write them. Of course, we’ll both be promoting all of the books we have out now.
Young: How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
J.W.: A lot of it actually. I live in the Midwest so I’m familiar with the landscape and culture. Plus I studied Anthropology and Religion in college, so a lot of that helps with world building and creating character motivations. As for personal experiences, there’s a few, but they’re usually very heavily buried and altered.
B.L.: It’s funny because I always think that none of it is there when I’m writing, but when I go back and read, I’ll see little things in characters that remind me of myself or my friends and family, or personal experiences. It’s not like the characters are completely me, but they’ll have little traits that definitely come from me. Jessica’s usually the one who notices this while she’s helping me edit and I have a moment where I’m like, “Oh really? Huh, I guess so!”
Young: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
J.W.: I try to schedule a time every day for writing, but as to the progression of a book, that’s a little more with the flow. What I work on during that time depends on what I’m in the mood for and what my ‘muses’ want to do.
B.L.: I’ve tried to set a schedule, but it never seems to work out, so now I just go with the flow and listen to my muses. If they say it’s time to write, then it’s time to write. If they aren’t there, then the words aren’t going to come to me, and I can’t force them to show up. It’s nice though, because when the muses hit, they hit hard and I can write for long periods of time.
Seeking the Storyteller
By
Jessica Walsh & Briana Lawrence
(blurb)
I know of the Storyteller, it whispers into the man’s ear, I’ve met him. If you promise not to kill me, I’ll take you to him.
Alix Andre DeBenit and Randall Fagan are Hunters, part of a hidden network of humans who track and kill the monsters lurking in our world so everyone else can pretend they don’t exist. But when a living shadow mentions someone called the Storyteller, Alix hesitantly decides to learn more.
They say the Storyteller lives in a massive library full of books that tell every being’s life story. He can read these books, rewrite them and change anything he wants, even if it’s already happened. That’s the power Alix wants, the power to bring his murdered family back and he’s determined to make the Storyteller do it.
He just has to decide if working with the very creatures he’s supposed to kill is worth it.
Purchase Links:
Amazon: Coming soon.
Create Space: https://www.createspace.com/5376449
Etsy (signed copy with bonus): http://www.etsy.com/listing/186904208/seeking-the-storyteller-a-hunters-novel
Will be available on other online sites soon!
Blogs:
Jessica: http://snowtigra.blogspot.com/
Briana: http://brichibirants.wordpress.com/
Author Websites:
Jessica: http://snowtigra.wix.com/jessicawalsh
Briana: http://brichibi.wix.com/whisperedwords
Facebook:
Jessica: https://www.facebook.com/storytellerhuntersseries
Briana: https://www.facebook.com/BrianaLawrencesPenAndPaper
Goodreads author page:
Jessica: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579547.Jessica_Walsh
Briana: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7055998.Briana_Lawrence
Twitter:
Briana: https://twitter.com/BrichibiTweets
Main page for books, art, cosplay, and everything:
http://www.sewntogetherreflections.com/
Young: What is your routine once you start writing a book?
J.W.: I generally bounce my ideas off Briana. It helps me get a better grasp on my thoughts and lay them out in a concrete way, so that I can start building a rough outline.
B.L.: I’ll make an outline, then I’ll have Jessica read over it, because she’s great to bounce ideas off of. She’ll add notes, and help me come up with ideas before I get into writing the story. Then, as I’m writing, I’ll send her little snippets of what I’ve done. It’s really great to get her input, because she helps me come up with things I would’ve never come up with.
Young: What about you in general? What is it that makes you tick? Makes you you? Things you like to do and what prompted you into writing?
J.W.: Outside of writing I’m a seamstress and specialize in dresses and costumes. I draw inspiration for that and writing from pretty much everything around me. So the part that makes me tick is just being able to be creative, in whatever I’m working on at the moment.
B.L.: I’ve always wanted to write. Something about creating these characters and worlds really spoke to me. I can’t really pinpoint why. I just really like being creative and turning my ideas into something that someone else can enjoy, whether it’s a book or art, anything really.
Young: Among your own books, have you a favourite book? Favourite Hero or Heroine?
J.W.: Hmm, well I currently only have this one out, so my view is a bit limited. I would have to say my favorite character in Seeking the Storyteller is Haven. Writing a character who's lived in our world most of his life but isn't familiar with it and has a protector that can never leave his side is an interesting dynamic to play with.
B.L.: Can I cheat and pick someone from each book?
Treat Me Kindly: I love everyone in the book, especially the exotic animals who turn human. They’re loyal to their masters until those masters hurt them. I have to give my favorite to Alex, the main character, because he’s the normal guy, the one who has to deal with this supernatural world. On top of that, he has to deal with the whole, “Are these creatures wrong in attacking these people who have hurt them?” And it’s not like these people did something small to hurt them, they caused serious damage, so can anyone really blame them? That’s what Alex has to deal with.
Double Hue: Avery, hands down. Avery is Gable’s boyfriend, and he’s definitely the loveable, geeky boyfriend who plays video games and reads fanfiction. I really had fun writing him, even if Gable has to deal with Avery dying over and over again until he can figure out how to stop it.
Seeking the Storyteller: It’s a toss up between Katalynne and Cyn. Katalynne is the secretary for the Hunters and is, again, one of those normal characters who doesn’t really do much fighting, but is really important to the group. As the series goes on, I’m looking forward to doing more with her. Then there’s Cyn, the girl with a huge attitude and a terrible past, but she deals with it with anger and sarcasm.
Young: Where do you see yourself in five years?
J.W.: Ideally, sewing and writing as my main occupation. Travelling to conventions to sell books and talk with fans. Honestly it’s a lot of what I’m doing now, just on a bigger scale.
B.L.: I agree. I want to be writing and have more books out, and be travelling to all sorts of conventions to get our work out there.
Young: What kind of research do you when writing one of your works?
J.W.: For writing urban supernatural we went to visit a lot of the places we mention in the book, to make sure we had them right and so people might have a hint of where we’re talking about, even if we don’t mention it by name.
B.L.: Also, for books like “Treat Me Kindly,” I researched rare, exotic animals, those that were extinct and those that were close to extinction. It all depends on the book and what it needs. I know Jessica researched rare flowers for “Storyteller” and we really do want to visit the places where the flower we use is, for example. It’s all part of that five year plan :)
Young: What does your significant other think of your writing?
J.W.: Well, she’s my coauthor, so I think she approves.
B.L.: Ha! Definitely approve :)
Young: Do you ever ask them for advice or ideas to go into your works?
J.W.: All the time! She’s the one I bounce ideas off of and discuss them with. Even if it’s a book we don’t ultimately write together, she at least has a part in the creation and probably the editing.
B.L.: Same with me! She’s a huge part of my process and who I talk to about everything, whether it’s an idea I have, or editing, she’s part of it all.
Young: Have you ever experienced Writer's Block? If so how did you work through it?
J.W.: I generally jump onto another project until my muses return to the original. It’s not worth trying to force them, so I try and work with them organically and nudge them back to what I want to write.
B.L.: When I have writer’s block I move onto something else. It’s really frustrating, for sure, especially if it’s an idea you’re really passionate about. But sometimes you need to take a break and come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes. If nothing’s coming to me, I close the tab and do something else.
Young: Who are some of your favourite authors to read?
J.W.: I have a few. Rachel Caine, Kim Harrison, Junjo Ito and Peter David are just a few.
B.L.: Jessica reads more than me, but I tend to get lost in manga and have a lot of favorite series. As far as books good, I’ve kind of rediscovered works like “Rubyfruit Jungle.”
Young: Lastly do you have any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
J.W.: Just writing. Worry about the publishing and editing later, when you’re finished, but getting the story written is the first part. That and National Novel Writing Month is worth the stress - it’s a great tool to get stuff done!
B.L.: When you do reach the publishing stage, don’t get star struck. Do research on the publisher, if you decide to go that route with your work. It’s great to get that acceptance letter, but be sure to look into who the publisher is, what works they have, and see if you’re a good fit for them. Remember, the publisher is essentially working for you, and in return, your work boosts their name. Also be aware that the publisher can’t do everything. They will promote your work, but you have to promote it, too. The relationship between publisher and author should be a team. Same with author and editor.
Also realize that this is going to be a long road to travel, but if it’s what you want, it’ll be well worth it. Success isn’t going to come overnight, it’ll take time, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results right away. Just keep going, your time to shine will come :)
Seeking the Storyteller
Excerpt:
Haven covered his ears as he heard the scream again, this time sounding even more desperate. He didn’t know what the humans were hearing, but to him it sounded like the girl was in physical pain, as if actually being attacked. Did they really hate demons so much as to let something like that continue? “Can’t you just let him calm her down so she stops screaming?”
Idiot. Don’t draw attention to yourself. His dragon’s voice echoed in his mind as the blond Hunter turned a look of disgust in his direction.
“You don’t need to be concerned about them. But you can tell us what happened to Xaver.”
“She’s screaming over there and you’re going to waste time interrogating him?!” Dox’s own voice was nearing the point of hysteria. Haven could see the shadows on the edge of his cell straining, struggling to do something for him, but whatever he was trying they weren’t responding, not able to help.
Haven. Don’t.
“This is stupid. I’m not going to sit here and answer questions while she’s screaming.” Haven muttered, closing his hands into loose fists. He could feel the cold sliding down through his arms, swirling in the small space between his fingers as it spun and gained speed.
Haven! Don’t be so rash!
“Shut up.”
Alix frowned, “Who are you talking to?”
Haven!
The metal around his wrists was the first to go, cracking from the cold and sliding off his skin like thin sheets of paper. In seconds Haven was moving forward and shoving his hands hard against the two bars in front of him. At the same moment, the gathering balls of ice broke apart, the cold surging up the metal and freezing it to the core in a matter of seconds. The now weakened metal shattered like glass that danced across the floor in sparks and shards. The two Hunters were stunned and Haven used that split second to run across the floor and duck around the one with the gun. Guns took slightly longer than swords to aim and that difference was a blessing to Haven as Alix tried to recover and aim. Haven made it across the room and used a second ball of ice against the lock on the metal door, shattering it in the same way at the bars of his cell. Haven kicked it open and ducked inside as the bullets whizzed past his head, just narrowly missing.
He found the girl in the cell, curled up in the corner shaking as if she were having a seizure. Her hands were clenched around her head and she had pulled her body into the tightest ball she could make, still screaming and shaking her head back and forth, pleading with whatever she was seeing and hearing to
STOP STOP STOP PLEASE STOP.
Haven stepped toward her and knelt down, forcing his hand to not be so cold as he lightly touched her shoulder, trying to wake her up.
You stupid boy, look out!
She moved at the touch, lashing out in his direction. Her eyes never opened but her body reacted, incorporating his touch into her dream as something she didn’t want. A hand and a kick flew in his direction and Haven jumped back out of reach, watching her with wide eyes. He knew the Hunters were probably at the door watching him, aiming their weapons, ready to fire. He knew he was being stupid and would probably get himself killed, but he couldn’t believe that someone would just let her scream like this.
To think that humans claimed that his kind were the vicious ones.
Stepping forward again he grabbed Cyn and wrapped his arms around her. There was something wrong with her skin. It felt too dry, almost scaly, and Haven suddenly remembered what Dox had said earlier. The girl had a demon inside of her, one that she could lose control of if she got too worked up. As if responding to his thoughts Cyn began thrashing in his arms, her screams turning louder, the fear shifting into anger. Her voice had a rougher edge to it, an animalistic growl that sounded deadlier with each yell. Haven could feel the ground shifting through the concrete, a soft hint of a rumble brushing against the walls.
In her dreams she was calling to the roots, begging for them to rescue her from this perceived threat. Haven did the only thing he could think of. He let the cold slide through his body and into hers as he restrained her arms.
The screaming stopped and the ground stopped shaking.
For a moment Haven had the horrible thought that he’d killed her, freezing her to death with a single careless thought in an effort to stop whatever she was seeing. However, a quick look at her chest as he loosened his grip revealed her shallow breathing. She was alive, at least, but Haven had given her enough cold for her teeth to start chattering and her lips to turn a tint of blue. He’d given her too much.
Briana Lawrence
At the age of nine, like most kids, Briana Lawrence had a dream. She wanted to be the best “WRITTER” in the whole wide world. Her fourth grade class laughed and wondered how one hoped to become a “writer” if they couldn’t even spell the word. Back then her stories were created with crayons and construction paper. As she grew older they progressed into notebooks and colored ink pens of pink, blue, and purple. When she lost her older brother, Glenn Berry, in a car accident, she stopped writing.
Dreams, however, have a funny way of coming back.
Before she realized it she was grabbing her notebook and pens again. She would write stories that ranged from high school romance to her imagination running wild with the likes of Goku, Vegeta, and the other characters of Dragonball Z. This continued throughout college where she would always end up writing about the space exploits of the pilots of Gundam Wing and other works of fan fiction. Soon she realized that she wanted to do more than that. Her head was full of ideas, full of original characters and worlds that she wanted to share with others.
Thus, she stepped into an English Major with some Women’s Studies on the side.
She graduated Iowa State University in 2006 and moved to Minneapolis with her partner. Here, she tried to get into graduate school, but things didn’t pan out the way she wanted. She ended up working retail, her dream becoming buried by Black Fridays and other busy times of year. Once again, however, that dream returned. She went from immersing herself in geeky fan fiction to actually writing about the geeky things she loved for several anime and video game review sites. However, it was her discovery of National Novel Writing Month that made her go back to creating her own characters and plots.
Now, here she is, an author in the writing world.
Jessica Walsh
My life is a flurry of writing, art and creativity. You can usually find me reading a book, scribbling notes in a notebook for future creations, typing on a laptop with music blaring in my ears or buried in my basement watching documentaries and sitting behind a sewing machine.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember and have boxes of old notebooks in horrible handwriting to prove it. Only recently have I stumbled back into writing and finishing my ideas.
Seeking the Storyteller is the first novel I’ve published; with my partner in crime and life, Briana Lawrence. I also write horror, fantasy, supernatural and occasionally romance pieces which I am currently shopping around through contests and publishers.
April 10, 2015
Author Malay A. Upadhyay
Malay A. Upadhyay
Malay A. Upadhyay grew up in the Eastern provinces of paradoxical India. Life in the industrial town of Jamshedpur was a quiet affair dotted with crossing social stereotypes at every step. It was a childhood of anomalies - a different spacetime, where he could not understand a friend's passion for books on one hand even as he wrote for school elocution on the other. His high-school activities ranged from the curriculum to foot-tapping participations in inter-school events, to Himalayan excursions.
After school, he shifted to Southern India to pursue Bachelor of Engineering. That was pretty much a preset career route of the generation. But as he moved on, so did his engagements. These were years of managing sections of inter-college events or organizations than mere participation, and part-time work in Business Development for an outstation company. An urge to diversify festered but remained at a minimum as he moved to Bangalore to work at Accenture. A year later, he shifted to Italy to pursue Masters in Marketing.
The time at Bocconi University saw the inevitable extra-curricular engagements keep pace as they now changed focus to involve international seminars and projects outside the ones prescribed. He was invited to a conference with consultants at St. Gallen, and was one of 25 individuals selected from around the globe to envisage the future of textile industry for the Board of Directors of Marzotto SpA. A brief stint with a consultancy followed in Dubai before he returned to Milan to finish graduation.
The seeds of this early end to the time at Bocconi had been sown in the previous year as he began working on a simple idea of an evolving ecosystem. It was in this time that an interest in writing first took shape. In the months that followed, the idea began to branch out and reached a proportion that consumed him, as passion normally does. Balancing a frantic episode of multitasking routine that virtually turned him to a robot in the winter of 2012-13, he developed his dissertation as if in a race to finish it even before some in the batch before his did. The decision to extend it as fiction was its fallout.
Malay returned to India and joined his uncle in their entrepreneurial venture in hospitality - a time that allowed his attempt at PhD and authorial pursuit. An admission to Manchester Business School without scholarship had to be overlooked. Meanwhile, the other two agendas prospered as he built his expertise as a Marketer tasked with paving the way in a budding industry. By the end of the second year, the book was ready to come out.
The story of Kalki Evian is inspired as much by legend and characters in real life as the places Malay has travelled to over the years. All three, in his opinion, hold a mystery - a story - worthy of narration. Malay blogs at www.kalkievian.com as a Fly - a concept of humility that aims at the elusively effervescent, ephemeral connection among beings across space and time. That is after all, a belief that underlies every piece of literature ever written.
grew up in the Eastern provinces of paradoxical India. Life in the industrial town of Jamshedpur was a quiet affair dotted with crossing social stereotypes at every step. It was a childhood of anomalies - a different spacetime, where he could not understand a friend's passion for books on one hand even as he wrote for school elocution on the other. His high-school activities ranged from the curriculum to foot-tapping participations in inter-school events, to Himalayan excursions.
After school, he shifted to Southern India to pursue Bachelor of Engineering. That was pretty much a preset career route of the generation. But as he moved on, so did his engagements. These were years of managing sections of inter-college events or organizations than mere participation, and part-time work in Business Development for an outstation company. An urge to diversify festered but remained at a minimum as he moved to Bangalore to work at Accenture. A year later, he shifted to Italy to pursue Masters in Marketing.
The time at Bocconi University saw the inevitable extra-curricular engagements keep pace as they now changed focus to involve international seminars and projects outside the ones prescribed. He was invited to a conference with consultants at St. Gallen, and was one of 25 individuals selected from around the globe to envisage the future of textile industry for the Board of Directors of Marzotto SpA. A brief stint with a consultancy followed in Dubai before he returned to Milan to finish graduation.
The seeds of this early end to the time at Bocconi had been sown in the previous year as he began working on a simple idea of an evolving ecosystem. It was in this time that an interest in writing first took shape. In the months that followed, the idea began to branch out and reached a proportion that consumed him, as passion normally does. Balancing a frantic episode of multitasking routine that virtually turned him to a robot in the winter of 2012-13, he developed his dissertation as if in a race to finish it even before some in the batch before his did. The decision to extend it as fiction was its fallout.
Malay returned to India and joined his uncle in their entrepreneurial venture in hospitality - a time that allowed his attempt at PhD and authorial pursuit. An admission to Manchester Business School without scholarship had to be overlooked. Meanwhile, the other two agendas prospered as he built his expertise as a Marketer tasked with paving the way in a budding industry. By the end of the second year, the book was ready to come out.
The story of Kalki Evian is inspired as much by legend and characters in real life as the places Malay has travelled to over the years. All three, in his opinion, hold a mystery - a story - worthy of narration. Malay blogs at www.kalkievian.com as a Fly - a concept of humility that aims at the elusively effervescent, ephemeral connection among beings across space and time. That is after all, a belief that underlies every piece of literature ever written.
Kalki Evian – The Ring of Khaoriphea
(blurb)
Every choice we make leads to its own unique consequence. To change the consequence, therefore, one must travel back in time to change the choice. But what if such change, instead of altering our future, simply created another - one that came to exist simultaneously with our world?
This is a story of how one such moment of love led to two parallel futures; a story of how your choices have an impact far beyond the world you know; a phenomenon that we had sensed, and wished for, all along. Set in Italy, while one timeline scales a city of the future where not just people but also things like money evolve, the other cradles itself in an amalgamation of contemporary Europe with ingredients of a new age. Step by step, the story embarks on a journey in a parallel world that we all live in but rarely see.
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Kalki Evian – The Ring of Khaoriphea
(Excerpt)
Thoughts remained hazy and many minutes passed until she heard a knock on the door. The prospect of moving felt like too much effort. So she simply used her own version of the mid-air frivolities to unlock the door. It was pushed open and Qin stood there, hesitantly peeking in.
“Yes?”
“Umm,” he hesitated, “could you come with me for a second?”
“What is it?”
“Please, if it’s not too much trouble.”
She forced herself to get up and asked, walking up to him, “What did you do now?”
“Well, I tried,” Qin replied and led her to his room. He opened the door and bent forwards to check inside while she waited behind him. He then stepped back and signalled her to go in. She gave him a scrutinizing stare and walked in restlessly, only to have her feet stall at the door.
The room was as dark as darkness could allow without losing out on charm. There were just two distinct divisions in its ambience, physically divided midway through its height. The roof and the upper half of the walls seemed stretched out into an infinite space, showcasing a starry night, populated with little sparkles beyond count but not without meaning. There lay clear patterns of constellations and distant hints of planets and moving asteroids as if the room had lifted itself up into Earth’s exosphere. And yet, it could not possibly be as the lower half of the room was submerged in soft waves of water, lit up underneath with careful streaks of turquoise light. The projection lay complete with a glimpse of the waterbed superimposed on the floor while their bed lay risen inches above the surface, in between like a hammock. The three-dimensional theme had come alive with slight sounds of water hitting against the surfaces around even as they moved in little waves. As she stepped in, ripples began to radiate out from her legs. It was all very magical and yet, all very real.
Friuli stood in a trance, unmoving. She then turned towards Qin, her lips still parted but with eyes far more at ease than they had been. He took her hand in his as he led her to the bed. He moved along to the northern end of the room while she lay down. Both her legs bent backwards and her head rested on her palm which in turn rested on the pillow. She looked at the sky, wordlessly staring at the stars – static and shooting across – while the sounds of the water filled her senses. She then murmured as if to avoid disturbing the ambience that prevailed in the room, “Thank you.”
Qin looked at her and smiled. He followed it up with an equivalent counter, “Something happened to you back there.” Friuli looked at him and turned back towards the stars. She did not really wish to talk much but then, he deserved to be answered.
“What you said was absurd,” she joked, “but unfortunately, it carried traces of an inconvenient reality. The group of companies that came to nearly monopolize all digital space, through acquisitions and a very smart play of marketing that spanned many years, were led by a similarly ruthless drive of ambitions that marked perhaps the only emotion left in its bearer.”
“From what I see so far,” Qin said, pointing out at the theme at play in the room, “it is all quite beautiful.”
“It definitely is. People wouldn’t accept change if it did not appeal to them.”
“Yet, you speak of it as if it were decadent.”
“All that glitters, Qin,” she left the proverb hanging.
“Ah, I am surprised gold has retained its privileges even in this age,” he remarked but it took him a couple of seconds before his smile disappeared under the realization of its true significance: Gold or diamonds should have lost their status in such an age as this. He did not stretch the thought but let it implant itself well within him.
Friuli stammered, clearly acquainted to that realization only now and out of her comfort zone, “I . . . thought you would, umm, be able to identify with it.”
“And that would mean you are mindful of what would and would not affect me,” Qin quipped, now with some idea as to the source behind the appearance of the fly. He waited, she stared and the turning of tables ended soon after. Qin was careful not to damage a rare moment of an unexplained dominance he had stumbled upon. “Quite an exceptional and caring nurse you are,” he said on a lighter note, “So what was wrong with the changes? Short-sightedness?”
“Yes,” Friuli answered quickly, “A concoction of technology that no one could have imagined, and no one did, except perhaps one,” she said with some thought. “We were mostly oblivious to where it all headed as we became an unassuming part of another worldly evolution, this time more personal in effect.” She obstructed her own statement with an impatient expression and turned to lie on her back with both her palms held over her stomach and feet stretched out straight. “Let me soak in this place for now,” she exclaimed, “These are two of my favourite themes but it never occurred to me to try them together.”
It was easy for him to stop questioning. His mind was stuck on her discomfort. It was something personal to her and yet, he felt it clog his thoughts more than whatever had happened to the world itself. He fought off the urge to inquire further. She now lay deep within the projected space. He let a few moments pass before suggesting, “You should rest. I will sleep in your room. Just try to get the bitterness out of your system for now.” She turned to him and smiled. Qin’s reply was quick, “okay, so you won’t.”
He did not ask why, even though his eyes did. She continued to smile but did not answer. It slowly faded as he left the room. In her head there was just one sentence running across – one she whispered as if with hope that it would get lost in that dark sky, Cos it were the wild ambitions of a loveless woman that took away what once mattered the most to me. That was Friuli’s experience with a creamless Canneloni.
