Young's Blog, page 39
February 26, 2015
Author A. B. Funkhauser
Young: Hello Ms. A. B. Funkhauser. Thank you for coming on In The Harem blog. Nice to have you here for a chat. Let me start by asking you; to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. B. Funkhauser (A.B.F.): That’s always a bit tough for me. I was raised in another time where shouting out accomplishments was considered rude. But I’ll try. I’m a Pisces that celebrates the Year of the Snake, but unlike dear vain snake, work extremely hard not to be mendacious. (Laughs) I have a furtive imagination, love art in all its forms, and cannot live without music playing somewhere in the background. If forced to choose between comedy and drama, comedy wins…every time.
Young: I believe your day job is working at a funeral home. Is that correct?
A.B.F.: Yes, although I am on hiatus and that has paid off, as you see (big grin). I’m a funeral director, licensed to practice in Ontario, Canada. For me, it ranks as one of the best jobs I’ve ever had next to seeing to my family.
Young: I'm sure my readers is curious to know when did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
A.B.F.: I began writing in 2010 in response to the loss of a dear friend. In funeral service, the families we serve ask how to cope with the pain. One way to manage is to seek out others—groups, counselors—those who have walked in their shoes and really know how it feels. Another approach is to write a grief journal. My friend and I went through school together, and during that time we became sympats where comedy was concerned. We laughed at the same things. It didn’t take long for my journal to take a comedic turn before straying off into outright fiction. I finished Heuer five years later.
Young: How did you choose the genre you write in?
A.B.F.: The characters decided it for me. They are bossy, incorrigible and I completely adore them. They were impossible to ignore.
Young: Where do you get your ideas?
A.B.F.: I put a foot out the door and live day to day. You wouldn’t believe the kind of trouble you can get into at the grocery store.
Young: I'm sure. With your bubbly personality, you are bound to encounter lots of interesting situations. :) Tell us, do you work with an outline, or just write?
A.B.F.: I mull for about a year, and then churn out the first draft during NaNoWriMo in November. I don’t plot per se, but I do know where I’m going before I begin. This is also where some of those popcorn scenes find a home. After the first draft is complete, I return to the previous project in line to revise and refine. It’s a whole system that works for me. You see why I had to go on hiatus?
Young: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
A.B.F: Absolutely, but it’s more likely because another story or character is nagging at me. My first teacher called this popcorn writing, where you just push away from the current project and go on a tangent with a wild horse scene. It’s exciting and informs the other projects.
Young: Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
A.B.F.: I worried a lot about having one book followed by writer’s block to shut me down for good. So I decided to get some manuscripts down—four to be precise—so that I’d have a body of work to play with when pitching to agents and publishers. The last four years were dedicated to pure creation without pressure to produce to a contract. It was sensational. During that time, I plugged into Twitter pitch parties on the recommendation of a writer friend, and that’s when things really started to happen. I queried, synopsized, wrote dozens of tag lines and met hundreds of amazing people who got me to Solstice Publishing. Now I have to learn about and engage in—boots first—marketing, which is very challenging because of the way I was raised (see question one). I’m enjoying Twitter parties and blogging. Frankly, I didn’t know I had it in me. A great surprise.
Young: If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
A.B.F.: Nope. It was all organic. I tripped, I fell, I studied, and I applied. I got better.
Young: How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?
A.B.F.: It’s early in, so stats aren’t there, but I will direct a lot of applause to the writing groups I belong to—The Booklin 7, Writers Community of Durham Region, and amazing teachers at Writescape—for plugging me in with others dedicated to the same goals. Marketing is a learning curve and a steep one, so look to others engaged in the same activity; ask questions and try things on. Tweet, Tweet, Tweet. Blog, blog, blog, and follow your publisher and agent advice. Support other writers by reading their work, reviewing and attending their promotional events. If you want society to know about you, you must socialize.
Young: Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?
A.B.F.: I love them all, but can only dedicate my energies to one at a time. The others? Their day will come.
Young: Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
A.B.F.: Heuer Lost and Found is adult, unapologetic and cognizant with a hint of dark humor. At 237 pages, it is a compact study that rocks ’n’ rolls with the help of an erudite Latin speaking rat and a wise-cracking floor lamp with ulterior motives. They’re off beat and badly needed to help my protagonists: a dead, unrepentant cooze hound lawyer, and his very much alive boozy lady undertaker who he used to know back in the Eighties.
Young: Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
A.B.F.: I think all fiction is informed by real life experiences, but I have yet to meet sentient rats or floor lamps. (laughs) The funeral home in Heuer is actually a composite of four different establishments, none of which survives today. As to the characters, some guy buddies insist that they are Heuer, but they’re not. There’s actually a little of me in him, but I guess it’s to be expected if I’m the one behind the keyboard.
Young: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
A.B.F.: SPOILER: The very end, because it’s where the Kleenex box comes out. When that happened, I knew I’d got it right.
Young: How did you come up with the title?
A.B.F.: From the short story. Heuer actually made it into three separate shorts before becoming a full-fledged novel character.
A DEBUT NOVEL
FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING
HEUER LOST AND FOUND
COMING TO AMAZON AND SOLSTICE PUBLISHING APRIL 23, 2015
“Ever closer, ever farther, I will see you again one day, in the good place.”
Unrepentant cooze hound lawyer Jürgen Heuer dies suddenly and unexpectedly in his litter-strewn home. Undiscovered, he rages against god, Nazis, deep fryers and analogous women who disappoint him.
At last found, he is delivered to Weibigand Brothers Funeral Home, a ramshackle establishment peopled with above average eccentrics, including boozy Enid, a former girl friend with serious denial issues. With her help and the help of a wise cracking spirit guide, Heuer will try to move on to the next plane. But before he can do this, he must endure an inept embalming, feral whispers, and Enid’s flawed recollections of their murky past. Is it really worth it?
Stop by: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004110336663
Website: www.abfunkhauser.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamfunkhauser
Or, be a sport and “like”: https://www.facebook.com/heuerlostandfound?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Young: What project are you working on now?
A,B.F.: Poor Undertaker is next in the series, which tracks the ups and downs of the Weibigand Brothers funeral establishment. Its every bit as much a joy as the first, second and so on, because I see this remarkable building go through all its incantations. At one point, it’s actually bought up and is not a funeral parlor any more.
Young: Will you have a new book coming out soon?
A.B.F.: We’re at least a year away, I think. Scooter Nation is next, but I’d like to give it another go over before setting it free.
Young: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
A.B.F.: Absolutely. My series is non sequential, so the character that dies in one is born again in the next. They’re never far away. There are a number of themes I return to, but some of my favorites include: the negative impacts of nostalgia; the problem with prying; insular people coming out into the light; finding kindness in peculiar places; and letting go of that thing you need so that you can keep it forever.
Young: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
A.B.F.: I’m an upbeat person, so if I’m criticized, I turn it into a plus by learning something from it. The best compliment I ever had came from a teacher who said my voice was “strong and unusual”. That really made my day.
Young: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
A.B.F.: Get it all down before trying to make sense of it. It’s a journey and often a very long one. Enjoy every leg of it knowing that there’s more just ahead.
Young: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
A.B.F.: Observe, listen, and do not ignore the excellence to be found on HBO, Netflix, Showcase, etc. This is your university.
Young: Thank you author A. B. Funkhauser for taking time to be with us.
The Odyssey of Heuer
From genesis to manuscript; from contract to print, Heuer calls the shots. Born out of funeral service folklore underpinned by the universal dread every funeral director shares that he or she might one day have to take care of someone they know, this character demands attention. But Heuer is more than a body waiting for the ministrations of the embalmer; he is pure, unmitigated spirit. Whether real or imagined by the people he leaves behind, his not being there anymore impacts them profoundly, evoking false memories, guilt, contrition and, finally, release. If there is life beyond the mortal coil, leave it to faith. Heuer certainly wrestles with this. Dodging human associations in life, he begs to be discovered and remembered in death. Then and only then, can he be truly free.
“Heuer? What kind of a name is that?”
Aside from a word rhyming with “lawyer,” Heuer is a man. German born, a U.S. citizen, he is layered, complicated, bitter and possessed of a really weird sense of humor. Dying alone and seemingly unlamented, he wakes as a preternatural residue, forced to live with his decomposing body over a one week period until he is finally found by a neighbor he despises. “If there’s a hell, it’s right here, and I’m standing in the middle of it.” Following his body to the funeral home, he is relieved to find Enid Krause, funeral director and former lover. Charged with the task of preparing his body for burial, she is less than gracious, declaring his dramatic return after a twenty year absence, unwelcomed and unappreciated. Crestfallen, Heuer doesn’t know what’s worse: dropping dead and not being found, or being found and being insulted.
Who is A.B. Funkhauser
A.B. Funkhauser is a funeral director, fiction writer and wildlife enthusiast living in Ontario, Canada. Like most funeral directors, she is governed by a strong sense of altruism fueled by the belief that life chooses us and we not it.
“Were it not for the calling, I would have just as likely remained an office assistant shuffling files around, and would have been happy doing so.”
Life had another plan. After a long day at the funeral home in the waning months of winter 2010, she looked down the long hall joining the director’s office to the back door leading three steps up and out. At that moment a thought occurred: What if a slightly life-challenged mortician tripped over her man shoes and landed squarely on her posterior, only to learn that someone she once knew and cared about had died, and that she was next on the staff roster to care for his remains?
Like funeral directing, the writing called, and four years and several drafts later, Heuer Lost and Found was born.
What’s a Heuer? Beyond a word rhyming with “lawyer,” Heuer the lawyer is a man conflicted. Complex, layered, and very dead, he counts on the ministrations of the funeral director to set him free.
A labor of love and a quintessential muse, Heuer has gone on to inspire four other full length works and over a dozen short stories.*
“To my husband John and my children Adam and Melina, I owe thanks for the encouragement, the support, and the belief that what I was doing was as important as anything I’ve tackled before at work or in art.”
Funkhauser is currently working on a new manuscript begun in November during NaNoWriMo 2014.
*The novels: Scooter Nation, The Heuer Effect, Poor Undertaker, Dirty Dale. The Shorts: The Essential Heuer, Jack Bunny and the Rocket Man, Turd Meets Rock, Cassarine, Terra Nova, Ursa Major, Hey! Birdy, Birdy, The Hagfish Conundrum, Mutual of Omaha, Cheetahs in Flight, Lady Predator, and more…
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By A.B. Funkhauser
More than one futurist has said that there will be jobs abundant in fifty years that have yet to be defined in the here and now. That makes a lot of sense. The guy driving the horse cart never thought about the helicopter, even if Leonardo did. It’s the same with people: many of us don’t know what we really are until life cues us.
At various times, I’ve worked as a shoe clerk, bank teller, lobby receptionist, legislative assistant in an august house of parliament, executive assistant to an auto lobbyist and, finally, funeral director in a family run establishment operating, at the time, for close to seventy years. This last position, my vocation, my calling, was to be my last—I thought. Little did I know that two people—sadly no longer with us—would inspire a few words in pencil (remember cursive?) in a loose leaf notebook. These words sounded nice, and shyly, I shared them with a writer friend who declared them “fiction” and something to “run with.”
I like to think that a cool HBO show running from 2000 to 2005 inspired the funeral director in me. In fact, it awakened a long dormant fascination that began with my first trip to a funeral parlor in 1976 when I was eleven. My grandmother had passed away after years of illness, and my parents, both of Eastern European descent, thought nothing of taking the kids. My brother at five years old was even younger. What kind of kid admires furniture and fixtures and cross questions the guys in morning suits about their jobs and how they got them? Me. But I had to wait. Life intervened as it always does, and set me on a very different path. HBO brought me back. And with the generous support of my dear spouse John, I began a new career at forty-one. John made the funeral director; my late friends made the writer.
Working with death and bereaved persons on a daily basis was bound to inform the written word. But losing people I know brought it home. I so wish I could name them, for inspiring me, for driving this compulsion to write down what I was thinking; but they’re not here to ask, so I will only say that a day hasn’t gone by these last five years that I haven’t thought of them, and in the language of our forebears I want to say: Du lässt mir nichts außer der Hoffnung, dass ich dich eines Tages an diesem guten Ort wiedersehen werde.
Enter the B7 and the Writer People
I blame my sister Cryssa Bazos for pulling me out of my comfortable existence. The year before all of this started, she began her own journey into the 17th Century, culminating in a fabulous manuscript THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO BUY. Through her, I joined the Writer’s Community of Durham Region (WCDR) which opened the door to mentors, teachers, muses, and open mic reading, which I really enjoy. Of that group, I single out Ruth Walker and Gwynn Scheltema, for calling my voice “strong and unusual.” I also thank the good people who put on those short story contests for providing amazing feedback like “superb imagery.” It was a major clue that I should keep going.
Then there is the Brooklin 7, the writer’s group to which I belong. Once described by yours truly as an eclectic group of guerilla writers that know no boundaries, I wish to add that they are indispensible to me and more than friends, they’re family. In alphabetical order, they are: Marissa Campbell, Susan Croft, Connie Di Pietro-Sparacino, Ann Dulhanty, Yvonne Hess, and Rachael Stapleton. They made the writer too.
The Beta’s and the Cheerleaders
Every artist needs a cheering section. Why else make art? To the crew at Metro and the Wine Rack: Rosa E. Gauthier, Kate Korgemagi, Jan Weitmann, Elena Novakovic, Gina Clements, and Craig Belanger; the car guys at Canadian Poncho, especially Carl C2 Hicks; the Florida Crew: Suzanne DeCesare, Pat Head; the undertakers: Scott C. Hughes, M. Wayne Hamilton, Thomas Joseph Pearce, and Fatima Newbigging; and, my oldest, most endearing stalwart friends: Gilda Heinrich Rousseau and Suzanne Stacey, THANK YOU.
My Publisher, Summer Solstice
Summer Solstice is a mid-size Missouri-based publisher that has been growing steadily since its founding back in 2008. From Editor In Chief K.C. Sprayberry, C.E.O. Melissa Miller, and editor Judi Mobley, I got the validation every first time writer seeks. Their “yes” will keep me going for years.
And Finally
My family: John, Adam, Melina; and the mom’s: Eleanor and Despina—I did it!
A. B. Funkhauser
Pickering, Ontario
December 2014
February 23, 2015
Todd Embry - SciFy author of Revenge from Mars, Alien Manifesto and Earth's Mirror
Young: Hello Todd. Nice of you to join us.
Todd Embry (T.E.): Thank you for having me on your weekly blog.
Young: Let's jump straight to the point. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
T.E.: There is not much to tell really as my wild days are far behind me. I have been married to the love of my life Linda for 20 years last September. We have 1 daughter Cori who has just finished her aa in criminal investigation and is working on her bachelor’s degree. We have 1 dog, her name is Princess Ivy the Insistent. We have one troublemaker of a cat, Biggin and two rescue kittens will be joining our family soon who as of today are unnamed. I am a jack of many trades but a master of only one, telling stories. I had delusions of grandeur when I went to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. Turns out I am a fantastic cook but the pressure in the kitchen during rush is too intense for my liking. While I was at culinary school, my English professor asked me a question that changed my life. He asked me how many books I had written after turning an in class assignment. I scoffed I was going to be a great chef why would I want to write books. Fate it seems had a different destiny in mind for me. Being dyslexic and having adhd and being bi-polar are the challenges I have had to overcome. Without the computer and the word program my writing would be difficult to understand if I was having a good day, the bad days it would only make sense to me. Of all the many jobs, I have had in my life and there have been far too many telling a good story is what I do best. It is not work because I love to lead the reader down the garden path and then do an unexpected turn in the opposite direction. I call them a crazy Ivan and I love them. An added bonus is I get to make up the worlds, the rules and the story, not something one can do in everyday life.
Young: What do you do when you are not writing?
T.E.: My wife owns a flower shop and I spend most of my non-writing hours there or on the road doing deliveries.
Young: Do you have a day job as well?
T.E.: Yes and no I work at the flower shop but I don’t have a set schedule
Young: When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
T.E.: I wrote ghost stories as a kid but with my challenges, I was the only one who could read them. I got so frustrated that I stopped until after I got out of culinary school. By then the pc had become widespread and now my gibberish made since. Word taught me how to form sentences. I finished my first book Revenge from Mars 3 years ago. I completed my second book Alien Manifesto 18 months later. I am hard at work on the sequel Earth’s Mirror and a book of short stories, The Ravings of a Bi-Polar Mind.
Young: How did you choose the genre you write in?
T.E.: I write mostly science fiction but I am dabbling in a horror story about alien abduction. It may become a book but right now it is just the beginnings of a short story
Young: Where do you get your ideas?
T.E.: I see something and it sparks a thought that leads to an idea and an inspiration. If I manage to get it on paper it takes on a life of its own.
Young: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
T.E.: Yes I have fortunately for me it never lasts very long usually a couple of days maybe a week at the most.
Young: Do you work with an outline, or just write?
T.E.: I sketch out where I want the story to go and then my muse and characters fill in the rest.
Young: Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
T.E.: When I was about 8 years old a friend gave me a book of short stories all of which were science fiction. I loved it and it inspired my first novel Revenge from Mars. I do not remember the name of it. I wish I did.
Young: Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
T.E.: It would seem that my journey to get published was a short one. I received 13 rejections by agents before I got picked up by the Gilbert Literary Agency. Once I got the blurbs and what not done my agent Emma found me a publisher in 6 weeks. I have been told I am fortunate as some authors wait years before being offered a contract. I suppose I am.
Young: If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
T.E.: I would like to do a rewrite as I have progressed so much as a writer since then. The process of getting published I would leave the same.
Young: How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?
T.E.: I wish I knew a good place to market my work. I am working with the social media tools facebook and twitter and I am not impressed with the results. Facebook plays too many games with who sees what and now they want you to pay to advertise. The twitter feed goes by so fast that it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. However, I am poor so those are what I have to work with until I make enough sales to warrant a publicist.
Young: Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?
T.E.: I am probably one of the few writers who got their first book published and their second and options on my third. I have a long list of future projects so only time will tell.
Young: Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
T.E.: I would be glad to. It is titled Earths Mirror and is the sequel to Alien Manifesto. The premise being that an exact mirror of Earth exists in another galaxy that is joined cosmically to Earth as they both vibrate at the same frequency. I incorporate the story of Cain and Able and the legend of Atlantis to explain the similarities of both worlds development.
Young: Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
T.E.: I have based some of my characters on family and friends, but only to give them a personality. Not much of my real life is portrayed but lots of my imagination.
Revenge from Mars
(Blurb)
In the future, Earth is controlled by one man, Supreme Leader Jeremiah Johnson. Fueled by a desire to control the world, Jeremiah Johnson infiltrated himself into the mega-churches and led a campaign of suppression and subversion that resulted in one Church of True Enlightenment, with himself as leader. The political influence of the Church extended into the political arena where Jeremiah Johnson was also elected Supreme Leader of the World. With both the power of the church and the government in his hands, nothing stands between Jeremiah and world domination. Henry Thomas’ parents were on a mission to uncover evidence that would undermine the doctrine that is the foundation of the Church of Enlightenment. Ten year old Henry watched as his parents were deemed heretics and violently murdered by a death squad of Church fanatics. Captured by fanatics himself, Henry is sent to a Church orphanage to be reprogrammed. After six years of captivity he manages to escape and begin a life on the run. He meets the love of his life, Annie Pearl, who shares his hatred of the oppression that has created a world of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. When Annie is murdered for her outspoken views, Henry’s life is set on a course of revenge and hatred. His mission to destroy Supreme Leader Johnson will take him all the way to the Martian deserts surrounding the new Mars colony. On Mars he hopes to find the proof his parents were seeking, the evidence that will topple an empire and exact his revenge.
Where to buy this book:
Young: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
T.E.: That is a tough question because I don’t really have a favorite as I love them all.
Young: How did you come up with the title?
T.E.: The title is to the book as the book is to the title. I don’t know any other way to describe it.
Young: What project are you working on now?
T.E.: I am working on my third and fourth book, Earth’s Mirror and The Ravings of a Bi-Polar Mind.
Young: Will you have a new book coming out soon?
T.E.: I am hoping to have Earths Mirror completed and ready for editing in a couple of months.
Young: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
T.E.: I intend to leave the ending of Earths Mirror open for another space adventure. I have a project titled A Boy and His Dog that I want to write next.
Young: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
T.E.: I am still waiting for that dreaded 1 star review. I know it will come they always do. But so far I have had only great reviews. My best complement is from an older lady named Rose. She is from the UK and not really a scify fan but she asked to review Alien Manifesto. So I sent her an ebook copy. She said Alien manifest was very cleverly written and she wanted to read the next one. That and I just signed my first fan copy of Alien Manifesto and the reader raved about my character development. So bring on the bad reviews I have already gotten more praise than I ever thought I would.
Young: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
T.E.: Yes I do two things, write what you love and don’t quit just because of a bad review or two. Not everyone is going to like your work that is a cold hard fact. One that all published writers will have to confront one day. We just hope it will be later rather than sooner.
Young: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
T.E.: If you like unexpected twists and surprise endings then please check out my work.
Alien Manifesto
(Blurb)
When orphaned ex-Navy S.E.A.L. Thomas Scott decides upon a life of crime, he does not expect to be recruited to join an elite Special Forces operation charged with stealing an alien artifact. Especially a mixed-species alien team headed by inter-galactic billionaire Snarth. The close-knit team soon becomes Tom's family in more senses than one, which complicates matters when the mysterious artifact turns out to hold secrets that may plunge the whole of the known universe into a devastating war...
Where to buy this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Alien-Manifesto...
Alien Manifesto Chapter 1
PART ONE
The Adventures of the Human, Thomas Scott
My name is Thomas Dale Scott, chief petty officer, U.S. Navy, retired. Former Navy S.E.A.L. now soldier of fortune, minus the fortune. I was not retired by either choice or mandatory retirement. My career was over the minute they ended the hostilities first in Iraq then Afghanistan. Some pencil pushing politician in D.C. decided that me, Tom Scott, or anyone like me was no longer needed in the new Special Forces. I knew too much and I had seen things those in power never wanted to become public knowledge. I was a liability, turned out like the next day’s garbage. Now if I came forward with what I knew I would just be discredited, jailed under false pretenses like a common criminal.
You see I was with S.E.A.L. team 4 for two tours in Iraq then three tours in Afghanistan fighting the Islamic radicals. I have twenty-one confirmed enemy kills to my credit, all in hand to hand or small arms combat. I even have some of those unconfirmed, long distance non-combatant kills. The ones I won’t ever talk about and will try desperately to forget for the rest of my life.
I was very good at what I did. I have the scars to prove it too, having been shot twice, stabbed four times and hit with grenade shrapnel in my left shoulder. In addition to the scars no one could see. Now to the military brass I am just a broken down has been waiting for his shrinking government pittance at the end of each month, discarded and forgotten. In fact, if it weren’t for my meager disability pay I may not even exist at all.
So I decided to try my hand at a life of crime. I ran into a former comrade of mine a while back, who like me was out on his ear. He had been discharged by the US Army Rangers without even a thank you for killing in the name of God and country. The both of us the modern version of crusading Christian knights of old. He introduced me to some friends of his, all ex- Special Forces with no other skills except teamwork, breaking into places, killing and blowing shit up.
Trouble was we were fresh out of Johnny jihads here in the states. It would be a dishonorable thing to kill my fellow Americans for a living. Not after, I swore a sacred oath on my sacred honor, to protect them from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Even from each other if needed.
Or we could start a revolution, and teach those corrupt, greedy, self-serving politicians the true meaning of honor and patriotism. Try to bring back a government that defends the rights of the people, not dispense them to us as if we were unruly children, ignorant and unable to think for ourselves. That was however, not my idea of a good career choice. That limited our skill set to a kind of specialized teamwork, one not much in legal demand.
I figured I might as well put all that expensive training to good use now that Uncle Sam could care less about me, or my future. I mean I have no family; the sisters at the Good Shepard orphanage in Miami raised me.
Because I had bright red hair and a temper to match, I learned to fight bigger opponents early on. Much to the anger and dismay of the good Sisters, who ran the orphanage. To escape I went straight into the military on my eighteenth birthday rather than wait until I was 21 and no longer a ward of the state. It was join either the military, or a short life of crime followed by lots of jail time.
So why not a life of crime now that I have the skills, while I am still young enough to use them. It might be fun. Beats the hell out of being broke, homeless and despised like so many other of my older fellow veterans. I missed the sound of nightly gunfire and the camaraderie. I especially missed the helicopter rides in the dark, I thought. What I did not know is that tonight my whole life was about to take an abrupt turn into the holy shit I can’t believe this is happening to medirection.
My newfound associates were staging a raid on a high security warehouse, just outside the port of Miami security perimeter. To steal a shipment of recycled money being replaced by new. It was my job to stand guard over the teams secondary escape route, having drawn the short straw as its newest member. Never mind that I have more combat experience than any one of my newfound friends. However, I was the fng so I got the shit detail.
It all started, that night my life changed, when something moved into the corner of my eye, silent as a ghost from my imagination, snapping me to full alert. As I turned my head, scanning in reflex, I saw a black silhouette on the nearby street, silent, stopped, waiting. The incoming threat, if that is what it was, outlined faintly in the pallid flickering of the only working streetlight left in this deserted section of the wharf district. Probably some lost biker-getting directions from his GPS. No need to alert the others, not yet, they would just think I was a nervous rookie. They were so wrong because I was as far from a rookie as any living, breathing ex-S.E.A.L. can be.
I was in the outskirts of Miami, guarding a dock jutting out into Biscayne Bay, near the inlet and the intercostal waterway. It was hot, gusty and insufferably humid as only a south Florida night can be. My black fatigues damp with sweat, sticking to my back. It was pitch-black, not even the full moon shone through the thick, black clouds. It would rain again soon, lightning flashing in yet another oncoming thunderhead. Perfect conditions for a heist, no one would venture out voluntarily in this weather.
My team mates had already fanned out, moving into attack position, headed for the warehouse, close by, yet out of sight. We intended to escape with our loot by the speedboat I was guarding down the inter-coastal should the need arise, if an alarm were raised, or if our land route was blocked by the cops.
The silhouette suddenly vanished from the flickering light, just as silently as it had emerged from the darkness, despite the streetlights pitiful attempt at illuminating the sticky darkness. A brief glimpse of a helmeted figure on what looked like a motorcycle was all I had seen. Then whoever it was turned toward me, moving closer, raising my alert level to high. Was it a cop on a motorcycle? No, it was moving too fast, too quiet!
Instinctively I retreated deeper into the shadows, trying to melt into the darkness. I reached for the com-link to warn the others. My gut told me it was too late. Damn it! I am better than this. I had been spotted by whoever was riding that bike.
He must have night vision, ruling out the local cops. That meant a different kind of trouble. Closer the bike came, straight at me now, silently, deliberately, without slowing. Then breaking suddenly, stopping about one hundred feet directly in front of me, smashing all of my remaining hopes of escape.
With my back to the water, the only place to retreat was down the dock, a trap. Or into the shallow water around the dock to escape, abandoning the speedboat and my teammates. It meant a long swim in the dark. It wouldn’t be my first long, dark swim. That would be my emergency escape. I would make my stand here; there was only one of them. If it wasn’t the cops then who and why.
As I tensed for the bike riders’ move, my fighting knife drawn in my left hand, held low along my leg. It would have to be a quiet kill. Suddenly a flick of very bright light stunned my eyes, completely disorienting me for a couple of seconds. My warning unsent, forgotten in the changing of the situation.
Suddenly the bike was much closer than it had been. As my eyes struggled to regain focus, I heard a deep almost mechanical male voice hiss in perfect english, “Tom, I have been watching you for quite sssome time my boy and I must sssay I am very impressssed.” He knows who I am! That strange voice caused a cold chill to run down my spine .What the hell is going on here!
Slowly the stranger dismounted his bike, swinging his left leg up and back over the seat, leaving the bike between us. He removed his helmet once his feet were on the ground, tucking it under his left arm. He remained in the darker shadows of the two huge oak trees that guarded the entrance to the dock. He was right-handed. I crouched, tensing, preparing my attack, waiting for his, remembering my S.E.A.L. hand-to-hand and small arms combat training. But Who? And Why?
“You sssee”, he hissed softly as he began moving toward the front of the bike, getting closer “I saw you get your asss kicked by ssShorty in the sssecond grade.” “And I sssaw you covering for that girl they caught sssmoking on the playground, after ssschool”. “What wasss her name?” “Jill? Jan? No matter, He hissed, what isss important isss that you ssstood up for sssomeone weaker than you.” “I doubt you thought the whole thing thru at that age.” “But you ssstuck to your gunsss and never told what really happened, no matter how hard the nunsss punissshed you.” “They forced the church’s twissssted version of right and wrong on you for all those years.” “Thossse church run orphanagesss can be ssso dehumanizing if you are not a believer or at leassst pretend to be one.” “Then, High ssschool,” he continued, as I was still speechless to say the least, “Good at sssports but not good enough to go pro.” “Then a little trouble with the law and it wasss the military or jail.” “Followed by 2 toursss in Iraq then 3 toursss in Afghanissstan with the ssS.E.A.L.s “You have become quite the bad-asss, my boy.” “You will however be very sssorry you fell in with this group of losssers sssoon enough.” “That bringsss usss to why I am here,” he hissed.
He knows all about me! How could he? No one knows me that well!Regaining my voice I growled, “Who are you and what do you want.” “Tell me quickly, I no patience for this kind of game.”
By now, my eyes had completely regained their night vision. I could make out what could only be described as an alien, not the kind from Mexico either. The shadowy voice had stepped in front of the cycle’s headlight revealing the identity of the mysterious stranger, who knew all about me.
It or should I say he, was well over six feet tall. Complete with small, slender tentacles surrounding a very large mouth full of long, needle sharp teeth. His bulging, muscular arms had hands with claws on the end of the fingers. His equally muscular legs ended into bare, clawed feet. His skin was leather like, a dark, dull green, almost reptilian.
He was wearing a plain, black, short-sleeved fabric tunic, much like the fighting ghee used in Earth martial arts. Around his waist was some sort of equipment or weapons belt. He wore a small square metal device on his neck, at its function I could only guess. His voice seemed to emanate from it. Equally strange was his bike, it had no wheels, made no sound and it was suspended somehow in mid-air, seemingly floating.
As he moved even closer, I moved my right hand, reaching to bring the Beretta .40 cal. on my right thigh to bear on mister mysterious. He was getting too close. In a blur of motion, I was facing a similarly fashioned hand weapon. I had not even seen him begin his reach for his weapon. Frozen, poised to draw, I waited. I would have never drawn my weapon in time I realized. “Now, Tom, I am jussst here to talk, I have sssomething for you”, he hissed softly, carefully.
“What could you possibly have that I might want?” I growled, fully tensed, intending to strike, and just waiting for an opening, my hand right hand gripping the still holstered Beretta. “My name is ssSnarth and I have a job offer for you”, he hissed ever so gently.
“What kind of job?” “Why should I trust you?” I asked, relaxing my stance ever so slightly, sheathing my knife. “Becaussse if I wanted you dead dear boy, I would have just disssintegrated you long ago, and sssaved myself consssiderable time and expenssse,” Snarth hissed louder confidently, relaxing his stance in kind, holstering his weapon with a twirling flourish. “Keeping tabsss on sssomeone from acrossss the galaxy getsss expensssive, no matter what planet you are from.”
I relaxed my combat stance completely now and stood facing the alien, Snarth he called himself. Having been raised in an orphanage I was not one to let opportunities pass me by no matter how strange they may be. “Where might that be?” I asked, releasing my grip on the Beretta, yet not letting my hand stray too far. “Where issss what, dear boy? Snarth hissed, confused. “The planet you are from!” I said evenly, trying not to let the strangeness of this encounter show in my voice, yet unable to stop the sharp edged answer. “Oh that, noticed did you, sssuffice it to sssay it is a very long way from here,” Snarth hissed with a guttural chuckle and a casual wave of the hand opposite his weapon. As if this happened to him all the time, meeting an alien for the first time and who is to say he did not., “To dessscribe it to you would be an exercissse in futility asss you have no frame of reference to understand it in.” “It would be a sssafe bet to sssay that I am not from Earth,” Snarth hissed casually.
Young: I'm going to ask you some fun and silly questions:
* Have you ever gone out in public with your shirt on backwards, or your slippers on, and when realizing it, just said screw it?
T.E.: Yes more than once
* Do you prefer fuzzy or tub socks?
T.E.: I prefer bare feet as I am a Florida boy
* Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?
T.E.: What is the point of making the bed? Who is going to see it or even care? If they do then they probably will not be invited back to my house unless they are family and I know they could care less if I make the bed or not.
* Be honest, how often do you wash your hair?
T.E.: Almost every day. However some days are just lump around the house who cares what I look like kind of days
* Do you get road rage? What pisses you off the most about other drivers?
T.E.: I do much to my regret later anger is so self destructive. I hate the me first asswipes in their Mercedes who speed past a traffic slow down then force their way in just daring me to side swipe them. If I wasn’t afraid of going to jail I surely would.
* Do you go out of your way to kill bugs? Are there any that make you screech and hide?
T.E.: No I do not. The only ones I fear are hornets, wasps and very large spiders. Small spiders are cool but I have my limits.
* What's the most blatant lie you've ever told?
T.E.: Now that is a loaded question for sure. When I was in the first grade I told my teacher that I had a pet leopard living in my tree house at home. I must have been very convincing as she called my mom to ask if I would bring it to show and tell.
* Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist?
T.E.: Other than being sedentary not a lot that I can think of. In fact My doctor encourages my writing as a coping mechanism to this reality.
* If you were going to commit the perfect murder, how would you go about it?
T.E.: I know I could do it. I am just too pretty for jail so that saves at least one person a week. It would have to be a completely random victim far away from my normal habitat and routines. Meticulous planning for the escape and the establishment of a solid alibi are where most murders make their mistakes and get caught. Then you have to defeat the forensic evidence, dna and fingerprints and fibers and what not. I think that these are not to hard to overcome you would just have to be careful and through in your execution and clean up after yourself.
* Where is he perfect place to hide a body?
T.E.: The incinerator at a crematorium, or perhaps a meat grinder and a feeding frenzy of sharks far out at sea. Burying the body leaves open the possibility of discovery eventually then the questions start and it is downhill from there. Of course leaving body parts scattered in remote area across several states would be effective until they identified the parts that is. But that means transporting them and the possibility of a traffic stop by an inquisitive cop. So I guess there really is no perfect place. It would depend more on what clues you left behind.
* If you had a time machine, what time would you want to live in?
T.E.: That is an excellent question. I think the American frontier before the white man arrived. But only if I could take modern medicine with me, and a few creature comforts that is.
* Do you have any late night snacks that others would find strange?
T.E.: I like roasted cinnamon pumpkin seeds
* If you were a kid in a candy store, and could have a life time supply of anything, what would it be?
T.E.: Dark chocolate, Is there anything else?
* Do you have any weird writing rituals?
T.E.: I like to outline by candle light, like in the old days
* Do you have a favorite place?
T.E.: Yes there is a place along the banks of the Kissimmee river where a grove of 500 year old live oaks lives. I consider these trees to be my oldest friends. Unfortunately the state of Florida decided to reroute the river and I am not sure that place exista anymore. The last time I was there I saw stakes marking the new course of the river and it ran through the grove of live oaks. I haven’t had the courage to return.
* Do you wear matching socks?
T.E.: Sometimes, sometimes not
* Any strange things on your desk?
T.E.: I am a star wars nut so I have several Yoda’s and Darth Vaders on my desk
* Do you like bubble wrap?
T.E.: Only for the first minute or two, I get bored easily
* Laces or Velcro?
T.E.: Laces cause that’s how I roll
* Do you like scary movies? Do you have a favorite?
T.E.: I do like scary movies but not the blood fests that pass for scary. Anybody can make a blood fest it takes a master to make a suspenseful movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The Serpent and the Rainbow is one of the best scary movies I have seen.
* What is your most embarrassing moment?
T.E.: There have been so many I couldn’t choose a favorite.
Young: Thank you Todd for being such a good sport in answering these faux pas questions. LOL! Nice having you on my blog. I wish you all the success with your books.
T.W Embry
(Bio)
Todd was born a navy brat in Sasabo Japan in 1962. After living in many different places, his family finally settled down in the small town of Fort Pierce Florida, where his father taught physics at the local college. A bit of a wild and rebellious youth, Todd graduated high school, just barley. Following in his father’s footsteps he also joined the navy.
After a knee injury ended his naval career early, Todd returned to Ft Pierce resuming his wild ways. In desperation his parents sent him to stay with his Grandmother in Scotts Corner Kentucky, hoping some of the local values, hard work, unconditional love of family among them, would rub off.
It did, Todd returned to his family in Ft Pierce, found a job with Bellsouth as a telephone operator and 15 years passed. During which Todd met the love of his life Linda at his 31st birthday party. After an intense romance, they were married 1 year later. However, Linda came as a package deal, she had a daughter Corri whom Todd came to love as his own daughter and by mutual consent, Todd adopted Corri making them one happy family at last.
Todd and Linda took out a second mortgage on their house and bought a flower shop, Linda’s lifelong dream. And a good thing they did for after 15 years of service and 3,000,000 successfully answered calls with a 98% accuracy rating Bellsouth downsized and closed the office Todd worked in. After recovering from back surgery to correct, a ruptured disc Todd tried his hand at the culinary arts, graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Miami in 2005. This culminated with a chef’s position at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, a 5 star resort.
During his time at culinary school his English professor a former college level creative writing teacher gave Todd some advice, “You should try writing a book” he said. It was some time later that he began his first book Revenge from Mars.
Todd now works part time at the flower shop with his wife Linda and their daughter Corri and is close to finishing his third novel Earths Mirror, a sequel to his second novel Alien Manifesto.
February 17, 2015
Dee Dawning Book Blast - VICTORIA'S SECRET LIFE
The Sensual Awakening Series is an ongoing series of ménage a trois books from Dee Dawning, a longtime writer of erotica and erotic romance. The first three volumes, Jasmine's Urban Cowboys, Sharing Brenda and Victoria's Secret Life are contemporary westerns set around the fictional Tawny Hills Ranch near Dallas Texas.
The last three books, Playtime with Sera, Naked Research and Fancy Lady & the Desperadoes are also ménage a trois books by Dee Dawning, but in unconnected settings.
Volume 4 Playtime with Sera, is about a top flight model, her husband and her ex husband set in Phoenix and Las Vegas. This story is humorous as well as sexy.
Volume 5 Naked Research, is a contemporary woman's romance about a popular author of erotic romance set in New York City. Romantic, sexy and funny
Volume 6 Fancy Lady & the Desperadoes, is a romantic historical western set in eighteenth century Virginia City, Nev. This story is not only romantic, but the heroine is heroic.
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Deborah Melanie. Cover Artist and Author.
Books; Winter's Spirit ,Vivian's Vampire and The Good Girl available from Solstice Publishing.
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February 12, 2015
Author Helen Alexander latest release "OTHER PLANET"
Helen Alexander - Sci Fi / Fantasy author of
OTHER PLANET
Legend surrounds the Stella Mars, a mysterious flower from Otherplanet, rumored to grant supernatural powers and bring love and happiness to whoever owns it. Alias Kingman, a deeply unhappy business tycoon, has tried to buy it many times from the Templomuseum where it is kept under guard, but the alien flower is not for sale.
Two con artists, Dr. Grabengon and his friend, Eagle, spend their days wandering from town to town, selling magic potions to gullible citizens. When they hear about the Stella Mars from a peddler of non-toxic perfumes, they decide to steal it in the hopes of getting a reward from Kingman. However, things don't go according to plan, as they soon find they aren't the only ones in pursuit of the enigmatic flower.
An Excerpt
The next day, Eagle went out to confirm the legends. He was mostly interested in two things: Stella Mars, the mysterious flower, and Kingman, the person who supposedly had a large reward for it. He asked all the right people, whom he found in the more remote and shady places of the Metro, and, with a reasonable amount of persuasion, they willingly told him many useful things.
Yes, there was a mysterious flower in the Museum's Garden, according to an old Maundible named Ernest, who revealed this information shortly before he dove into his soup. The flower was inaccessible and heavily guarded at all hours of the day and night, he went on, with his spoon in his mouth, as Eagle nodded impatiently, because he already knew that from another informant, a giant green slug named Vincent. (Vincent also told him, while turning a bowl of live roaches mixed with spaghetti in his hands, that Kingman was a very strange man, a complete recluse who was almost impossible to reach by any civilized means: he lived on the top of a very tall cliff and rarely met with visitors, especially strangers and reporters.)
"But tell me," Eagle asked his other informant, "why does he really want the Stella Mars? What's so great about it, anyway?"
The small old Maundible smiled guilelessly and nodded to Eagle, pointing at his dish, which was now empty. Eagle called over the waiter, and the dish was promptly refilled with some kind of dark green soup. The Maundible named Ernest beamed.
"What a strange question," he finally said, wiping the remains of the soup from his face.
"Why?" asked Eagle, shifting impatiently in place. "Why is it a strange question?"
"You really don't know?" The old Maundible's deeply recessed face wrinkled into a smile. "The Stella Mars is enchanted. It will give a long and happy life to whoever possesses it." He tapped on the table with his spoon. "Mark my words, Beaknose, it's not a legend, and it's not a lie: that flower is alien, and it has life giving powers. It came from Otherplanet, although it was never supposed to. In fact, somebody told me long ago that it was stolen by the Braqonieris, but they fell to Earth, and that's how the seed of the Stella Mars ended up on that spot, for that is where their spaceship had crashed."
"Hmm," pondered Eagle, "is that really so? Or are you making it all up?"
"No, no, Beaknose! That's why Kingman wants it. He is the wealthiest man on several incorporated planets, but he is deeply unhappy. He tried to buy the Stella Mars, but it's not for sale. He will pay anything to have it." Here the Maundible finished his soup with a final and rather protracted slurp.
"Why is he so unhappy, anyway?" wondered Eagle.
"No one knows," replied the Maundible, reaching for the towel. "Thank you for the soup."
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February 5, 2015
Author Max E. Stone of the Warren-Bennett-Johnson series
Young: Hello Max, thank you for being my guest author today. How are you?
Max E. Stone (M.E.S.): Nice to be here. I'm well. How are you?
Young: Not too bad. Thank you for asking. Let's start with you telling us a little bit about yourself? :)
M.E.S.: My name is Max E. Stone. I’m almost 28 years old. I have awesome friends and a phenomenal family, including two brothers I both fight with and love dearly. I love books (I read everyone and everything I can get my hands on). I love music. I listen to everything. I work hard and many times have to force myself to sleep when the writing juices are flowing in the dead of night.
Young: Max, when did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
M.E.S.: I started writing at 9. That was with the story, August to Life, and it was initially supposed to be a stand-alone. For years, I kept making adjustments to it; changing character names, the title, etc. I think it had about 17 different titles since that time and even more adjustments in genre. I completely finished and published the story in 2012. When I did, I couldn’t stop. I wanted to know more about the characters and wanted others to as well so it became the Warren-Bennett-Johnson series; a set of stories based on three different but interlocked families set in New England.
Young: Where do you get your ideas?
M.E.S: To be honest, I know it sounds a bit cliché but its true: they just come to me. They always have. I told my mother that when I was 9 and she asked the same question. I’m definitely sure I scared her because the subject matter of August to Life and other stories, short and otherwise, that I had written at the time were anything but appropriate for my age. They were pretty rough, very violent, extremely gory to point where, one time in particular, she sat me down and asked me if everything was alright. I was never better.
Young: My next question; How did you choose the genre you write in?
M.E.S.: I just picked what I loved to read. I love fiction, particularly mysteries and suspense so I thought I would take a crack at writing my own. And I say that because I’m still learning the ins and outs of the genre. I’m not completely done. With each book, I learn a little more and try a little more.
Young: Do you work with an outline, or just write?
M.E.S.: I just write and the story and characters take shape as I do.
Young: Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
M.E.S.: For years, I was very uninformed about the publishing game. I kept hearing “Get an agent and then they will find someone for you,” which I aimed for through query letters that were rejected many, many times. Not long ago, I learned about self-publishing and what a great option it was from my mother. Before that, I had never heard of it. So that was a challenge for me; not getting myself informed on the matter.
Young: If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
M.E.S.: I would have definitely studied the business behind writing and its constant changes much more. That would have helped the first time around.
Young: How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?
M.E.S.: I’m still learning this aspect. Currently, I use social media such Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and the link to simply talk to people, let my fans know about my work, release trailers, and network with other writers. More recently, I’ve used Fiverr.com to help me with press releases and other marketing and editing services and thus far, it’s worked out great. There are a lot of professionals on that site who do wonderful work. I’ve also found this site called blogtour.org which helps authors find bloggers and bloggers find authors for content, which has also been good for me and my work.
Young: Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
M.E.S.: One Minute There, the third in the Warren-Bennett-Johnson series, is a hardcore thriller that takes readers on an emotional journey through the U.S and beyond. One of the main characters, a Rhode Island detective named Stephen Bennett is searching for his daughter, Melissa, who has disappeared, leaving two victims and a trail of blood in her wake. Stephen knows her and knows that’s not like her. But the authorities don’t necessarily care. They want justice and they set out on a search to find her as does Bennett who wants very much to bring her home first. At the same time, the father and detective discovers that he and the cops aren’t the only ones looking for her, which opens up a whole other world of darkness.
Young: Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
M.E.S.: Not so much my experiences as it is based on the world I see around me. While the book is a work of fiction, it touches upon real life issues that are typically hidden in the shadows such as mental illness, sexual abuse, and human trafficking.
Young: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
M.E.S.: I felt every chapter which was sometimes good, sometimes not so good. My favorite one to write was the prologue in which readers will see the events that begin the investigation. This one was my favorite because it was so real to me. I felt to the point where I was crying and on the floor gasping by the time I finished with it. The way I see it, if it was that real to me, then it will be that real to the reader.
Young: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
M.E.S.: I used to, but now I just keep going and write whatever comes to mind whether it immediately makes sense or not because I know eventually it will. It might just need some retooling in the editing stage.
Young: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
M.E.S.: The toughest criticism was that I spent too much time on descriptions of characters and places, which I had to agree. I used to do that. Now, I’ve learned from it. The best compliment was when I was told by a reader that my work was “a new kind of horror.” I loved that and I’m working toward that; doing a new kind of anything.
Young: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
M.E.S.: If you really believe that this is what you were born to do and that this is what you love, don’t ever give it up no matter what anybody says. Also, make a daily effort to not only write but learn about the business as you write.
Young: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
M.E.S.: I love you all! I can’t thank you enough for your support!
Young: On a lighter note, what do you do when you are not writing?
M.E.S.: Hang out with friends and family, exercise, go out and see a movie, shop for books or read the ones I haven’t touched yet because I keep getting new ones. There are so many great books out there being made everyday that I can’t keep up.
Young: Thank you so much Max for joining us. I wish you all the success with your books.
M.E.S.: Thank you for hosting me.
Young: Anytime, Max.
One Minute There
(an excerpt)
"This is the police!" And then... Bam! Bam! Bam! Hammering knocks fired Melissa Bennett to her feet. Her mind jarred.
Oh God...Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!
The stench of copper impaled her senses. Broad blue eyes locked on the hardwood floor slicked with blood. And the body in the center of it all. That of a friend whose fight and agonized shrieks now dulled to spasms and murmurs, low and
indistinct.
"...mm...my...ba...baby...h...help"
Holding fast to her sliced abdomen, the bleeding woman heaved the groans past her mumbles. She moved her lips to speak again but a wheeze and wet cough stole her cries for help. Then, more blood bubbled to her mouth's surface. She would die soon. Her and her unborn child. "Shit!" Melissa grated, fault and fright feasting on her insides. "Shit! Shit...shit!" She jumped back. The soiled knife dropped from trembling, blood-stained hands to the ground with a clang. "Oh, no...no, no!"
The damned voices... She shouldn't have listened to them.
Why did I listen?! Why! Why did I listen?!
Hours ago, the voices were her salvation. The voices were her direction. Now, they taunted her, berated her for doing the very thing they'd wanted from her all along.
Oh God...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to... Bam! Bam! Bam! The thrashing knocks again.
"Open up!"
Another order.
Swift kicks went to work on the wooden door, one after another, severing decrepit hinges with each fatal blow.
Grabbing up her weapon, Melissa ran toward the exit through which she had first come with her victim—restrained and unconscious from an unexpected bash to the head—as the barrier came undone.
Sirens exploded. Footsteps closed in.
"Mommy! Mommy, wait! Please!" A little girl wailed. For her. "Stop! Mommy! Please! Don't go! Don't leave me!"
Those cries, desolate and pained, faded with each pound of Melissa's path to a freedom somewhere in the darkness. If she could just find it... Come on, come on...it has to be somewhere around— "Mommy, please! Come back!"
Tears sprang to her eyes.
She should go back and get her. After all, she did this to keep her daughter safe and out of the way of a harm she believed would wind its way back into their lives if she didn't do...something.
The voices, magnified by pictures of a dark and ever-present past, told her so.
"Do you love your daughter?" they'd challenged. "Do you?" As if they didn't know.
As if they needed the proof. She would do anything for her. If danger lurked anywhere around her little girl, she couldn't take the chances. She had to heed the warning now and get moving; leave the consequences for later.
Kill, if necessary.
Melissa hoped one day the precocious little redhead named Abigail, who never left her side, would understand and, perhaps, forgive her. But, for now, the child didn't deserve a life on the run. That much she knew for sure. "Abby, honey...I can't. Mommy's sorry," the mother whispered in tears, still running fast and blind, right and left down pitch-dark and dingy halls in search of the way out. "Mommy's so sorry for getting you into all of this."
As she ran, the bottom of one of her sneakers caught the shoelace of the other. Ignoring it, she kept running and, somewhere in the madness, the lace loosened. She nearly tripped when the shoe came off. Keep going, she thought, kicking the sneaker out of the way as she did just that. Go, go, go!
Don't get caught! Don't get caught!
More heavy tracks melded with Abby's sobs and barreled behind her. They came closer, gaining fast. She sped up. "Police!" another voice boomed. "Stop!"
She looked around.
Nothing but dark, pierced by the thin beam of a flashlight, greeted her. She ducked in evasion of the light. Feeling around in the blackness, she found the knob to the structure's back entry,
turned it, and, huddled to the floor, escaped. Once outside, she found one of the many hiding spots the area offered and—from tormenting memory—selected the tall, thick tree a few feet away. Thunder indicating the start of a downpour quieted Melissa's climb up the branches.
No cop heard or saw a thing.
In the bushel of leaves at the top, she pulled out her cell and dialed the number of the lone person she knew would help her now, praying she'd be right in her assumption.
She hadn't spoken to him in years, but he had always been one of the good guys that were few and far-between in her life.
If nothing else, he would at least hear her out.
And listen...Right?
She hoped so. Her life depended on it. The other end's incessant rings threatened to drive her mad until... Click. "Hello?" a man yawned. Thank God... "P...please," Melissa panted, terror and tears ripping at her throat. She cleared it to project a confidence she didn't feel and pleaded, "You have to help
me." "Who is-," he started to ask then recognition seemed to hit him like a ton of bricks
as he added "Melissa? Is that you?" He sounded puzzled.
And a bit...annoyed? Was that it? Can't say I blame him... "Y...Yeah, it's me. Thanks for picking up. I appreciate it," she said, gaining back the
shredded threads of her bearings inch by inch.
No time for a breakdown...
"Look, I can't say much right now, but you have to help me. I mean...I...I need your help. I don't have anywhere else to go and-"
"Whoa, Mel. Hold on. Slow down a minute and take a breath. Let's start over. Where are you right this second?"
She bit her lower lip and debated what she could say and how much time she had to say it.
Not much, on both counts.
She trusted him, but not that much. Not right now. Not in this. Not yet. Down below, an ambulance sped through the dirt road then stopped in front of the building on the grass amidst the cops' cars. Paramedics jumped out and sprang into action. As they bounded to the entrance, a woman detective Melissa recognized came out, cradling a crying redhead to her chest.
Abby...Oh, sweetheart...
She shut her eyes, closing out the scene.
"Melissa! You still there? What's going on?" the man on the phone pressed, his compassion laced with impatience. "You in some kind of trouble?"
"Yeah, some kind of," she said, eyes back on the commotion below.
Now, the medics brought out the woman, her friend—brown skin fused in the blood around her dissected belly—a shaking hand caressing leftovers of torn abdominal flesh— and loaded her into the back of the truck. Melissa's stepfather, Detective Stephen Bennett, never left her side.
"I...I'll be in Jersey in a few hours."
"You still haven't told me what the hell's going on!" he demanded, harsher this time. "And are those sirens I hear?"
"You still live in the same apartment, right?" she asked, changing the subject and hoping he would go with it for the time being. "In Short Hills?"
"Don't do that. Answer me," he urged, not falling for the ruse. "What's happening? Where are you?"
"Please!" she begged. "I know I have no right to ask for anything from you and, normally, I wouldn't. You know that, but...I have nowhere else to go and I really, really, really don't have time to talk about this right now. Okay?"
"Yeah, fine," he exhaled, giving in and, no doubt, wondering why he wanted anything to do with her.
For the second time.
"I'm at the same place. Door's open. And you better be ready to talk when you get here."
Book sales links:
Max E. Stone (contacts):
https://www.facebook.com/officialmaxestone
Website: www.maxestone.com
Run
(blurb)
Two torturous months came and went
Detective Bennett refuses to give up on finding his daughter
Even as the authorities of New England and beyond, trailing the blood in the girl's wake, devised a ruthless manhunt to bring her back
Well aware of the young woman's fragile state, Bennett is determined to locate her first
And terrified to learn that he and the officers aren't the only ones looking...
FOR YOUR LIFE...
Tucked in a hideaway past America's borders, courtesy of her only trusted connect as of late, Melissa is sure she's safe.
That is until the hammering knocks at her door threaten her world, her sanity…
And her life.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY OUT...
January 29, 2015
Gary Winstead author of "So You Want To Be A Marine"
For further information on author Gary R Winstead email: Gary Winstead at winsteadgrw@gmail.com
Young: Hello Gary, how are you?
Gary Winstead (G.W.): How about yourself? Thank you for having me on your blog.
Young: I'm well. Let's start by telling my readers a little about yourself, sir.
G.W.: As I state in my book I was born white trash, (my mom hated that expression), she would say in a deep southern accent “Now boy, we ain’t trash, them people across the field, they is trash.” She was referring to the fact we had a two holer out back and the neighbors only had a one holer.
Young: Interesting. Tell us, do you have a day job besides writing?
G.W.: I was so successful (yes tooting my own horn) I retired at age 55, eleven years ago. Been running a small cow/calf operation for my granddaughter but we had to sell the herd due to the drought. We kept 4 prize heifers for her to breed and show.
Young: Now you are a full-time writer, tell us when did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
G.W.: I remember back as far as 3rd grade writing a science fiction novel. (or at least what passed as a novel for a 3rd grader). Then in 7th grade it really hit me, the need to put pen to paper. Sadly I had an English Teacher that told me I would never be a published author). I love teachers, they tolerated my ADHD even when no one knew what that was, but this one teacher was out of line.
Young: That's not a nice comment to tell a student he'll never be a published author. Tell us how you came to choose the genre you write in?
G.W.: I find it easy to write about what I have personally experienced.
Young: Where do you get your ideas? Were you in the marine?
G.W.: Kind of like a dream in the night. My muse wakes me and says “try this dummy.” Sometimes it works mostly not.
Young: Do you work with an outline, or just write?
G.W.: I just write.
Young: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
G.W.: Currently I am penning a murder mystery based on the rodeo, but having a hard time with the police part of it. Rodeo is easy. I have been a cowboy my whole life, just not up on police procedure for a murder. But I do have 39,000 words down.
Young: How exciting! Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
G.W.: Many years and 250 rejections later here I am. Forever grateful to Tell Cotton and the great people at Solstice.
Young: If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
G.W.: I'll do more in-depth personality development.
Young: How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?
G.W.: I use the internet, blogs, as well as my hometown and neighboring newspapers. Plus the good old word of mouth. If I see someone reading I walk up and hand them a care.
Young: Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?
G.W.: More than one, lost in time now.
Young: Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
G.W.: It is a murder mystery set in a small town in Central California. Four rodeo cowboys are in town, trying to make the NFR and one is murdered. The plot centers around the cowboys solving the murder as there are powerful people in town who don’t want the rodeo and are of the mindset that this murder might cause the PRCA to pull out.
Young: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
G.W.: Chapter one, as I realize I might have made a mistake.
Young: How did you come up with the title?
G.W.: My muse gave it too, me.
Young: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
G.W.: No matter how many rejections, never give up.
Young: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
G.W.: Enjoy and learn.
Young: Last but not least, What do you do when you are not writing?
G.W.: My wife is deep into Alzheimer’s and I am her sole provider so most of my time is spent doing the very best I can for her. After all she made me what I am today.
Young: After all has been said and done, Love is what keeps us going.
G.W.: Well said, Young. Thank you for having me today.
Young: You're welcome, Gary. I hope to see you again soon. Be well and all the best to you, your wife and very success to your books.
For further information on author Gary R Winstead email: Gary Winstead at winsteadgrw@gmail.com
January 25, 2015
Book review: A Wizard of Dreams (MYRDDIN'S HEIR) series by Robin Chambers
Without doubt A Wizard of Dreams by Robin Chambers is an excellent book for parents to read to children from the age of 7, and for children themselves to read from the age of around 10. This book has a variety of moral vignettes that possess good educational values for young readers, their parents, guardians and mentors. Gordon (the protagonist) has an unseen friend (at least to the naked eye) named Zack. Together they take on the personas of young superheroes - teaching school bullies and immature tyrants not to mess with well-behaved kids. Otherwise, the wrath of Zack, in the guise of Gordon, would befall them.
Throughout the course of reading this book, I couldn't help but wonder to what extent the story was derived from Mr. Chambers’ memories of his childhood years - growing up in a similar kind of environment and encountering the sort of situations that Gordon and Zack experience. Now that the author is a grandparent, he is writing his MYRDDIN'S HEIR series as a fantasy version of'Remembrance of things past': to pass on his valuable life's lessons to children the world over.
When all is said and done, this is a wonderful, exemplary book. Not only will it entice every child's active imagination, it also conveys ethical messages to parents and educators - to listen and to pay heed to the voices of the young.
By Bernard Foong (aka Young)
Charming...Amusing...Well Written
One gets the feeling that the author Robin Chambers was writing this book for his own grandchildren. I say that because it is written in a tender, caring and loving manner. Chambers was a teacher and several chapters feature the book's protagonist (Gordon) as he navigates his way through the typical classroom pitfalls of bullies and all manner of unfairness. I think as a teacher it was important for Chambers to have his teaching moment for his young audience. It is the sort of book that would be great for parents to read to their younger children as I think it would benefit parents greatly.
At times I wanted the book to move faster. By the second half of the book when Gordon was around ten years old the book became interesting, exciting and more imaginative. I like this book very much and highly recommend it. A good read indeed!
By Walter Bissett.
January 20, 2015
In-the-Harem Guest Author, Penny Estelle
Young: Thank you for dropping by.
Penny Estelle (P.E.): Thank you for having me on In-the-Harem blog.
Young: It's always a pleasure to catch a glimpse into a writer's life; learn of their latest book release and projects. Let's jump in, shall we?
P.E.: Sure, I'm ready. :)
Young: Let's start by having you tell us a little bit about yourself?
P.E.: I retired a few years back after being a school secretary for 21 years. I live with my hubby in NW Arizona. We have 54 acres and we live on solar and wind.
Young: You look too young to be retired. I'm sure my readers will love to know what you do when you are not writing? :)
P.E.: When I’m not writing or working on a project around the house, I love to go 4-wheeling. We have many dirt roads around here to explore. I also have 7 grandkids that are the light of my life so we go visit them often. And of course, there are always the casinos that are about 45 minutes away in Laughlin, NV.
Young: That's delightful. I'm sure my readers will like to know about your books and your writing. :)
When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
P.E.: Forty years ago, after my first child was born, is when I actually started reading. I didn’t read as a child, only what was assigned in school. With a baby, I was up 24/7 so I picked up Rosemary Rogers’ Sweet Savage Love, and was hooked. Anyway, I thought “I can do this.” Five years later I had a 300 page historical western romance. I sent out two query letters and received, thanks, but no thanks replys. I packed it up and put it in my closet. It lived there for 35 years. After having several books published, I decided to take a look at it, so I dragged it out. IT WAS SUCH PATHETIC WRITING! I fixed it up, sent it out, and it was picked up. Happy days!
Young: You just never know. When the time is ripe, it will bear fruit. :)
My next question would be: How did you choose the genre you write in?
P.E.: Other than the above story, I actually started out writing adventures/time travel stories for kids (middle grades) I wrote stories in that genre as working for a school principal, I had tons of material! After a few years I thought I would give romance a shot – so I branched out.
Young: Can you tell us your challenges in getting your first book published?
P.E.: I was lucky. With Hike Up Devil’s Mountain (one of those MG books) I sent it to Solstice Publishing. I heard back within a couple weeks and they sent me a contract. Solstice is a wonderful company and as my first publisher, have taught me so much.
Young: That is indeed good for my readers to know. My next question is: How do you market your work? What avenues have you found that work best for your genre?
P.E.: For me, marketing is a continual learning experience. I can only say, I do all the social networks, try to appear on different blogs and have guests on mine. I honestly can’t tell you what works best for me. I just keep plugging along!
Young: I guess most authors will agree with you, "I just keep plugging along!" LOL!
What project are you working on now?
P.E.: Nocturnal Press Publications has offered me a multi-book contract for three middle grade stories. I’m almost through with the first one, The Bearded Dude in the Puzzle.
Young: That is good news, Penny. Congratulations!
Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
P.E.: I would like to tell them how grateful I am for their time and kind words. There are a million writers and I am honored they choose one of my books to read.
Young: I thought I'll throw in some strange and weird fun questions for you, Penny.:)
A) Have you ever gone out in public with your shirt on backwards, or your slippers on, and when realizing it, just said screw it?
P.E.: Uhm NEVER!
B) Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?
P.E.: It’s made every day. Sometimes, right before going to bed! LOL!
C) Be honest, how often do you wash your hair?
P.E.: Every other day.
D) Do you get road rage? What pisses you off the most about other drivers?
P.E.: I do a lot of traveling and when I am on a four lane highway and people are driving like a bat out of hell, and then when they got on a two lane road (one way, each way) and they slow way down. Infuriates me!!!
E) If you had a time machine, what time would you want to live in?
P.E.: Mid 1800s…..For only a week!
F) Do you have a favorite place?
P.E.: Pacific Beach in San Diego.
G) Do you wear matching socks?
P.E.: Always.
Young: Thanks for being such a good sport to answer these silly question. LOL!
P.E.: Bernard, thanks so much for letting me barge in on your blog! I would like to tell your readers about my newest story, Justice Comes to Salina. It’s a short historical western romance.
Justice Comes to Salina
Synopsis
Victoria Stone is the new school teacher in Salina, Kansas. The people of Salina do all they can to make Victoria feel welcome and her students are finding their way into her heart. Then there’s the town’s sheriff who is getting under her skin and turning every emotion she has inside out. But in her bag, Victoria isn’t toting books and school supplies. There is a score to settle in Salina, Kansas, and nothing or nobody is going to deter her from putting things right.
Excerpt
Victoria was interrupted when the door banged open and a tall student sauntered in. He said nothing but plopped down on one of the back benches, chewing on a piece of grass, his arms crossed, his eyes shut and his legs stretch out into the corridor. All the students turned to watch him and then their heads pivoted to look at Victoria, their eyes opened wide to see what would happen.
They all watched as Victoria pushed herself away from her desk and walked to the new student. She tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me.” He opened his eyes, not responding. “Could I please see you outside?”
He sighed loudly and slowly rose to his feet. The boy was five inches taller than she was. She followed him out the door, his blonde hair hanging long, below his ears. He wore light colored pants and a faded green shirt. When outside she asked him his name.
“Adam Jackson.”
“Thank you Adam. How old would you be?”
“Well, teacher,” he said crossing his arms, “I’m fourteen. Dang near fifteen.”
Victoria smiled and stepped closer, lifting her eyes to look up into his. He gave her a cocky grin until he saw those green eyes flare with anger. “This school starts at eight am. I will not, let me repeat, will not have some upstart thinking he can come to school when he wants to and I definitely won’t have you sitting in my classroom stretched out, eyes closed, and not wanting to learn.”
He had already taken a step back and said defensively, “Old lady Kensey didn’t care when I made it to school.”
“I’m not…Mrs. Kensey. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yea, sure.”
Victoria waited, eyes still glittering.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Book Purchase Link:
You can learn more about Penny Estelle stories or herself at:
http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Estelle/e/B006S62XBY
https://twitter.com/Pennystales
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5820078.Penny_Estelle
http://www.facebook.com/pennystales
http://www.pinterest.com/pennyestelle
I have a newsletter that goes out for new releases or sales. If you would like to be notified please sign up @ http://eepurl.com/388Xr
Young: Wonderful having you on my blog, Thank You! I hope you'll come back for another visit.
P.E.: My Pleasure. Thank You for having me, Bernard.
December 31, 2014
Kim Cormack - author of The Children of Ankh series
Young: Thank you Kim for dropping by to In The Harem. I'm sure my readers will love to learn more about you and your new release.
Kim Cormack (K.C.): Thank you for having me on your blog.
Young: Before further ado, let's plunge in to your juicy stuff. :)
K.C.: Juicy stuff? LOL!
Young: Let's start with the sexy picture of you. LOL! Joking aside, you are a beautiful woman.
K.C.: Thank You!
Young: Tell us about your Latest Book/Book about to be released?
K.C.: My latest and most current work: “Enlightenment” (published by Corvallis Press) is schudule for release on January 20th 2015. This is book two in The Children of Ankh series.
Young: Will you give us a teaser?
K.C.: Sure.
Enlightenment
(an excerpt)
She’d lost Kevin. That had always seemed impossible. Kayn Brighton started out her first days in the clan without him as just a girl in love with a boy that was gone. It was more than that…She’d lost everyone, and everything. She’d lost her identity. She was now only a version of who she had once been. A large part her emotional responses belonged to her twin. Their souls now joined as they were meant to be before the immortal mistake that had created them. The immortal mistake had foretold her future ability to be a Conduit.
She had two new clan members. Kayn understood that they had lost just as much as she had. She suspected it was part of the deal. The family never survives.
In her future lied the infamous subject called, “The Testing.” This was what the three of them were training for now. They would need to learn how to do the impossible things. They had to learn how to make the choices that left a dent in your soul and an ache in your heart. They were after all only partially immortal. They would need to learn how to see past their mortal sense of right and wrong. They would now have to learn to exist in the grand scheme. They would have to learn to die and how to stand back up when they ceased to have to will to. One day she knew she would have to find the strength to fight against him. If his memories of her were truly erased then she would mean nothing to him. Kevin belonged to Triad and she belonged to Ankh but she still couldn’t force her heart to wrap around the idea that her best friend was gone forever. She knew had to because this was not a fairytale. This was a nightmare…
Young: Kim, what other books/short stories have you written?
K.C.: Book one in the The Children of Ankh series, “Sweet Sleep.”
What would you do if you discovered that everything you’ve ever known to be your reality was a lie? What if…The things that go bump in the night, things you thought were simply a figment of your wild imagination are in fact very real? Would you live your life differently if you knew you were going to be corrected…erased from this world sometime around your sixteenth birthday? You and your twin sister were never meant to be born. There will be no place to run…No place to hide…You won’t even know they’re coming…Do you have what it takes to survive your Correction? Do you have what it takes to leave your humanity behind? If your answer is yes then hold on tight... …it’s going to be one hell of a ride!
A catch up blurp for the first book - Sweet Sleep
The Correction had come for Kayn Brighton, shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Her demise had been horrific to say the least. She’d been granted a second chance at life as a partially immortal sacrificial lamb. In the fine print of her second chance, she must join the first clan that comes for her.
Kayn would awaken to find that her family had been brutally slain during her Correction. Jenkins, a family friend, her brother Matt stepped up to care for her. Her best friend Kevin would become her first love and they would both be claimed by clan Ankh.
Kayn would find out the details of why the Correction had been sent for the Brighton twins. In the end, she would risk losing her identity to rejoin their souls.
Kevin would be taken by another clan, and her only remaining loved ones would perish.
She would never be alone. She was Ankh. Someday, she would become the Conduit.
It was time to find out what that meant.
Young: What prompted you to write this series?
K.C.: My life changed very suddenly. I was diagnosed with M.S. I know that my children, and writing have helped me see the way to the other side of each and every M.S mountain. That damn pesky mountain that keeps appearing, just when I think I've climbed it. Isn't that the story of everyone's life though? Why would you endeavor to climb all of those giant mountains, only to have another one appear? How can you keep fighting forever and still retain some semblance of sanity? I think those feelings were what caused the nightmare that started me on The Children of Ankh series.
I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing this series, since that very first sleepless night. When I awoke from the nightmare, I had a creepy song continuously playing in my head. I had to immediately write down all of the details of the dream. The song still plays sometimes in my head. The creepy lullaby. In the beginning it was upsetting, but now it's almost beautiful.
Young: When was the first book released?
K.C.: Sweet Sleep, the first in my YA Paranormal Fantasy series, The Children of Ankh, was released on August 5th 2014 (Corvallis Press.)
As her vision flickered one last time, the man was gone. It was her mother looking into her eyes.
Her mother's eyes were filled with so much love that it seemed to release her from her pain and fear as it had when she was a small child. Her mother cradled her as a baby, rocking her back and forth. She was safe now in her mother's arms. She was at peace. Mommy, her heart sang, you're here to save me.
The warmth of her mother's love enveloped her tortured soul. She looked into her mother's eyes. She touched Kayn's face and started to sing a song that she had sung to her every night when she was very small.
Sleep, sweet sleep till the morning
Just dream away and close your eyes
My love you'll be safe until the morning
Sleeping in my heart, all through the night
Although bad dreams come to scare you
My love will scare them all away
My heart
The lights flickered, the pain went away, and her mother was holding her, singing "Sleep, sweet sleep."
The beginning
K.C.: You can find the series trailers and the teaser online. If you find me somewhere out there in the vast world of social media, I would love to hear from you.
Happy Reading
Kim Cormack
Read the first few chapters as a teaser on Amazon or pop over to http://www.kimcormack.com
Young: Do you publish in e-book, print, or both?
K.C.: They are published in both eBook and print.
Young: Where can readers find your books?
K.C.: They can find them at:
kimcormack.blogspot.com
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Young: What do you think are the biggest challenges for the type of writing that you do?
K.C.: Sometimes it can be a challenge to stop writing for the day.
Young: How did you get started in writing?
K.C.: I used to love to write stories as a child. Then stories turned to songs. Then children’s books, and then paranormal fantasy. The usual strange progression of a writer.
Young: Where and How can readers get in touch with you?
K.C.: Readers can find me at:
http://www.amazon.com/author/kimcormack
https://twitter.com/kimcormack
https://twitter.com/childrenofankh
https://twitter.com/hotchickdiaries
https://twitter.com/hotchickblog
https://twitter.com/SweetSleep2
https://twitter.com/kimcormackweb
https://twitter.com/frostofankh
https://twitter.com/TriadTiberius
https://twitter.com/lexyofankh
https://twitter.com/greyofankh
http://www.pinterest.com/childrenofankh/
http://instagram.com/kimcormack
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/authorkimcormack
https://www.facebook.com/authorkimcormack
https://www.facebook.com/TheChildrenOfAnkhSeries
https://www.facebook.com/TheHotChickDiaries
Young: So with your latest work released/or being released, what comes next? What can we expect from you in the future?
K.C.: In a few months the first book in the side series about Lexy will be released. A few months after that book three in the series. I hop around between books. I have a few completely unrelated series, I’m also writing. Every once in a while I feel like spending my day in a post-apocalyptic world. Then I work on the, “Repopulation Project.” Sometimes I drift over to write, “Bring out your Dead.” Most of the time I really try to stay on track with The Children of Ankh series.
Young: How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
K.C.: A lot, my friends see the similarities right away. The characters relationships and situations are very much my friend group. With exception to the whole murder thing, we really do try to save our murdering for Saturdays.
Young: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
K.C.: I usually try to write while Cameron’s (my son) in school.
Young: What is your routine once you start writing a book?
K.C.: I usually just start writing when I drop my son off at school. I set my alarm on my cell for 2:20 and start writing.
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?
K.C.: I walk on the treadmill in the morning and listen to music, often that’s where I write a few scenes in my head. Sometimes, when I’m in the bathtub, I listen to music and follow the story line down a few different paths.
Young: Among your own books, have you a favourite book? Favourite Hero or Heroine?
K.C.: I’d have to say it’s a tie between Kayn and Lexy. They have completely different backgrounds. I have a side series coming out about Lexy. It’s a lot of fun writing about a darker character.
Young: Where do you see yourself in five years?
K.C.: My answers to these questions are always different. I have M.S and my priorities have shifted. I have the long range goal of dancing with my son at his wedding. He’s not even ten yet, so that might be a while. I’d love to be able to see some of the world with my children. My daughter really wants to go to Greece. I’d like to be able to help out more financially with my daughter’s college expenses. If the series keeps doing well, a few of those things may be possible.
Young: What kind of research do you when writing one of your works?
K.C.: I’m certain that someone from Google search has me on some kind of serial killer watch list by now.
Young: What does your significant other think of your writing?
K.C.: I don’t have one. I have significant others, my two kids. It’s less complicated like this. I’m on a dating hiatus. It’s not that I never will, but I’m concentrating on this series and my kids right now.
Young: Do you ever ask them for advice or ideas to go into your works?
K.C.: I ask Jenna for a lot of advice. My daughter’s nineteen and a pretty incredible writer in her own right.
I usually read a scene and say, “Too far? “That’s when she usually says, “Way too far off the deep end.” My sense of humour can sometimes go a little wrong. My daughter has my sense of humour. If Jenna says the words, “Too far.” That means I passed too far pages ago.
Young: Have you ever experienced Writer's Block? If so how did you work through it?
K.C.: I haven’t yet. I usually don’t attempt to write unless I’m in the mood.
Young: Who are some of your favourite authors to read?
K.C.: Stephen King is one of the biggies for me. I love the wacky directions he goes in. I’m always so impressed when someone shocks me or stumps me.
Young: Anything else you'd like to tell our readers?
K.C.: Hope you enjoy this series. Feel free to contact me to ask questions.
Young: Lastly do you have any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
K.C.: Really pay close attention to the contracts that you sign. Google search everyone that answers your query. I’ve had to buy myself out of contracts in the past. I’ve had to wait out contracts (for my children’s books) Just be careful. It’s never wrong to do what you love. Remember, never take yourself too seriously. You will get good reviews and you will get some that make you frustrated. You have to learn to take constructive criticism quite early on as a writer. People have a right to their opinions. Not everyone likes the same genre. Don’t take anything personally. I know it’s difficult because you just stripped the flesh off of your bones and put it to paper. See the reasons behind other people’s way of thinking. Often it’s quite clear if you take a step back and take a good look. I always promote the hell out of the other Authors books I’ve reviewed. If I keep reading after the first chapter and I took the time to read the whole book, I liked it. Find some Author buddies to cross promote with. If you are in the trenches writing there are plenty of other Authors out there in the same position. Find them, talk to them and make a new friend.
December 19, 2014
Welcome to Mr. Rival Gates world
Rival Gates (R.G.): Thank you for inviting me to be a guest author on In The Harem blog.
Young: It's my pleasure to have you here, Rival. Thanks for popping by. You are probably better at introducing yourself than me. :)
R.G.: I am Rival Gates and I am here to share my passion for Epic Fantasy Writing with your readers. My book series is titled the "Sapphire Chronicles". It begins with Book 1 "Quest for the Red Sapphire" and continues with the sequel "The Sapphire Crucible".
Young: Before your talk about your books, give my readers glimpse into your life and what led you to write this series.
R.G.: I grew up in a wonderful family headed by my father, who was an editor, and my mother who taught in a high school. Out of the many great moments growing up, I remember most fondly our after supper talks. We may have been at the dinner table with a pot of tea or on the porch swing but we sat and told stories.
At one point or another, everyone in the family would tell some sort of tale. Some were true and others were invented purely for entertainment value. However, each person told their story differently. Perhaps the differences were the places where pauses were implanted for affect. Other differences were facial expressions, tone of voice or even something as simple as the order in which the story was told. I was enchanted and learned different traits from my parents, brothers and sister that helped me form my own style.
Young: It is indeed wonderful to grow up in a nurturing environment.
R.G.: My father always said, "The best writers are the best storytellers." He was the greatest storyteller I have ever heard. I began writing this saga in my early teens and worked on and off on it for decades. Dad spared no punches in his review of my work and it only made me strive to produce a better product. A couple of years back my mother., my biggest fan was lost to cancer. At our last meeting she made me promise to have my work published so that others could enjoy my stories. That promise was fulfilled with the release of "Quest for the Red Sapphire" by Solstice Publishing.
“Quest for the Red Sapphire”
available at:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1npYd0S
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1mSIAkT
Young: You mentioned that "Quest for the Red Sapphire" is published with Solstice. How did you discover Solstice Publishing?
R.G.: It was really Solstice discovered me. I had signed with a smaller company who were bought by Solstice. It was a great marriage as Solstice gave me the avenue for my writing to be noticed.
Young: As you are aware, Solstice Publishing is also my publisher for my seven books memoir series; A Harem Boy's Saga; a memoir by Young. They are delightful publishing house to work with.
That brings me to the next question; Where did your inspiration come from for this book? Was there a character that just had to be heard? Was there an event that inspired you to start writing?
R.G.: It all started with this idea I had for a sword I wanted to call Falconfeather. It was to be made from the thigh bone of Talana, Queen of the Falcons and into it she poured her immortal soul from her dying body. The sword would never break, dull or become lodged in an opponent. The blade was neither good nor evil but only lived to hunt and kill. It had telepathy with its master, the main character's father Dirk Grithinshield who goes missing early in the book. Then I developed Dirk and his son Linvin. The story just exploded from there but it all started with a cool sword.
Young: How cool is that!
R.G.: The book centers around Linvin Grithinshield, a half-elf general called home from the goblin wars to run the lucrative family trading business after his father's disappearance. Only after his mother's murder does he discover his destiny is to be the Master of the Red Sapphire, the most powerful magic any mortal can possess. Together with his wise but mysterious Uncle Anvar and his infuriating cousins Bander and Rander, Linvin must flee the would-be assassins and find the gem before the sinister forces from whom he flees find the stone and take it for a dark purpose.
Young: Before you give too much of the plot away, here's the next question I have for you. Describe to my readers the genres in which you write - for example paranormal, contemporary, westerns, etc? Do you write in more than one genre or area such as poetry, non-fiction, or do you have a different process when you're writing different kinds of fiction or non-fiction?
R.G.: I write High Fantasy or Epic Fantasy. My theme is a common one but that was done on purpose. I like the challenge of taking something that others have tried their hand at and making it my own. I love the genre and love to have strong characters to root for and against. What I enjoy the most is putting my protagonist in an impossible situation and having them find a clever way out. I want my readers to think and try to put themselves in the story.
Young: Do you have any other projects you're working on?
R.G.: I am working on a follow up to "Sapphire Crucible" called "Mandrean Revenge". It's very exciting.
“The Sapphire Crucible”
available at:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lGfOVN
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1n8o0yN
Young: Give my audience a teaser of the "The Sapphire Crucible".
R.G.: "The Sapphire Crucible" picks up where the first book left off in the quest. The party is taken prisoner by the twisted Lord Mandrean and his Necromancer. They each have their own plans for Linvin and his crew. It is safe to say that neither plan is in the group's best interest. Linvin must find a way to eascape, find the Red Sapphire and make it home alive. The task will not be easy. The pair of Mandrean and Necromancer are like nothing Linvin has faced before. Enitre armies will be brought into the chase as the book reaches a climax of epic proportions. If there is to be a victory on either side, the price will be high. The ending is not to be missed.
Young: Does your background - in terms of job, family, geographic location play into your writing? What kind of research went into your storytelling?
R.G.: I have extensive retail management experience and it shows in "Quest for the Red Sapphire" whenLinvin must take over the family merchant empire. I had to picture a wealthy family without the government imposed checks and balances we have today. It took me a long time to come up with a balanced way to run Linvin's finances so he would be free to go on his quest. That part of the book took a long time to write.
Strong character development abounds with a healthy dose of action and puzzles to solve. Most
importantly, I added many instances of my favorite questions as a reader. Nothing grabs hold of me so much as asking the questions, "How are they going to get out of this one? There's no way they will escape this time, is there?" Then the answer comes in a way I never anticipated. That cements a good story for me. It is fianlly available on Amazon.com and Kindle. I hope you enjoy them and the books to follow.
Young: What is your mind set or process as you sit down to write? Do you have a playlist going? Do you need complete silence? Are you a 6 am writer or an 11 pm writer?
R.G.: I'm a night owl and like mornings as much as vampires. Most of my great ideas come at night. That is also the time when the children in the house are asleep and it is finally silent. I also write when the children are at school on my days off. I need quiet. All the events must flow in an order like a river in my mind and music or other people are like rocks in the river, changing its path and impeding its progress.
Young: How do you balance writing with work and/or personal life?
R.G.: It is a difficult dance where writing often gets pushed to the back burner. What I do to maximize my writing time is go through the upcoming chapter in my mind every night until I write it. Then when I have a chance at the computer I can let the river flow and my work pours out easily.
Young: Any words of advice for aspiring writers?
R.G: Let writing be your recreation, not your job. As soon as you see it as a job it won't be fun anymore. It will be work. Then your writing will suffer. The most writing I ever deleted was when I had a deadline and it felt like work. The words didn't flow like they normally did. Write for yourself, not for others.
My final advice - Read what you love and love what you read.
Young: Readers can connect with Mr. Rival Gates at:
Web Site: http://www.rivalgates.com/
Blog: http://www.rivalgates.com/blog
Tumblr: http://rivalgates.tumblr.com/
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqrjiB
Twitter: @RivalGates1
