Denise Verrico's Blog: Immortyl Revolution, page 17

Featured Author Katie Salidas

                                Katie Salidas

I'm thrilled to announce that Katie's new Immortalis novel, Pandora's Box is now available. 














Here are the links to guest posts from Katie and my reviews of her first two books.  Enjoy!Immortalis Carpe Noctem  Hunters and Prey
Please follow this link for more details on Katie's tour.  Virtual Book Tour Cafe


Follow Katie at these sites!
Katie on FacebookKatie's Website

David F. Porteous Interview

What age group is your work geared toward?



I've never given the age of my readers any thought.



Into which genre would you say your work falls and why?



Singular is near-future science fiction, with some elements of thriller and comedy thrown in. I think genre is pretty poor shorthand for any book's subject; a hundred years ago someone going into space would be science fiction, but now it's biography. Much of what is possible in Singular may be achievable in our lifetimes.



Tell us a little about your book.



Thirty-five years from now the Singularity Network offers immortality to those who can afford it. Abandon the physical form and transfer yourself into a virtual universe, move from world-to-world and become different people, experiencing thousands of different lives.



The British government plans to move all of its elderly from expensive care homes into a cut-down version of this virtual universe. But in the depths of the immortality machine a random glitch has created an entirely new form of life; one that now struggles to be free of the virtual and reach the real world.



Singular is the story of four unalike characters and their struggles for freedom, power, revenge and survival.



Who is your favorite character in your book and why?



I love all my children equally, but Patrick most of all. But it's only because Patrick gets a unique fate – he's able to both triumph spectacularly and be betrayed and defeated at the same time. It's an interesting ending for him, because it could just as easily be the beginning of another story.



What other writers would you say have influenced your work and why? What are some of your favorite books in the genre?



It's hard to say in terms of influence. I don't consciously emulate anyone. When I was a child I read Roald Dahl (the Fantastic Mr Fox), as a teenager Terry Pratchett (Small Gods) and Iain Banks (Walking on Glass, The Bridge), as an adult I've tended to read older books rather than new ones. I do like the weirdness of H P Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, but neither of those are writers with a style I'd want to emulate. I'm also a fan of Robert Louis Stevenson – I think he was the best writer Scotland has ever produced.



What is your writing process like? Do you do a lot of background research? Do you plot every detail or do you prefer the characters to move the story in new directions, or a combination of both? Do you belong to a critique group and do you find this helpful?



I start with a thing. To use Singular as an example, "the thing" was immortality in a virtual world. I then start to construct a story around that. What would a society with virtual immortality in it look like? What might happen to, or because of, virtual immortality? Who might be most affected by this? What do each of these people want, in general and from the immortality machine?



Everything that happens in Singular can be traced to decisions made by characters in the book, though sometimes we don't learn about these decisions until much later.



My plotting and my use of themes are intricate. I pride myself on that and I like to reward observant readers with little "ooh"s and "ahh"s.


Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?



Give it up and become an engineer. Writing is a terrible idea – like taking drugs and having anonymous sex – all sensible, stable, happy people avoid it.



Where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?



Singular is available from Amazon in ebook and print. Right now the ebook is only 99c.



What is your website and/or blog where readers can learn more? Can they friend you on Facebook or other sites?



You can visit my website dfpiii.com for links to my twitter and Singular's Facebook page. At the end of the virtual tour one person who "likes" Singular on Facebook will win the US Print Edition 'Proof Copy' of Singular, signed and with a personal message. It's a unique prize of which there can never be another and is worth almost $9 – more if you count the free postage and packing.



Are there any upcoming signings or appearances you'd like to mention?



The book tour continues until the end of June. You can follow @dfpiii on twitter for more links as they come up.

Thanks for joining me today, David!


Thanks very much for having me.

My Fearful Symmetry Drawing

Anytime you comment on a post at this blog during this month, you will receive an entry in a drawing to win a copy of My Fearful Symmetry.  Winner will be drawn on June 30th at 11:59 EDT.

Guest David F. Porteous rescheduled to Tuesday June 14th

My Fearful Symmetry Release Update

Here is the cover for My Fearful Symmetry.  Contest announcement tomorrow.  Got to get my son graduated first!
Free Read of beginning!

Fangs Rule! Amy Mah on Creating a Vampire World

Welcome Amy Mah to Immortyl Revolution! 
Okay, we all love to win things.  Right?  This month, anyone who comments on any of the posts at this blog will recieve one entry per comment to win a free copy of My Fearful Symmetry, Book Three of the Immortyl Revolution.  The Book drawing will be held on June 30th at 11:59 PM.  I will also be holding weekly drawings starting on the 15th of June for Immortyl Revolution shirts, pens, mouse pads etc. In July, I will be running a launch party contest with a neato prize package of books and goodies! 

Amy Mah
How did I create a vampire world?

Well, it all started when my publisher Nicholas Reardon of Reardon Publishing was looking for authors to write some paranormal novels, he wanted something funny to publish and wanted to use an as yet undiscovered author, and that is where I came in, Miss Mah to the rescue!

You would think creating a vampire world would be easy as everyone knows all about vampires and unlike doing a book on say a dryad, which apart from a numbering system is also a tree nymph in case you are interested. With a Dryad I could say she has six fingers on her left hand and likes to drink mead and very few people will shout and say no it is the right hand and she only drinks water,

But with vampires you have to see what has gone before you and then build on it, and that is what I did with my book: FANGS RULE a girls guide to being a vampire.

With vampires you do not have to tell anyone about the basics ……basics are .er…well……like ……….blood……sun light……coffins…holy symbols…….fangs …….. fancy cloaks …. And did I say blood? Yes? Well it is worth a second mention as BLOOD is what vampires are all about, as you read what people write about, things change our lovely long toothed friends can walk in sunlight, wear modern clothes, and even be a priest! Ok I know but it was in a very low budget film that I will not even name as it was ……..er………. crap ………So lots of things can change but never the blood …….even if it now comes in bottles (True Blood).

Over the years I have read and seen lots of vampire books and films and some are so bad I wanted to go and bite the author or film director.

I once saw a film called the last vampire in New York that had the vampire walking about in the day light and shooting people instead of biting them………… if you have not seen it don't bother,

………..I like films to have a plot and a reason for happening or they bore me, so when I have a world to create I try and step into it and take a look around ………… things have to happen for a reason …………. And always have logic to them no mater how odd the logic is …….. if someone can jump off a roof and land on the ground unharmed (Underworld) ther must be a reason and there must even be a reason for wearing long leather coats and is it the same as the cloaks in the past ……… the answer could be yes and in my world I can you give reasons.

So lets go back to BLOOD ……….step into my world and look back out at the odd humans as you join a teenage vampire trying to explain what life is like for a teenage vampire:

Wow, yes, blood. The taste, the feel and the pleasure of it... wowwwwww. (Sorry, getting a bit carried away again.) Humans always think it is disgusting how we can like blood so much knowing where it comes from, well, all I have to say is that they eat eggs knowing where they come from. And as to milk, well it's just perverted to enjoy milk unless you're a baby.

Forget the human movies about bathing in the blood of virgin teenage girls to keep young, it's rubbish - and besides, just where do you find virgin human teenagers now? And, like, are you going to ask them personal questions about their love life before you add them as a bath salt? I think not.

If you would like to know more about my take on the human world you can take a look at my blog http://amymahvampire.blogspot.com/

or better still buy one of my books at…………………… www.fangsrule.com

Amy Mah (Vampire)




The front of the book has the title in dripping blood and shows Amy as a 18th century dressed vamp in a graveyard, where as the back is in modern clothing,

The artwork is by the Asian manga artist Heby Sim and what happened is that I sent pictures of myself and she turned me into what you see in the books, so it is really me you see in the books!!!! She even produced a full portrait of me which I have hung up on the wall over looking the computer.



Synopsis:


Fangs Rule a girls guide to being a vampire



Being A vampire sounds like it should be a cool thing to be as a teenage girl, like sleeping during the day and enjoying a night life with friends but no one warned Amy that it also meant having to suffer Teenage hormones for so long as she was stuck as a 16 year old vampire until her new vampire family would let her grow up, being a vampire was not as much fun as she had hoped and as to walking about wearing a see through nightdress with no underwear, well that was so not going to happen!


So Amy decided to write a book to help all teenage vampire girls and here it is FANGS RULE a girls guide to being a vampire.


A self help guide for teenage vampire girls, the guide is fully illustrated by manga Artist Heby and is written in an easy to follow A - Z format explaining everything a teenage vampire girl would need to know about living life as a modern Vampire.


What is fashionable to wear when eating out?


Fang maintenance & how to keep your claws sharp.


Should you let a boy bite you on the first date?


Easy to understand clear advice is given to every day problems Example:


When you get an urge to bite: We all get those normal urges to bite things, and I must point out it is very normal, Claws are all well and good in a fight but a bite gives the extra advantage of getting a refreshing drink at the same time. Lots of girls worry about showing their Fangs in public believing that to show your fangs is rude, but don't be shy they can be a girls greatest asset (ok second greatest asset) if a boy is being rude to you, don't just snarl at him, just bite him! You are a vampire why do you think you have sharp teeth if not for sinking them into a boy that is being rude to you.


Life as a teenager is normally a living hell but even more so when you have fangs. She knows the world is just out to get her, and not just by people trying to stake her because she has better teeth than they do!


Bio:My name is Amy Mah, and I am Asian Chinese by looks. I could say that I am oriental looking, but if I do people would think I look like a carpet. LOLI'm in my 20s with a very strange sense of humor, I look at the world and see how stupid it is and like to point this out, to know what I mean just read my blog: http://amymahvampire.blogspot.com/I just love anime and manga and so I have had my own image turned into a manga cartoon which is what you will see in my books. What else? …….. Well I think faster than I can type ………and I type faster than I can spell.See more of me and my book visit my website at : http://www.fangsrule.com/ or visit Amy on Facebook.

T-shirt Winner

Congratulations to Julie S. the winner of the Cara Mia t-shirt!  There will be more giveaways announced in the coming days, as I count down to the release of My Fearful Symmetry.  Friday, I feature Amy Mah and her unique book, Fangs Rule A Girls Guide to Being a Vampire.



Love and Dark Kisses,

Denise

Cedric Speaks Week Four- A Post on Creating Characters

Cedric Speaks:


The car crept along the streets. Even by London standards, Kolcutta was over-crowded. At one point, beggars swarmed around us with outstretched hands, some sporting lesions like I once had. Many of them were little kids. The driver laid on the horn in an attempt to drive them off. I'd read up on our destination on the plane. Kolcutta was Kali's own city, and called the "City of Joy". I decided that those who named it that must have had a strong sense of irony, because I didn't see much for the residents to be happy about.



Welcome to week four of this feature, which will extend into next month with more contests! Please comment here to be entered to win a Cara Mia, I Love Vampires t-shirt. The drawing will take place on May 31st.  You may enter as many times as you wish by commenting on previous posts.



I thought I might share some thoughts on creating characters and writing this book from a different POV than the first two. The first books have a female protagonist, which isn't as much of a stretch. I'm a heterosexual, American, all-too-human female, yet in this third book I write from the POV of a bisexual, Scottish, vampire male. Is this too far out of my sphere of experience to write?

Well, I don't know too many genuine vampires, so that one is out of nearly everyone's experience.  Do I, a female, have the right to get inside the male psyche? Does a straight person understand how a gay person feels? I say, yes, because but every character written is part the author and part pure imagination.


I happen to think typical people don't usually make for interesting characters. It is the extraordinary person that often becomes the hero or heroine of the book, even if he or she appears to lead a rather ordinary life. Jane Austen wrote about acerbic, critical Lizzie Bennett, not sweet, obedient Jane Bennett. Tolkien chose to write about the restless Frodo and Bilbo, not the peaceful Hobbit folk of the shire.



Is Cedric a typical teenaged male? Not by a long shot. Yet in some ways he is and has traits in common with a lot of boys his age. My training is in acting. The master acting teacher, Konstantin Stanislavski, spoke of something called the "Magic If". In other words, what would I do in if thrust into this character's given circumstances?

All people share common experiences and desires that allow us to empathize.


I always think of the song, I Want it All, by Queen when I think of Cedric:

 Adventure seeker, on an empty street.

Just an alley creeper, light on his feet.

A young fighter screaming, with no time for doubt.

With the pain and anger, can't see his way out.



A lot of people would curl up and die in Cedric's situation. He's an orphan living on the streets, a rent boy since age fifteen, struggling with poverty and disease. These extraordinary circumstances of his life have shaped him into a survivor. I never lived in such dire straits, but I can call upon imagination and research to fill in the blanks personal experience cannot. In my own childhood, I was fortunate to have both my parents at home, as well as adequate food and shelter, but as an adult, I've faced serious illness and financial setbacks. In no way near the extent Cedric does, but my experience gives me a window into understanding his character. My personal reaction to adversity was to fight it and not let it beat me down, to always find an alternative, retain my humor and feed my creativity. In this way, Cedric echoes my experience.



The trick in writing someone so "different" from oneself is to thoroughly think out what this character is all about. Make his or her traits, likes and dislikes, and deeply held beliefs very specific. Give him or her a ruling passion or obsession, a family history and lots of emotional baggage. Everyone experiences these things. Don't be afraid of a few warts either.

When I first developed Cedric, I had this image of a very damaged kid, but he lacked a purpose to drive him. Inspiration comes in strange places. I have a teenaged son who is a rock musician. He's very serious about his music and spends hours practicing and learning about the history and lore of his craft. My son Donovan's determination and dedication inspired me to instill Cedric with his great love for music. This character's prime motivator is his desire to perform and be loved. But comparisons end here. My son is a very modest individual. Cedric is vain about his looks and loves to dress in somewhat flamboyant clothing, like the front man of a band. This trait is from my imagination and the wardrobe drawn from performers like Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, great rock showmen.

There many good exercises for developing well-rounded characters. I fall back on those I learned in acting. I keep notebooks of research and character ideas.  This is always fun for me. I ask myself all sorts of questions about my character, even if the information never ends up in the book. First off, there is the physicality. There are some who feel what a character looks like isn't important. The actor in me says that's bull.  While long descriptive passages of narrative slow down a story, a hint of the physical appearance of a character and his garb can speak volumes about who he is.

Mother Teresa didn't dress or behave like Lady Gaga.


Of course, you shouldn't have a first-person POV character give a lengthy physical description of his or her appearance. These hints can come out in dialogue or action. Instead of saying Cedric is very tall, I have him drop that information by having looking down at his friend Ricky, to whom he refers as, "a wee fellow in comparison".



I also like to give my characters a "job", even if they are creatures of fantasy realms. Cedric is a musician and temple dancer. He's also a courtesan. This puts him smack dab in the middle of Immortyl political intrigue.



One point I'd like to touch on is the character's flaws and weaknesses. A character can be sympathetic and yet sometimes behave cruelly or like a complete ass. He or she can show poor judgment. Nobody is perfect. Remember that you want to show your character's growth. I had a writing group member read an isolated, early chapter in the book. She commented that she hated Cedric for acting stupid and immature toward his guru, Sandhya. Well, in the chapter she'd read, Cedric was acting like a spoiled brat, and Sandhya does deal him a well-deserved comeuppance.



The young man at the end of the book is very different than the selfish boy in that early chapter.

The journey is the thing. Getting there is all the fun.


Until next time,



Love and Dark Kisses,





Denise


Comment and enter to win a t-shirt with this butterfly design!

Author Spotlight on Bitten Twice

Today, the spotlight is on Bitten Twice and her new novel, Marked. She guest blogged here a few months back.  Please read her post on Vampire Lore.  I'm happy to welcome her back!

Here is a little bit about Marked:

Great legends tell of the pairing of souls.
Two that would come together in an eternal bond yielding great power.
Forever marked with a destiny waiting to unfold
The wielders of light in darkness' final hour
Demonic forces threaten to tip the balance of power for all worlds. Xan, King of the Cats, is one of many called in by the Templar organization to eliminate the source of the trouble brewing in North America. Arriving in New York Xan, a powerhouse of seduction, meets Katherine and begins to wonder whether he has met his soul mate or fallen into a trap. The war with the underworld comes topside and Xan is in the midst of fighting an unfamiliar battle - rejection. Can Katherine accept their differences?




Bitten Twice is an author who primarily writes in the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres.


She recently released the first in the Macedo Ink vampire series in October of 2010 and can be found on the web at http://www.bitten2ice.com.  Bitten Twice currently lives in Hollywood, FL with her family. Courageously in love with one man and two children, they all take care of the family's two dogs. Bitten is a lifetime member of the Florida Writer's Association and an associate member of International Thriller Writers.  You can follow her on her Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/BittenTwice/295323473457

Cedric Speaks-Week Three

 Cedric speaks

The girl just smiled, unaware of the danger to her.  Raj wrapped his arm around her waist and steered her toward the staircase, chatting her up, all charming and debonair.  His little game annoyed me.  The girl's bum swung like a fleshy pendulum, mesmerizing.  Hunger and desire spilled over into my veins, filling and hardening.  This disturbing combination of lusts propelled me to follow her and Raj into the bedroom. 

Welcome to week three.  Being a vampire isn't all fun, as Cedric begins to discover.  What is the price for eternal life and youth?  As he comes to grapple with this question, he learns some disturbing truths about himself. 

I like my vampires to have limitations.  If it's all about being sexy and cool, where is the conflict?  A vampire survives on some form of energy, be it blood or some metaphysical kind.  In Cedric's world, even those who manage to live on donated blood, struggle with the addiction to the kill.  The link between the Immortyls' bloodlust and sexual arousal also can't be ignored. 

As a mortal, Cedric learned to trade on his desirability.  Now he learns his beauty can be a dangerous gift. 

Love and dark kisses,

Denise


 Please leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a Cara Mia t-shirt.  A winner will be chosen on May 31st.  Good Luck! Each time you comment on a post in this feature you will recieve one additional entry.