Denise Verrico's Blog: Immortyl Revolution, page 19

Guest blogger Mark Konkel on Disaster Park

Please Welcome Mark Konkel to Immortyl Revolution!  He will be discussing his new book Disaster Park.



When I conceived of "Disaster Park", I didn't want to write a science fiction novel. Ha! What a weak denial, especially considering sci-fi was the only way to tell the story. The basis of sci-fi, according to Isaac Asimov, is the setting of the story. If the setting is real, it's modern or historical fiction. If the setting is one that doesn't exist in reality, it's sci-fi. Of course, today he might make an exception for fantasy – I don't know. After all, sci-fi and fantasy do inhabit the same websites and the same library and bookstore shelves.

But back to the conception of "Disaster Park". I didn't want to title it that either, because of the obvious comparisons to Crichton's "Jurassic Park". Then I realized that if someone made the comparison, it'd probably be a compliment. Or at least an insult designed to take down a successful venture. And what do I care if someone insults for being successful? Along with, "Yes, I'll buy that island," the phrase I'd like most to be able to say is, "They hate me because I'm rich and famous."

But I didn't write "Disaster Park" to become famous. I wrote it for the same reason I write all my stories: I can't stop thinking about them. Or rather, the only way I can stop stories from rolling around like bowling balls in the kitchens and closets of my mind is to write them down. During my college years, I worked as an aide at a nursing home. I carried the stories of those years until I finished my first novel, "That's what I Meant" twenty years later. It never was published, but it will be someday.

With "Disaster Park", the idea that kept cluttering up in my mind was borne of the World War II craze after the release of "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998. These ancient soldiers, sailors and airmen who survived the bloody ruthless grind of war were being interviewed everywhere. And the stories they told were heartbreaking and fascinating at same time. Listening to these men was, for me, like attending the funeral of a favorite child. After a while, I couldn't listen to or watch anything about that war without tearing up – sometimes even crying flat out like a summer rain.

But despite that, I had the irresistible urge to join this fraternity. To have been a World War II veteran. These men suffered the endless nightmares that come of surviving a war, and yet I wanted to be one of them. I don't know why. Possibly it was because they had been a part of history, a part of something that was larger and more significant than themselves, but something that couldn't have taken place without them. They were the instruments of, and the playthings of, the war. People, humans everywhere, want to feel that they're part of something historic—this is why people show excitement about large but ephemeral events, and why celebrity is so favored in modern culture. It's the desire to touch eternity, even for a moment. People want to be able to say, "Yeah, I was there when that happened—I heard Martin Luther King's speech—I saw the Beatles at Candlestick Park—I watched Dillinger get shot in the street—Ike personally thanked me after the D-Day invasion," etc. People want to connect with other people through historic events, events of power and influence, events that we feel long after those involved have all passed away.

And so from that desire of humanity, Disaster Park is born. Set in the future because we don't have the technology to recreate Gettysburg or Omaha Beach or the Titanic. Oh, we could do it and have done it with today's technology, but it's not like being there. We'd know it's playacting. While the exhibits at "Disaster Park" aren't real either, being completely immersed in a particular moment in history, right down to the smoke from gunfire, they're more real than the impersonators who walk around Colonial Williamsburg—not to disparage that fascinating and wonderful treasure.

Once I realized the true nature of a holographic amusement park that featured disasters and killings, I imagined that there would be those who would see the exhibits as evil. So the book becomes a struggle between the noble and ignoble parts of humanity.

As is my creative process, I worked all this out in my head prior to writing – then I sat at the computer for months to type everything out. Coming up with the solution to the mystery was particularly frustrating, as I struggled over how to finish the book. I knew sort of what I wanted for the final scenes, but I couldn't work out the appropriate structure. Then one night—no exaggeration—I woke up at 2:17 a.m. with Arnie's (the main character) solution to the problems he'd been presented. I bolted to the computer and typed non-stop for an hour—since then the final version has been tweaked many times (because writing is rewriting) but the essential elements of my midnight epiphany are still there.

So check out "Disaster Park" and ask yourself: Would you have been in the Twin Towers if you knew you would survive? Or do you see that as exploitation of the tragedy? Only you can answer the question for yourself.

Get ahead of the future: Read Mark Konkel's novel, Disaster Park

You can find out more about Mark and his book at these links:

Publisher: Blue Leaf: http://www.blueleafpub.com/dpinfo.htm
Print Edition http://tiny.cc/d61un

e-book Amazon: http://tiny.cc/p36eb
e-book Barnes & Noble http://tiny.cc/zm0ql

Review: http://tiny.cc/i7ie1

Review: http://tiny.cc/q3r1f

Review: http://tinyurl.com/4qy8gbz

Interview: http://tiny.cc/1e3je

Cara Mia Book Trailer

Student Vampire Art by Maddy

Maddy, aged 8, is a member of Mrs. Ayers' 2nd grade class  at Licking Heights South.  I work in this classroom as an aide.  She did this awesome picture called, Lorie the Vampire.  I asked her if I could post it here, and she agreed.  Please leave her a comment!

Millenicon Panelist

I'll be at Millenicon in Cincinnati this weekend.http://millennicon.org/  I'm doing a reading on Friday night at 9:00, and I'll be doing some panels on Saturday and Sunday.  I'll be stopping by the Loconeal Publishing table to sign books as well.

Guest Blogger Laura Bickle on Familiar Spirits.

Please welcome Laura Bickle to Immortyl Revolution!  I had the pleasure of meeting Laura at Context in Columbus, OH two years back.  Since then we keep bumping into one another at various events.  Laura and I have launched an Ohio chapter of Broad Universe, and to kick things off we'll be hosting a Rapid Fire Reading at Marcon this Memorial Day weekend in Columbus.  I'm pleased and proud to have her as a guest today.  She has written a great piece on familiar spirits.  I hope you will leave her a comment.


Laura Bickle (a.k.a. Alayna Wiliams) has worked in the unholy trinity of politics, criminology, and technology for several years, most recently landing in the wonderful world of libraries. She lives in the Midwest with her chief muse, owned by four mostly-reformed feral cats. Writing as Laura Bickle, she's the author of EMBERS and SPARKS for Pocket - Juno Books. Writing as Alayna Williams, she's the author of DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE. More info on her urban fantasy and general nerdiness is here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/



Familiar Spirits
By Laura Bickle


No one ever successfully controls a familiar.



Historically, familiars were said to be magical helpers of witches. They had the ability to shift shape, often appearing as cats, bats, or other creatures in their service to the witch. It was assumed by inquisitors that familiars, as a type of imp or evil spirit, served the witch willingly.



At other times, they were summoned by a magician, then trapped in a stone or piece of jewelry. The familiar spirit was trapped, coerced into service, like genies in bottles.



In the world of EMBERS and SPARKS, Anya has a familiar, Sparky. He's a five-foot long speckled hellbender with eyes like marbles--a fire salamander elemental, a creature that's the embodiment of fire. The German magician, Paracelsus, called fire spirits "salamanders" in the sixteenth century. Salamanders were long associated with fire, despite their amphibious nature, because they crawled out of forest logs cast on fires. The salamander was assumed to dwell in fire, and embodied the impetuosity, power, and destructive changeability of the flickering flame.



Anya's had Sparky since she was a child. He's tied to a necklace her mother gave her, which suggests that, like the familiars trapped in jewelry, he was coerced into service at some point in the past. But Sparky seems to serve Anya willingly, protecting her from malicious spirits (not to mention jealously guarding her against any potential lovers).



Life with a salamander isn't easy. Sparky is only able to be seen by Anya and ghosts. When he's not chasing ghosts, he's busily getting into trouble. Aside from Anya and the ghosts, he's only able to affect electrical fields. And electricity is delicious. He's blown up every microwave that Anya's ever owned. He chews cell phones and drains their batteries. He likes to lick electrical outlets, with disastrous results. In EMBERS, Anya takes him to a hospital, and he manages to wreak havoc with vital sign monitors.



But Sparky has his lovable moments. His favorite toy is a Gloworm. When he pats it, its cherubic little face lights up, much to his delight. Late at night, he curls up with his toy at the foot of Anya's bed like any other pet, purring and chortling happily in the amber light of the Gloworm tucked between his paws.



At times like these, Anya rubs his speckled belly and imagines that he's under control.

And Sparky opens one eye and snorts.


He knows better.





Check out Laura's blogs at: http://www.salamanderstales.blogspot.com/ and http://delphisdaughters.blogspot.com/Livejournal: http://lbickle.livejournal.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurabickleTwitter: @Laura_Bickle


Laura's most recent release is SPARKS:
WITHOUT A TRACE Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department–while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits plaguing a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell–but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion.
After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remains– or, more precisely, the lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victims–and she is sure this was no naturally-occurring blaze. Soon she's unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroit's poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants more–she's collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparky's freshly-hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city.
 





Nora Weston Interview and Drawing

Please stop by to read my interview with Nora Weston and enter to win a copy of her book. Nora's interview and Contest.

Nora Weston Interview and Drawing

Please welcome Nora Weston to Immortyl Revolution!




Bio: Nora Weston's fiction and poetry slips in-between and all around science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Her publishing credits include the anthologies Mind Mutations, Cyber Pulp's Halloween 3.0, and Dark Pleasures. Other venues in print and online include; The Hacker's Source, The Dream People, Hoboeye, Abandoned Towers, Lost in the Dark, Sputnik 57, Soul Engravings, and Decompositions. Recently, Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, Worlds Within–Worlds Beyond, Trapeze Magazine, and Four and Twenty published her work. Melange Books has accepted The Twelfth Paladin for a May 2011 release. Nora has had the pleasure of reaching people through the airwaves on radio stations throughout the US, and episodes can be downloaded from Blog Talk Radio's show Not Picture Perfect.

Nora is sponsoring a contest!

CONTEST: Simply leave a comment, ask a question, or introduce yourself...and you'll be entered to win a poster (11x17) of Guardian 2632's cover, plus a PDF of Guardian 2632. The winner will be chosen randomly. Good Luck!



Interview

1. To what age group is your work geared?



My work is geared toward an adult audience who enjoys science fiction adventure and romance, plus I hope anyone who reads my work has an appreciation for protagonists who like living on the edge. My main characters are intense people looking to live life to the fullest. My themes concentrate on mankind's insatiable need to push the boundaries of right and wrong, the consequences of one's actions, and I enjoy letting my characters run wild with their dreams and desires, although that doesn't go smoothly for them! Frequently, the dark side invades my character's minds, resulting in mind-blowing nightmares that slip into their day time realities.





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



I'm a speculative author, which means my work falls into the science fiction, fantasy, and horror realms. My fiction is speculative because it always takes place in the "other worlds." You know them, we all do; the realms living in the mists of imagination where ghosts terrorize, time travel allows Zane Grayson to jump backwards from 2632 to 1998, and mighty sorcerers hold their victims spellbound for all eternity. Abandoning reality to create dreamlike worlds that feel as though they could be real, are the settings I like using to explore mankind's mysterious nature.



3. Tell us a little about your book.



Guardian 2632 is a science fiction adventure/romance that begins in the year 2632 at Guardian TMF, which is a time monitoring facility. Zane Grayson, Guardian TMF's most accomplished executive director to date, breaks the law...his law against time surfing. Legally, Zane is allowed to search the past in order to find paradoxes that need fixed, but time surfing means scanning in unauthorized time zones. No matter, because Zane feels something is tragically a miss in the past, so he tosses logic into another galaxy and dives into danger. Zane discovers he fell into a timehole...in 1998, and that he met the bewitching Julia Emerson whose life is in jeopardy. Forbidden desire, Elite Guardians, blood-thirsty Mercs, and a magnificent time chamber are all there and accounted for as Zane plans to betray everyone at Guardian TMF. Now, the only questions left are...can he escape, save Julia, and live to tell about it?



4. Who is your favorite character in your book and why?



Zane Grayson is my favorite character. He's a highly skilled, muscular soldier, and his linage is a mix of Japanese and European, plus Zane's eyes are so dark that, at times, they have an indigo sheen to them. He gets himself into an atrocious situation, but all the while...he has a sense of humor. I also appreciate that even though it appears he is doing the wrong thing, he's actually following his heart and Guardian TMF's belief, borrowed from Albert Einstein, that "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."



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



Two of my favorite authors are Alexandre Dumas and Edgar Allan Poe. The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book by Dumas. Exploring the human condition...revenge, love, forgiveness, and living a full life, rather than simply existing are the themes I most enjoy reading, and Dumas has them all in The Count of Monte Cristo. My favorite poems by Poe are Lenore and A Dream Within a Dream. Poe effortlessly paints a nightmare with his words, and that has always attracted me to his work. Wilfred Owen, a WWI poet, who wrote brutally honest accounts of how war affected the mind, heart, and soul, is a poet who definitely left a lasting impression on me. Another book that captivated me was The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. A mighty long book...yes it is, but I loved it.



6. 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?



My writing process does involve research. I like the names of my characters to mean something, or have a particular sound to them. I've looked at hundreds upon hundreds of names for a new novel I'm working on. In Guardian 2632, I absolutely had to do research since it involved science and technology. (Yes, I now regret running my mouth too much in physics class!) As far as the plot goes, I write for a long time, and then take a look at what's there. I do allow my characters to have a lot of control, but the entire story is always lingering in the forefront of my mind...so my rather rebellious characters cannot lead me astray. When I leave my writer's hat behind and place that editor hat on...I'll kill entire chapters if need be. I don't belong to a critique group, but that is a great idea. A critique group would certainly catch things I miss, and they'd have valuable suggestions to improve my stories. I'd really enjoy reading new fiction and poetry from other authors as well.



7. Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?



Beginning writers should use the Internet to their advantage by scoping out publishers, short story and poetry markets, writing tips, and submission guidelines. Following those guidelines is an extremely important part of a submission, so read them carefully! I suggest reading what you love paying close mind to the big three; action, dialogue, and narrative. When I read, I want a combination of them all...and never too much of one of them. So, pick up a good book, and then keep a journal of what you find most beneficial to the plot, character development, dialogue, etc. Also keep track of what you were not crazy about. Do you like details in every paragraph? Do too many details slow the action down? Have you become aware of the protagonist's past, present and future goals? Does that matter to the story? These types of questions help new writers to organize their creative energy.

8. Who is your publisher and where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?
 Formats: E-book/PDF, HTML, and Print

Publisher: Melange Books: http://www.melange-books.com/
All Romance E-books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-guardian2632-511666-141.html
LuLu: http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=0&fSearch=Guardian+2632

Soon, Guardian 2632 will be available at more vendors, like Diggs Café, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

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

On Facebook, I'm simply Nora Weston, so please look me up! On Twitter, I'm almostsanelady.

Website: http://www.2noraweston.com/

Blog: http://noraweston.wordpress.com/

Website: http://www.2noraweston.com/

Noracast:  http://noraweston.wordpress.com/

Purchase Links:  http://www.melange-books.com/

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-guardian2632-511666-141.html

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcCg1wY60YQ


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


The next few spots on the virtual book tour are:

March 3 Guest Blog: A Moment with Mystee

http://www.amomentwithmystee.com/

March 7 Guest Blog: Authors by Authors

http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com/?zx=4f85c2ed47c93ee5

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Here is a blurb for Nora's book Guardian 2632:

Zane Grayson, the most accomplished executive director Guardian TMF has ever seen, is breaking the law…his law against time surfing. Zane has the supreme power, in 2632, to decide which paradoxes in time need altered, or deleted, but he's frustrated. Something, or someone, is missing from his life.

Time surfing in illegal time zones is the rush Zane can't live without. As addictive as the Martian dust called kilred, time surfing becomes Zane's obsession. And knowing full well if caught by the Elite Guardians, he'll suffer an unwelcome death by Time Mercs, Zane still dives deep into trouble. Soon, he discovers a mission in 2035 left him trapped in a timehole. This timehole places him in Pittsburgh, PA in 1998, instead of home. In Pittsburgh, Zane strolls into a coffee shop to see the bewitching Julia Emerson. From that point on, his life spirals out of control as he fights to protect what he loves most.
It's possible Zane's future is no longer in 2632...but actually in 1998. Slip through time with Zane Grayson as Guardian 2632 reveals what he will sacrifice to save a life.

Nora, thank you for visiting with me today! 

Readers, if you'd like to learn more about the world of Immortyl revolution spend a moment at my website: http://www.deniseverricoauthor.webs.com/

Hart Johnson Guest Blog

Make Sure You Love It



First of all, I want to thank Denise for having me. Denise made a huge splash at my blog with her 'Kinky Vampire Novels' gig (Trailer looks hot, by the way!), and I hope I can return the favor and either inform or amuse. She is further in process than I am, and I love the chance to get around a little and meet some other bloggers, readers and networkers. I really appreciate the chance to be here.



So this writing deal is solitary and slow... A lot of work all by ourselves, with rewards delayed again and again... and then we hear, as we start to think about publishing, that we need to NETWORK... get out there, meet people, WORK IT, SISTER!



It is a rare bird indeed that is naturally suited to both of these activities... Yet I think if we really DO work it, we can make them compliment each other.










Writing



I would do this in a vacuum. I would write for no one and still love it. This may or may not be because I do most of it naked (I write about 80% of my stuff in the bathtub) but I love letting my brain run on free form and see what it comes up with, seemingly with no input whatsoever from me. Now while that's not true... I actively collect and organize the pieces, I do surprise myself with some regularity, and I think I'd keep writing just for the delight in that.



But you know what? There was a time it was in fits and starts... every day for a month or two, then nothing. SHARING what I wrote, having accountability to a crowd is what gave me discipline. It also made the writing more satisfying because I was sharing, being cheered on... it had become social.



I should confess my earliest writing was fan fiction and the forum was very social, fairly silly, and there was much more joking and laughter than there was writing, though I did finish three novel-length works...









Progress a few years, come out of hiding with a real book and...



When I started to think about querying was the first time I actually considered the social networking thing... you know... on purpose. (never mind that when I actually dived in, I realized I had a fairly stable network of friends to support me as I got started from my fan fiction friends—I managed 30 blog followers in a week, just by begging people I'd been 'networking with' informally for three years—MAN that helped me past feeling small!)



But blogging and social networking as a WRITER who might one day PUBLISH was intimidating! I felt called to act professional at first... In fact I did that on Facebook for a while... very stiff and... oh man... it is SO HARD for me not to let... you know... ME... out to play. I really have a hard time behaving myself (you would too, if your superpower was Misattributing—innuendo around every corner)



And then I got to thinking... why the heck would the same rules as had encouraged me on the fan fiction not apply? I'm not the sharing the writing part, as I have traditional publication plans and they frown on that, but if I am really committing to this marketing, networking, daily blogging thing... on top of a day job... on top of writing... I just couldn't fathom taking that on as WORK... so the logical alternative—something I had experience with, was to make it PLAY.



So I let insane me out of the closet, even if she is inconsistent with the suspense I typically write... and you know what? It paid off. I had only been blogging a few months the first time someone suggested to me I had the perfect voice for Cozy Mystery. I ignored it, as mystery intimidated me. It's... you know... organized... but last February I had an opportunity to audition for a gig—write 50 pages to editor defined parameters—and it WORKED. After a request for revisions, I was contracted to write three Cozy Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and the really nutty thing? Writing Cozy Mystery is back to PLAYING again! It is just a lot of fun. I have permission to be quite zany (my first book includes a boxers versus briefs argument, even).



So I think the lesson is, it's always best to be ourselves and have fun with it—the rest will follow.





Brief Bio: Hart Johnson writes suspense and mystery that jumps back and forth across the adult/YA line. Her Cozy Mystery series has the first book (as yet unnamed) due out in June 2012 under the pen name Alyse Carlson. The Watery Tart blogs every weekday and is leading the Naked World Domination Tour, in case your life doesn't have enough insanity.


I'm so pleased to welcome Hart Johnson to the blog today!  Hart has one of my favorite blogs, and I hope you will pay her a visit there!

Latest Blog Stop

http://www.daryncross-fantasy.blogspot.com/

Immortyl Revolution Trailer

Please take a moment to view the new Immortyl Revolution Trailer!