Marilyn Peake's Blog, page 5
March 2, 2015
Discovered a Delightful Children's Book
Hi, everyone,
I recently read a delightful children's book with incredible artwork, CINDERCAST by Michael Blackbourn. Michael Blackbourn is a feature film visual effects artist who has worked on quite a few major films. (His film work can be found on IMDB.) CINDERCAST is a children's chapter book with a wonderful story and Michael's artistic talent really shows in the incredible drawings he included in this novel.
My full review of CINDERCAST on Goodreads
My full review of CINDERCAST on Amazon
I hope you'll take time to check out this treasure of a book!
Best Wishes,
Marilyn Peake
I recently read a delightful children's book with incredible artwork, CINDERCAST by Michael Blackbourn. Michael Blackbourn is a feature film visual effects artist who has worked on quite a few major films. (His film work can be found on IMDB.) CINDERCAST is a children's chapter book with a wonderful story and Michael's artistic talent really shows in the incredible drawings he included in this novel.
My full review of CINDERCAST on Goodreads
My full review of CINDERCAST on Amazon
I hope you'll take time to check out this treasure of a book!
Best Wishes,
Marilyn Peake
January 23, 2015
My New Kindle Worlds Book in Hugh Howey's SILO SAGA World
Hi, everyone,
I'm delighted to announce that I've published my first Kindle Worlds fan fiction book. Silo Saga: Hoarder in the Down Deep is set in the world of Hugh Howey's Silo Saga. When I emailed Hugh Howey about writing a fan fiction story that would introduce a hoarder into the silo world of his Wool universe, he quickly wrote back: "Love the idea!" That made my entire day. It still makes me smile. :)
Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book Summary:
It’s against the law to have children without winning the lottery. Implanted with a birth control device as required by law, Evangeline Hubbard, a dirt farmer in the down deep, discovers that implants sometimes fail. But in a world strictly controlled by the authorities, one pays a terrible price for tampering with the established order. Consumed by fear and madness after things go horribly wrong, Evangeline hoards in order to hang onto things. She adds them to the nest she’s building in the down deep.
HOARDER IN THE DOWN DEEP is a novelette based on the best-selling WOOL series by Hugh Howey, and was written with his permission. It’s set in the time when Sheriff Holston and his wife Allison had won the lottery, giving them one year to conceive a child. Investigating the case of Evangeline Hubbard, Sheriff Holston and Mayor Jahns are unprepared for what they find. HOARDER IN THE DOWN DEEP explores how psychological issues and emotional pain can lead to hoarding. It also explores the mental strain placed on women who have lost control over their own reproductive processes.
Best Wishes,
Marilyn Peake
http://www.marilynpeake.com
I'm delighted to announce that I've published my first Kindle Worlds fan fiction book. Silo Saga: Hoarder in the Down Deep is set in the world of Hugh Howey's Silo Saga. When I emailed Hugh Howey about writing a fan fiction story that would introduce a hoarder into the silo world of his Wool universe, he quickly wrote back: "Love the idea!" That made my entire day. It still makes me smile. :)
Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book Summary:
It’s against the law to have children without winning the lottery. Implanted with a birth control device as required by law, Evangeline Hubbard, a dirt farmer in the down deep, discovers that implants sometimes fail. But in a world strictly controlled by the authorities, one pays a terrible price for tampering with the established order. Consumed by fear and madness after things go horribly wrong, Evangeline hoards in order to hang onto things. She adds them to the nest she’s building in the down deep.
HOARDER IN THE DOWN DEEP is a novelette based on the best-selling WOOL series by Hugh Howey, and was written with his permission. It’s set in the time when Sheriff Holston and his wife Allison had won the lottery, giving them one year to conceive a child. Investigating the case of Evangeline Hubbard, Sheriff Holston and Mayor Jahns are unprepared for what they find. HOARDER IN THE DOWN DEEP explores how psychological issues and emotional pain can lead to hoarding. It also explores the mental strain placed on women who have lost control over their own reproductive processes.
Best Wishes,
Marilyn Peake
http://www.marilynpeake.com
September 24, 2014
GSRG (Genre Specific Review Groups) September Blog Hop
Hi, everyone,
My blog post today is part of the Goodreads Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop. The post before mine is located on Elaine Cantrell’s Hope. Dreams. Life... Love Blog: http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.c... . At the end of my post, there’s an introduction to R.J. Crayton, the next author on the Blog Hop.
This month’s theme for the Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop is Comfort with an alternate suggestion to provide a chilling/spooky/frightening excerpt from our work in anticipation of October. I thought I’d provide an excerpt from the beginning of a novelette I recently published, Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, and explore the idea of comfort within that context. Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies is not comfort fiction. Its genres are Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Horror, and Conspiracy Fiction, none of which are particularly warm and fuzzy types of reading. However, I believe that writers write within those genres and readers read within those genres in order to deal with real-world issues that are disturbing and frightening, perhaps in an attempt to discover ways to deal with them.
I’ve been following the real-world news stories about the growing Ebola epidemic in West Africa. The situation is dire, horrifying and becoming worse every day. Interested in continuing to follow those stories despite how sad and frightening they are, I gradually found myself coming up with a conspiracy theory zombie story based on both the accurate news stories and the false rumors circulating about the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. That story became Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies. While writing this story, I read and watched news coverage of the worsening Ebola epidemic several times a day. Some days the news was so disturbing, I felt troubled and stressed following it so closely. Writing Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies actually gave me a release for my fear, sadness and anxiety; and that is the type of comfort writing offers to authors wrestling with difficult real-world issues.
In Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, the idea of comfort in an impossible situation presents itself in various ways. The medical teams feel comforted by wearing personal protective gear that creates a barrier between them and the Ebola virus that’s ravaging their patients. The patients, however, feel a sense of alienation and fear being treated by medical personnel dressed in outfits that make them appear non-human. As a result of a little boy feeling quite afraid of medical people in their protective suits, he’s given a stuffed animal as a comfort toy. Despite creepy vibes from certain aspects of the treatment camp where they work, medical personnel in Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies are comforted by the homey touches in their residence buildings. Human beings seek comfort where they can.
In the real world, medical teams going into West Africa are heroes and potential saviors, offering the victims of Ebola a sense of comfort that comes from treatment and the possibility of recovery. In Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, I turn that comfort completely upside-down, in order to create a sense of horror based on conspiracy theory fiction.
Here’s a link to Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Here’s a link to Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies on my website:
http://www.marilynpeake.com/mutationz...
And here’s an excerpt from the beginning of Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies (Copyright, Marilyn Peake, 2014):
My name is Emma Johnson. I’m a prisoner in Liberia, inside West Africa.
I came here as a volunteer nurse, young, naïve and idealistic, back when Ebola had just started spreading across the borders of countries inside Africa—from Guinea into Sierra Leone and Liberia, and then into Nigeria. At twenty-four years of age, I felt invincible. (I’m now only twenty-five years old; but I feel ancient, close to death.) I had graduated nursing school the previous year. I didn’t have a job yet and had moved back in with my parents. Truth be told, I had only been an average student, but the economy was tough and I was resourceful. I knew I just had to challenge myself. Having grown up in the United States, blond, blue-eyed, privileged, I was sick and tired of my perpetual state of ennui. I had grown bored with putting on makeup, filling out job applications, reading romance novels and playing video games, and yearned for something better. I decided to volunteer in Africa and make a difference in the world. I had also hoped to meet a doctor. Nothing prepared me for what I would find on the African continent.
Now I just want to get information out. There’s more here than an Ebola crisis. That CDC serum that cured a couple of American volunteers? That’s only one type of serum being tested. Other serums are raising victims from what looks like near-death, but is actually death, and many of those side-effect victims are roaming around West Africa as zombies. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have put us on lockdown and are keeping things quiet. Serums continue to arrive from several different countries.
This is my story, from the beginning...
March 2014
A group of us, volunteers through a program that had been recruiting medical personnel in the United States to help with the Ebola crisis in Africa, landed at the Roberts International Airport in Liberia. I had been nothing but jitters and panic the entire trip. Thank God for the availability of liquor on airplanes. I drank a fair amount of it that flight. Had I not fallen asleep after knocking back a few strong drinks, I’m sure I would have stumbled off the plane into the airport, another American behaving badly.
My mind was clear enough upon landing to realize that Africa was not what I had expected. The airport was decent. Somehow, I had expected to land on a dirt strip, but we landed on a normal runway. Liberia isn’t as modernized as some of the other places in Africa that I’ve heard about, places like Lagos, Nigeria; but the airport was OK.
In the terminal, we shuffled through the Immigration Department with our Passport Cards and hastily filled-in Landing Cards. I was so nervous, it took all my self-control to keep my hands from shaking. I had convinced myself that if my hands shook or I showed any other sign of nervousness, the security officers would suspect me of being a terrorist, clamp my wrists in handcuffs and haul me off to some remote prison where no one would ever hear from me again. Of course that was ridiculous. The worst that happened to me in the Immigration Department was being asked direct questions by a surly, overweight female officer with hair on her upper lip: Where was I intending to go inside Liberia? What was the purpose of my trip? When I explained that I was a volunteer coming to help with the Ebola crisis, the officer’s own hands shook. After that, she seemed happy to get rid of me. In the baggage claim area, we were greeted by drivers holding signs with the name of our organization on them. The drivers smiled courteously, but seemed anxious to get us out of the airport. After our suitcases arrived, they whisked us away to waiting vans, four vans in total. And so began our journey into the African continent.
The effects of my drinking hadn’t worn off completely. I nodded off in the van, despite my determination to stay awake and take in the sights and sounds of Liberia as we drove through it. I awoke intermittently to such different scenery and road conditions, my mind had difficulty patching it all together as one country. At times, our van jostled over dirt roads. Later, we passed through a small city: paved roads with congested traffic, honking cars and spinning bikes, crowds of people walking around outside, a gas station, a bank; but low, mismatched buildings, a few painted bright turquoise, most plain white or tan, reminding me of beach houses back home in the states.
When we got stuck in traffic and only inched ahead like snails on molten tar, I fell asleep for what felt like hours. I jolted awake when the driver lurched to a stop and yanked on the parking brake. Once again, I found myself in a new environment.
The driver, a short African man with a clipped moustache and even more tightly clipped speech, announced: “We are here: Liberia Treatment and Research Camp. Grab your belongings. Line up over there.” Waving a clipboard in the direction of a dirt strip in front of three enormous trees with leafy branches twisting and turning to form a canopy, he added, “Don’t wander off by yourselves. Wait for your guide.” Up in the trees, monkeys screamed and shook the branches. After we unloaded our suitcases, our driver sped off, clouds of dust obscuring his exit.
The other volunteers and I surveyed our new home and then each other. Off in the distance, long, squat turquoise buildings appeared littered throughout the forest, thrown there like Lego blocks from the hand of a careless God. Other buildings—some turquoise, others white, orange, yellow—were lined up along a dirt road that curled like a snake past their front doors.
Behind us, a gray cement wall with thick iron gates provided security. Our driver stopped in front of the gates and waited until security personnel let him through to the outside world. The gates opened and closed, like the eyelids of a sleepy metallic jungle beast.
We heard a couple of people shouting somewhere on the camp grounds. More unnerving was the sound of deep, rumbling moaning and a few screams more piercing than those of the monkeys.
Few of us had dressed appropriately. I wore khakis and a black T-shirt, also thick socks and sneakers. I thought I would die in the sweltering heat. Also, I had curled my long, blond hair before leaving the U. S. Frizzy tendrils had become plastered to my forehead and trapped heat against the back of my neck.
A young Asian-American woman standing next to me laughed and introduced herself. She had come even less prepared for the climate. Tan suit, silk flowered shirt, stockings and low heels. Even a pearl necklace and matching earrings. She extended her hand. “Hey. I’m Zoe Kinoshita. I can’t believe this weather. Ugh! I’m going to faint if we don’t get air conditioning and a place to change into shorts in the next few seconds.”
A black guy pacing nearby, wearing shorts, a white T-shirt and hiking boots, leaned over and added, “I don’t believe there’s air conditioning. We’re in Liberia. In the middle of an Ebola epidemic.” He paused. “I’m Sebastian Stone, Ph.D., Infectious Diseases and Microbiology.” He shook our hands.
At that moment, we saw a man in a white coat walking down the path that ribboned past the brightly colored buildings. As he approached, golden sunlight spilled upon him through an opening in the canopy. He was gorgeous: swarthy, muscular, golden sparkles dancing through his thick, dark hair. I silently prayed he was a doctor.
When he reached us, he smiled. Which completely lit up my world. He said, “Hello. I’m Dr. Gustavo Tovar. You may call me Gus, except in front of patients. Then I’m Dr. Tovar. I’m one of the doctors in charge of training volunteers, as well as treating patients. I and the other supervising doctors will be taking you on a tour of our camp and showing you to your quarters. Tonight, we’re hosting a mandatory Meet and Greet for you guys. And trust me, you all want to be there. You don’t want to be working out here in the African wilderness with patients who are suffering from one of humanity’s most terrifying infectious diseases without having friends and forming close bonds with your colleagues.” He then offered a half-smile, which I found adorable, but less than reassuring in regard to our safety. Thinking back on it now, that half-smile was full of foreshadowing and a little bit creepy.
We trundled down into camp, a motley group following our pied piper, Dr. Gustavo Tovar. After sticking her heels several times in the dirt path, Zoe finally kicked off her shoes and carried them, her feet covered only in nylons. I winced as I saw her foot land on a juicy bug and crush it.
As we entered the area with buildings, Dr. Tovar noticed Zoe’s exposed feet. He instructed her to put her shoes back on. “Bodily fluids have spilled in this area: blood, vomit, etc. You do not want to put yourself at risk.”
We walked past several buildings. The sound of moaning became painful. It had the same effect as crying babies: a tug at your heart and soul, motivating you to do something. I felt relieved that I was a nurse. I couldn’t have handled being at that camp had I just volunteered to help with accounting or cooking or something not directly related to patients.
Dr. Tovar halted in front of the fourth building, turquoise with white shutters, dried mud splashed along the bottom of its outside walls. “OK, volunteers. I’m going to divide you into groups of five. Each group will be assigned to a different team in a different building. Each team is supervised by a different doctor.” Then he pointed to one of us at a time, repeatedly assigning us a number from one to five: “One...Two...Three...Four...Five...You all work in Building Number 1. One...Two...Three...Four...Five...You’re assigned to Building Number 2.” He did that five times, so it turned out there were exactly twenty-five of us.
A red-headed woman, freckles splashed across her face, sensibly dressed in shorts and a tank top, started heading toward her assigned building. Dr. Tovar stopped her. “Whoa! Where do you think you’re going?”
“To my building? To get started?”
Tovar opened his eyes wide in exaggerated shock. They were deep brown, warm. I felt about to swoon, and not just from the tropical heat. He said, “OK. I cannot impress enough upon all of you: you’re not to go wandering off anywhere alone. Exploring or finding your own way around our facilities is strictly forbidden. We’re dealing with Ebola Virus Disease here. You can’t possibly know which areas have been contaminated. Here...I want to show you something...” With that, he turned his back on us and waved us forward.
We followed him around the side of Building 5, the building to which I had been assigned. There were touches of cheer: two pink flower boxes under small windows, a single yellow flower poking its head out of one of the boxes, polka-dotted curtains in the windows.
Then we entered the backyard.
Workers dressed in protective gear surrounded a human-shaped mound covered by a white sheet. A foot, twisted at a weird angle, stuck out the bottom edge. Dr. Tovar said, “Under that sheet is a dead woman. Before expiring, she bled out from Ebola. The ground where she’s lying has no doubt been seeded with her sloughed-off gut and bowels. In a few minutes, she’ll be cremated and the backyard sanitized. You wouldn’t want to unknowingly walk across that stretch of land between the time the body was removed and the ground sanitized, now would you?” Gesturing toward Zoe, he added, “And you’re all to wear shoes at all times, hear me?”
We shook our heads in agreement.
Dr. Tovar instructed us to gather in front of our assigned buildings and wait for our supervisor to invite us in. He gave strict directions on the exact path each group should take to get to their destination.
Sadly, Dr. Tovar wasn’t my supervisor. He ran Building 1.
We left the backyard. My team walked around to the front and waited, wondering about the conditions inside.
A few minutes later, a woman in a white coat came through the front door. She had piercing blue eyes and a halo of frizzy black hair. “Hello. I’m Dr. Angela Steele.” She didn’t smile. “Thank you all for volunteering your service. We’re on the frontline here, battling an outbreak of Ebola. It has only recently arrived in Liberia. Our job is to contain it. As a result, we’ve been given license to administer experimental drugs sent to us by several countries, developed by a variety of pharmaceutical companies and approved by both the World Health Organization and the CDC for this purpose. I’m going to take you over to another building where you’ll be instructed on how to use protective gear. Then we’ll return here and you’ll be introduced to your patients.” No small talk. Right down to business. My heart raced. My palms grew sweaty.
Crossing the dirt road, we entered a building with a sign over the front door designating it: Safety Station 5. Inside, the walls were lined with shelves marked Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and benches. The shelves were filled with things I recognized from my infectious diseases training back home: yellow protective overalls, clear aprons, white hoods, masks, goggles, respirators, turquoise gloves, overshoes, and turquoise rubber boots.
Through a door in the back, Dr. Steele led us to a separate building marked: BIOHAZARD: Disinfecting Station 5. She pointed out a path that led from the road directly into this building. She said, “Never, ever pass through a Safety Station Building, sometimes referred to as a Protective Personal Equipment or PPE Building, to get here. Only use the outside path for your Disinfecting Station after being in a patient treatment facility or coming into contact with Ebola in any way.”
- - - - - - - - - - -
The next author on the Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop is R.J. Crayton. Here is R.J.’s Bio:
R.J. Crayton grew up in Illinois and now lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She is the author of the Life First series of novels, which includes Life First and Second Life. Prior to writing fiction, Crayton was a journalist, writing for newspapers, including the Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star. Crayton also worked for several trade publications, including Solid Waste Report, Education Technology News, and Campus Crime. Her first novels were published in 2013. The third novel in the Life First series, and a short story collection ( Four Mothers ), will be released in 2014. Crayton is a monthly contributor to the Indies Unlimited blog and a regular contributor to the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies blog. When she’s not writing, Crayton spends her time being a ninja mom (stealthy and ultra cool, like moms should be) to her son and daughter. You can find out more about her at:
http://rjcrayton.com
And here is R.J. Crayton’s blog:
http://rjcrayton.com/blog/
My blog post today is part of the Goodreads Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop. The post before mine is located on Elaine Cantrell’s Hope. Dreams. Life... Love Blog: http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.c... . At the end of my post, there’s an introduction to R.J. Crayton, the next author on the Blog Hop.
This month’s theme for the Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop is Comfort with an alternate suggestion to provide a chilling/spooky/frightening excerpt from our work in anticipation of October. I thought I’d provide an excerpt from the beginning of a novelette I recently published, Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, and explore the idea of comfort within that context. Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies is not comfort fiction. Its genres are Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Zombie Fiction, Horror, and Conspiracy Fiction, none of which are particularly warm and fuzzy types of reading. However, I believe that writers write within those genres and readers read within those genres in order to deal with real-world issues that are disturbing and frightening, perhaps in an attempt to discover ways to deal with them.
I’ve been following the real-world news stories about the growing Ebola epidemic in West Africa. The situation is dire, horrifying and becoming worse every day. Interested in continuing to follow those stories despite how sad and frightening they are, I gradually found myself coming up with a conspiracy theory zombie story based on both the accurate news stories and the false rumors circulating about the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. That story became Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies. While writing this story, I read and watched news coverage of the worsening Ebola epidemic several times a day. Some days the news was so disturbing, I felt troubled and stressed following it so closely. Writing Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies actually gave me a release for my fear, sadness and anxiety; and that is the type of comfort writing offers to authors wrestling with difficult real-world issues.
In Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, the idea of comfort in an impossible situation presents itself in various ways. The medical teams feel comforted by wearing personal protective gear that creates a barrier between them and the Ebola virus that’s ravaging their patients. The patients, however, feel a sense of alienation and fear being treated by medical personnel dressed in outfits that make them appear non-human. As a result of a little boy feeling quite afraid of medical people in their protective suits, he’s given a stuffed animal as a comfort toy. Despite creepy vibes from certain aspects of the treatment camp where they work, medical personnel in Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies are comforted by the homey touches in their residence buildings. Human beings seek comfort where they can.
In the real world, medical teams going into West Africa are heroes and potential saviors, offering the victims of Ebola a sense of comfort that comes from treatment and the possibility of recovery. In Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies, I turn that comfort completely upside-down, in order to create a sense of horror based on conspiracy theory fiction.
Here’s a link to Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Here’s a link to Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies on my website:
http://www.marilynpeake.com/mutationz...
And here’s an excerpt from the beginning of Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies (Copyright, Marilyn Peake, 2014):
My name is Emma Johnson. I’m a prisoner in Liberia, inside West Africa.
I came here as a volunteer nurse, young, naïve and idealistic, back when Ebola had just started spreading across the borders of countries inside Africa—from Guinea into Sierra Leone and Liberia, and then into Nigeria. At twenty-four years of age, I felt invincible. (I’m now only twenty-five years old; but I feel ancient, close to death.) I had graduated nursing school the previous year. I didn’t have a job yet and had moved back in with my parents. Truth be told, I had only been an average student, but the economy was tough and I was resourceful. I knew I just had to challenge myself. Having grown up in the United States, blond, blue-eyed, privileged, I was sick and tired of my perpetual state of ennui. I had grown bored with putting on makeup, filling out job applications, reading romance novels and playing video games, and yearned for something better. I decided to volunteer in Africa and make a difference in the world. I had also hoped to meet a doctor. Nothing prepared me for what I would find on the African continent.
Now I just want to get information out. There’s more here than an Ebola crisis. That CDC serum that cured a couple of American volunteers? That’s only one type of serum being tested. Other serums are raising victims from what looks like near-death, but is actually death, and many of those side-effect victims are roaming around West Africa as zombies. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have put us on lockdown and are keeping things quiet. Serums continue to arrive from several different countries.
This is my story, from the beginning...
March 2014
A group of us, volunteers through a program that had been recruiting medical personnel in the United States to help with the Ebola crisis in Africa, landed at the Roberts International Airport in Liberia. I had been nothing but jitters and panic the entire trip. Thank God for the availability of liquor on airplanes. I drank a fair amount of it that flight. Had I not fallen asleep after knocking back a few strong drinks, I’m sure I would have stumbled off the plane into the airport, another American behaving badly.
My mind was clear enough upon landing to realize that Africa was not what I had expected. The airport was decent. Somehow, I had expected to land on a dirt strip, but we landed on a normal runway. Liberia isn’t as modernized as some of the other places in Africa that I’ve heard about, places like Lagos, Nigeria; but the airport was OK.
In the terminal, we shuffled through the Immigration Department with our Passport Cards and hastily filled-in Landing Cards. I was so nervous, it took all my self-control to keep my hands from shaking. I had convinced myself that if my hands shook or I showed any other sign of nervousness, the security officers would suspect me of being a terrorist, clamp my wrists in handcuffs and haul me off to some remote prison where no one would ever hear from me again. Of course that was ridiculous. The worst that happened to me in the Immigration Department was being asked direct questions by a surly, overweight female officer with hair on her upper lip: Where was I intending to go inside Liberia? What was the purpose of my trip? When I explained that I was a volunteer coming to help with the Ebola crisis, the officer’s own hands shook. After that, she seemed happy to get rid of me. In the baggage claim area, we were greeted by drivers holding signs with the name of our organization on them. The drivers smiled courteously, but seemed anxious to get us out of the airport. After our suitcases arrived, they whisked us away to waiting vans, four vans in total. And so began our journey into the African continent.
The effects of my drinking hadn’t worn off completely. I nodded off in the van, despite my determination to stay awake and take in the sights and sounds of Liberia as we drove through it. I awoke intermittently to such different scenery and road conditions, my mind had difficulty patching it all together as one country. At times, our van jostled over dirt roads. Later, we passed through a small city: paved roads with congested traffic, honking cars and spinning bikes, crowds of people walking around outside, a gas station, a bank; but low, mismatched buildings, a few painted bright turquoise, most plain white or tan, reminding me of beach houses back home in the states.
When we got stuck in traffic and only inched ahead like snails on molten tar, I fell asleep for what felt like hours. I jolted awake when the driver lurched to a stop and yanked on the parking brake. Once again, I found myself in a new environment.
The driver, a short African man with a clipped moustache and even more tightly clipped speech, announced: “We are here: Liberia Treatment and Research Camp. Grab your belongings. Line up over there.” Waving a clipboard in the direction of a dirt strip in front of three enormous trees with leafy branches twisting and turning to form a canopy, he added, “Don’t wander off by yourselves. Wait for your guide.” Up in the trees, monkeys screamed and shook the branches. After we unloaded our suitcases, our driver sped off, clouds of dust obscuring his exit.
The other volunteers and I surveyed our new home and then each other. Off in the distance, long, squat turquoise buildings appeared littered throughout the forest, thrown there like Lego blocks from the hand of a careless God. Other buildings—some turquoise, others white, orange, yellow—were lined up along a dirt road that curled like a snake past their front doors.
Behind us, a gray cement wall with thick iron gates provided security. Our driver stopped in front of the gates and waited until security personnel let him through to the outside world. The gates opened and closed, like the eyelids of a sleepy metallic jungle beast.
We heard a couple of people shouting somewhere on the camp grounds. More unnerving was the sound of deep, rumbling moaning and a few screams more piercing than those of the monkeys.
Few of us had dressed appropriately. I wore khakis and a black T-shirt, also thick socks and sneakers. I thought I would die in the sweltering heat. Also, I had curled my long, blond hair before leaving the U. S. Frizzy tendrils had become plastered to my forehead and trapped heat against the back of my neck.
A young Asian-American woman standing next to me laughed and introduced herself. She had come even less prepared for the climate. Tan suit, silk flowered shirt, stockings and low heels. Even a pearl necklace and matching earrings. She extended her hand. “Hey. I’m Zoe Kinoshita. I can’t believe this weather. Ugh! I’m going to faint if we don’t get air conditioning and a place to change into shorts in the next few seconds.”
A black guy pacing nearby, wearing shorts, a white T-shirt and hiking boots, leaned over and added, “I don’t believe there’s air conditioning. We’re in Liberia. In the middle of an Ebola epidemic.” He paused. “I’m Sebastian Stone, Ph.D., Infectious Diseases and Microbiology.” He shook our hands.
At that moment, we saw a man in a white coat walking down the path that ribboned past the brightly colored buildings. As he approached, golden sunlight spilled upon him through an opening in the canopy. He was gorgeous: swarthy, muscular, golden sparkles dancing through his thick, dark hair. I silently prayed he was a doctor.
When he reached us, he smiled. Which completely lit up my world. He said, “Hello. I’m Dr. Gustavo Tovar. You may call me Gus, except in front of patients. Then I’m Dr. Tovar. I’m one of the doctors in charge of training volunteers, as well as treating patients. I and the other supervising doctors will be taking you on a tour of our camp and showing you to your quarters. Tonight, we’re hosting a mandatory Meet and Greet for you guys. And trust me, you all want to be there. You don’t want to be working out here in the African wilderness with patients who are suffering from one of humanity’s most terrifying infectious diseases without having friends and forming close bonds with your colleagues.” He then offered a half-smile, which I found adorable, but less than reassuring in regard to our safety. Thinking back on it now, that half-smile was full of foreshadowing and a little bit creepy.
We trundled down into camp, a motley group following our pied piper, Dr. Gustavo Tovar. After sticking her heels several times in the dirt path, Zoe finally kicked off her shoes and carried them, her feet covered only in nylons. I winced as I saw her foot land on a juicy bug and crush it.
As we entered the area with buildings, Dr. Tovar noticed Zoe’s exposed feet. He instructed her to put her shoes back on. “Bodily fluids have spilled in this area: blood, vomit, etc. You do not want to put yourself at risk.”
We walked past several buildings. The sound of moaning became painful. It had the same effect as crying babies: a tug at your heart and soul, motivating you to do something. I felt relieved that I was a nurse. I couldn’t have handled being at that camp had I just volunteered to help with accounting or cooking or something not directly related to patients.
Dr. Tovar halted in front of the fourth building, turquoise with white shutters, dried mud splashed along the bottom of its outside walls. “OK, volunteers. I’m going to divide you into groups of five. Each group will be assigned to a different team in a different building. Each team is supervised by a different doctor.” Then he pointed to one of us at a time, repeatedly assigning us a number from one to five: “One...Two...Three...Four...Five...You all work in Building Number 1. One...Two...Three...Four...Five...You’re assigned to Building Number 2.” He did that five times, so it turned out there were exactly twenty-five of us.
A red-headed woman, freckles splashed across her face, sensibly dressed in shorts and a tank top, started heading toward her assigned building. Dr. Tovar stopped her. “Whoa! Where do you think you’re going?”
“To my building? To get started?”
Tovar opened his eyes wide in exaggerated shock. They were deep brown, warm. I felt about to swoon, and not just from the tropical heat. He said, “OK. I cannot impress enough upon all of you: you’re not to go wandering off anywhere alone. Exploring or finding your own way around our facilities is strictly forbidden. We’re dealing with Ebola Virus Disease here. You can’t possibly know which areas have been contaminated. Here...I want to show you something...” With that, he turned his back on us and waved us forward.
We followed him around the side of Building 5, the building to which I had been assigned. There were touches of cheer: two pink flower boxes under small windows, a single yellow flower poking its head out of one of the boxes, polka-dotted curtains in the windows.
Then we entered the backyard.
Workers dressed in protective gear surrounded a human-shaped mound covered by a white sheet. A foot, twisted at a weird angle, stuck out the bottom edge. Dr. Tovar said, “Under that sheet is a dead woman. Before expiring, she bled out from Ebola. The ground where she’s lying has no doubt been seeded with her sloughed-off gut and bowels. In a few minutes, she’ll be cremated and the backyard sanitized. You wouldn’t want to unknowingly walk across that stretch of land between the time the body was removed and the ground sanitized, now would you?” Gesturing toward Zoe, he added, “And you’re all to wear shoes at all times, hear me?”
We shook our heads in agreement.
Dr. Tovar instructed us to gather in front of our assigned buildings and wait for our supervisor to invite us in. He gave strict directions on the exact path each group should take to get to their destination.
Sadly, Dr. Tovar wasn’t my supervisor. He ran Building 1.
We left the backyard. My team walked around to the front and waited, wondering about the conditions inside.
A few minutes later, a woman in a white coat came through the front door. She had piercing blue eyes and a halo of frizzy black hair. “Hello. I’m Dr. Angela Steele.” She didn’t smile. “Thank you all for volunteering your service. We’re on the frontline here, battling an outbreak of Ebola. It has only recently arrived in Liberia. Our job is to contain it. As a result, we’ve been given license to administer experimental drugs sent to us by several countries, developed by a variety of pharmaceutical companies and approved by both the World Health Organization and the CDC for this purpose. I’m going to take you over to another building where you’ll be instructed on how to use protective gear. Then we’ll return here and you’ll be introduced to your patients.” No small talk. Right down to business. My heart raced. My palms grew sweaty.
Crossing the dirt road, we entered a building with a sign over the front door designating it: Safety Station 5. Inside, the walls were lined with shelves marked Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and benches. The shelves were filled with things I recognized from my infectious diseases training back home: yellow protective overalls, clear aprons, white hoods, masks, goggles, respirators, turquoise gloves, overshoes, and turquoise rubber boots.
Through a door in the back, Dr. Steele led us to a separate building marked: BIOHAZARD: Disinfecting Station 5. She pointed out a path that led from the road directly into this building. She said, “Never, ever pass through a Safety Station Building, sometimes referred to as a Protective Personal Equipment or PPE Building, to get here. Only use the outside path for your Disinfecting Station after being in a patient treatment facility or coming into contact with Ebola in any way.”
- - - - - - - - - - -
The next author on the Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop is R.J. Crayton. Here is R.J.’s Bio:
R.J. Crayton grew up in Illinois and now lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She is the author of the Life First series of novels, which includes Life First and Second Life. Prior to writing fiction, Crayton was a journalist, writing for newspapers, including the Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star. Crayton also worked for several trade publications, including Solid Waste Report, Education Technology News, and Campus Crime. Her first novels were published in 2013. The third novel in the Life First series, and a short story collection ( Four Mothers ), will be released in 2014. Crayton is a monthly contributor to the Indies Unlimited blog and a regular contributor to the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies blog. When she’s not writing, Crayton spends her time being a ninja mom (stealthy and ultra cool, like moms should be) to her son and daughter. You can find out more about her at:
http://rjcrayton.com
And here is R.J. Crayton’s blog:
http://rjcrayton.com/blog/
September 18, 2014
Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies
Hi, everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that I published a short story that's very different from all my earlier short stories, MUTATION Z: THE EBOLA ZOMBIES.
Here's a link to it on Goodreads:
Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies
And here's a link to it on Amazon:
Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies
Best Wishes,
Marilyn
I just wanted to let you know that I published a short story that's very different from all my earlier short stories, MUTATION Z: THE EBOLA ZOMBIES.
Here's a link to it on Goodreads:
Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies
And here's a link to it on Amazon:
Mutation Z: The Ebola Zombies
Best Wishes,
Marilyn
September 2, 2014
September News
Hi, everyone,
I'd like to let you all know about a contest to win a Kindle Fire HD 7" Tablet or $139 Paypal Cash. Two of my novels (SHADE, a Young Adult Mystery Novel with Paranormal elements, and THE FISHERMAN'S SON, a Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure Novel) are sponsors in this contest: http://www.freekindlegiveaway.com/unc...
Also, from today through September 8, all three Middle Grade Children's novels in THE FISHERMAN'S SON Trilogy are reduced to $0.99 each:
THE FISHERMAN'S SON:
http://www.amazon.com/Fishermans-Son-...
THE CITY OF THE GOLDEN SUN:
http://www.amazon.com/The-City-Golden...
RETURN OF THE GOLDEN AGE:
http://www.amazon.com/Return-Golden-A...
Best Wishes,
Marilyn
http://www.marilynpeake.com
I'd like to let you all know about a contest to win a Kindle Fire HD 7" Tablet or $139 Paypal Cash. Two of my novels (SHADE, a Young Adult Mystery Novel with Paranormal elements, and THE FISHERMAN'S SON, a Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure Novel) are sponsors in this contest: http://www.freekindlegiveaway.com/unc...
Also, from today through September 8, all three Middle Grade Children's novels in THE FISHERMAN'S SON Trilogy are reduced to $0.99 each:
THE FISHERMAN'S SON:
http://www.amazon.com/Fishermans-Son-...
THE CITY OF THE GOLDEN SUN:
http://www.amazon.com/The-City-Golden...
RETURN OF THE GOLDEN AGE:
http://www.amazon.com/Return-Golden-A...
Best Wishes,
Marilyn
http://www.marilynpeake.com
July 26, 2014
News
This is just a very short blog post to share some recent information.
Shade, my Young Adult Mystery novel with Paranormal elements, is reduced from $3.99 to $0.99 through a Kindle Countdown Deal from 7/26 through 7/30: SHADE on Amazon Kindle
I’ve recently been interviewed and had reviews for Shade posted on two wonderful blogs:
Chrystal Vaughan’s Mermaids and Mayhem blog
Bittersweetblogs
And I've been interviewed on the awesome blog,
This Girl Reads a lot!
Thanks so much!
Shade, my Young Adult Mystery novel with Paranormal elements, is reduced from $3.99 to $0.99 through a Kindle Countdown Deal from 7/26 through 7/30: SHADE on Amazon Kindle
I’ve recently been interviewed and had reviews for Shade posted on two wonderful blogs:
Chrystal Vaughan’s Mermaids and Mayhem blog
Bittersweetblogs
And I've been interviewed on the awesome blog,
This Girl Reads a lot!
Thanks so much!
July 20, 2014
My Interview with Author Chrystal Vaughan
Recently, I started reading Dead in the Water by Chrystal Vaughan and couldn’t put it down. I read into the wee hours of the morning, then finished it as soon as I woke up the next day. It’s a fascinating read, especially for anyone who enjoys Young Adult Paranormal Thrillers. I’m delighted that Chrystal Vaughan and I decided to interview one another on our blogs. Using the same questions that Chrystal developed for author interviews, I now present Chrystal Vaughan...
Book Covers for Chrystal Vaughan's Books:
Synopsis for Each of Chrystal Vaughan’s Books:
Conspiracy of Ravens: "Judgment comes on deadly wings..." Sophia Pascale is a rising star at the Philly Herald. Her latest assignment sends her to the Philadelphia State Penitentiary to interview the "Raven Witch Killer," a self-proclaimed serial killer who is willing to talk...to the right people. Sophia gets more than she bargained for when she steps foot into the prison; Catherine Meara is more than she appears and the handsome Officer Shaw is a wrinkle in Sophia's plans she didn't count on.
Struggling with her past, her beliefs, and her desire, Sophia will be tested by her ordeal in the prison in more ways than one. She confronts her inner demons and the very real ones embodied in the black shapes perched above the prison entrance...and etched into the skin of her enemy.
Will Sophia find true love and launch the story of her career? Or will she be yet another victim of the "Raven Witch Killer"?
Dead in the Water: Eva Dunbar is afflicted with an unusual ability: she is the hand that writes for the dead. Her latest brush with the other side has her writing the words "dead in the water" over and over in her notebook. Unnerved and unable to share her strange life with others, she is ostracized by her peers. Once upon a time, though, Eva was best friends with golden boy and now high school hero, Jesse Williams. Now he's wormed his way back into her life, and she's not sure if that's a good thing or not. Will Eva be able to trust Jesse with her secret? Will Jesse help Eva, or abandon her again? And will Eva ever find out what "Dead in the Water" really means?
Sideshow: Nine-year-old Hailey Ames is hunted by an evil that shadows her. Can she and her new companions, members of an unusual circus, run fast and far enough for fate to lose Hailey's trail? Will Hailey be able to make the choices that will ultimately save her and her friends, or doom them all?
Sideshow is a tale of horrors overcome and the triumph of the human spirit. Hailey Ames is a unique girl, faced with problems that most adults would recoil from facing. Ultimately, her own salvation lies within herself and her ability to make the most difficult decisions, with the help of a few strange and wonderful friends.
Interview questions:
Please tell us about your latest book.
My latest book, Conspiracy of Ravens, is a paranormal thriller with some heavy occult leanings. It's about a young woman, Sophia, who is looking to make her way into the world as a journalist for the Philly Herald. She gets more than she bargains for when an assignment takes her to a prison where a witch who is also a serial killer gets inside her head. She also meets a handsome cop at the prison who distracts her from her job but in a good way. Or is it?
How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I always infuse a bit of myself into my writing. Only people who know me well would recognize the bread crumbs of "me" that are in my stories but they're there.
When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first manuscript?
I have been writing most of my life; I won awards for my writing in junior high and high school. I didn't submit my first manuscript until last year, though.
Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book. My first book, Sideshow, took over a year. My second, Dead in the Water, took about eight months or so. Conspiracy of Ravens only took a few months; I was obsessed. Or possessed (laughs).
Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
If I try to follow a strict writing schedule, I blow it immediately. Just like diets; I can't be told what to do or when to do it, even from myself. I write when the mood strikes me because the writing is better if I don't force it.
What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing – or are there constant interruptions?
For the most part they are pretty good. My daughters know when I'm writing and my husband has become resigned to it. If I'm writing on the computer I'm more likely to be interrupted than if I'm writing longhand. Longhand means I'm deadly serious and completely involved with what I'm doing. Computer writing could be blogging, novel writing, emails, social media etc. and that's harder for them to tell if I'm "really busy" or "sort of busy."
What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I am a knitting geek, so I spend a lot of spare time knitting. I also spin my own yarn (pun intended) which is soothing. I love the beach; we go there as often as we can. And swimming has become a great source of exercise for me, which gives me energy.
Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. I feel bombarded by them sometimes. I have hundreds of notes and story ideas typed up on my computer and stuffed in notebooks. Sometimes on the backs of receipts. It could be anything that trips a new story idea; something I've read, something I see, a taste or a smell. I never know. It just happens.
What kind of research do you do?
I do extensive research for my books. For instance, I know more than most people about the circus thanks to my first book, Sideshow. For Dead in the Water, my research subjects were all around me every day (I work in a high school). For Conspiracy of Ravens, I did exhaustive research about prisons and serial killers, including the psychology of serial killers and how they get away with their crimes for so long in many cases. That was challenging because there are not many female serial killers and I wanted something different for my book. I also knew a great deal about the occult before I wrote the book, but some things I needed to check or double check to be sure I was consistent. I hope no one ever looks at my Google search history...
Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.).
I recently graduated from college, earning my BA in English. Next year, I plan to teach English at the high school where I work (fingers crossed!). I'm also an editor and proofreader for Solstice Publishing. I have been married to my awesome husband Caleb for nine years. I have a daughter who is nineteen and another daughter who is nine years old. My stepson is eighteen. I'm close with my mom. I have three cats, two dogs, a bunny, and a tarantula. My hobbies are knitting and spinning yarn, and reading...I can't get enough reading.
Fill in the blank favorites –
Dessert: Ice cream
City: Brookings, Oregon
Season: Summer
Type of hero: Strong and brave
Type of heroine: Smart and unexpected
What are some of your favorite things to do?
I love reading, as I said. Swimming, knitting, reading, hanging out with my family. My husband and I have shows that we watch; I love Penny Dreadful, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, and am looking forward to Outlander on Starz this fall.
Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
I'm a big fan of Dean Koontz and Stephen King. My favorite book, however, is called The Journeyer by Gary Jennings.
Who are some of your other favorite authors to read? Do you have a recommendation for those who are interested in reading your books?
If you like Dean Koontz and Stephen King, you'll love my books. They are the height of thriller/horror/scary-ness that I aspire to.
Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
Sideshow will always be special to me because it was my first and I poured a lot of myself into the book and its characters. Hailey feels like one of my own children. I have had the tiger, Shardul, tattooed on my forearm in his honor.
What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
The easiest book to write was Dead in the Water. I wrote it for my students who were upset that they couldn't read my first book (it's much too graphic to take to a high school). The hardest book to write was Conspiracy of Ravens; it has a lot of murder scenes in it which were tough.
Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Most of the time, it's the story. Sometimes, it's the characters. It just depends on the story.
What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest for you?
I seem to be great out of the gate, but have a hard time finishing books, especially if I type them. I know what the endings are typically, though it changes depending on what the characters decide to do, but I slow down as the story progresses.
Have you experienced writer's block --- If so, how did you work through it?
I have; in one book, I had to kill off a beloved character. I wrote an entire new book while procrastinating the death of that character.
What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Finishing a book is a great feeling of accomplishment. When a reader tells me they found my book riveting or that they liked it, that's very rewarding. I also love being able to create worlds and people from thin air.
If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?
Teaching! Reading! Knitting!
Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Write everything down, no matter how trivial it may seem.
What can we expect from you in the future? How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I have two books published right now at the time of this interview; Conspiracy of Ravens is due to be released from Solstice Publishing at any moment. I have a sequel for my first book Sideshow due out in October of 2014 (called Straw Houses). And I have about seven or eight others of various genres in various stages of completion.
Five things readers want to know about you:
1-I'm deathly terrified of sharks.
2-I am a huge nerd for anything Harry Potter, LoTR, the Hobbit, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and other various fandoms.
3-I have several tattoos. I'm not telling you where they all are.
4-I once forgot how old I was so went around for an entire year telling people I was older than I actually was.
5-I cry over commercials, like the Budweiser ones and the ASPCA ones.
My Review of Dead in the Water by Chrystal Vaughan:
My Review of Dead in the Water
Wrap up:
Book Trailers
Social Media links:
Facebook
Twitter: @TheChrystalShip
Goodreads
Amazon
Blog
Pinterest
Tumblr
LinkedIn
Google +
Buy Links for Books:
Sideshow on Amazon
Sideshow on Barnes & Noble
Dead in the Water:
Dead in the Water on Amazon
Dead in the Water on Barnes & Noble
Dead in the Water at Solstice Publishing
Conspiracy of Ravens:
Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Solstice Publishing!
Thanks so much for a fascinating interview, Chrystal!
Book Covers for Chrystal Vaughan's Books:
Synopsis for Each of Chrystal Vaughan’s Books:
Conspiracy of Ravens: "Judgment comes on deadly wings..." Sophia Pascale is a rising star at the Philly Herald. Her latest assignment sends her to the Philadelphia State Penitentiary to interview the "Raven Witch Killer," a self-proclaimed serial killer who is willing to talk...to the right people. Sophia gets more than she bargained for when she steps foot into the prison; Catherine Meara is more than she appears and the handsome Officer Shaw is a wrinkle in Sophia's plans she didn't count on.
Struggling with her past, her beliefs, and her desire, Sophia will be tested by her ordeal in the prison in more ways than one. She confronts her inner demons and the very real ones embodied in the black shapes perched above the prison entrance...and etched into the skin of her enemy.
Will Sophia find true love and launch the story of her career? Or will she be yet another victim of the "Raven Witch Killer"?
Dead in the Water: Eva Dunbar is afflicted with an unusual ability: she is the hand that writes for the dead. Her latest brush with the other side has her writing the words "dead in the water" over and over in her notebook. Unnerved and unable to share her strange life with others, she is ostracized by her peers. Once upon a time, though, Eva was best friends with golden boy and now high school hero, Jesse Williams. Now he's wormed his way back into her life, and she's not sure if that's a good thing or not. Will Eva be able to trust Jesse with her secret? Will Jesse help Eva, or abandon her again? And will Eva ever find out what "Dead in the Water" really means?
Sideshow: Nine-year-old Hailey Ames is hunted by an evil that shadows her. Can she and her new companions, members of an unusual circus, run fast and far enough for fate to lose Hailey's trail? Will Hailey be able to make the choices that will ultimately save her and her friends, or doom them all?
Sideshow is a tale of horrors overcome and the triumph of the human spirit. Hailey Ames is a unique girl, faced with problems that most adults would recoil from facing. Ultimately, her own salvation lies within herself and her ability to make the most difficult decisions, with the help of a few strange and wonderful friends.
Interview questions:
Please tell us about your latest book.
My latest book, Conspiracy of Ravens, is a paranormal thriller with some heavy occult leanings. It's about a young woman, Sophia, who is looking to make her way into the world as a journalist for the Philly Herald. She gets more than she bargains for when an assignment takes her to a prison where a witch who is also a serial killer gets inside her head. She also meets a handsome cop at the prison who distracts her from her job but in a good way. Or is it?
How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I always infuse a bit of myself into my writing. Only people who know me well would recognize the bread crumbs of "me" that are in my stories but they're there.
When did you first think about writing and what prompted you to submit your first manuscript?
I have been writing most of my life; I won awards for my writing in junior high and high school. I didn't submit my first manuscript until last year, though.
Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book. My first book, Sideshow, took over a year. My second, Dead in the Water, took about eight months or so. Conspiracy of Ravens only took a few months; I was obsessed. Or possessed (laughs).
Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?
If I try to follow a strict writing schedule, I blow it immediately. Just like diets; I can't be told what to do or when to do it, even from myself. I write when the mood strikes me because the writing is better if I don't force it.
What about your family, do they know not to bother you when you are writing – or are there constant interruptions?
For the most part they are pretty good. My daughters know when I'm writing and my husband has become resigned to it. If I'm writing on the computer I'm more likely to be interrupted than if I'm writing longhand. Longhand means I'm deadly serious and completely involved with what I'm doing. Computer writing could be blogging, novel writing, emails, social media etc. and that's harder for them to tell if I'm "really busy" or "sort of busy."
What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I am a knitting geek, so I spend a lot of spare time knitting. I also spin my own yarn (pun intended) which is soothing. I love the beach; we go there as often as we can. And swimming has become a great source of exercise for me, which gives me energy.
Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. I feel bombarded by them sometimes. I have hundreds of notes and story ideas typed up on my computer and stuffed in notebooks. Sometimes on the backs of receipts. It could be anything that trips a new story idea; something I've read, something I see, a taste or a smell. I never know. It just happens.
What kind of research do you do?
I do extensive research for my books. For instance, I know more than most people about the circus thanks to my first book, Sideshow. For Dead in the Water, my research subjects were all around me every day (I work in a high school). For Conspiracy of Ravens, I did exhaustive research about prisons and serial killers, including the psychology of serial killers and how they get away with their crimes for so long in many cases. That was challenging because there are not many female serial killers and I wanted something different for my book. I also knew a great deal about the occult before I wrote the book, but some things I needed to check or double check to be sure I was consistent. I hope no one ever looks at my Google search history...
Please tell us about yourself (family, hobbies, education, etc.).
I recently graduated from college, earning my BA in English. Next year, I plan to teach English at the high school where I work (fingers crossed!). I'm also an editor and proofreader for Solstice Publishing. I have been married to my awesome husband Caleb for nine years. I have a daughter who is nineteen and another daughter who is nine years old. My stepson is eighteen. I'm close with my mom. I have three cats, two dogs, a bunny, and a tarantula. My hobbies are knitting and spinning yarn, and reading...I can't get enough reading.
Fill in the blank favorites –
Dessert: Ice cream
City: Brookings, Oregon
Season: Summer
Type of hero: Strong and brave
Type of heroine: Smart and unexpected
What are some of your favorite things to do?
I love reading, as I said. Swimming, knitting, reading, hanging out with my family. My husband and I have shows that we watch; I love Penny Dreadful, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, and am looking forward to Outlander on Starz this fall.
Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
I'm a big fan of Dean Koontz and Stephen King. My favorite book, however, is called The Journeyer by Gary Jennings.
Who are some of your other favorite authors to read? Do you have a recommendation for those who are interested in reading your books?
If you like Dean Koontz and Stephen King, you'll love my books. They are the height of thriller/horror/scary-ness that I aspire to.
Among your own books, have you a favorite book? Favorite hero or heroine?
Sideshow will always be special to me because it was my first and I poured a lot of myself into the book and its characters. Hailey feels like one of my own children. I have had the tiger, Shardul, tattooed on my forearm in his honor.
What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
The easiest book to write was Dead in the Water. I wrote it for my students who were upset that they couldn't read my first book (it's much too graphic to take to a high school). The hardest book to write was Conspiracy of Ravens; it has a lot of murder scenes in it which were tough.
Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?
Most of the time, it's the story. Sometimes, it's the characters. It just depends on the story.
What is the hardest part of writing/the easiest for you?
I seem to be great out of the gate, but have a hard time finishing books, especially if I type them. I know what the endings are typically, though it changes depending on what the characters decide to do, but I slow down as the story progresses.
Have you experienced writer's block --- If so, how did you work through it?
I have; in one book, I had to kill off a beloved character. I wrote an entire new book while procrastinating the death of that character.
What is the most rewarding thing about being a writer?
Finishing a book is a great feeling of accomplishment. When a reader tells me they found my book riveting or that they liked it, that's very rewarding. I also love being able to create worlds and people from thin air.
If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?
Teaching! Reading! Knitting!
Are there any words of encouragement for unpublished writers?
Write everything down, no matter how trivial it may seem.
What can we expect from you in the future? How many books have you written, how many have been published?
I have two books published right now at the time of this interview; Conspiracy of Ravens is due to be released from Solstice Publishing at any moment. I have a sequel for my first book Sideshow due out in October of 2014 (called Straw Houses). And I have about seven or eight others of various genres in various stages of completion.
Five things readers want to know about you:
1-I'm deathly terrified of sharks.
2-I am a huge nerd for anything Harry Potter, LoTR, the Hobbit, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and other various fandoms.
3-I have several tattoos. I'm not telling you where they all are.
4-I once forgot how old I was so went around for an entire year telling people I was older than I actually was.
5-I cry over commercials, like the Budweiser ones and the ASPCA ones.
My Review of Dead in the Water by Chrystal Vaughan:
My Review of Dead in the Water
Wrap up:
Book Trailers
Social Media links:
Twitter: @TheChrystalShip
Goodreads
Amazon
Blog
Tumblr
Google +
Buy Links for Books:
Sideshow on Amazon
Sideshow on Barnes & Noble
Dead in the Water:
Dead in the Water on Amazon
Dead in the Water on Barnes & Noble
Dead in the Water at Solstice Publishing
Conspiracy of Ravens:
Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Solstice Publishing!
Thanks so much for a fascinating interview, Chrystal!
July 7, 2014
Rafflecopter to Win Free Books, including eBooks of My YA Novel, SHADE
The Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Goodreads Group is giving away free books - including 5 free eBook copies of my YA novel, SHADE - as part of their Blog Hop in which I'm also participating. You can enter here to win: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/shar...
GSRG (Genre Specific Review Groups) Blog Hop
Hi, everyone! I’m delighted to be taking part in two Blog Hops today! This is my post for the GSRG (Genre Specific Review Groups) Blog Hop, which was organized by the Goodreads group, Genre Specific Review Groups:
https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/... .
Travel photography is one of my favorite hobbies, so I’m especially thrilled that one of the options for this particular Blog Hop is for authors to post their travel photos.
My writing website is located here:
http://www.marilynpeake.com/
My Goodreads page is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
My Twitter page is located here:
https://twitter.com/marilynpeake
And here are some of my travel photographs:
IRELAND
In Ireland, there are so many beautiful trees and such incredibly beautiful scenery. I took this photograph on the shore of Loch Lein in Killarney:
The Cliffs of Moher:
Me on the Dingle Penisula, once described by National Geographic as "the most beautiful place on earth" — the scenery here was breathtaking:
So many old books and manuscripts at the Trinity College Library in Dublin! As an author and reader, I was in heaven here:
Me on the battlement of Craggaunowen Castle, a 15th-century tower house, in Ireland:
A portal tomb; this one might have been a reconstruction of an ancient portal tomb:
All over southern Ireland, we found ruins that were open for exploration. This was so much fun! Here are the ruins of Kells Priory, a medieval Augustine monastery. Because it was fortified with so many towers, it's known locally as "Seven Castles." We were amazed that we were just free to explore this site on our own and that the monastery looked so much like a castle! Only a few other visitors showed up while we were there, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves:
Inside Kells Priory:
Another amazing place to explore is Jerpoint Park where visitors are taken on a long, leisurely tour of the site by the property owners. This was one of my favorite experiences in Ireland:
Jerpoint Park:
Me exploring the ruins of Innisfallen Island. We took a boat trip from Ross Castle to get there, which is why I’m wearing a life jacket:
Me relaxing with a cup of coffee — the hospitality in Ireland was fantastic:
ALASKA
Mendenhall Glacier:
At Mendenhall Glacier:
More glaciers:
A reindeer:
NIAGARA FALLS
ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO
I’ve written about Roswell, New Mexico — and, more specifically, the International UFO Museum and Research Center — in a number of my fictional stories and was so excited when I finally got to visit there!
I’m standing outside the International UFO Museum and Research Center:
I love how the outside of the International UFO Museum and Research Center was designed to look like a UFO had crashed into it:
Me hanging out with the aliens:
I hope you enjoyed my travel photos! Here’s a schedule of authors who are taking part in the Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop, with more authors being added:
July 6:
http://www.susandayauthor.com
http://www.elizabethlos.com/
http://michelle-abbott.weebly.com/
July 7:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
July 8: http://www.plaintalkbm.com
July 9: http://www.melindabrasher.com/
July 10:
http://www.kchrisbacherauthor.weebly.com
July 11: http://www.jayneblue.com/
More authors will be added in the next few days.
https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/... .
Travel photography is one of my favorite hobbies, so I’m especially thrilled that one of the options for this particular Blog Hop is for authors to post their travel photos.
My writing website is located here:
http://www.marilynpeake.com/
My Goodreads page is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
My Twitter page is located here:
https://twitter.com/marilynpeake
And here are some of my travel photographs:
IRELAND
In Ireland, there are so many beautiful trees and such incredibly beautiful scenery. I took this photograph on the shore of Loch Lein in Killarney:
The Cliffs of Moher:
Me on the Dingle Penisula, once described by National Geographic as "the most beautiful place on earth" — the scenery here was breathtaking:
So many old books and manuscripts at the Trinity College Library in Dublin! As an author and reader, I was in heaven here:
Me on the battlement of Craggaunowen Castle, a 15th-century tower house, in Ireland:
A portal tomb; this one might have been a reconstruction of an ancient portal tomb:
All over southern Ireland, we found ruins that were open for exploration. This was so much fun! Here are the ruins of Kells Priory, a medieval Augustine monastery. Because it was fortified with so many towers, it's known locally as "Seven Castles." We were amazed that we were just free to explore this site on our own and that the monastery looked so much like a castle! Only a few other visitors showed up while we were there, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves:
Inside Kells Priory:
Another amazing place to explore is Jerpoint Park where visitors are taken on a long, leisurely tour of the site by the property owners. This was one of my favorite experiences in Ireland:
Jerpoint Park:
Me exploring the ruins of Innisfallen Island. We took a boat trip from Ross Castle to get there, which is why I’m wearing a life jacket:
Me relaxing with a cup of coffee — the hospitality in Ireland was fantastic:
ALASKA
Mendenhall Glacier:
At Mendenhall Glacier:
More glaciers:
A reindeer:
NIAGARA FALLS
ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO
I’ve written about Roswell, New Mexico — and, more specifically, the International UFO Museum and Research Center — in a number of my fictional stories and was so excited when I finally got to visit there!
I’m standing outside the International UFO Museum and Research Center:
I love how the outside of the International UFO Museum and Research Center was designed to look like a UFO had crashed into it:
Me hanging out with the aliens:
I hope you enjoyed my travel photos! Here’s a schedule of authors who are taking part in the Genre Specific Review Groups (GSRG) Blog Hop, with more authors being added:
July 6:
http://www.susandayauthor.com
http://www.elizabethlos.com/
http://michelle-abbott.weebly.com/
July 7:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
July 8: http://www.plaintalkbm.com
July 9: http://www.melindabrasher.com/
July 10:
http://www.kchrisbacherauthor.weebly.com
July 11: http://www.jayneblue.com/
More authors will be added in the next few days.
Speculative Fiction Blog Hop
Hello! I’m delighted to be taking part in two Blog Hops today! This particular Blog post is for the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop.
The author before me on this Blog Hop is Nicolas Wilson who’s quite a prolific writer. Here’s a link to his Blog:
http://nicolaswilson.com/index.php/an...
And here’s a link to his website:
http://www.nicolaswilson.com/index.html
At the end of my Blog post, please see my introduction to the next author on the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop, Jamie Maltman.
Now, without further ado, here are my answers to the questions for the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop:
1. What am I working on?
I’m working on several projects right now. I recently published SHADE, a YA Mystery novel with Paranormal elements. I’ve been working on quite a few book promotions for SHADE. I’m having the time of my life interacting with readers and reviewers over this book! I’ve heard from readers of all ages from teenagers to older adults who connected on a deep emotional level with the main character, Shade. I really love her character and I'm thrilled that readers and reviewers like her, too.
I’m hoping to turn SHADE into a series of books. The first novel took place during Shade’s junior year of high school. She went from being a rather lost teenaged girl to a girl who had really started to find her voice as a writer, graphic novelist and amateur sleuth in SHADE. I’m thinking I might write separate novels for her senior year of high school and each year of college, and in each book she would solve another important mystery. I’ve started planning out the next two novels and I'm very excited about them!
I’ve also received the blessing of Hugh Howey to write and publish a fan fiction story set in his WOOL universe. My story introduces Evangeline Hubbard, a hoarder in the silo of Hugh Howey’s first WOOL novel. I’m now about three-quarters of the way through writing it. I’ve contacted Mike Tabor, the artist who’s designed other spectacular book covers for the WOOL universe, to design a cover for this story. Here’s a Q & A that Hugh Howey did with Mike Tabor a couple of years ago in which you can see some of Mike’s fabulous book covers:
http://www.hughhowey.com/the-amazing-...
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
One of the things I tend to do in most of my novels and short stories is to include some focus on psychological and social issues. It’s just the way my mind works. I care a great deal about world events and social injustices and I tend to be a news junkie. I never seem to be able to get enough news. I read online news reports, follow news outlets on Twitter, and watch some cable news as well.
My novel, SHADE, deals with quite a few social issues. At the beginning of the novel, Shade is depressed and cuts in order to deal with her problems. Her mother’s an alcoholic and drug addict who frequently breaks up with boyfriends and then moves with Shade to a new town. This book also deals with kidnapping and slavery.
My short story, COYOTE CROSSING, has a Dark Fantasy twist in a fictional story about the abuse of illegal alien children at the hands of an employer after they take the dangerous trip from Mexico to the United States, hoping to cross the border into safety.
My trilogy of middle grade novels — THE FISHERMAN’S SON, THE CITY OF THE GOLDEN SUN, and RETURN OF THE GOLDEN AGE — deals with the trials and tribulations of a young boy whose mother has died and whose father is an alcoholic. After his mother’s death, he meets a fairy godmother type character and a magical dolphin and, with their help and his own bravery, begins his journey to become a true hero.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I think it comes from a combination of having a strong interest in world events plus a deep love of both the written word and highly visual art. I enjoy using written language to tell stories for which I can visualize fantastical worlds that reflect real-world events. Speculative Fiction genres are perfect for that.
4. How does my writing process work?
I usually picture a main character and a setting or dilemma in which they find themselves. In the past, I used to then form a vague outline and the ending of the story in my mind and fill in the story as I wrote. For SHADE, I wrote a complete outline first and discovered that I really liked writing that way.
Thanks for reading my post in the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop!
Here’s a link to my website:
http://www.marilynpeake.com
And here’s my Twitter page:
https://twitter.com/marilynpeake
And now I’m delighted to introduce the next author on the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop, Jamie Maltman. Here’s a link to his Blog where he’ll provide his post for the Blog Hop:
http://www.jamiemaltman.com/category/...
And here’s Jamie’s Bio:
Jamie writes historically-inspired fantasy from his home near Toronto, Canada. Brush with Darkness http://www.jamiemaltman.com/brush-wit... is book I in his Arts Reborn series, which explores the impact of magic returning to a world a lot like the Mediterranean in the time of the Roman Republic. Book II: Blood of the Water comes out later this month, and Jamie is also working on a short story for an anthology in the world of The Dream Engine http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Engine-Se... .
The author before me on this Blog Hop is Nicolas Wilson who’s quite a prolific writer. Here’s a link to his Blog:
http://nicolaswilson.com/index.php/an...
And here’s a link to his website:
http://www.nicolaswilson.com/index.html
At the end of my Blog post, please see my introduction to the next author on the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop, Jamie Maltman.
Now, without further ado, here are my answers to the questions for the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop:
1. What am I working on?
I’m working on several projects right now. I recently published SHADE, a YA Mystery novel with Paranormal elements. I’ve been working on quite a few book promotions for SHADE. I’m having the time of my life interacting with readers and reviewers over this book! I’ve heard from readers of all ages from teenagers to older adults who connected on a deep emotional level with the main character, Shade. I really love her character and I'm thrilled that readers and reviewers like her, too.
I’m hoping to turn SHADE into a series of books. The first novel took place during Shade’s junior year of high school. She went from being a rather lost teenaged girl to a girl who had really started to find her voice as a writer, graphic novelist and amateur sleuth in SHADE. I’m thinking I might write separate novels for her senior year of high school and each year of college, and in each book she would solve another important mystery. I’ve started planning out the next two novels and I'm very excited about them!
I’ve also received the blessing of Hugh Howey to write and publish a fan fiction story set in his WOOL universe. My story introduces Evangeline Hubbard, a hoarder in the silo of Hugh Howey’s first WOOL novel. I’m now about three-quarters of the way through writing it. I’ve contacted Mike Tabor, the artist who’s designed other spectacular book covers for the WOOL universe, to design a cover for this story. Here’s a Q & A that Hugh Howey did with Mike Tabor a couple of years ago in which you can see some of Mike’s fabulous book covers:
http://www.hughhowey.com/the-amazing-...
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
One of the things I tend to do in most of my novels and short stories is to include some focus on psychological and social issues. It’s just the way my mind works. I care a great deal about world events and social injustices and I tend to be a news junkie. I never seem to be able to get enough news. I read online news reports, follow news outlets on Twitter, and watch some cable news as well.
My novel, SHADE, deals with quite a few social issues. At the beginning of the novel, Shade is depressed and cuts in order to deal with her problems. Her mother’s an alcoholic and drug addict who frequently breaks up with boyfriends and then moves with Shade to a new town. This book also deals with kidnapping and slavery.
My short story, COYOTE CROSSING, has a Dark Fantasy twist in a fictional story about the abuse of illegal alien children at the hands of an employer after they take the dangerous trip from Mexico to the United States, hoping to cross the border into safety.
My trilogy of middle grade novels — THE FISHERMAN’S SON, THE CITY OF THE GOLDEN SUN, and RETURN OF THE GOLDEN AGE — deals with the trials and tribulations of a young boy whose mother has died and whose father is an alcoholic. After his mother’s death, he meets a fairy godmother type character and a magical dolphin and, with their help and his own bravery, begins his journey to become a true hero.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I think it comes from a combination of having a strong interest in world events plus a deep love of both the written word and highly visual art. I enjoy using written language to tell stories for which I can visualize fantastical worlds that reflect real-world events. Speculative Fiction genres are perfect for that.
4. How does my writing process work?
I usually picture a main character and a setting or dilemma in which they find themselves. In the past, I used to then form a vague outline and the ending of the story in my mind and fill in the story as I wrote. For SHADE, I wrote a complete outline first and discovered that I really liked writing that way.
Thanks for reading my post in the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop!
Here’s a link to my website:
http://www.marilynpeake.com
And here’s my Twitter page:
https://twitter.com/marilynpeake
And now I’m delighted to introduce the next author on the Speculative Fiction Blog Hop, Jamie Maltman. Here’s a link to his Blog where he’ll provide his post for the Blog Hop:
http://www.jamiemaltman.com/category/...
And here’s Jamie’s Bio:
Jamie writes historically-inspired fantasy from his home near Toronto, Canada. Brush with Darkness http://www.jamiemaltman.com/brush-wit... is book I in his Arts Reborn series, which explores the impact of magic returning to a world a lot like the Mediterranean in the time of the Roman Republic. Book II: Blood of the Water comes out later this month, and Jamie is also working on a short story for an anthology in the world of The Dream Engine http://www.amazon.com/Dream-Engine-Se... .
