Stuart Aken's Blog, page 299

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Foil

Foil: noun - metal hammered or rolled into a thin sheet; also, metallizedplastic film; a heraldic representation of a leaf; thin layer of any material,a paring; thin leaf of metal placed under a precious stone to increase itsbrilliance or under a transparent substance to give it the appearance of aprecious stone; a sheet of metal foil, tin amalgam, fixed behind the glass in amirror to act as the reflector; something or person setting off another bycontrast; architecture - small arcs between cusps on a Gothic window or arch. In literature, foils are characters who react to one another's quirks;like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, or Jeeves and Wooster.
'Shirley wrapped Simon's sandwiches in aluminium foil tokeep them fresh for his trek across the desert.'
'Ernie Wise acted as a foil for Eric Morecambe's jokes.'

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: UFO

UFO: noun –originally an acronym for 'unidentified flying object'; a flying saucer; anyobject in the sky for which there appears to be no reasonable explanation.
'There are those who consider all UFOs to be works ofoveractive imagination, and then there are those who've actually seen them.'
2 July 1961 - Ernest Hemingway died.

Blog Redesigned After 600 Posts

Regular visitors will see that I've made changes to the blog. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to post comments. I think it makes it instantly clear that this is a blog about books. The 'share' buttons at the base of each post should make it easier to share anything of interest with your friends. And the rating system allows you to react without having to think of something witty to say.

Picture: in the continued absence of Zemanta, or some similar system that allows links with pictures from the web, I'll continue to entertain you with my own pictures. This one was taken outside the small and picturesque village of Goodmanham.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Continual or continuous?

Continualor continuous: Continual: something iscontinual if it is repeated frequently, or happens often but with intervals inbetween. Continuous: something iscontinuous if it is constant or uninterrupted.
'The continual referencesto crime and violence in the press give rise to increased public anxiety aboutsafety outside the home.'
'After the drumming fromnext door had been continuous for sixteen hours, Peter went round there with a largehammer and smashed the drum kit to smithereens.'

Writing: Not, But Blogging

Still catching up on all those things I didn't do whilst I was working on the first draft of the epic fantasy. And making preparations for the period I will be away from the keyboard. There are plenty of author interviews in the pipeline, some with well known writers. Also, I'm continuing with the Daily Word Spot, and will schedule posts for that whilst I'm away. I won't, of course, be here to comment or reply to your comments; but don't let that stop you.
The Daily Word Spot takes up quite a lot of my time. And, soon, I must update the contest information page; another lengthy exercise. So, patience, please. One day, I'll get back to doing some actual writing.

Picture: a view looking toward the small Dales village of Stainforth, set in the wonderful walking country of the Yorkshire Dales.

Author Interview with Denise Verrico

Hello Denise, pleasetell us about you, as a writer.
My background is in the theatre.  Iwrote humor pieces and sketches in school, and I'd even tried my hand at achildren's play.  I didn't really startwriting seriously until I was in my thirties. My son was around two years old then and my husband in graduateschool.  Because of my husband's schooland work schedule, it didn't allow me to pursue roles in the theatre.  My muse was calling to me to do somethingcreative.  I began writing plays at thattime, but I was also reading a lot of vampire fiction, Anne Rice, FredSaberhagen, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and some of the older tales.  The thought struck me that no one had reallytackled the female perspective of the modern vampire.  I actually had a dream about a young femalevampire that inspired Mia, the heroine of the first two novels in myseries.  My husband urged me to pursuethis idea and confront the fact that my protagonist was a woman and theobstacles she faced as a vampire.  Mialives in a man's world—an ancient  man'sworld at that.
Immortyl Revolution has a sci fi component.  The series plot deals with rival groups ofvampires trying to capture the secrets of immortality.  My vampires are essentially human with abiological mutation.  Some of them arebetter representatives of the species, but most are not.  A  lotof the human beings in the stories aren't much better than most vampires.  Nobody sparkles in other words. 
Your book My Fearful Symmetry is an urban fantasyvampire novel; perhaps you'd yougive us some insight into it in afew sentences.
A boy becomes a vampire and fights to become a man.  It's basically a coming of age story, about ayoung man from the most desperate of circumstances, plunged into the middle ofan even bigger nightmare.  In spite ofall this, he struggles for freedom.  It'sa tale of lust, intrigue and betrayal. That sounds sexier. 
How did you come towrite this particular book? 
When one is writing a series that involves rival political factions, it'sdifficult to pull off in a first person POV. I like the first person POV because of the sense of intimacy it createsbetween the reader and the hero or heroine. However, there are a lot of events that happen within the Immortylruling class that effect Mia and Kurt, the heroine and hero of the first twobooks, that would have to happen offstage, so to speak.  I needed a POV character that could movewithin the Immortyl ruling class as a close observer, yet is somewhatsympathetic to the aims of the revolution. I'd created Cedric, the hero of this book, a while ago, intending him asa love interest to a character to come later in the series, but he was just oneof those characters who demanded to be heard. 
I'd imagined the Indian origin for my vampire culture early on.  As I did more research, my world buildingexpanded.  I now had created a religionfor my Immortyls, a form of Tantra, and a class of sacred courtesans, calledthe adepts of the ancients arts. 
Why a male courtesan hero?  Well,my Immortyls are somewhat omnivorous when it comes to sexuality.  I've always enjoyed Mary Renault's booksabout Alexander the Great.  ThePersian Boy, the novel she wrote about Alexander's companion, Bagoas, isone of my favourites.  I thought it mightbe fun to write about a male courtesan who dreams of becoming a warrior. 
Do you have afavourite character from the book? If so, who and why this particular one?
Well, it would have to be Cedric. He's so irrepressible, even after all the hell I put him through.  But if I had a second favourite, it would beLord Liu.  He's an elder that Cedric isassigned to entertain for political reasons. Lord Liu is one of the oldest living Immortyls, very deep, very wise,very powerful.  The two of them developan interesting relationship. 
Where can people buyyour books?
They are available from Amazon and other onlineretailers in paperback and multi-format ebook.Links to buy: Nook:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-fearful-symmetry-denise-verrico/1103458345?ean=9781603184007&itm=1&usri=verrico B&N Paperback: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-fearful-symmetry-denise-verrico/1031480692?ean=9781603183994&itm=5&usri=denise%2bverrico Borders ebook:   http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=1603184007 Omnilit:  http://www.omnilit.com/product-myfearfulsymmetry-560466-139.html Allromance:  http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-myfearfulsymmetry-560466-139.html Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mw
What qualities does awriter need to be successful?
Perseverance is very important.  Ittakes time to develop the skills.  A lotof writers I know never finish anything. One has to get that first novel down and prepare for rejection.  It's important to be able to acceptconstructive criticism.  I belong to twocritique groups, and they've helped me immensely.
What's your workingmethod? 
I tend to write dialogue first.  Mybackground as a playwright has a lot of influence on my novels.  I see everything like a movie in myhead.  Once the dialogue is sketched out,I fill in the details and revise. Sometimes, what starts out as dialogue is left unsaid and replaced bymeaningful action on the part of the character. Actors learn that much is said in silence.
What's the singlebiggest mistake made by beginner writers? 
The impulse to do too much.  Toomuch telling, descriptive language, dialogue tags and long, clunkysentences.  Less is more.  Simplicity is best. 
To what extent aregrammar and spelling important in writing? 
Ugh, you've found my kryptonite. I'm still struggling with the art of the comma.  The English language is a peculiaranimal.  I'm always looking uprules.  Poor grammar and spelling willtrip up a writer seeking publication. Always have several people look over your work for errors.
How much do you reviseyour MS before sending it off? 
I do a lot in the initial creative process. After my first draft is done,I put the book to critique with my writing groups.  Then I revise again and try to have otherslook at the book again before I send it out.  I'm revising up until the final proof.
As a writer of urbanfantasy, to what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
Well, it helped me. Although my books are nothing like Twilight,that series made vampires very commercial. I did a search for small publishers seeking vampire series.  However, my genre is overrun with vampires atpresent and publishers are looking for other creatures in urban fantasy.  Genre fiction has loyal followers.  Romance is the most published genre.  I wish I could write one, buthappily-ever-after endings seem to elude me.  Many authors seemarketing as a bind. What's your opinion on this, and how do you deal with it?
Marketing is a constant concern for any author, but doubly so for thesmall press author.  I'm usuallypromoting somewhere online on a weekly basis, and most months I have two orthree public appearances.  At the moment,with the release of the new book, I'm a bit overwhelmed, yet I still try tolimit my online time to an hour a day. 
What sort ofdisplacement activities keep you from writing? 
Working for a living always seems to get in the way.  This is the reality for most writers.  I know Bram Stoker winners who work full-timejobs.  Very few make their livingentirely from writing. 
It's important to take time for oneself.  When I'm immersed in a project, I get a little crazy and don't want tobe disturbed by things like eating and sleeping.  I'd live on nothing but coffee and toast ifleft to my own devices.  I try to go outand walk in the park as often as possible. Time with family and friends is vital to maintaining sanity.  My husband, son and I love to ride rollercoasters.
What support, if any,do you receive from family and friends, or a writing group?
My family is amazing.  My husbandand son are both creative people, and we support one another in ourendeavours.  My son even hands out mybusiness cards and promotes my books to other musicians on the blogs hefrequents.  I couldn't format my manuscriptsto save my life.  My husband does thisfor me and helps with keeping accounts etc. One of my nieces did my video trailer and helps me when I'm flummoxedwith my website or designing marketing materials.  She and another niece, along with one oftheir friends, are with me at some of the sci fi/fantasy conventions.  They cheer me on and point me towardfood.  I couldn't do without my critiquegroups.  I dedicated this book to them.
Is presentation of theMS as important as agents and publishers suggest? 
It's always best to be as professional as possible.  My niece interned for a New York agent thispast spring, reading queries.  A lot ofthe queries she received were badly presented. It's important to always carefully read the publisher or agentguidelines before submitting your work. 
How long does it takeyou to write a novel?
Cara Mia took fourteen years because I was learning along the way,but now it's about a year and a half.
Who or what inspiresyour writing?
 I gain inspiration from readingand the world around me.  Politics alwaysgive me something to ponder.  You neverknow where the next idea will come from. Sometimes it's simply the roguish grin of a good-looking young man.  That's my favourite source.
If there's a singleaspect of writing you find frustrating, what is it? 
Editing and proofing.  Very fewpeople can proof or edit their own work. I've learned it's okay to seek help and ask a lot of questions. 
Is there a particularfeature of writing that you really enjoy? 
Creating characters and world building. This is the time when the imagination runs wild.
Do you believecreative writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
A bit of both.  Sensitivity and anartist's view of the world are part of a person's character, but writing is acraft as well as an art.  The techniquescan be acquired through practice. Imagination, however, is a gift. 
What are you writingnow? 
The fourth Immortyl Revolution book and another urban fantasy that ismore magic based.  I'm also playingaround with a historical fantasy. 
Do you have a website orblog where readers can visit?
My website:  www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com Blog:  www.ImmortylRevolution.blogspot.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Immortyl-Revolution-Fans-of-Denise-Verrico-author/290431344200

Given unlimitedresources, where would you do your writing?
Maybe the Amalfi coast?  I'd settlefor Cape May, NJ in the summer. 
Where do you actuallywrite?
Sittingon the sofa in my apartment in suburban Ohio, surrounded by my six pet parrotsand cuddled up with my Lord of the Rings blanket.  Usually, I'm listening to Queen or DavidBowie. 

 PRESS RELEASE:  On June 11th, 2011,  L&L Dreamspell Publishing of Spring,Texas released, My Fearful Symmetry,Book Three of the Immortyl Revolution, the second novel of the urban fantasy vampireseries written by Denise Verrico.  Set in2001, India, Verrico's story introduces a new vampire hero, Cedric MacKinnon, atemple dancer in service to the Goddess Kali, who learns his beauty and speedrender him a lethal weapon.   As in theprevious novels, My Fearful Symmetrymaintains a science fiction twist on the genre, action-packed thrills and atouch of romance.  This installmentfollows up her debut novel, Cara Mia, which introduces the charactersand world of Immortyl Revolution and its sequel, Twilight of the Gods.  Formore information visit the author's website: www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com. Cara Mia , Book One of the ImmortylRevolutionMia Disantini is a vampire who wants to walk again in thesun.  Enslaved and plunged into theunenlightened Immortyl culture, fiercely independent Mia struggles forfreedom.  Trained as her master Ethan's"Bird of Prey", she becomes the pawn of their enigmatic elder, Brovik, in hisintrigues concerning the forbidden science.  Cast out into the streets of Manhattan byEthan, Mia finds the kind of love and compassion she hungers for in Kurt Eisen,who shares her slave status and discontent. Together the lovers steal their masters' secrets and deliver them toGenpath Laboratories.  Duped andimprisoned by CEO, Lee Brooks, Mia calls upon the aid of neuroscientist, Dr.Joe Ansari.  But Mia and Kurt are huntedfor their crime, and time is running out. 
Twilight ofthe Gods , Book Two of the Immortyl Revolution Narrowly escaping the implosion of Genpath laboratories,vampires Mia Disantini and Kurt Eisen are on the run from Gaius Lupus, theirrival in the Forbidden Science. When Kurt is captured by their enemy and rescued with the aid of feralvampire kids known as sewer rats, Mia witnesses first hand the charismaticspell her lover casts over these would-be revolutionaries.  Setting up base in Manhattan, Kurt builds hisforces to face off with Gaius, while independent-minded Mia navigates theminefield of sewer rat politics, which she finds very much a man's world.  The lovers' deep bond is put to the test byboth the beautiful Arturo and Kurt's followers, who see Mia as standing betweenthem and their beloved "Loki." Matters are further complicated when the chiefelder, Kalidasa, arrives from India to investigate rumors of heresy andrevolution.  With the threat of war with Gaiusdrawing ever closer, Mia ands Kurt prepare to meet the biggest challenge oftheir lives. 
Excerpt from Twilight of the Gods
Virginia2001
"Mee-ya? Darling, it's past nine."The kerosene lamp beside the old four-poster bedsputtered.  My eyes opened on Kurt's inthe flickering light. Paul Newman in his prime on a really good day couldn'tcompete with those big blues. "Hello, gorgeous."He chuckled and eased his slender body over mine, lipssearching my throat for the landmarks, while something warm, hard and smoothbegged for entrance below."I dreamed about Ethan."He paused in his delicious pursuit to scowl. "Again?""I still chose you."A smile fluttered over his alarmingly pale mouth. "I mustgo out tonight to meet Carol." He gestured to a plastic bag filled with redliquid sitting in a bath of warm water. "Only a pint left.""You take it. I had two last night." I stroked the warmthpoised to enter me. "Amazed you still manage. Better wait." His lower lippouted. "I'm not going anywhere."He pulled away sighing and sat up, stretching and runninghis fingers through tangled golden curls, a marble angel with a single blemish,inky and obscene on his left forearm, a vestige of his captivity long ago inDachau. He lifted the plastic bag out of the basin and inserted a straw,drinking it down. The white linen napkin he used to wipe his mouth came awaysmeared with red. "I'll take the bike.""I'd feel better if you took the car."Brushing damp hair back from my eyes, he kissed me. "Thewind feels like freedom." He pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleevedshirt. Despite the late August temperatures of Northern Virginia, it wasnecessary for him to conceal the tattoo. People might not take too kindly towhat looked to be a boy in his late teens making an apparent mockery of others'misery. Unfortunately for Kurt the misery was all too real and personal.  I rolled over on the huge bed, sheets stickingto my skin. "We really need an air-conditioner."Kurt frowned as he buttoned his shirt. "We been throughthis—no electricity—no noise.""I'm tired of tepid baths. I'm dying for a hot shower.Jesus, even Ethan believed in hot running water.""Darling, no one must know we're camping out here. I don'tlike it, either. Hopefully, it won't be much longer. Carol says she has ameeting with the Justice Department next week about a safe house.""Yeah, real safe—level four maximum security.""We simply won't agree to it. We'll figure out something."He lifted my chin to kiss me. His lips were chilly. He needed lots more thanthe pint he'd just consumed. "Back in half an hour." "Be careful. Take a gun." He patted a slight bulge underhis shirt in the vicinity of his hip. "Don't worry."Kurt left the room. Moments later, gravel crunched as hewalked Ethan's motorcycle down the long drive and through the gate to the road.The bike growled and then buzzed into the distance.  I worried about Kurt out there where ourenemies might be lying in wait. Where did he get off becoming so annoyinglymale and protective on me? He wasn't trained to fight. He was small and slightand against a bigger, stronger vampire he was no match.  I was a better shot than he, and I'd alreadysaved his life once.
My FearfulSymmetry, Book Threeof The Immortyl RevolutionA boy becomes a vampire and fights to become a man.Only the most gifted and beautiful Immortyls are chosen toserve Mother Kali as adepts of the ancient arts…
For nineteen-year-old Cedric MacKinnon, the promise ofeternal youth and celebrity sounds like a dream come true. It becomes a nightmarewhen a master vampire plucks the boy from the London streets and spirits himaway to India. In the fabled ashram of the adepts of the ancient arts, Cedricundergoes the grueling process of training as a temple dancer and courtesan.With the threat of revolution hanging over court, the chief elder employs theboy he names Shardul in dangerous games of seduction and intrigue. Hated by thechief's mistress and abused by those he entertains, Cedric struggles withvisions of a violent destiny that seem to come from Kali herself. The stakesare heightened when the rebel leader, Loki, is brought to India for trial andCedric is forced to choose between the protection and patronage of a powerfulelder and his love for a female adept.
Excerpt fromMy Fearful Symmetry I reached for the golden door tothe ashram, only to crumple to my knees again swooning and dizzy.  With the last of my strength, I inched my wayon my belly across the open courtyard to my room.  The sky above turned from black to purple tolavender.  In another thirty minutes, therays of the sun would cook my tattered flesh into Bolognese.  It seemed like a good idea.  I collapsed against the paving stones.  Deep inside of me a voice called my name—onlyit wasn't my name.Shardul!I lifted my aching head.  The sacred spring lay between my room andme.  The Goddess stood sentinel above thepool.  Hers arms beckoned.  The waters hastened healing.  I pulled myself over and eased in, lettingthe water bathe my broken skin.  It stungand burned, but at least I knew that I was still alive.  Kali's black face lookeddown.  Her long tongue stuck out as if totaunt me.I clung with what strengthremained to the pool's stone edge.  "Isthis what you mean about the tyranny of the flesh?" But she didn't answer.  She remained silent and oblivious asdeath.  "Bitch…" I lost my grasp on thelip of the pool and slipped below the surface, still gazing into her unseeingeyes.I thrashed, but couldn't pullmyself to the surface.  My body sank likea stone.  Water filled my throat andnostrils.  Consciousness dissipated intoan explosion of dots, like colored pixels. My Mum's voice floated in my head.Hush a bye, don'tyou cryGo to sleep my little babyWhen you wake, you shall haveAll the pretty little horses…The wavering image above medissolved into golden skin and waves of dark hair.  The Mother reached out two arms and pulled mefrom the water.  The avatar's supple,golden form suggested Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva.  An aura of pulsating color surrounded her.  I sputtered and coughed the liquid out of mylungs, collapsing into my benefactor's arms.  My head rested against a bosom soft and rounded, not hard and bony.  She lifted me as if I were achild, bearing me away to my room, and rolled me belly-down onto my bed.  My head lay on its side.  The hand stroking the wet hair away from myface felt warm.  Lips full and red withblood kissed mine.  Was this real, or wasI hallucinating?  The Goddess anointed and bandagedmy wounds.  She pressed her own wrist tomy lips restore me.  Blood never tastedso sweet.  Warm tears bathed my face asshe kissed my mouth again, a sweep of silken hair brushing over my arm.  As she drew back, my eyes focused and herimage became clear.A pained hiss passed my crackedlips.  "Sandhya?"

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Table

Table: noun - flatslab or board, usually a thin sheet of wood, stone, metal, a board, plate,slab, or tablet forming a surface; In architecture - a horizontal member projectingas a string course or cornice; flat rectangular vertical surface, sunk into orprojecting beyond the surrounding surface, a panel; board or other flat surfacefor a painted picture, the picture; In palmistry - a quadrangle between lines onthe palm of the hand; In anatomy - either of two dense bony layers of the skullseparated by the diploe; a flat plate or board used with or forming part of amechanism or apparatus; a flat metal plate for supporting something to beworked on; the upper part of the soundboard in an organ, perforated to admitair to the pipes; In a full table diamond – a diamond cut with a large flatupper surface surrounded by smaller facets, the flat surface of a table diamondor other gem; a flat elevated tract of land, tableland, plateau or flatmountain top; large flat circular sheet of crown glass; crystal of flattened orshort prismatic form; raised board at which people may sit, piece of furnitureconsisting of a raised flat top of wood, or other solid material, supported onone or more legs, and used to place things on for various purposes; company ofpeople at table, a group seated for dinner; an official body of people who dobusiness around a table; the provision of food for meals; supply of food in ahousehold; tabulated arrangement or statement; systematic display of numbers,words, or items in a definite and compact form; a display of information incolumns and lines occupying a single defined area; list, written or recited, ofmultiplications of two factors, weights, measures; collection of data stored inmemory as a series of records, each defined by a unique key stored with it.
'Jock, Henry, Glenda and Paul sat around the table, eatingcurry and discussing the end of season table of the Premier League.'
'When partying, which she did frequently, it wasn't uncommonfor Janice to step up onto the table, slip off her clothes and dance nude forall and sundry.'
'James created a table on the computer to show therelationship between the cost of items bought and the frequency of suchpurchases.'

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Discreet or discrete?

Discreet or discrete:  Discreet meansjudicious, prudent, polite, civil, courteous. Discrete meansseparate, individually distinct. So:
'Jason was always discreet when anyone referred to hissister's unfortunate propensity to dispense with her bikini at the drop of ahat; smiling and suggesting that she was merely trying to make her tan devoidof unsightly white lines and patches.'
'Jenny divided the spoils of the morning's bring and buysale into discrete portions, nominating each for the individual charitiesrepresented.'

Writing: Not

A long day at the office and 63 emails on my return home. So, lots of communication and several questions answered, another few author interviews lined up for your delectation. But, no creative writing done. Now, knackered and thoroughly frazzled, I think I shall take an evening walk with my wife, just back from her bowls match, and then a short relax before bed.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Sa

Sa, as the word for today, represents another of my occasionaldives into the complex and diverse world of deities and gods. Sa one of a pair of underground or chthonic creator godsfrom eastern Guinea on the west coast of Africa. He lived in the primevalswamps in the area before any other living things appeared on Earth; beforeeven the sky or light existed. His daughter eloped with his partner deity,bearing 14 children of different colours and speaking different languages. Sagave these children the tools to survive in the world.As with so many creation stories, there are the seeds hereof an attempt by primitives to explain what must have been inexplicable at thetime the myth was born. In this respect, of course, it bears a strikingresemblance to the story of creation told in the Bible and borrowed fromJudaism by both the Christian and Muslim religions.