Ron D. Voigts's Blog, page 7

Here we go again

When my book Penelope and The Movie Star came out, I jumped on the KDP Select bandwagon. Everyone raved how important it was to marketing books on Amazon. The big attraction was free days.  From the stories back then getting the book out there for na-da would boost sales and long after the giveaway was over, sales would continue.  Well, The Movie Star was downloaded by the thousands.  I saw the ratings for it soar and my heart jumped at the thought that this would sky rocket the book.  That never happened. And I vowed never again.

Fast forward a few years.  I decided to give it a shot again. First, KDP Select now offers a "Count Down Deals" offering the book at a discount for a limited time.  Second, downloading free books on Amazon Prime is more accepted and Kindle Unlimited is also available.  So this offers more chances to get Strigoi, The Blood Bond in reader's hands.

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My next book is in the final content edit stage.  I'll send it back to my editor this week and then it's off to the Line Editor, who corrects grammar, spelling and that stuff.  I'm also hoping the cover design is coming along.  That should be coming back soon.  On a personal note, my experience with the new publisher is much better than my last foray. So far we are on target for The Witch's Daughter release in the Spring of  2015.
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I started work on the next book in the series. This one has a working title of The Fortune Teller's Secret.  A murder takes place a a carnival that has come to town.  Cavendish (the town news paper editor), Jane (the psychic) and Alex (Goth girl) pit their wits against a killer who has taken two lives and may take more.  
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A final quote from Edgar Allan Poe.

"Deep int that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."

Happy dreams!  Adieu.

Three Movies to Scare You Silly

One type of horror movie that I enjoy is the classic religion vs. the devil.  The premise is some malevolent force, traceable back to the devil, is out to doom mankind or  single person or somewhere in between.  The classic is of course The Exorcist with the demonic possession of a 12 year old girl and the attempts by two priests to rid her of the evil by exorcism. In 1973 this was a scary film that frightened people with the idea that the devil could be lurking anywhere.  I had a cousin back then, in his twenties, who slept with the lights on for a month after seeing it.


The Exorcist (YouTube)
My all time favorite is Stigmata with Patricia Arquette (of the TV series Medium) as Frankie, a young woman who finds herself possessed with the wounds experienced by Christ while on the cross. Hands bleeding as if pierced, feet bleeding, thorn marks on herhead, lashes to her back and her side pierced are signs of the Stigmata, and Frankie manifests them during the movie, one by one.  Enter into the picture a priest whose faith has faltered, trying to help her.

Stigmata (YouTube)
The most recent movie I've come across is Deliver Us From Evil.  Three soldiers bring back a demonic presence that goes up against a beat detective whose faith has waned and a priest who offers a fresh look at religion.  This movie is dark with chilling effects.  


Deliver Us From Evil (YouTube)
There you have my picks for scary movies with religious overtones. Do you have a favorite?
Ron D. Voigts is the author of paranormal mystery-thriller Strigoi The Blood Bond and coming March 2015, The Witch's Daughter.

Strigoi, The Blood Bond...Blog Tour

October 13 -- Sister Sinister Speakssistersinisterspeaks.blogspot.com
October 13 -- SBM Book Obsessionhttp://sbmbookobsession.blogspot.com/
October 14 -- Sapphyria's Book Reviews http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
October 14 -- The Word at My Fingertipshttp://ashjellison.blogspot.com
October 15 -- Mythical Bookshttp://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/
October 15 -- Book Purses & Reviewswww.bookpurses.blogspot.com
October 16 -- Fang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
October 16 -- Deal Sharing Auntwww.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
October 17 -- Roxanne’s Realmwww.roxannerhoads.com
October 17 -- fuonlyknewhttp://fuonlyknew.com/
October 20 -- Pembroke Sinclair  www.pembrokesinclair.blogspot.com
October 21 -- My Book Fairyhttp://mybookfairy.blogspot.com/
October 21 -- 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!   http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com
October 22 -- Vailia's Page Turnerhttp://vailiapageturner.blogspot.com/
October 23 -- Kim Mullicanhttp://kimmullican.wordpress.com
October 23 -- Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rockwww.pratr.wordpress.com
October 24 -- Reading Addict http://readingadd.blogspot.ro/
October 27 -- Kristy Centenohttp://booksbycenteno.com/
October 27 -- Tanyas Book Nook http://tanyasbooknook.blogspot.com

Sinatra, the sauce, not the singer

A favorite restaurant for Italian food in Raleigh is a Milton's just off Six Forks road. If you get to Raleigh, I highly recommend the eatery. Try the buffet or something from the menu.  A favorite of mine and my wife is Sinatra, described as “Grilled chicken, chopped Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic and fettuccine, sauteed together with a blend of marinara and Alfredo sauces.” I gather this delicacy named after the crooner, old blue eyes, Frank Sinatra.  In an effort to recreate the sauce, I give you my quick and easy version.  Be warned thought, go to Milton's for the real deal.  They do it sooooooo much better.
Ron’s Version of Sinatra
1. Cut chicken breast meat, about a pound, into thin strips and saute in pan with 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter.  Chicken should be browned nicely. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Mix into the chicken the following ingredients. Remember I said this was quick and easy.
    a.    1 bottle of Alfredo sauce, about 1 ¾ cups, 14.5 oz.
    b.    1 bottle of marinara sauce, about 2 ½ cups, 24 oz.
    c.    Garlic.  Real cloves or powder.  I always add a little extra than what I think I need.  You want the garlic flavor.
3. Serve over fettuccine pasta. Yummmmm!
4. This recipe makes about six servings at 300 calories each. Served over 2 oz (dry) pasta. A serving comes to about 500 calories.  This fits nicely into a diet but still is makes an opulent main dish.


For the adventurous try making the sauces from scratch.  The ratio should be maintained at about 3:2 of marinara to Alfredo.
Bon appetite!
Ron D. Voigts is the author of the Penelope Mystery Series and dark mysteries.  His latest book Strigoi: The Blood Bond is available for Kindle at Amazon.

Perhaps there's a little Kafka in all of us.

Strigoi: The Blood Bond has been out for a month now.  It's a murder mystery. Three people have died. Someone killed them. The main suspect is a pompous vampire.  But the murder connection is really a subplot.

The main story line is about Alex Regal, a down on his luck guy, whose wife just left him and he is on the verge of suicide. Life starts to look better, when he learns he has inherited property in a small town buried deep in the mountains of North Carolina. He goes to claim his new found wealth, only to discover he is a prisoner like everyone else who lives there, and like the town's other residents he is part of the blood supply for the vampire.

Part of the plan in writing Strgoi was to create a Kafkaesque world.  At times people in the town appear to be monsters.  Alex spots wolves the size of Shetland ponies. Trying to escape only takes him in circles. A hot babe comes on to him although his wife had found him dull and repressing.  Phones don't work the way they should.  A cross section of the population reveals characters living from different centuries.  A Shapeshifter (aka the vampire) who drinks blood runs the place.

Everything in this new world makes no sense in comparison to the one Alex came from.  His sanity is tested and survival becomes a challenge. The only thing he knows is giving up means being trapped forever.

Now, did I succeed in making Kafka-like world? Probably not.  But I like to think there's a little Kafka in all of us.

Strigoi: The Blood Bond is on sale for a limited time.Only 99 cents.

A Drum Roll Please

The sound of a rapidly beating drum fills the air. The crowd grows quiet and all eyes shift to the stage. The curtains part. The spotlight blinks on and the cymbal clangs. Ta-dah!!!! My latest book Strigoi: The Blood Bond is out.  The crowd cheers wildly.


On the verge of suicide after his wife leaves him, Alex Regal learns he has inherited property located in a small town deep within the mountains. Putting things on hold, he heads to Glade, hoping for something positive in his life. Getting there is easy but leaving proves to be impossible. A spell exists, keeping everyone captive in this hidden place.

The town of Glade is run by a Shapeshifter called the Strigoi. The creature needs to drink human blood to survive. Taking the form of a man or an animal, folklore about the Strigoi became the basis of stories about vampires or werewolves. Now Alex must discover a dark secret before he becomes the vampire's next meal.



Available at Amazon!

Strigoi, The Blood Bond Prologue

 Strigoi, The Blood Bond Prologue


The Anglican priest clutched the small black book as if he were trying to strangle it. His stiff white collar pressed against his chin. Currents of air whipped the tails of his black coat. But his eyes remained locked on the pages as he read.
“We now commit the body of Jonathon Hubble to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: in the sure and certain hope of—” A low rumble of thunder shook the ground. The priest paused and looked at the gray clouds hanging low in the sky. “—the resurrection to eternal life.” He bent down, grabbed a handful of dirt from the excavation, and tossed it on the casket.
The breeze blew Sally Barker’s hair across her face, for a moment blocking her view. She pushed back the loose strands and sobbed. Her hands shook as she unlatched the clasp of her purse, removed a lace hankie, and dabbed her eyes. A gust ripped it from her fingers. She watched the cloth tumble between gravestones, catch for a moment on a monument shaped like an angel, and then vanish behind another marker.
The man standing next to her placed his hand atop a broad-brimmed hat to keep the wind from taking it. The air stirred the scent of tobacco and leather that enveloped him. She shivered, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a protective hug.
A stocky man stood on the other side of the casket, leaning on a cane. He looked over his shoulder at an oak tree just beyond the cemetery’s entrance. The man removed a pocket watch and checked the time. He glanced again over his shoulder and pushed the watch back in his pocket.
Two workers with shovels stood farther away, near a weathered monument in the shape of a cross. The larger of the two, wearing bib overalls and a straw hat, took a long drag on a cigarette, tossed the butt to the ground, and crushed it with the toe of his boot. The thinner man, dressed in worn jeans, leaned on the handle of his shovel and tapped his foot.
Only these six people stood inside the stone wall that surrounded the cemetery behind the Church of Saint Cyprian.
The clouds darkened, and a large drop of rain plopped onto the coffin. The wind shifted as a second drop splashed on the box’s wooden surface. The priest turned and walked back to the path that passed through the cemetery’s center and led to the rectory. Sally and the other participants fell in with him, heading toward the road in front of the church. The workers moved closer to the casket and adjusted the ropes to drop the coffin into the earth.
Sally glanced toward the oak tree near the cemetery’s entrance. A gaunt man in a long coat stood near it. Lightning flashed, illuminating his white hair, accentuating the angles of his face. His icy stare lingered on her. She closed her eyes and prayed she could be anywhere else but here. Wind gusted around her, and rain pelted her face. She knew there’d be no answer to her prayer.
For they were the damned.
Coming summer of  2014!

Coming this Summer!!!!

Romanian folklore tells of the Strigoi, a creature who once was a man that died and rose again to become the undead. The Strigoi is a shapeshifter, capable of taking on the form of another man or animal, a favorite being the wolf. This being needs to drink human blood to survive. The Strigoi became the basis of vampire and werewolf tales, including the most famous Dracula by Bram Stoker. In 1792, Nikola Choroleeva emigrated from the city of Sighetu Marmației near the Carpathian Mountains to the Americas and founded a secret colony, hidden in the mountains of Appalachia, comprised of followers who offered their blood for his nourishment and he in return gave them eternal life. Being infected with the malady as him, they became the living Strigoi. Impervious to old age and disease the members of this society from time to time die by accident or murder. By Lord Nikola’s edict, they are staked through the heart and buried to keep them from coming back as the dead Strigoi. When a citizen is lost, a replacement must be found. To this hidden world an unwilling Alex Regal was brought as a replacement.

Creating Memorable Characters

One of the nicer rejections I received praised my writing ability but had some issues with my characters.  The publisher said: "...It's a good voice -- as I said, Mr. Voigts is a good writer. But the ms would be a lot better if the characters were more strongly differentiated." I know some books are plot driven and some character driven, but when a work gets turned down because the characters start sounding alike something needs to be done. 

Looking back over memorable books, the characters come first to mind. To name some classics here is a list. I think most people would be hard pressed to tell  the plot of all these books, but the characters easily come to mind.

Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby, F. Scot Fitzgerald)Sherlock Holmes (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett)Tarzan (Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughs)Scarlett O'Hara (Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell)Harry Potter (Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, J. K. Rowling)Willie Wonka (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl)Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain)Dracula (Dracula, Bram Stoker)The Artful Dodger (Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens)
Over the next few weeks I will look at characterization, how to improve the players in our books, some theories and perhaps invent some new approaches. Maybe we'll unlock the secret of creating memorable characters.

Paper or Plastic?

I miss paper bags—the kind with brown heavy paper that groceries came in back in the good ole days.  As a kid, armed with scissors and crayons, I’d turn them into space helmets. The kind with handles made great trick-or-treat bags. Just paint the sides with ghosts and witches and black cats. Smaller ones easily became terrific paper bag puppets. Things with paper bags were almost unlimited.

Then came plastic. Back in the beginning, cashiers asked, “Paper or plastic?” Paper please.  But soon the offer vanished, although they kept paper hidden under the register for anyone brave enough to ask.  Finally that too went away and plastic was it. Take it or leave it.
A local grocery store, touting the advantages of plastic when it first came out, filled one to capacity with cans and package goods, and suspended it over the store’s entry way to demonstrate the strength to anyone brave enough to walk under it.  They poked holes in the sides so the contents stuck out to further prove the bag’s worth. 
Fast forward to the present. I tried to open a plastic bag at the Wal-Mart self-service kiosk. The bags hung on the chrome rack placed at the far back of the landing area for scanned groceries.  I grabbed and picked and scratched at the center tab to open one, but only succeeded in pulling it loose from the rack.  It fell to the floor where a pile of plastic bags had accumulated from my predecessors’ attempts to open them.

Frustrated I signaled the cashier who frantically moved from kiosk to kiosk helping other shoppers (probably opening their bags). I explained the problem. She immediate grabbed a tab and popped one open. I filled it and again struggled to open next one. Again she came over and pooped a bag open.
“Okay tell me the secret. How do you do that?” I asked.
“Cashiers use a damp sponge to wet their fingers. It makes grabbing the tab easier,” she said.
I looked around and back to her. I’d not seen her go back to her station once to wet her fingers. Nor did she carry anything with her. Where did she keep this magical sponge?
 Before I asked she blushed and smiled. “To tell the truth, I licked my fingers.”
Aha, another mystery solved and probably more than I wanted know. I grabbed my bags of groceries and left.  As I walked through the exit, the plastic handles on one bag tore and dumped cans and boxes across the sidewalk and into the street.
I really miss paper bags