Nicky Peacock's Blog, page 30

Interview with Demonologist Samantha E Harris

Did you enjoy the process of writing the book?

Writing the book was an interesting process, looking back on it now it is mostly a blur. I was stuck indoors, as Michigan winters often hold people hostage in their homes, and had a very vivid dream or vision about needing to write this book. In about three or four months I sat down and wrote the entire book; it felt cathartic to get my experiences and advice out on paper. I only hoped that it would get published and that it would become public knowledge on how individuals can help themselves if suffering with a demonic haunting. Oddly enough, most of the book seemed to just pour out of me but there were times in which I experienced ‘writer’s block’ and wasn’t sure if my efforts would even payoff in the end. I made sure to stick to my case notes, to remain accurate and truthful. Sharing the truth and helping others was and always will be my objective.

What are the key signs to look out for when you believe that your house/ family is under attack?

Depending on if the haunting is human or inhuman, there are certain signs to identify if your home is haunted or under ‘attack’. For demonic cases, and after every logical explanation has been sought, people commonly will hear, see, smell and feel things that point to a more sinister presence. For example but not limited to: burning or rotting smells; seeing tall dark shadows or cloaked figures; hearing growling, malevolent laughter, or the mimicking of voices; being punched, slapped, scratched, burned, or other violent behaviors; experiencing sacrilegious or ‘evil’ gestures, and so on. Often the family’s or individual’s health, finances, happiness, mental health, and “luck” seem to deteriorate. In the end, many demonic cases often affect every aspect of someone’s life.

Which urban fantasy literary character do you most identify with, and why?

Typically I don’t read fantasy books (Twilight, etc.) but I love strong female characters that act as a heroine in a story such as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Women can be wonderful leaders and I don’t think it is celebrated or honored enough in our Western society.

Which movie have you found to be the most accurate in terms of demons and spirits?

The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Exorcist are two of the more accurate films depicting demonic possession in Hollywood productions. Although the movie as a whole was unrealistic and outlandish, the original Paranormal Activity displayed some truthful events that often occur with demonic hauntings in addition to The Conjuring (although multiple cases and fictitious events were mashed together to create the film). I have yet to see a film that is entirely accurate regarding the realities of demonic hauntings.

If you could have a civil conversation with a demon, what questions would you ask?

If I could have a civilized conversation with a demon, without leading to any repercussions, I would ask several things: 1) If biblical text is entirely correct, and you’ve publicly stated you know your time will end eventually, why not ask for forgiveness and return to God/Great Spirit? 2) Since the ‘other side’ or Heaven is perfection and you were originally an angel in theory, what was it that drove you to turn against God? 3) Do you know when your time will end and when? 4) What world leaders, politicians, and disasters have demons influenced?

The book covers a lot of your experiences, which chapter was the hardest to write?

All of the chapters were difficult to write because I wanted to do my clients justice, to tell the truth, to capture the audience but to also share the graphic details. I would say the hardest graphic segment to write was regarding a violent sexual assault in Chapter Two with the Novi, Michigan case. My heart goes out to that family and the hardships that they have experienced make most of our problems that we complain about look like child’s play.

What is the most frightening thing that has ever happened to you?

Honestly, the most frightening thing for me regarding my work in demonology is the thought of my loved ones and animals being harmed. I felt that my loved ones and animals were in danger when I had two demonic entities visit my home, on two separate cases. Both of which made themselves known in effort to try and scare me away from helping the family in need. My home is my sanctuary and it does feel violating when a sinister entity briefly intrudes to send an intimidating message.

Where can readers find you online?

I have two Youtube channels, MichiganPRA for my paranormal videos and Seharris11 for a fun and educational channel about my life experiences, learning disabilities, alternative health, etc.

I have several Facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaEHarrisFan

            https://www.facebook.com/fightingmalevolentspirits

            https://www.facebook.com/groups/36890904035/

            https://www.facebook.com/pages/MPRA-Michigan-Paranormal-Research-Association/353302432362

 My website is www.MichiganPRA.com and my Twitter and Vine accounts are “@Seharris11”

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: Demonologist, Demonologist Samantha E Harris, Fighting Malevolent Spirits, Samantha E Harris

Book Review: Hidden by Megg Jensen

Synopsis:

The mystery enshrouding Hutton’s Bridge is as impenetrable as the fog that descended at its borders eighty years ago. Each year, three villagers enter the mist searching for answers. No one ever returns.

Then a dragon falls from the sky to the town square, dead—the first glimpse of an outside world that has become nothing more than a fairy tale to Hutton’s Bridge. Except to Tressa.

Tressa grew up with Granna’s stories of the days before the fog fell. When Granna dies, leaving Tressa without any family, Tressa ventures into the fog herself, vowing to unravel the foul magic holding Hutton’s Bridge captive.

What she discovers beyond the fog endangers the lives of everyone she loves.

About the Author: 

Megg Jensen has been a freelance parenting journalist since 2003 and began writing YA novels in 2009. She co-runs DarkSide Publishing, is a member of SCBWI, and blogs about writing while juggling freelancing, volunteering, and family life. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two kids, and their miniature schnauzer, Ace.

For more information on Megg please visit her website at http://www.meggjensen.com/

My Review:

I really need to start this review with a nod to the dedication. More often than not, this is the first thing that a reader comes across when opening the book, and boring dedications that echo crappy acceptance speeches can be a bit a of a let down. The dedication in Hidden is brilliant, says something meaningful in a funny way – you have to read it to appreciate it!

The whole book was a great concept and so interesting to have characters imprisoned by something both mysterious and scary, fog. I actually get quite worried when I look out the window and see a white blanket of nothingness, also you never know what’s lurking in it!

From a writer’s perspective, I think that it would have been better written in first person. It was such an emotional story and I think, as a reader, I would have felt it more if the story had been told to me through Tressa. This would have also helped with the relationship/ love facet. It was such an original idea to have this isolated village where the coupling laws are so different and thus affect the characters in such a profound way, I’d have liked to have felt that first hand.

Although, to be fair, I do prefer first person narrative over third anyway, so this could have been down as personal taste.

The front cover is evocative and attractive. It does the job and is going to appeal to both a YA audience and adult readership.

Overall, I’d give Hidden 4 out of 5 stars – an interesting story that proves that there is still originality that authors can draw on.

Filed under: Book Review Tagged: Hidden by Megg Jensen

Interview with Shona Husk

Tell us about your publishing journey…

I started writing about 10 years ago, but I didn’t decide to pursue it seriously until about five years ago. Like most writers I gathered my share of rejections before selling An Elemental Tail, after that first sale it became much easier. The Goblin King was my first print novel sale. At the end of 2013 I made the leap to full time author.

What do you love about being an author?

I love creating new worlds…as well as making characters suffer so they earn their happily ever after ;)

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

Hmmm. That’s a tough one. Maybe Harry Dresden. He’d have plenty of interesting stories to tell and we’d have to eat at McAnally’s pub so he didn’t accidentally get me killed ;)

If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

For some books I cast, but other times the character lives firmly in my head. For my newest erotic alien romance series (Decadent Moon) I think that the amount of makeup and costuming required would cover up what the actors looked like anyway.

Vampires – do you prefer them as sexy leads or blood hungry monsters?

I like a balance of both. In my Sex with Strings series (vampire rock stars) they are sexy but still crave blood and when two get together (as in Tasting Thanatos), well, with their super strength and blood lust a hotel is easily destroyed.

If you had a time machine, which era would you go back to and why?

Roman Britain as it’s one of my favourite time periods. There was so much upheaval as the Celtic tribes either resisted or gave in and the Romans were expanding into this place where they were unwelcome, only to pull out a few centuries later.

What life advice do you wish you’d been given sooner?

Learn to love who you are and make the most of it. I think we have that as a child and then we lose it our teens (particularly women) as we try to conform to some unobtainable standard of perfection (in looks, job, motherhood—it doesn’t matter what we do someone will always find fault). You just have to let it go and be who you are and happy with that. I’m also a big believer in making change happen instead of waiting for it to happen.

If you were a supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

While I haven’t written many shifters I think being able to turn into a large cat would be pretty cool.

Where do you write best?

At my desk, but I plot all over the place :)

What was the last book you read, and what were your thoughts on it?

I’ve just finished reading books for the RITA competition so I can’t talk about them. The last great book I read was Collapse by Jared Diamond. It’s non-fiction about why societies fail. I like reading non-fiction as it gives more information for my mind to draw on when thinking up plots and ideas.

If you didn’t write in your genre, which other would you prefer and why?

I love reading historical romances, but I’ve always been too scared to try writing one in case I screw up the research.

Where can fans find you online?

You can find me on http://www.facebook.com/shonahusk as well as my website http://www.shonahusk.com twitter @shonahusk and goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3464665.Shona_Husk or fans can join my newsletter http://eepurl.com/lySiD

Lunar Reunion buy links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lunar-Reunion-2-Decadent-Moon-ebook/dp/B00ID8MAO0

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lunar-reunion

Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/lunar-reunion.html

Tasting Thanatos: http://www.amazon.com/Tasting-Thanatos-Shona-Husk-ebook/dp/B00545BZ4Q

Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/tasting-thanatos.html

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: author interview, Elloras Cave, Erotic Romance, paranormal romance, Shona Husk

Interview with Shelley Munro

Tell us about your publishing journey…

2014 marks ten years for me as a published author. I’ve always been a big reader and as a teenager decided I’d like to write my own books. My reading tastes centered on romance and mysteries, and this seemed the logical place to start. Writing turned out to be a lot harder than I thought, and it took me several attempts to really get started. The years passed. I woke up one morning and thought, if I don’t start now, I’ll never become a writer. That was the official start of my writing journey. I wrote for six years before I sold my first manuscript, and I haven’t looked back.

What do you love about being an author?

Oh, that’s easy. I love being my own boss and the person responsible for the decisions. It’s very cool spinning tales and getting paid for the result.

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

I’ve been going through a historical romance faze, in both my reading and television viewing. Last year a new television show started down here in New Zealand, which was called Miss Fisher’s Mystery Murders. The show is based on the Phryne Fisher mysteries written by Australian Kerry Greenwood and is set during the 1920s. The main character is, of course, Phryne Fisher. She wears the most amazing clothes, meets very interesting people and she’s not prim and proper at all.

We’d drink champagne or cocktails and eat delicious canapes of deviled eggs, vegetable crudites, stuffed mushrooms, olives and salmon mousse while we discussed Phryne’s latest case. And, when Phryne isn’t looking, I’m going to steal into her room and steal some of her clothes and hats. You won’t tell, will you?

If I were visiting someone in the paranormal world, I’d love to chat with Buffy. She had a very interesting life.

If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

You know, I think I’d go with unknowns to cast as Saber and his brothers in my Middlemarch Mates shapeshifter series. I can’t think of many actors with black hair and green eyes, and I need five of them! For the female roles, I’d start looking down this end of the world in Australia and New Zealand since Scarlet Woman and the rest of the books in the series are all set in New Zealand.

Vampires – do you prefer them as sexy leads or blood hungry monsters?

I prefer them as sexy leads, but generally we need a few blood hungry monsters to create reader interest. Can I say both?

If you had a time machine, which era would you go back to and why?

I’ve already mentioned I’d like to go back to the 1920s to visit with Phryne Fisher, but I also enjoy 18th century England. They were quite naughty back then before Regency and Victorian people came up with all their pesky rules.

What life advice do you wish you’d been given sooner?

I’ve been very lucky with life advice, and even better, I listened to my parents when they told me to study and work hard and save some of my money every week. There is one thing—I wish I’d known more about different career possibilities. When I left school I went into banking, and I’ve worked in offices and as an accountant. While I love writing and being an author, my other passion is travel. I wish someone had suggested something in the travel field as an option for me to consider.

If you were a supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

I’d like to be a feline shapeshifter. They can shift any time they want and aren’t tied to the moon. They’re also very graceful and pretty to look at, yet they’re powerful killers too and capable of defending themselves.

Where do you write best?

I do all my best writing in a café. I have several favorite cafes where the staff know me very well. I can’t get up and wander around like I do at home, so I’m usually more productive.

What was the last book you read, and what were your thoughts on it?

During the last six weeks I’ve been judging books for the Romance Writers of America RITA contest, so I can’t talk about those. Now that I’ve finished reading my judging packet, I intend to start Dragon Awakened by Jaime Rush. This is the beginning of a new series, and written by a new-to-me author. I’m looking forward to it since I haven’t read many books featuring dragons.

If you didn’t write in your genre, which other would you prefer and why?

I enjoy writing paranormal romances, and I’m working on a new series now called Middlemarch Capture. I’ve combined paranormal and sci-fi with this new series and have feline shapeshifters. Cats in space!

Since I’ve been published for ten years, I’ve experimented with most genres that interest me and have published paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi and historical romances. At the moment I’m concentrating on my paranormal/sci-fi blends.

Where can fans find you online?

WEBSITE: http://www.shelleymunro.com

BLOG: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ShelleyMunroAuthor

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/ShelleyMunro  

PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/ShelleyMunro

TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ShelleyMunro

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:  http://www.amazon.com/Shelley-Munro/e/B001JOWGNK

NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/A2xfH

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: author interview, Elloras Cave, Erotic Romance, paranormal romance, Shelley Munro

Book Review: Awakened by Kriston Johnson

Synopsis:

Can fighting for the right side be the wrong thing to do?

Draven, the tyrant ruler of Elyndia for the last one thousand years, searches for the one who can fulfill his prophecy.

The Paladins, an elite band of warriors sworn to protect their way of life at all cost, search for the one with the ability to bring their world crumbling down.

An innocent girl, tormented by demons only she can see, lives on the brink of insanity and longs for a life of peace.

When seventeen-year-old Jade Rosenberg reads from an antique book, she has no idea she just read an incantation awaking her inherited power. But when opposing—and equally terrifying—groups invade her home, she learns she is descended from an enchanted realm and a member of a powerful race thought to have been hunted to extinction.

Ripped from her world, Jade is forced to seek refuge from those who want her dead. She is given one of two options and the time has come for her to make a choice: assassinate their sworn enemy…

About the Author: 

Kriston Johnson lives in Southwest Washington with her husband, teenage son, and miniature Australian Shepherd. Her home rests at the fringe of an old growth forest that she insists is the home of Jason Voorhees. Her husband thinks that’s a ridiculous assumption, because everyone knows it’s really Bigfoot. Every summer Kriston participates in the annual pilgrimage to Faerieworlds, a real life faerie realm here on Earth, and has an unhealthy obsession with Star Wars, The Vampire Diaries, and Iron Man. Awakened is her first novel.

http://www.kristonjohnson.blogspot.com

My Review:

This book starts you in the middle of quite a traumatic scene and really gives you a hero you can stand behind. The protagonist, Jade can a bit ballsy at times, but its a nice change to the usual dull as dishwater and twice as soppy female leads that can end up in fantasy titles.

The book moved at a nice pace, and I finished quickly (which is always a good sign for me as a reader) It kind of reminded me of the Karen Marie Moning Fae series – gutsy gal can see things that others can’t, gets lost in world that’s not her own. But it wasn’t as adult (which isn’t a bad thing) and moved the direction that took the Fae series 4 books to, so if you’re a Moning fan, I’d definitely recommend picking up this book.

From a writer’s perspective, I’m starting to struggle with the ‘first book in a series’ syndrome. There always seems to be so many questions left unanswered and feels like you’re kind of being duped into reading more books. Looking into the literary past, I’m going to blame this on commercialism (yeah, I know I’m certainly not immune to this myself) All authors and publishers know that the real money in books is in the series. Look at the top authors today and you’d be hard press to find someone in the supernatural genre who doesn’t have a series to their name. It’s not so a much a bad thing, but can get frustrating when there’s obvious efforts to leave out important plot points to purely sell another book. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the series, there’s nothing better than following your favourite characters through a string of adventures, but they must still be complete adventures. A great example of this is Charlaine Harris’ (although her final sucked big time!) Sookie Stackhouse series which had the same characters in each book, but in a complete string of events, from start to finish.

The front cover is nice, It’s got Jade on there so makes sense, although the world behind her looks kind of normal and perhaps could do with including something in the background that clearly marks it as fantasy.

Overall I’d give Awakened 4 out of 5 stars, a promising start that needs a 2nd book.

Filed under: Book Review Tagged: Awakened (The Legends Of Elyndia) by Kriston Johnson

Book Review: Emily’s Heart by Natalie Wright

Synopsis:

The long-awaited final book in this popular magickal, action-packed teen series! Seventeen-year-old Emily Adams unintentionally unleashed a shadow god’s dark energy power into the world and started an Apocalypse. But Emily is also the only one that can end the dark god’s reign. Though the powerful faerie magic of the golden torc is still coiled around her arm, self-doubt threatens to undo her.

Emily wants nothing more than to feel the soft kiss of her one true love, but he won’t even speak to her. Her first crush is still quite dead and her best friend remains a prisoner in the dark god’s house of nightmares. A growing legion of black-eyed shadow people, devoid of conscience, roam the streets. Emily needs help now more than ever, but redemption seems far off indeed as she faces the expanding darkness alone. Emily will need an army of her own if she is to save the world from being taken over by pure evil.

But will a small band of Lucent geeks and freaks be enough to send the dark god packing? Amidst chaos and ruin, will love blossom in Emily’s Heart?

About the Author: 

I’m the author of The Akasha Chronicles, a young adult paranormal fantasy trilogy. When not writing, hanging out on Goodreads, blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting, Wattpadding or eating chocolate, I nurture my young daughter, geriatric dog and two young cats.

I am currently obsessed with all things Game of Thrones and have been known to spend hours pinning GoT jewelry, series photos and T-shirts to Pinterest.

I enjoy travel, good wine, and excellent food shared with family and friends. I was raised an Ohio farm girl, now live in the desert Southwest, but I dream of living in a high rise in a big city.

I enjoy chatting with readers, so don’t be shy.

   

My Review:

I was kindly given all three books in this series, and you really do need to read them in order to appreciate the final novel. As YA fiction goes it was a pleasant series that was easy to read. My only criticism is that Emily starts out at 14, which as we all know is a little young for YA. Most teen readers like to read about characters older than themselves, so it might not appeal to as bigger audience as it deserves.

From a writer’s perspective, as Emily was young, she was a little bit annoying as a character (to me as an adult reader) I found it hard to relate to her and felt her reactions to the more bizarre situations were unrealistic. Her very first contact with the supernatural comes through a hairy creature appearing in her room – I know that when I was 14 I would have grabbed my hockey stick and chased it round, not struck up a conversation with it! But hey, that’s just me!

The front covers are very YA, which is great – it’ll attract the right market. If I’m being honest, this is a book series that will be thoroughly enjoyed by younger reads, but lacks the more sophisticated aspects that could also draw an adult readership.

Overall I think to be fair to the author I need to give it a rating based on a young audience and how I think they would enjoy it. With that it mind it’s 4 out of 5 stars.

Filed under: Book Review Tagged: Emily's Heart, Emily's Heart by Natalie Wright, Emily's House, Emily's Trial, Natalie Wright

Interview with Gail Bridges

Thank you for hosting me, I’m so excited to be here. My name is Gail Bridges, and I write erotic horror novels in the “Shivers” line at Ellora’s Cave. I am taken with the combination of erotica and horror in the same book – which is very difficult – and I truly feel that erotic horror is an up-and-coming trope that is soon to become hot. Inn on the Edge is my first erotic horror novel, a deliciously creepy story about a newlywed couple that is taken captive by a Sex Demon. I am currently hard at work on my second erotic horror novel, tentatively titled Over the Edge.

Tell us about your publishing journey…

Several years ago, I wrote a science fiction work with a female protagonist, and despite querying numerous agents I had yet to find a home for it. Somewhat discouraged, I decided to write a practice piece of erotica. It was something I knew I needed practice with, because I tended to shove my main characters behind closed doors when things threatened to get hot and heavy. I was uncomfortable writing sex, and I needed to address that shortcoming.

I went all out. I wrote the most explicit scenes I could imagine, and the result was a short story, Paint Job. I found to my utter shock that I liked writing erotica. I immediately submitted the story to Ellora’s Cave, where it was accepted for publication.

It is now a year and a half later, and I have two full-length novels with Ellora’s Cave. My erotic romance America’s Darlings came first. Then I wrote my erotic horror Inn on the Edge, which was published in December. It’s been an amazing whirlwind, to say the least.

What do you love about being an author?

Creating my own world. I love making up situations and making them come to life. For instance, America’s Darlings is the story of a new sport in the Summer Olympics: Sexual Gymnastics. I had so much fun figuring out what sex-as-a-sport would look like. There would have to be coaches, and rules, and performances…the works. I knew that such a thing would never happen in real life, but I didn’t care. I thoroughly enjoyed coming up with the story, and then peopling it with characters whose very happiness depends on getting a medal for athletic and beautiful lovemaking.

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

The vampire from Octavia Butler’s “Fledgling”. She’s a young-old, dark-skinned vampire that is utterly unlike any vampire you’ll ever read about. For dinner, I would prepare beef stew with winter vegetables and make a loaf of homemade beer bread – and we would have a great conversation about demons.

If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

Oooh! Fun question. For Inn on the Edge… erotic horror…I would cast Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lawrence as the main characters. For the Demon…I would cast Harrison Ford.

Vampires – do you prefer them as sexy leads or blood hungry monsters?

That’s hard. I suppose I like the monster variety better – but only if you are allowed to see into the world of a vampire and understand why they are the way they are. Sometimes a monster only seems like a monster until you get to know him.

If you had a time machine, which era would you go back to and why?

I wouldn’t go back in time, I’d go into the future. What will this place be like in, say five hundred years? Or in five thousand? What will people be like?

What life advice do you wish you’d been given sooner?

I wish someone had told me that it doesn’t matter very much what other people think.

If you were a supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

I would want to be the type of demon in my own novel, Inn on the Edge.

Where do you write best?

I have two favorite spots. I have an office space I set up in our daughter’s old bedroom. I can see out into the street, which is great at times and distracting at others. For instance, the other day I was working on my new novel (tentatively titled Over the Edge) and I saw the neighbor’s dog wandering down the street. Not good. She went further and further from home. I couldn’t concentrate on my writing because I was worried. So I closed my laptop, went out, collected the dog, and walked her back home. It took me a good half hour to get back into the writing again.

My other favorite place to write is Zoka, a coffee shop in Seattle near my home. Love the place.

What was the last book you read, and what were your thoughts on it?

I just finished reading “Hild” by Nicola Griffith. It is a mammoth-sized book. It’s a good thing I like mammoth-sized books! I loved it and was totally caught up in the dark-ages world that Griffith created.

If you didn’t write in your genre, which other would you prefer and why?

Science fiction. I read a lot of it, especially science fiction by women writers such as Octavia Butler. I feel that there is so much potential in the genre – the characters I conceive are familiar, with familiar dilemmas and issues. They’re familiar people that I put into unfamiliar situations, and that is very exciting to me.

Where can fans find you online?

Gail Bridges website:  http://www.gailbridges.com/

My blog: http://gailbridges.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @GailWBridges

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/gailbridges123/

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Bridges/e/B00HCRT8G6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/inn-on-the-edge.html

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: author interview, Elloras Cave, Erotic Romance, Gail Bridges, paranormal romance

Interview with M. D Waters

Tell us about your publishing journey…

I started writing more than ten years ago, and knew from the moment I decided to do this that I wanted a traditional publishing career. I contemplated self-publishing many times, but it never felt right for me. So I stuck with it the old fashioned way. I queried agents and crossed my fingers, and after a lot of failed attempts, I finally found representation with the amazing Jennifer Weltz at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

I would love to have dinner with Rose Hathaway from the Vampire Academy, and it would consist of pizza and gooey brownies.

If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

Jennifer Lawrence as Emma, Charlie Hunnam as Noah, and Stephen Amell as Declan.

If you had a time machine, which era would you go back to and why?

I’d go back to the 20’s so I could wear flapper dresses and drink illegal booze in speakeasies with smooth-talking men.

What life advice do you wish you’d been given sooner?

I’m not sure there’s anything anyone could have told me that I didn’t NEED to learn myself. It’s an important process of growing up. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Find M D Waters online @ GoodReads and her Website: http://mdwatersauthor.com/ 

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: Archtype, author interview, M D Waters

Interview with Luke Walker

Tell us about your publishing journey…

It was a rollicking roller-coaster ride complete with twists, turns, double agents and hot dames with gams that wouldn’t quit. Not to mention the car chases, explosions, global conspiracies, black helicopters, alien invasions and a sceptical FBI agent sent to spy on me who became my closest friend and confidante. Oh, wait. That was something else.

Like most writers, it was a long, slow process involving writing story after story, book after book until they began to find homes. I’m 36 now and started writing seriously (as in with an eye on one day being published) when I was about 19 or 20. Not as long as some people but plenty long enough when my inbox was nothing but rejections. Sadly, that’s still the case occasionally now, but that’s part of being a writer. I had my first short story accepted about five years ago; my first novel published in early 2012 with a second a year later, and a novella with DarkFuse last September. Given that I probably average twenty hours a week of writing, I could work out how many hours of work went into it before I had a book published, but it doesn’t really matter. If a writer wants to be published, they’re going to need to put the time and effort into it.

What do you love about being an author?

Simply put, I love telling stories. I love meeting new characters and sticking with them on their journey (which in the case of my stories is usually an unpleasant journey). I’ve never wanted to do anything else so I do it.

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

Hannibal Lector? Actually, no. Probably not a good idea. Can I go for a drink with Richie from Stephen King’s IT, have a night on the town with the Marquis from Neverwhere and have dinner with the animals from Penelope Lively’s The Voyage of QV66? Given that the England of the story is mostly underwater, dinner would probably be fish.

If your book was to be made into a movie, who would you cast as the leads?

If we’re talking my novella, Mirror of the Nameless, then I see David Schofield (probably best known as Mercer in the Pirates of the Caribbean films) as Dave, and Rupert Grint as Tom. For my second book, ‘Set, I always pictured Emma Cleasby who played Megan in Dog Soldiers. Probably why I named the character after her. I can Martin Freeman playing the angel Afriel and Craig Charles as the demon Xaphan. And for my first book, The Red Girl, it’s an ensemble cast. I’ve always thought on the million to one chance it became a film, I’d like see a cast of unknowns.

As a horror writer you are looking to scare readers – what scares you?

Going to the dentist. And the usual ones of stuff happening to loved ones. Being a horror writer, my imagination is great for coming up with horrible stuff even though I know it’s not true. But mostly the dentist.

If you had a time machine, which era would you go back to and why?

First stop would be the mid-nineties to tell myself to get a haircut. Then back to prehistoric Britain. Just to get some peace and quiet.

What life advice do you wish you’d been given sooner?

As a few great men once said, always look on the bright side of life. And as another great man said, tell her about it.

If you were a supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

I always liked werewolves as a kid. These days, being one is about the only way I’d get to have any hair. If not a werewolf, then a zombie. I’ve said for years that Night of the Living Dead is the greatest film ever made so I’d have to be one of the walking dead, shuffling around in the hunt for sweet, juicy brains.

Where do you write best?

We have a spare bedroom so I write in there. Wherever I’ve lived, I’ve needed a room or an area to sit down and write in. I know some writers can do it wherever they feel like, but that’s not for me. I need a dedicated space for it. Give me that space, some music and a cup of coffee and I’m good to go.

What was the last book you read, and what were your thought s on  it?

Sarah Pinborough’s The Language of Dying. Absolutely superb. I’ve been a fan for a couple of years; this one is easily her best work to date.

If you didn’t write in your genre, which other would you prefer and why?

Tough one. Horror really is my thing. Doing anything else would feel like a fake. If I had to, I’d probably go for out and out fantasy without any horror elements. Or maybe a really nasty crime story. Overall, horror is what I’m good at so I best stick with it.

Where can fans find you online?

My blog is www.lukewalkerwriter.com or I’m on Twitter at @lukewalkerbooks and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LukeWalkerWriter. Come along and say hello wherever you fancy.

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: Dark Fuse, horror, Horror author interview, Luke Walker,

Book Review Eden Forest by Aoife Marie Sheridan

Synopsis:

Sarajane Anderson is your regular twenty one year old. With family, friends and a normal job. She also happens to be the only person who can save Saskia, a world parallel to earth.

When Sarajane is taken to Saskia, she could never have imagined the reality of the world she steps into, a world where magical abilities are in everyone’s possession.

She must face a father she never knew, a world that is beyond her belief. A guardian who captures her heart, and a darkness that wants to take it.

On this journey Sarajane discovers her magical abilities and realizes they come with a price. Sarajane is truly tested, as her loved ones are put at risk. The question she must ask herself is, how do you choose who lives and who dies?

About the Author:  

Aoife Marie Sheridan has loved reading from a very young age, starting off with mills and boon’s books, given to by her grandmother her love for romances grew, by the age of 14 she had read hundreds of them.

Aoife had a passion for writing poetry or in her eyes her journal entries. It was something she did throughout her teens and into her twenties. Aoife won first place for two of her poems and had them published at a young age of just nineteen. Realising she needed to get a real job (What writing isn’t) she studied accountancy and qualified working in that field for many years, until her passion for reading returned and she found Maria V Snyder. Poison study one of her favourite books has been read and re-read countless times.

Aoife’s first book Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) came to be after a dream of a man and woman on a black horse jumping through a wall of fire and the idea of Saskia was born. Now with her first novel published and taking first place for Eden Forest with Writers Got Talent 2013, Aoife continues to write tales of fantasy and is currently working on her third book for the Saskia Trilogy amongst other new works.

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My Review:

It takes a lot of time and effort to build a new world in a book, it can sometimes be thrown in too heavy handed or explained to the point of boredom – but Eden Forest manages to have the right mix of information and world setting without making the reader feel like they’re wading through the thick syrup of the author’s crazed day dreams.

The story is told from 3 view points and I really would have preferred just the one, it would have also made sense too, as the focal character of Sarajane would have made a great narrator and guide. This is just my opinion though, if you read this blog you’ll know that I tend to prefer first person narrative over third in both my own writing and the books I read.

From a writer’s perspective, I’ve always liked the idea of parallel worlds, but find them too needful and in-depth to write about myself. Keeping your world and the important info thereof, straight in your mind as you write is a skill all in its self and demands a lot of organisational patience and probably a tree’s worth of flash cards pinned to a board above the laptop.

The front cover is very interesting, it grabs the eye and it seems the more you look at it the more you see – kind of like the book itself. So I must admit that this would rank pretty high on my appeal scale.

Overall I’d give Eden Forest 4 out of 5 stars – a great excuse to leave this dreary reality behind, and have an adventure!

Filed under: Book Review Tagged: Aoife Marie Sheridan, Eden Forest, xpresso book tours