Darin Kennedy's Blog, page 5

Mussorgsky Mondays – Back In The Saddle

So, there haven’t been an awful lot of blog post of late, but I’m happy to report that I’ve been hard at work on the sequel to The Mussorgsky Riddle and I’m approaching the halfway point. Several hours between JJ’s Red Hots, Starbucks, and Brixx led to 2,758 words today, putting the total word count to just over 47,000 words. Mussorgsky was 116K, so I’m aiming for at least 100K on this one. This one is cooking along a lot like the first one did, and I think people who read the first will find a lot in common as well as a lot different in this one. First off, while I utilized the works of Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov for the first, I am channelling the work of a different “-sky” in this one, a composer whose works I was not all that familiar with, but have fallen in love with. I can’t wait for you all to read this one.

Would be a bit further along, but I took off about 2.5 weeks from the novel to knock out two short stories, one for the next Curiosity Quills Anthology and the other for a Kickstarter project that I hope to be a part of! More on both of those as they unfold.

And with that, I have written enough today. Hope to be back here a lot more often as summer hits, but for now, know that I am working as fast as I can to bring you all a worthy sequel and another exciting adventure with psychic extraordinaire, Mira Tejedor!

Lastly, today is Memorial Day, and I would be remiss if I didn’t send a big thank you skyward to all the men and women who have died defending our great country. And to the irreplaceable soldiers, both enlisted and officer, from the 101st that we lost during our time together in OIF1, know that you are not forgotten.

Tomorrow, work begins anew, but for tonight, it is time to retire…

Darin

ConCarolinas, Here I Come!

For the last several years, I’ve attended ConCarolinas, the biggest science fiction / fantasy convention in the Carolinas each year, and this year I have the distinct honor of going as a guest! Looking forward to seeing everyone out in their Con finest. Look for me and a whole bunch of other great writers along Author’s Alley and come find me at the panels listed below! Special thanks to Misty Massey for organizing the Writer’s Track and to all the Con organizers for creating such a fun event year after year!

Friday, 29 May

5:00 pm Setting The Mood

Saturday, 30 May

3:00 pm What’s In A Name?

10:00 pm Mother, Matron, Crone

Sunday, 31 May

10:00 am When Plots Take Over

1:00 pm Stereotypes

2:30 pm What Genre Is This?

Launch Day for Matthew Saunders’ Daughters of Shadow & Blood – Book I: Yasamin

Today is the launch day for my friend Matthew’s debut novel, Daughters of Shadow & Blood – Book I: Yasamin. A tale of the first of Dracula’s three brides, it’s Dracula meets The DaVinci Code with some elements of Interview with the Vampire. Definitely a great read and worth checking out.

Available on Amazon (link) in paperback and ebook as well as many other places.

Find Matthew at his website, Write, Wrote, Written, on Twitter @jmattsaunders, or on Facebook.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Darin

 

The First Day of May… or Why is it so hard to find time to blog?

I don’t have time to write. I don’t have time to exercise. I don’t have time to create a blog post.

I don’t have time to do whatever.

I think many of us say some permutation of this on a frequent basis, and the truth of the matter is sometimes it’s true. We all have a ton of competing things jockeying for top spot in our lives.

Relationship. Family. Children. Job. Sleep. Eating. Exercise. Writing. The list goes on and on and there are only twenty-four hours in a day.

And yet, as my friend John Hartness pointed out two nights ago, it’s also bullshit. We all have time to do exactly what it is we want to do. Simple fact.

We have to work. We all require some sleep. But for writers, we can choose whether or not to open up our word processor or put pen to paper, or as Stuart Jaffe recommends, even dictate into a recorder. Unfortunately, as I have discovered, books don’t write themselves.

The truth is we all want to write. And sleep. And see our significant other. And spend time with our kids. And. And. And.

For writers, especially those with day jobs (which is a big majority of us) I think it’s sometimes rough to find time to do all the things we are told we are supposed to do.

Put down 2,000 new words on your WIP per day. Be active on Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Tumblr / etc. Blog. Make appearances at conventions / bookstores / writers groups. Be available.

Life is a pie chart. For writers, our writer life is just one piece of the pie. We have to decide how much of our day/week is “writer”. Then, that pie piece gets divided as well. If we spend it all promoting, when do we write? If we spend it all writing, when do we promote? And especially when there’s no guarantee our WIP will be picked up or our social media message will be seen, sometimes I think we feel like we’re shouting into the void.

Trust me, I’d love to have my 2,000 words every day and write a novel in 2 months AND have a daily blog AND get out a significant heartfelt message every 2-3 hours to all my Tweeps and Facebook friends. But I can’t. Even with Hootsuite.

My “Freshly Booked” Interview on WON – Writers Online Network

Apologies. This blog post is still under construction.

Cover Reveal for The Rearranged Life by Annika Sharma

The Rearranged Life is the debut novel of my agency mate and publisher mate, Annika Sharma. She, Ara, and I are all in Stacey Donaghy’s stable and are all published by Lisa Gus and Eugene Teplitsky at Curiosity Quills Press. So happy to continue to get the word out on good books by good people!

 

Title: The Rearranged Life

Author: Annika Sharma

Cover designer: Eugene Teplitsky

Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Release day: May 15th

PREORDER e-Book TODAY! Print editions coming soon!

 

About The Rearranged Life:

 

Nithya, a vivacious, intelligent and driven college senior has always known what she’s wanted: a successful career in medicine and the love of her family. She’s even come to terms with the idea of an arranged marriage, a tradition her conservative Indian family has held up for thousands of years.

When a night of partying puts her on a collision course with danger, Nithya’s entire life changes. Enter James St. Clair, the smart, challenging and heartbreakingly handsome American. As Nithya and James fall in love, she questions the future she and her parents have always planned. To make matters worse, Nishanth, the son of newly reunited family friends is the perfect match for her in the eyes of her loved ones.

Now, Nithya has a choice to make: become a doctor and a good Indian bride, or step away from her family and centuries of culture to forge her own path. The decision she comes to takes her on a journey that transforms how she sees her future, her relationships with loved ones, and how she learns to put herself back together when even her best-laid plans fall apart.

 

Exclusive Excerpt

There it is again. That electric charge. It’s as if the air between us has solidified into a molten mass, white-hot and pulling us together like magnets. My heart pounds so hard, I’m afraid it’ll break the stone we are sitting on. His eyes stare into mine, and I am engulfed by their vibrant green sheen. James crosses his legs and straightens his back from the way he was leaning. He’s closer to me now. I can see the shade of stubble on his chin and exactly where his jaw flexes. There’s a scar on his forehead near his eyebrow, and I wonder distractedly where he got it.

“You can really see the stars out tonight.” He tilts his head. I turn around, taken aback by the change of subject. The shadows of the mountains in the distance are huge waves of dark blue on the horizon. The green grass in the fields behind the pavilion appears teal in the night. There are no lights there, while the other side of the arboretum is lit by campus streetlights. The stars are brilliant, glittering specks against a dark background. Suddenly, one jets across the sky, trailing faint white light behind it. It travels so quickly, my eyes can hardly keep up.

“Hey!” James and I cry out, pointing to the shooting star. The second it disappears into the universe, I close my eyes.

“What’re you doing?” James whispers. I hold up a finger to make a wish, willing it to happen with all of my heart and soul. I wish this night would never end.

“I had to make my wish.” I whisper back. I’m not sure why, but after the fleeting glimpse of the meteor, it feels appropriate.

“What did you wish for?” He has shifted his weight again, his position mirroring mine perfectly.

“I can’t tell or it won’t come true. Did you wish for anything?”

He shakes his head, smiling.

“It’s not too late. You still have time. Give it a shot.”

He closes his eyes, and the vision of him with his eyes serenely closed, cross-legged on the stone floor inches away from me, is seared into my mind. He looks so peaceful, like a child. A wistful smile lingers on his lips—until his eyes flutter open, and his smile turns playful.

“Are you going to tell me what you wished for?” I repeat his question.

“It won’t come true.” He echoes my response.

We are inches from each other. Our faces tilt toward one another, our images reflecting in each other’s eyes.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” he whispers.

“I really want you to,” I reply, breathlessly.

He moves in closer, taking his time. The world has stopped. There are no passing cars, no breezes blowing through the trees, no ties binding us to anyone but each other. When his lips finally touch mine, it is as if a fire bursts to roaring, glorious life inside me—it is flaming, reaching for any way to free itself from my body. Though I’ve never done this before, I have no worries. I am a lost soul, and he is my lifeline.

“You taste like chocolate,” he whispers to me, grinning.

“Is that a racial reference?” I ask him, smiling.

He laughs softly, his forehead pressed against mine, his hand still grazing my cheek, fingers entwined in my hair. “I guess I got what I wished for.”

“You wasted a wish. I would have kissed you anyway.” I tell him, playfully.

“I didn’t want to take any chances,” he murmurs and kisses me again.

I am in heaven, and there is nowhere I would rather be.

 

About Annika:

Annika Sharma was born in India and moved to the United States (Pennsylvania!) when she was a baby. Annika was a daydreamer from day one, always coming up with stories and games of pretend that seemed real. She was a serious journal-writer from fifth grade to college and wrote dramatic scenes for stories often, inspired by soap operas she watched in summers off from school.

Eventually, when the time for college came around, Annika’s parents encouraged her to pursue journalism. Convinced she couldn’t make a living from writing, Annika disagreed. After five years, two degrees, two minors, working with children, being a dancer teacher, and creating a two-and-a-half page resume in college that had interests so all-over-the-place that even she couldn’t make sense of it, Annika finally decided her parents were right. Writing was where her heart was, all along.

In the month before graduate school, the idea Annika had in my mind for years finally poured out in the form of the novel, The Rearranged Life. Annika began editing in earnest after she finished her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education, landing Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary Group as an agent. Three months later, she had a book deal with Curiosity Quills.

In her spare time, Annika loves spending time with her family and friends, often indulging in the three S’s: Starbucks, shopping and superhero movies. As a chocolate lover and general all-around vegetarian foodie, Annika also adores cooking.

Follow Annika here: Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Goodreads // Website

My “Dear Teen Me” Letter

I had the great fortune of being asked (thanks to Clare Dugmore at Curiosity Quills) to be a part of “Dear Teen Me” where authors get to send letters to their teenage selves to give them advice and some words of encouragement. I really enjoyed putting this together and wanted to share it here on the blog, since I’ve been a little too busy putting words into the new book to really post much on the blog of late.

Here is a link to my letter, in case you were wondering what I’d tell my 1987 self if I could…

By the way, we were told to include “epic” pictures of ourselves as teens. What do you think?

Darin

“Flight of the Pegasus”

Airships & Automatons

Mar 2015 – White Cat Publications (Reprint)

In an alternate 1890, where airships rule the sky, automatons service

the brilliant and wealthy, and hard steam powers the world,

Captain Craig Carruthers stands in the breach.

The only survivor of a government experiment gone horribly awry,

Carruthers uses the strength and resilience granted him by Professor Lydon’s

hard steam infusion along with his keen intellect and honed reflexes

to battle the nefarious Klaus Behringer, the Butcher of Berlin.

Cover Reveal for Game of Love by Ara Grigorian

 

I’m excited to reveal the cover for Game of Love, a new sports romance from friend, agency mate, and publisher mate, Ara Grigorian! Check out all the fun details about this sexy romance!!!

 

Title: Game of Love

Author: Ara Grigorian

Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance

Release Day: May 4TH

 

About Game of Love:

Game of Love is set in the high-stakes world of professional tennis where fortune and fame can be decided by a single point.

Gemma Lennon has spent nearly all of her 21 years focused on one thing: Winning a Grand Slam. After a disastrous and very public scandal and subsequent loss at the Australian Open, Gemma is now laser-focused on winning the French Open. Nothing and no one will derail her shot at winning – until a heated chance encounter with brilliant and sexy Andre Reyes threatens to throw her off her game.

Breaking her own rules, Gemma begins a whirlwind romance with Andre who shows her that love and a life off the court might be the real prize. With him, she learns to trust and love… at precisely the worst time in her career. The pressure from her home country, fans, and even the Prime Minister to be the first British woman to win in nearly four decades weighs heavily.

As Wimbledon begins, fabricated and sensationalized news about them spreads, fueling the paparazzi, and hurting her performance. Now, she must reconsider everything, because in the high-stakes game of love, anyone can be the enemy within… even lovers and even friends.

In the Game of Love, winner takes all.

Preorder today!!!

Exclusive Excerpt:

 

“We are made strong by the difficulties we face, not by those we evade.”

~Author Unknown

Gemma’s security flanked her, their grip tight on her arms. Bedric, her coach, rushed ahead, slamming open the hotel’s glass doors to the roar of the French paparazzi―a cacophony of questions, comments, and insults.

Gemma moderated her breathing, prepared for another three-second spurt of chaos.

Three…

“―What happened in your hotel room?”

They knew. Dozens of cameras from all directions chirped and flashed. She kept her eyes trained on her goal: the awaiting car.

Two…

“―Mademoiselle! Gemma! One smile.”

The paparazzi bore in from her right. Only a few more steps. A knee rammed into her thigh. That one would leave a mark. A bruise that the papers would dissect and analyze gratuitously.

One…

“―Why were you hiding for four months? Were you going to quit tennis?”

Don’t react. Say nothing. Bedric forced the car door open, giving Gemma the opening she needed to squeeze in. He followed.

Zero.

The door slammed behind them, and the sounds of commotion lowered to a gentle hush. Black tinted windows offered a veil of privacy. Bodies, camera lenses, and faces smashed against the glass. Only inches separated her from the paparazzi. There had been a time when she used to move to the center of the car, creating as much separation as possible. But now she knew better. Distance was a mere illusion of safety.

The locks engaged, and the car accelerated away.

She didn’t like surprises―particularly on game day―but in this case, her security lead’s demand to move her to another hotel had been spot- on. It was one thing for the paparazzi to gather outside. It was quite another when one found his way into her hotel suite… while she slept. The French paparazzi were setting a new standard.

“This is not good,” Bedric said in stoic English.

She eyed her superstitious coach, who was always concerned with deviations from routine. But the concern etched on his face wasn’t about superstition. He didn’t want a repeat performance of the Australian Open months earlier.

“You have not rested,” he continued, “and you have yet to get breakfast.”

“We’ll be fine. We are fine,” she said, nearly believing it herself. “As for breakfast, we’ll grab something at the new hotel.”

The car swerved as the driver made a temporary effort to lose their tail. Memories of another car chase months earlier inched its way into her throat.

“There will be people. You don’t need more distractions.”

“More distractions?” She had woken to the sound of an intruder in her suite, and now she was rushing from one hotel to another on the morning of her quarterfinal match. How much worse could it get? “We’ll be discreet. Run in, eat, and we’ll be off.”

The car’s tires screeched as the driver took another quick turn. It was happening again. Another chase just before a critical match. Only this time, the driver wasn’t drunk.

From her bag, Gemma removed a tennis ball and twirled it in her hand. One point at a time. She focused on the soft texture. Familiar. Calming. Poking out from inside her bag, the newspaper article from the day before mocked her. Inch-tall letters above her picture: The Great Hype―Five Years and Still Waiting. She squeezed the tennis ball over and over again until her fingers went numb.

She dropped the ball back inside the bag, then closed her eyes, hoping to salvage some sleep. She crossed her arms and tried to control her shivering. No, she wasn’t cold. She just wanted five minutes alone with the bastard who had violated her space. Gemma almost wished the coward hadn’t bolted when she charged him, tennis racquet in hand.

 

About Ara Grigorian:

Armenian by heritage, born in Iran, lived in Barcelona, and escaped New York until he found his home in Los Angeles, Ara’s first eleven years were both busy and confusing. The fruit salad of languages would slow down his genetically encoded need to tell stories. Until then, an alter ego would be required…

He received an engineering degree from California State University Northridge and earned his MBA from the University of Southern California. Today, he is a technology executive in the entertainment industry. True to the Hollywood life, Ara wrote for a children’s television pilot that could have made him rich (but didn’t) and nearly sold a video game to a major publisher (who closed shop days later).

But something was amiss until his wife read him the riot act. “Will you stop talking about wanting to be a writer and just do it?” So with her support (and mandate), and their two boys serving as his muse, he wrote stories.

Fascinated by the human species, Ara writes about choices, relationships, and second chances. Always a sucker for a hopeful ending, he writes contemporary romance stories. He is an alumnus of both the Santa Barbara Writers Conference and Southern California Writers’ Conference (where he also serves as a workshop leader). Ara is an active member of the Romance Writers of America and its Los Angeles chapter.

Ara is represented by Stacey Donaghy.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

 

 

Mysticon or Bust! (AKA my first con appearance!)

 

From 27 February through 1 Mar 2015, I will be in Roanoke at Mysticon, my very first fan convention appearance. This will be an exciting time for many reasons.

First, I’ve attended many conventions over the years, but always have been one of the folks in the audience. It will be an interesting experience to suddenly be on the other side of the table doing the panels as opposed to watching and listening to them. I’ve signed up for quite a few, some in general fandom, some talking about doctoring / science in science fiction and fantasy, and one or two a bit germane to my writing.

Second, I’ll be doing some readings and at least one signing and I’m looking forward to meeting some fans and hopefully introducing some new folks to The Mussorgsky Riddle and Pictures at an Exhibition / Scheherazade by proxy. Good reads and good music – kind of like chocolate and peanut butter.

Third, Roanoke is where I completed my family medicine residency, and so this will be a homecoming of sorts. Looking forward to doing a drive by of my old house and seeing all the trees I planted back in 1997 to see how big they’ve gotten. I miss that old house sometimes…

Lastly, the road trip up with Gail Z. Martin and J. Matthew Saunders promises to be a blast. Definitely looking forward to that. I suspect we may all be hoarse before we even hit the Virginia state line…

I look forward to meeting a ton of new folks and reconnecting with a few folk I’ve met from previous cons. From what I understand, Mysticon is SOLD OUT and therefore this looks to be one heck of a weekend!

My schedule is listed below. Hope some of you come and check out some of my panels, readings, and signings!

Mysticon or bust!

Darin

 

Friday, 27 Feb 2015

3pm: Top 10 Animated Shows of All Time

4pm: Putting the Science in Science Fiction

6pm: Is There a Doctor on the Starship?

7pm: Arts & Music in Fantasy/ Science Fiction

 

Saturday, 28 Feb 2015

9am: When did Sci-Fi become Mainstream?

11am: Signing Table A

5pm: Sonic Wave – Doctor Who in Modern Pop Culture

 

Sunday, 1 Mar 2015

10am: Author Reading – The Mussorgsky Riddle

12:30pm: Author Reading – The Mussorgsky Riddle

1pm: Bringing the Comic Book World to the TV or Big Screen