Aaron Speca's Blog: Me and My Others, page 6

Souls Around the World Blog Tour - The Realmwalker Prophecy: Heart of the Mermaid

Welcome to this stop on the "Souls Around the World" Blog Tour!  Patricia and I are very happy to have you here to introduce you to our upcoming novel "The Realmwalker Prophecy: Heart of the Mermaid".  We hope you are enjoying the tour, and that you will like this special themed excerpt from the novel, to fit the "souls" and "scares" theme of the month.  First, a blurb.

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"The Realmwalker Prophecy: Heart of the Mermaid"
Rudy MacTavish, at one time, was a pirate.  Captured and indentured into service in the Royal Navy, he had put aside tales told by his late parents of monsters and mermaids, focusing on his duty and an end to his tenure.  A mysterious stowaway affects him in a way he could not have anticipated, and he finds himself thrust into an unexpected adventure that could impact all of history.

Trish had a simple mission given to her by her father.  Sneak aboard the HMS Ursuline and steal an object that no person should be in possession of.  No human, at least.  When your father is the king of the Mer, you do what he says and don't question.  Her encounter with a human sailor unlike any human she had ever met causes her to do just that.

Their journey takes them from the blue waters of the Caribbean to the ruins of a long-lost city, with the fate of more than one world in the balance.  For if the power that Trish's father seeks falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the end of their world ... and the next.
Many Realms.  Two Souls.  One Prophecy. "The Realmwalker Prophecy"
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The sky had darkened overhead, and the men were scurrying about. Many brandished firearms, either pistols or muskets. The wind had kicked up, and the deck pitched beneath them.“Load the cannons and prepare to fire! Move like ye lives depend on it!” Stryder shouted over the din.Rudy made his way to the Captain’s side. “What are you shooting at?”To Rudy’s shock, Stryder picked up a rifle and tossed it to him. “Ye might be needing that, lad. Because the beastie is here.” He pointed out over the frothy water. Rudy looked, and the surface was broken by a huge dark shape. “Starboard cannons, fire!” The ships shook as every cannon on the starboard side of the ship fired at once.Several of the cannonballs fell short, but a couple found their mark. A pain-filled roar came forth, and the mass submerged before Rudy could get a good look at it.“It’s the Leviathan isn’t it?” Rudy’s question was interrupted when something struck the ship from below, throwing them all off of their feet. The crew started firing over the side straight down, as Stryder propped himself up on his elbow and grinned.“Aye, that it be.”Rudy got his feet back under him and rushed to the starboard railing with Trish in tow, and leaned over the side. The mammoth beast met the ship spine to spine, slithering under the hull. The monster’s back was deep green and scaly, but that was all they could make out before it disappeared again. The ship seemed to relax for a moment.Stryder was behind them. “This ship will hold up. It was built for this singular purpose.” Rudy wasn’t sure whether Stryder was trying to convince them or himself.D’Von and two other men pushed past them, securing what looked like a giant crossbow to the rail. Saffire was behind them barking orders as they inserted a huge harpoon into the weapon. The water burst off the starboard side again and the creature rose up to a height halfway up the mast. They all got their first good look at it.Rudy gulped as he cocked the rifle. It was snakelike, undulating as it rose. Its head looked like pictures that Rudy had seen in storybooks as a child, of dragons, with rows of tentacles down its side instead of arms. Dragons! It’s almost as crazy a notion as mermaids. Right … He looked over at the woman who had his heart. Yes, about as crazy as that. He turned and fired a couple of ineffectual shots into the writhing body of the lizard. “Get that gun swung around!” Saffire yelled at D’Von. Trish turned and called out to them, holding up her arms. “No, no!” He fired, ignoring her, and the spear embedded in the neck of the creature, right under is jaw. It roared, and Rudy could see teeth the size of a man’s torso. Even with the roar, the impression was more of anger than pain.“I think you made it mad,” Trish said matter-of-factly to Stryder, glaring at him. Rudy couldn’t help but smile ... to her credit she wasn’t acting afraid at all. But then, she could survive in the water where the rest of them couldn’t.The beast dove again. This time it stayed down. Seconds went by, and then a minute. The crew started to murmur, and a couple of them patted each other on the back.“Stand fast, mates! It be not done with us yet.” Stryder nodded to D’Von who started to reload the harpoon gun.Trish grabbed Rudy’s arm. “He’s right. But fighting it this way won’t work.”The relative quiet was broken as the beast broke the surface on the port side of the ship this time. It didn’t stay up for long. It arched, and dove again, flexing its tentacles and tail as it did. Rudy’s eyes grew wide … “Get down!” He tackled Trish to the deck covering her as several dull thuds came from the deck along with a cacophony of screams.They both picked up their heads to see long barbs sticking out of three men’s chests, and a fourth man motionless, blood pouring from his throat. A bloody spike was embedded in the wood behind him. “Well, that’s one hell of a development.” The ship shook again as it was struck from below, and this time Rudy could hear a crack.“They have to stop, that beast will rend the ship in two and send us all to the depths.” Trish gazed into his eyes.
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CONTEST!  Make a comment below with the name of your favorite mermaid from books, television, or movies, and be entered in a drawing for a copy of "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness Volume 1", the anthology that contains our first ever published work, the precursor to "The Realmwalker Prophecy".  The drawing will be October 31st.
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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday - Jeanette Hornby

This Friday, we have Jeanette Hornby all the way from Australia!  I will let her introduce herself ...

I live in the south west of Western Australia. I’m married with two children, one dog – an old staffie, and one gorgeous grandchild. I have always loved to read and write and studied literature in high school. I started taking my writing seriously about four years ago and began writing lessons. For me, writing and publishing my novels is a dream come true.
Jeanette, talk to us a bit about your journey in writing.  What made you decide to write and eventually to try to publish?
It seems I’ve always written.  As a young girl I used to jot down poems about anything and everything.  This continued on in my teenage years where I progressed to writing short stories.  Later, I began to write novels – all cringe-worthy if I read them now but the writing bug never left me.
Finally, when my children grew up, I decided to pursue my passion and began writing seriously.  I met an author who introduced me to her writing teacher/editor and publisher.  Things progressed from there.
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
I believe in reincarnation and can remember some of my past lives.
Do you remember what it was like, the feeling you had when you learned your first book was out there in the world?
If truth be known, it was terrifying.  It felt like I was on trial. 
Tell us a bit about your latest book, “Grapevines and Gum Trees”.
Grapevines and Gum Trees, is set in the mid-80s in an historic town not far from where I live.  It is a story of love, change, and acceptance.
My father’s family lived in the town of Yarloop where the story is set and my grandfather had a small vineyard and made his own wine so the area and topic have special meaning for me. 
Also, you may know that Australia’s mining industry has grown and prospered in the last few years. Unfortunately, there are often dire consequences to the expansion of mining and industry.

Yarloop has undergone some tremendous changes since the time of the book’s setting and I wanted to showcase the area as it was. There are some great memories embedded there.
Here’s the blurb:

Isabella Di Rossi's idyllic life on the family vineyard, in the town of Yarloop, is about to change. With sabotage of the grapes, and the unravelling of her parents' secret past, Isabella is also confronted with a handsome stranger.
In possession of an old photograph, Louie McGregor is searching for a father he has never known.
Added to that, is the reappearance of the Di Rossi's mysterious neighbour, Jack Cesario.
As the secrets begin to unfold, and Louie returns to his home, Isabella finds comfort with another. But events are heating up at the Di Rossi vineyard, and Louie's search is far from over.
Will the past be forgiven? Will Isabella make the right choice? And will Louie be accepted for who he is?
If there is one character you’ve written that you would really like people to meet, who would it be and from what book?
I’d have to say ‘Patty Brennan’ from my first novel Heart’s Promise.  The character is loosely based on a childhood friend who passed away a few years ago. Like Patty, my friend’s vibrant personality often masked the tumultuous circumstances of her life. She made life so much more interesting.
What other ideas do you have bouncing around in your head?
I’m currently working on ‘Escape Down Under’. It is a contemporary romance/suspense novel set in Perth/Port Hedland in Western Australia showcasing the glorious country and ever present mining industry.
I also have an idea for another story inspired by a road sign.   It will deal with forgiveness and reconciliation and will be set in country Western Australia.
What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
Probably, the way people open up to you and tell you their stories.
I notice you feature books from other writers on your web site as well.  What has that experience done for you?
I’ve met some amazing authors and read their interesting books.  It has also driven traffic to my website and blog. 
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
Family, especially now I have a grandchild.  Gardening is hobby that helps clear my head.I also work with beads and make bookmarks and jewellery items.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!
What is your favorite word? Flibbertigibbet (love the way it sounds)What is your least favorite word? At the moment - CheersWhat turns you on? ChivalryWhat turns you off? ChauvinismWhat sound or noise do you love? A Kookaburra’s laughWhat sound or noise do you hate? Loud music (base) when I’m trying to sleep.What is your favorite curse word? A***holeWhat profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I always wanted to be a singer but can’t sing a tune.What profession would you not like to do? PoliticianIf heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? You did great with what you had.What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? What’s it like on the other side?
Jeanette, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?
Website   Blog   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads   Google   Pinterest 
Amazon   Smashwords   Barnes & Noble   iTunes   Diesel Ebook Store   Ebook Eros
Kobo   Sony Reader  Fishpond


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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday - Dominica Malcolm

Today I am happy to introduce you to Dominica Malcolm, fiction author, screenplay writer, and traveler.  Dominica has just released her first novel, and I am thrilled to have a fellow pirate here on the blog!

Dominica Malcolm is a writer of speculative fiction and screenplays. She recently published her first novel, Adrift, and has a list of short stories that have been or are soon to be published. Though born and raised in Western Australia, her family mainly hails from the US, and she has been living in Malaysia since late 2008. When she's not writing, she enjoys stand-up comedy, filmmaking, and travelling around the world.
Talk to us a bit about your journey in writing.  What made you decide to write and eventually to try to publish?
I've written a range of things for a long time, from plays and stories in primary school, lyrics, poetry, and stand-up comedy in high school, and blogging about travel since my first solo trip abroad in 2004. After that first trip, I studied screenwriting when I took a Graduate Diploma in Media Production. When I moved to Malaysia, I rediscovered my interest in stand-up comedy, and started performing again, until I got pregnant with my second child and quit. Around that same time, I discovered an online writing competition called LJ Idol, which is where I started to more seriously think about what I could do as a writer. During my second season of that (season 7, 2010-11), I ended up finding an audience that seemed to be interested in a good portion of the writing I produced in the competition. It was that audience that inspired me to work toward publication. While I'm here, I may as well quickly plug the competition – I believe the final season of the game is due to start sometime in the next couple of months, so if anyone else thinks they might like to check it out, now might be their last chance!
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
I don't know if this will surprise people given the mention of my travel, but I'm a pretty big Disney fan, and as such I've been to all the Disney park locations – Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Paris. There are only a couple of parks as part of those complexes I haven't actually been to (Tokyo DisneySea, due to lack of time, and California Adventure, because it didn't exist when I last went to Anaheim). Of course, once the park opens in Shanghai, I'm going to have to go there, too.
What is it like, the feeling when your first book is out there in the world?
A mixture of nervousness and pride. Nervous, because you never know how your writing is going to be received, and whether you'll attract the right audience (meaning, the people who actually like the type of story you've written, rather than the people who are prone to hate it). The moment I had the paperback in my hand, though, I think aside from pride, there was just this overwhelming sense of awe and disbelief, because it's a fat book... I'm not entirely sure how I wrote that much!
Your novel “Adrift” was released yesterday.   Talk to us about this book and the inspiration for it.  (Of course, I’m very interested in anything involving pirates!)
As I mentioned above, I was involved in LJ Idol at the time. Since it was a reality TV style game where contestants keep playing until they either drop out or are voted out, I had been in it for many weeks. During one week, “Cracks” came up as a prompt at around the same time a friend of mine suggested I write a pirate character for myself to play for a short film I wanted to shoot with him. “Cracks” led to me thinking about cracks in time, which would've been easier to film than an historical pirate story, so I wrote a screenplay about that for the competition. It was only meant to be a stand alone short film, but the audience response that I got was that people wanted more about the characters. I went on to write a sequel short screenplay and two prose short stories whilst in the competition, and a few more short stories involving my characters for other prompts after I was voted out. Once that season was over, as I had met my editor during the game and he encouraged me to keep working at the story, I turned it into a novel.
The mermaid mythology aspect of the story was inspired by my friend and fellow LJ Idol competitor Sally Bell. The last piece I had written in the competition was a crossover story I teamed up with her on. Her story was about a mermaid, who got a brief mention in mine. The following week, I had to edit the story, so when I turned it into a more stand-alone thing, the mermaid became my own, and became a lot more fleshed out.
Part of the story was also inspired by my going to Washington, DC, and dressing up as my pirate protagonist, Jaclyn Rousseau, on International Talk Like a Pirate Day (almost exactly 2 years ago to the day – it's why I chose to release the book on September 19th). Wandering around the National Air and Space Museum dressed as her really helped me get inside her head. Then, when I got home from that trip and learned about the Occupy Wall Street movement, I was also inspired to include that in the plot.
If there is one character you would really like people to meet, who would it be?
One of my characters? I'd have to say Jaclyn Rousseau, then. Since I occasionally dress up as her, people might actually have opportunities to do so!
I understand you also developed your own cover.  What was challenging about that experience?
Researching cover design. I went through two other broad cover designs before I settled on the picture I chose. I may have liked the other pictures I'd selected in the other designs, but they weren't really appropriate for the cover. I looked up a number of blog posts about cover design, and I'd go into book stores to see what was typical of books in my genre before deciding the original designs were wrong. Listening to feedback from others about the covers was a little challenging at times, too, but it also helped the finished product.
What other ideas do you have bouncing around in your head?
I have a few short stories about my mermaid from Adrift, Prudence, that need to be written. A couple of them have been published elsewhere already (or will be soon), but the plan is to put a collection of stories about her into a book.
Aside from that, I have a few other short speculative fiction stories in progress, and I'm putting together an anthology of speculative fiction set in the Asia-Pacific region. Submissions are still open for that over at solarwyrm.com. Then there's another novel that I've outlined, and only recently figured out how I would turn into an urban fantasy story that deals with some of the darker sides of depression.
What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
I think I've been most surprised by how few of my friends actually seem to care what route I took to publish my book. I've spent a lot of time researching the differences between traditional and self-publishing and there always seems to be a lot of people critical of self-publishing, but overall I've been met with a lot of support.
I've also been pleasantly surprised to see people discover my book through Goodreads with little effort on my part. I thought that side of things was going to be a lot harder.
You definitely seem to have been many places.  What’s your favorite?
It's too hard for a traveler like me to pick just one place I like best, as there are so many I love for different reasons! The most recent of those that I've been to, though, is Melbourne, Australia. I've been to the city many times and, although I've never actually lived there, it always seems to manage to make me feel like I'm home.
Other top picks include Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya, Malaysia (after all, I've lived here for nearly 5 years), Japan (I've been to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto), Madrid, Honolulu, Boston, and New York City.
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
I recently attended a “comedy bootcamp” where I met a bunch of comedians who live and perform in different parts of Asia, which in turn inspired me to get back on stage and perform stand-up comedy again for the first time in over 3.5 years. I also have a background in filmmaking, and am supposed to be editing a music video for Oil in the Alley (an improv rock group based in Honolulu) that I've been working on for over a year. It's taken a backseat while I've been working on Adrift, but hopefully I can take a break from promoting the book and finish the video soon. Of course, there's also usually some travel plans I have lined up. I'm behind on a couple of blog posts about my trips to Kerala, India, and Melbourne and New Zealand, but I'll already be off on my next trip (3 hours up the west Malaysian coast) when this interview goes up!
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!
What is your favorite word? RhythmWhat is your least favorite word? NormalWhat turns you on? Compliments from people about things that I do/have done.What turns you off? Closed-minds – particularly those people who display evidence of extreme racism, misogyny, or bias against the LGBT+ community.What sound or noise do you love? The noise a plane makes as it's getting ready to take off.What sound or noise do you hate? Sirens.What is your favorite curse word? Oh, goodness, I don't tend to swear much, but I suppose when I do, I default to the f word. Although if douchebag counts, I like that one.What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Film director. I've done it (unpaid) on amateur productions, but I think it'd be cool to do at a professional level.What profession would you not like to do? Garbage collector.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? I know, right? What's up with all those people claiming to hate people in my name? (After I say something along the lines of “Good to know you I was right that you'd accept bisexuals like me.”)What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? Oh, goodness, I don't know. I already had another interviewer ask me something I would've put here before. Maybe, “How has living in Malaysia influenced your writing?” To which I would respond, it's helped me grow more culturally aware about race, to the point I consciously make an effort to include racial diversity in my stories whenever possible. There are probably a lot of other things I could talk about on that subject, but I'll leave it there for now.
DominicaSure! Here you go:
Web site/blogFacebook: Dominica Malcolm and Jaclyn Rousseau (for the pirate stuff)TwitterYouTubeGoodreads
Adrift (Kindle)Adrift (paperback)Adrift (elsewhere online)
One of the mermaid short stories I mentioned appears in this book:Fae Fatales: A Fantasy Noir Anthology(paperback)
Fae Fatales: A Fantasy Noir Anthology(Kindle)

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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday - Trish Kaye Lleone

Today we are spending time with Trish Kaye Lleone, women's fiction author whose novel "Dear Tommy" is nearing publication.  Here's a little bit about Trish:

Trish Kaye Lleone is a 37 year old Filipina Women's Fiction writer/author and marketing specialist. She has lived in the Philippines all her life and is looking forward to joining her fiance’ in Sydney, Australia soon. She loves chocolates, coffee, good food and good wine. Trish Kaye Lleone is a pen name.
Trish, I understand you weren’t originally planning to publish your first book, the anthology “Fired Up”.  Tell us what made you decide to go ahead and publish it.  Was publishing something you were always thinking of doing eventually?
I didn’t want to publish it for the simple reason that it is an erotica and I didn’t want any members of my family- especially my parents who are ultra-conservative- to get a hold of it and suffer a cardiac arrest. However, I really wanted to get published, it is a childhood dream and so I thought, “Heck, if getting published meant hiding behind a nom-de-plume, then I would take that risk.” So I did.
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
My maternal grandfather was Jewish. He came to the Philippines from Israel and fell in love with a Filipina. He settled and died here. I didn’t know about this until I was 32 years old because I never knew my biological mother. Finding out about my heritage was a shock, I have always known I looked different than most Filipinas and that I may have foreign lineage but my Dad always thought I had Italian blood.
Do you remember what it was like, the feeling you had when you learned your first book was out there in the world?
I self-pub’d through Amazon’s CreateSpace. When I hit the publish button, there was a nanosecond that I wanted to take it all back and cancel, I was so nervous and a large part of it was because of the fact that the book is erotica. I look forward to feeling nervous and excited when I publish my second book,”Dear Tommy” which is women’s fiction.
Tell us a bit about what you are working on right now.
“Dear Tommy” is about one woman’s struggle with infertility, a failed interracial marriage which is not exactly a result of the infertility and a failed adoption. This is a story inspired by my own story. Many adoptions fail because the adoptive parent and the child did not emotionally attach, or in some cases because the birth mother changed her mind about getting her child adopted. But what if the child and the adoptive mother were able to form a very special bond and yet, the adoption still got disrupted? What would happen to both of them? This book gives a lot of insights about this type of adoption disruption. Not a lot of people may believe it, but it does happen because it happened to me.
If there is one character you would really like people to meet, who would it be?
The main character in “Dear Tommy” and her name is Laurel. Laurel is a strong woman but often she doesn’t realize it because she is so entangled with her past and so lost in her own pains. She had to be pushed to her limits most of the time before she would put her foot down and fight back. She also always has good intentions but because of her impulsive nature, she often makes the wrong decisions which get her into trouble. Luckily, she is smart enough to find her way out.
It would also be great for people to meet David. David is a very loving, sensual, patient, considerate, gentle and wise man. His love for Laurel often takes my breath away. He is also bipolar.
What other ideas do you have bouncing around in your head?
To be honest, there are two books I am thinking about writing after “Dear Tommy”. One will be about politics and media and the other one will be about one family’s saga. Most of my main characters are women, for the first book it will be about a young lady journalist’s attempt to make it in the media industry and what she discovered in the process. The second one will have some family scandals peppered all over it.
What about being published and the book industry in general have most surprised you?
That there are so many wonderful Authors out there who are willing to help you, all you have to do is ask. In the last few months, I have met so many great people, so many talented writers who, just like me, are waiting to have their share of the limelight. It is both interesting and surprising to discover that the book industry in general, despite the competitiveness, is a very friendly industry. I am a member of several Writers’ Groups and I love how I get to interact with fellow writers from all across the globe.
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
I have a day job. I work for Firebrand Publishing and I am the company’s PR & Marketing Assistant. I manage the company’s social media marketing and I also blog on the company website’s blog page. Firebrand is based in Atlanta, Georgia and is a self-publishing company.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!
What is your favorite word? - babyWhat is your least favorite word?– “Batingan”. It’s a Filipino word that when translated in English means “leave”What turns you on? – Smart people turn me on. I am a Sapiosexual.What turns you off? – Dumb and disrespectful people turn me off big time.What sound or noise do you love? – This may sound weird, but the sound of my fiance’s snoring when he sleeps gives me some sense of peace especially at night. There was a time when I loved the sound of rain on my rooftop, but that has changed since my fiance’ came into my life.What sound or noise do you hate? – blaring horns, heavy metal music, loud sounds.What is your favorite curse word?– the “F” word.What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? – I have always wanted to be a lawyer. What profession would you not like to do? – Heaven forbid, I don’t want anything that deals with blood and gaping body parts.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? – I believe it does exist and I look forward to sitting at Jesus’ feet and hear him tell stories. Maybe a nice, warm “Now, rock the heavens, my child!” would be awesome.What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? – “Will you marry me?” J
Trish, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?

Aaron, I really appreciate this. Thank you for being so generous in having me featured on your website. I loved answering all of the questions! I am on Facebook and Twitter. I also blog, whenever I have the time, over at http://tklleone.blogspot.com/. The book “Fired Up” can be purchased through Amazon and I sincerely hope that people would watch out for “Dear Tommy” which is due to be out by late October. 


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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday - Alison DeLuca

Today on Finding Fiction Friday, we're pleased to bring you the delightful Alison DeLuca, steampunk and urban fantasy author.  Here's a little bit about her:

Alison DeLuca is the author of several steampunk and urban fantasy books.  She was born in Arizona and has also lived in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mexico, Ireland, and Spain.

A former teacher of Spanish and English, currently she wrestles words and laundry in New Jersey.
Alison, tell us what made you decide to try to become a published author?  How did you get started?
My route to publishing came through ABNA, the online publishing contest run by Amazon. Through the social interaction, I met an amazing group of people. We formed a Writer’s Collaborative so we could work and publish together.
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
I love to ski. My husband taught me when we first met, and I picked it up right away. Hurtling down a snow-covered hill at high speed is like flying.
Do you remember what it was like, the feeling you had when you learned your first book was going to be published?
Scary! I remember not being able to sleep as the realization hit: People are going to read my words. Suddenly my story seemed so silly. After I had readers contact me with glowing (and critical) reviews, the reality shone through: I have a responsibility, to make my books as well-written as I possibly can, and to continue any story I start to the very end. Readers connect on an emotional level with characters they like.
Your current series is called the “Crown Phoenix” series, with three books published and one more coming.  Tell us about this series.
Miriam is an orphan who runs into some very evil villains, as well as some great friends. As in life, there is no clearcut line between the two – Simon is the son of two of those baddies, and he becomes her greatest friend and ally.
They go through some exciting and terrifying adventures, all thanks to the Crown Phoenix – an old typewriter which is actually magic and can bend time and space.
So, my series is a bit like Doctor Who, set in Edwardian England. It’s the Doctor in Downton Abbey.
If there is one character you would really like people to meet, who would it be?
Definitely it would be Mana, Miriam’s governess. She is beautiful, elegant, intelligent, and a woman of color. She deals with Edwardian sentiment towards her race with grace, and she is a bit magical as well. Miriam loves her, and so do I.
What other ideas do you have bouncing around in your head?
Aha! I’ve become fascinated with superheroes and supervillains, so I’m considering a book about that theme. I’m also writing a Dieselpunk book about the evacuations of World War II, a time-travel piece with more mystery and magic. My publishing group is working on our annual charity book, a Christmas collection of kids’ stories, with all profits going to Water is Life.
What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
Alas, I have found that there are many wolves out there. Writers are innocent, in a way – we stay indoors a lot, we read and thus expect the villains to be punished and the good characters to be rewarded. Life is not always like that, unfortunately. That surprise led to a revelation: always cover your own back, triple-check any “opportunity” coming your way, and find a group of friends you can trust to support you as you support them.
What have you found most challenging about writing in the steampunk and urban fantasy genre?
There is a great deal of research needed when you are writing in those genres. My fourth and final CP book is about bathyspheres, so I learned all about the engineering and history about them. They are fascinating! And the explorers who first used them to discover the depths of the ocean were very brave.
But there is so much more than that: you need to know how your characters dress, talk, what they eat, even how they bathe and go to the bathroom. It is as though you must recreate an era in time, or create your own little world.
If I guess correctly from your web site, I believe you have an affinity for tea.  Do you have a favorite?
I do indeed. My mother was born in Dublin, so I’m all about Barry’s tea. It’s a good brown brew, and I like it, as the Irish put it, “strong enough to trot a rat across it.”
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
I have a daughter, who takes up all my time in the summer! I’m a stay-at-home mom, so I volunteer at her school. We like to go skiing together whenever we have the time, and in the summer we’re big swimmers. Other than that, I’m the typical geek girl, always with my head in a book.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!What is your favorite word? Very difficult to pick just one, but I love Petrichor: the scent of new rain on dry earth. How evocative is that?What is your least favorite word? Dissection is pretty nasty. So is Vivisection. Yup, those –ection words make me squirm.What turns you on? Supervillains. I love them. Also, intelligence.What turns you off? Bullies.What sound or noise do you love? My kid’s belly laugh – it rocks.What sound or noise do you hate? Really loud club music. I’m so uncool.What is your favorite curse word? Blast! (I love retro curses.)What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I would love to be a baker. Creating cakes is so much fun.What profession would you not like to do? Salesperson – I really stink at that.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “I read your final novel and loved it!”What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? “Why do you love supervillains so much?” Answer: Because they are brilliant, complex, and doomed to failure within their own plot systems. I find that very intriguing.
Alison, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?
Thank you so much for inviting me on your blog!
Facebook - http://on.fb.me/TNWEfbTwitter - https://twitter.com/AlisonDeLucaTrailer: http://bit.ly/CPtrailer
Book links:
KINDLECrown Phoenix: Night Watchman Express Amazon US http://bit.ly/CPNWEus
NOOKCrown Phoenix: Night Watchman Express http://bit.ly/CPNWEnook


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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday - Adrian J. Smith

I'm very excited to have Adrian J. Smith on my blog today, a very engaging woman and author.   She currently has two exciting series she is working on, and if you read below, you're going to find something revealed here first!!!!  Here's an introduction ...

Adrian J. Smith, or “AJ” as she is often called, is a part-time writer with an epic imagination, sharp wit, and kind heart that gets her into a bit of trouble when it comes to taking in all the neighborhood stray cats. Being obsessed with science fiction, Smith often goes off on tangents about the space-time continuum. She is also a part-time lunatic with a secretive past. It’s been rumored that she was once a spy for the government, but anyone who has gotten close enough to know the truth has never lived to tell the tale. When traveling around the world on various classified tasks, Smith requires the following be provided: buffalo jerky, mimosas, and eighty-six pennies. This is all we know about the reclusive woman.
Adrian, tell us what made you decide to try to become a published author?  How did you get started?
I have always wanted to be published, since I first started writing when I was twelve years old. I think I just thought it would be really cool to see my name in print. The more I wrote, the more I just wanted to share my stories with other people who would love the same type of stories. That’s still what it’s about to me. I was asked one time whether or not it would make a difference if I was published, and I have to honestly say the answer is no. It wouldn’t matter. I would still be writing and sharing my stories to the best of my abilities.
As for starting in the publishing world, that happened by sheer luck and amazing people. I met someone on twitter, and poof, had a publisher less than a year later! Go figure.
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
I have a Muppet phobia, and I was once stuck on a bus with forty-four kids for six hours while they watched the new Muppet movie. Nightmares for weeks.
Do you remember what it was like, the feeling you had when your first book was out there in the world for everyone to see?
Yes, why I do remember what it was like. I suppose you want me to describe it and that’s hard to do. I believe I was utterly speechless for about twenty minutes when I first heard from my publisher about her wanting to publish my book, which is the strongest memory I have. I remember coming home and reading the email and going, “Um…um…um…” I couldn’t even tell my mom; I had to forward the email to her, which she didn’t get. So hours later when she was walking home from work, I called her and told her.
And Oh. My. God. The woman starts going up to strangers on the street and telling them that her daughter was going to be published while I was still on the phone with her! Talk about insanity, but that was the best part. That is the part I always want to remember—the feeling of utter joy and pride from my mom.
Once the book came out, which I now realize was the actual question, there wasn’t so much joy or feeling. It just an overwhelming feeling of success and relief. No more work to do on it! I should also mention that I had the flu when it came out, so I wasn’t really feeling or thinking much!
First I want to ask you about James Matthews.  Tell us about her and her trilogy, without spoilers of course!
Without spoilers? Can’t I just say what happens in every single book so that no one has to read it? Umm…James Matthews is a firefighter who has started to become a bit disillusioned with the job. It’s not what she expected or wanted it to be. Instead of going to fires, she mostly goes to medical calls. However, James has been to one house fire where she saved a two-year-old girl, Lily. Two years later (where we come into the story), James keeps having recurring nightmares about Lily and the fire.
I should probably mention that James is a woman at this point just to make that completely clear. It is not just a typo. James also has a super-secret lover who probably has more secrets than James does. Now, I’m not going to mention this super-secret lover’s name, because I do want that to be an experience when you read it.
The first in the series follows James through her nightmares and her struggling relationship. Of course a few more things happen, but that would mean spoilers, so I’ll just shush now. The second book, Dying Embers (which will be out this December), is actually a prequel to Forever Burn. I have to say, it is very interesting to write the prequel after the sequel. Dying Embers focuses on the start of James’ relationship with her super-secret lover and how all that went down. It’s quite amusing and funny in certain places, but I’m a bit biased. 
[Aaron's note:  Over there --> you can see for the first time the cover for Dying Embers!!!!]
The third novel in the trilogy is called Ashes Fall and takes places eleven years after Forever Burn. I’ve just completed writing that one and am in the editing process. Ashes Fall focuses on James and her furthering relationship with Lily and said super-secret lover. I’m sure that if you read the first book, you’ll be wondering how this happens, so you’ll just have to read this one too. Lily is struggling throughout this book with everything that has happened in her past, as is James. So the third book is far darker than the first time, and the tension is ramped up.
I’m fairly sure that I put James through so much that if she were real she might punch me, or hand me over to her super-secret lover’s ex-fiancé. (Yeah, wrap your mind around that one, I dare you.)
You also have a series working that you’ve just started called the Spirit of Grace.  Give us a taste of what this series is about.
This series was so much fun to write. It follows Sheriff’s Deputy Grace Halling for a few months (least the first book in the series). This is a mix between a crime novel and a COPS episode. We only see Grace and follow her; however, we do run into so many other people.
In the first novel, Grace thinks everything is great and fine until she runs into Police Chaplain Amya Stone. Then her world is thrown a bit off-balance. Not only is hopelessly and helplessly attracted to Amya, but her best friend and mentor, Daniel Mason Brady, is retiring. Throughout the first novel, Grace’s personal life starts to get bumpy and her work life is just downright scary.
Officers are being targeted solely for the fact that they put on their uniform and step out of their homes to protect the city. People start to die and chaos starts to reign down. Throughout all of this, Grace keeps running into a particular teenager that she can’t stop from helping. Peter is a nineteen-year-old drunk who just loves to spew Bible verses and really hard questions that Grace can’t even conceive of answering.
Each chapter is designed for a day in the life of Deputy Halling, with some small interceding chapters on Grace’s personal life. Grace is strong and stubborn as a Sheriff’s Deputy, but when it comes to her personal life, she has no idea where to step without losing her footing. She makes quite a contradiction that I quickly fell in love with.
I also completely fell in love with Peter.
If there is one character you would really like people to meet, who would it be?
This is such a hard question because I have a lot, though many die (NOT a spoiler, I swears it!). Only one? Yeesh. I’m going to have to say Peter from For by Grace. Mostly because he reminds me of me in one sense, and in another someone that I would be best friends with. It’s a tossup between him and Addison from the James Matthew’s series. Addison stole my heart and hasn’t given it back yet.
The tagline on your website says “A Torch in the Wind”.  I’m wondering if this phrase has some sort of special meaning to you?
The meaning is symbolic. There is always a light somewhere, and something is always threatening to put it out. However, if the light is strong enough, tenacious, willing, and brave enough, it will always prevail. Yet, it must also come to an end and die out. I don’t expect writing to always be this close to my heart. I do have a career that I’m working toward which is my number one passion.
What other ideas do you have bouncing around in your head?
Those are secret! I always have ideas bouncing around in there, to the point where often times it’s way too much to deal with. I’ve recently started a new serial (not series, but a serial) that involves witches, vampires and all sorts of fun creatures. I’m about a quarter of the way through the first book in that one.
Likewise, I have spoken with my co-writer, and we were talking about writing a new book this fall. Writing goes so much faster with two people, but the editing of said writing goes so much slower. We already have one that we’re working on editing, and I’m hoping that we’re done with that by October but that might be wishful thinking.
In November, I’ll be writing the sequel to For by Grace and the second in the Spirit of Grace series. And I’m sure I’ll find other little projects here and there to write on. I’m not very good at staying still or taking breaks.
So yes, plenty of ideas, always working!
What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
Surprised me? My senior project in high school was on the publishing industry and the different kinds of publishing, so I wasn’t ever shocked by anything in regards to that.
I would probably have to say is the authority people give me solely for the fact that I have a book out. It’s like suddenly I became a real writer, not just one that piddles around in the dark of night with a computer. People want my advice, they want to hear how I did it, they want to replicate that—and I’m sitting here going, get your own story! Mine’s not all that cool!
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
Everything! I run a writing group each week, I have blogging (though I don’t do that every day), I’m a full-time student working on my Master’s degree, I’m a part-time worker at a church, I’m a freelance copy-editor, I watch TV (currently in the middle of a West Wing and Star Trek: Enterprise rewatch), I read books, I crochet, I have two kitties that I love to play with (Rusty the Wonder Kitten and Seeley), and I have friends. I do actually hang out with friends! I have a bar that I haunt more days a week than I would care to admit.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!
What is your favorite word?  Fuck. Can I say that? Definitely my favorite word. It can go in the beginning, middle or end of any other word and still make sense!What is your least favorite word? SuddenlyWhat turns you on? I’m not sure how to answer this so... a smart mind and quick wit.What turns you off? Lying and creepiness.What sound or noise do you love? Why can’t this be smell? I have a great one for smell. I actually love the sound of silence. It’s very calming to me.What sound or noise do you hate? Thunder. I hate it. It scares the crap out of me.What is your favorite curse word? I believe I already answered that! Ha!What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Attempt? President of the UniverseWhat profession would you not like to do? Anything that involves a fast-food chain.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?  Seeing as how I don’t believe God has a mouth since I don’t like to anthropomorphize God that would be hard to do. I think I just want to feel overwhelming love, comfort and peace.What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you?  What drive or motivates you to keep bettering yourself and to keep working toward your goals, and how do you keep on track with all of that?Adrian, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?
Why yes I can! And I’m a twitter addict!
Twitter: @AdrianAJSmith
Facebook: www.facebook.com/adrianjsmithbooksGoodreads: www.goodreads.com/adrianjsmithBlogPublisher’s Website
To buy the pretties! You can go here
SmashwordsAmazon
Barnes and Noble
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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday - Keira Michelle Telford

Today our guest on the blog is Keira Michelle Telford.  A prolific writer, her Silver series won a 2013 Eric Hoffer award for Excellence in Independent Publishing.  She has a lot more in store, so let's go chat with Keira!  First, a brief introduction ...

Keira Michelle Telford is the award winning author of a series of post-apocalyptic, dystopian science fiction books, The SILVER Series, featuring the character Ella ‘Silver’ Cross, and now also The Prisonworld Trilogy – a dystopian lesbian romance. She’s a British ex-pat, now living in British Columbia, Canada with her husband and 9 guinea pigs. Fun fact: Her pet guinea pigs (all adopted from animal rescue shelters) were the inspiration for the monsters in The SILVER Series, the first one of which, SILVER: Acheron (A River of Pain), was released in November 2011.
Keira, tell us what made you decide to try to become a published author?  How did you get started?
I got fed up of things languishing on my hard-drive. Following the death of my father (who was only 62), I got a sense of my own mortality. My father was an artist (he worked for Royal Worcester, and did primarily still life painting on porcelain), but never really accomplished anything with the talent he had. He became a self-employed painter in the mid-1980s, but had difficulty putting his work out into the world. He had Asperger’s syndrome, too, so I think that probably made it difficult for him to market himself in the way that you really need to when you’re self-employed. (Something I also struggle with). He died in 2010, and I published in 2011. I didn’t want to drop off this Earth without leaving anything behind, and I keep a note he once wrote me pinned to my desk: Alas, it is the fate of most of us to touch the world lightly and leave no prints. See if you can grab it a bit harder.
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
I have Asperger’s syndrome (a mild form of autism). Generally speaking, this means I’m socially awkward (I don’t function well in large groups of people), I have a slight OCD problem, I don’t particularly like talking on the phone (I generally won’t answer, unless I absolutely have to, or I know you very well), and … well, there’s many more oddball things besides. But I wouldn’t change my brain for a new one. I like my brain. I read somewhere that people with Asperger’s tend to be really good at writing science fiction novels (no joke, I really did read that somewhere!), and since I write science fiction, I kind of think my brain is perfect.
Do you remember what it was like, the feeling you had when your first book was accepted for publication?
I’m an indie, and set up my own imprint (Venatic Press), so I guess I sort of accepted my own book for publication … ! Instead, I’ll answer this question with regard to the first piece of writing I ever sold, which was a script, when I was 16 – and it felt pretty awesome. Someone who wasn’t my mother acknowledged that I was good at something, and actually paid me cold, hard cash for an idea that came out of my head. It set me off on a good footing, since it gave me faith that I do have something good to offer the world.
First I want to ask you about the Silver Series.  Give us some background on this series, without spoilers of course!
The Silver Series is comprised of The Amaranthe Chronicles and The Outlier Trilogy (which also stands alone). All books have the same protagonist, Ella ‘Silver’ Cross, who’s a tough-as-nails Hunter brought up to kill Chimera (genetic mutants that spread throughout the world after the apocalypse). The Amaranthe Chroniclesfocuses on her life from birth to present day (which is the year 2349), in her hometown of Amaranthe. The Outlier Trilogy continues on in the present day timeline, but takes place outside of Amaranthe.
You also have a trilogy working called the Prisonworld Trilogy, right?
Yup :) The Prisonworld Trilogy is a lesbian romance set in dystopian, neo-Victorian London, England, where homosexuality has been outlawed. Also, The Prisonworld Trilogy takes place in the same universe as The Silver Series, but on a different continent. The two are completely separate and distinct (so you don’t need to read one to understand the other), but there are some character crossovers from The Prisonworld Trilogy into The Silver Series, starting with SILVER: Lex Talionis, which is due to be released in late September.
If there is one character you would really like people to meet, who would it be?
I think Silver (from The Silver Series) would be the most interesting character for people to meet. She’d be a good friend to have, because she’s fiercely loyal and would defend you (with her tongue, or with her gun) to the bitter end. Personally, though, I would really like to meet Lina (from The Prisonworld Trilogy). She’s the beautiful Madam of a whorehouse, and if she were real, I’d hold her in my arms and never let go. I’d want her all to myself.
You have the Silver Legacy in the works, and completing the Prisonworld Trilogy of course.  Any other ideas bouncing around in your head?
Sometimes I wish there weren’t! I often have too many things in there, and focusing on just one project becomes difficult. I just recently fully plotted out a book that I won’t be able to actually sit down and write until the end of 2014! And I just came up with an idea for a paranormal romance series of novellas … more details to come soon!
Graphic from "The Prisonworld Trilogy"What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
That it never ends. I always thought there’d be some sense of relief after publishing a book, but it just doesn’t work like that. As soon as the book goes on sale (even before), the marketing begins. Not only that, but at any given moment, my brain is already planning the next three or four other projects I need to work on. It’s absolutely never ending, and I always feel like I’m playing catch-up with myself.
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
Having 9 guinea pigs keeps me pretty busy, (honestly, they’re demanding little creatures), but I don’t really have the time for much else. I write for about 12 hours every day, and if I don’t get to write as much as I want, I get anxious. I’m happiest when I’m writing and, quite frankly, having to stop in order to sleep and eat is a terrible inconvenience.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!What is your favorite word? Nevermore.What is your least favorite word? Shush.What turns you on? Kelli Williams.What turns you off? Prejudice.What sound or noise do you love? A wheeking guinea pig.What sound or noise do you hate? My alarm clock.What is your favorite curse word? Cunt.What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Mortician.What profession would you not like to do? Bee keeper.If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Oh, shit. How did you get up here?”What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? “What’s the point of it all?”
"The Prisonworld Trilogy" Chimera artwork for "The Silver Series"Keira, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?
I don’t use it much, but I have Twitter: @mylostanddamnedI also have my website: www.keiramichelle.com And websites for my books: www.ellacross.com and www.carmenwild.com And my Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/keiramichelletelford Or the Silver Series Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thesilverseries My Goodreads author page: www.goodreads.com/keiramichelle
All of my books are available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/keiramichelle

Keira Michelle Telford

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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

Finding Fiction Friday (on Monday) - Melissa Mayberry

Yes, I know it is not really Friday, but I am playing a bit of catch up and really wanted to make sure that our guest Melissa Mayberry got a chance to shine in a post all her own.  So here she is!!!!!

Melissa Mayberry believes in living a full life. As a wife, mother of four, full time nurse, and grad student, a story presented itself to her in such a way that she had to become a writer as well.  Learning and growing through her work, Mellifica: Devastating First Love is the first of two books chronicling a sordid love affair with a tragic, yet ironic ending. 
Melissa, tell us what made you decide to try to become a published author?  How did you get started?
When I was in high school, I had a few poems published. Then I went through some hard times and didn’t develop my writing and didn’t publish anything for twenty years. The story of Mellifica is based on true events and has an ironic ending. When that came to life, I got to work and polished off my old skills. I had no choice, Mellifica had to be written. Thankfully, I got the bug and continue to write.
We know what your bio says.  Tell us one thing about yourself that you think might surprise us.
If you read my book, there isn’t much left to surprise anyone! Readers get to know “Mel” pretty well, and that character is my younger self. I learned a lot from trial by fire, so I’m not as reckless as I was then. Now, I’m a momma, nurse and crazy about urban gardening.
Do you remember what it was like, the feeling you had when your first book was finally “out there”?
Oh, sure! I think I actually took on an OCD personality. My computer, phone and Ipad all were set to go straight to Amazon to look up my book stats. Now, I’m a bit obsessive about the stats and more about the next book.
So let’s talk about your book, “Mellifica: Devastating First Love”.  This is to be the first of a series.  Talk a bit about the inspiration for this story.
As I said before, this book is based on true events. My first love had an eccentric personality and we went through quite a few ordeals for being so young. Our breakup was bizarre and unordinary and the events that followed in the next several years became even stranger. The story chronicles my growth into a strong woman, and hopefully inspires other girls in the same way.


I couldn’t help but notice that the name of your heroine is Melissa.  How much of you is in this character?
Oh, all of me. “Mel” in the book is a strange mixture of who I was in the nineties, with a part of who I am today. If you read carefully, you will see the character evolve into someone with more confidence and that makes better decisions for herself. Then, she resorts back to her old ways and makes poor choices again. This flip-flop is something I think everyone goes through in life, until they make a strong commitment to change.
Was there anything especially challenging for you writing about a sixteen year old?
Yes. In this world sex is a very difficult topic in young adult novels. Even though teenagers often engage, society often wants to close their eyes and pretend it’s not happening. In order to show what a devastating relationship this was, it was necessary to give a certain amount of detail in the sexual situations. I often found myself closing my eyes while writing these scenes. 
Obviously, you plan to continue the Mellifica series.  Do you have anything else coming up in your “work in progress” folder, or even just bouncing around in your head?
I’ve got so many ideas and so little time! I started a series about a mysterious new woman in town. While she is there, many miracles occur. Most people, including her love interest, believe she is an angel. Another work in progress is a more personal story addressing teenage pregnancy and the how it affects a relationship between mother and son.
What about being published and the book industry in general has most surprised you?
I’d have to say that people are more down to earth than I expected. Once upon a time, I thought publishers and other authors would be very starchy or business-like. I’ve made friends that I didn’t expect and to my surprise, they’re all regular people!
Tell us about some of the cool things you are doing on your blog.
I’m working on building a group of reviewers called “Whatever Works Book Club.” We will review books that are not standard and decide if the new approach works. As an example, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, is an unorthodox approach to a novel. I think “It Works.” 
What other things besides writing do you have going on that keep you busy?
This week? Work! Usually I have work, children, school and a little urban farm in the backyard. I’m also trying to master the art of meditation, because with so much going on, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
To close the interview, I have ten questions for you, plus one.  Here they go!
What is your favorite word?Baby-or any variation. I love new life!What is your least favorite word?Just. It makes for a lot of deleting.What turns you on? Well written novels!What turns you off? Poorly written novels that make the best sellers list.What sound or noise do you love?The oceanWhat sound or noise do you hate?Whining!What is your favorite curse word?Really? I can put that here?? Fuckburgers.What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? PilotWhat profession would you not like to do? ActressIf heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Yo, Baby! What’s up?What question have you never been asked, that you wish someone would ask you? I can’t think of any, but I do love being asked who I based my characters on. It’s such a lovely secret!
Melissa, thanks so much for spending time with us.  Can you let us know where to follow you, and where we can go to purchase your work?
SOCIAL MEDIAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH YOU:Website: MelissaMayberry.comBlog: MelissaMayberry.comFacebook: Melissa Mayberry / MellificaTwitter: @MayberryMelissaEmail: Mayberrymelissa@rocketmail.com

PRODUCT LINKS TO BUY BOOKS: Mellifica on Kindle Mellifica on Nook Mellifica on Smashwords
Excerpt from Chapter 1:
The party fell quiet while we waited. A blue Dodge Caravan stopped at the edge of the beach. Oh yeah, Chad said he’d come. Even though the van was a brand new 1992 model, my cousin looked like a dork driving a minivan. “It’s okay. It’s my cousin, but keep the liquor in your bag, Shanna.”“Aww, is Chad some kind of nark?” she asked.I nodded. “Most likely.” Chad stepped out, but to my surprise the passenger door opened too. Why would he bring a date to my birthday party? Asshole. It’d be better without him here, and definitely better without one of those girls he hung out with. A stranger stepped out of the van, and his eyes fell right to mine. From a distance, he didn’t appear to be the geeky type of friend Chad always made. He wore a loose black tank top with Khaki shorts. His clothes seemed pretty normal, especially compared to Chad’s; my cousin wore a Henley tucked into his cargo shorts. The strange guy stared, and I couldn’t turn away. He came over with Chad, king of the geeks. Where did he get the confidence to stare at me? They walked closer, and even though the beach was dim, his onyx eyes struck me intensely. My chest tightened, and my heart raced. As if this guy gave him confidence, Chad walked a little straighter than usual. “Hello, Melissa. Happy birthday,” Chad said. I nodded, glanced at Chad for a second and then back to his guest. “Oh, this is Arien, my best friend.” Chad gestured toward his tall, muscular friend. “And this is Melissa, my cousin.”Arien nodded. “Hey.” When did Chad get a best friend? I would have seen him before.  Something wasn’t right about this guy or his sudden appearance. Sandy wrapped both arms around me and leaned closer to my ear. “Want to go for a walk?” Sandy’s voice startled me. This suspicious stranger had my brain working overtime.  “Um, I do, but Chad just got here. I can’t be rude.” I turned to the new arrivals. “Food and drinks are on the table. Get a plate and come back to join us.”             Why haven’t I met this guy? They returned from the table. Both had soda, but neither was eating. Chad turned toward the river where some people still played. “Who’s here?”             I didn’t pay attention to Chad.“Melissa, I asked you a question,” Chad said louder.“Hmm?” Everyone turned to me as I dropped my stare from Arien. A flame went through my body, and I wanted to run to the river’s edge. Arien smirked. He had been staring back, as if he had a chance with me. Huge ego—he must be Chad’s best friend. I had to play the situation off as mere curiosity, so I squared my shoulders and cleared my throat. “So, Arien, if you and Chad are best friends, why haven’t we met?”He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “I guess we just missed each other.”  The warm gaze in his eyes made me think his words carried a double meaning. His wavy blond hair caught the sea breeze, and the firelight danced across his face. I leaned against Sandy to ensure we all understood this stranger didn’t have a chance with me.

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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe

A Movie Weekend

This was a nice long weekend for me – spent some time with the family and offline for a change.  Of course, it rained for a good bit of the time which typically means one thing for us: Movie time!  This weekend, outside of going to Busch Gardens (and continuing to live the Griffon Curse – every time I go to ride the thing, it’s broken) – we watched five movies that were new to me, at least, and I thought I would share my thoughts on each of them.
1. Friday night – “Milk” – This movie was the biopic of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to a major public office.  Sean Penn gave a powerful performance as the title character, and the film also starred Josh Brolin and James Franco.  I enjoyed the power of this movie and its message of tolerance (as many movies of this type engender), although as with many biographical films, it had its slow moments.  We watched this with our 13-year-old daughter who had perhaps the most poignant observation of all.  “If I had been raised with people who hate like the people in this movie, would I hate too?” she asked rhetorically at one point.  Would she indeed?  I’m glad she asked that question rather than feeling the other way.  I would give this movie an 8 (out of 10).




2.   Saturday afternoon – “Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief” – Yes, I know, where was I when this first came out?  In all honesty, we planned to see the second movie this weekend with the kids and I wanted to see the original first, especially since I have not read the books.  (My oldest daughter has read them all.)  It seemed to have all the elements that would make a good movie – the wonder of someone discovering they are more than what they think they are; a world hidden underneath our own; Greek mythology which is usually fun to play with; and a cast that included Pierce Brosnan (the centaur Chiron), Kevin McKidd (Poseidon), Sean Bean (Zeus), and Uma Thurman (Medusa).  So, why didn’t this movie work all the way for me?  It seemed too thin.  There just wasn’t a lot of depth to the story for me.  And it also felt like it was trying too hard to be the next Harry Potter. Now, in honesty, my daughter said that the movie took a lot of detours from the book, so maybe that’s where it went wrong.  It was exciting of course, but I just wanted there to be more within the story.  I would give it a 6.
3.  Saturday afternoon – “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” – So we had just seen the first movie, and off to the theater we went to see the second.  I was still positive, after all, the first one was at least good enough to make a sequel, and sometimes the second movie is the one that hits a home run (see Star Trek and X-Men, for example).  But once again, it disappointed, for the same reasons as the first.  To top it off, this one was missing the best parts of the first, which were the gods (in my opinion).  Pierce Brosnan’s character was recast, and the only gods that showed up were the admittedly always-brilliant Stanley Tucci as Dionysus and Nathan Fillion as Hermes.  Best line?  Tucci’s Dionysus when lamenting Zeus’ eternal curse that turned all of his wine into water as soon as he poured it: “You know Christians have a guy who can do this trick in reverse.  Now THERE’S a god for you.”  Unfortunately, that line was dropped in the first ten minutes.  Anyway, I’m just not sure I’m going to enjoy this franchise, and I REALLY want to.  Movie #2 gets a 5.
4.  Saturday night – Once the kids went to bed, we rented “Olympus Has Fallen”, one of the two White House terrorist attack movies released this year.  It features Gerard Butler doing something he does very well – kicking the bad guy’s ass.  This movie ran the “Die Hard” playbook almost page by page, even down to the banter between the head bad guy and the lone good guy over the radio, and you know what?  “Die Hard” was a pretty fun movie, and so was this.  No, there wasn’t much in the plot that wasn’t completely contrived, but who cares?  Aaron Eckhart gave a good performance as the widowed President, and Morgan Freeman does his usual masterful job as the Speaker of the House thrust into the number one position when the White House goes down.  This one I would recommend for an easy night when you don’t want to think very much (so it fit our Saturday perfectly).  Give this one a 7.


5.  Sunday afternoon – “The Last Exorcism Part II” – I was looking forward to this, as one of the only people in the family who enjoys scary movies (although middle daughter has started to get into them).  The first installment I thought was very good.  As it turned out, we brought it over to a friend’s house to watch with two other couples.  Unfortunately, the filmmakers could not recapture what they had with the first movie.  It sort of reminded me of the two “Blair Witch Project” movies.  In both cases, the first movie was done in a documentary, hand-held camera style, where you really felt like the characters who were experiencing what was going on and seeing it through their eyes.  And in both cases, the second movies were absolutely nothing like that.  My wife said it best – “It just felt like nothing happened in that movie.”  Agreed.  Maybe they were so focused on setting up a third, they forgot they needed to tell a story here with the second … instead it felt like a lull in the middle of a movie that lasted for two hours.  I can only give this a 3, and be hopeful the makers will right the ship if they decide to do another.

So that was part of my weekend off – outside of Tae Kwon Do and soccer practice.  What were you guys up to?

Finding Fiction Friday - SPECIAL EDITION - The Realmwalker Prophecy

Today, we have an open date.  But it happens to coincide with some big news for us!  So we are actually going to take this opportunity to give you a special treat at the end of it ...

This week, Patricia and I got the news that our manuscript, The Realmwalker Prophecy: Heart of the Mermaid, has been accepted for publication by XoXo Publishing.  This will be our first stand-alone work, and the first book of The Realmwalker Prophecy series.

This novel follows the story of Rudy MacTavish, an ex-pirate serving under letter of marque in the Royal Navy of the 18th century, and Trish, a mermaid and daughter of her people's king.  They meet when she is sent on a mission to retrieve a certain object from Rudy's ship before the "humans" realize what they have. That meeting sends them on a roller-coaster of a romantic adventure where they must overcome his obligation, her betrothal, her father's prejudice, the continued presence of the pirate captain Remus Stryder, and a treacherous journey to a lost land.

So what will the series be about?  I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but Rudy and Trish's role go far beyond just their own lives.  At least, their lives in this particular world.  There are forces at work in the background of which they are completely unaware.  That's all I'm going to say about it ... for now.

What I will give you is a brief excerpt from Heart of the Mermaid.  Stay tuned for more news about this, and our other related effort we are working on, Tales of the Realms (tentative title), which will be a collection of short stories and poems that fit into the series and stand on their own.  These stories will also give you glimpses into other worlds which we want to explore as the series progresses.  Thank you for your support!

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Commodore Shaw gave Rudy a wan smile as he came down to their boat, which they had finished loading with the supplies Trish had provided. “So, can we be going now, Mr. MacTavish?”Rudy nodded as he helped to push the boat off the sand and climbed in. The doctor looked him over. “Everything alright, Captain?” Jonathan emphasized the last word, reminding everyone of his impromptu promotion. “Because we are going to need every ship possible to take on the Colossus.”Rudy turned to the Commodore as he clasped Trish’s chain around his neck. “Sir, the Colossus is not to be taken lightly. That ship is a predator, plain and simple. It dwarfs even the Haven in size and arms. It pounded us into oblivion, and took our best shots without even taking on water. We will definitely need the entire fleet to even have a chance.”The grizzled old sea dog turned to Rudy, smirking. “That’s why we will have the entire fleet with us. We’ll get you a crew and some proper clothes and boots from the Haven, then you will head over to your ship and follow us out. What is the name of your ship, Captain?”He looked at the schooner, having no idea what the name of the ship really was. But he knew what he wanted to call it, something that would make sure that Trish would always be with him, at least in spirit.
“It’s the Heart o’ the Mermaid.”
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Patricia and I can also be followed here:    Facebook              Twitter
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Rudy and Trish are the main characters in our two published short stories in the "Evernight: Romance in a World of Darkness" anthologies.  You can get to know them as well as get 23 other great stories!  Here's where you can find them:
Evernight Volume 1:   Amazon       Evernight Volume 2:   Amazon       XoXo          ARe