Liv Rancourt's Blog, page 36

Black Friday Virgin

Sometimes I wonder if I’m actually American. I mean, maybe I secretly grew up in Canada or something, eh? I like country music and can follow the play-by-play at a baseball game, but I’ve never been to Wal-mart and I’ve NEVER gone shopping on Black Friday.

I know, right?

Black Friday has become as big a part of Thanksgiving weekend as football and, well, turkey. This fall, as soon as our election hysteria ended, SALE ads filled the empty airtime. And this year, in keeping with recent trends, the starting line shifted a little. The stores used to open at 7am. Then they opened at 5am…3am…Midnight.

And today, at the Wal-mart in Tacoma, the parking lot was about 3/4 filled. Now, I can’t say for sure if people were taking advantage of Black Friday sales, because I was on my way to the in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner and didn’t stop. But who has time to go to Wal-mart on Thanksgiving day?

It would interfere with my annual overindulgence. Oh, and it would cut into my family time. If I’m not at Thanksgiving dinner, I’ll miss out on my mother-in-law’s annual whackadoodle brilliance. I won’t be able to giggle into my wine glass with my sister-in-law, and eat way too much Chex mix, and marvel at how damned tall the kids have grown. And frankly, most of my retail neighbors will be open tomorrow. At 5am, or some equally insane time.

Not that I want to sound all holier-than-thou or anything, but my version of Black Friday usually involves a little more family or a little more overindulgence. If I’m really ambitious, I’ll do some Christmas crafty thing. Shopping doesn’t make the to-do list.  Maybe I’m unAmerican. Or maybe I’m just chicken. It takes nerve to survive in the Black Friday crowds, and if you’re out there mixing it up, I hope you find the bargains you’re looking for. I wish you Princess parking all day long and magically comfortable shoes. And when you get back home, I hope you check out all the fantastic bloggers that are taking part in the Black Friday Blog Hop.  Here’s a jump to the Blog Hop list. The more blogs you visit, the more prizes you can win. Leave a comment here, because I’ll be giving away a $5 Amazon gift card and a copy of my holiday short story The Santa Drag. Commenting will also get you entered for one of these three grand prizes:

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

 

Things aren’t always what they seem, and this shopping mall Santa has secrets only her true love can reveal. 

Desperate for some income, Mackenzie Reed takes the highest paying acting gig she can find: playing Santa in the mall. It’s all white whiskers and ‘ho-ho-ho’ until the day Joe McBride shows up. Joseph Timothy McBride. The actor. The real-life, got a soap opera gig and several commercials and you saw him in Scream 2 actor. The only guy she ever really loved.

Mack’ll have to give the performance of a lifetime to keep him from realizing who’s underneath all that red velvet and fur. Joe’s as good-looking as ever, but any hope of a reconciliation will go down like a sack of coal if he recognizes her. Can she pull it off, or is this Christmas going to be the one Santa leaves a Creepy Kringle under her tree?

The Santa Drag is available from Still Moments Publishing, Smashwords, and Amazon.

 

 

 

 

I am thankful…

I am thankful that three years ago I decided it was time, and that if I really wanted to be a writer, I better get to it.

I am thankful that my husband supports this crazy venture, and if he’s not always into my work (I haven’t written any dirt-dry biographies of dead presidents, after all), he’s consistently enthusiastic and understanding when it comes my commitment to it.

I am thankful for the many, many, amazing and colorful writers I’ve connected with, both on-line and in person, who share their work with me and get it when my Facebook status reports a word-count or the number of pages I’ve edited or a new contract. You’ve truly made the journey worthwhile, and my life would be lesser without you.

I am thankful for my non-writer friends, who knew me before I had this obsession and are still willing to listen to my detailed plot summaries and character analysis over beer and crack chips.

I am thankful that my kids think it’s cool that their mother’s a writer.

And I am tremendously thankful that the ideas keep coming. Don’t want to poke at that one too much. Just, thanks.

I hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Peace,

Liv

Rainbird…with Rabia Gale

For the second time in a week, I’m late getting a guest post up. It’s been kinda crazy around here, and I’m sorry, Rabia, for not being more organized.

Today I’m so happy to introduce you all to an amazing writer, Rabia Gale. I’ve read several of her short stories, and always been delighted and impressed with her use of language and imagery. Here in this interview she talks about the creation of her newest release, the fantasy novella Rainbird.

 

LR: What’s the most compelling thing about Rainbird, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

RG:Will it be cheating to pick two things? *grin*

First, Rainbird’s world hits many of my sweet spots. I love the cold and the altitude, the starry night sky above and the fiery sun gliding on its track below. I’m fascinated by this community living on the skeleton of a gigantic space dragon. The more time I spent with the story, the more I got to explore the world.

Secondly, Rainbird herself is so easy to love and fun to write. She’s impulsive, big-hearted, joyous, and fiercely protective—and all this despite the shadows in her past and the threat to her future.

LR: “The most beautiful woman in the world lies in the shadows of her canopied bed, eyes closed in her moon-pale face, arms limp at her sides.” As you know, that’s the first sentence from your book Shattered, and when I read it, I thought, Oh wow, this girl can write. I don’t mean to make you blush – although I suspect I am – so I’ll get to the important part. What helped you the most in learning the craft of writing?

RG: Thank you. *blushes*

I was fortunate enough to fall into great books–many by British authors–in my childhood. I picked up a lot about style from writers like Rosemary Sutcliff and Diana Wynne Jones. And I was lucky enough to have great English teachers who taught me to pay attention to the sounds, imagery, and emotions of poetry. I carried those lessons over to my prose.

LR: Writers seem to gravitate either to fantasy or reality, and your work definitely leans toward fantasy. Why? What does fantasy give you that reality doesn’t?

RG: I had a sheltered childhood in Karachi, Pakistan (not that I mind, since excitement in Karachiusually meant car bombs and riots!). Reading fantasy was as far as I could go to escape my mundane existence. I lived inside these books, striding through worlds of wonder, fighting the enemy alongside compelling heroes. It was only natural that I start writing fantasy, since it had fed my mind and soul all those years. 

LR: How did you get fromPakistan to New England? Seems like it had to have been an interesting journey…

RG: My parents wanted a good education for all their children and worked hard to make that happen. I went from my private school inPakistanto a private college inNew England. I met my husband there and after we graduated and got married, we stayed in the area. Ten years later (just this past spring!) we moved toNorthern Virginia. It’s been a big change but I’m enjoying discovering another part of theUnited States.

LR: You recently did an interesting blog post on the effect the internet has on the way we think. You’re a writer and a blogger and, oh yeah, you’re the mother of three home-schooled kids. How do you give yourself the time and space to develop your ideas?

RG: I’ve always known that I can’t function without a lot of time to myself. Being constantly busy burns me out. I structure our family life so that we all get down time. Homeschooling makes it possible for my children to do formal academics in the mornings, and have the early afternoons to themselves to read, think, or be creative in other ways. That’s also when Mom writes!

LR: Amazon lists Rainbird as a fantasy, but it seems to have a young adult vibe. Do you see that as your audience? Do your own kids read your stuff?

RG: I didn’t set out to write a young adult story, but I ended up with a young adult protagonist. Rainbird’s a misfit searching for her place in the world. She’s estranged from one parent, and feels guilty about being a burden to the other. She’s struggling to define who she is—and who she’s not. I think teens can definitely identify with her.

My oldest child is only seven, so as much as he’d like to read Rainbird, he’ll have to wait a few more years for it.

LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.

RG: Next up is Mourning Cloak, another fantasy novella. It features a failed hero who has lost his faith, a magically-altered assassin held together by hers, weird creatures and nano-bots.

I’m super-excited about this one. My husband, after he read it, turned to me and said, “Wow.” My cover artist, Ravven, came up with a fantastic cover for it. Expected release date is some time in January.

Thank you, Liv, for having me on your blog!

Bio: I break fairy tales and fuse fantasy and science fiction. I love to write about flawed heroes who never give up, transformation and redemption, and things from outer space. I grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and now live in Northern Virginia. Visit me online at http://www.rabiagale.com.

Rainbird Blurb

She’s a halfbreed in hiding.

Rainbird never belonged. To one race, she’s chattel. To the other, she’s an abomination that should never have existed.

She lives on the sunway.

High above the ground, Rainbird is safe, as long as she does her job, keeps her head down, and never ever draws attention to herself.

But one act of sabotage is about to change everything.

For Rainbird. And for her world.

Rainbird is a fantasy novella of about 31,000 words.

Now available at Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Excerpts at my site

Open House: Pool of Souls…with Krystal Shannon

     

I have to start out by apologizing to Krystal, because I was supposed to have her blog post up on Saturday but life got in the way. She’s here now, though, and I’m very excited. Check out her new book, Open House: Pool of Souls. It looks awesome, and I guarantee the excerpt at the end will change the way you look at edamame forever!

Peace,

Liv

The start of something great!

I’m so excited to be touring for Open House: Pool of Souls. My muse really stepped up and accepted the challenge of creating a world for Aphrodite as well as the contemporary love story (and many more to come) to go along with it. Even though Aphrodite is a common tie to matchmaking or love matches, my muse felt like the Goddess of Love needed an extra little something something to really stand out. After hours of research, I stumbled upon some old documentation that there were two Aphrodites in the Greek mythos –an upper and a lower. One was the daughter of the Titans and the other was the daughter of the Olympian Zeus! That was all it took. What if Aphrodite was the only Titan left on Mt. Olympus? What if she was so vital to the world that they weren’t able to banish her like all the other Titans? Pool of Souls was born from those two questions.

 

Pool of Souls Mythos

Long ago the Titans ruled the world. When their children took power, most Titans were killed or banished forever. Aphrodite was the only Titan allowed to coexist on Mt. Olympus with the new Greek gods and goddesses. She was allowed to stay, because like it or not, she could not be banished or killed without destroying the entire human race.

Before Gaia disappeared deep into a secret part of the earth, she brought Aphrodite out of the sea, creating her from a piece of her murdered husband. She connected her daughter to humanity so intrinsically that Aphrodite could never be lost. Her precious daughter would be treasured and revered by humanity for all eternity as the Goddess of Love.

Aphrodite balances human love and passion. Her mother gifted her with the ability to track soul mates through the centuries and guide the immortal souls of humans to their eternal mates. Gaia also gave her a special pool to house and keep the soul mates safe.

 

These are her stories….

Intrinsically woven into the fabric of human existence, Aphrodite, Titan Goddess of Love and Passion, dedicates herself to matching soul mates. 

Rebecca Carol and Robert Corvin missed their original chance to bond when Ares, God of War, took control of Robert’s career ten years ago. Their souls have naturally pulled them back together for a second chance at love, but… How far will the gods go to get their own way? 

Will divine influence create another perfect match or will it tear them apart forever?

Excerpt:

Rebecca opened the bag of takeout and handed Robert his box of lo mein while she went looking for her edamame and salt. She grabbed a mini eggroll and popped it into her mouth. The fried crispy pork and veggie flavors were heaven in her mouth. She moaned in satisfaction. The beans were at the bottom of the sack. She pulled out the box and popped open the little container of salt.

“Good?” Robert asked before shoveling a bite of noodles into his mouth.

“Delicious. Want one?” Rebecca held out another mini egg roll. Robert shook his head. She shrugged and popped it into her mouth as well. He chuckled.

“What if I changed my mind?”

“It’s too late now, genius; I swallowed it.” Rebecca laughed and broke open an edamame bean. She licked the salt off the pod and sucked the three little soybeans into her mouth. When she glanced up from her food, she couldn’t help but smirk. Robert had frozen in place, chopsticks midway to his mouth, and was just watching her eat. His brown eyes had darkened, and he was looking at her as though she were dinner instead of the lo mein.

“Are you okay?” she asked cautiously, the corners of her mouth still turned up in a smirk.

“I don’t think you’re going to be finishing that food right now.”

“Really?” Rebecca set her paper box of edamame on the floor. “Why not?”

Robert carefully placed his box to the side. He pushed her food out of the way and grabbed the edge of the cushion she was sitting on. The pillow slid easily on the hardwood floor.

“I need to kiss you.”

 

Thank you so much for hosting me!

Hugs,

Krystal Shannan

 

Krystal Shannan is a born, raised, and current TEXAN. She is married to a wonderful man who supports her dream of writing and allows her to spend many evening and weekend hours glued to her laptop. During the day she moonlights as an elementary music teacher. In addition to a doting husband, a young daughter is also part of the picture and keeps her hopping! An ornery little Welsh Corgi completes the household.



Krystal has been writing stories since she could hold a pencil. She has always dreamed of writing romance and sharing the “movies in her head” with the world. If she’s not writing, she’s reading –historical, paranormal, action, adventure –anything she can get her hands on that ends with a Happily Ever After!

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

Now, my kids are into Halloween. Like, both of them will tell you that it’s their favorite holiday. But my kids got nothin’ on Ms. Debbie Christiana. She takes this holiday to a whole new level. Her daily Hallween-themed Facebook pictures are awesome, and I am incredibly lucky to have her as my blog guest on this auspicious day. Sadly, she is currently sitting in the dark waiting for her power to come back on after The Frankenstorm (Hurricane Sandy) took it out. I’ll tell you what, though, I can’t imagine anyone more fun to hang with during a power outage on Halloween, especially since she lives right down the road from Sleepy Hollow…

Happy Halloween everyone. Liv, thank you for letting me haunt your blog today. I consider myself a functioning Halloween addict. For approximately 300 days of the year, I live a fairly normal life, only once or twice a month looking at the calendar counting the days until…August, when I can finally say aloud, “It’s time to seriously think about Halloween.”  That’s when we put our heads together and plan our annual haunted house in our garage.

My biggest dilemma was what to write this post about. Vampires, ghosts, zombies, witches, or stregheria (Italian witchcraft)? The list was endless. In the end, I chose one of my favorite things as a writer, reader and Halloween devotee.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

I have always considered this the definitive ghost story. It’s a tradition of mine to read it every October. Published in 1820, Washington Irving based his famous tale on an established Dutch legend about a Hessian soldier who, beheaded by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War, wandered the town looking for his lost appendage.

This is one of my favorite stories because it has everything. Beautiful prose:

“It was, as I have said, a fine autumnal day; the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance. The forests had put on their sober brown and yellow, while some trees of the tenderer kind had been nipped by the frosts into brilliant dyes of orange, purple, and scarlet.” 

Greed and lust:

“As the enraptured Ichabod fancied all this, and as he rolled his great green eyes over the fat meadow lands, the rich fields of wheat, of rye, of buckwheat, and Indian corn, and the orchards burthened with ruddy fruit, which surrounded the warm tenement of Van Tassel, his heart yearned after the damsel who was to inherit these domains…”

Romance:

“I profess not to know how women’s hearts are wooed and won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and admiration. Some seem to have but one vulnerable point, or door of access; while others have a thousand avenues, and may be captured in a thousand different ways…

Horror:

“On mounting a rising ground, which brought the figure of his fellow-traveller in relief against the sky, gigantic in height, and muffled in a cloak, Ichabod was horror-struck on perceiving that he was headless!–but his horror was still more increased on observing that the head, which should have rested on his shoulders, was carried before him on the pommel of his saddle!” 

Dark Humor:

“The mysterious event caused much speculation at the Church on the following Sunday. Knots of gazers and gossips were collected in the churchyard, at the bridge, and at the spot where the hat and pumpkin had been found. The stories of Brouwer, of Bones, and a whole budget of others, were called to mind; and when they had diligently considered them all, and compared them with the symptoms of the present case, they shook their heads, and came to the conclusion that Ichabod had been carried off by the galloping Hessian. As he was a bachelor, and in nobody’s debt, nobody troubled his head any more about him, the school was removed to a different quarter of the hollow, and another pedagogue reigned in his stead.” 

I grew up 45 minutes from this quaint town nestled on the Hudson river. Today, everything is pretty much the same as Mr. Irving described it. The original bridge is gone, but it has been replaced. Each year as a teenager, my friends and I would go, with everyone else in a 50-mile radius, and run across the bridge, walk through the burying grounds (the cemetery came later) and scare the bejesus out of each other – on or near Halloween.

Old Dutch Church

 

The path poor Ichabod took…

 

Sleepy Hollow Bridge…not the original…

 

 The path, cemetery and bridge are very creepy at night with just a flashlight.

You can still roam around freely through the churchyard and the surrounding grounds, but they now have an annual organized event that is scary, spooky and wonderful. The haunted experience begins in Ichabod’s schoolhouse and ends with an appearance by the infamous headless horseman. Horseman’s Hollow runs for the month of October.

If you ever find yourself in New York in October, or any time of year, I hope you have the opportunity to visit Sleepy Hollow.  Mr. Irving is properly resting in the cemetery and receives many visitors each year.  He would love to see you…

For anyone who is interested, here is a two-minute video about the Halloween events in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Enjoy!

An Interview With Author Debra Dunbar

It's been weeks since I posted to this blog, but wanted to remind those of you who signed on to follow it that I've shifted over to my new blog & webpage, www.livrancourt.com...

This week I've got a bonus guest. Debra Dunbar, one of the lovely authors in the Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft anthology, is here to talk about her writing process and, well, the rest of her life. I haven't had the chance to read her Beltane short story, "Love Mackick", but her paranormal novel, A Demon Bound , was a heck of a lot of fun. Debra's a smart lady, and I know you'll enjoy getting to know her. 


LR: What’s the most compelling thing about your most recent project, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

DD: I really love short stories because they force me to be a better writer.  There needs to be a tightness of plot, an economy of words.  There is no room for wandering, or information dump. 
Readers need to fall in love with the characters in such a short time that every word counts.  With Love Magick, taking what was originally a discarded back-story idea for another novel, breathing life into it, spinning a wisp into a short story, the motivation was in the creative process itself.
LR: If you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be? What’s had the most impact on your work?
DD: My most valuable resource is the feedback I receive from my beta readers.  For Love Magick, I used three teenage girls as beta readers.  They gave me valuable insight into slang, and validated that young love, mean girls, and high school social dynamics hasn’t changed much in thirty years.  For a mom who is repeatedly told she is ‘not cool’ by her teen son, it was important that I get it right!
LR: Which book or author has influenced you the most? What is it about their work that grabs you?
DD: Marie-Louise Von Franz.  She’s a Jungian whose books on redemption themes, the shadow, and individuation have had a huge influence on me.  Growth and self discovery are key themes in all my writing, whether it’s a romance or fantasy, whether it’s about a demon or a young Wiccan girl.
LR: We’ve both got short stories in Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft. How did you research your story? Do you practice witchcraft in RL?
DD: My protagonist is a Wiccan, so my research was easy!  I was a practicing neo-pagan for quite a while after college, and participated in a variety of rituals including Wiccan ones.  I designed a few Wiccan ceremonies for our small group of solitary practitioners, and have kept in touch with several over the years.  I’ve met some parents who have raised their children in the Wiccan faith, and always thought about how that might affect them in a predominantly Christian society, especially in the pressure cooker of High School.
LR: How to you juggle all your hats (spouse, parent, worker-bee, housekeeper, writer)?
DD: I’m a parent of three boys, have a full time corporate career and I’m desperately trying to keep the writing schedule of a full time writer.  Sadly, something always has to give.  I try to rotate the ‘loser’ in the battle for my time, so no one thing bears the constant brunt. 
LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? Like, are you a closet Zumba addict? Could you macramé a plant hanger if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on A Prairie Home Companion?
DD: My daily jog is part of my writing so it probably doesn’t count!  I love to horseback ride.  We have three horses on our farm, and my gelding, Treasure, is my true love.  (Shhhh, don’t tell hubby!)  I particularly love to foxhunt.  Something about being up early in the morning, seeing both you and your horse’s breath in the air, hearing the horn and the baying of the hounds as you both race across the fields. . . it’s magic.  I fully expect to see elves pop out of the mist one morning.  And no, we don’t kill the fox J
LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.
DD: The second novel in my urban fantasy series, Satan’s Sword, is due to release late October.  Right now, I’m finishing up a prequel novella, and am about forty percent of the way through writing the third book in the series.  I’m also really exciting to be working on a graphic novel, which should come out midyear 2013. 
LR: Halloween is nearly on us. What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Samhain? Dios de los Meurtos? Trick or Treating?
DD: This year I’ll probably be hosting a costumed release party for Satan’s Sword, but I absolutely love taking the kids Trick or Treating.  All those enthusiastic, sugar fueled, children, racing from house to house in their costumes.  It’s one of the happiest moments in my year.  Plus I get to enforce the ‘parent tax’ on my children’s pumpkin full of treasures.  Yum, yum!
*
Debra Dunbar lives on a farm in Frederick County, Maryland with her family and a multitude of four-legged friends. Her novels feature supernatural elements in local settings. In addition to her young adult short story, LOVE MAGICK, included in the anthology BELTANE: TEN TALES OF WITCHCRAFT, she also has published an urban fantasy novel  A DEMON BOUND, the first novel in her Imp Series.
Samantha Martin is an imp living among humans. She tries to keep her identity a secret, but when she spots an angel one night, clearly hunting demons, the imp comes out of the bag. Sam ends up smack in the middle of trouble, dragging her human neighbor, Wyatt, along for the ride. 
A DEMON BOUND is available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com, Nook at Barnes and Noble, and a variety of formats at Smashwords.com.  Catch up with the author at http://debradunbar.com
From Amazon: After majoring in English Literature with a concentration in Medieval and Folklore studies, Debra promptly sold out to the corporate world, occasionally dabbling in writing marketing copy and op/ed articles for a local city paper. By day, she designs compensation programs, after dark she stuffs her nose into obscure mythology, and feverishly writes her novels. A DEMON BOUND is her debut novel. Debra lives on a farm in Maryland with Sweetie, three sons, and a Noah’s ark of four legged family members. Unlike her protagonist, she drives an old PT Cruiser, couldn’t carry a tune if you duct taped it to her back, and enjoys an occasional cosmopolitan (heavy on the vodka). On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground. Her only known super power is ‘Identify Roadkill’.

An Interview With Author Debra Dunbar

This week I’ve got a bonus guest. Debra Dunbar, one of the lovely authors in the Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft anthology, is here to talk about her writing process and, well, the rest of her life. I haven’t had the chance to read her Beltane short story, “Love Mackick”, but her paranormal novel, A Demon Bound , was a heck of a lot of fun. Debra’s a smart lady, and I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her.

LR: What’s the most compelling thing about your most recent project, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

DD: I really love short stories because they force me to be a better writer.  There needs to be a tightness of plot, an economy of words.  There is no room for wandering, or information dump.  Readers need to fall in love with the characters in such a short time that every word counts. 

With Love Magick, taking what was originally a discarded back-story idea for another novel, breathing life into it, spinning a wisp into a short story, the motivation was in the creative process itself.

LR: If you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be? What’s had the most impact on your work?

DD: My most valuable resource is the feedback I receive from my beta readers.  For Love Magick, I used three teenage girls as beta readers.  They gave me valuable insight into slang, and validated that young love, mean girls, and high school social dynamics hasn’t changed much in thirty years.  For a mom who is repeatedly told she is ‘not cool’ by her teen son, it was important that I get it right!

LR: Which book or author has influenced you the most? What is it about their work that grabs you?

DD: Marie-Louise Von Franz.  She’s a Jungian whose books on redemption themes, the shadow, and individuation have had a huge influence on me.  Growth and self discovery are key themes in all my writing, whether it’s a romance or fantasy, whether it’s about a demon or a young Wiccan girl.

LR: We’ve both got short stories in Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft. How did you research your story? Do you practice witchcraft in RL?

DD: My protagonist is a Wiccan, so my research was easy!  I was a practicing neo-pagan for quite a while after college, and participated in a variety of rituals including Wiccan ones.  I designed a few Wiccan ceremonies for our small group of solitary practitioners, and have kept in touch with several over the years.  I’ve met some parents who have raised their children in the Wiccan faith, and always thought about how that might affect them in a predominantly Christian society, especially in the pressure cooker of High School.

LR: How to you juggle all your hats (spouse, parent, worker-bee, housekeeper, writer)?

DD: I’m a parent of three boys, have a full time corporate career and I’m desperately trying to keep the writing schedule of a full time writer.  Sadly, something always has to give.  I try to rotate the ‘loser’ in the battle for my time, so no one thing bears the constant brunt. 

LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? Like, are you a closet Zumba addict? Could you macramé a plant hanger if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on A Prairie Home Companion?

DD: My daily jog is part of my writing so it probably doesn’t count!  I love to horseback ride.  We have three horses on our farm, and my gelding, Treasure, is my true love.  (Shhhh, don’t tell hubby!)  I particularly love to foxhunt.  Something about being up early in the morning, seeing both you and your horse’s breath in the air, hearing the horn and the baying of the hounds as you both race across the fields. . . it’s magic.  I fully expect to see elves pop out of the mist one morning.  And no, we don’t kill the fox J

LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.

DD: The second novel in my urban fantasy series, Satan’s Sword, is due to release late October.  Right now, I’m finishing up a prequel novella, and am about forty percent of the way through writing the third book in the series.  I’m also really exciting to be working on a graphic novel, which should come out midyear 2013. 

LR: Halloween is nearly on us. What’s your favorite holiday tradition? Samhain? Dios de los Meurtos? Trick or Treating?

DD: This year I’ll probably be hosting a costumed release party for Satan’s Sword, but I absolutely love taking the kids Trick or Treating.  All those enthusiastic, sugar fueled, children, racing from house to house in their costumes.  It’s one of the happiest moments in my year.  Plus I get to enforce the ‘parent tax’ on my children’s pumpkin full of treasures.  Yum, yum!

*

Debra Dunbar lives on a farm in Frederick County, Maryland with her family and a multitude of four-legged friends. Her novels feature supernatural elements in local settings. In addition to her young adult short story, LOVE MAGICK, included in the anthology BELTANE: TEN TALES OF WITCHCRAFT, she also has published an urban fantasy novel  A DEMON BOUND, the first novel in her Imp Series.

Samantha Martin is an imp living among humans. She tries to keep her identity a secret, but when she spots an angel one night, clearly hunting demons, the imp comes out of the bag. Sam ends up smack in the middle of trouble, dragging her human neighbor, Wyatt, along for the ride. 

A DEMON BOUND is available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon.com, Nook at Barnes and Noble, and a variety of formats at Smashwords.com.  Catch up with the author at http://debradunbar.com

BELTANE: TEN TALES OF WITCHCRAFT is available from Amazon and Smashwords.

From Amazon: After majoring in English Literature with a concentration in Medieval and Folklore studies, Debra promptly sold out to the corporate world, occasionally dabbling in writing marketing copy and op/ed articles for a local city paper. By day, she designs compensation programs, after dark she stuffs her nose into obscure mythology, and feverishly writes her novels. A DEMON BOUND is her debut novel. Debra lives on a farm in Maryland with Sweetie, three sons, and a Noah’s ark of four legged family members. Unlike her protagonist, she drives an old PT Cruiser, couldn’t carry a tune if you duct taped it to her back, and enjoys an occasional cosmopolitan (heavy on the vodka). On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground. Her only known super power is ‘Identify Roadkill’.

She Turned And Looked

Words are awesome, you know? There are so many of them, and you can combine them in such an infinite variety of ways. So when I read the title of this rant, I just sigh. Why would you do that to a reader?

Why?

For the last couple months, I’ve been doing some editing for a small publisher, and when I run across those words (“she turned and looked”), I almost always delete them. “She stood and smiled” is almost as bad. “She walked through the door” doesn’t work either. I’m all for simplicity, but there are ways to describe physical action that are not only interesting but give you insight into the character at the same time. Here’s a snippet from Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City:

The discotheque was called Dance Your Ass Off. Mary Ann thought that was gross, but didn’t tell Connie so. Connie was too busy getting off on being Marisa Berenson.

‘The trick is to look bored with it all.’

‘That shouldn’t be hard.’

‘If you wanna get laid, Mary Ann, you better…’

‘I never said that.’

‘Nobody ever says it, for Christ’s sake!  Look, if you can’t deal with your own sexuality, hon, you’re gonna get screwed but good in this town.’

‘I like that. You should make it into a country-western song.’

Connie sighed in exasperation. ‘C’mon. And try not to look like Tricia Nixon reviewing the troops.’ She led the way into the building and staked out a battered sofa against the wall.

Well that snippet turned into something more like a mini-excerpt, but you get the idea. I bolded the line that basically says, “She walked into the room.” In the context of the preceding dialogue, you can tell Connie wanted to be in charge, so she “led the way” and “staked out” their territory. And from that one line of dialogue – “try not to look like Tricia Nixon reviewing the troops” – you know that she thinks Mary Ann is too uptight. Just a few details make an ordinary idea a lot more interesting.

Having  a sense of humor doesn’t hurt, either.

If I’ve had a focus in my own recent writing projects, it’s been to describe my character’s behavior in ways that also illustrate who they are. It’d challenging. She Stood And Looked is a lot easier. And boring. Did I mention boring?

To support my endeavors, I’m signed up for a master class, “Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues” with Margie Lawson at the Emerald City Writers Conference that starts tomorrow. I am a kid who’s headed into a candy store, y’all. I cannot wait to meet Ms. Lawson and hear what she has to say about this subject.

And if anyone wants to borrow my copy of Tales of the City, just let me know.

Peace,

Liv

An Interview with Author Karen Heard

This week I’m very happy to welcome Karen Heard to my blog. I just finished reading her short story, “Alba”, from the  anthology Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft and I am positively a-shiver! It’s SUCH a good story.  I hope you enjoy the interview with Karen, and that you check out Beltane or her other collection of short stories, It’s Dark Inside.

LR: What’s the most compelling thing about your most recent project, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

KH: Alba was a new direction for me in terms of writing. Most of my stories are very dark and the endings are often grim. Although this story has shades of darkness, it also (hopefully) conveys an air of magical realism that is probably about as close to an optimistic story as I get. It’s also a detective story, which I hoped would be an unusual addition to the collection of witchcraft stories that the story was written for. 

LR: If you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be? What’s had the most impact on your work?

KH: I studied writing at university, but have to say I’ve learned more since then from the fantastic community of writers on Twitter. The thing I love about Twitter is that it works mainly on everyone being nice to each other. I’ve met lots of people willing to beta read stories or give advice about editors and cover designers, or just chat about the writing process. I try to give back to others as much as I get out, by beta reading or helping others too when I can. Feel free to get in touch with me at @misheardfiction.

 

LR: Fantasy or reality? Most people lean one way or the other in their work. Do you have a preference, or do you swing both ways?

KH: My work is always fantasy, but based on, if not real events, real feelings. In real life I often imagine the worst-case scenario in any event. I think all of these ‘what if’ scenarios in my head is what makes me lean towards fantasy, where these real fears actually play themselves out. 

 

LR: Clutter or quiet? Describe your perfect writing situation.

KH: I like to work in absolute quiet if I can. I can’t listen to music or it puts me off. However I do a lot of my writing out and about, using my netbook, one of my favourtie belongings in the world! I can usually drone out the background noise – unless someone is having a particularly loud or unusual conversation nearby, and I find myself compelled to listen in!

 

LR: How to you juggle all your hats (spouse, parent, worker-bee, housekeeper, writer)?

KH: I would love to write full time – if any wealthy patrons are out there looking for poor writers to fund – please ask ;o) Until then I try to find time on my commute into work, in lunchbreaks and at weekends.

 

LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? Like, are you a closet marathon runner? Could you crochet a house-cozy if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on Antiques Roadshow?

KH: I took up fencing a couple of years ago, with the thought I could get some exercise and also use it in my writing sometime. I also try and swim when I can, though often find myself in the pub on nights I should be in the pool – does copious drinking count as an activity?

 

LR: Football, basketball, baseball or soccer? Which one gets your blood moving the fastest – or is there another sport you prefer?

KH: Basketball. I used to play when I was younger and was quite good at it as I was taller than all of the boys back then – though they’d probably kick my ass if I played against them now ) The interest just stayed. I think if you’re good at something you tend to like it more. I’m not really a massive sports follower, however. The thing about sport is that it’s never over – there’s always one more match or another tournament. Nothing is ever resolved for good. I think it would take over my life if I followed a sport too much. I did go to the Paralympics recently, though, and was massively impressed – you haven’t seen anything really until you’ve seen a blind woman make a horse dance!

 

LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.

KH: My book of short stories that I’ve been working on for years came out this month so I’m currently trying to promote them before I move on to another project. The stories were written over a series of years, initially one every year for Halloween. I recently realised the whole collection would make a reasonable sized book, so I’ve been working on them this year to put them onto Amazon and Smashwords. I’m also running a Halloween countdown calendar, giving away a free horror story or a free magazine each day at http://www.hellhousehotel.com/halloween-calendar/ 

 After Halloween, I’m going to go back to a crime novella I wrote a while ago. I already have a fantastic beta reader lined up, who I met on Twitter!

More info:  Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft is available on Amazon. My collection of dark short stories, It’s Dark Inside, is also available at Amazon.

 

 

 

Halloween Bl*g H*p!

Today it’s my stop on the Still Moments Publishing Halloween Blog Hop, and to celebrate, I thought I’d post some of my very favorite Halloween music. So let’s get this party started with a little…

Time Warp!

And when we’re done with that, we can try the Monster Mash…the Groovie Goolies version…

And then we can go to the Dead Man’s Party…not much scarier than these hairstyles…

All because Every Day Is Halloween!

I know Halloween music doesn’t have the same street cred as, say, Christmas carols do, but a quick Google search will turn up some pretty fun stuff.  Here’s the theme from The Munsters, which my husband claims is musically superior to the Adam’s Family theme.

(Don’t ya just want to hang out with us at the dinner table some time?)

Enjoy the Hop and be sure and stop by the SMP Blog to check out the other fab Halloween posts that will be happening between now and 10/25.  And if you leave a comment with your favorite Halloween song, I’ll enter you in a drawing to win a copy of my newest SMP release, The Santa Drag. Okay, it’s a little early for Christmas, but still…You’ll also be automatically entered to win one of the grand prizes from SMP. Jump here to check out what they’re giving away!

Peace,

Liv