P.W. Creighton's Blog, page 5
February 27, 2013
Intriguing Observations - Spoilt Characterization
The Intriguing Observations series was created to gather some of the greatest supporters and bloggers to provide their own insight on all things creative both in their ventures and their techniques. This week on the guest series is author Joanne Ellis.
Dream Cast
I like to dream big and usually by the time I write ‘The End’ I have actors in mind for the job, sometimes even before the end and on occasion, before I start writing, an actor will spring to mind as I write my plot notes. I can see the title sequence, hear the opening song and then see the story play out in my mind with the players all cast.
Aside from a few bit characters here and there or just finding it difficult to find the right person for the job, I have mostly cast the majority of my books.
So am I the only one with delusions of grandeur and cast my book as a movie?
Probably not, so for fun, I am going to run through some of my cast ideas.
First there is Chelsea and Lucas. I have always had Mila Kunis in mind for Chelsea. Although I wasn’t sure, at first, if she fit the description with complete accuracy, I still believe she is the best choice. Lucas was far easier, Josh Hartnett has been my leading man from the moment I started writing Spoilt. His tall, dark and brooding looks suit Lucas perfectly.
Once that decision was made, I needed to move onto two of the other main characters in Charlotte and Maggie. I have Katherine Heigl for Charlotte. Though once again I’m not sure if she’s quite right, I believe she can pull it off. Maggie, this was an easy one for me, Charlize Theron would be my first and only choice.
The other smaller parts of Chelsea’s parents and Carrie (Lucas’ sister) are harder and I’m still on the search. Though I believe George Clooney could probably fit the part of Chelsea’s father and Debra Messing could be Carrie, the other is proving to be a challenge. There is also Nathan (Carrie’s husband) and I think Matthew McConaughey would do perfectly. Ashton Kutcher could play Hayden (Chelsea’s brother) when he’s older but in Spoilt he is a teenager... he’s all grown up and the leading man in ‘The Rookie’, the fourth book in the Spoilt Series. The leading lady, Mabel (Lucas’ niece) I can see as Taylor Swift.
My biggest challenge has been to cast my villain in Spoilt. This would take some research as I don’t have a ‘clear picture’ of who he could be. Perhaps this is because through the book the character is not ‘seen’ by many of the players and an accurate picture doesn’t form until the end. I find it much easier to cast leading men then I do their nemesis.
Of course if Spoilt is to be a movie, there has to be a sequel (my continued delusions of grandeur). This is where I get stuck. I have yet to find a leading man for my Jared (Nathan’s brother). I do have Kellan Lutz in mind and had actually ‘discovered’ him before I saw Twilight but I’m still not sure.
The characters that form the third book of the Spoilt Series, Womanizer, are Mitch, (Nathan and Jared’s brother) and Isabelle were easier to cast. Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie work for me here. Although I’m sure there could be many others that could play the leading lady... more research would be required and Angelina could fit the bill here.
So am I the only one who has cast their movies? Perhaps you already have people in mind when you write, to give you the image, as I do. Perhaps other writers don’t know who they would use until the end. I have heard of writers who print out pictures of their cast to keep close by for inspiration.
So I continue my quest to fill the missing parts and find new characters for my other completed projects.
About the Author
Joanne Ellis is a prolific Australian writer who won the Night Reading 'First Chapter of the Month' in May-June 2010 with 'Spoilt', which went on to become a US Kinde #1 and international best seller. Other novels written by Joanne include: 'Twisted Fire', 'Folk Law', 'Womaniser', 'The Rookie', 'Charlottesville', 'Control' and 'The Mystic Garden'.
January 28, 2013
Paranormal Perceptions ~ The Voices of Ravens
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of The Hallowed Ones, author Laura Bickle.
It’s very difficult to keep anything hidden from a raven.
A small clan of ravens lives in my neighborhood, and they are fascinating to watch. They usually come to the maple tree in my front yard in pairs, checking to see what treats they might be able to find. Very clever birds, they know where the dish of cat food is for the neighborhood tomcat, and they will pick it clean if they locate it before he does. It doesn’t matter how often I move it…they find it.
And they can be quite ruthless. A pair of robins had made a nest in a redbud tree in the backyard last spring. It was a very well-hidden nest…it had taken me a few weeks to find it myself. Not many days after I saw it, I heard a terrible squawking and fight. By the time I made it out the back door to intervene, a raven was flying away with a blue robin’s egg in its beak.
Alas, the robins gave up. I know that the raven was watching to find the other eggs, even though I tried to be vigilant about brandishing the garden hose. The nest is now empty, and the robins have moved on. But the ravens are still about.
They have their own language, and I have heard them referred to as “gossip birds.” They carry on long conversations in their hoarse, rasping voices. Like parrots, they can be taught to speak human words, though they do so with an unforgettable rasp and pitch. Ravens can use tools and possess excellent memories. There are many stories of flocks of ravens who are driven away from fields forever with a single shot. And when I say forever, I mean generations…if a raven is killed at a site, its fellows will discuss this amongst themselves and warn the young ravens.
In mythology, ravens have been tied to Odin, the king of the Norse gods. He had two who acted as his personal messengers – Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory). Odin would send these birds out into the world to gather intelligence. “Gossip birds,” indeed.
When I was creating the world of THE HALLOWED ONES, ravens were on my mind. The heroine, Katie, is an Amish girl who is very in tune with the natural world. Ravens are part of her landscape, picking through fields for grain and standing on her clothesline, gossiping with each other. When the end of the world comes, the humans are not sure what’s happened. The people in Katie’s settlement only know that there are no cars on the road, that a curfew has been ordered. There are no lights on the horizon.
But the birds know.
One morning, Katie awakens to a great cacophony. Thousands of ravens are calling to each other, taking wing in a massive swarm. The swarm is so dense that it blackens the sky, and the sound is deafening. The birds are leaving, flying south in vast multitudes.
The evacuation of the birds tells Katie that something is very wrong with her world, something truly horrific. She can only guess at what it is…but the ravens already know, and are shrieking to anything that will listen.
[image error]Author Bio:
Laura Bickle has an MA in sociology-criminology (research interests: fear of crime and victimology) and a BA in criminology. She has worked in and around criminal justice since 1997. Although she does read Tarot cards, she's never used them in criminal profiling or to locate lost scientists. She recently took up astronomy, but for the most part her primary role in studying constellations and dark matter is to follow her amateur astronomer-husband around central Ohio toting the telescope tripod and various lenses.
Writing as Laura Bickle, she's the author of EMBERS and SPARKS for Pocket - Juno Books. Writing as Alayna Williams, she's the author of DARK ORACLE and ROGUE ORACLE.
More info on her urban fantasy and general nerdiness is here: http://www.salamanderstales.com/
Laura/ Alayna’s blogs
http://www.salamanderstales.blogspot.com and http://delphisdaughters.blogspot.com
She’s also at Facebook
January 21, 2013
Paranormal Perceptions ~ A Nightmare in More Ways Than One
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Shades of Desire, author L.M. Pruitt (@lmpruitt).
When I started doing research for the WINGED series, one of the first books I purchased was an encyclopedia of demons. You didn’t read that wrong—I said an encyclopedia of demons. I figured if I was going to write six books full of characters fighting/dealing with demons, I needed to invest in a good source. And before someone says, “Wait, what about the Internet?”, let me say that while there are a lot of helpful sites, there are even more where I’m seriously concerned that just reading the material is going to put my immortal soul in danger. And even more where I’m convinced the people contributing to the site are more than a little…off.
But I digress.
Besides being a great conversation starter (seriously—people see me pull out the book, do a double take, and conversations just blossom), it really is a great resource. Say I’m looking for a demon that would be more likely than not to spend the weekend in Miami wreaking havoc with intense storms. Check a few indexes, look out some truly outlandishly spelled names and boom! I have myself a demon. The fact that he’s also known to cause toads to drop from the sky is a nice little side bonus.
However, sometimes it’s the demons with the smallest entries that make the biggest impact. Like the mara.
You may have guessed that the mara has something to do with nightmares and you’d be correct. For a very long period of history it was believed that dreams resulting in terror and temporary paralysis were the result of a visit from a mara, also known as a night-hag. Pictures and drawings often showed a small, malevolent creature perched on the chest of its victim, smiling in sadistic glee while said victim was depicted in a state of terror. Nowadays we know that what people believed to be a demon in the past is no more than complicated brain activity sometimes compounded by sleep paralysis (which is still pretty terrifying—I’ve had a few episodes myself and it’s nothing to laugh about).
But what if we’re wrong? What if we’ve scienced ourselves out of believing in things, giving creatures like the mara the ability to live among us, feeding on our dreams and turning them into nightmares? And what if one of them decided to use the idea of conducting a sleep study as a cover for their activities?
Well—you’ll just have to check out UPRISING, the second book in the WINGED series to see what happens.
About the Author:
L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She is the author of the Jude Magdalyn Series as well as New Moon Rising, featuring Cari Gravier, and Taken, featuring Frankie Post. She is currently at work on the next book in the Moon Rising series, Harvest Moon Rising, due out April 2012. Ms. Pruitt makes her home in Florida with two cats--one smart, the other not so much.
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/LM-Pruitt/364776895104
Blog: http://www.lmpruitt.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/lmpruitt
Paranormal Perceptions ~ Believing
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of the Visionary Trilogy, author N. Dunham (@ndunham151).
Do I believe in paranormal experiences? Well, I have always believed in the supernatural. I have had too many unexplained odd occurrences to not believe. To be able to define what it is I believe exactly though, is rather difficult to put into words. But, I do believe that things happen for unknown reasons.
My book, Visionary-Unleashed, incorporates psychic phenomena and spirit animals into a fantasy fiction for young adults. I carefully selected fifteen spirit animals to represent each sign of the zodiac plus three additional animals, one of them being the red tailed hawk. These spirit animals help and provide visionaries, people who can see things before they happen, with extraordinary powers.
The funny thing about this, is that during the entire time I wrote my novel, I must have seen a red tailed hawk almost every day. I would see them fly in front of me. I would look up and spot them on telephone poles and trees. It was pretty awesome. I took it as a good sign. Some people think that the red tailed hawk represents a bad omen but actually, I have learned that it symbolizes a good omen and that they are associated with the base chakra. I found all of this information fascinating and if you look online you can find a lot more detailed information.
So yes, to some degree I believe that there are things that are beyond our control and things that are simply unexplainable but it is how you perceive them that is important.
N. Dunham is the author of the Visionary Trilogy.
N. Dunham's interest in reading and writing didn't come until early adulthood. She enjoys works of many genres and has a passion for the arts.
VISIONARY-UNLEASHED was inspired by New England's natural beauty and wildlife (especially red-tailed hawks).
http://www.facebook.com/pages/N-Dunham/565938163423483
https://twitter.com/ndunham151
Paranormal Perceptions ~ Cursed
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Soul Awakened, author Jean Murray (@wickedromance).
History is a treasure trove of story ideas waiting to be written or rewritten. For my treasure box, I selected Ancient Egyptian mythology. Who isn’t fascinated by the pyramids, pharaohs’ tombs, and hieroglyphics? It is an amazingly rich history that has us wondering about many things. How were those pyramids built? Is there truly an afterlife, as they believed? I would like to think so. Although my Key to the Cursed series is a paranormal romance, I utilized the translated pyramid and demotic texts (Books of the Dead) to build my world as real and authentic for the reader.
In my new release Soul Awakened, the setting is in the Underworld. When most think of the Underworld they think of fire and brimstone. The Ancient Egyptians had a very different outlook. Yes there was a hell – Duat, but more importantly there was Aaru, the Paradise Isle of the Underworld where the dead would live a life of comfort and luxury. In the Ancient Egyptian religion most of the Underworld gods were benevolent, protecting human souls on their journey to paradise. These gods are the focus of my series. What have they been doing all this time while the world moved on without them? While their temples crumbled? What happens to a soul that cannot find paradise? The Key to the Cursed series has the answers or at least my version J
To gain inspiration for my series, I went to the only place that has true artifacts of an ancient Egypt. While at the museum, I began to admire the meticulous care and reverence the Ancient Egyptians had for the dead. The body was prepared in such a way to protect it from evil spirits and arm the deceased with protection spells and artifacts to ensure safe passage to the Underworld. To protect history, we have dispersed these artifacts across the world – separating the tomb from those protection artifacts. Can you see where my mind went with this?
One of the best things about a creative mind is that inspiration can come from anywhere. A picture, a location, and an experience beyond our comprehension. If you stop and ask the questions – why, how, when, and what if – a story is to be had. Fill in those blanks with your own answer.
So, I thought I’d ask the question – from where does your inspiration come? Any strange or unusual places?
GIVEAWAY
One lucky commenter will receive an ebook copy of Soul Reborn. Plus, do not forget the Soul Awakened Book Tour Kindle Fire HD giveaway.
In her pursuit of a nursing degree, Jean Murray aspired to see the world and joined the Navy. At the end of 2011 she said a heart-breaking goodbye to her Navy family and retired after twenty years of military service. Although her dreams of writing full time have yet to come true, she continues her writing journey and draws inspiration from her travels abroad. She enjoys spending time with her family and of course, writing about the “Carrigan sisters and their mates, Gods of the Underworld,” to bring you the next installment of the Key to the Cursed series.
Web: www.jean-murray.com ; www.keytothecursed.com
Blog: www.wickedromance.wordpress.com
Face Book: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jean-Murray-Paranormal-Romance-Author/130589967006760
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wickedromance
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5103113.Jean_Murray
Book Trailer Soul Reborn: http://youtu.be/smSJsJp5o74
Paranormal Perceptions ~ The Dark Twisted Path
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Little Red Riding Wolf, author Jessica Aspen (@JessicaAspen).
Authors, paranormal authors in particular, have a wide variety of choices open to them when they start to imagine their next book. In fact, it can be so wide open that it’s difficult to choose. Shapeshifters, ghosts, vampires. Which do you choose to write about? And do you have to choose just one supernatural phenomenon?
When I first started writing paranormal the choices were bewildering. Too many ideas and formats raced through my mind, but finally one continued to keep surfacing. Fairytales. Fairytales were my first introduction to the supernatural. As a child I read them all, ate them up at a rate that amazed the school librarian. Magic spells, transformations, heroes and heroines, they all caught my attention. And they still do because there are no limits to the amount and ways they can be twisted.
Once Upon a BlogTo wander down the dark twisted path of the adult fairy tale is not for everyone, only the brave dare to enter the dark forest. The lure is strong. How can one not choose to go into the woods? All the characters are there, one only has to reach out and you can touch witches and princes and thieves. And behind the child’s tales are the adult’s tales. A little girl lost becomes a woman grown looking for forbidden adventure. A big bad wolf is the villain… or is he? What if the wolf is the woman? And what if what she desires comes back to bite her?
Fairytales are ultimately tales of true love conquering all, conquering the things we dread most; trolls, evil stepmothers, and even our own inner selves. In my fairytales the heroines must grow up in order to face the villain and when they do they must not only losing all but also face what love truly does to your soul.
In my first story Little Red Riding Wolf, I chose to twist Red Riding Hood into a tale of a young female werewolf and her forbidden love for a human. Not only does Red transform into a wolf, but she transforms into an adult defying convention and her domineering older brother for love. The fairy tale themes of true love and transformation run throughout, despite the modern Colorado setting and the shapeshifter heroine. I went deeper into the woods for my second book, Snow and the Seventh Wolf, and dealt with a dark hero and an even darker past for my heroine. But it all works, why? Because they’re fairy tales.
What do you love about fairy tales? Do you enjoy the dark side? The twisted side? Do you dare to venture into the woods with the wolves or do you stay in the shadow of the castles? What story would you like to see twisted?
Jessica Aspen writes paranormal romance near the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. Her books are full of elves, were-wolves and sexy men who walk on the dark side of the knife. She loves dark chocolate, walking the dog, hiking and is obsessed with new electronic writing devices. Jessica is also obsessed with writing, and learning about writing. She is a member of RWA, CRW, FF&P and PRO. You can find Jessica most days during the week athttp://jessicaaspen.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5759763.Jessica_Aspen
https://twitter.com/JessicaAspen
https://www.facebook.com/jessica.aspen
Giveaway
Jessica is giving away a copy of Little Red Riding Wolf at each stop to one lucky commenter. So, make sure to give some feedback!
January 7, 2013
Paranormal Perceptions ~ Musings on the Paranormal Genre
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of A Time for Everything, author Ann Gimpel (@AnnGimpel).
I believe in paranormal phenomena. I actually believe it’s a prerequisite for anyone writing fiction with paranormal elements.
Let me kick this off by sharing one of my experiences. About twenty years ago, I was living in Shingletown, California, a small community a few miles east of Redding. I took a shortcut one morning on back mountain roads to drive to Burney where I was scheduled to do a radio broadcast. Coming down Highway 44, the steering wheel of my Volkswagen Rabbit ripped its way to the stops. My car spun a few times and slammed into a snow bank leaving me shaken. I looked at the clock: 7:58 A.M. I hadn’t been speeding. The pavement was bare and dry. I was worried I’d developed a mechanical problem in the steering mechanism, but when I fired up the car and drove the rest of the way to my destination, it didn’t misbehave. I found out later that day a very, very close friend of mine—basically the brother I never had—died at exactly 7:56 that morning. I figured Don was trying to take me with him.
I’ve had other experiences over the years that defy rational explanations. I’ve also had many, many patients over my long years as a therapist relate fantastic events. One of the reasons I was drawn to Jungian dream work is its emphasis on the paranormal. It’s not widely known, but Jung was a mystic. Before he’d accept a patient, he insisted they have their astrological chart done. He’d look at his chart next to theirs (synastry) and decide whether he could work with them.
Dreams speak to us in symbols. But it goes far deeper than that. Symbols have archetypal value; they’re also unique to the dreamer. So, for example, snakes in my dreams might mean something entirely different than snakes in yours. This is why “kitchen table” dream books that list symbols and their meanings are almost less than useless.
I had a bad climbing fall once. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured beyond contusions that started with my forehead, extended to a very black eye, and covered one arm and both legs. It took a couple of months for the bruising to totally resolve. At one point, I dreamed I was standing by myself in the middle of an empty plain. It was twilight. A phalanx of snakes slithered toward me from every direction. They crawled up my body and wound around it. In the morning, I felt like I’d turned a corner and was well on the way to having my body mend. In my dream, snakes were a positive factor. In many of my clients’ dreams, they’ve been portents of disaster. That’s what I mean by symbolism in dreams being unique to the dreamer. Interestingly, when I told my own analyst the dream, he clucked at me, went to a closet, and drew out a painting. It was an almost exact depiction of my dream, except instead of snakes, it was sea serpents swimming toward the central figure. One of his other patients had painted it years before. That would be a good launching point for a discussion of the Collective Unconscious, but this blog post isn’t the place for that.
If you pay attention to your dreams, over time you learn the language unique to your psyche. Years ago, Marie Louise Von Franz and Fraser Boa made a movie called the Way of the Dream. It’s available in DVD (4 of them) and some clips are even available on You Tube. If you’re truly interested in Jungian dream work, this is a must see. It’s clearly dated since it was made in 1995, but Von Franz was Jung’s primary disciple. She joined Jung an analysand when she was 18 and never left. Oh, she attended college and graduate school, but she lived all her life at Bollingen, Jung’s retreat in Switzerland.
About the Author
Ann Gimpel is a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Two novels, Psyche’s Prophecy, and its sequel, Psyche’s Search, have been published by Gypsy Shadow Publishing, a small press. A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.
http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel
http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author
@AnnGimpel (for Twitter)
December 16, 2012
Paranormal Perceptions ~ Ghostly Inspiration
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Vigilante of Shadows, author Miranda Stork.
Ghosts, you ask? Why ghosts for this guest post? Well…because I use the paranormal an awful lot in my books. And because I’ve had a few experiences myself. And because it’s an interesting subject up for debate.But mainly because I want to, so there.J
I guess in my family, there has always been the subject of ghosts and bumpy night things, as I’m half-Irish. And in case you didn’t know, the Irish are BIG on folklore and ghost stories. But for the record, I never paid much attention to them. I’m much more cynical, and lean towards science for an explanation, but more on that later. There was the story of my grandparents, who had to live with an angry poltergeist when they were newly married. Then there was the story of my parent’s car stopping on a road near to where I live now (a road famous for this ghost) and coming face to face with a floating white shape known only as ‘The Hag’. Or there were also the numerous stories from my aunt, who likes to go ‘ghost-hunting’.
I never paid a lot of attention to these stories, because although I was always sure there might be other things that we cannot explain, everyone seeing so many ghosts seemed odd. Take my parent’s story, for example. Apparently, you only ever see the ghost in the summer months, when it’s raining, and if you’re feeling sad, and your car stops abruptly so the ghost can pass the road. Let’s look at that properly for a minute. We do have the odd day in the summer here, where it’s hot enough that the roads can create steam when it rains. And this particular summer was apparently a scorcher. Add to that the fact it was late at night. And both my parents were upset about something. Now we all know when you are upset about something, you’re not exactly paying attention properly. So for a minute, let’s imagine it’s not a ghost. Let’s instead imagine that the rain hitting the hot road has created some steam. Maybe a lot of steam, that has piled up into a large amount. Then along come two peoplein a car, just in time to see this large pile of steam floating across the road. They are so upset about something that they don’t pay attention to the fact it’s steam. Add to this the stories of that road, and the fact it’s dark and scary. They brake without realising it, because they’re so freaked out. They won’t remember this later, because of the fright from the sight, and they’ll imagine it stopped on its own.
This is exactly what I used to think of that story, and I still do. About that one, anyway. But then something happened to me to make me change my mind a little.
A few years ago, I lived I Newcastle-upon-Tyne, aka. ‘The Toon, aka.‘Geordie-Town’. All true, and everyone there is fabulous. Fact. However, I moved around a few flats when I was there, and one of them was not so fabulous. On the surface, it was an okay flat for what I was paying. It was very dark inside though, due to a dodgy planning decision on the windows. Whoever had planned them had been having an off-day that day. And it had six-foot high damp in the bathroom. I know, I know, but at the time it was the only option, and I was told it would be fixed. It was ‘fixed’ several times. But the mysterious damp kept coming back, thicker and faster each time.
After a few weeks of being in the flat, funny things kept happening. One of the strangest things was crying. Yeah, I know, it sounds silly. But I would have friends come around and they would burst into tears in my living room. For no reason. One second, we would be laughing about something, the next they would have tears streaming down their faces. When I asked them what was wrong, they would always reply with a surprised, “I don’t know!” Then it happened to me a few times. I would be doing nothing in particular, I could be having a good day, but then tears would start falling out of my eyes, and I would get this crushing feeling of sadness about me. I brushed it off, thinking it was probably just something hormonal. Yeah, I’m sorry using that one ladies, but we can be hormonal, and I’m practical above all else!
Then our electrical equipment starting going funny.Because it was a small flat, a lot of things were in the living room. Everything would be switched off, then-everything would start turning itself on and off starting from one end of the room to the other. Trust me, there is nothing stranger than standing in a room while the radio switches between stations on its own, then the TV comes on and off switching through channels, then the computer starts up and off again. But again, I’m not silly. I didn’t run screaming out of the house. I thought, sensibly, that there might be an electrical fault. I switched the power off at the fusebox, and called someone out straight away. But he checked it, and said nothing was wrong. Nothing. I told him about the surge, and he shrugged. “I don’t know what it could have been, nothing is wrong with your electrics.”
This continued for a long time. Weeks. It would move through the house like an electrical ripple, switching things on and off. I paid no attention to it, still refusing to believe it was anything out of the ordinary. Then we began to hear sounds. Running about in the kitchen.Scratching along the walls. Now I have to break here to explain how the house was laid out. My bedroom was at the front of the flat, with a hallway next to it. Then a spare room, and the living room in the centre. Then the galley kitchen at the end, coming out form the living room, and the bathroom at the end of that. My cats stopped going near the kitchen or bathroom. I had to move all of their things into the spare room for them to use.
Then came the night I will never forget. I was still up, as I don’t really sleep very well on a night. I had the light on, a comedy on the TV, and was laughing away. Hardly the right set-up to be terrified.Nothing to make me jumpy or upset beforehand. I’d had a good day, the noises and electrical surges seemed to have stopped, and I was feeling happy. This was at about 2am. I needed the toilet. So, not worrying about anything, I got up, walked over to the kitchen door, and opened it. What I saw there chilled the blood out of my body. I’m actually getting shivers still as I write about this.
As I opened the door, I went to switch the light on. Now I would like to note the kitchen was lit up perfectly, as there used to be a streetlight outside, but it was habit. Then I noticed ‘It’. Just in front of my bathroom door, at the other end of the kitchen, was a large, eight-foot black shape. It wasn’t like a shadow on the wall, flat and bent in, but it was moving and solid. Although it had no face, I could make out a head, and shoulder, and the fact it was tall. Something in my brain registered ‘It’ wasn’t supposed to be there, and it literally felt like the blood drained from my body. I’d never felt that before, and I was frozen to the spot. ‘It’ twisted, and began to make a growling noise-a LOUD growling noise.
I panicked, and managed to move again, slamming the door shut. I rammed the sofa in front of it, grabbed the cats and their stuff, took them in the bedroom, and shut us all in. I put the bedroom TV on as loud as it would go, all the lights on, and pushed things in front of that door. I didn’t sleep that night, terrified of every little sound I heard outside the door. The next day I and the cats went to stay with a good friend, and I made arrangements to move. The next time I went back, I took friends, got all my stuff, and left.
There was one final time I went back. The Post Office managed to mess up where my post was going, and some of it ended up at the flat. As I had one more day until I had to hand over the keys, I decided to go and pick it up. Unfortunately, the only time I could go was after work-at 9pm at night. So I went anyway, and luckily didn’t have to go in. All I had to do was open the door, and grab the letters. As I opened the door, it echoed in the darkness of the hallway, as places do when there is no furniture in them. As I bent to pick the letters up, I heard scratching noises at the back of the flat, where I knew the kitchen door was still closed. Then I heard whispering. And then there was a loud thump, as if the door had been broken through. I grabbed the letters, slammed the door shut, and ran. I didn’t even lock it. I figured anyone stupid enough to break in would get what they deserved.
So while I’ve had a few more experiences since then, this was the one that opened my eyes. While I am STILL the sceptic, and will always try to find a rational explanation for everything, nothing can be explained for what I saw that night. And it actually helps with my writing. Whenever I have to write a scene that’s scary, I know exactly how the characters should feel. So whether or not you believe this, and whatever your thoughts on it are, you can’t deny it helps with writing about the paranormal. J
Vigilante of Shadows was a very interesting read, and a good set-up for a longer series of books. The strongest aspect of this book was the Celtic mythology that it built upon. The main character Aodhan, is a demon, and that is just the beginning of the mythological creatures featured in this book.
When it comes to paranormal romance/thrillers, demons and vampires tend to be the go-to supernatural being, yet this is just the starting point of the book. Adding in the variety of creatures, as well as portraying the demons as each having their own unique abilities, sets this book apart from others in this genre.
Overall, the book was well-written, and with good pacing. The beginning was a little slow, and the characters seemed to make conclusions that made no sense, other than to forward the story, but once the book got going, it got interesting, and was hard to put down.
The only other drawback of the book was portraying Aodhan's speech in a manner meant to convey his Scottish heritage. It did well to illustrate the character and his history, yet was at times distracting from the overall story.
Other than those two flaws, this was an interesting, well-written book.
[image error]I was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow. My writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.
My love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother's Grimm's tales...Red Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry
for the wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Miranda-Stork/e/B0082YW92S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Blog: http://writermirandastork.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mirandastork
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authormirandastork
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4279057.Miranda_Stork
December 12, 2012
Intriguing Observations ~ Pinpoint
The Intriguing Observations series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using mystery elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Pinpoint, author Sheila Mary Taylor.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR BELOVED TWIN BROTHER HAD DIED AT THE AGE OF TEN? AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS LATER THE HAIRS STAND UP ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE YOU THINK MUST BE YOUR BROTHER BECAUSE NOWHERE ELSE HAVE YOU EVER SEEN EYES LIKE HIS. BUT THIS MAN IS A VICIOUS SERIAL KILLER . . .
Excerpt:
But would it be as easy as that? Would she ever be able to forget the voice, those eyes, that hauntingly familiar look? She was torn between believing and not believing.
Between wanting and not wanting. Between loving and not loving. Such a situation had no precedent, she was sure. Nothing in her legal training had prepared her for this. She felt as though her sense of logic had been turned upside down, threatening to make her act contrary to the legal principles she normally upheld, actions contrary to the advice she gave to her clients. She hated herself for this apparent weakness, but seemed powerless to overcome it. When she thought of her long lost dead brother, and Smith, in the same mental breath, she found the paradox offensive, but she had no idea why she could not keep her sacred, almost mythically precious thoughts of her brother separate from those of this callous, manipulative and deeply depraved man. The gaping hole in her memory had started twenty-six years ago on the very last day she saw him, when something too terrible to remember had happened. All she remembered after that was being told that her twin brother was dead. And then being adopted by David and Jessie, when a new life with no past began.
The question had been gnawing away at her soul since almost the very first moment of meeting Smith: Is he, could he be that loved and longed-for brother whose name she could not even remember? The idea was as ridiculous as it was impossible to dismiss from her mind. That day at Strangeways, when he had walked into the interview room for the first time, he had sensed something too, of that she’d been certain. But even now she was confused about why she had almost had a panic attack. For twenty-six years she had dreamed the dream of a child, that her brother would be restored to her. Now she sometimes doubted he had ever existed. She longed for what was surely only an impression in her unconscious, a nebulous sensation of loss rather than of any specific being.
And never a person such as this. Coincidence? she asked herself. It couldn’t be anything but.
[image error]A lawyer, a murderer and a policeman - caught in a tangled web of love, loss, terror and intrigue.
When lawyer Julia Grant interviews Sam Smith who has been charged with an especially vicious murder, she feels a strange connection to him, as if she has met him before, as if he holds the key to something she has forgotten among the unbearable memories from her past she has determinedly blotted out. He feels a connection too. "Julia, you are the only one who can help me," he pleads. Is it the same connection? Does he know something she cannot recall? When he is duly convicted despite her best efforts, he suddenly turns on her in the courtroom and threatens that one day he will make sure to wreak his revenge on her.
But why? What has she ever done to him?
And then, on his way to prison, he escapes ......
December 10, 2012
Paranormal Perceptions ~ Why Write?
The Paranormal Perceptions series was created to gather some of the most interesting authors that are using paranormal elements in their stories. Every author has their own perceptions and provides their own insight on all things paranormal, ranging from urban legends and paranormal research, to myths and inspirations. This week on the guest series is author of Shadow Play, author Christie Palmer.
Besides the fact that if I didn’t write the voices in my head would take over and I’d be drooling in the corner twitching. Okay so that is a bad/good Saturday night but seriously, I have characters running around in my head with an imagination that would make the normal personal see stars. And frankly a normal person wouldn’t sign up for this. Not that I would give it up for anything in the world.
But that isn’t how I got started as a writer, that is my life now.
Why I write?
First of all, I am a hopeless romantic. I love a good love story. But I knew I wanted to be a writer after reading a book where: Heroine rescues hero (book 1), hero then rescues heroine (book 2), they then save the kingdom form certain doom (book 3). But in the end the heroine leaves the hero….WHAT? For a hopeless romantic I was devastated and even after twenty plus years it still upsets me. I’m not even sure how the heroine doesn’t end up with the hero. I go back and read the final book and am still confused. I think everyone deserves a happy ever after.
EVERYONE!
So when this epic tale didn’t end they way my pitter patter teen heart thought it should. I sat down and wrote a fourth book. In which my heroine ends up with my hero. I wrote it out in long hand and with a pencil and lose paper. But I did it and never showed it to a single soul, knowing though that I gave them a happy ending was enough for me. I will tell you this much, however, I still have that story and I look at it and smile. Knowing that in my heart of hearts the heroine and hero ended up together.
After I not only knew I wanted to write, but I wanted to always write love stories and they all HAD to have happy endings.
We are bombarded on a daily basis with horrifying and dark imagines of things that are often out of our capacity to control. If I didn’t have my books and writing to immerse myself in I think I would go stark raving mad, and since it’s my imagination I give everyone a happy ending.
I have to admit that I started my writing with bad poetry and even worse short stories. And received accolades from teachers and peers. These praises pushed me forward to push my abilities and writing skills and become the writer that I always wanted to do. The problem was I hadn’t found my voice, the voice that drives you to finish that novel instead of writing and writing and writing and getting nowhere. And I have to believe that every writer has been there, unsure how their voice sounds. But as I raised my children and worked a day job I wrote and wrote but never finished a novel. I have twenty years of that and close to two dozen unfinished manuscripts in my attempt to find the voice you have to have to actually finish a book. Authors that find that voice or have it to begin with are very lucky.
Then several years ago, I read a book that would change my life forever. I read Jeannine Frosts first Night Huntress Book: Halfway to the Grave. And holy cow, I finished reading it and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I admit I became obsessed. To the point I stayed up at night plotting out different Urban Fantasy locations and ideas. Now don’t get me wrong I had read hundreds of books before that, both historical romances, current romances, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, current fiction, biographies etc. But this book, this one book changed me forever. I finished reading that book and my writer’s voice stepped up and began to scream in my ear, bellowing to be heard. I finished that book in the fall and I finished my first book that Christmas. My second and third books where finished the next year. Shadow Play was one of those.
So why do I write? Because I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love writing, the characters the building of a story, the arch’s and resolution. And I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Review
A small town in the mountains of Marshall, Montana is being plagued by an unknown entity. It’s mutilating and killing the women of the town. At his wits end the Sheriff of Marshall has nowhere to turn but to a friend. A friend, with the abilities to track and kill any prey. Ryder doesn’t normally do mortal issues. However, he can’t turn his back on a friend. Besides he is the best at what he does. After all he is a Tracker, an ancient race with unparalleled abilities to track down any prey. With one of the threeessential elements: Taste, Touch or Smell. Heartless and cold, Ryder knows what needs to be done and performs his duty without feeling.
Kyra, an Air Element and the only female Elemental Enforcer, is sent on a fact finding mission to Marshall, by the Druid Council. She needs to find out exactly what is happening in Montana before the Tribunal goes in and kills everyone. The last thing she expects to find is a Tracker, and is even more surprised to find out that he is on her side. But can they get past their initial feelings upon meeting and the sexual tension? Or will the evil that is living in the mountain kill them both.
Ryder and Kyra must learn to work together to destroy the shadow and save Kyra from a fate worse than death. When pure evil is involved is love enough?
Christie was born and raised in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Ut. She lives less than a mile from the home she grew up in. World traveler she is not. But what she lacked in travel she more than made up for in her imagination. Within her vivid imagination she has traveled the world over as well as different worlds and different times.
She works a full time day job to pay the bills but loses herself in books and her writing whenever possible. She is a loving mother of two wonderful children that she admits she is obsessed with. She has been married for 18 years to a very tolerant man that is grounded in reality in order for her to fly to the heights of her own imagination. She started writing when she was a teenager after reading a book that she didn't like the ending too. Took a hiatus to raise her wonderful children but has dedicated herself to becoming a published writer for the last several years.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/christie.palmer.5011
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11563672-christie-palmer
