S.C. Mitchell's Blog, page 38

The final 2

I just finished up submitting the files for the 2nd editions of The Forsaken Templar and Seeds of Immortality.

Say goodbye to the old covers:

    

And hello to the new covers:

    

They should be up on Amazon soon.

Steve

Fantasy Romance – What is it?

I’m excited today to be featuring a guest blog from the incredible Helen C. Johannes who is talking about Fantasy Romance. Helen is the author of The Prince of Val-Feyridge.

Her new novel Bloodstone releases today.

Please welcome Helen C.  Johannes.

I want to thank Steven for letting me guest on his blog this week. Steve’s a great supporter of romance writers in general and the FFPT (fantasy, futuristic, paranormal, time travel) “weird stuff” in particular. I’ve particularly enjoyed his SON OF THUNDER fantasy romance novel and his paranormal novellas.

 

I’m Helen C. Johannes, and I write Fantasy Romance, one kind of “the weird stuff.” When I introduce myself and what I write, I’m often asked for a definition by those who either know little about the romance genre in general or those whose knowledge of romance is limited to historical and/or contemporary categories. I understand why they are asking.

 

Fantasy Romance—What is it?

 

Romance’s umbrella takes in everything from Inspirational Romance to Regency Romances to Romantic Suspense to Vampire Romances among many more. It is a vast and expanding field as writers find new ways to tell love stories. Fantasy Romance is one of these many categories within the Romance fiction genre, and not all publishers give it a separate line; however, my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, puts fantasy romance specifically in their Faery Rose line.

 

The Fantasy Romance genre otherwise is often lumped in with Science Fiction/Futuristic (think THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, AVATAR) and Paranormal (think TWILIGHT, the Sookie Stackhouse/TRUE BLOOD series) as in vampires, werewolves and ghosts), but it does have its own distinct personality. Anyone who is familiar with the recent movie versions of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE HOBBIT, or THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) is aware of the basic elements of the Fantasy genre. Sword and Sorcery and High Fantasy are other common terms. Re-imagined fairy tales (TANGLED, EVER AFTER) are another type of fantasy romance.

 

The elements of Fantasy include a setting (often medieval) of the author’s invention, a quest or journey of some sort, magical or fantastical creatures (other than vampires or werewolves), a sense of destiny at work in the characters’ lives, and usually objects with some mystical power or significance to be recovered or obtained by the characters. Fantasy ROMANCE takes these elements and makes a love story the central force driving the plot.

 

To show you how this works, in my first book, THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE, I created three distinct lands (medieval setting) that had once been united under a king.  When he died without naming an heir, his three sons fought over the crown. Blood was shed, the three lands broke apart, and the crown they fought over was lost. Now my hero has a blood claim to the throne (his perceived destiny), but he must find the crown (the missing icon) to convince the various “tribes” to reunite behind him. Of course, his greatest prize (and ultimate destiny) will be winning the love of the one woman he is convinced he should not pursue.

 

My second book BLOODSTONE is a Beauty-and-the-Beast reimagining set in a no-man’s land where the boundaries of good and evil have been shaken (medieval setting). The hero, who was cursed by a mage (magical being), lives as the Shadow Man, a (magical) being feared and reviled who trades rare bloodstones—petrified dragon’s blood (the icon)—for supplies. The heroine is on a quest with her father to obtain bloodstones for a jewelry commission. They are drawn to each other by shared dreams (perceived destiny), but when Mirianna and her father are attacked, she offers herself in return for her father’s rescue. Living in the ruined fortress with the Shadow Man, Mirianna slowly realizes that a flesh-and-blood man—not a fiend—hides there in hoods and darkness. But are her love and courage enough to lift the curse (quest) and restore the man (ultimate destiny) before the mage returns?

 

 

 

This definition and description of fantasy romance fits what I write, but it also fits Steven’s SON OF THUNDER where the Norse gods’ world collides with the heroine’s human world over the quest for the belt of Thor.

 

Now, I’d love to hear how others of you define Fantasy Romance and what books and movies fit under your umbrella for the genre.

 

Visit Helen at: http://helencjohannes.blogspot.com/

 

Link to THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE: http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Val-Feyridge-Helen-C-Johannes/dp/1601546769

 

BLOODSTONE debuts as an Amazon Kindle Select title Oct. 28th: http://www.amazon.com/Bloodstone-Helen-C-Johannes-ebook/dp/B00G8GTHRC

 

Excerpt from BLOODSTONE

 

 

 

“What about us? What do we do?”

 

Only the hood rotated, cocking with exaggerated deliberation. “Why, you die, old man.”

 

Her father blanched. His grip on Mirianna’s arms faltered.

 

She saw the Shadow Man turn, saw the muscles of his thighs bunch as he prepared to leap down the hillside, saw, in the corner of her eye, shapes gathering along the tree line below, horrible shapes she’d seen only hours before rushing at her from a darkened clearing. With a shudder, she broke from her father’s grasp.

 

“Please!” She reached out to the black sleeve. “Help us!”

 

He recoiled at her touch like one snake-bitten. The sudden, sharp focus of his regard staggered her, but she backed no more than a step. No matter how he terrified her, he’d helped her once. She’d been led to him again, and not, her instincts told her, without reason.

 

“Please,” she repeated. “Help us. I—we’ll do anything.”

 

“Anything?”

 

His voice was a whisper that caressed flesh. Mirianna’s stomach quivered. Her breasts tingled. Her mouth grew even drier. Without thinking, she slid her tongue along her lips. Vaguely, she wondered what she’d done. And why time seemed suspended, as if everyone but she and the Shadow Man had been cast in stone and all sound arrested. All sound except the taut, guttural repeat of his question.

“Anything?”

 

Another one bites the dust.

I just finished putting up the files for the 2nd edition of There’s no such thing as Werewolves.

Time to say goodbye to the old cover:

And welcome the new cover:

If everything goes as it usually does, the eBook should be up by the end of the day and the print edition should be available in 5 to 7 days.

Thursday Threads

Welcome to Thursday Threads. Here’s another great read from Soul Mate Publishing:

The Promised One

By C.D. Hersh

Genre: Paranormal romance suspense

Heat Level: Sensual

 

When homicide detective Alexi Jordan is forced to use her shape shifting powers to catch a paranormal killer, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.

 

Excerpt

 

The woman stared at him, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. “Return the ring, or you’ll be sorry.”

With a short laugh he stood. “Big words for someone bleeding to death.” After dropping the ring into his pocket, he gathered the scattered contents of her purse, and started to leave.

“Wait.” The words sounded thick and slurred . . . two octaves deeper . . . with a Scottish lilt.

Shaw frowned and spun back toward her. The pounding in his chest increased. On the ground, where the woman had fallen, lay a man.

He wore the same slinky blue dress she had—the seams ripped, the dress top collapsed over hard chest muscles, instead of smoothed over soft, rounded curves. The hem skimmed across a pair of hairy, thick thighs. Muscled male thighs. Spiked heels hung at an odd angle, toes jutting through the shoe straps. The same shoes she’d been wearing.

The alley tipped. Shaw leaned against the dumpster to steady himself. He shook his head to clear the vision, then slowly moved his gaze over the body.

A pair of steel-blue eyes stared out of a chiseled face edged with a trim salt-and-pepper beard. Shaw whirled around scanning the alley.

Where was the woman? And who the hell was this guy?

Terrified, Shaw fled.

The dying man called out, “You’re cursed. Forever.”

 

Buy our book at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00DUMODKI/

Learn more about C.D. Hersh at:

Website: http://cdhersh.wordpress.com/

Soul Mate Publishing: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/pages/CD-Hersh/1374333942788724

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCDHersh

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CDHersh

Trailer Tuesdays

Fellow Soul Mate author Joanne Guidoccio is starting a new feature called Trailer Tuesday. Can you guess who she’s featuring today? (Hint, hint…its me.)

Stop by at: http://joanneguidoccio.com/2013/10/22/trailer-tuesday-steve-mitchell/

 

Gone but not forgotten.

As I write this, my first published work is disappearing from Amazon and CreateSpace. Swiftly Beats The Heart (First Edition) is no more.

Let’s pause a moment to remember:

The cover was done in Microsoft Paint. I hovered over the button for long moments wondering if i was doing the right thing.

That was a year and a half ago. How things change.

Of course, the reason the first edition had to die was so the second edition could be born.

Coming soon:

It’s time to say goodby to the old and embrace the new. The new edition features this new cover, plus up to date information on my other published works including a bonus chapter from There’s no such thing as Werewolves.

Now I’m not saying the old edition is going to become a collectors item, but if (when?…okay we’ll stay with if) I do become famous you never know…

Thursday Threads

Welcome to Thursday Threads, a regular feature from the Soul Mate Authors Group. Today Were featuring Brenda Stinnett and her novel, The King’s Vampire:

 

The King’s Vampire, first in an Abyss series

Written by Brenda Stinnett

Historical Paranormal set in London, England, after the Restoration of Charles II.

Heat Scale : Sizzling

 

Darius Einhard, demon slayer, will stop at nothing to help Elizabeth Curran, immortal vampire, break the bonds of vampirism, even while helping her protect Charles Stuart II, who’s in danger of being entrapped into becoming an immortal vampire and leading his people into the abyss of hell by the psychic vampire demons. 

 Excerpt:

The ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, November, 1675

First to reach the top of the ladder, Elizabeth said, “I see a dim light outside the archways of the church. Follow me.”

They’d almost reached the entrance when a hooded figure came rapidly gliding toward them. In silence, the shadowy figure stepped in front of them, blocking the exit while tossing back its hood. Elizabeth recognized Julian, his horrible eyes blazing blood-red, and his mummified face transformed into a skull whose hinged jaws tantalizingly opened and closed, while his wings beat back and forth.

 

Fear-frozen, Elizabeth watched the skull increase in size, the jaws continuing to rise and fall. The creature grew until it filled the archway.

 

With a shout, Darius shoved his three companions away from him and toward the archway. “Run! John, take the women to safety.”

 

John grabbed both women by the arm and started running with them, dodging the skull and slipping beneath Julian’s enormous wings. Elizabeth pulled back and turned around in time to see the huge jaws closing over Darius. She screamed, but John yanked her back and dragged her and Amelia out of the church forcibly, before she could protest further. He gave a shrill whistle. Darius’s coach appeared in front of the ruins. John shoved the women into the coach, and shouted to the driver, “To the Boar’s Head Inn. Hurry up, my good man.”

 

In the coach, Elizabeth glared at him with such ferocity that he drew away from her in surprise. “How dare you, John!”

 

His eyes widened. “What’s wrong? Darius told me to get you and Amelia to safety, and that’s what I’ve done.”

 

His wife touched his shoulder and gave a shake of her head.

 

Elizabeth sat up on her knees, pressing her face to the back window of the carriage. Even with her superior vision, she saw neither Darius, nor the huge skull from her vantage point.

 

“We’ve abandoned him to those horrible demons. We should have stayed and fought.”

 

When she let out an enormous sob, Amelia gently pulled her back onto the seat. “John was doing what Darius asked him to do. Darius is a great warrior and he can take care of himself.”

 

Elizabeth hardly noticed Amelia stroking her arm in a comforting manner. She felt a pain in the pit of her stomach grow until it reached up and clutched her heart. How could she live with herself if anything happened to him?

 

Buy links

Amazon:      http://amzn.to/12HHQ7e

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBrendaStinnett

Web Page:  http://brendastinnett.com

Twitter:       https://twitter.com/brendastinnett

 

 

 

Hey, that’s me!

If you live in Northern Wisconsin, I’d love to have you stop by tonight:

Thursday Threads

Welcome to a new feature here at A Writer’s Haven. I will be taking part in Thursday Threads as Part of the Soul Mate Authors Group.  Each week we will be featuring a different Soul Mate Author. this week welcome Becky Lower, Author of Blame It On The Brontes.

BLAME IT ON THE BRONTES by Becky Lower

 

Genre Contemporary Romance

 

Heat Level: Sensual

 

 

Three separate love stories intertwine around a central theme, as fractious sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronson, each in her forties, are in Puffin Bay, ME for their mother’s funeral. Each is ready to sink their claws into the fortune their mother left behind. But their mother has other plans. Her substantial fortune won’t be divided until the trio return to their childhood home and live together for a year. It’s a request that pits sister against sister but could unite them in a common goal to find the friendship they shared as children, to create a family jewelry business and to win over the men of Puffin Bay. They have a year to figure it all out.

 

 

Excerpt

Anne Bronson pressed her foot on the gas pedal, trying to ignore the little red light on the dashboard—the one highlighting the E on her gas gauge. She willed the rental moving truck to make it up the next hill, hunching over the steering wheel to help with the climb. No good gas-guzzling piece of crap. Anne directed the truck to the side of the road. There should have been plenty of fuel to get to the house.

If she hadn’t already maxed out her credit card, she would have gladly paid professionals to move her from New York to Maine. But here she was, driving her own belongings north, and out of gas. Her stomach knotted even tighter. She had an inheritance at stake. Eighteen minutes till midnight. Damn.

Hauling her purse behind her, she climbed out of the truck. She kicked a tire and let out a half-hearted scream at the damage her instinctive motion caused her black leather Manolo Blahniks. Tapping her fingernails against her teeth, she peered up and down the dark road. No headlights. No life. No sound.

She fished into her purse for her cell phone and stared at it. No signal, of course. With a deep sigh, she wrestled with her old suitcase with its wonky wheel and strapped her oversized purse across her body as she began to climb the rest of the way up the incline. Two miles to the house. She had eighteen minutes to get there. In six-inch heels.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckylowerauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeckyLower1

Blog: http://beckylowerauthor.blogspot.com

Website: http://www.beckylowerauthor.com

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorbeckyl/

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blame-Brontes-ebook/dp/B00CLVACYA

 

Soul Mate: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/blame-it-on-the-brontes/

 

My Brand!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my brand, and come to the conclusion it was time to change some things. Over the next few months I will be doing fresh edits on Swiftly Beats The Heart and the Demons Rising trilogy, that include added features and new covers. These will be second editions, which means my first editions will be going away. Get ‘em while you can, though I can’t guarantee they’ll be collectors items.

 

Thanks to the help of longtime friend Don Schlishing (http://donschlising.com/), I have a new graphic of my name to use on my new covers:

And I’ve been playing around with redesigning my covers. Here is the new cover for Swiftly Beats The Heart:

I don’t have a timeline yet for the rollout, but I hope to have all four 2nd editions out before Christmas.