Christine Feehan's Blog - Posts Tagged "toxic-game"

In celebration of Romance Week and Valentine's Day I thought it would be fun to give a little dating advice.


Have you ever dreamed of dating a GhostWalker? Let me help you with these quick tips and tricks.

Let me know WHO your dream date GhostWalker would be with! Where would you go on your first date?


How to tell if dating a GhostWalker is for you.

1. You must be willing to accept an alpha male/female. Or at least convince him/her they’re in charge.

2. Be willing to travel at a moment’s notice. And spend long, leisurely nights alone with your own personal GhostWalker.

3. Have an understanding and acceptance to go… deep undercover.

How to prepare for your first date.

1. Wear clothing that either distracts or conceals. Bonus points if it does both.

2. Expect the unexpected. Some GhostWalker “gifts” are worth the surprise.

3. Be flexible. The more flexible, the better.

What type of gift might you give to your GhostWalker date?

1. If you can’t BE the flower, bring the flower. There’s just something about flowers…

2. If you’re going to cook as the gift, be sure to use Nonny’s Favorite Recipes book.

3. Your GhostWalker may suffer from aches and pains. Perhaps a full body massage?

How to end your date with a GhostWalker.

1. Allow your GhostWalker to do a complete and thorough search of your home if he/she insists.

2. Allow your GhostWalker to do a complete and thorough search of YOU if he/she insists.

3. Why in the world would you end your date?




Don't forget to tell me about your dream date with a GhostWalker!

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Draden and Shylah are one of the most romantic couples I've ever created and I'm exited for their story to be told March 12th.

I wanted to share a bit about the book and reveal the Book Trailer for you today! I hope you'll enjoy it!





On a rescue mission in the heart of the Indonesian jungle, Dr. Draden Freeman and his GhostWalker team need to extract the wounded as quickly as possible — or risk spreading a deadly virus unleashed by a terrorist cell. When Draden gets infected he forces his team to leave him behind. He won't risk exposing anyone else. He intends to find the ones responsible and go out in a blaze of glory...

Shylah Cosmos's mission is to track the virus and remain unseen. Her enhanced senses tell her that the gorgeous man eradicating the terrorists one by one is a GhostWalker — and his lethal precision takes her breath away. When he's hit by a lucky shot she can't stop herself from stepping in, not knowing that by saving his life she's exposed herself to the virus...

There's no telling how much time Draden and Shylah have left. Racing to find a cure, they quickly realize that they've found their perfect partner just in time to lose everything. But even as the virus threatens to consume their bodies, they've never felt more alive.





Here's the link to the Toxic Game Book Trailer

I’m often asked how much of my GhostWalker series is based on true science and how much is entirely in my imagination. Toxic Game will be out March 12th so I wanted to spend time on discussing some of the interesting and unbelievable research I’ve discovered.
Whether or not the information was solid science or speculation I do delve into as much as I can so that my stories are as solid as science fiction can be. Some of the research will be familiar and some may surprise you.
From autism to superconductors and from locations to weapons I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about the world of GhostWalkers and GhostWalker research.



AUTISM

Autism is a form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) that affects the functioning of the brain. This disorder typically shows up in the first three years of life and people afflicted with autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. Approximately 1 in 250 children are diagnosed with autism, with a four times greater incidence in boys than girls. It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans suffer from some form of this disease and this number is increasing annually. Treatment for autism is very individualized depending on severity and symptoms. The ultimate goal is to provide highly organized structure to allow the child to communicate better and interact socially with others.
For more information visit:
• http://www.autism-society.org/
• https://www.autism.com/

I’ve addressed autism in other series as well. The topic is something I know a great deal about because I’ve research it, but also because I have friends and family members on the spectrum.

An example of how I’ve included this in the GhostWalker series can be seen in Spider Game. Trap Dawkins has Asperger’s. He has difficulties interacting with others socially. He’s a very logical and matter-of-fact guy and this can sometimes lead to the appearance of apathy. Trap is brilliant and comfortable with what he does. When he meets Cayenne and falls in love it’s very profound for him. Cayenne realizes what Trap needs to function and to be in a relationship and because she loves him, she gives him what he needs.




TELEKINESIS

The ability to affect the physical world with your mind. Several of the GhostWalkers have this ability to varying degrees. There’s a great deal of research available on telekinesis and it’s fun to go online and see videos about it.

Telekinesis, also referred to as psychokinesis or pk, is ability to affect the property of things or to move them. Some may also refer to this ability as mind over matter. The actual mechanisms of this extraordinary gift are unknown at this point to the scientific world. Some hypothesize that it is a physical manifestation of the brain on the physical world. There is a lot of speculation on telekinesis without much data at this point.
For more information visit:

• What You Need to Know About... Telekinesis

This type of gift can be found in Conspiracy Game with Jack Norton, in Shadow Game including Lily Whitney and Ryland Miller, Predatory Game, Deadly Game’s Ken Norton, Sam Johnson in Samurai Game has this ability as does Tucker Addison who we meet in Shadow Game. I’m sure there are others that I’m forgetting, but you can see that it ends up being fairly prevalent with the GhostWalkers.



Of course a big part of the GhostWalker mythology has to do with genetic enhancements. We know about the psychic enhancements, but there is also genetic manipulation that includes enhancements of existing abilities, but also splicing and merging of DNA, which was done a great deal by Whitney.



GENETIC ENHANCEMENT

Genetic enhancement is a term normally used to describe alterations of genes not related to disease. In other words genetic enhancement is the modification of genes to create better than normal results. For instance, scientists have been able to enhance a cow to overdevelop muscle and produce nearly zero fat. The implications of gene enhancement are huge.

Theoretically we may be able to create athletes that can jump farther, run faster, last longer or develop animals that grow more quickly than normal with higher body weight for quicker butchering. The possibilities are limitless and a little scary.
For more information visit:
• http://www.genome.gov/10004767
• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/?newsid=5949

If I were to name all of the GhostWalker books that has this I’d likely be naming ALL the GhostWalker books. But, some abilities really stand out that include the genetic manipulation such as the ability to easily climb up walls or adhere to the ceiling. Spinning spider webs or killing with venom is an extreme bit of science fiction, but fun just the same.

I’d love to know what abilities you’d like to have if you were a GhostWalker!

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What would you do if you knew you only had a handful of days to live? How would that affect how you act and what you say?


This question intrigued me as I began to write Toxic Game, knowing already that the danger the hero and heroine would face had to do with bio-warfare and having to stop the threat of a pandemic.

While Draden and Shylah are determined to complete their mission they face the fact that they may be infected with a deadly hemorrhagic virus that has no known cure.

Since they’ve become a unit in this mission they’re thrown together in a way that forces trust, but it also extends a level of intimacy. With only one person to share your feelings with, to share your fears with how would that affect you?




Neither Draden or Shylah would waste a lot of time feeling sorry for themselves. They were trained soldiers and that just wasn’t an option to them. But, to get through what they saw as their final days I knew they’d both want to take care of the other person. And when you know you don’t have to face the consequences of your actions then why not be totally honest and ask for the things you want before you die?




Time wasn’t going to be their friend in many ways, but recognizing there wasn’t going to be a lot of time made each minute count. It would make them realize that “now” was the best time to say or do what they wanted or needed. People think they have all the time in the world, but the fact is, you don’t. That’s just an illusion. We are faced with mortality and we really don’t know when our number is up. Knowing you’re last days are upon you could be freeing in a way. I wanted to convey that with this couple.




It was important to me that readers realize that, no matter what, this couple was meant to be. There’s something about being put into a life or death situation that can cause people to have intense feelings for one another that can fade once that danger is over. It made me up my own game writing the romance between them and I believe the result is that Draden and Shylah have become one of the most romantic couples I’ve ever written.

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Isolation was the backdrop of the Toxic Game story in a way. I put the GhostWalkers in Indonesia, specifically in Sumatra because there really are suspected terrorist cells there, but also because the deep jungle there is very far away from home on so many levels. I wanted Draden and Shylah to feel the isolation from all that they know and have only each other as their final “home”.


The jungle of Sumatra also set the mood being unsettled as it’s wild and unpredictable. There, you’re reminded that as human beings, we are also animals. And as animals we are predators. We’re taken to our basic level of survival and realize who and what we really are. Draden and Shylah had to realize their limitations and trust each other’s strengths in order to survive.




They’d been exposed to a deadly virus that killed painfully, brutally and without mercy. And where many people would accept their fate, hole up and wait to die, Draden and Shlyah couldn’t do that. They were driven by a moral code and need to use the last days of their lives to save others.

Saying goodbye, while also still trying to complete their mission, affected more than just Shylah and Draden. Knowing there really are people who go out on dangerous missions and make the ultimate sacrifice I wanted to show how that affects their entire team, their family, their friends. It’s a loss that is personal and extends to so many.



Writing the scene in which Draden realizes he is likely infected and he has to be left behind was emotional. I had to imagine the reaction of his team, and most specifically Joe’s reaction since he was their leader and a close friend. Each of the GhostWalkers on that mission who got out safely, what would they be feeling, how would they react and though I didn’t address each individual I wanted readers to realize the team’s feelings about leaving a man behind. Of course having to leave someone behind isn’t the same as giving up.
At one point Shylah is given the opportunity to say goodbye to her “sisters” Zara and Bellisia and that was even more emotional. To me, I felt the women would feel a sense of injustice on Shylah’s behalf because they found love and Shylah was left to die.



Of course this is a romance which promises a happy-ever-after so the story is also filled with hope, action, adventure and love. And of course the GhostWalkers aren’t going to just give up. If there’s a way to cheat death the GhostWalkers are going to be the ones out looking for it.

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