Christine Feehan's Blog, page 14

Till Death Do Us Part – Toxic Game

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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Toxic Game: Life or Death Love Affair

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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GhostWalker Research Part 2 of 4: From Psychics to Superconductors

How much paranormal is real? How much fiction turns to non-fiction when an author’s imagination takes over while reading science magazines? You might be surprised!

I am always reading science journals or online articles. I check out any new science news as well as researching old experiments.

Using psychic abilities for military purposes is not new. It’s been researched. There have been experiments. I think there always will be because there’s some fact to it. Enough to keep governments interested. So it was easy to make that part of my GhostWalker mythology.



PSYCHIC ABILITY IN WARFARE

The possibility of psychic ability has been around for ages. But during the cold war and WWII it is thought that even the government became a believer. In 1995 an experiment called Operation Stargate was de-classified and released to the public. In this experiment the CIA and the US military allegedly used soldiers with psychic propensities to train as remote viewers. They were trained to "see" war bunkers and other secret information from great distances. At the program's peak in the late 70's there were six of these "remote" viewers, also known as The Naturals, working for the United States.

I had a lot of fun researching superconductors when I started writing the GhostWalker series.



SUPERCONDUCTOR

In Shadow Game there is reference to a superconductor. According to http://www.superconductors.org, a superconductor is an element, compound, or alloy that will conduct electricity below a certain temperature without resistance. The key term here is "without resistance", because this means a superconductor can create a virtual seamless flow of electrical current. Superconductivity was first observed in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University. He noticed the phenomenon of superconductivity in Mercury and won a Nobel Prize in 1913 for his research into this field. The possibilities for uses of superconductivity are virtually limitless. There are already great advances into transportation, medical technologies (such as MRI's) and more efficient electrical generators.

For more information visit:
• superconductors.org
• The Superconductor Collection


I thought that a laser glass cutter was the coolest thing and was so happy I was able to use it in Mind Game!



LASER GLASS CUTTERS

A laser glass cutter is a tool that uses light to cut through glass. It focuses light to vaporize material; similar to the way a magnifying glass can be focused to start a fire. These tools are commonly used industrially. Glass cutters can also be portable and subsequently used in cutting through windows to gain access to a building or vehicle.


In Night Game I introduced an interesting weapon that uses sound. People don’t realize how many uses sound has or what a strong sonic wave can do.




SOUND AS A WEAPON

Sound is a powerful thing. The human ear is capable of hearing only a small range of the available known sound. In fact we are only able to hear between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. Anything below this range is infrasonic and anything above is ultrasonic. It is possible to use this infrasonic and ultrasonic sound as a weapon. A focused sound wave can be used to strike an object. If infrasound hits a human, depending on its concentration and strength it can cause symptoms ranging from mild nausea, dizziness to heart failure and death. There are many sites on the internet with interesting articles on this subject.

For more information visit:
• Fortean Times: Sonic Weapons


You just never know what real science will inspire for science fiction. As someone who loves research and who loves to include as much fact as possible in the stories I write, the GhostWalker series is like a playground for my mind.

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GhostWalker Research and How It Fits In With The Stories Part 1 of 4

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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Toxic Game Book Trailer

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

How to Date a GhostWalker

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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Romance Week Crossword Puzzle

As Romance Week continues I want to give you more fun games! Today I have a fun crossword puzzle I had custom made. I'm very interested to see if people are able to solve the entire thing. You can play here, download the puzzle or play online.

DOWNLOAD HERE


PLAY ONLINE HERE.








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Torpedo Ink Word Search

It's Romance Week and I have some fun things planned! Starting with this fun Torpedo Ink Word Search Game! You can play it here or link over play online!
PLAY ONLINE






You can also download it to play!
DOWNLOAD PUZZLE









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Torpedo Ink Evolution and Justice

Like all good heroes and heroines it’s important to know they have a code and that they stick by it. Torpedo Ink’s members certainly have a code and I wanted to look at that code and how they use that to extract justice.

All of the Torpedo Ink books are paranormal romance. Each book has had an element of the paranormal in it. Some stories will require more paranormal elements than others. I enjoy writing paranormal for a lot of reasons, one being that I have greater flexibility with the characters, their situations and their behavior.

With my Leopard Series it’s obvious these people can’t be compared to normal humans as far as their needs and behavior goes. Shapeshifters, in my world, are a blend of both animal and human. Readers understand this and are more tolerable to certain behaviors as long as they follow the traits of the animal. I compare my Torpedo Ink members with them to an extent. And, I hope readers realize the members of the club can’t be compared with normal humans any more than the Leopard shapeshifter characters.



Each member of Torpedo Ink share experiences that changed them to such a degree that they developed certain “gifts” to help them survive. As children they watched their parents be murdered and then they were taken away to a facility to be sexually abused. Those who survived the abuse were expected to become assassins and take the lives of other people on command. Being forced to take another person’s life is itself abuse. It would change you. Add to that that they were among other children, over 200, and watched them die. Watched abuse kill them. Watched illness and injury kill them. Watched that way of life kill them. They were trained to do unspeakable things. If they didn’t comply they would be punished, or worse, someone they loved would be. A sibling. A friend.
287 children were brought into that training facility and abused. Only 18 survived. What was it about these 18 that allowed them to live when so many others died? Not only did they live, but they strategized, began killing their trainers, and escaped their fate.

Traumatized. Without guidance from adults who would care for them. Not being taught how to act in society unless it was tied to an assignment they were given. They were human beings, but not human in the sense most people understand.



These are intelligent people without normal societal social skills. People who knew right from wrong and who wanted freedom and they wanted justice. They wanted the things life had initially denied them. But, they realized that all those years of constant trauma had changed them to the extent they could never live in normal society. Together, they knew they could survive. Together, they were family. Together, they had purpose which was to find a way to live free and to stop anyone who would harm the innocent.

After escaping the training facility they went on the hunt to stop the man behind it all. In order to do this, they had to pretend to be part of a motorcycle club. Once they took care of what they’d set out to do they found the MC life fit them. They were, in their own way, outlaws. Unfit for normal society. They had their own code and set of rules. The bikes gave them a sense of freedom. There was structure. And behavior expectations from society for an MC was to their advantage. People would be wary. They would have a certain level of fear inherently. They would be careful of how they interacted with them.



An MC is male-dominant. That is a fact. Torpedo Ink has two female members who are fully patched, which is not how most MCs work. As a matter of fact, it’s very rare. Other than Lana and Alena though, women are treated primarily as accessories. That’s the life. If you don’t like it, don’t enter it. The important thing is to follow rules. That said, Torpedo Ink still treats women with respect within the boundaries and expectations set within that society. They do not allow women to be abused. They would never tolerate rape.

Torpedo Ink’s personal mission is to stop abusers, especially pedophiles. They have their own brand of justice. Their own ideas of acceptable punishment. They stop others from doing to children what was once done to them and in doing so; they have their justice over and over again.

These are people who will always suffer from PTSD. There is no cure for them. They won’t be magically healed. There will always reside in them a level of violence. Always. It’s how they use that violence that offers them redemption. These people are damaged and broken. You can’t judge them according to normal human laws, behavior or societal expectations.
What they need and what they long for now is acceptance for who and what they are. They hope to find redemption for the things they were forced to do as children. They hope to find someone who will see how broken they are and love them anyway. Someone who could love a Torpedo Ink member would have to be special themselves in some way. They would need to accept difficult facts and challenging behaviors and needs.

Love and justice. Those things will always be part of a Torpedo Ink happy-ever-after.


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The Torpedo Ink Family Values

Growing up in cruelty and abuse as children, the men and women of Torpedo Ink learned more than how to seduce and kill. They learned that they could do more than survive. They could create their own family, with each other, and from that love and loyalty became ingrained in them.

In Bound Together the club members found that they can give their love and loyalty beyond just their core group. Not only did they accept Blythe as Viktor’s wife, but they accepted and adopted several children they had saved from abusive lives. They realized they want a home and to attempt to have lives that interact with society.




In Judgment Road they learn some valuable lessons about adding to their community and expanding to accept others when Reaper finds Anya and wants to keep her for himself. Mistakes were made by the group, lessons learned, but in the end there was hope because now both Czar (Viktor) and Reaper had found love.
Vengeance Road expands on that theme of hope, family and acceptance in a new way. The issue of redemption and consequences comes into play. We’ve seen what Torpedo Ink is willing to do for innocents. What they’ll do for each other. Now, imagine what they would do when they find that their VP, Steele, has a son he didn’t know about, and that son has been kidnapped by horrible men.



AUDIO SNIPPET FROM VENGEANCE ROAD




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