A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 190
June 29, 2014
Portals – Blog Tour
Genre: Fantasy Anthology (mixed sub genres)
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: June 5, 2014
Keywords: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Short Stories, Picture Prompt
Description: No matter what world you call home, or what your station in life, there are just some paths that weren’t meant to be tread.
Maronda’s Quest by Christy Thomas
Mexmur, the Huntress by Anna Simpson
Entrance of Lost Souls by Echo Shea
Where Once were Hearts by Havva Murat
Ordinary World by Laurie Treacy
The Lunatic Queen by Michael Siciliano
EXCERPT
Ordinary World – Laurie Treacy
I relaxed my arms. “This guy had the ‘eyes.’” I squinted mine for emphasis.
Remy stifled a laugh as he smashed the grass lining the sidewalk with his Vans.
I ignored him. “He stared out the porch doors while my Mom rattled off her sales pitch numbers.” I extended each finger on my right hand. “Lot size. Common charges. Taxes. Amenities—”
“Real estate lingo and hocus pocus crud. Excuse me while I nap.”
I threw him a death glare. “He stood by the deck doors, pretend listening. I saw him using those eagle eyes. Counting every tree and bush in the yard.”
“So what?” Remy stepped closer, his dark almond eyes searched my face. “You can’t control who buys a townhouse here. You’re my best friend, but you’re kind of a snob. Don’t start believing the things your aunt says. We both know she’s wacked.”
I inhaled sharply, stung by his words. “Whoa. Harsh.” Tears raced toward the surface. I hung my head, controlling my anger.
“I’m sorry.” He brushed my black bangs back, then dropped his arm away. “The purple tips came out great. I like them.”
He was trying to change the subject and distract me.
I raised my head. Our eyes met.
“You’re scaring me,” he said, lowering his voice even though we were alone. “Reading people, feelings, evil. You’re sounding like her. Ever since Rhea moved in with you guys—people around here talk. They call her a nut, a witch. We live in an ordinary world. Be careful. People can be cruel.”
About Laurie Treacy
Laurie Treacy is a fantasy, paranormal and contemporary romance writer. She graduated from Marist College and lives in New York’s picturesque Hudson Valley with her husband, three children, and various pets. She’s a Whovian, loves frozen Goobers, photographing nature, and is a member of the SCBWI. She can be found at local writer’s events and online atwww.laurietreacy.com and www.readergirlsblog.com
Website: http://www.laurietreacy.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/llt806
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.laurie.treacy
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/readergirl3/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7280082.Laurie_Treacy
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Treacy/e/B00FDWXFS4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1395231332&sr=1-2-ent
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21887675-portals?from_search=true
Group Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift Card & paperback copy of Portals
Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/fe3b508/
Link for Tour Button: http://www.roanepublishing.com/portals-blog-tour.html
Purchase Links: Will be sent as soon as they are available
Release Day info http://wp.me/p3ndzB-tt
A Week in Hell Day 4 – Matthew Kirshenblatt/Friedrich Nietzsche
Pull up a chair, watch out for the pitchforks and have a hellish marshmallow. Just don’t ask what’s in them!
Today for the fourth day in Hell I welcome Matthew Kirshenblatt and his character, the philosopher Nietzsche.
Matthew Kirshenblatt has always liked to tell weird stories. He has been inspired by the works of Gwendolyn MacEwen, H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, and Neil Gaiman. Once he began to work with myth and legend, and a bit of history however, his writing experiments began to take on whole new meanings. Between the realms of epic fantasy, soft science-fiction, horror, erotica, poetry, review, popular geek culture, experimental writing and even interactive hyperlink text games Matthew has attempted to make a strange niche of literature from which to expand himself. As of this moment he is currently living in Canada where the Greater Toronto Area lies half-waking while attempting to support the rise of a new Budgie Empire.
Find out more about him, if you dare, at Mythic Bios.
Story Synopsis
When you Gaze into the Abyss from Poets in Hell, copyright (c) 2014, Janet Morris.
His first story to be published in paperback format, Nook, and on Kindle is WHEN YOU GAZE INTO AN ABYSS. It is part of POETS IN HELL: the seventh book of Janet Morris’ shared universe series Heroes in Hell. In a place where historical, mythological, and fictional characters suffer after death for unknowingly breaking at least a few of the 613 commandments for having interesting lifetimes Lilith, the first wife of Adam, and the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche decide that they have had enough of their existences in hell. This story details the beginnings of their plan to escape torment.
Over to you Matthew….
How did you end up writing for Heroes in Hell?
It was through a series of tangents. I think ZombieZak, or Bill Snider as he’s called in human circles, found me through our mutual ties with the Horror Writers Association. After I added him to my Friend’s List, I found out he was host at the online Mortal Vampire Cafe Radio. Most of the time I just listened to him and the other guests, but eventually I started watching the chat room and even participating. So one day Janet Morris came into the chat. I believe she was actually there to listen to an interview that she and Chris had with ZZ. I hadn’t really heard much about Janet before this point, but I did know about her shared universe series Heroes in Hell.
At the time I saw her, I really wanted to make contact with her and perhaps get a chance to write something for her: to get myself out there beyond my Blog and my other online publications. But I didn’t really know how to go about it and almost let the opportunity pass me by. Instead, it was Janet who approached me. She told me that she’d had a hand in helping ZZ and many of the writers at the TMV Cafe actually publish (it wasn’t that long before that I actually realized the majority of the people in the chat were writers like me) and she asked if I was a writer as well. When I said I was, she told me she wanted to look at some of my work. So I gave her a link to my Mythic Bios Blog along with some stories that I did for Gil Williamson’s Mythaxis Magazine. She eventually got back to me and told me that liked what she saw and gave me the opportunity I was hoping for: writing a story for Heroes in Hell.
So the lesson I got out of all this? I’m not sure: I’d say that a combination of continuing to write, presenting yourself and being at the right place and time — having some of the Devil’s own luck — is as good a start as any.
How do you deal with writing in a shared universe?
With a combination of caution and eventually a bit of a free-for-all. For this particular story, my first one for Janet’s hell, I focused on the setting the most. I read all of Janet and Chris’ stories, as well as some belonging to my fellow writers, from Lawyers in Hell and onward. I asked some writers as many questions as possible, but mostly I spent the time reading up on the historical and mythological lore behind my characters, trying to figure out their own history in Janet’s hell and attempting to balance out my short without stepping on anyone else’s toes. I think one advantage is the fact that since time in hell is non-linear I eventually understood, with guidance from Janet herself, that I could just write the story that I needed to write while also accepting that it would need to be incorporated into the feel and continuity of her universe. Once I understood that this story is part of Janet’s universe and worked with her, everything fell into place.
The way I see it, a shared universe is a playground with building blocks and toys. Janet owns and primarily finds, makes, and arranges these toys but sometimes I can bring my own with the understanding that they will become part of her sandbox: even as I’m allowed to play with them and share them with her and my fellow Hellions. Oh, and it goes without saying that this is a playground with a sandbox in hell.
Why did you choose the characters you are using?
Wow, where do I even begin? I’ve been fascinated with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche for quite some time. I love the fact that out of every philosopher I’ve ever studied from my Humanities education, his is a modern philosophy that is presented in an immensely creative fashion. The reason he really works for Poets in Hell in particular is because his aphorisms — his compact quotes and sayings — are something between philosophy, music, storytelling, and metaphor. He was writing in this prototypical state between forms — in this place where perhaps only the ancient and pre-Socratic philosophers used to tread — but the tone is all uniquely his own.
Nietzsche himself is the archetype of a “crazy philosopher”: of a man who was filled with many contradictions — including some nineteenth century notions about race and women — and yet driven by the idea of an individual being able to “free themselves” from social constraints and morality through sheer will. Pitting this philosophy against the deep flaws of this man is a fascinating exercise in creativity. I would imagine taking a person’s ideals and contrasting them with their actions and reality often is. Suffice to say, I’ve wanted to write a story about Nietzsche for quite some time.
Now Lilith is a fascinating character in her own right. For me, she has always been this scary yet intriguing character from Jewish folklore. Sometimes she’s depicted as a seductive demoness and other times a cold and ruthless immortal with powerful magic. But what really draws me to Lilith is that she is essentially, if you go by folklore influenced by the Bible and Near-Eastern narratives, the first woman: even before Eve. She was Adam’s first wife and wanted to be his equal: even if that meant having her time to dominate. When he would have none of that, she essentially left him for demons and God. In this mythos, she is the first independent woman. And what is there not to find interesting? She has eaten from the Tree of Immortality, left the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil alone, left the Garden of her own accord and taken mortal, demon, and angelic lovers. There are even some accounts of her seducing and learning sacred words from an aspect of God. You have to admire that kind of ambition and will. She is, to me, a strong female character with considerable knowledge and gravitas and I really enjoy attempting to write some of the different layers to her.
Suffice to say, pairing these two characters — seemingly and ironically both beyond the binary concepts of “good” and “evil” — in a story together where they have to interact in hell is an experience in and of itself and I’d not have it any other way.
****
Welcome to the Hell Interview Channel, brought to you infernally hour after hour.
Name (s) Friedrich Nietzsche
Age (before death and after you ended up in HSM’s domain) My shell ceased when I was fifty-five years of age. I believe it was when I was forty-four that I died in all the ways that mattered.
Please tell us a little about yourself. I am … I was, a philosopher turned to the profession of ideologue in hell. It was not by choice, but it could not be helped, I’m afraid. It is certainly better than the alternative.
Who were you in life? Pardon me, perhaps I was not clear. As I said, I was a philosopher in life. My father died before I truly knew him along with my infant brother. I was raised by a family of overbearing women, my aunts, my mother, along with my sister Elisabeth. I abandoned their dream of entering the clergy and created many aphorisms: my prosaic songs, my strange little poems, my tiny little philosophies. Some of them are now ‘slogans,’ as some of the English New Dead call them. One of the best I am known for is … Him, being dead. Sometimes, now, I wish I was right: when I do not wish I never existed to begin with.
How do you think you ended up in Hell? With all due respect … I would rather not talk about this. I suspect I know why I am here but, even now, I believe if possible every man’s damnation should be a private matter. However, since you have shown politeness, I will say from my time as a student of Latin I know that there were once more than seven deadly sins.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. A feeble wolf in suit’s clothing with a Kaiser’s mustache.
Where do you live in Hell? Tell us about your residence and area. I live at the Turin Towers apartments in New Hell. It’s name is a mockery of the city which I loved: where I spent the last of my true life. It is essentially a non-descript apartment where I stay, approximate sleep and discomfort, and work. Sometimes it is close to the Hellexandria Memorial Library and I walk there. Other times it neighbors the Hanging Garden and its … patient clientele.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? Is your moral code the same as it was in life? I believed in the Übermensch. Not in the Aryan or National Socialist ideology of the blond-haired, blue eyed genetically superior “over man” and the eugenics and genocide that nonsense supported after my time, of course. Instead, I believed that men created rules and laws and that an individual, with a tremendously strong will, could overcome those forces imposed on him and gain the power to choose the rules by which he decides to live. I, of course, am no longer deluded enough to believe that I am a strong man. I never was in that other life and I certainly am not now in hell.
Yet that was only part of it. The other part of this philosophy pertains to the idea that the world and time as we know it will happen and happen again. It is a cycle in which every joy, sorrow, pain, moment of solitude, and word is the same. It is the process of accepting and loving this cycle and one’s own fate, amor fati, that one can be free and find solace. By realizing that life is a cycle, you could free yourself to accept the rules of your own heart for eternity.
Do I believe in it now, I … cannot say.
Would you kill for those you love? After all sending someone to the Undertaker is not very nice! Perhaps. I was never truly a soldier. Once, long ago, I thought I was truly capable of many things. And sometimes … I apologize. I cannot remember. And for love … again, I cannot say.
Would you die for those you love? Die, being a relative term…. I would rather not die. Herr Undertaker makes a plaything of the eternal recurrence. My fate is appropriate as is.
Do you have any phobias? Are you plagued by anything particular in Hell? Aside from the stupidity of the Damned and the curse on all men in hell … my shadow.
What do you think Satan’s most creative punishment is here? The punishments that he lets us inflict upon ourselves.
Who are your friends here? Frau Babylon, Herr Förster, my sister Elisabeth, the Worker’s Party, the Xibalba Colonists, and perhaps Frau Woolf.
Who are your enemies? Frau Babylon, Herr Förster, Elisabeth, the Worker’s Party, the Xibalba Colonists, the Jews, Herr Wagner, hell itself and … a memory.
If I recall relationships are… difficult, is this the side of humanity you miss the most? If I recall correctly, this was always difficult for me. This much has not changed, save that I cannot lose myself truly in a brothel. Mostly, I was alone and sick in life. Mostly … This too has not changed. I suspect it never will.
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. I despise — detest absolutely — being called Wilhelm.
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links:-
POETS IN HELL, in the story “When You Gaze Into An Abyss.”
Author name
Matthew Kirshenblatt
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
Blog: http://matthewkirshenblatt.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MKirshenblatt
June 28, 2014
A Week in Hell – Day 3 – Jack William Finley/Frank Nitti
It is getting rather warm down here! So welcome to Day Three of Hell Week. Today I’d like to welcome Jack William Finley and his character Frank Nitti.
Welcome Jack.
How did you end up writing for Heroes in Hell? I’ve known Mike Williamson who wrote for Lawyers in Hell for more than twenty years. He recommended me to Janet.
How do you deal with writing in a shared universe? I don’t think I’ve ever really put much thought into that part of it. I think with any story you need to be familiar with the environment/setting your story is in. That could mean the real world, a fantasy or historical world whatever beyond that you tell a good story like always. The only difference here is that some of the environment is created by other writers. Be respectful of what they are doing in the same way you’re respectful of reality or artificial rules you yourself would create for some fantasy world. It’s just a matter of situational awareness, which you should always practice.
Why did you choose the characters you are using? Ness and Nitti just seem to offer endless possibilities for good story telling drama. Dorothy Parker just seemed a reasonably good icon to hang this stories hat on. As always use the elements that best serve to tell the tale.
Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised for about twenty years in Logansport, Indiana and have spent the better part of the last twenty-six in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I started doing Twilight Zone sort of stories and now I think they are primarily character driven, hopefully thought provoking pieces that leave the readers with something to chew on mentally. I’ve written in almost every possible genre except possibly westerns.
Where do you find inspiration? Everywhere. I suppose the thing that drives me as much as anything is a story by someone else that could have/should have been good or even great if only that hadn’t swerved off the path at some point and gone in what I feel like it a totally wrong direction. A lot of what I do is about screaming in written words and those writers-What were you thinking? You should have done it this way.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? I do not. I hope I’m equally passionate about any fictional person I create. (Or did you mean someone else’s? Terry Moore’s Francine Peters and Katina choovanski might qualify if that was the question.
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? Oh my own? No. I think that’s very dangerous ground when you let yourself dislike a character rather than their actions you loose touch with them. You need to be sympathetic to all the fictional people you make in order to keep them rationally motivated and believable, especially the villainous ones. (Of others? Yes, far too many to list.)
Are your characters based on real people? Some especially in my “Hell” stories are based on historical figures. Mostly I base things more on is this the way people I’ve known and know of act in a real life setting and extrapolate from there.
Have you ever used a person you don’t/didn’t like as a character then killed them off? So far I’ve only done that with people I like.
Research can be important in world-building, how much do you need to do for your books? Do you enjoy this aspect of creating a novel and what are your favourite resources? I think building a proper setting can be very valuable, but it’s easy to get lost in it. I’ve had that happen too many times, spent so much time making a world I lost sight of the story. As for resources…I’m a book guy. The internet is great for pointing you in the right direction but nothing beats a book unless you can talk to a real human expert who knows the subject you’re researching.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book? I think most writers want people to be passionate about their work and that’s hard to do without a theme that really says something about the world and or the human condition, but you can never forget that the first duty of fiction is to entertain and it’s poison to let that take a backseat to any kind of message.
Sort these into order of importance: Great characters; great world-building; solid plot; technically perfect. Can you explain why you chose this order? (Yes I know they all are important…).As a rule I don’t like thinking of any one element as more or less important, but if you must look at it that way I think, Characters-if people don’t care about the characters it’s much harder to get them to care what they do. Plot-Even the best characters can become boring if their actions are not meaningful, if nothing is at stake. The setting can add a lot or can hurt a lot if handled badly but it very rare indeed for a setting to be able to carry a story that doesn’t have have compelling characters engaged in meaningful actions and you can kill a piece with bad writing but no matter how well you tell bad story, good, even the very best technique can’t save a bad, boring story.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason? So far that’s the “Heroes in Hell” books which are available as E books and in print.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I never, never, ever try to be sole editor of fiction I write I think it is one of the most catastrophic mistakes any writer can make. I think a second set of eyes and more if possible are essential to…even decent, let alone good writing.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? I think the publishing world has changed and is changing and no one really knows where it’s going or where it’ll end up. I think there is a lot of social politics between Indie/Self published writers and traditional writers. I avoid that sort of plague as much as I can.
Do you read work by self-published authors? Yes
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? Any interaction with readers can be tricky business. It can be constructive or a waste of energy and a distraction. I suppose it depends on what the author is looking to gain by it. I know people who have. I kid you not, fan bases for their arguments with their enemies. Different things work for different people. It’s about knowing what you want to accomplish and knowing knowing if that is a good and useful way to accomplish a meaningful goal. Sometimes it works but it’s a risk, so if you do it tread carefully.
When buying a book do you read the reviews? Mostly if I don’t know the writer I look at what people complain about. I look to see if they seem to have valid complaints and surprisingly few of them actually do in my experience.
What are your reviews on authors reviewing other authors? I’m a firm believer in-do what works for you. I have trouble switching from nit picky editor and finding the good things to say about a lot of what I read, but I have done a handful of reviews if I thing I can help a writers who’s worth it get more positive attention.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? A book will, I think always give your imagination far more room to personalize a story. Book for that reason I think, can be far more intimate. Books are also as a rule, better at conveying stories that care more characters/thought driven. You could conceivably-although I wouldn’t recommend-do a story solely on characters thinking about a situation, where as visual media must, by their nature be more kinetic to keep the audiences attention. In a book you’re freer to flow back and forth between the characters inner thoughts and feelings and their physical actions.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers? Write as much as you can.
Read as much as you can and remember you can learn as much or more from the bad stuff you read as you do the best stuff.
Don’t let a desire to be better hobble you. Write the best you can at the time you’re writing then move on to the next thing and do that a little better than the last thing.
What are your best marketing/networking tips? What are your worst? Marketing is not my strong suit. I think the best thing you can do is be who you are and figure out what does and doesn’t work for you not what works for somebody else. The worst thing you can do is try to force yourself to be what you thing other people want you to be.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? Just Finished Grunt Life by Weston Ochse which I liked very much and some stuff by Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin that was also very good.
Can you name your favourite traditionally published author? And your favourite indie/self-published author? ...no, not really.
What are your views on authors offering free books? Promoting your work is a very tricky complicated business. It works for some and is …maybe not disastrous but…it does seem to work better for some than others. (Shrug) If it works I don’t rule much of anything out, if I’ve reason to believe it will be beneficial in the long term.
Do you have a favourite movie? I have preferences far more than favourites.
Do you have any pets? Not at the moment.
Can you name your worst job? Do you think you learned anything from the position that you now use in your writing? Maybe a day as telemarketer. It’s hard to imagine any of those few hours ever being of use to anyone.
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? Yes. Yes I could do that.
As a writer of erotica have you encountered any prejudice? How have you dealt with it? Do you write under a pen name?I’ve done a lot of writing that would fall into that category somewhere I think. So far all of it’s pre-publication as of right now, but it’s been surprisingly well received by both Editors and readers who’ve seen it. Not much of a pen name sort of person. I see the reasons for it and wouldn’t rule it out, but I tend to be the sort who does put anything on paper I wouldn’t put my name on.
Where do you think the lines are drawn between romance, erotica and porn? I’m not sure that’s a writer’s question. I just write what the muse says write and let other people label it. I used to guess where certain lines are and I generally turn out to be wrong, so I stopped guessing how I just write and leave that sort of thing to others.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
http://www.amazon.com/Jack-William-Finley/e/B008KKI5YK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_11
https://www.facebook.com/JackWilliamFinley
****
EXCERPT
Poets in Hell, The Kid With No Name by Jack William Finley, from Poets in Hell, copyright (c) 2014, Janet Morris.
“Why so glum, G-man?” Frank Nitti asked his partner.
Ness had stopped typing and was staring at the Cleveland Safety Director badge on his desk. “Nothing ever changes,” he mumbled, as much to himself as to Nitti. “Even in hell they cling to the same sins that brought them here. Vanity. Pride. Nothing ever changes, not even in hell.”
“You think too much,” Nitti chastised him.
“I’m not like you. I don’t know how to turn it off and just not care, not even now.”
Nitti shrugged, “You’re makin’ it easy for them. They want us miserable. You should at least make them work for it.”
****
Welcome to the Hell Interview Channel, brought to you infernally hour after hour.
Name (s) Frank Nitti
Age (before death and after you ended up in HSM’s domain). 57
Please tell us a little about yourself. There’s not much to tell. Bosses never like to get their soft precious hands dirty. Not there and not here. They need people like me to do the dirty work for them. To keep the rabble in line and I do it, because being useful to the bosses makes my damnation, such as it is, just that much easier and, it might not sound like much but it’s really all that’s left to us down here. The saps don’t get that. I do and that’s really all you need to know about me.
Who were you in life? I was a Boss in Chicago. I helped Capone run things.
How do you think you ended up in Hell? I killed myself. It’s a tough sin to ask forgiveness for.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. Like some tough guy actor-Michael Madsen. That amuses them.
Where do you live in Hell? Tell us about your residence and area. When not working I live in a in a Spartan room over a bar and brothel. It’s a re-invention of Chicago when Capone ran things. It amuses the powers that be for me to be around all the sights and sounds of the old world, to be reminded of all the pleasures I lived and died for and can never taste again. Shouldn’t surprise anyone that I work a lot.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? Is your moral code the same as it was in life?Morals? It’s just a word. An idea they use to control you. This world isn’t that much different than the other and I do pretty much what I did there. I figure out who’s in charge and a figure out how best to stay on their good side. The want us miserable and fighting the current just makes that easier. I’m not going to make it any easier that I have to. I make myself as useful as I can to the people who run things. Is that morals? A Code? I don’t know. Ask someone who reads a lot more than I do. Those people always think they know the answers to everything.
Would you kill for those you love? After all sending someone to the Undertaker is not very nice! Love is for saps. Love is just another way for them to punish you and twist the knife a little deeper. We’re stuck here and can’t do much about that but, love…no, that just makes you that much easier to torment. I do what I can to get by and expect everyone else will do the same.
Would you die for those you love? Die, being a relative term…. You seem like one of them wordy intellectual types, what do you think?
Do you have any phobias? Are you plagued by anything particular in Hell? Phobias? Sounds like one of those pointless words the intellectuals invent to make themselves sound smarter than the rest of use. What am I plagued by?
What do you think Satan’s most creative punishment is here? The worst punishment in this place or any other wasn’t created by HSM. It was created by Humanity. They just don’t know when to give up and quit. This is for keeps. This is the end. If they’d just give in and stop fighting, if you could surrender completely and just not care at all I think you could maybe beat this damned place. I’ve been trying to do it for …I don’t know, as long as I’ve been here I guess and I haven’t quite got it right yet. Hope, humanity, the need to struggle even in the face of impossibly unending damnation, that’s the worst poison in the universe and we can any of us seem to shake it. Damned fools, all of us.
Who are your friends here? Who are your enemies? I’m gonna answer two questions at once if that’s Ok. Friends and enemies? I don’t have any, not the way you mean. There are people who make it easier down here. I stick with those people. And people who make it harder for themselves and sometimes for the rest of us. Those people are the closest things to enemies I have but they can only make them tougher for you if you let them. I don’t.
If I recall relationships are… difficult, is this the side of humanity you miss the most?No. Relationships are weaknesses. We’re all puppets down here one way or another. The more strings you give them the more they control you. I miss pleasure a lot, but I miss control more. I don’t give the powers that be any more strings to control me than I have to.
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. At the end, I shot myself in the head with a .32 caliber pistol. It took three tries to get it done. I’ve always wondered if the..one we don’t mention was trying to tell me something. I make it a point not to wonder what might have happened if I’d listened.
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links
Rogues in Hell http://www.amazon.com/Rogues-Hell-Janet-Morris/dp/0985166878/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
Dreamers in Hell http://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Hell-Heroes-15/dp/0989210022/ref=la_B008KKI5YK_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403631106&sr=1-2
Author name
Jack William Finley
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
https://www.facebook.com/JackWilliamFinley
Amazon.com: Jack William Finley: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
How to Succeed at Audiobook Production: Part 1
Mine is just lived. Woohoo! Thought I’d share this useful post about Audiobook production.
Originally posted on Audiobook Creation Exchange Blog (ACX):
Welcome to another installation of Andrew the Audio Scientist’s insights on audiobook production! Today, I present the first part in my four-week video series, How to Succeed at Audiobook Production. Week 1 addresses the preparation and recording of a new ACX title. Coming up, we’ll cover editing, mastering, and delivering your audiobook productions.
Achieving Consistency in Audiobook Production
Ask any member of the ACX Quality Assurance team what the most important aspect of audiobook production is, and they’ll all give the same answer: consistency. Your time on ACX should be spent acquiring new acting gigs, not tinkering with the technical details of last-minute production issues. To help you achieve consistency and avoid pesky technical problems that could threaten the success of your productions, I’d like to share with you my presentation from the 2014 Narrator Knowledge Exchange, which details a new concept I’ve dubbed “The ACX Mile.”
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June 27, 2014
Hell Week – Day 2 – Joe Bonadonna/Johnny Fortune
For the second day in Hell I welcome Joe Bonadonna and his character Johnny Fortune
WE THE FURIOUS:
His Satanic Majesty sends Mary Shelley and Mob hitman Johnny Fortune to unionize the Uncubi — all the unpublished poets and authors in Hell and bring them under Jimmy Hoff’s control. But first they must save Galatea, Victor Frankenstein and his famous Monster from a vampire-like Lemuel Gulliver, who is using the Uncubi to help him overthrow Satan.
Welcome to the Hell Interview Channel, brought to you infernally hour after hour.
Name (s) Giovanni Giuseppe Francesco Fortuna. alias Johnny Fortune. a/k/a Bad Luck Johnny
Age (before death and after you ended up in HSM’s domain). If I could recollect good, I was about 30 or so.
Please tell us a little about yourself. What? You some kinda cop? You writing a book? My mouthpiece says I ain’t gotta answer no questions I don’t wanna answer.
Who were you in life? I just told you my name. Madonna Mia! Okay — I was my Papa’s favorite, his pride and joy. I was my Mama’s disappointment, her shame and her heartache. I was the guy you shouldn’t cross, the guy you didn’t wanna mess with. Know why they called me Bad Luck Johnny? Cause I brought bad luck to anyone who got on the bad side of me or my bosses.
How do you think you ended up in Hell? I don’t think. I know. I was gunned down — shot to shit with a Tommy gun back in 1960, at a place called Moon’s on Chicago’s old west side, on Chicago Avenue, to be exact. That was the first and last time my own luck turned bad. Guess I messed with the wrong guy’s wife.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. Handsome. Dashing. Suave. Debonair. Classy. Swanky. Imposing. Sexy. Dangerous.
Where do you live in Hell? Tell us about your residence and area. I live on Golem Heights, New Hell, currently sharing Goblin Manor with Doctor Victor Frankenstein. But I go where my capo sends me. I work for Frank Nitti, who takes his orders straight from the top guy, the Hellfather . . . His Satanic Majesty himself.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? Is your moral code the same as it was in life? My code never changes: Omerta – the Code of Silence. I hurt no one who doesn’t hurt me or mine. Not unless I’m hired to hurt someone. I keep my friends close. My enemies end up in a lime pit. But let me set you all straight: Bad Luck Johnny never did and never will beat, hurt or kill a woman or a child. That’s not who I am or what I do.
Would you kill for those you love? After all sending someone to the Undertaker is not very nice! Hey, I broke arms, legs and heads, and killed for fun and profit when I was alive. No shit I’d kill for those I love — I did and I do. I give a rat’s ass about the Undertaker and his freak of an assistant, Gorgonous. They don’t fuck with me and I don’t fuck with them. I do my best to stay off that damned Slab A. As for sending people to the Mortuary for reassignment, I hope they enjoy their visit. That’s how it is in Hell, being damned and all.
Would you die for those you love? Die, being a relative term….Sure, for family and good friends. I was whacked for fooling with another guy’s piece of ass. In Hell, screw that crap. I do my best to stay . . . to stay animated, I guess might be the right word. Who in their right mind wants to end up as just another hunk of clay in the hands of the Undertaker. Now there’s one motherfucker what needs whacking. I’d like to play Undertaker on him.
Do you have any phobias? Are you plagued by anything particular in Hell? Sex. I fear sex. We all know how painful it is to cum in Hell, all them scorpions and shit. Yeah, I’m plagued in Hell — I keep gagging and spitting up the machine gun bullets that ripped my ass to shreds back in Chicago.
What do you think Satan’s most creative punishment is here? The Big Guy? He ain’t even got warmed up yet. Just wait. You’ll see.
Who are your friends here? Victor and his Monster, Adam Frankenstein. Good people. Galatea, one real fine dame. She and Adam got a heavy thing going on. Quasimodo, Victor’s lab assistant. Ugly little guy but he’s loyal and makes me laugh. I like Mister Up, too, the Unknown Poet. He’s the capo regime of the Uncubi, all them unpublished poets and authors who sold their souls to the Nephilim and got turned into some kinda new breed of demons in Hell. They’re all union guys and dolls now, and work for Jimmy Hoffa. Ah, but my main squeeze, though we ain’t done no squeezing yet, is Mary Shelley. What a smart and classy broad she is. Real buxom. You know, voluptuous. For her, I’d risk shooting fucking dinosaurs from my dick, if she’d give me a tumble.
Who are your enemies? Whoever I whacked and are somewhere here in Hell. My enemies are anyone Nitti, Hoffa, and Old Scratch order me to whack.
If I recall relationships are… difficult, is this the side of humanity you miss the most? You mean a good fuck? Yeah, I miss that. I keep clean and safe. I get my rocks off sending people to the Undertaker. I keep that son-of-a-bitch real busy. But like I said, to go bumping uglies with Mary Shelley, I’d risk and suffer anything.
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. I never masturbated. I didn’t wanna go blind. So, whenever the urge came over me, I’d go out and beat some guy to a bloody mess. That’s how I got my start., back in 1946 or so. Chicago wise guys whose names I won’t mention liked the way I worked, so they started sending me out on jobs. At first, I broke heads and legs doing collections. Then I graduated to contract killing and never looked back. I loved every minute of it. I love the smell of gunpowder and arterial spray and the sound of guys screaming and begging for their lives. Life and death ain’t don’t get much better than that. And let me state something here for the record. I am the only damned soul in Hell I know who likes it here. I never wanna leave. Why would I want to? I like whacking people. You think they gonna let me practice my trade upstairs with all them freaking angels?
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links:
POETS IN HELL, in the story “We the Furious.” http://amzn.to/1nqb6Z3
Author name:
Joe Bonadonna
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
Blogspot: http://dorgoland.blogspot.com/
Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Joe-Bonadonna/e/B009I1KYIK
Bonadonna’s Bookshelf on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BonadonnasBookshelf?ref=hl
****
Joe Bonadonna’s and Shebat Legion’s Undertaker’s Holiday, reveals that “Even Hell’s Undertaker needs a holiday from the Mortuary, as David Koresh, Reverend Jim Jones, Ovid and Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the ‘Fellowship of the Thing’ soon find out.”
Here’s a little spotlight with Joe -
How did you end up writing for Heroes in Hell?
I wrote a review of Rogues in Hell as a favor for my friend, author Bruce Durham. I enjoyed the book immensely; I had read the first 4 or 5 of the original Baen Books editions, back in the day, and I liked those a lot. But then I moved away from writing and reading the fantasy genre, for many years – something I had been doing since the late 1960s. I got involved in reading and writing other things and didn’t return to fantasy until about 2007, when I first heard about self-publishing. I didn’t get online until 2010, and that’s when I discovered that the fantasy genre was bigger than I thought, thanks to indie- and self-publishing, and small press. I mean, many of these books were not on the shelves at Border’s Books and Barnes-Noble. And then I discovered that the Heroes in Hell series had been rebooted, with new authors and a new look and attitude, and a new publisher — Perseid Press. After I read Rogues in Hell I purchased Lawyers in Hell, the book that preceded Rogues. And then, one fine day, Janet Morris contacted me: she had read my review of Rogues in Hell, loved it, found and read my story on Black Gate’s online magazine — “The Moonstones of Sor Lunarum. ” She liked the tale, my writing style, and my character of Dorgo the Dowser, read more of his stories, and invited me to write for Dreamers in Hell, the next volume to follow Rogues. She said I had the right “attitude” and that my review showed that I understood what Hell is all about. To say I was overwhelmed, intimidate, thrilled, proud and honored would be putting it mildly.
How do you deal with writing in a shared universe?
First, I didn’t even attempt to write a Hell tale for about a year, and the story I wanted to write for Dreamers in Hell never materialized. Instead, I read and reviewed both Lawyers in Hell and Dreamers in Hell. By doing that, and taking a lot of notes while I was reading, and this time out reviewing each story in the books, I came to an even better understanding of how Hell worked. I also chatted non-stop with Janet — one of the most generous and patient authors I have ever met — who gave freely of her time, and took me by the hand to instruct me on all things infernal. I also asked a lot of questions of the other writers, read and studied the Hell Files for more info, reread the first 4 or 5 Hell books, read some of the others I had missed, and sampled stories from all the others: as of this date, there are 17 volumes, I believe. Over a year passed before I felt confident to start writing: there are many heavy hitters writing for Janet, including Janet and her husband Chris. This is not just any shared-universe we’re talking about here — this the Hugo-winning, Nebula-nominated, high-acclaimed and highly-successful Heroes In Hell series: top quality, highly literary, character-driven, with almost every genre represented, every style, no holds barred, with stories that run the gamut of emotions from human comedy and drama, not to forget stories of horror and allegory, whimsy and fable. And there are always elements of poignancy and intimacy, sorrow and joy: there is hope in Hell, and love, and the greatest cast of characters in this world or the next.
Why did you choose the characters you are using?
For my story for Poets in Hell, “We The Furious,” I wanted to use different characters, at first. More modern characters — pulp fiction writers. But there were some problems with copyright and such, and so, after still more discussion with Janet, I chose Victor Frankenstein and Adam, his famous Monster, and Galatea, who has so very much in common with Adam; this was a good fit because of my love for monster movies and Greek mythology. Then I chose Lemuel Gulliver as my villain. Janet liked my idea for an original character — Giovanni Fortuna, a/k/a Johnny Fortune, alias Bad Luck Johnny: one time Chicago Mob hit man. He’s pretty much me, lol. He is one of the few people who loves it in Hell. “They won’t let me whack guys in the other place, and I like whacking guys.” He works for Frank Nitti, who I borrowed from another writer, as I borrowed Jimmy Hoffa, for one scene with Satan. Janet let me use Mary Shelley, because of the Frankenstein connection. I also created the Uncubi, who are all the unpublished poets and authors who sold their souls to nephilim when they believed they were romancing the Muses; they became a New Breed of demon in Hell, and their leader is the Unknown Poet, (who is now called Mister Up, in a new story I’m working on) And then I was off to the races. For those not familiar with how this shared-universe works . . . most characters are drawn from history, legend, myth, the Bible, folklore, etc. Most are pre-1900, with few exceptions. Fictional characters created by other authors are allowed, provided they are also pre-1900, and especially if a link to a real person can be established, such as the Dracula and Vlad Tepes connection. And each writer asks for certain characters to be reserved for him or her, and then we are allowed to borrow from each other, working as closely as necessary with other writers. When a writer is finished with a character and no longer wants to use him/her, we throw them back into the Hell Pool, freeing them for others to reserve for new stories. Of course there are rules in Hell, and Janet makes sure we adhere to those rules. But these rules are most unusual, for although they control and confine, they do not restrict , they liberate — they force you to think outside of the box, force you to be more creative, to work around the rules, and to come up with plots and events and scenes you could write NOWHERE else, except in Hell. I even collaborated with author Shebat Legion for a humorous and grisly little tale called “Undertaker’s Holiday,” which also appears in Poets in Hell. All in all, writing for Hell and Her Satanic Majesty, Janet Morris, has been uplifting: I’ve had to up my game and set my own bar higher than I have ever set it. I’ve had to research, a lot of research into characters’ lives, reading history and mythology, philosophy and legends, searching through the Bible . . . writing for Hell is hard work — but extremely rewarding and a lot of fun, too. I feel that I’ve branched off into writing stories that are more literary in nature, that say something about the “human condition,” stories of hope and love, loss and loyalty and courage. Writing for Hell is unlike any writing I have ever done before, and I hope I will have the opportunity to remain part of Heroes in Hell for a very long time: it’s special, it’s important, it’s entertaining and even informative and educational. Plus, I get to work with and for Janet Morris! Those of us who write for Hell, and those who read Heroes In Hell and like it and understand it — they know what I mean.
Written from…
Golem Heights, New Hell
A Week in Hell – Day 1 – an interview with the Devil
Now this is something that doesn’t happen every day… the special guest on my blog is Satan. Yes Lucifer himself.
Welcome (I think) to the Hell Interview Channel, brought to you infernally hour after hour.
Name (s) Satan, the Deceiver, Son of the Morning, Old Scratch, Old Nick, Shaitan, Prince of Lies, Lucifer (not to be mistaken for Lucifer the Lesser).
Age (before death and after you ended up in HSM’s domain). I was the second most powerful in Heaven; I don’t age.
Please tell us a little about yourself. I bet God that I could prove to him that mankind was flawed, an unworthy impulse, and lost. I vied with the Almighty for control of the great Above, and lost again, was cast down along with my faithful, a third of the angels then in among the heavenly host.
Who were you in life? I never sunk so low as to live a life.
How do you think you ended up in Hell?I was bested by the Almighty in a war that tore the firmament apart. He cast me and mine down, and down, into the Deep, where for an eternity we flew with no place to alight.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. As I like it: white, beauteous or black, awful.
Where do you live in Hell? Tell us about your residence and area. New Hell is my domain, all the hells that came after the invention of Christianity are mine to hold and rule, including all the underworlds of infernity.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? Is your moral code the same as it was in life? Not having had a life, I have only a code by which we judge those who once lived. The 613 Commandments were not suggestions; any who broke any one or more of them — and ignorance is no excuse, nor is agnosticism, nor atheism — are mine to teach what torment truly means.
Before I was cast down, I enjoyed the company of the Highest, bathed in glorious light. Mankind is the reason for the war in heaven, and unto them we render just punishment, for they brought us here, all the fallen angels who followed me. And here we stay, by deific decree, making our little patch of all the hells most hellish.
Would you kill for those you love? After all sending someone to the Undertaker is not very nice! I love the Almighty. I sentence souls to their just deserts; we kill them regularly, and resurrect them, and kill them more. But they never learn. Some day, He will see that we were right, that humanity is fatally flawed with hubris and despite. Until then, dying only improves them a little bit: it makes them wary.
Would you die for those you love? Die, being a relative term….Death is denied all of us. We have lost our heavenly lives, because of humanity, and banishment is our lot. No angel wants death, nor oblivion. Being denied the face of God is punishment enough. These questions seemed designed for damned souls, not their overlords.
Do you have any phobias? Are you plagued by anything particular in Hell? I am plagued by the stupidity of mankind, the unwillingness of humanity to accept its flawed nature; its inability to admit defeat. So we must torture them more and more: from Above, seven personified weapons and one god of plague and mayhem were sent here to make sure we torture damned souls hard enough, and well enough, and long enough. And so we will. We’ll go not back unto the Deep: too cold down there, with no place to land, flying in darkness forever…
What do you think Satan’s most creative punishment is here? Cleverest? Most just, you mean: rebirth – the damned can find no way out of here but oblivion, and that is unavailable to most. They die and die and die again, and so few ever can repent. Only a handful of souls have ever held their anger long enough and well enough to deserve manumission: it’s the nature of the arrogant thieves in hell to change everything but themselves.
Who are your friends here? My fallen angels, the top twelve of those. Samalel, Angel of Death, is closest to me of the fallen host. Michael, my familiar, is my only ‘friend’ in the way you mean, and he is not human, and never was.
Who are your enemies? All the teeming damned, begging and crying and whining and scheming and lying and dying again and again for crimes they continually repeat.
If I recall relationships are… difficult, is this the side of humanity you miss the most? Sex, you mean? I can have sex with any soul, with the most famed temptressess, with president and kings. I can make any of the damned love me… well, nearly any. I am embarked upon a fling with William Shakespeare at the moment, and sex is the most minute part of the love I crave from any soul who takes my fancy….
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. Marilyn Monroe was my private secretary for many years.
****
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links
Lawyers in Hell http://www.amazon.com/Lawyers-Hell-Heroes-Janet-Morris-ebook/dp/B0057Q0OIK/
Rogues in Hell http://www.amazon.com/Rogues-Hell-Heroes-Janet-Morris-ebook/dp/B008JZCFMO/
Dreamers in Hell http://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Hell-Heroes-Nancy-Asire-ebook/dp/B00DEB1IJE/
Poets in Hell http://www.amazon.com/Poets-Hell-Heroes-Book-17-ebook/dp/B00KWKNTTW/
Author name Janet Morris
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
https://www.facebook.com/JanetEMorris
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Morris
http://www.theperseidpress.com/
Welcome to a Week in Hell…
A Week in Hell? What does that mean I hear you ask? Another crappy week at the office? Well yes actually but that isn’t what the post is about. I am honoured and delighted to be involved with the promotion of this landmark and award winning shared world series created by Fantasy author Janet Morris.
The latest, and seventeenth instalment has just been released – Poets in Hell. Hell is, well Hellish, and things are getting worse. The auditors are in, which is never good, a coup has failed (again) and the likes of Marlowe, Beowulf, Odysseus and Mary Shelley are causing mayhem.
There are lots of authors involved, including Janet and Chris Morris, Joe Bonadonna, Yelle Hughes, Jack William Finley, Doug McKittrick and a whole hellish host. Varied styles flow through the Heroes in Hell series but every story has a delicious helping of dark humour and witty plotting, within a flawlessly crafted world. The denizens of Hell try to buck the system, and you can guess how that goes. So far we’ve been entertained by Rogues, Lawyers, Kings, Dreamer and very many more denizens of the Realm of Darkness.
In celebration of this infernal new release, His Satanic Majesty has given permission for a little party with payment later…Damn, maybe I should have read the small print. Anyway what will follow over the next few days is selection of author and character spotlights from the bowels of HSM’s domain. Including one from the Lord of Sin himself. Enjoy!
Please note all the excerpts are copyrighted thus: Poets in Hell, copyright (c) 2014, Janet Morris. It is with the kind permission of Ms Morris I am able to run these interviews and excerpts.
Keep reading for the most infernal collection of interviews ever posted….
For more info on the series please visit the links below.
http://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/a-week-in-hell-day-1-devil/
http://www.heroicfantasywriters.com/2014/06/janet-morris-discusses-heroic-fantasy.html
June 24, 2014
Author Interview Number Fifty-Four – Houston Havens – Erotica/Sci-Fi/PNR
Welcome to Houston Havens
Where are you from and where do you live now? Now that’s not a simple question to answer. I was born in Alaska, schooled in Japan and spent the rest of my life traveling the world as an international model. I’ve lived from coast to coast, in the US and outside the US. Right now, when I’m in the US I spend the majority of my time in the south or out west. I’m Irish; you can’t stop a rolling Blarney stone.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. Book one of my multi-genre PSYCHIC MENAGE SERIES is called SINFUL SURRENDER. This book falls into 10 genre’s: Ménage (MFMM), PNR, Erotic Romance, SciFi, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian, MindTraveling Psychics, Paranormal, Futuristic, Fae/Fantasy with a flavoring touch of sexy bondage in my polyandry society where some enjoy voyeurism with lite BDSM.
Naturally each book in this seven book series will highlight more on one or two of these genres to keep the interest of the readers.
Where do you find inspiration? My down time reading is not the norm. When I’m not writing I enjoy reading science literature and books by authors like Michael Newton, PH.D. and Joseph F. Goodavage. I enjoy reading New Age material by authors like Ingo Swann, Fred Alan Wolf, and John Ralphs. As well I like to do research on the latest technology by authors like Joseph Mc Moneagle and Robert A. Monroe.
Do you have a favourite character? Yes. All of them.
If so why? Because they’re all unique, like the real world around us. They all have their flaws and their lovable sides. They’re complex just like you and me.
Do you have a character you dislike? No, not even my bad guys.
Why? Because my villains are great at being bad. Love the sinner, hate the sin. ;-)
Are your characters based on real people? No.
Have you ever used a person you don’t/didn’t like as a character then killed them off? No…negative people don’t deserve my thoughts or energy in any form.
Research can be important in world-building, how much do you need to do for your books? Seeing that I’m writing in ten genres all within one book/series I need to be able to blend them smoothly and to do that I need to use the proper terminology for each genre so it’s believable to the readers. It takes a lot of research. The amount of research I do is more than I’ll use in the books, but to get what I need to get across to the readers visually I need to be very familiar with everything I write about.
Do you enjoy this aspect of creating a novel and what are your favourite resources? I LOVE research…if they had a job that needed only researchers I’d snap it up in a minute. I’m an old “NEWS” style reporter type of character…I love to dig up TRUTHS and EXPOSE bad guys. It’s why I mix truths into my plots … what some readers think is all my imagination would be shock to discover a lot of what I write is BASED IN FACTS!
My resources? A lot come from the authors I mentioned above and the others I cannot disclose.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Entertainment wise? YES ~ the joy of a good story. Private message? Yes ~ read the book and you’ll discover the message IF you’re ready to hear the truth.
Do you feel this is important in a book? I don’t care if you’re writing a YA or an Erotic Romance … a good story has to have a message to make the plot work.
Sort these into order of importance: Great characters; great world-building; solid plot; technically perfect. Can you explain why you chose this order? (Yes I know they all are important…)
1) Technically perfect ~ if you mean by this knowledge of the craft of writing then this would be first because without knowing how and what to write nothing else will work.
2) Great World building ~ you have to create a believable world or the following steps won’t fall into place.
3) Great Characters ~ they have to be real in your mind and on paper. YOU have to feel them, know them, and breathe them! They need flaws and loveable traits and a reason behind everything they do.
4) Solid Plot ~ this can only happen if you have 1, 2 and 3 in place.
In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Right now I’m only in E-book.
Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason? Yes I hope to go to print with Sinful Surrender by next year if not sooner.
Do you self-edit? Of course…I self edit several times before I sent it to my editor.
If so why is that the case? The manuscript should be as close to perfect as you can get it before you send it in for professional editing so that the editor can focus on the story.
Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? Yes. It’s just part of an author’s cost in this business.A book sent to market without a professional edit is hurting future sale of the author. And I’d recommend after you get it back from a pro editor that you READ IT AGAIN yourself!
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers?
1) Be sure you REALLY want to be an author and make the sacrifices needed to be a success in this business.
2) WRITE and don’t submit until you’ve written book six!
3) Be ready to work hard and long hours.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? I wish I could answer this but I don’t have a lot of time to read anymore. I’m writing and editing my next book.
Can you name your favourite traditionally published author? Laken Cane, Suzy Knight and Anita Cox
And your favourite indie/self-published author? Matt Holgate and Kim Mullican
Do you have any pets? Yes, a Yorkie-po. He’s black and white.
Thank you for inviting me to your blog today. I hope to entertain and intrigue your viewers.
Houston Havens – Sinful Surrender (Psychic Menage #1)
A multi-genre story: Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi Romance, Fantasy Romance, Futuristic Menage (MFMM), Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic, Light BDSM, and Psychics.
Tag Line: Why be tempted by one man’s seduction when you can be loved by three?
Blurb
Top psychic spy Fay Avalon saw too much on her latest mind traveling mission and is now on the run from her post-catastrophic dystopian government, searching for the truth and proof. She escapes but is shot down, landing in the arms of the enemy.
In Drakker and Arlo’s world, women are so rare the men have accepted a polyandrous lifestyle. When the brothers stumble upon Fay unconscious in the wreckage of an aircraft, they are immediately attracted to her. Arlo wants to keep her, but Drakker knows they can’t. They must take her to their brother Logan Abán, leader of their people.
Logan struggles with trusting anyone, even himself. When a beautiful, intelligent, and intriguing woman falls into their laps, his denied desires for intimacy challenge his need to trust the spy. He’s frustrated by romantic Arlo’s claims of her innocence. Even when pragmatic and dominating Drakker defends her as well, Logan refuses to trust his gut.
Can one woman satisfy the diverse desires of three men? Will Logan’s fears be realized by betrayal? Is Fay to be sentenced to death as a spy, suffer a fate worse than death by being returned to her government as a traitor, or will she find a new life and love as the wife of three sexy brothers?
Buy Links-
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Surrender-Psychic-M%C3%A9nage-Book-ebook/dp/B00J1RDFUU
Liquid Silver Books- http://www.lsbooks.com/sinful-surrender-p893.php
ARe- https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulsurrender-1452826-340.html
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sinful-surrender-3
B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-surrender-houston-havens/1118944878?ean=9781622100675
Long Bio
Houston Havens retired from a successful modeling career and an adventurous jet-set lifestyle to set the world on fire with her erotic romance books. A tenacious Irish lass, she strives to entertain with seductive stories created from her decadent imagination and traces of a provocative lifestyle she may or may not admit to.
Her interest in the paranormal, fascination with quantum science, passion with myths, and the lure of her mysterious Celtic Irish-Druid bloodlines are combined with generally unknown truths, strange facts, and questionable fiction. Her novels reflect a mix of the past, present, and future, with sexy blends of futuristic science fiction, paranormal fantasy, western romance, and always love everlasting.An author of six romances, a seven book erotic romance series, and numerous articles in literary magazines, she has two award winning blogs. Stop by for a visit and leave a comment at http://houstonhavens.wordpress.com
CHARACTER EXCERPT
Logan gave a thumbs-up then said to Fay, “When I want to get things done fast, I’ll have to remember to get you jealous.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Somehow you managed to get results none of us could. We’ve been stuck here for what seems like forever. Every day we asked to leave and got rejected for one reason or another. Then your sweet violet eyes turn green with envy because of the attention I gave that young woman, and the next thing I know, we’re out of here.”
“I wasn’t jealous. And she wasn’t a woman. She was a girl.”
“She was a woman and very familiar with the ways of men.”
“She was a tart and tease.”
“Darlin’, I hate to inform you, but the little lady was no tease. She was as hungry as a mountain lion, and I was going to be her main course until you stepped in.”
“Really? Well, I’m sorry I interrupted.”
“No you aren’t.” Logan smirked. “You were jealous.”
“I was not!”
“Come on, admit it. You’re not as indifferent to me as you claim, are you?”
“What?” Fay groaned with her attempt to turn around to see his face, but found it impossible harnessed the way she was.
Chandra finished getting Arlo strapped in and shouted, “Are you two finished scraping?” She motioned for Logan to push the red button. “Let’s go!”
As he reached for his button, Chandra’s sail filled with wind, and off she flew across the dirt with them in her wake.
“I’ll have you know,” Fay hollered so he could hear her above the wind rushing past their ears, “I don’t care if the girl was flirting with you or not.”
“Really? Then why did you force your way between us and shoo her out? I think you like me. Might even adore me.”
“Abhor you, did you say? Yes, you might be right.”
“I said adore. And you do. You just don’t know it yet.”
“Adore?” Fay gave a dramatic gasp and stretching her arms up toward the heavens and then addressed God. “Please, if what he says is true…get me to a psychiatrist. I’ve gone mad.”
He laughed. “Mad with desire for me. That’s why you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous! The damn girl had my breakfast on your tray. An-and while I really don’t care that she wanted to play peekaboo with you, she was holding my food hostage while you played boobie-gazer for an hour.”
He laughed again. “Your exaggeration of my two-second look tells me you were jealous. And I think it’s because you adore me.”
Fay lifted her head and let it fall back with force, smacking him in the center of his chest. He exhaled hard at her hit. He gasped, trying to catch his breath. “Are you crazy?”
“I don’t know, but I do know I’m not jealous,” she lied.
“I could have lost control of this damn thing.” He tapped her hard on the top of her head to make his point heard.
“Ouch,” Fay mumbled. “Like you almost lost control with that girl?”
“Lost control? Hardly.” Logan snorted. “I can’t even tell you what she looked like.”
“I’m sure you’d recognize her breasts. You got a good look at those.”
“Not really. I was too busy watching you with my peripheral vision to notice what was in front of me. I wouldn’t know the girl or her breasts if I passed her or them on the street. There was only one thing I was eyeing, and that was you.”
“Oh, God. You’re so full of it.”
“I think you find me irresistible, sexy, and adorable.” He emphasized the last three words with a firm tap on the top of her head.
She swatted at the air in hopes of hitting his hand to make him stop rapping at her brain. “It’s more than obvious, you need a psychiatrist even more than me.”
“Well, if you’re not jealous, why did you react the way you did?”
“Because…because I care about Drakker and Arlo. I wouldn’t want them to end up with a wife who’s a tart.”
“Oh. So a tart’s fine for me, but not for them?”
“I-I didn’t say that.”
“Yes, you did.” He sounded hurt. “And for your information, if we crash at this speed, we’ll both be dead. So don’t hit me with your head like that again.”
She’d squelched his talk about jealousy, but something about the victory wasn’t satisfying. She couldn’t deny he’d secretly become her hero the night he carried her to safety. Whenever she woke during that long ordeal, never once did she hear him complain. Never once did he ask someone else to hold her. Never once did he give up on her for his own safety.
Trailers:
http://youtu.be/TI3Cf_3bcpk (long version)
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June 23, 2014
New Sacred Band Tales: The Fish the Fighters and the Song-girl on Black Gate
This is a great book.
Originally posted on sacredbander:
From Black Gate. To read on Black Gate: http://www.blackgate.com/2014/05/25/l...
Love in War and Realms Beyond Imagining: A Review of The Fish, the Fighters and the Song Girl by Janet Morris and Chris Morris
Sunday, May 25th, 2014 | Posted by Joe Bonadonna
“Your commander reaches for yonder stars and gods do eye him. And there are more Fates in the wide worlds of men than those whom he has aided.” – from The Fish, the Fighters and the Song Girl.
The Fish, the Fighters and the Song Girl
Janet Morris and Chris Morris
Revised Author’s Cut, published by Perseid Press (386 pages, May 24, 2012, $24.95)
Cover art: Peter Paul Rubens, “The Consequences of War” (detail), 1637-1638
The team of Janet Morris and Chris Morris once again grace us with another excellent collection of Homeric Heroic Fantasy, featuring Tempus, Niko and their Sacred Band of Stepsons. This compilation is…
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