A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 192
August 4, 2014
Reblog – song and pics
Great poem from author Laurel A Rockefeller on this blog. The blog is filled with wonderful pics – do go get it out. http://earlharrisphotography.wordpres...
It’s Here! Bellator – an anthology of space and magic
So after a week or so of promotion – including author interviews – Bellator is live!
12 stories of magic, space and heroes.
SARAH by Lee Pletzers
The Summoned Rise of the Phantom Knights by Kenny Emmanuel
Border Patrol by BR Kingsolver
The Twelve by Mia Darien
Ghosts by Christi Rigby
Outside the Walls by A. L. Butcher & Diana L. Wicker
My Brother’s Keeper by Raphyel M. Jordan
With Our Own Blood by Jessica Nicholls
The Connection by Crystal G. Smith
A Fly on the Wall by Chantal Boudreau
Slacker by Doug Dandridge
The Light Bless Thee and Keep Thee by Mason Darien
Here are the links!
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00MCUHYUU
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MCUHYUU
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/464038
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/4910260
Release Day post on From Mia’s Desk: http://www.miadarien.com/bellator-is-live-release-day-interview/
August 3, 2014
Historical Fiction: Learning the Genre
Originally posted on No Wasted Ink:
Historical Fiction is a genre that intrigues me. I was drawn to Regency and Victorian era historical fiction by my love of Jane Austen and her novels. In turn, this interest moved me into the science fiction crossover of Steampunk, a type of alternate history. The creation of a historical world is similar to the creation of a science fiction or fantasy one. Many times authors will use a past civilization to be the fuel for their own fantastical creation.
To get you started in the genre, I have listed a few sites that I have found helpful in learning the foundation of historical fiction. Let your curiosity move you through time and space and experience more of the human condition than what we live in present day. By learning of the past, perhaps we will see more of our future.
Historical Novel Society
This is an organization devoted to…
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Author Interview: Kate Wrath
Originally posted on No Wasted Ink:
Kate Wrath lives in the desert Southwest and writes science fiction and fantasy novels. I’m pleased to welcome her here on No Wasted Ink.
I’m Kate Wrath. I’m a writer and an artist. I live in the Southwest with my husband, my two girls, and my big dog (he would be upset if I left him out).
When and why did you begin writing?
I started writing fan fiction with my friends when I was twelve. It quickly became an obsession, and before I knew it, I was writing my own stories. I had written thousands of pages by the time I started high school, and it just kept adding up from there.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That’s a difficult question. I know a lot of writers who have different milestones they feel they need to reach to be considered a writer—paying the rent with their…
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August 2, 2014
Biblioklept’s Dictionary of Literary Terms
Originally posted on Biblioklept:
AUTEUR
French for author, this term denotes a film director who makes the same film again and again and again.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A detailed list of the books from which the author plundered all his or her good ideas.
CIRCUMLOCUTION
The rhetorical device of circumlocution can be seen by the reader or made evident to the reader when a writer chooses to compose phrases, clauses, or sentences that are inordinately complex, exaggerated, long-winded, or otherwise unnecessarily verbose in order to demonstrate, convey, show, or express an idea, image, or meaning that might have been demonstrated, conveyed, shown, or expressed via the use of shorter, simpler, more direct phrases, clauses, or sentences that demonstrate brevity.
Inexperienced writers, especially composition students, are advised to use circumlocution to pad their writing and meet the assigned word count.
DESCRIPTIVIST
A grammarian who holds strong opinions and judgments about prescriptivists.
EXPOSITION
Telling without showing…
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Anne of Brittany, Queen of France
Originally posted on The Freelance History Writer:
Anne of Brittany, Queen of France
Anne of Brittany was born in the Castle of Nantes on January 25, 1477. A sister named Isabeau was born a few years later. Her father was Duke Francis II of Brittany and her mother was Marguerite, sister of the Comte de Foix. Anne’s tutoring was administered by the prominent Breton noblewoman Françoise de Dinan. She was taught the usual gracious arts of embroidery, singing, dancing, and proper deportment. Anne was intelligent and quick, learning Latin and Greek in addition to French literature. She was very petite and thin with a visibly hunched back. She suffered from a congenital hip defect and used an extra high heel in one shoe to compensate for a limp. Anne was fond of wearing traditional Breton dress with luxurious fabrics.
When Anne was nine, her mother died. Her education was stopped and Anne’s quiet life was replaced by…
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Self-editing masterclass snapshots: getting distance
Originally posted on Nail Your Novel:
All this week I’ve been running a series of the sharpest questions from my Guardian self-editing masterclass. In previous posts I’ve discussed three/four-act structure,endings, characters who are either bland or too disturbing to write ,making a character distinct through dialogue and a fundamental misconception about self-editing. Today I’m talking about the rest period before we edit.
Putting the book away to get distance
How long do you have to put your book aside before you can see it objectively? One student asked this because he’d left his in a drawer for several years. However, when he read it again, he couldn’t judge whether it worked because he remembered exactly what he meant to say.
One of the biggest editing problems is spotting the difference between what you mean and what comes across. It’s possible that this gentleman did write the novel perfectly. Or maybe he has…
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The 21st Century And The Revamping Of Classical Characters
Originally posted on Lynette's Blog:
Although I was born in the swinging sixties and lived my teens throughout the New Romantic era, I like to think of myself as one of those people who embrace moving with the times. However, in a modern day world where the pressure to create something fresh and exciting is becoming increasingly predominant, more and more creative artists are looking at successful classical characters to revamp.
Last year Sophie Hannah was commissioned to write Agatha Christie’s, Poirot. This caused a big hoo-ha at the time, with readers up in arms stating that no one could ever take the place of their most revered and favourite author. It was certainly not a case of ‘out with the old and in with the new’ because readers were horrified that anyone from the 21st century would think themselves worthy of such a feat; openly criticizing the relatives of Christie on their decision.
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Author Interview Fifty-Seven Doug Dandridge Sci-fi/Fantasy Bellator
Welcome to Doug Dandridge
Where are you from and where do you live now? I am originally from Venice, Florida. My father was also a Florida native, born in Panama City in 1915. My mom was from Long Island, New York. But I consider myself 100% Southern. Now I live in Tallahassee, in the northern part of the state, what is still considered the South, even as the southern part really isn’t.
Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I write in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy, with some past and hopefully future forays into Alternate History. In Science Fiction and Fantasy my most popular work is the Military subgenre. Currently I have 21 books out, six in the Exodus: Empires at War series (Military Scifi), four in the Refuge series (Fantasy), and three in the Deep Dark Well series (also scifi). I also have one Steampunk Fantasy, one High Fantasy, one Urban Fantasy, and five other assorted science fiction, from near future (2020) to eight centuries in the future. I also have some fantasy and science fiction completed to the first draft novel stage, a total of four, I believe. Not sure when I will release them, since everyone seems to be clambering for more Exodus, and most of my time is caught up in producing more work in that Universe.
Where do you find inspiration? Everywhere. I read a lot growing up, both science fiction, fantasy, and military history. Also real science, and geography, etc. I served in the US Army, and learned a lot about what it means to be a soldier, though I never had to face combat myself. And I followed the Space Program closely while growing up, back in the day when it went from the first orbital flights up to landing on the Moon. And of course movies and TV shows, from the day when the special effects were pretty hokey, to our modern, almost complete realism versions. The early scifi I read actually had some science in it, unlike much of what we see today. So I try to use some of the real Universe in my scifi, though I don’t get tied to it so much that I lose out on a good story. But things like instant acceleration and deceleration, ships banking in vacuum? I try to avoid that like the plague. And dreams. I have outlined chapters, and once, a whole book during a night of sleep. I guess I have just accumulated so many terabytes of info from all those sources in my mind, when I see, hear or read something that sparks a memory, the ideas just start flowing and connecting.
Do you have a favourite character? If so why? My favorite character from my work is Pandora Latham, also known as Pandi. She starts out as a Kuiper Belt miner, helping to feed the hunger for comets to use in the terraforming of planets. She escaped her native Alabama, and the father she hated, by undergoing space training. She really wants to go to the stars, but mining is the best that is available in her sublight culture. Until the day she has to jump through a wormhole forty thousand years into the future. What I like about the character is she is a resilient fighter who never gives up. In situations where most people would curl up in a ball on the ground in shock, she rolls with the punches, learning the whole time how to survive, and even thrive, in her environment. One of my fans called her Bloody Mary, because she is not adverse to killing something to solve a problem. But at heart, she is a good person, one who believes that all sentient life should be free, and judged for their minds, not their outer appearances.
Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? Heck, I have a lot of characters I dislike. I put them in the story for others to dislike them as well. While they may not be totally bad, they all possess some reprehensible traits. What’s a story without someone to hate.
Are your characters based on real people? I have done that in the past, but now they are just more composites of people I have known. I worked in mental health for years, and then for Department of Children and Families in Florida. I have met a lot of unique personalities, with a lot of unique, not always exemplary, behaviour. I have had some people tell me one or more characters I wrote were not believable, when they were patterned from some of the people I have really met, that most don’t really see in their day to day lives.
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 love world-building. I have all kinds of books in my library, the Atlas of World History, books on Mythology, Star Atlases, just about anything you can think of to help me develop science fiction or fantasy world. Of course now the internet is a favorite resource, with all of the sites that can give you all the information you need. I especially like the sites that provide calculators for things I used to have to do by hand, orbits, gravity, luminosity of a certain kind of star on a planet in a certain orbit. Calculators for the energy derived from amounts of antimatter. NASA’s interactive map of Mars. Nuke Map. The list is just too extensive to cover it all. And computer programs I run on my personal system, like Orbit Xplorer and others.
I try to cover all aspects of the world I am building, and in fact overdo it. That works out really well when I’m working on a series, as eventually most of that stuff will come in handy.
Is there a message conveyed within your writing? Do you feel this is important in a book? I like to have a message of hope, no matter what. The characters may find themselves in a horrible situation. In fact, many of them might not come out the other side. But there is always a chance. I think some message is important in writing, but not the beat the over the head every paragraph till they either get it, or start bleeding from the ears, kind.
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…) Great World Building, Solid Plot, Great Characters, Technically Perfect. The way I see it, the thing that really separates speculative fiction from what I term Mundane fiction is the setting. It has to be some fantastic world, from the past or future, or today gone horribly wrong. After that a plot that keeps the action moving. I write action packed novels, and without plot, it’s easy to get lost. Characters to me are mostly important so people can identify with them, and slip into the world and the plot. Nothing is Technically Perfect, so I don’t even care about that one. I try to make my work as good as I possibly can. But perfection is for people who will never publish.
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? I sell ebooks and print on demand paperbacks. I just released my first audiobook, Exodus: Empires at War: Book 1, my best seller of all time. I’m hoping to do all the books in that series eventually, but it will depend on how well that first book sells.
Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? I do self-edit, and yes, a book can suffer, though it can also suffer from an editor that doesn’t get it. Would my books be better if they were professionally edited? Maybe, but over a thousand reviews across all the books with a 4.45 average says I must be doing something right.
Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? I think there is still some prejudice against self-published authors. If you are traditionally published, people tend to think you passed the standards of the gate keepers, and so of course have produced something of quality. I find that the view is slowly changing, but it all depends on sales. When I tell some of my professionally published writer friends that one of my books has sold almost nineteen thousand copies, with two more selling over ten, their jaws drop. Tell the same to a professional editor and the business cards come out. One of my friends, who has sold millions of books, seems to be very impressed by my ebook sales. And then you have Hugh Howie, with over a million sales, and not many traditionally published authors in his range.
Do you read work by self-published authors? Some. I used to read a lot, but now I only read those recommended by my own fans, or well-reviewed. I have just read so many that were so poor I couldn’t finish them, and I used to pride myself on finishing everything I started. Then again, there were some books that were excellent.
What are your opinions about authors commenting on reviews? How important are reviews? I think reviews are important, though I really couldn’t tell you how much so. I have one book with 8 five star reviews in the US, and almost that many in the UK, which has only sold about three hundred copies. By the ‘that reviews are very important’ rule, it should be selling thousands by now. As far as commenting, I refrain from getting involved in that battle. The only time I will reply is when someone says something about my science that is just wrong. Then I’ll comment, with a link to the science. One time it was a comment about relativity and mass, another about nukes.
What experiences can a book provide that a movie or video game cannot? An in-depth look at a world seen through your own imagination. Movies and games show you what everything looks like, and the actions of the characters, without providing an in-depth look inside. A book allows one to see things through their own interpretation. They make you think.
What three pieces of advice would you give to new writers? Be persistent and don’t give up. When you finish one project, start on another, without delay. And write what you love, not what you think is going to be the next big thing, because it probably won’t be.
What are your best marketing/networking tips? What are your worst? Go to Cons and to the author tracks, and workshop. You meet people who have already made it, and you never know what will come of that. I have met some people in the last year who are really helping me out in my career. The worst. Watch out for the lure of advertising. I spent $500 last year to advertise a vampire book on a site and saw no increase in sales. Advertising might look good, but often amounts to no gain.
Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? I recently read the first three books of Larry Correa’s Monster Hunter International series and really enjoyed them. I can see how he became a best seller. Am currently reading Trial By Fire by Chuck Gannon, also a great book. After that I will track down the next R A Salvatore or Jim Butcher book and get into them.
What are your views on authors offering free books? It worked for me, so I’m all for it. As of this interview, I have sold 92,000 books, and given away 16,000. A giveaway of The Deep Dark Well, over 4,000 books, kick-started the Exodus series.
Do you have a favourite movie? Too many to count. I love Avatar and the Star Wars/Star Trek films. Not because of plot or character, but because of the visuals. For a boy that wanted to grow up to visit other worlds and see other forms of life, they are as close as I’m ever going to get.
Do you have any pets? Four cats. Bobbie, Angelina, Espresso and Molly. All different, all wonderful, and all little pains in the butt at times.
Can you name your worst job? Do you think you learned anything from the position that you now use in your writing? Working for Florida DCF had to be the worst job among many bad ones. Too many contradictory standards, too many politically motivated changes that really helped no one. It taught me I better keep producing as a writer, since I do not want to return to that life.
Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? I love women’s college sports. In Tallahassee we have a lot of college sports. Our football team won the Division I National Championship, which was great. Our women’s Soccer Team lost the National Championship last year in overtime, which disappointed me more than the men winning theirs excited me. I go to every soccer match I can attend. And that made the World Cup really fun this summer, because I actually knew what was going on.
Book links, website/blog and author links:
Blog: http://dougdandridge.com
Website: http://dougdandridge.net
Twitter: @BrotherofCats
Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Doug-Dandridge/e/B006S69CTU
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 1: http://www.amazon.com/Exodus-Empires-Book-Doug-Dandridge-ebook/dp/B009TZSBJO
The Deep Dark Well: http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Dark-Well-Doug-Dandridge-ebook/dp/B006S3GOKS
Refuge: The Arrival: book 1: http://www.amazon.com/Refuge-Arrival-Book-Doug-Dandridge-ebook/dp/B00830A0QI
Afterlife: http://www.amazon.com/Afterlife-Doug-Dandridge-ebook/dp/B00909YF94
Synopsis of Bellator.
Private Benito Benny Suarez was a slacker, the kind of Marine that did as little as possible, whatever he could get by with. The Lodz was the perfect ship for such as he, an old battle cruiser delegated to diplomatic transport duty. On the run from the Empire to Margrav, she was out of the way, in what was considered a safe sector. Until the Ca’cadasan battleship found her. The huge aliens boarded, and Benny found himself in combat. He woke in agony, floating in zero g, his legs gone, only his battle armor keeping him alive. His course was clear. Hide, get off the ship, survive at all costs. Until he discovered that the youngest passenger aboard the ship, the daughter of the Ambassador, was still alive, and in the hands of the Cacas. Then the decision was no longer so easy, not if he wanted to live with himself. Be what he had always been? Or be the hero, and risk his life to save that of a child.
August 1, 2014
Character Interview Twenty-Four Diana – Bellator Fantasy
As part of the Bellator Promotion I am pleased to welcome character Diana to my blog.
Name (s): Diana. I never give my family’s name to those who don’t know it already.
Age: I am a woman, but I do not know my exact age. I left my family to train with my master when I was around 18, but the years have blended some since then due to the nature of my training.
Please tell us a little about yourself. I live in the woods, I love the trees and mountains and the wind. I love my knife. It is a part of me.
Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. Tall, my hair matches the tree branches, fair skinned.
Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? If you carry evil in your heart, I will seek you out. I will make you disappear, before you realise I am there. That is my ‘moral code.’
Would you kill for those you love? Yes.
Would you die for those you love? Of course.
What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses? My strengths involve the ability to kill when necessary. I’m fast, and a rather good huntress. My weakness….*looks down at the ground* is that I cannot bear to be around people, even those I love for a particularly long time. I depend upon solitude and secrecy. The best way I can show love to those I care for is to destroy any evil that threatens them.
Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why? One of my brothers…*heavy silence*….and my sister. We are connected by blood, and they always showed me love, accepted me for what I am. Not everyone is so lucky with their blood relations. Sometimes those ties turn out to mean little.
Do you like animals? Do you have any pets/animal companions? I do like innocent animals, I respect all creatures. I rely on animals in the wild for some of my nourishment. I do not have any animal companions.
Do you have a family? Tell us about them. *silent but visible sigh* Yes. I mentioned before. I have parents. My father is an honorable man. My mother is a good woman who, did the best she could for all of us. I have a beautiful, loving little sister and a very honorable, strong brother – only one year apart from me in age. I…have another sibling. But for many reasons, I do not wish to discuss him now. *jaw clenches, eyes glaze and she strokes the hilt of her knife*
Can you remember something from your childhood which influences your behaviour? How do you think it influences you? Many things. But I suppose my siblings inspired in me the desire to protect. My father and brother let me hunt with them. Because of my speed, and sense of smell, I was allowed to go ahead. I made sure there were never any large predators that would threaten them. They are both big, capable males but I will look out for them where they cannot look out for themselves. And my loving sister with her warm spirit, *eyes fill up as she looks away to regain composure* how could I not desire a life entirely devoted to ensuring her safety?
Do you have any phobias? No. There are things I find unpleasant, and I do not wish for pain. But I will let nothing stand in my way of doing what I must.
Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. *Barely there smirk* If I sensed you had invited unholy ones to reside within you? I would destroy your very soul with my bare hands.
Tell Us About Your World
Please give us a little information about the world in which you live. My world is…beautiful. I know of small villages like the one I grew up in, where we live by farming and some hunting. The villages are in the flat land between the mountains and the forest. There have always been warriors, for protection, though…until lately there hasn’t been quite as great of a need for their services. I love the woods of course, that is where I live – for protection. But I do love standing alone in the vast open tall grass field that exists between the mountain, forest, and the village. It makes me feel free and connected to all things.
Does your world have religion or other spiritual beliefs? If so do you follow one of them? Please describe (briefly) how this affects your behaviour. I suppose you could say we believe in good and evil, and quite simply – we embrace one or the other. There is a higher, benevolent Power, but that gigantic entity does not step in and sort every little problem. There is a Netherworld King and he has many servants. I suppose, for me…ultimately passion is power. How passionate you are determines how far you would go to be good…or evil.
Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? Of course, I travel mainly in the woods and the outskirts that lead to other villages. I scour the moutain sides. I will go to any little nooks and crannies where evil thinks it can hide.
Name and describe a food from your world. *smiles* I do love my mother’s chicken roasted with butter. *then smile fades*. But where I am, I find wild birds suitable for roasting. The meat is juicy and pleasant enough.
Does your world have magic? If so how is it viewed in your world? It does have magic. My world is…or was…very innocent. Most know that magic exists, but to see those who can wield aspects of it…it does not always make for a contented community. *puts her head down again* it is part of the reason I had to leave. Not all people can do what I can, and I did not wish to call any unnecessary attention to my family.
What form of politics is dominant in your world? (Democracy, Theocracy, Meritocracy, Monarchy, Kakistocracy etc.) Politics? I suppose this ‘Meritocracy’ is the closest to what we have. In the villages, those who are best at leading, at dealing with people, those who possess intelligence, and sometimes retired great warriors, like my father, those are the ones who have a stronger voice in the communities. At the moment…’goodness’ is valued….
Does your world have different races of people? If so do they get on with one another? Races? Different family histories you mean? Different shades of flesh? Yes, there are. But I don’t see why that would make people not get on…*pauses for a longer period of time*. What makes us, ‘not get on’ in our world involves those who are willing to conjure entities in order to gain power. *clenches jaw and fists again*…someone who holds the same blood that runs through your veins can ‘not get on’…*swallows and looks up* yet I suppose a stranger could share warmth from their own heart.
Name a couple of myths and legends particular to your culture/people. When I was a child, my father, he told me about a group of ‘warrior witches’ who lived in the forest. They never stayed together, never in the same place. But they were aware of all forms of existence within their world. They knew darkness so well, what it tasted like, smelled like and so forth that they recognised it and could overpower even the strongest of entities. Because, they had been so close to evil…there was no way for it to hide from them. They didn’t fear it. My master…Master Aaron. Frederick, he is my brother *sublte but proud smile*. He told me how Master Aaron lost part of his arm, and came to walk with a limp by taking his sword against the Netherworld King without fear. No one knows how old Master Aaron is, but Frederick says that he fears nothing, he desires no power or glory despite constant temptation to rule all. He lived in seclusion…until he came to train me. It was an honour to be chosen by him.
What is the technology level for your world/place of residence? What item would you not be able to live without? Technology? *confused look* We have…tools and make good use of water. My mother’s stove was wonderful at cooking chicken. But for me, I could not be without my knife.
Does your world have any supernatural/mystical beings? Please tell us about some. *stills completely* We have demons, different levels of mischevious entities. I’ve mentioned the Netherworld King.
Within your civilisation what do you think is the most important discovery/invention? At the moment, the most important ‘discovery’ is that someone is conjuring spirits, seeking the one from below to enter the souls and hearts of others. There is a sorcerer who desires great power. I am hunting everywhere for evidence of him.
Name three persons of influence/renown within your society and tell why they are influential (Could be someone like Christ/Mandela/Queen Elizabeth or a renowned figure from a non-human/fantasy world.) Master Aaron. He is very special because even though it is known he has, ‘abilities’ he is allowed to live in peace. He was a great, fearless warrior who would stand up against the most loathesome of enemies simply to protect the goodness in our world. Few warriors can lay claim to his level of bravery and skill.
My father: He is a humble man, but a great one and he was a great warrior in his time. He is very large, rather like a bear. He is terrifying, but full of warmth and love. *smiling again* I’m not sure who Frederick will be more like – Master Aaron or my father. But my father is respected for his quiet wisdom in our village. But he is devoted to my mother, to his children. He has fit into whatever roles necessary to benefit his family, to be a good part of his community. I’ve never seen any decent person look at him with anything but respect. I will always honor him by protecting what he loves in the best way I can.
The warrior witches: I do not know their names, but I know they are there. They are the unknown,silent force that the evil ones fear. To me, they are influential and renowned. Though I never see them, it is the closest thing to constant companionship I know. Because I know…I know I am one of them.
Author notes:
Book(s) in which this character appears plus links. Diana appears in a short story entitled ‘With Our Own Blood’ in the Bellator anthology.
Author name Jessica Nicholls
Website/Blog/Author pages etc.
jessicanichollsauthor.wordpress.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Nicholls/1414557452090470
twitter: https://twitter.com/JessicaNicholl1





